NEW MASONIC i-EMPLE AT PHILADELPHIA. See page 103. A MONTH IN THK ^hnteil States and A aiiada IX THK AUrrMX OF 1873. BY y AITIIUK OF Letf.<>r.^ Oil '" TevhuU-al Eli— The fla-Mic Valley of Wyoininj,'— Arrival at the Falls, . . 135-146 'AFTER XII. Niagara — First View of the Falls — Varied Estimate of their Extent — Best Points for a View — Table Iloolc at Clifton— Ves-iel overthc Falls — Ilivor Xia^fara - -" Maid of the ]Mist" — A D;vring Run — X'ew and Old Bridges — Goat Island — Whirlpool Kapids — I idians' Venera- tion for the Falls — The Museum uf Indian Work in Niagara— The Falls at Xi<,'ht, 147-172 CHAPTER XIII. En Route for the C.ipital of Upper Canada— Travelling Economy — Lewiston — Fort Niagara — Lake Ontario — Arrival at Toronto— Great Trunk Railway; Its Plant and Cars, Station and OtFice.^, and Cummuuieations, . 173-185 CHAPTER XIV. Berlin, Upper Canada — Evening — Church in the Fsr West — A Meeting — Rehearsal — -A City in a Wood, and a Wooden City— Its Inhabitants and CVmmo lities — Its Morals, and Felicitous Social Conditions— Genial Civic Magnate and Scotch Relation — A Run Across the Country to Ayr, 186-199 CHAPTER XV. Guelph during the Holidiys — When Planted, >-,nd by Whom — Agricultural Fairs — Conduct of the People — Muscular Christianity — Philosophy of Sobriety — Visit to Waterloo — Tnpiring Influences of the At- mosphere 200-215 CHAPTER XVI. Toronto, its Position — " The Queen's "—The City and its Sights — Business Places — Its Architecture — Post Office — Osg»oc' Hall — Law Courts — Queen's Park — Indian Temple ef Apollo- -The Queen's again — The Hen. Alexander Mackenzie on the Scottish Scandal— The Lake of a Thousand Islands — The Rapids — Night — Arrival at the City of Montreal, . . . 216-229 VIU. i ONTKNTS. CHAPTKK XVII. Montreal from the llivor— Fmni the Spire of Notre Dame Cathedral — Site of the City — rapal Influence Adverse to Cominerciiil Life — The Teachings from the Interior of Notre Dame — The Pope's (Jifts — IMcture Book for the Ignorant -Margaret Mary's Pious Dream — Theo- logical Frenzy — Notre Dame from the S((uare Ojiposite — The T>aw Courts — Contrast to Toronto Courts — Public Market —Champ de Mars — I'.elgravia of Mon- treal — The Island the Property of the Order of St. Sulpice — Water Supply — The Church of the Jesuita — The Secret Chamber and its Magical Idol — The Political Power and Piety of Jesuits — Their Reward and Repose in Montreal — Curious Practice — Loyalty in Lower Canada — Civic Frauds by Jesuits — State of Streets in the Evening, 230--263 CHAPTER XVin. The Rail and Steamer to Lake Champlain — The Prairie — Bald Eagle on the Track — Burlington — Port Kent — Lake George— Arrival at Whitehall, . . . 264-271 CHAPTER XIX. Whitehall — Old Route and the New — Saratoga and Sur- roundings — Fashionable Life at the Springs — A Desirable Country — " Checking Baggage "- -Arrival at Albany, 272-278 CHAPTER XX. Hudson — Departure of Steamer— Bustle of Starting — Appearance of the Saloon — Extent of Saloon — Pas- sengers' Enjoyment — Gaslight on Board — Refreshment Department — Lower Deck — Provision for Fire and Shipwreck — xippearance of Steamer at Midnight — The River — Fulton's First Steamer— The Hudson and the Clyde— The Bank of the Hudson— The Croton Water Supply— High Biidge- " Sleepy Hollow"— "Sunny- side" — The Palisades — Hobeken — New York — Ar- rival, 279-295 PREFACE. There are some who tliiiik that the Preface to a book is as nacessary as the book itself. This may be the case wliere, as in this instance, there is no i,'reat necessity for the book ; l)nt when the book exists, one feels there is an imperative demand on the author to introduce himself tc his readers in a kind of an apologetic manner, for asking them to take the trouble to peruse what he has been dis})osed to provide for them. This is ail the more necessary, if we are to believe the spirit in which many have written prefaces to their bot)k.s ; for it is but right for (me cimscions of the many im- perfections which permeate his work to ask his patrons t » look \ipon them with as kindly an eye as they possibly can, knowing that to cherish such a disposition is as favourable for the reader as the author. There have been many books wriiten on the subji-ct, of which this one treats, and therefore the inference is easily reached by many that tliere is little need for more being produced ; but I feel that this is urged chiefly by those who have merely heard of the existence of the books referred to, and know nothing of their contents except in a general way. And the fact that many books have been written on this subject of America proves it is regarded with much interest by those visiting and having connection with that country ; and any shopkeeper, artizan, or tradesman has as great a right or claim to submit his impressions and op?nion of what he sees as have Sir Charles Dilke, Dr Russ-^ll, or any of the reverend gentlemen who write professionally, and who think they are entitled to greater consideration from the mass on account of their position. X. PREFACE. The following chapters luive been written mostly from memory, and on that score may contain more l)lemishes than they otherwise wonkl share were they altogether writ- ten from carefully prepared notes. But I have no d(jubt that the amount of reliable material in them will make them of sufticie/it interest and profit to any one intending to visit the Riiorea of that great continent, and .in.ply reward those who are at the trouble to peruse them, and if any one fails in this respect, I will regard the fault as my own, aud regret that I have not been so successful as I enueavonred to be in my first elForts at pr.)vidi))g what I w;is anxious should prove of some advantage to my readers. THE AUTHOR. Oreenock, October, 1874. THE STATES AND CANADA. CHAPTEK T WESTAVAKD HO ! — THE VOYAGE. We can remember some forty years ago, when a poet sang " 0, why left I my hame ? " for the first time, and how many felt the glow of sympathetic sorrow for those who were hardy enough to seek their for- tunes in that new world which now offers so many attractions and fascinations to the children of the old. To cross the Atlantic at that time implied the neces- sity of bidding an eternal farewell to those who were left behind, for the difficulties and character of this voyage were such that the thoughts of return were very remote in the minds of those who had resolved to follow " fortune's slippery ba' " on the uncertain shores of a new country. But art and science and indomitable British genius have overcome and have made what was considered at that time an undertak- ing of some magnitude little more than a pleasure trip ; and the best evidence of what I state is in the fact that somewhere about eighty thousand persons have crossed the Atlantic this year on the various missions of peace in the splendid bridge of boats 2 THK STATKS AN1> CAXA1»A. which coiitiiiiiiiUy span the restless and sectliiiin Hoods of that ji'reat ocean. Wlien so many are ini- ])elled from various motives to come from and go across to the new Morhl, we may naturally expect there will be much talk in the different countries as to wdiat has been seen, and we know that very many glowing passages have been written and spoken of the world Ijeyond tiie Hood; and we can easily believe that the Old W(jrld has been thoroughly reviewed by the cute, clever and penetrating Yankees who have visited our shores Avith scarcely any other aim than to spy the land which very many before they visit it are inclined to speak of with that kind o.'' 'ontempt which is the offspring of ignorance, and which is usually dissipated by a visit to the old land from whence they sprung. I am disposed to think that much good and per- manent benefits are likelv to be the result of this great interchange of sentiment when it is the result ot personally-ac(iuired knowledge; but if certain things are said merely for pictorial eftect, the benefits will be but of a doubtful kind. I have wondered if it were possible to make a description of a passage from the Tail of the Bank to New York harbour of sufficient interest that any one ^\•ould be disposed to take the time which is needful to peruse it; but to do that it is necessary 1 bhoidd present something of a kind that is of fret^ueiit THE VOYACK. 3 occurrence on board tliose vessels which carry such creat numbers of all classes, and soniethiuL: which 1 know is of great interest to many who are enibark- ins on a sea of a dillerent kind at the same time. We sometimes read in the public papers «j1' tho marriage of some two on whom the eyes of a hirgo and loving circle were set, and who were the admired of all admirers, and sometimes such a notice has concluded witli the announcement " tliat the youiii; and loving pair have gone on their marriage tour to the New World to spend their honeymoon there." Such a pair are seen almost every voyage that is taken during the season when such events come od and when such a tour can be enjoyed; and ulthougli there are hundreds on board, tliose " turtle doves ' seem to absorb the attention of every eye and engros-^ the biggest half of the conversation which is gone into duruig the voyage; and it is not strange that it should be so, for we all know the efforts wldcli are made to be startling and effective when this important ceremony has been newly cousunmiated. It is grand to read in a jjublic journal the notice referred to ; but let us follow this ncAv and interesting couple from the time when they come on board and catch the eyes of all who are round the dinner-table for the first time till they cease to be of sufficient interest to th( bulk of their fellow-travellers. The ladv, of course, receives the greatest share of scrutiny. Tins delicate 4 THE STATKS AND CANADA. creature comes on board surrounded by lovinfj friends, and liiirlv sniotliered in flowers and leave-takin'j;s. She belongs to the family of blondes, and her "get-up" is a miracle of art and exceedingly beautiful. What a travelling dress that is ! What a pannier ! What a trail I She must have forgotten the enterprise on winch .she is embarked. And see that head — what a piece of irriel architecture ! and setting at defiance all the laws of that ancient art. Far aloft and on a dizzy pinnacle of blonde hair sits her little hat sway- ing to and fro like a bird's nest on a tree top, while her little head seems une(|ual to the task of support- ing the wonderful structure raised over it. And then those gems which tremble in those delicate and elastic ears ! now they sparkle in ihe saloon in the evening and shoot their radiance into every corner and create a new light, and before them the lamps only pale their dim and ineffectual fires. Nom' we are fairly at sea and evening begins to close around, and the wide expanse of water reflects the rich hues of light as the sun sets in a sky all fretted with golden fire; And now we see the sun retire And burn the threshold of the night; And from his ocean hme of lire Sink deep beneath his pillar'd fight; We see the purple skirted robe Of twilight slowly downward drawn, And through the shxiuber of the globe Again we da.sh into the dawn. — TenH}jHon,^s Voyafje. I THE VOV.VlrE. .* The scene is changed I the land has sunk below th-j line of vision, and tlie broad, expandinj^- sea is scoured by the curious eye, which has now no ol)ject to rest on beyond the ship and that wide circle of endless water which it now &ees for the tirst time, and one feels as if all the stability of frrra Jinaa had gone, and that one is at the mercy of a conil)ination of opposing forces, which are checked and controlled only by the alternations of science and nature. We have left the land behind, and are on the ocean wave, where " the winds their revels keep." There are some tourists, who are on the 7/'/ rlrc for a storm, and are disappointed if they do not realise their conception of the sublime and beautiful of which a storm is productive; and it is a rare thing that dis- appointment in this respect is experienced on the North Atlantic, for the wind has freshened into a gale, and the gale to a storm, and we find there are few who want it now that it has come; but want it or not, here it is, and we must feel it, and endure it, and must undergo the sublimity of sea-sickness as part of what is awful and grand in nature. But the observed of all observers, where are they ( True, every one has enough to do with himself at such a time, but the strong must support the weak, and as we scramble through the passage to iind some seclusion to divest us of what seems as restless as all around, we stumble on an open door — open for air; for though 6 TIIK STATES AND CANADA. tlie storm raises above, air is soiuetinies at a premium 1 elow, and sea-sickness destroys many of the pro- ]Tieties. We try to pass, but are obliijed to liold on by tlie door or other rixed woodwork, which are now bej-inninn to mimic onr own unsteady imclouded sunshine. The tidinos are sudden and startlincf, but had w^e watched and waited by the couch of that young one during the violence of the storm and rocking of the ship, we would have been prepared for the sad news. The mother has iiever been seen by many of her fellow- travellers ; doubtless, for a good reason, that tender Hower required all her care and presence. And now when it is about to be committed to the deep, she is still unseen. Sunk in her deep sorrow she cares not to come ; she cannot come and mingle with the crowd, who are anxious to see the little coffin laid into such a wide grave. It is carried on deck and laid in the stern-sheets of the lifeboat, until the few rough but needful preparations are made, and after a prayer by 8 TIIK STATES AND CANADA. a clergyman, one of the pas.^engers, tlie little cotlin is lowered by cords atiached to it till it reaches the water, and then we aee it fioiit away a hundred yards or 80, and finally settle down to rest in the deep and silent waste of waters of tlui Atlantic. If the re- motest spot on earth had heen its resting-place, the mother might on some future day return and see it ; but who will be able to find tliat spot again ? "\Ve cannot keep a record of it, and it is lost for ever. While we pursue our uncertain and dangerous course across the Atlantic, there is a satisl'action — such as it is — of seeing that there is a fair suj: )ly of lifeboats provided in case of an emergency, but it seems strange to me (and perhaps to others also) that these boats are never used, but kept continually fixed and cemented in their places, which I thhik is very much against their use or etticiency when wanted at sea. There is a custom or practice in one line, I believe, of exercising the seamen at sea in lifeboat drill, which must be of great service in liand- ling the boats when wanted in a pressing necessity. And tliis practice should be of the last importance to all Transatlantic steamboat companies^ for the bungling which occurs at launching lifeboats is the frecpient cause of great loss of life at sea. The wish is, may they never be needed ; but needed they are at times, and the more systematically and speedily they can be used when wanted the better. The desire to make TilK VOVACK. !) speedy passages, and riniiiiug and keeling u]) the usual speed in a fog make it imiierative that the lifeljoat service should receive every attention to make it etlicient in the saving of life, and not have the boats mere ornaments for emhellishing the deck- ■\vork of ocean-going steamers. We are now some two days' sail from Sandy Hook, and we have not seen a sail since ihe day after the storm, when a vessel passed us with her sails in ribbons. Now a speck is seen on the horizon, over the larboard bow, sailing westward like (jurselves, and those who consider themselves far-seeing folks allirm that it is the pilot joat, v hich, after a little, all are satisfied is correct ; and a " pool " is arranged as to which of the pilot boats it is (there being some twenty- four in all in this service), and glasses in all directions are trying to make out who is the winner of the "pool." But as the setting sun and the boat are nearly in the same direction, it is some time before it is discovered that the boat is No. 2, the number being about three feet in size, and painted on her mainsail. Shortly the pilot conies on board with newspapers, and we learn what is doing in the world we have been shut out of for ten days, and all are glad to hear that the " Alabama " is safe, but sorry to hear of the circumstance which gave rise to the report of her life buoys being found floating in the Atlantic shortly after leaving home. 10 IMK STATKS ANI» CANADA. On tlio cveiiinji- of the twdftli (lay, far out at sea, we see the reHection of the coinhiiiL'd liylits of New York, Brooklyn, and Xew Jersey, on the sky above. By-and-bye tlie lights at Sandy Hook are visible, and in an hour are passed. The harl)our of New York is then Ljained, and as we are admirinff the endless circle of lights all round on the islands of which the bay is formed, the anchor is dropped. A little boat has come alongside, and now commander H. is in conversation with one of the representatives of the press; but as it is midnight we will go to bed, and wait till the morning, when we will Icirn what the Ntio Turk HcridtJ has to say about the Australia's voyage out to the great emporium of American commerce. (MiArTEi: II. TIIK LAXDIXO. The stillness and quiet of a night's rest in a vessel Ivin'' at anehoi" conii)iire favourably Mith that while she is at sea, beating the billow or even vibratiiig with the motion of five hundred horse-] )ower engines. The refracted rays of the morning's sun were begin- ning to find their way through the solitary decklight overhead, when I was rudely assailed by the thunder of a donkey-engine wliich occupied the s])ace just above my sleeping apartment, and as I was ai a loss to know what was up — for I knew that the anchor was certainly at the other end of tlie ship, and this could not be lifting so as to proceed to the landing-stage — I arose, I washed, I dressed, I went upstairs and found that this donkey which was breaking the peace was busy lifting the baggage of the sleeping and dreaming passengers from the afterhold on deck, so as to be ready for a start after we were passed by the doctor. The passengers congregate slowly on deck, and shortly the doctor is seen to leave a wharf on the Jersey side in a small steamer and come on board. There is a clean bill of health, and his duties are 12 THK STATES AND CANAKA. light, not even so heavy as to re4uire liini to rt!lin(Hiish his cigar nor cease smoking. On tlie otiier side of the steamer auotiuir steamer makes her ai»pearance to carry olf the npper ten to tiie hinding-stage, pier, jetty, or shed, or what you will. Tiie baggage is all put on Ixjard the small steamer ami its owners follow. We are cast oil", and in a few minutes we are on f' rm jirhin again, but prisoners for a little. Here we are called upon to halt and render to all their dues. Tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom. There are some who would rather be excused, but President CJrant grants no excuse in this elepart- ment of the public service. The passengers are all called lip m single tile l)ehind one another and told oft, while a Custom-house ollicer goes through rifle practice in every man's trunk. A person \\\\q has never seen such a sight or enjoyed the excitement of having his '.jaggage searched for European treasures in an American port, especially New York, ought at once to get a vabse, bag, trunk, or portmanteau, and have it stulfed with contraband, and at once start, hear all the stories about it on the voyage, and then undergo it as vov did. There are all classes under- going this scrutiny — green-horns and old stagers. And by-and-bye the place is like a fancy fair. Here you see a tine Paisley shawl hanging over the top of a flour barrel, and there a considerable piece of fine silk lying on a like eminence. Here a box of spotless Tin: I.ANDFXG. 13 j^'loves, and there another fancy article imported for a friend. One natnrally asks wliy are tliese things exposed us they are, and you are told "you must wait till the valuator cornea." A business person asks, " Wliy is the valuator not here?" But it does not pay the valuator to l»e here — his business is not a rifling business in a trunk, but an open one, the duty he gets lid ndoinn must find its way to the coffers of the State, lie has no chance of "black mail." What do you say, sir ? J>o you mean to say that these men are not j)atriots ^. They (juglit to be, lor they wear the badges of Fatlierland, the innnuculate "stars and stripes," surmounted by the "bald eagle;" but the eagle is a very greedy creature, and every man is equal in this country, and hence the country is sure to prosper. The goods of old stagers are never hung up as these are. One has ten boxes, three of which contain nothing ; these are laid on the point of attack, and nothing is found therein. Then he throws down his keys and says, " Open the others yourself, as I have some things to look after ; " but that is too much for one man to do, and lie prefers to apply the talismanic touch, and the game is secured Another is anxious to catch the train for Chicago, and asks an old stager what he is to do, for his traps will take a long time to overhaul. " There is my card," said he, " tell him to call on you at that address to-morrow ; " and the things are passed with an 14 TIIK STATES .VXD (ANADA. alacrity that is ,sur})rising. ''And wliat am I to do," said another, " for I have some things in my trnnk ? " " Take that," said his friend, " [ have never found it to fail." The purity of the character of Governmer.t officials is early impressed on the minds of foreigners. Tlie facilities wliich exist for the dispatch of business in America are great, if one can only learn speedily enough the method of tlieir api»lication. If your venture is hung on the top of a barrel for one hour in the first instance, you may have it and yourself kept in suspense for two hours on the second, if you do not learn to be more tractable in the hands of your new instructors. Well, perhaps it would be too much to expect the exciseman to be superior to his superiors. Any maladies wliich are profitable are very infectious in all countries. The baggage has all been dissected and tied up again, and we are relieved from further Government suspicion. We leave the green-horn in the hands of the valuator, and seek the assistance of a hack to take us to our quarters, or rather to the ferry, for we have to cross from jNIanhattan Island, on which Xew York is built, to Brooklyn on Long Island, in one of those queer things called ferry-boats, which are big enough to carry a whole district, houses and all. The steamer comes in bow on, or stern if you will — for each end is either bow or stern — and the passengers rush in like a flood through a gangway about thirty feet Tin: LANDlN(r. 15 wide (everything is done here on a Inrge scale), and the gentlemen have one side of the boat assigned to tliem and the ladies have the other, in rooms which run nearly the wliole length of the vessel, and the centre is occupied by horses, carriages, carts, or other animals which live and move, and anything whicli goes on one or two wheels or more. Like the rest of the crowd, we rash in, carriage and all, upon thi> gangway, which has an engine in the centre, and two ponderous wlieels, one at each side, and every tiling is covered in, and the i)ilot is (»n the top of all. Lt requires no turning, which is certainly an advantage, and when it is full, or has waited its time, an invisible hand strikes an invisiljle bell or gong, and elf we are carried, carriage and all, to the other side. There are no such things in this country as public piers or quays ; every company has its own ont;, anil used tor a specified purpose. The ferry-boats use this one, and there is never an interval of any length of time that they are unoccupied, so great is the traffic at the various ferries. Two or three boats carry persons across at any of the ferries, and they ply every fe^v minutes. Out in the bay our attention is attracted to the number of boats which are engaged in this particidar work, as the islands are numerous around the Bay, necessitating a great number of boats, all constructed pretty much on the same principle, and forming a decided contrast to the boats on the Clyde; IG THE STATES AND CANADA. but the American idea of marine architecture differs considerably from tlie Britisli idea or standard. Their local re(|uirements have given it a tyjie which looks strange to a ]>ritisli eye. The unseendy walking- beam gives a nice steady stroke and a steady regular motion to tlie wheel, but it is a feature which spoils the look of a steamer otherv.'ise trim. But it is not possible to impart tlie appearance of speed or trimness to them, there is so much of them above water, which disfpialifies them for going far from home ; but I will return to the subject of tlie American boats again. At a cursory glance, tlie liarbour offers such a wide field for observation that one does not know where to begin, or whether to begin at all, for you feel a sort of bewilderment, that has the effect of stopping up every other sense — there is such a demand on the eye for the time ; for off in the centre of New York Bay you feel you can say without contradiction that you are surrounded by a greater amount of life and commercial activity than is possible for you to be in any other portion of the habitable globe. If we con- sider there are fifteen or sixteen Transatlantic com- panies' boats coming in here continually some two or three times a week, it will give one an idea of the extent of that phase of commercial life on the waters and in the city ; for, though many of these boats are obliged to. lie on New Jeryev side, the greatest portion of the business connected with them is done THE LANDINC. 