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(meaning "CON- TINUED "). or the symbol y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaTtra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbote —^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre film6s d des taux de reduction diffftrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film4 d partir de {'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prcnant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent Ea m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ( I I mmmm I TBAISATLMTIC SKETCHES; OB, i[!ra(rellmg "^mmtmtn OV THB WEST INDIES AND UNITED STATES. BT THOMAS WILSON, B.A. 1 Omne tulit punctum qui misouit utile dulci, Leotorem deleotaado paritorque monendo. HO&ACB. MONTREAL : PEINTED BY JOHN LOVELL, ST. NICHOLAS STBEET. MDOOOLX. TO JAMES WILSON, Esq., B.A.,M.B., (inc. ooLt., vn„ ASilSTAITT SUEOBON H. M. 8»» BttBVS, THE FOLLOWING PAGES AS A TOKEN OF SINOEEE AFFECTION, Where'er I roam, whatever realms to see, My heart untraveil'd fondly turns to thee; Still to my Brother turns, with ceaseless pain. And drags at each remove a leD"*hening chain. Tbatsubb. I ^mmmmmm'ism&mmf:- '^t^a^^^ffife&tT" ■fiflj INTEODUCTOEY LETTEE. Mr DEAR Brother,— In dedicating to you the follow- ing pages, I fear I have foUowed my own inclinations rather than consulted yours ; I trust, however, that in their perusal you may find some information if not amusement, and that the many faults which you cannot fail to detect in their comj sition, will be overlooked when you reflect that they have been presented to you hastily put together, and more as a tribute of affection from one brother to an- othe-, than with any expectation that they should meet with a favourable reception from the public. When about to make the tour which forms the subject of the present volume, I half promised to give you some detaUed account of what I saw, and to impart any informar i^i^p'vp' iy. INTRODUCTORY LETTER. tion which I might chance to collect. In looking over my journal, however, I found that my notes had swelled to a bulk which might warrant their being put into " ship-shape" and printed. It is not, however, without diffidence that I have adopted this plan, and a natural hesitation at ap- pearing in print must plead my excuse for a delay which was not absolutely necessary. In the West Indies, there is much to be seen, and much to be done, but it was in the part of a looker-on that I principally employed myself. The burden of doing what has yet to be done ir. these colonies, has happily not devolved on our shoulders. For much of the detailed information I have been able to give you respecting the cultivation of the sugar-cane and the manufacture of sugar, I am indebted to my brother, Robert Wilson, Esq., whose estates are situated in tho most fertile sugar growing districts of Trinidad, and the excellence of whose method of planting is aptly expressed by the name of one of his estates " Ne plus ultra J' To his amiable wife also, I am indebted for many of those little kindnessfea the peculiar province of females, which serve to render the sojourn of a stranger within the tropics especially agreeable. INTRODUCTORY LETTER. y. Much of what I have written respecting Cuba, was at the time when the question of the purchase of that island was agitated in the American Congrees. But time, like the river mentioned by Horace, " Labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis aevum," and what to day is a matter of interest to all, may to- morrow be buried in the obscurity of the past. So much has been written and re-written about America and Yankees, that I had some little hesitation in taking up my pen to indite the latter part of this volume. One subject, however, I have selected mainly from the paucity of information which you would be likely to obtain about it in the old country ; that is, the " Ice trade c Uni+ed States." For a good deal of my information o topic, I am indebted to some admirable articles whic. peared a short tune ago in the New York " Tribune" also to personal observation, enquiries on the spot, and the kindness and affability of the officials of the different companies ; although this is a subject which may have little or no interest for the many, still it may add some- what to your general stock of information. In conclusion, I set my little barque afloat, trnsting that the harsh winds of criticism may blow gently upon it ; and ^ INTRODBOTORY LETIER. if at least, among his own moro intimate friends it be ac- corded a kindly reocption, the hopes of the autnor will bo fully realized. Montreal, Jan. 1st. 1860. T. W. ■-. .-,- ; CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Paqi. The s'.art— Refleotionfl on parting— Shipping the mails —West India R. M. Steam Packet Oo.,— Descriptions of passengers and their occupationB~Land in sight 11 CHAPTER II. Island of St. Thomas— Description of the harbonr— Tha town— Panama hats— Arrival of mail steamers— Mar* j- ique— Appearance of St. Pierre from the water— Negro washerwoman— Barbadoes— Extent— Population— B.'dge- town — ^Uncomfortable bedfellows — Grenada— View from the fort— Spiceo, nntmegs, &c lY CHAPTER m. Kntrencea to the Bay of Paria— Trinidad— Port of Spain— Supply of water— Public buildings— Division of thelsland-Man, gement of the roads-Valleyof theMarraval —Negro women — San Fernando— if'irst viow of the cano fields— Life on a sugar plantation— Fruits— " Humboldt" on the banana— A " stinlting fume"— Fiah— Land crabs —Lieutenant Maury on land and soa breezes— Sunset— vi>apauds ^I TIU. CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. Pagb. Sugar and the sugar cane — Description caltivated in West Indies— Method of propagation— Mode of planting ^Rattoons— Megass— "Imphee" or African sugar cane- Comparison bet-ween it and the beet root — Season for reaping sugar crop— Method of cutting canes 42 CHAPTER V. Sugar mills— Descriptfon-DiiTerent powers employed and relative values of each kind— Quantity of juice ob- tained from the cane — Composition of the sugar cane — Boiling the syrup— Remarks of Mr. Wray— " Potting"— Consumption of sugar— Beet root sugar 50 ' CHAPTER VI. Ir«troduction of free labour intotheWestlndies— Decrease of produce since abc^'tion of slavery — Arguments of anti- slavery enthusiasts refuted— Laws for regulation of Im- migiation into Island of Trinidad — Extent of land under cultivation — Cocoa plantation — The Bamboo Bowring's remarks on it— The cotton tree— The Pitch Lake— Pine apples CHAPTER VII. 59 I Freedom of life in West Indies—" Long Toms"— Negro character— Their strict adherence to the law " Increase and multiply"— Dress—Religious observances — Insects :— Mosquito, Jack-Spaniard, Mason-fly, Ants, Jigger, Fire-fly, Beetles, Spiders , . . . . 73 CONTENTS. IZ. CHAPTER VIII. Paob. Departure from Trinidad—First view of Cuba—The " Moro"— -Hart our of Havana— Woolcot's American Hotel —Streets in Havana— The " Volante"— Houses in tha - Havana— The Paseo— The Plaza de Armas— Oafd de Do- minica — Tajon theatre— Lotteries-Negro ball and ner- vous agitation — Virginian Connoisseur 83 CHAPTER IX. Despotic nature of the Government of Cuba — The ac- quisition of the island by America— Statistics of Impor- tation from the United States — Feelings of the Creoles on the subject of annexation — Objections which may be ur- ged agar .St its annexation— Extortions of Spanish oflSci- als — Taxation, extent, population, illegitimacy — Griev- ances under which the Cubans lie 94 CHAPTER X. The Cigar trade — Material and mode of manufacture — Prices of the commodity— Cuban milkman— The ladies of Cuba 103 CHAPTER XI. Matanzas— Railways — Sugar cultivation and crop- Interest for money on landed security — Principal towns in Cuba with then: population — Departure in the " Ca- tawba" steamer for New York— Lines by the Earl of Carlisle HO CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. Paob. New York— Approach to the citv by sea— Bustle at the landing place— The St. Nicholas Hotel— Accommodation and consumption in an American mammoth boarding er.tablishment— Broadway— New York Police— Oroton aqueduct— AmericanRailways— Telegraphs— Greenwood Cemetery— New York Fire department— River Hudson— West Point military academy— Army, militia and navy of United States n^ CHAPTER XIII. Philadelphia— Girard College, &c.,—City markets— Bar-Rooma, Streets, &c., — Fairmount waterworks — State House— United States Mint— Amount of bullion coined. . 139 CHAPTER XIV. Washington— The Capitol— Notices of the Federal con- stitution of Government— The White House— Patent office &c., — Departure and journey to Boston — Cow-scrapera. . 149 CHAPTER XV. Boston, general description— The Common— Harvard University — Reflections— Publications — Trade of the city —Churches and religious denominations — American Ice Trade Ij,^ CHAPTER XVI. Niagara— Great American Lakes— The falls- Niagara album, specimens of its contents— Lines by the Earl of Carlisle written at Niagara 174 ■ mk-^^m;:' WEST INDIES. CHAPTER I. The start— Reflections on parting— Shipping the mails— West India R. M. Steam Packet Co. — Description of passengers and thel*- occupations — Land in sight. Among the numerous letters with which Lord Chester- field used to favor his most delectable offspring, the careful reader cannot fail to observe many attempts on the part of his lordship to impress on the youth's mind a sense of the benefits to be derived from travelling j and that, not for mere pleasure, but for the purpose of getting rid of those prejudices, common to those who, from the insulated po- sition of the land of their birth or from other causes, are unable to form correct opinions about many things in the great world beyond them. Although unable to agree with the moral pri'^ciples on which most of his advices are based, I fully coincide with hi3 views on the subject of Travelling, and only regret that his son did rot profit to a I \u , i : 12 TEAiiJSATLANTIO SKETCHES. greater extent by the parental advice. Having determined to avoid his error and if possible to escape the imputation which Shakspeare alludes to, when he says — " Home-keeping youth have ever homely wit," I packed my portmanteau, and started one foggy Decem- ber morning for Southampton. What feelings of sorrow or joy does not this word " Southampton " engender in the bosom of hundreds of families, whether we look upon it as the outlet whence many have passed never, never, to return, or as the meeting- place, where, after years of separation, families have once again become united. Having arrived at this Ocean passenger station, I strag- gled from among an immense crowd of men, bandboxes, children and mail bags, porters, women, and baggage of all descriptions, and at last succeeded in reaching an hotel, where I secured a room, although not without some diffi- culty, on account of the crowded state of the house conse- quent on the departure on the morrow of the R. M. S. . Early the next morning there was a perfect deluge of persons by the mail train, anxious to take a last fond look, and bid farewell to those with whom they were about to part, perhaps for ever. Few scenes are more painful to con- template than the manifestations of feeling which are .■i"J^' WEST INDIES. 13 aroused in the human heart by the simple word " Farewell." Look yonder at that mother, clasping in agony a dear form already wasted by consumption ; and tell me, ye Stoics, which of you can withhold a tear as you see that old man bowed down with sorrow, as he invokes a blessing on his only daughter, whose «?pirit even now almost nestles in her Maker's bosom. Turn again, John Bull 1 from the sub- lime to the ridiculous, and tell me if you can restrain a sly laugh at those two foreigners, as they slobber one another over with kisses ; well, well, let them part in their own way, the feelings are the same. For myself, having " dis- poged" of the ceremony to my complete satisfaction, the most acute observer having failed to detect the slightest Bymptom of the saline fluid on my countenance, I jumped on board the tug destined to convey myself, amongst a host of other passengers, to the large steamer which floated majestically in Southampton Water. Previous to our final departure a small steamer came along-side, puffing and blowing with a seeming conscious- ness of the importance of its freight, which consisted of a most astounding quantity of mail-bags topped by a very well " got up " naval lieutenant, who in his turn was sur- mounted by a gold banded cap and buttons to match. The shipping of these bags, together with the Admiralty agent, having consumed some time, it was late in the day ere the signal of departure was gi^en, and the noise of the plashing 14 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. paddles and the lengthening wake in our rear, gave ns notice that we were on our way across the broad Atlantic. The comfortable accommodations which the West India Mail Steam Packet Company afford their passengers is of the most complete description, and their boats are une- quaUed, save perhaps by those of the Peninsular and Oriental, or the Cunard line of Steamers, by any in the world. The gentleman-like bearing of the captains and oflScers toward the passengers, and their efficient co-operation in all that regards the management of the ships they command, are too well known to n6ed any eulogy from my pen. Ou the voyage, I may mention to my reader in strict confidence, our passengers were of the most mixed des- oription, English, French, Germans, a sprinkling of Dutch and Kussians, and no end of Spaniards. The propensity to eat their meals like Christians is not a peculiarity of the latter named ; and, the having a gentleman opposite you at breakfast who indulges in a "pot pourri" of ham and marmalade, sardines and custax-d, I cannot recommend as an infallible cure for sea sickness. To the attentive observer of human nature, few situations afford more opportunities for exercisini^' his faculty than that on board ship. The variety of passengers of different nations, the individual good nature or selfishness of each, their sympathies and their jealousies, form a constant source WEST INDIES. 15 of amusement or disgust according as these passions are displayed. Here you may see the crusty old gentleman, who, in addition to his other infirmities is almost done up with sea sickness : he cares for no one, Tiis comforte must be attended to, even at the expense of those of the ladies. Here, again, you may see the Frenchman, polite even in the last pangs of misery, hat in hand, oflfering hia seat to that handsome young girl, the bloom on whose countenance the sea breeze only tends to heighten, and whose bright smile and graceful recognition of the favor, amply repay the gallant, though debilitated foreigner. Here you may observe the youth fresh from the Univer- sity about to make the grand tour, Ms occv pation consist- ing of smoking unlimited pipes, watching, with a mother's fondness, for the first faint symptom of the colouring clay, and retiring to rest with tranquility, if the labours of the day have only resulted in the colouring of his dudeen. Here and there are groups of foreigners with unshorn countenances and seedy habiliments. Still poor fellows, they appear to be happy, and all seem to agree in their apprecia- tion of tli?,c humble though not intoxicating species of refec- tion, sugar-and-water. On the 15th day after leaving Southampton we sighted Sombrero, a rocky Island, inhabited by a species of hard melon, some Yankees, and an innumerable quantity of crabs. Some days previously the weather had become warm, 16 TBANSATLANTIO SEXTOHES. though not disagreeably so, and the atmospLero beautifully clear. On the first appearanca^of warm weather an awning was placed over the deck ; this formed an agreeable shade, and enabled one to enjoy the after breakfast cigar and sundry games of chess till dinner time. In the course of the afternoon we came in sight of the " Vii^n Gorga " and the hilly Islands which are kept in view all the way to St. Thomas. CHAPTER II. Island of St. Thomas— Description of the harbour— The town- Panama hats— Arrival of luail steamers— Martinique— Ap- pearance of St. Pierre from the water— Negro washerwoman —Barbadoes— Extent— Population— Bridgetown— Uncom- fortable bedfellows— Grenada— View from the fort— Spices, nutmegs, &c. It was a beautiful moonlight night when we entered the harbour of St. Thomas, and the masts of the many steamers and vessels with which it was crowded stood out in bold relief against the star-lit sky; here a pleasant land breeze greeted us, and its coolness almost made us forget that we were in the tropics. Opposite the entrance to the harbour stood the town, denoted by the numerous twinkling lights which studded the rising ground on which it is built. Our ship having been moored in her berth, after some little delay she was boarded by numerous well bronzed individuals in broad-leaved Panama hats and white linen coats, anxious to welcome their friends and hear the lateci news from England. By and by the captains belonging to the different boats of the Company then in harbour came 18 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. Ft dropping; in one by one to pay their respects, and the night was well advanced ere we sought our berth where the sound of the ship's-bell, followed by another, and still another announcing the hour of midnigiit, gave us the comfortable assurance that we were in the vicinity of land once more. Scrubbing decks is an operation not calculated to induce sleep, and more especially on a sultry morning in the tropics; so with a " mens conscia recti," a feeling with which those partial to rising in the middle of the night are prone to solace themselves, I leaped from my berth and rushed on deck, where I fou'd myself ankle deep in water ; sailors and swabs flying about in all directions. But what were these drawbacks, to the enjoyment of the beauteous view that presented itself! The harbour, like a small lake, lay embosomed among hills and filled with vessels and boats of all sizes, from the large American mer- chantman, to the small and fragile craft paddled by the negro women, like minnows among the larger fish. The appearance of the town from the harbour is most picturesque, the houses rising tier above tier with their red tiled roofs and green blinds. As the morning advanced we were surrounded by an innumerable flotilla of small boats rowed by negroes, and crammed with pines, bananas, melons and other tropical fruits, the vendors of which were blessed with the most WEST INDIES. 19 } extraordinary flow of, — shall I call it language ? — that I have ever listened to, and if the sales of their fruits and other commodities were at all commensurate with the vol- ubility of their tongues in praise of them, they must have reaped a rich harvest. Having spunt half an hour or so in this, my first recon- naissance of the negio race, I secured a boat, hoisted an umbrella, and after various incifcctual efforts got clear of the surrounding boats ; and in less time than it takes nic to write it, we were on shore wending our way to the old- fashioned hotel which is close to the wharf, a small but beautiful garden only intervening. This hotel is built in the old Flemish or Dutch style, with a large stouj) on the second story, facing the sea, and from which there is a lovely view of the harbour. The little island of St. Thomas belongs to Denmark ; its area is only about thirty-two square miles. It suffers much from want of water. The soil is consequently arid and unfitted for cultivation. In a commercial point of view the town is of great importance, being the great em- poriura whence almost all the towns and islands along the Spanish Main are supplied. People of all nations are to be seen in the different stores ; Americans, Jews, Spaniards, French and Creoles of almost every Island, all seeking after filthy lucre, of course. There is a large trade done in Panama hats ; these are made of a peculiar sort of gr;l^^s '!( 20 TttANSATLANTIO BKETOUES. u grown in Spanish America, and arc well adapted for use in warm climates. Tiio finer descriptions command a high price ; some being valued as high as 180 dollars, or about 30 guineas; cigar cases are also made out of the same kind of grass dyed and worked into pretty patterns. St. Thomas is the great rendezvous for all the steamers on the West India route. During our stay we were several times aroused by the boom of the gun announcing the arrivrl of different steamers ; first, perhaps, the one due from the Gulf, then the boat from the Havana would come steaming into harbour, and so on, till t!.o little haven was quite alive with chimneyed vessels. Such steamers only remain till the English mail is received, when, each having received its bags, away they start for their respective destinations once more. Having remained at St. Thomas about two days, and the boat for the Island route whicli I was about to take having shipped her mail bags, we started^ hcvin;.^ bid adieu and exchanged, I can't say how many, pasteboards with our compagnons de voyage of the ocean. The run to Trinidad, which was my destination, is most enjoyable. The steamer touches at almost all of the islands, if only to land th.i^ mails and oif isngers. Being distant from each uUOx only a few hours' sail, and some even less, the constant variety was quite charm- ing. "When the steamer approaches, she generally, fires WEST INDIES. 21 a gun, and if at night, disoharges a rocket, to announce her arrival. These signals are answered from the shore, and immediately the anchor is dropped the Admiralty agent jumps into the boat especially appropriated to his use with the mail bags, and having pulled ashore, delivers them to the Postmaster. The office of Admiralty agent on this route is by no means n sinecure ; at all hours of the day and night he must be ready to land the mail, and some- times in rough weather this is not unattended with danger. It was early in the morning as we anchored opposite the town of St Pierre, Martinique. It has a most pictu- resque appearance from the water, built as it is at the foot of the immense hills which, covered with perennial verdure, tower above it ; the exuberant vegetation softening the stern grandeur with which it is surrounded. The sun was gilding every object as we stood on the quarter deck of the steamer admiring this paradise-like scene. The red tiled houses with their quaint gables and jalousies thrown open, presented an appearance of most charming irregularity, while here and there the cupola of some French church rearing itself above the surrounding mass of buildings, proclaimed by the inharmonious, though pleasing, clang of its bell, that the worship of that God whose hand is everywhere visible was about to be celebrated. . It was altogether a scene of peaceful and radiant beauty which time itself will scarcely eflFace from my memory. 22 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. Many of the West India Islands being of vblcanic origin, the traveller is not surprised at their hilly appearance. Guadaloupo especially struck me as presenting the appear- ance of a continuous hill covered with almost interminable forests. Here and there a patch of canes was distinguishable by the peculiar light green appearance of its foliage ; while clos.e by would be seen the tall chimney of the boiling house, whence the black smoke issued i ad dispersed in curlinf^ wreaths toward the blue sky. As soon as the steamer is seen to near one of the islands she is immediately surrounded by numerous boats filled with gaily dressed negro ladies, their head-gear being hand- kerchiefs of the most gaudy colors tied in the most coquet- tish fashion round their heads. These handkerchiefs per- form a double service ; they prevent the rays of the sun from striking the head, and at the same time conceal the wool, of which no negro is particularly proud. The laughing, chat- tering and general hilarity that go on in the boats is a source of never failing amusement to passengers who f tr the first time take this route. Ever and anon some brown girl, with a bundle of neatly folded clothes in a skiff pulled by her peculiai nigger comes straggling through the crowd of surrounding boats. With a proud air of disdain, she regards the usscmbled nigger ladies, conscious that in virtue of her office she has the right oUntree on board ; proudly she ascends the ladder, WEST INDIES. 