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CHAMBEKS. ■^ ■ t > »■ PHILADELPHIA: LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO & CO. 1854. ■ 230858 In t] for c with Ame] of Vf some Stat] mark! meat Glen( In the autumn of 1853, I was advised to cross the Atlantic for change of air and scene; and as the suggestion coincided with my own desire, foiled on other grounds, to visit America, I gladly assented. The present work is a narrative of what chiefly fell under observation during my tour in some of the British American Possessions and United STATES-the recollection of which excursion, and of the many marks of undeserved kindness I received, wiU always be to me a source of unqualified gratification. W. Chambers. Glenormiston, Aitffust 1854. CI CI CE CH CH CH CH CH. CH. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAOR YOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX, . . 1 CHAPTER II. NOVA SCOTIA, 24, CHAPTER III. BOSTON TO MONTREAL, . . , , ,45 CHAPTER IV, MONTREAL, «„ CHAPTER V. QUEBEC, ... K« CHAPTER VI. ONTARIO-NIAGARA gg CHAPTER VII, TORONTO-CANADA-WEST, . . . , .113 CHAPTER VIII. CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN jgS CHAPTER IX. OHIO-CINCINNATI j^g ti CONTENTS. ^ CHAPTER X. PAO* CINCINNATI TO NEW TOBK, . , , .158 CHAPTER XI. NEW YORK .171 CHAPTER XII. NEW YORK CONCLUDED, . , , . , 101 CHAPTER XIII. BOSTON— LOWELL, 910 CHAPTER XIV. RHODE ISLAND, 297 CHAPTER XV. WASHINGTON, .349 CHAPTER XVI. RICHMOND, IN VIRGINIA, 367 CHAPTER XVII. CONGRESS, . 387 CHAPTER XVIII. PHILADELPHI:. 804 CHAPTER XIX. RAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS, 323 CHAPTER XX. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS, 340 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. CHAPTER I. VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. A VISIT to America is usually one of the early aspirations of the more impressionable youth of England. The stirring stories told of Columbus, Sebastian Cabot, Raleigh, and Captain John Smith • the history of the Pilgrim Fathers fleeing from persecution; the description of Pernios transactions with the Indians; the narratives of the gallant achieve- ments of Wolfe and Washington, and the lamentable humiliations of Burgoyne and Cornwallis; the exciting autobiography of the Philadelphian printer, who, from toUing at the press, rose to be the companion of kings --all had their due effect on my imagination, and stimulated the desire I felt to cross the Atlantic, and see the country which had bc3n the theatre of so many interesting events, and latterly the scene of so many social developments. The ordinary occupations of a busy life, however, had dispelled this early dream Like other ardently but vaguely entertained notions. It vamshed and was forgotten, when circumstances all at once recalled it to mind, and rendered its reahsation 99 9 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. possible. In short, towards the close of 1853, I was enabled to visit tlie more interesting portions of North America, where the rapid rate at which travellers are whirled from place to place, left me a reasonable time for observation and inquiry. When a thing has to be brought down from the realms of fancy, to be considered in its practical details, it is astonishing how many Httle difficulties require to be encountered and overcome. In the present instance, I had to determine, in the first place, which route I should adopt. Should I go by way of the British American provinces, or leave them to be reached after visiting the United States ? I resolved to set out direct for one of the nearest of the colonial possessions — Nova Scotia, and pass on thence to Canada, by this means taking the more northerly parts first. Perhaps, also, the fact of the Nova Scotian peK'nsula being ordinarily, and it may be said, unjustly, neglected by tourists, helped to fix my resolution, and accordingly I engaged a berth in the America, one of the Cunard line of steamers bound from Liverpool to Boston, and touching at Halifax. It was on a dull September morning, with a thick fog overhanging the Mersey, that I found myself amidst a crowd of persons standing on the deck of a small steamer at the landing-quay of Liverpool. In the forepart of the vessel was a huge pile of boxes, bags, and portmanteaus, the luggage of the passengers ; while the middle and after parts were so thickly covered with human beings, as to leave barely standing- room. The duty of this Kttle craft, called ' the tender,* is to carry passengers from the shore to the steam-ship that lies moored in the middle of the river, and which, having previously, while in dock, taken on board all its cargo, is now ready to start out to sea. As nine o'clock struck, the tender moved away from the shore, and in VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. • two minutes was enveloped in the foff — a most dangerous situation, for the Mersey was studded over with vessels m various attitudes, and at any instant we migh rush violently against them. Sueh a catastrophe actually occurred. By what I must consider to have been incautious steering, the small steamer was brought suddenly into coUision with the bows of a lar^-e vessel !ble°'^'T^'?'*rT ff*^^*^^'^ «^^«^ed to be inevit: able. With mdescribable alarm I expected that the vessel would pass over us, and that we should all be mimcdiately struggling beneath the flood. There was a rush to the roof of the smaU engine-room, as bcl" likely to remam longest above water. I climbed to the highest point near me, and looked ahead for the coming shock. A moment of extreme excitement ensued Crash went m the bulwarks of the tender, and down went Its mast across the pile of luggage! I thought aU was over. Fortmiately, the bowsprit of the We vessel, m coming in contact with Ad breaking oS mas. s ightly turned off the collision, and we imm^ diately lost sight of her great hull in the mist. We felt, as It were, a reprieve from death, and looked each other in the face with a feeling of congratulation. Then broke forth on the unlucky steersman! shower of those war^ epithets which the English, in moments of mdignation, scatter about with characteristic liberality. Idiot-ass-fool ! were pelted at him all the rest of the way; nor did we feel safe from a fresh calamity tiU we were alongside of the America^ ,hich towered like a planted on her capacious poop. The tender, it is needless to say, had a veiy damaged appearance Her mast and cordage lay athwart the confrised mass of baggag^ some of which was broken in pieces, and me had gone overboard. Whether such incidents are common at Liverpool, I do not know. It ifat aU I 4 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. events, clear that the method of putting passengers on board American vessels, in a foggy river, jy means of small and overcrowded tenders, is a very bad one ; and I have no hesitation in saying, that there is more danger Lo life from this practice, than in a whole voyage across the Atlantic. The America did not immediately depart. The mails were stiU to be put on board, and these did not arrive in a subsequent trip of the tender till nearly noon. When tlxey made their appearance, they consisted of at least two cart-loads of weU-stufted leather bags, with some boxes containing Lpecial dispatches for Canada. The whole "laving been transferred to the hold in the large steamer, the captain and pilot took their places on the paddle-box, the other oflacers went to their appropriate posts, the bell was rung, the wheels moved, and we were off. Slowly at first did the great floating mass proceed through the water. The mists which lay to seaward were not yet quite dispelled by the sun, and to go down the Mersey required careful guidance. For half an hour, the passengers leant over the brass railings of the elevated poop, catching glimpses of the partbig quays— some waving hats or handkerchiefs to friends far in the receding distance — some, myself for one, thinking of those dear to them at home, and half doubtful of our own safe return to Old England. Gradually, the ship got into greater speed j for an instant it paused in its career, to allow the pilot to descend to his boat; again it moved along, and we were fairly on our course. The direction it took was straight up the Channel between Ireland and the Isle of Man. It was going what is called 'north about,' which is preferred to the southern passage in certain states of wind and tide. As the vessel gained the open sea, and left nothing to look at but the wide-spread waters, one by one tlie VOYAGE FKOM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. 5 passengers descended to view the nature of their own particular accommodations, or to inspect the general mechanism of the ship. To me, at least, everything was new and curious; and, for the sake of the unini- tiated, I wm try to give an idea of what came under my notice. As is pretty weU known, there are two chief and distinct lines of steamers. One, the Cunard, so caUed axter Mr Cunard of Halifax, who was its projector, is exclusively British property, and has a large money- grant from om- government for carrying the mails, borne of its vessels sail direct to and from New York the remainder to and from Boston, caUing at Halifax! The other hue, caUed the Collins, is American property and sails only to and from New York; it is subsidised by the Umted States' government also for mal^ pur- poses These two lines are in many respects rivals, but, by a judicious an-angement, the vessels depart from each port on different days of the week, so that no actual mconvenience is experienced from their competition. Latterly, there has sprmig up a separate hne of steamers to and from Philadelphia, and another to and from Portland; but of these I do not need here to speak. It IS by the Cunard and CoUins steamers .hat the mtercourse with North America is mainly earned on, and on both sides of the Atlantic there is much keenness of feeling as to their respective merits. Ihe Cmiards are strong and compact vessels, built whoUy m the Clyde, and possess engines of th m^ trustworthy workmanship. They are likewise in the charge of first-rate seamen. But, from the rounded fomx thevT T -7 'T "*^'' architectural peculiarity, t ey do not sail so fast as the CoUins steamers, and TZt?fT' -the decks to an unpleasant extent They also faU considerably short of the CoUinses in point ^ ..... ..^« ^.Lc^uuuuoi accommodation; and I 6 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. am sorry to say that, in the ticket-dispensing depart- ment at Liverpool, there is great room for increased attention and pohteness. On calling to get my ticket on the night previous to departure, I experienced such treatment as might be expected by a pauper emigrant who went to seek an eleemosynary passage. Nor was this the worst of it; for although paying the highest fare, £25, which I had remitted ten days previously and although informed that one of the best berths in the ship had been assigned to me, I found that this said exceUent berth was among the fore-cabin passengers— a cii'cumstance that led to much discomfort during the voyage, as I shall afterwards have occasion to notice. I allude to these circumstances with reluctance and only under a sense of public duty. On board the AmeHca, which bears a close resem- blance to the other vessels in the line, there was nothing to find fault with, but, on the contrary, much to commend. Everything in the Cunards goes on, as the saying is, ^like clock-work.' In the striking of bells changing of watches, posting of officers, throwing the log, taking solar observations, and other transac- tions, there is all the regularity and precision of a man-of-war; and this imparts a feeling of security even m the worst states of the weather, by night or day The burden of the America is 1833 tons, and its length about 249 feet; it has two large engines, which act separately or together on both paddle-wheels, and in ordinary circumstances give a speed of from ten to twelve mHes an hour. The quantity of fael consumed 18 trom fifty to Lixty tons a day; necessitating a stock on board of about 900 tons of coal for the trip, and so leaving space for 900 tons for freight and misceUaneous articles. It is wonderful to see how much is made of the internal accommodation. A great deal is done on B resem- VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. 7 deck. There is reaUy little deck visible. Along each side, adjoining the paddle-box, there is a row of small apartments, covered with woe 1, and over these are empty boats turned upside down, ready for launch- ing in case of accident. In the open space beneath these boats, the cook keeps his fresh vegetables, and you occasionaUy see one of his assistants climbing up to clutch at a cabbage or bunch of carrots, and bring them from their repository. The apartments on the starboard side (the right side looking towards the head of the vessel) have brass-plates on the doors, with inscriptions denoting what they are. The first in the row is the cabin of the second officer; next is the cabin of the third officer; next is the workshop of the baker; next is that of the butcher or flesher; next is the house for the cow; and further on are sundry smaUer offices. The apartments on the left side of the deck (larboard) are— first, the cabin of the surgeon; next, that of the piu-ser; and farther on are various places for culinary operations, stores, and so forth. Along the centre of the deck, beginning at the stem, are, first, the wheel- house, in which a helmsman is seen constantly at his post, and who has an outlook in front over the top of the saloon. At each side of the wheel-house are apart- ments for the captain and first officer. The saloon comes next. It is a large sitting and dining apartment for the first-class passengers, and is Ughted by a row of wmdows on each side. Separated from it by a narrow cross-passage, and on the same Hne with it, is the steward's apartment, smToundcd by shelves of china and glass articles, and having in its centre a little bureau whence liquors are dispensed. Over the door of this bureau is a clock, visible from the saloon, which is altered daily in correspondence with the changing longitude. Beyond the steward's room, towards the middle of the vessel, is a kind of apartment Qneji p± tl- II fi 8 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Sides, and in which stands the capstan. At its extremity is the chimney of the furnaces, by which means the enclosure is kept tolerably warm even in cold weather. Provided with seats, it forms the outdoor lounge of cigar-smokers, and those who do not know what to do with themselves. Besides being dry over- head, the capstan-gallery is kept dry to the feet by means of open wooden work laid on the deck; so that when the sea washes over the vessel, passengers can remain here without being wetted. Beyond the capstan-gallery is the kitchen; adjoining 18 the open deck, with the ventilators for the engin^ room. Clearing this spot towards the head of the vessel we have, first, tlie mess-room of the officers, a small apartment erected on the deck; and in continuation, the sitting and eating saloon for the fore-cabin passengers. This saloon is smaller than that for t^ first-class passenger. • but it is neatly fitted up with Wc oth sofa seats, and has stewards for 2 o^ special attendance. Beneath it are the sleeping-berths for his department; and from all I could see, they equd m comfort those of the higher class, with the- disadvantage, however, of being exposed to the noises incidental to the working of the paddles and the con cuBsions of the waves on the forepart of the vessd AU that part of the deck, beyond the second class saloon, IS the proper field for the sailors So much for what stands on the level of the deck; and with so many .acumbrances, the space left for walking amomits only to a stripe at each side of the saloon unless we choose to mount to the poop, which is he entn-e roof of the saloon, steward's apartLnt, and capstan-gallery, united in one long sweep The poTp e^closed with railings, and funiished with seats, affords a fine airing-ground, and from the binnacle, or stand tor the compass, to the great red tube forming the I. At its by which tn even in Jie outdoor not know I dry over- le feet by k; so that sngers can adjoining le engine- the vessel, i, a small tinuation, ore -cabin it for the up with its own Qg-berths see, they with the- be noises the con- le vessel, ond^class lie deck; left for e of the which is ent, and lie poop, , affords 3r stand ing the VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. engine chimney at the further extremity of the poop, there is an unimpeded view over the surrounding ocean! The indoor space is necessarily circumscribed. Below the saloon are the sleeping-berths, two beds in each, in long rows; a certain number with a small parlour being set aside for ladies. The descent to this sleeping region is by two good stairs. The fore-cabin passengers, in like manner, occupy berths below their saloon, and in this respect, at least, enjoy accommodations no way inferior to those of first-class passengers. The conducting of this magnificent vessel from port to port across the ocean, exhibits a remarkable triumph of human skill. A body of officers, dressed in a uniform like that of the royal navy, is charged with the manage- ment of the ship. The chief command in the America, for the time being, was in the hands of Captain N. Shannon,* a Scotsman of experienced seamanship, and most agreeable and obliging in his intercourse with the passengers. Under him are three officers. The laborious duties of the ship are performed by a boat- swain and an efficient corps of mariners; there is like- wise a head-engineer with his assistants, having the special charge of the machinery. In the ordinary working of the ship, it seems to be a rule, that two officers shaU always be on the alert— one stationed on the gangway at the side of the paddle-boxes, to look sharply ahead; the other stationed at the binnacle, to communicate orders to the man at the wheel. When an order is issued by the captain, or first officer on duty. It is repeated aloud by the second officer; and you thus hear it rapidly echoed from point to point till acted upon by the helmsman. Orders to the engineer to slacken speed, to stop, or go on, are communicated by pulling the wire of a beU at the paddle-box; by • Now in the JEuropa, to and from New York. 10 '^ I'll lii! ■ THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Which simple contrivance, the movements nf ih. i, -e under the most perf;ct cont;" llts ^^ m^ist be known to many are fc^,v h^ ^ s^ as regulated b, striki., atrplt:S trrth:? Z m the line of cfcecSnome sUp tlfo M T"*"^" be kept unsteadilv nn it. • j ' ""''^ *« ^"^e' wm ^ «rth Tr^LTr/^r^"- VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. H compasses are doubtless furnished to all vessels of this important class; but the very best compass may be rendered worse than useless, by a disregard of the petty circumstances on board that derange its action. Captain Shannon related to us a curious instance of a derange- ment in the compass, which had since rendered him punctiHously cautious. He had left Halifax with his vessel on the homeward-bound voyage ; it was during one of the cold winter months, when fogs prevail on the American coast. His directions at night to the officers of the watch were to nm for a point thirty miles east- ward of Newfoundland, so as to make sure of keeping clear of its rock-bound shores; and the point of the compass that would lead in this required direction was fixed upon. On coming en deck in the gray of the morning, what was his horror on seeing that the ship had just entered a smaU bay, and seemed about to be dashed in pieces on the lofty precipices that revealed themselves through the mist! Bv instantaneoTisly shoutmg orders to the man at the wheel, and by reversmg the engines, he barely saved the vessel from destruction. After some trouble, it was paddled out to deep water. His first impression of course was, that the compass had been neglected. But to his surprise, he found that his orders in this respect had been exactly foUowed. The head of the vessel had been kept in the direction which, by compass, should have led to the open sea, thirty miles from land, and yet here was It runmng fuU inshore. To all concerned, the deviation seemed perfectly magical— not on any ordinary principle to be accounted for. The truth at length dawned on the captain. The error must have arisen from some local derangement of the compass. He caused aU the compasses in the ship to be ranged on the deck; and soon It was perceived that no two agreed. The seat of the disorder was ascertained to bp. nf a nAvfa,-« cr.^^- ^i^.^ .«, -^vvA vt.viXA iotjxjv V^J.VJ3C 13 THINGS AS THEV ARE IN AMERICA. Lf.l w. "^ ""o "°™ "^ *" «=''~»- Could thi. fimnel be the cause ? It was of brass, and had never before she™ any power of disiTaeting the needle. On kokmg mto It, however, the captain discovered that, when at Halifax a new iron tube had been put inside Lrh T "'^r •"" ""°^'«"S«' -1 «- -cum. stance had never been mentioned to him i Tliere in that paltry iron tube, was the whole cause of the derangement, 'which I speedily,' added Captain Shannon, made to shift its quarters.' How near wis thus a fine vessel being wrecked, from a petty circum- stance which no one could have previously dieamt of- assumed to be diverted towards rocks by currents m^ jiave been led to destniction from ea4s cqu^y By a strict regard to compasses and to lights and bv carefu^^ pilotage on approaching the coast,^he' Z^l to well-bnilt sea-going steamei-s ,s exceedingly smS Rocks coUisions, and conflasrations, are the thiLs"C need alone raise a feeling of apprehension. On'bo^d sunset on the fore-mast and on each paddle-box, so as to warn ships that a steamer is .approaching, wCby coUisions may be avoided; and asr^ards fee e^treml care seems to be taken All *i,„ i , , ' "'''"''"'e that in t1,» . V , ^' *" ''>»Ps Wow, excepting that m the captain's apartment, are put out at mid! "ght; nor is any one aUowed to burn lights on his own account. Tliere is, also, in connection wi°h the steam-engine, a set of force-pumps, by which a deCe of water could be immediately piip'eUed to any pTrt of he vessel. To avert the danger and deky inciSt^ to breakages of machinery, duplicates of vL™ parti ™ya!e TT^^ 'nterrupting the progress of the voyage. Such precautionary arrangements camiot but VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. 18 give a certain degree of confidence to the most timid class of passengers. The America, as I said, quitted her moorings in the Mersey on Saturday at noon ; and passing north about, it was not until about seven o'clock on Sunday evening that we lost sight of Ireland, and were fairly afloat on the Atlantic. Without any land in view, the ship now seemed to be moving in the centre of a circular piece of water terminating in the sky. And on and on, day after day, did the noble vessel go ploughing her way across this shifting liquid disk. Seldom did any sail maks its appearance on the track we were pursuing. Our ship was seemingly alone on the waste of waters — a thing enchanted into life by the appliances of science and art, hastening across the trackless deep, and trans- feiTing a living portion of Europe to America. How suggestive, to sit down to dinner, amidst the splendours of a hotel, and to, see so many refined people about you, yet know that you are a thousand miles from land — a mere speck amidst the tumultuous waves ! The great- ness of this marvel is probably lessened to most minds by the pressure of common-place circumstances. The slightest touch of sea-sickness takes away the poetry of the ocean ; nor, when a man is hungry, does he indulge complacently in fanciful speculations. One of the first things which passengers do on coming on board, is to select the place where they propose to sit at table; which they do by laying down their card at the spot. In this way, a party of persons acquainted with each other make choice of a locality ; and the seat each selects he keeps during the voyage. Let us pause for a moment on the appearance of the saloon, in its varying character of sitting and eating room. It is one of the many well-managed matters in these vessels, that the meals are served peremptorily to a mimitfi. aoonrdino- to th** afriVinfr o^ +^" >>q1L viav r-fViii3« u TBIN08 AS THEY ABE IN AMERICA. T^t\i t "PP°'"'«d time; «nd I verily believe ««t rf the ship were sinking, the stewards woVd Z be continuing to serve the dinner, -p-e stewards r &ct, twelve in number, the whole under aX 'and dressed in smart blue jackets, are but a variety of the 3; ^e"™?' :^™" '"^' "»^ thing-whi^blt supply the wants of passengers. At eight o'clock in the morning they ring their first bcD, which ^th^ Bignal for nsing; and at half-past eight hiring L1 rop'T'l:Li"?«r' ^"" »'''*' •>-• -*- ar^irr ''""'f ."' «gg«. tea, coffee, and hot rolls are placed in profusion on the two upper tables ^e tables m the saloon are eight in number-that is fou^ on each side, with sofa seats in red velvet plush Seldom Sa^rr'the^" T- "r^ ^'""^^ "<= -™'^ f" oreauast, for the meal is drawn out till ten o'clock and for two hours people come dropping in and ^2; out as suits their fancv At ten tv,„ t m , ^^^ after tl,« «„*v 1^ : . ' ™^ t^'es are cleared : after this, nothing hot can b , obtained ; but any one at any time can have such other fare as is on boid At half-past eleven, the tables are covered to a I»™ ^ent, and the bell at twelve o'clock^ th^^^^^ lunch This IS a weU-attended meal, and toe is UBuaJly a considerable consumption of soup, cold beef SetTon anr'""7^ '''''' -ved\th tS jackets on, and a great favourite with the more mode rate hands. Again the tables are cleared 3 1 tlf Tovaffe ™<, , Z,J A f. °^P="sengers during our TOya^e v as a hundred and sixty, and the whole of these, VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. Jfl with two or three exceptions, sat down to dinner daily. At the top of each of the eight tables is a silver tareeii of soup, and the signal for taking off the Hds is the entrance of the captain, who appears in the saloon only at this meal, and takes his seat at the upper end of the first table on the left-hand side. The stewards are drawn up in lines, and confine their attendance to their respective tables. When dishes are sent in to the apartment, they are handed from one to another along the lines, and in the same noiseless maimer are they handed out— the whole thing going on silently like an adroit military manoeuvre. Every day fresh bills of fare are laid on the tables for the use of the guests. Iced water is served in abundance, and it is observable that not many caU for wines. Those who do, give their orders on cards famished for the purpose, which they settle for at the end of the voyage. For general accommodation, a shelf for bottles and glasses is sus- pended from the ceHing over each of the tables, and large tankards of iced water are always at hand. The elegance and proftision of the dinners is sur- prising. They consist of the best soups, fish, meat, fowls, and game, with side-dishes in the French style; foUowed by a course of pastry of various kinds, with a dessert of fresh and preserved fruits. How so many things can be cooked, how there can be so much pastry dressed up daily, is a standing wonder to everybody. And the wonder is greater when we know that from the same apparatus must be daily produced not only all this profusion for the saloon, but also copious dinners at different hours for the fore-cabin passengers, the officers^ mess, and the working departments of the ship. Dmner in the saloon is drawn out to upwards of an hour, but towards its conclusion numbers drop off to their accustomed lounge in the capstan-gallery or on the poop. A tew, here and there, linger over a bottle 16 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. of wine ; some recline on the sofaa ; and some take to reading. There is now a cessation in eating till seven o'clock, when the bell is sounded the last time for the day, and tea and coffee are served. For these beverages there is always abundance of milk -, the cow on board being an assui'ance tliat there will be no want in that particular. As regards this poor animal, which was certainly an involuntary passenger, I observed that she was carefully attended to in the way of food and clean- liness ; nor did she feel the want of company ; for most persons talk to her in passing her little house, over the half-door of which she keeps her head poked out to see what is going on, and to receive the caresses of the sailors. In rough weather, she lies down in a comfort- able bed of straw, and is untouched by the spray of the sea; yet, she is sometimes sick, and on such occasions, like others on board, probably wishes she were safe on dry land. It will appear, from this brief description, that eating goes on with short interruptions from morning till night. One feels as if living in a table-d'hote room, with the same company always sitting down or rising up; and I should think that, if a person be at all well, he can scarcely fail to add to his weight during the voyage. At first, and for a few days afterwards, there is a general shyness; but this wears gradually off. Persons sitting near to or opposite each other, begin to become acquainted ; cards are sometimes mutually exchan^' , i : and mere chance proximity leads to a lasting and Ys\f . intimacy. At tea, some do not take their accusioiueti places at table, but, for the sake of variety, visit acquaintances in other parts of the room. As anything is gladly hailed which will impart a degree of novelty to the scene, the passengers were one evening gratified to learn that a gentleman proposed to give a lecture on Spirit Rapping. All being assembled in their places. V0YA0T5 PROM LIVERPOr L TO HALIFAX. ,7 the lecturer, who was an American, with a singularly thoiightful ca^t of countenance, stood up in the middle of the saloon, and commenced his harangue. He began by narratmg the spiritual agencies mentioned in the Scnptures; was strong on the case of Saul and the Witch of Lndor; came to recent manifestations; and ended with the clenching argument, ' that he had seen a table rise into the air and go round the room; and that il that was not effected by spirits, he asked any one to say how it had been done !^ He was listened to with respect but failed, I believe, to make any converts to his real or affected belief. Devoured by idleness, passengers sometimes practise betting to a ridiculous and mischievous extent. They wiU bet on anything— whether a sail will be seen to- morrow; what day and hour the ship w 11 reach port- or more commonly, what number of mHc!. will be ruii in the current four-and-twenty hours. Betting on this latter point admits of speedy and accurate settlement • tor every day, at noon, there is stuck up on the door of the saloon a memorandum of the ship^s run, calculated Irom the log; and numbers, watching for the exhibition ot this piece of intelligence, enter it gi-avely in their notebooks, and go about telling everybody how many miles have been made in the ship's coui'se. In tolerable states cf the weather, the greater nrmber of passengers take walking exercise on the poop, wliich IS the great airing-groimd. The younger men amuse 1 lemselves m a different manner, with games of shovel- board, on the stripes of deck outside the saloon. Here with thm circular pieces of hardwood, they play at a game which resembles that of bowls, only that the pieces thrown are made to slide along instead of being roUed On fine forenoons, the ladies are spectators of these games, or indulge in walking exercise, if able to bear the unsteady motion of T ship. In the sal B 18 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. is done to kill time by card-playing, chess, and back- gammon. Some keep playing on for hours, morning and evening. They have crossed the Atlantic a dozen times, and to them the whole affair is hackneyed and tame. Their only solace is whist, and accordinglj'^ no sooner is the breakfast off the table, than the cards make their appearance. At night, when the candles are lighted, these whist-parties increase in number, and to look down the room, you would imagine yourself at a large evening-paiiy in a watering-place. Occasionally, towards ten o'clock, when certain youngsters are finish- ing the day with deviled legs of fowl and ' glasses of something warm to put away that nasty squeamishness,' you may hear a song break forth, and there is for a time an air of jovialty among the various scattered parties. Yet^ on no occasion does one ever see any approach to boisterousness ; and notwithstanding the mixture of nations — ^English, Scotch, American, Cana- dian, German, and Italian — there prevails from first to last the staid demeanour of well-bred and select society. Our voyage was rather more rough than usual. Head- winds from the west tumbled the sea about, and retarded the progress of the vessel. At starting, the ship was able to make upwards of 200 miles a dayj but on Thursday, the run sunk to 101 miles j on Friday, it rose a little, being 120; and on Saturday, it was 166. During these tlu'ce days, the beating of rain and wind, and the dashing of spray from the paddles, were the least of the discomforts. As the vessel ducked down in front to meet the billows, she constantly, and just as a spoon would lift water, shipped a sea, which came rolling along the decks ankle-deep, and finding only an imperfect outlet at the scuppers. The concussions of the heavy surging waves on the bows and paddles were some- times awftil, threatening, as they appeared to do, the VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. 10 destruction of everything that opposed the repeated shooks. Yet under these pitiless blows, the vessel scarcely quivered, so well were her timbers put together; and calmly she made her way, though at moderated speed through the raging and foaming ocean. Now was it appa- rent that mere power of engine is of little avaH during storms in the Atlantic, and, indeed, wiU only aggravate the concussions, unless the prow of the vessel be of that sharpened and vertical form that wiU enable it to cleave Its way, and at the same time sustain a level course in the water. A vessel of this improved shape, and of increased length, is, I beUeve, in course of construction by the Cunard Company, and it will be interesting to watch tlie result. Meanwhile, the frequent shipping of seas in bad weather is an intolerable nuisance. As regards myself, the deluging of the decks of the America poisoned the whole comforts of the voyage. In going from my berth in the morning, and returning to it in the evening, I had to walk amidst sea-water; and one night, by the plunging of the ship, I was thrown down, and brmsed and drenched to a serious extent. For this there was no redress. Some other gentlemen among the first-class passengers had to undergo the Hke torment of occupying berths in the forepart of the ship. We were in the predicament of persons who, every night after supper, and in darkness, amidst a storm of wind and rain, had to go out or doors in quest of a lodging May our sufferings be a warning not to pay for a passage m these vessels without first seeing a printed plan, and being assured that the berth required is actually under or ni connection with the saloon. While the head- winds lasted, and kept the decks in disorder, the smoking and talking assemblages in the capstan-gaUeiy were kept up mth redoubled energy. CoUected m this sheltered spot, and gi-ouped on camp- s.ooxs, tnc English and Americans carried on earnest so THINGS AS THEY AKE IN AMERICA. discussions on matters of social polity : an American- ised Irish gentleman from Ohio told stories of the early settlements ; a Californian, in a shaggy pea-jacket, and with breastpins made of gi-eat nuggets of gold, lated tales of Lynch-law and Colt's revolvers; and fi'om a grizzly-haired little man, who spoke emphatically through his teeth, the captain of a South-sea whaler, we had daily narratives t? ship^^Teck, which would have gone far to fill a volume. It was remarkable, that during even the worst weather, and when the motion of the vessel was considerable, there was little sickness among the passengers. Altogether, I experienced no feeling of this kind except for an hour on the second day. The length and solidity of the vessel, with its power of overcoming the short broken waves, give an easiness that is wanting in the small class of steamers ; so that a voyage to America may really be attended with less painful consequences than an ordinary trip from Dover to Calais. While tlie bad weather lasted, only two of the passengers ventured on the poop. One of them was a grave gentleman, clothed from top to toe in India-rubber, who defied the rain and \nnd, and became a subject of jocidarity to the young men on board. The other was a handsome young Swiss, who had never been to sea before, and was always in a state of extreme alarm lest the vessel should sink. In the midst of dinner, if there was a particiilarly loud concussion against the paddles, out the poor Swiss would bolt, and hurry to the furthest corner of the wheel-house, as if resolved to be among the last to perish. A hun-icane of laughter from the young Nova Scotians followed these demonstrations, which were among the standard subjects of meniment. On tlie eighth day out, the weather mended very considerably, and at noon our run by log was 231 miles. Being Sunday, preparations were made for VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. gl performing divine sendee. At one o'clock, the principal steward entered the saloon Avith a trayftil of Bibles and prayer-books, which he distributed among the pas- sengers. He then adjusted a red-plush sofa-cushion on the inner side of one of the tables, by way of pulpit; and after these simple arrangements, the bell on the forecastle began deliberately to toU. Several passengers ti'om the fore-cabin now entered along with the officers m umform, and about a dozen sailors in their Sunday jackets. In the whole scene there was an air of con- siderable solemnity. The bell ceased to ring, and a perfect silence prevailed. The officiating minister now took his seat at the cushion, on which lay a large Bible and service-book. When no clergyman is on board, the service for the day is read by the captain. In the present instance, a clergyman belonging to the college of Toronto was a passenger, and by him the service was conducted according to the usual forms; including the preaching of a sermon, which was listened to with as great attention as if delivered in a parish church. The rest of the day was spent with the ordinary decorum of feunday m England. On the following Tuesday, being the tenth day out sailing vessels began to be seen on the horizon, being probably barks engaged in the fishing on the banks of Newfoundland, which we were now declared to be upon. We also enjoyed an agreeable clearing up in the sky and the colour of the sea changed from blue to a lUi greemsh tinge. From this time, too, more gulls were Been on the wing, and the ship had become a refuge for a flight of small birds resembhng larks, which had been driven from land by stress of weather, and were glad to rest their wearied wings by perching on the more prominent parts of the vessel. This day, about noon, a large steamer from New York to Liverpool came in sight, and was watched with deep interest by 22 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. the passengers. It passed at the distance of two miles. There were, as usual, mutual greetings by signal. The system of communication at sea, by signals, is one of the most remarkable inventions of the day, and merits a word of explanation, The inventor, or, at all events, perfecter, of the code of nav al signals, was the late Captain Frederick Marryat, of the royal navy, weU known as a popular novelist. By Marryat's signals, as they are generallj' termed, a conversation on almost any subject can be carried on between two sliips, as effectually as if the respective captains spoke to each other in distinct words. The signals employed consist of fifteen different small nar- row flags, which are run up at a point over the stem, and fully visible through a glass at a distance of several miles. Ten of them represent the ten figures in arithmetic, and by these any number is expressed. The other five refer respectively to certain departments in the code, and are designed to lead at once to the subject of conversation. When a particular number i expressed, the code, which is a volume resembling a di cionary, is turned up by the party addressed, and he sees a sentence or part of a sentence opposite that number in the book. So expert, however, do mariners become in reading the signals, that they seldom require to refer to the code. On both sides, the signals are run up and pulled down, and questions asked and answered with the rapidity of ordi- nary conversation. In this way, vessels passing witliin sight of each other at sea, no longer need to bend from theii' course or stop in their career to put questions through speaking-trumpets. The merchant ships of nearly all countries have embraced Marryat's code, which is now therefore the universal language of the sea — a symbol of brotherhood among nations. Thursday, the twelfth day out. The joyful intelli- gence of laud being in sight, was reported at breakfast. VOYAGE FROM LIVERPOOL TO HALIFAX. 28 Through the misty distance, nigged headlands and brown rocky hills were visible on the west. We were now going southward, down the American coast, which was kept in view all day. The prospect was not cheering, for the land facing the ocean about the Gulf of St Lawrence has a generally bare and deserted appeai'ance. Why steamers from England to America should for the most part hold so northerly a course before running south, is not clear to the understanding of landsmen. The practice may be connected with the principle of great-circle sailing, or that of crossing where the degrees of longitude are comparatively nar- row. On this point, there were learned but not par- ticularly lucid discussions in the capstan-gallery; and here also, by the older sea hands, were given accounts of the Gulf-stream, and its wonderful effects in temper- ing the climate of the British Islands. These and other themes of the capstan parliament, as we named it, came abruptly to a close in the evening, when the lights at the mouth of Halifax harbour shone in sight. Swiftly the entrance is made; the lights of the town make their appearance ; mails and baggage are brouglit on deck; gims are fired and rockets sent up; lanterns flit about the wooden quay where we ai'e to land ; ropes are thrown out; a gangv>ray is pushed on board; and, along with some half-dozen fellow-passengers who go no further, I scramble ashore, and have my foot on American soil. The voyage, so far, had occupied nearly twelve and a half days ; which, with a delay of several hom-s for coaling and the subsequent run to Boston, would, to the bulk of the passengers, make a voyage of foiui;een days. CHAPTER II. NOVA SCOTIA. Stepping ashore at Halifax, I found myself among friends, acquaintances, and a people generally who may be said to have vied with each other in welcoming me to the new rzorld, whether British or American. Everything was new, yet familiar. Thousands of miles from home, I was still, as it were, in England, with nothing differing around me in language or in usages from what I had been previously accustomed to. But without any generic difference there was novelty. Driving at night through imperfectly lighted streets, I could see that the houses were principally of wood, and Woodenness, as I may call it, is one of the dis- tinctive features of America — wooden houses, wooden door -steps, wooden slates, wooden pillars, wooden palings, wooden wharfs, and here and there wooden roads and wooden pavements ! Yet, though wooden, how neat, how beautiful ! On looking out in the morning from my window over the town and scenery beyond, I thought I never had seen anything so pretty. No dingy brick with a canopy of smoke, as in London ; no dull gray walls incrusted with the soot of centuries, as in the older parts of Edinburgh; but all smart, fresh, new, and seen through an atmo- sphere as clear as crystal. A town composed for the most part of detached houses, and painted a clear white, was seen stretching with a sunny exposure down NOVA SCOTIA. 95 the declivities of a hill to a sea- water lake dotted with islands ; while on the further side of the lake, which was apparently about two miles wide, there lay a picturesque range of country, ornamented with white cottages, and on the brink of the water the small town of Dartmouth imbosomed among trees. Then the lake itself— quite a Highland firth, reminding one of Loch Fyne— lay glittering in the morning sun, and boats with flowing sails were tacking in different directions on its bosom. All was charming ; nor did a nearer inspection alter the original impressions of the scene. Halifax, with wide streets laid out in lines at right angles with each other, an abundant intermixture of trees and gardens, and a population of forty to fifty thousand souls, is as pleasing in its outlines when seen from the harbour as from the higher groimds. With a fair pro- portion of church spires, public edifices, and a fort with flag-staff crowning the hill on which it stands, and with a long series of wharfs lined with sliipping, it is a complete and respectable -looking city, and may challenge comparison with any town of similar size in America. If an Englishman can entertain little respect for a city whose very churches— one of them a handsome Gothic edifice— itre built of wood, he must confess unbounded admiration of the natural beauties of its situation. One of the finest inlets on the American coast ia the harbour of Halifax. Running up seven or eight miles from the open sea, it abruptly narrows a short way above the town, and then expanding, becomes a spacious land - locked sheet of water, probably six miles long by from two to three broad. This inner lake, with deep water and good anchorage, is sur- rounded by ranges of high ground, picturesque cliflfe, and overhanging woods of brilliant foliage. Along the "" '^^^^) ^^^i" ^tnOitttiiig ruuivy Kuoiis, mere is a 86 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. mM :lil fine drive whicli nearly skirts the water; and it is here, on an eminence a few miles from the town, that the late Duke of Kent built and inhabited a neat villa, the site of which is still visible among the trees. No one can see this remarkably beautiful sheet of water, without reflecting that it oflFers a harbourage of almost unexampled excellence, and will possibly, at some future day, grace the site of a great emporium of commerce. Travellers, who have but a few houi's to spare, should not omit a drive along the borders of this inner lake ; and when about half-way up, by taking a cross- road to the left, they will soon be brought to a smaller but equally beautiful arm of the sea, bounding the penin- sula on which stands the city of Halifax, with its spread- ing suburbs, open common, gardens, and small farms. A drive of this limited extent is in some cases all that travellers indulge in who visit and describe Nova Scotia. In the course of such a ramble, and pushing here and there into scenes beyond, as I did on two or three occasions, numberless picturesque views are pre- sented ; affording, too, such developments of the most ancient series of rocks as may well delight the geolo- gist. Forests of shrubs and tangled woods, amidst which you hear the tinkle of bells hung round the necks of the cottagers' vagrant cows, derive support from a thin soil, reposing on vase masses of granite, while boulders of the same imperishable material are scattered about in endless profusion. Some of these detached blocks are so rounded by attrition as to remain poised on a very narrow basis ; so that, without calling in the agency of the Druids, you have rocking-stones fit to be the playthings of a race of giants. Travelling through these woody and rocky solitudes, and now and then coming to a clearing of a few open fields, the property of an industrious settler, you are occasionally startled with the aD^arition of an Indian NOVA SCOTIA. 27 ^Toman and children loitering around a wigwam of the most slender materials. The sight of these members of the decayed tribe of Mic-macs was to me afflicting to the last degree. It was the spectacle of human nature reduced to the level of the brutes j and that such things existed within an hour's ride of a populous and refined city, seemed to me exceedingly anomalous. The de- graded condition of the Indian raced, however, is more easily lamented than cured. Much has been done to Christianise and to improve the habits of the Mic-macs, and a spirited society in Halifax is now engaged in this work of spiritual and temporal reclamation, which we must hope will not prove altogether finiitless. At no great distance from the frail huts of these poor Indians, it was my fortune to alight upon a number of little cottages, each with a small clearing about it, and to appearance the abode of an order of beings superior to the native races ; for between a habitation which con- sists of a few sticks hung over with dirty blankets and skins, and a dwelling built of wood, with a door, win- dows, and cliimney, there is a great stride. I had the curiosity to look at the interior of these dwellings, and found them to be occupied by negroes — free, of course, but not seemingly much the better for being at their own disposal. I was informed that a large number of these blacks had been carried away, by one of our admirals, from the States, during the war of 1813, and landed at Halifax, where, along with other coloured refugees, they were little better than a nuisance. Some of the blacks live in Hahfax, and others in the small cabins I liave spoken of as occurring amidst the iniral scenery of the neighbourhood. They are not all idlers. I saw several employed in various ways; but, as a class, they are not well spoken of. In the long winters they require to be supported by charitable contributions — this m a country where uruy man able and willing to S8 THINOS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. work, can never be at a loss for permanent employment at a wage beyond that of the English labourer ! During my stay in Halifax, I had an opportunity of attending an agricultural fete, which took place through the liberal and considerate policy of the lieu- tenant-governor of the province. First in the series of proceedings, there was a ploughing -match, in a grassy field outside the town, where, with the best kind of ploughs, each drawn by a pair of horses, there was a highly creditable display of provincial taste in hus- bandry. Wandering about the field, enjoying the sight of the eager competitors, and also the graceful spectacle of ladies on horseback and in carriages, and the ^lite of the provincial government surveying the proceedings, I derived an additional gratification in knowing that the spot was in some sort classic ground. It formed part of the experimental farm of the late John Young, an enthusiastic Scotch agricultmist, who, writing in the local press under the name of Agricola, was the first to stimulate a spiiit of improve- ment in the province, and lived to see the principles and practice of East Lothian hLsbandry naturalised in this part of America. Men not very aged remember the time when the only vegetables consumed in Halifax were imported from Boston, and when butter, pork, and other edibles came from Ireland. All this has been changed, and not a little of the progress in various branches of cultm'e is due to John Young, whose son, the Hon. William Young, Speaker of the House of Assembly, very appropriately opened the proceedings on the present occasion. On the day after the ploughing- match, there was an exhibition of horses, cattle, and other animals, also of implements of agriculture, and some fruits. I do not profess to be a judge of such things, but there could be no doubt that the show evinced a high degree of skill in the selection and m NOVA SCOTIA. 29 rearing of livestock, and in conducting the business of the farm. The exhibition, in various ways, aflPorded a pleasing indication of the interest now taken in rural improvement. It was attended by people from all parts of the province, and while it lasted th*? toAvn had altogether a holiday aspect. As a public dinner and ball formed part of the programme, possibly it was not cattle alone that brought so many strapping young farmers from their distant fields. Indeed, it would be a wonder if it were so, for the ball offered to the eye a wonderful constellation of 'youth, beauty, and fashion;' and if any one has taken up the fancy that Nova Scotian Ladies are destitute of the charms of English- women, I only pity his ignorance, and would ask him to look in at a Halifax ball. At these entertainments, I was introduced to a number of persons of respectability and influence. Speaking of Halifax, they said it had many recom- mendations as a place of residence, and as was evi- denced by the number of persons who had realised large fortunes, it offered good prospects for really industrious and enterprising men. The only complaint against it, was a general want of that spirit of commer- cial adventure, so strongly evidenced in the States, where realised capital knows no rest, but, greatly to the public advantage, is continually pushing into new channels. By way of keeping up the conversation, I said I could not help remarking, though scarcely entitled to allude to the circumstance, that there appeared to prevail a much more gay and free-and- easy style of life among persons in business, than I had been accustomed to witness in the old country ; instancing the number of young men who kept horses, and lived as if independent of any inducement to assi- duous labour. The truth of this was admitted; the explanation being, that the Nova Scotians, besides 80 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. knomng scarcely anything of taxes, had all the luxuries of life at a comparatively small cost, and were enabled to got through existence in a far more enjoyable manner than was known ' at home/ The long winters, in which much of the ordinary business is suspended, and sleighing and parties of amusement are the order of tLe day, were also spoken of as productive of those gay and somewhat unsettled habits I had alluded to. As a natural consequence, emigrants from the old country, trained to mind their affairs, and whose whole aim is to succeed, were described as finding little difficulty in improving their circumstances in the colony. One of the days diuing my stay was devoted to a glance at the educational institutions of the town, which I examined dispassionately, without regard to sect or party. At a large school for poor children, supported by the subscriptions of the benevolent, I was over- whelmed by a complimentary and undeserved address from the body of managers. In a Roman Catholic orphan seminary, which appeared to me a very model of order and cleanliness, and in the National School, the general routine of procedure seemed to me highly satisfactory. Latterly, a system of common-schools has been organised in the province, and is supported by the state and local rates. But the very fact that it leaves a number of children in Halifax to be educated by begged money — that is, by chance — is indicative of its defects as a system of universal application. Among the public buildings to which my attention was di'awn, was the handsome edifice used for the meetings of the Provincial Assembly, and for conduct- ing the colonial government, and likewise the mansion occupied by the Heutenant-govemor ; this last being pleasantly situated in the midst of a garden near the environs of the city. In the main streets there are NOVA SCOTIA. 81 numerous stores on a large and elegant scale ; but the establishments most interesting to a stranger, are certain commercial dep6ts situated on the wharfs which project into the harboui*. Here fishermen are supplied vnth all the requisites for carrying on their perilous profession, and here arc received and stored up the fish that are caught. The quantity of dried fish piled in these establishments, floor above floor, is enormous, though, after all, only a fraction of what is drawn from the adjoining coasts. The export is chiefly to the West Indies. In the streets of Halifax there was no lack of scarlet uniforms, and this leads me to remark that the military forms no inconsiderable, and I should think no very advantageous, element in the society of the town. The sight of English soldiers on this side of the Atlantic is not very intelligible to the traveller who sees neither disafiection to be kept down, nor a foreign enemy threatening; nor, when he reflects on the enormous expense at which the apparatus of force must neces- sarily be maintained, does this military system seem consonant with justice to the mother-country, which enjoys nothing in return but the honour of calling Nova Scotia one of her dependencies. It is true that Halifax, with its fort, forms a strong military position ; but the experience of the past tells us that fortifications in America have been built only to be left in ruins, or handed over to the very power which they were intended to repel. Nothing produces such melancholy emotions in the Englishman who wanders over the United States, as the frequent spectacle of large military works which cost his coimtry vast sums of money, and are now, in their state of ragged decay, only objects of interest to the draughtsman and the antiquary. Admiring the fort at Halifax as a work of art — its strong walls of granite, its fosses and casemates, its trim grassy mounds, its ■ itw'iflitwwwiwBiiiitwpiiiiii*^ 32 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. barracks and water-tanks, all unexceptionable — I must, nevertheless, consider its erection as a species of error, and look upon the cost of the large military establish- ment with which it is garrisoned as completely thrown away. It could perhaps be shewn that the expenditure is even injurious to the place. Relying, in one wa^, or another, on the outlay of public money, the people fail to exercise that energetic industry and self-dependence which would natuiully be developed were they entirely free from aU state patronage. Hospitable and highly polished in manner, the general society of Halifax is, exteriorly, everything that could be Avished; but, as might be supposed in the circumstances, there prevails a most unhappy spirit of party politics, which, disuniting those who ought to be friends, substitutes narrow and personal for broad views, and is seriously adverse to the prosperity of the province. At the time of my visit, the subject uppermost in every man's mind, was that of a railway to extend from Halifax across the country to Amherst, on thn borders of the province, there to join, on the one hand, with a projected line to St John's, in New Brunswick, and on the other, with a projected line to Quebec. There can be no doubt that such a line is exceedingly essential, even on a limited scale. Yet, in the face of an obvious necessity, the greatest disunion prevailed. All wanted the railway, but there was a quarrel about details, which was as ridiculous as if the commanders of an army were to go by the ears about some trifling matter of belts and buckles, while they ought to have been gallantly leading their men into action. One party wished the railway to be purely a government measure ; another desired that it should be a joint-stock speculation, with merely some assistance from the state. To render the confusion still worse, the provincial authorities had received some kind of promise from the English capitalist, Mr Jackson, to NOVA SCOTIA. 33 1 ' the effect, tliat he wovld make the required line on some expressed conditions involving a pubHc guarantee The ,)rovmcial legislature had already passed acts to authorise certain lines; but even these were inoperative, in con- sequence of the Home Colonial Office having for several months had the subject in consideration before append- ing the consent of the crovm. One had only to see and hear of aU this, and observe that nothinff was done, to feel a degree of pity for the people, who were the victims of such strange complications. As the nearest available harbour to England on the American coast, Halifax seems to be pointed out by nature as the place where much of the steam-navigation should properly concentrate. It should, to aU appear- ance, be the portal for traffic between Great Britain and her Canadian possessions; and if these possessions are deemed worthy of being retained, one would think that a means of getting to them by land, without going through a foreign country, would be very desirable Already, Nova Scotia sees her neighbour, Portland, in Mame, become that medium of intercourse which she might reasonably have expected to be. Recently, as may not perhaps be well known in England, a raUway was completed, and opened from Portland to the St Lawrence, by which you may travel from the Atlantic to Montreal, a distance of 292 miles, in twelve hours; and in the course of a few months a branch, now nearly completed, wiU caiTy you in the same space of time to Quebec. As Portland is also connected with Boston by railway, and has become a harbour during winter for two British steamers, it may be assumed that she has, without more ado, become the port for a large section of Canada. As Portland will further be soon connected by railway ^ith New Bruns^vick, she may be said to fly off at a sweep with various important branches of colonial trade. 34 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Iliiili One thing has been done well in Halifax ; and that is, the establishment by a company of an electric-tele- graphic communication thi'ough the province to St John's, New Brunswick, whence the wires are carried on to Portland and other parts in the States. By this line, intelligence arriving by the Cunard steamers from England, is at once despatched over thousands of miles of country. The news brought in by a vessel at night is found next morning in the papers of New Orleans, Cincinnati, Toronto, and a hundred other cities — the whole, as by a flash, being communicated to every newspaper reader in the United States and Canada. On visiting the telegraph-office in Halifax, I could not but admire the rapidity mth which messages are sent to and from St John's — the wires of communication, b( it remembered, being carried on the tops of rude poles, along miserable highways, and through forests and across water-courses, far from the habitations of civilised man. A young person in charge of the telegi'aph had become so marvellously acute in the ear, that he could distinguish the various intonations made by the ticking noise of the mechanism; and without waiting to see the markmgs, he could teU you everything tliat was indicated at the other end of the wires. Being placed in communication with a gentleman in St John's, I requested the ingenious operator to be the interpreter between us. He did so, and inclining his ear to the machine, he said : ' Mr ■ welcomes you to America, and hopes to have the pleasure of seeing you before you quit the country.' The success which has attended the enterprise of this telegraphic company, might surely have pointed out a method for practically carrying out the railway undertakings of the province. It would be too much to expect that Nova Scotia should do more than execute her own proper share of any great scheme of intercolonial railways; but even NOVA SCOTIA. 35 80 far, with a view alone to internal communication, she has an important duty to perform. The province abounds m mmeral treasures, that need only to be developed. Perhaps m no part of the world are there beds of excellent corl of such vast dimensions-one of them, at Pictou, I was told, being thirty feet in thickness; iron m various forms, is likewise found in profusion ; and as for gypsum, it is inexhaustible. The fisheries all round the coast, mcluding the shores of Cape Breton, are in themselves mines of wealth, as yet imperfectly explored Ihe country abounds in lakes and rivers, suitable for water-power. And the adaptation of certain districts for cattle-rearing and other purposes, is by no means generally understood. Nova Scotians complain that their country is spoken of as being all rocky and barren. This has arisen from the difficulty of travelling beyond the exterior and ungemal border of high grounds near the sea-coast. l^etermmed, if possible, to overcome the obstacles which usually deter tourists, I made a journey of several days through one of the most favoured regions of the interior My object was to cross the country to Annapolis, and there procure a steamer to St John's. For this purpose I took the stage-coach, in the first place, to VYmdsor, that being a good point of observation at the distance of forty-five miles from Halifax. The sta^e was somewhat of an oddity. It consisted of a coal- body slung on two great thick belts of leather, which went beneatl^ it from stem to stem, and to appearance It had not been cleaned for years. Inside, it had three cross seats, designed to accommodate nine persons to whom tarnished leather curtains gave an imperfect protection from the weather. This queer-looking con- veyance was driven by a stout burly man in a shaggy di'ess, who walked on his knees; his feet, as I was mlormed, 'having been bitten anH Rlirivoiio^ „^ Uv 86 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. frost/ Thus equipped, we drove off in tolerable style, our route taking us along the inner harbour, and thence up the valley of a small river which faUs into it at the farther extremity. The day was not warm, but it was clear and pleasant, and was said to mark the commence- ment of the Indian summer. The trees, robed in their autumnal tints, were variegated and lovely. The green leaves of the >dnes, which climbed on the white walls and verandas of the cottages, were already edged with red • the dark spruce and the more deHcate toned hgmm vitJi were set off by the yellow of the American elm; the sumach, now leafless, hung out its ripened purple blossoms to the morning sun; and, conspicuous over aU, shone the brilhant crimson of the maple. Our way was through natural woods, round jutting rocks, and along the borders of pretty little brooks. The land never rose to any great height, but it was seldom level, and whatever was the character of the sm-face, the road was generally so bad, that travelling had in it a cunous mixture of the ludicrous and the painful. Now, I saw the use of the great belts on which the coach was poised, for on them it pitched and roUed without serious dislo- cation to the passengers, and without damage to itself. OccasionaUy, on coming to gently sloping ground, we saw openings in the woods, with a few fields lately cleared of their crop of Indian corn, but stiU dotted over with yellow pumpkins and squashes now ready for being harvested. These gourd-like vegetables, scattered about in the fields, were the most foreign -looking natural objects which came under notice. Ir the course of my journey, I saw no large trees worth speaking of, though it is stated that good timber is abundant. Wherever the country was uncleared, it was covered with a thicket of wood, so dense as to be scarcely penetrable, and into which, without a compass - - .nwlpdtre. it is extremelv dangerous to -Q-i NOVA SCOTIA. 37 inlTude. Much of the wood was small, and only fit for rails or smnlaa- inferior purposes; my impression being that It was a second growth filling up the space which had been cleared by fire or the axe. Now and then a huge white pme, scorched and leafless, the survivor of a long.past conflagration, shot up like a giant among dwarfs, or lay prostrate and rotting amidst the under- wood. Much of the soil of America may be said to abound with the germs of timber. Unless cleared land be kept under a system of culture, trees spring up; so that the agriculturist is called on to wage continual war against a volunteer growth of shrubbery as well as of weeds. Half-way to Windsor, the coach stopped, professedly for dirnier; but the meal, according to what I after- wards found customary in roadside inns, was of no such distinct character. In a neat upper room, with a blazing wood-fire on the hearth, a table was spread with an entangled compHcation of dinner and tea. As I never could acquire the habit of taking tea at one o'clock as a finish to a sohd meal, I decHned the offer of a cup • but all the rest of the company, chiefly farmers, made this their only beverage; a circumstance which shewed the remarkable extension of temperance principles in the comitry. N^t a drop of intoxicating Hquor was con- sumed; and I may add, that during aU this journey in ^ova Scotia, I saw no beverage stronger than tea or cottee. I cannot say I admire the fashion of taking tea to dmner, any more than that of beginning breakfast with potatoes, which seemed everywhere common; but anything is better than an everlasting appeal to the gill- measure or pint-pot. I was beginning to see new social developments-farmers solacing themselves with tea instead of whisky, and commercial traveUers who can dme without consuming half-a-crown's worth of sherry. At Windsor, which we reached nhQn+ fn 88 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. the country assumed an old and settled appearance. The lands were cleared for miles, and laid out in gocd- sized farms with suites of handsome buildings. Here and there patches of timber, for ornament and use, enlivened the scene ; and orchards, loaded with cherry- cheeked apples, seemed to form an appendage to every rural establishment. As regards these orchards, they possessed an interest which usually attaches to antiquity. They were originally planted by the French, the first European settlers in the province, and who, at their expulsion by the English, were forced to leave behind them the apple-trees which reminded them of their beloved Normandy. The quantity of fruit now produced in Nova Scotia from this source is immense. Windsor is a pretty little town of white wooden houses, with trees, American fashion, growing in the main street. It occupies a low site on the river Avon, where it joins a navigable estuary in the Bay of Mines. Remaining here a night and part of next day, I had an opportunity of visiting several places in the neighbour- hood. Among these was the villa of Judge Halliburton, which, situated on a lawn among trees, with a pretty look-out on the town and bay, reminded me of an English country-seat, I was sorry to find that the judge was from home, on circuit. Within the precincts of his grounds, I was shewn a vast quarry of gypsum, which is carted oflf by a tram-way to the port, for ship- ment to the States. At the distance of about a mile inland, and occupying a fine exposure on the face of a ridge of land, stands a large but plain building, known as the College of Windsor. The institution I found to be in a state of extreme decay, the number of students having declined to fourteen. Near the college there is a preparatory grammar-school, in better circumstances. From Windsor, I proceeded with a friend in a hired caleche, along the west side of the estuary of the Avon, NOVA SCOTIA. 80 which we crossed by a wooden bridge of five spans, covered with a roof, which gave it the appearance of a long dark gaUery. On the west side of the Avon, and towards an inlet of the Bay of Mines, the country con- tinued to improve. At Lower Horton and WolfvdUe, it seemed to be as beautiful and prolific as a garden. The orchards increased in number ; huge tall willows, memorials of the early French settlers, and neat white cottages dotted the sides of the highway. On our left, on a rising-ground, we passed a handsome large build- ing, a college of the Baptist connection. Arriving at Kentville, as the limit of our day's ride, we paused for the night, and spent the ensuing day in visiting the adjacent township of Comwallis. Kentville is a small thriving town, with some smart villas, and the drive from it in a northerly direction to Comwallis, over some irregular woody heights, was highly exhilarating. Comwallis, wliich has the reputa- tion of being one of the most fertile regions in Nova Scotia, may be described as a great open plain, with shght inclinations to small water-courses, and bounded and sheltered on the north by the long range of a well- timbered mountain. Behind this mountain is the Bay of Fundy. A creek of the bay bounds the eastern extremity of the plain of ComwaUis; and, in point of fact, this plain, in pretty nearly its whole extent, is but a stretch of land secured by diking and other processes from xhe waters of the creek. Here, again, we hear stones of the doings of the old French settlers. It was they who bmlt the first rampart to keep out the sea; the present occupants only following their example in fresh diking. Conducted by a young and inteUigent farmer over the district, I was shewn the great Welling- ton dike, a recent work of art requiring enormous labour in the constraction, and esteemed the main cui-iosity of the kind in the province. Composed of earth and brush- 40 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. wood, and rising about tlurty feet in height, with a similar breadth, it forms a barrier to the ocean, securing a large tract of dry land for purposes of agriculture. The land so enclosed is called dike land, and the wealth of a farmer is measured by the quantity of this species of soil, a rich muddy residuum, which he pos- sesses. So fertile is this land, that it is known to have yielded heavy crops for a century without manuring. In consequence of the wheat-crops being somewhat precarious, owing to the destructive attacks of a fly, the most profitable culture at present is that of potatoes, which are exported in prodigious quantities to the United States. Hay is likewise exported to a consider- able extent. Various small havens in the Bay of Fundy oflFer ready means for these exports, which have latterly been so remunerative, that the farmers who were before in difliculties had cleared off the mortgages on their properties. Farms of fine diked land may be purchased here for from ,£30 to ,£50 per acre ; the cleared uplands, of less fertility, but under cultivation, from £3 to ,£10 per acre. Cleared land, not under cultivation, may be had at a considerably lower price. I asked if there were any farms at present for sale, and was informed that here, as almost everywhere else in America, there were few persons who would not sell and clear out on being tempted with an offer in cash j the explanation of this fact being, that there is in all places a restless desire of change, induced by the universal prospect of improve- ment in circumstances. In my interviews with the Comwallis settlers, I saw an agreeable specimen of those farm establishments in which the occupants were the proprietors of the soU. Being of comparatively old date, there was here no such roughness as is observable in newly opened districts of country. Things did not differ materially from what is seen in England. The houses resembled neat villas, and NOVA SCOTIA. 