BFHA-RC-000046
The
TRUE AND INTERESTING
T R A V E L S
Of William Lee, Born At Hadfield, near DONCASTER:
WHERE HIS PARENTS WHERE FARMES
-Who apprenticed him to a Flaxdresser at Doncaster, with whom he served seven Years, and afterwards in 1768 went with Venture to America, where he travelled through the back Settlements, and endured numerous Hard-ships and many Vicissitudes of Fortune in the War between Great Britain and her Colonies. There he finally settled at Richmond, the County Town of Georgia where he became
A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE.
COPIED VERBATIM FROM MR. LEE’S ORIGINAL MSS. WRITTEWN AT THE EXPRESS REQUEST OF HIS AGED MOTHER.
LONDON:154
LONDON FOR T. AND R. HUGHES, LUDGATE-HILL,
CORNER OF STATIONERS-COURT.
At the Franklin Press, Queen-Street, Cheapside
PRINCE SIXPENCE
THE TRUE AND INTERESTING
TRAVELS of WILLIAM LEE . I took a passage for New York in a merchant-ship, called the Britannia, commanded by Captain C. Mands, being then in the twenty-fourth year of my age. I tool with me a small venture of Irish linens, a few pieces of handkerchiefs, &c. We sailed from the river Thames the 21st of August, 1768, and had remarkably fine weather on our passage, and caught four dolphins. On the 20th of September we arrived at New York, which is a large well-build town, pleasantly situated on Hudson’s River. The streets are straight and regular, crossing each other at right angles.
The inhabitants are a mixture of almost all nations, but mostly Hollanders and Irish. The English language is spoken by all in general. As I was a stranger here, and had nobody to recommend me, I met no employment to my satisfaction for three weeks. I was advised to go into the country, to teach as a school-master; which induced me to cross the Sound of Long-Island; and having made application for this purpose, I155 succeeded at Fosters Meadow, high Hampstead, about 12 miles from New York.
Long-Island is about 70 miles length, and from 6 to 10 wide, having a great many bays and inlets sea, in which are vast quantities both of seal and shell fish, and in the winter great abundance of wild fowl; such as geese, ducks, &c. The island is very fertile near the shores, and at the west end; but the middle is mostly barren. The inhabitants are chiefly descended from Hollanders, and occupy the land given to the first settlers. I determined to go thither, and so set off in company with a person that was going for the same purpose.
About the 1st of May, went up the North River by water nearly 70 miles, to Goshan, a fine fertile country, the residents mostly wealthy. We set out from this place by land, with horses to carry our baggage, and travelled through a pleasant country on the two first days. On the third, we passed the last of the inhabitants in the morning, and at night came to a spot where an Indian boy was encamped night the side of the path, and on the banks of the Delaware River.
We made inquiry of him by signs where his companions, and what number was in company; he answered us in the same silent language, that there was only one, and he was out hunting; we therefore took up our abode there for that night. In the evening the Indian returned from hunting and behaved with great civility to us. He had been a good deal among the inhabitants of Pensylvania, and spoke the English language tolerably well.
He was about sex feet high, very stout and proportional; his skin was of a dark red, or rather of a copper colour, with very handsome features; his hair was cut off all round his head, except what remained on the crown, which was long, black, and coarse: his shoes and stockings were made of deer skins, after their manner of making, with a piece of woolen cloth about his loins, so as to conceal the parts modesty forbids the most uncultivated to show.-156 His head and body were naked, but when he came to sit down, he wrapped himself in a blanket.
In age he appeared to be about forty years, and his boy seemed about dress as the other 14, and in the same dress as the other. He entertained us with venison at supper, and we gave them some of our bread in return, which was as great a novelty to them as the venison was to us. We next prepared our lodging as follows: We first made a large wood fire, under the shade of a thick tree, wrapped ourselves in our blankets, and lay down with our feet to the fire.
This mode of lodging was at first very disagreeable, but soon became familiar, so that I could sleep as well on the ground as on a feather bed. We proceed on our journey in the morning, and passed through a large swamp, that was about eight miles long, and was one continued grove of white fir trees. The top of them grew so thick, that the sun could not penetrate through the branches. The trunks of most of them were large and straight, having no other foliage than what grew among them.
I was informed that this swamp was upwards of 50 miles in length, and the soil very wood and level, except that it was low and wet.- Having got through, we can to high ground, timbered with all sorts of wood, but chiefly oak, ash, chestnut, hickory, &c. with very little underwood. We passed by several lakes of water, some of them three or four miles round. We saw some deer at feed one of them. They were so wild, that we could not come nigh enough to shoot them.
We took up our lodging next day we travelled over rocky hills and mountains, and saw a bear in the path before us. My companion fired at him, but he got away from us; which we regretted the more, as he informed me that the bear’s is the best flesh which the country produces, which I afterwards found to be true. Having passed the mountains we came to a large valley, about four miles wide. In the middle of it runs the Susquehanna River, which runs through a great part of the back settlement in Pensylvania, and to Baltimore in Maryland. We arrived at the new settlement, which was on157 the said river, about twelve o’clock. There were about fifty people here, only three or four of whom were women, although many of them had families, and had come out to build houses, and clear some land, plant maze, &c. before fetched their families.
