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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fiimte en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derniire page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles sulvants apparaltra sur la dernlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — *• signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent Atre flimAs A des taux de reduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul clichA. il est filmA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite. et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 >! '^ V .« t Tin; UNITED SPATES ,i( AM) i CANADA. IN 1832. 1833. AND 1834. BY C. 1). ARFWEDSON, ESQ. I i ** i*; I S: ui O K 3 O I I I\ TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON lUCHARD BKNTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, _p 33ul)lisiljtr in ©vt»inari) to |t?ij( ilflajf8t». ^*»=» 1831. 6"' '^ \ ii I I I Iff i K. ^WODKKr,, JUN., 4, L LONDON : tl( KbltK blHliEX, r.Kl . ItlfhsTKR syliAUl c. c ^A^^ COXTKXTS OF Tin: FiKST voMMi: '( I J I i r \ f .V f HAPTER I. Departure from England - Storm during the \'ovagc_ A fine duy on the Ocean-The 4th of July- Yankee Doodle- First .ight of Land-Dressing for Landing-A News-boat- Unexpected News - The Pilot - Entrance to New York - Manhatta— New Amsterdam, or New York— l,i(lians . 1 CHAPTER II. The Battery-Negroes — Broadway — Citv Hall— Private Houses-Hotels-Boarding Houses - Manners and Customs -Population -The Hudson - Hoboken - Cholera in New York-Neglect of Cleanliness-Pigs in the Streets . 2G CHAPTER III. Steamboats - The North American Steamer - Wnn^c on the Hudson River - Passengers - Attention to FemaL- t It 'I '< IV CONTKNTS. Hank?* of tin- Hudson — The I'iilis»ii(lc.« — Sli-i-py Hollow — 'I'la' Iligliluiids — A Tliunder Storm CHAPTER IV. Wc'stpoiiit — Military School — Journey to C'atskill — Stage Conehes— Pine Orchard — The Cascades— Remarkable Trie — Rattlesnakes — The Rattlesnake Hunter — Athens . . GO CHAl^r^R V. New Lebanon Springs — Shakers — Ann Lee — Ceremonies of the Shakers — A Modern Miracle — Creed, Rules, and Regu- hitions, of the Shakers — Their Occupations — Schools — Costume — The Shakers' fleeting — Tobacco Snioking Festival — A New Messiah ....... 83 CHAPTER VI. Journey to Northampton — Soil and Agriculture — Character of the Country — General Appearance of Comfort — Anecdote — Northampton — Villages and Towns in America — Mount Holyoke — Hadloy — The Regicides — Springfield — Manufactory of Arms — Comfortable Situation of the Workmen — The i>ock- smith of Springfield — Journey to Boston — Ware — Woi-- cester ....... IdS CHAPTER Vn. Boston — The Harbour — Public and Private iiuildings — The Streets — The Statehouse — Statue of Washington — Neglected Public Walk — Music in the Evening — Faneuil Hall — The Market — Post Office — Banks — Athena-um — The Freemasons' Lodge — American Architecture — Temperance Societies — C'ONTKNTS. Strnnt^ liiquorr* — Criiiu'i from Intrinporaiui' — Aiiocdote — Sfi-cnadi's — Cli<»lem — Panic — ("lidlfia ll().>'i)ital — IJcliit" Associiition . . . . . . , i-jd (■ii.\rri:ii vnr. Public Institution!* in Boston — Tlic Pcaci; Society — State of f^diicatioii— RcIii,Mon — Uilfcrcnt I'l'litfious Sects— Majjiists — Missionaries — Unitarians . . . , . ij; CIlAPTHIl l\. CiunU'stown — N'iivy Vaid — Tl.c Constitiiticjn Fri-^nito — Breed's Hill und Ikinlur's Hill— Monument on UiinUcr'- Mill — Lynn — Salem — IJcverley — Xeuluiry Port — New Hamp- shire— Portsmouth — Maine — IJreakneck Hill — Ciuio^itv— Female Heroism — Portland — Soil in Maine— Emitrrants — Agriculture — Produce — Wa:,a's — A Huskini,' Feast . IM) CHAPTER X. Return to 15oston — Environs — Jamaica Pond — AFount Auburn — Cand)ridge Collei'-c— John Quincy Adams — Xaliant — Balls — Sea Serpjit — Cattle Fair at Brighton— A Storm in Boston— Various* Uses of Hats - Pawtucket — Providence — Mount Hope — King Philip — J., irney to New York — Hell <^iite '200 CHAFFER XI. New York after the Cholera — Brooklyn — Navy Yard — American Navy — Naval Officers — Patterson — Passaic Falls — American Institute and Annual Exhibition of Manufactures — Negro School — The American System of Education — School Agents' Society — American Bible Societv . . 230 I ' I II' I i /i h md^ VI CONTFNTS. CIIAI'TKII Ml, Joiiriiev to Pliiliulclpliin — Pliiliuli'lphiii — Scluiylkill Coal — liitcrarv Sdcicties* — IJcm-volont Institutions — Sunclny Scliools Associiition — IVnnnylvaniii llospitnl - House of Ht'l'iiiic — Hunks' — The Mint — MnstMini — Mnminoth — State House Sf)! CHAPTKU XIH. EMvimns of IMiiladdpliia — Waterworks — Xavy Yard — Kloction of President - Colony — Swedish Chureli - Franklin's Tonil) Aneient Swedish ;/;> CHAPTEll XIV. Haltiniorc — Tlie Cathedral — Monuments — Charles* Carroll — His Death and Funeral — Poiiulatioi\ of lie City — Rclijfion — Slaves and free Servants —Articles of Exportation — Journey to Washington — \Vashin<^ton — !)e])arture for Virj^inia — Oistriet of Columhia — Potomac Kiver — Fort Washington — Frederickshurgh — Roads in the Southern States — 'Journey to Richmond ........ 20') CHAPTER XV. Richmond — Public Buildings — Monument for the Persons who perished in the Theatre — Slave Auction — Condition of Slaves in the United States —• Dangers attached to an im- mediate 'ilmancipation — Advantages of the Colonization Svstem 318 CHAPTER XVI. Tobacco Manufactory at Richmond — Dejjarture for Norfolk — Norfolk — The Dismal Swamp — Journey to Fayetteville — c.(»Mi:M.s. ^.ji Tl.r Cotr,.,. PlaMt-F.yc.tU.vilK.-.louraey to Chnrk-.ton- Kattli'snaLcs ;}.);{ CHAlTKIl X\'ri. ('lia,le=.t<.n-A[oMuinent to the Mvtxunv of Walter Scott- (H-aeral iruyn.-Nulliric-ation. it. object, pro.re.-s. a.ul tonni- nation Clf-AITKR Will. Departure for Savanual. _ H,autort _ |.V,„alc Slave - Palmetto ~- F„.t con.trueted of Oy.ter Sl.elN _ Sava.u.ah- .(onrney to Au^ustu-Au^u.tu -- Ha„.ln.rj^h _ Casualties at- tendant on Truvellin. in the South-Journey to Maeon-Lan.l l.ottery-Maeon-A Xegro Shopkeeper-.Iournev to ( '..lun.bus -A (.an- of Skves-.\ Creek Indian . . , ,„., t: i , J I i UlSiMunMMiMMMMMb*^- = ■ I hi: VK n ED STATES AM) C ANADA, |t IX 1832, is:w. AND 1831, '«r CIIAPTKI? 1 'I'lic l(Mn|Hii'iir\ ;ilp>.ci f worldly M't'iii> and t'lnpldMiiciit"* ui'ddiicfs ;) sliitc (if iiiiiiil |i('<'ii'i:ii ly titti'd to ri>ct'iv(> new iiiid \ivid iiii|p|t'vsioiis 'I'lic \a«i| space of water lliat seji.trales tlie lieiiii- s|ilier('s i» like a blank i>a;re in existenee. 'I'liere is no i;i'adiial tran- sition li\ wliii'li, as in l'!nrii|>e, t!ie teatines and |iii|inlalion oi' out* eonutrv lilend almost iin|ieree|itil»l_\ willi those of another. l''rom the inoiiKMit ytui lose si;;lit of the land )on have left, all i«* varaney, nnlil \on step on thi' opjiosiie shore, and an* launched at once into the Ini-lle anil novel III if iinoilu-r world. Wasuinoton lavixG. TiiF, southern coast of btiiutiful P^nglanH insensibly disappeared before my eyes : from the deck of the American packet, I tried in vain to get a last glimpse of the British Isles. The mantle of night enveloped in obscurity the verdant hills of Cornwall. Adieu to Europe. VOL. 1. H iM; \ )h EMIGHaNTS. I t H Our complement on board consisted of two hundred individuals from almost every coun- try in Europe, besides Americans. Among the English and Irish, there was a large pro- portion of emigrants, who with wives, children, and servants, quitted their native soil, to seek in distant climes a spot, where taxes of a thousand different kinds and denominations might not absorb tlicir little all. When the whole group assembled on deck, it was a truly interesting scene : the bustle of some, who constantly moved about, instilled spirit in others, apparently inclined to despondency. Yes, many were certainly dejected. They left behind, country, friends, relatives ; and who could venture to predict whether they would ever see either again, or tread the shore which contained the ashes of their fore- fathers, and recalled to their minds so many endearing recollections ? The uniformity of a sea-life generally en- genders melancholy ; the monotony is insup- portable : there is no diversity, except in the state of the atmosphere. Whichever way the eye turns, and surveys the circled horizon, no other object is visible but frothing waves, apparently rolling from one side of the blue sky to the other. If a sail heaves i I OCCUPATIONS ON BOARD. in sight at a distance, the event may l)e compared to a messenger sent from another world. In an instant, the whole deck is covered with people, anxious to behold the strange sliip : every spy-glass is put in requisition. But, in our case, curiosity was not satisfied with a bare view of her filled canvass ; speculation followed as to the identity of her flag, whence she came, and whither bound. Similar rencontres too often produced violent altercations among indivi- duals of so many different nations, some of whom pretended to be wiser than their neigh- bours ; but they were soon quelled, every one returning to his uniform occupation of con- templating the agitated sea — alternately raising or lowering our little republic — of counting the large shoals of porpoises which faithfully accompanied the ship the whole voyage, or surveying the unchangeable hori- zon and the swift passing clouds. How often, whilst meditating on the beauty of the immea- surable heavenly arch, have I not fancied I saw a distant shore rising from the deep : the joy, alas ! was short-lived : 'twas but a cloud. One evening, when the moon shone forth in all her splendour, the whole company assem- bled on deck. Glees and songs, variously « 2 ■•' i ^t .„ h' ;i I ll: .,r^iS3^3^.j , 1 J / 1 ' I H ! 4: A STORM. executed, formed the amusement : every one appeared hapi)y and contented. It was late before retreat to rest was thought of; melo- dious sounds, but recently heard above, were now re-echoed from the births below. Before daylight, however, these charming dreams were suddenly converted into gloom. A dreadful storm greeted the convivial com- panions at break of day. The first glimpse at an enraged element is truly terrific. From a smooth surface — as it had been the preceding night — the sea had risen mountain high ; the tops of the waves were as cream-white as the snow-covered Mont Blanc. In the midst of them, our ship was seen dancing, sometimes defying their power, in turn vigorously repulsed by offended masses of water — then hidden between two sea-walls, nearly as elevated as the main- mast — and immense deep. again almost immersed in the The winds — those proud aristocrats of the ocean — whistled in the air, and, with the aid of tiie rigging, performed a most discordant concert. All the passengers were dejected : paleness overspread the fea- tures of the women : silent in a corner, with palpitating hearts, they listened to the roar of the tempest and the waves. Children, seized ITS KFFKCTS. nil with fear, clung to their parents, and screamed piteously. Probably, there was no real dan- ger ; but a gale in the midst of the ocean is, after all, no joking matter. None, except a person who has actually witnessed a similar scene, can form an idea of the creaking, roar- ing, and rolling, which incessantly tormented us during four-and-twcnty endless hours. The ship rolled the whole time from side to side; and, whenever she changed positicm, her timbers creaked as when Knceladus turns himself under the weight of Mount Etna. Trunks, carpet-bags, dressing-cases, and desks, were displaced and knocked against each other each time she hove about. Woe to him who happened to be in their way ! Another inconvenience occurred when din- ner was announced, which, however, partook a good deal of the ludicrous : the guests were every moment exposed to the danger of receiving in their laps joints of beef and mutton, ducks, hams, potatoes, &c. It was not easy to refrain from laughing on seeing the restless dishes changing situation every instant, sometimes at the top, then at the bottom of the table, and again disappearing altogether under it. But, dinner concluded, mirth also took leave of the company : the ' {II Is t i i i ,) !i 1 '^ (> A UESTLESS NIGHT Storm continued with unabated violence, and gloom once more took j)ossession of all of us. Night came on. None would retire to rest. Around a dismal lamp — sole luminary in the lonely cabin — assembled a group of passen- gers ; who, by way of pastime, related a vari- ety of anecdotes, clearly showing what sub- ject was uppermost in their minds : they all had reference to shipwrecks. At sea, tales of this description may be compared to ghost- stories on shore, for no one ever lieard of ghosts on board a ship — probably from an- tipathy to the watery element. Morning soon broke in upon our company — still excited by the recitals of the preceding- night. The sunbeams, spread over the sur- face of the sea, gradually dispersed the clouds, and seemed to insinuate to the winds their wrath at the continuance of the storm. Prostrate lay the towering waves — on the smooth surface played the sun — the ship was stationary — her canvass, drooping and heavy, clung to the masts ; the exhausted tars betook themselves to rest : in dancing groups ap- peared multitudes of fish, and in their centre stretched forth a monstrous whale, desirous to behold the majesty of light. Aloft, in cir- cles round the masts, harmonious concerts 1 ANMVKIISAKY OF JULY 4. S were performed by aquatic birds. The day was fine : every thing* appeared to iiavc ac- quired new life. No comparison can be drawn between a beautiful day at sea and one on shore : there is something so delightful and reviving in the former, that its inilucncc is irresistible. The 4th of July was just one of this description. Who is the American that docs not rejoice at the recollection of what occurred on that day, 1776? A\'ho is ignorant of the memorable act then signed by the boldest men in the coloiiics ? Who has forgotten the determined step adopted by these patriots to declare themselves free and independent, in defiance of the power and fleets of the Mother Country. An American is justly proud of the result of this revolution, when comparing the past with the present. The anniversary, however, is associated with so many interesting events, that it is invariably celebrated with g'reat solemnity. Wherever an American happens to be on that day, whether in the midst of the ocean, or in the forests of the Western Country, the 4th of July must be observed. Our packet, as I have before observed, was American : the captain therefore made the necessary arrange- ments for its celebration. At sun-rise the i J ' i; m fl „ v, (/ 8 ANMVKIISAIIY OF JULY {. ! il ' il i i' ! ,t^' ])assciig'crs were awoke by the firing of twenty- four guns — being one for every State in the Rei)ublic. Tiie iiandsomc American flag, now waving in every sea, and admired in all parts of tiie globe, was hoisted with demonstra- tions of joy. The numerous stars seemed delighted at the roar of the cannon, while the sunbeams gave them a light red die, ap- proaching to nature. All the Americans on board hastened on deck as soon as the first gun had been fired : the fineness of the morn- ing, added to the remembrance of former times, made them feel a degree of ecstasy, which soon communicated itself to the stran- gcj's on board. Every one recollected some noble deed, some heroic action, performed during the national contest for liberty ; and all emulated to raise to the skies America's beau-ideal — Washington. By this time, the whole company had as- sembled on deck, listening to the speakers. Among the steerage passengers, there was a short, thick-set man, almost seized with deli- rium on hearing recorded many acts of valour and intrepidity attached to the names of a number of revolutionary men. Long did he try to suppress his feelings : he touched his hat, or turned upon his heel, with a view to YANK EI". DOODLi;. U check Ills emotions ; but, when one of the ora- tors happened to mention tlie words — Jnde- pcndencc, Equality, and Liberti/, he iuid no more command over himself: lie vociferated " Yankee Doodle.'' This rational song* is, properly speaking-,, an old Italian melody : obsolete or forgotten in the Old World, it all at once got in vogue in the New, and has in later times become so popular that there is hardly a child who cannot hum it. When sung by several persons, any one may put whatever words he pleases to the music ; by this means, many ludicrous and appropriate, and some very indifferent and vulgar, verses are introduced ; but, either way, they arc always approved by the company, which, to signify its acquiescence, repeats the two last verses. U])on the present occasion, no indi- vidual ventured to give an impromptu : the old words, in praise of Washington, Franklin, Liberty, Equality, &c. were preserved. Hilarity presided at dinner. Of toasts and speeches there was an ample supply. One of the latter, in particular, was an eulogium on the President of the United States. Toasts were also given in honour of the respective sovereigns of Sweden, France, and England. The entertainment concluded with a general 1^,. r A' n r i 1 i I n^! \' I \ I i' § v. '^Al i I! Ml // w I ■ A '( w 10 HILAIHTY ON HOARD. dance on dock, composed of old and young-, poor and rich, love-sick and sea-sick, sober and drunk ; in short, of nearly two hundred persons. The band consisted of four inebri- ated individuals, with their hats cocked up on one side. The violins were certainly not of the Cremoncse fabric ; they appeared to have weathered many a g*ale, and would unques- tionably have baffled even Paganini's skill. Their inefficiency, however, did not interrupt the conviviality for a moment, the performers beating- time so loud as nearly to drown the music. The dancers, too, were so animated, that harmony was almost unnecessary. A cou- ple of corpulent Irishmen, especially, continued dancing- long after the music had ceased, as if it required a certain time to stop their evo- lutions when once put in motion. One of them, whose capers were truly dangerous to the bystanders, on being informed that the music had ceased, and that dancing was con- sequently over, answered very laconically, "What about music ?" and proceeded to twist about his fair damsel for at least ten minutes, to the great hazard and danger of the sur- rounding party, every moment exposed to a summerset into the sea. No accident, how- ever, happened ; and, when dancing had been h I,AM) IN SKilll'. 11 .'! kept u|> loa late hour, in the midst of tlie finest moonlight tlie e()ni|);iny retired, apparently- delighted with the amusements of the day. At lenf>lh, on the iUh of July, in the fore- noon, r heard the ina«;ie sound, "Land!" pronounced from the top of the mast-head by a sailor, sent on the look-out by the captain, who was as anxious as any passenger to set foot on terra Jirma, after a voyage of thirty- nine days. The Joyful intelligence ])assed from mouth to mouth, with the rapidity of lightning, until every one on board had re- peated — " Land !" Every eye sparkled with joy. Fancy already landed the whole company on the American shore ; they thought they saw trees, houses, fields, and cities. The men began to talk about good hits and specula- tions ; the elderly women about iiud.ekeeping ; the girls blushed at the idea of being so near their lovers ! The young meri farmed a thou- sand projects of amusement by way of indem- nity for privations endured during a long and tedious voyage. All were in a most happy state of mind ; even those who had expe- rienced the effects of sea-sickness, and had been quite indifferent as to the future, now raised their heads, and hurried, like the rest, to put their things in order, adjust their toi- \ J r 1 1 1 ' fU, I' i' ' ^^1 II ! 'W \ i" I ^ »• i. [ J 12 DIlKsrsiNCi Foil l,A\I)l\(j. Icttc, and indiilg-e in a promenade on deck, Tor the benefit of fresh air. JJustle and con- fiu l)i( lid sion were every wnere visihle. A one won Ije behind-hand in dress; costumes, which, for more tlian a montli past, liad enjoyed uninterrupted traiuiuillity in carefully packed trunks, were now spt)rted. Bond Street hats saw light again, and were substituted for the few remaining caps, many of these having deserted their owners during the late gale, to take a view of the coast of Labrador or Nova Scotia. One of the pas- senger.5, and his family in particular, had, in the course of ten minutes, undergone so per- fect a metamorj)hosis, that it was next to im- possible to recognize either him, his wife, or two little children, to whom we were greatly indebted for infantine concerts all the time we were at sea. The husband appeared in a new snuff-coloured frock-coat, a sugar-loaf hat, and a neatly-plaited frill, which, how- ever, upon closer examination, turned out to form a mere exterior appendix to a very dirty shirt ; laced wristbands covered his fingers, in part adorned with rings, and a fashionable cane in the right hand completed the tout ensemble. The attire of the lady was proportionably elegant : she eclipsed all that ^3 DnF.SSl\(i FOR I.WniNd. i:t 'i;i approached lirr. Ilor costly I'arisian Ixmiict IkkI nevertheless iiiei >vith a sad accident, whicli not only damped her spirits most sen- sil)ly, but called I'orth a shower of abuse, and a succession of oaths on the part of the dis- appointed husband. A clumsy sailor had lud'ortunately thrust his foot through the bandbox which contained the treasure, and, by the pressure, so completely discomlited shape and plumary ornaments that no traces of its ori<;inal beauty could be distinf^uished. Recourse was had to repairs ; or, to use a sea phrase, to jury-masts ; but, such was the demolition produced, that the im[)ressi()n of the sailor's foot could never be effectually removed ; the bonnet, after all, preserved the appearance of an old ruin, to the great morti- fication of the fair owner. 8traw-eolo)ired kid gloves covered a ])air of blood-red hands, and transparent silk stockings decorated a couple of feet of uncommon size. Thus attired, the handsome couple took shelter under a large umbrella — for the rain fell in torrents — consulting- how they were to spend the evening. The husband proposed a walk in Broadway, as the most fashionable place of resort ; but this was overruled by the lady, who insisted on going to the play. I > a i Hi. Il I 1 it I >'■ !■(! It A NKNVS-IIOAT. Whilst tljo party wore thus discussinft' the point, tlu'ollicr pass(Mij>('rs hai f 1 f ]ii\ 18 NEW YORK. and flags of Europe and America waved peaceably together. Country seats and trees covered the opposite shores ; the verdant foliage charmed our eyes, not yet accustomed to this novel sight. The scene was truly magnificent, and can only be justly appre- ciated by those who, having been long at sea, suddenly enter a beautiful port. " The temporary absence of worldly scenes and employments," says Washington Irving, " produces a state of mind peculiarly fitted to receive new and vivid impressions."'* It is probable, had we landed at another place at first, and only gradually been pre- pared for the beauties of the port of New York, we should not have enjoyed it so much. Certain it is, however, that the entrance to it, the extensive bay that opens to the view, and the two magnificent rivers that present themselves to the right and left, form a coup (Vail which can barely be matched in the whole world. When I surveyed this fine scene, and the city surrounded by water, I could easily conceive the admiration with which honest Hudson must have been struck when he beheld these natural beauties for the first time. Juet, his travelling companion, •«««'■■ - .%c. INDIAN 'niADITIONS. 19 called the island on which New York is situ- ated Mauna-hala, which means the island of manna — in other words, a country where milk and honey flow.* And an old Indian tradition furnishes another proof how, in the remotest times, these parts were admired. ** The name Manhattoes is said to be derived from the great Indian god ]Manetho, who is stated to have made this island his favourite place of residence, on account of its peculiar attractions. Indian traditions say further, that the bay was formerly a large lake, filled with silver and gold fish, in the middle of which was this fine island, abounding in every species of fruit and flowers ; but that a sud- den inundation of the River Hudson destroyed every vestige of these beauties, and that Ma- netho fled in consequence behind the extensive waters of Ontario."f To me it a})pears, there- fore, not unlikely that the first Europeans — a handful of Dutchmen — who, a few years after Hudson's return to Holland, set sail in the celebrated bark, Goede Yrouw, under the particular protection of St. Nicholas, should settle in this neighbourhood, and found a city, where, for a period of fifty years, they enjoyed all the advantages of a real old- * Ivuickerbocker's New York, v. i. t Ibi.l. C 2 V .1 i H' ■i 1 'A > V\ >: 1" vM 20 PEOPLE OF NEW AMSTERDAM. !i' ,1 i fashioned Dutch life. The immortal Knicker- bocker gives an account of the situation of New Amsterdam, the name of the city at that time, in the following manner : — " It was fortunate for New Amsterdam that the words learning, education, taste, and talents, were perfectly unknown there : a genius was a strange animal, and a learned woman would have been as great a piece of curiosity as a frog with horns, or a burning- dragon. None, in fact, knew more than his neighbour, nor did any body wish to know more than an honest man ought to know, who attends only to his own business : the clergyman and the notary were the only two who knew how to write, and the wise Ciovernor Twiller always signed his name with a X- The houses were of wood, and the large gate only opened upon the occasion of some mar- riages, funerals, new-year's days, St. Nicholas' day, or other great festivities. The families lived in the kitchen. The fireplace was of real aristocratic size, where all the members of the household, old and young, master and servant, black and white, even cat and dog, partook of the general privilege, and had a corner allotted to themselves. Here sat the old burgher, for hours together, in deep me- Jl^ t ,!) PLOPLE OF M:\V AMS'lEUDAM. 21 dilation, smoking his pipe, and looking* at the fire witli half-closed eyes, without thinking of any thing. The good wife opposite was bu- sily employed in spinning or knitting stock- ings. They had a great aversion to giving dinners, but kept u|) the spirit of society by occasional tea-|)arties. The company used to assendjle about three o'clock, and returned home at six : in winter time, the fashionable hours were a little earlier, to enable the ladies to get home before dark. In the middle of the tea-table was [)laced a large earthenware dish, with fat j)ork cut in slices, and tea was served out of a very large coarse porcelain tea-pot, painted with ligures, representing little, thick Dutch shepherds and shepherdes- ses, watching swine — boats sailing in the air, and houses built in the sky. To sweeten the beverage, a bit of sugar was placed by the side of each cup, and the company helped themselves with much decorum, sometimes to a bit of sugar, sometimes to a drink of tea — until an old, cunning, and economical mis- tress invented an improvement, which con- sisted in having a bit of sugar attached to a string suspended to the ceiling, and hanging- perpend icularly over the table, so that it might pass from mouth to mouth. The young I I r I (! 'i 11 II i si-l 22 PKOPLC OF NEW AMS'IFIIDAM. girls never oj^ened their li|)s, except to say Ya/i JSIyuhcer, or Y(tli, ija rrouir, to every question |)ut to them, and behaved in every respect as well educated housemaids. The passion of a lover was greater or less in pro- |)ortion to the size or breadth of the object ; and a stout girl, with a dozen petticoats, was declared by a Dutch poet from the interior to be as brilliant as a primrose, and as voluptu- ous as a full grown cabbage-head. Certain it is, that, in those times, the heart of a lover could only be fixed upon one fair lady at a time ; our modern youths may, on the con- trary, have half a dozen. Attired in half a score of inexpressibles, and shoes with a pair of tremendous brass buckles, a low broad- brimmed hat, and the hair, hanging down his back, in the shape of a queue, enveloped in an celskin, the lover, thus equipped, stepped manfully forward, with j)ipe in mouth, to court some belle. Seldom or ever did he miscarry in his attack, but generally, after having thoroughly smoked his fair damsel for some time, took the fortress by assault on honour- able terms." Whilst recalling to my memory the many remarkable circumstances, which, from former times up to the present, are associated with M MODERN NEW YORK. 23 the parts that now ajijK'arcd l)oforc mo, and while comparing- the manners of New Ams- tenhini, wlien " tlie honest burgliers were sitting for hours together smoking, and slum- bering over the affairs of the State, without once breaking the silence, so essential for deep meditation," with modern New York, where every one complains of the shortness of time, and none appears to have a moment to spare — under these various contemj)]ations I landed, and trod for the first time the American soil — that soil whose early inhabitants and legi- timate masters were persuaded through the agency of money, words, the sword, and blood, to believe that white strangers had a greater claim to it than themselves, and that a Holy Father in another country, called the Pope, had distinctly declared, that the Red men were infidels, who ought to be thankful to the Whites for their religious zeal in cross- ing the Atlantic Ocean to improve the con- dition of hese savages, preach a new and only half-understood doctrine, and, finally, despatch them either to heaven or to some de- serted spots in the western parts of the coun- try, as a reward for their faith. Where are now these unhappy heathens, who were but- chered by the Christians without commisera- i I Ir '7 21 I)lSAlM»i:.