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WESTWARD BY RAIL:
IJUSTIN  WINSOR,'
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
I
THE NEW ROUTE TO THE EAST.
BY
W. F. RAE.
NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON & COMPANY,
90, 92 & 94 GRAND STREET.
1871. 
II -I 
TO
MY AMERICAN FRIENDS
SINCERE THANKS FOR THEIR KINDNMSS
AND
HEARTY GOOD WISHRS FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
0  
PREFACE.
ALTHOUGH  two series of letters, the one entitled
' New York to San Francisco,' the other'A Visit
to the Mormons,' which recently appeared in Tthe
Daily News, form the basis of this volume, yet
those who have perused these letters will find that
the revision they have undergone is so thorough,
and the additions made to them are so considerable,
as to constitute the volume itself an entirely new
work in substance, if not in name. Like the famous
stockings of Sir John Cutler, these productions now
resemble, in general outline only, that which they
were originally.
Seldom, indeed, should contributions to  newspapers be reprinted precisely as they were when
first published.  A  journalist must adapt himself
to his readers if hlie would gain their confidence
and produ(e a vivid and lasting impression.  Every
i -, tf 
-- o< 
PRErFACE.
newspaper has its own circle of readers.   The
better fitted a piece of writing may be to rivet the
attention and gratify the taste of that circle, the
greater is the probability of its proving unsuited for
the varied  and unascertained tastes of the vast
critical circle to which a writer appeals, and by
which he is judged, when he gives a book to the
public.
Articles of a purely literary character may sometimes be advantageously reprinted from newspapers
without the excision of a sentence or the modification of anl opinion.   The brilliant and incisive
critiques of the late Samuel Phillips are as sparkling, pungent, and valuable now that they appear in
a volume exactly as they were when they informed
and gratified the readers of Thle Times. Artistic and
thoughtful biographical sketches, like those which
Miss ]Iartincau has reprinted from The Daily News,
would not have been improved if the original form
and phraseology had been sensibly altered.   No
change would be for the better in some of the
finished studies in political science and social ethics
which distinguished contributors to The Pall Mall
Gazette and Thte Saturday Review now and then
viii 
PREFACE.
collect and reproduce in volumes. But letters such
as mine are in a different category. The space at
my disposal being necessarily restricted, I was de
barred from making full use of the details I had
collected. Moreover, my contributions had to pass
through the alembic of editorial supervision.  The
process may have greatly improved, while slightly
altering them.  Nevertheless, when acknowledging
their paternity, I exercise a natural right in dressing them according to my own fancy, and pre
senting them in the garb which I believe to be at
once the most suitable and the most becoming.  As
a necessary consequence of the veil of anonymity
being formally drawn aside, all the responsibility
for views adopted and opinions expressed is now
transferred, from the journal in which many of these
letters were printed, to the writer whose name is
on the title-page of this Work.
That portion of it which relates to the Pacific
Railway supplies information which the public can
hardly call stale and may possibly consider to be
interesting.  Those who have not made the journey
will rather from this volume what I hope will be
regarded as an accurate notion of the vicissitudes
ix 
PREFACE.
to be encountered, and the pleasures to be enjoyed,
while future travellers will probably find the particulars I have given both instructive and serviceable.   The  accompanying  map, which has been
specially prepared in order to exhibit the course of
the railway, along with a section showing the
gradients, will enable both the general and the
professional reader to understand very clearly the
nature and magnitude of the enterprise.
It is possible that my account of the Mormons
will occasion some surprise.  In the main it differs
materially from the accounts written by several
preceding visitors to the Valley of the Great Salt
Lake.   I could not confirm all their statements
without making an unpardonable sacrifice of truth.
Doubtless they were honest in their eulogy; but,
then, they must either have deliberately shut their
eyes, or else have been incompetent and superficial
observers. It may be, that, going forth laden with
foregone conclusions, they returned home rejoicing
that they were in the right.   Captain Burton's
description of what hle witnessed in Utah is permeated with  his avowed approval of polygamy.
His wife having publicly explained that his practice
x 
PREFACE.
is diametrically opposed to his teaching, the book
in which he has presented a favourable picture of
MIormon society must now be regarded as an
awkward  joke  or  an elaborated paradox.   Mr.
Ilepworth Dixon, without unreservedly expressing
personal admiration for the worst Mormon doctrines
and customs, has undoubtedly produced the impression that polygamy is not such a bad thing after
all. His volumes about America are apparently
designed to breed doubts and excite suspicions.
The well-informed reader is always at a loss to
decide whether Mr. Dixon has been shamefully
imposed upon, or has determined to impose upon
others.  The drawback of books of travel ingeni ously planned in order to sell, is that they are apt
to be regarded by the uninitiated as trustworthy
merely because they happen to be entertaining. Sir
Charles Dilke in his' Greater Britain' writes very
sensibly and fairly about the Mormons and their
ways; but he deals with the subject only as an
episode in his long and eventful journey.
In addition to divergences of statement and
opinion, this volume is distinguished from previous
ones by containing particulars, alike curious and
Ixi 
PREFACE.
novel, relating to the aspect of Mormonism since
the Pacific Railway has rendered it easy to visit
and to get away from the City of the Saints.  The
new order of things in Utah has made it imperative
to return a speedy and definite answer to the old
inquiry:' What shall be done with the Mormons?'
I have supplied material wherewith to frame the
reply which must be given, and I have indicated
the form in which I think the reply may most
appropriately be couched.
X* 
CONTENTS.
PAGE
1
I. FRO0I T-IE MIERSEY TO THE HUDSON 
II. NEW YOHK TO SAN FRANCISCO: TInE ROUTES TO
TIIE WVEST. 
III. TIiE GARDEN CITY..........
IV. ACHROSS THE PRAIRIE..... 
V. OVER THE ROCKY MiOUNTAINS....
VI. THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS TO THE GREAT SALT LAKE
VII. VISIT TO THE MORMONS: THE CITY OF TIE SAINTS
VIII. Tm  MORIONS AT HOME,..          e. 
IX. MORMON MISSIONS AND MIISSIONAIIES.. 
X. M1ORMONISM ON ITS TRIAL... 
XI. BICHERINGS A.IONG TIlE SAINTS...
XII. UTAH SCENERY.....
XIII. THE PAST AND THE FLUTURE OF MIOIORNISM[..
XIV. THE GREAT SALT LAKIE TO THE GREAT AMERICAN
DESERT.....
XV. TiiH  HUI.BOLDT RIVER AND PLAINS..      
XVI. THE STATE OF NEVADA AND ITS SILVER Tr,EASURES
XVII. ACROSS THE SIERRA NEVADAS...
'HAP.
20
34
49
70
87
98
113
129
140
153
161
169
182
196
205
216 
CONTENTS.
THE CAPITAL OF THIE GOLDEN STATE. 
SACRAMENTO CITY TO THE GOLDEN GATE..
THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST..
THE' TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.. 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATtIEINS
BOSTON CITY AND hIARVARD UNIVERSITY. 
NEW YORK TO EUSTON SQUARE... 
IMPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMERICA.      37
MAP SHOWING TIIE LINES OF RAIL BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC AND
PACIFIC, WNIT SECTION OF TlHi PACIFIC RAILWAY to face Title-paye
xiv
CH".
xv., III.
xix.
xx.
xxi.
xxii.
xxiii.
xx-iv.
xxv.
xxvi.
rAG
229
245
263
283
308
324
341
3b8
v'70 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
I.
F     ROM THE MERSEY TO TIHE HUDSON.
BEFORE ARRIVING at the station, it is sometimes
necessary to pass through an ordeal as trying as
any encountered during the course of an expedition
by rail.   The distance to be traversed, the character of the conveyance, the space of time within
which to catch the train, are considerations which
have all to be taken into account, and of which
each may contribute something towards rendering
the traveller anxious and uncomfortable. Mly preliminary journey was neither short nor easy. Prior
to travelling' Westward by Rail,' I had to traverse
three thousand miles of a stormy ocean, and
undergo the chances and changes incident to a
voyage extending over ten weary days.  By many
persons a trip across the Atlantic is regarded as a
commonplace  and uninteresting  excursion.   According to them, it is as much a thing of every(l~ay
- 64 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
occurrence as the passage of the Channel or a sail
up the Rhine. It is true that, with a memorable
and immortal exception, a narrative of a voyage to
America has ceased to inspire universal and abiding
interest.  The unknown sea.has been transformed
into the ocean highway.  Yet to those who nmake
the voyage for the first time, the sensation is as
novel and impressive as it was to the daring
mariners who unveiled the mysteries of an unexplored deep, and dazzled mankind with the spectacle of a new world. In the hope of noting a few
particulars not wholly devoid of general interest, I
venture to repeat what is in the main an old and a
hackneyed tale.
About nine o'clock one Saturday morning, towvards the end of August 1869, I formed one of a
group on the deck of the tender Satellite, which
was to convey the passengers for lNew York fiom
the Pririce's Landing-stage to the Cunard steamer
Chinta, lying at anchor in the Mersey. On another tender the luggage was being piled up without
delay.  Porters, staggering under the weight of
hug,e trunks, portmanteaus, and leathern bags, followed each other in rapid succession.   This was
no new sight, but it differed in one respect from
everything of the sort which I had witnessed elsewhere. Nearly every passenger seemed to be the
2 
FRO0I THE IlERSEY TO THE HUDSON.
possessor of one of those cane-bottomed arm-chairs
which are arranged so as to fold together till they
are nearly flat. These chairs I had seen exposed
for sale in several of the Liverpool shops, but I did
not even imagine that they formed a necessary part
of the outfit of those who sailed across the sea.
Greatly to my surprise, I learned that those who
failed to bring their own chairs could not expect to
be comfortably seated on the deck of a well-found
Cunarder.   This piece of information diminished
my respect for the company which boasts of never
having lost a letter or a passenger, and which makes
its reputation an apology for charging more than
any other for a passage across the Atlantic.
Soon after stepping on board the Chtina, I gained
another item of knowledge, which would have been
very useful, had it not been  ecquired too late.  A
rush was made to the saloon by those passengers
who knew the importance of being the first to perform the simple ceremony of affixing their cards to
the places at table which they wished to occupy
during the voyage.  Those who omitted to do this,
or who were ignorant of the advantage of being
ranked among the first comers, were doomed to the
discomfort of sitting where the unpleasant effects
caused by the rotation of the screw-propeller were
even more to be dreaded than the motion of tihe
3 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
steamer as she pitches, when the waves are dashing
against her bows, or when she rolls heavily under
the influence of cross seas.  In this case, however,
the law of compensation operated in a manner which
afforded a grim pleasure to the disappointed. Those
who had established a claim to the best seats did
not always appear to occupy them.  Circumstances
over which they had no control frequently forced
them to remain in their berths or on the deck while
feasting and mirth prevailed in the saloon.
After the China had steamed  a short distance
down the river she was stopped, in order to allow
a tender, bearing the latest despatches, to come
alongside.  Several persons who had embarked at
Liverpool now went on shore in this tender.  There
werethe usual painful scenes which occur when
partings take place between those who cannot see
each other for a long interval, or who are doubtful
about meeting again. A demonstration, of a marked
ard unusual kind, made it evident that a passenger
of note was on board.  As he stepped forward to
acknowledge the greetings of those about to depart,
and lifted his hat to return themn, the noble features
of a great American poet were recognised by many
,iarsons, who congratulated themselves on the good
fortune which had accidentally made them the
4 
FROg, THE MIERSEY TO THE IlUDSON.
fellow-travellers of Mr. Longfellow, on his return
home, after a protracted sojourn in Europe.
The first evening at sea was unmarred by any of
the discomforts which frequently attend those who
go down to the sea in ships.   Every one ate,
drank, and made merry.  There were many children
on board the steamer.  As they gambolled about
the deck, much more to their own satisfaction than
to that of their elders, the more cynical passengers
remarked that the Irish Channel was almost too
smooth and the breeze too light. The fineness of
the weathler enabled us to view the coast of Wales
to great  advantage.   Places  were  pointed  out
where large ships had gone to pieces during the
raging of the terrific storms of winter.  For the
present these dangerous headlands were gazed at
with pleasure by those who delighted to view without risk the bold, rugged outlines of stupendous
cliffs, which are generally the terror of the sailor,
but were now objects to be admired. At an early
hour on Sunday morning the steamer reached
Queenstowni, where, after a detention of ten hours,
the last mails were embarked; and then the voyage
across the ocean mnay be said to have really begun.
PRounding the south coast of Ireland, the long
Atlantic swell imparted to the steamer an amount
5 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
of motion which cast down the slpirits of the bad
sailors whose hearts had beat high at the hope of a
voyage devoid of suffering, because made across a
sea as placid as a land-locked bay.  Still, the movement was not sufficiently great to produce inconvenience to the most timid or sensitive.   Never
have I witnessed a more beautiful spectacle than
that which was presented at nightfall. It was one
which no poet could adequately reproduce in words,
nor any painter in colours.   The grand Atlantic
waves were slowly heaving with a long and measured motion; the full-orbed moon was set in a
serene and cloudless sky, and the wind was still.
The spray, raised by the steamer's prow swiftly
cleaving the dark blue water, fell back in a shower
of fire, or fitfully flashed along the steamer's sides
in a stream of dazzling light.  As the moon's ivory
leams  quivered upon the agitated water  in the
vessel's track, and mingled with one of the phlosphlorescent flashes on the crests of tiny waves, thle
combination of colours thus produced was magical
alike in variety and vividness. These effects, being
not continuous, but intermittent, a watchful eye
had to be kept for a glimpse of unexpected beauties.
Far oninto the night did many passengers gaze-on
the attractive and novel spectacle, and sate their
eyes with its loveliness.   It was one which they
. 6 
FROM1 THE AIERSEY TO TIHE HUDSON.
might never again behold during a passage across
the Atlantic.
On the morrow the scene changed. The angry
coursers of Neptune were careering over the deep,
and spending their fury against the steamer's stout
sides.   Strong head-winds retarded her progress.
By not a few, life on the ocean was found to be
vexation of spirit, a burden too terrible to be borne
without murmuring. The noisy children of the
preceding day were now lying like logs in out-ofthe-way corners; passengers who had been jubilant
as to the prospects of the voyage now shook their
heads and bemoaned their lot. The attendance at
meals was agreeably select.
The state of things during the remainder of the
voyage cannot  be set forth  more truthfully  as
regards the majority of the passengers than ill the
words which the late Lord Jeffrey wrote in his
journal when crossing the Atlantic in 1813. According to him, the pleasures of a voyage were:Imprimis: Oppression and intolerable sickness, coldness, loathing, and vertigo.  Seczendo: Great occasional fear of drowning, and penitence for the folly
of having come voluntarily in the way of it.
Tertio: There is the impossibility of taking any
exercise, and the perpetual danger of breaking your
limbs if you try to move from your chair to your
7 
IWESTWARD BY RAIL.
bed, or even to sit still without holding.   Quarto:
An incessant and tremendous noise of the ship
groaning and creaking, cracking and rattling-to
say nothing of the hissing of the wind, and the
boiling and bubbling of the sea.  Quinto:  The
eternal contact of the whole crew, whom you hear,
see, feel, and smell, by day as well as by night,
without respite or possibility of escape;  crying
children, chattering Frenchmen, prosing captain,
and foolish women, all with you for ever, and no
means of getting out of their hearing.  Sexto: The
provoking uncertainty of your fate, now going
150 miles in one day on your way, and then taking
seven days to 100; the agreeable doubt whether
your voyage is to last three weeks or three months.
Seprtimo: The horrid cooking, and the disgusting
good appetites of those who are used to it. Octavo:
The uniformity and narrowness of your view and
its great ugliness.'   Jeffrey adds, that there are
twenty other items which might be mentioned, but
these are enough.
Two of the distinguished contributors to the
renowned' Review' of weich Jeffrey was the distinguished editor, were more fortunate than hle,
and they regarded a voyage not as an affliction to
be dreaded, but as an opportunity for profitable
reading ard careful composition.  When Sir James
8 
FR0OI THE MIERSEY TO THE iUDSON.
3Iack'Intosh went to India he learnt German, and
pursued a regular course of study while on board
ship; and on his return voyage he studied metaphysical problems, penned sketches of historical
characters, and composed the introduction to his
projected' History of England.' M1acaulay is said
to have turned a similar opportunity to account by
adding a thorough acquaintance with the works of
St. Chrysostom to the vast stores of his miscellaneous knowledge.
Those almong, my fellow-passengers who  were
in good health seemed  to care little about improving their minds.  They smoked; played  at
cards; watched the heaving of the log; speculated
as to the length of the run made during, the
twenty-four hours; were assiduous in eating, all the
five copious repasts provided between eight in the
morning and nine at night, and were ready to
initiate novices into the mysteries of'cock-tails.'
Some of them were able to communicate pieces
of information much more curious than useful.
The peculiarities of English custom had been
carefully noted by an American gentleman, who
plumed himself upon the accuracy and extent of
his attainment.  He expressed to me his surprise
at the continued existence in England of relics of
a more barbarous aCge. One monopoly he regarded
9 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
as peculiarly obnoxious.   This was the assumed
necessity of a wedding-ring being stamped by the
Goldsmiths' Company in order to render the marriage contract valid and binding.  When I assured
him that, not only was this notion a pure afiction,
but that two persons could be legally married in
England without a wedding-ring being used at all,
he shook his head incredulously, and expressed his
opinion that I was not well'posted' as to the
practices and laws of the country in which I lived.
The sceptics as to the utility of daily newspapers
would change their views after they had been a
week at sea. For the first day or two the several
passengers have some personal topics about which
to converse; but these are soon exhausted, and the
dearth of ideas becomes painfully evident.  Gloomy
dulness characterises some, while a childish querulousness is manifested  by others.   Their  minds
being no longer occupied in discussing the rise and
fall of stocks, the ins and outs of politics, the
guilt or innocence of the last alleged criminal, are
now  concentrated on  counting  the  hours  which
must elapse before they will again  set foot on
shore, or else busied in finding fault with every
imaginable thing.   As  soon as the pilot brings
newspapers on board, the scene changes. Tongues
that had been still, or had been moved only to
10 
FRONI THE MERSEY TO THE HUDSON.
utter complaints, now wag cheerfully and pleasantly
again.  The alteration is so great as to be marvellous. If permanently deprived of newspapers,
Englishmen and Americans would become as taciturn as Turkls.
When the voyage was drawing to its end, a notice was posted up outside of the saloon, to the effect
that the Government of the United States required
every passenger to fill up a form with particulars
as to age, occupation, last legal residence, purpose
in visitingc America, and as to whether or not this
was the first visit.   Such an intimation took the
majority by surprise. If it had emanated from the
despotic Government of Russia, or from the Government of the police-ridden kingdom of Prussia,
no surprise might save been exhibited.  Despots
are fond of asking impertinent questions, and are
wont to act as if travellers ou,ght to be placed in
the same category as the plague, and treated accordingly. While the war lasted, the Government
of the United States was justified in resorting to
the obnoxious passport system, and treating every
stranger as a foe or a spy in disguise. Happily,
this excuse cannot be urged now that treason has
been extinguishled and the Union has triumphed.
The Americans on board were as much puzzled and
annoyed as the visitors to the land of freedom.
2
11 
WE,STWARD BY RAIL.
They used vigorous terms in characterising what
was simply an indefensible demand. They were the
more angry because they knew that a similar interference with liberty of action does not take place
when a steamer nears the coast of the United IKindom, and they disliked the comparison which could
be drawn to-the disadvantage of their own country.
The last day of the voyage being nearly as fine
as the first, a large number of passengers mustered
on deck and occupied seats at table. To all appearance, they had suffered severely. Their pale
faces and tottering steps were unmistakable tokens
of the bitterness of the ordeal through which they
had passed.  A new]y-married pair, who had chosen
to make a wedding-trip to America, instead of paying the customary visit to the continent of Europe,
excited general commiseration.   Their  first ten
days of -matrimony had been the reverse of blissful
and satisfactory.  Of the two, the gentleman was
the more thoroughly prostrated.   Hie  resembled
one who, hlaving been smitten  with a malignant
fever, had barely escaped with his life. An elderly
American lady was in some respects a spectacle
still more deplorable.  From the moment that the
steamner had begun to rock, she felt convinced that
her death was imminent.  Nearly every time that
the vessel lurched and pitched she believed that a
I
12 
FRlOMI THE MIERSEY TO THIE HUDSON.
catastrophe was  at hand.   Her husband vainly
tried to reassure her.   He  began  by  speakling
soothing and inspiriting words, but without success.
Appeals to her common sense were in like manner
disregarded.  Nor did strong and threatening language have any better result. In truth, the poor
lady was thoroughly unnerved, and had temporarilv
ceased to be able to control herself.  The sight of
land gave her a certain relief, but her longing to
be safely on shore ag,r n was  intensified by the
prospect.
The approach to New York by sea has been eulogised in glowing terms, yet nothing that has been
said or written outstrips the reality.   The  most
high-flown anticipations are gratified to the full.
After Sandy HIook is passed, the panorama on
either side is most beautiful.   On  the right, the
shore of Long Island, with its white beach and
rows of neat houses, may be perceived in the distance.  On the left, the luxuriant foliage and the
dark green vegetation remind the English traveller
of the richest and most charming rising grounds in
Kent.  The water is studded with steamers and
sailing vessels. In the distance are islands covered
with verdure, and in the background are the masses
of redbrick buildings which constitute  the chief
city of the Emlpire State.  Conspicuous among, the
13 
VWESTWARD BY RAIL.
various structures is a towering edifice, imposing in
outline and white in colour. I was told that this
was the office of the ATew York Ilerald.  There is
something alike significant and appropriate in the
fact that the office of one of the most enterprising
amongr American newspapers should be the most
conspicuous object beheld by the stranger who approaches New Yorkl from the sea.
The landing-stagte of the Cunard steamers is at
Jersey City, on the side of the river immediately
opposite to New York.  To pass his effects through
the Custom House is the traveller's first task. This
office is as dingy and uncomfortable a place as any
one of the sort to be met withl elsewhere. Thinking
that the rules which were in force here resembled
those of the Custom IHouses of the Old World, I
first hunted for my luggage, and then, having found
it, waited patiently till an officer was disengaged.
On appealing to one who was unemployed, I was
told that, before the examination could take place,
I should hIave to fill up and sign a paper describing
thle various articles I had with me. I went to the
official who gave out and countersigned those papers.
HIe was seated, quietly smoking a cigIar, and indisposed to say much in response to those who plied
him with questions and requests. He was addressed
as'Judge.'   He certainly did not display any
14 
Fr0OI THE 3MERSEY TO TIIE HUDSON.
interest in the proceedings, or show much concern for those who were most anxious to obey his
orders.  After glancing at and countersigning my
paper, he returned it, and then I had little trouble
in getting the examination completed. Varying and
contradictory statements have been made about the
conduct of the American Custom House officers.   I
was told that they were the most exacting, overbearing, and detestable of any upon earth. Mly
own experience did not bear out this opinion. They
seemed to be overworked.  So many articles being
liable to duty, the search they make must necessarily be minute.   The examination of my lug,gage
was most thorough; but of ill-manners, or of an
intentional desire to give annoyance, I could not
detect a trace.  Indeed, a Prussian Custom House
officer would not only have given me more trouble,
but he would also have done his part in a way which
proved that he gloried in the opportunity to be
disagreeable and inquisitorial. Nor would he have
acted like his American brother, and helped to refasten the articles which had been laboriously opened
for his inspection. If this officer expected to receive
a bribe for neglecting his duty, or a gratuity for
showing civility, his manner belied his thoughts. It
may be that these officials are corrupt, and that a
money present will cause them to be conveniently
15 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL.
shortsighted. But the persons who should share
the blame are those who tempt them to betray their
trust. Several of my fellow-passengers, who had
various  effects on which  duty was  chargeable,
Loast2d of the immunity which they had purchased
for a sovereign. If a tithe of what I heard were
true, then the utmost vigilance of the officers is
required in order to circumvent the stratagems of
dishonest travellers. An Elnglish acquaintance, who
meant no harm, but whose manner was a little too
abrupt to please the officials of the Republic, had
some reason to complain of the treatment he received.  Ite was a solicitor, of high standing and in
large practice, who had determined to improve his
holiday by paying a hurried visit to the United
States.  He would as soon think of smu,ggling as
of committing the smallest breach of professional
etiquette. An officer, who was too astute by half,
fancied that this gentleman had resolved upon surreptitiously importing watches into the Great Republic. Being sharply questioned as to whether or
not he had more than one watch in his possession,
my acquaintance, astonished at the query, replied
in a manner that seemed to confirm the suspicion
which his demeanour had excited.  To his surprise
and annoyance, he was ordered to step into a room,
waicre he was subjected to a minute personal search.
16 
FROMI THIE IERSEY TO THE IiUDSON.
The natural conclusion is that an American Custom
IHouse has its good and its bad si;de; that the officers are neither wholly immaculate nor uniformly
unbearable;  that the warning against being too
precipitate ought to be carefully observed there;
that patience and courtesy go a great way towards
ensuring considerate treatment; that much depends
on the temperament, the mainners, and the appearance of the individual and not a little on the merest
chance whether a traveller shall denounce all connected with it in the harshest terms of opprobrium,
or speak of its officials as persons who discharge a
difficult duty in a rational and defensible manner,
and admit that they are neither much superior nor
vastly inferior to Custom IHouse officials all over
the world.
There is nothling strange or foreign to English
eyes in Newv York when beheld for the first time.
The impression made  on the traveller who, after
having crossed the straits of Dover and landed at
Boulogne or Calais, sees French soldiers in their
national uniform, workmen in their blue blouses,
servant girls in their neat white caps; who notices
the peculiar arrangement of the shops, with prices
nmarked ini a foreign currency and signs printed in a
foreign tongue; who hears the people on every side
conversing in a language which he never heard
17 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
spoken before, is an impression far more startling
and lasting than that which his mind receives after
the long voyage of three thousand miles is over
and he alights in the streets of New York.  If the
feeling be one of disappointment at the absence of
marked novelty in the spectacle, it is dispelled as
soon as he enters one of the monster hotels for which
America is famous.  He then becomes conscious of
the fact that Liverpool and London, Edinburgh and
Dublin are indeed far away, and he discovers that
any experience hie may have gained when travelling
through France, Germany, and Italy avails hIim
nothing. All the arrangements are new to him: he
is emphatically an ignorant and bewildered foreigner
in an English-speaking land.  Fortunately, hle has
not much trouble in learning the ways of the house.
The arrangements are as simple as they are complete. lianly of them are admirable. They are
designed so as to combine the maximum of comfort
to the visitor with the minimum of labour on the
part of the servants. Grumblers who would stigmatise Paradise as a detestable place of abode if it
dcliffered in petty details from the land of their birth,
have written bitter things about the hotels of New
York and have been far too successful in misleading and prejudicing the English readers of their
books.  The truth is that in the Old World there
is 
FRO0I TIIu MERSEY TO TIE iUDSO N.
are royal palaces in which the occupants are less
luxuriously housed and enjoy a smaller share of
life's minor comforts than would be their lot if they
sojourned in thle splendid and well-appointed hotels
which have been erected in the United States for
the reception and use of the Sovereign People.
193 
WE STWARD BY RAIL
If.
NE1V YOFRE TO SAN  FRA2cTCiSCO: TIIE i?OUTES
TO TIIE WEST.
VIILNi, I first saw New York it did not appear to
ile a foreign city in the same sense as Paris, or
Frankfort, or Milan. A closer and more leisurely
examination produced a different impression. To
walk along Broadway recalls a walk along Regent
Street, but it also recalls a walk along the Rue
de la Paix. WVhat seems to be English is rivalled,
if not outdone, by what is unmistakably French,
while many things have neither a French, nor an
English impress. The architectural effects are extraordinary in their variety.  The want of simplicity
and repose is as markled as the absence of a distinctively national style. Everyone has apparently
followed the bent of his fancy, and the straining
after originality has led to a confusion of ideas and
a clashing of aims.
All nationalities seem to have sent their representatives to this city.   Half the languages of
Europe are spoken by the motley gathering. The
20 
NE,V YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
English tongue is in the ascendant; but the eye
fails to see many figures or faces to match the hereditary language.  The ladies are dressed after the
latest French mode, yet the fashion of their apparel
is the only thing they have borrowed from  Paris.
Their looks are native to the soil, and to call thiem
good is not to speak of teem in language  sufficiently eulogistic.  The men  are dressed with a
regard for appearances which is more common in
Paris than in London.   There is none of the uniformity in their'attire which is akin to monotony.
All do not seem to have been condemned, by a law
which cannot bhe gainsaid, to iwear the same hideous
hat.   The' wideawvake' is as  common  as  the
' chimney pot' and-the mixture of the two produces
a pleasing effect.
The purity of the air is delicious.  If a dwelling,
be built of marble, or brick, or stone, the beholder
has no difficulty in pronouncing as to the nature of
the material, and has the satisfaction of duly appreciating the whiteness of the delicate marble, the
warmth of the brick, the solidity of the stone. The
principal streets are broad:  the principal squares
are spacious. The several Avenues which run
parallel to each other throughout the greater pai-t
of the city are so wide that the tramways which are
laid in them do not in the slightest degree interfere
21 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
with the traffic.  For the passage of all conveyances
there is room enougTh and to spare. At the upper
end of the city is the Central Park. This public
ground covers an area of more than 800 acres. It
is laid out in a style resembling the Bois de Boulogne rather than Hyde  Park  and Kensington
Gardens.  Several years hence when the trees shall
have attained their full height the Central Park will
be second to no other place of the kind.
Quite as remarkable as the cosmopolitan aspect
of New York streets is the contrast between the
different portions of the city. The business quarter
has a finished and substantial look; the offices seem
as if they had been built for some time. Proceeding westward the  several  edifices are evidently
built for show and are apparently of comparatively
recent date. In the former case the buildings have
a money-making impress upon them: in the latter
the stamp of the successful millionaire is unmistakeable. From the fine mansions of the rich in a
fashionable Avenue, the transition is rapid to the
miserable shanty of the Irish squatter.   At the
one end gorgeous carriages roll along: at the other
geese are feeding among the grass. Another contrast is that between the splendour of the buildings
and the wretchedness of the pavement. The streets
are filled with ruts. For this the City Fathers are
22 
NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
severely censured; but they can afford to brave the
indignation of their fellow-citizens so long as they
are permitted to hold office and to deal with the
funds at their disposal in the manner most pleasing
to themselves.
In my opinion scant justice has yet been dlone to
New York on the whole. It has its drawbacks, as
has every city on the face of the globe, but it possesses excellencies which more than outweigh them.
The man of business finds it as good a centre for
his operations as London.   The  pleasure-seeker
can amuse himself as well as in Paris, while men
of letters and students of art affirm that the prospects of New York becoming an honoured home
of literature and art grow brighter every day.
Before beginning my journey by rail from the
Atlantic coast to the Pacific slope, I had to ascertain various particulars as to the route. There was
no difficulty in purchasing a through ticket. In
mrost of the hotels and in numerous  shops the
tickets of any railway in the United States can be
bought.  Although the Pacific railway is constantly
spoken of as a line which actually runs between
New York and San Francisco, yet this is merely a
conventional way of stating the fact that there is
communication by rail between the two cities. A
traveller can journey in a railway carriage from
23 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
Dover to Inverness, but there is no such tf.ling as a
Dover and Inverness Railway.  He has the choice
of two lines of rail between  Dover and London,
of three between London and Edinburgh and of
two over a part of the remainder of the route. If
a stranger to the country, he may be embarrassel
with this variety and be at a loss what selection to
make.  So it is at New York.  The stranger sees
innumerable advertisements in which Union Pacific
Railroad is conspicuous, but in which the names of
various lines are enumerated as being in connection
with it. He reads in one that the'Allentown Line'
is the shortest and the best; in another that the
' Great Central Route' is indisputably without a
rival; he may even see the advantages of the illfated Erie Railway extolled to the skies. As the
fare in all cases is the same the puzzle consists in
ascertaining the respective merits of the competing
lines. He learns that in any event he must first
reach Chicago.   If, as is possible, the name of
Niagara has anl attraction for him and if, as is very
natural, he is curious to become acquainted with
the far-famned'Pullman's Cars,' he will probably
decide upon travellirng by the' Great Central
Route' and in doing so he will have no reason to
repent of his decision. Should time be no object,
he cannot do better than ascend the Hudson River
24 
NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
in a steamboat to Albany and Center the train there
instead of at New  York.   The scenery of the
Hudson has been  highly lauded, but not overpraised. It is quite as romantic as that of the
PRhine.  In the autumn the aspect of the woods on
the river's banks and heights clothed in the gorgeous tints of that season is a spectacle of wonderful beauty.  The vine-clad hills between Coblentz
and Bingen, when seen at their best, cannot match
the Hudson in its most picturesque parts. Nature
has done much for that river. One thing, however,
is wanting to render it as famous as its European
rival; the Hudson has not yet had its Byron.
While no great poet has rendered it attractive by
his inspired verse, a steamboat company has endeavoured to create an interest of a more prosaic and
more  practical kind.   The steamers which  ply
between New York and Albany are marvels in
their way.  To call them' floating palaces' is not
the language of hyperbole, but is the simple truth.
Let me suppose that the'Great Central Route'
has been chosen and that the traveller bound for
the Far West starts from New York in the evening
by the Pacific Express.  Oni the morning of the
following day he arrives at Rochester, where
' Pullman's Palace Cars' are attached to the train;
he gets a good view of Niagara Falls as the train
.25 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
slowly crosses the bridge over the boiling rapids,
sees a large portion of the Western section of
Canada, and then, after having passed two nights
and one day in a railway carriage and traversed a
distance of 900 miles, he arrives at Chicago.
The lines of Railway over whichl this train runs
are the Hudson River, the New York Central, the
Great Western  of Canada,  and  the  Michigan
Central. The present was the first occasion on
%which I had travelled over the Great Western of
Canada.   By  Canadians  I heard this line very
highly praised. Like the Grand Trunk it has been
constructed with English capital and belongs to an
English company.  Its shareholders are much more
fortunate than the investors in the Grand Trunk,
inasmuch as, while the directors of the Great
Western declare dividends, the directors of the
Grand Trunk apologise year after year for their
inability to do likewise.   The reason is that the
Great Western runs through a dividend-producing
country and has enjoyed an immunity from  the
trials whlich have crippled the hands of the mianagers of the Grand Trunk.
The misfortune of the latter is, that, owing to
various circumstances, it has been a bone of contention between opposing political parties. One side
has upheld and assisted, while the other has de
26 
NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
nouncedcl it. Havingc, had to look to the Governmnent for assistance, its managers have heretofore
been compelled to keep on good terms with the
Ministry of the day, and have more than once assented to propositions which, if wholly free agents,
they might have declined.  As  a natural conse(uence, not only has the company had to make
manaly sacrificcs, but its efforts to give satisfaction
have proved futile.   Of late years the company
has enrdeavoured to break away from an alliance
which has proved the source of injury and discord.
It would be an exaggeration to say that Canadians
have ceased to revile the Grand Trunk; yet it is
certain that the desire to give it fair play is more
generally manifested now than at any former period
in its history, while its prospects are brighter and
more encouraging, than they have ever been before.
Its more fortunate competitor, the Great Western,
has had no trials of an equally severe kind to
endure. The losses occasioned by the depreciated
American paper-moniey have been the chief drawbacks to its prosperity during the past few years.
It is a dividend-paying line. Probably in consequence of this it is in many respects superior to
others which have considerable difficulty in procuring the capital requisite for the purpose of
keeping the permanent way in good repair and
27 
VWESTWARD BY RAIL.
condition.   The  train whirls  along  the  Great
Western line not only at a rapid rate, but also
without the immoderate jolting and oscillation
which are  common incidents  on Canadian  and
American railways.
Hamilton is the first Canadian city of note at
which a stoppage is made. Situated at the western
extremlity of Lake Ontario, and having communication by water and rail with the principal cities of
Canada and with the capitals of the Eastern States of
America, the city of Hamilton has many chances in its
favour   It has prospered hitherto, notwithlstanding
the mistakes made by those of its citizens who, in
their eagerness to advance, incurred an amoitut of
indebtedness Which they found it difficult to discharge to the perfect satisfaction of many English
bond-holders.  However, the days of rash speculation are said to have passed away, and the lessons
learned have been profitable. At Hamilton station
the passengers dine, with tlhe exception of those
who are so fortunate as to have secured seats in the
Hotel Car attached to the train. The occupants of
this car take their meals'on board.'  I had heard
much said in praise of' Pullman's Palace Cars,' but
I was unprepared for the reality.   The first trip in
one of these cars forms an epoch in a traveller's life.
To one accustomed to English railway carriages
28 
NEWV YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
they are specially welcome.  The contrast between
the waggon in which Roderick Randoml journeyed
to London  and a modern  carriage  is not much
greater than the contrast between life on the rail in
an Einglish first-class carriage and in a Pullman's
car.  In order to form a fair notion of the character
of the latter it is but necessary to recall the descriptions of those luxurious saloon carriages which the
directors of our  railways have had constructed for
the use of the Queen.   No Royal personage can be
more comfortably housed than the occupant of a
Pullman car, provided the car be  an hotel one.
In the train by which I travelled, one out of the
three sleeping cars was of the latter description.
The Hotel Car is divided into sections, forming state
rooms, wherein parties of four can be accommodated.
Between these rooms are seats arranged in the
usual way.  At the rear is a kitchen, which, though
small, contains every appliance necessary for cooking purposes. There arc water tanks, in which is
stored a supply of water for washing and drinking
sufficient to last the journey.   A wine cellar contains the liquors which are likely to be in demand,
and an ice-house preserves ice for the gratification
of those who  prefer cold beverages.  At stated
intervals the conductor walks round, taling  the
passengers' orders, who make their selections from
29 
WE,STWARD BY RAIL
the bill of fare.  The choice is by no means small.
Five different kinds of bread, four sorts of cold
meat, six hot dishes, to say nothing of eggs cooked
in seven different ways, and all the seasonable vegetables and fruits, form a variety from which the most
dainty eater might easily find something to tickle
his palate, and the ravenous to satisfy his appetite.
The meal is served on a table temporarily fixed to
the side of the car, and removed when no longer
required. To breakfast, dine, and sup in this style
while the train is speeding along at the rate of
nearly thirty miles an hour, is a sensation of which
the novelty is not greater than the comfort. An
additional zest is given to the good things by the
thought that the passengers in the other cars must
rush out when the refreshment station is reached,
and hastily swallow an ill-cooked meal. It is proposed to construct dining cars which will be at the
service of all who travel by the train, and when
this is done, the limit to improvement will almost
have been reached.  Yet it would be a mistake to
assign any bounds to the possibilities connected with
railway travel in the United States, and in the
Western States ii particular. No prejudices exist
against novelties, nor are the directors of the several
companies able to scoim the demands of the travelling, public for increased comforts and conveniences.
30 
NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
So many railways run between the same points that
competition forces each company to outbid its rivals.
In other countries reduction of the fares would be
the course adopted under like circumstances.  IHere,
the lowness of price is less considered than the
amount of comfort obtainable on a particular line,
as well as the shortness of the time occupied by the
journey. Thus the rivalry has taken the form of
providing cars resembling that described, and thus
it is that railway travelling in America is assuming
the form of luxury tempered by accidents. The
wonder is that more accidents do not happen.
M]any of the railways are single lines, hence the
risks are multiplied as the traffic increases.  The
probability of a wrecked train being ignitedcl by
the burning embers scattered from the stove adds
another horror to the prospect. Still, when due
allowance is made for all thlings, it must be admitted
that the comparatively small number of railway
accidents is very remarkable.
Mleantime, the train has been speeding on its
course towards Chicago.  Paris has been left behind,
a place of which the name alone recalls the capital
of France.  MIore familiar to an English ear is
London, with its river Thames and its MIiddlesex.
At last WVindsor is reached. This is the frontier
town of this part of Canada. The river Detroit
31 
WESTWARD BY RAIL,
separates the United States from the Dominion, and
across it the train is transported on a large flatbottomed steamer. From Detroit the journey is
made on American soil through the State of
Indiana and of Illinois.   The country as seen from
the window of the railway carriage is not prepossessing.   The land may be very fertile, but it is
certainly very swampy. M1any of the farmhouses
must be unhealthy places of abode. Contrary to
Picardo's theory of rent, the least valuable lands
would appear to have been first brought under
cultivation. When Lake Michigan comes in sight,
the objects  that arrest attention  are the sandhills, which, for a considerable distance, line its
shore. These heaps and flats of sand give to the
lake a maritime aspect, which the waves rolling
shorewards tend to increase. Indeed, it is hardly
possible to realise the fact of these huge sheets of
water forming no part of the great ocean. The
vessels which navigate themi are to all appearance
the same as the vessels which sail across the
Atlantic, while the storms on these lakes are as
terrific and disastrous as any which make the open
sea the theatre of ruin and terror.  Finally, the
train runs in front of handsome dwellings, which not
only represent Chicago, but which line one of its
most fashionable avenues. A man appears who sells
002 
NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO.
tickets to those who purpose going by omnibus to
an hotel, the price being half a dollar. lIe also
takes charge of the luggage checks.   Bytaking a
check from him in exchange for that procured at
starting, the  traveller finds his  lu,ggage  safely
deposited at any address he may give. In this way
much subsequent confusion andcl inconvenience are
saved. At the station, a notice in a conspicuous
place arrests the attention of the traveller. It is a
warning against lending money to strangers.  This
excites a suspicion adverse to the sharpness, and
favourable to the generosity of the travelling public
in America.
33 
IVESTVWARD BY RAIL.
III.
THE GARDENV CITY.
IF the Michigan Central Railway express  train
arrives punctually at Chicago there is no difficulty
in continuing the  journey towards  the  Pacific.
Sevenity-five minutes are allowed for getting from
the station of arrival to the station of departure.
In my own case the times o.f the trains did not
correspond; the one train had started an hour before
the other larrived. This was not the only illustratioii ill my experience of a want of punctuality on
the part of American  railway companies.    My
fellow-p)assengers  took  the  disappointment  very
quietly, regarding the shortcoming as a matter of
course. This failure involved a delay of twentyfour hours, as there is but one through train daily
over the Pacific line. As I had intended to make
a brief sojourn in Chicago, I was even more unconcerned than my philosophical fellow-travellers.
By the residents Chicago  is often styled the
' Garden City.' Both its citizens and its admirers
34 
THE GARDEN CITY.
sometimes claim for it the still more dignified title
of the' Queenr City of the West,' or the' Queen
City of the Lakes.' The pride they take in it is
extreme, and the language in which they express
their feelings is high-flown.   This appears quite
natural to the traveller who has journeyed from
En,gland to the United States in order to witness
the marvels which human industry and energy have
wrought on the surface of the vast American continent. Books and newspapers may have prepared
him for an extraordinary spectacle, yet neither
tables of statistics nor any printed statements can
enable him to realise the grandeur of the impression
produced by a stay, however short, in the modern
city of Chicago. With a sensation of incredulity
hardly to be repressed, he listens to the stories
which tell of the city's foundation and history.
Forty years have not yet elapsed since the site of
palatial dwellings was distinguished from the surrounding, wilderness by a log fort, in which two
companies of soldiers were stationed for the protection of a few traders who collected furs from the
Indians in exchange for trinkets.  In those days
civilized men regarded a visit to the shores of Lake
Michigan much in the same lihght thich many persons now regard a visit to the sources of the Nile.
Those who made the journey had to brave tllhe
3
35 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
attacks of ferocious animals; had to face the perils
incident to an inhospitable and uncultivated region;
had to live in constant dread of an attack from
Indians more deliberately cruel than any beast, and
more crafty than any other enemy in human shape.
The wild men and wild animals have both disappeared.   The land which once yielded  a precarious subsistence to the hunter now repays the
skilful farmer one hundred-fold.   Where  weeds
formerly throve in rank profusion, peach trees are
now heavy with precious fruit. A city of palaces
has taken the place of a few miserable hovels.
Similar transformations have occurred in other parts
of the globe. Venice and Holland do not fall short
of Chicago as evidences of what man can achieve in
his struggle with rugged Nature and hostile elements.  Yet the growth of either city was the worli
of many years, as well as of much toil; whereas
Chicago has waxed great and famous within the
memory of men still living, and not yet old.  If
another Queen Scheherazade were compelled to rehearse a tale of enchantment for the gratification of
an exacting husband, she might find in the authentic story of the rise cf Chicago materials which
would produce a result as striking as that caused by
a recital of the fabulous doings of Aladdin.
Although figures convey but an imperfect notion
36 
THE GARDEN CITY.
of the wonders performed by the spirited and enterp)rising inhabitants of this city, yet, in default of a
better medium through which to supply information,
they must be employed. In 1830 the population of
Chicago was about 100 persons, of whom  a small
proportion was white, the majority being black men
and half-breeds. It was incorporated as a city in
1837, when the census was taken, and the number
of inhabitants found to be 4,170. Ten years later
the number was doubled; twenty years after its incorporation it contained 100,000 citizens, and at
this moment the estimated number is 300,000.
Nor is there any prospect of a stoppage in the rate
of increase. In every quarter hundreds of worikmen are labouring, at the erection of new houses or
the substitution of larger for smaller dwellings.
Nor is the rapidity of the city's growth less extraordinary than the way in which natural obstacles
to its progress have been confronted and overcome.
Situated on a low-lying part of Lake Michigan's
shore, it was found to be very unhealthy. In order
that neither damp foundations nor bad drainage
should breed malaria in any of the houses, the
entire business quarter of the city was elevated
eight feet above its original level.  This was done
without interference with domestic comfort, stoppage of traffic, or injury to trade.  While houses
37 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
and shops were rising upwards, families slept securely in their beds, sat at ease in their rooms, took
their meals as if the even tenour of their lives was
undisturbed, while merchants conducted their daily
business, and the public made their daily purchases.
For some years complaints had been made about
the lack of good water for drinking purposes. The
water supply obtained from the Lake was adequate
in quantity, but was by no means wholesome. This
was owing to the place from which it came being
near the shore, and, in consequence of this, being
contaminated with the sewage and refuse accu
mulated not far off. It was resolved in 1864 to
remnedy: this defect by means of a tunnel carried
under the water for a distance of two miles, and
open at its farther extremity to the pure water of
the Lake. Three years afterwards the new waterworks were in active operation, and they are capable of supplying 57,000,000 of gallons daily.
Even this is hardly sufficient, and it is proposed to
build a second tunnel. In addition to the supply
fromnt this source there is a large quantity of pure
water obtained from two Artesian wells, one of
which is 700 and the other 1,100 feet deep. Another great work is the WashIington-street Tunnel,
an undertaking quite as noteworthy as the tunnel
under the Thames, which used to excite the admni
38 
THE GARDEN CITY.
ration of country cousins and intelligent foreigners.
Finding that the amount of traffic in the Chicago
river seriously impeded traffic over the bridges,
which had to be opened whilst vessels were passing,
it was determined to construct a tunnel under the
river, and a short time after the project had been
mooted the work was executed.
The rapidity with which Chicago has attained to
the commanding position now held by it in the estimation of Americans is due to the way in wIicli
opportunities have been turned to account quite as
much as to any natural advantages it has cijoyed.
The situation is certainly a most favourable one.
There is communication by water from this city
to the Gulf of Mexico and to the mouth of the
St. Lawrence. The lines of rail which centre here
embrace fifteen trunk lines, and they run to every
part of the Union. Agriculture flourishes in the
vicinity, and the farmer finds in Chicago both a
market where his grain always commands a price,
and a storehouse, whence he draws whatever he requires for the purposes of husbandry or for the
comfort of his home. There is thus a continuous
current of produce streaming through Chicago on
its way to the consumer in the Eastern States or in
Great Britain.   hlow speedily the trade in grain
has been converted from an insignificant industry
39 
WESTrWARID BY R,AIL.
into an industry of unprecedented importance, let
the following facts bear witness. In 1838 the shipmients of grain were 78 bushels; in 1848 they were
3,001,714 bushels; in 1858 they were 20,035,166
bushels; in 1868 they were 67,896,760 bushels. If
these figures did not appear in official returns of
unquestioned correctness, they would be read with
incredulity. As it is, they excite wonder, and this
is intensified when it is found that in other departments of commerce, such as the trade in cattle and
lumber, the like progress has been made.   Not long
ago Cincinnati took the lead of every city in the
Union as the place where the largest numbers of
pigs were slaughtered, salted, and packed for exportation. On this account, the city was commonly
known by the name of Porkopolis. But, if the
statements of the citizens of Chicago are to be accepted, the glory of Cincinnati has passed away,
and the Garden City must henceforth be recgarded
as the one which lovers of bacon and ham are bound
to honour.
The abundance, excellent quality, and moderate
price of peaches, apples, and other fruit sold here in
the autumn excites the admiration of the visitor.
In some streets the pavement is encumbered with
boxes of fresh peaches. I learned that these are
produced in the southern part of the State of
40
t 
THE GARDEN CITY.
Illinois. The soil and climate of that locality
render fruit-growing as profitable there as it is
in the southern parts of Germany.   During  the
strawberry season five cars filled with strawberries
arrive at Chicago daily.  When the peaches are
ripe the supply sent to market every morning fills
twenty cars, each carrying five hundred boxes of
peaches. Egyptian Illinois is the name of this prolific fruit-bearilng region. Intersected by railways,
the market is within easy reach of the cultivator's
door. It is seldom that a crop fails, the climate
being equable and temperate. Thousands of acres
are still to be had by the settler. When I add that
this land may be purchased for less than 21. the
acre, I have said enough, I think, to excite the
desire of many to possess and cultivate it.
Material prosperity and rapidity of growth have
made Chicago a city of note, yet olther things have
made it a city of influence. Its newspapers are
quite as remarkable and worthy of praise as its
splendid streets and magnificent buildings, its extended commerce and public works. Among the
magnificent edifices which, in different parts of the
United States, are monuments of successful journalism, the office of the Chlicaqo Tribuzne commands
admiration. Situated at the corner of one of the
principal thoroughfares, it impresses the beholder
41 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
by the effectiveness of its architectural design, and
this impression is not weakened by the fact that
it is built of white marble. As a newspaper, the
Chiicago Tribiune exercises a vast and beneficent
authority throughout the WTest. Its columns are
singularly free from those offensive personalities
which, in the United States, are too frequently conisidered the lawful weapons of the journalist. Its
articles are at once pointed in tone and scholarly
in style.  A supporter of the Republican party, the
Trib?ne is at the samne time an energetic  and
astute upholder of free trade. It is the ablest representative in the press of that large and compact
body of shrewd Western agriculturists which calls
in question the justice of taxing the people at large
in order to give the manufacturers of Pennsylvania
and Massachusetts exceptional facilities for doing
business on a large scale, and accumulating fortunes
with unprecedented speed.   The  Chicago  Times
is the democratic organ. Like its political rival, it
is ably edited and well written. The Chicago
Evenin?g Journal is another of the more important
newspapers. An attempt has recently been made
to add a monthly magazine to the periodical
literature of the Western States. The Western
Mlonthly is well supported both by men of letters
and the reading public. The founders of this mnaga
42 
THEI GARDEN CITY.
zine said that their design was to develope' Western Intellect and Enterprise' and to enable the
people of the WVest to keep pace with those of the
East in' the great literary race of the Age.'  They
saw no reason why their literature as well as their
grain should not be shipped to points across the
Atlantic. As yet the grain is the better appreciated of the two, but the dclay may come when the
literature will be more heartily welcomed than it
now is.  Judging from one point of view, it miight
be thought that in their feverish chase after wealth
the citizens of Chicago had become indifferent to
religious observances. Their favourite journals appear on Sundays as well as on the other days of
the week. This is opposed to the practice not only
of England, but of the Eastern States of America
also. In the principal cities there are Sunday newspapers, but as a rule the daily journals are not pub
lished on Sunday.   Iere, on the contrary, the
Sunday copies of the Tribune and the Times
are much sought after, and contain an extra quantity of attractive matter. Yet while newspapers
are in demand, the churches are not deserted. As
a church-going people the citizens of Chicago will
bear favourable comparison with the inhabitants of
any city wherein the forms of religion are rigidly
observed. The churches are very numerous. Some
43 
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of them are fine specimens of modern ecclesiastical
architecture.