17 in the City of Xew York. Then, l)esides these steam, there is a .i:freater fleet of sailing ships from every (country in tlie worhl doing Inisiness with the mer- cantile representativ(^s rS tlic grc^at Republic ; for, though riiiladelpliia and lialtiniure have the connec- tion with the ocean, the facilities which Xew York enjoys over the others will always keep her wliat she is — the chief mercantile city of North America. I do not douht hut this fact has a wonderful effect on the Yankee character. It inspires him witli a frothy conceit, wlien he has nothing to take cred't for. lie found these advantages readv-made to Ins hand, and has only to adapt himself to them and secure the profits. ])Ut, on looking around, it is evident that this citv is gettin, sugar refineries, graving docks, slips, d(?pots, ware- houses, factories, foundries, spires, turi'ets, domes, are all bristling under a l)urning sun iind a clear sky, wiiich enables you to see a long way with the greatest distinctness. Dut we are nearly knocked off our bearing, for our boat has run in smack against the landing-place, and we must take the road for it again. We leave our two dark charges to land our baggage and get slowly up Broadway, while \vc get into a (lerman lager saloon to refresh ourselves, and now we feel in a condition to enter the City of Churches. AVe get over this dirty causeway, and mount our machine, and in a short time we stop at the private residence of an old friend, a Greenockian, who was my iinnpa(jiio]i dr foifdij, . We recount our travels, our hairbreadth escapes, and express our gratitude for deliverance ; sketch an outline for a campaign on shore, but that can only be prosecuted after the en- joyment of the necessary repose and collation ; for we left the steamer in the hope of getting a good sub- stantial breakfast, done up in thorough Yankee style and something worthy of the " Xew Wttrld." C H A r T E K III liROOKLVN. I can't remember at present whether tlie order uF things is reversed in the West, so far as the iii.stinct-> of the people are concerned, in regard to tlunr resi- dences. In our e)\vn country the inhabitants go west in ahnost every case, so much so that a " West-Ender"' is always understood to be one of the upper classe.s. But Brooklyn is not the West End of New York ; in fact, New York has no end at all — it is nearly circular, or tending that way. Brooklyn is on the east side, and is the (quarter where the great majority of tho aristocracy dwell. It is the chief city on Long Island , and from the confines of one district to the other must be some six miles or so, containing about a hundred thousand people. There are more than a dozen other places on the island, but they are of minor importance, being removed ironi the great centre. Next to it- being the abode of the wealthy and the retired mer- chants, it is distinguished for its churches and its preachers. As in all fashionable resorts, where wealth and culture are found, they are very nice as to the kind of person who shall be their instructor on theo- logical points ; and this is very much the case in all 20 Tl.VK STATKS ANI> CANADA. tlic lai'ne towns and cities. T must say it is not at nil clctir tn inc why Brooklyn lias been called the City of L'lnirches. 1 failed to see or learn that there were more churches than were wanted, or that the peo])le were more inspired with the devotional attri- butes than elsewhere. T doubt not but that they are all very good citizens, as vhey ought to be, but some of their iiublic men get into scrapes as well as the members of other connections, and now that we have claimed that human nature is the same here as in any other place in the Union, let us see if there is anything in the neighbourhood that is worth saying a word in iavour of — if there is anyone whose fame lias reached the other side that will be worth seeing. Well, there is famed lieecher. AVe will keep that in view for Sunday, and in the meantime let us look at the e.xterior of the j^lace. T .said I did not see anything that was indicative of an excess of the religious devotional element in the peojde, ibr I am not disposed to attribute the building of churches to any higher motive than has been given in relation to the person who " loved his nation and built them a svnauoi'ue ;" Init we can, where there is taste, genius and lilterality displayed in those structures, throw in our small contribution of admiration and gratitude to the men who have beautified their cities with so many fine examples of architectural art : for it is such works wliich make lUJOUKLYX. 21 foreigners entertain a liii^li opinion of the people of any country, and is a compensation to the traveller for his labour in seeking what is noble and exalted, either in the world of art or of natun-. The streets are narrow and very long, and the distances are great from the sights one is anxious to overtake ; but the tramway cars obviate this, and y«)u can go over four or five nules for the small sum of twopence-half- penny, or a shade less, the sum being Hve eents, and considering the small charge, the tramway stock is the best investment in the country to original holders- This is the result of tlie great numbers who take advantage of this means of locomotion. The distances are great, and the money seems plentiful with all classes, who spend it freel}'. The cars are much the same as they are luiva, but about twelve inches wider inside, giving more fi^edom to move in and out. There is no travelling on the top of the cars. The excessive heat in summer and extreme cold in wintiU" may account for that ; but one going from this coun- try feels disposed to get up, from tlie fact that the top of a car or 'bus is the very best spot for sightseeing ^ But shadow and shade are sought for there, and are indispensable to all ; for the sun would ultimately lick up and reduce to a crisp those thin wiry creatures we see carried to and fro by every car which passes, were they to expose themselves unnecessarily. Theie is no other feature that calls for remark in connection 22 TIIK STATKS AND r'ANAPA. nith the car> tlu'iiisclvcs. The structure of the wny i-! vorv inferior to wliat it is in this couniry. Tliis nmy be occsisioned by the inf(Miority of tlic structs themselves, for if there are some thin<:^s in which we are hcliind the Vankees, it is not in streets or street- making'. I think in that particular they are a period commensuraltlc with their independinice behind us. In some matters they \\r<^o their juvenility as a reason, but we will not presume to say what the reason is in this case. The severe frosts, the heavy falls of rain, the hot weatlier. are all against them, for T know they have tried evervthin'' but the riuht thinLT, and when tliey discover that, 1 doubt not but that their roads will be equal to any in creation. A thunderstorm, accompanied by rain, which falls so heavily, that a few minutes sutHce to turn the level streets into canals, and the cars seem to be cjoin"; alon nu\y aj^plie.s to tlie ^'eat centres in Brooklyn. There is no special feature alunit tlie jmhlic hiiilil- inj^^s tiiat calls for anv i-eniark ; iiiileeil, l>ro(»klyn makes no assiini])tion to lie recoi^niised for anytliinj^ remarkable al)0ut it l>ur its rhnrehes and its unsur- passable ;in(l ni;iL;niticent (Jenieterv of (Ireenwood. There may be other cemeteries in the world famed on account of their striking- liistorical and classical incidents and associations; but for position, design, natural beauty, and rare examples o\' memorial and architectural art, it has no jiarallel anywhere. It is some two miles out of the city, and the cars took us to the gateway at the northern entrance. But oue cannot pass in if he has any relish for the fine arts without first deciphering the allegorical beauties and lessons on the stone-work of tlie gateway. The structure is of Gothic architecture, over one hundred and thirtv feet in length, and one hundred and six feet liigh to the top of the middle spire or tower. There are two small spires or towers, and the buttresses naturally form two openings ; these openings are tilled in with floriated Gothic arches and quatrefoils, and in the centre are four shields, on which are figures of Faith, Love, Hope, and Memory. Below, in the panels of the arches, are has-reliefs of the " Raising of 24 TIIK STMK.S VXM CA\.\I»A. » Lazunis." " IJjiisin*^ of the AVidow's Son," " The Saviour's Eutoiuljiucnt," niul " Thu Ilesiirrec'tioii." In the centre are a cloek and bell ; the latter tolls on the occasion of a funeral. The centre tower or sjiirc is supported l)y flying buttresses, which run throunh the building between the Gothic arches over the gateway. The wings of the gateway are taken ui> with cemetery ofiices. &c. This gateway is only used bv visitors on foot or in carriages ; funerals go in and leave by an entrance for fuiierals only. The cemetery extends for miles, the space occupied by it being some five hundred acres. There are lakes, reservoirs and fountains, chapels, catacomlis, sarcophagi, and an endless variety of all kinds of monumental works; and these are almost wholly composed of white marble. I will only refer to one as a sample. There are many such, but as the person t(» whose family this belongs has a world-wide notoriety, 1 will take it. The person I refer to was a Scotchman, who went to the States over forty years ago, from Aber- deen, and was distinguished for his indomitable forti- tude, his chequered social career and tortuous politic^al proclivities, and his ultimate success in his enterprise in connection with the Nciv VurJ: Hcrahl. James Gordon Bennett bought, and his family possesses, one of these beautiful spots in this cemetery, and the group of fine sculi)ture work which is enclosed within the palisade and balustrade is worth going a long nUOOKLYN. 25 way to see. On a junlcstnl, about ^^ix feet liij^li. is an aujjel alxtut the same liri^lit, holdiii^f alolt an infant, while on a cusliion hesidu the mother is kneclini;, witli her hands chis[)ed and face upturned to lieaven, as if giviu},' away her ehikl. The work is of tlie first order, was executed in Italy, and of the tinent Carrara mar])le. The lace shawl which is thrown over the mother's head, and tlie rich, full fcjlds df the satin dress, are wonderful w orks to come from a mallet and chisel. And we won«ler, also, how they retain their purity and sharpness, exposed as they are to the weather, and to the floating germs of vegetation, for the place is thickly wooded in the vicinity df this group. Tt would fill a volume to describe tlie various works of interest which are here stre^\ed all over the innuen.se space; the groves full of romantic beauty and fragrance, their silence only broken by tlie (^uick and monotonous nnisic from the myriads of grassho})pers which dwell on the gras.sy sTjp(!s of the avenues, and the soft cadences from the falling waters at the fountains, as thev are borne alonu on generous breezes through the lanes and alcoves of this City of the Dead. There is one feature connected with the cemeteries whicli I will refer to when T have the subject on hand. It does not apply to Creenwood, however, so nuicli as it does t(^ other burial places which lie near to the great battle-fields of the Union; here, however, you are initiated, for 2«1 TlfK SI'ATKS AND ('AXADA. hero and tln-ro yov ciui so(^ tlic ^'nivc of a soldier, and on it a iniuiaturt' (•!' tlic" Stars and Strides" l)I;iiit(Ml over tiic luxly of the dcnd licro, and once a year, on ;i certain day called ■ Decoration Day," the friends, comrades, mothers, wives, sisters, or other ])a(riots, come and plant anew the " Star- Sjiiinyled Ilanner" over the ;^'raves of those who fell in tlie strife hetween the North and South. Fn one eemeterv 1 saw what a))peared ;i little army of the dead with a tiny flauj at everyone's head. If the advantai^'es in this union are commensurate with the sacrifice of Iinman life, those who decorate the graves will have a sad ]ileasure in the melancholy act. AVe will leave the cemetery, an- which is worthy of remark, and is noticeable from an euiinence like this There is no smoke to be seen over all this great city, except from two or three public W(jrks, whicli may be burning some other tiling than eoal, for the coal here has no smoke, and hence all the white buildings retain their purity for a long time outside; and this exemp- tion from smoke aud soot iniluences eyerytliinL,^ in the city, and great cleanliness is the result. There are very many buildings which are of great interest, but the building which absorbs tiie greatest annjunt of interest is the Stock Exchanue. Tlie heart-strinsis of this great community are wrapt round it, for all speculate in stocks of one kind or another, and hence the life-blood of this great commercial centre Hows out from the Exchange by the tiiousand arteries which We see spanning the streets and principal commercial houses, and in all places where merchants i)2 TIIK STATKS AN It ("ANAKA. uiost do congr(\u;iite iire to l>e seen these small telegraphic intelligeucie.s speaking out tlie >tate of the various stocks at all times of the day. One can see them in the windows of offices and on the side tables in restaurants, going click, click, while the white ta})e runs out as the machine records the price of gold or other stock. Tliey seem to he thorough a(lej)ts at figures and (tfteii consulted by the passing thousands, iuid are the great oracles of the destinies of the New Yorkers. A visit to the Exchange has an interest of a kind to one not commercially inte- rested. You are aware of the fact of being introduced to where business is being publicly carried on; but if one were to go in, ignorant of the character of the place, he might take it for a mad-house, especially if business were at fever heat when he chanced to be there. The privilege of being allowed to do business at the Exchange is purchased at a large sum — perhaps there is no favour, for even that is a purchas- able conmiodity — for all things resolve themselves into negociable material through the medium of the centre of power — the "Almigiity Dollar." This lever makes and unmakes "States and Constitutions." The law is all powerful or relaxed as it is applied ; the judge is severe or considerate in proportion to the prospect he has of a sensible return for these judicial qualities. The sword of justice is put into the scales, and her eyes are only sealed when her NEW YORK. 33 favour is bouglit. All this kind of business, however, is not done on the Exchange ; vou can discover knots of busy speculators on the public streets, vending stock as in tlie Excliange, and conducting themselves in the more sensible and decorous manner of the two. I have spoken of buildings of stone, brick, ami marble, but I forgot at the time to refer to another material wliich is well represented in all the chief streets of this and other lariic cities of the Union. Marble and iron are the materials from wliich tlie largest and finest blocks of buildings are composed. I have referred to a Bank, and will only refer to an Insurance Office and to the office of the Jf^cw York Herald. I'ossildy these structures, and the business conducted in them, are unparalleled in the world. Through the kindness of a gentleman, formerly of Greenock, I was intro- duced to a number of gentlemen in the " E»|uitable," and was shown over the establisliment, and finished on the top of the building, wliich is 114: feet high; and from this an excellent view of the city is obtained. The roofs of nearly all the buildings are flat, and are applied to various purposes. On this there is an observatory for astronomical and meteoro- logical studies, and offices for various purposes are in the building, but the main portion of it is devoted to the business of the " E(|uitable." In the main flat is a large office, rising to the height of 30 feet or therel)y, and the ceiling is covered with stained glass D 34 THE STATES AND CANADA. and is supported by large pillars of variegated marble. The desks of the officials are all enclosed bv light rails of ornamental bronze work, and communicating with one another by gates of a similar description. Round the main office are offices and retiring rooms, dining room, and lavatories, and consulting rooms ; and above, aliout midway, is a balcony, v;ith entrances to other apartments of the officials; but the extent of the whole may be best conceived by the amount of business done by this Society, wliicli amounted last year to the enormous sum of 51,'.* 11,079,00 dollars, and their transactions in cash being for the year the sum of 8,420,044,86 dollars, being the largest of any office in the Union l)y seventeen million dollars. lu this, like many of the larger modern buildings, althouuli there is a stair case, the easier method of ascending and descending by means of an elevator is adopted. There is one on each side, and all folks when rising in the world take the advantage of them. The office of the New York HcraJd is not so high above the street as the " Equitable," but there are two storeys below the level of the street where machinery is kept and heavy work is done. The third floor or storey is devoted chiefly to receiving advertisements and similar work, and a portion is occupied by shops, as is the case with nearly all large buildings. The revenue from this kind of occupancy is so remunerative that all proprietors let the street NEW YORK, 35 or part of the street storey as stores. The tive or six storeys above are printing offices, and occupied by the various brandies connected. Next in style and magnificence to these marble and granite piles are the iron buildings, and when painted white, as they usually are, they can be put in close juxtaposition with the marble for beauty and general design and appearance, when these are sought and not strength. The iron ornamental buildings in ]>rooklyn. New York, Philadelphia, and other large cities, are finer than the marble ones for sliarpness of urnament, freedom of detail, and general architectural arrangements, and for lightness. I omitted to state, when speaking on the subject of the ILrald office, the e.tent of news- paper printing in New York, as may \j\i inferred from the army of boys who are engaged in the sale and carriage of them in various ways. One can scarcely believe it, but two years ago the number was set down at 9,000, and we naturally presume the number to have increased since that period. This branch of industry, to which so many of the juveniles devote themselves, must tend to much good in providing labour for so many who would run the risk of being captivated by some of the less reputable occupations to which so many of the boys apply themselves. We might go along Broadway and the Bowery, and find much that is interesting on examining the exterior of many of the buildings in 36 THE STATES AND CANADA. these thorounhfares. Perhaps if I take one. We have seen a bank, an insurance and a newspaper office. Now, at the other side, we liave a large mercantile house belonging to a gentleman who began life as a sclioolmaster, and who was asked not long a'j:o to become Secretary of State by President Grant, when he first accepted office. This white marble repository of dry goods is not inferior to the others T have referred to. It is six storevs high, and it occupies a block 100 or 152 feet, being the whole block Imiinded by four streets. Tliere are entries at all the streets, and you enter by a stair or elevator to v.'hatever flat you wish to do business in. In the centre of the building is a very large dome, and the entire insitle or central part of the building is lighted by it, and the floors are supported by tiers of arches, and between are o})en balustrading, and in movhig round these you can see all the business operations going on inside on all the fiats. We can see or learn from this example the great capacity which resides with many of the gentlemen in Xe\y York for business, that kind of it which is implied in the character of the place I have submitted; but that is not the limit, for in an old paper I got into my hands it contained the remark, "that the people of Great Britain were at a loss to know \yho would be able to fill ;Mr Gladstone's place, if such a vacancy should occur. Here," they said, "we could find thousands NEW VOHK. 37 to do SO," All aspire to be civil ami political adiiiini.strators. The aspirations of those who have the ambition to feel their relation to political and civil duties of the States can be discerned at an early stage. If a child is born within the confines of an palace in a country where Monarchy is the power of government, the aim would be to fit the scion to fill the important duties which wait for it in its riper years. In a Kepublic every babe is an heir to imperial honour and power ; and it is amusing to notice the halo of importance that is allowed to fill and encircle those puny, chattering and spoiled apes from the time they know anything tiU the time they entertain supreme contempt for those who have been chiefly instrumental in inflating them with monkified accomplishments. Let us turn aside and look at a building of a different kind from any we have noticed yet. It is of stone, and on the pediment is a figure of an Indian. It is a common-place looking building, but other than common-place administrators have emanated from it. It is the forum where the " Tammany Ring " digested and matured those measures which were intended to make their city and State models that the residue of the Union would regard with wonder and admiration for purity and disinterestedness ; but now that its benches are silent, the eloquence of those patriots hushed, and the fire of their patriotism quenched, why does 38 THE STATES AND CANADA. not the city j^'o into snrlxcloth and ashes and wail for the ^'reat who liave fallen, whose Aveapons of war have perished ? The streets of New York are superior to any you see in the east part of the Union, hut even they are not e([ual to the streets in our hest towns and cities. The traffic is so great they soon .,ot worn out, and I don't know that any great effort is made hy contrac- tors to make this kind of work suhstantial and lasting. There seems to be considerable success in connection with their efforts to make their fire brigade efficient for the speedy extinguishing of fires by introducing facilities for efiecting that bv everv means and agencies. At the stations, of which there are some forty in all, the steam-engines stand fully equipped with fire kind- ling, horses saddled, and firemen all waiting for the alarm bell ; when that sounds, the horses leave their stable and walk into the engine, which is kindled at once, and away the whole rush like an avalanche ; and the steam, if the distance is great, is up, and the engine is in working trim by the time it arrives at the fire ; there are iron ladders fixed behind the houses, or before the houses if it is impos- sible to have them fixed behind, and the occupants can ascend on to the house-top and get away by the top of the adjoining house, or descend by them to the ground. These ladders enable the firemen to ascend when their own ladders are not available, and give NEW YOUK. 39 them speedy fiicilities for operating on tlie Luiiiing house. In this, like all large cities, the channels for ad ministering sensual deligiit are numerous ; but in tlie Bclh' Siiiaon the delights which most deligiit a Yankee are liis buggy and his bucephalus. Let him get be- hind anything with four legs that will only run fast enougli, and tlien he is at liome. He does not seem to care how the onlooker feels, nor how much he is concerned for his safety. Away he dashes like a whirlwind, as if his and the nation's destiny de- pended on the velocity of his fragile and trembling machine. In the Central I'ark one can, on any Satur- day afternoon especially, encounter a legion of these airy, wiry, bristling chariots rushing with stampede impetuosity along the crowded drives of that deliglit- ful and extensive park. Here you can find all classes that are at home, those who have not gone to Saratoga or Long Branch, but prefer the crowds around the band stands, or love to lounge in the grottoes or groves, or over the stone parapets by the lakes, and watch the swans gliding along the glassy mirrors of water, and the rich images of the small barges, as they sail past with their canopies of gay colours and infantile crews, or admire the golden fish sparkle in the fountains, as they startle at the falling of the crystal spray. There is a representative of every nation to be found here, but one especially with fea- 40 THK STATES AND CANADA. tures as decisive as it" you had found him by Babel's stream.'? thinking of his Zion. Crowds of Jews are here, for this is their Sabbath, and their worship is done, and they have come hither to spend the re- mainder of tlie day, and admire tlie beauty of tlie scene and works of art. On the sides of the avenues are to be seen statues of Shakespeare, Scott, Burns, and ^lorse and other new worhl celebrities ; and on the stoneworks at the stairs at the archways are allego- rical has TciU'fH of the Seasons, admirably cut on free- stone, and surrounded with a great variety of Mosaic entablatures and other ornamental filigree work. The lawns are wide and ample, and the youths are en- gaged in all kinds of sports, and the youngsters are sporting and bounding like gazelles in every glade ; and on the retired spots pic-nic parties are holding their orgies, and gathering new strength, vigour, and life to arm them for their labours of the coming week of toil. A sylvan retreat like this must be a fountain of life to the toiling thousands of a city like New York. C H A r T E li V. THE RAILROAD SOUTH. Thp:ue are many things about New York wortliy of a passing notice, but as my intention is not to write a history, and as similar things will tall to be noticed as I prosecute my journey in other places, I will re- ft ain from noticing them at present. There are rail- ways communicating with New York direct, but in going South one has to take the ferry-boat and pass over to New Jersey side and go from there by rail, and in doing so I have arrived at the first rail- way station I have been at in the country ; and I feel disappointed, for I am quite impressed with the fact that this one does not do justice to the great country that it is in. Other institutions have otiices which do them justice, and impress the foreigner with their commercial importance; but perchance this one may be exceptional. One naturally thinks that marble and iron might be used in their construction, and as this one is virtually a city station it ought to have something of the relative grandeur of the city about it, and hence you are more disposed to find fault on this account. But it is otherwise with the cars when in their pristine freshness. There is evidently an 42 THE STATES AND CANADA. effort made to make the cars both handsome and com- fortable, and even hixnrious. The interiors of them are finished with much taste, the fittin2;s are macjnifi- cent, especially in the palace cars : for in a country where so much liberty, fraternity, and equality pre- vail, and has greater facilities for carrying out im- provements than in this country where so many distinctions are recognised and accepted as legitimate, you can hire the emigrant car, the ordinary, or the palace and sleeping cars. In the palace car you are attended by a coloured gentleman, and you can have anything your taste may dictate. You can fare sumptuously all the day, and at night your palace, by the stroke of the black attendant's wand, is transmo- grified into a palace of another kind, where you can commit your weary limbs to rest, and allow yourself to be luUabied to sleep by the deep and sonorous music from the vibrating metals below. The interiors of these cars are draped with hangings, sofas, tables, and everything which is calculated to take the mind of the traveller from the fact of travelling to the com- forts of a home. The ordinary car is well fitted, the sofas are comfortable, of which there is one on each side holding two persons, and there is a passsge down the centre affording full and free communication with the whole train, if you are a saloon car passenger. The inside of the car is about 10 feet in the centre of the ceiling, and from 40 to 50 feet long. The whole THE RAILIIOAD SOUTH. 