xt71rn303161 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt71rn303161/data/mets.xml Hartley, Cecil B. 1860  books b92bb644har18602009 English G. G. Evans : Philadelphia, Pa. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Boone, Daniel, 1734-1820 Life and times of Colonel Daniel Boone, comprising history of the early settlement of Kentucky, by Cecil B. Hartley. To which is added, Colonel Boone s autobiography complete, as dictated to John Filson, and published in 1784. ustrated with engravings, from original drawings, by G. G. White and other eminent artists. text Life and times of Colonel Daniel Boone, comprising history of the early settlement of Kentucky, by Cecil B. Hartley. To which is added, Colonel Boone s autobiography complete, as dictated to John Filson, and published in 1784. ustrated with engravings, from original drawings, by G. G. White and other eminent artists. 1860 2009 true xt71rn303161 section xt71rn303161 
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   LIEE AND TIMES

O 1'

COLONEL DANIEL BOONE

OOMPRISIHQ

Ijistoni of % fel|i Settlement of ^nitutb,

By CECIL B. ILAUTLEY.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

COLONEL BOONE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY COMPLETE,

AS DICTATED TO JOHX FILSON, AND PUBLISHED IX 178*. ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS,

FROM

ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, I1Y O. O. WHITE AND OTHKE EMINENT ARTISTS.

PHILADELPHIA: G. G . K V AXS, P U II L J S FT BR,

Ko, J39 CilB?tXUT ST15EET. 
    
   PREFACE.

The subject of the following biography, the celebrated Colonel Daniel Boone, is one of the most remarkable men which this country has produced. His character is marked with originality, and his actions were important and influential in one of the most interesting periods of our history   that of the early settlement of Kentucky. Boone is generally acknowledged as the founder of that_State. His having explored it alone to a considerable extent; his leading the earliest bands of settlers; his founding Boonesborough, the nucleus of the future State; his having defended this and other stations sue-

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   4 PEEFACE.

cessfully against the attacks of the Indians; and the prominent part which he took in militavj affairs at this period of distress and peril, certainly render nis claims to the distinguished honor of founding Kentucky very strong.

But Boone, personally, reaped very little benefit from his patriotic and disinterested ex^ ertions. The lands which he had first cultivated *and defended, were taken from him by the chicanery of the law; other lands granted to him by the Spanish government were lost by his inattention to legal forms; and in his old age he was without an acre of land which he could call his own. A few years before his death a small tract, such as any other settler in Missouri was entitled to, was granted him by Congress. But he has left to his numerous posterity a nobler inheritance   that of an imperishable fame in the annals of his country! 
   CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAOl

The family of Daniel Boone   His grandfather emigrates to America, and settles in Bucks County, Pennsylvania    Family of Daniel Boone's father   Account of Exeter, the hirth-place of Boone   Birth of Daniel Boone   Religion of his family   Boone's boyhood   Goes to school   Anecdote    Summary termination of his schooling....................... 18

CHAPTER II.

Removal of Boone's father and family to North Carolina    Location on the Yadkin River   Character of the country and the people   Byron's description of the Backwoodsmen    Daniel Boone marries Rebecca Bryan   His farmer life ^n North Carolina   State of the country   Political troubles foreshadowed   Illegal fees and taxes   Probable effect of this state of things on Boone's mind   Signs of movement.. 23

CHAPTER III.

The Seven Years' War   ^Cherokee War   Period of Boone's first long Excursion to the West   Extract from Wheeler's History of Tennessee   Indian accounts of the Western country   Indian traders   Their Reports   Western travel-era   Dofyerty   Adair   Proceedings of the traders   Hunters   Sco;tch traders   Hunters accompany the traders to yhe Wast   Their reports concerning the country   Other

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   6

contents.

adventurers   Dr. Walker's expedition   Settlements in South-western Virginia   Indian hostilities   Pendleton purchase   Dr. Walker's     second expedition   Hunting company of Walker and others   Boone travels with them    Curious monument left by him.................................. 29

CHAPTER IV.