41 with pretty little dining and drawing rooms, were as well furnished as dwellings of a moderate size in the neighbom-hood of London. Each family possessed a light four-wheeled gig— a wagon, as it is locally called — in which to make visits and to drive to church ; the style of dressing and manners was all that could be wished; and there prevailed a hearty desire to try all proper means of improvement. The aspect of things was altogether calculated to give one a favourable impression of that kind of farming in which each husbandman tills his own land, and has neither factor nor tax-collector to trouble him. Yet life, even in this Arcadia, is not unmixed happiness. A duty of 30 per cent, imposed by the United States on potatoes imported into that country, was felt to be a serious grievance; though, doubtless, the Americans themselves were the chief sufferers by this artificial enhancement of price in a prime necessary of life. Besides this, the farmers whom I conversed with complained of the want of labourers. They could give plenty of worl to steady men, at a remuneration of from ^20 to ,£30 per annum and their board. One farmer mentioned that the persons in his employment lived on the best of everything, and were discontented if they got a dinner without a course of puddings or tarts ! The profusion of food was everywhere remarkable; and it is dispensed with a liberality which gives the assurance that it is easily obtained. This abundance is naturally attended by low prices. At the comfortable hotel at Kentville, and also at Windsor, I had occasion to remark the cheapness of accommodation for travellers. For tea, bed, and breakfast, my bill was only three English shillings; and 5s. a day may be said to be a fair average charge for living in these hotels, in which, though on a scale very inferior to what is seen in the States, everything is clean, neat, and well managed. 42 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Prom KentviUe I proceeded in the stage, a long day's journey by Aylesford and Bridgeton to Annapolis. Much of the countiy we passed through, midway, was imcleared and swampy, and much consisted of poor- looking sandy plains, locally called the Devil's Goose Pasture. Here we saw geese and pigs browsing, in a state of greater contentment and obesity than could be expected after the account of the district by Sam Slick, who tells us that the plain hereabout ' is given up to the geese, which are so wretched poor, that the foxes won't eat them, they hurt their teeth so bad !' On the confines of this territory, and where the country was beginning to look a little better, the stage stopped at the house of a Scotsman, who had emigrated thirty years ago from Aberdeenshire, and in the com-se of that time had cleared a considerable tract of land, and formed a large establishment, including a handsome store, kept by his son. The success of this personage, now a wealthy squire in his way, offered a fine p-.ample of what any poor but industrious man may do in any part of the British American colonies or the States. He seemed gratified, during the few minutes the coach stopped, in having an opportunity of making the acquaintance of one of his countrymen. He spoke feelingly of Scotland, which he would like once more to see before he died ; but he said he was now too old to think of so distant a journey. Some miles beyond this point, we got into the valley of the river Annapolis, which we crossed at the thriving town of Bridgeton. The country was now green, beau- tiful, and devoted apparently to cattle-grazing. After a long ride, we arrived in the town of Annapolis, a place which has a historical, almost an antiquarian interest, in being the oldest European settlement in North America; it was planted by the French in 1605, and has endured the fate of being conquered, burnt, and NOVA SCOTIA. 48 rebuilt several times. It is situated at the head of an inlet of the sea, and at present derives some importance from being a point of steam communication, to and from St John's, across the Bay of Fundy. Unfortu- nately, it did not come up to this character on the present occasion. The first news communicated to us was, that a telegraphic message had just arrived from St John's, stating that the steamer was laid up for repairs, and that the mails would arrive by a pilot-boat. A sad disappointment this ; for as I declined risking the passage of this dangerous bay in any kind of small boat, my proposed visit to New Bruns^vick was now imprac- ticable. The advance of the season rendered every day precious. I could not risk delay. Not to lose time, there seemed to be only one line of procedure open, and that was to return to Halifax, and take passage to Boston in the next Cunard vessel touching there on its way from England. This retracement of my journey I immediately eflFected. By good-luck, I caught the Canada, steam-ship, as it arrived in Halifax, and felt thankful when, after a toilsome journey, I found myself comfortably seated in its saloon. In taking leave of this interesting British province, I am glad to be in a position to bear witness to its general progress. For some cause, which I am unable to divine, the Nova Scotians have been spoken of derisively as Blue Noses, who are in most things behind the rest of the world. I have not refrained from lamenting the unfortunate circumstances which tend to exclude the country from the benefits of railway inter- communication ; and in this, as well as some other matters, there is room for amendment. But, to give the Nova Scotians their due, the wonder is not that they have done so little, but so much. In the face of all sorts of misrepresentations and sarcasms, they have made extraordinary advances as regards the fisheries, 44 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. and coasting and foreign commerce, and also the canr- mg trade of other countries. I find by a late report of the lieutenant-governor, that at the end of 1853 the number of vessels registered in the province, and actu- aUy employed m conducting its fishery, commerce, and carrying trade, had increased to 2943, with a tonna-e of 189,083 ; as many as 360 vessels having been added m SIX yeara. From irregularity of surface, sea-indenta- tions, and other physical features, the province has no pretension to compare herself as a wheat -growing country with the lands adjoining the great lakes ; but even in this respect, and with a population of only 300,000, ' she beats,' says the same authority, < five of the New England states, and twelve of the more recently settled states and territories.' 1 1 CHAPTER III. BOSTON TO MONTREAL. The run from Halifax to Boston occupied about thirty hours, and was not marked by any incident worth relating. The course pursued was across the entrance to the Bay of Fundy, where fogs often prevail, and where there is at all times a wild tumbling sea. For- tunately, however, the fogs which vex mariners along the whole of the coasts in this quarter, did not make their appearance on the present occasion; and at a late hour on a clear moonlight evening, we quietly made our way into the spacious and sinuous inlet which forms the harbour of Boston. It is remarkable how much a traveller is left to learn by chance as he proceeds on his journey. The notion in England 's, that the Liverpool and Boston steamers actually go to the place to which they are said to be boimd; but such is not the case; and this fact I was not aware of till we were on the point of landing. I now ascertained, that instead of going to the wharfs of the city, the vessel was to proceed to East Boston, an island from which there is a communication by a ferry-boat to the mainland. On approaching within hail of our destined haven^ the gentle moonlight enabled us to perceive that a crowd awaited the arrival of friends on the landing- place. Anon, wives and husbands and old acquaintances are heard calling to each other; and in a few minutes. li THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. such kissing and cordial shaking of hands! Among the passengers were many who had been long absent in England and on tlie continent, and were carrying home impressions of European scenery and society. The transfer of luggage to the custom-house shed was soon effected; and although the hour was lat6, everything was examined with a rapidity and ciAdlity that merited universal thanks. Coaches for the various hotels stood outside, and each being duly freighted, off we drove for the ferry, which I am bound to acknow- ledge is managed in such a way as to give the least possible uneasiness. So large are the boats, that they accommodate a number of carriages wliich drive from the quay direct upon their deck. In this strange fashion of riding on a floating steam-propelled bridge, we were carried without rising from our seats across a channel 1800 feet wide to the lower end of one of the streets of Boston, and thence to our respective hotels. The stay I was now able to make in the far-fam I capital of Massachusetts was so brief, that it will le better to defer any notice of the place till the occasion of my subsequent and more lengthened visit to the New England States. I need only say, that, like most strangers, I was much struck with the old and respect- able appearance of Boston— its substantial and hand- some houses of stone and brick, its well-paved and cleanly streets, its busy and orderly population, as well as with the various tokens of literary taste and refine- ment which met the eye. The merest glance at this city and its thoroughfares, thronged with passengers differing in no respect from those one sees any day in Regent Street or the Strand, would dispel the strange and misty notions entertained in England respecting the people of the United States. ' Did you find them civilised at all?' inquired a gentleman shortly after my return home. Such a question reminds one of the BOSTON TO MONTREAL. 47 anecdote told by the late Marchioness of , an English peeress, but an American by birth. Soon after her ladyship's arrival in Great Britain, she went on a visit to the house of a nobleman in the country. There, on being conducted through the hall to dinner, she observed that a crowd of servants were on the watch to have a glimpse of her in passing; and one of them, vastly to her amusement, was overheard to utter in an emphatic whisper : ' She's white ! ' In Boston, I had the opportunity of seeing for the first time a specimen of that extraordinary hotel system, which forms one of the leading social features of the United States, and which may be said to have attained its full development in the city of New York. I lodged at the Revere House, an estabUshment consisting of several hundred apartments, including a more than usually splendid suite of public Irawing-rooms and parlours, and a spacious saloon, in which all the guests take their meals, as at a table-d'hote. At dinner, which was attended by about a hundred guests, I waited to see the nature of the scramble, which English travellers speak of as characteristic of the American dining- system. But the whole routine was quiet and decorous. The dinner was served from side -tables, according to order fi-om printed biUs of fare, placed before every guest; and instead of anything like hurry or hasty eating, I felt embarrassed by the formality and prolixity of the proceedings. The meal, in its various courses, lasted about an hour; and in fact the time at my disposal would not allow me to see it to a conclusion. From Boston there now radiate eight lines of railway, affording a ready means of transit in every direction. Persons desirous of reaching Lower Canada proceed by way of Portland in Maine as the most direct route; but I made choice of that by Albany, Saratoga, and Lake Champlain, as opening to view a line of country **<**»''«WeiKfFi--SS5i?~" 48 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. tpii m associated m many parts with the history of the revolu- tionary struggle. The completion, some years ago, of IZVf^"^ *" '^"'""y 0" *« Hudson has beei of the greatest importance to Boston; for it brings its port n direct commumcation with the western country and Its lakes, and enables it to maintain something hke a rivalry with New York, and other Atlantic cities. It may, indeed, be said, that without a comiection of this kind, no American seaport can expect to rise above planned, what efforts are everywhere being made to secrire a share of its traffic-great in the present, but mighty beyond calculation in the future ! The distance torn Boston to Albany is 200 miles, and to perform this journey, I set off on a Saturday afternoon at half, past foin- o'clock-charge, five dollars, and the time promised on the road, eight hom-s. It was my fir^t Arneriean railway journey, and aU was novel. In a large covered terminus, a train of cars was drawn u^,, ready to start with a locomotive at their head across an open street ; and the whole set off with- wblr^-triP'"''"*'"'' *° foot-passengers than that t^lrtl ^r''''"'"^ ^^ '^' '"^''^S sounds of a bell at ached to the top of the engine. And so onward, through town and comitry, here intersecting a villa-e and there crossing a highway, did the train pursue its way, with no other trace of protection for the public than the veiy useful piece of advice-' Look out for the locomotive when the bell rings!' painted in large charaetei^ on sign-boards at eveiy point of danger. If Zd^^h tT!f '', '''"'=* "^'^ *"^ obliging hint to mind the bell, they have themselves to blauTe, of course < The cars were of considerable length, with a range of ^ndows alternating with polished mahogany pfneU oi pamted doth. Each accommodated fifty, eight i BOSTON TO MONTREAL. ^g passengers, who sat, two together, in arm-chairs covered with red plush, in a row on each side, leaving a passage in the middle which communicated with a door at both ends The passengers faced the engine, but by shifting the backs of their seats, they could look in a contrary direction. Outside, at the two ends of each car, there was a smaQ platform, whence to descend by steps to the ground, and by stepping from platform to platform, the passengers could move from one car to another along the whole train. Each car was provided with a stove which stood in the middle, on one side, and was heated mth billets of wood. A recent English tourist speaks of the manoeuvring of American travellers to secure seats as far from the stove as possible. I saw nothing ot this kind, now or subsequently. The heat was not offensive m any train, within my experience, though I beheve it is so occasionally; and, on the whole, this method of heating railway carriages, rude as it may be, IS certainly better than the practice of not heating them at all. In consequence of the warmth in the cars the raUway wrapper which had accompanied me from England proved an unnecessary incumbrance. So much may be said in the meanwhUe on a subject which will require more ample treatment when the raUways in vanous states have come under notice. In taking my place at Boston, I observed, as on many subsequent occasions, that there was only one class; but there was little perceptible difference, as respects the dress or orderly demeanour of the passengers, which could not perhaps be said of such a miscellaneous gathering of Enghsh travellers. Our line of route afforded a fair opportunity of seemg a considerable part of Massachusetts, and it was anything but pleasing in point of rural scenery. The land of an undulating configuration, is generally poor. KnoUs, covered with scraggy bush, through which n J «0 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. peeped masses of granite, and sandy plains with a scanty herbage, were intermingled with a never-ending series of ponds or smaU lakes, and I conld not help pitying the farmers who endeavoured to wring a live- lihood out of the partially cleared and ungenial soil. Massachusetts, however, lays no claim to a reputation for agriculture. It is not able to raise food to support itself, and, like many parts of England, rests on the manufacturing skill and general ingenuity of its inha- bitants. The railway passes through a number of populous cities, each the seat of some kind of thriving manufacture. The largest of these centres of industry axe Worcester and Springfield; the latter situated on the east bank of the Connecticut river, a navigable stream of great size, flowing through a tract of country more green and rich than that previously seen on the route. The enlivening objects on the line of road, are the numerous villages and detached dweUings, of the true New England character. The houses constructed of wood, painted white, with their bright green jalousies folded back as exterior window-shutters, and their neat porches and flower-plots in front, look every one of them as if just taken from a box and put out for an airing. It is impossible to see these trimly-kept and pretty dwellings, without an inclination to congratu- late the country on having been originaUy settled by a people who brought mth them from the south of England, not only the love of civil liberty, but an inherent taste for domestic cleanliness— a quality which, possibly through this channel, has been largely difiused through the United States. After passing Springfield, the number of passengers m the cars was considerably diminished, and the lamps shed a dim light over the vacant seats and those who remained as my companions. As the track was as BOSTON TO MONTREAL. gj usual only single, the train required to stop at one of the stations to wait the arrival of that which was commg in a contrary direction. How long we were to remain here was not explained, unta the door of our car was opened, and a head in a rough cap, from a neighbourmg groggery, made the abrupt announce- ment : < You have an hour to wait, and there's good eatmg round the comer/ Then arose a commotion among the passengers. A number left their seats, to tollow the head wheresoever it might lead them; and joming the throng, we crossed a compHcation of rails turned a comer, and ascended a wooden outside stair to an apartment, which united the character of bar-room shop, and kitchen. At one side, a man behind a counter had charge of the Hquoring department; in another quarter, a lad dispensed ham and pumpkin pie; and at the further end of the room, two women were assidu- ously engaged in dressing oysters in frying-pans The scene was strange, and the place not exactly such as I should have selected for supper, had there been a choice As It was, I procured some refreshment, and having warmed myself at a stove, retumed to the nearly deserted car. There, I found only a humble couple an emigrant and his wife, bound for the westeni country. The man had charge of a bundle on which were tied a tm kettle and drinl.og.cup, and the wife pressmg a clamorous child to her bosom, promised it in the Done of Lowland Scotland, that if it would be good and He still, it would soon get to Albany and have everything nice, and be put to bed. I-- was a difficult matter, however, to persuade young Sandy to be perfectly submissive, and I was glad when his remon- strances were drowned in the premonitory tolling of the engineer's beU and the onward roUing of the train. This was not the only delay to our progress. About an hour after midnight, we came to a sudden pause Miiiiiniiiiiiiaa 62 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. m w &'" where no station was ^dsible; and immediately, very much to my surprise, the engine-driver, conductor, and several passengers were seen sallying forth with lanterns, and hastening down the embankment on our nght. ^ What are they going to do now?' said I to a gentleman, who, like myself, kept his seat. ^ Only to take a look at some cars that were smashed this mormng, was the reply. On opening the window to obsen^e the state of affairs, as weU as the darkness would allow, there, to be sui-e, at the bottom and along the side 01 the high bank, lay an mihappy train, just as It had been upset. The locomotive on its side was partly buried in the earth; and the cars which had followed It m Its descent lay in a coniused heap behind. On the top of the bank, near to us, the last car of all stood obhquely on end, with its hind wheels in the air m a somewhat grotesque and threatening attitude AU was now stiU and silent. The kiUed and wounded. If there were any, had been removed. No living thing was visible but the errant engineer and others from our tram clambering with lanterns in their hands over the prostrate wreck, and with heedless levity p, sing critical remarks on the catastrophe. Cmdosity being satisfied, all resumed their places, and the train moved on without a murmur of complaint as to the unneces- sary and considering the hour, very undesirable delay. L^f? . .*i^' c.if .^«i«tance, as one of a variety of facts that fell withm my observation, iUustrative of the smgular degree of patience and impertm-bability with which railway traveUers in America submit imcomplainmgly to all sorts of detentions on their journey. In consequence of these stoppages, the train did not amve at its terminus on the Hudson till past two o clock in the morning; and, after all, the passengers required to cross in a ferry-boat to Albany. This 4 BOSTON TO MONTREAL. *- unpleasant feat being a ,complished, a fellow-passenger ohhg^gly condueted me to the Delavan House, one of the hotels m the city. Here I remained aU next day, for even had I besn mchned to proceed on my journey, I could not have done so; for m the northern states there is no railway stop at the town or viUage where they arrive late on ttrfn F^^f ^ T^ *^"' '^^''^'''^ ^« '^ '^^ olden tmie in England, have a day to spend in the tranquil enjoyment of a comitiy inn, with a httle breathing, time for the performance of religious duties. The morning da^vned bright and beautiful, and, walking out I had an opportunity of seeing how Sunday was kept m the capital of the state of New York. Occu Vymg a pleasant situation on a rising-ground facing the Hudson, the long streets, Hned with lofty and well- built houses, and ornamented, as usual, with rows of ^ees shading the footpaths, were in universal repose. AU paces of business were shut; the traffic connected with the shipping was at rest; and nothing seemed to be going on except in a few half-shut grogeeries on thp quay fronting the river, where boatmfn IT^lZst bushy whiskers, and rough WelUngton-boots pulled over their trousers, sat smoking away at long pipes in upon the smishmy stillness, was the voice of an itine- rant preacher who stood, Bible in hand, on the middle of a drawbndge which crossed to one of the exterior wnarts. It was a thankless oxpenditure of good inten- tions. Except a fluctuating crowd of idle youngsters no one appeared to listen to the poor man's"^ discourse; winch for anythmg I know, lasted aU day, as I found a similar harangue going on on the same spot in the evemng. ^ ^^^ Albany, like all other cities in America, nn«...««.« 54 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. ■ a choice collection of churches of handsome exterior, each sect apparently vieing with another as regards the attractiveness of its place of worship. The bells having begun to ring, I entered a church of respectable appearance, which I found to belong to the Baptist connection. The church, which was filled with an exceedingly well-dressed and attentive congregation, was fitted up with a regard to taste and comfort strikingly characteristic of places of public worship in the United States. Every traveller remarks the neatness of American churches. They resemble neither the venerable parish churches of England, with their old oak family-pews, antique monuments, and troop of charity children; nor the parish churches of Scot- land, with their plain deal-seats, damp earthen floors, and unmelodious precentors. All of them, of whatever communion I chanced to attend during my journey, were carpeted all over like a drawing-room ; the pews, of finely polished or painted wood, were spacious and cushioned; the windows furnished with Venetian bhnds, to moderate the glare of sunshine; and the pulpit, low and without a sounding-board, consisted of a kind of enclosed platform, which was provided with a handsome sofa for a seat. It may also be noticed, that the pews are generally provided with light fans, which the ladies employ during warm weather. I never saw any func- tionary acting in the capar'ty of clerk or precentor. The singing is usually led by an organ and choir in a gaUery opposite the pulpit. Not the least remark- able peculiarity in the arrangements, is the voluntary association of a number of young ladies and gentlemen to compose the choir. In some fashionable churches there are paid singers; but throughout the country generally, the members of the choirs belong to the best famihes, and act gratuitously. In one place which I visited, the leader of the church-choir was the principal BOSTON TO MONTREAL. gg medical man in the to.yn. Facts of this kind are too pleasing to be overlooked. The hotel into which chance had thrown me at Albany, I found to be conducted on the temperance principle J but it did not seem on that account to be inferior m point of extent or management. About sixty people attended the several meals in the saloon, where everythmg, as I afterwards discovered to be a common arrangement, was served to order from printed biHs of tare At the head of the room, near the entrance, stood a colom-ed manager. This personage, with a bow and wave of the hand, allotted seats to the guests, and acted as a kmd of fugleman to some eighteen or twenty waitresses who were dressed in a somewhat uniform style All of them, as I understood, were Irish girls. AS at Boston there Avas nothing like fast eating at table; and I began to wonder when this phenomenon was to make its appearance. Behind the hotel is a narrow street, into which the window of my bedi'oom opened, and at dawn on Monday morning there commenced the warning sound of engme-bells, and the ratthng of trains. Looking down mto this narrow thoroughfare, one could not but be amazed at the manner in which a Hne of railway had been run along its centre, leaving scarcely space for an ordinary carriage on each side, and, consequently, putting children and passengers in continual perO Other streets in the lower part of the city are sinularly traversed; and that such encroachments are here and elsewhere permitted, may be supposed to be a strong mdication of the small value set upon private right and convenience, when the interests of the pubHc are presumed to be concerned. It may, indeed, be said, that danger to life and Umb is seldom of so much con- sequence as to prevent raUways from being extended in an unguarded form into the heart of any viUage or S«t*««>»-.i.»i»««. M THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. City in the States; the advantages of railway communi- cation in developing resources, and increasing the value of property, being apparently held to be paramount to every other consideration. By one of the raUways so strangely projected along and across certam streets, I moved westward from Albany to Saratoga, the line of route being through a rather pretty country, undulating and well wooded, and settled by a class of farmers whose fields were regulariy enclosed and cultured. Joined by a branch from Troy, a populous city on the east bank of the Hudson, the line crosses several branches of the river Mohawk, and at different points we pass near the Erie and Champlam canals, by which a large traffic is poured through this part of the countiy. On the Mohawk, several fine falls are disclosed, and Ave drive through scenery which must afford the most delightful summer rambles to the leisurely pedestrian. ViUages of smart wooden houses are passed at intervals, and at the distance of thirty-two miles from Albany we arrive at BaUston Spa, a place celebrated for its mineral waters and right through which the railway passes, offering the facility of setting down and taking up passengers at the door of the principal hotel. Seven miles farther on, m the midst of a level and sandy tract of country covered with trees, we reach Saratoga Springs, the most fashionable and numerously attended watering- place m the United States. ^ Gay and thronged in the height of summer, how dull were now the deserted promenades of Saratoga » A long broad street, ornamented with rows of trees from which every light wind brought down showers of discoloured leaves, was lined with hotels of enormous dimensions, but with two or three exceptions, aU were shut up for the season; and so they would remain till the heats of the next dog-days brought troops of new I BOSTON TO MONTREAL. fi7 visitors to the springs. I had the curiosity to taste one of the medicinal waters, which rose in a powerful volume through a wooden tube fixed over tlie spring. It sparkled with confined air, had a slight flavour of iron and weak beer, and was by no means unpleasant. The efficacy of the difierent springs would require, I think, to be considerable; for in the village itself, inde- pendently of a gay hotel-life, and the pleasure of loung- ing in arm-chairs under long shady verandas, there seemed to be absolutely no attractions. Rides through glades in the forest, and visits to interesting scenes in the neighbourhood, possibly help to draw strangers to the spot. Here we may consider ourselves to be in the centre of a district in which took place a series of warlike engagements, first between the English and French, and afterwards between the British and Ameri- can forces. It will be recollected, that it was at Fish Creek, on the Hudson, after a variety of operations in this vicinity, that the unfortunate Burgoyre surrendered with an aniiy of 5000 men to General Gates on the 17th of October 1777. Having walked over the scene of this dismal humihation, the tourist will pursue his way to Fort Edward, and Lakes George and Champlain, the whole forming a group of scenes not only among the most picturesque in America, but abounding at almost every step in the deepest historical interest. At the time of my visit, various alterations were going on in Saratoga, including the laying of pipes for gas and the erection of some new structures. I had some amusement in noticing the removal of a house on rollers— a process at which the Americans are adepts. The house in question was of two stories, and the object seemed to be its transference to the opposite side of the street. It had already performed one-half of its journey across, and I have no doubt would settle down in its new situation without any untoward casualty. The 08 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. form ure withm it did not appear to be disturbed nor had .t been deserted by its adventurous inbabitanto r,J ''°"?"«t"'n "f houses of wood admits of these not veo^ difficult transitions; and so far a tin-ber dweU •ng has Its advantages. But other cireumstanees relder wood desirable as a material for house-buildin' Nol to speak of the cheapness of deals, or lumberfas ml ^nd of t,mbcr « ,^^,y ^^i^ ^ 'J™ much warmer than one of stone during the inelcmenoy of wmter, and therefore many persons consider it p" fe^ able Such, at least, I found to be the general opinion hamcwork is formed over which plain deals are fast- sTcn 'is t ™^-,T'' ,'"■■ ^""^ """^ ^-J--^- ™« »ext ^dC '* '^'* ""'"'• "^^ "•o™ of elates; TsMnl '^'?S«"'^''* '^ snowed ^vith the roof t d^^ . , ^'"^' ^* ""'""ental architraves betto effect r^°T """^ ?™I«=''^ !>=''»*'=''' has a folly oetter effect than a house simply weather-boarded In e^her case the air is effectoaltyexcluded; a"d as the inside ,s always plastered, and finished off with orna! mental paper hangmgs, the house is as eonifortabras dTe W Twb- 1* "^rT' ^"^'^ ""^''^ -temporised awt^ing, in which only the chimneys are of brick suits a new eouutry; and it is such houses, of a smaU and neat kmd, placed in the outskirts a^d b™ of American cities, that are owned and oecupfedT artisans and others of much higher means. T^arvfhich appear strange to an Englishman, is the durability of these wooden structures, the very roofs of which are of a s^min^y perishable material. ^But aU is ^i^w that exceeding dryness of atmosphere, which foms a lead rngpeculianty of the North America; climate, aMwS^h even the heaviest rains can scarcely be said t^ inte^pt BOSTON TO MONTREAL. nor 60 From Saratoga, travellers may diverge towards Lako George ; but my plans not admitting of this interesting lateral trip, I contented myself with pursuing the route northwards to the foot of Lake Champlain. This run of 220 miles in one day, bv cars and steamers, from Saratoga Springs to Montreal, was the most suggestive and pleasant I made in the whole cour«e of my journey. It took me through a region, almost every foot of which had been the scene of military contention. Projected from the borders of Canada, and connected by its outlet with the St Lawrence, Lake Jhamplain has always been a favourite channel of attack on the States from the north, and at different points has been strengthened by military posts, to which the English Gucceeded on the expulsion of the French, and which now, within the American frontier, are with one exception deserted and in ruins. Passing the hamlet of Fort Ann, the cars, a few miles further on, reach Whitehall, known during the war as Skenesborough. Here the railway stops, and we have the first glimpse of Lake Champlain, probably the finest thing of its kind in America, and in some respects rivalling the most beautiful lakes of the old world. Stepping on board a steam-boat which awaited the arrival of the train, I was amazed at the size and magnificence of the vessel. Resembling a floating palace in its interior accommodations and ornament, it offered for repose a spacious and airy saloon, fur- nished with the richest cai-pets and sofas, and from tall pier-mirrors, surmounting marble tables, you were reflected at every movement. The only discordant feature in this elegant apartment, was a number of large spittoons of brown earthenware, placed near the velvet-covered sofas for the use of the passengers. Such things had already come under my notice in the parlours of the hotels I had visited; and although I 60 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. veyed an ^^^Z^ZttZ':^^ h'^"^ ^°^; an unenviable notoriety ^'^ ^^^^ ^^^^^^ r " "^ uusny Headlands, and overlooked hv +!,« « n altogether a WW IsJ^Oer otrreft^'^t fnu iigai tnat oi Vermont. The form^^ ,•= +1, the Vermont side, are seen rt„ 1 « *"™''®' °° from which the stitrLsIrifea to Lr"*-'""'"'""^' >;ere the first hill,, worthyTttrntriT^- ^'^^ America. The steamer ;„ V ' '""^ ^'*'' >» stopped at varioufS to, 'lP^;fr^ "I" *^ '"k-'- One of these nointr.^-'^ *'*'"= "PP=''^™g«'-s. left, was Ticii:::::: :,t"s ^f xts«:"°" are observed overhanging the cliffs InT • f '''''.''*'°™ with the wild brushwood^ "ftl fL ^"'"f "'' warfare against thp F„„l,=i, i """''' '" their selves inl755; he.f™s the "'^' established them- ewments, i'n whlcrM^tc.::,^ HoT.^Tr dL;1 ceStlfr""'™""''"'''^ ''^ Captain AUen and Hand oTrr "T'"^ *" C°'™^' ^than 1775. Crown Poinff!rt,2 ^T^T.^"''' ^"^ 1«' side, and where ZZ J ^, '*" "" '"'e same beach, is the 2 rf » ^Tt '"''"'"' '" "" '"^"essible of the s.m„ ' °"''' ""'' «"»•« imposino- fort the same ong„. After being wrested from" Z BOSTON TO MONTREAL. gj French, the fortress was greatly enlarged by Lord Amherst, and is said, in various vyays, to have cost the British government two millions sterling. It also feU into the hands of the Americans, and now consists of a number of rugged waHs and grassy mounds, a gUmpse ot which IS obtained from the deck of the passing steamer. ° ■ Having passed these spots, the passengers were summoned to dinner in a lower s, ^oon, along which two tables were prepared as tastefu xs in a first-rate hotel. On descending to take our places, the gentle- men of the party were requested to wait tJU tl , ladies had come ao^vn and seated themselves; an arrangement mth which, of course, all acquiesced. Those gentlemen who had ladies in charge participated in the choice of places at the top of the tables; the balance of the seats to use an American phrase, being left to such solitar^ travellers as myself. I did not, however, fmd on this or subsequent occasions that any diflPerence was made between the upper and lower parts of the tables, as respects ^aands or attendance. Again, in this meal, I tailed to observe any voracity in the guests ; and nothing was drunk but iced water-a luxury ^yith which the people of England generally have, as yet, little practical acquaintance. Burlington, a handsomely built and thriving town IS the port of largest size touched by the steamer! It IS situated at the bottom of a bay, on the east or Vermont side oi the lake, ^nd possesses rail./ay com- munication m several directions, by which travellers have an opportunity of varying their route. Fm^her on, and diagonaUy crossing this fine sheet of water which IS here eight to nine miles wide, and prettily dotted with islands, we amve at Plattsbui-g in the state of New York. A railway train in waiting now carried us forward in a noii;herly direction, and having- « THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. advanced a few mUes, we cross the frontier int» Lower beZ^L .' only-.Ucation we have of the ci^^ b^g the admonition m French at raUway crossing! ■ W garde de k machine, qn^d la cloche soZ' -a strange mvasion of the peaceful routine of habitant About nine o'clock in the evening, the train arrived across to La Chine, the steamer occupying twentv ficent nv« took place, therefore, in the partial darkSs frorr^" r^":*- '^'"' ""^ J-t sufficient ligh from the stars to shew that we were upon a stream a h?LlTM "Ti*' """S ^ '' «^«'-' ""od from E,^! ? T ""^ '!'"'*'" "=^*'^"''*y of the island of Montreal and entering a railway terminus, found a tram with the English form of carnages reX to depart for the city of Montreal. This trip rf S o^ hands of an Irish cabman, driving impetuously through a series of sti-eets to a hotel; having in the spac " rf fourteen hours, without toU or anxiety, and forTfew doUars, performed a journey which, thirty years aeT would probably have required a week to ZmpSi ^ ' CHAPTER IV. MONTREAL. The English tourist who steps ashore for the first time in France, is not more struck with the novelty of general appearances, than is the traveller from the United States on arriving- in Montreal. A journey of a few miles has transferred him from towns of brick and painted wood, spacious streets with as many trees as houses, bright green jalousies and shady verandas, to a city of stone, houses covered with tin, iron window- shutters, and narrow thoroughfares with designations m French. Other things serve to impress him with the change. He sees convents within high walls, such as present themselves in Bruges or Ghent; and the spectacle of soldiers loitering about in scarlet uniforms reminds him that he is not only in a British possession, but m a country which, from some cause or other, is considered to require the presence of a standing army. Half French and half English—a diversity in man- ners and dress as well as in creeds— institutions drawn from the coutume de Paris and the Parliament of West- minster—ancient feudalities and modem privileged- traditions of the Sulpicians and reminiscences of Lord Sydenham— nunneries next door to Manchester ware- houses—barristers pleading in the language of France and a custom-house decorated with the royal arms of England— priests in long black dresses, and Scotch Presbyterians— cabmen in frieze jackets fresh from 64 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Ireland, and native market-carters in coloured sashes and night-caps— in short, a complication of incongrui- ties; the old and new world jumbled together, and then assorted according to some odd device in social econo- mics. Such is Montreal. In the general constitution of things, the United States, though near neighbours, have contributed little beyond their hotel -system, which is so much more acceptable than that of England,' that it has everywhere been imported across the fron- tier and naturalised in Canada. The leading hotel is Donegana's, in the centre of the city; but for the sake of proximity to the river and steamers, I preferred the Montreal House, with which I had every reason to be satisfied. AU the waiters in the estabUshment, about a dozen in number, were negroes; being probably refugees from the south. Proceeding out of doors on the morning after my arrival, that which first drew my attention was the St Lawrence, clear and beautiful, and about a mile in breadth, facing the to^vn on the south. Looking across this splendid river, we see a flat country beyond, and in the far distance, the Vermont hills of the United States. On careftd observation, the river is seen to be broken into a hurried stream or rapid, immediately above the town; vessels, accordingly, are unable to ascend beyond this point without proceeding through a canal which has been constructed on the Montreal side, the first of a series of similar works through whose agency ships of moderate size can now make their way unimpeded from the ocean to Lake Huron, a distance of 1300 miles. Immediately in front of us is the long and well-built quay, with commodious pro- jecting piers for large steam-vessels, one of vvhich has just come up the river from Quebec and is landing her passengers, while another k about to start for the rail- way on the opposite side of the river. Several sailing 'E! . MONTllEAL. OS vessels are at the same time mdoading cargoes of mk cellan«,us goods for the 'faU trade;' and IpracC; we lind that ,t is freighted with oysters, which an ancient manner, who speaks French with J^yoU bihty, IS selling in bushel measures to a^w7 "f customers. Turning from this object of atttJZ "f are surprised to hear the sound' of cantl and 1 fcS tPd'^'r ^'^^ ^^ ^^P»'^ Proc^^dfrom: tortified island a short way down the river, where a body of soldiers are practising the use of artiUe,^ Walkmg along the street part of the oiiav „!,• i, stretches a mile in length, we find it 1 Le'd ^^ and massive houses, built of light gray Vm stolf and having steep roofs covered witl tin!^which IhtteS like burmshed sdver in the morning sun. TallSt a^ most m^sivc of all ia a huge marketS-ouse, eoJ^Zs by to lofty dome, and more ambitious tha^ appSate m .(B arclutecture. From this open thoroughfere So^ which an mexhaustible supply of light du" cav^S m unwelcome gusts, I was glad to strike into the T,T\f^ "" ^"^ " ^^°«« inelinltirfr* TJ \- ? ^™''g"'g "»to these and the adioininff streeto which run lengthwise thiou-h the town T stranger will not fad to remark the m^b r of wSesl stores thronged with manufactured articles im^rted from England, and forming dep6ts for the suXof fte Canadian traders. The aspect of these warehouses with Enghsh and Scotch names at the side ofT^ doors, reminded me of the busines allej behkd of tlT pit"" "'"''"^"^''' *<= eommerdal'eh^tt JcatnTrf td °' ^°"*'''^' *^^ '^' =^» ™''»*»«al maicanons of advancement, as if modem were misl,in^ S nl "'7 '"'' ''" ^°='''''' -'growing th:Snl IVeneh population. ' When I eame to thU plaeeS? 66 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. yeai-s ago/ said a venerable settler from Scotland, 'I scarcely heard a word of English, and could with diffi- culty find my way; now matters are entirely changed/ The modernisation of the city has been considerably promoted by a fire which some years ago committed extensive ravages. A crop of handsome new buildings has sprung up ; but with few exceptions, they follow the line of the old and narrow streets, instead of expanding over a larger space of ground. The best street is the Rue Notre Dame, along the centre of the low ridge on which the city has been placed ; but it is exceeded in breadth and in elegance of architecture by St James's Street, a little further west. At an open species of square that intervenes between these two streets, we find some of the more important pubhc edifices of the city, including a Eoman Catholic cathedral. Every- body has of course heard of this last-mentioned struc- ture, which is said to be the largest place of public worship in the mediseval style of architecture in America. Built of gray stone, with pointed windows and lofty square towers, seen at a great distance, it is unfortunately plain to baldness, and must give the Canadians but an imperfect notion of such edifices as the cathedrals of Rouen and Antwerp — things of beauty to be remembered for ever. Inside, everything has been sacrificed to congregational accommodation. Fitted with pews and galleries, in order to afford sittings for 10,000 people, it has no pretensions to con- gruity of character, and with roof and pillars coarsely coloured, it may be said that an effort has been success- fully made to render it valueless as a work of art. At a short distance, in this quarter, there are some good buildings in the Grecian style, among which are more particularly observable two banks and a large new court-house. Montreal, it is proper to state, is a centre of considerable banking operations. From the MONTREAL. 67 ^'^^■fr^"''''' ^"''"^ -*-'»«™^ (^ Entlish concern! and of Montreal, both of a highly rcspeotable ch^to' in Canada. Each issues notes of as low a value as 5s currency, or 4s. sterHng; and a note of thi. kind is popukrly equivalent to an Amcrieaa doUar. Tbl mamtenance of what is termed currency in the present advanced state of things, is not ver^ intelli^k to traveUers from the olu con.ur^. On/might sS some meaning in the denomination, if there was fcorsi^! mgly depreciated coinage m circulation. But except- Ame tn l"^, 'l^ ' ' ""^"^'^ *»' ""'J oecasionany snln nf ^fll' '"°°'^- ^y =" "■•''"^ shilling is spoken of as iifteenpence, or how storekeepers in asldns sevenpcnce-halipenny for an article, shouS m"an sk^ pence ,s a mystery in finance not easily explained. In my Ignorance, I ventured respectftdly to suggest to a respectable colonist, that I thought it would only be reasonable to call a shilling a shUling, and chaSg/the nominal prices of things accordingly' But I fe!t by the repy, that I had trodden on dangerous ^Ld IS considered equivalent (strictly) to ^1, 4s. 4d cm-! rency cou^d not, it seems, bear criticism. Perhaps, then and other British American provinces, the propriety of assimilating their money. reckoning to the sterW standard or of adopting the simpk dollar and cenf purposes, would be more convenient Conducted, first through several banks of an imposins appearance, and then visiting some large librar e?r^S ing-rooms, and other public institutions, I ZnlTl ^ejant drive out of to.^ towards the Mountair-*: road m a northerly direction taking us amidst lines of 68 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AIIERICA. detached villas embowered in gardens and flower-plots. As every stranger in London goes to see St Paul's, so all who visit Montreal require to see the Mountain. Of this mountain, the inhabitants are not a little proud ; and they have some reason for being so. The hill, which forms a kind of background to Montreal, shelter- ing it most agreeably from the north, is covered with a profusion of orchards, gardens, and masses of forest trees, and having the lower part disposed in small farms and villa enclosures. Some years ago, the hill and countr}^ beyond were scarcely approachable on account of the state of the roads ; but now the thoroughfares are kept in the best order by revenues dra^vn from toU-bars. The establishment of these bars by an ordinance of Lord Sydenham, was loudly exclaimed against by the rural habitans, who, in coming to market, greatly preferred jolts to the dispensing- of coppers ; but I was told that the tide of opinion against toll-paying had lately under- gone a considerable change among these ancient settlers ; as they had discovered by the saving of time and other advantages, that the money they paid to the toU-keeper was by no means thrown away. By one of these improved roads, carried at a moderate height, we are enabled to make a circuit of the whole mountain, and obtain some remarkably fine views over the surrounding country. The scene on the northern side embraces an ex^-ensive tract of land, laid out in farms, and dotted over with villages, distmguishable by their churches with tin-covered steeples. From the summit, the eye is able to trace out, in the generally level country, the outlines of the Isle of Montreal, and the Isle Jesu beyond it on the north, as well as the valley of the Ottawa. The river Ottawa, coming out of a region rich in timber, and abounding in pictu- resque scenery, joins the St Lawrence in a somewhat broken manner, by parting into separate branches, and k MONTREAL. 69 intersecting the land so as to form the two above-men- tioned islands. The Isle of Montreal, about thirty miles in length, and celebrated for its beauty and fertility, was ongmally gifted by the king of France to the sem^naiy of St Sulpice, to which body the superiority still princi- pally belongs, and is a source of large annual income. Along the southern slopes of the mountain, and favom-ed by the high temperatm-e in summer, grow those fine varieties of apples-the Fameuse, Pomme Gris, and others-which are the admiration of all strangers. The view from the higher parts of the hiU on the south ihX^'"", tT'^ ^""^ '^™^^ ^" *^^^ foreground, with he broad St La^nce and its shipping, and the exten- sive tract of country beyond, which includes the pleasant valley of the Eichlieu. ^ The society in Montreal which I had an opportunity of becommg acquainted with, did not differ from what one sees m a respectable English town; and from all I could earn it appeared that notwithstanding many bitter pohtical and religious animosities, the city in its vanous concerns was making signal progress. The of n^l 1 ^ i f '"'"''^ *° "^"^* ^^^000^ ^^d trade 01 all kinds had been expended in the current year. The completion of the Atlantic and St Lawrence Railway by opemng up a ready means of transit to Portland and iioston, had already given an impetus to improvemert • and as steamers will now ply direct to and from En^' confiden ly anticipated. On many accounts, therefore, Montreal possesses an animation and hopefulness which could scarce y have been predicated from its past histoir or the mixed and antagonistic materials in its populZ ^^on Nor axe the mterests of practical science and b^erature forgotten. A museum of the minerals, united with a geological survey of the province, attests the attention paid to an important branch of knowledge. 70 THINGS AS TIIEY ARE IN AMERICA. A few weeks before my visit, there liad been a largo exhibition of improved ;i^iK(il^ '.al implements and livestock. Ijattcrly, tVcrc hw been added to tlie cdneational institntions a handsomely endowed estab- lishment called the M'Gill CoUej^e — a kind of university for the higher branches of learning, and in which no tests arc exacted. A High School, of earlier oriyin, has, I am told, been added to it as a preparatory depart- ment. The French Roman Catholic body also own some cducationjd establishments of good reputation. So far, there is nothing to complain of in the city ; but in Lower Canada generally, the state of education is on a lamental)ly imperfect footing ; for although there is a school law applicable to the province, such is the general ignorance of letters that many local commissioners of echication are said to be unable to read or write ; and as the rating for schools is under popular control, the habitans find it more agreeable to let their children grow up nninstructed than vote means for their educa- tion. On advancing into Western Canada, which is settled by a purely English and Scotch population, the state of affairs is found to be very different. As regards the actual appearance and character of the original French settlers in the rural districts, or habitans, as they are ordinarily called, I naturally felt some degree of curiosity ; and was projecting an excur- sion into the coimtry, when I was cordially invited to pay a visit to the extensive and interesting seignory of Major T. E. Campbell, situated in the valley of the Richlieu, about nineteen miles south from Montreal. The account of this Adsit may perhaps give an idea of riu-al life in tliis part of Canada, which is essentially different from what prevails in the western portion of the province. It is unnecessary for me to enter into any details respecting the settlement of Lower Canada by the f MONTREAL. 71 French, and of the final cession of the conntry to England in 17G3. It is enough to know tliat Great Britain agreed, by treaty, to respect the religions and other institutions introduced by France; and these accord- ingly remain, with some modifications, till the present day. One of the social arrangements so preserved, was the method of liolding land by feudal tenure. A num- ber of distniguished personages called seigneurs or lords, to whom large tracts of land had been gi-anted, were allowed to partition their property among vassals, who by purchase at entry, and incuiTing certain obligations, obtained the rights of perpetual heritage. These tracts of land are known as seignories, each retaining the namo of the seigneur to whom it originally belonged. The vassal-tenants are technically called censitaires. About thirty years after the cession of Canada, the rights of the seigneurs were abridged : they no longer included any species of jurisdiction j and, except where the old seignories prevailed, the principle of freehold tenure was introduced. In the present day, the seigno- rial claims are not by any means oppressive, although still objectionable as being at variance with modem notions and practices. Not many seigneurs, I was informed, live habitually on their domains, or charge themselves with the personal supervision of their vassals. The management, in various instances, is left to local agents ; and on this account I felt some satisfaction in visiting a seignory with a proprietor resident, like a lord of the olden time, in the midst of his retainers. ' You will take the steamer at nine o'clock for Longeuil,' said Major Campbell, in giving me directions to visit his property; 'and there you will find a train in waiting to carry you to St Hilaire, which is the station near to my place.' At the hour appointed, next morning, I accordingly crossed the St Lawrence to Longeuil, a distance of three miles in a diagonal 79 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. direction down the river, and found a train of cars ready to take the passengers forward, the line of rpilway being that which communicates with Portland in Maine, and other parts of the United States. The day was dull and hazy, but clear enough to shew the country around; and as the train went at a leisurely pace, I was able to obtain a pretty fair view of the land and its method of treatment. We go through a district of seignoiies, the first being that of Longeuil, which extends a number of miles from the river. Settled a hundred and fifty years ago, and long since cleared and enclosed, the country, as we advance, has quite an old appearance, with villages and churches placed at suitable intervals. The land is gene- rally so level, that the railway has been made to a large extent with scarcely any banking or cutting. Onward it goes over fields, enclosed with rail-fences, and entering the valley of the Richlieu, crosses the fine large river of that name by a long wooden bridge. As is usual in all seignorial districts, the holdings of the censitaires con- sist of long narrow strips of land, projected from the public road. By this plan, each farmer has a convenient frontage to his property; and as dl the houses aio built in a line on the respective frontages, the people enjoy ample facilities for social converse and amusement. So far this is pleasant; but as every pleasure needs to be paid for, the inhabitants, in proceeding to some portions of their properties, incur the penalty of travelling a long way from home in pursuit of their'rural laboui-s. The spectacle presented by these old-fashioned farms was anything but cheering. The smaU fields, lying in a row, and entered from each otner, like a suite of rooms in a French mansion, exhibited a poor kind of husbandry, and to all appearance the principal crop was that of tall weeds growing on the foul and exhausted soil. At one period, the district was known as the granary of Canada; MONTREAL. n and a merry place it then t^ls, m doubt. Now, it is birelyable to yield prod i^e f^ir ca own support; and poverty, I fear, is the gem -ul lo: of its inhabitants. Thus, moralising on tl . J,r ^e of times, we reach St Hilaire. Here, at a liandsome station, with waitin«r- rooms and dep6t3 for im- , and a great stack of biUets of wood for the u&c ot the locomotive, I found Major CampbeU, and gladly accompanied him in a pedestnan excursion over his grounds. When I talk of meeting a Canadian seigneur, I am perhaps expected to describe a spare gentleman in a queue and cocked- hat, a red sash, and a coat which might have been in fashion at the Tuileries in the reign of Louis XV. Changes, however, have come over seigneurs as well as other people. In the gallant major I recognised only a bluff and sound-hearted English officer, rigged out in a shooting-jacket, to brave a threatened drizzle, and, as is usual all over Canada, wearing a pair of stout boots up to the knees, sufficient to encounter every variety of mud and quagmire. How the major should have dropped from Her Majesty^s service into the position he now occupies, it is not my business to relate. Formerly secretary to the governor-general, his taste for agriculture, and his marriage with a Canadian lady, may be presumed to form a reason for having invested largely in his present possessions. However this may be, notliing could have been more fortunate for the habitans of St Hilaire than to have obtained such a lord of the manor. The first thing done was to conduct me to the chdteau which we reached by a wicket from the railway station and a pathway leading across a shrubberv and paddock. Built of red brick and sandstone, I had before me a handsome and recently erected mansion of large size in the Elizabethan style, with doorway and windows in the best possible taste. Inside was a capacious haU I 74 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. i i f a T^^^ ■" °^ "'"* ™'"* '^^"^i"? t° the upper P^ of the house. On the level of the hall, doors open on vanous apartments, ineluding a dining and drawing. colours These handsome apartments are lighted by plate-glass windows, which overlook a green lawn that ^pes down to the banks of the BieUieu, rou' a hundred yards aistant. The view of the p4id river resembhng the Thames at Fulham, with small saUW vessels passmg and repassing, and a village and ehureh spu.e on the opposite shore, adds mneh to the amen^rof h« prmeely dweUing. On looking around, we feel as a visitmg a nobleman's establishment in England or France, and can hardly realise the idea of being in the heart of a eount,7 „hieh, o„,y ^ , ^^^ ^ « was reclaimed iiom the primeval wilderness. J a short distance from the chteau has been erected a spa- cious suite of farm-offlces adapted for the highest-clL husbandly, and used i, connection with a model-farm of 150 acres, which Major Campbell keeps in his own hands. What interested me more than anything else m the chateau, was an apartment occupied as I busmess-room. Here, at a table covered with papers sat an aged Canadian, dressed in a blue coat of antique cut, with white metal buttons-a kind of Owen in the W of Osbaldistone & Co.-aad his duties I Ler! stood to cmisist in everlastingly poring over a variety of ehartcr-books and ledgers, and keeping the accounts of the seignory. This ancient worthy spoke nothing but Irench, and the whole transactions of the concert are conducted in that language. ■There seems to be a great deal of writing connected with the property,' I observed to the major. ' Indeed there is,' he replied. 'Keeping the accounts of a seignory ,s a business in itself: I will shew you the nature of our affairs.' So saying, several booL were MONTREAL. 75 a obligingly brought into tlie dining-room, and I set to work to learn the nature of their multifarious detaUs, assisted by the explanations of my kind entertainer. One of the books, resembling a great broad ledger consisted of pages partly covered with print in French' with open spaces left for writing. The whole formed a narration of the various holdings of the vassals, mth their dates of entry, transfers, extent of tenure, and annual quit-rents. The quantity of land embraced in the seignory, I was infoi-med, is about 33,000 acres, divided amon^ 771 censitaires. Of these, however only 693 are farmers ; the remainder being occupants of houses, orchards, or other small possessions. The annual rent or feu^duty paid for the land is in some mstances not more than twopence an acre. But the other obligations are more onerous. At every sale of a tenure, the landlord can demand a fine of a twelfth of the purchase-money; or it is in his option to take the land Et the price offered for it. Duties are likewise charged on successions. AU the vassals are also obHged to have their grinding done at the mill of the seigneur, who, on liis part, is bound to have mills kept in repair for their use. It may easily be supposed that the finan- cial and other operations of such an extensive concern are exceedingly complicated and embarrassing; and nothing but the skiU of a diplomatist and the science of an arithmetician could grapple ^vith them. Besides the documents connected with these transactions. Major CampbeU shewed me the books he keeps in relation to the farm in his own management. Here were seen the accomits of expenditure on labour and other matters with an entry of every sale of produce, down to the minutest suras received for dairy articles, according to the best methods of farm book-keeping in England; so that, at the shortest notice, a complete balance-sheet could be exhibited. 76 III I v''\ i»i THINGS AS THEY ABE IN AMEKICA. I afterwards stroUed out with Major Campbe]! over some of the lands of his tenants, which, in spite of all tis remonstrances and advice, are farmed according to rfd notions, and do not materially differ in appearance from what IS observable m adjoining properties This I expected. The ignorant cannot apprehend abstractions. They reqmre to see a thing done in order to give it Ml credence Only a few of the farmers had come the length of believing in the efficacy of the seigneurs operations, as regards draining, manming, and the proper rotation of crops. Accustomed to be satisfied with a small retm^ for their expenditure and labom^ on tblT r*T'*'^ !" ''' '^^ '"'Se ciops produced on the lands iarmed by Major Campbell, and were beginmng cautiously to follow his example h^VT" ,t™!"'*' °° *■?« P^™« J^ig'^-y. which here u„.deis the nver; and in the compass of a mile from the gateway of the chateau, which blocks up the end of the road I had an opportunity of visiting the houses of several censitaires; taking a look into the vUlage church ; examining a girls' school, which, super- hshed by the lady of the seigneur; and, finally, of paying my respects to the cur^ a mild, scholV ^ tST'T'' "^f ''™"' *" ^ ^"^'y '""^ ™»^io>i m the midst of a garden overlooking the Richlieu. nei in tb^' \ '"'\"'''^' ™' .^""' ""'^ ^^-^^ ™ " chilli- ness in the atmosphere, yet the doors of the houses were generally open, and in the veranda, in front of onTof wTL^.t/TT-™"';'"? " '""^ ^^'' ^"-"^ "'"'l««'e was engaged at his side m some kind of knitting. The houses we visited were sci-upniously dean and provided with the heavy kind of old itonitL common c^ae down as heirlooms from past generations. I need hardly say that the seigneui. was received with MONTREAL. 77 politeness and deference, but with none of the obse- quiousness observable among certain classes of tenantry in the old country. A lively conversation was com- menced in French— the people, for miles around, being totally Ignorant of English— and it turned on the state of rural affairs. Major Campbell strongly represented the advantages of subscribing for and reading a cheap agricultural journal, but without avail. It was pretty evident that the good censitaires had no faith in literatui-e, nor would part with a single half-penny for aU the information that could be offered them. Backward as things are seen to be, the enterprising seigneur has sanguine hopes of effecting a considerable unprovement in the habits of the people. He is at least untiring m his benevolent efforts, and deserves a more genial field of operation. One of his branches of revenue is from the manufacture of sugar from the sap of the maple-trees, which ornament, ^nth their glowing foliage, the pictm-esque and isolated hill of Beloeil situated withj 1 a short distance of his chateau. In summer, parties of pleasure from Montreal visit this lofty mountain, and climb by a steep and winding path to the top, from which there is a most extensive pros- pect over the adjacent country. Pious devotees also make a pilgrimage to the hill, on which there are stations where certain appointed prayers are repeated. At the base of the ascent is a smaU and beautifid lak- whence water is constar vV lowing to turn the miiJs of the seignory. Having spent a day agreeably, I bade adieu to Major CampbeU, n.d by an evening train retariied to Montreal. It req .'.od no depth of reflection to perceive that the system of seignorage, of which I had seen a lavourable specimen, was entirely out of date in the present day, and that, for the sake of general advance- ment, It could not be too soon abolished. The subject 78 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. indeed, has already engaged the consideration of the constitutmg them a redeemable mortgare on +1,p v» specfve tennres, will, at no distant d^%°lttot W. Major Campbell stated that he w;X hav^^^ plibrthrtr' ^™\^?-"'"« -ij-t-nt; 'rit" possible that the opposition to a remedy of this natiir^ ing and intelligent men will not, to an7w St' settle m a neighbonrhood in which the FrenSn^^r™ and usages prevail. Protestants it is true ».i^ T lar ttima«r f ^™"g^"'«''t« ^^ obnoxious in popn- estima,tion. In some quarters of the counlrv La ^ore particnh^ly in the eastern townships, vT^^'on"' derable advances a«, made in agricdtnri ianalem^ and the progress of the colony in trade sliinX I^^' intei^ommunieation, is to be' men«o:;d X m"h satisfaction. The state of affaii^s, however, iT L ^ districts generally, through the leadening iXZe h t uTtilX"'!'"'' *°' ' ""' '"'" -editabb. In snoit, untU the seignones are broken up as a fir^f and essential step to the introduction rf the EnlTh Canada, so far as I can see, must remain an alien and unknown eount^' to the mass of British eXants who pour m a ceaseless stream across the Atlantic CHAPTER V. QUEBEC. Having spent a few days in Montreal and its neigh- bourhood, I prepared to make a short visit to Quebec A communication by railway between these cities, as 1 shaU have occasion to explain, wiU soon be effected by the extension of a branch from the Atlantic and St Lawrence hne. Meanwhile, the only avaUable inter- course is by ^team-ves^els on the river, one of which departs every evening from Quebec, and another from Montreal; the passage up as ^yell as down being by Montreal is 130 miles above Quebec, and this dis- tance IS performed hy the steamers in twelve hours descendmg, and fifteen to sixteen hours, ascending, the St Lawrence ; though, when fogs occur, the t^me in each case may be considerably extended. Owing to these perplexing fogs, as well as sunken rocks and ^her dangers, serious accidents occasionally happen. 1 \t- . ^^^-^P^^ad reputation for disasters than the Mississippi, the St La^vrence yet possesses an unfortunate aptitude for destroying the steamers which trust themselves upon it. During my stay in the country, two vessels of this kind were wrecked between Quebec and Montreal. Trusting that I might escape any such misfortune, I one evening went on board a steamer at Montreal said to be one of the best on the station; and along 80 THINGS AS THEY ABE IN AMERICA. iU^l^r^^l ^'^'^'''' ^^' °ff °° - ™We down tbe nver Darkness soon coming on we ha,l 1,-trt! opportunity of seeing the distantVnks whth W guishable from the elrflood of tl ritT "'*'- J'urther still, on the sonth sho^ ^he Eieh.rfaUs mto the nver; but the to™ of Sorrel at tht pot and various other plaees of some note, ineludin ' S " ' Rivers, ^-e passed in the dark, and we only he^r ftei^ n^^eswhen the vessel stops at them to pnf ptTen^ o'ioeirwL*:-^''^"' " r'^ "°"™g' *"«* «even o ciocte, when, nsmg from bed and going to the ,i;n „f w tW f : '? 'r"^ f "^ '•PP^^-^h^d QuebeeVand hltw! "^ explanation, I knew at a glanee that we were passing the seene of Wolfe's celetoM the lofty chffs of Cape Diamond, on whose sLmit tl! 0% has been built-bringing EhrenhSteT „n he Elune with its towers and battlements, to reiSm We hir T f °"'' I^^"^ ^th its lively viUage and ferrv- keel^' f! r . r " *7" """l"^ •''""e'"^'. the larger keeping to the left and the smaller to the right Jlh the high woody isle of Orleans between. ^ ' There was little time to take note of all this The be r«if °V" ""T "' *<= ^''"^Slmg and bnj UnA Wow the city, and m a few minntes we walked ashore QUEBEC. on a wooden qu^y, in the midst of porters and cabmen Dnnng by wmdmg narrow streets; environed by ^b stantial stone-hon.es, towards the higher rerions I eould see that Qnebec is a curiouB old city wift T;. rous trades connected ,vith shipping in its'^ior* s^Z!" and ha™g a strong mixture rf th'e miUtarH^d ISe' siastical character m its umjer aurl mo.o /'^ ^^cie- di^ion The street which f^cctcdTa ZT^ to a hotel, was so steep, that I feared fh^ r.^ I ^ and sole of tl, ?™ "J""'^' ''^''^ *« °«^ket of Its Enghsh and Scotch inhabitants. EveS Tf course, is acquainted mth the fact that thtr^- parliament was, a few years a'nl! 7 Canadian place of meeting n MoZd^ Aft /"^ °^ '*' itself in a handsole buUdwt' of^rf /' '^"^8 tunately, ,een just burned r^ftfS; '[^^ ^^ slnft for temporary accommodation. Non^ rfthe luhl ! ^"S '::f:?f-reirrrt i^^^ ^^C^T' """^ ''- -neralled^l'^oS =^Si:rc^sS1nr.---- mind ba'cirt„''t"''™' '" ""' ^^^* ^™»*' throw our Breton^^:::d\tLf S-^LSrh"^"^ '" ^^''^ seizing on the whole of S da • L "17^'''™ ^'' severe e.,.ditio.. are despa^ht 'totjenttaSt * 88 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. different quarters; the principal movements, however, being the approach of Lord Amherst by way of Albany and Ticonderoga, and that of Major-General James Wolfe, a young and promising soldier, by the St Law- rence. In the month of June, a fleet bears Wolfe and a small but select army up this great river, and after a tedious voyage, it comes in sight of Quebec and its exterior defences, held by Montcalm and an army of 13,000 men. Landing, and forming an encamp- ment on the Isle of Orleans, Wolfe has presented to him an imposing spectacle. Opposite, on the north shore, from the fortress of Quebec to the falls of the Montmorenci, along a sloping ground several miles in length, he sees a series of intrenchmeuts bristling with cannon; below the fortress on the east, there is the river St Charles, a seemingly weak point in the line, but its bridge is strongly guarded, and the only place for an attack is apparently at the Montmorenci. So, at least, thought Wolfe ; not correctly, for he spent nearly three months in various deadly but bootless encounters at this selected spot. It was only after these tedious discomfitures, and much mental and bodily suffering, that he resolved on the stratagem of sailing up the river, as if going on a distant expedition ; at the same time leaving a party to make a feint of again attacking the Montmorenci outposts. This famous movement up the river took place on a starlight night in autumn. Early next morning — ^the memorable 13th of September 1759 — an horn* before dawn, the vessels drop down with the tide, bring to at a point previously fixed on, now celebrated as Wolfe's Cove ; and there the landing is silently effected. The different regiments make their way by a rude path up the steep bank ; at the summit, they seize upon a redoubt and the few French soldiers who have it in charge, and are shortly drawn up in order on the plains of Abraham. Wolfe leads them ^ QUEBEC. 88 the forfafications, and there, a few hours after^arTthf "^'4' rllr r "" ** ""'- *« ^"'^ of™ »^ able field nfK^7 °°^ accompany me to this remark- able field of battle. Dnving past the citadel thro,,fll. arbT'-r' "^""^ " ^"""^ '""^ environed w^lh 3 detached vjlas, we anived at the open and bl Z„ whjeh overhangs the St Lawrence, now partly rdo^ and used as a race-course. The ground is nT!f' ae public road, and turn in upon it to our l4 Here noon for Mont^? '^ ^™"'' *^, in oh^ITf ' s^geant's guard A state of thin^ that adx2 of so mueh demorahsat^on as, I think, of very questionable Low as is the temperature in Lower Canada durine wmter, the ehmate is fer from being unheajthy ^^f although the snow hes long on the ground, little 4tTi loss IS sustained by the agricnltnTt; foi^L S weather arrives, n.,ture acts with a vi^ur wW^ ^y be said to compensate for the brevity of summ« and after aU, there are perhaps more reaUy fine^s d^Xf the year than in England. Wherev^ I weJl sT! healthy and robust appearance in the people, with mlh ^vaeity of manner. The IVeneh Can^L' Z]^^ to marry yomig; and it is established as a CTtZ Me « better a^ong them than it is in Engird \v^t the nicrease by births is 1 in 33 in EnglLd, t isit m England they are 1 in 53 in the whole of Low^ Canada. The simplicity of the mode of W amZ relTw ^^"''*''"'' '^'"'^'^'' contribntes^t^ tw! remarkable aspect of affah^; for in the district rf fjr ^ ' '' ""y "° ""^^ vmadapted for com- fortable existence. It is only matter for regret Zt ^me ot n. mstitutions are of a nature so SU to TtZ^Tr .*"* *^ '=°™*>7' - formeTl^ted at, .8 not hkely at present to receive any large accession of agricultural settle™ from Great Britl^ " On leaving the cemetery, we made a circuit throu be supposed that the trip is one of the cheap and popular holiday amusements of th'- mhabitants of Toronto. Proceeding directly across Ontario, the Peerless soon came in sight of land at the mouth of the river Niagara and drew np to the wharf at the town of that name on the right, where several passengers landed, and some others were taken on board. On the opposite side of the nver stands Fort Niagara, one of the few defences ONTARIO NIAGARA. 103 ;s_, massiye which the Americans seem to consider it desirahle to maintain on their frontier. The river Niagara at its outlet is seemingly a mile in -nddth, but finally it narrows to about the thii-d of a mile. Where it issues into the lake, the land is level ; but in advancing upward, the ground begins to rise till we aiTive at Lewiston on the left, and QueenstoMn on the right bank; and here, at the distance of seven miles from Ontario, the margin of the river on each side becomes a complete precipice, 150 to 200 feet high. Steaming up the river, we see at a distance before us a lofty piece of country stretching to the right and left, through the middle of which the river has sawn its way ; and it is at the face of this range that the precipitous banks commence. On the American bank, the slope of the high ground stretching away from the river is of a regular form, weU wooded; and it is upon the plateau of level land extended east- wards from the bottom of the slope, and abutting on the river, that the toim of Lewiston has been built. The situation is not well adapted for river-traffic. Its site on the plateau is considerably above the level of the water, and there is no space at the landing-place for shipping. I saw no vessel of any kuid at its shp of wharf, where the Peerless dresv up, and put ashore a crowd of passengers designed for a very inferior kind of railway, which is connected with a line of a better construction at the village adjoining the Falls. As the Peer/m crossed immediately to Queenstown, I preferred adopting the route by that viUage, as the Falls are best seen from the Canadian side, and I desired to make sure of receiving good impressions at first. Having accord- ingly crossed over, I found, on touching the shore, two covered droskies, driven by negro lads, waiting for custom; and having selected one of these conveyances —a very miserable affair— I was driven by a bad road up a long and steen bank tnwnvria +],. 