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themselves." "Yes," he said, "they were a fortune
in one respect, they had children enough." " And how
many have they?" five, was the answer, "yes, an ta
vill soon pee some more," said the driver. He had six
daughters, and all but one which was not grown, had
had children; some two or three, and the young one it
was, "that promised another shortly!!" This coun-
tryman said-nay, I saw one of them myself, with a
black child--"that there were several instances of their
having children by black men." This is the effect
of that ignorance that universally prevails among the
Germans; this too, in a country where the enlighten-
ed Prestons live-where the classical, the eloquent,
and highly polished Dr. Floyd, Gen. A. Smyth, and
many other enlightened and intelligent people live-
where the great and wise Maj. Sheffy once lived.
Strange that those eminent characters, prompted by
sellow feeling, or some feeling that would have for its
object the improvement of their neighbors, whose mo-
rals are entirely subverted for the want of education,
should not make some exertion to remove the evil. In
extenuation, however, it must be observed, that the
Dutch (so called) generally, throughout America,
evince an insuperable aversion to learning. I ex-
pressed myself to the young man in the stage, in terms
of abhorrence at this gross immorality. "Vy I'm sure
its no harm," said the poor ignorant driver. But I
will give them up, and see what I can make of Giles
county, through which it seems I am to pass to the
Springs. After spending several days at Newbern, I
bid my kind and worthy friend, Mr. Tiffany, adieu.

Giles County. Giles is a poor, hilly, broken, thin-
ly settled county. I was agreeably surprised at the
passage of New River, through Peter's Mountain: the
scenery it presents is truly romantic-the only thing
worthy remark on the road to the Salt Sulphur, where
I arrived very much fatigued. And here I have the
fleas again, notwithstanding the neatness of the land-
lady, who is an excellent house keeper. They cer-

1

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tainly must delight in a cold climate, the whole of this country, and particularly this, (Monroe,) being elevatalmost to the clouds. Here are people from almost every state in the Union, going to, and coming from the different mineral springs, which abound in these everlasting mountains. Some come for health, and some for pleasure. In Paulding's "Letters from the South," you have a very correct portrait of these watering places; a better description could not be given. In this county (Monroe) are no less than four different mineral springs. Here are the Salt Sulphur and the Sweet Sulphur within a mile of each other-the Red Sulphur, which is said to be the most efficacious of them all, within eighteen miles, and the Sweet Spring within twenty. Besides these, there are the White Sulphur and the Blue Sulphur in the adjoining county of Greenbriar, and in the county of Bath, about forty miles north-east of this place, are the Hot Springs, and Warm Spring about four miles distant one from the other. How admirably has Providence provided resources for every part of the globe. This bleak, inhospitable, and dreary country, remote from commerce and navigation, destitute of arts, taste, or refinement, derives great advantages from these springs. Thousands of dollars are left here annually by those wealthy visiters; and in the mean time, as they are mostly people of taste and refinement, they bring a fund of amusement and instruction home to the doors of its inhabitants. The northern people are reserved and distant; the Virginians frank, open and sociable, and their ladies are very agreeable; the South Carolinians still more so. Of all people I have met with, they are the most pleasing in their manners; they are however annoyed with the cold and the fleas. It is not uncomuton to see a South Carolinian wrapped up in a cloak, in the middle of August.

Although I was myself perplexed, between the fleas and the cold together, I could not forbear smiling at the other sufferers, particularly a French gentleman. Sitting in my chamber one day, and these insects the

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topic, he wouid close his eyes to personate sleep, and
then pass his hands with flippant motion over different
parts of his body, "dare, and dare, and dare;" accord-
ing to him, they missed no part of his body, " per dew
da be von diable ting, no possible to sleep for dem,
da are not von fla to insect, how you call dat? da are
da fla (flea,) to make hase away, I defy you to catch
dem." One of the servants happened to be present,
while he was execrating them in his way, and obser-
ved, " you get them at the stables sir, if you would re-
frain from visiting the stables, you would be free from
them;" " you go in h-l," said he to the servant,
" da are congenal to all place."