43 upper part of the car is decorated with showy orna- ment, and the sides are finished in pohshed wood- work, with inlay or marqvdcrie. Lamps are hnng from the roof at intervals of 10 feet or so, and at one end you have a stove and at the other you have a cabinet cVaisaiicc. The exteriors of the cars are done in the same showy manner as the inside, with fanci- ful decorations, and sometimes the quality and some- times the destination of the car is painted on it. The car is supported below by two triple axles, having three wheels on each, so that if one of them should break no danger or risk ensues to the train or pas- sengers. It was night when I embarked in this train of novel cars, and my first ride and the tout ensemble was to me decidedly novel ; there was a genef'al murky gloom pervading the entire scene, the lamps in the cars only diffusing a sort of misty glare. Many were running to and fro looking for the section of the train that was to be their asylum for the night. Some who had got into the wrong car were hurrying out to get into another. Some were busy getting the baggage checked, and the usual " hurry-skurry " was being enacted from common to quick time, as the train was about to move off. At last the shrill pipe sounded, and I left New Jersey for newer scenes in the South. It is a common matter for a train on leaving any place to run along one or more streets for a long way 44 THK STATES AND CANADA. and to provide against accidents all tlie engines are provided with large bells, which are kept in motion from the time the train starts till it is L[uite clear of the habitable parts through which it is steaming, and when that is accomplished the train moves otf at a steady measure. The speed is much the same as at home, and I never had occasion to note any extra engineering acrobatism by any engines or train by which I travelled. I presume the Yankees understand the necessity of railroad travellers economising time by the way, on the principle that he who runneth may read, for the backs of railway tickets, and every available spot where advertisements can be seen, are utilised. The plain surfaces of rocks, palings, enclosures, trees, &c., are covered with an array of characters defying the genius of bill posting to emulate ; so that when one comes to any city he does not need to waste his time by inquiries as to where the good, better, and best of everything are to be had, at the cheap, cheaper, and cheapest cost that it is possible to sell them at. At home when once you adjust yourself in your corner you can consign yourself to your doubtful slumbers in the arms of Morpheus, and feel yourself gently refreshed by a short span of oblivion in the care of that dreamy deity; but only try it outside of the palace, sleeping, or saloon cars, and wake to dis- cover your mistake; for every now and again the THE KAILKOAD SOUTH. 45 doors at the ends of the cars are slammed and in stalks a youthfid orator, who informs you in a sten- torian pitch that he can supply you with sometliing for the brain, the digestive organs, or something you could mve awav to a friend witliout entailing- an enormous sacrifice ; and this at sliort intervals, one considers somewhat plaguy; but as it is productive of that which enables you to enjoy what is partially amusing and interesting by the v;ay, you are inclined to overlook it. After having parted with friends at the station, and proceeding to still more distant States, one naturally feels disposed to ruminate on the strange surroundings, strange faces, strange sounds, distance from home, thoughts of collision, goings off the track, getting telescoped, and finding yourself in the grills of a cowcatcher, or ascending in the moonlight in a cloiul of burning vapour, to find yourself shortly floundering on a shingle roof, or paying an abrupt and unwelcome visit to the dreaming- inmates. Thought will make all these fantastic inroads into the domain of probability, out of which you find yourself dragged by a sudden relaxation of speed, accompanied by a clash, making you feel as you had waked from a dream. A voice rings into your ears a name which is familiar to you, and you listen for its repitition ; anon the name Bristol is rung out without any mistake, and you begin to feel that you 46 THE STATES AND CANADA. have been dreaming, and are on a trip to merry England, when another clash and jerk occur, and the name of Kensington is rung out. You look about, but it is dark, then you try to reflect, but you have scarcely light enough for that, and conclude that you are in the Metropolitan, and you are underground, but by-and-bye you will arrive at Charing Cross, and it is all right. In this half- pleased, half-dreamy state you resign yourself to the future care and guidance of your conductor; contented with this effort to compose yourself, you take another transient dose witli the sleepy god, for your rest is now becoming more necessary; but again you start up and lind the train at rest, the conductor calling out that the train has arrived at Mantua, and in a confused and bamboozled condition of mind you conclude }'ou are on a foreign tour after all, and shortly you will be sure to meet some of the Gentlemen of Yerona as you pass along, since you have been so curiously successful as to get into Italy. And now you begin in a reverie to review and censure the crooked and devious ways of the great people of the great country you are sojourning in ; but, after a great deal of cross-examination, you feel disposed to leave them where you found them for the present, until they and you become better ac- quainted, then you decide the best thing you can do is to take another draught of this curiously mixed THE IJAILUUAD SOUTH. 47 repose while prr.suiug your tortuous wanderings to the South. One cannot for tlie life of liini refrain from an elfort to ascertain wliy all this diversity of names of places has taken place, and on the first chance you ask some one whom you consider sufficiently intelli- gent to eidighten you on tliis curious, puzzling, and doubtful point, and are told that in all likelihood the first settlers came from places of the same names; hut after a little cogitation your perplexity becomes more perplexing, for you reason, who could come from Babylon, Syracuse, or Troy, Nineveh, Cartliage, or Athens? From the last certainly it was possible, but not at all likely; but these are fine names and are evidently indicative of a people of taste, learning, culture, of large and expansive ideas, and who are anxious to write a page in the history of the world wliich will be read by subseij[uent nations with won- der and admiration, the grandeur and sublimity of whose exploits in the arts of peace and war will naturally dim and eclipse those of the ancient world, and then these places will take the place of the birth- places of the statesmen, the heroes, the philosophers, poets, mechanicians, and merchants who were the chief actors in the drama of life on the stage of the early civilised world. However, we can sympathise with an aspiring people who aim at acquiring the fame and distinction 48 THE STATES AND CANADA. which were ranked with the names of these places in oUleii times, and we ouglit to hope that all their sub- se([nent efforts and amhition will take their tone and complexion from their liigh-sonnding key-note. Their acts have shown them to be a people equal to tlie position,. circumstances, or situation of the time; and seeing they are so closely allied to ourselves, we ought in charitv to wish them well and that tliey may prosper. We know that many have gone from this country, leaving behind them anything but a bles- sinu'. The same nuiv hold regarding other nation- alities, and these may have tried to blot out all the instincts, the reminiscences, and associations of their early homes, by adopting names that had no claim but that of being used by one of the early Republics. But, again, there are undoubted evidences of honest representative men, and one feels pleased, especially if he is a Scotchman, on hearing the broad, homely, and distinctively national name of Candachie sounded out when he comes up to a station, and perhaps after he has been dinned with a succession of names out- landish, unutterable, unmusical, and only serving to bring to memory the days when Eed Indians roamed at large through the primeval fields and forests of the great Continent. Daylight begins to break, and we have run across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and now we are on the confines of Maryland. We have passed the ancient THE UAILIIOAD SOUTH. 49 capital ill tlio dark, but we will get a chance of seeing it again after seeing the modern one. Meanwliile, let US take a look at the country as it throws off the blanket of night and gradually attires itself with tlie sober robes of the morning's freshness. The country is very unlike the people. There are no great temples clad in verdure, burying their domes in the fleecy clouds which are floating overhead; but tlie land is modest, and rising gently, with undulating liills, crowned and robed with the remnants of wood and forest, which the woodmen, the early settlers, have spared, and which now serves to beautify the land. On the broad green patches are the log and farm houses, and here and there, in some retiring -spot, you can see the hut of the squatter, who even disdains to be the subject of a Republic. He is fain to use the earth, the sea, the air, the skies, and patient enough to wait till tlie proprietor calls for rent or taxes. There are some fields which give evidence of labour and culture, but rudely and unevenlv fenced ; others are dotted with roots of tiees which have remained in them for vears, and the ground that intervenes is cultivated and sown with all kinds of produce, Indian corn always being con- spicuous. Here and there the rivers are seen coursing and threading their way in the valleys ; now and then you see a bird of gay plumage, but of tuneless worth, start from tree to tree. There are no hedges, E 50 THK STATES AND CANADA. and tlio bouiidiiries of i)arks, plots, &c., arc ill (lefiiied. The snake fence is purely a characteristic of the liack-wooJ, and on all railroads thousands of miles of it are to be seen, employed enclosing grounds in all directions, hence the neatness and compactness of our home farms are awanting. Hut we are now nearing the great centre — the political centre of the great Ifepublic — and the white dome of the caj)itol is moving along slowly like a snow-clad mountain-top as we near it by a circuitous course. We approach by one of the streets or avenues for a mile or more, ;ind latterly we reach a wooden shed which is dignified by the name of station, but is virtually unlit for a lumber store, and now we have reached the capital by the I'ennsylvania Air-line liailroad. C H A PT E K VI. WASHINGTON', THK KKDKKAL CITY. When one arrives in this city of magnificent distances, lu' is at once taken charge of by some representativ(f <»!' one or (»ther of its hotels, for there are some lialf-dozen or so of 'buses in waiting, and wlien any one appears who is suspected of being in want of a liome, these scions of the " bakl eagle" are down ujion him at once, and unless he shows symptoms of a disposition to be able to mind liimself, and to "paddle his own canoe," it is with dillicidty he can shake them ofl'. But sometimes you will allow yourself to be subdued by their excessive elo([Uence, and then it is clearly their duty " to take you in." I tiiought il' this is the sort of thing it is the fate of all travellers to undergo, I can't be any worse than the rest, and with this resolve I got into one of tlie 'buses, when in a brief space I was landed at the entrance of Willard's Hotel, where I was politely asked to en- gross my name and title in the register, then shown to my apartment, and for the first time I have a chance of seeing the magnitude and operations of an American hotel. This one is the finest in tlie city. "2 THF, STATES AND CANADA. and is the al)0(le of a number of tlie Senators and Ilejn'csi'iitntivos in the season wlien Cnnj^'ress sit«. P)Ut evcrybndv wiio can ocket; the luggage follows you as bv instinct, and when you arrive at your destination your baggage is waiting for you. You don't need to pass a thought THE FKDKKAL CITY. 53 about it, and it i,'^ ii ran,' tiling thing tlml there isi liny misadventure. 1 don't know that there is any other marked dift'erence between tlie hotels and our own at home. Their extent, and the I'act that many make them their home, give Ihem a dillerent asj)ect and character from what they have with us. If one were to .judge of the importance of W.ash- ington from the condition of the ])ublic thoroughfares, he would not be very favourably im[)ressed ; but the Executive are beginning to be ashamed oi" this state of matters, for pretty generally the streets are under- going a thorough renovation, and proj^rietors are groaning under the pressure of taxation imposed to meet the expense. Occupants do not leel, or rather do not see it, as proprietors are res[)onsibIe for all the taxes, and their collection is much more easily accom- plished than with us, for the proprietor is virtually the tax-gatherer. Washington is somewhat exceptional regarding its streets and avenues, for some of the American cities, considering the ground to be so plentiful, have streets that are genuine co])ies of some in the old country. But Washington streets and avenues are very spacious ; the avenues radiaie from chief and central buildings like the Capitol, for instance, and the streets run from these sonietimes at right angles and sometimes diagonally. The avenues are a little after the boulevards at Paris, and they extend for miles in every direction. It is con- 54 TIIK STATKS .VXD CANADA. tt!iiii)lat('(l to Illlike tliis city, at sonic time, the ^'lory ('[' jtorfpctioii, the joy of the wliolc land. T'lit now Jind airain some of tlu' refractory States' Legislatures interpose and ([uestion the propriety of dojuu- so, as they consider the capital ought to he near or ahout the centre of the empire, and advocate its removal to (/'liicaLT'*, St. Louis, or .some more western point still ; for there is a difficulty in fixing a central situation in such a }trogressive and extensive country. There are some of these avenues IdO feet in hreadth, and a few of the streets near the Capitol the same. North, South, and East Capitol Streets are the same hreadtli as the avenues. The avenues are named generally after the States of the L'nion — the streets hy letters and numhers comhined, and their regular and open jiosition causes the city to look admirahly from aiiv height. The dome of the Cai)itol is the hest suited for this, and it is an ol»ject of intense interest, on account of being the meeting place of the Letiislative Bodv of the Union, of marked historical associations, grandeur, and architectural merit. The Capitol stands on a rising ground some 90 feet above the level of the Potomac liiver, and the height of the dome from the base of the pile is 280 feet, making the elevation 370 feet in all. The original building — the corner stone of which was laid on the 18th Sep)tember, 1793, by President Washington, aided by the Freemasons of Maryland — is composed of free- TIIK FKnr.ltAL f ITY. 65 stoiu', iiiul })iiiiite(l wliite to tally with the jtorticoes, which are white iiiarlile; the iiortli and south winija were finished in 1A. render of Lord Corinvallis," "The liCsiLniation of Waslii no-ton," " Tlie P;iiil)arkation of the PiliiTinis,'' and "Tlie Landing- of Cohnnbus." The pictnres are fair examples of Id^h class art, and any one visitin locality when the exti by are finished, and tljt ments take possession ' The next building i the institution where o the bone, sineA\', miis among whom he is ; tldngs here which d( institution, but are h curiosities, and woidd nmseum, unless it is tl ■ be a portion of the buil gentleman \\'ho has tliese •are, and I doubt not now I ;.s beintf adorned with the lup of masonry devoted to ■ that a general adjustment ' i e the result. The grounds ^d for the Saturday after- • r what they want in ampli- .. ton, for the miniature hills • >le during the })erformances eve the grounds will be I the Presidential numsion , ise in this particular the the same as the people at ' to turn out when such is Ue city will be a tiiriving ve granite buildings close ! : my, navy and state depart- i their crowds of officials. lie Tateut OJUce. This is can form a capital idea of and brain of the people urninii. There are some ot claim relation to the ; 'ooms of the nation, and •e more api)ropriate in a utention that there should '■ ig reserved for the purpose F i'S Tin: STATKS AND CAN A I "A. indirated liy their presence. There are nifMlcls of works (if art, buildings, and in one case are relics of tlie man who hohls tlie th'st ])lace in the affections of the nation, and relics and mementos of him are seen everywhere; however, those which are conserved here are his military tvn])})inos, and the utensils of his tent or cam]), hut the greatest wonders are his armorial l)eariniis. These are relics of an old country, old relations, !ind things forgotten in the dim and distant past ; hut there they are, and show the chain of evidence of his being a scion of an old and powerful familv, even of the race of kingmakers, the Earls of Warwick. But he should have no lineage, for the Americans would claim for him the likeness of Melchisedec of old, and of being virtually the first man. They won't allow even Adam's claiiri, for they say, "Well, if you talk of foreigners, that may be; but I guess George AVashington was the first man w^ho was not a foreigner." T think it is very evident, from looking at these same armorial bearings, which are in this case among the relics of Washington, that the stars and stripes are taken from them, for it is noticeable that the nucleus of the ilag is traceable in it, in the fact that stars are there, and the bars by being elongated would produce a very near approach to the American tlag. That may or may not be its origin, but it looks to me to be something like it. If it is so, the flag has been imported from the Old TIIK IK.DF.UAK CITV. 0/ Couiitrv, and its reconstruction only tlic work of tlie Xew. Tlic Imildin^,' is very capacious and clc^jjant, and in Idokini; around one can Inrni a tolerably accurate estimate of the intense activity of the inventive hrain of the country. Tt is not ])ossil)le to detail to any extent the nund)er or the character of the various inventions Avhicli have heen sent in hy ap])licants for ]>atents. Their name is legion. Perhaps the hest way will he to suhmit the details of the report for the last year. The Connnissioner of I'atents reports to the Secretary of the Interior, in whose department this falls to he noticed, that there were 29,3r.4 applications tiled at the Patent Oltice, 283 a]»plications for extension of patents, and 519 appli- cations for reuistration of trade marks ; nearly 13,000 patents, including re-is.sues and designs, were issued, and 235 extended, and 965 allowed, Ijut not issued, by reason of non-payment of final fees; 3,27-4 caveats were tiled, and 475 trade marks registered. The fees received during the same period from all sfuirces amounted to 70,102,672 dols , and the total expendi- ture to 09,944,969 dols., making the receipts 2,177 dols. in excess of the expenditure. The Government appropriate various amounts for the encouragement of the inventions, and drawings and details are published and printed at the Government Printing Office, and by these means the hiventive genius of 08 TIIK STATMS ANIt CANAHA. the ]i«'(i]il(> is induced and fo.stt3red. Althoiiuli it is implied, it may be as well lor me to state, that in this ollice there are models <»r all the inventions kept which have hceii allowed or accepted hy the exami- ners ; and there is (piite a collection, as may he assumed from the numhcr which has passed during the year just ended. The space is great, hut it i.-. found it will he necessarv to increase it at an earlv date. The l>uilding, as il stands at present, has evidently been built at dilferent periods, and is a massive ])ile of masonry. The next building in the (iovernment connection is the Agricultural Department. This was in the Ca]>it(»l formerly, but now there is a fanciful antl ap]iro}»riate buikling devoted to this business of the Executive. The various otticials have offices in 'he main and up})er storeys, and there is a museum in the centre v[ the upper storey, and I'rofessor Tcnvnend Glover very courteously explained the ol)ject that was contemplated by the classification which he was carrying out, which seemed to be based on cpiite an enlightened and scientific principle. Any one of the agricultural .products specitied by us, the I'rofessor slio"s\"ed us where it was a native of, and what parts of the country were best suited for its propagation, and the kind of insects which were most destructive to that product. There were all the products of the various States connected with this art. In one ofiice TiiK ri:i)Ki;AL ( itv. (;(• tliuy were cla.s8ifyinture woi-ks of various kinds, contributions from tlie various States, and disposed so that they might be deciphered thoroughly while making the ascent to tlie top of the column : but, for N\ant of patriotism or money, the great national work is (^uite in the "death throes," and the immense TO THE STATP:S and (.'AXADA. obelisk at present looks at a distance like an inimense sugarliouse cliiii.ney whitewasliei-l, bnt M'lien you near it you discover it to 1)e composed of white niarljle, and you feel that ultimately sometliing very grand will emanate from wliat is at present conspicuously crude and unseemly. I presume that tlie CJovern- ment nnist have charge of what is chargeal)le in relation to its com" ion, and if it is in the hands of Go\ernment ofiicials it is not to he wondered that it is subject to intervals of stagnation, for in America a chansic of Goverinnent is at times the cause of disastrous and evil consequences, as it affects all tlie \arious ramifications of the Executive down to the public scavenger. But it is pleasing to notice in connection witli this matter that the people are not behind, for there are stored close by a great number of donations for this paralysed public work — gifts which represent all tlie prosperous provident and lieneficent institutions in the country, such as Free- masons, Oddfellows, Foresters, F'iremen, and many kindred societies — these are chietiy in the form c>f large blocks of marble, and on them are the emblems of tlie craft, and mottoes, or ^^he order represented, some of them beautifully cut, and must have been forwarded tiiere at great expense, and it must be very annoying to tlie donor.'i to have them .-snut up and wasting their beauty in the desert air. Not far from this is another building called the THE FEDERAL ClfV. 71 Smitlisoniaii Institute, a building which tlie donor, a jMr Sniith.son, intended to be devoted to scientific and literary pui-poses, and situated on a \er\' pretty site, a part of the city which was at one time isolated by a canal, which severed a large point of laud where the I'otoniac takes a very circuitous course, from the mainland, but it is now tilled up, and with great benefit to the city. This enterprise, like the last, is still unfinished, and, I presume, is a decided ami true misrepresentation of the will of the founder. The house is there, and there is ample space in the liouse for a large assembly to listen to a lecture'. There is a museum nominally, but I think it is doing Justice to the donor to say that it could not be his conception of what a museum ought • be, for when we look at the external magnificence of the building one is sadly disappointed with the vapid, tame, and elemen- tary look and character of the collection inside. Tlie grounds are ipiite in keeping with the character hlv soahed the whole for a short time, the bugler sounded the " retreat," or " cease firinu," and the steam business was at an end. These fire drills t;-.ke place every now and again, and nualify the Avorknjen to operate on fires with great rapidity. I think about seven minutes served to put tlie engine at full st(?am, and at times it looked as if it would leajj off the ground. There ai'e .-ome very fine churches in tliis city, and the church-noing Americans devote much care, time, and money to them. I accompanied a gentleman to tlie church where Mr U. S. Grant, the President, sits, expecting to see him there ; as T failed to do so at the time, I called at the Executive ^Mansion, but I vas doomed to disappointment for a second time, but thei'e were greater losses at " Bunker's Hill," and I thouulit no more about it. The manner of con- (Uicting services was the same as in the IJev. ^Ir 74 TIIK STATF.S ANJt CANADA. Beecher's ; a subordinate did tin.' .suliordiiuite or iiiinor duties, and the person who preached did that duty only. It was not the pastor of the church, for he was in Europe at the ti'ue, and a notice was read that he had sailed from Britain homewards, and might be expected on the following' Sunday. Nearly all the clergymen in the well-to-do churches in the cities were on the Continent of Europe this year, and on the other side I saw many who were doing the States from Europe. The i>opulation of Washington is about ilou1)le that of Greenock. There are some sixty-two churches, which is double that of this town. There are no manufactures of anv kind carried on, and the Xavy Yard is the only public work in the place. The better class of tlwelling-houses are built with Ijriclc and stone, but there are many, very many, of the houses built with ^\■ood, and these houses change their sites easily, when any occasion demands such a change; and they very often lift a brick house and build a storey below, and thus pursue the opposite tack to that of builders in this country. I saw a public market at Georgetown which ^\'as lifted up in this way, and there was not a crack in the phister- work in the inside when it was completed. The building would be fifty or sixty feet long, and twenty- five or so broad. There is a large proportion of the THE fki)i;i;al citv. io populiitioii lilaek, l)ut I will refer to this new eleiiieiit of American citizenship ai^ain when I see n little more of it, and in the meantime I will take the cars in the direction of the old capital and IJaltimore, and take farewell of the " Federal City." CHAPTEP. VTI. BALTIMORE. After a run of two hours or so we arrived at Baltimore. Tt was near midnight, and tlie place, so far as one could sfi, for there was only enough of li;.;hl in the streets to make darkness visible, was not possessed of features strikingly charming; and the contrast l)etween tliis place and Washington was enhanced by the great disparity in the width of the streets, which could be easily noticed even in the dark ; and after coursing along a number of them, I was set down at the end of a street, which was the nearest ])oint to my hotel — "The Fountain," 1 think it was called — and after crossing two blocks I was at the end of my journey for the day. As it was even too late for making encpiiries regarding the succeeding d;iy's operations, I consigned myself, a solitary fraction, to the great company who were '"'a' noddin'" in the quarters around. There was a considerable difference in the (quality of my dormitory from the last, but one of my friends who directed my steps to this place was responsible for that, and as my pro- gramme would not allow me to tabernacle for any length of time here, it did not matter much. So HALTTMORK. having extiiiguisluul tlie '■ light of otliiT davs," n'hich was carried tVoiii tliu down stairs jiortiou ol' tlic hotel, 1 wrapt iiiysdi' in the summer coverings ol my couch and waited for the morning. 