Political and social condition of North Carolina   Taxes    Lawsuits   Ostentation and extravagance of foreigners and government officers   Oppression of the people   Murmurs   Open resistance   The Regulators   Willingness of Daniel Boone and others to migrate, and their reasons    John Pinley's expedition to the West   His report to Boone   He determines to join Pinley in his next hunting tour   New company formed, with Boone for leader   Preparations for starting   The party sets out   Travels for a month through the wilderness   First sight of Kentucky       Forming a camp   Hunting buffaloes and other game    Capture of Boone and Stuart by the Indians   Prudent dissimulation    Escape from the Indians   Return to the old camp   Their companions lost   Boone and Stuart renew their hunting................................................... 43

CHAPTER V.

Arrival of Squire Boone and a companion at the camp of    Daniel Boone   Joyful meeting   News from home, and hunting resumed   Daniel Boone and Stuart surprised by the Indians   Stuart killed   Escape of Boone, and his return to camp   Squire Boone's companion lost in the woods   Residence of Daniel Boone and Squire Boone in the wilderness   Squire returns to North Carolina, obtains a fresh supply of ammunition, and again rejoins his brother at the old camp   Daniel Boone's own account of this remarkable period of his life   His return to North Carolina   His determination to settle in Kentucky   Other Western adventurers   1 he Long hunters   Washington in Kentucky   Bullitt's party   Floyd's party   Thompson's survey   First settlement of Tennessee.......................... 67 
   CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

        tf^r      .17        .,       . ... ; .......

Daniel Boone remains two years in North Carolina after his return from the West   He prepares fo emigrate to Kentucky   Character of.the early settlers to Kentucky   The first class, hunters   The second class, small farmers   The third class, men of wealth and government officers.........

CHAPTER VII.

Daniel Boone afcts out for Kentucky with his family and hi3 brother, Squire Boone   Is joined by five families and forty men at Powell's Valley   The party is attacked by Indians, and Daniel Boone's oldest son is killed   The party return to the settlements on Clinch River   Boone, at the request of Governor Dunmore, goes to the West and conducts a party of surveyors to Virginia   Boone receives the command of three garrisons and the commission of Captain    He takes a part in the Dunmore war   Battle of Point Pleasant and termination of the war.............................

CHAPTER VIII.

The militia discharged   Captain Boone returns to his family    Henderson's company   Various companies of emigrants to Kentucky   Bounty lands   Harrod's party builds the

. first log-cabin erected in Kentucky, and founds Harrods-burg   Proceedings of Henderson's company   Agency of Captain Boone   He leads a company to open a road to Kentucky River   Conflicts with the Indians   Captain Boone founds Boonesborough    His own account of this expedition   His letter to Henderson   Account of Colonel Henderson and the Transylvania Company   Failure of the scheme   Probability of Boone having been several years in the service of Henderson................................

HAPTER IX.

Description of the Old Fort at Boonesborough   Usual methods of fortifications against the Indians   Arrival of 
   8

CONTENTS.

more settlers at Boonesborough   Captain Boone -eturns to the Clinch River to bring out his family   He enlists new emigrants and starts for Kentucky   Reinforced by a large party at Bowel's Valley   Arrival at Boonesborough       -Arrival of many new settlers at Boonesborough and Har-rod's settlement   Arrival of Kenton, Floyd, the McAfees, and other distinguished persons   Arrival of Colonel Richard Callaway....................................................... 102

CHAPTER X.

Disturbed state of the country in 1775   Breaking out of the Revolutionary war   Exposed situation of the Kentucky settlements   Hostility of the Indians excited by the British   First political convention in the West   Capture of Boone's daughter and the daughters of Colonel Callaway by the Indians   Their rescue by a party led by Boone and Callaway   Increased caution of the colonists at Boonesborough   Alarm and desertion of the Colonies in the West by land speculators and other adventurers   A reinforcement of forty-five men from North Carolina arrive at Boonesborough   Indian attack on Boonesborough in April   Another attack in July   Attack on Logan's Fort, and siege   Attack on Harrodsburg....... 108

CHAPTER XI.

