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1832.

But "I'll lay" you'll guess wrong for it is only Euclid's simple reason viz.: a straight line is the shortest way:***
I expect to remain at home two weeks.

Yours in haste,

Increase A. Lapham.

Darius Lapham.

Baltimore Dec. 6th, 1832.

Dear Sir;--

Your communication on the method of raising water in Spain was received and published. Accept my thanks for it. I will send the dahlia seeds with pleasure when I can procure them.

If I can be serviceable to you here please command the services of.

Your friend, Respectfully,

I.A. Lapham.

J.J. Hitchcock.
Ed. Am. Farmer.

Dec. 14. Got on my horse and started for home; went up the canal to Bear creek where I turned to the west through a hilly country. Rainy in the afternoon; staid at Anderson's Mills on Sunfish Creek 27 miles from Portsmouth.

Dec. 15. Rainy with some snow. My road lay along the valley of the creek to its source; here I crossed the dividing ridge an descended into the valley of Paint Creek at Bainbridge. As the creek is too high to be crossed I had to ride five miles out of the direct road to get to Greenfield on the west side. The streets of Bainbridge have lately been paved with tan bark and other materials to the depth of 18 inches. I stopped to enquire about the roads &c., "How far is it to Washington Sir?" "Well now I'll be dogged if I can tell exactly" but somewhere betwixt three and four hundred miles I reckon." I rode on and enquired again and found it was ten miles to Greenfield and twenty four to Washington