What a traveller values most in a strange city
are good hotels, fine buildings, well stored shops,
and well kept streets. In Chicago he will find all
these things. The Sherman and the Tremont House
are the principal hotels, and both are equal to the
best hotels of the East. They both are on a par
with other American hotels as regards the difficulty
experienced by the passing traveller in getting a
bed.  Throughout the United States and Canada
the demand for hotel accommodation is one which
seems to be insatiable and perpetual. On inquiry,
the weary and astonished traveller learns that the
state of things which gives him so much annoyance
is the rule, that the revolving seasons exercise no
influence on the huge and anxious crowd hurrying
from one hotel and from one railway-station to
another. At certain periods of the year an increase
in the number of visitors to any American city of
importance is perfectly natural.   In the autumn it
is customary for each State to hold its annual fair.
These fairs; unlike those of the Old Country, have
for their object the exhibition of the industrial products of the several States. The annual conventions, held for social and political purposes, likewise
contribute to swell the throng of those who desire
44
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THE GARDEN CITY.
hotel  accommodation.   Another  and exceptional
gathering made the Chicago hotels crowded with
visitors during my stay. A large party then stopped
here on its way from California to the States of
the East. This party was no ordinary collection of
excursionists bent upon enjoying a holiday and seeing sights. It was composed of persons taking to
themselves the credit of being the pioneers of civilization in California.  Each one had gone to the
Pacific coast in 1849, with a view to better his condition, and each boasted of having made California
one of the richest States and brightest stars in the
Union. The reception of this party was enthusiastic. The party itself was an illustration of the
benefits conferred by the gigantic undertaking
which supplied the link required to unite the
Pacific and Atlantic with an iron highway. A
printed list of the names and occupations of the
excursionists gives evidence of their representative
character. They had come not only from cities of
note like San Francisco and Sacramento, but also
from others less known to fame, such as Benecia
and Stockton, Colfax and Elko. Men of every
position in the social scale had associated together
to testify that they had laboured for a common
purpose in bygone days. Newspaper editors, mechanics, farmers, carpenters, state senators, hotel
45 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
keepers, miners, policemen, druggists, shepherds,
bricklayers, undertakers, merchants, and one artist,
composed the motley gathering.  The occasion was
a memorable one, for it was the first on which the
people of the Pacific had been brought into formal
and fraternal contact with their brethren in other
and remote parts of the Continent.
The way in which the streets are kept is creditable to the city authorities. There is still room for
improvement; yet, when the condition of those in
New York is borne in mind, the streets of Chicago
seem very good.  Special and praiseworthy attention is shown to the safety of the foot passengers
who cross over crowded thoroughfares. Policemen
are stationed to see that the street is not monopolised by conveyances, to the danger and annoyance
of pedestrians. These guardians of public order
discharge their duty with an impartiality which
merits praise. It is too often the custom, and in
New York it is the rule, for policemen to be attentive to young and gaily dressed ladies, and to suffer
all others to shift for themselves. To quacks selling
nostrums the police are not a terror. These charlatans ply their trade on the footpath in complete
security, and with a success which is only too great.
Among the crowd of poor labourers surrounding
them they find credulous listeners and an easy prey.
46 
THE GARDEN CITY.'
I saw one of these impostors doing an enormous business within a stone's throw of a leading
hotel.  His dress was that of a gentleman, and
his manners and language were far superior  to
those of an itinerant vendor of the London streets.
Hle had a pill which would annihilate every
known malady, and an oil which would assuage
every pain. As an inducement to buy the pills and
the oil he presented the purchasers of either with
an infallible cure for corns and bunions. This
seemed to give satisfaction to his audience, for
numbers exchanged their greenbacks for his rubbish. Another branch of imposture flourishes here
in the evening. In one street large numbers of
mock auctions are publicly held. The business of
many auctioneers appeared to be the same, that is,
to sell watches and tell lies. Their energy and
boldness could hardly be surpassed. Some used
phrases which sounded new and strange to my ears.
One made a point of assuring his hearers that the
particular watch he had to sell was'Equal to
anything on the top of God's Kingdom Come.'
Another, whose appearance and accent proclaimed
the Yankee, and who failed to attract persons into
his room, assured the spectators at the door, that
whatever money he got after that hour he would
distribute in charity.   Dutch auctions were also
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,WESTWARiD BY RAIL
going on, but, as far as I could judge, with less
success than the others. lIany of the articles for
which twenty dollars were asked had to be laid
aside for lack of a bidder at four.
As the chief halting place between New York
and San Francisco, the future of Chicago promises
to be even more brilliant and extraordinary than
its marvellous  past.  Its  traders  have  already
secured many new customers; its merchants have
found new spheres in which to transact a lucrative
business.   To  its markets additional supplies of
valuable produce are now brought over the Pacific
Railway. Thus the wealth of its citizens will increase with multiplied rapidity. Certainly, those
who live here must have much money at their command if they would enjoy the ordinary comforts, to
say nothing of the luxuries of life. House rent is
very high; clothing is very expensive.   A married
couple, whose income is 1,0001., would hardly be
numbered among the well-to-do citizens of this
community.  But, while the cost of living is great,
the opportunities for growing rich are exceedingly
numerous. None but the idle starve: none but the
stupid die poor. The Garden City is the paradise
of the modern man of business. Compared with
the bustle of Chicago, the bustle of New York
seems stagnation.
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ACROSS TIIE PRAIRIE.
FrnOM CHICAGO, on Lake Michigan, to Omaha, on
the Missouri River, the distance across the Prairie
is about 500 miles. This journey has to be made
in order to reach the Eastern terminus of the
Union Pacific Railway. The question which perplexes the traveller is' which of the several routes
shall he select?' He has three lines of rail from
which to choose. There is, first, the Chicago and
North Western; second, the Chicago and Rock
Island; and third, a composite route passing over
the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, and other lines.
In advertisements, it is said that the first is much
more direct than the lower route, that the second
is a hundred miles shorter than the lower route,
thus leaving the third at the bottom of the list.
Indeed, that anyone would voluntarily and knowing,ly travel by the third is absurd. A glance at the
map suffices to show that it runs out of the direct
course. However, the ticket agents often succeed
in persuading the unwary passenger to buy a 
WESTWAIlD BY RAIL.
ticket which answers  their purpose rather than
suits the passenger's convenience.   I met more
than one passenger who had been imposed upon in
this respect. As a matter of fact the Chicago and
North Western is the shortest line. Its rival, the
Chicago and Rock Island, holds out the inducement that,'this company build and run their own
elegant sleeping coaches and palace day cars, and
have no worn out rails to run over.'  Mloreover, the
Chicago and Rock Island station in Chicago is one
of the handsomest and most commodious buildings
of the kind in the United States. I mention these
things so that those who wish to form an opinion
for themselves may do so. For my own part I
preferred a scat in a Pullman's palace car on the
North Western. I have already given a description of his hotel car.  Before leaving this city,
which is the headquarters of Pullman's Palace Car
Company, a few additional particulars may appropriately be furnished.
About six years ago, Mr. Pullman first constructed one of the cars which have made his name
famous throughout the Union. Before that time
he had made experiments on a small scale, and of
an imnperfect character. Their success emboldened
him to fresh efforts.  Instead of confining himself,
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ACROSS THE PRAIRIE.
as at first, to providing sleeping accommodation for
night trains, he devised  an  arrangement which
combined comfortable sleeping berths at night with
luxurious seats by day. He appealed to the eye as
well as to the sense of comfort, furnishing his cars
with artistic and costly materials. As much care
was spent in decorating them as is expended in
decorating the dwellings of the rich. Nor were
any of the appliances omitted which could render a
railway journey agreeable. The perfected car was
a combined drawing-room, dining-room, and bedroom on wheels. That no expense was spared is
proved by the fact that the cost of a single car
exceeded 5,0001. sterling But it was not enough
to lessen the tedium and misery of a long railway
journey by merely providing softly-cushioned seats
by day, clean and most comfortable beds at night,
and well-cooked meals  for those  who chose to
order them.   The Western railroads over which
these cars were destined to run had sometimes
been constructed far too hastily to be smooth.  In
Eng,land, and inll America also, the smoothness with
which the train speeds along is in proportion to
the care with which the rails have been laid, and
to the completeness of the permanent way.  The
problem for Mr. Pullman  was how  to diminish
jolting on rough roads.  He solved the problem by
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WESTWARD BY RAIL.
giving more attention to the wheels and springs
of his cars than the engineers had given to the
rails, the joints, and the sleepers. The springs of
a Pullman's car are so well adjusted that the oscillation, which would be unbearable if the sprilngs
were imperfect or badly contrived, is reduced to a
minimum. By employing double windows, constructed so as to render rattling impossible, noise
is prevented, while dust and cold air are excluded.
Arrangements of a very satisfactory kind have
been  made  for heating  and ventilation.   These
cars are run over the several railways on terms
agreed to between the companies and the proprietors of the cars. The passengers pay an extra
fare for a seat in one of them.  The result has
been profitable to both, while the risk of loss to
the companies is infinitesimal.  The business having
grown too large for lIr. Pullman to manage alone,
he transferred it to a Joint Stock Company in
1867. He is both president and general manager
of the company. The shareholders have no reason
to complain of their investment. They receive a
monthly dividend of 1 per cent., while the reserve
fund is increased by a like amount.   When the
citizens of Chicago shall desire to devote a small
portion of their enormous fortunes to commemorate
the services of their distinguished men, they would
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act wisely in subscribing liberally to erect a monument to MIr. Pullman.   If an Englishman would
earn the gratitude of the large body of railway
travellers let him emulate MIr. Pullman's career.
He would thus revolutionize railway travelling in
England, and at the same enrich himself beyond
the dreams of avarice.
Once a day the through train for the Pacific coast
starts from Chicago. The advertisements announce
the starting of two trains; but the traveller who
rashly starts by the evening one finds that he must
spend a night at Omahla. Let it be supposed that,
having taken his ticket by the Chicago and North
Western Railway, he arrives at the station in time
to get his luggage' checked' and to take his place
in a Pullman's palace car at 10.15 in the m9rning.
The bustle and confusion are greatly in excess of
what would occur at a well-managed European
railway station. Labour is very scarce here, consequently the services of a multitude of porters are
dispensed with. The passenger must do for himself what porters do for him elsewhere.  If he be
experienced he will have no more luggag,e than he
can move unassisted. This implies that he has no
incumbrances to whom he must be polite and attentive. On such an occasion as this the solitary
and compassionate man has good reason to rejoice
53 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL.
in his loneliness, and to pity those who are accompanied by ladies. W'hen the struggle to get the
luggage'checked'  is crowned  with success, the
traveller who  has engaged  and  paid the extra
charge for a seat in a palace car takes possession of
it. This stat he retains throughout the journey.
It is absolutely reserved for him. At night the
seat is folded down on either side, blankets, and
clean sheets, and pillows are arranged in due order,
a curtain is drawn in front and a sleeping berth is
thus formed. The berths in the cabins of many
fine steamers are less comfortable than the berths
in these cars.
When  the moment  for departure arrives, the
conductor calls out'All aboard.'   The  engine
gives a low and not unmelodious whistle, the earpiercing screech of our engines being happily unknown in America, and the train starts for the
journey across the Prairie. It may be useful to
give some hints as to the terms employed by travellers on  American railways.   In  the United
States as in other countries, fluency in speaking
the language of the people is an art to be acquired
if possible, If he would avoid being singular, the
English traveller will say' railroad' instead of railway,' track' instead of line,' car' instead of car
54
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ACROSS TIE PRAIRIE.
riage,' depot,''freight-train,'' baggage car' ii, stead
of station, goods train, and luggage van.  Luggage
consists of so many'pieces'; it is not registered
but' checked.' If a portmanteau forms part of it,
the portmanteau must be spoken of as a' valise.'
Nor must luggage be asked for, or referred to under
any other name than that of' bagogage.'  Over the
blunders made by Englishmen, who use the word
luggage, I once heard  an American gentleman
make merry in the presence of his countrywomen.
Hie told them how, when in England, he had been
surprised at the ignorance of the railway porters,
because they asked him if he had any luggage.
In France, on the contrary, hle considered that
their standard of education was far higher.  By
them the word'baggage' was always employed.
lHe explained that the Frcnch had borrowed the
word from the Americans.   Probably he would
have some difficulty in meeting with a Frenchman
who would agree with him in so thinking.
The arrangement of the seats in a Pullman's car
is such as tempts the several occupants to become
acquainted. As a rule the Americans are not a
loquacious people when travelling by rail.  But in
their case, as in that of persons of other nationalities, the fact of being closely associated together
for, long journey tends to encourage good fellow
55 
VWESTWVARD BY RAIL
ship. Towards Englishmen they are disposed to
be very reticent. The following, reason is assigned
for this. A notion is prevalent that the majority
of English travellers visit America solely in order
to accumulate materials wherewith to fill volumes
with sneers and abuse. That such a belief is baseless cannot be maintained by anyone moderately
well versed in the English literature of travels in
America. More than one of my travellilng companions had a story to tell of unpleasant personal
experience of the John Bullism which is so offensive
to foreigners. One of them related how, having paid
all the attention in his power to an English fellowpassenger, he naturally expected to hear an expression of admiration for some of the sights pointed
out. But he had labourcd in vain.  Everything was
pronounced good in its way, but far inferior to
what might be seen in England.  In the hope of
succeeding at last, he remarked that the moon,
which shone so brightly that small print could be
read by its light, must rival that of the Old
Country. The reply was that the moon was not
at all bad for America, yet that the spectacle was
far inferior to what is beheld on a moonlight night
in England.  This is but one of many stories of
a like kind told to me by those who seemed as
much surprised as gratified at my disposition to
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ACROSS THE PRAIRIE.
admire what was really praiseworthy in the country,
the scenery, and the people. I protested, not without success, against the notion of regarding every
traveller as a paragon of cultivated taste and
refined manners, as a man whose opinion ought
to be accepted without hesitation or challenge and
as one who truly typified his countrymen. Nor
was it difficult to turn the tables by representing
the doings of some American travellers in Europe.
Having seen notorious members of the' Petroleum'
and'Shoddy' aristocracy of the United States excite the amazement of Frenchmen and Germans
by their lavish expenditure, their bejewelled persons, their coarse talk, and their overbearing demineanour, I was in a position to ask whether it
would be fair to judge all Americans by the
standard of these personages, and pass sentence
of condemnation accordingly.
Among the passengers occupying the car in which
I had a seat were two or three well qualified to
speak with authority on matters relating to parts of
the Union widely separated by distance, and differing greatly itJlrough the operation of natural or
accidental circumstances. One was a large manufacturer of machinery in Philadelphia.  The firm of
which he was a member had supplied locomotives to
nearly all the railway companties in the land. He
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WESTWARD BY B.AIL
avowed himself a strenuous upholder of the lawv
which, by imposingo protective duties, enriches the
manufacturer at the expense of the farmer.  It was
curious to find in him, as the employer of two
thousand artificers, the counterpart of many Englishmien who boast of the number of' hands' in their
pay. To him, as to them, the dreaded and intolerable bugbear was trade-unionism. But in his case
the grievance assumed a new aspect. Between him
and his workmen the bone of contention had been,
not the rate of wages, but the employment of English
labour. He told me that he had been coerced into
dismissing Englishmen with whom no other fault
could be found than the cardinal and inherent defect
of their nationality. He was one of the very few
Americans I met who had a harsh w)rd to say
against the Patent Laws.  Like certain English
manufacturers he longed for their abolition, on the
ground that these laws tied his hands and fettered
his actions too tightly, conferring on poorer men
rights which they sometimes used to the detriment
of their richer brethren, who were ready to turn the
workmen's inventions to their personal advantage,
and treat the ingenious poor as convenient and
serviceable tools.  Another passenger, wh]o resided
in Alabama, and who in days not long, gone by had
treated his darker fellow-man as a chlattel, was
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in many respects a more genuine liberal than the
wealthy manufacturer of Philadelphia. This gentleman was a planter who had fought in the rebel
army, and had suffered severely in person and estate.
About the result he manifested no bitterness. The
issues of the war he frankly and unreservedly accepted. In his opinion the question alike of secession and of slavery had been finally settled against
the South. Hils chief desire was to cultivate cotton
again, and his hope lay in the labour of Chinamen.
More prescient than his fellow-planters, this gentleman had purchased ten thousand acres of land in
Nebraska prior to the outbreak of hostilities between North and South.  He was now on his way
to inspect and deal with this property. A third
passenger was a merchant in Omaha. HIe had
intense faith in the future of the young city, which
but yesterday was an outpost in the wilderness, and
is now the mart of an increasing trade.  Two ladies,
travelling alone, were members of the friendly group
formed in the car by the accident of neighbourhood.
The one was going to rejoin her husband at Omaha;
the other was bound for San Francisco on the same
errand. At nightfall this little party produced
materials for a pleasant supper out of its joint resources. Patriotic and complimentary toasts were
drunk in excellent Californian wine.   Loyal and
4
59 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
rebel songs were sung, and the merriment was continued till the conductor interfered on behalf of the
other passengers, who, having retired for the night,
did not wish their rest disturbed.
In order to give clearness to the narrative of this
trip it is necessary to return to the starting point
and ask the reader to imagine the train speeding
along, after having left the Chicago Station behind.
For many miles westward the line traverses the
plains of Illinois.  On  either side  the eye rests
upon neat farmhouses, embosomed in trees which
the settler had planted at the time he built his habitation. Not far from Chicago an Artesian well is
pointed out, and a story is told respecting its discovery which the believers in Spiritualism would
accept as testimony in favour of their views, and the
disbelievers would cite as condemnatory of them.
A short time ago a Spiritualist had a communication
to the effect that if he sank a well in a particular
locality he would' strike oil.'  Full of faith in the
message, he set to work, heedless of the scoffs of his
neighbours.  Foot after foot he bored downwards,
but without achieving the promised end. Yet he
did not despair of success, and he boldly expended
what money he had in the prosecution of the undertaking,.  Still there was no sign of oil.  At last,
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ACROSS THE PRAIRIE.
however, a stream of liquid rushed to the surface,
and his hope of success waxed strong. A reaction
took place in his mind as soon as the liquid was
tested, for it proved to be pure water. Instead of
discovering a spring of oil, the explorer had sunkl
an Artesian well, and thus, although he had not
wasted his substance in vain, yet he had performed
no marvellous feat. It is possible to sink an Artesian well without the intervention of the spirits.
Farther west, and on the other side of the line, I
saw what appeared to be a nursery garden devotedl
to the growth of young trees.  The young plants
were in ordered rows, and disposed with a special
view to regularity.  A  fellow-traveller who knew
the country and its customs, told me that my supposition was erroneous. The spot was the chosen
site of a future city. It is thus that speculators
plan out and prepare the way for the settlement of
uninhabited tracts of suitable land. Not only do
they plant the trees destined to overshadow the
footpaths on which unborn children will play, but
they also give names to the streets, and even set
apart sites for imaginary buildings. All these things
are carefully noted in a map which is shown to the
seekers after new abodes. They buy lots where
their fancy dictates, and sometimes find on arrivinig
to take possession that they are the first and the
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WESTWARD BY RAIL.
only inhabitants. The trick is not a new one. It
was played upon Martin Chuzzlewit when he
determined to make his home in what he thought
was a new and rising city, but which proved to be
an old and dismal swamp.
Five hours  after leaving  Chicago, the  train
reaches the bridge which crosses the Mississippi.
This bridge is nearly a mile in length, and is constructed partly of wood and partly of iron. The
structure has a very unsubstantial appearance, and,
as it creaks and sways while the train passes over
it, the contingency of an unwelcome descent into
the deep and rapid stream beneath is one whibh
flashes over the mind.   Once  across the bridge,
the Westward-bound traveller enters the young, yet
flourishing State of Iowa, a State in which countless settlers may find pleasant homes on its rolling
prairies. On either side, as far as the horizon, a
few farmhouses alone serve to break the monotony
o f the prospect. To these v ast  tracts the epithet
which Homer affixed to the  sea  may not inaptly
be applied. They are literally' unharvested,' awaitin,, the touch of industry to yield up their teeming treasures. The long, rank grass which waves
on their surface, rots for lack of a mower to gather
it in, or is converted into dust and ashes when
the spark falling from the passing locomotive, or
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ACR,OSS TIE PEAIPIE.
thrown by the heedless wanderer, kindles the
flame which no human power can extinguish. The
spectacle of a prairie on fire is one of infinite
grandeur.   For miles on every side the  air is
heavy with volumes of stifling smoke, and the
ground reddened with hissing and rushing fire.
The beholder can with difficulty apprehend the
possibility of the mass of flame being quenched
till the entire country had become a barren and
blackened waste. M1uch depends upon the strength
of the wind as well as the quarter from which it
blows.   A  lull will stay the conflagration, while
a sudden change, by reversing the direction of
the fiery waves, will sweep them back over the
tract which they have devastated, and thus lead
to their own extinction.  A scene less impressive,
but far more enjoyable, is that of the moon flood   ing the silent prairie with  silvery light.   The
smallest object then stands forth in bold relief and
fixes the attention. Innumerable wild flowers per   fume the air.  The senses are at once quickened
and overpowered by the impression of illimitable
space. As the mind is awakened to the thought
that those who people these vast tracts of fertile
land will enjoy a freedom hardly less complete,
while far better ordered than that of the wanton
breeze, balmy with perfume, it is not difficult to
bree,bit 
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understand the proneness to exaggerationl, which is
the characteristic of the Americans of the West,
and to sympathise with their opinions of countries
in which an untrodden wilderness is an impossibility, and every acre is cultivated like a garden.
Nor is it unpatriotic to feel a longing that the
thousands who earn precarious livelihoods in the
United Kingdom by tilling the soil, of which their
taskmasters are the lords, could be transported to
a locality where the strength of their arms would
not only win for them a comfortable subsistence,
but would also enable them to become possessors
in their own right of the soil which yields them
their daily bread.   If the Dorsetshire labourer,
who hardly knows what it is to taste butcher's
meat, or the Irish peasant, whose ambition is to
possess a bit of land, could be convinced of the
lot which he might enjoy as a settler on the prairies
of Iowa, the former would soon cease to serve and
reverence the squire, and the latter would turn
his face to the setting sun with the feeling which
the Mahommedan cherishes for the city of Mecca.
The picture is a bright one, but it would be
unnatural were it unrelieved by shade. The State
of Iowa has its drawbacks, in the shape of swamps,
as well as its treasures, in the form of rolling
prairies. Fortunately the prairie predominates over
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the swamp.  From east to west this State extends
287 miles, and it is 210 miles in breadth.  At its
western extremity the line of the Chicago and
North Western Railway passes through one of the
worst swamps in the whole State. A few days
previous to my journey the rain had swollen the
waters, and the rails were inundated. The train
went along at a snail's pace.  It was a puzzle to
comprehend how the rails kept their places and
the sleepers upheld their burden.  The latter were
resting upon what appeared to be liquid mud. It
was well that they remained unbroken. Had they
given way, the consequences  would  have  been
disastrous.  When asked by an anxious and timid
passenger what would happen were the road-bed
to sink altogether, the conductor answered,' Guess
the cars would go to hell's bottom.' These swamps
are veritable quicksands.  Whatever enters them
is engulphed for ever.  As it happened, the only
serious mischief was a detention of the train. Since
then I have learned that the company has profited
by the warning, and has renewed the line at this
part in such a way as to render a recurrence of the
danger almost an impossibility.  Several miles before Council Bluffs, the station on the eastern bank
of the lMissouri, is reached, a fine view is had of
Omaha, on the western bank. The prospect is
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deceitful, as is not unfrequently the case when
cities are viewed firom a distance. Situated on a
rising ground, Omaha appears to be a city with
fine strcets and  stately  buildings.   Seen  more
closely, the streets are found to be straggling and
the buildings common-place, with but few exceptions. One of the disenchantmcnts for which the
traveller by this line must be prepared, occurs when
he has to be transported across the Missouri from
Council Bluffs to Omaha.   The accounts he may
have read of palace cars running throuTgh from
New York to San Francisco must have led him to
underrate the dcliscomrnforts to be faced and borne.
One of these is changing from car to car and rail
to rail.   A  short time ago I read in the  ~ezw
Yo7hi  Tribitne a glowing account of the luxurious
way in which a party had travelled without change
of cars from  Sacramento  to New  York.   That
this was the rare exception I learned before leaving
Chicago; but I did not know that the arrangcments were still incomplete for transporting passengers in comfort across the Missouri River, and
my igniorance was shared by many of my fellowpassengers.   On  arriving at Council Bluffs, we
fo(undcl omnibuses in waiting at the station.   The
lilorning was cold and raw.  But a small proportion
of the passCengers could get inside seats, the re
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ACROSS THIE PRAIRIE.
mainder having the option of either sitting on the
roof among the luggage, or else being left behind.
In itself the seat on the roof was not objectionable,
provided the time occupied were brief. As nearly
an hour was thus spent, the feeling of satisfaction
at having got a seat at all was supplanted by a
feeling of annoyance at the treatment received.
Througcrh deep ruts in the mud the omnibus was
slowly drawn by four horses to the river's bank,
and thence on to the  deck of a flat-bottomed
steamer.  Seated there, a good view was had of
the Missouri.  It has been called mighty, which it
doubtless is, considered as a stream, yet the appellation of' Big Mluddy,' which is current here, is the
one which more truthfully characterises it.  The
banks are masses of dark mud, resembling  the
heights which line the sea coast at Cromer, in
Norfolk, and just as every high tide undermines
and crumbles away the latter, so does the river's
current sweep away portions of the former.  The
peculiarity of the Missouri is the shifting character
of its current. Now and then it suddenly abandons
its old bed, scooping out a new one an hundred
yards distant.   A  fellow-traveller who  had seen
it a month previously said that since then the river
had shifted its course, and that what was now a
vast bed of mud had  then  formed the river's
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channel. The erratic career of this river is giving
sad trouble to the railway company. There is no
certainty that any particular spot chosen for the
lavding-stage will continue available for the purpose from hour to hour and from day to day.
There is a plan for erecting a bridge over the'Iissouri, but the difficulty of finding a solid foundation has hitherto proved insurmountable.   The bed
and banks of the river are quicksands of great
depth. These physical obstacles will probably be
overcome, but the cost of success must assuredly
be heavy. Mloreover, the question of labour is one
which adds an element of complication to the
problem. It is proposed to bring Chinamen from
California in order to build the bridge.  To this
the Irishmen already employed make vigorous objections, threatening terrible things should their
protests be unheeded. There is too much reason to
fear that when the unoffending  Chinamen arrive
they will be the victims of dastardly outrages.
The first thing which catches the eye on reachin, the western bank of the river is a small shanty
in which liquors are sold.  On the one side are
the words,'First Chance;' on the other,'Last
Chance.' Reegardless of the risk of getting some
vile compound bearing the name of whisky, many
rushed to avail themselves of the opportunity, and
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the enterprising proprietor had reason to cengratulate himself on having founded his bar on  \iissouri
mud.   Through this mud  the omnibus  laboured
slowly, the outside passengers being advised by the
driver to move about from one side of the roof to
another, in order to guard against upsetting the
overladen vehicle.  A general feeling of relief was
manifested when the station of the Union Pacific
Railway was reached.  From this point the traveller really begins his trip over the great railway
which Americans justly class among the grandest
and most wonderful achievements of modern times.
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V.
OVER THE' RtOCKY MIOUNTAINS.
OMAHA is one of those American cities which seem
to spring up, flourish, and wax great in the twinkling
of an eye. Its history dates from 1854. In that
year a few squatters fixed their residence in this
section of what was then the Territory of Nebraska,
which was regarded as in the heart of the Far West.
Situated on the bank of the Missouri river, at a
point almost equidistant between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans, Omaha had many natural advantages, and these have been turned to profitable
account since the Pacific Railway has furnished the
opportunity. Certain it is that the city's prospects
are bright. In 1860 the population did not exceed
1,883; now the number of inhabitants is estimated
at 20,000. There are many manufactories within
its bounds, one distillery, and several breweries. In
the year 1868-9 the sales of the merchants were upwards of a million and a quarter sterling. Like most
American cities it possesses two daily newspapers,
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the one the Republican the other the Democratic
organ. Four other journals are published at longer
intervals.   Of schools, both  public and private,
there is abundance. The churches are fifteen in
number.   There are eleven hotels, of which one or
two are first-class establishments. That this progress should have been made within the space of a
few short years is not only marvellous, but inspires
hope that the city's future will be a great and an
enviable one. Although the chief city, Omaha is
not now the capital of the State of Nebraska.  W1hen
it was the capital, its enterprising citizens built an
imposing State House, a structure which  can be
seen for many miles on all sides, and one which is
an ornament to the city.  However, for reasons
unknown to me, Lincoln city, a place of far less
note and importance, was made the capital in 1868.
A story is told of the postmaster which illustrates
the changes made here during the past few years.
MIr. Jones, one of the first squatters, was appointed
to the office of postmaster in the autumn of 1854.
At that time there was no office, while letters were
rarities.  The letters which did come were kept'ly
the postmaster inll the crown of his hat till he met
their owners, or till their  owners claimed them.
Those  who expected letters had to look sharply
after this official, and had sometimes to go long
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distances over the prairie in order to make the
necessary inquiries of him. Only fifteen years have
elapsed since this primitive state of things was the
rule, and the post-office has expanded from a hat
into an office wherein six clerks are employed.
The early history of the Pacific Railway is surrounded with obscurity, and is the subject of
controversy.   The  claimants for the  honour of
having first mooted the project and of having the
most materially furthered its progress are very
numerous. It cannot be disputed, however, that
John Plumbe a Welshman by birth and a naturalised American, began a vigorous agitation in
1836 in favour of carrying a railway across the
Continent. He lived till after the gold discoveries
had been made in California, and he used them as
additional arguments in support of his pet scheme.
As the tide of emigration flowed towards the Pacific
slope and as States and Territories of vast importance were being founded beyond the Rocky
Mountains, it became a national necessity to obtain
easy means of communication between the East and
the West. That many men of weight and ability
should have advocated the construction of a railway
is merely what might have been expected under
circumstances such as these.
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In 1853, Congress voted funds wherewith to con   duct a survey in order to ascertain which was the
best route.  Two routes were traced out and the
particulars concerning each were detailed in reports
which fill thirteen large volumes. The greatest
difficulty consisted in agreeing as to whether the
more northerly or the more southerly was the pre   ferable one.  The representatives of the Northern
and Eastern States supported the former, while the
representatives of the South preferred the latter.
The result was a discussion which promised to be
interminable. Had it not been for the outbreak of
the war this great undertaking might still have
remained a project. But the war, which was
destined to settle several controversies in a decisive
way, brought this one to a summary close.  The
isolation of California was percived to involve
a peril to the Union.  To construct  the  trans    continental railway was regarded as a strategic
move.   Those  who  had favoured  the extreme
southerly route were no longer able to take part
in the debates of Congress, nor was Congress then
in a position to decree the construction of a railway
through the southern part of the States. Hence,
when in 1862 the scheme came up for practical
settlement the present route was approved of on
the ground that, despite some drawbacks it was on
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the whole the most feasible one which could then
be selected.
Two Companies were empowered by Congress to
undertake the work, subject to certain conditions
and in return for certain advantages.  The Union
Pacific Company was to begin at Omaha and proceced Westwards, the Central Pacific Company was
to begin at Sacramento  and proceed Eastwards
and both were to continue operations till a junction
was effected. The estimated cost was one hundred
millions of dollars, or about 20,000,0001. In aid of the
undertaking subsidies of bonds, on which the interest
was guaranteed, and grants of land along the line
were awarded by Congress.  The bond subsidy was
divided into three sections. For the most level
portion the rate was sixteen thousand dollars per
mile; for the portion more precipitous, thirty-two
thousand dollars, and for the mountainous portion
forty-eighlt thousand dollars, per mile. The total
subsidies of this character have  been fifty-eight
million eight hundred and forty thousand dollars.
Interest on bonds to a like amount has also been
guaranteed.   The  land grants consist of every
alternate section for twenty miles on each side of
the line, that is at the rate of 12,800 acres per mile.
It is calculated that of these grants the Union
Pacific has become entitled to  an aggregate of
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OVER THE ROCIKY MIOUNTAINS.
13,875,200 acres, and the Central Pacific to
8,832,000.   M\uch of this land is valueless, but
a large proportion is of excellent quality. The
time may come when by the sale of the land the
Companies will realise an amount sufficient to recoup them for the greater part of their outlay, and
thus the shareholders will have acquired a most
lucrative property for an almost nominal sum.  But
the individual advantages which may hereafter be
reaped no one should grudge. The prospective
gain to the Companies is a mere trifle when compared with the immediate and  tangible benefit
which has already been conferred on the country.
Less wise than some of the other provisions was one
inserted in the charters in furtherance of the policy
of Protection which wvas rampant at the time when
Congress legislated for this railway. It was provided, under the penalty of forfeiture of all the
privileges conferred, that every pound of manufactured iron used in the construction of the line
should be of home make.  This was done at the
instigation and for the personal enrichment of the
iron-masters of Pennsylvania. Several American
gentlemen with whom I conversed on the subject
censured this arrangement in stronger terms than I
care to reproduce.  The bargain was unfair to the
nation.  The result of it has been to add at least
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twenty nmillion of dollars to the cost of construction.
Nor is this lavish and needless expenditure the
worst part of the arrangement. The iron is admitted to be at once more costly and less perfect
than that which the Companies mi,ght have imported
from Europe had their charters permitted them the
free exercise of their discretion.
Quite as noteworthy as the fact of the line
having been constructed at all, is the speed with
which it was completed.  On the 5th Novelmbcr.,
1865, the first sod of the Union Pacific Railway was
turned near the Missouri RIiver, and within a short
distance of Omaha. In less than four years afterwards the line was completed, the ceremony of
driving the last spike having taken place on the
10th May, 1869. When it is considered that the
length of one portion is 1,084 miles, the rapidity
of construction almost staggers the most credulous.
It is true that the line is a single one, that the
stations are temporary structures, and that theC
bridges are built of wood, yet this does not render
the enterprise the less extraordinary.
Passing from statistics about the Union Pacific
to an account of personal experience of the railway, let it be supposed that the forenoon train is
about to start on its long journey of more than
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order to compare its comforts with those of the
routq across the Isthmus of Panama. A considerable proportion consisted of adventurers bound for
California to seek their fortunes, and a very few
were travelling  for  their  pleasure.   To  nearly
every one the journey is a new one, partaking of
the character of a daring enterprise.   Some who
profess to be well informed mis-spend their time
in endeavours to excite the fears of the timid and
the apprehensions of the excitable. They enlarge
on the dangers incident to a line constructed too
hurriedly.   They draw ghastly pictures of perils
to be faced in the event of the wild Indians putting
obstructions in the way of the train, and attacking
the  passengers.   It is possible that these tales
promoted the sale of insurance tickets. An agent
of a railway insurance company walked through
the train before it left the station, and vigorously
canv,assed  the  passengers.   Many  of them  had
already made this provision for accidents. Indeed,
the Americans are too shrewd a people to omit
maling arrangements in view of the consequences
of a railway accident. In'Appleton's Handbook
of American Travel' the last piece of advice given
in the introduction is,' Having laid in your necessary supplies, it only remains for you to insure
yourself against accident by sea or land.'  The
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OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
reader of this is not unnaturally induced to ask
himself whether, if pleasure travelling in the United
States be regarded as fraught with so much danger
it is not wiser to stay at home.
Four miles after leaving Omaha, the first stoppagre is made.  The journey is now fairly begun
and every one is on the look out for new scenery
and strange adventures.  As mile after mile is left
behind, the remark is very generally made that the
surrounding country, instead of being wild and
desolate, is rich and filled with settlers.   Farm
houses and tilled fields are seen on both sides of
the line, and this spectacle is a common one
throughout a large tract of the State of Nebraska.
The Platte river is the first object of interest which
breaks the monotony of the plains.   Along, the
south bank of this river runs the old emigrant
road for many miles.  The train of white-covered
waggols, called' Prairie Schooners,' drawn by teams
of oxen, might in former days be seen stretching
as far as the eye could reach.   At long intervals
the sight of one or two of these waggons recalls
the bygone times, when a trip across the plains took
as many months as it now takes days, and was
seldom accomplished] without the loss of several
cattle, and of a few human lives. The magnitude
of the trade carried on over the plains may be
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understood from the fact that nearly 7,000 men
regularly earned their living as teamsters. Glad
though the drivers of these teams were to keep near
tlho Platte River as long as possible, they were by
no means pleased with the river itself. Its channel
is continually shifting, and its bed is treacherous
sand.   Looked at, the river seems one of those
noble streams destined by nature to bear heavily
laden vessels on its bosom.   In breadth it averages
three-quarters of a mile.  The water is turbid, and
its depth seldom exceeds six inches. But while it
has these drawbacks, it is nevertheless the silent
agent of innumerable blessings to this section of the
country.   The valley through which it flows is
fertilised by its waters. Luxuriant vegetation and
clumps of trees attest the course of the stream.
Without this river the valley would be a waste;
with the river the valley only awaits the hand of
mnan to be transformed into a garden.
The first real sensation is obtained at Jackson,
a small station an hundred miles west of Omaha.
Here many of the passengers see genuine Indians
for the first time-that is, men who live by hunting,
and who glory in getting scalps.  They are Pawnees.  We are told that they are friendly Indians,
being supporters of the United States Government.
They may be friendly at heart, but they are blood
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thirsty in appearance.   They probably consider
themselves civilised, for each carries a revolver in
a belt strapped round his waist.   That  they are
staunch adherents to old traditions is proved by an
inspection of their encampment. Outside the tents
are poles stuck into the ground. From the tops of
these poles, wisps of hair flutter in the breeze.  The
seeker after knowledge naturally asks the meaning
of these things.  His belief in the friendliness of
the Pawnees is not strengthened when he is in)  formed that the wisps of hair are trophies of victory
whicli have been cut from the heads of vanquished
foes. The Indians, whose advance in civilisation is
manifested by the addition of the revolver to the
scalping-knife, are not persons for whom it is pos   sible to entertain great admiration.   Their  ac   quaintance is more  to be avoided than courted.
Seen at a distance they are picturesque additions to
the landscape; when met by the defenceless tra   veller they prove to be brutal monsters. The chief
testimony given in favour of the Pawnees is that
they are better than the Sioux, and that they are
always ready to demonstrate their loyalty to the
Union by murdering the Sioux without mercy.
How to deal with the Indians is one of the most
complex alllong, the problems with which the Go  vernment of the United States has to deal.  The
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OVER THE ROCKY MIOUNTAINS.
thirsty in appearance.   They probably consider
themselves civilised, for each carries a revolver ill
a belt strapped round his waist.   That  they are
staunch adherents to old traditions is proved by an
inspection of their encampment. Outside the tents
are poles stuck into the ground. From the tops of
these poles, wisps of hair flutter in the breeze.  The
seeker after knowledge naturally asks the meaning
of these thiings.  His belief in the friendliness of
the Pawnees is not strengthened when he is informed that the wisps of hair are trophies of victory
whlichl have been cut from the heads of vanquished
foes. The Indians, whose advance in civilisation is
manifested by the addition of the revolver to the
scalping-knife, are not persons for whonm it is possible to entertain great admiration.   Their  acquaintance is more to be avoided than courted.
Seen at a distance they are picturesque additions to
the landscape; when met by the defenceless traveller they prove to be brutal monsters.  The chief
testimony given in favour of the Pawnees is that
they are better than the Sioux, and that they are
always ready to demonstrate their loyalty to the
Union by murdering the Sioux without mercy.
Hfow to deal with the Indians is one of the most
complex among, the problems with which the Government of the United States has to deal.  The
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desire is to treat them with perfect fairness, and to
strain many points in their favour. But the conducet of the Indians themselves is the frequent bar
to a uniform adherence to a policy of gentleness.
The stories of Indian outrages, which are told by
the settlers on the plains, excite indignation and
inspire revenge in the breasts of the most humane.
It is true, on the other hand, that the settlers have
been guilty of many barbarities. They maintain,
however, that if they slaughter Indians it is always
in self-defence, or in retaliation for some intolerable
and unpardonable outrage.   The Indians, they say,
not content with slaying white men in cold blood,
must needs torture their victims awith every refinement of savate b     rutality. Wv   ere it a mere question
of shlootilng the men wiithl whom they came into
contact, or against whom they had a grudge, the
white  men  would have less complaints to  m.ake.
It is the practice of torture, rather than the comiission of murder, which displeases andi provokes
them. Certainly, if but one half of the stories be
true, the hatred borne by the white men against
the Indians is not without excuse.  It would be
wvcll, however, before coming to a decision, to learn
the Indian version of the case.
At Grand Island station the train stops, and the
)asselngers are allowed half an hour for supper.
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On leaving this place the traveller is told that if of
a religious turn of mind he may  bid good-bye to
schools and churches, and keep' his eye peeled' for
buffalo.  The next two hundred miles run through
the tract crossed by the buffalo herds on their migrations from South to North. However, the expectation of getting a sight of these denizens of the
plains is one which is more frequently excited than
gratified.   Since the opening of the railway the
buffaloes have shunned this district.   They  may
return to it again, as it is not uncommon for them
to leave a particular spot and then revisit it after
the          lapse of two or three years.  Still, the days
of buffalo-hunting are numbered. As the country
becomes settled, the bunch grass, which is the
favourite food of the buffalo, gives place to the corn
plant. Already the newspapers of these districts
are protesting against the wholesale slaughter of
buffaloes by sportsmen.  VWhen  the time arrives
for       preserving wild animals, the moment of their
extinction is not distant. To the passengers by
this train the presence or absence of buffalo herds
mattered little, seeing that the favourite feedinggrounds of these animals were passed during the
night.  The event of the succeeding, morning was
halting at Cheyenne city for breakfast. This is
one of the towns which sprang up during the con          5
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struction of the railway.  In July, 1867, there was
but one house here. At present there are 3,000
inhabitants in Cheyenne.  The population has been
as large as 6,000.  It was what is here styled a
' rough place,' that is to say a miniature hell upon
earth. Thieves and gamblers, murderers and prostitutes, were numbered among its'prominent citizens.'  But the day of its orgies is passed away;
the scum of the population has moved off to other
pastures, and the streets of Cheyenne are as quiet
as the streets of other Western cities in which law
has conquered license. The breakfast supplied at
the railway-station deserves a word of praise. It
was a plain but wholesome meal, and it had the
charm of novelty in the shape of antelope steaks.
The flesh oC the antelope is most palatable, the
flavour being something between  the flavour of
venison and beef. The animal is a hardy one, and
it might easily be acclimatised in England.
The scenery from this point onwards is tame and
uninteresting.   In every direction  the  limitless
plains extend to the horizon. I-Iere and there a
tuft of wild flowers relieves the monotony of the
grass flats.  A herd of antelopes bounding along is
a sight most welcome to the fatigued eye, while the
rare spectacle of two Rocky Mountain sheep, with
wild aspect and long twisted horns, excites specula
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tion as to how they had wandered so far from their
native haunts.   Dead oxen by the wayside bear
witness to the passage of an emigrant train, and to
losses sustained by its members.   At Hazard, a
station beyond Cheyenne, is a little mountain tarn.
A few miles farther on, small patches of white in
the crevices of the rocks cause the statement to be
made  that the country of alkali dust has  been
reached at last.  This, however, is contradicted.
The patches in question prove to be traces of snow.
It is true that the sun shines brightly overhead,
and that the winter has not yet begun.   Nevertheless, the intense coldness of the air excites general
remark.   The  explanation is simple.   We  are
nearing the highest point of the line.  Since leavin, Omaha the ascent has been gradual, but continuous.   We  have ascended nearly  8,000 feet
above the sea level, and the height gained is amidst
the peaks of the Rocky Mountains on which snow
always rests, and where not a day throughout the
year passes without the fall of a larger or smaller
quantity of snow. The purity of the air is extreme,
Objects many miles distant seem as if they were
but as many feet removed from the spectator.
With difficulty do the lungs become fully inflated,
so great is the rarity of the air. As mile after mile
is traversed the ground is more steep.   Cuttings
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through the rocks have been made to reduce the
incline. The strain on the engine becomes greater;
the speed of the train is diminished, until the ascent
is finally made, and the train halts at Sherman,
a railway station of which the elevation exceeds
that of any in the world, it being situated 8,235
feet above the level of the sea.
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TIIE POCKY MOUNTAINS TO THE GREFA  SL21' LAKE.
SIIERMAN  STATION, the  highest  point on  the
Pacific Railway, is in the Territory of Wyoming,
the youngest among the Territories of the United
States.  It was named after the Valley in Pennsylvania which is known in history as the scene of
a horrible massacre and whicli lives in poetry a.s
the abode of Campbell's' Gertrude.'   Wyomin'
Territory has already attracted the attention of the
world on account of the social and political reforms
of which it has been the theatre. Here the enfranchisement of women has not only been conceded, but
the logical results have been accepted.  Women have
been empanelled as jurors, and even entrusted withl
the discharge of judicial functions.
Some writers strongly advise the traveller to
make a halt at Sherman station.  The induecements
held out to him are mountain scenery, invigorating
air, fishing, and hiunting.  A sojourn among the
peaks of the Rocky Moun.tains has the attraction of
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novelty to recommend it. Life there must be, in
every sense of the word, a new sensation. But
some sensations are undesirable notiwithstanding
their undoubted freshness.   That splendid trout
swarm in the streams near Sherman admits of no
dispute. Yet the disciple of Isaac Walton should
not be tempted to indulge rashly in his harmless
and charming sport. It is delightful to hook large
fish; but it is less agreeable to be pierced through
by arrows.  Now, the latter contingency is among
the probabilities which must be taken into consideration.  A few weeks prior to my journey, one of
the conductors of the train by which I travelled
learned, by practical experience, that fishing amid
the Rocky Mountains has palpable and painful
drawbacks. Having taken a few days' holiday, he
went forth, fishing-rod in hand, to amuse himself.
While whipping the stream in the innocence of his
heart, he was startled to find himself made the
target for arrows shot by wild Indians.  He sought
safety in flight, and recovered from his wounds
to the surprise as much as to the gratification
of his friends. His story did not render me desirous of sharing his fate. The trout-fisher might
employ his leisure to greater advantage elsewhere
than in the Territory of Wyoming. The sportsman
runs fewer risks and would fare much better. If
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ROCKY M3OUNTAINS TO THE GREAT SALT LAIKE. 89
he sallied forth to shoot antelopes, elk, or deer, he
might return unpierced by arrows and laden with
game. The Indians are bold and forward enough
in presence of a man carrying a fishing-rod, but
they keep at a very respectful distance from him
who is armed with a repeating rifle. The accommodation at Sherman is not luxurious.  It is a place
consisting of a few buildings erected for the use of
the railway officials.
The scenery around Sherman is bleak and wild.
Several famous peaks are said to be perceptible in
the far distance. I have read a statement to the
effect that  Long's Peak, one of the  principal
mountains of Colorado, 75 miles to the Southwest, and Pike's Peak, 165 miles to the South are
'both plainly visible.'  To the North, Elk  Miountain is' another noted landmark,' about 100 miles
distant. It is possible that these mountain tops
may have been discerned in a vision by the compilers of guide books. To the eye of the ordinary
and unimaginative traveller they are invisible.
What he does see to the left of the line looking
westward is the snow-capped range of the Wahsatch
mountains.  On the right are rough and irregular
elevations dotted over with dark pines. These are
the Black Hills of WVyoming.  A huge mass of red
rock stands forth here and there on the solitary
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plains. Most welcome to eyes wearied with the
savage grandeur of the scene, are the patches of
purple and yellow wild flowers which flourish amidst
the short brown grass.  It is with a feeling of relief
that Sherman station is left behind.   The train
descends by its own weight the rapid incline which
leads to the Laramie Plains. Three miles westward of Sherman the line crosses Dale Creek on
one of those wooden bridges which appear so unsubstantial, yet  are said to be so strong.   It is
650 feet long and 126 feet high. The trestle work
of which it consists resembles the scaffolding erected
for the purpose of painting the outside of a London
house.   An  enthusiastic writer terms this bridge
'the grandest feature of the road,' and commends it
for its'light, airy, and graceful appearance.'  The
contractors are said to boast of having erected it in
the short space of thirty days. It is not stated how
many days the bridge will bear the strain almost
hourly put upon it.  More than one passenger who
would rather lose a fine sight than risk a broken
neck breathes more freely, and gives audible expression to his satisfaction, once the cars have
passed in safety over this remarkable wooden structure.  Downwards speeds the train, at a pace which
makes one shudder at the consequences of an accidenit.  In twenty miles the descent of ai thousand
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ROCKY MOUNTAINS TO THE GREAT SALT LAKE. 91
feet is accomplished. No steam power is employed.
On the contrary, the brakes are tightly screwed
down alike on the locomotive and the cars.   At
Laramie City a halt of thirty minutes is made, and
a good meal is provided for the hungry passengers.
We are now in the midst of the Laramie plains,
reputed to be the finest grazing land in this part of
the Continent.  Here thousands of buffaloes used
to feed and wax fat.  With the exception of Texas,
no place can be found where cattle may be fattened
at a less cost. As we proceed onwards the plains
widen on either side, and the mountain ranges recede into the distance. We are again on the rolling
prairie, but not such a prairie as is to be found in
the States of Illinois and Iowa. The sage-brush
plant begins to show itself. This constitutes the sole
vegetation of the arid and desolate tract which is
known by the name of the Great American Desert.
The only thing alleged in favour of the sage-brush
is that, when used as a medicine, it is a specific for
ague. If the malady were as common as the plant
is plentiful hardly a human being would escape a
seizure.   Millions of acres are covered with sagebrush. On the right of the line is a small sheet of
water, to which the name of Como Lake has been
given.  In nothing but the name does it recall the
famous Italian Lake, yet the prospect is a pleasing 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
relief to the monotony of the surrounding waste.
Carbon station is one very important in reality,
though apparently insignificant.   Here  the company's workmen made a discovery which has helped
to fill the company's coffers. During, the construction of the line a seam of coal was cut through.
This was literally a godsend. It had been feared
that all the fuel used along the line would have to
be transported from the  remote East.   In  this
locality wood is very scarce, and the carriage of
coal would have been costly. However, the discovery of a coal-field at Carbon settled the fuel
question at once and for ever.  The quality of the
coal is first-class, and the quantity is practically unlimited. Two hundred tons a day are extracted
with ease. Not only is the coal burned in the locomotives, but it is also supplied to the stations along
the line, being sent as far eastwvards as Omaha. Nor
is this the only coalfield which has been discovered
and worked at a profit. In other parts of the Territory large fields of coal have been proved to exist,
while iron ore of the richest kind abounds in the
vicinity of the coal.  Thus the Black Hills which
have been regarded as yielding nothing but dark
pine and have been more notable heretofore for
their picturesqueness than their mineral treasures,
may hereafter become the centre of an industry in
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ROCKY MOUNTAINS TO TIHE GREAT SALT LAIKE. 93
coal and iron as important as any upon this Continent.   From this point the line passes through
elevated land on either side, till a wild gorge is
entered a few miles to the east of Fort Steele. The
mountains which stretch away from the mouth of
the gorge seem designed to guard its entrance.
They have the look of battlements carefully wrought
and prepared to withstand a siege. The beholder
naturally expects to see sentinels keeping watch on
the top, and cannon protruding over the sides. It
is difficult to believe that these escarpments have
been cut by no mortal hand, but are due to the
action of the warring elements on the friable red
rock. At Fort Steele there is a garrison of four
companies. All around is barrenness and desolation. Nothing but sage-brush covers the ground.
The pools of water are bitter with alkali. Great
enthusiasm or a high sense of duty can alone render
life here other than a perpetual burden.  At Rawling,s Springs a stoppage is made for supper, and a
few miles farther on the backbone of the Continent
is reached and crossed. This point is 191 miles
west of Sherman, and 1,034 miles distant from Sacramento.  The height above the level of the sea is
more than 1,000 feet less than at Sherman, yet the
configuration of the country is such as to constitute
this the watershed, whence the stream which runs
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East falls into the Atlantic, and the stream which
runs West falls into the Pacific.
