LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 GIFT OF 
 
 Class 
 
</ i 
 
 
 rtt^ **<:<: . 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE AMERICANS. 
 
 " AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM. 
 
 A CITIZEN OF THE WORLD. 
 
 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR 
 
 LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, & LONGMAN, 
 PATERNOSTER-ROW. 
 
 1833. 
 
731-3 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 Printed by A. & II. Spottiswoode, 
 New- Street- Square. 
 
TO 
 
 LAFAYETTE, 
 
 THE COMPANION OF WASHINGTON, 
 
 A XL) 
 
 THE FRIEND OF MANKIND, 
 
 THE FOLLOWING PAGES 
 ARE MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
TT 
 - 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 a writer," says the excellent Paley, 
 " offers a book to the public, upon a subject 
 on which the public are already in possession 
 of many others, he is bound by a kind of lite 
 rary justice to inform his readers, distinctly 
 and specifically, what it is he professes to 
 supply, and what he expects to improve." 
 
 In compliance with this injunction, I shall 
 proceed to state the causes which induced me 
 to incur the responsibilities of an author. 
 
 In the course of my travels and residence 
 in the United States of America, which 
 country I visited solely with commercial 
 views, and unprovided with any direct de 
 mands for what are termed civilities, notwith 
 standing the plague spot, slavery, in one 
 district, I saw so much to cheer the philan 
 thropist, so much to delight the lover of liberty, 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 so much to interest even the money-spending, 
 as well as the money-getting class ; in short, 
 I saw a nation so much further advanced in 
 all the useful arts, as well as the elegancies 
 of life, than I, in common with the great 
 majority of Englishmen, were willing to be 
 lieve ; that my impressions upon the whole 
 were decidedly favourable, and were freely 
 communicated to all with whom I conversed. 
 
 The praise of Englishmen is esteemed by 
 the Americans, perhaps somewhat more highly, 
 on account of its being so rarely bestowed ; 
 but although it was evident my observations 
 were often such as the latter might desire to 
 appear in print, no such wish ever fell from 
 their lips ; nor could a single native, with 
 whom I came in contact, even suppose from 
 any thing which fell from mine, that in ten 
 dering civilities, or in performing any other 
 act, his conduct or manner might, perchance, 
 contribute to the aggregate estimate of national 
 character in the note-book of a traveller. 
 
 On my return to England, I found, even 
 among the population of the great emporium 
 of American commerce, Liverpool, such gross 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 ignorance as to the actual state of society 
 among our trans-atlantic descendants, that I 
 felt a strong desire to assist in removing the 
 feeling generated during the long reign of 
 Toryism, 
 
 Accidentally taking up a periodical, in which 
 was inserted an article, containing an allusion 
 to America, I read therein, with disgust, the 
 following libellous tirade : 
 
 " America, where there is nothing to steal 
 but grass or water, where the spade is the 
 only thing of value, and the land the only 
 thing out of which a man can live ; America, 
 where every man must be his own tailor, car 
 penter, lawyer, and rearer of cabbages ; where, 
 if a man devises the stealing of a pair of 
 breeches, he must first slay and strip the 
 wearer, inasmuch, as no man, from the presi 
 dent downwards, has a second pair ; where 
 the arts of life consist in planting maize and 
 potatoes, and the luxuries of life consist in 
 boiling them into puddings ; where there are 
 more acres of land than knives and forks, 
 a looking-glass is a show that congregates the 
 population of a province. A picture has never 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 been seen, a salt-spoon is a phenomenon, 
 which no American traveller, who values his 
 reputation for veracity in the States, has ever 
 ventured to announce ; and it is notorious, 
 that a tea-service of French plate, accumu 
 lated the unpopularity of the Adams to such 
 a degree, that it overthrew that ancient dy 
 nasty, and federalism along with it for ever." 
 Waxing warm, I screwed my courage to the 
 sticking place, and resolved to give to the 
 world the result of the observations of an inde 
 pendent "business man," to write a book which 
 should not only contain the truth, but the whole 
 truth, which should render the Americans 
 justice, and which should inform my country 
 men, that on landing in the United States, in 
 the older ones at least, they neither fall among 
 Chocktaws nor Chickasaws, nor have they to 
 fear the tomahawk and scalping-knife ; but 
 that they land in a country in a high state of 
 civilisation, a country in which " every vil 
 lage contains legislators, where the obligations 
 of society are universally understood, and a 
 degree of information on the nature of law and 
 civil subordination is diffused, such as history 
 
PREFACE. ix 
 
 affords no example of*;" further, that they 
 land among a people who, although they eat 
 with their knives, as all Englishmen were wont 
 to eat, before rare roast beef was superseded 
 by beef a la daule, and as ninety and nine out 
 of every hundred of those who have anything 
 to eat still do ; a people who, because their 
 political institutions are the most perfect in 
 the world, would fain have every one believe 
 that nothing American can be faulty, are, 
 despite of these peccadillos, polite without 
 being affected, liberal without being osten 
 tatious, and whose test of their fellow men is 
 neither the un philosophical doctrine of caste, 
 the fruit of barbarism, nor the possession of 
 " the damned earth that places thieves, and 
 gives them title, knee, and approbation with 
 senators on the bench ; " but moral worth, and 
 the cultivation of the natural gifts of God, 
 the only true touchstone of his creatures. 
 
 * Lord Wycombe s opinions of the Americans, as ex 
 pressed to the late Dr. Currie, and communicated by that 
 celebrated character in a letter to Dr. Percival. Vide 
 Memoirs of Dr. Currie, by William Wallace Currie, a work 
 of great interest, and highly creditable to the talented son 
 of so talented a father. 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 During the progress of my task, which has 
 been protracted by circumstances beyond my 
 control, several works upon the subject of 
 America have made their appearance ; and I 
 might have hesitated upon the very eve of 
 committing it to the press, had not some ex 
 tracts from the most extensively circulated of 
 the volumes alluded to, for I have not yet pe 
 rused the works themselves, led me to believe 
 that an unprejudiced account of America, one 
 free from that bane of English authorship 
 when treating of other countries, John Bull- 
 ism, was even yet a desideratum. 
 
 How far I have succeeded in the attempt 
 the public will judge : that I have done my 
 best may be supposed, but that I should 
 escape the lash of criticism is more than I 
 have a right to expect. And although the 
 elegant biographer of the Medici has ob 
 served, that the disadvantages under which an 
 author labours are no excuse for the imper 
 fections of his work, it may, perhaps, be some 
 slight extenuation for such, in my case, to say, 
 with the great and learned Johnson, whose 
 language, as applied to my nothings, I use 
 
PREFACE. XI 
 
 with all humility, that my book has been 
 written amid inconvenience and distraction ; 
 and, however defective, I deliver it to the 
 world with the spirit of a man that has en 
 deavoured well. 
 
 If the perusal tends, in the smallest degree, 
 to disabuse the British public of their preju 
 dices as regards America, and to teach them 
 to respect a people, from any individual of 
 whom the immortal Byron was proud to con 
 fess, he valued a nod more highly than the 
 gift of a snuff-box from an emperor, I shall 
 feel abundantly recompensed for my midnight 
 oil. 
 
**>? 
 
 OF t 
 
 DIVERSITY 
 
 AMERICA, 
 
 AND 
 
 THE AMERICANS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AFTER a dozen years, wishing to visit the 
 land of promise, as the United States of 
 America have been called, and having ea 
 gerly devoured whatever the press sent forth 
 relative to that country, whether in quarto, 
 octavo, duodecimo or infra, presidents mes 
 sages, and all, the time at length arrived 
 for the gratification of my transatlantic pen 
 chant. 
 
 " Know thyself," and " Husband thy re 
 sources," were phrases with which I had been 
 familiarised at school ; but it is in maturer 
 years, in the school of the world, that the 
 value of these, as well as other golden maxims, 
 are duly appreciated ; and not being fortunes 
 Jilius, I was obliged to open my travelling 
 
2 AMERICA, 
 
 ledger with the word " Economy" upon every 
 page, as our mercantile forefathers were wont 
 to inscribe " Laus Deo." 
 
 The fame of the American packets is spread 
 far and wide ; for who has not heard at least 
 of the beauty of the ships, the politeness of 
 their commanders, and the luxurious accom 
 modation afforded in these marine hotels, 
 where the inmates, wind and weather permit 
 ting, a necessary proviso, may enjoy their 
 " champagne and chat," in a style not un 
 worthy of the first public establishment in 
 London ? Limiting my views to a sound and 
 fast-sailing vessel, with a sober and attentive 
 
 captain, all which I found in the M H 
 
 of New York, I embarked with my better half 
 at Liverpool, on the 9th of May, 1829, on 
 board the said good ship, bound to the former 
 port. Being fairly under weigh, and having 
 waved our last adieu, I took a survey of things 
 as they were in our noble argosy, which, like 
 the ark of old, held both the clean and the 
 unclean. The cargo consisted of coals, slates, 
 iron, salt, and manufactures of woollen, cot 
 ton, and earthenware. Of animated beings 
 the muster roll presented both number and 
 variety ; to wit, five cabin and seventy-five 
 steerage passengers, twenty-five sailors besides 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 3 
 
 the usual officers, twenty rams, ewes, and lambs 
 of various breeds, Yorkshire and Norfolk, two 
 shepherd s dogs, two brace of pheasants, a 
 Shetland poney, and a cat ; in all, bipeds and 
 quadrupeds, one hundred and thirty-six, be 
 sides a quantity of ducks, geese, and fowls, 
 destined to be roasted, boiled, spoiled, or 
 washed overboard, as the case might be. 
 
 " The sails were fill d, and fair the light winds blew ;" 
 
 so that, in spite of our morning dreams of 
 plough boys whistling o er the lea, of farm 
 yards, and woodbined cottages, all which rus 
 tic imagery was naturally associated with the 
 bleating of the sheep, the barking of the dogs, 
 crowing of cocks, and the cackling of geese, 
 we were soon on the bosom of the dark blue 
 main. 
 
 To those who have made a voyage it would 
 be superfluous to say any thing ; but those 
 who have not, cannot conceive the degree of 
 ennui created by such an artificial situation as 
 that of being cooped up in a vessel for any 
 length of time ; to be in fact prisoners, with 
 the chance of being drowned. Like Byron, 
 we found a beef-steak the best remedy against 
 sea-sickness ; and the perusal of that poet s 
 
4 AMERICA, 
 
 writings, together with those of the immortal 
 Shakspeare, among the best antidotes against 
 dulness : albeit, a rubber at whist had its at 
 tractions ; and followed up, as it was wont to 
 be, by a tale or anecdote, oft-times formed an 
 agreeable finale to a monotonous day. 
 
 It is probably known to most persons that 
 the quarter deck of a ship is a kind of sanctum 
 sanctorum, over the threshold of which none 
 but the privileged may pass ; and of course 
 what are denominated steerage passengers are 
 not among the favoured few. As there is no 
 barrier in reversing the affair, I sometimes 
 took occasion to spend an hour or two in con 
 versation with the various characters among the 
 emigrant crowd. I found them to be principally 
 farming labourers with their families, some of 
 whom had been sent out at the expense of the 
 public, not being able to subsist upon the scanty 
 pittance termed wages. Others were of a higher 
 grade, being mechanics who had nothing to 
 complain of either on the score of work or pay, 
 but who wished to visit this wonderful America, 
 or El Dorado of the age ; and a few seemed to 
 be men of all work, as one individual informed 
 me he was by profession a gardener, but could 
 undertake plain sewing, which was fully proved 
 by his being engaged in making a set of Irish 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 5 
 
 linen shirts, which he intended to pass as his 
 own, free of duty, and afterwards dispose of 
 in New York to a considerable profit. Pas 
 sengers of this description find their own pro 
 visions, which they cook at a fire place spe 
 cially provided for them. The niceties of the 
 culinary art, as displayed in our grandmothers 
 days, by that good housewife Mrs. Raffald, to 
 say nothing of the dainty dishes of the eel- 
 torturing Ude, were not in requisition on the 
 deck of our vessel ; for, alas ! potatoes and 
 coarse biscuit seemed to be the standing 
 dishes ; and as to beverage, whatever might 
 have been the habits of these emigrants at 
 home, they were rigid disciples of the Darwin 
 school at sea. That the majority were not mem 
 bers of the temperance society from choice, 
 however, may be inferred from what follows. 
 The captain having been applied to by a loving 
 husband for a bottle of brandy to comfort his 
 car a sposa, who complained of fever and ague, 
 and the request being liberally granted, a score 
 of similar applicants soon appeared, either 
 proving the contagious nature of the malady, 
 or the agreeable quality of the remedy ; and 
 it was found expedient to put a speedy 
 stop to the supplies. The measuring of the 
 brandy happening to give rise to some re- 
 is 3 
 
O AMERICA, 
 
 marks concerning weights and measures, the 
 curious fact was elicited, that only one En 
 glishman on board the vessel knew how many 
 gills formed a pint, while all the Americans 
 answered the question correctly. How the 
 prevailing error that two gills make a pint has 
 become so general, is somewhat extraordinary; 
 and although it is rectified in the tables of 
 measures in that useful and excellent publica 
 tion, the Companion to the British Almanack, 
 where it is rightly stated that four gills con 
 stitute the pint, the insertion of this fact in 
 all arithmetical school books should appear 
 without delay. 
 
 After ringing the changes of calm, mode 
 rate weather, and gale, the monotony of the 
 scene being occasionally relieved by exchang 
 ing salutes with the ships of Monsieur, Signore, 
 or John Bull ; a how do ye do, or a where 
 bound to, with perchance Brother Jonathan ; 
 after witnessing the gambols of great whales, 
 of porpoises, and at night enjoying the sight 
 of magnificent aurorae boreales, on the twen 
 tieth day from our departure we found 
 ourselves on the banks of Newfoundland. 
 Escaping from the fogs of this stormy region, 
 twelve days more sailing brought us to the 
 sought-for coast, and the welcome sounds of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 7 
 
 Land land ! were soon followed by a clear 
 view of the hills of Never Sink near the bay 
 of New York. Although I had previously 
 made a European voyage, and had felt the 
 peculiar excitement on the first sight of 
 strange lands, yet this of the western or other 
 world gave rise to feelings of a nature essen 
 tially different from any I had before expe 
 rienced. In lieu of an old country, whose 
 annals teemed with associations through its 
 iron, its golden, and its silver ages, I was 
 about to set foot in one, the discovery as it 
 were of these latter days, and one which, from 
 circumstances, had sprung into powerful ex 
 istence with scarcely a period of infancy ; 
 moreover, one in which the great problem, 
 Can man be free ? has been triumphantly 
 solved. 
 
 As our gallant vessel approached the coast, 
 the interest of the scene as rapidly increased. 
 Differing from the iron-bound rocky shores 
 of Great Britain, the hills and country, as far 
 as the eye could reach, seemed covered with 
 woods, which, fringing the bold irregular 
 outlines of the former, produced a beautiful 
 effect. 
 
 Vessels of all descriptions, from the richly 
 freighted China ship, to the deeply laden 
 
8 AMERICA, 
 
 coasting sloops with their cargoes of fire- wood, 
 were approaching the port, and all were dis 
 tinguished by a gaiety of appearance not 
 observable among the shipping of northern 
 Europe. 
 
 At this time a melancholy accident took 
 place at no great distance from our vessel, 
 but of which we were not aware until after 
 our landing. A sailor having fallen over 
 board from a ship which we had just passed, 
 was unfortunately torn to pieces by sharks, 
 before a boat could be got out to his assistance, 
 the poor fellow perishing in sight of his ship 
 mates. Near Sandy Hook, the entrance of 
 the outer bay of New York, and from which 
 place information is conveyed by telegraph, 
 we were boarded by a pilot, who, from his 
 appearance, however, might have been mis 
 taken for a knight of the thimble fresh from 
 the bench, so unseamanlike was this American 
 Palinurus. Immediately after the arrival of 
 this important personage, an emissary from 
 the newspaper offices stepped on board, eager 
 to receive the very latest particulars of the 
 struggle between the Russ and Turk, as well 
 as of the state of the Liverpool markets; for, 
 although we only brought one day later, as 
 the phrase is, than the other vessels from 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 9 
 
 England, yet twenty-four hours in the com 
 mercial as well as in the political world, may be 
 
 " Big with the fate of Cato and of Rome." 
 
 The inner bay of New York is approached 
 by a short strait, called the Narrows, which at 
 this season (June) exhibited the most luxuriant 
 vegetation, even to the water s edge, the weep 
 ing willows, in some instances, almost dipping 
 their graceful branches into the very tide. 
 In grim contrast to the beautiful scene is the 
 insulated fort Lafayette, with its three tiers of 
 fiery mouths, and, on the heights, are also 
 a series of works and formidable batteries 
 bidding defiance to the boldest invader. 
 
 Steering for the quarantine ground on the 
 shore of Staten Island, where are situated the 
 hospitals of that establishment, we soon beheld 
 the city of New York, with its spires and 
 cupolas a few miles distant, rising like a new 
 Venice from the waves. 
 
 On this station we were visited by a medical 
 officer, who proceeded to examine the list of 
 passengers, marching the steerage class in 
 review past the quarter deck. As one case 
 of sickness in a vessel may sometimes cause 
 the whole of the passengers and crew to be 
 kept in durance vile, every one at these me- 
 
10 AMERICA, 
 
 dical inspections is anxious to appear to the 
 best advantage ; and it was somewhat laugh 
 able to witness the sudden restorations to 
 health, and the assumed elasticity and vigour 
 of limb amongst poor emigrants, who had 
 almost lain dormant the whole of the passage. 
 
 By the time this necessary overhauling, as 
 the sailors termed it, was completed, the pilot, 
 who, from his arrival on board had been upon 
 the most intimate footing with the steward 
 and the brandy bottle, had become completely 
 intoxicated. In spite of the rubbing which 
 he gave his leaden eyes, and the rapid trans 
 fers of his quid from one side of his mouth to 
 the other, he still saw double ; two New 
 Yorks stared him in the face ; and it was only 
 by the seasonable interference of the captain 
 that we reached the anchorage abreast of the 
 city without accident. 
 
 An officer from the custom-house here took 
 charge of the vessel, but in mentioning this 
 personage it must not be understood that he 
 was one of the grade of those who execute 
 similar duties in the ports of Great Britain ; 
 on the contrary, the New York officer was a 
 gentleman both in manners and appearance, 
 and, as I afterwards learnt, he was, like all the 
 officers of his rank, in the receipt of a salary 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 11 
 
 sufficiently large to render him independent, 
 and to ensure a faithful discharge of his trust, 
 at least as far as legislative enactments can 
 secure the same. 
 
 The shades of evening had now set in ; and 
 as twilight exists but for a short period in this 
 latitude, we determined to remain on board 
 until the following day. 
 
 The extreme clearness of the atmosphere, 
 which displayed the great concave of the hea 
 vens in all its brilliancy, together with the 
 balmy softness of the " stilly night," strongly 
 reminded me, as I lay reclining on the deck 
 of the vessel, of the same season in the har 
 bours of the lovely Mediterranean ; and, had 
 it not been for the absence of the guitar and 
 mandoline, imagination would have readily 
 transported me to those voluptuous scenes. 
 Early the next morning, after submitting our 
 baggage and effects to the somewhat rigid or 
 deal of the searchers deputed by the one who 
 had remained in charge during the night, we 
 set foot on terra firma, and located ourselves, 
 as the phrase is, at a boarding-house which had 
 been recommended to us. 
 
 My first impressions, on landing in New 
 York, and they were subsequently con 
 firmed, were the high character and appear- 
 
12 AMERICA, 
 
 ance of the working classes ; for, excepting a 
 few of the black porters, or niggers, as they 
 are vulgarly called, the remnants of slavery, 
 there was a total absence, not only of mendi 
 cants in rags and filth, but likewise of the class 
 we designate mob or rabble. 
 
 The carters, workmen, and others, who earn 
 their bread by the sweat of their brow, ap 
 peared extremely well clothed ; were intelli 
 gent ; and, if addressed civilly, were civil in 
 return ; yet without any doffing, or even 
 touching the hat, or making the slightest ap 
 proaches to servility to those who, according 
 to English phraseology, would be styled their 
 betters. 
 
 All exhibited an independence of feeling 
 not observable in the same classes of society in 
 England ; and yet nothing like insolent vul 
 garity was apparent. In short, they looked 
 like men who knew that they were free ; but 
 who knew also how to enjoy freedom. 
 
 That even more than the comforts of life 
 were within the reach of those who toil, may 
 be inferred from the following circumstances, 
 which occurred soon after our landing, and 
 which exhibit the prosperity of the working 
 classes in a striking manner. 
 
 Having had occasion to hire a cart for the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 13 
 
 conveyance of some merchandise, I addressed 
 a young man who was standing by his horse, 
 and enquired whether he would take the pack 
 age in question to a certain part of the city. 
 The young carter replied that he could not, 
 just at that time, having a previous engage 
 ment ; and on my asking whether he would be 
 at liberty in half an hour, he raised his white 
 frock, and referred to an elegant gold watch ! 
 
 Shortly after, an elderly man of the same 
 profession, supposing me to be the owner of 
 the Shetland pony which a fellow-passenger 
 had brought from England, freely asked me 
 what I would take for it, as he should like to 
 purchase it for his little girls to ride upon after 
 school hours. 
 
 In regard to those who, in common par 
 lance, would be styled the richer or elevated 
 classes, there appeared more gaiety of costume 
 amongst the softer sex than is seen in the same 
 ranks even in London. 
 
 The females, who, while young, are often 
 beautiful and extremely sylph-like, although 
 not sufficiently embonpoint to European 
 tastes, were ultra Parisian in their dress ; for 
 the gratification of which partiality their fine 
 climate is well adapted. 
 
 The attire of the gentlemen, also, savoured 
 
14 AMERICA, 
 
 rather more of Paris than London ; but no 
 male of any class had whiskers, which pecu 
 liarity was striking. 
 
 Amidst the crowd of vehicles which throng 
 the Regent-street of the city, I looked in vain 
 for any thing like state : no bedizened livery 
 servants or powdered menials, receiving their 
 mistresses commands, with one hand raised to 
 an enormous cocked hat, whilst the other 
 grasps a gold-headed cane, large enough for a 
 drum-major s staff. 
 
 Every thing here, on the contrary, was 
 simply for convenience ; from the omnibus 
 with its dozen passengers, to the one-horse 
 chaise or sulky. 
 
 The private carriages are neat and light in 
 their construction, and are generally driven by 
 black coachmen, dressed in plain clothes. No 
 rampant lions, or mantled shields, as large as 
 the panels themselves, are blazoned on the 
 American vehicles ; and although now and 
 then a heraldic device may be seen, such may 
 oftener be attributed to the whim of the 
 painter than to any indulgence in the pride of 
 ancestry, or to aristocratic feeling on the part 
 of the owner ; for I observed the same subject 
 on perhaps a dozen different equipages, as well 
 as on hackney coaches, gigs, and waggons. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 15 
 
 As an Englishman, I felt somewhat disap 
 pointed in finding so little to remind me of 
 the mother country. A few of the older 
 streets are still allowed to retain their original 
 names, as Thames, Greenwich, Whitehall, 
 Chatham, mementos of colonial times ; al 
 though Crown-street, and some others equally 
 obnoxious, were metamorphosed at an early 
 period of the revolution. The name of Crown 
 was exchanged for that of Liberty. The 
 style of building, although in many respects 
 similar to that of England, is still in others 
 essentially different, to say nothing of the 
 wooden-frame houses, which are scattered all 
 over the city. 
 
 The majority of the names over the shops 
 and places of business present a compound 
 of those of all nations, although Dutch and 
 English prevail ; but as the settlers were 
 from every part of those countries, there is 
 even in the latter of these languages a greater 
 variety than is observable in most towns in 
 England. The names of Arcularius, Do- 
 remus, Bang, Storm, Sy, See, and Van Pelt, 
 were all new to us, as would have been that 
 of Van Winkle, had it not become familiar 
 through the pages of that most agreeable and 
 elegant writer, the incomparable Irving. The 
 
16 AMERICA, 
 
 following inscription, which I copied from 
 the sign-board of a feed store, alias a corn and 
 flour warehouse, may serve as a specimen of 
 the various notices which attracted our atten 
 tion : " Dyspepsia flour. Bakers wheat. 
 Rye flour. Rye corn. Wheat. Bolted and 
 sifted white and yellow Indian meal. Coarse 
 and fine homony. Buckwheat. Cracked 
 corn. Oats, ship stuff, and shorts. Genessee 
 and Rochester family flour." 
 
 It may be requisite to inform my readers, 
 that dyspepsia flour is considered to possess 
 peculiar digestive properties ; that homony is 
 a preparation of maize ; cracked corn is broken 
 maize ; ship stuff is meal ; and, if I recollect 
 rightly, shorts are what we call bran. 
 
 Over one blacksmith s shop, I saw the word 
 "smithery;" over that of another, the old 
 English word " stithy ;" over a bookbinder s, 
 "bindery;" on the door of a dealer in poor 
 Jopson s materials, " finding ; " and, I may add, 
 that places appropriated to the sale of mixed 
 articles bore the titles of " fancy and variety 
 stores." 
 
 It is not, however, the novelty of these and 
 a hundred other terms differing from those 
 used for the same things in England, that alone 
 surprised us. The free use of new verbs, the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. IJ 
 
 varied usages of epithets, together with the pe 
 culiar pronunciation of certain words, amount 
 to an obstacle to conversation on the part of 
 the stranger nearly equal to that experienced 
 in speaking a foreign tongue, of which one is 
 not the master. The universal aspiration of 
 the letter H, which is heard as forcibly in the 
 word Birmingham as in that of house, is not 
 less disagreeable to the ear than its total sup 
 pression by the illiterate cockney. 
 
 To say nothing about the use of the word 
 guess, upon which the Americans are so ridi 
 culed, but which is perhaps not more com 
 monly used than the phrase you know is in 
 England, we heard of individuals being clever 
 but possessing no talent, the former epithet 
 only being applied to manner or kindness of 
 disposition ; others, who in England would be 
 styled really clever, were designated as smart 
 men. I was told of matters progressing, of 
 pictures being fixed, of money having been 
 loaned, of persons having located themselves 
 in such or such a street ; and in one instance 
 my attention was directed to a sooty chimney 
 sweeper who was, as a friend termed it, located 
 on the top of a chimney. Elegant weather, 
 elegant hogs, handsome music, handsome 
 
18 AMERICA, 
 
 lightning, were familiar as household words ; 
 and if a relative or friend was unwell or ill, 
 they were invariably termed sick. In speak 
 ing of time the word fortnight was never used, 
 but two weeks ; the term semi, however, oc 
 curred often in combination with the words 
 weekly, monthly, annually ; as semi- weekly, 
 semi-monthly, semi-annually. 
 
 To these examples of Americanisms I may 
 add, that I was more than once asked where I 
 kept, when the enquirer was desirous of know 
 ing where I resided ; and sometimes I was 
 accosted by workmen, coal dealers, woodmen, 
 and others, by the title of boss, that being the 
 term substituted for master, which with these 
 sons of freedom is quite obsolete. The vari 
 ations from the present usages of the mother- 
 country in respect to many words and ex 
 pressions really English can only be accounted 
 for by supposing the language now used in 
 America to be the same imported by the pil 
 grim fathers and others to the period of the 
 separation of the governments, since which the 
 Americans have ceased to look to England as 
 their model. 
 
 This idea is favoured by the almost total alien 
 ation of attachment, to use the mildest term, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 19 
 
 to the parent country which distinguishes the 
 bulk of the inhabitants of the States in the 
 present day, and which disinclines them to 
 study the customs of their progenitors. 
 
 We found chests of drawers still called 
 bureaus, dress-makers manteau-makers, sofas 
 sittees, cups of tea dishes of tea ; and a num 
 ber of other things designated by names long 
 out of fashion in genteel society in England. 
 
 That the Americans have shown judgment 
 in the coining of many new words will be 
 readily allowed, as well as that they have abun 
 dant authority in the best English writers for 
 their present uses and significations of old 
 ones. 
 
 The subject of their present language and 
 orthography is interesting ; and those who are 
 curious to investigate it will find much va 
 luable information in the recently published 
 dictionary of the learned and indefatigable 
 Dr. Noah Webster, which able work will, in all 
 probability, ere long supersede that of the great 
 English lexicographer in the United States. 
 
 To our further surprise we did not find the 
 habits of the Americans differ less widely from 
 those of modern England than does their lan 
 guage. The very early rising, the system of 
 
20 AMERICA, 
 
 boarding, the hours for business and meals, 
 the mode of cookery, the viands themselves, 
 and the rapidity with which the meals are 
 despatched, so different from the English idea 
 of enjoyment, all combined to convince us 
 that we were indeed in a foreign land. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 THE gay emporium of the west, the city of 
 New York, which already contains above two 
 hundred thousand inhabitants, is situated at 
 the south end of an island of about fourteen 
 miles in length, by one and a half in breadth. 
 It is bounded on the west by the Hudson or 
 north river, which is here above a mile in width, 
 and on the east by the river of that name, 
 which separates it from the populous town of 
 Brooklyn, on Long Island. The point oppo 
 site the bay at the junction of the rivers, 
 and called the Battery, from its being the site 
 of the old Dutch fortifications, is laid out 
 with taste as a park or mall ; the verdant 
 foliage of which affords a most agreeable 
 shelter from the scorching rays of the sun, 
 and renders it a delightful and favourite 
 promenade. 
 
 In a pretty railed and planted enclosure in 
 the immediate vicinity, still called the Bowl 
 ing Green, and which forms a beautiful termin 
 ation to Broadway, formerly stood a gilt lead 
 c 3 
 
22 AMERICA, 
 
 statue of George the Third. This loyal me 
 morial had been erected but a short time pre 
 vious to the breaking out of the revolutionary 
 war; and on the commencement of the struggle 
 it was melted into bullets by his majesty s re 
 bellious subjects, to be used against the royal 
 army. 
 
 The iron balls which surmounted the railing 
 at inter valsjwere broken off for the same pur 
 pose ; and the mutilated rails remain to this 
 day, unnoticed by thousands who are ignorant 
 of the circumstance. 
 
 The main street, called Broadway, is two 
 miles and a half long, in a straight line, and 
 proportionably wide, with broad flagged trot- 
 toirs or side- walks, some parts of which are 
 shaded by poplars and other lofty trees ; but 
 in the quarter devoted to business, canvass 
 blinds are stretched from the shops to per 
 manent wooden rails of a convenient height 
 and neatly finished. The architecture of the 
 buildings, however, does not at all correspond 
 with the magnificent scale of the street, the 
 greatest irregularity prevailing ; handsome edi 
 fices of brick, and even marble, of four and 
 five stories, being side by side with those 
 of two or three, and in some parts actually 
 intermixed with miserable wooden cottages. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 2 
 
 Four of the largest episcopal churches, as well 
 as the principal hotels and boarding houses, 
 are situated in this great thoroughfare ; and it 
 is also the Regent Street for shops, or stores, 
 as all depositaries of merchandise, whether 
 large or small, are called. They are mostly of 
 mean exterior, although furnished with every 
 variety of goods from all parts of the world. 
 In these establishments may be found con 
 centrated the productions of the infant work 
 shops of America, together with those of the 
 maturer ones of England, France, Italy, and 
 Germany, as well as of the more distant and 
 ingenious Chinese. 
 
 Broadway is likewise the focus of the lot 
 tery offices ; which species of gambling, to the 
 injury of the morals and impoverishment of 
 its votaries, is carried on to a ruinous extent. 
 The present plan of the American lotteries 
 was introduced by an ingenious Florentine, 
 who, having realised a fortune by the sale of 
 his patent, has returned to enjoy his otium 
 cum dignitate in his own lovely Val d Arno. 
 The other great streets are Greenwich, Wash 
 ington, Hudson, Canal, and Bowery, almost 
 all devoted to retail concerns, and Pearl ; 
 which last contains the wholesale depots, 
 where the valuable cargoes of manufactures 
 c 4 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 are received, the greater part of which are 
 sold by auction on arrival ; the duty on these 
 sales forming a considerable item in the re 
 venue of the state. 
 
 The streets in the old part of the city are 
 somewhat irregular, from the want of a good 
 plan to act upon in its infancy ; but this de 
 fect is remedied, as respects its extension, in 
 the present day j the new avenues and streets 
 being all equidistant, crossing each other at 
 right angles, and in lieu of their being named, 
 as is the custom in Europe, they are regularly 
 numbered, to the great convenience of the 
 stranger. A farther peculiarity and facility 
 is observable in the numbering of houses, the 
 numbers being alternate on each side of the 
 street. Many of the streets exhibit a want of 
 attention to cleanliness and neatness. Swine 
 innumerable roam at large. Ashes, rubbish, 
 and other matters, are regularly thrown into 
 the middle ; and packages, as casks and boxes, 
 full or empty, with obstructions of various 
 kinds, are allowed to remain on the side 
 walks. Some of the hotels are very large 
 establishments, and are well conducted, but 
 upon quite a different system to those of the 
 old country, as England is often termed. Pri 
 vate apartments can be had when ladies are in 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 25 
 
 the case ; but gentlemen take their meals in 
 the great public room, where from fifty to 
 one hundred persons regularly sit down at the 
 same table. 
 
 Numbers who do not sleep in the hotels 
 eat at such places, and assemble a few minutes 
 before the appointed hours, in either the bar 
 or coffee-room. The moment the bell is rung, 
 and the dining-room doors are thrown open, 
 there is a simultaneous rush to the chairs, and 
 in an instant all the knives and forks are in 
 full operation. The tables display a profu 
 sion of viands ; and although the mode of 
 cookery is not more in accordance with the 
 palate of the Englishman than it is with that 
 of the Frenchman, yet both can always find 
 some dishes, which even those most wedded 
 to national habits may relish. 
 
 The despatch at meals, particularly among 
 the mercantile classes, is almost incredible to 
 those who have not witnessed it, five to ten 
 minutes sufficing for breakfast, not much more 
 than twice that time for dinner, and tea, or 
 supper, as it is styled, is taken with equal, 
 nay, sometimes with greater, celerity. This 
 last is not the simple bread and butter or toast 
 meal of England, but is accompanied by dried 
 beef sliced, cheese, radishes if in season, 
 
 or THE 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
26 AMERICA, 
 
 fruits, sweetmeats, cakes, and other items, 
 more or less agreeable. 
 
 Each person leaves the table as soon as the 
 business of eating is finished, without regard 
 to his neighbour s proceedings. Englishmen 
 are always the last, do what they will ; for 
 however little I ate I always found myself quite 
 unable to keep pace at meals with the Americans. 
 
 As may be supposed, with all this haste, 
 there is little room for conversation or social 
 chat, nevertheless the courtesies of society are 
 not neglected ; and I may observe, that we 
 found the waiters performed their duties with 
 all the expertness of the best of that useful class 
 in England, without the slightest stimulant in 
 the shape of douceur or reward from the guests. 
 
 The pensions, or boarding-houses, are very 
 agreeable places of residence ; although private 
 parlours, at present rare and expensive lux 
 uries in America, would add much to their 
 comfort. 
 
 All the various inmates meet at table as at 
 the English watering places ; and a well-fur 
 nished drawing-room, with its French time 
 piece, candelabra, and vases, is open to all 
 during the day, as well as for the re-unions in 
 the evening ; where music and dancing for 
 the young, and conversation for those who 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 27 
 
 have passed the heyday of life, contribute to 
 the enjoyment of these mixed but polite and 
 agreeable circles. 
 
 To the credit of the proprietors of the most 
 respectable boarding-houses, gambling is not 
 permitted in any form. 
 
 The expense of living in the best hotels and 
 boarding establishments is, from a guinea and 
 a half to two guineas per week, exclusive of 
 wines and private fire. 
 
 The boarding-houses of those numerous 
 classes, the smaller shopkeepers and mer 
 chants clerks, are in general miserably fur 
 nished, and the provisions and cookery too 
 often in strict keeping with the poverty of 
 those concerns. 
 
 It is by no means uncommon to see four, 
 or even five or six beds in the same room, and 
 these are of the meanest description, without 
 furniture even in the depth of winter : a chest 
 of drawers is, indeed, a rara avis ; each boarder 
 making a general depository of his trunk or 
 portmanteau, as poor Jack does of his chest in 
 the forecastle of a ship. 
 
 The whole economy of houses of this grade 
 in New York has been so humorously, and, 
 making allowance for a little high colouring, 
 upon the whole, so faithfully described by the 
 
28 AMERICA, 
 
 pen of an anonymous writer, through the 
 medium of one of the journals of that city, 
 that I cannot resist transferring the communi 
 cation to my pages. 
 
 It is entitled, " Picture of a New York 
 Boarding-house, by one who knows," and 
 appeared during the autumn of 1830. 
 
 That it is the production of an American 
 pen is evident, from two or three circum 
 stances which will readily strike the English 
 reader. The writer thus proceeds : 
 
 " Mr. Editor, 
 
 " Do you hire your board ? This may seem 
 to you an impertinent question, but I have a 
 particular reason for asking it. If you answer 
 ay, I need say no more on the subject ; but 
 if you say nay, I beg leave to send you a 
 sketch which I have drawn of a New York 
 boarding-house. 
 
 " It is not intended for any particular one, 
 but may serve as a general portrait, at least 
 I can answer for its resemblance to the hun 
 dred and seventeen at which it has been my 
 misfortune to board, and at which I have paid 
 from four to six dollars a week. I do not 
 here include hotels, which are well kept. 
 
 " If the picture should seem to you extra- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 29 
 
 vagant, you will recollect it is the colouring 
 of one who has felt deeply what he undertakes 
 to depict ; and I appeal to the testimony of 
 my fellow- sufferers that it is no caricature. 
 In the first place, I will conduct you to the 
 breakfast- table. 
 
 " There you will feast your eyes on at least 
 two dishes ; a salt shad or a mackrel, and a 
 lean beef-steak, which has been dried, not 
 broiled, over the coals. Perhaps one or other 
 of these may be alternated with a fresh fish, 
 sausages, or a pork-chop. No fowls ever 
 make their way to the breakfast-table. 
 
 " Along with the fish or flesh may be seen a 
 plate or two of bread, sometimes of rye, some 
 times of wheat, but no admittance is allowed to 
 toast or hot rolls. There is usually plenty of 
 butter, but it is of colours nearly as various as 
 the rainbow ; and after being doubly salted at 
 home to make it weigh the more, it is salted 
 again by the mistress of the boarding-house, 
 to make it go further. 
 
 " So much for the eatables. 
 
 " At the head of the table sits madam, 
 drawing from a coffee urn, and distributing 
 oh, heavens ! I have not yet found a name 
 for it. The basis, however, is water, which 
 in its purest state is scarcely drinkable. Added 
 
30 AMERICA, 
 
 to this is a small quantity of damaged coffee, 
 burnt crust, or roasted rye, well pulverised ; 
 which, having boiled a while, is pretty well 
 incorporated with the water, and thus drawn 
 with it into the cups, exhibiting the appear 
 ance of black broth or dark puddle- water. As 
 for the taste of this queer mixture, I leave it, 
 Mr. Editor, to your imagination. The lady 
 presidentess never asks you, Is your coffee 
 agreeable, sir? Do I make the coffee to 
 suit you, madam ? lest some one should have 
 the impudence to ask for more sugar or milk, 
 and she should be a loser by her ill-judged 
 politeness. 
 
 " I will next conduct you to the dinner- 
 table. The prospect here, it must be con 
 fessed, is a shade or two brighter, but the 
 meat having been bought at a reduced price 
 in the market, does not, of course, consist of 
 the prime pieces, and, what is worse still, is 
 spoilt in the cooking. If roasted, it has never 
 felt the softening and savoury influence of the 
 basting spoon, but is as dry as a chip, and 
 totally destitute of any inviting qualities ; add 
 to which, it is not accompanied by gravy, or 
 any thing deserving of that title, the contents 
 of the butter-boat being neither more nor less 
 than unmingled grease at the top, a watery 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 31 
 
 mixture in the middle, and a variously com 
 pounded sediment at the bottom. Such is 
 the character of the roast, whether it be 
 beef, mutton, veal, or fowls. A boiled leg or 
 shoulder of mutton is rarely seen ; and when 
 seen, usually makes its appearance without its 
 legitimate attendant, drawn butter and parsley ; 
 but roasted mutton, reeking in its own grease, 
 is seldom wanted to grace the table. 
 
 " For vegetables you will find potatoes, such 
 as they are, sliced beets, corn and beans mixed, 
 alias succutash, but for celery crisp, well 
 blanched, delicious, appetite-inspiring celery 
 you have none of it. Wait a minute, and you 
 shall see the dessert, which is nearly as barren 
 of attraction as the deserts of Arabia. An 
 apple- dumpling, with the crust so tough, that it 
 needs not, like old King George s, to be sewed 
 to keep it together, but rather requires an axe 
 or cleaver to cut it apart, enclosing an apple 
 so sour, that if you eat it your teeth will be 
 set on edge. 
 
 " A pudding made of rice and water, in 
 which the latter ingredient most plentifully 
 abounds, or boiled rice to be eaten with 
 West India molasses ; apple-pie, with crust like 
 sole leather, and the apples as tart as the woman 
 that made it; or, if sweetened at all, it is merely 
 
AMERICA 
 
 with the same West India molasses; or per 
 chance the dessert may consist of fruit, which 
 is purchased the cheaper for having been 
 thoroughly picked over previous to the pur 
 chase. But all this is princely compared with 
 the tea-table, which, in the first place, is 
 nothing but a suite of bare boards, mahogany, 
 and, may be, well polished ; but no table can be 
 considered decent without a cloth. However, 
 it is not so much the table itself I would de 
 pict, as the articles upon it, and the mistress 
 at the upper end of it. As at the breakfast, 
 so at the tea-table, there is never any toast to 
 be seen. Dry bread and extra-salted butter 
 are the main articles ; but the tea, or the 
 liquid so called, is the object most deserving 
 of your particular attention. 
 
 " How so large a quantity of the beverage 
 could be made with so small a quantity of the 
 Chinese herb would be matter of marvel to 
 any one not acquainted with the economy 
 of a New York boarding-house. Some might 
 suppose it was owing to a peculiar virtue in 
 the inside of the teapot, but I can assure 
 you this is not the case ; and no person who 
 has once tasted the decoction will have any 
 doubt as to the mode of its preparation. 
 
 " One thimble-full of tea is put into a quart, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 33 
 
 or gallon, or any assignable quantity of water, 
 and the leaves of the herbs may be seen like 
 the wrecked Trojans, rari nanles in gurgite 
 vasto. 
 
 " The mistress of the house always measures 
 her tea in a thimble. At first the teapot is filled 
 with water, and after a thorough decoction of 
 the thimble-full it is brought upon the table. 
 As soon as it begins to run low, it is again 
 filled with water. A second pouring ou^ 
 takes place, and it is again replenished with 
 water ; and so on alternately pouring out and 
 filling up as long as there are any guests to be 
 served. 
 
 " You may then judge, Mr. Editor, what is 
 the nature of the liquid when poured into the 
 cups. Still on the same principle of economy, 
 you are not allowed to sweeten your own tea, 
 lest you should be too profuse of the sugar; 
 nor to cream it, lest you should draw too 
 largely upon the precious milk and water 
 which is used as substitute. The presiding 
 goddess of the teapot puts into your cup a bit 
 of sugar, the size of a hazel nut, and five 
 drops of milk. If you should not be satisfied 
 with this quantity, and should have the im 
 pudence to send your cup for more, she puts 
 in another bit of sugar of the size of a pepper 
 
 D 
 
34 AMICRtCA, 
 
 corn, and three more drops of milk, but at 
 the same time looks sour enough to turn the 
 sugar to tartaric acid. But, although so 
 sparing of the milk and sugar, it is but justice 
 to say, she deals bountifully with you in the 
 article of tea, and will give you as many cups- 
 ful as you desire ; for pump water is cheap, 
 and the process of pouring in very easily 
 supplies the exhaustion of pouring out. In 
 short, the tea is furnished you, in one weak, 
 washy, everlasting flood. It now only remains 
 for me to conduct you to your bed ; and I 
 will do it at once, since the strength of your 
 tea will not be likely to keep you awake. 
 There are half a dozen beds, perhaps, in your 
 room, where you and your fellows may snore 
 in concert ; or, if more agreeable, keep one 
 another awake. As for that whereon you lie, 
 there is usually a plentiful scarcity of feathers ; 
 but to make up the deficiency you may have 
 as much straw as you please, and so thrown 
 up into ridges, lumps, and bumps, that you 
 feel as if you were stretched across a pile of 
 rails, or over a heap of cobble-stones. To 
 add still further to your comforts, ever and 
 anon your nose is assailed by the odour of 
 one of those bloody-minded animals that come 
 travelling over your pillow, and insist not 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 35 
 
 upon a pound of flesh, but upon having Chris 
 tian blood. Sheets changed once a month, 
 and a towel that wipes your hands and face 
 for three weeks, complete the furniture of 
 your lodgings. Thus, Mr. Editor, having 
 given you a picture of a New York boarding- 
 house, I bid you good night, barely hazard 
 ing a single remark, that there is not perhaps 
 in the world a place where, in the articles of 
 meat, drink, and lodging, one is more tho 
 roughly Jewed than at the New York boarding- 
 houses, nor where there is need of a more 
 speedy and complete reformation." 
 
 Mechanics pay twelve shillings per week ; 
 and, from what fell under my own observation, 
 as well as what I learnt from individuals of 
 that class, they have value received; their 
 tables not lacking beef-steaks, and other dishes 
 equally substantial, three times a day. As 
 Americans will not be servants, the domestics 
 in all these establishments, and in private 
 houses, are either blacks, or coloured persons 
 as all the intermediate shades between the 
 former and white are designated and Irish. 
 
 The blacks are styled servants, and appear 
 a civil, good-tempered, happy race. They per 
 form their duties better or worse, according to 
 the treatment they experience from their em- 
 D 2 
 
36 AMERICA, 
 
 ployers, and the previous advantages they 
 have possessed. The men show great tact 
 in acquiring a genteel address. As to the fail- 
 daughters of the Emerald Isle, they being 
 almost all of the poorest description of emi 
 grants, it will not be expected that previous 
 education has done much for them in house 
 hold matters. They do not allow themselves 
 to be called servants, but prefer the American 
 term, help ; and knowing full well that they 
 are in the land of freedom, and that the ob 
 ligations of mistress and servant are mutual, 
 they do as they please, and go where they 
 please. It is no uncommon thing for these 
 damsels to be requested to remain at home on 
 the Sunday afternoon, should their services be 
 particularly required. They fall into the 
 American habits of dress with great ease, and 
 soon doff their humble caps for Parisian hats 
 and flowers ; which, by the bye, they can well 
 afford to purchase, as they receive from twelve 
 to sixteen pounds sterling a year wages. 
 
 In allusion to the impatience under control 
 which is so common to this class, an Irish 
 lady wittily remarked to me, that her coun 
 try s impudence, mixed with American inde 
 pendence, made the worst compound in the 
 world for a servant. To my great astonish- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 37 
 
 ment, I only met with two Englishwomen 
 in this capacity in America. These were 
 sufficiently conspicuous in their neat frilled 
 caps, to say nothing of their clean persons 
 and northern complexions. A sort of Paul 
 Pry curiosity to gain information prompted 
 me to have a chat with these individuals, both 
 of whom I found were from the neighbour 
 hood of Manchester. They had not lost 
 their Lancashire dialect, nor any of their 
 attachment to their native soil ; for although 
 they received nearly double the wages they 
 could earn at home, and were perfectly satis 
 fied with their cheering prospects, it might 
 easily be discovered that foreign habits were 
 not congenial, and that they thought to use 
 their own language there was no place like 
 ould England. 
 
 D 3 
 
38 AMERICA. 
 
 CHAR III. 
 
 AMONG the public edifices of New York, the 
 City Hall stands proudly pre-eminent. 
 
 This splendid building, which is situated 
 in an extensive area, planted with trees, and 
 laid out with walks, is of white marble, which, 
 in this dry, clear atmosphere, unpolluted by 
 coal smoke, preserves its original purity. The 
 dimensions of the edifice are 21 6 feet in length 
 by 105 feet in depth, and 65 in height. 
 From the centre rises a lofty cupola, which, 
 like all such structures we saw, is of wood 
 painted ; and its four sides exhibit handsome 
 dials, which at night are illuminated. A statue 
 of Justice crowns the whole. The expense 
 of this erection was above 100,000/. 
 
 From the gallery of the cupola the spectator 
 enjoys a magnificent panorama of New York 
 and its surrounding scenery; the eye em 
 bracing the whole extent of the city, the 
 noble rivers, the spacious bay enlivened by 
 the numerous vessels constantly arriving and 
 departing, the town and heights of Brooklyn 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 39 
 
 on the one hand, with the romantic Hoboken 
 and Weehawken on the other ; together with 
 the woody undulations of Staten, Long, and 
 New York islands, and the gray frowning 
 precipices of the Jerseys, which bound the 
 range of vision. 
 
 The City Hall is appropriated to the va 
 rious courts of law, as well as to the uses 
 of the corporation. An elegant rotunda 
 staircase of white marble leads to the prin 
 cipal apartments ; but this, like the floors of 
 the lobbies, and even of the courts, is kept 
 in a most disgusting state, being constantly 
 bespattered with the saliva of the tobacco 
 chewers. 
 
 In the council chamber, which is furnished 
 with small neat desks for the use of the 
 members, are full-length portraits of Wash 
 ington, and several other of the worthies of 
 America. 
 
 The great object of attraction, however, in 
 this room, is the identical chair in which the 
 Liberator sat when inaugurated as the first 
 President of this great republic. 
 
 Although this precious relic is merely an 
 old-fashioned mahogany sofa chair covered 
 with red morine, yet the associations con 
 nected with it are such as to give it an in- 
 D 4 
 
40 AMERICA, 
 
 describable degree of interest ; and, in my 
 eyes, it was worth all the bespangled and 
 gewgawed thrones in Christendom, the ve 
 nerable worm-eaten Gothic chair of our own 
 Westminster Abbey into the bargain. The 
 banner which waved over the head of the 
 illustrious president on the glorious occasion 
 alluded to, and which may be not improperly 
 styled the American Oriflamme, is suspended 
 on the wall, with an inscription over it in 
 letters of gold. The various court-rooms are 
 not distinguished by either advantageous ar 
 rangement, or elegance of decoration ; and 
 the absence of wigs and gowns on the bench, 
 and among the counsel, as well as of liveries 
 and all appearance of state in the subordinate 
 officers of justice, had a singular effect upon 
 the English spectator ; although, probably, 
 not more so, and most assuredly not so ridi 
 culous a one, as our courts must have in the 
 eyes of an American. Justice is, nevertheless, 
 as promptly and impartially administered in 
 these undecorated walls as amidst the im 
 posing pomp of British judicial proceedings ; 
 and, what is of importance, at a cheaper rate 
 too ; and I had, in the course of my oft re 
 peated visits, abundant opportunities of prov 
 ing that a knotty point might be ably argued 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 by a counsellor, and a case summed up with 
 perspicuity by a judge, although both these 
 personages might be attired in the unpretend 
 ing costume of brown frock coats and black 
 silk handkerchiefs. In short, I saw that it 
 did not require the use of wigs and gowns 
 " to steady our habits, and teach us to know 
 distinctly what we are about." 
 
 The simplicity of dress in those who admin 
 ister the laws is also accompanied by a corre 
 sponding simplification of their forms, which, 
 being disencumbered of many technical and 
 antiquated absurdities, are made intelligible 
 to all. 
 
 In one of the courts, I noticed a marble 
 cenotaph to the memory of the late distin 
 guished Counsellor Emmett, who emigrated 
 from Ireland during the civil troubles in 
 which his talented brother fell a sacrifice 
 to an imprudent but patriotic zeal. This 
 amiable gentleman practised the profession 
 of the law in his adopted country with 
 great success, and died deeply and generally 
 lamented. 
 
 Of the edifices dedicated to commercial 
 purposes, the Merchants Exchange, and the 
 Bank of the United States, are the most con 
 siderable. The fa9ades of both these structures 
 
42 AMERICA, 
 
 are of white marble, and in a good style of 
 architecture. 
 
 The former contains a noble room or hall, 
 eighty-five feet in length, and proportionably 
 lofty, open to the public, and in which the 
 merchants and others assemble at a stated 
 hour, as in the seats of business in England. 
 The communications by the telegraph are also 
 here displayed for general inspection, as soon 
 as received. 
 
 Adjoining this resort, is the public sale 
 room, where auctions of land and buildings, or 
 what is termed real estate, are daily held. 
 Here may be seen, at the same hour, and to 
 the utter confusion of the stranger, one auc 
 tioneer, elevated on his rostrum, expatiating 
 on the quality of land in an almost terra incog 
 nita, inviting his attentive audience, in the 
 most friendly manner, not to lose so favourable 
 an opportunity of enriching their families or 
 friends ; a second equally energetic in praise 
 of some corner lot, so eligible for stores, that 
 he wonders how any man can hesitate a single 
 moment ; whilst a third vows, that if there is 
 no immediate advance upon the offer for the 
 lease in question, he will take it himself. 
 
 To afford some idea of the different value 
 of the property brought to the hammer in this 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 43 
 
 bustling mart, I may inform my readers, that I 
 have often witnessed hundreds of acres, woods, 
 game, and all, knocked down at the paltry 
 price of four to five shillings per acre ; and 
 perhaps at the adjoining rostrum a lot of one 
 hundred yards was even bought in at the 
 enormous price of ten pounds per yard. The 
 former was, of course, in a part of the interior, 
 distant from navigable rivers or canals ; the 
 latter in the very best situations of the wealthy 
 city of New York. 
 
 Not less different, according to English 
 classification, is the composition of the au 
 dience at these sales. 
 
 The banker, the merchant, the mechanic, 
 and the carter in his white frock, are here be 
 held en masse ; and the highest bidder is as 
 likely to be found among the last description 
 of personages as the first. 
 
 Underneath the Exchange is the Post Office; 
 contiguous to which is a large bar room, where, 
 for the trifling sum of threepence, the thirsty 
 " business man" is refreshed with a tumbler of 
 claret and iced water ; or, should his habits be 
 less abstemious, with the same quantity of more 
 stimulating liquors. 
 
 In the immediate vicinity are concentrated 
 almost all the principal banks, insurance offices, 
 
44 AMERICA, 
 
 newspaper offices, as well as those of the cal 
 culating class, the money changers ; the 
 fronts of which last are liberally placarded 
 with such notices as the following, all in the 
 largest and most attractive letter : " Highest 
 price given for gold and silver. Wanted im 
 mediately, sovereigns, for which the highest 
 value will be given. Bills of broken banks 
 
 o 
 
 bought here. Uncurrent bills taken." And 
 others more or less intelligible to the stranger. 
 
 As in London, a man is not under the ne 
 cessity of travelling far from this focus of busi 
 ness in search of a beef-steak. Chop-houses of 
 every grade abound ; and a good dinner of one 
 dish, with vegetables, bread, and half a pint of 
 vin ordinaire de Bourdeaux, may be had for a 
 shilling, which covers all demands. 
 
 The oft-repeated assertion, that without a 
 religious establishment in connection with the 
 state, or laws to enforce the observance of the 
 Christian Sabbath, religion itself would be 
 extinct, is most completely disproved in the 
 United States of America. Whatever may be 
 said on the score of practice, which is per 
 haps, upon the whole, much the same in all 
 countries, however different their modes of 
 faith, the public profession of religion is no 
 where more conspicuous than in that country. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 45 
 
 The city of New York alone contains above 
 one hundred places of worship, or churches as 
 they are called. 
 
 All sects, whether Trinitarian or Uni 
 tarian, Jew, or Philosophical Unbeliever, en 
 joy the same political privileges ; and each 
 maintains its own ministers by voluntary sub 
 scriptions, none being taxed to support religion 
 in any shape. 
 
 The Presbyterians are the most numerous 
 body ; but the Church of England, or, as it is 
 more correctly styled, the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, is the richest sect in proportion to the 
 number of communicants. 
 
 This arises from the endowments of land 
 made by the Crown previous to the revolu 
 tion not having been molested, and the land 
 itself having now risen greatly in value. 
 
 The bishop and clergy are elected by the 
 popular voice j and although they are liberally, 
 they are not extravagantly paid. The emolu 
 ments of the former, whose see is nearly as 
 large as all England, his jurisdiction extending 
 over -the state of New York, are little more 
 than WOOL per annum. The crying sin of 
 the Church of England pluralism is un 
 known ; as also the unjust and odious impost 
 of tithe. 
 
46 AMERICA, 
 
 The clergy are strict in their outward de 
 meanour, neither visiting theatres, balls, or any 
 diversions, or indulging in a rubber at whist, 
 as their brethren of the old country ; and a 
 fox-hunting or a sporting parson would be con 
 sidered, as Falstaff says, " little better than 
 one of the wicked." 
 
 Clerical magistrates are also unknown, the 
 duties of the Christian pastor being very pro 
 perly limited to spiritual matters. Although 
 spacious and convenient, few of the churches 
 have any pretensions to architectural beauty. 
 
 The spires and belfries are of wood, and are 
 all provided with lightning conductors, which 
 are insulated from the buildings. The sum 
 mits, as in England, are generally crowned by 
 vanes, in lieu of the more appropriate termin 
 ation to Christian temples, the cross. 
 
 I observed a difference in the interior ar 
 rangements of the Episcopal churches from 
 those of the mother- country ; the pulpits being 
 placed against the wall in the rear of the com 
 munion table ; and that important personage, 
 the clerk, is dispensed with. 
 
 The windows are provided with green Ve 
 netian blinds ; and one or two of the churches 
 are hung with glass chandeliers, which have, 
 as may be imagined, a gay effect. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 4<7 
 
 The cemeteries surrounding two of these 
 sacred edifices, but which are now no longer 
 used, contain fine elms and weeping willows, 
 which, in this delightful climate, seem to 
 flourish in town as well as country. 
 
 In the Golgotha of Trinity, or the mother- 
 church, in which the dust of hundreds of the 
 loyal subjects of King George is mingled with 
 that of thousands of his enemies, is a monu 
 ment to the memory of the brave Captain 
 Lawrence, who was killed in the conflict with 
 the British frigate Shannon, and finally here 
 interred. The design is a fluted column, with 
 its capital fallen ; and on the pedestal is a 
 suitable inscription. Unfortunately, this na 
 tional tribute to the hero was not executed in 
 a substantial manner ; for the whole is fast 
 hastening to decay, and in a few years will be 
 no more. 
 
 In the vestry of Trinity Church, unknown 
 to the crowds who hourly pass the window, I 
 found two portraits of English divines, who, 
 by the fashion of their wigs, show themselves 
 to have been, in their day, preachers of passive 
 obedience and non-resistance ; doctrines little 
 likely to be revived in the pulpits of republican 
 America, and daily becoming less palatable 
 even in monarchical England. 
 
48 AMERICA, 
 
 The cemetery of St. Paul s is interesting to 
 the Englishman, as containing the remains of 
 that great illustrator of Shakspeare, Cooke, 
 who closed a life of inebriety in the city of 
 New York. 
 
 Over the grave of this talented but foolish 
 man is a white marble monumental pillar, sur 
 mounted by an urn. On one side is the following 
 inscription, from the pen of one who unfortu 
 nately has inherited the follies as well as the 
 mantle of the individual honoured : 
 
 ERECTED 
 TO THE 
 
 MEMORY 
 
 OF 
 
 GEORGE FREDERICK COOKE, 
 
 BY 
 
 EDMUND KEAN, 
 
 OF THE 
 THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE, 
 
 1821. 
 THREE KINGDOMS CLAIM HIS BIRTH; 
 
 BOTH HEMISPHERES PRONOUNCE HIS WORTH. 
 
 This monument, not being protected by rails, 
 is much defaced by idle scribblers. The pro 
 pensity to scratching autographs is as common 
 among the Americans as it is among the En- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 49 
 
 glish, and it is one of the few customs of the 
 mother-country which they have not rejected. 
 
 Under the portico of the church is a marble 
 cenotaph to the memory of the gallant Mont 
 gomery, who fell in the unsuccessful attack on 
 Quebec at the commencement of the revo 
 lutionary war. The body of the general, after 
 having laid interred in that city for nearly half 
 a century, was, in the year 1818, exhumed and 
 removed to New York, where it is now depo 
 sited immediately in front of the monument in 
 question. General Montgomery was an Irish 
 man by birth, but took a decided part in favour 
 of the colonies in their contest with Great 
 Britain. 
 