The land was very rich and fertile, and the trees stood at a considerable distance apart, without any kind of underwood. Their houses were made of a great number of small trees, laid in an oblong square form one above another, and notched into each other at the ends, which makes the notched into each other at the ends, which makes the corner of houses, and covered with boards that are split of the trees. Here it was plenty of wild game, such as red deer, bears, and wild turkeys, larger than ours in England. The manner of cleaning the ground is to cut the trees all round with an ax, and take off the bark, which kills the trees. They leave them standing in the ground, and plough in among them. This new land will commonly produce 12 or 15 crops of maze or Indian corm, rest or manure.
This sort of grain is planted in the month of April, in hills at about five feet distance, and grows about ten or twelve feet high, and commonly has two or three ears on a stalk: the ear is about eight inches long, and six round, and produces about fifty bushels to the acre. The corns are about the size of blue peas, and make very wholesome bread, &c. Here I had an opportunity of seeing many of the savage Indians, men, women, and children, for they came here to trade, or swap, their deer or beaver skins, &c. for European goods, such as guns, powder, lead, blankets, woolen cloth, knives, vermilion, &c. as some of the white people had brought these goods on purpose to trade with them.
Here I learned that there is a great many nations and tows of Indians of different languages who live in the woods, a great distance from the white inhabitants, and commonly their towns are on the sides of the river. They till very little land, as the men never do any kind of work, except hunting. The women are engaged in the husbandry, which is but trifling, as they plant a small quantity of Indian corn, potatoes, pompions, &c. which last them about three or four months in the summer. In the fall of the year, the men take their families with them, when they hunt the bears, deer, turkeys, and al sort of wild game, which at this time are fat. They cure a great quantity of meat by dressing it over the fire for their winter provision; but their chief diet is fish in the spring of the year, as there is great plenty in the lakes and rivers.158
Their men are much the same as I described before.—Their women’s dress is not much unlike the men’s only they wear all their hair, which is long and very black: their heads are bare, and round their bodies they have a small blanket, with a piece of woolen cloth tied about their loins, which reaches to the knee, almost in the manner of a petticoat. Their legs are always uncovered, as mostly their feet. These people have no notion of what they spring from, and have but very little or any property to quarrel about of any consequence: hence they have no occasion for any laws. Their marriage-ceremony is as follows: The relations of both parties are called together, when the bridegroom presents the bride with a deer’s foot, and the bride returns to him an ear of corn, signifying he is to find meat, and she bread.
Here I employed myself in shooting turkeys, squirrels, &c. The deer were so wild, that I could not get nigh them, until one evening I came to a place that appeared to be much frequented by deer. It was about three miles distant from the settlement, and I determined to wait here for their coming; and about sun-set there came a deer, which I shot dead. Night coming on, I attempted to return, but lost my way, I now thought to go back to the deer, but could not find it. It growing dark, the wolves begun to make; a hideous howling, and I became fearful for my safety.
After attempting to make a fire, I was at length forced to climb a tree, where, I sat until morning, when, on coming down from the tree, I easily found the place where I had killed the deer, but to my surprise, there were only the bones and a part of the skin left, the wolves having made free with the rest. I returned home to the settlement, and informed them of what had happened. They replied, that I had no occasion to be afraid of the wolves, for they were not dangerous, which I afterwards found to be true.
There was an Indian, a young man, at the settlement, that I soon became acquainted with, as he could speak a little broken English; he persuaded me to go with him to the chace, when you would instruct me in killing deer. To this I agreed, and we travelled about 20 miles by water in a canoe, to the intended place of hunting. A canoe is a kind of boat made of only one tree, and the way of making them is to cut down a cypress or poplar tree, and cut it the length they want their canoe. Having shaped the ends like a boat, they dig out the upper side with axes, &c. Some of them are large enough to carry fifty people, and others only two or three. We encamped at night on the bank of the river, and next morning159 began shooting. Being come to the top of a large hill, he placed me at almost 300 yards from him, showed me the course I was to go, and bid me keep the same distance from him.
We had not gone a quarter of a mile, before he stopped. I halted at the same time, and looking forward perceived a stag feeding before us: as it had not been alarmed at us, it gave the Indian an opportunity of going to a tree to rest is gun against it, when he shot it dead. He then called me, and we skinned it, dividing it into halves, and carrying it to the river side, where we had left the canoe. We next made a fire, and contended ourselves with roasting and eating until evening, when a company of Indians came to us, of an old man, his wife, and to daughters, who told my companion they were hungry, and that the old man’s gun was out of order so much, that he could not kill any meat, when they had been obligated to live on fruits and roots.
The fruits which grow spontaneous here are plums, grapes, mulberries, strawberries, bilberries, and chestnuts, walnuts, and hazelnuts; also a root which eats like a potatoes, with many others too tedious to mention. We gave our guests half our venison, which they ate up very greedily. They made their encampment that night near ours, and my companions had one of the young girls for his bedfellow, as they look upon such a connection to be no crime before marriage; but they are commonly very true after it.