23 and deposits her bundle of newly washed clothes with the officer of the ship who employs her ; when a right hearty hug and a kiss indicative of pleasure in the giver and receiver, denote that, however charmed our friend was with the whiteness of his linen, he was not insensible to the attractions of his pretty hiancJiisseuse. On the third day after leaving St. Thomas we arrived at Barbadoes. Here we were delayed some hours, as we were obliged to change boats ; an operation by no means pleasant. Having shifted my baggage as quickly as possible on board the steamer that was to convey us to Grenada and Trinidad, I deposited myself in a small ooat and was in a few mo- ments landed on the wharf at Bridgetown. Barbadoes, the first English settlement in the West Indies, contains about 106,470 acres, out of which nearly 100,000 acres are in cultivation, (shewing a larger proportion of land in cultivation than any other island in the West Indies) ; out of these 100,000 acres about 40,000 are under sugar- cane Tlie cattle used in the island are chiefly imported from Porto Rico and the Spanish Main ; the horses from the United States. The populatiori of Barbadoes, in proportion to its size, is perhaps more dense than that of any other country in the world, and it is believed to be fast increasing. At pre- sent it is about 122,198; which gives nearly 735 indi- ill' 24 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. viduals to the square mile, being almost 3 times that of England, Wales and Ireluiid, and nearly 8 times that of Scotland. It is ou this account that Barbadoes maintains her superiority over the other islands, a plentiful supply of h'bour being the one thing needful in the West Indies. Bridgetown resembles an English town in appearance perhaps more than any town in the West Indies. The streets are narrow, and what with waggons rolling over the paved thoroughfares and the business aspect of the people, —always excepting the negroes— one almost fancies himself in some of the back streets of Liverpool. There is an excellent Icehouse in this town, and after partaking of some of the cooling beverage for which it is celebrated, I came to the conclusion that within its precincts was not the least attractive portion of Bridgetown. The afternoon was far advanced before we steamed out of the bay and directed our course toward St. Vincent. During my sojourn in this boat, I made some very dis- agreeable acquaintance ; although of an erratic tendency, I do not consider myself unsocial or adverse to friendly intercourse with my fellow creatures, but I do admit that, however bearable o)ie might be, I have a decided objection to half a dozen or more cockroaches, varyinof in dimensions from one to three inches, being my bedfellows. The town of St. George's Grenada, where we arrived early in. the morning, is pleasantly situated at the further WEST INDIES. 25 extremity of a small and very beautiful bay, with hills rising on either side, luxuriant with palms, cacti, and other tropical plants. We were delayed here, the whole of Sunday, coaling ; this is an excessively disagreeable process, as ^he coal dust penetrates into every portion of the vessel and renders the otherwise clean ship, for the time being, a perfect coal-hole. This operation is generally performed by negro women, who carry the coal in baskets on their heads and deposit it in the ship. The well known musical character of the negro race was well sustained in these damsels, but the ditties which they chanted did not tend to give a stranger a very exalted opinion of their morality. The view from the Fort at the summit of the hill over- looking the harbour, is magnificent. The town, with its odd looking half ruined houses, telling of better days, when the Island used to export four or five times as much sugar as it does at present, lies peacefully beneath you : " But now the wild-flowers round them only breathe, Yet ruined splendour still is lingering there." jn the other hand, the sea stretches out in a broad expanse, with nothing for the eye to rest upon, save perhaps the white sail of some vessel as it flaps listlessly against the mast. The island of Grenada is remarkable for the quantity of "'"--*--*--^t*-"" ■ 1^ irfrt iMilfril' i-afer-- :-i.v--n«fliaaiaittflt Ififllilt 111 III ■■! .'^i. II 26 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. spice, cloves, nutmegs, &c., which it produces. Its yams are also celebrated, some of them attaining an immense size. The nutmeg is one of the prettiest of the West India products. The outside covering is in shape like a pear, but this when ripe becomes as hard as wood and splits, disclosing in its centre the outside shell of the nutmeg, covered with the beautiful yellow streaks of the mace ; the kernel contained in this shell is the nutmeg of commerce. CHAPTER III. Entrances to the Bay of Paria — Trinidad — Port of Spain — Sup- ply of water — Public buildings — Division of the Island— Minagcment of the roads — Valley of the Marraval — Negro women — San Fernando — First view of the cane fields — Life on a sugar i)lantation — Fruits — " HumboJ'H" on the banana — A " stinking fume " — Fish — Land Crabs — Lieut. Maury on land and sea breezes — Sunset — Crapauds. HaA'ing left Grenada in the evening, early the next morning we passed through the Bocca Grande, that magni- ficent entrance, or rather one of the entrances, to the Gulf of Paria. I say one of the entrances, because there are several, the Bocca de Navion or Ship passage, the Bocca de Hucvos or Egg passage, and the Bocca do Drago or Dragon's Mouth ; so called by Columbus on account of the currents which find their exit through this passage from the Gulf of Paria. The scene along the coast is exceedingly beautiful. Having passed the numerous small islands with which the Gulf is studded, we arrived at Port of Spain, the principal town of Trinidad. The town itself is built with much regularity, and contains about 15,000 iii-mt-linhWiggai 28 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. \'i : : »: inhabitants. The smell of salt fish — a staple commodity in the West Indies — which pervades some of the streets, is not agreeable to the olfactory nerves of strangers. Port of Spain is well supplied with water, perhaps better than any other town in the West Indies ; and any one who has resided for a length of time in the tropics must be fully aware of what an important luxury, nay necessary, this is ; for this great boon the thanks of the inhabitants are due to Lord Harris, late Governor, and those under him, who were instrumental in forming the Keservoirs which are situated about 150 feet above the town, and contain a copious supply of water. Nearly every inhabitant has a bath in his house, and there are several fountains in various parts of the town. The public buildings are not numerous. The French Cathedral, the Barracks, the English Episcopal Church, the Government Ofl&ces and the Coolie Hospital are among the principal ; this last mentioned building would be an ornament to any town. It is capable of containing four hundred patients ; and in addition to the light graceful style of its architecture, it is fitted up with every attention to the comforts and wants of patients in a tropical climate. Close to the Hospital is a wash-house fitted up with an immense number of stone receivers, where the negro women are allowed to wash clothes at the small charge of 10 cents WEST INDIES. 29 per diem, five cents additional being charged for hot water. During my stay, there were preparations making for the construction of two large plunge baths, ^ro bono publico; shewing that the attention of the authorities was directed not to the mere washing of clothes alone. The Jail is a large building on the self supporting prin- ciple ; when I say self supporting I take as my authority the published Report of the Governor of that Institution for the year 1856-*', in which he says : " The annual ex- penditure of the establishment, salaries included, amounts to £4094 Is. 8d., and the amount of the labor of the pri- soners who have been employed at various places, haa yielded £3,770 5s. 7d., without deductions. Admitting, however, that there had been no earnings, the keep of each prisoner during the past year would have amounted to one shilling per diem ; but by deducting the earnings, the ex- pense has been only one farthing per diem for each. " The bread required for the use of the prisoners was made at the prison, and the saving thereby for the past year amounts to $1452.50. " The labour of the prisoners has been chiefly applied in quarrying stones, breaking metal for roads, felling timber, &o. Those having a trade being employed in the prison, in baking, tailoring, shoemaking, &c." The island of Trinidad is divided into several districts or ward-unions ; of these there are ten, viz : Diego Martin, l\ 80 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. 4! St. Ann's, Tacarigua, Arinia, Mayaco, Toco, Couva, North Naparima, South Naparima, and Cedros; to each of these wards a Warden is appointed by the Governor at a sahiry of £300 pe?. annum, with a commission on all moneys collected by him; his duties are to collect the ward rate or tax levied on the different sugar plantations, and expend them on the improvement of the roads and for the benefit of the ward generally. The management of the roads in the colony — a matter of the utmost importance — is vested in a central Road Board consisting of the Governor and six other persons, two of whom must be members of the Legislative Council of Government. The secretary of this Board is also In- spector of Roads. The direction and management of the Roads in each Road Union is vested in a local Road Board subject to the supervision and direction of the central Board. I am thus particular in mentioning how the manage- ment of the Roads is attended to in this Island, as on it in a great measure must depend the well being of the colony, generally. Any one who has seen the condition of the Roads in the wet season, and indeed after a heavy shower of rain in the dry season when they are easily cut up by heavy waggons, must fully understand how necessary it is that this part of the internal econouiy of the colony should be well attended to. m WEST INDIES. 31 The rides and drives in the vicinity of Port of Spain are very beautiful. The valley of Diego Martin is most pictures({ue, but in my opinion is far surpassed by that of Marraval; a beautiful crystal stream runs through it, adding another to the many charms with which this delight- ful valley abounds ; the cocoa trees affording a pleasing shade, whilst the different wild flowers that blossom along your path lend their perfume to enhance the pleasure you derive from their gorgeous appearance. St. Ann's, the residence of the Governor, is a pretty little cottage lying at the foot of the hill that rises above the town ; in front there is a large savannah or sort of park, planned and executed by Sir Kalph Woodford, when Gov- ernor of the Island some years ago : it makes an agreeable promenade or drive for the inhabitants of the town in the afternoon, and is annually used as a race-course. The houses out of town are mostly all built of wood with verandahs and jalousies — a sort of Venetian blind set in a frame, supplying the place of our glass windows. Carpets are rarely seen in the houses, but a species of Indian mat makes a very neat covering for the floor and is cool in appearance. The jaunty way in which the negro women saunter about the town is most picturesque, that laissez-aller gait which appears quite natural with them renders them the impersonation of voluptuousness. The way also in which ¥ 82 TRANBATLANTIO SKETCHES. I- !i they bind their locks— of wool — gives them also a pcculiai'ly piquant look ; the handkerchiefs which they use are manu- factured expressly for this market. They are exceedingly pretty, the colours being varied and gaudy, but well matched. In some cases the colour is laid on with a brush and allowed to dry, and as the handkerchief when once tied may be removed from the head at pleasure, the colouring does not require to be renewed so often as one might suppose. The manner in which the handkerchief is tied varies in the different Islands, that of Martinique obtaining my pre- ference. Having remained in Port of Spain a few days and being satisfied with the number of Lions that I encountered, I put my foot on board the small steamer which plies between that town and the small villages along the coast. As we passed along we found the scenery dull and uninteresting. San Fernando, the first village we arrived at, is a thriving little place, and being situated in the most fertile cane- growing district of the island, is crowded with the stores of different merchants, whence many of the estates or plantations are supplied. The numerous articles with which these stores are crowded and their variety rather surprised me at first ; but after visiting some of the Estates, I found that their wants were quite equal to the supplies with which the stores abound. \ WEST INDIES. 88 Tho town is nearly all built of wood, and the little she Hies or resideuces of thv negroes, interspersed with orange trees, palms, and a variety of other plants of tropi- cal growth, have a very pleasing appearance. As you drive out of tho town, a most beautiful vJ"W presents itself; as far as tho eye can reach, over hill and dale is one sheet of the most luxuriant green that can be imagined. Fere and there are to be seen patches where the canes have been already cut, and mule carts loading and carrying oflF the juicy sticks to the mill to be ground. As I purpose in a succeeding chapter to endeavour to give the reader a short account of the growth and manage- ment of the cane and also of the manufacture of sugar, I shall not anticipate myself here, but for the present content myself with giving a sketch of life as I found it, under, I must say, favourable circumstances, on a sugar plantation in the West Indies. The pleasantest part of the West India day is without exception the morning ; consequently, as a general rule, every one rises early, say 5 to 5^ o'clock. Living on an estate, it is quit« a superfluous duty to attend much to your toilet ; so having slipped on a pair of inexpressibles and slippers, for be it known to all you who have not lived in a tropical climate, that this costume is infinitely more agreeable than that of an eye-glass and pair of garters, which is erroneously supposed, by some old ladies, to constitute 34 TRANSATLANTIC SKETOHEJ. 1: I ' the wearing apparel of West Indians generally. Having disguised your person, you trot into the verandah which surrounds nearly all the houses, ensconce yourself in a ix)cking-ohair, and there discuss the cup of smoking coffee which your n^ro flunkey brings to you. This is the time of the day " par excellence" for fruit. Independent of the fruit being cooler and more refreshing, it is not thought wholesome by the Creoles to eat it in the middle of the day or in the evening, consequently it is but seldom you see fruit placed on the table after dinner. Well, having disposed of my coffee, I then proceed to culti- vate the acquaintance of a juicy pine apple ; this fruit I prefer, as I think it in a vast degree superior to any of the other fruits met with in the West Indies. It would be almost impossible to enumerate all the numerous varieties of fruits with which Trinidad abounds. Oranges, Shaddocks, Sappad. loes. Mangoes, Pomegranates, Sour Sops, Cashew Apples, Custard Apples, Plantains, Bananas, and Cocoa Nuts, are among the principal. Most of these fruits are mawkish in taste, and not palatable to foreigners. The Plantain or Banana forms a staple article of food with the negro ; indvicd the Plantain to the negro is what the potato is to the Irishman. Bespecting the quantity of nu- triment it contai'as, Baron Humboldt remarks : — " I doubt whether there be any other plant that WEST INDIES. 85 ! i produces so great a quantity of nutritive substance in so small a space. Eight or nine months after the sucker is planted, it begins to develop its cluster. The fruit may be gathered in the tenth or eleventh month. When th.> stalk is out, there is always found among the numerous shoots that have taken root, a sprout, which being two thirds the length of its parent plant, bears fruit three months later. Thus a Plantation of Bananas perpet- uaios itself without requiring any care on the part of man, further than to cut the stalks when the fruit has ripened, and to stir the earth gently once or twice a year about the roots. A piece of ground of 100 square metres* of surface will contain from 30 to 40 plants. During the course of a year this same piece of ground, reckoning the weight of the cluster at from 15 to 20 kilogs.f only, will yield 2000 kilogs., or more than 4000 lbs. of nutritive sub- stance ; what a diiFerence between this product and that of the cereal grasses in most parts of Europe ! The same extent of land planted with wheat would not produce over 30 lbs. and not over 90 lbs. of potatoes. Hence the product of Banana is to that of wheat as 133 to 1, and that of ♦^ ) potatoes as 44 to 1." JiJssai mr la JSouvelle Espagne, " Mais revenons h, nos moutons." Crack, crack, crack, and a rumbling noise along the road, arouses you from the pleas- ing reverie into which you may have fallen, and in the * A wiefrc=39 J inches ; f ^ kilogramme = 2 lbs 3oz. avoirdupois. I ,! ^6 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. midst of an overpowering cloud of dust, you perceive the dim outline of sev eral carts nth. mules yoked tandem, or unicorn, and young niggers standing upright on the shafts flipping the leaders with long awkward whips with astonishing accu- racy. Away scud the mules, with their large and clumsy carts rolling and tumbling after them, until lost to sight in the adjoining cane-pieee. This little incident having aroused you, the horses are ordered, and you put on your chapeau, hoots and a spur — one being considered quite sufficient, two the sign of a prig* — the establishment of a raw being avoided by a judicious change of this implement of torture. Having mounted our steeds we turn their heads toward the mill, to see if the morning's woyk progresses favourably ; and as it is part of the duty of < very planter to blowup everybody employed about the mill, having administered a proper tonic in the shape of opprobrious epithets to every body in general and negroes in particular, we move on. Having completed the circuit of two or three estates, and the master's presence having had an equally beneficial effect thereon, we turn our horses' heads homewards, the sun about this time being high in the heavens, and its rays rather intense ; after luxuriating in a bath we sit down about 11 o'clock to a regular West India breakfast, which * I might quote "Hudibras " in support cf thi3 method, but Butler is an author unsuited to the present ;jeneration. 'f :x if I WEST INDIES. 37 is rather a substantial affair, consisting of salt fish, cooked as only the Creoles know how, sweet potatoes, or yams, cold fowl, and any other delicacies that may be in season ; as to fluids for washing these good things down, I found claret and seltzer water neither an unwholesome nor unpal- atable beverage. "Now then, boy. Fire!" and immediately the "boy" having placed a capital Havana in one hand and a red hot stick in the other, you proceed to apply one end of the weed to your lips and the other to the blazing brand, and cause to ascend what His Most Gracious Majesty King James was pleased to term a " black stinking fume nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoake of the pit that is bottomless." With all deference to His Majesty, I am not inclined to think that the " smoake arising from the pit that is bottomless " is likely to have any thing in common with the aroma that proceeds from an aged Cabana. The last detachment of ashes having fallen on the ground, giving you notice of the decease of your aged friend, you snatch up a book, not for the purpose of any literary en- tertainment, but as a means of satisfying yourself that a comfortable nap was not your intention at least, in starting : you then doze away until the book slips from your fingers, and remain a most placid specimen of those good intentions which are currently reported to pave a much warmer place even than countries within the tropics. 88 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. The afternoon is the part of the day generally devoted to driving, and the rays of the sun becoming less warm, it enables the fair sex to participate in this amusement. The vehicle principally used for driving is the American waggon, which is a very light machine with four wheels of very slendor make ; it has a leathern hood which can be raised or lowered at pleasure ; this is useful, as it shades the occupants from the heat of the sun, and at the same time causes a current when the machine is in motion. The draft on the horse is exceedingly small ind on this account it is well adapted to the country, as it can be driven over the roughest ground, and, if necessary, into the cane-piece. The ladies having paid their visits and imbibed as much fresh air as it is possible to do in a couple of hours, they return home to dinner ; at this meal, soup is the principal course, but good fish is sometimes obtain able. The Grouper is the best flavoured fish caught in these waters ; it is of large size, sometimes attaining the weight of 150 lbs. The Spanish Mackerel is also a good iish, but not well flavoured ; oysters are to be had, but they are small and insipid. The beef and mutton in the island of Trinidad are both dear and bad, the latter having a good deal the flavour of goat about it; those who are at all particular as to their table, must keep a good supply of hens and chickens, the former for their eggs, and the latter for themselves. Land crabs are a peculiar dehcacy in the West Indies; in ij WEST INDIES. 39 shape they are much the same as the common sea crab, but in appearance, of a purple-bluish dnt ; they burrow into the ground and make holes in which they reside. After dinner you appeal again to the cigar-box, where solace may be obtained for a couple of hours previous to retiring to rest. The coolness of the evening is perfectly enehanting after the excessive heat of the day ; but it must be remembered, that in the evening, you have in the tropics the refreshing land breeze, as during the day you are in a certain measure invigorated by the delicious sea breeze. Lieutenant Maury thus accounts for these alternations : — " In many parts of the world tho oppressive heat of summer is modified, and the climate of the sea shore is made refreshing and healthful by the alternation of winds which come from the sea by day and the land by night. About 10 in the morning the heat of the sun has played upon the land with sufficient intensity to raise its temper- ature above that of the water. A portion of this heat being imparted to the superincumbent air causes it to rise, when the air first from the beach, then from the sea, to the distance of several miles, begins to flow in with a most delightful and invigorating freshness. * * * * "When the sun goes down, the fire ceases; then the dry land commences to give off its surplus heat by radiation, 80 that by nine or ten o'clock, it and the air above, are 11 40 TEANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. Il- cooled below the sea temperature. The atmosphere on the land thus becomes heavier than that on the sea, and con- sequently there is a wind seaward which we call f -.o land breeze." Physical Geography of the Sea. To the admirer of nature there are few things that delight the stranger in the tropics, more than the sun- sets; the gorgeous beauty of the many-coloured clouds which float about the horizon, as the great luminary of the day sinks to lighten up another hemisphere, is without any parallel ; here and there the azure sky is streaked with clouds of a reddish-brown hue, fringed with gold ; others again like volumes of smoke, of the most delicate shade of green, melting away with most exquisite softness as they reach the horizon, where the blackness of night already hovers about to receive them. There is no twilight in the tropics, so that when the sun sets, this part of the world is in almost total dark- ness. The light of the moon, however, which is most bril- liant, does much to render the evening of the tropical day most enjoyable ; it is at this time that you can sit in the verandah of your house smoking your weed, listen- ing to the mellow sounds of music floating through the open casements; and it is at this time also that frogs and other reptiles, come out to moon themselves after the heat of the day. Talking of frogs, the lungs which the West Indian species of this family are possessed of, must WEST INDIES. 41 be excessively powerful ; on a still calm evening the noise which these creatures make can be distinctly heard at a distance of a mile and a half or two miles. I have a lively recollection of being disturbed in my slumbers one night, by what I, in my innocence, conceived to be the bellowing of a calf! This noise was continued at intervals for about three hours. In the morning, on making inquiries, I found that a small frog had secreted itself in a large iron boiler, which had been placed close to the house for the purpose of collecting water, and that the reverberation oc- casioned by this young reptile's croaking had caused the calf-like sound before alluded to. It is to be regretted, that a facility for making their accustomed noise, does not desert them even under the most trying circumstances; and if we are to believe Ovid, they are capable of offering up a croak at the shrine of Mercy, even from under water. Q mvis sint sub aqutl, sub aqu«l maledicere tentant, Vox quoque jam rauca est, inflataque coUa tumescunt. Metam., lib. vi. II li I CHAPTER IV. Sugar and the sugar cane — Description cultivated in "West Indies—Method of propagation— Mode of planting— Rat- toons— Megass—" Imphee," or African sugar cane— Com- parison between it and the beet root— boason for reaping sugar crop— Method of cutting canes. The large proportion of the human family who are con- sumers of sugar, the great number of human beings who are employed in the cultivation of the cane, and the vast and important interests that are dependent on the growth and manufacture of sugar, are the only apologies which I offer to the reader, for devoting a short space to a des- cription of the cultivation of the cane, and the method of manufacturing sugar in the West Indies. The sugar cane was supposed to have been cultivated in China previous to the period of authentic history. The first account we have, is of fields of cane being discovered in Syria. Through Spain and the Canary Islands it was transplanted to St. Domingo by the Spaniards, and from this island the cane has gradually spread over the other West India Islands, and tb.e tropical regions of America, rrJUHuawHlLnniL -lull WEST INDIES. 