IMAGF EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ^ ^ / 4< O v< ^^ ' .^v /^ 4^ V^ '■^ (9 / ^^:v^ # 1* &- iV CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. '"anadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. D D Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleur Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^colordes, tachet^es ou piqu6es Tight binding (may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin)/ Reliure serrd (peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge int^rieure) L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. 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Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettetd de I'exempiaire filmd, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^^ (meaning CONTINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la der- nidre image de cheque microlfiche, selon le cas: le symbole -^^ signifie "A SUiVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". The original copy was borrowed from, and filmed with, the kind consent of the following institution: Library of the Public Archives of Canada Maps or plates 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: L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grfice d la g6n6rositd de I'dtablissement prdteur suivant : La bibliothdque des Archives publiques du Canatia Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul clichd sont filmdes d par^Jr de Tangle supdrieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 B mmi' >? :X Western Skies, ill 1868. BI JOHN H. BELL «. " I would now lay a stone in the Temple of Peace." Edmund Burke' 1870. PRINTtO FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION. X 34 TO MY FRIENDS IN OLD ENGLAND, I DEDICATE THESE 6LEANINQ8 FROM HARVEST-FIELDS OF REAL AMERICAN LIFE. t% MERICA is like an alchemist's crucible. Its people (^ are a fusion of many races. White men rule over red, black, and yellow men . English, Scotch, Irish, Germans, French, Italians, Swiss, Norwegians, and Swedes all meet as citizens. Out of this mass, a race of ** New Americans" is continually being produced. Past results lead us to the belief that the future will still yield a good political "philosopher's stone," in the form or guise of freedom. Figuratively speaking, the Western Continent is a storehouse of national character. On its shelves lie samples from many lands. Weighed in the balance of fair opinion, there is a cheering preponderance of sound grain ; there is some rotten and bad. The observant traveller holds a "Sesame" to open the doors and windows of this granary, for his home -staying countiy- men. J. H. B. ■f I ] \ .( COnSTTElSTTS. PART FIRST— UNITED STATES. 1 Outward Bound. 2 Empire City. 3 Long Islard Sound. 4 Political Life. 5 Environs of Empire City. 6 Diamond State. 7 The Pil^rrim State. 8 A Village of Arcadia. 9 The Athens of New England, 10 Connecticut Valley. 11 Northern New England. 12 The Adirondacs. 13 Hudson River & West Point. 14 Empire State. 15 Thunder of Waters. 16 Over the Strait. 17 Eastward Ho ! 18 City of Brotherly Love. 19 Maryland. 20 Virginia. 21 The Eagle's Nest. 22 Hanging Gardens. 23 War Trails. 24 Brooklyn. PART SECOND-DOMINION OF CANADA. \ 25 City of St. John. 26 Nova Scotia. Ice anr' Gold. 27 River St. John. 28 Camped with the Lumherers. 29 Across the Borders. 5$0 Comisk Gloom. 31 Mediaeval and Modern. 32 Royal Mountain. 33 River Grand. 34 Palace Beautiful. 35 The Golden Belt. 36 Coleur do Rose. I :Ei:K,i;&A.a?^- No. 8, Page 4 & 5 read " Massachusetts. e, „ 1, 4, 7, 8, read Do. 18. IS, 25, 28, 28, S5, 36, tt , i, „ "Pepperell." , 8, „ "chestnut." . 10, „ "Hicksite." . 5* ,, "promenaders.' , 5, „ " Breadalbane." . 7. ,, "Juggernaut's." . 7, ,, "Saxondom." , 10, „ "Young." } OUTWARD BOUND. In the Middle Ages the Venetians claimed the sovereignty of the seas. They celebrated this triumph by an annual festival. Attended by a rejoicing populace, with music, and chimes of bells, the Doge of Venice advanced to the brink of the sea, and in the name of the people, threw a ring of gold into the Adriatic ; accompanying the action with these words :— "Desponsamus te, mare, in signim veri perpetuique dominiu (We wed thee, sea, in token of our true and perpetual sovereignty.) But a greater espousal took place between the Saxon nations and the Atlantic, when the first Steamer passed from land to land ; still greater when a Cable joined Old World and New. iijfVN a bright summer-morning, I bid my kind English W friends good bye, and embarked for America. The "Scotia" lay at anchor in the river; her captain was leaning over, watching us, as the passenger- tender steamed alongside. Stepping on board, I feel that the route is now sounded in earnest. Sailors, busy as bees, are working with a will ; soon hiding a mountain of luggage deep in the recesses of the hold. From the chaos of disorder, rises and shines the light of order. Each officer has donn'd his smartest uniform, and stands ready at his r)Ost ; going out of port is a gala-day for seamen, no less than coming in. The bell rings, up comes the anchor, the engines start into life, the paddle- wheel- move. With flag gaily flying, we steam down th© .Mersey ; New Drigbton is passed, Liverpool becomes a faint speck in tlio distance, the sand-bar is crossed, and we are out at sea. The coast of Wales soon looms in sight, where round the