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town, but had not proceeded more than fourteen miles before my horse cut his foot, and as I was afraid he would be lamed if I continued my journey, I stopped at a large farm-house belonging to a Mr. Rhoades. My host had a fine family of children, several of them grown up. Mrs. Rhoades was a perfect model of a farmer's wife. Indeed American women, throughout all the backwoods, are the most industrious females I have ever seen in any country. I had often remarked this; but never till I came to Mr. Rhoades's had I so good an opportunity of learning the minutiae of their employments.

Besides the labour of cooking, cleaning the house, &c. the American farmer's wife makes every article of clothing for her whole family. The men wear a sort of coarse cloth made of cotton and wool. The cotton is grown upon the farm, is picked, spun, weaved, dyed with the indigo that also grows on the farm, cut up, and made into clothes by the female part of the family. The wool of their own sheep furnishes materials for the mixed cloth, stockings, &c. All the linen for shirts, sheets, and towels, is also made at home from their own flax.

I was quite surprised to see the activity and industry of my hostess. Directly after breakfast, which was on the table every morning at sunrise, she and her two daughters commenced their daily occupations of spinning, &c. One of the girls was

engaged in making an entirely new suit of clothes for her father and eldest brother, from some of the cloth that had been just finished. The other, with her mother, was busily employed in spinning, as a black servant girl was in weaving. At the close of the day, after supper, the whole party sat round the fire employed in picking the seeds from the raw cotton.

The old woman was very talkative and goodhumoured, and related to me some very curious anecdotes of their first settling in Kentucky, which happened soon after it was discovered, and at the time when the Indians used to be troublesome. Old Mr. Rhoades, who, in early life, had been a great and skilful hunter, had also numerous interesting stories of the savage foe, and of the dangers incurred when following the buffalo and elk. These anecdotes were every now and then broken in upon, by a good-natured laugh, at my awkwardness in picking cotton; for although I took some pains to learn the art, I made but a bad hand at it, picking but a small quantity, and that at the expense of making my fingers very sore. The chief produce of this farm was Indian corn and oats. Wheat, throughout the whole of this part of the country, does not grow well, and after it is got in, is nearly always destroyed by the weevil. Mr. Rhoades, the year before, had had a pretty good crop, but it was very much injured by this destructive insect. I remained nearly a week at this comfortable

abode, employing myself during the day-time in hunting (there being plenty of deer and wild turkeys in the woods), and during the evening in picking cotton, and listening to the stories about the Indians and the first settlers. When I went away, my worthy host refused to receive any thing from me, and gave me a hearty invitation to repeat my visit.

I had very foolishly omitted to inquire whether Muddy River was fordable or not; so that when upon coming there I found neither a ferry nor a bridge, I supposed it to be fordable, and ventured in, without making the necessary preparations. Although the river had risen considerably above its banks, in consequence of the rain, yet I went on through a great part of the stream with only wetting my feet and the skirts of my saddle. But when I had arrived within thirty or forty yards of the opposite side, I plumped all of a sudden into the channel of the river, and got terribly ducked, which was the more disagreeable as it was freezing. My horse being an excellent swimmer easily carried me to the shore; but my watch, and United States' bank notes, were very much wetted-a misfortune which would not have happened if, as whenever previously I was obliged to swim a river, I had secured them in my hat and neckcloth.

I was so chilled by this sudden and unexpected immersion, that I was obliged to stop at a small log house near the river bank. The owner re

ceived me very hospitably, made up a bed for me, and, as I felt very unwell, administered the only remedy he knew-whiskey mixed with pepper. This extraordinary draught, which is probably not to be found in any Pharmacopoeia, made me feel as if I had swallowed liquid fire; but by throwing me into a violent perspiration, prevented me from experiencing any harm from the accident.

The next morning, finding myself quite recovered, I proceeded on my journey, and arrived in the evening at Morgantown. This place merely consists of a few straggling houses, and scarcely deserves the name even of a village. The man who had kept a tavern here had shut up his house, considering that his gains did not repay him for his trouble. He told me however, that as I was a stranger I was perfectly welcome to stay with him. The next morning he refused to receive any money, saying, "I used to charge when I kept open house, but now that I do not, I take nothing, though glad to show hospitality to any occasional traveller."

From Morgantown I took the road to Bowling Green, and halted a night at a farm-house on Gaspar's river. On the banks of this stream are a great many Indian tumuli, some of which have been opened by the people in the neighbourhood, who have however found nothing in them, but a few bones, and some fragments of rude earthen

ware.

Bowling Green is a flourishing little town, situated on the bank of Green River, a stream of considerable magnitude, that rises in Lincoln county Kentucky, and after a long meandering course, falls into the Ohio.

While passing the evening in the tavern at which I put up, and which was very comfortable, some Eastern newspapers arrived, in one of which there was a copy of the decision of the Emperor of Russia, with regard to the slaves taken from the United States by the British, during the last war. I may here mention, first, that the dispute on this subject, had, by mutual consent, been referred to Alexander, who decided in favour of the United States; and secondly, that the American government has no secrets, and therefore publishes all treaties, &c. as soon as they are signed.

The Americans, who were sitting round the fire, were highly amused at the titles which Count Nesselrode had affixed to his name. Besides half a dozen offices that he held, he had thought fit to inform the world, that he was first class of this order, and second class of that; great cross of one and little cross of another, and so on for half a page. This exuberant display of titles gave an additional effect to the modesty of the American diplomatist, who had merely called himself "H. Middleton, citizen of the United States."

The Count's titles, and the remarks made upon

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