\llANCE OF TIIK INDIANsi. I \ (ion ? Where are the descendants of Massa- soit, of Philip of Pokanoket, of Norridgcwock — these Indian heroes? VV^here shall we find a traee of these valiant and patriotic men, who fell in defence of country and liberty ? Not a solitary ruin of their huts has been left be- hind l)y the inhuman strangers — all has been levelled to the ground — every vestige is obliterated from civilized America. No canoe is seen on the majestic rivers — no fires kindled on the tops of mountains, as a rallying post for the warriors : nothing remains of all tills, except, perhaps, the fragments of some blanched bones sometimes brought to light by the plough of the Whites. They have set with the sun — even there they are persecuted ; and from the forests of the West, Black Hawk and the Prophet* have lately been brought in tri- imiph round the country. Unfortunate peo- ple, whom Fate has condemned to disappe ;r from the face of the earth without leaving the least trace of their existence ! In a short time, the Indian will lay down his bow, and slumber in eternity, without a mournful glance from child or friend. Solitary on this beautiful earth, among men who ought to be • Two celebrated Indian chiefs wlio were taken prisoners during the war 1832, and bro\iglit in chains to St. Louis. DISAPPEARANCE OF THE INDIANS. '^O his brethren instead of his murderers, he easts his looks towards the West, where his (lod has promised him the bliss of Paradise, and sings a hymn, like the heroic female — the last of Norridgewock's race — who performed her own requiem. When the sun sets, he will be in Paradise. } \ i I fi f I ' i 'I II I: ■i CIIAPTKR II. In \\w deep iinihiiiuo of a jjiocii hill's shiidi", \\ liicli sliows ii (lixtiml prosjici't far away Of hiisy citii's, now in \ain (lis|iiii\ M, Imh- flifv can lure no fiirllier; i.i I llic lay Ur a bright sun can make sufT'ioient lioliday. ' Byron. 1 WAS now at length in America. The steamboat, which brought the passengers from the packet, landed us near a fashionable promenade, called the Battery, formerly a for- tified place. Even during the Dutch occupa- tion, this was considered a favourite spot, although surrounded by walls : in later times, when New York, by an increasing* trade and wealth, and an easy communication with an extensive and cultivated back country, has become the first city in the United States, the Battery has less of a warlike appearance. Pleasant walks between rows of trees have been substituted for walls. From the extre- mity of the city, where the North and East Rivers form a junction, the most agree- NTAirU) FASHION A IM.r.S. m able (i//('('s lUT laid out, coininaiulin*»- oiu* o1 llic most extensive and beaiitiliil vie>vs tluit can well 1)C iina<;iiie(l. Towards tlu; north end is a kind oi" bastion, Ibrnierly known l)y the name of C'astle Clintt)n, now called Castle Ciarden, ))eini^- no more used as a military post, but merely as a place of recreation. On Sundays tliis public walk is filled with j)eo|)le of all classes, [)articularly those of the sable cast, making- a })roruse exhibition of their finery. To the negroes, this place of resort is, somcthi ig like Hyde Park, near London, a place foi- show. Their dress, in general, borders on extravagance : the women wear bonnets decorated with ribbons, plumes, and flowers, of a thousand different colours, and their dresses arc of the most showy descrip- tion : the men arc attired like real French petils-muilres maitqiies, the coats so open that the shirt sticks out under the arm-|)its ; the waistcoats are of all colours of the rain- bow ; the hat is carelessly put on one side ; the gloves are yellow, and every sable dandy carries a smart cane. At first, it was with difficulty I could refrain from laughing, on seeing- these black beaux (the name by which they generally go) doing- homage to the black housemaids or cooks, known as belies. One i' I '. .i'l I \ I!' ' 'I ■i ^ 2H M;(ill<) FASHION A UI.I'.R. «»i()ii|)in pju'ticiilar attracted my notice : their conversation a| peared very animated, and the dark <;entlemen, as well as the dark ladies, indulged in it with a liveliness and amiability which would not have disgraced even the (irst saloons in Paris. The former had chains round their necks (I will not vouch they were of gold) and canes in their hands — two indispensable things. The ladies mar two of rain, and, lo()kini>* up, perceived a dark cloud which threatened us with a heavy shower. The speaker began also to be uneasy, having already seen the effect on his straw-coloured g'lovcs ; and, abruptly concluding his ha- rangue, prosaically addressed the fair : "Had vvc not better retreat? — wc shall be deluged with rain." He then politely offered his arm to the object of his affection, and, fol- lowed by the rest of the c()mi)any, they all wandered up IJroadway in the midst of one of those sudden and drenching showers so frequent in America. Broadway is the principal street in New York : it runs through the City in a parallel di- rection, about three miles in leniith, bordered )A. * I 1 I' I i i' 'i/i I \ ll I;. M'' i III I ! * .1' :.! ^'. I 34 HOTELr i trouble of thinking of the concerns of her house. Even some of the first and wealthiest families in New York spend occasionally many weeks, or months, at an hotel, whenever their own house is undergoing* repairs, or, as was the case now, when driven from their homes by the approach of the cholera. Few people have country seats : rather than hire one, and enjoy the benefit of tranquillity and a free and unshackled life, a family, with children and servants, prefer taking up temporary quarters at some hotel or tavern in a neigh- bouring small tow^n or village. A person arriving from the Old World cannot help wondering at this strange, and, in his opi- nion, highly dependent way of living. I can account for it in no other manner than that it must be a saving of expense to the husband, and of trouble to the wife. Be this as it may, each country has its customs, which must be respected by every foreigner, however opposed to his notions and habits, and however sin- gular and absurd. In France, John Bull's comfortable practice of taking wine after dinner is ridiculed, while Englishmen con- sider a Frenchman, with all his vivacity, a foolish being. An Italian exclaims with astonishment, " Corpo di Bacco /" whenever v-J'-l - i, ^ POPULATION OF NEW YORK. 35 he sees an inhabitant of the n(irth take a drop of brandy before dinner; and the hitter is not less surprised at the sight of the numerous cavalier i serventi wiiich surround the wife of the former. Is it then to be wondered at if a European finds many strange things in the United States? But, to criticise or censure all these indiscriminately, as late travellers have done, merely because they are not in harmony with the customs of London, Paris, or Vienna, is as unreasonable as the expec- tations of a certain foreigner, who thought it very extraordinary not to find the very best Lafitte or Chitteau Margot at every petty ale-house in the remotest part of En- gland. The situation of this large town, which, within the memory of man, has trebled its population, promises a greater increase of trade than any other city in the Union. In the year 1831, there arrived from foreign parts no less than one thousand six hundred and thirty-four vessels ; in 1833, the number had augmented to one thousand nine hundred and twenty-five, of which one thousand three hundred and eighty-four were American, three hundred and seventy-one English, forty- one Swedish, and thirty-five Spanish, con- D 2 ft: ■I' 1 1' I' 'I i! .'I I •■ ■^ 1'^ I \ I 1. (: 'd - •Hi 'I l/i '\» . il I f I •:} 36 HANKS OF TIIF. HUDSON. scqiicntly, an accession in two years of two hundred and forty-one vessels. The number of passengers, which in the course of 1833 arrived at New York, was forty- one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two ; the greatest number landed in June, July, and August ; and the smallest in January, Fe- bruary, and March. This exhibits a great increase : from the 1st of October, 1821, to the same period, 1822, no more than eight thousand four hundred and eighty-two pas- sengers in all came to the ports of the United States. One of the first evenings, after landing, I spent on the banks of the majestic Hudson. There is something attractive and inspiring in this stream. From Broadway, which, as I have before observed, commences at the Battery, and traverses the whole city, there is a road leading to a small hamlet called Man- hattanville. On proceeding in this direction, several places present themselves, from which the romantic scenery of the North River is viewed in all its perfection. From one hotel in particular, whence a footpath has been traced which takes the visiter to a rock close to the shore, the prospect is truly enchanting. But, from no place did the Hudson appear to I if *i;i Till-: KLYSIAN FIELDS. 37 as me to g-rcater advantage than from Iloboken, a (lolio-htful spot on the New Jersey side, ojipositc to New York, between which and the city steamboats are continually plying. The proprietor of this beautiful retreat, emphati- cally called the Elysian Fields, Mr. Ste])hens, with a liberality worthy of his high standing in society, has thrown open the whole range of extensive park to the public; and it is in the summer season, to the inhabitants of New York, one of the greatest recreations that can well be imagined, and for which they must ever remain greatly indebted to this high-spirited gentleman. Nothinp; can ex- ceed the taste — the matchless taste — with which the gardens and walks, aided by the hand of Nature, are laid out. The perspec- tive view of Staten Tsland, of Long Island, of the Bay of New York, of the City itself, with all its steeples, of New Jersey City, of all the shipjiing, on one side ; and of the River Hudson, and all its tributary beauties, intermingled with steamers,, sloops, and pleasure-boats on the other, presents to the delighted and astonished eye a panorama of such unparalleled and variegated splendour, that it baffles all description. The noise inseparable from large cities could at times ■ i I 1 1 dlf' ■ M" pfi, (4 U 1M \ t ii i ( ! \i n d I w i! I 'I ! i 38 MEW OF THE IlIVEll AND CITY, be heard across the stream. I listened, and recollected these beautiful lines of Horace : — Beatus ille qui, procul nefrotiis, l^t j)iisi'a goHs mortiiliiiiii, Patonm nira bohus exeroet siiis, Soliitiis oiniii t'a'iiorc. But, as soon as the sun had set, and the moon began to rise in all her brightness, the scene became still more beautiful. From elevated chimneys, attached to numerous glass and iron manufactories on the opposite shores, issued columns of fire, which illu- minated the whole range of contiguous build- ings ; great masses of flakes also burst forth from the passing steamers, and accompanied them on their swift course, like the appendage to a comet. The whole had the appearance of the commencement of a great conflagra- tion ; the City and stream seemed threatened with being suddenly enveloped in flames and smoke. This dream of imagination chilled me for a moment, and I turned my eyes away from the sight ; but, once more looking up, 1 beheld the silent moon calmly glittering on the surface of the Hudson, and I continued to enjoy the happiness of contemplating a picture to which nothing could be compared. The freshness of the evening, the stillness of the y". 1 1 VIEW OF THE niVEIl AND CITY. 3<) Icav^ the beauty of dormant Nature sur- rouiuliiig me on every side, and, lastly, my own state of mind, all contributed to fix me for a long- while as a silent spectator. At length I was overtaken by the lateness of night, and unwilHngly left a spot combining- so many attractions. With lively emotion, I still remember the richly overshadowed tree, whose wide-spread branches sheltered me during my deep meditation ; and also the mossy rock on which I rested,, in full admira- tion of the scene before me. It seemed as if I heard a voice softly whis])ering- the following lines of Bryant, one of America's poetical sons : — River! ill this .still hour thou liast "^I'oo mucii of heuveu, on eurlh to last ; Nor long may thy still waters lie, An image of the glorious sky : Tiiy fate and niiue are not repose. And, ere another evening close, Thou to thy title shalt turn again. And I to seek the crowd of men. The cholera raged in the meanwhile with dreadful violence in New York. This epide- mic had been brought over to America by an English ship, which landed a number of emi- grants at Quebec. A few days after thqir arrival, the disease broke out, and shortly afterwards made its appearance in New m ni 'J I- ii! 'i'J ''1 4 ■ii i Ii 1 HI '11 1: 4 !l ii :i j 1 ) ;l 1, i '( i II i li 1 ■ii 1 . 1 ( 1 40 Al'l'liAHANCE OF CllOLKIlA. York. It is contended that some of the pas- sengers, having' reUitives in tlie latter city, (|Liitted Quebec immediately on a visit to them. This is the manner in whicii the sud- den breaking- out of the cholera at New York has been accounted for. The physicians were all the time divided in opinion as to the natui'c of the disorder, whether it was con- tagious or not : all insisted on the correct- ness of their conclusions — the advocates of non-contagion by contact, but possibly by inhaling* the breath, seemed finally to pre- ponderate. When it is considered that more than half the j)opulation of the city left it under the influence of fear, it may indeed be said that this visitation caused the greatest havock and consternation. From the 26th June, the day when the first bulletin was issued by the Medical Board, up to the 29th August follow- ing, when the official reports were discon- tinued, the number of cases were no less than five thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight, and deaths two thousand nine hundred and fifty-one. On my arrival at New York, the cholera was greatly on the increase ; and, on the 21st July, there were one hundred and four victims, and three hundred and eleven li it ,^1 „ NKCiLFXT OF CLEAN LI NKSS. II new cases. Accounts IVom un(|ueslIonahlc authority stated, liowever, that the majority of persons who sunk under tliis ahirminj;- dis- ease were generally individuals of debilitatetl constitutions, who had indulged in the vice of intemperance and its concomitants ; but, ne- vertheless, it not unfrequently occurred that even men of regular and exemplary habits were snatched away by its baneful effects. New York could not boast of any [)articular cleanliness during the prevalence of the afHicting disorder; and, as it is vvell known that the want of it materially contributes to its duration, this neglect gave, perhaps, addi- tional vigour to the virulence. I certainly do not mean to infer that New York is inferior in point of cleanliness to places that meet the eye of a traveller in Italy, Ireland, and other countries : even Paris and London, in some of the obscure purlieus, exhibit sometimes a fdthy appearance. I cannot, however, refrain from remarking that, when I saw a variety of uncleanly matter thrown from the houses into the street, (recalling almost to mind a sejour at Lisbon) and this too during the worst time of the cholera, I could not but make melancholy anticipations of its ravages. " Experience has proved," was the answer U 1. r I \ '1 I , \ i i' ll I ^ ' ( 5 n llj' m 12 IIOOS IN TIIF. STUEKTS. mado to jiiy observation of its impropriety, •' that liog's always keep tlic streets of a town in a state of perfect cleanliness." And, upon the strength of this argument, the unseemly animals enjoy, in this rising city, a free and independent life — at perfect liberty to per- ambulate the thoroughfares and indui^e in hearty repasts on offals of every description thrown in, and streaming down the gutters in offensive abundance, and this too in the midst of coaches, horses, and pedestrians. The following ludicrous paragraph, illustra- tive of this nuisance, and addressed to one of the editors of a New York newspaper, ap- peared during my residence in that city. To tlw Kdilor iif Sin, — IVnnif ino to inquire, throiigli llip niodiiim of y<'ur columns, wlu'tlu'i- the wortliy corporation oftliis cit)' lias, in its wisdom, liitdy granted any particular license to the proprietors of certain animals, the name of which I feel hesitation in mentioning, for daily exhibi- tions in the principal streets of New York. Groups of these unseemly quadrupeds congregate, as if by ap- pohitment, at all hours in various dif^rtions, but more particularly in the immediate vicinity of the City Hall; and, by their unceasing grunting, seem to vociferate the high sense of gratitude they feel towards the constituted and ever-watchful authorities for the iinre- strained liberty they enjoy under a free and happy constitution, in being allowed, without interruption, to perambulate every avenue in defiance of the wishes of the well-organised citizens; and in being able, moreover, by the aid of their natiu'al perfume, efl'ectually to counteract and nuUifif all the chlorides and other disinfecting matters — so absolutely necessary upon the present calamitous occasion. « MOOS IN Tin: sTUi'.i'.rN. \:\ Sli;ill it l>o ^iiiil nf tlif wt'stcrii tn('tr()p(>li«* — us fliis city i«i »'in|ilni- tii'iilK (mIIimI — tli;it li_\ iIm' -iilf of .1 li;in(l»(iiiii' AnirriiMii lails — ullirod ill :iil tin' t'l(';;;uirf '.mil vaiit'ly ul' f.iiniloii iimi l*;iiivi;iii fiisliiiiiis — or in tiic ^iiiti' ol'uii <'\i|iii»ile (l.iiniy, iMlnil.ilcil tn ci'liiHC rvi'ii a lini'liall it lie miivi, I ink, lliat in thin assc>nil)lii(;<> is seen a sroup of uniiniils uf the filtliii'st Older, micerciiiiiiiiiHisly «.|ilasliiii;; tin* (.•lt'i;aiit coslmiic nt'llio niic,aini as mictniccnii'iiiy iliscumiMisiii^^ liy I'liclinn, tin- wi'll ailjiisifii yaniiciits i)t tlic ollior. Tlio iilca is nioiisti-oiis. l''or HcaviMi's sake, Mr. Kilitor, Sparc* im pains ti) liavo the o\ il ri'inuvcd iiistaiitiM, or ivst assiiifii Mrs. 'rmllupt' will wet her cpiiil, and prepare another chapter to her work. SPEC TA'I'OR. In Boston, the cleanliness of tiic streets is properly attended to : they mig;ht serve as a pattern to any city in the world. The cholera had converted bustling- and animated New York into a place of gloom and dulness, the effect of which was seriously felt by those who, from some reason or other, had to remain behind, and could not follow the multitude that lied from the pestiferous air to contiguous villages near the sea. A dark cloud appeared to overhang the city — every countenance bore the stamp of fear. Broad- way, invariably crowded, was now deserted, like the streets in Pompeii ; and the few indi- viduals that were visible passed each other with a singular rapidity, as if afraid of infec- tion by contact. Numerous houses were en- tirely shut up, and rows of shops not opened for several days. Closed doors and shutters 1(1 ill J I i 1 , m '^w 44 EFFECTS OF THE CHOLERA. indicated that the tenants had fled, and, hut for the name still fresh on the former, it might have been inferred that the occupants had been dead long ago. The silence which pervaded every avenue was dismal in the extreme : it was only occasionally interrupted by a discordant concert from perambulating quadrupeds of the race just mentioned. No living being ever appeared in the windows of houses, still occupied in part ; and if by chance the head of a Negro ventured to show itself out of a cellar, it was generally under a strong apprehension that contagion might possibly follow. No workshops were in activity — all the steam-engines were stand- ing still : no trade, no bustle. Every thing was dead. Here and there a few individuals were seen, engaged in an animated conversa- tion : if the question was asked, " what sub- ject ?" The Cholera. At another place might be seen a silent, solid-looking man, leaning against an iron railing, apparently engaged in serious thought about some extensive com- mercial operations, or banking speculations. If asked, "what occupied his mind?" he would answer, " The cholera^ Again, a wo- man might be discovered, carrying a child in her arms, and evidently in a hurry to attend EFFECTS OF TFIE CHOLEUA. 45 to some important business : turning round at every step, and pressing the infant to lier breast, pale as death. If asked, " what she was afraid of?" she would answer, " The cho- lera.'' Every newspaper treated of no other subject than the cholera. If a miserable object was lying in the street, suffering under the double calamity of poverty and disease, instead of lending him assistance, people would run away and leave him to his fate. Why ? Because he had got the cholera. If the driver of a simple and unattended hearse was seen accelerating the speed of his horses, the question was asked, " Why does he go so fast ?" Because the hearse contains a number of dead, victims to the cholera ; they must im- mediately go to the burying ground, without ceremony and without friends. i^H ■ , * |i 71 ! if.* W 31 .!■ I* \< I rtT iiiii I f \ tm 'I W CHAPTER III. Could the ceaseless vultures cease to prey. Oil self-coiideniiiiug bosoms, it were liere. Where Nature, nor too sombre, nor too gay. Wild but not rude, awfid yet not austere, Is to the mellow Earth as Autumn to the year. Byron. J SOON left the ill-fated city, and took my departure in one of the numerous steamboats which are daily plying on the Hudson. No- thing* can exceed the elegance of these boats ; those we have in Europe are as inferior to them as a gun-brig to a frigate. But the steamers that run from New York are much smaller than those on the Mississippi and Ohio. The largest of the former are the President of above 170, and the North Ame- rica of 150, horse power. The trips of the first are to New Providence, whither she pro- ceeds during night-time : births for several hundred passengers are arranged on each side of the dining-room, which extends nearly the whole length of the boat. The latter THE NORTH AMERICA STEAMER. 47 aj^ain only runs in the day-time, and is fitted up with every degree of taste and elegance. Both have double decks, that is, a small one built above the other, covered with awnings, on which the passengers may walk in the cool air. Tlic ladies' cabin is generally on a level with the lower deck, but in some boats it is on the other side of the dining-room. The saloon, in the North America, is peculiar for its magnificence. Mahogany, and a variety of other beautiful wood, in imitation of marble, is displayed in every direction, and between each window are pictures painted by good artists. Most of the steamers have two boilers, one on each side the lower deck. The machinery is generally above deck ; and the large walk- ing-beam moves up and down, in the open air, between the two chimneys, which rise to a considerable height on each side of the boat. The trip of the North America is generally to Albany, a distance of about one hundred and forty-seven English miles, which she per- forms in ten hours and a half, including stop- pages at landing places. She has even done it in ten. Punctuality on board these boats is observed in the highest degree. The clock had hardly lit m « ^i 48 PUNCTUALITY OF STEAMERS. finished striking five, before the paddles were in motion, and the boat slipped out of the harbour with the same ease as when a ship is launched. No indulgence, no favour, was shown to persons who had the misfortune to come half a minute too late; they were left behind v^^ithout mercy, and had the mortifica- tion of admiring- the swiftness of the boat, and her fine appearance, at a distance. It was a truly ludicrous scene to behold all these gentry, " who were just in time to be too late," with bundles, carpet-bags, and bandboxes, remaining stationary on shore, faintly hoping that the captain, out of pity, might stop the machinery and take them on board. Vain were their hopes: the captain threw the blame on the clock, which, it is well known, waits for none. Perspiring, and puffing under the weight of their loads, they at length returned to their homes, and had at least the satisfac- tion of meeting, on the way, a number of others in the same predicament, hastening to the spot in hopes of catching the boat. I was now on board with several hundred passengers, of every station, age, and sex. The apprehension of the cholera had already driven a great many from the city ; and such was the terror still prevailing, that I feel \ I LUGGAGE ON DKCK. 49 satisfied at least two thirds of the persons present had no idea of leaving* New York but for this untoward occurrence. In this opi- nion I was the more confirmed, when I took a review of the numberless trunks and bags which rose on deck in the shape of a pyramid. The major part of these travelling append- ages had reached a comfortable age, and might, without fear of misrepresentation, be supposed to have accompanied some of the first settlers who landed on the American coast from England. Assuredly, these anti- quities would never have seen the light, but for the general consternation. Many a trunk, if the name may be applied, might be seen, whose decayed bottom had severely suf- fered by the destructive hand of Time, and was only attached to the sides by being strcmgly corded ; but, maugre this precaution, not a few white dresses and Merino shawls were peeping out at the corners. Cob- webs and mildew were still perceptible, the hurry of departure not having permitted their removal The locks, too, were of the simplest make, and to all appearance manu- factured at a time when the spirit of invention had not arrived at its climax ; they were, be- sides, so rusty and filled with dirt, that it was 'I lll;^ M VOL. I. I ]f i. fl ii Vil 1 '4' f 50 PASSENGERS. a matter of surprise to me how the keys could possibly fit. The owners of these precious relics were equally objects of curiosity ; they were com- posed of hack-drivers, paviours, lamplighters, masons, carpenters, &,c., having; all wives and children in Sunday clothes. No distinction of rank between these and the other passen- gers was perceptible ; one is as good as ano- ther. The company mixed indiscriminately, and the driver considered himself as fine a gentleman as the first dandy on board. This equality was particularly observable at the tea-table. A young American, with whom I had been in company a few days before in. one of the first houses in New York, was seated at the long table between two females, one the wife of a driver, the other that of a lamplighter, both past the age when young- men are generally flattered at being near the elbow of a belle. I saw him, with perfect at- tention, serve both his fair neighbours before he thought of himself, and, during the whole repast, continue his civilities with so much grace, that the example might serve as a sa- lutary lesson to many a European coxcomb, who certainly will ngt put himself to inconve- nience for the sake of being attentive to ATTENTION TO FEM \LI«. 51 females of so mediocre a station in life, and to whom nature has besides refused the advantage of beauty. A young Frenchman, who came to America about the same time I did, could not help remarking to the Ameri- ca. -, hat he was sui/ii xl at seeing a man of birth, of blood, condescend so far as to enter into conversation with a couple of vulgar women. The American answered, that it appeared to him equally extraordinary how a man of birth could ever forget the respect due to every female by a person of education, let her rank be what it will in society. " Ci- vility to all women," added he, " is considered in America as a distinctive proof of a well-bred man." The Frenchman retired confused, without saying a word, only shrugging his shoulders, as if to say that he by no means admitted the propriety of a similar conde- scension. The Hudson continues wide for a consider- able distance ; its breadth, until near the Highlands, may be said to be about one Eng- lish mile, or more. The eastern shore is well cultivated, and presents to the eye a succes- sion of smiling landscapes. Most of the hills are covered with verdure and fruit trees ; and, from the remotest woods down to the river. t,A J .1 E 2 52 BANKS OF THE HUDSON, nothing is seen but corn-fields, pastures, and j^ardens, in the midst of which beautiful country seats are situated. Villages, em- bowered among- trees, are now and then visible ; and the reflection of the setting sun on their pointed steeples makes them appear as if rising from the midst of a forest. Rivulets meander in various directions, and fertilize the fields. The prospect on the western shore of the river is, however, quite different : there, a chain of perpendicular rocks, about five hundred feet high, follows the direction of the stream for nearly twenty miles. They are not unlike artificial breastworks, and are therefore called Palisades. They stretch sometimes downright into the river, sometimes retire a few paces, leaving only sufficient place for the residence of a few scattered stonecutters. Some of their houses are built against the rock, so that one of the walls is formed thereof. A few huts are visible here and there; and, to complete the picturesque view, cattle are sometimes seen at a small distance, seeking a scanty subsistence between the crevices ; or children, joyfully jumping from one rock to another. A habitation like the one just described must naturally appear very confined and uncomfortable to a traveller HANKS OF THF. HUDSON. 