The next day we set off for the settlement, and arrived at night. Finding I grew tired of this mode of life, I determined to go back again to the inhabitants, and, on being informed that there was a path which led to Pennsylvania, and lay at the side of the river, about three day’s journey off, I set out myself, having a gun and ammunition with me. The Susquehanna River is about 400 yards wide, having a great many small rivers running into it, which I had to cross. Some of them I passed upon trees that lay across, and others I waded over. My path at times led me by the side of the river, and often I was at half a mile or a mile distance, to cut off the windings of the river. Sometimes the woods were very thick, with underwood for a mile or two together: at other times more open. Here I saw great quantity of wild pigeons, of which I killed as many as I wanted.
The first day, about noon, I met with four Indian women, and in the evening with an old Indian, who when he first perceived160 me at a distance, clubbed his gun, which is a token of peace and friendship. Coming up, we shook hands, and he called me brother, which was all the English he could speak. At night I made a fire by the side of the path, and slept by it until morning, when I recommenced my journey, and soon came to where a very large branch of the river fell into the one that I was going down, and on the same side that I had to cross. However, I had the good fortune to find a canoe at the place of crossing, in which I conveyed myself over; and, going a few miles, I came to where a company of Indians were encamped by the side of the path, with which I exchanged all my bullets for a pair of Indian new shoes, made of buck skin.
Going a few miles farther, I saw a doe standing in the path before me, at not above 10 or 15 yards off. Having as before said disposed of my bullets, I fired at it with the small shot in my gun, which only wounded it. I reached the first of the inhabitants about two or three o’clock, and came to the mouth of the Juniata River that night. Here the Susquehanna River is nigh a mile wide, and the Juniata empties itself into it here. I lodged at night upon an island in the river, there being three plantations upon it.
The inhabitants were remarkable civil, and informed me that the Juniata River was inhabited a long way up, and that I should meet with great encouragement proper as a schoolmaster, or in any other way I might think proper to employ myself. The people were mostly English and Irish, decent and obliging. I set out in the morning, and travelled up to the Juniata River about twelve miles, till I stopped at the plantation of one David English, an Irishman, with whom I agreed for six months to instruct his children and servants in English learning to the best of my knowledge, for which I was to have 121 the above time to commence the 1st .
of Sept. 1769, and continue till the 1st . of March, 1770. I spend a very happy winter here, and had every thing provided for me, such as victuals, drink, washing, and lodging: it being always the custom of the country to provide for their schoolmasters gratis, as provisions in very cheap and plentiful. Tis country is very healthy and pleasant, and produces wheat flour, Indian corn, fir plank, &c. Their wheat is ground, and made into fine flour, transported down the river to161 Lancaster, thence to Baltimore, to be sent in shipping to the West India inland, or elsewhere. The fir plank the same way, or sometimes to Philadelphia.
At the end of the six months before mentioned, I made an agreement with four planters, who lived near the same place, to teach for them during twelve months, they to provide me a school-house, board, &c. and to pay me the sum of 241, which agreement I fulfilled very much to their satisfaction. I commonly spend my holidays and other vacant times in shooting; and had the satisfaction of killing several deer, turkeys, &c. After the expiration of the said twelve months, I staid almost six months longer, at little or no expence, and was very much respected by all in general.
But, being informed that the wages were much higher in the southern provinces of America, I purchased a horse, and set off about the middle of September, in the year 1771. I came to Carlisle the first day; which is very handsome town, build mostly of wood, and stands in a rich fertile country: it is the county town for Cumberland county, and Pennsylvania. The next day I travelled through a well-inhabited country, and came into the province of Maryland: but, as this province is but narrow in these parts, I soon came to Potomack, which divides Maryland from Virginia, which I was ferried over; and travelled two days in Virginia, through a very rich and pleasant country, inhabited mostly by people from Germany, commonly called there High Dutch.
Having got through this settlement, and come to inhabitants of English, Scotch, and Irish, I concluded to stay here this winter, as the weather was unfavorable for travelling. I made inquiry for schoolkeeping, and succeeded at a place called Linvel’s Creek, in the county of Augusta, and in the province of Virginia. This is a very healthy country, and produces plenty of wheat-flour, tobacco, butter, cheese, honey, bacon, &c. which they send down to the sea port towns for a market. Not only this province, but New York and Pennsylvania, abound with all kinds of fruits, such as are common in England, but especially apples and peaches; and they make great quantities of cider, which is their common liquor, for they grow no barley, and have no malt liquor.
– Here I saw a great many of the convicts that were transported from England; those of them that behaved well, met with very good usage, and were commonly kept to farming, and their labour was not harder than our servants in England.162 They were to serve seven years before they were free, although they often run away before their time is expired, and frequently go to Carolina or any other part where they are not known at, when they marry, and do very well. This winter was very hard, and there fell a snow on the 1st . of January, that was four feet thick upon a level, and in some valleys it was much deeper.
Upon the snow these fell a shower of rain, which froze immediately so hard, that the snow would bear any person to walk upon it: so that people went out and caught deer, without either dog or gun; as they could run but a little way before they were tired, having always to spring out of the snow, and then were sure to sink into it again, so that they were soon taken. I stayed there until the spring of the year 1772, and then set out back again the same way that I went; and came to Juniata, in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, where I taught school the summer following at the same place I had done before; where I remained the next winter also. In the spring of the year following which was 1773, I set out to go to the Ohio, to a new settlement that was making there, about 200 miles below Fort Pitt, in company with four other men, who were also going to settle in this new county.