 The cemetery of St. Paul, likewise, con 
 tains the remains of the late Counsellor 
 Emmett, to whom I have made allusion in 
 describing the City Hall. A monument, upon 
 a considerable scale, is about to be erected 
 over the grave of this eminent individual. 
 The design is an obelisk, upon one side of 
 which is the American eagle sheltering a harp 
 unstrung, with a medallion of the deceased, 
 and two hands united ; the wrist of one being 
 encircled by a wreath of stars, and the other 
 by a wreath of shamrock. On two of the 
 other sides are inscriptions in Latin and Irish. 
 
50 AMERICA, 
 
 The obelisk is to be thirty- two feet in height, 
 The plinth, which is seven feet square, and 
 composed of one piece of white marble, was 
 placed in its situation in the year 1830. 
 
 As may be supposed, the Book of Common 
 Prayer of the Church of England stood in 
 need of considerable alterations at the period 
 of the separation of the colonies ; and so 
 favourable an opportunity for a general re 
 vision of this work, as well in respect to 
 phraseology as doctrine and arrangement, was 
 not neglected. 
 
 The Liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church of America, so amended, and as at 
 present used, was ratified by the bishops, 
 clergy, and laity of the said Church, in con 
 vention assembled in the year 1789, the period 
 also of the establishment of the constitution of 
 the United States. The Preface, which may 
 be interesting to the English reader, runs as 
 follows : 
 
 " It is a most invaluable part of that blessed 
 liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, 
 that in his worship different forms and usages 
 may without offence be allowed, provided the 
 substance of the Faith be ke|ft entire ; and 
 that in every church, what cannot be clearly 
 determined to belong to doctrine must be 
 referred to discipline ; and therefore, by com- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 51 
 
 mon consent and authority, may be altered, 
 abridged, enlarged, amended, or otherwise 
 disposed of as may seem most convenient for 
 the edification of the people according to the 
 various exigencies of times and occasions. 
 
 " The Church of England, to which the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church in these States is 
 indebted, under God, for her first foundation, 
 and a long continuance of nursing care and 
 protection, hath, in the Preface of her Book of 
 Common Prayer, laid it down as a rule that 
 The particular forms of Divine worship, and 
 the rites and ceremonies appointed to be used 
 therein, being things in their own nature in 
 different and alterable, and so acknowledged, 
 it is but reasonable that, upon weighty and 
 important considerations, according to the 
 various exigencies of times and occasions, 
 such changes and alterations should be made 
 therein, as to those who are in places of 
 authority should from time to time seem 
 either necessary or expedient. The same 
 Church hath, not only in her Preface, but 
 likewise in her Articles and Homilies, de 
 clared the necessity and expediency of occa 
 sional alterations and amendments in her forms 
 of public worship ; and we find accordingly, 
 that, seeking to keep the happy mean be- 
 
52 AMERICA, 
 
 tween too much stiffness in refusing and too 
 much easiness in admitting, variations in things 
 once advisedly established, she hath, in the 
 reign of several princes, since the first com 
 piling of her Liturgy in the time of Edward 
 the Sixth, upon just and weighty consider 
 ations her thereunto moving, yielded to make 
 such alterations in some particulars, as in their 
 respective times were thought convenient, yet 
 so as that the main body and essential parts of 
 the same (as well in the chiefest materials as 
 in the frame and order thereof) have still been 
 continued^firm and unshaken/ 
 
 "Her general aim in these different reviews 
 and alterations hath been, as she further de 
 clares in her said Preface, to do that which, 
 according to her best understanding, might 
 most tend to the preservation of peace and 
 unity in the Church ; the procuring of reve 
 rence, and the exciting of piety and devotion 
 in the worship of God ; and finally, the cutting 
 off occasion from them that seek occasion of 
 cavil or quarrel against her Liturgy/ 
 
 66 And although, according to her judgment, 
 there be not * any thing in it contrary to the 
 word of God, or to sound doctrine, or which a 
 godly man may not, with a good conscience, 
 use and submit unto, or which is not fairly 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 53 
 
 defensible, if allowed such just and favourable 
 construction, as in common equity ought to be 
 allowed to all human writings ; yet, upon the 
 principles already laid down, it cannot but be 
 supposed that further alteration would in time 
 be found expedient. Accordingly a com 
 mission for a review was issued in the year 
 1689 ; but this great and good work mis 
 carried at that time ; and the civil authority 
 has not since thought proper to revive it by 
 any new commission. 
 
 " But when, in the course of Divine Pro 
 vidence, these American States became in 
 dependent with respect to civil government, 
 their ecclesiastical independence was neces 
 sarily included ; and the different religious 
 denominations of Christians in these States 
 were left at full and equal liberty to model and 
 organise their respective churches and forms 
 of worship and discipline in such manner as 
 they might judge most convenient for their 
 future prosperity, consistently with the con 
 stitution and laws of their country. 
 
 " The attention of this Church was, in the 
 first place, drawn to those alterations in the Li 
 turgy which became necessary in the prayers for 
 our civil rulers in consequence of the resolu 
 tion. And the principal care herein was, to make 
 E 5 
 
5 AMERICA, 
 
 them conformable to what ought to be the 
 proper end of all such prayers, namely, that 
 Rulers may have grace, wisdom, and under 
 standing, to execute justice and to maintain 
 truth ; and that the people may lead quiet 
 and peaceable lives, in all godliness and ho 
 nesty. 5 
 
 "But while these alterations were in review 
 before the convention, they could not but with 
 gratitude to God embrace the happy occasion 
 which was offered to them (uninfluenced and 
 unrestrained by any worldly authority what 
 soever) to take a further review of the public 
 service, and to establish such other alterations 
 and amendments therein as might be deemed 
 expedient. 
 
 " It seems unnecessary to enumerate all the 
 different alterations and amendments. They 
 will appear, and, it is to be hoped, the reasons 
 of them also, upon a comparison of this with 
 the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of 
 England ; in which it will also appear that this 
 Church is far from intending to dissent from 
 the Church of England in any essential point 
 of doctrine, discipline, or worship ; or further 
 than local circumstances require. 
 
 " And now the important work being 
 brought to a conclusion, it is hoped the whole 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 55 
 
 will be received and examined by every true 
 member of our Church, and every sincere 
 Christian, with a meek, candid, and charitable 
 frame of mind ; without prejudice or prepos 
 session, seriously considering what Christianity 
 is, and what the truths of the Gosple are, and 
 earnestly beseeching Almighty God to accom 
 pany with his blessing every endeavour for 
 promulgating them to mankind in the clearest, 
 plainest, most affecting and majestic manner, 
 for the sake of Jesus Christ our blessed Lord 
 and Saviour." 
 
 The most important alterations in respect to 
 doctrine in the American Liturgy are the ex 
 pulsion of the Catholic tenet of absolution of 
 sins by the priest, in the office for the sick, 
 and also that mystifying and damnatory creed 
 erroneously attributed to St. Athanasius. 
 
 To enumerate all the various amendments 
 in phraseology and arrangement would be 
 tedious ; suffice it to say, therefore, that in the 
 morning and evening services, the repetitions 
 of the Lord s Prayer are avoided, thereby ren 
 dering its effect, when read, more impressive ; 
 the Gloria in Excelsis is introduced, as well as 
 an exhortation of the Saviour after the last 
 commandment ; and the President of the 
 United States and Congress are substituted 
 E 4< 
 
56 AMERICA, 
 
 for " our most religious and gracious King, 
 and the Lords of the Council." In the articles 
 of religion, the authority of the civil power in 
 spiritual matters is properly rejected. In per 
 forming the service, more is left to the discre 
 tion of the officiating minister than in the 
 English Church ; and in the office of the Com 
 munion he does not leave the reading desk, 
 nor is the head bowed at the name of Jesus in 
 either the Nicene or Apostle s Creeds, only one 
 of which is read in the same service. 
 
 The responses are made by the choir ; some 
 being said, others sung ; and in those prayers 
 where the people join, the minister is allowed 
 to finish each sentence before the repetition 
 is commenced ; an example worthy of imita 
 tion in the Mother Church. The organs are 
 in general well played, and the singing and 
 chanting in a corresponding style of excel 
 lence. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 THE two Unitarian churches, one of which 
 possesses a classical fa9ade, exhibit much 
 elegance and some novelty in their interior 
 arrangement. The pews, in lieu of the high, 
 unsightly, box appearance of those in all the 
 modern places of worship in England, have an 
 agreeable inclination at the backs, which, with 
 the seats, are well stuffed. The doors are 
 about two feet in height ; the ends of the pews 
 being finished with a scroll or arm, something 
 in the style of a sofa, lines or ranges of which 
 luxurious pieces of furniture they indeed re 
 present. The pulpits are open at the sides, 
 having no doors, and are ascended by double 
 flights of stairs or steps. They bear no resem 
 blance to the tea-caddy pieces of carpentry so 
 common with us, being much larger, and alto 
 gether in better taste. A sofa stands in the 
 rear for the accommodation of the ministers. 
 
 One, which appeared to me particularly 
 chaste and classical, was not unlike an altar, 
 with a semicircular projection in front, imme- 
 
58 AMERICA, 
 
 diately behind which stood the preacher. It 
 was handsomely panelled, and painted in 
 imitation of light veined marble, and was ele 
 vated but a few feet above the floor of the 
 church. On each side stood large bronzed 
 candelabra, on marbled pedestals, between 
 which and the pulpit or rostrum were the 
 steps ; and at the back was a spacious niche 
 or recess, the walls being covered with fluted 
 crimson drapery, through which were the 
 entrances into the vestry. The cushion and 
 edge of the pulpit were covered with purple 
 velvet. A little in advance stood a beautiful 
 Italian alabaster font or tazza, for the baptismal 
 water. 
 
 The clergy of this denomination wear gowns, 
 and some conform to the episcopal habits so 
 far as to wear bands. 
 
 In these Unitarian churches I had the good 
 fortune to hear one of the most celebrated 
 preachers of America, the Rev. Dr. Chan- 
 ning, whose name stands deservedly high 
 even on this side the Atlantic. This eminent 
 divine resides and officiates at Boston, but 
 visited the city of New York on an autumnal 
 tour, and preached four times to crowded 
 congregations. 
 
 In these discourses he displayed much in- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 59 
 
 genious speculation on a future state ; argu 
 ing in favour of the doctrine of the soul s im 
 mortality, even from reason ; " because," said 
 the reverend preacher, " nothing in nature is 
 annihilated. Every thing, upon decay, resolves 
 itself into new combinations ; therefore, why 
 should mind be an exception ?" 
 
 He rejected the doctrine of a local hell, 
 substituting the idea of the stings of con 
 science tormenting us. Upon the subject of 
 the atonement, the reverend orator attacked 
 the orthodox notion of the redemption of 
 mankind by the act of shedding the blood of 
 Christ. He considered, that Christ dying 
 for us, and saving us by his blood, was to be 
 understood in the light of a most virtuous 
 teacher setting a perfect example, and falling 
 a martyr for his principles, "just as we Ame 
 ricans," said he most eloquently, " are saved 
 by the blood of our patriot forefathers who 
 died for us." 
 
 Dr. Channing is in person slender, and of 
 a delicate constitution, although his voice is 
 sufficiently powerful. His manner in the 
 pulpit is exceedingly engaging and impressive, 
 riveting the attention of his hearers ; his style 
 of thinking and mode of illustration display 
 much originality; and when he happened to 
 
60 AMERICA, 
 
 touch a chord, as, in alluding to those who 
 fought for the liberties of his country, the 
 effect was electrical. 
 
 Of the several Catholic places of worship, 
 that dedicated to Ireland s tutelar protector, 
 St. Patrick, stands at the head. It is a very spa 
 cious edifice of stone, and contains a fine organ, 
 which, together with an excellent choir, renders 
 it peculiarly attractive to those who have music 
 in their souls. The Catholics of New York are 
 chiefly Irish, or of that extraction, as are the 
 clergy. The spacious cemetery surrounding the 
 church in question, is crowded with tenants, 
 and the inscriptions on the head-stones or 
 boards, bespeak almost all of them to have 
 been natives of Ireland. 
 
 One or two of the Presbyterian churches 
 exhibit a peculiarity which seemed more 
 adapted for the display of the Catholic ser 
 vice, than for the simple forms of the former 
 faith ; the floors being sloped towards the 
 pulpit in the manner of the pit of a theatre 
 towards the stage. 
 
 I heard the most eminent ministers of this 
 persuasion introduce the word prayerful in all 
 their supplications ; and in giving or an 
 nouncing the hymn, they, as well as the 
 Unitarians and others, omitted the conjunc- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 6l 
 
 tion, " and," in numbers above one hundred 
 as modern custom has decided with respect to 
 those under. Thus they announced the sing 
 ing of the one hundred second psalm, or one 
 hundred twenty-third, in lieu of one hundred 
 and second, or one hundred and twenty-third. 
 The effect upon the ear of a stranger was un 
 musical. 
 
 In the religious edifices of the various shades 
 of Methodism, I saw nothing particularly wor 
 thy of observation : Stentorian lungs, however, 
 as at home, seemed to be necessary qualifica 
 tions for the teachers of some of these sects. 
 
 Freedom of speech and of the press in 
 America are in no way more conspicuous 
 than in matters of religion, and, as might be 
 expected, every mode of faith and every 
 shadow of opinion number their professed 
 followers. Deism has, of course, its share of 
 public as well as its more numerous private 
 disciples. A society of the former held their 
 meetings every Sunday in a ci-devant church 
 which received the new appellation of the 
 Hall of Science. In this metamorphosed 
 temple, lectures on natural philosophy in its 
 various branches usurped the place of religious 
 services ; and even within hearing of the loud 
 hosannas of some neighbouring evangelical 
 
62 AMERICA, 
 
 congregations, the throng of shrewd me 
 chanics, with their families, were intent upon 
 the wonders of the Leyden phial, or the Vol 
 taic pile. One Sunday evening, early after 
 our arrival in New York, we attended the 
 Hall in question, to hear a Miss Frances 
 Wright, an Englishwoman, the proprietress 
 of the building, and a great promoter of the 
 scheme, deliver a lecture on the present state 
 and future prospects of society. The Hall 
 was lighted up, and, although in the month 
 of June, crowded to excess. The thermo 
 meter at the time stood above 80 in the 
 building, so that it required matter of no or 
 dinary interest to reconcile the hearers to sit 
 thus cribbed and confined. 
 
 Miss Wright displayed the immense advan 
 tages of the diffusion of education and useful 
 knowledge among the labouring classes with 
 great force ; and although her projects of re 
 form might appear somewhat Utopian, she 
 had evidently the welfare of her fellow-crea 
 tures at heart. 
 
 Miss Wright s delivery is exceedingly clear, 
 and her manner dignified and imposing. The 
 most novel feature of the evening s arrange 
 ments, however, was the introduction of verses 
 set to lively, nay to Anacreontic airs ; and a 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 63 
 
 choir, accompanied by harp and lute, sung 
 hymns in praise of science to the music of 
 " Away with melancholy," " Auld lang 
 syne," and " Will you come to the bower 
 I ve shaded for you?" 
 
 To say nothing of the bad taste of intro 
 ducing music, and bad music too, at a lecture, 
 the effect was ludicrous in the extreme ; and 
 suppressed laughter was visible in the counte 
 nances of numbers, particularly among the 
 strangers like ourselves. 
 
 As an accessory to this establishment, and 
 situated in one of the great thoroughfares of 
 the city, literally opposed to the principal 
 Bible repository, is a book and print store or 
 shop, where are vended the theological writ 
 ings of Paine, as well as those of Carlile, 
 Taylor, and others of the same class. It is 
 worthy of remark, that although the press is 
 under no censorship or restriction in America, 
 such publications are not more diffused than 
 in England, where more publicity and noto 
 riety have been given to that class of writings 
 by the repeated prosecutions which have taken 
 place from time to time, and which have in 
 variably tended to excite curiosity, and pro 
 mote the circulation of the works they were 
 intended to suppress. 
 
64 AMERICA, 
 
 In connection with the subject of religion, 
 I may allude to those of marriages and funerals. 
 
 The rite of marriage, by the American laws, 
 is a civil, not a religious contract ; and is 
 equally binding, whether performed by a cler 
 gyman or a magistrate. 
 
 Persons about to be united in the bonds, 
 usually employ the minister of the denomi 
 nation or congregation to which they belong, 
 to tie the sacred knot, although many choose 
 the mayor of the city in which they reside. 
 
 In either case, in genteel, or even middle 
 life, the ceremony is performed at the resid 
 ence of the lady, generally in the afternoon or 
 evening, and is followed by a gay party, in 
 which the happy couple are the principal 
 personages. 
 
 The marriage service of the Episcopal 
 Church exhibits judicious curtailment, and 
 the husband is not enjoined to worship his 
 better half, although the latter has to pro 
 nounce the awful word " obey." That little 
 matrimonial badge, the ring, is only used by the 
 Episcopalians, and with them it is generally of 
 an ornamental description, the simple but sig 
 nificant English gold circle being unknown. 
 No licence from surrogate, or even parent or 
 guardian s permission, is required for the lovers 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 65 
 
 to join fortunes ; and the union of young 
 couples whose united ages scarcely exceed 
 thirty, or at most thirty-five years, is an every 
 day occurrence. 
 
 The system of living so generally in board 
 ing-houses may be said to afford additional 
 facilities to these early marriages, as no outlay 
 or establishment of any kind is requisite in the 
 first instance. 
 
 As a sequel to this matrimonial picture, I 
 may add that divorces are easily obtained, if 
 both parties desire it, just as dissolutions of 
 partnership in mercantile matters take place 
 in England. 
 
 By a late sanitary law, interments are now 
 only permitted in the older and more crowded 
 parts of the city of New York, upon payment 
 of a fine of 501. sterling; consequently the 
 new burial grounds, which are neither pic 
 turesque, nor in general neatly kept, are situ 
 ated in the environs, or at least in those parts 
 which at present may be so designated. One 
 of these humiliating receptacles of humanity 
 is wholly devoted to vaults for the wealthier 
 classes, by whom the design was completed. 
 These silent mansions are built in rows, a 
 few feet below the surface of the ground, and 
 are entered by strong stone doors, the ap- 
 
 F 
 
66 AMERICA, 
 
 proaches to which are covered with flags ; and 
 upon these is the grass-green turf. The 
 names of the families and numbers of the 
 vaults appear on white marble slabs fixed in 
 the surrounding wall ; which, however, to 
 gether with the entrance, are quite unworthy 
 of this well-planned patrician cemetery. Coffins 
 are invariably made of mahogany, and are 
 finished in the true French style of polish, 
 but without any tinsel, angels, crowns of 
 glory, or gewgaw ornaments. These useful 
 articles are kept ready made of all dimensions ; 
 and large assortments of them are constantly 
 exposed for sale in coffin-shops, as commonly as 
 any article of furniture at the cabinet-makers . 
 
 The English superstitious custom of bury 
 ing the body with the feet to the east, is not 
 always observed. 
 
 The wearing of mourning is fast growing 
 into disuse ; the Americans arguing, that, in 
 dependent of the folly of such outward de 
 monstrations of grief, it forces unnecessary 
 expense upon many who are perhaps ill 
 qualified to bear it ; " the trappings and the 
 suits of woe" are therefore almost confined to 
 the Episcopalians, who, in this and other par 
 ticulars, show a reluctance to abandon the rules 
 of the old country, England. Palls, scarfs, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 67 
 
 and other funereal badges, are seldom, if ever, 
 seen ; escutcheons or hatchments, never ; all 
 these, from their aristocratic origin, find no 
 favour in the eyes of the people. 
 
 Interments for the most part take place the 
 day after the decease. The announcement to 
 the relatives and friends of the hour of the 
 funeral is given generally, not individually, 
 through the medium of the newspapers, and 
 in the same paragraph which states the death. 
 Black coaches are not used ; but hackney 
 coaches, which in New York are all elegant, 
 and drawn by beautiful horses, are provided 
 by the friends or family of the deceased, if 
 they are in a station of life to afford the ex 
 pense. These remain at the various stands, 
 agreeably to the advertisement ; and as they 
 are filled by persons wishing to attend the 
 obsequies of their departed friend, they are 
 driven to the residence, where they remain in 
 line, sometimes to the number of thirty or 
 forty, and filled with individuals of both sexes, 
 in their ordinary habits, until the arrange 
 ments are complete, and the hearse moves 
 forward. This last vehicle is open, devoid of 
 ornament, shabby, and drawn by one horse, 
 which is not uncommonly a white one, and 
 the driver often attired in coloured jacket and 
 
68 AMERICA, 
 
 trowsers. The pace is usually a quick walk. 
 After the body is deposited in the ground, 
 which ceremony is not always performed with 
 that solemn decorum distinguishable in Eng 
 land, the followers disperse to their re 
 spective houses or places of business. 
 
 Divested as these sad offices are of every 
 thing like sombre state or adventitious solem 
 nity, yet I could not witness the long trains of 
 oftentimes really mourning friends, without 
 admiring the rationality of the system, as op 
 posed to that of my own country ; and reflect 
 ing, that one of these unbought attendants 
 was worth all the processions ever marshalled 
 by the heralds. 
 
 At the head of the establishments for edu 
 cation is Columbia College, founded by the 
 British Government in the reign of George II. ; 
 and, until the period of the loss of the colonies, 
 called King s College. It is a large and hand 
 some stone building, surrounded by noble 
 trees. The number of students is consider 
 able ; and they enjoy the advantages of a good 
 library, as well as an extensive philosophical 
 apparatus. The plan of study being consi 
 dered by many too strictly classical, and the 
 constitution of the college in some points 
 being otherwise objectionable, a new uni- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 69 
 
 versity, upon an extensive scale, is about to be 
 established. 
 
 This latter will be modelled more in accord 
 ance with the spirit of the age, and better 
 adapted to the wants of the people, who are 
 not favourable to the cultivation of classical 
 studies to the exclusion of what is well under 
 stood by the term useful knowledge. The 
 public schools supported by the state, and of 
 which there are many, are numerously attended 
 and well conducted. Infant or preparatory 
 schools abound ; and no pains are spared " to 
 teach the young idea how to shoot ; " indeed, 
 education is considered a matter of such pri 
 mary importance, that no parent neglects to 
 furnish his offspring with at least the rudiments 
 of learning, the means of obtaining which are 
 within the reach of all. No youth of either 
 sex are to be met with, who cannot read and 
 write, except perhaps the children of newly 
 arrived European emigrants. It may be worth 
 remarking, that the Americans, in their aversion 
 to the use of the terms master and mistress, 
 have attacked those antient and honourable 
 compound words school-master and school 
 mistress ; the former being superseded by 
 preceptor, the latter by preceptress, or more 
 F 3 
 
70 AMERICA, 
 
 commonly by the awkward appellation of 
 school-madam. 
 
 It cannot be expected that in so young a 
 country as America, moreover in one so far 
 removed from the great monuments and gal 
 leries of Europe, Aat the study of the fine arts 
 should have been extensively prosecuted ; ne 
 vertheless a growing taste is observable, and 
 annual exhibitions of pictures by native artists 
 are among the most attractive of the public 
 places of resort. In that which w*as open on 
 our arrival in New York, as well as in a sub 
 sequent one, I saw enough to convince me 
 that there was no lack of talent ; nor did I see 
 reason to doubt, that had the young American 
 students in the fine arts European advantages, 
 the fruits of such would soon be apparent in 
 their productions. This opinion is confirmed 
 by the labours of those now resident in Europe, 
 need I mention the names of Leslie, Cole, 
 and Greenough ? and is further strengthened 
 by the efforts of a humbler class of aspirants to 
 the title of artists, I mean the painters of signs, 
 the admirable execution of which, in New York, 
 must attract even the most ignorant. What 
 ever is intended to be represented in these 
 pictorial advertisements, is not only well drawn, 
 but the management of the chiaro scuro is 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 71 
 
 generally excellent ; and in some instances I 
 observed a tone and keeping really surprising, 
 when the disadvantages under which these 
 painters work is taken into consideration. The 
 very superior style of carving, exhibited in the 
 decoration of the heads of American vessels, 
 and which are in general the work of self- 
 taught individuals, likewise corroborates the 
 opinion I have advanced. 
 
 The Academy of the Fine Arts contains a 
 selection of casts from the antique ; but I am 
 grieved to record that they were so mutilated 
 and disfigured as to even render them improper 
 to be exhibited in the presence of females. 
 This remark also applies to some paintings from 
 the frescoes found in Herculaneum, and pre 
 sented to the Academy by Napoleon when First 
 Consul. That wonderful personage made a 
 further splendid donation to the Academy in a 
 copy of Piranesi s works, accompanied with an 
 autograph letter, which, to the credit of those 
 concerned, has been framed, and is hung in 
 the same room where the volumes are de 
 posited. The hand-writing is rather difficult 
 to decipher, yet more legible than some docu 
 ments which I have examined, written by the 
 same illustrious man at a later period of his 
 too short life. 
 
 j? 4 
 
72 AMERICA, 
 
 A full-length portrait of West, by Lawrence, 
 and an excellent French bronze bust of Vol 
 taire, likewise grace the apartments. 
 
 The Lyceum of Natural History, which 
 numbers among its members a Mitchell, Ho- 
 sack, and Dekay ; and the studio of that ve 
 nerable patriot and artist, Colonel Trumbull ; 
 are also under the same roof with the Academy 
 of the Fine Arts. 
 
 Colonel Trumbull was a soldier of the re 
 volution, and enjoyed the distinguished honour 
 of being private secretary of Washington, with 
 which immortal man and the present gene 
 ration he is one of the few remaining links. 
 
 The principal Museum of New York is 
 private property ; but open to the public by 
 payment at the doors. 
 
 In one of our visits to this interesting dis 
 play of the wonders of nature, we were 
 accompanied in the survey by those wonders 
 themselves, the Siamese twins. 
 
 These youths had made their tour of Eng 
 land, as well as of the United States, and were 
 about to return to their native country. 
 
 They had acquired considerable fluency in 
 the English language, and appeared in good 
 health and spirits. 
 
 The New York City Library was founded 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. ^3 
 
 under the British authorities, nearly a century 
 ago ; but the books having been purloined 
 and dispersed at the commencement of the 
 civil troubles, it was replenished after the 
 establishment of the new government, and 
 now contains above 20,000 volumes of well- 
 selected works. 
 
 I observed over the fire-place a copy of a 
 charter from that bigoted tyrant James II., to 
 whom the country was granted, and in honour 
 of whom it received its present name. 
 
 Among the various other libraries which the 
 city contains, none are perhaps more useful 
 than those devoted to clerks and mechanics. 
 
 The low price of books also tends mate 
 rially to facilitate the diffusion of knowledge. 
 No impolitic duties on paper, or other ob 
 structions, exist. 
 
 In addition to the literature of America 
 itself, all works of utility or general interest 
 published in England are reprinted in a 
 cheaper manner ; in general, at about one 
 fourth of the English prices. 
 
 In many instances, I found the difference to 
 be still greater : for example, Scott s Life of 
 Napoleon, a work which has not elevated that 
 distinguished writer s fame, in 2 vols. 8vo, 
 may be had, bound, for eight shillings ; 
 
 CTNIVERSITY 
 
74 AMERICA, 
 
 Moore s Life of Byron, in 2 vols. 8vo, fifteen 
 shillings ; Bibles, in quarto, printed so that 
 those who run may read, five shillings, and 
 not unfrequ entry for a less sum at the nu 
 merous book auctions which nightly invite 
 the passenger. 
 
 At these crowded rendezvous of literary 
 mechanics, I was pleased to notice that the 
 purchasers of cheap books, as well as maps 
 and stationery, were sometimes boys, who, as 
 soon as they had made their little calculations, 
 commenced selling and bartering with a judg 
 ment and keenness quite inconceivable to the 
 natives of other countries, and strongly illus 
 trative of the national character and state of 
 society. 
 
 Immense quantities of Bibles are disposed 
 of at these sales ; for the printing of the sacred 
 volume not being a monopoly, as in England, 
 competition is excited, as in any other article; 
 and the result is its greater diffusion, at a less 
 cost. 
 
 The version is that of the reign of James I. ; 
 but the dedication to that prince is omitted. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 75 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 THE institution called the Athenaeum contains 
 a library and a collection of medals, and is also 
 supplied with foreign and domestic newspapers 
 and periodicals. 
 
 The Exchange has also its news-room, 
 which is furnished with papers from every part 
 of the Union, together with those of the Ca- 
 nadas, and an irregular supply from Great 
 Britain. The circumstance of those from the 
 latter country not being received in regular 
 files, is a serious disappointment to the English 
 stranger. 
 
 The Journals are fastened to high sloping 
 desks, to which the reader is obliged to stand. 
 This system, which is general in America, 
 is extremely convenient for the hasty perusal 
 of particular papers, which may always be 
 found in the same place ; but is very fatiguing 
 to the reader of debates, or politician, who 
 would not lose a single phrase of his favourite 
 speakers. In this, and many other particulars, 
 the Americans do not seem to study what the 
 Englishman terms comfort. 
 
76 AMERICA, 
 
 Nothing in America is perhaps more 
 striking, than the rapid and general diffusion 
 of information through the community by 
 means of newspapers, the daily circulation of 
 which is immense, and very far exceeding that 
 of Great Britain. 
 
 A daily paper only costs about two guineas 
 per annum. I saw them every where, from 
 the counting rooms, as the merchants offices 
 are called, to the smallest stalls of the sons of 
 Crispin ; and often observed the carters read 
 ing their papers whilst waiting for a job, either 
 in the streets, or in small news-rooms pur 
 posely opened for that class opposite their 
 usual stands. 
 
 Advertising is proportionably cheap, as 
 there is no duty on either materials, publica 
 tion, or contents ; and the facilities given to 
 trade by this liberal policy are very great. 
 
 The newspapers of the great cities are issued 
 twice a day ; namely, at six o clock in the 
 morning, and three or four in the afternoon. 
 
 The delivery is accomplished with great 
 rapidity, by numbers of active messengers. 
 
 At private houses, the papers are either 
 thrust under the doors, or thrown into the 
 areas, or even left upon the step, should the 
 newsman s knock not be immediately attended 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. ?7 
 
 to ; and during the absence of a servant, or of 
 the family, they sometimes remain untouched 
 for hours, even in a crowded street or tho 
 roughfare. None are so poor as not to have 
 their own newspaper. 
 
 The diurnal press is, generally speaking, 
 respectably conducted, and the leading articles 
 well written. European news is copiously re 
 ported, and is as eagerly read ; but no namby- 
 pamby trash of fashionable movements, routes, (^ 
 and dinners, finds its way into the columns of 
 American papers, such absurdities being justly 
 held up to ridicule. 
 
 In treating of political subjects, allowances 
 must unquestionably be made for writers un 
 der the influence of party or strong national 
 feelings ; but no excuse can be offered for the 
 illiberal abuse and wilful misrepresentations in 
 which some of the editors, when speaking of 
 the parent country, delight to indulge. 
 
 I remarked an instance of national egotism 
 in one of these journals, so egregious that 
 I cannot resist giving it a place in these 
 pages, although its insertion may cause a 
 smile at the expense of the author. In 
 allusion to the English Tory press, fool 
 ishly asserting that the newspapers of .America 
 were devoid of interest, the sapient writer, in 
 
78 AMERICA, 
 
 his desire of revenge, launched into an hyper 
 bolical flourish, from which I have extracted 
 the following tnorgeau : 
 
 " We thank Heaven that our papers are 
 barren of interest to the recorders of midnight 
 assassinations, of accidents by flood and field, 
 of the tale of strife and blood, and of titled 
 profligacy. We reprint ; they (the English) 
 originate." 
 
 Mark how plain a tale shall put him down ! 
 Within a few months from the date of the 
 publication in question, the same paper, among 
 its domestic intelligence and the every-day 
 reports of the courts of justice, had to an 
 nounce the horrid midnight murder of a 
 gentleman of fourscore years and upwards, by 
 a set of young men of highly respectable con 
 nections ; the blowing up, with considerable 
 loss of life, of several steam vessels ; the rob 
 bery of a bank of an immense amount ; the 
 robbery of a mail, under such aggravated cir 
 cumstances that one of the culprits suffered 
 death ; the execution of several pirates, who 
 not only plundered the vessel, but murdered 
 the captain and mate ; and, lastly, the appre 
 hension of a barrister, of highly respectable 
 and genteel family, for purloining wearing ap 
 parel from the house in which he boarded. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 79 
 
 How far these crimes coincide with the 
 classification of the New York editor, the 
 reader will judge. 
 
 The drama in the United States, like the 
 press, is not subjected to any censorship, save 
 that of public opinion ; and managers are at 
 full liberty to produce, as Polonius says, 
 " Tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral 
 comical, historical pastoral, scene individable, 
 or poem unlimited," without let or hindrance, 
 when they please. 
 
 The consequence of this free trade in thea 
 tricals is, that in no country is the drama more 
 liberally patronised. 
 
 The two principal theatres of New York 
 are of large dimensions, and are elegantly de 
 corated and fitted up. They have each four 
 tiers of boxes, the fronts of the bases of which 
 were hung with silk drapery in festoons, which 
 had a good effect. 
 
 The scenery, machinery, dresses, and, tech 
 nically speaking, the properties, appear equal, 
 in style and execution, to what are exhibited 
 in the patent establishments of London. The 
 curtain of one of these temples of Thespis was 
 of the richest crimson silk damask, ornamented 
 with gold fringe and tassels ; and, in lieu of 
 
80 AMERICA, 
 
 being drawn up, it was gracefully gathered to 
 the sides of the proscenium. 
 
 The members of the corps dramatique, with 
 a few exceptions, are English ; and are as 
 effective as any provincial companies in Great 
 Britain. 
 
 Coffee and refreshments are served in the 
 saloons at moderate prices ; and in the winter 
 season, these apartments, as well as the lobbies, 
 are all kept agreeably warm by large stoves. 
 As a precaution in case of an accidental rush 
 to the doors from an alarm of fire, they are all 
 made to open outwards, so that a pressure 
 from within would not produce serious corfse- 
 quences, as such must inevitably do in the 
 English theatres or crowded places of public 
 resort. 
 
 For a similar reason the orchestras are not 
 surrounded with spikes. The audience in the 
 lower circle do not all appear in dress, which 
 detracts somewhat from the elegant appear 
 ance of the houses ; and neither females, nor 
 even men of genteel appearance, frequent the 
 pit, as in Europe. 
 
 The performances are, generally speaking, 
 the stock or new pieces of the London stage ; 
 which last are sometimes altered, the better 
 to suit the political atmosphere of America. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 81 
 
 Nothing complimentary to John Bull (and it 
 is but too true that the English pieces abound 
 in such- egotisms) would be tolerated for an 
 instant, but the flattery reversed is of course 
 highly relished. The country people of the 
 state of Massachussets, or Yankees, as all the 
 natives of that district of the Union are called, 
 are introduced on the New York stage as the 
 rustic Yorkshireman is on the London boards, 
 and with as much effect : his dialect and modes 
 of expression are his own, and his keenness in 
 all his dealings is proverbial. To outwit a 
 Yankee is considered no easy matter ; and 
 such a triumph in the dramatic plot is sure to 
 be duly appreciated by the audience. 
 
 The price of admission to the boxes of the 
 principal theatre is one dollar, or four shillings 
 and sixpence sterling. 
 
 French plays are performed for a short 
 period in the summer by the company from 
 New Orleans, who make an extensive thea 
 trical tour during the unhealthy months at 
 that city. 
 
 One of the most spacious as well as orna 
 mental edifices of New York is the Free 
 masons Hall ; erected, as may be supposed, 
 for the accommodation of that ancient frater 
 nity, the Free and Accepted Masons, but occa- 
 
 G 
 
82 AMERICA, 
 
 sionally diverted from its legitimate object. 
 Among other uses, it is now annually opened 
 for the exhibition, or fair, as it is termed, of 
 the American Institute of New York. The 
 society under that title is formed for the ex 
 press object, as the address of its committee 
 declares, " To promote improvements in the 
 mechanic arts ; to encourage American indus 
 try in agriculture, manufactures, and com 
 merce ; and to sustain such a system of policy 
 as will protect the great national interests of 
 our country." 
 
 As a member of a great commercial com 
 munity, I felt considerable interest on the 
 subject of the rising manufactures of America, 
 and was well pleased to have an opportunity 
 of visiting one of the fairs in question, which 
 was held during the autumn of 1829. 
 
 The spacious hall was fitted up in the style 
 of those modern attractive scenes, charitable 
 bazars ; and specimens of goods of every de 
 scription produced in the United States were 
 exhibited for inspection and sale. To con 
 tribute to the effect, looms were seen in active 
 operation, and the national flag patriotically 
 displayed, with allegorical designs ; the whole 
 studiously got up in order to produce an im 
 pression, particularly on the opponents of the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 83 
 
 American protective system, who are pretty 
 numerous in this metropolis of the importers. 
 To enumerate the multifarious articles of the 
 catalogue is unnecessary, as they comprised, 
 with the exception of china and earthen 
 ware, specimens of almost every thing useful 
 as well as many ornamental. 
 
 The staple articles, and those which were 
 most attractive on account of their importance, 
 were the woollen broad and narrow cloths 
 and flannels, calicoes, plain and printed, 
 carpeting, hats, cut and beautifully moulded 
 glass, saddlery, ironmongery, and the more 
 common description of general hardware, 
 furniture, piano-fortes, small cabinet work, 
 pocket-books, and paper ; among the coarse 
 qualities of which I was shown some made 
 from straw, also some from the stalks or tops 
 of the potato. The whole of the goods in 
 the various branches mentioned were highly 
 creditable to the different establishments in 
 which they were produced, being mostly equal 
 in point of execution to the same descriptions, 
 and as cheap as the same qualities of goods 
 imported under the high duties from the 
 manufactories of England. The most novel 
 article was the pressed glass ; which was far 
 superior, both in design and execution, to any 
 G 2 
 
84 AMERICA, 
 
 thing of the kind I had ever seen either in 
 London or elsewhere. The merit of this in 
 vention is due to the Americans ; and it is 
 likely to prove one of great national import 
 ance. 
 
 I observed, in my inspection of the hard 
 ware, that the locks and keys, as well as hinges, 
 were manufactured of brass, a material of 
 which the Americans make great use ; but in 
 small cabinet work, where the locks were like 
 wise small, the keys were of steel of English 
 manufacture. This application of foreign to 
 domestic or home manufacture was visible in 
 a variety of instances, when the object intro 
 duced could be imported cheaper than it could 
 be made in America. 
 
 The specimens of joiners tools exhibited 
 several variations from the forms of those used 
 in England. The claw ends of hammers had 
 a greater curve, so as to afford more lever 
 power to the handle ; the augers were wormed 
 like cork-screws ; and the saws were all of the 
 kind sometimes used by cabinet-makers, the 
 blade being narrow, and kept straight by 
 upright ends of wood, braced at the upper 
 ends by twisted cords. 
 
 Among the numerous specimens of fancy 
 goods, I recognised some to be the produc- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 85 
 
 tion of English workmen ; great numbers of 
 whom are now employed in every branch of 
 manufactures in the States. We did not 
 see any specimens of jewellery, although the 
 Americans excel in this article. The hall dur 
 ing the few days of exhibition was crowded 
 to excess ; and an address in favour of the 
 American protective system, and lavish in 
 abuse of the Huskissonian theories, was dis 
 tributed gratis to the visitors. The feeling 
 created by these patriotic exhibitions may be 
 best understood by the communication of the 
 fact, that I repeatedly overheard such expres 
 sions as, " We are already equal to the English 
 in our manufactures ; " " Our domestic 
 goods are much better than any imported ; " 
 " In a little time we shall have no occasion 
 to import any thing from England." 
 
 I heard one gentleman, who was evidently 
 a stranger, attacked in no very measured 
 terms, for presuming to doubt the genuine 
 ness of a sample of Carolina indigo ; and an 
 ultra-tariff man roared out, with stentorian 
 voice, as he quitted the room, " Now, thank 
 God, we are physically as well as politically 
 independent." 
 
 I must not forget to mention, that some 
 careful housewife, imbued with the same feel 
 er 3 
 
86 AMERICA, 
 
 ings of amor patriae and preference to domestic 
 manufactures, had sent a patchwork quilt or 
 spread, as the Americans call such useful 
 articles, which was conspicuously displayed. 
 
 The public markets for the sale of provi 
 sions are conveniently situated, but are not 
 distinguished either for extent or architectural 
 beauty. They are named after the great men 
 of the country, as Washington, Fulton, &c. 
 Although the Englishman in his strolls through 
 these busy places of resort does not find the 
 prime fed beef of Smithfield, the mutton of 
 Leicestershire, or even the hare, pheasant, or 
 partridge, yet the abundance of good things, 
 and their comparative cheapness, satisfy him 
 that he is in the land of plenty. 
 
 I found the prices of eatables about half as 
 much as those of the markets in the large 
 towns of England. Some things, however, 
 which with us would be accounted luxuries, 
 are, from the nature of the climate and country, 
 among the cheapest in the markets of America. 
 Venison, at four-pence a pound, forms a striking 
 contrast to the price of such meat in the shops 
 of London ; as does a fat turkey, which will 
 not always command the sum of four shillings. 
 The descriptions of fish vary considerably from 
 those of the British seas. The turbot, sole, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 8J 
 
 and bret, are unknown ; and although salmon 
 is occasionally to be found, it is sold at a high 
 price, being brought from Nova Scotia. Shad, 
 mackerel, and several other kinds, peculiar to 
 the American waters, abound in their respec 
 tive seasons. The smaller fishes are brought 
 to the market alive ; and are kept in that state 
 in tubs of sea water until wanted, as is the 
 custom in some parts of Europe. The places 
 of the muscle and cockle are supplied by 
 several other shell-fish, of which great quan 
 tities are consumed. The crabs and shrimps 
 are small, and not plentiful ; but compensation 
 is made by the abundance and excellence of 
 the lobsters and oysters, both of which are 
 often very large ; the former, including the 
 claws, sometimes measuring three feet in 
 length, and the circumference of the shell of 
 the latter as much as eighteen inches. Smaller 
 lobsters are, however, preferred. The oysters 
 are all well fed, and of the finest flavour. 
 Both are extremely cheap ; particularly the 
 former, which are generally sold at two-pence 
 to three-pence a pound. 
 
 Oyster cellars abound ; and immense quan 
 tities of these luxuries are likewise vended 
 from small waggons in the streets; at which 
 locomotive shops, the pedestrian may be sup- 
 
 ^ 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
88 AMERICA, 
 
 plied with biscuits, pepper, and ginger beer ; 
 in short, for a few pence, the carter or me 
 chanic has a whet which might satisfy even a 
 gourmand. 
 
 The house where midshipman Prince Wil 
 liam, now the reigning monarch, William IV., 
 was wont to carouse, was standing in 1830, 
 but has since been pulled down. It was for 
 many years a celebrated oyster house, and 
 much frequented by the British officers. 
 
 Among the great varieties of wild and cul 
 tivated fruits which the long summers of the 
 surrounding country ripen, the peach and the 
 apple are the most plentiful. They are pro 
 duced in the greatest abundance, and are sold 
 at prices which astonish the English emigrant. 
 The peaches are grown on standard trees, and, 
 although excellent, are neither superior in size 
 or flavour to those on the tables of France or 
 England, but the apples are, generally speak 
 ing, finer. Great quantities of both are dried 
 for winter use. Grapes are small and scarce, 
 but melons of many kinds abound, as do rasp 
 berries, strawberries, cranberries, whortleber 
 ries, and blackberries, all of which grow wild. 
 The introduction of the latter fruit in desserts 
 forcibly reminds the Englishman of his boyish 
 days. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 8Q 
 
 Pine apples are brought in bulk in small 
 vessels from New Providence, and other parts 
 of the Bahamas, and are sold at the low rate 
 of sixpence to a shilling each. Two of the 
 favourite vegetables for the table are the Caro 
 lina or sweet potato, and maize or Indian corn. 
 The latter is used when green and boiled: 
 it is exceedingly palatable, although most 
 awkward to be eaten, unless the seeds are pre 
 viously removed from what is termed the cob. 
 It is thus mixed with kidney, or what the 
 Americans call string beans ; and so served, is 
 called succutash, and is much esteemed. The 
 word corn invariably means maize, unless 
 with a qualification, as bread-corn, which sig 
 nifies wheat. The common potato is called 
 the Irish potato. The beet-root is much 
 eaten, as is cabbage, in a variety of forms, 
 introduced, no doubt, by the early Dutch set 
 tlers. The common English bean is unknown ; 
 but a large species, and of good flavour, lately 
 imported from Peru, called the Lima bean, is 
 already much in vogue. Cauliflowers are 
 comparatively dear ; but asparagus, of the 
 finest quality, is abundant and cheap. The 
 markets of New York present few attrac 
 tions for the florist : every article on sale 
 therein being actually for use ; but establish- 
 
90 AMERICA, 
 
 ments for the supply of the requisites for 
 ornamental gardening exist. 
 
 The most interesting of such is the conser 
 vatory and seed store of a Mr. Thurburn, a 
 native of Scotland, who emigrated to America 
 many years ago, and who, I was told, had no 
 reason to repent of his speculation. 
 
 On a space of ground of very trifling extent, 
 and situated in a narrow street, Mr. Thur 
 burn has concentrated a choice selection of 
 the plants of various countries and latitudes ; 
 and so fine is the climate, and so free from 
 smoke the city, that the parterre exhibits all 
 the floral beauties in succession, in as healthy 
 a state as they would appear in the most 
 rural site in England. Behind the conser 
 vatory is an extensive seed store, not more 
 distinguished for the great variety in the stock 
 than for the admirable classification and ar 
 rangement. Rakes, hoes, and other gardeners 
 implements on sale, are tastefully displayed on 
 the walls in the style of agricultural emblems ; 
 and in a gallery there is an aviary, containing 
 hundreds of canary birds, whose little throats 
 make the welkin ring with their volume of 
 song. 
 
 Considering the wise precautions under the 
 sanitory laws as respects interments, to which 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 91 
 
 I have already alluded, I was much surprised 
 to find that nothing had been done to remove 
 the nuisance of slaughter-houses, which are 
 scattered over many populous districts of the 
 city, impregnating the surrounding atmo 
 sphere during the long hot summers with 
 the most noxious effluvia. In addition to 
 the annoyance which the organs of smelling 
 receive, the feelings of the passenger occasion 
 ally suffer in beholding the necessary but dis 
 gusting work of blood, which is carried on in 
 buildings exposed to the public thoroughfares. 
 Having sometimes passed through these dis 
 tricts, I had opportunities of witnessing the 
 American mode of killing cattle ; which, as it 
 appeared so much quicker, and humane, than 
 the ancient method still preserved in Eng 
 land, revolting as the topic is, I may never 
 theless be allowed to describe. 
 
 The animal intended to be slaughtered is 
 placed under a strong beam, from which de 
 scends a rope, connected with a powerful 
 hoisting apparatus at a little distance. A noose 
 being fastened to one of the hinder legs, and 
 the hook of the rope attached, the animal is 
 suddenly raised or suspended, with the head 
 downwards. The arteries of the neck are im 
 mediately severed ; and the blood flowing 
 
92 AMERICA, 
 
 copiously, life is soon extinct. A civil and 
 intelligent operative butcher, to whom I 
 had addressed some questions, remarked, in 
 regard to the English system of knocking down 
 the oxen by repeated blows with hatchets, 
 6 ( that it was a cruel method ; and in fact, a 
 double murder of the harmless beast, and 
 after all not convenient." To hear a man of 
 his profession argue on the score of humanity 
 to the brute creation was not less pleasing 
 than novel. 
 
 The only public establishments which remain 
 to be noticed are the General Hospital and 
 the Arsenals. The former is a spacious edifice, 
 situated near the centre of the city ; but being 
 upon high ground, and having a large area in 
 front, it possesses the advantages of good air 
 and quiet, two things not generally found in 
 bustling cities. Several of the medical officers 
 attached to this institution stand deservedly 
 high in their respective branches of the heal 
 ing art, as well as on subjects of general 
 science and literature ; and although the title 
 of Doctor stares the passenger in the face on 
 the door of every petty retailer of salts and 
 rhubarb in New York, the legitimate mem 
 bers of the profession have all passed the 
 ordeal of rigid examinations previous to their 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 93 
 
 adoption of that honourable appendage to 
 their names. 
 
 The Military Arsenal occupies part of a large 
 space, which in the olden time was generally 
 covered with water, and in winter afforded 
 the youth of the city a glassy surface for the 
 amusement of skating. It is recorded, among 
 the events connected with this spot, that his 
 present Majesty, King William, was one of 
 the number who thus enjoyed themselves, 
 when, as a middle, on the New York station, 
 he had leave of absence from his ship. 
 
 It is worthy of remark, that this great depot 
 of cannon and arms is entirely unprotected 
 by either fortifications or guards ; a striking 
 contrast to the state of such establishments in 
 the cities of monarchical Europe. 
 
 The Naval Arsenal, or Navy Yard, as it 
 is styled, is situated on the margin of the 
 East river, adjoining the rising and cheerful 
 town of Brooklyn, and opposite the upper 
 part of the city of New York. In these 
 piping times of peace it presents an almost 
 deserted appearance, the government keeping 
 the establishment on as low a scale as pos 
 sible. 
 
 I saw in the wooden building houses two 
 noble sixty-gun ships, or frigates of the first 
 
94 AMERICA, 
 
 class, on the stocks, and finished, and at the 
 moorings the ship Ohio of 120 guns, also the 
 Washington and Franklin, each of 90 guns, 
 which, from the want of protection from the 
 weather, were hastening to decay. 
 
 The ships on the stocks had what are 
 termed flush decks, the Americans having 
 abandoned the old system of building, both 
 in their vessels of war and those of the mer 
 chant service. 
 
 The frigate United States had been con 
 verted into a receiving ship, in lieu of the 
 celebrated steam battery called the Fulton, 
 which was accidentally blown up a few days 
 previous to our arrival. The guns on board 
 all bore the royal initials and crown, having 
 been taken out of the British frigate Mace 
 donian. 
 
 A sloop of war was the only vessel in com 
 mission for service at the period of my first 
 visit. 
 
 The few sailors and marines whom I saw 
 bore an appearance so British, that had it not 
 been for the difference in the uniform of the 
 latter, I could easily have supposed myself 
 among the brave defenders of old England s 
 wooden walls. 
 
 The ship-building yards for the merchant 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 9<5 
 
 service are situated on the city side of the 
 river. 
 
 Great activity generally prevails in them, 
 and the workmen receive very high wages. 
 These last are counterbalanced to the ship 
 owner or merchant by the cheapness of tim 
 ber ; and as iron, copper, and canvass, are 
 likewise afforded at a lower rate in England 
 than in America, the vessels trading thither 
 are usually coppered on their first arrival out, 
 and are also supplied with chain cables and 
 the heavier sails. 
 
 Vessels of war are sometimes built in these 
 yards for the Russian and other governments. 
 
 As the rise of the tide is slight, there are 
 not any docks, so that vessels in want of repair 
 are drawn up inclined planes by powerful 
 machinery. 
 
 Before I conclude my sketch of New York, 
 I must not omit to mention its fire police, the 
 efficient organisation of which is the admir 
 ation of every foreigner. 
 
 This excellence, which is common to all 
 parts of the Union, arises, no doubt, from the 
 frequencies of fires, a calamity unavoidable in 
 cities abounding in wooden tenements, and 
 where timber, or what are denominated 
 shingle roofs, are yet so common. 
 
96 AMERICA, 
 
 By the laws of the state, every citizen must 
 either be enrolled in the militia, and serve if 
 called upon, or he must act as a fireman,, for a 
 certain number of years, which exempts him 
 from the duties of either office for the re 
 mainder of his life. 
 
 Strange to say, the arduous and dangerous 
 one of a fireman is held in the highest 
 repute, and at all hours and seasons the 
 utmost alacrity is shown in hastening to the 
 scene of conflagration. The fire-engines are 
 numerous, of the best construction, and 
 finished in a very superior style of workman 
 ship, being not only powerful, but handsomely 
 painted with devices, and highly ornamented 
 with brass, which is kept bright and clean. 
 They have a certain quantity of hose wound 
 round a cylinder or axle fixed for the purpose, 
 and, together with the pipes, hatchets, and 
 drag-ropes, are always kept in the engine 
 houses ready for instant use. 
 
 To obviate any confusion or delay in the 
 night, torches and strong lanterns fixed on 
 poles, are also kept with them ready to be 
 lighted. 
 
 The engines are numbered, and the fire 
 men, who have appropriate dresses, form cor 
 responding companies. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 97 
 
 Very broad ladders, of various lengths, 
 placed on light wheels, are also in readiness 
 for use at the different stations. The alarm 
 of fire is given by calling the word " fire" 
 aloud, which is instantly repeated by hun 
 dreds in the streets ; and by ringing the bell 
 of the nearest church, the key of the belfry 
 being either kept adjoining, or in the imme 
 diate neighbourhood. 
 
 If the flame is visible at a distance, the 
 signal of alarm is likewise given by a watch 
 man, who, agreeably to the old Dutch custom, 
 is stationed in the cupola of the City Hall, and 
 who holds out a lantern in the direction of 
 the danger. 
 
 The summer and autumn of the year 1829 
 were distinguished by numerous fires of 
 great magnitude ; some of them, upon good 
 grounds, supposed to be the work of incen 
 diaries. 
 
 The repetition of the calamity afforded 
 me repeated opportunities of witnessing the 
 promptitude alluded to. None but those who 
 have witnessed a fire in America can form an 
 idea of the rapidity with which all the extin 
 guishing apparatus, as well as safety ladders, 
 are brought to the spot, and how quickly the 
 firemen assemble. No sooner is the alarm 
 H 
 
98 AMERICA, 
 
 sounded, than the engine-house doors are 
 thrown open, and the engines dragged by the 
 populace at full speed workmen, trades 
 men, boys, of which there is never any lack, 
 all exerting their utmost efforts to bring up 
 the particular number; the spirit of emulation 
 among the various companies being carried 
 to an exceedingly high pitch. Water is ob 
 tained either from the pumps, which are 
 placed at regular intervals in the streets, or 
 from the rivers, if the conflagration is in their 
 vicinity. A chain of engines is often formed 
 to carry the water to a greater distance. The 
 orders are all given by the officers of the 
 companies, through the medium of speaking 
 trumpets ; and engines, called by their re 
 spective numbers, are moved in front or rear 
 with the swiftness of flying artillery ; ladders 
 are placed, and, should the danger be immi 
 nent, houses are unroofed, or the parts com 
 municating with the burning mass are pulled 
 down, with astonishing alacrity, and with such 
 a total disregard to their own personal safety, 
 by those employed in the operation, as to be 
 quite appalling. 
 
 As a proof of the enthusiasm with which 
 the firemen act, the direction of the water- 
 pipe or tube is claimed by the man who 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 99 
 
 arrives first, to gain which post of honour no 
 exertion is too great; and as regards the dis 
 cipline of the establishment, I never witnessed 
 any neglect or disobedience of commands, or, 
 indeed, any confusion but such as arose from 
 the nature of the catastrophe. 
 
 Order on these occasions is maintained by 
 the civil power, which is very effective. 
 
 The watchmen, who are a fine body of 
 men, wear firemen s hats when on duty, and 
 carry thick cudgels. They do not annoy the 
 citizens with calling the hour or the particular 
 state of the weather, a custom which, in 
 the old country, would be more honoured in 
 the breach than in the observance. 
 
 H 
 
100 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 AT the latter end of the autumn or fall or 
 1829, I gladly devoted a few weeks of leisure 
 
 to a visit to the sublime wonders of Niagara, 
 
 
 
 which, since the introduction of steam vessels 
 and the cutting of canals, are no longer the 
 exclusive property of the wealthy traveller. 
 Previously to entering upon the particulars of 
 this most interesting tour, I must say some 
 thing in regard to those floating mansions 
 which navigate the great rivers of America, 
 and which, viewed either as respects their 
 scale or elegance, have no parallel in Europe. 
 The steamers, for the term boat seems 
 improperly applied to vessels of so large a de 
 scription, are from 150 to nearly 200 feet in 
 length, of proportionate width, and have often 
 three decks. They are generally propelled 
 by two engines, which, with the boilers and 
 the stock of wood for fuel, are placed on each 
 side of the middle deck, and enclosed in pa 
 nelled chambers, so as to be almost wholly 
 screened from view. The machinery is all 
 of the most approved construction, and ex- 
 
.- 
 AND THE AMERICANS. 101 
 
 tremely powerful. The wheel, or apparatus 
 for steering, is fixed in an elevated chamber 
 or round house, with windows, on the upper 
 deck, and as near the bow of the vessel as 
 convenient. From this elevation the pilot or 
 helmsman has a full view of every object 
 ahead of or before the vessel. The communi 
 cation between the wheel and rudder is made 
 by concealed ropes running under the decks ; 
 and the captain s or pilot s orders respecting 
 the movements are communicated by means 
 of a bell, fixed in the engine-room, the num 
 ber of strokes designating the nature of the 
 command. In lieu of a bowsprit, a long pole 
 projects from the stem, upon the end of which 
 is a cone something like a school-boy s dunce s 
 cap, but which is dignified with the title of 
 the Cap of Liberty. Although the interior 
 arrangements vary in different vessels, the 
 main cabin often occupies the whole of the 
 lowest deck, and is lined with a double tier of 
 sleeping berths, to the number of a hundred, 
 or more, sometimes enclosed by latticed doors, 
 but oftener hung with rich damask furniture, 
 the rods supporting which can be drawn out, 
 so as to form so many screens. 
 
 Two long sets of mahogany sliding tables, 
 with cane-seated benches and chairs, a Brus- 
 H 3 
 
- 
 AMERICA, 
 
 sels carpet, with a score of japanned spitting 
 boxes, and a neatly furnished bar at the bow- 
 end of the vessel, with handsome mirrors, and 
 Argand lamps, complete the arrangements of 
 this dormitory and refectory. The viands for 
 the different meals are lowered by a mechan 
 ical contrivance from the kitchen, which is 
 situated in the proximity of the great fur 
 naces and boilers. 
 
 The cabin appropriated to the ladies com 
 municates with the other by means of a private 
 staircase, and occupies what in a ship would 
 be termed the quarter-deck. This apartment 
 is even more elegantly furnished than that of 
 the gentlemen, besides having a supply of 
 handsome rocking chairs, of which the Ame 
 rican females are passionately fond. 
 
 Upon the same level are a number of small 
 chambers devoted to various purposes, as the 
 captain s office, pilot s room, steward s room, 
 washing room, provided with every requisite ; 
 and lastly, a barber s shop, where Mungo is 
 ready to officiate on all comers at all hours. 
 
 In lieu of masts there are light, neat poles 
 and flag-staffs, from which the stars and stripes 
 of young America float gracefully on the 
 breeze. 
 
 The number of passengers depends much 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 103 
 
 upon the season ; but it is no uncommon oc 
 currence for these leviathans to convey as 
 many as six or seven hundred each trip. The 
 average speed is about twelve miles an hour, 
 although fifteen is often accomplished. Very 
 little detention is experienced at the various 
 towns on the route ; passengers being landed 
 or received on board by a boat attached to the 
 steamer by a strong rope, which being run out 
 until the operations at the wharf are completed, 
 is drawn in by the engine, the steamer all the 
 while having moved forward with the motion 
 it had acquired previous to stopping the ma- 
 chinry . 
 
 A bell is rung on approaching a landing 
 place, and if there are any passengers desirous 
 of proceeding by the steamer, a flag is hoisted 
 on shore. 
 
 In one of these splendid locomotive palaces 
 we embarked on a fine autumnal morning for 
 Albany on the river Hudson, a distance of one 
 hundred and forty-five miles. 
 
 The bustle incident to departure, the arrival 
 of hackney coaches and porters with all the 
 kindred of trunks and portmanteaus, was suc 
 ceeded by the embraces, the shaking of hands, 
 and those poetic sensibilities of parting, which 
 may be imagined in a crowd of passengers, 
 H 4 
 
104 AMERICA, 
 
 many of whom were about to travel, or perhaps 
 locate, as far in the great regions of the west 
 as is the distance from London to Constan 
 tinople. 
 