At an early hour the following morning the
passengers are roused to take breakfast at Wahsatch.
This place has a bad reputation. I was told that
'out of twenty-four graves here, but one held the
remains of a person who had died a natural death,
and that was a prostitute who had poisoned herself.'
I give the statement in the words of my informant.
It was evidently his opinion that suicide was perfectly natural under the circumstances; and possibly
he was right.  The line is now in Utah Territory;
the land we now see is the land of the Mormons,
and the people are Saints in name.  Moreover, this
part is the most striking and picturesque of any on
the Union Pacific Railway, for the line runs along
Echo and Weber Canyons,* passing by the Devil's
Slide, passing through the Devil's Gate.  It was in
a As the word' Canyon' will occur several times, I may  now
explain its meaning and defend the form of spelling which I have
adopted. The word which is a Spanish one, and as such is spelled
CaiTon, signifies a ravine. Here it is always used to denote those
sudden depressions in the ground, the sides of which descend sheer
down to the depth of fronm two to six thousand feet, which are common in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. Some persons
write the word in its Spanish form; others spell it' Kanyon,' while
the most general method of spelling it is Canyon. I have thought
it best to spell the word in the way which renders its correct pronunciation easy, and to conform at the same time, to the practice of
the majority.
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ROCKY MIIOUNTAINS TO THE GREAT SALT LAKE. 95
Echo Canyon that the Mormons determined to make
a stand against the army commanded by General
Johnson, which President Buchanan sent to subdue
them in 1857.   They fortified the pass  on the
system which barbarous tribes adopt to withstand
the passage of regular troops through mountainous
countries. At the height of a thousand feet above
the bed of the Canyon, huge rocks were heaped
up in readiness to be hurled down upon the soldiers
toiling along below. But the experiment was not
tried.   General  Johnson  negotiated  instead  of
fighting, assented to the Mormon demands instead
of insisting upon the acceptance by them of the
terms he was sent to enforce. This was the be ginning of the temporising policy which, since then,
has characterised the dealings of the United States
Government with the Mormons.
While passing through these Canyons the pas sengers are eagerly watching the points of interest
which  abound.   The  platform  of an  American
railroad car is well adapted for the  sight-seer.
Although passengers are forbidden to stand on the
platform, yet the rule is one to which the excep tions are numerous enough for the convenience of
all who choose to run a little risk. Adequately
to depict the spectacle is hardly possible.  It is
pre-eminently a grand one.  It recalls the magni
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ficent sight to be witnessed between Botzen and
Verona when the railway passes near to the gigantic piles of rock which have been fitly entitled
The Gateways of the Alps. Beneath our feet the
Weber river rushes along in turbulent might.  At
one moment the line skirts the margin of deep,
dark pools.  At another a bend removes the river
into the distance, and then the attention is fixed
on some huge chasm in the rugged mountain side.
Where the pass narrows stands a solitary piine
bearing the name of the 1,000 mile tree. It was
so named because it was the first tree of any size
which the constructors of the railway met with
while they were carrying the line westward from
Omaha.  Hi,lgh up on the distant mountain slopes
are beautiful tufts of a red shrub, and in the clefts
of the rocks are a few stunted trees, but with
these exceptions the whole scene is wild and barren.
Not far from the tree just mentioned is the Devil's
Slide. This resembles the wooden structures, down
which the trees cut on mountain heights are shot
to the river below, only this slide is fashioned by
Nature's hand  out of solid rock.   Swiftly does
the train speed along the Canyon, until emerging
from the narrow space between the sundered rocks
which is called the Devil's Gate, the Great Salt
Lake is discerned in the distance, and the view of
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ROCKY MIOUNTAINS TO THE GREAT SALT LAKE. 97
a luxuriant valley is in pleasing contrast to the
frowning rock and foaming river.  The train stops
at Uintah. Here Mormon lads sells peaches and
Mormon  women tempt the ladies in the train to
purchase gloves which they  have tastefully embroidered.
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VII.
VISIT TO TIE JIORIMO-~S: TWlE CITY OF TUE, SAINTS.
THE Pacific Railwvay runs through Utah Territory
and sklirts the northern end of the Great Salt
Lake,  From  the nearest railway station to the
City of the Saints the distance is about forty miles.
A branch line, called the Utah Cenltral Railroad,
has now brought Salt Lake City into communication by rail with the principal American cities of
the East and West.  When  I made the journey,
the visitor to the capital of Mormondom had to
leave the Union Pacific at Uintah station, and to
take a seat in one of the stage coaches of Wells,
Fargo, & Co.  The coach which'i meets the train is
what is styled a' Concord Coach.' It has seats
for nine persons inside and for at least five on the
roof. The inside seat for three is placed crosswise
between the two doors. Those who occupy it are
not only cramped, but are exposed to disagreeable
pressure from the knees of the passengers behind,
as well as to inconvenience from the feet and legs
of those facing them. To suffer this during five
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TIHE CITY OF THE SAINTS.
hours, the time occupied by the journey, is bad
enough, yet this is not the worst. The road itself
is unique of its kind. To rival it would be difficult; to surpass it impossible.   In badness it is
pre-eminent.   Execrable is the strongest epithet
in the language for a road having no redeeming
points.  This word, however, serves but feebly and
inadequately to describe and stigmatise the road
between Uintah station and Salt Lake City.
There are innumerable ruts and depressions in it.
Huge stones interpose obstacles to the smooth
passage of a vehicle.   If the occurrence of the
ruts were more uniform, and the arrangement of
the stones more regular, less complaint might with
justice be made. But the perverse combination of
the two is utterly unbearable. On one side, at
short distances apart, is a rut a foot deep, on the
opposite side is a row of stones a foot high. As
the four horses harnessed to the coach draw it
rapidly over those rough places, the effect is that
of a sudden lurch and stunning blow produced
simultaneously.  The swing to the one side, which
follows the sinking of the wheels, bumps the passengers against the sides and against each other,
while the jar of the other wheels against the stones,
throws their heads against the roof or their backs
against the front or rear of the coach.  Thus they
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learn, in a way alike practical and unpleasant, the
import of the threat to beat a man into a jelly or
to break every bone in his body. On reaching
their destination the passengers have good grounds
for charging the company with a species of assault
and battery. That no steps have yet been taken
with a view to obtain redress for physical injuries
sustained during the drive is probably due to the
fact that every one who has survived the ordeal
must be so thankful that he has escaped with his
life as to ha-e no disposition to foster vindictive
feelings  against  his  fellows.   It is a standing
miracle that the driver sticks to his post. Judginl
from the one who drove the coach when I was among
the passengers, I should say that the risks run
and the jolting undergone had a souring effect on
the temper, and a saddening influence on the mind.
A more surly, ill-conditioned, and taciturn driver I
never met before. The chief point in his favour
was his determination to keep his cattle going at
full speed.  When we halted to change horses, and
were detained a few minutes beyond the allotted
time, he told the outside passengers to hold on
firmly, as he meant'to go  ahead  like greased
lightning.'   As  the road before us looked even
worse  than that behind, this intimation  seemed
eluivalent to a threat of extra sufferings about to
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THiE CITY OF TIIE SAINTS.,
be inflicted. On the other hand, the warning was
accepted with gratitude.   It was better to have
one's misery shortened in time, even if intensified
in degree, than to have it protracted as well  as
extreme. To this hour, I am amazed that the
wheels and the framework of the coach remained
unbroken and unstrained.
The trials by the way  did not hinder my admiringo the surrounding scenery.   The road runs
along the mountain valley which stretches from the
outlet of Weber Canyon to the Wahsatch M1ountains, southward of Salt Lake City. The ground
on the right is a continuation of the great valley,
and in the distance the vast Lake glitters under
the rays of the bright sunlight.  Around our path
to right and left were hundreds of stunted shrubs,
among which dwarf oaks had the leading  place.
Among the scanty herbage were numerous anthills, rising to the height of at least three feet and
having the ground at their base carefully cleared
for several inches.  On the mountain slopes  were
masses of a dwarf maple.   As the maple leaves
were brilliant with the autumnal tints, the apl)earance of the variegated mass was at once picturesque
and chaning.   Several farms are visible from the
road, and the fields give distinct token of careful
cultivation.   Everywhere is to be seen evidence
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that the people of these parts are hard-worling and
energetic. The first meal eaten within sight of
Salt Lake was got at a little roadside station.
This erection is of a rude and temporary character,
being one half wooden hut and one half canvas
tent.  More noticeable than the dwelling in which
we sat, and the food set before us, was the multitude of house-flies which seemed to have taken
possession of every spot. The tablecloth was black
with them. They swarmed over every dish as soon
as the cover was removed, nor did they confine
their attentions to meat, or milk, or sugar. They
justified Mr. Ruskin's remark that house-flies are
black incarnations of caprice, by settling upon and
seeming to enjoy pickles as much  as a lump of
sugar, or the fresh face of a stranger.  Never before
could I realise the terror which must have overspread the land of Egypt when the plague of flies
was sent to soften the hard heart of Pharaoh. It
added to the discomfort of the moment to learn that
the visitation was not exceptional, that the flies
were quite as numerous and tormenting in the city
to which I was hastening. After the lapse of about
five hours and when the heat, and dust, and flies,
and jolting had maddened and exhausted the passengers, a sudden turning in the road brought
relief to every mind, for in the distance could be
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TIlE CITY OF THlE SAINTS.
seen the gardens and dwellings of the capital of
Mormondom. The aspect of the city from this
point is that of a large country village. No building, except the Tabernacle, stands forth to give an
air of importance to the cluster of houses, and the
Tabernacle, when viewed from afar, cannot be
called imposing.   In  appearance it resembles a
gigantic dish cover.  Besides, the number of houses
is not large enough to adequately fill up the foreground of the extensive landscape. The valley in
which the city lies is on a huge scale, and the
range of snowy peakls in the background rivets the
eye more forcibly than the handful of white houses
emnbosomed in trees.  On nearer approach the first
impression is deepened.  The width and length of
the streets are  disproportioned to the buildings
which line their sides. In Main-street are some
handsome structures, but these are the rare exceptions.
The thought now predominating over all others
is one of thankfulness that the moment of release
from the torments of the stage coach is at hand.
Seldom has a hotel seemed so truly a place of refuge as did the' Townsend House,' in which my
travelling acquaintances and myself found accommodation.  This is a Mormon hotel, the landlord
rejoicing, or the reverse, in the possession of three
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WESTWARD BY RAIL.
wives.  It has the reputation of being one of the
best houses in the city, but this reputation is based
less on its intrinsic merits than on the circumstance
that it is kept by a Mormon,  and that, consequently, it affords the inquisitive stranger an opportunity of learning something as to the practical
working of the peculiar institution in which MIormons glory. Without enlarging on a topic to which
I have already referred, a topic, too, of which the
interest is happily local, let me here simply mention
that if any reader has an enemy whom he would
like to torture in the most refined yet cruel way,
he can attain his object by persuading him to go to
the Townsend House in the autumn. The flies
will worry him to death in the course of a few
weeks.   They render the enjoyment of a meal
wholly impossible.  Every dish is seasoned with
dead flies; the hands, heads, and faces of the visitors are covered over with living ones. The landlord is the gainer, for many persons prefer to leave
the table long before their appetites are stayed,
rather than sit through a meal to be the sport and
the victims of the flies. The flies do for the traveller what the physician did for Sancho Pauza.
The plan of Salt Lake City is that on which
nearly every American city is built.  There is a
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THE CITY OF TIHE SAINTS.
main street, with which others run parallel, and
from which side streets branch off at right angles.
The majority of the shops and stores are in the
principal street.  On many of the stores is a signboard, with the following inscription. At the top
are the words,' Holiness to the Lord,' underneath
is painted the All-seeing  Eye, and then follows
the announcement,' Zion's Co-operative Mercantile
Institution.'   These  stores were opened several
months ago for the purpose of keeping the business
of the place exclusively in the hands of the Saints.
The device is one of the many expedients of Brig ham Young for retaining his hold over the Mor mons, and for driving away the Gentiles.  Among
the latter are included the Jews, of whom several
are engaged in business here and who are numbered among the Gentiles, while  the  Saints are
classed with the sinners. At the northern end of
this street are the Tabernacle, the Tithing-office,
the Endowment House and the residence of Pre sident Young.  Within the enclosure of the present
Tabernacle are the foundations of the structure
destined to be the Tabernacle of the future. The
stone employed is a beautiful grey granite, and
every part has been planned with a view to solidity.
But the progress is very slow, and no one professes
to cxpect that the building will be speedily, if ever,
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finished.  The existing Tabernacle is an oblong or
egg-shaped structure,  devoid of ornament,  and
wholly destitute of beauty either in proportion or
outline.   It is said to have accommodation for
8,000 persons.  This is an exaggeration.  A friend
who carefully estimated the available space assured
me that there is not room for more than 5,000
sitters. At the one end is a very large organ, now
in course of construction; on a raised platform at
that end are benches for the elders and rulers of the
Church, the President and his twelve apostles
having places in the centre.  In front of their pew
are barrels containing water. After the water has 
been blessed, it is handed about in tin cans to every
person in the congregation. A sip of this water
and a morsel of bread constitutes the ceremony of
taking the sacrament according to Mormon rites.
Alongside of the Tabernacle is a small structure
similar in shape and arrangement, wherein service
is generally held.   The  Tithing-office and the
house, or rather houses, of Brigham Young, are in
no respect remarkable. Indeed, very little can be
seen of them, as they are surrounded and shut in
by a high wall.  The official room of the President
is small and simply furnished. On the walls within
the entrance are portraits in oil of the twelve
Apostles.  As  likenesses they may be good;  as
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THiE CITY OF THIE SAINTS.
works of art they are hideous. In appearance, the
President of the Saints is not prepossessing. IHe is
above the middle height, is portly in person, has a
large head, and a visage which betokens the man of
firmness rather than of intellect.  His large mouth,
heavy lower features, and sensual expression pro      claim in unmistakable  signs  his fondness for a
ritual which, by consecrating polygamy, gives free
scope for indulging in every whim  and freak of
passion. Hie has the look of a determined man,
and the character of being an obstinate one. Ac      cording to the saying of an admirer,'all hell could
not turn him,' once he had made  up his mind.
About the secrets of his harem  I have nothing to
reveal.  Many of his children and some of his wives
I have seen, but I am unable to say how many of
both he claims as his own.   Nor  do  I believe
all the tales about Brighaliam Young and his harem
which have been published for the edification of
Eng,lish readers.  Even if accurate particulars could
be obtained, it does not follow that they should be
communicated to the public.  What passes in the
privacy of the domestic circle should never be dis     closed for the gratification of vulgar curiosity; and
this rule, which has the sanction of public opinion
;     when  a man  has one wife and a few children,
/    should be as uniformly observed and as rigorously
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enforced when the man's wives are many and his
children numberless. To pander to a morbid love
for scandal is nearly as unpardonable as are the
worst practices of the most heartless polygamist.
Next in importance to the Tabernacle, if it be
not an adjunct to it, is the theatre. This is a stone
building which would do credit to many cities of
greater importance. It will hold at least 1,500
spectators. Were it lit up with gas, th             e  h ouse
w     o uld                       present a striking spectacle on a  crowded
n    i    g     h    t. But as the lighting is accomplished by
m     e      a     n      s of    petroleum lamps, it has a  gloomy appearance.                            This mnay be remedied hereafter, a s  there is
a project to establish gas-works here. The pit is
divided into family boxes, or rather benches, in
w     h      i     c      h       a Mormon may surround himself with his
w i v e s and children. Whether the arrangement be
intentional or accidental I know not, but the custom seems to prevail for one or two out of the
several wives who accompanied most of the men
to wear'poke bonnets,' resembling those which
Quaker ladies wore in former days. The wearers
of those bonnets are either elderly, or else illfavoured in features.  The younger and comelier
wives have fashionable hats on their heads. It is
worthy of note that female beauty which is the
rule throughout the United States is the exception
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ill Salt Lake City.  Some of the girls have charming faces, but the wives of the Saints are not overburdened with good looks. In a long box at one
side of the theatre were seated many girls of different ages, and they were said to be the Presidenlt's daughters.  Brigham Young himself occupied
a stag,e box, his last wife keep)ing him  company.
The others could look up from the pit and envy
their preferred rival.  About  the performance  I
witnessed, I shall say but little. The occasion was
a special one, it being a' Grand complimentary
benefit tendered by the citizens of Salt Lake to the
Great Tragedian Neil Warner.' This actor was described in the advertisements as a' great Englishl
tragedian.'  In what part of England he acquired
his fame I am ignorant, yet I must admit that his
physical power was extraordinary.  He roared and
gesticulated through the part of Sir Giles Overreach with a robust vigour and fire altogether exceptional, and he performed a death scene in a
manner which perfectly exemplified the difficulty of
dying naturally upon the stage.  When  recalled
after the fall of the curtain, he apologised for not
making a lengthened speech, on the ground that no
man could be expected to have much breath or any
voice left after exertions like those through which
he had gone.  None of the regular members of the
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company, some of whom acted in a way that was
truly praiseworthy, were summoned before thle curtain. Although the audience testified by loud and
prolonged applause their admiration for the strength
of Mlr. BWarner's lungs and for the vehemence of
his gestures, yet I overheard remarks made by
individuals which were not wholly complimentary
to him, and these remarks led me to think that a
few Mormons  are judges of good acting.   The
newspaper critics were as greatly pleased with the
performance as modern dramatic critics are with
theatrical performances of a sensational type. In
the Salt Lake Daily  Telegraph of the following
morning it was said that Neil Warner' is the
greatest actor we have ever seen and a splendid
career awaits him.' The Deseret Evening ANews
wrote that the delineation of the part of Sir Giles
Overreach'was a perfect triumph, and we think
could not possibly be excelled.'  It seems clear,
then, that Salt Lake City is a blissful abode for
English actors with powerful lungs and boundless
pretensions.
When the moon does not shine, the streets of
Salt Lake City are wrapt in darkness, street lamps
being unknown luxuries there. It is the boast of
the Mormons that, in the streets of their capital,
the scandalous sighlts of other cities.are never wit
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THE CITY OF THE SAINTS.
nessed; that drunken Mormons never stagger along
the pavement, and that the female harpies, of whom
drunkards are the natural victims, are unknown
curses.   There are four bars at which liquor is
sold, and of these the Gentiles are said to be the
patrons.   Temperance  is enjoined by President
Young, and he has the credit of practising what he
preaches.  He can do this the more easily, if report
speak truly. Avarice and lust are the vices which
master him to the exclusion of all others. It is not
surprising, then, if he has no love for strong drinks.
But I cannot give his followers credit for being as
abstemious as himself.  Not all of them are overmastered by avarice and lust. Neither is it credible
that all the persons daily fined for drunkenness, are
ostracised  and calumniated Gentiles.   It is not
strange that, apart from other considerations, in a
city destitute of lamps, nocturnal vice should not
flaunt in the streets. Put out the lights in the
IHaymarket or in Broadway, and the leprosy of
great cities would be concealed, though not extirpated.   On  the other hand, the darkness which
prevails in Salt Lake City by night furnishes a
convenient cloak for the enforcement of what the
MIormon leaders eulogise as righteous retribution
and the horrified Gentiles denounce as brutal
murder.
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1WES'LTWARPD BY RAIL.
I neither accept without reservation all the harsh
things said by the Mormons and the Gentiles respecting each other, nor do I doubt that there may
be some foundation for their mutual dislike and
recrimination. The eagerness of the Mormons to
extort praise from the visitors to their Zion is very
noteworthy.   They  are ready  to trumpet forth
their own merits, and to charge all alleged, or demonstrated shortcomings upon the Gentiles. The
Gentiles, in turn, do not hesitate to sing their own
praises.  Which of the two is in the right constitutes the problem that has been the subject of warm
controversy, and of which the desired solution has
not yet been discovered.
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VIII.
THE N1ORMONYS AT IOME.
THE MOnRIONS have been highly praised for their
industry and skill in converting the desolate Salt
Lake Valley into a region of fruit trees and cornfields. This praise is subject to qualification. It
is true that they have planted trees and sownr grailn
where rank herbage seemed the natural product of
the soil; that their peaches and apples are well fla,
voured; that their corn is excellent in quality. But
it is likewise true that the soil and climate of Salt
Lake Valley combine to render gardening and farming easy and profitable occupations. Irrigation is
the one thing needful, and to irrigate the thirsty land
is here the merest child's play. The country is intersected with streams of fresh water descending from
their sources among the mountains to fill the lakes in
the lower ground.  On the borders of these streams
a vegetation far more luxuriant than that of the
parched plains indicates the course to be adopted by
him who would till the soil in the hope of leaping a
harvest.  Of these hints the first settlers took full
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advantage, and the result is seen to-day in the
acacias which line the streets of the city, and the
orchards which surround the houses. No miracle has
been wrought here. They only will marvel at the
spectacle who are unaware of the simplicity of the
p r o c e s s. Yet there is a             valid excuse for t he exa ggerated eulogiums which certain visitors t       o      Salt
Lake have passed upon Mormon intelligence, foresight, and perseverance. Before the railway made
the                             journey comparatively easy, the visit or who
c r o s s e d    the plains underwent so many hardships f und
p    a    s     s    e     d     through a country so sterile in appearance
t     h at,                     on reachling Salt Lake City, he overrated the
achievements of the Saints, because he argued that
the country with which they had to deal resembled
in reality, as well as in look, that through which he
had                            toiled. HIence  it was, that when the Saints
bound for their terrestrial Zion arrived at Emigrant's Gap, from which they saw the neat houses of
their brethren in the faith on thle slope at their feet,
and beheld the Great Lake towards which hundreds
of streams meandered through the pleasant fields,
they were so overcome with the unwonted sight as
to f.ll on their knees in an ecstacy of admiration
and shed tears of joy.  I have not heard of one
among the thousands who have arrived here since
the oclpeniig of the Pacific Railway, and who have
?
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THE MIORMONS AT HOMIE.
entered the city by the road which I have described,
mnanifesting a particle of the like enthusiasm. The
first impression made by any city depends altogether
on the point of view. Now that Salt Lake City
can be seen under a new aspect, it is less fascinating in appearance, and is far less remarkable as
an example of a great work accomplished under
difficulties, than when it was the haven of the dispirited emigrant and wearied traveller.  Thousands
who never heard of Joseph Smith, and who would
scout the pretensions of Brigham Young, have overcome quite as many obstacles, and performed as
great feats of courage and endurance when founding
and erecting cities in the Western States and Territories of the American Union, as the enthusiasts who
have made for themselves homes in this splendid
and fruitful Valley. The history and progress of
Chicago and San Francisco approach the miraculous
far more closely than the building of Salt Lake
City.
It has suited the purposes of the Mormon leaders
to make the most of the persecution to which they
have been subjected, and of the triumphs they have
achieved. By magnifying their work they have instilled into the minds of their ignorant followers a
confidence in their power to vanquish any dangers
which may again menace the Church of the Latter
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Day Saints, or bode ruin to the social organization
of which Brigham Young is the founder and the
head.  In this respect, the writings of some travellers
have been of great service to them. Taking the
people at their own valuation, these writers have
contributed to increase the confidence of tle people
in their own resources. The extent to which they
are self-deluded is almost incredible. Speaking to
more than one Mormon as to what would happen
were the United States Governmen\  to put down
polygamy with a strong hand, I always received the
reply that if the contingency occurred the Mormon
army would fight to the death in support of the
cornerstone of the Mormon faith.  Pressing the
question home, and asking what a few thousands
could possibly do against the force which would be
arrayed on the other side, I was assured, with a confidence of tone and manner which denoted implidcit
belief in the assertion, that the Lord would indubitably arise to the help of his servants in their hout
of need, just as he had done in former days when
their very existence as a community was in extreme
jeopardy. It will facilitate the understanding of
what I am convinced is the true state of the ease
if I indicate what I believe to be the conclusion
arrived at by recent travellers in Mormondom, by
whom works of undoubted attraction have been
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THE MOR.IONS AT HOMIE.
written for the enlightenment and amusement of
readers in the United Kingdom and the United
States.
The impression left on the readers of these
volumes must have been that Salt Lake City is a
place which cannot well be matched for beauty of
site and amenity of climate; that it carries off the
palm from all other cities as the abode of a united,
peaceful, and prosperous people; that the industry
of its inhabitants bears fruit in the matrial comforts which they enjoy; that their devotion to their
spiritual leaders amounts to a passion; that their
belief in their eccentric creed knows neither doubt
nor shadow of turning; that they stand shoulder to
shoulder against those who question the veracity of
their Prophet, and deny the inspiration of their
sacred books; that, living as they do, they enjoy an
amount of happiness greater than what falls to the
share of other dwellers on the earth, and that they
feel and express a confidence in securing an incalculable amount of happiness in the world to come,
such as few mortals cherish, and a still smaller
number venture to avow.   At one time all this
may have been said with a semblance of truth.
Indeed, I have been assured that had I been here
a few years sooner, I should have held opinions
similar to those expressed by earlier visitors. This
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is another way of saying that the golden age of
Mormonism has passed away. Whenever persons
begin to talk of a happier past, they are unable to
weigh existing facts with impartiality, and to argue
questions of the moment with perfect coolness.
For my own part, I am sceptical as to the harmony  lwhich is said to have prevailed among the
Mormons. 1 have conversed with some who have
been excommunicated, and with some who have left
the Church in d(lisgust, as well as with firm believers
and good Mormons. The doubters having proved
rebellious, were summarily dealt with.   In their
case rebellion meant a disinclination to submit to
the arbitrary sway of Brigham Young. The latter
is at once despot and high priest. He interprets
the law as written in the Book of Mormon, and he
compels ihe acceptance of his interpretation. To
Mormons, freedom of thought or of action is as
impossible as to idiots or slaves. Their whole duty
consists in thinking as they are enjoined, and doing
as they are told.  When  the Mormon  Gospel is
preached in Europe, little is said about dogmas, and
mnuch is said about farms.  The believers arrive at
Salt Lake in the hope that they will soon attain
independence by the sweat of their brows. A piece
of land is made over to them on conditions which
they deemi light.   The price is to be repaid in
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instalments; and one tenth of their earnings is to
be handed over to the Church. Assistance is afforded theni to build a house of wood or of sun-dried
brick, here called' adobe,' and to stock and cultivate their land. For all this they have to pay in
money or in kind. If things go well with them,
they soon succeed in placing themselves in a position of comparative comfort. They can live on the
produce of their land; possibly, they may be able
to take unto themselves several wives and to maintain a numerous tamily without apprehending bankruptcy or the workhouse.   Yet, despite all this,
they do not grow rich. Of food they may have
abundance while continuing destaute of money.
Here it is that the shoe pinches.   The  arrangements of Brigham Young are admirably adapted
for keeping the majority of his followers obedient to
his will. So long as they can neither buy nor sell,
but must supply their wants through the primitive
agency of barter, it is hard for them to become
strong enough to challengle his claims. The payments he makes are calculated in dollars; but instead of paying his creditors in cash, he hands them
orders on the Tithing-office, where grain, firewood,
flour, or other necessaries of life, can be had at the
option of the holders.   Some p)ayments are made in
Salt Lake notes, which are current in the Territory
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only. Men who nominally receive so much a day
for their labour have told me that the very sight of
United States money is a rare one to them. They
get wherewith to sustain life, but they cannot lay
up that store against a rainy day which the thrifty
labourer loves to accumulate. These persons are
virtual  prisoners in  Utah  Territory.   Without
money they cannot escape from the house of
bondage, and of money they are almost bereft.
Now and then one of the dissatisfied class does
that which leads to his excommunication and the
practical confiscation of his property. As soon as
he is cast out of the Church or voluntarily secedes,
the whole power of the Church is exerted to crush
him.  Good M1ormons are forbidden to give him
shelter, to associate with him, to trade with him.
The great object is to expel him from Utah.
Should this end be attained, then the outcast is
obliged to begin life again, after his hopes have
been blighted, with his labour expended in vain,
and his experience gained to no good purpose.
If there be one point on which Americans and
Englishmen are thoroughly agreed, and about which
they are justly entitled to boast, it is that their
homes are sanctuaries, and their houses castles;
sanctuaries into which no stranger can enter unbi(lden; castles ilto whlich no stranger can demand
\
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admission. To the true Mormon, this notion of
home is foreign. I do not now allude to his domestic arrangements, nor shall I allege that happiness is wholly impossible where polygamy is the
rule, or maintain that filial duty and parental love
are virtues which never flourish where several
wives contend for a husbanld's affection, and flocks
of children have claims on his tenderness. liow
these matters are managed, and what is the actual
result, a stranger may imagine, but cannot discover.
As far as he can ascertain, a Mormon household is
in no respect exceptional; the wives appear to him
the same as the ladies who preside over the household of a Gentile, while the children are as great
torments or as great pets as the children whom he
has seen elsewhere. The fallacy to which several
writers have succumbed consists in supposing that,
because nothing in such a household grossly offends
the eye or shocks the senses, therefore the system
of polygamy is unobjectionable, and that the Saint
whose' creed is singular  and whose wives  are
plural,' is a personage worthy of unstinted praise.
As well might the inference be drawn that, because
man and wife usually say smooth things to each
other in the presence of third parties, and because
children sometimes  conduct themselves with propriety in the presence of strangers, the former have
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no private differences of opinion, and the latter are
never unruly and disobedient. Frankly admitting
the domestic affairs of the Mormons to be mysteries
which none but the initiated can fathom and into
whichl strangers have no right to pry, let me confine
myself to that part of their social arrangements
with which all the world may become acquainted,
and let me repeat that a home, in the English and
American sense of the word, has no existence
among the Saints of the Great Salt Lake. For
example, should a Bishop or other person in authority knock at the door of a MIormon house in his
diocese, he must be admitted without question, and
his orders must be obeyed without hesitation, under
a heavy penalty. Should he think that the floor
ought to be scrubbed, or the kettle polished, or any
alteration made in household arrangements, he has
but to give the order, and the command is obeyed.
The despotism of Mormonism, as taught by Brigham
Young, is temporal as well as spiritual. Nothing
is left to the free will of the people. Everything is
done in obedience to a decree. The phrase' Thus
saith the Lord' is always uttered by the leaders
when they desire to impose their decisions on their
credulous followers. Marriage itself is not always
an affair of choice and inclination. If it be thought
expedient that a man should add to the number of
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THE MvIORMONS AT HOM3E.
his wives, he is advised to take another, and advice
of this kind cannot be disregarded with impunity.
President Young, tolerates no differences of opinion
between himself and his flock. He has been elected
by themn, and he considers it his prerogative to
govern them with a rod of iron.  Universal suffrage, exercised by the ignorant, has placed him
where he is, and he interprets universal suffrage, as
others have done in Europe, to mean the prerogative to act without scruple in pursuance of his personal ends.
With the Mormons, Sunday is emphatically a day
of rest.  Every shop is closed.  The Tabernacle is
filled with worshippers. There is a morning and
an afternoon service, and in the evening each ward
has its meeting, over which the ward Bishop presides.  The service begins with a hymn, sung by
the choir with an organ accompaniment. In the
singing the congregation does not join.  The mnajority turn in their seats and stare at the singers.
A prayer is then offered up. The prayers which I
heard consisted of the invocation of blessings upon
the Mormons, their rulers, their homes, their fields,
and their families. A special blessing was invoked
on behalf of Brigham Young, and other Mormons
in authority.  Not a word was said on behalf of
the Government and the President of the United
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WAESTWAARD BY RAIL.
States.  I heard two sermons, both of whlich were
harangues about things in general; the only special
doctrines enunciated and enforced by repetition, not
by argument, being that the Mormons were God's
chosen people, and that Polygamy was a divine
institution. Mormonism has now entirely resolved
itself into preaching that polygamy is the one thing
required in these latter days to regenerate and
sanctify a world steeped in wickedness. If the
Mormons  are  in the right, then none  but  the
followers of Mahomet and Brigham Young deserve
the title of civilized beings, and enjoy the privilege
of counting upon entering and reigning in Heaven.
It must be allowed that their religion is a bold
attempt to make the best of both worlds.
On the same day that I heard religion preached
according to Brigham Young, I also heard an exposition of the doctrines of pure Mormonism as
revealed to Joseph Smith, proclaimed by him to
the people, and now upheld and inculcated by his
sons. David and Alexander Smith are here on a
mission to rescue the Mormons of Salt Lake City
from the hands of President Young. They stated
openly in a crowded hall that the doctrines of the
latter are'foul, false, and corrupt.' They denounced him as an impostor; they charged him
with usurpation.  No Gentile has ever uttered more
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THE IIORiIONS AT IHOMIE.
stinging phrases against the chosen leader of the
Saints than were given vent to in the course of an
hour by these two  men.   Moreover, they cited
authentic documents in support of their statements.
They proved, from the accepted Mormon books
that polygamy, instead of being enjoined as a duty,
was formally condemned as a crime.  While Joseph
Smith was yet alive certificates to that effect were
signed by men  and women of influence in the
Church. Some of these men and women are now
among  Brigham  Young's  staunchest  adherents.
Judging from remarks openly made by some of the
Mormons present, it appeared that these facts were
alike new and puzzling to them. They were evidently at a loss what to think and whom to trust.
In a conversation which I had with one of Joseph
Smith's sons, the following was  the explanation
furnished of the apparent contradiction.  Nothing
in the Mormon Scriptures can be interpreted as
sanctioning polygamy. The assertion that Joseph
Smith had more wives than one is a calumny propagated by those who wish to have a religious
sanction for the gratification of their lusts.  Emma
Smith, who was the Prophet's wife, stoutly denies
that she ever had any rival in her husband's love.
In opposition to this, Brigham  Young  offers to
prove that the murdered Prophet had several wives.
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Furthermore, he cites a revelation made to Joseph
Smith on celestial marriage, which certainly characterises a plurality of wives as the great privilege of
the Saints. But, then, dense obscurity surrounds
the transmission of this important document. Joseph
Smith may have received it from Heaven; but how
did Brigham Young get it from Joseph Smith? It is
said that the paper on which the Prophet inscribed
the revelation was snatched from him and bulrnt,
but that Brigham Young was so fortunate as to
have procured a transcript of it prior to its destruction. Be it noted that President Young makes no
formal pretensions to the office of prophet. Hle is
too much occupied with other matters, to have any
leisure for prophesying. Besides, some experiments
he once made as a prophet proved very disastrous.
Hie has benefited by the lesson. What he now
preaches is preached on the authority of Joseph
Smith. The responsibility is thus shifted on to the
shoulders of the deceased. It is obvious that the
living priest has a great advantage over the dead
prophet; because, while the latter printed his doctrines, the former claims to have been the recipient
of other doctrines to be spread abroad at a convenient season. Several years after the Prophet's
murder, Brigham Young thought that the convenient season had arrived for proclaiming polygamy
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THE MIIORONS AT HOME.
a dogma of the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
Accordingly, in 1852 he told the people that he
had in his custody a revelation sanctioning plural
marriage. The statement was accepted with satisfaction, and from that date uncompromising Mormons have regarded polygamy as the basis of their
creed and the best part of their system.
I anticipate the query:'HIow can liberty of
speech be pronounced impossible throughout the
Territory of Utahl when two sons of Joseph Smith
are thus permitted to beard President Young in his
stronghold, to repudiate his doctrines, to denounce
his conduct?' The answer I return is that which I
have received from more Mormons than one. By
Brigham Young, the sons of Joseph  Smith  are
intensely hated.  He would rejoice if they could be
removed out of his path. He has refused to allow
them to officiate in the Tabernacle, while according
this privilege to the preachers of every other religious denomination. Indeed, one of the brothers
told me that on the very Sunday when the pulpit
of the Tabernacle was formally closed against both
of them, it was occupied by a Methodist minister to
whom free scope was accorded as an expounder of
the Christian Gospel. Others, far less obnoxious
than these two men, have disappeared in a mysterious way, or have been found shot to death by
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bullets, or beaten to death by clubs. Mormons are
pointed out to whose charge these murders have
been publicly laid, but no one has ever been
brought to justice, nor is it believed that the culprits will ever receive the punishment they deserve
so longo as crimes committed at the instigation of
Mormon leaders, and in furtherance of the Mormon
cause, are regarded as highly meritorious. But
the Destroying Angels dare not serve David and
Alexander Smith as they served Dr. Robinson.
As the sons of their revered Prophet, the people
look upon them with respect, and listen to them
with attention. That these men should go about
unmolested, and preach undisturbed, is the only
proof I have discovered of the existence of a public
opinion in Utah. This discovery would have been
far more welcome and valuable had the manifestation of opinion given token of a latent love of fair
play and free speech, insteal of proving the existence of an undercurrent of superstition in the uncultured and fanatical Mormon mind.
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IX.
M!ORMON MISSIONS AND MIISSIONARIES.
IN FErw American cities are the nationalities of
England and Wales so largely represented as in
the city of the Great Salt Lake. The Englisli
visitor who makes the acquaintance of M{ormonil
bankers, merchants, journalists, and hotel-keepers
is surprised to find them well versed in the domestic affairs of the Old Country, and he learns
with increased surprise that by birth they are his
countrymen. Nor are his countrywomen less numerous, if far less fortunate. W'hen questions are
asked about the wives of distinguished and polygamous Saints, one of the answers is that most
of them are Englishwomen.  Of other European
nationalities there are several representatives,
those from Denmark  and Norway  being  in the
majority.   Out of the 150,000 citizens of Utah
Territory at least three-fourths have emigrated
from Europe. As many as 4,000 European Latter
Day Saints are said to cross the Atlantic yearly
in order to cast in their lot with their brethren 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
beyond the Rocky Mountains.  In no country has
the success of the Mormon missionaries been so
great as in England, because in no other country
has the like liberty of action been accorded to
them. Elsewhere, they have fared badly on account of the obstacles put in their way by intolerant mobs, or despotic Governments. The record
of their missionary enterprise is a chequered story
of struggle and failure.
Regarded as a whole, the labours of the MIormons to win proselytes supply the strongest proofs
which can be desired of their indomitable energy
and steadfast endurance. No sooner had the Church
of the Latter Day Saints been established in the
United States than missionaries were despatched to
make converts to the new religion. England was
the earliest field wherein Mormon missionaries laboured, and is the one in which they have reaped
the richest harvests.  In 1837, no less than eight
Mormon Elders went forth to preach to the English
people.  They began at Preston, in Lancashire.
Before many months had elapsed, they had disseminated their views throughout the United Kingdom,
the result being that 1,500 persons were baptized
into the community of the Saints. Three years
afterwards, others, of whom Brighami Young was
one, took part in advancing the mission on English
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soil. They preached for upwards of a year and
founded branches of the Mormon  Churchl in all
the more important cities from London to Edin burgh; they set up a printing press; they esta blished an emigration agency; they published the
Book of Mormon, the Book of Doctrines and Coveo
nants; they issued 60,000 pamphlets and the first
volume of the Millenial Star.
The next experiment of a like kind was an
attempt to bring the Children of Israel within the
fold of the Church of the Saints. With a view to
effect this, a mission was despatched to Jerusalem,
but it had to be abandoned in despair.  The Isles
of the Pacific were next selected as the theatre of
a missionary crusade. Upwards of 1,200 natives of
the Society Islands were baptized in 1843 and the
prospects were hopeful, till the French assumecd the
Protectorate over these Islands. In 1851, not only
were the Mormon Elders expelled and forbidden
to return, but the French also' compelled the
native converts to discontinue their worship.' The
Sandwich Islanders are said to have been as tractable converts and firmer adherents; yet, as no
statistics are given, the actual results in their case
must be left to conjecture. Among the Frenchl,
the work of conversion received a check from the
police.   The Elder who went to Paris in  1849
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complained that his hands were tied owing to the
stringency of the laws. Eventually, the Prefect
of Police forbade the preaching of the Mormon
gospel. Nor was Germany a land in which the
Elders received a welcome.   One  of them  was
'expelled by the authorities of the Free City of
Haimburg.'  In Prussia, the missionaries fared very
badly. Two of them, who arrived at Berlin in 1853,
' found that it was impossible to preach or publish
the truth of the Latter Day WVork in consequence
of religious inltoleration.   These Elders wrote to
the ICing's Minister of Public Worship for permission to preach, but were immediately summoned
before the police court and catechised as to the
object of their mission. They were ordered to leave
the kingdom next morning, under penalty of transportation.' The opposition in Austria was equally
bitter.  After spending some months in learning
the German tongue Elders Pratt and Ritter had
to relinquish their undertaking and leave Vienna,
because they found themselves unable,'in consequence of religious intolerance,''to open the door
for the proclamation of the Gospel' in Austria.
In Denmark, a missionary was more fortunate; but
one who'proceeded to Swedcn, and endeavoured
to introduce  the  work there''was  summarily
banished.'   The  Swiss looked askance  at  Mor
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monism. The Elders were non-plussed by a twofold
hindrance to their progress in Switzerland.' Some
of the cantons would not allow publishing, but
allowed preaching; others prohibited preaching,
but would allow publishing, and some would no
allow either.'  Only one attempt was made to
convert the inhabitants of South America from the
errors of their accustomed ways to the errors cf
the Mormon creed. Two Elders went to Chili in
1851,'where they remained several months, not
having the opportunity of even teaching in private,
except in violation of the most rigid laws.'  Being
obliged to return to California, one of them remained there for some time and, with a result which,
as it is unrecorded, cannot have been wholly satisfactory,'continued to preach and teach until he
returned to Utahl.' The Chinese were appealed to
in April, 1853.   The  Mormon missionaries  to
China did not get farther than HIong Kong. They
decided that, as a civil war was raging, it would
be unwise to undertake a journey into) the interior.
Mioreover, the Chinese with whom they conversed
did not appear to be a promising people on whom
to expend their energies.' The inhabitants told
them that they had not time to "talka" religion.
The way soon opened for them to return to San
Francisco, which they did in August.' 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL.
Very interesting and not a little instructive is
the tale of the attempts made in the colonies and
dependencies of Great Britain to gather in converts
to the Mormon fold.  In South Australia, New
South Wales, Tasmania and New Zealand the
success seems to have been most complete. On the
other hand, the missionaries met with palpable rebuffs in I-lindostan, Ceylon, Southl Africa, and the
West Indies.  They went up the Ganges, visited
Simla, laboured in Bombay and the adjacent country, but without effect. The zeal they displayed
failed to produce the expected impression. Their
explanation runs thus:' Finding the Hindostanees
destitute of honesty and integrity, insomuch that
when converted and baptized they would for a few
pice join any other religion, and finding the Europeans so aristocratic that they were hardly approachable, they left the country, after having
travelled to all the principal stations of India,
where frequently they,were ordered out of canitonments and had to sleep in the open air, exposed to
that sickly climate, to poisonous reptiles and to
wild beasts.' In Ceylon they suffered severely not
only through the unwillingness of the people to
hearken to them, but also because the people and
the priests refused to open their doors, or give them
food, unless they were well paid.  At Cape Town,
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0IOR)ION M3ISSIONS AND  \IISSIONARIES.  135
rioters broke up their meetings, but in the country
districts'they obtained a foothold and commenced
to baptize.' What they endured in Jamaica cannot
be better told than in their own words:' They
called upon the American Consul, MIr. Harrison,
who advised them  to hire a hall  and announce
public preaching, as the laws extended toleration to
all sects, which they accordingly did; but a mob
numbering one hundred and fifty persons, gathered
around the building and threatened to tear it down
were these Polygamists, as they termed the Elders,
permitted to preach therein.  Unless the Elders
could give security for the price of the hall the
landlord objected to their holding meeting. The
Elders informed him tliat they were not there to
enforce their principles upon the people-to quell
mobs, nor to protect property, but to preach the
Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who were willing to
hear. The Elders got away from the Island safely,
though while they remained they had to run the
gauntlet, and two of them were shot at by a negro.'
Two missionaries to British Guiana were quite as
hardly dealt with, for they were refused passages
by the shipping agents and had to return to the
United States without even setting foot on the
shore which they desired to reach. The authorities
at Gibraltar treated the Elders as if they were 
WESTWARD 13Y RAIL.
persons of bad character, and summoned them to
appear in the police court as soon as they landed on
the PRock. Elder Stevenson who had been born
thllere maintained his right to remain; Elder Porter,
however, was ordered to leave. The Governor pro  hibited Elder Stevenson from preaching Mtormon  ism.' Ie, however, remained over a year  and
*  baptized several amidst threats, prohibitions and
constant opposition. He also endeavoured to open
up the work in Spain, but was not permitted by
the authorities.' In no British possession does the
success of the missionaries  seem  to have  been
greater than in Malta.  What the Mormons say
about their doings in that Island has a special in  terest for English readers. As the official account
is not long, I shall give it unabridged:-' In 1853,
Elder James F. Bell was sent from England to
Malta, where several were baptized. Upon the
breaking out of the Crimean war, the interest in
the work was broken off, still a few of the soldiers
in the British regiments that landed there obeyed
the Gospel. There originated from this mission
three branches of the Church, viz.: one in Flori  anna, Malta; a second, called the "floating branch,"
in the Mediterranean, which consisted of sailors
belonging to her British Majesty's ships the Belle  rojphoni, Trafalgar, Vengeance and Britannia; a
136
I 
I0OR1MON MISSIONS AND 3MISSIONARIES.   137
third, the expeditionary force branch, in the Crimea;
the latter consisted of brethren belonging to the
30th, 41st, 93rd and 95th British regiments.   A
few of the members of these branches lost their
lives in the Crimean war.'*
The great success of the M1ormon missionaries in
England and W"ales is partly due to the fact that
the people to whom they appealed were for the most
part grossly illiterate or fanatical. While the success
they have had is not a matter for national congratulation, yet the toleration which was afforded to
them, standing out as it does in contrast to the intolerance and inhumanity of which the missionaries
were the victims in nearly every other land, is an
honour to this sea-girt home of free thought and
free speech.  The Elders enjoyed fair play in England. The result has been that their zeal prevailed,
and converts were multiplied. If the consequence
is distasteful, the fault lies on the shoulders of those
who have neglected the paramount duty of educating the people. Owing to the large number ot
converts who have gone from England and Wales
* These details explaining the missions of Mormondom have not,
as far as I know, been previously published in England. They have
the merit of being authentic as well as novel. I have compiled the
account from that contained in a pamphlet published in July 1869
at Salt Lake City.  Its author is President George A. Smith, the
Official Historian of the Church. 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
to their earthly Zion beyond the Rocky Mountains,
Salt Lake City bears a close resemblance to an
English settlement in America. Those who have
been instrumental in gathering together this multitude of English men and women are all native-born
Americans.  New England is the mother of Joseph
Smith:  President Brigham  Young is a genruine
Yankee; both being natives of the State of Vermont. The ablest and most trusted colleagues of the
President are his fellow-countrymen. Indeed, not
the least extraordinary among the mysteries of the
Mormons is the circumstance that, while the nativeborn Americans are in the minority, and the people
elect their leaders, the men certain to be elected,
and as certain of re-election, are nearly always
Americans by birth. While several of the Mormons are emphatically strangers and foreigners in
this land of freedom, yet it is indisputable that in
its inception and its growth, its organisation and
its energy, Mormonism is thoroughly and entirely
American. If the very existence of Mormonism be
a cause of grief to England, its wider spread and
increasing strength imperil principles dear to every
patriotic citizen of the United States.  In its present form it is a despotism.  Brigham Young is the
embodiment of that' one man power' which Americans view with the deepest aversion and consider
138
k
I
'I 
M3ORMON MIISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES.   139
as utterly antagonistic to the principles of genuine
Republicanism. Yet a fear of persecuting men for
what they allege to be their religion makes many
hesitate and hang back who would otherwise be
swift to act. On the other hand, it must be difficult for American statesmen to sit unmoved at the
spectacle of the laws made by Congress openly
violated, wilfully derided, and treated as utterly
impotent within the Territory of Utah. As a subtle
and triumphant conspiracy against the harmony of
the Union and the supremacy of Congress, Mormonism is an evil too momentous to be reg,arded
with indifference or neglected altogether. 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
X.
MIORMONISM ON ITS TRIAL
Two attempts, differing in character and aim, have
been made to control and temper the intolerance of
dominant Mormonism. Seven years ago the United
States Government established a military post
within a few miles of the city, and in a position
well suited as a base for offensive operations. It
was hoped that the presence of soldiers at Camp
Douglas would tend to inspire confidence among
the dissatisfied and timid inhabitants of the Valley,
while acting as a check upon the conduct of the
Mormon leaders. These expectations have not been
fulfilled. The leaders themselves make merry over
the policy of the Government. They say that the
camp does no harm to them, but that, on the contrary, they make money by supplying the troops
with stores on most remunerative terms. The other
attempt was made about three years ago by a missionary society connected with the Episcopal Church
in America. A mission was established in Salt
Laklie City. The missionaries were deputed to labour
among both the Gentiles and Mormons resident there.
140
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t
I
I 
MORM310NISI ON  ITS TRIAL.
The Rev. Mr. Foote, who was charged with missionary duty, has worked with great vigour and in
the teeth of great odds, to disseminate the tidings
of the gospel of peace among, a people prone to
manifest hatred towards all who think differently
from themselves, and who regard with unfeigned
aversion all efforts made to substitute the tenderness of Jesus for the terrors of Jehovah. Not a
few Mormons have voluntarily joined the Episcopal
Church.  As a rule, however, those persons who
can no longer believe in the revelation proclaimed
by Joseph Smith, or submit to the tyranny of
Brigham Young, cease to entertain any religious
belief whatever and relapse into unreasoning infidelity. In addition to holding the regular services
of his church, the Rev. Mr. Foote has established
a school for the education of the children growing
up without any care being taken for their instruction.  When this school was opened, two years and
a half ago, the number of pupils was sixteen.
When I visited it the number on the roll was one
hundred and thirty.   Of these children a small
proportion has been sent by Mormons who have
the rare courage to think and act for themselves.
But this is done in opposition to the commands of
the Mormon  chiefs.  They threaten the parents
with the pains and penalties which the Church has
141 
WVESTWARD BY RAIL.
in store for the chastisement of her disobedient
members. As may be supposed, they are very
anxious to let the Rev. Mr. Foote feel the weight
of their displeasure for coming amongst them and
converting their followers.   Nothing is more remarkable about Mormonism than the wrath of its
professors against those who induce Mormons
seriously to reconsider their opinions. While nearly
every Mormon is a pervert from some other religion,
and while the Saints number among their trials the
hindrances put in the way of their proselytising,
they are bigoted opponents of any attempts to
preach another religion to their own people. It is
true that the pulpit of the Tabernacle is professedly
thrown open to the clergymen of all sects. Several
have availed themselves of the opportunity to
address the congregation, and give their version
of the Scriptures.  But the result has been the
reverse  of edifying  and  satisfactory.   I heard
Mormons relate with great glee how a clergyman
of the Church of England had accepted Brigham
Young's invitation to preach, had appeared in his
surplice and Oxford hood, and how, at the succeeding service, the President having  taken a white
table cover, placed it over his shoulders, and burlesqued the clergyman amid the hearty laughter of
his flock. As the head of the Mormon Church
142
kI 
M3ORMONISM ON ITS TRIAL.
alwvays has the last word, the advantage gained by
preaching to his congregation is not on the side
of the recognised opponents of Mormonism. The
liberty of preaching in the Tabernacle means simply
license to become a laughing-stock.
Neither the presence of soldiers at Camp Douglas,
nor the pastoral efforts of the Rev. Mr. Foote, can
be considered adequate to counteract the disregard
of law and the denial of justice to which the Saints
are addicted. As general statements seldom convey
a. clear impression of the nature of abuses, let me
cite two cases in support of my allegations.  One
of these is the case of Dr. Robinson. He had
become the proprietor of a piece of land, a mile to
the north of the city, on which were hot sulphur
springs. These springs were reputed to be of great
medicinal value. It was thought that their curative
powers would attract invalids, and that whoever
had the control over them would grow rich. Desiring to occupy this position, the city authorities
laid claim to them, onil the ground that the land in
question was within the city's boundary. Dr.
