• • . . , ■ Ml 
 
 • • 
 
 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 00001507306 
 
 f 
 
 
Class. 
 
 Book. 
 
t^rA^LJ^t 
 
 fr*&/^ a**j&crT7 d^/^^A 
 A TOUR 
 
 IN THE 
 
 UNITED STATES, 
 
 CUBA, AND CANADA. 
 
 HENRY ASHWORTH, ESQ. 
 
 A COURSE OP LECTURES DELIVERED BEFORE THE MEMBERS 
 
 BOLTON MECHANICS' INSTITUTION. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 A. W. BENNETT, 5, BISHOPGATE-ST. WITHOUT (E.G.) 
 FRED PITMAN, 20, PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 MANCHESTER : 
 
 JOHN HEYWOOD, 143, DEANSGATE. 
 
4 3H L> 
 >©■/ 
 
 <\ 
 
 
 \)' 
 
 - 
 
 ,* 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 A year lias now elapsed since the delivery of the 
 last of these Lectures ; and the whole of them have- 
 been reported as they were delivered, and published in 
 the "Bolton Chronicle" newspaper. 
 
 The political troubles of recent time have tended to 
 increase the interest in American affairs, and applica- 
 tions have been made for a, republication of the whole, 
 
 They are therefore submitted to the public, not as 
 a literary production, but as a descriptive review of the 
 sights and occurrences of a six months' tour. 
 
 The Oaks, Bolton, 
 May, 1861. 
 
A 
 
 IOUB IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 FIRST LECTURE. 
 
 ?N accordance with the request of your Committee, I 
 am now about to offer to the members of this Institu- 
 tion the gleanings of that information which has been 
 gathered during an absence of six months, having 
 one of my daughters as my companion. It is not my 
 intention to reduce my observations into heads or 
 chapters, but throughout these lectures to carry on a sort 
 of renewed intercourse with every locality I have visited, 
 and thus to facilitate my descriptions by the localising of 
 my ideas and recollections. By this arrangement I hope 
 I shall be able to diffuse over every evening a greater 
 variety of local interest, and a wider range of expression 
 of opinion, more especially upon slavery and politics. In 
 respect of these, and upon all other matters also, I shall 
 endeavour to represent very faithfully whatever I may 
 have heardj leaving to yourselves to draw from my 
 observations whatever conclusions you may think proper. 
 
6 . A TOUR IN THE 
 
 It will be admitted that the desire to travel abroad is 
 commendable. It springs from that enlarged desire for 
 knowledge which is sure to lead to the discovery of some- 
 thing acceptable, whether in arts, science, literature, 
 agriculture, commerce, or in the study of those institutions 
 which have relation to political or civil life. Its grati- 
 fication affords to the eyes, as well as to the mind, an 
 unspeakable delight in the contemplation of those wonders 
 and beauties of nature, which are to be found in every 
 country as essentially its own. And, in our own ex- 
 perience, the enjoyments have far outweighed any risk of 
 disasters. The hazards of crossing the Atlantic may 
 appear serious to many persons, but their real insig- 
 nificance becomes obvious when we bear in mind that the 
 Cunard Steamers have been constantly sailing, week by 
 week, for nineteen years, without any loss of human life. 
 
 Our outgoing passage was boisterous, being early in 
 the month of January. The sleet and snow became 
 frozen, and for some days prevented our taking exercise 
 on deck. The sun was overcast, and many a time 
 prevented the captain from taking his noonday observations 
 of the course we were steering. The storm broke one of 
 the paddle boxes ; the waves entered the chimney ; the 
 passengers were confined to the saloon, and, deprived of 
 the power of enjoying out- door exercise, were compelled 
 to fill up the time with reading, chess playing, and other 
 amusements. 
 
 We landed safely at Hew York upon the coldest day, 
 as we were told, that they had ever known. The naviga- 
 tion of the rivers had been closed, and from day to day 
 great anxiety was excited by rumours of serious disasters 
 
UNITED STATES, 7 
 
 on the coast. The streets of the city presented an anima- 
 ting scene, being traversed by sleighs instead of wheel 
 carriages. To a stranger the use of sleighs in winter 
 presents a novelty and singularity which gives it an almost 
 fantastic appearance ; many of them are open conveyances, 
 very superbly mounted,—- often filled with ladies, and well 
 supplied with wrappers of buffalo skins, and other furs ; 
 and despite the biting frosts, the travellers appear to enjoy 
 the dry and bracing wintry atmosphere which prevails in 
 that country. 
 
 The city of New York stands upon a neck of land 
 forming the point of Manhattan Island, having on two of 
 its sides navigable waters of about a mile in breadth, 
 which separate it from the two adjoining cities of Jersey 
 and Brooklyn. Betwixt these two cities and New York 
 there is a continuous stream of intercourse, carried on by 
 steam-boats of a very commodious construction. The 
 centre part of the deck of each of these boats forms a r 
 sort of street, running from stem to stern, which is often 
 crowded with carts and carriages. On both sides of the 
 water, the point of the boat enters the street, and as the 
 tides rise only six feet, the joint of the landing-stage 
 adjusts the height of the boat to the level of the street. 
 In this way, the moment that the boat has been moored 
 in one of these street grooves, the carts and other con- 
 veyances move onwards without hindrance. Upon each 
 of the sides overhanging this central part of the boat, 
 there is an elegant reception room provided for the 
 accommodation of the foot passengers. The comfortable 
 style of arrangement thus provided for passengers, ap- 
 peared to contrast very favourably against the exposure 
 
8 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 on deck and the scanty accommodation which passengers 
 on the Mersey are accustomed to receive in passing from 
 Liverpool to Birkenhead ; and the fares which are charged 
 are very low indeed. 
 
 The locality and design of the city of New York, bear 
 evidence of foresight and provision for sanitary require- 
 ments which cannot be too highly appreciated. The same 
 may also be said of Philadelphia and other principal cities 
 on the sea-board. In order to estimate the necessity for 
 the adoption of such precautions which the builders of 
 these towns have so wisely kept in view, we must bear in 
 mind the nature of the climate to which their inhabitants 
 are exposed. We in Lancashire, who are residing about 
 54 degrees of north latitude, are in an atmosphere which 
 is humid and cold, and therefore we may build our towns 
 and cities without any especial regard to the promotion of 
 currents of air through our principal streets. The leading 
 cities of the United States are nearly 1,000 miles south of 
 Lancashire, or about the same latitude as Spain or 
 Portugal; and the consequent prevalence of heat and 
 fever renders it necessary that their principal streets 
 should be so built as to intersect each other rectangularly, 
 and with openings to the sea which surrounds them, so 
 that the currents created by the rising and falling of the 
 tides may aid their ventilation. The straight lines of 
 streets, and the formation of square blocks of houses, gire 
 an unpicturesque stiffness to the appearance of a city; 
 but this arrangement has its advantages in affording 
 facilities for the discovery of any given house or street by 
 a numerical system, after the manner of longitude and 
 latitude; such a number, for instance, as that of 1,105 
 
UNITED STATES. 9 
 
 means the fifth house in the eleventh street. Broadway 
 is the principal street in N ew York ; it is nearly the 
 width of Eegent Street, in London, and the shops 
 and fancy stores resemble Eegent Street, though the 
 display in the windows is less imposing, and is, perhaps, 
 less carefully studied by the proprietors. This street is 
 already a good many miles in length, and is laid down 
 with a view to become extended beyond any limits at 
 present conceivable. The original habitations, which 
 were made of wood, have given place to others of brick, 
 and now the brick ones are being moved to make way for 
 enlarged structures of marble. The value of property in 
 Broadway has increased amazingly. The residence of a 
 gentleman, with a frontage of 22 feet, which thirty years 
 ago cost him £600, was last year sold for £15,000. 
 
 In some of the streets they have adopted a mode of 
 conveyance by railway cars drawn by horses. This has 
 been found useful and cheap, but the inhabitants complain 
 of the damage which is sustained to the estimation of the 
 streets wherever they have been introduced. The utility 
 of one-horse cabs they do not appreciate. We never saw 
 one. They have their hackney coaches, with two horses 
 each, such as we formerly kept on hire, and the fares 
 appear discretional or according to bargain. Upon a rainy 
 day, the sum of two dollars, or 8s. 4cl., was demanded as 
 the fare for half-an-hour. I offered one-half the sum, and 
 it was declined. I then directed the attention of the 
 driver to the string of twenty other carriages, all waiting 
 to be employed, and remarked upon the uncertainty of his 
 making any money at all within the next half-hour. He 
 very coolly replied — " The rain is falling very fast, and I 
 
]0 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 guess I'll spec, it:" or in other words he preferred to 
 speculate upon the chances which might offer; and so I 
 left him. 
 
 The Fifth Avenue is the most splendid street in New 
 York. From one point of observation there stands before 
 you an array of modern-built mansions, perhaps un- 
 equalled for their magnificence. There are in London 
 many individual mansions of greater splendour, but taking 
 the street as a whole, there is an appearance of archi- 
 tectural design and completeness which is rarely to be met 
 with. In one of these houses, where we called upon 
 the family, the drawing-room was one hundred and thirty- 
 five feet in length, and was very tastefully decorated with 
 pictures, statuary, and works of art, which had been 
 selected in various parts of Europe, and secured by a 
 lavish outlay. The dining and other rooms of the house 
 appeared of large proportions, and elegantly furnished. 
 The entertainments given by the wealthy citizens, are 
 frequent in occurrence, and many of them are upon a 
 large scale. In one instance we found that the number 
 of guests was upwards of seven hundred, and the house 
 was not over- crowded. 
 
 The hotels are enormously large ; many of them are 
 provided with three hundred beds in each, and others as 
 many as eight hundred to one thousand : the lower rooms 
 fronting the street are being used as shops, and the upper 
 rooms form the hotel. In numerous instances we found 
 that they were resorted to not alone by travellers, but as 
 the temporary home of newly-married persons who had 
 entered upon life without sufficient means to begin house- 
 keeping. It appeared somewhat repulsive to one's ideas 
 
UNITED STATES. 11 
 
 of married life for the husband to be absent all day attend- 
 ing to bis pursuits, leaving bis wife, perhaps not twenty 
 years of age, to amuse herself amongst the company of the 
 bouse, picking up all sorts of acquaintance, moving about 
 in those beautiful entertaining rooms, and mixing at the 
 table d'hote with every variety of strangers who might 
 happen to be present. From such a beginning it cannot 
 be wondered at that young people should imbibe the desire 
 for a course of life beyond their means to sustain. With 
 a beautiful city, and every arrangement that can be 
 required for the promotion of cleanliness and order, it is 
 greatly to be lamented that the offensive state of the 
 streets should shock the feelings or interrupt the comfort 
 of the visitor. The municipal authorities are inexcusable 
 for neglect of duty in this "respect, and if one-half of what 
 was reported of their corrupt practices was true, they are 
 deserving of punishment. 
 
 THE MONEY PANIC. 
 
 You will doubtless be desirous to hear something 
 concerning the recent money panic, and the troubles 
 which have overtaken the tradespeople there ; and, if 
 possible, some sort of conclusion in relation to its origin. 
 The solution of this may not be within our province to deal 
 with; but it would be impossible for any English mer- 
 chant to visit jSTew York, and not perceive that there are 
 commercial practices, and extravagant habits, which are 
 sufficient of themselves to account for a great deal of this 
 calamity, which in its rebound has so seriously affected 
 us. It would be wrong to lead you to suppose that the 
 conducting of business in the United States was altogether 
 
12 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 on a bad principle. This is not the case. There are 
 many wealthy capitalists whose businesses are conducted 
 in a most unexceptionable manner : and notwithstanding 
 all this appearance of unsoundness, the solid wealth of 
 New York is rapidly increasing. The great bulk, how- 
 ever, of the trading and mercantile classes, are represented 
 as being always on the stretch, doing large business upon 
 small capital, and year by year spending every shilling 
 of their profits, and perhaps something more. They enjoy 
 a singular facility for doing large business out of small 
 means, by making sale of their trading risks. They are 
 in the practice of selling bills of exchange without en- 
 dorsement for whatever amount the credit of the drawer 
 and acceptor may be worth. In this manner persons of 
 small capital may sell goods upon six or eight months' 
 credit ; . the bill received in payment they may again 
 convert into its saleable value in cash ; and thus go on 
 trading until, by some disaster, the house of cards is 
 overthrown. 
 
 Credit was said to be easily obtained, and that there 
 was great facility for opening a business, or for making a 
 change from one pursuit to another. The attainment of a 
 business position, based upon enlarged experience, which 
 in this country is so much valued, appeared of so little 
 concern to many persons in the United States, that they 
 would willingly abandon one trade and run into another, 
 expressing themselves quite confident that they fully 
 understood the trade they were entering upon. Extrava- 
 gance and fast living appeared to prevail to an incredible 
 extent, and the ladies were said to understand this as well 
 as the gentlemen. An instance was remarked upon, and 
 
UNITED STATES. 13 
 
 a lady pointed out to us who was moving about with her 
 carriage and attendants, and living in great style upon the 
 faith of an invention which her husband had recently pa- 
 tented. We saw this invention, and considered it to be 
 utterly worthless. It found no favour with the public, 
 and a month or two afterwards we heard that the building 
 containing the patent had been destroyed by fire ! 
 
 Passing away from New York, it did not surprise us 
 to hear, in other parts of the country, severe remarks upon 
 that city and the citizens. A gentleman who had left 
 New York, after having resided there upwards of twenty- 
 eight years, considered it the most money-making city in 
 the world, and perhaps the most reckless in extravagance 
 and expense. Another gentleman, one who resided in 
 another part of the country, in expressing his dread of the 
 harrassing effects of extravagance, most gravely declared 
 that he would allow himself to be sent up in a balloon, 
 not knowing where he might drop, rather than consent to 
 marry a wife from Xew York. There is a generous 
 sympathy in the citizens which is highly becoming. 
 Their public institutions of a charitable nature do them 
 great credit. Upon the adjacent island of Biackwell, they 
 have an orphan asylum for about 1,000 children, besides 
 their infirmary, lunatic asylum, penitentiary, and other 
 similar establishments. The public schools of the city 
 are their best institutions ; as indeed they are the best 
 institutions of America. 
 
14 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 RAILWAYS. 
 
 Our first excursion by railway was from New York to 
 Philadelphia. The carriages, or cars, as they are called, 
 are of great length, and accommodate from forty to fifty 
 persons in each. Down the centre there is a passage 
 having a door at each end, and on both sides of the passage 
 there are seats placed crosswise, holding two persons. All 
 the passengers (coloured persons excepted) are looked upon 
 as of one grade, the same as in travelling by an omnibus. 
 The whole of the company sit exposed to each other, and 
 whatever conversation may be going on, is within the 
 hearing, and exposed to the remarks, of the passengers 
 immediately surrounding. Most of the railways have 
 only one line of rails. In their engineering they gener- 
 ally select level ground, have very few tunnels, and seldom 
 or never have they any bridges passing over the lines of 
 railway. The engineer rings a bell when he approaches 
 a crossing, and a notice board is erected to warn the road 
 passengers, with an inscription in large letters — " Eailway 
 crossing : w T hen the bell rings, look out for the engine/ ' 
 The sides of the railways are unfenced, and by way of 
 provision against any interruption or accident, an iron 
 grating is attached to the fore part of the engine, which 
 they call a " cow-catcher," for securing or removing any 
 animal or other obstacle lying in the way. The railway 
 companies do not provide porters, as in this country, 
 to attend upon the passengers and aid them in the 
 removal of their luggage : and those who are the guards 
 or other servants of the companies, do not usually 
 carry upon them any livery or other insignia of authority. 
 
UNITED STATES. 15 
 
 This idea of independence, no doubt, furnishes the 
 opportunity for many of the paid servants to skulk 
 from the performance of their duty ; and to a stranger 
 who may be travelling, it is a master of considerable 
 inconvenience. There is an appointment of baggage 
 clerk attending the trains, who, at a small rate of charge, 
 undertakes the care and delivery of luggage, and this 
 department is well managed. 
 
 MAGNITUDE OF THE COUNTRY. 
 
 As we are now beginning to explore the country, let 
 us cast ®ur eyes upon the map, and take a little thought 
 about the geography of that portion of the Western 
 Hemisphere, which now constitutes one of the great 
 powers of the earth. The surface area is computed at 
 three millions of square miles, and is divided for purposes 
 of local and judicial administration into forty states, as 
 England is divided into forty counties ; but in order to 
 form some sort of estimate of the difference of magnitude, 
 we must put down the state of Xew York, which is by no 
 means the largest, as of the same extent as England ; or, 
 in other words, the surface of England and Wales being 
 49,000 square miles, that of the state of New York is 
 47,000 square miles. The population of the whole of the 
 States in 1850 was, of whites, 19,553,068 ; free coloured, 
 434,495 ; slaves, 3,214,313 : total, 23,191,876.* It is 
 evident, therefore, that the country must be very thinly 
 peopled, and that there are existing a vast extent of 
 
 ' By the last Census (1860), free population, 27,648,643 ; slaves. 
 3,999,853 .-—total, 31,648,496. 
 
16 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 natural resources, still unappropriated. A wide field is 
 thus afforded for the enterprise and capital of generations 
 jet unborn. 
 
 Perhaps there is no other country in which the inhabi- 
 tants have already accomplished so much within so short 
 a period. Kiver navigation is nowhere so extensively 
 carried on, nor so well understood ; and their railways 
 extend to 26,000 miles, being more than half of all the 
 railroads in the world. 
 
 These manifestations of progress are unmistakeable. 
 They denote the prosperity of the country, and the pre- 
 vailing energy of character in the people, as w T ell as their 
 confidence in those institutions under which they live. 
 Passing along, by railway, through the agricultural 
 portion of the country, the grassy surface of the fields did 
 not appear lively and green, but of a dark brown colour, 
 as though every blade had been deadened by frost. The 
 fences surrounding the fields are formed of splits of timber 
 trees, cut down in clearing the land. They are placed 
 in layers, in a zig-zag form, the points resting one upon 
 another, and, being held clown upon each other by their 
 own weight, they don't require to be fastened together 
 with nails. The whitethorn fence, such as we have in 
 this country, appears to be unknown in the United States, 
 or if it grows at all, it is not planted for field fences. The 
 stumps of the trees cut down encumber the ground, 
 interrupt the straight current of the plough, and the 
 appearance of them in such great numbers indicates a 
 slovenly style of farming ; but the trouble and expense of 
 their removal appear to prevent any systematic proceeding 
 to have the ground cleared of them. In some few instances 
 
UNITED STATES. 17 
 
 the ground has been cleared by the stump extractor, an 
 apparatus formed as a compound lever, mounted upon 
 wheels, and wrought bv a pair of oxen. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA. 
 
 This city is the capital of the State of Pennsylvania. 
 and owes its origin co that noble-minded Christian states- 
 man, William Perm, whose memory is still greatly 
 honoured by the citizens. It was during a period of 
 religious persecution in England, that it became his 
 declared object to establish this colony, and thereby to 
 u afford an asylum to the good and oppressed of all 
 nations ; to frame a government which might be an 
 example to the world at large, and thus to show men as 
 free and as happy as they could be." The house in which 
 he resided in the city, and the locality of the elm tree under 
 the shade of which he entered into treaty with the Indian s, 
 are still cherished objects of regard. Since the date of this 
 treaty in 1682, the city and suburbs have become of great 
 mercantile importance, and contain upwards of haif-a-mil- 
 lion of inhabitants. The principal streets run east and west, 
 and they are crossed at right angles with other streets 
 running north and south : some of them are upwards of 
 one hundred feet broad, and their names indicate the rural 
 simplicity of their origin, such as "pine, spruce, walnut, 
 chesnut, &c." The State House is the most interesting: 
 object. It was hi the hall of this building that the 
 " Declaration of Independence' '' was signed in 1776. 
 Philadelphia upholds a reputation for philanthropy, and 
 possesses upwards of forty institutions for benevolent pur- 
 poses. The Girard College, which is the largest of them. 
 B 
 
18 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 was founded by an eccentric individual, Stephen Girard, 
 as an Asylum and School for Orphans, at the cost of nearly 
 £400,000. The principal building is after the design of a 
 Greek temple, and is the most imposing and costly edifice 
 in the United States, excepting only the Capitol of 
 Washington. 
 
 Having spoken of the existence of more than forty 
 institutions of a benevolent character, it will not be 
 necessary to define the particular purposes of each ; those 
 which we saw were on a large scale, and well conducted. 
 It is deserving of notice, and highly honourable to have to 
 record, the readiness with which the wealthy classes come 
 forward, when called upon, for any public object. We 
 heard of the proposed enlargement of an asylum, at the 
 cost of £50,000, and the subscriptions soon amounted to 
 nearly £60,000. In another instance, which also occurred 
 during our visit, an enlargement of a public park was 
 proposed, the money was very speedily raised ; and we 
 heard of two brothers — the Messrs. Cope — who had sub- 
 scribed £2,000 each. 
 
 SCHOOLING AND EDUCATION. 
 
 Throughout the historical proceedings of the United 
 States, there abounds one universal expression of solici- 
 tude for the training and education of the youth, not alone 
 for material and spiritual advantages, but to enable the 
 rising population to wield with effect the representative 
 v power which has been vested in their hands. This duty 
 has not been taken up by the federal government, but has 
 been undertaken by each and every one of the individual 
 states, and is being conducted at an unsparing expense. 
 
UNITED STATES.. 19 
 
 As an instance of the operation of the system, we will 
 take the example of Xew York. The city is formed into 
 wards, each of the wards elects its own board of officers, 
 and the officers so elected form a board of education, 
 invested with power to erect schools, and conduct every 
 arrangement in relation to schooling. In this manner every 
 elector has, once a year, the opportunity of making selec- 
 tion from amongst the candidates offering, of that indivi- 
 dual whom he is most willing to entrust with the education 
 of his own children, and with permission to lay a tax 
 upon himself for the payment. According to the census 
 of 1855, the population of New York was 629,810. 
 The number of public schools in 1856 was 253, the 
 teachers employed were 1,200, the number of scholars in 
 attendance at these schools was 47,584, and the expendi- 
 ture of the year was £220,000. These schools are open to 
 children of every grade in life, to receive any amount of 
 education they may desire ; and in the High School, or 
 Free Academy, the students may remain to the age of 
 twenty-one. One of the principals assured us that educa- 
 tion in the public schools was adopted with the same 
 freedom by the rich as by the poor ; that the sons of the 
 labouring hod-carrier and those of the highest citizens were 
 frequently found side by side in the same class ; and that 
 by reason of such contact, the delicacy of habits prevailing 
 among the sons of the wealthy did not degenerate into 
 gross demeanour, but, on the contrary, the sons of the 
 working class were but too glad to avail themselves of the 
 examples of the more refined, as a means, in then- opinion, 
 whereby to promote their own advancement in life. 
 
20 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 It has been found that the characteristic gentleness of 
 female teachers is very important in the influence they 
 exercise upon children ; and as there is also an economy 
 of wages in the employment of females, they are very 
 extensively engaged in school teaching in every part of 
 the Union. At the Normal Training School of New 
 York, the attendance was reported to be from six to seven 
 hundred female teachers. The schooling of Philadelphia 
 is of the same character as that of New York, excepting 
 only that it is conducted at less expense, because the 
 directors hire a good many of their schools, instead of 
 building school premises of their own. 
 
 The interest attaching to education in the estimation 
 of the public, we had the opportunity of observing. At the 
 closing of the term of the High School, there was an as- 
 sembly of upwards of 4,000 persons to witness the display 
 of school attainments of the students who were leaving. 
 The day was held as a gala day. The school directors, 
 along with the students, occupied the platform of a large 
 hall, and the students acquitted themselves with great 
 ability in the delivery of compositions of their own, in most 
 of which the amiable qualities were prominent, together 
 with an earnest patriotism, — altogether affording the best 
 guarantee of individual comfort and national progress. 
 The enthusiasm of the audience was almost unbounded. 
 Upon those who displayed most cleverness, the ladies 
 showered bouquets of flowers ; and the gentlemen ex- 
 pressed their encomiums without measure. The exhibition 
 lasted about three hours, and was closed by a very fatherly 
 exhortation from the principal to the pupils. He reminded 
 them that " they were now entering upon the affairs and 
 
UNITED STATES. 21 
 
 duties of life ; that they were each of them in possession 
 of a certificate of their collegiate proficiency, and of their 
 unblemished reputation; and he enjoined upon them ever 
 to uphold those high principles of religion and virtue 
 which had been inculcated by their teachers ; and in 
 whatever condition of life they should hereafter be found, 
 that they should cherish with esteem the remembrance of 
 those who had thus laboured for their welfare.' 7 Indeed, 
 from the established character of the students, the demand 
 for them is so large, that they are regularly advertised for 
 by the merchants of the city : indeed it is a noble spectacle 
 to observe the manner in which America is engaged in the 
 training of her sons, 
 
 COTTON XAXUFACTURE. 
 
 Near the Falls of the Schuylkill we visited some exten- 
 sive cotton mills. This concern had spinning and weaving 
 for 1,200 looms. The manufacture was a description of 
 strong cloth for trousers, wrought into twills, stripes, and 
 checks, of almost every shade of colour, to the extent 
 of 300 varieties. The cotton was dyed in a raw state as 
 it came from the bale, by being immersed in the dye vats 
 in wire baskets for about twenty-four hours ; afterwards 
 it was dried, and carefully opened for operation for spin- 
 ning. There was a great deal of ingenuity displayed 
 in the weaving department, especially in the arrangement 
 of the shuttles carrying the different colours of weft, 
 and in their displacing of one another in the forrrmtion 
 of the patterns. The goods were bleached and calendered 
 on the spot, and the bales were packed and sent away in 
 readiness for distribution to the retail trader of the south. 
 
22 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 BALTIMORE. 
 
 Passing from Philadelphia to Baltimore, about 100 
 miles distant, the railway is intercepted by the Susque- 
 hanna river, at a point which is about a mile in breadth, 
 and the crossing of passengers is effected by a steam boat. 
 Upon [this occasion the boat having got frozen amongst 
 the ice, the passengers were invited to walk across the 
 river upon planks, in order that they might escape the 
 holes and tender parts of the ice. The danger appeared 
 imminent, but we crossed in safety. 
 
 The city of Baltimore is situated upon the Potapsco 
 Eiver, entering the Chesapeake Bay. A century ago it 
 consisted of nine houses only, and in 1850 the population 
 had reached 169,054. We arrived late in the evening, 
 and next morning the object we first saw before us was 
 a monument of white marble, called the "Battle Column/ • 
 to commemorate the names of those who fell in defence 
 of the city when attacked by the British forces in 1814. 
 Baltimore has been called the monumental city, probably 
 by way of compliment to the public spirit of the inhabi- 
 tants in the erection of another monument, 176 feet high P 
 in memory of Washington, whom every true American 
 honours as the "Father of his Country." We thought 
 there was an aspect of great respectability prevailing 
 about the city. 
 
 The most important-looking edifice is the Mechanics' 
 
 Institute, 355 feet long and 60 feet wide ; the principal 
 
 hall holds 6,000 persons. Baltimore is largely engaged 
 
 in the export of grain and flour. It is the natural outlet 
 
 or a large region of country which is principally under 
 
UNITED STATES. 23 
 
 grain cultivation. Flour mills are numerous, and in one 
 of them we saw a very systematic and economic arrange- 
 ment for grinding, preparing, and barrelling of the flour. 
 There are also several large manufactories of agricul- 
 tural implements. The proprietor of one of these allowed 
 us to see through his works ; and the extent of his trade 
 may be estimated by his annual business returns, one item 
 of which consisted of 5,000 ploughs, besides other farming 
 implements and- tools, ranging from the thrashing 
 machine to the churn and wheelbarrow. Timber for these 
 purposes is cheap, and may be had at Is. per cubic foot. 
 The ploughs and other implements are not constructed of 
 iron, as in this country, but of wood, and the several parts 
 are wrought by machinery, through the various operations 
 of planing, grooving, morticing, and shamfering of the 
 edges. Each of these several parts being of uniform 
 shape, can be warehoused, and afterwards sent away in 
 execution of orders. 
 
 WASHINGTON. 
 
 This city is not only the seat of government, but the 
 great centre of political existence in the United States. 
 Our visit occurred upon the expiration of the official term 
 of President Pearce, and before the inauguration of Mr. 
 Buchanan, when the legislators, the planters, merchants, 
 and others of the most stirring people of the country 
 were present. The opportunity thus afforded enabled 
 us to enjoy a most acceptable range of intercourse, as well 
 as for observing and forming an estimate of the social, 
 civil, and political aspect of this metropolis of the States. 
 Previous to the year 1790, Congress had been accus- 
 
24? A TOUR IN THE 
 
 tomed to assemble at Philadelphia. At the suggestion of 
 General Washington, a territory of one hundred square 
 miles in extent, was appropriated as the future seat of 
 government. The design of the city was executed under 
 the direction of Washington himself : the streets appear 
 unnecessarily wide — they radiate from two central points, 
 and take their names from the various states of the 
 Union. The " Capitol' 7 or Houses of Parliament, is an 
 immense mass of building of white marble, and when the 
 enlargement now in progress has been completed, the 
 entire edifice will cover four acres of ground, and will 
 be the most magnificent public building in the United 
 States. Tn the centre is the Eotunda, of ninety-six 
 feet diameter, and in the panels which surround the 
 basement storey, there are four b as -relievos of historical 
 subjects of great interest to that country, such as Penn's 
 Treaty with the Indians ; the Landing of the Pilgrims, 
 &c. &c. 
 
 There are several other public buildings which are 
 noble specimens of architecture, such as the Treasury, 
 the Patent Office, the Post Office, and the "White House/' 
 the residence of the President. The public monuments 
 of General Washington and of Jefferson are interesting 
 objects ; and the Observatory also, which is in charge of 
 Lieutenant Maury, the well-known author of a work of 
 great merit on the u Currents of the Ocean." 
 
 The Smithsonian Institution is a very large modern 
 building, ornamented with towers in the Eomanesque 
 style of architecture. This institution owes its existence 
 to an English gentleman, who, having led a life of retired 
 and studious habits, left a large sum of money to be 
 
UNITED STATES. 25 
 
 expended at Washington, for the fonnding of an " Estab- 
 lishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge 
 among men. 7 ' The professors and those who have 
 charge of it, are making rapid progress in carrying 
 ont this enlightened design, and already a beneficial 
 influence has been derived by the diffusion of scientific 
 knowledge, annually distributed amongst the literary 
 institutions of every country. One of the subjects of 
 leading interest with the executive council, has been the 
 collection of portraits of Indian Chiefs, and others of 
 celebrity of that race who are now fast disappearing 
 from the country. We saw a gallery of about a hundred 
 portraits. Many of the characters were strongly 
 marked by nature, and bore the indications of a rude, 
 thoughtful kind of intelligence ; but their lineaments 
 were miserably defaced by the decoration, as they con- 
 ceived, of tatooing. The architecture of the Patent 
 Office is after the celebrated Pantheon. The object of 
 the building is to afford the necessary accommodation 
 for patented inventions. Model representations are ex- 
 hibited in great numbers, and there are also some speci- 
 mens of natural history, &c. ; but amongst the most 
 interesting of the articles we saw, was the original 
 manuscript Declaration of Independence, with all the 
 signatures attached ; and the printing press which had 
 been worked by Franklin at the time of his first residence 
 in London. 
 
 The associations of Yfashington became suggestive of 
 a widely different and more important study than that of 
 city architecture r Taking a comprehensive survey of the 
 brief and successful career of the United States, it 
 
26 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 appears necessary that we should comprehend the political 
 organisation which has founded and sustained an extent 
 of national and individual prosperity hitherto unexampled. 
 The recognition of the " Sovereignty of the People" 
 seems to have formed the basis of all American institu- 
 tions. The founders having sprung from one dead level, 
 it has been their policy to establish an electoral power of 
 the widest range, and thereby to uphold the self-respect 
 as well as the authority of the citizens, by placing entirely 
 in their hands the determination of fitness of every 
 candidate for official appointment, whether in the town- 
 ship, the city, the county, the state, the federal legis- 
 lature, the appointment of the judges who administer 
 the laws, or the President of the Union. The frequency 
 of electoral appeals appears to have a sustaining effect 
 upon the independent character of electors. They all of 
 them insist upon being considered "citizens," and not 
 " subjects," of the state ; and so jealous are they of their 
 independence, that they make constant display of it in the 
 everyday concerns of life, and to an extent that borders 
 upon rudeness. 
 
 Each state is an independent republic, having a local 
 character in its functions, and a representative character 
 in returning its senators to the legislature. Congress 
 consists of a Senate and a House of Eepresentatives. 
 The Senate is composed of two members from each state, 
 chosen as before stated by the legislatures of the several 
 states, for the term of six years, one-third of whom go 
 out biennially. The senators must be thirty years of age, 
 nine years citizens of the states, and inhabiting the 
 state for which they are returned. The regular number 
 
UNITED STATES. 27 
 
 is 62 ; and the Vice-President of the United States is 
 President of the Senate. The House of Bepresentatives 
 is composed of members from the several states, elected 
 by the people for the term of two years. The representa- 
 tives are apportioned among the different states, according 
 to population. The present number is 234, besides 
 eight delegates returned by Oregon and other recent 
 annexations, who are allowed to speak, but not to vote. 
 
 The annual salary of the President is £5,000 
 
 That of the Vice-President and seven others of the Exe- 
 cutive Department who form the Cabinet, each £1,600 
 
 The compensation allowed to members during attend- 
 ance in Congress, is (per day) £1. 13s. 4d. 
 
 And for every 20 miles of travelling, in going to and 
 returning from the seat of government £1. 13s. 4d. 
 
 The revenue for the year 1856, derived from customs 
 and the sale of public lands, was £14,783,000 
 
 The expenditure in the army department, 12 ; 6S8 sol- 
 diers, was £3,389,639 
 
 In the navy department the number of the men is not 
 given, but the cost is £2,815,000 
 
 The legislature allows of no pensions ; and if any 
 warlike emergency should arise, they contract with 
 generals and other officers for a given period of service, 
 at a fixed rate of payment; and when the service is 
 ended, the parties so engaging again retire into private 
 life, or resume some profession or pursuit, as other citizens 
 do. Our introductory letters brought us into a wide range 
 of intercourse with the leading officials, and with many 
 members of the two Houses of Congress, which we deemed 
 not only a privilege, but a source of enjoyment. 
 
 The Senators appeared older and more deliberative men 
 than those of the lower house. An inquiry was at that 
 time pending in which the parties concerned, who were 
 
28 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 members of the lower house, were charged with corrupt 
 practices. This inquiry, and the proceedings of the 
 Congress, were interesting to a stranger, and therefore 
 we may relate some portion of what occurred. One of the 
 representatives introduced us into the body of the house, 
 and before the business commenced, we had an agreeable 
 conversation with the Speaker. 
 
 When the Speaker had taken his seat, a venerable- 
 looking old ;man ■ immediately rose, and proceeded to 
 invoke a blessing upon the deliberations of the day. 
 We remarked to our friend the member, that their Con- 
 gress, unlike our Parliament, allowed the chaplain of the 
 house to enter their presence unadorned with any official 
 gown or sacerdotal dress. He replied, " You will not see 
 any finery here, — neither the Speaker nor any other official 
 is distinguishable by any outward badge of servitude. 
 The old gentleman, the chaplain, as you are pleased to 
 designate him, is one of the few remaining officers 
 who served his country in the War of Independence ; 
 he is now 94 years of age, and is not well provided for, 
 therefore he is willing to accept a small sum annually, 
 not as a pension (you know that pensioners we have 
 none), but by way of compensation for coming once 
 a day to ask a blessing upon Avhat we are doing/ 7 Every 
 member has a writing desk before him, and nearly every 
 one appeared absorbed in giving attention to his corres- 
 pondence ; and very few took any notice of the proceed- 
 ings of the house. It was very common for a member 
 to be seen addressing the house under considerable 
 excitement, whilst those who were sitting close at hand 
 would be coolly engaged in writing letters or turning 
 
UNITED STATES. 29 
 
 over folds of papers, and looking quite unirnpassioned. 
 