 The signal bell loudly rang its final warning, 
 the hissing of the steam ceased, and the vessel, 
 on being released from its fastenings, majes 
 tically ploughed its way. 
 
 Soon after leaving the wharf, a man with a 
 bell, after the manner of an English town crier, 
 summoned all the gentlemen to pay their pass 
 age money at the captain s office ; which being 
 done, we received the numbers of our respect 
 ive beds. 
 
 Rapidly leaving the environs of New York, 
 and the fine wooded parts of the island, as well 
 as the interesting promontories of New Jersey, 
 we soon reached the bold shore of the Hudson, 
 called the Palisadoes. This natural wall, or 
 range of rocky precipices, which vary from 
 three to four hundred feet in height, extends 
 for many miles, and is covered with woods. 
 The sloping base in some places affords room 
 for a few fishermen s cabins, which seem mo 
 mentarily in danger of being overwhelmed by 
 the masses of rock separated by the frost. 
 
 At this stage of our voyage we were invited 
 to a breakfast, which seemed to combine all 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 105 
 
 the substantial of a dinner, with the liquids 
 and lighter matters of the former meal. In 
 fact, the long tables exhibited a succession of 
 dishes of well cooked victuals, from the English 
 beef-steak to the fricassee of Monsieur, as well 
 as several favourite items peculiar to the Ame 
 rican bill of fare, among which may be enu 
 merated buckwheat cakes and baptized toast. 
 The former of these luxuries are eaten hot from 
 the bakestone, a slice of butter being first put 
 between each cake, forming a species of Vol 
 taic pile. The baptized toast, which I at first 
 mistook for spoiled toast, is the ordinary old- 
 fashioned English buttered toast saturated 
 with milk. 
 
 A regiment of waiters found that full de 
 mand upon their services, which might be 
 expected from persons who had been inhaling 
 the fresh air of the morning, and whose appe 
 tites were the better whetted for the encounter. 
 
 About twenty- live miles from New York we 
 passed the scenes of Major Andre s arrest and 
 execution ; which events, it will be recollected, 
 took place during the revolutionary struggle. 
 The melancholy fate of this accomplished 
 but unfortunate gentleman, with the circum 
 stances which led to it, as well as the sub 
 sequent promotion of the traitor Arnold, are 
 
106 AMERICA, 
 
 related with conciseness and fidelity by the 
 author of the " History of the American Re 
 volution," in one of the publications of the So 
 ciety for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge ; 
 a society which owes its existence principally 
 to the colossal and truly philosophic mind of a 
 BROUGHAM, and which is contributing most 
 powerfully to dispel the mists of ignorance. 
 
 The interest of this subject, even in the 
 present day, will be a sufficient apology for its 
 insertion. Under the head of " Treason of 
 Arnold, and Death of Andre," the writer in 
 question thus proceeds : 
 
 " Washington, on the retreat of General 
 Clinton, withdrew to West Point, an almost 
 impregnable position, situated about fifty 
 miles to the northward of New York, on the 
 Hudson river, by means of which he kept 
 up a communication between the eastern and 
 southern states ; and having occasion, towards 
 the end of the month of September, to go to 
 Rhode Island, to hold a conference with the 
 French admiral and Count Rochambeau, he 
 left the command of this important post to 
 General Arnold, unconscious that in so doing 
 he intrusted the fortunes of the infant re 
 public to a traitor. 
 
 " Arnold was brave and hardy, but dissipated 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 107 
 
 and profligate. Extravagant in his expenses, 
 he had involved himself in debts ; and having 
 had on frequent occasions the administration 
 of considerable sums of the public money, 
 his accounts were so unsatisfactory, that he 
 was liable to an impeachment on charges of 
 peculation. Much had been forgiven, indeed, 
 and more would probably have been forgiven, 
 to his valour and military skill. But, alarmed 
 by the terrors of a guilty conscience, he de 
 termined to get rid of pecuniary responsibility 
 by betraying his country ; and accordingly 
 entered into a negotiation with Sir Henry 
 Clinton, in which he engaged, when a proper 
 opportunity should present itself, to make 
 such a disposition of his troops as would en 
 able the British to make themselves masters of 
 West Point. The details of this negotiation 
 were conducted by Major Andre, the adju 
 tant-general of the British army, with whom 
 Arnold carried on a clandestine correspond 
 ence, addressing him under the name of 
 Anderson, whilst he himself assumed that of 
 Gustavus. To facilitate their communications, 
 the Vulture sloop of war was moved near to 
 West Point ; and the absence of Washington 
 seeming to present a fit opportunity for the 
 final arrangement of their plans, On the night 
 
108 AMERICA, 
 
 of the 21st of September, Arnold sent a boat 
 to the Vulture to bring Andre on shore. 
 That officer landed in his uniform, between 
 the posts of the two armies, and was met by 
 Arnold, with whom he held a conference 
 which lasted till daybreak, when it was too 
 late for him to return to the vessel. In this 
 extremity, unfortunately for himself, he al 
 lowed Arnold to conduct him within one of 
 the American posts, where he lay concealed 
 till the next night. 
 
 " In the mean time, the Vulture, having 
 been incommoded by an American battery, had 
 moved lower down the river, and the boatmen 
 now refused to convey the stranger on board 
 her. Being cut off from this way of escape, 
 Andre was advised to make for New York by 
 land ; and for this purpose he was furnished 
 with a disguise, and a passport signed by 
 Arnold, designating him as John Anderson. 
 He had advanced in safety near the British 
 lines, when he was stopped by three New 
 York militiamen. Instead of showing his 
 pass to these scouts, he asked them Where 
 they belonged to ? And on their answering, 
 * To below, meaning to New York, with sin 
 gular want of judgment he stated that he 
 was a British officer, and begged them to let 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 10Q 
 
 him proceed without delay. The men, now 
 throwing off the mask, seized him ; and, not 
 withstanding his offers of a considerable bribe, 
 if they would release him, they proceeded to 
 search him, and found upon his person, papers 
 which gave fatal evidence of his own culpa 
 bility and of Arnold s treachery. 
 
 " These papers were in Arnold s hand 
 writing, and contained exact and detailed re 
 turns of the state of the forces, ordnance, and 
 defences of West Point and its dependencies, 
 with the artillery orders, critical remarks on 
 the works, an estimate of the number of men 
 that were ordinarily on duty to man them, 
 and the copy of a state of matters that had, 
 on the 6th of the month, been laid before a 
 council of war by the commander-in-chief. 
 When Andre was conducted by his captors to 
 the quarters of the commander of the scouting 
 parties, still assuming the name of Anderson, 
 he requested permission to write to Arnold, 
 to inform him of his detention. This request 
 was inconsiderately granted ; and the traitor, 
 being thus apprised of his peril, instantly 
 made his escape. 
 
 " At this moment Washington, arriving at 
 West Point, was made acquainted w r ith the 
 whole affair. Having taken the necessary 
 
110 AMERICA, 
 
 precautions for the security of his post, he 
 referred the case of the prisoner to a court- 
 martial consisting of fourteen general officers. 
 Before this tribunal Andre appeared, with 
 steady composure of mind. He voluntarily 
 confessed all the facts of his case. Being in 
 terrogated by the Board with respect to his 
 conception of his coming on shore under the 
 sanction of a flag, he ingenuously replied, 
 that if he had landed under that protection, 
 he might have returned under it. The 
 court, having taken all the circumstances 
 of his case into consideration, unanimously 
 concurred in opinion, that he ought to be 
 considered as a spy ; and that, agreeably to 
 the laws and usages of nations, he ought to 
 suffer death. 
 
 "Sir Henry Clinton, first by amicable nego 
 tiation, and afterwards by threats, endeavoured 
 to induce the American commander to spare 
 the life of his friend ; but Washington did not 
 think this act of mercy compatible with his 
 duty to his country, and Andre was ordered 
 for execution. He had petitioned to be 
 allowed to die a soldier s death ; but this re 
 quest could not be granted. Of this circum 
 stance, however, he was kept in ignorance 
 till he saw the preparations for his final cata- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. Ill 
 
 strophe ; when, finding that the bitterness of 
 his destiny was not to be alleviated as he 
 wished, he exclaimed, It is but a momentary 
 pang ! * and calmly submitted to his fate. 
 
 " Soon after this sad occurrence, Washington, 
 in writing to a friend, expressed himself in the 
 following terms : * Andre has met his fate, 
 and with that fortitude which was to be 
 expected from an accomplished gentleman 
 and a gallant officer ; but I am mistaken if 
 Arnold is not undergoing at this time the tor 
 ments of a mental hell. Whatever might be 
 the feelings of the traitor, his treason had its 
 reward. He was immediately appointed bri 
 gadier-general in the service of the King of 
 Great Britain ; arid, on his promotion, he 
 had the folly and presumption to publish an 
 address, in which he avowed that, being 
 dissatisfied with the alliance between the 
 United States and France, he had retained 
 his arms and command for an opportu 
 nity to surrender them to Great Britain. 
 This address was exceeded in meanness and 
 insolence by another, in which he invited his 
 late companions in arms to follow his example. 
 The American soldiers read these manifestoes 
 with scorn ; and so odious did the character 
 of a traitor, as exemplified in the conduct of 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 Arnold, become in their estimation, that 
 desertion totally ceased amongst them at 
 this remarkable period of the war. 
 
 The following extract from a letter written 
 at the time by Colonel Hamilton, of the 
 American army, portrays the unfortunate 
 Andre in so feeling a manner, and does so 
 much credit to the head and heart of the 
 author, that I cannot resist its insertion : 
 
 " There was something," says Colonel H., 
 " singularly interesting in the character and 
 fortunes of Andre. To an excellent under 
 standing, well improved by education and 
 travel, he united a peculiar elegance of mind 
 and manners, and the advantage of a pleasing 
 person. It is said he possessed a pretty taste 
 for the fine arts, and had himself attained 
 some proficiency in poetry, music, and paint 
 ing. His knowledge appeared without osten 
 tation, and embellished by a diffidence that 
 rarely accompanies so many talents and accom 
 plishments, which left you to suppose more 
 than appeared. His sentiments were elevated, 
 and inspired esteem : they had a softness that 
 conciliated affection. His elocution was 
 handsome ; his address easy, polite, and 
 insinuating. 
 
 " By his merit he had acquired the un- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 113 
 
 limited confidence of his general, and was 
 making rapid progress in military rank and 
 reputation. But in the height of his career, 
 flushed with new hopes from the execution of 
 a project the most beneficial to his party that 
 could be devised, he is at once precipitated 
 from the summit of prosperity, sees all the 
 expectations of his ambition blasted, and him 
 self ruined." 
 
 The remains of Major Andre were interred 
 on the spot where he suffered. But a few 
 years ago they were exhumed by order of the 
 British Government, brought to England, and 
 recommitted to the dust in the sacred precincts 
 of Westminster Abbey. A ridiculous story has 
 been circulated in America, that the remains 
 were deposited in the royal vault at Windsor, 
 and that a large cypress-tree, which had twined 
 its roots round the skull, was transplanted to 
 the gardens of the Castle. How this tree, 
 which was, perhaps, of fifty years growth, was 
 conveyed alive across the Atlantic, I could not 
 learn. 
 
 Before I close this digression on the subject 
 of Andre, I may mention, as a further in 
 stance of the feelings of the Americans towards 
 him, that the daughter of one of the captors, 
 with whom we had the pleasure to become 
 
 i 
 
1 14 AMERICA, 
 
 acquainted, assured me that her father never 
 mentioned the name without painful sens 
 ations. 
 
 A little farther, on the left bank of the 
 river, is the great state prison of Mount Plea 
 sant, or Sing Sing, as it is termed from the 
 neighbouring village. This immense struc 
 ture, which is of a quadrangular form, is built 
 of a coarse-grained white marble, procured on 
 the spot by the convicts themselves. 
 
 It contains 800 cells, besides a chapel, and 
 all the necessary apartments and work-shops of 
 the establishment. The principle kept in view, 
 in respect to its unhappy inmates, is their 
 reformation, and restoration to society ; to 
 effect which, a system of moral instruction is 
 combined with the pursuit of various handi 
 craft trades ; and, as a terror to evildoers, the 
 whole is carried on under the efficacious but 
 terrible discipline of solitary confinement. 
 
 The periods of imprisonment, of course, 
 vary according to the crime. They are gene 
 rally from two to ten years ; sometimes even 
 longer ; but their duration may be lessened, 
 according to the deportment or apparent pro 
 mise of amendment of life in the culprit. 
 
 The punishment of death is only applicable 
 in America to murder in the first degree, or 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 115 
 
 what in England is termed wilful murder ; to 
 arson, and robbing the mails under aggravated 
 circumstances ; but I was happy to find a 
 growing opinion amongst the most enlightened 
 persons of that country, that it ought, even 
 in these cases, to be abolished. The senti 
 ments of the wisest and best men of the 
 age are opposed to its continuance. The 
 excellent Lafayette, in a speech delivered 
 by him in the Chamber of Deputies, on 
 the subject of the motion of M. de Tracy 
 for the abolishment of the punishment of 
 death, thus emphatically expresses himself: 
 " Je persisterai a la demander tant qu on ne 
 m aura pas prouve 1 infaillibilite des jugemens 
 humains :" "I shall persist in demanding it 
 (this abolition) until human judgments are 
 proved infallible." 
 
 The sensible Count De St. Leu also, a 
 member of the talented family of Bonaparte, 
 in his clever little work, entitled, " A Reply 
 to Sir Walter Scott s History of Napoleon," 
 which he justly styles " a vast libel upon the 
 glories of France and Napoleon," has the fol 
 lowing condensed and sublime sentiment : 
 "War and the pain of death, which society 
 draws down upon itself, are but organised 
 barbarisms ; an inheritance of the savage state, 
 i 2 
 
116 AMERICA, 
 
 disguised or ornamented by ingenious institu 
 tions and false eloquence." 
 
 Though last, not least in value, is the opinion 
 of the late venerable historian of the Medici, 
 Roscoe, who, in a conversation I had the 
 honour to enjoy with that illustrious philan 
 thropist a few days previous to my departure 
 for America, in which I mentioned the pro 
 posal then recently made in that country, that 
 executions should take place in the prisons, in 
 lieu of making them public spectacles, thus 
 expressed himself, " There should not be 
 executions at all." 
 
 So admirable is the management of the 
 prison of Sing Sing, and the other great pri 
 sons of the United States, that, in lieu of con 
 victs being a grievous tax upon the community, 
 as in England, the labour of the prisoners 
 serves not only to cover the expenses of the 
 establishments, but in some instances yields a 
 surplus. 
 
 The river, which had varied from one to 
 four miles in width, and exhibited on its banks 
 fertile and populous districts, suddenly became 
 narrower, as we entered the passage through 
 the highlands. 
 
 The scenery, for some miles, became bold 
 "and grand ; the hills rising from their rocky 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 1 17 
 
 bases in the water to a thousand, and even 
 fifteen hundred feet in height. 
 
 We stopped for a short time at West Point, 
 the scene of numerous revolutionary recollec 
 tions, and now the seat of the United States 
 Military Academy, 
 
 " The nursery of men for future years." 
 
 The patriot Kosciusko resided for some 
 time at this spot ; and a small garden is 
 shown, once cultivated by the hero s own 
 hands, and in which he was wont to ruminate 
 upon the oppressions of his unfortunate 
 country. 
 
 From the termination of the highlands, the 
 river again widens ; and we passed a succes 
 sion of thriving villages, as well as handsome 
 country seats ; among the former of which 
 was Hudson, the site of some very extensive 
 calico printing works. Although this place is 
 situated 120 miles from the sea, it is accessible 
 to vessels of large burden ; and several ships 
 sail from thence to the whale fisheries of the 
 Pacific Ocean. The bold outlines of the 
 Kaatskill Mountains on our left were pic 
 turesque objects during the remainder of the 
 day, at the close of which we landed at Albany, 
 i 3 
 
118 AMERICA, 
 
 the capital of the state of New York. The 
 fare for the whole distance of 145 miles, in 
 cluding the breakfast alluded to, as well as 
 dinner and tea in a corresponding style, was 
 only four shillings and sixpence sterling each 
 person ; but this, it must be stated, was con 
 siderably below the usual price, on account of 
 the opposition among the steam navigation 
 proprietors at the time. 
 
 We soon found ourselves comfortably lodged 
 at an excellent hotel, and retired to rest full of 
 reflections upon the revolutions produced by 
 the power and application of steam. The dis 
 tance we had so easily and agreeably accom 
 plished in one day was formerly the labour of 
 a week, or even a fortnight. 
 
 Albany is one of the oldest settlements in 
 the country, having been founded by the 
 Dutch above two centuries ; and we noticed 
 several houses yet standing, built of bricks 
 brought from Holland, and bearing the dates 
 of their erection in rude ornamental iron 
 work on their lofty pediments. From a com 
 paratively insignificant place, it has become a 
 populous city, its trade having rapidly in 
 creased since the introduction of steam navi 
 gation, and the opening of the great western 
 and northern canals, for both which it is the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 11Q 
 
 entrepot. The capitol, or state house, is a 
 handsome building, and is finely situated, 
 being on an eminence, and at the extremity of 
 a long and wide street. The interior is con 
 veniently arranged for the meetings of the 
 legislature, as well as for the superior courts 
 of justice. It likewise contains the state 
 library. The public seminary is a spacious 
 edifice, and accommodates 200 students. 
 
 i 4 
 
120 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 IT was our intention to have proceeded from 
 Albany by the canal ; but in consequence of 
 its circuitous course to Schenectady, the second 
 town on the line, and the number of locks 
 which intervene, the packets start from that 
 place, the passengers being conveyed thither 
 in stage coaches. The distance is sixteen 
 miles through an uninteresting country, and 
 over a partially and badly macadamized road ; 
 nevertheless, we performed the journey in 
 about two hours, 
 
 There was no " Please to remember the 
 chambermaid! please to remember the wait 
 er ! " when, we left the hall of the hotel, nor 
 even, in the voice of humility itself, any 
 " Please to remember the porter!" when we 
 were seated in the coach, and the luggage pro 
 perly fastened behind. Each and all of these 
 personages, who had performed their respect 
 ive duties, were well paid by their employers ; 
 and although they might, with the Quaker in 
 the play, think there was no harm in a guinea, 
 nor would they, perhaps, have rejected a dou- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 ceur, they would not degrade themselves by 
 begging as mendicants. 
 
 The stage which called for the passengers 
 at the hotel was a roomy vehicle, holding 
 eight or nine persons comfortably. The upper 
 part of the sides was of painted canvass, which 
 is either rolled up or let down, according to 
 the weather. The luggage, or baggage as it 
 is more commonly called, was stowed behind ; 
 and the whole rested upon strong leather 
 straps placed laterally in the manner of the 
 old French diligences. There were no outside 
 seats, except one next to the coachman. 
 
 This last-mentioned personage, who was 
 exceedingly friendly as well as attentive, bore 
 no resemblance to the fraternity in England, 
 either as to rotundity or the envelopes of his 
 person ; in short, his profession could not 
 have been recognized by external appear 
 ances ; and at the end of the stage he did 
 not ask for or receive a fee, but politely 
 wished the passengers good morning. 
 
 The horses were strong and fleet, and their 
 harness as simple in its construction as it was 
 devoid of ornament. 
 
 On our arrival in Schenectady, I was not a 
 little surprised to hear myself loudly called 
 by name ; but the mystery was soon explained 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 by a polite message from Judge H , with 
 
 a request that we would join himself and lady 
 in the packet in which they were about to 
 proceed. These worthy individuals had sailed 
 up the Hudson in the same steamer as our 
 selves ; and in the course of the promiscuous 
 conversation which arises when numbers are 
 so associated, had learnt our surname, and the 
 object of our excursion. Having passed us 
 as we were entering the stage at Albany, and 
 having arrived first at Schenectady, they had 
 stationed the messenger in question to await 
 our arrival, and tender the invitation. 
 
 Our worthy friend s civilities did not even 
 stop here ; for after two more days of agreeable 
 travelling in their company, we were entreated 
 to pay them a visit at their residence ; and it 
 was with feelings of regret that circumstances 
 prevented our acceptance of their hospitality, 
 which was the more valuable, because it was 
 perfectly disinterested. I mention this as the 
 first of a series of similar instances of polite 
 ness and kind feeling which we experienced 
 in travelling in the United States, the recol 
 lection of which will never be weakened by 
 time or distance. Schenectady is situated upon 
 the great river Mohawk, on the site of an old 
 Dutch settlement ; but it is only within these 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 few years that it has become a place of much 
 importance. It now possesses a college with 
 two hundred students, who are well boarded, 
 and instructed in classical and useful know 
 ledge, for thirty pounds sterling per annum 
 each. 
 
 The hotels are commodious, and very well 
 kept. That at which we stopped to dine 
 could readily accommodate about a hundred 
 guests. 
 
 The packet-boats on the canal are eighty 
 feet in length and fourteen feet in breadth. 
 Handsomely furnished cabins occupy the 
 whole length, except a space at the bow for 
 the heavy baggage, and a kitchen and berths 
 for the crew at the stern. They are drawn 
 by three horses ; and being provided with 
 lamps, travel day and night at the speed of 
 four miles an hour. The charge is twopence 
 per mile for each passenger, excellent board 
 included, and you eat, drink, read, or chat, 
 play whist or draughts ; in short, do as you 
 like. 
 
 In one of these agreeable conveyances we 
 pursued our route, which was rendered in 
 tensely interesting from the novelties which 
 presented themselves in succession. There 
 were about thirty passengers on board, and at 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 seven o clock we were summoned to tea, or 
 supper, as it was called. There, as in the 
 steamer, on the Hudson, the females were 
 ranged on one side at the upper end of the 
 table before the signal was given to the gen 
 tlemen, the seats opposite them being reserved 
 for their husbands, or travelling protectors, 
 each for each. 
 
 There was a formality in this arrangement 
 not very inviting ; and yet, upon the whole, 
 it was perhaps the best that could be devised 
 for the comfort of those for whom it was in 
 tended. The ladies chiefly sat in their own 
 apartment, which was in the day time open to 
 that of the gentlemen. At nine the order 
 was given to prepare the beds, when a trans 
 formation took place not unlike those exhibited 
 in pantomimes. A screen or painted drop- 
 curtain fell between the two cabins, and the 
 ladies were left with their female attendants. 
 
 The benches along the great cabin were 
 opened and formed into beds ; another range 
 of cots were suspended like so many shelves 
 above; and by an arrangement of light frame 
 work there were three long tiers of berths in 
 the centre. All these were supplied with 
 clean bedding ; and the whole in a few minutes 
 had a most unique appearance. The choice 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 125 
 
 of beds was determined by the priority of 
 the names in the captain s book, the early 
 entry in which.I found in a crowded boat was 
 of importance ; and here our friend the Judge 
 rendered us essential service. 
 
 The strangeness of the scene kept me 
 awake for some time after, as the sailors say, 
 " turning in ;" but, had I been an American, 
 I might have attributed the anti-drowsy feel 
 ing to the circumstance of the blankets 
 bearing the ominous mark of a crown, with 
 the initials G. R. How these royal comforts 
 found their way thither I could not decide : 
 be this as it may, they were of the very 
 best quality, and the democratic republicans 
 snored between them most melodiously. 
 
 Anxious to view the scenery of the pass 
 of the Mohawk, called Little Falls, I arose 
 even before dawn of day. The canal, for 
 upwards of 100 miles, follows the course of 
 that noble river, of which beautiful views are 
 obtained. At the point in question, where 
 the latter flows through a branch of the Al- 
 leghany chain, the canal is carried by means 
 of locks and embankments, or through exca 
 vations in the rocky precipices, on the margin 
 of the torrent, which pursues its rapid and 
 broken course in wild grandeur. 
 
126 AMERICA, 
 
 The scene strongly reminded me of some 
 of the approaches to the Alps. 
 
 Beyond this romantic pass the country 
 gradually opened and displayed high cultiva 
 tion; but dear hawthorn hedges for the division 
 of the land were ill supplied by the rough 
 uncouth snake fences of the American farms, 
 to say nothing of the black burnt stumps of 
 trees which remain thickly studded over the 
 country like so many monuments of the native 
 forests. 
 
 Whilst musing on the varying scene, the 
 welcome sound of breakfast saluted my ears, 
 and I hastened to the again transformed cham 
 ber, which, of its* late occupation, left not 
 " a wreck behind." We reached Utica, the 
 first of the hundred classically named mush 
 room villages on this route. 
 
 By the term " village" must not, however, be 
 understood anything like the sequestered nooks 
 of England, where the venerable ivy-grown 
 Gothic church and spire, the trim parsonage 
 with its parterre and its honeysuckles, the 
 snug ale-house and its swinging sign, displaying 
 the many- quartered shield of the lord of the 
 soil, the winding but well macadamised road, 
 bordered by humble white-washed cottages, 
 with their blacked oak frame-work, combine 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 127 
 
 to form a picture as captivating as it is sooth 
 ing and poetical. No such scenes await the 
 traveller in America, where every thing is of 
 yesterday, and planned by active spirits with 
 utility and profit for their motto. 
 
 Utica, although denominated a village, is 
 a considerable town, containing not less than 
 10,000 inhabitants. Its streets are straight 
 and wide, and the edifices mostly of brick. 
 We saw several large hotels, six or eight 
 churches, and many spacious stores. There 
 are a number of cotton and other manufacto 
 ries in the neighbourhood, which is populous ; 
 and I was informed by an English settler, 
 whom I met at the hotel, and who had resided 
 in Utica several years, that the whole district 
 was extremely fertile, and agriculture and 
 trade generally in a most flourishing condition. 
 
 This individual closed his remarks in the 
 following emphatic words: " Sir, you little 
 know in England the power of this country." 
 
 At Utica, we changed packet boats, and 
 proceeded on the line to Rochester. 
 
 We passed among a succession of places 
 of minor importance, Rome, Syracuse, 
 Canton, Jordan, Byron, Montezuma, Lyons, 
 and Palmyra; all flourishing villages, but 
 bearing no more resemblance to the ori- 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 ginal cities from which several derive their 
 titles, than the meanest hovel to Windsor 
 Castle. 
 
 They are chiefly built of wood, and the 
 edifices painted white, or often yellow ; and 
 the churches have cupolas or spires of the 
 same material, with green Venetian blinds, or 
 weather-boards, in the steeple windows ; all 
 looking very neat, certainly, but at the same 
 time most unpicturesque. 
 
 Rome stands near the site of a colonial 
 fort, the scene of some fighting in the war of 
 the revolution ; and further celebrated from a 
 successful stratagem of the American General 
 Arnold, by which the British commander was 
 so duped and panic- struck as to give up his 
 undertaking, and make a retreat. 
 
 The latter w r as commenced with such ra 
 pidity, that the viands under preparation for 
 the officers mess on the same day were aban 
 doned to the enemy ; a veteran of which, now 
 living, assured me that he never relished a din 
 ner more ; for, independent of their excellence, 
 he, with his comrades, had been for some time 
 on what are called short commons. 
 
 The country displayed patches of cleared 
 and cultivated land, here and there sprinkled 
 with the primitive log cabins of the wood 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 129 
 
 clearers, or the frame-houses of the settlers ; 
 the former being admirably in keeping with 
 the surrounding scenery. 
 
 A great portion, however, was almost impe 
 netrable forest ; and the banks of the canal all 
 along exhibited the novel spectacle of huge 
 trees felled, half-burnt, or broken, lying, as it 
 were, in ruins, and in majestic confusion ; 
 while eagles and other birds of prey, hovering 
 about, gave additional wildness to the scene. 
 
 Among the most striking parts of the line 
 were the marshes of Montezuma, through 
 which the canal passes, the towing-path being 
 carried near three miles on a timber bridge ; 
 and the great embankment of the Irondequoit, 
 which is carried two miles, at the height of 
 seventy feet above the surrounding country. 
 
 Rochester, which we reached at noon on 
 the third day, is in some respects the most 
 wonderful place on the face of the globe. 
 It was only founded twenty years ago, pre 
 vious to which the country was a perfect 
 wilderness. 
 
 In 1815, the population but consisted of 
 about three hundred persons ; whilst in the 
 year 1829, at the period of our visit, it had 
 risen to thirteen thousand, and was rapidly 
 progressing. 
 
 K 
 
130 AMERICA, 
 
 The local advantages of Rochester are very 
 conspicuous. Seated upon the fine river Gene- 
 see, which flows through a fertile country, 
 and is navigable for barges nearly one hundred 
 miles above, and for sloops from Lake Ontario, 
 seven miles below, to within two of the town, 
 intersected by the great western canal ; pos 
 sessing in abundance what the Americans 
 denominate " hydraulic privileges/ 5 but what 
 in plain English would be termed inexhaustible 
 water power : it is destined to become a place 
 of great importance. 
 
 The flour, or, as they are called, flouring, 
 mills, are numerous, and several of them are 
 erected upon a most extensive scale ; one of 
 these immense structures containing more 
 than four acres of flooring. They were all in 
 full operation, and are a source of much wealth 
 to the place. 
 
 I was informed that more than twelve thou 
 sand bushels of wheat were daily ground in 
 these mills. The produce is chiefly sent to 
 New York ; but should the Montreal or Que 
 bec markets offer inducements, the facilities 
 of transport to those places are now very great, 
 the water communication being perfected 
 by the completion of the Rideau canal in 
 Canada. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 131 
 
 The streets and public buildings are upon 
 a handsome scale ; and besides a number of 
 large churches, banks, hotels, and other erec 
 tions of an ornamental nature, Rochester 
 has its athenaeum, museum, and other scien 
 tific institutions. 
 
 The most singular feature of this bustling 
 infant town is the condition of the environs, 
 which are still very much in a state of nature. 
 
 The transition from a crowded street to the 
 ruins of the forest, or to the forest itself, is 
 so sudden, that a stranger, by turning a wrong 
 corner in the dark, might either be in danger 
 of breaking his neck over the enormous stumps 
 of trees, which, as yet, there has been no 
 time to clear away ; or, escaping that calamity, 
 might soon be entangled in the labyrinth of 
 wood which environs this unparalleled place. 
 
 Amidst all this grinding of corn, shipping 
 of flour, unpacking and retailing of manu 
 factures, felling of trees, and building of 
 houses, we found the refinements of life were 
 not neglected. Music was taught to all the 
 young misses, as young females in the sphere 
 of society above the labouring classes are 
 styled ; and, in a ball-room over the apartment 
 in which we dined at the hotel, Monsieur was 
 giving lessons to a number of pupils in the art 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 of " tripping on the light fantastic toe." The 
 sensations produced by hearing sounds as 
 sociated with the most polished life, in view 
 of the labours of the pioneer of the forest, 
 would not be easy to describe ; suffice it to 
 say, I more than once found myself in a pro 
 spective reverie, excited by the strangeness of 
 the scene. 
 
 At Rochester we removed to a third boat, 
 and, crossing the river Genesee by a handsome 
 stone aqueduct of eleven arches of fifty feet 
 span, we pursued our route. From hence 
 to Lockport, near sixty miles, settlements 
 seemed more rare; and we sailed for many miles 
 through dense forests, all, however, destined 
 at an early period to the unsparing axe or the 
 devouring flame. At Lockport the canal is 
 carried up what is called the mountain ridge, 
 to the height of sixty feet, by a double set of 
 five locks. One set is used for boats ascend 
 ing, and the other for those descending. The 
 whole of this stupendous work is finished in 
 the most durable and scientific manner ; and 
 the scene, from the number of boats passing 
 through the locks, is extremely animated. 
 
 This rise of the canal is succeeded by a deep 
 cutting of three miles, through limestone rock, 
 at the depth of twenty to thirty feet, and 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 133 
 
 soon after the canal enters a creek which flows 
 into the Niagara river, near a place called 
 Tonnewanta, twelve miles farther, and op 
 posite Grand Island. 
 
 Here we arrived soon after breakfast, and 
 bade adieu to our friends in the packet, which 
 proceeded to Buffalo on Lake Erie, a distance 
 of eleven miles. The whole length of the Erie 
 canal is three hundred and sixty-three miles. 
 It has eighty- three locks, and eighteen aque 
 ducts of various dimensions, and also several 
 branches, some of which are twenty to forty 
 miles in length. The longest level is about 
 seventy miles, and the height of the waters of 
 Lake Erie above those of the Hudson river is 
 five hundred and sixty-eight feet. This grand 
 work, which was projected by the late De Witt 
 Clinton, the Bridgewater of America, was 
 commenced in 1817, and finished in the year 
 1825, at a cost of about seven millions of dol 
 lars. The traffic upon this canal is yearly and 
 rapidly increasing : indeed, we met or passed 
 trading boats along the whole line, in great 
 numbers ; and although aU the boats are by 
 law obliged to carry lamps, yet, from care 
 lessness or obstinacy, the concussions at 
 meeting in the night were sometimes very 
 disagreeable. The same observation applies 
 K 3 
 
134 AMERICA, 
 
 to passing through the locks ; but perhaps the 
 nuisance in this latter case is unavoidable. 
 The expense of travelling by the second class 
 of boats, by which the foreign emigrants are 
 conveyed, is only one penny per mile, for 
 which they are bountifully fed. 
 
 The sociable style of American travelling 
 easily admits of the formation of intimacies, 
 and these in many instances soon ripen into 
 friendships. We had an agreeable proof of 
 this in the tour in question ; for soon after 
 leaving Schenectady we were joined by a me 
 dical gentleman from Philadelphia, whose ar 
 dent love of knowledge can only be appreciated 
 by those who have witnessed his devotedness 
 to its pursuit ; need I name to the American 
 reader that distinguished naturalist, Doctor 
 Harlan ? Finding, from casual conversation at 
 an early period after our meeting, that the ob 
 jects of our journey were, to a certain extent, 
 the same, we soon decided upon visiting the 
 great natural wonder of the western world in 
 company. 
 
 Tonnewanta is the nearest point of the canal 
 to Niagara, being only distant from thence 
 eleven miles. Here we engaged a small light 
 wagon, with young and sprightly horses and 
 driver ; and, trotting merrily through woods 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 135 
 
 and wilds, with ever and anon a jolt over a 
 decaying stump, and a drag through a slough, 
 we descried the thick white mist, which, like 
 the pillar of smoke of old, pointed out the way; 
 and soon afterwards reached Manchester, 
 most unappropriate and unpoetical name! 
 the small village situated at the American side 
 of the falls. We alighted at the principal hotel 
 or tavern, within hearing of the awful roar 
 of the cataract. 
 
 K 4 
 
136 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 THE intensity of feeling on the stranger s 
 approach to Niagara is such, that in my own 
 case I could only have described it by com 
 parison with that on my first approach to 
 those architectural glories, St. Peter s at Rome 
 and the Coliseum, or to the exhumed won 
 ders of Pompeii, had not the pages of that 
 popular writer, Captain Basil Hall, furnished 
 me with an illustration still more forcible. 
 
 Captain Hall had visited the magnificent 
 Napoleon, the Caesar of the age, in his exile ; 
 and, in the work of the former on America, 
 the author compares the sensations he ex 
 perienced just before beholding the falls of 
 Niagara, to those on first arriving in the 
 presence of that wonderful personage. By a 
 most singular coincidence, I had also visited 
 Napoleon in exile ; and the mingled sens 
 ations of tremulous expectation and awe I 
 experienced on that occasion, making due 
 allowance for the difference in the nature of 
 the objects, were repeated in my breathless 
 approach to the falls of Niagara. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 137 
 
 A short walk from the inn brought us in 
 full view of the grand panorama of nature. 
 Our ideas of Niagara, of the pyramids, of 
 St. Peter s, and other wonders of the world, 
 are so magnified from infancy, that it is by no 
 means surprising if a certain degree of disap 
 pointment is the immediate result of the first 
 gaze ; but, as in the familiar instance of the 
 great cathedral alluded to, as soon as the 
 spectator has had time to dwell upon the 
 scene before him, it seems to expand, and he 
 stands mute in astonishment. 
 
 I had watched the fiery evomitions of 
 Stromboli and Vesuvius at midnight, had wit 
 nessed the most glorious spectacle of sunrise 
 from Mount Etna, had tracked the solitary 
 footsteps of the wolf midst Alpine snows, and 
 read the starry heavens on the boiling surges 
 of the Atlantic ; but none of these lessons to 
 the soul surpassed, if equalled, in solemn 
 grandeur the falls of Niagara. 
 
 In viewing them I felt abstracted humbled, 
 and the mind, overwhelmed with the im 
 mensity of the scene, was absorbed in the con 
 templation of eternity. 
 
 Reflections apart, and to pursue descriptions 
 in detail, we visited Bath and Goat Islands, 
 which separate what is called the American 
 
138 AMERICA, 
 
 from the Canadian or British fall, the platform 
 which overlooks the abyss, as well as de 
 scended the staircases which conduct to the 
 base of the cataract. 
 
 Goat Island is covered with wood, and is 
 altogether a most romantic situation. 
 
 Until a few years ago, it was inaccessible, 
 except at very great personal risk ; but it is 
 now reached by a bridge across the rapids, in 
 the construction of which considerable inge 
 nuity was shown by the spirited projector, 
 General Porter, of the American army. 
 
 On Bath Island we were agreeably surprised 
 to find a pretty museum of natural history. 
 Several mills have been erected on this ad 
 vantageous site, and were in busy operation, 
 possessing " hydraulic privileges" with a ven 
 geance ! 
 
 Reluctant to leave such scenery whilst a 
 ray of light remained, it was not until late in 
 the evening that we found our way back to 
 the hotel, the accommodations of which were 
 extremely good. 
 
 As the night was cold we ordered a fire in 
 the parlour we occupied; and a man in 
 coarse attire, the same who had received us 
 on our arrival, and who had assisted to carry 
 the portmanteaus and cloaks, Caliban like, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 139 
 
 brought in the logs and made the fire. Whilst 
 he was engaged in this operation, conceiving 
 him to be one of the porters of the house, I 
 asked some questions relative to an individual 
 who had recently exhibited feats of jumping 
 into the river from extraordinary heights. 
 Leaning upon the chimney or mantel piece, 
 as it is commonly called in America, evidently 
 quite at home, he answered my interrogatories, 
 and began to enter upon the subject of the 
 laws of falling bodies, and the force of gra 
 vitation, with much acuteness, and talked as 
 familiarly of squares as if he had been a gra 
 duate of Cambridge. 
 
 We soon ascertained that our friend was 
 not only " mine host of the garter," the pro 
 prietor of the hotel, but also a general of 
 militia; and our compagnon de voyage, 
 Dr. H., good-humour edly told us, that in 
 our next encounter with brother Jonathan, 
 we might meet the general, at the head of his 
 division, applying his mathematics to serious 
 purposes. That English Bonifaces would 
 " not carry coals" is certain; and it may be 
 doubted whether they pay as much atten 
 tion to the laws of falling bodies as they do 
 to falling prices. The anecdote is strikingly 
 illustrative of the state of society in the newly 
 
140 AMERICA, 
 
 settled parts of that wonderful country, the 
 United States. 
 
 Taking leave of our scientific and military 
 host, we followed the course of the river 
 Niagara down to Lewistown, a distance of 
 seven miles. The river pursues its rapid way 
 between lofty and precipitous banks, exhibit 
 ing in several places what the French would 
 style, " belles horreurs." One of these frightful 
 chasms, called after his Satanic majesty, is close 
 to the road, and nearly two hundred feet deep. 
 In the French Canadian war, a number of un 
 fortunate British soldiers, who with their wives 
 and children were retreating in the night, and 
 ignorant of the country, were driven into the 
 abyss by their pursuers, and all miserably pe 
 rished except a solitary drummer, who was 
 discovered at daylight suspended by his belt 
 which had caught some of the projecting 
 branches from the rocks. On the road near 
 this terrific gulf we were suddenly surprised 
 by the appearance of a wild and haggard 
 young female, almost in a state of nudity. 
 Her ravings proclaimed her a maniac of the 
 most hopeless class. Our young driver, no 
 thing desirous of a closer intimacy with this 
 unfortunate creature, urged his horses to their 
 utmost speed, nor could we prevail upon 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 141 
 
 him to stop a few minutes to satisfy our 
 curiosity. 
 
 Strange to relate, on the opposite bank of 
 the river, another unfortunate being of this 
 description was pointed out to us. The in 
 dividual, who was of the other sex, was 
 apparently busily employed sawing wood ; 
 but in lieu of a saw he had only a stick 
 or stave, contenting himself, poor soul, in 
 passing his days rubbing one piece of wood 
 against another, leaving the rest to the im 
 agination. 
 
 The character of these incidents added no 
 little to the wild effect of the surrounding 
 scenery. 
 
 At the cheerful village of Lewistown, we 
 embarked in a small ferry-boat, and crossed 
 the river to Queenstown, in Upper Canada, 
 not without some fears of the numerous whirl 
 pools and the drifting timber with which the 
 surface of the river is here covered. 
 
 Queenstown is advantageously situated at 
 the head of the navigation of the Niagara, 
 below the falls, and vessels of considerable 
 burden can approach the place. 
 
 Near the village are the heights where 
 General Brock and his aide-de-camp, Colonel 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 M Donald, were killed in an action with the 
 enemy, at an early period of the late war. 
 
 The Americans crossed the river before 
 daylight, and stormed the British posts ; but 
 were finally driven back, upon the latter re 
 ceiving reinforcements. We were told by an 
 eye-witness to the action, that the result would 
 have perhaps terminated differently, had the 
 American commander been properly supported 
 by the militia, many of whom absolutely re 
 fused to cross the river, on the grounds that 
 they were acting defensively, not offensively. 
 The real motive was, probably, a panic which 
 spread through their ranks at the sight of their 
 wounded and dying comrades, whom their 
 general had humanely sent to Lewistown for 
 their better accommodation and comfort. 
 
 On the heights alluded to, which are nearly 
 three hundred feet above the level of the river, 
 a column has been erected to the memory of 
 the gallant Brock, whose remains, with those 
 of his aide-de-camp, moulder under its base. 
 The column, which is of stone, is one hundred 
 and twenty-six feet in height, and a spiral 
 staircase leads to the summit, from which 
 there is a most extensive prospect. We dis 
 tinctly saw York, the capital of the province, 
 at the opposite side of Lake Ontario, which last 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 143 
 
 seemed " vexed with storms," and regretted 
 that the steamer s having ceased to ply for the 
 summer season prevented our visiting that 
 young but flourishing settlement. Over the 
 entrance to the monument is the following 
 inscription : 
 
 " The Legislature of Upper Canada has de 
 dicated this monument to the many civil and 
 military services of the late SIR ISAAC BROCK, 
 Knight Commander of the most honourable 
 Order of the Bath, Provincial Lieutenant- 
 governor and Major-general commanding his 
 Majesty s forces therein. He fell in action, 
 on the 13th of October, 1812 ; honoured and 
 beloved by those whom he governed, and de 
 plored by his Sovereign, to whose service his 
 life had been devoted. His remains are de 
 posited in this vault, as also those of his aide- 
 de-camp, Lieutenant-colonelJoHN M DONALD, 
 who died of his wounds, the 14th of October, 
 1812, received the day before in action." 
 
 Around the column are a number of double 
 hillocks, marking the silent mansions of many 
 brave fellows sleeping the sleep of death. 
 
 Taking a last look at these melancholy me 
 morials, we again hired a wagon, and, after an 
 agreeable ride of seven miles, were set down 
 at the house of Mr. Forsyth the younger, one 
 
144 AMERICA, 
 
 of the two large hotels kept by the family of 
 that name, and situated opposite to Man 
 chester, where we had spent the previous 
 day. 
 
 The approach to the falls by this road is 
 decidedly the best, as the whole bursts upon 
 the sight in all its grandeur. The celebrated 
 Table Rock is situated on the Canada side, 
 between which and Goat Island the river falls 
 one hundred and sixty feet in one great con 
 cave of six hundred yards in width. This, 
 from its form, is denominated the Horseshoe 
 Fall. It has receded in the memory of man ; 
 although the present range is about the same 
 as it was in the year 1822, as appears by a stone 
 placed for the purpose of observation. The 
 waters, after dashing and roaring among rocks 
 for nearly two miles, all breakers and foarn, 
 here make a graceful bend over the edge of the 
 precipice, and present in their descent a curved 
 and unbroken surface of green water, for 
 the depth of twenty or thirty feet. The abyss 
 is a boiling chaos, the white mist from which 
 rises several hundred feet, and often presents 
 to the spectator the most beautiful iris. 
 
 The American fall, which is here seen to 
 great advantage, is convex, and three hundred 
 yards wide. Some idea may be formed of the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 145 
 
 effect of the whole, when I state, that a de 
 tached branch, between Bath and Goat Island, 
 is equal in volume to the justly famed cascade 
 of Terni, which, in the opinion of Byron, and 
 must be in that of every European traveller, 
 was worth all the cascades and torrents of 
 Switzerland put together. 
 
 The great projection of the upper stratum 
 of rock, with the curve of the fall, enable per 
 sons to proceed for a considerable distance 
 behind the sheet of water ; and although there 
 is little danger in the attempt, it is an affair 
 requiring considerable strength of nerve. De 
 termined to explore the hidden wonders, and 
 encouraged by the statements of our guide, we 
 attired ourselves in oilcloth dresses provided 
 for the purpose, and descended the staircase 
 which conducts to the base of Table Rock. 
 After passing amongst the huge fragments 
 which are scattered in every direction, we fol 
 lowed a track which has been made at the foot 
 of the overhanging precipice, and soon came 
 within reach of the spray, which met us, both 
 as to quantity and force, precisely as if we had 
 been stationed on the forecastle of a ship in a 
 storm. 
 
 By dint of exertion, and in spite of a duck 
 ing, we made our way for a considerable dis- 
 
 L 
 
146 AMERICA, 
 
 tance in the rear of the mighty torrent. The 
 gloom, the thundering sound, the tremendous 
 blasts of air, the dashing of the waters, and 
 the difficulty of respiration, soon oblige the 
 curious visitor to quit this Neptunian scene ; 
 and we gladly hastened to the light of day, 
 and comparative stillness of the banks of the 
 river. 
 
 Unlike an old Scotch settler, who coolly 
 informed us, that he had passed the falls half- 
 a-dozen times every year for as many years, 
 and never turned to look at them, we felt an 
 increased interest with every hour s contem 
 plation of the sublime spectacle, and, after a 
 lingering last look, we started for Buffalo on 
 lake Erie. 
 
 The road lies parallel with the margin of the 
 river, and we had a charming view of the 
 rapids, but accidentally missed an examin 
 ation of the burning spring which rises on the 
 brink. The water at this spot is warm, and 
 surcharged with sulphurated hydrogen gas, 
 which being collected in a vessel having a tube, 
 and lighted, burns with a brilliant flame. 
 
 In this ride we passed over the battle grounds 
 Lundy Lane and Chippewa, and halted to re 
 fresh the horses at a small tavern near the latter. 
 The battle of Chippewa was fought on the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS, 147 
 
 5th of July, 1814, and terminated by the re 
 treat of the British, whose loss in killed and 
 wounded amounted to 514, while that of the 
 Americans is stated to have been 328. The 
 still more severe conflict of Bridgewater or 
 Lundy Lane took place twenty days after the 
 former, and was so desperately contested that 
 neither party could claim the victory, or were 
 able to renew the engagement. 
 
 The respective losses were about equal ; that 
 of the British being estimated at 878, and that 
 of the enemy at 860. Our wagon-driver, as 
 well as the host of the tavern, were in these 
 engagements, and described the last in par 
 ticular, which was fought at night by the light 
 of the moon, and the cannonade as a most 
 sanguinary affair. 
 
 The following extract from a letter written 
 by a medical officer attached to the American 
 army, is terribly descriptive of the work of 
 blood. 
 
 " In the afternoon," says this writer, " the 
 enemy advanced towards Chippewa, with a 
 powerful force. At six o clock General Scott 
 was ordered to advance with his brigade, and 
 attack them. He was soon reinforced by 
 General Ripley s brigade ; they met the ene 
 my above the falls. They had selected their 
 
148 AMERICA, 
 
 ground for the night, intending to attack our 
 camp before day-light. The action began just 
 before seven, and an uninterrupted stream of 
 musketry continued till half-past eight, when 
 there was some cessation, the British falling 
 back. It soon began again, with some ar 
 tillery, which, with slight interruptions, con 
 tinued till half-past ten, when there was a 
 charge ; and a tremendous stream of fire 
 closed the conflict. Both armies fought with 
 a desperation bordering upon madness ; neither 
 would yield the palm ; but each retired a short 
 distance, wearied out with fatigue. Such a 
 constant and destructive fire was never before 
 sustained by American troops, without falling 
 back. The enemy had collected their whole 
 force in the Peninsula, and were reinforced by 
 troops from Lord Wellington s army, just 
 landed from Kingston. For two hours, the 
 hostile lines were within twenty yards of each 
 other, and so frequently intermingled that 
 sometimes an officer would order an enemy s 
 platoon. The moon shone bright ; but part of 
 our men being dressed like the Glengarian 
 regiment, caused the deception. They fre 
 quently charged, and were as often driven 
 back. 
 
 " Our regiment, under Colonel Miller, was 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 149 
 
 ordered to storm the British battery. We 
 charged, and took every piece of the enemy s 
 cannon. We kept possession of the ground 
 and cannon until twelve at night, when 
 we all fell back more than two miles. This 
 was done to secure our camp, which might 
 otherwise have been attacked in the rear. Our 
 horses being most of them killed, and there 
 being no ropes to the pieces, we got off but 
 two or three. The men were so excessively 
 fatigued they could not drag them. We lost 
 one howitzer ; the horses being on full gallop 
 towards the enemy to attack them, the riders 
 were shot off, and the horses ran through the 
 enemy s line. We lost one piece of cannon, 
 which was too much advanced, every man being 
 shot that had charge of it but two. Several of 
 our caissons were blown up by their rockets, 
 which did some injury, and deprived our cannon 
 of ammunition. The lines were so near, that 
 cannon could not be used with advantage." 
 
 The greater part of the slain were collected 
 and burnt, and the grass now waves luxuriantly 
 on the sites of their funeral piles. A few skulls 
 thrown up by the plough, or found among the 
 underwood, were shown to us by the veteran 
 innkeeper. Unlike young Siward, who had 
 his hurts on the front, one of these scalped 
 L 3 
 
150 AMERICA, 
 
 trophies had a bullet hole at the back ; another 
 had been gnawed by racoons, or other wild 
 animals, the marks made by the teeth of the 
 ravenous tenants of the forest being perfectly 
 visible. The sight instantly brought to mind 
 the horribly fine lines of the ever- to-be-lamented 
 Byron, in the poem entitled " The Siege of 
 Corinth." 
 
 " And he saw the lean dogs beneath the wall 
 
 Hold o er the dead their carnival, 
 
 Gorging and growling o er carcass and limb ; 
 
 They were too busy to bark at him I 
 
 From a Tartar s skull they had stripp d the flesh, 
 
 As ye peel the fig when its fruit is fresh ; 
 
 And their white tusks crunch d o er the whiter skull, 
 
 As it slipp d through their jaws when their edge grew dull ; 
 
 As they lazily mumbled the bones of the dead, 
 
 When they scarce could rise from the spot where they fed ; 
 
 So well had they broken a lingering fast 
 
 With those who had fallen for that night s repast." 
 
 The population at Chippewa, and along this 
 route, with whom we happened to come in 
 contact, were chiefly Irish, and seemed very 
 well satisfied with their situation and prospects. 
 One or two miserably daubed representations 
 of the royal arms of England met our view in 
 the shape of signs. Royal emblems did not 
 appear to have been within the scope of the 
 artist s talents ; and perhaps the cap of liberty 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 151 
 
 would have been better suited to his pencil, if 
 not to his feelings. 
 
 At Waterloo, for this name has travelled 
 wheresoever John Bull has a footing, we 
 were obliged to wait some time for the ferry 
 boat ; and during the period of our delay had 
 the misfortune to witness a very affecting 
 scene. Near the fire in the room into which 
 we were shown stood a fine looking young 
 man, his eyes fixed upon the ground, and ap 
 parently abstracted from all around him. A 
 female, nursing an infant, sat in the same apart 
 ment ; and her dejected look bespoke a sym 
 pathy with her partner, as the man proved to 
 be, which strongly excited our curiosity, and 
 prompted us to enquire the cause of their grief. 
 " My brother, with my wife and myself, and 
 our little ones," replied the young man, " were 
 on our way to locate farther west, and had got 
 so far yesterday, all well. We had, for con 
 venience, stowed our furniture and baggage in 
 
 7 oo o 
 
 a small boat which was to be towed down the 
 Niagara river and up the Chippewa, whilst my 
 wife and the babes were to follow in the wagon. 
 My brother and another man were in the boat, 
 and had reached the mouth of the Chippewa, 
 a short distance above the commencement of 
 the rapids, when the tow-rope broke, and away 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 drifted the boat towards the falls. My poor 
 dear brother, terrified at the moment, jumped 
 over-board, but could not gain the shore, and 
 was soon hurried into the breakers : and," 
 added he, with faltering voice, " miserably 
 perished over those tremendous falls. Alas ! 
 there s no mistake there s no mistake," he 
 reiterated, at the same instant wiping the big 
 tears from his manly cheek : " had you seen 
 the dear orphans," said he, " cling to my 
 knees, crying, yet doubting the truth, saying, 
 No, no, uncle ; daddy is not gone, he will 
 come again ; you are playing with us, it 
 would have melted the firmest heart. 
 
 " Nothing served to comfort them after they 
 were made to believe the fact, until I promised 
 them to be their father ; and," added he, with 
 great emphasis, " I have promised it, and I 
 will perform. God bless them and all of us." 
 
 As soon as the distressed man became a little 
 composed, he informed us, that the boat with 
 his brother s companion was almost miracu 
 lously drifted upon Goat Island, when within 
 one hundred yards of the precipice. 
 
 This simple tale of woe brought tears from 
 all around ; and deeply sympathising with the 
 afflicted group, and wishing them health and 
 prosperity in their anticipated settlement, we 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 153 
 
 bade them adieu, and entered the ferry-boat 
 which was to convey us back to the United 
 States. 
 
 The river is here a mile in width ; and such 
 is the rapidity of the current, that although 
 we were in a boat propelled by machinery, 
 worked by two horses, yet I could scarcely 
 divest myself of the idea of some accident 
 happening, and of our being drifted to the 
 falls below. 
 
 We landed at Black Rock, unquestioned by 
 the authorities of the Custom House, and in 
 half an hour alighted at the Eagle Hotel in 
 Buffalo. 
 
1.54 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 PREVIOUSLY to entering upon a description 
 of this place, I may remark, that we did not, 
 like a celebrated traveller to whom I have 
 alluded, find the air, the sky, the land, and 
 the whole scenery of the Canadian side of the 
 river differ from the same things on the Amer 
 ican side. The land is, indeed, a little more 
 cleared. We were attended at the hotel by an 
 English female servant, in her frilled cap, and 
 our bill was twice as much as it was for the 
 same meals at the Generals, at Manchester 
 village. As for the rest, it was, to use the 
 words of Pope, " all but leather or prunello." 
 Buffalo, like Manchester and Lewiston, fell a 
 prey to the flames during the last war ; having 
 been set on fire by the British, in retaliation 
 for a similar outrage committed by the Ameri 
 cans at Newark, on the Canadian frontier. It 
 has since been rebuilt, and is rapidly extend 
 ing. Its situation, as the point of junction 
 between the great western canal and Lake 
 Erie, gives it immense advantages j and the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 155 
 
 day is not far distant, when Buffalo will be 
 come one of the most important places in the 
 state. A commodious harbour has lately been 
 constructed ; and besides a number of schoon 
 ers and trading sloops, steamers of large bur 
 den sail regularly during the season between 
 this place and the various ports on the coasts 
 of Lake Erie ; among others to that of Cleave- 
 land, the entrance of the Ohio canal lately 
 finished, which, after passing for the distance 
 of three hundred miles through the fertile 
 and now populous state of that name, commu 
 nicates with the great river Ohio, one of the 
 grand tributaries to the Mississippi. These 
 vessels also visit Detroit, a populous district, 
 and occasionally make trips to the new settle 
 ments, as far as Lake Michigan, a distance of 
 nearly one thousand miles. The neighbour 
 hood of Detroit, which was founded by the 
 French, nearly two centuries ago, was repre 
 sented to me as being a most desirable location. 
 
 The squares and streets of Buffalo are 
 planned upon an extensive scale, and the 
 buildings are pretty good. 
 
 The Eagle Hotel, that at which we took 
 up our quarters, is not only very large, but is 
 equal in most respects to the best in Great 
 Britain. 
 
156 AMERICA, 
 
 Nearly one hundred persons of both sexes 
 sat down to meals, most of whom were store 
 keepers and their assistants. 
 
 The females were first shown to their usual 
 station, the upper end of the long table, and 
 then came the eager rush of hungry " business 
 men," summoned from all parts of the village 
 by the great alarm bell fixed on the summit of 
 the building. We invariably noticed, that the 
 American females had delicate appetites, and 
 ate very little, although they permitted their 
 plates to be loaded unmercifully, seldom re 
 fusing any thing, however opposite in taste. 
 We often saw half a dozen different meats and 
 vegetables upon the same plate, the chief of 
 which was sent away untouched ; and children 
 appeared to be excessively indulged in regard 
 to food, nothing being denied them. The 
 charge for wine at the hotels is extravagant, 
 when it is recollected that the duty is so trifling. 
 The consequence is, very little, if any, is called 
 for. We were charged at Buffalo nine shil 
 lings for a bottle of Madeira, although half 
 that sum would have afforded the proprietor 
 of the hotel an ample retail profit. 
 
 The charge for board and lodging, in fact, 
 for every thing of the best and in great abun-- 
 dance, except wine, was about five shillings 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 157 
 
 per day each person for transient visitors ; and, 
 as I have already remarked, no servants fees 
 of any description, notwithstanding which, all 
 were exceedingly attentive and polite. We 
 found this to be the usual charge in the best 
 establishments out of New York, in which 
 city the terms are rather higher. 
 
 This infant settlement contains a pretty 
 museum, in which we saw some fine and lively 
 rattle-snakes. These being secured in wire 
 cages, we were enabled to study their move 
 ments and mode of attack, as well as to hear 
 the warning rattles from which they derive 
 their name. 
 
 On introducing a cane through the wires, 
 the snakes made a low rustling sound with 
 the rattles, not unlike that produced by a per 
 son walking amongst dry leaves, and darted 
 their fangs at the object of their annoyance in 
 a manner sufficiently indicative of what would 
 have been the consequence, if a limb in lieu 
 of a cane had been in contact with these 
 venomous reptiles. The Indians have an 
 antidote which renders the bite perfectly in 
 noxious, and they sometimes, for the purpose 
 of exhibition, allow themselves to be bitten 
 severely in the extremities until the limb is 
 swollen by inflammation ; and, on applying the 
 
158 AMERICA, 
 
 remedy, feel no subsequent bad effects. Above 
 the museum is a lecture room, where lectures 
 on the various branches of natural philosophy 
 or on any other useful subjects are occasionally 
 delivered. All this, touching the confines, 
 indeed still in the midst of forests and wilds, 
 presented a cheering spectacle, and a striking 
 lesson to the people of older countries, upon 
 whose heels, if not as respects some matters, 
 upon whose toes the Americans are treading. 
 
 We saw at Buffalo, numbers of Indians, of 
 the Seneca, Tuscarora, and other tribes, the 
 remnants of that division of the aborigines, 
 called the Six Nations. They were all of a 
 copper hue, and had long coarse black hair. 
 The women wore loose cloth pantaloons, orna 
 mented with embroidery at the ankles, and 
 large blue bordered blankets covered their 
 heads and enveloped their persons. The ears 
 and necks of these bronzed damsels were 
 bedizened with silver ornaments, whilst their 
 feet, cold and wet, had no other protection 
 than soft shoes or moccassins manufactured by 
 themselves from the skins of the wild deer; 
 but not having soles, the water penetrates as 
 in a sponge, rendering them extremely un 
 comfortable. Some of the squaws, as the 
 wives of the red man are called, had infants 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 159 
 
 or papooses in swaddling clothes braced to 
 boards, and carried on the back under the 
 blankets. 
 
