No mention yet of cotton among the staple products of the South. As late as 1794, it was not known to Chief Justice Jay, when he negotiated his treaty with England, that it was likely to be an article of United States Commerce. So recently has this great element of trade and of the wealth of nations made its appearance on this side of the Ocean!

On Monday the 9th of May the President resumed his journey for Savannah, "attended by a corps of the Cincinnati, & most of the principal gentlemen of the city, as far as the bridge over the Ashley River." After breakfast they proceeded, "with a select party of very particular friends,”—to Colonel Wahington's, at Sandy Hill, a distance in the whole of twenty-eight miles. On the following day the friends and attendants, with the exception of Gen. Moultrie and Major Butler, took leave and the party proceeded to breakfast "at Judge Bee's & dined and lodged at Mr Obrian Smith's."On the 11th the President was entertained at dinner "by the parishioners of Prince William" and lodged at Judge Hayward's. He enters an apology in his journal, at this place, for visiting Col. Washington, on the score "of friendship & relationship," and for lodging at Mr. Smith's and Judge Hayward's, on the ground of necessity, "there being no public houses on the road."

Starting on the 12th at 5 A. M. they arrived at Purisburg, on the Savannah River, twenty-two miles distant, to breakfast. Here they were met by Messrs. Jones, Col. Habersham, Mr. Jno. Houston, Genl. McIntosh, and Mr. Clay, a committee from the city of Savannah. They descended the River in boats, the President in an eight oared barge, rowed by eight American captains. "In my way down the River," says the Diary, "I called upon Mrs. Green, the widow of the deceased Gen! Green, (at a place called Mulberry Grove,) & asked her how she did." The wind and tide being against them, it was six o'clock before they reached the city, where they " were received under every demonstration

that could be given of joy and respect." The President dined in public at a late hour in the evening. On the following day he dined with the Cincinnati, "and in the evening went to a dancing assembly, where there were about 100 well dressed & handsome ladies." On the 14th, in company with the principal gentlemen of the place, he took a survey of the city. He expresses himself in the following circumspect manner of the siege of 1779:

"I visited the city & the attack & defence of it in the year 1779 under the combined forces of France and the United States commanded by the Count de Estaing & General Lincoln.-To form an opinion of the attack at this distance of time and the change which has taken place in the appearance of the ground by the cutting away of the woods &c is hardly to be done with justice to the subject, especially as there is remaining scarcely any of the defences."

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There was a public dinner this day, "under an elegant bower" on the bank of the river, and in the evening a tolerable good display of fire-works."

On Sunday the 15th, after morning service, " & receiving a number of visits from the most respectable ladies of the place, (as was the case yesterday,)" the President started for Augusta, under a general escort of the citizens, dined with Mrs. Green at Mulberry Grove, and lodged at one Spencer's.

Savanna," says the Diary, "stands upon what may be called high ground for this country—It is extremely sandy which makes the walking very disagreeable; and the houses uncomfortable in warm & windy weather, as they are filled with dust whenever these happen. The town on three sides is surrounded with cultivated rice fields which have a rich and luxuriant appearance. On the south or back side it is a pine land.The harbour is said to be very good and often filled with square rigged vessels but there is a bar below over which not more than 12 [feet] water can be brot. except at spring tides.-The tide does not flow above 12 or 14 miles above the city though the River is swelled by it more than double that distance.-Rice & Tobacco (the last of which is greatly encreasing) are the principal exports-lumber & Indigo are also exported,

but the latter is on the decline and it is supposed by Hemp & Cotton.* Ship timber vizt. live oak and Cedar is (and may be more more so) valuable in the exp'."

On Monday the 16th and Tuesday the 17th the places where the party breakfasted, dined, and lodged, are recorded. Of Waynesborough the Diary states that it "is a small place, but the seat of the Court of Burke's County-6 or 8 dwelling houses is all that it contains. An attempt is making (without much apparent effect) to establish an Academy at it, as is the case also in all the counties."