104 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Queenstown heights. These consist of irregular knolls, partly covered with wood, with a few houses, scarcely deserving the name of village, scattered about their lower declivities. Frora a pathway on the shrubby bank overhanging thj river, a handsome suspension- bridge, 1040 feet in length, has been thrown across to the opposite side for the accommodation of foot- passengers. Queenstown heights were the scene of a battle during the war of 1812, and in a conspicuous situation a monument is about to be erected to the memory of General Brock, the British commander, who was slain in the engagement. This new structure is to supply the place of a former monument, which had been blown up and destroyed by some party unknown, in a spirit of wanton mischief. The Queenstown heights, however irregular in form, correspond with the high sloping range on the opposit^ bank of the river, ani both elevations are continued like a crescent, so as to form a kind of exterior high rim round the head of Lake Ontario. On the Canada side, the rim, locaUy caUed the Mountain, is seen to continue far northwards, with a bend towards the east, so as to environ the lake at a lesser or greater distance! At the base of this lofty and ancient margin of Ontario, near the head of the lake, has been built the city of Hamilton, from which the range widens in its stretch, and in the direction of Toronto leaves a tract twenty miles in breadth between it and the shore. Reaching at any point the top of this singular embankment, we find ourselves on a table-land apparently boundless in dimensions. We have, in fact, ascended to the broad and generally level territory surrounding Lake Erie, which, by measurement, is 334 feet above Lake Ontario! From the one lake to the other, therefore, a descent of that amount is eflPected by the river Niagara in its com-se of thirty-three miles, a distinct plunge of about ONTARIO— NIAGARA. iQg 160 feet being made at the Falls, which are situated at the distance of six miles above the old lake margin at Queenstown, and fourteen miles from the present mouth of the nver at Ontario. Geologists generaUy concur in the behef, that the Falls were at one time at Queens- town from which, in the course of ages, they have ploughed then- way upward. The slightest inspection of the ground leads infaUibiy to this conclusion. For SIX mihs the nver rum^ through a ravine, the sides of which composed of mouldering rocks and studded over mth shrubs, are as steep as those of a grave. Through this long gorge, silent and awfril, rolls the deep flood hghtish green in its colour, and carrying masses of froth on Its whirHng and boiling surface. Compressed into so narrow a channel, the river is from 200 to 300 teet m depth. At one place, narrower than elsewhere, and bending m its course, the force of the current raises a cone of water ten feet high, which, whirling round draws trees and any other floating objects into its vortex' A gentlem whom I met on my journey, informed me that at the tame of his visit to the whirlpool, the bodies of two Enghsh deserters, who had been drowned in attempting to swim across the river, were spinnin.^ round the cone of water, and had been so for three weeks previously ! The picturesque in landscape, as is well known depends on geological conditions. Wherever certain varieties of hmestone and sandstone prevail, there nvers are ol^served to excavate for themselves a deep channel, so as to leave banks of lesser or greater abruptness. Hence, the whole phenomena of the Niagara nver and its falls. On examining the face of the sloping range above refened to, it is found to con- sist chiefly of layers of limestone, shivery clay marls, and red sandstones-the latter being knowk as the M;dina Sandstone. I do not need to so into nr^v .on^..^t of 100 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. i il the limestones toher than to say that they easily Medina SanastonT"^^^^^ tsh^l^.^LSt^J foL^ Tt *''* ^°"P°^^ *« - large Lent the red-eoloured and productive soils which border on the Canadian and American shores of Ontario. The slon- mg mountain-range, whence these soils have descended, IS not everywhere entire. Here and there, rivnlet have worn it down into valleys, in one of whicrHe the thnving ^a^e of Dundas, a few miles north from Hamdton. Speculations have been hazarded on the ength of time which the Falls of Niagara have taken to retire oversix miles from the face of tlie momitain- range at Lewiston; but long as this period has been, how msigmficant m comparison with that vast interval which has lapsed since the rocky structures of Canada were m the form of Hquescent sediment .. the bottom of a sea, and mcased in their bosom those fishes which are now disclosed by the rude blows of the quarryman, geoloSf ^' ''''''*'^' curiosities by the fossH-lovin^ To overcome the great difference of level between Ontano and Ene for purposes of navigation, has been a matter of senous concern. The work has been happily effected within the Canadian territory, by the establ^hment of the Welland Canal, which, b;ginning at Port-Dalhousic, on Lake Ontario, rises by a serie! of locks to Port-Colborne, on Lake Erie. This great public work has been eminently successful. Vessels pour through the canal in the upward and downward passage, m an unceasing stream, yielding tolls amount- ing to .€50,000 per annum. So much of the traffic 18 m Amencan vessels, that the United States' govern- ment contemplate.^ the execution of a similar canal, to commence below Lewiston. The traffic is growing so ONTARIO NIAGARA. iqj rapidly, that it may be presumed there is enough for both. To resume the account of my exciirsion. On quitting sight of the river and opposite banks, the drosky conveyed me by a rough public highway, through a pleasing piece of country, so well cleared, enclosed, and ornamented with rows and clumps of trees, and so agreeably enlivened with neat mansions, and with cattle of good breeds browsing in green fields, that one could hardly believe that he was out of England. Timing down a cross-road to the left, we came, at the distance of half a mile, to the river ; and there, in a moment, seen most unpoetically through the dimmed and distorting glass of the drosky, I had my first view of Niagara. Such is the way that common-place circum- stances are for ever controUing aspirations after romance, and bringing the ideal down to a working world ! Set down at the door of the Clifton House— on the one hand were the Falls, which I had often wondered whether I should ever see, and on the other were the negro drosky- driver receiving his fare, and a porter carrying my baggage up the steps of the hotel. Chfton House— to get it out of the way— is one of those enormously large hotels, with hundreds of bedrooms and a vast table-d'hote saloon, which are seen everywhere in the States, and now begin to be naturalised in Canada. The estabhshment is the property of a Mr Zimmermann, whose residence and pleasure-grounds are adjacent. The hotel faces the west, has a roadway on the south between it and the ravine through which the river is rolling, and this road continues westward for half a mile to the Falls. The prospect from the door of the hotel, looking along the road, and interrupted by no intervening object, commands, therefore, a view of the cataract in all its grandeur, along with the scenery with wliich it is environed. 1 108 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. At the period of my visit, the passed, the Chfton was on the eve of being shut up, and with hoste of strangers the army of parasHie guide had fortunately disappeared. With the singular gSuck of of 2 Tu -?r " '1'"'* '">'• "'^'''"=™te inspeetion rL*kablfflne dT'"' " '"*'"' '^'''"y' ^^ «"» sound from the faUmg waters alone came on the ear wrthou eeasmg or change-a monotonous m,^u; ^o^ttoitrrr '"-'' " ^-- -' ^^ = Bntish or Horseshoe, and the Ameriean-the division being formed by Goat Island, a well-wooded pie^ of land, wh,ch terminates in a preeipice between t^em On a«eount of a turn m,de by the river at the spot the face the spectator on the opposite bank ; and it is this c^cum^ance which renders the view fr;m the Cana ttr„att " r"''"/^ ad^ntageous. Walking X,g the pathway from the hotel, with only a fiiige of bushes on the brink of the ravine on o,^ lefT^ art baie table-hke ledge from which it is precipitated Compehed to advance to the Falls in this m2er on a cvel v.th their smnmit, and necessarily reading much i, ""t'^ "' "P"'^"' the phenomenon Ccf much m magmfioeuee. Other featm^cs and eiremn stances ,,er.e to Wn the wonder, if not to "a feelmg of disappointment. As is usual, I expen^ced feei^Z .^''.^^'^S^^ted descriptions which have ItToi bv !'^''r '".'^ ^"^ *° ""■*"« expectations. IS only by a patient study of the Falls in the form ONTARIO NIAGARA. 109 and dimensions presented to us by nature, that wi clear the mind of erroneous conceptions, and see and relish them in tlieir simple dignity and beauty. Seated on a bare piece of rock close to the falling mass, I was able to contemplate the scene witL perhaps as much advantage as could possibly be enjoyed. The rapids above, with the water wildly advancing on its rocky bed, the toppling over of the great mass twenty feet deep on coming to the brink of the chasm, the white spray rising like a cloud from the gulf below, the terribly jumbled river proceeding on its course, and receiving the American faU as it passed— aU contributed to make up the general picture. On looking up the river, the land is seen to rise only a few feet above the banks, and to be for the most part under wood, with two or three villas on prominent knolls in the distance. From the brink of the cHffs on the British side, masses of rock have from time to time fallen, so as to form a rugged margin for the water; and near the Clifton House, amidst this collection of debris, a roadway has been made down the bank to aflPord access to a ferry- boat which plies across the river. The view from the boat, as it dances on the surface of the troubled water, IS more effective in overpowering the imagination than that from the banks above; and still more grand is the view from the deck of a small steamer, which plies during summer, and courageously approaches almost to the foot of the Falls. Opinions differ respecting points so deceptive to the eye as the height, breadth, and other dimensions of these mighty cataracts. Accurate measurements, how- ever, have been taken, so as to leave no longer room for conjecture. The height of the British fall is 158 feet, and its width, foUowing the horseshoe-like curve, is 1881 feet. The American fall is a little higher, being 164 feet, and its width is 924 feet ; but in this is included 110 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. H t ■ a lesser cataract, and the rocky islet which separates it from th( larger body. Adding a breadth of 1320 feet for the termination of Goat Island, which intervenes, we have altogether, from one extremity of the Falls to the other, a width of 4125 feet, or four-fifths of a mile. As the width of the river at the ferry is no more than 1254 feet, an idea from this circumstance will be obtained of the manner in which the Falls are placed diagonally to the line of the river. The mass of water projected over the Falls is estimated at nineteen and a half millions of cubic feet per minute. About a mile eastward from the Clifton House, and therefore about a mUe and a half below the Falls, the river is spanned by a suspension-bridge, the view from which, down to the water below, is probably the most sublime of all. Driving round by this bridge, to the American side, I arrived in the village of Manchester (!) near the Falls, and there remained a day. The branch of the river above the fall on this side is crossed to Goat Island by a long wooden bridge, which has been erected on posts driven into the rocky channel; a toll of twenty-five cents being paid by visitors for liberty to cross during the season. Goat Island extends half a mile in length, by nearly a quarter of a mile in its greatest breadth, and is thickly covered with natural woods, amidst which a drive may be pleasantly made round it. It was interesting to walk to the upper extremity of the island, and there observe the river parting into two branches, each rushing forward in an impetuous rapid towards its fate. The channel of the rapid forming the American fall is broken by several islets, connected by bridges, and from these we are able to overlook it so near to the shoot, that one of the islets, as ali-eady stated, breaks the descending mass, and causes a small and separate fall. By a long wooden stair the visitor arrives at the bottom of the precipice ONTARIO NIAGARA. Ill wliich terminates Gout Island, and here, using a narrow footpath, he can reach either fall, and to a certain length go behind the descending waters. A more pleasing prospect is obtained from the top of a tower erecied on a rock in the water on the brink of the British fall, and connecced by a platform with Goat Island. Here we may be said to procure a central bird's eye view of the tumult of waters ; and it was from this elevated spot, and by the light of the setting sun, that I had my last look of Niagara. In tliinking of this marvellous work of nature, it Is unfortunate that the mind is disturbed by mean asso- ciations connected with the works of man. On the British side, it is environed by a series of paltry curiosity-shops; and there, at the ledge on which I had 'seated myself, a labourer was busied in wheeling rubbish into the cataract. On the American side, runs of water have been led off to move the machinery of a saw and paper mill; and at present there is a propositi;,n before the world to turn the whole force of the river to profitable account in some kind of mechanical processes ! Why, of all conceivable names, Manchester should have been selected for the village, or infant city, now in the course of erection near the American fall, it would be difficult to ui.der- stand on any other principle than that of imparting a manufacturing character to the spot. Manchester, if it must be so called, consists of several •streets in skeleton, with a large railway-station in the centre, and a number of hotels stuck about for the accommodation of \isitors. In order to trace the banks of the river deliberately, I hired a caleche to Lewiston, and loitered at different points by the way. At the suspension-bridge, which I had previously crossed, a scene of extraordinaiy acti\dty presented itself. Extensive preparations were making to carry the railway, which is in connection with New York, across the Niagara river I I i I I '} 112 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. to Canada, where it wiU join the Great Western, now opened through the province. For this purpose, the old suspension-bridge at the spot is to be superseded by a new structure, on the same suspension principle, but much bolder in design. It wiU have a span of 800 feet and consist of two floors; the upper to carry the trains! and the lower for ordinary carriages and foot-passengers. Ihe engineer of the undertaking is John A. Roebling and the cost is estimated to be 50,000 dollars, which' 1 should fear, wiU faU considerably short of the actual outlay. I arrived in Lewiston in time for the departure of the Peerless, by which I had a pleasant run back to Toronto. CHAPTER VII. TORONTO — CANADA-WEST. The agreeable impressions I had formed from a glimpse of Toronto from the water were deepened by a residence of a week, during which I made some pleasant excur- sions m the neighbourhood. No situation could have been better selected for a great city. The ground, form- ing a broad plain, rises with an easy slope and southern exposure from the shore of Ontario, and is backed by a series of terrace-like ranges, the ancient beaches of the lake, now composing a fertile and well-cultured stretch of country. For some time styled York, or Little York, this city reverted a few years ago to the Indian name ^vhich it bore when consisting of only a few wigwams. It has in the space of sixty years, offered one of those remarkable instances of progression so common in North America From no more than 336 in 1801, its inhabitants have increased to 40,000, and it is estimated that the addi- tions now faU little short of 10,000 every year. In visiting Toronto, we see on aU sides indications of progress— houses building, streets extending, ground staked off for new thoroughfares, places of business opemng, large and handsome public edifices rising up and every social feature acquiring fresh development Nowhere in America do we see churches of more elegant architecture. The streets, laid out in lines at right angles to each other, are lon^ anrl ar^ani^^c . vi^^ I j^ ---''-■'-■^-^'•^'^■"^--ir'-"---irH-il-itfiiifi'ri1ili'iiii^i 114 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. !<" i Street, which forms the chief central thoroughfare, being two miles in length, and environed with as magnificent shops as can be seen in any large town in England I had the honour of conversing with one of the most aged and esteemed residents, who described the city as having within his recollection consisted of only a few cottages in the wilderness— an^ now, said he, the value of its assessed property is £4,000,000 ! The bay in front of Toronto is sheltered in a remark- able manner by a long and naiTow peninsula, encom- passing it on the eastern side, and round which vessels require to make a wide sweep in approaching the harbour. With a few trees and houses dotted along, and terminating in a light-house, the peninsula adds a pictui-esque feature to an expanse of water, of which from the shore we see no boundary except on the western horizon. Along the shore there is a series of wharfs for the shipping of the port, the whole over- looked by a street containing some of the largest buildings in the town. At a conspicuous part of this thoroughfare is the newly erected depot of a railway- connected with the country in the west, and by which the trade of the place Mill be considerably augmented. Ah-eady, at the time of my \isit, a line of railway was opened in a northerly direction from Toronto, for a distance of nearly forty miles to the neighbourhood of Lake Simcoe. Further extensions of this line were projected, with a view to opening up a ready communi- cation with Lake Huron; so that ultimately parties travelling to that far-distant lake, instead of pui'suing a circuitous passage by Lake Erie and the river St Clair, will be able to make a short-cut across the country from Toronto. When the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, now in course of execution from Montreal, contributes another terminus to the general centre of traffic in Toronto, it may be expected that the trade of CA. ughfare, being is magnificent 1 England I of the most led the city as of only a few he, the value I in a remark- Qsula, encom- which vessels iroaching the dotted along, linsula adds a tcr, of -which xcept on the is a series of ! whole over- f the largest s part of this f a railway — md by which y augmented, f railway was pronto, for a eighbourhood this line were dy communi- lately parties of prn'suing a iver St Clair, the country k Railway of m Montreal, ;ral centre of the trade of TORONTO CANADA- WEST. Jig the place will receive a fresh and important impulse. In anticipation of these accessions, all kinds of property in the city and neighbourhood had greatly risen in value; and the rents of houses and stores were as high as they are in some of the best streets in London. With eveiy new and successful settler, new demands originate; and to satisfy these, new manufactories of various kinds spring into existence. In tliis manner, Toronto experiences a rapid groTvi;h of those industries which minister to human wants and aspirations. People in the old country never thoroughly divest themselves of the notion, that in such a newly got-up community as that of Toronto, things are in a raw or elementaiy condition. What, then, will be thought of the fact, that m this very recently established city there is a manufactory of cabinet and other varieties of fm-niture, tm-nmg out articles which, in point of elegance, will match any of the products of France or England? I allude to the factory of Jacques and Hay, which I had much pleasure in visiting. It consists of two large brick bmldings, commodiously situated on the quay, and m its various branches gives employment to upwards of a hundred persons. Conducted from floor to floor by one of the partners, I here for the first time saw m operation the remarkably ingenious machineiy lor planing, turning, morticing, and efiecting other purposes m carpentry, for which the United States have gained such deserved celebrity, and which I subse- quently saw on a vast scale at Cincinnati. Besides the finer class of drawing-room furniture, made from black walnut-wood, an inferior kind is here made for the use 01 emigrants at a price so low, that importation of the article is entirely superseded. So perfect is the machinery, that from the rough timber a neat bedstead can be made and put together in the short space of two minutes ! 116 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. i IHl I ■ I Depending partly on exterior trade and internal manufactures, Toronto possesses not less importance from qualities of a higher character. It is the chief seat of education in the province. Besides a university and college — the latter being a preparatory school — it has several theological and other seminaries, among which Trinity College occupies a distinguished position. The buildings appropriated to these several institutions are in the best styles, and form ornamental features in the general aspect of the town. In the midst of a beautiful park on the west, large and handsome buildings are in course of erection to accommodate the provincial legislature and governor-general. No public edifice aflForded me more interest than that recently erected in the northern environs for the Normal and Model Schools establishment. This is a large building in the Italian style, and T\ith its various departments, forms the centre of a system of elementary instruction pervading the whole of Canada. From the lev. Dr Ryerson, head of the establishment, I receiv I every suitable explanation of the character and woJdng of the system ; respecting which it is only needful to mention the gratifying fact, that Canada- West now possesses upwards of 3000 common schools, supported at an expense of about £100,000, four-fifths of which sum are raised by local assessment, en a scale of great liberality. I believe I may safely aver, that imder the system of education now established, and going on, as the Americans would say, in 'full blast,^ schools are erected and supported with a degree of enthusiasm in Western Canada, which is not excelled in any part of the States. It will readily be supposed, that by means of i's educational and scientific institutes, its law-courts, and other public establishments, Toronto draws together the elements of a highly respectable and refined TORONTO CANADA- WEST. 117 going on, as community. So much is this the case, that, excepting the long-established cities of Boston and Philadelphia, it would be difficult to point out any place in North America possessing so many attractions to persons of taste and leisure. As in the larger American cities, there may be here observed extensive and flourishing book-stores — ^true indications of the liigher tendencies ; and newspapers are to all appearance as cheap and numerous as they are in any city of similar size in the States. With a wide and improving coimtry in its environs, Toronto is a point whence emigrants may advanta- geously diverge in quest of settlements that have been wholly or partially cleared, respecting which all proper information is obtainable at the offices of land-agents. It must not, however, be imagined that farms are to be had in this quarter at the prices for which they can be acquired in fui'ther remote and newly opened districts. Near Toronto, things are pretty much what they are in the old country. At the distance of six miles from town, I visited a gentleman who had lately bought a farm of 100 acres, cleared, fenced, and in good culti- vation, with an excellent dwelling-house and suite of farm-buildings, for ^2000— a great bargain, doubtless, considering the locahty. Those desirous of starting in a more moderate way as agriculturists, will, of course, proceed westwards, and it will be singular if they do not light upon spots suitable to their wishes, whatever these may be. One of my aims being to see something of settlements recently excavated from the wilderness, I planned a journey with a friend through the penins^ila of Canada, taking the more interesting localities by the way. For this pm-pose, I proceeded in the first place by steamer to Hamilton, situated on Burlington Bay, a spacious m^^v «,i, ..nc iicttu ui jjuis^c. Ontario. Altiiough a city of •imgmmuMmmmtm»am 118 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. very recent origin, Hamilton already has a population of nearly 20,000, and consists of a number of broad and handsome streets, with several public buildings and a variety of villas scattered about the face of the mountain-range, which shelters the town on the west. Within the distance of a mile on the north, and overlook- ing the head of the bay, stands Dundum, a castellated and baronial-looking mansion, built as a residence by Sir Allan M'Nab, one of the celebrities of the province. Beyond this point I drove out several miles to visit the Hon. Adam Ferguson, a gentleman of landed property in Scotland, who emigrated to Canada with his family in 1833. Mr Ferguson settled at first in a district further west, on the Grand River, which is now in an exceedingly thriving condition. Removing afterwards to East Flamborough, a township lying on the slopes which, vnth a southerly aspect, face Burlington Bay, he has here, in his property of WoodhiU, transformed a wild and timber-covered tract of land into a beautiful cleared estate. Rounding the head of the bay, and then proceeding in an easterly direction along a tolerably good road, I had occasion to pass a farm in the process of being cleared. Numbers of trees were felled and lying about confusedly on the ground. A man and boy were busily cutting off branches, and piling them in heaps to be burnt, while masses lay smouldering and sending up streams of blue smoke, which curled away picturesquely over the uncleared part of the forest. Passing onwards, between some well-cleared properties, my vehicle at length turned up a road to the left, of a considerably more rude description. Houses were seemingly left behind. On each side nothing was to be seen but trees. At length we came to openings in the woods ; pasture- lands made their appearance ; and there, on a charming spot on the ascending braes, backed by the mountain- TORONTO CANADA- WEST. 119 cliffs, was seen the neat residence of the venerable agriculturist. It need hardly be said that Mr Ferguson pohtely explained the nature of his past operations, and shewed me some of the more important features of his property and management. He owns here 300 acres, 160 of which are in crop ; the whole being dis- posed in regularly shaped fields of about 20 acres in each. Except a small patch of cleared land, the whole, when purchased, was under timber. Only so much wood now remams as serves for ornament and use, and all that testifies to the original condition of the farm are the tree-stumps which are not gone from some of the fields. Standing in the veranda of Woodliill, and over- looking a garden, orchard, green lawns, and arable enclosures, with the shelter of environing trees, and the blue expanse of Ontario shining in the distance, I thought there could be nothing finer in the Carse of Gt)wrie; nor did an idea fail to cross my mind, that the acquisition and improvement of such an enjoyable estate at a moderate outlay, in this part of the world, was surely preferable to the costly and unremunerative purchases of land, with all its tormenting obligations, in the old country. Here was a nice httle estate, fertile in soil, genial in aspect, with no burdens or respon- sibilities worth mentioning, situated within an hour's drive of society as good as may be procured in most parts of England or Scotland, and yet the whole extem- porised for comparatively a trifle ! A lovely spot for a rural residence has been selected. The house occupies a flattish plateau, which had formed the margin of Ontario, when its waters were bounded by the chffy range to which I formerly called attention. Part of Mr Ferguson's property lies on the high table-land above the clifls, and to this he obhgingly conducted me— here descanting on his operations concerning his improved breeds of cattle, and there pointing out a ■f ~ *f \ !i ': 1 § 1 M ■ 1 ■ f" ii i r i 1 L . i 120 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. field of remaxkable turnips, which had very much surprised the neighbourhood. In these explorations, it was necessary to clamber over sundry rail-fences, the peculiar merits of which were now practically explained to me. Rails piled horizontally in a zigzag form are, as is well known, the universal fence in America ; and of all imaginable methods of enclosing a field, none, it seems, is so simple, cheap, and ready, where wood happens to be abundant. By splitting a small-sized tree lengthwise, two or three rails are obtained. Taking a quantity of such rough spars, twelve feet long, they are laid diagonally, and crossed alternately on others at the ends, so as to have a mutual hold. When piled three feet high, two tall props are crossed through them, at the points of junction, and then a few more rails are added, making a fence about four feet in height. No tools and no nails are employed in the construction. When completed, much space is lost to the field by the breadth of the zigzags, but land is so cheap that this is not of much consequence, A fence of this picturesque appearance wiU endure ten years, and cost little at any time to repair. I was told, that it is considered an essential point in farming, to have as much growing timber as ^viii supply rails and fire- wood; and, consequently, to buy land in America altogether free from trees would be considered an injudicious speculation. In the com'se of our ramble, Mr Ferguson spoke with confidence on the subject of emigration, and pointed out the many ways in which men in humble circumstances would be sure to improve their condition and prospects by transferring themselves to tins new country. He mentioned the case of one of his plough- men, who, by the savings of a few years, had at length purchased a farm of 100 acres, from wliicli, among other products, he would in the current year realise TORONTO— CANADA-WEST. 121 a field, none, T. -where wood 's, twelve feet .£150 for firewood. Now, this man, who was in the way of attaining an independent, and was already in a comfortable position, would, if he had remained in Scotland, have been stiU drudging as a species of serf at a mean wage, hving in a cottage scarcely fit for a human habitation, and Avith no prospect in his old age but to depend on the charity of his children or the alms of the parish ! When one hears of and sees such marked changes of condition, by removal to Canada, or the Western States of America, the wonder, as I observed to Mr Ferguson, is that any rural labourers at aU remain in Great Britain ; and he agreed with me, that nothing but want of information and deficiency of means, could account for their not fleeing to a country where their eii'cumstances would be so speedily and permanently improved. Another short excursion I made from Hamilton was to Dimdas, a village a few miles distant, and situated in a hoUow on a short canal which commimicctes with Bmlington Bay. This is one of the busiest little towns in Canada ; and the inspiring genius of the place was seemingly Mr J. B. Ewart, with whom I had crossed the Atlantic, and who had invited me to see his various establishments, consisting of grist-mills, an iron-foundry, and some farms devoted to the breeding and improvement of stock. The mills were at the time grinding wheat on a large scale, and by improvements in mechanism, the flour was cooled, barrelled, and branded with surprisiag rapidity. In the iron-founding estabhshments, steam-engines and other kinds of machinery were in the course of manufacture; and I was told that mill- work for grinding flour could not be made fast enough for the demand. Mr Ewart referred with satisfaction to the steadiness and respect- able habits of the workmen, who receive from a third to a fourth higher wages than are usually paid in 1 1S3 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I England. Many of them, lie said, had saved a good deal of money, and become the proprietors of neat little houses, surrounded with gardens and pieces of land. I regret to say that, since my return home, I have heard of the death of Mr Ewart, by whose enterprise so much good has been done in tliis busy locality. At the period of my visit, the whole countiy was agitated by the high price paid for flour, chiefly for consumption in England; vast exports were taking place; and so plentiful had money become, that the farmers had everywhere paid off their mortgages, and contemplated the extension of their properties. Hamilton, as a place of import and export for the western countiy, was participating in tlie general prosperity, and in a state of excitement on account of the opening of the first portion of the Great Western Railway, which took place tlie day before my departure. Since that time, the line has been completed to Windsor, on the St Clair river, opposite Detroit ; so that traveUers may now, in the space of six hours, perform a journey which, in a hired conveyance, occupied me nearly as many days. On the morning of my departure, while waiting at the door of the hotel for the approach of the wagon— a species of two-horse chaise, open in front— which was to carry my friend and myself on our way westwards, a stranger seemed to linger about as if desirous of addressing me, but diffident as to how he should set about it. The appearance of the wagon inspired him with the necessary corn-age. With a kind of convulsive efibrt, he said he had come a number of miles to try to see and invite me to his house, and forthwith he related his whole history, in, what was to me very pleasing, the soft dialect of Teviotdale. He had come to the country sixteen years ago, with his father and two brothers, 'wi' very little in theii- pockets, and they had done real TORONTO — CANADA- WEST. 123 weel — lie wadna, at this day, tak seventeen hundred pounds for what he was worth, and he had credit for thousands ! Ah, sir,' he continued, ' this is a grand country for folk that will work, and hae the sense to ken how to manage. Now, you sec, you must come and see us the morn, when you gang througii the town- ship of Dumfries, and I'll be watching for you wi' the wagon/ 'Many Scotch in your quarter'' I asked. ' Hundreds ; at the kirk at Gait, on a Sabbath, you would hardly ken you were frae hame ! ' Promising that I should endeavour to see this new acquaintance in the course of next day's journey, I set off for Guelph, a town at the distance of thirty-five miles north from Hamilton. After passing Dundas, and ascending to the higher level of the country, things gradually assumed a more primitive appearance. Cleared lands in stump, with neat wooden houses and bams, alternated with masses of forest, untouched by the axe, and through wliich the road proceeded. Occa- sionally, we passed portions of land, on ^\ hich the trees were felled, and in process of being dragged together in heaps to be burned. In one place, I observed a whole family, husband, wife, and children, engaged in the toilsome occupation of gathering the scattered limbs and boughs; and their clearing of a few acres was dotted over with piles of burning timber, which sent up clouds of smoke into the atmosphere. It was piteous to see so much valuable wood remorselessly consumed j but with no economic means of transport, the destruction is inevitable. In the less advanced situations, the original log-huts had not yet given place to dwellings of a better order; nor would they, with prudent settlers, till their farms had been got into a good state of cidture, and a redundancy of cash was at disposal. At inten^als along the road, we passed com- fortable-looking country iims, with sign-boards swinging • I ^^B i 1 1 i j^^^K ■ ■- ; i \ i ■ * !1 ^^B'l ■ ■ '4 'if' ^■SB ■ I ^^^^^p !l ^^I^H 1 ^^^^^^^1 li ^^^H 1 ■ ^ 1; 12i XniNGS AS THEY AllE IN AMERICA. on taU poles in tlie genuine English style; and at every village there were seen the blacksmith and carpenter's shops, at whicli agricultural implements, wagons, and other articles were in course of construction. Wherever there was a smaU river with a fall of water, a gi-ist-miU made its appearance, with the encoui'aging announce- ment painted in black letters on a white ground across Its front— 'Cash for wheat;' and as such concerns are found aU over the country, it may be said that no farmer needs to travel far from his home in search of a market. In approaching Guelph, the aspect of affairs mended; and on a rising-ground on the small river Speed, a tributary of Grand River, were observed a handsome church, and a cluster of good houses, with stores and hotels— the rudiments, possibly, of a large city; for the place is to be a principal railway-station. Until 1827, the site of Guelph was an uncleared forest, and during the last seven years its population has increased from 700 to 1860. Having dined, and made some inquiries at this thriving little toivn, we proceeded in a southerly direction towards Gait, which we hoped to reach before nightfall. But in this expectation we were doomed to be disappointed. Pursuing our course along a soft and ill-made road, bounded by the everiasting zigzag fences, darkness dropped her mantle over the scene; and being afraid of some impleasant consequences' threatened to the ear by the dash of water, it was not without a feeling of thankfulness that we recognised the cheerful light of a roadside-inn, where we received shelter for the night. This incident was not displeasing on other accounts. I was afforded an opportunity of extending my know- ledge of houses of pubHc enteri;ainment in Canada. On aU the public roads, houses of this kind ai'e con- veniently stationed at intervals of from six to ten TORONTO CANADA-WEST. 125 miles, and if not fine, they will, as far as my experience goes, be found clean, respectable, and moderate as respects charges. On the present occasion, for the accommodation of a small sitting-room, warmed by a stove, tea, and beds for two persons, the charge was only four English shillings ; and when I liquidated the demand by paying a small gold dollar, the simple and good-natured girl, daughter of the landlord, who attended, was so delighted with the beautiful coin, that she declared she would retain it as a keepsake. Next morning, the excursion was continued down the valley of Grand River, the country becoming more picturesque as we advanced. Passing through a district settled by Germans, who, possessed of good houses, cleared fields, and carrying on various trades, seemed to be in a prosperous condition, we reached Doon Mills, Avhere the view was exceedingly charming, and which, from the hospitality we received, -will remain pleasingly imprinted on my remembrance. The whole of the country in this quarter, composing the township of Dumfries, from the iiregularity of surface and natural fertility of the soil, is not only beautiful, but very productive. By its communication with Lake Erie, the Grand River offers an additional recommend- ation to this part of the country. Gait, prettily situated on both sides of this river, is environed with rising-grounds, on which handsome \411as are erected; and in looking about, we almost feel as if we were on the banks of the Tweed. My friend of the day before taking care to be on the outlook, obligingly conducted me through the place, and furnished some useful explanations, though I could not afford time to gratify his desire by visiting his settlement at some miles' distance. Besides some large mills. Gait has an estab- lishment for the manufacture of edge-tools, which possess a high reputation. I learned here what was 120 TIIINOS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I ! afterwai-ds confirmed in the States, that England cannot produce a^es adapted for cutting dov.-n trees, and had therefore lost a considerable trade in tlie article; and that tJie failure arose from no deficiency in tl.> material employee , but from the English manufacturer veva tiously disregai-ding the exact model on .vhich this remarkaUe kind of axe requires to be made-tL useless. Gait has mcreascd from 1000 to 2248 inhabit, ants m five years, and like every to.m of its size, has t^^o ncM'spapcrs-many towns of similar dimensions in threat Britam, a thousand years old, not being able to support a smgle product of the press; or more properly, not bemg allowed to do so, in consequence of the pressm-e of fiscal exactions. The valley of Grand Eivcr continues rich and beauti- ful all the way to Lake Erie, and is one of the most densely populated parts of Canada. Brantford, situated sixty imles up the river from its mouth, is a town of growmg importance, and the country which stretches ma westerly dn-cction from it towards Paris is highly esteemed tor its fertUity. In going from Gait to Paris, i^e obtani a view of this remarkably fine district, con- sisting of green and rich meadow-lands, such as are common m Essex. At Paris, a town situated in a ho low at the confluence of two rivers, we come upon a hirge w;ork of art-a viaduct bearing the raihvay ^■luch IS m course of construction from the Niagara Biyer, opposite Buffido, by way of Brantfin-d to Gode- ricli on Lake Erie, by which a splendid region in the north-west will soon be opened for traffic. Not to tire by a tedious accomit of movements, we proceeded by Woodstock~0 these odious imported designations l-i to London, on the Thames (!) a city on tlie Great Western Railway, and the centre of a district not to be surpassed tor agricultm'd pm-poses. Situated within a TORONTO — CANADA-WEST. 127 moderate distance of Port-Stanley, on Lake Erie, and l)laced almost in the centre of the Canadian peninsula, I have always regarded the vicinity of London as one of the most advantageous districts for settlement. Yet, in a country abounding in so many available localities, it is hard to say how far one is better than another. It is clear, from a very slight inspection, that in the districts tlu-ough which I had been travelling, there are thousands of places still but partially cleared and improved, A^'llich are destined to aflPord a home to a large population; and the taking possession and improvement of such places may be said to be going on before our eyes. Penetrated now by two railways, which will unquestionably form the main channels of trafiic between New York and Michigan, the peninsula cannot fail to drav/ towards it a crowd of enterprising settlers. The progress made, independently of such attractions, has not many parallels. In thirty years, the district around London has increased in population 550 per cent. London itself, begim only in 1827, now numbers 20,000 inhabitants, 6000 of whom have been added in three years. In this well-built and busy town, there are seen numerous lai'ge manufacturing and commercial establishments; trade is going ahead at a great rate ; villas are extending themselves in the neighbom-hood; and the farmers, rendered more than ever alert by the increasing value of produce, are pusliing on their conquests at an accelerated speed— the whole locality exhibiting a kind of race of pros- perity, exceedingly diverting to an onlooker. 'A person cannot help doing well here, if he has any sense at alV said an intelligent resident in speaking of the place; and I b ^ieve him; at the same time admitting, that It would be difficult to say where, in tliis great country, a man of fair industry and steadiness could not COnsiflfvnIilu hnffov Ijic ^I'v ,„i.^„ CHAPTER VIII. i :Jlill flH ' i » i . 7n ' Ji i CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN. Six-AND-THiRTY YEARS ago, wheu macliinery had dealt a death-blow to the profession of the handloom- weaver, one of the many victims of that disastrous improvement was a sturdy little man, whom I remember to have seen driving his shuttle in a humble workshop in a small town on the banks of the Tweed. Instead of repining, or continuing the vain attempt to wring a subsistence out of his exploded craft, this capital specimen of an indomitable Scot sold his loom, paid his debts, and with wife and children sailed for America. Arriving in pretty nearly a penniless condition, he made his way, as I had heard, to the London district of Canada, where he settled and was still living While I remained in London, I made inquiries respecting the present position of this exiled victim of the power-loom, and was glad to learn that it was highly respectable. Curious to see what actual pro- gress he had made, I paid a visit to his residence, which was situated six or seven miles distant. Although vastly improved in worldly circumstances, I found him living in the same log-hut, which he had reared on his arrival in the country, upwards of thu'ty years ago. His settlement, which was situated down one of the concession or cross roads leading from the main tho- roughfare, was bounded by raD -fences, in which a rude gateway admitted me to an orchard fronting the house. CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN. 129 ery had dealt loom-weaver, improvement iber to have )rkshop ill a Instead of ; to wring a this capital 3om, paid his for America, iondition, he ndon district ving ide inquiries jxiled victim L that it was actual pro- is residence, t. Although I found him •eared on his T years ago. L one of the e main tho- 7hich a rude Iff the house. near which were bams, and other buildings, whoUy of wood. My appearance created quite a sensation in the establishment, and there was a rush to the door to receive and give me a hearty welcome. In a minute, I was in the interior, seated before a huge fire of blazing fagots on the hearth, over which hung several pots sending a savoury steam up the capacious chimney. The patriarch of the household, eighty years of age, but as full of spirit as ever, sat in an arm-chair on one side, while the mother of the family seated herself opposite. A daughter acted as maiden-of-all-work, and hung about listening to inquiries respecting the country whence the family had emigrated long before she was born. As if signalled by an electric-telegraph, several tall and stout sons soon made their appearance, from their respective dwellings in the neighbourhood. The old man's story, which he dealt out along with jocular reminiscences of 'auld langsyne,' had in it nothing singular, but was nevertheless valuable, as offering an example of what any earnest-minded and self-denying man may do in the western world. ' When I came to this spot,' said he, ' there was not a house for miles around — London was not built. The country was all forest. I helped to make the concession- road which you came by, for which service government gave me a grant of some land. It was dreadful hard work at first, and as the children were young, I had to do everything myself Before I procured a horse, I had to carr^ grain on my back for miles to be ground. But having good health, I never complained. It won't do to sit down and cry. Push ahead, and keep on never minding, is here the great doctrine. As the family grew up, I could take things a little easier, and now can look about me at some improvements. I have a capital farm of one hundred acres, cleared, and imder Ti ^ |j-^|.__^- J fv ^ ^^ vounsest son. when I am ^x up. XS/ juauu ior my youngest son, r f 1 i f i ' ! 1 1 I'll l« 1 1 1 180 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. m gone. My three elder sons have each a good farm of the same size. We are now a kind of clan, with plenty of everything — horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry.* 'And no want of apples,' said I, glancing upward at the numerous festoons of dried fruit which hung from the ceiling. 'O yes, that orchard at the door is of my own planting, and it is very productive. No want of puddings, I can tell you, for we also make our own sugar; and, in fact, we scarcely need to buy anything. Very different from the days when I was on the loom, and the goodwife had to contrive how to make both ends meet.* 'And had you remained in that situation,' I observed, 'these sons of yours would probably have been day- labourers at twelve shillings a week. That is the wage now going in your old neighbourhood.* 'You hear that, lads,' said the old man. 'You see how thankful you should be for your mercies. It was a blessed thing I came away.' ' I suppose your sons are doing very well with their farms; they are probably good ploughmen ?' ' No doubt of it ; and one of them, who has a turn for mechanics, has made a machine for peeling apples.' ' That must be curious ; T should like to see it.' Immediately there was brought from a recess an ingenious piece of mechanism, not unlike an old- fashioned spinning-wheel. An apple having been stuck on the point of a spindle, and a curved knife being held to it, it was stripped of its skin by a few turns of the wheel; and another machine, with equal speed, took from it the core. I was much amused with these devices for peeling frait on a great scale, but afterwards found that such apple-machines were common all over the States. It was finally explained to me, that the ob.iect of these operations was in T»rPTinir>loa fr^y ^ood farm of , with plenty -nd poultry.* ig upward at h. hung from of my own L^o want of -ke our own uy anything, m the loom, ) make both ' I observed, e been day- t is the wage u 'You see 3ies. It was 11 with their I* D has a turn ing apples.* see it/ a recess an ike an old- ? been stuck knife being few turns of jqual speed, d with these t afterwards non all over le, that the ! apples for CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN. 181 winter use. Being cut in pieces, stnmg together on threads, and hung up in a warm kitchen, the apples will keep sound all winter; and though a little shrivelled and diied in appearance, they make as good puddings as if they had been freshly peeled. So far as I am aware, this method of preserving apples for culinary purposes is not known or practised in England. It must be owned, that the general aspect of affairs in and about the emigrant's dwelling was not of that refined character which one might reasonably have looked for after so many years of laborious and success- ful industry. But if things were somewhat Robinson Crusoeish, the circumstance is explained by original habits, though chiefly by the spare capital having been expended in extending the family possessions. In short, it would have been easy for the aged proprietor to have built a fine mansion for himself; but he pre- ferred, he said, seeing his family settled comfortably; although he doubtless carried his principles in this respect a little too far. There was much lamentation at the sliortness of my stay; and when I departed, the whole household stood around the door to see me drive off, which it required some dexterity to accomplish without doing damage to several families of black pigs— genuine Hampshire brocks, as I took them to be— which were strolling about in the diligent pursuit of apples and other windfalls. I made some other visits in the neighbourhood of London, and should have been glad to have made more, had time permitted; but a sudden snap of extremely cold weather and a slight faU of snow, admonished me that it was time to hasten southwards. Accordingly, I made up my mind to do so, on reaching Detroit in Michigan, for which I now prepa:'ed to set out in a conveyance similar to the one that had brought me '"^ >l\ I 132 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. to the place. My design was to proceed from London to Chatham, a town ou the lower part of the Thames, whence there are steamers to Detroit j hut some infor- mation respecting the badness of the roads deterred me from the attempt, and I ultimately adopted the route to Sarnia, a small port on the St Clair river, near the foot of Lake Huron. After all, I imagine I gained nothing by this arrangement, so far as comfort in travelling is concerned. The distance was sixty miles, which were promised to be perfonned in twelve hours, but were net, in reality, done in less than sixteen. Already, I had obtained some knowledge of the Canadian roads, and now completed this branch of my education. In one or two places I have spoken of toll- bars, and from this it may perhaps be supposed that the roads are generally macadamised, and tolerably good. They are so in the neighbourhood of large towns, but as soon as tolls disappear, the traveller begins to observe a strange faUing off in the quality of the thoroughfares. Any attempt at laying down broken stones to form a hard basis seems not to be thought of; the natural surface, be it sand or clay, is left to take its chance; and vehicles go plunging along, as if struggling across a rough and newly ploughed field. After rains, the case is dismal: the wheels sink to nearly the axles ; and in spite of inconceivable toil, the poor horses are unable to make more than two to three miles an hour. Where the ground is swampy, and there would be a risk of sinking utterly out of sight, trees are laid across the path; and over these corduroyed parts of the road, the carriage goes securely, but bumpingly, in a very unpleasant way. The best tho- roughfares of all are the plank-ioaAs; which I had never heard of till I reached Canada. These are stretches of road covered with a flooring of thick deals laid on joisting ; the dealiS being smooth, as from the saw, and CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN. 133 the whole laid so evenly, that carriages are drawn over them in beautiful style. These plank-roads are usually joint-stock undertakings, or belong to municipalities, and are established by act of the provincial parliament, with power to erect turnpike-gates and exact tolls. The appearance of these toll-bars is hailed with inexpressible delight by the traveller, for he knows that on reaching them there is an end, for ten or twelve miles at least, of the jolts and jumbles with which he has for some time been afflicted. With such practical experience of Canadian roads, one can easily understand the longing for snow in mnter, when the sleighs are driven along ■with the velocity of the wind; for then only is extended intercourse conducted with anything like pleasure. Railways, of course, will noAV change all this, and render travelling as easy in Canada as it is in England ; at the same time opening up and developing the resources of the country to an extent that could not otherwise have been anticipated. With this short explanation, the reader will imagine he sees a two-horse vehicle, open in front, in which are seated two travellers wrapped in woollen plaids, their knees shrouded in a thick buffalo-skin, and thick shawls wrapped round their necks ; before them is the driver, a young man in a rough jacket, with coarse boots drawn with studied slovenliness over his trousers, so that these voluminous garments stick out all round in a singularly free-and-easy way. The air is cold; a thin coating of snow has fallen, and partially conceals the treacherous ruts; the sides of the roads are in places fenced with zigzag rails ; but in others there is no fence at aU, and the thoroughfare is bounded on both sides for miles by thick tangled forests, composed of beech, maple, oak, and other hardwood trees now greatly stripped of their leaves, and amidst which the pines and other evergreens tower in dark masses. 134 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. m ijji i< s: affording an agreeable relief to the eye. Leaving the town of London in early morning, the wagon thus goes on its way: at first smartly and encouragingly; then more moderately, with sundry admonitory jerks ; and lastly, it stumbles on in a very alarming manner, the horses now getting into a trot, then lapsing to a walk, and always meandering from side to side, to seek out good bits wherever they can be found. Canadian horses, however, have immense spirit; and as you may rest assured they will get tlu-ough some way or other, there is nothing to fear. We had at anyrate a whole day before us, and the novelty of the scene was so exhilarating, that if no fresh fall of snow occurred, there was little cause for disquietude. During this protracted day's ride, I had an opportunity of seeing a tract of country of comparatively recent settlement. There were no towns and few villages on the road. At intervals of one to two miles, in the midst of clearings, we passed solitary houses, which, as usual, were of wood, sometimes neatly constructed and painted, and sometimes only log-huts, of recent erection. Occasionally, there were inns, adjoining which might be seen a blacksmith's and carpenter's shop. The greater part of the land seemed to be of good quality, and well adapted for cultivation. At one of the inns where we stopped, we learned that much of the district had been settled a number of years ago by half-pay officers, who, after clearing portions of their properties, and otherwise exhausting their means, got disheartened, and left the place. Those who could not sell their farms, let them to new and more hardy settlers, and these continued in possession till they had realised enough of money to become purchasers ; and as such they were doing well— so true is it, that none but those who will work with their own hands, and for a time „„ — ,„, ,ixi viviiviiLj \ji. xxviUq, uixu t;Api;cb lu i/unve as CANADi-WEST TO MICHIGAN. 136 settlers in this new country. On the road we overtook one of this toiling class, and gave him a ride for a few miles. He told us he had been a rural labourer in the south of England, on the property of Lord ^ where his wages were 8s. per week. On coming to Canada, he first hired himself to a farmer, and having saved a little, rented one of the abandoned clearings, which last year he had been able to buy, and now, as he said, he was in comfortable circumstances. His latest acquisition was a cow, which he highly appre- ciated, for the sake of milk for his family. I was much pleased with the maidy Avay in which this indus- trious person mentioned these particulars. In England, he would probably have talked in an embarrassed, ^ if you please,^ fashion. Transferred to a country where he was called on to act an independent part, he spoke without timidity, but also without rudeness; and if not what is ordinarily called a gentleman, he at least behaved like one. Towards evening, the roads were terrible. A thaw having come on and softened the mud, the horses slipped at every step, and at length one of them fell; when again set on its legs, the poor creature was found to have lost a shoe — a misfortune that caused some detention at the next blacksmiths forge, and left us in the dark still fifteen miles from Sarnia. There was only one spark of hope. At a certain distance, we had the promise of coming to a plank-road. Yet the plank- road seemed to recede as we advanced. Sometimes we were told it was four miles off; then it would be as far as five miles ; and in despair of reaching it at all, we had arranged to stop for the night at the first inn we came to, when suddenly a joyful sound struck our eur : the horses had got their feet on the planks. In a minute, we were bowling along at the rate of ten miles an nour, and reached our destination without any 130 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. tl ■I further misadventure. As we drove up to the door of the hotel, a few twinkling stars afforded just sufficient light to shew the broad surface of the river St Clair, the western boundary of Canada. Sarnia, as seen next morning, is a thriving little town situated on the St Clair, about a mile below the point where it issues from Lake Huron, and carrying on some trade in shipping. The view across the river, which is half a mile -wide, shews us the coast of Michigan, low and lined with trees, with a neat white-painted toAvn, ha\ing a steam-vessel moored at its quay. In this steamer, which crossed to Samia for passengers, we descended the St Clair, the voyage occupying five hours to Detroit. In the course of the trip, the vessel touched frequently at places on both sides of the river. The sail down the St Clair was very charming. On the Canadian shore, there was pointed out a lonp; series of small clearings with cottages, forming a settlement of Indians, protected by the British government ; and Melville Island, in the lower part of the river, is de- voted exclusively to the same object. These Indians, partially civilised, were spoken of as not making any marked progress; and a clergyman, who is charged with their supervision and instruction, stated to me that they were lessening in numbers, and would ulti- mately be extinct as a race. I believe this opinion corresponds with the general experience concerning the Indian tribes, when brought within the operation of ordinary social arrangements. On the Michigan side, several pretty little towns were touched at, which shewed marks of gromng traffic. Adjoining Lake St Clair, the banks on both shores become exceedingly low, with long marshy spots, on which nothing is seen but small hillocks of mud and rushes, forming the dwellings of musk-rats. At CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN. 137 two o'clock in the afternoon, the vessel came in sight of Detroit, a large and handsomely built city, situated on a gentle slope rising from the right bank of the river; and I stepped ashore in the United States. In quitting the British possessions in America, a few words may be permitted. Imperfect as had been my means of observation, I think I am entitled to say, that in almost all quarters there prevails a very decided spirit of improvement — a steady progress towards a great and prosperous condition. The advance is very remarkable in Western Canada, which cannot, in point of general appearance, be distinguished from the neigh- bouring parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio ; and it is my belief, that, aided by the various railways already opened or in course of construction, this portion of British America wiU not be a whit behind any of the northern parts of the Union. AU that seems desirable, for the purpose of consolidating the character and interests of the various provinces, is to unite them in a viceroyalty or principality, with a federal system of customs, posts, and other fiscal arrangements ; so as to secure the nearest possible approximation to political independence and nationality. Meanwhile, through the efficacy of railway extension, and the gradual melioration of prejudices, a preparation may be said to be making towards a result of this kind, which, with peace and the general progress of enlightenment, will come in its own good time. It is at least satisfactory to know that under the protection of Great Britain, and left very much to their own government, according to constitutional forms, there is absolutely nothing to retard the advance of these colonies, and I am inclined to think that at this moment they have not a single thing to />r»TpT»lo-iri rv-p ■Prv— •xwrV>in\\ +!->/->■. ,^+ +V./ O'^v-* a Cbi.li3 Xjl 189 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. redress in their own hands. As far as I could see or hear, he whole of these provinces are in a state of perfect contentment, strongly attached to, and taking a deep interest in the concerns of the mother- if thl *'"?\«™^'''^'-<=<». it ''ould certainly be strange It the British American colonists did not feel happv L their present and prospective condition. They are the very favourites of fo-tune. Members of a powerful empire, they are not called on to contribute a shiUing to the national exchequer. In the home-couiitry, while no .ncoDsiderable portion of every man's earnings is confiscated to meet the annual exigencies of the state, ex.w?. fi *'","*'"' P™""^^^' *h« People «« exempted from nearly aU such demands, and their acquaintance mth taxation is confined chiefly to certain custom-house duties and local assessments for schools and other purposes. At present, it is understood to be m contemplation to substitute a provincial armed force f» the imperial troops ; and this measure, if carried into cfiect, cannot but elevate the character of the colonies, by Its tendency to cultivate and strengthen habits of self-dependence and self-respect. Making no figm-e in the political world, and possess- ^fl. 1°":^' °f ""'■""'"e attention, it may be said mth truth, that these pro.inees, beyond the mere fact ot their existence, are scai'cely known in England. The people at lai-ge are not at aU aware of their extent or capabdities; and few even of the intelligent classes are m a position to appreciate their social progress Neglected, except by a generally humble class of emigrants, and by persons engaged in commercial transactions-until recent times treated with indiffer- ence by colomal ministers, and left to be the prey of adventurers, the wonder is that these colonies aie what they are, and theu^ remarkable progress can be ascribed CANADA-WEST TO MICIIIOAN. 180 only to their own intrinsically excellent, yet unvatmted qualities. Silently and unostentatiously have their lands been reclaimed from the wilderness, and their scattered log-cabins and villages swelled into cities, until at length they challenge observation as a second New-England beyond the Atlantic, to the growth of which no one can assign any definite limits. The advance, as previously noticed, has been very remarkable in Canada. At the surrender of the pro- vince in 1763, its population was estimated at from 60,000 to 05,000. In 1851, the numbers had increased to 890,261 in Lower Canada, and 952,004 in Western Canada— unitedly, 1,842,265, or now about 2,000,000; the ratio of increase being such as to double the popu- lation every twelve or thirteen years. The growing wealth of the community is learned from the fact, that while in 1825, the assessable property in Western Canada was estimated at £1,854,000, in 1852, it had amounted to £37,695,000. The cultivation of the soil keeps pace with this increase. In 1841, the wL .at crop was 3,221,000 bushels; in 1851, it was 12,692,000 bushels. In 1851, the value of British imports into Canada amounted to £2,475,000, or about £1, 6s. per head of the population. A circumstance still more indicative of social progress remains to be mentioned. In Canada, in 1852, there were nearly three millions of miles travelled by the maU, and in that year alone there was an increase of about 250 new post-offices; and the continued opening of such new establishments forms one of the remarkable features of the country. In travelling through Canada and the adjacent states, nothing is more satisfactory than to find that there prevails the best mutual understanding between the British and American people. Placed on a long line of boimdary, within sight of each other, and being con- nected by many common ties, it is onlv matter for w - - 140 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. regret that there should exist any restrictions in com- mercial intercourse. Unfortunately, the freedom of trade is interrupted by a war of tariffs, as weU as by legal obstacles to the uninterrupted navigation of water- courses, vastly to the disadvantage of both parties, and no doubt productive of a demoralising contraband traffic. I would venture to hope that a study of this delicate question, as demonstrated in the successful liberation of trade by Great Britain, will tend to shake the confi- dence of Americans and Provincials in the doctrine of hostae duties, and induce the belief that, after all, generosity in trade, as in everything else, brings its owii great reward. In the development of minerals, particularly the copper ores bordering on Lake Superior; in trade, lumbermg, and navigation; and in agriculture, the enterpnsiug have a wide scope for profitable operations in Canada; nor need any one be deterred from maki ig the country his home on the score of climate. .n Western Canada, the winters are shorter and the cold less severe than in the eastern part of the province; and in no case is the temperature of either summer or winter spoken of as injurious to health. With regard to improved farms ready for the reception of settlers in Western Canada, they may be had in every quarter, and information respecting them wiU be obtained at the offices of land-agents in the large towns, or by consulting local newspapers. No one purposing to acquire lands, need give himself any uneasiness on this point, for eligible spots will be heard of everywhere. In each county town there is a land-agent appointed to dispose of crown-lands, which are uncleared, and may for the most part be obtained at about 7s. sterling per acre. The best lands of this kind, however, are generally disposed of in the older settled parts of the country. In some cases, uncleared lands are preferable CANADA-WEST TO MICHIGAN. 141 to those which have been cultivated ; for the universal tendency is to exhaust, and then sell lands to nPTv- coraers. Some caution in making a choice in old settlements is therefore desirable. While men with means may confine their selection to improved locahties, I should advise those of more slender resources, but with youth and strength, to proceed to the districts bordering on Lake Huron, belonging to the Canada Company, which sells lands at from 2s. to £1, 4-3. per acre, according to quahty and locality. Goderich, on Lake Huron, will soon be reached by railway. As regards persons who desire to work for wages, it is enough to say, that in Canada any able-bodied labourer will at present receive at least 4s. per day; and that bricklayers, masons, and carpenters wiU be paid 6s. to 8s. per day, while the cost of living ^nll be found much the same as in this country, if not in some places con- siderably less. The demand for labourers and artisans to be employed on the railways in course of construc- tion is now so great, that it will absorb all who offer themselves for years to comcj and how, with such allurements, there is not a more general migration from England, is one of the things not easily accounted for. CHAPTER IX. OHIO CINCINNATI. A HUNDRED and more years ago, when the French still possessed so large a portion of America that the English were sometimes not quite sure of being able to keep their ground against them, there stood on the sloping and woody frontier of Michigan, a pretty little French village of wooden houses, forming a post for carr-mg on trade with the Indians, and caUed Detroit, from its situation on a narrow part of the river which flows from Lake St Clair. In these quiet old French times, an occasional canoe laden with peltry was perhaps the only craft which made its appearance at the landing-place. Now, in the hands of the Anglo- Americans, we see on the spot a scries of substantial quays, at which a long line of sailing and steam-vessels are dra>vn up, and when we land in this far-inland mart of commerce, we feel very much as if amidst the bustle of a seaport. Walldng into the city, everything is indicative of change. In two or three places, you may notice dingy wooden buildings of antique construction, with verandas, in which, in the days of yore. Frenchmen in queues smoked their long pipes, and Frenchwomen kmtted the family stockings— relics of the old village now all but gone, and swallowed up by taU and hand- some edifices of stone and brick. The streets and avenues, broad and ornamented with trees, are throno-cd OHIO — CINCINNATI. 143 with business; and banks, stores, and hotels meet the eye at every turning. The situation seems to be adapted for carrying on an extensive traffic with the lakes, and being near the terminus of the Great Western Railway of Canada, it cannot fail to become an im- portant centre of intercommunication. By taking this railway at the Falls of Niagara, passengers will run across Canada to Michigan, not only in a much shorter time than they could pursue the line along the southern shore of Lake Erie, but they wiU in every respect enjoy greater comfort in the transit. The Erie Railway has become notorious for disorderly conduct, and inter- ruptions take place at diflPerent points by a change of gauge; likewise, at Cleveland, a badly-regulated ferry requires to be crossed. Already, the citizens of Detroit have expressed a wish that the mails for Michigan may be sent by the Canadian route. At Detroit, tlie traveller perceives that he is on the threshold of that great West, which is now only opening up for settlement, and he can scarcely avoid hearing accounts of the marvellously rapid progress which is making in the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Probably, the most surprising instance of this kind is that of Chicago, a city of Illinois, on the western shore of Lake Michigan, which was begun in 1831, and already numbers G0,000 inhabitants. A gentleman mentioned to me that, forty years ago, he could have purchased the whole ground on which the city stands for 500 dollars; now, as large a sum as 10,000 dollars for the site of a single store would not be considered extravagant. Boundless, however, as is the field for settlement in Illinois, Michigan, and other western states, I should recommend emigrants from Europe not to attempt going beyond Canada or Ohio; either of these being sufficiently far distant, and having the advantage of being readily accessible from the AtJantic 144 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. If 'HI III s t- 1 f. ,■ cities. The west may be best settled by American pioneers, with constitutions and habits adapted to the new regions beyond the lakes. As the boundary between Canada and the States, the river St Clair, or Detroit, is not seen without a certain interest. From the city of Pstroit, we look across to the British shore, half a mile distant, and observe that behind the frontage of wharfs forming the railway terminus, there extends the village of Windsor, with a number of pretty villas scattered about its outskirts. It will be recollected that the river at this and other points, is that eagerly sought-for line of separation, to which fugitive slaves from the south direct their flight. Having succeeded in gaining the Canadian shore, and being therefore safe from pursuit, the refugees disperse to offer their services as waiters in hotels or steam- boats, or to settle down as cultivators of the soil. At a spot called Dawn, a short way within the frontier, they have established themselves in considerable numbers, and are said to be in a thriving condition. Down the beautiful river Detroit to Lake Erie, I proceeded in one of the splendid lake-steamers, bound for Sandusky, in Ohio, which was reached after a voyage of six hours. The vessel wound its way among various islands at the head of the lake ; but these, level, and generally covered with trees, possessed no strik- ingly picturesque features. The shores of Lake Erie are for the most part of the same character; though fertile, and blessed mth a fine climate, the country is tame in outline, and all that usually meets the eye is a fringe of trees overhanging the low and muddy banks. On one of the islands in the lake, a vineyard is successfully cultivated. Sandusky, situated at the bottom of a bay on the southern shore of the lake, is another of the old French villages, expanded and modernised into an American OHIO — CINCINNATI. 