Robinson resisted this demand. Appeal was made
to the law courts, and the decision was favourable
to Dr. Robinson.  He was warned that pel,istence
on his part would prove dangerous; but these hints
did not intimidate him. One night after he had
143 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
gone to bed a knock summoned him to his door,
where he was addressed by two or three men, who
begged him to come to the help of a man who had
fallen and broken his leg.  He went forth, taking
a revolver with him, as was his wont.  A few hours
afterwards he was found lying a few yards from his
own house covered with wounds, and with a large
gash on his head caused by the blow of a blunted
weapon. The attack had been sudden and unlexpected, for his loaded revolver was in his pocket.
The object of the assassins was not plunder, for his
valuables were untouched. A Gentile who helped
to remove the dead body from the place where it
was found to the house of the deceased, told me
that Mormons who recognised the features refused
to lend any assistance. They knew that the murdered man was highly obnoxious to the Church
Authorities and they seemed to look upon his death
by violence as the natural consequence of his conduct. A large reward was offered for the apprehension of the murderers. They are still at large.
It is the general belief that the suspected murderers
are living in Salt Lake City, and that they would
be brought to justice if there were a tribunal before
which they could be indicted with the certainty of
the law being enforced. As it is, a Mormon jury
never convicts a Mormon who had sinned in the
144
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MORMONISSI ON ITS TRIAL.
interests of his Church. But, if slow to punish a
Mormon, the courts of Utah are ready to punish an
erring Gentile.  A,soldier who had become entitled
to his discharge when at Camp Dougla:, and had a
right to the piece of land promised by the Government of the United States to those who had served
their country during the war, elected to settle at
Salt Lake, and received from the United States
authorities the land which he had earned.  Not
long after taking possession and building himself a
small dwelling, the city authorities began to survey
his land preparatory to selling it in small lots,
alleging that the whole of it was city property.
The discharged soldier threatened to assert his
rights and to punish intruders. No heed was paid
to his protests. Unfortunately for himself, he broke
a law of the Territory forbidding the sale of spirits
without a licence. For this offence he was immediately prosecuted.  There being no doubt as to
his guilt, the amount of fine to be inflicted was the
only matter for consideration. It had been customary in similar cases to fine the offenders twentyfive dollars. In his case the penalty imposed was
five hundred dollars, with the alternative of six
months' imprisonment. As the culprit could not
pay this crushing fine, and did not wish to languish
in prison, he assented to an official proposal to
145 
VWESTWVARD BY RAIL.
suspend legal proceedings on condition of his
leaving the city within four and twenty hours.
Thus the authorities rid themselves of a man who
was an obstacle to their projects.  They sold his
land in lots of five acres. Perhaps the day may
come when the purchasers of these lots will find
that a title from the authorities of Salt Lake City
is worthless in presence of a prior and perfect title
from the Government of the United States.
The Territory of Utah is a scandal to America,
because the impartial administration of justice does
not prevail within its limits. The Government
oulght to tell the Mormons-' Believe what you
please, retain whatever religious convictions you
have formed, consider polygamy the cornerstone
of your system, and teach that doctrine to your
children, but do not break and despise the laws of
which you disapprove. We do not mean to wound
your consciences, or to trench on matters of a
purely religious character, yet we purpo~ enforcing
the Acts which Congress has passed for the wellbeing of all American citizens.' What the answer
of the Mormons would be to this simple enunciation of a just policy can be inferred from their own
writings.  In the Salt Lake Daily  Telegraph  for
October 17, 1869, the question is discussed, and a
reply is made beforehand to the arguments which
146 
3IORIMONISMI ON ITS TRIAL.
may be used in Congress.  The writer says that
'The right or wrong:, the morality or immorality
of polygamy is, in our opinion, no question for
Cong,ress to deal with, it cannot deal with it. The
only question is, what are the rights of a people
under a Republican form of government?  Shall
Columbia be the home of the Turk, the Parsee, the
Japanese, the Chinese, and the inhabitants of the
Eastern Hiemisplhere, as well as those of the Northern Hemisphere?   Let the citizens of the whole
world come to this glorious land, and let them
worship whom they choose, and how they may.
Let their faith be undisturbed -they are accountable only to their Maker, and not to man.' It is
possible that the Mormons themselves would object
to the logical application of these principles.  It
any Thugs, escaping from the exterminating hand
of Colonel  Sleeman, had  emigrated  from  their
Indian jungles to the Utah valleys, there to fit
themselves for Heaven by strangling  defenceless
travellers, the deeds of violence committed by them
would hardly be pardoned by the Mormon leaders
even if justified on the ground that their religious
creed enjoined the commission of murder in order
to win Heaven. Nor is it necessary, even for the
sake of argument, to conjure up the shadows of a
bloodthirsty tribe which was once the scourge ancl
147 
WESTWARD BY RAIL
terror of Ilindostan. The Mormons have at their
own doors examples of the crimes men may commit
in the name of religion. The Savage who supposes
that he will be a'big Indian' in the happy hunting
ground beyond the grave, if he only succeed in
stealing many horses and collecting many scalps,
acts on the supposition that religion consists in
being a wholesale thief and murderer. He is half
a Mormon in one respect. To increase the number
of his wives is, in his eyes, a bounden duty. But
there is no subterfuge about his inclinations in this
matter.   What he does is performed for reasons
which are at least straightforward and intelligible.
He honestly avows that in adding squaw to squaw
he is indulging his inordinate lust and at the same
time multiplying thie number of his docile servants.
He never pretends that religious zeal is a defence
of plural matrimony.   The  Saints who  uphold
polygamy on religious grounds, would act wisely in
imitating the candour and consistency of the wild
Indians. The Mormons are selfish, as well as very
illogical.  They will not extend to others the privileges which they claim for themselves. They assert
the right to worship God after their own fashion,
yet do their best to exclude from Utah all who
reject the Book of Mormon. They demand to be
let alone just as the Southern slaveholders did.
148 
MOiR3IONISI ON ITS TRIAL.
Their treatment of a Gentile, who prefers the same
request to them, resembles the treatment accorded
to the Abolitionist who formerly upheld the right
of free speech at the South.  What the Mormrons
desire at present is the admission of Utah into the
Union. They have several times petitioned Congress to that effect, but in vain. If raised to the
dignity of a State, Utahl would be more than
ever under the domination of the Mormon leaders.
So long as it continues a Territory, Congress is
entitled to legislate for it, and many desire that
this power should be exercised. It is within the
jurisdiction of Congress to alter the boundaries
of Territories and to create new ones. Thus the
present State of Nevada was carved out of the
Territory of Utah in 1861. In like manner, the
Territory of Colorado comprises a portion of what
once belonged to Utah. This process of division
and subdivision might be continued with advantage
until Utah were absorbed altogether. As citizens
of a new Territory or of an adjacent State, the
Mormons would be unable to overpower the Gentile majority arrayed against their illegal practices
and disloyal acts.  If treated in this manner Brigham Young would be more effectually checkmated
than if brought face to face with the overwhelming
military organization of the United States.
149 
WESTVWARD BY RAIL.
It is commonly supposed that the opening of the
Pacific Railway or the death of Brigham  Young
wi]l speedily lead to the annihilation of Mormonism.
The visitor to Salt Lake City, who makes the
necessary inquiries, must pronounce these expectations to have a very unsubstantial basis. By the
Mormons themselves, the railway is not regarded
with dread.   It may  be that, as the Netv Bora
Herald has pithily remarked,' Railroad communications corrupt good MIormons;' but this has yet
to be demonstrated.  According to Brigham Young
the facilities for intercommunication by  rail are
certain to prove advantageous to the Church. He
has informed his flock that he encouraged the construction of the Pacific Railway in order that the
Gentiles might be the more easily converted. That
he spoke seriously when he said this cannot readily
be credited.   Yet it is worthy of note, that in
1852 the Legislature of Utah sent a memorial to
Congress, signed by Brigham Young as Governor,
praying that a railway might be constructed across
the Continent, and assigning many very forcible
reasons in support of the proposal. In the number
of the Salt Lahe Daily  Telegraph, firom which I
have already quoted, it is said:-' The opening up
of this mountainous country, by the Pacific Railroad running through it, was expected to bring in a
150 
MORMONIS3M ON ITS TRIAL.
great multitude of strangers, and by their settling
down in the country and mixing with the Mormonlls,
it was presumed that the question of polygamy
would be quietly disposed of by the force of Christian example and the election ballot box. Since
the opening of the railroad there has been a large
influx of visitors to the city; but we have not
heard of a single Gentile family that has come to
reside among us, and, from the general current of
information that reaches us, we think the opposite
is the disposition.   Some who have resided here
have left the Territory, and more are preparing to
leave as early as they can dispose of their business
and property.'  The writer of the foregoing lines
is quite correct in saying that there is no probability of Gentiles occupying the Mormonl Territory
to the exclusion of the Saints.  The arrangements
for rendering this impossible are too complete to be
upset by the railway or any similar agency.  That
a sudden change will follow the decease of Brigham
Young, is doubtful. When Cromwell died, the immediate dissolution of the Commonwealth which had
been expected as a thing of course was delayed for
some months.   The chances are in favour of the
place of President Young being occupied by a successor quite as skilful, unscrupulous, and powerful as
himself.  Hie is the leading spirit of to-day, but his
151 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
counsellors are men not inferior to him in boldness
and executive ability.  Miore than one of them
could at any moment step forward and fill the post
he might vacate. The hold which these men have
over their followers is the true source of their
supremacy. The ignorance of these followers cannot be paralleled save in the cases of thle French
peasantry.   Their fanaticism is proportioned to
their ignorance.   To  wait till they are neither
ignorant nor fanatic is as foolish as was the conduct
of the Roman rustic who waited for the stream to
exhaust itself by running.
152 
XI.
BICKF,RLVGS AMONG TIt SALINIS.
A
DunING my visit to Salt Lake City the Saints
were thrown into consternation by the announcement in the Tabernacle that some of the most
notable among their number had been suspended
from the enjoyment of Church privileges. This is
the preliminary to excommunication. One of these
erring brethren was Mr. Stenhouse, the editor of
the Salt Lake Daily  Telegraph.  Born at Dalkeith, near Edinburgh, and a convert from Presbyterianism to Mormonism, he had given strong proofs
of his devotion to the religion propounded by
Joseph Smith. IHe was one of the enthusiasts whlo, on
foot, had made the terrible journey across the plains
from the Missouri to Salt Lake, drawing a handcart containing all his worldly possessions. Hie had
gone as a missionary to Switzerland and to England,
and  gained  many  proselytes.   As  the husband
of three wives, he had committed himself to the
version of Mormwonism promulgated and upheld by
Brigham Young. lHe is supposed to have offended 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
by not being as ardent a supporter of the Presi dent's temporal power as of his spiritual preten sions. Another of the suspended brethren was 3Mi.
Godbe, a Londoner by birth, the proprietor of.
large'store' in Salt Lake City, and a man of re
puted wealth.   He had devoted a considerable
portion of his substance to founding, the Utah
MJayazine.  Ini this publication the infallibility of
the President has more than once been disputed by
implication, and its conductors have even had the
temerity to call in question the wvisdomn of his
policy.  IMr. Harrison, one of the editors of the
magazine, was included anong the number of the
censured.  Mr. Stenhouse submitted to the rebuke,
and has made his peace with the Church. This can
be done by making  an unqualified admission of
error, recanting the condemned doctrines, and preferring a humble request for pardon. The Mormons have borrowed some formulas from a Church
more ancient than their own, and, like it, advancing
claims to collective infallibility.  lMr. Godbe and
Mr. Harrison, remaining stubborn, have been formally excommunicated. As the Bull of Excommunication is not a lengthy document, and as it is
certainly a curious one, I shall quote it entire:'To  whom it may  concern. —This certifies that
Williami S. Godbe, E. L. T. Harrison,,iand Eli B.
154 
BICKERINGS A3IONG THIE SAINTS.
IKelsey were cut off from the Church of Latter
Day Saints on Monday, the 25th day of October,
1869, for harbouring and spreading the spirit of
apostacy.-William Dunford, Clerk of Council.'
The following official explanation and warning
was issued contemporaneously with the decree of
excommunication:-' To  the Latter Day Saints:
Our attention has been called of late to several
articles which have appeared in the Utah  Maqazine, a weekly periodical published in this city.
An examination of them has convinced us that they
are erroneous, opposed to the spirit of the Gospel,
and calculated to do injury.   According  to the
practice in the Church, teachers were sent to labour
with the editor and publisher, to point out to
them the evil results that would follow a persistence in the course they were pursuing. This did
not have the desired effect, and they have since
been tried before the High Council, and after a
thorough and patient investigation of the case, it
was found that they had imbibed the spirit of
apostacy to that degree that they could not any
longer be fellowshipped, and they were cut off from
the Church.
'The Utah lIlayazine is a periodical that, in
its spirit and teachings, is directly opposed to the
Work of God.  Instead of building up Zion and
8
155 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
uniting the people, its teachings, if carried out,
would destroy Zion, divide the people asunder,
and drive the Holy Priesthood from the earth.
Therefore, we say to our brethren and sisters in
every place, the Utah Magazine is not a periodical suitable for circulation among or perusal by
them, and should not be sustained by Latter Day
Saints.
'We  hope this will be sufficient, without ever
having to refer to it again.
' Brigham Young, George A. Smith, Daniel H.
Wells,  Orson  Pratt, Wilfordl Woodruff, George
Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith.'
I have not yet said anything about Eli B.
IKelsey, who is among the excommunicated.  He
was one of the High Council by which the heretics
were tried and sentenced.  When the votes were
taken it was found that he alone was in the minority. For having thus hindered the Council from
coming to a unanimous vote he was summarily
dealt with as one who had harboured' the spirit of
apostacy.' Such is the MIormon notion of free discussion and fair play.
The result has been that the schismatics have
founded a new church under the name of the
Church of Zion.   The leaders of the movement
allege that they are directly inspired from above,
156 
BICKERINGS AMONG THE SAINTS.
that they have been incited to action by communications from depar'ted spirits. At a public meetilg called to hear their programme, Mir. Harrison
averred that' Heber C. Kimball, Joseph Smith
(whose identity was vouched for by the angels),
Peter, James and John, and Jesus himself had
come and talked with them; they did not see the
faces, but they saw the heavenly light and distinctly heard voices, and during a long series of
those direct and celestial visitations they had had
revealed to them not only a grand system of theology, which will be developed in due course, but
all the great principles connected with this globe
from the beginning to the time when it shall become celestialized.'   To the statements made by
the founders of the Church of Zion a short and
simple answer was returned by the leaders of the
Church of the  Latter  Day  Saints.   In  their
opinion the Devil had done it all. The revelations
of which Messrs. Harrison and Godbe were the recipients had proceeded directly from the Author of
Evil.   In a sermon delivered by Orson Pratt in
the Tabernacle, the whole matter was discussed for
the edification of the orthodox and the confusion
of the spiritual rebels.   The preacher explained
that at first the revelation made to Joseph Smith
was scoffed at, and then the Prophet was persecuted
157 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
and murdered. But, the Saints still continuing to
increase in numbers and in power,' the Devil found
that they could not be put down by persecution,
he took another turn and said "I will show them
that the world can have revelation enough."' Thus
it was that what are called Spiritual Manifestations
were produced. He was the more certain about
the complicity of Satan in the movement, because
some of the revelations said to have been made to
Messrs. Harrison and Godbe by King Solomon were
at variance with statements in the Book of Mormon. Whether the Devil had or had not any hand
in the schism is a matter about which the public
in England and America will doubtless manifest
contemptuous indifference. Some may console themselves with the contemplation of the consequences
which are said to ensue upon the falling out of
rogues. Yet they will all note with satisfaction the
confession made by Mr. Tullidge, one of the editors
of the Utah Magazine  and  an  adherent of the
new sect. He states in a printed document that
' our leaders have reduced the people to an absolute
temporal bondage, and the genius of a prophetic
and spiritual work has died out of their administration' and that' the Saints in Utah for nearly
twenty years have been entire strangers to their
former spiritual power.' As the leaders and sup
158 
DICKERINGS AMONG THiE SAINTS.
porters of this movement are polygamists either in
fact or theory, the limit of the change for the
better, which they are likely to effect, will soon
be reached. Most significant of all is the aversion
manifested by them for the temporal authority of
Brigham Young. They have felt that they must
either become the bond slaves of the President, or
else must assert their right to individual action.
It may be anticipated that after emancipating themselves from the personal tyranny under which they
have groaned, they will not long remain in subjection to the spiritual supremacy of their former
head. The' spirits' with whom they hold communication may tell them that'plural marriage' is
an invention of the Devil, and then the real stru,ggle
between the men who think that to advance is
imperative and those who maintain that adherence
to the old formulas is a duty, will begin in earnest
and may end in revolutionizing Mormonism.
This schism is the more ominous on account of
the willingness displayed by its leaders to make
common cause with.the Gentiles in matters of a
secular kind. Unfortunately, the combined forces
make but a poor display of strength. It is clear that
Brig,ham Young has an overwhelming majority at
his back, and that the yearly additions to the number
of the Saints contribute to swell his majority.
159 
XII.
UTAH SCENLER,Y.
FROMI the petty squabbles of discordant and rabid
Mormons it is a relief to turn and gaze upon the
panorama of natural beauties which, from dawn to
sunset, is provided for the enjoyment of the dweller
in Salt  Lake  City.   Some  of the noteworthy
characteristics of the city are by no means unique.
The streams of sparkling water wvhichl flow through
the streets, the trees which shade the pathways
and the ample gardens in which the houses stand
are not more bright, abundant, and attractive than
those of the Pyrenean town of Bagneres de
Bigorre.   But with this exception, comparison is
hardly possible.   The  site as  a whole  is incomparable.
The elevation is 4,000 feet above the sea level.
If not absolutely rainless, the region is one in
which the rainfall is scanty.   Hence the air is
almost free from floating vapour, and the sky is
seldom obscured by masses of cloud. The extreme
purity of the atmosphere renders the-new-comer 
XIL
UTAH SCE.NLYERY.
FROM. the petty squabbles of discordant and rabid
Mormons it is a relief to turn and gaze upon the
panorama of natural beauties which, from dawn to
sunset, is provided for the enjoyment of the dweller
in Salt  Lake  City.   Some  of the noteworthy
characteristics of the city are by no means unique.
The streams of sparkling water which flow through
the streets, the trees which shade the pathways
and the ample gardens in which the houses stand
are not more bright, abundant, and attractive than
those of the Pyrenean town of Bagne'res de
Bigorre. But with this exception, comparison is
hardly possible.   The  site as a whole  is incomparable.
The elevation is 4,000 feet above the sea level.
If not absolutely rainless, the region is one in
which the rainfall is scanty.   Hence the air is
almost free from floating vapour, and the sky is
seldom obscured by masses of cloud. The extreme
purity of the atmosphere renders the new-comer 
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inexpert at calculating distances.   The mountain
slopes, which seem as if they were but a few yards
from the city, are in reality several miles distant.
But, if this miscalculation is sometimes disappointing,, other effects due to the same cause are all
the more impressive. The outlines of the far-off
peaks and ridges, declivities and clefts are distinctly visible in every line of rugged contour or
soft undulation.
Turning, from the range of snow-crested mountains on the east of the city, another range is discernible across the valley beyond the western shore
of the Great Salt Lake. The valley is more than
forty miles broad.   It is intersected by the Jordan
which runs from Utah Lake several miles to the
South and is absorbed in that inland sea of salt
water, from which there is no outlet and in which
there is no life. The valley appears to be wholly
covered by the sage-brush which is worthless as
food or fodder. Where this plant is abundant the
chances are that nothing else will flourish in the
bitter earth wherein it thrives.   Here, however,
the rich and nutritive bunch-grass is found also.
Thus these plains are excellent grazing land for
cattle.
By accident I learned that this valley had a
special  attraction for the archeologist.   Indian
162 
UTAH SCENERY.
burial mounds of great antiquity are situated in its
midst. These mounds contain the relics of tribes
which are now extinct, having been driven away
or exterminated by the Indians who, in their turn,
have had to give place to the Mormons. An
English friend, a visitor like myself to this city
and, unlike me, a well skilled archeologist, heard
the tidings with delight, and made instant arrangements for a visit to the mounds. On enquiry, we
learned that few persons knew their names, far
ness their history, and that hardly one cared a straw
about them. The driver of a conveyance between
the hotel and the city baths, professed to know
where they were situated; he old us that the distance to them was eight miles and that his fare
for the journey would be about one pound sterling.
Closing with his terms, we started off on our quest.
Taking the road which runs west, and crossing
the Jordan, we then proceeded in a south-westerly
direction. On our way we saw the half-finished
canal which was undertaken at the command of
Brigham Young with a view to repress discontent
by finding employment for idle hands, and was
also designed by him to prove that the age of
miracles had not  departed.   If the canal had
been finished and had served the intended purpose
of bringing water from the Jordan to the city,
163 
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then a miracle would indeed have been wrought,
for the water of the Jordan would have run uphill!
After being driven about in different directions
across the plains, the driver told us that the mounds
had changed their position. Certainly, no trace of
them could be perceived. We questioned men
who were tending cattle, and got some hints for
our  guidan-e —rv khan  eer   seen  Indiana
mounds, but they had heard of sand-hills.   As
these were the mounds in question,  we ascertained
where they were situated, and at last, we reachet
them. It was evident that they were not natural
formations. The labour of a few hours proved to
us that they were in reality the places of sepulture
of an ancient Indian tribe.   Flint spear heads,
flint arrow-heads, stone implements and fragments
of rude potteryware, we disinterred from the sand.
As the means at our disposal for making a thorough
search were very imperfect and as the time in
which to conduct it was very short, the total number of articles discovered was but small.   All of
them were found in the larger of the three mounds.
It was something, though not much, to have satisfled ourselves as to the fact that in the Valley of
the Great Salt Lake there are monuments of the
buried past, and that the extinct Indians who once
were the masters of' this region have left behind
164 
UTAH SCENERY.
them lasting records of their customs  and their
character.
The Indians who once lived here first passed
away; others of fiercer manners and greater spirit
occupied their places; the latter being now
forced to acknowledge the superiority of a still
more valiant and powerful race, have become the
dependents of the white men, and are themselves
gradually disappearing from the earth. The Mormons have annexed Utah to the Territory of the
pale faces; they have instituted a form of government according to their fancies; to all appearance,
their wills are law here, nevertheless an authority stronger than their own is the actual lord of
this place. Two miles to the east of the city, the
stronghold of the real, though quiescent superior
over this Territory is situated. On a plateau, to
which the ascent is gradual but continuous, the
troops of the United States are encamped, and the
artillery of the United States is in position. The
'sconce' which Dugald Dalgetty persistently advised Sir Duncan  Campbell to erect'upon  the
round hill called Drumsnab'could not have been
placed in a more commanding position than Camp
Douglas is for the purpose it was designed to
subserve. Behind it is a mountain chain rising to
a great height, before and below it is the capital of
165 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
Mormondom. The city could be shelled so as to
become a heap of ruins in an hour; while the camp
could be defended by a small force against the
largest attacking party which is ever likely to be
led against it. For any other purpose than that of
a permanent and significant demonstration this
camp has never been employed. Much tyranny and
injustice may still be perpetrated under the shadow
of the flag which is the symbol of liberty  and
equal rights, yet excesses such as once prevailed
have been impossible since the United States troops
have been encamped here. The Mormon leaders
sneer at the folly of those who formed and garrisoned Camp Douglas, but while doing so they also
hesitate to give the signal for deeds of bloody retribution to the Destroying Angels whom they once
employed to murder in the name of the Lord for
the consolidation of the Church.
The Gentiles who reside in Salt Lake City and
the stranger who temporarily sojourns there, enjoy a
sense of security while within the lines of the camp
which they never feel within the city's boundaries.
Looking down from this place of vantage upon the
dwellings of the Saints, they can with difficulty
give credence to the best authenticated stories of
the acts of violence with which the Mormons are
charged. Even if no camp were there the spectacle
166 
UTAH SCENERY.
would absorb them to the exclusion of any other
thought. The view of the distant Pyrenees from
the Place Royale at Pau and the view of the
Alpine range from the pinnacle of Milan Cathedral
are among the most justly famed of European
prospects. Neither is superior to that from this
spot. In the foreground is the city with its houses
and orchards; in the middle distance is the broad
valley through which the Jordan winds to the Lake,
while in the background is the large sheet of water
with a bold range of mountains rising, from its
farthest shore till their summits mingle with the
clouds.  When the sun, sloping slowly to the West,
sinks down behind these mountains the sight resembles a dream of fairyland. Mountain, Lake, and
Valley are decked in a gorgeous robe of purple and
gold. The Lake with its clusters of small islands
resembles a glowing sheet of burnished steel,
studded over with precious stones. These ineffable
glories of sky, and earth, and water are visible but
for a brief space, vanishing almost as soon as seen.
The long English twilight is unknown here. For a
few minutes after the sun'has reached the horizon,
a delicate rosy tint suffuses the sky  then the expiring day suddenly darkens into night, and the
firmament is ablaze with stars.
Descending the mountain slope towards the city,
167 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
I forgot for the moment the reputation it bore.
That man  could be vile where  Nature was  so
lovely appeared impossible. But the reality soon
became apparent.  Meeting  and  conversing with
an acquaintance in the streets, observing him nervously glancing from side to side in order to see if
we were watched and being told by him not to
speak loudly lest eavesdroppers were within earshot,
I was forcibly impressed with  the fact that the
Mormon system was inquisitorial as well as despotic.
Nor was this opinion modified when, on arriving at
the hotel, I recognisedl the hang-dog features of
one whose duty, as I was credibly informed, consisted in following the footsteps of strangers and
spying out their doings. I could not help thinking
that the scenery of Utah was defective in one particular. In some parts of the Rocky Mountains,
where villains congregate, justice is vindicated in a
summary manner by hanging the detected criminal
from a branch of the nearest tree. Photographs of
these executions are labelled' Rocky Mountain
Scenery.' If criminals met with their deserts in
Utah, opportunities would soon be furnished for
taking similar photographs from life.
168
w 
XIIL
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF MOIRMONISM.
INGE,NIOUS Tlar,EORIES have been advanced to explain
the origin and success of Mormonism. Attractive
pictures have been limned of Mormon society, and
plausible reasons put forth in defence of the most
reprehensible of Mormon practices.   A sweeping
condemnation has, in like manner, been passed upon
the Saints: it has been denied that they possess
a single good quality, or that they are at all
better than the savages whom they have displaced.
If the best that has been said about them be true, it
does not entitle them to universal esteem.  If the
worst be well founded, if they are indeed hypocrites
and rogues, sour fanatics and intolerant bigots, the
blame lies at the doors of those who, by unjustly
and cruelly persecuting them, laboured to make
them what they are. Had not Joseph Smith won
the crown of martyrdom, Brig,ham Young might
never have governed as a despot.
When the Angel Moroni disclosed to Joseph Smith
the reputed secrets which the Prophet communicated to the world in the Book of Mormon, the
minds of the younger men in America were pre
#0 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
paredl to hearken to a revelation. Almost contemporaneously with the prophetic utterances of the
first high-priest of the Latter Day Saints, Mr. Owen
proclaimed to the citizens of the United States his
scheme for achieving universal happiness by grouping mankind in parallelograms.   The excitement
which this proposal occasioned was due to the
avidity of the public for any hints which might clear
the way for the regeneration of the world. A like
eagerness to experiment with the theories of Fourier
was afterwards manifested. Joseph Smith had this
enormous superiority over other speculators that,
in addition to indicating the path towards a more
perfect state, he provided a new religion as a solace
for those who, having been buffeted by the waves
of doubt, could find no anchorage for their faith.
Moreover, his religion had the merit of being a
complement to that which was generally accepted,
giving precision to what was questionable, widening
the boundaries of what was narrow. The heaven
which he pictured was a heaven which human
beings desired all the more strongly because it
was but another and a more perfect representation
of the world in which they lived. To the believers
in him was afforded the supreme satisfaction of an
immediate display of spiritual powers and a present
experience of spiritual beings.   They were  con
0
170
10 
TItE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF MOIORIONISAI. 171
vinced that the Deity had returned to earth and
exhibited himself anew on their behalf.
Desiring to profit by the privileges accorded to
the Saints, thousands enrolled themselves under the
banner of Joseph Smith, patiently submitting themselves to his command in the hope of winning the
rewards promised to the faithful and the obedient.
When these votaries accompanied him to the Far
West and there formed themselves into a Society
under the name of the Latter Day Saints, they
merely did what others performed when they constituted themselves into' Communities,' and settled
on lands purchased with a view to afford them scope
for carrying out in practice the social theories which
they had accepted as panaceas for all the ills of
which society was the prey. That nearly all these
communities were soon dissolved was directly due
to bankruptcy and was indirectly caused by the
absence of a tie sufficiently strong and lasting to
bind  them  together.   Their  religion saved the
Latter Day Saints from sharing the fate of Owen's
' New Harmony;' of the many phalanxes in which
Fourier's speculations were reduced to practice; of
Brook Farm where the transcendentalists of New
England made  a vigorous  but futile attempt to
demonstrate the right manner in which to purge the
world of corruption preparatory to ushering in the 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
Golden Age. A deplorable combination of ignorance
and fanaticism was brought to bear against the
infant Church and the newly formed association of
which Joseph Smith was the head and the originator.
The rough dwellers in Missouri arrayed themselves
against himn and compelled his followers to abandon
their settlement.  Fleeing to Illinois they were there
treated with a barbarity equally gross and blameworthy.  The law proved to the Prephet not a protection, but a snare. Again and again hlie was imprisoned on paltry pretexts, but his persecutors would
not believe in his innocence even when repeatedly
proclaimed by a Court of Justice. The prison in
which he was last immured pending the progress of
another trial was broken open by armed men and he
was foully slain in cold blood. His followers, instead
of immediately dispersing in dismay, banded themselves together with increased ardour, having resolved to dare and endure everything in the defence
of a faith which they regarded with the stronger
admiration on account of the hatred it inspired in
the breasts of lawless, depraved, and cruel men.
The desperate resolve to seek safety in an unexplored part of the country can be paralleled by
nothing but the lofty courage which moved the
Dutch to resolve upon submerging their entire
country and to take ship for the Indian Archipelago
172 
THlE PAST AND TIlE FUTURE OF MIORM0ONISMI. 173
rather than submit to the debasing bondage which
would have been their lot had the Iing of France
become master of Hlolland.
Having arrived at the Valley of the Great Salt
Lake and assured themselves that the parched
desert and the towering mountain were insuperable
barriers against the inhumanity and intolerance of
their foes, they began to live in the way which
seemed the best according to their lights.
If the Mormons had never learned what it was to
battle with difficulties almost superhuman and to
obtain a triumph almost miraculous, they might
have speedily cooled in their de,votion for the creed
they had adopted, or interpreted the accepted doctrines in diverse ways. But the fires of persecution
had strengthened their faith. They not only believed implicitly in the divinity of their martyred
Prophet, but they were disposed to interpret his
revelations in the manner most consonant with their
personal experience.  They considered themselves
as the Chosen People with whom God was ever
present and against whose enemies God was always
ready to fight.   Just as the Puritans  smarting
under the atrocious discipline of the Star Chamber
readily adopted as their own the fulminations of the
Old Testament against the wicked in authority, and
were only too ready, when opportunity offered, to 
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smite with the sword of Gideon, and consider the
reeking battlefield, on which their foes weltered in
blood, as a pleasing sight in the eyes of the Almighty,
so did the Mormons incline to give effect to all the
harsh threatenings of the Bible and to regard as of
no account the admonitions to be slow to wrath and
abounding in mercy.
The spirit with which they were ready to resist
attack from without was displayed in the works
that were requisite in order to render their position
secure and their existence easy. They laboured
at their daily tasks as if they were vindicating their
sincerity and demonstrating their piety. Under
the double incentive of religious enthusiasm and
individual requirements they built houses, planted
fruit trees, tilled fields and reaped harvests. Even
if no ignoble ambition animated their souls, the
circumstances in which they were placed furnished
an irresistible stimulus to exertion. For none of
them was any way of escape from the Valley open,
and, unless all toiled to the uttermost of their
powers, to none was subsistence certain. What
was effected under these conditions, all Utah bears
witness.
With comparative security and unlooked for
prosperity came  a longing for compensation as a
reward for their patience under privations, bravery
174 
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF 0IORIMONIS3I. 175
in the face of obstacles, victory over great odds.
No longer apprehending the attacks of declared
enemies, they desired- to evince that they were a
peculiar and an exceptional people  working out
an intricate problem in a new sphere. In their
eyes the Old Testament had gradually become an
authority Of great weight: its statements had commended themselves to their minds; when, then, it
was proposed to adopt as their own the rules of
the Patriarchs respecting marriage the proposition
met with general acceptance, because it chimed in
with the prevailing sentiment. Whether Brigham
Young had really received from Joseph Smith the
'Revelation on Celestial Marriage' which he promulgated in 1852 was not a circumstance scanned
too closely by those to whom the revelation was
addressed. To be different in all things from the
Gentiles was dear to the hearts of the persecuted
Latter Day Saints.   The indignation which  the
Gentiles have displayed towards those who openly
practised Polygamy has tended more than anything
else to confirm the Mormons in their notion as to
the divinity of plural marriage.
Mormon principles have triumphed all along the
line; yet, in the thoroughness of the victory, lurks
the greatest peril to the cause. The high-handed
measures which commanded cheerful assent while 
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the danger lasted, have been regarded with aversion
and have excited antipathy since the time has arrived for enIjoying the fruits of conquest. To the
vigour and foresight of Brigham Young, and to
the daring and devotion of colleagues not inferior
to him in ability, the Mormons are almost wholly
indebted for their prosperity.   But, even while
acknowledging this, they hesitate to yield uniform respect and implicit obedience to those who
originally guided their footsteps and sustained their
efforts.   They see that the leaders have had their
reward in the form of positions of honour and of
large possessions.   These  leaders  cling  to  the
authority which they have acquired or usurped.
They will not relinquish it save under compulsion.
Hundreds refuse to submit to its exercise. Those
who have stood forth and challenged the claims of
Brigham Young, who point out his shortcomings,
who contest his right to demand that he shall
be blindly obeyed, and who ridicule his pretensions to be infallible, elicit sympathy and aid from
among the mass; and the warfare which once was
waged by the Gentiles against the Mormons promises to be succeeded by an embittered strife
between Mormonism and Brigham Youngdom.
Under these circumstances what should be the
course of Congress, what thle attitude of the Go
176 
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF MORMIONIS3I. 177
vernment of the United States? Interference with
Mormonism as a system of religion is above all
things to be deprecated.  It does not follow, how  ever, that everything which assumes the cloak of
religion should be connived at, tolerated, or ap proved. If a minority were to contend that a
divine revelation authorised them to pick pockets
and cut throats, the majority would rightly reply
* that they were empowered by law to imprison
thieves and hang murderers.   The same argument
applies to such a case as that of the Mormons as
far as Polygamy is concerned. To marry several
wives is alleged to be a part of the Mormon reli  gion. The majority may retort that their religion
pronounces Polygamy illegal and, in a country
like the United States, where the supreme law is
the will of the majority, the Mormons must either
convert the majority to their views, or else suffer
the penalty provided for law-breakers. No Ameri  can citizen is entitled to complain of persecution
when the law is impartially administered.
To be just and fear not; to enforce the lawv
which is no respecter of persons; to treat the erring
Mormons as citizens of the United States who
have no royal claim for exemption from the penal  ties which other wrongdoers must pay, but whom,
at the same time, it would be iniquitous to single 
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out and sacrifice on the unhallowed altar of religious fanaticism, is the sacred duty incumbent on
Congress, is the imperative mandate of the executive authorities. The original and crying grievance
of the Mormons was that justice had invariably
and intentionally been denied them. They were
exiled from Missouri, they were expelled from
Illinois because an unjustifiable prejudice had been
excited to their detriment.   No Act of Congress
had they infringed, nor had they denied the supremacy of the law of the land.  In turn they have
become violators of statutes and ruthless persecutors; the Gentiles have suffered at their hands indignities quite as unbearable and injuries nearly
as unpardonable as those which they underwent at
the hands of the Gentiles. The fountain of justice
is tainted in Utah the juries and judges are corrupt or biassed. A righteous policy requires that
these gross abuses should be extirpated and that
in the eye of the law Mormon and Gentile should
be absolutely equal. To accomplish this should be
the enldeavour and aim of American statesmen and
rulers. That more than this should be undertaken
or achieved, no right-thinking man will desire.
If Salt Lake Valley were to become the home
of a really free people, it would be one of the
178
0
t 
THE PAST AND THE FUTURE OF TIORtIONISMI. 1 79
glories of the American Union. Its situation is
unrivalled in this part of the Continent.  A temperate climate blesses the inhabitants with good
health; a fruitful soil yields them food in abundance.   The  surrounding mountains are rich in
minerals; the multitudinous streams are alive with
fish. Nature has designed this valley to be a terrestrial paradise: hitherto, the doings of man have
frustrated, rather than forwarded the designs of
Nature.
My statement of actual facts will probably produce an impression very different from that made
by the brilliant but misleading pictures with which
preceding visitors to the mountain home of the
Mormons have delighted the public. As no two
persons ever see the same thing in precisely the
same light, so any two travellers may widely differ
in their estimate of an institution or their opinion
of a people.   It is quite true, as several writers
have averred, that President Brigham Young inculcates on his flock as a paramount duty that of
labouring with their hands, and he does this with
the greater success, inasmuch as it is certain that
those whlo will not work must starve.  So far, I
agree with certain other visitors to Utah. Rather
than note the points of disagreement in detail let
me  give by  way  of conclusion  the summarised
9 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
results  of my  own observation.   I  found the
Mormons as a body, very backward and ignorant
when compared with the other dwellers on  the
American continent.*  I found them reluctant to
embody their thoughts in words, afraid to speak
their minds lest they should be punished for giving
utterance to what was obnoxious to those in high
places. The leaders and rulers of the Mormons are,
for the most part, shrewd and determined Yankees
who exercise a control over the multitude as grind
i' Mr. Horace White, one of the most distinguished members of
the American Press, gives as the result of his enquiry into the working of M]ormonism an opinion similar to mine, and supports it with
examples which, I think, merit quotation:-' I happen to know a
Norwegian settlement in Wisconsin, whose original constituents
were as ignorant and desperately poor as any Mormon immigrants
from Wales or Denmark, and who have been in occupation of the
soil about the same length of time as the Utah Mormons. They are
o-day more than seventy-five per cent. in advance of the Mormons
in point of intelligence, wealth, culture, and everything which goes
under the name of civilization, and they have neither gambling
shops nor grog shops, nor houses of prostitution licensed, or Lnlicensed, among them. They had no better start in America than
the Mormons. They have no better marklet for their crops. If they
had a rather richer soil to begin with, it was not so good in the long
run, for while the crops in Wisconsin are subject to constant vicissitudes of climate, those of Utah are unfailing and enormous in their
yield.''Returning to my Norwegian friends on Jefferson Prairie,
Wisconsin (and I might point with equal force to the Swedish settlement at Galva, Illinois, or to the IHollanders of Iowa), we find that
Mormonism, so far from advancing the physical condition of tho
common people, has kept them from making the advancement to
which the bountiful earth and sky have constantly invited them.'Tle Chicegro Tribitie, 16th July, 1869.
180 
TIIE PAST AND TIHE FUTURE OF MOR.MONISM. 181
ing and despotic as that of the worst tyrants in
history.  Neither Jew nor Christian can safely and
easily establish himself in Utah, either for the sake
of pleasure or for the purposes of trade. All nonMormons are subjected to a system of persecution
skilfully organised and conducted with a view to
their expulsion from the Valley of the Great Salt
Lake. In the Territory of Utah I found a parody
on the religion of the Bible and of the Koran,
sanctioning  and  prescribing  the  treatment  of
women, not as iitelleetual human beings, but as
mere human toys. Having had this experience, I
am unable to accept, as a reply to all objections
and a counter-balance to all drawbacks, the incontestable facts that President Young preaches the
gospel of labour, and that Mormon orchards yield
annually many thousand bushels of large ripe
peaches and rosy-cheeked apples. 
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XIV.
THE GREAT SALT LAKE TO THE GREAT AMllERICAN
DESERT.
To  ESNTER the cars of the Union Pacific Railway after having paid a visit to Salt Lake City is
like setting foot on one's native soil aftcr sojourning
among a strange people in a foreign land.  The
habits and modes of thought of the Mormons and
the social atmosphere in which they live are alien
to the visitor who has neither special sympathy with
their creed, nor is predisposed to admire their
customs.  Seated in the cars again, he feels himself
free to speak his mind without dread of being misunderstood and without danger of giving offence.
After leaving Uintah and proceeding Westward,
Corinne is the next station of note. Passeng.ers
bound for the Territory of Montana, which lies to
the north of Utah, leave the train here and take
the stage coach. Montana has the reputation of
being a second California.  Although a Mormon
town and almost exclusively subjected to Mormon
influences, yet in Corinne a most vigorous and un
182 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT AMIERICAN DESERT. 183
relenting warfare ag,ainst the Saints is wag,ed by
Mlr. J. 11. Beadle, the editor of the Utah Daily
Reporter.   In Salt Lake  City this could not be
done. The Mormon leaders would soon find means
for silencing a declared foe to their system and
scoffer at their pretensions.  Certainly they would
be justified in protesting against the virulent language of their critic.   In a leading article, the
Mormons in authority are likened to men' who
would rob their grandmothers of their spectacles
and sell their frames for silver.'   The  principal
Saints whom tihemass of the i,gnorant people of
Utahl almost worship, are represented as'a lot of
New England Yankees out on a speculation with
not the least speck of moral or honest sentiment in
their whole composition. They are out here lording it over a lot of foreign converts who are here
made peasants and slaves to these Yankee masters.
AVith such men to obtain absolute sway over an
ignorant and bigoted people, can we expect anything else than that these leaders should be what
they are-crafty swindlers and licentious monsters?'
When the editor leaves Corinne for other parts of
the settlement he does so at the risk of his life.
Hle has more than once experienced harsh treatment
at the hands of exasperated Mormons.  It is possible that his voice will one day be silenced  by 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
such irresistible and congenial Mormon arguments
as bullets from a revolver or blows from a club.
After passing Corinne, around which the country
is fertile and well-cultivated, the line runs through
a barren tract, skirts the shore of the Great Salt
Lake, and ascends the side of Promontory M1ountain. The gradients here are very steep, and the
cuttings in the rock must have been made with
much expenditure of toil and money.  Two trestle
bridges are crossed, a sharp curve is rounded, and
the station of Promontory is reached. This is the
Western terminus of the Union Pacific, and the
Eastern terminus of the Central Pacific RPailway.
Here it was that the ceremony of uniting the two
sides of the Continent by rail was performed on the
10th of May, 1869.  The point of junction  was
then the subject of controversy, and has not yet
been finally settled. The present arrangement is
the result of a compromise. The two companies in
their anxiety to earn as much as possible of the
Government subsidy, carried their respective lines
as far as an hundred miles to the east and west of
Promontory.  These unfinished roadways are still
to be seen side by side with the completed line.
As one result of the disagreement, there are few
throug'i trains.  In general the passengers have to
change carriages, secure fresh sleeping berths, and
184 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT AMERICAN DESERT. 105
get their luggage moved from one train to the
other.  Two hours are allowed for this, as well as
for taking a meal. There is usually ample time to
stroll through the town and see the sights.  The
town is built partly of canvas and partly of wood,
and has but one street. The signs are hardly in
keeping with the structures to which  they are
attached. Over a shanty is painted in large letters,
'Pacific Hotel,' and over a tent,' Club Hiouse.'
One of the wooden dwellilngs attracts notice on account of the neatly arranged muslin curtains within
the window.   Unlike the others, it has no signboard to indicate its purpose, but a glance through
the open door satisfies the curiosity of the passerby. Hle sees two or three smiling females ready to
extend welcomes to whoever will enter in. This is
characteristic of all these rude settlements in the
wild Western country.   In a canvas town, the
abode of women with few scruples to overcome and
no characters to lose is as distinguishable, and as
much a thing of course, as the gambling hell and
the drinking saloon.  Of drinking saloons there
are many at Promontory;  but there is only one
gambling hell as far as I could learn. This one is
quite enough for the place. In its way the hell is
unique. The object of its keepers is to entice the
passengers halting here to try their luck.  Vi'th 
VWESTWAIRD BY RAIL.
this view  agents  are sent to the neighlbouring
stations, where they take their places in the cars,
andll enter into conversation with the occupants.
Of course, as soon as the train stops at Promontory
these agents lead the way to the gaming table.
Nor have they far to go.  It is in the open air,
within a few yards of the line.  The game played
is three card Monte.  It is as simple as tlhimblerig.
Three cards are laid out in line with their faces
downwards. Let it be supposed that these are a
Jack, a KIing, and a Queen, the denomination of
the cards making no difference-the dealer will
then challenge any one to point out one of them,
say the Jack.   A  stake of a twenty dollar gcld
piece depends on the event. In front of the carddealer.is a pile of these gold pieces. IHe addresses
the on-lookers as follows:-' Gentlemen, you hlave
your eyes against my hand.  You see how I place
the cards,' moving the three backwards and forwards, and then laying them in a row.' Now I
will bet any one of you that hlie does not point out
the Jack; if he does so at the first chance he w-ins
his money, if he fails hle loses it.' One of the bystanders inquires if he will bet without touching the
cards, to which the reply is,' Certainly, sir; I will
bet anything, from 20 to 100 dollars, that you do
not point out the Jack.' The speaker steps for
186 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT A3IERICAN DESERT. 187
ward eagerly and excitedly, places a 20 dollar gold
piece on the table, and points to a card, whiclh,
when reversed, is seen to be the right one.  He
gets his 20 dollars, which he clutches, and then
makes off rapidly, as if surprised and delighted at
his good fortune, carrying off, also, the winning
card in the excitement of the moment. The carddealer calls upon him to return the' ticket,' adding,
'By golly, Sir, y ou have beaten me this time, but
you are as welcome to the money as if you had
worked hard for it.'  This is repeated several times,
the keeper of the table invariably losing.  Indeed
the game seems absurdly easy, as there is always a
small black speck on the back of the winning card,
and every onlooker thinks it a certainty to point
out this card. At last, after the dealer had lost repeatedly, a manl came cut of the tent behind the
table saying,' Come inowv, partner, you had better
stop; this woni't do.'  To  which he replies,' By
golly I will play till I lose every cent I have in
the world.  I must win nine times out of ten, and
I am ready to bet any gentleman 100 dollars that
he does not point out the right card this time.'
The truth is the men who had staked and  won
were what we call confederates, and what are here
called'cappers.' They certainly played their parts
exceedingly well, and would have imposed on any 
NWESTWARD BY RAIL.
other set of spectators than one composed of old
Californians, who are too knowing birds to be
caught by the chaff of cardsharpers. They are well
acquainted with the trick of the game.   I saw a
poor German baker, destitute of experience and
endowed with but little sense, dispossessed in a few
minutes of all that he had in his pockets. The
trick consists in being able to deceive the spectator
by shifting the small black speck on the back of the
cards in such a way as to make him point to the
wrong, one.  When the betting is real the' Bank'
never loses. I have been told that the winnings on
some days are as high as 1,700 dollars. It is the
passengers who alone become dupes, and the emigrant trains yield the most plentiful harvest. A
' capper' with whom I conversed supplied me with
what he  deemed a defence of the' institution.'
This' capper' strongly urged me to try my luck.
I thanked him for his recommendation and expressed my deep regret at my inability to contribute an adequate amount to the gains of the
Bank. I told him that I should not forget his
advice, if at any future time I might be possessed of
more money than I could easily squander, and that,
rather than get rid of it all by throwing it out of
the window, I should reserve a portion wherewith
to visit Promontory station and lose the remainder
188 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT AMIERICAN DESERT. 189
at three card Monte. Thereupon he changed his
tone, and said that the keepers of the table had
been harshly treated by the press, had been called
robbers and other hard names, whereas they were
honest, straightforward men who laboured hard in
order to earn their living. HIe added that the play
was perfectly fair to those who took part in it.
This was perfectly true if fairness consisted in
uniform winning, on the one side, and uniform
losing on the other.  He told me, moreover, that
many emigrants had come to Promontory, had lost
all they had, and had been kindly treated by these
calumniated hell keepers. Their charity, he said
with an accent of candour arc an air of kindliness
which would have done credit to the most practised
adept in professional philanthropy, was conspicuously displayed  towards  those whom  they  had
beggared, for they gave them  a sum sufficient to
pay their journey to their destination, or to keep
them during the journey.  I modify while trans
lating  his  language, which  was rather  highly
seasoned with vigorous and sonorous expletives.
Althloug,h the small population of this place is composed for the most part of roughs and gamblers,
with the admixture of a female element quite as
obnoxious, yet the peace is tolerably well kept on
account of the awe felt for the railway officials. It 
VWESTWVARD BY RAIL.
is tacitly understood that open lawlessness or any
serious disturbance would end in the clean sweep of
the whole nest of scoundrels. If those who had the
power were at once to begin the cleansing process,
they would do a service to all travellers over this
railway.
'Pullman's palace cars' do not form part of
the ordinary trains onl the Central Pacific Railway.
That company has what it calls' silver palace
cars,' of whic  the name is the best part.  They
are very inferior when compared with those of
the Pullman Company. Besides, the system of
management is far less  perfect.   In  Pullman's
ears there is a conductor whose duty it is to see
that the passengers  are properly cared for, and
under him are coloured servants, one being attached
to each car. The Central Pacific Company's cars
are in charge of a coloured man, who also acts as
attendant.   This double part is generally done
badly.  The opinion prevailed throughout the train
that at least one of these coloured gentlemen would
suffer rough usage some day at the hands of exasperated passengers. His insolence and inattention were unbearable, He was certainly the wrong
man for the place. The conductors of Pullman's
cars are patterns of good officials. They are handsomely paid.  They hold office on the condition that
190 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT AMIERICAN DESERT. 191
no complaint is preferred against them, instant dismissal being the consequence of any well-founded
charge.  It is this, among other things, which has
rendered Pullman's Car Company a splendid commercial success.
If the cars of the Californian Company are inferior to those of its rival, the Californians are
entitled to a large share of the praise due to
those who constructed this railway. A few words
may fitly be expended in stating what they did.
Several years ago, when Sacramento was a much
smaller place than it now is, some of its most
intelligent residents convinced themselves of the
feasibility of carrying a line of rail across the lofty
and snow-capped Sierra Nevadas.   At their own
expense they had a survey made. A route was fixed
upon, plans were drawn up, and the details of the
project elaborated. Throughout the state of California the scheme became so popular, that to be a
'railroad man' was one of the best claims where
waith to secure the votes of electors.  A state charter
was formally obtained, and the promoters went to
WYashington to urge the measure upon Congress.
This was in 1862, when the nation was alive to
the necessity of facilitating intercourse with the
Pacific States, in order that the perils to which the
Unionl was then exposed might not be rendered 
VWESTWARD  BY  RAIL.
more formidable in character or more extended in
range. The desire of California to have the railway constructed was thus in unison with the heartfelt aspirations of the Eastern States. Accordingly,
the assent of Congress was given to the proposed scheme, and the pecuniary aid of the Governmenlt pledged to carry it into effect. However,
forty miles had to be completed before any money
could be claimed from the Government, and these
forty miles ran up the steep slopes of mountains so
lofty as apparently to defy the science of the most
skilful and sanguine engineer.  Yet the formidable
obstacles were vanquished one after another, and the
prophets who predicted failure, and the cynics who
styled the scheme a swindle, were put to open
shame.   The  Californians allege that, while their
section of the line presented the largest number of
engcineeringp problems to solve, it is far the better of
the two. They might add that had they not had
the advantage of the cheap and efficient labour of
Chinamen it would still have been a grand project,
or else but slowly advancing towards completion.
Meantime the train has been careering over the
Central Pacific Railway, and along the shore of
the Great Salt Lake, thus affording to the passengers a splendid view of that magnificent sheet of
water, as well as of the bold mountain peaks which
192 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT AMIERICAN DESERT. 193
encompass it. The prospect is one to be enjoyed
and remembered.  But it is the only glimpse of
scenery, worthy of special note, on which the eye
rests with pleasure.  We are still within the Territory of Utah.   Promontory  Point,  where  the
junction was formally made between the railways
of which the starting points were Sacramento and
Omaha, is in that Territory.  The Mormons constructed more than an hundred miles of the railway,
and Brigham Young is said to have enriched himself
by the way in which he manipulated the contracts.
