charm the eye amidst the boundless prospect of desolate wilds. When we see the land cleared of those enormous trees {52} with which it was overgrown, and the cliffs and quarries converted into materials for building, we cannot help dwelling upon the industry and art of man, which by dint of toil and perseverance can change the desert into a fruitful field, and shape the rough rock to use and elegance. When the solitary waste is peopled, and convenient habitations arise amidst the former retreats of wild beasts; when the silence of nature is succeeded by the buzz of employment, the congratulations of society, and the voice of joy; in fine, when we behold competence and plenty springing from the bosom of dreary forests,—what a lesson is afforded of the benevolent intentions of Providence!
Having been part of three days upon the river, we arrived at Marietta, in the State of Ohio, on Saturday morning, April 23d.
The second week after our arrival, in consequence of three or four rainy days, the water in the Ohio rose fifteen feet, and gave opportunity for several vessels, which were waiting for a flood, to set sail. Accordingly on May 4th the schooner "Dorcas and Sally," of 70 tons, built at Wheeling and rigged at Marietta, dropped down the {53} river. The following day there passed down the schooner "Amity," of 103 tons, from Pittsburg, and the ship "Pittsburg," of 275 tons burden, from the same place, laden with seventeen hundred barrels of flour, with the rest of her cargo in flat-bottomed boats. In the evening the brig "Mary Avery," of 130 tons, built at Marietta, set sail.[38]
