Part 6 (1/2)
No People can entertain their Friends with better Cheer and Welcome; and Strangers and Travellers are here treated in the most free, plentiful, and hospitable Manner; so that a few Inns or Ordinaries on the Road are sufficient.
As to the Weather, the Spring and Fall are not unlike those Seasons in _England_, only the Air is never long foggy, nor very cloudy; but clear, sometimes of a bluish Colour, occasioned by the thin Smoak, dispersed in the Air, from the Flames of the Woods and Leaves, which are fired in Hunting, to drive the Beasts from their lurking Places; or in the Spring to burn the old Leaves and Gra.s.s, that there may be the better Pasture the next Summer.
The Months of _December_, _January_ and _February_ are generally much colder, and _June_, _July_ and _August_ are much hotter than in _England_; tho' sometimes 'tis on a sudden very cool in Summer, and pretty warm in Winter, the Weather being governed by the Wind; which with sudden Storms from the _North-West_, and sometimes from the _West_ and _South-West_ bring violent Gusts or Tempests, with Thunder, Lightning, and Rain very terrible, but soon over.
The _North West_ Winds are exquisitely sharp and cold, proceeding from Clouds arising from the vast Lakes and prodigious snowy Mountains that lie to that Quarter; but the Southerly Winds and others are very warm.
The Days and Nights are there always much nearer the Equality of twelve Hours, than in the Lat.i.tude of _England_.
At the sudden Changes of the Weather, from Heat to Cold, People are apt to take Cold, often neglecting to s.h.i.+ft their Cloaths with the Weather; which with Abundance of Damps and Mists from the Water, and by eating too plentifully of some delicious Fruits, makes the People subject to Feavers and Agues, which is the Country Distemper, a severe Fit of which (called a _Seasoning_) most expect, some time after their Arrival in that Climate; but the Goodness of G.o.d has furnished us with a perfect _Catholicon_ for that Sickness, _viz._ the _Bark_; which being taken and repeated in a right Manner, seldom fails of a Cure, unless the morbifick Matter comes to a Head again from fresh Causes, and so returns with Mastery; upon which Recourse must be had to the same specifick Remedy; besides which there are several Ways of Cure, but none so universal and sure as that.
Some for Want of timely Care, through Ignorance or Obstinacy, will permit the Distemper to lurk about them so long, till at last it has reduced them to an irrecoverable, lingering, ill Habit of Body; especially if they live meanly, drinking too much Water, and eating too much salt Meat; and this _Cachexy_ generally ends their Lives with a Dropsy, Consumption, the Jaundice, or some such Illness.
Besides this, some are troubled with the dry Gripes, proceeding from Colds (I suppose) which take away for a long Time the Use of the Limbs of some, especially hard Drinkers of Rum; some that have lain out in mighty cold Weather have been Frost-bitten, and lost their Fingers or Toes.
There is no Danger of wild Beasts in traveling; for the Wolves and Bears, which are up the Country, never attack any, unless they be first a.s.saulted and hurt; and the Wolves of late are much destroyed by Virtue of a Law, which allows good Rewards for their Heads with the Ears on, to prevent Imposition and cheating the Publick; for the Ears are crop'd when a Head is produced.
The Bears are also much destroyed by the Out-Planters, _&c._ for the Sake of their Flesh and Skins.
As for Rattle-Snakes, _&c._ they make off from you, unless you by Carelesness chance to tread on them; and then their Bite is found now not to be mortal, if Remedies can be applied in Time.
The worst Inconveniency in travelling a-cross the Country, is the Circuit that must be taken to head Creeks, _&c._ for the main Roads wind along the rising Ground between the Rivers, tho' now they much shorten their Pa.s.sage by mending the Swamps and building of Bridges in several Places; and there are established Ferries at convenient Places, over the great Rivers; but in them is often much Danger from sudden Storms, bad Boats, or unskilful or wilful Ferrymen; especially if one pa.s.ses in a Boat with Horses, of which I have great Reason to be most sensible by the Loss of a dear _Brother_ at _Chickoh.o.m.ony Ferry_, in _Feb._ 1723/4.
As for their Drink, good Springs of excellent Water abound every where almost, which is very cooling and pleasant in Summer, and the general Drink of abundance: not so much out of Necessity, as Choice.
Some Planters, _&c._ make good small Drink with Cakes of _Parsimmons_ a kind of Plumbs, which grow there in great Plenty; but the common small Beer is made of _Molossus_, which makes extraordinary brisk good tasted Liquor at a cheap Rate, with little Trouble in brewing; so that they have it fresh and fresh, as they want it in Winter and Summer.
And as they brew, so do they bake daily, Bread or Cakes, eating too much hot and new Bread, which cannot be wholsom, tho' it be pleasanter than what has been baked a Day or two.