145 City. From this place, I proceeded by the raUway-cars to Cleveland, the line pursuing the lake-shore nearly the whole way, sometimes going across inlets, on posts sunk m the water, and at other times darting through masses of forest, amidst which were occasionally seen the log-huts and clearings of settlers. The land seemed nch, apparently a heavy alluvial deposit, fit for any kind of grain crops. Beside me in the car there sat an aged personage of lanky appearance, with thin, clean-shaved cheeks, and a broad-brimmed white hat, rather the worse for wear. He spoke continuaUy, either in ejaculatory remarks, or in inquiries about everything. The car had just got under-way, and aU had settled in their places with the ordinary gravity of American traveUers, when my neighbour began in a pretty high key, address- ing nobody in particular, and pausing about a minute at the close of every sentence : — 'WeU, here we are all safe, I hope . . It's a plea- sant thing to know you aj-e going home . . O yes ! . . Not so cold as yesterday; no . . The train seems to be running across the lake . . We have nothing but water on both sides . . O, I see I was mistaken; there is a pile of lumber . . Great lumbering trade hereabouts, I guess . . I have been as far as Milwaukee, to see my daughter, who is settled there— she is very comfortable . . I am going home to Boston . . A long way that . . But there's a fine simset, at anyrate' . . (Looking at me)— 'How far do vou go, stranger?' 'I am going to Cleveland, and then to Cincinnati.' 'O, you're travelling that way, are you? Perhaps in the dry-goods line?' 'I am not travelling for business; only making an excursion to see some of the more interesting places in America.' ' Why, sure ! You are from the old country, I guess. i Ill 11 TW' 146 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Well, now, tliat is strange. What part of England are you from?' ' I am from Scotland.' 'Are you? Well, we've no want of Scotch in the States ; they 're a 'cute set of chaps — ^well posted up on most things. I suppose you're married . . You might be at anyrate' . . (Here he again began to maunder, speaking straightforward to the atmosphere.) 'Well, well, marriage is a proper thing ; no doubt . . I have seen a good deal in my time . . Just before leaving home, I received a letter from a niece in New York, inviting me to her wedding . . I sent word, that I wished her and her proposed husband much happiness ; and the only advice I could give them, was to mind themselves, and take charge of their own babies . . Yes, yes, a strange world this . . Many people think they have nothing else to do, but make a present of children to uncles and grandfathers, as if they had not had enough to do looking after their own . . Won't do, no how, for me, that' . . (Conductor goes through the car.) ' I say, conductor, are we in the right track ? . . This the way to Cleveland? . . When do we change? . . 0' ay, yes, yes, all right; I thought so . . A man can't help being anxious . . I am going home . . Ah, it 's a long way . . But I can sleep in the cars . . Of course I can . . I always carry a cap in the crown of my hat . . Nothing like taking little luggage . . And so you are from the old country ? . . Yes, yes, you have plenty to see . . I declare it's getting quit;, dark . . Well, I daresay we'll get to Cleveland in good time.' And so on he went with little intermission to the end of the journey. 'I see,' said he, 'they're slowing the train . . There's the engineer's bell . . We shall stop in a minute.' And true enough, the train di'cw up. The passengers hurried out, and walking do^vn an inclined platform. OHIO CINCINNATI. j.- reached the bank of a rive , and placed themselves upon what seemed a raft, without railing or -uard ofTv k.nd along the sides. As it . aa exceedh^7 d° rk J cannot venture on a description of this extrLSxy feny-boat, wluch crossed the Cuyahoga river with tZ passengers and their baggage in a maLr hyZt2l W. Several times, in passing under the morrS^! imes of steam.yessels, we were told to duck down om- heads to avoid being swept from the unprotected™eek and at these times, while there was a general prostea to himself aloud: 'Ay, ay, one does meet sometimes with eunou, things . I hope the rope won't tlloff my hat . I felt .t graze on my back just now I am glad we are now near the other side . . Thire's a man with a lantern . I think I see the omnibus WeU, I m thankful it's all over.' 'And so am I' said another of the passenger.. ' It ', the last "me ZjZo7^ '"'*™" ''"'' ^'^"''' -^ - *^- tao™ t/r'?!""''^ ''"'""^ mutterings, the ferry-boat touched the quay; and in the scramble which eLued travelleiv-the only person, by the way, of an inouisitive and pratthng turn of mind whom it was my fortZ to to Amenca. In the present day, so far as I could see mind anybody or anything fur'her than what concerns themselves; and so far from troubling you with qu"! tions, they ai^ absolutely indifierent ^ to who oZZ you are, and let you go your way i„ peace. In aiTiving at Cleveland, I had come upon the CTcat thoroughfa,^ of emigrants between Now York and'le valleys of the Ohio and Mississinp,-_tv J„rl "^^ 148 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. they turn off from the lake-shore road towards Cin- cinnati. On getting to the railway-station^ a scene of prodigious confusion presented itself. Some hundreds of Germans and Irish of both sexes were seen bivouacked beside vast piles of trunks and bags. Some had lost sight of their baggage, and ran frantically about looking for it everywhere, at the risk of being run over by loco- motives. In proportion as the cars filled, the hubbub gradually lessened; and at length, after securing my seat, the train set off with its immense freight of pas- sengers, most of whom were in quest of a home in the New World. The journey occupied about twelve hours, and was latterly through one of the finest parts of the state of Ohio — namely, the vaUey of the Miami, which, with rich sloping fields, and bounded by picturesque woody hills, presents a variety of landscapes, such as are seen in the more beautiful parts of England. Falling into the Ohio, the Miami River, in its descent of 150 miles, affords valuable water-power for numerous manufactories ; while the valley through which it flows admits of a canal being carried from the Ohio to Lake Erie; and thus the district is the great channel of communication for traffic between the lake-countries and the Southern States. It was about nine o'clock on a bright sunny morning, that, coming down the valley of the Miami in the cars, I first saw the Ohio, a river o^ large volume, but, from a long-continued drought, much smaller now than usual, and with steep sloping muddy banks on both sides, surmounted by green hills, here and there dotted with the white mansions of a settled and thriving population. Turning down the valley of the Ohio, close under the high grounds, Cincinnati, the Queen City of the West, was revealed in all her beauty, seated on terraces amidst picturesque knolls on the right bank of the Ohio, and looking complacently across the broad river OHIO— CINCINNATI. towards the garden-Iike lands of Kentuckv >I Stand the character of those manufacturing estahH^l, ments which are making Cincinnati onl nf ^ ^'™'^- of the New World-and wWcTafter nil 1°"^'"" cabmet-makmg estabUshment with fifty p eked Cd^ s s '^r"' ""1!^ ^'"'="* "-'^ *° ^tl^i flnd'holA •! "" *'^ f^toT-mill Byatem thai we to L r^ "' P^dueed in Cineiimati. Curio^ outskirts of the city, where manufactories of various kHids are conducted upon a scale that went v^Z ^I^Z' '^""^ "»'»- "^ ^^'^^ - be 2 S The first establishment I visited W5,« o a -x faninr^ o i. i • , , visitcQ was a furmturc- ST"^ „Xt"^t tf tt^' '™ ^'»™^ - ^^-^H and in wUch o^n^i^ 1 *^ ~™'"' °^ *^° ^^ets. oepartments. Many of these are occupied merelv in ana belts from a large steam-engine on the eround floor. Every article receives its shape in the^Zh" J- ,..^^. ^ xuugn aeaij or t' i ll l ill t lliiii !RI 162 other THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. of od^ being arranged on a bench under the action of a plane which revolved horizontally, was in a few instants smoothed as if by the finest hand-labour. Chairs of a common class, but neatly turned and painted, were the principal article of manu- facture. The number produced almost goes beyond belief. I was informed that the average quantity was 200 dozen every week, or at the rate of 124,800 chairs per annum, worth from five to twenty-four dollars per dozen. Among these, a large number are rockers. The machinery for scooping out and sliaping the seats was exceedingly ingenious. The next article in im- portance is chests of drawers, of which 2000 are manu- factured annually. Baby-cribs are another important item ; but the number of them produced coidd not be definitely stated. Much of the lighter kinds of work, such as painting and varnishing, is done by boys, who make from four to eight dollars each in weekly wages. Many of the workmen — all being on piece-work — realise twelve dollars per week; but some have even higher wages. My attention was called towards the process of ornamental hana-tuming, chiefly executed by Germans. One of these clever mechanics went through his Avork with astonishing speed and precision ; his ^een eye never being for one instant raised from the whirling lathe before him. This person, I was told, made eighteen doUars per week, and being a sober, well-behaved man, he had already realised property to the value of 5000 dollars (£1000 sterling). Many other workmen in the establishment were spoken of as having accumulated property by their industry and economical mode of living. The most steady hands were stated to be native Americans or Germans. 'English and Scotch were good workmen, but not usually well educated, or of sober habits.' I heard the same thing said elsewhere. OHIO— CINCINNATI. j articles^reqrdrS Asl ''"^/'^iou, parta of the tun,ed out e"^'^e^J J"r^ "V'^OO bedsteads are four doUars S sll "f "' '^°'" '""^ *° '"^'^'y it is undesirabe to eXt'deTf""''™''''''' ""* products. In the^ flw,* J"^ '•"specting their and hinges, wi„do,/fra^. °^ '™" ^*°™'' '«H uphoktery/fir™ hati: """^/"t-J cabinet-ware axes and other el^/. ™'' "'"^'' ■""^'^^T other thins^-theonfl.' '"""S^ ""<» "^e™^ tic seal' 1 Z TZXim " ^^""''^ ^«-- are bought up annu^lv 10 ono '^ 'f*"™'' ""='« 40,000 sides o/urSher 20 o^'^l "^ ^olc-leather, calf-skins, 5000 pZdw ethts "vT ^^^P-^ns, 2500 bushels of shoe-pees Tbf ''""t-nails, and 600 establishment aim t tJV^'aZ ""^ '" «"^ On hearing facts nf t).;. i ■ j ^ ""^ ^'^ annum, occurs : Wll? 1 alT ^ ' ^^ '1"''"°" continuaUy course the rplanat,^ * slol? f r r "" °^ demand over the vast regions rf J / f^'™* said, Cincim.ati is the eS^Z EvlJ^'l ".^'^ "^^ of fresh families arp Tnai.,-« -^very day, thousands ness, and each icds betS t^r 1* " *^ ^""''■ articles of domestic uT n ^ ' *''"^' *'"' "*<='• its tribut^e? On. 7 °° *''<= Mississippi and told me hnad ,.. "'^""faetm.er of cabinet- work originahty of m"f Tm J" -^^^'^ ^"* *"« ^ --1C m^cvxaiuviu contrivances , 4 > 154 THINGS AS THEY AIIE IN AMERICA. wliicli came under my notice in Cincinnati. Under the enlightenment of miiversal education, ard the impulse of a great and growing demand, the American mind would seem to be ever on the rack of invention to discover fresh applications of inanimate power. Almost everywhere may be seen something new in the arts. As regards carpentry-machinery, one of the heads of an establishment said, with some confidence, that the Americans w^ere fifty years in advance of Great Britain. Possibly, this was too bold an assertion; but it must be admitted that all kinds of American cutting-tools are of a superior description, and it is very desirable that they should be examined in a candid spirit by English manufacturers. In mill-machinery, the Americans have effected some surprising improve- ments. At one of the machine manufactories in Cin- cinnati, is shewn an article to which I may draw the attention of English country-gentlemen. It is a port- able flour-mill, occupying a cube of only four feet, and yet, by means of various adaptations, capable of grinding, with a power of three horses, from fourteen to sixteen bushels per hour ; the flour produced being of so superior a quality, that it has carried off various prizes at the agricultural shows. With a mill of tliis kind, attached to the ordinary thrashing-machines, any farmer could probably grinrl his own wheat, and be able to send it to market as finely dressed as if it came from a professed miller. As many as 500 of these portable and cheap mills are disposed of every year by the makers ; and they are seen at work all over the southern and western states. Surely it would be worth while for English agricultural societies to procure specimens of these mills, as well as of farm-implements generally, from America — a little of the money usually devoted to the over-fattening of oxen would not, I think, be iU employed for such a purpose. OHIO — CINCINNATI. 155 In some of the wholesale stores of Cincinnati, ai-tieles of English manufacture are kept; and the imports of foreign Hquors and luxuries of the table seemed to be considerable. On the whole, however, it was pretty evident here, as at other places, that the Americans aim at independence in every branch of trade; and indeed they can scarcely avoid doing so; for the drawing of supplies of so vast a nature as they require from distant nations is totaUy out o^ the question. Besides, here is every raw material on spot. Iron, wood, and coal, and other grand necessaries of manu- facture, are at hand in inexhaustible abundance. The coal-fields of Pennsylvania, on which are based the prosperous iron-foundries and engineering establish- ments of Pittsburg, are, from their extent, a land of geological marvel, and render this great country inde- pendent of the pits of Durhanj and Northumberland. The most curious thing of all about Cincinnati, is Its system of pig-killing and pork-pickling. The place is known as the principal hog-market in the United States. The hogs are reared in the country around on the refuse of the corn-fields after harvest, and among the extensive forests, where they pick up food at little or no cost to their owners. Brought in steamers from a great distance, they are seen marching and grunting in large herds through the streets to the slaughtering establishments in the neighboiu'hood. The season in which they begin to make their appearance is the fall, when they are in prime condition, and when, from the state of the temperature, their carcasses can soon be cooled by the air, and rendered fit for pickling. The greater number of the hog slaughter-houses are behind the town, on the road towards the higher grounds, and are generally wooden structures of 'a very plain description. Each is provided with a series of pens, whence the animals walk in single file along an enclosed 166 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. gallery towards the apartment where they meet their doom. When a pig is killed in England, the sufferer usually takes care to let the whole neighbourhood hear of the transaction. On such occasions, it is the prescriptive right of the pig to squeak, and he is allowed to squeak accordingly. In Cincinnati, there is no time for this. Impelled along the passage from the exterior pen, each hog on entering the chamber of death receives a blow with a mallet on the forehead, which deprives him of consciousness and motion. The next instant he is bled to death; and by means of an extensive system of caldrons and other requisites, the carcass is speedUy cleaned, dressed, and hung up to undergo the proper cooling, previous to being cut in pieces and pickled. The largest of these establishments is situated in Covington, on the opposite side of the Ohio, and consists of a series of brick bmldings, which cover nearly two acres. Here an inclined plane leads from the ground to the top of a house four stories high, and along this the hogs are driven to an upper floor to be slaughtered, and where as many as 4000 can be accom- modated at a time. The processes of cleansing, making lard, and so forth, need no description. In most cases, the business of curing pork is separate from that of slaughtering; but here they are ujiited; and the arrangements for cutting up, pickling, barrelling, and branding, are all on a vast scale. An idea of the work gone through is obtained from the single fact, that the pickling takes place by steeping in nine brick- built tanks, each of which holds 400 barrels of pork. Upwards of 12,000 hogs and 3000 oxen are killed, piclded, and packed here in a season. Altogether, about half a million of hogs are so disposed of per annum in Cincinnati; but the number varies according to circumstances; and questions as to the extent of the OHIO CINCINNATI. jg- 'hog crop/ are as gravely discussed as the crop of wheat or Indian com. Much of the export of pork is to the European markets. Something more may be said of the Queen City of the West-what concerns her Hterary and educational estabhshments not having yet been touched on-but this may be left for the commencement of next chapter. 1 m CHAPTER X. CINCINNATI TO NEW YORK. ' The life of a Mississippi steamer is five years/ said a gentleman with whom we were conversing on the sub- ject of river-navigation ; and he added, that there was so constant a demand for new vessels, that about thirty were built every year in Cincinnati. I went on board several of these splendid but short-lived steam-boats, as they lay on the banks of the Ohio, and would have gladly descended to New Orleans in one of them, if not warned to keep at a respectful distance from the lower Mississippi, on accomit of the prevalence of yellow fever. From the centre of the long quay where the steamers draw up at Cincinnati, a large and commodious ferry- boat crosses the Ohio at short intervals to Covington, a town still in a rudimental state, but becoming a place of residence for persons whose business connects them with Cincinnati. There are a few manufactories in the place, but with these exceptions, Covington does not shew any marked signs of activity, and the contrast with the bustle of business on the Ohio side is some- what striking. The comparative dulness is ascribed to the disinclination of free emigrants and workmen to settle in Kentucky, where they would be brought in contact with slavery. To say nothing of slavery abstractedly, anything calculated to retard the development of industrial CINCINNATI TO NEW YORK. |jg occupation in this fine part of the country is much to be lamented. The Americans themselves are ZceTy S>e tit Zi^-'^"''^^ "^'y' '^J°'°i''g the Ohio. pM;t8 of the States, here attains that peculiar perfection which adapts it for the manufacture of W. Se.eS tioned Mr Longworth, have, for the last twenty years attention to the grape; and now, within a circle of twenty mdes, there are upwards of 300 vineyards, which atety produced in one year 130,000 gai of ^t I had he curiosity to taste two of the best kinds of this native product, made from the Catawba grape one reseniblcd a diy hock, and the other was an^ffer' vescmg champagne, light and agreeable to the palate. So popular have these become, that at no distant day I found, ikewise, that under the encouraging auspices of a horticultural society, the strawberry! bmught to great perfection on the banks of the Ohio, and tL^ arTbfoulT"' ^^ "™^ " '^ ""^^l^ «^ «^^ ^^t Not Si^ iT"^ ^ '"'° *''"' '"^*'=* of Cincinnati. Not satisfied, however, with this large local sale the producers, I was told, aie opening a trade ^th New L ILt" t*.*? r^''™ "« -»* P-ked In 7av to^r." ^ r'^ ""'' "^""^ *o >"« '^*her a long way to send strawberries to market; but when did an American think of distance? vidlff!^ W^^*^? ""''"^ ^"Joi^d, and Kberally pro- vided for, by the laws of Ohio, the stranger who takes any interest in such matters will find in Cindnnati tion of the best quahty is imparted without charge to all pupils indiscriminately. Where free educatio" 160 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I 1' ! exists in England, it is a charity : here, it is a right. The natural fruit of a system so exceedingly bounteous, is an educated population, possessing tastes and aspira- tions which seek a solacement in literature from the materialities of everyday life. I do not know that I ever saw a town of its size so well provided as Cincin- nati with publishers, libraries, and reading-rooms. The Young Men's Mercantile Library Association has a most imposing suite of apartments fitted up as a libraiy and reading-room — the number of books amounting to 14,000 volumes, and the reading-room shewing a dis- play of desks on which are placed neaily a hundred newspapers. Cincinnati is, I believe, also favourably known for its cultivation of the fine arts; and its exhibitions of pictures at anyrate shew that its inhabit- ants do not employ all their time in mere money- making. In the cathedral of St Peter, there are some valuable paintings by European artists ; one, by Murillo, having been a gift from Cardinal Fesch. My return from tliis interesting city of the West was made by means of the railway to the flourishing city of Cleveland, whence I proceeded by a continuation of the line to Bufialo, at the foot of Lake Erie. In quitting Ohio, where so many indications of advance- ment present themselves, I would take leave to remind intending emigrants, that for fertility of soil and geniality of chmate, they wiU find few places within a moderate distance which can match this exceedingly fine state. For its crops of Indian corn and wheat, its wool, beef, and pork, it enjoys a wide celebrity; and, as has been seen, its southern and picturesque frontier, with an Italian climate, yields a much-admired variety of wines. In the more cleared parts of the state, land, of course, sells at a comparatively high price — say, at from thirty to fifty dollars pc r acre ; and therefore this is not a district for the settlement of a humble class of CINCINNATI TO NEW YORK. ,« 101 e«s, who look to the i^naediate acqui..U„n of In trayelling through the state of Ohio, some of thP land IS seen to be stiU under forest ■ ^r^A places, to aecommodateThe line of 'r.^ '"™'~™ ^s been eleared t^o^tt^^i:i:t7taTl' wh^verthe^^Xre^SroS-li^t^at ™e tr r"°" "^P'^-'^Sers. The train tha eS me iiom Cmcmnati consisted of six cars inelnrL among the passengers a nun, ,cr of pe-^e^ X tw baaket in hand, went from ear to c^; L %" '' vvas m motion, offering books and ne^spapl for si One of these travelling merchants went to work S^ a methodical manner. First ,„ .„.i • i ■ , ^ left wit), ..„i ' ™akmg his rounds, he left with each passenger a circular descriptive and forbidden. Besides visits from the ti-affiekcrs in books and newspapers, the passengers in the train were wXd ^ater^'tal- " T° ""■ '''^''^'^^ ^^^ waier. With a tin waterinff-pot in one h^^A „r.A tumbler in the other, he rfsp'ectMy "ddrltd each person m turn. The providing of water in this ma^er seems to be pai-t of the railway system in the uS States I, at least, saw few trainB%rithout a suppjfof water for pa.sengei-s. Sometimes a vase and driS^ gte oceupy a spare corner in the ear, and ^^^l s left to take care of himself; but more freqnentlv the water i. earried round for general aecommoS As vases of water arc hkewise exposed for publielT^ behef that the Americans are the greatest water. 162 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. m drinkers in the world — whether as a matter of taste or necessity I am not able to say. It is an mifortunatc peculiarity in American railways, that certain states have adopted different gauges, so tliat a break necessarily takes place in passing from one to another. In tlie journey I was now performing, I had occasion to leave the state of Oliio ; pass through about twenty miles of the state of Pennsylvania; and finish in the state of New Yoik. In each of these states, the tracks were of a different width, and the Bliifting was anything but agi'ceable. One of the changes took place at the town of Erie, which, as may be kno^vii by scraps of intelligence in the English newspapers, has lately gained a most unenviable noto- riety for unlawfid outrage. The cause of this disreput- able procedure is singular. The proprietors of the line being desirous to extend the New York gauge through the adjoining part of Pennsylvania, and so make one break less in the length of railway, the people of Erie became alarmed at the prospect of trains passing through their town without stopping; and to prevent this calamity, they tear up the rails as fast as they are laid doAvn. I believe that in attempting a uniformity of gauge at the spot, so as to avoid breaking bidk, the railway is transgressing some pre-arrangement with the parties interested ; but into the actual merits of the quarrel I do not go. What is to be lamented, is the continuance of a series of outrages for months, to the derangement of traffic and the great scandal of the American peojjle; for foreigners who hear of these strange doings, naturally impute them to a disregard for law, and a culpable negligence or weakness on the part of the executive power. Assuming that the inha- bitants of Erie should ultimately and legally enforce the stoppage of trains and breaking of bulk Avithin their city, it will be interesthig to note what the country to CINCINNATI TO NEW YORK "bout the Erie ouCrtW r'"^^*'"^™^ *"»? the mayor of the cilv T^,! '^ ""^ P''°'"<"ed by ~ofthesU!f^:L:;;Sr^eai„hyth^ :"i8ra:^h:^t^:r"4r-°-^^^^^ conduct;.! war 00812 ^ S T""'' ''"'"^ ""^ ""^«^«Wy Wtants, and i. a subs antWlt S "7"'''' ^°'°°° '"'>''- looking town Con.^! T ' """^ '"''^* respectable- have feledto ex^aS 'T'""' ^^^^'o -uld not foot of Lake Erie tt t), ™P°'-'^°'=«- I* stands at the " now a centra] noiutl. „ ^ -^ *°'" ""^ «™e, it ite advantages h.^ rt JtT' """''^^' *">« '''*^^' "^ the Brantford and Go^S line'"^ * ^'^'"»^«» -th Canada. The tow« jT,. « ' """^ °P«'"«' thronsh the Canadian Ce t" l^ T^f °™' ^^e lake afd stantly plying Theb,!L Vf ®^ ferry-boats are con- the lake' iJaJ^o^^f'^'T "'"' "''''' ™-«l^ ^o' ance, I should™ ^^^ Tore^"*' -^ *° all appear. -ts Of trade anJcom^trtru^ldrr^^ «... ™c.«, ,„,,„i ,„,„ „,. ,x ; „lt ™7, ^ " ™°" ""^«"' taght from Cleveland for Buffalo „c™T,Tl, ' " "', f '»'" "»"■ """i"i.'g •topped .. Erie, .„d 11,. proper,. l^Tr. "h T*" ' '''""' '""""'I »' W"S ;-» pro,„p>lyo„ .he grL/d. /n d ™: £•„ f" ^''"«' »"''« --"-"s' "»* f"". l>«ing removed, making J,J2t,7 I, ^'"" '° f"™"' "» to aid him i„ enfercing the kw, andl^ '™' W"' '" ".»» "to were present "ftheeompan,. ThLpeeU^, wCrrre'^^f-'T"'""''"'''''' l»m.ttod «,. employe, ef Ih, n ., Jr„; '" f "f *' °' "" WL «"<1 to add, that lhi3 fresh onttorst of K-L l! f > '"' """' ™*- " " P™per the travel between Buffalo and h ^ZtTTT"' ""' '""""'" ""' "'''^ « .imply made, as we a,, inf.™.d a n"e,n» f "*°" '""' ' '"" '"'■ "^ pa..ing Erie without breakin, hull - ."" k f P":™"""^ '"W't-ear, f„„ ° — '" "™ '«(.«««, March 17, 1864, 164 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. After seeing so much of the hustle of husiness in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and P^'^alo, if- was a grateful relief to make a leisurely joumi y through that charm- ingly retired part of the 8t:'te of New York, in which lie several small lakes, celebrated for the picturesque and rural beauty of their environs. My way was by the small town of Batavia, from which to Canandaigua, situated on a lake of the same name, the ^ountry was of a very pleasing character. Instead of being a dead and monotonous level, the sm-face became diversified with hill and dale; white villages and churches occurred at proper intervals ; the gromid was generally cleared and under good farming j and only so much forest was left as served to ornament the landscape. For a tract of forty or fifty miles along this route, witli Canandaigua as its centre, the coimtry, so far as I had an opportu- nity of judging, is one of the most pleasing parts of America. Western New York, however, is nearly all a choice district; and as it has now been settled for a long period, it shews numerous tokens of an advanced condition. We see fields in which there are no stumps — always a sm-e sign of antiquity ; and one fancies from the look of the villages, that he might find in them as many as tliree generations of inhabitants. Although prepared by these appearances of maturity, which greatly reminded me of home, I was, notwith- standing, surprised by the staid, and — I must use the word — genteel, aspect of Canandaigua. Excepting that many of the houses were of wood, there was little to suggest the idea that we were out of England. Imagine a pretty piece of country, with hiUs of moderate height clothed in woods of brightly variegated foliage — a beautiful sheet of water, fourteen miles long and from one to two miles in breadth, glittering like a gem amidst these picturesque elevations — and on a broad slope rising from the northern extremity of the lake, a CINCINNATI TO NEW YORK is Cana„daig„a;r;?r'f'^,7„^«ion Such land of everlasting bustle-fTZ,? T""^^ '" » lake, the main street "S ^'", ?' ""^^" "^ '^e as a fashionable s„Tar^= ifj , ' '""^' """> ^« broad America, it is Cd7r, eJt r'' ^f' '^ '' '^"^ '» which offer an iZeeable !? f ' *'* " '°^ "^ t-ecs, centre, this spaeS^nhtothfLr- '"""""• ^' *« angles by another streTit 1- 1 T'"" "' "g''* been laid, so aa to male the 11 *' ^'""'y ^as middle of the town Adl „,„?""' '""''"y '» *« find a hotel of thTordtXl^J^^C" ^"'"*' ™ I can recommend for its ^od ^ '^'"^'^"'n^. which suitable conveniences Yn fC '"™"«<»»«nt- With aU establishments, S " and'cr f °''^' ^''^^''^^^ taste, and wit'h so^'^of^'j^Ttl T7'''' *° town of villas, and eardcns^l!, ""' ■='*''' t^'s ^een paddoek; for sfe fho^^ "1^1°' ^T' ^""^ equ pages driving abont mak ^^ ^LZa TI f^'l* boatmg and fishing, is really th! Wide^ V'^^'"' whe. one wonld like to^d ^'^ulef ete^,^ ~n ItSl^'in'^f *™ " *•"* ""^^ -* no who had been l^o^ "Ci c^n ^tr^X^'"','^^'- glad to have an opnortunit^ 'me country, and I was J-espeeting the prirof t„7^d^ttr\"''^^^ impori:ance to emiffrant, x I, ? '"Ejects of that the westemS if the 7! ''^r^^ ""^"tioned from geniahty of 'cKmate fei ttof '?."'' """^ •^' advantages, eLcdingly di^Ue |r f^ ^^^^ "'^"^ agriculturists. At V-,^Zi , '^ settlement of various kinds 4\e'tZtjZ '^TVT ■ "' corresponding to the advanced Jj1^'^C^±^"l - -i i'^o^cii,^; and 166 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. if uncleared or partially cleared lands are wanted, they also can be had without trouble, and at a very moderate cost.* Any one looking at a map of the States, will observe that in this part of the country there is a number of lakes, besides that of Canandaigua, the whole stretching in the same direction parallel with each other. All are beautiful, with pretty towns in ther* vicinity — Geneva, at the head of Seneca Lake, being one of the largest of the group. According to geologists, the several valleys embracing these sheets of water were at one time — but who can tell how long ago ? — the channels of outlet of Lake Ontario, which thus found its way to the Hudson. No one can travel by the line of railway which pursues its course along the heads of the different lakes to Syracuse and Utica, without seeing evidences of the action of rushing water on the face of rocky steeps, and being, accordingly, impressed with the belief that great changes must have taken place in this interesting district. The railway from Canandaigua, which is an extension of that from Rochester, passes successively through a number of towns rapidly growing in size, and attaining considerable importance as seats of manufactures. The principal town of this kind is Syracuse, celebrated for its extensive manufacture of salt from brine-springs. The water is pumped from deep wells, and the salt is made, according to quality, either by solar evaporation, or by boiling. There are now about 200 manufactories of this article, and as much as 5,000,000 of bushels are produced annually. The land in which the wells are sunk being public property, the state, as I understand, * Larger or smaller quantities of land, of excellent quality, may be purchased at the office of J. Greig, Esq., Canandaigua. The person in charge of the office is Mr Jeffrey, a gentleman from Edinburgh, who will afford all proper information, and in whom every confidence may be placed. ^ .? r' Ig I CINCINNATI TO NEW rOEK. receives as duty a cen* >«-v bi.Ael As ' ""C pencil, equal in pktofsl bT'IT '"''•'^•='' ''"^ h« points in' Swisses;:. wtnT" "'I'"' "^'^ 0% seventy years liav/ ti 7 . ® consider that the whole of^rit^STth Swrhw'""^ "^"^'^ was a wilderness possessed by wfes J "^ """""^ present condition as an nn™ « ? "^ Indians, its ;ith thriving cMe: degT^^iotr ^ • ''°™''^' farm-establishments seems lir;, "^^ ™Proved man at Canandaignk toU ^^'! "^"1" "'"• ^ S^""«- ^o, he could not^each ^ATb n*^' ^^^^y ^-» the journey being one of great toil m-T 1. / ''^^^ the distance is performed Vla^av-n,t ^ow. My previous vi»,t t„ a, 7 ^'7"^ "» ten hours. I no?rraSersom.^L?inT' ^^ ^"^ ''™'"' State-house, public 11"^^', *' P'''^^' *" ^^ "s h^hment. 'oCe s;l':hTC, ":: u^ ttf t^ ^a:-r„ran°djif:^tif^9^^^- meetings of the legislatn're nf l^ ?'' ''"''*^'* *" *« In connection withTt T 1 ^ "'' ^"^ ^''*- volumes, fo? t" u 'e TJ^T " '^"'"■^ "^ 30,000 pubHc. 'a considerable ^Lwlet T" *° *^ best English editions, no expense V» ^" "' °^*« cure works of the hikest S • ^^ "^^'"^ *" Pro- Adjoining is an extt^e W-.l^"^. ''*^-*-«- — ""^j' iimong the 168 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. more interesting works shewn to strangers^ is a series of large volumes, embracing the printed legislative proceedings since the English organisation of the colony. It is interesting to observe in the series, how at the Revolution, the British royal arms and styles of expression are quietly dropped, and followed by the republican forms, as if no break had taken place in the course of procedure. One of the volumes during the colnTiinl regimj purports to be printed by Franklin. There are likewise shewn some old colonial charters from the king of England — dingy sheets of vellum, kept as curiosities in glass-cases, along with mummies from Thebes, and other instructive antiquities. It is pitiable to see ' George the Third, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland,' as he is styled in hese old wiits, reduced to this condition; but at the same time, it must be allowed that if George and his advisers had possessed a little more discretion, his charters and those of his descendants might have been living utilities, instead of obsolete curiosities. At the time of my visit, a new budding for a state- library was fitting up at an expense of 80,000 dollars. On the opposite side of the square stands the State-haU, containing the administrative ofl&ces of the state; and near it is the City-hall. Both are of white marble, and have a fine architectural efiect. In these several establishments I received every desired information; and on my departure, I carried with me not only the grateful recollection of much undeserved kindness, but presents of state-papers and reports on a most mimifi- cent scale. Of all the states in the Union, that of New York has excelled in the grandeur of its public documents. Numerous statistical, historical, and scientific investigations have been issued at the ex- pense of the state, in a series of large and splendidly illustrated volumes; and these are imparted in a CINCINNATI TO NEW YORK. 169 manner so liberal and considerate as to comina„H imiversal respect. command Originally a Dutch settlement, .Albany in the present day IS a substantial city of thoroughly aSc" appearance, with about 60,000 inhabifants rrS situation near the head of the navigation of thrHud son, renders it a flourishing emporium of co„t Steam-vessels daily descend the Hudson to N~rk makmg a voyage of 125 mUes; and the retu^TvI^e upwards IS considered to be one of the most ag3e tops m river-navigation. The time of departr^e of t^ ! boats not being quite convenient for mT^Z^ldei not by steamer, but by railway-the line, in many parts of tte Tr' 'f! "T^ °" P''- ^*in theC of the water, and at other places keeping within sight ^ en b'; T^f *%"T ^''^^ - --•> h- bet written by travellers of the scenerv nf flno u j from New York to Albany, it ZZ be cM tat I^should describe its varied beauties. ForXt tte'l mdes, njidway, it goes thronsh a pictm^esque mom tainous distnet, known as the Highlands of the Hu^^: and here It may be said to resemble the Rhine "lout Its rumed castles. Instead of these, we have scvm forts-among others. West Point, of historical i^tees -many pretty viUages and mansions, and heTmd here islands of the rarest beauty. In the vfcilL of this mountam-tract, we have the town of Poughreepsie on the left or northern bank. For sundiy reasoit-Te of them the desrre to see an old friend, and another ■71 \™"f""'= ^™«"'=™ ™ter who lives Tthe ne,ghbonrhood-I stopped at Poughkeepsie for „ Zt be "'" t T" '''"^g''tf«"Me' town can hardly be imagined. Not so retired as Canandai^na It has yet a good deal of its character. LyingTS in the sun on the sloping bank, of tie Hud'on^ trLnf streets lined with trees, and its neisrhbon.bon,! ,i„°!! II SI ivt F < ~ m ■'p 170 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. over with detached villas— some of them in a fine Elizabethan style of architecture— and situated within an hour and a half by railway of New York, it is doubtless one of the most pleasant places of residence for those who do not choose to be in the world, and yet not quite out of it. Poughkeepsie has several large manufactories, and a considerable trade with the adjacent parts of the countrv; and with a population of 14,000, 1 was assured it does not own a single public-house — a phenomenon worth mentioning. One of the days during my stay was devoted to an excursion to the residence of Mr Paulding, situated a few miles from the town, on a rising-ground commanding a view of the Hudson and Catskill Mountains beyond. The visit to the spot, with its literary and other asso- ciations, is an incident long to be remembered with pleasure. A ride by railway carried me speedily from Poughkeepsie to New York—a place far too important to be noticed at the end of this rambling account of my journey eastwards. 4 4 CHAPTER XI. NEW YORK. at a certam dmdvantage; for a true impre siln of the noboa,, tm ^^:: it Varp^p^,;™::;'^*!^- situation of New York A^o I ^ /^^erstana the I now got nd of this mystification. mainland. Coming by railway down the left banlc nf +T, cstuMy, with the picturesque elevations of New Jersev on the opposite shore, the train ran direetlvlntotte torn; having crossed a .v.-,..:v strait, which "accordir^ -endtothce^^:::tfitf<^r:;^^z Hudson, which s, in reality, on the west oft^ pit montory IS loc.lly spoken of as North Ku-er: a nai^ot am of the sea which .eparaies New Tork ml r than an artificial canal, which stretches from N< J <■ vi' th 172 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. ii i ff River to East River, is named Haarlem River. The island of Manhattan, so formed by this environment of water, is about thirteen miles in length, by at most two in breadth, and terminates at its southern extremity in a najTow and level slip of ground known as the Battery. Fi'om this defensible point the eity has crept gradually northwards, covering the whole island in its progress, and is already from three to four miles long, with plans of extension that will finally eaiTy it to the limits of the island, and, it may be, far beyond. Reaching the city by a back-way, as it may be called, we have the opportunity of seeing the worst side first— straggling half-built streets, with shabby stores, lumber-yards, heaps of rubbish, petty wooden houses, and a general aspect of disorder. At an assigned point the train stopped, and I imagined we had reached the principal terminus. No such thing. Tlie delay was only to detach the locomotive, and to take the train piecemeal into town by horses. And so, drawn by a team of four horses at a trot, the car in which I was seated went smartly up one street and down another— the rails being laid in the causeway- till we reached the heart of the busy metropolis. Attaining the place of disembarkation at last, a scene of indescribable confusion ensued, and I began to experience the effects of those imperfect police arrange- ments for which New York unfortunately suffers in general estimation. No cabs of the ordinary kind, but hackney-carriages with two horses, presented them- selves for hire; and the drivers seemed to be at liberty to do what they liked. After engaging one of them, the driver thrust another person in upon me, though bound for a different hotel; and I had considerable difficulty m at length inducing another driver to take me solus to my destination- the Astor House. I may say once for all, that on other occasions I had the same , NEW YORK. 178 annoyance with the New York haekney-coachmen, who appear to stand at the lowest point in the seaje of a eto admitted to be troublesome in every eommunity. Months previously, I had heard of the difficulty of procui-mg accommodation in any hotel in New York and had adopted the precaution of bcpeaking a room at the Astor, tlu-ough a fiiend in the city. Wtth noting, therefore, to fear on this score, I was fortunate in at once finding myself settled in one of the largest and best-condncted hotels, and at liberty to study ft! anything of the kind in England, and are about the chief wonder m a country celebrated for the gigantic scale of Its operations. B-sannc At the first look, -.ve see that New York very much resembles the more .'enscly-built parts of London The houses, tall, and principdly of brick, are crowded into narrow streets, such as are seen in the ncighbolood of Cheapside, with the single difference, thlt many of the bmldings are occupied in floors by different branches front'Z'tr* "r'^T "' '^^^^ -gn-boardst front. For the most part, the houses have sunk floors accessible by a flight of steps from the foot-pavemen?: and these eeUar-dwellings are very commonly usS foi retreats -the names considerately employed to signifv brick edifiees have been removed, their place has been Bupphed by tenements built of brown slndstone; and It may be said that at present New York is in p^cess of bemg renewed by this species of structure, which s elegant m appearance, but, I fear, less substantial 1 many respects than a regard for security wari^ants The more narrow thoroughfares are at the same time widened and paved according to modern *-- ™ more ancient, thougl mch changed part of the city in 174 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. which the throng of business chiefly prevails, is con- fined to the southern division, stretching from the Battery a mile northwards; and within this quarter the breadth occupied from the North to the East River is seemingly about the same as that from the Thames to Holbom— a limited space, which necessitates the continual pressure northwards, as well as an escape to the opposite shores of the two bounding waters. Though limited as to breadth, no site could have been more happily selected for a gi-eat commercial city. The peninsula, if it may be so called, rises just as much towards the middle as admits of easy drainage, and in front and on both sides is environed with tidal waters, which present accommodation for any quantity of ship- ping. Through the centre of the city lengthwise runs Broadway— the Fleet Street and Strand of New York —and going down any of the cross-streets on either hand from this leading channel of intercourse, we soon come to a quay, presenting a line of houses on one side of a busy thoroughfare, and a crowd of steam-boats and shipping on the other. The city, therefore, so far as it can be, is surrounded by maritime traffic. Nor could any situation be better chosen for defence. Approach- able from the Atlantic by vessels of the largest burden, its prospect towards the ocean is intercepted by a semi- circle of islands, which, fortified and commanding the beautiful bay which fronts the city on the south, give a certain degree of security to the position. Hampered as to space. New York has no room for villas ; and in this respect there is a marked difference between it and our English cities. Those among the more affluent orders who dislike living in streets, require to proceed by ferry-steamers across either of the two bounding waters, and on the opposite shores find spots for ruralising. The narrowest ferry is that across East River to Brooklyn and Williamsburg, on NEW YORK, 17S Long Island, now becoming thickly settled with a population more or less connected with New York tt It ofT ° V' ''""' ^'™' eommnnicat Jw^S; the s ate of New Jersey, which is pleasingly fringed mth towns and villas; the two most prominent pE on these femes are doubtless the finest of their chss dei^tlir • . ^'' """"''^ floating.platforms! su^ aent y large to accommodate several carriages in the middle part, and are provided with well-waried rooms for foot-passengers at the sides. They respectively nl to Brooklyn ,s only a cent, and that to New Jersev but three cents, they command an immense traffic MU toher relieve the pressure of population in New S^enMrrrT-'""'*''"*'^ "'^"^ *« --J &<»» at the mouth of the bay; and the scattered villas along «.e sloping shores of this fine island are more lik! Clyde "than"" 'I'^'^'f'''' "' ""^ *« '''«*^ "^ ^ Wyde, than anything else in America. The channel between Staten Island and the southern fzSem'r: Long Island is called the Narrows, through which vessels mward-bound proceed from the Atlantt, and o Ztllr"'^ '-'''''''' '^y' ^^^ ^^ -=^ficent With so favourable a situation for external ti-afiic and reposing on a river which is navigabi- for l.-in TboS foToOO* "r-T"^'' *° ''-'' a Popul^n^f neariv SOoZ'- '' '^' ^"^ "^ disembarkation for fnPn/ '^ emigrants annually from every comitrv ifZ"^- ^°™"'S ^ '^«»« point for American anl European commerce, a vast trade pours through this to the great West. In the amount of tonnage of vessels exports and imports, transactions h. floating cap te ' 176 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. .f] 4 v'il wealth, social importance, and munificence of institu- tions, New York keeps considerably aliead in the United States; and the traveller who has in remem- brance its rise from small beginnings so late as the seventeenth century, will not fail to be struck with its present proportions. The principal object of curiosity in or about New York, is the Croton Aqueduct, which few strangers miss seeing. The works connected with this great undertaking are on a scale which reminds us of the stupendous aqueducts of the ancient Romans. Bringing water from a distance of forty miles, and requiring in their coui-se a lofty bridge across Haarlem Eiver, the works cost 14,000,000 doUars, or near upon £5,000,000 sterling— an immense sum to raise from public rates to supply a city with water. The discharge of water is stated at 60,000,000 of gaUons per diem; and even this large quantity is not more than is required. Having visited this marvel in engineering, little remains to attract curiosity. Interest is centered in Broadway, and mainly towards its southern extremity. Here- abouts are the handsomest public buildings, the finest stores, some of the largest hotels, and the greatest throng of passengers. At about half a mile from the Battery, we have on the line of Broadway an opening eaUed the Park, which though only a railed-in patch of ground, with a few t -ees and footpaths through it, is a very acceptable breathing spot in the midst of everlasting bustle. Some traveller speaks of the buildings of Broadway as being a mixture of poor wooden structures and splendid edifices. There may be a few houses of an antiquated class, but any such general description is totally inadmissible in the present day. We see for the greater part of its length, a series of high and handsome buildings, of brown sandstone or brick, with several NEW YORK. 177 of white marble and granite. Some of the stores an,l tecture, these edifices ai-e more like the palaces of kin», than places for the transaction of business. New YoT goods, the common phrase for aU kinds of elothZ and haberdashery; and its shops or stores for the re teU Stewarts Store, a huge building of white marble largest of these concerns, and the amount of business done m ,t ,3 stated to be above 7,000,000 of doUars per annum. It is useless, however, i„ a place of such rap.d change and improvement, to point out nyed fi e as cxcellmg another. In various parts of Broirw and Boweiy, large and elegant buddings are s^ng into existence at a cost perfectly startli^; and so S «pense"orco'T ^^'"^ f "^''^^^ »" *« ~^S expense of conducting business, that I should fear things are going a little too far for the ultimate benem Onl f?^,1 ''"' "^ '"^'"^^ manufacturing indu^^ One of the latest opened of the new and gorgeously fine lfr;,"/'^'°l'^ Kestauraiit-an 'estlbhshment some «^ thmlc, much too fine for the uses to which it is Appletou & Co., publishers; its extent and grandeur m which the publishers of London cai-ry on their business. The activity displayed in resolving upon and eomplcting any scheme of improvement in tMsg^eai city, pervades every branch of affairs. I„ eonlS business, there is no pause, and, as eircumsto^ces sh ^^ sometimes too much huiiy. There is, however in every department of commerce, a stimiJus t„ a.«o " ,.:,**. .^:; ' • 178 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. arising from the vast demands of a country growing BO rapidly in population and wealth. An instance of this came under my notice at tlie great fire which consumed the printing and publishing establishment of the Messrs Harpers. Perceiving that the wliolc of the steam-presses were consumed, and no means left for carrying on operations on the spot, a party connected with the firm, and while the fire was still burning, sent off by electric-telegraph to engage aH the available presses of Buffalo and Cincinnati ! In New York, so valuable is time, and so speedily are decisions come to, that on the very next day after a fire, we may observe builders engaged in the work of reconstruction. American minutes would seem almost to be worth English days ! Without a court, and not even the seat of the state legislature. New York cannot be said to be the place of residence of a leisurely or a numerous Uterary class. Its more opulent inhabitants, connected some way or other with business, form, nevertheless, an aristocracy with refined tastes, and ample means for their gratifi- cation. Advancing northwards from the more busy parts of the town, the elegance and regularity of the houses become more conspicuous, and at last we find ourselves in the quietude and splendour of a Belgravia. Here the edifices are entirely of brown sandstone, and of a richly decorated style of street architecture; all the windows are of plate-glass; and the door-handles, plates, and bell-pulls silvered, so as to impart a chaste and light effect. The furnishings and interior orna- ments of these dwellings, particularly those in Fifth Avenue, are of a superb kind; no expense being appa- rently spared as regards either comfort or elegance. In one mansion where I experienced the most kindly hospitality, the spacious entrance-hall was laid with tasselated marble pavement; the stair and balustrades ,. I ,.. NEW YORK. 170 were of dark walnut- wood • otip nf +t,« -x wa. paneM in the oia1:roZ tZr^Tl magnificent du^ng.room, the Garble ehiin" pL" r *, Tt''^ """'•' "sures illustrative of bS Hwhland Mary, cost, as I understood, as mucTl to JNew York, was aUuded to as aflbrdins means for cffeetmg everything desirable in decorativ. ^Zd of exeludmg the necessity for importing EngM. oL ments. Perhaps it is worth wLe to^dd, that Xw York rs not destitute of the means for supp ying coatT of-anns to those who desire such decorations for th ^ carnages, seals, and other articles. There is indtT rob::Jfd i:B'"^ r^ - "^^'''^- m' thTsirfbut of armrl fi fT^ "" estabhshmcnt where coats- Passmg over any notice of the churches of New York -some of them with handsome spires, and ZeZy pcturesque in effect-and also the banks, '^tfj rf attt'.' P"''''" f™*"-"^. *e edifices m^st wortW stated thrt,"'^ ?^ ''"'"''• " '•*' "^'^ -^i-l^-^t^y T^:,r ''"'oWstem of the United States is of a peculiar character. I found that it had crossed the fronfcr into Canada; but in no part of that Ivince had .t attamed full-blown maturity. Properly spea W Zl ''A^''"^ , -^^Pf "-ents-one for ladies and famihc and the other for smgle gentlemen. AU are alike welcome to come, stay, or go, as suits their ^ We the charge bemg specific at so much per day, wheae^ the guests attend meaJs or not, by which mLTeve^ one knows to a fraction beforehand how mucHe ™2 We to pay. We could hai-dly picture to ol" IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET {MT-3) /. W ,%. €// ;A^^ %^ Z, 1.0 I.I 1.25 ■ 50 '""^^ 1.4 2.5 2.2 2,0 1.8 1.6 V <^ /] Photogiaphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 '^0 n^ ,V \\ «i 6^ € .«• ^ \ 180 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. greater contrast than that between an old countir and leas alike Arriving at an inn in England, you are treated wih immense deference, allowed the seeL"^ of a private apartment, charged exorbitantly for everv" door, as If a prodigious favour had been conferred on ttie establishment. In the Umted States, things are of character possess the singular merit of not being W. , ff "^"'P"'' '"" "'f'""'' *° "'=* magnanimously Instead of looking to a livelihood from a few customers' scheming petty gains by running up a biU for the use of candles firin.. and other conveniences, and smooth mg eveything over by a mercenary bow, the proprie te a great concern, and would despise doing anything lie notices neither yom- coming nor going • without ceremony you are free of the estoblislimentf anTwhen you pay and depart, there aie no bows, no th=XsIbut IZZ. '^°' '"""' ^"-^ "'''* '^ ^™y^ ^-^^ to be a In recollection, I am at this moment arri™.. at the Astor House, one of the most respectable hotelsin New Z: tr'' '"'"'°"'' "° "'""^"^-"^ ''"O decorain bT Sin! of '"=™\«^'*'^*--t- Before me is a huge of 200%f / f • T"""' ^* "> *■'•<'"' o" Broadwfy oi 200 feet, a height of six stories, and forming altogether an independent block, with r<^ws of S"! on every side. The ground-floor consists entMv of e:^Wrht:f 7'""^ '^'^' "■"^ ascendt;t t aw witn 4gage n^:!'irarr^5 TlCttX I NEW YORK. 181 . , 181 earned out; young men are lounging about on ni. • some persons are walking to .Jif ^^"""^^ porters are seated on i,! J"''' '"^"^^^ ^°^«^- conidors ^r:1:^e:L' ^uZ^lt ^^^^ entrance is an access to the W and oth!^ "'^"'''' '^' name, takes dol Tv^^L ™'"'"'' "I'P"^'*^ *e and we and our baggage marr-l, nff i ^'^^''' eomdo. and „p Z!:J^:^V:! z^ t' assigned apartment ^^^^ *^® appropnated to single ffentlom™ rr^ , ^""^ distinct in every relpocf TlT .• '" "'"^''^^ ™ the entrance-haU, Z'^sIaZ %"" ""^ '^™' "^ parfonrs devoted pSewT^okr !=^>-'^-»' »d and in the opposit^ ^Xl Zit:^tS^:,^r?' apartments used by ladies „„ . , ™ ? ^'^^^ P"U'o not shut against eLJZC ^ZL'TiT ' httle pnvaey. The whole house swarms like a v' The outer swing-door bangs backwTdrand 11 ? that, on «e::rVla^l%^^-f„Jj'-/-ntio„ ,*i 182 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. continental hotels, there is, generally speaking, nothing at all to compare with this in Europe. Among the novel parts of the system are the arrangements in the family and lady department. Here, we find ourselves in a kind of elysium of princely drawing-rooms and boudoii-s, in wliich velvet, lace, satin, gQding, rich carpets and mirrors, contribute to form a scene of indescribable luxury. What strikes us as rather remarkable, id the fact that the doors of these various sitting -apartments are generally wide open. I saw this everyrvhere. Passing by, you see highly- dressed ladies reposing on satin couches, or lolling in rocking-chairs. One, who has just come in, and still has on her bonnet and shawl, is rattling over the keys of a piano. Another is reading a novel. Several axe outside in the corridor, seated on velvet-covered otto- mans, talking to each other or to the gentlemen belong- ing to their party. These corridors are every whit as elegantly furnished as the rooms, and are jocularly spoken of as ^the flirtation-galleries,' on account of their qualities as places of general resort and conversa- tion. Another recommendable quality they possesa is their comparative coolness. The drawing-rooms, leading from them, are kept so hot by staring red fires of anthracite coal, that I am at a loss to understand how the temperature can be endure^d. What between dressing, lounging aLjut the suite of dra\nng-rooms and flirtation-galleries, and attending at meals in the saloons, the lady-guests of these hotels have little time for miscellaneous occupation. Some of them appear in a difierent dress at every meal, and, in point of elegance and costliness of attire, they Avent beyond anything in my poor experience, except at full-dress evening-parties and balls. In the more moderate class of hotels, this attention to costume is less conspicuous, and the ladies unceremoniously I i I [ NEW YORK. 183 i take their seats at the top of the table common to aU the guests In such houses, however, as the Astor, famihes and ladies usuaUy take their meals in a saloon by themselves; and when there are children, they likewise have their own special table-d^h6te. The mention of children in such estabhshments is not suggestive of pleasing recoUections. Everywhere these youngsters are a sore trial of temper to the guests generally. Flying up and down the passages mth^oops, yelling, ciying, and tumbHng about in eveiybody^s way, they are clearly out of place, and constitute an unhappy and outre feature in Amuican hotel-life. It need not be supposed, because famUies and children are seen to be don^osticated in hotels, that this iond of housekeeping is carried to any great length Young persons, for a few years after being married and famihes in town for the winter, are the principal inmates of the class; though it must be admitted that other circumstances give a bias towards this method of living. Probably something is due to that choice of viands cooked in first-rate style, which could not be obtained m a separate establishment unless at a very high cost. The French cuisine predominates, and the profusion of dishes mentioned in the bills of fare put before guests, is such as cannot fail to astonish those who m England are fair to dine off a single joint. The entire charge for board and lodging, service included, m the Astor House, was two doUars and a half, equal to 10s. English, per diem, for a single individual. Ihis is a common charge at the best hotels; in a few instances the charge being as high as three, and sometimes as low as one or two dollars. Breakfast from eight to ten, dinner at ihree, and tea at seven, was the routine at the table-d^hote of the Astor; on each occasion, about 200 guests sitting down 184 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. at three long and well-served tables. Plere, again, though looking for it day after day, did I fail, as on previous occasions, to see the slightest approach to hurried eating ; and as until the last moment of my stay in America I never saw such a thing, I am bound, so far as my observation goes, to say that the national reproach on this score, if it ever was true, is so no longer. Calling for dishes, by printed bills of fare, a custom now ail but universal, in reality renders any scramble unnecessary. So far from being hurried, any man may di-aw out his dinner for an hour, if he pleases, and all the time have a waiter in attendance at his back to bring him whatsoever he desires. I think it due to the Americans to make this remark on a very common- place topic; and likewise to say of them, that their temperance at table filled me with no little surprise. In the large dining-parties at the Astor (as at other houses), there were seldom seen more than one or two bottles of wine. Nor did any exciting beverage seem desirable. A goblet of pure water, with ice, was placed for the use of every guesi ; and in indulging in this simple potation, I felt how little is done in England to promote habits of sobriety by furnishing water, attractive alike for its brilliant purity and coolness. Dropping off from table, a number of tl guests adjourn to the parlours, Avhere they read newspapers bought from boys who frequent the doorway and passages, or they lounge idly on the sofas, or take to writing at the tables (never much talking, and the doors always mde open) ; some go out in pm-suit of business; some, who like to sit in the midst of a fluctuating crowd, betake themselves to the chairs in the lobby; and some descend to the bar. This latter place of resort is a large and finely decorated apartment, lighted from the roof, and occupying the entire central courc round which the house is buUt. In the middle is a I I NEW YORK. I.t 183 jet d'eau and basin; at one side is a martie' counter with an attendant in charge of a few bottles behind him on a shelf, whence he supplies glasses of liquor to those calling for them, and which are paid for on the spot. A number of chairs are scattered about. Two fire- places, with blazing biUets of wood, throw a cheerful heat aroimd. A young man at a small enclosure is seUmg cigars; and on two long stands are placed files of newspapers from aU the principal cities in the Union. Much is said by traveUers of the drinking in the bars ; but in this, as in most things, there is some strange exaggeration. The bar of the Astor, an exchange in Its way, was sometimes tolerably crowded, but I seldom saw so many as a dozen at a time engaged in drinking. The greater number did not drink at all; it being one of the good points in these establishments, that you are left to do exactly as you like. No one heeds you, or cares for you, any more than in a public street. A unit in the mass, your duty is to mind yourself; seek out aU reomsite information for yourself; and in aU things beyond the routine of the house, help yourself. Individuality in these hotels is out of the question- opposed to the fundamental principle of the concern, which is to keep open house on a wholesale plan! You are lodged, fed, and in eveiy other way attended to by wholesale; just as a soldier in a barrack is sup- plied Mith houseroom and rations. Any man pretend- ing to ask for a dinner in a room by himself would be looked upon as a kind of lunatic; and when people do such a foolish thing, they have to pay handsomely for invading the sacred practice of the house. How other- wise could such gigantic establishments be conducted? Although crowded to the door, everything goes on with minute regularity, Hke a finely adjusted machine. Left to himself, the stranger soon drops into tlie ranks, and strolling about, discovers a number of little •SS 186 THINOS AS THET ABE IN AMERICA. We 5L!! *'? '^'*"''; '^g'""™g ^rith the left-hand «de. Ihere at a wicket in the wajl, hke an open ^dow stands a »an to take your hat Lid upper coat! and put them away m a bin tiU you want them Look- ing mto the place, you see it surrounded with recen- f^ f rl"'T '■''* " ^""^^ •'^ inconvenicTto S "Y *' ^'"^'' °' '"^^'^o™ *<> '"y down care! 0? hoLuh-'" T "dix'nished by placards to beware of hotel thieves -a hint not to be liglitly disregarded. Adjoining in a niche in the lobby, is a i„L with bnSh fnd tL^*'' °" '' "^ "^'" "'°'°'' ^* '^'«™^ of 'vater and towels, to save you the trouble of mounting to your ted oom before going in to dinner. Further ™nndS the obby, IS a recess with a desk, pens, ink, and paper furnishing means at all times to ^ite a h;rricd X' wmch lead to the bar, we come upon an enclosure lie a sentry box, in which is seated a elerk ^h t"! machineiy of an electric-telegraph; and on CdLg him a slip through his wicket, he will, for a triflinf sun., despatch a message for you to almost any ctty throughou the United States. I made use of IZ ^ntleman's wires on two occasions, in send^ to totant towns, and had answers handed to me in a neat envelope within an hour. "ne m a We now pass the waiter's form, and study the apparatus of the general book-keeper, which oeLri^ he nght side of the lobby. Behind the coX' S ais offleer, we perceive a W-^e case of pigeon-holes mth a number over each, and appropriated for rece^ mg etos or cards left for the guests' Knowing yo» depository under it, to know if any one has been caDing, or If any letters have arrived for you. At one end of ! i View YORK. 187 the counter, there is a letter-box into which you drop all letters for post, which is another means of saving trouble. But the most curious thing of all, is the arrangement by which the official behind the counter knows who signals from his apartment. To have some hundreds of bells would produce inextricable confusion. All the wires in the house centre at one bell, placed in a case in the lobby, with the whole mechanism exposed on one side within a sheet of plate-glass. The other side of this case is covered all over with numbers in rows. Adjoining each number is a small crescent- shaped piece of brass, which drops from the horizontal, and hangs by one end, when the wire connected with it is pulled, the bell being by the same action sounded. The altention of the book-keeper being so attracted, he directs a waiter to proceed to the apartment indicated, and with his finger restoring the bit of brass to its former posture, it is ready for a fresh signal. A more neat and simple arrangement could not well be ima- gined. The fronts of these bell-cases are of white enamel, and being set in a gilt frame, have a pleasing ornamental effect. So much for the Astor, to which there are now many rivals of equal or larger dimensions— the Irving House, the Prescott House, and numerous others, including the two more recently established and peculiarly splen- did establishments— the Metropolitan and St Nicholas, both situated considerably 'up towji' in Broadway! The MetropoHtan, an edifice of brown sandstone, with a frontage of 300 feet, is superbly furnished, and laid out with 100 suites of family apartments, and can accommodate altogether 600 guests, whose wants are ministered to by 250 servants. Tlie cost of building and furnishing this prodigiously lar.re house, is said to have been 1,000,000 dollars. The St Nicholas, I believe, aspires to stand at the head of its order. ' It II 188 TIIINOa AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. 18 a splendid structure of white marble, containing 150 suites of family apartments, and Tvith accommodation for nearly 800 guests; I understood, indeed, that pre- parations were making for the accommodation of at least 1000 people. The cost of this establishment has been spoken of as 1,030,000 doUaa-sj but doubtless tins IS below the mark. Some not less interesting features of these great own hTT.*' ^" rt'^- ^^'^ ^'""''^^y P"^* their own bills of fare, which are freshly executed with the da e, daily. Their suites of hot and cold baths, their bdliard-rooms, and their barbers' shops, are on a most commodious scale. The Americans appear to be parti- cularly punctilious as regards their hair and beard and a frequent visit to the peruquier seems an indis' pensable part of their personal economy. All English gentlemen in the present day-those who rely on the service of valets excepted-shave their o.vn beard, for which purpose they take portable dressing-cases along ^ith them on their jom-neys. I never could miderstand why the not overindulgent Americans, lodging in the great hotels or travelling by river steam-boats, require to be shaved by professional tonsors. At all events, there, m the barber's apartment, in every hotel, are seen seated a number of gentlemen-mider the hands of CO oui'ed operators. And in what luxurious atti- W T/T"^ ^'f ''' ^ couch-like chair, and the feet exalted on a velvet-covered rest, we have a picture of ease and lassitude which I should fancy is only to be matched m the dressing-rooms of nobles and princes Perhaps It may be expected that I should say a word on that subject of everlasting condolence-sen ants. I was agreeably disappointed to find that the Americans are not so badly off for domestic assistance as they are usually represented to be. A gi'cat change for the better m this respect has lately occurred, through the mwm 11 NEW YORK. 180 influx of Insh It is ^vonderful to notice how soon an Inshman m a long-tailed ragged coat and patched knee- corduroys, is transformed into a hotel garcon, dressed neatly m a white jacket and pants, combed, brushed, and rendered as amenable to discipline as if under the orders of a drill-sergeant. Thus smartened up, the Insh have become a most important people in the United States. Irish girls, who would fail to find an open door in London, are here received with a sigh of delight; and what American housewives and hotel- keepers would now do without them, is painful to reflect upon. It being apparently a fixed maxim in the mmd of every white man and woman in the States, that domestic service is intolerable, the inpouring of Irish has solved an immense difficulty. Numerous, and spread over a wide region, this useful people have already dispossessed in a great degree the coloured race who, consequently pushed into humbler situations' suffer, 1 may be presumed, an aggravation of their sufficiently unhappy lot. I found corps of coloured ^^iters chiefly in Canada. At only one place (Congress HaU Hotel, Albany) did I see them in any of the northern states. Whether white or colonred, the waiters in every hotel, when attending table, are marshalled into the saloon, each carrying a plated dish m his hand, the procession reminding one of the theatrical march in Aladin ; and in the setting down and uncovering these dishes, and walking off" with the lids-the whole corps moving off' in line-they obey a fugleman with that mihtary precision, which among a people less imperturbable than the Americans, conld scarcely fail to excite a certain degi-ee of merriment. The laundry departments of the American hotels ought not to be forgotten in the list of mar^^els. Placed under the management of a special clerk, who records aU necessaiy details, the arrangements for washino- 100 THINOS AS THEY AM IN AMERICA. Jirying, and ironing, would Mtonish any ordinarv ^Tcc ;. '>"* wnng out tl,e .vet, and cause thf sticks to pa™ through currents of hot air, so as to turn them out ready for the imner in the space of a r/l! t' J-"'™ ^"' «™'7*ing washed and dressed as his colr^ ''^ '"" '"'"'^- Amngemen s fo his comfort do not stop here. In New York and part, have a range of shops or stores on the ground, floor, front.„g the street, adapted to supply thf want Zdt2 '""''; n°'e:Paper, perfumery, medicine^ 1 ,,.r '."^ *"""' " *««« *ops, Which in one pkee (Washington) I found were connected Vu the hotel by a baek-entrance f«,m the main eorridrr Z American hotel is not a house : it is a town CHAPTER XII. NEW YORE CONCLUDED. Standing on the steps of the Astor House, we have the thoroughfare of Broadway right and left, with the Park in front— Bamum's theatre, covered with great gaudy paintings, across the way— and can here perhaps better than anywhere else, observe the concourse of passengers and vehicles. Accustomed to the flow of omnibuses in London, the number of this variety of pubhc conveyance though great, does not excite sui-prise That which appears most novel, is the running to and fro of railway-cars on East Broadway, a thoroughfare termmatmg opposite to us at the extremity of the Park Already I have spoken of a railway-train being brought m detachments by horses into the heart of the city; but this is only one of several such intinisions. Permitted for some mysterious reason, by the civic authorities' Imes of rail are laid along several prominent thorough- fares—an exceedingly convenient arrangement as regards transit from one part of the city to another, but not quite pleasant, I should tliink, to the inhabitants of these streets and squares through which the cars make their perambulations. The cars on these street-railways are hung low, seated like an omnibus, and will stop at any point to take up or set down passengers. The ordmary omnibuses of New York have no cad behind. T^ie door is held close by a cord or belt from the hand ot the driver, who relaxes it to allow the entry or exit ill 192 ^Bww i f HI l-v THINGS AS THEY ABt! IN AMERICA. fi, il'iT"^'"''- ^ ""^ '"""'^'l '"tl- «'-e manner in which the fce IS taken in these vehicles. The passenger who wishes to be set down, hands his money through a hole in the roof to the driver, who forthwith relaxes the |-v. and the door flies open. As there appeared to be no check on two or more departing when only one had paid, I suppose the practice of shirking fares is not very common. I cannot say that the omnibus-system of JMew York is an improvement on our own. The drivers are stdl more unconscionable in their reception of extra passengers, particularly if the applicants be ladies In such cases, the gentlemen either stand, or take the ladies on tMcir knee. I happened to see a cram of this kind two theme of jocular complaint in the New York newspapers. not mnrr\ """^^^ ™'"^"'''' conveyance arises not more from the extreme length of the city, than the condition of the principal thoroughfai-cs. /LIm sorry to hint that New York is, or at least ™. duWig my ™'\not so cleanly as it might be. Statists assur! us that It possesses 1500 diit-carts, and in 1853 cost the sum of 250,000 doUars for cleaning. Where th^e carts were, and how aU this money was ex^Tdcd, J cannot imagine. The mire was ankle-dcep I BroJ. way, and the more nai-row business streets were barclv passable. The thing was really droll. All along the foot-pavements there stood, night and day, aa if fixtures boxes, buckets, lidlcss flour-barrels, b4cts, deoycd tea-chests, i-^ty iron pans, and earthenware jars fS of coal-ashes There they rested, some close to the houLs some leamng over into the gutter, some on the doo': steps, some knocked over and spilt, and to get forward yon reqmred to take constant care not to faU over them Odd as this spectacle seemed on Satui-day at noon i Zin. T"' ''r'" "" '™''^y' -•>- -^^"^ "- «mging, and people were streaming along to church. NEW YORK CONCLUDED. 