1 had got into a room in tlie l)ack [)art of the hotel, and wlicii morning dawned 1 was regaled with a succession of "wood notes wild." There must have been a Hock (jf all kinds of birds and beasts, and if I had been witliin a reasonable distance of " chanticleer " I would have changed his tune and destroyed the discordant medley which was being discoursed in the l)ack yard to my disgust and annoyance. So I thought tlie best thing 1 could do was to walk aljroad and see the strange surrounuiniis and beaut: if such were in the place I would be obliged to spend (jiie day in iit least. AVlien I began my work of inspection, 1 found ni}' hotel was located in what I thought tlie oldest, and judgeil the most crowded part of the city, and I was anxious to seek for some more open and modern locality. So 1 started off, but in my progress I found matters began to assume a worse aspect, tor I dis- covered my route was in the directi(jn of the harbour and the furtlier I proceeded in this course the less likelihood was there of my success ; so I changed my course along a street which had a considerable incline, as I was anxious to gain some elevated posi- tion where I could see at a glance the contisjuration 78 Tiir: statks and can a da. of the land, and the extent to wliicli it was ])cnpled ; and learnin'' that there was close l)y a monument of A>''asliin<;ton, I sought it out and at once hegan my perilous ascent. I have been on many such heights, but the task of scaling this monument has cured me of trying any like enterprise again, for in the staircase, from top to l)ottom, there is not a single opening for tlie admission of air or light, and one has to cheer his path with the solitary rays of an oil lamp, and the resident odours left by former excelsiors, engaged on the same mission, were calculated to stifle all one's aspirations to get up in tliat part of 'to world. But when once up — the object once attained, and attained by labour at time? threatening to exhaust your energies — you feel that the enjoyment is enhanced in proportion. From this point the whole country lies open to the circuit of your gaze : the sloping hills l)eginning to clothe themselves in the variegated tints of aiitumn ; the Paptapsco reflecting the broad glare of the morning sun, and dotted with its coasting fleet of steam and sailing vessels, and the busy harbour, its chequered housetops, its spires, its minarets, and cathedral dome with gilded cross, its ]iublic marts, hotels, and banking houses, densely packed in squares and solid blocks. The streets are all narrow and long, and the houses in the principal streets very high, having the effect of making them look narrower than they really are. There are some fine I'.ALTIMOItK. T*.> slio])s and several luagiiiticont hotels, lait llie narrow dirty streets detract from every object that comes in contact or juxtaposition with them. Tliere is much bustle and commercial activity in the business parts of the citv. The harbours are crowded, and indica- tions exist everywhere of prosperity and industry, r.iit one cannot see the solidity al)out any of tlie docks or harbours which charaeterise such structures in our ]iorts at home; they have plenty of granite, but they seem to ])refer piles of wood to ])iles of stone work for such purposes, and they have a very superficial and dirty appearance. The streets of Baltimore are a study of themselves. It must be one of tliose cities, the earlier settlers in which have ke])t close to the type of the streets in in the Old World, where ground is usually dear, for I don't remember seeing one sutticiently l)road to run two lines of tramway rails on ; and the citv seems to be built on a succession of hills of no great dimen- sions, which give it a peculiar look. In the lower parts of the city the drains must be quite inadequate for their functions at times, for the curbstones are nearly a foot high, ivud at some places a row of step- ping-stones is laid across from one side of the street to tlie other to enable one to pass when floods take possession of the streets ; or it may be the case that they have not introduced the underground common sewer, but just allow the streets themselves to carry 80 TlIK STATKS AND CANADA. off lilt! (Irainaj^e, iind make them serve instead, and in that case they M'ill have anqde ventilation for these common sewers, and will he exempt from that perplexing (piestion. Close hy the Washington monument are some very tine huildings, and some of tlu; wealthiest citizens live in this locality. Here, is a building resemhlini" a citv hall, a ])resent to the citizens of Pialtimore hy Mr I'eabody, and i>. worthy of the donor. There, is a splendid lecture-hall, elegantly litted up, and commodious ro-trum and retiring rooms, and there is also a free librar), containing oO,OOtl volumes. It is, I believe, next hi extent to the library in the Capitol, which they are pleased to call a public library, l)ut it is not a free library, and numbers 180,1100 volumes, and includes the library of the Supreme Court as w ell. The only sight which deserves commendation in Baltimore is the tine public park, which is called the " Druids' Park." Tt is out on the outskirts of the city, and the tramway cars run into the centre of it, but not by the principal entrance. Visitors going in by the side are apt to miss the sight of the main entrance. At it there is a fine gateway of stone, but not elaborately ornamentetl rather a connn on-looking one, and when you pass through you get a glimpse of the extent and character of the grounds, w hich aie seven hundred acres in extent, beautifull}- wooded. BALTIMOKE. 81 and fiiriii.slie(l with every re<[uireineiit of a public park. Al(»ng tlie sides* of the [niiicipal walks at entering are forty immense vases;, raised on pedestals, in all alioiit twelve feet high, and the vases are Idled with Indian cress and other kinds of creepers, wluch fall down over tht; pedestal, and slope across the banks of tiie side walks. At one time yon are coursing along tlie banks of an extensive lake, with small parties of jdeasure-seekers in boats, engaged in a hunt after tlie birds which are skimming the waters ; and at anotiier you are threading yoni- way through a maze of tall trees, forming one continuous high arborial arch, under which you cool and regale yourself to tit you for fresh discoveries by woods and groves. And, anon, you enter a labyrinth, with figures hedged in on all sides, with high and fragrant walls, and under f(jot a tujjis vert of rich and heavy fold, whose meshes are vocal with swarms of busy saltatoria, which sparkle in the sun as }'ou tread your way over their dwellings ; and then some curi- ously-constructed Chinese temple is passed, rich in variety of bright colours, and grotes(|ue and fanciful form, a temple of Apollo, around which thousands are wont on holidays to crowd, and let the sweet sounds of music creep into their ears and bask in the fragrance of the generous zephyrs, as they come loaded with the sweets from this lovely garden of Nature. The walks take you by ouiet retreats where Cf 82 THE STATES AND CANADA. you can while a^^■ay the day in (Ircamy solitude ; or 1)V tlie clusters of iuveniles, showily clad in Oriental style, and husy at cro([uet or other pastimes ; or thronjih the covered sylvan naths ornamented with rockery, rustic bridges and chairs; or hy the foun- tains with their shoals of shiny nnd tiny fishes, sparlvlino' like fireflies in the tremhling and crystal flakes from the jet d'cav ahove. After ascending to the halcony over the refreshment rooms, where a good view of tlie park, with its lakes, stream'^, ^vater- falls, gardens, and temples is got, you take the car, which comes close up to this point, leaving by the side gates or entrances, where another car is found to take you to the city. And no-v the city, M'hich was formerly an object of little attraction, has become an object you feci disposed to avoid after seeing the fairy garden of rlie '-'Druids' Park," so your th( eights are of Iiaving your baggage checked and taking the road f tr the ancient capital. With this outline of proceeding roughly sketched the hotel is reached, and our slen- der liabilities adjusted, we seek the cars, get once more u]>on tlie line, and feel some satisfaction of having seen, and more of having left, one of the dirtiest cities in the Union. As usual, we are taken along a succession of streets, preceded with the music of the great bell on tbe engine, and shortly we are steaming over bridges aii'l swamp3 in the direction of Permsylvania. We pass BALTIMORE. 83 Aberdeen, and "by-and-bye we halt, and in au instant tlie car, which before was ahnost empty, is filled to suffocation with tlie sons and daughters of slaves, and the little light wliicli the scanty globes before afforded is totally absorbed by this new importation. I had heard of tliese savages attacking white men partly for mere amusement, and if any such disposi- tion should be evinced by this lot, the chances were all in favour of '•'black;" 1)ut we learned that these were "good niggers," and we were dis})Osed to look on them in not such a "dark light." I say we learned, and our information was to the effect that they were just returned from a camp meeting, which I. believe outherods Herod in some of its features. When some of the darkies get inspired their exclama- tions and declamations are vivid and very s}:>arkling. Tliis one could Ijelieve, for their volubility was some- thing surpassing the conception of a person of medium calibre. Perhaps ?t would be too much to say that it w^as language, without saying it was language of a kind, of that kind we sometimes call "jargon" — a sort of chattering with an element of music in it. Much din and little else, but the oft-repeated sounds of something like " tony," " casa," and " dolfy," made us feel we w'ere in the company of distinguished individuals, and we could not help thinking that in all likelihood we were in the presence of ^lark Antony, Julius Ciesar, and Gustavus Adolphus, and 84 THE STATES AND CANADA. we begnn to look roinul to see if the fair descendant of the Ptolemies was not among the crew ; hut the light was insufificient to enable iis to discover any element which could ally itself with the 2"^rsonnel of that fair P2gyptian, and we gave it up, and were beginnini* to look at their tra'.ts of character in con- nection with some of the aspects of natural philo- sophy submitted by Smillic!, Lord jMoiiboddo, and Darwin, when the train stopped, and as by that uni- formitv of instinct which is an ingredient in the constitution of some of the creatures which herd together, they disappeared in a mass. This had the effect of disposing us more thoroughly for a course of contemplative thought, which is attended in its action with an indetiiute number of " whys " and " hows."' We thought that in the war of races the preservation of the negro race was a miracle, and yet it was not so. It certainly was so in a country where a bold, hardy, generous and warlike race like the aborigines of the land had disappeared before the progress of civilisation which accompanied the march of the white man into the interior of his former abode; and there we have the negro full in the enjoy- ment of civil and political freedom and privileges, while the other suffers extirpation and death. And if we ask how or whv it is for a lifetime, we could but receive one answer, and that is, because he was a slave. And that answer mvolves a. thousand facts. BALTIMORE. 85 Th(3 most prnniineiit one is, as a nation they are unfit to take care of themselves. And when President Lincoln delivered his notal)le speech iii the Senate, and when tlie nation accepted the responsibility of giving the nigger his freedom, they thought not that they had rough-hewn to tliemselves a problem on the facade of the great fabric of their constitution which would task all their legislative wisdom and their administrative acumen and dexterity to finish the details and nmke them acce])table to the diverse elements which constitute their Repul)lic. Of coursv^ it would be too much to expect the same generation to denounce its own act, seeing there is so much to cause them to do the opposite; or even to admit that they had committed a mistake, which I have no doubt many think now, although they are not ready to say so. On the principle that everything is fair in war, the Xorth fulminates an edict, in which they declare the servants of the slave-owning States free, with the view of embarassing the action of the South in the battle-field, and perpetrating an act of robbery under the guise of a supposed right of government, and thereby reducing many in the South to a state bordering on beggary, through the loss of their pro- perty ; and no compensation is thought of or given to those who have lost their whole, and who had their claims disposed of under the plea .that they were rebels, and might be thankful of being left in 86 THE STATES AND CANADA. tlie possession ol" their own heads. How different wa^ the case of our own country. When we wanted to get quit of tlie stiiin connected with tlie guilt asso- ciated with the trade, we hargaiiied witli the ownt'i- and paid him the commercial value, and set the negroes free. IJut the Yankee in his 'cuteness con- ceived his purchase would he too dear at any monc}' value, and he adopted the least expensive, by making it a necessity of the dispute, though it was not primarily an element in it, for at the same time tae political value of a coloured citizen was reckoned in the statute book at three-tifllis that of a white num. It has been said that history repeats itself. \\'e have seen that the Americans have in many iustanc^^s associated themselves in idea with the early licpublics. The Lacedtemonians, like them, had their helots, and they at one time affected to confer rights on theiii, which they found afterwards ill-accorded with the name and prestige of these heroic Spartans, aud almost as soon as they were invested were they divested of tliem, for reasons much the same as are found in America to-day, and these chiefly by the importance with which they have become inllatei in connection with their electoral power. The niggers are favoured and courted for their vote, and promises made to them which inspire them with ideas of being senators and members of Congress; but their E pluri- hus itnuid does not read in that way, and it is a que.-.- 15ALTLM0RE. 87 tion if ever tliey will allow it to do so. They are not the children of the land, wliitii might have weight, if they were so, in securing perjietual iuiniu- nities to Lliem'; but they are not, and their lal)our is irregular anil unavailable, their conchict is brutish, and there are frec^uently contests, arising out of nothing but the (question of colour, which end in bloodshed, and most like will end some day in the extinction of the race, so far as America is concerned. The Americans are a hard-working people, and they and the blacks are ill-paired in this particular; at the intervals at meals the one has a newspaper, while the other, like a pig, is snoring his precious time away under the burning rajs of the sun, and he looks ij^uite at home in that condition; anything but work. ^\.nd he is sure to be found in a variety of enterprises where the easiest kind of labour is wanted. They >ire found in bands perambulating the country and delineating the felicity of their condition wlien livmg upon the plantation in the Soutli, and some- times on a begging excursion to other lands, singing a kind of spiritual comic song:-, but always in charge of some pale face ; for it is an indispensable feature in their social economy to have some some one to take them in charge. This may be to (jbviate a ditii- culty they often experience — that of being denied admittance to railway cars, kc, which looks like a hardship, but goes to show that the black ingredient 88 THE STATES AND CANADA. of liepiil>licanisni is not relished, and will be dis- pensed with Ity those arbitrury niai^ters who are shut np from taking any ai-tion till the facts of the late rebellion are partially forgotten. But the lamps of the old capital are beginning to tlicker in the distance, and the waters of the Delaware are reflecting the lights on tlie many wharves on the curve of the river, and the dim outlines of the Quaker City are getting stronger and stronger, the lights brighter and brighter, and the big bell rings out its warning voice, and sh.ortly the train is at rest, and crowds are getting on the tramway cars, and fol- io »ving the example of "the lave," we mount, and set off for our hotel after our ride from Baltimore. CHAPTEli Vril. rHILADELPlIIA. If tlie historian, the iinti(|uariaii, or tlie phikilogist were in i|uest of a fiehi for enterprising labour, I think the ancient capital of the Union would he about the best that he could select, for T think no modern city is equal to their wants in the way of furnishing the amount of materials. Tu point of his- toric interest the old capital of the Union will always hold a first place, for there is much connected with the history of it which will always secure for it a pronuneut place among the cities of the Union. "When we come to institute inquiries, our interroga- tions are met by a string of replies almost too nu- merous to transfer to the memory, and to retain them there. One name is so closely associated with this track of country that one instinctively wishes to know how the sagacious Quaker is so prominently before you wherever you go, and as the incidents ex- planatory of this are worthy of being recited, it may be as well to state that that portion of America called the State of Pennsylvania was handed over to the Penn family in, or as payment of, a debt by Charles 90 THE STATES AND CANADA. tiie Second, in tlie oxorcise of tlio ••' l!i;j,lit Divine" lie so scrupnlously contended tor, and AVilliiuu IVnn, a hundred and ninety years ago went out to take pos- session of it, wliicli lie did ; planned a city on wlint he considered the most advantageous spot, constructed a code, and appointed an executive in conjunction with hinistif for the conduct of civil affairs. But during this time there was one important and striking transaction which fell to be consuninuited. The hind, though sold by the King to Admiral Pemi, was possessed by the aborigines of the country, and Penii had to treat with these people, so as to let him have undisturbed possession, and this negotiation has its record preserved on a stone called ''The Venn Traaty ?;Ionument," which is inscribed with the words, " Treaty Ground of William Penn and the Indian Nation, 1G82," and concludes with the words, " Un- broken Faith." We may ask wliy so man}- of the subsequent treaties between the Indian and American cannot have tlie " Unbroken Faith " added to them ? In the name of the State itself we discover mucli that is indicative of the kind of land Penn found w hen he lauded in the " blue anchor." About a year before the occasion which I refer to, the name, which is something akin to the term " Penn's Garden," at once brings up a land of forests, and this is fully borne out in the name of the streets, which, I believe, were so named ; and so far as we can judge there r'Hll.ADI.M'HIA. 91 must liav(.' hoeii liiiitu a variety in tliat part of the country. The .streets generally run at right angles. Those running from east to west have nami^s, and those running across are by nnmljers, and on a tixed principle; for intanee, from Front to First Street ex- hausts the first 100, and at Second Street begin.s 200, the odd numbers on one side, the even numbers on the other, and it matters not whether the whole numbers between the hundreds are exhausted or not, the Third, Fourth, or Fifth Streets begin the fourth or fifth hundred, as the case may be, and by this arrangement, if one knows the number songht, you can go to the nearest point to it from any part of the city by car or foot, and as the cars have the names of streets on them through which they run, the city is easily overtaken. The streets which are main arteries of the city are named Alder, Aspen, Almond, Beech, Cedar, Cherry, Chesnut, Elm, Fil- bert, Jessamine, Linden, ^Myrtle, Olive, Pine, Poplar, Sycamore, Spruce, Vine, Walnut, Willow ; and one can see from these variety was not awanting, and you can see as great a variety as you like in the condition of the streets. The causeway of the great majority of the streets is very inferior to our own, but is simi- lar to the streets in other towns and cities in the Union; but there are some of the linest pavements on the chief streets I ever saw, composed of granite, containing from 70 to 80 cubic feet of rough dressed 92 THE STATES AND CANADA. flags and tlie curl) of the sf.me material ; j:,'enerally there is hut one car on the narrow street, and the cars on that street all run in tlu? same direction, and if you want to go in the op])osite you must go to the next block, and you will find the same cars going tlie opposit"* way. On many of the streets, though comparatively narrow, there are trees planted along their entire leii<'th, wliicli -jive them a handsome appearance; Imt when a fine building is on one of these its attractiveness suffers very much, and very many of the best buildings in the city are so placed ; hut the finest buildings are all on open spaces, and tliere are very many of these, hut some of tlie build- ings whose outsides are not very attractive, are very interesting on account of their historical connections and associations. They will point out to you the house where the first American flag was made ; the house that stands where Penn landed, wliere his own house stoovered with stained glass, which tliroM's its ligiit of varied colour on the oljjects below. On the upper stair hall are placed three figures in a recumbent jtositlon. These are the graces — Faitli, Hope, and Charity — while the figure below stands with two fingers on her lip, indicating that to see and hear are the duties of the novice ; when he ascends to higher and loftier teachings words are iinperati\ c. In the stained-glass window on the front side of the hall above are the various eni])lazonings of the various degrees of the craft, examples of rare vitrious art. On the arch are tlie jewels denoting the progressive steps of the fraternal labours of the craft, and representative statues of their position in Faith, Hope, Charity, Wisdom, Strength and Beauty; and below, in a circle surrounding him who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptian, as he stands beside the burning bush, are the words in connection with the antiquity of the Order, "Sit lux et luxfuif." In describing the interior of the building, perhaps it would be well to take the pure jNIasonic order ; and, suiting the action to the word, we must descend to the basement and come gradually to the upper 108 THE STATES AND CANADA. parts of the temple. Down below, on a level with the foundation of the tower, there is a well of pure water, and there is an engine of eight horse- power to force up the water through the entire building ; and adjacent to the various halls are eight beautiful fountains, constructed in keeping with the character of the building and of the various apartments. The pipes are so arranged in the lower depths that iced or hot water can be got to suit any occasion, and thus one of the first principles is inculcated and given effect to, on one of the fountains near the Asylum of the Knight Templars, in the words — " If any man thirst let him coni.e unto me and drink." T may state that the interior of the building has been so constructed that the principal halls are speci- mens or examples of the various schools or styles of architecture, and the furnishings, accessories, and decorations are all completed to accord with their styles. In coming up from the basement storey we are necessitated to take the subordinate halls or lodges. These are three, as they are arranged, the Egyptian being first on account of its antiquity, and on either side are the Norman and Ionic. The Egyp- tian hall is 65 feet long and 50 wide, and 30 feet high, and is the only perfect specimen of Egyptian architecture in America. It looks an extraordinary room on account of the massive and peculiar style of the Egyptian period. The furniture of tliis apart- MASONIC TEMPLE AT PHILADELPHIA. 