Yet, on the memorable day when the line was
finally completed and officially opened, the very
existence of the citizens of Utah was unrecognised,
if not forgotten. The Governor of Arizona was
present and brought with him a silver spike as
the contribution of the dwellers in his remote Territory. The State of Nevada also sent a silver
spike, fashioned by the hands of one hundred citizens. Some munificent citizens of San Francisco
contributed two golden spikes, as an offering on
behalf of the State of California, while the last
'tie' or sleeper was a beautiful piece of Californian
laurel. The ceremony of driving the last spike was
marked by an incident to which a parallel will be
sought in vain among the many extraordinary feats
of modern times.   The hammer with which  the 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL.
blows were given was connected to a wire in direct
communication with the principal telegraph offices
throughout the Union. Thus the instant that the
work  was consummated  the result was simiultaneously saluted on the shores of two great Oceans
and throughout the wide expanse of a vast continent by the roar of cannon and the ringing of
bells.*
Several miles westward of Promontory station,
the line traverses what, properly speaking, is the
Great American Desert. This is supposed to be
the bed of an inland sea.  In barrenness it rivals
the Desert of Sahara; in desolation and dreariness
it cannot be surpassed. A coating of alkali dust
gives to it the appearance of a snow-covered plain.
But snow is far less intolerable than the alkali.
Where it abounds nothing of service to man or
beast can live.  Shoe-leather is burned by it as by
quicklime.  The minute particles which float in the
air irritate the throat and lungs as keenly as the
* Lest any curious traveller should waste his time in seeking for
the precious spikes and the valuable sleeper, I may state that they
were removed almost as soon as laid, and that pieces of ordinary
wood and iron were substituted for them. But theze, however, did not
long remain intact.  The hoarders of relics hacked the sleeper into
splinters in the course of a few minutes, and attacked the last rail
with a vigour which had the effect of rendering it worthless.  The
sleeper had to be renewed three times and the rail once in the
course of a week.  Even then, credulous visitors were still busied
in cutting mementoes of the' last tie.'
194 
GREAT SALT LAKE TO GREAT AMERICAN DESERIT. 195
steel dust which cuts short the lives of Sheffield
needle-g,,rinders.  Long  before Elko is reached, a
station 200 miles distant from  Promontory,  the
passengers in the train fervently pray to be delivered from this corrosive and ubiquitous alkali
dust.
Soon after the opening of the railway, a party, of
which ex-Senator Ben Wade was one, made this
journey.  Complaints were rife about thie discomforts experienced on this section of the line.  Wishing to make the best of what could not be remedied,
the Mark Tapley of the party remarked that with
plenty of water to lay the dust and congenial companions, the Great American desert would be, not
only endurable, but delightful.   Whereupon the
ex-Senator observed:-' With plenty of water and
good society, Ihell would not be a bad place to live
in.' 
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XV.
THIE HUMIBOLDT RIVER Ai-'D PLAINS.
AFTER passing through the Great American Desert
the sight of a runlning, river and luxuriant vegetation is most enjoyable. The stream which freshens
and fertilises this region is the Humboldt, having
its source in the mountains of that name, and flowing westwards for about two hundred and fifty miles.
Along the banks of the river Humboldt is a thick
fringe composed of willow trees and a variety of
shrubs.  It is characteristic of this part of the
country that as soon as the land is irri,gated almost
any plant or vegetable can be grown upon it.  The
climate is genial.  If it were not for the lack of
rain millions of acres might be at once brought
under cultivation. IHence the extreme value of
the tract adjacent to a stream of water large enough
to supply all that is required for the purposes of
irrigation.  When the emigrants formerly traversed
this route, they timed their halting places so cs to
be within easy reach of a river. In many places
there are numerous pools of water;  but for the
396 
THE tHUMBOLDT RIVERP AND PLAINS.  197
most part these are so strongly imprelgnated with
alkali as to be even more undrinkable than sea
water. The alkali water burns the tongue, inflames
the throat, irritates the stomach. Those who essay
it will agree with the American writer who says: —
Taste it at the first opportunity, and you will wish
that the first opportunity had come last, or that it
never had arrived.' An animal will die of thirst
sooner than drink a drop of it.  Yet men have been
known to strugle against an impending death from
thirst and exhaustion by painfully swallowing small
portions of this bitter water.  Happily these trials
are no longer among the dangers which beset the
traveller across the Great American Desert and the
Humboldt Plains.   The railway has changed a'l
that.  Where there is no drinking- water on the
spot, it is brought by train.  In several places tanks
have been erected for containing a supply of water
sufficient to meet all ordinary wants.
In the midst of the Humboldt Plains is the town
of Elko, at which the train makes a long stoppage.
This is one of the mushroom towns which abound
to the west of the Rocky Mountains. It contains
three thousand inhabitants. What Sacramento and
San Francisco were twenty years ago, Elko is said
to be at the present moment. It is laid out in
streets, and these streets are lined with shops and 
~VESTWARD BY RAIL.
dwellings.   As  names,  Comnmercial-street, g]ain
street, I-ailroad-street sound  wel],  while  First,
Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Streets convey
the notion of an American city of size and importancee. But it is one thing to read of those streets,
and another and very different thing to walk in
them. They are as much entitled to the appellation
of streets as are the spaces between the booths of a
country fair.  Nor are the shops, houses, and public
offices at all more imposing than the booths erected
in a night for the business of a day. The thoroulgh —
fares are neither paved nor macadamised. They
are as primitive in character as the pathways betwveen the tents on Wimbledon Common when the
Volunteers  are encamped there.   The foot passeng,er walks among alkali, and as he moves along
he raises a cloud of dust which whitens and damages
his clothes, and excoriates his nostrils.  Over the
fronts of shops constructed of wood, canvas, or
a combination of both, are signs intimating that
everything the pedestrian wants is to be had within.
If he enters one of these pretentious' stores' hle will
find that with money, and plenty of it, he has at his
command whatever he can desire, from  a box of
pills to a bottle of champagne, and from a cigar to
a pot of blacking. On the outside of some huts is
a board with the inscription that a lawyer or a
198 
THiE HUMBOLDT RIVER AND PLAINS.   199
doctor may be consulted within. One of these hluts
has these words painted above the door in large
black letters:-' Office of the ElIo Iizdependeit.'
A  newspaper  office in such  a locality specially
attracts the attention of anyone to whom newspaperoffices are places of personal interest. I regret that
the time at my disposal was insufficient to visit this
home of journalism in what was little better than a
wilderness. I was fortunate enough, however, to
succeed in procuring a copy of the Elko I?Tdepe2de(it.
It is published twice a week; ismprinted on good
paper; its leading articles are quite as well written
as those which grace the columns of an ELnglis
proiTincial newspaper, -wh,le its advertisements are
fraugh,lt with instruction of a new and curious kind.
That the price of a copy should have been one
shilling surprised me less than the fact that the
journal was published at all, and was supported by
the small population of this primitive town.
One of the advertisements was very noteworthy.
It was worded  as follows:-' Ung Gen, Chinese
Doctor, Silver-street, betwveen Fourth and Fifth,
Elko, will attend professionally to all who  may
require his services. HIaving been engag,ed in a
steady practice for several years, he is prepared to
cure all diseases that may come to his notice.' This
was not, as sceptical readers may suppose, an adver 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
tising trick.  Chinese doctors are not shams here,
but living realities, and, in their own way, useful
members of society. In some parts of the Union
mock Indians impose on the credulous, and deceive the unwary. At Saratoga, for example, the
Indian camp is inhabited by persons bearing strong
physical resemblances to Irishmen of pure blood
and obstreperous patriotism. Around Niagara Falls
the Indians  have  a very theatrical appearance.
Their names and dresses alone recal the wild aborigines of America. But the Chinese in these parts
of the American continent are genuine natives of
the Flowery Land.   They have been  the  chief
constructors of the Pacific Railway. They are the
most docile and trustworthy of servants.  Along the
line I saw squads of them at work. At this place
they are so common as to attract no notice. Many
of them were making their way through the crowd
on the platform of the station. Four or five women
and a few children were the momentary objects of
interest, for Chinawomen are but seldom seen in
public.  Not less curious than the advertisement of
the Chinese doctor, whose'steady practice for scvcral years' had prepared him'to cure all diseases,'
was that of a firm of druggists.  This firm intimated not only that it was ready to supply all
drugs and to prepare all prescriptions, but also
200 
THiE HUMBOLDT RIVER AND PLAINS.  201
that it had on hand'a large stock of paints, oils,
window-glass, castor oil; also a large assortment of
fishing lines and hooks of all kinds.' Another announcement may be repeated for the benefit of
future visitors to Elko. In it the keeper of the
'White Pine Saloon' informs his patrons that' The most delicate fancy drinks are compounded by
skilful mixologists in a style that captivates the
public and makes them happy.'  Turning from the
advertising to the leader columns of the Elko Independent, I find that the Democratic party is
honoured with its support, and that the Chinese
are the objects of its aversion. A proposition for
excluding Chinese labour, without openly persecuting Chinamen, deserves mention on account of
the malicious ingenuity which inspired it.  The
writer points out that it is characteristic of the
Chinese to desire that their remains should be interred among the graves of their ancestors, and that
to be buried in a foreign land is repugnant alike to
their religious sentiments and patriotic feelings.
Taking advantage of this, it is proposed to make it
a penal offence'to disturb the remains of the dead
after burial, and to attempt to carry away from our
shores the mortal remains of one of that people, and
the good wIork of excluding them is accomplished.'
From conversations with fellow-travellers I learned 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
that the aversion to the Chinamen is very general
on the Pacific slope of the continent. The Chinese
I sav along the line appeared to be ha,ird-working
and good-tempered beings, ready to interchange
words with whoever would converse with them in
the broklen English which they understand, and delighted when a passenger who had lived in China
geave utterance to a word or phrase in their native
tongue.  One or two Chinamenll entered the train
here.   Among  them  vwas  a merchant who  had
amassed a fortune, who spokle English fluently, and
who conversed intelligently on most subjects.  He
was not allowed a scat in the best cars, but was condemned to occupy a place in the emigrants' cars.
All his money  could not conquer the prejudice
against his tribe.  Though the negroes have been
emancipated, yet the spirit of caste still ivorks mischief in America.  Indeed, as an American writer
has forcibly remarked:'The spirit of "Native
Americanism" is but a thinly disguised aristocracy
of birth.'  Perhaps no two persons in the motley
group on the platform at Elko station were more
helpless and misplaced than a Frenchman and his
wife.  They were evidently very poor, were miserably clad and dirty, and downcast in spirit. They
hardly knew a word of English, and those about
them were ignorant of French.  Their desire was to
202 
TIIE HIUMIBOLDT RIVER AND PLAINS.   203
get to the silver mines in as cheap a way as possible,
being under the delusion that if they once reached
the mines their fortunes were as good as made.
This was the second French couple I met in this far
away region. The other wretched pair had taken
up their abode in Salt Lake City, with a view to
deal in fiurs.  Both had been from ten to fifteen
years in America, and the husband alone could
make himnself imperfectly understood. IIis wife spolke
French only.  They uttered warmn  expressions of
satisfaction when they found one with whom they
could converse in their own language.  Unfortunately the pleasure was not reciprocal, seeing that
this unhappy couple took advantage of the opportunity to pour forth a long and by no means interesting
account of their sufferings anld their disappointments.  The couple at Elko  thought less about
telling their story than about finding a team of
mules wherewith to start for the silver yielding
region.  They were clearly directed whither to go,
but when last I saw them as the train moved off,
they were walking in the wrong, direction in a state
of hopeless bewilderment.
What gives importance to this place is the fact
that the road to the lWhite Pine mining district
branches off at Elko.  This district is about 125
miles south of Elklo, and is almost due east of
10
I 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
Virginia City, where the excitement with regard
to silver mining in Nevada first broke out, and attracted general notice. The reputation of White
Pine had been achieved in a very short time. Ini
February, 1869, the population of the district was
reckoned at four hundred people; five months later
it had increased to twenty thousand. The dominant topic in every conversationt is the silver mines
of this State. Let me pause in the description of
my journey to furnish a brief account of the silver
mines of Ncvada.
204 
XVI.
THE STATE OF NEVADA ANYD ITS SILVER TPLEASUiE&S.
PnRiOR To 1861, what is now known as the State of
Nevada formed part of the Territory of Utah. The
MIormons were in the minority and the Gentiles
were dissatisfied with their own condition. Having
resolved upon separating themselves from the 1lormons, the Gentiles met together, passed resolutions,
and formed a territorial organization.   Congress
approving of their conduct, gave validity to the
arrangements they had made. The President appointed a Governor over the new Territory. The
numbers of the citizens rapidly increased: their
ambition prompted them to desire admission into
the UTnion and, on Congress giving the necessary
consent, the semi-independence and the valuable
privileges accorded to a State became, in 1864, the
portion of Nevada.
As early as 1859 discoveries of silver in Nevada
had attracted the notice of adventurous miners in
all parts of the West.  Ten years had then elapsed
since the gold excitement in California startled and
fascinated the world. The Californian quartz mines
205 
VWESTWARD BY IRAIL.
were as rich as ever, but the individual miner found
great difficulty in getting a return for his labour equal
to that which he could easily command before the
watercourses had been rifled of nuggets and all the
gold dust had been sifted from the sand and gravel.
To these disappointed and desponding miniers the
news that silver was even more abundant in Nevada
than gold had ever been in California was received
with great joy, and an immediate rush was made to
the new Potosi.   The yield of the great Comstock
lode was such as to verify to the letter the most
hi,ghflown statements, and to gratify the most sanguine hopes.  Virginia City, in Western Nevada,
was built within easy reach of this lode and the
whole district was honey-combed with mines.  The
estimated value of the gold and silver obtained in
this district during ten years is twenty millions
sterling.   Sixteen millions of dollars are believed
to be the gross annual yield.   The sum is enormous,
yet the proportion of actual gain is very small.
The net profit is understood to be not greater than
half a million of dollars. Worse than the insignificance of the return is the prospect that, unless a,
desperate experiment prove successful, these mines
will have to be abandoned altogether.   To  avert
this calamity a tunnel is now being driven into
Mount Davidson with a view to intersect the great
206 
NEVADA AND ITS SILVER TREASURES.   207
Comstock lode at the depthl of 2,000 feet.   The
distance to be driven is four miles. Mir. Sutro is
the projector of the tunnel, and it has been named
after him.  Opinions are divided as to the merits of
the enterprise.  Its very lmagnitude is regarded by
some as an insuperable bar to its success, while more
daring and confident spirits predict the brilliant
triumph of the gigantic undertaking.   It is not
necessary to be a practical miner, an experienced
engineer, or a volunteer prophet to state that the
Sutro tunnel will either beggar its promoters, or else
be the means of converting each of them into a
Cresus.
To the east of Virginia City another district rich
in silver deposits attracted miners in 1862. This is
called the Reese River district. The mines in it do
not yield large quantities of ore, but the ore found
in them is of a superior class. Austin City is the
chief town of this locality.   But the spot which at
present surpasses all othlers, which has been more
than a nine days wonder, and the theatre of an excitement which tends to increase rather than abate,
which has been the haven of miners disgusted with
the reality elsewhere, and is one of the most notable
among the many rich repositories of silver treasure
in the State of Nevada, bears the name of White
Pine. 
WIESTWARD BY RAIL.
This district which lies due east of Virginia City
Vwas first' prospected' by some adventurous miners
iwho left Austin City in the spring of 1865 with the
design of carefully exploring untrodden wilds in the
hope of making their fortunes.  With such men the
old saw, that the sea conltains as good fish as have
been taken out of it, is at once an article of faith
and a stimulus to action.  While thoroughly coinciding in the spirit of the saying they have materially altered its wvording.  Instead of sea, they
read stream or flat or mountain slope, and for fish,
they substitute the words golden dust or auriferous
quartz, chloride of silver or argentiferous stone. A
pickaxe is their'open sesame.'  Wherever their
keen and skilled vision detects traces of mineral,
there the rending blow is struck and the stone
detached to be tested by a rude chemistry, or subjected to the rapid and decisive scrutiny of eyes
quick  to discern and admire  the true ore and
trained to reject the dross. During many months
of hard toil continued with indomitable vigour, and
of trying privation borne with unflinching spirit,
did they prosecute their search.   Spring melted
into summer and summer faded into autumn before
the prize was won.  They then satisfied themselves
that what is now known as Treasure Hill contained
incalculable stores of precious minerals. On the
208 
NEVADA AND ITS SILVERP TREASURES. 209
10th of October they assembled together, made
speeches and passed resolutions whereof the gist is
contained in the mining records of thec locality.
The entry runs as follows:' A company of miners
met on the above day for the purpose of forming a
district. Motion made and carried that this district
be known as White Pine District —bounded on the
north by the Red Hills, and running thence south
to a point whence the mountains run into a foothill, thence east twelve miles, thence north, and
thence west to the place of beginning.'  The district
thus mapped out had no attraction of scenery or site
to recommend it. The trees which grow in the valleys or on the mountain sides are few in number and
small in size. Desolation and sterility dominate the
landscape. Nor is the absence of beauty compensated for by balmy winds and genial skies. All the
year round the air is chilly, while, during the long
months of winter, storms rage with incredible fury.
The blast sweeps along charged with snlow, and dust,
and gravel. Those who suffer this ordeal are justi fied in believing that the demons of the storm have
chosen as their appropriate home the bleak and
barren mountains of Nevada. A name originally
given to a thick white mass of cold vapour which
sometimes veils the mountain tops and sometimes
fills the valleys is employed to cliaracterize these 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL.
terrible storms.   Tell a miner acquainted with
White Pine that you have had to face the Po go-nip and he will at once know that all your
powers of endurance have been put to the test.
The strengthl of the fascination produced by the
silver deposits at W,Yhite Pine is measured by the
fact that the miners persevere in extracting the
valued metal despite the terrors and the trials of
the Po-go-nip.
Hamilton City, Shermantown, and Treasure
City, are the principal centres of business in the
district of White Pine.  MIany other names  of
c cities' might be mentioned, but the' cities' themselves are names and nothing more. They are
glibly uttered by speculators: they figure in books
and maps; but the greenhorn will search for them
in vain. A new-comer desiring to learn some particulars about a city, questioned a miner who, on
the streig,th of a month's residence in the neighbourhood, had a claim to the title of one of the
oldest inhabitants, and received the reply that the
city'was about as large as New York, but was not
built up yet.'  Those which have been'built up'
are mere aggregates of miserable shanties and primitive tents.  To construct a wooden dwelling is
nearly as expensive here as it is to erect a marble
palace elsewhere.  Treasure City, perched up near
210 
NEVADA AND ITS SILVER TREASURES.   211
the summit of Treasure Hill at an elevation of nine
thousand feet above the level of the sea, is in close
proximity to one of the richest of the White Pine
mines. This is the Eberhardt, which is to White
Pine what the famous Gould and Curry is to
Virginia City.  Not till the spring of 1868 was it.
vigorously worked and since then the returns have
been prodigious.  Its value  has  been rated  at
millions: at one time a purchaser acquired it for
twenty-five dollars.   A  trustworthy writer  has
given the following sketch of the appearance of the
mine underground:-' At the door a pack train of
Mexican mules are being loaded with the precious
ore for the mill two miles to the south-west, and
two thousand feet lower down. In the shed men
are busy at a great pile of brown, blue, red, green
and black rock, breaking it to pieces and sortilng it,
the richest being thrown aside for the crucible, and
the rest going into the sacks to be packed away to
the mill.  There is a princely fortune in this pile of
ore, which to the uninitiated  -ye is but a heap of
broken rock fit only for building walls or macadamizing public streets. Over one of the hoisting
shafts there is a large wooden bucket with a rope
and rude windlass such as you mighit see on the
prospecting shaft of the poorest miner. It has serveed
for hoisting all this wealth to the surface.  In this 
W1  ESTWA1RD BY RAIL.
bucket wle descended into the mine.  A long, narrow
chamber, with dull, dark walls, and a few men at
work with pick and gad, were all that the first
glance revealed, and there was a momentary feeling
of disappointment. A closer inspection showed that
the walls, the ceiliing, the floor, were silver; even
the very dust on the floor was silver.  This lump
will yield five dollars a pound, this six, tliis seven,
this eight, and this, which will flatten like lead
under the hammer, is worth within a fraction of ten
dollars a pound.  They tell us that there is a million
dollars worth of silver piled up before our eyes in
this gloomy cavern, and such is indeed the fact.'*
Keystone, Aurora, and Virginia, are the names of
other productive mines.  It is dangerous, however,
to speak eulogistically of any mine, for before the
inlk is dry in which the words are written the mine's
reputation may have been blasted beyond redemption. To-day its richness is the theme of every
tongue and the envy of all who have no share in it,
while to-morrow hardly a soul will deign to notice
the concern whichl, in the slang of the locality, is
'played out' or' busted.'  Not only are the blanks
more numerous than the prizes in tlhe' great lottery
of silver mining, but the prizes often become converted into blanks.  The miner makes what he calls
* 3Ir. A. S. Evans, in Otc,,Ie7d Montljy for 5l~arch, 1869, p. 279.
212 
NEVADA AND ITS SILVER TREASURES.   213
' a strike;' hlie has found the hidden treasure; his
fortune, he now thinks, is made. Suddenly he discovers that the ore is' refractory' and will not pay
to work, or the lode which sparkled with metal first
becomes'disordered' and then disappears. Moderate success will not suffice to enable him to live
easily and accumulate wealth.  lie may work for
others and receive 1. daily; but this barely enables
him to subsist. In the early days of mining here,
the prices of the commonest articles were exorbitant, while the sums charged for others were prohibitory. Rich men could alone afford to be ill, and
all who fell ill were not rich. A doctor's fee would
have ransomed a captive out of the hands of bloodthirsty Greek brigands.  Laudanum sold at 5s. a
drop. A single pill cost 21. For extracting a
tooth 101. were charged. Even the trivial luxury
of a cup of tea could not be enjoyed for less than
11., while the man who wished to eat an egg had to
pay 15s. for the treat. Competition has now lowered
prices, but there are several things which still commiand comparatively high sums. There is no water
in Treasure City; every drop consumed there has to
be brought in barrels up the steep mountain side,
and a gallon costs as much as a gallon of wine on
the Rhine or the Rhone. There is little wood in
this district: a bundle of sticks costs one pound 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
sterling.  WVhen these things are duly considered,
it will not seem strange that the profits of those who
work what are reputed tG be the richest mines should
be neither great nor lasting.
Although thousands will waste their substance
and their strength in developing thle silver mines of
Nevada, yet the returns from these mines will probably suffice to double or quadruple the silver
bullion of the world. That State has already produced as much silver as all the mines of Peru. What
has been done within thle brief space of a few years
is but a trifle compared with what may hereafter be
accomplished. There are numerous mountain slopes
and Canyons yet untested in which many an Eberhlardclt mine may be discovered, or another Cornstock lode laid bare. Nor of adventurers willing
to risk all on the venture is there any lack. Perhaps the capitalist who is not addicted to speculations which  differ in name only from staking
money on the chance of a dice-box, on the roll of a
ball, or on the colour of a card' drawn at random
fi'rom a pack, will act wisely if he watch rather than
aid in the dlevelopement of the Nevada mines.
Those who are on the spot may effect a profitable
investment: those who are at a distance must trust
to the representations of others; must rely upon the
reports of assayers; must believe that the specimens
214 
NEVADA AND ITS SILVER TREASURES.   215
shown to them really represent the character of
the mines which they are asked to purchase.  The
following story, despite its exaggeration, is fraught
with a useful moral.  When new discoveries were
being made daily, the first duty was to get the
specimens assayed. If the result were encouraging
the claim would at once command a high price.
One of these assays was too satisfactory.  According to the assayer's report the proportion of silver
in the stone was rather more per ton than if the
whole had been solid silver, while it was added that
gold to the value of 39 dollars was also contained
in it.' ConsideringT that the specimen assayed was
a fragment of a grindstone, the effort of the assayer
was terrific.' 
WESTWARD DY IDAIL.
XVII.
ACR OSS TIIE SIEPD.A  EVEADA,S.
Fon. 200 miles to the west of Elko the scenery con tinued to be monotonous, consisting of wide barren
plains bordered by mountain slopes. The Humboldt
river, with its banks fringed with shrubs and plants,
and the land for some distance on either side afford ing, grazing ground for herds of cattle, alone gave
a slight variety to the scene. Now and then a
prairie wolf slunk aside as the passing train startled
it from its lair.  -Aore than one rude monument
was pointed out to me as indicating the spot where
a foul murder had been perpetrated or a bloody
combat had been waged.  It was in this locality
that the Indians made a savage onslaught on those
engaged in constructing the line, murdering, scalping, and  plundering several white men.   Some
Indians were among the passengers by this train.
I was told that thev are carried gratis.  In return
they sometimes help to heap wood on the tender
at the appointed stopping-places.  They were Shosliones, and were said to be very peaceable.  With
216 
ACROSS THiE SIERRA NEVADAS.
their vermilion-stained cheeks, their lank black hair,
their low foreheads, prominent noses, and sensual
mouths, and an expression aklin to the expression of
a brute rather than that of a human being, they
were as unprepossessing looking mortals as ever
were seen in reality, while the very reverse of the
Indians depicted in works of fiction.  Indeed, the
contrast was equivalent to a revolution between the
doings of Eagle Eye, Little IHawk, South West
Wind, and other warriors, now that they heaved
billets of wood on the tender and when they scoured
these plains with a view to achieve some deed of
daring, and with a dislike deemed insuperable to
perform anything that was simply useful.  None of
them had any scruples about asking and accepting
alms. The squaws, who were far more hideous
than the men, and the children, who were both ugly
and naked, pestered the passengers for money or
eatables.  It was the rare exception for them to
have anything to sell.
An American train resembles a steamer in this,
that all the passengers are thrown together in away
which is impossible when they are cooped up in
compartments as on an Englishl railway. Every
carriage communicates in such a way that it is possible at any moment to enjoy a welcome change
by walkling from end to end of the train.  In my
217 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
car there were several Californians on their way
home after a visit to their native places in the
Eastern States. One of them had several bottles of
choice old Bourbon whisky with him, and he was
persistent in asking his acquaintances to'take a
drink.' The whisky bottle was produced as early
as six in the morning, and was passed from hand to
hand at short intervals till the hour came for going,
to bed. The number of drinks must not be taken
as a criterion of the extent of drunkenness. A sip
of liquor constitutes a drink. It is the form rather
than the effect which seems to give pleasure.   The
WVesterners and Californians hold thlat, not to drink
at all is the mark of a, milksop, while to drink too
much demonstrates a fool. One passenger could
hold his own with most men of his years in drinking,
smoking, shooting, and driving a bargain. iHe told
some stories, which I should hardly have credited
had they not been confirmed by independent and
impartial testimony.  He was thirty years old, and
had seen more of life in all its aspects than many
bold adventurers of double his age.  More than one
fortune he had made and squandered. He was
now bound for California, with 150 dollars in his
polcket, determined to enrich himself again. Everything by turns he had essayed; among others, the
business of an auctioneer in Salt Lake City.
218 
ACROSS TIlE SIERRA NEVADAS.
Durilng four years he ladcl driven a roaring trade
among the Mormons  by selling to them at hi,gh
prices the second-hand and old-fashioned silks and
satins disdained by the fashionable world elsewhere.
Althoug,h a Gentile, he yet had succeeded in gaining the good graces and'pocketinlg the spare cash
of the Mormons. Judicious bribery and judicious
reticence had commended him to the leaders among
the Saints.  Yet, while keeping his mouth shut,
he did not shut his eyes also.  Many examples of
MIormon cruelty and tyranny had been witnessed
by him, and these hle detailed in a way which
chilled the listenler's blood.   Another  American,
who had come from a two months' residence at Salt
Lake City, was brimful of stories similar in kind.
To their tales I attributed the greater credit, because they tallied in the main with what I had
learned from personal observation of the practical
workling of Mormonism in the valley of the Great
Salt Lake.  It is noteworthy that no American who
has visited Utah is a defender of the system in
operation there.  They all regard the Mormons as
unworthy and dangerous  citizens.   The  opinion
seems universal that Congress must speedily legislate for Mormonism, not as a peculiar system of
religion, but as a permanent conspiracy against
equality and the impartial administration of justice.
219 
WESTWARARD BY RAIL.
Towards morning there was a commotion among
the passengers.  A sudden shock roused all from
their slumbers.  Many were greatly frightened, but
no one was seriously hurt. A severe shaking was
the only result of what proved to be a collision
wvith a herd of cattle.  The engine and tender had
boen thrown off the rails.  Two oxen were crushed
to death.  Fortunately, the ground on either side
was level; had the accident taken place farther on,
where the embankment was very steep, the consequences might have been disastrous. As it was,
a detention of eight hours between Wadsworth and
Clarks' Station and the loss of breakfast were the
only sufferings to be borne.  Before many minutes
had elapsed energetic steps were taken to replace
the engine on the rails. The necessary appliances
were at hand, and were put to their respective uses.
This was not the only proof of the completeness
of the arrangements for such a contingency.   A
telegraph clerk was in the train, and he had an
instrument for tapping the wires. In the course of
a few minutes the requisite connections were made,
and messages were telegraphed to the stations East
and West.   An hour did not pass away before
two locomotives were on the spot. What was still
more important, the passage of trains over the line
was stopped. As the line is a single one, the
220 
ACROSS THE SIERR,A NEVADAS.
timely warning thus given by telegraph doubtless
helped to avert the danger of other  collisions.
Sonme passengers were indisposed to forego their
breakfasts without an effort to provide a substitute.
There was plenty of beef alonglside the line, and
the sage-brush could be used for fuel.  WVhat more
natural then, they argued, than to light a fire and
cook a steak?  The sage-brush was soon in a blaze,
but the meat could not be procured with equal
rapidity.  Cutting through an ox hide and carving
out a steak with a pen-knife was  a task which
baffled the passenger who made the attempt.
While the ineffectual endeavour was being made,
the fire threatened to produce serious consequences.
The flames rushed along in the direction of the
telegraph posts and the cars. A German gentleman of greater pluck than prudence had ignited
the sage-brush, and he became ludicrously alarmed
at the results of his act.  HLIe rushed about in
frantic consternation, making energetic attempts to
stamp out the flames.   His vigour in undoing the
mischief he had caused, led to the scorching and
permanent injury of his boots and trousers.
Eight hours after the collision had occurred, the
engine was replaced on the rails and the train was
put in motion again.  Not long afterwards the base
of the Sierra Nevada range was reached, and the
221 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
wearying sight of plains covered withl alkali and
sa,ge-brush was exchlanged for picturesque views of
mountain slopes, adorned with branching pine trees,
and diversified with foaming torrents. This was a
gratifying relief, as well as a fascinating prospect.
An anecdote is told of a lumber-man, who journeyedl from his native State of MIaine to seek his
fortune in the State of California.   He was extremely taciturn and depressed in spirits during the
journey across the plains.  When these mountains
came in sight, and his eyes rested upon the familiar
pine trees, he gazed earnestly for a moment, tlen,,
rising to his feet, exclaimed,' Thankl God, I smell
pitch once more;' and tlhenl, sinking back into his
seat, he wept for joy.
Reno is the last halting place of importance
during the Westward journey through the State of
Nevada. It is within a few miles of Virginia City,
the headquarters  of the miners  who work  the
numerous silver and gold mines in this district.
Here, as at other similar places, a large number of
passengers left the train and a new set entered it.
The amount of the local passenger traffic was far in
excess of my expectations. Indeed, the proportion
of through passengers is very small when compared
with the number journeying from one intermediate
station to another.  Near Boca, which is 127 miles
222 
ACROSS THE SIERRA.NEVADAS.
distant from  Sacramento,  the line  crosses  the
boundary that separates the State of Nevada from
the State of California. The Californians rejoiced
when the train entered their State, and spoke with
pleasure about soon basking in the sunshine which
has made the Pacific slope a modern Garden of
Eden.  The ascent now becomes very steep, and
two engines are employed to drag the train.  At
short intervals there are strong wooden sheds of
about a thousand feet long, erected to guard the
line against destruction from what we call avalanches, and what here are called'snow slides.'
Indeed, these sheds are very much  like tunnels.
They have been constructed at a vast expense, and
in a solid mnanner.  It has yet to be seen how far
they will subserve their purpose. They have the
drawback of interrupting the view of some of the
most romantic scenery on the line. The glimpses
one gets are just sufficient to tantalise and not
prolonged enough to satisfy. The view of Donner
Lake is the most charming of them all.  This lake
is picturesquely situated in a gorge of the Sierras.
It was once the theatre of a terrible tragedy. An
emigrant party, travelling to California in 1846,
was overtaken by the snow within eight miles of
Donner Lake. The party, which was composed of
men, women, and children, numbered eighty in all.
223 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
They were blocked in by snow drifts and were
compelled to encamp and wait for the return of
spring. Long before the winter was over and gone,
their stock of provisions was exhausted, the cattle
had all been killed and eaten and even the hides
had been devoured by the half famished party.
Then came the bitter struggle between absolute
starvation and a resort to cannibalism. The desire
to live triumphed over every other consideration
and the bodies of the dead became the sustenance
of the survivors.  While this horrible tragedy was
being enacted, an event happened which has given
rise to much speculation among the believers in
supernatural occurrences. A hunter named Blount
living in California beheld in a dream the situation and condition of the suffering party.   The
impression made on him was so intense that ihe
mentioned the circumstance to other hunters who
were well acquainted with the region around Donner Lake. They told him that his description
tallied with the reality.  This intelligence had the
effect of making him resolve upon doing what lihe
could to rescue the snowv-bound emigrants. Being
joined by others he went to their rescue and had
the satisfaction of saving nearly thirty out of the
eighty.   The survivors were frostbitten and crippled; but their physical condition was less dleplor
224 
ACRiOSS THIE SIERRA NEVADAS.
able than their mental state. They had lived upon
human flesh till they acquired a liking for it. One
of them was detected smeared with blood and fur..
tively roasting a-woman's arm, after the supply of
other  food was ample.   Such  a story furnishes
confirmation of the saying that truth outstrips fiction. It is more puzzling and revolting than any
which the modern writer of sensational novels
has yet produced for the gratification of depraved
tastes.
Summit Station, though the highest point on this
line, is not so high as Sherman Station on the
Union Pacific. It is 7,042 feet above the level of
the sea.   This represents not the altitude of the
Sierra Nevada range, but only the elevation of this
mountain pass.  Above the station the peaks of the
mountains tower cloudwards. The scene is one of
unprecedented  grandeur.   Owing  to the  delay
caused by the accident I have described, the speed
of the train had been increased. The engine-driver
had been running extra risks in order, as the Americans phrase it, to' make time,' so as to arrive' on
time.' The descent was thus made with exceptional
rapidity. From Summit Station to Sacramento the
distance is 105 miles.   Between these places the
descent from a height nearly half as great as that of
Miont Blanc to fifty-six feet above the sea level has
225 
WESTWIIARD BY RAIL.
to be made.   The velocity with whlich the train
rushed down this incline, and the suddenness with
which it wheeled round the curves, produced  a
sensation which cannot be reproduced in words.
The line is carried along the edge of declivities
stretching downwards for two or three thousand
feet, and in some parts on a narrow ledge which had
been excavated from the mountain side by men
swung from the upper parts in baskets. The speed
under these circumstances  seemed terrific.   The
axle-boxes smoked with the friction, and the odour
of burning woodcl pervaded the cars.   The wheels
were nearly red hot.  Ill the darkness of the night
they resembled discs of flame.   Glad though all
were to reachl Sacramento, not a few were specially
thankful to have reached it with whole limbs and
unbruised bodies.
The charm of the last few hours is indescribable.
It owed its effect to the striking contrast between
the experience of the past and the pleasure of the
moment.   To nothing can it so aptly be compared
as to that impressive passage in the inspired vision
of the great Italian poet which tells how, after
haviing painfully traversed the circles of Hell, he at
last entered the' dolorous realm' ribbed in everlastilng ice, then issuing forth through an outlet, he
returned to the' bright world,' beheld the beauteous
226 
ACROSS THE SIERRA NEIEVADAS.
sights of Heaven, and saw the stars again.*  But a
few hours ago we were passing through a region in
which desolation reigned supreme; a region of sagebrush and alkali dust, of bitter water and unkindly
skies. Still more recently the icy winds of the
snow-crowned Sierras had chilled us to the bone.
The transition was sudden and the transformation
magical.   The sun descended in a flood of glory
towards the Pacific Ocean, while the train was
spinning down the ringing grooves of the mountains.
The canopy of azure overhead, unflecked by a cloud
and spangled with myriads of brilliant stars, surpassed in loveliness the brightest and most serene
sky which ever enchanted the dweller on. the
luxuriant shores of the blue Mediterranean.   No
Italian air was ever more balmy, nor evening breeze
through vineyard or olive grove more grateful to
the senses than the soft wind which, tempered by
the coolness of the distant ocean and odorous with
the rich perfumes of the neig,hbouring plains, now
fanned our cheeks and gave a fresh zest to life.
The journey is not yet over. San Francisco is still
upwards of a hundred miles to the west. But the
Rocky Mountains, the American Desert, and the
*'Tanto ch' io vidi delle cose belle,
Che porta il Ciel, per unl pertugio tondo:
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.'
Iqferno, canto xxxiv. lines 137-9.
l!l
227 
IWESTWARD  BY RAIL.
Sierra  Nevadas are far behind us  and a  new
country is before our eyes. That the Golden State
is one of extraordinary richness is well known to
every traveller.   To some, however, as to me, it
may have been a matter for rejoicing to discover
that California is also a land teeming with unexpected natural beauties and rare natural delights.
228 
229
XVIII.
2HE CAPITAL OF THE GOLDEN STATE.
Tr,E passengers by the train in which I journeyed
across the continent of America' missed connections' at Sacramento.  This is the American way
of stating that the train which arrived did not correspond with that which departed.   The accident
which I have described was the cause of this. IJad
the train been punctual the passengers need not
have rested for the night at Sacramento, as they
might have continued their journey without pause
till San Francisco was reached.   However, they
had no choice. For better or worse a night had to
be passed at Sacramento, the capital of the State of
California, and 125 miles distant from the chief and
most notable city on the Pacific Coast. For my
own part I had intended to stop here on the way
Westward, in order to see something of the most
remarkable among the cities of California.
M1y first personal experience of a Californian
hotel was partly a severe trial and partly a lnenv 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
pleasure. The trial consisted in the demands made
upon me by hospitable acquaintances; the pleasure
in practically learning how persistent and expansive
was Californian good-fellowship. I accompanied
my travelling acquaintances to the hotel for which
they vouched. One of them had been a member of
the Legislature of California, and was consequently
well acquainted with Sacramento, the seat of'the
legislature of a thousand drinks.' A few minutes
after my companions and myself had inscribed our
names in the hotel-register it was proposed that
we should'take a drink.' This proposition was
received with general approval. As a stranger, I
could neither object with good reason nor retire
with courtesy.  The'drink' was duly enjoyed by
the several members of the party. Hardly was the
libation at an end than the friend of one of those
present made his  appearance.   After  a hearty
greeting to his friend, the ceremony of introducing
those who were strangers to him was performed
with the accustomed solemnities.   Then followed
the invitation,' Let us take a drink.' Again were
healths pledged and glasses emptied at the hotel
bar.  The gratification was slightly diminished this
time, seeing that the night was advancing, and the
hour for supper was nigh. But remonstrance was
useless, and would have been regarded as unsocial.
230 
THE CAPITAL OF THE GOLDEN STATE.   231
Under these circumstances cheerful submission is
more commendable and wise than flat refusal and
unmannerly opposition.  But a third and greater
trial was at hand. Fresh introductions were made,
and new invitations to take a drilnk were proffered.,
IVith as good a grace as I could command, I submittedl to an ordeal which was now becoming  serious
and unpleasant.  H-appily, the end to tihe trying
and novel welcomre had arrived.   Each one was
now permitted to go his own way and make his own
arrang,ements.
In no respect was my  experience exceptional.
The custom of the country is to drink as often as
possible.   The bar-keepers ingeniously speculate
on thllis predilection of their fellow-citizens.  It is
common to find a' free lunch' and a free supper
provided in the more important Californian barrooms.  Alny one may walk in and take luncheon
or supper gratis.   Ile has several courses from
which to choose, or hle may take a portion of each.
Soup, fish, made-dishes, joints, and vegetables, are
on the bill of fare of a'free lunch.'  At the free
supper the variety is equally great.  In both cases
the viands are good in quality, are well cooked, and
are served  by  attentive waiters.   Although no
charge is made, yet it is understood that every one
who partakes of either meal must take a drink 
WLrESTWARD BY RAIL.
afterwvards.  He need not take more than one, nor
pay more for this than a quarter of a dollar-that
is, one shilling. This is the price charged for all
drinks, from a glass of lemonade to a glass of champagcrne.   The  most  common  drink  is' whisky
strai,ghlt,' in other words, raw whisky.  Each person
helps himself from a bottle presented to him. Not
merely is the quantity taken very trifling, seldom
exceeding the contents of a liqueur glass, but a
small tumiblerful of iced water is always handed by
the bar-keeper along with the bottle and glass, and
is generally sent after the whisky by the drinker.
It is the small portion taken and this subsequent
draught of water which enables the operation to be
repeated very frequently without inebriety being
produced. Probably the climate has something to
do wivth the result.   This is the general belief.
Whatever be the explanation, I entertain no doubt
as to the fact that in California there is less
drunkenness in proportion to the amount of drinking than in any other State in the Union, or in any
place of corresponding size and population in the
world.
Ais a city, Sacramento is less remarkable for what
it is than for what it has survived. The conduct of
the inhabitants of Salt Lake City is often cited as
illustrative of an energy almost miraculous, of a
232 
THE CAPITAL OF THE GOLDEN STATE.   233
faith almost unparalleled.   But the trials of the
Saints, though grievous, and their triumphs, though
meritorious and laudable, have neither surpassed,
nor do they merit more eulogy than those of the inhabitants of Sacramento.  M{ore than once fires and
floods have destroyed their city and impoverished
them. Yet the citizens never lost heart along with
their fortunes.   They re-built their ruined dwellings; the devastated streets they re-made.   On
each occasion their city became more beautiful in
appearance and more  commodious  in fact.   At
present the entire city is in process of transformation. All previous efforts having proved futile to
protect the locality from inundation when the rains
flooded tile surrounding plains and the snow melted
in the distant mountains, a new and more venturesome course was resolved upon, and has since been
pursued. The expenditure of capital upon embankments was suspended, and the elevation of the city
to a height ten feet above its original level was
begun. The immediate result is neither picturesque
in appearance, nor agreeable in reality. Some of
the streets have been entirely raised to the projected level.  Others are in course of being elevated
to a corresponding height.  For these reasons a
walk along the pavement, if prolonged for some
distance, means the ascent and descent of sudden 
VWESTWVAPRD BY RAIL.
slopes. I have used the word pavement, but this is
a misnomer here, there being nothing which pre cisely tallies with the word as used by us. In this
case the American term' sidewalk' is at once ap plicable and correct. That part of the street which
would be covered with paving,-stones in an English
city or town is often composed of wooden planking
in the towns and cities of America. In the Far
West, where wood is often cheaper than stone,
wood naturally gets the preference.   When  the
rain does not fall, and where snow is unknown, this
wooden pavement is unobjectionable.   In Sacramento it is employed under the most favourable
conditions.  A  projecting roof springing, firom the
sides of the houses overshadows and shelters the
pavement.   Thus a sort of arcade is formed, an
arcade quite as effective, and far less gloomy, than
the arcades which are peculiar to Turin and Bayonne.
Although I have said so much about wooden
pavement, I am yet far from wishing it to be supposed that Sacramento is chiefly a city filled with
unsubstantial and temporary wooden structures.
Some of the houses and shops are built of wood,
but the majority of the shops and dwellings are
constructed of brick, or stone, or iron. MIany of
the more recent erections are both ornamental and
solid in appearance and character.  The number of
234 
THE CAPITAL OF THE GOLDEN STATE.  235
buildings now being erected affords unmistakeable
evidence that Sacramento is a prosperous and rising
city. To it, more than to almost any other Californian city, the opening of the Pacific Railway has
imparted a new and a vigorous life. It was here
that the first advocates of this railway dwelt, and
i)lanned, and  toiled.   Their  energy  materially
helped to arouse their countrymen to energetic
efforts in furtherance of the grand and ambitious
project. At the period of my visit a banquet was held
to celebrate the successful completion of the scheme.
The speakers on that occasion had no hesitation
in appropriating to themselves, their fellow-citizens,
their city, and their State, the major share of the
credit for what had been accomplished. A few short
extracts from the speeches delivered on this occasion may not only prove interesting, but will serve
the purpose of showing the style of Californian
oratory, and displaying the tone which the citizens
of Sacramento adopt when their own affairs and
those of other persons are under discussion.   In
response to the toast,' California, a young giant
refreshed with  new  wine,'  Lieutenant-Governor
Holden said,' Suffice it for me to say that our skies
vie in beauty with those of far-famed Italy; our
valleys surpass in richness the famous Valley of the
Nile; our plains in productiveness the sunny plai'ns 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
of France;  our Sierra Nevadas, for beauty and
grandeur of scenery, surpass those of the mountains
of Switzerland.  Who would not be a Californian?
WVhy, sir, we have the bravest men, the handsomest
women, and the fattest babies of any place under
the canopy of heaven.'   A  passage  in another
speech I copy in order to show that the bravest'
men may blunder when indulging in the luxury of
quotation after dinner.   The toast proposed was
the health of Admiral Farragut. The speaker, a
ir. Curtis, told his audience that the admiral was
well qualified for practically inculcating the lesson
first imparted to England by the gallant Perry,
who, on the North-Western Lakes,' met the enemy
and taught them another motto than the one they
had so long cherished that:
I:ritalnnia needs no butlwarks
To frown along the steep;
IIer love is on the mountain wave,
Her march is o'er the deep.' *
This original and novel version of an old song wvas
accepted by the company as correct, and was not
* It may be useful to give, as a contrast to the version of 1ir.
Curtis, tle original by Thomas Caimpbell:
' Britannia needs no bulwarks,
No towers along the steep 
I1er march is o'er the mountain-waves,
Iler home is on the dec-p.'
236 
THE CAPITAL OF THE GOLDEN STATE.  237
rejected by the newspapers as inaccurate. Indeed,
the State Capital Reporter, in which I read these
speeches, hcaded the report with an introduction
wherein the ability which its reporters had displayed in furnishing a trustworthy version of the
several speeches was singled out for special commendation. The last extract I shall give relates
to a topic in which the speaker was more at home:
-' Mr. Chairman,-It is not necessary that anyone
should speak for Sacramento.  I am no speaker,
but Sacramento requires no speaker. There was a
time, in the long ago of her history, when every
son of Sacramento was required to work, and act,
and speak for her. But, thank God, that day has
gone by; the wheel of time rolled on with a velocity that amazed and entranced, while it cheered
and gladdened. The devastation of fire and flood
swept over her, but she arose, Pheenix-like, from
her ashes, and the heart of every Sacramentan wells
up with joy and gladness at the brilliant prospect
of her future. The beautiful City of the Plains,
nestling in her grandeur in the bosom of the valley,
coquetting with the mountains and smiling on the
sea, robed in Republican simplicity, modest and
unpretending, constantly growing in wealth and
importance, cultivating a pure and enlightened
Christian civilization, has attained a proud position 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
among the cities of the Union. With her elements
of greatness and grandeur, her gallant sons, her
working men, her cosy cottages, her stately mansions, her happy homes, her lovely daughters, her
comely matrons, her churches and public schools,
her looms and anvils, her mechanics and artizans,
all speak in eloquent and thrilling tones of her
present  importance  and future  greatness.   Her
swift coursers of internal trade, whizzing through
valley and canyon, over  hill-top and mountain,
rousing dreamy nature, and awakening glad echoes
all over the land; all-all attest her enterprise,
and proclaim her the Queen of the Golden State.'
This luxuriant rhetoric is temptingly open to criticism; but to criticise is not my business at present.
Yet I may note in passing that the ridicule which
it was thought had sufficed to finally extinguish
the Phelnix, has simply had the effect of compelling
that miraculous bird to migrate to the Pacific Slope,
there to prove serviceable to orators who use metaphor to conceal their lack of wit. Certainly,
nothing that I have yet said, or may hereafter say,
in praise of Sacramento will be thought worthy of
attention alongside of this glowing picture.  While
it was still vividly imprinted on my mind, it was a
shock to read on a placard in the streets-' We
should all vote against Negro and Chinese suffrage.'
238 
TIlE CAPITAL OF TTE GOLDEN STATE.  239
These words do not represent the utterances of a
knot of foolish and shortsighted politicians; if that
were the case it would be unfair to cite them.  Unhappily, they express the opinions of the majority
in this State; they form the watchword of the
political party which has won the victory at the
polls.  In this city the Chinese constitute a considerable proportion of the inhabitants. They are
the most hard working among the labourers who
earn their daily bread by their daily toil. They
are to be seen  in  every street  bearing  heavy
burdens suspended from the two ends of a pole,
which rests on one of their shoulders. They act
as waiters; they are the most conscientious of shoeblacks.   Sign-boards over small shops announce
that within Hung,, Lee or Sam Walah does washiing
and ironing, and  repairs clothes with  neatness.
Through the open doors or windows these Chinamen may be seen scrubbing, starching, and ironing
linen wvith a care and industry which not even a
Parisian blanchlisseuse could surpass. To all appearance their services are indispensable. That they
should be obnoxious to those who cannot labour as
cheaply is not surprising.  The Irishman detests
the competition of cheap negro labour; the negro
is jealous of the Chinaman; if the energy of monkeys
could be utilized, all of them would probably unite 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
in denouncing the unfairness of employing labour
which required no direct monetary compensation.
But the validity of the reason for persons of higher
position regarding Chinamen with intense aversion
is not so easily discovered. As members of the
community, the Chinese are acknowledged to be
remarkably sober, singularly industrious, exceptionally quiet in demeanour, strict observers of the law.
They do what they are commanded; they refrain
from what is forbidden. It is indisputable that
their labour is a great boon to the entire community. It is not so clear that the Democratic
party will succeed in their one-eyed policy of keeping the Chinese in perpetual subjection, and treating
them as social and political Pariahs.
Although no  longer as busy a city as it waas
when the gold fever was at its height, Sacramento
is still, and must continue to be, a place of great
commercial importance.  The Pacific Railway has
been a great boon to it.  As the w.estern terminus
of the Central Pacific it enjoys special advantages.
The manufactories and machine shops of the coimpany are situated here. Several hundred men are
employed in constructing cars, in putting together
and repairing locomotives. Other industries are
successfully carried on. Three flour mills, capable
of supplying 1,200 barrels of flour daily, are at
240 
TIlE CAPITAL OF THiE GOLDEN STATE. 241
workl within the city's bounds.  A woollen mill is
being erected, and a company has been constituted
for manufacturing sugar from beet-root. Among
other strange notices, I remarked a sign-board
with the inscription,' Coal and Ice Depot.'  Excepting for cooking purposes coal is not in great
demand, while the consumption of ice is very large.
As the climate is mild a supply of ice cannot be
p)rocured in the vicinity at any season of the year;
consequently, the ice used must be brought from
the mountain lakes, many miles away.  Of churches
and of both public and private schools, there are as
many as the most exacting could desire. Notwitlistanding the partiality of the Californians for drinks,
they profess to be as proud of the character of a
church-going people, and wish to be thought quite
as desirous that their children should be educated as
are the natives of New England itself.  The press
of Sacramento is a recognised power throughout the
State whereof it is the capital.  One newspaper,
the Sacramento Daily  M'zion; is extremely  well
conducted. It aspires to be independent of party,
making the interests of the community at large and
of the country as a whole the objects of its especial
care. I understand that its circulation extends far
beyond the limits of the city, and that its opinions
exercise great weight throughout California.  There 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
are, of course, the usual party organs and, like
purely party organs in America, they are both
rabid and indiscriminate upholders of their respective sides. As the seat of the State Legislature,
this city has an element of importance in addition
to those I have named. A new State House has
just been completed. This is built on the conventional pattern of American Capitols. It has been
decorated in a style of great splendour.