On the 18th the President was met by "Governor Telfair, Judge Walton, the Attorney General, and most of the principal gentlemen" of Augusta, escorted into town, " & received under a discharge of artillery." He dined "with a large company at the Governor's and drank tea there with many well dressed Ladies." On the 19th there was an Address presented by the citizens of Augusta to which the President replied; a dinner with a large company at the Court House, and an Assembly in the evening at the Academy, at which there were between 60 and 70 well dressed ladies."

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The 20th was devoted to the survey of the remains of "the works which had been erected by the British during the war & taken by the Americans," of "the falls" in the river, and the neighboring country. Tobacco is mentioned as the principal article of growth and export from this region, and as likely so to continue.

"Augusta" says the Diary "though it covers more ground than Savanna does not contain as many inhabitants, the latter having by the late Census between 14 & 1500 whites & about 800 blacks."

The numbers of the population of Augusta are left blank in the Diary. By the Census of 1850 the numbers of the two cities stood, Savannah 15,312 and Augusta 9,569.—

* A word or two appears to be wanting here, but the sense is plain.

From Augusta the President proceeded to Columbia, where he was detained a day longer than he intended, one of his horses being badly foundered by the length of the journey from Augusta, the want of water, and the heat of the weather. He was entertained at dinner at Columbia by the gentlemen and ladies of that place and the vicinity, "to the amount of more than 150 of which 50 or 60 were of the latter."

The following is the President's description of Columbia, then in its infancy :

"Columbia is laid out upon a large scale; but in my opinion it had better been placed on the River below the falls. It is now an unreclaimed wood, with very few houses in it & those all wooden ones. The State house (which is also of wood) is a large and commodious building, but unfinished. The town is on dry, but cannot be called high ground, and though surrounded by Piney & sandy Land is itself good. The State house is near two miles from the River, at the confluence of the Broad River & Saluda.-From Granby the River is navigable for craft, which will, when the river is a little swelled carry 3000 bushels of Grain-when at its height less and always some. The River from hence to the Wateree below which it takes the name of Santee is very crooked it being according to the computed distance near 400 miles-Columbia from Charleston is 130 miles."

Want of space compels the omission of the President's description of his journey to Camden, and onward to Charlotte, and his account of those places. His remarks on the encounter of Green and Lord Rawdon and of Gates and Lord Cornwallis are extremely interesting; but no room remains for further extracts. He passed through the towns of Salisbury and Salem, where he examined the Moravian Settlements, and here this volume of the Diary concludes.

No apology seems necessary for occupying so much space with these memoranda. They relate to a portion of General Washington's personal history never before described in detail; they present in his own language the impressions made upon him, by the principal places which he visited; and they afford most interesting materials for comparing the state of the country in 1791 with its condition at the present day.

NUMBER TWENTY-SEVEN.

ADAMS' EXPRESS AND THE EXPRESS SYSTEM OF THE

UNITED STATES.

Scene at Embarcation at New York for Charleston-Quantity of packages put on board by Adams' Express-The Expressage not to be confounded with commercial transportation-Miscellaneous nature of articles transported by Express-Connection of the Express with the periodical press-Want of all facilities for the conveyance of small parcels in former times-Sketch of the Origin and progress of the Express System-Wm. F. Harnden-Alvin Adams-His associates-And succes. sors Present state of Adams' Express and extent of its operations-Importance of the Express system compared with commercial exchanges-Comparison of the Express with the Post-office-Origin and functions of the Post-office-Growing importance of the Express.

HAVING Occasion, a little more than a year ago, to visit South Carolina and Georgia, for the purpose of repeating my address on the character of Washington, I embarked at New York on board the fine steamer "Columbia," for which I was favored with a free passage by the liberal proprietors of the line, Messrs. Spofford, Tileston & Co. Going on board about half an hour before the sailing of the vessel, my attention was drawn to the animated scene on the quay, scarcely less varied and striking than that which is witnessed on the departure of a first-class passenger ship for Europe. Carriages filled with passengers of either sex and of every age and their friends; porters staggering under the weight of heavy trunks; a discouraged maid with a lap-dog under her arm looking as if she wished the troublesome pet would jump into the water; the usual throng of newsboys, venders of oranges, Stewart's mixed candy, and popped corn, with look