Skerries the surf is ever beating. Abreast of us, Holyhead breakwater — constructed of stone torn from the adjoining mountain — rolls back the fury of the Irish Sea. Behind it smiles a harbour of refuge. Southward heaves an iron-bound coast ; beneath whose beetling cliffs the waves sport angrily summer and winter. Under the lee of Holy Island stands a lonely rock. Furious tides deny it union with the mainland, but man's devica has spanned the chasm with a fine suspension-bridge. From the rock-tower shines out a beacon-light, and gleams of white roof and wall tell of a coast-guard colony. With morning comes the sight of Ireland. Right before us is Bally ?orin lighthouse, standing sentinel-like upon its island-rock. The coast-line is marked by rising slopes ; but the meadows of Emerald Isle belie the name to-day, so burnt and brown do they look under a visitation of tropical summer Upland corn-fields are golden and yellow with ripe and ripcaiiig harvest, and potato-ridges give promise of a plenteous yield. Now we have entered tlie harbour, and anchored off Queer stown. Far up the cove, church- spires struggle through morning mists and point U8 to the fair city of Cork. Sunday chimes come poaling from the land, but we may not step on shore in answer to the summons. A postal officer, in faultless attire, resigns into our charge the latest mails. His comrade on board, who is rosponsible for their safe-keeping during the voyage, tells me that he has crossed the Atlantic upon the same errand 260 times 1 Our captain takes leave of lady friends and 8teps on to his noble vessel. Telescope in hand he mj hi) 1( tui w 3 mounts the bridge ; wo think no worse of him because his eye is misty for a moment at the thought of once more leaving home and kindred. The "Scotia's" prow is turned to seaward ; her mighty |[enginea — roused to action — urge her onward With willinp^ steps to tho wild ocean. We are leaving behind us Spike Island with its convict- colony. Above us fro\7n fortifications, parterred with gleams of scarlet uniforms, and gay with floating folds of our nation's banner. As we pass by, there is still "nothing for nothing" (for us) at the port of Kinsale. "We are taking a last look at martello-towers and ancient ivy- covered ruins. Distance is merging into indistinctness cottage, ruin, and tower, gold of cornfield, and green of meadow. For the grim "Stag Eocks" there is never peace, not even on this calm bright Sunday. They seem to stand as perpetual martyrs to an ocean's fury, doing penance and making atonement for tho f-lns of the mainland. "We are close upon that point of Kerry where the deep sea-cable joins the Englands, old and now ; the lighthouse beacons gleam out brightly — Cape Clear looms forth gloomily — and old Ireland is lost to sight. Our ocean-life is very pleasant. In this Loble steam- ship are gathered round us many of the elements of home-enjoyment. A cabin airy and central — meals served with nicest regularity — sheltered decks, clean and white as holy-stone can make them — boundless atmo- spheres of ozone from the ocean — books for readers — companionable fellow-passengers — skillful officers and hardy sailors — the landsman lacks nothing but " terra firma." Atlantic breezes give us appetite for the good and generous fare. We are peeping daily into nautical science after the manner of freshmen. The engineer will lead us to the regions of his magician- powers ; lower still we nay descend, and feel the furnace- glow. Calm evenings call forth the sailors' songs and sports. Many a rough voice will swell a chorus ; many a strong man unbend in play. As darVness falls, lighted ca»-«^'es are introduced iuLo the saloon; then in pleasant chat, and intercourse with old and new-found friends, our cosmopolitan company whiles away the evening hours. Come up and take a turn on deck with the officer of the watch. The constellations shine out with marvellous distinctness ; the dark ocean below is fretted with curling crests, and glints of shaded silver. These flecks of shifting brightness remind us of imagined ghostly lights and water-spirits of Indian superstition. In mid-Atlantic a south wind brings a show of phosphoretic light upon the sea ; then the wake of the ship looks like a trail of flame. Looking over the bows, where the waves are fiercely sundered by the rushing steamer, we see little fishes darting about with luminous tracks like fire-serpents. Now, a rocket belted with blazing fire, is thrown up by a passing ship ; but in a moment this symbol of ocean- courtesy has vanished, And like an unsubstantial pageant faded, Leaves not a rack behind. When you go to rest at night, you know that all through the dark hours, brave men will be on duty at their posts. With moments of wakefulness will come the sound of watch-bells, and the cheery " all's well" of the watchers. On Sunday we gather for worship in our ocean-church ; a reverent congregation fills the large saloon, the captain reads the service of the Epist pal Church and all join heartily in the singing. The beautiful prayers iuteuded for use at sea acquire a special solemnity. It is not always calm. Lashed into pitiless fury by the winds the sea will rage and sweep our decks, but neither ship nor seamen flinch. Up to their necks in wator stand the helmsmen ; shut in below, as in a prison -k the engineers ; thoy think not of danger, but steadf .ly keep the