109 merit is also characteristic ; the ]Master's throne and chair are weighty and imposing, and are gilded ebony. His pedestal, standing at his right hand, is flanked by two mysterious sphynxes, who gaze upon the beholder, and the chair is flanked by two eagles. The pedestals of tlie Senior and Junior Wardens are all uniquely decorated, and the sofas provided have capacity to seat about 200 brethren at once. Tlie furniture throughout is gilded ebony covered witl: black and gold repp, and the carpet is blue, with an admixture of other colours. This apartment Ijcing so unlike any to be seen in America, will always 1)6 an object of curiosity to strangers and the outer world. South of the Egyptian is the Ionic hall, which is another subordinate lodge-room. This is somewhat larger than the hall before described. This hall is 75 feet long by 50 wide and 30 feet high, and the decorations and its furniture are of the purest Grecian Ionic type, elegant and graceful, but not elaborate. The impression is not of so profound or lasting a character as in the former ; its columns are not so elephantine, but the architecture must have many admirers. The hall is capable of being lighted by daylight by windows on two sides, and has ample ventilation on that account ; and at night it is lighted up with handsome and gorgeous gasaliers. The furniture is made of walnut, with cedar and butternut inlay, and covered with repp of blue and 110 THE STATES AND CANADA. ;4(Dld. On the north-east corner of the building, antl of tlie same dhnensions as the Ionic, is another lodge-room, the Xornian, and the apartment is a tlioroiigh example of Norman decorative art, and with its full furnishings is as perfect an example or representation of the order as can possibly be. The settees have luxuriant spring seats, which are covered with yellow leather, and the stations of the three officers are much admired. The furniture is made of walnut and lir, and in the carpet the dominant colour is blue. There is a fourth subordinate lodge, which is on the main floor. It is called the Oriental Hall, is im- mediately below tlie Norman Hall, and is about the same size as the apartment above. This hall is in style throughout a brilliant example of Moorish archi- tecture, and the Eastern character is carried out in the minutest details on walls, ceiling, cornices, w^oodw^ork, and furniture. The hall itself is one of the finest in the temple, all being in strict accord with ^Moorish style, having all the Saracenic brilliancy of colour and peculiarities of that showy style. The seats are covered with blue leather. The principal floor is chiefly taken up with the two chief apartments of the building, the Grand Lodge Hall and the Grand Chapter Hall ; one on the north- ern end, the other on the southern side, and a num- ber of vestibules and waiting rooms ; the remainder MASONIC TEMPLE AT PHILADELPHIA. Ill are the Ej^yptian, Ionic, and Norman Halls. The Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter Halls are elevated to the roof of the temple, so that the u|»per floor of all only extends over a portion of the principal floor. On the iii)per floor is the Asylum of the Commanderie, the only i»urely Gothich hall in the building, with its attendant Council Cliambers, waiting rooms, avenues, and separate apartments for each respective com- mandery. Tlie building altogether contains one Grand and six Suljordinate Lodge Rooms ; one Grand and one Subordinate Chapter Eoom ; an Asylum, Council Chamber, and attendant apartments for the Kniglits Templar, a Library, and a multitude of small apart- ments. The hall of tlie Grand Lodge is the representative apartment of the temple, and the largest one in it is 105 feet long, 50 wide, and 50 high. There is an octiigonal vestibule at one end, and you enter through massive doors, wliich are artistically constructed of walnut, and the panels are raised on ticklings of cedar wood ; the panels are mottled walnut, and highly polished. The furniture of this hall is walnut and cedar, covered with blue plush, and the seats arranged round the hall will accommodate about 400. There are large gasaliers to light the hall at night, and the glass in the roof is so constructed that enough of light is admitted during the day to light the liall. The hall throughout is of the Corinthian order, everything 112 THE STATES AND CANADA. being in consonance with that style, and tliis like the other is intended as studies, as well as heing repre- sentative, in both aggregate and detail, as perfect ex- amples. The Corinthian Hall is replete with Masonic emblems. Conspicuous and central on the north and south fac^'ades are ornaments representing the working tools of the Freemason, and figures emblematic of architecture. On the corners are fragments of an Egyptian capital, to which the figures holding the tools are pointing. The east and west facades contain ornaments representing the corn, the wine, and the oil ; in the centre of the east end are the platform and station of the Grand iMaster, and over it are the square and compass and rising sun. In the south is the Junior Grand Warden, and over it the sun at high noon. Tn the west is the Senior Grand Warden's station, and the endjlem of the closing day marks his position. The magnificence of this apart- ment is enhanced by its great size and height, and the elaborate ornamentation and the appropriateness of the entire furnishings and adjuncts are completed in like grand and appropriate style. Before quitting this centre of Masonic interest, we have to say, as we feel, the grandeur of this temple inspires and impresses the visitor the moment he enters. Above is the broad artificial skylight, curiously intersected and wrought, tending to modify the light. On the left are four large windows, surmounted by a single MASONIC TEMPLE AT PHILADELPHIA, 113 cornice, and divided by Corinthian coliunns. On tlie r.'glit hand similar columns enclose the Warden's chair, and in the distance the Grand Master's chair, of walnut and cedar, is set in a recess witli a canopy. All around are the cornices surmounted with a series of cones reaching to the skylight linu, rich with festoons of ilowers and leaves ornamenting the columns. The brilliant lights from the sparkling gasaliers falling on the rich plush blue, and the varied coloured carpet ; the pedestal, erected with the same ma- terial as it, stands in the centre of the lodge, with open Bible laid out beneath the flood of light falling from the great lights above ; the fullness, the vastness and completeness of the place, make it a luminous and impressive exponent of the laws and the government of the order, and of the exceptional and solitary position this one holds in relation to the other lodge-rooms in the world. The apartment designed as the meeting-place of the Grand Chapter is a companion to the above in magnificence, though it is a degree smaller. It is still a very large room, differing only from the other in length. It is 90 feet by 50 feet and 50 feet in height ; the decorations and furnishing are in the Italian Bencnssance style of architecture. Throughout the walls and ceilings are seen the emblems peculiar to Royal Arch Masonry displayed in their progressional I 114 THE STATES .VXD CANADA. form, riie skylights, constructed like the other, shed a i)rofiision ol" modified light by day, and at night the hall is illunnnated by a series of elaborately-finished gasaliers. In the centre of the eastern end of tlie hall is the tri[)le chair of the high priest, king, and scribe peculiar to this degree of Masonry. In this, like the other apartments, the whole furniture is of the ricliest character, lieinii made of walnut and in- laid with maliogany and Calif\)rnian redwood. Eed is the prevailing colour here, as blue is in tlie Grand and o'lher lodue halls. A striking feature of this apartment is the vtjils of the temple, which are subor- dinate in the performance of some of the mysteries of of Koyal Arch ^lasonry. Four high and beautiful arches are sprung across the room midway between the floor and ceiling ; from each of these depends a veil. Those veils contain twelve hundred vards of the best French satin ; a nicely -adjusted windlass raises them, and is done in a fevr seconds when neces- saiy. The room throughout is entirely emblematic of the various degrees of the Chapter, and is in every way as magnificent as the (^rand Lodge Hall. It is entered from a vestiluile of exciuisitely-fiiiished woodwork, and surrounded with the adjacent apart- ments necessary for the work, convenience, and com- fort of the Companions in conferring the degrees. In the vestibule is a fountain of variegated marble, 12 feet high, and the whole furniture of it and MASONIC TEMPLE AT I'HILAUELPHIA. 115 waiting room are nifitclied to correspond to the tur- iiishinu' of them both in eh^'^nce of finish and appropriateness of design. The brilliant colour,^ in the (irand Chapter Hall are dazzling to a degree. Crimson is the prevailing colour of the carpet and furniture, whilst the veils are white, crhnson, purple, and blue. The rainbow-hued complexion or arrange- ment of colouring operated on by the radiance of i.ie light from above almost deprives the architecture I il its proper and natural effect. An elaborate porch surmounts the throne and triple chair, and an organ ttf very hne construction tills a recess in tlie northern wall. The effect of this apartment on the visitor is entirely of a different kind to tliat experienced in tlie Grand Lodge Hall. Both are impressive, both thorough representations of the ^Masonry to be taught within them ; but the rich brilliancy of colour in the Chapter Hall will always be the prevailing remem- brance of its character and beauties. Before I refer to any of the apartments which are chiefly accessory and subordinate, I will refer to those which are of a higher degree, and which are devoted to the gallant and envied brethren of the craft, the Knight Templars. Their room is known as the asylum, and it has an adjacent Council Chamber, a drill room and banquet hall, and a smaller room intended for regalia, and assembly room for the five Commanderies, and the other auxiliary apartments 116 THE STATES AND CANADA. necessary for tlie service of the renowned Order The asylum is 00 feet hy 45 feet, and 4(1 feet hi^li, and extends across the lmildin<;' from north to sontli. This is the only Gothic apartment in tlie wliole building. There are displayed the cross and crowns, the emLlem of the knights, and they appear in all the decorations. The gasaliers are a compound of crowns and crosses wrought together with artistic skill, but the Gothic feature is never lost in the complex inter- mixture. The same stvle is evinced in the furniture and its decoration, and is covered with green leather. Two lines of seats extend rouml the asylum. A lofty platform bears the richly-ornamented seats of the principal oiticers, the Commander, Generalissimo, Captain General, and Prelate, and behind these is the organ. In the Red Cross degree, the first of the Knightly orders, a accessary adjunct is the Council Chamber. This apartment is west of the chief one, or the Asylum, and is 40 by 25 feet wide and 25 feet high, and has all the necessary facilities for the pil- grim warrior. An ample avenue extends entirely around the Asylum, and in it are placed three tents for the guards. In connection with this degree there is a banquet hall, which is 75 feet long and 35 feet wide, and 20 feet high. This hall will seat 250 per- sons, and has all the culinary attachments necessary- Like the other apartments, this one is decorated with all the emblematic lore of this degree, and each Tern- MASONIC TEMPLE AT PHILADELrJIIA. 117 pliir has a closet for the keepin*,' of his anus, uuiforiu, and craft decorations. Besides tlie bani|Uet liall referred to, there is another which is on the first Hoor, and this hall, which the hrethren intend for the great feasts, which are a part of the fraternal whole, ftccupies the greatest part of one side of tlie main floor, and is 105 feet long by 50 wide, and 30 feet high. Its architecture is the Composite order. A alance they have from various other sources. The old Temple, which stands in one of the best business streets in the city, must, when sold, yield to them a considerable amount of the balance, as 1 noticed it was in the market at the time the new one was consecrated in September last, when one of those pageants was witnesset i which only Masons can accomplish, and which for grandeur was never equalled in this city of rhiladelphia. C II ATTKli X I'lIILADKLPHIA. My stay in Philiulelphia was prolon<,'ec! beyond what 1 had at first intended, as at this point 1 ex- pected letters from home, and I waited until I received them ; however, I do not think it was on account of my protracted stay that I made the acc^uaintance of a little creature with a Spanish name, which is very importunate, in the evenings especially, to fascinate you with a peculiar musical lullaby about the time of retiring to bed. Up to this time I was not aware of having had the smallest mark of attention bestowed upon me by this delicate being. I had seen in some of the windows as 1 passed along a thin fabric or transparent covering for protecting one against the embrace of this sanguinary courtier, but I never for a moment considered that it was necessary to shield myself against the enticing importunities of any creature at bed-time, and resolved to pay no attention to a practice which I supposed was only carried out by the most effeminate, and as I had so fortunately eluded and escaped up to this time, I inferred that I would be safe for the future. I don't know that these creatures have any means of arriving at a 122 THE STATES AND CANADA. knowledge of any resolution a person may take, or that thev can be actnated hy anv t'eelinus akin to revenge, for if I tliought of any course of action in regard to them, certainly I never expressed it to any one ; but on going home one night I fancied my con- cert was likely to be over musical, if not discordant. The atteflidance I thought was unreasonal)ly large, and I began to consider what was best to be done. Be- fore this time T had seen on the walls of my bedrt >om marks which up to this night had escaped my notice as to their real character, but now these marks were impressively suggestive as to their real exist- ence ; and as pictures often suggest to the mind first thoughts and then action, which at other times are foreign to it, so now I looked on these spots in the same liglit as Macbeth looked on the vision of the instrument he was about to use, and I resolved to clear the room, and having made a formal declaration of war, it was my intention it should be a comhaf a Voutrance, and having as I thought fully decimated the ranks of these winged syrens, I extinguished the " flaming minister," and consigned myself to the pleasures of dreamland. It is scarcely necessary for me to say that I awoke in the morning, and it was a favourable circumstance that I had resolved to leave the city for other scenes, for those who had made my brief acquaintance would have failed to identify me, or they might have as- PHILADELPIITA. 12 o serted, a? is sometimes done in a similar case, " tliat they had wakened the itvrong person." T may say it is quite possible i'or a person from this country to undergo a complete and thorough transformation in one night by means of the vindictive and sanguinary addresses and caresses of that insect which inspires the Yankee with more fear than tlie biggest cpiadru- ped to be found in the prairies ; and the wisest thing for a person to do who goes from this country to visit the States, is to take as much muslin, prepared and ready, as will envelop his head and hands, so that he may be defended against the attacks of mosquitoes. It is, indeed, a small creature, bnt to arrive at a full understanding of the extent to whicli it operates on and influences many of the social aspects of Ameri- can character, would require a long stay on tlie con- tinent, or to listen to the endless stories of tlie expe- riences of those who have suffered, endured, or who have been eye-witnesses of the sufferings and endur- ance of others. These episodes are delivered and embellished with strong language, and all the fervour inspired by heroic achievements, as much so as to make you feel you were listening to some mar- tial incidents of the "eminent deadly breach;" and you will hear reference to them everywhere, in the alley, the exchange, the forum, the platform, the p\ilpit, the press, the workshop, the road, the rail, the river, and especially the homeward, or the voyage ta 124 THE STATES AND CANADA. this side the Atlantic. When anybody has nothing to say, the encounters and escapades with the mos- quitoes immediately serve to fill up the gap, and everybody is at home at once, for everyone has one thing ()r another to say about tliem ; and every savan you encounter, especially if he sees that their arrows have been levelled at you with poisoned effect, is ready to give you his advice gratis as to what you shovdd do to ward off their future attacks, or to enable you to get quit of your present disfiguration ; but it is all to no purpose, and they only waste their eloquence and your money, if you are foolish enough to follow their advice ; for, despite the overwhelming array of talent and the numerical strength of the enemy, and the scientific appliances for the destruc- tion of this insect. Miss ^losquito remains in posses- sion of her position and is likely to do so. The inventive brain of the American has been active to find some means to destroy this insect, and many compounds are ottered for this purpose, and those which are the most effective are of that charac- ter whereof it is difficult to say of the bane or the antidote which is best or worse ; and to any person who is desirous to make his fortune in the States, if he would set his ingenuity to work and discover some compound which would rid the natives only of these troublesome attendants, he would eclipse the name and fame of George Washington, as a con- PHILADELPHIA. 125 queror and Ijenefactor of a higher type, and his bene- faction would receive the highest acclaim of the people, and his labours would be accepted as inau- gural of the great centennial pageant wliich will be consummated in this city in 1876. Everything in the States is masnitied into a wonder, or of a !>-itiantic character, and when this is the case \ve can afford to admit it. Even the little world, or the insect world, is a great world of itself, and I think on this point, like many other Americans, must beat all creation. I am not going to submit an entomological disserta- tion, but I will refer to one or two insects which must have attracted the attention of every one who is desirous of being considered an observer of nature in this part of the empire. The tobacco worm and the walnut worm are the two largest, and are very- striking as worms, and as flies they resemble one another in various particulars. As a grub they are about four inches long, and the prevailing colour is a clear pale green, with stripes of a deep gold colour, and ribbed with black. On the head of tlie walnut worm are six or eight large hoins which give it rather a formidable appearance, to a certain extent not un- like a lobster, and in this state it passes the first year of its existence ; and in the following year your attention is more directly attracted to it, for it appears as it flies along near to sunset quite like a bird, and again its colours are showy, and it has long 12G Tin: states and caxada. antennje, which are about six inches in lengtli, where- by it sucks the nectar from the liowers, but its food are the leaves of the tomato, potato, or the tobacco plant. The minor insects are numerous beyond com- putation. One evening, while driving out in an open carriage, and passing under the branches of a tree which hung down very low, so that they were dis- turbed, there came such a shower of moths of all sorts that T felt inclined to jump out and leave them in possession; and the air was crowded here and there with shoals of them, enjoying the beams of the setting sun ; but these are a jjoor substitute for the v.arblers which we have at home, and which at night make the woods vocal with their melody, besides preventing the undesirable growth of those insects which infest all vegetable life. The few birds which they have are only short-stayed in any part of the country, and are continually on the w4ng; and it will be a long time before the sparrow will propagate sufficiently to overtake all the work that is \Nanted to be done on the Continent of America. I have been induced to make tliese remarks about insect life on account of my interest in the mosquito. There is no fear of any one forgetting them who has had the chise intercourse with them that I have had. It sometimes makes all tlie difference that can be in a traveller's experience the kind of position of the room he has allotted to him at an hotel. Strangers PHILADELPHIA. 127 don't know this, and in the busy season they are not particular to inform strangers to look out for these disturbers of the peace. U}' tlie way, 1 don't remem- ber having seen any domestic jjets in America. Dogs, cats, and parrots are to be found in abundance at home, and any number of birds; but I can't remem- ber a solitary instance where I saw tlie one or the other during my stay there. Yes ! there was one in- stance, only one that I can remember, and it was the only one and such a one I should not liave for- gotten. It was a dog, and its colour was a clear and decided magenta, and I was disposed to think that it was originally a white dog and had been dyed ; and as the car that I was in passed, it ran out from a shop barking, and I concluded it was used as a sort of ad- vertising medium ; Ijut it was certainly startling in its appearance on account of its colour, and its owner, I have no doubt, thought it was a clever trick. The baby is tlie great domestic pet in the States, as it is here, but as they are very difficult to rear there it has a decided influence on their character, and whilst they are very young they talk like a book, and they are regarded as prodigies Mdiich can onl\' be pro- duced in that part of the world. Babies and parents are equally clever, and tJie wives are as sparkling and 'cute as the husbands, and to do anything whereby precedency on behalf of the husband should follow would l)e out of the question, and on that account 128 THK STATES AND CANADA. domestic felicity is rare and divorce is cheap and ex- ceedingly common; and many take the advantage of the legal facilities to begin life anew, not always to give manifestation of having improved by the change, ^larriages are consummated at a very early age, and it is not considered necessary to have a house of one's own. Lodgings are always easily procured, and housekeeping is the exception, not the rule. Work- ing men are more migratory in their habits, and the distance they have often to remove is nuich greater than at home here, and this has an effect in sending them into lodgings rather than housekeeping. The genuine American working-man is a person of a dif- ferent type and character from what we have at home, and what is true of him is true of every one who laliours in America. They all work hard, and the senseless and extreme short-time movement seems to get little or no countenance amongst them. \^^lether this is the effect of decided love of labour, or of a superior knowledge of political economy to what is evinced by labourers at home I don't know, but they seem to understand that by curtailing work- ing hours and doing nothing during that curtailed workinu' time would so enhance their labour that the chances were to throw it out of the market and shift their labour to some other field where it could be more cheaply done, hence they produce more for the same amount of money than is done at home here, PHILADELPHIA. 120 and if they want to increase their incomes they work harder or they work more time, and they tliereby show they understand the only solid basis on which to better their condition so far as hal)our is concerned. And what is true of them as labourers is true of them as citizens ; tlie general type of the labourer has been moulded very nnich by tlie character of the men who have at various times emigrated from other countries to the States, these being usually of a better class to those left in the mother countries, and the effects of this is obvious in their general character and deport- ment. The workinu-man is a gentleman when off duty; his general attire bespeaks it so far as his attire can do so, and those who wish it sjdlabled in stronger terms or language are wont to do so by means of the incontrovertible evidence of jewel- lery. I saw one elaborate specimen in Brooklyn, who, perhaps, might pass muster in that part of the world, but for my part I could not see it. He might have been a very good tradesman or mechanic, but I considered him a very bad hand at personal decoration. However, if they do not at all times suc- ceed in attiring tliemselves tastefully, they are almost always sure to be cleanly, and so far as I could see (•ne might go tlie round of the States and not see so much tilth, squalor, rags, and misery, nor feel such vile and offensive odours, as are to be seen and felt in our passage along oui streets. There may be K 130 THE STATES AND CANADA. physical advantages or disadvantages on this ov that side. There may be moral or social advantages or disadvantages on this or that side. I merelv state the facts as I found them, and as 1 have heard done so by others who have been on both sides. If tliere is anything which is a source of pleasure or gratifica- tion to one on visitina the other side, it must be the general cleanliness of the people, which never fails to attract attention everywhere, and at all times it is noticeable, and strangers are always sure to observe it; and if it is the case at the time or season when strangers go Jiljroad, we may naturally presume sucli is the case at other times of the year as well. Another feature one cannot fail to observe is the pre- valent practice of early rising. I am not disposed in the least to attribute this to the universal adoption of the maxims of their great philosopher Franklin. I rather think it is caused by a greater amount of vitality in the air than is possessed in 13ritain. It is said it is to get through business before the heat gets too oppressive. Of course the shadows are deeper and longer in the morning, but the heat of the sun, according to my calculation, was as great at its first apDearance as at any time of the day. I was dis- posed at times to think my watch had become slug- gish, the folks were so much in advance of our home customs. Between eight and nine in the morning great numbers of ladies W3re abroad for all purposes, PHILADLILPIIIA. 131 11' tt a rush out in semi flishahiUe, but fully attired for tlui (lay. Of course breakfasting is past at an early liour, and dinner takes [)lace at midday, but there, as here, the numl)er wlio dine at home is limited, and especially so in hot weather, I was very much struck by seeing tlie streets of Philadelphia more than usually crowded by ladies on a Saturday afternoon, and being cui'ious to discover the kind «)f attraction wliich drew them all in a jjarticular ilirection, I was induced to follow the stream, and found them pouring into a Iniilding built of white marble, and from various characteristic emblems I saw on the front elevation I was sure it was a theatre, and a matinee performance was about to be given for those who could not make it convenient to attend in the cool of the evening; and I thought, like " Peeping Tom," if the character of the entertainment was suit- able for ladies, it might be so for gentlemen also, and I thought I miglit not get a chance of seeing a cor- responding feature of American life elsewhere, so I determined to take the advantage of this opportunity. I did not learn whether this was the best or the most fashionable house of the kind in the city, but the tpiality of the audience indicated that they were well up in the social scale, and I presume the house would be regarded as similar to the folks that filled its benches. I tried to secure a seat, but that was beyond the limits of the house, at least that part 132 THE STATES AND CANADA. where T wns. and tlio ladies hnd possession of all the available space. However, as my business was chiefly to take notes, T was as W(dl pleased, for it enabled nie to look about. The assembly was ([uite a rare one. T had never seen such an imposing and attractive gathering. Here and there T could see a solitary gentleman, for in many instances where one was he was so thoroughly covered up with the light and airy habiliments of the fair sex that he was with difficultv seen at all, and this state of things rather interfered with me in getting anytliing like an accu- rate estimate of the proportion of the audience com- posed of gentlemen ; and after an effort or two I con- cluded there would be about five per cent., and they were all reckoned as belonging to good society. 1 had ascertained this before going in, and I made sure that the quality of the entertainment would be of the same kind, but T was somewhat startled to find it a sort of adaptation of ".Tack Sheppard," with the names of the characters and the incidents slightly altered, and the whole merit of the piece lay in the voluble speeches and the sprightly acting of a young lady who played the part of the hero of the piece, and the scenes were all laid in the British metropolis. On a former occasion I alluded to the dead heroes of the late rebellion. They are out of sight of course, but their memory is preserved in the way I men- tioned before by planting the national flag over their rillLADELPHIA. 