native homes: however, in about forty days we arrived in Boston bay. Within one mile of Cape Cod, about eight o'clock in the evening, I was standing on deck, with a fine southerly breeze, anticipating the pleasure we should enjoy on being in Boston the next evening, when in an instant a squall struck us a-head, which carried away our foretopmast and main boom, and left our sails in rags. Fortunately no man was hurt, although our captain was saved from being knocked overboard by catching hold of the main rigging. This squall continued only for a minute, when all was calm again. The only business now was to repair, which we so effectually did before daylight as to be able to make sail, and soon arrived in Boston harbour, greatly rejoiced at being able once more to leave old Neptune, bad beef and wormy bread, and visit my friends [22] on terra firma. I then went to Concord, Massachusetts, and made up my mind to leave the seas for the present.
Wishing to see the Western country, I made an arrangement with a gentleman to go to Detroit, Michigan Territory, and to take out his family, consisting of his wife, three children and a man-servant; which he was desirous of removing to that country. Himself having business, went on horseback several days before we started. I purchased two horses and a pleasure wagon, and proceeded to Albany[1] in New York, and passing through many hand-
- ↑ For a description of Albany written a few years later, see Evans's Tour, post. Buttrick followed the Genesee Road, the well-established route to Lake Erie. In 1794 the legislature had appropriated money for the construction of a road six rods wide from old Fort Schuyler (Utica) to the Genesee River at Canawagus (Avon, twenty-seven miles south of Lake Ontario), passing the outlets of Cayuga, Seneca, and Canandaigua lakes. Being but little better than an Indian path in 1797, lotteries were authorized for its improvement. In 1799 a stage began to run over the road, and the following year it was made into a turnpike. A highway was opened the same year from the Genesee River to Buffalo, thus completing the connection between Albany and Lake Erie.—Ed.