 We observed an instance of irregularity and want of 
 attention in taking the votes. A member whose name 
 was called over answered "Aye." Some time afterwards 
 this gentleman appeared to discover that he had made a mis- 
 take, and requested permission of the Speaker to have his 
 votereversed, alleging, as his reason, that he had been en- 
 gaged at his desk, and had inadvertently voted the wrong 
 way* Leave was given, and the vote was reversed. 
 Another instance was one of amusement ; it was that of a 
 motion for a grant of money to explore the river Mger 
 in Africa ; and the clerk at the table, in reading the form 
 of resolution, fell into the very understandable error of 
 proposing a grant of money for exploring the river "Nig- 
 ger!" There were other proceedings which would be 
 equally open to remark, as indicating a legislative disre- 
 gard of that dignity which would be becoming of an 
 assembly upon whom there is resting so weighty a re- 
 sponsibility. 
 
 SLAVEHY. 
 
 Discussions of a party political character were frequent, 
 and we did not fail to notice that the subjects upon which 
 the parties appeared most confident, often proved to be 
 those upon which, in reality, they were most nervous. 
 For instance, slavery was in everybody's mouth. Those 
 from the north would exclaim against the sin and the 
 reproach which rested upon their country by reason of 
 the proceedings of the south, — ever making parade of 
 their own example in having liberated the slawes which 
 had belonged to themselves. The southerners were not 
 
30 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 slow to remind those of the north that they had taken 
 care to hold possession of their slaves until they had got 
 a sufficient supply of white emigrants, from Ireland and 
 from Germany, whom they greatly preferred to serve 
 them; and it was then, and not before, that they had 
 sold out their slaves to the south, or had turned them 
 adrift and having called upon the rest of the world to 
 extol their philanthropy, they had thrown reproach upon 
 the southerners, who they well knew had no white emi- 
 grants to fall back upon. Incidental remarks bearing 
 upon the subject were often being bandied about. The 
 southerners would appeal to the northern men, whether 
 they had ever known an instance in which a member 
 of an American family had become a domestic servant; 
 and the answer uniformly given was, that such a case was 
 unknown. Upon this admission, the case against the 
 northern people was deemed conclusive, namely, that the 
 northern people who required such servants would have 
 retained to this day the slaves they held, if the emigrants 
 from Europe had not, in so convenient a manner, super- 
 seded the necessity of their retaining possession of them 
 any longer. It was remarked of the negro race, that in 
 those states where they had been liberated from slavery, 
 they had not only not increased as the white population 
 had done, but that they had gradually diminished in 
 numbers, chiefly by reason of their want of forethought, 
 the neglect of their children in infancy, and the improvi- 
 dent and reprehensible courses which they pursued. 
 
 A gentleman from Philadelphia, an eminent merchant, 
 one of the visiting directors of a large philanthropic in- 
 stitution, and who was by no means favourable to slavery, 
 
UNITED STATES. 31 
 
 expressed his sorrow and regret that within a mile of his 
 own city residence he could find, in the dwellings of the 
 free blacks, a greater extent of distress, squalor, and 
 misery, than conlcl probably be found in any other place 
 in the world. These remarks may serve to indicate the 
 state of party feeling, and the spirit in which the subject 
 was being discussed in Washington. The northern peo- 
 ple feel sore, and express themselves strongly as being 
 dishonoured by the slavery of the south, and the south- 
 erners complain of the oratorical and maddening excite- 
 ment kept up by the north. 
 
 AMERICAN SMARTNESS. 
 
 You have no doubt heard of the " smartness " of the 
 Americans. An instance of this kind of sharp practice 
 may serve the purpose of illustration. One morning, 
 whilst we were loitering about in the entrance hall of the 
 hotel, an errand boy inquired if he might fetch a news- 
 paper from the office, next door. Having brought the 
 paper, and received a five cent piece, he called out 
 sharply, "It is all right, sir," and was walking away. 
 Referring to the cost of the paper, which was only two 
 cents, we remonstrated ; and he insisted that his claim as 
 messenger was three cents ! He then turned round in a 
 jaunty way and holding up the five cent piece, called out 
 " Here's the money, and if you think my charge too 
 much, you. can give me back the paper, and fetch one 
 yourself." 
 
 This description of " smartness " would appear to 
 receive encouragement, if we may judge from the remarks 
 of an American traveller, lately returned from Europe, 
 
32 A TOUE m THE 
 
 who was describing the English hotels, cab-drivers, por- 
 ters, &c, and with an air of exultation he remarked that 
 he had been better cheated in the three weeks since his 
 return to America, than during the whole eleven months 
 of his absence in England, 
 
 We do not in any unfriendly spirit remark upon 
 the political and other occurrences at Washington : indeed 
 it would appear ungenerous not to acknowledge the 
 very acceptable manner in which we were received by 
 families residing in the city, and by great numbers of 
 visitors from all parts of the union. 
 
 Leaving Washington, we descended the Potomac 
 Eiver by steamer, passing the mansion of Mount Vernon, 
 which will ever be memorable as the residence of 
 General Washington. Landing at Aquia Creek, we 
 joined the railway, and proceeded to Charleston, a 
 distance of 650 miles, without leaving the carriages. The 
 time occupied was forty-eight hours; the journey was 
 harrassing, and there was not any midway station wdiich 
 afforded the appearance of comfort. The principal part 
 of the way was through pine forests ; the country was 
 thinly inhabited, and the population were mostly employed 
 in procuring turpentine from the trees. 
 
 On our way through Eichmond, the train received 
 about fifty negro slaves, as passengers to New Orleans. 
 About one-half of these were men, and the rest women 
 and children. They were well dressed, and appeared 
 less painfully impressed with their condition than we 
 should have expected. One of the conductors informed 
 us they had carried about 6,000 in the previous six 
 weeks. 
 
UNITED STATES. 33 
 
 SECOND LECTURE. 
 
 CHARLESTON — SOUTH CAROLINA. 
 
 The city and locality of Charleston introduced ns into 
 that region which constitutes the party-political division 
 of South against North, and North against South, and the 
 subject of slavery came more immediately under our obser- 
 vation. This city, like the cities of New York and Phil- 
 adelphia, is situated upon a neck of land betwixt two livers, 
 or sheets of water, and stands in front of a wide bay upon 
 the Atlantic. The formation of the streets, and arrange- 
 ment of the houses into square blocks, also resemble the 
 northern cities ; but with this exception, that here the 
 houses are mostly composed of wood, and the sides of the 
 streets are lined with magnolias, palmettoes, and other 
 shady trees, with ornamental gardens. The population is 
 about 45,000, nearly one-half of whom are slaves, or free 
 coloured. 
 
 A considerable portion of the inhabitants are of French 
 origin, being the descendants of those who took refuge 
 here at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 
 The people are frank and hospitable, and the general 
 tone of society is refined and intelligent. The business 
 department of the city is principally that of receiving 
 for export and distribution the productions of South Caro- 
 lina, consisting mostly of cotton and rice. In the year 
 
 1804, the port of Charleston was allowed to be opened for 
 G 
 
34 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 four years for the importation of Africans, and during that 
 time 202 vessels are reported to have entered with slaves 
 from that country. Of these 
 
 The imports in British ships were 19,649 
 
 Do. French ships 1,078 
 
 By Citizens of the United States 14,605 
 
 Do. Slave-holding States 3,443 
 
 Total number imported 38,775 
 
 Our attention was directed to this tabular statement, 
 shewing that the great bulk of the slaves imported were 
 brought thither by the natives of those countries which 
 are now the foremost in repudiating slavery. It deserves 
 to be recorded as an event of some interest in the 
 commercial history of Charleston, that in the year 1832 
 the inhabitants, together with those of the whole of South 
 Carolina, took the lead in the Free- Trade movement, 
 by resisting a high tariff of duties for the avowed pur- 
 pose of protection, and to encourage the establishment of 
 manufactures in the States of the North. At that time 
 South Carolina was the chief producer of raw cotton, 
 the great staple article of export, and therefore she would 
 be the principal sufferer from the designs of the protec- 
 tive system. She had herself no manufactures to protect, 
 and could procure all she required for her own consumption 
 far more cheaply from the British manufacturers, who were 
 her best customers for the raw produce. She also felt 
 the dread of retaliation which might have resulted from 
 a design so pointedly aimed against the interests of Great 
 Britain. At length this state made a display of military 
 force, and formed an organized attack upon the whole 
 protective system of the Union, and thereby a political 
 
UNITED STATES. 35 
 
 crisis ' was produced which menaced the stability of the 
 Union by the threatened nullification of its acts. 
 
 Until this time the idea of a dissolution of the Union, 
 although it might have been conceived, had not been out- 
 spoken. The tariff dispute, however, invested that 
 question with all the appearance of substantial reality. 
 The contest assumed a bold position, and this premedita- 
 ted dissolution of the Union by the parties of the South, 
 was speedily followed by a preparation for collision. 
 South Carolina raised and armed her troops, and they were 
 being marched and drilled in sight of the Federal forces. 
 At length, however, the pending evil was averted by a 
 compromise. The spirit of free-trade still survives in 
 Charleston, and it was quite animating to receive the con- 
 gratulations of Charleston upon the success of our free- 
 trade proceedings in England. 
 
 The locality of South Carolina and Georgia will ever J 
 possess an interest with those who are engaged in the 
 spinning and manufacture of Sea Islands cotton. The 
 factories of Bolton are said to consume a greater quantity 
 of this cotton than those of any other place ; therefore, 
 the subject of its growth may be deemed of some con- 
 siderable interest, from its being so intimately connected 
 with our local industry. Possibly those who have been 
 engaged in the operations of spinning Sea Islands cotton, 
 may not have considered how large an amount of employ- 
 ment they have afforded to those engaged in the manufac- 
 ture of light and beautiful fabrics, as well as lace, at 
 Nottingham, Leicester, and Derby. The finest specimens 
 of this raw cotton are sold for as much as four shillings 
 per pound. A single pound of it has been extended by 
 
36 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 spinning to the length of 1,000 miles ; and when manu- 
 factured into lace it has even become of the value of £200. 
 It would, therefore, be difficult to find any other raw 
 material, — the precious metals scarcely expected, — fur- 
 nishing so large an extent of employment as is now capa- 
 ble of being supplied by the manipulation of this kind of 
 cotton. 
 
 According to Mr. Elliott, one of the oldest planters of 
 Sea Islands cotton, in his "Address to the Imperial Agri- 
 cultural Society of France," in 1855, the seed of this 
 plant was brought from the Bahama Islands to the state 
 of Georgia, between the years 1785 and 1790; and after- 
 wards it was introduced into South Carolina, the state 
 whicli is now the largest producer. It is upon the small 
 islands of these states, which arc watered by the tides of 
 the Atlantic, that this cotton is grown. Upon some of 
 these islands which we visited, more particularly Edisto 
 Island and John's Island, we received very friendly 
 attention from the most distinguished of the planters ; — 
 gentlemen whose names will be familiarly known to our 
 chairman, and to other cotton spinners now present, such 
 as Elliott, Townsend, Seabrook, Mikel, and others : and it 
 is to the politeness of these gentlemen that we are indebt- 
 ed for the information we possess upon the cultivation of 
 this delicate plant. The growth of Sea Islands, more 
 than any other kind of cotton, is influenced by climate, by 
 the composition of the soil, and by the state of the atmos- 
 phere. The plant is extremely sensitive of the effects of 
 air and vapour; hence, in some favoured localities, the 
 quality of the production improves, and in others not far 
 distant it degenerates. The lands which are most favour- 
 
UNITED STATES. 37 
 
 able for its cultivation, are the numberless small islands 
 extending along the sea coast, and divided one from 
 another by narrow creeks, which receive tidal waters from 
 the sea ; and also the river waters descending from the 
 interior of the country, loaded as they are with alluvial 
 matter, which forms a deposit. These islands, and the 
 lands lying adjacent, which partake freely of a saline atmos- 
 phere, having a dry soil that admits of a dressing of sea 
 mud, in which silex prevails, are the favoured grounds for 
 the skill of the planter in raising the choicest of his crops. 
 Those lands which are lying more distant from the at- 
 mosphere of the sea, if dry and well manured with sea 
 weeds, salt mud, or the sweepings of the farm yard, to 
 stimulate the growth, will also yield successful crops. 
 But, eventually, it is found that distance from the sea 
 forms a barrier which the use of saline manure is unable 
 to overcome; and when the cultivation is attempted in 
 such places, even at the distance of ten miles from the 
 ocean, the result is coarseness and inferiority of staple. 
 
 In the month of February the ground is cleared of the 
 deadened stalks of the previous season; it is then ploughed 
 into drills of four and a-half feet asunder, and the manure 
 is introduced during the operation. In the months of 
 March and April, according to the state of the weather, 
 the seeds are deposited. From this time till the month of 
 August, the plants are thinned and weeded, and the roots 
 nourished by raising up a layer of soil by the plough or 
 the hoe. In August, the bolls are so far ripened that the 
 picking or harvesting is commenced, and for several 
 months afterwards all hands are busied in gathering, sort- 
 ing, cleaning, ginning, and packing the cotton. The pro- 
 
38 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 duct varies from 120 to 150 lbs. of cleaned cotton to the acre, 
 and from three to five acres may be cultivated by each 
 hand. The quantity of seeds which are raised in propor- 
 tion to the cotton, appears very considerable ; and in fine 
 cottons it frequently happens that only one pound of clean 
 cotton is derived from five pounds of the ripened pods 
 which have been gathered. The plant is liable to receive 
 severe injury from the visits of a great number of insects, 
 — and more particularly from a caterpillar which feeds 
 upon the leaves and unripe pods, sometimes destroying as 
 much as three-fourths of the entire crop. The incursions 
 of the caterpillar are not annual, but periodical : sometimes 
 they are not seen for four or five years in succession. 
 The Sea Island plant has now been introduced into the 
 state of Florida, and appears to promise an agreeable 
 amount of success. The quality of the cotton hitherto 
 raised in Florida has been inferior to that of Georgia and 
 South Carolina, but it is very useful for the generality of 
 purposes. The annual crop of Sea Islands is about 
 45,000 bags. 
 
 There has recently been introduced an improved 
 machine, called the "Macarthy Grin/ ; for separating the 
 cotton from the great mass of seeds by which it is sur- 
 rounded in the pod. It performs a much larger quantity 
 of work than the roller gin previously in use ; and appre - 
 hensions have been raised that this new process would 
 injure the staple, but hitherto it had not been ascertained 
 to have had any pernicious effect. Any injury, however 
 slight, would be greatly to be dreaded by the planters . 
 and on several of the plantations we found that although 
 the Macarthy gin was regularly employed in cleaning the 
 
UNITED STATES. 39 
 
 commoner kinds of cottons, the roller gin was still resorted 
 to for the finer kinds. 
 
 In travelling through these islands, many of them 
 appeared to be overflowed by the tidal waters, and tanks 
 were formed for collecting deposits of mud. Those which 
 were uncultivated were covered with long grass, reeds, 
 and bulrushes, and we saw that alligators were moving 
 about upon them. All this moisture so widely distributed 
 over the country, together with the decayed vegetable 
 matter lying exposed to a scorching sun, appeared to 
 afford every element for the creation of those malignant 
 fevers which cause the white man to flee to the mountains 
 or to the sea coast during the summer, whilst to the negro 
 they are harmless vapours*. The estate of a cotton 
 planter looks fertile and pleasing to the eye of the be- 
 holder — teeming with every production of grain as well 
 as cotton ; the gardens and orchards also, with every 
 variety of flowers and fruit ; the homestead with animals 
 and fowls of various kinds, all indicating the pleasing 
 aspect of abundance. The possession of it, however, in- 
 volves an immense amount of responsibility,— one which 
 the generality of persons wo aid be extremely desirous to 
 avoid. The negro community by which the planter is 
 surrounded, recognise in him their possessor, and there- 
 fore they look to the hand of their master in every emer- 
 gency which befalls them. There are seen about his 
 dwelling hundreds of men, women, and children, some of 
 whom are too old to labour, others too young ; some of 
 them willing, and others unwilling to work ; some quar- 
 relsome, others contented ; and every one running to him 
 for whatever they may have need of, whether in health or 
 
40 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 in sickness. Hospitals, with well-trained nurses in at- 
 tendance, are regularly provided by the planters ; indeed, 
 if no higher motive existed than their pecuniary value, it 
 would be of importance that the slaves should be sus- 
 tained in health. It was, however, very obvious that the 
 proper feelings of humanity did predominate. One gen- 
 tleman, whom we remarked looking careworn and ex- 
 hausted, informed us that for six weeks he had been giving 
 personal attention — night and day — to the nursing of sixty 
 of the children of his slaves, who had been having the 
 measles ; that the occasion for his continued presence had 
 been, not alone to administer the medicines, but to pre- 
 serve the children from unsuitable treatment, even from 
 their parents. 
 
 The labour on the plantations is mostly conducted on 
 a system of piece-work, which the labourers can easily 
 perform in six or eight hours ; and afterwards they have 
 the command of overtime for cultivating their own little 
 patches of ground, or for raising their fowls and pigs for 
 their own individual profit. As it is more than fifty years 
 since any of the negroes were imported from Africa, those 
 of the coloured race of America, although of African 
 blood, are now, in effect, the naturalised population of the 
 country. On some of the principal estates the removals 
 have not been frequent ; and in these cases the ties of 
 local and social attachment are said to be strong. Being 
 upon Edisto Island on a Sunday, we attended one of the 
 chapels, which belonged to the Presbyterian body. The 
 congregation was large, probably as many as 600 were 
 present, of whom there might be about 200 white and 400 
 coloured persons. The coloured people were all of them 
 
UNITED STATES. 41 
 
 slaves ; they appeared comfortable, well-dressed, and 
 
 many of them rather showy. It was the day of Com- 
 munion, and at the close of the sermon, about eighty of 
 the whites partook the ministration of the Sacrament. 
 When they had retired, the table was surrounded by 
 about 120 of the coloured people, and we observed that 
 the minister, elders, and deacons again officiated in like 
 manner, and the same degree of solemnity and decorum 
 was manifested by the coloured recipients. We inquired 
 of one of the ministers in attendance, whom we afterwards 
 met, whether this religious service that we had observed 
 was at all unusual ? and he informed us that it was not, 
 but that on the contrary, there was upon John's Island, 
 which is adjoining to Edisto Island, and in the congrega- 
 tion over which he had charge, a much larger than this num- 
 ber of coloured communicants ; and in the Methodist and 
 Episcopalian bodies there, the number was considerably 
 larger than in his. This gentleman was originally from 
 Scotland, and as he had resided seventeen years in South 
 Carolina, he had become attached to the country. He 
 said he could relate a great deal that would appear sur- 
 prising, of the religious feeling and very becoming de- 
 portment which had come under his notice in his inter- 
 course with the coloured population. That although he 
 still retained many of his early impressions in relation to 
 slavery, yet the many painful scenes he had witnessed 
 amongst the poor dependent classes in Great Britain and 
 Ireland, had not passed away from his remembrance. 
 That he often contrasted these recollections of his early 
 life, with the state of things around him in South Carolina, 
 where the negro had to incur the loss of his liberty ; and 
 
42 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 he felt convinced that, on the whole, the negro was a 
 gainer in the amount of care and attention which was 
 daily exercised by his employer for his welfare, and in the 
 greater amount of domestic comfort he was enjoying, as 
 compared with the peasantry of places which he could 
 name within the British Isles. 
 
 Upon our return to Charleston we remained some days 
 amongst our friends, before setting sail for Cuba; and 
 this time was very agreeably spent in social intercourse, 
 and in our observation of whatever might be interesting 
 about the city. Before the rapid rise of the cotton grow- 
 ing states on the Mississippi, the state of South Carolina 
 was the chief producer of short- stapled cottons, such as 
 we now receive from New Orleans. A considerable quan- 
 tity of this class of cotton is still produced in South Caro- 
 lina and the adjoining states, which is shipped at 
 Charleston; but the unexhausted soils of the West 
 have attracted many of the planters from South Carolina, 
 and, therefore, the export trade of Charleston has not, of 
 late years, increased in the same extent as that of New 
 Orleans or of Mobile. The bay of Charleston is incom- 
 moded with sand, which obstructs the navigation ; and we 
 found that an ingenious mechanist there had invented a 
 dredging machine to clear the accumulations of sand, by 
 adopting the principle of exhaustion or suction. The in- 
 vention appeared quite new, and the success of the ex- 
 periment was very cheering, so much so that the inventor 
 was ready enough to insist that he could make it tear up 
 the pavement of the streets. We also saw a machine for 
 ropemaking, for the binding of cotton bales. The strands 
 forming the several parts of the rope were brought to- 
 
UNITED STATES. 43 
 
 gether, not by elongation in a ropewalk, but by winding 
 them upon bobbins, and twisting them together upon tlie 
 principle of the bobbin and flyer used in cotton machinery. 
 
 THE SLAVERY QUESTION. 
 
 Our presence as British subjects in Charleston, and 
 amidst so large a number of persons in every grade of 
 life who were one and all identified with the system of 
 slavery, necessarily had the effect of bringing out in dis- 
 cussion whatever could be said in defence on either side of 
 the question : it is therefore only just and reasonable that 
 in relating whatever we heard upon the subject, the case 
 of the pro-slavery party should be stated. The substance 
 of the arguments amounted to this, — that the universally- 
 recognised necessity of sugar and of cotton to supply the 
 daily wants of civilised life prevailed in every country. 
 That the growth of these articles was utterly impossible 
 excepting upon lands which are bordering on the tropics, 
 amidst swamps, and in those climates where the white man 
 cannot labour, and the black man can ; therefore, if these 
 articles are grown at all, the black man must grow them. 
 That by nature the blacks were unable of themselves to 
 organise any system of labour, and they required the aid 
 of the white man to direct their proceedings. That they 
 were also unable to accumulate large capital, or to invent 
 any operation of mechanism. That it was with difficulty 
 they could be taught to construct ; and that nowhere on 
 earth could there be found any architectural or other trac- 
 ing or record of their previous existence as a race. That 
 hence there was a propriety, as well as necessity, 
 that they should fall under the care and supervision of the 
 
44 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 white man, for certain purposes of usefulness in the crea- 
 tion. That the holders of slaves had divine as well as 
 human authority for holding their fellow -men in a state 
 of bondage, inasmuch as in the same book (the book of 
 Leviticus) the Hebrews were instructed "to buy the 
 children of the stranger, and to hold the inheritance of 
 them as a possession for ever:" and this was found side 
 by side with the divine injunction to "love their neigh- 
 bours as themselves." That the existence of slavery in 
 the United States had been of British origin, and had con- 
 tinued to be nourished by British shipping as long as 
 America would consent to receive the slaves of Africa. 
 That the slave owners of the present day were often pain- 
 fully reflected upon by those of other classes ; but they 
 considered themselves to be clear of any guilt in the mat- 
 ter. That slavery in the United States was a state insti- 
 tution, of remote origin, and that in many instances the 
 present proprietors were the descendants of the slave 
 owners of a former period, holding their plantations and 
 their slaves, not from any choice of their own, but from 
 inheritance. They denied the allegation so often reiter- 
 ated, that the condition of slavery was a "traffic inhuman 
 souls ;" and, as masters, they disclaimed the holding of 
 any property in the "rational, moral, and immortal, 77 but 
 in the right of labour only. 
 
 We drew attention to the fact — as we supposed it to be, 
 having so often heard it asserted in this country and not con- 
 tradicted — that by some recent enactment it was deemed 
 a penal offence for any one to teach a negro to read. To 
 this remark one of our friends replied, that there was upon 
 the statute book a law to that effect, — not a recent enact- 
 
UNITED STATES. 4)5 
 
 rrient, but an unrepealed statute enacted by the British 
 when the country was a colony ; but that in effect this 
 law was now no law at all, as its provisions had long since 
 ceased to be regarded. That the little "niggers/ 7 as he 
 called them, could any day be seen running to and from 
 school, carrying their books in straps. He then named 
 two or three young ladies, the daughters of a planter, at 
 whose house we had recently been as visitors ; and stated 
 that he had himself been present on Sundays, when he 
 had seen those young ladies teaching the negro children 
 to read, and afterwards reading sermons to the older peo- 
 ple; adding, emphatically — : 'Do you think that they 
 would continue to bestow this attention to their father's 
 slaves, if they had any cli;ead that it was an offence for 
 which they were liable next day to be imprisoned? 
 
 Finally, the appeal against myself, as a British sub- 
 ject, was urged in the following graphic terms: — If the 
 raising of cotton and sugar by slave labour does constitute 
 a theft, as the English abolitionists have insisted, surely 
 the receiving of goods so stolen, whether by purchase or 
 otherwise, must constitute a participation in the crime ; 
 and in this case the British people themselves were the 
 greatest of moralists, and the greatest of sinners ! and 
 it might be added, that as consumers of cotton and sugar, 
 they must make up their minds either to sin or starve. 
 
 We may have had the worst of it in the discussion, 
 yet we do not hesitate to give the substance of the re- 
 marks which we heard, as we had not been previously 
 aware that the slave owners had any other plea than that 
 they had a law, and that by their law they held possession 
 of their slaves after the manner of property. There were 
 
46 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 three if not four distinct phases of slavery came under 
 our notice, each of which will he brought under observa- 
 tion in the order m which we found them in those parts of 
 the country to which they severally belong ; — that of South 
 Carolina being the most advanced towards a state of intel- 
 ligence and Christian liberty. As before remarked, more 
 than fifty years have elapsed since the last importations 
 from Africa ; consequently, those now on the plantations 
 are natives of the country, trained to habits of industry 
 from early childhood, and, in fact, might be called citizens. 
 They reside in small communities on the plantations ; 
 and, judging by the social aspect which they presented 
 amongst themselves, there was always going on amongst 
 them a cheerful, animated sort of village gossip, which 
 would impress a stranger very favourably of their con- 
 tentment, if he could for the moment forget the two words 
 "liberty" and "slavery." 
 
 PKOCEEDING SOUTHWARD. 
 
 Our next proceeding was by the steamer Isabel for 
 Havana, calling at Key West, in Florida, which is the 
 most southerly point of the United States. In approach- 
 ing these latitudes, we found ifnecessary to cast off, day 
 by day, some portion of the warm clothing we had pro- 
 vided for winter. Passing along the coast of Florida, for 
 hundreds of miles we never saw either man or beast, nor 
 anything like a house or dwelling. The country, as far 
 as could be judged of its appearance, resembled the swampy 
 cotton lands of Georgia and South Carolina. Key West 
 is the largest settlement in Florida, and contains only 
 about 2,300 inhabitants, who are mainly engaged in wreck- 
 
UNITED STATES. 47 
 
 ing ; — seeing that upon this coast there is considerable 
 danger to shipping from the prevalence of coral reefs. 
 The coral is one of those animals which resemble a plant, 
 a snb-marine plant of great hardness, and of a stony 
 nature, and forming reefs, or small islands, which often 
 lie submerged in the sea, and are very dangerous to mari- 
 ners. The wreckers of Key West are, humanly speaking, 
 a class of u stormy petrels/' who subsist upon disasters 
 to shipping, and rejoice at the presence of a fog or a storm. 
 There are laws and regulations to provide against any 
 improper advantage in the name of salvage.* 
 
 The state of Florida, having been one of the recent 
 annexations, is still inhabited to some extent by the Indian 
 tribes, who have sometimes fallen upon those settlers who 
 have made unwelcome incursions upon their hunting 
 grounds ; therefore, the government of the United States 
 have placed at Key West a garrison of soldiers for the 
 purpose of destroying or of expelling the Indians ; and at 
 the time of our visit, the governor informed us that on the 
 previous evening a party of troopers from the garrison had 
 returned after an absence of a month in search of Indians 
 amongst the swamps and thickets. 
 
 Some idea may be formed of the character and hard- 
 ship of the soldiers' mission, from the fact that they had 
 during their absence been exposed to the weather, and to 
 the uncertainties of finding their necessary supplies of food. 
 They had been unable to meet with a single Indian, and 
 had not a shoe on their feet, nor a thread of clothing 
 
 * During the fourteen years preceeding 1858, there were 655 vessels 
 wrecked or disabled at this point, the value of which, with the cargoes, was 
 £5,000,000; the expenses incurred were £500,000. 
 
48 A TOUR tN THE 
 
 below the knees, and had been upwards of thirty hours 
 without tasting food, 
 
 CUBA. 
 
 Having taken our leave of the wintry north, we felt an 
 enjoyable emotion in our approach to the land where the 
 orange, the palm, and the myrtle abound. It was at sun- 
 rise, under the balmy influences of one of those lovely 
 mornings such as in this country we have about mid- 
 summer, when we entered the beautiful harbour of Havana, 
 and placed our little steamer among the crowd of shipping 
 and the waving flags of almost every country. Upon the 
 sloping sides of a hill, the broad white outlines of the city 
 were lying stretched before us ; and it was indeed an en- 
 livening scene of novelty and beauty such as we have 
 seldom looked upon. The bay is entered by a channel, 
 about 500 yards in width, guarded on one side by the 
 celebrated Moro Castle, and on the other by a fort called 
 the Punta. Upon a rock adjoining the castle is a 
 modern built lighthouse of 265 feet in height, with a 
 revolving lantern, of French construction, which affords 
 light, in favourable weather, as far as thirty miles out at 
 sea. 
 
 Cuba is called the " Queen of the Antilles, " and is 
 situated within the tropics ; it is 700 miles long, by an 
 average of about fifty in breadth, being rather over 30,000 
 square miles in extent. It is a Spanish possession, 
 governed on the antiquated colonial system of Spain, 
 which in these times, m^v be called semi-barbarous ; the 
 authority being vested in an officer called the " Captain- 
 General," who is accustomed to exercise his power in a 
 
UNITED STATES. 49 
 
 very despotic manner. The population of the island, 
 according to estimate, is 750,000 slaves, 100,000 free co- 
 loured, 520,000 whites; total, 1,370,000.* The industry 
 of the country is employed in the cultivation of sugar, 
 tobacco, and coffee ; by far the largest extent being in 
 sugar. The annual revenue derived to Spain is supposed 
 to be one million sterling, besides the sums expended for 
 the government of the island, and upon the embassies of 
 Spain in the adjoining countries of the United States and 
 Mexico. 
 
 The city of Havana is of the Moorish style of archi- 
 tecture, the houses are of a castellated form and flat roofed, 
 the outer walls painted and decorated in lines of very 
 gaudy colours, so skilfully blended as to produce by their 
 admixture, a mellowing effect, which alleviates the eye, 
 by subduing the oppressive character of the glare and 
 . heat. The entrance to one of these magnificent houses is 
 by an archway leading from the main street. Within the 
 centre area of the building is a square or court, open to 
 the top, surrounded by stairs and covered galleries for con- 
 venience of approach to the various apartments. This 
 inclosure is decorated with fountains, vases, flowering 
 shrubs, &c. &c. The upper rooms are occupied by the 
 family, and on the ground floor are the warehouses, coach- 
 house, and stabling. The proprietors are by no means 
 exclusive in the selection of building sites, but allow the 
 mansion to stand side by side with the hovel, without 
 regard to appearance. The window openings are un- 
 
 * Mr. Crawford, the British, minister, states that in 1858, 17,000 slaves 
 were imported into Cuba, 30,000 in 1859, and 40 to 50,000 in 1860, besides 
 Chinamen. The last sugar crop was estimated at 500,000 tons. 
 D 
 
50 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 glazed, and, by way of protection, are fenced with an open 
 lattice-work of iron rods, presenting to the stranger a very 
 prison-like look. The inmates appear to have no dread of 
 being under observation; the females are for the most 
 part unemployed, or engaged only in swinging to and fro 
 in rocking chairs, placed in double lines facing each other, 
 for convenience of conversation. 
 
 The principal residents are the wealthy planters, — the 
 territorial princes of the island, — chiefly of Spanish origin, 
 who usually spend their winter months in the enjoyment 
 of a round of gaiety in this metropolis of the island. 
 They have a very large theatre and other places of amuse- 
 ment; the character of the prevailing entertainments is 
 gross rather than costly ; and bull-fighting and cock- 
 fighting are those which they mostly prefer to indulge 
 in on Sundays. The ladies and the elite of the city enjoy 
 their grandeur of display in equipages and attendants. * 
 They have public promenades, one of which, the " Passeo 
 de Isabel/' is of considerable length, and is lined on both 
 sides with groves of lofty palms, forming the principal 
 promenade, or the " Hyde Park" of the citizens. It is in 
 the evening only, after the heat has subsided, that the 
 scene is brilliant. The gentlemen are moving about on 
 horseback, and the ladies in open vehicles called u Volan- 
 tes," in which they usually sit three abreast, the middle 
 one foremost ; they are without bonnets, their dresses are 
 of gauze of light fancy colours, with skirts flying in the 
 breeze : the atmosphere is mild and balmy, free from chill, 
 and the setting sun renders the scene most delightfully 
 splendid. At a later hour in the evening, the " Plaza de 
 Armas" is the focus of fashion. It is a large square in 
 
UNITED STATES. 51 
 
 front of the mansion of the Captain- General, tastefully 
 laid down with flowering shrubs surmounted with royal 
 palms, forming a promenade, and very brilliantly illumina- 
 ted. The bands give out their music, the ladies appear in 
 full dress, the gentlemen crowd about engaging in chit- 
 chat ; and altogether, combining to produce a scene of 
 hilarity and mirth so Oriental and fairy-like as almost to 
 bewilder European eyes to look upon. 
 
 During the middle of the day, in the month of March 
 the thermometer in the shade was standing at upwards of 
 eighty degrees ; therefore most persons avoided being out 
 betwixt the hours of ten and three o'clock. The volante, 
 or the vehicle which is so much in use, is formed like an 
 old-fashioned English gig, having a moveable head inclin- 
 ing backwards. The wheels are about seven feet high ; 
 the shafts very long and elastic ; and the length of the 
 whole, including the horse, is 24 feet. The volante may 
 be drawn by one or two horses. The hair of their tails is 
 tied in a fanciful manner, and the point fastened to the 
 saddle. The driver, or " caleshero," as he is called, rides 
 on one of the horses ; they generally employ a negro, who 
 is mounted in tawdry livery, with his legs deeply cased in 
 jack-boots ; and the whole affair is mostly bedizened with 
 expensive silver ornaments. 
 
 The cathedral is a fine old building of the Moresco- 
 Spanish style of architecture. It is one of the leading 
 sights of Havana, and is celebrated as the last resting 
 place of the bones of Columbus. The first interment of 
 the discoverer was in his native country, Spain; thence 
 removed to Hayti ; afterwards, upon the expulsion of the 
 Spaniards from Hayti, they carried away his remains, and 
 
52 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 had them deposited where they now repose. In the wall 
 approaching the altar there is a small tablet which serves 
 to mark the spot ; but, taken as a specimen of a monu- 
 ment, the attempt thus to record the memory and the 
 greatness of Columbus is dishonouring even to Spain. 
 The existence of a cathedral, and about thirty other 
 churches in this city, is calculated to lead to the impres- 
 sion that the great purpose of religion is flourishing in 
 the island : on the contrary, such a conclusion would be 
 a great mistake. 
 
 There is only one church in the large city of Matanzas, 
 very few in any other part of the country ; and none but 
 the Eoman Catholic form of worship is permitted. The 
 congregational attendance at the churches was very slen- 
 der, excepting only when there was "military mass;" 
 the service was not impressive, and those in attendance 
 were mostly priests, soldiers, and women. The concerns 
 of the state religion are allowed to repose under the pre-? 
 siding authority of a bishop. Our interest in the affairs 
 of this personage was not a little increased by finding that 
 the bishop's house was a roofless ruin. The reason as- 
 signed for this dilapidated state of the premises, was the 
 reduction of the salary, on the present appointment, from 
 100,000 dollars a-year, to 15,000. It came out in expla- 
 nation of this serious reduction, that the present holder 
 of the bishopric had lent himself, contrary to law, to ac- 
 complish the marriage of Christina, the Queen of Spain, 
 to Munos, who was a commoner. His reward was this 
 bishopric, and his penalty for the offence was this reduc- 
 tion of his stipend. We felt curious to ascertain how he 
 had sustained this bereavement, — whether it had been with 
 
UNITED STATES. 53 
 
 characteristic humility, and as affording an example of 
 self-denying meekness. We were told that, on the con- 
 trary, he Lad not made up his mind to his loss, but that 
 he had already recovered nearly the former amount of 
 salary enjoyed, and had derived the money from sources 
 of gain which had been undiscovered by his predecessors, 
 such, for instance, as the sales of permissions for open 
 dealing in shops, and for the coaling of steamers, on Sun- 
 days ; together with some other moral delinquencies of 
 considerable pecuniary value. The roofless condition of 
 the residence of the former bishops, affords an instance of 
 the rapidity with which the natural fertility of the country 
 can obliterate any tracings of the previous existence of 
 cultivation and taste. The seeds of large plants had been 
 deposited by the wind upon the battlements on the house- 
 top; and in a few years these had sent out their roots 
 downwards through the walls in every direction, and split 
 them asunder. The roof had dropped in, and the pre- 
 sence of these bulky trees, now luxuriating on the walls, 
 will one day, when shaken by a gale of wind, probably 
 bring the whole fabric to the ground. The terraces of the 
 flower garden were just visible amongst the growth of 
 weeds, and the spontaneous creation of the soil had raised 
 the largest bamboo canes we had ever seen. Indeed, it 
 might truly be said that this was the place " where once 
 a garden smiled," but now " where many a garden flower 
 grows wild." 
 
