D967 .D42 .....;..:„,;:.::..,.^ iilili ...Jliiiili l! a;fe,,;,i;l;,Vv:' !!ii'iyti ';!;:;.;;;•:":,:; \ ^^-^v^" -^J^M^^:^ ^^Mc^ -c^^^^" '^o'^ "^oV v-o^ \* ^0 '<:..^^ -^^m^'o "'>n . TWO MONTHS ABROAD: ' OR, A TRIP TO ENGLAND, FRANCE, BADEN, PRUSSIA, AND BELGIUM. IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 1843. BY A EAIL-ROAD DIRECTOR OF MASSACHUSETTS, BOSTON: REDDING & CO., 8 STATE STREET. 1844. ^c^ ^ f y Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the Year Eighteen Hundred and Forty-Three, By E. H. DERBY, In the Clerk's Office of th,e District Court of the District of Massachusetts. boston: sam-oel n. dickinson, printbb> washington street. TWO MONTHS ABROAD. LETTER I. A Glance at Europe. J. T. B., Esq. My Dear Sir — Since our last interview in State street, in the brief space of sixty- two days, I have twice crossed the Atlantic j devoted a week to London and its environs, another to Paris and Versailles ; given the principal part of a day to each of the great cities of Liverpool, Birmingham, Brighton, Dieppe, Rouen, Nancy, Strasburg, Heidel- berg, Baden-Baden, Frankfort, Cologne, Aix- la-Chapelle, Verviers, Liege, Malines, Ant- werp, Oxford, Derby, York, Leeds, and Manchester ; examined the Ckemins de fer of France, Germany, and Belgium ; the rail- ways of England, with the stations and depots of each country ; travelled in cars of the first, second, third, and fourth classes, in post-chaises, fiacres, cabriolets, and om- nibuses, in the various compartments of dil- igences, on the top of English post-coaches ; lodged in magnificent hotels, with princes and nobles, in commercial houses with ' travellers ' and dissenters ; sailed down the Rhine, from Mayence, by Coblentz," to Co- logne, amid towering mountains and vine- clad hills, crowned by the ruins of ancient castles and feudal halls ; paused to admire the palaces and cathedrals that have ex- hausted the wealth of nations, the cloistered abbey and crumbling monastery ; sailed up and down that great artery of commerce, the Thames ; traversed the classic halls and green lawns of Oxford ; attended an anti- corn-law meeting in Oxfordshire, and seen lords and squires put down by the eloquence and talent of self-made men ; explored the courts of Westminster, the galleries and mu- seums of Paris, Versailles, and Antwerp; and conversed with all classes, from the peasant and mechanic to the most distin- guished and scientific ; and now, after effect- ing an important negotiation, am enabled, by the power of steam, to resume my avoca- tions at home, almost without having been missed. A few years since, sixty days would scarcely have sufficed for one pas- sage across the ocean, attended with dis- comforts and privations. But now, one has barely time to eat a few pleasant dinners, to form a few pleasant acquaintances, to learn a few sea phrases, take a few walks on deck, and see a few of the changeful featured of old ocean, before the steam-ship enters her port, and the curtain of the old world rises ; and such is the precision of the movement, that, on our return, the very day is calcu- lated, and the wife sets her table for our re- ception. To one reared in a growing country like ours, with few memorials of the past, amid enterprise and improvement, and constant predictions of the future, and in the midst of the strife and turmoil of incessant compe- tition, it is refreshing to enjoy, for a brief space, however rapid be our movement, the comparative calm and repose of the old world ; to gaze at the varying costumes and cultivation of each region, at the antique TWO MONTHS ABROAD. implements of agriculture, the primitive car- riages and dwellings ; and pleasant again is it to return to our own city, as I have done, and be able to say, as I am, that I have seen no other spot, in a wide circuit, which sur- passes it, either in education, general com- fort, enterprise, sagacity, rapid growth, or prospects of future expansion. In the series of letters I inclose, written currente calamo, and under impressions produced by new scenes and associations, I have pictured the incidents of my tour, and the sut^gestions to which they have given birth. And although, in the haste of the "voyage, I may have occasionally made my- 8elf amenable to criticism, I have, at least, given you an honest and fearless expression of my views, whether they make for me or against me, I remain very sincerely yours, MASSACHUSETTS. Boston, October 4, 1843. LETTER II. The Voyage from Boston to Halifax. We pass Cunard's wharf on Tuesday af- ternoon, at nine minutes past two o'clock, with fifty-four passengers, for Halifax and England. After a pleasant run down the har- bor, against a flood tide, we discharge our pilot at three o'clock, at the Light, and bid adieu to Boston. The sea is like a summer lake — scarcely a ripple on the water ; our captain and offi- cers courteous, attentive, and obliging, our fare excellent, and every thing agreeable. The shore rapidly recedes, and ere we leave the dinner table, at five o'clock, we have lost sight of land, and see it no more until we make Shelburne Lights, on the coast of Nova Scotia, arriving here this morning, in a run of forty-four hours from Boston. We have with us six ladies ; and, to give you an idea of the state of the sea and weather, not one of them has been seasick. Sitting down to our sumptuous fare, with fresh salmon, fresh ducks, turkeys, lamb, pastry, and fruit, we might almost imagine that the dining-hall of the Tremont, or rather of our friend Warriner, was quietly floating down the Connecticut with the seated guests. Perhaps, however, there is this difference : the air is cool and invigorating, reminding you of Nahant in a summer evening. The noble round of beef which graces our table, does great credit to my clients. Potter and Leland, of Quincy Market, and the cheese is the best of Cheshire and Stilton. In two particulars I have been disappoint- ed. I had anticipated an unpleasant jar from the engine, which might disturb my sleep, and supposed the cinders and coal- dust might be annoying 3 but we have neither. I write and sleep as easily as if ashore. In both these particulars, and in steadiness of motion, these deep sea steam- ers far surpass our coasting steam-boats. I have passed a very pleasant hour in ex- amining the engines and boilers of our float- ing home, under the guidance of Mr. Babbit, one of our most able and successful mechan- ics, who is our fellow-passenger. The me- chanism is very perfect, and the arrange- ments admirable. The coal, which lines the sides of the ship, descends, by its own grav- ity, to trap-doors near the mouth of the fur- naces. Glass tubes, containing a water- gauge, stand before the engineer, indicating the height of the water in the boilers. The steam indicators appear both above and be- low the deck, showing the height of the steam, which is usually about seven pounds to the inch. A brass instrument gives the number of pounds of salt in each gallon in the boilers, and when it becomes too dense, the boiler is insulated and cleaned. The ship carries a surgeon, a very accom- plifihed and gentlemanly man, and is pro- vided with a cow, and an ice-house. Our passengers are gathered from all sec- tions of the country — from Boston, New York, New Orleans, Canada, the West In- dies, and other places, but get on very har- moniously together. And now ' for merry England.' Our ste- vedores have just added eight hundred sacks to our stock of coal. We have written to our wives, strolled through the streets of Halifax— THE SEA. which reminds me a little of our neighboring city of Portland, excepting only the sprink- ling of red coats — and now are summoned to resume our voyage. Yours, very sincerely, MASSACHUSETTS. Halifax. August 3, 1843. P. S. I hare looked in vain for the reefs and breakers vrhich are so vividly, fairly, and disinterestedly portrayed in the New York Herald, as endangering this route. LETTER HI. Voyage from Halifax to Liverpool. In my letter of August 3d, from Halifax, I announced my arrival at that place, and my pleasant sojourn for a few hours on shore, during which I partook of a glass of wine at the hospitable mansion of our friend C , the bold spirit who established the steam line from Boston to Liverpool, and who has derived from it, as he deserved, some sub- stantial benefits ; he has, however, in com- mon with other Provincial houses, suflered from the depression of ships and timber in the British markets. At three p. M. we cast off from the Cunard wharf, and, with a clear sky and calm sea, run down the noble harbor of Halifax, and take a parting view of the strong fortresses which England has placed there to curb her adventurous neighbors. ' In peace prepare for war,' is the motto of England, and nu- merous artificers are busily engaged in con- structing new lines of defence — adapting the works to resist the new engines of mod- ern warfare. At Halifax we receive an ac- cession to our numbers, including several very agreeable persons, who, as we leave the harbor, meet us at dinner. The sea contin- ues smooth, the air refreshing, and I sleep soundly through the night. Friday, August 4. A delightful morning, not a ripple upon the ocean, the steamer making nine knots, and passing Cape Breton. In the afternoon a light southerly breeze, and we set jib and foresail. Saturday, August 5. Rise from a refresh- ing sleep, take my morning walk on deck, a dead calm upon the sea. At daybreak run through a fleet of fishermen on a bank off Newfoundland, taking them quite by sur- prise, and exciting no little alarm. During the day count six sail, all at least five milea distant; and see a whale spouting. At f6ur and a half p. m. make Cape Race, distinctly visible until seven and a half p. m., and dis- tinguish several vessels between us and the land. The thermometer suddenly falls twelve degrees, and we discover two small icebergs ; we commiserate the poor people of Newfoundland, subject, as they are, to such cheerless visitors in midsummer. Our speed nine to ten knots per hour. Sunday, August 6. Crossing the Banks of Newfoundland. As we approach the easter- ly verge of the Banks, a swell rolls in from the eastward, and the motion of the steamer increases. The rims are applied to the tables. At ten a. m. the bell rings for prayers, and our worthy captain reads the Church Service, in an audible tone, to the passen- gers and crew. Monday, August 7. Rise from slumbers occasionally broken by a heavy swell from the northward, and look out upon a sea in constant motion, but unruffled by a breeze. The steamer rolls, lifting her wheels alter- nately from the sea, and her speed dimin- ishes to eight and a half knots per hour, but my spirits and appetite do not flag. A mod- erate breeze comes in from the south, smooth- ing the sea, filling all our sails, and increas- ing our speed to eleven knots per hour. The day continues fiffe, and the sun sinks majes- tically into the ocean. The time is passed in reading, conversation, and exercise, and I walk the deck until midnight. Tuesday, August 8. A delightful morning ; a fresh breeze from the west expands our wings, and carries our speed to eleven knots. At twelve, M., the captain, as usual, posts his daily card with the latitude, longitude, and distance, and we find we have, in our first week, reached longitude 38 34, latitude 49 12. No ships are visible, but several por- poises accompany us in our rapid flight across the deep. Wednesday, August 9. Our speed continues, 6 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. ^.Tid by noon we have run 245 miles in tlie last twenty-three and a half hours, which is the length of our day, as we run so rapidly east- ward. Amuse myself with reading the ' At- ' tach6,' by Judge Haliburton, which does not sustain his reputation. His rude assault on the American Minister is not enlivened by a sprinkling of wit, and his anecdotes argue little for the virtue of English women. His object seems to be, to fawn upon England, t§ court the tories