53 'fS viewing' it from the steamboat ; but, if the healtliy and strong inmate is asked whether he is happy there, he will undoubtedly answer that, as long as he is permitted to behold the majestic Hudson flowing- below his retreat, all his wishes are realized. Yes, majestic indeed is this river ; nor does it in the least surprise me that the Indians had so high an o])inion of it, since, according to their own traditions, their gotl Manetho betook himself to flight, when the river, like a supernatural being, descended from the rocks with "''ightful noise, and took possession of the dales and fields below. The poetical part in these old traditions of the Highlands, of which I propose speaking hereafter., shows what power they granted to the God of Waters ; and this respect, which they inva- riably observed, was, after he had conquered all the country round Manhattan, and go- verned his kingdom in peace and quiet, changed into a majestic veneration : to this circumstance may probably be attributed the surname Majestic, now synonymous with the river Hudson. On my right, I observed the four square walls of Sing Sing prison, and not far from them the village of Sparta; further s s is M !l, I 64 SLEEPY HOLLOW. on, the Sleepy Hollow, where the spirit of Tchabod Cranes* is still haunted by the head- less s[)cctre of a Hessian dragoon. 1 fancied I saw tlic tall slim schoolmaster, with narrow shoulders, lon^ arms and legs, hands which hung' a mile below the sleeves, feet which might be used as spades, with a head uncom- monly small and flat, a pair of enormous ears, large green shining eyes, and a long parrot nose, resembling a weathercock on a high pole, showing which way the wind blows. I fancied I saw this gaunt figure haunted by the headless unknown, and working with hands and feet to preserve his equilibrium on a horse after the saddle had been lost ; sometimes slipping on one side, then on another, again leaning over the horse's head, then shook to pieces against the thin knots of his hind legs. Washington Irving's excellent description appeared so natural when I passed this place, that I could not refrain from indulging in a hearty laugh. A few serious Quakers and Quakeresses, who happened to be close to me on deck, seemingly contemplating the beauti- ful picture before them, were suddenly roused by my unexpected fit of laughter ; and gave U I • Vide tlie account of Washington Irving, in his Sketch Ro()l<. vol. ii. KOCKY SHOKEfS. 55 J ine looks perfectly iiKlicative of what they thou^lu. They concluded, probably, that I was a maniac ; for they exchanged signs, shook their heads as if expressing pity, and then resumed their former attitudes. My first idea was to say a few words by way of explanation, but I checked my intention upon a second reflection. ** These people," said I, " care very Httle about the fate of Ichabod : they are probably so religious that they never read a word about him ;. explanation is therefore unnecessary." 1 let the matter rest, but could not help thinking once more of the haunted schoolmaster. The steamboat neared the Highlands. The river is here contracted between the rugged heights. I do not doubt but some violent revolution in former times has caused this narrov/ passage, leaving a small opening to the stream to discharge itself in the sea. Tradition relates as follows : — " These high rocks were in ancient times used by King Manetho as prisons for rebellious spirits, dis- satisfied with his mild rule. For several centuries, they were left to repine under the weight of the heavy rocks. But Hudson proved their friend : he destroyed by the roar of thunder these dreadful prisons. Since I f /i, AS Till-: lllOilLAMJS. ^i li that poriod, tliey liavc enjoyed unrestrained lil)erty, l)ut still tremble whenever the ele- ments are af^itated, fearful that Manetho mij^ht return, and renew their imprisonment in their dark dungecms. The echoes inces- santly heard between the mountains are nothing but expressions of lamentation and fear on the part of the spirits at the most trifling noise." These mountainous parts are not unlike the shores on the Rhine from Bonn to Cob- lentz. Mountains follow in succession: be- tween them are sheltered dales. Bushes and trees cover the walls of the rocks almost to the tops. From some of the woods may be seen the ruins of small fortifications, which were used during the revolutionary war. At another point in the river is a simple monu- ment, to the memory of so'tio fallen warrior ; (almost every spot in these Highlands recalls some deed of valour during the struggle for liberty). Further on, a loosened [)iece of rock overhangs the river, ready to attempt once more to close the passage. Darkness overtook us, as soon as we came between the mountains. The sun had set long ago, and in the western horizon rose a mass of clouds, which announced the aj)proach ■,7S-. ^^ f A TlllJNDEIl STORM. 67 of a storm. (Jradually, tlie lii»litninft- l)ccainc niort' vivid, and a threatcMiin^- black sky spread in a few iniiuites over forests and mountains. AH Nature tremliled at the awful perspective, and all that had life on shore hastened to take shelter in j^rottoes and crevices. Fireflies, which shone and disap- peared more rapidly tl an thought could follow them, ceased to show their brilliancy against the green trees; even these trifling insects, which lightning could hardly strike felt awe at the storm, and went to rest. Kv -vy animal seemed to take shelter in s('U>i' hiding pli^' i^: to man alone it was resei veci to defy the united attacks of the elements, and to venture a look towards the agitated heavens. Several steamers passed me : their lamps in the stern, ahead, and in the mast, appeared in the dark as magic lights. Our steamboat also had similar lamps, which produced on the nearest objects a feeble and gloomy light. From both chimneys issued iv;i)?tons of sparks in an irre- gular dance ; like gold dust, they spread over the stream, and expired the moment they reached the surface of the water. Thunder was heard above our heads, and lightning seen in every direction proceeding from the heavy clouds ; forests and rocks, and valleys • 1 * r I < r If <, V J ^ ::\ 58 A THUNDER STORM. u , ; i I and streams, grew pale every time the West- ern Deity shook the heavenly lights out of his mighty hand. But in the East a storm was also gathering. Jealous of the conquests of the West, it rose from a long rest, to dispute the ascendancy assumed by the latter. A few unexpected flashes from the opposite shore announced the commencement of hosti- lities ; the West, offended at the temerity of its antagonist, advanced at once with its whole artillery, determined to crush, by a few effectual discharges,' its slowly advancing adversary. The conflict was dreadful : each minute added to its obstinacy and fury. Often did I presume that preliminaries of peace had been concluded between the con- tending parties, but the next moment I was convinced to the contrary. From summit to summit — from rock to rock — the thunder roared, and each stone seemed to re-echo it. It was a concert ; an accompaniment of vari- ous instruments, like a complete orchestra, which I could fain attempt to describe. Rain fell in torrents ; the whole was awful and imposing in the extreme, and characteristic of those sudden tempests or storms which so often visit the W^estern hemisphere. It was only after two hours hard fighting that tiic i:T-ra;.T7 >. ,~ WES I' POINT. 59 contest ceased between the belligerents above; and victory declared in favour of the West, by the appearance of a beautiful blue sky, and a few stars glittering' over the field of battle. The beaten legions of the East re- treated in haste, pursued by the elated vic- tors, who put them in confusion. Their triumphant shouts gradually gave way, and, when I shortly afterwards looked up, not a cloud could be seen ; the whole firmament was covered with brilliant stars. " Passengers for West Point!" was now heard from one end of the boat to the other. I hastened on deck, collected my baggage, and went on shore. k i I it CHAPTER IV. Can you so watch The sunrise which may be our last i It is Tlicrefore that I so watch it, and reproach Those eyes wliich never may behold it more For haviiif^ look'd upon it oft, too oft. Without the reverence and the rapture due To that whicli keeps all earth from being as fragile As I am in this form. Byron. The Academy of Cadets is situated on this spot, and occupies a tolerably extensive plain, a few hundred yards above the river, at the foot of a mountain, intersected with wood. A number of brick houses have been built for this purpose, and in front is a spacious piece of ground, adopted for drilling and other military exercises. A few tents were pitched for the Cadets, then going through various evolutions ; and not far from this spot is the " corps de garde,'' before which some of them, in grey uniforms, were seen walking, guard- ing the avenue to tlie camp. ACADEIVIY OF CADFTS. 61 Captain Hall, in his published Travels in North America, 1827 and 1828, criticises, perhaps not altogether without foundation, their deficiency in " teniie militaire." They wear a kind of military cap, so small in si/c, that, in order not to lose it, they are obliged to let the fore part rest on the nose, thus leaving the whole neck bare. This objection- able fashion has not been found so useful as was expected ; the greatest part of the Cadets appeared to me to have narrow chests and were rather round-shouldered : two defects which among European officers are strongly objected to. This Academy is the only one of its kind in the United States, and is main- tained at the expense of the government. The avowed object is not only to give young men, destined for military service, a perfect education in various branches, but to keep up and disseminate all over the country a correct and sound knowledge of this science. Captain Hall seems to question whether America will ever derive any real advantage from this institution, and endeavours to show, in the usual laboured way, his reasons for so thinking. I am far from being of his opinion, and cannot see why the community should fail being benefited by an Academy, conducted '\ .: I ■ k\ n ■\ '■I ik*\ 62 ACADEMY OF CADETS. . i ' ■' I"' i; ,'i il f^ \ ' :);■ with so much care and attention, and the professors of which are men of first-rate talents, chosen and esteemed by their coun- trymen. The number of Cadets is limited to two hundred and fifty. None can be received unless he has attained his fourteenth year. The President of the United States reserves to himself the right of granting admissions to this Academy, and generally endeavours to divide an equal number of candidates for each State. They attend to their studies for a period of four years, during which time they are instructed in mathematics, geography, his- tory, philosophy, chemistry, and mineralogy ; the French language, drawing, the art of for- tification, &c. If any one belonging to either of the four classes cannot pass his examina- tion, notice is given to his relations to remove him from the Academy, where it is considered he can be of no use. If again he goes re- gularly through the ordeal, he is entitled to employment by government. Stored with the knowledge he has acquired, he is now sent to places where it can be made available. Not only is he commanded to proceed to the peo- pled and cultivated Eastern States, but, like productive corn, is scattered over the whole :ll i SCENERY noUND WEST POINT. 63 range of country, and often obliged to settle in the remotest parts, among woodcutters in Michigan and Missouri. It would indeed be singular, if, in this manner, no good result should follow ; it must be the case, although I cannot help thinking that the maximum of two hundred and fifty cadets is too inconsi- derable for such a country as the United States, to effect all the good that might be derived, if the number were two thousand five hundred instead of two hundred and fifty. Time will probably change this system, when America finds that the hopes she entertained of this useful national institution have not been disappointed. The scenery round West Point is extremely romantic. The mountain, at the foot of which the Academy is situated, is covered with wood, in the midst of which the ruins of Fort Put- nam may be seen ; this was an important post during the war with the English, but has since been abandoned. The prospect from this fort is very extensive, but cannot, in my opi- nion, be compared to the one from the balcony of the hotel. This hotel is recently built over a projecting cliff near the river, on a level with the Academy. From this balcony is a fine view of the Hudson, confined between the ill tii^ i 64 SCENERY ROUND WEST POINT. I 'I i I two walls of the Highlands ; and at a distance the little town of Nevvburgh. A few white sails were visible spread over the smooth surface, now and then agitated by numberless steamers, passing in that direction. On the opposite shore, I saw elevated chimneys be- longing to an extensive iron-foundry for cast- ing cannon ; and the report of the guns which underwent trial resembled that of the thun- der-stoi'm I had witnessed during my trip to West Point. As the noise re-echoed through the surrounding mountains, I thought I heard the frightened cries of the emancipated spirits, who, at the least alarm, trembled in fear that Manetho would once more return and load them with chains. At a little distance is Antony's Nose, a projecting rock, so called from a remarkable circumstance which is reported to have occurred here, namely, that the trumpeter, Antony Van Corlear, by means of the reflexion of the sunbeams on his shining nose, killed a large sturgeon, who happened to be in the neighbourhood.* On this side of the river is also a simple monument erected to the memory of Kosciusko : the noble and gallant Pole lived here several years, remote /^ b • Vide Knickerbocker's New York, vol. ii. JOURNEY UP THE HUDSON. 05 from his own unhappy country, and afterwards recrosscd the Atlantic, and took up his resi- dence at Soleure, in Switzerland, where he closed a glorious career in the year 1817, en- joying' at last in death that repose, the sweets of "hich he could not taste while alive, and seeing his beloved country subjugated, muti- lated, reduced to slaverv. I spent a few days delightfully at this charming place, more and more pleased with the beautiful prospect. The steamboat, how- ever, arriving from New York, I was obliged to take my leave. I quitted West Point most imwiilingly, and went again on board for the purpose of continuing my journey u|) the Hudson. All the small places, villages, ham- lets, and towns, situated on the banks of the river, have, more or less, owing to the great facility of communication, risen in a very short time to a state of prosperity : and, with few exceptions, appeared flourishing. Among the number 1 may mention a few w^hich are between West Point andCatskill: Newburgh, Tishkill, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Rhinebeck, &,c. Time did not permit me to visit them in person ; but, from what 1 could judge from the deck of the steamer, coupled with the accounts I re- ceived from respectable people, I am led to VOL. I. F 1.!^'^ (>6 STAGE COACHES. / ! ; I v ■) • ooncliidc that they have to thank the increased navigation of the Hudson, and the large mar- ket at New York, for their present prosper- ous condition. It was at Catskill I, for the first time, entered an American stage coach. It was not unlike the F .nch Diligence, although not near so large or heavy. Carriages in the United States are generally built very light, and the springs are made equally so ; which leads you to fear they will break at every mo- ment. The stage coaches in the Northern States have mostly leather thongs, instead of springs. I often wondered how they could possibly re- sist the numberless hard knocks which we encountered in passing over a road, in many places full of deep holes and broken stones ; but the thongs are tough, and proof against any shocks. There are three rows of seats inside, for three persons on each : on the coach-box beside the driver is also room for one or two. The middle row is between the two doors, of which one is seldom made to open. Leather curtains are used on the sides, so arranged as to roll up or let down at plea- sure. Every thing indicates that they are built for the summer season, when a free circulation of air is so necessary in a warm a r J i\ WOODS. 07 climate; but, in winter time, our European carriages, I must confess, are preferable. The tout ensemble has somewhat of an old fashioned appearance, particularly to a person coming directly from England. The distance from Catskill to Pine Orchard, an hotel between the mountains, is about twelve miles. The road is in some places steep, and twists itself from right to left along the sides of the mountain through a thick wood of various trees, such as cedar, fir, lo- cust, white oak, maple, birch, ash, mountain- ash, walnut, chesnut, hazle, cherry, wild apple, &c. all growing close to each other, as if of the same species. The wild vine, twisted round the trunks of different trees, appeared endeavouring to unite those which in our hemisphere grow far asunder, like irrecon- cileable enemies. This mixture of trees is a peculiarity characteristic of American woods, and gives to the landscape a variegated ap- pearance. About half way from the foot of the moun- tain to Pine Orchard, where the road suddenly takes another direction, the traveller arrives at a kind of amphitheatre, formed of steep and woody rocks, the straight side of which descends to a precipice, whence a few trees F 2 It'll ^\ I ' I .^: * (;8 RIP VAN WINKLE. ' * f* F shnol tiioir crowns ; and, willi an oxtra- ordinary temerity, strive to extend their wide l)raiiclics so far, that no eye from above can perceive tlie depth of the precipice. On this spot, where a rivulet now rattles between bushes and green meadows, Rip Van Winkle passed twenty years in sleep ; here it was that, avvalviiig- from a long- fairy slumber, he found every thing- changed: trees grown up where formerly stood only bushes, rivulets rattling where foimerly was a footpath, precipices opening where formerly was a long- descent. But the worst of all was, he found himself changed, stiff all over his body, with a long- grey beard and spread hair, and, into the bargain, a free citizen of the United States instead of an humble subject of George III. This occurrence so admirably described is now so generally known, that I need only allude to it; but, if any traveller, intending- to visit the Catskill Mountains, has not read Washington Irving's history of Rip Van Winkle,* I recommend him by all means to do so. He will then derive infinitely more pleasure from his tour, and Sleepy Hollow will become so interesting, 3- i Vide Sketoli Book of Wasliington Iniii^f, vol. i. 1 I PINK OIUIIAIID IIOTF.L. 69 tlijit it cannot easily be obliterated from liis nieiuory. The a|)i)eanincc of Pine Orcliard Hotel (tile Mountain 1 louse) is that of a palace. It is situated on the declivity of a rock, two thou- sand two hundred and fourteen feet above the level of the river. During- the sumnici niontiis, it is much frequented by the first families in the neighbourhood, and pic-nic parties take place very often by people from New York and Albany. But this year many were deterred taking- uj) their residence here, on account of the cholera, and the difliculty of obtaining* medical aid, in case of necessity. 1 was nearly alone in this large establish- ment. When, on the following morning, I got up, and looked around me, it appeared as if I was hovering in the air, above the clouds. These, as it often haj)pens in elevated situ- ations, were lower than the point of the mountains on which I stood, and entirely ob- scured the country below. This scene recalled to my memory the snow-rnountains in Switz- erland, the different forms of valleys and heights in the snow regions, the white moun- tain-tops, the reflexion of the sunbeams on the masses of snow, contrasting with the dark jii .ii i* > ^^v7*-iberation about the affairs of their kingdom. As soon as the tree had quitted the rocky spot on which it had spent its youth, I could clearly see something glittering and moving in the nearest bushes. My d,(ring guide did not discontinue his blows til! the rattlesnake \r ' 'W iV ^i r ' Jf I '■If ■k\r "1 r* .. /' 76 RATTLESNAKE. iiii It (Ibr so it turned out to be,) had ceased to live. Triumphantly he seized the venomous animal, threw it down before me, and exclaimed, " Look what a fellow 1 have caught!" The animal was one of those dangerous snakes which, during the summer ironths, are so full of venom, that they become blind with it. I had often, since my arrival in Ame- rica, heard of the bewitching power these animals possess, of which many people seem thoroughly convinced, and which has pro- bably obtained credence with the first colo- nists in very remote times. My guide was one of those who entertained no doubt on the subject. I availed myself of the opportunity to put a few questions, and gave him to understand I doubted the truth of it. He could not forbear relating to me the follow- irig narrative, well known in the Northern States: " Among the first colonists in the vicinity of the green mountains in Vermont, there was a man who, prej)ossessed in favour of the ferti- lity of the country, took up his residence there with his young and handsome wife. They lived in that part about a year, and all difficulties incidental to new settlers had nearly been removed. The} now began to enjoy them- THE GUfDF, S STORY. 77 e m \ Vi selves, and found their abode tolerable. The Indians were no more dreaded; the wild ani- mals in the forests were kept aloof by the never-failing gun of man. The only danger to whieh they were exposed wa:-; that of being stung by rattlesnakes, of which there uere great numbers. Several persons had had tlu? misfortune to be stung, and expired in the most dreadful agony. " One (lav, the husband, accom])anicd bv his wife, went into the woods to hunt. The weather way fine — the sun almost scorched their heads. The young wife, after uander- ing some time among bushes and stones, at length became tired, and sat down to rest herself on the branch of a tree, in expectation of the return of her husband. He followed in the meanwhile the traces of a deer, climb- ing from rock to rock, with a view to enter a green j)]ain at the foot of a mountain. All at once he observed, lying before him, a rattle- snake of uncommon si/e. Surprised at the sight, he stopped, and attentively considered the dangerous animal, which, only a few paces from him, seemed to deliborate whether it should venture to take a leap down the precipice. It suddenly formed a plan, bent its long body, and, as if imploring mercy. n Ji 78 THE CJUIDE S STORY. m I '.' fixed upon the husband a pair of eyes which, far from expressing hatred towards mankind, spoke only the accents of mildness and friend- ship. There was something so extraordinary and so touching in the movements of the animal, that the husband remained silent and motionless on the spot. The snake displayed the finest colours, which the burning sun changed, as it approached, from green to purple and gold. Imperceptibly it rolled on- wards ; a strange music was heard, not unlike the melting tones of the honey-bird, and the tmimal disappeared, without his per- ceiving what direction it took. He thought at first he was in the midst of a world of mys- terious colours, which cleared up, darkened, and again revived with a magic light. Har- mony continued to enchant his ears. Perspira- tion covered his brow ; his frame shook, as if attacked by ague ; his legs refused their office. * Is it a dream ?' exclaimed he ; * what retains me at this place ?' He made an effort to get away, but his feet were almost be- iiumbed, and he felt as if fastened to the rock. The unfortunate man was bewitched. " Another sound reached his ears ; it was the voice of man, dismal and plaintive. Twice he heard it, but could not move. A ' L ! THE OUIDE S STORY. 79 white female eagerly seized his arm, and iier breath roused him at once from the dream of enchantment. Music and colours disap- peared at once. Round his feet twined the rattlesnake, with fiery eyes and extended sting. His frightened wife clung to his breast. Within a second they were attacked by the snake. The woman was the first victim. The venom spread with the rapidity of thought, and her lamentations soon in- n)rmc(l the unhappy husband of the dreadful scene that awaited him. *' Half crazy, he rushed forward, and tramj)led under his feet the snake, which now endeavoured to steal away. Vengeance was not satisfied till the animal was crushed, and torn piecemeal against the sharp and pointed rocks. '' The sufferings of the expiring wife called him to her side. Terrified, he examined the blueish black wound, which every minute grew darker and darker. They were far from home or from any human habitation ; still they wandered for a while, hand in hand, till excruciating pains stretched the female senseless on the ground. Although greatly exhausted, the husband took her in his arms, carried her to a neighbouring I. 'I J. 80 THE llATTLFSNAKE IllJNTEn. rivulet, and refreshed her by means of cool water. She recovered a little, but had no strength to raise her head, which rested motionless on his breast. Hours passed in this way, and no human being appeared to assist the unhappy couple. Solitary, in an endless forest, he watched the progress of death, joined his prayers to hers, and saw her ex])ire." These last words my guide expressed with so much emotion, that I clearly perceived he was deeply affected by the ti-agic narrative. My curiosity was in the mean time excited to know the fate of the husband, and the particu- lars of his after life. My guide gave me the following account : " From that moment the unliappy widower thought of nothing but revenge, and made the most sacred vow to consecrate the remainder of his life to the extermination of that curse of man, the rattlesnake. This oath he strictly observed till his death, and thou- sands of snakes fell continually under his vin- dictive blows. For this reason he was gene- rally known under the name of the Rattle- snake Hunter. Not many years ago, I saAv the old grey-haired man ; and never shall I forget the tears he shed at the recollection I ATHENS. HI of his young consort, and his sohMnn and piercing* look in expressing these words — ' Yes, by G — d ! these bewitching d — Is shall soon cease to plague the earth ! Do not be- lieve that these animals are only snakes — creeping snakes : they are servants of fallen angels — the immediate agents and s|)irits of Hell; " Here ray guide ended his narrative. We returned to Pine Orchard in deep silence. The talc of the unfortunate snake-hunter remained a long while impressed on my mind ; and when subsequently, in the Southern States, I had frequent occasions of seeing snakes of different kinds, 1 always remem- bered this anecdote. From Catskill Mountains I proceeded to a small village, five miles up the river, to which the classical name of Athens has been given. It was the first place I arrived at in America, bearing an old European name. This, how- ever, is very customary : in my subsequent travels in the country, I found several places called Sparta, Rome, Utica, Syracuse, &c. These names have been adopted without any attention being paid as to whether the situa- tion of the village or hamlet bore any resem- l)lance to the old citv after which it was VOL. I. G If '-■* vs* 82 ATHENS. I. I if..'- bapti/od : whim or ('hai\« o have (U'torniinc(l the a|>|)('llati()ii. American Athens, for example, is siuialed on a plain, witliout a single hill, and on the banks of a river; uIkmoos ancient vUliens was surrounded by eMiinences. At first, it appeared singular to me to sec a place, which, since my youtli, I had pictured to my- self filled with venerable relics, and ruins of temples and palaces, only consist of a few wooden houses of modern arciiitecture, un- paved streets, showing* no other ruins but those of abandoned blacksmiths' shops, or the walls of houses destroyed by fire. It was also a peculiar feature in Athens to behold hogs and other quadrupeds occuj)y the tho- roughfares and squares, instead of having the ears delighted with speeches from elo- quent orators. From hence I crossed the river to Hudson, a small hamlet on the opposite side, and continued my journey to Lebanon S[)rings, in company with one of the most amiable American families I ever met with, and the recollection of which will follow me through life. Il I I III! v.ll.\PTKR V. *' I joined mysflf to tlic |i('(i|)lt'. It is now tinny years sinro, I. bi'lii'vo, iiiiil," addi'il she, niisinji, licr liandsaiid t'yt's,and 'iicakinj.'; witli more cniTfiy llian sli(> liad yet spoken, " I sa) tlie t iitli l)el'ore (i((d, and lie not: 1 have not repented for a nionieiil — I liave been heartily thankful that I have borne my testimony. I have pur- eliasod a peace tliat cannot be taken awav, and cheaply purchased it." Miss Skdgewick. These Springs arc among' the most fashion- able in the Northern States ; in the summer season tliey are filled with the first and best com|)an\ . They are situated on the declivity of a mountain, from whence, for miles round, Nature appears in her finest mantle. The water is lukewarm and perfectly harmless. The greatest part of individuals visiting this place do it less from a desire to taste the waters than to see and acquire a knowledge of the remarkable religious sect, whose head-quarters are in this vicinity, and the members of which are called Shakers. r, 2 ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ' ^v^ '% HiotDgraphic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, hi.Y. 14580 (716) 873-4503 >.1(?> ■«y > , s^ 84 THE SHAKERS. 