133 graves every year (Jii "Decorutioii Day." But there is one other uhiss of heroes next in the list as regards honour, lor they carry the silent but uneiiuivocal token of their actions in the field of battle, and do not rec|uire to tell you they were there. I mean the cripple, and these, like the poor, they will always have with them for many years to come. Spoiled for the labour they pursued before the war, they can only follow that form of labour that can be made to fit their condition, as that cannot be fitted to every kind of labour. Great numbers are employed about the Government ofhces in the capital and similar posi- tions m the large cities. This city has been selected for tlie grand display which will take place in 187(3, the Centenial Celebra- tion of Independence. Possibly the suitableness of the country around the city has induced the commis- sion to decide on Philadelphia as the place for it, the country and facilities in and around being cjuite suited for such an exposition or pageant as will take place on that occasion. Hotel keepers are turning their attention to the prospective and certain requirements of the myriads who will wend their way to witness this wonderful and startling event. All former efforts of Britain, France, and Germany are to be for ever and effectively eclipsed. A structure commen- surate with the size and character of the claims of the continent and people will be built; the whole 134 THE STATES ANIt CANAHA. force iind arriiv of iiivcutive wnius aiiuftalo, on the confines of Lake Erie ; and after changing we have a brief run along the banks of the Niagara Kiver for a few miles, and the Falls are reached after a drive of about 18 hours. The night is clear, the stars are bright and sparkling, and. the moon is beginning to throw a melancholy light over the sur- rounding gloom. Though it is one o'clock in the morning there are six or seven 'busses waiting to convey the passengers to the hotels they re])resent, and the characteristic energy and volubility of their drivers are profusely used to convince you how close this or that hotel is to the Falls ; Ijut as there is always some one at hand to keep you riglit, and as there is an impossibility of selecting more than one, I selected that one, and getting in, I arrived at a pri- vate hotel. After getting a glass of the best south- side Madeira, I ascended to my vhamhre a couchcr with my brain filled with a confused and intermin- able array of sights and objects I had seen on the way to this upper storey of the American continent. 1 opened my window to see if anything could be seen of the mighty flood, but various objects barred the way, and nothing could be seen but here and there a solitary tree with its foliage gleaming in -the silver L 140 THE STATES AND CANADA. rays of the rising moon; but all the air was tilled witli a soft hissing sound coming from the restless, seething, foaming, boiling waters which were pouring over the Falls of Niagara. en ATT Ell XII. THE FALLS OF NLVGARA. The sun's rising had preceded mine by several liours, and wlien I got up and looked out of my window I found hill, houae, and handet, lake, lawn, and land- scape, gilded hy his warmth and life-inspiring light" The air was light and elastic, and was filled with the same volume of sound which hushed all around to sleep the night before. Ihit now all was life, bustle, and activity. To one who has dreamt of this great sight for half a lifetime, and who knows he is about to realise it, the sensation is strange beyond descrip- tion. To be at the Falls with the knowledge of seeing them in a few seconds is like to take away your breath. You cannot help thinking what is common to all — this is the greatest sight in the world ; and now you have only to step aside and see it. You cannot forget your position in this respect, for were you to defer doing so, the sound, like the fascinating eye of the Cobra, would draw you to the spot. To approach them from the American side is impossible, for every available spot where the sight is worth a cent is utilized, and you are compelled to seek the bridge and pass to the Canadian side before you can 148 THE STATES AND CANADA. see the worltl-fumed cascade to ii(lviintaL,'c ; uiid it is evidently the most uatund sjtot lor this on Table Kock. The wliole picture lies before you, and every spot alon;^' the picture can be ex])Iored with the eye, and the sight is one which lor grandeur and niai;niti- cence places it ))eyond the ])0wer of any one to descril)e ; and many, undrn* the consciousness of this feebleness of language to convey the idea of it to others, have been guilty of every absurdity in rela- tion to height and other features connected with this great avalanche of water. There is mucli in the way or manner you see a siglit for the first time. Many are disappointed on looking at the Falls for the first time; and I think that arises from the fact that the water fallr, from the level on which the spectator stands down into a gully, glen, or canon, and the sides of the river rise up to your platform, almost per[)enicular to that height, and on that account one feels disposed rather to lessen their magnitude than increase it. And on this priiici})le one is astonished to hear of the exaggerated accounts from those who first saw and described them. The Jesuit father Hennepin called them GOO feet. Baron La Houten 700 or 800 feet, and Charle- voix 140 feet; but as in the earlier accounts the lan- guage is feeble and infantile, they tend, as I said before, to remedy the defect by increasing their mag- nitude. There are many points from which the THK FALLS OF NLV(;.\RA. 149 visitor can C()nteni])late tlieso wonderful torrents, Init tr. f'ot a just con(.'ej)tion of their niafinitude and power the bank of tlie stream below is certainly the best; and this is advocated bv those who are most interested in the enterjirise, and no ar<,Miment is wantiuLT to incline you to see the mysteries of this marvel from the lower level. You admire the disin- terestedness of these ]>eo))le, and believinf; by the descent vou are likelv to add materiallv to your stock of knf»\vledi,'e, you allow yourself to be melted into ac({uiescence, and you sul)mit to the necessary metamorphosis, and leaving your outward crust in a corner, you sally forward hid)ilitated, defying every attempt at recognition by the nearest and dearest on earth. There are few who have not seen some phase of a seaman's life in a storm — the angry surge of tbe flood and the sweeping showers of spray hurled against him with force and frequency, requiring him to be incased in his glossy sables to resist their fury and defy their power. Suppose for a moment you see such a figure as I have described moving forward towards the bank of the Niagara on a fine sunshiny day. Numeous pleasure parties are moving about, cars and carriages are filled with gay and jubilant crowds, and foot passengers are numerous by the way you pass, but no one takes notice of you. Hun- dreds of sou'-westers and rustling oilskins have passed that way before, and the solitary dark figure 150 THE STATES AND CANADA. is allowed to pass and go down into the depths of the river and drown hi?^iself if lie is disposed to do so. The descent is made by a spiral staircase, and you go down, down, and round, round, until you arrive at a banlc of huge fragments of rock which have been detached from the mighty overhanging mass overhead. By this time you have forgotten all about the fine weather above, and you are now under the shadow of a great rock in a strange land. Fear comes upon you like an armed man, but you are com- forted by the fellow at your elbow, who very likely tells you the rocks only come down in the winter time. You breathe a little freer, for it is some months to that time, and you hope to be four thousand miles off if you survive the present awful adventure; but still we are coming nearer the hor- rible watery abyss in front, and he opens his mouth to say something to you, and you are fain to put the words into his mouth, " Will you go back ? " but no, " Take care of your leet." Heaven and earth ! where is the fellow going ^ for he is now in front. Signs are substituted for words, for the thunder is rag- ing over us, and the whirlwind is like to deprive us of the little breath remaining, and the spray is pelting and lashing over and around us. And now we stand behind a detached fall and look out on the scene before us. The whole is basking in light, and looks like sculptor work in white marble. The floods THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. 151 as they roll over aod take their n.ad leap into the seething and boiling chaldron below are white ; the river as it rages and rushes through its confined channel is of milky whiteness, and we fancy every- thing is still without, and that the thunder and storm have followed ns into the chasm before us. Our stav is brief, and we are thankful when we get the right- about-face. We clamber over the rocky bed, and take a philosophical and geological glimpse at the perpendicular wall on our left as we pass along; but we do not feel disposed to make our analysis a very elaborate or protracted one, lest our acquaintance be one of a striking character, and we hurry our investi- gation of the stratified calcareous materials, and are not particular to ascertain to what period they be- longed. And after having tasted the sulphurous spring-water issuing from the rock, we deem it advisable to flee from where dangers are so rife, and where there are any immediate or remote chances of getting into the angry jaws of the flood below. We gain the foctt of the ladder, and here we can safely, and with pleasure, cast our eyes about. It is only a new phase of the scene, but every new point shows features attractive and grand, and this is a feature which is peculiar to the Falls. Place yourself on the hundred different points from whence a view is got, and you will find a special interest in them all. From this, i:„dit opposite, is the xlmerican Fall, and 152 THE STATES AND CANADA. it extends away to tlie left down in the direction in which the river Niagara flows for about a quarter of a mile; and the hei^^ht is 164 feet, but the great breadth of it has the effect of lessening the height in appearance. At the lower end of it, a few yards apart, there is a small Fall, and it is called the Bridal Veil. It is a considerable sheet, and its fall is similar in height to the great Fall alongside. On the right of the American Fall is the Goat Island, and this island divides the two Falls. The island is about seventy acres in extent, and it is a very pleasant ramble by its shady lanes, among its birch, beech, oak, firs, and cedars. The portion of this island which intervenes between the Falls is small, and hence their continuity is little interfered with, mak- ing them appear as one. Then to the right the Canadian or Horse-Shoe Fall begins, and makes a circle of about half a mile, or double that of the the American Fall, and comes round to the point where we look from. But in looking at this great phenomenon from any solitary point, no just or accu- rate estimate of the quantity of water which falls from these rocks can be obtained; but if we were to trace the source whence the floods are derived, it might help us in the absence of facts arithmetically obtained. In the interior, and above this point, are six immense fresh-water lakes, and they are all united by rivers running from one into the other, THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. l.")3 thus forming a chain of lakes. There are Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie, St. Clair, and Simcoe. The latter two are small compared with the four former, some of which take several days to cross, being four or five hundred miles at some points, and from these the surplus water runs down the St. Lawrence, which virtually begins at the lower end of Lake Erie, running down the Niagara into Lake Ontario, and thence by way of Montreal and Quebec to the Atlantic Ocean. After having thus cursorily glanced at the sources from whence this flood is supplied, we can easily see the quantity to be very great, and some scientific men have attempted to reduce it to figures, and from the fact that some two or more have ac^reed iv their results so far, we may accept it as a fair ai)proximation to the truth. I will only give one short example, by a professor of an American college, who states the quantity which passes over these Falls in the minute to be fifteen hundred million of cubic feet ; but this is only another proof of the feebleness of human language to express, or of the human mind to conceive, grasp, or realize anything of that kind in relation to this wonderful work of nature. There is still another example, showing the magnitude of the mass of water which finds its way by this river to the ocean. On one occasion a vessel was chartered — we shall say — for this voyage, and the crew was composed of a bear, 154 THE STATES AND CANADA. deer, bulfalo, fox, and various other animals, and she was sent over the falls. She drew 18 feet, and she passed over the Horse-Shoe Falls into the abyss below, proving the water on the shelf of the rock to be about 20 feet; and at that point the water is seen to be of a clear green colour, showing it to be an immense depth. The fall of such a body of water from such a height is sure to produce a variety of phenomena. At one time I noticed a column of spray just like a cloud, several hundred feet high, and the eftect of the light of the sun by day and the moon by night on this body of vapour is curious, and grand at times ; but this phenomena depends on the state of the atrr.osphere. Sometimes there is nothing worthy of notice ther-s to characterise it from any other water- faU. The river Niagara, from where it l)egins at the bottom of Lake Erie to the Falls, is about 22 miles, and from the Falls to Lake Ontario it is about 14, in all 36 miles. In that distance the Continent sub- sides between three and four hundred feet, the middle leap downward being over the Falls ; and onward it rushes through the chasm, gully, or canon o:" 14 miles with stern and terrible velocity, tearing everything away which, would dare check its progress to Lake Ontario. This gully along the whole pas- sage is strikingly wild, romantic, and singularly grand, rising at a few points some 300 feet almost THE FALLS OF NLVGAKA. 155 straight iii tVom tlie Hood below, its stony shelves profusely t'uruished with a variety of trees, shrubs, and other vegetation, the varied colours of which are fitly relieved by the grey, ribbed, and irregular stone- work below There are several places where rapids are seen, but nothing like the rapid in this portion of the river can be seen anywhere. There is one rapid which is so grand in this river, some two miles or so from the Falls, that the Yankee has utilised it and made it private property, and tourists are entertained to the sight at the charge of a shilling (25 cents) a head. This is called the whirlpool rapids, and here the water courses with such rapidity that you would suppose there was a rock in the way, for the water rises by its own force some 8 or 9 feet, making a splash as it were sent up by a torpedo. There is an amusing little episode connected with this rapid. At one time a little steamer used to run on the river between the American side and Canada. She was called the Maid of the Mist, and her owner getting into difficulties on account of a bond which was over her, and legal proceedings threatened, he determined to run the rapid, to stay proceedings by getting into British water. Everybody thought such an act impossible, as no vessel was ever known to pass down the river ; but the skipper resolved and accomplished this terrible task with the loss of his funnel only. His laurels were green ever after it. 150 THE STATKS VXD CANADA. and he is spoken of M'ith much animation, and as much admiration for his courage. This varied spot has induced much speculation in a geological point of interest, and no person can visit it without being struck with the character of the scenes. The upper river pursues its course through an open and ample plain, and at some parts is miles in hreadtli; but down at this ra]ud a person was known to throw a stone from one empire into the other, and nearly everywhere the sides rise from two to three hundred feet above the bed of the stream, marking it witli a decidedly different character to that above the Falls. And it is thought that the rivei' in its impetuous march and violent ebulitions has sapped and scoured the rocks from their beds, forming a deep chasm on the same level as the bed of Lake Ontario, and by doing so has called into exis- tence the rich and romantic grandeur, and the endless phenomena which is everywhere seen in and around the Falls. iMove the Falls the great rapids are the distinguishing feature. From the mouth of the Chippewa river the bed of the Niagara begins to slope towards the Falls, and the water receives a correspond- ing momentum, which increases until they make their final leap ; and this declivity has been taken advantage of, and several mills and public works are set down by the side of the river for the wn^er power. The fall, descent, or slope of the land in the distance THE FALLS OF NL\GARA. 157 specified is some 50 ieet, and by the time the waters near the cataract their impetuosity is soiuethiug fearful. Boating is not sale within two miles, where the smooth surface of the stream begins to ripple and goes on increasing its impetus, until it is lashed into fury and roars like a sea in a hurricane. The breadth of the stream immediately across the upper end of Goat Island must be over a mile, and a considerable bay is formed on the Canadism shore, round which the water turns with a swoop, at times bearing down all opposition. The mills referred to are un the American side and have their connection with the town of Niagara. Besides (ioat Island there are several snuill islands, called Bath, Luna, and the Three Sisters. On Bath Island there is a paper mill, where the paper for the Ncir rork Tribune newayaytiY is manufactured. All these islands are connected by bridges from Niagara side, and are possessed by enter- prising Yankees, who are bent upon extracting the full value for the sights which are accessible by the facilities afforded by them. I mentioned before that every spot where a view can be obtained ol the Falls on the United States side is bolted, barred, and her- metically sealed, except to the open sesame of cents and dollars; but this is just carrying out a practice which is experienced by ail strangers in the States, though it is here more seriously glaring on account of the opposite practice pursued on the British side, 1"»8 THE STATES AND CANADA. wliin'e one can roam from Lako Ontario to Lake Erie without hindrance, and enjoy all that is wortliy heing seen or enjoyed. On this side of the river is the villaf^'e of Clifton, jnst by tlie Falls on the Canadian side as the town of Niagara is on the American bank, and the communication between is effected by means of the new suspension bridge, a modern and very graceful structure in iron, wliich spans the river at a spot twelve hundred feet across ; from pier to pier it is nearly thirteen hundred feet, and is a hundred and ninety feet above the water surface, and well-nigh four hundred feet above the bed of tlie river, as its depth here is about one hundred and eirditv feet. This bridge is exceedingly worthy of all that has been said about it. It is a fairy-looking piece of work — light, airy, and quite in keeping with the place and all its accessories; and one feature in connection with its construction is worthy of notice. The span is very great, and to relieve it from the pressure occasioned by storms or otherwise a great number of stays, of every degree of strength, are fixed between it and the banks of the river. Tliese stays are forty-eight in number, and their weight fifteen tons. There are also a great number of guys, about or over fift}^ giving the whole work a most intricate and unique appearance. The towers at the piers are one hundred feet high, and from the cables which support the bridge are some five hundred suspenders, giving the roadway the THE FALLS OF NL^OARA. l."9 appearance of a loiif; and magniticent cage. Liglit carri.ages are alloNved to ])ass over hut not to halt on the hridge. Tlie change in temperatnre from winter's cold to snnnnor's heat produces a difference of tln-ee feet in the height of tlie hridge by expansion and contraction of the metal. The old hridge is some distance further down the river, and much which has heen said of the new one is true of the old. The span is not so great, and stremrth more than elegance was aimed at in its con- struction. It is used for a double purpose. Over it the New York Central Eailway forms a connection with tlie Great Western, and there is a roadway underneath the railway. The cables are twice the strength of those on the new bridge, and the towers are about thirtv feet less in height. The bridges are of course in charge of persons who charge the traveller who rides or passes on foot, and here also we have the Custom-house officer of the "Bald Eagle." It seems to matter little or nothing what you may buy in the States and take across, no one challenges you by the way. You are not subject to any State surveillance on the British side; you can pass freely. But on coming into the States the Custom-house officials must know the amount of your purchases on the British frontier, and have his fee ad valorem in the interest of the "stars and stripes." The protection of the rade of the United States seems to require a sleepless 160 THE STATKS AND CANADA. and unruiiiiltiiig vigilance; for at any time, at every stage, on tlie frontier, the eye of the "eagle" must penetrate tlie inmost recesses of your baggage for the detection of contraband. To tourists it is an unsuffer- able nuisance, and at times you feel in a temper to be uncivil, and you are disposed to consider the treatment you undergo on the States territory as the result of a universal and well concerted conspiracy to treat every foreigner as a spy, undeserving either sympathy or the generous recognition which a stranger ought to receive on the part of those among whom he sojourns for a time. But as every one undergoes a successive process of fleecing before he gets this length, lie does not expect an exceptional kind of treatment when he sojourns at the Falls of Niagara. To a person whose proclivities or tendencies are of a scientitic character much may be found at the Falls to interest him, for a person is very apt to ask. How is this ? what is the cause of that ? and, in the absence of a suthciently qualified instructor, to aim at the solution of the ditHculty at once, and on the spot, Tliere are many natural phenomena which may be explained, and there are others which are certainly above explanation, but we cannot call them super- natural, but rather speculative; and if we are not fortunate in getting them solved, we do no harm in leaving them that some one may enrich his character by giving evidence of very high attainments by doing THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. 161 ill the future what has not been done up to tlu3 i)resent. There are manv curious statements advanced — some of which you can have no means at hand to disprove or confirm. This OTcat sight must necessarilv have its greatness and suhlimityenhanced by weaving round it a network of fabulous and refined romance, which is calculated to please for the brief space of time foreigners are held under its influence. AVe are struck by tlie wild whirl and incessant storm and fury which rages on the upper rapids for a mile or so before the water reaches the Falls. If a storm of wind were raging we could gaze on it and consider that there was an apparent cause for the effect which was passing before our eyes; but when all is silent, and nature, so far as the eye can see, is wrapt in the deepest repose, the impression is strange and unaccountable in the highest degree. We are told that the flood at the top of the rapids has a speed of seven miles an hour, which increases at the bottom to thirty miles an hour. Now, whether this is the real or only the approximate speed, it matters not, as it shows what is the true cause which pro- duces such a fierce and frantic war in this avalanche of water before it makes the last and terrible leap into the groaning vortex of the abyss below; and this wild commotion is imparted to a certain extent to the air, and in the stillest day one can always count on a gentle breeze round the margin of Goat Island, and 1G2 TIIH STATH.S AND CANADA. in hot weatluT this makes the ishiiul and the hake sources of (k^sinihle enjoyment. I have ah'eady referred to tlie storm which raj^'es at the bottom of tlie Falls. Such a larj^^e and solid body falling from such a height is capable of moving everything which intercepts its progress, and against which it strikes, and it is said the rocks in close proximity to the great Fall are sensibly affected, and vibrate by the action of the water. I was disposed to test this part of the marvellous, and with this view I got out to the very margin of the great Fall from the side next to Goat Island, and held my ear and cheek against a rock for some time, but I failed to discover the faintest vibration on the rock from the stroke of the water at the ba?:e. I think that the configuration of the rock below is such that no blow takes place except at any time a fall of the rock occurs, and even then it is doubtful, on account of the channel and the great depth below. The depth immediately below the great Fall is greater than the height of the Table Rock above, and the momentum which is im- parted to the water does not appear on the surface at all, for tho water on the surface is comparatively at rest, and its course is slow; while the waters below must be hurrying through the channel at the rate of ten or twelve miles an hour. The proof of this is obvious, in the fact that all floatable substances rarely appear at the basin of the Fall, but are held by THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. 