by disparaging the United States, to bring the Provincials into notice, and to intimate that a few ofHces, ' properly ' distributed, would insure their loyalty — an object which may have some connexion with his recent visit to England. Beside me at the table sits a most intelli- gent and agreeable merchant of Jamaica, who, after thirty years' residence abroad, returns to educate his children, and enjoy his fortune at home ; full of anecdotes, liberal in his views, familiar with business and sound principles, — a noble specimen of the British merchant, polished by intercourse with the world. Op- posite are two agreeable ladies, and a very pleasant Irish gentleman, from St. Johns. On my left, an intelligent manufacturer of the Bay State, a good specimen of her sons. We u3U8,lly sit in agreeable conversation for an hour after meals. Thursday, August 10. For the last twen- ty-four hours vapory clouds overhang us, rising with a fresh southerly breeze j our speed twelve knots, giving us 270 miles dur- ing the day. We receive every attention from the steward and waiters, who furnish the choicest wines, and every delicacy we may require, at a moment's notice. Captain Lett is extremely courteous, and appears a most careful and admirable seaman. We are fly- ing with the speed of a bird across the sea ; scarcely one of our company is seasick, and we are predicting the hour on Saturday which Avill present to us the coast of Ireland. Friday, August 11. The wind freshens to a gale from the southwest, before which we fly, amid blue waves capped with foam, sprinkled over the surface of the sea, making 267 miles. Before night a calm succeeds the gale. Saturday, August 12, A charming morn and smooth sea, with a light air from the south. Two ships appear in the distance — a most grateful sight to us, lone voyagera as we have been, for the last five days, across the waste of waters ; numerous por- poises sport around us. At two p. m. we make the western shores of Ireland, having made the run in six days and eighteen hours from Cape Race. At five p. m. speak the Margaret steamer, for Halifax, and in the evening pass numerous fishing-boats, and the lights of Cape Clear, Cork, and Kinsale. Sunday, August 13. Before breakfast pass the Tuskar light, a solitary tower in mid- channel ; suddenly a dense fog sets in, and veils the coast from our view. At two p. m. the fog lifts ; we make Holyhead, and catch a glimpse of the mountain pastures of Wales. At four p. M. we pass the Skerries light ; at five p. M. Pont Linas, the pilot station, and a steam-tug in quest of vessels. No pilot ap- pearing, we run to the light below the Mer- sey, take a pilot between the two light ships, and, to receive him, check our engine for the first time since we left Halifax, — a fact more eloquent than words, in praise of Napier, the Scotch engineer. At nine p. m. we are in the Mersey ; and Liverpool, the mart of Ameri- can commerce, with its miles of gas lamps, sparkles in the distance. As we advance, we announce our arrival by rockets and can- non, threading our way through a fleet of ships in motion. A miniature steamer comes off for the mails, which, with the worthy offi- cer in charge — a midshipman under Nelson, and still a lieutenant — are slid down a plank ; and between ten and eleven p. m. we are safe at the entrance of one of the noble docks of Liverpool, in twelve days and eight hours from Boston ; and I remain. Yours ever, MASSACHUSETTS. Liverpool, August 14, 1843. LETTER IV. Liverpool — Birmingham — English Rail-ways — Rural Scenery — A Trip to London. We rise at an early hour on Monday, Au- gust 14, to touch the shores of England ; to LIVERPOOL AND BIRMINGHAM. greet, for the first time, a land associated with our earliest studies, and hallowed by the ashes of our fathers. The Caledonia floats in a magnificent dock, amid ships and steamers of the largest class ; an ofiicer of the customs, in a blue coat, walks the dock, and a fleecy drapery of clouds veils the sky from our view. A wall rises between us and the Mersey, while a series of docks, each containing many acres, bristling with masts, and encircled by paved wharves, extend for nearly four miles, between the Mersey and the city. The walls are solid stone, and there are locks for outlets. We land and examine the commercial navy, among which the ships of our own country are conspicuous. An immense wagon stops beside the steam- er, on which all our trunks are piled, and drawn to the depot of the customs. As my room-mate is a bearer of despatches, we are treated with great deference, and dismissed by the olHcer, after a hasty glance at our trunks, and a civil inquiry if we have cigars. We take a four-wheeled cab to our lodgings, in Colquitt street, and there sit down to a beef-steak, which does credit to English graziers. To a Bostonian, accustomed to a clear sky and bright colors, Liverpool, with its dingy bricks, and humid atmosphere, has a dull aspect ; but its substantial warehouses, well- built streets, and public edifices, impress one with its importance. The town, as a corpo- ration, is the sole owner of the docks, from which it derives an annual revenue of £200.000, and is now constructing another, more spacious, to accommodate the increase of shipping, and what is more, it owes little, or nothing — a fact worthy of notice by some American cities. After various calls, and inspecting the de- pot of the Liverpool and Manchester rail- way, with Mr. Booth, one of the projectors of the line, at six p. m. I take the train for Birmingham, with Mr. C , my compag- non de voyage ; travel by the first class, to avoid the night air, and reach the ' Stork,' a commercial inn in Birmingham, at eleven and a half p. m. Our rate of travelling on the Liverpool and Manchester, and Grand Junc- tion roads is the same as on the rail-ways of Massachusetts, namely, twenty miles per hour, stops included. Tuesday, August 15. Our inn is situate on a public square, and is conducted by a young hostess, with several female assist- ants. I shall not soon forget the courteous reception and kind attention which made us perfectly at home, or the accomplished man- ners, self-possession, and aptitude for busi- ness of the ladies, conducting, as they do, with apparent ease and success, and with but one male assistant, 'the boots,' an ex- tensive hotel. Under the guidance of a friend we take a view of the town, substan- tially built of brick and stone. Its staple article, hardware, is made in many small factories, in the rear of warehouses fronting the streets. We pass through a manufac- tory; the operatives generally less intelli- gent, and less well-clad than our own, and many processes conducted by manual labor, to which mechanism and water-power are applied in New England. The principal attraction of Birmingham, to us, is the free school — a splendid granite structure, in the gothic style, fronting a principal street, and recently built at a cost of £50,000. The building is apparently 200 feet in front, by 100 deep, is divided into several lofty apart- ments, beautifully finished with English oak, and well lighted, one of which is ap- propriated to painting, designing, and archi- tecture, — branches much neglected in our own country. The funds of the institution are also applied to the collegiate education of the most promising echolars. This estab- lishment was founded by Edward the Sixth, by the grant of Abbey lands near the village of Birmingham, yielding a rent of £20 per year. The growth of manufactures has converted these lands into building lots, the leases of which now yield £10,000 annually, and are daily becoming more valuable. An adjacent village, with a similar endowment of the same date,* diff"erently invested, and less prosperous, still receives its original grant of £20 a year. At one o'clock we take the cars for Lon- don, traversing a country highly cultivated, and generally productive. What surprises me most, is the fact, that for the entire dis= TWO MONTHS ABROAD. tance of 112 miles, not a single ledge or tract of waste land is visible. The country, either level or slightly undulating, divided into squares, by hedges, much of it in mowing, or luxuriant pastures, the cattle and the sheep standing fetlock deep in the grass, and very fat and gentle. Along the hedges are scattering trees, and clumps of wood on the eminences ; no solitary farm-houses, but here and there a village, and gentlemen's eeats, few and far between. The rail-way, one of the most prosperous in England, is extremely well conducted ; our speed about 22 miles per hour. The road is constructed at a vast outlay, over an easy country ; the aim of the engineer, apparently, having been to approximate to an air-line and a dead- level. To effect this, recourse has been had to cuts, embankments, and tunnels, involv- ing great expense, and an immense annual outlay for repairs, which might have been easily avoided by waving the line, increas- ing the gradients, and conforming to the sur- face of the country. A slight addition to the power of the engines would have rendered them sufficient. In cars, the English are altogether behind us ; they still adhere to the coach-pattern, on four wheels, with side doors, abandoned by us at least six years since. The first-class carriage is handsome- ly painted and glazed, and well padded, but is low and confined ; the second class has no cushions, and has open sides without glass ; the third class is entirely open, with- out seats, and resembles the short, open freight-cars between Worcester and Boston. The nobles, and gentry, and merchants moving by night, travel in the first class ; the middle classes in the second, and often in the third class ; and so unreasonable are the charges on this line, that many coaches, vans, and canal-boats run in opposition. There has been a great waste of capital on the depots, and, to an American eye, more than half the outlay of the line appears in- judicious. But such is the wealth of the district and commercial importance of the route, that any kind of rail-road must be successful. As we approach London, the landscape becomes more varied and picturesque. It is the midst of harvest, and the reapers are gathering the wheat, which stands well ripened, but thin upon the ground. To the northward the crops are more luxuriant. The suburbs of the mighty city at length appear. Scattering houses and tea gardens are seen. We pass through a tunnel, and alight in a spacious and airy depot, near Euston square ; where omnibuses, lower, more compact, and better painted than our own, await the train undercover; one of which conveys us, at a shilling each, to the Tavistock Hotel, Covent Garden. Yours, very sincerely, MASSACHUSETTS. London, August 16, 1843. LETTER V. London. Immediately after our arrival in London, on the evening of August 15, we wait upon the American Minister, Mr. Everett, at No. 48 Grosvenor Place, and deliver the de- spatches intrusted to my friend, Mr. C . We find Mr. Everett in fine health, in a suitable mansion, situate in an agreeable part of London, not far from the public offices in Whitehall and Downing streets. He evinces great interest in all that is passing in America, and gives us some valuable hints as to the subject of our mission. On our return to our lodgings, we enjoy a view of Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace. Wednesday, August 16. A Avalk of a few minutes across Covent Garden, (now a vege- table and fruit market, where we see a pro- fusion of brocoli, cauliflower, plums, and gooseberries as large as plums,) leads us to the Strand, for many centuries one of the great thoroughfares of London, and still thronged by passengers and vehicles of every kind, but not in a much greater degree than Washington street, or Broadway. We pass St. Clement Dane's, St. Paul's, and other noted churches, whose exterior is sadly defaced by the joint effects of time, moisture, and smoke, operating on a stone much softer THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. than