ship on her course across the trough of the sea. The French line of Atlantic steamers is said to be gaining favor with American passengers on account of its superior cuisine. The German steamers crossing the Atlantic, are also second to none in comfort, and efficient handling. But in a storm all my predilections are for a British ship and British sailors. My countrymen have proved their Scandinavian and Saxon blood by their sea- going qualities. Emerson said, — "A sea-shell should be the crest of England, not only because it represents a power built on the waves, but also the hard finish of the men. -* After a run of seven or eight days we are near to the *'banks"ol Newfoundland. These famous fishing-grounds —with which we made a slight acquaintance through the medium of geographies in school-boy days — are now spread out before ns. Beneath the dark green waters, below the influence of restless tides, there is gathered a storehouse of finny treasure, which is ever inviting man by his enterprise and daring to secure it. At day-break, as darkness rolls away, the fi.<^hing fleet is revealed, like a great navy riding at anchor. All round the ships lie small boats, with their lines out, probing the sea for prey. The smell of curing fish makes us aware of the occupation of those who are on F^ipboard. During fogs which often prevail here, the sailors of the fishing fleet have reason to tremble for their lives. A mile off, they hear the thud of paddle-wheels as a great ocean-steamer comes along, but, in an atmosphere of worse than Egyptian darkness, they know not which way to turn to avoid the danger. In their alarm they fire guns and ring bells, yet some- times their signals come too late, and a poor fishing-craft is run down and sunk with little possibility of escape. The rights of these fishing grounds are defined by treaty, and are open to several nations. We are now in 65° north latitude, the region of the pteppes of Lebrador, Cold winds from the ice-fields come sweeping down, making us think of Christmas - storms at home. It is a desolate region. For 8 months ill the year winter reigns supreme. Solitary trading- posts of the Hudson's Bay Company occur at long distances apart. An acquaintance of mine aad the opportunity of visiting one of them. He happened to be on board a steamer bound for the straits of Belle Isle. During a fog the ship swerved from her course, and went aground on the shores of Labrador. "When day-light dawned, the astonished passengers saw before them a small settlement enclosed by a wooden stockade. Within it were a few log houses, and a long building or shed for the store ; from the dwelling of the commandant floated the British flag. Away to north and west stretched the dreary Siberia of America. Here are found the wild animals whose skins are so highly prized in Europe, and here in quest of them, Fur-clad hunters wander Amid the Northern ice. You would think so lonely a life to be insupportable ; yet here among voyageurs and hunters, are found light and cheery hearts, and natures that know no fear. To return to our ship ; so cold is it there, that we feel certain that icebergs are near, and we are on the look-out for them. Thero is a terrible solemnity in the sight 5W when the ice-floes pass by. This spectacle of gloomy grandeur is described in the "Ancient Mariner," And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold, And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald. Cradled in the frozen north, these icebergs are cast loose from their moorings by the action of a summer-sun, and come floating down to temperate seas. Even before they are seen, their presence is indicated by a bluish haze which hangs about them, and isdiscernable on the darkest night. They are very dangerous, yet steamers gen- erally pass through them at full speed. When en- countered by night, navigation through an ice-field is attended with far moro difficulty than that of the Argo "running" the fabled Symplegades. Upon one of her voyages " out," the " Scotia" ran into an iceberg, but was mercifully saved from disaster. Her passengers went down into the cabin, and gave thanks to the Providence which had shielded them in a moment of peril. Some- times this progeny of the north covers the ocean for miles. One who was an eye-witness told me of a whole day being spent in penetrating a labyrinth of ice. If; was a sight of such grandeur to be witnessed perhaps only once in a life-time. Some blocks, square and massive like a fortress of olden time, with curtain and ravelin ; others with pinnacle and tower pointing upward like a church-spire, or a lighthouse set in the sea. Far up their furrowed gullies shone the summer-sun, striking as by magic from their flinty sides the rainbow's colors. Hero one might feast the eye upon a "valley of diamonds." The shafts of yellow light deepened into rosy crimson, and as ihe sun went down he stamped the scene as golden. The 8 gleam of diamond fades, the rosy light grows dim, the green sea darkens, the blue-fringed peaks are deepening into purple as night closes in, leaving behind the wondrous vision floating southward. Our experience of sea-life must yet receive the baptism of fog. After passing Cape Eace, we are all at once in the regions of the "mists of the mighty Atlantic." Arctic currents striking upon warm waves from the Gulf-stream are the cause of these fogs. All