Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1836-05-18

| tleman who happens to be a lawyerln
his circuitthe man hailsEhim, aid
stops his lean poney, who straitwIy
Ipokes down his head and falE TO Gro
ping the tall grass. sStrange can y{u
tell me Of good place to setter
ooh yes, it is all good here. you cart
go amiss.' e.
4 want to find good piecaof lart a
that belongs to congress- ~
Then you have come to thu right
place, forthe government owns Aearl,s
all the land that you see unimprdy eds
well, ] reckon, stranger, it wNuld
be no harm to settle down Almost my
where, and build cabin?'
sNonc in the world-where did ytu
come from?'' 3
From North Carolina. 7
sHow long have you been coming?s
sThree weeks
where did you intend to go when
you started?'
Nowhere, in patrick lar. Me and
my wife thought we'd hunt place I'd
settle. We've no money, nor no plum
der-nothcn but list ourselves and this
Inag-and we thought we'dtry our luck
in a new country
you are right, '#said the lawyer, go
ahead, you are just the man for new
country. Take possession of the first
good tract that you find vacant, and fall
to work.
Sometimes dozenor twenty fthese
companies collect in the evening at the
same camping ground. They kindlc
their separate fires, and circle round
them. Whole acres are covered with
beds, tents, wagons, horses, and cattle.
The men mix together, the women in
terchange civilities, and the whole scene
is Of lively and picturesque interest,"
While the weather is open, there are
few hardships to encounter in such a
| journey; but occasionallyit rains. The
sun sets behind cloud, the wind chan
,sss, and cold, driving showers, pelt the
defenceless travellers. They cannot
travel in sucl1a storm. Some cfasylin
their carriages and wagons some make
lsAsllsgs , BIZ ! and s e0 et
fter lhaa Domestic animals who tsra
Their backs to the wind, droop tfieiIl
heads, and stand in patient submission
while the rain is dripping from thcil
shivcring sides.
In the mean while, all the tavcrns
and houses of entertainment are crow
ded with strangers of another class
gentlemen travelling on horseback; "a
miles who are not accustomedto Camp
ing out merchants, lawyers, and
wealthy falmers-all floating along in
the great strcat stream Of emigration.
They are mostly from the south and
west. But where is Jonathan all this
while? Hei is on the way-no mistake
about him-wherever there is money
to be made by hard labor, Jonathan
will find out the place. But he has no
notion ofscamping OUT and travelling
by land is expensive to those who stop
at tavcrns. He counted the cost, before
he came forth to this warfare. He ira
ced the various routes upon theSgmap,
read all the books touching the subject
that he could borrow, and wrote to di-
vers postmastersin the west, with whom
he could correspond without thee expense
of postage. He even strained Amt,
and paid thcpostagc on few \ Of
inquiry. We could show some That af-
ford admirable specimens of Jonathan's
inquisitivc natureand prudent foresight
-oac in particular, which contained, if
we rememberright, sevcnty-six distinct
queries, the answers to which would
have filled volume as large as die
tionary. Jonathan, therefore not only
knows where he sgoing, but has ascer-
tanned the cheapest route, and the most
eligible conveyance. He is floating
quietly along thelake, patiently mean
defngs the Ohio. To look at him, you
would not suppose him worth cent
nor does he care what you think about
thcsmatter-he has Nicholas Biddle's
passport in his pocket, and knows that
no man can stop him. He has sold all
that he had, and put the whole concern
in his purse. He mightride in coach
and four if he chose, but has taken
deck passage in a steamboat. He is
small, active, grave man-and most
probably hath been = deacon. That de-.
cent, neat old lady in spectacles, is his
wife, and worthy lady she is. But
she is terribly scared. With what ear
nestne.s she bcgs the captain not TO go
too fast, nor to let the boiler explode