After all that I have said about this city, it may
be a surprise to read that the number of its inhabitants does not exceed betvween twenty-five and
thirty thousand. It is the more noteworthy, then,
that it should merit so much attention.  A glance
at the spacious streets stretching away on all sides
for long, distances leads the beholder to suppose
thlat, as the area of the city is large, the number
of its citizens must be large also. The majority of
the houses have gardens attached to them. Rows
of stately trees line many of the streets. The
vegetation is on a scale of tropical richness. The
weeds appear to be shrubs, and the shrubs resemble
small trees. Other pests besides weeds abound
here in rank profusion. The mosquito curtains
which closely surround the beds are significant
tokens of the prevalence of a form of insect life
with which most persons would gladly dispense.
242 
THIE CAPITAL OF THiE GOLDEN STATE. 243
When it is considered that not many years ago
Sacramento was the haunt of the most reckless and
depraved of the earth; the temporary home of men
who came to dig for gold, and who lavished the
gold of which they became possessed in riotous
living and in the vilest profligacy, the marvel is to
find how thorough has been the change, how complete the purification. The streets of Sacramento
are as quiet at night as the streets of Boston. A
Maine Liquor Law is unknown, drinking customs
are in the ascendant, yet drunkenness is not the
vice of the majority. Whereas formerly every man
carried a revolver, and used it on the smallest
provocation, or even out of mere wantonness of
brutality, it is now the exception to go armed, and
the rare exception to hear of dastardly murders
having been committed either in passion or cold
blood.  At night the streets are ablaze with gas
and guarded by vigilant policemen. The peace is
strictly preserved, and the lawless stand in terror
of the judges. One relic of the olden times still
survives. Gaming, the miner's favourite pastime,
flourishes in defiance of the law, or, perhaps, with
the connivance of the authorities. It is true that
the gaming hells are not places of resort into which
the stranger is allured by publicity, or which the
passer by, if uninitiated, can detect without diffi 
WESTWARD BYY RAIL.
culty. A thin veil of mystery surrounds them.
But the secret is one which everybody can fathom
at the cost of a drink.  All the bar-keepers can
point out where the hells are situated, andcl can
generally tell, moreover, which of them is honestly
conducted, and which is a den of sharpers.  Nor is
the entrance into any one of them attended with
much trouble. The Cerberus at the door is easily
propitiated. The game played is'Faro,' a game
which was the delight of English gamesters a century ago. In the United States the operation of
staking one's money in a gaming hell is called
Fighting the Tiger.'  I witnessed the ceremony
for the first time at Sacramento.   Though  the
name of the game played is different, yet the result
is identical with that which follows when money is
staked at Baden-Baden or Homburg.  As I was
informed that the same spectacle of' Fighting the
Tiger' might be witnessed on a grander scale at
San Francisco, I shall defer my account of the
exhibition till after visiting the chief and the most
renowned among Californian cities.
244 
245
X1X.
SACRAlIENTO CITY TO TIIE GOLDEN GATE.
TIiE western terminus of thie Central Pacific Railway is at Sacramento. This city occupies the place
at one end of the line which Chicago does at the
other. Just as several routes lead from New York
to Chicago, so are there more routes than one between Sacramento and San Francisco.  For  the
third time is the traveller embarrassed by variety.
He may select one out of two railways, or he may
elect to take the steamer.  I-s ticket gives him the
option of a land or water journey. The difference
in time is trifling.  As nothing worth speaking of
was gained by continuing my journey by rail, I
decided upon completing it by water.  Besides, I
could return by train, and thus see more of the
country than if, on both occasions, I had traversed
the same route.
The  California  Steam  Navigation  Company s
steamer leaves Sacramento at two in the afternoon,
arriving at San Francisco at ten o'clock the same 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
night. Like the majority of American steamboats,
those of this company are large, commodious, and
luxurious.  None of our English river or coasting
steamers are on a par with them. The upper saloon
resembles a large hall in an English country house,
furnished in the style and with the taste of a
splendid drawing-room.  It constitutes a fine promenade for those who like to walk under cover.
In the soft couches the studious may recline book
in hand, while those who are fond of meditating
with closed eyes may do so in the numerous easy
chairs.  The dining saloon is in the lower part of
the vessel. This is a lofty, airy, and well-lit apartment. During the day the light streams in thllrough
large windows; after nilghtfall many gas jets make
it as brilliant as if the sun shone.  A meal eaten in
this saloon can be enjoyed all the more on account
of the absence of the foul smells and stifling atmosphere which render the saloon of an EngTlish river
steamer an earthly purgatory. It is hardly possible
to infer from appearances that those who sit at table
are not seated in the dining-room of a first-class
American hotel. On the deck there is ample space
for the comfortable accommodation of those who,
when at sea or on the river, delight in walking or
sitting in the open air. The return journey is made
at night, and then the comforts of a well-appointed
246 
SACRA3IENTO CITY TO TIE GOLDEN GATE. 247
state-room may be had for a small extra payment.
With the French the phrase' English comfort' has
taken its place in the vocabulary of those who desire
to express or typify what are deemed perfect arrangements for procuring and partaking of what
constitutes the acme of bodily enjoyment. An acquaintance with the railway carriages and the
steamers of America provokes a doubt whether in
the construction of either the exacting and comfortloving, Englishman has not been rivalled by those
who are on the high-road to becoming his superiors.
I do not maintain that the steamer Yo-Semite, by
which these remarks have been suggested, is on the
whole a model craft. The boats on the River
Hudson, and those which ply between New York
and Newport, are far more noteworthy as examples
of floating palaces.  Even the less famous steamers
which make the passage between Boston and Portland are quite as complete and comfortable places of
temporary abode as the steamers on the River
Sacramento.   What specially impressed me was to
find a similar degree of excellence in this department of travel obtainable within sight of the At,lantic and within a few miles of the Pacific, as well
as on the majestic rivers which form liquid and
silent highways between the inland States and the
two Oceans which wash the shores of the Continent. 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
At night the brilliant lights on these steamers give
to them the aspect of fire-ships. At all times they
are hardly less daingerous than floating powder magazines. This is their bane, as comfort is their
characteristic. Costly decoration is frequently indulged in at a disregard for safety.  The saloon is
far more  perfect  than  the  engine-room.   The
machinery is better adapted for show than use, the
boilers being very inferior to the berths. One of
the passengers on the Yo-Semite told me that a
year or two ago an explosion had taken place whilst
he was on board, that many passengers were killed,
and several maimed  for life.  This intelligence
damped the spirits of some who heard it. Others
argued that the fact of such an accident having occurred once was favourable to a safe voyage.  My
own feeling was one of indifference.  After travelling for thousands of miles over roads reputed to be
dangerous, the chances of an accident taking place
cause but little concern, the accidents themselves
being looked upon as parts of the programme.
At Sacramento, where the river of that name is
joined by the American river, the united streams
form a broad but shallow sheet of water.  Not far
from this point the memorable discoveries of gold
weire made in 1848. It is not true, as has been
supIposed, that this was the first time the existence
248 
SACRAMIENTO CITY TO THIE GOLDEN GATE. 249
of gold in California had been demonstrated. Many
years prior to these discoveries the Indians were in
the habit of bringing small parcels of gold dust from
the interior to the coast, and selling them to the
masters of the vessels which then came for cargoes
of hides.  Mr. Dana,  the well-known author of
'Two Years before the Mast,' who visited the
Pacific coast in 1836, relates that among, the cargo
which the Alert carried to Boston was a small
quantity of gold dust. Hie adds that rumours of
gold discoveries were then current.   These, however, attracted little or no attention. It is no longer
possible to procure gold with as little labour and
trouble as at the period of its discovery. The gold
digger's occupation is not gone, but transformed.
Instead of wvashing the precious metal out of the
sand and mud of the streams, he has now to make
elaborate arrangements  for excavating from  the
depths of the river bed or from the sides of the
mountilains the earth throughout which the glittering and valuable dust is interspersed.  Wvhat is
called hydraulic mining has had the greatest success
in this part of the State, just as in other parts
quartz-crushing has become the rule and the source
of wealth. This hydraulic mining consists in diverting a powerful stream of water against the deposits
of earth on the mountain slopes, and separating the 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
metal from the semi-fluid mass which descends into
suitable tanks. The earth or muld, or mixture of
both, after having been carefully sifted, is thrown
into the stream which runs into the river. The
result of this is to add large deposits to the river's
bed, and to cause the swollen stream to flood the
surrounding country. This is the principal reason
why the recent inundations have given the citizens
of Sacramento and the inhabitants of the Sacramento Valley so much annoyance. The bed of the
stream has become disproportionately high for its
bankls.  Towards the winter, when the dry season
is many months old, and the season when the rain
falls has not arrived, the shallowness of the river
occasions much inconvenience. The breadth of the
river at Sacramento is equal to that of the Thames
at Greenwich. But the numerous shoals seriously
impede navigation.  The water is of a dark brown
colour. For several miles below Sacramento the
scenery is very monotonous and unattractive. The
view from the Scheldt below Antwverp bears a great
resemblance to what may be witnessed here, with
this difference-that no conspicuous object, like the
fine spire of Antwerp Cathedral, attracts the attention and gives variety to the prospect. The
banks appear to have been undermined by the swift
and strong current. They are covered down to the
250 
SACRAMIENTO CITY TO TIIE GOLDEN GATE. 251
water's edge with a rank and unpicturesque vegetation. The land, though devoid of natural beauties,
is yet of the richest and most valuable character.
If little more than semi-liquid mud, it is a soil in
which anything will grow, provided the recurring
inundations are checked.   At present, cultivation
is hardly possible here. Poising and falling with
the varying height of the river, the fields cannot be
tilled with ease, nor the harvest reaped with certainty. A house built upon it is reared on as
imperfect a foundation as a house built upon treacherous and unstable sand. To other drawbacks,
that of unhealthiness must be added. Conspicuous
among the natural products of this virgin soil are
huge reeds, many of which attain to the height of
ten feet.  These are similar to the bulrushes of
Scripture among which the infant Moses was concealed.  Here they are called' Tules.'  The ground
whereon they flourish is known by thle name of the
' Tule Lands.' Millions of acres of this land could
be turned to profitable account if efficient embankments were erected. The pure vegetable mould
which constitutes the soil, coupled with the facilities for inexpensive irrigation, present every requisite for the growth of rice.  The reclamationi of
these Tule Lands is one of the problems which the
agriculturists and capitalists of California are lon,g         12 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
ing and labouring to solve.   Experiments have
been made  by them, but without success, owing,
it is said, to the imperfect nature of the works
executed.  If the Dutch had control over this land
they would soon win it from the river, while if the
Chinese were allowed to cultivate it they would
soon convert it into remunerative rice fields. What
some Californians do is to discuss the course to be
adopted, and to set fire to the' Tules' once a year.
The spectacle of these fires is magnificent.  I was
fortunate enough to witness the sight. The thick,
sluggish volume of smoke rose grandly into the
air, and was wafted slowly away by the gentle
breeze. A purplish red tint gave to the canopy of
smoke a strange and beautiful aspect. I have seen
a prairie on fire in the State of Iowa, but the sight
was infinitely less imposing than the blazing' Tules'
on the banks of the Sacramento River. After
nightfall the effect produced resembled that which
those can picture who have seen the furnaces of the
Black Country or of Belgium belching forth flames
in the darkness of a starless and moonless night,
and illuminating the surrounding country with a
lurid glare, only that in this case the flames were
rolling and raging in an unbroken mass, extending
over what appeared to be a limitless tract of
country. The bon-fire was the largest and grandest
252 
SACRA3IENTO CITY TO THE GOLDEN GATE. 253
I ever witnessed. I should have preferred, however, to have seen the'Tule lands' yellow with
harvest to seeing them  the theatre of a gigantic
conflagration.
While the steamer Yo-Semite was descending
the Sacramento River, I learned some interesting
particulars, from passengers with whom I conversed,
relating to the agricultural capabilities and customs
of California.   MIy  informants  were  practical
farmers, and, like farmers in other quarters of
the globe, grumbled bitterly at their lot. But
their grievances were not the grievances of uncertain weather and untractable soil which vex the
hearts and try the tempers of English farmers.  As
regards the weather, they had no reason to complain. They could make their arrangements with
perfect confidence that no outward change in temperature nor any untimely shower of rain would
blight their prospects by ruining their crops.
During certain months of the year they know that
rain will fall; during the remainder of the year
they can count upon uniformly fair weather. Indeed, the Californian farmer is sure of reaping, in
due season, the crop whereof he sows the seed.
He is under no apprehension that if he omits to
house his grain for a day the consequences may be
fatal to his hopes,  On the contrary, he may post 
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pone his harvest-hlome from day to day, and from
week to week, with comparative impunity.   His
sheaves will not rot on the fields, owing to the
moisture with which, after too long exposure in our
fickle climate, they are certain to be saturated. Of
sheaves, indeed, he knows nothing. The ears of
corn are clipped from the stalks by a machine, and
gathered into heaps until the time for thrashing
them arrives.   The straw is wasted  altogether,
being got rid of as an incumbrance, instead of being
treated as a source of profit.  It is set on fire.
As the ash produced by its combustion partially
and imperfectly subserves the purpose of manure, the
process is a wasteful as well as barbarous one. The
excuse for it is, that labour being scarce a loss must
be incurred at some stage or other of the agricultural processes. If there were more hands to do
the work much less waste would be occasioned.
This, then, is one of the grievances of the Californian farmer.  He is ready to pay farm labourers
as much as a skilled mechanic is paid at home.
What a Dorsetshire peasant gets for a week's
labour he would readily receive in California for
the labour of a single day.  Moreover, he would
be well fed and comfortably lodged, treated not as
a servant but an equal, and expected to prove
himself something nobler than a drudge touching
254
I 
SACRAMIENTO CITY TO THiE GOLDEN GATE. 255
his hat in abject submission to the squire, and
listening meekly to the parson. To all who are
willing to engage in field-work, the Western
prairies of America and the vast plains of California
offer inducements such as can hardly be overestimated or exaTggerated.  But  those  who  are
ignorant of farming, and who cannot or who will
not toil with their hands, had better stay at home.
It is true that they may starve in England, but it
is quite as probable that such persons will starve in
the United States. Next to procuring plenty of
labour-not cheap labour, be it remarked, for he
is both willing and able to pay good wag,es-the
Californian farmer desires to purchase cheap implements of husbandry. This is but another way of
stating that he is a Free-trader to the backbone.
He finds that Liverpool is the best market for his
grain, and he argues that no obstacle should be
interposed to hinder his getting in return cheap
machinery and tools from England. These statements are not put into the mouths of imaginary
farmers, but are the statements actually made to
me by men with whom I conversed.  More than
one avowed that his conversion to Free Trade was
a thing of yesterday, and had its basis in selfinterest. Until California became a large grainproducing country, the injury wrought by a high 
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protective tariff did not directly affect its inhabitants.   They are otherwise-minded now, because
they feel that they are the victims of a policy which
enriches a section of the American people at the
cost of the agricultural population of the country.
The Californian farmers are at one with the farmers
of Illinois and other States in desiring the proclamation of Free Trade as the policy of the nation.
Moreover, what these men desire will probably be
brought to pass, because they bid fair to become
the majority at the polls.
Eighty miles below the city of Sacramento the
Joaquin joins the Sacramento River, and the united
streams flow into the Bay of Suisun. This bay is
connected with the Bay of San Pablo by the Straits
of Carquinez.  On the right of the outlet from the
Bay of Suisun is the town of Benicia, celebrated in
Europe as the dwelling-place of the' boy' of that
name, and notable here as the former capital of
California.  It is no longer a thriving and advancing
place. The wharf seems falling into decay. The
number of inhabitants is rated at 600, yet it
still continues to enjoy a reputation of an enviable
kind.   Its  schools  are  well-conducted  ant  are
largely patronised. The only law school of which
California boasts is among the noted seminaries of
learning that adorn Benicia. On the opposite side
256 
SACRAAIENTO CITY TO THE GOLDEN GATE. 257
of the bay may be discerned Mount Diablo, a
solitary eminence amid the surrounding plains. In
its vicinity are extensive coal pits. The coal raised
here is of excellent quality; but it has one great
drawback.   The  volume of dense  black smoke
emitted from the ignited coal is mrln'.h larger than
is agreeable or desirable.   A  steamer or a locomotive, in the furnaces of which this coal is burned,
is distinguishable at a considerable distance by the
blackness and quantity of smoke issuing firom its
funnel or chimney.   About  1,000 tons  monthly
are raised from the pits, and the surrounding towns
and cities are beginning to use this coal in preference to that which is imported, and which is
necessarily more expensive.   The depth of water
at Benicia is great enough to permit of ocean
steamers sailing up to the wharf Even the gigantic
steamers of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company
can be brought here for repairs, the company's
foundry and machine-shop being situated at this
place. The passengers who, at this season, descend
the river in steamers, are rejoiced when Benicia is
reached, because they no longer have reason to
dread detention owing to the vessel running aground
on the Hog's Back, or any of the other shoals
which render the navigation of the river precarious
and unsatisfactory. The Yo-Semite took the ground 
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more than once; fortunately, however, the engines
were powerful elnough to move  her into deeper
water again.
After passing through the Straits of Carquinez,
which are eight miles in length, the Bay of San
Pablo is entered.  This bay is fifteen miles broad
and twenty long, and opens at its lower extremity
into the great bay on which San Francisco is situated.  The sun set while the steamer was ploughing
her way through those noble sheets of water. The
sky was of a brilliant blue, and not a cloud dimmed
or concealed its brightness. As the sun rapidly
sank bchind the range of mountains which lines the
coast of the Pacific the horizon was flushed with a
soft rosy light, which the eye, accustomed to the
varied splendours of the masses of golden and purple
clouds that constitute the glory of a sunset in a
Northern clime, views with an admiration mingled
with wonder.   The rapidity of the change from
bright sunlight to pale starlight was still a novelty
to me. Of twilight, that charming isthmus between
the glare of the day and the gloom and mystery of
night, there was hardly a trace.  Scarcely had the
last glimpse of the lord of light been caught than
the deep blue heavens were glittering with stars.
It is probable that thle strangeness of the lovely
spectacle made it mnare fascinating to me than to
258 
SACRAMENTO CITY TO THIE GOLDEN GATE. 259
other passengers on board the steamer. To them
it was literally an every-day occurrence.   Each
returning evening resembles this one, and they were
not excited by a sight which was stale and commonplace to them. Moreover, they had an excuse for
preferring the shelter of the cabin to a seat on the
open deck. The breeze from the Pacific blows at
nightfall with a coolness almost too great for those
who have been oppressed by the heat of the day.
Besides, a slight swell made the Yo-Semite rock
with more violence than was perfectly agreeable to
the majority of the passengers. She was now
traversing the waters of San Francisco's unrivalled
bay, and the waves rolling in through the Golden
Gate demonstrated to the incredulous that the
Pacific has breakers which are a match for the
billows that rear their crests on the most stormy
seas.   About fifteen miles intervene between the
wharf at San Francisco and the outlet from the Bay
of San Pablo. At a considerable distance from the
landing-place a fine view of the city is obtained.
Seen as I saw it for the first time the appearance of
San Francisco is enchanting.  Built on a hill slope,
up which many streets run to the top, and illumined
as these streets were with innumerable gas lamps,
the effect was that of a huge dome ablaze with
lamps arranged in lines and circles.  Those who 
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have stood in Princes-street at night, and gazed
upon the Old Town and Castle of Edinburgh, can
form a very correct notion of the fairy-like spectacle.
Expecting to find San Francisco a city of wonders,
I was not disappointed when it seemed to my eyes
a city of magic, such a city as Aladdin might have
ordered the genii to create in order to astonish and
dazzle the spectator. I was warned by those whom
personal experience of the city had taught to distinguish glitter from substance, not to expect that
the reality of the morrow would fulfil the promise
of the evening. Some of the parts which now appeared the most fascinating were said to be the
least attractive when viewed by day.   Still, the
panorama was deprived of none of its glories by
these whispers of well-meant warning. Those who
wish to have a favourable impression when they
first behold San Francisco are strongly advised to
view it from the deck of a steamer when the fullorbed stars twinkling overhead are almost rivalled
by the myriads of gas-lights illuminating the land.
If this spectacle be poetry the landing is prose.
The din and bustle soon recall the errant mind
from aerial flights of fancy to the harsh realities of
terrestrial life. A Babel of tongues rises from the
crowded landing-stage as soon as the steamer has
been mnoored.  Hardly has the passenger set foot
260 
SACRAMENTO CITY TO THE GOLDEN GATE. 261
on shore than he becomes the prey of men intent
upon earning a gratuity by doing, or professing to
render, him a service.   The importunities of the
touters, porters, and cabmen are not only quite as
tormenting as those of their brethren at Calais or
Boulogne, but this bidding for employment is also
in marked contrast to what prevails in other American cities. The stranger who disembarks at New
York has to ask the hangers-on at the wharf to
carry his luggage, and he might have long to wait
before they voluntarily pressed their services upon
him. It cannot be doubted that the stories which
once were true about the independence of the
dwellers in San Francisco have ceased to be applicable and characteristic. At one time a new arrival
is said to have offered a shabbily-dressed man a
dollar to carry his bag a short distance for him.
He received the reply,' I will give an ounce of gold
to see you carry it yourself.' The new-comer
thereupon acted as his own porter, returned and
claimed the ounce of gold, which he received, and
was in addition treated to a bottle of champagne,
for which his entertainer had to pay the value of
another ounce. At present the tables are turned,
and the supply of labour is in excess of the demand.
I had not long to wait before I discovered that if
certain kinds of labour were abundant, the prices 
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paid for labour generally were exorbitant.   All
payments in California are made in coin, and they
are nearly as high as the corresponding payments
made elsewhere in depreciated'greenbacks.' A
drive through the streets disenchanted me as to the
fairy-like character of the city. Indeed, the streets,
private houses, shops, warehouses, and hotels presented no remarkable and exceptional appearance.
The journey had been made too rapidly to make
the aspect of a large and populous city a thing to
be beheld again with special satisfaction.  Among
the marvels wrought by the Pacific Railway is the
comparative annihilation of ideas as to distance in
the minds of those who travel by  it across the
continent of America.   Some time elapses, after
arriving at San Francisco, before the fact is fully
realized that New  York is three thousand  and
Chicago two thousand miles distant.  The traveller
who has come thus far thinks it but a trifle to
continue his journey in the track of the setting
sun, even though aware that he would have to
sail for ten or twenty days before finding a haltingplace at Honolulu, or Yoklohama, or Hong Kong.
20'2 
263
4,
XX.
TEE QUEEN CITY OF TIEE PACIFIC COAS7.
TIlE Golden Gate was one of the many important
discoveries made by Sir Francis Drake. He spoke
eulogistically of the bay into which that opening
in this rockbound coast furnished an entrance, and
in token of his gratification with the surrounding
country he named it New Albion.   The Spaniards,
however, were the first settlers in California.  Till
the year 1847, what is now known as San Francisco
was called  eirba Buena.  In like manner, Sacraminento bore the name of NzIueva Helvetia.   Even
these names are being, forgotten, just as all traces
of Spanish settlement  are  gradually dying out.
'Vhen Mr. Dana came here in 1835, but a single
wooden shanty occupied the site of the present city
of San Francisco.  As lolng ago as that year, and
-when the value of this place had not been ascertained, Mr. Dana made the following entry in the
diary, which, under the title of' Two Years before
the MIast,' was given to the world in 1840:-' If 
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California ever becomes a prosperous country, this
bay will be the centre of its prosperity.   The
abundance of wood and water;  the extreme fertility of its shores; the excellence of its climate,
which is as near to being perfect is any in the
world, and its facilities for navigation, affording
the best anchoring grounds in the whole western
coast of America-all fit it for a place of great
importance.' This prediction deserves to be ranked
with the most successful specimens of fulfilled prophecy.   Ten years later the population had increased from one man to an hundred and fifty
souls. According to the most recent estimate the
inhabitants of San Francisco now number 170,000.
This rapidity of growth is -wonderful; yet it is not unexampled in the United States.  Other things than
the increase of the population and the enlargement
of the city have made the growth of San Francisco
au event without a parallel, either in America or in
-an  other quarter of the habitable globe  Its name
had become synonymous for all that was most
shameless ir profligacy, for all that was basest in
depravity, for all that was wanton aud brutal ill
rL.ffianismn. Ini the open day men were murdered
with impuniity.  At iiighlt teic property of the citizels was at the mercy of the lawless.  The scumn
of Polynesia, desperadoes fromn Australia, bullics
264 
THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.  265
and blackguards from the wild State of Missouri,
Spanish cut-throats from the cities of the Pacific
Coast, dissolute women and reckless adventurers
from the slumns of Europe, congregated'in San
Francisco, and there plied their several avocations
and followed their devious courses in defiance of
the prohibitions of a law which had lost its terrors
for them, and in disregard of any other check save
the revolver or the bowie knife.  At that time, San
Francisco was one-half a brothel, and one-half a
gaming hell. There came a crisis in the annals of
the city when the action of the law was forcibly
impeded, in order that the reign of law might be
restored. As the old Romans submitted to a Dictator, so did the citizens of San Francisco' temporarily and voluntarily submit to a dictatorship,
under the name of a Vigilance Committee. This
body discharged the fourfold functions of police,
judge, jury, and executioner. A short shrift and
a lofty gallows was the fate of the criminal whom
they took i; the act of committing robbery or
murder. The remedy was strong and dangerous.
But the symptoms were so threatening as to inspire fear lest what men call civilization should
cease to exist, and no peril incurred in applying
the remedy was comparable to the risk of allowilig the d(lisease to spread and( become intensified. 
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Never, perhaps, in the history of the world did the
result more completely justify the means employed
than in the ease of San Francisco.  The Vigilance
Committee discharged its duties with unrelenting severity so long as professional thieves and
systematic murderers were at large triumphing in
their crimes.   As soon, however, as order was
restored, the Vigilance Committee decreed its own
dissolution, and the dispensers of summary justice
became conspicuous for their obedience to the administrators of the law.  From being a by-word for
its lawlessness and licentiousness, the city of San
Francisco has become, in little more than ten years,
as moral as Philadelphia, and far more orderly than
New York.
WVithl the knowledge of what San Francisco had
been, and unacquainted by personal observation
with what it had become, my first walk along its
streets on the morning after my arrival was one of
peculiar interest.  I went along Montgomery-street,
which is the Regent-street and Lombard-street, or
Broadway and Wall-street, of this city.  It is
lined with handsome shops. The pavement is
crowded with pedestrians, the majority of whom
have the anxious look and the hurried gait of
business men, while the minority are ordinary sightseers, or persons who walk therein in order to be
266 
TIIE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST. 267
seen. Bankers' offices are very numerous. Their
windows are filled with the paper-money of all
nations, from the plain white notes of the Bank of
Englanld to the elaborately figured'greenbacks'
of the United States.   These'greenbacks'  are
not current in California.  The State stretched its
legal rights to the extreme point of refusing  to
accept as currency what Congress had proclaimed
legal tenders.   Nothing passes current here save
gold and silver coin. Even the nickel and copper
cents of the Eastern States are unknown. They
are looked upon as curiosities.  Men wear them on
their watch chains just as some Englishmen wear
'spade' guineas.   On my arrival at the hotel, a
Californian who had brought some of these coins
from the East was besieged with inquiries for them.
MIany persons had never seen one, and to them
they were as great novelties as African cowries
would be to us. Small sums are reckoned in' bits,'
which are imaginary coins having the nominal value
of twelve and a half cents.  Indeed, the absence
of single cents causes something worse than confusion.   A  newspaper costs ten cents.   Suppose
that a quarter dollar, equal to twenty-five cents,
is presented in payment for the newspaper,  the
seller will probably return a dime, which is equal
to ten cents. Thus fifteen cents have been paid 
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instead of ten.  His excuse will be that he has not
any half dimes, these coins being extremely scarce.
In California this is taken as a thing of course by
the natives and the residents. The visitors, however, are apt to regard it as an imposition. The
gold coin generally current is the twenty-dollar
piece.   It is about the size of half a crown, is
worth nearly five pounds sterling, and is a very
beautiful coin.   The inhabitants, who are accustomed to high prices, part with these coins far
more  readily than we part with sovereigns.   In
addition to paper money and specie, the windows
of the offices of the bullion dealers usually contain
a display of specimens of gold or silver ores. These
are said in the labels affixed to them to be very
rich in the precious metals. But statements of
this sort seldom impose on old and experienced
Californians.   About the richness of lodes they
are as sceptical as cynics are about the existence of
unalloyed and genuine patriotism. Just as, with
many,'patriot' has become a synonyme for impostor or place-hunter, so has a lode of great
reputed value come to be regarded by the mass
of Californians as worth little more than a large
property in the moon. The difficulty consists in
ascertaining with certainty whether or not the
specimens have been really found in a particular
268 
THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.  269
spot, whether they fairly represent the lode, and
whether, if they have been dug out of the ground
in question, they had not been discovered by those
who, like the diggers in the' Antiquary,' had concealed the specimens for the purpose of duping the
credulous.  To prepare a mine in such a way that
it may appear to be extremely rich in valuable
mineral is called'salting' it. At this art many
persons in California, Nevada, and Montana are
practised adepts, and the desire of the majority is
to escape falling into the trap ingeniously and carefully baited for them, When these things were
explained to me, I ceased to wonder at the reluctance of the capitalists here to secure for themselves
shares in the gold and silver mines, which were
offered for sale on the most advantageous terms.
At its northern end Montgomery-street extends
to the top of a steep hill. The latter portion is so
precipitous that carriages cannot ascend it.   A
flight of steps enables the foot passenger to mount
with comparative comfort. From the top a commanding view is had of the bay, the opposite coast,
and the business quarter of the city. I was surprised to see the greater part of the lower town
enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke.   A  large
number of tail chimneys were emitting volumes of
smoke such as in London would entail heavy fines 
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on their proprietors. The reason was that Mount
Diablo coal is burned in the furnaces, and this coal,
as I have already said, has the drawback of giving
forth much black smoke during combustion. The
darkness and dinginess of the city surprised me
less, knowing, as I did, that the coal was in fault,
than did the sight of so many manufactories. I
had supposed San Francisco to be a second Liverpool: I was not prepared to find that it was also a
second Birmingham.
On inquiry I learned that the inhabitants of this
city take pride in the fact that the mllanufactories
of California are sufficient to meet nearly all the
requirements of her citizens.   There are several
woollen mills here. The magnitude of the work
done in these mills may be inferred when I state
that in one the amount paid in wages is 6,0001.
monthly, and that upwards of one million and a
half pounds of the raw material are annually converted into woollen fabrics. Indeed, the blankets
and flannels of California deserve a reputation even
more extended than that which they enjoy. In
fineness of texture they resemble the delicate handwrought fabrics for which Shetland is famous,
rather than the corresponding articles produced by
machinery in English mills.  As railway wrappers
and overcoats this blanket material is much in
270 
THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.  271
vogue here, and certainly there is nothing I have
seen which can be said to surpass it.  In these
woollen mills the operatives are chiefly Chinese.
In some, employment  is given to  hundreds  of
women; but the rule is to employ  Chinamen in
the proportion of two-thirds to that of one-third
white men.  The boots and shoes which the Californians wear are not merely home-made, but the
leather is a home product also. One large establishment,' The Pacific Tannery and Boot and Shoe
Factory,' combines the double business of preparing
the leather and working it up for wear.  This is a
marvellous change since the day when the raw
hides were shipped in order to be carried to New
England, returning after many days in the form of
boots and shoes; and what adds to the wonder is,
that little more than thirty years  have elapsed
since the period when the only commerce of California was the export of these raw hides.  The
cotton mills are less flourishing than the woollen
ones.   The supply of home-grown cotton is but
small.   A  large quantity is imported from  the
Atlantic States, and it is employed in producing
the coarser varieties of cotton goods.   In other
departments of industry an activity not less notable
is persistently manifested.  There are saw manufactories which rival those of Sheffield; locomotive 
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and steam-engine works which compare favourably
with those of Philadelphia and Newcastle; rolling
mills, which are admitted to be most complete in
their arrangements. The iron safes, manufactured
by one firm have a high reputation, and are said
to defy alike the ingenuity and force of the
burglar. If I mentioned all the mechanical industries which flourish here, I should fill a long list
with names and descriptions. Suffice it, then, to
say that the most important are well represented,
and that all are flourishing
In addition to the manufactories just pamed, and
in which San Francisco  is the competitor with
many cities in America and England, there  are
branches of industry in which California has entered
the lists with France and Germany, with Italy and
Asia. One of these is silk culture. It has been
proved that'silk raising' is possible throughout the
entire State, from the mountains on the east to the
sea shore on the west, and from Arizona Territory
on the south to the State of Oregon on the north.
The climate is said to be so favourable to the process as to lighten the labours of those who have to
superintend it, and that one person in California
can do the work of six in Europe. If the statements made are trustworthy, and if the end should
not belie the promise of the beginning, there is good
272 
TIHE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.  273
ground for the prediction that the State of California will yet become the largest silk-producing
region in the world.  Silk-weaving, has already been
attempted, and machinery for carrying on operations
on a large scale is in course of construction. The
success of the silk culture has been placed beyond
doubt. But the cultivation of the tea plant and the
production of tea are still in the experimental stage.
I found no fears entertained as to the result.
Hitherto all has gone well.   The Japanese, who
have come hither to cultivate the tea plant, have
succeeded as far as they have gone, the plants having
thriven as rapidly as could have been desired, and
giving promise of yielding a satisfactory tea crop
when they come to maturity two years hence. The
culture of the vine, like the production of silk,
has passed out of the domain of experiment, and
acquired rank among the most remunerative and
successful of Californian industries. Looking eastward across the bay, extensive vineyards and
orchards may be discerned. On inquiry, it is ascertained that year after year the area of land
devoted to the growth of vines is extending in
various parts of the State.   [Most pleasing of all
is the fact that the land thus devoted to the grape
has not been withdrawn from the corn plant. It
resembles those patches of soil which, on the banks 
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of the Rhine, cannot be used for any other purpose
than to grow vines, and which as vineyards are
valuable beyond measure. Before being set apart
for vine-growing, purposes the land here is valued at
25 cents the acre; after the vines have come to
maturity its value rises to more dollars than the
cents for which it was purchased. A notion of the
extent of the wine trade may be formed fiom this,
that the estimate for 1868 was seven millions of
gallons of wine as the product of the vintage. In
1869 the yield was expected to be larger still,
though 1869 is not considered a good year.
The Jesuit missionaries first planted vines in
California, and the wine made from these grapes is
by no means the worst among the wines produced
now.  Nevertheless, in 1861 the State authorities
resolved upon importing cuttings from the vines
in the most celebrated wine-producing districts of
Europe, and hundreds of different varieties were imported. Of these 250 are now in fruit-bearing condition, and all of them have retained their European
characteristics, with this exception, that here the
grapes ripen more thoroughly, and are richer in
saccharine matter than the grapes of Europe.
Among the Californian wines are some resembling
sherry, madeira, claret, hock, burgundy, port, and
champagne.  The sparkling wine is distinguishable
274 
THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.  275
from the best among French champagnes cnly in
being newer and less perfectly matured.   None
have those drawbacks which render Cape wines
unpopular. I do not wish it to be supposed that
all the wine made in California is palatable and
pleasant. The first bottle I tasted in a San Francisco hotel was disagreeable and disappointing.  I
have been told, however, that two systems prevail
here, and that the results of each differ widely and
materially. The one consists in making wine from
the grapes grown in the vineyard possessed by an
individual or a company, the other in purchasing all
wine of a certain quality and standard from the
growers, and then preparing it for the market.  The
latter is the practice of the most notable firms in
the wine-growing districts of France and Germany.
The  large establishment in Jackson-street, San
Francisco, of which Mr. Landsberger is thle head,
is conducted on the European model. For the production of what he honestly calls sparkling California wine, Mr. Landsberger has already made
himself a name. It is but two years and a-half
since he first began to supply this wine, and he now
produces 12,000 bottles monthly. For other wines,
such as port and white and red Sonoma, the mointily
demand is equal to five hundred dozen.  The sparkling wine is his greatest triumph. Were it not so)
f3 
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new, it might be ranked with some of the best
European vintages. Chinamen are employed in the
several stages of manufacture.  They are not quick
workers, but they are painstaking and trustworthy.
Whatever they do is done thoroughly. One advantage this establishment has over those on the
Rhine, the Moselle, and in the Champagne district, consists in dark underground cellars being
dispensed with, the several processes being carried
on and the rows of bottles stacked in large and light
and airy apartments. A change in the barometer is
not dreaded. No precautions have to be taken to
keep the temperature from suddenly rising too high
or as suddenly falling very low. This adds to the
ease with which the operations can be carried on,
while it conduces to the perfect maturing of the
wine.  A  few years hence the wines which have
been made and kept here will rival if not far surpass
the wines imported from Europe. They have the
attraction of cheapness as well as that of giuineness
and excellence in quality. They cost one-half less
than imported wines.  Strange to say, notwithstanding all these recommendations the chief market for
Californian wines is not the State of California.
They are readily purchased in Chicago and New
York, while in San Francisco they are not half so
popular as the more expensive, but not better wines
276 
THiE QUEEN CITY OF THiE PACIFIC COAST.  277
which have been brought from Europe, and which are
sold at a high plaice.  At present wheat is the only
native article of produce which is exported to Enland on a large scale. The trade is still in its infancy.
Not till very recently did the farmers of California
learn that Liverpool was the best market for their
grain. On account of its extreme dryness and its
general superiority over the grain of other countries,
the wheat grown in California sells at a higher
price than the wheat which is grown elsewhere. This
discovery has stimulated production. In 1860 the
wheat crop was 5,928,470 bushels. It was more
than double this amount in 1865.   In 1866 it
amounted to 14,080,752 bushels. It may now be
rated at twenty millions of bushels, with the probability of indefinite and continuous increase. Thanks
to Free Trade the poor of London are not only
blessed with a cheap loaf, but they are certain to
have the farmers of icy Russia competing with the
farmers of sunny California in order to supply them
with wheat.
A walk through tile marklets of this city suffices
to convince the visitor that in this State the necessaries of life are furnished in unexampled profusion,
and on a most extensive scale. Fish and game
are plentiful and cheap.  All the c)ommon fruits
and vegetables are to be had for a trifle, while fruits 
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which are luxuries elsewhere are here within the
reach of the multitude. Nor is this abundance the
most noteworthy circumstance.  The change from
summer to winter is discerned with difficulty in the
market-place. As far as the supply of vegetables
and of most fruits is concerned there is neither
seed-time nor harvest. In this favoured city potatoes are always new, and strawberries always in
season. The size of many products of the garden
and orchard is gigantic. The huge turnips, cabbages, pears, and apples which at home form the
subjects of paragraphs during the dull season, are
here substantial and  purchasable realities.  Now
and then an unusually large natural product is sent
to the newspaper offices of San Francisco for the
inspection of the proprietors. I was in the office
of the Alta California when some stalks of Indian
corn which had been grown at San Diego, a locality
which wiseacres had pronounced unsuited for the
growth of the plant, were examined and measured.
The tallest were 17-} feet; the others were 15.
Fancy a field covered with stalks like these! Yet
it would not be more extraordinary than the groves
of trees at Mariposa or Calevaras, of which the
trunks are 30 feet in diameter and 300 feet in
height. Indeed, everything is on a large scale here.
The Bay is 50 miles long; the steamships which
278 
THE QUEEN CITY OF THE PACIFIC COAST.  279
ply between this port and China or Japan are of
4,000 tons burden; some farms cover an area of
30,000 acres.  A  farmer, when  speaking to me
about his affairs, incidentally mentioned that he was
then hqlding 120 tons weight of wheat in the hope
that prices would rise at Liverpool. He mentioned
this not as a boast, but merely as a piece of information.  Indeed, the contrast between the Californians
and the New  Englanders is very marked.   The
latter are remarkable for ingenuity in detail.  They
beat the world in producing machines which enable
one man or woman to do the work of many hands.
The Californians have invented no machine for peeling apples or shelling peas, but they have carried a
railway over the Sierras, have filled up a portion of
their great Bay, in order to add new wharves and
streets to San Francisco, and have levelled hills, in
order to make the streets of that city more convenient and the dwellings more commodious.
The public buildings are not objects of great
note, yet several of the banks and merchants' offices
are noble erections. Four of the hotels are equal
in size and arrangement to the largest and best
appointed hotels in New York.  The churches are
the most striking and imposing edifices in the city.
The Jews of San Francisco have erected one of
the finest synagogues in the United States. There 
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are two Roman Catholic Cathedrals. All the best
knows sects of Protestants have their own places of
worship, the churches of the Episcopalians being
the most attractive, and the Episcopalians themselves forming the most numerous  sect.   They
occupy the place in California which the Unitarians
occupy in New England. I confess to have been
surprised to find the press of San Francisco not
merely flourishing, but meriting a eulogy which
cannot justly be conferred on the press of New
York as a whole. The articles in the Alta California, for example, are animated by a praiseworthy
spirit of impartiality, and are singularly free from
blemishes due to the prejudice which hinders the
comprehension  of anything  outside  the writer's
narrow sphere of personal experience and limited
observation.  Having complex problems  to solve
with relation to China and Japan, and finding that
these problems are treated by the journalists of the
Eastern States in a flippant and foolish style, the
journalists of San Francisco are not prone to regard
the opinions of the New York papers on subjects
of general concern as worthy of implicit confidence
and unalloyed respect. Unfortunately, the journals
of NeW York are supposed in Europe to represent
the American press, and the least reputable of these
journals is generally, though erroneously, considered
280
0 
TIlE QUEEN CITY OF THiE PACIFIC COAST. 281
to be the leader of that press. In addition to the
Alta California, there is the Bulletin, also a firstclass paper, while the Morning Call is a journal
filled with chit-chat and gossip, retailed with a view
to piquancy and effect, and without marked consideration for the rules of etiquette and the canons
of goodcl taste. Among weekly journals, the Golden
City and Sunday  f[ercury are what Americans
would call' real live papers.' A monthly magazine
entitled the Overland Monthly has recently been
established. Already, it is acknowledged to be one
of the best among American periodicals. Several
English periodicals of repute are infinitely inferior
to it. With considerable difficulty could many
magazines be named which are both better written
and more worthy of being read through from the
first page to the last.  Its articles on the affairs of
China, Japan, and of the Pacific slope, arc filled
with details which are invaluable.  HIaving become
acquainted with the press of this city, I am disposed
to concur with the compiler of a guide-bookl, vlwho,
after naming the several journals, and indicating
their character, thlus concludes his remarks:-' If
among these papers you can find nothing to suit
you, nothing new, why, then, we advise you to read
the Bible, and profit by its teachings.'
When the citizens of San Francisco are anxious 
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to exchange the air of the city for that of the open
country, they can easily gratify their longing. If
they sail across the bay to Alameda or Oakland,
they are in a beautiful country and surrounded by
new scenes. Santa Clara and San M{atteo, on the
south, can be reached by rail, and there sights which
recall the magic gardens of the Arabian Nights
may be beheld and enjoyed. A shorter and more
popular excursion is to the Cliff House, which is
five miles distant from the city, and built on the
shore of the Pacific Ocean. In front of the house
may be seen the sea lions, a species of seal, gainmbolling on the rocks, over which the heavy ocean
swell rolls and foams.  In the house itself a pleasant
meal may be enjoyed. Indeed, the Cliff House is
to San Francisco what the Trafalgar at Greenwich
is to London, and what Taft's at Point Shirley is to
Boston.
282 
283
XXI.
THE' TIGES1?S' AND CHILYESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
ONE afternoon, after having been treated to drinks
at the bar of the Cosmopolitan Hall by Californian
friends, I had some interesting talk with a gentleman to whom  I had been introduced, and with
whom, as with several others, I had formed a drinking acquaintance. He was a man of middle age, of
quiet demeanour and pleasant manners.  Hie resembled a gentleman who had retired from business
after having made his fortune as a banker or a
solicitor. Like the rest of his countrymen he conversed with fluency on the most various topics, from
the prospects of gold-mining to the nature of the
Alabama claims. I'e resembled his countrymen
also in being as'cocksure about everything' as
Lord Melbourne asserted that Macaulay was. I
had previously been fortunate enough to make the
acquaintance of distinguished lawyers, and of one
who was about to leave the bar for the career of
diplomacy, having been appointed United States 
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Minister  at an  Eastern court.   Between these
gentlemen, one of whom now occupies the highest
judicial office in the gift of the citizens of San
~'rancisco, the Minister to whom I have referred,
others who were considered notable men by their
fellow-countrymen, and the gentleman of agreeable
talk and smooth demeanour, no external difference
was perceptible. Shortly before parting he told me
that he was engaged in the pasteboard business,
and that I might possibly like to visit his establishment. As I had come here in order to see everythilng of a novel and interesting kind, I expressed
my readiness to pay a visit to his pasteboard manufactory.   Perceiving that I had misapprehended
him, my acquaintance entered into an explanation,
in the course of which he asked me if I had ever
heard of Faro, and if I knew  the meaning  of
'Fighting the Tiger.' Soon afterwards I learned
that I was conversing with the keeper of one of the
most notable among the gaming hells of San Francisco.  He was a prosperous man and a respected
citizen. Ie courteously invited me to visit his
establishment, which, he said, I should find open all
the night.  Ilc added that he would rather I did
not play, as hle should regret were I to lose money
after having come at his invitation.  These kindly
sentiments I reciprocated, assIuring hIiin that lec
284 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  285
would not grieve more bitterly and sincerely than I
should were I to lose my money while madly engaged in'Fighting the Tiger.' The following
description of wlmt I saw will give a fair notion
of these banks as a whole, without reference to any
particular one.
Admittance into a Faro Bank is not always a
matter of course. At Sacramento, indeed, the one
which I visited was accessible to any who ascended
the stairs leading to it. All of them appear to be
on the first floor, both in Sacramento and San
francisco. The visitor rings a bell, and before the
door is opened he is generally reconnoitred through
a  small aperture  or grating.   As  soon as the
guardian is satisfied, either from appearances, or
from personal knowledge, or from the inspection of
a card in the proprietor's handwriting, that no objection exists, the door is opened, the visitor takes
a few steps forward, and is brought face to face
with the'Tiger.' He sees what he is told is a
Faro table. This table is small, and will not accommodate more than six or eight persons.  The
dealer occupies one side, and sits with his back to
the wall.  Facing him, one of the players holds a
marking-board, on which the cards, whereof the
chances are exhausted, are scored for the informa tion alike of the players and the lookers-on. A 
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double row of cards, with the faces uppermost, is
fastened to the table. On these cards the stakes
are placed. The cards in play are dealt from a
small box which holds them, so that but one at a
time can be separated from the pack. Two cards
are dealt in succession-the one being put alongside the box, the other a little way from it. The
card which falls either near to, or away from the
box determines the result of the stakes in the row
of cards nearest to or farthest from the dealer.
Indeed, the game  is but a complicated  Blind
Hiookey. It is, perhaps, even better adapted for
ensuring the loss of money on the part of the
players than Roulette or Rouge-et-Noir.   I was
told that the difficulty of cheating is greater at Faro
than at other games of chance, and this consideration
has tended to render it popular. The Californians
may be great gamesters, but they naturally prefer a
game played with some regard for fairness, or one
which they style a' square' game. In some of the
rooms I visited the coloured photo-lithograph of a
Beng,al tiger's head was affixed to the wall above
the dealer, and facing the players. The blood-shot
eyes, the rows of sharp fangs visible through the
half-parted jaws, the general aspect of infinite
ferocity which marks the tiger about to pounce
upon his prey, were all effectively rendered in this
286 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  287
picture. It was at once a symbol and a warning,
yet the hidden meaning excited no thought, and the
implied menace no dread.
As a rule, money was not staked. The dealer or
banker sells ivory counters to the several players.
These counters are of different colours and sizes, so
as to represent different values.   I suppose  the
reason for using counters to be the evasion of the
law against playing for money.   In all the hells the
costume of the keepers and dealers, or rather the
absence of it, was the same, shirt sleeves being their
full dress. Those who superintended the game also
sat without their coats.   The shirts of all were
spotless. The superintendents, dealers, and gamesters all smoked cigars.  Nor were their manners
more formal than their apparel. All the company
seemed to be on terms of intimacy; each one not
only addressed the other by his Christian name, but
as Tom, Dick, or Hiarryo What conversation there
was consisted of trivial remarks of a personal kind.
Between the dealers and the players there appeared
to exist a perfect understanding that the work in
hand was pure matter of business. A player sometimes uttered an ejaculation to the effect that his
luck was bad, and received from the dealer a few
pithy words of commiseration. The losers, who appeared to be in a large majority, took their mishaps 
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most philosophically, while the rare winners did not
exult in their good fortune.  Indeed,' Fighting the
Tiger' in San Francisco seems to be a pastime
which, if neither harmless nor praiseworthy, cannot
fairly be denounced as fraught with immediate evil
consequences. WTere I to venture on an explanation of this, I should attribute it to the fact that
those who play at Faro have acquired their money
very easily and rapidly, and know that if they
would but take the like pains they might again
enrich themselves by speculation, or by drawing a
prize in that lottery which here goes by the name of
gold and silver mining. To such persons, and
under these conditions, gaming is almost a matter of
course. It is simply another form of the every-day
life which men of business consider natural and
legitimate. It cannot be said that there are extraneous provocations to spur on the jaded gamesters.
In some of the hells a supper is provided, but this is
merely what their frequenters can get gratis at
nearly every bar-room. A drink may be had for the
asking; but this, again, is not a special incentive,
but a part of the ordinary social arrangements.
Californians do not seem happy unless they are
either taking drinks or treating their friends and
acquaintances to them.   That they should  find
drinks provided for them in the gamning hells is
288 
TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO. 289
merely what they consider themselves entitled to
expect. I believe that the law forbids gaming, and
I have been informed that the amount of gaming
indulged in now is but a fraction of what was
openly permitted a few years ago. WVhat goes on
at present is supposed to be continued in defiance
of the law. Perhaps the authorities wink at what
they cannot entirely repress, and make no sign so
long as public scandal is eschewed.   One of the
keepers of a Faro Bank told me that the police had
sometimes put the law in force against him, but
that the only serious result was a payment by him
of 1,000 dollars as a fine.  This diminished his
profits, but neither this penalty nor any other
punishment entailed the closing of his establishment
and his own ruin. Lest it be supposed that the
prevalence of gaming proves the utter demoralisation of the Californians, I must add that Faro
Banks are to be found elsewhere throughout the
Union, and that in no city are they more flourishing
than in New York.  I have described them as they
exist in San Francisco and Sacramento, because
they are among the sights of these places.' Fighting the Tiger' is an occupation which is usually
conducted without any bloodshed, with but little
loss of temper, and with no more marked result
than that of furnishing a practical illustration to 
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the old saw that fools and their money are soon
parted.
While assured that I might enter a gaming hell
without dread of pickpockets, sharpers, or bullies, I
was told by the same persons that to explore the
Chinese quarter was a very different and far more
dangerous undertaking. Sir Charles Dilke relates
in his' Greater Britain,' that when he went through
this quarter he was accompanied by two detectives,
who, if they aided his researches, also acted as a
drag on his movements. Holding the opinion that
when the gratification of curiosity, not the prosecution of business, is the object, guides are incumbrances, I resolved upon seeing as much as I could
without presenting my introduction to the police
authorities, and availing myself of the aid which
they would doubtless have rendered with readiness
and courtesy. An experienced Californian of my
acquaintance, whose company I requested, spoke in
strong terms of the folly of running the risk proposed, and refused to join me. I thought then that
he exaggerated the danger, in the same way that
dwellers among the Alps and the Pyrenees are
wont to exaggerate the peril of crossing a glacier or
scaling a mountain, and now I feel convinced that
I was right.