 We asked permission or rather, as the squaw 
 did not understand us, we made signs that we 
 wished to see her infant, and proceeded to 
 unfold the blanket. The little copper-faced 
 brat being suddenly awoke, gave us each a 
 look of surprise which I shall not soon forget, 
 and then set up a scream which pierced the 
 ears of all around. The men were attired in 
 long frock coats and trowsers, and wore hats. 
 Most of them wore large red worsted sashes 
 round the body, as is the custom in some parts 
 of the south of Europe. During our stay at 
 Buffalo, we made excursions to the village of 
 the Seneca tribe of Indians, which is situated 
 about three miles from that place. The road 
 was so bad that it was scarcely passable either 
 for wagons or for persons on foot. On our way 
 thither, we met an Indian in a small vehicle 
 driven by an American boy. On asking the lat 
 ter the distance we were then from the village, 
 and happening to state that we were strangers 
 and English, the Indian jumped out of the 
 wagon, and, to our great surprise, shook hands 
 with us very cordially, stating, in no very bad 
 English, that he had been in our country and 
 
160 AMERICA, 
 
 was delighted to see us. On explaining to 
 him the object of our pilgrimage, he insisted 
 upon being our guide, and, allowing the boy to 
 proceed to Buffalo, walked with us to his vil 
 lage. Upon further conversation we found 
 we were indeed highly honoured in the person 
 of our Cicerone, who proved to be the nephew 
 of the celebrated chief Old Red Jacket, then 
 in the eightieth year of his age, and since dead, 
 to whom he promised we should be presented. 
 Thus escorted, and full of wigwam anticipa 
 tions, we visited some of the cottages, in 
 which we were not a little disappointed, as 
 tourists, to find every thing in a comparatively 
 advanced stage of civilization. 
 
 In one of these humble habitations, the 
 squaw, who could not speak a word of En 
 glish, was highly decorated with silver chains 
 and other pendent ornaments ; and, in this 
 gala attire, was busy making cakes of In 
 dian meal, while the papouse or infant lay 
 sleeping. 
 
 The different articles of furniture were 
 such as are found in the cabins of the white 
 settlers ; but what more particularly attracted 
 our attention among the moveables, was the 
 display of Birmingham tea-trays, and blue and 
 white Staffordshire crockery, which with us 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. l6l 
 
 were associated with such an opposite picture 
 of rural life. 
 
 Many of the Indians are converted, or 
 rather have been persuaded to profess par 
 ticular systems of Christianity ; for how is it 
 possible that the dogmas taught by the mis 
 sionaries, and which have been fertile subjects 
 of dispute among the most learned, from the 
 first to the present century of the Christian 
 era, should be comprehended by the unlet 
 tered child of the forest. Was the pure mo 
 rality of the Gospel alone inculcated, by 
 practice as well as precept, leaving speculative 
 opinions to man s own bosom, the result would 
 probably be much more favourable to virtue, 
 and consequently to happiness. 
 
 We were told that the old chief of the tribe 
 resolutely maintained his own religious opi 
 nions, and his nephew wisely declined any 
 discussion on the subject. 
 
 This otherwise communicative individual 
 informed me, that the tract of land they oc 
 cupied was ceded to them by the state, toge 
 ther with a pecuniary compensation ; and he 
 seemed to feel a degree of pride on declaring, 
 that nobody dared to cut down one of the 
 trees on their little territory without their 
 permission. 
 
 M 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 It would, perhaps, be much better for the 
 possessors, however, if more were cut down ; 
 but semi-civilized Indians make indifferent 
 husbandmen ; and the vice of intemperance, 
 for which they are indebted to the white man, 
 is very prevalent. 
 
 On our return to Buffalo, our guide enter 
 tained us with an account of his English 
 travels. He informed us, that he had been 
 one of a party who visited England some 
 years ago, to exhibit the Indian war dances, 
 and had made the tour of the country. He 
 expressed himself as having been delighted 
 with all he saw ; and that his reception had 
 been flattering, was evident from the satisfac 
 tion with which he alluded to it. 
 
 Among several public characters who had 
 witnessed his performances, and whose titles 
 he had not forgotten, was his late Majesty, 
 George the Fourth, whom he enquired after 
 with all the familiarity of an old acquaintance. 
 He also mentioned, with glee, the late Duke 
 of York, who, it seemed, had ordered the 
 knights of the tomahawk and scalping knife 
 to be regaled with their darling liquor, gin. 
 
 " The Duke of York very much please 
 with dance," said he ; and added with a burst 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 163 
 
 of laughter, in which we heartily joined, 
 " He give us plenty plenty of gin!" 
 
 When we arrived at Buffalo, we found that 
 his majesty, Old Red Jacket, had left the 
 village on his return to his residence, and 
 were consequently disappointed in regard to 
 the expected presentation. Having shook 
 hands with his obliging nephew, thanked him 
 for his kindness, and treated him to as much, 
 or perhaps more, of his favourite beverage 
 than was good for him, we parted. 
 
 However averse to labour the red man 
 may be, the squaws were represented to us 
 as being very industrious ; and, besides the 
 performance of their domestic duties, they 
 manufacture many ornamental articles of dress, 
 among which are the moccasins before alluded 
 to. These curious species of shoes are taste 
 fully embroidered with the quills of the Ame 
 rican porcupine, which they dye with various 
 brilliant colours of their own preparation. 
 
 The knowledge of this interesting race is 
 not confined to their own productions ; for 
 we learned from one of the principal store 
 keepers of Buffalo, that the Indians were all 
 excellent judges of foreign goods, particularly 
 of broad cloths, which, if their means allowed, 
 M 2 
 
164 AMERICA, 
 
 they would always purchase of the finest 
 quality. 
 
 At Buffalo, our agreeable and scientific 
 travelling companion, Dr. H., left us, to pur- 
 sue his journey to the great metropolis of the 
 western states, Cincinnati ; whilst we, not 
 able to extend ours at that period, and warned 
 by the sudden approach of winter, were re 
 luctantly obliged to commence retracing our 
 steps to New York. Taking a last look at 
 Lake Erie, and its shores, as far as the eye 
 could embrace from the elevated belvidere of 
 the hotel, we embarked in the packet for Ro 
 chester, which happened to be the identical 
 boat in which we had been conveyed from 
 that place to Tonewanta, on our route to the 
 falls. 
 
 On entering the cabin, I was not a little 
 surprised to hear myself welcomed by the title 
 of Colonel, to which I certainly had no more 
 claim than I had to that of Mi Lord, a term 
 liberally applied to English travellers on the 
 continent of Europe some seventeen or eigh 
 teen years ago, and to which one actually be 
 came accustomed. To explain the mystery, 
 it is necessary to inform the reader, that in 
 travelling in America, we found persons, whose 
 appearance did not bespeak them to be hewers 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 165 
 
 of wood or drawers of water, often styled Cap 
 tain, and by such title I had been addressed 
 on the voyage from Albany. Whether I had 
 ingratiated myself with our commander, by 
 conversation, jest, or tale, I know not; but it 
 seemed he thought proper to dub me by 
 brevet, and the superior title of Colonel was 
 soon echoed by his assistant and others, to my 
 great annoyance at the moment, although the 
 sound conveyed little of its English significa 
 tion in a country where we had so lately found 
 the landlord of an inn to be a general. At 
 the commencement of our route, we passed a 
 man in rough attire, returning from gunning, 
 as the phrase is, and attended by a black ser 
 vant. They had just killed a fine buck, which 
 the negro bore over his shoulder, whilst his 
 master was so hung round with wild ducks, and 
 other birds, that it required no great stretch 
 of imagination to identify the group with poor 
 Robinson Crusoe, and his faithful Friday. 
 
 As we approached Rochester we found all 
 the population assembling to witness a sur 
 prising feat, at the performance of which it 
 was also our melancholy fortune to be present. 
 This grand attraction was no less than the 
 fatal jump of the individual named Patch, 
 M 3 
 
166 AMERICA, 
 
 which furnished a subject for the newspapers 
 of the time. 
 
 A little below the village of Rochester, the 
 river Genessee pours over a precipice one 
 hundred feet in height, and close to the cas 
 cade, a scaffold of twenty-five feet in height 
 had been erected, so as to make the eminence 
 exactly one hundred and twenty-five feet above 
 the surface of the river below. 
 
 From this great elevation the foolish man 
 jumped, and striking the water with tremen 
 dous force, disappeared. The time occupied 
 in falling was not quite three seconds. 
 
 The precipitous banks of the Genessee were 
 crowded with almost the whole population of 
 the village and neighbourhood, and the sight 
 was one of uncommon interest. Patch was 
 dressed in a white suit, with a black belt or 
 sash round his loins. He sprung fearlessly 
 from the platform, and kept himself perfectly 
 upright, with his feet close together, until 
 nearly reaching the water. As he had before 
 jumped from the height of one hundred feet 
 at the same place, as well as a little below the 
 falls of Niagara, and had experienced no bad 
 effects, it was believed, had he been sober at 
 the time in question, which, unfortunately for 
 
UNIVERSITY 
 
 AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 himself, was not the case, he would not have 
 met with his untimely end. 
 
 The termination of the scene was more 
 affecting to us, from the circumstance of our 
 having seen him in the packet-boat a few days 
 previously, with his favourite companion, a 
 fine young bear, when we had the curiosity 
 to question him upon his manner of jumping, 
 the management of his limbs, and state of 
 his feelings, at the time of his performances. 
 The poor fellow, who it seemed was too 
 idle to work, pursued the occupation for a 
 miserable pittance, and the better to attract 
 the populace, had advertised this as being 
 positively his last jump, the coincidence of 
 which with the catastrophe caused an im 
 pression that he contemplated suicide. The 
 spectacle of the descent, in front of a black 
 precipice, and the breathless anxiety mani 
 fested by the assembled multitude for some 
 minutes, were awfully grand. 
 
 The body of the unfortunate man was dis 
 covered in a perfect state, at some distance 
 from the place of his death, upon the breaking 
 up of the ice in the following spring. 
 
 It was our intention to have proceeded from 
 Rochester by the stage to Utica, visiting Ge 
 neva on the Seneca Lake, Auburn, celebrated 
 M 4* 
 
168 AMERICA, 
 
 for its state prison, and other places of interest 
 on the route ; but the bad state of the roads, 
 which made travelling by land exceedingly 
 fatiguing, obliged us to resume the aquatic 
 mode of conveyance. A jolting ride of six 
 teen miles through a tolerably cleared country, 
 brought us to a station on the canal just as 
 the night set in, and before the packet, whose 
 course from Rochester to this spot was cir 
 cuitous and interrupted by locks, had arrived. 
 The evening was cold, but as the inn where 
 we alighted was in the neighbourhood of 
 forests, and the fuel being in abundance for 
 the labour of " hewing and splitting," we 
 experienced the cheering influence of a fire 
 which would have done credit to the wide 
 hearths of the baronial castles of the olden 
 time. The blazing mass before which we 
 supped was no less than eight feet wide by 
 three feet in height, and presented a truly hos 
 pitable appearance. 
 
 Reluctantly quitting this attraction, and the 
 assembled guests, just when reserve was giving 
 place to anecdotes and good-humoured disput 
 ation, we again embarked, and had not pro 
 ceeded many miles before an accident to the 
 rudder obliged us to halt in our career. 
 
 The boat was secured by ropes to stumps 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 169 
 
 of trees on the bank of the canal, whilst mes 
 sengers were despatched with the broken ap 
 paratus to the nearest smithery, as it was 
 termed, a distance of three miles. Before 
 retiring to my cot for the night, I happened 
 to take a peep at our location, which con 
 trasted strongly with the snug comforts of 
 the packet, causing one to enjoy them so 
 much the more. That part of the canal in 
 which we were detained was cut through 
 dense forest, the trees of which were at least 
 eighty, and some even one hundred feet in 
 height ; the ground was covered with snow, 
 and the scene viewed by the lamps of the 
 boat, midst the most profound stillness, save 
 an occasional cry from some tenant of the 
 woods, was one of utter loneliness. The 
 effect produced by a bugle horn in these wilds 
 was particularly striking ; and Weber s fine 
 hunting chorus, played by one of the boatmen 
 at my request, was a musical treat of no ordi 
 nary character. The necessary repairs being 
 completed in the course of the night, we 
 pursued our " winding way," and in the 
 morning found ourselves again in the neigh 
 bourhood of comparative civilisation. 
 
 Unlike the custom of the great seaports of 
 America, where, as in England, separate esta- 
 
170 AMERICA, 
 
 blishments exist for the sale of distinct branches 
 of manufactures or other commodities, most 
 of the stores in the smaller towns and villages 
 contain a general assortment of goods of the 
 most heterogeneous description ; and the cus 
 tomers may be supplied at the same counter 
 with a pound of young hyson, a pair of scis 
 sors, or a copy of Scott s Life of Napoleon. 
 
 A still inferior class of stores is to be found 
 located along the lines of the canals, wherever 
 the junction of a branch, the proximity of 
 locks, or the establishment of some factory 
 has attracted settlers. Rude as the signs of 
 these humble tenements in general were, and 
 varied as regarded the stocks in trade, I 
 certainly was not prepared for the following 
 jumble of articles of prime necessity, the cata 
 logue of which I copied verbatim from the 
 front of a store as we were passing one of the 
 locks. 
 
 Pork. Snuff. 
 
 Lamp Oil. Dried Beef. 
 
 Crockery. Nutmegs. 
 
 Tobacco. Whiskey. 
 
 Shot. Cinnamon. 
 
 Salted Shad* Gunpowder. 
 
 Many of the hucksters to whom these little 
 stores belong were poor Irish emigrants, who 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 happening to arrive at the period when the 
 canal was commenced, laboured in its execu 
 tion ; and having saved a little money, bought 
 their acres, built their frame-houses, and are 
 now enjoying the fruits of their industry free 
 from the assaults of gamekeepers, or the pe 
 riodical visits of either tithe-proctors or excise 
 men. 
 
 On transferring ourselves at Utica from the 
 packet which had brought us from Rochester 
 to that which was to convey us to Schenectady, 
 we experienced an instance of good feeling on 
 the part of the captain, which was the more 
 appreciated by us as it was perfectly disinter* 
 ested. Having expressed our satisfaction at 
 the comforts of the boat, and the attention 
 paid to the wants and wishes of the passengers, 
 the individual alluded to, on shaking hands 
 with me, not only assured us of his desire to 
 see us again on that route, but in the most gen 
 tlemanly manner begged, that if it was agree 
 able to us to make another trip, he should 
 consider us as his guests both going and re 
 turning. 
 
 The accident of mislaying a bunch of keys 
 at Utica, obliged me to perform my toilet for 
 the day at the nearest hairdresser s or barber s 
 store I could find. On entering a respectable- 
 
172 AMERICA, 
 
 looking shop of this description, I was imme 
 diately requested by the sable, woolly-headed 
 Figaro who received me, to be seated; so 
 pulling off my coat and stock, I accordingly 
 sat down, when, in an instant, I felt the back 
 of the chair, as I thought, giving way. In 
 this I was deceived; poor Mungo had dis 
 covered that the best position for his cus 
 tomers, whilst under the operation of shaving, 
 was precisely that so favourable for the dentist, 
 and his chairs were accordingly constructed, 
 so that the backs could be elevated or depressed 
 at pleasure. It would be an act of injustice 
 were I to omit to state, that no Parisian valet 
 could have performed his task better, even to 
 the concluding part of handing me my hat, 
 cane, and gloves, as well as making his obei 
 sance on my wishing him good morning. This 
 trifling act of civility on my part was, pro 
 bably, the more acceptable, because it is one 
 which an American is not in the habit of be 
 stowing upon his darker brethren. 
 
 Proceeding onward, we passed the romantic 
 scenery of the Little Falls by moonlight, thus 
 enjoying its wild beauties under varied aspects ; 
 and after a most delightful day s sail, in view 
 of the enchanting Mohawk, we landed at 
 Schenectady, and taking the stage, in a few 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 173 
 
 hours were again comfortably seated at the 
 American Hotel in Albany. 
 
 The morning following we once more em 
 barked, in one of the splendid steamers, for 
 New York, and rapidly pursued our voyage 
 down the broad and noble Hudson. The com 
 pany was numerous, and the fineness of the 
 weather, although it was now the middle of 
 November, permitted us to enjoy the ever- 
 varying landscape from the upper deck, the 
 seats on which were all in requisition. 
 
 Among the passengers was a young female 
 of exceedingly interesting appearance, but who 
 sat abstracted in the midst of the throng, ap 
 parently insensible to the remarks of the lover 
 of the picturesque, the reasonings of politicians, 
 or the sallies of wit. Curious to learn the 
 cause of this evident indifference, I took an 
 opportunity of making some observation to the 
 gentleman who was seated beside her, and 
 under whose protection she appeared to travel. 
 This led to further conversation, in which he 
 informed us that the young lady in question 
 was his sister, who had the melancholy mis 
 fortune to be a mute, and that she was return 
 ing to the school for the deaf and dumb, near 
 New York, after a few weeks recreation among 
 her friends. At our request we were instantly 
 
174 AMERICA, 
 
 introduced to the afflicted young creature, as 
 strangers travelling to see America. Her 
 countenance beamed with pleasure at being 
 thus noticed ; for the brother had, by signs, 
 signified that we deeply sympathised with her 
 in her affliction. Pencils and pocket-books 
 were immediately brought forth, and we, for 
 a time, forgot the moving panorama in the 
 novelty of our mode of converse, and the in 
 terest it excited. Her first questions were, as 
 to our names, place of abode, and its distance 
 from New York. The answer to the latter 
 seemed to strike her forcibly, for it was im 
 mediately followed by the question, " Have 
 you friends so far behind you ?" On reading 
 the affirmative she shook her head slowly, and 
 wrote, " How far you are from them ! " After 
 asking the favour of her name, I wrote down, 
 " Will you tell me a secret, that is, your age ?" 
 She smiled, and wrote, " I am fifteen years." 
 Desirous to know whether she had any know 
 ledge of those celebrated men, the Abbe 
 de 1 Epee or the Abbe Sicard, I put the 
 question ; but, incautiously and in haste, wrote 
 down, " Have you heard of them ?" She 
 wrote in reply, " I don t hear." I then used 
 the phrase, " Have you read or been told of 
 those good men ?" She answered, " Yes, sir." 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 Some interruption occurring, I wrote, " We 
 will chat again after dinner." This word caused 
 her to knit her brows, and show evident signs 
 of having met with a difficulty. After think 
 ing for an instant she wrote, "What is chat?" 
 I answered, " Chat is to converse in an easy 
 familiar manner." The girl s eyes sparkled, 
 and, with significant nods, she wrote, " Yes, 
 yes." During our resumed colloquies, a lady 
 enquired " Whether she could work with the 
 needle?" She wrote, with hasty satisfaction, 
 " Yes, madam ; and I can make bead bags." 
 In reply to the question of, "How long have 
 you been at the school ?" She wrote, " I 
 have been four years, and shall stay one year 
 seven months." We complimented her on 
 her proficiency ; at which she appeared to be 
 much gratified, and expressed a great desire 
 to see us again before we returned to Eng 
 land. The shades of evening having gra 
 dually thinned the crowded decks, we enjoyed 
 the pleasure of a twilight promenade, until 
 the steward with his bell announced that 
 supper was on the table. 
 
 A dense fog coming on soon after, we were 
 unable to proceed, and the vessel was accord 
 ingly anchored. It so happened that this was 
 
176 AMERICA, 
 
 about the spot where the British sloop of war, 
 the Vulture, lay when she was to have re 
 ceived Major Andre on board, upon his return 
 from his visit to Arnold. 
 
 When all was still, and as I lay in my berth, 
 rather in a musing than a sleeping mood, I 
 indulged in a thousand associations connected 
 with past and present times ; with America, as 
 she was, at the period to v which I allude, 
 empoverished and struggling in the noblest 
 of causes, The Rights of Man ; and America, 
 as she now is, the beacon and the watch-word 
 of Liberty ; and, in energy and successful en 
 terprise, the rival of the powerful nation from 
 which she sprung. My musings were soon 
 interrupted by the hissing of the steam, and 
 the noise occasioned by weighing the anchor ; 
 and in a few hours after, I found we were at 
 New York. In this extended excursion of 
 nearly eleven hundred miles, we had met with 
 most intelligent and agreeable society, had 
 received invitations and various civilities from 
 persons to whom we were wholly unknown, 
 and who, in all probability, we may never 
 meet again ; and, although we had travelled 
 in public conveyances alike open to all, had 
 not witnessed any drunkenness or riotous be- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 177 
 
 haviour, nor heard an oath, or any indecent 
 or objectionable word. Such as were of con 
 genial tastes, or whose conversation suited, 
 naturally associated together ; in short, those 
 talked together, who could talk together ; all 
 was good-humour and perfect civility ; and if 
 the Americans do not do the thing exactly in 
 the French style, we observed they were in 
 variably polite to the softer sex, let their age 
 or attire be as they might. I could not help 
 thinking that this general good deportment 
 must be attributed not only to the diffusion of 
 education, but in some measure to the con 
 stant amalgamation of the different classes in 
 hotels, boarding houses, and particularly in 
 travelling, in which there are no aristocratic 
 modes. Every individual knows that he is 
 expected to conduct himself with propriety ; 
 and whatever he may be at home, he conforms 
 to the rules of decorum abroad. I often 
 wished, however, that the very prevalent 
 habits of chewing, smoking, and, worse than 
 either, their effect, spitting, had been dis 
 pensed with : but it is proper to remark, that 
 these are not the habits of the best educated 
 persons ; and except it might be for the con 
 venience of some particular individual, who, 
 
 N 
 
178 AMERICA, 
 
 like the late worthy and learned Dr. Parr, 
 could not exist without his whiff of the Indian 
 weed, I do not remember to have seen that 
 disgusting article, a spitting-box, in any private 
 drawing-room in America. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 179 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 
 ANXIOUS to reach Washington, the seat of 
 government, before the freezing of the rivers, 
 we left New York, for Philadelphia, on the 
 morning of December 24th, 1829. 
 
 The air was as mild as the month of May 
 in England ; and our sail across the charming 
 bay, and up the little river Rariton, was de 
 lightful. A most bountiful breakfast was 
 served in the steamer ; after which, on paying 
 our fares, we were presented with tickets, 
 bearing numbers, which entitled the passen 
 gers to seats in the coaches bearing corre 
 sponding numbers. The distribution of these 
 tickets, in which considerable tact is displayed, 
 is the business of the captain of the vessel. 
 
 Those gentlemen who had ladies or child 
 ren under their protection, were requested to 
 name their party, and were assigned to the 
 same coaches, so that no separations took place ; 
 and this rule was extended to others, by making 
 a request to that effect. 
 
 A further and more delicate classification 
 took place in putting those together whose 
 
 N 2 
 
180 AMERICA, 
 
 sphere of life or manners appeared to assimi 
 late ; yet this was so adroitly managed as not 
 to excite general notice, still less to cause any 
 unpleasant feeling among the passengers. On 
 approaching New Brunswick, a signal was 
 made, notifying the number of stage coaches 
 required, which in this instance was nine ; and 
 at the same time passengers were requested to 
 select their baggage, each article of which was 
 immediately marked with chalk, agreeably to 
 the number on the ticket. All the vehicles 
 were ranged on the wharf in numerical order; 
 and the instant we landed, we hastened to 
 ours ; and the packages being brought on 
 shore, and secured behind, off we drove, each 
 coach, under all circumstances of watering or 
 changing horses, keeping its relative station. 
 
 The last vehicle was appropriated to blacks 
 or persons of colour, who, in spite of their 
 degraded position, wore the happiest faces in 
 the whole procession. The distance from New 
 Brunswick to Trenton, on the Delaware, is 
 about twenty-six miles, and the road tolerably 
 good. 
 
 The country appeared well cultivated ; and 
 every farm had its peach-orchard. This tract 
 was the scene of several conflicts in the war 
 of independence ; and I found the name of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 181 
 
 Tarleton, one of the few officers of the British 
 army who served in that quarter now alive, 
 still remembered. 
 
 Princeton, sixteen miles from New Bruns 
 wick, has, in addition to the State College, 
 founded by the royal government, a large 
 establishment for the education of youths in 
 tended for the Presbyterian ministry. 
 
 Trenton, which is ten miles further, is 
 beautifully situated near the first rapids of the 
 Delaware, which here, at the distance of one 
 hundred and twenty miles from the sea, ceases 
 to be navigable for vessels of burthen. 
 
 The road crosses the river on a covered 
 wooden bridge, above four hundred yards in 
 length. 
 
 Trenton was the theatre of two of the most 
 brilliant exploits in the military career of the 
 great Washington ; the particulars of which 
 are extremely interesting, and are related with 
 spirit in the same publication to which I have 
 before alluded, as emanating from the society 
 of which the present Lord Chancellor is the 
 corner stone. 
 
 " On the approach of the British to the 
 Delaware," says the writer, " Congress ad 
 journed its sittings from Philadelphia to Balti 
 more ; and it was expected that General Howe 
 N 3 
 
182 AMERICA, 
 
 would speedily make his triumphal entry into 
 the Pennsylvanian capital ; but a bold man 
 oeuvre of Washington suddenly turned the tide 
 of success. 
 
 " On his arrival at the Delaware, his troops 
 were dwindled down to the number of 3000 ; 
 but having received some reinforcements of 
 Pennsylvanian militia, he determined to en 
 deavour to retrieve his fortunes by a decisive 
 stroke. 
 
 " The British troops were cantoned in Bur 
 lington, Bordentori, and Trenton, waiting for 
 the formation of the ice to cross into Penn 
 sylvania. 
 
 " Understanding that in the confidence 
 produced by a series of successes they were 
 by no means vigilant, he conceived the possi 
 bility of taking them by surprise. He, ac 
 cordingly, on the evening of Christmas Day, 
 conveyed the main body of his army over the 
 Delaware, and falling upon the troops quar 
 tered in Trenton, killed and captured about 
 900 of them, and recrossed into Pennsylvania 
 with his prisoners. On the 28th of Decem 
 ber, he again took possession of Trenton, 
 where he was soon encountered by a superior 
 force of British, who drove in his advanced 
 parties, and entered the town in the evening, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 183 
 
 with the intention of giving him battle the 
 next morning. The two armies were sepa 
 rated only by a narrow creek which runs 
 through the town. 
 
 " In such a position, it should seem to be 
 impossible that any movement on the one side 
 or the other could pass unobserved. But in the 
 darkness of the night, Washington, leaving his 
 fires lighted, and a few guards to attract the 
 attention of the enemy, quitted his encamp 
 ment, and crossing a bridge over the creek, 
 which had been left unguarded, directed his 
 march to Princeton ; where, after a short but 
 brisk engagement, he killed sixty of the Bri 
 tish, and took 300 prisoners. The rest of the 
 royal forces were dispersed, and fled in differ 
 ent directions. 
 
 " Great was the surprise of Lord Cornwallis, 
 who commanded the British army at Trenton, 
 when the report of the artillery at Princeton, 
 which he at first mistook for thunder, and 
 the arrival of breathless messengers, apprised 
 him that the enemy was in his rear. Alarmed 
 by the danger of his position, he commenced 
 a retreat ; and being harassed by the militia, 
 and the countrymen who had suffered from 
 the outrages perpetrated by his troops on their 
 advance, he did not deem himself in safety 
 
184 AMERICA, 
 
 till he arrived at New Brunswick, from whence, 
 by means of the Rariton he had a communica 
 tion with New York." * 
 
 On our reaching the point of embarkation on 
 the Delaware, we were transferred on board the 
 steamer with as much celerity as we had been 
 handed into the coach at New Brunswick, and 
 immediately sat down to a bountiful dinner. 
 The charge for meals on board these packets 
 was two shillings each person. Nothing was 
 required by the waiters, or even by the porters 
 who removed the baggage. Near Bordenton, 
 we passed the residence of Count Survilliers 
 (Joseph Bonaparte) ; but the only object visible 
 from the river was an elevated chapel, the 
 mansion being concealed by woods. 
 
 The banks of the Delaware are low, but 
 highly cultivated ; and the houses, many of 
 which are of brick, are shaded by lofty 
 poplars or weeping willows ; which last trees 
 grow to a size quite unknown in England. 
 
 * Since the completion of this work, the author has 
 been agreeably surprised to find, that the excellent His 
 tory of the American Revolution, from which the fore 
 going, as well as a former extract, were taken, is from the 
 pen of the Rev. William Shepherd, the learned author of 
 the Life of Poggio Bracciolini, and the consistent advo 
 cate of " The Eternal Rights of Man." 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 185 
 
 About half way between Trenton and Phil 
 adelphia, we passed Bristol and Burlington, 
 two cheerful and populous villages situated on 
 opposite sides of the river. 
 
 Near the latter we were informed that a 
 certain London banker of notoriety had located 
 himself. 
 
 Descending this beautiful river, spires at 
 length became visible; the buildings on the 
 right bank gradually increased in number, 
 until at last they presented a continuous ap 
 pearance ; and passing the suburb of Ken 
 sington, with its ship-yards, its glass-houses, 
 and other manufactories, we soon after landed 
 in the city of the Penns. 
 
 The first sounds which saluted our ears on 
 approaching Philadelphia, were those of church 
 bells, which were ringing a peal on the occa 
 sion of Christmas Eve. It was the first time 
 we had heard that national and soothing music 
 since leaving England, and it instantly re 
 called to our remembrance, home, country, 
 friends, so powerfully, that even the welcome 
 with which we were received was not sufficient 
 to banish these natural associations. 
 
 The circumstance forcibly reminded me of 
 the sublime allusion of Napoleon to the effect 
 of the sound of the bell of the church of 
 
186 AMERICA, 
 
 Rueil, and which is thus recorded by his bio 
 grapher, Scott. 
 
 " Immediately after his, Napoleon s, elevation 
 to the dignity of First Consul, he meditated 
 the restoration of religion ; and thus, in a 
 mixture of feeling and policy, expressed him 
 self upon the subject to Thiebaudeau, then a 
 counsellor of state. 
 
 " Having combated for a long time the sys 
 tems of modern philosophers upon different 
 kinds of worship, upon Deism, natural religion, 
 and so forth, he proceeded : Last Sunday 
 evening, in the general silence of nature, I 
 was walking in these grounds, of Malmaison. 
 The sound of the church bell of Rueil fell 
 upon my ear, and renewed all the impressions 
 of my youth. I was profoundly affected, 
 such is the power of early habit and associ 
 ations ; and I considered, if such was the case 
 with me, what must not be the effect of such 
 recollections upon the more simple and credu 
 lous vulgar ? Let your philosophers answer 
 that The people must have a religion. " 
 
 The city of Philadelphia, or Brotherly Love, 
 is situated between the noble Delaware and 
 the Schuylkill, a few miles above their junc 
 tion. 
 
 The former river is rather more than a mile 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 187 
 
 in width, opposite to the city ; and the latter, 
 something less than that of the Thames at 
 London Bridge. 
 
 The streets, excepting the two centre 
 ones in each direction, are rather narrow, 
 but perfectly straight, and cross each other 
 at right angles at equal distances. Those 
 from river to river are about two miles 
 in length, and are named after different 
 descriptions of trees, as Chestnut, Walnut, 
 Spruce, Pine ; while those in the contrary 
 direction, the length of which is gradually 
 prolonged with the increase of buildings, are 
 numbered. The houses are of brick, and 
 regular in their architecture. 
 
 The steps, and the parts about the doors 
 and windows, which, in England, are usually 
 of stone, are of white marble ; which, with the 
 white painted doors, silvered plates and knobs, 
 have a very chaste effect. The side walks 
 are paved with brick, and are kept remarkably 
 clean ; and the shops are superior, as regards 
 their external appearance, to those of New 
 York ; more of them also are devoted to the 
 sale of engravings, and other branches of the 
 fine arts, than in that city. Among the num 
 ber of public edifices which adorn Philadelphia, 
 the most interesting, although not the most 
 
188 AMERICA, 
 
 beautiful, is the State House ; for in one of 
 its halls was signed the document which 
 separated thirteen of the American colonies 
 from Great Britain. 
 
 The apartment in question, which I was 
 grieved to find in a dirty and neglected state, 
 contains a statue of the immortal Washington, 
 carved in wood, and painted. Upon the pe 
 destal is the oft-quoted but just inscription, as 
 applied to this great man: " First in war, 
 first in peace, and first in the hearts of his 
 countrymen." 
 
 On the steps of the principal entrance of 
 the building, the Declaration of Independence 
 was first published to the world ; and, as some 
 atonement for the neglect of the consecrated 
 hall, these worn relics have been religiously 
 respected. From the cupola of the edifice, in 
 which there is an illuminated clock, the stran 
 ger has a most interesting bird s-eye view of 
 the city, its handsome squares, its streets in 
 long straight lines, and its populous environs. 
 It was the bell in this cupola that proclaimed 
 American freedom on the memorable 4th of 
 July, 1776 ? and, by a singular coincidence, 
 it bears an inscription in praise of Liberty, 
 although cast in London some years prior to 
 that event. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 189 
 
 If the State House possesses the most 
 interest, politically considered, the United 
 States Bank certainly claims pre-eminence 
 over all the other public edifices of the city on 
 the score of architectural beauty. This grand 
 building, which stands on a raised terrace be 
 tween two of the principal streets, is of the 
 Grecian Doric order, and is composed of white 
 marble, partially tinged with a bluish shade, 
 like the quality in general use in Philadelphia. 
 It measures 161 feet in length, and 87 feet in 
 breadth. Each of the two fronts contains 
 eight fluted columns, 4 feet 6 inches in 
 diameter, elevated upon six rows of steps. 
 This beautiful temple was designed by the 
 late ingenious M. La Trobe ; and, when 
 viewed by the "pale moonlight," the effect is 
 sublime. 
 
 The other public buildings of the same ma 
 terial as this chef d ceuvre are, the Old 
 United States Bank, the fa$ade of which ex 
 hibits a portico of the Corinthian order, the 
 columns of which are fluted ; the Bank of 
 Pennsylvania, which is a beautiful Ionic 
 temple ; the Freemasons Hall, a pseudo- 
 Gothic structure ; and the New Mint. This 
 last edifice was not completed at the period of 
 our visit ; but, judging from the design, as well 
 
190 AMERICA, 
 
 as the execution of what we saw, it will be 
 creditable to the Government and the archi 
 tect, as well as an ornament to the city in 
 which it is situated. 
 
 The Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, the 
 Naval Hospital, and the Pennsylvania Hos 
 pital, are all spacious and handsome erections, 
 worthy of a large and philanthropic commu 
 nity. In the area before the last-mentioned 
 building, which is surrounded by lofty trees, 
 stands a statue of the illustrious founder of the 
 city. This work of art is of lead bronzed, 
 and was presented to the Institution by one of 
 the noble descendants of the family of Penn in 
 England. Although the figure is attired in the 
 primitive Quaker dress, even to the broad-rim 
 hat " of the order," yet the execution of the 
 work is so good, and the effect so prepossess 
 ing, that I felt my faith in the propriety of 
 classical costume in sculpture attacked, every 
 visit which I made to this memento of the 
 father of the country. 
 
 In our perambulations we visited the spot, 
 on the banks of the Delaware, where Penn 
 concluded his celebrated treaty with the 
 aborigines, the only treaty, it has been ob 
 served, ever made without an oath, and the 
 only one which has not been broken. A neat 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 191 
 
 marble obelisk, commemorative of the event, 
 has recently been erected on this hallowed 
 site by the Society of Friends, the first in 
 stance, I believe, of that body patronising the 
 fine arts. 
 
 The venerable elm, under the shade of 
 which the treaty was ratified, was standing a 
 few years ago, but is now no more ; and 
 the extension of the suburbs of the city has 
 completely destroyed every vestige of the 
 olden time. 
 
 We were much pleased to hear that the 
 memory of Penn was still held in veneration 
 by the Indians, whose fathers did not fail to 
 transmit to their children the " golden opi 
 nions" which they entertained of that upright 
 individual. 
 
 I cannot quit the subject of the great 
 founder of Pennsylvania, without inserting 
 the following very interesting account of the 
 origin of the name, as given in a letter from 
 Penn himself, dated January 5th, 1681 : 
 "This day," says the writer, "after many 
 waitings, watchings, solicitings, and disputes 
 in council, my country was confirmed to me 
 under the great seal of England, with large 
 powers and privileges, by the name of Penn 
 sylvania, a name the King would give it in 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 honour of my father. I chose New Wales, 
 being a hilly country ; and when the secre 
 tary, a Welchman, refused to call it New 
 Wales, I proposed Sylvania ; and they added 
 Penn to it, though I much opposed it, and 
 went to the King to have it struck out. He 
 said twas past, and he would take it upon 
 him ; nor would twenty guineas move the 
 under-secretary to vary the name ; for I feared 
 it should be looked on as a vanity in me, and 
 not as a respect in the King to my father, as it 
 really was. Thou mayest communicate my 
 grant to friends, and expect shortly my pro 
 posals. Tis a dear and just thing ; and my 
 God, that has given it me through many diffi 
 culties, will, I believe, bless and make it the 
 seed of a nation. I shall have a tender care 
 to the government, that it be well laid at 
 first." 
 
 The Philadelphia Museum, which is kept in 
 a commodious and ornamental edifice called 
 the Arcade, is particularly rich in Indian cos 
 tumes and implements ; but it also contains 
 many fine specimens in the department of na 
 tural history. Among the latter is, perhaps, 
 the greatest treasure of the kind in the world, 
 a complete fossil skeleton of the mammoth. 
 The size of this huge creature, which differs 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 193 
 
 little in structure from the elephant, may be 
 better conceived, when I state that a skeleton 
 of an ordinary specimen of the latter animal 
 stands under the head of the former. This 
 unique relic of a former world was found im 
 bedded in marl in Ulster county, in the State 
 of New York. 
 
 The other most prominent specimens in 
 the animal kingdom were, an elephant ; a 
 turtle, of the fluted back sort, which measured 
 above five feet in length ; an alligator, fifteen 
 feet ; a ray, six feet in diameter ; a lobster, 
 above three feet in length ; and several enor 
 mous rattlesnakes, and other species of the 
 serpent family, which the southern and western 
 territories furnish in great variety. In our 
 survey of the articles of a mixed description, 
 and which are kept in an appropriate division 
 of the Museum, I found a MS. poem, com 
 posed by Major Andre, in whose handwriting 
 it was stated to be. The subject was pastoral, 
 and the versification corroborated what I had 
 read and heard of that gentleman s poetic 
 taste ; but, after all, its chief interest arose 
 from the fact, that it was the production of a 
 leisure hour a short time previous to his fatal 
 catastrophe. 
 
 On the walls of a gallery were displayed 
 o 
 
194 AMERICA, 
 
 a great variety of portraits of celebrated cha 
 racters, painted by the ingenious individual 
 who founded the Museum, and whose talented 
 family are indefatigable in their exertions in 
 the cause of science and the fine arts. 
 Amongst the crowd of worthies I recognised 
 my countryman, and, I am proud to add, 
 friend of my family, the illustrious Priestley. 
 This great philosopher, and martyr to the 
 sacred cause of Liberty, closed his eventful life 
 at a place called Northumberland, situated at 
 the confluence of the branches of the Susque- 
 hanna, about 130 miles from Philadelphia, and 
 where some of his descendants remain. I 
 could not help reflecting, whilst viewing the 
 portrait in question, on the great changes 
 which had taken place in the tone of thinking 
 among the English people, since the period 
 of the banishment of this early friend of Re 
 form ; and it is gratifying to know, that the 
 very community with whom the penetrating 
 mind, the profound acquirements, and the mild 
 virtues of a Priestley could not insure his pro 
 tection, is now among the foremost to uphold 
 those principles of political justice, for tem 
 perately advocating which his threshold was 
 violated the results of a life of laborious 
 study and experiment were given to the flames; 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 195 
 
 and, as if the powers of hell should triumph dur 
 ing this demoniacal Saturnalia, the house of God 
 where he ministered was rased to the ground. 
 
 The Philadelphia Museum of Natural His 
 tory, which is, however, in no way connected 
 with the Museum to which I have alluded, 
 contains a very extensive collection of mine 
 rals, fossils, shells, and also some fine speci 
 mens in the department of ornithology. 
 Among these is the wild turkey, now well 
 known in Europe through the splendid labours 
 of that indefatigable naturalist, Audubon ; to 
 whom, as well as to other individuals of ac 
 quirements, I had the good fortune to be 
 introduced by our travelling companion to 
 Niagara; and I may here add, that the scien 
 tific information communicated to us by the 
 latter gentleman during our sojourn in his na 
 tive city was only exceeded by the kind and 
 unpretending civilities which he, in common 
 with his countrymen, show to the stranger, 
 whatever may be his rank or clime. 
 
 The turkey is a native of the western hemi 
 sphere ; but by one of those accidental circum 
 stances, like that which gave the name of 
 America to the country, it has received its 
 appellation from a territory of which it is not 
 indigenous. 
 
196 AMERICA, 
 
 The most conspicuous objects in this well- 
 arranged Museum are the skeletons of a very 
 large horse and man. The latter, having a 
 dart in his hand, is astride the former, which 
 is in the act of galloping. The group is ter 
 ribly fine. 
 
 The Franklin Library, honoured with the 
 name from the circumstance of that great 
 philosopher and statesman having been among 
 its early promoters, contains a large and use 
 ful collection of books ; and in the front of 
 the building is a well-executed statue of this 
 wonderful man. The house in which he 
 resided has, in the spirit of improvement, been 
 pulled down ; but the spot in the Episcopal 
 cemetery, where " his body lies buried in 
 peace," is designated by a memorial as unos 
 tentatious as were the habits of the philosopher 
 himself. A plain, solid, white marble slab 
 covers his dust, together with that of his 
 faithful companion ; and the stranger reads 
 thereon, 
 
 Benjamin 
 
 jamin 1 
 borah J 
 
 Deborah 1790 
 
 There is a quaint accordance in the old- 
 fashioned name of Deborah with Benjamin 
 Franklin particularly striking ; and although 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 197 
 
 one looked for some more elaborate memorial 
 of so great a man, yet I doubt whether any 
 thing could be devised more effective, and 
 certainly not more congenial to the expressed 
 wishes of the deceased, than the simple tomb 
 stone I have described. I had spent hours at 
 the resting places of popes, of emperors, of 
 kings, and of doges, in admiration, and as 
 tonished at the splendid efforts of art which 
 have been raised over their remains ; but in 
 many instances without bestowing a thought 
 on the individuals whose memories they were 
 intended to honour. Alas ! how different are 
 the feelings at the grave of Franklin ! His 
 whole life passes as it were before one, from 
 the periods of his juvenile and humble occu 
 pation of cutting and preparing the wicks of 
 candles at Boston ; his forlorn situation, when, 
 strolling up the streets of Philadelphia with 
 the rolls under his arm, he was observed by 
 his future wife ; to that when, " self-taught 
 and self- directed," as has been not less classi 
 cally than truly said, 
 
 Eripuit ccelo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis. 
 
 He snatched the lightning from heaven, and the sceptre 
 from tyrants. 
 
 The mansion where the stern republican 
 o 3 
 
198 AMERICA, 
 
 patriot, Jefferson, composed the charter of 
 American freedom, has been more fortunate 
 than that of his fellow labourer. The edifice 
 stands unaltered, and the chamber in which 
 he wrote was pointed out to us. 
 
 Besides the great debt of gratitude which 
 America owes to her Jefferson, for that nervous 
 and uncompromising state paper, the Declar 
 ation of Independence, and his share in its en 
 forcement, she is under infinite obligations to 
 his philosophical mind, which displayed itself in 
 all the varied offices which he was successively 
 called upon to fill. Will it be credited, that in 
 return for such invaluable services, because he 
 entertained some abstract opinions in matters 
 which rested between himself and his Maker 
 (and which, of course, ought to have been 
 held sacred), not in unison with those of 
 persons in authority, in the year 1830, his 
 Life and Correspondence, then just published, 
 were refused a place in the public Library of 
 Philadelphia? " Tell it not in Gath, publish 
 it not in the streets of Ascalon." Such con 
 duct is an insult to the manes of the immortal 
 founders of the country. 
 
 Philadelphia possesses her Academy of the 
 Fine Arts, as well as those of the Sciences ; 
 and the increasing collection of antiques, casts, 
 
 
 &-**+*^4* 
 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 199 
 
 and paintings, together with their neat ar 
 rangement, proves the anxiety of the citizens 
 to combine the refinements with the more 
 useful arts of life, and realise the motto, " Utile 
 dulci." 
 
 The gallery is indebted to the worthy Count 
 Survilliers for several of the choicest pieces in 
 the collection ; among which are, pictures of 
 his brother Napoleon crossing the Alps, by 
 David ; and a full length of himself as King 
 of Spain, painted, I believe, for the palace at 
 Madrid. What opposite destinies for the sub 
 ject of the picture, as well as for the picture 
 itself! 
 
 In the court before the building is a muti 
 lated antique statue, presented by some Ame 
 rican officer who had served on the Mediter 
 ranean station. 
 
 None but those who have whiled " the 
 sultry hours away," in the voluptuous regions 
 washed by that sea, and pondered amidst the 
 wrecks of antiquity, can fully appreciate the 
 feelings excited by even a passing glance of 
 this isolated relic ; which, as often as I saw it, 
 appeared like a connecting link between the 
 old and the new world, and elicited a thousand 
 delightful reminiscences of youthful days of 
 travel. 
 
200 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 
 OF the various places of worship which we 
 visited during our stay in Philadelphia, that of 
 the principal Episcopal Church was the most 
 interesting, from its associations. Here the 
 pious Washington offered up his prayers to 
 the Great First Cause, to that Incomprehen 
 sible Being in whose hands are the fate of 
 empires, and before whom the mightiest are 
 as dust. 
 
 The pew which he occupied was pointed out 
 to us by a member of the congregation, whose 
 politeness had been shown on our entrance, by 
 providing us with seats, an attention much 
 neglected by the same denomination of Chris 
 tians in England, who in this particular seem 
 to forget that one of the first duties incul 
 cated by the persecuted founder of the Chris 
 tian religion was kindness to the stranger. 
 
 We were disappointed in our visits to this 
 church, in not having the pleasure of hearing 
 the venerable Bishop White, who, although 
 upwards of eighty years of age, occasionally 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 201 
 
 ministered to his flock* This patriarchal indi 
 vidual officiated as chaplain to the first Con 
 gress ; every member of which, except one, 
 he had survived. 
 
 The spire of the building is surmounted by 
 a gilt Cap of Liberty, an ornament very com 
 mon even to the ecclesiastical edifices in Ame 
 rican cities ; and in the tower are the bells 
 which had saluted our ears on our arrival in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 The Unitarian Church, which is a modern 
 and ornamental edifice, contains a pulpit or 
 rostrum of extreme classical simplicity, and 
 well worthy of being the model for those places 
 of worship where altars are not required. 
 
 The general plan is the same as that of the 
 one in the Unitarian Church in New York, 
 which I have attempted to describe ; but the 
 effect, from the introduction of two Doric 
 columns supporting an entablature in front of 
 the recess, is heightened. This sect of Chris 
 tians, whose numbers in Philadelphia, at the 
 period of Dr. Priestley s occasional ministry, 
 did not exceed fifty persons, is fast increasing. 
 
 The principles, although subject to fierce 
 attacks from the pulpits of what are denomi 
 nated orthodox Christians, have taken deep 
 hold of the community ; many of the most 
 
 OF TKE 
 "TvT TTT TP T? QTTT 
 
202 
 
 AMERICA, 
 
 literary characters of the Union being professed 
 Unitarians ; and numbers of individuals are 
 gradually abandoning the system in which 
 they were educated, and attaching themselves 
 to this, in which reason holds a more pro 
 minent station. 
 
 At the evening services in this place, which 
 were extremely well attended, we saw a con 
 siderable sprinkling of members of the Society 
 of Friends, whose heresy was not concealed 
 by any alteration of costume. 
 
 Whilst upon the subject of the Unitarian 
 Church, I may relate a little mistake in regard 
 to identity, which caused no small amusement 
 at the time. 
 
 A report having been circulated one Sunday 
 morning, that the talented author of the Sketch 
 Book had just arrived in Philadelphia, it so 
 happened that I had the honour to be taken 
 for that charming writer; and whilst sitting in 
 church, as well as on leaving, the supposed 
 fact was whispered about. 
 
 The evening service was attended by in 
 creased numbers, prompted by a laudable 
 curiosity to behold so bright an ornament of 
 their literature ; when, lo ! even the supposed 
 Washington Irving was not present, and the 
 disappointed throng separated, informed of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 203 
 
 the innocent imposture of which I had been 
 made the subject. 
 
 We were much surprised to find in this 
 Quaker City, as Philadelphia is often styled, 
 no less than three large and elegant theatres? 
 as well as a newly erected concert room. 
 
 Only one of the former places of amusement, 
 or schools of instruction, for the latter is, 
 perhaps, an equally proper designation, hap 
 pened to be open during our visit ; and that 
 was not, as I found, the one patronised by the 
 fashionable world, although the best adapted 
 for dramatic effect. 
 
 The better to study national manners and 
 peculiarities, I generally made it a rule, in my 
 visits to places of public resort, to arrive at 
 the opening of the doors ; and on the evening 
 of that to the Walnut Street Theatre, I found 
 myself seated solus on the third bench of the 
 large pit, some time after the corps of money^ 
 receivers, cheque-takers, and box-keepers, 
 were all at their respective posts. 
 
 By and by a few, not lean, but certainly un 
 washed, artificers seated themselves around me ; 
 one of whom, evidently not of the abstemious 
 school, seemed disposed to be upon the very 
 best terms with his neighbours ; and addressing 
 himself to me in the most familiar manner, 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 began what was likely to be a very long story 
 about a forged bill which he had taken in 
 payment, and his good wife s anger at his 
 conduct 
 
 Not being anxious to cultivate the friend 
 ship of my new acquaintance, nor my English 
 feelings exactly according with the spitting 
 habits of the grade among which I had located 
 myself, I cut the matter of the bill short by 
 quitting the pit, and proceeding to what we 
 denominate the dress circle. 
 
 The house, as the hour of performance ap 
 proached, filled rapidly ; but in vain did I 
 cast my eyes to the doors of the boxes, as 
 they opened, for damsels in all the pride of 
 ornament, handed to their seats by spruce 
 gallants ; for no such sight met the eye. In 
 lieu thereof, substantial tradesmen and me 
 chanics, fresh from their counters or their 
 workshops, poured in with their merry wives 
 and daughters ; and the curtain rose to as full, 
 and certainly as free and easy, an assemblage 
 as I ever witnessed. The principal perform 
 ance of the evening was the musical drama of 
 Rob Roy, which was well played by an En 
 glish company. The scenery, dresses, music, 
 all were good ; and the illusion was complete. 
 In the pantomime spectacle which followed, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 205 
 
 some humorous satire was played off against 
 a resident empiric, an American Doctor Solo 
 mon, who warranted his panacea to be the 
 true and veritable elixir of life : in short, to 
 cure all manner of diseases, and almost to re 
 store the dead. 
 
 An individual, represented as a vender of 
 this Balm of Gilead, was introduced on the 
 stage ; and we certainly had ocular demon 
 stration of its wonderful powers. 
 
 After taking a single bottle, blacks became 
 white, wrinkled old maids became blooming 
 nymphs of sweet eighteen, the halt and 
 maimed frisked about, and, lastly, the Siamese 
 twins were plucked asunder, and joined the 
 quack in a merry jig. The delighted audience 
 testified their approbation by many a round of 
 applause ; and when the curtain dropped, all 
 dispersed, evidently satisfied that, in the ac 
 count of pleasure, they had had value re 
 ceived. 
 
 The greatest quiet reigned in the streets 
 contiguous to the theatre, strongly contrasted 
 with the like neighbourhoods in England, or 
 even in New York ; and scarcely half a dozen 
 coaches were in waiting at the conclusion of 
 the performance. 
 
 One of the largest edifices in Philadelphia, 
 
206 AMERICA, 
 
 or indeed in America, is the New State Prison, 
 or Penitentiary, which is situated in a quarter 
 of the city not yet built upon. 
 
 This great receptacle of crime consists of 
 eight ranges of buildings containing solitary 
 cells and workshops, which diverge from a 
 centre ; and the whole are enclosed by a lofty 
 stone wall, forming a square, each side of 
 which measures 650 feet. 
 
 The grand entrance is castellated, as are also 
 the angles ; and the design is highly credit 
 able to the architect. I was informed that 
 the system pursued in regard to the prisoners 
 was, in most respects, the same as in the Peni 
 tentiaries of the State of New York. 
 
 Enlightened as the Americans are on this 
 branch of civil polity, they are by no means 
 inattentive to the opinions of the philanthro 
 pists of Europe ; and at several conversations 
 upon the subject of criminal codes and prison 
 discipline, at which I happened to be present, 
 it gave me pleasure to hear the authorities of 
 a Romilly and a Roscoe alluded to with all 
 that respect to which such minds are justly 
 entitled ; and it was a further gratification, on 
 these occasions, to be enabled to claim the 
 latter distinguished writer and advocate of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 207 
 
 liberal principles, not only as a countryman, 
 but as a townsman and friend. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the Penitentiary 
 are the celebrated works which supply the 
 city with that important article, water. 
 
 The reservoirs, which are situated on the 
 summit of a hill, 100 feet above the Schuylkill, 
 contain upwards of twelve millions of gallons, 
 and are supplied by pumps worked by large 
 water wheels, the river being dammed for the 
 purpose. 
 
 The buildings containing the machinery, as 
 well as the terraces adjoining, are kept in re 
 markably neat order. On the brow of a rocky 
 and romantic precipice, which almost over 
 hangs the works, a pretty little open temple 
 has been erected, from which there is a 
 charming view of the river, and the beautiful 
 villa and domain called Lemon Hill, the sum 
 mer residence of one of the most wealthy 
 merchants of Philadelphia. 
 
 The grounds of this half Italian retreat, 
 which we often visited, were laid out with 
 much taste, and ornamented with grottoes, fish 
 ponds, and jets d eau ; and the conservatory, 
 which is very extensive, was well stocked with 
 rare and curious plants from all parts of the 
 globe. There was, however, an air of neglect 
 
208 AMERICA, 
 
 about the whole, which did not correspond 
 with the extreme neatness and order observ 
 able in the city. 
 
 A little below the water- works the Schuyl- 
 kill is crossed by a timber bridge of one arch, 
 probably the largest in the world, the chord 
 measuring no less than 320 feet ; and, some 
 what further down, directly opposite the main 
 street of Philadelphia, in that direction, there 
 is another bridge of three large arches, the 
 piers of which are stone. Both these struc 
 tures are covered, and have windows or open 
 ings at each side, at regular intervals. The 
 road- ways are divided in the centre ; and 
 notices are posted up, forbidding the drivers of 
 vehicles to pass over the bridges at a quick 
 pace. 
 
 In this quarter is an infant establishment 
 for the manufacture of china, the ingenious 
 proprietor of which is an American, who owes 
 his successful commencement to an unassisted 
 but ardent pursuit of the knowledge requisite 
 to his undertaking. The quality of the speci 
 mens of china I examined was exceedingly 
 good, and the decorative part was tasteful and 
 well executed. 
 
 Although the projector of this interesting 
 little manufactory had met with very liberal 
 
AT\D THE AMERICANS. 209 
 
 encouragement from his fellow-citizens, we 
 were informed that he found a powerful opposi 
 tion in the great import of French china, the 
 extreme beauty of which, combined with its 
 cheapness, notwithstanding a duty of twenty 
 per cent., insures it a ready sale. 
 
 The great market of Philadelphia, which is 
 above half a mile in length, has no pretensions 
 to architectural beauty ; it being, in fact, merely 
 a succession of long commodious sheds in the 
 centre of the principal street, separated or in 
 tersected by those streets which cross it in an 
 opposite direction. 
 
 In this neat and well-supplied mart of pro 
 visions, where the best beef-steaks are sold 
 at four-pence per pound ; fatted turkeys, as 
 large as eagles, for three to four shillings each ; 
 and all the good things the country produces 
 in the same proportion ; we saw the opossum, 
 and also the tortoise, as articles of food, the 
 flesh of the latter being esteemed a great deli 
 cacy. It was impossible to view the former 
 animal, with his long tail, without being re 
 minded of the negro Hamlet s vocal episode, 
 " Opossum up a gum-tree," so humorously 
 introduced by that inimitable artist Matthews, 
 in his "Trip to America." 
 
 The last public establishment of Philadelphia 
 
210 
 
 which remains to be noticed is the Navy Yard, 
 a place naturally interesting to a native of the 
 isle whose hardy sons have so long ruled the 
 waves. In one of the huge wooden building- 
 houses I saw the leviathan of naval architec 
 ture, of which the Americans may justly feel 
 proud, and of which description of floating 
 castles their enemies, unless prepared with 
 equal weapons, may perchance some day feel 
 afraid. The ship in question is 228 feet long 
 by 57 feet in breadth, has four decks, and is 
 intended to carry about 140 guns of the largest 
 calibre. This immense vessel is constructed 
 of what is termed live oak, a species of timber 
 admirably adapted for ship-building ; and 
 whether as regards size, model, strength, or 
 excellence of workmanship, it may be ac 
 counted the ne plus ultra of the art. 
 
 The adjoining building-house was occupied 
 by a sixty-gun frigate, a class called into exist 
 ence by the energies of the American Naval 
 Board, previous to the commencement of the 
 last war, and which, as it is too well known, 
 caused the loss of two or three British frigates, 
 whose " lion-met tied " commanders had the 
 temerity to attack them. 
 
 The frames of several ships were stowed in 
 large sheds, each piece of timber being marked, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 so that they could be put together at a short 
 notice. The yard displayed long rows of 
 cannon, whose stopped muzzles and touch- 
 holes were quite in unison with the peaceful 
 scene presented by the Delaware, whose 
 placid tide was studded with white sails, from 
 the little coasting sloop to the richly freighted 
 merchantman from industrious England, from 
 the lands of corn, wine, and oil, bounding 
 the blue Mediterranean, or from the remote 
 and fertile regions of Bengal or China. 
 
 As in the Navy Yard of New York, I spied 
 a few cannon bearing the initials G. 11., sur 
 mounted by a crown, trophies of American 
 prowess over the cocks of the sea, as the cap 
 tain of a Genoese xebeck, in which I once 
 made a short voyage, styled the English. 
 
 All this is fair ; and I never looked upon 
 such mementos of my country s defeat with 
 any feelings, save those of regret, that, in 
 spite of early lessons, she should have pursued 
 the same course of insult and injustice, which 
 a second time ended in her disgrace, and 
 elevated the power which it was her great 
 object to humble. 
 
 A new era has, however, commenced : Eng 
 land at length possesses a Sovereign whose 
 sentiments are more in accordance with the 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 enlightened spirit of the age, and in whose 
 advisers are concentrated unsullied integrity, 
 splendid talents, the love of political justice, 
 and the most extensive philanthropy. Guided 
 by such, we may reasonably anticipate a long 
 period of happy and beneficial intercourse 
 between the two nations, whose only rivalry 
 should be in the arts of peace. 
 
 During our sojourn in this charming city, I 
 had the pleasure to be introduced to the literary 
 conversaziones, called Wistar parties, from the 
 name of an eminent physician of Philadelphia, 
 with whom the idea of these agreeable meet 
 ings originated. The Wistar parties are held 
 weekly, and alternately at the houses of the 
 members, and afford great facilities for the 
 bringing together residents, as well as strangers 
 of the same pursuits in science or literature. 
 
 As I could not claim the privilege of en 
 tree under any particular branch, I was kindly 
 admitted as an amateur of all, although the 
 title of stranger is sufficient in this friendly 
 city to ensure a welcome. Among other li 
 terary characters, I had the good fortune to 
 meet the learned Doctor Du Pon9eau, the 
 countryman and early companion of that noble 
 and consistent patriot Lafayette. Immediately 
 after our introduction, the Doctor questioned 
 
 ^ 0**&^t*. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 213 
 
 me as to my first impressions on landing in 
 America ; and when I told him that the high 
 character of the working classes, and the 
 total absence of mob or rabble, seemed to me 
 the distinguishing characteristic, he seemed 
 much pleased, adding in his own way, " Sir, 
 you have said a great deal ; but why does not 
 your countryman Captain Hall say so ? " I 
 replied, that I could not answer for the feelings 
 of that gentleman. Perhaps the fact escaped 
 his notice. 
 