our New England granite. Names and streets, familiar to us from boyhood, meet the eye as we proceed. Paternoster Row, Ludgate Hill, Fleet street, Cheapside, are passed, and we find ourselves among the merchant princes of this mart of commerce; wondering that men of almost regal wealth, with splendid mansions, and country seats, and luxurious furniture, should be content to pass their business hours in narrow alleys, and dark and contracted offices, rudely fur- nished, and crowded with clerks. As we pass from merchant to merchant, we get oc- casional views of the New Exchange, half finished, of the Bank, Monument, and of London Bridge. The latter is built of a granite wdaich reminds us of Massachusetts. Architecture has done and is doing much for London, but, in materials, Boston has been far more favored by Providence. With the solitary exception of London Bridge, there is no material there which corrtpares with our native granite, freestone, or mar- ble. It is for us to determine, whether we shall properly avail of these advantages. We return to our lodgings at six p. m., to dine. Our associates at dinner, an English mer- chant, and Scotch professor, both intelligent men. The former, recently returned from Calcutta, speaks in the warmest terms of commendation of the captains of our Boston ships, trading to that port. The latter, after expressing a strong interest in our country, introduces the topic of repudiation, and seems delighted with the ground on which we place it, namely, that the whole cur- rent of public opinion ran counter to it in our country; that it was the doctrine preach- ed by renegades from Europe, and proclaim- ed by reckless men amid the distress and alarm attending a commercial revulsion ; list- ened to. for a moment, by communities suf- fering from frauds and disastrous specula- tions ; that no State would sully its fair fame, or the honor of the country, by its adoption, and with the return of prosperity the indebt- ed States would pay. America would not become a by-word and reproach through the civilized world. Our dinner concludes with a toast from the Scotchman, complimentary to the States. After dinner we repair to the House of Commons. About fifty members are present when we enter, and the number gradually increases. An animated discussion takes place, on the subject of admitting the truth in evidence^ in proceedings for libel, and the discussion is well sustained by the Attorney- General FoUet, Messrs. Buller, Macaulay, of the Edinburgh Review, and others. The members are attentive to the debate, and occasionally respond to the speaker with 'aye, aye,' ' no, no,' or 'hear, hear,' and there is no movement or rustling of papers, as in our House of Representatives at Washing- ton. The style of debate is terse, and to the point ; the illustrations in good taste, and nothing collateral introduced. There is little eloquence, and occasionally a little hesita- tion, but the gentlemen who speak appear masters of the subject. Their tone is almost colloquial, and the utmost courtesy is observed towards other members; indeed, there is much which might be copied, with advan- tage, in both our State and National assem- blies. When will our Congress have the wisdom to move into a hall built with some regard to acoustics, to discard its desks, and to confine its members to their subject ? Thursday, August 17. At the suggestion of a friend, remove to Morley's hotel, at Char- ing Cross, Tavistock Square, a very central and good position, and the house excellent. Living at these houses, however, is very ex- pensive. The ordinary charges, including servants, but excluding wines, vary from four to five dollars a day, each item nearly- double the rate at the Astor or Tremont. After visiting Hyde Park, and the public buildings on Whitehall street, we embark near the new houses of Parliament on the Thames, in a miniature steamer, about ten feet wide, with an engine of eighteen horse power, and a crew of five men and boys, and run down to London Bridge, touching at va- rious landings. The river is thronged ■with these steamers from Richmond to Graves- end, and you may sail in them from one end of London to the other for four pence, or eight cents of our money, and run to Gravesend, twenty-four miles, for a shilling. They have no guards or promenade deck, and the boil- 10 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. ers and engine occupy the principal part of the hold. The passengers stand or sit in the open air, exposed, of course, to the wind and rain. In speed they do not generally exceed eight to ten miles per hour, and being paint- ed black, have a dull appearance. These river boats are altogether inferior to the Ame- rican. Not so the English sea-steamers. The Thames steamers are con.stantly passing and repassing, and many are enlivened and made attractive by bands of music. As we run down the river under the lofty and massive stone and iron arches of the bridges, by which it is spanned, we pass in- numerable barges, lighters, and steamers. London, however, disappoints you, as viewed from the river. With the exception of St. Paul's, Somerset House, and the Temple Gardens, you see little but houses and stores, of various ages and styles, crowded in upon the river. It would be greatly improved by a noble street or quay on either side, with uniform ranges of buildings. After trans- acting business, we take a seat on the Black- wall Rail- way for the London Docks. This rail-way, three and three quarters miles in length, begins a quarter of a mile east of the Bank of England, and runs by the Docks to the Brunswick Pier Blackwall, cutting off a bend of the Thames around the Isle of Dogs. The cars run every fifteen minutes by sta- tionary power, and are of two classes, name- ly, 'sit downs' and ' stand ups,' both covered. The fare by the first 6d, by the second 4d, for the run ; the travellers by each class ap- pear nearly equally well dressed. This line has recently reduced its charges with bene- ficial results, as has also the Greenwich; and such is the competition of steamers and om- nibuses that further reduction will be neces- sary for success. Visit the Docks — large areas sufficiently spacious to receive a fleet, bordered by ranges of warehouses. Teas, coffee, and spirits are kept in immense masses, in separate ranges of buildings. See many thousand casks of spirit in extensive vaults and vats, in one of which a whole cargo of rum could be col- lected, to give it a uniform flavor. In the afternoon, accompany our friend, L. T. M., Esq., in his carriage, to his beautiful country Beat at Kennington, where we sit down to an admirable dinner, enlivened by the talents of our host and the conversation of his lady, one of the most charming women we have seen in England. After dinner, walk with the ladies through the garden and grounds, by trees, flowers, and shrubbery, an artificial lake, and over a lawn softer than velvet. At dinner, meet Gen. Duft' Green of Washing- ton, and return with him to our lodgings. Yours ever, Massachusetts. London, August 18, 1843. LETTER VL London and its Environs ■ — Morning Calls — The Parks — Westminster Abbey — An Edi- tor — The Thames Tunnel — The Opera — A Trip to Gravesend. As w^e are detained in London, awaiting tenders for our contract, we devote the day to calls and recreation. Visit Hyde Park, a delightful promenade, and stop for a moment at the Horse Guards, to admire the finest cavalry in the world — each man a giant in proportions, in high health, and admirably equipped and mounted. Call on the cele- brated engineers, Brunei and Vignolles, with letters of introduction, but regret to find they are both in the country. Take a carriage, and call, with letters of introduction from America, on Sir Charles Morgan, Sir Henry Martyn, and Lord Ashburton; but fortune is unpropitious : the former is at the point of death, the second proves to be the successor to an uncle, suddenly deceased, for whom my letter was intended, and the latter is at his country seat, near Southampton. Call upon our Minister, and obtain passports for France ; rejoin my friend C , and visit Westmin- ster Abbey ; listen to prayers and chanting, and accompany a guide through the chapels, to view the monuments which English grat- itude has reared to the distinguished dead. England remembers her heroes, and in the hour of peril they do not forget the honor of England. Here are memorials of men alike revered on both sides of the ocean — of some, THE OPERA. 11 to whom each country makes equal claim, beside champions of truth and freedom, rev- erenced even more in the new world than in the old. We pause to admire the elaborate and exquisite workmanship of the stone of which this fabric is composed, and the paint- ed windows, in which the ancients surpass the moderns. We are struck with the en- thusiasm of the English, and the cool indif- . ference of the French, who accompany our guide. In the afternoon, we ride up to Pen- tonville and Islington — continuous streets of well-built houses, for nearly five miles, and catch occasional views of Regent's Park, a fine expanse of lawns and walks. In pass- ing Regent's street, are struck with threo splendid warehouses for furs, wholesale and retail — one inscribed the Baffin Bay Com- pany's Fur Warehouse — another the Hud- son Bay Company, and a third the Russian and Northwest Coast Fur Warehouse. What indices of the power and resources of Eng- land, and of the vast regions tributary to her greatness ! August 19. Call by appointment on Mr. H , the editor of the Rail-way Magazine; find him a very intelligent and obliging gentleman. Receive from him letters of in- troduction to the managers of the principal rail-ways, and much information respecting carriages, gradients, and other subjects of in- terest. There is a manliness and independ- ence about this gentleman which I particu- larly admire ; he would incur obligations to no rail-way company whatever, but would be free to criticise and censure them at his plea- sure ; he even declines giving me a letter to one superintendent whom he knew, for fear he tnight be supposed to incur some obliga- tion. His principle is, that the press should be untrammelled and fearless. I could not but think we were occasionally deficient in this independence at home. Have we not one leading journal, rather too closely allied to a rail-way corporation; too apt to espouse its supposed interests, even though they may con- flict with those of the public ; too much dis- posed to deal out to its confiding readers such facts and such partial statements only as shall sustain a certain policy, and to close its col- umns to the other side of the arcument ? After transacting business, we make up a party and drive to the Thames Tunnel. The carriage-entrance to this magnificent work is still unfinished. To approach it with car- riages, whole streets and blocks must be re- moved, and avenues constructed, descending gradually seventy feet to the floor of the tunnel. We descend by easy and winding flights of steps into two arched ways (connect- ed by side arches, lofty, airy, dry, and beauti- fully lighted with gas, and well ventilated) and walk under old Thames, bearing on his bosom, and directly above us, ships of the largest class ranged in tiers, and leaving but a narrow passage for steamers, barges, ships, and the various water-craft of the river. We listen to music on our way, and, ascending on the other side, take boat for London Bridge, dodging steamers and wherries as v/e ascend. After a late dinner, repair to the London Opera, which, at a lavish expense, combines the attractions of dancing and song. Wa here listen to Grisi, Fornisari, and Lablache ; they are succeeded by the rival queens of the dance, Elssler and Cerito, wlio, on this last night of the season, contend for the su- premacy. Each has her admirers, and it is difficult to award the palm. Elssler displays her usual grace ; Cerito moves with the light- ness of a fawn. Flowers, garlands, and nose- gays, are