 Havana is the great port and emporium of commerce of 
 the island. On both sides of the harbour there are large 
 warehouses for the storage of sugar received from the 
 plantations, one of which will contain 400,000 boxes. 
 
54 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 In such, a city there are a considerable number of Euro- 
 pean merchants, with whose families we had great plea- 
 sure in becoming acquainted. In their evening "recep- 
 tions," the doors and windows of their houses were 
 opened to their gardens and pleasure grounds, affording to 
 the guests an animating entertainment ; the scene itself, 
 the moon and the stars arrayed in all the tropical glory, 
 and the Southern Cross (a constellation which is never 
 seen away from the tropics), rendered the enjoyment alto- 
 gether very delightful. Their amusements were varied, 
 but the favourite and most successful were the " tableaux 
 vivants," admirably performed. The fish market of 
 Havana is a remarkable sight. Upon the marble benches 
 there is a display of the oddest-looking fish imaginable. 
 We saw many hundreds, and were told that sometimes as 
 many as 1,200 specimens might be found exhibited for 
 sale. They were of every form, and the colours inter- 
 mingled with shades, stripes, and spots, exceedingly 
 brilliant and interesting to look upon. Some of the fish 
 we found delicate as food, but most of them were of a soft, 
 inferior kind, and much less solid than the salmon or the 
 sole fish, which frequent the colder waters of the north. 
 
 The most valuable of the contributions of nature to 
 the inhabitants of Cuba, are the presence of a perpetual 
 summer, and a climate quite as productive as it is enchant- 
 ing. In the month of March we found our tables regularly 
 served with all the varieties of early vegetables, and with 
 delicious fruits in great abundance. Of little avail was 
 our knowledge of horticulture, in a country where every 
 production of nature was so strange to our experience. 
 Every bush, and every tree, appeared to have little or no 
 
UNITED STATES. 55 
 
 resemblance to any thing we had previously seen ; and in 
 almost every ditch, flowers were blooming, such as in 
 these northern parts require the heat and shelter of the 
 conservatory. We could not omit to notice such a sight ; 
 and by the politeness of our friends we procured the names 
 and description of the most conspicuous and most interest- 
 ing of the shrubs and plants of the island. 
 
 The banana rises to the height of 20 feet ; it is met 
 with everywhere ; and as a fruit-bearing tree it exceeds 
 all others in the amount of food which it produces. Ac- 
 cording to an estimate formed by Humboldt, one thousand 
 square feet of ground, which will yield only 381bs. of 
 wheat, or 4621bs. of potatoes, will yield 4,0001bs. of the 
 larger bananas. This fruit, so cheaply and plentifully 
 produced, is found at every table in Cuba, as regularly 
 as potatoes are seen in this country. It is enjoyed with 
 equal delight at the tables of the rich, as well as the poor; 
 it may be prepared by boiling, roasting, or frying, and is 
 taken along with animal food or with fish ; it is used in- 
 stead of pastry ; it is stored as dry fruit ; and a fermented 
 liquor is also derived from the juice of it. The plant is 
 perennial, — the stalk dying off when the fruit-bearing is 
 over. 
 
 The palm tree, in about thirty varieties, abounds 
 over the country. The royal and the cocoa nut palms are 
 the finest trees, often rising to the height of 60 or 80 feet, 
 and sometimes to as high as 100 feet or upwards. The 
 stately attitude of these trees affords a constant delight to 
 look upon ; indeed they are described by Linnaeus as "the 
 princes of the vegetable world, surpassing all others in the 
 grandeur and majesty of their port. 77 
 
56 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 The caoutchouc, or Indiarubber tree, grows to a consi- 
 derable height, and possesses an ornamental look. The 
 olive is in great variety. The guava plant is much culti- 
 vated, and affords a finely -flavoured jelly. The citron, the 
 mango tree, which so much resembles our horse chesnut, 
 is trained into groves aud shades, which afford shelter 
 from the scorching sun. The bamboo, the pittis-frorum of 
 18 feet in height, the fronclosa Africana, the araucaria]Bra- 
 ziliensis, of 20 feet high, the copaiba tree, the mahogany 
 tree, which is very common, the pimento, the night- 
 blooming cereus, grown as a covering for arbours, the aloe 
 and the cactus, grown as garden fences, the mango fruit, 
 the kiameta, the sapota, the cupidoa, an hybiscus with red 
 blossoms, very showy, the mammea, sugar apple, the 
 gourd or calabash tree, the verbena, six feet high, the log- 
 wood tree, the citron, trained to cover arbours, the cedar, 
 used for cigar boxes, and the ceiba tree, wmich often rises 
 to the height of 50 or 60 feet before throwing off a single 
 branch. We frequently noticed that this large tree became 
 a prey to the destructive power of an air-plant called the 
 u jaquey/' The seed of the jaquey, carried by the wind, 
 and lodged in the branches of one of these trees, strikes 
 root into the bark, and throws out a delicate network of 
 roots, which, as they gradually expand, encircle the tree, 
 and descend down the trunk until at length they take root 
 in the soil at the bottom. The increase of sustenance thus 
 obtained, enables these straggled roots to become incorpo- 
 rated one into another, until at length they embrace the 
 whole tree, and destroy the trunk. In this manner the 
 deadly jaquey has been known to expand its feelers to 
 other adjoining trees, incorporating into one mass as many 
 
UNITED STATES. 57 
 
 as six trees standing near together. It has been remarked 
 that ingratitude does not usually apply to the proceedings 
 of plants, but in this instance the jacjuey repays with 
 destruction and death its first and greatest benefactor. 
 Don Francisco Sauvalle, an eminent planter, has succeeded 
 in describing and taking drawings of 700 of the trees of 
 Cuba, exclusive of shrubs ; and he sees no immediate 
 prospect of the termination of his labours. 
 
 The attention of the cultivator is almost wholly ab- 
 sorbed by the sugar cane, the coffee, and tobacco plants. 
 The cultivation of the sugar cane is by drill husbandry; 
 the plant is perennial, the shoots rise to the height of ten 
 or twelve feet, and after cutting, another crop ascends 
 from the roots year by year for twenty years in succession. 
 There is no other plant which possesses the same luxuri- 
 ance of character, yielding as it does annually as much as 
 4,0001bs. of sugar to the acre. The crop becomes matured 
 about the end of October; the period of cutting and har- 
 vesting extends over six months, from November to May. 
 During this period the labour of the plantation and the 
 sugar manufacture is very toilsome indeed. The canes 
 are crushed by the sugar mill, formed of three massive 
 rollers revolving one upon another. The canes when ex- 
 hausted are dried for fuel, the syrup is boiled and placed 
 in small conical vessels covered with clay, having an 
 opening at the taper end for the escape of molasses. By 
 a recent invention, combining an ingenious application of 
 mechanism and chemistry, this antiquated process has 
 now to some extent been superseded. It not only effects 
 a great saving of manual labour, but more completely 
 separates the sugar from the molasses ; and again by a 
 
58 A TOUR IK THE 
 
 subsequent process, converts the molasses into sugar, 
 leaving only a worthless residiurn. The utensils consist 
 of large cauldrons made of copper, inside of each of which 
 a circular agitator is made to revolve at the speed of 1,000 
 times per minute. The engineering was mostly from this 
 country, and the copper utensils from France. In one of 
 the establishments which we visited, the premises and 
 plant used for this manufacture, were said to have cost the 
 proprietors upwards of <£40,000. 
 
 The coffee plant resembles the myrtle, and looks like 
 a hardy evergreen of five or six feet high ; the blossoms 
 are white, the berries ripen in September ; and it is not 
 until the third or fourth year that it produces fruit to any 
 profitable extent. A single tree yields from half-a-pound 
 to one pound of berries, and an acre about 6001bs. as an 
 average crop, The coffee plant luxuriates in the shade ; 
 and the banana is usually planted on the same grounds, 
 for the purpose of shelter. The labour required is 
 lighter, and the plantations look more ornamental, than 
 those of sugar. 
 
 Tobacco, next to sugar, is the most important source 
 of wealth to the island. The planting is performed in the 
 winter months ; and when we saw the plants, they were 
 only just above the ground. The manufacture of the 
 Havana cigars is a large trade, and is mostly carried on 
 in the cities. Indian corn is extensively raised, and con- 
 sumed as fodder for cattle ; and the same land raises two 
 crops in a year. The pine apple is a field crop, cultivated 
 as turnips are in this country ; and we saw this fragrant 
 and delicious fruit regularly brought to market by strings 
 of horses, with loaded panniers. 
 
UNITED STATES. 59 
 
 CUBAN SLAVERY. 
 
 We have purposely reserved the labour question to 
 the last. It is an awful subject to approach, involving 
 perhaps the blackest history of crime and cruelty ever 
 inflicted by one portion of the human race upon another. 
 The slaves of Cuba have not been born in the country, as 
 those of South Carolina and Georgia have, but have been 
 hunted down in Africa, and brought to Cuba for sale. 
 They are therefore not familiar with field labour, or the 
 use of implements of husbandry ; and it was often very 
 painful to see these poor creatures toiling in gangs, hand- 
 ling their tools awkwardly, exposed to the severity of a 
 driver who was standing over them armed with a whip, a 
 sword, and perhaps a revolver. The annual mortality 
 amongst the slaves is excessive, and as the planters do 
 not import females, nor raise families of negroes upon their 
 estates, as in America, the deficiency of labourers is filled 
 up by increased importations. The " working out " of the 
 slave, as it is familiarly termed, is caused principally by 
 the labour of the night. After the slaves have worked 
 twelve hours in cane cutting, the labour of four hours in 
 the night at the sugar mill is superadded, and these 
 additional four hours of exhaustion cause the vigour of the 
 negroes to become wasted, and they die off. By the me- 
 chanism now adopted in the sugar manufacture, this 
 system of night-working may be diminished, if not 
 entirely superseded; and we heard discussions of the 
 question deliberately entertained, whether the economy 
 of manufacture lay on the side of investing capital in 
 machinery, or in the exhausting of men. 
 
60 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 The first sugar plantation we visited was the very 
 worst specimen of the Cuban system we ever met with. 
 We were conveyed to this plantation by mistake, and 
 found the slaves were returning to the homestead with 
 bundles of canes on their shoulders ; and as they moved 
 along, having their clothes hanging loosely upon their 
 backs, they sometimes, inadvertently, disclosed the marks 
 of the whip. Many of them betrayed the unsubdued look of 
 recent captives from Africa, and as they happened to come 
 upon us unawares, some of them appeared startled with 
 alarm, or abhorrence, at the unexpected presence of 
 white people. 
 
 During the time that we were the guests of some of 
 the large planters, we observed that they did not betray 
 the same sort of nervousness that the American planters 
 appeared to feel regarding the moral aspect of the question 
 of slavery ; on the contrary, they seemed to take it for 
 granted that the institution of slavery was recognised, 
 along with commerce, as a pursuit which was equally 
 indispensable in common life, and alike commendable in 
 its character. Many of them were gentlemen in their 
 demeanour, and were possessed of the estimable qualities 
 which are usually found in social life amongst intelligent 
 and well-bred persons. Their slaves were well attended 
 to, and there was nothing observable of the repulsive 
 character we had met with in the first premises we had 
 seen on the island. Not a few of the slaves were repre- 
 sented as being possessed of money savings, and wore an 
 outward show of comfort ; but it must, however, be borne 
 in mind, that there doubtless must be many others who 
 at times feel deeply the smart of separation from the 
 
UNITED STATES. 61 
 
 endearments of their childhood, and their native homes. 
 Possibly it might be on this account, but, from s$me cause 
 
 or other, it was evidently considered necessary even for 
 those who might be supposed to stand veil with their 
 slaves, not to allow themselves or their principal servants 
 to go about unprovided with weapons. They usually had 
 about the premises a number of bloodhounds for the 
 recovery of the runaway slaves, and some of the dogs 
 were greatly extolled for the sagacity they had manifested 
 in the chase, especially in their pursuit across rivers. 
 By a provision of the Spanish law, a slave in ay pur- 
 chase his freedom, and have the price determined by 
 magisterial authority. Many of them do buy their own 
 freedom; whilst there were others who possessed as much 
 money as would buyout their freedom, who still remained 
 on the plantations, after having negotiated for some 
 partial exemption from labour. We heard of some of those 
 who had become free, who had done well in small trades ; 
 whilst others had fallen into dissolute habits. 
 
 CHINESE LABOURERS. 
 
 Since the year 1847, there have been imported into 
 Cuba 13.576 men, and 7 women; and the introduction 
 of this class of labour is on the increase. Upon their 
 arrival they are disposed of to the planters at 300 dollars 
 each, for a servitude of eight years, upon wages of four 
 dollars per month, besides clothing and food. They are 
 said to perform their work very creditably : they do not 
 possess the physical strength of the negroes, but they 
 excel the negroes in ail employments requiring the 
 exercise of skill; Some of the planters treated the China- 
 
62 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 men as they would treat the negro race, with severity ; 
 but they soon found that this would not answer. Others, 
 who followed a more judicious and confiding treatment, 
 succeeded much better. One gentleman, speaking of the 
 capabilities of the Chinamen in comparison with the 
 negroes, stated that if he were to give them instructions 
 to dig a trench of 100 yards long, two feet wide, and four 
 feet deep, they would make it straight and perfect ; whilst 
 the negroes, having the same instructions, would make a 
 very crooked trench, and would disregard their measures 
 altogether. The first importation of the Chinese have now 
 served their eight years, and are released; but they have 
 preferred to take employment as porters, or in some other 
 way, and have not demanded that they should be returned 
 to China, as they might have done, but have remained on 
 the island as free labourers. 
 
 GENERAL REMARKS. 
 
 It is supposed that not one-fourth of the island has 
 been brought under cultivation, in consequence of the 
 scarcity of labour. Cuba is probably enjoying a larger 
 extent of prosperity than any country in the world. We 
 were informed that there were hundreds of planters who were 
 making a profit of £10,000 a-year each, and that in other 
 cases the profits were much larger, some of them exceed- 
 ing £100,000. With a measure of prosperity like this, it 
 appears vain to expect that the African slave trade can be 
 extinguished by our upholding a large expenditure in the 
 employment of cruisers on the West Coast of Africa, and 
 around the coast of Cuba. A slaving adventure is easily 
 got up. Those of every class in ^Havana, ladies as well 
 
UNITED STATES. 63 
 
 as gentlemen, become subscribers according to their 
 means; and they often realise 300 per cent, profit, and 
 affect no sort of concealment in regard to their success. 
 The British Government have tried, by various means, to 
 put down this traffic, and have entered into a treaty with 
 Spain for the sum of £400,000 to establish a " mixed 
 commission," sitting in Havana, and having the officials 
 nominated jointly by Great Britain and Spain, for the 
 apprehension and trial of offenders, 
 
 According to a recent report of this commission, 
 addressed to Lord Clarendon, " The slave trade continues 
 to be carried on not only extensively, but with impunity." 
 The country is infested with robbers and brigands ; and, 
 not knowing of this, we were sometimes surprised to find 
 that our friends would insist upon having us accompanied 
 by an armed escort. We had never conceived the idea of 
 danger, and merely imagined that this attendance was 
 some sort of idle display on the part of these wealthy 
 Spaniards. Afterwards we ascertained that on one of the 
 roads we had travelled, there had been a robbery during 
 the previous week of a lady and gentleman, who had 
 been deprived of their money, their luggage, and part of 
 their clothing. 
 
 MATANZAS. 
 
 The city which stands next in importance to Havana 
 is Matanzas, about seventy miles distant. The interest 
 of our visit was not the city alone, but the attractions of 
 the renowned scenery of the " Combre " and the 
 " Yumuri," which lie adjacent to the city. We were con- 
 veyed to the hill of the Combre in the volante of one of our 
 
64 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 friends, and in passing we saw many picturesque nooks of 
 choicest landscape, some of which were adorned with the 
 mansions and pleasure grounds of the wealthy citizens. 
 
 On reaching the summit, the city lay on one side, and 
 the glittering surface of the bay on the other ; whilst 
 apparently below our feet there was the celebrated valley 
 of the " Yumuri," having a flattened plateau of oblong 
 form, under sugar culture, and so encircled by the hills of 
 the " C ombre " as to convey the idea of an earthen basin 
 surrounded with fluted grooves. Some considerable por- 
 tions of the slopes of these hills are covered with impene- 
 trable jungles of lofty trees, with myriads of closely- 
 twining plants intermingling with each other, displaying 
 a grotesque admixture of foliage and flowers, so closely in- 
 terlaced as to be utterly impossible even for a wild beast 
 to penetrate. On our way through this valley, the charm 
 of the scene was not a little enlivened by the prismatic 
 effect of a tropical sunset, and when the evening became 
 darkened, by the presence of the fire-fly and the glow- 
 worm. Passing through a narrow gorge in the hills, we 
 came to a wild romantic chasm, which has been rendered 
 memorable by a legendary story. When the Spaniards 
 got possession of the island, and had hunted down the 
 aboriginal people, the last remnant of the race was mas- 
 sacred near this place : hence the name of " Matanzas," 
 which means "butchery." The chieftain, indignant at 
 the brutality of the Spaniards, ascended this rock and 
 plunged into the river below, exclaiming, with his last 
 breath, "Yoinaori" (I die). The melancholy interest of 
 this event has supplied to the valley and the river names 
 which thev will retain for ever. 
 
UNITED STATES. 65 
 
 GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY. 
 
 It is attributed to the governing authorities, that they 
 are corrupt from the head downwards, and that they share 
 the spoil with the slavers. The Governor, or Captain- 
 General, as he is called, is invested with the power of a 
 despot; he appears to exercise it with severity, and with 
 a very strong hand. He may expel any one from the 
 island; and a meeting of three persons lie may consider 
 an unlawful assemby. A gentleman of wealth and sta- 
 tion informed us of the manner in which he had been 
 made to writhe under the powers of the government, for 
 the offence of having, with ninety others, signed a memo- 
 rial for the gradual extinction of slavery! 
 
 A few years since, a memorable instance cecum- 
 the case of Signer Ramon Pinto, a merchant, a man of 
 talent, aged, having a large family, whose residence ad- 
 joined the governor's garden, and who became an object 
 of political suspicion. His garden was dug up by order 
 of the governor, and liis premises were subjected to a 
 searching examination, but nothing was found that could 
 be deemed criminal, and it was believed by all well- 
 informed persons that there never was any credible evi- 
 dence raised against him. Notwithstanding this, he was 
 apprehended, and publicly garotted — or rather assassina- 
 ted — in the name of political justice. 
 
 It would be desponding, indeed, if we could yield to 
 the supposition that one of the finest regions of the earth 
 was destined to remain for ever the abode of despotism, 
 and that the resources of its wealth were to continue to 
 be wrung by oppression from the negro race. The day of 
 retribution will assuredly come, though its dawn may for 
 
66 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 the present be obscured in thick darkness. The means by 
 which the social and political changes which are necessary 
 to be accomplished shall be brought about, are hid from 
 our immediate vision ; but it will be admitted that those 
 changes which the patriot and the philanthropist would 
 desire, ought to come of the progressive intelligence of 
 the Cubans themselves. Unhappily, the tropics, although 
 fertile in all the productions of the earth, are not largely 
 creative oimind ; and the lethargy which climate appears 
 to induce, is unfavourable to the development of that 
 resistless action amongst the people which would termi- 
 nate in the triumph of the sacred cause of liberty. 
 
 In thirty years there have been raised, on Cuban soil, 
 at least three men who have left on record indubitable 
 evidence that they knew and felt the degraded condition 
 of their country and their countrymen : these men also 
 possessed the dignity of mind, and the heroism of char- 
 acter, which induced them boldly to declare it. They 
 were Heredia, Milanes, and Placido. Painful, however, 
 has been the record of their history. The result of their 
 efforts has been exile or martyrdom. Heredia was a man 
 of birth and position, whose patriotism forced him into 
 exile. Milanes was of humble life : his inability to 
 struggle with the wrongs he saw and felt, at length over- 
 powered his reason. The third was Placido, a combmaker, 
 a man of scanty education, who no sooner made himself 
 conspicious than he fell a victim, and was publicly shot. 
 Honour to Cuba, that such men should have lived ! 
 
 Of Heredia, the quality of his character will be appre- 
 ciated in the following plaintive extract from one of his 
 poems. 
 
UNITED STATES. 67 
 
 THE EXILE'S HYMN. 
 
 Fair land of Cuba ! on thy shores are seen 
 
 Life's fair extremes of noble and of mean ; — 
 
 The world of sense in matchless beauty dressed, 
 
 And nameless horrors hid within thy breast : 
 
 Ordained of Heaven the fairest flower of earth, 
 
 False to thy gifts, and reckless of thy birth S 
 
 The tyrant's clamour, and the slave's sad cry, 
 
 With the sharp lash in insolent reply, — 
 
 Such are the sounds that echo on thy plains, 
 
 While virtue faints, and vice unblushing reigns. 
 
 Else, and to power a daring heart oppose ! 
 
 Confront with death those worse than death-like woes. 
 
 Unfailing valour chains the flying fate ; 
 
 Who dares to die shall win the conqueror's state ! 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Fearest thou blood ? 0, better in the strife, 
 From patriot wounds to pour the gushing life, 
 Than let it creep inglorious through the veins, 
 Benumbed by sin, and agony, and chains ! 
 Thy blood, thy treasure, poured like tropic rain, 
 JBy tyrant hands to feed the soil of Spain. 
 What hast thou Cuban '-. Life itself resign, — 
 The very grave is insecurely thine ! 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Cuba ! thou still shalt rise, as pure— as bright, 
 As thy free air,— as full of living light; 
 Free as thy waves that foam around thy strands, 
 Kissing thy shores, and curling o'er thy sands. 
 
 Placido was charged with conspiracy ; and although 
 he affirmed his innocency of the offence, he was declared 
 to be guilty, and sentenced to be shot. During his im- 
 prisonment, and while preparing for death, he composed 
 a beautiful poem, his "Prayer to God," from which the 
 following has been extracted: — 
 
 God of love unbounded ! Lord supreme ! 
 
 In overwhelming grief to Thee I fly ; 
 
 Rending this hateful veil of calumny, 
 let Thine arm of might my fame redeem ! 
 
 Wipe Thou this foul disgrace from off my brow, 
 
 With which the world hath sought to stamp it now. 
 
68 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 Merciful God ! how should I Thee deceive ? 
 
 Let Thy eternal wisdom search my soul. 
 
 Bowed down to earth by falsehood's base control ; 
 Her stainless wings not now the air may cleave. 
 
 Send forth Thine hosts of truth, and set her free ; 
 
 Stay Thou, Lord, .ihe oppressor's victory ! 
 * * * * 
 
 But if this lot Thy love ordains to me — 
 
 To yield to foes most cruel and unjust, 
 
 To die and leave my poor and senseless dust 
 The scoff and sport of their weak enmity, — 
 
 Speak Thou, and then Thy purposes fulfil ; 
 
 Lord of my life, work out Thy perfect will ! 
 
 It seems hardly possible to omit one other extract, that 
 of his last farewell to his mother :— 
 
 The appointed lot has come upon me, mother, 
 
 The mournful ending of my years of strife ; 
 This changing world I leave, and to another, 
 
 In blood and terror, goes my spirit's life. 
 But thou, grief-smitten, cease thy mortal weeping, 
 
 And let thy soul her wonted peace regain : 
 I fall for right, — and thoughts of thee are sweeping 
 
 Across my lyre, to wake its dying strain — 
 A strain of joy and gladness, free, unfailing, 
 
 All-glorious and holy, pure, divine, 
 And innocent, unconscious as the wailing 
 
 I uttered at my birth ; and I resign, 
 Even now, my life : even now, descending slowly, 
 Faith's mantle folds me to my slumbers holy. 
 
 Mother, farewell ! God keep thee, and for ever ! 
 
UNITED STATES. 69 
 
 THIED LEOTUBE. 
 
 Ik taking our leave of Cuba, we retained a vivid recol- 
 lection of the joys and the sorrows which had impressed 
 our feelings with extreme interest, not to say solicitude 
 for the future of that lovely island. It did indeed appear 
 very lamentable, that one of the choicest possessions of 
 the earth, rich in all those products of nature which indi- 
 cate the most munificent of the gifts . of Providence to 
 man, should have been vouchsafed to the enjoyment of a 
 people who are unblest with that happiness so generally 
 attaching to human existence. It would be utterly vain 
 to look for any reform or improvement from within, so long 
 as the upper classes crouch beneath the iron rule of Spain, 
 and allow themselves to dose in the stupor of outward 
 prosperity. The whole fabric of society is sustained by 
 the most barbarous form of slavery, and the conducting of 
 the system of slavery does not appear to have been 
 rendered less harrassing by the ameliorating effects which 
 usually attend upon human progress. 
 
 THE GULF OF MEXICO. 
 
 For three or four days our ship was tossed about upon 
 those deep waters of the gulf, whence (according to the 
 theory of Lieutenant Maury) the ocean currents of the 
 tropics proceed to the Atlantic and thence to the Northern 
 seas. We enjoyed very beautiful weather, and were 
 
70 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 amused with the sportive movements of the flying fish, 
 and other incidents of the voyage. Having entered one 
 of the branches of the Mississippi in a dense fog, our ship 
 got upon a sand bank, and remained there twenty-four 
 hours. This disappointment induced a current of observa- 
 tion by no means uninstructive. 
 
 We were surrounded at the bar of the river by no less 
 than seventy or eighty ships, freighted with cotton from 
 New Orleans, and mostly bound for Liverpool. This of 
 itself was an enlivening mercantile sight : the presence of 
 these ships became suggestive of the remarkable fact that 
 it was only seventy years before, that not a single bale of 
 cotton had ever floated on that river, and that now they 
 were coming down by millions of bales in every year. 
 
 MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. 
 
 The principal region of our cotton supply, is in the 
 fertility of the Mississippi valley, which we are now 
 approaching. You may, perhaps, find that the details of 
 this subject may appear somewhat dry ; and we cannot 
 promise that it will afford you any amusement : never- 
 theless, it is becoming an affair of interest, which you 
 may, one day, study with profit. Let us refer to the map, 
 and try to acquaint ourselves with the marvellous extent, 
 and the unbounded resources of this valley, more par- 
 ticularly with that portion of it — that comparatively small 
 speck of the earth's surface, upon which we are so depen- 
 dent from year to year for our supply of cotton ; — or, in 
 other words, for the material resources of our prosperity. 
 
 The extent of this valley may be measured by a direct 
 line from the 29th to the 47th degrees of north latitude, 
 
UNITED STATES. 71 
 
 extending from the Gulf of Mexico on the south, to the 
 borders of the British Canadian provinces on the north ; 
 and in its breadth extending from the Alleghany mount- 
 ains on the east, to the Bocky mountains on the west ; 
 embodying an area which has been estimated at ten times 
 the surface of the British Isles. Within the range of this 
 valley may be found every diversity of climate, every 
 variety of soil, and every useful mineral. The principal 
 products are cotton, sugar, tobacco, hemp, flax, silk, 
 Indian corn; every species of grain and grasses, with 
 cattle and live stock in great abundance. Indeed the 
 splendid gifts of nature have been so largely concentrated 
 within this region, that, according to De Toqueville, it is 
 4 'the most magnificent habitation that God ever designed 
 for man." 
 
 The river Mississippi and its innumerable tributaries 
 are equally remarkable in their adaptation to every pur- 
 pose of utility for such a country. They permeate every 
 vicinity of production, transmit the produce raised upon 
 the soil, they remove surface waters, and furnish navigable 
 highways for the service of the inhabitants. The extent 
 of steam navigation on these rivers has been estimated by 
 Colonel Long, the topographical engineer, as follows : — 
 The Mississippi and branches, 7,097 miles : the Ohio and 
 branches, 3,292 miles; the Missouri and branches, 2,655 
 miles ; the Eed Kiver and branches, 3,630 miles : total, 
 16,764 miles. By other authorities the river navigation 
 has been estimated to comprise a line of as much as 
 25,000 miles of country, indirect communication with New 
 Orleans. When we investigate the history of this large 
 territory, our knowledge of it appears of very recent 
 
72 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 date. How long it may have been since the Gulf of 
 Mexico retired from its surface, or for what lengthened 
 period it may have been occupied as the hunting ground 
 of the Indian tribes, we know not. There is no data to 
 which we can refer, and the only tracings of habitation 
 left by the Indians are the mounds of earth where they 
 buried their dead after battle, and the heaps of oyster 
 shells denoting where they have lived. It is however 
 evident that the valley must have been in existence many 
 thousands of years before it was made to yield any pro- 
 ducts to the labour of man. It is but little over two 
 centuries since a few Spanish and French priests first 
 floated upon this river, and founded some small settlements 
 upon its banks. This inroad upon them so provoked 
 the Indian tribes, that they made war upon the settlers 
 and checked their progress. It has, therefore, only been 
 within the last three-quarters of a century that the people 
 living east of the Alleghany mountains have seen this 
 wondrous land. Following their discovery and possession 
 of the country, its solid character as a colony has become 
 established upon a durable footing, by the onward tide of 
 emigration of the Anglo-Saxon race, numbering at the 
 present time, including slaves, a population of nearly 
 twelve millions ; and judging from its present appearance 
 its progress may become twelve times twelve millions, 
 before the fertility and wealth of the country shall have 
 been explored and husbanded in their fullest extent. 
 
 THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 
 
 This river emerges from Lake Itasca, which is situate 
 in the most northerly point of the United States. In its 
 
UNITED STATES. 73 
 
 way towards the Gulf of Mexico, it takes a winding course 
 of about 3,600 miles, and its volume as it moves along 
 becomes immensely increased by a great many large 
 rivers and tributary streams flowing into it, all of which it 
 swallows up one after another, without in any degree 
 increasing its breadth, but by the deepening of its channel, 
 — a peculiarity which is of the greatest importance to the 
 navigation in seasons of drought. In February, the floods 
 begin to rise, and the river continues high till the month 
 of June. 
 
 This increase of height amounts to nearly 60 feet at 
 the junction of the Ohio ; lower down, at Natchez, it is 
 about 40 feet ; and at New Orleans not more than 10 or 
 12 feet. The depth of the middle of the river varies from 
 100 to 250 feet, and at the sides it is usually about 40 
 feet. In its approach to the sea, the bed of the river 
 gradually becomes raised, from its extreme depth, in order 
 to effect the discharge of the waters ; and as it becomes 
 more shallow, the width is expanded, and forms a number 
 of branches, the deepest of which is about 20 feet, or only 
 just of navigable depth. The water is loaded with yellow 
 mud, and its appearance is very unattractive to the eye, 
 though not unpleasant to the taste ; it is regularly served 
 at table, and is used for all culinary purposes without 
 filtration. This admixture of earthy matter must be very 
 considerable, inasmuch as, when out at sea, we had 
 observed that the waters of the Gulf were discoloured by 
 the river long before we came within sight of the land. 
 
 There is a vastness and grandeur which we could not 
 fail to notice in the aspect of this river ; the current is 
 rapid, being from three to four and a-half miles an hour ; 
 
74 A TOUK IN THE 
 
 the surface looks troubled, and is constantly agitated by 
 some commotion below, by which the water forms a 
 succession of large boils or swells, heaving up to the 
 surface, rolling about, rendering the navigation of the 
 stream very dangerous ; and in the case of any one falling 
 overboard, the body disappears at once, is sucked down, as 
 it were, and the recovery of it is next to impossible. 
 
 STEAMERS. 
 
 The steamers are very numerous ; probably there may 
 be as many as 2,000 of them on the river ; a few are of 
 great magnitude, and their appearance is very unlike any 
 other steamers afloat. The sides overhang that portion 
 which enters the water as a boat ; and in their construc- 
 tion they resemble a block of houses of two or three 
 storeys in height. The lower part is used for the storage 
 of cotton bales and other merchandise, and the upper deck 
 forms the saloon for passengers. The usual speed of 
 travelling is from ten to twelve miles an hour against the 
 stream. Two of these boats were pointed out as having 
 conveyed from 5,200 to 5,600 bales of cotton in each, 
 besides their passengers; and another steamer, The Eclipse, 
 was described as being of 365 feet in length, and 40 feet 
 in breadth. The length of her saloon was 300 feet ; she 
 could accommodate 200 passengers besides her crew, and 
 carry 6,000 bales of cotton, or 1,800 tons. In all these boats 
 the saloon is handsomely furnished. The ladies occupy a 
 portion at one end separated from the rest by folding doors ; 
 along both sides and throughout the whole length are 
 sleeping apartments, each one communicating inside 
 with the saloon, and outside with a covered gallery which 
 
UNITED STATES. 75 
 
 surrounds the boat. The boat is surmounted by an 
 ornamented cupola, which serves as a cabin for the pilot, 
 and affords him a wide range of observation on the river. 
 From this elevation he has command of wires and bells 
 which communicate with the engineers and other officers 
 who have charge of the moving power and of the steering. 
 Along the. banks there are immense piles of firewood laid 
 down, in measures which they call " cords," in readi- 
 ness for sale ; and as the steamers consume large 
 quantities of it, they have frequently to stop for 
 "wooding," as it is termed. The steam boilers are placed 
 under a publicly- authorised supervision; certificates are 
 granted stating what is the amount of steam-pressure 
 allowed, and the certificates so obtained are hung up 
 within the observation of the passengers. In one of the 
 boats we observed that the pressure allowed was 1301bs. 
 to the square inch, and by way of preventing any excess, 
 they had a steam gauge composed of an amalgam of 
 metals, which becomes fused at a point of heat a little 
 beyond that of the pressure allowed. Notwithstanding 
 these precautions, numerous accidents occur every year 
 from boiler explosions, from the vessels getting on fire, 
 and frequently from their becoming disabled by collision 
 against trunks of trees, or " snags," as they are called, 
 which lie imbedded in the river. One peculiarity of this 
 navigation, is the large number of rafts which are being 
 floated down from the upper country, often from a distance 
 of 2,000 miles : they are loaded with farm produce and 
 other articles; are of rude construction, — a mere frame- 
 work of balks and planks of timber, and are guided down 
 the stream by the plying of long oars. Some of these 
 
76 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 rafts were said to convey freights of the value of £2,000 ; 
 and when discharged, they are not taken up the river, but 
 are sold for whatever they may fetch as the value of 
 timber, and if buyers are not found, the owners allow 
 them to float down to the sea as worthless material. 
 
 Of the passengers we can say but little that would be 
 acceptable to dwell upon. There were always to be found 
 a number of well-to-do people, who were very com- 
 panionable ; there were also a considerable number, even 
 of those of rough exterior, who possessed a great deal of 
 intelligence, and who were extremely desirous, not to say 
 determined, to become acquainted with the other pas- 
 sengers around them, especially with those who were 
 foreigners. But, in reference to another class of travellers, 
 they might, without any great stretch of imagination, 
 represent those of whom it might be said that they 
 " neither fear Gob nor regard man," 
 
 NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 The city of New Orleans is situated upon a circular 
 bend of the river. From this circumstance it has acquired 
 the name of the " Crescent City." It is the metropolis of 
 the south-western states, and derives its importance from 
 the commanding position it holds for conducting a large 
 amount of inland as well as export trade. It is placed 
 very advantageously for communicating with a vast extent 
 of country of inexhaustible fertility. The great mass 
 of the products raised within the Mississippi territory find 
 their way hither, for sale and distribution to all parts of 
 the world. The great store-room they have provided for 
 merchandise, is the Quay, or "Levee," which adjoins the 
 
UNITED STATES. 77 
 
 city, and extends about five miles along the river. During 
 the business season, which is from November to June, 
 there are not unfrequently from 1,000 to 1,500 steam 
 boats, flat boats, and foreign ships, constantly arriving, 
 departing, or lying moored against this place ; and morn- 
 ing by morning this " Levee" was the most bustling 
 scene imaginable. It was usually covered with cotton, 
 piled up in lots, to the height of fifteen or sixteen bales, 
 ranged like streets of houses ; also with corn, sugar, pork, 
 provisions, and various other articles, in prodigious 
 quantities. Day by day, thousands of carts and drays 
 were loading and unloading. Before night, nearly the 
 whole of that merchandise seen in the morning would 
 have disappeared, and the space would again become 
 occupied with a succession of other supplies. In the 
 winter months, the merchants and agents from abroad 
 arrive here ; and at the same time the planters of the 
 interior come down to dispose of their produce. During 
 these few months, business is stimulated and conducted 
 with unexampled vigour. The magnitude of the sale 
 transactions, and the pecuniary value of the bills drawn 
 in liquidation, almost exceed belief. The affairs of com- 
 merce bring together a large number of active and enter- 
 prising people, and afford the opportunity for pleasure- 
 taking also. Indeed it is remarked by strangers that the 
 season of gaiety in New Orleans is seldom exceeded in 
 any other place. 
 
