west, leaving behind them
all the comforts and luxuries among which they have been brought up.
Whoever travels in our backwoods, will often come across scenes and
interiors such as the boldest romance writer would never dare to invent.
Newly married couples, whose childhood and early youth have been spent
in the enjoyment of all the superfluities of civilization, will buy a
piece of good land far in the depths of forests and prairies, and found
a new existence for themselves and their children. One meets with their
dwellings in abundance--log-houses, consisting for the most part of one
room and a small kitchen: on the walls of the former the horses' saddles
and harness, and the husband's working clothes, manufactured often by
the delicate hands of his lady; in one corner, a harp or a piano; on the
table, perhaps, a few numbers of the North American or Southern reviews,
and some Washington or New York papers. A strange mixture of wild and
civilized life. It is thus that our Johnsons, our Livingstons, and
Ranselaers, and hundreds, ay, thousands of families, our Jeffersons and
Washingtons, commenced; and truly it is to be hoped, that the rising
generation will not despise the custom of their forefathers, or reject
this healthy means of renovating the blood and vigour of the community.

To return to my own proceedings. I got upon my dearborn, in order to
leave as soon as possible the pestilential atmosphere of New Orleans;
and I had just established myself amongst my goods and chattels, when
Caesar came running up in great exultation, with a new cloak which he had
been so lucky as to find lying before the door of a deserted house in
the suburb. I took hold of the infected garment with a pair of tongs,
and pitched it as far as I was able from the cart, to the great dismay
of Caesar, who could not understand why I should throw away a thing which
he assured me was well worth twenty dollars. We set off, and soon got
out of the town. Not a living creature was to be seen as far as the eye
could reach along the straight road. On the right hand side, the suburb
of the Annunciation was enclosed in wooden palisades, upon which
enormous bills were posted, containing proclamations by the mayor of the
town, and headed with the word "Infected," in letters that could be read
half a mile off. These proclamations, however, were unnecessary. New
Orleans looked more like a churchyard than a city; and we did not meet
five persons during the wh