'n. ,1 ' , Several branches of this sect are spread over various parts of America: but the prin- cipal place — the central union — is at a vil- lage about two miles from the Springs, ex- clusively inhabited by Shakers, and built by them. Every stranger, visiting it for the first time, cannot help remarking the peculiar cleanliness and neatness everywhere prevail- ing. On both sides of a wide street are houses two or three stories high. One row is built at the foot of a mountain, which shelters it against the north-easterly winds, and fur- nishes, besides, to the inhabitants sufficiency of water to carry on saw-mills, flour-mills, and workshops of various descriptions. The other row, again, is surrounded by gardens, abounding in every kind of vegetables ; and extensive meadows are seen at a distance, where the finest cattle are fed on the most luxuriant herbs. On this side of the street, also, is the meeting-house, erected in the year 1825, by zealous members. It is of wood, eighty feet long, and sixty-five wide, with a vaulted roof, covered with tin plates. The interior and exterior is painted white. The inside is destitute of ornaments — no pillars, no painted windows, no tasteful pulpit. The floor is the only part with which they seem to I I !'V i ANN LEE. 85 have taken any pains. It is of American fir, of a brown colour, and so shining and clean, that one is almost unwilling to walk upon it. The whole appearance of this church bears the stamp of simplicity and cleanliness. The United Society of Shakers had its origin in England. The first founder was a female of the name of Ann Lee, born at Man- chester, in the year 1736. Her father was a poor blacksmith, who could not afford to give his eight children any education. Ann commenced her career in a cotton- factory : afterwards she engaged with a hatter ; then as a cook in an hospital ; and finally married, at the age of eighteen, a smith of the name of Stanley, who treated her in the most cruel and barbarous manner. This produced a depression of spirits, and she w as observed invariably seeking solitude. From a hypochondriac she soon became a religious fanatic. She ardently sought and got admission into a Quaker company. Here her fanatical ravings gained additional strength, and she began at length to preach and proclaim her own creed about the year 1770. She pretended to be the second Christ, sent on earth to make revelations ; and n ipj 86 ANN LEE. 5/ l.< U, added that the king^doni of a thousand years was at hand, and that she was im- mortal. Many believed her, and thought she actually was what she represented herself to be. From that time she was called Mother, and was subsecjuently worshipped as the Redeemer, One of their hymns establishes this point : Glory give unto tlio ;>oii, I'or ho lias redemption won ; Glory unto Motlier jjive, For the Saints throiim|>lt'(i, inid led inln »iii : Tlic xt'i'diiil, iiion! t'uithriil, lias led out .i^aiii : With a firiii resolution (licr word was a sword) Sli(' foii|u;lit liiM" way tliroiigli, and creutioii restored. A fiiU restoration has now taken plaee, I'or all who heheve of tiie first Adam's race ; The male and the femah( made free from the curse, And Adam's probation is ljron:i\ It was ill the company of such followers that Ann Lcc embarked, in the year 1771, for America. She iold them tliat a divine reve- lation enjoined her to proceed thither ; but in reality it was to elude the persecutions to whicii the sect was continually exposed in l^^n gland. The following miracle is stated to have occurred during the voyag'e — let who will believe it ! The ship sprung a leak during a heavy storm. The water rushed in so ([uickly and in so great an abundance, that, although all |)umps were going, the vessel soon filled. The ca|)tain declared that there was no hope of salvation, and that all the ])assen- gers would, in the course of a few hours, inevitably j)erish. But Ann assured him this should not happen. She added, with a deter- mined accent, " We shall all arrive in safety in America. 1 saw just nov/ two angels near the main-mast ; they showed me the coast of the New World." She encouraged the sailors, and begged them to persevere : she even assisted in working the pumps. A few minutes after- wards the ship was struck by a heavy sea, and behold ! the loosened plank was re- placed ! RULERS OF Tin: H()( IRTV. 91 On anivini;' in AnuMica, they lirst sottlcd in a small town called Waterobet. hut removed their head-quarters, in the year 178H, to New l^ebanon, their present residence, where I vi- sited them. The Holy Mother had, in the mean while, contrary to the expectation of every one, dejiarted this life in the year 17H4, althoui;h, in the whole course of her existence, she never ceased to preach about her immor- tality, if any Shaker is asked how this ha|)- pened, he will answer: " She meant in a spi- ritual sense not to die." Notwithstandini>- this reply, I continued insiiuiatini>- my doubts: an elderly member of the sect heard this, and appeared rather displeased: he angrily asked, "If Ann Lee had not been insj^ired, would she have pro- claimed to the world a doctrine, apparently so unnatural, as that of ccliba!:^y ?" After her demise, the Poni-l^:ate devolved on J. Whitaker, her confidant, who died two years afterwards, in the year 1786. lie was succeeded by Joseph iVIeacham, a man who had sense enough to see that many ceremo- nies of the sect were useless, and that a reform was absolutely necessary. He, very properly, waved the hope of a celestial innocence (m earth, and undertook seriously to alter the U I >\\ 1,1 I 11 •• >:0 1 . M'2 CRKKD OF TIIF, SHAKERS. rules and rites of Ihc Society. The RIysiaii (lanee, and some other ridiculous and even indecent customs, were abolished: his rej^u- lations arc strictly observed to this very day. He died in 1796, and was succeeded by I^ucy \Vrij»;ht, who governed the sect till 1821, when she also expired ; and the direction was given to Kbenezar Bishop, who is still alive. This individual is not destitute of talents, ])ut rather illiterate and uncivilized. His exterior is pleasing, and inspires respect among the fraternity. The creed of this remarkable religious sect, such as professed at this time, was stated to me as follows : Clirist has discovered liiinself a second time on earth in the person of Ann Lee. God is only with tlieni, and there is no spiritnal salvation without them. The day of jnd<;mcnt is now. (Jod judj^es the world ihrough his (lanirhter Ann Lee. 'I'hosc who marry do not know Christ, and do not belong to liis kingdom. Without confessing:, none can be blessed. Every one must submit to purgatory after death ; and all those who have died after Mother Aim must, in the tirst instance, listen to a discourse delivered by her in the world of spirits, before they are permitted to leave the purifying fire. Numerous rules and regulations are pre- scribed to them, all supposed to have ema- nated direct from God. None are given in TiiriR nri.F.s wn iirnri. \tions. W'A •h I > I I I writinp;, '* for" — the Shakers observe — " leave every thin^ to memory — this ^reat ^'\\\ ol' (lod." I will here mention a few of the most striking : No iinii is |)(>nnittt'(l to live with ii fnnal*', or lo bo in tin* sanu; room willi lior, willioiit (lie attnidaiicc of a tliinl pcrxon. UrotliiTs and sisti'rs cannot visit i-ach otlu-r in llicir rcspcclivc nxuns after tluM'vi'uinjj prayer is over,nor wliilst tlicy an- on iipit-d in niakini; lieda. No hrotlicr is allowed lo moot a sislor on the slaircaoo, or enter lier room williont first knock'iij;, and ni'i; nrsi). No sister can ^^o alono to the store of a lirotlier, nor can lirotliers or sisters take each other by the hand, or tonch eaiii otiiers' clothes, or milk cowm at tlio same lime. No person is allowed to shake anotlicr by the hand v\li(i does not bolon;: to the Society, or discover any thiny; relative to it. It is not permitted lo say that he or she lies, or nse epilhels, or ipiarrol anion*; each other. It is not permitted to write or receive letters wilhonl the consent of the KIders, or to read any tiling \vitli(>nt their sanction. It is not permitted to borrow money from any person, or to have private money transactions. It is not permitted to bo absent from divine service, nor to attend it withont haviny; previonsly been confessed. It is not ])ermitted to read newspapers or any worldly books on a Sunday; neither must the members cnt hair or nails, wash feet, clean boots, or shave, on the Sabbath day. It is not porniittod to attend church in boots, or snap the right thumb over the left, while praying. It is not permitted to kneel down on the loft knee first, or have the pockethandkorchief in the hand, while praying. It is not permitted to \iso watches, umbrellas, and spin's, or hats of any other shaj)o than the usual one, or right and left shoes. It is not permitted to play with dogs and cats, or to kick or ill-use any animal, &c. Each of their villages is divided into lots, and each lot is occupied by a family. Whcn- M. II f I 94 OCCl'l'ATiO.NS (U TUi: Sll AMOIIS. over a iktsou is admitted iii((» the sect, ho hcconu's a mu'IuIkm' oI one ol (licsc lamilics, lives in tlie same house, boards at their tahle, and is elothed iVom tlu' same store. The (e- mah's arc the whole (hiy occupied, partly with work necessary lor the common ^ood. such as knitting" stockin«;s, making- clothes, washing, weavin<;\ hakin^-. preparinj;- food, &,c. partly in man u Tact urinj»' articles, which arc after- wards disposed ol' lor the hcnent ol" the com- munity. The men a<;'ain are employed in the cultivation ol' lields, in cutting wood, attending- to gardening, or pursuing dillereut professions. When I saw these people, working hard from morning to night, some even beyond their strength, and obliged sometimes to follow it up on Sundays, and all this not for their own individual benelit, but meiely with a view to increase the common stock, I could not hclj) comparing them to culprits confined in a house of correction, and condemned to hard labour for the sake of improving their morals. All those with whom 1 conversed seemed, never- theless, perfect enthusiasts, and attended to their business with apparent satisfaction, bearing, I must add, a strong resemblance to real pleasure. KFFF.CTrH OF TIIFIll DIM TUIMS. I).') i \ Hut, if wo admit tluil many of thom, (Vom wcaiinesH ot the world, Irom i^-iiorancr ol a hotter and ha])|)icr life, from motives of re- pentance only for past trespasses, fulfil their severe task with cheerfulness an' I can only pity the unhappy and deluded objects of an erroneous and fanatical doc inc. liut, if travellers are disgusted trine. wi le th tl principles of this absurd creed and its cere -< I , 96 SCHOOLS. /'; monies, none, without departing from justice, can deny them a certain portion of admiration for the order, industry, economy, prudence, and frugality, so peculiar to their sect. Every description of goods manufactured by them is of the very best quality. Their cattle are far superior to those of their neighbours, and can only be compared to that fine breed so often seen in Switzerland. The schools also, par- ticularly those for the girls, have been care- fully attended to. Marriages being contrary to their tenets, in order to preserve and uphold the sect, tiiey are obliged to admit orphans, or poor children, handed over by destitute parents. These children are instructed in reading, writing, grammar, arithmetic, and a superficial knowledge of geography and astro- nomy. By the observance of a severe disci- pline, to which they are immediately subjected, they acquire a certain degree of seriousness in walk and look, which, according to our worldly notions of things, does not harmonize with the vivacity of a child, whose disposition is generally lively and active. A genius, ex- cept in the mechanical art, is seldom found in any youth brought up under their care ; and, if any one should happen to show an inclina- tion to study more than another, he generally !» •' COSTUMR OF THE SIIAKKRS. 97 leaves the sect as soon as he arrives at tlie age of maturity. The Shakers have often been suspected of attempts to seduce rich people to become members of tiieir sect, merely with a view to get possession of their [)roperty; which is always vested in the general fund on entering the soci- ety, and never redeemable if the party should wisiito retire. This accusation would, if proved, be an ineflaceable stain on their reputation ; but I have no reason to think it is tlie case : 1 am on the contrary persuaded that this peaceable people are incapable of such base- ness, and, therefore, unless the statement be clearly established, it must be considered a ca- lumny. The common fund is administered by a few select brethren and sisters, who account for every thing in a regular way. Those who quit the sect can lay no claim to any part of this fund ; those again who remain have the satisfaction to know that the capital is always accumulating, and that they are sure of being- provided for to the end of their existence. The dress of the men consists of long old- fashioned brown coats, with pockets in the sides, blue or brown small-clothes, shoes or short boots, white cravats, tied close round the neck, with collars turned down, and the VOL. I. H i I :M 8 '1| \* ■'M 98 TIIK SHAKF,RS MEETING. 'h hair lianaina; loose down the back. The I'e- males, on working' days, are dressed like Cicrman peasant women ; but on Sundays they are attired in short-waisted white dresses with tight sleeves, white neckhandkerchief, and a thin, white, transparent bonnet ; the hair is turned up under tiic cap, so that none of it is seen ; the stocking's are white, the shoes have high heels, and a white pocket- handkerchief with a black border hanes on the arm. Their hats are of an oval form, white, yellow, or grey. Those of the men are large and broad-brimmed, like the usual Quaker hats. Divine service, or what is called " meeting," was just going to begin. The brethren had entered through one door, and the sisters through another, all in a row, in regular mi- litary order. Several strangers were beside me outside the church, curious and anxious to be admitted. One of the Elders opened at length the door through which the men had passed: the whole crowd rushed in at the same time with anxious eyes. The places given to us were on the same side with the principal entrances, and opposite was the whole congregation seated, consisting of nearly two hundred and fifty persons of both i 7' a THE SIIAKRHS MEETING, 1H1 :U,f sexes, separated, but facing- each otlicr, and turning- their sides to the strangers. On sur- veying all these white-dressed female spectres, which, mummy-like, remained immoveable and close to each other, it struck me as iff had en- tered a vaulted tomb. The first impression was indeed solemn: why was this so soon to vanish when service commenced? At a given signal they all rose from their scats, and placed them- selves in the form of a sugarloaf, the Elders at their head, and the men and women remaining separated the whole time. They began singing several psalms and hymns, the melody of which was the most uniform I ever heard. Every one exerted himself to the utmost of his lungs, so that I even entertained some a})prehension for the tympanum of my ears. To understand a single word of what they said, I found at once impossible ; but one of my companions pretended afterwards that he heard them say : " Blessed Mother, Divine Mother Ann!" The music, however, did not appear deafening to the singers. They seemed pleased with it, hardly ever looked up, and accompanied the melody with a continual stamping of their feet. At the end of every psalm, thov opened their closed hands, and let them fall by their sides; after which u 2 :\,r II \'\ >Cr-k<* ■••5S 100 THE SHAKERS MEETING. .A * . '•■■■■ those brethren and sisters who felt inspired delivered a short discourse extempore, which, to my great surprise, was addressed to th'^ strangers present. At the conclusion, the whole being" merely phrases without meaning, and repeated with many pauses, singing was resumed. When three psalms had been gone through, the members changed their position by turning their backs to the spectators. They were then placed in rows, the men on one side, the women on the other, with their faces towards the Elders, who stood along the opposite wall near the strangers. All the men had, in the meanwhile, taken off their coats, and stood in their shirt sleeves ; the women laid aside their pocket-handkerchiefs, to be ready for the ceremony. In the midst of a shrill and singular cry, they now began to dance, advancing three paces and retreating one, and continued in this way for a long while, now and then turning round on their heels. Many appeared to labour so hard that per- spiration ran down their cheeks in great profu- sion ; they pretend in this way to subdue carnal appetites, and to express their joy at the victory gained over the power of lust. The noise attending this ceremony they defend by quotations from the Bible, of which I happen i 1 •-^* .,-»^- '_»r-^j*«iet^-ir»»-^vi»-*»*^P*-«'^p**ff. . THESHAT.RS MEETING. 101 < 1 to recollect one : Isaiah xii, vi. " Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion : for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." As soon as this unpleasant music was over, they commenced jogging round the room : the men first, three abreast, and tho women after- wards, in the same manner. This jogging is neither walking nor running ; they take their steps in regular time, and move about with crooked knees. During this operation, they stretch out and wave their hands incessantly, not unlike the motion of a dog splashing with his fore-feet when thrown into water. A few members of both sexes stopped in the centre of the room, singing some very discordant hymns, the others jogged round them, accom- panying the song. At the end of each hymn, a few admonishing words to the strangers were generally uttered by one of the party, as he happened to be inspired, after which the dancing continued for some time, with the only exception that they formed at last two rings, one inside the other, and each going round in an opposite direction to the other. I was anxious to know what might be meant by this circular dance, and inquired of one of them on the following day. " This M i '. I 1 I \ r'^M 102 I'HINC1I»LES OF THE SHAKERS. I t.i ' circle," answered he, " means sin on earth, and our evolutions round it show our abhor- rence, as well as the powerful effect of the Holy Ghost on us." A foreigner, who, like myself, visited this place for the second time, to acquire a more perfect knowledge of the principles of the sect, happened to hear this reply, and observed, in a nearly audible tone, " I pity them. They give themselves a great deal of unnecessary trouble, and sub- mit to an infinity of privations for the sake of a few absurd and ridiculous maxims." The holy brother heard this remark. " We know very well," retorted he, whilst lowering his sharp brown eyes, " that conformity to these principles requires a large portion of self- denial. But, in truth, if we believe in the assertion of our Redeemer, this does not amount to a positive proof that they are not the true principles of the Christian faith. Ap- proved or disapproved by the world, pleasing or disagreeable to the weak part of mankind, none can reasonably complain, or oppose them, when every one is at liberty to follow them or not." Neither of us made any remark to this observation ; the individual retired ap- parently satisfied, conceiving doubtless that he had triumphed, by irresistible arguments, I SKIIMDN, 103 over two worldly, and in liis eyes lost, sinners. But I must return to tlie service. Dancing was now over, and the brothers and sisters resumed their former j)laces. One of tlie Elders advanced between the rows, and deli- vered a kind of sermon, exclusively directed, as befoiie, to the strangers, in which he en- deavoured to ex|)lain and justify the singular ceremony observed u])on the occasion. The sermon was extremely dry, and without any pretence to sense. Every one of the auditors complained of its length, and seemed exces- sively delighted when the orator resumed his place. Psalms and hymns concluded the whole ; and one of the members, in a loud voice, informed the congregation that the ser- vice was over. The men very silently put on their hats and coats, the women their bonnets, and all departed through different doors, as they had arrived, in perfect military order. Before [ take leave of the Shakers — these peaceable, industrious, and unhappy religious victims — I will relate an anecdote, which I heard from a j)erson in the neighbourhood of New Lebanon, relative to them : " A few years ago," said he, " the Shakers signified an intention of celebrating the dc- 104 TOnACCO-SMOKING FESTIVAL. barkation of Mother Ann Lcc on the Ame- rican shore. ft was determined that the ceremony should be observed by a profuse and general tobacco-smoking fete. A " bull," or edict, was issued, directed to the scattered members of the Society in every part of America, enjoining them to assemble on a certain day in the month of August, for this important purpose. " I did not neglect to attend upon this solemn occasion. When I entered the church, I found that the order and regularity, which had hitherto distinguished the sisters, were en- tirely gone. Their natural and unpretending manners — their attention to discipline — all had vanished ; in its place, T discovered an unusual degree of negligence in their walk, a wildness in their looks, a strange confusion altogether, which unquestionably surprised me at first, but which I endeavoured to explain by the extraordinary sublimity of the ceremony. " All sat down in deep silence. Ebenezar Bishop occupied the principal seat, and uttered a few half- broken sentences in allu- sion to the divine solemnity now to be per- formed, which, according- to bis notions, was ordained by God. He then turned to one of 1 T I tfrs: J TOBACCO-SMOKINU IM'.STIVAI,. 105 the youijgor sisters, and ordered her to pro- cure fire, wliicli she did. lie lighted his pipe, drew a long puff, and afterwards slowly blew out what he called the first victim of the day. In a dignified manner he withdrew the pipe from his mouth, raised his eyes towards heaven, and said, ' Brethren and sisters, unite.' " All now lighted their respective pipes, and, like novices in the art of smoking, lost no time in blowing out the smoke, which in the course of ten minutes so completely obscured the room that no object could be distinguished. The Elders looked upon these clouds of smoke, which surrounded their heads, with religious awe. '• The ceremony was ordered to last one hour. A quarter of that time had hardly elapsed, before a number of smoking; indivi- duals found the atmosphere altogether into- lerable. Several, particularly the young women, who had hitherto looked to the Elders for protection, now directed their looks to- wards the door, with faces as pale as death. Every one was more or less unwell ; and never did I witness so strong a desire to depart. But only when the clock announced the termination of the hour was the meeting V ' t y ■ P'! iKi fiB IO(i KFFKCTS OF HRLKJIOIJS TDLERATION. jiine(l by the alteration. One, in parti- eular, was excessively slow in his motions, and rather abusive. I do not know if I was the unfortunate cause of it ; my companions j)retended I was, for having' inadvertently — and certaiidy without intending-, or even sup- posing*, it would give oU'ence — addressed him by the disreputable title of '* Coachman," always used in Kngland, and which I tiiought was also applicable here. Knough ; 1 dis- continued the word from that hour as long as I remained in America ; and never forgot, u|)on subsequent occasions, to call repub- lican coachmen "drivers." The part of the country I now traversed was very rich and fertile. Wheat, rye, and Indian corn, were growing abundantly in every direction. Fields, intermixed with sand, were seen here and thjre; and in these places the crop appeared rather indifferent. Large tracts of land, particularly in the neigh- bourhood of Northampton, lay waste and uncultivated, although some are considered good. This I can only explain by supposing' that the farmers are either satisfied with what they already possess, or that they cannot <', i; t i ' .( -A 110 ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY. iV extend their agricultural pursuits for want of sufficient hands. They are, however, all in easy circumstances. The eastern part of Massachusetts cannot boast of so many substantial farmers as the western ; the soil is not near so rich ; and many of the natives are, therefore, obliged to abandon farming, and take to manu- facturing. The country presents, upon the whole, a very variegated aspect. Hills and moun- tains succeed dales, woods, and fields. The former delight the traveller with the finest prospects. From the top of a mountain not far from Lebanon, the beautiful foliage of the trees, grouped together in the midst of luxu- riant fields, formed a rich picture. The country houses are generally two stories high ; the walls are built differently from those in Sweden ; the planks are laid on the top of each other along the ground, and not raised vertically, as with us. They are mostly painted white, with green blinds fixed outside, giving them an appear- ance of cleanliness and neatness seldom wit- nessed in Europe. The interior arrange- ments, if not costly, are invariably tasteful. I often saw houses of farmers so comfortably i ■' >i»'B;;r:s .■^srt-s-^-'Mv. I FARM-HOUSES. Ill 3 fitted up, that they might be taken for the residence of a Governor of the State. Gar- dens, filled with every description of vegeta- bles and fruit-trees, particularly apple-trees, are every where seen ; and, with a view to make these habitations still more agreeable and cool, trees are planted all around, the leafy branches of which afford ample siiade to the inmates. The rearing of cattle is also particularly attended to. Cows and oxen are of the very best breed ; their immense si/e and strength often recalled to my mind those seen in enchanting Switzerland, A European, travelling* in this direction, cannot help admiring the general appearance of comfort and prosperity so singularly strik- ing. To an inhabitant of the Scandinavian Peninsula, accustomed to different scenes, it is peculiarly gratifying to witness, instead of gorgeous palaces by the side of poor huts, a row of neat country houses, inhabited by independent farmers. A Swedish servant, lately arrived in Ame- rica, on looking round and perceiving the happy state so generally diffused, exclaimed, with surprise and characteristic simplicity, " Sir, have the goodness to inform me where the peasantry live in this country." ' ^1 I,' 1 > .;i 112 NORTHAMPTON. n ■j\ Northampton is a small town, so clean, neat, and agreeably situated, that it richly deserves the name of " Massachusetts' favou- rite doll." It may be called a village, rather than a town. The streets are few ; and the whole is not unlike a group of country seats, surrounded with gardens, and built in a row close to each other, for the inspection and admiration of spectators. The houses, chiefly of wood, are painted white, with green blinds. Trees are planted in all the streets, or rather roads, for they are not paved ; and shrubberies, with a thou- sand different flowers, greet the passengers with their beautiful fragrance. Northampton carries on a considerable trade with the neighbouring country. Con- necticut River, distant about a mile and a half, and Farmington and Hampshire Canal, which commences here, and directs its course to New Haven, a distance of seventy-eight miles, contribute in no small degree to its flourishing state. But it is not its commerce, industry, or manufactures, which attract numbers of strangers to this spot every year. It is to view the handsome plan in which the village is laid out that thousands visit it. Few things have given me greater pleasure than - .Tw-F - >-SW.~. ^^^„!7tr>s.::iSS!"mi ■•» 5,t;-» » isrr'B^'* NORTHAMPTON. 113 1 . I the sight of this spot in Massachusetts and tlie villages Canaiulaigua and Ciicncva in the State of New York, which are eciiially attrac- tive. It was something so cheering and new to find myself in the heart of a village, with- out being obliged to attach to it the idea of dirt and uncleaidincss — to see. in its stead, neat churches, a bank, j)rinting-oITices, &lc., with a population of nearly three thousand seven hundred souls, that I remained several days longer than I originally intended. It may be remarked that villages, properly so called, are hardly found in the United States : spots that . pring up from nothing do not become in the first instance villages or hamlets. They take a leap from insignificance to the rank of towns ; the rise is so rapid that in a very short time they are able to maintain a bank and a printing-office — two establish- ments which Europeans only think of in re- gular towns. The timber is hardly cut for the purpose of laying the foundation for houses before it is publicly announced that a news- pa})er is published in such and such a town, that a bank is in full operation, that canals arc cut, railroads planned, and steamboats being built, to facilitate the communication with the new city, sprung up, as it were, by VOL. I. I li I) ) t (>• 114 MOUNT IIOLVOKK. m '■m i\ magic. I will resume this subject in a future chapter. Not far from Northampton is a mountain called Mount Holyoke, the summit of which is, or ought to be, visited by every traveller passing through this part of the country who wishes to enjoy a remarkably fine prospect. I proceeded thither on horseback, and arrived at the foot of the mountain, after having crossed the stream in a ferry-boat propelled by horses. The road towards the top was at first both steep and stony ; but my horse, ac- customed no doubt to the rough and irregular track, did not stumble. At length, however, the poor animal became so completely ex- hausted, that he could not advance another step : traces of a road disappeared, and in its stead a few steps made of loose stones proved to me the necessity of leaving the horse behind till I returned. I continued climbing up the hill. Whoever has weak nerves, a delicate constitution, or is subject to giddiness, I would particularly recommend to abstain from visiting the summit of Mount Holyoke. Not only is a person obliged at certain places to take giant-steps from tree to branch, and from branch to tree, but to tread on stones without any solid foundation IM " , VISIT TO ITS SUMMIT. 