 There is an unfortunate peculiarity, though perhaps 
 an unavoidable one, in the site chosen for the city. It is 
 lying at the depth of six or eight feet below the surface 
 of the river, and the peril to the inhabitants by inundation 
 
78 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 is provided against by an embankment of earthwork, 
 raisQd to form the " Levee." The ground upon which the 
 city is built is an alluvial deposit, rendered solid for 
 building purposes by a foundation of piles driven into the 
 ground. Their only means of drainage is an outlet at 
 Lake Pontchartrain, six miles distant ; and as the surface 
 is nearly on a level, there is great difficulty in providing 
 any adequate means of sewerage. They have not any 
 covered sewers, but wide open drains are formed along- 
 side the parapets of every street. These are of a capacity 
 to receive not only the deposits of filth which accumulate 
 in the streets, but the household refuse of the inhabitants. 
 Such a mass of fetid matter, covered as it is with stagnant 
 water, and exposed to the heat of a burning sun, gives 
 out offensive smells, poisoning the atmosphere, and 
 creating epidemics and fevers, which carry off the 
 inhabitants by thousands. It may be remarked that, in 
 striking contrast, almost in mockery of such abominations, 
 may be seen the most magnificent display of fragrant 
 roses, orange trees, creeping plants, shrubs, and flowers, 
 carefully cultivated around the people's dwellings. 
 Openings which are made in the ground, immediately 
 become filled with water ; and on this account the burials 
 in the cemeteries are not in graves dug in the earth, but 
 in tombs erected above ground, formed of brickwork, well- 
 cemented ; and in some cases two or three niches, or 
 u ovens" as they are termed, are placed one above 
 another. The insalubrity of the summer months is 
 notorious. The foreign merchants quit the place in June, 
 and out of a population of 150,000 in winter, it is said 
 that not less than 50,000 are absent during the summer. 
 
UNITED STATES. 79 
 
 In the year 1785, which was before any cotton had been 
 shipped, the population had only reached 4,780. 
 
 The city itself appears to have been constructed as a 
 makeshift, erected for the convenience of parties meeting 
 there to conduct the operations of bargain and sale ; the 
 floors of many of the houses are three or four steps above 
 the roadway, to prevent the inflowing of the water when 
 the rain has rendered the approach more easy for boats 
 than for wheel carriages. Society as it is existing there 
 is composed of a most heterogeneous mixture of people of 
 all races and countries. The native inhabitants are called 
 "Creoles;" they assume a dignified exclusion towards 
 others, and are said to be remarkably cautious in their 
 intercourse with strangers. There are upwards of twenty 
 newspaper publications, twelve of which are daily ; and 
 several of them are in the French and the German 
 languages. Judging of the ordinary aspect of the city, 
 and the generality of the people we saw in the streets, it 
 became impossible to form any other than a very low 
 estimate of the state of common life. They are a strange 
 mass of people, and we could not hear of any indication 
 that mental or moral improvement was to be attempted, or 
 would be rapid if it began. Some years ago, an associa- 
 tion of young men tried to establish a library, and they 
 succeeded in the organisation of one consisting of 4,000 
 to 5,000 volumes, but it lingered only for a time, and 
 finally the effects were sold out by the sheriff. Thefts 
 were of common occurrence : one of our friends had his 
 boots stolen from outside the door of his bedroom ; and 
 such is the necessity for watchfulness, that printed notices 
 were posted in the bedrooms, advising the guests of the 
 
80 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 hotels to "bolt the door to prevent loss." Fires were so 
 frequent that we thought it not unusual to hear the alarm 
 of the fire-bell twice or thrice of a night. Indeed, in 
 every part of the United States we were surprised by the 
 great number of destructive fires which were constantly 
 occurring. The people are extremely careless in this 
 respect, and when lighting the gas they would throw the 
 burning lighter on the floor, regardless of consequences. 
 
 The drinking saloons were large and numerous, and 
 gentlemen, or persons of a superior class, might be 
 observed in these places at ail hours of the day, remaining 
 there for conversation, and for the enjoyment of the vari- 
 ous iced compounds familiarly termed u cock tails, mint 
 juleps, sherry coolers," &c. &c, all of them of a stimula- 
 ting character. Gaming-houses, and the class of persons 
 who are the usual frequenters of them, were spoken of as 
 numerous, and as deserving of the usual characteristics of 
 reproach. We were surprised to notice in the windows of 
 shops, and upon stalls in the streets, the great number 
 and variety of deadly weapons exhibiting for sale, such as 
 poignarcls, cutlasses, bowie knives, revolvers, &c. We 
 remarked upon the strangeness of this sight, and in the 
 first instance were told that these were mostly bought by 
 the boat people to go up the country ; but afterwards, a 
 very different explanation was given of the affair by a 
 gentleman who had long been a resident there. His 
 answer to our inquiry was far more significant: pointing 
 to the large crowd of people then moving about in one of 
 the principal streets, he expressed his belief that seven 
 out of every ten of the male persons then before us were 
 carrying weapons of one kind or another. 
 
UNITED STATES. 81 
 
 NEGRO SALES 
 
 Every morning we saw*in the newspapers announce- 
 ments of recent arrivals of "field hands," as they are 
 termed, and the planters were invited to make their selec- 
 tions and purchases at the various stores where they were 
 kept for sale. We did not visit any of these bazaars, but 
 were informed that as many as 200 slaves were to be 
 found in many of those of the city, and that upon the visit 
 of a purchaser, the negroes would enter into a display of 
 their physical appearance, and description of their capa- 
 bilities, with as much apparent earnestness to command a 
 high price, as though they were about to share the pur- 
 chase money of their own value as chattels. We attended 
 one auction of negroes in the rotunda of a large hotel. 
 They were regularly called upon, and were submitted to 
 the bidders for examination in regard to physical 
 blemishes. Amongst them were to be seen old and young, 
 male and female, and each of them in succession stood 
 forward and heard themselves described in relation to their 
 capability for the various employments they were fitted to 
 pursue, as well as in relation to their individual character. 
 We were surprised to observe that they did not appear 
 dismayed, but on the contrary, tried to show off to the best 
 advantage, and to enjoy a spirited bidding. The spectacle 
 was a very humiliating one, but it was evident we were 
 the only persons present who thought it was so. The 
 auctioneer was very guarded in his expressions, often 
 referring to his notes ; and no doubt he felt the importance 
 of his guarantee in reference to personal blemishes, as 
 well as to the possession of skill, ability, and character ; 
 
82 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 but in those cases in which his instructions were unlimited, 
 his encomiums were so unbounded, that one might have 
 felt proud to have heard him speaking of one's own sons. 
 The prices ranged variously from 800 to 1,500 dollars, or 
 from £160 to £300 sterling. 
 
 A large business is carried on in the pressing of cotton 
 bales. The bales are usually brought down the river in a 
 loose state, and on their arrival at New Orleans are sub- 
 jected to a severe pressure to reduce the bulk, and thus 
 diminish the cost of freight in shipping. At one of these 
 establishments which we visited, they were pressing as 
 many as 1,500 bales per day by three presses, employing 
 fourteen negroes to work each press. We also paid a visit 
 to a manufactory of oil made from cotton seeds. The 
 seeds are laid down at ten dollars per ton. The shell is 
 rubbed off by a pair of millstones. The kernel is ground 
 into pulp, and is subjected to hydraulic pressure, and the 
 oil thus expressed is afterwards clarified, and sold at one 
 dollar per gallon. The residuum is formed into cakes which 
 are disposed of as food for the fattening of cattle. In a 
 climate which is so very warm, it is found that mules 
 sustain the heat better than horses, and therefore they are 
 preferred, especially for draught purposes. There are 
 many thousands of mules employed ; most of them are 
 fifteen hands or upwards in height; they move along 
 very rapidly, and draw immense loads. They are raised 
 in the Northern states, chiefly in Kentucky, are brought 
 down in great numbers, and are sold for as much as <£50, 
 sometimes even as high as £10 each. 
 
UNITED STATES. 83 
 
 RIVER TRAVELLING, AND THE COUNTRY OF 
 THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 When we entered upon boat life on the Mississippi, that 
 " Father of Waters," the adventure was one of no common 
 interest; nor was it, as we conceived, unmixed with hazard 
 from the dangers to which we have referred. Having 
 before described the construction of the steamers, we may 
 proceed to the incidents of our travel, the appearance of 
 the country, and the ever- changing variety of our fellow 
 passengers. The first 200 miles was through a fertile 
 and well- cultivated portion of the state of Louisiana. 
 The country was principally laid down in sugar planta- 
 tions, along with rice and tobacco. Here and there we 
 passed the villa or mansion of the proprietor, looking 
 elegant and clean, surrounded with orange trees, ever- 
 greens, &c. ; and not far distant would be the residences of 
 the overseers, and the little village of wood cabins for the 
 slaves. Embankments or " levees" are formed along the 
 sides of the Mississippi ; they are about six feet in height, 
 and mostly about one hundred yards distant from the 
 river. 
 
 Louisiana is the great sugar-growing state of the 
 union. It is situated about 700 miles north of Cuba. Its 
 climate is colder, and the crop is more liable to be affected 
 by damaging frosts. The sugar cane requires to be 
 planted every other year, and when matured for cutting, 
 the period for securing the harvest is short — being only 
 from forty to sixty days ; whilst in Cuba it extends over 
 six months. Hence the sugar planter of Louisiana is 
 placed under serious disadvantages as compared with 
 Cuba, and would probably not make the attempt to grow 
 
84 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 sugar, if he had not a protecting duty of thirty per cent. 
 in his favour. 
 
 The objects of passing interest were few ; we observed 
 that the State - House of Louisiana, at Baton Eouge, was 
 an important-looking edifice. The surface of the country 
 was flat, and being mostly a densely-wooded forest, there 
 was little variety in. the scenery : now and then we 
 came to a a wooding station," or to a piece of ground which 
 had been cleared as a cotton plantation, or we were stop- 
 ping at a local post-office, denoted by a wooden box being 
 nailed to the stump of a tree. On reaching Vicksburgh, 
 we were amused to find that our boat had been moored 
 alongside a floating theatre. The performance was just 
 commencing, and we could hear some portions of the en- 
 tertainment. It appears that the stage has become one 
 of the regular appurtenances of the river, undertaken by 
 a company of performers who purchase a cast-off boat, 
 have the saloon commodiously seated, and with moveable 
 scenery got up in due order for theatrical performances. 
 Thus the boat and the company of performers move about 
 from place to place upon the river, and its various tribu- 
 taries, for the amusement of the inhabitants of all the 
 adjoining districts. 
 
 We also found that commercial traders in like manner 
 formed themselves into companies, fitted up their floating 
 warehouses, and had them moved about upon the river, 
 visiting the different localities, for the sale of such articles 
 of merchandise as the people of the country might be J 
 likely to require. The theatricals and the "merchants 5 
 make public announcement beforehand of their approach J 
 to any station, and their emissaries advertise in the in- 
 
UNITED STATES. 85 
 
 terior of the country the various attractions they are 
 offering, whether in pleasure -taking, or in the more sub- 
 stantial character of farming-tools, clothing, or the 
 various requirements of the household. The place of our 
 destination, as visitors, was near Lake Washington, about 
 500 miles up the river ; and upon our arrival we found 
 ourselves welcomed by some of the oldest and most 
 eminent of the cotton planters. It was very cheering 
 to us, as strangers, to be received by them with such con- 
 gratulations upon our visit. They deemed it a very 
 noticeable event : as we were the first of the British manu- 
 facturing class whom they had ever known to visit the 
 cotton grounds of the Mississippi. Before entering upon 
 any investigation of the subject of cotton planting, let us 
 again contemplate the world-wide importance of this re- 
 gion of cotton culture of the United States, hitherto so 
 little seen of European eyes. 
 
 No one who is acquainted with the manufactures and 
 commerce of our own country, will hesitate to make the 
 acknowledgment that the plot of ground we then trod has 
 become indispensable in its productions to all the civilised 
 world. Upon these plantations, 600,000 negro slaves 
 have made the people of all is become tributaries 
 
 to their power, and almost wholly reliant upon their annual 
 success in the growth of a cotton crop. Upon this hand- 
 ful of coloured people, our manufacturers mainly depend 
 for a vegetable product which employs the hands, fills the 
 mouths, and clothes the bodies of millions of the human 
 race, who might otherwise go half naked, or half fed. If 
 we refer to the domain of commerce, the extreme impor- 
 tance of cotton and of the cotton manufacture in all its 
 
86 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 branch.es cannot be overlooked, or scarcely over-estimated. 
 Free-trade has unfettered the energies of the people; 
 and, from day to day, increasing numbers are becoming 
 more and more identified with cotton as an article of com- 
 merce. The refinements of wealth, no less than the wants 
 of common life, are daily multiplying our necessities for 
 this raw material : hence there is not another article, ex- 
 cepting that of food, which is of greater interest to all 
 classes than the annual supplies of the cotton crop. In 
 this country the rate of our manufacturing consumption 
 has outstepped its production, and we have become ner- 
 vously sensitive upon the raising of any alarm on tne 
 state of the weather, the presence of a worm, an insect, 
 an early frost, or any sort of accident which may occur 
 to the growing crop ; well knowing that a scarcity of cot- 
 ton in this country is most intimately connected with star- 
 vation, and, perhaps, revolt. Never* before in the history 
 of the world has so large and perilous a dependence been 
 found to rest upon so small a portion of the human race, 
 or upon a people so lightly esteemed as the negroes usu- 
 ally are. The responsibility of conducting the affairs of 
 these important hands, and all the other operations relat- 
 ing to cotton culture, must necessarily rest upon a very 
 small number of employers. Indeed, they hold possession 
 of a control of incalculable import to the welfare of the 
 rest of the world ; and perhaps there could not be found 
 another class of men who have higher duties to perform 
 than those which are involved in the exercise of this 
 authority. Although the planter has the entire mastery over 
 his own affairs, he is so circumstanced that from policy, no 
 less than from duty, he is daily and hourly called upon to 
 
UNITED STATES. 87 
 
 exercise the virtues of forbearance, mercy, generosity, and 
 justice. Perhaps he may consider it in the light of a 
 misfortune that he has to encounter the obloquy which 
 attaches to his pursuit as a slaveowner, to receive the re- 
 proaches of the philanthropist, and become the butt of the 
 political rancour which prevails in the exciting struggle 
 betwixt the parties of the North and the South. 
 
 COTTON LANDS AND CULTURE. 
 
 It is a remarkable occurrence, — perhaps an event in the 
 ordering of Providence,— that almost simultaneously with 
 the mechanical discoveries of Arkwright and others, in 
 cotton manufacturing machines, this field of cotton pro- 
 duction became disclosed to American enterprise. 
 
 The range of the cotton district may be said to com- 
 mence on the Atlantic coast in South Carolina, and to 
 extend in a westerly direction to the Mississippi, run- 
 ning principally within 33 to 34£ degrees of north 
 latitude; afterwards its course becomes bent to the 
 south, following the circuit of the Gulf of Mexico, 
 and passing through the Texas to the 28th degree. 
 This may be considered the acknowledged locality 
 of cotton culture, though it is well known that cotton is 
 raised both north and south of this narrow range. That 
 which is grown north of this line is coarse in quality, the 
 plant is feeble, and the climate more exposed to frost ; 
 whilst in the country more south, particularly in Louisiana, 
 where the sugar cane is extensively grown, the cotton 
 plant flourishes, but the crop is liable to frequent and 
 serious injury from the attacks of insects. The usual 
 fertility of this cotton range is attributed not alone to the 
 
88 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 soil, which is an alluvial deposit of great depth, but also 
 to its proximity to that great basin of sea water in the 
 Gulf of Mexico, lying under a tropical sun. The evapora- 
 tions which are thus given out, being attracted to the 
 mountainous region of the north, become condensed into 
 showers which nourish and invigorate the plant. These 
 resources of nature, namely, a rich alluvial soil, combined 
 with alternate heat and moisture, give vigour to the plant, 
 and productiveness to the crop. 
 
 Proximity to the Mississippi gives command of cheap 
 water conveyance to carry the cotton bales to market, and 
 the planter has thus been afforded the incalculable advan- 
 tage of an economy of production, and with great power of 
 enlargement, from year to year, of our supplies of this great 
 article of necessity. We were informed that the cost of 
 conveyance of a bale of cotton from Memphis to New 
 Orleans, a distance of nearly 1,000 miles, was sometimes 
 as low as one dollar. Hence the rapid rate of extension 
 of cotton culture will be creative of little surprise. 
 Without commencing our observations so far back as the 
 period of its introduction, we will content ourselves by 
 tracing the current of its more recent progress. 
 
 )n crop 
 
 of 1820-21, was . 
 
 .. 430,000 bales. 
 
 Do. 
 
 1826-27, 
 
 .. 957,281 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1837-38, 
 
 ,.1,301,497 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1839-40, 
 
 ...2,177,835 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1850-51, 
 
 ,..2,755,257 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1852-53, 
 
 ... 3,262,882 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1853-54, 
 
 ... 2,950,027 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1854-55, 
 
 ... 3,118,339 „ 
 
 Do. 
 
 1855-56, 
 
 ... 3,527,845 „ 
 
 Showing that in a period of 36 years the increase of pro- 
 duction has been about eightfold. The rate of consump- 
 
UNITED STATES. 89 
 
 tion latterly has been steadily gaining upon the growth ; 
 and this is important, seeing that our consumption of cot- 
 ton fabrics still holds out the promise of being largely 
 progressive. The increase of cotton culture does not 
 depend upon the extent of the soil, but upon the number 
 of slaves at the command of the planter. Therefore, in 
 forming any estimate of production, reference must be had 
 almost exclusively to the numerical increase of the slave 
 population. We find, that in 1840 the slave population 
 was 2,487,455; and in 1850, 3,204,313 :— showing, in 
 round numbers, an increase in ten years of 30 per cent. 
 But it must be borne in mind that there has been, in 
 addition to natural increase, a gradual transfer of slaves 
 from the grain districts of North Carolina, Virginia, Mary- 
 land, Kentucky, and Delaware, to the cotton districts 
 w T hich border upon the Mexican Gulf. 
 
 PLANTATION LIFE IN THE COTTON FIELDS. 
 
 As before noticed, the introduction of the cotton plant 
 took place in the eastern states of South Carolina and 
 Georgia. We now find that in the course of sixty years 
 these lands have gradually become exhausted of their 
 fertility, and many of the planters have left them, and 
 gone westward to the Mississippi country, taking with 
 them their families, their slaves, and all that they had. 
 Upon their arrival in the west, they usually enter upon 
 forest lands, burn down the trees, scratch the surface 
 with a mule plough, and deposit the seeds. The principal 
 portion of the planters have very little money ; they buy 
 their land on credit, and obtain advances of cash from 
 their factors at New Orleans, at rates of interest which, 
 
90 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 with attendant expenses, amount to nearly 20 per cent, 
 per annum. The planter who thus makes his purchase 
 of an estate, never considers it in the light of a permanent 
 possession, but looks forward to leave it when it becomes 
 run out. On -this account they do not build expensive 
 mansions, but erect a plain dwelling-house of wood, having 
 it conveniently surrounded by a garden, a stable, a shed, 
 and other premises for the picking and ginning of cotton, 
 and about fifty or sixty wood cabins for the negroes. 
 
 Eventually, perhaps, in the course of twenty or thirty 
 years, they look out for some new settlement, presenting 
 the attractions of a virgin soil, with commodious access 
 to some navigable river; and having found what they 
 desired, they are by no means reluctant to surrender the 
 property they have so long held, together with whatever 
 friendly associations they may have formed in the coun- 
 try. Bigger crops are held to outweigh all other consi- 
 derations. This desire for newer and better land, instead 
 of improving that which they possess, may require to be 
 accounted for. We know that the farmers of this country 
 have it in their power to increase the fertility of their land 
 by the consumption of hay, turnips, &c, which they raise 
 for their cattle. This facility of improvement is not in 
 the power of the cotton planter: the cotton which he 
 raises on his land does not admit x>f being converted into 
 manure, as is the case with hay and turnips ; it is 
 carried away for other uses, and therefore an entire 
 exhaustion of the soil is the consequence, followed by a 
 description of weed winch they call China weed, or nut 
 grass. So notoriously destructive of fertlity is this weed, 
 that when the planter removes from any place where it 
 
UNITED STATES. 91 
 
 prevails, lie has the hoofs of his horses, his cattle, and 
 even his utensils, very carefully washed, lest they should 
 convey the seeds with them. 
 
 The only cotton lands which do admit of being sus- 
 tained in permanent cultivation, are those we have before 
 referred to, on the sea coasts of Georgia and South Caro- 
 lina, where deposits of saline mud are obtainable. They 
 do not usually plant the cotton seeds before the 1st of 
 April; but in the present year [1857] they were induced 
 to commence planting during fine weather about the mid- 
 dle of March, and the plant was destroyed by frost. They 
 reckon upon the cultivation of twelve acres of cotton land, 
 besides some portion of corn land, by one hand ; and in 
 extreme cases, in such plentiful years as that of 1855, a 
 single hand has been known to gather as much as sixteen 
 to eighteen bales, — and in one instance twenty-two bales 
 of cotton, in a single season. Taking into account the 
 inferior lands of the older cotton states, the average pro- 
 duce may be calculated at not more than six bales per 
 head; and according to this estimate, for 600,000 slaves, 
 the crop would make 3,600,000 bales, or a little over the 
 crop of 1855, which was 3,527,845 bales. The production 
 is very variable : there are parts of the same plantation, 
 yielding in some cases one bale, and in others one and a- 
 half to two bales of cotton to the acre. We ^ were shown 
 one plantation of 100 acres, which in 1855 produced the 
 extraordinary crop of 211 bales of 5001bs. each. 
 
 SLAVERY. 
 
 We now come to another aspect of slavery, one which 
 has been more recently established than that of South 
 
92 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 Carolina. The period is comparatively short since the 
 principal part of the Mississippi country has been brought 
 under cultivation. On this account the planters, as well 
 as the slaves, may be considered as the occupiers of a 
 thinly-peopled country, where the local institutions are 
 either not completely organised, or of very recent origin. 
 The slaves were regarded with the same sort of attention 
 as in South Carolina ; the hospitals and other arrange- 
 ments for the sick were provided in the same manner; 
 and the slaves had their garden plots, their poultry, and 
 their pigs, whereby they could realise a little money. It 
 was evident that, although materially well cared for, they 
 had not as yet become equally advanced in social life. 
 We never saw any deadly weapon in the hands of any of 
 the American planters, or of their servants : the driver 
 would carry a whip, but the whips did not appear very 
 frightful to look upon. Often we strolled among the 
 negroes, mixing with the groups of their funny-looking 
 little children, with black curly hair, as full of mirth and 
 playfulness as children under any circumstances usually 
 are. 
 
 There were amongst them a considerable number of 
 superannuated people, those whom they called "loafers" 
 — a term which signifies no longer able to work. These 
 old people are employed to feed the poultry, collect their 
 eggs, and engage in anything they may find to do in the 
 stables, the garden, or other premises of their master, 
 One of these whom we saw, and who was upwards of 
 seventy years of age, had been brought from Africa about 
 fifty years before. His countenance 'brightened when we 
 spoke to him of his early home ; but his recollections 
 
UNITED STATES. 93 
 
 were very faint, and it did not seem desirable to awaken 
 those emotions which, in his enfeebled state, might have 
 become painful. He was pleased to tell ns of his allow- 
 ance of rations, — how much pork, how much bread, and 
 other articles he daily received. We inquired if he knew 
 in what manner the old people were provided for in his 
 own country. The poor fellow, with a loud laugh, and 
 knowing look, exclaimed " No pork there, Massa!" 
 
 The negro dwellings were ranged two together, formed 
 of boards upon foundations of brick ; and when formed in 
 this way would cost £130. The houses of the overseers 
 cost about £200. The Mississippi is liable to overflow 
 its banks, break down the u levees," and lay the country 
 under water : on this account they erect their dwellings 
 of brickwork to the height of six feet, and thus elevate 
 the floors beyond the reach of disasters by flooding. The 
 cost of building is greater than might be supposed, as 
 the expense is greatly increased by the scarcity and dear- 
 ness of every kind of building labour. Their bricks are 
 made of common earth, by working it in a wood box, with 
 an agitator turned by a mule. They are burnt with wood 
 fires, and cost 17s. per thousand. 
 
 COTTON PLANTERS. 
 
 In this country we have been accustomed to imagine 
 that there was something of a commanding position, or 
 imposing attitude, in the life of the cotton planter. This 
 impression would be a great mistake in relation to those 
 enjoyments which are so much appreciated by the people 
 of this country, in the charms which belong to domestic 
 life and an English home, He may be the proprietor of a 
 
94 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 large domain, annually yielding large and valuable crops ; 
 he may hold supreme authority over a great number of 
 hands, to cultivate his land and gather his harvest ; and 
 he may have command of one of the finest rivers in the 
 world, provided with fleets of steamers to convey his pro- 
 duce to the market; — yet no one who is practically 
 acquainted with all the responsibilities, would consider 
 the life of a planter one to be desired. There is not in 
 the nature of such a property that sort of attraction which 
 would induce any ordinary person to glory in that which 
 he possessed. The climate is unenjoyable, unfavourable 
 to health, and so dangerous to the white man, that the 
 planter and his family cannot remain in the country be- 
 yond the six months of the year, from November to May. 
 They mostly live in situations which are isolated; and 
 during the first half of this period they are chiefly con- 
 fined within doors by incessant rains. Afterwards the 
 weather is showery, and highly favourable to the growth 
 of cotton plants, followed by intense heat, which ripens 
 the pod. 
 
 On the approach of summer, the heat of the climate, 
 together with the annoyance of mosquitoes, render it 
 necessary for the family of the planter to remove, perhajDS 
 to a distance of 2,000 miles, to enjoy the colder and more 
 bracing atmosphere of the north. This six months of 
 absence is an annually occurring inconvenience and ex- 
 pense, as well as a very harrassing undertaking, for the 
 promotion of health, and perhaps for the saving of their 
 lives. In these six months they are moving about to 
 such places of public resort as Saratoga, Niagara, New- 
 port, or the White Mountains; [residing amongst the 
 
UNITED STATES, 95 
 
 mixed company of the various hotels, involving a fearful 
 inroad upon their domestic habits, and on that account to 
 be regretted. The planter himself must, as a matter of 
 course, make up his mind to incur the deprivation of that 
 enjoyment which a life of agriculture usually affords to 
 those who delight in the pursuit, — more especially during 
 that interesting period of the ripening and harvesting of 
 his crops. The care of his plantation and slaves nmst for 
 the time devolve upon overseers, mostly white men who 
 have become acclimated ; and for this purpose the whites 
 are more judicious, more generous, and more reliable than 
 negro drivers usually are ; consequently, they are prefer- 
 red by the slaves themselves. 
 
 One of the largest planters informed us that the great- 
 est drawback to his comfort upon leaving his plantations 
 in the month of May, was the difficulty he had in procur- 
 ing reliable overseers, those whom he could trust, to 
 maintain order, and attend to his interest during his ab- 
 sence. This gentleman also informed us that he had nei- 
 ther locks nor bolts upon the doors or windows of his 
 house ; that he did not allow any one to carry arms ; and 
 that he had never sold a slave, excepting for misconduct. 
 Similar representations we heard from other planters. 
 
 Plantation life presents no sort of attraction to the 
 ladies : indeed, from the accounts we heard of the priva- 
 tions of some of them, they were very much to be felt for. 
 They are often placed at a considerable distance from any 
 of the other plantations ; they have no roads deserving the 
 name of roads, and in the rainy season they are impassa- 
 ble, except for the cotton waggons. Consequently, they 
 are much confiued to their homes ; and the wood houses 
 
96 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 they inhabit become so saturated with moisture, that 
 when they approach the toilet they are obliged to wipe 
 off the accumulations of water adhering to the dressing 
 glasses and the doors of their wardrobes. The domestic 
 servants they select from the slaves on their plantations : 
 hence they are unskilled in those arts which would enable 
 them to minister acceptably to the comforts of w^ell-trained 
 people. It was also expressed as an occasion of regret, 
 that these negroes are unable to prevent the disagreeable 
 sensations which are occasioned to the whites, by the 
 moisture which exudes from their skin. Strangers seldom 
 visit these remote places. One lady informed us she had 
 sometimes been as long as six months at a time, without 
 seeing the white face of one of her own sex. 
 
 In these thinly-peopled districts they are unprovided 
 with shops ; therefore they make arrangements for their 
 provisions for the whole period of their residence in the 
 country; and a lady once remarked of this inconvenience, 
 that if she happened to require a lemon for cookery, she 
 sent for it by steamer to New Orleans, a distance of 500 
 miles. She told us she led a very cheerful life, and 
 always contrived to keep herself employed. She had her 
 apportioned hours for reading and for correspondence, and 
 it was quite evident that she did not allow her solitude to 
 lapse into idleness, seeing that she was possessed of 
 intellectual powers such as are seldom equalled. The 
 gentlemen do not find the life of the planter quite so diffi- 
 cult to endure. They have always upon their hands the 
 affairs of their plantations ; and at the commencement of 
 the year they usually spend a month or six weeks at New 
 Orleans, in disposing of their cotton, purchasing their 
 
UNITED STATES. 97 
 
 annual supplies of pickled pork, provisions, and clothing 
 required for their negroes, together with the implements 
 for their husbandry. When the weather is favourable, 
 they sometimes get up a stag hunt in the woods. The 
 gentlemen are mounted, form themselves into a line, 
 have their fowling-pieces loaded with heavy shot, and in 
 this manner succeed in getting as many as five or six 
 stags in a day. In the midst of their pursuit they some- 
 times spring a rattlesnake ; and upon hearing the rattle 
 they all gather to the place, and dispatch him at once. 
 
 The woods and thickets in which the deer are found, 
 appear almost interminable : they are largely composed of 
 brushwood and wild canes. The trees are of large dimen- 
 sions, more particularly the live oak ; and upon the lower 
 branches there adheres a description of fibrous weed called 
 Tillandsia, or Spanish moss, which descends in clusters, 
 forming festoons of five or six feet long, after the manner 
 of drapery, — imparting a decorative effect to the magnifi- 
 cent appearance of the trees. 
 
 The birds we saw were mostly of beautiful plumage ; 
 the generality of them were unlike the birds of this coun- 
 try. The rook had the resemblance of the English rook, 
 but when he opened his mouth we did not hear the usual 
 "caw," but a hoarse disagreeable sound, like the barking 
 of a dog. The mocking bird was very amusing: he 
 would imitate the song of any other bird ; and on one 
 occasion we heard him mewing like a cat. The wild tur- 
 key is a splendid bird ; one specimen which we saw 
 brought in from the woods weighed 221bs., and his plum- 
 age was remarkably glossy and fine. 
 
 G 
 
98 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER OF A PLANTER. 
 
 Yon may feel curious to know something of the class 
 who are engaged in cotton planting. The pursuit is of 
 recent origin. By way of illustration, we may adduce the 
 name of one of superior order — Colonel Wade Hampton. 
 He was descended from the family of one of the first set- 
 tlers in the state of South Carolina, who lived there when 
 the country was exposed to the marauding incursions of 
 the red Indians. In the year 1779, eleven members of 
 this family were murdered by these savage tribes. In his 
 ancestry his name was closely identified with the patriot- 
 ism of his country, and with those who had aided to wrest 
 it from the hands of the savages, and who had afterwards 
 shared in the overthrow of the British authority, and estab- 
 lished the consolidated power of the Eepublic, which all 
 Americans now so fondly cherish. 
 
 The father of Colonel Hampton, finding himself liber- 
 ated from military service, became a cotton planter ; and 
 in 1796 he was the first planter who raised a crop of 600 
 acres. Col. Wade Hampton discovered that his father's 
 partiality had induced him to bequeath the great ? bulk of 
 his property to himself; and he at once destroyed his 
 father's will, and accepted his equal share w T ith the other 
 members of the family, his stepmother included. It is 
 now about thirty years since he perceived it to be his 
 interest to remove from South Carolina, to the more fertile 
 lands of Lake Washington, in the state of Mississippi. 
 The evidence of material success which has followed his 
 removal, is afforded on every hand ; and his unceasing 
 attention to the comfort and happiness of the negro race, 
 
UNITED STATES. 99 
 
 is admitted to have been most exemplary. In the even- 
 ings, when the log was blazing on the hearth, the com- 
 pany of this remarkable man, seated in his easy chair, 
 was very enlivening. He was full of reminiscences of the 
 olden time, — reminding the young Americans how much 
 they owed to the inflexible will and devoted patriotism of 
 those who had preceded them. 
 
 SLAVE LABOUE, ECONOMY OF PRODUCTION', AND 
 FUTURE SUPPLIES. 
 
 Those persons who have witnessed the constantly 
 occurring occasions of excitement arising out of the con- 
 flicting statements annually issued regarding the pros- 
 pects of the cotton crop, cannot fail to be desirous for 
 information relating to our dependence upon the United 
 States, in so large an extent, for this raw material of our 
 manufacture. We may rest assured that the cotton lands 
 of the United States are sufficient to uphold, for centuries 
 to come, the supply of as much cotton as almost any in- 
 crease of our consumption would require. It has already 
 been shown that it is the negro crop (so to speak) which 
 determines the extent of the cotton crop ; and that the 
 command of negro labour is confined within the narrow 
 bounds of the numerical increase of the negro race born 
 within the United States. The cotton crop is therefore 
 subject to the influence of an economic law which is but 
 slightly variable in its operation. The increase of the race 
 is estimated at three per cent. In addition to this rate of 
 natural increase, the emigration from the north is about 
 two per cent,, making together five per cent, of annual 
 increase of labour. Therefore, setting aside the variations 
 
 >L.ofC. 
 
100 A TOUR IN TEE 
 
 of seasons, this five per cent, added to cotton culture, may 
 be considered to represent the ratio of annual increase of 
 the cotton crops. The cutting off of this migration 
 of "hands," would of itself occasion a wide-spread 
 inconvenience ; " and a revolt among the slaves would 
 seriously interrupt the national prosperity of Great 
 Britain. Possibly no one w T ould undertake to say that the 
 effects of either of these changes are immediately impend- 
 ing ; but no one who has visited the United States will 
 be induced to believe that the Northerners intend the 
 existence of slavery to be permanent. 
 
 With such an emergency impending, however distant, 
 there is a duty devolving upon every British subject to 
 consider the capabilities of India and other countries, in 
 which we might place confidence for future supplies. The 
 West Indian Islands have at one time supplied us largely 
 with cotton, and there is no valid reason why they might 
 not do so again. "Africa," as Dr. Livingstone informs 
 us, " is the very territory for cotton," and we have 
 sufficient evidence that the growth of cotton there, could 
 be profitably conducted, and the negro population retained 
 to labour on the soil of their birth, instead of being carried 
 away, as they now are, for sale as animals. With relation 
 to India, it may with still greater reason be inquired what 
 is it that has hindered our success in cotton culture ? and 
 how has it happened that the producing power of India 
 has been defeated in competition by the planters of the 
 United States? So far as we are informed, it has not 
 been by reason of any inferiority of soil or climate, for 
 these are considered equal to those of America. Neither 
 will it be contended that it is owing to any inferiority of 
 
UNITED STATES. 101 
 
 labour, for the free labour of the Hindoo is known to be 
 both cheaper and better than the slave labour of the 
 United States. The disadvantage, so far as hitherto dis- 
 covered, consists in nothing more than in the requisite 
 economy of carrying the cotton to market. The American 
 planter has the boats of the Mississippi ; India has her 
 rivers, but not her boats, and in the absence of boat 
 accommodation, the Hindoo planter carries his cotton to 
 market, at enormous cost, on the backs of bullocks. 
 