showered upon each in such pro- fusion, that Cerito calls an assistant to aid in bearing hers away. August 20. Breakfast at the London tav- ern, Ludgate Hill ; take a view of Newgate, whose grim walls are most appropriate for a- prison ; view the ancient school of Christ's Hospital, the interior of St. Paul's, with its monuments of Nelson and Cornwalli^5, tlae last of whom bore home no laurels from Yorktown. We listen to the Church Service, admire the chanting, and then take a steamer for Gravesend to dine, embarking at London Bridge. We sail for miles along a narrow channel left open between fleets of vessels, principally colliers, at anchor in the stream ; as we proceed, passing and meeting eteam- ors, lighters, and vessels in motion ; catching a view of Blackwall on the left, and Green- wich, with its hospital, and Woolwich, with its arsenals, on the right. Below these, th©' 12 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. shores of the river become low and marshy, but a beautiful district^ the county of Kent, rises in the distance to the south, variegated with woods, rolling hills, church spires, and gentlemen's seats, among which we distin- guish the noble mansion of Lord Say and Seal, whose ancestors took part in planting New England. Thousands and tens of thousands repair to Gravesend every fine day to enjoy the sail, escape the smoky atmosphere of London, to breathe the air of the country, and catch a glimpse of the ocean. We land and roam through open fields, and through a garden, or rather grotto, occupying the site of an ancient chalk quarry of many acres, filled with flow- ers, shrubbery, cells, ponds, lawns, birds of foreign plumage, archer's grounds, pavements of many colored pebbles ; repair to an inn to dine on a leg of lamb of the finest flavor, and return by steamer to London. On our return, a sudden shower bursts upon us — the ladies fly to the small cabins — the gentlemen shrink behind the wheel-houses and protect them- selves by mats, boards, great coats, and um- brellas, under one of which I receive three or four unfortunate individuals, one of whom surprises me by some statements as to the rate of wages in London, which afterwards are fully corroborated, From him I find that Printers receive, per week, 35 shillings, or ■$8 40 ; Omnibus drivers, 35 shillings, or S8 40 ; Carpenters, 30 shillings, or $7 20 ; Ma- sons, 36 shillings, or #8 64. These rates are much nearer those recent- ly paid in this country than I imagined. Pro- -visions, too, are much less than formerly. Sir Robert Peel's tariff has broken the price, for as soon as the rate rises, the foreign article is imported. The choicest beef and mutton and fresh salmon, are retailed at 5d to 6d, or ten to twelve cents per pound. The storm soon clears away. Arriving at London, we pass a ■very delightful evening at the house of Mr. Everett, where we meet a circle of our friends from America. Yours, &c., MASSACHUSETTS. London, August 21, 1843. LETTER VIL The London Police — Rail-way Station — Wandsworth — Life in London — The Na- ■ tional Gallery — The Cartoons. This morning, August 21, we breakfast at Morley's, Charing Cross, with a friend, who has come up from Liverpool to negotiate ; and after disposing of our muflins and coff"ee, we devote the forenoon to business. In my walks through London, I am struck with the order and decorum observed in all the lead- ing streets, thronged as they are with vehi- cles and passengers, and must ascribe much to the admirable police. Wherever you may move, you observe, within a moderate dis- tance, a tall, good-looking man, in the prime of life, dressed in a blue coat and pantaloons, with a belt of black leather — this is the po- lice officer. If a cabman asks more than his fare, or if you have lost your way, you ap- peal to him, and with promptitude and po- liteness he puts you right. On one occasion, a policeman gave me a wrong direction ; be- fore I had walked fifty paces, he was by my side to correct the error, and apologize for his mistake. On another occasion, I heard one suggest to a suspicious looking boy, ' my lad, you have been here five minutes, look- ing at those goods, it is time you were off.' The result of this system is great safety to persons and property among two millions of inhabitants. Indeed, New York, w^hieh vir- tually has no police, might take a valuable lesson from London, both with respect to the streets, sewers, cabmen, and public order. In the great thoroughfares, the people of all classes are usually well clad, wearing gar- ments often coarser than with us, and boots and shoes uniformly thicker — the soles fre- quently studded with nails. After completing my business tour this morn- ing, I examine the Temple, the Templars Church and Gardens — the Churchin excellent repair, and a beautiful structure. I visit the joint station of the Greenwich. Croydon, Dov- er, and Brighton Rail-ways, lines which enter London by four tracks, resting on brick arches about twenty feet high, e.xtending three miles A RAIL- WAY STATION. 13 from the edge of Greenwich to LondonBiiJge. Here land is of great value, and more than a million of dollars has been expended in buy- ing estates, removing houses, and opening an area for an approach and depot. The depot, elevated twenty feet or more above the street, ia approached by two winding roads, and pre- sents in front a costly fabric of stone, appro- priated to offices ; behind this are the sheds, Blight structures, well ventilated, which re- ceive the trains. A small portion of the area is appropriated for goods, the arrangements for which are miserable in the extreme, and the space allowed not a tenth-part the room required. Indeed, I cannot learn there ia any good station in Europe to be compared with the principal depots of our line from Boston to Albany. A letter of introduction carries me through the station, and I take leave of my escort on a trip to Croydon ; but neither on this or any other occasion in England, is the courtesy shown me of a pass over the line, without charge — a courtesy so uniform- ly accorded to Engineers and Directors in our own country. On my trip to Croydon, I see nothing of moment to note, except the vast outlay upon the line. Returning to London, I embark with a par- ty of London friends, on the Thames, to dine at Richmond J the current and tide are against us, our steamer slow, and our progress mod- erate. As we gradually ascend the stream we pass two flocks of swans, at least a hun- dred in number, floating in the Thames. As the day is on the wane, we land at the an- cient village of Wandsworth, and repair to the inn, kept by a fine old man, wearing tights and gaiters. The house is without preten- sions in its appearance, but we are soon fur- nished with an excellent repast, and abund- ance of music. Just as we arrive, a band of ballad-singers favor us with a song. A Scotch bag-piper succeeds them. While at table we have another concert of violins from the street, all which is followed by the chiming of the village bells ; so much for ' Merry England.' We return by twilight in an omnibus, and alight at the Elephant and Castle, about two miles from Morley's. To this point various lines converge. Around the inn, lighted by gas, are hundreds of well-dressed persons of both sexes, at least a dozen omnibuses, sev - eral arriving and starting every minute, and exchanging passengers, and all the bustle of a muster or high holyday; and this, lam told, is usual every fine day of summer. In a few moments we are off by omnibus for our lodg- ings. This being the evening fixed for examin- ing our proposals, we open a file of letters from Scotland, Liverpool, Staffordshire, and London, and in the course of an hour con- clude a contract for 4000 tons of rails at a price equal to $23 75 per ton, delivered at Cardiff, a price less than the duty in America. And is it possible that our government will enforce such a duty '? Cheap arid easy com- munication is essential to the prosperity of the country, to the development of its water power and manufactures, to the manufac- ture and distribution both of iron ore emd iron itself. The T rail is not made in America ; we have uses enough for our home-made iron, at a better price ; we require return freight for our cotton ships. Other roads have paid no duties, and let us have no invidious distinctions. Having concluded our contract, our friends insist that we must see life in London, and escort us to a very large hotel, near Morley's. In the spacious basement of this house we find assembled a large body of young men, principally clerks, travellers, and merchants, partaking of refreshments at small tables. The host, aided by vice-presidents, presides, and music and song appear to be the order of the evening, the guesis joining in the cho- rus. Among other amusing songs, is one describing the hardships of an Englislunan — the taxes, the excise, the duties, high rents and charges — and winding up with a chorus of ' Happy Land,' ' Happy Land,' and the line, ' England, with all thy faults, I love tliee still :' to which all respond with enthusiasm. August 22. Devote the morning to the drafting of our contracts, visit the National Gallery, and admire some fine paintings, by Murillo, Claude, and West ; but the collec- 14 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. tion is unworthy of London, and will doubt- less ere long he surpassed in our own coun- try. Examine the cartoons designed for the decoration of the walls of the new houses of Parliament. They exhibit scenes from Eng- lish history ; one or two of them, presenting the early missionaries converting the Saxons, are eminently beautiful. We look at the Court Rooms of Westminster Hall, inferior in size, finish, and convenience, to our own ; conclude our business, and prepare for a trip to the Continent. Yours, ever, MASSACHUSETTS. London, August 23, 1843. LETTER Vlir. A Trip to Brighton — Crossing the Channel — Dieppe. During the morning of August 23d, we procure our passports from the French office, and at three p. m. drive to the station at London Bridge, and take the train for Brighton. Our car is one of the second class, with oval windows, unglazed, and runs on four wheels onl)^ A reduction has been re- cently made in the fare, which increases the income of the line. In our compartment are an English gentleman and his son, the latter on his way to Spain. We leave Lon- don on a range of arches — some of which are inhabited. About three miles out, two tracks leading to Greenwich diverge ; at a point eighteen miles from London, the Dover rail- way also diverges. The rails are well laid, but the cars, like all short cars, have an un- pleasant lateral motion, gTate on the curves, and are by no means pleasant ; a slight shower beats in at the window, and drives us to the opposite side, and I can discover no means by which such cars can be warmed in winter. The cuts are often deep, and the embankments high. The slopes are in many instances too steep to stand, and are not sodded ; they must occasion great ex- panse for repairs. Tunnels are constantly recurring. The countrj' for twenty-five miles is luxuriant and highly cultivated ; it gradually becomes more wild and broken, and resembles New England. Occasional tracts of waste land appear, and hedges are less frequent. Tlie fences and the bricks in the houses, resemble our own; but, for the whole distance from Liverpool to Brighton, the houses of the laborers and mechanics are smaller, more inconvenient, and worse furnished, than those of the same classes in America. The humane law which in New England preserves to the family its necessa- ry furniture and bedding against all claims for rents, taxes, or debt, and secures the in- mates from being sent shiftless into the street, does not exist in England. We travel at the rate of twenty miles the hour, and reach Brighton at five and a half o'clock p. M. The train stops under a range of sheds, open at the sides to the wind and rain, which in winter must be most comfort- leas. Between these and the street is a showy building of great length, divided into several large apartments for clerks and the sale of tickets, but without a chair to accom- modate those w^aiting for the train. The English depots are for the officials, not, like ours, for the travelling public. After dinner, we take a light carriage and drive around Brighton ; pass the pier, shops, hotels — some of which are good stone buildings — the pa- vilion, a fantastic structure, built by George the Fourth, and return to the station and stand there for an hour, awaiting the train for Shoreham. There is one thing here worthy of notice ; it is the mode of delivering baggage. A paper number is given you, and a duplicate placed on your trunk. A hollow square is formed around the baggage-car by a frame- work of pigeon-holes, like the boxes in a post-office, each large enough to receive a trunk. These bear numbers corresponding to the marks on the baggage, and visible on both sides ; and as each trunk is placed un- der its own number, the passenger finds it im- mediately. At nine p. m. take the train for Shoreham, the seaport of Brighton. The cars stop on an embankment ten feet above the shore, and within a few feet of the edge. The embankment is faintly lighted, and has CROSSING THE CHANNEL. 