Camp Lake George Novr. 1755
Sr.,
Well knowing your natural Curiosity, & the pleasure you take in the discription of foreign parts, I undertake to describe to you some Observations on a Journey I have lately made to the westward, wch. as it afforded me much Admiration in the Observation so I doubt not it will amuse you to read it.
Abt. the latter end of Summer I sat out, accompanied with some persons of Quality, each one properly accoutered with Fire Arms & Blanketts to defend agst. the Insolencys of an Enemy or the Inclemencys of a cold Night. I shall not troble you with Occurrencys near home, every one meets with them, but after a Travail of some Days we came into a fine Country where the Face of the Earth was covered with Produce not indebted to the Labour of the Husbandman, the highways thro' this country laid out in a very spacious manner being in most places 20, 30, yea 100 miles wide & in many places very plentifully pav'd, but the Country being new, the paving work seems not to be compleated, for in many places the rich fat soil proves very offensive to the feet of the Travailer. However there is abundant provision for water wch. is so scituated that a foot Travailer cannot avoid washing himself. In passing thro' this country, We visited many fine Citys, wch. were not sufficiently different from wt. we commonly see to deserve describing; till after a long Travail we came to318a city so very extraordinary, as deserves the minutest discription. We arrived abt. dark, & took Quarters at a Freinds house for some considerable Time & in discribing this wonderfull place I shall note down observations as they occurred: This wonderful City then as by enquiry I learn'd has not been long known to our part of the world yet has very lately settled a considerable corespondence that way; Tis very secretly seated between two long ranges of lofty Mountains, capable of being discovered by none distant except the Sun who in his meridian Altitude peeps thro' the Clouds of Smoak & Sulphureous Vapours that frequently oerhang this place. It stands at the Head of a long narrow Lake whose stagnant waters afford but a Livid Prospect. 'Tis said by some that it lead directly to Purgatory at the other End, & so one would think to see the innumerable Ferry Boats which are here prepar'd to waft the Inhabitants forward. The Land here is not tilld, tho it is excellently manured. They raise no Provision but have it transported from other parts, that at times you would think you were in Lubber Land, & again that you were on a Moroon Island. The No. of Inhabitants tis impossible to tell for like the world 'tis perpetually changing without any sign of stabillity. The Inhabitants I observed are chiefly Males for 'tis said the Weomen that come here all turn to men immediately, so that this place seems to put in opposition to Land of Amazons, & as they mark themselves by cutting of the right Breast for the convenience of shooting the Bow, these are no less remarkable for casting of natural affection for the Covenience of living Careless Lives.
The rise & progress of this City, or even the various alterations that happned during my tarry there would abundantly divert a curious person. Upon my first Arrival I found only a small tract of abt. 22 acres compactly setled & the Inhabitants strictly confind within these Narrow Limits, but over a while the strangest Phenomenon appeared that has ever been heard of since the men that were produced from the Serpents Teeth. Multitudes seem'd to be produc'd instantaniously. Whether 'twas the Clouds the Lake, the Fog or the Earth that swarm'd forth Inhabitants twere hard to tell. They pitchd their residence somewhat distant from the old city, where Nature that spontaniously produced men, seem'd as fertile in Habitations. In the Course of one Night whole streets of Houses would spring out of the Earth, & the Rubbish of the Wilderness rise up into beauteous Forms, so that in a short space of Time a new City was form'd exceeding in dimensions & nearly equal for numbers to the former.319But who can describe the various Accomodation & convenience of Living used in this place. In one part you might behold rows of habitations appearing like whited sepulchres. The same stuff that among us proves fatal to Villains here screens them from Trouble. In another place you might see a Cave or Hole in the Rocks. Some huge piles of brush & Dirt served to fend of the cold & Rain, others had long Rows of Buildings that much Resemble our meeting house sheds, but the better sort of People have houses built according to certain Rules of Architechture in Practise here. The Doors are low, & the