Two of them were single men; the other two had families which they left behind them until they had built houses, &c. Having provided ourselves with horses, we set off, the latter end of March, 1773, and travelled up the country; in two days we arrived at the last of the inhabitants, who were at the foot of the mountains. These mountains are about three hundred miles distant from the sea, in some places they are nearly a hundred miles over, and in others not more than 40 0r 50: the length of then can scarcely be ascertained, though I suppose they are above 1000 miles.
The first of these was 11 miles to the top, and the sides in some places were almost perpendicular; the top of it was about half a mile wide, and very good land, with a good spring of water upon it. Our road was winding, first one way and then the other, along the side of the mountain, as it was impossible for our horses to go straight up because of its steepness; and it took a whole day to travel to the top. The next day we got down the other side about non, and came into a valley about 15 or 20 miles wide, with a small river in it, which is a branch of the163 Potomac, This valley was uninhabited, although a god soil, and well timbered, yet mostly strong or rocky.
The second mountain was much bigger, though not so perpendicular, having many plains, hills, and valleys, upon the top of it; and is 30 miles over. This mountain was timbered with oak and chestnut trees, which bear great quantities of chestnuts, on which the bears and turkeys get very fat, and there always are great numbers of them. Here also are red deer and elks, which is a species of the deer kind about the bigness of a middle-size horse; their horns are the same shape as a stag’s horns, and upwards of five feet long.
Having passed these mountains, the country continued hilly until we came almost to the river Monongahela, which is a branch of the Ohio: and is thinly inhabited all the way down to Pittsburgh, otherwise called Fort Pitt, where there is a small town, and an old fort in ruins that was built by the French, but taken from them the last war, about the year 1756. The inhabitants are mostly shopkeepers, and carry on a trade with the Indians, for skins, furs, &c. Here the Monongahela and Allegany rivers meet together, and take the name of the Ohio, which empties itself into the Mississippi, about 900 miles below Fort Pitt. Having arrived at the inhabitants, forty miles above Fort Pitt, we found that it had been settled about four years, and by people from Virginia, who had made plentiful crops of maize, &c.
Here we concluded to build a canoe, and purchase some bread corn; as there was none to be had on the Ohio, there being no inhabitants below Fort Pitt. So, after having purchased a sufficient quantity of Indian corm, otherwise called maize, at the price of one shilling per bushel, and laden our canoe therewith, myself and another went with it, and three men by land with our horses. And setting off down the river, we came the first day to Turtle Creek, about twelve miles above Fort Pitt; the place where General Bradford was killed, and his army defeated, by the French and Indians. There I saw great quantities of human bones, in some places piled up in heaps, and the sculls in heaps by themselves, besides many pieces of red coats, pieces of hats, shoes, &c. Also a great many horses bones: the trees had been very much shot to pieces by the cannon balls.
There was a plantation, where we staid that night, adjoining to the place.164 The next day we passed Fort Pitt, upon the point of land where the two rivers Allegany and Monongahela meet together and make the great Ohio, which is upwards of half a mile wide, and in some places above a mile; with a great many islands in it, of as extraordinary rich land as is possible to be anywhere: and well-timbered with poplar, sycamore, walnut, beech, cabbage, and cotton, trees. Also some of the islands are not timbered, but only covered with low bushes of papoes, &c. which bear an excellent fruit almost like a mellow pear. These islands also produce great quantities of grapes, of an excellent quality; where the islands are timbered, the vines run up the trees, but where there is no timber, they run on the ground.
The land on each side the river is also the riches that ever I had seen in my life, and the timber the same as in the islands, only many more different kinds; such as Mulberry, sassafras, hickory, honey, locust trees, &c. &c. We arrived at the Little Canoway River in four days, which is about 200 miles below Fort Pitt, the place of our intended settlement. Having seen no inhabitants all the way, (as all h=the land between there and Fort Pitt, that was valuable, was surveyed for Coronel Washington and his men, as an reward for their services in the last war,) we pitched upon a piece of land that was vacant about three miles above the Canoway river, where it empties itself into the Ohio. Here we found a few more people, who had come down a little before us: we joined to assist each other in building our cabins or houses to live in.
I built a house and cleared above an acre of ground, which I planted with potatoes, Indian corn, &c. I also sowed apple seeds, peach and cherry stones, &c. And, for our meat, we shot deer and turkey: or else caught fish in the rivers. In the course of the summer there came great numbers of people down the river to settle, and some to hunt deer and catch beavers. But, not contented with settling upon the land on the south east side of the river, that had been purchased of the Indians by government, several of them made encroachments by settling upon the Indian land on the other side of the river. There are three nations of Indians who live on the banks of those rivers which empty themselves into the Ohio; the Shawney, Delaware, and Mingoes, who used to bring us venison, bears’ oil, and turkey, to swap for commodities, until they were enraged by the white165 people settling and hunting upon their land.
Our corn grew here to an amazing height, and yielding very well; our potatoes also turned out great quantities, and very large. I used to survey land for people at times, at other times go a hunting of buffaloes, or other game. The buffaloes are a sort of wild cattle; the cows are very much like our milk cows, having black horns, with a hump upon their back; the bulls are very large with short legs, and, when they engage to fight with our dogs, they always try to jump upon them with their fore feet; they cannot run fast: their flesh is excellent good beef, especially the young castle.