15 no fence. A lady falls over, and a gentle- man has a narrow escape from falling. It is rumored that the lady escapes without se- rious injury; but the wonder is that no limbs are broken. From this spot we are all obliged to walk, in a drizzling rain, (over what in the dark seems to be a beach, and a wet one, too,) nearly two hundred yards, to a miserable old steamer, called the ' Dart,' by her speed and model built at least twenty years since; one of those short unwieldly things which were in vogue in the early days of steaming. On reaching the vessel, we are required to pay 6d each for the priv- ilege of passing over the gravel with our trunks. Not a state-room or any saloon above deck are visible, and, on entering the after cabin, we find it filled with anxious ap- plicants for beds, and among them several ladies. But two or three berths or mattres- ses remain, which the steward is assigning to the most importunate men, to the exclu- sion of a lady. Thinking I may be of ser- vice to the latter, I observe, ' in America we first provide for the ladies ; and in a country like England, which claims to be civilized, I am surprised to see the reverse.' The effect of this is immediate. English pride is touched, and a berth found for the lady. Receiving the thanks of her husband or lover, and finding no chance to sleep, or even lie down in the after cabin, I repair with others to the fore cabin, where I discov- er a short upper berth vacant, so short that my feet must dangle over the side ; and find- ing no bed-clothes, I am obliged to lie down undressed. From this perch I look down on 1 perfect chaos. A pile of luggage in the jentre sprinkled with mattresses, which, yith the berths, are occupied by men, wo- nen, and children, gentle and simple, Eng- ish, French, Irish, and German ; no servants )r attendants except a small white-headed 5abin boy. who presides over a solitary light, V flickering tallow candle, and appears com- petent to do no more. In a few moments wt are at sea, taking the pilot with us, it bang too tempestuous to land him, and, as hesays, the worst night of the season. The wa'es are in rapid motion — more boistferous, in lict, than on our whole voyage across the Atlantic. The steamer pitches terribly, and seasickness becomes epidemic ; but my voyage has made me water-proof, and I re- sist the influence of the sea and the scene. Below me are women sobbing, men remon- strating, the tallow candle running down, the cabin boy standing with his hands in his pockets, with a deaf ear to a,\\ calls for aid, and children crying and repeating hymns in French and German. Amid a strance med- ley of Dutch and French vociferation, one lady exclaims, in a plaintive tone, ' Hus- band I shall die;' to which he cooly re- plies, 'out with it, it isn't much.' At length, exhausted and fatigued, I fall asleep, and, with occasional interruptions, get through the night. Thursday, August 24. Reach the deck at an early hour ; our vessel tossing on the troubled sea; many vessels around us under reefed sails, whose hulls occasionally disap- pear, as they rise and fall with the waves. The steamer looks even worse than in the evening, and the wonder is, that English- men will permit any Company, however powerful or grasping, to monopolize the most direct route between Paris and London, with a boat which would not live a month on any route in the United States, and at a fare, too, of 20 shillings, or S 4 80 for seventy miles — threefold a proper charge. The French coast is in sight — the sea breaking half-mast high on the rocks and piers which form the narrow entrance to Dieppe. The captain and pilot appear in anxious consultation, and hesitate what course to pursue ; at length they push for the port. The waves dash fiercely on either side, and threaten to force us upon the piers. The breaking of a crank, a tiller, or a slight derangement of our engine would wreck us; but we fortunately get safely in, to the relief of thousands of spectators, who watch our perilous entrance from the piers. We land among females in high white caps, soldiers, and custom-house officers. Our passports and our trunks are speedily examined, and we repair to a French coffee- house to breakfast. At our table we meet a French family conversing with great vivaci- ty, breakfasting on various small dishes, 16 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. bread, butter, and wine. The butter is fresh, as in England ; and the bread, and our cafi au hit. excellent. Yours, ever, MASSACHUSETTS. Dieppe, August 24, 1843. LETTER IX. Dieppe — Normandy — Rouen — The Theatre — Cathedral — Paris — The Louvre. After submitting our passports to the police for their indorsement, and examining the cathedral of Dieppe — a venerable old structure — we engage places in the dil- igence for Rouen, securing seats in the cab- riolet., that we may see the country. Our position is above the driver, and we are pro- tected from the weather by a boot and chaise-top. Below us is the qoupie, after that the interieur, and, behind all, the ro- iunde, with side seats. Our horses are five in number — three leaders abreast — and are inspirited by frequent cpacks of the whip, and an occasional sacre from the dri- ver. We slowly ascend a lofty hill which overlooks the port, and soon find ourselves on table-land in a high state of cultivation. The road appears nearly an air line of mag- nificent width, at least eighty feet inside the drains, a little rounded and perfectly smooth — altogether the best I have seen. The country is slightly undulating and fertile, frequently reminding me of the best vi^heat farms in Western New York. Nearly half the fields are in wheat of a luxuriant growth ; the residue in clover, turnips, oats, a little pasturage, and wood. Occasional avenues of old forest trees appear, leading to ancieiit chateaus or gentlemen's modern mansions ; villages substantially built of brick and ston'e ; hedges more luxuriant than any that have met my eye in England, and the crops, which arc ready for the sickle, superior to any I have seen between Birmingham and Brighton. The inhabitants reside principal- ly in the villages, and the lower classes ap- pear belter housed and fed than the English agricultural population. There is, however, more of the antique in the costuTne, their implements are more rude, and wooden shoes occasioiially clatter along the road. As we approach Rouen, the country be- comes more populous, and many factories are visible. We enter Rouen by a long and wide street, and soon perceive the Seine below us. A turn of the street brings us upon the river, a noble stream, the right bank of which is converted into a wide quay, lined with brigs and smaller vessels, and covered with mer- chandise. A wide avenue runs along the quay, bordered by stone buildings, hotels, and warehouses, overlooking the river, Avhich a bridge spans above the shipping. On the opposite shore is the station of the rail-way to Paris. From the quay we turn into a street running nearly at right angles, quite narrow, but clean, on each side of which are fine ranges of storehouses, four or five stories high. We drive to the oflice of the diligence, and engage rooms at the Hotel of the Roy ales Menageries, where we find the guests taking seats at the table d'hote, and sit down with them to dinner. Around us all is French — every guest and every attendant; each of our companions has a bottle of claret beside him, and a long and slender roll of bread ] the dinner is admira- bly cooked and served, while the guests are well-bred and courteous. In the afternoon we engage a valet de place, who conducts us through an immense cathedral, begun in the ninth century, with magnificent painted windows, stone pillars, and ornaments most exquisitely wrought. We admire particularly an ancient statue of Richard the Second, recently discovered. The building is apparently larger and more costly than Westminster -Abbey. We visit the Hall of Justice, a fine and spacious old structure, once the palace of the Dukes of Normandy — the ancient abbeys of St. Ar- naud and St. Antoine — the venerable palace of the Duke of Bedford, now d^ voted to commerce, in which 'Joan of Ar cylinders fourteen inches, and weighing thirty thousand pounds, the price of wliicli is tv\-elve hundred and twenty pounds, being a little less than the price in America, of similar machines. BRITISH STEAM-SHIPS. 55 We notice, also, a direct action marine engine, the charge for whii-h is ihirty-si.v pounds per horse-power. An engine of this pattern, with boilers complete, and equal to four hundred and fifty horse-power, occupies a section of a ship of forty-three feet in length. The establishment appears well conducted, and is now in full activity. We drive hence to the Town Hall, a substantial structure of freestone, with a splendid suite of rooms for the officers of the town, and the recep- tion of strangers, and we look into the beau- tiful and extensive halls, appropriated for reading-rooms and underwriting, in one of which we notice a clock-dial, showing the course and changes of the winds. The Exchange is a hollow square, with a piazza around three sides of it, and resembles the Exchange of Antwerp. In company with a Scotch merchant, to whom I have letters, I visit the steamer Ad- miral, a vessel of 1000 tons, running as a reg- nlar packet between Liverpool and Glasgow. This fine ves.sel is neatly two hundred feet long, makes up one hundred berths, and accommodates one hundred steerage pas- sengers, besides carrying four hundred tons of measurement goods. Her engine is of three hundred horse-power, her model and speed excellent, her cabin and state-rooms admirably arranged and decorated. This steamer, like many others in the mer- chant service, is competent to cross the At- lantic, and able to contend with the severest storms of the ocean. In thi.s particular, we have much to learn of the English.