15 whatever! These, very unceremoniously, slip away under the weight ; and, if particular attention be not paid, the visiter is apt to take a leap down the precipice in company with the fragments of the rock. I reached, however, the top, a distance of nine hundred and ninety feet, in company with several friends, without any accident, and our pains were then richly repaid. It was not a Swiss panorama, the icebergs being wanted, but a prospect which, once beheld, cannot easily be effaced from me- mory. The whole landscape beneath resem- bled a circle -bound picture, viewed from the centre. On one side appeared Connec- ticut river, serpentining in various direc- tions, sometimes disappearing, then showing itself again, forming, to the south-west, a peninsula, tiiree and a quarter miles in circumference, and only about two hundred and twenty fathoms across the isthmus ; at last, towards the south, at the foot of Mount Tom, it is entirely lost to the sight: here, the smoke arising from the cataracts at South Hadley is perceivable. But, both fr(3m far and near, valleys, hills, mountains, fields, meadows, and forests, were seen, all dressed in the mantle of the richest vegeta- 116 VIEW FROM MOUNT IIOLYOKK. ■•< m. iU SI I L tion. Corn-fields, covered with al)undant and ripe crops, remunerated tiie labours of the husbandmen, and farmcis were seen occupied in cutting' g-olden harvests : others again, sown with oats and Indian corn, had not yet changed the garb of spring for that of au- tumn. Flocks of cattle crowded the valleys : they were feeding on the most luxuriant herbs, whilst teams of oxen carried from the fields loads of new-cut hay. In the midst of this picture of industry, and among a variety of colours, private dwellings of farmers were visible, equally pleasing to the eye by their whiteness and lofty green blinds ; and also small towns (Northampton, Hadley, Amherst, &c.,) surrounded by rows of full grown trees ; and last of all, as if strewed over the ground, a number of handsome churches, of which I counted at least thirty. The day was far advanced when I quitted this eminence, and the descent required as much precaution as the ascent. We rejoined with pleasure our horses at the place we left them, and returned to Northampton ex- tremely fatigued, but delighted with our excursion. On the following morning- I started for Springfield, a small town on the banks of the JUDGES WllALLKY AND GOFFE. 117 sjime river, where a musket factory, upon a large scale, is carried on upon account of government. The road leading to it passes through a wild country, following the direc- tion of the river. In Sf)uth Hadlcy, there arc two waterfalls, one thirty-two, the other lifty- two feet high, both, as is customary in Ame- rica, made available for working mills. Ano- ther little town called Hadley, also situated on the road, fixed my attention, as being one of the oldest in the State. It was here the two regicides and Judges Whalley and Gofie, during the reign of Charles II., sought an asylum to evade persecution. During their short residence at Hadley, it happened that the Indians, then in open warfare with the Colonists, attacked the town. Soldiers were not wanted to defend it, but there were no leaders. In this emergency, a stranger pre- sented himself, whose a])pearance inspired re- spect, and whoso counsels and example instilled courage to the desponding inhabitants. Per- sonal bravery, added to a great fund of military acquirements, insured a complete victory; and, after a short struggle, the Indians ow^ed their safety only to flight. Their warwhoop had hardly ceased, and the fugitives had only just quitted the neighbouring woods, before the '*'H 111 'h 118 TIIK GUN-FACTORY «« 'I' 4'^ stranger disappeared. This gave rise, in these superstitious times, to a general belief that the individual must have been the protecting patron of the town, or rather its guardian angel. But who was this stranger? The fugitive, persecuted, unfortunate Cioffe, who, at the risk of being himself taken, quitted his place of concealment to rescue a town from danger, in which he did not dare to show himself i)ublicly, and where his head would unquestionably have fallen under the axe of the executioner had his person been recog- nized. The gun-factory at Springfield deserves to be visited by every traveller. More than ten thousand muskets are manufactured here every year : [ was even assured, that lifteeii thousand have been turned out in that time. To judge by the quantity, it may be inferred that all the inhabitants are occupied in this branch ; but this is not the case : the sim- plest and most ingenious machinery is used as a substitute for manual labour. This manufactory has, in consequence, acquired a high degree of perfection, both in point of economy and solidity. If the great wages paid to the working people, and to able lock- smiths, for instance, from one and a quarter to AT SIMUNdFIKLI). 119 two dollars a day is taken into consideration, it cannot be wondered at if a ready-made musket costs about ten dollars. This ])rinie cost, looked upon as cheap in America, would be considerably hi^-hcr if manual labour was exclusively employed to carry on the works. The stock-making", which in the North oi' Europe is done by several persons, and forms the most expensive part of this species of manufacture, is here prepared by a single macliine. The annual expences of this csta- blislunent are upon an average one hundred and ninety thousand dollars. The work is done in different houses : there arc only a few factory buildings in which the people work together in large rooms or halls, occupying nearly the whole range of the building ; the other houses are converted into small workshops, scattered over the whole town, in which particular branches of the trade are carried on. Every thing- is worked by water, of which there is great abundance. The muskets, when finished, have a very fine appearance, though rather heavy, attri- butable in a great measure, I should suppose, to the size and clumsiness of the locks. The barrels and bayonets, formerly made of Swe- dish irou only, but now of American also, are ■\im 120 GUN-FACTOIIY AT SPHINOFIKLD. A' painted brown for the purpose of preserving tlieni from rust. Tl\e stock is of waliuit, a very strong* and hard speeies of wood. The mode of trying* the strenj^th of the spring' under the touchhole is by means of a bahmcc, extremely simple in itseonstruetion, but which very effectually puts the spring to the test, in muking it support a weight of one hundred and twenty pounds. All the component parts of the musket arc, besides, so made, that they (it any musket manufactiu'cd tiic.-c, and may be taken fiom one to another. The factory is under the direction of a super- int; ndent appointed by government, whose busmess is to receive from the workmen dif- ferent parts of the mu ;ket, examine them, and pay the people according to a fixed rate for their work : lu> afterwards deposits the ready- made luuskets in an arsenal close by, lately erected in lieu of the old one consumed by fire. The workmen are under no control of the manager, further than merely delivering their work and receiving pay. Their number is about two hundred and eighty : they have, for the most part, their own houses and a piece of ground adjoining. Poverty is seldom discovered among them, nor are they addicted PROSPKim'Y OP TlIK WOllKMEN. 121 i I to indolence, drunkenness, or any other viee. Tliose not possessed of sudieient |)roperty t(» have their own houses, live at a elieaj) rate with their companions, till, by dint of inchistry and economy, they arc able to become propri- etoi's themselves. What particularly coiitri- l)utes to this hap|)y state of things among- the workmen may be traced to the following causes : Kirst, Temperance Societies, and, second, Saving Hanks, two establishments which both here and in other manufacturing towns in America have really done wonders among the labouring classes, and not a little contributed to their improvement. Not only have they increased the stock of the labour- ing man, but they have effected another good, superior to all the rest — a moral and intellec- tual amelioration. The time generally spent in conviviality and inebriety, and in conver- sations destitute of all interest and utility, is now employed in reading instructive books, from which they derive many useful acquire- ments, confirming them in the belief that nothing but a regular life can make them happy aiul prospei-ous, and which they are equally anxious to inculcate into the minds of their children. This establishes, in a sa- tisfactory manner, the othjiwise questionable il iiil ■' ' It ^H )■:' 122 IMIOSITIUTY OF Till: NVOIIKMKN. py/ . < ' ii 1 1 I / )■ fact, (Iiat I IouikI, amonji;* ihoso smiths and stockinakci's, individuals who wcvc " (JcmUIo- nu'ij," in the true acceptation ol' tiic word, witli whom I conid converse on snbjccts which would have appeared somethin*;- like hiero- j>lyphics toother factory men ; they were not only accpiaintcd with every improvement lately introduced in their particular trade, the correctness of which they were able to canvass, but had also invented several thinj>s themselves, and could prove their utility. They were, moreover, civil, hospitable, and had good manners. Some laid by their work when I entered the workshops, and insisted on going' round and showing mc every thing* that might be interesting : I met no one who did not immediately discontinue his occupa- tion, in order to give the stranger an oppor- tunity of examining every thing, and this, too, as long as he pleased. To offer the sliiihtest remuneration is considered an insult, and to receive it would be equally degrading*. One of these hospitable men went even as far as to insist on my going home to his house, although in the busiest part of the day, with a view, as he expressed himself, " to see how neatly and comfortably he lived." I accom- panied him, accordingly, to a small but clean t THE LOCKSMITH OF SPRINd M I'.M), 123 I one-story frnnic hoiiso, the outside puintefl while, and the inside as neat as a baudoir. Two rooms and a kitehcn formed tlie whole estahhshnient ; and, although small, was ex- tremeh pleasant. Kvery thini>- hore the stamp of beinj^ ref>ulated by a steady and industrious mistress; and in this I was by no means deceived, for she was indeed an unexceptionable wife. The husband extolled her merits in a manner which rellect(Ml the i;reatest lionour on him : she entered the room shortly afterwards, leading- a boy and a i;irl by the hand, sim[)ly but neatly dressed, and bowing* to the stranger; the whole ceremony was performed in a manner seldom witnessed in Euroj)o by a woman in her situation in life. If domestic felicity exists on earth, it certainly might be traced to this luiostentatious dwelling*; both wife and husband cast a glance at each other* and at their children, truly indicative of hap- piness. My landlord, justly proud of his comfort- able home, and anxious to show me every thing, from the garret to the cellar, now requested me to accompany him to the garden adjoining the house, also his property, and tastefully laid out by his own hands. !i- I'i M *' M ; 1:24 Till: LOCKSMITH OF SPJIINGFIELD. iK// \> •' This small enclosure," said he, " has been made by myself, the same year I married. All the flowers, vegetables, shrubberies, and fruit-trees, that you see have been planted and nursed by this hand." The garden bore evident marks of having been greatly taken care of: the trees almost sunk under the weight of various fruits. I also discovered vines, of which more than ten \\ ere crowded with grapes. On returning to the house, I was not a little surprised — I may add, agreeably surprised — to find that the mistress had, during our temporary ab- sence, prejiared a cold collation, of which no landlady need have been ashamed. The table-cloth partook of the whiteness of snow ; and, although the knives and forks could not lay claim to extraordinary beauty, yet the wliole arrangement was so inviting, that it was truly delightful to sit down to the frugal and hospitable board. My landlord knew I came from Europe, though not from what part ; but, on being appri/.ed c*" the country that gave me birth, he exclaimed with joy, whilst emptying a glass of cider, " From Sweden ! From the land of the honest and the brave ! I should amazingly like to get better acquainted with TIIK LOCKSMITH OF SPRINGFir.f.D that country. The inhabitants of the Scan- dinavian Peninsula, they say, arc a hardy race. In this opinion I fully coincide ; for ii country prothicing- such excellent iro)i as Sweden must also necessarily he the abode of good peojile. Tell me what is the name of your actual President?" I acquainted him with our form of ivovernment. " Well," rejoined he, " every nation has its own o])inions in similar matters ; what suits one country and one people does not suit another. For my part, I am not fitted to live under the rule of royalty ; let us therefore drop the subject, and drink to the health of our absent friends." This was done. Who could possibly have thought that this indivi- dual was a mere locksmith, brought up to the trade from infancy, and who had never emi- grated further than a few^ miles from Spring- field ? On my return to Northampton, I lost no time in continuing my journey to Boston. The distance is about ninety-one miles, which is performed in seventeen hours. The road is sandy, hilly, and uniform, lead- ing through a country destitute of interest, which made the journey doubly toilsome and fatiguing. The drivers, besides, were in the H: ll^ I 111 126 WAKE WORCESTER. 1*;< I' I , * UA ; .11 habit of watering their horses every quarter of a mile ; and this circumstance, added to the frequency of changing- coaches, and the accompanying inconvenience of removing lug- gage, at least five times during our progress, completely exhausted my patience. The country appeared poor and indifferent. In the midst of a real desert, fit only for the growth of pines, my eyes were all of a sudden gratified with the sight of a flourishing manu- facturing place called Ware ; so named from the river that runs through it. Few villages have had so rapid a rise as this. The chil- dren employed in the manufactories remember still the time when not a house was found on the spot where the great cotton-factories are now erected. They are the joint property of particular companies, who bought lots of land around the place on speculation, for the pur- pose of establishing these factories. That they have proved successful beyond expecta- tion is easily seen by their present prosperous condition. A little further on, I passed through ano- ther small place, having also the appearance of being constantly whitewashed, called Wor- cester, larger in size than any of those I had hitherto visited in the New England States, IV* ■} Al'PROACIl l() HOSrON, 127 and built, perhaps, upon a more elegant sealc. The houses all look new, adorned with colonnades of tiie Doric and Corinthian order, and surrounded by gardens and trees, which give them alike the appearance of rural and town residences. A railroad was then being constructed from this town to Boston, a distance of forty-three miles, wliich is to be completed in the course of a few years, and from which the greatest results arc anticipated. " Blackstone Canal," as it is called, goes from this place to New Providence, in Rhode Island, opening a communication from the interior of the country with the East River and New York. The country between Worcester and Bos- ton appears more fertile : the nearer one ap- proaches the latter city, the more gratified is the eye with the sight of cultivated tracts of land, and delightful country seats. The houses follow each other in more rapid suc- cession ; and one village hardly disappears before the next is visible. More cottages, in the English style, are seen on this road, and in the vicinity of Boston, than I have disco- vered in my subsequent journey through nearly all the States of the Union. They are generally of wood, painted white, with open I 1 / / n 128 COTTACJES AND CIIUJICH S. i, Wf. V / mM d . I' porticoes on every side of the house, Iness tl ms giving tl delightful shade and coolness to the rooms. These cottages were mostly built on an elevated grass mound, about four feet high on one side, above a close-cut field, not unlike the smooth surface of a green billiard- table ; and on the other side inclose C'liantrey's cclebnitcd statue of Washiiii^toii. The ^rcat Knglish sculptor has upon this occasion displayed an unusual degree of ability and genius. The very fr'st glance is striking' ; it develops something so lofty and noI)le, that even the most indifferent spectator is seized with awe and admiration. Washington is represented in a standing at- titude, covered with a mantle, carelessly yet tastefully thrown around him, which he raises with one hand, resting it on his bosom. The head is bare, and the features |)erfectly re- semble those of the orig;inal. His powdered hair, his high forehead, his expressive eyes — to these and to every lineament has the chisel of the artist given life. I w^as in- formed that for this chef (Vie u eve of the last of the Romans, America's great Saint, the sculptor received the sum of ten thousand dollars. Opposite this edifice is a public walk, which by the caprice of fashion has become the most private of all. Seldom or ever is any lady to be seen here, the whimsical goddess of fashion having- in her wisdom shown symptoms of indifference to this promenade ; and the consequence is, that this place, formerly frequented by tlie Boston ians in great num- i. ^ I •i! 131 NKdLF.CTEl) PUULIC WALK. i, !' hers, is now nearly deserted ; for who would venture to disobey tlie decrees of such an omnipotent Deity? This revolution in taste has been a source of great regret to many individuals, as the walk had always been patronised by the respectable part of the community, but [)articularly by the fair sex. I remember having' one day had a conver- sation with a young lady of Boston on this head, when I took the liberty of making some free allusions to the deserted walk. Her re- ply was of an entirely opposite character : she made the most poetical panegyric w'th regard to the pastoral beauty of the place, the vene- rable age of the trees, the free and delightful prospect. In all these observations 1 joined heartily, but j^-oposed nevertheless an alter- ation, namely, tiiat the straight rows of trees, with the open green space in the middle, should be converted into an English park, with winding walks, and planted with shrub- beries. The lady here suddenly interrupted the thread of my conversation, by drily observing : " We are perfectly satisfied with what we have got ; we don't want any alter- ation !" In this place is a little pond, in which children amuse themselves in navigating men- of-war half a yard long, and firing broadsides 4 MUSIC. 135 on the shoals of sin^in^v frogs who have horc takfMi up their resideiiee. I ventured to clu'isten this pond, which now goes by the name of tiie Krog" Pond. This park or walk is on three sides sur- rounded by houses, unquestionably the best in tile citv. The season was still very warm, (in August) and all the windows were open ; in almost every mansion, it was customary to have music in the evening. These melodious sounds attracted a number of passers-by, and many a delightful evening have 1 spent in this way. Proceeding from house to house, 1 listened with rapture to very fine music and many excellent voices. More than once was [ caught whilst indulging in this amusement, leaning over the iron railing fronting the windows : moi'c than one glance did 1 receive from venerable parents seated behind the blinds ; but nothing, so long as the singing or playing continued, could divert my atten- tion. I mention this circumstance merely in case this book should by chance happen to find its way to any family in hospitable Bos- ton, that 1 may be allowed to take this oppor- tunity of testifying my gratitude to the un- known fair singers for the fine entertainment they afforded me. I S' ^ '11 ff-l I I'} X 1 ■?■ 1 \ \:w> FANKUII. IIAl.l,. Anv)ii^' the public hiiildinos ^'oiummIIv shown to stiaii<;L'rs arc the lollowin;^' ; Ka- luniil Mall, the Markol, tJio Post Ollico, the (liU'crent IJaiiks, the Alheiuruni, and the Kree- inasons' Lodj^e. In the liisl-nientioned, where all j)ul)lie nieelin<;s are held, there is a hall in which the lirst dcliherations took place during" the revolutionary war, and which had subsequently so ^reat an inlluence on the result of the stru^'^le for independence. This hall is rather large, and fitted up with seats alonj»- the two sides. Above the two en- trances are written in lari;e characters the immortal names of Washington, Kosciusko, Lafayette. On the opposite wall several portraits arc hung, among which those of Washington, Lafayette, and Hancock (the first President), are conspicuous; and around these were j)laced the names of the warriors who had distinguished themselves by sea or by land during the contest for liberty. These names were entwined in wreaths of laurel, to show that they were imperishable in the memory of grateful countrymen. The market is the largest of its kind in the United States: it is built of granite, five hun- dred and thirty-six feet in length, and is two stories high. Pillars, also of granite, are at TlIK MARKirr. \M each (Mid ; and on both sides, (he l(>ni;th of the hiiildiiiij;", noat sho|)S arc fitted up. I was curious to visit tliis place one niorninj**, duiiui; the market hour. The approach was ahnost iuij)ossil)U' iVoin tlie concourse of people ; but, by decrees, as the l)ar«;ains were concluded, I obtained admittance. Kach kind of trade had a separate stand ; butchers were not mixed w ith lishmon<;('rs, nor tiiese with fruitnien. Kverv thinj;' bore the stamp of convenience and cleanliness. The butchers' stalls did not inspire that distaste too often produced on visiting" similar places in Kurope, nor was there any oU'ensivc smell perceptible where fish was vended ; and with regard to the fruit shops, thouc;h not supplied with great variety, they were wtII kept. J had often heard that married men in America are in the habit of attcndino- market themselves in the morning", to j)rovide the necessary articles for their families ; a custom which with us on the other side of the At- lantic exclusively belongs to the department of the cook. Mrs. TroUope mentioned the same in her history of " Domestic Manners of the Americans ;" but, on that very account, I considered the statement an exaggeration, and rather inclined to the contrary opinion. 'I U: ■ii^l \)\ 138 MARKETING. ■ i i/ ! I 'I I' i But a few minutes' stay in the market soon nndcccived me. Several of the married gen- tlemen, whose acquaintance 1 had made on the preceding day, I met here, occupied in purchasing and sending home meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit; in short, all the wants for tlio day. Although I cannot easily be persuaded that this occupation necessarily belongs to a man, yet it may be tolerated perhaps in a country where the manner of living is' unostentatious, and where one solid joint, upon ordinary occasions, forms alone the whole repast. It may moreover be a pleasing sight to visit a place where the tasteful and cleanly exhibition of diiferent articles almost invites the visiter to become a purchaser. But to adopt this method in towns where established custom requires a variety of disiies, differently dressed, and of various kinds, would be rather a trou- blesome task ; to acquit himself satisfac- torily, a man must indeed be a confirmed gourmand. During my stay in Boston I had frequent opportunities of witnessing the prevalence of this custom, and found that almost all the mar- ried men perform this morning walk. At first it appeared strange to me how they could so THE FREEMVSONS LODGE. 139 wo- correctly know the exact market prices of the most trifling article ; but it was soon ex- plained. At a dinner, at which I happened to be present, the lady of the house showed perfect ignorance of the cost of vegetables and fruit, and was obliged to apply to the husband for information, which she did in these words: " My dear, wliat is the price of sweet pota- toes? Grapes and peaches, what are they wortii ?" But each country has its customs ; I shall therefore abstain from all comment, merely mentioning the circumstance. The Freemasons' Lodge is a poor imitation of Gothic architecture : tliere is always some- thing sublime and lofty attached to this mode of building. I liave never yet contemplated a Gothic structure, without thinking that I ought to kneel down and worship the Deity, who speaks so clearly and distinctly to our sensitive hearts in the splendour of the whole fabric, and in the beauty of the minutest part of it. Far from exciting this sensation, the Freemasons' Lodge appeared to me as if built upon a small scale, and sketched by a master of ordinary talents. I do not pretend to say that the dimensions were incorrect, but certainly tasteless. The ornamental part seemed out of place ; and where there were no ■t ( I .- J u < 111 u h. ■II *'» ;"t no AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE. •f\ I ornaments, the nakedness was obvious. Tlic architecture of most public and private build- ings in America is, unfortunately, copied partly from England, partly from Italy, and even from Greece ; but is seldom preserved in its original taste. The temple of Theseus at Athens, St. Peter's at Rome, and a house in Regent Street, London, are all mixed toge- ther; and out of this variety a whole is pro- duced, which is denominated American archi- tecture. " The genius of architecture," says Jefferson, this acute and experienced judge of the fine arts, " seems to have shed her maledictions over this land." During the whole of my journey througii the United States, I never saw a house that could be compared to any of the palaces in the Old World ; nor did I, in fact, expect it ; but the recollection of Athens and Rome had, since my youth, so strongly impressed upon my mind the idea that no Republics could exist without a forum, decorated with statues, temples, triumphal arches, and palaces, that it was not without difficulty 1 changed my opinion, and began to conceive that liberty, glory, and ])atriotism, may even thrive in common dwellings, without statues, without temples, without triumphal arches, without AMERICAN ARClllTKCrUUE. 141 10 palaces, l^iit America is still a yoang- Repub- lic ; the time may yet come when forums and arches will be raised. " A Republican Government can in no manner more appropriately exhibit its magni- ficence than by the grandeur or beauty of its public structures. A noble hall, for the pur- poses of legislation or justice, or a grand pile of buildings for the uses of learning, is the immediate property of the people, and forms a portion of the inheritance of the humblest citizen. An enlightened patriotism should, indeed, rest upon much more solid ground; but no man, who knows and feels that, even in our best and wisest moments, we can never become wholly creatures of reason, will object to the aid of local pride and natural associa- tion, to strengthen and animate his love of country. The ancient legislators understood the force of such principles well. In the mind of an ancient Greek, the history of his country, her solemn festivals, her national rites, her legislation, her justice, w^ere indissolubly com- bined with the images of every thing that was beautiful or sublime in art." Thus speaks one of America's greatest statesmen and orators, when alluding to the architec- ture of his own country. I mention this as a V J ,1 Hlii 112 AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE. ]{) Ui i'' i \\ proof that my opinion in regard to American architecture is corroborated by one of her own sons, and that this art, which approaches nearest Nature's greatness and subhmity, now forms a subject of deep contemplation with thinking" men in America. May then the curse, which Mr. Jefferson asserts has been heaped over the country by an angry genius, soon be converted into tenderness, and this art not fail to overtake her sisters, who have already considerably distanced her ! The Freemasons erected this building at their own expence ; but, suspicions having shortly afterwards gained ground that they had clandestinely made away with an indi- vidual who suddenly disappeared, this event produced so great an effect on the State government, that a law was promulgated, enacting that no more lodges would be tolerated in Massachusetts. Under these circumstances, they were obliged to let the hall for public meetings, &c ; and it was at one of these I was for the first time introduced into this building. One of the Temperance Societies, so numerous in America, had there "• G. C. \'crplaiick, member nf Conjrress for the State of New York ill 1S33. Vide his masterly spoecli, ileiivcrod in May, 1824, I'll " 'J'he Fine Arts in America." b: EFFECTS OF INTEMPERANCE 113 'V 1 a public meeting". I lost no time in attending- it, curious to know what progress tiicse asso- ciations liad made in the country in which they had at first originated. The baneful and dangerous influence wliich intemperance has every where exerted on tlie moral and physical condition of man is a subject seriously occupying tiie attention of every Christian and philanthropist. Instances of suicides, committed under the effect of ine- briety, are of common occurrence in America as well as in England. The ocean checks not this killing propensity. Once addicted to the demoralizing habit, the votary is pre- cisely the same, whether he be an inhabitant of the shores of Albion, of the mountains of Scandinavia, or a backwoodsman in North America. Ardent spirit is an idol, equally worshipped under the starry sky of the north and the burning sun of the tropics : every where the pernicious effects are the same. Considerable quantities of rum and whisky, both of execrable quality, are consumed in the United States, particularly in the western parts, where they are continually in requisition. Spirituous liquors are sold in all directions. In the towns it is next to impossible to pro- ceed fifty yards without meeting what is :\ :|l I'i 14t tlROG AND W IIISKV SHOPS. ii'^' n !] ^iS M m called a " grog shop," where bottles filled with the tempting liquid adorn the windows. Again, in the country, there is scarcely a house where whisky is not sold, and a kind of drinking room established. When travelling by the mail or stage, passengers generally get out every time the coach stops to change or water horses, in ordei* to moisten their palates. On board steamboats there is, if I may be allowed the expression, a kind of perpetuum mobile of circulating tankards, filled with brandy and water, punch, sangarie, and other comj:)ounds. Of such a variety are the different mixtures composed, that it requires a long time and no ordinary degree of acuteness to get ac- quainted with their denomination. J re- member once, in one of the larger towns west of the Alleghany Mountains, overhearing a conversation between two respectable indi- viduals, as to the best place of taking a sip in the morning ; when one of the parties affirmed, on the salvation of his soul, that none could make a better mint-julep than Mr. A. ; whilst his opponent called heaven and earth to witness that no living being had as yet excelled Mr. B. in the art of concocting whisky-punch. CRIMES FROM INTEMPERANCE. 