The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-12-23 00:00:00

NORM AMERICA.'

11g. SETTLVAIiNT ON MI
!LUND'S.
Wanbormigh--ibeglisA Prairie—State of Illinois.
Aortic America. tebraary 10, 1820.
I arrived et this place on the 26th September,
1819, after a travel of upwards of 5.000 miles by
sea and land, in good health, as was all my family.
and have been so throughout our journey, except a
little sea sickness and slight cold.. The weather
was very hot when we landed at Haltinsore, on the 6th
July. and continued so until the end of October,
with the exception of a few nights. and then warm
and pleasant until the middle of December, after
which it was mostly cold until the beginning of this
mouth (February), sometimes much colder than
ever knew it io•tugland. We have had a very
deep snow, of et least eighteen inches upon the
level ; bnt since the begi ;;;; ing of this mouth it has
rained almost every day. and the creeks are now
pretty full of water, which wakes it bad travelling
as there are no bridges built yet in lid. pert of else
country. Until now there luta been but little rain at
any time since the last 'piing, which has made water
scarce in these parts, there bring as yet no wells
dug, but we have now many digging. and also ponds.
so that there will be no want ul water this summer,
even 1111001 d it prove 'as dry as the last. The
Americans say the last summer wits the dryest they
ever knew, sod that this has been the coldest winter
that has bean known for many years. The country
round us is partly prairie (or open lied) arid partly
woodland ; the prairies have a limadsonie appear-
ance, much like a gentlentair's park, only tourli
!owe extensive. The land is mostly of a lightish
soil, rind very easy of tillage, much more so thou I
ever knew in England, yet it twins the dry weather
well. owing, I think, to the reddish loam that lies
under the top mould.
I bought, soon after I got there, 322 acres of
land, pertly prairie and pertly woodland, front a
piece of laud called Birke's Prairie, about four
miles (roan hence, which had out it two cabins, a
stable, about eighteen acres fenced its with rails, on
which was n crop of Indian corn, which yielded toe
400 bushel.; there were also planted pumpkins,
French beans, and oleo a little cotton. 'the live
stock hi the purchase consisted of three cows, three
ca:ves, three alters), and 30 hogs and pig., I I geese,
and some fowls, all for about 3201. English. I 'boll
remain near Nlr. linkbeck's ; but %%idiom, Ann,
John, and George, live at Blake's Pronto, and
El zabeth with us at Waishorough. The woods
round' its contain but tilde underwood, and
comia of a great variety of trees, such as chaste
beech, red post, laurel. several sorts of oak,
ash, elni, hiekery, poplar, two
torts rrf maple, cuttouwoi.d, dogwood, persiutoti,
black walnut, and several other kinds of tree..
In the woods sic a few bear., pothers, wolves,
foxes, slid wilts tut,, owl plenty of deer, rabbits,
racoons, opossums, and two or three wart, of squir-
rels; also lin key s, prairie fowls, and : wild
geese and ducks, vu the livers and creeks, but
not many 6111611 birds. There is also plenty of wild
fruit, viz. strawberries, raspberries, very good wild
cherries, great quantity of grapes, haslenuts, wal-
nuts, vicuna, persiusous, papaws, hickory nails;
end in the garden we grow melons, squashes, cu-
cumbers, French beans, and most of garden vege-
tables. 'rile land round us bears Indian corn,
wheat, potatoes, turnips, tobacco, Hast, hemp, rye,
oats, Ileac, buck-wheat, end cottou. Beans do net
so well, 511(1 I have not yet seen any bailey in
this part ; but as the country rouud us has been
mostly settled within these two yearhtliere has been
im large quantities of corn or Slate yet taived,
Indian curt.. ti Ls, cotton, owl pumpkins are almost
the only things raised by the native Amencans for
thent,e!vts sad cattle ; but the English are not
fond of their Wiliam corn bread. The corn is con-
saltred very good for looser', pigs. &c.; so are the
punipkios„ which grow to a vet), large size ; they
make excellent pies, and are often preserved, by
milting them in shiers and drying them fur winter
use. Apple and peach trees are nut yet come to
perfection, but grow very well.
A few miles from us, in the state of Indians,
apples and peaches were very plentiful : all we came
through the country, we were once offered five
booliela of peaches fur a dollar, not quite 10.
fur a bushel. 1 have got about twenty peach
trees., sod shalt hove one hundred apple trees to
plant iii an orchard in my laud in a few days.
The native Americans are an idle ,et of people ;
those who live around us litre subsist principally by
booting; but the cottony rouud us bring now inure
filitle.l. many of them wish to sell their land, and
move up to oleos swilled place ; sonic are already gone
to the Red River, 700 tulles south-west from here,
indeed. moving a few hundred miles i 6 slot thought
any thing of by them. The bunters I giu veni-
son, turkeys. prairie fowls, and rabbits, for sale very
(Aro. A good deer of from 30 to 10016. weight
is often bought fur a dollar, aid E have bought
lai ge turkeys fur a _quarter dollar each.
IVtlhtew
and .lobo frequently kill deer, rabbits, rocoous,
opossums, panne fowls, quails, The rat,.
hits do not burr. w sir rite earth, but mostly Toil
in the hollow treea. Iloroes are mostly of a light
kind, aunt sell as high as 100 dullard fora good one.
Oxen sad cues are of a nioldling size and
shape. A good sow and calf may be bought fur
go it, its s; ii,cr front 42,t. to 3,1. per lb.; HIM-
• ,• itit-rt• cot hrlllg a. yet many threep
kept mound here, a..d those that are kept are
mostly of a poor coarse sort, but mutton is as low
as beef. ling,. are very plenty, and of a middling
good suit. but owing to the Wally hundreds that
are left to shift for themselves in the woods duriug
the winter, they are as pour as they well cats be,
aud mail die of hunger whets the boom, is dgep.
Cows, sheep, and hogs are all marked us different
forms, each has his own uta?k, rod the marks of
ditheresst persona are all entered in the County Court.
Moat of the brat houses or cabins me built with
lug. sod plastered with clay ; the tops of the
houses are covered with cleft boards, and moat of
them lutve r glazed door, but few wiudows. Minty
of the calm.. of the native Americans (or back-
woodsmen) have nut even light, except what comas
dawn the el 1111 l uey. or to at the door. We have no
mill at preeent imam than *even miles. but there is
cone to be built neer us, to be worked either with
toxin or horses. A malt-house is begun building
to malt Indira core. Moat of the laud titer us is
entered, but a lingo goon, will be offered for