TRAVELS IN THE COLONIES
excuse my coming away without a farewell, these adiew's are
pain- full to anyone, but must have been more so in my situation. I found
myself fast a going, my health ruined by having disagreable objects before my eyes and no comfort within my hearing; what could I do at
home; nothing; my hands were tied, I was certain if anything could recover me
it would be a ramble. Nature formed me for travelling, I believe I am
of the Tartar kind---whithout
any disparagement to the Mylne's blood that runs in my
veins. I travelled at as little expence as any man could do, I learnt this in my younger days, and had it not been for
a severe fit of sickness I had at
I shall not trouble you with an account of
the events that have happened to me in my coming hither, I wrote a kind of an
abstract to Nanny which I make no doubt she has communicated to you. I have
several friends at Augusta at whose houses and tables I am always welcome; Mr.
Mackay, one of the principal merchants concerned in the trade with the Indians
of those parts, made me an offer of his house to live at, this I declined,
wanting to live in a retired manner for some time until I could settle my mind
which had been so long discomposed. In one of my rambles in the month of
February last I learnt I might rent the place I now live at. It is situate on
Stephen's Creek, the house or cabin is built of pine trees laid a top of one
the other, it is covered with what they call clap boards, these are split pines
& hung by pinns on the lath, the contents in the
inside sixteen feet by twelve. In the corner stands my bed which is of boards,
upon these is a matrass, although it is hard yet I
sleep sound. Opposite to this is my chest with a few shirts in it, behind which
one of my hens has brought me nine chickens. I have a small gallin pot, a frying pan for cooking, I go To the miln for meal made of Indian corn, it is three miles
distance, it would make you laugh to see me sitting a horse back on the top of
the meal bags. I have a peach orchard in which there was an incredible number of peaches before a frost we had in the month of May, but still there are many
more left than I shall use. I have a small garden cultivate with my own hands,
In Which are greens of different kinds, cucumbers,
musk and water melons. I have cured bacon within the house, butter I have at
six pence a pound, cheese at five pence, six hens I have layes me more eggs than I can eat and I am rearing chickens, when I want broth I go
to the woods and shoot a squirrel or two, this makes excellent [broth], fish I
have in the creek.
I have a
good horse (for there is no doing without one), he runs in the woods and obeys
my call when I want him, he will come running at a mile's distance when he
hears my voice. There is a little bird that has built her nest opposite to my
bed that wakens me in the morning by its sprightly notes, its nest I am obliged
to guard for fear of a cat that has come to me from the woods, this creature
has become very tame, she furs about my legs when I
get out
of bed, I suppose she belonged to the people who had left the house.
Now says you
what do you want-Yes, I do want; God Almighty has planted in our breasts an
active principle for wise purposes; I feel this at present in a very strong
degree; I want again to be in action now the machine is repaired. I want money
to purchase some land, and a few negroes to cultivate
it under my directions, and with my assistance. All the best land had been
taken up by a set of men who now sell it out to newcomers. The life of a
planter is that I should like, in it I could lay by money; I have learnt the
methods to cultivate the different articles of produce in this country; betwixt
£300 & £400 would set me up & every year I should lay by some money. Be
so good as inform your self if this is expected out of the wreck of my fortune,
if it is not I must stear some other course. I have
lived many years to little purpose; you are no stranger to the vexations I have
endured, and the friendly part you acted during them, I shall always have a gratefull remembrance of.
There is a
tract of land of300 acres fin[e]ly situate on the
River Savannah, this place I want much to buy, I
imagine it may be bought for about £60 sterling. The person who owns it, lives
at St Augustine in East Florida, I have even wrote to a gentleman who came
passenger in the ship with me, to know what it may be bought for. If money can
be got out of the rubbish of my af-
fairs to purchase this and three or four negroes I am made for the rest of my days.
Upon it I can plant corn, raise tobacco, make indigo; cattle and hoggs I can rear as many as I please, these when killed and
salted give a good price at Savannah for the West India market, and the
navigation of the river makes the carriage cheap. My neighbour thinks me a strange man, to live as I do by myself, I have none
higher than two miles except one, and him I must cross the Creek
to, which may {be} about 4 times as broad as Pouderhall water, this I seldom do unless it be for to carry over some shirts for his
daughters to wash, for which I pay them. I have some times half dozen of these
people in my cabbin at a time, they come in when they
are hunting their cattle, they will sit 3 or 4 hours, some on a form I have for
a seat, others in the bed, listening with open ears, their visits of late have
been more frequent, driven by their curiosity. I am always well armed having
two guns and two brace of pistols within my reach in the nighttime. These
people are very ignorant of the world and know little more than raising their
crops and carrying it to the store, for which they receive goods in return, few
of them going to Charlestown and Savannah where they would receive payment in
cash or in goods at £50 p{e}r c{en}t less than they
pay here, they all complain of the extravagant rates they are obliged to give
for goods and indeed I believe this deadens their industry.
There was a strange accident happened the
other night. I have I not given over my custom of reading in bed yet before I
go to sleep. In place of candles I make use of lightwood split in long pieces,
this is of the heart of the pine. I heard the hen that has the chickens dabbing
with her beak and making a great noise, I got out of
bed and by help of the lightwood found it was a snake endeavoring to get at the
chickens, which she defended. He retired at my coming up, I put a piece of wood
into the hole where he got in, and went to bed where I fell fast asleep. Some
time after I was I waked by a noise from that corner and concluded it must be
the snake again, I went to the chimney to find if there was any remains of fire
where after much blowing I made a shift to make a light. The noise by this time
was ceased. I went towards the hen who I found to all appearances dead, the
snake was twisted round her body below the wings and round her neck; with a
stick I struck part of him that was disengaged from the hen, whom he directly quit[t}ed, I got another strock which smashed his head, I then threw him out of doors. In the morning I
measured him, he was five feet eight inches long. Some of my neighbours who happened to call in told me he was what they
call a chicken snake, that his bite was not poisonous but troublesome, however
I should not like to have been bite by him, as I would not have known whither
it was so or not. You must know my humble cot has but a clay floor and this
creature had found its way in at the joints of the loggs.
I forgot to tell you I have an excellent
spring of clear water which is all my drink, unless when I go to Augusta where
I am treated with wine and punch, this is but seldom for in four months now I
have been only three times there although often pressed to come. What I write is only for Betty, my mother, Nanny
and your perusal, if the people with you knew of my strange manner of life they
would conclude me mad, therefore for your own sakes keep it to yourselves, for
madness in one of a family hurts the rest, you have children with part of the Mylne's blood in them. I can only add the country is most
beautiful at present and by not exposing myself in the
heat of day I find I can stand the hot weather very well. I wrote Livingston a
little while ago, I sent him a power of attorney from
May God Almighty bless our dear Mother,
Willm Mylne