Some raise Barley and make Malt there, and others have Malt from _England_, with which those that understand it, brew as good Beer as in _England_, at proper Seasons of the Year; but the common strong Malt-Drink mostly used, is _Bristol_ Beer; of which is consumed vast Quant.i.ties there yearly; which being well brew'd and improv'd by crossing the Sea, drinks exceedingly fine and smooth; but Malt Liquor is not so much regarded as Wine, Rack, Brandy, and Rum, Punch, with Drams of Rum or Brandy for the common Sort, when they drink in a Hurry.
The common Wine comes from _Madera_ or _Phial_, which moderately drank is fittest to cheer the fainting Spirits in the Heat of Summer, and to warm the chilled Blood in the bitter Colds of Winter, and seems most peculiarly adapted for this Climate: Besides this, are plentifully drank with the better Sort, of late Years, all Kinds of _French_, and other _European_ Wine, especially Claret and Port.
Here is likewise used a great deal of Chocolate, Tea and Coffee, which, with several Sorts of Apparel, they have as cheap, or cheaper than in _England_, because of the Debenture of such Goods upon their Exportation thither: Besides, they are allowed to have Wines directly from _Madera_, and other Commodities are brought from the _West-Indies_, and the Continent, which cannot be brought to _England_ without spoiling.
As for grinding Corn, _&c._ they have good Mills upon the Runs and Creeks: besides Hand-Mills, Wind-Mills, and the _Indian_ Invention of pounding Hommony in Mortars burnt in the Stump of a Tree, with a Log for a Pestle hanging at the End of a Pole, fix'd like the Pole of a Lave.
Though they are permitted to trade to no Parts but _Great Britain_, except these Places: yet have they in many Respects better and cheaper Commodities than we in _England_, especially of late Years; for the Country may be said to be altered and improved in Wealth and polite Living within these few Years, since the Beginning of _Col. Spotswood_'s Government, more than in all the Scores of Years before that, from its first Discovery. The Country is yearly supplied with vast Quant.i.ties of Goods from _Great Britain_, chiefly from _London_, _Bristol_, _Liverpool_, _Whitehaven_, and from _Scotland_.
The s.h.i.+ps that transport these Things often call at _Ireland_ to victual, and bring over frequently white Servants, which are of three Kinds. 1. Such as come upon certain Wages by Agreement for a certain Time. 2. Such as come bound by Indenture, commonly call'd _Kids_, who are usually to serve four or five Years; and 3. those Convicts or Felons that are transported, whose Room they had much rather have than their Company; for abundance of them do great Mischiefs, commit Robbery and Murder, and spoil Servants, that were before very good: But they frequently there meet with the End they deserved at Home, though indeed some of them prove indifferent good. Their being sent thither to work as Slaves for Punishment, is but a mere Notion, for few of them ever lived so well and so easy before, especially if they are good for any thing.
These are to serve seven, and sometimes fourteen Years, and they and Servants by Indentures have an Allowance of Corn and Cloaths, when they are out of their Time, that they may be therewith supported, till they can be provided with Services, or otherwise settled. With these three Sorts of Servants are they supplied from _England_, _Wales_, _Scotland_, and _Ireland_, among which they that have a Mind to it, may serve their Time with Ease and Satisfaction to themselves and their Masters, especially if they fall into good Hands.
Except the last Sort, for the most Part who are loose Villains, made tame by _Wild_, and then enslaved by his _Forward Namesake_: To prevent too great a Stock of which Servants and Negroes many Attempts and Laws have been in vain made.
These if they forsake their Roguery together with the other Kids of the later _Jonathan_, when they are free, may work Day-Labour, or else rent a small Plantation for a Trifle almost; or else turn Overseers, if they are expert, industrious, and careful, or follow their Trade, if they have been brought up to any; especially Smiths, Carpenters, Taylors, Sawyers, Coopers, Bricklayers, _&c._ The Plenty of the Country, and the good Wages given to Work-Folks occasion very few Poor, who are supported by the Parish, being such as are lame, sick, or decrepit through Age, Distempers, Accidents, or some Infirmities; for where there is a numerous Family of poor Children the Vestry takes Care to bind them out Apprentices, till they are able to maintain themselves by their own Labour; by which Means they are never tormented with Vagrant, and Vagabond Beggars, there being a Reward for taking up Run-aways, that are at a small Distance from their Home; if they are not known, or are without a Pa.s.s from their Master, and can give no good Account of themselves, especially Negroes.
In all convenient Places are kept Stores or Ware-Houses of all Sorts of Goods, managed by Store-Keepers or Factors, either for themselves or others in the Country, or in _Great Britain_.