round is closed in with impenetrable folds of grey. A chilling mantle gathers over the ship, after the fashion of a spider doubling on its prey. Still there is no surrender to its influence, no abatement of speed. There is a weird sound in the shriek of the steam- whistle, which is blown on deck every few minutes. Hourly the sailors cast the sounding- line. As the iron probe comes up from the bottom, it is incrusted with minute particles of sand and shells which indicate the geology of the ocean-bed. A leathern bucket is frequently lowered into the sea, and its contents — tested by the thermometer — assure us that we are in the ridge of the Gulf-stream current. For 36 hours no "observation" can be taken from the sun, and the ship is kept on her course by dead-reckoning and frequent soundings. Nantucket Island shoals are safely passed, and then come certain signs of neariug land. Seaweeds ^ire seen floating from shore. As in the days of Columbus, these fantastic tendrils of the deep were to him signs of promise, so they are to us an earnest of desire accomplished. In broad daylight we steam between Long Island and New Jersey. At Sandy Hook a pilot comes on board ; he takes us past Staten Island with its charming villas, and green lawns, cool and English-like, through the "Narrows," right under the teeth of "Parrotts" and "Rodmans" then seen these mise, In New- takes C which compose the armament of Fort TomkinSi into New York Bay, A newspaper boat meets us long before we enter port, the dispatches from Europe are secured, and it is then swiftly rowed away. As the result of this celerity, when we sit down to dinner at our hotel, the latest edition of the Tribune will be placed in our hands. In its items of ship-news will be announced the "Scotia's" arrival, and in the list of her passengers we shall find our own name recorded. Visits from oflBcers of "customs" and "health," do not detain us long, and no quarantine is required. We land at .^ersey City, cross the ferry, and are soon established in our quarters at the St. Nicholas. Our fellow-pasengers scatter to the four winds of heaven. Some we shall see again in their own homes ; others, we part from with a long farewell, pleased with their courtesy, grateful for kindness and glad at heart with store of information gathered during intercourse and conversation with them. On a " Cunarder" one meets many angles of humanity, which stand out in clearer relief, when contrasted with the plain surface and rounded corners of society at home. I may strike off a spark or two from this anvil of variety. That old man is a Captain from New Bedford ; he can relate many a tale of whaling-adventure worthy of being dramatised in another " Sea Lions." This young fellow ran the blacade at Wilmington, in a steamer that fairly went " hop, skip and jump" over the water in her eagerness to escape Federal cruisers. Another passenger told me of a "rescue" which he had seen effected on the wild Atlantic. When the ship's company had gathered for service in the saloon on Sunday morning, there arose a cry of alarm from the watch. 10 Rushing on deck, passengers and crew witnessed a heart-rending sight. Some little distance away lay the wreck of a timber- ship, through which the sea was making a complete breach. On a small space of foothold were standing 11 men, a boy, a woman, and a Newfound- land dog. Thes poor creatures had been imprisoned thus for three days, and had been kept from starvation by eating raw apples. A barque had been sailing round the ill-fated ship for two days, but the waves were so high that her crew could render no assistance. Cunard captains have strict orders never to halt their ships, except to repair damages or to save life. This was a case of real urgency, and the engines of the good steamer " Canada" were stopped. Th - barque was directed by signal to move out of the wa> When the shipwrecked crew saw this, they cried out i disppir, thinking that they were to be abandoned. A boat was manned by volunteers from the " Canada" and lowered into the sea. The peril was awful. The tough oars bent like willows beneath the fury of the waves. It was indeed a *' forlorn hope." But stout-hearted men were in that boat, and its course was watched over by Him who stilleth the waves, and holdeth them in the hollow of His hand. I need not detail the scene further, except to say that all were saved ; their deliverance being aided by the faithful dog which plunged into the sea to carry a rope to the men in the boat, when they could approach no nearer to the sinking vessel. The captain of the timber-ship was among the first who wore taken off by the " Canada's" boat ; when on a subsequent journey the dog was also saved, it bounded through every room until it found out its master in a berth, and then laid down by his side, content. That band of young Americans who are singing so heartily "Vivelamort" as we near the land, have one 11 and all borne rifle and knapsack during the war. I might delineate many other "characters "among our pasBengors. Captain B. of the English Guards is bound across the western plains to San Francisco. He is lured to thia adventure by hoy.e of, sport v.pon the prairies, and bv the fascination or "magic influence of foreign lands.'' General W. the Austrian fgovenror of Trieste has come to study American institutions, and a great English preacher is en route for his