* Every month adds to the steam marine of England. Lines of steamers are running to the Baltic, Hamburgh, Belgium, France, Spain, the Med- iterranean, between the Red Sea and India, to the United States and the West Indies, all of which, in time of war would be ready to pounce upon our commerce whitening eve- ry sea, and to which our navy would prove a most inadequate protection. Why is not our government more on the alert ? The invent- ors of steam-boats, and excelling all other nations in our river-steamers, we have the genius, the material, the men, and the re- sources, to provide a steam marine that shall * See note E, Appendix. command the respect of the world. And is a nation safe, that is not prepared for the con- tingencies of the future? In our shength lies the surest guaranty of peace. The hawk preys upon the dove, but not upon the eagle ; and the most perplexing question that can now be asked an American in Europe, is. how would we defend our commerce from those winged messengers of England. Let our government expend two millions a year, for a few years to come, on a .steam marine, and establish, like England, lines of packets to transport the mails, and in three years we may have a line of steamers from Boston to Havre, from New York to the Mediterranean, and thus by Suez to India, another from the Chesapeake to Saint Thomas and I'ernam- buco; another from Charleston totheHavan- nah, and others from New Orleans to Vera Cruz, and Chagres, and eventually from the Columbia to the Sandwich Islands and Cliina. Connect with this programme a postage of half a dime for all distances less than five hundred miles, ami a dime for greiiter dis- tances, and we shall, at once, accomplish three most important national objects. The expansion of commerce, protection from foreign foes, and facility of intercourse.* Were the policy of England pacific and friendly towards America, we might, perhaps, defer a little longer the creation of a steam marine, and apply our revenue, as it increas- es, to other objects; but it is very obvious, the predominant party in England is jealoua of America. They have not forgotten or for- given our successful revolt and rapid pro- gress ; our triumphs at sea ami at New Or- leans; they view with a jaundiced eye our rivalry in shipping and manufactories, and indulge in frequent outbreaks at the wonder- ful growth of our whale fisheries, while the British are decaying. The constant aim of their legislation seems to be, to give an indirect advantage to Brit- ish shipping, and to re.-;train our own : and there is reason to fear, the apprehension of losing ihs American market did more thaa a sincere love of peace, to prevent a rupture during our border difficulties. Could a sudden blow have been struck at * Sec note F, Appenilix. 56 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. our shipping and seaports, without endanger- ing the manufactories of England, would it have been withheld ? But it may be asked, from what do I infer this danger? I infer it from the tone of con- versation, from the hostile tone of the press, and various incidents of my travels, one of which I will cite. An intelligent gentleman asks me at din- ner, if I imagine, for a moment, that Eng- land will relinquish to us the Columbia river ; and argues, that we have no title or reasonable pretensions to it. In reply, I press the strength of our claim on the ground of prior discovery, occupation, and cession ; that we regard it, and are settling it, as an integ- ral part of our territory. But the only argu- ment to which he will defer, is this. Suppose, I ask, that England has power to repress cur hardy backwoodsmen on the remote Pa- cific, and hem us in by the Rocky Moun- tains I What would be the result ? If we could not expand, sliould we not be driven to manufacture, and thus to a most danger- ous rivalry with England, and is not her true policy to invite us into the wilderness ? An appeal to the reason of England is. I regret to say, less effectual than an appeal to her interests or her fears. Until a change occurs in her tone and pol- icy, our motto should be, ' Let us be pre- pared for the worst.' Liverpool, in its rapid grow'h has, like our Anfierican cities, drawn in a large popu- lation from distant parts. It contains, at least, twenty thousand Scotchmen, and nearly as many Irish. But mark the difference ; Scot- land has provided schools for her children, and preserved them ; unfortunate Ireland is denied the privilege. The result has become a proverb, ' Sawney works with his head, while Pat works with his hands.' The Scotchmen of Liverpool, are nearly all well- established and prosperous, while the poor sons of Ireland toil in the docks, or bear the hod for a miserable subsistence. As we return to our lodgings to dine, we pass a large bay-window, within which are chairs, exhibited for sale. Among them we notice a painted rocking-chair, which looks like an old acquaintance. On entering, my friend, Mr. C, designates, by its shape, the town in Massachusetts in which it is made. The cost, in Worcester county, of such a chair, is less than two dollars ; the price here is two guineas. On inquiry, we find a great market might be opened here for the million of chairs, and thousands of tons of wooden-ware, which Massachusetts annually produces ; they would sell as fast as the wooden clocks of Connecticut, and pay an ample profit.* But while England clamors at our revenue duties on her worsteds, cottons, linen, cutlery, and cloths, she very modestly imposes a prohibitory duty of not far from one hundred per cent, on the coarser fabiics, with which, by the aid of our forests, water- falls, and ingenuity, we could greatly pro- mote the comfort of her poorer classes. She proclaims aloud her liberality in admitting our cheese, pork, and hams, at a duty of fifty to one hundred per cent, upon the prime cost on the Ohio, and in admitting our flour by the circuitous route of Canada, at a moderate duty; but does she meet us manfully ? If tar- iffs are to be modified, and treaties made, let ua have reciprocity and equality of privileges.f Is she, with all her capital — and claiming, as she docs, to be the queen of the seas, fearful to meet us in competition on the deep? She claims to have all the flour from our Western States run down the^ocky, icy, and stormy waters of the Saint Lawrence, to be water-borne in British bottoms, at an en- hanced price to England. Is this reciproci- ty or fair dealing ? And can she suppose we do not see through such artifices, and thin disguise ? And is she not aware, that this tor- tuous policy is defeating itself, since the en- hanced price prevents the consumption in England? But, thank heaven, this policy is of less consequence than it has been ; we are rapid- ly building up a home market, and manufac- tories at home. Let us glance for a moment at the course of England towards America. A few years since, we had a boundless credit on the Lon- don Stock Exchange. American bills, and American stocks, were as current as gold; goods were pressed in exchange for stocks and credit in vast quantities into America/ mushroom banks and mushroom houses were * See note G, Appendix. t See note H, Appendix. THE INDISCRETION OF ENGLISH BANKERS. 57 forced by British capital and credit to a hot-bed growth, and States newly created, whose capital was in forests, log-cabins, and backwoodsmen, were tempted by the facili- ty of credit to embark in works of improve- ment beyond the present wants of the com- munity. Amid the fever thus created and fanned by the great bank of Pennsylvania, and in- discreet rulers at home, a great fire suddenly annihilates thirty million dollars in New York ; — the specie is drawn from the country ; a panic follows, and the wise men of London, of a sudden, decide that nothing American shall be current. The /at is obey- ed. In a twinkling, a credit of one hundred million dollars more is extinguished ; mer- chants are required to send specie, who have none to send ; States, who require but one link more to get some return for their outlay, are utterly discredited, property rendered value- less, and, in the crash that follows, amid the wreck of banks, merchants, and States, all who falter, however honest may be their views, are branded with the names of cheats, swindlers, and knaves. In this state of things, the American tarifl' continues annually to fall by a descending BCiile; the British merchant, to sustain his home market, sends to New York all that is unsaleable in England, draws away the little specie that is left, and breaks down the home manufacturer. What is the result? The country is dis- heartened, and, for a moment discredited. A sudden fever seizes the patient in the flush of his manhood, but his constitution is not destroyed. The sagacious physician, prescribes fru- galit)-, temperance, caution, industry, self- reliance, and the homespun dress. Cash duties are adopted, which, while they create a revenue, check the excess from abroad, and wages and salaries are reduced. The ppin- dle, loom, hammer, saw, and plough are set in motion. The flour England will not take is consumed at home. The patient revives. The exports of the country increase. Gold and silver return. Interest, in the great cities, falls from eighteen to three per cent. The credit of the States, and the Union, rap- idly revive, and the United States stock, which was refused in England, at par, is going thither, at sixteen per cent, premium. Domestic produce rises, new factories are commenced on a firmer basis than the old, and new articles are manufactured. The country becomes equal to any emer- gency, and its honor will ere long be re- trieved ; and long may it be, ere it again places it in the power of another nation.* But let us glance at the other side of the water, and see what England has gained by her vacillating policy — encouraging her best customer to day, and then throwing him off, with dishonor, to-morrow. Mark the result. With the loss of American trade, came an excess of goods, a fall of prices, a terrible deficiency in the revenue. Divi- dends are lost, profits destroyed, operatives discharged and left to starve ; while the flour America offers for her debt is refused, furna- ces are blown out, rival manufacturers cre- ated, branches of trade annihilated, proper- ty depressed in value, the Bank of England '' calls on Paris and Hamburgh for money, and heavy income taxes are imposed, which barely save the country from bankruptcy. It is easy to trace a large proportion of this to the loss of American trade. A little more mod- eration at first, and a little more forbearance and liberal policy afterwards; for instance the opening of the corn trade, would have greatly mitigated if not prevented the evil. For the future, England must not expect to supplant the coarse manufactures of America ; she must content herself with selling the porcelain, stone-ware, worsteds, plaids, linens, silks, and fancy goods, we do not make and consume most when most prosperous, and such overplus of others, as the rising price in America may admit ; and be cautious that her denial of admission to our bread-stuffs does not deprive her even of these. With such caution it is fair to presume the demand from the United States, which even more than the opening of China is re- viving her commerce, may prove progressive. But I must return from my digression — the cabman is at the door. I hasten to refresh my- self with a warm bath, for which I pay the price of tliree in Boston, and seek the little * See note /, Appendix. 58 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. eteam tender, which is to convey us, and our trunks, to the Acridia. We are now embarked, with fifty fellow passengers ; the tender returns for the mailsj and at five p. m. we weigh anchor, and run down the Mersey, with a wind and tide to the Channel, where we find a smooth sea and pleasant sky. We bid adieu to Eng- land, the land of our fathers -rare compound of wealth and misery, wonderful achieve- ments in science, and debasing ignorance, boundless charity, and equally boundless prejudices. I remain yours, ever, MASSACHUSKTTS. St. George's Channel, Sept. 17, 1843. LETTER XXrX. The Return Voyage — Ovr Company — The Endymion — American Authors in Ejigland — Western Farming — The Storm. The morning of Wednesdaj-, September 20th, dawns upon us, as we run down the Channel in the fast steamer Acadia, with a smooth sea, and light breezes from the west- ward. At noon, we have made one hundred and fifty mile^. Letters from Paris have engaged one of the best innerstate-rooms for my friend Mr. C. and myself. Our party at table is composed of Americans and Enu:- lish, who are soon on easy and social terms. Among our fifty passengers we recognize three who accompanied us from America, and greet them as old acquaintances. As evening approaches, some indications of a storm appear, and the officers of the ship house yards and top-masts. Thursday, September 21. We lose sight of land, and are now on the broad deep ; the sky is overcast, and we meet a long swell with light breezes from the westward. The speeil of our steamer is eight and a half knots per hour. It is, however, but justice to these noble steamers, to remark that they do not attain their full speed until they are several days from port. Upon the commencement of their voyage they are deep with coal, and the wheels are buried in the sea. As they become lighter, the speed increases from two to three knots per hour. Beside this, the Acadia is deep ^^'ith goods, her freight list amounting to five thousand dollars. During the day we observe many sails; in the evening the sea, broken by the wheels, is brilliant with phosphoric light; amid which is a beautiful show of porpoises, who for a long tin e run through the sparkling waters beside the ship, resembling 1he glit- tering serpents in an exhibition of fireworks. Friday. September 22. The swell has snb- .