 Having lingered in Philadelphia beyond 
 the period when the rivers are usually closed 
 by ice, we were suddenly warned, by a frosty 
 night, to hasten our departure for Washing 
 ton ; and we accordingly embarked in the first 
 steamer for Baltimore, which great city lies in 
 the route. Acting upon the maxim, " Better 
 an hour too soon than a minute too late ! " I 
 had directed the black servant to call us at 
 six o clock precisely, the packet leaving at 
 seven. Sambo, mistaking the light of the 
 moon, which happened to be at the full, for 
 that of day, sounded the note of preparation 
 somewhat earlier ; and, to my surprise and 
 vexation, came thundering at the door just as. 
 the deep-toned bell of the State House tolled 
 two. Like Mercutio s soldier, roused by Queen 
 
 p a 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 Mab, I swore a prayer or two, and slept again. 
 At six, we were once more awoke by salvos of 
 artillery in honour of the anniversary of the 
 battle of New Orleans, which is observed 
 with great enthusiasm ; and proceeding to the 
 packet, at seven were ploughing the Dela 
 ware. 
 
 The morning was bright and clear to a 
 degree scarcely conceivable to Englishmen 
 who have not witnessed American, or other 
 skies than those of their own weeping cli 
 mate. The beautiful ships at anchor in the 
 noble river sat like swans, so gracefully and 
 so proudly, whilst the busy steamers plying 
 between the city and the shores of New Jer 
 sey gave animation to the interesting picture. 
 We had not been long on board before " a 
 goodly, portly gentleman," conceiving us to 
 be Americans, addressed himself to my wife, 
 next to whom he happened to be seated, as 
 follows : " So, madam, you are not stopping 
 to keep the glorious anniversary." 
 
 Aware of his mistake as regarded our coun 
 try, she replied jokingly, "It is to avoid the 
 festivities, sir, that we are leaving the city." 
 
 " What !" said he, evidently much surprised, 
 " not rejoice at such a triumph as the victory 
 of New Orleans, where twelve thousand of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 Wellington s veteran troops were beaten by 
 a few of our young farmers ?" 
 
 Thinking he had gone far enough under a 
 false impression, and not knowing what harsh 
 speech might come next, I at once explained 
 that we were English. Astounded at the 
 discovery, our friend coughed hemmed 
 and, not a little confused, apologized for the 
 mistake, but he thought he " 
 
 Here I relieved him from his embarrassment 
 by requesting he would not make any apology, 
 as none was required ; and, at the same time, 
 I remarked, that if his countrymen should 
 visit our shores in the same hostile manner, 
 we should, of course, give them a similar 
 warm reception. 
 
 The eclaircissement caused a laugh on our 
 parts, in which our new acquaintance, as well 
 as others, -joined ; and after some remarks 
 upon the disastrous issue of the expedition 
 alluded to, which I considered attributable to 
 the delays and blunders of the commander-in- 
 chief, he opened a discussion upon the state 
 of England and America, which was resumed 
 in the course of the day. 
 
 Like most of the Americans with whom I 
 conversed, to be independent of England 
 seemed the ultimatum of his ambition ; for- 
 p 4 
 
216 AMERICA, 
 
 getting that the welfare of every country is 
 most essentially promoted by intercourse and 
 reciprocity of advantages. In his dream of 
 this anticipated state of independence, he ex- 
 ultingly exclaimed, that in fifty years America 
 would not import a single package from Great 
 Britain. I somewhat damped this feeling by 
 remarking, that, perhaps, in that time, England 
 would not require a single bag of American 
 cotton, or American flour ; but I added, that 
 I hoped the day was not far distant when the 
 good sense of all nations would induce them to 
 abandon the fallacious theory of what is styled 
 the protecting system ; and, throwing open 
 their ports, buy where they can find the 
 cheapest market, and sell at the dearest. 
 
 The recent removal of the oldest American 
 Consul in Great Britain, and who had received 
 his appointment from the hands of Washing 
 ton himself, gave rise to a tough argument 
 upon the policy of what the democratic repub 
 lican party term rotation in office, a system 
 much more in favour with the outs than the ins. 
 I expressed my doubts whether the uncertain 
 tenure of office did not rather tend to repel 
 men of steady, fixed habits, who would do 
 credit to the stations to which they might be 
 appointed, and to invite as candidates those 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 217 
 
 of an opposite character. My friend s opi 
 nions, however, were not to be shaken, at 
 least by any arguments I could wield. 
 
 Of the celebrated Cobbett, he spoke as one 
 having a greater respect for his talents than 
 his consistency. 
 
 The banks of the Delaware below Philadel 
 phia are much less picturesque than those of 
 the Hudson, but they are agreeably diversi 
 fied by villages and farm-houses, which, being 
 chiefly of brick, have something English in 
 their general appearance. 
 
 We passed Newcastle, one of the oldest set 
 tlements in the country, having been founded 
 by the Swedes in 1627, and for some time 
 after called Stockholm. On an island, a few 
 miles lower down the river, a very formidable 
 fort has been erected, which commands the 
 channels on both sides ; and nearly oppo 
 site is the embryo city of Delaware, con 
 sisting of half a dozen houses. At this place, 
 which is forty miles from Philadelphia, we left 
 the steamer, and proceeded by the new canal 
 which unites the waters of the Delaware and 
 the Chesapeake. This communication has 
 been made at a great expense ; for although 
 the distance is only fourteen miles, the marshy 
 nature of the country presented many ob- 
 
218 AMERICA, 
 
 stacles to the engineers. The usefulness of 
 the undertaking is, however, very apparent; 
 and the traffic on it will, no doubt, repay the 
 outlay. 
 
 The packet-boat on this canal was drawn 
 by six horses, and we performed the passage 
 in two hours. 
 
 Near the western end is a deep cutting of 
 seventy feet, over which a timber bridge has 
 been thrown of 280 feet span. 
 
 The canal communicates, in the first in 
 stance, with a creek, the banks of which are 
 thickly covered with wood. Here we again 
 embarked in a steamer, and soon after entered 
 the Elk river, which brought us into the great 
 arm of the sea, called the Chesapeake, just at 
 the point where it receives the noble mean 
 dering Susquehanna. 
 
 After a few hours rather rough sailing, we 
 found ourselves entering the Patapsco ; and in 
 an hour or two more we reached Baltimore, 
 having travelled by rivers and canal above 
 one hundred miles in the course of the day. 
 
 The accommodations and the fare, both in 
 the steamers and on the canal, were excellent ; 
 and the charges, as usual, very moderate. At 
 Baltimore we were lodged at the famed hotel 
 kept by a spirited individual named Barnum. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 This establishment is the largest of the kind 
 in the New World : one of the fronts mea 
 suring 117 feet, and the other nearly 200 feet. 
 It contains two hundred rooms, some of which 
 are very spacious ; also a news-room, well fur 
 nished with papers. On the basement story 
 are the Post Office, and the offices for the 
 mail-coaches and other conveyances. 
 
 The whole of the extensive arrangements 
 reflect credit on the proprietor, who, we were 
 sorry to hear, was not remunerated for his 
 exertions. 
 
 One of the first objects which met our eyes, 
 on strolling out the next morning, was a fu 
 neral. It was evidently of a person in genteel 
 circumstances, from the number of private 
 carriages in attendance ; and some trouble had 
 been taken to produce a solemn effect, but to 
 little purpose. The carriages were very old-* 
 fashioned, and had seen their best days ; and 
 the coachmen and footmen, who were all 
 blacks, were attired in rusty old crape hat^ 
 bands, which trappings harmonised most dis- 
 advantageously with the shining jet faces of 
 the wearers. 
 
 Although the extensiveness of the black 
 and coloured population had particularly ex 
 cited our notice on arriving in New York, yet 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 as we proceeded in the direction of the slave- 
 holding States, their numbers evidently in 
 creased. At Philadelphia, we found the porters 
 who attend the landing-places, and who carry 
 the baggage of passengers, all of that class. 
 The waiters in the packets on the Delaware 
 and Chesapeake were coloured men ; and at 
 Baltimore not only the porters, but a great 
 proportion of the hackney coachmen, carters, 
 and others, were of the African race. 
 
 Deferring our inspection of this flourishing 
 city until our return from the seat of govern 
 ment, we took the first conveyance to that 
 skeleton of a metropolis, Washington. 
 
 The distance from Baltimore is thirty-eight 
 miles. The country is uninteresting, but the 
 road, for America, was good. 
 
 About five miles from Washington, we 
 passed through the little village of Bladens- 
 burgh, rendered memorable from the brilliant 
 affair of arms preceding the taking of the 
 capital, and which was almost the only con 
 flict of any importance during the last war, in 
 which the Americans were not triumphant. 
 
 The British army lost above five hundred 
 men in killed and wounded, in passing the 
 little bridge, which here crosses the creek 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 called the east branch of the Potomac. This 
 severe loss was principally owing to the skill 
 and bravery of Commodore Barney, of the 
 American navy, who, with a party of sailors, 
 and two heavy guns, planted on the opposite 
 height commanding the village, swept the 
 bridge with grape. The American militia 
 stand accused of not doing their duty on this 
 eventful day, and thereby abandoning the 
 capital to its fate ; be this as it may, however, 
 it is agreed on all hands that the British com 
 mander caused a needless waste of life in 
 forcing a passage of the river at Bladensburgh, 
 when an unprotected ford was not far distant. 
 The gallant Barney was wounded and taken 
 prisoner, but afterwards exchanged for an 
 English officer of rank who had met with a 
 similar fate. In consequence of the subse 
 quent precipitate retreat of the British, their 
 unfortunate wounded could not be removed ; 
 but it gave us pleasure to hear, from the best 
 authority, that they all experienced the most 
 humane and generous treatment from the 
 enemy, who, in this and other instances, " 
 proved, that they warred more with the go 
 vernment of England, than with the people. 
 Like all battle fields of recent date, that of 
 
222 AMERICA, 
 
 Bladensburgh exhibits its melancholy tokens 
 of the strife, in grass-grown hillocks covering 
 the bones of the fallen combatants ; and as 
 night was just setting in, and some snow 
 falling as we left, the scene looked chill and 
 melancholy. 
 
 In less than an hour we were informed we 
 were in Washington, although we had not 
 noticed a single house ; and looking through 
 the window of the coach, beheld the Capitol 
 in lonely magnificence. Passing close to this 
 noble edifice, we drove down the principal 
 avenue, and alighted at one of the hotels, 
 where, before a blazing log fire, and surround 
 ed by no less than half a dozen shining black 
 faces of both sexes, we sat down to tea. 
 These sable attendants, who were new in their 
 vocation, caused us no small degree of amuse 
 ment. If a bell sounded, or a call was heard 
 for Antony, Caesar, Laura, or Lily, away 
 they all scampered together ; and when we, 
 in our turn, desired our wants supplied, the 
 whole band, as if by magic, and grinning with 
 delight appeared, again. 
 
 Our arrival proved to be opportune, and 
 was matter of self-congratulation ; for, the day 
 after, there fell torrents of rain ; and a north 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 wester springing up, which wind in America, 
 produces the ] greatest degree of cold, pene 
 trated each chink and cranny ; and the morn 
 ing following, the great Potomac, which is 
 here above a mile in width, was a firm 
 sheet of ice. 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 _L HE city of Washington, the metropolis of 
 the United States of America, was founded, 
 at the close of the last century, upon a section 
 of land ten miles square, which was ceded by 
 the States of Maryland and Virginia for the 
 purpose, and which is now under the special 
 government of Congress, and termed the Dis 
 trict of Columbia. The plan of the embryo 
 capital is at once grand and unique. Very 
 long and broad avenues diverge from centres, 
 and are intersected by streets at right angles. 
 Only one of the former, however, and not 
 many of the latter, contain any buildings ; and 
 these are, for the most part, as paltry as they 
 are scattered, although the city contains a 
 population of twenty thousand persons. 
 
 The chief architectural ornament of Wash 
 ington, and, indeed, of the Union, is the 
 edifice called the Capitol, in which are the 
 Chambers of Congress, the Supreme Courts, 
 and the National Library. This noble build 
 ing, which stands on a most commanding site, 
 is 350 feet in length, and is surmounted by 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 a lofty but heavy dome. The style of archi 
 tecture is Palladian, and the material free 
 stone ; but, in consequence of the discolour 
 ation produced by the burning of the interior 
 by the British, the whole of the outside has 
 been painted white, a very questionable pro 
 ceeding as regards effect, to say nothing of 
 the periodical expense which will be thereby 
 incurred. 
 
 The principal entrance, which is under a 
 magnificent portico, opens into a circular hall 
 or rotunda, one hundred feet in diameter, and 
 exactly the same in height. The walls of this 
 classical apartment are ornamented with large 
 paintings by the venerable Colonel Trumbull, 
 to whom I have before made allusion. 
 
 The subjects of these pictures are illustrative 
 of the principal scenes of the Revolution, and 
 they are particularly valuable as containing un 
 doubted portraits of almost all the leading cha 
 racters of that eventful period, painted by the 
 familiar companion of many of the individuals. 
 The costume of the time is also strictly pre 
 served, giving additional interest to the figures, 
 whether civil or military. The signers of the 
 Declaration of Independence, with the ex 
 ception of the uncompromising Jefferson, who 
 figures in a blue coat and scarlet waistcoat, 
 
 Q 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 have rather a courtly air. The virtuous and 
 revered Franklin is represented in a suit of 
 black, which I was delighted to imagine the 
 identical one of Manchester velvet, worn be 
 fore the Privy Council, when, with " a con 
 science void of blame," this great philosopher 
 calmly received the insults of a Wedderburne ; 
 and which suit he again wore in Paris at the 
 signing of the treaty which deprived Great 
 Britain of her thirteen colonies, having then, 
 indeed, received glorious " satisfaction." 
 
 In the pictures representing the surrenders 
 of General Burgoyne and Lord Cornwallis 
 the artist has not been unmindful to contrast 
 the elated looks of the Americans and French, 
 with the chap-fallen countenances of the beaten 
 English, which certainly denote big Mars to 
 have become bankrupt. 
 
 The smaller panels contain alto relievos 
 allusive to the early settlement of America. 
 One of these represents Captain Smith saved 
 by the tender Pocahontas from the fury of her 
 father, King Powhatan, a subject full of ro 
 mantic interest. The subjects of the others 
 are, The landing of the persecuted band 
 of English worthies at Plymouth in 1610 
 The conference of Penn with the Indian 
 chiefs on the banks of the Delaware, and a 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 conflict between the intrepid Boon, one of 
 the explorers of the great western country, 
 and an Indian chief. 
 
 The Hall, or Chamber of Representatives, 
 the largest and most elegant apartment of the 
 kind in the world, is semi-circular, and is 
 ornamented with noble variegated marble 
 columns, procured in the neighbourhood of 
 the Potomac. The superb Corinthian capitals 
 and bases are of statuary, and were wrought 
 at Carrara. The ceiling is a semi-dome, and 
 handsomely painted. The members, or re 
 presentatives, sit in handsome arm chairs, at 
 mahogany desks, which are provided with 
 materials for writing, glasses of water, and, in 
 spite of the protecting system, with penknives 
 of real Sheffield manufacture. Every member 
 has also a spitting box, which articles are in 
 dispensable to the chewers and smokers. 
 
 On the left of the speaker hangs a fine 
 full length portrait of La Fayette, painted by 
 a French artist. A gallery, free to the public 
 of both sexes, without the imposition of fees, 
 extends along the semicircle, from which the 
 effect of the hall during the sitting of con 
 gress is exceedingly imposing. 
 
 The chamber appropriated to the senate, 
 or that branch of the legislature not imme- 
 
228 AMERICA, 
 
 diately popular, is upon the same general 
 plan as that of the representatives, although 
 upon a smaller scale. It is elegantly fur 
 nished, and, from the circumstance of being 
 also much frequented by the fashionable vi- 
 siters at Washington, presents a gay appear 
 ance. It is not the architectural magnificence 
 of these halls, however, which constitutes their 
 great interest in the mind of the reflecting 
 spectator. It is the moral effect in beholding 
 the freely chosen representatives of the freest 
 nation on the face of the globe, that delights 
 the heart and elevates the mind ; and as a 
 humble worshipper at the shrine of Liberty, 
 I envy not the feelings of the man who can 
 contemplate the sublime spectacle unmoved. 
 
 During a stay of five weeks in Washington, 
 we had repeated opportunities of attending 
 some of the most important debates, and con 
 sequently of hearing some of the best speakers 
 of both the political parties of Congress. The 
 fault of all seemed to be the disposition to 
 extend the field of discussion beyond what 
 was necessary to the subject-matter before 
 the house, and the extreme proneness to di 
 gression ; in short, the desire to be distin 
 guished for much speaking, in contradistinc 
 tion to the rules observed by those master 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 spirits, Washington and Franklin, who, as Jef 
 ferson informs us, seldom spoke more than 
 ten or fifteen minutes at a time ; " seizing," 
 says that distinguished patriot, " the strong 
 points, and leaving the weak ones to fall of 
 themselves." If I did not hear any specimens 
 of what we term the highest style of oratory, 
 as the splendid harangues of a Chatham, a 
 Fox, a Sheridan, or a Brougham, I do not 
 recollect to have heard much below mediocrity, 
 or any thing at all approaching to the egre 
 gious nonsense occasionally uttered, or the 
 disgusting cant which has so lately disgraced 
 another assembly. 
 
 The order and decorum observed in the 
 chambers of America are well worthy of 
 adoption in those of Great Britain ; where the 
 present system of cheering, by way of express 
 ing approbation, and coughing down, as it is 
 termed, to denote the reverse, are at once 
 disgraceful, and beneath the dignity of deli 
 berative and enlightened senators. I must 
 confess, however, that the absence of an oc 
 casional " Hear, hear ! " to which significant ex 
 pression of opinion one has been so accustomed, 
 detracted somewhat from the effect of a bold 
 period, or a happy and pointed allusion. The 
 American legislators, more rational than those 
 Q 3 
 
230 AMERICA, 
 
 of the mother-country, do not devote the 
 night to the business of the day. The hour 
 of meeting is twelve at noon ; and the ad 
 journment, except on particular occasions, 
 takes place at three. The punctuality with 
 which the motion for the latter is made, often 
 to the interruption of a speaker, surprised me. 
 The instant the clock told the appointed time 
 some member started up, and moved, that the 
 house should adjourn ; which being promptly 
 seconded, all the members hastened to their 
 boarding-houses : the flags which floated dur 
 ing the hours of business over the roofs of the 
 chambers were lowered, and the doors closed. 
 
 When a spirited debate was anticipated, the 
 hall of the senate became the rendezvous of 
 beauty from all parts of the Union, as the 
 delegates of the people are often accompanied 
 to Washington by their wives or daughters. 
 The delicate paleness of the damsels from the 
 south was strikingly opposed to the blooming 
 complexions of the daughters of New England. 
 
 No placeman or holder of any office whatever 
 under the government can sit in Congress. 
 The members of both houses receive eight 
 dollars per day during the session, besides a 
 compensation for travelling. Those of the 
 senate are styled Honourable. This title, 
 
iBRA 
 
 OF THF " 
 
 7EBSIT 
 
 AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 together with that of Excellency, applied to 
 the President, were bestowed at the period of 
 the formation of the constitution, and whilst 
 some of the " old leaven" of aristocracy yet 
 remained ; but how the enlightened republi 
 cans of the present day can consistently retain 
 these high sounding terms I am at a loss to 
 conceive. Their use is not, however, more 
 absurd than that of esquire, which we found 
 to linger in the older cities. Prostituted as 
 this latter title may have become in England, 
 where it is tacked to the names of all but the 
 mere " hewers of wood and drawers of water," 
 it has there some palliation in the circumstance 
 of the government being monarchical, and so 
 many relics of feudal times existing ; but in 
 free America, where liberty and equality is 
 the motto, it is as tinkling brass, an empty 
 sound, and unworthy of a reflecting people, 
 whom its use subjects to merited ridicule. 
 Jefferson protested against these follies years 
 ago, and, in his true republican simplicity, even 
 recommended the abolition of Mr. as prefixed 
 to surnames. Whether this recommendation 
 was attended to by the " business men" at 
 the time, I know not, but I observed, that 
 packages of goods at warehouses, or at 
 wharfs for shipment, were invariably directed 
 
 0, 4 
 
232 AMERICA, 
 
 by the simple Christian and surname of the 
 parties; no Mr., Messrs., or esquire, ever* ap 
 pearing, such being reserved for correspond 
 ence. 
 
 The Library of Congress, which is a large 
 and classical apartment open to the public, 
 contains above 20,000 volumes ; all supplied 
 since the wanton destruction of the former 
 collection by the British troops. 
 
 Many of the books now on the shelves were 
 presented to the nation by Jefferson ; and 
 some of them contain marginal notes in the 
 hand- writing of that acute critic. The Con 
 gress Library is the only one in the United 
 States possessing a copy of that magnificent 
 work, Audubon s American Ornithology. 
 Great as the labours of this persevering indi 
 vidual have been, and much as he has done to 
 illustrate the natural history of America, as 
 well as to raise her scientific character, he has 
 scarcely met with the slightest patronage 
 amongst his countrymen ; and has been forced 
 to look to England and France for that remu 
 neration which at home he sought in vain. 
 It may be proper to mention, as some little 
 extenuation for this apparent apathy in the 
 cause of science and the fine arts, that the 
 researches and the beautiful works of a Wilson 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 233 
 
 and a Bonaparte had partly supplied the desi 
 deratum in the branch of ornithology. 
 
 In the supreme Court of Appeal, which is 
 situated in the same building as the apartments 
 described, we saw the venerable Chief Justice 
 Marshall, author of the Life of Washington. 
 The judges in this court wore black gowns, 
 the only instance we observed in America of 
 any official costume in the courts of law. 
 
 The view from the gallery on the summit of 
 the dome of the Capitol is very extensive, and 
 the broad Potomac is seen to great advantage ; 
 but the city itself presents a straggling, uncon 
 nected appearance, and the eye traces a series 
 of avenues and streets merely chalked out, as 
 it were, on the wide waste. 
 
 Our cicerone pointed out a little brook, 
 which has been dignified by the name of Tiber, 
 but which, in the olden time, was known 
 under the less classical appellation of Goose 
 Creek ; and he further called our attention to 
 a railed enclosure, which he denominated the 
 Botanic Garden, although it did not then 
 contain a single tree or shrub, save what nature 
 herself had planted. Whilst musing on the 
 panorama presented from this elevation, I 
 could not avoid contrasting it with that exhi 
 bited from the Capitol of the ancient mistress 
 of the world, which I had beheld not many 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 months before. How different were the sen 
 sations produced by the two scenes! In 
 contemplating the relics of the " Imperial 
 hearths," and the solemn wrecks of grandeur 
 which arrest the eye in the eternal city, the 
 mind is carried back through a series of ages, 
 until it is lost in remote antiquity. An empire 
 has risen, flourished, and decayed. There 
 everything has been, here, on the contrary, 
 every thing is to be : the reflections are all 
 prospective ; and when we think upon the 
 gigantic scale of the American republic, her 
 free institutions, her wonderful progress in 
 arts and arms, and the unfettered energies of 
 her rapidly increasing population, it is not in 
 dulging in wild speculation to assert, that, 
 long ere the century of its foundation arrives, 
 Washington may be the metropolis of the most 
 powerful nation in the world. 
 
 The official residence of the President, or 
 the White House, as I occasionally heard it 
 termed, is situated on elevated ground about 
 a mile and a half from the Capitol. It is a 
 large and handsome edifice of stone ; and 
 contains a suit of apartments furnished in a 
 genteel, but not extravagant, style. Having 
 suffered a similar fate with the Capitol in 
 1814, the exterior has, like that building, been 
 painted. The area in front, with the drives, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 235 
 
 exhibited an appearance very different from 
 the grounds of English mansions, where neat 
 ness is carried to such excess, that even a 
 decayed leaf is not allowed to obtrude itself 
 upon the notice. 
 
 The railing to the road appeared as if it had 
 not received a coat of paint since it was fixed, 
 to use a verb in great favour with the Ameri 
 cans, and which is applied to any thing and 
 every thing under the sun : the walks were 
 unweeded and rough, the grass plot was strewn 
 with fragments of bones and other rubbish ; 
 and, to complete the coup d ceil, we sometimes 
 saw sheets, table-cloths, and sundry body 
 linen, displayed in true washerwoman s array 
 in the grounds immediately before the drawing- 
 room windows ; all which things might be 
 conformable to republican simplicity, but as 
 suredly did not meet our ideas of good taste, 
 when associated with Corinthian porticoes and 
 noble saloons. 
 
 During the sitting of Congress, the Presi 
 dent holds levees or drawing-rooms ; the pe 
 culiar characteristics of which, as opposed to 
 those of European courts, are being open to 
 the public, and wholly divested of state. On 
 the appointed evenings the doors are thrown 
 open at eight o clock ; and the company, as 
 
 
 
236 AMERICA, 
 
 they arrive, pass into the drawing-room, where, 
 if it is their wish, they are presented to the 
 President, with whom it is usual to shake 
 hands. Some slight refreshments are occa 
 sionally handed by waiters in plain clothes ; 
 and the whole, after promenading the apart 
 ments for an hour or two, retire. On the 
 evening of our visit, about 1000 persons of 
 both sexes were present, all of whom were 
 well dressed. Some of the foreign ministers 
 and strangers of rank wore their stars and 
 other decorations. The President, General 
 Jackson, whose bow would pass the ordeal of 
 the Tuileries or St. James s, is a tall thin man, 
 apparently about sixty-five. His visage is long 
 and pale, his hair grey, very bushy, and 
 combed upwards ; and when we had the honour 
 of being presented, he was in mourning, having 
 recently lost his wife. 
 
 Although, as I have observed, the doors 
 are thrown open to all indiscriminately, we 
 only noticed two or three persons who had 
 the appearance of operative farmers or me 
 chanics, and these ventured no further than 
 the entrance to the first drawing-room, where, 
 after gazing upon the brilliant throng for a 
 few minutes, and not anticipating amusement, 
 took their departure. We were informed that 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 237 
 
 the working classes prefer having their own 
 evenings, particularly that of New Year s day, 
 when they muster in full force to shake hands 
 with the nation s chief magistrate. 
 
 The presence of guards of honour, of bands 
 of gentlemen pensioners, and of livery servants, 
 are, happily for the people, unknown in Ame 
 rica ; but the objection to music at the levees, 
 as too closely approximating to royal state, 
 seems less weighty, and the absence of sweet 
 sounds certainly deprives them of much en 
 livening interest. 
 
 How a proposition for the introduction of 
 a military, or, indeed, any band into the man 
 sion of the President would be received, may 
 be judged, when I state that the directions 
 for the drivers of coaches, as to setting down 
 and taking up the company, and which ap 
 peared in the Washington papers, were the 
 subject of ridicule, although such regulations 
 were absolutely necessary to prevent accidents. 
 
 To our surprise none of the Indians made 
 their appearance at the levees, although seve 
 ral of rank were on a visit to the capital at 
 the time. These interesting remnants of their 
 race, whose fallen state was apparent in their 
 " dejected haviour of the visage," were ge 
 nerally to be seen in the bar-room, or under the 
 
238 AMERICA, 
 
 portico of their hotel. They were attired in 
 fashionable costume ; in which, however, they 
 did not appear at ease, and all wore Scotch 
 plaid cloaks. 
 
 Some laughable anecdotes were circulated 
 respecting the deportment of these strangers 
 at table, who, it seemed, were perfectly " at 
 home," and thought nothing of throwing the 
 bones from their plates upon a Brussels or 
 Turkey carpet, and committing "other little 
 breaches of politeness, not exactly in keeping 
 with the rules of polished society. 
 
 Contiguous to the residence of the President 
 are the public offices of the government, in 
 one of which, that of the department of state, 
 is a collection of authentic portraits of Indian 
 chiefs in the territories of the United States. 
 The collection is particularly interesting, as an 
 exhibition of the pictures of individuals whose 
 characters are well known, and the physiogno 
 mist may find much to attract his notice in 
 these lineaments of the sons of the forest. 
 
 In the same apartment are a great variety 
 of Indian dresses, ornaments, and weapons, 
 and we saw some silver medals of George III., 
 which had been presented to chiefs by the 
 British government, and afterwards given by 
 these worthies to the Americans. In the bu- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 239 
 
 reau of foreign affairs are deposited the treaties 
 between the United States and other powers. 
 All these documents are on parchment, neatly 
 written, and are bound in velvet, richly orna 
 mented with gold trappings, bearing the im 
 mense wax seals appended in silver boxes. 
 
 I was sorry to observe, for the credit of the 
 fine arts in my own country, that the seal of 
 Great Britain was by far the worst executed 
 of any ; while, strange to say, that of Ame 
 rica was the best, both in design and execution. 
 
 It is not the gewgaw finery, however, but 
 the occasion and subject of these treaties, and 
 the autographs of the signers, which renders 
 them worthy of notice. One of the first in the 
 catalogue is that between Great Britain and 
 the United States immediately after the revo 
 lutionary war ; and in which, despite of bold 
 ciphers, I imagined I saw the subdued ob 
 stinacy of George III. 
 
 A treaty with France under the consulate 
 was highly interesting, from its bearing the 
 signatures of Bonaparte and Talleyrand. The 
 latter is curious, from its not commencing with 
 a capital letter. Those of the new republics 
 of South America inspired cheering antici 
 pations, notwithstanding the occasional effer 
 vescences of party spirit, and the intrigues of 
 
240 AMERICA, 
 
 ambitious men, to which they may be for a 
 long period subject. Together with the trea 
 ties, we were permitted to examine a number 
 of jewelled snuff-boxes, swords, and various 
 articles presented by foreign powers to Ame 
 rican ministers at their courts ; who, by a 
 wise law of the constitution, are forbidden to 
 retain such, and they are in consequence 
 given up to the department of state. 
 
 The great object of attraction in this divi 
 sion of the public offices, and which, to the 
 lover of civil and religious liberty is alone 
 worth a pilgrimage to behold, is the original 
 Declaration of Independence. This sacred 
 and precious roll, the most valuable civil do 
 cument in existence, is of parchment, and for 
 its better preservation has lately been framed 
 and glazed. The writing is very distinct, but 
 the signatures have suffered a good deal from 
 the fingers of well-meaning but thoughtless 
 individuals. The secretary, to whose care the 
 document is intrusted, informed us that he 
 had only just time to convey it to a place of 
 safety, before the British troops commenced 
 the destruction of the public buildings ; and 
 that, but for his exertions, this invaluable 
 relic must have fallen a prey to the flames. 
 We also learnt from another officer of govern- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 ment the important fact, that, upon the occa 
 sion of Captain Hall s visit, that gentleman 
 held his infant child to the suspended parch 
 ment, which he, to the astonishment of the 
 Americans present, obliged it to kiss. 
 
 The other public edifices of Washington, 
 devoted to civil purposes, are, the City Hall, and 
 the General Post Office, the first of which, when 
 completed, will present a handsome appearance* 
 The latter is a large brick building, defaced, 
 as is too common in America, by a covering 
 of bright yellow paint. In one wing of the 
 structure is the Patent Office, where are depo 
 sited and arranged models of all the machinery 
 for which patents have been enrolled in the 
 United States. 
 
 The preservation of this valuable collection 
 of mechanical ingenuity from the melancholy 
 fate of the stores of literature in the Capitol, 
 was owing to the timely interference of a 
 British officer, who, with a mind superior to 
 that of his commander, arrested the hand of 
 the soldier about to apply a torch to the 
 building. 
 
 The churches are upon a small scale, and 
 presented nothing particularly worthy of no 
 tice. In one of them, the Unitarian, we saw 
 that accomplished scholar and statesman, the 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 ex- President Adams, who is a member of the 
 sect. The present chief of the republic is 
 attached to the Presbyterian denomination. 
 For the convenience of the members of Con 
 gress, the noble Hall of the Representatives is 
 opened on Sundays as a place of worship, but 
 we found the attendance very small. 
 
 The Navy Yard of Washington is situated 
 near the mouth of what is called the eastern 
 branch of the Potomac, which is navigable for 
 a short distance for vessels of the largest class. 
 
 A sixty gun frigate, bearing the name of 
 the river, had been recently launched, and 
 another vessel of the same description was on 
 the stocks. 
 
 At the entrance of the yard are two im 
 mense brass guns, highly polished, and bearing 1 
 the arms of Spain, by which power they were 
 presented to the American government* 
 
 In the area of this arsenal is likewise a 
 rostrated column of white marble, surrounded 
 by emblematical figures, erected, as the in 
 scription states, to the memories of the officers 
 who fell in an attack upon Tripoli. A more 
 recent inscription states that this monument 
 was mutilated by Britons in the year 1814. 
 
 Without dwelling upon the folly of a nation 
 thus recording its own disgrace, in allowing an 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 243 
 
 enemy to pollute its sanctuaries, I must be 
 permitted to remark, that the damage alluded 
 to is not, after all, of a very serious nature ; 
 being nothing more than what might have 
 been done by any tipsy soldier with the end 
 of his bayonet. 
 
 Had the demolition of this monument been 
 meditated, it could easily have been effected 
 by half a dozen men in as many minutes ; but 
 that such was not the case, is evident from the 
 circumstance of it alone having been left stand 
 ing, while all the magazines and warlike stores 
 in this government establishment were either 
 burnt or destroyed. 
 
 Happy would it have been, had the invaders, 
 who, in the capture of Washington, respected 
 private property, limited their powers of de 
 struction to the legitimate objects of warfare; 
 then would not England have to bear the 
 deep and lasting disgrace of an act of Van 
 dalism unparalleled in modern times, the 
 deliberate burning of a splendid library. 
 
 Notwithstanding the anxiety of the Ame 
 ricans to be independent of other countries 
 in respect to what are styled the useful arts, 
 they by no means exhibit the same zeal in 
 matters of taste, or even in those of science, not 
 directly bearing upon the advancement of 
 R 2 
 
244 AMERICA, 
 
 wealth ; and the United States stand alone 
 among civilised nations in not possessing a 
 national Observatory, The advantages of such 
 an establishment did not escape the reflecting 
 mind of an Adams, who, during his presidency, 
 strongly recommended the subject to public 
 sanction ; but star-gazing not appearing likely 
 to yield a good profit, the proposal was not 
 acted upon, neither has it met with any en 
 couragement from his successor in office. 
 
 The district of Columbia, in which Wash^ 
 ington is situated, is, as I have observed* 
 formed out of a section of land ceded by the 
 States of Maryland and Virginia, in both of 
 which slavery is still tolerated ; and unfortu 
 nately it remains, in this respect, upon a par 
 with its neighbours. 
 
 From our arrival in this division of the 
 Union, I was extremely anxious to observe the 
 state and general appearance of the black po 
 pulation, and to discern if there was any very 
 perceptible difference between those who were 
 free, and their more unfortunate brethren. 
 The result of my observations tended to con 
 firm the fact ; for although the natural gaiety 
 of the negro race is such, that the slave, if not 
 cruelly treated by his master, may occasionally 
 appear insensible to his degraded situation, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. <245 
 
 yet, compared with even the poorest free black, 
 he bears the stamp of bondage on his fore 
 head. The slaves in this district, as well as 
 
 (** 
 
 in others, when not employed by their owners, 
 
 are hired out to work at various occupations 
 for which they may be qualified ; the owner 
 reaping the profit of their exertions. In con 
 versations with the blacks, I found a great 
 reluctance on their parts to confess that they 
 were not free, each, wishing to appear to belong 
 to the envied class; all expressed a great 
 horror at the possibility of their being sold 
 and sent to the south, where slavery flourishes 
 in all its deformity. 
 
 The newspapers of the metropolis of free 
 America are regularly disgraced by the in 
 sertion of the most revolting advertisements 
 of runaway slaves to be sold by auction ; of 
 gangs of men, women, and children on sale 
 for cash or credit parents without their off 
 spring, and brothers and sisters together or 
 separate; all which abominations, strange to 
 relate, are countenanced under the very eyes 
 of the champions of the rights of man, and 
 in the presence of the standard of liberty. 
 During the five weeks of our sojourn in Wash 
 ington, several unfortunate runaways were 
 thus disposed of to pay the expenses of their 
 R 3 
 

 246 AMERICA, 
 
 detention in gaol ; all of whom, as I heard, 
 were bought, by the dealers in human flesh, 
 for the southern markets. 
 
 It was enough to behold slaves, without 
 voluntarily attending the shocking exhibitions 
 of sales of them ; but I did not hesitate to 
 denounce such cruelties, together with the 
 whole system of slavery, as often as oppor 
 tunities presented themselves. The melan 
 choly reflection, however, that slavery is the 
 crying sin of England, as she still perpetuates 
 it in her colonies, prevented my holding her 
 up as an example to America ; and an attempt 
 to show the inconsistency and cruel mockery 
 of the sons of freedom holding their fellow 
 creatures in abject bondage, on one occasion, 
 produced the significant reproof, " Why be- 
 holdest thou the mote that is in thy brother s 
 eye, but considerest not the beam that is in 
 thine own eye?" To turn to the brighter 
 side of the picture, I noticed a few circum 
 stances, which, although perhaps trifling in 
 themselves, may undoubtedly be considered 
 as the commencement of a better state of feel 
 ing on the part of the slave proprietors. 
 
 One of these was the apparent reluctance in 
 slave owners to make use of the term " slave " 
 in conversation with persons whom they sus- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 247 
 
 pected of being hostile to the system ; the 
 word " servant" being substituted, as having 
 a less opprobrious sound. Another pleasing 
 fact was the disposition shown to speak well 
 of those who were distinguished for humane 
 treatment of the unfortunate beings dependent 
 upon them. 
 
 At Washington we attended two meetings 
 of considerable interest, both of which were 
 held in the great Hall of Representatives. 
 
 The first was that of the African Colonisa 
 tion Society, the object of which is for the 
 promoting the removal of the superabundant 
 slave population from the United States to 
 the coast of Africa, the land of their fore 
 fathers. The new settlement, which dates 
 its foundation so lately as the year 1827, is 
 situated about two hundred miles from the 
 British colony of Sierra Leone. The whole 
 of the population, excepting one or two in 
 dividuals, agents or officers of the Society, are 
 emancipated blacks from the United States. 
 The Report read on the occasion was exceed 
 ingly flattering : the settlers were healthy ; a 
 regular trade had commenced, and was in 
 creasing ; a newspaper had been established ; 
 places of worship opened ; in short, the ex 
 periment of self-government on the part of 
 
248 AMERICA, 
 
 the blacks had been so far most successful, 
 and had triumphantly refuted the slave-holders 
 oft reiterated arguments, that " the negro is 
 of an inferior race, and incapable of being 
 civilised ! " 
 
 The numerous speakers who addressed the 
 meeting, all concurred in lamenting the evils 
 of slavery ; and one, in particular, who repro 
 bated the system in strong language, made 
 the important assertion, " that experience had 
 proved, that a slave-holding State could not 
 long remain neighbour to a State in which the 
 blacks were free." 
 
 The force of this sentiment was evidently 
 appreciated by the meeting, and was much 
 applauded. However cheering such language 
 might be, coupled as it was with the glad 
 tidings that the germs of civilisation had been 
 planted in benighted regions, with every 
 prospect of their bringing forth an abundant 
 harvest, still the consciousness that the la 
 bours of the society must, of necessity, be 
 limited to the deportation of only such a 
 portion of the slave population as the planters 
 find it convenient to emancipate, leaving the 
 mass in hopeless misery, was a drawback from 
 the pleasurable anticipations ; and this was 
 heightened by the knowledge that the blacks 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 themselves would rather remain at home, if 
 in the enjoyment of liberty. 
 
 The African Colonisation Society must be 
 looked upon as a well-meant plan, and as one 
 which, in time, may create a moral revolution 
 in the natives of the districts of Africa con 
 tiguous to Liberia, and even of those in the 
 interior provinces ; but, as regards America, 
 its operations seemed rather calculated to 
 perpetuate than to extinguish slavery. The 
 scheme, as far as benefiting Africa, and, 
 perhaps, the individuals removed thither, is 
 a good one ; but, viewed as the means of get 
 ting rid of the whole black population, which 
 idea is really entertained by many, although 
 not desired by the owners of slaves, it is 
 chimerical. 
 
 The second public meeting at the Capitol 
 was that of the members of the Columbian 
 Institute, a society formed for the purpose 
 of promoting literature. A most eloquent 
 address was delivered on the occasion by 
 Professor Everett of Boston, in which that 
 distinguished scholar and writer, comparing 
 past ages with the present, and in happy 
 allusion to the wonders of the locomotive 
 engine, and other great and recent disco 
 veries, drew a bright picture of the prospects 
 
&50 AMERICA, 
 
 of mankind, and indulged in the idea of future 
 generations being in the possession of still 
 greater knowledge, and looking back to our 
 triumphs with similar feelings to those with 
 which we recur to the triumphs of our fore 
 fathers in the old time before us. 
 
 It was our intention to have made a pil 
 grimage to Mount Vernon, the favourite re 
 sidence of Washington, and where that great 
 chief, justly styled " Pater Patrise," retired to 
 repose on his well-earned laurels, after having 
 won and consolidated the liberties of his native 
 country. The distance from Washington is 
 only sixteen miles ; but the river being frozen, 
 and the road for a great part of the way im 
 passable at the time for vehicles, induced us 
 to delay the excursion, until some circum 
 stances occurred, which unfortunately obliged 
 us to abandon it altogether. 
 
 The mansion and grounds of Mount Vernon 
 command charming views of the beautiful Po 
 tomac, on the banks of which river the domain 
 is situated ; and we were informed that every 
 thing remains much in the state in which it 
 was left at the death of its great possessor. 
 The key of that temple of despotism, the 
 Bastile, is among the curiosities shown to 
 strangers. This trophy of the ever-memorable 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 14th of July, 1?89, was presented to Wash 
 ington by the city of Paris. 
 
 The immortal chief lies entombed in a vault 
 in the grounds, into which honoured recep 
 tacle his companion in arms, Lafayette, de 
 scended, on that patriot s visit to America in 
 1824, mingling his tears with the mouldering 
 ashes of his valued friend. 
 
 The name of Mount Vernon was given to 
 the estate by General Washington s eldest 
 brother, in honour of the British Admiral 
 Vernon, under whom he served at the taking 
 of Porto Bello. This valuable property is 
 now in the possession of Mr. John Adams 
 Washington, a great nephew of the General. 
 About the middle of February, we bade fare 
 well to Washington and the Potomac, and 
 proceeded to Baltimore. On the eve of our 
 departure, an incident of a ludicrous nature 
 took place at the boarding-house, which caused 
 no little diversion at the time among our 
 agreeable circle, and even now may be worth 
 relating. 
 
 Having broken the rule as respects dou 
 ceurs to servants in favour of a black slave 
 boy, who had performed some extra services, 
 X ; he, not having before been in the possession 
 of money, was determined to spend the 
 
 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 amount to his taste in some of the luxuries 
 indulged in by white people. The little fellow 
 had been sent, the day before, to a druggist s, 
 for an emetic for a lady ; and in entire igno 
 rance of its nature, and supposing it must 
 certainly be something very good, off he flew 
 to the same shop as soon as he had got his 
 half-dollar, and asked for more of the same 
 stuff, alias " mixture as before, 55 which he 
 speedily swallowed. Too soon, alas ! he per 
 ceived the effects of his mistake ; and, after 
 being the subject of a hearty laugh, he was 
 admonished to be content for the future with 
 out luxuries. 
 
 The coach in which we travelled to Bal 
 timore was of a lighter construction than 
 any we had seen in America, and it was 
 upon steel springs, which was also a novelty. 
 The horses were excellent, and the driver 
 civil without a fee. Our companions were 
 of different grades as respects fashionable 
 classification of society, but they were all 
 sensible, well-informed individuals ; and, in 
 opposition to the taciturnity of English stage 
 coach travelling, we beguiled the time with 
 agreeable conversation. 
 
 The principal topics discussed, were the 
 merits of several of the newest publications, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 253 
 
 among which Jefferson s Life and Corre 
 spondence, and Captain Basil Hall s Travels 
 in America, came in for their share of praise 
 or censure. Nothing in the voluminous pages 
 of the former appeared to be more highly re 
 lished than the celebrated letter, showing up 
 the reigning sovereigns of Europe, about the 
 period of the establishment of the French 
 republic ; which production I designated Jef 
 ferson s Chapter of Kings. 
 
 In this spirited effusion, the philosophical 
 Writer states that one half of the crowned 
 heads of that period were either imbecile or 
 actually stark mad ; and he attributes this im 
 becility of mind, in a great degree, to their 
 system of intermarrying, and abandoning the 
 grand principle of nature, which, in the animal 
 as well as vegetable world, demands constant 
 change. 
 
 The fact, as related by Jefferson, that the 
 personal accomplishments of George IV., in 
 early life, had been acquired at the expense 
 of mental cultivation, was believed the more 
 readily, because that monarch s pleasures and 
 habits, even in his maturer years, were almost 
 entirely those of a voluptuary ; and more 
 than once I heard the cognomen of Sar- 
 

 danapalus applied to the sovereign of 
 Britain. 
 
 In speaking of Captain Hall s work, our 
 fellow travellers did not deny that that writer s 
 descriptions were vivid and faithful, as far as 
 they went ; but they were hurt that, in giving 
 the truth, he had omitted to give the whole 
 truth. 
 
 The Tory politics of Captain Hall were, 
 however, as may be imagined, the very anti 
 podes of the political creed of the Americans, 
 who glory in the democratic principles of 
 their government, which they know full well 
 are the causes of their national prosperity and 
 happiness ; and the taunts of that gentleman 
 upon their active and progressive legislation, 
 which he attributes to a fondness for what he 
 terms " chopping and changing," rather than 
 the desire to assimilate the institutions, in all 
 respects, to the enlightened and improving 
 spirit of the age, produced some caustic re 
 marks. 
 
 Among others, it was observed, that his 
 assertion that the English people were satis 
 fied to remain as they were, was falsified even 
 at the very time of its promulgation, first, 
 in the repeal of the Corporation and Test 
 
 /* f j , ~t*----~* , r S ^ t/ . S 
 

 ,x , x AND THE AMERICANS. * /x / $55 
 Jl<n***iJi <7 <*-e *?~>r\j / /**-* 7/t^. *^ *f .* fr l>-f 
 
 >* ~ or? /~/<- ?ri<-*~~f-~ v 2*2-+sC*f-y***+~- Z- i/ ^**^ 
 
 Acts; and, secondly, in the emancipation 
 of the Catholics ; both which just measures 
 were conceded to loudly expressed public 
 opinion. 
 
 The apparently triumphant proof also of 
 the author, as to the satisfaction of the nation 
 with its representative system being expressed 
 by the repeated returns of the same indivi 
 duals, was justly ridiculed; for it is a matter 
 well known in America, that the people of 
 Great Britain had little share in the choice of 
 the members of the Commons House of Par 
 liament, which the republicans were very well 
 aware they considered a mockery of legis 
 lation, and merely a chamber of dependants, 
 and tools of an insolent and grasping oligarchy* 
 
 It was a prevailing opinion in the United 
 States, that Captain HalFs volumes were 
 written at the instigation of the Tory govern 
 ment of that period, in order to depreciate 
 republican institutions, and thereby repress 
 the growing spirit of freedom at home. Be 
 this as it may, recent " chopping and chang 
 ing " proves that, in this respect, such writings 
 have been wholly inoperative ; the doctrine of 
 the sovereignty of the people having become 
 so virtually recognised in England, as well as 
 
 <u A"*v^>v 
 C 4rT+s4+^ fe~ 7#T ^c^e^ut^fc<^ 
 
256 AMERICA, 
 
 in other countries, as to sanction the probabi 
 lity of our being about to witness great and 
 important revolutions in the art of government, 
 and it is to be hoped, as the result, great and 
 important improvements in the social condition 
 of mankind* 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 CHAP. XIII, 
 
 BALTIMORE, the fourth city of America, in 
 point of extent and population, has literally 
 sprung up in the memory of man. Eighty 
 years ago it contained not more than twenty 
 or thirty mean tenements, and its shipping 
 was limited to one small square-rigged vessel. 
 The same place now numbers upwards of 
 seventy thousand inhabitants, and its ships 
 trade to every quarter of the habitable globe. 
 
 Unlike New York or Philadelphia, the sur 
 face of the ground upon which the city stands 
 is irregular. The streets are mostly at right 
 angles, and of a good width ; but they are not 
 kept in neat order, and swine innumerable 
 roam at large. The houses are built of excel 
 lent red bricks, quantities of which are ex 
 ported to New York and other places. 
 
 The city contains several handsome public 
 edifices ; the principal of which, in point of 
 extent, is the Exchange. This spacious build 
 ing contains a noble hall for the accommoda 
 tion of the merchants and others, who meet 
 shaded from the burning suns of summer, or 
 
258 AMERICA, 
 
 the cold blasts of winter. A gentleman, to 
 whom I expressed my admiration of the beauty 
 of this hall, remarked, as a singular circum 
 stance, and as one that struck him on his 
 travels, that the ports of Great Britain, the 
 greatest commercial nation in the world, with 
 its humid climate too, should not possess any 
 mercantile places of rendezvous of this de 
 scription open to the public. 
 
 Of the class of edifices dedicated to reli 
 gion, the Roman Catholic Cathedral stands 
 conspicuously distinguished. Baltimore being, 
 if I may be allowed the expression, the head 
 quarters of Catholicism in the United States, 
 and the residence of an archbishop, a very 
 considerable sum has been expended in the 
 erection of a temple worthy of these honours. 
 The building in question is in the form of the 
 sacred symbol of Christianity, and is about 
 two hundred feet in length. It is surmounted 
 by a dome, after the manner of the Pantheon 
 at Rome ; and contains some paintings, one of 
 which was presented by Louis XVIII. The 
 organ is the largest in the country. On the 
 doors were affixed notices, stating that persons 
 entering the church, and refusing to perform 
 the usual genuflexions, or conform to the ce- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 259 
 
 remonies of worship, would be forcibly ex 
 pelled. 
 
 In the face of this somewhat startling and 
 questionable mandate of those in authority, 
 however, we attended mass on the first Sunday 
 succeeding our arrival ; and although we could 
 not consistently join in all " the outward and 
 visible signs," no notice was taken of our 
 breach of ecclesiastical discipline. 
 
 The service was conducted with consider 
 able splendour, aided by most delicious music ; 
 and the sermon, like almost all I have had 
 the pleasure of hearing from the pulpits of the 
 Church of Rome, inculcated good works, and 
 contained no uncharitable allusions to those 
 who professed a different creed. The crowded 
 congregation consisted chiefly of Irish, of 
 which nation there are great numbers in Bal 
 timore. Among the assembled throng in this 
 holy place, one individual in particular ar 
 rested our attention from the moment of his 
 entrance. It was the venerable Charles Car 
 roll, the last survivor of that patriot band, 
 who pledged " their lives, their fortunes, and 
 their sacred honour," to establish the liberties 
 of their country. This highly respected gen 
 tleman, who is the grandfather of the present 
 Marchionesses of Wellesley and Carmarthen, 
 s 2 
 
260 AMERICA, 
 
 the former of whom is attached to the court 
 of Queen Adelaide, was then in his ninety- 
 second year, yet walked along the aisle with 
 a vigorous step. 
 
 Contiguous to the Cathedral, but widely 
 opposed as regards the abstract doctrines pro 
 mulgated by the clergy of these respective 
 places of worship, is the Unitarian Church, 
 a spacious and ornamental structure. The 
 roof, like that of the Cathedral, is a dome. 
 Many of the pews w^ere furnished with small 
 iron boxes, containing heaters, which diffused 
 a most .agreeable warmth. The pulpit was 
 upon the same plan as those of the Unitarian 
 churches of New York, although differing in 
 style of ornament. 
 
 Amidst the bustle of trade and manufac 
 tures, the inhabitants of Baltimore have not 
 been unmindful of the application of the fine 
 arts to commemorate the virtues of the illus 
 trious dead, or to record the triumphs of their 
 fellow-citizens ; and two classic monuments, 
 which adorn the city, are the result of their 
 patriotic feeling. One of these, called Wash 
 ington s monument, is a white marble column, 
 163 feet in height, upon the summit of which 
 is placed a colossal statue of the General. 
 The choice of situation is good, and the effect 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 26 1 
 
 imposing. The second work of art, styled the 
 battle monument, was erected to the memory 
 of the officers and soldiers who fell in defence 
 of the city in the year 1814. The design is 
 extremely classical, and is creditable to the 
 artist, whose name I unfortunately omitted to 
 record. A small square erection, supposed 
 to be a mausoleum, is surmounted by the 
 Roman fasces, on the ribands or ties of which 
 are inscribed the names of the individuals 
 slain. In lieu of the axe is a figure of Victory. 
 
 This beautiful tribute to patriotism and va 
 lour is of white marble, and is about fifty-five 
 feet in height. It is also appropriately orna 
 mented with the national emblems j and at the 
 angles of the iron railing are cannons placed 
 perpendicularly. 
 
 The great object of attraction at the period 
 of our visit to Baltimore was the railroad, 
 which, when completed, will communicate 
 with Pittsburgh, on the river Ohio, the Bir 
 mingham of America. The distance between 
 the two cities is about three hundred miles ; 
 and although eighteen months had scarcely 
 elapsed from the commencement of this mag 
 nificent undertaking, the line for the first ten 
 miles was about to be opened. 
 
 The rails of this road are constructed of 
 s 3 
 
26% AMERICA, 
 
 timber, the upper edges of which are plated with 
 flat bar-iron, and they are strongly fastened 
 to the sleepers, as the transverse logs upon 
 which the rails rest are technically called. 
 The viaducts already finished are either of 
 freestone or granite. 
 
 The labourers employed on this, and all the 
 great works of the kind in progress in America, 
 are natives of Ireland ; and I was happy to 
 observe, on looking into their temporary 
 wooden cabins, which are erected at different 
 stations on the road, that, although there ap 
 peared a good deal of wild disorder in the 
 domestic arrangements, and the total absence 
 of what an English cottager would term com 
 fort, there was no lack of the means to live ; 
 which was the more important, as philopro- 
 genitiveness seemed the order of the day. 
 
 Every hovel had its swarm of children, its 
 barrel of superfine flour, flitch of bacon, and 
 stone bottle of the " creature," and the inter 
 stices were filled up with pigs and poultry. 
 
 As if in antithesis to the splendour of the 
 capital from which it derived its name, one 
 of these clusters of habitations was dignified 
 with the title of Dublin ; although I could 
 not discern any thing like a window in the 
 place ; and the chimneys, if they deserved the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 appellation, were neither more nor less than 
 old flour-barrels. The country around Bal 
 timore possesses abundant water power or 
 " privileges j " and a number of large flour-mills 
 have been erected in the neighbourhood, 
 together with extensive manufactories in the 
 various branches of iron, copper, lead, glass, 
 paper, cotton, and in fact in almost every 
 department of the useful arts. 
 
 One of the towers for the manufacture of 
 shot, situated in the city, is the loftiest erection 
 of the kind I had seen either in America or 
 elsewhere, and the view from the summit is 
 very extensive. To the aged inhabitants, who 
 remember infant Baltimore, the panorama 
 must be particularly striking. 
 
 About three miles below the city is Fort 
 M Henry, the fortification which commands 
 the arm of the Patapsco upon which Balti 
 more is located. Here we beheld, for the first 
 time, American regular troops, a few of 
 which were on duty. They were in grey 
 uniforms, and looked remarkably well. Se 
 veral deserters were at work in the area of the 
 fort, with cannon balls chained to their legs, 
 a mode of punishment substituted for the 
 inhuman and brutalising practice of flogging ; 
 which, to the disgrace of the British nation, 
 
 s 4 
 
264 AMERICA, 
 
 it still permits in its armies and fleets, although 
 abolished in those of every other power. 
 Amongst the ordnance, I noticed a few brass 
 six-pounders bearing the arms of France, 
 and the inscription, " Ultima ratio regum." 
 These guns, which were cast in the reign of 
 Louis XV., were a part of the munitions of 
 war furnished by the French nation to the 
 American colonies during their conflict with 
 the mother country. 
 
 Fort M Henry was bombarded by the Bri 
 tish fleet in 1814, simultaneously with the 
 attempt made upon Baltimore by the army 
 under General Ross ; but, as I was informed, 
 with so little effect, that the only sufferer was 
 an old woman. 
 
 A few miles lower down the river is the 
 field of battle, or rather skirmishing, where the 
 commander of the British forces, General 
 Ross, lost his life ; and between Fort M Henry 
 and the city, several mouldering redoubts 
 serve to remind the traveller of the last unfor 
 tunate rupture between the two countries. 
 
 The only public place of amusement open 
 during our sojourn in this busy and thriving 
 port was the Circus, which is the largest 
 theatre of that description in America. The 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 265 
 
 principal members of the corps de ballet were 
 French. 
 
 The breaking up of the ice, which took 
 place early in the month of March, was the 
 signal for our bidding adieu to the polite and 
 hospitable society of Baltimore; and as soon 
 as the navigation of the rivers again became 
 practicable, we returned to Philadelphia, by 
 the same route as that by which we came, ex 
 cept that in lieu of passing through the new 
 canal, we crossed the peninsula of Maryland 
 and Delaware, by coach, from French town, 
 on the Elk, to Newcastle, on the Delaware 
 river. The surface of the Chesapeake, as well 
 as of the Elk, on this voyage, were, in many 
 places, literally covered with wild ducks ; and 
 we sailed amongst myriads of these birds, who 
 reluctantly quitted the water, even to allow the 
 passage of the steamer. 
 
 We arrived at Philadelphia just in time to 
 witness the presentation of the diplomas to 
 the medical students of the University. The 
 ceremony, which took place in the Music Hall, 
 in consequence of the new College not being 
 finished, was conducted with becoming effect, 
 in the presence of a large audience of talent 
 and fashion. 
 
266 AMERICA, 
 
 An excellent band, the members of which 
 were all blacks, contributed to enliven the 
 meeting by performing select pieces of music 
 at intervals. The inspiring national air, 
 " Hail, Columbia I" which acts upon the Ame 
 rican as " Rule Britannia" does upon the nerves 
 of the Briton, or the "Marsellois" upon those 
 of the sons and daughters of France, was an 
 admirale finale to this intellectual exhibition. 
 
 The Medical School of Philadelphia ranks 
 the highest in the United States, and its 
 honours are consequently held in much repute ; 
 but in this city, as every where in America, 
 the title of Doctor is assumed by every em 
 piric and petty dealer in poisons, and as 
 freely bestowed by the generality of the 
 people. 
 
 During this our second residence in Phi 
 ladelphia, we had an opportunity of viewing 
 the late President West s celebrated picture of 
 66 Christ Rejected," which had recently arrived 
 from London, and was exhibited to admiring 
 crowds in the Hall of Independence. There 
 was something particularly interesting in the 
 contemplation of this chef d oeuvre of the artist 
 in his native city, and in which some of his 
 boyish sketches yet remain ; and it must cer 
 tainly be considered bad taste in the wealthy 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 267 
 
 citizens of Philadelphia, allowing the picture 
 to be returned to England, instead of its being 
 deposited in the Academy of Fine Arts, where 
 it would have been at once an ornament to 
 the city, and an example to youthful talent. 
 In our rambles we also visited a new cemetery, 
 remarkable for its neatness of arrangement. 
 We were shown a kind of iron case for the 
 purpose of protecting bodies from being stolen. 
 This ingenious contrivance was, in form, like 
 a large coffin without a bottom. The lid, 
 sides, and ends, fitted together by bolts, the 
 last of which was secured by a lock. This 
 case, after being allowed to enclose the real 
 coffin in the grave for a few weeks, is removed, 
 and the grave again filled with earth. 
 
 Such safeguards will, however, in all pro 
 bability, ere long, cease to be required, as 
 the practice of the exhumation of bodies for 
 the purpose of dissection will be extinct in 
 America, as soon as the legislatures of the re 
 spective States follow the example of that 
 of Massachusetts ; which, taking enlightened 
 France as its guide, has lately passed an act 
 authorising the governors of all public cha 
 ritable institutions to deliver the bodies of 
 those that die therein, which are not claimed 
 
268 AMERICA, 
 
 in a certain time by their relations or friends, 
 to the anatomical schools. 
 