new "cure of souls" in a Canadian parish. A merchant of our acquaintance is od his way to St. Louis, and a Georgian planter to his cotton and nee lands in the sunny South. I also have a vocation ; It 18 entered upon gladly. For a while my home wiJI b© in a "Greater Britain"— "Farewell, old life, and welcome new!" i^r ^ s EMPIEE CITY. OT a word too much has been said in praise of American hotels. They are palaces of luxury and comfort. An American lady, fresh from a year of European life — said to me, '*0h, it is so pleasant to reach New York again and to have the comfort and style of our own hotels ; I have so missed them abroad." I dined with my friends the Howards, and later in the evening was taken for a stroll down Broadway. On returning to the hotel, an acquaintance from Mississippi said, "There is no doubt the Yankees have a glorious country and are a wonderful people." I found out the truth of this from day to day in my progress through America. I had not been long indoors before I heard that ominous hum, which proclaimed that the mosquito dwelt and persecuted in the land. The excessive heat in the city was something fearful to be endured . Many persona dropped down daily in the streets from sun-stroke; and so great was the mortality amongst horses, from the same cause, that passenger conveyances were scarcely to be had. I rose early in the morning to write letters for the out-going steamer ; yet even at that time, before the sun was high, large beads of perspiration stood on my forehead. A simple plan, viz : keeping a wet cloth or handkerchief on the head, within your straw hat, is an effectual preventive of sun-stroke. It felt strange to be waited upon at breakfast by a band of stalwart Irishmen ; especially to observe one of their number making a progress through the room, fanning 1 each gnesfc in tnrn with a foathered wand. It seemed a practice more akin to the luxury of an jient Rome, or of Moslem Caliphs, than one indigenous to Republican Kew York, I need not say that every luxury in season was f-nread upon the table. The one aristocracy which is re )gnised in America — as it is all the world over — the aristocracy of wealth, understands well the science of good living. There is ice from northern lakes to cool our drinks. Though sherry is rare, and good port is not to be had, sparkling champagne and excellent claret will supply their places. The daily carte includes sweet green corn ; game from western prairies ; from Louis- iana the pine-apple ; cranberries from the fruit-farms of New Jersey; peaches from Michigan; grapes from Ohio ; and when we sojourn here later in the year, we shall luxuriate in the finest and most delicious oysters which the beds of the Chesapeake can furnish. In fact, the science of gastronomy is studied in America no less than in England and France. All the year round, this con- tinent of many climes sets before its citizens, a bill of fare ample and rich. I was prepared to expect " great things" from these palatial hotels — but as the Queen of Sheba said of Solomon's magnificence and kingly state — the half had not bee . told me. No footfall is heard on the soft- carpeted floors; we notice gilded mirrors and the frequent gleam of marble. Sprightly ladies in dainty morning- dress, are sunning themselves in alcove and boudoir, while their lords are reading the papers and conversing in the pillared hall below. As the manager conducted me r'»und this republican palace, explaining with great urbanity the privileges which his " thousand and one" guests exp Bcted and obtained at his hands, I was able to appreciate and share in the delight which la "belle Americaine had evinced the previous afternoon. With Mr. Howard as my cicerone I sallied out into the city. As we were crossing from one side of Broadway to the other by an elevated bridge over the roadwaj , a sign brought us to a stand-still. From a side window a man was blowing a trumpet. When we on the bridge had complied with his summons so far as to "stand at ease" in the positions we happened to hold at the moment, he quickly turned towards our group, a camera in place of the trumpet, and in a moment the sun had given the photographer his desire. Turning round and smiling, Mr. H. said to me, ** Don't forget to tell your friends at home of this Yankee trick." When, months after, I called upon the artist, he was able to bring forth from his stores, a picture of the identical group which stood on the bridge that memorable morning. We entered the city-hall. I pictured the scene which a young friend was describing — drawn from the life — how the body of Lincoln lay here in state ; how his fellow- countrymen pressed round in endless rank, to look upon a martyr's face and drop a tear of sorrow for the d(;ad. In the square adjoining, during the war-time, stood wooden huts for newly-enlisted soldiery, who generally passed one night in the centre of New York and next day were hurried oflf to the army in Virginia. Here too was held that famous fancy-fair. 