«ided, and a pleasant breeze from the north fills our sails and hurries us along at the rate of ten knots per hour. As the morning ad- vances, the breeze freshens and the sea rises. Soon after three p. m. a large .ship is seen in the distance, crossing our track. As we ap- proach, she clues up a sail, as a signal she requires our aid. The passengers cluster upon deck, the steamer diverges a little from her course, various surmises are made as to the wants or misfortunes of the stranger, the .steward is sent forward to break out the bis- cuit and provisions, and orders given to make ready to launch the boat. The dinner-bell rings, and is disregarded. As we slacken our speed, and run under the stern of the stranger, we read her name, the Endy- mion, of Hull. Our captain hails, and asks what is required ; the anxiously awaited re- ply is, merely. ' What is the longituile? ! ! ! ' We smile, as we descend to a cold dinner, at the modest assurance which stops the queen's mail steamer to compare longi- tude. A land bird, which has followed us from the shore, disappears as we pass the Endymion. , Saturday, September 23. The sea is rough through the night, and the ship rolls heavily. I rise, but find myself no longer a good sailor; and pay, reluctantly, the forfeit incurred by nearly all who cross the deep. 1 determine, however, to retrieve my charac- ter as soon as may be, rise and walk the deck, and thus regain my spirits and appe- tite. Sunday. September 24. The wind favors our passage. We pass several ships running luidf'r close-reefed top-sails. At ten a. m. the Church Service is read by the captain. THE RETURN VOYAGE. 99 At one p. M. an army of porpoises spread over many acres of sea, inressaiitly spring- ing from tlie water, crosses our bow. Monday, September 25. The ^v^nd still favord us. At noon, thi.s day, we have run two hundred and thirty miles, and are more than half way to Halifax. In the evening our bi ight prospects of a fine passage are overcast. The winil shifts to the westward, and begins to blow heavily with rain, and we lose an hour while we key up the engine and house top-masts. During the evening our speed falls to seven knots per hour, and we court reading for amusement. Among the light literature in the steamer, we find three cheap English reprints of popular American works, each stamped a shilling. They are, ' Two Years before the Mast,' by R. H. Dana, and the ' Pirate ' and ' Captain Kyd.' by Ingra- ham. Thus our Eniilish friemls, while so- licitous for a copy-right in America, to pro- tect their authors, are giving great currency to our own in England, without much re- spect to their equitable, title to the profits. Perhaps the present stale of the law \^i]| have at least this good effect, it will make the two nations better acquainted, by circu- lating the authors of the one country in the other at prices below those of the home- made works. In one respect, however, 1 ob- serve Englanil goes a step beyontl America. When we republish Enidish vi'orks in Ameri- ca, we give the authorthe credit of his^produc- tion. This is not always the case abroad. A friend of mine, the Rev. Mr. Muzzey, who was in London at the same time with us, has recently publisheil a work styled the ' Young Maiden,' with great success, in America; indeed, with such success, that he has gone abroad to republish it in London ; but, on his arrival there, he finds the self-same vol- ume, republished and in the second edition, under the title of the ' Engli.sh Maiden,' vith a preface from an author who has as- sumed the work. A similar fate has befal- len the Greek Le.vicon of our friend, Mr. Pickering, and the beautiful Poem on Curi- osity, by Mr. Spragne. If nations cannot agree upon the question of right, the courts of honor should, at least, protect the laurels of the author. Tuesday, September 26. A head sea re- tards onr progress. The sky is clear, and the wind fresh from the west. The latter hears wilh it a weary land-bird, borne, proba- bly, from the coast of Newfoundland, six hundred miles distant, who flutters about thfl deck, and is caught by a passenger. Dur- ing the night the wind changes, and again favors our progress. Wednesday, September 27. We wake to enjoy a smooth sea, wilh a light breeze from the southward, and are now on the Flemish Cap, near the Banks. The rain falls through the allernooii, which drives me from my fa- vorite walk on the promenade-deck. Thursday, September 28. Crossing the Banks of Newfoinidland, the sea smooth and the sky unusually clear, I make many pleasant acquaintances among the passen* ger.**, and interchange words with all of them. Among them are two Baptist clergymen of Boston, intelligent men, who have made the tour of Europe, and have many singular in- cidents to relate. One of them, the Rev. Mr. N., has been imprisoned, on account of his religion, at Copenhagen, by the Lutherans in authority there. Before he was released, he was required to pledge himself not to preach* a sermon at Copenhagen. With New Eng- land sagacity, he inquired if this pledge would preclude him from talking reliij;ion. On bei;ig told that it would not, he felt at liberty, before he left, to make an extemporary address on religion to the persecuted Baptists, assuring them of the countenance and aid of their brethren in America. One of our com- panions has been a farmer in Ohio. He gives me a vivid description of the fertility and rapid growth of the country. One of his neighbors settled at Lancaster, Ohio, with his four boys, in 1820. He had no cipltal, and purchased a quarter section on credit. In eighteen years he was out of debt, and proprietor of eight hundred acres, well fenced and suitably divitled into wood tillage and pastura;:e. On thi.-* estate, without hiring labor, he cultivates annually one hundred acres in corn, eighty in wheat, twenty in oats, forty in grass for hay, and sells atnui- ally one thousand bushels of wheal, besides live stock. His property had become worth twenty-four thousand dollars. Friday, Sept. 29. We are passinj; the 60 TWO MONTHS ABROAD. Banks of Newfoundland ; the wind freshens to a gale from the westward, the steamer pitches in the head sea, and oocasionallv dips into a wave. During the evening, our little bird, whom we hoped to restore to land, droops and dies. Saturday, Sept. 30th. The morning opens clear and pleasant, and our speed exceeds ten knots per hour; we pass many fishermen, and find ourselves at noon in latitude forty- four, longitude fifty-nine, within two hun- dred miles of Halifax. In the course of conversation, an English gentleman com- plains to me, of the levelling and subversive spirit of democracy, to which he ascribes the neglect of Maryland and Pennsylvania, with their ample means, to provide for the payment of their interest. And there can be no doubt, that the failure of these compara- tively wealthy States, has done more than can well be conceived to lower our charac- ter abroad : many will pardon, to the weak- ness and poverty of the new States, what they hold inexcusable in Maryland and Pennsylvania. I urge, that a reasonable allowance should be made, even for them ; that they have been widely extended ; that their systems of public works have been suddenly arrested and left unfinished; that an unexpected contingency has arrived, which has taken them by surprise, and a little time should be allowed them to devise means to meet their embarrassments. That however ample may be their wealth, their Banks have failed, and they are just emerg- ing from a contraction' of the currency, more severe than would probably attend the failure of the Bank of England; that their wealth is fixed and immovable, and cannot in a moment be coined into gold. I urge, also, that Institutions which have done so much for the happiness of our people should not be hastily condemned. The peo- ple of Maryland and Pennsylvania, mu5^ not, and I trust will not forget, they hold in their hands the honor of the country. Sunday, October 1. A bright clear sky ushers in the day, the coast of Nova Scotia is visible, a light boat brings to us a pilot, and we run up the noble harbor of Halifax through a fleet of twelve or fifteen sail of coasters, outward bound, and at eight a. m. reach the Cunard wharf, and are again on terra firma. We walk over the ramparts of the unfinished citadel which covers a large area, and will eventually be a place of great strength ; we pass the post office, where we observe large mails for Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Kingston, and St. Johns; and, as the bells ring, we resort to the Epis- copal church, and attend divine service. At half past one p. m., having replenished our coal, taken an American pilot, and exchang- ed twelve passengers for six, we run for Boston. Two sparrows follow us from the land, and at seven p. m. are flitting beside the steamer, as she rushes through the sea at the rate of twelve knots per hour. Monday, Oct. 2. Our progress is rapid through the night ; with the dawn, however, the wind shifts and blows a gale from the south ; the rain descends in torrents, the sea is in commotion, .and it is impossible to walk the deck : the waves are lashed into a foam, and more tumultuous than at any time during our passage. Our friend Captain Ryrie shows himself as able a seaman as he is a courteous and accomplished gentleman. At noon we have run two hundred and sixty- four nautical miles. At seven p. m. the sea subsides, the clouds break away, the stars and moon appear, presenting a lunar rain- bow, welcoming us to Massachusetts Bay, which we soon enter and make the distant lights of Cape Cod. As the clear blue sky appears, spangled with stars, seeming after the storm of even a darker blue than usual, I cannot forbear inviting my English friends from the cabin to look at an American sky. It is indeed a novelty to one from the cloud- girt isles of Great Britain. In a fevi' hours we receive the pilot and enter the harbor, and I am welcomed by my wife and children to the early breakfast which awaits my expected return, in thirteen days from Liverpool. Thus end ' Two Months abroad.' Yours, ever, MASSACHUSETTS. APPENDIX. NOTE A. In our country; the residents in towns and cities, particularly females, are less robust than in Eng- land. Using less exercise in the open air, tiie appe- tite often flags, the consiitulion becomes enfeebled, and a liability to colds, and often to consumption, follows. The importance of exposure to the air is illustrated by the ruddy lookstand robust frames of our stage-drivers. NOTE B. Fares on Rail-ways. Extremes are ever to be avoided. The opinion of the author has uniformly, for the last seven years, been in favor of an average rate of two cents per (passenger a) mile, as most productive, and is founded upon results derived from close observation and long experience. He has not advocated a lower rate except to meet direct or indirect com- petition. During the past year, the Western Rail-road has increased its through passengers sixty per cent, by reducing its rate from two and a lialf to two cents per mile ; and the Newton train has near- ly trebled its numbers by a still larger reduction. The printed Report of the Portland, Saco, and Portsmouth Rail-road, under date of December 12lh, 1843, confirms this opinion, showing, as it does, that this Rail-road has earned three per cent, net during the six months ending November 30th last, derived principally from passengers carried at one cent per mile, against a most formidable steam-boat opposi- tion ; and also showing, that during the previous six months, while engrossing the whole travel between Boston and Maine, at four cents per passenger a mile, it earned but one-half of one per cent. Making due allowance for the season, the result drawn Irom rntes far below those advocated by the author, is irresistible evidence in favor of the mode- rate fare. The price should be such as to move the masses, and move them often ; to draw to the great cities, not merely the trader, but his family and cu.s- tomers, as is done by the steamers on the North River. In this country, the masse!) decide dividends as well as elections. NOTE C. The current pricies of the leading stocks of the United States and of the individual Slates, as this work is going to press, December. 