43 The cane flourishes best, where the medium temperature is from 75° to 77° Fahr. The principal variety, and that which is supposed to yield the greatest amount of sugar, is the Otaheite r Bourbon j this is the cane grown ahnost exclusively in the West Indies. The sugar cane is propagated by cuttings, which are generally taken from the top portion of the plant, as this part is generally the most juicy, and contains less of sac- charine matter than the more woody portion, or that nearer the ground. The cuttings are usually made from 15 to 20 inches in length, each containing two or more joints, every joint having a bud or eye, from whence the new cane sprouts. When this takes place, a number of small roots are thrown out all round the circle of the joint, which serve to supply the young plant with nourishment, until sufficiently strong to throw out roots of its own. In many of the West India Islands there are different modes of planting ; formerly the hoe was the only imple- ment used ; a chop was made in the cane hole and the plant was placed in it horizontally ; it was then covered with mould and trodden down. In some places a light pickaxe is used, by which a hole is formed, into which the plant is forced, lying when planted at an angle of 45° above the horizon. But the plan I have seen used and with the best resuU", consists in the formation of a hole with a crow-bar, which being plunged into the earth, n 44 i J' m TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. fi)' is worked about to loosen the soil, and forms a hole in which the cane is placed. In land, however, that is properly ploughed and well pulverized, the plant can bo thrust into the ground without any trouble. With regard to the pulverization of the ground, I think that greater care might be taken by many of the planters, and for this purpose-although not an agent for the sale of articles of this description-I would recommend many of the agricultural implements, in use on the farms, both in England and Scotland. It is not nr .dsary to plant lancs in the West Indies every year, there being no frost-as sometimes occurs in Louisiana— to kill the roots : consequently they continue to throw up fresh roots for many years ; this is called rattoon- ing, and the canes grown in this manner are called rattoons. Canes are generally planted 5 ft. apart, and 4 ft. between each row, but on this point no rule can be laid down ; in Cuba 4 feet are allowed, in Louisiana 6 ft. and sometimes more. I am inclined to think this latter the best metliod, as, although taking up more ground, it allows the air to' circulate more freely around the plant, and gives a greater space of ground for its sustenance. In some of the Islands, among old planters, it is custo- mary to place two plants of cane, side by side, in the »mmmm WEST INDIES. 45 same hole ; this is done in order that, if one from any cause fail to grow, the other should supply its place. But this is a mistaken notion, as should they both grow, they inevitu 7 impede each other in arriving at maturity. The plan adopted by more intelligent planters, is to place one plant in each hole, and should this fail when the proper season comes, to supply the hole with another plant. The best season for putting in plants, is from August to November, but planting or supplying goes on in almost every month, except of course during crop. To enable the cane to rattoon successfully the land must be tilled early, and the necessity for a large space of ground, between the canes ihat are meant to rattoon, will be obvious. Although there can be no doubt of the superior- ity of pl'ints over rattoons, still it may often be necessary to have some portion of an estate under the latter. Nearly all writers on the subJ3ct advocate the necessity of putting the megass, or refuse of the cane after going through the mill, on the ground as manure ; but I question whether this article could be spared for such a purpose, used as it is on nearly all estates for fuel. In the eleventh or twelfth month of the growth of the cane, it begins to arrow, i. e. jfiower, and throws out a stalk 7 or 8 ft. in length, and about | inch in thickness, covered with a whitish feathery flower j at this period, the plant is nearly ready to be cut. : ;i i: ■ 46 TKANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. There is no reliable information as to whetlier the cant 18 propagated by seed; some writers on the subject seem to think it is not J however, there can be no great object in its propagation in this way, except for experiment. There is, however, another species of the sugar-cane or plant, which Mr. Wray has discovered in Southern Africa. It is called by the natives Imphee ; of this plant, the seeds belonging to fifteen different varieties have been discovered by Mr. Wray, and a minute description given of each, in a late work r,f his on the subject. He considers this plant, or sweet reed, as distinguished from the sugar-cane proper' to be the one frequently alluded to in ancient authors, and quotes the line from Lucan — " Quiqiie bibunt tenera dulces ab arundine succos," as having a direct allusion to it ; he says this plant may be grown, wherever maize or Indian corn can ripen its seed; consequently allowing a far wider field for its growth than can bo obtained for the Sugar-cane. The manufacture of sugar from this plant is extremely simple, and the result of a comparison between it and the Beet-root, as substances whence sugar may be obtained, he thus states :— Imphee— time of growth three to fo-r months; sugar per acre, thirty cwt. ; molasses, equal ' q. Beet-root— time of growth, seven to eight months; sugar per acre, ten cwt; molasses, very inferior. WEST mDIES. 47 Comparing the sugor-cano with the Imphee, he draws the following comparison, favourable to the latter. As regards the Sugar-cane : 1. It takes, according to circumstances, from twelve to sixteen, to eighteen, or to twenty months, from the crop being planted to its ripening. 2. Some very soft juicy canes do really contain, chemically speaking, only about ten per cent, of woody fibre ; but an overwhelming majority of sugar-canes do most certainly contain, practically, a much greater proportion ; some even as much as thirty per cent. 3. Fine average cane-juice contains eighteen per cent, of sugar, not more. 4. A good average crop of sugar-canes will weigh from twenty-five to thirty tons per acre. 6. Canes are apt to degenerate so fast, that constant re- course must be had to the expedient of exchanging plant tops, between estates very distant from each other. 6. The cane rattoons in twelve months, generally, from the time of cutting ; and each time it rattoons, the canes are asju^ynnd contain a greater amount of woody fibre in proportion. Now as regards the Imphee in these particular points : — 1. It takes from three to four and a half months, ac- cording to the kind planted, from the time of sowing the seed until it arrives at maturity, and it will rattoon &.WaiMib6m .^iiSb' 48 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. twice or three times ilerwarda at intervals of three months between each cutting : provided, of course, that the warm weather permits their continued rattooning. 2. It is much more juicy than the generality o: sugar- canes, and contains far less woody fibre, which does not materially increase the rattoon. 3. Fine average Imphee juice, contains fifteen per cen t of sugar. 4. A good average crop of Imphee stalks or canes, will weigh twent) Jdve tons per acre. 5. Imphee h produced from the seed ; therefore, no de- terioration can occur as in the sugar cane, and the seed may be sown by a drill. 6. It will yield a crop of rattoons six to seven months from the time of the seed being sown j therefore, two crops in that space of time ; and will continue rattooning if the seasons are favourable. This plant has been cultivated with success in many parts of the United States ; and I have no doubt that, not merely as producing sugar, but as a fodder crop, its value will come to be duly appreciated. The time for reaping the sugar crop commences in De- cember, sometimes before, and lasts till the wet season puts a stop to further o^^. .-ations. The canes are cut by negroes proceeding between the rows, with cutlasses or long knives, and chopping the canes close to the ground : with one cut WEST IN.DIES. 49 tboy tako off the top or green portion, and with another they chop (!.. cane in two pieces and throw it on the ground ; the piece i are then picked up, by the women and boys who follow the cutters, and placed in caiU. These are large heavy vehicles, drawn by three or four mules. The overseer, who is nearly all day .n horseback, generally manages to have three - four carts filled and .eady to start for the mill, whh 3metimes may be a mile or two from the place where the can .3 are being cut, at the same time. These he accompanies himself, in order to prevent racing between rival charioteers, or any undue castiga- tion of the unfortunate animals. This is very neces- sary, as the good preservation of the stock on an estate is the first care of every manager, and is absolutely neces- sary for the realization of the crop. The next operation after arriving at the mill, is to have the canes ground properly, and as there are different power mills employed for this purpose, I hope I may not be deemed tedious, if I devote my next chapter to this subject alone. If ,-lli - t CHAPTEK V. Sugar Mills-Description-Dififerent powers employed, and rela- tive value of each kind—Quantity of juice obtained from the cane— Composition of the sugar cane— Boiling the syrup—Remarks of Mr. Wray-" Potting "-Consumption of sugar — Beet root sugar. Sugar mills are of different descriptions. In general three rollers are used ; these vary in size, some are only 3 ft. in length and about 2 ft. in diameter, but these are almost the smallest in use ; the average length of the rol- lers in Trinidad, I shoi I say, i^ about 4| feet. In Cuba, the rollers employed are of a much larger size. In one mill I saw building at West Point Foundry, New York State, the rollers were six feet long. The rollers are brought together by means of powerful screws fixed in a strong iron frame workj the distance between the first and second roller is generally i or JL of an inch, and that between the second and third not more than to allow a sixpence to pass. They are generally made rough on the outside, in order that they may ^'Mte " better, and obtain a firm hold on the cane when presented. In cattle mills, the rollers are placed perpendicularly; this i< f ri WEST INDIES. 51 is m essary from the way in which they are worked; if horizontal rollers were used, there would always be a loss of power. Large rollers, that is large in diameter, are decid- edly preferable to small ones, as the pressing surface is much greater, and consequently the cane is under pressure for a longer period, than it would be under rollers of smaller diameter. The motive power should, always, be in propor- tion to the size of the rollers. Mills are worked either by horsepower, wind, water or steam ; this latter agent is now by far the most generally used ; the mill worked by wind, is much inferior to any other power mill, in consequence of the irregularity of the velocity obtained. Mr Kerr, in his work on the subject says, " water power averages 61-8 per cent., animal power 58-5 prr cent., steam 60-9 per cent., and wind power 56 4 percent." These results were obtained from the best constructed mills in the island of Guadaloupe. Water, in consequence of scarcity, in dry weather, must always be an uncertain power, but in places where there is a constant supply, I think it must be more economical than steam. In the Tacarigua quarter of this island (Trinidad) It is very generally used, and expensive aqueducts have in some cases been built, to c.nvey the water considerable distances. When the canes have arrived at the mill, they are placed on the feed-board, to be presented to the rollers, by a man 52 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. Stationed there for the purpose ; the juice falling from the canes, as they pass through the mill, is caught in a receiver, from whence it flows into the clarifiers ; the canes that are crushed are called " Megass," or sometimes " Bagasse ;" this refuse is removed, and placed in small heaps in the sun to dry, after which it is stored in sheds, to be used for fuel. The mills used in the West Indies barely obtain from the cane more than 60 per cent, of its juice : now what is wanted is a mill that will express the entire, or almost the entire, quantity of the juice ; there is certainly a large por- tion left in the cane, which, by feeding the mill properly, might be obtained ; but it is utterly impossible to find a negro who will perform this work in a satisfactory manner ; they cram in the canes, without any reference to the diges- tive powers of the mill, and consequently the machine is often stopped altogether by being choked up. If the canes were placed evenly along the feed-board, and also, if it were possible that, when in the mill, they could be pressed in dif- ferent positions, I think a much greater amount of juice might be obtained. The average composition of the cane, when fully ripe, is, according to Professor Johnston : Sugar 18 to 22 Gluten and Water 71 Woody fibre lo . Saline Matter i 100 WEST INDIES. 53 ^ The sweetness of the sugar depends very much on the ripeness of the cane ; and it is a curious fact connected with this plant, that the sap sweetens only to a certain extent up the stem, the upper part of the cane, or that usually em- ployed for prop rting purposes, yielding abundance of sap, but very little sugar ; consequently in Louisiana, where the canes rarely ripen so well as in the West Indies, the proportion of sugar contained in the juice, is set down as low as from 12 to 14 per cent. The juice having been squeezed from the cane, is con- veyed to the clarifiers ; these are large vessels with false bottoms, into which the escape steam from the boiler is allowed to pass. A solution of lime is then mixed with the juice, which causes all the feculencies or impurities to rise to the surface : the scum, which is formed by this means, is skimmed off. When there are no clarifiers used, the lime is put into the grand copper ; the quantity of lime used differing according to the quality of canes in process of grinding. Juice, taken from canes grown in a ravine or on low ground,' requires more lime than that from canes in a more elevated situation. Sometimes, when enough lime has not been put into the grand copper, it has to be put into the " teache:'^ experience shows the necessity of this. The grand copper is the first of a series of, generally, five boilers placed in a row; this copper-they are called cop- pers, although made of iron ; in some of the old Islands r. ; I 1 I f 54 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. however, they still use copper boilers— is the largest, and is furthest away from the mouth of the furnace ; conse- quently the heat is least at this point ; this copper usually holds from 700 to 1200gallons. After the juice is sufficiently boiled, it is passed on, by means of large ladles, to the second grand copper, where it is still further evaporated ; and so on, until it arrives at the teache, which is the last copper in which the juice is boiled, previous to its being run off into the coolers. There are some remarks of Mr. T^^ray, the well known writer on the Sugar cane, which I think are here applicable and which I quote without apology. He says :— " The temperature at which syrup is usually discharged from th teache, is about 240° to 250° Fahrenheit beyond the point to which evaporation can be carried without injury from burning, or rather, from decomposition from the effects of over-heating. The fact that liquids boil at a much lower temperature, when relieved of the pres- sure of the atmosphere, is that of which Mr. Howard availed himself, if he did not actually discover it; this difference may be stated as ranging between 150° to 212° r. with water, and 160° to 231° F. with syrup ; i. e., syrup boils in vacuo even up to concentration at 160°, whereas in open pans, its temperature, when about concentration, IS fully 231° F. But in average working with the vacuum pan its temperature is more commonly from 160° to 180° Fahrenheit." WEST INDIES. 56 Each teache-fuli, as it is transferred to the coolers, is called a " strike ;" and some experience is necessary to know when the liquor has arrived at the proper degree of con- centration to run off the strike : an experienced boiler- man can tell this by the sound of the bubbles, as they rise on the surface of the boiling liquid. Another plan is, to take up some of the syrup on a skimmer, and allow it to drop off; if the drops fall off short, and without the long stringy appearance that molasses usually have, it is said to "cut" well, and is ready for striking. The coolers, into which the syrup is run, are oblong wooden troughs about 10 or 11 feet long, and 5 or 6 feet broad ; there are generally six or seven of these, placed in a parallel row with the boilers : each of these holds about three strikes, but it is not usual to put the three strikes one after the other into the same cooler, as this would pre- vent the sugar from becoming properly crystallized ; the usual method is to put one strike first into each cooler, and after this is done, commence again. Different plans are adopted, for the purpose of making the sugar crystallize. The plan which I have seen, is to use a large wooden cylinder, cut longitudinally, say about six feet long and about three feet in diameter ; into this the syrup is run, and four long arms, like the dashes in a churn, are made to revolve constantly, in order that every portion of the syrup may be exposed to the action of the atmosphere : n MH V i !:l| 56 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. by this means the syrup, when it comes to the ccJer, crystallizes in a very short space of time, and the sugar weighs much heavier, and retains more of the molasses, than by running it into the coolers at onc^. Another plan, is to place some raw sugar amongst the syrup, and, in all probability, this will start crystallization in the surrounding mass. After remaining in the coolers two or three days, the sugar is "potted" ; that is, removed in vessels to the curing- house, where it is placed in hogsheads with perforated bot- toms, so as to allow the molasses to escape. The bottom of the curing-house consists merely of rafters, or stout poles, on which the hogsheads rest ; underneath, are the tanks or receivers for the molasses. After some days, the sugar be- gins to settle and the hogshead has to be refilled: at the expiration of 25 or 30 days, the hogshead is headed up, and the sugar is ready for shipment. Regarding the production and consumption of Sugar, Professor Johnston remarks : — " The total quantity of sugar extracted from the sugar- cane over the whole globe, has been estimated, by Stolle, at 4527 millions of pounds; of this, the largest proportion is yielded by the British East and West Indies. The consumption of the United Kingdom amounts, at present, to about two elevenths of the enormous quantity before stated. In 1853, our home consumption amounted to WEST INDIES. 67 818 millions of pounds of raw sugar. This is equal to 28 lbs. per head of the population, and the quantity is rapidly increasing. In the year 1700, only 22 millions of pounds were consumed in England ; and the consumption per head, in Great Britain, is considerably more than the above 28 lbs. because the average consumption per head in Ireland, of which no separate account has been kept since 1826, is not more than one third of the British consumption." In addition to the large quantity of sugar obtained from the sugar cane, there is an immense amount of sugar annually extracted from its great European continental rival, the Sugar Beet. The first impulse given to the manufac- ture of sugar from this plant, was when Napoleon I. attempt- ed, to injure Great Britain, by prohibiting the importation of West India products; in order therefore to supply the wants thus occasioned, he offered a prize of one million of francs, to the discoverer of a permanent supply of home- grown sugar J and after repeated failures, the Beet root was found to supply the deficiency. France has now 332 manufactories of Beet root sugar, which produced, in the year 1858, 158,300,000 pounds of syrup. There are different kinds of Beet; that which is most esteemed, for the manufacturing of sugar, is the white or Silesian Beet. Over the whole continent of Europe there is manufactured about 160,000 tons of Beet root > 1 I r 58 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. sugar; that its manufacture must be profitable, is evi- dent, from the immense amount of capital sunk in it on various parts of the Continent, and from the fact, that it can compete successfully with colonial sugar, the protective duties on which have been gradually withdrawn since 1848. CHAPTER VI. Introduction of free labour into the West Indies— Decrease of produce since the abolition of slavery-Arguments of anti- slavery enthusiasts refuted-Laws for regulation of immi- gration into the Island of Trinidad— Extent of land under cultivation— Cocoa plantation— The Bamboo— Bowring's remar?-3 on it— The Cotton tree-The Pitch Lake-Pino apples. Respecting the much vexed question of the introduction of free labour into the West Indies, I think that the facil- ities which should be afforded, for its importation on a large scale into these colonies, can be but a tardy recogni- tion by the British Government, of the claims of the body of those West India planters or proprietors, who, however improvident or reckless during the reign of slavery, were nothing, more nor less, than scape-goats for the expiation of a national sin. To say that the British colonies in the West Indies, are in as prosperous a condition now, as before the emancipation of the slaves, is a mere assertion of those who, in their anti- slavery enthusiasm, are aJtogether theorists, as to the actual 60 TBAN8ATLANTIC SKETCHES. II ^1 benefit that the colonics have received, by being freed from this curse; and their statements are as wanting in reason, as they are uncorroborated by facts. In looking over Mr. Moffatt's return, dated 27th April, 1858, we see a statement of all the imports from the West India Islands, from the year 1831 to the year 1857. In the first of these years, the total is upwards of 4,000,000 cwt., and in the last, something under 3,000,000. But, of course, a falling off like this, of onhj 25 per cent, in liUle more than as many years, ca-aot be said to show a deci- ded diminution in the prosperity of these colonies. But let us go a little farther. The exports of Jamaica fell off from about one million and a half, to less than half a mil' lion J and this, notwithstanding the improvement in ma- chinery, &c., which might be supposed to economise labour ; but, unfortunately, there was none of this commodity to economise. In St. Vincent, the exports fell off, from 221,000 cwt. to 126,000; whilst on the other hand, Cuba Porto Rico, and the Brazils, which in 1831, exported 500,000 cwt., in 1857 supply 2,000,000 cwt. Barbadoes and Trinidad are the only two islands, whose exports have increased ; the former, about 50 per cent, and the latter, in somewhat less proportion. But this is easily accounted for: Barbadoes is the only island, that has any- thing like an adequate supply of free labour ; and with re- gard to the latter, out of the 53,001 immigrants or free WEST INDIES. 