'Twas not for intercourse or merriment that people thronged its precincts ; 'twas not for barter or exchange. On this spot the Angel of Charity was invested with substantial guerdon ; hither flocked a patriotic nation to offer gifts — gifts which should be borne away on wings of healing help to suffering soldiers. These scenes have pa>ssed away. In the same square to-day, poor idlers are sleeping, as you will see them basking in our own Hyde Park. Every one visiting New York must be struck witli the cosmopolitan look of city and people. Down Broadway rushes a tide of hurrying feet, as eagerly as in our old- world Strand or Cheapside. At many points the architec- ture of its buildings will vie with Eue Rivoli, or the stately palaces on the Neva. At the crossings — in loose white coats and Panama hats, intent on politeness to lady- pedestrians — stand its grenadier policemen. Each man has been chosen with as much care as if some royal hand at Potsdam had signed an order for the work. Up and down the level roadway ply Broadway's own carriages. You enter the cushioned omnibus, no conductor is there to take your fare ; you must hand up the money to the driver, who, clever man as he is, will at the same time liold the ribbons and hand your change through a little jDorthole nt his side. Among the archives of Yale College I was dhown a map of New York as it was in 1760. Its great thoroughfare had then an existence, but how different from the Broadway of to-day I Horse-cars running on rails, are not permitted in this favoured street ; but all other parts of the city are traversed by them, and they have become an institution in all American cities. Railways encroach upon the public highway ; locomotive engines — with alarm-bell constantly sounding and trains of cars behind them — move along avenue and street, and no one seems to object. Everything here bears the stamp of some originality and much ingenuity. Things are lilce yet unlike old England ; I can only call them by their owa honest name, — "American," Let us glance at the negro-quarter and the dwellings of the Irish, in streets adjoining the wharfs and piers. "We shall find them a sad contrast to the wealth and splendour of Broadway. Here, as in every sea-port town, the poorest population and the most wretched dwellings are found iu the neighbourhood of harbour and shipping. New York is essentially a sea-port. Its bay forms a secure, land-locked haven, and as the tide rises and falls only 6 or 8 feet, no docks are required. Slovenly inexpensive piers or landing-stages of wood, take the place of granite basins and sea-walls which are the wonder of Liverpool and Marseilles. A stroll through Canal-street will remind you of an ancient German town, save that its houses lack the quaint angular gables which mediaeval builders delighted in. A few old-fashioned wooden houses still remain. Here and there is a trace of " Mein llerr Van Winkle's" times, when the Dutch possessed Manhattan's land ; but the principal building material is brick ; and the architecture such as existed before the " five orders" were thought of. Semi-thriving trees line the pathway, but they will never acquire the umbrageous qualities of their kindred in New England towns. The sun shines down with pitiless severity upon badly paved and dirty streets, making us long to be away to cooler and more inviting regions. "We come upon a large mass of ruins, black and fire-riven — the handiwork of rioters, who during the war-times would fain have sacked the city. In the very midst of all this poverty and ruin, the eye lights upon a vision, as welcome and reviving as an oasis in the desert. A box of growing flowers is set before a narrow casement. The sight carries us back to the south of France, where, in his little room the Lyons weaver plies his shuttle and looks upon his pet flowers in ^he window. Close at hand is a humble shop ; within it hang hundreds of cages, whose tenants are pretty singing canaries — canaries brought from far-ofif German father- land to sing for the New- World dwellers : I gazed and gazed, and little thought What wealth to me the show had brought, — 6 yet passing onward, remember gratefully that behind every cloud there is a silver lining ; in the dreariest purlieu of the sinning city, men see a fair creatiuu and hear the voice of nature. We will take this sight of bird and flower as an omen bright with p:'omise for our sojourn under "Western Skies ;" boari.ig in mind a saying of Schiller's, ALLER ANFANQ I8T HEITER, DIE 8CHWELLE 1ST DER PLATZ DER EHRWARTUNQ. I was introduced to Mr. Horace B. Claflin, the head of one of the largest merchant-concerns in New York. Mr. H, said, "I have brought Mr. B. from the land of the Dukes, to show him in an American, in yourself, the union of so much wealth and so much modesty," Mr. 0. is an estimable gentleman, retiring and unassuming in disposition. He sat at his bureau, at one end of a large counting-house full of workers on manuscript and ledger. With a few kindly words he made me welcome to wander at will through his vast and thriving store. Throngs of customers are passing in and out continually. A sentinel stands at the door, and quietly has his eye upon each arrival and departure. If you carry a parcel when you enter, he ' '11 ask to mark it, so that you may take it out again. One fact struck me as particularly pleasing, viz : although Mr. Claflin is so much engaged in business, he is to be found regularly at his post in the Sunday School. The stores of Messrs. A. T. Stewart & Co. are still larger than the one we have just left, and enjoy quite a national celebrity, Mr. Stewart was from home, but his partner did the honors of their business-mansions. (Some of our large firms at home would be astonished to know the amount