293 Passing up Broadway on this occasion, and looking into a side-street, the scene of confused debris was of a kind not to be easily forgotten— ashes, vegetable reiiise, old hats without crowns, worn-out shoes, and other household wreck, lay scattered about as a field of agreeable inquiry for a number of long-legged and industrious pigs. I often laugh at the recollection of these queer displays, and wonder whether the boxes and barrels of ashes are yet removed from Broadway, or whether Pearl, Nassau, and Fulton Streets have seen the face of a scavenger ! It was a delicate subject to touch upon, but I did venture to inquire into the cause of these phenomena. One uniform answer— maladministration in civic affairs; jobbing of members of the corporation into each other's hands. Considering that the body laboming under these imputations was chosen by popular suffrage, the ulame thrown upon them, I thought, was as much due to the electors as the elected. Something, in explana- tion, was said of the overbearing influence of the lower and more venal class of voters; but giving all due weight to an argument of this kind, it seemed to me that we had here only a vivid demonstration of that species of desertion of public duties, which is seen in London and other great marts of commerce, where men, being too busy to mind anything but their own affairs, leave the civic administration to the idle, the selfish, and incompetent. Be this as it may, things at the time of my sojourn had come to a deplorable pass. . You could not take up a newspaper mthout seeing accounts of unchecked disorders, or reading sarcasms on official delinquencies. In the New York Herald for November 28, 1853, the foUowing passages occur in an article on Rowdies— a class of brawling reprobates who molest the public thoroughfares :— 'The insecurity of human Hfe in New York has M 194 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. become proverbial; and it is a grave question with many, whether it is not practically as bad to live under the despotism of a felonious rabble as the tyranny of an aristocrat. Our police, with a few exceptions, are the worst in the world. It is a notorious fact that they are seldom in the way when crimes are committed, and when they see them by accident, they are very likely to skulk away and avoid all danger and difficulty. If a bank or some wealthy individual has lost a large sum of money, they will probably get hold of it, because they calculate upon a handsome reward. But when they know they cannot make anything extra — anything beyond their salary — there is not one in a hundred of them will give himself the least concern about the hves or limbs of the citizens who pay them for protection. We perceive that their pay has increased of late. We don't find that it has contributed very much to increase their vigilance. The whole evil lies in a nut-shell — it is the accursed system of politics that prevails at primary elections, and thence spreads its ramifications over the entire social fabric. Strike at the root, and the poison-tree will fall.' Perhaps the most appalling fcatm'e in the economy of New York, is the number of fires, many of them involving enormous losses of property. According to an official report quoted in a newspaper, the amount of property destroyed by fire in New York in 1853, was 5,000,000 of dollars. In not a few instances, it has been feared that these conflagrations are the work of incendiaries for the sake of plunder ; though I incline to the behef that they originate in a more simple cause — ^the headlong speed and incautiousness with which afiaii's are ordinarily conducted.* When fires do occur, * Since the above was written, a fire has occurred in Broadway, at which a number of firemen lost their lives by injuries sustained on the occasion. The coroner's jnrj' in deciding on the cause of the deaths, added the foiiowing on with ve under •anny of ons, are hat they ted, and y likely aty. If rge sum because it when -nything idredof ;hc hves )tection. e. We Increase -shell- vails at ications )ot, and conomy )f them ding to amount 53, was it has rork of incline e cause which > occur, , at wliicli occasion, foiiowing NEW YOEK CONCLUDED. 105 they are greatly facilitated by the slendemess of inner partitions ar-l wooden stairs in the houses; and though the exertions of the fire-brigades are generaUy beyond all praise, they are not able to prevent exten- sive destruction and loss. The frequency of these conflagrations, which sometimes involve a sacrifice of Hfe as well as of property, cannot, however, be said' to have met with that serious attention which such grave casualties would seem to demand. The stimulus to push forward in business acting like a species of in- toxication, appears to cause an indifference to misfor- tune. In short, there is no time to ponder over losses —no time even to avoid being cheated. An anecdote in illustration of the impetuous way in which matters are managed, was told to me as a remarkably good thing of its kind. Two men, one day, with a long ladder and proper implements, gravely proceeded to take down the metal rain-conductor from a house of business, and carried it oflP without question or molest- ation. A few days afterwards they returned, restored the tube to its place, also unchallenged, and having finished operations, presented an account for repairs, &c., which was instantly paid, the truth being that no mending was required, and the whole afiair a trick; but the pai-ties plundered had no time for inquiry, and settled the demand in order to be done with it. How many petty exactions are daily submitted to on the same principle ! As a great emporium of commerce, growing in size and importance. New York offers employment in a variety of pursuits to the skUful, the steady, and industrious, and on such terms of remuneratioi as opinion, confirmatory of the worst suspicions as to incendiarism :—< We believe that the fire was caused by incendiaries, and that they entered on the roof for the purpose of j.lnnder, having obt.ained access thereto from the roof of an adjoinin':^ in ilding.' 196 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. leaves littlt room for complaint. It would, however, be a prodigious mistake to suppose that amidst this field for well-doing, poverty and wretchedness are unknown. In New York, there is a place called the Five Points, a kind of St Giles's; and here, and in some other quarters of this great city, you see and hear of a sink of vice and misery resembling the more squalid and dissolute parts of Liverpool or Glasgow. For this the stranger is not prepared by the accounts he has received of the condition of affairs in America. Wages of manual labour, a dollar to two dollars a day. Servants, labourers, mechanics, wanted. The rural districts crying for hands to assist in clearing and cultivating the ground. Land to be had for the merest tnfle. The franchise, too, that much-coveted boon, offered to aU. Alas ! man's destiny, on whichever side of the Atlantic, is not altogether to live by voting but by working. What signify high wages, land, 'and hberty, if people shew no disposition to earn and make a proper use of these advantages— if, instead of labour- mg at some usefiil occupation, they habitually squander away existence, and do aU sorts of wicked things to keep soul and body together. New York contains many thousands of this order of desperates, or call them unfortunates, if you wiU— men ruined by follies and crimes in the old country; 'outfitters' sent abroad by friends who wish never more to see or hear of them; refugee politicians, who, after worrying Europe, have gone to disturb America (which, fortunately, they are not able to do); beings who might have Hved creditably m the Golden Age, but who possess no accurate ideas of the responsibilities of this drudging nineteenth cen- tury; immigrants weakened and demoralised by their treatment on board ship; and to sum up with an item which includes nearly everything else— intemperates living upon their ivits and the bottle. Collectively NEW YORK CONCLUDED. 197 forming a mass of vice and wretchedness, we have here in fact, a ' dangerous class/ the cryptogamia of society^ flounshmg m dark holes and comers, just as it is seen to do m any large city of the Old World. Is it an or(Unation of nature that every great seat of population shall contain so much human wreck ? From whatever causa it may originate, New York IS beginning to experience the serious pressm-e of a vicious and impoverished class. Prisons, hospitals, asylums, juvemle reformatories, alms-houses, houses of refuge, and an expensive, though strangely ineffective poHce, are the apparatus employed to keep matters withm bounds. The governors of a cluster of penal and beneficiary institutions report, that in 1853, they expended 465,109 doUars in administering relief to 80,357 perrsxis. Passing over any notice of the many thousands, including crowds of recently arrived immi- grants, assisted by other associations, we have here a number equal to 1 in 7 of the population, coming under review as criminals or paupers in the course of a year— a most extraordinary thing to be said of any place in a country which offers such boundless opportunities for gaining a respectable subsistence. Let Europe, however, bear her proper share of the shame. Of all who pass through the prisons, or stand in need of charitable assistance, it is found that 75 per cent, are foreigners; and the cheerful and untiring manner in which reHef is administered to so many worthless and unfortunate strangers, surely goes far to extenuate the reproach of '• dollar-worship,' which has been cast on che American character. To fortify the weak and lift the fallen, much is humanely attempted to be done throu-h religious agencies. Bible and tract societies, and church-missions, make extraordinary exertions; and the industrious and affluent, moved by representa- tions torn the press, are uniting in efforts for social 108 THINGS AS TIIEY ARE IN AMERICA. 1? improvement. At tho time of my visit, the subject of a better class of dwellings for the working-classes was agitated ; and looking at the overcrowded houses, and the excessively high rents paid, it seemed to me that a movement of tliis kind was desirable. Since my return liome, an unsuccessful effort has been made to pass a law for shutting up the taverns (the number of which was 5980 m the early part of 1853) ; these establishments being bebeved to be a main source of all the prevalent vice and poverty in the city. If New York has the misfortune to suffer from an accmnulatmg mass of crime and poverty, it cannot be said that she takes little pains to avert this calamity through the eflScacy of religious ministrations or ele- mentary education. In 1853, the city contained 254 chm-ches, conducted, I beheve, with a zeal equal to anything we can offer. From personal examination I am ab.e to speak with greater precision on the subiect of school instruction. The educational system of New i^ork m Its higher and lower departments, is on a singularly complete scale. Independently of a number ot private academies, there are as many as 230 schools of which twenty-two are for coloured children, ii^ aU of which education is entirely ii-ee. These free- schools, which are judiciously scattered through every locality, and open to all, are supported entirely by funds granted from the revenue of the municipality-the %P'Tnf T v""^^/ ^''^ ^^^^^^^ ^«^^^«^ ^r^bout ^125 000 sterling for the cuiTcnt year. Such is the considerate liberality of the city corporation in main- tammg the schools and keeping up their efficiency, that one would almost be disposed to think that this much abused body is, after all, not so bad as it is called. I fe.^ that more is done than the people properly appre- ciate. The registered number of pupils in the various free-schools on the 1st of January 1853, was 127 -^3: i7i NEW YORK CONCLUDED. 190 but it appears that the average attendance was only 44,596 * — a fact which throws a ciuious light on the method of training youth. With a profusion of schools, nothing to complain of in the routine of in- struction, and nothing to pay, it is certainly strange to find that, on an average, many more than one-half of all the children nominally at school, were absent; though from what cause is not explained. According to recent accounts, it would appear that the poverty and neglect of parents rendered it as necessary in New York as in London or Edinburgh, to supplement all the ordinary means of education with a class of schools for the ragged vagrants of the streets— so close is the analogy becoming between the condition of cities in the New and Old World.f That education of an elementary kind should be oflPered Avithout charge to all classes of children, at the public expense, wUl not appear so surprising as that m free- * Annual Report of the Board of Education of the City and County of New York, 1853. t ' With the princely fortunes accumulating on the one hand, and the stream of black poverty pouring in on the other, contrasts of condition are springing up as hideous as those of the Old World There should be a cure which should go to the som-ce of oiu: social evils in the great cities. .- . . . In the meantime, we call attention to the efforts now being made by various parties in our city to meet these inc:-easing wants. A circular appears in another column from an association of ladies, acting in connection with the Children's Aid Society, which shews the character of these enterprises. A Ragged School, or, better named, an Industrial School, is opened, where the children who are too poor for the public schools are taught a common- school education and a means of livelihood, A soup-kitchen is connected with the establishment. The labour, as in the London Ragged Schools, is mostly performed by volunteers ; though here entirely by ladies, often from our highest and most intelligent circles. We understand there are now eight of these schools in the city. It is a new feature in New York high life— this active labour and sympathy for the poor. Much of it may be a fashion, like most of our New York impulses ; still it is a noble fashion. It is the first step towards bridgmg over this fearful gulf now widening between different classes.*— A'ew York Tribune^ April 21, 1854. soo THINGS AS THEY ABE IN AMERICA. may be obtained by any youth in New York who wmcn may be -'-scnbed as the crowninff-point nf tne free-school system. This institutiori fermueh mterest u. visiting. It oceupies a large buildfng, mort fourl^ Lor "■"" i"""'" ''" -Peri^teiidenee of lourteen professors and a number of tuto™ T f i modated in d fferent apartments, reeeiving an education of the most liberal kind at the public cost. Mathema to. Classics and Modem Languages, Oratoiy, D 1^^ pupils '^rf' ^'T "'"■"^ '^ ^'^° °P» to the S -fl'e '''""ual charge on the sehool-fund for this academy is about 20,00' doUars. The public uplrt of such au establishment is eousidered, I believe'^to be of doubtful policy. The most obvious ob e Ton if ser with professional aims in view. It must, however be borne m mind, that the ehUd of the po^rertTas eligible as the child of the most wealthy cS til on^y test for admission being the abdity to pa a'sm able and impartially conducted examinltionn fellr^ smaU pleasure m learning that social distinction was to a% unknown lu the academy; and that at lel r^'of life '"^^ '"^^ *^ ^""^ "^ P-o- - ^ « The progress of refined tastes in New York has been sigmfleantly marked by the estabhshment ^Ta C ^a" Pa ace emulative of simUar constnictions in eJopc and which I considered myself fortunate in amwTn in Reservoir Square, towards the northern extremity I I NEW YORK CONCLUDED. 901 )f study 3rk who a boon, cademy, Joint of t much g, more college 3nce of - found accom- ucation thema- [•awing, )ng the to the or this upport 5ve, to ion is, num- tvever, is as ; the suit- 5lt no I was least mblc been ystal 'ope, S in ition nity of the city, the edifice was not exteriorly seen to advantage, and was rather cramped in its proportions. Although considerably less in size than the Irish Exhi- bition, and a pigmy in dimensions as compared with the Palace at Sydenham, it was, nevertheless, a fine thing of its kind, and mu&c have furnished a fair idea of the nature and appearance of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. In shape it wa:^ a cross, 365 feet long each way, with a lofty dome in the centre, 100 feet in diameter. Some lesser erections filled up the angles of the cross, and with a separate building of two stories for machinerj'^ in the lower, and pictures in the upper gallery, the whole afforded space for a highly respect- able exhibition. The interior arrangements and style of decoration bore a close resemblance to what was observed in the structure in Hyde Park — courts for particular classes of productions, rows of statuary, galleries with flags and drapery, and stands for the lighter articles of manufacture. To this Exhibition, Great Britain, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and other European countries, had contributed objects of useful and ornamental art; but the bulk of the articles shewn were American, and testified to the extraordinary progress in industrial pursuits. It was observable, tliat this progress em- braced little in pictorial art, or the higher order of design. Of the collection of 654 paintings, the greater number were from Germany, Holland, France, and England ; the whole contributed by the United States being about forty. One picture I had seen previously — the First of May, by Wintcrhalter, which represents the Duke of Wellington presenting a casket to his godson, the young Prince Arthur; it was contributed to the Exhibition by Queen Victoria, and attracted many admirers. In the fine arts, America cannot yet be reasonably expected to rival Europe ; though uiidei the aos THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AHEIilCA. invention oTtooh !,ll ^'"'"T"' ''° "^'"^ »' « *« di^tly ^eM in^^7' *'"' "'^^^Uaueous objects mth deputing two or thle 1 °' """'" '"^'"^"^ the opening of thrVLv ^"""'^'"'•''■■b to attend of meehals had fome trt, ' *'"T\"''= "<"°1>-- Altogether thTv.W^^- ^ "''' ""'' "'^ instructed. on the mind tint *!.♦!' , conviction was left r«oureer^Hh ulff " "'*•"■ *'"'* '''i" » these and in S ".l"? '""' *" '"a'^Wnery at rest engines "tr.^'^tTresU: ^if^^r^^'^''"'- ^ ^-d'°f ;:^^rf p^rn^Ct^*''^' ^^^^^^^^ hidden wealth m ^T, ^ f ^"^ *^^ amount of richest kid was ^so^T^^^^^ ^^^ «^ the the silt J , ^^^^^ited from Nova Scotia- but th^t r rel lli^S'et ^o^^tH^r ^d "''^ gifted by a late English sovetelt'o r'""'' a>-e pretty neai-ly useless eitherT f "^ ^*™""'^' public. ^'^ *" *e possessor or the c^'Xtld^Llanf; d*^ ^^""«- -' I «i.cu,d fancy that Xec s h ti::^atr rfbi "' conducted bv a W™r 1,^™^- ''"^inated and NEW YORK CONCLUDED. soo close, TTas fotind not to have pa^d its expenses — not bo much from any imperfect appreciation of its merits, as from delays in opening. The design, I believe, is to re-open and permanently keep np the Exhibition with some new and attractive features, under the presidency of the immortal Barnum ! In New York, the means of social improvement, through the agency of public libraries, lectures, and reading-rooms, are exceedingly conspicuous. One of the most munificent of these institutions, is the recently opened Astor Library, founded by an endowment of the late John Jacob Astor, who bequeathed a fund of 400,000 dollars to erect a handsome building and store it with books for the free use of the public. I went to see this library, and found that it consisted of a splendid collection of 100,000 volumes, a large propor- tion of which were works in the best European editions, properly classified, with every suitable accommodation for literary study. Tlie New York Mercantile Library, and the Apprentices' Library, are institutions con- ducted with great spirit and of much value to the community. A very large and handsome building was in process of erection at a cost of 300,000 dollars, by a benevolent citizen, Mr Peter Cooper, for the purpose of a free reading-room and lectm'es. The limited space at my disposal does not enable me to particularise other institutions of this class, or to notice the learned societies in which the higher order of intellects co-operate. The prevalence of education throughout the United States leads, as may be supposed, to a taste for reading, which finds the widest indulgence in easUy acquired newspapers and books. Newspapers are seen every- where in the hands of the labouring as well as the wealthy classes. Every small town issues one or more of those papers, and in large cities they are produced « SM THINOS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. '! :iir n myriads. In the streets, at the doors of hotels, and m r,u way-cars boy, are seen seUing them in con. Biderable numbers. Nobody ever seems to grudge hI7i! TT I" "'" P'"''''"™ "^ Public-hou^s and hoteU m England, a newspaper is handed from one per^n to another, beeause the purehase of a c^py 1 i„ . fv , "■y '"°™"'K »* *'"= Astor House, I should thmk some hundreds of newspapers were bought by the gnests. At breakfast, almost eTe^ man had a paper. And I believe I may safely ave^ that no workmg-man of any respeetability goes withou his paper daily, or at least several times a week. News papers, in a word, are not a easual luxiuy but a neeessaiy of life in the States; and the generaf lowness ofpr.ee of the article admits of its widest difflision Many of these papers aie only a cent-equal to a half.penny-eaeh; but two or tliree cents are a more eommon pnee, and some arc charged five or si^ een s. Compared with the expensively got up and weU-,vr,tten mormng papei^ of London, the American to be eaUed cheap. Much of their space is occupied ™th advertisements, and in some cases the whole readable matter amomits to a few paragraphs of nc^ s and remarks connected with party poUtics. Indulgence m personahties IS usually, and with truth, roRard^d a! the worst of their editorial featm'cs. In th,! rcpecT however, they cannot be said to differ materially Lm' many of the newspapers of the British prorinees; and reeoIlecti„gw.th shame the recent hbeUous malignities of certain Enghsh newspapers directed against a hi^h p™age, we are scarcely entitk-d to speak of the editorial imperfections of the Americaois as altogether singular. Such as they are, and low in price, the newspapers of the United States Ma an Lportant It I I NEW YORK CONCLUDED. M5 purpose in the public economy; and with all their faults, the free discussion of every variety of topic in thtir pages is, as some will think, better than no dis- cussion at all. In nothing, perhaps, is there such a contra-'t between Great Britain and America, as in the facilities for disseminating newspapers. In the former country, newspapers can hardly be said to reach the hands of rural labourers. We could, indeed, point out several counties in Scotland which cannot support so much as a single weekly paper j but depend for intel- ligence on a few prints posted from a distance — such prints affording no local information, and throwing no light whatever on the peculiar, and it may be unfortu- nate, political and social circumstances in which the people of these counties are placed. On the oihp.r hand, such is the saliei^oy of thought, such the freedom of action, in the United States, thai a to^vn has hardly time to get into shape before its newspaper is started ; and as one always leads to two, we have soon a pair of journals firing away at each other, and keeping the neiglibourhood in amusement, if not in a reasonable amount of intelligence. While it may, therefore, suil; the policy of England to centralise and deal out opinion according to certain maxims of expediency, and also by every ingenious device to limit the number of news- papers, the people of the United States, taking the thing into their o^vn hands, have organised a press as universal and accessible as the most ordinary article of daily use. On the establishment of a newspaper among them, there are no fiscal restrictions whatever. There is no stamp, and, consequently, no vexatious government regulations requiring to be attended to — no particular form of imprint necessary. Exempted likewise from paper -duty, and never having been burdened with a tax on advertisements, they are in Th , ' 4»* I 111- 206 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. newspapei^ by post in the United States is on an equally simple footing. A newspaper despatched to any place within the state in which it is published is charged only half a cent (a farthing) for postage, and when sent to any other part of the United States, a cent; but m this latter case, if a quantity be paid for m advance, the cost is only the half-cent. It is proper to state, that these charges do not include deUvery at the houses of the parties addressed— that being the subject of a separate small fee; and it is here, both as regards letters and newspapers, that the superiority of the British post-office system is conspicuous. Decentralising in principle, the newspaper system of the States stiU relies for the more important items of home and foreign inteUigence on the prints of the large cities, which spare neither pains nor expense, by cL ctric-telegraph or otherwise, in procui-ing the earliest and most exciting news. In this respect, New York may be said to take the leid, by means of several newspapers conducted with a remarkable degree of energy— among which may be noticed the Herald, Tribune, Post, and Commercial Advertiser. In con- nection with this prominent feature of New York, it seems proper to state that this city has latterly acquired importance, if not for literary production, at least for the dispersion of books; encroaching, so far, on the older literary marts of Boston and PhHadelphia. PeriodicaHy in New York there occur great sales by auction to the trade— not of mere parcels of books, but whole editions prepared for the purpose, and trans- mitted from publishing houses in different parts of the Union. These sales, like the book-fairs of Leipsic, attract purchasers from great distances, and literary wares are disposed of on a scale of extraordinary magnitude. New York likewise possesses a number of publislicrs of books, original and rci^rinted, though, r-i-g NEW YOllK CONCLUDED. 207 SO far as I could judge, the works, generally, are not of the same high-standing as those wliich are issued from the long-established and classic press of Boston. As a place of publication, New York is best kno^yn for its periodicals; of which, with newspapers included, there are as many as a himdred and fifty addi'cssed to every shade of opinion. By the politeness of Mr Dana, I was conducted over the printing establishment of the Tribune, and had pointed out to me a machine resembling one I saw several years ago in the Times printing-office, and which was turning out broadsheets with inconceivable rapidity. At the large book-manufacturing concern of the Messrs Harpers, which I visited a few days previous to the fire, the machinery employed was more novel. Thirty-four flat-pressure steam-presses, all afterwards destroyed, were producing the finest kind of work, such as is still effected only by hand- labour in England, into which country the inventor, Adams of Boston, would doubtless be doing a service to introduce them. The practice of stereotyping by an electric process, so as to multiply plates at a small cost, and as yet scarcely knowTi in England, was also in use at the same office. The enormous demand for every moderate-priced product of the press, has, of course, necessitated the resort to these simplifications of labour. The circulation of Harpers' Magazine is stated to be upwards of 100,000 copies, which no hand- labour could produce, nor cyhnder-printing properly effect, considering the fineness of the wood-engravings usually interspersed tlirough the letter-press. Unfor- tunately, \nth every disposition to admire the \'igour displayed by the Harpers in conducting their popular miscellany, one can entertain Uttle respect for a work which systematically adopts articles, often without acknowledgment, from English periodicals. Occupying I i \ I 208 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. a much higher literary status, is the monthly magazine, started a year ago by Mr G. P. Putnam, whose efforts in cultivating native American talen and in sustaining a work of a purely original character, will, we hope, be crowned with the success which they deserve. In the course of my rambles through the printing- offices of New ^'ork, I alighted upon an establishment in which the Household Words of Mr Dickens was furnishing employment to one of the presses. As yet, the work I am myself connected with had been exempted from sharing in the glory of an unautho- rised transatlantic impression, and I had reason for gratulation accordingly. But who can tell what a few days may bring forth? Since my return to England, Chambers's Journal has yielded to its destiny, and, side by side with Mr Dickens's popular print, affords what is thought a fair ground for enterprise to a publisher in New York — necessarily to the damage of the interests concerned in importing and supplying the original edition of the work. How far the circulation of 10,000 copies, said to be achieved by this reprint, is likely to repay the party interested, I am unable to say. The absence of a law of inter- national copyright renders any such imitative re- printing legal; and though feeling that, abstractedly, the present arrangements are by no means consistent with a sense of justice, I have dechned, for obvious reasons, to enter into any argument on the subject. It has sometimes been remarked of George III., that instead of fighting his American subjects, he would have shewn somewhat more prudence by removing family, court, and all, to the States; and so leaving Great Britain, as the lesser country, to shift for itself, as a colony. Some such plan of packing up and removal might almost be recom- mended to persons designing to follow out a course _i -jy NEW YORK CONCLUDED. 200 connected professionally -with any department of literature. Already, certain English publishing-houses are turning attention to the great and ever-extend- ing field of enterprise in the United States, where books, as in the case of newspapers, are not a luxury of the rich, but a necessary part of the household furniture of those depending for subsistence on daily labour. With a view to partaking in the advan- tages to be derived from the universal demand for literary products in the States, some kind friends strongly counselled the transference of myself bodily to New York; and though coming rather late in the day, the idea was not without its allm'cmcnts. In one respect, at least, the American possesses an advantage over the EngHsh publisher: he is not subjected to heavy taxation in carrying on his operations. When I mentioned to the publishers of New York, that the various works issuing from the establishment Tvith which I was connected, and addressed mainly to classes to whom it was of importance to the state itself that literature should be made as accessible as possible, were loaded with a tax of 10,000 dollars per annum in the form of paper-duty, no small wonder was expressed. ' Why,' said they, ^ continue to spend your existence in a country in which the earnings of industry are laid under such heavy contributions?' The inquiry might more pertinently have been put to a younger man, or to one who had fewer inducements to ' stick to the old ship;' but it is exactly the kind of question which, considered in its diflFerent aspects, is now drawing away so many eager minds across the Atlantic. N ;i ! 1 1 1 i 1 U CHAPTER XIII. BOSTON — LOWELL. After paying a few visits to Brooklyn on the one side, and the New Jersey shore on the other, I left New York, and proceeded northwards to spend a short time m New England; my journey taking me direct to Boston m one day— distance by raUway 236 miles, for which the fare was five doUars. By this line of route, very large numbers pass to and from New York daily. The cars, starting in detachments, with teams of horses, from Canal Street, we united in a long tram outside the town, and then cl tivn in good style by a locomotive at the rate of abc it twenty-five miles an hour. The line, which makes a considerable bend in its course, proceeds by way of New Haven, Hartford, Springfield, and Worcester; and so traversing a popu- lous country, goes through the state of Connecticut into Massachusetts. After passing New Haven, a haudsomely built town, the seat of Yale College, the country improves iil appearance; and in the neighbourhood of Hartford, within the vaUey of the Connecticut river, the land is green, rich, and beautiful. When we reach Spring- field, the arable plains of Connecticut are exchanged for the rugged and pastoral hiUs of Massachusetts; and we need not to be told that we have arrived in a region which depends not on natural products, but on an — ^ 'Ty, lor Its wealth Pl-f r\f wi «-.->■.,■?„ „i.,_: _•— K iu \yi iiiaiiuj.c-i;i,uiiXli'' Ijtiui BOSTON LOWELL. 211 and importance. Placed on a group of conical mounts, partly environed by inlets of the sea, Boston is seen on our approach to be an odd mixture of towns and lakes, which the stranger requires several days to com- prehend — and which I cannot say I quite understand even yet. A fine bay, as formerly noticed, admits shipping from the sea up to the various wharfs that fringe the lower parts of the city, and renders Boston one of the best seats of exterior commerce on the whole coast of America. It will be recollected, that it was not in this inviting harbour that the 'Pilgrim Fathers' landed in New England, December 22, 1620, but nt Plymouth, about thirty-six miles distant along the coast to the south. Boston was settled ten years later by a fresh band of English refugees, fleeing from religious persecution, and was at first called Tremont; but this descriptive name was afterwards changed to Boston, in compli- ment to the Rev. John Cotton, who had emigrated from Boston in Lincolnshire; and so Boston it remains, along with all its traditions^ historic and biographical. I hinted on a previous occasion, that a glance at Boston would disenchant any one from illusory ideas respecting the Americans. The city, occupying the slopes of a rounded low hill, is thoroughly English in aspect — the brick-houses smarter, perhaps, and excelling in their brilliant green jalousies, plate-glass windows, and general air of neatness. A number of the public and other buildings a e of granite, and the broad side-pave- ments are of this durable material. Boston is English even in its irregularity. Instead of being laid out on the rectangular American patter?-., and garnished with rows of trees, the streets wind and diverge in different directions, some broad and some narrow, some steep and some level, according to fancy or the nature of the grouud — the greater part clinging parasiticaiiy round '.)■= V. II I ( 212 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. the chief of the Tremonts, which is crowned with the conspicuous dome of the State-house. I was not prep red by any previous account for the throng of carriages, drays, and foot-passengers in the leading thoroughfares of Boston. Washington Street, which stretches longitudinally through the city, cannot be compared to Broadway in New York, or the Strand in London, yet as a fashionable business thoroughfare it has few equals. Tremont Street, which is parallel with it a little higher up the hill, is another princi- pal avenue through the city, communicating at one end with the celebrated Boston Common. This is much the .: ^est thing of the kind in America. It is an enclosed piece of ground, fifty acres in extent, ornamented with trees and a fountain, irregular in surface, and enclosed with a railing; it is iJways open for foot-passengers, and is devoted exclusively to the public use. On three sides, it is bounded by a terrace-like street, with a range of well-built houses, the residence of the elite of Boston. This spacious grassy common has a general inclination to the south, and at its upper part, the line of street embraces the State-house, from the summit of Avhich a very fine panoramic view of the city and its environs is obtained. In Boston there are some pubhc buildings in the best styles of architecture, and it may be said that to whatever side we turn, evidences of intelligence and taste are presented. After a visit to New York, the appearance of Boston is particularly pleasing. Instead of dirt, noise, and aU sorts of irregularities, we have cleanliness, comparative tranquillity, and, as it seems, a system of municipal government in which things are not left altogether to take charge of themselves. In these and some other respects, Boston will pro- bably please all who like to see a weU-mauaged and 4l BOSTON — LOWELL. 213 respectable city — its police not a sham, and its streets really s^ept in requital for the money expended on them. So far are police arrangements carried, that smoking, as I was informed, is not allowed in the public thorough- fares. A regard for neatness and decorum was a predominant feature in the minds of the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts, and still remains impressed on the character of their descendants. We can, indeed, see that in manners and various social arrangements, the New England states — Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut — ^possess a distinctive character. The cradle of civil liberty, they are also the source of those great schemes of free elementary education extending over the Union; while in most things which tend to general improvement, their people are generally seen taking the lead. Some writer has remarked, that the com- parative barrenness of the soil of Massachusetts has proved an incalculable blessing to America. Unable from natural sources to support a large population, the country has thrown off swarms of emigrants, who have carried with thdm the shrewd keenness, perseverance, and love of independence of the New England race, which, in point of fact, is a living type of the hardy and thoughtful English who battled against the Stuarts in the middle of the seventeenth century. Spreading into other states, these New Englanders are seen to win their way by an aptitude for business and a wonderful power of organisation. As merchants, lawyers, and magistrates, they are acknowledged to be an important element — one might almost say the cement — of American society. Retaining the temperament and modes of expression of their English ancestry, we find that they are more wiry in constitution, and speak in d higher and more nasal tone than is observable elsewhere. 214 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Moulded from a Puritan ancestry, it might be expected that the Bostonians, with many changes in sentiment, would still possess a slender appreciation of the fine arts; but the elegance of many of their buildings, and their love of music, demonstrated by the recent opening of a large and handsome hall for musical entertainments, would infer that they retam little of the ancient sourness of manners. They are, however, like another people whom we could name — not signalised by any love for theatrical representations. The drama, I should tliink, is in a low condition in Boston. I went one evening to a theatre, which was tolerated under the name of a ' Museum.' To invest it with this illusory character, its spacious vestibule was environed with cases of dried snakes, stufied birds, and other curiosities, which nobody, so far as I could see,, took the trouble to look at, the centre of attraction being a theatre beyond, fitted up with a hanging- gallery, and pews as like a church as possible. The house was crowded with a respectable and attentive audience, but the acting was of an inferior kind; and what in my opinion was more objectionable, the piece performed was a melodrama, in which religion was irreverently blended with bufibonery. I am at a loss to say whether this, like the adoption of the term ^ Museum,' was a device to soothe public prejudice, but it communicated that impression. One of the days of my sojourn in Boston was the 24th of November, which, by proclamation of the governor of Massachusetts, was kept as Thanksgiving- day— according to an old custom — in the New England states. The institution of this religious festival is traced to an early period in colonial history, and has gradually assumed a national character. Each state may select the day most convenient to itself: that adopted, however, by Massachusetts, seems to set the BOSTON — LOWELL. I i S15 fashion, and accordingly there is an almost universal holiday. On this occasion, all business was suspended in Boston, the stores were shut, and the churches of every denomination were open. In the afterpart of the day, things relaxed a little. There was a thronging in and out of the city on excursions and visits, and among other signs of jollity, the ' Museum ' opened its attractions. The day, in short, came pretty closely up to the old English Christmas — one half devoted to church, ard the other half to dining and amusement, like a genuine mediaeval festival. I was told that the meeting together of members of a family on Thanks- giving-day was maintained as a sacred practice in New England, and that many travelled hundreds of miles to be present. It is not less a universal custom to have a turkey to dinner on the occasion of these family reunions; those too poor to purchase this delicacy, are usually presented with it by friends or employers ; and, as may be supposed, the number of turkeys required throughout the New England states is immense. The opening of the churches for public worship permitted me to attend King's Chapel, a respectable-looking stone-built church, nearly opposite the Tremont Hotel, where I had taken up my quarters. This church, fitted with high family-pews of dark wood, like those of the parish churches of England, retained very nearly the appearance it possessed previous to the revolution, when it was the place of worship of the English governor of the province. The service was liturgical, but differed in some respects from that of the Church of England. Adjacent is a burying-ground, separated by a railing from the street, and said to contain on one of the tombstones the oldest carved date in America — 1 643. In visiting Boston, so many are the memorials of the great revolutionary struggle, that one feels as if 216 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. m surrounded by illustrations of history. The Old South Meeting House, where, on the 6th of March 1770, was held the town meeting to remonstrate with the governor agamst bringing in troops to overawe the inhabitants- Faneuil HaU, a huge brick-building in the market- place, celebrated for assemblages of the ' Sons of Liberty;' Griffin's Wharf, where, on a moonhght night, December 16, 1773, under the popular impulse given by Josiah Quincy, a large crowd went on board the Dartmouth, and other English ships, and within two hours poured the contents of 342 chests of tea into the harbour; the level slip of peninsula called Boston Neck, which unites the city with the mainland, and where were placed the British fortified lines in August 1774; thQ scenery on the western side of Charles River, including Bunker'^, and Breed's Hills, where took place the memorable action of June 17, I775 . Dorchester Heights, on the mainland, to the south &c' Among the chief of the objects of curiosity, is the Bunker HiU Monument, occupying a conspicuous situation m the .leighbourhood. To reach the spot where this monument has been erected, I crossed the Charles River by a iong and low wooden bridge, sup- ported on piles, and passing through Charlestown, arrived at the base of a grassy mound, little more than a hundred feet above the level of the sea. Such is Breed's Hill, which has been selected as the most favourable site for the Bunker HiU Monument. Originally in an open down, the locality is now crowded with houses, which seem to be closing round the hill, very much to the injury of its appearance The top of the hiU has been leveUed and laid out with walks, radiating from an iron rail which surrounds the monument. Access to the summit is gained by a staircase. The monument is an obelisk of whitish o ---^ in ii^i^avj TTiKu a square oase 01 oO ,_^Ji BOSTON LOWELL. 217 feet, whence it tapers to a point. It is a chastely correct work of art — a thing dignified and beautiful in its very simplicity. Many years were spent in bringing it to a complete state, on account of the diflficulty experienced ia raising the necessary funds for its execution. It was inaugurated by a public ceremonial in 1843, on which occasion Daniel Webster delivered one of his mo& admired orations. Accustomed as one is to find everything new in America, Boston, in its historical and social features, presents so much of an old and settled character, that it may be said to stand out alone in its resemblance to a European city. Although constructed principally of wood, no place coidd be imagined more English than Cambridge, a suburban city, situated to the south of Charlestown, and reached in the same way by an extremely long wooden bridge. This is the seat of Harvard University, an institution dating as far back as 1638, and now, with its various schools, the most important and best attended college in the United States. A glance at Old Cambridge, as it is named, shews us a variety of smart buildings scattered about among trees, with broad winding roads giving access to pretty villas, each with its flower-plot in front, and delightful bits of lawn used for pasturage or recreation. The grass, to be sure, is not so compact or so green as it is in England, the dryness of the climate forbidding that anywhere in America; but the imitation is here as near the original as possible. Driving along one of the broad thoroughfares, our vehicle stops at the gateway of one of the most venerable wooden villas. It is a neat house of two stories, with pilasters in the bald Grecian style of the Georgian era, attics in the roof, and side-verandas, resting on wooden pillars. Across the garden-plot in the front, two short flights of steps lead up terrace-banks towards the door. The m tl8 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. View in front is open, being across a grassy plain in the direction of Boston. This house became the abode of General Washington on the 2d of July 1775, .fhen he came from New York to take command of the American army; and here he resided part of his time during the contest in tlic neighbourhood. At present, the villa is owned and inhabited by Mr H. W. Longfellow, pro- fessor of modem languages in the adjacent university, and one of the most accomplished living poets in the United States. Introduced by a literary friend, I had the honour of making the acquaintance of a person whose writings are esteemed in England as well as America, and of seeing the interior of the historicaUy interesting mansion he inhabits. The walls of the room— a kind of library-boudou-— into which I was shewn, were panelled according to an old fashion, and the furniture was of that tastefully antique kind which seemed appropriate to the past and present character of the dweUing. The whole place speaks of other days. Adjoining the house are various tall elms, probably a century old— a highly respectable antiquity for America —and the patch of garden appears to be preserved in the form it possessed when Washington paced across it on that celebrated summer morning when he w( it forth to put himself at the head of his troops. The spot where this event occurred was in the neighbouring common ; here, under the shadow of a large tree, called Washington's Elm, standing at a central point between two cross-roads, he is said to have drawn his sword, and formally entered on command. It says m-^ch for the staid character of the Bostonians, that families connected not only with the revolutionary era, but with the early settlement of the province, still maintain a respectable position in the town, and form what may be called an aristo- cracy, distinguished alike by wealth and honourable BOSTON LOWE LL. 210 public service. So much has been written of the peculiar attractions of Boston society, that I am fortunately left nothing to say, further than to take the opi)ortunity of oflPering thanks for the many polite attentions I received from aU with whom I had any intercourse. Although only a few days in the city and its neighbourhood, I had an opportunity of making some satisfactory inquiries respecting the prevalent system of elementary education, and of visiting some of the excellent literary institutions with which the intelligen« inhabitants of Boston have had tL^ good taste to provide themselves. The Atheneeum, con- sisting of a library and reading-room, was the finest tiling of the kind I had seen in America ; for, besides a collection of 50,000 volumes, there was a gallery of paintings and sculpture of a high class. Among insti- tutions of a more popular character, may be noticed the Mercantile Library Association, at whose rooms I was shewn a collection of about 13,000 volumes ; also, the LoweU Institute, established by a bequest of 250,000 dollars, for the purpose of providing free lectures on science, art, and natural and revealed religion. Some movements were on foot to widen the sphere of intel- lectual improvement by means of a free library and otherwise : and from the great number of publishing establishments, it was evident that the demand for literature was considerable. 'Everybody reads and everybody buys books,' said a publisher to me one day ; and he added : ' every mechanic, worth anything at all, in Massachusetts, must have a smaU library which he calls his own ; besides, the taste for high-class books is perceptibly improving. A few years ago, we sold great quantities of trashy Annuals ; now, our opulent classes prefer works of a superior quality.' At the same time, I learned that a number of copies of instructive popular works which I had been concerned in publishing, had I J ■ 1 1 f Li ■ ? 220 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. :H J been imported for the use of school-libraries; and »3 there are about 18,000 such libraries in the United States, the amount of books of various kinds required for this purpose alone may be si^pposed to be very considerable. Like most visitors of Massachusetts, I made an exv arsion to Lowell — a manufacturing city of 37,000 inhabitants, at the distance of twenty-five miles north- west of Boston. A railway-train occupied an hour in the journey, which was by way of Lexington— a small to^n at which the first shots were fired (April 19, 1775) at the beginning of the revolutionary struggle. The country traversed was level, enclosed, and here and there dotted over with pretty villages and detached dwellings, in the usual New England style. Lowell may be described as a tillage of larger growth, com- posed of houses of brick or wood, disposed in straight lines forming spacious and airv streets. Several rail- ways centre at the spot, but there is little noise or bustle in the thoroughfares. All the children are at school, and most of the adult inhabitants are in the several manufactories. The day is sunshiny and pleasant, and a few infants are playing about the doors of neat dwellings in the short streets which lead to the mills. These mills are of the ordinary cotton-factory shape— great brick-buildings, with rows of windows with small panes, and all are enclosed within courtyards, or othei-wise secluded from intrusion. The whole of the Lowell mills being moved by water- power, we agreeably miss the smoky atmosphere which surrounds the Lancashire factories. The power is derived from the Merrimack, a river of considerable size, which is led by an artificial canal from a point above a natural fall in its com-se, to the various works. In 1853, there were twelve incorporated manufacturing concerns in Lowell and its neighboitrhood; principally BOSTON — LOWELL. 221 ; and f"? ; United required be very nade an ' 37,000 !S north- hour in -a small 9, 1775) e. The ere and letached LoweU h, corn- straight ral raU- loise or I are at in the ay and LC doors d to the -factory windows within • '■ water- 3 which )wer is derable a point works, cturing icipally engaged in cotton spinning and weaving, carpet-manu- facturing, calico-printing, and machine-making. The chief and oldest of the various corporations is the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, established in 1822, and possessing a capital of 2,500,000 dollars. Its operations are carried on in six large buildings; it has at work 71,072 spindles, 2114 power-looms, employs 1650 females and 650 males, and makes 377,000 yards of cloth per week. The goods it produces are prints and sheetings. Besides going over the extensive works of this establishment, I visited the mills of the Lowell Manufacturing Company, where I found 800 females and 500 males employed principally in the spinning of wool and weaving of carpets — the designs of these articles being good, with bright and decided colours. Cotton-spinning and weaving factories are pretty much the same aU the world over, and I do not feel entitled to say that there was any remarkable exception in the establishments which here fell under my notice. In each there prevailed the greatest neatness and regu- larity. The females employed were tidy in dress, yet not very different in this respect from what I had seen in factories at home ; for the nature of the work does not admit of finery, and it is only at leisure hours and on Sundays that silks and parasols make their appear- ance. In the windows of one of the large factories, I saw that flowers in pots were a favourite subject of culture, which I accepted as a token of the good taste of these young lady-artisans. Boarding-houses, gene- rally the property, and under the supervision of the mill-owners, are situated at a short distance from the factories. These houses are of brick, three stories in height, and have exteriorly the aspect of what we should call dwellings of the middle classes. Of the orderliness of these establishments, their neatly fur- nished rooms, pianos, and accommodations of various ?.«*? p III 1,^ I I B m "I , ' 222 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. kinds, it is unnecessary for me to go into particulars; neither need I call to remembrance the literary exer- citations of the female inmates, demonstrated by the Lowell Offering, and Mind among the Spindles. Among American girls, the general objection to domestic service is not attended with any dislike to working in factories. Many young women, the daughters of farmers, do not therefore disdain to employ themselves three or four years at Lowell, in order to realise a sum which will form a suitable dowry at mamage, to which, of course, all look forward as a natural termination of their career at the mills; and as no taint of immorality is attachable to their conduct while under the roof of any of the respectable boarding-houses, they may be said to be objects of attraction to young farmers looking out for wives. I was informed that, latterly, a number have come from Lower Canada, and return with quite a fortune to the parental home. Undoubtedly, the strict regulations enforced by the proprietors of the mills, along with the care taken to exclude any female of doubtful character, largely con- tribute to the good working of his remarkable system. But as human natui-e is the same everywhere, I am disposed to seek for another cause for the orderly behaviour and economic habits of the Lowell operatives -—and this I believe to be the hope of a permanent improvement of their condition. The sentiment of hope is observed to enjoy a vigorous existence in Americ?.. Prepared by education, the way is open to all; and so easily is an independent position gained, that none need to sink down in despair, or become tipplers in mere desperation and vacuity of thought. Even in working at cotton-mills, hope has its aspirations in a way not permitted by the customs of England. The factories of Lowell have been spoken of as belonging to incor- porations. These are joint-stock companies, established BOSTON — LOWELL. 223 biculars ; ry exer- by the Among lomestic working hters of jmselves e a sum ) which, ation of norality roof of may be looking number h quite by the iken to ;ly con- system. , I am orderly eratives manent of hope meric?.. and so le need 1 mere working ^ay not ictories incor- blished by a charter from the state legislature, and have the validity and privileges accorded only to such companies in England as are established by special act of parlia- ment. To procure such an act, supposing it would be granted to an ordinary manufacturing concern, would cost at least £500, or more probably j6800; but in Massachusetts, or any other state of the Union, the entire expense of a charter would be thought high at 100 dollars, or £20; and I heard of cases in which charters did not cost more than £5. At whatever expense these state-charters are procured, they enable small capitalists to unite to carry out with safety a particular commercial object. The shareholders are responsible only to the extent of their shares, unless they become managers, when they are bound to the limit of their fortune. For anything I know, there may be inherent weakness in the principle of those organisations, but they seem to go on satisfactorily at Lowell, and other places in the New England states; and if they do not command the respect of large capitalists, they at aU events do not give rise to feelings of hostility between employer and employed. The stock of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, which has been stated at 2,500,000 dollars, consists of shares of 1000 dollars each; and I have the authority of Mr Isaac Hinckley, the resident manager, for saying, that the persons employed by the company own more than eighty shares of the capital stock, or 80,000 doUars ; and as the market- value of a share is at present 1320 dollars, it is tolerably evident that the concern is paying well, and in good credit. While it may be acknowledged that the management of factories estab- lished on this plan is not likely to be so prompt and vigorous as those owned by a single individual, it is surely a matter of some importance to have arranged a scheme, by which operatives have the power of Vrr I ri !^!ii!U ir^ l*H ' : |i rt ! : III ill ! 224 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. becoming proprietors, to a certain extent, of the miJls in which they habitually labour. Whether with the hope of obtaining this distinction, or of investing accumu- lated capital in other kinds of property, the operatives are depositors to a very great amount in the savings- banks in Lowell. Mr Hinckley mentioned, 'that the Lowell Institution for Savings, had at last report about 1,060,000 dollars of deposits, mostly belonging to persons employed in mills; and he thought the City Institution had about half that amount.' In a pub- lished account, it is stated that the number of depositors last year was ' 6224, nearly aU of whom were persons employed in the mills.* Facts such as these say more for the good habits of the New England operatives than the highest eulogy. All the manufacturing establishments in LoweU concur in issuing a printed table of statistics annually. In the paper of this kind, dated January 1853, the average wage of females, clear of board, per week, is two dollars; and of males, clear of board, four dollars, eighty cents. If we add that one dollar, twenty-^five cents is the price of board for females, and two dollars for males, £ fair idea will be obtained of the wages of labour in the Lowell factories. In English money, the average weekly earnings of a female may be set down at 13s. 6d., and of a mak at from 19s. 6d. to 21s.; and, keeping in view that the practice is to secure on an average twelve working-hours each day, English factory-operatives may draw for themselves a com- parison between their own position and that of the workers in the miUs of LoweU. It is scarcely necessary to remark, that the pros- perity of Lowell, and the agreeable circumstances of the operatives, rest on c. somewhat precarious founda- tion, owing their existence as they do to a tariff which i^xciuties tiie more cncapiy prou.uceci goous oi jitngiund. ^i3L_ BOSTON LOWELL. 225 America lias, indeed, strong prejudices in favour of paying high prices within herself for clothing, as contrasted with being supplied more cheaply from a distance; but, after what we have seen of the instability of a protective system in our own country, no one can tell what revolutions of sentiment a few years may bring about amongst so quick and intelligent a people as those of the United States. Were it not for this consideration, I should be inclined to express my surprise that the mill-operatives of Lancashire and Lanarkshire have never struck upon the idea of remov- ing to one or other of the many fields of aemand for their labour across the Atlantic. It appears from statistical returns, that there are now upwards of a thousand cotton manufacturing establishments in the United States, fully one-half being in New England; and of these, Massachusetts has 213, the value of the goods produced in which, in 1845, was above 13 millions of dollars. Considerable as was this item, it formed only a small amount in a general estimate of manufactures in Massachusetts, which reached a total of 115 millions of dollars. Leaving to Connecticut much of the trade of fabricating clocks and other light and ingenious articles, Massa- chusetts o^vns many concerns in which the great staples of industry in textile fabrics and metals are produced. Among the trades which it may be said to have made peculiarly its own, at least as regards the eastern states, is that of boot and shoe making. I may state on credible authority, that in 1845, the value of leather tanned was 3,800,000 dollars, and that boots and shoes were produced to the value of 14,799,000 dollars. Probably the value is now as much as 20 millions of dollars; and that anything like such a sum (^64,000,000 sterling) should be realised every year for these articles, in a state with no more than a tiiird of the population o i 326 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. f )' of Scotland, is not a little surprising; and the fact is only comprehended by referring to the vastly extended territory over which the manufacturer finds a market. No inconsiderable quantity of the coarser kind of shoes, called 'brogans/ is disposed of for the use of slaves in the south, where manufacturing arrangements are on a limited and imperfect scale ; and as these shoes are only one of many varieties of articles made in the free, for sale in the slave states, it is tolerably evident that, so far as material interests are concerned, the northern manufacturers, and all depending on them, have little reason to wish for a speedy termination to slavery. Lynn, a seaport town in Massachusetts, I understand, takes the lead in the boot and shoe trade ; the quantity made in that place alone being 4,500,000 pairs per annum, mostly of a fine kiud, for ladies and children. Recently, a machine has been introduced for fixing the soles of shoes by means of pegs ; the inventor being a person in Salem, in Massachusetts. I was shewn r ;me boots which had been prepared in this maimer, and was told that a pair could be pegged in two minutes. One can imagine from all he hears, that the shoe manufacture must exercise a commanding importance in the state; and if any doubt be left as to the fact, it will be removed by knowing that a few years ago there were as many as fifteen members of the ' gentle crafts in the legislature of Massachusetts. CHAPTER XIV. EHODE ISLAND. Cramped into a small space between Massachusetts and Connecticut, we may see on the map a state called Rhode Island — the island from which it derives its name being a mere speck within a bay on the sea-coast, and the bulk of the state being in reality on the main- land. How this little state came into political exist- ence, is one of the most interesting circumstances in American history. I have had occasion to refer to an unfortunate feature in the character of the Pilgrim Fathers — their extreme intolerance. Though fleeing from religious persecution in England, and suffering for conscience' sake, their polity admitted of no departure whatever from their own tenets and practices. Themselves in exile as Nonconformists, they sternly repressed by fine, imprisonment, and even the gallows, everything like nonconformity to their o\\ti favourite form of belief. The early history of New England abounds in the most revolting instances of this species of oppression ; and no case appeals so warmly to modem sympathy as that of Roger Williams. This was a young English divine of good education, who arrived in America in 1631, and became a much-esteemed Puritan preacher. Being, however, of a kindly disposition and enlarged understanding, he could not reconcile the legalised principle of intolerance with the injunctions of the i* b' i I lit I I :•'- I I! 1 I I i ■II' i ,i!,l: 228 rngT'"' I ill THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Gospel; and in spite of remonstrances against a continuance in ^ error/ he at length boldly proclaimed the doctrine of freedom of conscience, which till that time was practically unknown. The proposition that no man should be troubled on account of his religious opinions, was intolerable to the magistracy of the settlement; and Williams, abandoning family and home, was constrained to flee from place to place for personal safety. The account of his wanderings and privations among the Indian tribes who hung about the borders of Massachusetts, forms the subject of a deeply affecting narrative, which has lately been given to the world by one every way competent for the task. Passing over the history of his sufferings in the wilder- ness, we find Williams still undaunted, and resolute in carrying out his opinions to a practical issue. Borrowing a canoe, he sets out with five adherents on what may be called a voyage of discovery; his object being to find a spot where every man might live and enjoy his religious opinions in peace. In this adventurous excursion, Providence seemed to guide the frail vessel to the banks of a small arm of the sea, projected inland from Narraganset Bay. Here, accord- ing to tradition, being hailed from a rock by a friendly Indian, Williams and his party landed, and were hospitably received by the chiefs of the Narragansets, from whom he received a grant of territoiy, to which, in pious gratitude, he gave the name of Providence. This event occurred in June 1636, and was the founda- tion of a new English settlement — a place of shelter, as Williams described it, ' for persons distressed for conscience.' Being situated beyond the jurisdiction of New Plymouth and Massachusetts, the magistrates of these colonies had no proper title to interfere with the settlers in Providence, and they satisfied themselves with prognostications of disaster and ruin to a state ' I RHODE ISLAND. fiS9 which was so deficient in the elements of authority. Contrary to these anticipations, the young settlement throve amazingly, by the flocking in of persons desirous of liberty to profess their peculiar religious opinions. To all who came, Williams, like a benevolent patriarch of old, gave freely of the lands he had acquired, and he is said to have left nothing for himself or family. As population accumulated, he felt the inconvenience of acting without legal sanction ; and he accordingly pro- ceeded to England in 1644, and procured a charter from Charles I., constituting an English colony under the title of the Plantations of Providence and Rhode Island. On the occasion of a second visit to Eng- land in 1663, Williams obtained a more comprehen- sive charter from Charles II.; and curiously enough, tlirough every phase of history, tlie provisions of tliis latter document have continued, with certain modifications, to be the constitution of the state of Rhode Island. The opportunity of visiting a spot hallowed by one of the noblest struggles for civil and religious liberty of which history offers an example, was not, I thought, to be neglected. I had only two days to spare previous to going southward, and these I resolved on devoting to a pilgrimage to the small commonwealth founded by the immortal Roger Williams. So numerous are the railways diverging from Boston, that no difficulty is experienced in proceeding in the required direction. Oi a bracing and clear Saturday morning, I took the line to Providence, situated at the distance of about fprty-two miles in a southerly direction. The route pursued lay through a country of hill and valley, dotted over with rough shrubby woods, enclosed pasture-fields, and villages of white houses, where manufactures of some kind appear to be carried on. These seats of industry aie seen chiefly nestling in hollows, on the I MiHiK 380 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. banka of small streams, where they enjoy a command of water, either for moving machinery or to aid in the process of manufacture. Everything denotes that we are passing through a district of the usual orderly New England character. At the several stations along the line, a respectable class of persons drop into and depart from the cars, and it seemed to me that the cars them- selves were the neatest and most commodious I had yet seen in my excursion. After clearing the minor places on its route, the train entered a spacious valley with an arm of the sea at its lower extremity; and here, on both sides of a tidal basin connected by bridges, stands the venerable city of Providence. It was my good-fortune to have made the acquaintance of a gentleman of the place in the course of my voyage across the Atlantic; and hospi- tably entertained by him on the present occasion, I was enabled to acquire much useftd information respecting the locality. To get to my friend's residence, it was necessary to drive up a steep street leading from the central part of the town in an easterly direction towards a high level ground above, on which rows of handsome villas have recently been erected. The villas are, indeed, mostly of wood, but they are very pretty, with neat gardens in front, and gateways by which you may drive up to the door. Some have glass conservatories for flowers and tropical plants, connected with the drawing-rooms; and it is seen fi'om other indications, that we have got among a class of dwellings inhabited by families of taste and opulence. Temporarily settled in one of these suburban struc- tures, I requested as a favour to be conducted to the spot where Roger Williams had landed in the settle- ment. It was at no great distance. The site of the city of Providence, and this part of its environs, is a stretch of land between two indentations of the sea ; RHODE ISLAND. 231 and we have only to walk about a mOe to the eastern boundary of the peninsula to find the subject of our research. A short ramble along a broad and newly laid out avenue, oflfering frontages for building-lots, led us to the brink of a high bank, from which we could look down on the memorable scene. Before us is a sea- water inlet, of no great breadth, with a sandy and rocky shore on each side, surmounted by rough, shrubby banks; all being as yet untouched by art, though probably destined to be involved in the traffic which in the first instance has settled around the harbour of Providence. By a rough path, we scrambled down the declivity to the water^s edge, and there stood on the dark slaty rock from which Williams is said to have been saluted by the Indian. According to the legend, the words 'What cheer,' were employed on this occasion; and till the present day the seal of the city of Providence represents Williams's landing, sur- mounted by ' What cheer' as a motto. ' What cheer' is the perpetual slogan of the Rhode Islanders. It is seen stamped on their public documents; and in the principal street of Providence, there has lately been erected a remarkably fine building, entitled 'What Cheer Hall!' After visiting the landing-place of Williams, I pro- ceeded towards the town in quest of other memorials of the apostle of toleration. Of these, however, not many are in existence. Williams, at his death, left nothing of an enduring kind but the memory of his good deeds, and over his mortal remains no monumental stone has been erected. The himible edifice in which he minis- tered has long ago been succeeded by a larger and more handsome church pertaining to the Baptist com- munion. It is situated in the midst of an open piece of ground, on the slope qf the hiU near the town. On i IS J S82 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. f ; ' 1 1 ii i • •iv 1 obtained, there has been erected a neat edifice for the accommodation of the Historical Society of Providence. Here, among many curiosities of an old date referring to colonial affairs, were sliewn some crown-chartors ; and in a mass of detached papers I had the pleasure of seeing several letters of Roger Williams, written in* a small cramped hand, and yellow with age— almost the only relics wliich Providence can shew of its celebrated founder. Across the way, and at the same elevation, are situated various stone buildings devoted to the piu-poscs of the Brown University — an institution directed by the Baptists, and under the presidency of Dr Wayland, author of a well-known treatise on moral philosophy. I looked through the library of the uni- versity, which consisted of 20,000 volumes of choice literature, kept in the finest order. In a more central part of the town, is the Athenaeum, an establislunent wliich combines a large library for general use with a reading-room, where I found a choice of English news- papers and periodicals. Providence possesses a variety of benevolent and disciplinary institutions, and is not behind any city of its size in New England for the number of its schools. On the Sunday during my stay, I attended one of the Congregational churches, in wLich a good practical discourse was delivered to a respectable audience. The population of Providence is about 37,000, who possess among them thirty-five churches of one kind or other ; so that it can scarcely be said the tolerant doctrines of Williams have led to a neglect of religious ordinances. Ehods Island possesses several other towns of importance, one of them being Newport, a place of fashionable summer resort, situated on the island which gives its name to the state. In its general industrial features, Rhode Island resembles the neighbouring New England states, beina: thicklv stiirlrlpd x^ih RHODE ISLAND. cotton, woollen, and other manufacturing establishments, for which water-power presents numerous facilities. But more interesting than any of its material pur- suits, is the singularly democratic character of its constitution, which, as lias been said, differs little from that which was impaitcd by Charles II. to the colonists. While Massachusetts was placed under the authority of a governor delegated by the crown, the settlers of Rhode Island were empowered to elect a governor from among themselves, and the routine of ^' r> election has proceeded uninterruptedly since 1663. ^.he revolution which overthrew the English authority in the States generally, was therefore attended with no novelties in the administration of Rhode Island. A governor, senate, and house of representatives are elected annually by the citizens of the state, the ordinary expenses of which, derived from a population of 147,000, and an area of 47 by 37 miles, are only 50,000 dollars: Besides this sum, the state expends directly from its treasury for education 35,000 dollars per annum, to which may be added 55,000 dollars raised by local assessment for the same purpose. The yearly salary of the governor, I understand, is 400 dollars. Tliink of .