61 labourers introduced into the West Indies, in the ten years ending 1857, Trinidad received for its own share 31,013. For those of my readers whom it may interest, I shall here give a short sketch of the provisions of the Act, passed by the Legislative Council of the last mentioned island, for the regulation of the Immigration department. "The Agent General of Immigration shall keep a General Register of Immigrants, and shall insert therein the names of all such arriving in the Colony, and number them. Immigrants under contract of service, previous to embarkation, with any person in the Colony, may be as- signed to such person, for a period not exceeding 3 years care being taken that the wives be not separated from their husbands, and children under 15 from their parents. Quarterly returns to be made, by the employer of Immi- grants, to Government, of all such in his employment, and the number of deaths and births that have occurred during the preceding 3 months. In case of ill-usage, or want of sufficientaccommodation, orany Immigrant in respect of whom any fee or other sum of money is due by the em- ployer, the indenture of such Immigrant may be cancelled by the Agent General. Any Immigrant whose indenture shall have been cancelled as above, may be reindentured, without his consent, to any other employer, for the then unexpired period of hio indenture cancelled. " Indian immigrants indenture for a period of 3 years, 62 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. and Chinese for a period of5 years, at the expiration of which time, they are entitled to a certificate of industrial resi- dence. Every indentured immigrant, who during the conti- nuance of his indenture shall tibsent himself from his work, shall forfeit his claim to all wages and allowances for the time during which he shall absent himself; and on convic- tion, shall be imprisoned for a term not exceeding 14 days." The Keport of the Immigration Committee of the Island of Trinidad, for the year 1857, contains the follow- ing statistical information, respecti'ng the amount of land under cultivation in the Island, and the number of labour- ers employed : — "The extent of land under cultivation in Trinidad is about 52,807 acres; of these may be classed, as sugar plantation, 34,059 acres, including those portions of the plantations which are in pasture ; of the remaining 18,748 acres, 11,481 are in cocoa or coffee, and 7,267 in provisions. The entire nui ber of agricultural labourers, working for wages in the cultivation of sugar and cocoa during the last crop, ' did not exceed 14,000; of these 7,927 persons are immi' grants from India and China, introduced at the public expense. The remainder are persons of African descent. Of the immigrants, but a few are employed in any cultiva- tion, except that of sugar. ^ " The whole number of labourers employed in the produc- tion of sugar, aid exclusive of those employed m cocoa or If WEST INDIES. 68 coffee plantations, may be taken at 12,000 persons, distri- buted on 158 different plantations, and producing an an) al average return of 30,000 tons r." sugar, with a corresponding proportion of rum and molasses ; the return of cocoa may be taken at 25,000 bags. The value of the sugar, rum, molasses and cocoa, exported from the colony during the crop of the year 1857, is not less than £1,500,000 stg." ^Amongst the many natural beauties in which the Island of Trinidad abounds, there are few more likely to ■.larm the stranger, than the cocoa plantation. At a distance its location is recognised, by the tall branches of the hois immortel, as it is called by the French, and in Spanish, by the appropriate appellation - \^adre de cacac ; this tree, at certain seasons of the year, throws off its foliage, and clothes itselfwith the most brilliant scarlet blosscms; growing to a great height above the cocoa tree, it serves to shade it from the rays of the sun, and hence its Spanish name. The cocoa tree is never allowed to grow more than 15 or 18 feet in height. It requires little or no culture ; the only care to be observed is, to kf-p the branches free from parasites and creepers, that burden almost all the trees in the tropics ; and occasionally to loosen the earth about its roots. Humboldt, speaking of the cocoa tree, remarks with reference to the return, in comparison to the labour : * " Cocoa plantations are occupied by persons of humble* 64 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. i. position, wlio prepare for thcmselvcin, and their cliildren, a slow but certain fortune. A single labourer is sufficient to aid them in their plantation ; and thirty thousand trees, once established, assure a competence for a generation and a-half." The tree itself is very beautiful, the large yellow and deep red pods, contrasting well with the dark green and luxuriant foliage, which covers its branches. To those who would read a glcving description of a cocoa plantation in the West Indies, I would recommend Mr. Coleridge's admirable little work, entitled " Six Months in the West Indies." But his description must be taken " cum grano sails," as I doubt whether a depressed state of the cocoa market, even though coupled with a poetic mind, would yield an- equivalent for the even very small amount of labour that is required on an estate of this kind. The island of Trinidad produces from 20,000 to 25,000 bags of cocoa annually ; and the samples exhibited in Loudon in 1851, were thought equal in quality to those grown in any part of tha world. Apart fiom the consideration of any individual speci- men, the great luxuriance of vegetable life, as seen in the tropics, presents to the devoted lover of nature a field for the pursuit of this study, amongst whose pleasant paths the longer you roam, the greater are the beauties disclosed to your observation, where every step you take — A, I ' WEST INDIES. 65 tl . -Living flowers Of loveliest hue spread garments at the feet," lifting the soul with increasing delight "from Nature up to Nature's Gfod." The magnificent trees which aie to be met with, in some of the unfrequented fores. , bound together with festoons of the most gorgeously decorated creepers, only form gi- gantic shades for the numberless parasitic mosses and lichens with Vv.iioh their branches are loaded; and the succulent and luxuriant vegetation with which the earth everywhere abounds, studded, here and there, with wild flowers, varying in colour, from the most gorgeous scarlet to the most delicate shade of blue, forms a carpet which Nature with her never^jeising bounty has spread for those who delight to wander in pursuit of her charms. The graceful appearance of many of the woodland pro- ductions, can never be forgotten by the visitor to this Island; amongst others I may mention the Bamboo a^ standing pre-eminent. It grows together in clusters, from which it shoots forth its long arms to a great l:-'^-<^i. f ff 84 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. lamentably depicted on their countenances. However, the next moment all was again "serene," and we steamed away in full enjoyment of this most beautiful voyage. In a few days after leaving Port-of-Spain, we sighted St. Thomas, and as I have given a slight description of this island in a previous part of this work, I shall merely say that the harbour appeared as beautiful as ever, and its^ charms greatly enhanced by the presence of the numerous steamers waiting there for the mail from England. After a short delay the Atlantic steamer arrived, and having bade adieu to my brother and family, who were leaving for England, I got my baggage on board the " Conway;' Capt. Lewis, and a gun having signalled our departure we started for the Havana. Four days afterwards, we sighted the island of Cuba. All along the north )rn shore the coast is jflat and very uninter- esting ; and it was not without some degree of satisfaction, that on the fifth day after leaving St. Thomas we sighted the Moro, and fortunately arrived at the entrance of the harbour of Havana before sunset, as no vessels except men-of-war are allowed to enter the harbour between sun- set and sunrise. The Moro is a strongly fortified battery which com- mands the entrance to the harbour. There is also a light- house at this point which throws its beams many miles out to sea. Tho battery is exceedingly well adapted to the .' a WEST INDIES. 85 purposes intended; and from its commanding position it guards the whole of the short gut or channel which leads from the open sea mto the harbour. This harbour is one of the most beautiful I have ever been inj and in size, I be- lieve, it is the largest in the world : crowded as it was with shipping at that season, it presented a very animated ap- pearance. The town lies at one side almost on a level with the water; the plastered and painted walls of the houses, and the trees growing luxuriantly among the buildings, had at least the charm of novelty. A short time after we dropped anchor, the officer of health was rowed alongside our steamer in his barge. This func- tionary having been duly satisfied as to our sanitary state, we were at liberty to land, so having engaged a fellow who had been making grimaces at me ever since we came to anchor, I threw myself into an attitude becoming a grand senor under the small canopy at the stern of the boat, and gave this son of Belial-I use this term advisedly as he cheated me most frightfully as to his fare-to under- stand that he m-ght continue his propelling propensities, and in a few moments my baggage and self were safely landed on the Custom House wharf. Having delivered up our passports to the official, we paid a certain sum, for which we received a document giving us permission to remain in the inland a certain period, I think three months. 86 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. All these preliminaries having been settled, I onee more got my luggage in order and sallied forth in quest of a vehicle, and having, after some difficulty secured a species of cart, I placed my baggage thereon and followed it to the nearest hotel. As I can say nothing good of this house I forbear giving its name. But this much I can say, that a more filthy, a more disagreeable or a more expensive hotel, I seldom have had the displeasure of being quartered in. The following day I removed to Woolcot's American Hotel, in the Cerro, a suburb of Havana. This house was comfortable in all respects, with the exception of the table. But more than that it was a table— such a table !— I cannot say. The house itself was a large commodious building with a verandah in front ; from the verandah you entered a room or hall about forty feet in length and twenty-five in hei<»ht having a marble floor ; this gave it a very cool appearance. At the back of this room there were three large openings about twenty feet high, corresponding to three of the same dimensions in front, the only difierence being that those in front were guarded by bars ; through the openings in rear you passed into a small court yard, in which there is a smaller garden and fountain. Off this yard were the bed- rooms without any windows, but with large jalousies which perform the part of door and window ; at the further end of this court yard were the dining-rooms, &c. Omnibuses passed this hotel, although nearly two miles H WEST INDIES. 87 out of town, every ten minutes, making it a convenient place of residence. The streets in Havana are exceedingly narrow, and would more appropriately be called lanes j the side walks for the foot passengers are so narrow that only one person can pass at a time. The public vehicle used in Havana is certainly not adapted for driving in these narrow streets. The volante as it is called, is a carriage having shafts from 18 to 20 feet in length, at one extremity of which are placed the wlieels j these are generally 6 or 7 feet in height. The body of the carriage is slung on strong leathern springs between the wheels, and there is a leathern hood which can be raised or lowered at pleasure ; the back is usually open so as to allow a draft of air, whilst in front there is a silk blind stretching from the hood to the splashboard, to protect the occupants fro^- ' ' rays of the sun . The burde. on the horse, in this species of carriage, must be very great, as th- whole weight is on the animal and he is placed as far as possible away from the wheels. In addition to this, he has to carry the postilion. The horses' tails are all plaited and fastened up by the end to some part of the harness. I think this must add much to the animal's discomfort. The postilion is generally bedecked in gorgeous array. In private volantes they sometimes wear scarlet jackets with gold lace j their hat is nearly always of straw, and most of ' if i' if I lii 88 TEANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. them rejoice in largo jack-boots fastened in all directions with massive silver buckles, the useful invariably giving way to the ornamental; the spurs are not unlike those in melo-dramatic use on the stage. Among the public drivers I have not unfrequently seen spurs tied on the heel without the usual accompaniment of boot or shoe. Sometimes two horses are yoked, one i the shafts and the other outside, the outsider being harnessed by traces long enough to allow it to precede the horse in the shafts, in order that when about to turn at the corner of these narrow streets, the postilion may see if there be any thing to obstruct the carriage ; the posture of the occupant is neither sitting nor lying, but something between both : the motion is rather agreeable, and well suited to the habits of the lazy and voluptuous character of the inhabitants. The houses in Havana are nearly all flat-roofed ; and it is not unusual to see the inmates strolling about in this exalted position in the evening, enjoying the beautiful view of the harbour or the still more beautiful sunset. On the ground floor, there is generally a large room sepa- rated from the street by wide apertures guarded by long bars placed perpendicularly, making these rooms look far more like prisons than pleasant airy apartments, in which unlimited flirtations are carried on between the fair ladies and the young " swells " of Havana. In fact, the evening here is the time for visiting j and as you stroll along the ,ti WEST INDIES. 89 streets, your attention is not unfrequently arrested by the gay laugh, and still sweeter tones of a mellow voice mingled with those of the guitar. Two lines of chairs are placed opposite one another at ri-ht angles to the window, and here the guests and mcu.bers of the family sit, chatting and enjoying their cigars and ices until late in the evening. The old Spanish saying that none but dogs and English- men are seen in the streets in the daytime, is fully borne out at least as regards the fairer portion of the community ; they usually rise late, dine about half past three o'clock,' take their siesta and adjourn in their volantes to the Paseo! This is a beautiful avenue outside the wall of the city, lined with trees; and in the afternoon is perfectly crowded with volantes and equipages of all sorts. I was quite surprised at the number of English and French built carriages driving in all directions ; and the horses are the finest I had seen in the West Indies. This is, j^ar ex- cellence^ the Rotten Row of Havana. In the evening, the ladies go in full dress to the Plaza de Armas; this is a small square opposite the Governor's Palace, where the band plays every evening at 8 o'clock. I can fancy no more fairy-like scene than th:it presented here about this hour; the ladies in full ball costume seated in their handsomely equipped volantes, the lights flickering through the dense foliage of the trees, the sweet perfiime of the flowers and shrubs with which the garden is crowded, a ^-:ssm. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT.3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m 2.5 2.2 140 1.4 1.6 .^^ I 'C^ VI >^ '■>> •> Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4S03 S^ ^ iV :\ \ '<\\ o^ '^ L^ o V ^ 90 TEANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. ^# and to crown all, the melodious harmony of the music as it is wafted along the night air, form a scene whicn, when once enjoyed, requires a long draught from the waters of Lethe to forget. The last notes of the music dying away, and the loungers slowly rising from their seats, give us^ notice that, ere another hour lapses, the watchman's voice is the only sound this little spot will echo, and the meretricious l?ght of the gas will have given place to the silvery lustre of a tropical moon. " Favor, Signor;" and I received the weed, proffered with a grace peculiar to the Spaniards, and having lit my cigar I return it with a gracias, but, alas ! without the same grace I fear. Here, we are at the Caf6 de Dominim, the best in Havana, with ices, lemonade, any thing and every thing in the cooling line. Here you see the ladies coquetting with their fans, and endeavouring to « worry" down a little strawberiy ice with the most engaging smiles, while the gentlemen are smoking and playing dominoes in all directions. There are several other cafes, with billiard rooms attached, where the young Spaniards congregate in the evening, playing their favourite game of Pin Pool. On the first or second evening after my arrival, I went to see a performance at the Ta§ou Theatre; and as this Theatre has the reputation of being, if not the largest, one of the largest in the world, I shall endeavour to give a des- cription of it. U '^Pipip'"''"'" ^ WEST INDIES. 91 The light airy appearance of this house and its freedom from all drapery whatsoever, is the first thing that attracts the stranger's notice as he enters the theatre. There are three tiers of boxes and two galleries j the boxes are all open, and not separated by the high partitions usual in English theatres ; a small partition of cane-work about four feet in height forms the only division between them ; each box is furnished with half a dozen arm-chairs made of cane : indeed the universal adoption of cane seats, both in the pit and boxes, adds much to the cool appearance of the theatre ; the stage, measuring across the foot lights, I should say was about 60 feet ; from the orchestra to the back of the pit about 80 feet. But I cannot vouch for the cor- rectness of these dimensions ; trusting, as I did, merely to ^y eye and without any other means of forming a correct opinion. The cleanliness of every thing, from the top of the house to the well polished boards of the pit, presents a very favourable contrast to the dirt to be met within every direction through the town. The scenery and stage ap- pointments of this theatre r- all Americm, and of the most elegant description. Under the colonnade and attached to the theatre is a very handsome ca/d, where the visitor can wb-le away the time between the acts, playing billiards, eating ices, or watching the numerous curious characters who frequent these places; in all directions are to be seen vendors of lottery tickets, plying their trade and endeav- curing to earn a livelihood. f^ """^^^mmmmm H it n lllfi 92 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. The government clear annually the snug little sum of £150,000 by these lotteries; the tickets cost $16 each, and the highest prize that can be obtained I ^100,000, the lowest $200. Almost every one in the Havana takes a ticket, and those who cannot afford a whole one, take a half or quarter ticket according to their means. Some instances have been known of slaves obtaining prizes and purchasing their freedom by these means. A short time after my arrival at Woolcot's Hotel, I was informed that there was to be a negro ball in the neighbourhood; and being anxious to avail myself of the opportunity of seeing something of " iaigh life below stairs" in the tropics, I lit my cigar and strolled in the direction of the building devoted to this dance of slaves. Having entered the place partitioned off for those not taking part in the festivities, an amusing eight met my gaze ; about 200 negroes of different shades of colour were dancing on the light fantastic toe, the ladies dressed in the latest fashion with their wool stretched to the utmost limits, and secured in its excruciating position by skewers of the most elaborate workmanship, and the gentlemen all with light coats, through which the perspiration exuded and formed rather an odd-looking patch from the shoulders down to the waist. All these figures, from the slim young negro who might have remained with ease concealed behind a lamp-post, to the robust matron whose obesity was the more apparent mmmmmmm WEST INDIES. 93 as it was ill disguised, and whose feet Lung in graceful festoons over the sides of her sLoes, all of them kept,— shall I say— dancing, to the most infernal din that a double bass, two clarionets out of tune, a violin ditto, a drum and a p-ir of cymbals, all playing different airs, could produce. The dancing consisted of a nervous agitation of the parts from the waist downwards, and a general pumping of the arms of the ladies by the gentlemen, in time to the aforesaid din. I thought that, considering the heat of the evening, this pumping process might have been dispensed with. But to be sure the olfactory nerves of strangers are not to be considered in a scene of such unaffected enjoyment. An American gentleman, to whom I apphed for informa- tion aa to the freedom or bondage of the assembled dancers ffumed that at least two thirds of them were « property •"' and reckoned that they were as saleable as the umbrella he held in his hand, only a little more valuable. He cal- dilated that some of them were worth not less than $2000. This man (?) from Virginia waa quite a comioisseur in his way, evidently looking upon the whole scene as he would on a horse fair, and from which he turned away evidently disgusted wUh the paces of some of the cattle I gi^iii, ^mmmmm^ • •) >m aiiiii*>«««miniiimpp• -, I may ■Uuded ' no sion -^^PPBWWP 100 TRANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. »" Its greatest extent from east to west, "ay from the Punfca do Mazzi, to the Cabo de Sau Antonio, is 643 miles ; at its narrowest part, it is only 22 miles broad. Tho whole population of the island, according to the first census in 1775, was 170,370. In 1827, it waa estimated at 704,487. From this it may be seen that in these fifty-two years, the whole population has more than quadrupled itself. According to the statistics given by M. Ballou, the population of the Island is Uo follows: Whites, 605,560; free coloured, 205,670 ; slaves, 442,000 , showing an excess of coloured over white population of 42,C0O. The census of 1857 makes the number of the slave population 376 000 • but by many perBons this is not considered correct, there being a tax on slavos, and consequently the Government is little likely to have the full number returned. Regarding the extent to which illegitimacy prevails in the island, the same writer remarks, establishing the comparison per cen- tum aa in proportion of the sexes, we have- Whites, 67.8 p. ot. legitimate and 32.2 illegitimate. Colored, 33.7 " " 66.3 « Total, 50.5 « « 49.5 (( No capital or people of Europe, Stockhohn alone excepted, offers so startling a result, nearly one half the number of births being illegitimate. Taking the average from the statement of births for ^ve years, a find that among every TVB8T INDIES. 1.01 100 lefitimate whites thnrc are 51.1 males r.nd 48.9 females ; acd in an oqual number of illej^^timate, 49 males and 51 females. Among people of colour, in 100 legitimate births 50.3 males and 49.04 females ; and in the illegitimate, 47.2 males and 62.8 females ; and finally that comparing the totals, we obtain in the illegitimates, 47.1 males and 52.9 females : consequently these observations shew that in Cuba in the illegitimate births, the number of males is much less than the number of ferities, and the contrary in the le- gitimate." With regard to the grievances before alluded to unde which the Cubans lie, that of their exclusion from all public offices, and especially of the white Creoles not being admitf 3d into the army, while the free blacks are allowed to serve as volunteers, seem to be facts of some significance. The Cuban slaveholders are justly ind:;Tiant at this privilege being accorded to the blacks and denied to the whites ; inas- much as they cannot but recognise a disposition on the part of the authorities to secure the co-operation of the blacks, in case of the white population attempting to throw off their allegiance to Spain. Lord PalmerstoD, in a correspondence with Lord How- den— while shewing the reasons which animate the Spanish Government to resist the demands of England with regard to the slave trade— thus alludes to this point : " It is for " the purpose of retaining a hold upon the Island ; because "*«MMCil|^PPP«IMI|IPniMipi IV tki' I'M 102 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. " it ia thought at Madrid, that as long as there is in *| Cuba a large number of negroes, the white population " will cling to the mother country for protection against "the black race." But he says: "This motive is « fourded in error, for a mother country will have but « a feeble hold of a colony, if the strongest tie which « connects them is the fear on the part of the planter of " an insurrection of the negroes." This, taken with the barbarous and savage threat of Spain that Cuba shall ever remain Spanish or become African, shews pretty clearly what the views of the Spanish government are in case of any attempt at a revolutionary movement among the Cubans. M- \ 9 in Hon Inst I is but lich rof the iver irly )of the CHAPTER X. The Cigar trade— Material and mode of manufacture— Pricea of the commodity— Cuban milkman— The ladies of Cuba. A work professing to give some information respecting Cuba and the Havana, would, I think, be incomplete without some passing notice of the tobacco plant and the trade in cigars, of which there are such large quantities ma- nufactured, and which form so important an item in the exports of Cuba. Professor Johnstx)n says that, next to salt, tobacco is the article most extensively used by man. He estimates that it is used in one way or another by 800,000,000 of men, or about four-fifths of the whole human race. If we could in any wise infer from this, that salt was used by men in proportion to the amount of tobacco they consume, I will vouch for it that the Cubans must be the most thirsty people on the face of the earth. Smoking is universal in Cuba : men, women, and children, all smoke from morning till night, from night till morning— smoke, smoke, smoke ! and it is really odd, as one writer remarks, ■■M mm mm* T*i:, ■ ii I ill* H 1 i 8 104 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. that vessels do not scent Havana far out at sea, before they heave in sight of its headlands. The tobacco most esteemed, and that gcnarally used in the manufacture of the highest-priced cigars, is grown in the western part of the island, that generally known as the Vuelta de Abajo. The land in this district is hilly and watered by numerous rivulets, thereby rendering it more than usually fertile. The plantations here are not large, that IS, no very great extent of land is in the possession of any one individual, and the whole of this district, so pecu- liarly suited for the growth of the tobacco plant, is very limited in extent. Having an introduction to Cabanas, the manufacturer of the celebrated brand of cigars known as " Cabanas y Carvajal," I was permitted through the kindness of his brother-in-law who is superintendent, to go through the manufactory, which is outside the walls of the city. The process through which the tobacco goes, previous to its being applied to the lips of the smoker, in the shape of the fine flavoured, russet^joloured Havana cigar, is as follows: The leaf tobacco having been purchased by an expe- rienced person, employed by Cabanas for the purpose, it is brought to the factory and damped; it is then shaken and allowed to remain in this state for one night ; after this the leaves are sorted and those used for covering the cigars are picked out. The leaves selected for this purpose are WEST INDIES. 