 The expense of cultivation in the United States, as 
 compared with, that of India, may be considered very dear. 
 The interest of borrowed money is high. Slaves are 
 costly, and the labour they perform is not large nor skil- 
 fully done. Hence the growth of American cotton may 
 be put down at three-pence per pound, but it can be con- 
 veyed to market at a mere fraction of a penny per pound; 
 whilst in India the Hindoo can raise his cotton at one -half 
 the money, say at three-half-pence per pound ; but he has 
 to incur a charge of two-pence per pound in conveying it 
 to the seaboard for sale. It is also no slight increase to 
 the other disadvantages of the Hindoo planter, that by 
 reason of his extreme poverty, and the money loans which 
 he finds it necessary to procure, his cotton, which is 
 inferior to American, has sometimes to pass through the 
 hands of two or three intermediate dealers, by whom it is 
 frequently adulterated with earthy matter. These and 
 other hindrances to his prosperity are very overpowering ; 
 and thus we see cotton of India brought to Liverpool, 
 under disadvantages of quality, to take its chance of sale 
 against the better cotton of the United States. 
 
102 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 fourth: lecture. 
 
 MISSISSIPPI TRAVELLING. 
 
 Upon leaving the cotton plantations, we resumed our 
 course northwards, upon the splendid but perilous Missis- 
 sippi. It was at midnight on the 17th of April, that we 
 embarked in the Southern Belle steamer, for Memphis. 
 The distance was 300 miles, and our fares were only ten 
 dollars each, or a little over ljd. per mile for travelling, 
 our lodging and meals being included. The ship was 
 crowded to excess, having 180 passengers. 
 
 The saloon was elegantly furnished, and the commis- 
 sariat department was as well conducted as in most of the 
 hotels of the country. The scenery on the river being 
 flat and woody, soon became monotonous ; — all the 'wind- 
 ings and turnings, as we approached them, disclosing 
 another succession of broken, sloping banks. Here and 
 there, at the distance of some miles from one another, 
 there would be an open space which had been cleared 
 out of the forest for a cotton plantation, having in a shel- 
 tered nook the planter's residence, and the cabins of his 
 slaves around him. The principal timber of these forests 
 is called the cotton -wood tree ; it is indigenous, rising 
 up with great rapidity, even upon the strand which the 
 river has but recently deserted ; and when cut down it is 
 split up, and sold as faggots at 15d. per cubic yard. 
 
UNITED STATES. 103 
 
 As soon as the interest we had felt in the scenery 
 began to flag, our curiosity became centered upon the 
 mixed assemblage of passengers by whom we were sur- 
 rounded. It was evident that they belonged to a great 
 variety of trading pursuits, and, being accustomed to the 
 long range of distances usual in steam boat travelling, 
 and often detained together for days or weeks, their in- 
 tercourse with one another became free and social. 
 Amongst such a ' group there would be those who were 
 residing in very distant parts of the Union, perhaps thou- 
 sands of miles away from one another. Every one would 
 try to take caste as a trader or a planter, or as having before 
 him some important pursuit, and not on any account an 
 idler or man of leisure. He would be quite free to con- 
 verse upon his own individual concerns, and equally in- 
 tent upon making out the purposes and pursuits of others. 
 There were some few who evidently belonged to the more 
 cultivated classes : many others looked like ardent strag- 
 gling men, of shrewd intelligence, but mostly ill-bred; 
 making an inflated display, and utterly regardless of any 
 conventional restraint. They were most under observa- 
 tion in the area of a covered gallery which surrounds the 
 ship ; and when lounging at ease it was a funny sight to 
 see them sitting, or rather lying extended at full length, 
 having their bodies resting on one chair and their legs 
 upon the back of another in front of them. 
 
 They are not considerate enough to arrange them- 
 selves in lines to facilitate the passing of other persons 
 along the gallery ; on the contrary, they have the space 
 fully crowded by lolling in the most awkward postures. 
 Every one smokes tobacco, and most of them use the weed 
 
104 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 in a more offensive manner, as indicated by the streaks of 
 tobacco juice radiating from their lips to the distance of 
 four or five feet on the surrounding floor. We were 
 amused to observe that whenever a lady entered their 
 presence, in moving along, the occupant of his couple 
 of chairs would start up as if electrified, and, with 
 great show of condescension, would make way for her. 
 Not so, however, if a gentleman was desirous to obtain 
 the favour ; they would allow him to wind about in the 
 best way he could, and not one of the parties would 
 draw in a single inch. The assemblage of such a group 
 afforded an amusing study. Each one shared the enjoy- 
 ment of the smoke, and the posture of indulgent ease, evi- 
 dently coupled with the desire to impress upon his as- 
 sociates the idea that there was an unmistakable impor- 
 tance attaching to his own individual position. This 
 description of vanity was sometimes offensively conspicu- 
 ous, and it was but too obvious that, despite their efforts 
 to conceal it, many of them betrayed an absence of that 
 tranquillity which adorns the face of true happiness. The 
 same expression of severity has become so universal, 
 that the portrait painters convey this feature in the linea- 
 ments even of their great worthies. 
 
 It is well known that in the United States, the way- 
 ward career of young children is allowed to go unchecked: 
 they have not been inured to the constraining effect of 
 filial obedience. A case of childish freedom happened 
 to present itself, and as it was more amusing than ill- 
 natured, we may notice it by way of example. 
 
 An English passenger was accosted with unusual fa- 
 miliarity by a smart-looking little fellow of about eight 
 
UNITED STATES, 105 
 
 years of age. "Well, sir," said the boy, "I take it you 
 will be a Britisher?" " Yes," replied the gentleman; 
 "and what of that, my boy?" The boy then proceeded 
 to inquire — "And I guess you will be a soldier?" "Yes," 
 said the gentleman, "you are quite right ; I belong to the 
 British army." "I thought so," retorted the lad; "and 
 I was just wondering whether you had forgot the licking 
 we gied you at New Orleans." The lad's parents were 
 present, looking on and listening ; but they did not consi- 
 der it necessary to offer any apology : on the contrary, 
 they appeared to enjoy the amusement thus created. 
 
 As we proceeded northward, in the month of April, the 
 atmospheric changes were exactly the reverse of those we 
 had witnessed when approaching the south, in the month 
 of February. In the course of a very few weeks we had 
 passed from the severe winter of New York, to the sum- 
 mer heat of the Island of Cuba. We were now returning 
 up the current of the Mississippi, leaving behind us the 
 mild and genial region of New Orleans. The course of 
 the thermometer was daily descending ; the open foliage 
 of the south gradually disappearing ; and at length we 
 found ourselves in the leafless forest. 
 
 One of our passengers was a small trader from Califor- 
 nia. He had joined a party of adventurers who left the 
 United States some years before, and had travelled in a 
 couple of waggons the whole distance of 3,000 miles from 
 Chicago, and had been four months, or 120 days, in per- 
 forming this arduous journey. They had passed the 
 Mormon settlement at Salt Lake, and he gave some account 
 of the disgusting social tyranny which was being exer- 
 cised over the settlers. 
 
106 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 Eeferring to a period as far back as 1848, California 
 was comparatively an unknown country. An accidental 
 discovery of gold caused many thousands of adventurers 
 to be attracted to " The Digins." In such a community 
 there would be found the most reckless of every country, 
 living under no sort of restraint or observance of law or 
 order. The productions of the soil could not sustain the 
 people ; and they w^ere dependent for almost every article 
 of necessity upon importations from abroad. There was 
 no system of credit ; no one could go upon trust ; their 
 supplies were sometimes running short ; food would be at 
 famine prices ; and the confusion and distress impossible 
 to describe. This man had wdth him a boy of four years 
 of age, the child of a red Indian, whom he had bought 
 of the mother in exchange for half a barrel of flour and a 
 couple of blankets. There was an expression of sharp- 
 ness and a wild look about the lad ; he was playful, and 
 would often pretend to be hiding himself in some sort of 
 fancied concealment. He said he had been induced to 
 purchase the lad in the expectation that by taking charge 
 of him at so early an age, he could train him to some 
 useful purpose ; and he was the more confident he could 
 do this, because his brother had succeeded in a similar 
 instance. 
 
 In describing the country of California, the man re- 
 marked upon the growth of very large trees, and his 
 account of them would have appeared incredible, had we 
 not in this country the evidence of a specimen which has 
 been brought over, and the trunk erected in the Crystal 
 Palace. This "mammoth tree''' measures at the base 31 
 feet in diameter, is 363 feet in height, and the bark is 18 
 
UNITED STATES. 107 
 
 inches in thickness. These immense trees are met with 
 in considerable numbers, growing in sheltered places 
 amongst the mountains, nearly 5,000 feet above the level 
 of the sea. Thej have the appearance of a new genus, 
 resembling the cedars of Lebanon ; and according to the 
 usual estimates formed by botanists, this one must be 
 upwards of 3,000 years old. The sight of a grove of such 
 trees must impress the mind with an enlarged idea of the 
 magnificence of nature ; and more especially with the 
 remarkable fact, if such data is correct, that there are 
 groves of trees not having yet matured their growth, 
 although when striplings they might have been contem- 
 poraries with Moses and the prophets. 
 
 MEMPHIS AND TENNESSEE. 
 
 We landed at Memphis, the most considerable city on 
 the river betwixt New Orleans and St. Louis. From this 
 place we availed ourselves of a railway communication 
 recently opened across the country, through the state of 
 Tennessee, and proceeded to the city of Nashville. 
 
 Tennessee is a cotton growing state, but that portion 
 of it through which we passed, being from 35 to 36 de- 
 grees parallel of latitude, is too far north for successful 
 cultivation of cotton. We noticed that the cotton plants 
 appeared dwarfish ; and many of the plantations were small. 
 The returns for 1850 reported that there were in the whole 
 of that state as many as 4,000 cotton planters, raising 
 variously from as low as three and four bales up to as 
 many as 1,000 bales each ; and altogether 194,000 bales. 
 
 We also learnt that in this state there was some extent 
 of cotton cultivation done by white labour. This was a 
 
108 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 surprise to us, and we felt curious to investigate the sub- 
 ject, seeing that in our previous observations we had not 
 heard of any instance in which the attempt to raise cotton 
 by white labour had ever been successfully made. It had 
 always been represented to us, that the white race were 
 unable to endure the heat of the sun, and the annoyance 
 occasioned by mosquitoes and other insects, which the 
 negro race disregarded, — the mid-day sun inspiring them 
 with mirth and enjoyment. 
 
 An agent who was procuring supplies of free labour 
 cotton for the English market, informed us that he mostly 
 procured it from small farmers in the northern parts of 
 Tennessee, and in some of the other states which in like 
 manner were bordering upon the range of cotton culture ; 
 that it was grown upon small patches of sheltered ground, 
 yielding three or four bales a-year, and that this quantity 
 was as much as the generality of farmers had a sufficiency 
 of hands to pick. The picking of the pods was under- 
 taken by the females of the household : they could not 
 stand the employment throughout the day, as the negroes 
 did, but commenced picking when the dew of the morn- 
 ing had disappeared, covering their heads with sun bon- 
 nets : they ceased operations in the middle of the day, and 
 resumed them in the evenings till sundown. As these 
 were the only parties to supply the free-labour cotton, the 
 agent seldom found more than four bales in any one hand, 
 and the trouble involved was considerable, whilst the 
 quantity obtained was very small. In order to appreciate 
 the difficulty of cotton culture by white people in that 
 portion of the United States, which may be called the 
 cotton region, the following illustration will suffice. It 
 
o 
 
 UNITED STATES. 109 
 
 has been extracted from the letter of a lady, dated June, 
 1858, and was expressive of disappointment that the 
 family should have been prevented from leaving the 
 country at the usual time in the month of May, by reason 
 of the flooding of the Mississippi, and the consequent 
 disasters sustained on the plantations. The writer says, 
 " This place is nearly submerged from the overflow of the 
 river. Xot a bale of cotton will be made this year upon 
 either of our plantations. Apart from the numerous 
 inconveniences attendant upon the loss of river stations 
 and our island position, we are rendered uncomfortable by 
 the intense heat, and the swarms of troublesome insects. 
 Indeed, an entomologist would find his paradise in this re- 
 gion in the dog days ; for the rare specimens of animated 
 nature are marvellous to behold. I am obliged to sit 
 under a ' bar' all the day, as well as to sleep under one at 
 night; and it is truly a ' bar 1 sinister to all free circulation 
 of air ; for by a ' bar' you must know that I mean a thick 
 close net of lace, used solely in compliment to the creep- 
 ing and crawling plagues which infest these swamps, and 
 sting us into an almost fever of impatience. Thus you 
 see it is high time for us to seek for cooler and dryer 
 climes." 
 
 How humiliating is the fact, that so large a portion I 
 of the human family, hastening onward as they are in 
 the race of civilization, should continue to be dependent 
 for clothing upon region a so uncongenial to the white 
 population, and to the industry of 700,000 of the negro 
 race. 
 
 As we passed along towards the north, it was evident 
 that hour hj hour we were leaving the cotton culture, 
 
110 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 and entering upon the husbandry of grain. The slave 
 cabins were passing out of sight, and the country was be- 
 coming studded with little wayside villages, having their 
 wood-framed houses painted white, and their window 
 blinds green. Small merchants' stores would be seen 
 amongst the rest, having prominently inscribed upon 
 them the significant words u Cash for grain/' Thus out- 
 bidding the attractions of the other storekeepers who still 
 adhered to the primitive system of barter. 
 
 Nashville is the capital of the state of Tennessee, with 
 a population of 20,000. The principal building is the 
 State House, or Capitol, recently erected at a cost of 
 £200,000. It stands upon an elevated ridge of ground 
 overlooking a vast extent of fine bold country. The 
 rooms appropriated to the state representatives are very 
 becoming, not to say elegant; and the decorations are of an 
 emblematic character, such as the statuette of an Indian 
 chief, one of the original proprietors of the state, fol- 
 lowed by other representations which indicated the 
 progress of civilization in the display of their staple 
 products, such as wheat, maize, cotton, tobacco, 
 hogs, &c. &c. 
 
 STAGE TRAVELLING. 
 
 At the early hour of three o'clock in the morning, we 
 embarked in one of those antiquated conveyances called 
 a "stage;" drawn by four horses at the rate of about 
 four miles an hour, and after toiling all day and till ten 
 o'clock at night; we found ourselves at a country inn 
 called the " Three Forks," having travelled ninety miles 
 in nineteen hours. The back and front seats carried 
 
UNITED STATES. Ill 
 
 three passengers upon each, and betwixt these a 
 swing seat was suspended from the roof, which carried 
 three more, making nine inside passengers, besides babies, 
 and in a space too cramped for our limbs to move. On 
 the outside there were also other passengers and abundance 
 of luggage. The country was picturesque, and the sce- 
 nery would have been enjoyable had it been summer. 
 Y\ T hen we came to ascend the hills, the passengers would 
 receive a familiar invitation from the coachman to get out 
 and take a walk, — a description of treat which would have 
 been all the more welcome, had the snow storms been 
 somewhat less severe. There was one very familiar de- 
 signation of the American roads, formed of the trunks 
 of trees lying crosswise, which we thought conveyed 
 a very appropriate meaning, namely, " corduroy." T >Ye 
 ascertained that not more than one-fifth of this 
 road had ever been metalled, or had received any 
 covering of stone. Nearly the whole of our way 
 was slightly fenced, or not fenced at ail ; and in the ab- 
 sence of bridges, our conveyance was placed on rafts, and 
 moved across the rivers. There were other occasions of 
 our experience of "stage" travelling, but it will be 
 unnecessary again to remark upon the difficulty, or the 
 fatigue occasioned to passengers. 
 
 Do not suppose that even the jolting of this machine 
 could suppress the native curiosity, or prevent the con- 
 versational intercourse of the passengers. On the con- 
 trary, an ugly jolt would arouse an apology for the crush- 
 ing of your hat, or some other misadventure, and thus 
 intrude an intercourse, and assume the character of a for- 
 mal introduction, or lead to a travelling acquaintance. 
 
112 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 In this way, being subjected to the conversation of a 
 " stage" for nineteen hours, there would necessarily tran- 
 spire something which might deserve to be remembered ; 
 perhaps some feature of American character, which might 
 serve to amuse. 
 
 One of the passengers was an Illinois farmer, and no 
 doubt a good specimen of that class of men. He was not 
 rustic, but simple, and his remarks were often shrewd. 
 He soon betrayed the usual desire of all American peo- 
 ple, to acquaint himself with whatever could be gleaned 
 in the way of intelligence, and seeing that we were stran- 
 gers in the country, he was evidently impatient to know 
 something of us. We had long since discovered that it 
 was our best policy to relieve and not to torture the curi- 
 osity of our fellow-travellers ; and finding themselves 
 treated with confidence, they reciprocate and are equally 
 ready to disclose whatever information they possess. 
 After relating the narrative of our already extended route, 
 and having informed him of our prospects of visiting 
 other parts of the United States and Canada, the farmer 
 was in great astonishment, and could not understand 
 what should induce well-to-do people to leave their com- 
 fortable homes in England for the mere sight of the wild 
 forests and naked prairies of America. However, he be- 
 trayed a warm interest in whatever concerned the u old 
 country," as he called it, and his manner altogether was 
 more pleasing than intrusive. 
 
 He soon made us acquainted with the history of him- 
 self, and with the knowledge of what belonged to his 
 pursuits on the prairies of Illinois. It appeared that he 
 was " located" in the vicinity of the Illinois Central 
 
UNITED STATES. 113 
 
 Railway ; that he had got his land under good husbandry, 
 growing large crops of wheat, maize, barley, oats, &c. 
 &c. ; and that he was annually raising and fattening a 
 great many hogs. That by means of the railway he had 
 command of three good markets for his produce, namely, 
 Chicago, Xew Orleans, and New York ; and thus he 
 could easily dispose of everything he could raise. He 
 described his land as a level country, free from trees, or 
 from any of the stumps of trees ; and he considered that 
 it was worth forty dollars per acre. In the absence 
 of labourers to reap his harvest, he had made purchase of 
 a reaping machine, for 130 dollars, which would reap from 
 twelve to twenty acres of grain per day. This machine 
 required two horses and an attendant to work it; and 
 when he had finished his own reaping, he loaned it out to 
 the neighbouring farmers at the rate of half- a- dollar per 
 acre. 
 
 He told us that the hogs he raised were pickled and 
 barrelled for the negroes on the plantations. The barrel 
 of pork weighs 200 pounds, and is sold variously at from 
 15 to 23 dollars. The information which he thus commu- 
 nicated relating to the prairies, and the extensive land 
 sales which were then making to emigrants, assumed an 
 unexpected importance from the fact that a young man 
 who was a fellow-passenger, and who had been listening 
 to the farmer's conversation, was himself personally 
 interested as an intended settler. 
 
 This adventurous character was a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, and had received his education at the public 
 schools and universities of the state. At a recent exami- 
 nation through which he had passed, he had been held 
 H 
 
114 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 competent to the profession of the law ; but as his pecu- 
 niary resources were scanty, he had turned out in search 
 of a speculation — -probably one in land, intending in the 
 course of a few years to realise his 8,000 or 10,000 
 dollars, and return to Massachusetts, where he could re- 
 invest his money, enter upon his profession, and get 
 married. In this unreserved manner he at once disclosed 
 what he considered to relate to his forecast of the future. 
 From advertisements which he had seen, it had been 
 passing in his mind that he could buy from the Illinois 
 Central Eailway Company a tract of prairie land upon 
 credit, at from five to eight dollars per acre, they allowing 
 him to hold the land from year to year, upon paying 
 interest upon the amount of the purchase money at the 
 rate of seven per cent, per annum. That eventually, by 
 means of accumulated profits and improvements on his 
 farm, he could re-sell, and thus carry out the ulterior 
 object he had in view. The opportunity thus afforded of 
 conversing with a practical farmer, the young man seized 
 with great avidity. His interrogatories were incessant, 
 and altogether so unpractical that the farmer's patience 
 became tried ; and at length he gave the young man to 
 understand, that as an Illinois farmer he would have need 
 of other knowledge besides that which he had acquired 
 from the study of books. 
 
 In substance, the farmer told him that the prairie was 
 a flat country, clear of timber, covered with long coarse 
 grass, and would yield good wheat crops in every alternate 
 year; but that it would be necessary for intermediate 
 crops of other grain to follow wheat, in order to prevent 
 the land from getting foul with weeds. The "stage" at 
 
UNITED STATES. 115 
 
 length arrived at the Three Forks Tavern ; we got re- 
 leased from ortr imprisonment, and transferred to the 
 luxury of a comfortable fire of wood, a cup of tea, and 
 repose for the night. 
 
 MAMMOTH CAVE, 
 
 The cave was eight miles distant, through a hilly 
 woodland country of beautiful scenery ; but the road, so 
 called, was frightful. The Cave Hotel is large, and during 
 the summer months is much crowded. The proprietor 
 furnished us with lamps and guides to conduct us through 
 these deep recesses of the earth. AYe were again reminded 
 that the true American insists upon convincing everybody 
 that nature has designed his country upon the most gigan- 
 tic scale ; not only in her rivers and her lakes, but in all 
 the broad features of creation, not even omitting the 
 Mammoth Cave of Kentucky : and, indeed, it would be 
 impossible to impress upon the mind of a stranger any 
 accurate conception of this marvellous cavern. 
 
 The visitor finds himself overpowered with a sense of 
 awe of the grandeur and sublimity of this underground 
 formation, which extends over a circuit of fifteen miles, 
 and requires several days fully to explore. The chasms 
 or openings assume a very varied character, and the guide 
 books have classified them as consisting of 226 avenues, 
 47 domes, 8 cataracts, and 23 pits. Without entering 
 very minutely into particulars, we may content ourselves 
 with describing some of the objects we most admired. 
 
 Many of the caverns are enormously large and lofty ; 
 and, from the accidental character of their construction, 
 they sometimes present appearances which look striking 
 
116 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 and singular; and some of them are rendered increasingly 
 interesting by formations of stalactite, produced after the 
 manner of icicles, from droppings falling from the roof, 
 containing lime and earthy matter, which become con- 
 solidated in the most amusing forms imaginable. The 
 combined effect of these chasms, clothed in their varied 
 decorations, have awakened the imagination of guides and 
 visitors, and given rise to names of objects and places to 
 which they were supposed to bear analogy. For instance, 
 one cavern is called the "Star Chamber." It resembles 
 a magnificent hall, with rocky sides, and an imaginary 
 array of arches : the dark surface of the ceiling has sug- 
 gested the name, from its being studded over with parti- 
 cles of mica, or of some metallic substance, which gives 
 out a sparkling effect most inimitably resembling the 
 starry firmament. The cavern called the "Church" is 100 
 feet in diameter, with a roof 63 feet from the ground, 
 composed of one solid mass of rock. In order to com- 
 plete the appropriateness of its ecclesiastical character, 
 the contrivance of a pulpit and a recess for the organ and 
 choristers have been arranged, by the grouping of the 
 scattered masses of rock and stalactite which were lying 
 within the area of the place. The "Pensico Avenue" is 
 also suggestive of the idea of a sacred edifice. The roof 
 is lofty, and appears to be supported by a series of lancet 
 arches. The architectural look of the place, although 
 formed without the aid of human art, was invested with so 
 much of the Gothic and cathedral character that, it was 
 said, a sense of devotional feeling was sometimes almost 
 irresistibly inspired in awe of its appearance. The 
 "Grand Gallery" resembles an immense tunnel of many 
 
UNITED STATES. 117 
 
 miles in length. The " Audubon Avenue" is 50 to 60 
 feet wide, about the same in height, and extends to one 
 mile in length. The "Cross Booni" has a ceiling of 170 
 feet span, sustained without any column or other apparent 
 support. The Mammoth Dome is 280 feet over head, and 
 when illuminated, presents a very impressive spectacle. 
 Indeed, there would appear no end of domes and caves, 
 nor any limit of fancied resemblances. We remarked 
 that the stalactite of this cave presents fewer interesting 
 objects than we have seen in the cave of Adelberg, in 
 Austria ; and we felt regret that the cave itself was not 
 exhibited with adequate effect. It was not sufficiently 
 lighted to disclose its true grandeur, and left an impres- 
 sion upon the visitors which was far too sombre. 
 
 In the depths there were pools and streams of water. 
 Looking over the sides of a deep precipice, there was a 
 dark-looking sheet of water, called the "Dead Sea." A 
 stream was called the "Kiver Styx." Another pool of 
 considerable dimensions had a boat upon it, which con- 
 veyed us through the interior of a frightful-looking recess. 
 In these waters there was an extraordinary kind of fish 
 called the "White Eyeless ;" and we were assured that 
 there was nothing like an eye had ever been discovered 
 by the anatomists who had experimented upon them. 
 About nine miles within the cave, and at the termination 
 of an avenue, there was an awful looking pit called the 
 "Maelstrom." 
 
 Thousands have long gazed upon it with feelings of 
 dread, but no one had been daring enough to explore it 
 until last summer, when a visitor, Mr. Prentice, of Louis- 
 ville, allowed himself to be let down by a rope. During 
 
118 A TOUR m THE 
 
 his descent, he suffered inconvenience from the splashing 
 of water, gushing from the cataracts on the sides, and he 
 felt some alarm from the falling of loose stones which he 
 displaced in passing ; but he arrived at the bottom unin- 
 jured, at the depth of 190 feet, and found that the floor 
 was about 18 feet in diameter, and covered with black 
 silex. 
 
 At the unpropitious hour of ten at night, we resumed 
 our seats in the stage for Louisville ; and at two o'clock 
 the following day we had completed our 54 miles in the 
 course of 16 hours ; the toil of the remaining distance of 36 
 miles, was acceptably relieved by railway accommodation. 
 It may be remarked, that although the general wants of 
 the travelling community may be well served with rail- 
 ways and steam boats, it is obvious that the interior of the 
 country is ill-provided with that indispensable necessity 
 of civilisation — the common highway. 
 
 It may be presumed that when the urgency has been 
 sufficiently felt, the requisite highways will be provided; 
 but to our surprise, those who understood the country and 
 the disposition of the inhabitants, did not appear sanguine 
 in their expectations of this result ; at all events for some 
 considerable period of time. This absence of public 
 spirit may be accounted for by the fact that the whole of 
 the country is in the occupation of settlers who do not 
 look upon themselves as settled inhabitants. And, accord- 
 ing to the information we received, it is the understood 
 policy of nearly every one who comes into the country, to 
 remain there only so long as may be necessary to accom- 
 plish the exhaustion of the soil he has purchased. 
 There is no chosen spot of earth presents any abiding 
 
UNITED STATES. 119 
 
 attraction to the farmers of Kentucky ; and when they 
 more, they prefer the new and fertile lands of the west, 
 and disregard the cultivation of the lands they have got. 
 Hence they are unwilling to incur any expense for public 
 benefit, by the construction of reads. Indeed, their utter 
 indifference to local attachment appeared not only strange 
 but culpable. We were assured that it was by no means 
 unusual for a farmer to sell out, and go hundreds of miles 
 westward, not only regardless of the friendly associations 
 he had acquired in the country he was leaving, but also 
 apparently unmindful of the no less than sacred ties 
 involved in the remembrance of the tomb he had placed 
 in some retired nook in his garden, in which he had seen 
 deposited the remains of a deceased wife, and perhaps a 
 number of his children. 
 
 The emigrants who are the buyers of land in this state 
 are mostly from Germany. The usual terms of payment 
 are one -fourth or one -third in cash, and the remainder in 
 one to four years, or in some cases the purchases are made 
 entirely on credit, and for longer periods of time. They 
 are industrious and economic, and almost invariably suc- 
 ceed. The agricultural products of this state are very 
 large, consisting of maize, wheat, barley, oats, hemp, and 
 tobacco ; and it is also celebrated for horses, mules, and 
 cattle : Kentucky is also one of those northern states which 
 are so largely engaged in raising slaves for the southern 
 markets. 
 
 CITY OF LOUISVILLE. 
 
 Louisville, the chief city upon the Ohio river, takes 
 date from about the year 1800, when the inhabitants did 
 
120 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 not exceed 500. At the present time, the population has 
 become 60,000 ; and as a specimen of a western city, it 
 might reasonably excite one's curiosity to ascertain the 
 local policy adopted in establishing its social and civil 
 progress. 
 
 The attention given to the education of the young, 
 has formed a leading feature in the advancement of the 
 people, and we were informed that this city is now expend- 
 ing upon schools the sum of ,£10,000 a-year, raised in the 
 usual way, by local taxation. The boys leave school 
 variously from fourteen to sixteen, and there are some few 
 who remain till eighteen years of age ; whilst those who 
 intend to follow the learned professions, attend the high 
 schools and the universities for a longer period, to com- 
 plete their classical and professional studies. The Sunday 
 schools are such as we have before described ; nearly 
 every place of worship has a school, which is sustained 
 by its own members, for the religious teaching of the 
 children of their fellow-professors, and, in some instances, 
 they receive the children of those who are unconnected with 
 any religious profession. In a few of the schools we found 
 that reading and writing were taught ; but in the great 
 majority the instruction was confined solely to matters 
 relating to religion. Upon leaving the public schools, the 
 boys find an easy introduction into all the common handi- 
 craft trades of the city. Some few take to agriculture, 
 and a good many become clerks or salesmen in the stores. 
 The wage of a labourer is one dollar a-day, and that of 
 an artizan or mechanic as much as ten dollars a week. 
 
 From Louisville we proceeded by steamer to Cincin- 
 nati!. The arrangements of the boat were admirable, and 
 
UNITED STATES. 121 
 
 the fares remarkably low, being only two and a-half 
 dollars for 120 miles, or at the rate of one penny per mile 
 for travelling, including bed and board by the way. 
 Cincinnatti has been designated the Queen of the West. 
 It is 850 miles from New York, and is the largest 
 capital of the Ohio and Mississippi country, having a 
 population of nearly 200,000. It is placed in a rich 
 district of agriculture, and derives its importance as the 
 great depot for receiving and distributing the merchandise 
 of that extensive region. The landing shore of the river 
 alongside the city is above three miles in length ; and not 
 unfrequently there may be seen from 50 to 100 large river 
 steamers loading and unloading. The grain and pork 
 trades are enormously large ; they form the chief source 
 of the exchangeable wealth of the district, and the returns 
 of the value of exports for the year 1856, had exceeded 
 fifty millions of dollars, or ten millions sterling, which is 
 a large sum for a river port situated so far in the interior 
 of the country. The impression of the city itself, is at 
 once surprising and gratifying. If there is not magni- 
 ficence, there is something bordering upon it in the 
 display of public buildings, and around the city there is 
 an undulating and picturesque country, with mansions 
 and other elegant residences of the wealthy class, which 
 greatly adorn the suburbs. 
 
 The chief pursuits of the inhabitants arise out of the j 
 collecting and marketing of the natural products of the 
 country. To enumerate or even to classify these pursuits 
 would be difficult, but the recital of a few of them may 
 interest or amuse, from their singularity and extent. The 
 leading trade is that of the sale of grain. The distilling 
 
122 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 of grain into whiskey is important, and there is another 
 trade somewhat analagons to it in the manufacture of wine 
 from grapes. The cultivation of the vine has been 
 introduced by the German settlers, and it has now arrived 
 at a state of prosperity. They are trained upon raised 
 terraces of earthwork, and impart an agreeable interest to 
 the landscape. The " sparkling Catawba" is very much 
 enjoyed by the Americans, and maybe termed the "home- 
 brewed' ' champagne of the United States. The trade in 
 hogs and barrelled pork affords a very graphic illustration 
 of one of those vast resources of the country, which are 
 at the command of the cultivator. 
 
 The young hogs, raised about the homestead of the 
 farmer, are turned loose into the woods to earn their own 
 livelihood, and mature their growth upon acorns, or what- 
 ever they can gather. They are then coaxed or collected 
 together, and brought again to the homestead, to be fat- 
 tened upon Indian corn ; and when the rotundity of their 
 bodies has been completed, they are disposed of to the 
 buyers of Cincinnati! Some idea of the importance of 
 this trade may be gathered from the fact, that during the 
 season as many as 500,000 hogs are driven into the city, 
 and are slaughtered at the rate of 20,000 in a day. The 
 pork is pickled, packed in barrels, and shipped away by 
 the merchants to New Orleans, to be consumed upon the 
 plantations. 
 
 There is a trade of almost incredible extent in the 
 
 r manufacture of household furniture. According to a report 
 
 of the Chamber of Commerce, for the year 1856, there 
 
 were sixty-seven establishments engaged in this branch ; 
 
 and the value of the furniture manufactured was 3,356,000 
 
UNITED STATES. 123 
 
 dollars, or £671,200 sterling. There are nine of these 
 concerns which are upon a more extensive scale than the 
 rest, each of them employing from 200 to 350 hands. We 
 visited several of these manufactories, and were surprised 
 to observe the systematic character of their varied opera- 
 tions. One proprietor was making chairs at the rate of 
 4,000 to 5,000 per week, and at prices varying from 
 Is. 8d. to 13s. 4d. each. Another was making bedsteads 
 at the rate of 1,000 per week, and at prices as low as 6s. 
 or as high as £12 each. The component parts of these 
 articles were of turned work, made to one uniform gauge 
 to screw into one another, and in all respects so handy 
 to deal with, that when warehoused the stock might be 
 disposed of in large quantities, carried to remote places ; 
 and so accurately joined as to fit into each other without 
 constraint, 
 
 The commercial report proceeds to remark the growing 
 importance of this trade in supplying the demands of 
 hotels, steamboats, and families of emigrants who are con- 
 stantly proceeding towards the states of the west. The 
 value to the city of this branch of business, may be com • 
 puted from the fact that the raw material is a home 
 product ; that its value is immensely increased by labour, 
 the timber or raw material being described as lumber, 
 and worth only from 1 J to 3 dollars per 100 cubic feet. 
 
 Coach making was also an extensive business ; and 
 we saw an assortment of elegant and expensive vehicles, 
 and hundreds of useful and well-contrived conveyances of 
 every imaginable shape to comprise utility and comfort in 
 travelling through such a country. One proprietor stated 
 that his annual returns were from £30,000 to £40,000, a 
 
124 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 sum which probably exceeds that of the great bulk of 
 coachmakers, even in London. 
 
 We have remarked upon the carelessness of servants, 
 and the frequency of destructive fires in all the cities of 
 the United States. The fire engine department is one in 
 which a considerable amount of interest is felt ; and in 
 Cincinnatti they had an extinguishing apparatus, with 
 a locomotive steam engine attached to it for working the 
 pumps, and so easy of application that it could be fitted 
 up and set to work in eight minutes. 
 
 SLAVERY. 
 
 In this state, the State of Ohio, we have passed the 
 northern boundaries of the slave states of Kentucky, Vir- 
 ginia, and Maryland. The states are situated betwixt 37 
 and 40 degrees north latitude, consequently too far north 
 for the cultivation of cotton. They are very fertile, and 
 possess a climate w^hich is salubrious, and well adapted to 
 the personal comfort of the white man. They are never- 
 theless slave states, and it is probable that in the infancy 
 of their growth and settlement, recourse has been had to 
 slave labour, in order to bring out cultivation with the 
 utmost rapidity. 
 
 It is universally admitted that for the mere purposes 
 of husbandry the negro race is not needed ; and the con- 
 tinued existence of slavery in these states is accounted 
 for, not by reason of the cheapness of slave labour, for 
 slave labour is not cheap labour, but by the advantage to 
 be derived from sale of the offspring of slaves to the 
 planters of the south. This practice is very justly held 
 in abhorrence, especially by the citizens of those states 
 
UNITED STATES. 125 
 
 which have liberated their own slaves. On this account 
 it did not occasion any surprise to us that a feeling of 
 restless impatience and remonstrance was very prevalent 
 in Cincinnatti. This was not carried to the extent of a 
 "border feud;" the chagrin expends itself in another 
 wav, by the game of intrigue with the slaves, leading to 
 their clandestine escape and conveyance to Canada. 
 