£80 a year for a governor; and think also of another fact which excites equal surprise — a state in wliieh more is expended for education than for the whole apparatus of civil government! Happy little state, which seems to go on flourishingly under a taxation of a dollar a head, everj^thing included ! And yet in this elysium there has been a rebellion. In 1842, an extreme party, much to the discredit of Rhode Island, took up arms to vindicate their irregular pro- ceedings; but the community pluckiug up courage, quelled the insmTeciioTi with little trouble; and in 1843, the existing modified constitution was adopted I I I THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Settled into the condition of an old country, Rhode Island, like Massachusetts and Connecticut, does not offer a field for copious immigration; but I am war- ranted in saying that artisans, and almost ?very class of manual labourers, would have no dijQficulty in get- ting employment at good wages. At Providence, I was told of an Irish labourer who had contrived to save 1500 doUars, with which he cleared out for the Western States, where land is still easily acquired. In the course of my conversation with gentlemen who called on me during my short stay in the place, I was ques- tioned respecting the condition of the working-classes in Great Britain ; the subject being apparently a matter of interest to those intelligent inquirers. The descrip- tion I was able, from personal knowledge, to give of the ploughmen in Scotland, was listened to with much surprise. 'A rural labourer of this class,' I said, 'is bom and lives all his days in a h^ ible cottage, thatched or slated, consisting only of ont partment, which con- tains two beds. The floor is of clay, beaten hard, and is generally damp and productive of rheumatisms. The inside of the walls is usually whitened, seldom plastered; and a ceiling is ordinarily made of old mats nailed to rafters, about seven feet from the floor. The furniture consists principally of half-a-dozen deal-chairs, a deal-table, some plain crockery, one or two iron pots, and a flat disk of iron, whereon to bake oaten-cakes or bannocks of peasemeal. Besides this kind of bread, the food of the family consists of oatmeal-porridge, milk, hard cheese, and a little fried bacon ; occasionally broth, with a modicum of meat. In the house of a thri% ploughman, no tea, coffee, sugar, or any luxury whatever is used, except on very rare occasions. To take up the ploughman at infancy,' I continued, ' he goes to the parish school, which is perhaps three miles distant; and he is there instructed to read, write, and RHODE ISLAND. I.I S85 cipher, for which his parents pay the teacher a fee of from two to four shillings every quarter of a year. They also furnish him with books; one of these is a Bible — the reading of which as an ordinary lesson, with the committing of a catechism and some psalms to his memory, as a task, usually constitute what in Scotland is called a "religious education." If the family is numerous, one juvenile, in corduroys and bare feet, is indulged with schooling only in alternate quarters. The schoolmaster may be good or bad ; but over him the parents of pupils possess no control what- ever. He is a fixture for hfe, and amenable only to the clergy of the Established Church, to whom he probably becomes a kind of ycophant. Should his life be extended to superannuation, no assistant can be legally imposed on him,, and in some instances, accordingly, the education given is most miserable. What with this poor sort of schooling, herding cows, or helping at farm-work, the youth grows to manhood, and is hired at a country fair to act as a ploughman. Young immarried ploughmen are in some places lodged in huts by themselves, or accommodated with beds in the haylofts over the stables — in either case, greatly to their demoralisation. Getting over this critical period of his life, the ploughman marries, and a fresh family routine ensues. The cottage he occupies is one of four or five, built in a row, not far from the farm-steading, and called collectively, "the hinds' houses." Each cottage is provided with a small garden for growing vegetables; but seldom has it a single exterior accom- modation of any kind. Coal, sticks gathered for fuel, and a dunghill, lie heaped in front or rear — a scene of dirt and confusion. In this habitation and the adjoining fields, the ploughman passes his days. For his remuneration, he has the use of his dwelling rent- free I and besides a money-wage, has so much meai and mm 236 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. ^^^U Other perquisites as make up a total of about £30 per annum; to which liberty to keep a pig and fowls are considered to be important additions. What he gives for all this is a hard servitude, admitting of little relaxation or inteUectual improvement. He possesses no political privileges whatever. Publicly, he is not recognised, further than being under the protection of the law, or as forming material for the militia ballot, when that is in operation. He is not called on to serve on any jury, or to take part in any parish or county meetings, or to vote for one thing or other. His condition, in short, when considered apart from religious consolations, is without hope. From his miser- able earnings, after rearing a famUy, what, in old age, can he have saved? Unless aided by his daughters, some of whom may be in domestic service, or employed to work in the fields, he probably dies a parish pauper. Latterly,' I added, 'an attempt has been made by the gentry to render the ploughmen's dwellings more con- sistent with decency and comfort, and in some places considerable improvements have been introduced.' at appears to me/ said a gentleman present, 'that the condition of your rural labourers is little better than that of unprivileged serfs.' 'There is this great difiference,' I observed, ' our rural, and all other classes of labourers, are not a degraded or despised caste. They are free, and, under fortunate circumstances, may rise from a humble to a high station.' ' True, so far,' was the reply. ' But the freedom you impart is associated with such depressing influences, that the chance of rising is very slender. The state of popular education in Scotland, according to your own account, is very bad; and in England it is worse. Only one-half of the women who are married in England can sign their names. Great numbers of the £S0 per owls are he gives of little possesses 3 is not jction of a ballot, d on to arisli or r other, irt from s miser- old age, ughters, cnployed pauper. 3 by the )re con- 3 places t, ^that ! better ir rural, aded or •rtunate RHODE ISLAND. 287 a high om you uences, state of ur own worse, 'ied in of the rural labourers cannot read. Your aristocracy, having insured the ignorance and incapacity of the peasantry, turn round and say they are unfitted to exercise any political privileges — a pretty kind of liberty that ! The Americans are amused with the schemes resorted to in England for the purpose of promoting improved tastes among the humbler classes. Parties who, as members of the legislature, habitually vote against every reason- able plan for extending education, unite with benevolent ladies and gentlemen to oflPer premiums to the best cultivators of flowers, bees, and cabbages ; and we observe by the Times, that a society in England holds out expectations of a prize of a new coat, with fancy metal buttons, to every peasant who reaches sixty years of age, without demanding or receiving relief from the parish ! Anything rather than educate the people — charity rather than justice ! ' I was glad to say in answer to these remarks, that at present considerable efforts were being made to extend education in Great Britain, which would at no distant day be successful. The circumstance of so many English travellers inquiring into the methods of popular instruction in the United States, shewed that attention was directed to the subject. 'As you, then,^ said my acquaintance, 'are making inquiries of this nature, be pleased to understand — that the education of all is a paramount necessity of our condition. For our own safety, Ave must educate the people; whereas in Great Britain, where the humbler classes have no political privileges, it appears to be a matter of indifference whether they are educated or not.' It is unnecessary to continue my notes of this con- versation. The last remark may be said to have brought out the philosophy of the question. Ele- muntai'y education, so far as to eualiie every freeman 238 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. HI -ii to exercise the duties of citizenship with credit to himself and without danger to his neighbours, is a state necessity in America. But we should be doing injustice to leave it to be supposed that this guiding principle dates from the era of American independence. It is English, not American ; and originated with the rule of the Pilgrim Fathers, who, with all their prag- matical and intolerant notions, had so high a sense of the advantages of elementary instruction, that one of their first public acts was to ' enjoin upon the municipal authorities the duty of seeing that every child within their jurisdictions should be educated.^ This was as early as 1643, since which period, the system of ele- mentary schools has been improved in various ways, and firmly established throughout the New England states, whence it has extended to other parts of the Union. A few facts respecting the system of education in the parent state of Massachusetts, may here be adverted to. In the first place, the education is conducted at the public expense, and therefore no fees are paid by pupils. The doctrine on this point is — that ' the public highway is not more open and free for every man in the community, than is the public school-house for every child; and each parent feels that a free education is as secure a part of the birthright of his offspring, as Heaven's bounties of light and air. The state not only commands that the means of education should be provided for all, but she denounces penalties against all individuals, and all towns and cities, however populous or powerful they may be, that shall presume to stand between her bounty and its recipients. In her righteous code, the interception of knowledge is a crime ; and if. parents are unable to supply their children with books, she becomes a parent, and supplies them.' * ' Report on Common Schooh of Massachusetts, 07 iioraee Mann. 1849. RHODE ISLAND. 239 The next remarkable feature of the common-school system of Massachusetts is, that it is under the administration of a general board of education, with local boards elected by all who pay school-rates. No corporations, lay or ecclesiastic, have anything to say in the matter. Schools are erected in districts, or divisions of towns, according to the wants of the population, as ascertained by a periodical census. The laws regulating the number of schools are exceedingly minute in their provisions. In 1850, the population of Massachusetts was 994,499, or close upon a million. Two years later — ^that is, in 1852 — there were in the state 203,880 children between five and fifteen years of age, for whose education the sum of 921,532 dollars was raised by public means, being very nearly a dollar for every inhabitant. Of the above number of children, the mean average attendance at the common schools was 144,477. It appears, however, that 20,812 attended private schools and academies ; so that the entire number of children habitually at school was 165,289, or about 1 in 6 of the population. In none of the reports coming under my notice is any expla- nation given of the cause why the attendance falls so far short of the actual number of children. On inquiring into tiie circumstance, it was said that many parents were satisfied with sending their children three months in the year to school; the extreme temperature in winter and summer was also said to cause irregularity of attendance; and a heavy com- plaint was made against foreigners, more particularly Irish, for not taking care to send their children regu- larly to the free-schools. In Massachusetts there are laws against truantcy ; parents who neglect to enforce the attendance of their children at the free-schools, or any private school of their own choosing, being liable in penalties ; but I fear these laws are loosely executed. 240 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. ^1 '4 ' In the appointment of teachers, no religious test is imposed ; it being sufficient that they are of a sound moral character, and competent for their duties. I believe that much difficulty is experienced in finding teachers who will attach themselves permanently to their situations; and the constant shifting tends to interrupt and injure the routine of instruction. The state, in enjoining imiversal education, does not consider itself entitled to prescribe instruction in any specific religious doctiines— these being left to be taught by parents, by religious pastors, or by other private agencies. The teacher, however, is recom- mended to begin the duties of the day by reading a portion of the Scriptures, or by repeating the Lord's Prayer. The absence of direct religious instruction is represented by a recent English traveller as a defect in the New England system, which is leading to universal demoralisation. I feel assured that this, like some other faults with which the Americans are charged, is a gross misrepresentation, foimded on the views of interested parties— for even in New England, certain denominations are chagrined at not being allowed to monopolise the duty of imparting, at the expense of the state, their own peculiar tenets.* Much, I was * In connection with this subject, I may introduce the following passage from the National Magazine (December 1853), a respectable periodical published in New York :— ' At the present moment an important discussion is going on [in England] in reference to popular ed.^ ation ; and the question has been not a little embarrassed by reports from certain sources in this country, that our system tends to a wide-spread and confirmed infidelity, and to great laxity of morals. It is a significant fact, that these opinions have only been advanced by those who were previously con mitted to the advocacy of parochial or sectarian schools. The discussion has been of great service, however ; for it has awakened the community to the importance of insisting upon higli moral qualifications in their instractors, and upon decided Christian discipline in the schools. An interesting inquiry, suggested by an English gentleman, was made in reference to the statements above alluded to, under the direetioii of ^XTtaia friends of the LiassachusetLs Boai-d of Education. The RHODE ISLAND. 241 g told, 18 Clone to extend religious instruction on a footing of kmdly m^^erest, by means of Sabbath- evening classes; and so far as I may judge, from what feU under my notic. at Boston, an extraordinary degree of attention is given to this kind of instruction by young persons of both sexes, connected with different congregations. I may add, that if the people are not ammated by moral and religious convictions, they ^eatly bebe outward appearances; for it is certain that no such scenes of loathsome vice or intemperance IVa-^1 in ^Boston as may be witnessed in the streets of Edinburgh or Glasgow. I can positively affirm, from personal observation, that, m point of general discipline, the American schools greatly excel any I have ever seen in Great Bntam. In Canada and in the States, every suitable provision is made for the purposes of decency-a thino- usually neglected in the parish and burgh school! system of Scotland. I was much pleased with the arrangements in the American schools to prevent disorder or improper interference one with another among the pupils. All are seated at smaU desks, not more than two together, in rows; so that the teacher can convemently reach every seat in the school. It is customaiy, likemse, to cause all the pupils to enter and depart slowly and decorously, instead of being object of the inquiry was to discover how many of the attendants unon ^he common schools were also members of SabbatLchools, and were eel- u^g rehg^ous xns ..ctxon through this instrumentality. The result reached by exammxng the schools in Boston, Lowell, and representative towns in commercial and agncultural districts, was that, on an average, 90 per cent of all the cbldx^n connected with the comn.on school were' It the' tim „f he e.ammation, or had been, connected with the Sabbath-school, and were recenung, through this important instrumentality, religious cult^e. Th! was, mdeed an unexpected and g.-atifying result, justifying a remark that has somewhere been made-that the Sabbath-school is the evan,elis^ of tie S42 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I suffered, as I observe, even in some of tlie more pretentious schools of Edinburgh, to rush rudely out like so many wild animals. In Massachusetts, and generally in the States, the plan of imparting a free education according to abilities, is pursued through several grades — primaiy, intermediate, and grammar schools, such as have been noticed in New York ; and I would, from the bare knowledge of this fact, ask any one to compare so wide a range of instruction at the public cost, with the meagre and antiquated routine of elementary education legally maintained in Scotland, and which some persons complacently represent as the perfection of human wisdom. Boston, with a population of about 150,000, appropriates 330,000 dollars for the support of public schools, being more than a fourth of the whole city taxes ; and as the number of pupils is nearly 23,000, the yearly cost of educating each child is therefore about fifteen dollars. In what city in Great Britain could we find the inhabitants voluntarily taxing themselves to give every child an education at £3 a head? Besides her elementary and advanced schools, her normal schools, and her university, Massachusetts supports a State Reform School at Westborough. It is on the principle of an industrial institution — ^work of various kinds, including field-labour, being given to the inmates. To this school, young persons from seven to eighteen or nineteen years of age are sent by courts of justice, for petty ofiences. Of 724 committed since the opening of the school, 115 were born in foreign countries, mostly in Ireland. Looking at Massachusetts as a small and compara- tively sterile state, of only a million of inhabitants, it is matter of astonishment that she does so much for social amelioration. ' For public, free education alone,* says Horace Mann, in the paper already quoted^ RHODE ISLAND. 243 aouars. lo support religious institutions for ♦),„ worship of God and the salvation of men sle anIaUv grtTif T, '"'°*"^' """^^ -" ' "e gives away, in the various forms of charitv ft, exceeds a third sum of equal magnitude^ f^' fl" ^Port of the poor, nine-tenths of whose cost orill with foreigners, or eome from one prolific vice wW ast convulsive energies she is L stZ^^Z subdue, she annually pays more than 300,000 dolL" for the support and improvement of pub ic high ™™ Bhe pays a much larger sum; and within the last do en or fourteen years, she has invested a caZi in railways, within and ,vithout the state of Tf i Sv « answer is ready : One copious, exhaustless fountain supphes all this abundance. It is Education-the intelleS moral and religious education of the people' I "m glad to be able to present this as the opinion of on^ who may be presumed to be better acquainted wkh han 1 It '"''™'="? "''* -^ ^"y •«. M::aZsetr=""'^ "'"' -^^ ^ --^ -' ^ I have elsewhere had occasion to refer to the general Imfr 1 *■= tr""^^ °^ *« operative-elafrt W of ;e!r " '^"^•'•^^P':'^' ^-i orferly conduct, their love of readmg and anxiety to improve their c rcnm stances; and that these quaUties are in no small d3e a result of a system of universal school instruction^we We the best testimony in the special Reports rf Mr ttr^ew y" W T '""P'' Whitworth,'conceiLi the New York Industrial Exhibition, laid before parbament a few months ago. A few passages from these interesting Reports may not be here n„t Tf place. — d44 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I' Speaking of American workmen, Mr Wallis ob- serves, that no one can ' fail to be impressed with the advantages derived from the long and well-directed attention paid to the education of the whole people by the public-school systems of tlie New England States and of the state of Pennsylvania. Here, where sound and systematic education has been longest, and, in aU probability, most perfectly carried out, the greatest manufacturing developments are to be found; and here it is also where the greatest portion of the skilled workmen of the United States are educated, alike in the simplest elements of knowledge, as in the most skilful application of their ingenuity to the useful arts and the manufacturing industry of their country, and from whence they are spread over the vast territories of the Union, becoming the originators, directors, and, ultimately, the proprietors of establishments which would do no discredit to the manufacturing states of Europe.^ Mr Wallis goes on to say — ' As there is no apprenticeship system, properly so called, the more useful the youth engaged in any industrial pursuit becomes to his employer, the more profitable it is for himself Bringing a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, and educated up to a far higher standard than those of a much superior social grade in society in the Old World, the American working-boy develops rapidly into the skilled artisan; and having once mastered one part of his business, he is never con- tent until he has mastered all. Doing one mechanical operation well, and only that one, does not satisfy him or his employer. He is ambitious to do something more than a set task, and, therefore, he must learn all. The second part of his trade he is allowed to learn as a reward for becoming master of the first ; and so on to the end, if he may be said ever to arrive at that. The restless activity of mind and body — the anxiety to RHODE ISLAND. 245 improve his own department of industry-the facts constantly before him of ingenious mZ who hat solved economic and mechanical problems to their own profit and elevation-are all stimulative and encouraging; and it maybe said, that there is not a w»kmg b„y of average abiUty in the New England States, at least, who has not an idea of some mechaS mvcntion or improvement in manufactures, by wM h n good time he hopes to better his position^ .1 rise to fortune and social distinction.' t.l' P'T'i' ^''°.''y °^ "P""''™ carpenters in a large town in England have struck work, m consequence of their employers having introduced machinery into their establishments. Facts of this kind continSlly o^Z nng in Great Britain, contrast strangely ,rith t"e statements presented by Mr Whitworth respecting the eageniess with which American operatives, through a supenor intelligence, assist in promoting mechanical contrivances. He says, 'wherever machfnery "^0 mtroduced as a substitute for manual lab" is universally and wilHngly resorted to; of this tli^ facte s ated m my Report contain many conclusive proofe but I may here speciaUy refer, as examples, to plou-h- making, where eight men are able to finish 30 perTay: to door-makmg, where twenty men make 100 panellei doors per day; to last-making, the process of wUc . is completed m U minutes; to sewing by macW where one woman does the work of lo;^o iteS SbnTrTr '*'"' *' '»* "^ !«•• " i« this condition of the labour-market, and this eager resort to machinery wherever it can be applied, to wh ch under the guidance of superior education and M rmamW '"T^fr" T^'^^^ "^ *^ United States IS "namly due.' He afterwards mentions, th-.t 'the results which have been obtained in the United s^.^s by the application of machinery wherever it has been 346 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. 'irt 'I t !i': Mf- practicable to manufactures, are rendered still more remarkable by the fact, that combinations to resist its introduction are there unheard of. The workmen hail with satisfaction all mechanical improvements, the importance and value of which, as releasing them from the drudgery of unskilled labour, they are enabled by education to understand and appreciate.' Mr Wliitworth concludes by saying, that 'the principles which ought to regulate the relations between the employer and employed seem to be thoroughly under- stood and appreciated in the United States ; and while the law of limited liability aflfords the most ample facilities for the investment of capital in business, the intelligent and educated artisan is left equally free to earn all he can, by making the best use of his hands, without let or hinderance by his fellows. It rarely happens that a workman who possesses peculiar skill in his craft is disqualified to take the responsible position of superintendent, by the want of education and general knowledge, as is frequently the case in this countiy. In every state in the Union, and particularly in the north, education is, by means of the common schools, placed within the reach of each individual, and all classes avail themselves of the opportunities afforded.' But in the United States there is another element of improvement in ceaseless operation — the press. ' The desire of knowledge so early implanted is greatly increased, while the facilities for diffusing it are amply provided through the instrumentality of an almost universal press. No taxation of any kind has been suffered to interfere with the free development of this powerful agent for promoting the intelligence of the people; and the consequence is, that where the humblest labourer can indulge in the luxury of his daily paper, everybody reads, and thought and intelli- gence nenetrate throuffh the lowest erades of soniRtv. __ fT-- ,7- RHODE ISLAND, 247 ' TJe benefits which thus result from a liberal system of education and a cheap press to the working-classes of the Umted States, can hardly be overestimated in a national point of view; but it is to the co-operation of both that they must undoubtedly be ascribed. For If, selectm- a proof from among the European states, the condition of Prussia be considered, it will be found that the people of that country, as a body, have not made that progress which, from the great attention paid to the education of all classes, might have been anticipated; and this must certainly be ascribed to the restrictions laid upon the press, which have so materiaUy impeded the general advancement of the people. Wherever education and an unrestricted press are aUowed full scope to exercise their united influence progress and improvement are the certain results; and among the many benefits which arise from their joint co-operation, may be ranked most prominently tlie value which they teach men to place upon intelligent contrivance, the readiness with which they cause new improvements to be received, and the impulse which they thus unavoidably give to that inventive spirit which IS gradually emancipating man from the rude forms of labour, and making what were regarded as the luxuries of one age to be looked upon in the next as the ordinary and necessary conditions of human existence.* It would be easy, if room permitted, to extend our observations on the subject of elementary education in the New England and other states. What has been s^d is enough to shew that in this department of public afiairs, the Americans-and I may add, the Canadians —have got completely the start of the people of Great Bntain, who indeed, in this respect, ai-e behind the ±.nghsh Puritans of the seventeenth century— behind ,...,,11 ^^.^.^^ ^ ucuLUi-y earner. Winle generation 348 THINGS AS THEY AEE IN AMERICA. after generation in England is passing away imper- fectly instructed for the present, and as imperfectly prepared for a future state of existence, our American brethren, imimpeded by obstructions of any kind, have shot far ahead, and are carrying the triumphs of free and imiversal education to limits scarcely so much as dreamed of in this country. I mper- rfectly ericaii ., have »f free ich as CHAPTER XV. WASHINGTON. The season was now considerably advanced, and I had just time to make a run southwards, previous to the opening of Congress at Washington, on the 5th of December, at which I felt some curiosity to be present. The journey would, unfortunately, take me twice over the same ground; but for this there was no help. I proposed to go through New York to Philadelphia,, and thence, without stopping, through Baltimore to Washington, leaving the return excursion to be per- formed with somewhat more deliberation. As a chain of railways is extended from Boston much further south than I had any intention of going, it was practicable to make the whole journey in from two to three days. On a Monday morning, at eight o'clock, I bade adieu to my kind friends in Providence, and taking my place in the cars, hoped to arrive at Philadelphia late m the evening. But in this plan of operations I was destined to experience disappointment. The cars got on admirably for about a dozen miles, when on slowly leaving a station, they were by a sudden concussion brought to an abrupt halt. Quietly and apatheticaUy a few persons sallied forth to see what was the matter —I went with them ; and finaUy, everybody in the train came out to learn the particulars of the disaster. There we all stood in a group near the locomotive, which, with the tender behind it, was placed in a highly 250 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I cntical position. By an act of carelessness, exceedindv common on the American railways, the person in charge of a siding had neglected to adjust the points to suit the up-train, and the locomotive having run nght off the track, was stuck fast in the middle of a rudely constructed wooden bridge; one of its fore- wheels whn-ling in the air over the abyss beneath. A little more impetus would have sent the whole train to the bottom of the river, which flowed through the ravine. As no personal injury, however, was sustained, the accident was rather amusing than otherwise. I had again an opportunity of remarking the placid impassibility of the American character. In En-land there would have been vehement upbraidings of some' body or other. Here, there was perfect impertm-bability. Everybody looked on in silence, as if nothing particular had occurred. The only person who made himself heard was an umbreUa pedler, who, taking advantage ot what he probably considered to be a fortunate assemblage of customers, rushed madly about recom- mending his wares to public notice, and assuring every one that he would never have such another chance of purchasmg a good, substantial, and cheap umbrella In a moment, I saw that my day's journey was cut Short. The railway was only a single line, and the bridge, blocked up by the locomotive, was barely pass- able on foot. Our only hope was the arrival of a train in the opposite direction, which might exchange passen- gers, and return on its track. MeanwhHe, the morning was very cold, and most of us sought the refuge of a small station-house, which was provided with a fire in an iron stove. Around the cheering blaze we clustered a solemn band, into the midst of which the everiasting umbrella pedler ever and anon thrust himself with his bundle under his arm, telling everybody that now was the time to buy a right eood cotton umbrplln a^,^ „^ - I WASHINGTON. 261 an hour was spent in the station-house, till the train from Worcester was heard approaching, and drawing up in time to avoid running m upon the unfortunate locomotive in its path. 'I say, conductor, how are we to get across that there bridge?' asked several passengers. *You see it IS quite open, with only beams for us to step upon, and hardly room to pass.' The conductor paid no attention to any such inquiries, but began carrying across portmanteaus and carpet- bags, while the conductor of the other train did the same with the baggage under his charge; and for half an hour there was a scrambling of men, T/omen, and childieu, conductors and baggage-masters, to and fro, till the exchange was wholly effected— the scene remind- ing one of the Vision of Mirza, no one, however, having the misfortune to drop through the openings in the bridge into the dark pool below. I had the honour of conducting a middle-aged lady and band-box across the gulf, and was rewarded with a warmth of thanks and good wishes which I had not on any previous occasion experienced. Having all successfully achieved the adventure of crossing, we took our places in the train, which then moved on to Worcester, leaving the passen- gers who had come with it to find their way to Pro- vidence as they best might. The last thing I saw was a crowd of them pulling at a rope which was attached to the errant locomotive; but how long they pulled, or whether they got the engine back to its proper position on the rails, I am unable to say. Without fiirther detention, we arrived in Worcester, but so considerably behind time, that the morning train from Boston to New York had long since passed. I did not altogether regret a delay of five or six hours in what I found to be one of the prettiest and busiest towns iu New England. The Tvide streets, ■■nm 232 TBINOS AS THEY ABE IN AMERICA. ornamented with trees, were lined with large and hand- some stores, while in the environs there appearedrbe I7r "T^»"- "' -- importanee"" Worcester 11^ A-^encan Birmingham; articles of hard- ware bemg Its pnncipal products, among which telegraph-wire and pistols have a prominent place RecoUecting the name of a manufacturer of r Jway: cars, I visited his establishment, and procured some mformation that promised to be useiiU. I was gratified WLth the respectable appearance of the operatives in the town, and learned that, in point of sobriety and other estimable habits, they were not behind their brethren in other parts of Massachusetts. At the hotel where I dmed, the bar had been abolished; and, as usual, the large company at the table-d'h6te drank nothing but ^ea-™ter. As the majority of the persons prLnt seemed to be commercial travellers, the spectacle of such temperance contrasted strangely with what I knew to be customary m England. Catching the evening train from Boston on its way to New York, I arrived at my old quarters in the Astor, an hour after midnight, and set off again, w thont delay, m the morning. The journey south wards from New York, begins by crossing Norft River ma ferry-boat to Jersey City on the opposite shore; and there a tram is m waiting to carry forward the passengers. On this occasion, a large number required accommodation; for members of Congress, with thdr famdies, were taking their flight to Washington for the moTi:!"''"^ ^"^ °" *''^''™^ *° -^°- ^«" The route through the state of New Jersey was tame and umnteresting. Much of the land is level, with a reddish sandy soil, yielding heavy crops of peaches and strinirf ;.' ""'f ^^Ie^« orchards, some not quite stripped of their produce, were passed in the journey. ■■ •' WASHINGTON. 253 At the distance of eighty-seven miles, the train was intercepted on the borders of the state by a navigable nver, half a mile wide; on the further side of which was seen a large city of brick-houses, faced by at least a mile of wharfs and shipping. In a few minutes, we have exchanged our seats in the cars for the deck of a steamer, and are borne forward on the surface of the beautiful Delaware to the far-famed city of Philadelphia. Reaching the city of Brotherly Love, I do not stay m my journey; but ungraciously passing over classic ground, hasten to the railway-station, where the cars are ready to set out. Now begins a fresh excursion, the tram m the first place crossing the Schuylkill, and tlien proceeding through an old and settled part of Pennsylvania; but the land is still mostly level, and the soil appears thin, ^dth a scrubby vegetation. It IS usually understood that the river Delaware marks a change in climate. Here we find the air milder than It IS in the north; and the number of black faces which make their appearance, give token of an approach to new social conditions. In the course of the day's run, several rivers and creeks of the sea are crossed on viaducts— one of them a long and low wooden erection on piles in the water; and at two places the trajet is performed, as at the Delaware, in ferry-boats. The first of the ferries is that of the Susquehanna, a large river m Maryland, flowing into Chesapeake Bay. The shifting here, to reach Havre-de-Grace, a small town on the southern bank, is complained of by some traveUers; but I accepted it as rather an agreeable variety m the excursion. The interior of the steamer which carried the passengers across was fitted up with a restaurant, where tea, coflPee, and other hght refresh- ments were served at a moderate cost. For the accommodation of persons of colour, an inferior place 254 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. h('< of refreshment, fitted up separately, was under the charge of a respectably dressed female mulatto. In this arrangement there was nothing very novel; for in the New England States, as well as in the state of New York, I had eveiywhere found separate churches and separate schools for the use of the coloured population. By such experiences in traveUing, one is partly prepared for the more severe distinctions incidental to the states in which slavery prevails. Baltimore, which I saw for a short time in passing, and also on my return, occupies a pleasant situation on a nsing-ground overlooking the river Patapsco, and is one of the best built, as it is among the oldest, cities in the United States. Placed on a navigable water connected with the Chesapeake, it appears to be a busy mart of foreign commerce, with a considerable number of vessels loading and unloading at its quays. Like other eastern cities, it has competed for the trade of the West; and now, by means of a railway to Wheelmg, on the Ohio, has largely increased its operations. Although oiJy about a hundred and twenty years old, Baltimore, in 1850, contained 195,000 inhabitants, and at present is in as thriving a condition as any city in the Union. It is celebrated for the number of its public monuments, one of which is commemorative of those who fell defending the city against the attack of the British in 1814. Maryland does not contain many slaves, and I believe the number in this state, as well as in Delaware, 18 gradually diminishing. The harvest being past, and the fields generally stripped of everything but Indian corn-stalks and other refiise, the country had a some- what dreary aspect. At difierent places, in passing along, negrciis in frieze-jackets and raiind hats were observed ploughing up the stubble—the work not exactly such as would gain a prize at a match on WASHINGTON. ggg Tweedside, although both horses and pi iighs seemed to be of the best kind GeneraUy, five or six teams were going m one lield, with an overseer riding about on horseback. In the distance, might be seen the neat villa residences of the proprietors, with clusters of white cottages for the slaves and their families. The whole routine of farming seemed, indeed, to be different from Avbat is observable in the northern states, where small properties are cultivated almost entirely by the settler anrl his family— every one working diligently and notlmig being paid away for hired labour of any kind. ^ Brought thus in sight of slavery, though under no revolting circumstances, I could not, with aU my anticipations, avoid feeling somewhat shocked; but what for the moment chiefly occupied my mind, was the apparcntlyuneconomic practice of buying men at a considerable cost to labour in the fields, instead of hiring and dismissing them at pleasure. To a gentle- man who was seated before me in the car, I ventured ^ to hint that the practice of using purchased labour must here place the farmers at a considerable disad- vantage. He acknowledged that such was the case to a certain extent. 'Slavery,' said he, 'does very well, nay, is absolutely necessary, in the hot southern states, where no negi-o would work but on compulsion, and where free white labourers could not work at all without falling a sacrifice to the climate. But here- abouts, things are different. Our crops could be cultivated by farmers and their famiHes, as in the north.' 'Then,' said I, 'why is the system of slavery contmued— if it can be advantageously done away with?' '' ' Ah ! don't ask me that,' was the reply; ' it is here an old institution, nnrl rnQf+ova i,«,ris i ji ■, , ...^,„^^,-, iiavg ttxriiiigcu memseivea ir i ;• ! I 256 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. accordingly. It is an unfortunate state of things, and I daresay will be remedied some day. My opinion is, that much mischief has been done by the rough manner in which the Abolitionists have abused the slave-owners, many of whom are very worthy people. If the subject were treated calmly, the system of slavery in these middle states would soon drop away. At this moment, considerable numbers of New Englanders are buying farms in Virginia, and introducing their own vigorous method of working. Exhausted estates are constantly to be had at very low prices; and in the hands of the smart Yankee farmers, who know how to plough deep and to lay on plenty of guano, they turn out capital speculations.' 'Do these fresh incomers,' I inquired, 'employ negroes ? ' ' I think not ; they trust to themselves, though they may have one or two helps.' 'Will the free negroes readily work for them?' I asked ; touching on a rather trying question. 'Not if they can help it. The truth is, sir, the whole coloured races, of every shade, are a poor, listless set of people; not but there are exceptions among them. I never knew any who would not amuse them- selves, or idle away their time, rather than follow steady employment. They do very well as porters, house-servants, coachmen, barbers, waiters, or cooks — anything connected with eating they are good at. They also do tolerably well as preachers; in short, anything that does not involve hard continuous work.' ' Would they not make good railway excavators ?' 'Not at all; the labour would be too heavy for them. Notwithstandhig the numbers of free negi-oes, our railways have been made principally by Irish. Ah ! sir,' was added with a grin, ' Pat 's the boy !' ' I am sorry,' said I, 'to hear so bad an account of 1 1 WASHINGTON. 257 fpLrTl'*'^'^. 'T- ^"^ ^«* '^^^ unfortunate defects of character be traced in no small degree to the treatment they have received ?' e " ' Cannot teU anything at all about that/ replied mv companion. < I just know this, that I am heartily sick of them ; and should be glad to sec the country rid of the whole concern. They are a regular nuisance, sir i' The person who made tliese remarks was an officer m the uniform of the United States' navy, on his way to Washmgton ; and they were made with the sincerity and frankness of a sailor. I have thought it proper to record what was said, in order to convey an idea of sentiments, far from uncommon in America, respecting the coloured population. It was dark before the train reached Washington. About nine o'clock, it drew up at a handsome station, outside of which were in waiting a string of carriages invitingly open for passengers. By the recommenda- tion of my new naval friend, I seated myself in that belonging to WiUard's Hotel, and was in a few minutes ridmg towards the further extremity of the city The moon shone out as we passed the Capitol, and by its silvery light revealed a large white edifice, with a dome towenng above us, on the summit of a commanding eminence. At the distance of a mile westward aW ^Pennsylvania Avenue, the termination of my W day's journey was reached; and I thankfully sought refreshment and repose. Travellers do not usuaUy speak flatteringly of Wash- mgton. Every one seems to think it his duty to have a slap at Its pretensions, which faU so very far short of the reality. It is my misfortune in this, as in some other things, to differ from most of my predecessors, and to see little ground for either sarcasm or jocularity. All that can be said of Washington is, that it is a city in process of being built and occupied ; and has aWv Q "' 258 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I since its commencement about sixty years ago, acquired a populati(.Li ii ij/iOO, independently of an increase from n^( il)cr«' -^f the legislature with their families, and \Tisitors, during the sessions of Congress. After the witticisms at its alleged spectral appearance, I was rather surprised to discover that, instead of a few mansions scattered about nmon!? trees, with miles of interval, it consisted of a number of streets lined with continuous rows of houses, several fine public buildings, and a fair show of stores and hotels. Why tlie Americans should aim at building a city specially for the accommodation of their government, is not quite clear to the minds of Europeans, who are accustomed to great overgrown capitals in which the wealth and grandeur of a nation are concentrated. Originating partly in the wish to remove the adminis- tration beyond the immediate action of popular influ- ences, Washington, I believe, owes its rise chiefly to the desirableness of placing the political metropolis in a locality apart from, and independent of, any particular state. The situation, though no longer equidistant from the several states in the Union, was exceedingly well chosen by the great man whose name was given to the city. The Chesapeake Bay, one of the largest inlets of the Atlantic, receives, about half- way up on the western side, the large river Potomac, itself for a long way up a kind of firth or sea tv/o to three miles in width. Where it narrows to about a mile, at the distance of 290 miles from the Atlantic, the Potomac parts into two branches; and between these, on the left or eastern bank of the principal branch, Washington has been erected. The peninsula so selected, is spacious, with gentle slopes, and would afford accommodation for a city many miles in extent. On a central ridge of ground, with a stretch of open doNTOs between it and the Potomac, stands the principal squired acrcase imilies, After , I was a few dies of 3 lined public hotels. a city rnment, ^'llO are ich the ntrated. dminis- ir influ- defly to itropolis 3f, any longer on, was 3e name one of ut half- *otomac, I tv/o to about a Ulantic, between arincipal eninsiiJa d would L extent, of open principal WASHINGTON. 259 portion of the city; the Capitol, or seat of led- lat on, bemg at the eaBtem extremity, on a detaS" emmenee, and the house of the President on the ^Prf a nsing-ground a mUe westward. ^ Planned whoUy on paper before a siuffle honsp w». budt, the thoroughfares have been arranged in p"^d pstd ^^ tC trx^: -;rS street m the world. It measures 160 feet in width - he whole of the middle part for carnages Z^t shade in ttr V T i ' ™Partmg an agreeable sfiade m the heats of summer. Built of brick red sandstone, or wood, the houses throughout the c^; a^ of the smart and tasteful kind seen' in the noXm states, and as there is plenty of space for mews 1^^ nothing mcongruous is obtruded on the eye of the stranger, unless it be the number of ne^oTof bith sexes, prmcipally slaves. At the periodTf my ^ much was domg in the way of levelUng and paX fte streets; and I learned that the value of prop™/had lately risen considerably. P>="y naa Having surmounted the initiatory difficulties Wash .ngton may now be said to be in a course of ml^e" ment creditable to the liberality of the nation C I" ireasury. The district of Columbia, in which the citv js^ae^-a smaU temtoiy, formerl^ a part of M^^ 2.^ P"ssessmg no separate political character-is under the administration nf r«„„™. r, ,. . i3iv,TO, vuiupiaiuis are 200 THINGS AS THEY \RE IN AMERICA. mi :H I I I : occasionally heard of the expenses to which the country- is put on account of Washington; but if the people only knew the sums lavished by parliament on the palaces, parks, and police of the British metropolis, at the cost of the entire United Kingdom, they would have reason to be thankful for being so mercifully dealt with. As yet, compreherded within a narrow compass, and open in all quarters to visitors, Washington may be satisfactorily seen in a single forenoon. The first thing done is to visit the Capitol, which is observed standing proudly on its eminence, surrounded by an enclosed pleasure-ground, at the eastern extremity of Penn- sylvania Avenue. In walking down this principal thoroughfare on the morning after my arrival, there was little bustle to remind one of being in a political metropolis of some celebrity. In the long line of street, there appeared only an omnibus on its way to George Town, in the vicinity, and one or two hackney-cabs. As the morning was fine, the steps of the various hotels were already crowded with lately arrived members of Congress ; and the various parties clustering in debate, shewed that matters in connection with the approaching proceedhigs were in agitation. Built of light-colom'ed stone, and in the Coiiathian style of architecture, the Capitol, with its wings, hand- some portico, and lofty dome, is an edifice of imposing appearance. Advancing up the exterior flights of steps, and entering the portal, we are ushered into a central rotunda, ninety-five feet in diameter, and lighted from the cupola above. On the walls around this spacious vestibule, and on a level with the eye, are placed a series of large pictures representing scenes in American history ; two of which, the surrender of Burgoyne and of Cornwallis, cannot but bring unpleasant recollections to the mind of the English v,%^^ WASHINGTON. g^j Visitor. ClrdiH arr placed in front of the pictures, for the benefi of s^ir.gers, who are further accommodated with a pnr ^cd V ,y to the figures. At different points, doors leaa u Jn er lobbies, whence access is gained to the Hall of the House of Representatives, and to the Senate.chr„-.in r, tl,e Library, and other rooms-all so frequently described, that I spare any account of them on the present occasion. I must not omit however, to mention one thing, from its extreme novelty. Tins is the perfect liberty to roam at will without question and without payment, over the whole bmlding. Nor is there any want of attendants ready and willing to afford any sort of information. By one of these, I was obligingly conducted to the top of tlie cupola, wlience a splendid view was obtained of the city beneath; the two environing arms of the Potomac beyond which were the woody hills of Virginia' forming a framework to the picture. On descending from this giddy altitude, I ventured to offer a gratuity to my conductor, which he respectfully refused, with an explanation worthy of recording : ' I cannot take any money, sir, for doing my duty. I am a public officer, and paid by the public' If there be a door or galleiy keeper in either House of Parliament, who would m this way refuse half-a-crown, let him by all means be named, for he must unquestionably be a prodigy ! The grounds around the building are prettily kid out with shady walks; and near the entrance is a sparkling fountain with a drinking-cup, to appease the insatiate craving for water, which seems a kind of disease among the Americans. In the grounds on the east, is the celebrated statue of Washington by Greenough; it is of colossal size, in a sitting posture and being executed in Parian marble, the effect is striking, thmio-li ihn HnoMo+z-vT. ;« ^^f :^ _!.•_. ..i i J . o^ -c -^-^^^^vau^Jx io liui ixii;JLiucu lo admire 262 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. i-)' I the exploded fancy of representing a modern soldier as a half-naked Roman. There are several other figures connected with the Capitol, hut none which appears to require notice. The puhhc buildings I next visited were the Post- office and Patent-office, two remarkably fine edifices of white marble, near the centre of the town. The Patent-office contains a most extraordinary collection of models of articles which have been the subject of a patent; and no other spectacle could furnish so comprehensive a notion of the inventive faculties of the Americans. A spacious haU, with ranges of glass-cases lining the walls and projected across the floor, is full of every variety of object in mechanical art and science. Adjoining, are apartments devoted to the examination ^md emuliiieixu of articles ; and on the floor ?hove, is a museum of natural history and objects of antiquarian interest. Compared with the treasures of the British Museum, the collection is insignificant; and as centrahsation at the cost of a whole people is repugnant to the constitution of the States, it may be apprehended that the national museum wiU never attain the extent and grandeur exhibited in the collections of European capitals. The articles most worthy of notice are certain rehcs connected with American history — as, the dress, sword, and camp-equipage of General Washington, and the original document in vellum, declaratory of the independence of the States, bearing the autographs of the signers, very much faded. In a separate glass-case stands the old wooden printing- press at which Franklin wrought when a journeyman in London in 1725-6. Removed from the office in Wild Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, where the young 'American aquatic' had laboured at liis vocation, the machine underwent several changes of proprietors, till WASHINGTON. 263 oldier as ' figures ipears to le Post- edifices n. The jllection bject of •nish so iilties of Qges of •OSS the chanical devoted and on Dry and dth the ition is st of a of the Qational randeur :?apitals. n relics dress^ lingtonj laratory ng the In a rinting- iieyman •ffice in young on, the ors, tm It was finally presented to the government of the United States by Mr J. B. Murray of New York. An inscrip- tion on a brass-plate narrates the circumstance of Franklin having visited the press in London in 1768 when he came to England as agent for Massach ,etts. ' Among the latest additions to the attractions of Washington, the Smithsonian Institute is the most important; for it bears reference to the culture of general knowledge, on so liberal a scale as cannot but prove valuable to the community. Originating in the bequest of an English gentleman named Smithson in favour of the United States' government, a large sum has been appropriated to the erection of a building of red sandstone in the Norman style of architecture, comprising a number of towers and pinnacles. The building occupies a favourable situation in the middle of a lawn, nineteen acres in extent, to the south of the city, near the road towards the Potomac. On \dsiting it, I found that it was not yet finished. But the main portions, consisting of a library and lecture-room, were open, both being free to aU. Some valuable treatises have abeidy appeared for general distribution at the expense of the institution. About a quarter of a mile westward, overlooking the Potomac, a gigantic obelisk was in course of erection to the memory of General Washington— to whom, Avith all deference, the multi- plicity of such testimonials becomes a little tiresome, besides tending to suggest that America has never produced any other person worthy of commemoration. This enormous pile, which is designed to reach 600 feet from the ground, is reared by voluntary subscription throughout the United States. I suppose nothing since the days of the Pyi-amids has been built on so stupendous a scale. When a stranger has seen these tilings, there is nothing left to do but take a look at the mansion of w S64 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. if ^ " * 3 f the President, and the adjoining buildings devoted to the Treasury and other administrative offices. To this quarter—the court end of the town, as 1 may call it— I noAV adjourned, for the purpose of calling on a gentle- man connected with tlie government. Here, I have pleasure in saying, I was received in the same perfectly urbane and unceremonious manner I had uniformly experienced in my interviews with officials in all the places I had \isited. 'You will call on the President, of course,' said this newly acquired friend. a should be glad to do so,' I replied; 'but I know no one to introduce me. I know nothing of the etiquette to be employed on the occasion.' 'Come along witli mc, and I will introduce you. The President is perfectly accessible.' So saying, we set out immediately; and after crossing an enclosed patch of pleasure-ground, arrived at the White House, which has a fine look-out from the brow of an eminence, in a southerly direction, over the Potomac. The edifice, with a lifty portico of Ionic columns on its nonhern front, has a massive effect, with acconnnodation, I should think, for a large establishment. Neither as regards exterior nor interior appearances, however, was there anything to remind the stranger that the occupant was the head of a great nation. After seeing pretty nearly all the royal palaces in Europe, and being accustomed to observe that the persons of monarchs were surrounded, either for safety or distinction, with military guards' I was much struck with the total absence of force m any shape arouiul the dwelling of the President; •which, undefended from real or imaginary violence' can only, in the simplicity of its arrangements, be compared with a gentleman's residence in a quiet rural district. The only person in charge was a door-keeper. you. WASHINGTON. 265 who admitted us to one of the lower reception-rooms —a large apartment, decorated in the French style— in which we paced about a few minutes till our cards were carried up stairs to the President, who was said to be engaged with his cabinet. 'Mention to the President/ said my conductor, in giving the Cards, 'that this is a gentleman from Europe.' Whether this recommendation had any effect, I know not; but after a short delay, we were requested to ascend. In going up stairs, my friend introduced me to several members of the House of Representatives who were coming down. Two of them, I was after- wards informed, had been originally operative brick- layers, who, by a course of industry and sclf-cultm-c, had raised themselves to an honourable position. Almost immediately on reaching the assigned apart- ment. General Pierce entered from a side-room, and shakmg hands, received me in a most agreeable manner; at the same time stating, that he was now much occupied, and hoped to have the pleasure of seeing me again before my depari;ure from Washington. Ec was m a plain black dress, apparently about forty-five years of age, and I thought care-worn by the ceaseless and onerous duties he is called on to perform. I regret that the demands on my time did not permit my waiting for any of tlie soirees at the White House, wliich usv allv commence witli the congressional sittings; and it was d^^, therefore, my good-fortmie co see an ' more of the President, to whom I am, however, nulebtcll for the affable manner in which he was pleased to reccn me. B,eturning to my hotel, I pondered on the singularly simple forms by which the President of the United States regulates his personal intercoui'se with the workL I spent another day in Wasliington, making inquiries 1 1 -i 266 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. of various kinds, and forming some agreeable acquaint- ances in the place. It had been suggested to me, that I should, as a matter of duty, call on the British minister. I endeavoured to do so ; but after wandering about for two hours in a straggling suburb, west from the President's house, where his excellency was said to dwell, I failed in discovering his residence ; no one to whom I applied knowing anything at all about it. In these and other rambles about Washington, the number of negro slaves, of both sexes and all ag^s. in the streets and doorways, and serving in various capacities, was exceedingly conspicuous ; and this anomalous feature in the social condition of the capital, within the very precincts of the executive and legisla- ture, wiis felt to lower the respect which, on general grounds, we are disposed to entertain towards the federal government. It would almost seem as if Congress were ashamed of the existence of slavery within the district over which it exercises a municipal sway. According to a late enactment, no public sales of slaves or slave-pens are permitted within the district of Columbia. By this means, the more oiFcnsive attributes of the institution do not meet the eye in Washington; and those who desii'c^to see sales by auction of human creatures, require to travel a hundred miles southward to Eichmond, in Virginia. With no vulgar cuiiosity, but a wish to satisfy my mind as regards various controversial particulars, I resolved to make an excursion to Richmond; and the, account of this trip, a kind of episode in my visit to Washington, will furnish the subject of next chapter. CS^: CHAPTER XVI. RICHMOND^ IN VIRGINIA. 'When does the carnage leave tlie door for the steamer down the Potomac?^ I asked the book-keeper of Willard^s Hotel in Washington. 'At six o'clock in the morning, and nine in the cvemug/ was the reply. I prefeiTed setting out in the morning, and was ready accordmgly_Mr Willard being up at this earlv horn-, and conj^iderately providing each guest at his departure mth a cup of coffee (without charge). The ride to the landing-place of the steamers, across an open stretch of ground, occupies about half an hour, and on my arrival, I foimd that a number of persons who had just come by the northern train, were going on board a steamer, which was lying at the extremity of a wooden pier. Speedily everything was adjusted. A very droU-looking negro lad, in a kind of cocked-hat, and boots pulled over a pair of ragged pants, drew i^ the rope, and we were off. The Potomac, more like an inland sea than a riveri and here a mile in width, forms the connecting-link between the northern and southern railways. The line, as yet, stopped at Washington; and to get again upon the track, it was necessary to descend the Potomac fifty-five miles, to a place called Acquia Creek, where the railway to Richmond commences. An English traveUer has said such sore things of the steamers on •■«. 'iiiSBBSfflas^-; ■. ii. m 268 the Pol THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. tomac, that I did not feel quite at ease in making so long an excursion in one of them : but I am bound m justice to say, that so far as my experience went, there was nothing to complain of For a company of about fifty persons, two tables were prepared for break- fast m a manner that would have done no discredit to a first-class hotel. A good-humoured negro barber plied his vocation in his little apartment. And the toilet apparatus comprehended no wooden bowls— such articles having utterly vanished, if they ever existed anywhere but in the imagination. In fine weather, the sail down the Potomac from Washington must be exceedingly pleasant; for the river, though broad, is not so wide as to give indistinct- ness to the scenery on the banks. On the right, we have the woody heights of Virginia, and on tlie left, the hiUs of Maryland, with frequent glimpses of viUa- residences and farm- settlements on both sides. At tlie distance of six or seven miles below Washington, but on the Virginia side, we come abreast of Alexandria, a to^yn of 10,000 inhabitants, with a good deal of shipping at Its quays, and signs of manufactming industry on a considerable scale. Eight miles fru-ther down, on the same side, is seen upon a green knoll among the pic- turesque woody eminences, an object of interest which, cold as the morning is, attracts nearly all the passengers from the weli-warmed cabin. This is Mount Vernon, once the residence of General Washington, and where,' m a vault amidst the gi-ounds, tlie remains of tlie gi-eat man were intombed. It is a neat country residence, with a tall veranda in front, changed in no respect from what it was sixty years ago; but a local authority speaks of tlie grounds, which were kept in the greatest tnmness by 7f ashington, being now in a discreditable state of disorder —a circumstance which, if true, demands the attention of the American people! RICHMOND, IN VIRGINIA. 26S Unfortunately, the spot is not easily reached by land, otherwise I should have gladly made it the object of a pilgrimage. As the day advanced, the chilliness of the atmosphere wore off, and on arriving at Acquia Creek, the air felt mild and agreeable, although it was the 1st of December. The train was in v/aiting on a long jetty, and in less than ten minutes it had received its freight of passen- gers and luggage, and was under-way. Such was my entrance into Virginia— that fine old state, settled by English gentlemen of family, and whose history calls up such melancholy thoughts of the unfortunate Raleigh. Much of the country through which we passed was uncleared of woods, which had a wild appearance, and the land, where opened to agricultural operations, seemed to be of a poor description. Among the trees growing naturally in the patches of tangled forest, was the arbor vita, which here attains a considerable size. Rhododendrons himg their faded blossoms by the road- sides, where they grew like common weeds; and in other kinds of vegetation, there w as stiU the lingering aspect of autumn. On crossing the Rappahannock, at Fredericksburg, the agricultural character of the country was much improved; but even at the best, and aU the way to Richmond, a distance of sixty miles from the Potomac, it fell short of what I had seen in Western Canada and Ohio. Yet possessing, as it does, the elements of fertility, what might not be expected from the land, if put under an enlightened system of tillage ! The ploughing, performed by slaves under the inspec- tion of overseers riding about the fields on horseback, was very defective ; for it seemed scarcely to te.'vr up the soil, and left large pieces altogether untouched. As the train passed, the negro ploughmen invariably stopped in their labour to look at, and speculate on, the phenomenon, as if their heart was not in their work. l! 270 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. and they took every opportunity of shirking it. From tlie way they seemed to be proceeding, I feel pretty safe in averring, that two ordinary Scotch ploughmen would get through as much labour in a day as any six of them, and do the work, too, in a greatly superior maimer. In the course of the journey, a number of passengers were set down at diflferent stations, leaving so few in the train, that at length another gentleman and myself found ourselves alone in one of the cars. My com- panion was a man of probably forty years of age, stout made, with sandy hair and whiskers, and had I seen him in England, I should have said he was a working- mechanic, probably a stone-mason, dressed in his Sun- day clothes, and out on a holiday. I am particular in referring to his appearance, in order, if possible, to tlu'ow some light on the habits in which he very freely indulged. Apparently engaged in deep thought, he continued chewing tobacco mth a voracity I had never seen equalled, and which provoked such an incessant torrent of expectoration, that at last the floor around him presented a most unsightly spectacle. I think travellers, generally, in their descriptions, exaggerate the chcAving and spitting of the Americans. It is, in reality, only here and there you meet a person who abandons himself to these nauseous practices, while to the mass of the more respectable people in the States, they are probably as disagreeable as to any weU-bred European. The invectives, however, directed against the Americans on this score, dispose me to beheve that the English who visit the United States, and pick out so many faults, are either ignorant or neglectful of the manners of their own country. Among the less-instructed classes in Great Britain, spitting in the streets, and other places, is exceed- ingly common;, and since young gentlemen betook RICHMOND, IN VIRGINIA. 271 themselves to smoking tobacco in common clay-pipes the vice may be said to have become fashionable in the jumor departments of high-life-at anyrate, we do not see that it meets with pubUc censure. Now if it be considered that in the United States, the rise from one condition of life to another is astonishingly rapid and that all classes travel together in the same cars, and live together in the same hotels, it will not be dilbcnlt to understand how certain obnoxious practices should obtrude themselves on the notice of the more pohshed class of travellers. The train arrived at Richmond about two o'clock in the afternoon; and by an omnibus in attendance, I was transferred to a hotel, which proved to be no way inferior to the establishments in the states further north. The whole of the waiters were negroes in white jackets; but among the female domestics I recogmsed one or two Irish girls-the sight of them helping to make good what I had everywhere heard f f*!,l,f '°''*^ *^'^ ^"'^ dispossessing the coloured races. At WiUnrd's Hotel, in Washington, all the waiters, as well as the female servants, were Irish; and here, also, they will prolmbly be so in a short time. Situated on a high and sloping bank on the left side ol the James River, Richmond is much less regular in outhne than the greater number of American cities. Its streets, straggling in different directions on no uniform plan, are of an old-established appearance, with stores, chiu-ches, and numerous public buildings Besides the principal thoroughfares, there are many narrow streets or lanes of a dismal, half-deserted appearance, generaUy dirty, and seemingly iU drained and ventilated. Every^vhere, the number of black faces is considerable; for in a population of 27 000 as many as 9000 are said to be slaves. The dwellings occupied by the lower classes of coloured people are of 273 TIIINOS A8 THEY AllK IN AMERICA. "i i 1 ; h h.l I a rni8cral)lc kind, rosoniblinj? the worHt l)rick-hou8C8 in tilt) ))aek-liuu;M of l!]nji;lJ8li inunulUcturiiif? towns. lu tho u\)\)vv ])M't or tho city, tlicic nrc sonic rows of hnnd- sojnc villas, and in this (inartcr is a pnhlio stpiaro, with the (^a]>itol, or seat of h'jjfishitnre. in a central and conspienons situation. Jn walkinj,^ throu<;h this public cdilicc towards dusk, I o})8erved that it was {^niardcd by an armed sentinel, the sij^ht of whom had almost tlio startlin},' ellcct of an apparition; for it ^vas the fu-st time 1 had seen a Imyonet in the United States, and mi}>:f;csted the unpleasant relicction, that the larj^c infusion of slaves in the composition of society was not unattended with dauj^'cr. A hue view is obtained from the front of the Capitol, overlook iu}": the lower part of the city, the river with its falls, and the country in the distance. The falls of the James River appi^iu- to have determined the situa- tion of the town. These falls unitedly amount to a descent of eij^hty feet, and are nnidc available for turnin«? a mnnber of large mills for grinding Hour, and other purposes. 'Vhc occurrenc-e of such falls is only Olio of a series of similar phcnonu^na along the east coast of America, where, by recessions of the sea, a terrace-range crosses the rivers at a less or greater distance from the ocean, causing an abrupt descent, Avhioh is viUuable as a water-power. The I'alls of the James River cease in front of the city, where there are several rocky and woody islets, and at this point two long wooden bridges afford communication with a manufacturing suburb on the right bank. Although, in many respects, inferior in point of appearance as compared Avith the smart New-Jilngland cities, Richmond shewed various symptoms cf pros- perity and progi'css. A species of dock for shipping was in process of excavation adjoining the bridges, and several large cotton -factories werc in the course of mcIIMONI), IN VlncJINIA. jjj erection, I„ tl.0 »tr,.cta i„ tl,i« |„„cr qunrtor tl.ore W«B .„, active trade i„ the ,„.cki„K „„., J, „,• l^^ qu^ititu. „. „,„.„, like fiulcd „cc,l», were being clrt J to tl,e (.ictones l.y „c«„,™. Tl.c «,tt,m n,„nn(„ctn™ » caru.,1 „„ ,„ sevcml lar^c ..»tal.li„l„nc„l„, „„,! „iu «.<.n be cxt,.nd«l, but ,,ri„,,i|„i|lv, 1 w,u, t.,1,1, by ,JZ «> "ortbcn, caintul, ,u,d the en.ploymct „f 1 i™. „m"' la^ourc,., wh„. f„r .■u..t..ry ,„„•,„,«., are sai.l to bo preferubh; to pcrsonH of colour. Itidi.noud is known u« tl.o 'principal market for tho «MI>1 y <>t slavcH i'or tho Houth-a circumstance under! «oo( to on,.natc in the fact that Virginia, as a matter of husbandry, breeds ucj,m'(. htbourcrs for the express PU'-POHO or sale, llavin, heanl that such was' to ca.^ >vas n.tcrested in kn<,win,. by what means and at u hat pnccs shives are offered to purchasers. Witli- out mtro(h.ctions of any kind, 1 was throwu on mv own resources in aciuirin^. this information. Fortu- imtely, lu.wever, th,.re was no in.pcdimcnt to encounter m he research. The exposure of ordinary ^oZZ a store ,s not more open to the public than ^tre tlic sales of slaves .n Richmond. ]Jy consulting, the local newspapers, I learned that the sales take place by auction every morninf? in the ofllces of certain brokers wlio, as I understood by the terms of their advcr' tisements, purchased or received slaves for sale on eomnnssion. Where the street was in which the brokers conducted their business, 1 did not know; ])ut tho discovery was easily made, llamblins down tlie main street in the city, I found that the subject of my se , eh was a narrow and short thorouf^^hfare, turning of!" to the left and tcrmmating in a similar cross thoroufflifare J3oth streets, lined with brick-houses, were dull and silent. Ihere was not a person to whom I could put a question. Looking about, I observed the R IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // «?< r/j 1.0 I.I 1.25 U; 12.8 IS 1^ M [2.2 !.8 JL4 ill 1.6 6" - vQ <^ /r /.^ CA m. # ■^F Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4S03 A V % y % m ^ <> % <«> "^% ^ 7^ '^ '.^ respect- d bunch of ock. With l, mounting front were self, I found 3se at hand. RICHMOND, IN VIRGINIA. 283 'Now, gentlemen,' said the auctioneer, putting his * hand on the shoulder of the boy, 'here is a very fine boy, seven years of age, warranted sound— what do you say for him ? I put him up at 500 doUars— 500 doUars (speaking quick, his right hand raised up, and coming down on the open palm of his left)— 500 dollars. Any one say more than 500 dollars. (560 io bid.) 560 doUars. Nonsense ! Just look at him. See how high he is. (He draws the lot in front of him, and shews that the little felloVs head comes up to his breast.) You see he is a fine, tall, healthy boy. Look at his hands.' Several step forward, and cause the boy to open and shut his hands— the flexibihty of the small fingers, black on the one side, and whitish on the other, being well looked to. The hands, and also the mouth, having given satisfaction, an advance is made to 570, then to 580 dollars. ' Gentlemen, that is a very poor price for a boy of this size. (Addressing the lot) : Go down, my boy, and shew them how you can run.' The boy, seemingly happy to do as he was bid, went down from the block, and ran smartly across the floor several times; the eyes of every one in the room following him. ' Now, that will do. Get up again. (Boy mounts the block, the steps being rather deep for his short legs; but the auctioneer kindly lends him a hand.) Come, gf-itlemen, you see this is a first-rate lot. (590—600—610—620-630 dollars are bid.) I wiU seU him for 630 dollars. (Right hand coming down on left.) Last call. 630 dollars once— 630 dollars twice. (A pause ; hand sinks.) Gone!' The boy having descended, the man was desired to come forward; and after the usual scrutiny behind a screen, he took his place on the block. ^f^^W, I \v i -I ■111 t ! i III ilMf 884 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. 'TV ell, now, gentlemen,' said the auctioneer, 'here is a right prime lot. Look at tliis man ; strong, healthy, able-bodied ; could not be a better hand for field-work. He can drive a wagon, or anything. Wliat do you say for him ? I oflfer the man at the low price of 800 dollarsr— he is well worth 1200 dollars. Come, make an advance, if you please. 