145 From all this one is apt to infer that ine- briated persons are every where to be seen; but this is far from being the case. In no country I have hitherto visited have i seen so few dnmken people in the streets as in An: ict* . ^nd, during a v i.t/ v/inter's resi- dence in i\ew York, the largest city in the Union, I can safely assert that I only saw a ^'ew intoxicated stragglers, and they were mostly foreigners. This general addiction to hard drinking is, however, more conspicuous in the States most remote from the Atlantic Ocean, although pretty prevalent in the eastern ones also. The majority of crimes are fostered and committed under the influence of this vice ; in the prisons, the proportion of criminals addicted to this propensity to those who are not is as three and a half or four to one. In the State prison at Auburn, for instance, there was, according to the report for 1833, of the former number five hundred and eight, whilst of the latter, only one hundred and seventy- five. " Four-fifths of all crimes committed in the United States," says Mr. Grundy, senator for Tennessee, a gentleman whose legal experi- ence is of thirty years' standing, " may be traced to drunkenness as the prime cause," VOL. I. L mi ii^ H , -tl. n \ :\' I ;rv, 146 TEMPERANCR SOCIETIES. PV I, I 1 I "Were it possible," remarks Mr. Wirt, another profound American lawyer, to " obtain statis- tical details of unfortiniate families and indi- viduals, and at the same time ascertain the real cause of their misery, I feel persuaded that, in nine cases out of ten, perhaps even a larger proportion, the use of ardent spirits would materially have contributed to this state of things." ** Of seventy-seven persons," says the fifth report of the American Tem- perance Society for 1832, '• found dead in va- rious places in the country, sixty-seven were declared by the coroner's inquest to have perished from excessive drinking'." With similar and many other facts before us, it is no wonder that a radical reform, as far as it could be effected, was seriously contemplated ; and the first Temperance So- ciety was in consequence instituted in Massa- chusetts. It is, in truth, a subject of strange contemplation that, in the nineteenth century, we Christians, who consider ourselves so superior to all other religious sects on the face of the earth, should endeavour to abolish drunkenness, a vice which already in the seventh century ceased to exist among the uncivilized adherents of Mahomet. But better late than never. America has given the first warn TEMPERANCi; SOCIETIES. 117 impulse : Europe listens with attention to the result. In the State of New York alone, there were already in 1832 one thousand one hundred and forty-five Temperance Societies, and in the whole Union, about the same time, more than five thousand similar associations. One million five hundred thousand pers(ms had left off the use of strong' liquors, and bound themselves not to procure any for other people. That these societies make incredible progress, and do much public good, is daily perceived by the diminish*, quantity of ardent spirits distilled in the country, and by the lessened importation from foreign parts. Great quan- tities of this article were formerly made in the New England States ; many of these dis- tilleries are now discontinued. In Boston, there was a general outcry among the sellers of spirits, against the ruinous tendency of the Temperance Societies ; they went even so far as to give vent to their displeasure in the public prints. But this did not prevent the success of the good cause. The importation of spirits into the United States, in the year J 824, amounted to five millions, two hundred and eighty-five thousand gallons ; and in 1830, only to one million, one L 2 I t m\ I '*^ 148 TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES. V li m /I' hundred and ninety-five thousand, showing- a difTerence in consumption of four millions, ninety thousand gallons in the course of six years, whilst the home distilleries declined in the same proportion. According to the first report of the American Temperance Society, the cost of ardent spirits consumed in the country exceeded forty millions of dollars per annum. The number of individuals who, by indulgence in this vice, descend to a pre- mature grave, was calculated, according to the same authority, to be no less than about thirty thousand every year. Both these amounts arc now upon the decline ; and the numerous humane friends attached to these useful and praiseworthy associations antici- pate with confidence the period when drunken scenes will be as seldom witnessed as they are now of common occurrence. On leaving the meeting in question, in company with a clergyman from one of the Southern States, this gentleman related to me an anecdote, illustrative of the difficulty of converting a person once addicted to drunk- enness. *• If it be true," said he, " that man carries with him his passions and vices into the other world, it may reasonably be in- ferred that a drunkard continues the same EXPERIMENT UPON A DRUNKAIID. 119 there, if it be in his power to grrcssive voice: ' Yes, you are unquestion- ably (iead, and buried too.' Shortly after- wards they appeared before him in disguise, witli tapers in their liands, and raised tlie trcniblinj^- man in order to inflict, by way of punishment, a sound bastinado. Tie now fancied himself in a real purgatory, and pitifully implored forgiveness for past tres- passes ; but they appeared inexorable, and continued the chastisement until perfectly exhausted ; they then retired, after having- again inclosed the unfortunate man in the coHin. On hearing them take leave, he called out lustily, and in a sup})licating tone: 'Halloo! Halloo! Mr. D— 1, vvcmldn't you be so kind as to procure me something to drink?'" A custom very prevalent in Boston is to perform serenades at night time, for the edi- fication of the fair sex. A young American proposed to me one evening to accompany him on a similar excursion. I accepted the ofi'er, and repaired to the spot agreed upon, where four or five young men were already in attendance. Provided with a guitar and a flute, we started about midnight, and pro- ceeded, in the first instance, to a house in the lower part of the town, the residence of one NIGHT SKUENADi;. 151 (»r the belles of tlie eity. hi full imitation of the Italian fashion, vvc were wrapped up in cloaks, and formed a g;roup exactly under I he winchiw stated to belonjv to the bed- chamber of the lady. The first piece per- fornu'd was a duo between the two instru- ments; subsequently followed sonpfs, with accomjianiments. Withn a few moments our attention was arrested l)y the noise of a window softly opening'. I iried in vain to rccoo-nise some of the listeners , the da'tnes.s of the room, however, prevented me fr^^ia dis- till j;iiishing' any object within. Our persons must, however, have been ea^dy discernible in the bright moonlight ; for, a few days after- wards, the same ladies told me unhesitatingly that I had formed one of the party. It may be easily imagined how sentimental were the tones which pierced the ears of the listening fair ones, enhanced as they were by a beau- tiful moon — an invariable friend to sere- nades — and in wh; i: i delightful mood the young gentlemen must have been, after sing- ing and playing a dozen difficult airs. Hovv the ladies in the window felt when the music ceased is not within my province to deter- mine. The whole company, actors and au- dience, appeared, nevertheless, to part under ' ,' 'i . J! !i^ [' I., . !1< ) !i ■ .t ■■ - t>r '', V 152 CASE OF CHOLERA. visible feelings of melancholy ; and I hast- ened, half frozen, to my hotel, to dream of finding myself once more in la bella Italia, listening to her nightly serenades. During all this time the cholera raged with the utmost virulence in New York and its vicinity. The dreadful epidemic had, on the 21st July, reached its climax. But, though it was on the decline in August, and had entirely, ceased about the middle of Sep- tember, still the panic prevailed every where in the country : so great indeed was the ap- prehension, that people were afraid of their own shadows, and abandoned friends and relatives, if either had the misfortune to be attacked by this frightful scourge. The following occurrence took place about this period, and illustrates unequivocally the terror generally experienced : an old man, of the name of Ballow, above fourscore, was suddenly seized with the disorder, whilst travelling in the stage between New York and Providence. The other passengers in the coach, fearful of infection, positively re- fused to allow him to remain inside, insist- ing that the driver should take him on the coach-box. The unhappy man was obliged to yield, although so reduced by weakness * I' CASE OF CHOLERA. 153 as hardly to be able to hold fast. Neither money nor entreaties could induce any of them to allow him a place inside ; and, as there happened to be a public hospital in the town through which they passed for the re- ce|)tion of cholera patients, the old man was left in the open street. No one dared to approach him : when it was absolutely neces- sary to pass that way, persons hastened by at as great a distance from him as possible. At length one individual, prompted by a large reward, was prevailed upon to convey him in a cart to a place called Cumberland, the very spot to which, in the first instance, he intended to proceed. On the following morning the poor patient was found lying on the steps of a neighbouring house. When he arrived at Cumberland, his place of nativity, where his brother was residing, he ordered the driver to set him down at the house of the latter; but — would this act of cruelty and barbarity be believed ? — even here the doors were shut against him. A barn, an unin- habited outhouse, was assigned to him as a lodging. And in this very barn, belonging to a brother, the helpless old man was suf- fered to expire alone and abandoned by the whole world ; his lips parched with thirst. •■<'■ m I ... 1 1 154 CASE OF CHOLERA. II r f I if W and crawling under an accumulation of the most excruciating sufferings, which never quitted him till life was extinct. A doctor, it is true, was called in ; but the pulse had already ceased to beat. He found only a lifeless corpse stretched on the straw. Is there a heart that can help feeling the deepest sympathy for an old man of eighty- five, who had travelled a distance of several hundred miles from Ohio, solely with a view of once more beholding the place that gave him birth, and of embracing, for the last time, his only remaining brother, and who, on arriving at the spot where he first saw the light, finds every avenue closed, and the same brother turning him adrift to end his suffer- ings in a desolate barn ? This was indeed a subject that could not escape the attention of the philanthropic and public-spirited inhabitants of Boston. A cholera hospital was immediately establish- ed, which, though not very large, proved in the sequel sufficiently spacious for the city. A society was also formed under the denomi- nation of " Relief Association," whose object was to assist and relieve all those who hap- pened to be attacked with the disease. Every class took part in it. Not only young and THE RELIEF ASSOCIATION. 155 old bachelors became members ; elderly and married people, with wives and children, also enlisted. With the latter the risk was na- turally greater, as they might possibly, after attending' their duty, bring contagion into their families ; but, desj^ite all this, rich and poor added their names to the list. Enthu- siasm spread with the utmost rapidity ; all were hearty in the cause. Animated by the impulse of example, the citizens waited with perfect resignation the approach of the dis- order. They formed themselves into a kind of humane fraternity, determined to devote their lives to the cause of suffering fellow- creatures. The dreaded foe, however, made no serious attack : a few isolated cases only occurred. Thus did Boston, by the protect- ing hand of Providence, and by the firmness, prudence, and timely arrangements, of its citizens, escape a visitation, which proved so fatal in many places. The following rules were adopted by this benevolent Association : Wlieroiis a number of citizens, resident in districts -where cho- lera has made its appearance, have been seized witli panic, and under its influence abandoned the sick without aid or attention, by wliich neglect many fatal cases have occurred, it has been deemed expedient, with a view to restore public confidence, and to check the calamity as far as possible, to form an Association, the members of •Hf :\i; I I ■'I V 156 THE RELIEF ASSOCIATION. which hereby bind themselves to succour and assist the sick, and take especial care that proper attention be paid to them. 1st. This Society to be called " Relief Association." 2nd. The members are divided into sixteen Committees, accord- ing to the different wards in the city ; the duties are limited to their own ward — they have no connexion with each other. 3rd. Each Committee has the right to elect its own President, or Vice President. 4th. The Presidents of these Committees form collectively a Central Connnittee, which meets for miitual deliberations, and is empowered to vary the appointments of the Ward Committees, by exchanging the members, so as to make the duties and labours fall equally on every one. 5th. As soon as a member is called upon to assist a patient, he must immediately either repair in person to the sick bed, or without delay procure the attendance of a doctor, and see that every care be taken of the patient. 6th. The President of each Ward Committee must state to the Secretary of the Central Committee the name and place of resi- dence of eacli member. He is also bound to make a regular report to said Secretary, in case any of the members are prevented from attending to their duty, or wish to leave the city. 7th. All funds, collected by subscriptions, to promote the object of this Association, are to be distributed by the Central Committee among the Ward Committees, and all accounts are afterwards to be examined by the former. ( . CHAPTER VIII. J'aimc a mc peindre nn vrai citoyen mcditaiit ilans son cabinet solitaire : la patiie est a ses cotes, la justice et I'lnimanite sont (levant Ini, les fantomes des nialheuieux renviionnent, la jtitie I'agite, et des larmes coulent de ses yeux. Thomas. 1 1' ' •H No city in the whole Union has so many public institutions, having more or less be- nevolence and instruction for their object, as Boston. I shall only mention a few of the principal ones, as their number does not permit me to enlarge so fully on their merits as I could wish. Among these, the Lyceum of Boston un- questionably occupies a prominent place. It was founded, if I mistake not, about the year 1829, and has ever since met with great suc- cess. This excellent institution is divided in classes, devoted to different sciences, such as mathematics, natural philosophy, astronomy, &c. The annual lectures have been nume- rously attended, and justly appreciated by :t^ »5, ,n'- 158 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. s u I //' visiters. The Lyceum has several branch establishments, some in Massachusetts, some in other States, and thereby materially con- tributes to the propagation of general know- ledge. The Mechanics' Lyceum is not exactly on the same plan as the former, but has, never- theless, done a great deal of good among that class of citizens whose name it bears. I was confidently assured tlidt many of its members are men of no ordinary information. The society publishes a periodical, called " The Young Mechanic," which possesses merit, and gains an increased circulation. The Mechanics' Association and the Me- chanics' Institution are two other societies, totally distinct from each other, but having also the advancement of knowledge for their aim. The first-mentioned is the oldest of its kind in Boston, composed exclusively of masters. Lectures are delivered here weekly in the winter season, and alms distributed with a liberal hand to distressed fellow-me- chanics. The other, again, is accessible to all classes of mechanics ; lectures are here also delivered. It possesses a small collection of implements suitable for the different wants of the members. '"i PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 159 The Association of Mechanics' Appren- tices is one of the most remarUable institu- tions in the city. Apprentices here deliver lectures every week, which, at times, arc so sensible and well turned that they would not disgrace even literary men. A speech, made by one of these individuals, at a late annual meeting, actually breatlied, in some places, strains of eloquence and poetry. Young- members, whose means do not jiermit the ex- pence of an education, may here receive it gratis. A library, by no means inconsider- able, belongs to the institution, to which a collection of natural and mechanical curi- osities has lately been added. The Society for the Propagation of Useful Knowledge also originated in Boston. It has already published several works under the name of " American Miscellanies of Use- ful Knowledge," which answers the purpose remarkably well. The publications are sold at a very cheap rate, and contain information of great public utility. It would be a desi- deratum, indeed, if every city in the world could boast of a similar society. The march of intellect would then rapidly advance : slaves, now sunk into an abject state of igno- rance and degradation, groaning under the '/ if M, ?;•»*■»-»«»-«. .-,--4-' 1()0 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. i(\ yoke of tyranny and oppression, would then no longer bear the delusive quiet of their dungeons, but endeavour to shake off the fetters. Reflection is the natural offspring of an enlightened mind. It engenders a desire to recover rights inherent in man. Passive- ness of thought gives way to a more active development of th( *'iculties. The bonds of subserviency are gradually broken asunder ; and the mind, once unshackled, breathes anew a pure and free atmosphere. Thus it is that an intellectual effort, sooner than violent and reprehensible measures, slowly, but with more certainty, prepares the attain- ment of an object of vital importance to the human heart — public and private liberty all over the world. The Young Men's Association for the Pro- pagation of Science and Literature ; The Young Men's Benevolent Society ; The Young Men's Society for Intellectual and Moral Exercises ; The Young Men's (of the Baptist sect) Education Society: — these are the names of four of the principal societies created by the young men of Boston. The two first have already effected much good in their particular branches. The third was only formed a few months ago ; it has an PUBLIC INSTiTL'TIONS. H\[ excellent collection of books, and several con- venient saloons, where members, as well as strangers, have frequent opportunities of forming' many interesting acquaintances, on- joying good company, and, at the same time, improving their minds by useful books and general conversation. The fourth is chiefly intended to form able clergymen, the great scarcity of whom is severely felt by the com- munity. It would be no easy matter to ima- gine, at a distance, the indefatigable zeal dis- played by this as well as by every other sect in the pursuit of its object. I know persons, particularly in Massachusetts (which may be called the school for the education system, now spreading all over the world), who sacri- fice time, repose, and property, for the suc- cess of the good cause. Not content with labouring for their own country — offering, no doubt, a sufficient field for their exertions — they extend their liberal views to Asia, Africa, and Europe. At Burmah, at Siam, at the different African settlements, in many of the European States even, their missionaries are invariably foand, whose education has been properly and carefully attended to be- fore they were sent on their remote expedi- tions. VOL. I. M M if' M '■) f 102 PEACE SOCIETY. r.' ■I f Societies of this description are annually increasing" in the Northern States of the Union ; and the friends of relij>ion fondly anticipate the time when the true Gospel shall be promulgated in the North as well as the South, by such men only as possess intel- lectual capacity for preaching- tiie commands of the Almighty. Among the associations in Boston remark- able in their kind is that of the Peace So- ciety ; it has many adherents in the country. Its object is to inculcate a general aversion to war, as perfectly irreconcileable with the principles of the Christian faith. " War is an immoral pursuit," said one of the members of the Society to me ; " for the doctrine of the Redeemer was mildness, and effusion of blood and murder were foreign to him. M'ar is even unnecessary, and history proves it. Does victory always crown a just cause? or success compensate for the blood spilt — for the hatred excited in the vanquished — or for that vindictive feeling which lies dormant, and only ceases with life ? Envy, misrepre- sentation, and, above all, personal considera- tions, too often engender hostilities. Ambi- tion and revenge not unfrcquently induce a chief to launch the firebrand among millions ; PRACK SOCIKTV. KU niul those, to show thoir sul)s<'rvioiK'y, cut down and murder each other. For these acts of wantonness, so revolting to humanity, they are rewarded, acquire renown, and an immortal name. *' Christianity and pii, anthropy show us, however, that one nation seldom thrives on the ruins of another ; that the prosperity of our neighbour invariably operates beneficially on our own. Could not a better tribunal bo found, for the settlement of difreren«es be- tween nations, than an appeal to arms ? Is there not enough of misery, disease, and trouble in the world ? Whichever way we turn, do we hear of anything but misfortunes and acts of violence? To remedy tliose ought to be the real field for the exercise of true and meritorious heroism. To improve mankind, and lighten the sum of misery, this is the only glory worthy of man. Patience, self-denial, courage, and reason, are qualities not less required on the field of benevolence than on that of battle. Divost poetical de- scriptions of heroic deeds, so enchanting to our youthful ears, of their exaggerated and lofty garb, and substitute the form of simple truth, and the brilliancy of warlike achieve- ments will soon vanish before our too blinded I\I 2 * «i \' / « II t'.^ii' 164 STATU OF KDIJCATION, ■ M imagination. But if, after all, tiic doctrine should still prevail that war is indispcnsahle, then the formation of Peace Societies heconie the more important, to proclaim to the world the absolute necessity of a Christian love for peace. •' Oh ! could I but live to see the day when my beloved country, ruled by princi|)les of peace and justice, and relying entirely on the protection of the Almighty, shall relinquish the idea of threatening the world with her fleets!" Besides the institutions just mentioned, there are the Massachusetts' Public Flospital, the Lunatic Asylum, the State Prison in Charlestown, Day and Sunday Schools, all deserving the attention of strangers. According to the information I received on the spot, the number of young men wholly devoted to study in Massachusetts, and whose age varied from fifteen to twenty, amounted to twenty-four thousand eight hundred and fifty. In the city of Boston alone, there were, in the year 1833, no less than three thousand three hundred and fifty children educated at the public expence. The charges are defrayed by the State, and amounted, in the year 1832, to fifty-six thousand nine hundred and forty- STATE OP KDIJCATION. 1(15 seven dollars, (orty-onc cents. It often liaj)- pcns I hat, after all current cxpcnees are paid, a surplus arises out of tlic taxes raised. M'henever this occurs, this sum is applied to (he l)uil(linfj^ of new schools, or to improving^ the old. This sur|)lus has, upon several oc- casions, exceeded forty thousand dollars a year. Independently of the children just stated, the Sunday Schools also educate a larj^'c pro- portion, who arc all instructed in the Christian faith. The latter establishments have of late been very successful in this State, as well as in various parts of the Union, and may be called the religious Lancastcrian system. One of these Sunday Schools, the members of which belong- to the sect of Baptists, whose head- {|uarters are in Boston, had, in the year 1832, one hundred and forty-four schools, in which thirteen thousand one hundred and twenty yoinig children were instructed by one thousand seven hundred and nineteen teachers. America, it is well known, has no established religion. Fugitive pilgrims, persecuted in England for their religious opinions, sought in the New World that liberty of conscience which was denied them in the Old. Every 1 V ;jMtMa«MM 1 r I IfiC) FREEDOM OF RELIGION. I ■ J ' Jt I r ! ;i opinion of the Deity was here unshackled. Relig'ion was considered the exclusive pro- perty of conscience and God, and exempt from all other constraint. The State was distinct from the Church : neither had a right to interfere with the other, except to protect individuals in the quiet exercise of the creed which they conceived to be the culy true one. p]ven the clergy was in most of the constitu- tions of the States by particular clauses ex- cluded from all participation in public affairs. Thus one of the most important and eventful experiments, ever attempted upon so exten- sive a scale, was made, namely, whether religion may be sustained in a country with- out the protection or support of the Govern- ment. The period elapsed since the creation of the Republic certainly speaks in favour of its practicability : how far the experience of future times will justify it I do not venture to anticipate. This freedom of religion has, however, been the means of forming a great many sects, the names of which, as well as their varied pro- fessions, it is no easy matter to enumerate. The difference in many is but trilling, and only perceptible in exterior forms. A great number are solely distinguished liy insignifi- DISTINCTION BETWEEN SECTS. 1G7 n cant modifications of the same creed. When a young- clergyman, for instance, commences his career, to gain importance and make pro- selytes, he generally pretends to deviate from the other f illovvers in the observance of some unmeaning exterior form, without, however, rtyccting the fundamental principles upon which tlie sect is founded. His friends then lose no time in building a church for him. Tiie adherents now meet to listen to the new preacher, and in a sliort time his congrega- tion becomes so considerable that he obtains a comfortable livelihood by it. The distinction between all these sects may be classed as follows : 1st. Diftbreiico of opinion witli rej^iiril to the Rodeemer. 2iul. DiHorcnfe of opinion of the cloniency of Cod. 3iil. DiHerence of opinit)n as to the fonns of worship. To the first class belong the Unitarians, to the second the Calvinists and others, to the third the Catholics, and a great many more. But, though few men agree in opinion as to the creed, yet it is easily discovered that the basis is the same with every one. As the common name of these sects is Christians, in like manner their different opinions coin- cide that there exists a Supreme Being, through whose infinite goodness the world is 1 i I ' w -,-*r' tmrnm US DISTINCTION BETWEEN SECTS. ' •'"' ;. I' i>\ i ruled and supported, and whom we must worship — that Christ was the Messiah al- luded to in the Old Testament — that resur- r,ectioii will take place — and that virtue and vice will, in a future state, receive their re- spective rewards and punishments. This bond of union, equally powerful in America as in Europe, which keeps together the pro- saic Unitarians and tiie superstitious Catho- lics — although otherwise so widely different in their belief — does it not, T ask, establish the exjiediency of a general and free doctrine all over the world ? Why should not a Lu- theran be allowed to worship his Creator in the manner he conceives the most proper, in a country where perhaps the number of Catho- lics is greater than that of Protestants, and I'icc versa? Are not both Christians ? Can there be any difference before the throne of the Almighty between a follower of the Pope, who offers his prayers in a kneeling posture, and a Protestant, who performs the same holy office standing? Is it not enough that he is a pious man ? What more do we want to know ? The Calvinists have the greatest number of adherents in the United States. Next to them come the Methodists, Presbyterians. SECTS IN THE UNITED STATES. 