of business turned over yearly by either of these Trans- Atlantic merchants.) The north of Ireland in is the native place of the founder and chief partner of thi House. Early in life he made New York his home ; ho has been wonderfully prospered there, and his business now yields a more than princely revenue. Mr. Stewart is an earnest advocate of "free trade." He has recently received a distinguished mark of honor, in being invited by President G. mt to the Council Board at Washington, as.Secretary ol n a Treasury. It was discovered that an ancient statute, debarring a trader from oflBce, was still in force ; so the rich merchant was unable to assume the port " lio and seals of State finance. He is however doing a good work in a more private manner, viz. : building a home to accommodate 1,500 poor girls. He has also attempted something in the spirit of cathedral-builders of the past, as witness the following announcement, (September, 1869.) "The completion of Mr. A. T. Stewart's marble palace at a cost of over thruo millions of dollars is an event which has been anticipated for some ten years. The whole house, inside and outside, is of the most beautifully carved marble, much of which was imported from Italy. • It is the finest building in the New World, and is said to rival many of the Royal Palaces of Europe. It has been so arranged inside that the rooms can be thrown into immense halls. Rumour has it, that at his death Mr. Stewart will present it to the city of New York as an art gallery. He is adorning the walls of the rooms with the finest pictures he can procure at home or abroad. As he has no heirs, it is probable that no one but himself and his wife will ever be permitted to live in the Stewart Palace. The fence which surmounts the lawn is of massive white marble, and contrasts beautifully with the rich green velvet of the turf." Now said Mr. H., **1 will introduce you to some Ya/rikee friends. I saw you taking stock of a man on the steamer ; he was a New York rowdy. Banish him from 8 your mind, he is no sample of the u^tright and downright Yankee." Very cordially these specimen-gentlemen received us, and many were the questions they asked about old England. They were very much like our indefatigable business-men at home. Only once a year, will either partner allow himself a holiday, and then a week of Catskill mountain air makes up the tale of recreation. We left them, for an obscure office in "Wall Street, bearing certain credentials to a money-broker there. Mr. Mott, the genius of this cell, was scrupulously upright in his transactions with us ; we came away with an exchequer of Bank scrip and Government "green- backs " in place of our bright English sovereigns. One result of the many changes brought about by the war has been to bind all the Banks to the Central Government as creditors for loans advanced ; on the other hand, the Government guarantee stamps each local note as current in every State of the Republic, excjpt California, which has never veered from specie currency. From a large granite building in Wall Street floated the United States flag, with stripes downward, indicating War Department jurisdiction. Over a similar public building the flag was disposed so as to give the stripes a horizontal inclination, distinguishing this as a department of revenue and customs. T'ae offices of Messrs. Brown Bros, and Co., the bankers, also front to the treasure-street. Close at hand are the head-quarters of an Ocean Steam-ship Company, who are enjoying a world-wide reputation. A precedent, copied from ancient Amsterdam, has suggested the effigy, cunningly carven, of a ship in full sail placed over the portal, as emblematic of the calling of the House. It is a very modest symbol by the side of the Titanic-bronze in which Mr. Vanderbilt, the American railway-king has monumented himself over 9 a freight depot entrance. Wall -street riches are defended at night by light. "When I have passed up from the ferry late in the evening, there has been a glow of bright- ness from basement to attic. Through unshuttered windows you might see bowls of coin ; but rendered inviolate by the presence of imitation sunshine, they were as safe as if a soldier-guard had been watching over them in Threadneedle-street. It is but a step from the American Lombard-strest to the Gold Exchange. There among "bulls and bears" of finance, and buyers and sellers of stock, you will witness scenes of panic and excitement, transcending any similar display in London or Paris. The ^Express Companies' cenUe in Broadway, and seem to enjoy a monopoly in the transport of America's mighty commerce. The Post-Office of New York is an old- fashioned, inconvenient building ; a lesson might well be taken from Washington in the construction of an edifice befitting the requirements o!" Empire City, f I visited the offices of the "Tribune," the newspapor conducted by that remarkable journalist, Mr. Horace Greely. With all his excellencies, he errs in our humble opinion by supporting f The United States has commenced the erection of a great Post Office in New York. It will cover the whole of the lower trnd of the City Hall Park. Thus the ^ast public park iu the lower end of the city has been given up for business purposes. The trees have been cut down, the fountain torn up, and a small firmy of men is working day and night on the excavations. The building will have a frontage of 300 feet in Broadway, the same in Park-row, a magnificent facade looking down Broadway, and a rear, facing the City Hall, not far from 4C0 feet in length. It is to be built of granite, and will be highly ornamented with t-tatuary. "With all the force which can be employed upon it, fceveral years will be consumed in its erection. — Sept. 1869. 