 As we were leaving the quiet precincts of 
 this depository of the dead, we met the fu 
 neral procession of a black domestic. The 
 hearse was open at the sides so as to expose 
 the coffin, which was made of dark polished 
 wood, and the lid was roof-shaped. About 
 fifty blacks of both sexes, extremely well 
 dressed, followed, walking two and two, at 
 a slow pace. The effect to Europeans was 
 striking. 
 
 Early in April we took leave of the fair 
 city of Philadelphia, where, in the society of 
 some of its chief ornaments, we had spent few 
 indeed but happy days, and returned to New 
 York, by Bordenton. The banks of the 
 Delaware, on our voyage, bespoke the genial 
 influence of spring, and all nature seemed 
 smiling. 
 
 At Bordenton, we took the stage to Wash 
 ington, a village situated on a creek which 
 falls into the Rariton river a little below. 
 About a mile from the former place is the 
 residence of Joseph Bonaparte, Count Sur- 
 villiers, ex- King of Naples and of Spain. 
 The mansion has nothing in its exterior to 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 attract particular attention, but it contains 
 some fine paintings and other works of art. 
 The woods and grounds are extensive, but 
 the latter are susceptible of much improve 
 ment. The Count, who is understood to be 
 exceedingly rich, lives in an easy and hospitable 
 manner, and is highly and very deservedly 
 respected by his farming neighbours, who in 
 variably style him Mr. Bonaparte. 
 
 That the ci-devant sovereign has laid aside 
 state, and all the pomp and circumstance of 
 kingly etiquette, will be credited, when I in 
 form my readers, that on passing his mansion 
 on an excursion in the previous autumn, I saw 
 the ex-monarch standing at his gate, attired 
 as an American farmer, in a rough white hat 
 and a half worn suit. He returned my salute 
 in a friendly and familiar manner, and pro 
 ceeded to give some directions to a labourer, 
 just as if, as the Americans say, he had been 
 raised on the soil.* In person, Count Sur- 
 villiers is taller than his late brother Napoleon, 
 stout, and of a hale, ruddy complexion. 
 
 At Washington village we again embarked 
 in a steamer ; and, in the evening, landed 
 
 * Since the above was written, Count Survilliers has 
 returned to Europe. 
 
270 AMERICA, 
 
 once more in the ever animated city of New 
 York. A few days after our return, the 
 whole population were agreeably surprised by 
 the arrival of a fleet of vessels from Europe, 
 the ports of which they had only left fifteen 
 or sixteen days. Such quick passages across 
 the Atlantic homeward had never before been 
 performed, the voyages of the fastest sailing 
 ships being seldom less than thirty days. 
 Among the vessels which so rapidly ploughed 
 the main, were the splendid packet Caledonia, 
 from Liverpool, and the Josephine, from Bel 
 fast. 
 
 After feasting upon a file of Morning Chro 
 nicles wet from the press ; skimming the cream 
 from the latest Edinburgh Review or Literary 
 Gazettes ; and turning over the pages of Mur 
 ray s, Longman s, or Cadell s "just published" 
 quartos or octavos, isolated copies of which 
 look the more tempting in a foreign land ; 
 we hastened to Boston, proceeding by way of 
 Providence, the capital of the little state of 
 Rhode Island. Our voyage thither, a distance 
 of one hundred and eighty miles, was made in 
 a splendid steamer called the President, 
 one of the largest and certainly one of the 
 most elegant vessels on the American waters. 
 We sailed from New York in the afternoon ; 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 and rapidly passing the city, and through the 
 channel called the East River, we soon cleared 
 the intricate navigation of the entrance into 
 Long Island Sound, the Scylla and Charybdis 
 of America. This passage or strait bears the 
 ominous title of Hell Gates, the name given 
 it by the first settlers, on account of the dan 
 gerous nature of the rocks and currents ; 
 which, previously to the introduction of steam, 
 could not be passed by large vessels with 
 safety. 
 
 A British frigate was wrecked in the at 
 tempt, during the revolutionary war ; and a 
 few years ago, in a fruitless search for gold, 
 some bottles and other articles were recovered 
 from the wreck by means of a diving-bell. 
 The name of Hell Gate or Gates, by puritanical 
 squeamishness, has lately been metamorphosed 
 into that of Hurl Gate, by which it is now 
 very generally known. 
 
 Early the next morning we reached New 
 port, which possesses one of the finest harbours 
 in the United States. 
 
 The new fortifications at this place are upon 
 a scale commensurate with its importance in 
 the event of a war, and the most powerful fleet 
 would not now be able to approach the har 
 bour with impunity. Three hours sailing up 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 the river brought us to the city of Providence, 
 a flourishing town with nearly twenty thou 
 sand inhabitants. Here we took the stage for 
 Boston. The road between Providence and 
 that city, a distance of forty miles, is 
 tolerably good, but the country is in general 
 stony and poor. 
 
 A few miles from the former place we 
 passed through Pawtucket, situated at the 
 falls of the river of that name. This village 
 is a seat of the cotton manufacture, and con 
 tained above a dozen factories in active oper 
 ation ; although, at that period, considerable 
 embarrassment had been experienced in the 
 financial concerns of the proprietors. As we 
 approached Boston, the scenery improved ; 
 and after passing a number of pretty country 
 seats, we beheld the cluster of spires rising 
 from the birth-place of Franklin, where we 
 soon after found ourselves agreeably seated. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 
 BOSTON, which has been founded two cen 
 turies, was originally called Tremont, or Tre- 
 mountain, from the circumstance of its being 
 situated on three hills. The city is almost 
 surrounded by water ; the connection with 
 the main land being formed by a narrow strip 
 called the Neck. The communication, in other 
 directions, is kept up by timber bridges ; one 
 of which is no less than 1300 yards in length. 
 The older streets are irregular indeed, as 
 tortuous as those of the old towns of England ; 
 but such as are of later date are laid out at 
 right angles. They are kept in neat order ; 
 and, unlike the thoroughfares of all the other 
 cities we had visited, they were not peram 
 bulated day and night by swine. Many of 
 the original names have given place to others 
 more congenial to the state of political feeling ; 
 thus, Washington has superseded Marlborough, 
 and King and Queen have been metamor 
 phosed into Court and State Street. 
 
 The houses are chiefly of brick, and very 
 much in the English style of architecture, 
 
 T 
 
AMERICA 
 
 many of the better kind having balconies. 
 Indeed, the general appearance of the place, 
 the complexion of the inhabitants, and the 
 absence of black population, except a few 
 domestics, strongly reminded us of our own 
 country. 
 
 The disinterested and friendly attentions of 
 the Americans to strangers had been proved to 
 us in numberless instances, previous to our ar 
 rival in this quarter of the Union, but in none 
 were they displayed more conspicuously than 
 in the city of Boston, where our reception was 
 such as to cause us instantly to feel at home. 
 
 Availing ourselves of the facilities afforded 
 by those whose politeness was the more valu 
 able, because voluntary, we proceeded to visit 
 its numerous public establishments, and its 
 environs, the theatre of the early glory of the 
 American republic. 
 
 The first object of our curiosity was the 
 statue of Washington, by the Phidias of the 
 British school of sculpture, Chantrey. 
 
 This grand work of art, which is partially 
 known to the public through the medium of 
 engravings, ornaments the new State House, 
 an edifice of large dimensions, and of hand 
 some architecture. It is judiciously placed in 
 a recess lighted from above ; and is seen as 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 275 
 
 approached from the grand entrance of the 
 mansion. This greatest of modern heroes is 
 represented standing, enveloped in an ample 
 robe, and holding in one hand a scroll. Those 
 parts of the figure not concealed by drapery 
 display a modification of modern costume. 
 Without presuming to cavil at this deviation 
 from the antique, such is the conception and 
 execution of this beautiful statue, that, inde 
 pendent of the association of ideas, the spec 
 tator stands in silent admiration ; but indulging 
 in such, the effect is sublime. 
 
 It is not in the interior of the State House 
 alone that the eye and mind are gratified. 
 The view from the lofty dome, by which it 
 is surmounted, is as extensive as it is pictur 
 esque ; and full of historical interest, as regards 
 the commencement of the glorious struggle, 
 which terminated, happily for mankind, in 
 American independence. 
 
 At our feet lay the city, with its halls, and 
 its sites, rendered memorable as the places 
 where the intelligence and free spirits of the 
 country discussed their wrongs, or gave vent 
 to their outraged feelings in bold and ener 
 getic, yet peaceable remonstrances. Taking 
 a wider range, in one direction the eye rested 
 upon the blood-stained field, where a despotic 
 T 2 
 
276 AMERICA, 
 
 government was taught, by a severe lesson, to 
 respect the sacred rights of man ; while, in 
 another, it gazed upon those eminences, where 
 the military genius of a Washington displayed 
 itself, as if by magic, to the discomfiture of 
 the retiring foe. 
 
 Anxious to forget so dark a period of our 
 country s history, and to bury the remem 
 brance of the injustice and madness of our 
 fathers in oblivion, we also beheld the exten 
 sive panorama as lovers of nature, and our 
 gratification was extreme. 
 
 The wide expanse of the unruffled bay, 
 with its archipelago of islands, the undulated 
 country, sprinkled with smiling villages, and 
 cheerful habitations, together with the bold 
 outline of the distant hills, all combined 
 under an atmosphere as pure as it was mild, 
 produced an enchanting picture, and one 
 which is indelibly impressed on the memory. 
 
 In front of the State House is a park, many 
 acres in extent, which, in the colonial times, 
 bore the name of the Common ; but having 
 been railed, and ornamented, is now dignified 
 with the title of Mall. Here the British troops 
 were for some time encamped ; and near a 
 huge and ancient elm, which still spreads its 
 venerable arms, are the remains of a redoubt, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. #77 
 
 thrown up at that period. Among the number 
 of mansions which form one side of the streets 
 bounding this beautiful verdant enclosure, that 
 of the celebrated patriot, Hancock, is distin 
 guished. 
 
 In the edifice appropriated to public meet 
 ings of the citizens, called Fanueil Hall, and 
 termed the Cradle of the Revolution, from the 
 preliminary assemblages of the early cham 
 pions of the people s rights having been held 
 there, we saw an admirable full length portrait 
 of Washington by Steuart, and also a portrait 
 of Hancock by Copley, the father of the 
 ex-Chancellor Lord Lyndhurst. Both these 
 artists were Americans, and both attained 
 a high rank in their profession. The former 
 was, in early life, a pupil of West. A bust 
 of the late John Adams, father of the ex- 
 President, likewise adorns this hallowed tem 
 ple of liberty. 
 
 The Athenaeum, which is at the head of the 
 numerous literary institutions of the city, con 
 tains a well selected library of nearly 30,000 
 volumes ; also a collection of casts from many 
 of the finest statues of antiquity, and a cabinet 
 of impressions from rare medals and gems. 
 
 I was happy to observe, that these intellec 
 tual treasures were all in excellent preserv- 
 T 3 
 
278 AMERICA, 
 
 ation. In front of the pedestals of the casts, 
 neat placards were suspended, bearing the title 
 or common appellation of the figure or group, 
 accompanied by a succinct account of the 
 subject, for the information of such as were 
 unacquainted with the arts or classic lore. 
 
 One of the apartments contained marble 
 busts of Sir Isaac Coffin, ex- President Adams, 
 and Dr. Josiah Quincy. 
 
 The first of these was by Behmes : the two 
 latter were the production of a young native 
 sculptor of the name of Greenough, who has 
 resided for some years in Italy ; and they not 
 only interested us as faithful resemblances of 
 those eminent individuals whose features they 
 were intended to portray, but acquired an 
 additional value as able specimens of the talents 
 of a young artist in a branch hitherto unap- 
 proached by his countrymen. 
 
 The gallant admiral, whose likeness is here 
 deposited, is an American by birth, but has 
 served almost all his life in the British navy, 
 of which he is a distinguished ornament. 
 He is, nevertheless, exceedingly popular among 
 his countrymen ; and we heard it humorously 
 recorded, that whilst on a visit to his native 
 place, a fewyearsago, above six hundred persons 
 of the name claimed the honour of relation- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 279 
 
 ship, among whom was a black man. Terra 
 cotta busts of Washington, Franklin, and 
 Lafayette, as well as some portraits, likewise 
 ornamented the chamber, A well supplied 
 news-room, in which no talking louder than a 
 whisper is permitted, forms part of this polite 
 establishment. 
 
 Contiguous to the Athenaeum is a conve 
 nient building, devoted to the advancement of 
 the arts and sciences. It contains a theatre, 
 where lectures are periodically delivered, and a 
 gallery for the exhibition of works of art. The 
 annual exhibition of pictures was on the eve 
 of opening when we were about to leave Bos 
 ton, but, by the politeness of some members of 
 the committee, we were favoured with a peep 
 behind the curtain before the completion of 
 the arrangements. The result of our visit was 
 gratifying, inasmuch as we saw native talent 
 existed, which, under the genial warmth and 
 fostering care of public patronage, will assu 
 redly produce fruit. 
 
 Some pictures by the old masters graced the 
 walls ; and we were shown a small portrait in 
 crayons, by Lawrence when a youth. By the 
 date of this clever little picture, the artist must 
 have been only thirteen years of age at the 
 time of its execution. 
 
 T 4 
 
280 AMERICA, 
 
 Although Boston owes its origin to the 
 emigrant English puritans, a strong tincture 
 of whose rigid observances yet remains among 
 its population, their descendants have so far 
 deviated from the creed of their forefathers, 
 that a temple of Thespis had lately been 
 erected, scarcely inferior in beauty to any in 
 the United States. The fa9ade is of two de 
 scriptions of granite the one gray, the other 
 of a reddish hue which last has been success 
 fully employed in beautiful Ionic pilasters, 
 which support an entablature and pediment. 
 The interior is finished in a correspondent 
 style of elegance. 
 
 Opposite the theatre is an hotel called Tre- 
 mont House, one of the largest, and cer 
 tainly the most elegant building of the kind in 
 America, and, perhaps, not surpassed in Eu 
 rope. The principal front of this noble man 
 sion is of gray granite, and is ornamented by 
 a chaste and extensive Doric portico of the 
 same material, the whole admirably worked. 
 This fashionable establishment contains nearly 
 two hundred apartments^ besides spacious 
 dining and drawing rooms, furnished in the 
 best manner ; and yet the charge for board 
 and lodging in other words, for faring sump 
 tuously every day, and reposing in comfort at 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 281 
 
 night is only about two guineas per week 
 each person. Wines are not included in the 
 terms of board; but lists of the kinds and 
 prices are furnished by the waiters when asked 
 for, or may be perused in the bar-room, which 
 is a place much frequented in all American 
 hotels. 
 
 In the centre of an old and extensive 
 cemetery, contiguous to Tremont House, sur 
 rounded by hundreds of the fathers of the 
 country, lie interred the venerable and worthy 
 parents of the illustrious Franklin. It will 
 be recollected by those who are familiar with 
 the life of that truly great man, whose name 
 is no less associated with practical morality 
 than with science, that, visiting the place of 
 his nativity many years after his settlement in 
 Philadelphia, he caused the following simple 
 and beautiful inscription to be placed over 
 the grave of those to whom he owed his 
 birth : 
 
 " HERE LIE 
 
 JOSIAS FRANKLIN AND ABIAH HIS WIFE; 
 
 They lived together with reciprocal affection for fifty-nine 
 years ; and without private fortune, without lucrative 
 employment, by assiduous labour and honest industry, 
 decently supported a numerous family, and educated, 
 with success, thirteen children, and seven grandchil 
 dren. Let this example, reader, encourage thee dili- 
 
AMERICA 
 
 gently to discharge the duties of thy calling, and to 
 rely on the support of Divine Providence. 
 
 He was pious and prudent, 
 She discreet and virtuous. 
 
 Their youngest son, from a sentiment of filial duty, con 
 secrates this stone to their memory." 
 
 The slab containing this inscription having 
 gone to decay, the inhabitants of Boston have, 
 with proper feeling and much good taste, 
 lately erected a massive granite obelisk over 
 the grave. Upon one side of this lasting 
 memorial appears the name of Franklin in 
 raised bronze characters, and underneath is a 
 tablet with the original inscription. 
 
 With equal respect to the memory of Frank 
 lin, the printing-press at which the philoso 
 pher first worked is carefully preserved in 
 the city. 
 
 Many of the tombs in this and the older 
 burying grounds of Boston are ornamented 
 with coats of arms, and bear the names of 
 colonists of rank. We noticed one to the 
 memory of Governor Winthrop, who served 
 the office under the unfortunate but accom 
 plished monarch, Charles I. Several of this 
 gentleman s descendants are among the prin 
 cipal families of the city at the present day, 
 to the unremitting kindness of some of whom 
 
*1 
 
 - 
 h 
 
 - 
 AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 we owe much of the pleasurable remembrance 
 of our sojourn in the Athens of America. 
 
 In connection with the subject of ceme 
 teries, I may observe, that the horses drawing 
 the hearses at funerals in Boston were led 
 by men walking at their heads, which had a 
 much more solemn effect than when driven 
 by a man seated on a coach-box. 
 
 This city being as it were the metropolis 
 of Unitarianism, we naturally expected to find 
 a number of edifices dedicated to public wor 
 ship according to that faith ; but we were not 
 prepared to behold them in all the dignity of 
 
 ^ f " v 
 
 the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches, with 
 towering spires and peals of bells. Few, how 
 ever, of the religious structures of Boston 
 possess particular claims to notice on the score 
 of architecture, but all are commodious ; and 
 as the inhabitants are, generally speaking, dis 
 tinguished for their strict observance of the ". 
 
 x v \ 
 
 Sabbath, they are frequented by crowded con 
 gregations, who, as every where in America, 
 very properly make it a matter of importance 
 to arrive before the commencement of the 
 
 servce. 
 
 We attended public worship at two of the 
 principal Episcopal churches, those of St. 
 Paul and Trinity. The front of the former 
 
284 AMERICA, 
 
 represents an Ionic temple, and the interior 
 is finished in a correspondently chaste style. 
 Near the altar was a large copy of the cele 
 brated Transfiguration, painted by an Italian 
 artist. 
 
 The Bishop of the State of Connecticut 
 officiated on the morning of our visit, and 
 delivered a most impressive discourse. This 
 worthy divine was attired in a simple black 
 gown ; he, like his brother bishops of the 
 United States, having wisely rejected those 
 unseemly and ridiculous appendages, wigs, 
 aprons, and lawn sleeves. I observed that, 
 in reading the Liturgy, the Bishop did not 
 bow the head on pronouncing the name of the 
 Saviour in the creeds, a custom which still 
 prevails in the Established Church of Eng 
 land. 
 
 The church dedicated to the Holy Trinity 
 had recently been erected on the site of one 
 built at an early period of the colony. The 
 style is Gothic, but not highly decorated, and 
 the material granite. On the occasion of a 
 wedding, we saw this extensive building nearly 
 filled with females, whom curiosity had at 
 tracted to witness the interesting ceremony ; 
 and the happy couple had even some difficulty 
 to pass from the church to the hackney coach 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 285 
 
 in waiting, so eager was the multitude to have 
 a near view of the parties. 
 
 Old South Church, so named from its age 
 and situation, is devoted to the Presbyterian 
 form of worship, and is attended by a large 
 congregation. The building is memorable as 
 having been metamorphosed into a riding- 
 school by the British troops, and used as 
 such for some years prior to the Revolution. 
 
 The Gallican feeling to ecclesiastical edi 
 fices, if they happened to be possessed by any 
 denomination of Christians save the Church 
 of England, was not uncommon with the Bri 
 tish commanders in America, and gave great 
 and just offence to the inhabitants. 
 
 The following is a copy of a handbill which 
 was printed at the restoration of the edifice 
 to its legitimate use, and with which I was 
 favoured by one of the members of the con 
 gregation : 
 
 ANTHEM. 
 
 " This Anthem was sung at the re-opening of the Old 
 
 South Church, after having been occupied about eight 
 
 years by the British as a place for training their horses, 
 
 and was written for that joyful occasion by William 
 
 Selby, the then Organist of King s Chapel, Boston. 
 
 " Behold, God is my salvation ! I will trust and not be 
 
 afraid ; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my 
 
 song ; he also is become my salvation. He hath raised 
 
286 AMERICA, 
 
 up the tabernacle of David that was fallen ; he hath closed 
 up the breaches thereof; he hath raised up the ruins ; he 
 hath built it as in the days of old, and caused his people 
 to rejoice therein. 
 
 " Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his 
 doings among the nations, make mention that his name is 
 exalted. Sing unto the Lord, for he hath done excellent 
 things ; this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, 
 thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of 
 Israel, in the midst of thee. Hallelujah, for the Lord 
 God omnipotent reigneth. Amen." 
 
 The congregation of King s Chapel, or, as it 
 is now styled, the Stone Chapel, from the ma 
 terial of which it is built, as well as from the 
 hatred of the former title, use a Liturgy pecu 
 liar to themselves. This composition appeared 
 to be framed so as to meet the wishes of those 
 who dissented from the more disputed doc 
 trines of the Episcopal Church, and yet pre 
 ferred a written form of prayer. Although 
 we visited the principal Unitarian places of 
 worship, we were unfortunately deprived of the 
 pleasure of hearing the celebrated Dr. Chan- 
 ning, of whose oratory I have already made 
 mention, and we lamented the circumstance 
 the more from a knowledge that the delicate 
 health of that eminent divine contracted the 
 sphere of his usefulness. 
 
 All the public structures of Boston, lately 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 287 
 
 erected, are of granite, and they are also in 
 an admirable style of architecture. 
 
 Among the most conspicuous erections is 
 the market, which measures nearly 550 feet 
 in length, and 50 in width. At each end 
 is a Doric portico, the columns of which are 
 formed of single blocks of granite twenty-three 
 feet high. The interior contains two ranges 
 of shops, in which the different descriptions of 
 provisions are displayed ; the variety, however, 
 was less numerous than in the markets of the 
 principal towns of Great Britain. Among 
 the vegetables we noticed the common dan 
 delion, which, cut when young, and boiled, 
 is very palatable, and is much eaten. The 
 prices of most articles were lower than in the 
 markets of New York. 
 
288 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 
 THE country in the neighbourhood of Boston 
 is decidedly picturesque ; and the roads are 
 superior to any we had seen in America. 
 They are, in general, made upon the M Adam 
 principle if that system can with propriety 
 be referred to any individual in the present 
 day, when it is a well known fact, that the 
 roads in many parts of Italy and Spain have 
 been constructed with broken fragments of 
 stone from time immemorial. 
 
 The merit of Mr. M Adam seems to be in 
 his having improved and extended the method, 
 rather than being the originator of it ; and, 
 under this impression, some Americans feel 
 desirous to adopt a new term for the art. 
 
 Our first perambulation in the environs was 
 to the celebrated battle field of Breeds, 
 erroneously called Bunker s Hill. Crossing a 
 long timber bridge, we entered Charlestown, 
 which is separated from Boston by the river 
 Charles. 
 
 This place, which was originally built of 
 wood, was set on fire by the British, and en- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 289 
 
 tirely consumed, during the attack upon the 
 American forces in June, 1775. It has long 
 since risen from its ashes, and is now a cheer 
 ful little town, with 7000 inhabitants. In the 
 immediate vicinity is Breeds Hill, the scene 
 of the sanguinary struggle which took place at 
 an early period of the revolutionary war, and 
 in which the Americans showed the most 
 dauntless courage, only retiring when over 
 powered by numbers, and destitute of ammu 
 nition. 
 
 To commemorate this important event in 
 American history, the inhabitants of Boston 
 and the neighbourhood are erecting a monu 
 ment on the blood-stained eminence, as im 
 perishable as the record of the glorious struggle 
 itself This memorial is a plain granite obe 
 lisk, without a pedestal, 220 feet in height, 
 and fifty feet in diameter at the base. A spiral 
 staircase, built within the structure, leads to 
 the summit. 
 
 The first block of this colossal memorial, 
 the largest of the kind in the world, was laid, 
 amidst great rejoicings, by Lafayette, on the 
 15th of June, 1825, the fiftieth anniversary of 
 the battle ; but, in consequence of the funds 
 having become exhausted, the progress of the 
 work had been temporarily suspended. Some 
 
290 AMERICA, 
 
 traces of the redoubt and lines contested on 
 that memorable day are yet visible, and are 
 beheld by every American as consecrated 
 ground. 
 
 Adjoining the town of Charlestown, on one 
 side, is the State Prison, a noble building of 
 granite, 200 feet long, and five stories high ; 
 and on the other, is the Navy Yard, one of 
 the most complete establishments of that de 
 scription in the United States. 
 
 On visiting this depot, I was presented with 
 a ticket by one of the marines on duty at the 
 gate, which ticket was demanded on my exit. 
 I saw three vessels ready for launching, one 
 of which was of the largest class of the line. 
 The Columbus of 100 guns, a ship of 80 guns, 
 and a heavy frigate, lay in ordinary at the 
 wharf. A dock sufficiently large to receive a 
 first rate, and entirely constructed of granite, 
 was nearly completed. 
 
 This was the fourth naval arsenal I had 
 visited ; in all of which, although a foreigner, 
 and alone, I had had full liberty to inspect the 
 ships, the stores, the ordnance, in fact, every 
 thing that attracted my curiosity ; and in several 
 instances had received the most particular 
 answers to my interrogatories. 
 
 I cannot avoid noticing this extreme liber- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 291 
 
 ality to strangers, as opposed to the rules of 
 similar establishments at home, where, to the 
 unintroduced visiter, the gates are hermeti 
 cally sealed. This system of exclusion is the 
 more to be deprecated, because, in some cases, 
 it proceeds from a narrow jealousy, without a 
 shadow of justification. 
 
 I need only mention the refusing admittance 
 to Americans at the dock-yards of Portsmouth 
 or Plymouth ; as if that enterprising people 
 could now learn any thing in the beautiful art 
 of ship-building even from Great Britain, when 
 it is notorious, that almost all the great im 
 provements in naval architecture of late years 
 are of American origin. 
 
 It was after my visit to the Navy Yard of 
 Boston, that I heard, for the first time in 
 America, any opinions expressed on the sub 
 ject of the conflict between the British frigate 
 the Shannon, and the United States ship the 
 Chesapeake; the only action on John Bull s 
 own element during the war where the force 
 of the combatants was at all equal. The 
 unfortunate result to the Americans was 
 confidently attributed to the crew of the Che 
 sapeake having been in a state of intoxication. 
 To render this version of the story probable, 
 it is necessary to suppose that the commander 
 u 2 
 
292 AMERICA, 
 
 and his brother officers were drunk too : thus 
 is the problem solved, and the gallant Captain 
 Broke, and the tars of the Shannon, are 
 cheated of their laurels. 
 
 No triumphs of the Americans caused so 
 much exultation as the captures of British men 
 of war ; and the walls of half the boarding- 
 houses in the sea-ports are ornamented with 
 representations of the taking of the Guerrier 
 and Macedonian ; which vessels, by the by, 
 are always made to appear as large, or larger 
 than their opponents, and totally dismasted, 
 while the latter are in full trim ; but the taking 
 of the Chesapeake is kept sub silentio. 
 
 The principal seminary for the education of 
 youth in the state of Massachusetts is Harvard 
 College. This alma mater is situated in the 
 village or town of Cambridge, about three 
 miles from Boston, on the road to Lexington, 
 the spot celebrated in history as the scene of 
 the first martyrdom of the American patriots, 
 and where the key-note of liberty and resist 
 ance to tyrants was sounded. The college 
 takes its name from its founder, the Rev. J. 
 Harvard, who was one of the earliest settlers 
 from the mother-country. The buildings are 
 more extensive than ornamental, with the ex 
 ception of a chapel lately erected. The library 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 contains nearly 25,000 volumes, together with 
 philosophical apparatus, and a museum of 
 natural history. 
 
 We were particularly fortunate in making 
 our visit to Harvard College, on what is termed 
 an exhibition day, as it gave us an opportu 
 nity of judging, in some degree, of the course 
 of education pursued, and the proficiency of 
 the students. The provost, Dr. J. Quincey, 
 whose bust we had seen at the Athenaeum, 
 presided in the theatre, which is commodious, 
 and on this occasion was crowded with beauty 
 and fashion. The recitations, which were in 
 the Greek, Latin, and English languages, were 
 all extremely well delivered ; and several com 
 positions in the latter tongue were of a very 
 high character, and exceedingly creditable to 
 the youthful composers. 
 
 Whether it was in consequence of the cri 
 tical acumen displayed by Captain Hall, I 
 know not, but one of the young orators, who 
 had occasion to use the words " chivalry and 
 chicanery," pronounced them both in a style 
 that would have fully satisfied the gallant 
 officer, and made ample amends for the per 
 tinacity of the New York " school madam," 
 who did not conceive that " they that go 
 u 3 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 down to the sea in ships" are the best models 
 in scholastic matters. 
 
 The expenses at Harvard College are very 
 moderate ; and particularly so, when compared 
 with those of similar establishments in Eng 
 land. The students are, for the most part, the 
 sons of the wealthier classes ; and although 
 the immediate prospects of many may be the 
 counting-room or the store, they all receive 
 such a course of liberal education as to fit 
 them for higher destinies, should their talents 
 in after-life attract the notice of their country 
 men. 
 
 In no part of the United States is the sub 
 ject of education so warmly espoused as in the 
 division of Massachusetts, where that blessing 
 is within the reach of all, free of cost, ample 
 funds being provided for the maintenance of 
 the public schools by the state. 
 
 The consequences of this wise liberality are 
 apparent in the state of the population ; which, 
 both as regards the general diffusion of useful 
 knowledge and orderly behaviour, is very ap 
 parent. 
 
 If, on landing in New York, we were forcibly 
 struck with what I have termed the high 
 character of the working classes, the remark 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 295 
 
 applied in a still greater degree to those of 
 Boston, the population of which city is less 
 adulterated with the poorer class of English 
 and Irish emigrants. The porters, and others, 
 about the wharfs and places of business, with 
 many of whom I purposely entered into con 
 versation, were extremely civil and intelligent, 
 and evidently men capable of exercising the 
 high privileges which their free institutions 
 afford them with sound judgment and discre 
 tion. 
 
 As a proof of the comparatively comfort 
 able circumstances of the working classes 
 of this city, which contains about 80,000 
 inhabitants, I was credibly informed that 
 there was only one pawnbroker in the 
 place ; and I may add to this happy picture 
 of society, that, in lieu of such melancholy 
 refuges of poverty and crime, booksellers 
 shops and circulating libraries were more nu 
 merous, in proportion to the population, than 
 in any place I had ever visited. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the village of 
 Quincy, and about ten miles in a southerly 
 direction from Boston, are the famous gra 
 nite quarries which supply the city with that 
 valuable material. As there is no superin 
 cumbent stratum, the labour of procuring the 
 u 4 
 
296 AMERICA, 
 
 granite is considerably lessened, and the 
 blocks are conveyed to the wharf, on the mar 
 gin of the bay, a distance of three miles, by a 
 rail-road. From the summit of a tower, erected 
 on one of the hills, we enjoyed a most magni 
 ficent view of Boston Bay, with its numerous 
 islands, its surface sprinkled with white sails ; 
 while, in the distance, the city itself stood 
 proudly conspicuous, with its elevated dome 
 and tapering spires, the whole presenting a 
 scene of uncommon beauty and interest. 
 
 The village of Milton, situated on the stream 
 of that name, and so called from the great 
 republican poet, lies on the road between 
 Quincy and Boston. There was an air of 
 repose and rural simplicity about this nook, 
 which better entitled it to the endearing ap 
 pellation of village, according to the English 
 signification of the term, than almost any 
 place we had seen in America. Nearer Bos 
 ton are the eminences called Dorchester 
 Heights, memorable in the revolutionary his 
 tory as being the spots where Washington 
 caused redoubts to be thrown up in a single 
 night ; and which were of so formidable a 
 nature as to cause the evacuation of the city 
 by the British army, which never returned. 
 
 These field-works, of which only slight 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 297 
 
 traces remained, were once more restored on 
 the breaking out of the last war, and are again 
 in a course of dilapidation ; and it is to be 
 hoped no circumstances will ever arise so as 
 to require their reconstruction. 
 
 During our stay in Boston, we made an 
 excursion to Salem, a seaport of some note, 
 fourteen miles distant. The road passes 
 through the small town of Lynn, one of the 
 oldest settlements in New England, and now 
 famous for the manufacture of ladies shoes, of 
 which large quantities are exported to the 
 different southern States, as well as to the 
 West Indies and other places. We learnt, to 
 our surprise, that the price of the necessaries 
 of life were so low in this and several other 
 villages surrounding Boston, that substantial 
 board might be obtained by mechanics at the 
 rate of four shillings and sixpence per week. 
 
 After travelling some miles over a poor and 
 naked district, the spires of the churches of 
 Salem suddenly appeared, peeping over the 
 summit of some rocks a short distance before 
 us. The effect was curious. 
 
 In a few minutes we beheld the little town 
 and port, where we soon arrived. Salem, by 
 the successful rivalry of New York, and the 
 other great commercial marts of America, 
 
298 AMERICA, 
 
 has latterly lost much of its mercantile im 
 portance ; and, after having numbered its sixty 
 ships, which almost annually sailed round the 
 Cape of Good Hope, or Cape Horn, it now 
 only reckons a tenth part of that number. 
 The town has an air of neatness, and contains 
 a handsome square, and many good buildings, 
 but its chief attraction is its Museum, which 
 had recently been arranged in a capacious hall, 
 erected expressly for its reception. 
 
 This extensive depository of the wonders 
 of nature and art owes its existence to the 
 spirit and good taste of the commanders of 
 the vessels belonging to Salem, who engage, 
 on their return from a voyage, to present 
 something rare or curious to the collection. 
 Thus has a valuable Museum been formed, to 
 which additions are continually being made ; 
 and when it is recollected that the donors are 
 neither professed naturalists, artists, antiqua 
 rians, or lettered " travelling fellows," but 
 plain nautical "business men," the choice 
 and selection of the specimens and different 
 articles do infinite credit to their discrimin 
 ation and judgment. 
 
 From the extensive trade which Salem has 
 carried on with the Indian Archipelago and 
 China, the catalogue is rich in the productions 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 299 
 
 of that quarter of the globe, whether as regards 
 natural history or ingenious objects of art. The 
 islands of the South Seas have likewise contri 
 buted their share of curiosities ; and, lastly, the 
 classic shores of the "blue Mediterranean," 
 those inexhaustible mines of ancient art, have 
 not been visited in vain ; and the connoisseur 
 may pore over the half-obliterated hieroglyphic, 
 study the bold features of the Caesars in the 
 corroded medal, or dwell upon the sublime 
 contortions of the Laocoon. 
 
 Among the heterogeneous trifles which 
 chance has thrown in the way of the contri 
 butors, we observed a note in the hand- writing 
 of the immortal Byron. This little document, 
 which was written during the bard s residence 
 in Genoa, is addressed to a friend, with a re 
 quest that he will recommend an advocate to 
 him, to defend a paltry suit brought against 
 him by a tailor, who, as he says, in allusion 
 to extravagant charges, " has cut his coat 
 according to his cloth, as his brethren do in 
 every country." In a postscript, the noble 
 writer adds, that he expects some packages to 
 arrive soon ; and begs that all may be properly 
 specified at the custom-house, for he will 
 not allow any smuggling. Every relic of the 
 lamented author of " Childe Harold," even 
 
300 AMERICA, 
 
 the most trifling, is so precious, that we could 
 not peruse this half-angry, half-humorous, 
 and hastily-scribbled note, without painful 
 emotions, accompanied by regret at his un 
 timely, although glorious end. 
 
 Shortly before our visit to Salem, the town 
 and neighbourhood had been thrown into 
 great consternation by an event of a nature 
 unparalleled in that quiet and well ordered 
 community. The circumstance I allude to 
 was nothing less than a murder, " most foul, 
 strange, and unnatural," being that of an 
 aged gentleman by his own nephew and some 
 other relatives, who, by the horrid act, 
 thought to anticipate the possession of his 
 property. 
 
 As the great poet of nature has expressed 
 it, " murder, though it have no tongue, will 
 speak with most miraculous organ," so in the 
 instance of this at Salem the discovery of 
 the perpetrators of the infernal act was made 
 through unexpected channels, and three of 
 the wretches forfeited their lives ; two by the 
 hands of the executioner ; and the third, con 
 science-struck, put a period to his existence 
 in prison. The fourth individual having been 
 admitted " state evidence," was allowed to 
 expatriate himself, where it is to be hoped he 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 301 
 
 may lead " a new life unto righteousness," 
 and in some degree make atonement for the 
 horrible crime in which he was an accomplice. 
 
 On our return from our trip to Salem, we 
 enjoyed a charming view of the peninsula of 
 Nahant, the Brighton of the Bostonians ; and 
 in one part of the road we were agreeably 
 surprised at the appearance of dear hawthorn 
 hedges, the sight of which instantly trans 
 ported us to Old England. 
 
 I have already shown how extremely fa 
 vourable the American system of boarding is 
 for the easy introduction of strangers into 
 society ; indeed, the facilities it affords in 
 forming agreeable acquaintance, and in ac 
 quiring local information or anecdotes, can 
 scarcely be imagined by the Englishman who 
 has only been habituated to his own compa 
 ratively unsocial mode of existence. 
 
 To the evening re-unions of our Boston 
 boarding-house we owe the knowledge of many 
 little facts of by-gone times, which, communi 
 cated as they were by eye-witnesses, acquired 
 additional interest. 
 
 Numerous were the instances related of the 
 extreme jealousy shown by the New Eng- 
 landers at the presence of the royal troops, 
 long before the actual commencement of hos- 
 
302 AMERICA, 
 
 tilities, even the children saluting the soldiers 
 off duty with vollies of snow-balls ; which 
 pastime the little urchins called making war 
 upon King George and the Tories. 
 
 The accounts of the detection of smugglers, 
 who thought, notwithstanding non-intercourse 
 proclamations and edicts, that there was no 
 harm in a few pounds of young hyson ; the 
 serio-comic descriptions also of unfortunate 
 custom-house officers, tarred and feathered, 
 and their being forced to quaff libations of tea 
 made with salt water, lost nothing in the re 
 lating ; while the memorable attack upon the 
 vessel laden with tea by a resolute band of 
 patriots disguised as Indians, who discharged 
 the whole into the sea, was pictured by the 
 aged narrators with all that enthusiasm with 
 which we may imagine Goldsmith s " broken 
 soldier" to have been inspired, when he 
 " shoulder d his crutch, and show d how fields 
 
 were won." 
 
 From a friend who had been accustomed 
 to meet the great Washington at the social 
 board, we learnt many interesting particulars 
 of the hero as he appeared, when, divested of 
 weightier cares, he mingled with society. To 
 a fine person Washington united the most 
 amiable manners and goodness of heart ; and 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 303 
 
 wherever he went he won golden opinions 
 from all sorts of people. 
 
 Athough, unfortunately, a slave-holder, it is 
 well known that f he treated his negroes with 
 kindness ; and the following little anecdote 
 proves that he thought distinction of colour 
 no excuse even for a breach of good manners. 
 
 On being observed to return the salute of a 
 negro during one of his rides, the circum 
 stance was repeated by some wealthy but 
 unfeeling individual, accompanied with expres 
 sions of regret at such condescension. These 
 remarks happened to reach the ears of the 
 hero himself, who coolly observed, " Does 
 Mr. suppose that General Washing 
 ton is to be outdone in politeness by a poor 
 negro?" 
 
 Without noticing the slang attributed to 
 the labouring population of what are called 
 the Eastern States of America, and which is 
 greatly exaggerated by travellers, we found 
 some peculiarities in the use and pronunciation 
 of certain words among the best educated in 
 habitants. 
 
 Many persons substituted the verb to ad 
 mire for that of to like, and spoke of admiring 
 to see such or such a place or thing ; and we 
 heard the word wounds pronounced from the 
 
304 AMERICA, 
 
 pulpit as bounds, and not woonds, as adopted 
 in England. Testimony was also sounded with 
 the o long, as in testimonial. 
 
 After spending three weeks most agreeably 
 in Boston, we returned to New York, by way 
 of Providence and Long Island Sound. The 
 scenery was most agreeably varied, in conse 
 quence of the advanced state of vegetation ; 
 the foliage of the country displaying itself in 
 all its vernal beauty, and the orchards blushing 
 in their loveliest hues. 
 
 As we approached the islands, which are 
 scattered about the junction of the Sound and 
 the East River, all nature seemed smiling ; 
 and the passage of Hell Gate, so formidable 
 to the early navigators, might have been styled, 
 with much more propriety, the Gate of Para 
 dise. Our steamer, majestically ploughing her 
 way, and sweeping round the point of the city, 
 and its beautiful promenades, with a graceful 
 curve, soon reposed upon the bosom of the 
 Hudson, and we once again found ourselves 
 welcomed to the London of the western world. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 305 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 
 A YEAR S residence in New York, from the 
 period of our return from Boston, afforded 
 ample opportunities of studying America and 
 the Americans ; not merely under ordinary 
 circumstances, but in consequence of the im 
 portant and peculiar events of the year 1830, 
 as regarded European affairs, under the excite 
 ment also which these produced. A detail of 
 what we saw, and what we heard, together with 
 such desultory information upon various sub 
 jects as came within our reach, may help the 
 reader to a better understanding of a country 
 which is, ere long, destined to be as great as 
 she is free, and a few chapters devoted to this 
 object may not prove uninteresting. 
 
 As our pious forefathers in the olden time 
 had their festivals, their fairs, and their red 
 letter days, so their emancipated transatlantic 
 descendants have likewise their seasons of re 
 joicing ; the causes of which, with the modes 
 of celebration, I shall proceed to describe in 
 the order of their succession. 
 
 The first, then, which occurred after our 
 
306 AMERICA, 
 
 arrival, and the most important of the Ame 
 rican gala days, was that of the anniversary of 
 the Declaration of Independence, which is 
 kept with the greatest enthusiasm in every 
 city, village, and district in the Union. 
 
 As New York is the most populous city, so 
 were the demonstrations of joy proportion ably 
 extensive. 
 
 No sooner had the rising sun gilded the 
 charming bay, and the verdant promenades 
 of the battery, than the American standard 
 proudly floated on the morning breeze, and a 
 salute was fired by the few remaining veterans 
 of those armies by which the banner of liberty 
 was first unfurled. The thunder of cannon 
 proclaimed the fifty-fourth return of the na 
 tional jubilee ; while the closed stores, and early 
 crowded streets, bespoke that even the " busi 
 ness men" had determined to abandon their 
 " dry goods," and their " counting-rooms," 
 at least for the day. 
 
 Although the more intellectual part of the 
 population, as the members of literary and 
 scientific institutions, and the ministers of 
 religion, might be content to celebrate the 
 occasion by delivering patriotic odes and ad 
 dresses, the joyful feelings of the bulk were 
 expressed in a manner more congenial to their 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 307 
 
 tastes ; and a review of some thousand militia, 
 cavalry, infantry, and artillery, with marchings 
 and counter-marchings in close order, open 
 order, and, perchance, disorder, together with 
 a liberal expenditure of gunpowder, formed 
 the grand attraction of the day. 
 
 By the term militia, must not be understood 
 the stick and umbrella squads, so humorously 
 described by the inimitable Matthews, and 
 whose military training is limited to a few 
 days in each year ; but regular companies, 
 well armed, and handsomely equipped, with 
 all " the pride, pomp, and circumstance of 
 glorious war." 
 
 A military command is the acme of the 
 ambition of an American store-keeper, and a 
 hundred Major Sturgeons forgot their counters 
 in the delights of pie-bald chargers, leopard- 
 skin housings, and gay uniforms ; each of 
 whom, either by his apparent knowledge of 
 tactics, or, what seemed to have more influ 
 ence, his -knowledge of holiday display, en 
 deavoured to win a smile from the delighted 
 fair who crowded the windows, or attract the 
 admiration of the countless thousands who 
 filled the streets. 
 
 To criticise the moral of an army of shop- 
 
308 AMERICA, 
 
 keepers, who are not subject to articles of war, 
 and whose services are limited to occasional 
 sunshine musters, or to draw comparisons be 
 tween such and the mechanical precision of 
 regular troops, would be absurd ; suffice it to 
 say, therefore, that a recollection of our own 
 volunteer brigades, at the commencement of 
 the present century, will afford a fair idea of 
 the anti- veteran appearance of those of Ame 
 rica. The subject, however, is a delicate one 
 for a foreigner to meddle with ; and the danger 
 of an Englishman disparaging even an Ame 
 rican awkward squad was soon apparent, by 
 my receiving a rebuke in the dry way so 
 common to that people ; for in reply to a re 
 mark, not very complimentary to the " brave 
 army," I was reminded, that such were the 
 men, who, in two wars, had either beaten or 
 taken almost all the forces which Great Bri 
 tain had sent against them. 
 
 Feasting, as may be supposed, gave addi 
 tional eclat to the ceremonies of the occasion; 
 and from the spacious saloons of the City Hall, 
 to the humble dwelling of the artisan, the 
 tables groaned with substantial viands, while 
 the memories of the great father of the repub 
 lic, and his immortal companions, were drunk 
 in generous claret or sparkling champagne, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 309 
 
 the air resounding with the patriotic strains of 
 " Hail, Columbia, happy land!" 
 
 " The moment night with dusky mantle 
 covered the skies," hundreds of illuminated 
 booths, skirting the more open quarters of the 
 city, displayed their attractions to the moving 
 multitude, in the shape of fringed hams, 
 pickled oysters, garnished lobsters, and roasted 
 pigs, with lemons in their mouths, crying, 
 Come eat me ; all which good things might be 
 washed down with Philadelphia porter, ginger 
 beer, foaming mead, or other beverages, more 
 exhilarating perhaps, but less innocent. 
 
 Although these places are the resort of the 
 working population, a little excess in whom, 
 at this joyous period, might be forgiven, I 
 did not, in a perambulation of several hours, 
 witness a single instance of what could be 
 termed disorderly conduct. 
 
 During the whole of this festival, every 
 street and alley re-echoed with the reports of 
 petty fireworks, of which quantities are brought 
 from China, no less to the profit of the dealers 
 than to the delight of all the boys, whose little 
 saving banks are drained upon the occasion. 
 The anniversary of the Declaration of Inde 
 pendence was immediately followed by another 
 equally interesting to the philanthropist, that 
 x 3 
 
 
310 AMERICA, 
 
 of the extinction of black slavery in the State 
 of New York ; which event took place a few 
 years ago. 
 
 This hallowed act of the legislature, the 
 first step towards placing the unfortunate 
 black upon a footing of political equality with 
 his white brethren, is commemorated on the 
 5th of July, the day after the National Jubilee. 
 
 On this occasion, some hundreds of the 
 black and coloured population, extremely well 
 dressed, and wearing sashes and ribands, 
 paraded the city in martial array, with the 
 accompaniments of bands of music, colours, 
 and all the attractive display of an English 
 election ; while, as a parody upon the shop 
 keeper colonels of the previous day, black 
 committee men, in the national staff uniforms, 
 blue and buff, and glittering in gold or silver 
 lace, capered about on their ambling palfreys, 
 to the great delight of their sombre innamo- 
 ratas, who, in all the gossamer of Parisian 
 modes, crowded the foot walks of the streets 
 through which this interesting yet haJf lu 
 dicrous procession moved. 
 
 As might be supposed, in a community like 
 that of New York, where but yesterday man 
 might be bartered and sold by his brother 
 man, the general feeling towards the blacks 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 311 
 
 is that of persons to a proscribed caste ; and 
 although these unfortunate people are no 
 longer accounted property, and are enabled 
 to stipulate the price of their labour, they are 
 subject to the most degrading treatment. 
 
 No persons of colour, whatever may be their 
 characters, abilities, or condition of life, are 
 allowed to sit in any public assembly, even 
 should it be a court of justice, or the house of 
 God itself, except in the particular quarter set 
 apart for them, and this is generally in the 
 most remote and worst situation ; and, as if 
 the distinction were to be perpetuated for ever, 
 their very bodies are denied the right of se 
 pulture in the cemeteries of the white men. 
 
 On .the festival I have described, the in 
 sulting behaviour of many of the coachmen 
 and carters was unblushingly displayed in 
 their driving their vehicles so as to interrupt 
 the progress and order of the procession, 
 although we did not witness a single provo 
 cation given by any of its members, whose 
 conduct appeared throughout quiet and praise 
 worthy. 
 
 Such were the indignities offered by men 
 who are ready to sacrifice their lives to secure 
 the blessings of liberty for their white brethren 
 to those whose misfortune is, that Heaven has 
 x 4 
 
AMERICA 
 
 thought fit to create them of a darker hue ; 
 and so prevalent is the want of Christian feel 
 ing in this respect in America, the legacy of 
 the accursed system of slavery, that I but 
 speak the truth when I state, that the ma 
 jority of the Americans, like the white inha 
 bitants of every country where the evil exists, 
 or has only lately been extinguished, would 
 as readily sit at table or associate with a felon, 
 as with a person of colour. 
 
 It will be some consolation to the friends of 
 
 humanity, however, to be told that, despite of 
 
 the existing temper, exertions are making by 
 
 enlightened individuals to raise the character 
 
 of the coloured population, by the only legiti- 
 
 ^mate means, whether as regards blacks or 
 
 [whites, the establishment of schools. 
 
 The foremost in this work of religion are 
 the members of the sect of Friends, who, in 
 the New as well as in the Old World, whatever 
 may be their peculiarities, are always found in 
 the steps of their great master, going about 
 doing good. 
 
 Already hundreds of black children in New 
 York are regularly instructed in the rudiments 
 of knowledge ; and churches, in which black 
 ministers of the Episcopal, Independent, and 
 Methodist persuasions officiate, are attended 
 
OF THK 
 
 IVEBSITY 
 
 AND THE AMERICANS. 313 
 
 by crowded congregations of the same colour, 
 whose attention and respectful behaviour afford 
 abundant proof that the lessons of wisdom are 
 not preached in vain. 
 
 May we hope, that as this so long neglected 
 family of man rises in the scale of being, so 
 will the antichristian treatment yield to that 
 of philanthropy ; and although physical dis 
 tinction of race will naturally be a bar to a 
 closer union, may the Americans, as well as 
 others, cease to look upon their darker fellow 
 creatures otherwise than as brethren, and 
 children of the same Almighty Father. 
 
 Although the anniversary of the Declaration 
 of American Independence is regularly ob 
 served with so much enthusiasm, yet so strong 
 is the feeling of joy in the people at having 
 broken the chain which bound them to Great 
 Britain, that the ebullition of amor patrice 
 on the 4th of July does not suffice, and the 
 day on which the English army evacuated the 
 city and territory of New York is still com 
 memorated. The anniversary of this im 
 portant era falls on the 25th of November, 
 which is jocosely styled the day for driving 
 the English Tories and sheep-stealers out. 
 The former term was, and still is, used by the 
 Americans, to designate the enemies of civil 
 
314 AMERICA, 
 
 and religious liberty, as that of Whig is ap 
 plied in the opposite sense. 
 
 The opprobrious epithet of sheep-stealers 
 was bestowed on the British troops in conse 
 quence of the licentious system of marauding 
 in which they indulged, and in which they 
 were encouraged by their commanders ; who, 
 as the subservient tools of an obstinate and 
 tyrannical monarch and a besotted nation, sub- 
 j ected the unfortunate colonists, who, whether 
 active or passive, were alike thrust out of the 
 pale of civil relations, to almost every out 
 rage and barbarity that could be devised. 
 
 The festival of the 25th of November, 
 in the year 1830, was rendered unusually at 
 tractive, as it combined the demonstrations of 
 rejoicing on the great events in the politics of 
 France in the same year. It is almost impos 
 sible to describe the burst of joyous feeling 
 exhibited by the American people on the 
 arrival of the intelligence of the glorious and 
 ever-memorable events of " the Three Days." 
 Nothing but the most lively congratulations 
 met the ear ; the tricolor flag, together with 
 the standard of America, were unfurled in the 
 theatres ; the " Marsellois" was sung nightly 
 by the audience as well as performers, midst 
 deafening applause, and the very costume of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 315 
 
 the females displayed the popular colours ; 
 bonnets, shawls, ribands, every thing, as if by 
 magic art, became d la mode de Paris ; whilst 
 the animated countenances of the numerous 
 French residents, proscribed by the Bourbon 
 dynasty, bespoke their inward satisfaction at 
 the prospect of their again returning to " the 
 vine-covered hills and gay regions of France." 
 The perpetuation of regal government, and 
 in the person of a Bourbon too, however the 
 individual might be shorn in state, was not 
 the consummation desired by the Americans, 
 who looked for, and who yet anticipate, as the 
 nucleus of liberty in Europe, the re-establish 
 ment of the French republic with their beloved 
 Lafayette at the head. Still, the triumph of a 
 people to whom they are attached by the ties 
 of gratitude, struggling for the rights of man 
 against a bigoted imbecile and his cold 
 blooded minions, backed by England and the 
 despots of Europe, was a theme for heartfelt 
 rejoicing ; and it was therefore determined by 
 the inhabitants of New York to celebrate the 
 event by a fete, and that the day should be 
 the same which is set apart to commemorate 
 the overthrow of British domination. 
 
 The arrangements for this double festival 
 were upon a most extensive scale ; and by 
 
316 AMERICA, 
 
 division of labour in the committees, they were 
 completed in a manner which reflected the 
 greatest credit upon every individual con 
 cerned. 
 
 The month of November, in New York, 
 very much resembles that of September in 
 England ; and is consequently better adapted 
 for street parade than the oppressive weather 
 of the summer. 
 
 The morning of the appointed day was 
 ushered in by the firing of cannon, and the 
 display of the French and American colours 
 from the ships and public buildings ; and soon 
 after, the assembling of the trades and the 
 sounds of inspiring bugles gave note of pre 
 paration. A civil procession then took place, 
 which, independent of the associations the 
 occasion created, was in itself one of the most 
 extensive and best organised I had ever wit 
 nessed. It consisted of several thousand per 
 sons of various occupations, all well dressed, 
 and decorated with tricolor badges. To de 
 tail particulars, however, would be super 
 fluous ; but I may mention a few of the most 
 remarkable features of this civic and morally 
 grand ovation. 
 
 The members of each profession or trade 
 marched together ; and before the different 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 317 
 
 branches were drawn cars or locomotive 
 shops, tastefully fitted up, in which persons 
 were beheld at work in their respective de 
 scriptions of handicraft. 
 
 The butchers, a numerous body, all dressed 
 alike, and well mounted, were preceded by an 
 immense stuffed ox on an elevated platform, 
 which, together with an elegant car containing 
 a black band of musicians in fancy costume, 
 were drawn by teams of oxen decorated with 
 tricolor fillets and wreaths of flowers in a 
 style worthy of ancient Rome. A long line 
 of fire engines, painted and gilt for the oc 
 casion, each drawn by four horses in tricolor 
 harness, and the battalion of firemen in uni 
 form, was also peculiarly attractive. 
 
 Last in order came the society of printers, 
 having a press of the most approved construc 
 tion, beautifully ornamented, and surmounted 
 by the sacred motto, " Freedom of the Press," 
 in full operation. 
 
 The following ode, which was composed for 
 the occasion by one of their body, and printed 
 during the progress, was gratuitously dis 
 tributed amongst the moving crowd. 
 
318 AMERICA, 
 
 ODE. 
 
 O er regal domes, renown d in story, 
 The trinal banner proudly waves ; 
 
 And France resumes the march of glory, 
 Her gallant sons no longer slaves. 
 
 With tyrants vainly had they pleaded 
 But when the PRESS in thunder spoke, 
 It burst their chains with lightning stroke, 
 
 And peace and liberty succeeded. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, 
 
 To hail the blest decree ; 
 Rejoice ! rejoice ! the Press shall reign, 
 
 And all the world be free. 
 
 All hail, renown d chivalric nation ! 
 
 Land of the olive and the vine ; 
 Inspired with kindred emulation, 
 
 Our bosoms glow with joy like thine. 
 Columbia s grateful sons can never 
 
 Forget that, in her darkest hour, 
 
 She owed to Gallic arms the power 
 To disenthrall her PRESS for ever. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, &c. 
 
 The day which saw the sceptre shiver d, 
 And hail d Columbia truly free, 
 
 From every hireling foe deliver d, 
 We consecrate to joy and thee ; 
 
 For tyrants tremble now before thee, 
 And a FREE PRESS, the beacon-light 
 That burst upon oppression s night, 
 
 Has spread eternal glory o er thee. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 319 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, &c. 
 
 Thy charter d rights, with lawless daring, 
 Beneath oppressors feet were trod, 
 
 Till startled despots heard, despairing, 
 The people s voice, the voice of GOD ! 
 
 Their sovereign will was loudly spoken 
 The PRESS proclaim d it to the world, 
 Till freedom s ensign waved unfurl d, 
 
 And Gallia s galling chains were broken. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, c. 
 
 Thy gallant band of youthful heroes, 
 
 Roused by their bleeding country s prayers, 
 
 Undaunted hurl d on ruthless Neros 
 
 The vengeance due to crimes like theirs. 
 
 Too late they see their fatal error 
 
 Their hireling guards by thousands fall 
 The PRESS resigns its types for ball, 
 
 And despots fly the scene in terror ! 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, &c. 
 
 Their deeds shall live in deathless story, 
 And song preserve their chaplets green, 
 
 Yet still the brightest rays of glory 
 Circle one godlike crown serene. 
 
 Tis his, whose youthful valour aided 
 Columbia s cause, when hostile bands 
 Were laying waste her fairest lands, 
 
 And all her blooming hopes had faded. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, &c. 
 
320 AMERICA, 
 
 Immortal LA FAYETTE, we hail thee, 
 
 The friend of equal rights on earth ; 
 Though servile tools of kings assail thee, 
 
 Columbia knows and owns thy worth ; 
 Thou first of heroes, best of sages, 
 
 The glorious chaplet thou hast won, 
 
 Disciple of our WASHINGTON, 
 Shall bloom like his for endless ages. 
 
 CHORUS. 
 Then swell the choral strain, 
 
 To hail the blest decree ; 
 Rejoice ! rejoice! the PRESS shall reign, 
 
 And all the world be free. 
 
 The immense line of march was interspersed 
 with banners, pennons, tablets with patriotic 
 inscriptions, and French and American flags, 
 while the whole population vied with each 
 other in the display of tricolor badges and 
 cockades. 
 
 Among the individuals of note who assisted 
 in the proceedings, were the late venerable 
 ex-President Munroe, and the veteran Wil 
 liams, the last survivor of the three militia 
 men who took Major Andre prisoner in 
 1780. These patriots rode in an open ba 
 rouche, receiving the congratulations of their 
 fellow citizens as they passed along, evidently 
 with all the emotion created by the recollec 
 tions and associations which the joyous occa 
 sion called forth, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 321 
 
 After perambulating the principal streets of 
 the city, the marshalled thousands were con 
 centrated in one of the great squares, when, 
 as an appropriate finale and climax to the 
 spectacle, the ode which had been distributed 
 was sung to the air of the Marseillois by the 
 vocal strength of the theatre, accompanied by 
 the orchestra, and assisted in the chorus by 
 the voices of all around. 
 
 Public and private dinners and balls closed 
 a day of festivities worthy of the cause to 
 which they were dedicated. 
 
 The following laughable apology for hard 
 words was introduced in the speech of a gen 
 tleman of New York, at the table to which 
 we were invited : 
 
 " Respected friends, My oral documents 
 having recently become the subject of your 
 vituperation from their incompatibility with 
 your mental endowments, I hope it will not 
 be deemed an instance of vain eloquence or 
 supererogation if I laconically promulgate, 
 that, avoiding all syllogistical, aristocratical, or 
 peripatetical propositions, all hyperbolical ex 
 tenuations or exaggerations, my future thesis 
 and hypothesis, whether logical, philosophical, 
 political, or polemical, shall definitively and 
 categorically be assimilated with and rendered 
 
 Y 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 congenial to the cerebums, caputs, and sen- 
 soriums of you, my superlatively respectable 
 auditory." 
 
 Delivered as this " much ado about no 
 thing" farrago was, by one possessing no small 
 share of vis comica, and under the excitement 
 of a brisk fire of champagne, the effect was 
 ludicrous in the highest degree, and will, 
 probably, not be soon forgotten by any of 
 the party. 
 
