KALM'S  TRAVELS IN NORTH AMERICA^                                 44c*-
Country between Trenton and New York is inhabited by few Englifhmen, but, inftead of
them, by Germans or Dutch *, the latter of which efpecially are numerous.
Before I proceed I find it neceffary to remark one thing with regard to the Indians,
or old Americans. For this account may perhaps meet with readers, who, like many
people of my acquaintance, may be of opinion that all North America was almoft
wholly inhabited by favage or heathen nations, and they may be aftonifhed that I do
not mention them more frequently in my account. Others may perhaps imagine, that
when I mention in my journal that the country is much cultivated, that injfeveral
places houfes of ftone or wood are built, round which are corn-fields, garden's, and
orchards, that I am fpeaking of the property of the Indians ; to undeceive them, I
here give the following explication. The country, efpecially all along the coafts, in the
Englifh colonies, is inhabited by Europeans, who in fome places are already fo numerous
that few parts of Europe are more populous. The Indians have fold the country to
the Europeans, and have retired further up: in moft parts you may travel twenty Swedifh
miles, or about a hundred aiid twenty Englifh miles from the fea-fhore before you
reach the firft habitations of the Indians : and it is very poffible for a perfon to have
been at Philadelphia and other towns on the fea-fhore for half a year together without
fo much as feeing an Indian. I intend in the fequel to give a more circumftantial
account of them, their religion, manners, ceconomy, and other particulars relating to
them : at prefent I return to the fequel of my journal.
About nine Englifh miles from Trenton, the ground began to change its colourj
hitherto it confifted of a confiderable quantity of hazel-coloured clay, but at prefent
the earth was a reddifh brown, fo that it fometimes had a purple colour, and fometimes
looked like logwood. This colour came from a red limeftone, which approached
very near to that which is on the mountain Kinnekulle in Weft Gothland, and makes
a particular ftratum in the rock. The American red limeftone therefore feems to be
merely a variety of that 1 faw in Sweden, it lay in ftrata of two or three fingers
thicknefs ; but was divifible into many thinner plates or fhivers, whofe furface was
feldom flat and fmooth, but commonly rough : the ftrata themfelves were frequently
cut off by horizontal cracks. When thefe flones were expofed to the air they, by
degrees, fhivered and withered into pieces, and at laft turned into duft. The people
of this neighbourhood did not know how to make any ufe of it ; the foil above is
fometimes rich and fometimes poor : in fuch places where the people had lately dug
new wells, I perceived that moft of the rubbifh which was thrown up confifted of fuch
a fpecies of ftone. This reddifh brown earth we always faw till near New Brunfwick,
where it is particularly plentiful. The banks of the river fhewed, in many places, nothing
but ftrata of limeftone, which did not run horizontally but dipped very much.
' About ten o'clock in the morning we came to Prince-town, which is fituated in a
plain. Moft of the houfes are built of wood, and are not contiguous, fo that there
are gardens and paftures between them. As thefe parts were fooner inhabited by
Europeans than Penfylvania, the woods were likewife more cut away, and the
country more cultivated, fo that one might have imagined himfeif to be in Europe.
We now thought of continuing our journey, but as it began to rain very heavily,
and continued fo during the whole day and part of the night, we were forced to flay
till next morning.
* This kind of building is frequent in the north of Germany, Holland, and Pruffia, and therefore it is no
wonder that it is employed by people who were ufed to them in their own country.    F.
VOL. XIII.                                                      3 M                                                                    Oct.