105 those most free from stalk, or fibre, and of a silkyappearance; they are then handed over to the head sorter, T»ho selects the different leaves for the various sorts of cigars, retaining the very finest portion— that near the end of the leaf where the fibre is least perceptible— for the highest priced Regalia cigars. The rest of the tobacco is then placed in barrels and allowed to " sweat " for one month previous to its being used, at which time it is almost in a dry state, the covering leaves being used when damp. After the cigars are made, which is done by merely rolling the toba<3oo on a piece of flat board with the hand, —the only implement used being a knife shaped like that in use among sl^oemakers— they are handed over to sorter No. 1, who separates them according to the style of work- manship, which is of different quality according to the excellence of the workman that manipulates them ; after this they are handed over to sorter No. 2, who classes them according to their colour, of which there are at least twenty different varieties; brown, reddish-brown, grey, light red, dark red, &o., &c., some of the distinctions requiring the greatest nicety of vision; after this they are handed over to the packers, by whom they are placed in boxes of" cedar without being counted, the boxes being made, according to the size of the cigar, to hold one hundred, two hundred, or five hundred. The prices of cigars vary according to the size, appearance, and style of workmanship, • 1 «^ ^^mmim 106 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. ■ IM ■■? !;• !■ !'! and not according to the quality of the tobacco~in the manufactories of respectability the best always being used. It is popularly supposed that cigars can be purchased in the Havana for a very trifling sum, but I beg to assure my readers that such is not the case. To be sure, I have purchased cigars there at $5.00 per 1000 ; this certainly is a low price, but I cannot say that the smoking of them was productive of any vast amount of pleasure. Again, for others I have paid aa much as $250.00 per 1000 ; and in this case, although they were of the b^st tobacco, and as regards make, the best the Havana could produce, the pleasure I derived from them did not at all correspond with their price. The cigars I found to suit my taste and pocket best, were those I perceived Cabanas himself smoking, and for which he charged me $50.00 per 1,000 ; but I fancy this was the retail price, and the same cigars might be sold wholesale at $40.00 or less; these latter were made of the tobacco of 1856, the crop of which year was considered better in quality than the average of years. The large manufactories do not in general keep a stock of cigars, and at their stores you can rarely purchase cigars more than six months old, the great bulk of what they manufac- ture being made to order. When I visited Cabanas' manu- factory the crop of that year was not in process of manu- facture, consequently business was slack, and there were WEST INDIES. only 70 men at work ; they turned out 12,000 cigars per diem, but when in full working order, a much larger quantity could be made. The Cubans generally smoke their cigars fresh, that is, the same week they are made, they say they thus get the fiill aroma of the tobacco. The Americans and English con- sider that age and a sea voyage are necessary to bring a cigar to its full perfection, and I must say I incline to the latter opinion. The export duty on cigars is very trifling, say 3s. per 1000 J and if dealers in cigars in London were content with a moderate profit of, say 30 per cent., we might smoke the best Havana cigarf there, at 30s. to 35s. per lb. ; we know what we pay, and can draw our own inferences. Next to the Cocoa, I think a Coffee Plantation in the West Indies is one of the most beautiful that can be con- ceived J plantations of this description generally extend over two or three hundred acres of land, which is divided by long alleys into squares of six or eight acres j these lanes are crowded with the different trees and shrubs indigenous to the country ; Pahns, orange trees, and mangoes throw their grateful shade around, while the coffee shrub thrives beneath, and covers itself with a profusion of milk-white blossoms, ahnost having the appearance of a sheet of snow. Here and there are planted pomegranates, Cape jessamines, or lemon trees, whose delicious perfume, mingling with mmmmmmmmm- 108 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. that of the Coffee, is wafted along the cool air of the morning, and makes the stranger ahnost fancy himself in a second Eden, Everything in the way of house-rent, boarding, food, &c. in Havana is very expensive. The principal hotels are kept by Americans ; the charges are about $3.00 per diem, and that, for accommodation not of the first class. "What a jolly convemVnt plan," thought I, "and how satisfactory to his customers, is the Cuban milkman's method of supplying the consumers of this article." These thoughts were suggested by seeing a vendor of the lacteal fluid coolly driving his cow from door to door, and sup- plying his customers with their usual quantity. This certainly is a piece of bare-faced honesty which I did not expect to see even in a Cuban milkman, and I am quite sure were it possible to follow his good example in London, or some other large towns, we should see the produce of " the cow with the iron tail," and calves' brains, &o. at a decided discount. The ordinary dress of the merchants, men of business, &c is much the same as In the other West India islands; viz. a light coat, generally of white linen, with trouser^ to match, and a broad-leaved Panama hat; neckerchiefs are seldom worn, the collar being turned down and fast- ened with a gold stud. The town of Havana is wcU Ughted with gas, the cost of which is about $5-00 per 1000 ft. WEST INDIES. 109 The proverbial beauty of the Spanish Female is well re- presented in Cuba, and in the Havana you can see women in the full bloom of their loveliness j as regards figure, per- haps in general they incline a little too much towards em. bonpoint for a perfect female model, and their height is not sufficient to give them an imposing or majestic ap- pearance. Their eyes, of that peculiar darkness that al- most makes you fancy the pupil enveloped in a sort of haze, are the most speaking and expressive parts of their coun- tenances, and voluptuousness is written in every feature, and betrayed in every motion of their undulating forms. Their feet are small to a fa ilt, and finely formed, but they are more for ornament than use; provided we except the many little coquettish manoeuvres practised by those of the fair sex possessed of diminutive understandings, in which the Cuban ladies form no exception to the general rule in other less favoured climes. Many of the females in the middle classes are perfectly beautiful, and appear " Form'd for all the witching arts of love, " their finely moulded features and swimming eyes,— -a faithful index to their sensuous temperament,~being well setoff by the tastefully airanged kerchief with which they adoru their heads. r^'^mmmmmmmfm mm i! i'i' CHAPTER XL Watanzag— Railways—Sugar cultivation and crops— Interest for money on landed security— Principal towns in Cuba; witli their population— Departure in the "Catawba", steamer for New York— Lines by the Earl of Carlisle. Having remained some time in Havana, and the weather becoming oppressively warm, I started early one morning, by the cars, for Matanzas. This town, containing about 30,000 inhabitants, is second only to Havana in commercial importance. It is situated in one of the most productive sugar-growing districts in the island, and the country ai'ound it is exceedingly picturesque and beautiful. Al- though the distance in a straight line from Havana to Matan^sas is only 56 miles, by rail it is nearly one hundred, the railroad nearly crossing the island, for the purpose of bringing produce to the seaboard, and then doubling back toMatanzas. All the railways in Cuba are built by Americans and on American principles, and are worked by American engineers. The travelling by rail is not expensive, the charge is WEST INDIES. Ill about 3|d. in the first class carriages per mile, which is about Id. a mile more than in England. Matanzas is a pleacant town, and the bay in front is charming, being generally crowded with shipping. The Ensor House, at which I put up, is a nice clean inn kept by an American, and not far from the Railway station. There are many large sugar estates in the neigh- bourhood of Matanzas, some producing as many as fifteen thousand boxes of augar. The process of sugar-making here is much the same as that described in a previous part of this work— that is up to the point of boiling, nearly to granulation; after this instead of being run oflF into coolers, it is ladled into moulds of a conical shape, with the point of the cone placed downwards, where it is allowed to drain oflF the molasses. After this has taken place a layer of moist clay is placed over the larger end of the cone, and the liquid from the clay percolates through the mass, carrying with it all the feculencies or impurities which remain. The sugar is then taken out of the mould, broken up, and packed in boxes for exportation. Prepared in thie way it is called clayed sugar. The principal implement used in the cultivation of the sugar cane is the Spanish Macheat or cutlass; it serves to weed, bank, and cut the canes. In many places newly planted, the canes grow up so rapidly as to antici- pate the growth of weeds, and on this account require „^.lHfJ,fjJll ,4jtJ,. 112 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. 'li less weeding than rattoons. The rows of cants are gener ally placed ai a distance of 33 inches apart. The sugar crop of Cuba is in general very large ; the annual exportation is estimated at about 2,000,000 boxes or 400,000 tons; in addition to this, there is a large amount used in the island, not only in cooking, but also in the manufacture of sweetmeats, jireserves, &c., whish are largely consumed by a great portion of the population. The rate of interest for money on landed security in Cuba is exorbitant ; the reason of this is as follows : The Spanish " Laws of the Indies," which still remain in operation, were framed for the purpose of encouraging and protecting investments in land. According to their provisions, no creditor can seize any ox, cart, or other appurtenance whatever, they being considered necessary for the proper working of the land. The result has been that the manufacture of sugar has been greatly stimulated dur- ing past years, in both Cuba and Porto Ri^o, by persons who having obtained extensive credit as merchants, inves- ted the capital thus obtained in land, and by this means defrauded their creditors. There certainly are legal enact- ments which are intended to lamedy these defects, but these have proved to be totally useless and inoperative, and it is an acknowledged fact, that the creditor having lent money on the security of land in a Spanish colony, has no WEST INDIjSS. 113 more hold over the planter that is indebted to him than the obhgation that arises from a sense of honor. Hence It follows that these laws, instead of being an advantage to the^ planter as was originally intended, have become a positive disadvantage, inasmuch a« the honest man has to pay a rate of interest exorbitantly high, so as to cover the extra risk attendant on trusting knaves. The principal towns in the island of Cuba are, Havana having a population of about two hundred thousand' Matanzas, thirty thousand; Puerto Principe, fourteen thousand; Santiago de Cuba, thirty thousand; Trinidad thirteen thousand ; and St Salvador, eight thousand. ' It was night when I left Matanzas, and the placid moon shone down her smiles on the rippling waters of the bay as we steamed slowly towards Havana. The air was balmy and pleasant, my cigar case well stocked; and it was not till the approaching morn began to pencil the horizon with her streaks of light, that " nature's soft nurse " tap- pmg me gently on the eyelids, gave me warning that it was time to seek my berth. Morning brought us to the wharf at Havana, and after the usual bustle attendant on landing had subsided a little, I secured a volante, and with my carpet bag was soon conveyed to my old quarters in the Cerro. A few days afterwards, having received intimation that If I 114 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCnES. I ^f^- f w it" the yellow fever and small-pox were becoming more rife than the medical faculty could wish people to suppose, I engaged my passage on board the steamer which was about to sail for New York ; not without some difficulty, however, as most of the American visitors to the iplandwere anxious to get further north for the same reasons as myself ; and on going on board the Catawba, I found that vessel crowded to excess with specimens of the Yankee race, whose appearance was not at all calculated to allay the pangs of prospective sea-sickness. On Sunday the 4th day of J ane, I waa safely deposited on board, and having purchased some fruit from one of the many cackling vendors whoso boat loads of pines, oranges, bananas, &c., swarmed around the sides of the vessel I felt fairly prepared for the voyage. In two hours after, we passed the narrow channel leading from the harbour and among the many rejlections which crowded on my mind as the grey battlements of the Moro gradually disappeared, those graceful lines in which the Earl of Carlisle apostrophises the scenery of this isiand came uppermost : — Ye tropic f areata of ui fadir^ green I Where the palm tapers and the orange glows ; Where the light bamboo weaves her feathery screen, And her tall shade the matchless Ceyba throws : WEST INDIES. Ye cloudlesB ethers of unchanging blue, Save as its rich varieties give way To the clear sapphire of your midnight aue, The burnished azure of your perfect day : Yet tell me not my native skies are bleak ; That, flushed with liquid wealth, no canefields wave For vii-tue pines, and manhood dares not speak, And nature's glories brighten round the slave. 115 i i i '' \ \' 'i UNITED STATES. CHAPTER XII. New York-Approach to the city by sea-Bustle at the landing place-The St. Nicholas Hotel-Accommodation and con- sumption in an American mammoth boarding establishment -Broadway^^New York police-Croton aqueduct-Ame- ncan railwayg-Telegraphs-Greenwood cemetery-New York fire department-River Hudson-West Point military academy-Army, militia, and navy of the United States. Five days on board the Catawba, I thought, were quite sufficient for any one of even moderately cleanly habits to enjoy. The waiters, whose incivility was only equalled by their filth, were quite an antidote to meals, and as for sleep- ing accommodation, the crowded state of the vessel preclud- ed the possibility of any refreshment in this way, so I was fain to content myself with the soft side of a wooden bench and wrap myself up in a great-coat. Many of the Hibernian gentry, whose duty it was to wait at table, were, as I afterwards learned, working their way up from New Orleans, to escape the yellow fever, and follow up their calling at Saratoga and other fashionable watering places during the summer months. The passengers consi. d of m .4-1 """W ''''<*"i>VRW|ipiilH^MMHHPIRIii| i ) i 111 I ;i IN f - 18 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. a great number of American engineers, who obtain lucra- tive employment in the management of the Sugar Mills during crop — several Spanish families and some few Ame- rican ladies ; I say few, because the habits of most of the females at table was not of such a description as to justify the use of the term in the aggregate, and I must say that, however useful those ornaments may be in their proper place, I have deep-rooted prejudices against hair pins, pins of brooches, &e.^ performing the part of toothpicks. The approach to New York by water is one of exceeding beauty. The Bay, which is bounded on the right by Long Island, and on the left by Staten Island, forms a noble ex- panse into which stretches the Island or rather Peninsula of Manhattan, on which the City of New York is built ; the numerous villas and suburban residences of the merchants which stud the rising ground of these different Islands present a most picturesque scene from the water, and wc cannot but envy the citizens and men of business of New York, who have such quiet rural retreats, whither they may repair at the close of the busy toilsome day spent in the city. As we approached the wharf, the usual sights and sounds which are to be met with in the vicinity of a large commercial capital, greeted us. Here several large steamers were anchored ; there, you perceived one of their small brothers tackling a large merchantman, and tugging it along somewhat in the same manner as a policeman would UNITED STATES. 119 collar a huge but obstreperous vagrant, and land him gently in the Station-house. Our steamer having been moored safely alongside the wharf, we were immediately assailed by a most vociferous crowd of applicants for patronage, in the way of cabs, por- ters, omnibus men and touters for hotels ; some of the last named becoming so solicitous for the comfortable accommo- dation of the whole of the passengers, that they began to carry some of the baggage off bodily. For this delicate attention they got their " eds punched," and at the same time were reminded that the said luggage had to be over- hauled by the Custom-house functionary previous to its going beyond the precincts of the steamer. I found this official civil and not too inquisitive, but as he eyed my boxes of cigars with a hungry look, I presented him with a few handfuls, and with a countenance beaming with smiles he chalked my luggage, and I was at last ready to surrender myself into the hands of the "oipolloV who crowded the gangway ; having in one hand my carpet-bag and the other filled with hotel cards, I jumped forth, and got into a car- riage ; for mind you, stranger, in New York there are none of those convenient one-horse public conveyances which you meet with elsewhere, but stunning two horse carriages and for which you have a stunning price to pay ; strangers being generally mulcted in the sum of one dollar for no matter how short a distance. Well, after having engaged this n m ti 1 1 f 1 1 1 ■' 1, i '. ' i 1 ■ ' .'11 1 1 '' j ; 1 ' ^ 1 ; 1 i ■ i ! \ ' ' : ■ -I T'l 1. ■ A i ! ' : ■ 1 ] 1 i r 1 ■ 1 ■ P. ' 1 I -k ! 120 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. expensive luxury, through necessity, I whispered "Nicho- las" in Jehu's car, and immediately we were on our way through streets peopled at that early hour with milkmen vendors of the staff of life, and artisans thronging to their daily avocations. At length we came into Broadway, which I easily recognised by the crowd of omnibuses and other vehicles that rattled up and down in all directions. On we went, on, on, still on. Where can we be going to ? As I thus questioned myself without arriving at any defi- nite conclusion, we pulled up before a marble-fronted build- ing ; and cabby's head was thmst into the window with " Guess this is Saint Nicholas." Ten minutes afterwards, I might be seen luxuriating in the pleasures of a warm bath adjoining my own bed-room, rendered doubly pleasant by the recollection of the very few conveniencies there were for ablution on board the steamer. I was meditating on the various luxuries with which I was surrounded, and at the same time dozing away into a dreamy reverie, when I was suddenly aroused by a most terrific bang. On it came, " nearer, clearer, deadlier than before." Dress, dress, I exclaim, the house must be on fire ! and immediately I put my head out of the door, only to see a grinning nigger pounding away at an immense gong. Having implored him to desist for a moment to ask the cause of the alarm, he allayed my apprehension by Inform- ing me that it was only a signal for breakfast, and went UNITED STATES. 121 on his way rejoicing that he had astonished at least one Britisher out of his wits. Having dressed and finished my breakfast, I lighted my cigar, strolled into the large hall of the hotel and began to look about me. The St. Nicholas is the largest Hotel in New York and said by £ome to be the largest in the world. As it is a very good specimen of Yankee hotels in general, I shall endeavour to give a short description of it :— ' According to the original plans the outside of the build- ing was constructed of white ir.rble, but it now includes the brown stone building adjoining it, and presents a frontage of 300 feet on Broadway ; the whole edifice covers an area of one acre and three quarters. To find one's way through the labyrinth of rooms in this mam- moth hotel i8 a difficulty of no ordinary kind. Just fancy one house containing four hundred and eighty-six bed- rooms, and private rooms without number. The two dining halls are each nearly one hundred feet long, and broad in proportion. The quantity of butcher meat used here per diem would, I think, rather astonish some of our small housekeepers. What say you, ladies, to 1 500 or 2000 lbs. of good solid meat washed down with 50 to 60 lbs. of tea and cofiee. But even this, large though it seem, forms but a very small item in the daily expenses j the wages paid to servants, of whom there are 320 constantly em- ployed, amounts to SGOOO per month. ', ill •1 iiPlip NiipiiH^jji '^'nm mmmammmm I 4 1 j i 1 i ^1 i Ml 1 122 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. The bar room is one of the most splendid in New York; and here you may form some conception of the numberless mint juleps, brandy cocktails, claret cobblers, gum ticklers, &c., which are daily consumed, when I men- tion that the receipts amount to between $40,000 and 650,000 per annum, and the amount of ice which is daily used is about seven tons. All the bed-rooms are supplied with hot water, which is forced up through the house by steam engines, one of 8 horse-power, and another smaller one. Steam is also applied to a variety of pur- poses in the St. Nicholas : it boils, washes, mangles, dries, turns the spits for roasting, and in fact renders itself generally useful. The gas house of the St. Nicholas is a detached building in the rear; some estimate may be formed of the extent of this department from the fact that the nightly consumption of gas is from 14,000 to 18,000 cubic ftet, supplying about 3000 burners. Rosin is the only material used, and as, from its greater density, four feet of rosin gas is considered equal to seven feet of coal gas, the consumption per night may be stated as at least to equal from 18,000 to 30,000 cubic feet . f the latter. The annual expense of illumination is §7500, just about half what it would cost if obtained from the city works. The ''bridal chamber," which was formerly an object of great interest to bachelors, has now fallen entirely into dis- iiiMajL^i).^-^. UNITED STATES. 