In every street Chinamen are to be seen engaged
290 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  291
in some occupation of a menial kind. They may
be met with ascending the stairs of the hotels with
baskets filled with clean linen; in some hotels they
officiate as servants. According to a return made
to the State Legislature, the number of Chinese on
the Pacific slope is 89,500. What proportion of
them inhabits San Francisco is a matter of uncertainty.   Some persons estimate  it at thirty
thousand.   But, though  San Francisco is not a
very populous city, yet, as it covers a vast area,
thirty thousand Chinamen might be quartered in
one of its long streets or spacious squares without
attracting general notice, or without being often
seen by the pedestrian walking along the principal
thoroughfares.   Let any one, however, turn accidentally or intentionally to the left after traversing
Montgomery-street almost to its northern extremnity, and he is suddenly transported into a new
region.   A  few steps behind him  are the shops,
dwellings, manners, apparel and language of England and America, while before his eyes are the
people, the shops, the houses of the natives of that
curious and over-populated land, which is metaphorically styled Flowery or Celestial, and in
simple speech is called China, or Cathay. My first
visit to the Chinese quarter was made by daylight.
I entered it without design, having no exact know 
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ledge of the locality in which the Chinese had made
their homes in this city. The effect was as startling
as the transformation scene in a pantomime, with
this difference, that the personages are neither
fairies nor sprites, neither princes nor princesses in
difficulties, beings of unearthly mould gifted with
supernatural  powers.    Nor  did  the  Chinamen
whom I saw resemble clown, pantaloon, or columbine in dress or demeanour. They were clothed in
plainly-cut blue tunics, had straw or cloth coverings on their heads, and shoes on their feet resembling slippers down at the heels. The shops were
adorned with pendent flags bearing inscriptions in
Chinese.   An  entire street was filled with these
strangely  decorated  and  as  strangely arranged
shops. In some of them merchants of the highest
respectability do business, and accumulate wealth.
The articles they sell are the best of their kind,
and as these merchants are satisfied with small
profits, the low prices attract purchasers.   Other
industries than those of dealers in tea, silks, lacquered ware, and porcelain are carried on in a
humbler style by men of less ambition and capital.
In cellars which are certainly dark, and probably
unhealthy, silent Chinamen may be seen washing
or ironing clothes, manufacturing cigars, or shaving
the heads of their countrymen.  THere and there a
292 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  293
shloemakler is actively engaged in making the semi slippers which the Chinamen wear, or else repairing
old ones with extraordinary neatness and patient
care. Now and then a butcher's shop, filled withl
joints of new shape, attracts attention, while cookshops, filled with prepared viands, which, if savoury,
are very uninviting, are also very plentiful.  At
the corner of a street I remarked a lofty stone
building, which proved to be a Chinese hotel. As
no objection was made to my entering it and
inspecting the arrangements, I had an opportunity
of seeing the Chinaman at home. Within the door
on the right a porter or clerk sits with a book
before him corresponding to the visitor's book of
other hotels.  When I saw him he was engaged in
making out the accounts of the several occupants,
and producing bills which were long in a material
sense, inasmuch as they were written lengthwise
on narrow strips of paper.   Opposite to where he
sat was what appeared to be a kitchen combined
with a butcher's and poulterer's shop.   Plucked
fowls with long yellow necks were suspended in
rows by their heads, pieces of meat were affixed to
hooks, while beneath were vegetables of various
kinds. I was told that the visitors purchase their
own provisions, and either cook them or employ
some one to do so. The Chinese have the reputa 
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tion of excelling as coolks; they are called the
French of the East. They take a great deal of
pains in preparing the several dishes, and they excel
in sauces. To those unaccustomed to their ways
one thing they do excites surprise. Whether they
season a dish or sprinkle a shirt preparatory to
ironing it, they adopt the same method of procedure.   This consists in filling their mouths with
water, and squirting the required quantity over the
garment. In cooking, they do not, as I supposed
they did, simply spit into the dishes they prepare,
but they season them by mixing the condiments in
their mouths, and then ejecting as much of the
seasoning as they think necessary.   Those  who
employ Chinese cooks will relish their meals all the
more heartily if they never enter the kitchen when
they are at work. The accommodation in this hotel
is not luxurious, nor is the furniture sumptuous.
A few wooden benches serve as seats, and wooden
shelves are couches by day and beds at night.
Every inch of room is turned to account.   The
common saying about being packed as closely as
herrings in a barrel expresses, with but slight exag,geration, the manner in which the Chinamen are
packed in this hotel. It appears large enough to
contain about two hundred persons; as many as
twelve hundred are said to occupy it during the
294 
'TIGERS' AND CIINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  295
busy season. That some do not die of the effects
of the overcrowding is a marvel. But it is even
more credible that the mortality should not be
enormous from this cause alone than that anyone
should be able to inhale the indescribably horrible
smells for an hour, and live.
Not far from this hotel I passed an alley wherein
crackers were exploding, and small bonfires burning.   The inhabitants  appeared  to  be  making
holiday.  The women were gaily dressed, and had
wreaths of artificial flowers on their heads.   I
fancied that a wedding was being celebrated. A
Chinaman, however, told me  that the day  was
Sunday, and that the crackers were being let off,
the fires lit, and the dresses worn, in honour of the
day. At more than one doorstep a ceremony was
performed which bore a resemblance to the heathen
sacrifices of antiquity, whereof descriptions have
been handed down to us.  A tray was brought, on
which were three cups filled with liquid, a small
quantity of rice, several pieces of coloured paper,
plaited into patterns like the summer ornaments of
a stove, and a few slender sticks like the spills
used for lighting lamps or cigars.  These sticks, I
was told, were sacred to' Jossy.' They were first
ignited and placed upright at the corner of the
tray, then the coloured papers were set on fire, and, 
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while they blazed, each of the cups was emptied
over them in succession.   Lastly,  the rice  was
scattered abroad to different parts of the compass.
Although the. intelligent Chinaman to whom I
spoke told me that the day was Sunday, yet I have
reason to suppose that he used this word for lack
of a more suitable one wherewith to give an explanation of the occurrences.   I learned afterwards
that the ceremony was one in which the Chinese
indulge whenever they think it necessary to lay
the devil.   Of the infernal powers they stand in
great terror, and propitiate them with offerings
like those described. But if this be the case, it is
still possible that the desire to enjoy a holiday and
make high festival combine to render the operation
of laying the devil one for which they are not sorry
to have an excuse. Some of the more practical
and frugal Chinamen signify their disapproval of
this tendency by saying that there is'too muchee
debbil in Californy.'
The Joss House which I visited is in the
building set apart as the Chinese IHospital. The
room in which the idol is enthroned in state, with
lights burning  before it, is a dingy apartment.
When I entered no priest nor any attendant was
present.  An iconoclast might have done his worst
with impunity. On passing through the rooms set
296 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  297
apart for the sick I was surprised to see most of
the patients at work. The Chinese do not accept
illness as an excuse for idleness. So long as a
patient can move his hands and his feet he is made
either to carry water, chop wood, or perform some
other task. It was pitiful to see the haggard inmates struggling over their occupations. Many
were in the last stage of consumption, and several
were cripples. If the disgusting stories current
about the medicines used are well founded, the
death of all the patients who take them is what
might be expected. For a time Chinese doctors
were the fashion. But an analysis of the medicines
they prescribed and supplied has rendered them far
less popular. The ingredients were found to be
chosen rather on account of their rarity and nastiness than for any other apparent reason. These
doctors are not afflicted with modesty as to the
nature of their powers. At the entrance to an
alley I saw a sign-board projecting from the side of
the house, and intimating  that'Dr.  Hung  Ly
cures all diseases upstairs.' In the newspapers
those doctors advertise regularly. Thus may be
seen among other announcements one to the effect
that Dr. Jay Hon Chung, graduate of the highest
medical college of China, has opened an office in
Washington-street:-' The most obstinate and pain 
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ful chronic diseases treated with entire success, and
cures guaranteed.  Dr. Jay Ion Chung, will malke
no charge for medical advice to those who are too
poor to pay for the same.' These doctors have
rapidly and thoroughly imitated the style of adver tising quacks in England and America. Perhaps
it is in order to compete with them successfully
that the quacks who trade on human credulity in
California are, if possible, even more audacious in
their statements than their brethren elsewhere. A
gentleman of majestic stature, whose head was
adorned with long flowing locks, who styled himself
'The King of Pain,' was harvesting dollars when I
arrived at San Francisco. IHe professed not only
to cure all diseases, but also to inform the patient
of his malady without asking any questions. Like
others of his tribe, he had a specific for the cure
of every malady with which human beings are
afflicted. In disposing of this he displays an
amount of ingenuity which casts into the shade
the advertising tricks in which English quacks are
adepts.  Driving through the city in a handsome
carriage, he halts now and then, and makes a short
speech. While he is retailing some of the miraculous cures which he has effected, a passer-by having
the appearance of a sailor, or a mechanic, stops and
exclaims,' What's that you say about Boston?'
298 
'TIGERS' AND CIIINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  299
The quackl replies,'Sir, I have just told these
gentlemen how Mr. John A. Jones, a prominent
citizen of Boston, was cured by a single bottle of
this specific after all the other doctors had given
him up.''Well,  sir, that's so.   I come  from
Boston, and I know that Mrn Jones was cured by
a bottle  of your medicine.'   This independent
testimony induces several among the audience to
give the' King of Pain's' specific a trial.  He
then drives off, when he can.no longer exchlange
his bottles for the dollars of dupes, and the farce is
played over again in another quarter of the city,
the confederate, of course, changing his attire and
his story.   It is clear that the  Chinese  quack
doctors will have a hard struggle to keep themselves abreast with their American competitors.
At night, when I strolled through the Chinese
quarter again, the  spectacle  was  more  curious.
The pavement was crowded with Chinamen talking
incessantly and in loud tones. Entire alleys were
filled with small houses, at the open windows of
which painted female faces  were clustered, and
whence invitations, couched in broken yet very
broad English, were sent to every male passer-by.
The theatre is easily found by those who listen for
the sounds. of gongs and cymbals.   A quarter of a
dollar is charged for admission.   As  a rule the
14 
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Chinese are disinclined to admit foreigners into
their theatre.   The doorkeeper has to be propitiated before he will admit that a seat is to be had.
Inside, the house is arranged after the manner of
lecture rooms.  Rows of seats slope upwards from
the pit to the opposite wall, and above this is a
gallery. The orchestra is at the back of the stage,
and is composed of three or four performers, who
keep up an  incessant clashing of cymbals and
beating of gongs.   The noise is overpowering.
When all the performers have momentarily left
the stage, the unmelodious and ear-rending sounds
are diminished in volume;  but, when  the performers come forward and begin to speak, the
gongs are beaten and the cymbals clashed with
increased vigour.   It seemed as if the object of
the members of the orchestra was to drown the
voices of the players.  In order to defeat this
design the players yelled at the top of their voices.
Never before did I hear musical instruments made
to give forth louder and more discordant noises,
and human throats utter words in equally shrill
tones. As to the merits or demerits of the piece
I can say nothing.   The first act had been performed several months ago, and the last would not
be reached till several months hence. Regarded
simply as a pantomime, it was a curious andl clever
300 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  301
performance.   Some of the scenes required  no
explanation in words. The love passages were, so
to speak, emphasized in a manner which rendered
the meaning intended to be conveyed almost too
clear. The difficulty consisted in detecting the
line which separated acting from reality. Feats of
agility and trials of strength were common. The
single combats were horribly real; spear-thrusts
being delivered with wonderful energy, and swordcuts made with such rapidity, that they could only
be eluded by the exercise of a practised eye, and
by extraordinary dexterity of fence.   When  the
actors chased each other along the stage, impediments were surmounted in the style of the circus.
Over chairs and tables they vaulted, turning summersaults in the air before alighting on the ground.
They fell heavily, no spring-board or mattress
being placed to aid them in jumping and to break
the force of the fall. How they escaped with their
ribs whole and their legs unbroken is incomprehensible. The costumes and make-up of the actors
were very good.   They  always  entered by  the
right door, and made their exits by the left, eachl
entrance being a sort of triumphal procession. It
was but seldom that the audience testified their
satisfaction with the performance. The attention
was rivetted on thie stag-e, not a sight being missed 
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or a sound lost.  Nearly everyone had a Manilla
cigar or a cigarette in his mouth, and all smoked
with a deliberation which demonstrated a desire to
enjoy to the full the pleasure of the moment.
The Chinese have their own gaming hells. The
stakes are small, but the players never cease till
they have lost everything.  Lotteries are also plentiful. A thousand chances can be bought for a
dollar. The tickets fill a small volume and are
beautifully ornamnented by hand. The highest prize
is a thousand dollars. Near the Chinese quarter,
and in the streets leading from it, are streets wherein
more danger is to be feared than among, the Chinese
themselves. Nearly every house is tenanted by
women who, scantily dressed in gaudy apparel, stand
on the door steps or at the open windows, proclaim..
ing their profession by look and gesture.   Underground dancing saloons are numerous, and in them
are to be seen what are here significantly styled
'pretty waiter girls.' These saloons are but traps
baited and set for the unwary. They are the relics
of San Francisco in bygone days, when its very
existence was a scandal. The Vigilance Committee
did invaluable service in clearing it of the thieves
and murderers who were then a terror to the peaceable and well-disposed citizens. There is still plenty
302
- I 
'TIGEPr S' AND CIINIESE IN SAN FrIANCISCO.- 303
of work for the police to perform in the interest of
decency and good manners.
What impressed me most in the Chinese quarter
was not any particular phase of life and novel kind
of house, church, shop, hotel, or theatre, but the
general aspect of the place, and its inhabitants
regarded as a whole. In China itself the like
number of people dwelling, doing business, and enjoying themselves in the same way, would not produce a similar impression. The force of contrast
operates with irresistible effect. At one moment I
am in IKearney-street or Miontgomery-street, surrounded by tokens of Western civilization, and a
few minutes afterwards I stand in what is a small
section of an actual Chinese city.  It is impossible
for the most cursory observer  to witness these
things and to fail beingc struck with the fact that
their continued existence involves the solution of a
great problem. Of this the citizens of San Francisco are perfectly conscious. What they have done
hitherto towards finding the desired solution does
not entitle them to unstinted praise.  At present,
Chinese labour is as much a necessary of their existence as the clothes they wear. In private houses,
John-all Chinamen being called John-is a far
better servant than Biddy. HIe takes lower wages;
he is temperate, honest, and respectful; he does his 
3VWESTWAARD BJY RAIL.
work  with extreme  care, whether it consists in
washing dishes or nursing babies, scrubbing floors
or waiting at table. Manufactories would have to
be closed, vineyards suffered to run wild, and many
railways would continue to be projects, were there
no Chinamnen to watch the spindles, tend the vines,
cut the sleepers, build bridges, and lay the rails.
Chinamen, however, are chargeable with the unpardlonable fault of being Chinamen.   The shape of
their eyes, the hue of their skins, the cut of their
clothes, nay even their virtues, such as prudence,
patience, abstemiousness, attachment to the land of
their birth, a desire that their bones should be laid
amidst the bones of their ancestors, are all regarded
as disabilities unfitting them for being treated as
rational human beings. It is considered dangerous
to stand on the platform of a street-car, and passengers are prohibited from standing there.  Yet
Chinamen and Chinawomen are compelled by a
regulation of the company to stand on this platform,
and are forbidden to sit inside. This barbarous and
disgraceful regulation exceeds in wickedness the
prohibitions which in other days excluded the negro
from the street and the railroad car. It is illiberal
to refuse to take the Chinese as passengers, but to
carry them at the same rates as other passengers
and to make them occupy places which are supposed
304 
'TIGERS' AND CHINESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  305
to be dangerous can hardly be  charaeterised in
language sufficiently strong.  Attempts have been
made to subject them to the bitterest injustice of
which men can be the victims. In courts of law the
evidence of Chinamen has been proclaimed iniadmissible.  They might be wholly in the right, and
yet be adjudged as wrongdoers. There was nothing
to prevent a non-Chinaman entering a house inhabited by a Chinese family, committing robbery,
rape, or murder in the presence of several witnesses, and being held by the court to be innocent
of any offence against the law.  Happily this
monstrous violation of the rights of the individual,
which the statutes of California sanction, will not
be possible in the future. I had the satisfaction of
learning that Ah Hund, who was defendant in an
action which came before a court of law during my
stay in San Francisco, and who, if not permitted to
testify, would have been robbed of his property,
was placed in the witness-box, in accordance with
the judge's ruling that the Fourteenth Constitutional Amendment, while extending equality to the
negro, likewise entitled the Chinaman to sue for
justice, and ensuredcl that he would not sue in vain.
That the Supreme Court of the United States will
confirm this decision if appealed against, is regarded 
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as certain.   In any case, however, the Fifteenth
Constitutional Amendment will be an effectual bar
to the repetition of iniquitous proceedings like
those in question.  Hlow far the efforts made by
the Democrats, who are now the majority here, to
persecute a,nd expel the Chinese will prove success fuil remains to be seen. The Alta California, which
is an upholder of the Union rather than a mere
organ of party, has made a bold and firm stand in
favour of justice to the Chinaman. In one of many
articles on the subject it remarks that if the
Chinese were expelled, the value of landed property
would at once decline 25 per cent.; that if they
were excluded, the act would be a token of bar barism; and that not only unrestricted intercourse
with China, but also kind treatment of the Chinese,
is demanded by the spirit of the age.  Furthermore,
it is said that the old war cry of'America for
Americans' ]s out of date, and there is no probability that'America for Irishmen' will be substitutted. It is unquestionable that Chinese labour is
a great boon to California. It is reasonable that if
the Chiniamen obey the law they should be protected
by the law.  Fortunately, the statesmen of America
hlave recently succeeded in rendering it all but impossible to desecrate the grand principles of the
Pepublic by persecuting menl on account of acci
306 
'TIGERS' AND CIIIESE IN SAN FRANCISCO.  307
dents of parentage, and  establishing  a class of
Pariahs in the great home of a people in whose eycs
rank is but a trivial distinction, and who glory in
maintaining that birth alone neither entails disgrace
nor confers honlour.
9 
WESTWARD DY RAIL,
XXII.
CHIARIACTERISTICS OF CALIFOR.IANS.
AMONG the earliest questions put by an Amrerican
lady or gentleman to a traveller from Englahd who
lands at Boston, New York, or Baltimore this one
is certain to be  included:-' IIow  do  you like
America?' If, however, the traveller should first tread
the sacred soil of the Union when stepping ashore
at San Francisco, he will as certainly be asked:'What do you think of California?' In the former
case, the reply is expected that America is a great
country; in the latter, that California is a paradise.
The observer to whom the second inquiry has been
addressed is soon led to think that the love of the
Californians for their country has been absorbed
in a singular and exceptional affection for their
State. They sometimes appear to consider the old
Bear flag, as noble an ensign as the national Stars
and Stripes. They talk as if' the States' were mere
adjuncts to California, satellites revolving round
their sun. This sentiment is more excusable than the
t.
30O 
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.   309
inflated provincial arrogance which puts the native
streamlet on a par with ahe foreign river; which
rates the native hills as the equals of distant mountains; which regards the native village as the centre
and measure of the universe. The frog, would never
have striven to match the ox in size had the frog
been less contemptible. Were California a small
and insignificant State the exaggerated provincialism of its inhabitants would be simply ludicrous
It is, however, the reverse of paltry and despicable.
So extensive is its area that twenty such States as
Massachusetts could be carved out of it. The popu lation is small, yet it exceeds that of the old State
of Connecticut. San Francisco alone contains more
citizens than the entire State of Rhode Island. In
the State of California, there are 65,000,000 of acres
which can be brought under tillage, and as yet not
more than three per cent. of the whole has been
cultivated.   Within the ample bounds of this large
and fertile State 20,000,000 of people can be ac commodated with pleasant homes.  The soil yields
everything which human beings require to support
and ameliorate existence. All the metals which
men value most highly can be procured in abun  dance and disposed of at a profit.  The rivers swarm
with fish; the woods are filled with game; the fields
are alive with the sav-oury birds which, in less 
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favouredl localities, are the luxuries of the rich.
The climate is as glorious as that which must have
prevailed in those'summer isles of Eden lying ill
dark purple spheres of sea,' which  the poet has
depicted as the regions of perfect terrestrial beauty
and happiness.  That the dwellers in a State lavishly
endowed by nature and incontestably superior to
many other States in the Unlion, shlould be prone to
forget that they are the least part of what they see
and enjoy, is by no means unnatural, yet it fairly
lays them open to criticism.
Indeed, the Californians have so thleroughly iden tified themselves withl their State as to be almongD
the greatest self'deceivers on the Continent of
America.   They appear to live under the delusion
that the rich gold mines, the  unrivalled grain,
the magnificent fruit, the delightful climate are all
creations of their own. Tell them that gold is
quite as abundant in Australia, that nature has
been as kind to dwVellers on other portions of the
globe, and they will appear to thiink that an affront
is intended.  Add that in some respects they are
not the equals of others who inhabit this Continent,
that the culture and polish of Newv Elngland are
not amcong their adornments, that they pay a disproportionate respect to material iwhllen compared
withl intell-ctual achievements, and they will repel
310 
CHAI'ACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.   311
the charges as malignant  calumnies.  In short,
Californians in general will marvel at the temerity
of the daring speaker or writer who ventures to
assure them that, even if they live in a paradises
they are not wholly without spot or blemish.
It is hardly possible to reside for a day in
California without hearing some reference made to
the'Pioneers.' To have come here in 1849 is
held to be a mark of distinction like that accorded
in Massachusetts to the Puritans who crossed the
ocean in the M?aIflo?ver and like that awarded in
England to the descendants of those who  crossed
the Channel with ~Villiam the Norman.  In Europe
the spirit which originally led to the forination, and
still sanctions the continuance, of orders of nobility
is the same as that which prompts the pioneerworship of Californians.  The  spelling of'lord'
may be greatly varied without altering the actual
result.  The Virginians had a form whlich, if clumsy
in appearance, answered the purpose nearly as well
as any other.  The man who, in the Old World,
would be dubbed a viscount or a baron was known
in the Old Dominion as an F. F. V., that is, he
belonged to one of the First Families in Virginia.
It is probable that the two-fold effects of war and
emancipation may prove fatal to the continuance
of this petty form of aristocracy.  Yet so long as 
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the' Pioneers' of California are regarded as exceptional men, the Great Republic will continue to
have specimens on a small scale of the antiquated
arrangements which its enlightened citizens regard
as the bane of the Old World.  These' Pioneers'
are aristocrats at heart if not in name; they are
'nobles' in their own estimation.  If to have settled
in California in 1849 be admitted to be so meritorious as to command admiration, the children of
the' Pioneers' will claim superiority over others on
the ground that their fathers were the most distinguished citizens in the State and thus a hereditary
hallucination will be propagated.
It was at Chicago that I first had the gratification of seeing several of these remarkable
' Pioneers.' A deputation arrived there with a
view to fraternise with their Eastern brethren and
exhibit themselves  as examples  of  Californian
greatness. They were welcomed with the warmth
shown towards conquerors returning home after
the performance of heroic  exploits.   Had  the
'Pioneers' saved the Union single-handed their
presence could hardly have aroused greater enthusiasm.  It was also my good fortune to become
personally acquainted with some of these extraordinary men. They described California in a way
which led me to suppose that the country must be a
312 
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.   313
modern Eden. If they had added that it was Eden
after the fall they would have guarded themselves
against exciting expectations which were doomed
to be unfulfilled. By omitting to do this they led
me astray. They assured me that the citizens of
California were the superiors of all others on the
Continent, were endowed with every excellence of
character which adorns and exalts mankind.  Their
achievements, I was emphatically told, had been
unparalleled in grandeur and unequalled in importance, while all that had been performed and
all that was now rendered easy and possible had
its source in the conduct and character of the
' Pioneers.'  Such is the gist of the statements to
which I listened with attention. If I do not accept
them as wholly accurate, it is because I have failed
to substantiate them by an examination of the facts.
,Ioreover, granting the truth of the allegations, I
am reluctantly obliged to challenge the propriety
of the homage of which the' Pioneers' are the
willing and gratified recipients.   They went  to
California in order to get riches: they succeeded
in their object; that their enrichment must be
pleasing to them is quite in the nature of things.
But to bow down before them because they have
been successful is simply to revive the worship
of the Golden Calf.  When a man  makes a for 
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tune, he is not necessarily transformed into a demi God.
Two  qualities, I  was  told, distinguished  the
citizens of San Francisco.  They were generous to
a degree almost unique, and noted for hospitality
beyond the rest of the world. Among my introductions were some to gentlemen who, by common consent, were ranked as representative men,
citizens who occupied prominent positions as mag..
nates and millionaires. Soon after my arrival I
presented my introduction to one of these gentlemen. IHe was a banker, and I thought it natural
that he should be rich; he was an ornament to San
Francisco, and I deemed it a matter of course that
he should be estimable. His reception of me surpassed any which I had received from  the many
affable Americans whose acquaintance I made in
a similar manner.  To call it cordial is but imperfectly to characterise it.  Everything, this gentleman could do to serve me he professed himself
anxious to perform.  Hiis country-seat, his horses
andcl his carriage were placed at my disposal with
an alacrity which  was  startling.  It resembled
nothing so much  as the sham  politeness of the
Spaniard who asks the stranger to consider himself
the proprietor of all his possessions, and who never
for a moment thinks that he will be taken at his
31-4 
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.    315
word. I am sorry to have to record as the result
of experience gained not only from this case, but
from others, that among the legacies of the
Spaniards to the Californians the peculiar Spanish
views about hospitality have been included. It so
happened that I had no occasion for availing myself
of the banker's services, and was unable to put
lhis kindness to the test.  Shortly before my departure, I called to thank him for his courtesy and
to express regret at my inability to profit by his
liberal offers.  Fancying, apparently, that I hadcl
come to ask him to give effect to his promises, he
appeared strangely oblivious as to having seen me
before; but, no sooner had I explained my errand,
than his countenance cleared, the former cordiality
of manner returned, and he emphatically expressed
a hope, of which I perfectly understood the meaning, that he mlight have the pleasure of seeing me
the next time I visited San Francisco.
If the Californians were less addicted to eulogising themselves, they might be praised more
unreservedly by strangers. It is wvise policy for
thie citizens of a new State to imitate the custom
of the inhabitants of Tasmania ancld New South
WVales and studiously refrain from provokiing indiscreet and minute inquiries.   That society in
San Francisco and Sacramento should be composed 
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Of heterogeneous mnaterials, and that the' prominent
citizens' should not always be conspicuous for their
high breeding and their learning ought to excite no
astonishment.  The  gold discoveries  acted as a
magnet which drew  to the same spot a mixed
crowd of adventurers. Some came to dig for gold;
others to get gold in exchange for goods, for their
personal charms, for their professional advice.  In
this keen struggle the most illiterate and unscrupulous had a great advantage over the scholar and the
man of honour.  The men who achieved the greatest
success were in some respects changed for the worse.
If vulgar and commonplace before, their rapidly
acquired riches served to render these failings still
more obvious.  Their greatest gain consisted in the
training which had made  them self reliant to a
degree which is unattainable except by those who
have lived in a community where Judge Lynch
administers the wild justice of revenge, and where
a bullet from a revolver or a, stab made by a
bowie-knife is the only argument potent enough to
command instant acquiescence.   The dwellers in
cities well guarded by policemen know nothing of
what it is to inhabit a mining camp swarming with
robbers and murderers. Those who have passed
through the ordeal have gained an experience like
that of the hunter who has lived for years by the
316 
OCHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.   317
produce of his rifle, and has executed the double
task of shooting the game wherewith to sustain life
and guarding himself against being shot by Indians
who hate and pursue himi as they do a wild beast.
The hunter's career generally unfits him for living
in the society of his fellows: he prefers a lonely but
active life in the forest or on the mountain to a
dreary and monotonous existence amid the solitude
of a great city. This was not the case with respect
to the gold-hunters.  Having suddenly grown rich,
they were eager to enjoy thle luxuries which money
can purchase. They imported into the city the
manners and customs of the  camp.   To  order
drinks for'the crowd' was the habit of a hospitable
Californian miner: to give drinks to their acquaintances is the habit of the prosperous Californian
citizen. A gentleman who was pointed out to me
enjoyed immense popularity in San Francisco. Ile
was very rich. Hlis greatest merit, as far as I
could learn, consisted in this, that sometimes he
expended 500 dollars a day in treating his friends
to drinks.  When, then, Californians vaunt about
their hospitality they mean that they are the most
liberal with their whisky of any people on earth.
It would be an error, however, to regard the
Californians as spend-thrifts.  While parting ostentatiously with their money, they are perpetually 
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anxious to amass more  wealth.   The shrewdest
Yankee  cannot excel them in looking after the
main chance. They seem to think that the whole
duty of man consists in getting money. But to
employ their accumulated wealth in a way which
will benefit the less fortunate, cannot be numbered
among the objects of their ambition.  1iany stories
of unpardonable niggardliness are current.  One of
the best authenticated relates to' The Mercantile
Library' of San Francisco.  Seventeen years ago
the lovers of literature resolved upon founding a
library here which  should  resemllble  the public
libraries which do credit to the generous forc3-ight
of the inhabitants of the principal cities in the
Eastern States. This collection of books and periodicals is large and valuable; the building wherein it
is stored is a noble structure. Yet the existence
of the association itself has been a never-ending
struggle with poverty.   The  stranger who visits
the library learns with amazement that the managers
' cannot point to one bequest or donation, save by
some kind-hearted actor, musician or lecturer, the
proceeds of whose generosity have been devoted to
the purchase of new books.' The undertaking was
originated and has been sustained by a few private
citizens,'most of them young and dependent on
their daily employment  for a livelihood.'  It is
318 
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.    319
added by the unimpeachable authority from which
the foregoing  quotations have  been made,  that
'these facts, so creditable to the literary culture of
San Francisco, are less so to the intelligent liberality of her millionaires.'* Until these millionaires
shall have ceased to be living incarnations of purseproud selfishness, it will be permissible, when. describing thlem, to employ the stinging sarcasm of
Burlke, and say that the ledger is their Bible and
MIammon their God.
IHappily, there is another and a brighter side to
be contemplated. Although the lowest form of
materialism is the creed of the majority, anld Dives
alone commands general respect, yet in California
there is a small and precious leaven of men who
cultivate letters and art with pure affection, and
who promise to become masters of their craft. I
visited a gallery of Ipaintings by Californian artists,
and saw enough to warrant the belief that the landscapes of the Pacific slope will hereafter be worthily
reproduced on canvas by artists who have lived
among the scenes they portray. The desire and
ability to do this have been unmistakeably manifested. Of material there is no lack. That California,
will hereafter be illustrated by its artists as well as
enriched by manufacturers and merchants is one of
* The Ilta C,alfornia, 3rd October, 186G9. 
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the most cheering among the possibilities of the
future. In literature the harvest bids fair to be
sooner ripe and more copious. The number of
books of native growth is but small; yet the capacity for producing books bright with the charm of
originality and impressed with the stamp of home
production has been clearly demonstrated. Two
years ago a magazine entitled the Overland Mo2thlyi
was first issued by an enterprising publisher of San
Francisco, and that magazine has already taken
rank with the best periodicals which America produces. Were a competitive examination instituted,
the Overland.Biontthly might even take high honours
among the magazines which do credit to England.
It is entitled to the rare distinction of being readable
from cover to cover and yet to be able to maintain
its place without being propped up by an instalment
from a novel. The short tales in it are noteworthy
alike for artistic treatment and freshness of subject.
They are based on actual experience of life at the
gold diggings; hence they have the attraction of
displaying new varieties of existence and new types
of character. It is probable that their authors were
educated men who joined in the rush to California
in the hope of succeeding better by wielding pickaxes than they had done by the exercise of their
pens.  Whether they were disappointed or not in
320 
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORINTANS.   321
their immediate design, it is certain that they gained
much profitable experience vwhich they are utilizing
for literary purposes.   These productions are not
the only coinage of note from the intellectual mint
of California. The critiques on current literature
are quite refreshing in their genuineness, and very
effective pieces of writing. The conventionalities
of literary cliques do not seem to hamper and
emasculate the writers. Having opinions of their
own to express, they couch them in plain and
straightforward language, and they appear to write
with a thorough knowledg,e of the subjects which
they discuss.  Many literary oracles of greater age
and pretensions, give forth feebler and more uncertain sounds and do less towards maintaining a high
standard in literature, than the Overland   ont1thly.
In support of these opinions and in justification of
this praise I ought to cite examples. If I could
do so within moderate limits, I should have no
difficulty in substantiating my case. The discerning readers whose curiosity is piqued, or whose
scepticism is aroused, can easily ascertain how far I
have written at random, and whether I have strewn
flowers of eulogy in' error. If they turn to the
Overland Monthly and judge for themselves they
will have their reward, for they are certain to dis cover therein much of w bhichl the originality will 
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afford them pleasure even should they be unable to
admit the relative excellence and absolute supe riority of the magazine as a whole.
The Pacific Railway has been regarded as an in strunient designed to advance the prosperity of San
Francisco and to multiply the attractions of Cali fornia.   As  regards the people themselves  that
means of intercommunication will prove fraught
with results quite as important. Their comparative
isolation has led to the growth of a local pride
hardly justified by facts and not deserving of ad miration. The young men who left their homes in
the Eastern States twenty years ago, and are now
wealthy citizens of California, have remained practically ignorant of the changes which, during that
long interval, have been wrought in the cities of
their birth.  They have not known that progress
has moved with giant strides in New  York, St.
Louis, and Chicago as well as in San Francisco
and Sacramento.   They compare what they see
around them with what they imagine to exist elsewhere and they glory in their achievements.  Now
that facilities for travel enable them to draw just
comparisons, their self-importance may possibly receive a shock and the'Pioneers' may soon be
deposed from the high pedestal which they have
occupied in the estimation of themselves and their
322 
CHARACTERISTICS OF CALIFORNIANS.   323
neighbours. In reality there is no more merit in
having been a' Californian Pioneer' than in drawing a prize in a lottery.   The holders of prizes
deserve congratulations, but no honour. Having
made money these men {nay think that they have
earned glory. The folly is not theirs so much as
of the simpletons who accede to a ridiculous demand.
Nature, which has already done much for California, will doubtless do as much to render the race
which is being moulded here a splendid branch of
the human family. The physical conditions under
which human beings exist in this favoured region
are well adapted for imparting to them the qualities
which lead to greatness in all departments of exertion. A century hence it is probable that the
Californians will be a power in the Union and
will make their influence felt throughout the world.
As their intrinsic merit becomes more tangible their
shortcomings will afford less ground for comment.
When they have stronger reasons for boasting, they
will leave to others the task of trumpeting forth
their praises.
15 
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XXIII.
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE A.MERICAN ATHENS.
THIE boldest figures of speech used by poets hardly
outstrip the figurative names which have been conferred upon cities and places.  It is difficult to
fathom the reason for calling the harbour of Stamboul the Golden Horn and the entrance to the Bay
of San Francisco the Golden  Gate.   There  is
nothing auriferous about either.  With regard to
the latter, however, there is an explanation which
justifies the title. Along the Pacific coast a range
of mountains rises to the height of five thousand
feet. The bank of fog, which nearly always broods
over this locality, seldom ascends above the summits
of these mountains. The only break in the rockbound barrier forms the inlet to the quiet waters of
San Francisco Bay. When the fog is dense and the
sky obscured without, the sun shines brightly and
the sky is clear within. The effect observed, upon the
gap being reached, is that of a mellow golden haze.
Hence the origin of the appellation. The sailors who
came hither long before the discovery of the famous
gold diggings or the advent of Californian' Pioneers'
324 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATHENS. 325
rejoiced when they could distinguish the glittering
yellow veil which indicated that the desired haven
had been reached, and they were nearly as enchanted at the sight as they would have been if the
rocks between which they sailed were in truth portals
of solid gold. If the earlier mariners who approached
this coast had, on landing, ascended the mountain
known by the name of Tamalpais, or Table Rock,
and beheld the detested fog rolling beneath their
feet and gazed on the beautiful prospect around
them, they might have entertained thoughts identical with those of the storm-tossed wanderers when
arriving at the land of the Lotos Eaters. Indeed,
the spot itself under circumstances such as these
could not be described more fittingly and beautifully than in the choice lines which are among the
most finished that Tennyson ever penned:
' We have had enough of action, and of motion we,
REoll'd to starboard, roll'd to larboard, when the surge was seething
free,
Where the wallowing monster spouted his foam-fountains in the sea.
Let us swear an oath, and keep it with an equal mind,
In the hollow Lotos-land to live and lie reclined
On the hills like Gods together, careless of mankind.
For they lie beside their nectar, and their bolts are hurl'd
Far below them in the valleys, and the clouds are lightly curl'd
Round their golden houses, girdled with the gleaming world.'
'Surely, surely, slumber is more sweet than toil, the shore
Than labour in the deep mid-ocean, wind and wave and oar;
Oh rest ye, brother mariners, we will not wander more.' 
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The Spaniards who first settled here were indeed
little better  than Lotos-Eaters.   They lounged
through existence. But their successors are men of
more vigorous race and less tranquil temperaments.
The Californians of whom Sir George Simpson
wrote in 1846 that they were indolent and goodfor-nothing, have been displaced by Californians
whose fault is not want of energy and whose delight
does not consist in folding the hands and dreaming
like the sluggard. Hiad they done nothing else than
construct the more difficult portion of the railway
across the Continent, they would have vindicated
their claim to be among the most enterprising and
dauntless of mortals.
The completion of that railway has placed San
Francisco almost midway between two Easts. If
the traveller embarks in a steamer bound for China
or Japan he will be carried towards that ancient
and far East which is associated in our minds with
all that is gorgeous in colouring,;marvellous in
story and romantic in adventure.   Having journeyed' Westward by Rail' the traveller is thus
enabled to reach this East while following in the
track of the setting sun. As I had attained the
limit assigned to my present journey, nothing remained but to retrace my steps.  While doing so
and turning my back upon Asia I was able to
326 
TIE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATHENS. 327
proceed over what is to the Californians a'new
route to the East,' to an East far younger than the
other yet more mature, not peopled with imaginary
genii like the other, but the home of men who have
yoked fiery dragons to their chariots and tamed the
lightning to do their bidding. The Asiatic merely
imagined a Sindbad and an Aladdin. In England
and America hundreds of Sindbads and Aladdins
exist who, without  professing to work wonders,
eclipse the achievements of the fabled heroes of
romance.
By poetic licence the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
are said to be united by an iron highway; but, in
reality, there are several breaks in the line and one
of the greatest is here. It is possible to pass from
the extreme East to the extreme West in a railway
carriage, just as passengers might be transported
from Charing-cross to the Northern Station in Paris
or Brussels, provided the carriage were embarked
on board a steamer and ferried across the Channel.
Moreover, in this case it is possible for the water
journey to be avoided altogether, for a railway runs
between San Francisco and San Jos6, and San
Jos6 and Alameda. Yet, though this route is practicable, it is as roundabout and inconvenient as that
from London to Porfsmouth by way of Brighton.
The rule is to cross the Bay in a steamboat, and to 
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enter the train at Vallejo, Oakland, or Alameda.
The crossing occupies nearly an hour. Starting at
a quarter past seven o'clock in the morning, the
view from the steamer's deck is far-reaching, and
splendid. A good notion of the extent of the Bay
and of the quantity of the shipping is thus obtained. The city itself is seen to advantage. Its
greatest drawback is also perceived with distinctness. Although the sky is clear overhead, yet the
greater portion of the city is shrouded in smoke.
The volumes of dense black smoke issuing from the
chimney-stalks of innumerable furnaces, dim the
brightness of the sky, and darken the streets and
building,s.  The effect produced by a London fog
is hardly less unpleasant.  If a choice had to be
made between an occasional fog and perpetual
smoke, the fog would certainly be regarded as the
lesser evil.  At the landing stage of Alameda, the
train of the Western Pacific Railway is in readiness to transport the passengers to Sacramento.
The line is here carried for a considerable distance
on piles. Were the train to run off the rails, the
carriages would fall into the water below. This is
a contingency which will occur to any one who
looks out of the carriage window, and speculates as
to results. But another. and a greater danger seems
impending when the solid earth is traversed. The
328 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATHENS. 329
oscillation of the carriages is very great. They
swing from side to side in a way resembling the
rolling of a screw steamer. The inequalities of the
surface cause shocks like those which shake a
steamer when a head wind and sea rush and dash
against her bows.  Indeed, it is difficult to imagine
that rails have been laid at all, or that, if laid, they
have been bolted to the sleepers. A worse line I
have never travelled over. It is nearly as rough
and unpleasant as the common roads which, in the
wilder parts of the Western country, seem to have
been traced in the beds of watercourses and to have
been unprepared for traffic by the exercise of engineering skill. The scenery along the line is not
so attractive as to divert attention from the character of the line itself. The ground is undulating
for the most part. As the winter rains had not yet
fallen when I passed, the fields and trees and shrubs
were of a monotonous dull brown, while the dust on
the roads was about a foot deep. More than once
I have spoken in terms of praise of the Californian
climate, and I have, perhaps, omitted to make some
necessary qualifications. Properly speaking there
are three climates in California-the climate of the
sea-coast, of the plains, and of the mountains. San
Francisco has this advantage, owing to its situa tion, that when the sun shines most brightly a cool 
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breeze blows in-shore through the Golden Gate.
This wind has the great advantage of bracing the
system, which otherwise might become debilitated
by uniform warmth. The best proof that I can
give of the actual superiority of the climate of San
Francisco, after allowance has been made for draw backs, consists in the fact that neither men nor
women require to wear clothing specially adapted
for summer or winter. The ladies wear dresses
differing in texture and colour, in order to follow
the fashions which are set elsewhere, but for all the
purposes of clothing these dresses do not vary. At
times, however, the transition from the extreme
warmth of the day to the coolness of the night is
sudden and trying to sensitive constitutions.  To
all appearance the children are healthy and robust.
Their rosy cheeks are a great contrast to the transparent skins and pale complexions of New England
children. If the child be a criterion of the man, the
native-born Californians will hereafter be fine specimens of humanity.
Proceeding inland to the country intersected by
the railways which run to Sacramento, the climate
becomes far hotter. Yet, though less temperate it
is not so tropical as to interfere with the easy and
profitable cultivation of the soil. In the plains and
valleys the year may be divided into spring and
330 
THE GOLDI)EN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATHENS. 331
summer. Winter and autumn are mere names
there. Rain falls in November, not rain like the
torrents of water which fall in tropical climes, but
gentle showers, like those which on a fine spring
morning in England cool the air and moisten the
parched ground. From December to April the
Californian may plough and plant. At the end of
June his crops are ripe; he may then cut the grain,
and having done so, he may allow it to remain on
the field till October. No barn is required to shelter
the sheaves which are about to be thrashed; everything, may be done in the open air within the time
above-mentioned.   Excepting  during the season
when it rains, all operations may be conducted in
the open air, and animals need not be put under
cover. The plains of California are a paradise for
the farmer. In the mountains there are two seasons
also, but these are winter and summer. Snow falls
and ice forms on the slopes of the Sierra Nevadas.
There are some localities in which the cold is perpetual and where the snow never melts.  To the
Californian the choice of climate and of scenery is
as great within the compass of his own State as it
is within the limits of Europe. Among the Sierras
he has the glaciers and the mountain peaks, the
gorges and the grand scenery of Switzerland; in
the plains he finds the rich fields and the rivers 
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of mid-France; while along the sea coast all the
glories of the Mediterranean are reproduced on a
grander scale, and in larger numbers.
Six hours after leaving Alameda the train stops
at Sacramento, the terminus of the Western Pacific
Railway. The only intermediate station of importance is Stockton, a place of 10,000 inhabitants,
and the centre of the grain trade of the surrounding
region. It is also the spot whence supplies are
derived for the important gold-mining industry at
Mariposa. At Sacramento the passengers bound
eastwards take their seats in the train of the Central
Pacific.  Immediately after leaving Sacramento the
ascent of the Sierras begins, and the difficulties
surmounted by those who made the railway are
fully realised. At the end of fifty miles the elevation of the line is 2,400 feet above the level of the
sea; when one hundred and five miles have been
traversed the height reached is 7,000 feet. This
great and sudden rise towards the clouds is accompanied by a great fall in the temperature of the air.
The transition is trying to the delicate chest, and
is borne with difficulty by the most robust. Indeed,
the journey eastward taxes the system more than
that towards the west. In the former case the land
of perpetual sunshine is exchanged for variable
weather and murky skies. It is not surprising that
332 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMIERICAN ATHENS. 333
those who have lived in California should be reluctant to leave it, and after having gone elsewhere
should long to return thither.  In the train were
several passengers who had migrated to California
from the States to the east of the Rocky Mountains, in those days when gold discoveries attracted
thousands to the Pacific slope. These men are now
availing themselves of the railway to visit what
they call'the States,' and to see their relations
once more.  Nothing so strikingly illustrates the
comparative isolation in which the inhabitants of
California have lived, as the way in which they
speak of themselves, not as Americans, but as Californians.  Even the passengers who had not been
'Pioneers,' who had gone to the Pacific coast a few
years ago in quest of health or fortune, were nearly
as enthusiastic as the older inhabitants. One who
held a high position in the medical staff of the
Western army throughout the war, and whose
health had been shattered by his labours, told me
that after a trial of two years he had resolved to
abandon his home in Wisconsin and practise his
profession in the exquisite climate of San Jose.
He was now on his way eastward, in order to complete the necessary arrangements. But there is
another side to the picture. I conversed with others
who  had visited San Francisco in the hope of 
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finding lucrative employment there, and who were
returning home disappointed and dissatisfied. The
labour market is overstocked with young men fitted
to do the work of clerks, and with professional men
generally. Such persons are warned against seeking in San Francisco that which they cannot find
in New York or London.  There is room in California for thousands of emigrants, but these emigrants must be prepared to engage in manual labour,
and especially in agricultural pursuits, if they
would escape starvation. For the man who can
rear vines or do farm work, and who has a small
amount of capital at his disposal, there is no
place in the world where he can make for himself
a comfortable home and accumulate money more
easily and certainly than the State of California.
IHe can purchase excellent land for 5s. an acre,
and can enjoy what a Sovereign, condemned to live
in less favoured parts of the world, cannot commancl-a climate which keeps him in good health,
lightens his toils and enables him to reap what he
has sown. I have insisted on the advantages to be
enjoyed in California as respects climate, because
this is the chief consideration in the matter of
bodily comfort, as well as the chief agent in making
a nation. That the praises I have vented on the
Californian climate are not exaggerated may be
334 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATHENS. 335
inferred from this circumstance. It was some time
after settlers had flocked here from other parts of
the American continent and from Europe before
the honey bee was introduced.  This useful little
insect soon made itself at home, and filled hives
with honey. After a year or two had elapsed the
store of honeycomb was dhiminished to a minimum.
The bees found that as flowers were in bloom all
the year round there was no necessity for laying
up a large supply of honey against a barren and
blossomless winter season. Consequently, arrangements had to be made to deal with the bees as with
hens, abstracting the honey in small portions in
order that the formation of the honeycomb might go
on uninterruptedly.  Perhaps it may prove interesting, to add what I have learned at second-hand, but
from unprejudiced sources, that the highest eulogiums passed upon the soil, sky, and climate of
California are literally applicable to Vancouver's
Island also, and that if Americans are to be congratulated on having such a Garden of Eden as
California among the States of the Union, the
English people are quite as fortunate in numbering
Vancouver's Island among the possessions of Great
Britain.  lMy informants were Americans, wMho did
not conceal their desire to substitute in British
Columbia the Stars and Stripes for the Union Jack.
I 
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It is hardly creditable that a possession so valuable
should be almost disregarded. Those who are concerned in the organization of emigration from England might do their fellow-countrymen a service by
investigating the advantages of settling in British
Columbia.
These subjects formed the topics of conversation
between myself and several passengers by the train.
I have recorded them in preference to repeating
for the second time particulars about the route
itself. It was as unpleasant in some parts and as
enjoyable in others as on the previous journey. The
season being more advanced, the cold was more
intense.  Thus another discomfort was added to
those which render the alkali plains the dread and
torment of the traveller. While crossing these
plains, and while still in the State of Nevada,
several miners entered the train at one of the stations. They, too, were bound East, in order to
see their friends. Some of them were wild in aspect,
as well as rough in speech.  From one of them I
obtained some interesting particulars respecting the
present state of the silver mining region. HIe carried a revolver and bowie-knife strapped round his
waist, and a bottle of whisky in his pocket. When
going to his sleeping berth on the night that he
entered the car, an open display was made of the
336 
THE GOLDEN GATE TO THE AMERICAN ATHENS. 337
deadly weapons, and a distinct token was given of
the whisky bottle having been called too frequently
into requisition. Early on the following morning
as I was standing on the platform of the car, and
watching the sun rise, this' gentleman' made his
appearance, and, after a few preliminary remarks,
asked me to' smile.' I had learned by experience
that this is the slang phrase for' taking a drink.' I
'smiled' all the more readily because the morning
was intensely cold, thle pools of water being coated
with ice. In the course of a few minutes this miner
told me his name, his history, and his intentions.
lHe became the more communicative when he discovered that I was personally acquainted with one of
the' prominent citizens' of Austin City, Nevada, a
gentleman with whom he had been allied in some
mining enterprises. He told me that he was known
by the nickname of' Slim Jim,' that he had crossed
the plains when quite a youth, had'made his pile'
by lucky hits at mining, was now about twenty
years of age, was bound for Chicago, in order to
pay a visit to his parents, and that he purposed returning in the course of a few weeks in order to
'prospect' certain parts of the Territory of Utah
which had not, in his opinion, received sufficient
attention;  Like all the miners with whom I formed
a temporary acquaintance he had many specimens 
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of ore in his pockets. He carried them for the
avowed purpose of showing them as samples to
those who might be disposed to buy a share in some
of his mines. iHe insisted upon my accepting some
of these specimens, which were certainly very rich
in silver.. There was nothing disinterested in this.
I had been favoured in a similar way on many previous occasions of a like nature. In this part of
the United States it is as common to advertise by
distributing pieces of gold quartz or silver ore as it
is in others to give away handbills of some nostrum
for healing diseases.
At Promontory Station, the sharpers, whom I
have already described,* were still actively plying
their nefarious trade; and at the other stations in
the Territory of Utah, M1ormon girls and boys were
as assiduous as formerly in disposing of both fruit
and hand-wrought gloves to the passengers. The
scenery had lost none of its aridity or sublimity.
The great Salt Lake still presented a spectacle of
wonderful impressiveness, the Weber and Echo
Canyons produced an impression of even greater
majesty and wildness than when I passed through
them earlier in the year. On reaching the Laramie
Plains a change came over the scene, for the snow
began to fall heavily, and the landscape was draped
* See p. 186.
338 
THIE GOLDEN GATE TO TIE AMERICAN ATHENS. 339
in white. This gave a variety to the prospect, and
rendered the hills more imposing in appearance.
On the other hand, it retarded the progress of the
train. The engine became unequal to its task, and
two hours were consumed in passing over the distance of four miles. This detention led to a break
in the arrangements. The line being a single one,
the rule is for a train which is behind time to lose
the right to the road, and the result is, that it must
stop at the appointed sidings till the trains coming
in the opposite direction have passed along. Thus
it happened that when Omaha was reached, the corresponding, train on one of the railways running
east had left, and the passengers who had through
tickets over that line had to pass the night at
Omaha. Others who, like myself, were bound for
Chicago by the North Western, were able to continue our journey, as the train had waited our
arrival. In due time we arrived at the chief city of
the Western States, and continued our eastern
journey amidst a snow-storm. I now learned the
advantage of having the cars comfortably heated by
hot air stoves. In an English railway carriage this
journey would have been disagreeable beyond measure, if not fraught with serious consequences to
health. As it was, the Pullman car in which we 
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travelled was as comfortable as the best warmed
room in an English house.
The superiority of these cars is rendered the
more apparent when the traveller has to exchange
seats in them for those which run over the lines in
the States of New York and Massachusetts. At
Albany the carriages which go to Boston are separated from those which go on to New York.