Arrival of George Rogers Clark in Kentucky   Anecdote of his conversation with Ray   Clark and Jones chosen as delegates for the Colonies to the Virginia Legislature    Clark's important services in obtaining a political organization for Kentucky, and an abundant supply of gunpowder from the government of Virginia   Great labor and difficulty in bringing the powder to Harrodstown    Clark's expedition against Kaskaskias   Surprise and capture of their fort   Perilous and difficult march to Vin-cennes   Surprise and capture of that place   Extension of the Virginian settlements   Erection of Fort Jefferson.... 117 
   CONTENTS.

9

CHAPTER XII.

PAIR

Scarcity of salt at Boonesborough   Boone goes to Blue Licks to make salt, and is captured by the Indians   Taken to Chilicothe   Affects contentment, and decives the Indians   Taken to Detroit   Kindness of the British officers to him   Returns to Chilicothe   Adopted into an Indian family   Ceremonies of adoption   Boone sees a large force of Indians destined to attack Boonesborough    Escapes, and gives the alarm, and strengthens the fortifications at Boonesborough   News of delay by the Indians on account of Boone's escape   Boone goes on an expedition to the Scioto   Has a fight with a party of Indians    Returns to Boonesborough, which is immediately besieged by Captain Duquesne with five hundred Indians   Summons to surrender   Time gained   Attack commenced    Brave defense   Mines and countermines   Siege raised    Boone brings his family once more back to Boonesborough, and resumes farming................................................. 128

CHAPTER XIII.

Captain Boone tried by court-martial   Honorably acquitted and promoted   Loses a large sum of money   His losses by law-suits and disputes about land   Defeat of Colonel Rogers's party   Colonel Bowman's expedition to Chilicothe   Arrival near the town   Colonel Logan attacks the town   Ordered by Colonel Bowman to retreat   Failure of the expedition   Consequences to Bowman and to Logan.. 141

CHAPTER XIV.

. evasion of Kentucky by Captain Byrd's party   He captures the garrisons at Ruddle's Station and Martin's Fort   Colonel Clark's invasion of the Indian country   He ravages the Indian towns   Adventure of Alexander McConnell    Skirmish at Pickaway   Result of the expedition   Boone goes to the Blue Licks with his brother   Attacked by the Indians   Boone's brother killed   Boone promoted to the 
   10

CONTENTS.

rank of Lieutenant Colonel   Clark's galley   Squire Bdone's Station removed to Bear's Creek   Attack by the Indians   Colonel Floyd's defeat   Affair of the McAfees    Attack on McAfee's Station repelled   Fort Jefferson evacuated   Attack on Montgomery Station   Rescue by General Logan............................................................ 152

CHAPTER XV.

News of Cornwallis's surrender   Its effects   Captain Estill's defeat   Grand army of Indians raised for the conquest of Kentucky   Simon Girty's speech   Attack on Hoy's Station   Investment of Bryant's Station   Expedient of the besieged to obtain water   Grand attack on the fort   Repulse   Regular siege commenced   Messengers sent to Lexington   Reinforcements obtained   Arrival near the fort   Ambushed and attacked   They enter the fort    Narrow escape of Girty   He proposes a capitulation   Parley   Reynolds' answer to Girty   The siege raised   Retreat of the Indians........................................................... 170

CHAPTER XVI.

Arrival of Reinforcements at Bryant's Station   Colonel Daniel Boone, his son and brother among them   Colonels Trigg, Todd, and others   Consultation   Apprehensions of Boone and others   Arrival at the Blue Licks   Rash conduct of Major McGary   Battle of Blue Licks   Israel Boone, Colonels Todd and Trigg, and Majors Harland and McBride killed   Retreat of the whites   Colonel Boone nearly surrounded by Indians   Bravery of Netherland       Noble conduct of Reynolds   The fugitives meet Colonel Logan with his party   Return to the field of battle    Logan returns to Bryant's Station................................. 1S9

CHAPTER XVII.

The Indians return homo from the Blue Licks   They attack the settlements in Jefferson County   Affair at Simpson's 
   CONTENTS.