123 use for the purpose to which it was held sacred, and for which it was originally fitted up. True, the fluted silk and satin still remain on the walls, but it wears an air of seediness; the gas burners are still attached to four posts of the bridal couch, but the depraved taste which suggested such things has, we hope, vanished, and the modesty of the rising gene- ration will point with disgust to the bridal chamber of the St. Nicholas. The Hotel; as it now stands, including ground, building, &c., cost one million two hundred thousand dollars. To the above amount are to be added four hundred and fifty thousand dollars for furniture, &c., and fifty thousand dol- lars for stores and wines ; making the total first cost of the establishment one million nine hundred thousand dollars. The barber's shop, an indispensable appendage to all Amer- ican hotels, is quite a palace of mirrors ; and here may be seen 20 or 30 Yankees at a time reclining in chairs made for the purpose, mufFi6d up in sheets, surrendering themselves to the diflferent professors of the tonsorial art, who ply their avocations in this luxurious retreat. Having completed my survey of the hotel, I directed my course down Broadway : this street runs through the centre of the town, and is three miles long; the bustle and noise of omnibuses and carriages of all descriptions continually passing up and down is better imagined thun described, and the splendour of some of the stores, and hi Hi ggg; 124 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCnES. i the magnificence of the costly wares therein exposed for sale, cannot but be a source of never-failing attraction to strangers in this mighty city. But although the beauties of art which are displayed in the shop windows have undeniable charms, we should be wanting in gallantry did we fail to express our admiration of the many lovely faces that everywhere greeted us in our excursions up and down Broadway. The beauty of the generality of female faces you meet in New York is unquestionable, and it is only to be regretted that figure does not correspond with feature, and that there is so much necessity for the crino- line of which such ample use is made. About half a mile from the Battery, which is at the lower end of Broadway, stand the City Hall, the Hall of Justice and the New York Hospital ; the first of these we arrive at IS in an inclosure, during the summer rendered pleasant by the number of trees, fountains and grass plots which render It a cool and refreshing Promenade. There are many other buildings in Broadway, amongst which I should mention Trinity Church, which is b.iUt of red sandstone, and IS considered to be the best specimen of pure Gothic architecture in America. Th-^ upper extremity of Broad- way, or that furthest from the city, is what may be termed the West-end, and there the more wealthy portion of the citizens usually reside. Tie houses are certainly magnifi- cent, and many of the pa'atial residences of the money- UNITED STATES. 125 ocracy in Fifth Avenue might vie with buildings for the same purpose in any part of the world. The difficulty of finding your way in New York, as in most other American towns, is greatly lessened by the way in which they are laid out; the principal portion of the town is divided by avenues which are crossed at right angles by the streets, both being numbered. This simple plan renden, it almost impossible for a stranger to lose his way. The population of New York, which has been increasing rapidly for some years past, amounted in 1855 to 629,810, in 1858 it was estimated at 800,000. If to this we add a floating population of immigrants and strangers of 300,000, it makes the population of New York alone exclusive of Brooklyn, upwards of one million of souls The police force of New York is totally inadequate to the wants oi a city containing so large a number of in- habitants. I believe the whole force does not exceed 1200 men. In the detective department there are only 30 • this for a city in which there must be so many opportunities constantly occurring for the exercise of the greatest astute- ness, and when necessarily some of the force are absent appears a rdiculously small number. I was surprised when going into the office of the detective force in Broome Street, to see several large cases on the wall contai . upwards of 500 photographic portraits; these, I was n m ill mfmmmm mm 126 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. informed, were likenesses of the most prominent members, male and female, of the pickpocket and thieving fraternity with which New York abounds. In many cases these por- traits have led to the detection of their originals. There is .* special artist attached to the police force for this pur- pose. As regards the morality of the detective force in New York, I fear it would not stand too close a scrutiny. In my rambles with them over the city they have frequently mentioned that they have found it their interest to screen a culprit, if a division of the booty was found by them suffi. oient to remunerate them for their trouble. The police are provided with no uniform, and the dress is that of an ordinary civilian with the exception of a small met al badge which is fastened on the inside of the coat. Their pay 'is at the rate of $800 per annum. One of the greatest public works is the Croton Aqueduct, by which the city is supplied with an abundance of pure water. The original cost of this triumph of engineering skill was over thirteen millions of dollars. The water is conveyed from the Croton lake to the city, a distance of forty-five miles, and in its course passes through several tunnels, being led over the Haarlem River on a splendid bridge of stone, 1450 feet in length and 114 in height. The collecting reservoir contains 500,000,000 gallons, and the receiving reservoir outside the city is capable of holding 150,000,000 gallons. From this point it is car- UNITED STATES. 127 ried on to the a* tributing reservoir on Murray Hill, Tvhich contains 21,000,000, and thence through pipes all over the city. The real estate used by the Croton Aqueduct Department is valued J. fifteen raiilions of dollars and upwards. A great convenience in traversing the city, and one which I see is about to be adopted in some of the towns in Ireland, is the system of railroads through some of the principal avenues. The cars or carriages in which you ride are like long omnibuses on low wheels, capable of holding about 30 to 40 persons, and drawn by two or four horses ; these can bo yoked at either end, and thus save the' necessity of turning at the conclusion of the journey. At one time an attempt was made to adopt this system in Broadway, but the omnibus element was too strong in the Corporation to have their rights thus interfered with. The ordinary railway cars that are used through the States are about 40 feet long and 6 feet high, and carry about 60 passengers; the seats are placed at right angles to the windows, with moveable backs capable of being reversed at pleasure; there is a long passage through the centre of each car, so as to allow full scope for the usuaUy restless character of the inmates. I cannot agree with some persons who maintain that this species of car is a comfortable mode of conveyance: no doubt for short dis- tances they have many advantages, but travelling in the ■I II m 1: 128 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. y '■ States, as you may for hundreds of miles continuously, there is a want of something against which to rest your head, and which those who arc accustomed to the cozy first class carriages of an English Railway, must sadly miss. Again; grant, by way of hypothesis, that you do snatch a few moments of surreptitious enjoyment in the way of sleep, you are sure to be aroused by that confounded conductor, who will make a practice of conti- nually opening and banging-to the doors, at either end of the carriage : thiL constantly practised, ingenious slumber- destroying device has so loosened the panes of glass with which the doors are adorned, that every bang makes you fancy it must be that « long expected collision," and that the smashing of the glass is only a preliminary to your being launched into eternity I The carriages are supported it each end by four wh'^els fitted in a case, and moving on a pivot so as to enable them to turn any sharp curve more easily. The description of passengers met with on most Ame- rican Railroads is of the same sort. It is a combination of tobacco juice and smell ; and I must say that travelling in these cars, especially in winter when the stove increases the unwholesome vapour, there is not one out of the five senses that is not called upon, however reluctantly, to perform its office. None of the officials connected with'the railway wear any uniform, and the conductors are only UNITED STATES. 129 distinguished from the general company by the business- like way in which they slam the doors, the facility with which they punch tickets, and for the devoted attention they pay to any unprotected female who may chance to be located at a remote part of a thinly populated carriage They sometimes wear a badge, but that being not consi- dered ornamental by the majority, is in many instances dispensed with. The American Kailroad Journal of January 1859 gives the length of the raikoads in operation in the United States at 27,857 miles; their total cost, $961,047,364. Some idea of tho extent of the linos of Telegraph in operation, may be formed from the following data; The length in miles of the lines of land t<)legraph in operation in the diflferent parts of the world, January 1858 IS stated at 96,350 miles; of this, the United States of America contain 35,000, and the British Provinces in America, 5,000. The estimated cost of the lines in the United State, is $4,000,000; in the British Provinces $500,000 .• and the number of messages posing over ali tootooo" ''' ''"''' '''''' " ' ^"^- '' ^^^^^*^^ ^* Among the many beautiful jJa^es in the vicinity of New York Greenwood Cemetery, as a cemetery, is the most attractive. I have observed that in most American towns great attention is paid to places sacred to the dead- in 130 TEANSATLANTIO fSKETCHES. ■f I fact I am inclined to tWnk there is too mncli ostentation displayed in many instances, and that the emnlation which is exhibited in the erection of the monuments and tombs portrays but feebly aflFection for the remains they intend to honor. It was a Sunday afternoon that I devoted to visiting Greenwood ; and having crossed the ferry to Brooklyn, I took the cars to the Cemetery, about four miles distant. Having arrived at the entrance, I was in- formed by the gate-keeper— a native of the Emerald Isle— that there was no admittance for strangers on the Sabbath day, and only persons possessed of " lots" had that privi- lege. Those acquainted with the character of folks of Celtic descent, must know to what an extent " chaff" will go who. properly administered: diminutive doses of this preparation, therefore, having been given at intervals for about twenty minutes, at the expiration of that period I was at the inside of the gate and free to roam whither I ohose. The Cemetery as it stands at present covers 242 acres of ground, and is beautifully laid out with sloping hills, all tastefully planted. Here and there artificial lakes, into whose waters dip the pendent branches of the weeping willow, meet you; and long avenues of tombs whose architectural beauties are insreased four-fold by the green foliage of the numerous trees with which they are inter- spersed. " Here in cool grot and mossy cell," you may UNITED STATES. 131 wander for hours, musing in silence over monuments to departed worth, or lingering where "Heaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap," to watch the blossoming flowers smile on the decay that lies hidden beneath. 'Tis sad, very sad to walk through a Cemetery, not as the careless stranger who mingles with the crowd that paBses through P^re la Chaise on All Saints' day, but he who wanders in solitude pondering as he goes Perchance some deep-drawn sigh may ever and anon arrest his attention J perhaps a half stifled sob may remind him that he too has lost some dearly loved friend, and that the flowerets that bloom on so many graves around him, may soon blossom on his own. There are many tombs of great magnificence in this enclosure; that of Miss Cauda, a young lady of great per- sonal attractions who was thrown from her carriage and killed, is most magnificent, but I think quite unsuitable to the age of the lady in question. The Firemen's monument w very handsome, and at the same time appropriate. Many of the tombs have the simple inscription ''to my father" or «to my mother," which is much more indica- tive of feeling than the grotesque rhymes that adorn some other tablets, and which have, no doubt, cost the muddle-headed authors a vast deal of mental labor result- ing in a " ridiculm miw." Ilii !' m i»,itf,','.iA'aB TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. The moon was shedding her pale light on the silent scene, and the grave-stones wore casting their long sha- dows across my path as I turned my face toward the gate of the Cemetery. I was the last person there that evening. Perhaps I was meditating on the solemn words, "For dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return j" or per- haps, as the gate closed behind me, my memory recalled those beautiful lines — " Can storied urn or animated bust Back 10 its mansion cull the fleeting breath ? Can Honour's voice provoke the silent dust, Or flattery soothe the dull cold ear of death ?" The organisation of the New York Fire department is the most complete that could be adopted for the purpose ; and the necessity for such an organisation may be estimated when I mention, that in one year (1858) alone there were two hundred and sixty-one fires there, involving losses to the amount t*' $1,108,646. The city is divided into eight fire districts, and each district has its own alarm-bell. In the event of a fire occurring, the bell in that particular district sounds the alarm : If in No. 1 district, the bells sound once, if in No. 2 twice, if in No. 3 thr^o times, and so on ; the bell-man next gives notice by means of an electric wire, with which all the bell towers communicate, to the central police ofifice, and thence the alarm is conveyed to all the other fire bells in the city; the alarm then becomes UNI'"1SD STATES. 133 general, aU the bells striking the number of times corres- ponding with the number of the district in which the fire is situated. By this means, in the course of a very few mi- nutes all the firemen in the town are on the alert, and the confusion which would result in case the precise locality were unknown is obviated. The force of the Fire depart- ment consists of fourteen engineers, and eighteen hundred and fifty members of engine companies, twelve hundred and fifty-seven members of hose companies, and four hundred and fifty-two members of hook and ladder companies- making a total of three thousand five hundred and fifty' nine men, with numbers on the increase. The above are divided into forty-eight engine, sizty hos3 and fifteen hook and ladder companies. There are in good working order at present fifty engines, forty-three hose carriages, eleven hook and ladder trucks, and forty-two hose tenders. The companies of the fire brigade are generally composed of young active artisans; and there is great emulation amongst the different companies bs to their efficiency and the respectability of their appearance in case of fires, or on gala days. Each company has its own uniform, verjr often consisting of a red flannel jacket or shirt, a strongly pro- tected water proof hat, drab trousers and large jack boots. The companies are generally provided with an engine from the corporation, but more frequently they purchase one for themselves. ! Sl ! Mm '> 134 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. These engines are decorated in very handsome style, and often hundreds of dollars are snent in this way on a favo- fite machine; the hose carriages are also gorgeously orna- mented with silver-plated lamps, &c. These machines are light carriages on two wheels, capable of carrying nine lengths of hose, each length being fifty feet ; these are wound round a roller between the wheels j and immediately one end of the hose is screwed on to the hydrant, the carriage moves away until the whole of the hose is wound off. The engine also generally carries a couple of lengths ; all the hose are made the same diameter, so as to allow of their being easily fitted together ; at present there are about seventy thousand feet of hose in good working order. The Fire department of New York City is conducted upon the Volunteer sjstem, in contradistinction to Boston and some other towns, where the members receive one hun- dred dollars per annum each; every fireman provides his own uniform, &e., this costs $25 and upwards according to the taste or means of the wearer. In some of the com- panies' houses there are beds for the men, so that in caso of an alarm during the night, they may be on the alert. The engine houses are suitably fitted up with all neces- sary appliances, and in many eases ornamented with pic- tures and portraits of those members whose acts of daring have rendered them conspicuous among their comrades. Frequently badges of different compnies, from all parts of UNITED STATES. m the Union, may be seen gracing the walls ; these have been presented m marks of attention from members who have been the recipiente of civiUties. The badges which are the distinguishing mark of the different fire companies, are often applied to uses for which they were not intended j sometimes, falUng into the hands of unprincipled persons, they are used to gain admittance to fires for the purposes of pillage, but I am happy to say that instances of this kind are rare. Viewing the various fire depaxtmenia as they exist in almost every town of the Union, I must admit that the public spirit which has undertaken their organisation is only equalled by the vigour which has carried it out, and the success which has attended their efforts ; at the same tune it cannot but be a matter of regret that there is so much of the rowdy element intermixed with what is of essential importance to the community at large. Not unfre- quently instances occur of rival companies rushing down to fires with revolvers, not even concealed, attached to their persons. Quarrels, easily provoked, lead to the use of theso weapons; and instead of endeavouring to aasist at the pre- servation of life and property to which their duty calls them, they are engaged in deadly strife with one another. I remember one evening in Philadelphia being present at one of these rencontres, where two of the firemen were shot and thirteen persons amongst a crowd of others who 136 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. had assembled at the alarm of fire, were seriously wounded. Although these scenes are often caused hy rowdies attack- ing the firemen, yet too frequently they occur amongst rival companies; and if, as in the case I mention at Philadel- phia, the companies in fault were totaUy disbanded, I think it would act in a salutary manner on the majority of the force. The scenery on the Hudson River between New York and West Point, has I.een so often ably described by American touriste, that I shall merely add my mite to the generally expressed opinion on that subject, and say that it is most charming. It was not without many pleasurable sensations that I gazed, from the deck of one of the fast American steamers which ply between Albany and New York, on the gay and ever-changing scene. Now steaming along the winding current, the banks of the River crowded to the water's edge with stately trees; again, the Hudson spreads itself into a calm and placid lake, sometimes rush- ing through a comparatively narrow channel where massive rooks throw down their dark shadows from above; and a little farther on, the sloping banks dotted with villas and country seats, present a scene of unequalled beauty. Occa- sionally one of the numerous steamers which ply on the river shoots by like a meteor, and is lost to sight in some bend of the stream. UNITED STATES. 13t In a few hours after leaving New York, we arrived at West Point. This place, so celebrated in American his- tory, is now the site of a military academy, which for the purposes intended, rivals institutions of the same sort in any part of the worid. Members of Congress have the privilege of nominating candidates for admission, that is, one for each congressional district; and in addition the President is entitled to nominate forty from the republic at large. No candidate is eligible for admis- sion under sixteen years of age, or over twenty-one. On entering they are required to ppss a simple examination. Their pay is but trifling; a portion of it is deducted for their board, and each candidate is required to lay aside 8s. 6d. per month to assist him in providing the necessary equipment, when leaving the academy. No candidate is allowed to receive any pecuniary addition to his income from his parents or friends during his residence in the institution. ^ The course of study the cadets go through is of a high standard, comprising chemistry, mineralogy, ma- thematics, natural and experimental phUosophy, miUtary tactics and military engineering. Ten hours a day are generally devoted to study, and the examinations which the - ^ils are required to pass in the latter part of their course are such as to ensure their competency for the duties of miUtary life. The use of intoxicating liquors ill ■ '■ ; ■11 138 TEANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. and tobacco is strictly prohibited among the cadets, and even xn the hotel which is built on the grounds of the institution liquor cannot be sold. Notwithstanding the strict discipline and the difficult course of study the students have to go through, the applications for admission to the institution are veiy nu- merous, and the number of persons seeking admission for tiieir sons without intending that they should afterwards follow the military profession, speaks well for the high standard of education adopted. Some of the students whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the academy, were very gentleman-like young men, of pleaaing manners, and iho well fitting grey -miform which they all wore gave them a smart military appearance. L-^^te*.,: CHAPTER XIII. Philadelphia-Girard College, &c.-City markets-Bar-rooms, streets, &c.— Fairmount waterworks— State-house— United States Mint — Amount of bullion coined. The city of Philadelphia, next in importance to New York, is one of the cleanest towns I have visited in Amer- ica; the streets are all laid out in squares like those of New York, but if possible with more monotonous accuracy. The city itself is situated on a delta between the Dela- ware and Schuylkill rivers. Few towns in >jnerica are better supplied with Charitable or Educational .nstitutions than this city of Loving-brotherhood; amongst many others I may mention the Girard College, the Lunatic Asy- lum, the Drawing Academy for young girls; the former of these occupies a large space of ground close to the city ; the principal building is designed after the Madeleine at Paris, and is one of the chief architectural beauties in the city; it is surrounded by thirty-four columns each six feet in diameter and fifty feet in height, all made of marble; the roof also is of solid marble, and from it the best view • K&M ^ i* III TEANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. Of the City and Burrounding country may be obtained. In the coUegc about three hundred orphans arc provided with board, lodging and education. I cannot but think that the latter is of too advanced a character for the pupils whose position in life is not such aa to enable them to take advantage of it after leaving the College ; and I opine that the wisdom of the miser Stephen Girard, who founded the College, must be brought seriously into question when we Bee such a large sum of money squandered in ornamenting a town with a splendid piece of architecture which might with greater propriety, be devoted to other charitable uses' The Blockly Alms House is another charitable Institu- tion which well rep.ys a visit. This building is capable of accommodating 4000 paupers, and it is conducted on the self-supporting principle, all inmates being obliged to work -there are also several children for whom schooling is provided, under the care of a suitable matron ; a Lunatic Asylum is also attached, where this unfortunate class of persons may be seen wandering up and down mumbling their unintelligible jargon, or crouching in their cells J If to hide themselves from the passing pitying stranger. Altogether this building is a model of cleanliness, and the provision made for ^ ants and accommodation of its numerous inmates cannot but testify in the strongest man- ner to the attention paid by the Americans to this sort of institutions. m I UNITED STATES. 