 At one of the convivial clubs of ultra re 
 publicans, poetical selections complimentary 
 to France and America, at the expence of old 
 England, were circulated. Only two of these 
 possessed sufficient merit to deserve notice ; 
 and although they have before appeared in 
 print, their insertion, in connection with 
 the festivals I have described, may prove 
 acceptable. 
 
 AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. 
 
 When pregnant nature strove relief to gain, 
 Her nurse was Washington, her midwife Paine : 
 Close by the couch, in holy fillets dress d, 
 Franklin and Jefferson stood priests confess d. 
 Libation frown d, when Jefferson the mild 
 Said, Independence we will name this child ; 
 But infant Independence scarce began 
 To be, ere she ripened into man. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 323 
 
 His potent influence, spread both far and wide, 
 Across the Atlantic beams with manly pride ; 
 France his god-father, Britain was his rod, 
 Congress his guardian, and his father GOD. 
 
 The following lines were transcribed from 
 a pane of glass at an inn in England in the 
 year 1776 : 
 
 Hail, happy Britain ! Freedom s blest abode ; 
 
 Great is thy power, thy wealth, thy glory great ; 
 
 But wealth and power have no immortal day, 
 
 For all things only ripen to decay. 
 
 And when that time arrives, the lot of all, 
 
 When Britain s glory, wealth, and power must fall, 
 
 Then shall thy sons, for such is Heaven s decree, 
 
 In other worlds another Britain see, 
 
 And what thou art, AMERICA shall be. 
 
 The successive accounts of the Belgian, 
 Polish, and Italian insurrections, as well as 
 the demonstrations in Spain, were all received 
 with enthusiasm by the Americans, who, de 
 voted to liberty themselves, are no less ardent 
 in their desire that the blessing should be 
 possessed by others. 
 
 It was generally believed that the long 
 wished for period had at last arrived when 
 tyranny might receive its death-blow, and that 
 the French armies, obeying the voice of the 
 nation, would march to the deliverance of 
 Europe, and assist in planting the tree of 
 
AMERICA 
 
 liberty in the capital of every despot, from 
 Lisbon to the confines of Asia. The sub 
 sequent truckling, stock-jobbing policy of the 
 citizen king and his cabinet, however, in 
 allowing the heroic but ill-fated Poles to be 
 come the victims of a merciless autocrat, and 
 the efforts of the friends of the sacred cause 
 of freedom to be once more paralysed, damped, 
 although it has not extinguished, the pleasing 
 hope. 
 
 The fall of the administration of the Duke of 
 Wellington, whose crowning military success 
 the Americans, in common with other nations, 
 attribute to the treachery of Grouchy, and 
 the arrival of the Prussians in the eleventh 
 hour of the contest, and whom they hold in 
 abhorrence for his conduct in permitting the 
 murder of " the bravest of the brave *," caused 
 universal joy ; as did the measure of reform 
 proposed by their successors, which was con- 
 
 * It is painful for an Englishman to reflect that his 
 country s greatest modern heroes, Nelson and Wellington, 
 both stand accused of breaches of faith in respect to 
 articles of capitulation, and in both instances in favour of 
 the most unrelenting and tyrannical governments. 
 
 The cold-blooded, judicial murders of Naples have left 
 a stain upon the memory of Nelson which all that daring 
 commander s splendid triumphs cannot efface. Vide 
 Southeys Life of Nelson. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 325 
 
 sidered as one which would inevitably, but 
 peaceably, lead to the emancipation of the 
 people. 
 
 Of the individuals composing the new mi 
 nistry little was known excepting of the more 
 prominent members. It was, however, the 
 " schoolmaster" of England, Henry Brougham, 
 one of the people, on whom all eyes were 
 fixed as the man to lead the " forlorn hope" 
 in the assault of the citadel of bigotry and 
 corruption ; and in spite of the sneers and 
 misgivings of a portion of the press, the opi 
 nion of those best acquainted with English 
 politics may be conceived from the following 
 splendid eulogium on this illustrious charac 
 ter, which I extracted from one of the Ame 
 rican newspapers of the day. After some well 
 merited compliments to the patrotic and con 
 sistent Earl Grey, who has immortalised him 
 self by his devotion to the " old cause," and 
 by the glorious example he has displayed to 
 " his order," the discriminating writer thus 
 proceeds : 
 
 " I cannot call the latter Lord Brougham 
 yet; I have too long felt an enthusiasm for 
 his various and extraordinary abilities as a 
 speaker, as a writer, as a statesman, versed in 
 every branch of home affairs, and at home in 
 y 3 
 
826 AMERICA, 
 
 every branch of foreign affairs ; as a lawyer, 
 acquainted with the whole body of the law, 
 and, what is a far higher and more rare enter 
 tainment, with its mind ; as a philanthropist, 
 not in his chamber, but of the most unwearied 
 and buoyant public spirit and exertion ; as a 
 practical man, as a philosopher, as a scholar ; 
 knowing every thing, and knowing it well ; 
 doing every thing, and doing it well ; intuitive 
 and laborious ; in details a master ; a master 
 in general reasoning ; as accurate as profound, 
 and of the most persevering, sleepless, efficient 
 activity in every one of his characters ; I have 
 too constantly indulged in a boundless ad 
 miration of him under them all, to recognise 
 him as yet, under any other than his own 
 simple name. I cannot, on the first instant of 
 the chance, write him down Baron Brougham. 
 Who is he ? We have never heard of him. 
 It seems like cheating renown of its rights, as 
 Madame de Stael said, when Bonaparte first 
 gave titles to those of his generals who had been 
 winning victories, in numberless campaigns all 
 over Europe, under their own names of birth 
 and parentage." 
 
 Although England, when compared with 
 several of the family of European nations, 
 may justly boast of her institutions, and of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 her enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, 
 every American knows, that it is only by such 
 comparison with the more despotic states that 
 her claims to be considered free can be sub- 
 stantiated. To say nothing on the nature of 
 the executive, the American knows, that where 
 one branch of the legislature, contrary to 
 common sense and justice, is not only inde 
 pendent of the governed but hereditary, as 
 if talents and judgment could be bequeathed; 
 where another branch, notwithstanding the 
 " large measure of reform," is chosen by a 
 fraction of the nation, and that, too, the mo- 
 nied class, leaving productive labour unre 
 presented ; where the people are severely 
 taxed for the support of a hierarchy which 
 the majority condemn ; where laws exist 
 worthy only of the barbarous age of the Nor 
 man conqueror ; where a religious test inca 
 pacitates the long persecuted Jew, as well as 
 the conscientious sceptic, from holding civil 
 office; where truth is a libel; where the 
 blasphemous and cruel law of primogeniture 
 robs the brother of his natural right ; where 
 the estates of a privileged order cannot be 
 made available to the demands of a famishing 
 creditor ; and, lastly, where justice is beyond 
 the reach of the poor ; the American, I re- 
 
3%S AMERICA, 
 
 peat, well knows that the country subject to 
 these crying wrongs cannot cannot be called 
 free. 
 
 Believing, as the Americans do, that the 
 existence of kings and privileged classes, as 
 such, is incompatible with the happiness of 
 the people, they look forward to the over- 
 throw of their power with eager anticipation ; 
 and as they hope, so they confidently predict, 
 that ere a quarter of a century elapses, Europe 
 will have become one comprehensive family 
 of republics. 
 
 The extreme horror entertained by the 
 Americans to kings, and all artificial and un 
 natural elevation of rank, cannot be conceived 
 by those who have not resided in their coun 
 try. The following anecdote, although trifling 
 in itself, is important, as showing the temper 
 of the people in this respect, and may there 
 fore be interesting : 
 
 A jeweller in New York, with whom I was 
 one day in conversation, showed me a brooch 
 which he stated he had that morning sold to 
 a young mechanic, who selected it, accord 
 ing to his fancy, from a variety in the store. 
 The device, which was executed in garnets, 
 and of French workmanship, was that of a 
 regal crown. The youth, who had never 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 329 
 
 before seen a representation of the emblem of 
 royalty, was informed, on his returning home, 
 no doubt, by some travelled friend, that the 
 subject was nothing less than the hateful 
 insignia. His republican feelings would not 
 permit him to wear the badge of tyranny for 
 a moment, and with breathless haste he hur 
 ried back to the jeweller to exchange the 
 bauble for something more congenial to de 
 mocratic feelings. 
 
330 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 
 1 HE month of December is distinguished by 
 a day set apart as a public thanksgiving for 
 the continuance of peace and the bounty of 
 Providence displayed in the general fertility 
 and abundance of the country. 
 
 Although every citizen no doubt feels grate 
 ful for these blessings, and may inwardly par 
 ticipate in the sentiment " Deus nobis hcec 
 otia fecit" yet so intent are they upon worldly 
 gains and the study of dollars and cents, that not 
 ? even the recommendation of the authorities, 
 r^jj^-i or, what one should suppose would have its 
 influence, the desire of a little relaxation from 
 the fatigues of business, could induce them to 
 make this day really one of rest ; and in the 
 main street, which as I have before observed 
 is about two miles and a half in length, and 
 contains hundreds of stores or shops, we did 
 not notice above half a dozen closed, and two 
 of these were kept by Englishmen, who no 
 doubt made their holiday excursions, as they 
 had been wont to do, perchance, to Highgate 
 or Hampstead, in their youthful days ; when on 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 331 
 
 proclaimed solemn fasts the God of tender 
 mercies was propitiated to nerve the crimsoned 
 arm of slaughter against the sons of liberty 
 and the rights of man. Christmas, merry 
 Christmas, that old English festive season, 
 which, though no longer the joyously antici 
 pated feast of our ancestors, yet retains much 
 of its interest in the family grouping and social 
 recognitions which then enliven the heart and 
 cheer us on our way, is almost unknown in 
 America ; and the Englishman looks in vain 
 for these, as well as for the ancient emblems, 
 the smoking sirloin and plum-pudding: all 
 is still business, business ; nor is the day at 
 all observed except by the members of the 
 Catholic and pseu do- catholic, the episcopalian, 
 church. 
 
 The same remark also applies to Good 
 Friday, which is considered, like the feast of 
 Christmas, to be of Popish origin, and not 
 conducive to true religion. 
 
 If, however, the " business men" of New 
 York have, in their wisdom, abolished some of 
 the usages of the good old times, they have 
 made ample amends by the establishment of 
 a custom at once rational and agreeable, and 
 which, on the western continent, is peculiar 
 to themselves. 
 
332 AMERICA, 
 
 This substitute for the jollity of Christmas 
 in the " old country" is the gay observance 
 of New Year s Day, when the ladies hold their 
 annual levees, and receive the congratulatory 
 visits of the other sex. Every house is opened 
 on the occasion ; and the tables spread with 
 all the variety which the confectioner and the 
 vineyards of France or Madeira can supply. 
 
 The visiters, whose female acquaintance are 
 numerous, can afford but a short time to each ; 
 and such proceed from house to house in to 
 pographical order, an omission of this custo 
 mary act of politeness without a substantial 
 reason ^ being looked upon as unpardonable 
 neglect. To the great delight of the lovers of 
 punch, gin sling, julip, and the other nectar 
 et ceteras of the bar rooms, the proprietors of 
 the hotels give " free drink" to all comers, a 
 custom which, in a city like New York, is 
 much abused, and is one which the Bonifaces 
 are of opinion would be " more honoured in 
 the breach than the observance." 
 
 The evening of New Year s Day is devoted, 
 as in England, to assemblies of the domestic 
 circles, or to more general convivial intercourse. 
 The facilities this delightful arrangement af 
 fords of forming new acquaintance, and, as 
 Johnson says, keeping old friendships in re- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 333 
 
 pair, are almost inconceivable to the English 
 man, who has not entered the parlours and 
 drawing-rooms of New York on the first of 
 January levees, where the easy hospitality, 
 the sprightly and familiar but elegant salut 
 ations of the fair, and the perfect freedom but 
 correct deportment of the men, in short, the 
 total absence of that restraint which state im 
 poses, presents a picture of society at once 
 cheering and satisfactory. Two other days in 
 the year remain to be noticed ; but they are 
 distinguishable in a manner essentially differ 
 ent from those already described. In spite of 
 the declaration of the venerable Franklin, in 
 his admirable and useful publication, Poor 
 Richard s Almanac, that " three removes are 
 as bad as a fire," the inhabitants of New York 
 are the most locomotive people on the face of 
 the earth. This movable propensity appears 
 to be partly caused by a progressive state of 
 prosperity ; for, as the value of property in the 
 city has always been steadily increasing, the 
 owners are unwilling to grant leases, hoping 
 each successive year to add materially to their 
 rent rolls. 
 
 In consequence of this encouraging state of 
 things, an annual valuation in fact takes place 
 of every rented building in the city, and one 
 
334 AMERICA, 
 
 day is appropriated to the letting of tenements^ 
 and another for removals. These important 
 seasons are the first of February and the first of 
 May. On the former, the landlords, which 
 term, curious enough, is still preserved by the 
 republicans, visit their tenants ; and unless 
 arrangements have been previously entered 
 upon, they state the rents they expect to re 
 ceive for the ensuing year. If the occupier 
 of a building assents to the proposals, the affair 
 is ended ; but if the reply is in the negative, 
 the owner placards the walls with the words 
 " To Let," to which is sometimes added the 
 rent demanded ; and on the evening of this 
 day it is common to see at least one third of 
 the houses and stores thus ticketed, and these 
 remain until tenants are found. At last comes 
 the all-important first of May, which, to a 
 stranger just arriving, presents the most sin 
 gular and ludicrous spectable imaginable, 
 nothing less than a whole city turned topsy 
 turvy, thousands of persons being in the act 
 of removal, the streets filled with carts laden 
 with furniture, porters, servants, children, all 
 carrying their respective movables, from the 
 candelabra of the drawing-room to the fish- 
 kettle of the " foolish fat scullion," and the 
 gingerbread wares of the nursery. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 335 
 
 As the operations of entering upon and 
 quitting the houses are simultaneous, the con 
 fusion within doors is in perfect keeping with 
 the scene displayed in the streets, the whole 
 affording no bad illustration of chaos. 
 
 To an Englishman, with his strong local 
 attachments, this system of change would be 
 an intolerable nuisance ; but the New Yorker, 
 no doubt from habit, not only looks upon it 
 as a matter of course, but seems to feel an 
 elevation of spirits at the anticipation of this 
 agreeable variety in his social existence ; and 
 it is no uncommon circumstance to meet with 
 individuals who have resided in a dozen dif 
 ferent houses in as many years ; and yet who 
 speak of their wish to try the advantages of 
 another quarter of the city when the proper 
 season arrives. 
 
 The same system is pursued, but not to a 
 great extent, in respect to the larger stores. 
 As a necessary consequence of this annual 
 transplanting of so large a portion of the po 
 pulation, a new directory is as requisite as a 
 new almanac, and such a publication makes 
 its appearance as soon as the tumult has sub 
 sided, and the people again find themselves 
 located to their satisfaction. 
 
 It being a well known fact that there is 
 
336 AMERICA, 
 
 little correspondence in climate between places 
 situated on the same parallels of latitude in 
 Europe and America, we were not surprised 
 to find New York enjoying the sunny skies 
 and genial warmth of an Italian summer, 
 alternated with the piercing cold and driving 
 snows of a Scythian winter. The year of our 
 residence was distinguished by a somewhat 
 longer continuance of the two extremes than 
 usual. 
 
 On our return from Boston early in May 
 the weather was delightful, being much like 
 that of the month of June in the south of 
 England; but the atmosphere was infinitely 
 clearer. The temperature of June was con 
 siderable, although not at all oppressive ; but 
 that of the succeeding months of July and 
 August exceeded what I had experienced in 
 any seaport of Italy or Sicily, except Palermo, 
 during the prevalence of a sirocco. The 
 thermometer of Fahrenheit, which is the one 
 used by the Americans, ranged during several 
 weeks from 90 to 95 in the shade ; and what 
 rendered this degree of heat more unpleasant, 
 it was very little reduced in the nights. 
 
 The fashionable world at this season flock to 
 the favourite watering places, to hilly resorts, or 
 to their country houses ; whilst thousands of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 337 
 
 those who are doomed to toil, seek alleviation 
 of the oppressive warmth in evening excursions 
 to public gardens and promenades on the 
 shores of the rivers, or to petite Vauxhalls, 
 where beauty, music, coloured lamps, and ice 
 creams, are the never-failing attractions. 
 
 That almost indispensable article in hot 
 climates, ice, is retailed from covered carts, 
 on which appears, in conspicuous characters, 
 the refreshing word ; and perhaps the most 
 enviable station in the months of July and 
 August, in New York, is that of a driver of 
 one of these vehicles. 
 
 Through the whole of the summer, thunder 
 storms are frequent. Several of those we wit 
 nessed were of an almost tropical character, the 
 lightning, both sheet and forked, seeming to 
 threaten the conflagration of the city, although, 
 from the very general use of conductors, which 
 are attached to all lofty edifices, accidents from 
 the electric fluid are of rare occurrence. 
 
 The thunder was awfully grand, and spoke to 
 the stoutest heart in every intonation from the 
 distant rumble, to the solemn roll, and the rat 
 tling, crashing, angry peal. A most disagree 
 able accompaniment of the warm season is the 
 presence of mosquitoes ; and the luxury of 
 gauze furniture as barriers against the noc- 
 
 z 
 
338 AMERICA, 
 
 turnal intrusions of these little pests is by no 
 means general. 
 
 A still greater nuisance, however, is the 
 multitudes of rats by which the city of New 
 York is infested scarcely a building being 
 entirely free from them ; and as dogs are 
 almost proscribed animals, these four-footed 
 scavengers roam at pleasure from house to 
 house, just as the larger quadrupeds, the hogs, 
 parade the streets and lanes. 
 
 The extraordinary antipathy of the inhabit 
 ants to that faithful friend of man, the dog, 
 arises from a foolish dread of the disease styled 
 hydrophobia ; and to such a degree does this 
 anti-canine mania extend, that the cry of 
 mad dog is raised against every unfortunate 
 mongrel that happens to stray from its master. 
 
 We found the autumn, or fall, as it is gene 
 rally designated, a most delightful season ; and 
 even the gloomy month of November, in which 
 Englishmen are said to hang and drown them 
 selves, was almost a continued period of sun 
 shine. 
 
 With the exception of an occasional rainy 
 day, the regular never-failing accompaniment 
 of an easterly wind, the weather continued 
 mild and agreeable until early in January, 
 when winter arrived in all its rigour. A snow 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 339 
 
 storm, of two days and nights continuance, 
 covered the ground to a considerable depth, 
 to say nothing of the drifts, which, in many 
 situations, formed impassable barriers. No 
 sooner had the fleecy shower descended, than 
 wheel carriages of every description instantly 
 disappeared, and their places were supplied by 
 sledges or sleighs. 
 
 These vehicles were to be seen of all di 
 mensions, and in every style, from the dashing 
 and elegantly decorated four-in-hand, with its 
 buffalo robes, or its leopard skins, to the humble 
 sliding frame with its load of wood or coals. 
 For several weeks, no sounds met the ear but 
 the jingle of the hawks bells, which, for safety, 
 as a sledge makes no noise, are strung round 
 the necks of the horses. 
 
 The diversion of sleighing is extremely 
 agreeable, and is one of which the Americans 
 are passionately fond. Not content with ex 
 cursions by day, they borrow the night, at all 
 hours of which sleighs might be seen skim 
 ming along, filled with gay parties, although 
 the thermometer was often much below zero; 
 and scarcely an hotel within ten or a dozen 
 miles of New York was unfrequented by noc 
 turnal visiters. 
 
 During the time the snow remains, the 
 
340 AMERICA, 
 
 bodies of the mails and stage coaches are 
 placed upon sleigh frames or runners ; and as 
 this method is generally adopted, the commu 
 nications through the country are as rapid as 
 at other seasons. 
 
 The funeral processions at this period had 
 a curious effect, the hearses being followed 
 by sleighs in lieu of coaches ; and the mourn 
 ing friends, enveloped in buffalo robes or fur- 
 edged cloaks, had all the appearance of Alp 
 ine travellers. 
 
 In one of our excursions, we passed a 
 sledge filled with convicts on their way to 
 prison. The party were chained together, but 
 seemed to forget their degraded situation in 
 the delights of a sleigh ride, an amusement 
 which some of them were not soon again 
 likely to enjoy. 
 
 Although the rise and fall of the tide at 
 New York is only about four feet, it was 
 sufficient to prevent the communication with 
 the sea from being interrupted, even while the 
 rivers, a few miles above the city, were pass 
 able for the heaviest wagons. Steamers, 
 however, were required to tow the vessels, in 
 consequence of the quantity of floating ice ; 
 and even these, at times, were almost power 
 less from the junction of the masses, which 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 341 
 
 occasionally allowed a passage for hundreds of 
 pedestrians to the opposite shore of Long 
 Island. 
 
 The thermometer, from the middle of January 
 to the middle of February, which embraced 
 the coldest period, frequently stood below zero 
 in the day time ; but the average temperature 
 was some degrees higher. 
 
 At the latter end of February, the weather 
 grew sensibly warmer, the snow began to melt> 
 the frost broke up, and a few days of heavy 
 rain, with a thunder storm, dissipated every 
 trace of the stern accompaniments of winter. 
 March brought forth the germs of spring ; 
 and the month of April was even more sunny 
 and more cheering than the finest English 
 June. 
 
 The winter of which I have made mention, 
 was considered unusually severe, and fuel in 
 consequence rose to an extravagant price. 
 Many hundred loads of wood were gratui 
 tously distributed by the authorities, and by 
 humane individuals, to poor widows, almost 
 the only description of persons who stood in 
 need of assistance. 
 
 Until very lately, wood was the only de 
 scription of fuel consumed in New York ; but 
 it is now being fast superseded by coal, al- 
 z 8 
 
342 AMERICA, 
 
 though the prejudices of the people, in regard 
 to the use of it for culinary purposes, have yet 
 to be overcome. 
 
 That these prejudices are somewhat formi 
 dable, will appear from the following circum 
 stance, of which I was a witness, a short time 
 before our departure from America. 
 
 The use of coal requiring appropriate grates 
 and culinary apparatus in lieu of the andirons 
 or dogs, the ironmongers were anxious to 
 exhibit specimens of their skill in this novel 
 department. 
 
 One of these tradesmen had fitted up a 
 kitchen grate and iron oven, which last article 
 was also new to the Americans ; and this im 
 portant innovation upon old modes being ad 
 vertised, a man was appointed to explain the 
 mystery of their use. 
 
 In vain did he assure some of the curious 
 visiters that the famed sirloin might be roasted, 
 a steak broiled, or a pie baked, so as to be pa 
 latable, upon such a system ; and although this 
 champion of the new regime freely referred 
 to well known individuals in the city, as well 
 as to the commanders of vessels trading to 
 England, who could attest the truth of his 
 assertions, it was evident that his hearers 
 were somewhat dubious upon the subject, and 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 343 
 
 that nothing less than a knife and fork demon 
 stration of a sirloin, steak, and pie, so cooked, 
 would remove their incredulity. To this 
 striking instance of the force of long established 
 custom, I may add, that even among the circle 
 of our acquaintance, we found it no easy 
 matter to gain credence to the assertion, that 
 the flavour of meat roasted before a fire of 
 coal, was in no respect inferior to that of 
 meat which had undergone similar treatment 
 before one of wood. 
 
 The Americans, however, are so ready to 
 adopt whatever is proved to be either nation 
 ally or individually advantageous, that the 
 reluctance I have alluded to cannot long exist ; 
 and as it is probable that a very considerable 
 saving will be effected by the change in the 
 description of fuel, the use of coal will, no 
 doubt, supersede that of wood in those cities 
 which have greater facilities for obtaining the 
 former than the latter. 
 
 The coal used in New York and Philadelphia 
 is principally of a hard kind, denominated an 
 thracite. It is difficult to ignite, but, when 
 burning, has the appearance of red-hot stones, 
 and gives out an intense heat without any 
 smoke. 
 
 This, and other descriptions, are found in 
 z 4 
 
344 AMERICA, 
 
 inexhaustible beds in the State of Pennsyl 
 vania; and, being at the surface, are easily 
 procured. 
 
 The coal is sent to New York by a canal 
 which connects the great rivers Delaware and 
 Hudson, the traffic by which is increasing 
 with astonishing rapidity. None of the coal 
 as yet found is suitable to the purpose of the 
 steam engine ; but a kind adapted for such 
 had been discovered in the British province 
 of Nova Scotia, and its introduction on board 
 the steamers of New York was on the eve of 
 becoming general at the time of our leaving 
 that city. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 345 
 
 CHAP. XVIII. 
 
 L o an Englishman of liberal principles, no 
 thing is so interesting in America, as to wit- 
 ness the operation of the machinery of its re 
 publican institutions, particularly the system 
 of election to office. 
 
 To hear the outcry and horror expressed in 
 England, however, at the bare mention of the 
 terms universal suffrage, annual parliaments, 
 and election by ballot, it might be supposed 
 that where such exist, society must be in a 
 state little removed from anarchy, yet how 
 different is the fact ! 
 
 In the city of New York, the elective fran 
 chise is almost co-extensive with the adult 
 male population, and the number of those who 
 vote is seldom less than 30,000. 
 
 Whether as respects the choice of repre 
 sentatives to the general or state governments, 
 or of the local magistracy, the system of elec 
 tion is the same ; every servant of the people 
 being really and truly the choice of that 
 people. 
 
346 AMERICA, 
 
 Candidates, if such term is applicable to 
 men, who neither announce themselves as 
 being desirous of office, nor submit to the de 
 gradation of a personal canvass, are proposed 
 at preliminary meetings of each political party ; 
 and the names of the individuals thus approved, 
 are afterwards printed on small slips of paper 
 called tickets, the backs of which are endorsed 
 with the designation of the offices about to be 
 filled, and to which they relate, as Senators, 
 Congress, State Assembly, Governor, &c. 
 
 Every citizen, desirous of exerting the 
 elective privilege, procures a set of tickets 
 from the committee of the parties for whom 
 he intends to vote ; and at the appointed time 
 he proceeds to the house of election in the 
 particular ward or district of the city in 
 which he resides. 
 
 Here the voter gives his name and resid 
 ence to the returning officers, who, if they 
 entertain any doubts as to identity or qualifi 
 cation, dispute his claim until satisfactory 
 proofs are exhibited that no fraud is intended. 
 
 The name and residence of the voter being 
 entered on the books, he deposits the tickets, 
 which are closely folded, in the ballot box, and 
 quits the room. 
 
 The period allowed for receiving votes is 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 347 
 
 three days ; and at the election, I witnessed 
 during our residence in New York, although 
 upwards of 25,000 citizens polled at each, 
 there was no confusion or riotous behaviour 
 in the streets, no bribeiy or " free drink," nor 
 parading with colours and ribands, nor exhi 
 bitions of the childish mummery called chair 
 ing ; and notwithstanding party spirit ran 
 high, and some boisterous oratory might be 
 heard in those political forums, the ward 
 houses, a stranger, who had not perused the 
 newspapers of the day, or noticed the placards 
 or ruses de guerre on the walls, would not 
 have been aware that any event of importance 
 was taking place. Extensive as the recent 
 measure of reform in Great Britain undoubt 
 edly is, and glorious as has been the achieve 
 ment of popular opinion over an insolent 
 faction ; still, a closer approximation to the 
 American system, both in respect to the ex 
 tension of suffrage and mode of election, will 
 be found necessary to render the members of 
 the elected branch of the legislature, what 
 they ought to be, the representatives of the 
 whole people. 
 
 Justice, then, demands that labour as well 
 as property should form a part of the basis of 
 the constituency. Reason and policy require 
 
348 AMERICA, 
 
 election by ballot ; without which safeguard, 
 bribery and undue influence will most as 
 suredly prevail ; and with whatever suspicion 
 the doctrine may at present be viewed, events 
 will too soon prove the necessity of its adop 
 tion ; and the period is probably not far 
 distant, when election by ballot will be re 
 garded in England, as it is in America, like 
 trial by jury, the palladium of liberty. 
 
 The range of American, like that of English, 
 commerce, is only bounded by the limits of the 
 globe ; for wherever a ship can sail, there will 
 be seen the American flag. The port of New 
 York, in respect to its foreign trade, may be 
 considered as the London or Liverpool of the 
 United States. The shipping, however, is 
 almost exclusively of that nation ; and ex 
 cepting the arrivals of British vessels on the 
 resumption of the direct communication with 
 the West Indies, I do not recollect to have 
 seen above a score foreign flags in the port. 
 
 The branch of trade which most particularly 
 attracted my attention was that, from a parti 
 cipation in which Englishmen in general are 
 yet excluded, the trade to China. 
 
 This lucrative commerce is carried on with 
 great success by the Americans, who not only 
 make large and direct shipments of their own 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 349 
 
 manufactures to Canton, but, as is well known, 
 of those of Great Britain also, from the port 
 of Liverpool. The returned cargoes consist of 
 teas, silks, nankeens, shawls, japanned cabinet 
 goods, china, coloured blinds, screens, papers, 
 ivory, and mother of pearl trinkets, fancy sta 
 tionary, and drawings, fireworks, and an end 
 less catalogue of articles under the class of 
 useful and ornamental bagatelles, which all 
 find a ready sale at a considerable profit as 
 well for the storekeepers as for the importers. 
 The goods are all sold by auction, in packages, 
 immediately upon their arrival, to the retailers, 
 who as quickly display the attractive wares to 
 their customers, the public. The grocers, in 
 particular, vie with each other in exhibiting 
 placards announcing " Fresh Teas;" of which 
 notice the consumers soon avail themselves, 
 well knowing that the flavour of " the beverage 
 that cheers but not inebriates," materially de 
 pends upon the freshness of the herb. If any 
 further evidence were wanting to prove, what 
 at length is becoming more generally known, 
 that the Chinese, notwithstanding their pecu 
 liarities, are both a people desirous to trade 
 and easily traded with, the American super 
 cargoes and commanders of vessels could sup 
 ply it. Several of these gentlemen, with whom 
 
350 AMERICA, 
 
 I conversed on the subject, assured me that 
 no place afforded greater facilities for the 
 despatch of business than the port of Canton, 
 and no people were more easy to deal with 
 than the Chinese. 
 
 A copy of the evidence on the subject of 
 the China trade, taken before the British 
 House of Commons, happening to be in my 
 possession in New York, I took occasion to 
 read it to one of my American friends, who 
 had made several voyages to China. As it 
 cannot be supposed that an individual of that 
 nation can feel any interest in the opening of 
 the trade in England, the opinions of such a 
 one have additional weight, and are, conse 
 quently, more valuable. The gentleman al 
 luded to freely designated most of the state 
 ments of the witnesses for the East India 
 Company as absurd as they were untrue. He 
 likewise stated that the idea propagated by 
 the servants of that half military and half mer 
 cantile company, that they possessed superior 
 influence with the natives, was completely 
 erroneous any American or even Dutch trader 
 being as promptly attended to, and as much 
 respected, as the most important officer of the 
 British factory ; and speaking of the danger to 
 be apprehended from unruly sailors or others, 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 351 
 
 he quaintly observed, if Englishmen could not 
 behave as well as his countrymen, who are 
 uniformly well treated by the Chinese, they 
 must abide the consequences. 
 
 From another friend connected with the 
 trade, I learnt some particulars relative to an 
 affair which had recently occurred, and which 
 tends to prove the commercial ignorance and 
 mismanagement of the agents of the India 
 Company both at home and abroad. 
 
 A quantity of cotton twist having been 
 shipped from London to Canton, it was found, 
 upon its arrival at the latter port, to be of a 
 description unsuitable to the market. In lieu 
 of referring to prices current of other coun 
 tries, and making calculations, as would have 
 been done by any private merchant, the article 
 was immediately sold, at a great loss, to the 
 first buyer who appeared. This individual 
 happened to be an American, who shipped it 
 to New York, at which place it was reshipped 
 to England, where it was ultimately sold to a 
 very considerable profit. 
 
 Among other scraps of information respect 
 ing the trade with China, I learnt that large 
 quantities of tea were sent from the American 
 ports to Antwerp, Hamburgh, Havre, and 
 other places contiguous to Great Britain, a 
 
352 AMERICA, 
 
 good deal of which, probably, found its way, 
 in an illicit manner, into that country ; and I 
 may add, in corroboration of the fact, that the 
 Americans are enabled to sell the best teas 
 considerably below the India Company s prices, 
 that I saw shipments made to Malta, where 
 they are decidedly preferred, on account of 
 the superior flavour as well as cheapness. 
 
 As every circumstance tending to remove 
 the film which has for so long a period ob 
 scured the vision of the English people upon 
 the subject of China is of importance at the 
 present moment, the following extracts, which 
 I was kindly permitted to take from a letter 
 written at Canton by a young American to 
 his friends at home, will be found valuable as 
 well as highly amusing. This unsophisticated 
 document clearly shows how desirous the na 
 tives of China are for increased intercourse 
 with foreigners, and how advantageous a 
 knowledge of the language will be to those 
 who, in the event of the opening of the trade, 
 may choose to settle among that curious people. 
 
 The talented young writer thus proceeds : 
 " I have been highly honoured lately : not 
 only have several officers of distinction called 
 upon me to converse in Chinese, but this 
 morning two Chinese ladies, also, did me that 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 353 
 
 honour. One of them was very handsome, 
 and apparently about twenty-two years of age, 
 yet her feet were certainly not more than two 
 inches and a half long. She was dressed in 
 beautifully embroidered silks and satins, and 
 looked remarkably well. The other lady 
 might be about four or five years older, but 
 was good-looking, and was also dressed in the 
 richest manner. Being both wives of a man 
 darine of rank in the province of SOOCHOW, 
 they came in their palanquin, and were at 
 tended by quite a numerous retinue of male and 
 female servants. They also brought five little 
 children, the youngest of which was about nine 
 months old. To it I gave a ten cent piece ; 
 which the mother, agreeably to my request, 
 said she would hang round its neck or arm. 
 She was highly delighted, as the money came 
 so far, and was presented by a foreigner. 
 
 " The ladies did not talk much, but wan 
 dered, or rather tottered, all over the house. 
 I showed them every thing that I thought 
 would interest them ; father s likeness, which, 
 they said, did not resemble me much ; also, a 
 letter I had received from mother. This last 
 surprised them a good deal, having been 
 written by a female. 
 
 " The weather being hot, and the doors 
 A A 
 
354 AMERICA, 
 
 all flung open, I could not keep them out of 
 the rooms ; and into my bed-chamber they 
 bolted, accompanied by their whole retinue. 
 Here they examined the looking-glasses, 
 wash-stand, bed, and toilet, and appeared 
 much amazed. Their deportment was very 
 easy and agreeable, and they seated them 
 selves not the least abashed, differing vastly 
 from the females of this province, who are 
 absurdly modest, or rather affect to be ex 
 ceedingly so. 
 
 " After asking me a few questions, which 
 I answered, and staying about an hour and a 
 half, they took their leave. 
 
 " I am promised more calls from some of 
 their friends. 
 
 " The circumstance of females visiting a 
 foreigner has caused much surprise, none 
 having ever been allowed to enter the foreign 
 factories before ; and it would not even now 
 have been permitted, had the ladies not been 
 from a distant province, and the wives of a 
 * large mandarine. So soon as they entered, 
 the outside of the gate was crowded with 
 China men, who waited to see them come out. 
 
 " This must be set down as one of the 
 most curious incidents in my life so far ; and 
 in consequence of my having so many man- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 355 
 
 darines to see me, the Chinese merchants 
 look upon me in a different light to the other 
 foreigners ; and since the ladies have been, 
 they know not what to think of it. The fact 
 is, the mandarines suppose no foreigner un 
 derstands their language ; and consequently, 
 not being able to converse they never think, 
 of going to see them ; although it shows, since 
 they have heard of me, that they are anxious 
 to see them ; and when they come I have 
 nothing but questions put to me from the 
 moment they enter the house until they leave. 
 Of course they are mostly about my own 
 country. They are very eager to obtain in 
 formation. 
 
 " A few days ago I had a visit from a young 
 literary graduate, named KWEI WAN YAIN, 
 one of the most learned men of his age, being 
 only twenty-four, in the empire ; so say the 
 Chinese. He has passed through all the ex 
 aminations at this place, and next year pro 
 ceeds to Peking to be finally examined by the 
 Emperor, which the natives consider as get 
 ting great face, 9 when he, no doubt, will be 
 appointed governor of a province, or a mi 
 nister of state near his Majesty s person. 
 
 " One of my other friends is a military 
 officer, named LE YING, who commands a 
 A A 2 
 
 OJf THU 
 
 GTNIVERSITT 
 
356 AMERICA, 
 
 fort opposite to the foreign factories. I fre 
 quently go to see him ; and once went with 
 him on an excursion of pleasure to some 
 gardens, about five miles from the factory, 
 where we spent the day. He often sends me 
 presents of cake and wine. The kindness 
 which all have displayed towards me, shows 
 how pleased they are to come in contact with 
 a foreigner who understands their language ; 
 for never being able to have intercourse with 
 them, they really think we are what their go 
 vernment documents represent us to be bar 
 barians ; and they are greatly surprised when 
 they find we actually can behave well, and 
 talk to them too in their own tongue. This 
 effectually removes the barrier, and the more 
 information they get from me, the more they 
 think these barbarians must really be civilised, 
 and are only misrepresented to them." 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting event of the 
 present day in America, to the moralist, is the 
 grand effort making to eradicate habits of in 
 temperance among the adult population, and 
 to promote sobriety among the rising gener 
 ation. The engines more immediately em 
 ployed to effect this laudable purpose, are 
 those denominated Temperance Societies, the 
 main injunction of which is, the complete 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 557 
 
 abandonment of the use of ardent spirits, 
 except when required medicinally. 
 
 So convinced are the Americans, from the 
 success of local experiments, of the advantages 
 likely to arise from these institutions, that 
 they are now formed in almost every city and 
 district of the Union, in some of which they 
 enumerate as members a considerable portion 
 of the population. 
 
 That the habitual drunkard, or even tippler, 
 should be at once reclaimed by their operation, 
 would be little less than a miracle ; neverthe 
 less, the progress of reformation has advanced 
 with a degree of celerity almost unparalleled. 
 Spirits, in whole communities, have disap 
 peared ; the poison is no longer required or 
 given to the labouring husbandman, even in 
 the cities. Brandy, which, until lately, always 
 appeared on the tables of the boarding-houses, 
 and was taken ad libitum, being included in 
 the charge for board, is seldom seen ; pro 
 prietors of those hot-beds of vice dram-shops 
 have, in some instances, abandoned their 
 residences, and removed to situations where 
 the system of reform has made less progress ; 
 clerks and others in search of employment in 
 offices or stores, rind it advantageous to enter 
 the Temperance Societies ; and, lastly, the 
 A A 3 
 
358 AMERICA, 
 
 shipping interest, encouraged by intelligent 
 commanders, who well know that sobriety is 
 an invaluable quality in the sailor, and that a 
 vessel will be better navigated by men who 
 prefer a cup of cocoa to a glass of liquid fire, 
 have also joined the " Holy Alliance." 
 
 As a specimen of the description of moral 
 tools with which the members work, I may 
 subjoin a copy of one of the small hand-bills, 
 which are most extensively circulated, and 
 which, there is good reason to believe, pro 
 duce a powerful effect. At the head of this 
 little collection of aphorisms are two vignettes, 
 one of which represents a family in apparently 
 comfortable circumstances ; but the husband, 
 having returned home in a state of intoxi 
 cation, has thrown over the table, and, in a 
 fit of brutal rage, threatens the person of his 
 wife with violent usage, The other affords 
 but too faithful a picture of the result of 
 yielding to the degrading vice of drunkenness. 
 On the floor of a wretched hovel, devoid of 
 the simplest article of furniture, is depicted 
 the corpse of the infatuated subject of the 
 first plate, surrounded by his afflicted widow 
 and helpless children, who, naked and hun 
 gry, bewail their miserable lot. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 359 
 
 " THE WONDERFUL ADVANTAGES OF 
 DRUNKENNESS. 
 
 If you are determined to be poor, be a Drunkard ; and 
 you will soon be ragged and pennyless. 
 
 If you would wish to starve your family, be a Drunkard ; 
 for that will consume the means of their support. 
 
 If you would be imposed upon by knaves, be a 
 Drunkard ; for that will make their task easy. 
 
 If you would become a fool, be a Drunkard ; and you 
 will soon lose your understanding. 
 
 If you are determined to expel all comfort from your 
 house, be a Drunkard ; and you will do it effectually. 
 
 If you would expose both your folly and secrets, be a 
 Drunkard; and they will soon run out as the liquor 
 runs in. 
 
 If you think you are too strong, be a Drunkard ; and 
 you will soon be subdued by so powerful an enemy. 
 
 If you would get rid of your money without knowing 
 how, be a Drunkard ; and it will vanish insensibly. 
 
 If you would be a dead weight on the community, and 
 cumber the ground, be a Drunkard; for that will 
 render you useless, helpless, burthensome, and expensive. 
 
 If you would be a nuisance, be a Drunkard ; for the 
 approach of a drunkard is like that of a dunghill. 
 
 If you would be hated by your family and friends, be a 
 Drunkard ; and you will soon be more than disagreeable. 
 
 Finally, if you are determined to be utterly destroyed 
 in estate, body, and soul, be a Drunkard ; and you will 
 soon know that it is impossible to adopt a more effectual 
 means to accomplish your end." 
 
 As all institutions, however valuable, are 
 liable to suffer from the indiscreet zeal of 
 their friends, so the Temperance Societies 
 A A 4 
 
360 AMERICA, 
 
 have not escaped ridicule. Forgetting that it 
 is the abuse, and not the use, which consti 
 tutes the crime, some enthusiastic persons 
 have denied themselves even those liquors, 
 which, taken, as all things should be, in mo 
 deration, contribute to nourish the body and 
 exhilarate the spirits ; in short, to innocent 
 gratification, mental as well as bodily : and 
 we witnessed, in several instances, the tables 
 of these " righteous overmuch" groaning under 
 every eatable luxury, but on which no liquid 
 but that of the crystal fountain was allowed 
 to be seen. 
 
 A ridiculous instance of scrupulosity as to 
 the use of ardent spirits occurred a few months 
 previous to cur leaving New York. The cir 
 cumstances are as follows : As port wine is 
 little drunk by Americans, that people, from 
 custom, have recourse to the wine of Madeira 
 in the ordinance of the Sacrament. Now, the 
 Madeira, being adulterated for the American 
 as for the English market with a considerable 
 portion of brandy, was denounced by the more 
 rigid members of the Temperance fraternity 
 as an abomination, and a substitute was imme 
 diately thought upon. Such was opportunely 
 found in the wines of fine France, which are 
 not subjected to any admixture ; and an adver- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 36 1 
 
 tisement soon after appeared from an eminently 
 zealous individual, recommending the use of 
 Burgundy, of which some friend had received 
 a good supply. What rendered the matter 
 still more ridiculous, the advertisement was ac 
 companied by a chemical certificate of the total 
 absence of brandy in its composition. The 
 effect of this solemn farce was the immediate 
 re-stocking of the vestry wine bins, and of 
 course the easing of many tender consciences, 
 who had periodically polluted their lips with 
 wine in which there might have been a portion 
 of brandy. 
 
 During our residence in New York we en 
 joyed several opportunities of viewing the 
 ingenious American operation of removing 
 houses ; but as this mechanical process has 
 been so minutely and faithfully described by 
 Captain Basil Hall, in that officer s Travels, it 
 would be superfluous to dwell upon the sub 
 ject. A few months previous to our departure 
 from America, however, we witnessed the 
 still more curious and delicate one of raising a 
 house. 
 
 The building in question was of brick, 
 three stories high, to which the owner decided 
 to add a fourth. The addition was not made, 
 as it would have been in England, by taking 
 
362 AMERICA, 
 
 off the roof, and erecting" a superstructure ; 
 but the whole building was raised to a sufficient 
 height to allow of a substruction. The means 
 employed to effect this were simple, but pow 
 erful. A series of oblong holes or spaces were 
 opened in the walls round the edifice ; and by 
 the introduction of screws and blocks, all of 
 which were equally and simultaneously em 
 ployed, the weighty mass was elevated. 
 
 The operation occupied several days ; and 
 on passing the spot, a week or two afterwards, 
 I beheld the enlarged mansion furnished and 
 occupied ; the whole of the brick-work, even 
 the heavy and lofty chimneys, being quite 
 sound and uninjured, and those parts of the 
 gable ends exposed above the roofs of the 
 adjoining tenements only requiring the slight 
 process technically called pointing. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 363 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 
 EVEN at the commencement of the present 
 century, the journey from New York to Mont 
 real, a distance of only 380 miles, was the 
 labour of several weeks, and was likewise 
 attended with considerable fatigue. Now^he 
 same is accomplished in three days and 
 nights ; the latter being passed in excellent 
 beds, in the steamers and canal packet boats. 
 
 Having decided to return to England by 
 way of Quebec, we prepared for our departure 
 as soon as we ascertained that the navigation 
 of the northern canal and Lake Champlain 
 was opened for the season, which, in the year 
 1831, took place about the middle of the 
 month of April. 
 
 The last day of that month is spent by 
 the busy New Yorkers in packing up their 
 household goods and chattels, preparatory to 
 the grand remove of the 1st of May, which I 
 have already attempted to describe ; and, 
 amidst the general bustle occasioned by this 
 topsy-turvy system, we also found ourselves 
 occupied in the arrangement of the contents of 
 
364 AMERICA, 
 
 trunks, portmanteaus, and, as a lady was in the 
 case, band-boxes. 
 
 On Sunday morning, the 1st of May, 1831, 
 we shook hands with some of the kindest- 
 hearted people in the world, and once again 
 embarked in one of the magnificent steamers 
 which grace the Hudson. The weather was 
 delightful ; and it being what is termed a 
 packet day, several of those splendid ships, des 
 tined for London, Liverpool, and Havre, were 
 majestically sailing down the bay ; the mails 
 and passengers having been put on board by 
 the attendant steamer, which, upon the vessel s 
 entering the blue ocean, brings back the com 
 pany or the individuals who may have taken 
 the trip to repeat the last adieu, and to drink 
 prosperous gales in claret or champagne, which, 
 with other good cheer, is provided in the most 
 liberal manner by the generous owners and 
 commanders. The animated scene, however, 
 with the gay spired city of New York, soon 
 disappeared ; and long before evening we had 
 passed West Point, and the bold bluffs and 
 precipices of the Narrows. 
 
 At one of the villages on the river we took 
 on board above 100 passengers. They were all 
 farmers, with their families, household furni 
 ture, and effects ; and were emigrating from 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 365 
 
 the comparatively populous shores of the Hud 
 son to the fertile and almost boundless prairies 
 of the west ; where, for a few shillings per acre, 
 they could each select their lots ; commence, as 
 is the delight of theAmerican, improvements, 
 and lay the foundations of the future greatness 
 of the district. 
 
 Among the numerous passengers from New 
 York were some woollen manufacturers, several 
 wool growers from the interior, and also some 
 importers of foreign goods. 
 
 An interesting discussion was started by 
 some of the mingled company upon the 
 subject of the manufacturing interests of 
 America ; and as I felt anxious to elicit 
 their opinions upon the policy or impolicy 
 of the protective system, I did my best to 
 agitate and keep alive the topic. As I anti 
 cipated would be the case, the manufacturers 
 and wool-growers were decided friends of the 
 high tariff: first, as a measure of retaliation, 
 because Great Britain refused to receive Ame 
 rican flour or grain, the staple articles of 
 produce, upon a favourable footing ; and, 
 secondly, because, as the manufacturing in 
 terest had been created by the help of the 
 tariff, and, in spite of many discouragements in 
 the onset, was then flourishing under its pro- 
 
366 AMERICA, 
 
 tection, it would be, as they alleged, worse 
 than madness to abandon a system which was 
 rapidly enriching their country, and rendering 
 it completely independent in the event of 
 foreign war. 
 
 The importers argued upon the Huskis- 
 sonian theory, that if wool or any raw material 
 could be imported at a cheaper rate than it 
 could be produced at home, it was sound 
 policy to avail themselves of such importation ; 
 and further, that if any particular branch of 
 business could not be carried on by them as 
 successfully as by foreigners, it was folly to 
 think of protecting or forcing such by pre 
 miums : in short, the maxim, buy at the 
 cheapest market and sell at the dearest, 
 seemed to have made a proper impression on 
 the minds of the debaters on the anti-tariff side 
 of the question. 
 
 These wise arguments, however, v/ere not 
 relished by the manufacturers ; nor did the 
 listening throng, several of whom joined in the 
 course of the discussion, applaud them. The 
 general impression appeared to be, that with 
 cheap government, and consequently cheap 
 food, they should, if the protective scheme 
 was continued, eventually triumph over every 
 obstacle, and render their great country not 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 367 
 
 only the most powerful, but the richest and 
 most independent, of any in the world. 
 
 Politics and political economy, slavery and 
 prison discipline, were successively discussed, 
 until the preparations for turning in, as the 
 nautical phrase for going to bed expresses it, 
 put an end to the debates. 
 
 As there were at least 500 passengers to be 
 accommodated, and not half that number of 
 beds, it required no little activity on the part 
 of the stewards to make arrangements for the 
 overplus. This was done, however, with all 
 the alertness of men accustomed to the busi 
 ness, by drawing out the sliding tables, and 
 placing rows of mattresses and bedding upon 
 them ; thus creating very fair substitutes for 
 the regular berths. On popping my head out 
 in the night, the cabin presented the appear 
 ance of a long ward in a public hospital, with 
 all the beds occupied. 
 
 As the ladies cabin was also crowded to an 
 overflow, a trespass had been made upon that 
 of the gentlemen ; the division being formed 
 by a crimson curtain. From the situation of 
 the lights in that part of the cabin, the shadows 
 of its inmates were thrown upon the curtain, 
 in the manner of the exhibitions styled 
 les ombres Chinois, or the Chinese shades. 
 
368 AMERICA, 
 
 Unfortunately, the fair passengers com 
 menced the operation of unrobing with such 
 rapidity, that no little mirth was created in our 
 cabin before the information of the awkward 
 affair could reach the ears of those whose 
 business it was to rectify the mistake. 
 
 Darkness succeeded this ludicrous exhibi 
 tion, and the vessel ploughed her way until 
 near midnight, when, from the great weight 
 and quantity of heavy goods and baggage on 
 board, it grounded, and remained, until the 
 flow of the tide in our favour, immoveable. 
 
 The sudden stoppage of the machinery 
 caused some apprehension and alarm among 
 the females ; one of the most anxious of 
 whom, I heard exclaim, in no very subdued 
 tone, "What is the matter? what is the 
 matter ? say, right away, what is the matter ; 
 do tell me the worst ! " After a short pause, 
 a deep voice from the deck dryly replied 
 to these repeated interrogatories, " Nothing, 
 madam, nothing ; only the bottom of the 
 vessel and the top of the earth are stuck toge 
 ther;" a pretty quaint definition of a ship 
 being aground. On being awoke by the ring 
 ing of the bell at six o clock in the morning, 
 I found we were alongside of the wharf at 
 Albany. Here a scene was exhibited, which, 
 although provoking to the sufferers on such 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 369 
 
 occasions, is productive of much mirth to the 
 cautious or more fortunate traveller. 
 
 It is the custom of the servants of the 
 steamers to collect and clean all the boots of 
 the passengers. These are claimed by their 
 respective owners at the general boot-room ; 
 but, as may be supposed, when the vessel is 
 crowded, it becomes no easy matter for an 
 individual immediately to recognise his own 
 among so many pairs ; and mistakes, and, in 
 some instances, exchanges too, no doubt 
 occur. The consequence was, some beaux, 
 who commenced their travels with the latest 
 and most fashionable cut, were seen marching 
 about with the brogues of a back- woodsman ; 
 young gentlemen, and those who had " their 
 toes unplagued with corns," perhaps figured 
 in the easy shoes of an invalid ; while such 
 unfortunate disciples of Morpheus, who had 
 snored an hour too long, had to make the best 
 of boots which had long since seen their best 
 days, and to repair which would have been as 
 useless as the blunderbuss which stood in need 
 of a new stock, lock, and barrel. 
 
 The steamers which ply between Albany and 
 
 Troy a distance of six miles not sailing 
 
 on the morning of our arrival at the former 
 
 place, we proceeded in one of the stages which 
 
 B B 
 
370 AMERICA, 
 
 run hourly between these two cities. The 
 road follows the course of the Hudson, and is 
 tolerably good. Near Troy, we passed the 
 United States arsenal for the district, where 
 many thousand stand of arms, and a train of 
 artillery, are kept in order for service. A few 
 of the brass field-pieces, preserved as trophies, 
 were taken at the surrender of the British 
 army under General Burgoyne, in the year 
 
 1777. 
 
 Passing the river on a ferry raft, on which 
 the stage was driven, we alighted at the prin 
 cipal hotel in Troy. 
 
 Troy is a thriving, cheerful little town ; 
 and, although a recent settlement, already con 
 tains above 13,000 inhabitants, and is cele 
 brated for an extensive and excellent seminary 
 for young ladies. 
 
 As we arrived too late for the public break 
 fast, we partook of this meal in a private room, 
 and were attended by the daughters of the 
 proprietor of the hotel. The persons and 
 manners of these young females were interest 
 ing ; and, during breakfast, they occasionally 
 seated themselves by the table, and freely 
 entered into conversation. 
 
 I found they had been educated at the 
 seminary alluded to ; and, among other branches 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 371 
 
 of useful learning, had made some progress in 
 the exact sciences. A copy of Euclid s Ele 
 ments, in which appeared the elder sister s 
 name, lay on a side-table. The beautiful 
 daughters of an independent landlord, serving 
 tea and coffee, eggs and rolls, and conversing 
 with the guests upon courses of education and 
 problems of Euclid, was an exhibition peculiar 
 to America; and one which illustrated the 
 state of society in that " happy land" in a 
 most striking manner. 
 
 The country in the rear and vicinity of 
 Troy is hilly ; and one of the beautiful emi 
 nences is distinguished by the classical title of 
 Mount Ida. 
 
 Taking leave of our intelligent Trojans, we 
 crossed the Hudson, which is here about a 
 quarter of a mile in width, and embarked in the 
 packet-boat on the great western canal, which 
 we pursued as far as the junction with the 
 northern line a distance of about two miles. 
 Here, by a series of well finished locks, we 
 entered the latter ; and soon afterwards crossed 
 the river Mohawk, just below the grand falls 
 called the Cohoes. The torrent is precipitated 
 over a precipice nearly fifty feet in height ; 
 and the volume of water being very consider 
 able, the effect, when viewed from the rapids 
 B B 2 
 
372 AMERICA, 
 
 below, and in connection with the surrounding 
 scenery, is exceedingly fine. The towing path 
 is carried across the stream on a timber bridge 
 of great strength. 
 
 In the evening we passed Bemus Heights, 
 the scene of the memorable contest between 
 the British under General Burgoyne, and the 
 Americans under General Gates, in the year 
 1777 The old farm-house, in which General 
 Fraser breathed his last, is still shown, al 
 though it has been removed a short distance 
 from the place where it originally stood. 
 
 General Fraser was interred, at his own 
 request, in a redoubt on the field of battle ; 
 and a monument was ordered to be erected 
 on the spot some years ago by the British 
 government ; but it is said the agent employed 
 the money to his own use, and the grave of 
 this brave warrior still remains unmarked by 
 the slightest memorial. 
 
 A few miles further, we saw the ground 
 where the army of Burgoyne surrendered 
 themselves prisoners of war to their more 
 fortunate antagonists. 
 
 These historical and interesting sites are 
 all within an easy ride from the celebrated 
 Saratoga springs, the Harrowgate or Chel 
 tenham of America, and at which hundreds 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 373 
 
 of the fashionables of the southern States 
 spend their summer months. 
 
 Near Fort Edward, which we passed in the 
 night, is the spot rendered tragically me 
 morable by the murder of the lovely Miss 
 M Rea, by the Indians, in the revolutionary 
 war. This unfortunate young lady, who is 
 reported to have been extremely beautiful, 
 was the daughter of a clergyman, and en 
 gaged to be united in marriage to an officer in 
 the army of Burgoyne. 
 
 Her lover, anxious for the celebration of the 
 nuptials, engaged a party of Indians to convey 
 the damsel to the camp. 
 
 Contrary to the wishes of her friends, the 
 fond girl committed herself to their care, and 
 was escorted by them to a certain spring on 
 the road, where they were met by another 
 band, who likewise claimed the privilege of 
 being her body-guard. It is supposed an al 
 tercation ensued between the parties about 
 their charge, during which they were at 
 tacked by the whites. Melancholy to relate, 
 on the termination of the conflict, Miss M Rea 
 was found tomahawked and scalped. 
 
 Her lover, on hearing the horrible intel 
 ligence, died of grief. Her name is still in 
 scribed on the tree, under which the murder 
 B B 3 
 
374 AMERICA, 
 
 was perpetrated, and where her maimed body 
 was originally interred. The remains have 
 since been removed to the churchyard of the 
 village of Sandy Hill. 
 
 The country through which we passed, 
 during the evening after our leaving Troy, 
 exhibited the appearance of high civilisation, 
 in well cultivated farms, smiling villages, and 
 a numerous well fed, happy population ; but 
 on looking out of the cabin in the morning 
 the scene was completely changed. 
 
 In lieu of gliding on a canal between fer 
 tile fields, we found ourselves sailing in a 
 creek, with which the former communicates, 
 bordered by sterile rocks and inhospitable 
 shores, covered with pine woods, and almost 
 without inhabitants. 
 
 The air, too, was both " nipping and eager; 5 
 very different from that of the valley of the 
 Hudson, to which noble stream, after coursing 
 it above 200 miles, we had bidden adieu. 
 
 The towing path in this wilderness serves a 
 double purpose, being also the mail coach 
 road ; if an ill-defined causeway, where the 
 traveller is either drawn axle- deep in mud, or 
 jolted over transverse logs, deserves that ap 
 pellation. 
 
 After travelling most comfortably the whole 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 3J5 
 
 length of the canal sixty-five miles, enjoying 
 the company of agreeable fellow passengers, 
 and receiving every possible attention and 
 hospitality, from the captain of the packet and 
 his assistants, we reached the village or port 
 of Whitehall. 
 
 In a short time after, the steamer arrived 
 from St. John s ; and the united passengers 
 at the hotel, to the number of nearly a hun 
 dred, were summoned to breakfast. Although 
 I have already had occasion to allude to 
 the abundance displayed at this meal in 
 America, I must be allowed to notice this 
 breakfast at Whitehall in a special manner ; 
 such bountiful doings being unknown in any 
 other country. 
 
 My readers may, then, imagine, a table nearly 
 long enough for a city feast, well covered with 
 steaks, cutlets, eggs, ham, sausages, chickens 
 fricasseed and barbacued ; stewed and fried 
 eels, with delicious trout ; add to these good 
 things, rolls, cakes, and an inexhaustible sup 
 ply of excellent coffee ; and some idea may be 
 formed of the substantial repast ; which, to 
 hungry travellers, was indeed, as Dominie 
 Sampson would have had it, " prodigious." 
 Some idea of the cheapness of provisions may 
 be formed, when I state, that the charge for 
 B B 4< 
 
376 AMERICA, 
 
 this meal was only about eighteen pence ster 
 ling each person. 
 
 The waiters, who performed their duties in 
 a style fit for the best hotels in England, re 
 ceived nothing from the guests. 
 
 As soon as the company had risen, and a 
 portion of the materiel had been removed, 
 they sat down in their turn, and followed up 
 the attack with vigour. 
 
 The village of Whitehall has latterly be 
 come a place of importance, in consequence 
 of the opening of the northern canal, and the 
 increased traffic between New York and the 
 towns bordering on Lake Champlain, as well 
 as Lower Canada, to which province it is in 
 the direct line. The streets are laid out suffi 
 ciently wide, but they were not paved or even 
 Macadamised. The canal, which branches 
 from the creek, where it ceases to be navi 
 gable, on account of rapids and falls, commu 
 nicates with the head of the lake by a series 
 of locks. 
 
 As the steamer did not sail until noon, we 
 beguiled the interval by strolling up the hill 
 in the rear of the village, from which there 
 is an extensive prospect. The surface of 
 the ground is rocky, but much wooded, and 
 so infested with snakes, as to require the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 377 
 
 pedestrian to carry a stick, and keep on his 
 guard against these reptiles ; although they 
 will not molest the intruder on their domain, 
 if they can effect their escape. 
 