1S43, are : United States six percent, stock, par $100, $116 New York " South Carolina " Virginia " Maine " Kentucky " Ohio " Tennessee " Massachusetts five Alabama six Maryland " Pennsylvania " Illinois " Indiana Mississippi five $112 $110 $10!) $108 $107 $104 $102 $104 $ ject — report : ' That in the first settlement of the town, owing to several causes, the Irish were collected and built their dwellings chiefly in one quarter, on a tract of land familiarly known to all by the name of the Acre. A large population was here gathered, desti- tute of nearly every means of moral and intellectual improvement, so generally enjoyed in New Eng- land. It was not to be expected that a community, thus .^i uate and neglected, so near the centre of a populous town, could be viewed without apprehen- sion. Accordingly, by the advice and efforts of phi- lanthropic individuals, a room was soon rented and supplied with fuel and other necessaries, and a teacher placed in this school, who was to be remu- nerated by a small weekly voluntary tax from the parents. From the poverty and iudiflljrence of the parents, however, the school very soon languished and became extinct. It was from time to time re- vived, but, after months of feebleness, again failed. Up to 1S30 the attempts to establish a school in this neighborhood were sustained by individual benevo- lence chiefly. At the annual town meeting in May, IbSO, an article was inserted in the warrant for the appointment of a Committee, to consider the expe- diency of establishing a separate school for tlie ben- efit of the Irish pojiulation. A Committee were chosen by the town, who made a Report iii April, 1831, in favor of such a .school. This report was accepted, and, as t e schools were at this time Car- ried oil iu distiicts, tie sum of fifty dollars was appropriated for tln-i establishment and maintenance of a sepa ate dist ict s houl for the Irish. Here was the first muiiicijial regnhition rjkiting to this matter, ' All the arrangements hitherto seem to have been very unsatisfactory ; for, in the year 1S34, Rev. Mr. Conolly appears to have been conducting a private school under the Catholic church. This was the position of affairs up to .lune, 183-5, when this gen- tleman made application to the school committee for aid, and was present at several of their meetings. After considerable deliberation, an arrangement was about this time entered into, which was perfectly defined and well understood on each side. It is thus detailed in the annual report of the school committee of the year ending March, 183G : '" It is known to the citizens generally, that vari- ous fruitless attempts have been heretofore made to extend the benefit of our pui)lic schools more fully to the children of our Irish population. These at- tempts have been hitherto frustrated chiefly perhaps by a natural apprehension, on the part of parents and pastors, of placing their children under Protest- ant teachers, and in a measure, also, by the mutual prejudices and consequent disagreements among- the Protestant and Catholic children themselves. Your committee have great pleasure in stating, thai these difficulties appear to have been overcome, and the above most desirable object to have been finally accomplished. As early as the month of June last, the Rev. Mr. Conolly, of the Catholic church, ap- plied to the committee for such aid as they might be able to give to his exertions for the education and improvement of the children under his charge. The committee entered readily and fully into his views; and in this, and several subsequent interviews, a plan for establishing one or more separate schools for this purpose was matured, and has since been put into successful operation. On the part of the committee the following conditions were insisted on as indispensable, before any appropriations could be made of the public money : — 1st. That the instruct- ors must be examined as to their qualifications by the committee, and receive their appointment from them. 2d. That the books, exercises, and studies should be all prescribed and regulated by the com- mittee, and that none other whatever should be taught or allowed. 3d. That the schools should be placed, as respects the examination, inspection, and general supervision of the committee, on precise- ly the same ground as the other schools of the town. '" On the part of Mr. Conolly, it was urged, that, to facilitate his efforts, and to render the scheme acceptable to his parishioners, the instructors must be of the Roman Catholic faith, and that the books prescribed should contain no statements of facts not admitted by that faith, nor any remarks reflect- ing injuriously upon their system of belief. These conditions were assented to by the committee as reasonable and proper; and the books in use in our other schools were submitted to his inspection, and were by him fully approved. On these principles, ihree schools have been established within the past year ; two under the Catholic Church, in June, and APPENDIX. 63 one in the vicinity of Cluii)el Hill, in Seplemljer lost. * " These schools have now I>een in operation more Ihan half a year, and your committee have the sat- isfaction of believinj,'- them to have been eminently successful, and that they are doing much good to this hitherto neglected portion of the community Four hundred and sixty-nine children liave during the year been taught, under the influence of these public schools. The average number attached to these schools has been two hundred and eighty- two ; of which number, the average daily attend- ance lias been two hundred and eight; showin" a punctuality and regularity of attendance fully equal to tiiat of our other schools. ' " The committee think the advantages of this ar- rangement must have been obvious to every obser- ver, in the improved condition of our streets; in their freedom from noisy, quarrelsome, truant-boys; and it is confidently hoped they will soon be equally ob- vious in the improved condition and respeciability of the children, and in their redemption from intel- lectual and moral degradation." ' Under the above arrangement, the committee proceeded, June Mth, to assume the supervision. At the present time, we have one grammar school, and five primary schools,'composed e.Kclusively of Irish children. According to the tables of last year's re- port, the average number belonging to these schools vas six Iiiuidred and seventy-one, and the avera"-e daily attendance five hundred and sixty-si:c. At the regular quarterly examination in the last week in June last, there were present in these schools five hundred and forty-five pupils ; and, without "-o ing into any details, we may say that at no former period had they ap,ieared better, and the committee were satisfied with each of the instructors connect- ed with them.' NOTE E. The Government of the United States have this year either begun or finished seven steamers ; and public opinion imperatively demands additional ap- propriations for a steam marine. NOTE F. 1 Reduced Postage. Mr. WicKLiFFE, in his recent Report to Con- gress observes, that the British Government, in re- ducing its postage from an average rate ol' about sixteen cents, to two cents per letter, or eighty per cent, reduced its revenue twenty-five per cent, or from $ 1 1 ,200,000 to S S, 100,000. It would be very unsafe to infer from this, that if the average rate had been reduced from sixteen cents to eight, it would not have increased the rev- enue. There is no occasion for us to go to such extremes. An average postage of eight or ten cents would multiply letters, |)ut down the convey- ance by express, and turn all channels into the mails. There can be no reasonable doubt it would dijuble the number of paying letters, and thus in- crease the revenue. Ill England the increase has been nearly three- fold. Even were a slight deficit probable, the ex- periment deserves to be tried, for it would promote commerce and social intercourse. The rates which promise best, would probably be Five cents for all distances less than 2-'j0 miles. Ten cents do. over 2-50 miles and less than 500 miles. Fifteen cents do. over TjOO do. and less than 7.30 do. Twenty cents do. over 7.J0 do. and less than 1000 do. At such rates, no express between our great cities would be encouraged ; and it is siippo.-ied by many that the mail does not cany one third of the lettiTS now passing between them. In justice to the British Government it should be observed, that the immense reduction in England benefits the Government indirectly, by promoting the use of pajier and circulating newspapers, now carried free of postage, both of which pay an excise. The Government, also, did not e.Kpecl an imme- diate increase of letters to fivefold, but expected a gradual change, which is now progressing. NOTE G. The wooden wate annually made in Northern Massachusetts, including one million of chairs, and vast quantities of tables, bedsteads, tubs, pails, pi- anos, bureaus, brooms, l)rushes, and other articles. is estimated to exceed fifteen thousand tons. Ships sailing from Boston for the Southern ports, the West Indies, and South America, often take wood- en ware between decks, and fill the liold with ice, of which article, forty thousand tons are annually exported from Boston. NOTE IT. English Reciprocity, E\GLA.ND charging one hundred per cent, duty 64 APPENDIX. on Chinese teas, and requiring of China a duty of only sixpence a yard on English broadcloth ! England charging both specific and ad valo- rem duties, amounting in the aggregate to one hun- dred per cent, on wooden ware, one thousand per cent, on tobacco, and virtually prohibiting American flour, lumber, fish, and other staples, and meanwhile complaining and protesting against revenue duties levied on British manufactures, which compete with our own. The duty on this book in England exceeds the cost of the work as it comes from the press in Boston. NOTE /. The revenue of the Union, from the omission of Congress to put a duty on tea and coflee, was defi- cient for the year ending July 1st. 1843, about four millions of dollars A duty of eight cents per pound on tea, and two cents per pound on coflee, will, by careful, estimate, produce the four millions of dol- lars, and the revenue otherwise is progressive. The proposed duty on tea and coflee wonld dou!)tless fill, in great part, on the producers of the articles, and is about one sixth the rate charged in England on the same commodities. B D - 7 5. ^ ^-i ^-i,' -'W* 40 *"; '..^" »*^^v \..^ ^'-^^- ' 'e"^ S^n o V , o **• ,V r • .■*'% • .