volume iii of our series, note 23.--ED.

[114] This road was Zane's trace. See Cuming's _Tour_, volume iv of our series, note 135.--ED.

21st. Passed Ripley, a new town of Ohio: it seems likely to thrive.[115] A gentleman who had joined us at Maysville, and my eldest son, went on shore near this place. My son purchased two quarts of milk, for which they charged him 25 cents: he demanded his money again, and offered to return the milk; this they refused; {95} he then gave them, as he called it, a good _blowing up_, and came on board in a very bad humour, not being at all pleased with his bargain.

[115] Ripley, in Brown County, fifty-five miles above Cincinnati, was platted about the year 1812 by Colonel James Poage of Virginia. It continued to thrive in a mild way; twenty years after Woods's visit the inhabitants numbered about seven hundred.--ED.

We afterwards passed a small place, on the Ohio side, of only seven or eight houses, although laid out before Ripley. In the afternoon we passed the town of Augusta in Kentucky; it appears a flourishing place.[116] It was built to rival Maysville in the back-country trade, and it is likely to come in for a full share of it, as the roads are said to be much better than in the rear of Maysville. A considerable deal of land brought into cultivation in its neighbourhood: some round hills cleared quite to their tops, and planted with Indian corn, the growth of which seemed to bespeak a good soil. These hills have a fine appearance from the river. In the evening we passed the town of Mechanicsburg (Ohio), a small place, mostly of log-houses. At dark we anchored on {96} the Kentucky side; our progress twenty-five or six miles.

[116] For a brief account of Augusta, see Flint's _Letters_, volume ix of our series, note 69.--ED.

22d. Much rain during the night; and as the ark was far from being weather-proof, we got very wet in our beds. At noon we anchored near the towns of Richmond[117] and Susanna (Ohio); they are rising places, containing several taverns and stores. A great deal of land round these towns laid down in grass: the soil rich. But few gardens, and these much neglected; the weeds seven or eight feet high, and completely concealed the vegetables. This day we only made thirteen or fourteen miles, and anchored on the Kentucky side. The weather much colder. After we got to bed, two men and a boy came close to us, and began fishing, by torch-light, striking the fish with a gig, or grig, like a dung-prong, with barbed points: I believe they had also some hooks and lines over the sides of their canoe. After fishing about two hours, they anchored, and hung their fish over the {97} side of their canoe, and went on shore and made a fire to dry themselves; then spreading some small boughs under a tree, they laid down till daylight.

[117] On the founding of New Richmond, consult Flint's _Letters_,