 We saw at least half a dozen, of various 
 sizes and species, in the distance of a few hun 
 dred yards. One of these, a young copper 
 head, with a most brilliant pair of eyes, viewed 
 us with such innocent surprise, that I allowed 
 it to make its way to its nest. We did not 
 hear the sound of rattle-snakes, but we were 
 told that the hill was covered with these 
 venomous creatures. About one o clock, we 
 embarked with a number of other passengers 
 in the steam-packet Franklin, for St. John s. 
 
 This vessel was of large dimensions, the 
 machinery powerful, and the cabins fitted up 
 in a style of elegance, almost equalling, if not 
 exceeding, any we had previously seen. 
 
 The captain or pilot instructed the engineer 
 in regard to speed or stoppages by a bell, the 
 number of strokes on which designating the 
 particular command. 
 
 Lake Champlain, in the vicinity of White 
 hall, is narrow and tortuous, having the ap 
 pearance of a river flowing between lofty hills ; 
 although it soon widens and pursues a more 
 direct course, it is not until Crown Point is 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 reached a distance of forty miles that the 
 lake opens to a considerable extent. This 
 formerly important post, with its companion 
 Ticonderoga, situated at the outlet of the 
 beautiful Lake George, exhibit extensive re 
 mains of the fortifications erected in the 
 French Canadian war; and in the former 
 place, a number of guineas were lately dis 
 covered, which had been buried for security. 
 
 In the course of the afternoon, we passed 
 a rocky promontory, the end of which had 
 been separated by some convulsion of nature 
 to a distance of thirty feet from the main land ; 
 the opposite surfaces of the fracture exactly 
 corresponding. 
 
 Twelve miles further, on the east side of the 
 lake, is Burlington, a flourishing village, near 
 to which, on an eminence commanding an ex 
 tensive and beautiful prospect, is the Univer 
 sity of the State of Vermont. 
 
 At Burlington we landed several passengers, 
 the operation being conducted with the same 
 degree of rapidity as on the Hudson river. 
 
 Pursuing an oblique course on the now ex 
 panded lake, we had a charming view of the 
 woods, and lofty range of mountains of Ver 
 mont, gilded by the rays of the setting sun ; 
 and after a most agreeably spent evening, en- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 379 
 
 livened by " the feast of reason and the flow 
 of soul," midnight found us entering the bay 
 of Plattsburgh, 8 a name recalling no very 
 agreeable associations to English ears. At 
 the pier of this lake port, where several large 
 trading sloops were lying, we had again the 
 disagreeable task of bidding farewell to pas 
 sengers, for whom even a short intimacy had 
 sufficed to win our good opinion. 
 
 Although I have more than once had the 
 pleasure to record the polite attentions of the 
 Americans, I cannot omit to mention an 
 instance of the most disinterested kindness 
 shown to us by some of our fellow travellers, 
 who landed at this place. 
 
 The party had come several hundred miles 
 on a visit to some of their friends, near Platts 
 burgh, with whom they purposed to remain a 
 few weeks. 
 
 Without the slightest acquaintance with 
 either myself or my wife, beyond that which 
 travellers of congenial sentiments form while 
 journeying together, these friendly individuals 
 invited us, in the most pressing manner, to 
 accompany them, and to remain as long as we 
 could make it convenient ; assuring us of a 
 most hospitable reception, and of their desire 
 to render our stay agreeable. It was with 
 
380 AMERICA, 
 
 great regret that we were obliged to decline 
 the proffered civilities ; and with more than 
 ordinary feelings of sorrow that we parted, in 
 all probability never to meet again. 
 
 In the churchyard of Plattsburgh lie in 
 terred, side by side, the British and American 
 officers who fell in the military and naval con 
 flicts near this place, in the year 1814. 
 
 Among the British are the gallant Commo 
 dore Downie, and Lieutenant-Colonel Wel 
 lington. A monumental slab has been placed 
 to the memory of the former gentleman, which 
 bears the following inscription : 
 
 " Sacred to the memory of GEORGE DOWNIE, 
 ESQ., a Post-Captain in the British Royal 
 Navy, who gloriously fell on board His British 
 Majesty s Ship, the Confiance, whilst lead 
 ing the vessel under his command to the at 
 tack of the American flotilla, at anchor in 
 Cumberland Bay, off Plattsburgh, on the llth 
 of September, 1814. To mark the spot where 
 the remains of a gallant officer and sincere 
 friend were honourably interred, this stone 
 has been erected by his affectionate sister-in- 
 law, Mary Downie." 
 
 The permitting this complimentary epitaph 
 to be inscribed in the public cemetery, must 
 be regarded as honourable to American feel- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 381 
 
 ing. The unfortunate killed of the rank and 
 file were all buried on a small island opposite 
 the village. 
 
 The deathlike stillness of night, combined 
 with the recollections that both the water we 
 were sailing over, as well as the shore which 
 it laves, had been crimsoned with the blood 
 of so many of one s fellow creatures, produced 
 a powerful sensation on the mind ; and I only 
 awoke from the reverie into which I was 
 thrown, on passing the promontory called 
 Cumberland Head, which forms the northern 
 boundary of the Bay of Plattsburgh. From 
 all I could learn respecting the actions, the 
 simultaneous disastrous issues of which to the 
 British forces is too well known, it appears 
 that the success of the Americans on land was 
 principally owing to the deadly fire of their 
 numerous riflemen, who in no instance miss 
 their aim ; and that the circumstance of their 
 flotilla carrying heavy carronades rendered 
 the bravery of the British, who had only long 
 guns, of less avail at close quarters. 
 
 Who was to blame in respect to this and 
 other oversights, it is now useless to enquire ; 
 but I may remark, that much of the cause of 
 failure, in all the actions between the British 
 and the Americans, from that of Saratoga in 
 
382 AMERICA, 
 
 the first war, when Burgoyne and his bat 
 talions were taken prisoners, to the horrible 
 butchery of New Orleans in the last, when 
 the Americans killed 1500 brave veterans, with 
 scarcely any loss themselves, or of their own 
 force, may be found, partly in the aristocratic 
 constitution of our army, in which the accident 
 of birth or fortune, not military service or 
 talent, procures command j and partly in the 
 contempt in which the Americans were held 
 by the British officers generally ; a contempt 
 eagerly fostered by a nation which had so 
 often been flushed with victory when com 
 bating people less imbued with the love of 
 liberty, and who were not, like the Americans, 
 fighting " pro aris etfocis," for God and their 
 country. 
 
 Soon after daylight we passed Rouse Point, 
 situated at the entrance of the narrow chan 
 nel, at the northern end of the lake, the bor 
 ders of which are here low and marshy. 
 
 Under the impression that this important 
 post fell within the boundary line of the 
 United States, the American government had 
 proceeded to fortify it in a most efficient man 
 ner ; but the commissioners appointed to settle 
 the frontier, deciding that it pertained to 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 383 
 
 Canada, the works were immediately dis 
 mantled and rendered useless. 
 
 The recent arbitration of the King of the 
 Netherlands would seem to reverse the matter; 
 and it is probable that the Americans have 
 acted somewhat precipitately, and not with 
 their wonted cool deliberation, in thus destroy 
 ing the work of their hands. 
 
 At this imaginary line of separation, we 
 bade adieu to the United States of America, 
 a country in which we had sojourned two 
 years, in which we had found many friends, 
 formed many sincere friendships, in which we 
 had spent some of the happiest hours in our 
 lives, and which we could not leave without a 
 sigh. Ten miles from the frontier is the cele 
 brated Isle aux Noix, the Portsmouth of 
 Lake Champlain, at which, in nautical lan 
 guage, we touched. The frames of a number 
 of sloops and gun-boats lay rotting on the 
 stocks, or had already fallen to pieces ; but 
 the fortifications appeared in excellent order, 
 as well as the extensive barracks and store 
 houses. 
 
 A solitary British serjeant was the only 
 living being we beheld ; yet the sight of this 
 individual, together with the bas-reliefs of the 
 royal arms in the pediments of the buildings, 
 
. , 
 
 384 AMERICA, 
 
 were not only novelties, after two years ac 
 quaintance with eagles and caps of liberty, 
 but were striking preludes to the scenes about 
 to open. 
 
 The view of the arsenal having given rise 
 to a conversation on ship-building, I asked an 
 American passenger, whether it was true that, 
 during the last war, his countrymen had con 
 verted growing trees into vessels of war in the 
 short space of a month. The answer was in 
 the affirmative, and that one of these hastily 
 constructed floating batteries mounted 100 
 guns. On my remarking that ships so quickly 
 built could not last, my friend replied, with a 
 dry smile, that they lasted long enough : they 
 lasted until they took all yours. Unfortu 
 nately for my national credit, this was true to 
 the letter. 
 
 An uninteresting sail of fourteen miles 
 brought us to the village of St. John s, the 
 port of entry at the British end of the lake. 
 
 The distance between Whitehall and this 
 place is about 140 miles ; which we had ac 
 complished in sixteen hours, including various 
 stoppages to land passengers. 
 
 An officer of the Custom-house came on 
 board to pass the baggage, which service was 
 performed in the most gentlemanly manner ; 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 385 
 
 and having taken leave of the star-spangled 
 banner, and the commander of the steamer, 
 who, to a thorough knowledge of, and strict 
 attention to, his professional duties, united 
 urbanity of manner the most engaging, we re 
 paired to the best hotel in the place, and 
 joined the table d hote, with all the keenness of 
 appetite created by scenting the morning air. 
 The poverty of the meal, however, and the 
 tout ensemble of the house, compared with 
 Whitehall, or indeed with any village of the 
 same class in the United States, which we 
 had seen, was particularly observable, and 
 did not give us a favourable opinion of the 
 prosperity of the settlement. 
 
 The scanty population seemed to consist of 
 English, Irish, and Scotch ; arid here and 
 there an idle soldier might be seen. Break 
 fast being over, we took our seats in the stage 
 for La Prairie, on the St. Lawrence, a distance 
 of eighteen miles. 
 
 By the word " stage" must not be understood 
 any thing like the gay-panelled and well- 
 finished vehicles of England, nor yet the 
 ruder but commodious ones of America ; but 
 only a light waggon, in which, on two cross 
 benches sat the passengers with their trunks 
 and baggage behind them, 
 c c 
 
386 AMERICA, 
 
 For a short way the road ran parallel with 
 the river Richelieu, the outlet of Lake Cham- 
 plain into the St. Lawrence ; and although 
 very far from being what would be tolerated 
 by our commissioners of turnpikes, was still 
 carriageable at a moderate pace. 
 
 What succeeded it is not easy to describe, 
 even Moody s " waggon-rut lane" falling 
 short of the realities of this route. 
 
 Now driving over heaps of half-broken 
 stones, now through mud axletree deep, 
 sometimes of the colour and consistency of 
 printers ink, then through morass so soft 
 as to leave us in some doubt whether we were 
 to go a yard farther or bivouac on the spot, 
 and if, by dint of whip and voice, the hardy 
 ponies proceeded, it was only that we might 
 be rattled over a series of transverse logs, not 
 unaptly termed corduroy road ; or, lastly, be see 
 sawed over springing fascines sunk in the mire. 
 
 In this delightful manner we journeyed to 
 the village of La Prairie, where we arrived 
 much in the condition of the poet who thus 
 describes his feelings after similar miseries : 
 
 " Though every bone is aching 
 
 After the shaking 
 
 I ve had this week over ruts and ridges 
 And bridges," &c. 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 387 
 
 and we at length began to think that the 
 American s advice, to travel with a supply of 
 cotton to stuff between the jaws, was not 
 altogether a joke. 
 
 This part of Canada is flat, and to the 
 eye of the artist uninteresting; but it is 
 cleared of wood, and well cultivated, and con 
 tains numerous substantial frame-houses, with 
 churches at regular intervals. The roofs of 
 the latter are formed of tin, and in some of 
 the yards we saw large crucifixes, to which 
 were attached the implements used at the cru 
 cifixion, as the hammer, pincers, spear, sponge, 
 &c., just as are commonly seen in some of the 
 states of Italy. 
 
 We met a priest in his cassock, whom, ac 
 cording to the custom of Catholic countries, 
 I saluted, which mark of respect was very 
 politely acknowledged. 
 
 The appearance of such a personage in the 
 habit of his order, the sight of the- peasantry 
 at work in their red or grey woollen caps, 
 their gay manner, the sound of the French 
 language, together with the Catholic emblems, 
 were strongly contrasted with the country we 
 had so lately left, and at every step the dis 
 tinction seemed even more and more apparent. 
 
 Our fellow travellers, or, perhaps, as cor- 
 c c 2 
 
388 AMERICA, 
 
 rectly speaking, fellow sufferers, from St. John s, 
 were, a New Englander or Yankee, and a 
 Canadian : the former, a middle-aged man, 
 shrewd and observant; the latter, young, 
 volatile, and extremely opinionated ; in short, 
 one of those happy individuals who are upon 
 excellent terms with themselves. 
 
 As is generally the case, when Americans 
 and Canadians meet, it is not long before the 
 merits of their respective countries are the 
 topic of conversation ; so the batteries of dis 
 putation opened between our two companions 
 soon after we started from St. John s ; and, 
 whether the assertion of travellers, that national 
 egotism is a distinguishing feature in the 
 American character, be true or false, the 
 quantum possessed by our Canadian certainly 
 exceeded any thing we had previously wit 
 nessed. 
 
 With this happy mortal, Canada was nothing 
 less than the modern garden of Eden : its 
 frame-houses were the most delightful places 
 of residence on the earth ; the diet of the 
 Canadian farmers was fit for kings ; the dialect 
 was one which the Parisians themselves might 
 study with advantage ; the religious establish 
 ment was a model for all other nations ; the 
 productions of the soil were the envy of the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 389 
 
 neighbouring territory ; and even the highway 
 over which we were jolting, at any other season 
 of the year was superb ! 
 
 Making full allowance for this exuberance 
 of amor patrice, which, after all, is pretty 
 much the same with the unread and untra- 
 velled of every country, we did not venture 
 to weaken it by comparisons, to which our 
 friend would probably have been unwilling 
 to listen. 
 
 To a jocose suggestion, however, which he 
 made, on our remarking some peculiarity in a 
 sheep which we passed, that we should present 
 it to the British Museum ; my wife laughingly 
 replied, " that half a mile of his road would 
 be a greater curiosity." His subsequent 
 silence, showed that the sally was not received 
 in the same spirit with which it was made. 
 
 At La Prairie, the magnificent St. Lawrence 
 first burst upon our sight. The poverty of 
 the place, which only afforded a few dry 
 biscuits and vile spirituous compounds, which 
 latter we of course rejected, was entirely 
 forgotten in the splendour of the view. 
 
 The great breadth of the majestic river, the 
 white breakers of the rapids of La Chine, a 
 few miles above ; and in the distance below, on 
 c c 3 
 
390 AMERICA, 
 
 the opposite bank, the city of Montreal, with 
 its glittering spires, backed by the wooded 
 eminence which gives name to the island 
 itself, formed a picture of absorbing inter 
 est. 
 
 In the midst of our enjoyment of this sub 
 lime prospect, we were hurried into the bateau 
 which was to convey us with other passen 
 gers to the city. 
 
 The bateaux navigating the St. Lawrence 
 are very large flat-bottomed boats, with the 
 head and stern alike, both rising in the galley 
 style. 
 
 That in which we embarked contained a 
 cargo of ashes in barrels, together with about 
 twenty persons, including the boatmen, two 
 of whom were old Canadian voyageurs, and 
 had been on the inhospitable shores of the 
 northern lakes. 
 
 Montreal is situated nine miles below the 
 village of La Prairie ; but the current runs with 
 such rapidity, that considerable exertion was 
 requisite to prevent us being carried too far. 
 The passage was free from danger, notwith 
 standing occasional eddies and waves excited 
 alarm among the timid. 
 
 What gave a peculiar charm to this little 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 391 
 
 voyage was the chant of the rowers, which 
 was exceedingly plaintive and beautiful ; and, 
 although the air did not resemble that of the 
 Canadian boat song so deservedly popular 
 with us, the exquisite melody of the latter 
 was naturally associated with the scene. 
 
 c c 
 
392 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. XX. 
 
 as is the contrast to the stranger who 
 is transported from Dover to Calais, it is cer 
 tainly not greater than that between the Ame 
 rican cities and those of Canada; and in 
 no part of my travels do I remember to have 
 witnessed, in the course of a few days, a greater 
 falling off in the general appearance of national 
 prosperity, than in our being transferred from 
 even the third or fourth class cities of Albany 
 or Troy, to the rising entrepot of Montreal. 
 
 In lieu of a clean and commodious landing 
 pier, like those of the United States, on which 
 elegant hackney coaches and cars await the 
 passenger s arrival, to convey him to a well- 
 supplied hotel, our bateau was rowed, or rather 
 hauled, upon a muddy beach, amidst a crowd 
 of shipping, at the foot of one of the meanest 
 and dirtiest little streets or alleys that can be 
 conceived. How we were to get on shore at 
 all was not instantly apparent. But our sus 
 pense was not of long continuance ; for in a 
 few minutes a number of small carts, each of 
 which was drawn by a hardy pony, were 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 backed into the water to the side of the boat ; 
 and trunks, band-boxes, and all, were as 
 speedily stowed in them by the officious and 
 loquacious drivers, in their bonnets rouges, 
 and the owners of the baggage, ladies as well 
 as gentlemen, were requested to take their 
 seats upon their movables. 
 
 In this way, like so many camp followers, we 
 were driven up the muddy bank, and into the 
 crowded market-place ; where, nothing loth, 
 we descended from our elevated stations, and, 
 wading through mire possessing the quality of 
 birdlime, proceeded to a boarding-house, 
 which was politely recommended by the 
 superintendent of the news-room, who had 
 visited our bateau in quest of the latest intelli 
 gence from the great capital, New York. 
 
 I have said that my first impressions, on 
 landing in America, were the high character 
 and independent bearing of the labouring po 
 pulation, and the absence of rabble : those on 
 landing in Canada were the suavity and polite 
 ness of the natives, whose air and manners 
 were as perfectly those of their parent country 
 as was their language ; and it required no 
 stretch of imagination to fancy ourselves in 
 one of the smaller and poorer cities of France, 
 remote from its fascinating metropolis. 
 
394< AMERICA, 
 
 The boatmen, carters, and porters all 
 touched or raised their caps when addressing 
 well-dressed persons ; and on receiving their 
 demands for any services rendered, they did 
 not fail to return a Merci, monsieur, a piece 
 of courtesy unknown, in any instance where 
 the obligation is mutual, among the independ 
 ent and sturdy republicans of the United 
 States. 
 
 The company in the boarding-house were 
 likewise of the French school ; and the meals, 
 both as to the description of cookery and the 
 time devoted to them, bore a closer resem 
 blance to the custom of France than America; 
 whilst the smiling femmes de chambre might 
 have just arrived from the " gay, sprightly 
 land of mirth and social ease. 5 
 
 The city of Montreal, which contains rising, 
 as the Americans would express it, 30,000 
 inhabitants, is about two miles in length, and 
 half a mile in width. It consists of two long 
 streets, the upper and the lower, the latter of 
 which is extremely narrow and dirty ; and 
 these are intersected by others of the poorest 
 character. 
 
 The buildings are all of stone, but in 
 general not more than two stories high ; and 
 the window shutters and outer doors being of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 395 
 
 sheet-iron, they have something of a prison 
 air. The roofs are all constructed of tin, 
 which, I was surprised to learn, was extremely 
 durable, the lustre remaining even at the 
 expiration of half a century. I observed the 
 sheets of tin were so doubled at the edges that 
 the nails with which they are fastened were 
 invisible, and of course protected from the 
 weather. 
 
 Permanent ladders are placed on all the 
 roofs, as means of escape in case of fire. The 
 stores or shops are principally kept by English 
 or Scotsmen ; but they have not the least 
 pretensions to elegance ; and as the goods are 
 wholly of British manufacture, they do not 
 comprise the tempting variety exhibited in the 
 marts of America. I only saw two or three 
 booksellers establishments ; and only one of 
 these, which was kept by an American, pos 
 sessed an extensive, or even useful, collection 
 of works. The proprietor of this store received 
 the English reprinted publications from New 
 York and Philadelphia almost as soon as issued 
 
 JL. 
 
 in those places, thereby anticipating the ar 
 rivals from London. Among the books of this 
 class which had just been received, was the 
 description of that magnificent labour, the 
 Manchester and Liverpool railroad, a topic 
 
396 
 
 AMERICA, 
 
 of intense interest in the United States, in 
 which the locomotive steam-engine is about to 
 be so extensively introduced. 
 
 Among the public edifices, the new Catholic 
 Church stands eminently conspicuous. This 
 immense building, which, though not yet 
 completed, has cost as much money as would 
 have sufficed to construct a railroad from La 
 Prairie to St. John s, and which is capable of 
 holding above 10,000 persons, is constructed 
 of bluish-grey stone, in a plain style of Gothic 
 architecture. The grand entrance is under a 
 lofty portico, between two noble towers. The 
 interior, which has extensive galleries, is di 
 vided into pews ; and as the floor is inclined 
 towards the high altar, the whole of the con 
 gregation have a good view of the officiating 
 priests. 
 
 This spacious house of God, like all the 
 great temples of the Catholic religion in coun 
 tries where that faith is generally professed, is 
 open at all hours ; and the humble penitent 
 may be seen pouring out his inmost thoughts 
 to his ghostly confessor, and receiving words of 
 comfort ; or, in silent contrition before the 
 sacred image of his Saviour, vowing to lead a 
 new life unto righteousness. 
 
 On the Sunday I beheld every part of the 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 897 
 
 building crowded to excess. The sermon was 
 delivered in the French languag e. One third 
 of the congregation appeared to be natives of 
 the Emerald Isle, and all looked well fed and 
 well clothed. The beadles, who attended 
 about the entrances to preserve order, wore 
 liveries of blue faced with red ; and their 
 staves of office were ornamented with the royal 
 arms of England. The union of these out 
 ward and visible signs of Protestant ascend 
 ency with the emblems of the Catholic faith 
 could not fail to be noticed by every English 
 stranger; for although the circumstance was 
 trifling in itself, the effect was momentarily 
 confusing. 
 
 The English Episcopal Church is a spacious 
 edifice, with a lofty tinned spire. Over the 
 altar is a copy of that splendid relic of art, the 
 Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci. As is 
 customary in British garrisoned towns abroad, 
 there are two morning services on the Sunday; 
 the first of which is for the military, the second 
 for the bourgeois. 
 
 The majority of the pews on the morning of 
 our visit were empty ; and from the dusty 
 state of that into which we were shown by the 
 sexton or pew-opener, it apparently had not 
 been occupied for many months. The duty 
 
398 AMERICA, 
 
 was performed by missionary clergymen, sent 
 out by the Society for the Propagation of the 
 Gospel in Foreign Parts. A collection was 
 made, or, as the Americans have it, was taken 
 up, after the sermon; and it was with no small 
 degree of vexation that we subsequently 
 learned the receipts were for the purpose of 
 keeping the church clean, a duty, as our 
 soiled apparel had borne witness, wholly neg 
 lected. 
 
 The Hotel Dieu, or Hospital for the Sick, 
 the Seminary for the Education of Youth de 
 voted to the Priesthood, and the several nun 
 neries, appeared to be well-regulated establish 
 ments. I noticed, in the first mentioned, 
 portraits of that weak monarch, Louis XVI., 
 and his profligate queen, as well as some other 
 relics of France under the old regime, for 
 which there still lingers an attachment. 
 
 The barracks and other Government build 
 ings of Montreal are large, and handsomely 
 finished; and an extensive place d armes affords 
 the inhabitants opportunities of witnessing 
 military parade, and enjoying eloquent music, 
 both which are provided at the expense of 
 John Bull. 
 
 In the market-place is a handsome monu 
 ment to the memory of Nelson, erected some 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 399 
 
 years ago by the British residents in Montreal. 
 The design of this work of art is a Roman 
 Doric column, upon the summit of which is a 
 statue of the hero. The column itself is of the 
 same description of stone as that used in the 
 erection of the great Catholic Church ; but 
 the figure, as well as the ornaments of the 
 capital, the base, and the bas-reliefs on the 
 pedestal, representing the principal victories, 
 are executed in terracotta, or artificial stone, 
 and appeared to bear the frost pretty well. 
 
 At Montreal commences the grand chain 
 of canal and river navigation, the object of 
 w r hich is to facilitate the communication be 
 tween the provinces of Upper and Lower 
 Canada. 
 
 The canal which forms the first link, and 
 which communicates with Lake St. Louis, at 
 the mouth of the Ottawa river, is about seven 
 miles in length. The locks, at its junction with 
 the St. Lawrence, are of the most approved 
 construction, and the bridges connected with 
 them combine durability with taste in design. 
 
 The great work called the Rideau Canal, 
 which, after the expenditure of many hundred 
 thousand pounds, is at length opened, com 
 mences at Kingston on Lake Ontario, and 
 ends at the rising little settlement of Bytown, 
 
400 AMERICA, 
 
 on the Ottawa river. Whether, in the execu 
 tion of this project, a proper regard has been 
 paid to economy in the expenditure is ques 
 tionable ; but as the requisite funds were sup 
 plied by Old England, I did not find the Ca 
 nadians deeply interested in that part of the 
 subject, more particularly as they would reap 
 the advantages. 
 
 Having devoted a day or two to the in 
 spection of the iron founderies, the ship 
 building yards, and other establishments con 
 nected with the trade of this growing port, 
 and taken a farewell view of the magnificent 
 scene presented from the eminence in the 
 rear of the city, the slopes of which are 
 studded with the villas of the wealthy in 
 habitants, we embarked in one of the steamers 
 for Quebec. The dimensions of these vessels 
 are much the same as those on the waters of 
 the United States ; but, as they are intended 
 more for the conveyance of produce and 
 general cargoes than for passengers, the part 
 allotted for the latter is on a smaller scale, 
 but not less elegant, the tables not less boun 
 tifully supplied, nor are the attentions to com 
 fort in any degree inferior. 
 
 We left the wharf at Montreal about noon, 
 and rapidly passed the small fortified island 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 401 
 
 of St. Helene, on which is the arsenal and 
 the barracks for the artillery. Much as we 
 had heard from the Canadians in praise of 
 the scenery of the St. Lawrence, we did not 
 find their descriptions in the least degree 
 exaggerated. 
 
 From Montreal to Lake St. Peter, a dis 
 tance of fifty miles, which we passed before 
 night, the margin of the river exhibited a 
 succession of picturesque villages, in each of 
 which the glittering spire of the parish church 
 was a conspicuous object. The style of the 
 cottages, shaded as they were by lofty trees, 
 and backed by their little orchards and gar 
 dens, strongly reminded me of some parts of 
 the " wide and winding Rhine ;" although the 
 illusion was occasionally weakened by the 
 sight of canoes skimming across the stream, 
 the navigators of these frail barks wearing 
 woollen caps, sashes round the waist, and 
 rough leather mocassins, or Indian shoes. 
 
 At Berthier, one of the most interesting 
 and populous of the settlements, we stopped 
 to take on board a supply of wood, while 
 some of the deck passengers, unfortunately 
 for the comfort of others, availed themselves 
 of the opportunity to procure a supply of 
 whisky. 
 
 D D 
 
AMERICA 
 
 Among the individuals upon whom this 
 spirituous stimulant operated with most effect, 
 was a poor schoolmaster, who, with the loqua 
 city and gifts of Caleb Quotem himself, so 
 mingled, or mangled, his Latin, French, and 
 English, that had he been a disciple of the 
 Irving school he could not have spoken in 
 terms more unintelligible. 
 
 While this facetious pedagogue was compos 
 mentis, I had entered into conversation with 
 him as with one from whom something might be 
 learnt relative to Canadian affairs ; and in this 
 idea I was not disappointed. He corroborated 
 the statement I had heard from other quar 
 ters, of the reluctance shown by the Catholic 
 clergy to the diffusion of the English language ; 
 and to such an extent did my informant repre 
 sent this anti-English feeling to prevail, that 
 even his offers to teach it gratis to his poorer 
 scholars were rejected by those under whose 
 guidance they placed themselves. However 
 we may lament the ignorance displayed in 
 regard to the refusal of the means of know 
 ledge, we may certainly attribute some part 
 of the repugnance to the officious spirit of 
 religious proselytism which distinguishes so 
 many well-meaning but over-zealous Protest 
 ants, and which, in some communities, oper- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 403 
 
 ates as a bar to a more perfect union of the 
 population. 
 
 We passed Lake St. Peter, which is formed 
 by a considerable expansion of the river, and 
 also the old settlement of Trois Rivieres, in 
 the night. The captain, a Canadian, was in 
 defatigable in his attentions to his passengers, 
 ever studying their comfort and their tastes ; 
 and chess, backgammon, and cards were in 
 requisition to a late hour. My evening, how 
 ever, was devoted to explaining to a circle 
 of enquirers, by the assistance of pencil dia 
 grams, such matters in the construction of 
 railroads as could not be so well understood 
 by general newspaper descriptions ; and it was 
 a source of considerable pleasure that I found 
 myself enabled to satisfy the curiosity of my 
 fellow travellers. 
 
 Morning found us sailing rapidly between 
 banks of considerable elevation, upon which 
 were seen the white snug cottages of the 
 native peasantry, and occasionally the more 
 extensive mansion of the seigneur, or the 
 neat parish church. 
 
 As we approached Quebec the river ex 
 panded, assuming the appearance of a lake, 
 and the distant scenery became more moun 
 tainous. Passing the spot rendered memor- 
 D D 2 
 
404 AMERICA, 
 
 able as the winter- quarters of the discoverer of 
 the country, the enterprising Cartier, about 
 noon, a bend of the river suddenly brought 
 us in sight of the lofty promontory of Cape 
 Diamond, and soon after the eye beheld the 
 cove where the gallant Wolfe, like the stan 
 dard-bearer of Caesar on the strand of Albion, 
 leaped from his crowded barge to head his 
 brave comrades against their ancient and 
 inveterate foe. 
 
 Steering our way midst ships at anchor, and 
 tortuous rafts of timber destined for old Eng 
 land, we soon reached the point of debarkation 
 at Quebec. 
 
 No sooner had we come in contact with the 
 wharf, than a crowd of mercantile emissaries 
 rushed on board, and divided the contents of 
 the letter-bag, which was emptied on a table 
 for their accommodation. 
 
 On landing, we immediately proceeded to 
 the city, or what is termed the Upper Town, 
 in contradistinction to the Lower, which skirts 
 the base of the lofty hill, and is, in fact, the 
 Wapping of the place. A very steep zigzag 
 street, appropriately named Mountain Street, 
 conducted us to the gate ; soon after passing 
 which, we found ourselves in a large, irregular, 
 open market-place, on one side of which was 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 405 
 
 the Cathedral, and on another the barracks, 
 formerly the convent of the Jesuits. 
 
 It being the feast of the Ascension, or Holy 
 Thursday, the shops were closed, the citizens 
 were in their best attire, and every thing bore 
 the quiet aspect of a Sunday in England. 
 Having located ourselves as agreeably as the 
 paucity in the choice of comfortable boarding- 
 houses admitted, we commenced our per 
 ambulation of this semi-English, semi- French 
 city. 
 
 Before I proceed to a description of this 
 Gibraltar of the west, I may mention, that 
 its distance from New York is about 550 miles, 
 which we performed by rivers, lake, and canal, 
 except the trifling portage between St. John s 
 and La Prairie ; and that the total expense of 
 travelling this route, unattended as it is by 
 fatigue, except in the portage alluded to, was 
 only eight pounds, exclusive of wine, the 
 taking which is optional. 
 
 The city and fortifications of Quebec cover 
 the extremity of a bold promontory, the side 
 of which, toward the St. Lawrence, is almost 
 one continued rocky precipice, whilst that to 
 the river St. Charles is, comparatively speak 
 ing, of little elevation. 
 
 D 1) 3 
 
406 AMERICA, 
 
 The boundary to the land side is chiefly on 
 a level with the adjacent country. 
 
 The hill called Cape Diamond, from the 
 circumstance of crystals being found embedded 
 in the rock, is covered by the magnificent 
 citadel. Scarcely a vestige of the original 
 plan now remains, the present extensive works, 
 which are hastening to completion, being en 
 tirely new. They are constructed upon the 
 most approved system of modern fortifica 
 tion, and embrace a very considerable area, 
 in which, besides a noble structure for the 
 officers, are bomb-proof barracks for several 
 thousand troops, as well as magazines for 
 provisions and munitions of war. 
 
 The granite which is used in the buildings 
 is brought down the St. Lawrence to the foot 
 of the mountain, and then drawn up an in 
 clined plane, to the height of 450 feet, by 
 a steam engine. The bricks are all im 
 ported from London ; and I need scarcely 
 remark, that it is on the treasury of honest 
 but extravagant John Bull that the bills are 
 drawn for the millions thus squandered for 
 the defence of a country, which has never 
 yet, nor, in all probability, ever will, remu 
 nerate its protector. 
 
 On the highest pinnacle of the fortification 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 407 
 
 is a small tower on which is a telegraph, and 
 also a gun, which, as is usual in fortresses, is 
 fired at the periods of sunrise, noon, and 
 sunset. 
 
 It is "the coup d ceil from this eminence 
 which has been so eulogised by travellers ; 
 and although our expectations were raised to 
 a high pitch, they were on our visit to the 
 tower in question even more than realised. 
 Standing on the verge of a rocky precipice, 
 between four and five hundred feet in height, 
 we looked down on the city, and on the 
 glassy surface of the majestic St. Lawrence, as 
 on a lake, on which lay, with sails unfurled, 
 and with sleepy banners, many a freighted 
 bark ; while here and there glided the barge 
 with glittering oars, or skimmed some frail 
 canoe. 
 
 Extending the field of vision, the eye em 
 braced the slopes of Point Levi, the pic 
 turesque Isle d Orleans, and the cultivated 
 districts of Montmorenci and Lorette, studded 
 with white cottages innumerable, while the more 
 distant woody hills spoke the line of demarca 
 tion between the abodes of civilisation and 
 the mountain range whose bleak and inhos 
 pitable sides repel the efforts of industrious 
 D D 4 
 
408 AMERICA, 
 
 man, and appear to say, " Hither shalt thou 
 come, but no farther." The city itself is com 
 pletely walled ; every commanding situation or 
 angle is planted with heavy cannon and mor 
 tars, backed by pyramids of shot and shells; 
 and its five gates are also appropriately and 
 strongly fortified. Dismounted guns, decayed 
 carriages and platforms, bespoke piping times 
 of peace, although the strong guards at the 
 gates, and the number of sentinels which met 
 the eye at every turn, would seem to denote a 
 state of active warfare. 
 
 The streets of Quebec are narrow, and 
 several of them very steep, but they are 
 macadamised, and kept in neat order. 
 
 The houses, like those of Montreal, are 
 seldom more than two stories high, and are 
 also roofed with tin. Many of the better 
 kind have double windows, to exclude the 
 winter s cold, which is exceedingly severe. 
 
 The shops, although their signs announced 
 the occupants to be from London, are, in 
 general, poor, and possessed few attractions, 
 even less than those of Montreal ; and if the 
 literary character of the place is to be judged 
 by the number of booksellers establishments, 
 that of Quebec is low indeed, for I only found 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 409 
 
 two, and the catalogues of these were made 
 up of Catholic prayer-books, school-books, and 
 religious tracts. 
 
 An opposition, however, may, ere this, have 
 started into existence, as I saw in the window 
 of a son of Figaro some attempts at intro 
 ducing a different description of literature, 
 cheap editions of Shakspeare, Byron, and 
 Moore being conspicuously displayed among 
 periwigs, razor-strops, and Windsor soap. Any 
 thing in the shape of an engraving or work of 
 art is as unknown as in the wilds of Labrador ; 
 and a recent attempt to introduce such was 
 attended with considerable loss to the spirited 
 but unfortunate speculator. The chateau or 
 castle of St. Louis, the residence of the go 
 vernor, is commodious, and from the terrace 
 or gallery overhanging the lower town there 
 is a charming view of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 In the immediate neighbourhood are the 
 two principal religious edifices, the Catholic 
 and English Protestant cathedrals. The former 
 is spacious, but, as regards the exterior, is totally 
 devoid of ornament. 
 
 The high altar is splendidly enriched with 
 gilding, and the walls are decorated with 
 paintings, one of which was almost mira 
 culously preserved in the ruins of the church, 
 
410 AMERICA, 
 
 when it was set on fire by the bombs of the 
 British army, during the siege of 1759- 
 
 The English church is a plain stone building, 
 with a lofty tinned spire. The congregation, 
 on the morning of our attendance, was not 
 numerous. The service, as regards the of 
 ficiating ministers, was well performed ; but 
 the musical department exhibited much weak 
 ness, the burden of the song falling upon half 
 a dozen little urchins, in white surplices, 
 whose small voices were wholly unequal to the 
 task imposed upon them, unassisted as they 
 were by more powerful lungs. Near the altar 
 is a handsome marble monument to the late 
 bishop of the diocese, Dr. Mountain. 
 
 The governor of the Canadas, Lieutenant- 
 Gen eral Lord Aylmer, with his lady and 
 suite, were present. The former was received 
 at the gate of his mansion with all the pomp 
 of military parade. I could not help contrast 
 ing this circumstance with the unpretending 
 appearance of General Jackson, at Washington, 
 who, although chief magistrate of an immense 
 and powerful country, had not a single sen 
 tinel at his door, nor, when he appeared in 
 public, was he attended by a servant. 
 
 Besides the two principal places of worship 
 described, the methodists have also their Zion, 
 and the Calvinistic Scotch their kirk ; un- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 411 
 
 opposed, as far as I could learn, by those theo 
 logical reformers, the Unitarians. 
 
 As at Montreal, there is an extensive semi 
 nary attached to the cathedral, and a convent 
 of nuns, at which places the children of the 
 principal inhabitants receive their education. 
 
 Various were the novelties which we met 
 with in Quebec ; among others, the dog-carts 
 particularly attracted our attention. These 
 little vehicles, of which there are a number, are 
 used for the conveyance of milk. Each cart 
 contains two large tin vessels, and is generally 
 drawn by one dog properly harnessed, and 
 driven by a boy ; who, when he has supplied 
 his customers, takes his seat on the cart ; and 
 if perchance the road should be down a hill 
 home, he drives at as quick a pace as his 
 faithful companion can carry him ; and, after a 
 few hours respite, poor Csesar or Hector re 
 commences his laborious round. 
 
 We found the markets very indifferently 
 supplied with provisions, and the prices higher 
 than in the cities of the United States. The 
 same remark applies likewise to those essential 
 articles, groceries, particularly to the^teas, of 
 which no fresh supply had been received for 
 a long period. Of the produce of the country 
 we met with maple sugar and syrup, both of 
 which are much used by the Canadians. 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 The taste of the former, which is manufac 
 tured into hard cakes, is less agreeable to the 
 English palate than the produce of the sugar 
 cane, and, like Indian meal, would require time 
 to reconcile one to the use of it. 
 
 The peasantry appeared a cheerful, healthy 
 race. The men all wore woollen caps, either 
 scarlet or grey, and capots, or coats with 
 pointed hoods, like those worn by the Italian 
 mariners, and on their feet a species of mo 
 cassin made of uncoloured leather. 
 
 On my expressing my doubts to a vender 
 of these last-mentioned articles as to their 
 durability, the irritated Canadian imme 
 diately seized a mocassin with his teeth, and, 
 although he gnawed for some time with almost 
 savage fury, sparing neither his grinders nor 
 canines, he failed to penetrate the tough and 
 well-stitched material, proving thereby the 
 excellence of his wares. The most attractive 
 of the inhabitants were the Indians, whom 
 we saw in considerable numbers. The men 
 had little to distinguish them from the tribes 
 we had seen on the borders of Lake Erie, but 
 the expressive features of the females were 
 decidedly more prepossessing. 
 
 Their dress exhibited a compound of that 
 of both sexes. Blue cloth pantaloons or 
 trousers, a blanket folded round the body 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 413 
 
 under the arms ; a beaver hat, with a broad 
 band of silver lace; the ears, which are 
 pierced round the edges, amply decorated 
 with pendent glitter, and thick black hair 
 hanging over their shoulders, seemed to be 
 the ne plus ultra of fashion. 
 
 Some of these damsels, fairer than the rest, 
 were pointed out to us, as being the daughters 
 of Canadians who had intermarried with Indian 
 women ; and such occurrences are common. 
 
 These descendants of the aborigines possess 
 villages and lands of their own, and receive 
 large sums annually, in the shape of presents 
 from the British government, to ensure, as it 
 is said, their attachment. 
 
 The men are addicted to drinking spirits ; 
 a vice rather encouraged than discountenanced 
 in all British colonies, in order to promote, 
 as it is called, the interests of our West India 
 possessions. 
 
 Both sexes, but particularly the females, 
 show much ingenuity in the fabrication of 
 various articles of Indian dress, as well as 
 models of ^canoes ; snow-shoes, and a hundred 
 arctic bagatelles, which are bought by the 
 British, and also by the numerous American 
 strangers who visit the Canadas in the summer 
 months. 
 
414 AMERICA, 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 THE environs of Quebec abound in pic 
 turesque and romantic scenery ; but to a Briton, 
 the great interest is in the celebrated Plains of 
 Abraham, which, associated as they are with 
 our school reading, have already become clas 
 sic ground. 
 
 These plains, where the forces of Britain, 
 under the gallant Wolfe, measured their 
 strength with those of France, under the 
 brave Montcalm, are a little more than a mile 
 from the city; and we embraced an early day 
 after our arrival to visit so famed a site. 
 
 Passing through St. John s Gate and its 
 winding outworks, we entered the populous 
 suburb of the same name, in which we saw 
 the Protestant burial-ground, I am sorry to 
 say, in a most disorderly state ; and soon 
 after, reached the detached fortifications or 
 martello towers, which stand elevated above 
 the surrounding country. We here entered 
 upon the blood-stained field, much of which 
 is yet uninclosed, and is used for reviews of 
 the troops, and also as a race-course. 
 
 The identical spot where England s youthful 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 415 
 
 general expired in the arms of victory was 
 pointed out to us. The day was clear, the 
 sun sh6ne bright, all nature wore a lively 
 aspect ; and the wild strawberry blossomed in 
 beautiful simplicity where once had been the 
 tug of war. 
 
 The woody cliffs to the St. Lawrence remain 
 in the state in which they were at the period 
 of the memorable battle ; but a narrow winding 
 road has been made by the Government from 
 the cove, called after the intrepid commander, 
 and where the army landed, to the plains. 
 
 On the beach, near this interesting spot, we 
 saw several large ships on the stocks, and on 
 passing a small snug public house, we were no 
 less pleased than surprised to behold the well- 
 known effigies of Tarn O Shanter and Souter 
 Johnny, which were placed as ornaments in 
 an upper window, no doubt oft-times recalling 
 to the inmates, who were from the " land 
 o cakes," pleasing recollections of home and 
 friends. The sight of these little mementos 
 of the old country, amidst the unpruned forest 
 in other lands, awoke sensations of a mixed 
 and melancholy nature, only known to those 
 who have been placed in similar situations. 
 
 Returning to the city by a route through a 
 wood of firs, which had been recently tapped, 
 
416 AMERICA, 
 
 and whose wounds were still oozing, we passed 
 the site of the redoubt to which the troops of 
 Wolfe found themselves opposed at daybreak, 
 and also the ground over which the French 
 commander inarched to the contest. 
 
 The glorious success of Wolfe has been a 
 favourite theme for the English historian to 
 the present day ; but, without a wish to pluck 
 a leaf from the well-earned laurels of the hero, 
 whose plan of operations exhibited the highest 
 order of talent, and whose courage in the field 
 led him to jest at scars, it must be allowed, 
 that the difficulty of ascending the precipice 
 has been much exaggerated, it having been 
 performed in the night, without meeting with 
 any opposition from the enemy ; and in regard 
 to the decisive action on the plains, although 
 the numerical forces of both parties were equal, 
 the British army was composed wholly of regu 
 lars, while half of that of the French consisted 
 of militia and Indians, who did not support 
 their general. The French regulars, however, 
 made amends for the want of courage in their 
 comrades, and the loss on both sides was con 
 siderable ; the commanders in chief, as well as 
 their respective seconds, having all fallen. 
 
 A handsome obelisk, sixty-five feet in height, 
 has lately been erected, on an elevation near 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 417 
 
 the garden of the Governor s residence, to the 
 memories of Wolfe and Montcalm. So French 
 is the feeling, however, of the population, 
 even at this day, that the memorial, although 
 uniting, as it does, a compliment to the de 
 feated party, has given offence ; and this tri 
 bute to valour is viewed as a trophy of British 
 prowess at the expense of France and her 
 descendants, and a sentinel is posted at the 
 base, to protect it from mutilation. 
 
 A more humble but interesting memorial of 
 Wolfe exists in the town, in the shape of a 
 carved wooden figure, which is placed in a 
 niche in the front of a small tavern. 
 
 This humble work of art, which is about four 
 feet in height, represents the youthful General 
 dressed in his regimentals, the colours of which 
 are red faced with yellow, with a white belt, 
 and wearing, as the officers did at that period, 
 what are called side-arms. The cuffs of the 
 coat are of the true Justice Woodcock dimen 
 sions, as well as the three cornered hat. On 
 the pedestal, in old fashioned letters, is the in 
 scription, JAMES WOLFE. As this effigy was 
 executed soon after the death of the gallant 
 commander, there is no doubt that it presents 
 us with a fac-simile of the man ; and although 
 one should not wish to see it embellishing a 
 E E 
 
418 AMERICA, 
 
 public square, or a classical hall, yet should it 
 be most religiously preserved in its present 
 situation, as long as the country remains under 
 British rule. 
 
 The lower, or mercantile town of Quebec, 
 as it may be called, being the seat of the 
 commerce of the port, skirts the base of the 
 mountain. Near its southern extremity, which 
 is the hive of the labouring classes, under 
 Cape Diamond, is the spot where the brave 
 Montgomery gloriously fell, in the daring but 
 unsuccessful attack on Quebec, on the 31st of 
 December, 177^. At the period in question, 
 the passage between the mountain and the 
 river was extremely narrow and rugged, and 
 although the construction of wharfs and stores 
 has altered its appearance, the exact situation 
 of the battery from which he and his aids-de 
 camp received the fatal discharge, may be 
 readily understood. 
 
 The whole of the lower town, during our 
 short residence at Quebec, exhibited consider 
 able bustle, from the number of vessels daily 
 arriving from Great Britain, not only with 
 general cargoes, but with emigrants, who were 
 landing by thousands. The great majority 
 were of the poorest description from Ireland ; 
 but some were English farmers, who had 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 419 
 
 brought their families, and such small sums of 
 money as they could raise, to try their for 
 tunes in the New World. All were proceed 
 ing towards the borders of Lake Ontario; 
 where, as Franklin expressed himself, when 
 speaking of the emigrants in his day to Phi 
 ladelphia, the question is not, Who are you ? 
 but, What can you do ? and where, as in the 
 United States, high wages and cheap food 
 await the industrious labourer or artisan, al 
 though he may not t as there enjoy the great 
 privilege of a freeman, a voice in the affairs 
 of the country. 
 
 In my rambles, I witnessed the humiliating 
 spectacle of a fellow creature standing in the 
 pillory. The offence for which the unfortu 
 nate individual was thus punished, was enticing 
 soldiers to desert. I was also several times 
 present at auction sales; at which, as many 
 of the buyers did not understand French, the 
 auctioneer also used the English language ; 
 and the rapid transition from one to the other, 
 in expatiating on the excellence of the articles, 
 or in the advance of the biddings, produced a 
 singular effect. 
 
 The shortness of our stay in Canada pre 
 cluded the possibility of my acquiring such an 
 insight into the character and habits of the 
 E E 2 
 
420 AMERICA, 
 
 people, as our long residence in the United 
 States had afforded in regard to the Ame 
 ricans ; it was, however, sufficient to enable 
 me to view the most striking features, as well 
 as to make some observations upon things as 
 we found them in this favourite but expensive 
 colony. The Canadians of all ranks are strict 
 Catholics ; observing the different fasts and 
 ordinances, and making their reverences to 
 the clergy, who wear their cassocks in the 
 streets, with all the scrupulosity of the natives 
 of Spain or Portugal. Theatrical perform 
 ances are wholly forbidden; as well as the 
 study of the works of those luminaries of 
 French literature, Voltaire, Rousseau, and 
 others of the galaxy of talent, whose labours 
 are to be found on the book-shelves of almost 
 every individual in France. 
 
 However rigid the ecclesiastical rule may be, 
 it is but just to observe, that the Catholic 
 clergy of Canada, like their fellow labourers 
 of the same faith in every clime, are distin 
 guished by their attentions to the spiritual 
 wants of their flocks ; and by day or by night, 
 in summer s heat or winter s cold, the priest 
 as cheerfully obeys the call of the poor, and 
 them that have none to help them, as that of 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 the rich man who is clothed in purple and fine 
 linen.* 
 
 * Since the above was written, the author has been 
 favoured by his friend Dr. Harlan, of Philadelphia, with a 
 copy of the very interesting Report of the Medical Depu 
 tation, of which Dr. H. was a member, from the Sanitary 
 Board of that city to Canada, during the prevalence of the 
 late awful and mysterious epidemic. 
 
 The devoted attentions of the clergy to the sick and 
 dying, are stated to have been most praiseworthy, but he 
 cannot resist extracting a passage from the pamphlet in 
 question, which displays the exemplary conduct of one 
 individual in particular, and affords an example of genuine 
 practical Christianity, as delightful to contemplate as it is 
 worthy of imitation. 
 
 Speaking of the Indian settlement called Caughnawaga, 
 the inhabitants of which suffered severely by the pesti 
 lence, Dr. Harlan thus expresses himself: 
 
 " This village, an ancient settlement of the Indians of 
 the same name, a band of the Iroquois, is situated on the 
 right bank of the St. Lawrence, eleven miles west of 
 Montreal. It is located on an elevated plane of secondary 
 limestone, covered with gravel and clay, and contains 
 1000 Christian Indians, under the fatherly and spiritual 
 direction of Mr. Mann, a Catholic priest, highly respected 
 for his devotion, love of truth, and eminent Christian 
 virtues. During the fatal pestilence, which laid waste 
 this remnant of the Aborigines, he exercised towards 
 these children the offices of father, friend, physician, 
 nurse, and spiritual comforter and guide." 
 
 It is impossible to peruse this simple eulogium, without 
 being reminded of the Divine declaration touching good 
 works, " Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have 
 done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have 
 done it unto me." 
 
 E E 3 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 As to the newspapers of Quebec, they are 
 merely apologies for such publications, and 
 reminded me strongly of those precious speci 
 mens in this department of literature, the 
 Gazettes of Milan or Naples. Whether any 
 degree of censorship is exerted by the ecclesi 
 astical or civil governors, I did not ascertain : 
 be this as it may, however, the limited dif 
 fusion of political knowledge in Lower Canada, 
 compared with the wholesome agitation of such 
 subjects in the United States, was strikingly 
 apparent, and impressed me with very unfa 
 vourable ideas of the state of Canadian govern 
 ment. 
 
 Independent of the excessive severity of the 
 climate, and the almost general use of the 
 French language, the nature of the tenures of 
 lands, and the antiquated system of jurispru 
 dence, are also serious obstacles to the English 
 settler in this quarter; where such is the power 
 of the aristocracy and the superior clergy, 
 fostered as it has been for political purposes 
 by the British government, that if we may 
 credit the words of an intelligent native with 
 whom I conversed, "it is quite useless to go 
 to law with a seigneur or a priest." The 
 middle classes are, however, gradually gain 
 ing strength ; and, taking a leaf from their 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 neighbours book, are beginning boldly to 
 assert their rights. 
 
 The conciliatory behaviour of the Canadian 
 executive, who, in addition to the fairest pro 
 mises of attention to the public wish, had 
 actually began to fulfil such, by dismissing the 
 King s Attorney-General at the desire of the 
 people, proves that their voice is heard. 
 
 That the policy of the British government 
 will henceforth be more in unison with the 
 voice of the colonists, and that measures 
 worthy of an enlightened ministry, which num 
 bers amongst its members the greatest man of 
 the age, will be pursued, is certain ; still it 
 must not be concealed that we hold the Ca- 
 nadas, not by any attachment of the inhabit 
 ants, who have nothing in common with us ; 
 but by the numerous army dispersed in all the 
 populous places, where a sentinel is visible at 
 every turn ; and by the influence of the im 
 mense sums granted for the making of canals 
 and for other public works. Whenever these 
 are withdrawn, it requires little of the spirit of 
 prophecy to foretell the result, which would 
 unquestionably be the establishment of two in 
 dependent republics, a consummation equally 
 beneficial to the Canadas as to Great Britain. 
 Being anxious to reach England, we did not 
 E E 4 
 
 o 
 
 t UNIVERSITY 
 
424 AMERICA, 
 
 prolong our stay in Quebec to the extent de 
 sired either by our friends or ourselves. 
 
 Having selected a ship of good repute, 
 bound to Liverpool, we reluctantly took leave 
 of our Canadian acquaintance, and embarked 
 on the 21st of May, 1831, amidst a crowd of 
 miserable Irish emigrants, who had just landed 
 in rags and filth from their fertile but much 
 oppressed country. 
 
 Loosing every sheet, we soon felt the influ 
 ence of a delightful breeze, which, together with 
 the current, carried us swiftly but smoothly 
 along, affording us varied and charming views 
 of Quebec, Point Levi, and the stupendous 
 falls of Montmorenci, until the Isle of Orleans 
 shut out the magnificent scene from the sight. 
 
 The St. Lawrence, immediately below this 
 fine island, is no less than fifteen miles in 
 width ; and it gradually expands, until it 
 merges into the gulf of that name, where it 
 reaches ninety miles. 
 
 The right bank, for nearly 150 miles, is, 
 like the district above Quebec, studded with 
 villages, among which that of Camourasca is 
 noted for the beauty of its situation. In the 
 background rise the lofty mountains, which 
 until lately were the supposed boundary of the 
 United States in this direction ; but which, by 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 the decision of the King of the Netherlands, 
 fall in the British territories. 
 
 At Green Island, opposite the great river 
 Saguenay, our pilot bade us farewell. Here 
 the water was brackish ; and soon after, the 
 appearance of floating sea-weed, bespoke our 
 approach to the great ocean. 
 
 The shores of the territory of Gaspee are 
 bold and precipitous, and covered with eternal 
 forests. A too near approach to these inhos 
 pitable regions, occasioned by the force of the 
 current during a calm, afforded us more than 
 a hasty view of one point, where frowning 
 pine-crowned bluffs, in the gloomy recesses of 
 which lay the winter s snow, presented no very 
 cheering spectacle in the event of our being 
 driven upon this savage coast. 
 
 Passing the long, low, uninhabited island 
 of Anticosti, which lies in the middle of the 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence, and famed, by the ac 
 counts of shipwrecked mariners, for its nume 
 rous bears, we got a glimpse of the dangerous 
 cluster of rocks called the Bird Islands, from 
 the quantities of sea-fowl which hover about 
 them. 
 
 After fifteen days sailing in the intri 
 cate and often tempestuous approach to the 
 St. Lawrence, during which we had enjoyed 
 
AMERICA, 
 
 all the variety that such a cruise affords, in the 
 sight of whales, seals, and porpoises, gulls and 
 petrels, we descried the misty mountains of 
 Newfoundland, and occasionally spoke some 
 of the small coasting sloops belonging to that 
 country of fogs and storms. A smart and 
 favourable gale springing up, carried us briskly 
 to the great bank, on w r hich we passed through 
 a fleet of fishing vessels at anchor. It being 
 night, they had lights at the mast-heads ; a 
 precaution necessary to escape being run down 
 by larger vessels sailing in this track. 
 
 These comfortless barks are constructed in 
 ternally so that the body of the fish, the livers, 
 and the offal, may be kept apart. The fish is 
 dried on shore ; the liver is converted into oil, 
 and the offal is thrown into the sea at a dis 
 tance from the fishing grounds. The cod-fish 
 are caught by lines; the bait being lowered to 
 the bottom, which, in the usual resorts of the 
 fishermen, is about thirty fathoms. 
 
 One could not behold this little fleet tossing 
 on the boisterous ocean, so far from land, 
 without increased admiration of the philoso 
 phical daring of Columbus, who, with vessels 
 scarcely larger than those employed in the 
 fisheries, undertook his glorious enterprise on 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 427 
 
 the then unknown waste of waters, and gave a 
 new world to civilised Europe. 
 
 The wind sat in the shoulder of our sail ; 
 and after fourteen days ploughing the deep, 
 and occasionally spying a vessel in the horizon, 
 but looking in vain for the three chimneys, or 
 any other of the thousand dangers displayed in 
 the older charts, all which sources of alarm 
 and anxiety to the mariner have probably 
 been nothing more than dead whales, or water 
 logged wrecks, we obtained soundings ; and, 
 as the mists of morning dispersed, we discerned 
 Cape Clear, the most westerly point of the 
 Emerald Isle. 
 
 In the course of the day, we were hailed by 
 the crews of several fishing-boats from Balti 
 more, the insignificant port which gave the 
 title to the settler of Maryland, and which is 
 perpetuated in the name of its chief city. 
 These hardy and industrious individuals 
 brought us fresh fish, vegetables, and eggs ; 
 but the shortness of our passage rendered such 
 luxuries less welcome than they would have 
 been to the more distant voyager. Never 
 theless we regaled these good-hearted fellows, 
 whose wildness of manner and attire exceeded 
 any thing I had ever witnessed, with a few 
 
428 AMERICA, 
 
 bottles of rum, with which they appeared 
 much delighted. 
 
 Our sail up the Irish Channel was rendered 
 particularly agreeable by the union of a fair 
 wind and charming weather ; and we, with 
 
 our agreeable fellow-passengers, Major K 
 
 and lady, were again enabled to enjoy the 
 smoking board, which the unbounded hos 
 pitality of our skilful and generous captain 
 displayed. 
 
 In our conviviality we did not forget the 
 well-known old song, 
 
 " Ye gentlemen of England, who live at home at ease, 
 Ah, little do ye think upon the dangers of the seas;" 
 
 the true feeling for the excellences of which 
 can only be properly understood by those who 
 have rode o er the foaming billows, 
 
 " When the stormy winds do blow." 
 
 Having taken on board a pilot, the very an- 
 tipode of the one under whose guidance we 
 entered the harbour of New York, and the 
 breeze continuing fair, the bleak bold coasts of 
 Anglesea and North Wales were soon passed ; 
 and at sunset, on the 21st of June, 1831, we 
 anchored in old Mersey s tide, and the next 
 morning landed in the portus omnium gen- 
 
AND THE AMERICANS. 429 
 
 tium, Liverpool, after an absence of two years 
 and six weeks. 
 
 The facilities shown in the inspection and 
 passing of the baggage were highly creditable 
 to the Custom-house establishment of the port, 
 as well as to the Government ; the most gen 
 tlemanly behaviour on the part of the officers 
 being combined with a proper regard to the 
 protection of the revenue. 
 
 Once more at home, we enjoyed its pleasures 
 among those we loved, not a little heightened 
 by the resumption of some of those national 
 habits which the traveller in foreign climes is 
 for a season obliged to abandon. 
 
 As an Englishman, deeply imbued with 
 amor patrice, and mixing again with English 
 men, I hailed the increased diffusion of in 
 formation and liberal opinions in politics and \ 
 political economy with pleasure. 
 
 The mass of the population seemed to have 
 turned over a new leaf, and to have at last 
 found out the philosophers stone, " that 
 magistrates were set up for the good of nations, 
 not nations for the honour or glory of ma 
 gistrates." 
 
 Amidst so much to cheer and delight, how 
 ever, the aristocratic bearing and purse-inflated 
 display of the higher classes, contrasted with 
 
480 AMERICA, AND THE AMERICANS. 
 
 the cringing servility, the abject poverty, and 
 the squalid wretchedness of the lower, were 
 strikingly apparent to us, who had been resid 
 ing in a land where, generally speaking, there 
 is neither poverty nor riches ; but where all 
 are fed, as a wise and beneficent Creator in 
 tended, with food convenient for them. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON \ 
 
 Printed by A. & R. Spottiswoode, 
 New- Street- Square. 
 
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