163 the velocity of the stream below, and are carried down at once to the Whirlpool Rapids, where they are sometimes churned for a long time before they are swept down towards Lake Ontario, and it is very strange they should appear at this point, for the water is said, or supposed to be, several hundred feet deep; but in the vicinity of this part of the river the water must receive a check by some great impedi- ment — some cid-dc-sdc throwing the water up with so mucli velocity as to throw it high into tlie air, and this at a distance of three miles ; this pheno- menon is seen down the St. Lawrence as well, and it looks like the action of shallow water, but the power- ful effect it has on the steamer disabuses the mind at once of its being so. Some time ago there was at the Horse Shoe Fall a tower which n^as used by the curious to overlook the Falls, and a capital view and impression of its grandeur and majesty were ob- tained; but it was removed not long ago, as fears were entertained regarding its safety. It was net sufficiently near to the water to be influenced by its action; but in the winter time, when thousands of tons of ice are driven down the river, its stability might have undergone some change which may have induced the proprietor to demolish it entirely, and thereby avert any accident. It is said that many have felt a strong inclination to leap into the flood while gazing into its vortex 164 THE STATES AND CANADA. from some of the heights. This looks a strange story, and unaccouiitalile in the extreme, but such a feeling as that might come to the surface in some persons whose constitution disposed them in a parti- cular direction. I tried the experiment under the fascinating influence and advantages which teem around the most attractive spots, but cannot say that I felt disposed in the remotest to distinguish myself by any such impressive piece of daring. I had no longings for the fame of those who dream of securing it by such a startling method. I daresay in refer- ence to this wonderful statement many would be inclined to stand on the order of their going and fail to go at once. Accidents, however, are rife at this spot. To make a false step here is tantamount to making a fatal one ; for it is difficult to extricate one's self at any point where such a slip takes place. I did not take notice whether there was any means at hand for the rescue of a person overtaken by accident. I rather think there is none. I do not remember seeing a life-buoy, ladder, or anything of that sort. Perhaps these on past occasions have been found of no use, or they may be disposed to afford facilities for carrying out the prophetical tra- dition of the Indians, who have set down the number of sacrifices to the giant flood at the rate of two in the year. Whether this prophecy applied to Indians or not I cannot say, but about an average of one in THE FALLS OF NL4GAKA. 165 the year suffices, but whether in fulfilment of the pro- phecy T leave others to determine or discover. I did not feel inclined to follow the Indian into his fast- nesses, retreats, or solitudes, in the searcli of what I thought wouUi scarcely repay the trouble. It is said, however, that the Indians have on certain occa- sions come from their distant settlements to look on this great flood, the knowledge of whose existence has been transmitted from father to son, and on these occasions they have sought the flood, and with serious, grave, and reverend awe, and religious cere- mony, offered a calumet (poakanie or pipe) to the Great Spirit or Kitchi Manetoua, as a thankoffering for their propitious journey and safe return. It is a rare thing to see an Indian in the vicinity of the Falls. The Chippewa and the Iro(|uois are often spoken about, but to meet one rather a long journey requires to be undertaken before their habitations are overtaken; but both in the town of Niagara and the village of Clifton there are museums where their works are exposed for sale, and a great trade must be done in them, if one were to judge from the number of shops or stores which offer the various kinds of Indian work of art to the tourist or tra- veller, as a momento of their visit to the famed spot. The Anglo-Saxon race are almost in possession of the whole country around, and one rarely meets an inhabitant of any other country who is a permanent 166 THE STATES AND CANADA. settler. The town of Niagara has a population of aljout 3000. The place is very much scattered, and any grouping of the buildings in the form of streets has scarcely the effect of causing one to feel that a street is intended by the arrangement. Buildings of some magnitude are found in close juxtaposition with others which are foreign to them in style and use. But possibly all this distraction in the exter- nal features of the place may be taken or reckoned as imparting to it a charm, as it takes away the com- mercial character from the appearance of the place which is associated usually with places which have their square and compact elements carefully attended to. The hotels are a feature in the place. Of course here, where the commercial population is small, the hotels are not used as they are in great centres of the States as the dwelliiigs of the bulk of conimer- f^val men ; they are solely for the use of the moveable and fluctuating population. Tourists are public pro- perty whenever they come to visit places like the Falls; they are the peculiar care of the various auxiliaries belonging to the hotels, who are like your shadowy or the ever-present sound of the water which encircles you all the time of your sojourn, You are never left for a moment without their kindlv influence being exerted over you. Whether it is that they fear that you may become a prey to that mystical fascination and power which are attributed THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. 167 to these mysterious Falls, and that you may transfer yourself, were you left alone, to their attractive and fatal embrace, I know not, but their attentions are of a fervid, generous, and self-abnegating character, which is calculated to puzzle you as tt> where it has its source. It would be uncharitable to suppose that the knowledge of your being the repository of a cer- tain nundjer of dollars could induce such kindly feeling, and genial and frank solicitude with which you are overpowered. It is tpiite evident that the chief of the business in connection with the place has its origin in the thousands wlio are continually coming and going to visit the world's wonder, the hotels alone being able to accommodate several thousands. It is not possible to say which is best, for where there is so much competition doubtless the effort to please the customer will correspond. Any nundier of vehicles, carriages, or buggies are in the streets and openings belonging to the hotels, and to persons having no connection with them, and one will be sure to be advised to have nothing to do with isolated and wandering jobbers on the streets. I do not say that their commercial morality is of a higher type than the proprietors of the hotels, but I would only advise any visitant wlio wishes the assistance of these useful characters to believe the one as soon as the other. Anything I say refers to the United States' side chiefly, but I presume the brief space of 168 THE STATES AND CANADA. the river will not prevent tlie contagion from spread- ing to the other; but what I said in regard to the proprietors of the foreshore on the United States' ft side, must influence every one in their estimate of the people on that side. Any person or people who can, for the doubtful gain secured by it, shut out one of nature's grandest and most sublime and majestic sights, for the sake of making a profit of it, should be sent down over the Whirlpool Eapids in the winter time on a block of ice, and the Government which would allow such a transparent and despicable piece of swindling is not entitled to any generous expression of sympathy from any person of sense or considerate judgment. A British subject who has travelled so manv thousand miles to see this grand and imposing spectacle, and who has approached it by way of the States, and finds he must get on British soil again by crossing to the Canadian side before he can see it, if he has any soul at all must entertain an in- tensified degree of supreme and just contempt for those who would make this full and sublimely grand voice of God equal to a trumpery show which is dragged by the scum of creation from town to town for the pennies or cents ilrawn from the curious. The museums I referred to, and which are most numerous on the American side, are evidently worthy of being visited by all who go that way; but it is needless for me or any one else to suggest tliis. The THE FALLS OF NIAGARA. lf)9 person who can escape them by being indifferent to the solicitation and importunities of the keepers has all the qualities of a person who should make the round of the States. These stores, shops, or museums are chiefly in the places where strangers most do congregate, and are of course a leading feature. We presume the daytime has been exhausted by seeking, and enjoying the fair spots in the surrounding country, the after-dinner speeches have all been delivered, and the deep shadows of an autumnal evening have settled down on and concealed all the beauties of this fairyland, and you walk abroad eager to inhale the cool and invif^orating air or the sweet odour from the new mown hay; but to do this you must leave the air which permeates the entourage of your hotel, and you pass on not knowing whether you go. By and by, you are attracted by an excess of light from one quarter, and as there is a cheerful look you are induced to proceed in that way; but you have not gone far without doing what is natural in the circumstances, taking a peep at the beauties which are spread in the window for the benefit of an admiring and discerning public; and while you are admiring the contents of the window you are politely told by two or three attractive young ladies that the attractions of the window are infinitely inferior to what are to be seen inside. You attempt to weigh that announcement in the balance, but before you 170 THE STATES AND CANADA. have time to adjust the scales you are found standing in the interior of the museum, and it takes an effort of philosopliy to enable you to discover the agency by whicli the transfer was effected so rapidly, nnd it is only after you have departed with your hat and coat pockets stuffed with the various varieties and your purse commensurately empty, thai the secret dawns upon you in all its vivid reality. It is surpris- ing the amount of business and talk which can be effected by these ladies in a night, and in some instances they will deliver an embellished statement with as much mug fro id as if it was a plain unvarnished fact, substantiated by the concrete and respectable testimonv of the local legislature. A w^alk abroad in the evening round the great centre of attraction, is impressive and grand beyond concep- tion. The evening is quiet a nd calm, and all nature has glided softly into w^arm and luscious repose. The stars have fretted the deep blue sky, and they are scat- tering their rays of living light across the gloom. No breath of air disturbs even the tender branches. You look across the great chasm and you feel as if a spirit passed before you. High overhead it hovers, winged as it were witli motion from below, rising gently and awfully, it stands a pillar Oi cloud by night, fenced round by the eternal music from the void beneath, fit emblem of imniortalitv and life. AVe could forgive the untutored Indian if w^e learned that he had made THE FALLS OF NIAGAKA. 171 this spot a temple for the Great Spirit to dwell in and receive his homage and worship, for at times there is much in and around it to excite and call out feel- ings of veneration and reverence, and inspire the beholder with every attribute of his nature which lifts him from the gross and sensual accompaniments of this life to one of a higher and lasting character. The streets of Xiagara are very homely and rustic in their appearance, as if they were only recently reclaimed from the common, with a sprinkling of shrubs and trees here and there, for the sake of variety, and variety is certainly not awanting in every corner of it. Kere you find a mill, with the canal glia/'g past, giving indubitable evidence that it ha:i Leen superseded by some more useful work, the antique bridge and the pathway across, where caution and circumspection are necessary to keep you out of the dangerous deep below. The ample aiid capacious hotel, surrounded with well-kept walks and luxuriant wide-spread trees, whose shadows are gracious in the ndd-day sun, and close by the humble wooden build- ing and the thrifty tradesman's shop, ^vith broad brimmed awning to keep his stock secure from sun or rain. There is a special interest associated with the country here, on account of its being the scene of several battles between the old authorities and the new. Tiis is the line which divides the States from Canada, and being the frontier — a bold and natural 172 THE STATES AND CANADA. line of demarcation — at times the war iaf]^ed around the district between Fort Erie at one end of the river and Fort Niagara at the end next to Lake Ontario; and at many places along both banks engagements and conflicts have occurred between the Indians, Americans and British, and on the lakes also deadly strife has been often waged, when the great conflict or struggle for independence was going on. But now no military are seen anywhere, the Custom-house officer being the only Government official one has occasion to meet; and I daresay every pea '.cable citizen hopes that the bold and stubborn cliffs O'A the banks of the Lower Niagara, and its broad and deep water above, will be sufficient ibr all the purpose's of division and protection, and that in all time to come the storm which formerly tore and severed the two countries will be hushed for ever, and nothing more formidable will appear to divide them than the impetuous stream of the Niagara. CHAPTER XIII, EX KOUTE FOR THE CAPITAL OF UPPElt CANADA. The kindly offices which one experiences at tlie Falls are not limited to the time you may reside there. They are also of a prospective character. How do you like our country ( is a question which is ever and anon propounded, and following that, as a carollary, Where do you go next? Up to this time I had not travelled in the manner which is cus- tomarv or common in the States. Tourists nsuallv in the States, with consummate forethought, sketch the entire ground which they intend to occupy in their projected voyage, and at one of the many places where the sale of tickets takes place, they secure a long .string of these corresponding witli the desired route, cind after that no further purchases are neces- sary, and by this arrangement a considerable saving- is eflected. You may get from ten to twenty tickets, as the case may be, according to the number of places you intend to stop at or to visit, and when you arrive you hand the conductor the ticket bearing the nanie of the place, and you can stay there for any time, and afterwards pursue your way to the next place indicated on your coupon. And the advantage 174 THK STATKS AND CANADA. of such a system is of a highly coniiiiendabh; kind, as it saves all further anxiety about the purchase of tickets, and your umlivided attention can he given to your baggage as you pursue your journey. At this point I was reconiiuended and induced to proceed in the manner T have referred to. I bought niv long string of coupons, which entitled me to bed, Ijoard, and passage by steamer and rail for the remainder of my route. These tickets or coupons are sold at offices often a long way from the station at which you intend to embark, and you have only to step into the train on arriving at the station and proceed, without even showing your ticket, which, if you happen to be a little late, is a convenience which you feel mucli in such circumstances. There are two routes by which you can reach Canada from the Falls, by rail straight across by London or Pans, and the other by rail and steamer to York, the old name of Toronto. This latter I selected, embarked, and found our track lay along the eastern bank of the Niagara river. The day was clear and fine, and our course was at times along the very brink of its high embankment, affording us facilities for seeing the bold and rocky escarpment on the opposite bank, and the jutting shelves with their rich fringes of variously coloured vegetation, the towering pines spotting the wild, .rregular, and rugged stony pali- sades behind. Here, some huge and towering cliff EX KOUTK FOR rri'EK CANADA. 175 seemed poised in mid air, as if ready to take a head- long phmge into the seething tlood coursing l)etvveen the barriers below; and there, trees rise over trees, clothing the sides of the giant walls from base to cope. High into the air rises the pile of this majes- tic temple, with its sides of rich and natural decora- tion, disclosing here and tliere its massive and mag- nificent architecture, cliisled by the hand of Time, and below the voice of the spirit of the flood rung up its eternal chorus, tilling the entire chasm with its never-dying anthem. But shortly the train changes direction, and makes a detour further east, and we pass by cultivated fields, whose treasures here lie gleaned, and ready to store before the advent of winter, with its stern and biting blasts and storms. The run has not been a long one, for shortly we halt, and the contents of the train are transferred to steamer at Lewiston, by a number of vehicles, which may be wanting in elegance but not in variety. A moment- ary bustle takes place, and the horse and his rider are on their way again to Niagara, amidst a cloud of dust, and with the lively administration of the whip or the tongue to the propelling power, we move along jauntily for about two miles, and our port is gained. The steamer lies at a wharf, and here we descend the embankment from a considerable heightby a suc- cession of steps, requiring both care and skill to do so successfully and safely. When the living freight has 176 THE STATES AND CANADA. settled into its place and the various traps and bag- gage are adjusted, we cut our connection with tlie land, and move further into the stream, which lies like a still broad sea of glass, reflecting the foliage around its margin. Lewiston bey;ins to recede. The big wheels are beating back the green water into snowy ripples, and the fresli breeze beats the grateful awning which spans the deck into life and vigour. The gorge of Niagara narrows in the distance, and the banks rise up like ramparts on either side, robed in their mantles of varied tints, mellowed by the autum- nal sun. Queenston is passed, and the wide ocean of Ontario floavs across the river's mouth, and on one side Fort Niagara looks over its water with its hun- dred loopholes, and from the flagstaff swings the flaunting " Stars and Stripes." We touch at the opposite shore at a small place on the Canadian side, and now we are on Lake Ontario. Our next port is Toronto, and for the next few hours we are surrounded bv the waste of water, and our attention, and curiosity must be directed to the steamer and its contents, or reflections of the past, the imposing sights we have left behind, of the magnitude of everything in the country, which attracts attention. Its lakes, its rivers, are unending, infinite ; its bays are oceans ; its caves are the portals to the blackness of darkness, teaming with stalactite and stalagmite wonders and beauties, the chambers of wliich, for number and in- EN liOUTE FOIl UPPEPt CANADA. 177 tricacy, are beyond liiiman power to explore. Num- bers of tlieiii have been illuminated with globes for the curious to see their interior, but the ends ()f their ramifications have not been seen yet. There are falls twice the height of Xia<2ara, but the bodv of the water is not so impressively grand and awe inspiring. There are small lakes of unsurpassed beauty, with scenery surrounding much like our Trossachs. There are mountainous districts, but tJiese are not so gigantic. They do not breathe of immortality, nor point in the direction of the soul's aspirations. They are not mantled in romantic life and grandeur, nor crowned with snowy or cloudy coronets. They do not reach to the distinction which grace those mountains that have their embattlements high in the storms and artillery of tlie upper world, and round whose top the spirit of man communes with the sublime and beautiful in nature. We have gained the middle of the lake, and the land we left behind has sunk below the horizon, and the shore in the direction of our port begins to rise up as from the deep ; on the left nothing is seen but a thin thread marking the line where the sky and sea meet, while to the right hundreds of miles inter- vene between us and the land, and the solitary aspect of the surface makes one feel as if the middle of the Atlantic was our position. There is perchance one sail in sight crossing this tideless and saltless ocean. N 178 THE teTATHS AND CANADA. AVe near the land, and are struck with the marked character of this side of the hike, or ratlier this part. Tlie high tahle-land or the ranipart-like bold shore is only on the side we have left, and on the Toronto shore the land is flat and level so far as we see from our ship. A long spit, tongue, or hook-like island lies along in front of Toronto Pay, and extends for miles, serving the purposes of a breakv/ater, and must be serviceable to the port when storms drive the waters jf the lake in that direction. There seemed to me to be a difficulty navigating the steamer in crossing this bar, and sundry " ports" and "starboards" cur- vettings, backings and forwardings, are necessary to catch the line of the channel, but shortly we round the bay and get into the wharf or qua}', and the bursting vapour from the steam pipe trumpets our arrival at the capital of Upper Canada, and I have made my first trip on an American lake. I have purposely omited to say anything about the t|uality or character of the steaniers, as 1 will lia\e an oppor- tunity to do so after a while, when 1 get on one of the other lakes, as steamships on this are not equal to tliose on the iStates lakes and rivers. They serve the purpose as well lor what they are intended, but they are plain and commonplace ; while those in the trade referred to are miracles of marine architec- ture. Toronto has a foreshore in extent similar to Greenock, EX KOUTK FOR rPPER CANADA 179 about two miles or 30, and 011 or alonp; this space are many public works, and evidences of a thriving city. The wharves are many, and piles of all kinds of stuffs are crowding the available landings. The pier where we landed was packed with a heterogenous compila- tion of everything, and to escape from its intricacies required both time and considerable labour. At this pier the steamer in M'hieh we came leaves her pas- senuers, and those whoint(;nd to prosecute the vovajiie to its end take another steamer, which ijoes down the Saint L;iwrence to Montreal — thirty hours' sail or so among the thousand islands and ovirr the rapids. But as I wished to see part of the Canadian interior and an acquaintance I tvansferned myself to the Grand Trunk Eailwav Station, and u'ot nubauoao-e checked, intending to return the day following. ^My traiii did not start for an hour or so, and I ha(l time to look about. The stations at tliis city remind one of Iiome. The Grand Trunk especially reseml>les the station of the Scottish Central at Perth. It is almost new, and quite worthy of the great system it is connected with. On the business side of it are the Baggage Offices, Ticket Offices, Pulman's Ticket Office, Refreshment Rooms, ample Waiting Ilooms, and Officials' Apart- ments. And this is the only station T saw in America worthy of being called a station. The stations of the Great Western and Xorthern surpass the most of the American stations, but the Grand Trunk is the Xon- 180 THE STATES AND CANADA. pareil, and is evidence of the new vigour, lite and action \vliicli have been inliised into this gigantic enterprise, which was disposed, on tlie part of its management, to take a nap by the way for a ^liile, and settle down into a lethergic condition, when the zenith of success had been attained, or was supposed to be so. At first the entire system was constructed on the old or broad guage system, and I daresay a ditticulty was experienced of extending operations, a transhipment of goods entailed expense, and limited the action to its own plant; but now that the guage is changed to the now almost universal standard, its fresh blood will receive scope for circulation ov^r the great continent. To be able to run cars to and from Chicago, ^Montreal, Portland, and other large centres must necessarily give a stimulus to trade previously unknown. Everywhere the old rails have been taken up and the whole replaced \vith steel rails, new roll- ing stock has been created, between four and five hundred new engines have been constructed, new bridges, &c., and the £2,000,000 which the company have jjut into their hand will enable them before they are done to create the finest railway system in the world. And if there is any part of the world where such enterprise is needed, it is on this great British- American Continent, with its vast resources for enter prise and skill. In every direction the tide of emigration flows over the continent, and with a EX ROUTE FOR ri'FER CANADA. 181 railway system carry ino- fresh lahonr and the other a^'encies necessary for the conquest and clearance of the deep and interniiuahle forests, the ditlicnlties of iniiniuration and colonization are to a j^reat extent ovtirconie and lessened, and great facilities afforded for the advancement and execution of the lahorious work wliirdi meets the colonist on his arrival. A wide-spread and effective railway system is of the last imy)ortance in any country, but especially in a country where tliere are no old beaten tracks to guide the steps of the new settler in his search for a new home it is essentially so. Tlie cars on this line are splendid specimens of finished work of the kind. One would suppose there was no need for anything like costly and elaborate decorations on these cars, but the management are determined to l)e abreast of the timas, and it must to a certain extent be an induce- ment to the travelling public; and if it is not so, it is a decided comfort to those who are obliged to travel by day, and those who have to travel by night are enabled to do so in a palace, or, as it is set doM^n, " a palace car." As I said before, these are both gorgeous and sumptuous. At the stations they are kept for the night trains, and for two dollars you can enjoy the felicity and comfort of a palace for the whole night In. Canada the same principles of railway manage- ment as in the States are carried out. The Pullman re not the property of the various lines on which 182 THE tilATKS AND CANADA. they are found, but belong to a company which pays for the privilege of running their cars over the lines of railways. And as I stated, the persons wishing to use the palace or sleeping cars get tickets frinn an official representing the company they belong to, and who at this station occupies an office of his own. The emigrant car is another institution. Of course we do not expect to see an attempt at anything like luxury in connection with these — they are plain and commonplace, like the cheapest means of conveyance in our own country. These are provided frequently as part of the contract with the emigrant before he or she quits fatherland. These are attached to all the trains, and ordinary or lirst-clas5 is reserved for the travelling public. Whilst there is thus a general spirit of progress in relation to comfort and stability going on, a person from this country is rather aston- ished at the irrciiularitv of the trains. Time is seldom or never kept, especially on lines where there is any extent of traftic; and if it were not that they were wrought with single lines collisions in all likelihood would be frequent, but the train which is first due at the siding station must wait till the train from the other direction comes up and passes, and thus trains are prevented from colliding, and the sacrifice of life is prevented at the sacritice of time, the loss of which IS least felt. The facilities which the rapid extension of railways give must be great to the commercial EN ROUTK FOR IPPKU CANADA. 