 It was not long before we became introduced to a cha- 
 racter in this way, a member of the Society of Friends, 
 one who might very allowably be identified as the u Simeon 
 Halliday" or the "Phineas Fletcher,' ' who figure amongst 
 the heroes of Mrs. Stowe. This man had become widely 
 known for his indomitable energy in the cause of negro 
 freedom, as well as for his skill in effecting his object ; so 
 much so as to have acquired the soubriquet of " The 
 President of the Underground Kailway." He had fre- 
 quently got into trouble for his unlawful proceedings in 
 this way ; and his expertness in extricating himself from 
 a difficulty was rather amusing. He had been appre- 
 hended and brought into court upon charge of having 
 aided in the escape of some negro slaves. The case 
 against him was strong, but not positive ; and one of the 
 magistrates attempted to gain an admission by assuming 
 a peremptory demeanour towards him. He at once made 
 the admission that the negroes themselves had told him 
 that they were slaves, but that no other person had told 
 him so ; and, in his own quaint and characteristic manner, 
 proceeded to remind this indiscreet justice of the peace 
 that according to law the evidence of the negro race was 
 not received even upon oath ; therefore, having no authority 
 but theirs, he had not felt called upon to give credit to 
 
126 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 what they had said, and had felt no indisposition to com- 
 ply with what they had wanted him to do. Having 
 made this statement, he thought it would be quite as con- 
 venient, and quite as consistent with the province of the 
 court, if they would allow the case to be proved from the 
 other side, and not by seeking admissions from him. 
 This they failed to do, and the charge was dropped. 
 
UNITED STATES. 127 
 
 EIETH LECTURE. 
 
 From Cinciimatti to Chicago the distance by railway 
 is about 300 miles, passing through the states of Ohio and 
 Indiana. In the western part of Indiana we entered upon 
 a prairie country, very thinly inhabited ; but we could 
 perceive that since the opening of the railway there had 
 been erected many little dwellings and homesteads of set- 
 tlers, surrounded by small plots of newly-enclosed land ; 
 and an abundance of unoccupied ground was lying in 
 readiness to receive a succession of emigrant settlers 
 whenever they might arrive. 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 
 Any attempt to describe this wonderful growth of a 
 city, would be incomplete if it did not also comprise some 
 account of the unpropitious character of its origin, and its 
 subsequent progress, in little over twenty years, from a 
 village of wooden shanties, to a splendid city of 110,000 
 inhabitants. It is situated upon a river on the south- 
 western shore of Lake Michigan, having in its foreground 
 a level plain of many hundreds of miles, stretching along 
 the prairies of Illinois, and upon a well-selected site, as 
 the great trading metropolis of the west. A variety of 
 concurrent circumstances have favoured the creation of 
 such a city, mainly arising out of these immeasureable 
 
128 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 prairie lands, brimful of fertility, and commercially tributary 
 to Chicago as the outlet. The requisite facilities for trade 
 have been afforded by the confluence of the river and the 
 lake ; but to these have since been added canal navigation 
 and railways, to meet the urgent requirings of commerce. 
 A largely-increased demand for grain, especially for the 
 supply of the English market, has doubtless contributed 
 an untold amount of prosperity to Chicago, and to the 
 whole of that country. When we compare the growth of 
 this modern city with that of the cities of the old world, 
 what shall be the measure of our astonishment? The 
 cities of ancient date have required centuries to establish 
 them, and centuries following of enlargement, before they 
 attained the proportions or the eminence of this, which is 
 scarcely a quarter of a century old. Eeferring also to 
 modern times, the progress of European cities is slow; 
 and favoured as our own country has been for the advance- 
 ment of mercantile ports, the progress of Fleetwood or 
 Grimsby is utterly insignificant in comparison with Chi- 
 cago. The history of this place no one has taken the 
 trouble to write ; therefore any historical account which 
 we present, must be received as scattered reminiscences 
 collected from loose accounts and traffic returns. 
 
 Beginning with the year 1804, the government of the 
 United States erected a fort for the occupation of this 
 locality against the Eed Indians. For nearly twenty 
 years following, the only white man besides the military 
 who made any approach to this settlement, was Mr. John 
 Kinzie, who availed himself of the fort as a trading point 
 for the purchase of furs and skins from the surrounding 
 tribes of Indians. 
 
UNITED STATES. 129 
 
 Up to a period as recent as the year 1812, the whole of 
 the Illinois country lying beyond the state of Ohio was 
 entirely in possession of the Indians. At length five 
 dwellings were erected outside the fort ; and the Indians 
 became so indignant at this encroachment, that they fell 
 upon the place with great fury, destroyed the fort, massa- 
 cred the soldiers and other inhabitants, sparing only their 
 trading friend, John Kinzie, and his family. Although 
 the fort was re-established, the extension of the settle- 
 ment was held in check by the dread of the Indians ; and 
 up to the year 1831 there were only twelve families, be- 
 sides the soldiers, who had ventured to occupy the place. 
 An impression of increased security began to prevail, and 
 a walking post was established. A half-breed Indian was 
 despatched once -a- week to Mies, in Michigan, where he 
 collected either verbal accounts of news, or newspapers, 
 whether new or old ; and his return at the week's end was 
 an event of no common interest to the inhabitants. 
 
 The following year, 1832, the Indians again assembled 
 
 in great numbers, committing great outrage and murder ; 
 
 and at length it was found necessary to bring about by 
 
 treaty a right of occupation, whereby the Indians agreed 
 
 to relinquish all their territorial claims as far westward as 
 
 Iowa, and engaged that themselves, and all that they had, 
 
 should be removed out of the country to the western side 
 
 of the river Mississippi. During the next year, 1833, no 
 
 less than 7,000 Indians presented themselves in Chicago ; 
 
 and forty- six teams of oxen were engaged in conveying 
 
 the last remnant of them upon a journey of forty days, to 
 
 that land of promise which had been bargained for and 
 
 allotted to them. 
 I 
 
130 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 During the following year, 1834, there was a consider- 
 able increase of vitality in Chicago. A grant of £5,000 
 was allowed by Congress for the erection of a harbour for 
 shipping; and a one-horse mail was substituted for the 
 walking post. But the peaceful occupation of the city 
 was again to be disturbed. The Eed Indians they had 
 bargained off and conveyed away ; but the -denizens of 
 the forest they had not yet dealt with, and the marauding 
 habits of the bear and the wolf they could no longer en- 
 dure. The forests immediately adjoining the city were 
 the resort of large numbers of these ravenous beasts ; and 
 from stealthy visits in the night they advanced to a de- 
 scription of freedom which could no longer be tolerated. 
 The inhabitants, as lords of the creation, were determined 
 to assert their own dignity ; they formed themselves into 
 hunting parties, and succeeded in destroying no less than 
 forty of these savage animals. This may seem a singular 
 event in the annals of a city; but in passing betwixt 
 Jackson and Market- street, we were amused to hear that 
 this had been the site of the last struggle with one of the 
 large bears. 
 
 The birth of Miss Ellen Hamilton took place in the 
 year 1832, and this young lady, now 24 years of age, is 
 the oldest native inhabitant. The public census was first 
 taken in the year 1835, the population was 3,265; in 1840, 
 4,470; 1845,12,888; 1850,28,269; 1855,83,509; 1856, 
 110,000. 
 
 During the season of 1856, the number of vessels and 
 steamers arriving at the port, had been 7,328 ; the tonnage 
 was 1,545,379 tons ; and the number of men employed in 
 their navigation, was 65,532. Up to the year 1836, 
 
UNITED STATES. 131 
 
 the provisions required for domestic consumption were 
 imported ; three years afterwards they had a surplus ; and 
 in the course of eleven years their annual exports had he- 
 come increased in value from eleven thousand to eleven 
 millions of dollars. 
 
 The grain ~r;de is by far i branch of com- 
 
 merce ; and although this is only the eighteenth year since 
 its commencement. Chicago has become the largest pri- 
 mary grain port in the world, having in the last year (1856) 
 exported 8,337,420 bushels of wheat ; 1 1,129,668 bushels 
 of Indian corn ; 1,034,188 bushels of oats, rye, and barley; 
 being a total of 21, 583,221 bushels of grain exported. 
 
 The hog trade is rapidly advancing, and the returns 
 for the year of live and dressed hogs amounted to 308,539. 
 An imme 
 
 "lumber:" the returns for I 
 
 boards, 79,2 Of; 
 
 wool, 1,853, : lit. 
 
 RAILWAYS. 
 
 Half-a-dozen years ago, Chicago had only a single 
 railroad of twenty miles long entering the city. Now 
 (1856) there are thirteen railroads centre here, and 100 
 trains of passenger cars arriving and departing daily. 
 The fifth annual report (1856) of the trades of the city, 
 enumerates thirty descriptions of trades and manufactures 
 giving employment to 10,000 hands ; the most important 
 being those connected with agricultural implements. We 
 visited the extensive works of Mr. McCormick, whose 
 principal business is the manufacture of reaping and mow- 
 ing machines. He informed us that the demand is so 
 
lo2 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 extensive, that lie had himself sent out 1,500 of these 
 machines last year, and expected to sell 3,000 this year. 
 
 We have already indicated in what manner Chicago 
 has been raised ; and let us not overlook the continued 
 and bustling operations of its thriving progress. The 
 wood buildings in the central parts of the city are disap- 
 pearing, to make way for the erection of houses, shops, 
 and warehouses, chiefly of marble. The magnitude and 
 architectural appearance of many of these, would vie with 
 the stately modern erections of Manchester. The wooden 
 houses of the original city were being carried away to be 
 replaced in the suburbs ; and occasionally we had the 
 singular pleasure of meeting a dwelling-house travelling 
 along the streets. It might be inhabited or uninhabited, 
 but it was evidently being hurried away, and perhaps into 
 some adjoining and less populous parish. We were . much 
 amused to observe the advantage which was being taken 
 by the people, to convert a locomotive dwelling into an 
 advertising van, and have it plastered over with all sorts 
 of placards. Churches and schools were provided in 
 great numbers. The streets were neglected ; indeed they 
 appeared not to have been formed, except by a covering 
 of planks, which had now become loose, uneven, and dan- 
 gerous. It was said that large fortunes had been made, 
 and with great rapidity ; but this remark was accompanied 
 with animadversions upon the slippery mercantile prac- 
 tices of the place. 
 
 PRAIRIE COUNTRY. 
 
 The prairies, so long neglected, have in recent times 
 disclosed an unexpected amount of fertility. The early 
 
UNITED STATES. 133 
 
 settlers in the United States adhered to an impression that 
 the growth of large trees was an acknowledged test of 
 good land ; and spent perhaps half their lives in hewing 
 down big trees, iii order to clear the ground and prepare 
 it for grain crops. The supposed infertility of the prairies 
 has been a mistake, and their extent is almost incalcula- 
 ble. The surface is quite level, covered with long coarse 
 grass, and without either tree or shrub. The railway 
 proprietors, in advertising the land sales, assert that the 
 crop of a single year has amounted to the first cost of the 
 land. At all events, the natural resources of the prairies 
 of Illinois are so enormous, that they contribute to render 
 that state one of the most important in the Union. The 
 absence of timber as well as stone is inconvenient to the 
 settlers, on account of the absolute necessity for field fen- 
 ces, farm buildings, and dwelling-houses. This necessity 
 will serve in some extent to explain the amazing amount 
 of trade in " lumber" which is being carried on betwixt 
 Chicago and the Northern Lakes. These lakes are nume- 
 rous ; and in describing their magnitude, we were assured 
 that one of them would be large enough to receive e 
 territorial extent of Old England, and leave plenty of 
 room to sail round her as an island. The navigation of 
 these lakes affords easy access to those immense forests 
 which supply the vast shipments of lumber so much requi- 
 red in Illinois. 
 
 The people of Chicago are ever ready to accommodate 
 the wants of the emigrant, and to enable him to determine 
 upon the desirability of some plot of land, to complete his 
 purchase, and to proceed with the requisite arrangements 
 for immediate occupation. A contractor in the lumber 
 
134 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 trade will propose to supply him with farm premises. 
 They have always on hand either ready-made houses or 
 drawings of them, and any number of doors and windows 
 ready for use. In this manner wood-framed houses may 
 be supplied to any approved pattern, at any price from £40 
 to £200 each, with the requisite outbuildings ; and the 
 same may be erected for permanent occupation in less 
 than one month. The articles of furniture which have 
 been supplied from Gincinnatti, will present their various 
 attractions ; and in a very few weeks the emigrant may 
 become a landed proprietor and a citizen, having his fa- 
 mily located, his team of bullocks at the plough ; and in 
 less than a year his grain crops may have been raised, 
 and shipped away from Chicago. In illustration of the 
 growth of industry upon the prairies, we may refer to a 
 letter addressed to the "Illustrated London News," from 
 Fairbury, Illinois, and headed 
 
 "Growth of a Village in the Far West. — Last November, 
 there was but one bouse bere ; now there are 40 dwellings, 7 stores, 3 
 warehouses, a church, a school-house, a railway depot, a steam mill, 
 and other buildings, all erected within eleven months." 
 
 Another instance of progress is related by a correspon- 
 dent of the u Chicago Tribune," who says — 
 
 "Being in Eock County, Illinois, one day last week (about the 
 middle of August), I went to the top of a hill called Mount Zion, six 
 miles from Janesville, and counted on the surrounding plain 150 four- 
 horse power reaping machines, busily cutting down wheat. There 
 were 1,000 men, women, and boys following, binding and shocking up 
 the golden sheaves. It was a sight worth seeing, to behold the grain 
 falling and being gathered up at the rate of 200 acres an hour." 
 
 Mr. Caird, M.P., in his "Notes on the Prairies/ 7 states 
 that " England and Illinois are nearly equal in size ; that 
 
UNITED STATES. 135 
 
 Illinois is an undulating open plain ; that some of the corn 
 fields are of uncommon magnitude ; one vast sweep which 
 he saw of 2,200 acres was all in new-sown wheat : and 
 that most of the towns are not four years old, and are 
 growing rapidly." We heard it computed there would 
 be at least 50,000 square miles of territory now lying 
 within command of Chicago as an outlet ; that at present 
 only one -sixth of it was under cultivation ; and that a still 
 greater extent of unexplored wilderness was lying more 
 remotely westward-, 
 
 Leaving Chicago, we came eastward 350 miles to the 
 city of Cleveland, upon the southern bank of Lake Erie, 
 The lake presented a ruffled surface, and large waves were 
 dashing against the headlands of an abrupt coast. The 
 town residences reminded us of our pleasure -taking marine 
 resorts in the South of England. The severity of the 
 weather deterred us from proceeding in the direction of 
 Niagara and Canada ; and therefore we preferred to make 
 a tour of a few weeks towards the more genial south. 
 
 Pittsburg is usually denominated the Birmingham of 
 the United States ; but such a comparison is an exaggera- 
 tion pardonable only in America. It is a smoky, dirty- 
 looking city, of 110,000 inhabitants, situated upon the 
 Ohio river, amongst the hills. The mines of iron and j 
 coal which abound in the vicinity, have given rise to a \ 
 considerable extent of enterprise and commerce. Parts of I 
 
 adjacent suburbs have been named Birmingham and 
 Manchester; and in these places the iron and glass works 
 are mostly situated. The coal formation is immediately 
 above the river. The mines are wrought by means of 
 tunnels, and the coal conveyed by tramway to the barges, 
 
136 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 and floated down the Ohio to all the cities upon its banks, 
 and throughout all the branches of the Mississippi as far 
 as navigable. According to the published returns of the 
 previous week, the deliveries of coals had been 500,000 
 bushels, or 16,000 tons ; the selling price was 5s. per ton. 
 The engineering works which we had heard described in 
 such exaggerated terms, were disappointing to us. We 
 did not find the outward appearance of any large capital 
 embarked, such as we see in our engineering towns in 
 England. The pretensions of Pittsburg as a marvellous 
 embodiment of skill in mechanical pursuits, had been 
 reported to us in the "free and easy" style which so often 
 prevails. A traveller, at the hotel in Cleveland, who was 
 desirous to fix our attention upon a manufactory at Pitts- 
 burg, described it as comprising every element of skill in 
 metals ; and assured us, very impressively, that we should 
 in this concern find the manufacture of everything in me- 
 tal, "from the spittoon lying at our feet, to the movements 
 of the watch in our pocket/' Having hastened our visit 
 to these notable works, we found that the place ought 
 more properly to have been described as the workshop of 
 a locksmith. They were making locks at the rate of 
 5,000 a-week, and at prices varying from 6d. to 12s. each. 
 The manufacture of wine decanters, and moulded and 
 figured work in glass, appeared to be well managed ; but 
 the manufacture of window glass did not look promising, 
 and the attempt to make plate glass had not succeeded. 
 
 EMIGRANTS FROM LANCASHIRE. 
 
 We descended the Ohio by steamer to Wheeling, and 
 from thence we visited a number of emigrant farmers, who 
 
UNITED STATES. 137 
 
 had left Lancashire about thirty years ago. They had 
 cleared away the trees, the stumps still remaining in the 
 ground ; their land was well fenced, and under culture 
 like an old settlement ; but it was wearing out, and they 
 spoke of going westward. 
 
 The village of St. Clair sville through which we had 
 to pass, contains about 500 inhabitants, and the locality 
 appeared to sustain two publications of newspapers. In 
 all the little affairs of these people, there were evidences of 
 comfort and thrift. Their clothing and furniture appeared 
 homely. Their animal food was not fresh killed, but such 
 as they had salted or pickled. Their Indian corn served 
 them in a variety of ways, and they seemed to consider it 
 a most valuable article of food. Their sugar and molasses 
 were of their own manufacture, from the saccharine! juice 
 of the sugar maple. One of the farmers stated that his 
 land would yield as much as 22 bushels of wheat, or 50 
 bushels of Indian corn to the acre ; but another one esti- 
 mated the average at 10 or 12 bushels of wheat, and re- 
 marked that they did not suffer so much from poor markets 
 as from having very little grain to sell. Manuring for 
 wheat crops is done every five years : and the current 
 price of land is £8 per acre. We did not hear that any of 
 the settlers had realised more than .£1,000; and it was 
 supposed that there w T as not any individual in the county 
 possessed of more than £10,000. From these accounts it 
 is evident that when they spoke so boastingly of raising a 
 wheat crop from the same land for five years in succession, 
 the whole quantity so raised in the five years would 
 not be equal to two crops upon the w T ell- cultivated land of 
 this country. 
 
138 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS. 
 
 The day following we crossed the Alleghany moun- 
 tains, on our route to the south. This very notable 
 mountain range extends from north to south, nearly 1,000 
 miles, and rises to the height of about 3,000 feet. The 
 gradients of the railway appeared easy, and the windings 
 disclosed a great deal of bold and precipitous scenery. 
 In the highest altitudes there were groves of pine, 
 hemlock, spruce, and other forest trees, as well as indige- 
 nous flowering shrubs and plants, such as the azelias, 
 rhododendrons, laurels, &c, in great luxuriance. Eising 
 above the foot of the mountains we observed a great many 
 little patches of forest land, recently cleared by a poor, 
 miserable -looking class of cottier holders. Every one 
 appeared to have been the architect, and the builder too, 
 of his log cabin, formed of the trunks of trees lying one 
 upon another in the round state, the ends having been 
 notched with the hatchet, and juggled together at the 
 corners of the building. The spaces or crevices formed 
 by the round sides of the trees were filled up with earth 
 or clay, and wattled smooth upon the surface : we seldom 
 saw a window or a chimney, and a low doorway would be 
 the only opening. The gypsy-looking women, with their 
 children, would be outside, engaged in washing or cooking, 
 having a boiling pot suspended over a crackling fire of 
 pine logs. The presence of a cow and one or two heifers, 
 with perhaps a donkey or a horse, would represent the 
 farming stock of one of these, the most miserable-looking 
 citizens we ever saw in the United States. Descending 
 the eastern side of the mountain, we glided alongside of 
 
UNITED STATES. 139 
 
 precipices and over many deep ravines, with mountain 
 torrents looking very frightful, until at length we got 
 down amongst the sunny slopes and the orchards whitened 
 with the fruitage blossom of the spring. 
 
 Having travelled upwards of 300 miles, we rested for 
 the night at that very interesting place, Harper's Ferry. 
 It is situated in a most picturesque spot in the state of 
 Maryland, at the junction of the river Shenandoan with 
 the Potomac, and betwixt two precipitous ridges of hills. 
 The wild beauty of the sceneiy was unsurpassed by any 
 we saw, and the place itself is well known for the 
 extensive government manufactory of fire-arms. The 
 operations of these works were interesting, principally 
 from their having introduced the newly -invented machi- 
 nery for forging, preparing, and fitting up the several 
 parts of the military musket. The most ingenious appli- 
 cation of machinery in use, was that of Mr. Blanchard's 
 invention, employed in the gun-stocking department. The 
 rude form of a stock was placed in a lathe, over against a 
 revolving shaper of the required form, and this became 
 the guide of the cutting tool : a continued succession of 
 mechanical contrivances completed the work, so that in the 
 course of twenty-two minutes the various parts could he 
 brought into their places, and united together as an en- 
 tire musket. 
 
 Notwithstanding our affectation of reluctance to adopt 
 Americanisms, we were informed that our government had 
 made purchase of this machinery from the inventor, for 
 the armoury at Enfield. The American superintendent, 
 speaking of the relative merits of the English and Ameri- 
 can workmen, remarked that he liked his own countrymen 
 
140 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 most, because they possessed intelligence, and had higher 
 aims : that the Enfield men could do their work well 
 enough, but they were low-bred, and just rilled up their 
 time betwixt the workshop and the beershop. 
 
 Having reached a warmer atmosphere, we felt inclined 
 to luxuriate, and indulge in social intercourse with friends 
 in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, before we 
 again made approach to the north. Our visit extended 
 over a considerable portion of the New England states ; 
 but our observations were principally directed to the state 
 of Massachusetts, which is accounted the most wealthy 
 and prosperous of any in the Union. Within this state 
 are situated the eminent mercantile city of Boston, the 
 manufacturing city of Lowell, together with the towns of 
 Lawrence, Manchester, Holyoke, and many other thriving 
 places, of great population and industry. It may also be 
 added, that the indications of British origin appeared 
 more marked in this than in any other state we visited. 
 
 PILGRIM FATHERS. 
 
 As a leading characteristic of this state, it would be 
 deemed unpardonable not to refer to the remarkable histo- 
 rical events in the career of the " Pilgrim Fathers/' who 
 first founded it. Those who are familiar with our English 
 history, will be aware that in the early part of the 17th 
 century, the dominant portion of the religious community 
 were in a state of angry excitement, and the Nonconform- 
 ists were groaning under oppression and persecution. The 
 exercise of despotic power over the minds of men, appea- 
 red to be the order of the day, and disobedience to the 
 authority of a state religion was deemed disaffection. The 
 
UNITED STATES. 14] 
 
 spirit of the age appeared to insist that the combined 
 authority of Church and State were entitled to exercise 
 dominion over the souls as well as the bodies of men ; and 
 the king required of them an entire submission of their 
 reason and conscience. The assumption of such authority 
 was an outrage for British freemen to endure ; and a con- 
 flict of the fiercest character arose betwixt those who feared 
 no authority but God alone, and the pretensions of royal 
 and clerical authority. Amidst a series of changes, the 
 ecclesiastical opinions which at length had been adopted 
 by the bishops, must needs be enforced upon all other 
 persons ; and those who chose to dissent, might be said to 
 haye been deliberately hunted down. Their books were 
 seized and publicly burnt; themselyes imprisoned by 
 thousands ; and many pious, inoffensive Christian people 
 endured as martyrs the extreme penalties of the law. 
 
 Some of the leaders of the body of English Indepen- 
 dents made their escape into Holland ; but, owing to their 
 feelings being so intensely English, they became unhappy, 
 and disliked the idea of allowing their families to inter- 
 marry, and thus become Dutch. In this dilemma they 
 agreed that some portion of them should sail for America, 
 and prepare a way for the others to follow in succession ; 
 and with this view they obtained a document, securing to 
 themselves, as emigrants, liberty of worship in that 
 colony. 
 
 It was upon the 5th of August, in the year 1620, that 
 about 120 of them embarked at Southampton, in that 
 notable barque, the Mayflower ; but, owing to delays in 
 their progress, it was the 6th of September before they 
 got clear from Plymouth. After having been at sea nine 
 
142 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 weeks, they made discovery of land, and found that it was 
 inhabited by tribes of Indian hunters. One of the pil- 
 grim party whilst roaming about, was ensnared in a trap 
 which the Indians had laid for the capture of deer. He 
 had observed that the point of a young tree had been 
 bent to the ground, and in making his approach to dis- 
 cover the device, the point suddenly sprung from its 
 fastening, tucked him up by the heel, and held his body 
 suspended in the air. Of course his friends lost no time 
 in having him extricated from his perilous position ; but 
 it may easily be supposed that such an incident could 
 hardly occur without affording some amusement even to 
 so grave a company. 
 
 From a place so unpromising they very soon withdrew, 
 re-entered the ship, and continued to move about on the 
 coast until the 11th December, when they discovered a 
 more tempting spot, one which they adopted as a settle- 
 ment, and gave to it the name of New Plymouth, in 
 grateful memory of the port from which they had set sail 
 from Old England. On their arrival, nearly the whole of 
 them were suffering from fevers, coughs, and general 
 sickness, and a considerable number were too far prostrated 
 ever to recover. Indeed, the inroad of disease amongst 
 the party became so severe, that before winter was over 
 there remained only 50 of the 101 settlers ; and such was 
 the prevailing debility, that at one time they had only 
 seven persons who were competent to the burial of the 
 dead. So large a number of victims from disease, must 
 have been deeply prostrating to the spirits of the sur- 
 vivors ; but there were other troubles in store which 
 also proved very disheartening. Their supplies of food 
 
UNITED STATES, 143 
 
 became so scanty, that for six months they had to subsist 
 upon half rations ; and even during the third year, their 
 destitution was so severe, that at one time they dealt out 
 their last pint of corn at the rate of five grains a man. 
 This appears to have been the last extremity of their 
 personal sufferings. 
 
 They then discovered that their distress had arisen from 
 the adoption of a policy which had proved far more ami- 
 able than wise, namely, the social or common property 
 system ; and when they had ascertained that the effect 
 had been to protract their sufferings, they abandoned 
 this arrangement of mutual interests, and adopted the 
 more solid foundation of individual property. They very 
 soon found that a stimulus had been given to the general 
 activity and contentment of the people, and in a very 
 short time they were raising a surplus of corn as an 
 article of merchandise. 
 
 As a community of settlers, they found it necessary to 
 effect a treaty with the Indian tribes, and having attained 
 full possession of the province, they proceeded to establish 
 a form of government which should be popular, and in 
 all respects becoming the champions of freedom. 
 
 The elements of character, and the mission of those 
 sturdy " Pilgrim Fathers," will ever be honoured: they 
 had become willing exiles from their native land in order 
 that they might themselves enjoy, and afterwards be- 
 queath to their descendants, the inestimable treasure of 
 Christian liberty. 
 
 Passing from the other chequered events which at- 
 tended their course, before the success of their original 
 design had become permanently established, we may re- 
 
144 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 mark upon the weakness which afterwards betrayed them 
 into error. Finding themselves, as they supposed, se- 
 curely invested with an array of political power, which 
 rendered their authority absolute, they very unguardedly 
 forgot themselves, and allowed the attachment they had 
 for their own form of religion, to outweigh the affection 
 they had previously professed for the sacred cause of 
 Christian liberty. 
 
 Twenty-five years had scarcely passed over their heads 
 before the impressive lamentations of their fathers over 
 the persecutions they had suffered from the English 
 bishops had not only been forgotten, but they had fallen 
 into the like example, and in an evil hour had themselves 
 become the persecutors of others. No doubt that in the 
 first formation of their laws they aimed at social equality; 
 they strove to direct the energies and purify the morals 
 of the people ; they wisely avoided the errors of the feu- 
 dal or aristocratic system, and the primogeniture laws of 
 the mother country ; but how often are we reminded, that 
 "to err is human." And, despite the knowledge they 
 possessed, they were unable to resist the desire to "lord 
 it" over the consciences of other men. They enacted a 
 law to establish uniformity of religious belief, and thus at 
 once adopted the intolerant and persecuting spirit which 
 had driven them into exile. 
 
 In like manner they undertook, in the authority of their 
 own law, the seizure and burning of obnoxious books ; 
 then, step by step, they proceeded to the infliction of tor- 
 ture, and the maiming of the person of offenders ; thence 
 followed imprisonment, and at length their atrocities 
 reached the department of the gallows, just as the Eng- 
 
UNITED STATES. 145 
 
 lish had dealt with their fathers at Tyburn. Unhappily, 
 the memorial of this guilt does not admit the plea of ig- 
 norance. They must have been familiar with the ill- 
 success of every attempt to enforce belief, from the ex- 
 ample of Nebuchadnezzar down to the recent case of their 
 own predecessors. Fortunately, however, this pilgrim 
 community had not yet become their own masters ; they 
 were colonists under the British crown, and the brutality 
 of their proceedings received the salutary check of a 
 mandamus from Charles II. They were then enabled to 
 perceive, as in a mirror, the outrage they had inflicted upon 
 that high and holy cause which had been intrusted into 
 their hands to exalt and establish : persecution was abo- 
 lished, and the spirit of enlightened freedom which anima- 
 ted that little cargo of fugitives in the Mayflower, has since 
 enlarged her proportions and founded her empire in New 
 England. 
 
 Passing onwards, there is the evidence of material 
 progress on every hand. No one visiting Massachusetts 
 can fail to observe the incalculable advantages which have 
 accrued from such indomitable people. In no other part 
 of the United States did we find education so universal, or 
 the social and intellectual condition of the people so 
 manifestly progressive, — where devotedness to industry 
 was so marked, — where inventive genius was so prevalent, 
 — or where the spirit of manufacturing and commercial 
 enterprise was existing in such healthy activity. Amongst 
 the native inhabitants we did not hear of a single case of 
 downright ignorance, nor of the alloy of pauperism : in- 
 deed, it would seem that there is not in any other part of 
 
 the world a country in which the elements of human hap- 
 K 
 
146 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 piness are more amply diffused amongst all classes of the 
 people. 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
 The mercantile city of Boston is not formed in straight 
 lines of streets, as most of the other cities of the Union ; 
 and in this respect it resembles an English city. There 
 was architectural taste displayed, but this was not so stri- 
 king as to require special notice. We may record our 
 visit to the very plain monumental erection over the tomb 
 of Franklin ; and this was the only instance in which we 
 remember to have met with any public recognition of that 
 very eminent character. The mercantile reputation of the 
 city is known in every country. The inhabitants have 
 been described as quiescent and persevering. The su- 
 burbs, although not situated in the most fertile country we 
 had seen, presented a good deal of varied natural beauty ;> 
 and in the course of a morning's drive afforded agreeable 
 interest. In the vicinity of Brookline, Cambridge, Dor- 
 chester, and other surrounding places, there was a highly- 
 creditable array of mansions, villas, and other genteel re- 
 sidences. The cemetery of Mount Auburn is of great 
 extent, the surface undulated, the landscape adorned with 
 trees and shrubs ; the character of the design, the inclo- 
 sures around family vaults, and the monuments, altogether 
 afford the evidence of a commendable taste and feeling. 
 We passed the residence of the poet Longfellow ; and in 
 the distance we observed the monument on Bunker's Hill, 
 which reminded us of the struggle for independence, and 
 the historical associations of 1775. 
 
 Within this state have been originated many ingenious 
 inventions of great importance to the world at large ; and 
 
UNITED STATES, 147 
 
 the seats of manufacture which are diffused throughout 
 the country, attest the existence of a vast extent of capi- 
 tal and industry. To enumerate these inventions, and to 
 offer any remarks upon more than a few of them, would 
 be beyond the limits of a lecture. The card-making ma- 
 chine for the manufacture of mill cards for wool, cotton, 
 and silk, was the discovery of a citizen of Boston, and is 
 now used almost universally. The sewing machine was 
 also from this state; and referring to the u Song of the 
 Shirt," and the lamentable condition of the sempstress, we 
 may rejoice that more than one hundred of these machines 
 are now being employed by one house in London ; that 
 900 of them are already at work in Glasgow ; and that 
 their introduction into the trade of shoemaking is creating 
 something like a revolution amongst the hands engaged 
 in that sedentary and unwholesome employment, 
 
 The invention before noticed for the manufacture of 
 fire-arms, is also from Springfield, in this state. Indeed, 
 it would be impossible to enumerate all the mechanical 
 inventions received from the United States. We may, 
 however, proceed to notice the manifold printing press, 
 which has afforded such important aid in the success of 
 cheap newspapers and other publications. The machine 
 which Mr. Piatt, of Oldham, has recently received, for the 
 manufacture of bricks ; the washing machine, and the re- 
 volver, are also American : and let us not forget the horse 
 tamer. Eeferring to the examples of manufacturing in- 
 dustry, the following may serve to indicate the cha- 
 racter of their progress, 
 
 The premises of the New England Screw Company, 
 Providence, Ehode Island, are extensive, and well-arranged 
 
148 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 for the manufacture of screws, principally those required 
 for carpenters' work. The invention is one of great merit, 
 and the machine performs a variety of operations of con- 
 siderable delicacy. The wire, when properly annealed, is 
 cut into the requisite lengths, and proceeds from one 
 machine to another ; first to form and nick the head, then 
 to turn and worm the shank, and lastly to give the screw 
 the advantage of a gimlet point. 
 
 Mr. Henry Burden, of Troy, a native of Dumblane, in 
 Scotland, has invented a machine for the manufacture of 
 horse-shoes, at the rate of sixty per minute ; whilst in the 
 ordinary process two men can forge only sixty per day. 
 
 MANUFACTURES OF COTTON, WOOLLEN, ETC. 
 
 Massachusetts is pre-eminent for its mill manufactures. 
 In this state there are streams of water too shallow for 
 navigation, which have been converted into mill streams, 
 and a great number of manufacturing establishments have 
 been erected upon them ; — the largest cf these being at 
 Lowell, and at Lawrence, on the Merrimack river. The 
 latter place was the one we first visited ; and from the 
 elevated ground of our approach, it was almost astounding 
 to discover at one view large factories extending nearly a 
 mile, alongside a broad river, and behind these nearly a 
 square mile of ground, covered with dwelling-houses, 
 shops, and all the other requirements for a population of 
 17,000 inhabitants, most of whom had been attracted thi- 
 ther during the ten years of the growth of the mills. We 
 found that these mills were employed in the various pro- 
 cesses of spinning, weaving, bleaching, dyeing, and print- 
 ing of cotton. Those to which our attention was more 
 
UNITED .STATES. 149 
 
 immediately directed, were the mills] of " The Atlantic 
 Company/' They have four large water wheels of 1,750 
 horses power ; their machinery consisted of 80,000 spin- 
 dles (mule and throstle), and 1,400 power looms. This 
 company manufactures about 1,000 bales of cotton per 
 month, affording employment to 1,100 workpeople, the 
 proportions being 350 males, and 750 females. The young 
 "hands" are received at twelve years of age, and attend 
 at school one quarter of each year until the age of fifteen. 
 The hours of working are eleven per day, or 66 for the 
 w r eek, as they allow no indulgence for Saturdays. Not- 
 withstanding the completeness of these works, the shares 
 of this company were selling at a discount of 40 per cent. 
 The mills of " The Pacific Company' ' were also engaged 
 in cotton manufactures ; but in addition to the departments 
 for spinning and weaving, they had also other works for 
 bleaching and calico printing. The extent of their machi- 
 nery was not complete in every department ; but the mag- 
 nitude of the works may be estimated from the presence 
 of no less than thirty-two steam boilers at work, all under 
 one roof. Their bleaching was upon the recently -impro- 
 ved process of the bleachers of Lancashire. In one room 
 we saw twelve printing machines ; some of them were 
 working upon seven or eight colours, and every machine 
 was turned by its own little steam engine. The printing 
 room was very commodious and well-lighted ; the ma- 
 chines were arranged in a very systematic manner; and 
 two-thirds of the workmen were English. In connection 
 with these works, the proprietors have appropriated a 
 large building for popular entertainments. The public 
 room will accommodate one thousand persons ; and during 
 
150 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 the previous winter, six concerts "had been held, and seven 
 lectures delivered. The discount upon the shares of this 
 company, was 75 per cent. 
 
 In all parts of the country we found public schools ; 
 and in those of the Lawrence Mills there were present as 
 many as 600 children and young persons, some of whom 
 were more than twenty years of age. We had the curio- 
 sity to test the pursuits of the scholars, by requesting 
 those to stand up whose families belonged to the factory ; 
 and we found that they amounted to one -half. 
 
