Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-02-06

Of a sedate countcnance; at any rate, when
saw him, il was scdate."
Col. Johnson, is a man Of remarkable sedate
habits. His manners, are however, perfectly
gentLmanly-pleasing, insinuating, aud eu-
goging.
In the following paragraph, our tourist does
no more than justice to the Kentuckians, as all
will admit, who have travelled through hat
delightful countr
"From Georgetown walked across the land
TO Frankfort, a neat town and the Capitol OF
the State. 1t is on the Kentucky river, which
is a muddy stream running between beautiful
benks; Tin some places rising in cliffs TO the
perpendicular height of three hundred ioet,)
and winding through woods, that, before
they heard the axe, were 4 paradise to DANIEL
Boon"
ION this walk from Georgetown. TO the
mouth Of the Kentucky river. which was so
pleasant that | spun II to a week and more, l
tested, or rather tasted The hospitality of the
backwoods From Frankfort, my route was
generally but u horse path among the trees;
though | sometimes dycrecd, TO visit a village.
l know of no people SO glad of an opportunity
to please themselves, by serving Others. as
these kentuckians, and shame ON me, for |
went among them with a prcdisposIt.on 10 CELL
sure. l have often stopped at a log -house, to
enquire my way, or make discoveries, and
seldom without being pressed 10 drink and 10
cat; for in the west, the water Of life takes
precedence ofthe staff"
"You know my willingness to oblige all
parties, and TO all these kospiiablo requests |
accorded a ready compliance, even 10 the I'll
ling my pocket with roasted yams to bite upon
the way. I could not Blu, reflect, that if ! had
travelled in n similar manner, and dress, in as
retired u part Of New-Englaad, that l must
have given Il sketch Of my life and opinions in
every house I entered; but lie sous Of Ken
tucky have generally too much natural polite
ness TO be inquisi;ive. A yankee addresses .
man that lie hnows not, as Mister" (Which
IS a vile cpithet when ~alonc,) but the Ken
tuckian calls him " Stranger"
We are glad {" fad, that the pedlar has
done Justice TO n people, who were always re-
markablc for their hospitality and cuurtscy 10
strangers. and who, by lihcl!ng, tourists have
been most scandalously n.;srcprcsentcd.
Our tourists, concludes lbs chapter, by giving
a description OF The money affairs cf the west,
which canno, fail to- amusc tic reader.
From Fort William, on The Ohio, l went
to tho Big Bone Lick. which is a watering
place Of some. Then I crossed over to Vcyuy
in Indiana, where there are large Vineyards.
/ gave a pistareen for q bottle OF their oldest
wine, which after new whiskcy, was like man.
ma in the Wilderness. 1t produced n very
agreeable sensation and gave renewed fire 10
the fancy, and activity to the legs; IN fact it
carried me like q bird fifteen miles towards
Cincinnati, where in a couple of days l arriv-
ed. 1t is a large, neat, airy, busting town,
not much unlike Providence, in character. In
fact, it is q New-England town, having yam
KEGS as raw ss ever strapped box to shoulder,
and put foot to the ground, FOR the "ncw coun-
tries"
From Cincinnati I vert to Chilicothe, which
j, on n p lain surrounded by distant hills, and
when | saw it with tho surrounding forests
checquered by autumn and the Scioto, swell
ed with recent rain, I thought i, the p~rc,ticst
town and valley i'll The Republic, aad l think
so still.
Here | was wronged in the amount Of five
dollars, in q bill of tic Bank at Owl Creek. |
doubted it from its very name, Bat when Tie
publican affirmed ii 10 be current, upon his
honor, and pyo!essed his readiness to undergo
certain punlshnents Il, q failure state, II he de-
ccived me, l went away oOntentcd, Let me
tell You sono,b,ng Of the currency of the west,
especially of Kentucky, and | will give over.
Specie is scarce, and what there is, can hardly
be dcnomiuated coin. A common way Of
making change for a dollar. ID TO give il TO n
blacksmith TO DO cut INTO paris; and these paris
are very dangerous 10 The pocket, unless il be
Of leather. In every county On Kentucky
there are independent bankers, who, from the
scarcity Of coin c,n.t bills OF from one cent, 20
t,.Ir ,. 1oTf,,. al b.un k,1 a. ,,n IN. ,,y
hand large enough TO excite oAvy on change.
tha, would buy little moro than Il dinner"
The bills Of the "owl Creek Bank" men
toned by the psdiar, annoyed AMI cheat
&C hundreds, before they peepcd mo the poch-
cts ofour Leio. This sana, was OF a LdAk
there never was any such institution visible
TO the eye Of marital man. Some swindling
rascal, ten or twelve years ago, got Il set of
plates engraved, with which lie s.Iack or a
large quantity Of Bills, pcrportingt TO have been
issuel from tho Owl Creek Bank, Ohio. This
was done, at tine when Banking Institutions
were every day sprnging UP in Tie west; and
papsr money lid become 20 plenty tia: no ore
pretended TO inquire about the solvency or ex-
is,cnce Of any institution, whose bills fell into
their honds,- Such beng the fact, the Owl
creek Bank bills obtained a wide circulation,
nor was it known. until after The lapse Of some
two or three monlhs, that 40 such bank cxis;ce.
The "Bank of parkcrsburg," was u similar in-
s~,i,u,ion, and lis founders played . very lucra-
game, without, being detected in their VIE
lainy.
We know not when sc have been more
agrceably amused, than We have, whilst pc
rusing The writings of the Fin pcdlar, and arc
sorry to perceive, that his humber arc about
10 DC closed. Tbcy forai u happy adnixturc