10 an out and out policy of *' protection," The "Herald" — a rival paper — is dandled and pxv.med in a suite of magnificent premises at the corner of Broadway, near Wall-street. Th'^y have a semi-circular frontage of white Vermont marble, beautifully adorned with carved devices of profile and flower. The soul of the "Herald" is Mr. Bennett, a man who like Mr. Stewart came to the United States from the old country. I may mention that it is his son, whose yacht joined in the adventurous race across the Atlantic in December, 1866. A very short distance from Broadway lies the district of "Five points," so called from the fact of five streets meeting and intersecting each other there. A few years ago this locality was the lowest quarter of the city. A man's life was not safe in it either by night or day. A partial change has been effected by the efforts of kind- hearted philanthropists, who have founded in the vei}'^ midst of this "Seven Dials" of New York two noble institutions, viz: the " Howard Mission" and the "Five Points House of Industry." Into thesa houses of refuge are gathered fatherless and destitute boys from the streets. Each mission takes charge of 300 to 400 of these city Arabs, providing them with food, clothing, secular and religious instruction. Every spring, the superintendent takes 100 or 150 of them out to the West and places them in situations with farmers. The latter are bound by agreement to provide them with schooling during the winter months, and to employ them until they attain the &fte of 21. So great is the demand for labour, that farmers are willing to pay a small premium to the mission for each boy. No cloud of murky gloom taints the clear atmosphere of New York. Anthracite coal is burnt in the city, and 11 it is in a great measure smokeless. It embodies more heat than the soft coal, and is consequently invaluable for use in stoves. A law of providence has tempered the bitterness of America's intensely cold winters with the gift of fiery hot anthracite coal. This fuel is found east of the Alleghanies. West of the mountains soft coal is mined. The difference is very marked, ; for while New York — consuming "anthracite" — has a clear atmosphere like the Havana, Pittsburg — feeding its furnaces with "bituminous" fuel — cannot show a speck of blue sky, so dense is the smoke. On the Eastern Shore it is difficult to m^Mifacture gas, so the ret'' "ts of gas companies are chf i with coal from England and Nova Scotia, and also with resin and other similar substances. The people have compensation in plentiful supplies of rock-oil for lamps. Meanwhile the native coal supplies a more urgent need, by becoming a heat-giver in thousands of homes, when the thermometer is marking below zero. The old bowling-green is at the foot of Broadway. Mr. H. pointed out " Castle Garden," saying, " here is the source of our strengtli ; here land the millions of emigrants, whose labour has built up th« American power and is daily adding thereto." The Celtic element preponderates in the city. A constant stream of emigration from Ireland has brought in a resident population, which, in numbers overpowers and out-votes the citizens of Dutch and English descent. An American gentleman said to me, " New York is the worst governed city in the world ; the Irish, many of them ignorant, hold the reins of power and some of them quite illiterate, sit at the Boards of Education." A recent visitor has given us the opinion of a Western man, who remarked "that there are more unlikely events, than our seeing a * Vigilance 12 Committee' ruling in New York, as it once did in lawless San Francisco." I merely give these statements as the volunteered opinions of Americans. As to the rest, I can testify to the existence of many institutions of which its citizens may justly be proud ; also of many accompanying evils, which, all rulers of great cities, the world over, would only bo too happy to see abolished to-day, if it were possible. I was informed that the State Legisla- ture has taken away several prerogatives from the city authorities, because in the exercise of them, the latter have proved themselves "lords of misrule." For instance the Commissioners of Police and of the Central Park are appointed not from the City Hall, but from the State House at Albany. Perhaps after all the wisdom of State Republicanism, aided by education, may hold the foolish- ness of city Democracy in check ; and oblige all to act " on the square," for the promotion of good order, justice and law.* I saw no more of Empire-City during the heat and glare of summer ; later in the year I returned with leisure to make a closer acquaintance with its people and its sights. ♦ The absence of good faith in rendering simple justice to the foreign creditor, is a shameful and short-sighted poUcy. Both City and State have been bribed by Fisk, Gould & Co. to uphold the tyranny of the '* Erie Ring." We trust that an appeal to the Supreme Court of America will not be in vain. — May Zlst, 1870. LONG ISLAND SOUND.