 The greatest portion of the factory workers were fe- 
 males from distant parts of the country, and as they had 
 to be provided with lodgings, the proprietors have public 
 lodging-houses erected for their accommodation. The one 
 which we visited was under the presiding authority of a 
 matron, who showed us through the house, and informed 
 us that she w T as able to provide for sixty " young ladies." 
 The drawing room was respectably — not to say genteelly 
 furnished : we noticed the marble chimney pieces, the 
 carpeted floor, large mirrors, the piano, music books, and 
 the various little work tables, and other appurtenances, 
 intended to contribute to the enjoyment of the inmates. 
 Entering the dining room, we found that three tables had 
 been spread for the dinner : the table service w T as plain, 
 and complete in every respect. The cooking range and 
 other apparatus for the kitchen, was very commodious ; 
 joints of meat were roasting, and an abundance of other 
 food was being prepared for the table. The lodging rooms 
 have two plain bedsteads, such as those made at Cin- 
 cinnatti ; also dressing glass, toilet, and wardrobe. 
 
 We noticed that books, magazines, and other periodi- 
 
UNITED STATES. 151 
 
 cals, were lying about ; and altogether there seemed an 
 air of comfort and cleanliness, such as might indicate that 
 every department was well ordered. These factory girls 
 — as in this country we are accustomed to designate them, 
 or the u young ladies/'' under American definition- — are 
 mostly the daughters of small farmers, traders, or labour- 
 ers, from distant parts of the country, whose services are 
 not required in their own families. Every one of these 
 would be unwilling to enter into other families as domestic 
 servants, but they are glad to avail themselves of em- 
 ployment in the factories, in order that they may realise a 
 few dollars of money savings before they marry. They 
 can all read and write ; and in the evenings they employ 
 themselves in needlework or in reading ; and at ten o'clock 
 the door is closed for the night. 
 
 LOWELL. 
 
 Lowell has taken the lead as a factory city. The 
 vigour of its early career was derived from the war of 1812 
 between Great Britain and the United States, when the 
 importation of all kinds of fabrics was closed. Public 
 attention was at that time directed to the encouragement 
 of manufactures ; fiscal duties and other regulations, by 
 way of bounty, were enacted by Congress ; and in a very 
 short time the Merrimack river was dammed up by weirs, 
 and converted into a propeller of machinery. At that time 
 Lowell took a start of activity, and in 1826 was incorporated 
 as a town. From that period its prosperity became more 
 fully established ; and in 1854 the population had reached 
 37,000. The available waterfall of 33 feet in height, with 
 a supply of 36,000 cubic feet of water per second of time, 
 
152 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 being, according to the usual calculation of engineers, 
 nearly 9,000 horses power, is now fully occupied ; and no 
 fewer than twelve great manufacturing corporations had 
 risen into existence, having in operation fifty factories, 
 mostly employed upon cotton, possessing 400,000 spin- 
 dles, 12,000 power looms, and representing a capital of 
 betwixt two and three millions sterling. 
 
 There is ample evidence that mental activity has kept 
 pace with industrial progress ; as upwards of forty public 
 journals have been started. Several of these have gone 
 down; but the journal most extensively known, is the 
 " Lowell Offering," a monthly periodical published from the 
 year 1840 to 1845, and devoted mainly to the effusions of 
 the young ladies employed in the mills. The principal 
 mover was Miss Harriet Farley, an operative, and the 
 daughter of a clergyman at Amesbury. Many of the 
 essays evinced respectable talent and correct taste, and 
 some of them have since been collected and published in 
 a volume entitled " Mind among the Spindles." There 
 are now published in Lowell, three daily and five weekly 
 newspapers of considerable circulation. In regard to the 
 mechanical construction and the other arrangements of the 
 mills of Lowell, they resemble those we have already 
 described. The machinery was well made, and the 
 machine makers, whose works we saw, were not only keep- 
 ing pace with every improvement effected in England, but 
 themselves were possessed of great inventive genius, and 
 appeared ever on the stretch to excel in new discoveries. 
 The command of water power derived from the Merrimack 
 having now become exhausted by the mills already in 
 existence, the pressure for an increase of power has in- 
 
UNITED STATES. 153 
 
 duced some of the proprietors to adopt the turbine in place 
 of the bucket water wheel. The turbine wheel is based 
 upon the model of the " Barker's Mill," which is the most 
 ancient appliance of water, and by dint of modern mech- 
 anism it has been made to yield more power from the same 
 supply of water than the bucket wheel will give. 
 
 The consumption of cotton by the manufacturers of 
 the United States has continued to enlarge, and has now 
 reached about one -third of the consumption of this coun- 
 try, The enjoyment of a protective policy, together with 
 charges upon imports, affords to the American manufac- 
 turer a large gain in addition to his profit on the manufac- 
 ture ; and we were informed by the parties themselves, 
 that during the last twenty years their profits had been 
 enormous. But we were also informed that it would be a 
 mistake to suppose that they had been fortunate in money 
 making ; that they had to incur very heavy expenses in 
 conducting their concerns ; and the advantages to the 
 proprietary, as measured by the protection they enjoyed, 
 were by no means realised. Their ill-success in this re- 
 spect may require to be accounted for. The proprietor of 
 a factory in this country resides near the spot, undertakes 
 the discharge of his own duties as an employer, conducts 
 his own marketing, and feels himself the master of his 
 position as a capitalist. In the case of a Joint- Stock 
 Company in the United States, this is utterly imprac- 
 ticable. The generality of these companies are got up in 
 New York or Boston by some agent, who expects to be 
 intrusted with the conducting of the business. Thus the 
 proprietors enter the scheme knowing that they shall be 
 charged with commissions upon every article bought or 
 
154 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 sold ; also with heavy expenses attendant upon the system 
 of long credits, and bill transactions. 
 
 Having heard of the celebrity of Lowell, we observed 
 with great interest every feature in relation to the opera- 
 tive class. In the streets, we saw nothing like abject 
 poverty, nor any indication of rude or coarse behaviour j 
 but, on the contrary, the evidence of an orderly, intelli- 
 gent people, sober, sedate, and persevering. The most 
 pleasing feature was the superiority of the young females. 
 Being chiefly from the country, they were mostly well 
 grown, and in personal appearance superior to the gene- 
 rality of other females in the United States ; and in their 
 demeanour they manifested a degree of self-respect very 
 much in advance of any similar class we have seen in this 
 country. The cultivation of refinement amongst them is 
 studiously promoted by the proprietors. They are provi- 
 ded with dressing apartments adjoining the spinning 
 rooms, having all the requisite accommodations for wash- 
 ing, and for changing their dress. Traits of character 
 deserving of admiration were frequently communicated to 
 us ; that amongst the thousands of New England females 
 leaving their rural homes, and entering the mills, great 
 numbers of them have by their frugality acquired ample 
 means to assist their parents, elevate their families, and 
 endow with money savings the homes of their husbands, 
 when married. 
 
UNITED STATES. 155 
 
 SIXTH LECTURE. 
 
 Throughout our visit to the New England States, 
 everything we met with was looking so very English, 
 and we .became so familiar with the people, that at 
 length it was needful to become aroused to the pursuit of 
 our next object of interest. Having reached Utica, we 
 concluded to make a detour to the Trenton Falls, as 
 a minor sight preparatory to the grandeur of the Falls 
 of Niagara. They are approached through a deep ravine, 
 under the sloping sides of a forest ; and the places ap- 
 pointed for observation are mostly difficult of access. 
 There is a considerable volume of water precipitated over 
 a rocky bed of the river, forming a variety of beautiful 
 cascades ; and the effect is rendered very picturesque by 
 the scenery of the surrounding woods. We noticed how 
 utterly valueless the timber appeared ; we saw immense 
 trees lying where they had fallen, in a state of decay ; 
 whilst abundance of young ones were starting up to fill 
 their places. The day following, as we passed along by 
 railway, we were amused to observe how very many little 
 modern towns were honoured with names of antiquity, 
 such as Palmyra, Syracuse, Eome, and other cities of the 
 old world. In Canada there was none of this pretension ; 
 on the contrary, the Canadian people have contented them- 
 selves with the original, and often more sonorous Indian 
 names, such as that of Toronto. At length we approached 
 
156 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 the great wonder of creation ; and at the stopping stations 
 were impatient to hear the first sound of the cataract. 
 Whilst crossing the stupendous iron bridge over the 
 Niagara river, we got a passing glimpse of the Falls, but 
 the evening was too far advanced for observation. The 
 ever-present roar of the cataract was reverberating in our 
 ears, though by no means obstructing our conversation. 
 The window frames and the floor were in a constant tre- 
 mor. The following morning revealed the great object of 
 our impatient desires ; but the falls did not at first occa- 
 sion a degree of surprise so overpowering as we had ex- 
 pected. The sight was, indeed, sublime and terrific, far 
 beyond our immediate comprehension to realise ; and 
 whilst dwelling with intense interest upon the scene, 
 communing in the stillness of our own thoughts, we were 
 often irresistibly held to the spot, quite overcome with 
 mingled feelings of astonishment, admiration, and delight, 
 unutterable in words. The cataract immediately before 
 us was the great Canadian or Horse-shoe Falls, 1,900 feet 
 in breadth, and 160 feet in height ; and upon our left 
 there was another cataract of smaller dimensions, upon 
 the American side of the river. 
 
 For several days we wandered about in contemplative 
 amazement, following the course of the stream, and visit- 
 ing the whirlpool below. The sight which we found the 
 most impressive in its effect, was obtained from the sum- 
 mit of a tower overlooking the Horse-shoe Fall, and dis- 
 closing at once that terrific chasm into which all this water 
 was being tumbled headlong. The current, as it glides 
 over the cataract, looks delightfully smooth and graceful ; 
 and when it has reached the bottom, it rolls about, appa- 
 
UNITED STATES. 157 
 
 rently fathoming the depths of the pool, and trying to 
 resist the impulse of an onward movement. The scene 
 was often obscured by rising clouds of mist; and an occa- 
 sional sunbeam would enliven the effect, by presenting 
 before us a rainbow in all its prismatic beauty. 
 
 This may serve as a brief description of Niagara ; but 
 the following account affords a far more graphic expression 
 of the effect usually produced upon a stranger. The 
 correspondent of the " Times" says — 
 
 1 ' Nowhere on this planet does sncli a mass of water make such, a 
 leap. The Niagara drains 150,000 sqnare miles of the northern conti- 
 nent through the reservoirs of the upper lakes ; — not Loch Lomonds 
 and "Windermere s, but inland seas, in which England, Scotland, and 
 "Wales, might he submerged, and leave nothing visible but the tops of 
 a few mountains to dot the surface as islands. Ten of these oceans 
 and their feeders — more than a hundred rivers — pour their waters at 
 last through this one channel of the Niagara ; and the intense com- 
 pression of these collected floods in the narrow bed of the torrent, 
 pent for miles between steep walls of rock, and driven through a 
 chasm not half as wide as the Rhine, gives a better measure of the 
 immensity of the Falls, than can be made by the eye alone. Great as 
 are the dimensions of the cataract, neither their height nor the extent 
 of surface visible, tells all the tale. To the first glance they are even 
 somewhat disappointing : it is only by degrees the gigantic power at 
 work is appreciated. Nor is the noise so loud as would be anticipated. 
 It does not ' thunder :' it is a low, deep, and continued roar ; and you 
 may converse on the very edge of the Fall without raising the voice, 
 though the concussion shakes the rock under your feet. 
 
 "The flood as it turns over the precipice is smooth and glassy, but 
 it has the green tinge given by great depths, and under the smooth- 
 ness of surface is a force that would sweep away anything made by 
 hands. * * A condemned steamer, the Detroit, drawing 18 feet 
 of water, was carried over the Falls as lightly as a cork. She never 
 touched the rocks with her keel, until she was precipitated, still 
 shapely and beautiful, a hundred and fifty feet below ; and then down 
 — down — no one knows, or ever will know, how many fathoms into a 
 lower deep, scooped out by the incessant action of the Falls, to re- 
 
158 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 appear a few minutes afterwards a chaotic and unconnected mass of 
 beams, spars, and floating timbers. 
 
 ' ' For many days I lingered in the purlieus of Niagara. I often 
 walked from the suspension bridge along the Canadian shore, getting 
 at every turn a new glimpse of loveliness ; and on other occasions 
 have sat for hours on Prospect Tower, with no companion but a book 
 of favourite poems, and the eternal music of the Falls. In storm, in 
 shine, in moonlight, and in mist, in all weathers and hours, — I have 
 feasted upon the beauty and tranquillity of the scene ; for as soon as 
 the ear becomes accustomed to the roar of the waters, they descend 
 with a lulling and soothing sound. And when at last I was compelled 
 to take my last look, and travel to new regions, I repeated to myself, 
 neither for the first nor the last time — 'I have lived, and loved, and 
 seen Niagara. '" 
 
 Amid this reverie of delight, a communication reached 
 ns from his Excellency the Governor- General of Canada, 
 requesting our company at an entertainment on the eve of 
 his departure for England. Having reached Toronto, we 
 had the enjoyment of an evening's intercourse with the 
 elite of Canada. 
 
 THE PROVINCE OF CANADA. 
 
 Before we enter upon the narrative of our travels, let 
 us take a cursory glance at the Canadian country and its 
 institutions, as one of the most hopeful colonies we pos- 
 sess. The extent is estimated at 350,000 square miles, — 
 being nearly three times the area of Great Britain and 
 Ireland. The country is formed into the two divisions of 
 Upper and Lower Canada ; but for all legislative purposes 
 they constitute one province. Lower Canada is the older 
 settlement, and the inhabitants are chiefly descended from 
 the French. They subdivide their farms, raise but little 
 beyond what they require to eat, therefore have not much 
 
UNITED STATES, 159 
 
 to sell, and possess but little means to buy whatever they 
 may want. 
 
 Upper'Canada presents to the emigrant the attractions 
 of a fine champaign country, and contains a great breadth 
 of excellent land. Some parts of the Ottawa district are 
 considered so productive, that they have been denominated 
 the "Garden of Canada West." The inhabitants are a 
 hardy, enterprising people : and the staple products of the 
 country are wheat and oats. The forests rank scarcely 
 second in importance to agriculture ; and the valley of the 
 Ottawa is the centre of the operations of " lumbering," as 
 the forest pursuits are usually termed. From this part 
 are annually supplied about twenty-five millions cubic feet 
 of pine timber, for the markets of Europe ; and large as 
 this supply may appear, there is a region of forests almost 
 unexplored, which is estimated to be sufficient to continue 
 this supply for 150 years to come, independently of the 
 growth which in the meantime may be maturing. 
 
 A contractor for " lumber" secures a district of forest 
 country of fifty or a hundred square miles in extent. He 
 clears enough ground for a farm to supply his stores of 
 provisions, erects dwellings for his workmen, and has them 
 placed in "gangs" for operation upon the most marketable 
 timber. He constructs temporary bridges, and opens out 
 avenues leading to the nearest navigable rivers. His 
 arrangements comprise an outfit of every article necessary 
 for a staff of about seventy persons. The first fall of snow 
 levels the inequalities of the ground, and forms the basis 
 of a sort of natural railroad for the conveyance of his 
 timber ; and the balks are then formed into rafts, for float- 
 ing down the rivers to Montreal or Quebec. 
 
160 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 The climate is severe, yet eminently salubrious ; the 
 summer season is short and hot, and brings forward the 
 crops with singular rapidity. The winter commences 
 early, with a brilliant sky, a keen frost, and pure elastic 
 air, — continuing about eight months of the year. The 
 farmer raises a stock of fat cattle, preserves the meat by 
 freezing ; and the live stock which he retains, require to 
 be provided with a large supply of hay during the seven 
 months' absence of grass. There are no coals or manu- 
 factures. The timber they export pays for the imports of 
 the colony. 
 
 The colonial affairs of most countries are often mis- 
 managed, perhaps because they are little understood by 
 the ruling powers ; and therefore it is no wonder that our 
 North American provinces have had to pass through 
 manifold troubles, — such, for instance, as the disturbances 
 betwixt the French and English Canadians, in the year 
 1838. 
 
 The discontent which at one time prevailed, did not 
 escape the notice of Lord Durham when he was governor 
 of the colony, and he restored tranquillity by giving to the 
 people a more democratic basis of power, — a policy which 
 was widely at variance with the previous exercise of royal 
 authority, and more nearly resembling the political institu- 
 tion of the United States. In the year 1849, it was 
 publicly stated "that their exchequer was exhausted, their 
 commerce severely crippled, and their credit depreciated." 
 In that year Lord John Eussell, the secretary for the 
 colonies, had become convinced of the soundness of the 
 principle of self-government, and Canada was released 
 from her leading strings, excepting only that the power of 
 
UNITED STATES. 161 
 
 veto was reserved to trie British government, to be exer- 
 cised in cases of foreign policy ; and this provision has 
 seldom been required to be used. 
 
 The constitutional government and legislature of Cana- 
 da, consist of a Governor- General, appointed by the crown, 
 a Legislative Council consisting of forty members nominat- 
 ed for life by the crown; and fifty- eight members returned 
 by electoral divisions. The Lower House, or Legislative 
 Assembly, consists of 130 members. The elective fran- 
 chise is extended to <£6 tenantry in towns, and to «£4 in 
 the rural districts. The only check upon voting is the 
 administration of an. oath. Two days are allowed for elec- 
 tions, and twelve members retire every two years. It may 
 be observed that when the ligatures of the Home Govern- 
 ment became relaxed, the loyalty and attachment of the 
 people increased. The population in 1848 was under one 
 million and a-half, and in ten years it was doubled. This 
 increase consisted for the most part of a sturdy emigrant 
 class, and they imparted new life-blood into the colony, 
 extended the range of civilization, consolidated the charac- 
 ter of the older settlements, and the result has been that 
 the value of property has become doubled. Under this 
 new political regime the energies of the people have been 
 liberated for action upon the natural resources of the 
 country, with remarkable success. Their imports have 
 increased two-fold. In the year 1852, there was not a 
 single railway in all Canada, whilst at the present time 
 there are in operation upwards of 2,000 miles. 
 
 Their system of education affords the evidence of how 
 much may be done when the people themselves are allowed 
 to fulfil the obvious duties of a community. Every child 
 
162 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 in Canada is entitled to receive an education; and an 
 adequate number of schools, colleges, and universities are 
 provided for their instruction. These are managed by 
 trustees locally appointed, and are mainly supported by 
 rating, although they are receiving aid to the extent of 
 <£90,000 a-year from the provincial exchequer. The tea- 
 chers are non-sectarian ; and no regard is had to politics, 
 or to any particular religious belief, excepting only in the 
 case of Catholics and Protestants, who are allowed to have 
 some extent of isolation of their children in the schools. 
 
 An attempt has been made, but without success, to 
 establish sectarian advantages, and & reserve of one se- 
 venth of the lands of Upper Canada was appropriated for 
 the benefit of the Episcopalian church, and the support of 
 a Protestant clergy. This attempt aroused the indigna- 
 tion of the other churches, and they not only demurred to 
 the justice of the grant, but publicly asserted and demanded 
 their rights. The legislature, rinding that every attempt 
 to compromise the question had been unsuccessful, termi- 
 nated the affair, commuted the stipends already granted, 
 and the proposal for the endowment of an Established 
 Church was finally abandoned. 
 
 Canada, no doubt, is rising ; but the resources of the 
 country are overpowered with expenditure and debt. 
 
 THE RAPIDS. 
 
 Parties leaving Toronto for Montreal and Quebec, look 
 upon the affair of navigation with some excitement, as 
 well as interest. In the first instance, we had a large 
 steamer down Lake Ontario to the entrance of the river 
 St. Lawrence, at Ogdensburgh. At this place we took a 
 
UNITED STATES. 163 
 
 smaller boat, to glide down the Eapids. The river 
 scenery is perhaps unsurpassed for variety and beauty. 
 In the course of the first forty or fifty miles, we had a 
 delightfully meandering sail through the " Thousand Is- 
 lands' 7 studded about in the river, many of them most 
 beautifully adorned in the wildness of nature, and in most 
 picturesque groups. The width of this river is ever vary- 
 ing : in one place it would be ten miles across, and in 
 another only a mile. Occasionally there is a narrow gorge 
 having a rocky bottom. Above this, a swell of water 
 would be collected, and would descend with a violent 
 sweep, forming the well-known " rapids," so full of interest 
 to the passenger. The safety of the boat is more or less 
 imperilled as it shoots like a dart through some narrow 
 current betwixt the sunken rocks. The danger appears 
 frightful, and all on board are intensely observant, and 
 quite alive to the fact that one false move, or one touch 
 upon the rocks, and the boat would be shivered to atoms. 
 Passing through this critical part of the river, a red Indian 
 was taken on board as pilot and steersman. He was a fine 
 manly specimen, evidently partaking an admixture of the 
 white race, possessed of good nerve, and his quick eye 
 was ever fixed ahead upon the course of the river. This 
 man's services were considered necessary, on account of 
 his having acquired a thorough knowledge of the river 
 long before steamers had ventured upon it. Another fea- 
 ture of interest was the number as well as the magnitude 
 of the rafts of timber, floating down from the upper coun- 
 try for shipment to Europe. We observed that one of the 
 largest of these w r as provided with eleven masts, twenty- 
 four men, and four dwellings for their accommodation. 
 
16 Jt A TOUR IN THE 
 
 MONTREAL. 
 
 Montreal is 350 miles below Toronto, and 170 above 
 Quebec. The city has 60,000 inhabitants, and is the lar- 
 gest seat of commerce in British America. The public 
 buildings are massive and costly. Above the city is a 
 bold romantic eminence called Mount Eoyal, from which 
 the city is said to derive its name. On all sides it is 
 fringed with villas ; and commands a very extensive view 
 over the distant country. The great feature of Montreal 
 is the Victoria Bridge, which has recently been completed, 
 and carries the Grand Trunk Eailway across the St. Law- 
 rence ; — a work of art which may be considered one of the 
 wonders of the age. 
 
 QUEBEC. 
 
 We next visited the former capital of Canada — Quebec. 
 The principal part of the city is on a rocky promontory, at 
 the height of 300 feet above the river, and crowned by a 
 strongly-fortified citadel. It was near Quebec, and in the 
 year 1759, that the military event took place which trans- 
 ferred the possession of Canada from the French to the 
 English nation ; and upon the site of the battle-ground, 
 now called the Plains of Abraham, a monument has been 
 erected to commemorate the event, bearing the inscription 
 — "Here died Wolfe victorious.' 7 
 
 The scenery around Quebec is somewhat romantic ; and 
 we had two or three agreeable excursions to visit the 
 Canadian waterfalls, and other sights. The Montmorenci 
 Fall is 240 feet in height, and has a river of 60 feet wide 
 falling over it in one broad sheet of billowy foam. This 
 stream was working a saw mill having one hundred saws. 
 
UNITED STATES. 165 
 
 The machinery was ingenious, and the process systematic. 
 The proprietor showed us how rapidly one of those im- 
 mense rafts could be converted into planks and boards ; 
 and how important a part of their economy it was to work 
 up the fragments of timber into water buckets, as they 
 were then doing to the extent of thirty dozens per day. 
 We took an excursion to an Indian village, so called, 
 and were introduced to an old man, who was represented 
 as the chieftain. We heard it stated that the red man 
 wont serve for wages, and that the females won't enter into 
 domestic service, therefore they acquire but little know- 
 ledge of civilization, and don't advance in life ; and that they 
 never forgive an injury, and are barbarously resentful. The 
 chief amused us by adorning himself with his cap and 
 feathers, his tomahawk, his musket, pipe of peace, &c. &c. ; 
 and his son informed us that their tribe belonged to the 
 Huron country ; that they were fast wearing out as a peo- 
 ple, and becoming a mixed race; and having nearly aban- 
 doned the chase, they were beginning to enter into 
 employments. They could still find the moose deer and 
 other wild animals in the interior, at some distance from 
 the cultivated parts of the country. There was a village 
 school, but as our visit was at the hour for dinner, we did 
 not test the children'' s proficiency in learning. We ob- 
 served that their favourite game was archery ; and the 
 boys showed us how they could win our copper coins by 
 shooting them down at ten yards distance. Around Que- 
 bec the country is inhabited by people who are chiefly the 
 descendants of the French settlers ; and, according to 
 French custom, the fields have been divided and sub-divi- 
 ded into very narrow strips. There was an absence of 
 
166 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 enterprise, and too much of an aspect of contentment 
 about the people. The roofs of the honses are of tin, and 
 they present a painfully dazzling effect to the eye from the 
 glittering of the sun. 
 
 In Lower Canada we heard expressions somewhat un- 
 generous towards the people of Upper Canada ; namely, 
 that they had busied themselves in concocting railways 
 and public works, and had selected and sent to England 
 persons whom they thought would be influential in raising 
 large sums of money, and that now they had become bur- 
 thened with a debt so large, that it would be well for 
 Canada if they could raise enough to pay the interest 
 falling due. And in reference to the great natural advan- 
 tages possessed by Canada in the products of the sail, and 
 in the extent of inland navigation of lakes and rivers, that 
 the Canadian people had not shown themselves sufficiently 
 alive to their own interests, but that they had allowed the 
 Americans to run away with an undue share of the 
 benefits. 
 
 An instance was adduced of the tact of the American 
 people, in cutting the Erie canal, and thus getting posses- 
 sion of the grain traffic from Lake Erie to New York, in- 
 stead of allowing it to pass by the ordinary channel of the 
 St. Lawrence to the Canadian cities. The Americans had 
 thus secured not only the freight, but the profits of the 
 millers on the banks of the canal, and those also of the 
 merchants of New York. It was insisted that these mer- 
 cantile advantages could have been retained to Canada, if 
 the solid attractions for the investment of capital had been 
 equally favourable. That amongst men of enterprise, a 
 bias had been existing towards the political freedom of the 
 
UNITED STATES. 167 
 
 United States, and a strong dislike of the restrictions 
 imposed upon the Canadians. 
 
 On the same grounds it was shown that the current of 
 emigration had favoured the early colonization of Ohio ; 
 whilst on the opposite side of Lake Erie, which divided 
 the two countries, the Canadian province had remained in 
 a state of comparative neglect : that all those choice lands 
 of Upper Canada bordering upon Lake Erie, were even 
 now but thinly peopled ; whilst the population of Ohio 
 was more than two millions. Also, that no less than 
 40,000 of these were members of the Society of Friends ; 
 whilst in Canada there was scarcely one of that body to 
 be found. Therefore, whether this partiality of the Friends 
 had or had not to do with politics, the fact of their prefer- 
 ence of the Ohio country had doubtless been of great 
 importance to that state, in laying the first foundations of 
 social order and prudential habits in a community of set- 
 tlers. From the observations of enlarged intercourse with 
 intelligent Canadians, as well as Americans, it was acknow- 
 ledged that the political constitution of Canada was now 
 become one of sound character. The representation 
 was as low as in any country, excepting the United States, 
 and there were politicians in that country who considered 
 that they had gone too far. 
 
 Following, as we have endeavoured to do, the success- 
 ful results of the enlightened policy of the present day, as 
 contrasted with the previous period of royal and misguided 
 authority, we now take our leave of the colony, with the 
 following extract from the " Saturday Keview," in relation 
 to the proposed visit of the future King of England to the 
 colony which may one day fall under his rule : — 
 
168 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 "The intended visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada, is announ- 
 ced. It will convince him of the many nice shades of difference in 
 opinion and sentiment which separate each section of the human com- 
 munity from all the rest. * * To make exactly right allowance 
 for them, is one great secret of state-craft ; and the Prince could no- 
 where learn the lesson to greater advantage than among two curiously 
 heterogeneous, and in some respects contrasted communities, of which 
 the Canadian nation consists. For these communities have, almost 
 during the Prince's own lifetime, passed through nearly every vicissi- 
 tude. There has been the smouldering of discontent, the wild blaze 
 of rebellion, the reaction of patriotism, the steady growth of affec- 
 tionate loyalty. Everywhere there has been change, effort, progress ; 
 evils met by their proper cure, — causes leading to their immediate 
 result. If Royalty is to go to school, where better than in such a 
 country could the lessons be learnt that are most valuable to a Prince ? 
 
 " Canada stands side by side with the United States, — a memorial 
 of successful, as contrasted with foolish legislation. The one reminds 
 us how much may be effected by timely, liberal, and considerate mea- 
 sures of concession ; the other, now that every animosity has died 
 away, remains a useful warning to statesmen, of the dangers of a 
 violent, obstinate policy. 
 
 In 1838, Lord Durham in one of his despatches dwelt in strong 
 terms upon the mortifying contrast which the Canadian provinces 
 offered, to the energetic prosperity of the neighbouring states. Its 
 moral, we are sure, will not be offered to an unheeding ear. The 
 Prince will wonder at the triumphs of energy, and skill, and daring, 
 which will everywhere meet his view." 
 
 We re-entered the United States in the direction of 
 New York ; and in passing, enjoyed the scenery of Lake 
 Champlain and Lake George. America, like most other 
 countries, enjoys a popularity in her watering-places. 
 Fort George was the first of these we visited ; and the 
 bold scenery of the surrounding hills, together with the 
 cool presence of the lake, indicated a well-chosen spot for 
 an exhilarating effect. Our next visit was to Saratoga, a 
 place of greater notoriety for fashion and display during 
 the season. The town consisted principally of very mag- 
 
UNITED STATES. 169 
 
 nificent hotels, and was well provided for the reception 
 and amusement of the citizens of the north, and the plant- 
 ers of the south, who resort thither to escape from the 
 enervating effects of heat and fever. During the month 
 of August, which is the favourite month, the visitors 
 assemble to the extent of ten or twelve thousand ; and in 
 the course of a season, as many as thirty thousand stran- 
 gers are said to reside in the town for longer or shorter 
 periods. The water of the wells was slightly chalybeate, 
 but not disagreeably so. One of our visits to the public 
 grounds was early in the morning, and we soon discovered 
 that an important-looking elderly gentleman was suffering 
 from an attack of curiosity. He met and passed us seve- 
 ral times ; and at length ventured to "guess" that we 
 were British, and as he supposed we might be from that 
 northern part called Scotland. He hastened through the 
 usual inquiries of how long we had been in the country, — 
 what parts we had visited, — and how we liked it. He 
 next proceeded with a running commentary upon the po- 
 licy adopted by General Jackson, and others of the lead- 
 ing statesmen of his country ; expressing the alarm which 
 he felt at the ultimate danger from the " rowdy " politicians, 
 and from the corruptions now so notorious in Congress. 
 
 From what we saw of the gentlemen visitors, there 
 was an absence of the usual desire for active exercise. 
 They formed themselves into groups, indulged very much 
 in tobacco, and most of them were indifferent about dress : 
 whilst among the ladies, the affair of dress and parade was 
 much overdone. 
 
 We were told how much we should be impressed with 
 the glory of an American autumn at the watering-places, 
 
170 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 and the display of the nouvelle riche in the latest Parisian 
 styles. And there were occasions when we were remin- 
 ded of the amusement afforded by an American writer, 
 who gave a fanciful sketch of "Life at Saratoga/' He 
 says — u The worthy fashionables of every state flock to the 
 springs. This, of course, awakes emulation between the 
 eastern, middle, and southern states ; and every lady here- 
 upon finding herself charged in a manner with the weight 
 of her country's dignity and style, dresses, and dashes, 
 and sparkles without mercy at her competitors from every 
 part of the Union. " At Saratoga everyone appeared bent 
 upon enjoyment, in one form or another. At the next 
 place we visited, the predominating feature was stem self- 
 denial. 
 
 The Shaker Settlement of Water vliet, near Albany, is 
 an establishment of singular interest, and is based upon 
 religious socialism. The household consists of ninety 
 persons, all of whom conform to a costume in dress, and 
 carry themselves with an air of religious solemnity. The 
 uniform adopted by the men, was a tight-fitting dress 
 reaching nearly to the ground. The females wore a close- 
 fitting dress suspended from the shoulders, and not con- 
 tracted at the waist, — provoking the facetious reminder of 
 " a walking razor strop/ ' 
 
 The principal informed us that the founder of this 
 religious order was Ann Lee, aided by a small number of 
 fellow-professors. That without the adoption of any par- 
 ticular creed, they had formed themselves into a religious 
 union ; and by indefatigable industry had cleared the 
 forest and formed a settlement in this place. They en- 
 tertain the belief that matrimony is a civil institution, 
 
UNITED STATES. 171 
 
 which is proper for mankind in their natural state, but 
 
 that it does not consort with the condition of those who 
 conceive that they are of that select number of the true 
 followers of Christ, who are enjoined to "forsake the 
 world, and to crueify the flesh with all the affections and 
 desires thereof." 
 
 The leading peculiarity of their religious character 
 consists in the exercise of their devotions. When as- 
 sembled for this purpose, they become seized with a state 
 of agitation of body and limbs, and are seen running 
 about under a variety of excited movements ; which, as 
 they conceive, are the outward signs of spiritual activity. 
 Meanwhile, they are uttering solemn expressions, denounc- 
 ing ail iniquity. 
 
 The floor of the church is appropriated for the exercise 
 of the devotional dance ; a scene in which they are trip- 
 ping about in a state of extacy ; their arms extended, 
 their hands hanging down, expressing then joy for the 
 victory over the power of darkness. They believe that this 
 form of worship is in accordance with the timbrels and 
 dances which were deemed to have been well-pleasing in 
 the Divine sight. 
 
 EMIGRATION. 
 
 We found abundant evidence of the successful results 
 of emigration from Great Britain, and from Ireland ; but 
 we also met with three cases of disappointment. A 
 steamboat passenger on Lake Champlain, who had left 
 this country about thirty years ago, entered into a com- 
 parison of the two countries, and referring to his own ex- 
 perience of the comforts of families, and the economy of 
 
172 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 living, he entertained the impression that in these respects 
 he had not been a gainer by the change he had made. 
 In his remarks concerning his own family, he expressed 
 himself with very proper feeling, and observed, that in 
 England the father is the acknowledged head of the 
 family, receives due deference from its members, and is 
 addressed and listened to with a feeling of love and de- 
 votedness. He had found that in the families of most 
 persons in America it was not so ; parental authority, if 
 it existed at all, is greatly enfeebled. He complained that 
 money did not go so far in making purchases as in Eng- 
 land., more especially in clothing, and particularly in 
 shoes. He also remarked upon the deteriorating effect 
 upon the constitutional vigour of the people. Eeferring 
 to the tombstones in the cemeteries, he had found that 
 those who had been born in England were much longer- 
 lived than the Americans were ; and in their physical 
 power the Americans were inferior in every way. 
 
 Another case we met with was that of a station-master, 
 a native of Berwick-upon-Tweed. He possessed the ap- 
 pearance of a shrewd Scotchman, and remarked that the 
 generality of emigrants did not realise all the advantages 
 they had been led to expect. When a working man came 
 over without any money, and looked upon the wages of a 
 dollar a-day, he concluded that such a sum would do great 
 things for him ; and afterwards found he had been widely 
 mistaken. Speaking of the hours and regulations of labour, 
 he said that in earning a dollar of wages a man had to labour 
 harder and for longer hours than he did in England ; that 
 in England the hours of labour were usually ten hours a 
 day, but the Americans knew of no such regulation ; they 
 
UNITED STATES. 173 
 
 were not easily satisfied, and would grudge to see a man 
 rise from his labour even to straighten his back. The 
 most pitiable case of a disappointed emigrant was a waiter 
 at an hotel at Utica. We discovered from his broad 
 Scotch dialect that he must have emigrated ; he made free 
 to inquire about the "old country," and afterwards he 
 gave the following account of himself: — That he was 
 a native of Koss-shire, and had been very much taken with 
 the political charter of Feargus O'Connor, so much so 
 that he considered it would be degrading to him to remain 
 in a country where he could never expect to enjoy the pri- 
 vilege of a vote ; that he considered it would be worth 
 any effort to get to America, where he could obtain one. 
 At New York he discovered that he had made a mistake. 
 After remarking upon the arbitrary dealings of the Scotch 
 proprietary, and their system of clearances, — "What think 
 you, said he ? I consider the tyranny I met with in New 
 York is far worse. No sooner had I landed, than I found 
 myself beset by a lot of fellows they call l runners/ and 
 they inquired how soon I was going westward ? They 
 came alongside of me in the street, dogged my footsteps 
 wherever I went, and kept up the annoyance about going 
 westward : then they would be telling me that they would 
 not allow me to remain there, hanging about the city and 
 looking for employment ; — that they had plenty of such 
 as I was, and if I did not get away it would be worse for 
 me." Having been expelled from the city in this manner, 
 he had proceeded westward several hundreds of miles, and 
 the first place where he found employment was in this 
 hotel, and in a very low capacity as porter. He had since 
 been promoted to the service of table waiter, but had no 
 
J 74 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 sort of satisfaction, for his work seemed never to get 
 finished, and he was often on the premises so long that 
 he had only four hours for sleep. He had found, too, that 
 his vote would not be allowed until he had resided five 
 years in the country : and at length he abruptly declared 
 that there was more tyranny in that place — meaning 
 Utica — than in all Scotland, and he had often wished him- 
 self back again. Such cases are no doubt exceptional. 
 Of the acknowledged well-being of emigrants, we require 
 no higher testimony than the following extract from the 
 address of Sir J. P. K. Shuttle worth, Bart., at the Social 
 Science meeting held at Bradford, in October, 1859. 
 He said — " There is scarcely a more touching incident in 
 our national history than the fact that the Irish emigrants 
 to North America have, since the failure of the potato crop 
 and the famine of 1846, sent £9,000,000 sterling to their 
 relatives in Ireland, to enable them to follow." 
 
