John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, Page 44

[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 44. Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source. This is my rough transcription. Extra paragraph breaks inserted for easier reading.]

[continued] Here we come near Xenia. The head waters of the Little Miami are here.  

Xenia. This is the most elegant town of its size I ever saw, so reputed. Here we stopped five minutes, sent by a boy card to Uncle Philip. Ask a citizen about the local negro difficulties. Reply uninstructive. Change cars here, and 8$.

Just out of town, the first yield field of corn yet. Country growing hillier & more picturesque, as we get the Little Miami proper. 

In this neighborhood are cascades and wild places.

Talk with a rough passenger, intelligent mechanic, specimen of man unknown as a class in the South. Gentlemen in pride and principle, intelligence and independence. Laborers in respect to fashion, comprehending conventional arguments[?], personal honor etc. A fair representative man. 

I drew him to the negro question so as to get at his genuine sentiments. His conviction was that negroes were properly slaves in the south and improperly in the north in any capacity, etc etc. In short his ideas were representative of four[?] [tenths[?] of the people of [to be continued.]

[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).
Uncle Philip = Philip Binckley of Xenia, Ohio?]