Bears were also plentiful, and very fat at the latter end of summer, and beginning of winter; about the middle of December, they go into hollow threes to sleep all winter, and never come out until the latter end of March, during all that time they neither eat nor drink, and yet, when they come out, are as fat as when they went in, before they lay themselves up in their cells, they purge themselves with the bark of fir trees, until their guts are entirely empty. I have been at the taking of them out of the trees in the middle of the winter, and always found them so, with a hard plug of the bark of fir-tree in their fundamentals; and yet they are very lively, and will fight a good battle with our dogs.
Beavers are mostly caught in traps that go off with a steel spring, which is set at the edge of the water where they resort, having bait upon the end of a stick, which is put to lean over the trap; the bait is a kind of musk that is taken out of themselves. These animals are about the bigness of an otter, and their skin or furs are worth about 7s. 6d. a-piece in America. They live upon the bark of trees, bushes, or roots that they get out of the banks of the rivers and ponds where they live. They also build huts or houses in the middle of large ponds, where the water is only about three feet deep, of sticks and mud, until it is higher than the water; then they cover it with sticks and mud, or clay, and make their beds in them, above the water.
Here are also many animals, wild beast, and birds, too many to be fully described, such as otters, muskrats, tigers, wolves, wild cats, raccoons, opossums, pole cats, and foxes of different kinds; also pigeons in vast quantities, pheasants, &c. I staid about twelve months, until the Indians made war with the white people, on account of their encroaching upon their lands. They166 first warned them off, after which they robbed those that would not go: the white people in return killed on both sides.
In the meantime most of the white people made their escape back again; and I, being also left by most of my company, there being but few people left, I advised with one of them, who persuaded me, that it was safest to make our escape down the river Ohio into the Mississippi, and down to New Orleans; as it was too dangerous to return back the same way we can, on account of a company of Indians, worriers that had pursued the white people, and were way living the road, killing all they met with.
We set off the 17th of March, 1774, in a canoe with some provisions; we went mostly in the night, and lay by at day-time, in the woods, with our canoe hauled up and concealed, until we had got clear of the Indian nations that had begun the war, which was about 400 miles. After which we went at our Incisures, and in day-time, often going a-shore to kill buffaloes, bears, deer, turkeys, &c. There are a great many rivers which empty themselves into the Ohio before it comes to the Mississippi, and it is 900 miles in length.
Having come to the Mississippi, after three weeks traveling, we met with a company of Indian traders, with five large canoes, laden with skins and furs, and going down to New Orleans to ship them for Philadelphia, when joining in company with them, we arrived at New Orleans the 1st of May. We met with large boats having French and Spaniards on board, going up the Mississippi to the Helonoys; a large settlement on the Mississippi, which is about 100 miles above the mouth of the Ohio. We met with no settlements on the Mississippi the first 600 miles; the rest of the way was well inhabited, on both sides, which is about 500 miles.
New Orleans is a large well-built town, pleasantly situated on the Mississippi river, and governed by the Spaniards. The inhabitants are mostly French people, as are also the inhabitants that live on the west side of the river; on the other side were English, and very rich, having a great many black slaves who do all their labour. This country produces vast quantities of canes, which grow wild: they are commonly ten yards long, and hollow in the middle.
Here the cabbage tree grows, also mulberry, cypress, and sassafras, trees. In all the rivers in those parts are great numbers of alligators,167 otherwise crocodiles; some of them are 8 or 10 yards long, and as thick round as a lusty man, others are smaller: they often catch the swine as they are felling by the sides of the rivers, or the dogs as are they swimming. O staid only about ten days, on account of the country being unhealthy, as agues and fevers are very frequent here. I set off to Pensacola, it being about 400 miles, and went by water most of the way.
I found the country inhabited in pieces with French and in other parts with English. The soil is bad, being light and sandy; though welltimbered with fir trees, without any kind of underwood; so that it looked like one continued grove: yet the soil produces plenty of grass and herbs, and is good range of cattle. I arrived at Pensacola in June 1774, which is but a small town, though pleasantly situated on a bay of the sea; having for barren sandy land for some distance round it, but middling healthy. The inhabitants were almost all old English people, and in a very thriving way; being all merchants and trade-people. Here was a great many works carrying on for the King; such as a garrison and barracks for soldiers: the 16th regt. of foot lay there at that time.
I now turned sailor on board a small vessel that traded to Mobile, a small sea-port town upon a river of the same name, and, after two voyages, I learnt the business so well, that I was employed to go Master of one: and continued in that employment until I married a widow, who was living upon a farm, about 35 miles from Pensacola. So I turned farmer, about 12 months, until the war broke out in America. At that time the Indians laid claim to a vast tract of land, which they said, they never had sold to the English people. And my farm, as well as many more, was upon the land in dispute. In order to satisfy the Indians in keep then in our favour, the Governor thought proper to grant their request: and ti ? inhabitants were called off land.