11

Creek   General Clark's expedition to the Indian country    Colonel Boone joins it   Its effect   Attack of the Indians on the Crab Orchard settlement   Rumor of intended invasion by the Cherokees   Difficulties about the treaty with Great Britain   Hostilities of the Indians generally stimulated by renegade whites   Simon Girty   Causes of his hatred of the whites   Girty insulted by General Lewis    Joins the Indians at the battle of Point Pleasant   Story of his rescuing Simon Kenton   Crawford's expedition, and the burning of Crawford   Close of Girty's career..... 204

CHAPTER XVIII.

Season of repose   Colonel Boone buys land   Builds a log house and goes to farming   -Kentucky organized on a new basis   Colonel Boone surprised by Indians   Escapes    Manners and customs of the settlers   The autumn hunt    The house-warming................................................. 236

CHAPTER XIX.

Condition of the early settlers as it respects the mechanic arts   Throwing the tomahawk   Athletic sports   Dancing    Shooting at marks   Scarcity of Iron   Costume   Dwellings    Furniture     Employments     The women   Their character   Diet   Indian corn....................................... 252

CHAPTER XX.

Indian hostilities resumed   Expedition of Davis, Caffre, and McClure   Attack on Captain Ward's boat   Affair near Scagg's Creek   Growth of Kentucky   Population   Trade       General Logan calls a meeting at Danville   Convention called   Separation from Virginia proposed   Virginia con sents   Kentucky admitted as an independent State of tho Union   Indian hostilities   Expedition and death of Col onel Christian   Expedition of General Clark   Expedition of General Logan   Success of Captain Hardin   Defeat of Hargrove   Exploits of Simon Kenton   Affairs at the Elk-horn settlements   Treaty   Harman's expedition............ 275 
   12

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXI.

rAos

Colonel Boone meets with the loss of all his land in Kentucky, and emigrates to Virginia   Resides on the Ken-hawa, near Point Pleasant   Emigrates to Missouri   Is appointed commandant of a district   Mr. Audubon's narrative of a night passed with Boone.............................. 307

CHAPTER XXII.

Colonel Boone receives a large grant of land from the Spanish Government of Upper Louisiana   He loses it   Sketch of the history of Missouri   Colonel Boone's hunting   He pays his debts by the sale of furs   Taken sick ji his hunting camp   Colonel Boone applies to Congress to recover his land   The Legislature of Kentucky supports his claim   Death of Mrs. Boone   Results of the application to Congress   Occupations of his declining years    Mr. Harding paints his portrait.................................... 319

CHAPTER XXIII.

Last illness, and death of Colonel Boone   His funeral-Account of his family   His remains and those of his wife removed from Missouri, and reinterred in the new cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky   Character of Colonel Boone. 330 
   LIFE AND TIMES

OF v

COLONEL DANIEL BOONE.

CHAPTER I.

The family of Daniel Boone   His grandfather emigrates to America, and settles in Bucks County, Pennsylvania   Family of Daniel Boone's father   Account of Exeter, the birth-place of Boone   Birth of Daniel Boone   Religion of his family    Boone's boyhood   Goes to School   Anecdote   Summary termination of his schooling.

The immediate ancestors and near relations of the American Boone family, resided at Bradwinch, about eight miles From Exeter, England. George Boone, the grandfather of Daniel, emigrated to America, and thrived, with Mary his wife, at Philadelphia, on tlio 10th of October, 1717.   They brought with them,

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   14 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE.

eleven children, two daughters and nine sons. The names of three of the sons have come down. to ns, John, James, and Squire. The last of these, Squire Boone, was the father of Daniel.

George Boone, immediately after his arrival in America, purchased a large tract of land in what is now Bucks County, which he settled, and called it Exeter, after the city near which he was born. The records distinguish it only as the township of Exeter, without any county. He purchased also various other tracts in Maryland and Virginia; and our tradition says, among others, the ground on which Georgetown, District of Columbia, now stands, and that he laid the town out, and gave it his own name. His sons John and James lived and died on the Exeter purchase*

Daniel Boone's father, Squire Boone, had seven sons and four daughters, viz.: James,f Samuel, Jonathan, Daniel, George, Squire, Edward, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Hannah.