Meeting with my old friend D., I rode out with him
through the country a few miles, and having letters to
write, we
little town near the spring, where

called at a

I was told that a post office was kept. Unluckily for
me, it was the quarterly term of their court, which
was held at this town. One tavern only in the place,
and every room engaged by the lawyers, and what
nots of the country; all but one, which no one would
have, as it was immediately over the bar room, and
which necessity compelled me to accept. Goldsmith
says, a tavern is the true picture of human infirmity.
In history we find only one side of the age exhibited to
our view, but in the accounts of a tavern, we see eve-
ry age equally absurd, and equally vicious. Several
men were assembled in the room beneath me. They
were talking, singing, laughing, drinking, and swear-
ing, all at the same instant of time. Being compelled
to write, I, like the countryman who sat down on the
bank of the river, in the pleasing expectation, that the
rapidity of the current would soon exhaust the stream,
by which means he might pursue his journey, sat with
the pen in my hand, and the paper before me, waiting
for some fortunate intermission in the noise below, or
that they would finally close and disperse to their
respective homes, all in vain.!

As I could hear the most of what was said, and
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ter,) to take down the conversation as it struck my
car, in short hand, and see what a budget of nonsense
it would display on paper. The reader has, no
doubt, seen the conversation of a club, written by
Goldsmith; this was not half so entertaining, but it
was equally absurd. Two men were disputing on
the orthography of Mississippi; two others appeared
to be shoemakers, one of whom seemed to question
the skill of his brother chip. Another was accusing
one who sat near him, of stealing a march with his
neighbor's daughter, as I took it; and another was
calling for more whiskey, and a song. " I say it's
Mas-mas-sa-masa-sep-sep-py-py, Massaseppy. I'll
tell you what 'tis Jake, you never lasted a shoe in
your life, so, and I never said that before. What the
d-l could you be doing there at that time. Come
Jim, give us that song. Landlord bring us a half pint
of whiskey. Well, I'll hold you a half pint that it's
Mic-ci-ci-micci-pi-pi. I can last a shoe. Of the
morning and the man in the range. Silence, Jim's
goin till give us a song. One night I dreamed I lay
most casy down by a murmuring. Micippi, and I'll
stand to it till the day of doomsday, that it's mas.
I'll be d-d, give me the same leather, and the same
thread, and if I can't. D-n it man, what's the use
of denying the. Dn seize ye, can't ye listen
to the song. Truth. "One night I dreamed I lay
most easy, down by a murmuring river side." Well,
I'll bate (bet) you a gallon the best whiskey in the
Union; done, that it's mic. Make a shoe that 'll
out-last. It I had 'nt eyes, you might persuade me.
"Whose sprouding banks were spread with daisies,
and the stream it gently glide." I'll hold you all the
whiskey in the Union that it begins with. Out wear,
any shoe that ever you made. Out of my senses.
Give us another half pint. Hic-kup an hic-kup.
Myou 'r a l-r."

The Landlord now interfered, and sent the two
spellers, who appeared to be very drunk, out of the
house. By this time Court adjourned, a crowd entered

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the house, and the whole scene became one continual buz, in which not one word could be distinguished. It must be observed, as a clue to the conversation taken down, that the speakers are noticed in regular rotation as they are announced at the beginning. First, the two were spelling-second, the shoemakers -third, the man who accused the other of stealing his neighbor's daughter, in the absence of her fatherfourth and last, the man of fine music, and his friend; the word " truth," however, is an exception, it belongs to the man who accused his neighbor, &c.

Writing being out of the question, I consoled myself by taking a seat at the window and viewing the scenery of the surrounding country, which is highly picturesque. Farms, or gentlemen's seats, perhaps, (I know not which,) appear at intervals on the side of the mountains, which are not so steep as to preclude cultivation; neither does their proximity offend the eye. While I was musing on the scene before me, my attention was attracted by a party in the street. A poor invalid of the springs, who appeared to be in the last stages of a consumption, was riding up street, directly under my window. Some distance behind, rode four ladies abreast, the self same way; they were none of your finical, fine spun, scrupulous ladies; this was evident at first sight; they were fine lusty looking females, that might average a hundred and sixty weight. They all rode on trotting horses; they whipped on pretty brisk, and soon gained upon the young man ; as they drew near, his horse being a little fiery, began to display his mettle, by attempting to escape from his imaginary danger. His rider, however, had strength enough to check him by reining him up; the horse finding himself over-ruled in his first design, resolved, at least, to examine the nature of the case, and wheeling now to the right, and now to the left, I expected to see the young man thrown from his back; and in the eagerness of my alarm for him, I was actually putting. my head out of the window to call to the ladies " to have mercy and not ride over the good man," when

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