I then removed down to town; and was taken with a very severe illness, so that I kept my bed for three months. After my recovery, I agreed with a gentleman in town, to be his overseen upon a plantation about four miles from town: and was to have one third of the produce: he was to find slaves to work, and to stock it with cattle. I staid only twelve months in this employ. I then removed my family back to town; where I bought a trading vessel of my own, and also a black female slave. I found the trading168 business to be a very beneficial, and acquired a great deal of money by it. I bought a piece of ground, and built a house; I also purchased a male slave. By this time the Spanish war broke out; and the Spaniards at New Orleans proclaimed that all English slaves who would come to them should be free: which induced my slave, as well as many others, to run away to them.
More soldiers were sent from England, and a plan laid to take New Orleans. My vessel was taken into the King’s service; for which I was to have 30₤ per month. But the Spaniards were beforehand with us, and took a fort of ours that was upon the Mississippi river; which stop the expedition for that time, and made our Governor think of fortifying much stronger, by building a fort, &c. Soon after, the Spaniards came and laid siege to Mobile, which is about 40 miles distant from Pensacola.
Myself with several of the town’s people went, with part of the army that was Pensacola, to their relief. I was made a Commissary to the Loyal Volunteers, and received 3£ per day. When we arrived at the river, they were closely besieged; and before we could get over, they had surrounded to the Spaniards. We then made the best of our way back to Pensacola; where I sold my vessel, and soon after my house and female slave, though greatly under their value. As it was plainly evident that the Spaniards would soon take Pensacola, I concluded to remove my family into Georgia; we having heard that Charlestown was taken by the King’s troops, and also Carolina and Georgia peaceably in theirs and the loyalist possession. I bought six horses, three to carry my family, the other three to carry our provisions and bedding.
I agreed with an Indian trader, who was going to an Indian nation, to be our pilot or guide, as we had an Indian nation to go through. We arrived in Georgia about the middle of October, 1780, where I found the country peaceable, according to my expectations. I purchased a plantation or farm, upon Bark Camp Creek, right to Buck Head, about 100 miles from Savannah. Georgia is a fine country and healthy in the back parts: it produces the extraordinary good crops of all sorts of corn, the same as England; excepting near the sea coast, where the land lies low and flat, in which parts the inhabitants are much troubled with agues and fevers.
It also produces great crops of rice;169 the country in general is very fertile, growing great quantities of all kinds of fruits there are very great stocks, so the some farmers have a thousand a piece, some more, others less: and they nothing to provide for them, as they live in the woods both winter and summer. The winter is very mild here, as snow seldom or ever lies on the ground twenty-four hours. The people here are Americans born of English descent; and have been in a very thriving way before the war, but very much reduce since, by having their slaves and horses-stolen, their houses plundered, and many of the men killed. Yet they were in peace for the present, although it did not continue long: upon Lord Cornwallis’s army leaving the south provinces and going to the northward, it gave the rebels an opportunity of returning among us again.
The loyal inhabitants were now called together to oppose then, but the rebels were victorious, and soon conquered the country: they also committed great depredations upon the loyalist, by plundering their houses, and very frequently killing them: which caused some of them to make their escape down to Savannah or Charles Town; others to Fort Augusta, which was about 40 miles from my habitation; others sheltered themselves in the woods, and were many of them caught and killed, even when begging for life, upon their knees!
I staid at home, thinking, as I was a stranger, they would let me alone, but I soon found my mistake; for there came a company of them to my house, and insisted that I should go to their camp with them, and help them to fight; otherwise I should not live there. I made them fair promises that I would come to them the next day, and so they left me for that time: but not before they had robbed me; saying, I should have my property again, when I joined them; and, if I did not join them, death was my portion!
Having got rid of them, I found myself to be in a very dangerous predicament indeed; as my wife was very big with child, I concluded to conceal myself in the woods at times when there was any danger; having my170 money, clothes, and everything of value, hid in hollow trees in the woods. I remained in that situation until the 7th of August, 1781: wen my wife was delivered of a daughter in the morning. I left her the same evening, and made my escape down to Savannah: for there was no safety in the country, as both loyalists and rebels went about plundering and killing all who joined the opposite parties! Consequently, there was no security, except with the armies.
Savannah, at this time, was full of soldiers’ loyalists, which made provisions scarce and dear. This made me think of leaving America, and, meeting with a young man whom I was acquainted, he advised me to go with him to the island of Jamaica, as a vessel was just ready to depart. We thus agreed to travel together, and to stick by each other in every difficulty that might happen to either of us. Having agreed with the captain for our passage, and entered on board the vessel, I quitted the continent of America, after having been in it nearly thirteen years, in which time I had a tour of upwards of three thousands five hundred miles.
The place where I left it (Savannah) being about twelve hundred miles from the place where I first landed, which was New York. We took our departure from Savannah about the 14thof August, 1781, in the brigantine named the Nancy and Polly, commanded by Captain Paterson, and arrived with my companion, at Dry-harbour, on the north side of Jamaica, on the 18thof September. Meeting however with no employment on that line of the island, on account of the war, we were compelled to travel across it to Kingston, which lies on the south side. Here we found ourselves no much better off than in America, for the island was in danger of being invaded by the Spaniards. We were fortunate enough however to obtain employment.