Roofs level. Some spread them with Hides & Sheepskins, tho others Neglect it for the benefit of the light. Their Windows are made lengthways the house, & some reach from side to side. There are very few that either Wainscot Paper or Plaister their Rooms, by reason they prefer the fine scented Balsom their Timber affords. Their Lodging is various, some using an artificial Couch & others prefering the Feathers the Land produces, so that truly may it be said of some that their Houses are Fir & their Bed is Green. As for their Food, they go much on Rost Meat & therefore they are genrally Provided with Spits, wch. some hang on as part of their Apparel. Others again eat a sort of Trade call'd by them Allowance which is a mix medly of almost everything & agrees well with their Constitution, but when any of the parts are wanting especially some that are call'd Esential it produces strange Effects, breeding Flatulencys in the Bowells, Maggots in the Brain, Deliriums, Destractions, strange volubility of Tongue & disaffection among Intimates. As for their Apparell, that likewise is very various, tho their seems to be one standard which different form other parts of the world is immutable. Tis customary for Men of dispatch to have their Hatts shod with Gold or Silver, (that being an article they have no other use for here) in order to cut the Fog & Smoake which would otherwise much impede the Passage. Some were long Tails to their Wiggs, wch. is found very beneficial here to steady their Heads. There are some few such Enemies to dirt (the natural produce of this place) that they continually carry their Towels near their Hands: there is one perticular which I could not determine whether it was perculiar to their Bodies or whether it was part of their Apparel, & that is a large Horn genrally growing on the Right side. 'Twould be natural to think it a reall part of their Body if it grew on their Heads, but 'tis genrally thought by Strangers to be an Excrescence, for upon Examination they are found to contain a sort of black, subtile, penetrating Powder, no ways akin to their Constitution, tho' some have said320that this is their Brains, because 'tis Observed they have Another Instrumt. of strange form & Composition, with wch. only they hold Arguments & disputes, & 'tis seen that when ever they use them, they put of this powerful Trade into it; wch. renders their Arguments very penetrating & wn. they Argue matters of Consequence they add a small leaden Composition taken from a Neighbouring Receptacle to this Brain, wch. often render their Arguments decisive, & hence 'tis inferr'd, that Leaden Brain'd men are the most sutable Inhabitants of this City. Having described the Persons, Dress, & manner of Living of this Strange People, I shall take Notice of some perticulars which are not reducible to any head of Oeconomy known among us, as in perticular, every thing here is done by the Sound of a Bell, but then they are different from ours being a Composition of Wood & Leather, & are carried about for various Uses. Early in the Morning you'll hear them sounding all abt. upon which the Inhabitants begin to muster. About an hour after they sound again at stated places, upon which there walks out one of a different garb from all the rest. I shold not have judg'd him an Inhabitant by any thing but a dirty hue, & after standing a while in the stated place the people gatherd Round him, he stood a while & said something, but by Comparing his looks with those of the By standers, I could not make out what he was after. By the Sound of these Bells you see them moving back & forth, great nos. of them moving over to a certain place, where twas said they were employ'd in work of great Importance. I went with them & saw a huge Pile of dirt & Wood, wch. the People were tumbling & tossing abt., & resembled a Pismires Hill, the nearest of any thing, for 'twas said they purposed to lay up food here for Winter. This seem'd to be their chief Employment except some that stood at a distance round them to give notice of the Approach of any Enemy. It may not be amiss, here to observe that they have an Enemy wch. they live in the continual fear of; By wt. I could learn a people much akin in Custom &c. to themselves. Sometime before I arrived they had a Battle with them & gain'd a Victory, wch. occasioned them to dig long Ditches in doing of wch. they workd very briskly, for some observed they were digging their own Graves. Then they return at Night & spend their Evnings in various Manners. There seems to be no stated Diversion among 'em. A few keep Horses indeed wch. like some others of the Inhabitants live by their Posts.