 From Albany to New York by the Hudson river we 
 had a very beautiful sail, and could sometimes see through 
 the openings into the distant valleys of the lofty Catskill 
 Mountains. We remained one night at West Point, a 
 prominent headland or plateau overlooking the river. The 
 scenery was remarkably line and bold : the site has 
 been selected for the Military Academy of the United 
 States, and they have 3,000 graduates receiving education 
 in every branch of the military art. Having reached New 
 York, we employed the little time we had before sailing, 
 in re-considering the varied scenes we had witnessed, and 
 in noting our remarks upon the institutions of leading 
 interest in the country. These we reserve for our conclud- 
 ing lecture. 
 
UNITED STATES, 175 
 
 SEVENTH LECTURE, 
 
 It might with confidence be asserted, that throughout 
 
 the history of the world no event has ever happened of a 
 more remarkable or eventful character, than the discovery 
 of the Continent of America by Christopher Columbus, in 
 the year 1492. It was a country of vast extent, present- 
 ing a surface mainly consisting of forests and swamps, 
 swarming with insects, and. as a natural consequence, in- 
 salubrious. The inhabitants were an aboriginal race, 
 living solely on the wild animals they obtained from the 
 chase. They were constantly disputing for the possession 
 of proprietary rights over immense deserts ; and it may be 
 supposed that there was an impossibility in fixing any 
 recognised boundaries among those hordes of savage 
 people, who, whilst they roamed from forest to forest in 
 the pursuit of game, reckoned nothing of a hundred 
 leagues of territory : the usages of the chase being equi- 
 valent to the claims derived from culture. Taking a 
 deliberate survey of that vast continent, and bearing in 
 mind that although it was 3,000 years in arrear of the 
 knowledge of human arts, no one could hesitate to con- 
 clude that it had been reserved to fulfil some assigned 
 share in the duties of creation. There was a coast which 
 was admirably adapted for commerce ; there were rivers 
 wide and deep for navigation ; and the whole continent 
 
176 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 held out the promise of fertility as the future abode of a 
 great nation and a powerful community. It was generally 
 allowed that the territories should belong to whatever 
 European nation was the first to make discovery of them; 
 and in this scramble for possession, the British secured 
 nearly the whole line of North American coast. The 
 power of the British in Europe had become greatly ex- 
 alted ; and her dominions in America extended from the 
 Gulf of Mexico to Hudson's Bay, and from the Atlantic 
 Ocean to the Mississippi Eiver. No sooner had peaceful 
 possession been concluded, than the British Parliament 
 contrived a scheme of taxation. The adoption of 
 this arbitrary policy required a standing army. It was 
 therefore proposed that the expenses should be sustained 
 by the colonists; or, in other words, by the parties whom 
 the army was intended to overbear. 
 
 The Secretary-at-War, Mr. Wilbore Ellis, in bringing 
 forward the estimates of the year, included in his proposi- 
 tion a standing army of twenty regiments for America, 
 and stated, in explanation, that these regiments were to 
 be supported for the first }^ear only by the British Exche- 
 quer, and ever afterwards by the colonists themselves. 
 The colonists demurred ; the British Ministry became 
 exasperated, and declared that they would tolerate no fur- 
 ther the disobedience to royal instructions, nor bear with 
 the claim of the lower " Houses of Assembly" in the colo- 
 nies to the right of deliberating on their votes of supply, 
 like the Parliament of the mother country. The judges 
 and other public officers held their appointments at the 
 King's pleasure, so that, in effect, there was a civil garrison 
 in the authority of Great Britain holding the colonists 
 
UNITED STATES. 177 
 
 under obedience. The immediate object was to obtain a 
 colonial revenue which should be disposed of by the 
 British Ministry under the sign-manual of the King. It 
 was, however, a settled purpose of the colonists, that no 
 tax should be imposed upon the inhabitants of a British 
 plantation but by their own Assembly as assenting parties. 
 
 Nor was it surprising that the House of Commons should 
 listen with complacency to a military scheme which, at 
 the expense of the colonies, should hold out the hope of 
 twenty new appointments as colonels, besides other offices 
 that might be supplied out of the families of the members.. 
 The absence of any necessity for all those troops in time 
 of peace was but too obvious, except to enforce taxation, 
 and obedience to laws which the colonists had no voice in 
 enacting; and this was repugnant to their ideas of freedom. 
 The first measure to raise revenue in the colonies, was a 
 Stamp Act ; and following this, there were other taxes 
 imposed to defray the expenses of this army. The delibe- 
 rate character of these proceedings was calculated to 
 alarm, if not to arouse the displeasure even of the calmest 
 of the American statesmen. They considered it an attack 
 on their constitutional rights ; and the first memorable 
 opposition came from the General Assembly at Xew York. 
 They pleaded with the King concerning their courts of 
 law, the hrfluence of the governors, and the uncontrolled 
 power exercised in the colony ; all of which had assumed 
 an aspect of terror, and the parties could not be impeached. 
 
 It was the wish of the colonists that the independence 
 
 of these courts of law should be established, not only on 
 
 account of the security thus afforded to the rights and 
 
 liberties of the subject, but also as conducive to the honour 
 M 
 
178 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 of the Crown. The voice of the Assembly, u supplicat- 
 ing with the most respectful humility," was allowed to go 
 unheeded. Lord North and the Treasury Board decided 
 confirmatory of the exercise of the King's pleasure, not 
 only in the appointments, but in the salaries also. The 
 petition having been disregarded, the people became in- 
 creasingly discontented, and entered into associations for 
 preventing the importation of British manufactures until 
 the obnoxious Stamp Act was repealed; and at length it 
 was repealed, amidst universal joy, and trade was renewed 
 on the most liberal footing. It would, however, have been 
 a mistake to suppose that in making this surrender, the 
 British Parliament were about to relinquish the idea of 
 raising revenue in the colonies. The year following they 
 passed an act imposing a duty on glass, tea, paper, and 
 printers' colours. This enactment rekindled the exaspera- 
 tion of the colonists, and excited a general opposition, so 
 that in the year 1770 these duties were repealed, excepting a 
 charge of 3d. per pound upon tea. It will at once be perceived 
 how inflexible were the colonists in their determination not 
 to admit the principle of taxation without representation. 
 
 The English Government, finding themselves foiled in 
 the tea duties, handed over the scheme to the East India 
 Company, who freighted several ships, and sent them over, 
 in charge of factors to dispose of the cargoes. The 
 Americans looked upon this as an indirect mode of taxa- 
 tion ; therefore they prevented the landing of the tea, and 
 a number of persons boarded the ships as they were tying 
 in Boston harbour, and, without doing any other damage, 
 broke open 342 chests of tea, and discharged their contents 
 into the water. The British Parliament, acting under the 
 
UNITED STATES. J 79 
 
 exasperation of the moment, passed a law to discontinue 
 and put an end to the mercantile port of Boston. The 
 Americans, in no way intimidated, but, on the contrary, 
 aroused with this repetition of the arbitrary designs of 
 government, became united in a more determined form of 
 opposition. They appointed a Congress of Deputies to 
 meet at Philadelphia, and to coneert measures for the pre- 
 servation of their rights. Bodies of militia were speedily 
 raised and trained to the use of arms ; powder manufac- 
 tories were established, and military stores procured. 
 
 Without entering upon the manner in which the British 
 Parliament undertook to quell the insurrectionary move- 
 ment of the colonists, by proclaiming martial law, we 
 discover by the course of their proceedings that the first 
 blood of the British army was shed at Lexington, in 1775. 
 Here was opened the first scene of a wonderful drama, 
 which severed the American people from the dominion of 
 the British empire ; — which, in the course of its progress, 
 exhibited the most illustrious characters and events, and 
 closed with a revolution glorious for the actors, and espe- 
 cially important in its consequences to mankind. 
 
 In 1776 the congress of deputies at Philadelphia pub- 
 lished the " Declaration of Independence, " which sepa- 
 rated America from Great Britain, under the title of "The 
 United States." This occurred 284 years after the dis- 
 covery of America by Columbus, 166 years from the first 
 British settlement in Virginia, and 156 years from the 
 landing of the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth, Massachusetts. 
 On the 30th November, 1782, the provisional articles of 
 peace and reconciliation between Great Britain and the 
 American States were signed at Paris, whereby the former 
 
180 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 acknowledged the independence and sovereignty of the 
 United States of America. These articles were ratified by 
 a definitive treaty September 3rd, 1783, and thus ended a 
 long and arduous conflict, in which Great Britain expended 
 nearly one hundred millions sterling, sacrificed one hun- 
 dred thousand lives, and gained nothing. 
 
 America endured very great cruelty and distress from 
 her enemies, lost many lives and much treasure, but de- 
 livered herself from foreign dominion and injustice, and 
 established her rank among the nations of the earth. 
 From*this, the starting point of her history, it will be ad- 
 mitted that the deliberations of the statesmen of the 
 Union, and the measures adopted for its advancement, 
 have been productive of an untold extent of national pros- 
 perity. At this period the number of the States was only 
 thirteen, and all the inhabitants they contained amounted 
 to three millions — a wonderfully small force to resist the 
 power of an ancient monarchy. As a constitutional go- 
 vernment, which dates, as it were, from yesterday, the first 
 elements consisted of an unselected mass of adventurers 
 from Europe — emigrants who had arrived at different 
 periods, who differed from each other in many respects, 
 and who, if they had any definite ideas of the functions of 
 a government, most probably disagreed in many important 
 particulars. Poverty and misfortune had laid down a 
 guarantee of their equality; and, in the absence of any 
 acknowledged superiority of rank, they adopted, in accord- 
 ance with their own outward condition, the elements of a 
 democracy. Upon this foundation they based that politi- 
 cal constitution upon which their country should be made 
 to flourish. The form of government they laid down was 
 
UNITED STATES. 181 
 
 a federal republic — each of the States having a constitu- 
 tion for the management of its own internal affairs, and all 
 of them being formed into one united body, as a "Federal 
 Constitution. 7 ' 
 
 The legislative power still existing is vested in a Con- 
 gress of delegates from the several States, divided into 
 two distinct bodies — the Senate and the House of Kepre- 
 sentatives. The members of the latter are elected every 
 two years by the people, and the senators every six years 
 by the State Legislatures. The executive power is vested 
 in a President, chosen every four years. The constitution 
 guarantees, for ever, freedom of syjeech and the liberty of 
 the press. In the eye of the law all the inhabitants are 
 equal. Hereditary titles and distinctions are prohibited. 
 There is no law to establish any particular form of reli- 
 gion, or to prevent the free exercise of it ; and no religious 
 test is required as a qualification for any office of public 
 trust in the United States. 
 
 The spectacle of a people founding a home, and de- 
 signing a constitution, in the remoteness of the West, is 
 one which abounds in interest, not alone in relation to the 
 development of wealth, but in the establishing of all the 
 institutions and habits of the people. It was obviously 
 their design, in forming a community, to escape as far as 
 possible from the errors which had caused the expulsion 
 of the British portion of them from their native land. 
 They studiously avoided class privileges, and allowed no 
 supremacy in religious sects. Democracy found favour in 
 every department. Amongst the settlers in these thirteen 
 States there conlcl be no disparity in their circumstances. 
 The land itself sustained them, and, although full of fer- 
 
182 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 tility, it could not uphold the two classes, those of pro- 
 prietor and occupier ; therefore the owner was himself the 
 cultivator, and it must have been from this class mainly 
 that the legislators had to be procured. These men pos- 
 sessed a strong sense of justice, with an ardent love of 
 liberty ; and their proceedings were seasoned with the 
 spirit of religion. 
 
 They adopted universal suffrage as their basis of 
 representation, aad under the circumstances, it may be 
 asked, Whom could they have excluded ? We will not 
 discuss the subject of the franchise. It has been remarked 
 by De Tocqueville, " that universal suffrage is far from 
 producing in America, either all the good or all the evil 
 consequences which are assigned to it in Europe. " 
 
 THE BALLOT. 
 
 The secrecy of the ballot has been strongly reflected 
 upon in this country. Whilst in America, we never heard 
 of any dissatisfaction or desire for open voting, as a more 
 eligible system ; on the contrary, it was uniformly defend- 
 ed even by those who made no secret of the candidate 
 whom they had chosen to support. In the cities of the 
 frontier, where one-half the population are foreigners, it is 
 alleged that the secrecy of the ballot does not provide 
 against the corruption that exists : indeed, it would be 
 difficult to provide a remedy against bribery where the 
 parties who desire to corrupt, find that they have easy 
 access to those who are willing to be corrupted. In the 
 interior of the country we are willing to suppose that the 
 case is somewhat different ; and on this head we have the 
 high authority of the Earl of Carlisle, who visited the 
 
UNITED STATES. 183 
 
 United States not many years ago. He says — 
 
 "Elections may seem the universal business, the topic and passion 
 of life ; but these are, at least with but few exceptions, carried on 
 without any reproach of tumult, rudeness, or disorder ; those which 
 I happened to see, were the most sedate, unimpassioned processes I can 
 imagine. In the Free States, at least, the people at large bear an 
 active, and I believe on the whole, a useful part in the concerns of in- 
 ternal government and practical daily life." 
 
 Speaking of the condition of the people, he also said — ■ 
 
 "The feature which is the most obvious, and probably the most 
 inevitable, is the nearly entire absence, certainly the appearance in a 
 great degree, of the reality of poverty. In no part of the world, I 
 imagine, is there so much general comfort amongst the great bulk o* 
 the people ; and a gushing abundance struck me as the permanent 
 character of the land." 
 
 Adding, with his own generous sympathy, the remark — 
 
 " It is not easy to describe how far this conssderation goes to brighten 
 the face of nature, and to give room for its undisturbed enjoyment." 
 
 We have remarked npon the inferiority and the corrupt 
 character of some of the representatives returned to the 
 legislature ; and there are those in this country, who 
 insist that this has been the result of universal suffrage 
 and the ballot. Perhaps this allegation may be more 
 easily made than correct^ ascertained. At that eventful 
 period when America was struggling to establish her posi- 
 tion as a new political organisation, and as a nation, there 
 was ever present the resounding of a high-toned appeal to 
 the distinguished of her citizens, and the men were found 
 who were equal to the emergency. In recent times, the 
 proceedings of Congress have assumed a more formal 
 character ; the wants of the Union have not been of equal 
 magnitude ; and the members returned have been common- 
 
184 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 place men. They have lowered the estimation of the 
 house ; and the remedy, whenever it may be applied, will 
 probably be complete, and not of a partial or progressive 
 character. If so disappointing a result in the United 
 States has been attributable to universal suffrage and the 
 ballot, how shall we account for the unblushing corruption 
 in the u Legislative Assembly n of the adjoining province 
 of Canada, based upon a £6 franchise with open voting ? 
 We happened to be present when the subject under dis- 
 cussion was the incorporation of the " Great Southern 
 Kail way Company" and the disclosures of peculation and 
 jobbing on the part of the members were so flagrant, that 
 at length one of the members interposed, and appealed to 
 the house upon the " sacred duty' 7 of ceasing to criminate 
 one another, if they entertained the hope of inducing the 
 capitalists of Europe to afford any future aid in carrying 
 out enterprises necessary for the prosperity of the 
 province. 
 
 It is therefore apparent, that in the United States 
 and Canada, and perhaps in all new countries, the organ- 
 ised machinery of legislation, however perfect in itself, 
 remains for a time incapable of diffusing all the blessings 
 of good government, more especially if unaided by com- 
 petent minds to hold the presiding authority, and to give 
 right direction to all those purposes which minister to the 
 well-being of a community. No doubt that in both these 
 countries the unsettled habits and pursuits of the people, 
 and the impatient scramble for the " Almighty dollar," 
 have taken the lead for a time, of every consideration. 
 Meanwhile, great irregularities are being committed and 
 are tolerated, because the individual affairs of the gene- 
 
UNITED STATES. 185 
 
 rality of men so folly absorb their thoughts, that they feel 
 indifferent to the concerns of public life. 
 
 It may reasonably be anticipated that the growth of 
 political and social intelligence will arouse them to action ; 
 but we cannot ignore the errors they have already com- 
 mitted ; nor yet resist the conclusion that, on the whole, 
 their policy has been eminently successful. The surface 
 of political life has been most frantically bedecked with 
 singular names and designations of political parties, indica- 
 ting adverse opinions ; yet amidst all this apparent con- 
 fusion, they have been as a community wisely bound to- 
 gether upon objects of common interest. No doubt the libe- 
 ral character of their constitution, and the wise policy of 
 their rulers, has inspired confidence, attracted settlers, and 
 afforded the inducement for outlay of capital to an enor- 
 mous extent, and that, too, within a period of time almost 
 incredibly short. 
 
 As an evidence of the progress and material prosper- 
 ity of the country, it may be stated that in the course of 
 eighty years since they have had their affairs in their own 
 hands, the Union has been increased from 13 to 31 States, 
 and seven territories which are becoming states, and the 
 inhabitants are multiplied nearly ten-fold. The leading 
 characteristic of the whole people is that of glowing 
 patriotism and a buoyant expectation of a great future for 
 their country. In numerous instances we met with exhi- 
 bitions of family pride, derived from their kindred with 
 the first founders of the states ; and there were other 
 instances in which the parties appeared vain-glorious, and 
 claimed their descent from noble families in England. 
 These are the leading features of change which have 
 
186 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 come over a people descended from the same parentage 
 as ourselves. 
 
 They naturally enough have tried to avoid what have 
 been our errors, and to improve upon our example. Many 
 of them left this country when our laws were less liberal 
 and tolerant than they now are, and they may have 
 cherished recollections somewhat unfriendly ; but it is 
 quite evident that underlying this impression there is a 
 liking for the "Old Country" which they cannot and do 
 not affect to disguise. It is the delight of the more 
 wealthy to visit this country, prompted, no doubt, by de- 
 sires which are commendable, and in many cases inspired 
 by valued traditional reminiscences. They search out the 
 locality of their ancestors ; the houses in which they had 
 dwelt, the places in which they had worshipped, the paro- 
 chial registers in which the generations of their forefathers 
 had been recorded ; and do not forget the heraldic distinc- 
 tions which their families had claimed. They do not fail 
 to recognise the progress of this country ; they acknow- 
 ledge that the British are a great people, and hardly con- 
 ceal their jealousy of being excelled in the great race of 
 human advancement. It will be admitted that a period 
 of fourscore years measures only a short span in the pro- 
 gress of a country, yet the American people conclude that, 
 theoretically speaking, they have drawn out the best form 
 of constitution that human wisdom could devise. 
 
 The Senate contains a large proportion of celebrated 
 men, — they are the elect of the State elections. Yet they 
 are not holding a position so dignified as to escape from 
 imputations. Of the House of Eepresentatives, De Tocque- 
 ville remarks, " One is struck by the vulgar demeanour of 
 
UNITED STATES. 187 
 
 that great assembly;" and, as we have before remarked, 
 there is but too much truth in the venal character of them 
 as a body. 
 
 JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION. 
 
 Their judicial courts are by no means free from re- 
 proach. Having reference to our oath, the contrast will 
 appear remarkable. In the wisdom and experience of ages 
 the distinction of being selected as one of our court judges 
 has become the acknowledged reward of the highest order 
 of mind ; and their painstaking and unswerving rectitude 
 of conduct, together with the unimpeachable character of 
 our juries, have established an independence and moral 
 excellence for our jurisprudence such as is probably un- 
 known elsewhere. In the appointment of judges for the 
 supreme courts of the United States, the possession of 
 office is held for life, and the salaries are about £1,000 a 
 year; but the judges under the State constitutions are 
 elected by the people for terms of years, and thus the 
 judgment -seat is held subordinate to the popular will. 
 There is a want of dignity in many of the judges, their 
 salaries are very meagre, there is a disregard or want of 
 respect for them prevailing among the people, and the 
 courts do not possess their confidence. The common law 
 of England is nominally adhered to as the basis of the 
 legislation of the States, although every State makes its 
 own laws ; and the juries sometimes undertake to decide 
 not only the fact, but the law also. The jury system does 
 not work well ; those who admit that they have formed 
 opinions of the case, are ineligible ; and therefore cases 
 sometimes occur in which hundreds maybe struck off upon 
 

 188 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 this admission, who, had they been allowed to remain, 
 might have been fit and proper persons to decide the case 
 in question. It is well known that jurors allow themselves 
 to be exposed to influences ; and one of the judges himself 
 informed us that a jury empanelled for the duties of a day 
 would contrive to disagree, and report their disagreement, 
 upon the first case brought before them, knowing that 
 thereby they should get their release from the court. The 
 governors of individual states, in like manner, are subject 
 to the popular will, — they are screwed down in their sala- 
 ries till the official dignity, if not the authority, is starved 
 out of them. "We had a conversation with one who was 
 evidently too good for his salary of £800 a-year, but by 
 no means too good for his place. 
 
 The patriotism which the American people feel, has 
 relation to their country as a whole. They have no idea 
 of the exalted position derived from a family estate or a 
 territorial investment, such as a man of wealth in this 
 country would look upon with delight as a possession, or 
 as an inheritance for his children. They seek prosperity, 
 power, and reputation ; almost all have a determination to 
 rise, although but few have lofty or expansive views. The 
 people are generally intelligent, but they appear to pos- 
 sess no recognised standard of cultivation or refinement. 
 There is great freedom, and but little etiquette ; an inde- 
 pendence which borders on rudeness amongst the inferior 
 class : and it may be said the states have made only a 
 beginning in the cultivation of a taste for the fine arts. 
 There is amongst them an absence of physical exercise 
 which is very enervating ; they deem it a bore and a waste 
 of time to engage in bodily exercise of any kind, and do 
 
UNITED STATES. 189 
 
 not find pleasure in the active employment of the muscles 
 in hearty, wholesome recreation. The brain is set agoing 
 early in life by violent thoughts of money, how to make 
 and increase it, and not how they may healthfully enjoy 
 it. Hence, as the American writers admit, the people are 
 dwindling in stature, and every generation is weaker and 
 more dwarfish than its predecessor. 
 
 Miss Beecher, an American lady, in her " Letters on 
 Health and Happiness/' says : — " The health of the Ame- 
 rican people is perishing at a fearful ratio ; and while 
 other nations train their children to be strong and healthy, 
 we are training ours to be puny, sickly, and deformed." 
 In proof of this she exhibits facts which show " that of the 
 American women born in this century, probably not two 
 in ten have the vigour and health of their maternal ances- 
 tors, while probably more than half of them are either 
 invalids or very delicate." She is " unable to call to 
 mind as many as ten married ladies, born in the United 
 States, who are perfectly sound, healthy, and vigorous." 
 The subject of religion and religious establishments would 
 afford a wide field for observation. It is evident that the 
 voluntary principle has done nobly in America, and affords 
 the amplest illustration of soundness, as applied to human 
 action in the highest concerns of man. 
 
 The temperance movement occupies a very leading 
 position in almost every part of the country ; and whilst 
 travelling through the States of Vermont and Maine, we 
 regretted not to have met with all the information we were 
 desirous of obtaining regarding the Liquor Law. In a 
 town of considerable magnitude, in which we spent one 
 night and part of the following day, we heard a good deal 
 
190 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 of conversation amongst the guests at the hotel, princi- 
 pally leading to the conclusion that the Liquor Law was 
 extensively evaded. The proprietor of the hotel informed 
 us that he had frequently seen casks of spirits opened and 
 discharged into the street ; that he had often been fined, 
 but that there was great moderation exercised by the 
 authorities, and that when he had paid about as much in 
 penalties as he had formerly been used to pay for a licence, 
 he had no fear of any further inroad upon him for that year 
 at all events. At Albany, a temperance convention was 
 holding its sittings, which continued for several days ; 
 they met in the capitol of the State of New York, and 
 deputies were in attendance from very distant parts of the 
 country. We observed that their arguments were chiefly 
 in favour of " moral suasion." 
 
 SLAVERY. 
 
 At the time of the revolution, there was a considerable 
 number of negro slaves in several of the States, intro- 
 duced from Africa during the colonial administration. The 
 institution has now assumed the character of a vested in- 
 terest, and the subject has occasioned much angry discus- 
 sion betwixt the Northern and the Southern States, 
 threatening the dismemberment of the Union. Many of 
 the planters are holding by inheritance the slaves they 
 employ on their plantations, and the legislature of the 
 Union has confirmed their right. The moral right which 
 is involved has been sought to be justified by the autho- 
 rity of Scripture, and a prudential claim has been based 
 on the plea that the negro belongs to an inferior race. By 
 way of confirmation of this conclusion, the planters insist 
 
UNITED STATES. 191 
 
 that their plea of inferiority of race is most fully affirmed 
 by the conduct of the Abolitionists of the Xorth, -who 
 systematically exclude from their intercourse, and almost 
 from their presence, not only the blacks, but those who 
 betray the slightest trace of colouring of the African race. 
 Separate churches and separate schools are provided for 
 them, and neither character, nor wealth, nor style of dress 
 will procure their admission into the presence of the white 
 man, whether in an hotel, a railway car, or even an omni- 
 bus. How, then, shall we affect any surprise that the 
 planter of the South should become restive under the re- 
 buke of the Northern philanthropist, whose conduct to the 
 negro so strongly confirms this impression ? 
 
 The controversy on slavery in the United States has 
 been one of an exciting and complicated character. The 
 power to emancipate is existing in the individual States 
 separately, and not in the general government ; therefore 
 the efforts of public opinion have been fruitless, except in 
 cases in which the appeal has been made to single States. 
 In the course of 17 years after the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, no fewer than 8 out of the 13 States of the 
 Union had emancipated their slaves. They found, how- 
 ever, that the ignorance and vice of these free blacks be- 
 came a growing trouble, and the benevolent designs of 
 Franklin for their elevation were abandoned as imprac- 
 ticable ; indeed, the prejudice against the African race be- 
 came so great, that the whole of them, freemen as well as 
 slaves, were looked upon as an intolerable burden. It was 
 about the close of the last century that the great question 
 began to be agitated — tl How shall the slave trade be sup- 
 pressed?" and the philanthropic Wilberforce had begun 
 
192 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 the achievement of his triumphs. Almost at the same 
 time, an impetus was given to slave cultivation by the 
 amazing increase of the demand for cotton, arising out of 
 the successful inventions of Watt, Arkwright, and Cromp- 
 ton. The slaves in the cotton- growing states were no 
 longer considered in the light of an incumbrance. The 
 planters extended the area of slavery at home, and laid 
 the foundation of a steady progress in outstripping the 
 cotton- growers of other parts of the world, and securing 
 to themselves the supply of all the markets of Europe. 
 
 The " Domestic Institution," so called, has been con- 
 stantly receiving heavy blows of remonstrance from the 
 Northern States ; but its vitality has ever been increasing, 
 more especially in the cotton districts, in which it appears 
 to have found a settled home. In those of the Northern 
 States immediately bordering upon the cotton range, such 
 as Virginia, Maryland, and Kentucky, slavery has not been 
 abolished ; and in these parts the most odious phase of 
 slavery is still rampant, namely, the raising of slaves to 
 be annually sold off to the dealers, for removal to the 
 plantations of the south, involving, as it does, the sepa- 
 ration of the members of families, and an utter disregard 
 of the nearest ties of kindred. 
 
 There is nothing can be said in regard to climate in 
 palliation of the continuance of slavery in these more 
 northern states, as in the case of cotton, rice, and sugar 
 culture, which is carried on amidst swamps, and under a 
 burning tropical sun. On the contrary, the climate of the 
 three states named is admitted to be quite congenial to the 
 white race. In the cultivation of cereal crops, the labour 
 of the negro is more expensive and less effective than that 
 
UNITED STATES, 193 
 
 of the whites ; therefore, on economic grounds, the system 
 of retaining slaves for grain cultivation is condemned. 
 There is therefore not only no necessity, but great moral 
 guilt in the system ; and although the individual 'states 
 may not choose of themselves to abolish slavery by law, 
 it is understood that it is in course of dying out. 
 
 It is said that the exhaustion of the land by tobacco 
 and other culture, is inducing the owmers to leave the 
 country for the more promising west ; and these lands are 
 being bought up for cultivation by the white race, so that 
 by a change of ownership the stain upon the country may 
 eventually become obliterated. The concentration of sla- 
 very in the south has followed the enormous and growing 
 importance of slave products. The commercial value of 
 these may be estimated from the fact that the last cotton 
 crop has been estimated at 45 millions sterling ; and in 
 addition to this large amount there is the unknown value 
 of the other slave productions of sugar, rice, and tobacco. 
 Judging from the outcry of the Northern Free States, it 
 might have been expected that slavery within the pre- 
 cincts of the Union could not have held out for so long a 
 period. But no one acquainted with the state of the coun- 
 try, can resist the conclusion that the individual interests 
 existing in the north, and derived from so vast a number 
 of millions falling annually from the hand of the planter, 
 is a sustaining element. The pursuits of many of the free 
 states are intimately interwoven with the success of sla- 
 very ; those of Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and other states 
 too far north to grow cotton, are very much sustained by 
 the raising of provisions for the slave states. These sup- 
 ply horses and other animals for the plantations ; they 
 
194 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 raise an immense number of hogs, to be slaughtered and 
 barrelled as pickled pork. Along with the pork and beef 
 there is annually produced an incalculable amount of 
 Indian corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, and other descriptions 
 of food, all of which is sent down the Mississippi, for slave 
 consumption. 
 
 The money value of the live animals and the food 
 productions must amount to a very considerable sum ; so 
 large that, judging from the steamers freighting at Cincin- 
 natti and other places, the proprietary of those states 
 must share from ten to fifteen millions a-year of the slave- 
 earned gold. However obnoxious the system, it was 
 underlying their own prosperity, and they appeared in no 
 haste to have it disturbed, much less destroyed. The 
 bankers of New York are enjoying a lucrative business 
 in the discounting of bills, and in conducting other large 
 money transactions arising out of the dealings in slave 
 produce ; the merchants of the northern cities derive their 
 principal business from imports received in repayment for 
 cotton or other slave-grown produce ; and the proprietors 
 of the mercantile navy, who freight and carry away these 
 exports, may all of them be reckoned amongst the num- 
 berless pillars that uphold the institution of slavery. But 
 amongst the other varied interests concerned, and not the 
 least important of them, is that of the manufacturers of 
 New England, who supply the clothing for the negroes, 
 and receive by way of acknowledgment the quietus of a 
 tariff which leaves about thirty per cent, in their favour. 
 
 u Northern men," says Mr. Chambers, "seek to con- 
 ciliate the south for the sake of selfish interests. " And, 
 alluding to the manufacturers, he remarks, " All the cloth- 
 
UNITED STATES, 195 
 
 ing, shoes, hats, and other articles required on the south- 
 ern plantations are imported coast- wise from the northern 
 manufacturers, so that in reality the case stands thus— 
 The south pretends to be democratic, and votes for pro- 
 tection; and the north in return votes for slavery." 
 There can be no doubt that in the various states of the 
 Union there are many honest and sincere men, who deeply 
 deplore the reproach which the system of slavery has 
 brought upon their country, and who would themselves 
 be prepared to make enormous sacrifices to enable the 
 negroes to obtain their freedom ; but it is very obvious 
 that there is a far more considerable numbers of others, 
 who feel very chary about any legislative measure to over- 
 turn an institution which is of such importance to them- 
 selves. It is unmistakably evident that the great majority 
 of the citizens consider the institution to be indispensable 
 to the great interests of their country. In proof of this 
 we may adduce the fact, that upon every successive elec- 
 tion of President, they have made choice of one who be- 
 longs to the pro-slavery party. The very last address, 
 issued only a few months ago, by President Buchanan, 
 contains the following paragraph, which amounts to a pal- 
 liation if not to an open defence of slavery. He pro- 
 ceeded to say- — " For a period of more than half a cen- 
 tury, there has been no perceptible addition to the number 
 of our domestic slaves. During this period the advance- 
 ment in civilization has far surpassed that of any other 
 portion of the African race. The light and blessings of 
 Christianity have been extended to them, and both their 
 moral and physical condition has been greatly improved/ ' 
 
J 96 A TOUR IX THE 
 
 From the mellowed tints of these remarks commend- 
 ing the advancement in civilization, morality, and Chris- 
 tianity already attained by the negroes, it might have 
 been expected that there would have followed a notifica- 
 tion of some interest respecting the period, whether near 
 or remote when these objects of his solicitude might be 
 deemed fit to be entrusted with the charge of their own 
 personal liberty : but upon this part of the subject his 
 hearers were left in the dark. Whether Mr. Buchanan 
 has been correct in his statement respecting the absence 
 of any increase in the number of slaves, we will not stop 
 to inquire ; the number is now reckoned at four millions, 
 and the selling price of a good "field hand ".is £300 or 
 upwards : on this account the money question which is 
 involved in the affair, presents an obstacle to their libera- 
 tion even more formidable than all the rest. Supposing 
 that we were to estimate their value as a whole at £100 
 each, we should have an amount of four hundred millions 
 sterling, requiring to be disbursed to accomplish their 
 freedom by purchase. 
 
 Having before him so graphic an idea of the amount of 
 difficulty, well might Mr. Everett inquire — u Has any one, 
 whose opinion is entitled to the slighest respect, ever 
 undertaken to sketch out the details of a plan for effecting 
 abolition at once, by any legislative measure that could be 
 adopted ?" It had also been prognosticated that the down- 
 fall of slavery must be left to time, to economical causes, 
 and the owners to the quiet reprobation of the world. 
 
 Dr. C. W. Eddy, in his lecture before the Society of 
 Arts, has remarked very emphatically — 
 
UNITED STATES. 197 
 
 "I think the observing traveller in America, cannot tail to be 
 struck with astonishment at the vast amount of work that has been 
 achieved, of forests cleared, of land reclaimed, of roads, railroads, and 
 canals constructed, and of cities built by a sparse and scattered popula- 
 tion, in the brief period of time that has elapsed since the first peopling 
 of the country. To enumerate only a few of the marvels of American 
 progress, — that great scion of the English stock has already overspread 
 a territory equal to all Europe in extent ; has dug 5,000 miles of canals, 
 constructed 16,000 miles of railway, and built some half-dozen towns 
 which rival in magnificence a like number of the capitals of Europe- 
 It has formed a merchant navy, not inferior to our own, if the lake 
 and river tonnage be (as is only fair) included in the comparison ; it is 
 beginning to rival us in foreign commerce, and has supplanted us in 
 the deep-sea fisheries : grows a cotton crop that goes far towards 
 supplying the wants of the world, and produces a surplus of corn and 
 provisions which feeds the West Indies and the eastern coast of South 
 America, besides helping to maintain ourselves and several of our 
 colonies. These are great results, and are the more surprising when it 
 is considered that they have been achieved beneath a climate less fa- 
 vourable to continuous exertion than our own, with summers whose 
 relaxing heats unnerve the physical powers, and winters which for long 
 months together bind nature in impenetrable folds of ice and snow. 
 How, then, have these great results been accomplished ? how, but by 
 the indomitable energies of that vigorous and ambitions race of which 
 they are an offshoot ? — energies which are aided by an inventive faculty 
 of a high order, and guided by the strong practical common sense 
 which is their birthright. Place a people gifted with such powers as 
 these on a territory so far severed from the old world, with all its social 
 and political entanglements, that it may have free scope to fulfil the 
 behest of replenishing the earth, and subduing it ; where, moreover, 
 its numbers may be continually recruited by the boldest, most hardy, 
 and adventurous spirits of the old world ; — and we need not wonder 
 at the results we witness." 
 
 By way of conclusion, let us form an estimate of the 
 relative position of our own country and the United 
 States, and balance the advantages :— 
 
L98 A TOUR IN THE 
 
 America has a negro population mostly in slavery, and 
 not much public debt. 
 
 We are carrying a heavy debt, but it is resting on 
 the shoulders of a free people. 
 
 Give us the latter, rather than the former; and we 
 repeat emphatically — 
 
 6 i England, with all thy faults, we love thee still !"