I was engaged to be a ship keeper on board a prize-vessel, for which I received 3£ 4d.per day, until I had an opportunity of coming to England, which occurred in three weeks after, when I got my fellow-traveller into my place, and left him there. My stay was so short at Jamaica, that I had not an opportunity of knowing the island sufficiently to give a minute description of it. Jamaica is about 100 miles long and 60 wide, and at a distance looks to be an assemblage of high hills and mountains; there are however some level lands near to the sea-shore, which are cultivated with sugar-171 canes, as well as some of the hills. The land in general is very rich, and fertile to the top of the highest mountains.- A considerable number of fruits trees grow wild in the woods, but not such as are found in England; they are too tedious to mention.
Here flourishes the orange, lemons, cocoa-nut, all-spice, and many others; also melons, pompions, yams, plantains, and potatoes. The people are mostly of English descent, and are very civil. The labour is almost all done by slaves, of whom there is an amazing number on the island. They commonly sell for fifty pounds each. I left Jamaica about the 18th of October, 1781, in the ship Molly, commanded by John Jordan. She was a letter of marque, mounting 18 guns 4 pounders, and was deeply laden with sugar and rum bound for Liverpool.
As what little money I had brought from home was almost expected, I was under the necessity of shipping myself as a sailor, and was to have seven guineas and a half and five gallons of rum upon passage for my wages. We had contrary winds for the first three weeks, so that scarcely got clear of the West India island, during which time we were put to an allowance of water, not exceeding for each man three pints for the twenty- four hours. It was then we began to find the ship had been but indifferently provided with water and provisions. Our captain also proved to be one of the most proud and churlish men I had ever met with, insomuch that we scarcely dare speak to him; and, when we did, he would seldom condescend to give an answer, unless he joined the epithet “damned rascal” to it.
In about a week after, we were put to an allowance of biscuit, each man to have no more than five pounds for a week, and about the same weight of beef. Our biscuit was exceedingly bad; some of it was rotten, and the rest was full of worms and wevils,-a defect which soon caused our ship’s company to be in a very sickly condition. One night, a boy, who went upon the outside of the ship to untie a rope, fell overboard, and we never saw him anymore. We had also one die on board for want of proper care and nourishment, and yet the humane captain had abundance of provisions in the cabin for himself, his officers, and four gentlemen passengers who were going to Ireland.
The following week we were put to an allowance of three pounds per week, and some of the sailors would devour their portions I the two fist172 days, and then steal from their messmates while asleep. At the length some of them found the way to a cask of sugar, and took a sufficient quantity to satisfy our wants from time to time, until the theft was discovered by one of the mates, who immediately ran with the intelligence to the captain. He had the boy that was found out brought before him, and made him inform of another boy and two men, whom he ordered to be stripped, tied up, and whipped. The boys he kept tied up from eight o’clock in the morning till four in the evening, to en example to the ship’s company.
Having come pretty near to the coast of Ireland, we met with an English vessel, who sent us two bags of biscuit, after which our allowance was to be increased to a pound a day. The following day, to our inexpressible joy, we beheld Ireland, and in the evening sent our passengers on shore. We continued our course with a fair wind all night along the coast of Ireland until the next day, when we perceived a vessel in full chace of us, and our captain was too high-spirited to run away, which made him shorten sail, and wait to fight her.
In the evening the enemy came up with us, having English colours flying; and, after enquiring who we were, she ordered us to strike or heave too. Upon our commander refusing, she hauled down her colours, which were English, and hoisted French. This was succeeded by a broadside, which our ship returned immediately, and the battle continued with great violence during two hours. By this time several of our men being either killed or wounded, and the rest in a sickly and starved condition, we found ourselves incapable of managing the brig guns. At this critical juncture it pleased Providence to commission a cannon-ball to take down the pride of our rash and tyrannical captain, at whose death all our crew sincerely rejoiced, feeling as it were new life at his being cut off.
We now surrendered to the enemy, and they came on board. Several of them proved to be Irish, the rest were French; but all behaved to us very civilly.173 The privateer’s name was the Anti-Briton, mounting 22 guns, and had 150 men, commanded by Captain Kelly, an Irish-man, though fitted in French. Our number before the battle did not amount to more than 30 men and boys able to do anything, and out of them we had six killed, and several wounded: the privateer had not one man hurt. The next day they put about twenty of us on board the privateer, and in the night following, the wind blew so hard, and the ship was so damaged in her rigging that she could not bear up, but was obliged to run before the wind, and make a harbour in Scotland, or else they all must have perished. Hence they were obliged to surrender prisoners of war.
On the following day the privateer went to Scotland in search of her, but it was unable to trace the harbour in which she had taken refuge. Determined however not to make their voyage entirely unproductive, they fell to plundering, and, having robbed two houses and brought of twenty sheep, they took French leave, and departed for France. The next day four English ships hove in sight, and we gave chace to them, two of whom we caught. There, being soon after plundered, were ransomed, and then permitted to depart. The next day, two or three more of my countrymen’s ship were captured, and some of them were sent off for France.
By this time the captain of the privateer had increased the number of his prisoners so considerably, that he began to fear we might rise upon the crew, for which reason he thought proper to chain us all down in the hold, where we remained in a most gloomy and miserable condition about a week, not having a place to lie down upon, and experiencing the danger of being trodden to death. However, we had plenty of water and provisions allowed us, and a small quantity of wine or brandy distributed to each of us twice every day. We continued in this situation about seven or eight days, until we happened to meet with an English ship war. She was called the Stag frigate, and commanded by Captain Cooper, who retook us after a chace of about an hour and a half.174
We were taken prisoners on the 23th day of December, 1781, and retaken the 7th of January, 1782, and taken to Dublin, in Ireland, where I was kept ten days on board the man of war before I was examined by the captain who kept me at liberty on my producing the certificate which I had received of the chief of Georgia. After stopping about three days in Dublin, I obtain a passage to England, and arrived at Park-gate the 18th; and, on the 21stday of January, 1782, I reached Doncaster, near the place of my nativity.