141 In Philadelphia as well as in New York, Fire Compa- nies are organised, and on all festive occasions they turn out with the same alacrity, and have as imposing an appearance as their brethren all over the Union. Cars through the streets are used here on an extensive scale, indeed their convenience seems to be generally ad- mitted all over the States j and we cannot but be surprised how persons in London and other large towns consent to be crowded up in omnibuses, every moment in dread of one's toes being crushed under a wooden leg, or perhaps a woman with a squalling— or otherwise engaged child- jerked into one's lap; when such a safe, easy, cheap and convenient method of conveyance as the American street car may be used. The markets in Philadelphia are extensive and well sup- plied with all the necessaries and luxuries of life; and no more pleasant morning's walk would I choose than to the market, where you may wander through long avenues, bounded on either side with stalls of fruit and flowers. Here you see baskets of tomatoes, that vegetable so much used by the Americans— of the richest crimson. Again, your teeth water at the sight of a lot of splendid peaches, the morning dew scarce melted from their surface ; there they lie packed in moss, with " who will eat me" written on their blooming countenances ; bouquets of flowers are strewed about in all directions, and every thing looks as fresh and as gay as if never to fade away. m I'frl ilij'fri- . «*^. i42 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. •^ f t I The bar-rooms, all over the States, are quite an " insH- tutton" Into whatever town y ^ go, not only attached to the hot^els, but in every street are to be been largo saloons, gorgeously fitted up with all the appurtenances for the manufacture of gum-tickling fluids; whenever you meet a friend in the street, you are fully aware that, after the usual compliments are exchanged, you are in for a " liquor up ;" and as refusal is a positive insult, you must frequently yield to your better judgment, and have a " smile,"— a facetious Yankeeism for a dram— although that expression of your countenance is not always indicat: , e of your feel- ings on the subject. So disagreeable is this national habit to persons unaccustomed to it, that I have been frequently led to exclaim, in the words which Shakespeare has put into the mouth of Cassio— ** .... drinking! I could well wish courtesy would invent Some other mode of entertainment." The streets in Philadelphia running north and south, are all named after the trees indigenous to the country, such as Walnut, Spruce, Pine, &o., and the cross streets ire all numbered as in New York. In general they are well paved, and the foot-path on either side is formed of brick in place of flags. In the building of private houses brick is more generally used than stone. Some of the pri- vate residences are very handsome, and, although they can?- .;.->:-^i. 4 i3&' ttNITED STATES. ]4d not be said to rival those of New York in magniScence of outward appearance, still there is a degree of comfort combined with elegance which savours more of private wealthy oitizensh" than the parvenu aristocracy with which New York abounds. Durip \e summer months in Philadelphia, the heat is intense; ,jd after driving into town in the everSg it was more like rushing into a burning fiery furnace than anything I can describe. The brick walls and pavement radiate the heat at night that they accumulate during the day, making it thus a perfect oven for twelve out of the twenty-four hours. Every house in the town is weU supplied with water from immense reservoirs on the banks of the ScLuyl- kill. The Fairmount water-works, as they are called, occupy an area of 30 acres ; and the reservoirs, which are capable of containing 22,000,000 gallons of water, are raised about 60 feet above the most elevated ground in the city J the power used for forcing the water Into the rest> voir is obtained by means of water wheels which worl forcing pumps, and in this manner the water is raised to the reservoirs. The mill-house is of stone, 238 feet long, and 50 wide, and capable of containing 8 wheels; each pnmp :vill raise about 1,250,000 gaUons in 24 hours. Nearly all the houses have baths, and for a trifling additional sum they have the privilege of using the water to cleanse the B' hi 144 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. pavement and lay the dust in front of the houses ; this is done by means of an Indian rubber pipe which is fastened to a cock inside the house j by this means the pavements, are kept cool in summer and free from the choking dust which is prevalent in other towns. The trees which line many of the streets are ornamental as well as useful, and the cool shade which they throw over the pathway contributes much to the pleasure of pedestrian exercise in this town. It is to be regretted that the practice of growing trees in the principal streets of towns in England is not more at- tended to, as the pleasant grateful shade which they afford to foot passengers cannot be too highly valued. The city of Philadelphia is ornamented with many publ squares of great beauty. These lungs, absolutely necessary to the health of large cities, are here ornamented with many beautiful trees and grass plots intersected with broad gravel walks; fountains also here and there throw out their feathery spray, cooling the atmosphere and rendering these shady spots a pleasant retreat in summer afternoons ; red and gray squirrels also may be seen chas- ing each other among the leafy branches of the trees, ap- parently quite as unconcerned about the busy world out- side, as the numerous flocks of children who frolic about on the pretty grass plots beneath. In addition to these squares there are several cemeteries in the vicinity of the city J Laurel Hill on the banks of the Schuylkill, is a Greeu- 1:^' UNITED STATES. 143 wood in miniature. It contains about 20 acres of -round, studded all over with monuments, some of great archi! tectural beauty and mostly built of white marble ; the grounds are undulating and ornamented in some parts with fine old trees, through whose foliage the white marble tombs may be seen to much advantage. Although, m point of commercial importance and as regards population, Philadelphia is the chief city of the state of Pennsylvania, still Harrisburgh is the capital. The population of the State is about 2,500,000, and re- turns twenty-five representatives to Congress; that of the city of Philadelphia, 500,000. The value of the exports, foreign and domestic, from the state, for the year ending 1850, was $7,232,572, and the total value of imports for the same period was $16,590,045. Although as regards its trade Philadelphia cannot compare, even in a small degree, with New York, still, as a city, it presents many advantages to the resident, and in this respect can com- pare favourably with its more opulent neighbours. The State House in Chestnut-street is a fine old build- ing, and from the historical associations connected with it proves a source of attraction to most strangers ; here you are shown the room in which the Declaration of Indepen- dence was signed, hung round with the portraits of many of the Generals and Statesmen who, either by word or deed contributed to the Independence of this country. The I 146 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. li :il tomb of Franklin is also an object of the deepest interest; it is situated in the Christ Church yard, and the simple inscription which graces the tombstone cannot but be pregnant with meaning to the hearts of all Americans. There are about three hundred Churches of all denomi- nations in this city, some being very handsome edifices. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on Logan-square, is built of red sandstone, and surmounted with a dome 210 feet in height. The Church of St. Mark's is also a handsome building of sandstone, with a tower and tapering spire beautifully ornamented. Taken altogether, the churches and benevolent institutions in Philadelphia are well worthy of the city, and every now and then one's attention is at- tracted to something which reminds you of the meaning of the term Brotherly Love. The United States Mint is situated in this city. It is a handsome building of white marble, facing on Chestnut Street. The style is that of a Grecian temple, and it is fitted up in all its departments in the most complete man- ner with every requisite for the . purposes intended. The most skilled workmen are employed in the assaying and other departments, and the intelligence and ability of Mr. James Ross Snowden, the obliging director, are suflEicient guarantee for all the delicate operations of assaying, coining, &c. being satisfactorily performed. There are branches of this establishment at New Orleans, San Francisco, and f UNITED STATES. 147 Other places, the salaries paid to the different officers vary from $1,000 to 04,500 per annum. It is lawful for any one to bring gold or silver bullion to the mint to be coined, and th bullion so brought is assayed and coined as speedily as possiDle, and if found of the standard of the United States free of expense-exceptgold, which is subject to a coina-e charge of a half per cent. But the treasurer of the Mint is not obliged to receive, for the purpose of refining or coming, any deposit of less value than 6100, nor any bul- lion so base as to be unsuitable for minting. In .n able pamphlet by Mr. Snowden, the director he advocates the extension of the Mint law, which gives to'the depositor a certificate of the net amount of his deposit to be paid m coin of the same species of bullion as that deposi- ted. In addition to this, Mr. Snowden proposes that it should be permitted to issue several certificates for the same deposit, by dividing the amount into such sums as the depo- sitor may wish, and making them payable to bearer; this principle he advocates on various grounds; principally be cause the specie thus deposited would constitute a great reserve to be withdrawn at any time when a special demand for coin might arise, without the slightest disturbance of the com nerce, finance, or loan market of the country ; again by substituting paper for specie placed on deposit, the loss incident to the wear, clipping, and other injuries to coin m circulation will be avoided. On this point Mr if-t i 148 TBANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. Snowden goes on to say, " This in time constitutes quite a considerable item of loss, and ultimately eventuates in a degradation of the standard by diminishing the weight or involves the expense of a re-coinage. A re-coinage ordered by the English government, was commenced in 1774 and ended in 1 788. During that period probably the coinage was £18,000,000 ; three fourths of this amount were pieces re-coined. The defect in weight was an expense to the government of £5^ 0,000,. or about 3 J per cent.' ' In addi- tion, this plan would obviate the necessity of a government bullion fund being retained at the mints. This is necessary at present, inasmuch as depositors of bullion are now paid as soon as the value of their deposits are determined by assay, which takes two or three days, although it may take as many weeks to turn that bullion into coin. To effect such prompt payments^ the Government advances to the mints the necessary funds; and it is found that, for this purpose, about five millions of dollars are required. Philadelphia is a town in which much time might be spent, not only in amusement and in the agreeable society of many of the intelligent inhabitants, but also in a profitable manner as regardis the information to be derived and con- clusions to be drawn from the management of many of the admirable public institutions there j but we could not fur- ther postpone our departure, and it was not without great reluctance that I bade adieu to my hospitable entertainers, and proceeded direct to Washington. 1^ CHAPTER XIV. Washington-The Capitol-Notices of the Federal Constitution of Government— The White House— Patent Office U — Departure and journey to Boston-Cow-scrapers. ' The political capital of the United States is situated in the District of Columbia, which is neither a state nor ter- ritory, but set apart as the seat of the federal government. It occupies an area of sixty square miles, which was ceded to the United States by Maryland for the purpose The di^triot of Columbia is under the direct control of the government of the United States, and its inhabit, ants, numbering about 52,000, have no voice in the federal elections. Washington without doubt may be called a skeleton city, and from its extensive outline it has been termed « the city of magnificent distances ; " in this respect, it is like many other— which are called in America— towns ; that is, a site is selected and a plan formed something like that which children draw on their slates to play at Fox- and-geese, but on a more extended scale; a house is built, and about a . mile away another structure is raised j' 11 i i an 150 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. If! leii about two miles in another direction a space is allotted on the plan for the erection of some splendid public buildings. —I may mention, in parenthesis, that in the plans a number of squares are laid out for public buildings, but as the public have yet to arrive, these magnificent structures are seldom or ever erected.— In Washington, no doubt, there are many. Its Capitol is one of the most massive buildings in the States, and the view from the lofty ter- race on which it stands is at once commanding and mag- nificent. The building is of marble, and the dome forms an imposing superstructure to the mass of building beneath. The Senate Chamber and the Hall of Representatives are in the wings of the Capitol; the grand Rotunda in the centre contains several large and weU executed paintings illustrative of scenes in American history. The Congress of the United States corresponds with the Parliament of Great Britain, and consists of a Senate and House of Representatives. It must assemble, at least once, every year. The Senate is composed of two members from each state, and of course the present number is %^. These are chosen by the legislatures of the different states, for the term of six years. The House of Representatives is com- posed of members from the several states, elected by the people, for the term of two years ; each state is represented according to its population, and the calculations are made in the following manner. After each decennial enumeration, I UNITED STATES. 151 the aggregate representative population of the states is ascer- tained by adding to the number of free persons in all the states including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indiana not taxed, three fifths of all other persons. This aggregate is divided by 233, and the quo- tient, rejecting fractions, is the rate of apportionment among the several states. The representative population of each state is then ascertained in the same manner, and is divided by the above named ratio, this quotient gives the apportionment of representatives to each state. If the whole number of representatives should by reason of frac- tions fall short of 233, one additional member is allowed to those states having the largest fraction. In addition to the representatives there are five delegates, one each from Utah, New Mexico, Washington, Kansas and Nebraska, who have a right to speak, but not to vote. The pay of members consists of mileage at the rate of $8-00 for every twenty miles of travel in going and re- turning from the seat of government; this is payable on the first day of each regular session; and besides they receive !|6000-00 for each congress, which is paid on the first of each month during the session, at the rate of $3000 per annum. At the end of the first regular session, the residue of S3000, and at the end of the second regu- lar session, the residue of $3000 ; deductions are made from the pay of members for each day's absence, unless m II i i I I II i 162 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. caused by sickness. The pay of the Speaker and of the President of the Senate ^ro tem. is $12,000 for each con- gress. The President's mansion, or the White House as it is generally called, is a large building of very unpretending appearance. In the interior there are several large recep- tion rooms, but it is fitted up with very little more, if so much expense, as many of the residences of private gentle- men or noblemen in England; the grounds are extensive and slope gradually down towards the river Potomac. In the large square immediately in front of the house, there is a fine bronze equestrian statue of General Jackson. A large standing army being considered incompatible with a republican form of government, the effective standing mi- litary force of the United States ar unts to only 13,000 men ; this includes 1,084 commissioned officers. The whole territory of the United States is divided into five great military commands, in which there are twenty-six arsenals and ninety-eight forts, most of which are garrisoned. The militia force is estimated at upwards of 2,500,000 ; and, if necessary, America could bring into the field 3,000,000 well trained men. The naval force consists of about one hundred ships of the line, frigates, schooners, &c. The largest vessel is the ship of the line " Pennsylvania," 120 guns and 3,241 tons burden. The principal dockyards are situated at Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington. The ITNITED STATES. 153 Navy-yard at Brooklyn contains a dry dock which is sup- posed to be the i5nest in the world. The PatentK)ffice is one of the most interesting govern- ment buildings that I have been through in the United States. It contains models of all the numerous inventions for which the Americans are celebrated and which have been patented in the United States, from the small and ingeni- ous apple-peeling maxshine to the most complicated scienti- fic apparatus, all are here to be seen ; and as you walk along the rows of glass cases containing thousands of these models, one cannot but admire the ingenuity which has contrived and the perseverance which has perfected so many useful and labor-economising machines. Besides the models, there are also in this building several cabinets of natural history collected by different exploring expeditions. The Smithsonian Institute is another building which ranks high amongst the literary institutions of the country. It was founded by an eccentric Englishman, and contains a fine library, a magnificent laboratory, and a museum of natural history ; there is also a fine lecture hall ; but even here the disgusting habits of the country are not restrain- ed, and it was not without feelings akin to nausea that I perceived the backs of all the seats in this fine room regu- larly varnished with tobacco juice. The finest view of Washington is to be obtained from the top of the Capitol. Looking in one direction, you see the broad waters of the k H 154 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. Wi Potomac hasting onward towards tlio sea ; in the foreground is the city, its numerous red brick buildings interspersed here and there with some public structure of white mar- ble. In the centre of tlie city runs the broad thorough- fare of Pennsylvania Avenue, lined on either side with shady trees ; and at the further end you perceive the white walls of the President's house rising above the trees with which it is surrounded ; further on you see the magnificent shaft of the Washington Monument ; all this in the midst of a large and extensive plain, well wooded and watered, has a most striking e£Fect. The whole of the stately pile of building that forms the Capitol covers an area of nearly three acres and a quarter: the grounds in the immediate vicinity are laid out with great taste, and orna- mented in different parts with fountains and statues. With the exception of the public buildings there is little to interest the stranger at Washington, so after a few days' stay I was glad to pack up my portmanteau, throw myself into the oars and rattle away on the railway track towards Boston. Railway travelling in the States is generally monoton- ous, unless when varied by the occurrence of accidents. Occasionally the breaking down of a bridge wiU sweep a few hundreds of persons into eternity, but in a country whose population doubles itself in twenty-five years, loss of life on a small scale is not calculated to impress people UNITED STATES. 165 with any great amount of caution. My journey towards Boston, thank goodness ! was not enlivened by any little in- cident of this kind, but several times we came to a stand- still. This was occasioned by our coming into contact with cows and animals on different parts of the line ; the railroads in America are not fenced, and grass and weeds grow as freely along the road as they do in the fields, hence cattle very frequently leaving their native pastures come to have a quiet browse on the track that belongs exclusively to the steam-horse. It was this fiery steed coming into collision with the aforesaid cattle, that caused our frequent stoppages. Fortunately, the Yankees being acquainted with the gregarious tendencies of their flocks, have affixed what they are pleased to call cow-scrapers, in front of all their engines. These are formed of several strong iron bars fixed securely together, and projecting about 3 ft. in front of the engine; moving as they do close to the rails, they serve to scrape cows and other " varmin " off the line. At first I disliked the frequent stoppages, but at last got ac- customed to them, and used merely to request the conduc- tor to pick up the largest piece for a pattern. The American system of ticketing luggage is one which might be adopted with very great advantage in England. Previous to starting on a journey the baggage-master comes round with his arm full of small straps with two tickets, one attached to the strap, and the other moveable j this he pre- 166 TBANSATLANTir SKETCHES. flents to you, and the strap Tpith the other ticVit attached, he fastens by means of a loop to your portmanteau, both have corresponding numbers stamped on them ; and when arrived at your journey's end, you either receive the luggage yourself or deliver your ticket to the hotel porters who collect it for you. ^ Having arrived at Boston, I adopted this plan; and, in a few minutes after the train stopped, I was snugly lodged in the Revere House, one of the best, if not the very best Hotel [p the Union. -rljgmlji;'"" I.I CHAPTER XV. Boston, general description— The Common— Harvard Unirersity —Reflections— Publications— Trade of tlie city— Churches and religious denominations—American Ice trade. Boston ranks in commercial importance second only to New York, but in literature and educational facilities it holds a firgf place among the towns of the Union ; and its numerous and admirable benevolent institutions show that the seeds sown by the Pilgrim Fathers did not fall on stony ground, but are bringing Ibrth their fruits in abundancoc The Indian name of tho peninsula on which 7;oston is built was " Shawmut," or Living-fountains ; it was called Boston from Boston in Lincolnshire, of which town many of the Pilgrim Fr+hers are supposed to have been natives. Boston is the principal town of that portion of the Union called New England, including the States of Maine, Massa- chusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont. The appearance of the town presents an agreeable contrast to most other American cities. It is built on undula- ting ground; and, after the monotonous regularity of the r I »'fsi ii i it] 158 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. streets in other towns, T found it quite a pleasure to lose my way in some of the old, curious, crooked streets, which have their ramifications all over the town. The Common presents one of the most attractive features to strangers ; it is a large park covering about 50 acres of beautiful undulating ground. It contains several fine old trees, and the gravel walks and grass plots are kept in perfect order. On fine summer afternoons this park is the constant resort of su angers and residents in the town ; and the handsome women who pass and repass you every mo- ment, the gay dresses and life and animation with which yov. are surround'^d, make the stranger look forward to the usual afternoon promenade with pleasure. Harvard University is one of the many institutions of au educational kind of which Boston is justly proud ; it is about three miles out of the town, and was founded by the Rev. Jas. Harvard in 1638. In addition to the collegiate department, it has a law, a medical, and a theo- logical school. To those who are fond of the cultivation of literary tastes Boston presents greater facilities than any other town in the States, and hence it is that the society is more select and the education of the upper clisses is of a more finished description than is to be met with among persons in the same class of life in other American towns ; for this reason I am not surprised that many wealthy and retired men in the States have made this city their residence. UNITED STATES. 159 There are few things that the stranger in America misses more than some objects wherewith to connect the nssociations which, as a classical student, he cannot fail to have obtained in youth- Few indeed are the relics that the wanderer mec with, telling of ancient days, or bringing to light the characteristic tastes or habits of the former inhabitants of this great continent : no mouldering ruins of ancient temples, no altars where the half effaced inscription peeps from beneath the overhanging ivy, no ancient statues no Gothic cathedrals, enriched by all that centuries of art^ experience could bestow, where the long aisles and graceful tracery work of richly carved capitals only form uooks wherein love to dwell the tones of heaven-inspired music, when the organ, now with its sonorous musical thunder and agai. with delicate strains of melody, flood heart, soul, an^ spirit with its harmony. Alas 1 how many, many years must revolve before America, rich in almost every thing else, can boast of objects enriched by centuries in some sequestered spot of Europe. The population of Boston is about 150,000, but if we in- clude its environs it may be estimated at 300,000 ; the whole population of the State of Massachusetts is estimated at 1,150,000. Like every other town in the States, wc have here abundance of cheap literature in the shape of periodi- caJs and newspapers. The latter have an immense circu- 160 TBANSATLANTIO SKETCHES. lation J there being no tax on these publications in the States, the price is such as to put it in the power of every one to have news. The general price is a cent or two, and when we consider that the type is good, and the paper of sufficiently average quality for an ephemeral existence, we must allow that the price is exceedingly moderate. The standard of writing is anything but what one could w'sh to see adopted ; it may be sufficiently good for the popu- lace, but it augurs badly for the taste of the masses who devour such rubbish, and without doubt it is a discredit to the writers who have it in their power to elevate the public mind by a more refined species of language. Their writings are generally disgracefully coarse, and their per- sonalities and scandalous abuse of an opponent are such as can only find a response among the dregs of the com- munity. As I have befo.