Springfield and Worcester are the chief places of
note between Albany and Boston. The former is
the seat of the United States Arsenal.  Near the
latter is Lake Quinsigamond whereon the annual
boat races are contested between the Universities of
Harvard and Yale.  The scenery along the line is
varied and picturesque. The abundance of wood
and water seems a fine feature in the landscape to
tl.ose who have just crossed the treeless and arid
plains in the heart of the Continent. This contrast
is alike great and pleasing, but it is neither greater
nor more gratifying than that between the capital
of Massachusetts and the largest city on the Pacific
slope, between Boston with its classic memories, its
long-established order, its intellectual triumphs, and
San Francisco with its lawless episodes, its tardy
submission to the reign of law, and its feverish chase
after material riches.
340 
XXIV.
BOSTON CITY AND HAPVARD UNIVERSITY.
SEVERAL VISITORS to the Capital of Massachusetts have been struck with its resemblance to an
English city. Its inhabitants deem the likeness
creditable, and seem flattered when it is detected
and praised. The similarity, however, is purely
superficial, being confined to the irregular arrangement of the streets, the form and colour of the
houses.  These things are but as rouge on the skin
of a beauty and of a wig on the head of a beau.
They are  accidents and not essentials, external
marks which do not typify the hidden and animating essence.  In those things which differentiate
one city from another Boston is unlike any other
city in either the Old World or the New.  Bostonians
have better reason to rejoice in the points of dissimilarity than in those of resemblance.   They have
substantiated a  claim to the honourable title of
'a,,k<.;,.*,,axemem0:''O 
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despising wealth and material prosperity, yet counts
such things but as dust in the balance and contemptible dross unless the riches are gilded with
intellect and the success is ennobled by the pursuit
of a lofty ideal. They are in the van of that form
of civilization which is distinctively American and
of which the mission and the pride consist ia demonstrating to a sceptical and sneering world that
the most uncompromising and perfect Republicanism
tends to elevate rather than to vulgarize, to beautify
rather than to tarnish, to quicken the pulse of
generous self-sacrifice rather than to repress all the
finer feelings of human nature, and enshrines in
men's minds, as the only idols to which homage can
fitly be paid, the highest form of social breeding
and the most finished patterns of mental culture.
Boston is notable among the' cities of the Union
for its purely English origin  and its genuine
American development.   Those who first settled
here were English to the backbone, and they were
the flower of their generation. According to them
there was something more to be desired than the
favour of a Prince and the highest worldly honours.
They prized as a second heritage of their race the
right to exercise their opinions without reference to
what they considered were the corrupted tests of
degenerate men, and to regard the present world
342 
BOSTON CITY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 343
as an arena in which the pure in heart were destined
to strive for a heavenly crown. In thus thinking
they were directly opposed to the predominant
notions of their age. Their whole life was a revolt
against the existing authorities and accepted canons
of interpretation. It was to preserve themselves
unspotted from the world that they crossed the
Atlantic, and when they set foot on Plymouth
Rock they brought with them the prolific germs of
the ideas whereof the Constitution of the United
States is the accurate and logical expression. From
the beginning they manifested an irrefrangible resolve to do what they believed to be right and to
dare everything when giving practical effect to their
convictions. Unfortunately for the minority among
them, the majority were too confident that they were
the sole repositories of the truth. There is something ludicrous as well as sad in the interference exercised with regard to the concerns of the individual.
This was, however, nothing more than the necessary
product of their education, combined with the fruit
of their theories. To stigmatise the Puritans of
New En,gland as petty despots is not to blame them
with exceptional severity; but to make the charge
and overlook or disregard the explanation is to
become their accomplices.  They could not shake
off the influence of old traditions or emancipate 
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themselves from the yoke of evil example in a day
or a year   They had lived in England, where the
ways of the Tudor and Stuart autocrats had become
examples which it was deemed right to copy, so
long as the end in view was reconcilable with Scripture.   Their  fathers had taught them  to obey
decrees which prohibited certain persons from wearing apparel of specified colours and patterns, and
eating food of a particular kind. They knew that
even the High Court of Parliament had not respected the sanctity of the coffin, but had enjoined,
under a heavy penalty, that the dead should be laid
in their last home  wrapped in a woollen shroud.
WThen these men had the power, they abused it after
the fashion of those whom they had been trained to
respect. Under the pretext that certain acts were
snares of the Devil and abominations to the Lord,
they put in force a hateful system of interference
with personal freedom. The Pilgrim Fathers were
undoubtedly sincere, but they had the misfortune to
be mistaken men.  In due time their blunders were
perceived and atoned for. The claims of the individual conscience were recognized as being subject
to no other appeal than to the individual himself. The affairs of what was really a straightlaced theology, but was supposed to be religion,
were eventually severed from the affairs of State.
344 
BOSTON CITY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 345
Yet with this separation the ardour for promulgating and enforcing what was considered the truth
did not wax cold or die out. The Puritan spirit
survived the intolerant Puritan creed.  The cause
for which the enlightened progeny of the original
settlers combated was happily in complete accord
with the precepts of world-honoured sages and the
conclusions of the greatest among philosophers.
In vindication of the immortal principles which
prescribe how absolute justice should be executed
between man and man, the citizens of Boston
were the chief instigators and the heroes of two
decisive and embittered conflicts, the first of which
established the independence of their country, the
second justified that independence by annihilating
slavery.
There is much in the early history of the settlers
in New England that seems to us utterly contemptible. The incessant wrangling about religious
dogmas and human duties, which constituted their
daily occupation during many years, appears to the
men of the nineteenth century quite as frivolous and
foolish as the controversies of the schoolmen. Yet
the talk was not all empty, nor were the discussions
all aimless. They necessarily implied and compelled
an  acquaintance  with  subjects  which  education
could alone impart, and the controversies engen 
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dered by the pulpit led to the foundation and maintenance of the school. The man who could not
read was a useless member of society. It was felt
that, in order to promote the objects which were
generally admitted to be laudable, the education of
the young was indispensable. Hence an impetus
was given to teaching which outlasted the special
reason whereon it was based. It became as much a
matter of course that the youth of Massachusetts
should cultivate their intellects as that they should
learn how to handle a gun or guide the plough.
The result is now beheld in  the position which
mental attainments  have  enabled tile citizens of
Boston to acquire despite the disproportion of
numbers and wealth. Their weight in the councils
of the Union is due to their indisputable superiority
in culture and learning.
Coming as I did from San Francisco, where
culture is the exception, to a city where it is the
rule, the transition was impressive and noteworthy.
On the Pacific coast I found that the men of wealth
cared for nothing but to heap up money, and would
not even aid in helping those who were labouring
to stock a library with the treasures of the mind.
Within sight of the Atlantic the reverse was the
fact.  Merely to name the libraries in Boston would
fill much  space, while to describe  all that the
346 
BOSTON CITY AND IHARVARD UNIVERSITY. 347
wisdom of the civic authorities and the munificence
of individuals have dlone towards promoting the
acquirement and increase of knowledge would require a volume. If then I would give any illustration of my statement, I must confine myself to a
single case.  Nor is it difficult to do this satisfactorily. Recent events have made the name of
Harvard a familiar one to English ears. An account
of what Harvard has been and now is may then be
welcome to English readers, while serving as an
example of the manner in which the citizens of
Massachusetts have honoured and advanced the
higher departments of learning.
Earl Bellamont, Governor of Massachusetts, said
in his message to the General Court in 1699,'It
is a very great advantage you have above other
provinces, that your youth are not put to travel for
learning, but have the Muses at their doors.'  This
was intended as a high compliment to Harvard Col
lege, then the chief seminary of sound learning on
the Northl American Continent.  That college was
neither young nor undistinguished at the time the
Governor wrote. It was then sixty-three years old,
and had been presided over by some of the most
distinguished among the many able men vlwho were
engaged in founding on land reclaimed from the
wilderness, and haunted by savages and wild beasts,
16 
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a new and a mighty England.  Sixteen years after
the Pilgrim  Fathers  disembarked  at Plymouth
Rock, the Legislature of the colony of Massachu setts Bay resolved to establish a college. A sum
of money was set apart for the purpose. This resolution was as remarkable as it was wise and highspirited. In one of the great speeches of the late
Mr. Everett, the occasion was justly eulogised as
the first' on which a people ever taxed themselves
to found a place of education.' The same renowned
orator further said that Harvard College'was an
institution established by the people's means for the
people's benefit,' and he was able to make the
proud boast that at no period had Harvard ever
been'indebted to the Crown for a dollar or a
book.' Yet Harvard owes a debt to England and
Englishmen which she has never ceased to acknowledge with undissembled gratitude. The Rev. John
Harvard, an English clergyman, who emigrated to
America, took up his abode in the colony of Massachusetts, and died in 1638, bequeathed his library
and the half of his fortune to the infant institution.
The example was speedily followed, and money
flowed in on all hands. Not long afterwards the
name of the locality was chanced from Newtown
to Cambridge, in honour of the many Cambridge
graduates, who, like Mr. Harvard, had thrown in
348 
BOSTON CITY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 349
their lot with the settlers. It has been estimated
that in 1638 there was one Cambridge graduate to
every 200 or 250 inhabitants of the New England
villages.  Hardly less memorable than this is the
fact that the American offshoot from the grand old
University which has done so much for the cause
of English liberty, sent forth the earliest protest
made in America against pusillanimous submission
to the tyranny of the civil magistrate. Among the
records in which the alumni of Harvard still take
delight is one chronicling how, in 1743, Samuel
Adams, when taking his degree, maintained the
thesis,' that it was lawful to resist the Chief Magistrate if the State cannot otherwise be prieserved.'
It is not my design to write an elaborate his.
torical sketch of the career of' the University at
Cambridge,' as Harvard College is designated in
the constitution of the State of Massachusetts.
Such an account would contain many statements
not wholly creditable to those who, in bygone days,
were in authority here. Like other seats of learning Harvard has had its share of jealousies fomented
by rivalry and of dissensions having their root in
theological differences. These, however, have neither
checked the growth nor lessened the popularity of
the University itself. Besides, they are events of
days which have passed away, and possess little in 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL.
terest for any one but the historian or the antiquary.
Nevertheless, before proceeding to speak of LIarvard as she now is, a few extracts from official
documents illustrative of what she was in olden
times may prove useful and interesting. As in the
statutes of our English universities, so in those of
Harvard many of the provisions are admirable,
while others appear harsh to modern readers, and
ridiculous to modern students.  For example, it is
ordained in'The Laws, Liberties, and Orders of
Harvard College,' dated 1642-6, that the students
' shall be slow to speak, and eschew not only oaths,
lies, and uncertain rumours, but likewise all idle,
foolish, bitter, scoffing, frothy, wanton words, and
offensive gestures;' that'none shall pragmatically
intrude or intermeddle in other men's affairs;' and
that'no scholar shall buy, sell, or exchange anything, to the value of sixpence, without the allowance of his parents, guardians, or tutors.'  The last
proviso seems to have been framed with a view to
stifle that love for bargaining and bartering with
which New Englanders have long been credited.
The following is in still more direct opposition to
the practical spirit which is universally regarded
as the leading characteristic of Americans:-' The
scholars shall never use their mother tongue, except
that in public exercises of oratory, or such like,
350 
BOSTON' CITY AND HARVARD UNIVERSITY.  351
they be called to make them in English.'  In the
orders issued by the overseers in 1650 there is the
following prohibition against the use of tobacco:' No scholar shall take tobacco unless permitted by
the president, with the consent of their parents or
guardians, and on good reason first given by a physician, and then in a sober and private manner.'
Quite as curious as these obsolete regulations are
the successive changes which Harvard's motto has
undergone. On the College Seal, made in 1642,
the simple, yet significant word' Veritas' was alone
engraved. Subsequently, this was exchanged for
the motto' In Christo Gloriam,' and finally the
present one was adopted, which is' Christo et
Ecclesie.' On the outside of one of the halls a
facsimile in stone of the original seal is to be seen.
The first four letters are inscribed on the inside of
two open volumes; the last three are on the outside
of a third volume. This has been ingeniously explained as indicating' that no one human book contains the whole truth on any subject, and that in
order to get at the real end of the matter we must
be careful to look on both sides.' While nearly
everything has undergone some change or a complete transformation throughout NXew England, the
University at Cambridge is substantially the same
now in spirit and fact as it was two centuries aso. 
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Old buildings remain to show to the present generation what manner of edifices their forefathers erected
and occupied.  In the proximity of halls over which
centuries have passed are modern edifices in the
style of a period which thinks quite as highly of
ornament as of utility, or rather which strives to
combine them both.   Most  striking among  the
latter is the library. This is a substantial stone
building in the plain Gothic style.  It contains
nearly 200,000  volumes in every department  of
literature, the collection of scientific works being
very large, and the collection of pamphlets being
exceedingly valuable.   Just as one Englishman
gave a stimulus to the good work of founding Harvard College, so have other Englishmen contributed
to increase the treasures of its library. The attention of the visitor from England is pointedly called
to the munificent benefaction of Mr. IHollis, of Lincoln's Inn, an Englishman who, in the last century,
enriched the library with his own splendid collection
of books. His name, along with those of other distinguished donors and notable men, may be seen in
conspicuous parts of the principal room. No hindrances are put in the way of non-students profiting
by this fine library.  WVith a liberality which cannot be too strongly commended or too widely irnitatedcl, the University authorities have treated their
352 
BOSTON CITY AND HAVARD UNIVERSITY. 353
library as the common property of thirsters after
knowledge, and have rendered access to it very easy
to all respectable persons. Speaking generally, it
may be said with truth that the system in operation
at Harvard is the same as that prevailing in our
Universities at home. One of the differences is the
method of teaching, which resembles that in vogue
at Edinburgh and other University cities of Scotland.  The students are more youthful than English
undergraduates, and the professors teach more than
they lecture. Another essential difference is the
custom of regarding all the students who have
entered during the same year as belonging to one
class. The class does not cease to exist when the
University course is at an end. An honorary secretary is elected, whose duty consists in compiling a
catalogue of the several members, with a short biography of each. Once a year every one who thinks
fit to do so forwards such particulars as he may
deem interesting to his classmates. These records
are preserved, and when the class dies out the
whole of the documents are deposited among the
University archives. Being printed for private circulation only, the class lists are more minute in
their details than they might be were the information communicated to the public.  Judging from
those which I have been permitted to inspect, I 
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may affirm with perfect confidence that the public
does not always lose much which is really valuable
by being kept in ignorance of what the members of
each class think of themselves and of each other.
If many of the facts communicated are worthy of
record, others are so trivial as to merit oblivion.
Amateur theatricals combine with boating to give
the students scope for the display of their powers in
other fields than those of science and the arts.
How far proficiency on the stage contributes to a
student's success in after life is a problem as diffi cult to solve as that which relates to the value of
rowing as an element in University education.  As
the result of investigation, it may be asserted that
the average number of reading men at Harvard is
the same as that at the Universities of Europe. All
the world over, a large proportion of young men
has a decided taste for that kind of work which can
with difficulty be distinguished from play.
A notice of Harvard would be as incomplete
without a reference to the Porcellian Club as a
notice of Oxford or Cambridge would be in which
the Union Debating Society held no place. This
and the Hasty Pudding Club, an association for
performing amateur theatricals, are the two lions of
Harvard. The Porcellian Club is hardly a place of
resort for those who cultivate the intellect at the
354 
BOSTON CITY AND IIAVARD UNIVERSITY.  355
expense of the body. It is a very mundane and by
no means unpleasant institution. The list of active
members is small, owing in part to the largeness of
the annual subscription. The great desire of every
student is to become a member of it, or, in default,
to learn what its members really do and enjoy. As
the doings of the club are shrouded in secrecy, many
curious stories are current on the subject. All
that can be said by a stranger who has been privileged to step behind the scenes is that the mysteries
are rites which can be practised without much
labour, and yield a pleasure which is fraught with
no unpleasant consequences. On the whole, the
alumni of Harvard have good reason to glory
in their ancient University. She has proved the
fruitful mother of great men and of patriotic citizens. The roll of her teachers is studded with
famous names. To the energy and enthusiasm of
her teachers and graduates much of the vigour displayed in the heroic struggle for American independence, and much of the foresight and wisdom
manifested by the framers of the American Constitution, are unquestionably due.  Nor did the'second
great contest, when the issue between justice and
tyranny was again fought out in the war which
slaveholders began and in which slavery was extinguished, find the University at Cambridge  an 
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unconcerned spectator.   There is something irresistibly touching in the- stories, told without ostentation but with justifiable pride, of the students who
went forth to serve as eager volunteers in the ranks
of the great National army. Of these many fell on
the battlefield, others perished in the camp, while
few lived to return home unscarred and sound in
limb.
In one respect, the Harvard College of to-day is
far in advance of what it was two centuries since.
For those who profess different creeds there is now
a latitude and kindly toleration such as the early
Puritan settlers neither practised nor understood.
In other respects the transformation has been complete.  The unbending and gloomy Calvinism of
the first settlers has been repudiated by their descendants.   While  all religious sects are represented here, the religion of the majority is that
liberal, tolerant, and rational creed which is professed by Unitarians.
if Harvard University owes much to the Englishman who bequeathed to her the larger portion of
his substance-a gift she has amply acknowledged,
to use the late Mir. Everett's words, by giving to
' an unknown stranger a deathless name'-she has
also done much to conquer the admiration of all who
speak and honour tle English tongue.  While the
356 
BOSTON CITY AND IIAVARD UNIVERSITY. 357
alumni of Harvard demonstrate their daring and
prowess in friendly rivalry with their English
brethren, it is meet that the latter should visit the
oldest and most famous among the Universities of
America, for by so doing they would find much to
admire, something to learn, and many things in
which to glory. 
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XXV.
'ETV YOP,K TO EUSTON SQUARE.
TiHE: PACIFIC IRAILWAY was primarily designed
to link the Atlantic and Pacific shores of the United
States. That passengers and produce should be
carried wvith the greatest possible speed between the
principal cities of California and Oregon and those
of the Middle and Eastern States is what everyone
who had at heart the development of the internal
resources and the commerce of the country felt
naturally bound to further. The railway is a means
towards the accomplishment of the desired result.
But it has also been regarded as an instrument for
the promotion of a still grander object.  It is supposed to be destined to revolutionize the commerce
of the world by affording increased facilities for
the reciprocal transference of goods and passengers
between China, Japan, Australia, and Europe. The
nearest way from Paris or London to Yokohama,
Shanghae, or Sidney is said to lie across the
Atlantic, the Continent of America and the Pacific
358 
NEW YORK TO EUSTON SQUARE.
Ocean. An important element in any calculation
relating to the subject is the certainty of the journey
being completed within  a specified time.   This
matter is one still open to speculation.  There is
no  question that, if existing arrangements were
carried out to the letter, the value of the new route
would be demonstrated. For my own part I cannot
maintain that the traveller who puts his trust in
timetables, whether these relate to steam-boats or
railway trains, exhibits a well-founded confidence.
When I journeyed  from  New  York  to San
Francisco the time occupied was nearly a day longer
than the allotted period.   The same thing, occurred
on the return journey.  The traveller whose destiniation is not New York but London must take note of
another consideration. He probably has a decided
preference for one out of the many lines of steamers
which make  the passage across the Atlantic.  If
forced by circumstances to be economical, his chief
desire will be to travel at the cheapest rate, yet he
may not wish to forego comfort.  If he be one of
the fa,voured few who need take no thought about
money, he will probably yearn to secure his personal safety. The outlay necessary to secure a
first-class passage ranges from thirteen guineas to
twenty-six pounds, according to the Company which
is patronized.  Although a steamer is said to sail
359 
WVESTWARD BY RAIL.
daily from New York, yet there is generally the
interval of a week, and sometimes of a fortnight,
between the days of sailing of the vessels belonging
to a particular Company. When these facts are
duly considered it becomes clear that to journey
from San Francisco to London with entire satisfaction in the space of eighteen days is a feat much
more easily performed on paper than in reality.
When New York is the place whence the traveller
begins his Atlantic voyage, the opportunities for
examining the steam-ships of the several shipping
lines prior to engaging a berth are greater than
those which can be enjoyed elsewhere. The vessels
which sail from Bremen and Hamburg, Brest and
London, Liverpool and Glasgow, all take up their
moorings at one of the wharves on the North River.
To those who are unbiassed by national prejudices,
and uninfluenced by pecuniary considerations or
personal prepossessions the variety of choice is almost
too great.  First comes the Cunard line with its
high fares and high reputation. Second on the list
is the Inman line which is struggling to rival the
Cunard by making more rapid voyages, and which
charges lower fares.   The Guion and the National
lines are of more recent date and rely for patronage
rather upon lowness of charge than upon rapidity
of passage. The steamers of these lines sail to
360 
NEW YORK TO EUSTON SQUARE.
Liverpool, touching at Queenstown. Those of the
Anchor line touch at Londonderry, on the way to
Glasgow. The steamers of the Hamburg and New
York line touch at Plymouth and Brest when
voyaging between the cities of which the names
form its designation, while those of the North
German Lloyd touch at Southampton on the way
between New Yorkl and Bremen. The London
and New York line has a fortnightly service between
the Thames and the Hudson, while the Compagnie
Transatlantique conveys passengers between Brest
and New  York.   In this list the name of an
American steamship company does not appear, for
the conclusive reason that no such company exists.
The carrying trade as well as the passenger traffic
across the Atlantic is in English, German, or
French hands; even the mails of the United States
being transported in foreign vessels. That titis
should be the case is due not to deficiency in entelprise, but to the ascendency of a system which ill
supposed to give protection to the native industry
and to the shipping interests of the American people.
At present the shipbuilders of the Clyde can supply
iron steamships at lower prices than the shipbuilders of any other part of the world. Nearly all
the companies named above have had their vessels
built on the banks of the Clyde. Even the French
361 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
shipowner has found it profitable to purchase
British-built iron steamers.   But the American
shipowner cannot do this if he would. Consequently, he is at a disadvantage when compared
with his foreign rivals. They are free to make
contracts which redound to their profit, while he is
so carefully protected against using his own discretion as to be helpless to perform that which he
deems the best for himself.  The political freedom
enjoyed by the citizens of the United States has
made their country the envy of less favoured nations
and one of the wonders of the world. When the
enlightened policy of free exchange shall be substituted for the medieval policy of protection, not only
will the condition of the American people be vastly
improved, but the progress of their country will be
even more rapid than it has been, while the admiration of those who watch and welcome its advance
will be all the greater and all the more sincere.
A  countryman and travelling companion, whose
attachment to the flag and liking for the Cunard
line were too strong to be overcome by the temptation of novelty even when presented in the form
of German steamers famed for the comfort of their
arrangements, having resolved to return home in
the Cuba, I took my passage in that steamer also.
It is noteworthy how those who frequently cross the
362 
NEEW YORK TO EUSTON SQUARE.
Atlantic acquire preferences for certain steam-ships.
They do this for the same reason that a traveller returns to the hotel at which he is specially welcome
because there he is personally known.  An Atlantic
steam-boat is but a floating hotel, and acquaintance
with those who are permanently on board ensures
an amount of attention for which the new-comer
looks in vain.  Some Americans who were among
my fellow passengers spoke strongly in favour of
the Cuba. They had sailed in her at different
seasons of the year and when on board felt less
apprehension for their safety than when in other
steamers or when in a railway train. She had not
a reputation for speed; but she was a good seaboat.
Starting an hour after the Colerado, a vessel belongilg to the Guion line, we had an opportunity of
seeing  which  was  the more rapid sailer.  The
struggle was not a long one, nor was the race hotly
contested.   In nautical phrase the Cuba walked
away from the Colerado.
The incidents of the voyage were too unimportant
to merit special notice. Most striking of them all was
an Atlantic gale lasting two days.  The prodigious
mass of water which unceasingly rolls over the lofty
rocks at Niagara is supposed to convey one of the
best examples of irresistible power to be seen in
Nature. I cannot but think, however, that the
363 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
ocean heaving and foamningo under the influence of a
gale is a spectacle quite as imposing and majestic.
The mighty sweep of the limitless waves appears
fraught with ruin to everything in their path.  As
the infuriated wind shrieks and battles with the
rising billows, the insignificance of man is the
thought which takes possession of the mlind only to
be expelled however by the proud reflection that the
powers of the air and the water are put at defiance
by the vessel which triumphantly keeps her course
and thus demonstrates the perfection of man's handi work and extent of human resources.
The progress of invention has given to man the
empire over the sea, but it has not yet enabled him
uniformly to enjoy his triumph. To but a small
minority is it given to take pleasure in a sea-voyage
and to laugh at the very notion of being painfully
affected by the motion of a vessel.  Dr. Chapman
has proclaimed that if his remedy of applying ice,
enclosed in an India-rubber bag,, to the spinal cord
were universally adopted by those who are subject to
sea-sickness, the malady would be almost unknown.
But the sufferers commonly refuse to adopt any
plan which does not accord with their own views.
Each one has his private panacea. On board the
Cuba I witnessed some experiments in this line
which were at least novel.   One passenger had in
364 
NEW YORK TO EUSTON SQUARE.
plicit faith in port wine, freely administered. He
bore bravely up for two days and then was seen no
more. Another had perfect confidence in hot West
Indian pickles mixed with potatoes. Of this compound he ate heartily and he alleged that it did him
good. Appearances prompted another conclusion.
A third said that there was nothing like marmalade
and of this he took large quantities after every meal.
More noteworthy than the remedies themselves was
the childlike belief which those who employed them
manifested in their efficacy. If sea-sickness could
be cured by faith, then sea-sickness ought never to
affect a large number of persons.   The majority,
however, generally learn by agonizing experience
that Neptune is a deity neither to be offended with
impunity nor propitiated with ease. Nowhere but at
sea can the minority who are always well, practically
appreciate the nature of the satisfaction which, according to Lucretius  and  Rochefoucauld, is the
most perfect that human beings can enjoy, the satisfaction of being in rude health and entire comfort
while others are living pictures of woe, and are bearing witness by their acts to the truth of Sir Thomas
Overbury's saying that the sea is a' moving misery.'
It is so common to praise the steamers of the
Cunard Company, and these steamers are in many
respects so admirable, that the duty of pointing out
365 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
defects has been considered too invidious a one to
be discharged willingly.  In consequence of this
the managers of that company may remain entirely
ignorant of minor, but not unimportant, complaints
made by passengers in their steam-boats. One of
these is not applicable to the Cunarders alone, yet
that is no excuse for the arrangements of these
steamers being open to the strictures which I am
about to make.  When the passage-money is paid,
the steward's fee is professedly included in the
amount.  This plan commends itself to most persons, as it saves trouble and obviates annoyance
should the contract be rigidly carried out on both
sides. In reality, however, the payment is a sham,
or an imposition.   If no steward's fee were included in the passage-money, a saving would be
effected to the extent of at least one sovereign.
The cabin steward, the saloon steward, and a personage calling himself boots, all make it clear that
they expect fees.   Payments made  under these
circumstances are simply black mail levied in
modern guise. It is reasonable that if extra trouble
be given, an extra payment should be made; but in
no case should money be handed directly to the
servants. The purser is the proper person through
whose hands permissible gratuities should pass, or
a box might be provided to contain the sums which
366 
NEWV YORK TO EUSTON SQUARE.
might be contributed voluntarily, the total being divided pro rata among all those entitled to share in
the distribution. There are other matters which the
company would do well to consider with a view to
rendering their steamers as comfortable as they are
safe. What these are I shall not specify; if the company desire to learn further particulars, let them send
an agent during one voyage, and report what the passengers say openly and without reticence. It would
be wise not to treat these things with contempt, for
competitors are pressing close on the heels of the
Cunardcl Company. In many points of detail the
steamers of the German lines are arranged with
far more consideration for the convenience and comfort of passengers, than are the finest among the
Cunarders.
On arriving at.Euston-square after a journey
which, if not unbroken, was yet very rapidly made
from San Francisco to London, the mind naturally
dwells on the railway which has rendered such a
journey possible.  Regarded as a whole the Pacific
Railway is a great triumph of engineering skill and
patriotic enterprise. It will contribute as much to
consolidate and perpetuate the Union as the most
splendid and thorough of Grant's victories, either
as soldier or statesman.
Even more satisfactory than  the fact that the
367 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
Pacific Railway has virtually opened out a new country, as well as provided a new route to the East,
is the stimulus it has given to continue and extend
the work of which its originators were the daring
and  devoted  pioneers.   A  second line through
Kansas will soon be completed, thus opening up the
country to the south of the present one.  A third
line is in contemplation which will open up the
country to the north of it, bringing traffic from
Lake Superior to the mouth of the Columbia River.
In this rivalry the Canadians are about to take
part. A line has been projected which will bring
Halifax as near to Victoria as New York is to San
Francisco. This line will traverse the Dominion of
Canada from ocean to ocean and render millions of
acres of the richest land in the known world accessible to the emigrant and adapted for the settler.
As a route to the East, the Canadian Pacific Railway will shorten the distance between Liverpool
and Hiong Kong by 700 miles, compared with any
other railway traversing the Continent of America.
Thus, the three greatest enterprises of recent years
-the  Atlantic Cable, the Pacific Railway,  the
Suez Canal-are of inestimable value as examples
as well as achievements. The success in each case
has led to the prosecution of undertakings which
would otherwise have long continued to be mere
368 
NEW YORE TO EUSTON SQUARE.
projects, exciting the derision of the foolish and the
doubts of the prudent. It is a good omen for the
future of humanity that England, France, and
America, should have become  vigorous rivals in
works far more worthy to be praised than the competition which aims at covering the sea with ironclad men-of-war, and the land with soldiers armed
to the teeth, works of which the good is never interred with the bones of those who have aided in
their achievement, but survives and operates to
make the race of man happier by rendering the
globe more habitable.
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XXVI.
IMPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMERICA
'WaHAT do you think of America?'' How did
you like the Americans?'  These two questions
were frequently put to me, after returning home
from the United States. Possibly, the readers of
the foregoing pages may not object if the substance
of the replies which I made, is appended to this
volume by way of conclusion.  The answers which
I shall furnish must necessarily be short and superficial. All that I profess to do is to note one or
two salient points and comment on some unmistakeable peculiarities. To do more would fill a volume.
Adequately to do as much, within the narrow compass of a few pages, is a taskl of no small difficulty.
Great interest has always been felt throughout
the United Kingdom about  the  condition  and
destiny of the vigorous off-shoot which has rapidly
waxed great on the American continent. In order
to gratify this natural and praiseworthy curiosity
many English travellers have paid visits to the
United States and placed on record their experiences and their prognostications. Unfortunately the
370 
IMPRESSIONS AID OPINIONS OF AIERICA. 371
anxiety to compose a saleable work has been more
apparent than the determination to produce a falir
and accurate one.  Hence it is that English books
of travel in America are for the most part either
bundles of prejudices artistically arranged, or else
deliberate caricatures skilfully drawn.
The circumstance that the Americans are living
and active incarnations of modern Republicanism, is
an element in the calculation which has had undue
influence in moulding the conclusions of some English visitors to their land.  Even among educated
men in the United IKingdom there lurks the silly
and baleful notion that all English-speaking Republicans are dangerous animals; semi-lunatics or
utter knaves; human  gorillas imperfectly tamled
and wholly uncivilized. For the Republicans ol
antiquity and for Republics which have foundered in
the seas of time are manifested true admiration and
fervent sympathy.   Nor is it impossible to find
several persons of note who will admit that Frenchmen and Spaniards are justified in preferring a
Republican form of government to a cruel and
grinding despotism.
In the case of the Swiss an exception is always
unreservedly made. The patriotism which inspired
the fabulous deeds of William Tell, the proximity
to a mountain so famous as MIont Blanc, or some
17 
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occult reason, has surrounded the Swiss with a halo
of romance, and caused those who abominate the
very name of a Republic to approve of such a Re public as that of Switzerland. The reasons com monly assigned for the approbation bestowed upon
the form of government in existence among the
Swiss are that Switzerland is a small country, is
sparsely populated, is inhabited by a frugal and
industrious people, and is very mountainous. These
reasons are deemed conclusive, chiefly because they
are supposed to justify the remark that, in a country
of vast area and containing a population as large as
that of the United Kingdom, the Republic  esta blished there is either a' bubble' destined to burst,
or the precursor of anarchy. I have been unable
to discern a tittle of evidence confirmatory of these
views.   The tokens of failure do not lie on the
surface. It is impossible for any one who is not
the slave to foregone conclusions to travel through
the United States and converse with persons of
every rank in the social and intellectual scale
without becoming convinced that the system of
government prevailing there, a system which has its
basis in the possession of brains and disregards
altogether the accidents of birth, is a system at
once popular and efficient, and that, if imperfect in
minor details, it is as a whole a finely devised and
372 
IMIPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMERICA. 373
carefully co-ordinated scheme for the government of
the people by the people.
This opinion will be regarded in some quarters
as rank heresy.  It does not accord with the conclusions of many able writers. The statements of
some recent travellers may be used to refute my
conclusions. These travellers would be entitled to
the greater weight as authorities if they had proved
themselves capable of arguing logically and desirous
of chronicling facts with impartiality. One of them
passed an adverse judgment upon Republican institutions because he got a bad bed-room in the best
New York hotel and because he detested the street
and railway cars. Another triter has insidiously
endeavoured to discredit the Great Republic by
giving unfair prominence, in his description of what
he strangely christened' New America,' to some
abnormal phases of pseudo-religious life, and by
inducing his readers to infer that the most discreditable and profligate aberrations of sexual
relationship constitute all that is characteristic of
American society. Still more recently, a gentleman
who journeyed over a large portion of the world in
order to test mankind by a new standard, has drawn
a ghastly picture of the Republic of the West.
In the opinion of this writer, wherever pew-rents
are charged, there everything is out of joint. 
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When he found pew-rents in combination with Republicanism he was obliged to ransack the language
for terms of vituperation sufficiently strong wherewith to testify his abhorrence and disgust.  Writers
whom their friends deem merely eccentric and perfectly harmless may yet be able, if gifted with a
command of invective and trained to wield the pen,
to work more mischief than the wisest can ever
repair.
While convinced as to the worthless or mischievous character of many books written about the
United States, I am ready to admit that some
American citizens act in a way which occasions
misunderstandingo and provokes retaliation.  Their
insolent assumption of superiority irritates and
offends not a few.  In addition to vaunting the
perfection of the system of government founded
by their predecessors, they foolishly sneer at and
wantonly revile the systems in force elsewhere.
While on the one hand, the prejudiced native of
the Old World dislikes arrangements of which the
inherent defect is their novelty; on the other, the
uncultured citizen of the United States scoffs at the
institutions of the United Kingdom simply on account of their antiquity. The one thinks that everythingr new must be bad; the other that everything
old must be rotten. What I deplore is the disposition
374 
I3IPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF A-MERIICA. 375
frequently manifested on both sides to be captious
and critical rather than to study and comprehend,
the readiness to decide on insufficient data, the dislike to make allowance for unavoidable imperfections.  Each is apt to be offended if the expected
flattery be withheld. Both naturally resent what is
styled good advice, but which in reality is veiled
malice. This kind of good advice is hardly less
dangerous than the proverbial good intentions.  If
administered too freely, or inopportunely, it creates
a hell of which the existence cannot be excused by
saying that the supply of pavement is ample.
The English traveller in America has reason to
take special note of the hotels. They materially
differ from what he has seen either at home or on the
Continent of Europe.  For convenience of arrangement the first-class American hotel is unrivalled.
Everything, the visitor may require is within his
reach.   Shops of various kinds are generally in
communication with the spacious entrance hall,
while within that hall is an office whence telegrams
may be sent off, and where railway tickets may be
purchased. In one respect the English first-class
hotel is preferable.   It generally has, what  the
American has not, a reading-room  containing in
addition  to the  daily  newspapers,  the  weekly 
WVESTWARD BY RAIL.
journals, monthly magazines, and quarterly reviews.
The reading-room in an American hotel is meagrely)
supplied with newspapers, the frequenter being
expected to buy his newspaper or periodical at the
adjoining book-stall..Anothler drawback is that
the American hotel is designed as much for the
accommodation of the lounger as for the reception
of the traveller. The idle public of the city makes
free use of the entrance hall and reading,-room,
monopolizing the fireplace in winter and the seats
near the window in summer. As a rule, bachelors,
and married men travelling without their wives, get
the worst rooms in all hotels; but in an American
hotel they are treated with marked disrespect. The
rooms' set apart for them are in striking contrast
to those which married couples are allowed to
occupy without paying more for the superior accommodation.  Making this fact the foundation of a
theory, the ingenious speculator might advance a
new explanation of the early marriages for which
Americans are remarkable.
Travelling by rail has become very luxurious in
several States, while, in others, it is a very fatiguing
means of locomotion.   The Western  States are
gradually teaching, those of the East to carry passengers from place to place in perfect comfort.
Nothing can be less agreeable than the ordinary
376 
I1IPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMIERICA. 377
American railroad car: no carriage is more admirable than the car which has given to Mr. Pullman
wealth and fame.  Why an English railway company should not try the experiment of running
some of these sleeping or drawing-room cars is a
mystery to which I can find no clue.  If it be said
that the distances are too short, I answer that five
hours in a railway carriage need not necessarily be
hours of torture. The journey between London
and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness
is surely long enough to warrant the employment
of the improved carriage.  Such a carriage is used
when the Queen journeys from Windsor to Balmoral. Now, that provided for her use is neither
more sumptuously decorated,  nor  more  commodiously arranged than the best of Mr. Pullman's
cars. To travel in them involves payment of an
additional charge.  This extra fare is cheerfully
paid in America.  Is it probable that Englishmen
would refuse to buy luxury on the rail if they had
the option?  Besides, the system has been found
to be not only popular but remunerative.   The
shareholders in' Pullmilan's Car Company' receive
dividends at the rate of 12 per cent.  If one of
these cars were shown at the Exhibition of Worlis
of Utility to be held next year at South Kensin,gton, the English public would blush to perceive 
VWESTWVARD BY RAIL.
that in this matter they have been surpassed, and
would form an opinion most favourable to the spirit
-nd enterprise of the active citizens of Chicago.
The observant and unprejudiced visitor who has
spent a few  days in the United States begins
to doubt the correctness of what he has read
about the manners and appearance of the people.
After the experience of a few weeks his new
notions become more precise and appear still more
plausible. The result of a few months' travel and
scrutiny is to transform his earlier views altogether
alnd make him feel that, in trusting certain  travellers, he has been the victim of misplaced confidence. As for the repulsive Yankee of the novelist
he is nowhere to be met with in the flesh. He has
apparently been evolved out of the novelist's consciousness.   The  typical American has not yet
been sketched with the writer's pen or the artist's
pencil. This is not surprising for the task is one
of which the difficulty is only second to that involved in portraying the typical European. The
external marks and latent variations which separate
and characterise Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans,
Spaniards, and Italians -are scarcely more distinctive
than those which separate the native of Maine from
the native of South Carolina; the native of Ohio
378 
IIPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMIERICA. 379
or Illinois from the native of Connecticut;  the
native of Massachusetts from the native of Texas,
California, or Oregon. All of them are citizens
of the United States, but each is an American
with a difference.   The type must include and
express both the points of agreement and the points
of dissimilarity, and I repeat that such a type has yet
to be exhibited to the world by the word-painter or
the draughtsman.  If Mr.' Punch' would make a
note of this he might hereafter gratify his admirers
not only with exquisitely drawn cartoons, but also
with a typical American as true to nature as is his
typical Frenchman or German.
It is as great a blunder to group Americans
under one category as to confound the Highlander
of Skye with the Cornish miner, the London cockney with the Dublin Irishman. No one acquainted
with the French would regard the Frenchmen who
perambulate Regent Street or Leicester Square as
worthy representatives of the quick-witted, mer curial and polished Parisians, while able to trace
a likeness between them and the swaggering and
boastful Gascons.   Now the discrimination to be
exercised in such a case as this should also be dis played when opinions are passed upon Americans
travelling in Europe. Some of them have no claim
whatsoever to represent their country. Probably 
W~ESTWARD BY RAIL.
they have become enriched by speculation. The,
discovery of a petroleum spring or the possession of
a fat army contract may have suddenly filled their
pockets to overflowing. They have got wealth, but
no manners; they have the desire to shine, but cannot do so at home. The best American society is
as exclusive as that of London, Paris, or Vienna.
Forei,gn adventurers may gain admittance into it;
but the native upstart is carefully excluded. The
latter has no choice but to seek in Europe that
which he cannot obtain at home. In the twofold
capacity of a rich man and an American citizen he
is welcomed everywhere; his bad-breeding being
laid to the charge of Republicanism; his wealth
being attributed to the possession on his part of
extraordinary abilities. At the fashionable watering places of Germany during the summer  and
at the fashionable resorts in the south of France
and Italy during the winter these men, accompanied by their underbred wives and ill-bred children, are to be seen in all the glory of upstart
millionaires.  High,ly paid couriers rob them and
translate for them. They occupy the most expensive rooms in the hotels; eat the delicacies which
are not in season; drink wines of the rarest vintage.
They are the targets for criticism and scorn as they
loll in splendid carriages alongside of their wives
380 
I3IPRESSIONS ANID OPINIONS OF A-IERICA. 381
resplendent in dresses of the newest fashion and
glistening with gems of great price. These men
can sign their names and write intelligible letters.
Newspapers they can read and enjoy.  But of culture they are bereft, and of mnanners they have not
even a varnish. To regard these blustering and
unattractive members of the'Petroleum' or' Shoddy
Aristocracy' as anything, but Americans in name, is
to err in a way of which the grossness cannot be
adequately apprehended by anyone who has not
visited the United States and formed the acquaintance of Anmericans in the land of their birth.
The notion prevails that the Americans are far
too free and easy in manner to please the fastidious
stranger. It is true that they often shake hands.
This, however, is a custom which has no special significance.  It resembles what the French designate
' hat-politeness.' An American cordially shakles
hands with those whom he does not care to meet on
terms of intimacy. Introductions are made with great
formality; utterance is given to the pleasure which
it gives the one to make the acquaintance of the
other, while, should they see each other again, they
may appear to be perfect strangers. In the Western
States the old English custom of interspersing sen tences with' Sir,' a custom which, in high-bred
Eastern circles, has almost died out, is still in force 
WESTWAIRD BY RAIL.
and the observance of it supposed to be the mark
of good breeding.
English words are often used in America to sig nify something different from that which they con vey to an English ear. A list of these words would
show the inevitable change which is being wrought
in the language.   These alterations in meaning,
accompanied by deliberate alterations in spelling,
must sooner or later make the order which the
Emperor Nicholas, when enraged against England,
gave to substitute the teaching of American for
English, one which it will be easy to obey. For
my own part I am unable to side with those who
profess to be shocked at the alleged deterioration of
the English language in America; nor can I see the
propriety of taking the people to task on account of
their accent. A great deal too much has been made
of this trivial detail. In itself it is a matter of no
moment whatever.   Moreover, neither side  will
convince the other, nor will denunciation of the
American accent alter it one iota.  The American
climate has attuned the American voice. Nor is
the accent uniform. It varies in different States.
In lNew England the voice is sharp and shrill; in
the South slow and liquid;  in the West deeptoned and resonant. Indeed, the differences in this
respect are as notable as those which exist between
382 
II!PRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMIERICA. 383
the accent of a Londoner, of a native of Dublin, of
a native of Edinburgh.  The like variation is obscrvable in other countries also. The pronunciation
cf a Parisian is in marked contrast to that of a
native of Alsace, Provence, or Auvergne.   A
trained ear has little difficulty in noting the peculiarities of accent which distinguish the native of
Hanover from the native of Frankfort or Leipsic,
Berlin or Vienna.  There is nothing new, though
there is something very contemptible in international jealousies being cherished onil account of the
way in which the identical language is spoken by
those who owe allegiance to different flags. Yet the
aversion which Frenchmen exhibit to the Swiss
and the Belgians is partly due to the supposition
that the French of Geneva and Brussels is a bastard
tongue.
There is, however, another side to the question
which has been wholly overlooked. Strangely enough
the purists who are displeased with the accent alnd
Eng,lish of Americans have taken no thought of
the consequences which might ensue were it impossible to tell an Elnglishman from an American as
soon as either had uttered a few words. Sometimes
this difference is so slight as to escape detection,
and then Americans hear statements which are
more frank than flattering. When the war raged 
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certain northern gentlemen of great influence in the
councils of the nation were travelling for their
health in Europe and were thus brought into contact with those eccentric British tourists who excite
the wonder of foreigners and are a disgrace to their
country.  The latter being ignorant of the nationality of those with whom they conversed in their
mother tongue gave expression to sentiments which
did not increase tlhe admiration of the Americans
for the part played by the United Kingdom.  MIisadventures of this Grind have had results much more
serious than might have been expected. So far
from regretting that the language spoken in the
United Iingdomn should not be the exact counterpart of that spoken in the United States, I am certain that, the greater the divergence within reasonable limits, the better will it be for all parties.
From points about which travellers differ, it is a
pleasure to turn to one about which there has been,
and must be perfect unanimity. The beauty of the
women is without the pale of controversy. It cannot
be likened to the beauty for which English girls
are deservedly and universally admired; for which
Italian maidens have been immortalized on canvas
or in verse; for which the sprightly damsels of
France and the coquettish ladies of Spain have won
al)Ijlause and by means of which they have made
384 
IMPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF AMERICA. 385
conquests. If I were to select a particular locality
in the United States, I might truthfully compare
the type of beauty predominant there to that of a
particular country in the Old WVorld.  But America
is a world in itself. WVithin the bounds of the
Republic of the WVest are all the climates which
give diversity to Europe, from Rome to Copenhagen and from London to Madrid.  Where climates vary, female faces vary also. In New England
may be seen those delicately chiselled features and
transparent complexions which in Europe are cliaracteristic of the fascinating beauties of the North.
In the Southern States the imperious and indolent
Spanish women, with their amorous eyes and raven
hair, have been reproduced at the distance of mary
thousand nmiles from Andalusia and Castile.  Let
the traveller cross the continent till the Pacific
slope is reached, and there the soft and delicate
beauty of Italy, combined with  an intelligence
wholly American and a physique wholly English,
delights and surprises him. Nor are good looks the
sole dower of American girls. They are more
French than English in the acuteness with which
they argue. They are passionately fond of the frivolities of existence, yet they follow with interest
the course of the graver topics of the day. On political questions they are ready to take sides, and 
WESTWVARD BY RAIL
they discuss the issues involved in a controversy
with zest and understanding. Their patriotism is
not a profession, but a passion. The intensity of
their devotion to their country imnparted superhuman vigour to the struggle when  North and
South faced each other in battle array. The women
of the South were the soul of the Confederacy. The
women of the North saved the Union. If the
women of America were more kindly disposed towards England, the relations between the two countries, at this moment, would be more cordial and
more secure.
WVhile misunderstandings are rife in Europe about
the American people, mistakes quite as serious are
commonly made with regard to the American press.
The opinion of the entire country is supposed to be
represented by the press of New York, or rather by
a few New York newspapers. At one time there
was an excuse for entertaining such an opinion, but
that time has long since passed away. No one
American newspaper is entitled to the rank of a
national organ.  Each expresses the views of welldefined sections; of particular interests; of individuals whose personal crotchets inspire respect or
excite curiosty.
In this respect the press of New  York differs
386 
IM3PRESSIONS AND OPlNIONS OF AM3ERICA. 387
essentially from the press of London. The newspapers which guide and instruct Englishmen are in
no sense of thle word the organs of those who con
duct them. One editor may give place to another
without any variation in the courses of The Times,
The Daily News, or Thle Standard.   Under all
circumstances and at all conjunctures  Tile Timnes
will strive to mirror the public opinion of the
moment;  The Daily Netws will uphold the doctrines
of progress; The Stan?zdard will defend and i epresent the principles of conservatism. On any given
question the line which each is sure to take may be
predicted beforehand with a confidence amounting
to certainty. A sudden and unexpected conversion
would be fatal to the newspaper's reputation.  The
positions of each may vary, while the relative distance between each remains unaltered.  To employ
Macaulay's illustration;-the  tail may appear to
have taken the place of the head yet the space
between the head and tail is the same to an hair's
breadth.
Newspapers like the New Yorhk Timnes, Tribune,
and Herald are managed on a plan totally different.   The conductor of each is known to the
public.  The opinions of the editor constitute the
policy of the paper.   When  Mr. Raymond was
alive, the side which the g\rew York  Times took 
8WEST WARD BY RAIL.
during a presidential campaign, or on a question of
national policy, was the side which Mr. PRaymolnd
was known to favour. Should iMr. Horace Greely
crown his noble career by an honourable recantation of Protectionist heresies, The Tribune would
at once become the ardent apostle of Free Trade.
WThen  Mr. Bennett  has a friend to serve or a
grudge to revenge, The Ilerald is a powerful instrument for giving effect to his wish in either case.
WVhat injures an American journal the most is not
inconsistency, but ill-success in collecting news.
Readers are indifferent to the tone or quality of the
leading article so long as the latest intelligence is
complete and trustworthy.   The telegraphic despatches which, in our newspapers fill a column,
often fill an entire page in an American newspaper.
Owing to the personal nature and local influence of
these journals many false impressions are made on
those who) in Europe, look to any one for an index
of national opinion. If the desire be entertained
to trace the current and estimate the character of
American thought by studying the press, the research must not be confined to a singcle New York
journal, or terminate when all the journals of that
city have been scrutinized, but must be extended to
the leading journals of Boston and Philadelphia, of
RPichmond and Cincinnati, of Chicago and San Fran
3-38 
IIPRESSIOANS AND OPINIONS OF AMIERICA. 389
cisco, and even then it will be wise to hesitate
before pronouncing a decision which may be vitiated
by the error of mistaking a part for the whole.
Nothing gratified me more than the feeling of
kindliness towards the Old Country which I found
pervading the American people. The bitter and
undying animosity about which much has been
written exists on paper only, or in the distempered
minds of irreconcilable Fenians.  In this particular
the press is not a faithful exponent of the public
sentiment. A disposition to construe in the worst
sense all the actions of the United Kingdom and to
discredit her on every occasion and in every imaginable way, is certainly the characteristic of the
press of New York. I believe this to be mere
sound and fury wholly devoid of significance. It is
the relic of a traditionary policy, rather than the
token of a living and active hostility. To find a
parallel to it, we have not far to seek. Long after
the Englishl people were on a footing of amity with
the French, the tone of the press towards France
was little more friendly and complimentary than in
the days when it was the bad fashion to style
Frenchmen our hereditary foes.   The change in
public opinion has now been responded to by the
press of England, while that of France, reluctant to
allow old jealousies to subside into oblivion, still 
WESTWARD BY RAIL.
harps on the imaginary plots and intrigues of perfidious Albion.
The Americans certainly entertain the belief that
the United Kingdom has often been unjust towards
their country and was wilfully unkind in the hour
of her sore tribulation. Moreover, there is an indisposition on their parts to give a cool hearing to
any explanations which may serve to render the
grievance of America less clear and substantial
That the matter can have two sides is what few
Americans readily admit: that the one party should
be altogether in the wrong and the other altogether
in the right seems to them a defensible position to
assume.  Notwithstanding a state of thiings alike
painful and complicated, I consider that it is within
the power of English and American statesmen to
find the key of the puzzle and to agree to an
arrangement which would both settle existing differences in an honourable and equitable way, and
also ensure increased harmony in the future.*
That an amicable adjustment of grievances and
a close alliance in opinion and policy should be effected between the United Kingdom and the United
* This is not the place to discuss in detail the problems which
cluster round the Alabama claims. B3esides, I have done so elsewhere. Any reader who cares to learn the nature of myconclusions
has but to turn to the Westminster Recvicw for January,  1870, and
read an article entitled' American Claims on England.'
390 
IMIPRESSIONS AND OPINIONS OF A3IERICA. 391
States must be the ardent desire of any one who,
like myself, being fondly attached to his own country
and glorying in her renown, has had the advantage
of traversing the greater portion of the magnificent
continent of America, has enjoyed special opportunities for witnessing the working of the government,
and has profited by conversations with all sections
and classes of its energetic and high-spirited inhabitants.
TIIE END. 
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