160 n^i ^i Orthodox Cong-reg-ationalists, Catholics, and followers of the Episcopal Church. In the New p]ng'land States, the Congregationalists and the Presbyterians are the most numerous : but in tlic State of New York, the Presbyterians, Con- grcgationalists, and Methodists, take the lead, in xVew Jersey and Delaware, the Presbyte- rians are the most numerous : in Pennsylvania they are also first ; and then follow the Cal- vinists, Lutherans, and Quakers. In Mary- land, Florida, and Louisiana, there arc mostly Catholics : in Virginia, North and South Ca- rolina, Baptists, Presbyterians. Episcopalians, and ]\Iethodists : in Georgia, Baptists and Methodists : in the Western States, the Me- thodists stand foremost, and are estimated at eight hundred thousand ; next to them, follow the Baptists, seven hundred thousand ; Pres- byterians, five hundred and fifty thousonr! ; Catholics, four hundred ai^ i fifty thousand ; and so on.''* I was fortunate enougi^ to procure an ap- proximating statement ■: f all the diflbrent sects in the United States, which I hereby annex for the information of the reader. '\' '' < It Flii Vide History and Geography of the Miss-issippi Valley., by 170 SECTS IN THE UNITED STATES. u '( I %M I y wl f '' ^K'' Mr i; ... 2 .1 . rs. i 1 SECTS. 1 Preache Ill if -o § O _o ~4384 Followe Calviiiist-Baptisfs 2914 2,744,000 Free-will Baptists . 300 400 150,000 ]'"rcc (.'oinniuiiion Baptists 30 30,000 Soveiitli-day Baptists 30 40 20,000 Six-PriiU'iplc Baptists^ 25 30 20,000 I'lii'.aiicipator Biii)(i:-<1s 15 4,500 Methodists of llie J'',)»isc<)|)al riimrh 1777 2,(10(».()00 V^arioiis Associations of IMetliodists 350 175,000 Piosln toriaiis (Gieiioral Ass-inbly) 1801 2253 1,800,000 (Jiinibcrlaiurs J'losbyterians . ' . 50 75 100,000 Various Associalious'of Presbyterians 74 144 100,000 ('onirreject, by the care displayed in form- ing- able preachers. Theolog-ical institutions are maintained at their expense, and the qualifications required from each clergyman not inconsiderable. " We shall soon be able," said one of the followers of this sect to me, " to send a whole phalanx of preachers all over the world." As Philadelphia may be called the Cajntal of the Quakers in America, and Baltimore VOL. I. N ,»i \ 4 |l Jf 5 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 1^ i28 |50 ■■■ ^ "^ 12.2 LH iiu 116 -► Hiotographic Sciences Corpordtion 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MS 80 (716) 872-4503 S^ ^ ^ o [V o : ^ *h life. They believe nolhin^^ which is not clearly seen and demonstrated ; miracles arc rejected as incomj)rchensil)le ; there is no enthusiasm anioni;* them; their doctrine is always confined to plain prosaic expressions: lofty poetry — that strain of f!';>urative lan- g-uaj^-e, wliich for centuries past has made so many millions of martyj's — is entirely ex- cluded. No axiom is more ap])licable to the pensive, serious, and scrutini/iniv inhabitant of the New Knoland States than this : "What T do not understand, I reject as worthless and false." So said one of the most learned men in Roston to me — "Why occupy the mind \vith what is incomprehensible? Have we not enough of that which apj)ears clear and ]>iain around us?" The followers of IJnitarianism contend that like every thing else in the world, religion is exj)osed to changes and vicissi- tudes. The Christian faith — such as preached by the apostles — was suited for that parti- UNITAUIANS. 179 cular taq;o. In the ages tliat followed, it was not preserved in its pristine jjurity. One addition after another, and one alteration worse tiian the other, soon converted it into a convenient eni;'ine for (lisf;uisinj>- crimes of every kind. The reformation in (i(M-many undoubtedly unravelled the lioly truth fron> its dark recesses; ')ut the ].uri(lcation ' ' « 182 DOCK AT ( IIAHM-STONVN. M mcMitioiu'd llie rosidoncc oC ilio commodore, tlio IjMrracUs, stores, and rori»cs. A spacious dock, witl'iout exception llie finest and largest in the L'nitcd Slates, was tlien beinj;- con- structed when I visited Charlestown the first time. Jielore I Id't the States, this stupendous work was alr.'ady co!nplel<>(l. 'I'he (Ux-k, built of t;ranile. is linislied in a style tliMt rellects the j;reatest credit on the builder ; it is two hundred and ten feet in length, and roomy cnoui;h for the largest battle ship. The wat?r is |)umpcd out by a steam-engine. Two gates, of w hich one is floating, arrest the influx of the sea. The stonework alone is stated to have consisted of no less than five hundred thousand cubic feet. Several men-of-war, frigates, and sloops, were lying there dismantled, and partly covered by houses or sheds erected for that purpose. All the ships are built of live oak, or (jucrciis senipcrrirens, which grows in the Southern States. This building material is well known as being particularly hard, com- pact, and durable, and, consequently well calculated for the .'onstruction of ships. Among the vessels shown to me was one whose fame had already reached my ears, and with which every one in America, old ■|: nit: iu.\>.iin. HON tniOATi;. Ib3 and yoiini;'. is a('(|uainto(l. Tliis was the Constitution, a fV':i;ato of Ibrtv-foiir i;imis. She is oiKM)!' the oldest ships in the Anuriean na\ V, was built in lioston, in tlie year 17M7, and has upon various oeeasions showed hei- prowess in eondniting the Knj;lisli and the Tri- j)olitans. Fcrtune lias every w here favoured her : not only has s!ie escaped from far superior enenii( s, Inil has l)ccn victorious in several rc'iconder^. (Mj)lnring* frigates, cor- vettes, ai.d sloops of war, and carrying* lionie a nunilxM' of i)risoncrs. I'or these repeated deeds of valour, she was called by the iio- nourable name, " 0]<1 Ironside," l)y which she is distini;uished to ti»is very day. She is the pride and boast of Americans, particularly of the Bostonians, with whom she is a durliiu;' object. Kcw men-of-war have done more than this ship. Whenever Old Ironside proceeds to sea, all eyes are fixed upon her, confident that she will give a good account of herself: on returning, she is enthusiastically greeted by the whole nation. At one extremity of Charlestown, there are two hills, called Breed's Hill and Bunker's Hill, known in history as the spots where one of the battles was fought during the revolu- tionarv war, in which tiie Americans were U' •' t I if/ 181 ULNKEKS HILL — LYNN. « ol)li«»e(l to j>ivo way. Tliis took place in the year 1775, and lias, strange enough, been called the battle of Hunker's Hill, although, properly speaking, it ought to have gone by the name of Hreed's Hill, where the light actually took place. Kilty years subse(jucntly to this event, or in the year 1H25, in the pre- sence of (leneral l^afayette and a number of revolutionary officers and soldiers, the foun- dation-stone was laid for a granite monument in the shaj)e of an obelisk. The work, how- ever, went on but slowly, and even in 1833 it was far from being completed. The distance from Charlestown to Lynn is only a few miles. This little town, one of the oldest in the Union, has a population ex- clusively devoted to the manufacturing of shoes. Of six thousand inhabitants, one fourth may be s:iid to be shoemakers. Some of the masters emj)loy fifty workmen, and it was reported that one of them could turn out twelve hundred pair a week, being, if we take twelve hours in the day, at the rate of one pair of shoes for every fourth minute. The annual (juantity of boots and shoes manufactured at this place amounts to a million, the greater part of which are disposed of in the Southern States. Contracts are SALFM. 185 ' gcMKMally iiKule beforehand with the manu- facturers. In every liouse in the town, witli a few exceptions, workshops are to be seen, and the eye meets nothing- but slioemakers at their last. This is truly carryinj^^ on the siioe- makinj;' business to a great extent. Salem, also one of the oldest towns in America, was founded in the year 1()2(>, and bore formerly the Indian name of Xaumkeag*. It contended a long time for commercial supremacy with Boston, but was at length obliged to yield the palm to its too powerful neighbour. Trade and navigation have of late years visibly decreased, and many of the principal inhabitants have in consequence re- tired from business, while some have removed to Boston. Much wealth is still to be found in Salem, of which the exterior appearance gives at first sight a good idea. The houses are tastefully and ornamentally built. The streets are rather narrow, but a stranger \,^ so pre-occupied with the justly celebrated female beauties of the place as to have no leisure for finding fault with the architectural part of the town. Salem possesses a museum, the most inter- esting of its kind in the United States. It belongs to a society, of which no one can f 1 1 1, I II ]S() nKvi:nLi;\ >I5 !)0('()in(' :i member till he li;i.s doubled Ci\\n) I lorn or the ( iijie ol (iood I I()|)e. I'rom every \niii ol" di.' worl.i einiosilic's, anlKHiities, and costumes, lo«;-('th"i' with oilier reinai'kablc tIiiMi;s, are brou!»ht hither, interest in j^- to the aiiti((uarian as well as to the naturalist. No traveller ouj»;ht tocjuit this part of thu country without visiting' the museum of Salem. Close to the town is IJeverley, a small in- sij^'nilleant plaee, I'eniarkable only in the annals of history, as haviim- rorr.ierlv con- taincd a superstitious ))opuhui;)n. Many lives have here I I'eii saerilieed ; and the barren hill is still in existence, u here persons accused of Nvitehcr.d't were liiu.^^' up on tall trees. Ti'adition, e\ni2;gerated and fabulous no doubt, points out the plaee where the witches of old resided. Cotton .Mather re- counts in a work, ■• trul} original for that age, that the good |)eo))Ie who lived near Mas- sachusett's Jiay were every night roused from their slumber by the sound of a trumj^et, summoning all the witches and demons. And til. ic tliiit niaiil llic InimiH-l iimg, And idck mid liill icjilii'd, And (low 11 (lie '::l(Mi stiaiigc sluidows spraiip, Muital and (loud — ii wizard gang. Seen dimly side by side. * Miignalia, bv Cotton Mather. NKNVHURY POUT. 187 Tlicy iriitlicn'd tlHMC fidin cvi ry linul 'I'llllt >lci'|M'tll ill tl|l> Mill ; Tlicy I'liiiD* will) •i\n'\\ iiikI cliiiriii in liiinl, \\ ailiiii; llifir .MiislciS* liiyli toiiimuinl, Sla\fi In llir |-;vil One!* Xc'vvliiiry Port is a town wliicli Iwis scmmi i(s l)('st (lays : it is now sunk into insi<;ni- (if;uK'o. It is situated near tlio .Mcrrimac, one ol llic many beautiful rivers wliieli traverse the immense continent of Noi'tli America. 'JMie port is good, but (Icscrted and empty. Within ten years, the bustle and trade have considerably decreased : mackarel-lishinf;- ap- ])ears to give exclusive sup|)()rt to a declining- population. The exterior of tiie town, the iiouscs. and streets, bespeak its decline. On leaving- this, place, and proceeding by the susi)ension-bridg-e, built on four arches, and one thousand feet in length, the traveller enteis the territory of New Hampshire. In this State are the celebrated White Moun- tains, the highest in the IJjiited States, with theexcej)tion of the llocky Mountains. Among them, Mount Washington rises highest : its summit is live thousand three hundred and fifty feet above the level of Connecticut rivei*, or about six thousand four hundred feet above that of the sea. Besides these mountains, l.pjrrnds of New Kngliuid. • l> H I 1 M \ I J I" t> IHS poRisMorrii. !.f' \'i. (Iwre arc several others traversing* tlie State in various direetions, interspersed with rich pasturage. Along tlie coast, nothing hut stones, sand, and sterility, is seen ; but in the interior the soil is more fertile, and in many |)laees covered with extensive woods. The climate is healthy, though cold. Concord, the capital, is situate in the middle of the State, on the River Merrimac. Portsmouth is the most considerable town in New Hampshire, and the only sca-|)ort. It is watered by the river Piscataqua, forming one of the safest harbours in the Tnion. The environs are embellished by neat country- seats; but the town itself has nothing striking. It has suffered considerably by frequent fires, and, as its trade has been visibly on the de- cline, no pains iiave been taken to rebuild the houses. The old town, which has hitherto escaped the effects of conflagrations, has such a wretched ap|iearance that the spectator fancies himself removed to some small Euro- pean hamlet, just emerged from the horrors of war, pestilence, or persecution. Fn the midst of these ruins, however, I found a standard of liberty, on the top of which a gilt eagle spread its wide wings ; beneath it, was written, in largo characters, that it was erected STATF, OF MMNF. ISU M for tlie rclobration of tho Itli of .Inly, the day on wljii'h America (Icclarod lior indciuMulciu'c. On a small island opposite Portsmouth is another station lor the l.'nited States Navy, I shi enelosin<>- several snips. When the traveller leaves the river Pisea- tatjna. he enters the State of Maine : before iH'iO, it formed part of Massachusetts. Kvery step indicates an approach to the North : cul- tivated fields become more rare, the soil ap- pears less yielding, forests increase, the pine — this child of the North — assumes its em- pire, the neat cottages so conspicuous in the New England States disappear. The whole country has a Northern appearance ; and the inhabitants, with their golden locks and rosy cheeks, forcibly reminded me of my own far remote but much-beloved country. During several months in the year, the rivers and lakes arc covered with ice, as in Sweden : forests lie under the weight of snow-moun- tains : fields, rocks, valleys, all are dressed in the white winter mantle. I fancied I recognised the heavy clouds, the fresh air ; that T heard the sound of the sleigh bells ; and I pictured to myself all the pleasures of a winter's evening, with snow on the ground, and dancing, and singing, and toast- 1 \ V I t n n \' 0* ■? 1 .1 190 HIIEAKNECK HILL CATARACT. :, r *i". an ' If I t ing', within doors. Such were the illusions of my fancy, entirely bent on Sweden, when first I entered ]Maine. In the course of this day's journey, T passed through the small towns of York, Welles, Kennebunk, and Saco. The road was very indifferent, and the country g'cnerally bore the appearance of sterility and uniformity. Several manufactories are established near Saco. Not far from Welles is a rock called Breakneck Hill, forming a cataract forty feet high. According to tradition, a great number of Indians met here a melancholy fate. They were returning* from a fishing' excursion to the upper part of the river. Surprised by darkness before they arrived at the falls, they despatched a small party to make up a fire on the very rock which divides the cataract, intending* thereby to guard against danger. Some Whites residing in the neighbourhood having obtained information of their intention, killed the party thus sent. Combustibles of every description were has- tily collected, and a fire lighted on one of the banks below the falls. The Indians, in full reliance on their comrades, did not perceive the sti'atagem till it was too late to arrest the progress of their boats. All were precipi- FKMALK ilKUorSM. lill tatod down the falls in an instant, and pe- risiicd by the side of each otlior, in a common grave. It is not surprising' if these and similar barbarities inspired a dead!)' hatred and a thirst for vengeance. It was ])r()bably under this influence that five hundred Indians are stated to have attacked a small redoubt, situate a short distance from thence, and of which some traces are still left. No white men happened to be in the redoubt when assailed : five women formed the only gar- rison. These determined to defend them- selves, and to sell their lives dearly. Disguised in the attire of men, they fired on the enemy with so much effect that the Indians at length raised the siege and fied. Every stranger visiting the New England States is struck with a prominent feature, characteristic of the inhabitants — namely, that of curiosity. All must positively know their neighbours' business. To elude answer- ing inquiries is nearly the same as hokhng the questioner ow ' a slow fire. He suffers more than a snake in an ant-hill, if the follow- ing questions are not immediately answered : " Who are you ? Where do you come from ? Where are you going ? What is your busi- ) »^' »■ ) ■ . ' i t ?■ 1 192 CURIOSITY OF THE AMERICANS. f! \tf\ I ■ I I"' ii ness ?" &c. The great F'ranklin was well acquainted with this characteristic, and was therefore in the habit, whenever he proceeded to the eastward, and arrived at a place, to call together all the inmates of the house where he stopped, and tell them that his name was Benjamin Franklin, that he came from such and such a place, that he intend- ed to go to another, that the object of his journey was so and so, and, finally, that he intended to return by such and such a route. This was an excellent way to prevent ques- tions, and always insured him tranquillity. When travelling in a stage coach, nothing is more common than for one traveller to ask another the history of his life, and it is hardly possible to evade answering without incur- ring the displeasure of the whole company. Our coach contained no less than nine in- side passengers, travelling all the way from Portsmouth to Portland ; before we had pro- ceeded one-eighth part of the journey, we knew each other as well as if we had been educated in the same college. Inquiries were not limited to a mere personal biography : grandmothers, uncles, cousins, and aunts, were respectively brought into play, seasoned with appropriate anecdotes and comments. I CURIOSITY OF THE AMERICANS. 103 Each narrative was always accompanied by the elegant expression, " says she," or " says he," g'enerally exciting' merriment with the auditory. To give a faint idea of the latitude to which curiosity is carried, I will report a short and humourous conversation which took place in the course of our journey between two gentlemen, immediately upon their stepping into the coach. A. You come from Boston, I guess ? B. I left Boston yesterday. A. You live there, I presume? B. Not quite. A. Perhaps from Cambridge, or Lowell ? B. (Did not answer immediately). A. Well ! from Lowell. Concerned in some manufactory there, [ guess ? B. Just so. A. How do the manufactories come on ? Do they pay ? B. Tolerably well. A. You have a large family, haven't you ? B. Not without. A. Your father was probably also a manu- facturer, I reckon ? B. Yes ; you are right. A. Pardon me, what was his name? B. The same as mine. VOL. 1. o :\^ ^ V \' <' I i\ i I W/t i' .' \ 194 CURIOSITY OF THK AMERICANS. A. Gilford, Dickens, or Gornm, perhaps? B. No, Sir ; neither of these names. A. May I be allowed to ask who I am speaking to ? B. My name is A. Really ! Well, there was a gentleman of that name I knew ten years ago at Plymouth ; he must surely have been your brother. Was he not? B. No, but probably my cousin. A. Cousin ! then you have no brothers ? B. Yes, two. A. They are also engaged in manufactur- ing, I calculate? B. Only one of them. A. And the other, what is he doing ? Gone into business, I suspect. B. He is a farmer. A. Has he a large family ? B. A considerable one. A. He must have a large farm, many sheep, cows, swine, geese, &c. The questions and answers were thus inter- ruptedly continued for more than half an hour, when A had at length exhausted his inquiries. B, who, to judge by his laconic answers, appeared little pleased with these fatiguing questions, now began to repay his r PORTLAND. 195 antagonist in the same coin, and did not leave off till A had given him a circumstantial ac- count of his whole family, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brothers, sisters, cousins, and their relations, with anecdotes relating to each, together with the particulars of tlicir occupation, income, property, &c. When the colloquy was concluded, both appeared hear- tily tired. I could not refrain from indulging in a hearty laugh, and should probably have continued it for some time, had not my neigh- bour in the coach thought proper to break it off, by placing me under examination. At length the stage entered Portland. This rising town is the seat of the Legisla- ture for Maine, and lies on a peninsula, ex- tending into Casco Bay. A few handsome private and public buildings may be seen ; but the streets are neither paved nor Mac- adamized, so that, although the summer was not yet over, they were in such bad condition, that passengers ran the risk of being every minute engulphed in a mud-hole. The trade of this place is considerable : the active po- pulation has particularly directed its atten- tion to ship-building, for which it is distin- guished. The principal exports hence are deal, timber, and fish. An observatory has O 2 ^i 1 ♦ i ' i 1 '■ ■* h' ' i Tt,-,- - IJIO SOIL OF MAINE. ( I /i,n / been erected on an eminence at one end of the town, from the top of which the prospect is very beautiful, and in clear weather the white mountains in New Hampshire may be seen. One evening, during my short stay at Port- land, I met a very well informed and experi- enced man, lately returned from a visit to the interior of Maine, where he had been examin- ing the soil of some uncultivated and wild tracts of land, part of which he intended to ])urchase at an approaching sale, for the pur- pose of cultivation. " That portion of land," observed he, " which is situate between the rivers Penobscot and Kennebec, but particu- larly near Augusta and Hallowell, is so well cultivated and thickly peopled, that one can scarcely fancy himself in Maine. But, farther on in the State, neither the axe nor the plough has ever been used. Great treasures are still to be found in the immense forests and in the maiden soil. The climate is no doubt rather severe, and does not offer all the ad- vantages of a Southern or Western one ; but it is at least healthy, and does not weaken the body. In Maine, no emigrant can grow in a twelvemonth, but he is sure to do it in ten years. Why should it therefore be said, that because a man can earn an independence I ' \\ ;\' li.MIGllATION T<1 rilF. UNITED STATES. \i)l in the course of one year in the South or West, it would be folly to settle in the North, and wait ten? What is gained in one respect is lost in another; for those who, in the first mentioned States, accomplish their object in one tenth part of the time, generally die ten years before those in the North. The emi- grant may therefore choose between a short and pleasant life, and a long and laborious one. For my part, I prefer the latter." The expression of these sentiments, which at first appeared to me as rather emanating* from a partial source, induced me, neverthe- less, to make further inquiry into the subject. Europe sends yearly shoals of emigrants to the United States. In the year 1833, there arrived at New York forty-one thousand seven hundred and fifty-two passengers, of which two-thirds may be said to be emigrants : if, therefore, vve admit the number twenty-seven thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, and add thereto the same number, which come to other ports and from Canada, the aggregate sum of emigrants that annually resort to the United States will be about fifty-five thousand six hundred. Generally speaking, they pos- sess a very small sum of money, after paying for their passage across the Atlantic, and with < It \h im PRICES OF LAM). r '■i it they proceed either to the West, South, or North, acconling to recommendations given by individuals they accidentally meet. Thosewho take their chance in the Northern States, such as New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, are for the most part deterred by fear of epidemics, pictured to them in the most discouraging colours, from visiting the West- ern or Southern States, as they are accustomed to severe climates. They purchase unculti- vated land, either from government or private companies, at prices varying from two and a half to four dollars per acre : for land already cultivated they pay from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars. Those again, who proceed across the Alleghany Mountains, buy lots at one and a quarter to two dollars per acre : it is land in a virgin state, intersected with hills, valleys, and swamps. It is certainly an unquestionable fact, that land in the ** far West," as it is emphatically called, is by far more yielding than that of any of the Northern States just mentioned. An acre gives there upon an average seventy bushels of wheat, or ninety of Indian corn ; whereas, in the latter, it only produces half that quantity. Thus, the comparative pro- duction varies a good deal ; the price of pro- ; n WORTH OF TIMBER. 109 duce equally so. The facilities of transporting the latter down the large Western rivers to great markets materially improve the condi- tion of the farmers, by insuring higher i)rices for their commodities : still, the distance and loss of time are of such great moment, that they are often obliged to submit to heavy de- ductions before the net proceeds reach their farms. Wood, cut on their premises prepara- tory to cultivation, yields nothing : to send it down one thousand, perhaps two thousand miles, before it becomes of any value, is an expense without any corresponding remune- ration. But, in the Northern States, particu- larly in Maine, this is by no means the case. There, it is worth from three to three and a half dollars per cord. With the produce of the timber, always in demand in the neigh- bouring cold States, the prime cost of the property is paid. The soil, once cleared, generally yields, the first year, from twenty to thirty bushels of Indian corn, which, sold on the spot, fetches about fifty cents, and if sent to Boston, from sixty-five to seventy-five cents. This seems to establish the fact, that emigra- tion to the Northern States is not so discou- raging as has been represented. That it is a toilsome task cannot well be denied ; but 'i; (I l|! J -^'l m 2(M) IIARDSIIII'S FOR FMUHJANTS. settlers are, at least, exempt from sieknes^. By industry and perseverance, an independ- ence may certainly be acquired, but it can only be eflccted in process of time. \u the Western States, again, emigrants have, in the first instance, to defray heavy travelling exi)enccs, before they arrive at their place of destination. They then must pay an exorbitant price for agricultural im- plements, alvv.ays high in a distant and thinly- peopled country. Unaccjuainted with the climate, they invariably commit acts of im- prudence. Destitute of means, whole families are obliged, at first, to live in the open air, exposed to the miasmas and vapours continu- ally arising from the swamps. Diseases, often of a malignant nature, follow as a natural consequence. Deprived of medical assistance, they have to contend with their effects, and are at the same time obliged, with the sweat on their browns, to work for food ! How often does the first year's experiment leave the settler a widower, childless, and fatherless ! However, this dreadful state of sickness will gradually disappear, like a shadow, before the influence of civilization. As soon as the country becomes inhabited, the swamps drained and cultivated, and the \-i\ niSEASKS. 201 woods chan^od inlo lortile lit'lds, lUv cliinati' will become more healthy, and the emigrant he freed from this learl'id scourge — sickness and debility. The dread of fevers and agues, however, |)revents many Europeans from settling in the woody parts of the Western Countries. In the Old World, nothing is more common than to hear ol)jecti()ns raised against emigrations to the United States. The country is repre- sented as being the abode of every species of disease. By degrees, this erroneous impres- sion will be removed. Encouraging state- ments, 1 have no doubt, will be transmitted by Europeans, enjoying comforts and health in their new settlements ; and the day will come when the children of emigrants, who have gone through the trying ordeal, will be exhibited as patterns of health and strength. Among numerous objections I remember having heard in Europe against the tide of emigration, were certain difficulties men- tioned as emanating from various States. The nature of these, taken in unison with the personal risk and trouble inseparable from emigration, were, according to the opinion of many enlightened men, sufficient grounds for the intended exiles rather to remain at 202 PURCHASK OF LAND. l^<' . IV ^< lioino ill Ji state of |)()vorty aiul misery, even with slavery and wretchedness as coni|)anions, than to take tlic chance of liberty and in(h'- pendence, since neither could beaccjuircd, but at the evident risk of life. No State, that I am aware of, throws any impediment in the way of emigration or colo- nization, except Massachusetts. There the laws are opposed to an alien holding- land until he becomes a naturalized citizen, ikit, notwithstanding- this exception, many fo- reigners purchase soon after their arrival tracts of land in the State. It is done by leases, for a period of ninety-nine years, equi- valent to an actual purchase, in a country where property seldom remains long in the hands of one family. Massachusetts is, how- ever, a State to which few emigrants resort. The land being poor, the major part of the poj)u- lation direct their attention to manufacturing {)ursuits, or quit for the Western Country. In States less populous, such as INlaine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, &c., the Le- gislature gives every possible encouragement to emigration. The price of land is very mode- rate, and may be bought on credit by mort- gaging it. It is, besides, an adopted rule in )p I'ftOSPHC IB FOR KM 10 RANTS. 