183 portion of tlie States and Canada in sending in pro- duce to tlie ports, \vlier(3 it is eniliarked, and to cetitral markets. In Canada railway extension is slow and cautiously projected; l)ut in tlio States an almost opposite course is pursued. In the be^^inniiiii-oflSGi} there were 35,000 miLis of railway in the States in operation; and one-half of that amount was made during the preceding eleven years. In 18ij9 over 5,000 miles were made, and since that period nearly 8,000 mile^ have been made. In the first instance the lines are single, doulile lines being rarely seen ; and when we consider that the building of railways in America costs only about a third of what they cost in Britain, they ought to pay well, and the Americans think th;it their railways are better managed than thev are in Britain; the fares are less, if we consider that first-class is the degree of travelling aecommoda- tion provided. In travelling in any part of tlie American continent folks from this part of the world are apt to forget that the time is not uniform there as it is here, the extent of the country being too great to enable them to adopt any such arrangement, and as the time is sometimes that of the city you have left, and at another time that to which you are going, you are perplexed, especially whilst you are on the move, and as the result of this your chronometer is never telling the truth, and confusion on the part of strangers is sure to be frequently manifested. 184 THK 8TATK8 AND CANADA. As this city is tlie chief centre of importance in Upper Canada, there is niiicli tliat is interesting' on acconnt of its bein^' so, but as my train does not allow me as much time as is necessary to see it at present, I will take tlie cars and reserve it for examination on my return from the interior. The trains are not numerous in the course of the day to any of the dis- tant ])laces, and they are mostly trains whicli are pro- ceeding from Montreal or other places, such as Port- land or Kichmond, going west, and are joined by the cars from Toronto. The station of the f rrand Trunk Line stands on the portion of the west-end of the city next or near the lake, and the cars here are brought along in the same manner as in many of tlie State cities through the central part of the busiest portion of the city, and enter the station at one end, and leave "by the otlfer. The usual stillness which occurs between the trains is superseded by various movements indica- tive that the train is approaching, and the in- tending travellers are on the qui vive, baggage is all piled on traps ready for transfer to the oflicials in charge. The usual amount of steam whistling and creaking of compound breaks and bufiers, and fitful and nervous vociferation take place, and hurried adieus are interchanged, and we are oft to the West ! On tliis line there are many stations which have familiar names, but on the whole they show the lauds KN ROUTK FOR TITER CANADA. 185 to have been settled on by peoi)le of various countries. Tlie route, as far as gone over hy nie, was flat and level ; considerable tracks of it cleared and fully cul- tivated, others only partially so, and dotted with ni}Tiads of stumps, but utilised between. This was very generally the character of the country along this line, interspersed with a number of smart-looking villages, the traits or features of which we will have an opportunity again of seeing, and after a run of about four hours we arrived at the town of Berlin, Ontario, Ujjper Canada. C H A P T E K XI V. BERLIN, UPPER CANADA. When T arrived at Berlin the deep and impenetrable shadows of a Canadian evening had settled over the landscape, and I felt somewhat at a loss, for the station was some distance from the town, and the morally felicitous condition of this part of the " New "World " did not necessitate the practice of lighting the public thoroughfares, and strangers have just to grope their way in the dark in the same manner as the settled portion of the population do. However, I was favoured with the casual guidance of some young folk who were returning from a fair held at the neighbouring town of Guelph, and these served the double purpose of company as w^ell. It was not long after sunset, but the rapidity with which the day deepens into night after that luminary has sunk is very marked, and is beyond our idea in such mat- ters; but when T approached what I took to be the town, from the number of windows which were strewing their glowing lights across the gloom, I made a halt, and on making inquiry I found I was standing at the side of the Presbyterian church. IlEULIX, UITKH CANADA. 187 vlijcli was at that iiioineiit occiipieil by my clorical frieud wlioni I was in <[uest of. T entered tlie porch, and after a series of attempts in the dark t(^ find a passage, T at last succeeded, and took my seat in one of the remotest i)ews in tlie church, and as there was but a dim religious light, I managed to secure my incognito to the end of the services without much trouble. There is nothinu- on earth which reminds ' ne of home and its highest associations more than that of going into a church in a foreign land and finding the same person officiating who had dont » at home, frequently in the same form and the same words, the same sounds, the same " Lord's song in a foreign land," when, perhaps, " Dundee's wild warbling measures rise," or some one of " Scotia's sweetest lays." Then, by the magical omnipotence and speed of thought, one finds himself transported in memory back through the wild and confused labyrinth of the past and intervening scenes to his home far across the floods. Such were some of my feelings between the time of my entrance into and exit from that House of God on that night, after having passed over a considerable portion of the Canadian continent. If 1 were to say that my friend was surprised and pleased, and pleased and astonished, to find a visitor Irom " Auld Scotland " in the Canadian interior, I would only tell you half of the truth. We some- 188 THE STATES AND CANADA. times talk of " a]i(>els' visits," hut scarcely in Canada have they sncli a thing, and wlien an occasion occurs they are inclined to regard the person as such; and then it is their aim to give one the proof of it before h --^'ng them. xhe distance we had to travel after leaving church was not great, and it would he a work of some mag- nitude to rehearse the thousand-and-one in(j^uiries ahout home made by the Eev. Mr. Dickie, for mid- night did not mitigate the demands which were made upon me. But as there was a new day connng, we both retired — the one confident of being uble to sujiply the demand the other was likely to make upon him in reference to what was doing in the " Old World." A niglit's repose brought the morning wreathed in da])pled clouds of gray, chased with gold and ruby tints, and robust with the glow of youthful health. The light was frolicking among and along the tops of the distant pines, and on the cones of the metal covered spires, then back to the east again, when I walked abroad to see the town of Berlin for the first time. Of course it is unnecessary to say what part of the world the first settlers came from, and who made thiri their habitation and home, or though one, were it possible, were cast ashore on this part of Canada, he would not remain at a loss for any length of time as to the nationality of its people. The German BERLIN, UPPER CANADA. 189 element is still strong, but there are representatives from many European eountries, and we can easily learn that the past was not remote when the tbunda- tion stone of this place was laid, for it lias none of the melloM' and matured features about it. One can easily conceive of the date of its being reclaimed from the forest which surrounds it, of ^\ hicli its area formed a part. At that time it would be l»ut a farm in a wood, very much like others which are more recently formed. We cannot discover any natural advantage which would induce any numljer of per- sons to fix on this spot as likely and suitable for a town or city; but perhaps such a distant aspect of matters does not form an ingredient in the calcula- tions of the early settler, and on ; great continent which is comparatively level there is not the same scope for the exercise of the choice of the settler. But from the fact that it grows, and prospers mate- riallv, we must infer there are advantages of some kind about it, though these are only what are com- mon in the whole country — the fertility of the soil. The earth yields its increase with comparatively little labour, and an honest amount of care. There are in Berlin some 3000 inhabitants, and some ten or twelve denominations, each having a place of worship, which may be designated a church ; and this fact proves it an active, and, intellectually, a very enterprising community where there is much attention to the 19U THE HTATKd AND CANADA. ^ro'Atli of principles as well as agricultural produce The ground generally is rich, and the industrious and careful farmers are wealthy, because they work hard, and are good husbandmen. Poverty is little known there, not because there is an abscnee of vice, but chat is not so ram[iant, neither should it be when there is the presence of so many temples. Tlie interchange of friendship and social sentiment is liberally indulged in, and there is nuich geniality of deportment evinced in the promiscuous intercourse of everyday life; but one is weightily impressed with the light and evanescent character and (pality of everything which surrounds him, or at least the bulk of what he sees. The houses are wood; the slates are wood. There are no dykes or walh except what are wood. The pavements are wood, and the coal is wood. But there are some of the well-to-do citizens who live in chateaux dc hriqnc very tastefully con- structed and embellished with what indicates wealth and culture; but these are limited, though from the signs of commercial life and energy they will be sure to increase. There are some public works engaged in the manufacture of such things as the possession of plenty of wood gives facilities for producing, and they are sent often far away over the continent. There are great numbers of Dutch — industrious, wealthy, and exemplary eitzens. Their personal appearance generally does not indicate wealth, but the opposite ; BERLIN, UPPER CANADA. 191 but their bams and i)ank accounts give their personal appearance tlie lie direct. Quiet, sober, inihistrions, obliging, fraternally so in some things, they band together to promote the united well-being of the whole. As their sentiments, commercially, socially, and religiously are one, their actions are consistently the same in relation to the practical aspects or phases of their experience in adversity or prosperity. They are almost uniforndy tlie followers of one form of religious belief, and follow it with the strictest and severest rigour. I don't know that their one form is limited to what pertains to the purely spiritual, for w'"*h tlie inflexibility of fate they apply it to the cut and colour of their coats, and with unflinchinround falls both on the south and on the north side of the square, a good view of the situation of drill trround can be got from this eminence. In connection with the ground there is a drill hall and the necessary armouries connected, but the hall has never been com- pleted, the roof collapsed and fell in on account of 248 THE STATES AND CANADA. the weight, so that the first war to which it had any relation was one between the contractor and the official trustees of the building, and it is now an interesting and not very ornamental ruin. HoA\'ever, it is to be hoped that peace will soon be declared between the combatants, and that the young volun- teer army may have a comfortable rendezvous during the severe and biting blasts of a Canadian winter. yiy British Canadian friend left me here, and point- ing to his house up in the vicinity of Sir Hew xUlan's, said — " If you are up the hill so far, look in if you have time," and " If I can be of any further ser- vice to you, my office is nearly opposite the Courts, where you can find me." He gave me his name, I gave him my thanks for his kind offers, and pursued my inquiries in a solitary mood. There are times when one can appreciate the kindness of such a friend, the spontaneous and courteous act enhances its worth and fixes it indelibly on the memory, and it even looks a green and fresh spot which one always sees in his retrospect on the way of life. I had no thought prior to this of visiting the emi- nence on which the house of the merchant prince I have named was situated, as it seemed a task of some magnitude to accomplish, but I thought possibly it would repay the trouble on account of its command- ing position; and as the day was far spent I saw there was an imperative necessity of doing so with THE CITY OF MONTREAL. 249 all my might and enlisting additional facilities, and in a short time I found myself gaining a high social position, for iip-hill is the west-end, the Belgravia of Montreal. After climbing the first step of the hill there is a fine level plain, and in this upper level are the homes of the upper ten. It is really a charming spot, the streets, avenues, and lanes, are ways of pleasantness; the dwellings are embowered with the rich, shadowy verdure of svlvan attire, and are striking in an architectural point. The great bulk of them are of recent structure, and great taste has been evinced in their adornments, and the pros- pect from many of them must be something grand. The drive along these avenues, with here and there an opening looking down upon the city, the river and the distant outline of hill on the States territory, the domes, spires, and minerets capped in metallic lustre and throwing the rays of the declining sun in every direction, is exceedingly pleasant. Higher up are magnificent clioteaux of the first merchants in the city, and chief is Sir Hew Allan, nestling in the hillside — for the hill is crow^ned to its very summit with luxuriant foliage — and all the houses have a cosy and comfortable look. Running up to these houses are subordinate avenues, called possibly after the ov/ners, and I noticed many Scotch names amongst them ; and so far as I could learn there were few of the original settlers who have risen to any eminence 250 THE STATES AND CANADA. at all. The upper part may be regarded as the new city of ^Montreal. There is notliiiig to denote tliat it was taken possession of and used for luunan dwel- ling till a recent date, for all the buildings have a fresh and modern look abont them. I have noticed that this city is the seat of a Eoman Catholic; See, and it is also the seat of an Episcopal See, and the Cathedral occupies a very fine site on the high grounds which I have referred to. The church is built in the Gothic style of architecture, which seems a favourite style from the number of churches built in ii, and is finely finished internally and externally. The Church of St. Andrews is also a very fine speci- men of the same style of architecture. There are several colleges in the citv, and the latest addition is a large and imposing pile of building, oii a fine situation, and is the latest ac(iuisition to the already numerous edifices belonging to the Catholic Church. The evidences of wealth in Montreal in connection with this Church must strike every one who visits there, and will necessarily lead one wlio is not previously aware of the fact, to enquire, where the revenue is derived from; and the answer to his enquiries would virtually explain many more, and some which I have referred to. The island is practically the property of the order of St Sulpice, the seignory or lordship being held by this order, and I think it extends to the island of Lacliine also; and when we THE CITY OF MONTKKAL. 251 consider that the island of ^Montreal is thirty miles in length and ten in width, and its prosperity during the last thirty years or so by British industry, skill and enterprise, we can easily see that the revenues of that order must be great. I have noted a few curious things, but this last seems to me to be the greatest, and shows that our possession of the colony is at best a farce, and the sending of Lord Dufterin or any representative a most silly and impotent act of civil administration in connection with it. The isolated position of Montreal operates against it in one beneficent economy in nature — that of the water supply. Instead of the water running down from hills over the city, it is found necessary to force it up by its own momentum at the Lachine rapids, a few miles above the city, possibly by the same sort of mechanism which is used at the village of Clifton, at Niagara, where a powerful hydraulic pump forces the water to such a position or elevation as affords a supply to the village; so at IVIontreal the water is forced up to a considerable height to provide for the population. Some of the houses, however, are higher than the highest reservoir, and it is likely they will require to find them a supply by private appliances. The further one pursues the path of his inquiries or observ^ations the more is he convinced and satisfied of the beauty of the place, and its suitableness for a place of abode. The surroundings of the city as seen from one of the 252 THE STATES AND CANADA. many points on the Highlands are interesting to a degree, and are calculat d to attract one to do more than admire them. To a person who had time at his disposal to exhaust what is attractive and full of interest, much pleasure and instruction would be derived. There is much on account of the natural configuration of the land around to please a hurried and casual visitor, and though one might discern blemishes here and there in a wealthy and pros- perous city, yet, if we know the reason of their existence, the reason being known might dissipate any unfavourable view or any ungenerous strictures one would be disposed to make. I had seen many of the churches as I passed along the avenues of the upper city; many fine villas, with their tasteful amenities; many happy-looking homes, fitly set in rich arcadian bowers, with the warm, mellow tints of a glowing sunset sparkling on the trembling foliage, and then the pallid and passive shadows of the night began to gather and descend and deepen into night. I left the Canadian Olympus, and descending the hill, I stopped at the entrance of the Church of the Jesuits, and stepped into the interior. There was just enough of light to show the tall gothic pillars rising and losing themselves in the vaulted roof, and to show to good effect the triple globes of fire hanging in their awful and mysterious orbits over the unseen altar below. In the church there was the stillness THE CITY OF MONTREAL. 253 of the grave, broken only with suhdued whispers from a number of statue-like erect figures, which were dimly noticed here and there in the pews, and from a number of human voices engaged at vespers in one of the adjoining halls, and the soft cadences of the music were floating in gentle eddies through the aisles, and dying in the recesses of the lofty roofs. I thought I saw one or more specimens of Scrip- ture subjects in has relief on the walls over the side altars, and I was groping my way to get the ocular proof of what I found I was mistaken in, when an acolyte made his appearance on the scene, and materially improved our tenebrious condition by lighting up a refulgent blaze of gas behind one of the pillars in front of the altar. The effect was to a certain extent marvellous, but like many, or all marvels, had its solution in art. I looked behind the pillar, and there was a reflector of gTeat power, which threw the light with an intensity on the altar, and produced an effect which, coming after the pre- vious darkness, was quite magical in its eftect. The garniture of the altar was showily constructed and arranged; there were ornaments of lustrous materials that made it rather attractive and sparkling, and was evidently intended as a point of interest in the church from the costliness and eclat of its decorations. After set- ing the other lights in the vicinity of the altar adjusted. 2o4 TlIK STATES AND CANADA. lie carried in a .small cal»inet not so ]n mnrtyrs ol" lil)orty, of which it is im])os.sn)hi to do more tliau to n'Tcr to i!i a passins 'S of the city are constructed, with its bold and irre^'dar masses ])attlin2 overliead, and ai:jain we are cliarmed by the verdant woody slo])es of " Snnnyside," the residence of Wasliincjton Irving- ; then a fort is passed, and then a village and scores of sylvan retreats, the residences of the merchants of New York. We catch a hurried Ljlinipse of some nrmnificent buildings devoted to beneticent oi* charitable purposes, and as we approach, the grand imposing features of the river, the majestic and to wearing palisades, in some parts so like those basaltic and irregular gigantic masses of rock at Giant's Causewav, we are at once rivetted with their surpassing magnificence. When we were passing, the warm, golden radiance of the morning sun was beginning to stimulate the dewy vapour into motion, and as the snowy curtain began to rise and ascend to the towering battlements of these everlasting walls, and roll along their sum- mits in volutes of downy white, the picture was om* among a thousand. On the slope below and near to the margin of the lovely Hudson were numbers of beautiful mansions embowered in vernal beauty and halcyon repose, while in the background rose the wild and romantic rocky escarpment, surrounding 292 THE STATES AND CANADA. and encircling little frescoes here and there on the shelves of the dizzy heights. At anchor in their little glassy bays numerous yachts were waiting for their gay holiday trappings and pleasure-seeking crowds. Tlie rocky heights recede, and their beauty and rugged grandeur are softened and mellowed into romantic indistinctness. The Elysian fields of Ho- boken run into their retreats of quiet and modest natural profusion, and the varied beauties of nature are fresh and sparkling with new life. The islands of New York Bay are now in view ; villas and vil- lages are thickening, the highlands are robed in the cool shadows, the river and the bay are glowing with a mixture of purple and golden light, and long, deep sombre shadows tremble between the water and the land, and lose themselves in the radiance of the lake. The early trains begin to roll along the eastern bank, and startle with their shrill pipe the echoes on its rocky sides. The screaming and fitful vapours from dozens of public works denote that we are near our journey's end. The busy wharves and ferries are reached, and the bay of New York, with its islands, forts, and public works, and fair foreshore, its restless commerce, and sleepless activity and princely pos- sessions, is at last before us, and around us New York on the left and New Jersey on the right. The wharf at which the Hudson River steamers lie is almost the most northerly, that is, the one farthest up on the THE HUDSON, ETC. 293 west side of New York, and is Kearly tlirct; inilos up tlieXortli IJiver, reckon injj; from Jiattery Toint, which is the extreme sonth point of tlie island of Manaliattan, and on the opposite shore of Jersey. There are j,'reat numbers of docks, wharves, ferries and basins, reaching for about as many miles, and on the east side of New York, at the entrance to the East River, and on the Brooklyn shore, there are as many :iiore, aiid this extent of foreshore seen at once from the bay with all its relative bustle awd enterprise causes it to be one of the livelist scenes of maritime life and activity which can be seen anywhere, and in the bay there is always seen a stream of inward-bound and outward- bound vessels of all kinds and dimensions, and to and from every nation and clime on earth; and as the aspect in the bay is so varied, so is life in the city itself, and is naturally similar to what is observable in any of our large ports in Britain. But I think the cxceb.:ive bustle which one sees about the wharves, and in the vicinity of the shipping, is the result of such work being done in so limited a space, fer the stores of New York, on which these labours of busi- ness are carried on, are just two sides of a triangle, the Battery being the point, and as it is found to be more convenient to form wharves and docks on the opposite sides of New Jersey and Brooklyn, than to extend them up the North and East Eivers, this also has a tendency to concentrate the business done in 294 TFIF STATKS AND CANADA. New York to tliat old jiart of the city, and tli'? .social a'? well as the coimnercial tendencies ar- tin? same in relation to the centre of luisiness. T*)rr)ol<]yn will extend with greater rajtidity now than will Xew York itself, although the facilities for getting nt the one are as manifold as the other. The Central Park, which I have already referred to, lies at the present northern confines of the city, and it is evidently in contenii)lation of the completion of the city it was so named, for at present it has no such relation to the city itself, and thus its name has an enormously pro- spective relation to the future only. There were some things which I referred to in rather a sunnnary manner wlien noticing the appear- ance of New York Bay at landing, and among the.se I referred to the gigantic undertaking of spanning the East Eiver with an immense granite 1)ridge, the piers of which are nearly 200 feet high, and the span is of such dimensions that it will not interfere with the navigation of the river; hut ahove this bridge, on the same river, there is another mighty enterprise in operation, that of removing a mass of sunken rock which renders the navigation at that point rather dangerous. This enterprise has been going on for years, and will proceed for over two years to come. It is tunnelled from the land, and an immense cavern or crypt is formed by cutting and blasting the rock in the interior, and when the engineers think there TIIK IIT'DS'^X. KTC. 205 is siiflicir'nt matorinl roTnovcd, n '^ronf fjuantity of giiiiI»o\v(l('r will lit! plfiPeritain, and in case they should not be so, T have been thus pnrti- cular to call attention to it belbre I leave these shores, so that those who wish to be present at such an imposing and startling exhibition will know when to cross the Atlantic to visit the shores of the New- World. THE END. Orr, Pollock & Co., Printers, Charles Street, Greenock.