Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/247

 well inhabited country, rather hilly, but the hills not very steep. The town occupies a hill itself, and consists of one main street, intersected at right angles by four shorter ones, the whole containing one hundred and seventy-five dwelling houses, a good brick court house and a stone gaol adjoining; two meeting houses, one of brick for Presbyterians, and an old one of logs for Methodists; a neat masonick lodge of stone and lime, and a small market house. There are several stores and taverns, and on the whole it is a thriving town, and a pleasant residence for either trader, mechanick or private man, the inhabitants being a spirited and polished people, mostly descendants from the northern Irish.

At noon I left Washington in the stage, having the pleasure of a fellow traveller in my old acquaintance Dearborn, who was returning to Pittsburgh after an excursion to Washington for the purpose of taking some likenesses. His anecdotes of domestick and social occurrences at Pittsburgh during my absence, beguiled the time pleasantly, and we were in Canonsburgh, without being sensible of the seven {217} miles between Washington and it. The road leads mostly along Chartier's creek, crossing it three times in that distance. We stopped at Westbay's excellent tavern, where is also the post office. They were making preparations for dinner, which (having breakfasted so late) we declined partaking of, and amused ourselves with a walk through the town. It is on the S. western declivity of a steep hill, having Chartier's creek at the bottom. It contains eighty eight houses, of different descriptions, exclusive of the college, which is a plain stone edifice, much out of repair, with a cupola belfry. There is also a small market house, but the town does not seem flourishing; indeed was it not for the college, it would probably soon go to decay, in favour of its more successful neighbour Washington.[152] The most strik-*