800 dollars said for the man (a bid), thank you; 810 dollars— 810 dollars— 810 dollars (severalbids)— 820— 830— 850— 860— going at 860— going. Gentlemen, this is far below his value. A strong-boned man, fit for any kind of heavy work. Just take a look at him. (Addressing the lot) : Walk down. (Lot dismounts, and walks from one side of the shop to the other. When about to reascend the blockj a gentleman, who is smoking a cigar, examines his mouth and his fingers. Lot resumes his place.) Pray, gentlemen, be quick (continues the auctioneer) ; I must sell him, and 860 dollars are only bid for the man — 860 dollars. (A fresh run of bids to 945 dollars.) 945 dollars once, 945 dollars twice (looking slowly round, to see if all were done), 945 dollars, going — going (hand drops) — gone!' During this remarkable scene, I sat at the middle of the front form, with my note-book in my hand, in order to obtain a full view of the transaction. So strange was the spectacle., that I could hardly dispel the notion that it was all a kind of dream; and now I look back upon the afiair as by far the most curious I ever witnessed. The more intelligent Virginians will sympathise in my feelings on the occasion. I had never until now seen human beings sold; the thing was quite new. Two men are standing on an elevated bench, one white and the other black. The white man is auctioning the black man. What a contrast in look and relative position ! The white is a most respectable-looking person ; so far RICHMOND, IN VIRGINIA. 395 as cbcsB is concerned, he might pass for a clergyman or ch^ch-warden. IWe he stands-can I believe my T Z!\ \""'^^^ °^ ^^ Anglo-Saxon, sawing the air wi h Ins hana, as if addressing a missiona^ or any other philanthropic meeting from a platform. Surely that gentlemanly personage cannot imagine that he 18 engaged in any mortal sin ! Beside him 18 a man with a black skin, and clothed in rough garments. His looks are downcast and submissive. He is being sold, just hke a horse at Tattersall's, or a picture at Christie and Manson^s-I must be under some illusion. That dark object, whom I have been dways taught to consider a man, is not a man. Irue he may be called a man in advertisements, and by the mouth of auctioneers. But it is only a figure of speech-a term of convenience. He is a man in one sense, and not in another. He is a kind of man- stands upnght on two legs, has hands to work, wears clothes, can cook his food (a point not reached by monkeys , has the command of speech, and, in a way, can think and act like a rational creature-can even be taught to read. But nature has thought fit to give him a black skin, and that teUs very badly against him. Perhaps, also, there is something wrong with Ins craniological development. Being, at aU events, so much of a man-genus homo-h it quite fair to master him, and seU him, exactly as suits your convemence-you being, from a variety of fortu- nate cu-cumstances, his superior? AU this passed through my mind as I sat or the front form in the saleroom of Messrs , while one of the members of that well-known firm was engaged in pursuing, by the laws of Virginia, his legitimate calling. Such were a forenoon's experiences in the slave-market of Richmond. Everything is described 366 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. precisely as it occurred, witaout passion or prejudice. It would not have been difficult to be sentimental on a subject which appeals so strongly to the feelings ', but I have preferred telling the simple truth. In a subsequent chapter, I shall endeavour to oflTer some general views of slavery in its social and political relations. I I'i' ' I 3A. or prejudice, ntimental on the feelings ; truth. In a offer some and political CHAPTER XVII. CONGRESS. The sales of slaves in Richmond were over for the day; and as I had procured the information for which 1 had made a run into Virginia, I made the best of my way back to Washington by raU and steamer. Among my feUow-passengerfe were a number of members of Congress, pushing onward to be in time tor the day of opening, which was at hand. In the course of Saturday there were numerous arrivals ; the hotels, smartened up after a long dull season, were thronged to overflowing; and there was an air of business in the usually tranquil thorough- fares On Sunday, I went to an Episcopal church- an elegant new budding, which was crowded with a highly respectable body of worshippers. .1. ^f * "^°^""^g ushered in an important day, Monda^, the 5th of December, appointed for the assembling ot Congress-great excitement in the hotel parloui-s groups eagerly discussing who was to be Speaker of the House of Representatives ; who was to be appointed prmter to Congress (a thing so good that one year of It IS considered te be enough) ; and other matters of consequence. Rumours cunningly floated about to mislead opponents were, as usual, seen through, livery one was on the alert, and ready to be at his post. At half.past eleven o'clock, I walked down ; , .,ii, mi 288 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Pennsylvania Avenue with a friend, who kindly under- took to be my cicerone. It was a beautifully clear day rather cold, but with that lightness and dryness of atmosphere which is peculiar to America. Members were proceeding, singly, in pairs, or several together towards the Capitol, where they went at once to thei^ respective seats. There was no crowding in the streets to witness the opening of Congress; for there was not a bit of finery or pomp about the whole affair— no procession of President and his court, no corps diplo- matique, no carriages, no trumpeters, and no dragoons For anything that could be seen, the Capitol might be supposed to be a church, into which members ^d spectators were composedly pouring. There was an entire absence of pretension : no bribe was payable for admission to the galleries. At the doors of our Houses of Parliament, may be seen a number of officials, whom it is usually necessary to conciliate with cash. The Americans have had the good sense to get nd of these pampered lackeys. My friend and I walked into the House of Representatives unchallenged, and placed om-selves in a recess outside the barrier which bounds the seats of the members ■ and here I was introduced to several persons of political notonety. The House was fuU. Representatives from Cahfomia and other distant states were afready present-the whole assemblage forming a body of weU-dressed persons, such as you would see any day on 'Change. There was little diversity of costume. A black dress- coat, black satm waistcoat, and black stock, constitute the general attire.-ready for court, dinner, baU, public meeting, or anything. A few wore beards, but clean shavmg was the rule. Standing, sitting, lounging, talking, according to fancy, they spent the time till noon. The moment the hands of fbo oU.u _.:.,. . CONGRESS. 289 twelve; said my friend, 'business will commence' A chair of the Speaker, kept his eye fixed on a clock over the doorway, and accordingly rung his bell when tne hour of noon was indicated. Every one being seated and in order, the work of the session commenced by the calling of the roU, each member answering to his name. The vote was after- wards taken for Speaker, when much the larger number having named Linn Boyd of Kentucky, that gentleman was conduc ed to the chair amidst general plaudits. On the whole, I received a favourable impression of the method of conducting the business of the House which was simple yet efiective. Judging, however, by the accounts given in the newspapers of debates on ques- tions of moment, it would appear that very impassioned scenes occur, and that at such times language is employed which would shock, and would not be tolerated in, the House of Commons. At the same time, I am told that petty means of annoying political opponents while speaking, such as braying, crowing like a cock, and so forth, have not obtained a footing m America; and so far the democracy of the States has an advantage. The Senate, or Upper House, opens at the same hour as the House of Representatives; and, before departure, I had an opportunity also of noticing some ot Its proceedings, and being made acquainted with several of its members—among others, tlie Hon Charles Sumner, whose eloquent harangues are well known in England. The plain, business-like way in which legislatior is conducted, has been mentioned in disparagement of Congress— a thing not easy to understand. In Great Britain, tradition and precedent are considered to be of so Tniinh iTriTinrfoTinn +l,-..4. . ■, . „^,,.^ .„^^^^^ j,^^^^ j^.j^„^^j.^..jjjgjj^g altogether s 280 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. new, however reasonable in the abstract, are viewed with extreme suspicion, and can with the ff^eatest difficulty be effected. In the United States, "on the contrary, every subject may be said to stand on its own merits, and is legislated for accordingly. The English, for example, under a habitual respect for what is sanctioned by antiquity, and fearful of dis- turbing the foundations of a venerable fabric, admit of extensions in the representative system with the utmost reluctance; while the Americans, having no antiquity to venerate, no traditionary usages to embarrass, go right up to the point, and organise a code of representation on the broadest possible prin- ciple. Whether in doing so, they achieve a higher degifee of rational liberty, is a different question. What concerns us at present, is the mode of their procedure. Right or wrong, they have had no other course open to them. They have acted imder the necessities of their condition. In England, there has always existed a traditional authority-, which, from time to time, has imparted privileges to the people; but in the States, starting at the revolution, there was no authority to impart ajiything. The monarchical authority was expelled, and power was vested in the people at large. Yet, as a fact in constitutional history, it is interesting to know that the Americans at this crisis in their affairs were not left to organise a government out of chaos. The British monarchy had long previously estabUshed Houses of Assembly in its thirteen colonies, and by these agencies, it will be remembered, the new organ- isation was tranquilly moulded. The thirteen states, therefore, federally united, were but the old colonies, minus their English governors, and plm the legislative independence they had secured. Besides this inherit- ance of constituted forms, the States retained the laws CONGRESS. 291 necessities of of England with aU the ordinarjr mmricipal arrange ments; and to tin, day the stran^r obaerv^t^t of the onginal thirteen states possesses, to a lesser or » extent, the impress whict was 'given oTb; bZL° } '""" P^'"""™**^ reports, all your the Caprtol, 'we know what you are about, and o,^ law-courts constantly quote your proeedure.' oZ there te a greater compliment paid to England, which exert a parental influence over her chUdren? Could Amenca do herself more honour than in making this handsome acknowledgment? By the creation out of wild territory, conquest, and purchase, the Union, at the time of my v^it to fte pohbcal metropolis, comprehended thirty-one states and the mamier in which these are represented 1^ Congress may be alluded to. The Senat^, answerW ■ to our House of Lords, is composed of t™ memS from each state, irrespective of its size or amo^t S population ; consequently, the number is sixty-two. These senators are chosen by the legislatures of the seve^ states for the term of six yfaxs. One^hh^I retire every two years, by which means a degree of permanency is imparted to the institution. The Vice-pr^ident of the United States is the President of the Senate, m which he has a casting vote; in hM absence, a temporary president is elected from the The House of Representatives is a purely popular assembly. The members are elected every L^^ by the people of the several states, and according to a rule fixed by Act of Congress in 1850. By this law, th^number of representatives is established at xuese rcpreseDtatives are appointed by universal 1 nil lilllll;! I inn I ! pi ; i ■ Mkai. ' 292 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Buflfrage among free citizens — the poorest as well as the richest having a vote. The number of voters for each representative is apportioned to each elective district every ten years; the number is determined by the simple plan of dividing the whole population by 233; the quotient being, therefore, the number apportioned. In the event of a state being admitted to the Union, a member is assigned to it until next decennial period, when a fresh division by 233 takes place. Thus to the ordinary number of 233, one is at present temporarily added for California, making the actual number 234. Besides these members, the House compreherdt a delegate frorn each of several territories; but these, though allowed to speak on any subject, do not vote. The recent addition of Nebraska to the number of states, will make some change in this respect. In appointing senators and representatives, whether to Congress or to the legislatures of the several states, the Americans proceed on the principle of asking no public service for nothing. Every member is paid from public funds for his attendance. For a number of years, the rate of compensation for each member of the Senate and House of Representatives has been eight dollars a day during attendance on Congress; no deduction being made on account of sickness. Each, also, receives eight dollars for every twenty miles of travel by the usual road, in going to or returning from Washington. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is allowed sixteen dollars a day. There can be little doubt that these payments are Bufificiently tempting, to induce needy men to seek the post of representative; the allowance, however, is altogether inadequate to compensate the loss which IC -fVomKa-n+lTT irioiT»»»»o/l l-v-rr o i-i^/^l/->/^f f\P ■r>y^f'^r,^:^^^'l CONGRESS. 203 duties, and the expense of Uving several months from home. As an additional inducement to assume the tunction of senator or representative, the members of Congress enjoy a large franking privilege. They may send or receive letters or packets free by post not exceeding two ounces, and public documents three pounds, m weight. Members of Congress would be more than human, if such a privilege were not as greatly abused as it was in England, when franking was tolerated here. One of the more apparent results 18 the enormous increase of matter passing through the Post-office— so great as sometimes to retard the mails, and derange the transmission of letters and newspap^^rs. A few days previous to the meeting of Congress, I found the lobbies and passages of the public offices in Washington encumbered with great loads of packages of printed reports, wliich men were preparing for the approaching demand. Neatly done up in buflP-tinted covers, these packages, piled in huge heaps, attested the lavish scale on which public documents are printed for distribution, and the labour to be incurred in inscribing them with the magical sjmhoh— Pub. Doc, and signature of a member. We observe by a newspaper, that this extraordinary^ system of franking is beginning to be seriously challenged, more particularly since it has been proposed to raise the ordinary charge for postage, in order to meet the cost of cariying so much free material. A characteristic paragraph on the subject is subjoined.* * 1 When the members reach Washington, they find large quantities of documents pnnted and enveloped under the orders of tlie preceding session and begin franking right and left. Two or three days thereafter, the stage- routes diverging from the temporary termini of the railways, especially in the west, are choked up by a.medley of letters, newspapers, and documents A stage-driver goes for the mail, and finds twice as much ready for him as i I I i ! :l I i fill! i I 9M THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. With an extensive and clear field in their favour, and no embarrassment from antiquated usages, the United States have been able to accomplish aims for the good of p.ociety which Great Britain has found utterly impracticable. In organising systems of national education at the public expense, the several states have, for example, completely outstripped the old country. Yet as, in this respect, monarchical Canada is quite as far forward as the States, it would be an error to suppose that repuljlicanism is the cause of the remarkable step in advance. Candidly consi- dered, it will be seen that the legislation of the United Kmgdom, when obstructions are overcome and an inteUigent public feeling fairly roused, is abreast, if not ^head, of that of Congress. I would, in particular, call attention to the strides in advance made by England as regards freedom of commercial intercourse his horses can possibly draw. So he picks np two or three bags, and starts off leaving the residue to a more convenient season; and the next driver finds a still larger pile awaiting him, and treats it in the same manner. Thus, we have had a ton of our weekly paper lying at one time at some half-way house on the route, and our disappointed subscribers writing us the most unflattering letters, ordering us to send on the papers they had paid us for, or send back their money. ... The short of the matter is this : Congress IS now paying some half a million of dollars a year out of the Treasury for printing documents, and perhaps a million more for their transportation and delivery to the members' favourite constituents. We think this all wrong -that everything should pay its way-that he who is not wUlmg to pay postage on his documents, does not really want, and will not be benefited by them.^ Yet, we can stand the abuse as it is. But Mr Olds and his Fogy committee, propose in effect to take this load off the Treasuiy, and put it on ' the postage-payers. Now, we tell the members of Congress, that this won't go do.-n-most decidedly not. So long as they pay the shot out of the Tre^ury-postage as well as printing-the people won't mind it; but from the day that letters are made to pay two cents each extra to take this load off the Treasury, there will be a low muttering, which those who put their ears to the ground may hear; and the members from the free states who vote in favourof the change, will get badly scratched whenever they are candidates ag^n. If they don't believe it now, they will, after tiying the expei-iment.'— iVew; York Tribune, May 9, 1854. J- S « CONGRESS. 296 and navigation, leaving America to come lagdnfflv behmd, along with the nations for whom she, pci?til caUy speaking, entertains anything but respect The people of the United States, if true to themselves and the principles of a sound political economy, ought not, for the sake of special interests, to have been second m this great movement-will they, even be second ? Need I add, that the Americans have done themselves no honour in so long postponing the enact- ment of an international copyright treaty-a subject legislated upon years ago by Great Britain. 1, ^^J^^^ •'^''**'^'' °^ ''^^^P P°'*^^> *^e States have had he misfortune to be imitators of England, instead ot taking the initiative ; moreover, with the full know- ledge of the Post-office organisation of the United Kingdom, and possessing an overplus revenue, the Ame- ricans have strangely failed to place their postal-system on a footing so perfect as it might be. The franking privilege, accorded not only to members of Congress but (restrictedly) to an inferior class of postmasters,' is an abuse which surprises us to see stUl tolerated. More remarkable is it to find that the ordinary rate of prepaid postage of three cents for a single letter does not infer delivery. When the American post undertakes to convey letters and newspapers, the service extends only to their transmission from post- office to post-office. For their delivery at the house of the party to whom they are addressed, there is an additional charge of one or two cents. It is an ordinary custom everywhere in the States, to call for letters or newspapers at the post-office, and by an arrangement with the postmaster, each person has a box into which his correspondence is put. In New York, I observed great crowds daily at the post-office seeking for letters. Let this monstrously inconvenient practice be com- pared with the plan pursued in London, of sending out 290 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. i \M four or five times a day a host of carriers, each with his bundle of letters and newspapers for delivery at the doors of the parties to whom they ore addressed, with- out any additional charge. An Americar. j?entlcman, who had been some time in London, mentioned to mu that nothing surprised and delighted him so much as the incessant distribution of letters; care being taken to transfer the carriers in detachments to their respec- tive beats by means of rapidly-driven omnibuses. ' Youi- government,' said he, ' is completely ahead of om's in this respect. We could not do better than transfer your postal-system, body and bones, to the States.' Legislation in these, as well as matters of more grave concern, is of course rej^ulatcd by tlie expression of public sentiment ; but in no country is it more diffi- cult than in America to ascertain what really consti- tutes the unprejudiced feeling of the community. The States ai«3 not one, but many nations, united by a com- mon interest, but differing greatly in social usages and opmions. Subjects of important concern are viewed in one light by the north, and in another by the south; just as it might be expected to be by nations in the north and south of Europe. Then there is the univer- sal division of society into Whigs (answering in some degree to the English Tories or Conservatives), and Democrats, or extreme Republicans. Beyond these distinctions of genera and species, there is an indefinite number of varieties and sub-varieties— Free-soilers Hunkers, Hards, Softs, Woolly-heads, Doughfaces, &e ' rather puziding to the uninitiated, yet of practical signi- ficance; foi- I observe that in some cases of examina- tions before judicial tribunals, the party sobriquet of witnesses is appended to their names in the published record of proceedings— as if credibility of evidence depended on political opinion ! CONGRKSS. SOT s in some Party-spirit is, to nil appear mcc, the soul of American soeiety — regulating' and controllinj^ cvcrythinj^. What ai.y man says or docs is too comiiionly judged by the press nceording to the opinion lie entertains on political subjects. I3ad as we are in this respect in England, wo do not go quite this length, unless when sectarian interests are concerned — tlicre, we regret to say, our so-called religious newspapers ])08se88 the worst features of the least respectable American joiu-nals. A natural consequence of the fierticnicss with which persons are attacked for their political sentiments, is an indisposition to mingle in public allairs. I was told over and over again in the States, by peoj)l(; of sub- stance and intelligence, that they shrunk from ap[)ear- anee in public affairs — would have nothing to do with the vulgar wranglings at elections— left things to go any way. This can liai'dly l)e considered a sound state of things, for it amounts to delivering up the counti-y to the most noisy and viperish of the population. In New York, as has been observed, the civic government has, from this cause, been practically in the hands of the mob, from which, however, as I understood, a spasmodic effort of the more respectable classes was about to rescue it. ^Things will be better for a little time,' said a gentleman of New York, speaking to me on this subject; 'but they will soon fall back to their former condition — ^the most noisy «.tJ calumnious will carry the day.' We arc scarcely entitled to make this a special charge against the democracy of the States, for a similar reluctance to take part in political movements is observable among certain classes in England ; and such must ever be the ease until the world is better instructed, and knows and feels that in consti- tutional ffovemments the frnnplnsn i« na TYinnTi o flp+T THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. as a privilege. The keen party-spirit, the corrupt practices, the intimidation, the obloquy cast on opponents, are all dwelt upon as grievous sins in the republican elections of America— the ballot is spoken of as a sham. True, perhaps, in every particular; but after recent experiences, can any Englishman have the conscience to hold up the finger of scorn on account of these real or alleged imperfections ? On such a subject, the fact of so many members of the House of Commons being convicted of bribery and corruption— and ji' so many others being ordinarily elected through the meanest venal influences— ought at least to make us careful how we utter a reproach. Whatever be the faults of the American government, it pannot be said that extravagance is one of them' The Minister of the Exchequer is not called on to devise schemes of taxation to make the two ends meet. His only difficulty is a very strange one— it is what to do with the money in the public Treasury ! In 1853, the entire expenditure of the government of the United States was 54,000,000, and its receipts were 61,000,000, of dollars. By accumulated balances, there was at the same time on hand the sum of 75,000,000 dollars; and how this money should be disposed of was a matter of very serious concern. To be sure, there was a debt of 65,000,000 dollars; but it was at a high premium, and by a sacrifice it could easily 1. - been discharged! Portions of the debt were, indeed, bcin^; paid off, -hen opportunities offered, and in a fe>v ^ears the whole will be extinguished, without impairing the balance. At present a variety of schemes are on foot for disposing of this unfortunate overplus. All intelligent indivi- duals, of course, see that the rational mode of procedure is to abolish certain branches of revenue ; and so bring the draughts down to the necessary outlay. But to this there are objections on the part of the manufacturing i I I A. the corrupt iuy cast on ) sins in the lot is spoken Jticular; but nan have the ►n account of ich a subject, of Commons ti — and ji' so through the to make us government, ne of them. I on to devise I meet. His J what to do In 1853, the the United 5 61,000,000, e was at the dollars; and a matter of as a debt of h premium, L discharged, id off, \hen le whole will )alance. At br disposing ?ent indivi- of procedure md so bring But to this mufacturing CONGRESS. 209 community. The federal government levies 20 direct taxes on the people. Its revenue is principally from custom-house duties, which in 1853 amounted to nearly 59,000,000 dollars. Now, these duties are of a protective character. They tax the nation at large, by an aggravation of prices, in order to give a monopoly to certain branches of native industry; and their removal or considerable modification would be equiva- lent to free-trade, which the public mind, jealous of foreign competition, is not prepared for. Meanwhile, the accumulating cash in the Treasury presents a dilemma of a different kind. It is universaUy felt to be a source of corruption and danger. Every faction is scheming to have a clutch at it. As a spare fund at command, it may ina'ice some rash warlike expedition, or be otherwise employ .^d in the; undue extension of the Union. A third evil connected with it, is the gradual abstraction of money from circulation, in order to be locked profitlessly up in the Treasury ; thereby starving commerce of its proper means of support. So that, if things go on as they are doing, the cm-ious conjuncture may come about, of aU the avaUable money in thb country finding its way into the national Exchequer, where it is not wanted, and trade, accordingly, being brought to a stand. Any way it can be viewed, the accumulation is considered to be most pernicious in its effects, both as regards administrative policy and social wellbeing ; and the gravest politicians admit that, in comparison with the evils of the present system, an annual deficit woidd be a national blessing. After all, there would seem to be worse things than a National Debt! While attending the opening of Congress, it was explained to me that much was done in the way of lobbying and %-ro//^/^^— phrases unknown in England, though the thiners sisrnified are bv no mt^t^-na won+i^^. i I 300 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. By lobbying, is meant the influence exerted privately on members by interested parties hanging about the lobbies of the Capitol; and it is said jocularly, that in the passing of bills as much depends on the activity of members for the lobby as on the real representatives. It seems to be one of the duties of these lobbiers, to make such compromises among parties as will induce them to support the measures of each other. One member, for example, wishing to carry a bill for a grant of public land towards a projected railway, and another desiring to extend slavery into a new state, will, by discreet management, be induced to assist each other with a vote. Such is log-rolling : mutual assistance by a compromise, as it may be, of principle. As we all know, splendid examples of log-rolling are of daily occurrence in the House of Commons, through the agency of party whippers-in; and neither are we altogether deficient in a practice, equally irregulu', which the Americans describe as ' speaking for bunkum.' I heard of some interesting cases of bunkum, by which is signified the bringing forward of a sham proposal, in order to catch popular applause. A member, for instance, desirous of standing well with his constituents, makes an oratorical display in favour of a measure in which they are interested; but with the knoAvledgc that such a measm'e is impracticable, and will not be carried. In fact, he does not want to cany it; the sole object of the orator is to impose on his supporters, and acquire the character of a meritorious public leader. I Avas told that in one of the state legislatures, a bill for the Maine Liquor Law Avas proposed, entirely witli a view to bunkum. It was, indeed, passed by the LoAver House ; all the members aa ho voted for it having dishonestly throAvn the odium of rejection on the Senate. The Senate, hoAvever, seeing through the tiick, passed Lue Dill uiDu; uiiu, iiiuliij, tiiu guvuiiiui" uyyciiwcu. ilis (1. CONGRESS. 301 assent, rendering it a law— the whole thing, from first to last, being a piece of mutual deception. The result was, that in the state in question, the law became practicaUy a dead-letter. That such actually was the occurrence, I am unable to say from my own know- ledge; yet I thinlc the circumstance as related must possess a certain degree of truth, for I observe by a newspaper, that in a neighbouring state, where a similar law has just been enacted, the people are recommended ^o organise a club or league in each township and city, to take care that this act is promptly and thoroughly enforced,' because, ^if this is not done, the act will prove only a sham and a disgrace.' Are we to understand from the counsel thus given by the press, that the enforcement of laws is to depend on popular leagues or clubs?— a doctrine which would argue prodigious weakness in the ordinary executive power. It does not appear that the President of the United States holds any personal intercourse with Congress. As has been shewn, he does not, at least, attend at the opening of the session; a day or two after that event, he sends his Message, a voluminous document, to be read to the members. To one accustomed to the out- ward forms of respect for sovereigns in Europe, the manrsr in which the President and his measures are sometimes referred to, appears to be inconsistent with the high position he occupies. Tlie latest American newspaper which has come to hand, gives an account of his being burned in effigy, on the ground of his connection with the Nebraska biU. The function of the President, however, is more analogous to that of a prime-minister than a king. He is a responsible officer— only the first magistrate of the RepubKc. The comparatively small salary allowed him cannot be expected to go far towards keeping up the paraphernalia ! l! !'! ill I t'l THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. of state. It amounts to only 25,000 dollars (£5000) per annum ; and as the President is appointed for only- four years, the pecuniary advantages are not great. Perhaps the patronage belonging to the office is an object of no iaconsiderable importance. According to a practice now of some standing, it is usual for every new President to dismiss some thousands of persons from office, and to appoint his own supporters in their stead; the consequence of which is, that a large number of individuals naturally become agitators for a presidential change. We are accustomed in England to see vacant offices filled by the party in power, on account of political bias; but expulsion is unknown, unless for incompetency, or on some other grounds equally valid. Should the projected arrangement be carried into effect, of appointing persons to civil offices only after they have imdergone an examination as to competency. Great Britain wiU have made a signal step forwai'd in administrative policy, eminently worthy of being copied in the United States, where things, in this respect, are about as bad as they can possibly be. The present President being a Democrat, and democracy having the ascendant in Congress, offices are, of course, filled with Democrats, greatly to the chagrin of the Whigs, .who live in the expectation that, by a happy turn in affairs, their time of office is coming. All writers, native and foreign, deplore this most mischievous custom of changing the ordinary and humble officials of government, according to the rise and fall of party ; and it undeniably forms one of the worst features of the American state. At Washington, as well as other cities I visited, everybody with whom I had the honour of conversing on public matters, spoke with respect of England, and entertained the hope that nothing would ever occur to I ; CONGRESS. 808 and the States; and such, I imagine, to be a very general feeling in America, notwithstanding the occa- sional remarks of a contrary nature by a portion of the press. I need hardly say, that I reciprocated the sentiments of good-will which were expressed, and perhaps was not thought the less of for giving it as my impression, that the least admirable thing about the government of the States was the extreme deference to popular clamour. ' You are,' I said, ' great, wealthy, and with a boundless field of well-doing; your public economy is, in most things, worthy of all praise; but if legislation is to be conducted on the principle of yielding to every gale of popular and inconsiderate impulse— if you do not take time to reflect on conse- quences—you may be impeUed into the most dangerous course of poHcy; your day of trouble may not be far distant.' Late events, afterwards to be aUuded to, do not leave these hints unjustified. hlli ji I i fhi CHAPTER XVIII. PHILADELPHIA. Terminating my brief visit to Washington, I made my way northwards by railway through Baltimore to Philadelphia, the journey occupying little more than six hours. Writing now after an interval of several moi^ths, I throw my mind back to the very delightful residence of a few days which it was my fortune to enjoy in the city of Brotherly Love. My quarters were at the Girard House, a hotel in Chestnut Street of the first class ; but so m .-h of my time was engaged in maldng calls, sceuig si^ its, and picking up scraps of information, that my stay was a perpetual change of scene and circumstances. When William Penn fixed on the spacious peninsula between the Delaware on the east, and tlie Schuylkill on the west, for the site of a large city, he may be said to have selected one of the most charming and con- venient spots on the whole coast of America. Approach- able from the sea by the Delaware, the land, with a gentle yet sufficient rise from tlic water, was originally a fertile plain, dotted over with trees, and inhabited only by a few Indians. Such was the sylvan scene on which the first English settlers made their appearance in 1681, and began the reclamation of the wilderness. What do we now see after a period of a hundred and seventy-three years ?— A city, the second in point of size in. the United States — second, liowcver to !IIP I PHILADELPHIA. 806 none m beauty, regularity, and aU the blessings attending on good order and intelUgence. We are called on so frequently to note the rapid progress of Amencan cities, that the subject ceases to excite surprise. There is something, however, more than usually wonderful in the growth of Philadelphia. At about the time of the Revolution, when the English abandoned it, the number of inhabitants, army mcluded, was only 21,000; so that when FrankUn was at the zenith of his glory as a philosopher and statesman, the city of his adoption was in reality but a comparatively small place. Since that not distant era, the population has mounted to nearly, if not beyond' 500,000; and to all appearance it is destined to equal that of New York. That Philadelphia may, indeed, be soon the first of American cities, would not be astonishing; for it possesses the advantage of being now, since railway communication was opened, on the speediest route from the Atlantic to the Ohio and Mississippi, and of having ample room to expand in its dimensions, which New York unfortunately has not. Every one has heard of the plainness of Philadelphia. According to ordinary notions, it is a plain brick town, with straight lines of street crossing each other at right angles, and altogether as dull and monotonous as its Quaker founders could have desired. In this, as in many things, the fancy dresses up a picture which is dispeUed by actual observation. So far from being a dull or dismal town, Philadelphia is found to be a remarkably animated city, with streets crowded with as fashionable a set of people as you could wish to see, and displaying a greater number of private carriages than are paraded in any other part of America. It may be allowed that the scheme of long and straight rows of kick building^s,^with scarcely any variation in shape, is ""* .--x.^i 1 . severe regularity in this respect T .t* ' tmmm»iitmja,tmimimmiiu,.id^. 306 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. is better than no plan at all, with the consequent con- fusion of streets, lanes, and mysterious back-courts with which such cities as London are afflicted. As a relief to the monotony of Pliiladelphia, the houses are con- structed of a species of brick so smooth and fine, and so neatly laid, that aU other brick-built cities siak in comparison. Then, let it be understood, that the basement story of many of the houses, the architraves, and nearly all the flights of steps to the doors, are of pure white marble. Next, take into account the punctiliously clean windows of plate-glass — the broad granite pavements — the well-swept, I might almost say washed, streets — the rows of leafy trees for shadowing the foot-passengers — ^the air of neatness generally prevailing — and you have a tolerable idea of the capital of Pennsylvania. Going into particulars, many other things strike the stranger. Latterly, the taste of the inhabitants has overleaped the primitive architectural design, and begun to substitute magnificent buildings of marble and red sandstone for those of brick. The ordinary height is also here and there exceeded; and now a pleasing variety takes the place of the ancient and much- complained of uniformity. Similar changes are observ- able in the naming of streets; although, all things considered, the old plan is perhaps the best. It con- sisted in distinguishing all the streets running one way according to numbers, as First, Second, Third Street, and so on ; and naming all those which proceeded in a cross direction, after trees, as Chestnut, Mulberry, Spruce Street, &c. The old names, as far as they went, are happily preserved. Running right across the town, from the Delaware to the Schuylldll, is Chestnut Street, the main or fashionable thoroughfare ; and near its centre, comprehending a space from First to Fourth Street, IB the chief seat of business oDerations* Suddenly S'nflflp'niv PHILADELPHIA. put down hereabouts, the English stranger would h. surprised at the traffic which seems to preTa^ t^" amve at the Delaware, which is faced by a long aZJ l.ke street, with a frontage of wooden wharfs iXn^ into the water; and here, as far as the eye can'T^^ nothmg .3 seen but the masts and cordage ofveS' he puffing of steamers arriving and departng a'd he strugglmg of draymen, porters, and sailors ^taldt ^rre'e^t^l'"'""^ ^"' """^"^"^ '^^^^^^^^'oZ merce. At the upper extremity of the ouav iha .i.i m»t of coal, brought down by'railwS frTm «t ^^ Pennsylvaman coal-fields, seems to be eondueted on so large a ^ale, that a Northumbrian might be decked mto the Idea that he was on the banks of the Ce Renewed and improved in various wavs, Philadelnhia hews few architectural relics of its early history We ee nothmg of any edifice in which Franklin I'sided and neither untU the time of my visit, had any pubUe monument been erected to his memory, which, howeve^ - preserved in connection with various in tiS ' Ue most remarkable building, dating from the pre.' revolutionary period, is the old State-house situated a short way back from the line of thor^^WarTl^ Chestnut Street, so as to form a kind of sm.are K IS a respectable, old-fashioned looking brick structure pa^lvJ / -^""f "'"' "PP^^ ^"»7, with a s^S pari^ly of wood rismg from the centre, and a wing added Z m4 Tff .''f ^^■«-'7'^«'' -- erected I, trij rJmbL ^/'^'^ aecommodation for the congressional assemblies of tne Kevolutioa; and it was here, in the i 808 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. large apartment on the left-hand side of the doorway, that the famed Declaration of Independence was signed. At present, the apartment, which is unfurnished, seems to be reserved as a sacred show-place for strangers. It contains a few relics of antiquarian interest; one of these being the bell which, at about two o'clock in the afternoon of the 4th of Jidy 1776, sounded a peal from the spire above, to announce that the Declaration had been subscribed. Having been subsequently fractured, it is now laid aside here as an object of ciu'iosity. The other apartments of the old State-house are occupied chiefly as courts of justice ; for Pliiladelphia, although the principal city of Pennsylvania, is not honoiu'ed by being made the place of meeting of the state legislature. That dignity, according to the usual American plan of huddling away the business of legislation into retired nooks, has, since 1813, belonged to the small town of Harrisburg, a hundred miles distant, on the Susquehanna river. Behind the old State-house is an enclosed space with rows of trees; no doubt an agreeable summer-lounge to the Hancocks, Washingtons, and Franklins of revo- lutionary memory. Adjacent to the ftirther extremity of the enclosure, is one of the few squares in the city, forming a lawn, with walks and seats, and prettily ornamented with trees. Od visiting this spot, which is open to the public, I was amused by observing the tame- ness of a number of gi-ay squirrels, which at call came down from their nests in the trees, and were fed by the children who were playing about the grass. It was pleasing to learn that these little animals did not suflFer any injury from the youthful visitors of the square, and that care was taken of them by the public. How much good, I thought, might be done, by thus accustoming children to look kindly on the creatures which God has committed to our general resrard and boimtv ! PHILADELPHIA. g^g Few Cities are so well provided with water as Philadelphia. Beyond the environs on the west the Thames, is dammed up and thro^vn baek into a capaeious pool, whence the water is led away and pumped by powerftd wheels into a resen.ir, nearfy 100 feet h.gh. By these means, 1,500,000 gaUons of water are raised every twenty-four h^urs, !nd sup everv f "^ TT '' *^' "'^ ^ ^^^^ provision, th!t every family has an ample command of this prime necessaiy of life. The water-works on the SchuyM form a favounte resort for the inhabitants of the city. The scene at the spot where the river falls over the bamer forming the dam, is veiy charmi^ Immediately beneath, a handsome suspelion-brg^e has lately been erected, by which access is readily obtained to the opposite banks. ^ In the neighbourhood of these hydrauUc-works is SI uated the celebrated Eastern PeniLtiary 7pL sylvama, which, originating in the efforts of a few humane mdividuals interested in the subject of penal disciphne, has formed a model for the svstem of pnsons now authorised in Great Britain.* Having visited pretty nearly all the large prisons in Germany! l^ance, and England, I felt a degree of interest in companng their arrangements with those in operation m this American institution. The plan adopted is that o± the separate system, as it is caUed, but with con- siderable modifications. About eleven acres of ground are suxromided by a wall thirty feet high, with battle- mented tm-rets; and in the middle of the enclosure is the pnson, designed on the principle of corridors radiat- ing from a central point. The cells open from, and are ranged along, the corridors, in the usual manner, each containuig a convict, who, from entry to dismissal, lives and works in his cell, and is allowed no communication 810 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. [■-f with other prisoners. In England, it is cistomary to permit the prisoners to have outdoor exercise at cer- tain hours in courtyards. Here, a more humane ond reasonable practice is followed. Each cell is provided with a small courtyard, into which the unhappy inmate may, during the day, step at pleasure. The door into this little airing-ground is at the 2nd of the cell opposite the door, and according to taste, is laid out partly as a parterre of flowers, in the cultivation of which the prisoner may relieve the Avretchedness of his confine- ment. In several instances, on entering the cells, I found the inmates in then* courtyards reading in the sunshine, wliich stole over the top of the high hound- ing- walls; and I thought, that this open communing with ,nature must have in it something soothing and improving to the feelings. Hand-weaving at small looms, and shoemaking, seemed the principal crafts pursued by the prisoners. In one of the cells, occupied by a shoemaker, there was a pair of pigeons, which sat meekly on the edge of a pail by the man's side; and on questioning him respecting these animals, he said he prized them as companions. 'They do me good,' he said, ' when I look at them : their cooing cheers me when I am alone.' I was glad that the prison authorities allowed the unfortunate man this simple pleasure. But it seems to be one of the aims of the directors of the institution, to neglect no means of operating on the moral sentiments of the prisoners. Though styled the separate system, the disciphne admits of the freest intercourse with respectable visitors. The best people in Philadelphia call upon, and hold converse with the convicts, who doubtless receive no small benefit through such agencies. The last cell I Adsited was double the size of the others, and occupied by a man who was busily engaged at a bench, making chairs with carpentry tools. On our PHILADELPHIA. 811 entry, he did not look up, but continued at his employ- ment He was a stcut-madc young man, probably not more than thirty years of age, with a good-humoured expression of countenanee, and was dressed in a linen blouse, confined round the waist. A more unlikely person for a criminal could hardly be imagined. After Mr '^*^°^"^*°^ observations, I inquired the nature of the offence for which he was committed. His answer was the single and startling word—' Murder '' afflug" "'^ '^" '^''' ' ^^'^'- His reply was a kiUed my wife; but it was in self-defence. She was a bad woman; she had been drinking with some men m my own house, and when I returned home after a short absence, she ran at me with an axe. I saved myself by holding out my razor, which happened to be m my pocket at the time; it unfortunately struck upon her neck, and she bled to death. I was tried, and condemned to twelve years' imprisonment.' Such was the man's story; and if true in all particulars, it seems to infer scant justice in the tribunals. On looking about, I observed a child's chest of drawers, which the prisoner said he had made for his daughter, who came at times to see him, and whose visits afforded him the only gleam of happiness in his lot. I could not but feel deeply interested in this individual; and I ventured to throw out the hope, that by good conduct he might by and by obtain a remission of his sentence. On the whole, after making a survey of the prison, and hearing explanations respecting its arrangements, I was more favourably impressed with the genial system pursued, than with the comparatively arid discipline which prevails in our penitentiaries. Besides this general receptacle for criminals, there are two houses of refuge for juvenile vagrants and offenders in Philadelphia— one vvii.bv, ^vUvL daounci iwi v;uiuiucu mraates ; for even in 813 THINGS A3 THEY ARE IN AMERICA. ii crime and suffering, colour asserts a distinction here as elsewhere in the States. The humane system of prison-disciplin? introduced into Pliiladelphia, seems to be appropriate in a city founded by a body of religionists whose aim has always been that of practical benevolence. Begun by Friends, this sect has left its impress on the public institutions, , and also the usages of the inhabitants, but has long since dwindled do^vn to be one of the least noticeable religious bodies in the city, and in the present day, the number of persons dressed as Quakers in the streets is in no way conspicuous. The public buildings of Philadelphia— such as banks, hospitals, churches, theatres, and other establishments, including a Merchants' Exchange— are of a more than usually elegant style of architecture; and it seemed as if in no city in the union was greater progress making than in this department of the arts. One of the more stately of these public edifices is the Girard Bank, in Thii-d Street, once occupied by Stephen Girard, and where that remarkable person amassed the large fortune which, at his death, was bequeathed to the city for the support of an institution for oi-phans, and other purposes. The Girard College, founded by this appropriation, and now occupied as an educational hospital for children, is situated at a short distance from the town on a high ground, towards the Schuyl- kill, and is by far the finest building, in point of size, material, and purely Grecian character, in the United States. On the evening after my an-ival, a gentleman kindly undertook to conduct me to this, the grandest architectural product of America. Placed as it is within a spacious pleasure-ground, I was struck with its mag- nificent proportions and general aspect. It is in form a parallelogram, composed entirely of white marble, with a basement of steps all round. With eight Corintliian 3tion licre as PHIIADEIPHFA. 813 pJlars at each end, and eleven on each side, supportinR a pediment and roof, it presents an exact model of the higher class Greek temples. The pillars are 6 feet i„ diameter, and 55 feet high, cxclnsive of base and capital stair t„T "''"? 't ^"''"''*'°"' ^ '^'""^''^ ^y «" inn« otr 1 . ' 7 ™™ " '""S'-'fi™"' view was obtained over the city and countiy to the west. The roof itself IS a eur.osity. It is composed of slabs of marble J out 1000 tons Consisting chiefly of class-rooms, the and other offieci-s, reside in two separate or ont bnild- ' MOnnn 7 f n ""r ™P''''' "«'»""™t cost nearly -,000,000 of dollars. I call it monument; for, like Heriot's and Donaldson's Hospitals at Edi^bu^h, t s, in reality, a thing devised by the founder to keep his name from sinking into oblivion. The rearing of eWdren in monastic establishments of th.s class, is an error of the past, which one does not expect t^ fi„S 8 ght of Giraid College, with aU its architectural fnlf ' !f!f''' ^""''■''' education, Pennsylvania has ndTol th "T'"' "* '^*'''' NewEnJand states and now the stranger wiU be gratified in witnessin.^ a completely ramified system, adapted to the wants of e^irrT.f' 'It'™"" '^''^'''" ^'^' ™d ^"''ucted pohcy. Nearly an entire day was devoted by me to ™.ti„g schools and academics established on this liberal basis; and, like aU who have made simik^ mqumes I rejoiced to see such admirable means adopted to msure the inteUigenee of future generations. 1 ,ll 7^'i "^"f '^^ '" *^^« ?""'<= ^"hools the of different classes of people attended without Wv^ I }<. ^.i if , 314 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. reserve— the son of a carter, for example, being seen beside the son of a judge— a state of things less imput- able to any republican notion, than to the fact, that the education given could not be c ceUed, if it could be at all approached, in any private establishment. Perhaps also, something is due to another fact ; which is, that the chUdren of a humbler class of persons are usually as weU dressed as those of a superior station; for in general circumstances, American operatives, with their high sense of self-respect, dress themselves and their famdies in a manner which admits of no challenge from the more opulent classes. The entire number of pubhcly supported schools, ranging from tlie primary to the higher establishments, is about 300, with upwards of 8p0 teachers, of whom the majority are young women specially educated for the purpose in a normal school. Besides these institutions, there are many denominational academics; and latterly, a School of Design has been commenced for the purpose of improving the tastes of young persons connected with manufacturing establishments. Like Boston and New York, Philadelphia aboimds in public libraries, museums, and scientific and artistic institutions. I was taken from library to libraiy through a long and bewildering series, each addressed to a diflbrcnt class of readers— apprentices, merchants, and men of scientific and literary acquirements. In this exem-sion, I visited the rooms of the American Philo- sophical Society- the oldest institution of the kind in the United States, having been begun by Dr Franklin, whose venerable portrait hangs in one of the apart- ments. The custodier of the institution, among other curiosities, shewed a number of letters of Franklin; and what Avas more historically interesting, the original draught of the Declaration of Independence by Jefferson, containing the fiery passage in reference to negro A. i, being seen ^s less imput- fact, that the t could be at it. Perhaps, t^hich is, that i are usually ition; for in s, with their 38 and their lo challenge tire number the primary rith upwards are young iry a normal 5 are many a School purpose of inected with lia abounds and artistic to library ti addressed merchants, its. In this lean Philo- the kind in 'r Franklin, the apart- nong other Franklin; ;he original y Jefferson, I to nao-rn — o — PHILADELPHIA. gp slavery, which was discreetly struck out on the final revisal of the document. Once the poHtical metropolis of the States, nothing ot that character now pertains to Philadelphia but the national Mint, which, for some special reasons, has not been removed to Washington. After a sight of the Itoyal Mint in London, one would not expect to find any novelty here; but the establishment is exceedin-lv worthy of being .-isited, if only to see the extent of the coming process, and the beauty of the mechanism which 18 employed. Accommodated in a large marble building with a portico and pillars in front, the Mint is conducted ^^th a singular accuracy of arrangement under proper officers, and according to the latest improvements in the arts. Many of the lighter operations, including the weighmg and filing of the gold pieces, and the assortmg of quantities of coin, are performed by younn- women. Wliile being politely conducted through the several departments by the principal of the establish- ment, I mqmred what means were adopted for secmin- the integrity of the persons employed; and was told i^ reply, that none was attempted beyond the ordinary checks as to weight. ' Our true check, howevei- said the mteUigent functionary, ^s the sentiment of self- respect All are put on their honour, and the smaUest act of dishonesty in one would be felt as a disgrace to the whole. We are repaid for our confidence-nothini? IS lost; thefts are unknown.^ Can they be a bad people, of whom such a character is given ? I think not. Since the discovery of gold in CaHfornia, the coinage lias been immense. Travellers, a few years ago, spoke of the abundance and wi'etchedness of the paper-money circulatmg everywhere through tlie States. You still see doUar-notes, purporting to be issued by state and CKy banks; but, to all appearance, the circulating i I 316 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. medium is to a very large extent, if not chiefly, in gold coins. At the time of my visit, the principal deficiency was in silver, for small-change ; though new quarter dollars of that metal, resembling an English shilling, were coming into use, and are now perhaps plentiful! The most common coins were the gold dollar— a most beautiful smaU piece— the two-and-a-half doUar, and the fivp-doUar piece. The eagle— a ten-doUar gold coin —was seldom visible, and more seldom still, the double eagle. Latterly, it has been proposed to coin fifty- dollar gold pieces; and some of an octagonal form of that amount have been actually executed at California, and are seen in the windows of the money-changers in New York. On looking over the collection of native and ^foreign coins in the Mint at Philadelphia, it is observable that the Americans come quite up to the English in some details of mechanical execution, but are still distanced in artistic design. The devices on the various American pieces, gold and silver, are not elegant, neither is the die-sinking so perfect as it might be; and to an improvement in both these points, the United States' governmei ^ for the sake of its own credit, could not do better than direct attention. It appeal^ that for several years the coinage in the Mint at Philadelphia has been upwards of 50,000,000 of dollars per annum. Taken in connection with the pro- duct of the English and French Mints, it is stated on authority, that the coined money ushered into existence in the year 1853, attained the value of £38,725,831— a quantity of hard cash added to the ordinary currency which gives an impressive idea of the industrial transactions of modem times. After all that a stranger can say of the more remarkable edifices and institutions in a city — after describing the aspect of the streets and of the people who crowd them— he necessarily leaves oflp with the PHILADELPHIA. gjy conviction, that he has failed to impart a fuU and correct idea of what came under his notice. How for example am I able to communicate a just notion of the mteUigence, the refinement, the enterprise of the Phdadelphians-their agreeable and hospitable society, their pleasant evening-parties, their love of literatu/e their happy blending of the industrial habits of the north with the social usages of the south? All this must be left to conjecture, as weU as the Oriental luxury of their dwellings, and the delicate beauty of their ladies I only indulge in the hope that these fair and fascmatmg beings will not accuse me of want of gaUantry in hinting to them, in the gentlest possible mamier, that they have one fardt-at least I think they have-one, however, common to all their country- women, and that is, staying too mucli in the house in an atmosphere not quite, but nearly, as hot as that Ih ti° ; T *""^^^^ '"'^'''^'^^ apartments, with the streams of warm air rushing out of gratings from some unimaginable hot cavern beneath-siroccos of the desert led, as a matter of fancy, into drawing- rooms-languor-promoting and cheek-blanching gales -enemies to health and longevity ! How the ordinary duties of life are carried on in these hot-houses, I cannot understand. Sometimes I was inclined to think that there must be a great chilliness in American constitutions-that they must feel cold much more readily than we do in Eng'and, where, even in the coldest weather, houses are rarely heated beyond 65 degrees and that by open fires promotive of ventilation l^om whatever reason, the Americans heat their dweU- mgs to a degree of which we in the old country have not tho faintest conception. That such a practice is the mam cause of a want of rosy colour in the com- piexion, and that appearance of prematm-e old a-e in ...^ ^-,i..ono wi „otli a^xva, IS past a doubt; though I 818 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. f < Kw am not aware that the subject has met with attention from physiologists. ' What with the thin dry air out of doors, and hot stoves within, the Americans/ said a facetious friend, 'get themselves regularly baked— shrivelled up before their time. No wonder they are everlastingly drinking cold water: if they did not keep moistening themselves, they would dry up to mummies.' This joke was rather hard, but not altogether un- deserved. Philadelphia is somehow associated, par excellence, m the minds of the English with the idea of America. When we think of the history of that great country, or of its statesmen, or patriots, up comes the notion of Philadelphia in a very remarkable way. The story of Franklin's early struggles, imprinted on the mind of every boy, has perhaps something to do with this psychological spectrum. We all recollect his eflPorts to get up a printing-office— the deceptions promises of the Enghsh governor to lend him money to import a small stock of types— his newspaper, started originally by Keimar in 1723, and the second in the proviT.ce— his experiments in drawing lightning from the clouds— and many ether interesting circumstances in his career. It is now about a hundred and twenty years since Franklin commenced as a bookseller and printer in Philadelphia, and gave, as it may be said, a literary reputation to the place. From small beginnings, the trade in the pro- duction of books has increased so largely, that now the city in this respect is a formidable rival to Boston and New York. Besides a large number of magazines, and journals of science and art, published periodically, there were, at the time of my visit, as many as twelve or thirteen daily, and upwards of forty weekly, newspapers —several of them reHgious, for Sunday-reading. From several pubhshing-houses, there are issued vast quan- tities of books in miscellaneous literature; and here. PHILADELPHIA. g^g among other curiosities which interested me profes- sionally I alighted upon the large concern of Messrs Lippmcott Grambo, and Company, which, independ- Sp ^ ^K r P^^^^^^g^ ^^rries on the peculiar busmess of book-merchants. A spacious building severe stones in height, is stored, floor above floof ^th books gathered from aU the publishers in the Union, as well as from England, and ready for selection and pm-chase by retaU-booksellers coming from every part of the States. Any person, for example, wish'g to open a book-store in California, or some other distant quarter, may here, in a walk from bin to bin acqmre such a varied stock as suits his purse or his mchnation. Say that he is going to open for a season at Saratoga, the White Sulphur Springs of Vu-gima or any other fashionable watering-place, there he has his choice of handy Httle volumes, flashUy gilt, m the hght line. Or, say that he wishes to go into the school or heay trade, stiH he finds a mine of material ready to his fingers. In an hour, he might load a wagon with all the varied Hteraiy wares he can possibly reqiure; just as a country draper, dropping into one of the streets about Cheapside, is able to lay in his misceUaneous stock of haberdashery for the season. I was told by one of the principals of the firm, that it had dealings in every seat of population of any import- ance from New Orleans to Toronto, and from the Atlan ic to beyond St Louis. Think of commercial travellers being despatched on a journey of 2000 mUes —as far as from Londoii to Cairo or Jerusalem I Such concerns as this are types of the manufacturing and trading establishments of Philadelphia, which, in diflerent departments, is maldng extraordinary endea- vom's to reach the position taken from it half a century a^o by New York. A person accustomed to tnink ot Birminsfham ns ih^ ^^i" — ^-^ - ' i- 820 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. ft.' * 'I !■■! manufactures in metal^ would be surprised to see the large establishments in Philadelphia for the production of that single article, the locomotive, of which several hundreds are exported annually to England. In a factory of another kind, I foimd 800 persons employed in making gas-lustres and chandeliers ; and in a third, were seen 150 operatives engaged in the manufacture of gold chains and other varieties of jewellery. In the fabrication of military and ladies' dress-trimmings, some hundreds of hands are also employed; and one house pointed out to me, was said to make 1000 umbrellas and parasols in a day. The manufactures of the place are stated as amounting to the value of 04,000,000 of dollars per annum. The opulence introduced through this ,means is vastly augmented by the produce of the rich mineral fields of Pennsylvania, which here finds an outlet. As has been hinted, New York has taken the place of Philadelphia as the leading entrepot of com- merce in the States — an event traceable in some degree to its readier access from Europe, but principally to the opening of the Erie Canal, and other channels of com- munication with the ' Great West.' Neglectful of its interests in this respect, and with capital directed to mining industry, Philadelphia has seen its rival on the Hudson outstrip it in the race of prosperity. At length, awakened to a sense of their danger, and recovered from a temporary financial depression, the Philadelphians are going ahead at a great rate, and it will behove New York to look to its laurels. No Atlantic city can ever take a commanding position, if unprovided with a direct and easy access to the valleys of the Ohio and Mississip|)i, and the great lake-countries on the north. Philadelphia has found that out, and by means of railways recently opened, is busied in getting back the traffic which it ought never to have parted with. One thing, however, is wanting. Reposing on I to see the B production hicli several and. In a ns employed i in a third, nufacture of ry. In the mings, some I one house umbrellas of the place 1,000,000 of 2ed through duce of the ere finds an ,s taken the )6t of corn- some degree pally to the lels of cora- ectful of its directed to rival on the At length, i recovered iladelphians will behove tlantic city unprovided of the Ohio ries on the it, and by i in getting lave parted deposing on PHILADELPHIA. jjgl the west on the one side, it wiU need to cultivate an mtercourse with England on the other The Delaware must be the port of entry and departure of hrst-class steamers in weekly communication with Southampton or Liverpool; for at present, no incon- siderable portion of the goods and passengers for Philadelphia require, for the sake of speed, to go round by New York— a ch-cumstance attended with numerous mconveniences. I beheve the Delaware-a massive river, and presenting miles of frontage for traffic— is fitted to bear with safety, to and from the ocean, vessels of any burden; and with such an estuary, and such internal resom^ces, it would be difficult to assign a hmit to its greatness. I left Philadelphia with more regret than I had experienced in departing from any other city in America. As regards good organisation, refinement, and prospenty, the only eastern city fit to be named with it is Boston; and when I add Toronto, the three seats of population are mentioned, which, according to my fancy, offer the attractions usually sought for by a class of emigrants whose aim goes beyond mere money-makmg or the ordinary necessities of existence Philadelphia, though not picturesque, is invested with charms to invite the settlement of the enterprising, the tasteful, and the moderately opulent. In the far northern townships, the severity of winter and the brevity of summer may repel the fastidious in climate; but nothing is left to pine for on the banks of the lovely SchuylkiU or the noble Delaware. Even the idler, who needs the habitual solacement of his clubs, his whist-parties, his conversaziones, and his billiards' will have no difficulty in discovering the objects of his search in Philadelphia. Hastening^northwards, by a railway train which took me through Trenton, the scene of Washington's famous u 829 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. exploit, after crossiiijif the Delaware on the night of Christmas 1776, I arrived in New York a day or two before my departure for England; and here I may pause to make some general observations suggested by my exeursion. ic night of day or two ere I may 1 suggested CHAPTER XIX. KAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. U^tof ^SfT ''"'' ''' cxtraordmary feature of the resources of the country, and effecting such changes on the general aspect of affairs, that in a few years tace an inconceivable progress will have been atta ned There are some things so pecuHar about the American on ^l that I propose to offer a few explanations on the subject the res.at of personal inquiry and of mformation derived from official papers Railways for the transport of stone and coal eame 826IT «9.''' ^^?«^-husetts and Pennsylvania in 1826 and 1827, and increased in number fbr general traffic up to 1848, when 6000 miles of raUway were completed throughout the States. Since that stage m their history, they have considerably increased, and been pushed to great distances towards the interior In October 1853, the length of railways in actual operation in the United States was 14,494 miles, nearly one-half of which was in the New England States and n the state of New York. The number of railways in these states, and also in Penn -ylvania, sm^rises every traveller from Europe. They are seen radiating in several directions from every city, interlining and crossmg and sending out branches, so as to bring every seat of nonulation of nnxr i«>r.«^ -•-^_ , ^ ^ __ — J ixxijjwj. i/aiii;c iiiio reaay ib«;i 824 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. communication with the chief marts of commerce. In Massachusetts alone, in the early part of 1853, there were about 1200 miles of railway — a large number for a state with one-third of the population of Scotland. At the same period, New York had 3123 miles; Pennsylvania, 1244 miles; and Ohio, which is by comparison a newly settled state, 1385 mUes. Large extensions have now been made in all; and the entire railway-system of the United States at the present moment may be said to comprehend nearly 18,000 miles, with several thousand miles in course of con- struction. It is anticipated that, previous to the year 1860, there will be completed within the Hmits of the United States at least 35,000 miles of railway. Th^ principle pursued in organising this marvellous system of transport, has been, in the first place, to lest satisfied with single lir.es untd the resources of a district were so far opened up, and capital thereby created, as to warrant the construction of double tracks. Only a few have as yet attained the dignity of double lines. I have no recollection of seeing more than one railway which had reached this degree of maturity — that down the banks of the Hudson to New York — and even it is only double at particular places. It will be understood, therefore, that American railways are almost all only single tracks, and do not admit of trains passing each other, except at appointed stations. Sometimes a train has to stop for an hour tiU the arrival of the one in the opposite direction; but this, as with other inconveniences, is felt to be of inferior moment in comparison with. having no railway at all ; and keeping in remembrance the wretched state of the ordinary roads, or rather tracks in mud, not worthy of the name of roads, I am not in the least surprised at the patience shewn by Americans in waiting for trains at mid- way stations. merce. In L853, there number for f Scotland. 123 miles; liich is by [es. Large I the entire he present irly 18,000 rse of con- ;o the year aiits of the marvellous t place, to purees of a tal thereby of double the dignity jeeing more degree of Hudson to t particular t American lS, and do except at as to stop he opposite miences, is irison -with membrance or rather of roads, I mce shewn ay stations. RAILWAYS, TKLEORAPHS, AND OTnEK THINOS. 335 In general, however, there is not n.uch detention nn th.s aeeount; it being ordinarily contrived ha meat Td^stc*:^:" "* *^ ''"''' -''- »* --"'^Je' Contented at the outset with single lines, the pro- jectors of raUways are also satisfied with oZr simple and economic arrangements. Where bridges or mducts are required, they are usually const^cS of logs of wood, both for the upright supp"„1 ^ossWrs applied in a rough L'e from'CadT' ^thout pohsh or painting. In some instances, there are long viaduct connections of this kind across above the surface, that the trains seem as L nmmng on the water. I seldom saw anyTedg^s to these viaducts; and nothing could have sa^d th» trams had they slipped from the track In the ml viaducts across rivers, constructed at a considerable cost of stone and iron. There is a handsomrSe of this kmd near Philadelphia, and another of st "pen ofTau':^:"''"" "" ^"^ ""'^ ^"'"^ '""' l^r^^Zl The rails ordinarily employed are of the T 8han» common in England, whence they are 4eJ i~T: and the gauge is, with some exceptions, our Z ^dth of 4 feet 81 inches. The univer^ pictice Ttrw them m an unexceptionable mam.er on tlsverse wooden sleepers, of which there seems to be noTealci^ anywhere, for they are generally placed not mo eTat a foot apart; this abundance of sleepers appLntlv compensatmg for a want of proper ballaLg or pS with grave . Little trouble is taken to ^7 hf surface to drain the sides, or to fence the lines. Where the railways mtersect cultivated fields, or patches of ! superior kind of pa^nre-Iand "-- ''- ^'■^^^°* » ' — c -unu, «„c uncs are enclosed .