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From The Gleaner August 16, 1815

Letter to William,

I forwarded you the journal of my tour since I left the falls, from Tioga Point, four weeks since, which I hope you have received before this time. I concluded to pass down the East instead of the West branch of the Susquehanna, and enter this Town yesterday - or rather Borough I should say, for in Pennsylvania most of the Towns are called Boroughs - they do not send members to the legislature but they have certain corporate privileges, something resembling city corporations.

This Borough is beautifully situated upon a level plain on the east bank of the Susquehanna, which is very gentle, and appears well calculated for the purposes of navigation, and for excursions of pleasure upon the water; yet I saw no pleasure boats, and suspect that the inhabitants have no taste for such diversion.

The western margin of the river is shaded by groves of willows, elms, and the Pennsylvania alder, which support heavy vines of the native grape, forming the most beautiful shrubbery I ever saw. The plain upon which the town is built is about a mile and a half wide, and about fifteen miles long, and surrounded by lofty mountains which form the "Valley of Wyoming," of which you have so often heard. This is the same Wyoming where those horrid scenes took place, towards the close of the revolutionary war. You will be surprised to learn that not one half of the inhabitants can tell you half so much about them as you already know. I have however gathered from some of the oldest inhabitants some interesting particulars, which I will give you in my journal which will be sent next week by our friend Mr. ___ whom I very happily met here.

I have visited the falls and the coal mines, tomorrow I go to see the remains of the old fortifications. This day among other rambles, I strolled into the burial ground, which is a walk you know I never neglect wherever I travel - Harvey is not the only one who believes that many a useful lesson may be learned from the tombs.

The burial ground is in the back part of the town, and forms a smooth level lot, of about four acres; which might be laid out with much taste and elegance, but appears to be very much neglected - very little system or regularity appears ever to have prevailed, and the graves are promiscuously places, frequently much out of their proper position. Many are grown over with weeds and grass without any stone or other monument to make the place. Some of which appear to be the graves of persons whose families are very respectable and still resident in the town, are placed by the side of others whom I found by inquiry to be entirely unconnected with the deceased, and again by the side of them were placed others who were equally strangers. You know how particular we are at ____ to have each family occupy their particular square. Who is there, that has not a wish, when the troubles of this life shall have passed away, to have his bones rest by the side of those, who have shared his sorrows and his joys; and partaken of his happiness or misery? If any such there is, he is no relation of yours or mine. Many of the inscriptions too, are very bad English, and betray a great want of taste in that particular - certainly our friends ought to have a little care concerning those few words which are to be all that remains to tell posterity who we were. Near a very old grave where there was no monument, some person had recently put down a shingle with this inscription; "Stranger, I was what thou art, and am what thou will be." I did hope to find here the monuments of some of those who fell in the battles of Wyoming, but I found only one. You shall soon hear from me again.

The road to the old fortification, leads over what they call here the plains, I accordingly expected to ride through dust and sand something like that which we waded through on our way from Hartford to Westfield; but these plains are a continual succession of hills and vallies covered with fine farms and affording a pleasant and very extensive view of the Wyoming Valley. On our return we came by other plains which they called Abrahams Plains, these are low meadow by the side of the river. So you see names here, are applied in a very different way from our notions of things. Abraham's Plains at Quebec, you know, are some of the highest grounds about the City, yet they are very level and are really plains. These however bear some resemblance to them, for they have been drenched by the blood of many a Wolf.

This town (Borough) might be rendered very beautiful with very little expense, but beauty is a consideration very little attended to. The Streets are not shaded with trees, and the passenger walks exposed to the burning Sun. All the public buildings are in the centre of the town where there is a square of sides of which, lie in an angle of 45 degrees with the Streets, but is not planted with trees, neither are the public buildings enclosed with any paling, so that they have a very naked appearance, as if they had been placed there, because there was no other place for them. The Academy however is an exception, for it is enclosed with a high board fence - something resembling a jail yard, which is not painted like the building, and looks almost as uncouth as the black Steeple at New-Haven. Bank Street, affords a find prospect of the River, and would form a beautiful walk for the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Town, but boys of all ages are permitted to bathe along the Street at all hours of the day; if Alderman ____, lived here, I think this sport would be stopped, or transferred to some other place.

This town after a rain is the most muddy place I ever saw, and although there are great quantities of gravel, and paving stones along the river, yet the citizens seem perfectly satisfied to wade through the mud from one year's end to another.

This happens to be court week, and as I passed about twenty rods from the Court House, I heard a great noise which induced me to go in. The noise proceeded from the Attorney addressing the jury who stood before them, not more than the length of his arm distant, but he bawled so loud, that I was induced to enquire of a by-stander if some of the jury were deaf: he replied they were not yet, but he concluded those who sat next the Speaker would soon be so. If eloquence consists in noise this man would make as great an Orator as our vendue-crier.

You see I have made a longer stay here than I usually do at country towns; the truth is, this is a pleasant valley I was ever in, and I have contrived to spend my time very agreeably.

The stage office hotel is an excellent house, where I find every accommodation which the country affords. This you must know, is directly on the route from Philadelphia to the Falls of Niagara.

The woods in the vicinity abound with game, and the river and creeks with fish; so you may suppose I have business enough.

The inhabitants have done without a bridge for five years, although they have had a law for erecting one all the time, the reason is simply because they cannot exactly agree upon the spot where it shall stand.....There is also what they call a Shun-pike now building to bring the main road into the town in another place. This new road crosses a small swamp just back of the town, which it is generally supposed has caused much of that sickness which has recently prevaled here. The citizens are now cutting an artificial channel to drain this swamp, but it is with much difficulty the necessary funds can be raised.

The Philadelphia Bank has a branch established here, and this institution being the first of the kind which the people have every had among them.....A bank among farmers, is like the landlord among gamblers, he is the only one who really makes money, the others only change from hand to hand.

My friends are waiting for me to take a trip to Nanticoke Falls, where the famous PLUNKET'S expedition terminated. Adieu.

Yours, C.