I shall now proceed to give a concise account of the climates, produce, trade, &c. of North America, and first,

The province of New England appears to be vastly extensive, being about 400 miles in length, and near 300 in breadth, situated between 69 and 73 degrees long, and between 41 and 46 deg. N. lat. It was first settled by the Independents, a little before the commencement of the civil wars in England; they transported themselves thither, rather than they would communicate with the church of England.

The lands next the sea in New England are generally low and the soil sandy; but further- up the country it rises into hills, and cm the north east it is rocky and mountainous. The winters are much severer here than in Old England, though it lies or 10 degrees more south, but they have usually a clearer sky and more settled weather both in winter and summer than in Old England; and though their summers are shorter, the air is considerably hotter while it lasts. The winds are very boisterous in the winter season, and the north wind blowing over a long track of frozen and uncultivated countries, with several fresh water lakes, makes it excessively cold. The rivers are sometimes congealed in a night's time. The climate is generally healthful, and agreeable to English constitutions.

The fruits of Old England come to great perfection here, particularly peaches, which are planted trees; and we have commonly 1200 or 1400 fine peaches on such a tree at one time: nay, of the fruit of one single apple tree, in one season, nine barrels of cyder have been made. English wheat I find does not thrive here, within 40 or 50 miles of Boston; but farther up the country they have it in great plenty, and I think it comes to the same perfection as in Britain.

Now, why wheat should not grow near this city I confess I can assign no reason that will fully satisfy the reader's curiosity. The conjectures upon it are various; some venture to say that it was occasioned by the unjust persecution of the Quakers, the Independents having vented their spleen against them in a way the most rigorous, and in flat contradiction to the laws of Christianity. All other grain but wheat thrives in this place with great success; in particular Indian corn, one grain whereof frequently produces 200, and sometimes 2000 grains. This corn is of three different colours, viz. blue, white, and yellow.

The situation of this province is between 72 and

76 W. long, and between 41 and 44 N. lat. being about 200 miles in length, and 100 miles in breadth.

The lands in the Jerseys and south part of New

York are low and flat; but as you ascend twenty or thirty miles up Hudson's river, the country is rocky and mountainous. The air is much milder here in winter than in New England, and in summer it is pretty much the same. The produce and trade of New York and the Jerseys consist in cattle, and a good breed of horses. They have plenty of wheat and other grain, such as Indian corn, buck-wheat, oats, barley, and rye. It abounds also with store of fish. They supply the sugar islands with flour, salt beef, pork, salt fish, and timber planks, in return for the produce raised there.

Peter’s knowledge of agriculture came from his own experience as a servant and from service with men released from bondage to fight against the Indians. At the time of his experiences in the French and Indian War officials in Virginia were sentencing poor whites to military service, and white servants in Maryland where running north in increasing numbers. The tone of Peter’s narrative and his attention to everyday living conditions marks his audience as the working class and poor of his home country.

My favorite assertion is his suggestion [obviously had from his Quaker neighbors in Pennsylvania], that wheat grew poorly in New England because the Puritans had persecuted and spoken ill of the Quakers!