•^I 826 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. Tf itli the usual zigzag rails ; but in many places there are no fences of any kind, and the lines can be crossed by foot-passengers without challenge. Sometimes, owing to the want of fences, cattle stray upon the lines, and are killed; although, to avert such catastrophes, the locomotives are provided with a shelving-fender in front, called a cow-catcher, which is intended to clear the tracks of any large object that may be in the way. At various places, the railways proceed for miles through thick forests of tall trees, and there the prospect from the windows of the cars is wild and solemn. Lofty pines, intermingled with birch and maple, rise like a wall on each side. Here and there, occur small clear- ings, in which huge trunks and boughs are strewn about, rotting into moidd, or gathered together in heaps to be burned. Sometimes the outermost trees have been partly torn up by the roots by the last gale of wind, and recline on those behind them, or impend in dangerous proximity to the line, as if nodding in anger at the passing trains — monarchs of the wood, whose reign in these ancient solitudes has been strangely intruded upon by the rushing enginery of modern transport. Probably, there is a law to enjoin the cutting down of trees witliin a proper distance of die hue; but if there be, it is not always strictly regarded. From the neglect of such precautions, trees that are blown down occasionally fall across the tracks, causing accidents or stoppages. On coming from Cleveland towards Buffalo, through a forest which skirts Lake Erie, I learned that, two days previously, a fallen tree had retarded the train for several hours, and caused considerable inconvenience to the passengers. The economising of means is likewise carried to a considerable length in the construction of inexpensive station-houses. The more important termini, at the aces there crossed by les, owing lines, and 3phes, the er in front, clear the way. At 3s through ipect from n. Lofty rise like a nail clear- ire strewn ;r in heaps trees have ist gale of impend in odding in the wood, has been Qginery of ' to enjoin r distance ys strictly recautions, across the 'n coming L a forest two days train for 3nvenience rried to a nexpensive ni, at the EAILWAYS, TELEOaAPIIS, AND OTHER THINGS. 327 principal cities, consist of handsome suites of offices for the sale of tickets, waiting-rooms, and other purposes, but on a scale very inferior in point of grandeur to what we see at Euston Square— the very outJay on the pillai-ed entrance to that estabUshment being enough to make a railway of moderate extent on the American pattern. At PhUadelphia and Washington, the termini are more than usually elegant. Those of New York are commonplace, and confused in their arrangements : nor do they require to be of an imposing J..,racter ; for in the last-mentioned city, the cars enter and depart in detachments, drawn by horses. The method of con- structing the cars with steps accessible from the ground, renders higli platforms unnecessary; and such shght elevations as ai'e placed for the accommodation of passengers, being made of wood, Uke a raised flooring, there is, in this particidar also, a saving of outlay. In the waiting-apartments, there is likewise nothing very fine; and the only distinction is a separate reception- room, and in many places a separate wicket for the sale of tickets, exclusively for ladies. At many stations on the western lines, I observed no waiting-rooms of any kind, if we exclude from that category the space outside the bar of the ticket-seller. At Richmond, in Virginia, I was set down in the middle of the pubhc street, and saw no trace of a station-house, further than a small office where tickets were obtained. So far, it will be perceived that an American rail- way is got up on an exceedingly cheap plan; and, placed in comparison with the magnificently con- structed lines of England, it might be pronounced a rude and shabby afikir. As regards initiatory expenses, something instructive can be said. In most of the states, each railway company requires to have a special statute or charter, which is procured at an insignificant cost ; aU that is necessarv beino- fn sTinm 328 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I that the proposed company is provided with means to carry out its undertaking. In several states, including New York and Ohio, no special charter is now needed for a railway. A general railway law prescribes the rules to be followed by aU corporate concerns; and within the provisions named, any rail- way company, if it has the means, may commence operations. There is thus, in reality, no impediment to the covering the whole country with railways; and this freedom is imparted on the solid ground, that each company best knows its own interests, and that nobody will be so foolish as to throw away money in making a railway, any more than in setting up a store, or building a factory, where it is not wanted. This free-and-easy system may be attended with evils; but some will perhaps think it preferable to the expensive and generally ftitile contests about railway bills ir Parliament. Thus relieved of many ex^ ases which weigh heavily on our system, and diminish profits, the American railway companies have the ftirther advantage of getting land for nothing, or at very insignificant prices. In the western, or imimproved parts of the countiy, land for railways is sometimes given by town- ships, counties, or the state authorities, in order to encourage capitalists; and I heard even of instances in which the public contributed not only the land, but the earth-works— so much alive are the people to the advantage of having a district opened up by such communication. In the older settled states, land is less easily procured, and may have cost in many places as much as iilO to £20 an acre ; the highest of these prices, however, being not more than a twentieth of what is paid for some of the most wTetched land in Great Britain. The only expenses worth speaking of in the 1 means 1 states, larter is way law !orporate my rail- ramence )ediment ailways ; ground, ists, and w away than in ;re it is may be think it ' futile heavUv merican tage of jnificant of the y town- ►rder to istances le land, people up by states, n many ?hest of ^entieth land in in the RAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. 329 construction of American railways, are those incurred for labour and for iron raus. Wood for sleepers can m many places, be had for the cost of cutting and preparing. To the great open prairies, wood as well as rails must, of course, be brought from distant quarters; but the expense of carriage is balanced by the comparatively light cost of earth-works. In these prames, a railway may be carried 500 miles in a straight Ime on nearly a dead-level — the line stretching onward through grass and flowers without the shghtest obstruction, and appearing to the eye like a zone girdling the earth. In these level regions the cost for railways, including every outlay, is stated to be about 20,000 doUars per mile; but the general average cost over the whole States, as I see by an official document, is 34,307 dollars, or about ^6866 per mUe. No doubt, this is a small sum compared with the average cost of our great lines, swollen by the rapacity of lando^vTiers, by parliamentary expenses and extravagances of various kinds. But as single lines, of an economical kind, are now being constructed m Scotland for little more than J4000 per mUe I am inclined to think that, but for the protective duties imposed on foreign rails (and perhaps, also, a little quiet jobbing), the cost of lines in the United States aU things considered, would be materially less than it is.* An English railway, as is well known, is secluded fa-om end to end within palings and gateways, the whole tormmg an enclosure from which passengers are not allowed to make their exit without delivering up their tickets. Things are entirely different in the United 502 7^7"o nnn^'.*n' *°*1 sum invested in railways in tlie United States was OJi,770,000 dollars, of which amount 300,000,000 dollars were borrowed on bonds, at an interest of 8 to 10 per cent, per annum. Th« «,fLrr.nf<.d actual pronts ot the railway companies vary from o to 10 per cent 1 1 fi 830 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. States. The side-palings, as above mentioned, are at best only fences of particular fields; and near the stations no gates are employed to detain passengers. Every kind of mechanism for seclusion is rendered imnecessary, by the plans for selling and receiving back tickets. Within all the principal termini, there are offices where tickets may be procured, and there are likewise, in every city of importance, general railway agency-offices, resembling shops, where tickets for a series of railways, en suite, may be purchased. There seems to be considerable competition among the agents who keep these establishments, in order to induce passengers to go by particular lines. Their shops are known by flaming placards hung out at the doors, and vast quantities of handbills are distributed, recommen- datory of certain routes as the cheapest and speediest. It would be impossible to give an idea of the profusion with which such alluring advertisements are scattered among travellers. At the hotels, they are literally sown broadcast on the ground; it being nothing singular to see a lad enter with a mass of yellow or pink coloured biUs, and throw them about on the tables, chairs, and floor of the bar, to be picked up and read according to pleasure. Whether purchased from agents, or at the stations, the tickets do not carry any date, further than the year in which they are issued. The practice is to sell all the tickets required in the route, although embracing the lines of several companies. In England, there is a more convenient plan of issuing a single through- ticket, which carries the passenger forward to the end of his journey. I am not aware that this is adopted any where in America. So far as my experience goes, the passenger is furnished with several tickets for the line of railway on his route. Comparatively few per- sons, however, put thfiTnsRlvps tn th"^ ti'O"^^!'^ -^^ wq,*+;Tifr led, are at near the )a8sengers. rendered iving back there are there are al railway cets for a d. There the agents to induce shops are loorsj and scommen- speediest. profusion scattered I literally ; nothing w or pink le tables, and read 1 stations, L the year eU all the acing the lere is a through- 3 the end i adopted nee goes, s for the few per- Turqi-firirr RAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. 331 to buy tickets at the stations, but unceremoniously enter the cars, and take their seats even at the last moment, leaving the business of settlement to be adjusted with the conductor. Let me say a word respecting this functionary. An American conductor is a nondescript being, half clerk, half guard, with a dash of the gentleman. He is generaUy weU dressed; sometimes wears a beard; and when off duty, he passes for a respectable personage at any of the hotels, and may be seen lounging about in the best company vdth a fashionable wife. No one would be surprised to find that he is a colonel in the miHtia, for 'good Whips' in the old coaching-time are known to have boasted that distinction. At aU events the conductor would need to be a person of some integ- rity, for the check upon his transactions is infinitesi- mally smaU. One thing is remarkable about liim— you do not get a sight of him tiU the tram is in motion, and when it stops he disappears. I can account for this mysterious featm-e in his character, only by supposing, that as soon as he touches terra firma he removes from the front of his hat the word blazoned in metal, which indicates his office; and so aU at once becomes an ordinary human being. The suddenness of his appearance, when the train gets under-way, is very marvellous. Hardly have the wheels made a revolution, when the door at one end of the car is opened, and the conductor, like a wandering spirit, begins his rounds. ^ alkmg down the middle, ^vith a row of seats on each side, and each seat holding two persons, he holds out his hand right and left as he proceeds, allowing no one to escape his vigilance. All he says is 'Ticket'' and he utters the word in a dry, callous tone, as if it would cost something to be cheerful. If you have already bought a -ticket, you render it up to this abrupt demand, and a check-ticket is given m I' ' 332 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. exchange. Should you have followed the ordinary- practice, and have no ticket to produce, the conductor selects the ticket you require from a small tin box he carries imder his arm, and you pay him the cost of it, increased in price to the extent of five cents, as a penalty for having had to buy it in the cars — such fine being exigible, according to a printed notification on the walls of the station-houses. Having finished off in the car in which you are seated, the conductor opens the door at the further end, steps from the platform across a gulf of two feet, to the platform of the next car; and so goes through the whole train, till he reaches the van devoted to the baggage, where he has a kind of den for counting his fnoney, and cogitating over his affairs. But as there is no rest for the wicked, so there is no repose for a conductor. Just before coming up to a station, he makes his appearance, and takes a deliberate survey of his customers, receiving checks from those who are about to depart. When the train is in motion again, the same ceremony is gone through — rather trouble- some, it must be owned; but the conductor has a faculty for remembering who have checks for a long, and who for a short journey, and ceases io say ^Ticket' more than two or three times to arybody. When it grows dark, the conductor does njt trust to the lamp which lights up each car; he carries a lantern with a strong reflector, which enables 'lim to scrutinise the equivocal bank-notes that may be tendered in payment. To enable him to perform this operation satisfactorily, the lantern is made with a tin hoop beneath, and through this ring the arm is thrust, so as to leave both hands disengaged. The checks which are distributed and collected by the conductor in the manner just explained, consist of narrow pieces of pasteboard about three inches long, I ordinary conductor II tin box 1 the cost ; cents, as ;ars — such Lotification 1 you are le further ■ two feet, s through [evoted to ' counting But as no repose a station, F.te survey e who are Lon again, V trouble- bor has a )r a long, Y ^Ticket' f. When ist to the a lantern scrutinise idered in operation tin hoop thrust, so lected by i, consist 3hes long. RAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. 333 and are of some use to traveUers. On one side there is a list of the various stopping-places, with the inter- mediate distances in mUes; and thus, on consulting them, we are able to ascertain our progress. Informa- tion m this form is very desirable; for as there is a great deficiency of railway-officers at the stations, and as the conductor is usually out of the way when you want to ask a question, you are very much left to such knowledge as the checks and the American Bradshaw are able to furnish. Wanting the precision, and, it maybe, the comfort of the EngHsh railway-system, the routine of procedure m America is in one respect superior. I aUude to the arrangements connected with baggage. Every train possesses a luggage-van (caUed a crate), and within an openmg in its side is found a baggage-master, who takes charge of every person^s luggage without any additional fee. The way this is done deserves notice. On going up to the baggage-master with a portmanteau, he, on learning your destination, attaches a brass-plate on which a number is struck, the plate being hung to a leather strap which he loops through the handle of the portmanteau. At the same time, he gives you a dupli- cate brass-plate, on producing which at the end of your journey, your portmanteau is rendered up. At all the principal termini, you are spared the trouble of even looking aftM- your luggage. Just before arrival, the baggage-master leaves his van, and walking through the cars, asks every person if he would like his luggage delivered, and where. Thankfiil to be relieved of what is at best an annoyance, you give up your duplicate brass-ticket, the number of which is immediately entered in a book, with the name of the hotel you are going to; and, behold! in half an hour or less after arrival^ there lies youi' luggage on the floor of your bedroom! This trouble is requited by a smaii fee, which is paid S34 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. by the clerk of the hotel, and entered in your account. There is a very extensive process of baggage-deUvery of this kind in New York and other large cities. I should, however, recommend travellers in the States to carry with them only a hand-valise, or carpet-bag, which they would be allowed to take with them into the cars. Economical as the trains are in general construction, and with little cost, as I should think, for attendants, the expense of runnmg them must also bear but lightly on the revenue. The common rate of speed is from twenty to thirty miles per hour. Two passenger-trains, each way per diem, is an ordinary allowance; and from the general levelness of the county, the cost of haulage cannot be excessive. English locomotives consume coke, manufactured for the purpose; but American engines are much less nice in this respect— they ' fire up ' with billets of wood, procured at a trifling cost, and stored in large stacks along the road, ready for use. From this rough ftiel, when ignited, sparks risi in large quantities; but to prevent their egress, a capacious grating is placed over the chimney, and we do not hear of any damage being done by them. For the most part, the engines are powerful, and seem fit for any kind of work. The most peculiar thing of all about these railways is the passenger-carriage— always called a 'car' by the Americans. The object which 'ii exterior appearance most nearly resembles an Amencan railway-car, is one of those houses on wheels which accompanies travelling shows and menageries ; the only difference being that the car is double the length. The car is, in reality, nothing more than a long wooden box, painted yellow, with a roundish shaped roof; a door at each end ; and a row of windows at each side. Outside the door, is a small platform, provided with a flight of steps on each side. r account, je-delivery cities. I :he States arpet-bag, them into istruction, ttendants, bear but of speed ir. Two ordinary s of the excessive. ;tured for luch less J of wood, ge stacks ►ugh fiiel, j; but to is placed y damage e engines k. ! railways ir' by the ppearance ar, is one travelling ? that the 'j nothing V, with a i a row of } a small 3ach side. RAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. 335 and wMch reaches to within a foot of the ground. The platfonn is guarded by an outer railing excent in form to platform, along the whole train. Passengers, If hey ple.se, may also perform this feat while the d^er" LTh"^ .'"* '' '' "°* ^^**-d^d with danger, and there is a placard within the cars cautiomng persons from standing on the platforms. So^r/ ''^?^"* ^ *^^^ ^*^ri°^ organisation. Some have a small apartment at one end for ladies or nurses with children. More commonly, they con^So a long unbroken sweep, with two rows of seats, and a pathway of eighteen inches between. Fully seated a car should hold thirty persons on each si^forftok ot sixty • but allowing space for a stove, the number is generaEy fifty.six or fif^.eight; and My e^;ped ^'IJ^'p . '. """'^ ^ '^ "^^*^ ^200 doUars, or ft V T ^r'"^^ *^^ narrowness of the railway- track I often wondered how these cars could accom- modate four persons in the breadth, independently of the pathway between the seats. Space is obtained only by makmg the cars overhang the track, to a" much greater extent than we are accustomed to in i^ngland Mounted on two swivel-trucks, one before a.d another behind, each with four wheds, the ca^ long as It is, turns round a comer with the ease of a gentleman^s carriage; by which contrivance, in sur- veying for a railway, it is not thought necessary to make lon^ sweepmg curves. Running, as has been mentioned, right through cities and across highways, with no other protection to the pubhc than the caution to 'Look out for the locomotive when the bell rings,^ it is matter for surprise that so few accidents, comparatively speaking, take place, irernaps somftthiTio- is /i«« +« 4.i.„ •.. . ^ , m Perhaps something is due to the circu 836 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. the conductor can at all times communicate with the engine-driver by means of a cord, which is confined like a bell-wire along the ceiling of each car, and arranged at the starting of the trains. Such accidents as occur, arise chiefly from carelessness; and it was my impression, from what fell under my notice, that there is much recklessness in the management, and a general indiffiBrence to regularity or safety. Candidly considered, the American railway-system has many imperfections. Its rude arrangements, including the plan of making no distinction in the classes of travellers, would never pass muster in Europe. Nevertheless, it is well adapted to the wants of the great new country in which it has been naturalised, and Ye may expect that it will in time undergo every desirable improvement. Already the most gigantic efibrts have been made to unite the chief cities on the Atlantic with the Valley of the Mississippi and the vast regions westward and northward from it. From Port- land in Maine, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, lines now proceed direct to the interior, where they are united to other lines, either finished or about to be so, by which a traveller may reach the principal cities in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Wis- consin. Joined to the lines now constructed, and forming in Canada, the north wiU be thoroughly laid open for settlement; and connected with a line pro- ceeding southwards from Illinois, traffic will be opened up on the one hand with Mobile and New Orleans, and on the other, with the regions bordering on Lakes Huron and Superior. The next steps are to reach Oregon and California ; and the maimer in which such extensions are to be executed now engages earnest con- sideration. The most urgently called for of these lines is that to California, by a pass through the Rocky Mountains ; and when this is efiected, it ^vill be possible with the confined car, and accidents id it was tice, that nt, and a ly-system igements, »n in the 1 Europe, ts of the ituralised, rgo every gigantic es on the i the vast 'om Port- phia, and interior, • finished reach the md Wis- :ted, and ighly laid line pro- 3e opened leans, and on Lakes to reach hich such nest con- hese lines le Rocky e possible RAILWAYS, TELEGRAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. 337 to reach San Francisco in four days from New York and by the additional means of steam-vessels, to go round the world in three months. Traversing from the borders of the Mississippi to San Francisco/a coun^S ^hn^TrK '"; ;f ^' '^' ^' ^'^"^^^ b^ undertake! without liberal aid from government. We may venture to hope this will not be refused; for on no more noble object could the overplus public funds be employed, than m uniting by railway the Atlantic with the Pacific and so pouring across America the copious stream of i^uropean and Asiatic commerce. From the great, though still imperfect, railwav orgamsatxon of the States, we obtain but an inadequate Idea ot the mdomitable energy of the people, and the mighty field over which they direct their enterprise I .nT^ ^""^ "'^'^' navigation, extending over more* than 1(^000 mUes, is in itself a wonder ; and in"h"' as m all other affairs, private enterprise greatly excels the operations of the government. In truth the government, with a multiplicity of interests to 'con- ciliate, and naturally weak in its authority, is left comply behind in the race of public improvement. ihe fact of there being, in 1852, maU-routes to the aggregate length of 214,284 mHes, and post-offices to the number of 20,901, is outshone by the statistics of the express-system for forwarding parcels, money &c Conducted by private individuals and companies* and origmating only about twelve years ago, the vanous express-houses are the goods and money carriers of the Union, and have now agencies in every part of the States and Canada; one company alone employing 1500 men, and its dispatches travelling not less than 25,000 miles per diem. The system of intercommunication is completed by the operations of the telegraph companies. In the states, tiixee kiuds of telegraphs are employed— those 838 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. of Morse, House, and Bain; the diflFerence between them being maiidy the method of indication. That which came chiefly under my notice, was the plan of printing the messages on a narrow slip of paper. Unitedly, the various telegraphic-systems pervade the entire region between the Atlantic and the Mississippi, and from Nova Scotia and Canada to New Orleans. The number of miles of telegraph in the States is now about 20,000, and in Canada, and other British possessions, from 2000 to 3000. The wires are carried along the sides of the railways, across fields and rivers, through forests, and in cities they may be seen crossing the streets and the tops of the houses. From New York, two lines proceed south to New Orleans : one by way of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, and Charleston, making a length of 1966 miles; the other runs from Cleveland, on Lake Ontario, by Cincinnati and Nashville, being a length of 1200 miles. Messages connected with markets, the rise and fall of stocks, news from Europe, and other matters of public news, are staple communications ; but so small a price is charged, that there is also a large amount of miscellaneous correspondence. A message of ten words, for example, may be sent from Washington to St Louis — a distance of 989 miles — for 1 dollar 20 cents. Under 200 miles, the charge is about a cent per word. It is stated on good authority, that on some lines as many as 700 messages are sent in one day. So rapid is the transit, that the news brought to New York by a European steamer, at eight o'clock a. m., has been telegraphed, by way of Cincinnati, to New Orleans, and the effects there produced on the market returned to New York by eleven o'clock — ^being a circuit of nearly 4000 miles in three hours. The amount of telegraphic business is largely increased b'^ the number of dis'natches for the "oress. I between n. That le plan of of paper, srvade the [ississippi, r Orleans. States ia er British ,re carried ields and ly be seen 3s. From ' Orleans: ashington, ailes ; the itario, by of 1200 the rise er matters it so small je amount ge of ten lington to dollar 20 >ut a cent , that on nt in one wrought to jlock A. M., i, to New he market —being a KAILWAYS, TELEOBAPHS, AND OTHER THINGS. 339 ma ^ ' /™"^ *^ y<"^ ™<>i°g l«t November 852, dispensed, unitedly or as Mviduals, M OW dollars for dispatehes and special and e«l„s We me^ are sold for a penny each. Such an expenditure could "cui:«::vrh"™™'' ""' '<" *^ ~- "^ *« eu-culation of these papers-the daily issue of some of of suchTf 7Tv "l^"^'"^ "°P'-- '"•« -» ion s^hof ilwr' ^'' """'■''' " iteelf a testimony to the trnl^ i^r "T!"^ ^'"* ^t""' *e press of the United States. It i, only, indeed, after being a httle time m that country, that we gain » proper idea of the extent to which the business ofVwlaper publication may be carried, when Hberated from mono- poV, and left entirely to public enteirrise. I sZX authority,* when I say, that on the 1st of June 1850 aere were in the United States 350 daily newspapei.; with an aggregate eu^culatiou of 750,000 conies • a^ Sooo'""" ""'^' '^^^''^ '" the:^:ga: 2^875,000 copies, and that altogether, including semi- Trin^^' ^-""f^y' """thly, &c., there were 2800 pnnts, with a total aggregate circulation of 5,000,000 The number of newspapers printed dming the year which then expu-ed, amounted to 422,600,000 copies -a fact which throws more light on the freedom adT^cr^ '" ^^^ ^""^ *°y *'*"'■ I ^-Jd ♦ AlMrael o/SevaM Cemus. Wasliington : 1858. is largely the 'iress. CHAPTER XX. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. Limited as had been my excursion and opportunities of observation, the broad fact was sufficiently impressed on my mind, that the people of England know but little of America, while that little is disfigured by certaii prejudices and misapprehensions. Travellers have, for the most part, dealt so unkindly by the Americans, that I was imprepared for much that came in my way of a nature that can be spoken of only with respect. Their energetic industry, perseverance, and enterprise; the tastefulness of their dwellings, and (with one unfortunate exception) the cleanliness and good government of their cities; their patriotism and independence of sentiment; their temperance; their respect for women; their systems of popular education; their free and untaxed press; their sponta- neous yet ample support of the ordinances of religion,* as well as of every variety of beneficiary institution — all seemed to me to merit commendation, and to ♦ In 1850, there were in the United States 36,011 churches, with an aggregate accommodation for 13,849,896 persons; and the total value of church property was 86,416,639 dollars. The Methodists, Baptists, Presby- terians, and Episcopalians, were the most numerous bodies. As regards education : in 1850, nearly 4,000,000 of young persons were receiving instruction in the various educational institutions of the country, or at the rate of 1 in every 6 free persons ; the teachers numbered more than 115,000 ; and the colleges and schools nearly 100,000 — their support being chiefly from legally imposed rates. I )rtunities mpressed now but fured by ^avellers r by the icb that n of only everance, Iwellings, canliness atriotism iperance ; popular r sponta- religion,* istitution L, and to les, with an ital value of ists, Presby- As regards sre receiving ry, or at the more than upport being GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 341 overbalance greatly such imperfections as have been fastened upon and exaggerated in the descriptions presented by tourists. Undeniably, the personal manners of the Americans do not, in ^^eneral, come up to the standard established in England. In ordinary circumstances, we miss W V r!, , '"?'' P°^*^ observances of Europe; but the blank does not represent an unmitigated loss. We are not encumbered with the formalities of an mexorable etiquette; nor do we see that stiffness ot manner m the general intercourse between class and class, which is stamped on English society. The hauteur of rank is totaUy unknown, nor would it be tolerated. In the absence of hereditary honours, opulence and refinement create distinctions; but these are simply respected, not worshipped. We all know of course, that ordinary politeness, or graciousness of manner IS a different thing from servility; and there can be little doubt that, as America grows older, and competition becomes more intense, a proper perception ot tins not unimportant truth will be more widely spread and acted on. ^ If the less-cultivated Americans be as yet faulty in this respect, their shortcomings are obviously traceable to the great breadth of field over which they exercise a command. Happy in not being cribbed and confined mthm a town, or even a spacious district, they can choose their locality over more than thirty states; and It one place does not come up to expectations, they can resort to another. Neither do they feel themselves mdissolubly tied to any particular profession. I was frequently assured that no man in the States is damaged by a change from one line of industry to another Every trade is open to everybody; and as, from the general diffusion of education, every one is prepared to do his duty creditahlv. 1ip ia t^yoc, — a ^^ 342 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. be able to turn his hand to almost anything. Hence, the restlessness of the American character. Attach- ment to locality is scarcely known; and shifting from place to place, a thousand miles at a stretch, with a view to bettering the condition, seems to be an ordinary occurrence. There is, in fact, an immense internal migration. New England is continually throwing off swarms towards the newly opened territories and states in the far West; the latest manifestation of this kind being the movement of a colony of settlers from Massachusetts to the newly organised state of Nebraska. The abundance of all material comforts, may perhaps be mentioned as a cause of the occasionally rude in- dependent bearing which falls under notice. No such indication of fulness exists in England. Straitened in circumstances, and burdened with taxation, but with a conventional necessity for keeping up appearances, a large proportion of our middle classes requii'e to be exceedingly frugal in the consumption of articles of domestic use. A person accustomed to shifts of this nature, is astonished at the profusion at table in all quarters of America. There is, at least, no stinting as to food. It was often pressed on my notice, that the hired labourers in the fields are provided with better fare than falls to the lot of thousands of the 'genteer classes in England. In no part of America did I see any beggars or ragged vagrants; and except in New York, the con- dition of which is exceedingly anomalous, I did not observe any drunkenness — there having been, as I imderstood, a great reform in this particular. I should say that, independently of the 'Maine Law,' public opinion on the su])ject of drinking-usages is consider- ably in advance of that of England. My belief, however, is, that owing to pecidiarities of climate, there is less Hence, Attach- ing from , -with a ordinary internal •wing off ries and tation of »lony of )rganised '■ perhaps rude in- No such itened in but with earances, ire to he :i;icle8 of 3 of this le in all stinting ;ice, that led with [a of the ggars or the con- did not n, as I I should / public consider- however, L'e is less GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 343 desire to partake of stimulants, and less immunity from the consequences of an excessive use of them, than in the humid atmosphere of northern Europe. Other things struck me favourably. I observed that aU classes were weU dressed. My attention was called to the fact, that when operatives had finished the labours of the day, they generaUy changed their garments, and were as neatly attired as those in higher stations. It was also observable that mechanics, in good employment occupy better houses, pay higher rents, and dress i xT T\dves and families better, than is usual in England or Scotlnud; that they, in short, aim at living in greater respectability; and in doing so, necessarily avoid such indulgences as would iraprot perly absorb their means. It was agreeable to note, that the Enghsh language is everywhere spoken well! I heard no patois, no local dialect. The tone of speech was uniform, though more nasal in some parts of New England than in other places. In forming an opinion of a country, much depends on the point from which it is viewed. The point of view for America, as it appears to me, is America itself. To look at it with Enghsh eyes and English expecta- tions, is surely unwise. Hopeless would it be for any one fresh from the old country to look for magnificent gentlemen's seats, fine lawns, beautiful hedgerows, adniirable roads, superb carriages, old-settled usages and institutions, and that artificiahty of manner which in England has required a thousand years to mature. We must take America as it is, and make the best of it. It is a new, and, as yet, not fully settled country; and, all things considered, has done wonders during its short progress. No one can forget that, except in the case of Virginia, and one or two other places, it has been peopled by the more humble, or, at all events, struggUug classes of European society. The aristocracv !> i 844 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. of England have shrunk from it. Instead of acting as leaders, and becoming the heroes of a new world, they have left the high honour of founding commu- nities throughout America to groups of miscellaneous individuals, who at least possessed the spirit to cross the Atlantic in quest of fortune, rather than sink into pauperism at home. The proper aspect, therefore, in which to view America, is that of a field for the reception of emigrants. It was thus I beheld it ; and from aU that came under my notice, I am bound to recommend it as a new home to all whose hearts and hands are disposed to labour, and who, for the sake of future prospects, as regards themselves and families, are willing to make a prqsent sacrifice. To all classes of married manual labourers, the United States and Canada offer a peculiarly attractive field; not so much so, however, from the higher rates of remuneration, as the many opportunities for advantageously making investments, and by that means greatly improving their circum- stances. This, indeed, is the only point worth pressing on notice. In England, the operative having scarcely any means of disposing of small savings to advantage — the interest of the savings-bank forming no adequate temptation — ^he rarely economises, but recklessly spends aU his oarLLings, of whatever amount, on present indul- gences. It is vain, I fear, to try to con\dncc him of this folly. Practically, he is without hope ; and, unin- structed, he does not reflect on consequences. In America, on the contrary, everything contributes to excite his higher emotions. The sentiment of hope is stimulated in an extraordinary degree. In the more newly settled cities and townships, so many bargains may be had of small portion?, of land, which may probably, in a year or two hence, be sold for many times the oricrinal cost, that there is the "reateat of acting ew world, <; commu- 3ellaneous to cross ;haii sink to view jmigrants. me under as a new sposed to spects, as to make d manual I offer a however, ihe many estments, r circum- i pressing ; scarcely idvantage adequate Qy spends ;nt indul- :e him of nd, unin- ces. In ibutes to >i* hope is the more bargains lich may for many greatest GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 345 possible reason for economising and becoming capital- ists. The saved twenty dollars of to-day may, by a judicious investment, be shortly a hundred, nay a thousand, doUars; so that, with a reasonable degree of prudence, a person in humble circumstances rises by rapid and sure strides to fortune. I feel assured that this tends to explain the superior character of the American workman. In coming down Lake St Clair in a steamer, there was on board a Canadian settler, who had some years ago left Scotland, and was now in the enjoyment of a pleasant and thriving farm on the banks of the lake. On conversing with him respecting his affairs, he told me th-t all the time he was in the Old Country, he never felt any inducement to save; for it was a dreary thing to look forward to the accumulation of a shiUing or two a week, with no prospect of trading on the amount, and only at the end of his days having a few poimds in the savings-bank. 'But here,' said he, ^with a saving of two dollars we can buy an acre oi land, and may, perhaps, sell it again afterwards for ten doUars; and this kind of thing makes us aU very careful.' Did not this man's explanation solve the problem which now engages the attention of writers on social economy? Did it not go far towards elucidating the cause of so much of our intemperance—the absence of hope? The native American, however, possesses advantages over the immigrant. With inteUigence sharpened by education, he is better able to take advantage of all available means of improvement in liis condition; the press rouses him with its daily stimulus ; the law interposes no impediment of taxes and embarrassing forms on the transfer of property; the constitution offers him the prospect of rising to a position of public confi- dence ; no overshadowing influence weighs on his n4n TUlNdH An TttPlY AUK IN AMUiHlCA. 'i i li f \l f;iMni8; he m socially nud politionlly Ave; Ins wholo looln.^-8, i\x)u. lunhood. luivo hwu Muw ol" a iv«|mn. mhUi and Hcir-.vlinnt luMug. mIio luUs l,,«l nnu-h to gain h\ . men ooiuluot tlioiuw^lvoM propcM-ly, brnuiso if, IS natural lor thoni to d,) so; „nd from (I'lo uspcvt, of tlu) Aniorioau opcM-ativo-HasHrs, I „m dispo.srd to think tl.oy uouhl tod HlVrontod i.i hoiuK n.ado oI.j.vIm of PjHMMal f.olu'iln,lo by thoso in a n.oro atllnoni condition. I«> spoak plainly, uliy should ono class of pcM's -mm in a connnnnily iV(puro ronslantly to havo ih(> tin. kin^ done for thoni by another clans? 1 an. alVaid, that Mhcnncr such appears necessary, as in Mnfrhnul, there IS sonuihit.o- so,Mally dclcclive. 'Phe wlmle tendency ol* institutional arran?>cn.cnts in Anicrica, as has lieeii Bhewn, is to evoke Ici^lings of sclt-rcliaiuv. A contrary tendency still pnnails io a large extent in (Ireat Mritaiil, where, fi'oni causes which it is unnecessary to re<>apiln' latc, the lnnnbl(>r classes nvjuire to be ininistered to and thought tor, as if they were children. \Vt^ nnist contrive nicans tor annising then., and keeping- tl.tM.i out of tnischier; call n.e(>tings to get np reading- mnns, baths, wash-lKuises, m.d ten.p(«ra.iee eollcc- Ijouscs tor them ; oiler prizes to those among^ them who will keep the neatcMt houses and gardens; and ni so many uays busy om-sclvcs about them, that at lengtb it would see... as if it were the duty of one-half the connnnnity to tl.i.ik for the other, 'h.o spcvtaclo of well-educated, thoughtlul. independent An.erica, enabled me to see thi'o..gii the fallacy of lirst disabling a mnn fn)m thinking and acting- for himself, and then trying to fortity him by a system of W(^ll-meant, b.it really r„orvating patronage. It is son.ethi..g to have to say of the United States, that the mecliauics and ClKNI'lH/M, OIIHRHVATIONS. n47 \m whole ft I't'KpOll- nmch to brcnuMo it, ' HHprt'l, (tl* (I to think ob'n'ctm of ooiulition. pcrs -MM ill ' tliihking Vnid, that inul, thtM'o luhMU'y oC ht\H hvvn i. contrary it Jtritain, ' rci'apitu- iHtcrod to Wo nniNt mif4" Korgeourt miiH;nirie("ne(>, liko the prinee-merehantM of (lenoa in the past times of Itidian glory. Ho far a« the aeluiil fonnderH of fortini(«H are eoneerned, there is, |)erha|)H, little to diseonunend in all tliim; but it wiiH (liHagreeably preHsed on my notie(% that the Rons of theMo millionairoB, born to do nothing bnt to live cm their father'rt earnings, were mneh to be pitied. In Mew York, they were seen lomifring nbcnit idly in tho jmrloin-N and bar rooms of the hoti^ls, worn out with dissipation, and the nightly victims of gnnd)ling- iiouses, of which tiunu^ are n, nnmbcr in Hroadway on ft BVA\h of nnitchless splendour. Among the vices they iiave hdrly thought lit to introduce, is tho practice, now obsoh'te in lOngland, of c-rjcouniging profcp'Rlonal j)UgiliHm, the exercise of which occ-asiomdly leads to serious affrays. In (Ireat Mritain, as we all know, ft eonsiderabh; part of the fortmies realiHiul in trade is expended in the punihase of hind, and in effecting rural improvemenf;s of various kinds; the ('oiintry, by sueh means, beeoming a luteful engiiK! of dcplcti()n to the town; but in America,, land conveys no honour, ftnd is not bought except as a temporary investnumt, or as a wmrce of livelihood. Wealthy men, therefore, would have nothing to look for in rural life beyond the ideasure of a villa; no hv ns 1 could learn, tlu^y (h) not oven go that length, but eonHirmo their means. l|] 348 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. for the most part, in the more seductive but not very refining enjoyments of the city. With few exceptions, therefore, families of any note do not con- tinue m affluence more than one or two generations. An 'old family' in America, must ever be a kind of miracle. The principle which seems to be laid down IS, that family distinction is adverse to democratic mstitutions; and that, consequently, each generation ought to be left to shift for itself-a philosophic rule, no doubt, but which, like many other good maxims, 18 not without practical difficulties. Leaving the wealthier classes of New York to dis- cover, if they can, what is the use of money after they have made it, it is more to my purpose to call attention to the advantages which America presents as an outlet lor the reaundant and partially impoverished classes of the United Kingdom. When i reflect on the condition of the rural labourers in many parts of Great Britain and Ireland-the poorness of their living; their generaUy wretched dweUings; the little pams taken to afford them an education calculated to excite their better feehngs; their blank prospects as to old age; and when I consider that, mthin a short distance, there is a country inviting their settlement, where they can scarcely fail to attain a position of comfort and respectability, I am sur- prised that the 'exodus,' great as it is, is not many times greater— in fact, the astonishing thing, as it appears to me, is, how under present circumstances any at all remain.* ^ * On «^e day on which this was mitten, I saw, seated on the ground by he side of a road m Seotland, a party of ploughmen and female field-workers of peasomeal, milk di-ank from a bottle, and morsels of meagre cheese. Could 1 avoid o,-,wing a comparison between vhis hard lot, and that of the well- UnUed'st t"" P'^'""'"""^ ''^°"''"'' ^ ^"'" ^'''^'' '^''''^'' '""^ "^« GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 349 e but not With few lo not con- jenerations. ! a kind of laid down democratic generation iophic rule, »d maxims, Drk to dis- ' after they il attention 9 an outlet led classes ct on the '■ parts of 3 of their the little calculated prospects within a ing their to attain ' am sur- not many ng, as it ;ances any lie ground by field-workers irse bannocks leese. Could ; of the well- Ja, and the Perhaps part of the rcluc lance to remove to America is due to fears on the scorn of health. Peculiar in some respects, the climate of those northern and middle regions to which emigran^^s usually direct their course, need not, however, be the subject of apprehension. The most remarkable peculiarity of the air, as has been abeady hinted, is its dryness. The prevailing westerly winds, coming over thousands of miles of land, lose their moisture before reaching the more settled regions in the east, and are felt to be thin and desiccating. Except in swampy districts, damp in any form is un- known, loisture being almost immediately absorbed. Newly plastered houses are dry enough to be inhabited a day or two after being finished. Clothes put out to dry, need to hang but a short time. In writing, I observed that the ink dried in half the time it would have required to do so in England. That such properties in the atmosphere have an injurious effect on the constitution, is more than probable; at least, I observed that the people generally were less florid in complexion, and less robust, than the English. At the same time, it was my conviction, especially as regards females, that much more injury is done to health in Canada and the States by the overheating of apartments with stoves, than by the aridity of the atmosphere. From statistical inquiry, it does not, however, appear that life is to any appreciable degree less valuable in the northern and middle parts of the States than it is in England — the damage which may be done by the dryness of the air and the extremes of temperature being, as it were, balanced by the unwholesome influences of our atmospheric humidity. Settlers in Canada, with whom I conversed on the subject, gave the preference to the American climate, on accoimt not only of its pleasantly exhilarating properties, but of its equable character. It is proper to say, that 360 il THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. 1 1 » j [in there may be some danger in proceeding to America during tlie extreme heats of summer; and I would, on this account, recommend travellers not to quit England before August, from which time till December the weather is temperate and agreeable. Crossing the Atlantic in spring, during the prevalence of icebergs, is particularly to be avoided. Fears have been sometimes entertained, that the constant influx of a large and generally uninstructed class of foreigners, more particularly Irish, must have a tendency to disorganise the institutional arrange- ments of the States, and even lower the tone of society. Great, however, as is the flood of immigrants, not of the most enlightened kind, it does not appear thatithcy exercise any deteriorating influences, or are in any respect troublesome, except in New York and other large seats of population. Scattering themselves over the country, they are, for the most part, lost in the general community, and soon acquire the sentiments of self-respect common to the American character. The change is remarkable in the case of the Irish. Attaching themselves to such employments as, without risk, bring in small sums of ready uioney, they are found to be a saving and most useful class of people, with tastes and aspirations considerably different from those they formerly possessed. Altering so far, they may almost be said to be more Americanised than the Americans; for they signalise themselves by saying hard things of the Old Country, and if not the most inveterate, are, at least, the moat noisy of its enemies. In the second generation, however — thanks to the universal system of education— the Irishman has disappeared. Associating in and out of school with the shi-ewd native youth— laughed, if not instructed, out of prejudices — the children of Irish descent have generally lost the distinctive marks of their ori«3-iii. America i I would, )t to quit December •ossing the f icebergs, that the linstructed must have [ arrange- e tone of amigrants, lot appear I, or are in and other lelves over 3st in the sentiments character, the Irish. IS, without they are of people, !rent from far, they lised than selves by if not the isy of its r — thanks ihman has 1 %vith the ;ed, out of generally GENERAL ODSERVATIONS. 351 It is a curious proof of the permanency usually given to any idea, true or false, by popular literature, that well-informed persons in this country are still occasion- ally licard scoffing at Pennsylvania on account of her repudiated bonds. We all rememljcr the effect of the half-whimsical complaints of the Rev. Sidney Smith on this subject. We join in the laugh, sneer at the Pennsylvanians; and so it goes on. All the time, it IS an absolute fiction that this stat.j ever repudiated her debts. She did, indeed, at a moment of singular pecumary difficulty, affecting the whole nation, suspend payment of the interest of her bonds. The country having been so far drained of money, that barter had to be resorted to, it was simply impossible for the state to pay tlie interest on these debts; but the debts were always acknowledged, and as soon as possible payment of the interest was resumed. No one ever lost a penny by Pennsylvania. There are, indeed, I believe some states in the west and south which did for a time repudiate; and even the most temporary exemplifica- tion of such a system must be deplored, for the effect It coidd not but have in shaking the general faith in American state probity. It is at the same time true, that great as is the traffic between England and America,* we hear no complaints against the uprightness of the merchants of the latter country. It appears from official inquiry, that, independently of debts suspended by the defaulting states, the amount lent by foreigners on bonds and other securities to America is, at the lowest calculation, £40,000,000; and the interest on this debt is, so far as I am aware^ always duly paid. A question constantly arises, in looking at the * In the year ending June 30, 1852, the imports into the United States from Great Bntain and Ireland were valued at 90,028,339 dollars, and the eiporta to 115,509,975 dollars. 362 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. I I political fabric of the United States : ' Will it last — does it not contain within itself the germs of dissolution?' in offering a few observations in reply, it will be necessary to touch upon what is admitted to be the most unpleasant social feature of this remarkable country. When the Americfin colonists renounced their allegiance to Geoige III., and assumed an attitude of independence, it was confidently predicted that their nationality, unsupported by monarchical and aristocratic institutions, could not possibly endure beyond the first outburst of enthusiasm. The experi- ence of eighty years has failed to realise these prog- nostications ; and it may be said that the principle of seVT-reliance has never been so successfully tested as in the history of the United States. Left to themselves, and favoured by breadth of territory, the progress of the American people has for many years been no ordinary phenomenon. At the Declaration of Independence, the number of states was thirteen, with a population of about 3,000,000 — a wonderfully small number, to have defied and beat off the British monarchy. In 1800, when several new states had been added to the confe- deracy, the population was little more than 6,000,000. During the next fifty years, there was a great advance. In 1850, when the number of states had increased to thirty-one, along with several territories not organised into states, the population had reached 23,191,918. At this point, it was 3,000,000 ahead of that of the island of Great Britain; and as at this ratio it doubles every twenty-five years, we might infer that towards the conclusion of the present century, the United States will possess a population of not far from 100,000,000. Such are the prospects entertained by the Americans ii]l it last germs of a in reply, i admitted e of this iced their ,n attitude icted that hical and ly endure 'he experi- liese prog- ; principle illy tested Left to ritory, the lany years le number of about to have In 1800, the confe- 6,000,000. a great states had territories d reached 100 ahead md as at we might e present tulation of /Americans GENEIIAL OBSERVATIONS. 3^3 themselves, with perhaps too slight . regard for a seriously disturbing element in their calculations Ihe present population, as above stated, are not all whites-exercising the privileges and animated with the sentiments of freemen. In the number, arc com- prehended 3,204,345 slaves, and 433,643 persons of colour nominally free, but occupying a sociaUy degraded position. The presence of such an immense mass of population, alien in blood and aspect, in the midst of the commonwealth, is an awkward, and I lear, a dangerous, feature in the condition of the United States, which cannot be passed over in any impartial estimate of the prospective growth and digmty of the country. At the Revolution, there was, comparatively speaking but a handful of negro slaves in the several states, introduced from Africa during the colonial administra- tion; and it was probably expected by Washington and others, that in time the number would diminish and that, finally, it would disappear. The reverse' however, has been the result. In the New England States, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, slavery, wherever it existed, has been legaUy abolished leaving generaUy a residuum of free negroes; but ii^ the other older states, slavery is still in force, besides bemg mgrafted m various new states, which have been acqmred by conquest or purchase; so that, as an institution with large vested interests, it is stronger and more lifelike than ever. According to the census ot 1850, It existed in fifteen out of thii-ty-one states • m one of them, however— New Jersey— it was in the form of an expiring apprenticeship. For a number of years, as is weU known, there has been much angry discussion on the subject between the northern and southern states; and at times the" contention ha«i i^qa^ ^^ i. __ ^ i ■. . ^i-iiu_ ,irite „^cxi oKj giciiL, ua lo leaa to mutual w i. 854 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. threats of a dismemberment of the Union. A stranger has no little difficulty in understanding how much of this war of words is real, and how much is merely an explosion of bunkum. In 1820, there occurred a kind of truce between the belligerents, called the Missouri Compromise; by which, in virtue of an Act of Congress, all the territories north of latitude 36' 30' were guaranteed free institutions. By means of subsequent compromises, fugitive slaves were legally reclaimaljle in the free states ; and there the matter rested, till the recent passage of tlie act constituting the state of Nebraska, by which the newly incorpo- rated inhabitants, though north of the line of demar- cation, are left the choice of their own institutions — at liberty, if they please, to introduce slavery. The commotion in the north, consequent on this trans- action, has been considerable; and according to a portion of the press, in tracing the progress of events, ' Slavery is at length triumphant ; Freedom subservient' 7— a sufficiently sorrowful confession to make respecting a country which prides itself on its achievements in the cause of civil liberty. I repeat, it is difficult to understand what is the genuine public feeling on this entangled question ; for with all the demonstrations in favour of freedom in the north, there does not appear in that quarter to be any practical relaxation of the usages which con- demn persons of African descent to an inferior social status. There seems, in short, to be a fixed notion throughout the whole of the states, whether slave or free, that the coloured is by nature a subordinate race ; and that, in no circumstances, can it be considered equal to the white. Apart from commercial views, this opinion lies at the root of American slavery ; and the question would need to be argued less on political and philanthropic than on physiological grounds. A stranger w much of is merely B occurred called the tue of an of latitude y means of ere legally the matter onstituting ly incorpo- of demar- titutions — very. The this trans- 'ding to a 1 of events, iibservient' respecting ents in the hat is the estion; for freedom in quarter to ;vhich con- erior social xed notion ;r slave or inate race ; considered cial views, ivery; and m political I grounds. GENERAL OBSEHVATIONS. 355 Previous to mr dtp. ture from Richmond, in Virginia, I had an aviavnj.ql conversation with a gentleman, a resident in ihat nty, on the subject of slaveiy. This person gave J- as is sincere opinion, founded on clo.o observatiou, anu ^ number of physiological facts, that negroes were - tufeiior species or variety of human beings, destiuea, or at least eminently suited, to be servants to the white and more noble race; that considering theii- faculties, they were happier in a state of slavery than in freedom, or when left to tlicii- own expedients for subsistence; and that their sale and -transfer was, from these premises, legitimate and proper. Such opinions are, perhaps, extrerjie; but, on the whole, I believe they pretty fairly represent the views of the 3outh on the subject of slavery,* wliich is considered to be not merely a conventional, but an absolutely natural institution, sanctioned by the precept and example of ministers of the Gospel, and derived from the most remote usages of antiquity. It may have been merely a coincidence, but it is remarkable, tliat all with whom I conversed in the States on the distinctions of race, tended to tlie opinion, that the negro was in many respects an inferior being, and his existence in America an anomaly. Tiie want of mental energy and forethought, the love of finery and of trifling amusements, distaste of persevering industry and bodily labour, as well as overpowering animal propensities, were urged as general characteristics of the coloured population; and it was alleged, that when consigned to their own resources, they do not successfully compete with the white Anglo-Americans, or with the immigrant Irish; the fact ueing added, that in slavery they * See Types ofManhind; by J. C. Nott and Geo. R. GliJdon. 1 vol., 4to. Trubner & Co., London ; and Lippincott, Philadulpliia. 185'i. I 356 THINGS AS THEY AftE IN AMERICA. 'f increase at tlie same ratio as the whites, while in freedom, and affected with the vices of society, the ratio of increase falls short by one-third. Much of this was new to me ; and I was not a little surprised to find, when speaking a kind word for at least a very unfortunate, if not brilliant race, that the people of the northern states, though repudiating slavery, did not think more favourably of the negro character than those further south. Throughout Massachusetts, and other New England States, likewise in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, &c., there is a rigorous separation of the white and black races. In every city, there are white and bla'.'k schools, and white and black churches. No dark-skinned child is suffered to attend a school for whi+'> childi-en. In Boston, celebrated for its piety and philanthropy, all the coloured children require to go to one school, how- ever inconveniently situated it may be for some of them. This school was instituted in 1812, and the following is the existing ordinance respecting it: — 'The coloured population in the city not being suffi- ciently numerous to require more than one school, it has been thought proper to provide in this the means of instruction in all the branches of learning, which are taught in the several schools for white children.'*- In New York, there are nine public schools exclusively for coloured children, besides a colom-ed orphan asylum. In the city of Providence, Rhode Island, it is ordained that ' there shall be three public schools maintained exclusively for the instruction of coloured children, the grades thereof to be deter- mined from time to time by the school committee.' In Philadelphia, there is a similar orgt^nisation of district schools for coloured children. ♦ Rules of the School Committee of the City of Boston, 1863; p. 38. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 867 As an explanation of these distinctions, I was in- formed that white would not sit beside coloured children; and further, that coloured chHdren, after a certain age, did not correspondingly advaToe in learning— their inteUect being apparently incapable of being cultured beyond a particular point. From whatever cause, it was clear that a reluctance to associate with persons of negro descent was universally inculcated in infimcy, and strengthened with age. The result is a singular social phenomenon. We see, in efifect, two nations— one wliite and another black— growing up together within the same political circle, but never mingling on a principle of equality. The people of England, who see a negro only as a wandering curiosity, are not at all aware of the repug- nance generally entertained toAvards persons of colour m the United States : it appeared to me to amount to an absolute monomania. As for an alliance with one of the race, no matter how faint the shade of colour, it would inevitably lead to a loss of caste, as fatal to social position and family ties as any that occm's in the Brahminical system. Lately, a remarkable illustra- tion of this occurred at New Orleans. It was a law case, involving the question of purity of blood. The plaintiff, George Pandelly, a gentleman in a respectable station, sued Victor Wiltz for slander. Wiltz had said that Pandelly had a taint of negro blood ; inas- much as one of his ancestresses was a mulatto of ' African combination.' In describing the case to the court, the counsel for the plaintiff was so overcome by the enormity of the offence, that he shed tears ! He produced several aged witnesses to prove that the ancestress, mentioned by Wiltz as a mulatto, was the great-great-grandmother of the plaintiff, and was not a mulatto of negro origin, but a woman who had derived her ' " "" " lour from Ind lan ?d ! Sati aiicu wiul 358 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. li j ' n : > I f !ii V 'I the evidence on this important point, the jury found a verdict for the plaintiff, but no damages; which was considered satisfactory— the sole object of Mr Pandelly having been to establish the purity of his descent. All the efforts, in my opinion, which may be made with a view to influencing the south in favour of emancipation, are valueless so long as there exists a determined resolution throughout northern society to consider the coloured race, in all its varieties of shade, as beneath the dignity of liimian nature, and in no respect worthy to be associated mt\ countenanced, honoured, or so much as spoken to on terms of equality. Excluded, by such inflexible and carefully nourished prejudices, from entertaining the slightest prospect of ever, rising beyond the humblest position; condemned to infamy from birth; not tolerated in tlie railway-cars which are devoted to the use of the whites; turned away from any of the ordinary hotels, no matter what be their character, means, or style of dress ; in a word, treated from first to last as Parias—how can we expect that objects of so much contumely are to improve in their faculties or feelings, or to possess, in any degree, the vii-tue of self-respect ? The wonder, indeed, is, that they conduct themselves so well as they do, or that they assume anything hke the dress or manners of civilised persons. Glad to have had an opportunity of caUing attention to many cheering and commendable features in the social system of the Americans, I consider it not less my duty to say, that in their general conduct towards the coloured race, a wi'ong is done which cannot be alluded to except in terms of the deepest sorrow and reproach. I cannot think without shame of the pious and polished New Eiiglanders addmg to their offences on this score, the guilt of hypocrisy. Aftectiinc to weep over the sufferings of imaginary dark-skinned ury found a which was Ir Pandelly scent. ly be made favour of re exists a 1 society to ;s of shade, and in no mtenancedj of equality. nourished prospect of condemned ailway-cars es; turned latter what in a word, I we expect improve in my degree, ed, is, that io, or that aanners of J attention res in the it not less ct towards cannot be orrow and e of the J," to their Aflcctiiwt 'k-skinned GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 359 heroes and heroines; denouncing in well-studied plat- form oratory the horrid sin of reducing human beings to the abject condition of chattels; bitterly scomfiU of southern planters for hard-hearted selfishness and depravity; fanatical on the subject of abolition; whoUy frantic at the spectacle of fugitive slaves seized and earned back to their owners— these very persons are daUy surrounded by manumitted slaves, or their edu- cated descendants, yet shrink from them as if the touch were poUution, and look as if they would expire at tlie bare idea of inviting one of them to their house or table. UntU all this is changed, the northern Abolitionists place themselves in a false position, and do damage to the cause they espouse. If they think that negroes are Men, let them give the world an evidence of their sincerity, by moving the reversal of all those social and political arrangements which now in the free states exclude persons of colour, not only from the common courtesies of life, but from the privHeges and honours of citizens. I say, until this is done, the uproar aljout abolition is a delusion and a snare. As things remain, the owners of slaves are fiirnished with the excuse that emancipation, besides being attended with no practical benefit, would be an act of cruelty to their dependents; for that the educa- tion given to free persons of colour only aggravates the severity of their condition— makes them feel a sense of degradation f7'>m which, as slaves ir. a state of ignorance, they are happily exempted. The great question,, then] is, What is to be done with the slaves if they are set at liberty ? Are they to grow up a powerfiil alien peu^iio within the commonwealth, dangerous in their numbers, but doubly dangerous in tlieir conscious- ness of wrongs, and in the passions which may incite them to acts of vengeance ? Serious as m this question, there is oae, perhaps, still !h' 860 THINGS AS TIIEY ARE IN AMERICA. more serious. Are the slaves to go on increasing in a geometrical ratio— 6,000,000 in 187E, 13,000,000 in 1900 ; and so on through an infinitude of years ? Sympathising so far with the Americans in the dilemma in which circumstances have placed them, I cannot say they have acted with discretion in seeing tliis portentous evil widen in its sphere, and swell to such vast dimensions, as at length to go beyond the reach of all ordinary measures of connection. Nay, at ilii.j moment the canker is extending its ramifications . , er the boundless territories of the West ; and it is to be feared that, in a few years hence, the northern and middle free states will be but a speck in comparison with the slave region. This is a thing which con- • cems, not the Americans alone, but the whole civilised world. The highest intellects of Europe are looking with breathless Avonder at the spread of the Anglo-Saxon race, impelled by their instincts, and led by the hand of God over the vast continent of America.* They talk of the not distant time when there will be a nation counted by hundreds of millions, speaking the Enghsh tongue, and governed by the institutes of freemen. But always, in the midst of their glowing anticipations, there arises a terrific spectre — human slavery — reminding them that it was this wliich blighted the old civilisa- tions, Egypt, Greece, Rome — and why not America ! Already in Virginia, natm-ally rich and beautiful, t!iere is a growing impoverishment, notwithstanding that large sums are realised by the individuals who rear human stock for tlie southern plantations. In the partially deteriorated state of that fine old English domain, and its apparent incapabihty of * li. do Tocqueville speaks of the progressive settlement of the Anglo- Saxons, as ' driven by the hand of God' across the western wilderness, at the average rate of seventeen miles per annum. *f^M GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. qqi oHh^/n-"!" V* ^'"'u"""" P^^P^o™ communities nLl^l > T^ ^ "^^ *° approximate to the physieal and moral condition wUch disfigured Italy m the second century. Is history to be an endless series of repetitions? >«■ enaiess What the Americans may do to counteract the danger which threatens them, I camiot take it upon me to say. With a growing bcUef that slavery is mjmnous to the industrial and moral progress rf a state, the mstitution may, in no great length of time ^sappear lijom Delaware, Maryland, V^nia, and Kentucky, because these states enjoy a^tem^r^ chmato, and are a fitting field for the settlement of cnterpnsing immigrants. Its expulsion from the intertropical regions in the south, is matter for less »an,^aine hope. The demand for American cotton m the markets of Europe, increasing year by year too sm-ely strengthens the institution in the southern states, and surrounds the subject with diftcidties not to be treated lightly or sentimentally, but with the profound consideration of practical states' manship. That things can remain as they are, as regards the relationship between the South and the North, is by no means probable. The interests and feelings of bo h are becoming mutually opposite and that the South, smarting mider alleged losses and indignities took the initiative of breaking up the Union, and setting up for itself as an independent power In such a conjunctm^e, the North, reduced to a second-rate sovereignty, could scarcely be expected to retain a hold over the West, which would either form a third group of independent states, or seek for federahon ,vith the South. And so, in so far as poli- tical Unity ,5 concerned, falls the mighty fabric raised by Washington. a„,] nf „!.„.„ 4,4__ . iif ■t, THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. high anticipations have been entertained ! In Canada — free from the taint and the contentions consequent on slavery, and enjoying a high degree of liberty — I found it to be a common behef, that the union of the States could not possibly long hold together ; and that the North, in the event of a rupture, would sue for a federation with the British American provinces, as a natural ally. That these provinces — united, populous, and prosperous — will, some day, attain the dignity of an independent nation, few can doubt; but it is evident, that annexation to the States in present cir- cumstances would be neitlier agreeable nor expedient, and will not be thought of.* While lamenting the unsatisfactory condition, present and * prospective, of the coloured population, it is gratifying to consider the energetic measures that have been adopted by the African Colonisation Society to transplant, with their own consent, free negroes from America to Liberia. Viewing these endeavours as at all events a means of encouraging emancipation, checking the slave-trade, and at the * On this point, I may be permitted to draw attention to the folloAving emphatic passages in a speech In the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia, delivered in May last by the Hon. Joseph Howe, provincial secretary: — ' Sir, I believe annexation would be imwise for other reasons. I believe the United States are large enough already. In a few years, the population of that country must reach 100,000,000 ; they have as much work to do now as they can do well ; and I believe before many years, if their union is pre- served, they will have more work to do than any legislature can despatch after their modes in 3(55 days. . , . There is another question which must be settled before you, or I, sir, or any Nova Scotian, will be a party to annexation. Sir, I believe the question of slavery must be settled sooner or later by bloodsheiJ, I do not believe it can over be settled in any other way. That queijtion shadows the institutions, and poisons the springs of public and social life among our neighbours. It saps all principles, overric.es all obli- gations, Wiy, si)', I did believe, until very lately, that no constable, ai'med with a law which violated the law of God, could capture a slave in any of the northern states; but the Fugitive Slave Law has been enforced even in Puritan New England, where tea could not be sold or stamps collected,' GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. ggg same time of mtroducing Christianity and civilised usages mto Afriea, they appear to have been d^^t of more encouragement than they have had the good! dtr th. """:•• 'T"^'^ ^"^^ - ^ - '"ate to^nL r'"*'"^' ^^ *^^^ «°^i^*y ^^^ ^-* likely to make a deep impression on the numbers of the CO oured population; and the question of their disposal still remains unsettled. ^ With a conviction that much harm has been done by exasperating reproaches from this side of the Atlantic on the subject of slavery, I have done little more than glance at the institution, or the dangers which through Its agency, menace the integrity of the Union. I have, likewise, refrained from any lengthened comment on the constant discord arising from the violence of faction, and have barely alluded to the extreme hazards into which the nation, under the mipulse of popular clamour, is, from time to time, hurried by reckless legislation. Trustful that the American confederation is not destmed to be dismembered through the unhappy conflicts which now agitate the community-trustftd that the question of slavery is to be settled in a manner more peaceful than is figured in the speech of Mr Howe-and having great faith in the power and acute nteUigence of the American people to cany them through every difficulty (all their political squabbles notwithstanding), provided they will only take time to look ahead, and avoid the perils that beset their course 1 bia tnem and their comitry a respectful farewcH. At noon of the 14th of December. I went on board the steamer Enropa at N^w York, and in a few hours the shores of America sunk beneath the waves of the Atlantic. In thus quitting the New World, I felt how imperfect had been my acqiiaintanceshin with it. But 864 THINGS AS THEY ARE IN AMERICA. 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