|
William Priest - Travels in the United States of America
the seat of government; and it's state-house is by much the best building I have seen in America. This
little city is now the retreat of some of the best families in the state. The inhabitants in general are
passionately fond of theatrical entertainments, and received us with a degree of kindness and hospitality
which claims our warmest acknowledgments. I spend my time here very agreeably. The politeness, ease,
and conviviality of the Annapolians form a strong and pleasing contrast to the behaviour of the stiff,
gloomy and unsocial bigots I was lately surrounded with in the Jerseys. Next to Virginia, this state was
the most famous for tobacco-plantations; but the people now find the culture of wheat more profitable, as
well as less injurious to the soil. No plant impoverishes the earth so much by it's growth as tobacco;
many plantations, owing to successive crops of this weed, are what is here called worn
out; formerly, when their land was in this state, instead of endeavouring to bring it round by a few
fallow years and manure, as in England, they immediately cleared a fresh tract. They now begin to use
manure, and have discovered a very extraordinary kind; viz. antediluvian oyster-shells, large beds of
which are found a few feet beneath the surface of the earth in several parts of the state[Footnote: See
Bartram's Account of a similar Bed in Georgia, page 213.]: these being laid on the land, are, by the effect
of the air, crumbled into dust in a few days, and fertilize the earth in an astonishing degree. - Farewell. -
Conclude me
Yours very sincerely, &c.
Philadelphia, 27th February, 1794.
DEAR FRIEND,
On the fourth instant I left Annapolis on my way to this city. After travelling eight miles, we passed
through a long and dreary wood; here we met two negroes conveying a coffin on a sort of sledge. On
inquiry, one of them informed us, the coffin contained the corpse of his mother; that on the death of his
old master, his parents were sold to different planters, which his father took so much to heart, that he died
soon after; his mother only survived him about five months; and they were now complying with her last
request, which was, to be carried to a plantation about eight miles thence, and there buried with her
husband. There seemed a great degree of dejection in the poor fellow's countenance; and I could not help
telling him, by way of consolation, that his father and mother were gone to a better place, where there
was no distinction of colour, and where no white man would dare again to part them; but as
words are wind, we agreed to administer some more solid consolation, which the
black man received with a look of gratitude, then cast his eye towards his mother's corpse, and shed a
silent tear. Why was not Sterne present at this scene?
I slept at an inn, about twenty miles from Annapolis, where we supped in the American fashion on fried
squirrels and coffee, the former excellent.
Feb. 5th. - Arrived at Baltimore, and hired a caravan with four horses, which is here called a
stage: the same afternoon we arrived at the Susquana. This noble river, which is here about a mile and a
quarter wide, was frozen hard. Our advanced guard crossed the day before, in a ferry boat: this
circumstance will give you some idea of the severity of the cold in this climate. A negro slave, belonging
to the ferry, undertook to drive our stage over the river for two dollars, which his master put into his
pocket, and ordered Sambo to proceed; the fellow drove boldly, and was across in a few
minutes, the ice cracking most horribly all the way. I suppose I need not inform you, we were not
in the carriage.
|