Exeter Township is situated in Bucks County,

* "Pittsburg Gazette," quoted by Peek.

t The eldest, James, was killed by the Indians in 1773, and Lis son Israel was killed at the battle of Blue Licks, August 19th, 1782. 
   HIS BIRTH-PLACE. 15

Pennsylvania, and now has a population of over two thousand. Here Daniel Boone was born, on the 11th of February, 1735*

The maiden name of Boone's mother was Sarah Morgan. Some dispute has arisen respecting the religious persuasion of the Boone family. It would appear, on a review of the whole controversy, that before their removal to this country, the Boones were Episcopalians; but during their residence in Pennsylvania they permitted themselves to be considered Quakers. What sort of a Quaker Daniel Boone himself was, will be apparent in the course of our narrative.

Exeter, the native place of Daniel Boone, was at this period a small frontier settlement, consisting of log-houses, surrounded with woods, which abounded with game of various kinds and were occasionally infested with hostile Indians. It is not surprising that Daniel, passing the period of his boyhood in such a place, should have acquired at an early age the ac-

* Bogaj|t gives 11th of February, 1735. Peck, February, 1735. Another account gives 1746 as the year of his birth, and Bucks County as his birth-place. The family record, in the handwriting of Daniel Boone's uncle, James, who was a schoolmaster, gives the 14th of July, 1732. 
   16 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE.

complishments of a hunter and woodsman. From a mere child it was his chief delight to roam in the woods, to observe the wild haunts of Nature, and to pursue the wild animals which were then so abundant.

Of the boyhood of Daniel Boone, one of his biographers gives the following account. Speaking of the residence of the family at Exeter, he says :*

"Here they lived for ten years ; and it was during this time that their son Daniel began to show his passion for hunting. He was scarcely able to carry a gun when he was shooting all the squirrels, raccoons, and even wild-cats (it is said), that he could find in that region. As he grew older, his courage increased, and then we find him amusing himself with higher game. Other lads in the neighborhood were soon taught by him the use of the rifle, and were then able to join him in his adventures. On one occasion, they all started out for a hunt, and, after amusing themselves till it was almost dark, were returning homeward, when suddenly a wild cry was heard in the woods. The boys screamed out, ' A panther 1 A panther!' and ran off as fast as

* "Adventures of Daniel Boone, the Kentucky Rifleman." By the author of "Uncle Philip's Conversations." 
   BOYHOOD. 17

they could. Boone stood firmly, looking around for the animal. It was a panther indeed. His eye lighted upon him just in the act of springing toward him: in an instant he leveled his rifle, and shot him through the heart.

"But this sort of sport was not enough for him. He seemed resolved to go away from men, and live in the forests with these animals. One morning he started off as usual, with his rifle and dog. Night came on, but Daniel did not return to his home. Another day and night passed away, and still the boy did not make his appearance. His parents were now greatly alarmed. The neighbors joined them in making search for the lad. After wandering about a great while, they at length saw smoke rising from a cabin in the distance. Upon reaching it, they found the boy. The floor of the cabin was covered with the skins of such animals as he had slain, and pieces of meat were roasting before the fire for his supper. Here, at a distance of three miles from any settlement, he had built his cabin of sods and branches, and sheltered himself in the wilderness.

" It was while his father was living on the headwaters of the Schuylkill that young Boone received, 2 
   18 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE.

so far as we know, all his education. Short indeed were his schoolboy days. It happened that an Irish schoolmaster strolled into the settlement, and, by the advice of Mr. Boone and other parents, opened a school in the neighborhood. It was not then as it is now. Good school-houses were not scattered over the land; nor were schoolmasters always able to teach their pupils. The school-house where the boys of this settlement went was a log-cabin, built in the midst of the woods. The schoolmaster was a strange man; sometimes good-humored, and then indulging the lads; sometimes surly and ill-natured, and then beating them severely. It was his usual custom, after hearing the first lessons of the morning, to allow the children to be out for a half hour at play, during which time he strolled off to refresh himself from his labors. He always walked in the same direction, and the boys thought that after his return, when they were called in, he was generally more cruel than ever. They were whipped more severely, and oftentimes without any cause. They observed this, but did not know the meaning of it One morning young Boone asked that he might go out, and had scarcely left the school-room when he saw a squirrel run-