WM. LEE.
～ Honoured Mother, I HAVE gone through the remaining of my travels at your request; also in order that you may be better acquainted with some of the dangers and sufferings that I have endured. I hope you will excuse me for doing it in so brief a manner, when you consider that I have to do it in a hurry, and in the midst of business. I left out, in my last letter, a great many remarkable passages, omitted indeed though mistake, or forgetfulness of the right places at which I should have entered them.
One of these relates to the dreadful storm which happened at Pensacola. It came on very soon after I had erected my new house and furnished it. The winds blew so hard, that the ships drove from their anchors. One was upset, and all the people were drowned: also a boat full of people shared the same fate. The waters at that time rose with such a swell, and the waves beat against the houses, that lay nearest to the shore, with such violence, that they were washed down, to the great detriment and personal distress of their owners. Many merchants’ storehouses, containing considerable quantities of rich and useful merchandize, were involved in the awful ruin, and the property either lost, or greatly damaged. My house was beaten down among the rest, and so175 suddenly, that myself and family had but just time to escape with our money and some of our best apparel.
This stroke of Providence at first went very hard with me, for all my labour had been to no effect, as I had now another house to build when the storm gad entirely ceased. The shipping were left upon the dry ground, and so greatly damaged, that they were not worth repairing again, except a few of the smallest, which were driven to such a distance on the shore, as to be out of reach of the remainder of the storm. The fury of heaven reached to the middle of the town, where several houses were blown down.
I shall next proceed to give you some further account of the Indians, as I had an opportunity of knowing more about them in Pensacola, and upon my journey from that place to Georgia. I staid seventeen days with the Creek Indian nation, and found them to be a very sensible and intelligent people, nature having endowed them with a great share of mother-wit. They are of the same sort and colour as I have described in my former letter, only they are of a different tribe and language. They enjoy a tract of land about four hundred miles square, and have their town built by the side of the river, which runs through the middle of their territory. Their houses or huts are very poor and inconvenience erections, and generally in the number of about twenty or thirty to a town.
It may naturally be expected that these rude natives have no knowledge of books or even of letters; nor indeed do they display the least inclination to cultivate any. Their wealth consist in animals: most of them keep a number of horses, and some feed plenty of cows and amine; but all of them are never without a good stock of live fowl. These Indians have no law for thieving, nor for any other crime, that one except which relates to their wives. If a woman and man be taken in adultery, the husband of the farmer, with some of his friends, seize the man, and cut off the hair of his head, after which he receives a good drubbing. The woman, for the first and second offence is not put away, but yet she does not escape punishment. On the second time of her being176 detected, her husband cuts off her ears; and, if a third time, her nose, and then puts her away.
Too, often, however, they are served so upon mere suspicion only, without the slightest proof being offered. While I was among this nation, a Scotchman was sentenced to have both his ears cut off, upon the evidence of an Indian boy. The work is chiefly done by their women, who are very hardy; for, when they are with child and in labour, they always go into the woods by themselves, and are there delivered without assistance. As soon as the child is born, they take it to a river or running water, and wash it, after which it is brought home.
With respect to religion, they seem to have none of any kind among them, at least as far as respects any external ceremonies; yet most of them believe there is a Supreme Being. They have also some indistinct notions of a state after death, though very erroneous, from their having no other guide than the dark glimmering of unenlightened nature. After death they think they shall be reunited to their ancestors, and enjoy their company in those sports and exercises in another world, which gave them delight in this. Believing that they shall have occasion for their gun and their dog, these are commonly buried by their side.
In peace, the Indian tribes are the most hospitable people upon earth, nor can one travel ay where in greater security. In war, on the contrary, they are tremendously vindictive, painting their bodies to deceive their enemies in their favorite mode of bush-fighting, and reserving their prisoners to glut their eyes with seeing them expire under the most slow and excruciating tortures, which these poor devoted victims endure with the most heroic firmness. Tomahawks are the common weapons they employ, and which serves them at once for attack and defense, for a pipe and scalping-knife, for husbandry, &c.
Money is of no estimation with these people, nor do they covet riches of any kind. They have no ambitious nor aspiring notions, to be177 one greater than the other, but leave the government ad decision of everything to the experienced and the aged. Hence they are the most happy people in the world. My opinion of this people is, that they are not be pitied, but rather to be envied, for they have no anxiety for the morrow, and the Scriptures not having given them any rule of conduct, “they are a law unto themselves”- The only people whom I can account happier than these are the true believers in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who with St.
Paul can say, “I know that, when this earthly tabernacle shall destroyed, I have a building in heaven not made with hands.” That this may be the blessed portion of my dear mother, is the earnest and unceasing prayer of Her dutiful Son,
WILLIAM LEE.
THE END
Franklin-Prefs, 34, Queen-street, Cheapside.178