^« remarked, Boston ranks as a com- mercial community next to New York ; the shipping of ihe port amounts to one eighth of the whole tonnage of the United States. It is situated most favourably for trade with England, being according to Li'^ut, Maury 160 miles nearer to Liverpool than New York; and alsj for the coasting trade and commercial intercourse with foreign countries, it is said to have n?.any advantages over other American ports. Mitt. UNITED STATES. J 61 The church accommodation in Boston is good, and many of these buildings, especiaUj those of the Baptists and Episcopal denominations, can lay claim to architec- tural beauties ; many of the edifices are ornamented with towers and spires. The Unitarian appears to pre- vail more than any other denomination among the Bos- tonians. The whole number of churches in Boston ex- ceeds one hundred, and in general they are well attended. In the United States generally, the Methodist denomina- tion appears to have the greatest numbei of adherents ; the following is a table of some of the principal denomin- ations, according to the census of 1850, showing the num^ ber of churches, the aggregate accommodation and the value of property. Denomination. No.qfChs. Acco-amodation. Value f*?°f^* I'24e7 /.,209,333 $14,636,671 l^^^l'\". 8,791 3,130,878 10,931,382 Presbyterian... 4,584 2,040,316 14,369 889 Congregational. 1,674 795,177 7 973 962 ?P;f°P^^ 1.422 625,213 ll,'26i;970 l^^'^'T. ''^'^ '^^^'^^^ 2,867,8P6 K. Cathohc... 1,112 620,950 8,973,838 From this table it will be seen that in proportion to its numbers, the Episcopal has far the largest proportion of the loaves and fishes. Of the total number of churches or edifict? for divine worship, the Methodist own more than one tLird, the Bap- L 162 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. tist nearly one-fourth. The average number frequenting each church in the Union is 384, and the total value of church property is $76,41G,639. With regard to the distribution of churches, it is remarkable that the bulk of those belonging to the Unitarian community are all centred in one state ; out of the 243 churches belonging to this denomination 163 are situated in Massachusetts, a state that stands preemi- nent in facilities for education, and which even throughout the ""Jnion is acknowledged as being the nurse of men of the highest attainments both in religion and literature. Among the many articles of trade for which the United States have become celebrated, there is one which adminis- ters in no small degree to, not only the comforts, but even thf necessities of a great number of our fellow creatures. It is on this account that I have selected tha Ice Trade of the United States as more immediately connected with the Export Trade of Boston, for the subject of the following remarks : — You, then, fair damsels, who in the midst of Summer's scorching heat, enjoy your ice cream and other cooling refreshments ; you connoisseurs of the opposite sex who sit sipping your iced wines with after-dinner ecstasy ; and you, whose brow parched with fever has been cooled by the refreshing ice, listen all of you to my freezing tale : — The United States being the great emporium whence ice it supplied to almost every part of the world, the reader will not be surprised when I mention that there is invested UNITED STATES. 263 to 87,000,000; and the number of men employed by t in New York PWIaaelpWa.. ^"W ton. •^ 200,000 " Boston 00,000 " ijaltimore... . ^ 45,000 « Washington.... „ „ ° 20,000 " '''"O""'-' 40,000 « This wa, the consumption of 1856, and it i, probable fta von stnoe then there haa been a largo annual increase Bu .t . not alone as an article of home consumptio^ .06 .s of such importance; year after year cargoes of fm't P_s and vegetables, are shipped surr^nded S X "' """' '"^^^ »" »'- '^"P^al cout The ii,.t shipment of ice made from the States was from Boston to Martinique, in 1806 ; since that year Ih" ^», although at first unsuccessful on accoun Tf want of preparations for their reception and safe prelr^ tjon, have gradually increased, and in 1866 the'e wl »h.pped from Boston 363 cargoes or about 146,000 tons Many of the Southern cities of 'M Union are on"id!r" d Bwpwfp iyiji 164 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. the best markets for ice. The quantity reported as ship- ped to these ports, during 1856, was 81,391 ; in 1857 75,572 tons. The following is the estimated value of ice shipped to foreign countries from the year 1850 : — Tons. Value. 1850-51 $106,804 1851-52 161,086 1852-53 175,050 1853-54 202,118 1854-55 41,117 170,793 1855-56 43,150 191,744 1856-57 51,598 219,816 These are the values at the place of shipment. There is a large amount of expense and trouble attaching to the exportation of ice. The cutting and securing of the crop, the erection of the ice houses, both at home and abroad, and the packing of blocks in vessels prepared for the pur- pose, all these things have to be carefully taken into con- sideration to insure success in an undertaking of this kind. In 1838 there was a patent granted to a Mr. Tudor, the projector of the Ice Trade, for an improved method of packing ice, which consists in filling the interstices left be- tween the blocks of ice with some non-conducting material, such as chiiff, saw-dust, &o. There was also a patent claimed for a plan consisting of packing the ice by laying TJNITED STATES. 165 the blocks on their narrowest ends, as it was found that the ice kept better for long voyages packed in this manner. But m this case the Commissioners decided not to grant a patent, this being merely a discovery in contradistinction to an invention. At present sawdust is exclusively used for the pack- ing of ice; and it is a remarkable circumstance connected with this trade, that many waste substances, such as Bawdust, shavings and rice chaff, which formerly it was an object to get rid of, are now useful and necessary adjuncts for the development of trade ; and from bein.. al- most valueless have become articles for which, in BoLn alone, there is annually expended about $25,000 It is usual for shippers of ice to pay the expense of loading and discharging their cargoes, so that the freight money comes to the ship-owner clear of any deductions. The average cost of ice in Boston, free on board, in 1857 was $2 per ton ; but of course the price varies in dif- ferent years according to the yield of the crop, and the difficulty and expense of securing it; but the expense in snipping It IS in a great measure determined by the fittings required in vessels going on voyages of longer or shorter duration, and the season at which the shipments are made Boston IS the only town from which shipments of ice are made to anyextenttoforeign countries. Theshipments from l^ew York axe comparatively trifling, but this is in conse- 166 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. qucnco of tho largo consumption in tho latter city and the want of greater facilities in securing largo quantities. India is ono of tho largest customers for American Ice ; but the loss in weight occasioned by melting, in a voyage of 16,000 miles, occupying a period of nearly five months, is immenso, and a shipper considers himself lucky if this loss does not exceed 30 per cent., in some cases it amounts to 60 or even more. England at present is a small consumer of American ice ; largo supplies are ^.ow obtained from Norway, and at a much cheaper rate than it can be had from the States ; on this account tho Norwegian ice is used to a much greater extent, although inferior in quality to the American. The bodies of water from which the ice is collected are of great value, and hence they are taxed as *he property of the persons who own the adjoining lands. In some of the ponds near Boston where the ice is supposed to form in the most perfect manner, the boundaries of the different parties holding land abutting on these waters are accu- rately marked. The implements or machines used for cutting and securing the ice are of various kinds, and by repeated trials and experiments have been brought to great perfec- tion. The principal are the wooden scraper, the snow plane, ice marker, ice plough and ice saw. The saving attending UNITED STATES. 167 the URc of these various implements is enormous. In one season it was estimated that the reduction of the cost of cuttin.. ieo in the neighbourhood of Boston was equal to about *1 5,000 per annum. By the labor of 40 men and 12 horses nearly 400 tons can be cvt and stowed in a day. In the vicinity of Boston, February is the month usually rehed on for securing the bulk of the crop ; in other towns such as New York, Philadelphia, &c, it is cut in the earlier part of the winter. With reference to this subject the New York " Tribune^ in an article on the Ice Trade, remarks: " Occasionally while the ice is forming in December and January, the ioe men pass over its surface after it is thick enough to bear their weight, and break holes in it if there IS no snow on it. In this way the formation is accelerated by the over-flow of the water, and the ice itself forms faster at the bottom. The surface is kept as free as possible of enow, because this greatly retards the formation. Ordin- aniy, snow falls before there has been cold enough to form ice of suitable thickness. If this occurs when the ice is 4 or more inches thick and the snow is not heavy enough to mnk the ice, it is usually removed by the snow scrapers which are made of wood and are drawn by horses, one or two to each scraper. On some ponds in Massachusetts froi. which several different parties take ice, it was former- Ij, If not now, customary to pile up the snow on their re- spective boundaries. This plan is objectionable, since I0mm-t ^ II J I 1 I w m 1' ^ 168 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. the enow, by its weight, had to sink the ice, and in New York it is not practised, but the snow is entirely removed. If the snow falls so heavy as to bring the water above the surface of the ice, it congeals with the water into what is called * Snow Ice,' which is not fit for market, but is re- moved by another scraper called in New York the * snow plane,' in some parts of Massachusetts the * ice piano ;' this is made of iron with a sharp cutting instrument of cast steel attached to the bottom ; it is drawn by two horses and a man rides upon it. It is guided by inserting its guides into grooves previously made by the ice marker. It takes off a roll of snow ice about. 2 inches thick and 22 wide, which brealzs up and is scraped off in the same man- ner as dry snow, or it may be removed into the water from the surface of which the ice has already been taken." The ice is seldom cut until it reaches a thickness of seven or eight inches ; when less than this, it will not bear the weight of horses and machines. The thickest por- tions are always reserved for foreign shipments, on account of their greater compactness and durability. There are several Ice Companies, both in Boston and New York. The " Knickerbocker" and the " New York Co.," are most extensively engaged in the latter City. The Knickerbocker Co. have ice houses at Rockland Lake and other points, capable of containing 235,000 tons* These houses have a curious appearance j they ure from 100 TJNITED STATES. 169 to 250 feet in length, and look like immense wooden store houses, without any doors or windows, but with openings in the top, through which the ice Is conveyed; the walls of these houses are double, and the space between is filled with some non-conductor of heat, such as tan shavings, or charcoal. Some idea may be formed of the size and capacity of these stores when I mention, that there is one at Cam- bridge covering 36,000 square feet of ground, and nearly 40 feet in depth. In the Northern States, the ice houses are usually constructed of wood ; but in warmer countries, they are sometimes made of stone or brick, thereby having the advantage of great( r durability and safety from fire"! There are various modes of elevating the ice into store- houses, but that most generally in use is the endless chain and the inclined plane; by their means, the blocks of ice are drawn up to the aperture in the top of the store and descend to the bottom of the interior by another incline ; they are then packed away, each block immediately on top of the one underneath ; and when the house is filled, the ice is covered over with shavings or hay. The retail trade is carried onto a much larger extent by the Knickerbocker Co., in New York, than by any single Company in the Union ; they have several large barges made exclusively for the conveyance of their supplies from their store-houses on the lake to the city; each barge holds from ?»'ii-i^'it>w&i 170 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. 400 to 600 tons, being much larger than those used for the same purpose some years ago. The ice at the barge is all sold by weight, and varies of courst according to the plenty or scarceness of the article ; in 1858, the price was for 100 to 250 lbs. 30o. per 100 lbs., and for 250 ios. and up- wards 20c. per 100 lbs. The whole number of ice waggons used in the retail business in the city is upwards of 300, and of these the Knickerbocker Co. owns 100 ; the waggons, some drawn by one and some by two horses, are of the most solid construction, and weigh from 1,700 to 3,000 lbs. each. The following is a comparative statement, for the years 1857 and 1858, of the retail charges for ice in New York : 1857. 1855. 12 lbs. 8 to 10 lbs. for 6 cents. 20 " 14 to 15 " 9 " 30 " 14 to 20 " 12 " 30 « 25 to 30 " 15 " In hotels and large counting houses, where larger quan- tities are used, there is a proportional reduction made. The best customers are the large Ocean Steamers and the hotels ; some of these houses use in summer as much as 6 or 7 tons per diem, and the Cunard and other steamers take 20 tons or more for each trip. The price as charged to fishmongers, confectioners, &e. in 1858, was at the rate of ^3.50 per ton. Some idea may be formed of the extent t UNITED STATES. 171 of this trade from the follow* .g extract from the Report of the Boston "Board of Trade of January 1856: "The money permanently invented in wharves, ponds, ice houses, tools, &c., for carrying on the ice business, in and near Boston, amounts to abou; $600,000. This of oourse, does not include the working capital, nor the money invested in icj houses abroad. There are twelve companies engaged in the business, employing in the winter when hard at work, 1,200 to 1,500 men. The business has trebled within ten years." Again the " Tribune " remarks : « The domestic con- sunption of ice in Bof a and vicinity has for the last few years been about 60,000 tons annuaUy, supplying 18,000 families, hotels, stores and factories ; and employing in 1856, 93 waggons and about 150 horses in distributing It. lu 1847 the domestic consumption was but 27,000 tons." Large shipments of Ice are made every season to Mobile, Charleston and New Orleans, especially to the latter, where there is upwards of $200,000 invested in ice houses, wharves, &c.; and the boon it must be to the inhabitants of these towns, is sufficiently attested by the avidity with which it is purchased ; bringing prices which in the Northern States would be exorbitant, and going far to show how indispensable is this gift of Providence, to the inhabitants of the Southern Cities. '!! ji- :j ■ 172 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. The following is a table showing the principal shipments of ice to foreign countries, and the cost value thereof for two years, ending June 1857: 1855-56. 1856-57. Countries. Tons. Dollars. Tons. Dollars. British E. Indies,... 9,236 $82,165 18,531 $124,262 Peru 6,754 21,351 5,731 17,921 British W. Indies,.. ?,608 11,503 3,109 8,365 Cuba,, 3,399 33,668 8,846 25,819 Brazil 2,607 7,790 2,878 3,990 Buenos Ayres, 1,774= 4,909 1,365 3,528 Australia, 1,485 4,623 596 1,800 From the foregoing remarks and statistics it will be seen, that the ice trade is 'jy no means the most unimportant of the many branches of business in which the citizens of the United States «'" engaged. But while I follow my own inclination in endeavouring to give some information on this subject, I fear that some of my readers are shiver- ing with cold in perusing these icy details; I shall there- fore drop the subject in the same manner as persons are disposed to drop a certain vegetable, when the temperature exceeds that which they can conveniently bear. There are many other species of trade and manufactures in which the Bostonians are engaged, a description of which might be interesting to men of business. But the present volume does not profess to be a commercial dictionary, and I I UNITED STATES. 173 the slight interest which the general reader takes, and the distaste which many have to reading books of travel crowded with any statistics, must plead my excuse for not enlarging to a greater extent on the commerce and trade of Boston and other large towns of importance in the United States. .^V''/iil^«UUJt^,« I) I ' i H i- 1' 1 im ■ 1 ^ 1 1 1 ; j ' .-■ 1 CHAPTER XVI. Niagara— Great American Lakes— The Falls— Niagara album, specimens of its contents— Lines by the Earl of Carlisle, written at Niagara. Although many days might be spent in Boston with pleasure and profit to a stranger, Time, who is no res- pecter of the inclinations of individuals, gave me warning that I must depart. Whither ? was the question that I in- voluntarily put to myself, and remembering that I had heard of a certain " almighty" waterfall, yclept Niagara, I boarded the cars one fine sunny morning, and on the eve- ning of the first of July I found myself, with a host of other tourists, at a village bearing a name which must be re- membered with awe by those who have visited the mighty falls: I was listening to th^ moaning thunder of that cataract of cataracts, Niagara I It was past midnight as I wandered alone toward the Bridge that leads from tho mainland to Goat Island. The moon was shining down with silvery radiance on the scene ; and silence, the sha^o^^ of solitude, lent its aid to almost perfect the enjoyment of UNITED STATES. 176 a scene which brings you face to face, as it were, with your Creator, and of which language must as utterly fail to convey any idea as it would of the Creator himself. The Niagara River forms the outlet to the numerous fresh water lakes, including Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie, with which this portion of the American continent abounds, .nd it is from this source that lake Ontario derives its principal sup- ply. The falls are situated about 20 miles from lake Erie, and about 14 from where the river emplies itself Into lake Ontario. According to the estimate of Professor Drake of Kentucky, it drains an area of country equal to 40,000 square miles ,• and the total exten^ of land and water .hich is drained by Niagara covers an extent of 150,000 square miles. The height of ^he Horse-shoe fall, or that of the Canada side oftho river, is one hundred and fifty-eight feet J and that on the ALi^rican side, one hundred anc^ sixty four feet. The height of these falls i. br no means so great as some others. The Montmorenci, for instance, in the neighbourhood of Quebec, are 25./ feet in depth. The quantity of water, however, that ^;nceasingly pours over the precipice of Niagara Is .tup-ndnus; it is estimated at 670,000 tons or about 109 TH ,,00 gallons permirute; this is p-xipitated over ,r^ vock in a sheet nearly one mile in breadth and 20 f )et in thickness. The foUowing is a description o^hese wonderful .oils, from the pen of ablate writer on tho subject : — "^PlPIP'iipiWP 17G TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. " The whole vast concentrated tide pours over the tremendous precipice with a roar which is heard in a still but slightly humid atmosphere at a distance of 40 miles, and its lofty pyramidal cloud of fleecy vapour or sea of spray and foam, now hanging dark and heavy above it, now wafted away by the current of the wind, reflects all the colours of the rainbow, always brilliant and beautiful as the sun-beams fall upon the misty curtain, and successively varied as the winds disperse the water spirit and shapes it into new phantasmal forms glowing with light and loveliness. Sometimes the mist is thin and gauze-like with every variety of colour above and below, brilliant with prismatic hues which arch themselves higher and higher up or deeper and deeper into the green watera in the aby?" But even this description, glowing and poetical th. ■ b be, falls far short in conveying to the mind an idea v.- Niagara. There are many other points of interest in this neigh- bourhood, such as the Suspension Bridge which spans the river ; or the Whirlpool about three miles b^low, but the attention of the stranger is more generally concentrated in the Falls themselves. I found much amusement in the perusal of the Album which is provided for persons ambi- tious of distinguishing themselves by rendering homage to the Falls in prose and verse. The first paragraph tl lat met me as I opened the volume was an announcement re- UNITED STATES. OT specting the efficiency of the militia forc« of the United States. Being a Britisher and a foreigner, I was rather alarmed and surprised to find that this force had arrived at such a state of perfection as is hinted in the following :— " The mighty cataract of Niagara rushing over the rocks, and the deep waters of the Mississippi rolling onward to the Ocean, are everlasting evidences of the prowess and efficiency of the American Militia." This was signed Andrew (his 4- maxk) Jackson; from which I conclude that this person was a private, and conse- quently should have been proud to make Mr. Jackson's acquaintance, as I found that constant intercourse with generals and colonels in the States way becoming rather monotonous. The next few stanzas do not lead me to suppose that the Spirit of Poetry has laid its mantle on Yankees who have endeavoured to immortalise themselves by the following three verses : To hear this water roar, To see this water pour, Is certainly much more Than I've heard or seen before. H. F. To hear a jackass bray Is nothing new to-day, You can neither sing nor say : So you may go away. A. L. lit 178 TRANSATLANTIC SKETCHES. Tou had better to toddle too, For you're blockheads through and through ; Ton my honor it ia true : Cock-a-doodle-do ! F.n. This last verse is signed by Francis Head, but I hardly think that the late Governor General of Canada can have given vent to his feelings in the sublime words which form the concluding line of this Stanza. Another gentleman, evidently overpowered not only by the sublimity of the scene, but with something stronger than the aqueous fluid which he surveyed, writes that Niagara " is very queer, as the apostle eloquently remarks in the original tongue." The following couplet, no doubt, fully expresses the sentiments of the individual who indited it : Next to the blisa of seeing Sarah, Is that of seeing Niagara. And I am inclined to think it was the same individual who, in a second visit to the falls, wrote : Great is tho mysteries of Niagara's waters. But more mysterious still are some men's daughters. To this I can only say, in the words of Mr. S. Waller, " how werry affectin' ! " UNITED STATES. 179 I cannot bettor concludo theso extracts, to which tho term of unmitigated nonsense may bo applied in its most unqualified sense, than by inserting tho following lines from tho pen of a certain noblo author,* tho beauty of whoso ideas cannot fail to be admired :-— " Thou mny'Ht not to tho fancy's sense recall Tho thunder-rivon cloud, tho lightning's leap, The stirring of tho chambers of the deep, Earth's emerald green and many-tinted dyca, Tho fleecy whiteness of tho upper skies, The sound of armies thick'ning as they come, Tho boom of cannon or the beat of drum, The brow of beauty and tho form of grace, The passion and the prowess of our race, The song of Homer in its loftiest hour, The unresisting swoop of human power, Britannia's tridont on the azuro sea, America's young shout of liberty ! Oh may the waves that madden in thy deep There spend their rage, nor climb the encircline steep! And, till the conflict of thy surges cease, Tho nations on thy banks repose in peace." Earl of Oarlislo.