5 
   AT SCHOOL. 19

nmg over the trunk of a fallen tree. True to his - nature, he instantly gave chase, until at last the squirrel darted into a bower of vines and branches. Boone thrust his hand in, and, to his surprise, laid hold of a bottle of whiskey. This was in the direction of his master's morning walks, and he thought now that he understood the secret of much of his ill-nature. He returned to the school-room; but, when they were dismissed for that day, he told some of the larger boys of his discovery. Their plan was soon arranged. Early the next morning a bottle of whiskey, having tartar emetic in it, was placed in the bower, and the other bottle thrown away. At the usual hour, the lads were sent out to play, and the master started on his walk. But their play was to come afterward ; they longed for the master to return. At length they were called in, and in a little time saw the success of their experiment. The master began to look pale and sick, yet still went on with his work. Several boys were called up, one after the other, to recite lessons, and all whipped soundly, whether right or wrong. At last young Boone was called out to answer questions in arithmetic. He came forward with his slate and pencil, and the master began: ' If 
   20 LIFE OF COLONEL DANIEL BOONE.

you subtract six from nine, what remains ?' said be. ' Three, sir,' said Boone. ' Yery good,' said the master ; ' now let us come to fractions. If you take three-quarters from a whole number, what remains ?' ' The whole, sir,' answered Boone. ' You blockhead !' cried the master, beating him; ' you stupid little fool, how can you show that ?' ' If I take one bottle of whiskey,' said Boone, 'and put in its place another in which I have mixed an emetic, the whole will remain if nobody drinks it!' The Irishman, dreadfully sick, was now doubly enraged. He seized Boone, and commenced beating him; the children shouted and roared; the scuffle continued until Boone knocked the master down upon the floor, and rushed out of the room. It was a day of freedom now for the lads. The story soon ran through the neighborhood; Boone was rebuked by his parents, but the schoolmaster was dismissed, and thus ended the boy's education.

Thus freed from school, he now * returned more ardently than, ever to his favorite pursuit. His dog and rifle were his constant companions, and day after day he started from home, only to roam through the forests. Hunting seemed to be the only business of nis life; and he was never so happy as when at night 
   TRAINING AS A IIUNTER. 21

he came home laden with game. He was an untiring wanderer."

Perhaps it was not a very serious misfortune for Daniel Boone that his school instruction was so scanty, for, "in another kind of education," says Mr. Peck,* "not unfrequent in the wilds of the "West, he was an adept. No Indian could poise the rifle, find his way through the pathless forest, or search out the .retreats of game, more readily than Daniel Boone. In all that related to Indian sagacity, border life, or the tactics of the skillful hunter, he excelled. The successful training of a hunter, or woodsman, is a kind of education of mental discipline, differing from that of the school-room, but not less effective in giving vigor to the mind, quickness of apprehension, and habits of close observation. Boone was regularly trained in all that made him a successful backwoodsman. Indolence and imbecility never produced a Simon Kenton, a Tecumthe, or a Daniel Boone. To gain the skill of an accomplished hunter requires talents, patience, perseverance, sagacity, and habits of thinking.   Amongst other qualifications, knowledge

* "Life of Daniel Boone."   By John M. Peck. 
   22 life of colonel daniel boone.

of human nature, and especially of Indian character, is indispensable to the pioneer of a -wilderness. Add to these, self-possession, self-control, and promptness in execution. Persons who are unaccustomed to a frontier residence know not how much, in the preservation of life, and in obtaining subsistence, depends on such characteristics I"

In the woods surrounding the little settlement of Exeter, Boone had ample opportunity for perfecting himself in this species of mental discipline, and of gaining that physical training of the limbs and muscles so necessary in the pursuits of the active hunter and pioneer. We have no record of his ever having encountered the Indians during his residence in Pennsylvania. His knowledge of their peculiar modes of hunting and war was to be attained not less thoroughly at a somewhat later period of life. 
   CHAPTER II.

Removal of Boone's father and family to North Carolina   Location on the Yadkin River   Character of the country and the people   Byron's description of the backwoodsman   Daniel Boone marries Rebecca Bryan   His farmer life in North Carolina   State of the country   Political troubles foreshadowed    Illegal fees and taxes   Probable effect of this state of things