203 these regions, that. wl ipnevcr an emig rant arrives, for the |)ur|. )SC of St ((ling. the w liolc neighbourhood UKseinhh's and assl^ Afi in rais- ing a temporary dwelling lor him, that ho may at least have shelter over his head for himself and family. This assistance, indis- pensable in a country where no workmen can be hired, added to the trifling amount of taxes, materially contributes to remove the first and greatest difliculties an emigrant has to encounter in a wild district. If hrr possesses property to the extent of one hundred dollars, he may, by hard labour and industry, the first year earn barely enough to support himself and family: the second he will do it easily ; and the subsequent ones much better than he has been used to in Europe. I have been assured that if a man proceeds to the States just mentioned, with a capital of two thousand dollars, he may purchase more land and houses than he will be able to manage. This sum might therefore be con- sidered the maximum in the purchase of land in the uncultivated districts. Whoever em- barks this amount the first year is looked upon as a very wealthy man. This applies to the most remote and still thinly-peopled States. ■'t 1' Ml i A ^1 h < ii :"i ! ■ } ■ \ :i f I 204 PRODUCTIONS OF THE STATES. V.ft\ , ' 1 1 The price of beasts of burden, necessary for agriculture, varies according to the distance of tiie place from the ocean. Upon an average, thirty to forty-five dollars arc paid for a cow, seventy to eighty for a pair of oxen, and ninety- live dollars for a strong working horse. But these high prices are not common ; they can scarcely be considered as a criterion. The principal produce is tobacco, cotton, rice, sugar, Indian corn, wheat, and rye. To- bacco grows mostly in Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, and Ohio ; cotton in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South and North Carolina, and Flo- rida ; rice, in Carolina and Louisiana ; sugar, in Louisiana and Florida ; Indian corn in Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and some of the Northern States ; wheat, in Illinois, Missouri, and some of the middling States ; rye, in the districts north of the River Hudson. In the Southern States, cotton, tobacco, sugar, and rice, are considered staple articles. In the Northern, again, Indian corn and wheat take the first place. I will advert to the first-mentioned articles in a future chap- ter, when speaking of the South. The prices of the Northern produce, namely, Indian corn, wheat, and rve, are sub- i \ t PRODUCTIONS OF TFIF. STATES. 205 jcct to great fluctuation in the Eastern or Western States, depending more or less on the contiguity of markets to the plantations. [n the principal towns, bordering on the Atlantic Ocean, they have upon an average been for some time as follows : rye from tlie North from seventy to seventy-five cents i)er bushel ; rye from the South sixty to sixty- five cents; wheat, ninety cents to one dollar; Indian corn sixty-five to seventy-five cents. In the interior, and in the Western States, where transport to a market is long and difficult, Indian corn has only brought fifteen to twenty cents. A great quantity of flour is made from wheat in the Central States, from Virginia to New York ; the average price has, of late years, been six dollars and a half per barrel. From Portland I returned direct to Boston. At an inn on the road, where we changed horses, a dancing party had just assembled, in honour of the termination of harvest. The entertainment, which is called " husking," is given by every farmer to his neighbours, who have assisted in plucking the ears of the corn- stalks. The practice of voluntarily helping each other during harvest time is common in this h[i\ 206 SCARCITY OF LABOURERS. ' ¥f I s m part of the country, and arises from the scarcity of labouring men all over the Union. They cannot be obtained for money in many places ; I should say that they are scarce, when compared to the great population of the country. The reason lies in the very repub- lican principle that every one aspires to the condition of master, for the purpose of enjoy- ing an independent station, easily obtained. In the Northern States, exempt from slavery, the population has increased to so great an extent that salaried assistants must be found on any terms; but, the number proving in- sufficient, they often demand higher wages. In the Slave States, on the contrary, it is considered degrading to a white man to do any work that might possibly be performed by a Negro. As soon as a European, and particularly an Irishman, arrives in America, he immediately tries to get employment either as a servant or an apprentice, driven to it by poverty ; but it is almost without example that the same man, after having imbibed republican notions of equality, ever remains beyond a very short time as dependent on another, however well he may be treated by his master or mistress. His head filled with ideas of libertv, and a few dollars in his ii WAGES OF WORKMEN. 207 pocket, he starts for some remote part, buys a tract of land for a trifle and on credit, cul- tivates it, or follows some profession on his own account. In the course of a few years he grows wealthy, and becomes perhaps in time a candidate for one of the highest offices in the State. It is not surprising then, that, with such prospects before him, a man prefers being master to servant ; but, at the same time, wages consequently become high. Ma- sons, carpenters, and joiners, are as much wanted in the country as in towns, owing to the number of buildings continually being erected, An able workman of that class earns at least one dollar per diem, and in many places in the country even two dollars and a half. A common workman in the interior, or what would be called a labourer, receives from ten to twelve dollars a month, besides board and lodging, &,c., this only du- ring the summer months : in winter he gets less, except in the vicinity of woods, where he is employed in cutting and transporting tim- ber. An assistant gardener, who is acquainted with some other profession, receives about fifteen dollars a month. I was told that this " husking entertain- ment" was a real treat to young people in the f 1 1 \ ! SI ir t ;>( '! ' i 1 / 'M . ill i \A u 1 :ILdI' 208 A HUSKING FEAST. h V lUI country. As soon as the Indian corn is cut, and safely lodged in the barns, all the neigh- bours are invited to attend and pluck the ears. This operation is seldom performed without much mirth and hilarity, generally enlivened by the circulation of some excellent cider. When evening approaches, tables are spread with abundance of provisions of every descrip- tion, and dancing only ceases when Phoebus greets the company. In this manner were these people engaged when I entered the ball- room. There was not a countenance that did not express artless joy ; the motion of limbs, the clapping of hands, the bending of knees, the inclination of heads to follow time, all was in harmony with the smiles on the lips and in the eyes. Here was a perfect illustration of the pleasures of a country life, so happily portrayed by poets. Joy reigned without ostentation. There, Brown corn-fed nymphs, and strong hard-handed beaux. Alternate ranged, extend in circling rows. But the horses were harnessed, the coach- man cracked his whip. Each traveller hur- ried to the stage. Thus we left the dancing- party, and entered Boston on the following day. m » { CHAPTER X. Ho who hath loved not, lieic would learn that love. And make his heart a spirit ; he who knows That tender mystery, will love the more. For this is Love's recess. Byiion. nng' ^ing- No city in North America has more beau- tiful environs than Boston. One fancies himself actually brought back to garden-like England. Nature has no doubt vastly con- tributed her share ; but the inhabitants of the city have also taken an active part in em- bellishing these beautiful, and in many places romantic, situations. Thesurroundingcountry is every where hilly and covered with wood. Cottages are seen in every direction, giving them at once a rural appearance. Woods, formerly wild, are now converted into parks, and so contiguous that the visiter may walk from one to another without perceiving that they are divided. IVIany of these country- seats resemble a terrestrial j)aradise. Those in particular situate on the still, elysian lake, Jamaica Pond, are the finest I have seen in VOL. I. 1* W \' < ( } K 210 JAMAICA IMJM). n the New WorUl. Tlie lake itself is not very extensive; but its banks, its waters, possess something- of so enehanting- a charaetcr, that no stranger has yet been able to contcm])late either without rapture. Surely, yes, surely, its former inhabitants, the Indians, must have fancied this the spot of some great Spirit : numberless times must they have kneeled down on the grassy banks and worshipped Him who lived near this abode. ** He who hath loved not," says Childe Harold's immor- tal bard, *' here would learn that love ; he who knows that tender mystery will love the more, for this is Love's recess." This idea may very properly be applied to Jamaica Pond. I one day visited the new cemetery, planned in imitation of that of Pere la Chaise at Pa- ris, distant about four miles from Boston. It is but lately commenced, but shows already what it is likely to be. Situated on Mount Auburn, an eminence of which it bears the name, this cemetery offers to the view a variety of objects seldom witnessed in similar places. Hence may be seen hills and dales, rivulets and fields, intersected with roads and path- ways, named like the streets in a city, i^nd, in fact, why should they not be so riair.ed? What is a cemetery but a town of the dead ? I I CEMKTKllY OF MOINT AUIJUUN. 211 (lead ? It neither wants l)uil(lings nor inhabitants: the latter are there — but silent. FaicU step we advance in this receptacle of the departed reminds us of our equals, slumbering* in re- jx)se in their silent dwellinos. Above their quarters we see names written in gold. Is there no intercourse between those who inha- bit this mortal city? Silence itself! — is it not a painful language ? Look at these wee|)ing willows, these cypresses — what do they not announce? And this flower, but lately planted, spreading its fragrance through the air, this rattling and crystal-like stream, this plain- tive tone of a solitary bird — is not all this a language that speaks to the heart? Death inspires here no dread : on the contrary, a glance at this beautiful cemetery almost excites a wish to die. From the extremity of this eminence, Bos- ton may be seen enveloped, as it were, in a dark fog. Neither bustle nor noise is per- ceptible. Here stands man alone in the pre- sence of his Creator and his conscience. Above, nothing impedes the sight of the beau- tiful blue sky ; beneath repose a world of equals. Mis eye is raised above the earth, and his thoughts are directed to regions where no looks have yet been able to |)enetrate. His breast. h. 212 CEMETKRY OF MOUNT AUHURN. J^. V ■ I f I ( '< ; 4 : hitherto filled with worldly passions, now heaves with sublime and holy feelings. Tha inscription, in bron/e characters, at the en- trance of this bury ing'-g'round, further reminds him that he must himself return to dust. His own shadow indicates his insignificance in the great universe. The whitened bones scat- tered over the ground tell him to what he also must come. But he is not deterred : his reliance above is strenghtened. In the depth of his contemplations he fancies Religion whispering to his beating heart in the echo of the breeze, or in the thrilling note of the bird. He breathes, he fancies, a freer air; he forgets that he is still a wanderer on the earth. But, in the midst of these meditations, the sun is slowly returning ; his lengthened shades melt in the mysterious twilight ; the darkness of night covers with her mantle cities and fields ; trees are motionless ; flowers bend their sleepy heads ; birds seek their nests ; the serpentine pathways are illumined by millions of stars emblazoning the firma- ment; close to the Mausoleum of Genius* the evening star is seen in all her splendour. •Miss Hannah Adams, authoress of several highly esteemed his- torical works. This lady was the first person buried at Mount Auburn. She died in December, 1831. THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGR. 213 Approaching night soon forced me to leave this receptacle ol' the dead. Often did I renew my visit, and was each time more delighted with the spot. It would have been impos- sible for the inhabitants of Boston to select a more suitable situation for a cemetery. It was on the 29th of August that lec- tures recommenced at the University of Cain- bridge, distant about three miles from Boston. This is the oldest and richest academy in the United States. The buildings are of brick, without any pretension to architec- tural beauty, bearing rather a resemblance to old barracks. The library, as far as num- ber of books is concerned, has not its equal in the country : the volumes are computed at forty thousand. There is also a collection of minerals, but it is rather insignificant. The number of students annually resorting to this place is about three hundred; they are at liberty to reside either in the houses allotted by the University, or may take lodgings in town. They pay twenty-five cents a-day for board, furnished by the institution. The usual age at the time of entering is about sixteen ; it is then expected they should have some knowledge of Latin, Greek, arithmetic, geography, and history. Every one has the r 1 1 i ' i\ l^-: h. 2\\ TIIK r.NiV KIISITY OF CAMIIUIDOK. 'l\ privlleoo ofcoiirorniing' to the creed he thinks best, so that it may be said there is no pre- vailin<^* religion at this University. At tlic e\|)irati()n of four years tlie academical course is supposed to l)e completed ; the student is tiien examined, and obtains the title of " Uachelor of Arts." He now enters active life at twenty ; and may, three years after, without undergoing any further examination, take the degree of ' Master of Arts," a^ it is called. I was told, that thirty year?; ago the number of students at this Academy was the same as it is now. This appears rather strange, considering the increase of popu- lation since that period ; but it was explained to me in the following manrk": : — 1st. In former times Cambridge was the only Univer- sity in the country, whereas, now there arc several others, among which is one in New- haven, attended by five hundred students. 2nd. An opinion is prevalent, that a boy who has been several years at school has received a sufficient education, and does not require any more ; that, instead of letting him proceed at the age of sixteen to the Univer- sity to perfect his studies, it is preferable that he should learn a profession for his future support. US li:ui:m()mi',s. 215 The coronionios usiuil at the opening- of tlic Aeadeniy eoinineiu'ed, at ten o'elock in the morning-, l)y a procession to church, at- tended l)y the president of the University, the governor of JNIassachusetts, the professors, students, and strangers, invited upon tlie occasion. The cliurch was already filled with spectators, and the upj)er seats occu- ])ie(l by ladies. The ceremony commenced by a prayer ; after which the president in- vited the students, graduated as "Bachelors of Art," to deliver speeches. These orations were some in English, some in Greek, some in Latin, and all extempore. Each speaker had selected his own subject. One of them treated of radicalism, in a speech nearly in- terminable. Generally speaking", these ora- tions were couched in such lofty language, and so many metaphors were introduced, that no one but the speaker himself could understand a word. When those who aspired to the higher degree of " Master of Arts" had also gratified the audience with endless speeches, the presi- dent, with much pomp, delivered their diplo- mas to about sixty graduates. A prayer con- cluded the ceremony ; and the procession re- turned in the same order to partake of a sumptuous dinner. |)re|)ared in different sa- I • r t i\ ■ \\ 21G JOHN VUINCY ADAMS. M loons. The whole company consisted of five hunth'cd persons. Prayers were read liefore unci after the repast ; and at the end a psahn was sun^'. [n the evening, the president re- ceived visits from all the individuals who had attended the ceremony, on which occasion both host and hostess displayed the utmost courtesy and attention in welcoming strangers. At Quincy, a few miles from Boston, John Quincy Adams, formerly President of the United States, has taken up his residence en retraifc. This veteran statesman quitted his office, as First Magistrate of the Re- public, in the year 1828, and was replaced by Cieneral Jackson. He only occupied the Presidential Chair for a period of four years, or from 1824, having lost his re-election, in consequence, as was reported, of a secret alliance between him and Clay. The com- munity, jealous of its privileges, cried aloud against the machinations of the Heir Adams, * as he was nick-named, whom they suspected had acted contrary to the spirit of the Con- stitution ; and this objection was sufficient to raise the whole country against him. • His fatlier, .Fohn Adams, was the only one of the Presidents who had a son. Hence he was called heir lotlie Presidential Chair. JOHN gUlNCY ADAMS. 217 All eyes were now directed to the hero of New Orleans, ever distinguished as a zealous member ol the democratic party, and whose military achievements had already attracted the attention of the public, liy this means, Adams lost all hope of being able to follow the example of his predecessors, in occupying the Presidential Chair, for a period of two terms, or eight years. From this exalted situation, to which Kurope begins to look with admiration, he descended to the seat of a private individual in the House of Repre- sentatives. He, who by his veto could for- merly frustrate the wishes of a whole nation, now only has a single vote in the Second Chamber, and passes summers alone with his wife, in the very same house where his father, John Adams, the former President, lived and died. * This place of residence has altogether the appearance of a common farm-house, situated near the high road, shaded only by a few venerable trees, which add to the antiquity and gloom of the spot. The furniture is all " 1^ • It is a remarkable circumstance that two Presidents, John Adams and James Miinro, died on tlie anniversary of the Inde- pendence : the former on the 4th Jvilv, 1829 — the latter on the 4th July, 1832. I f «i } 5tS JOIIX (iHTIXCY ADAMS. old I'asliioncfl — the drawing-room, for in- stance, being- of red damask ; and tiie walls ornamented with portraits of ancestors dress- ed in a kind of petticoat, and with powdered wig's. Mr. Adams was from home when I paid my visit, so that 1 had no opportunity of remaining long in a place with which so many agreeable recollections are associated. I met him, however, a short distance from his residence. The former President and Magistrate in the New World was seen walking with a knife in his hand, cuttijig willow- briars to make a stick ! lie is a man between sixty and seventy, but looks much younger. He is far from being tall ; but has a fine open countenance, indicative of su- perior talents, which gains upon one by de- grees. He recollected, with peculiar plea- sure, Sweden, Stockholm, and many private individuals residing in that capital ; and, on parting, left on my mind an impression of deep respect and veneration, which can never be cflTaced. A few miles outs'de the Port of Boston is Nahant, a rock connected with the main land by a narrow promontory, where the inha- bitants resort during the summer months, to avoid the oppressive heat. The waves of an NAHANT. 219 agitated sea beat constantly against the foot of this rock, sending- their white foam higli in the air, rendering- the rugged sides con- tinually damp. The musical sounds of re- tiring- waves are as pleasing* to a townsman as the sight of the manifold sails which cover the surface of the sea. But it is more with the view of inhaling- fresh air that this spot is frequented. The first time I visited it, I found all the houses occupied by people who said they required to breathe a freer air than the city could afford. Nahant is, in my opinion, rather an un- pleasant place. A calm day is a rare occur- rence : the wind is so sharp and piercing, that one fancies himself under a European sky in November. A few miserable trees, scarcely deserving the name, are all that can grow on these rocks ; and they are likely to remain in their present immature state for centuries to come. Among the natural curiosities shown to strangers, is a crevice in a rock called " the Swallows' Cave," represented in the " Northern Traveller" as a phenomenon. I am far from being of the same opinion as the author of this publication, though the cave may possess interest with some visiters. Chcican a son soiif. h', ! '1^ 220 A BALL. 'I^i In the evening a ball was given in the hotel. Dancing consisted almost exclusively of qua- drilles, here called " Cotillions." Waltzing had but lately been introduced in society, in spite of strenuous opposition on the part of elderly ladies. At intervals it was resorted to in the course of the evening, but subject to many restrictions and exceptions. A young lady, for instance, would by no means consent . to waltz with a gentleman whom she did not previously know ; and many a prudent mother gave strong injunctions to her daughter not to permit the cavalier to approach nearer than a certain distance. But a practice which surprised me more than any other was, that one of the musicians attached to the band constantly called out to the dancers the different figures they were to go through. The individual selected upon this occasion was a true original. His under-lip appeared perfectly unconnected with the upper one : his eyes seemed to suffer from the light, for he seldom or ever opened them. The instrument on which he performed was a broken violin ; and he often beat time so loud with one foot, that the music was drowned by the noise. His features remained all the time unchanged, something like those SRA-SERPENT. 221 of an Indian witnessing the representation of a tragedy for the first time. Without taking any notice of what passed around him, he called out as loud as he could, in a hoarse and shrill voice : " Advance !" " Retreat !" " Ladies' chain !" '* Gentlemen's chain !" " Sideways !" and so on ; until a double and long cadence announced to the company that the dance was at an end. Report stated, that, not far from Nahant, a sea-monster had been seen. A number of persons positively asserted in the newspapers that they had, with their own eyes, seen the back of this stranger a considerable distance above the surface of the sea, enjoying the be- nefit of a sunny day. Guessings and calcu- lations as to the nature of the monster were to be expected from a people ever anxious that every thing should be as clear as the sun at noonday. After much discussion, it was finally settled, that the animal could be no- thing else but a sea-serpent. Incontrovertible proofs were adduced in support of this conclu- sion, and woe to him who ventured to ques- tion the existence of the animal ! Some bold and incredulous individual hazarded, it is true, an assertion, that the pretended sea-ser- pent was nothing but a shoal of porpoises ; I I |> ' ; -t 222 CATTLE-FAIR AT BllIGIlTON. but this doctrine was soon overruled : and at present the fact of a sea-serpent having- been seen in the neighbourhood of Boston is as well established in the minds of every one, as that mankind and animals in our days are only pigmies in comparison with the giants and mammoths of former times. At Brighton, a small hamlet three miles from Boston, a cattle-fair is held every year in the month of October: it is renowned all over America. Cattle is sent to this place from the remotest parts of the country ; I even remember having heard that a large drove of horned cattle, belonging to Mr. Clay, came to Brighton, all the way from Kentucky. In one single day, sales have been effected of no less than the enormous quantity of seven thousand hogs, eleven thousand sheep, and five thousand horned cattle. The fair had not commenced when I visited Brighton, but I found stalls and inclosures in every direction prepared to receive the animals on their arri- val. On returning from this excursion, I was overtaken by one of the most awful storms I ever witnessed. It came on so suddenly, that no person was prepared for it. A tolerably large proportion of hats took tlieir departure 'i ( ! UTILiry OF THE HAT. 22:^ in the first onset, and the owners ran foul of each other in quest of their proj)erty, carried away by the violence of the wind. But what particularly attracted my attention was, that within five minutes the streets were filled with fragments of paper, sailing whichever way the eye turned, together with a variety of ve- getables, pieces of linen, and other materials, entirely interrupting the view. I happened to mention this circumstance to one of the citizens of the place, and received the follow- ing remarkable answer : " No nation on earth," said he, " uses a hat for so many pur- poses as a Yankee : it serves him at once for a head-covering, a writing-desk, a larder, and a portmanteau. Jn it the merchant deposits l)atterns of various descrijjtions : the doctor uses it as an apothecary 's-shop : the married man, returning from market, converts it into a depository for potatoes and other vegeta- bles : to the traveller it serves as a knapsack. Nothing has been more severely censured among enlightened people than the reform lately introduced in the shape of hats. By the present fashion, it is next to impossible to put more in its inside than a pocket-handker- chief and a dozen of cigars. Should, unfor- tunately, the present form be still more cur- ill' I \i m '1:1 \\ ' 1' 11 ' .11 t i U 224 PAWTUCKET — P'lOVIDENCR. I !l tailed, then there will be no enduring the caprice of fashion, and who knows but a dreadful revolution may be the consequence!" That this picture is somewhat exaggerated, cannot well be denied, but entirely without foundation it certainly is not. A hat has unquestionably more offices to perform in these States than in any other country. To stuff it with newspapers, letters, and cigars, is of common occurrence. Can it then be won- derr»d at if, when a sudden gust of wind dis- lodges it from the head, a shoal of imprisoned objects should seek to take advantage of their liberty ? It was in the middle of September that with much regret I quitted hospitable Boston, on my return to New York. I directed my course through Pawtucket and Providence. The former place has considerable cotton- factories, worked by water-power from the river Pawtucket, which runs through the town, and forms the boundary between the States of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Providence is the capital of the latter State, and about one mile distant from the mouth of the river. The town was founded as far back as the year 1636, by a puritan clergyman of the name of Roger Williams, who, on account * PROVIDENCE. 225 ol' his roli^ious principles, had boon exiled from Massacliusetts. It was then called by the Indians Mooshausick, but changed by him to Providence, in commemoration of his wonderful escape from persecution. The town is mostly built of wood, but has a gay and lively appearance. The cotton-factories esta- blished in its vicinity have greatly contributed to its rise as a tradmg place. Blackstone's Canal, uniting Worcester and Providence, commences in the latter. Among the im- provements, from which great results are ex- pected, may be mentioned two railroads now constructing between Boston and Providence and Providence and Stonington, which, when finished, will considerably facilitate the com- munication between New York and Boston. One of the finest and most comfortable steamboats in America, the President, was then lying at the wharf, ready to start for New York. I hastened on board, and shortly afterwards the wheels were put in motion. It was not long before the capital of Rhode Island disappeared from our view, and, with the rapidity of lightning, the President passed ships, headlands, and villages. A few miles from Newport, Mount Hope appeared in the distance, the last strongholdof the vanquished, VOL. I. Q N ii\ 22G KING I'lllLlF. but magnanimous, K'ms; Philip. No Indian was ever more dreaded by civilized man. A century and a half has now ehijised since this hero of Pokanoket fell a victim to his own race, but even to tiiisday his name is respected ; and the least object supposed to have been touched by him (huing- his life-time is consi- dered by every American as a valuable relic of antiquity. Tlds extraordinary man, whose real name was Metacom, succeeded his bro- ther in the government of the Wampanoags. The wrongs and grievances suffered by this brother, added to those which he had himself experienced from the English colonists, induced him to engage in a war, with the design of driving all the intruders from a country of which they liad obtained possession only by cunning and violence. Had this contest terminated as he expected, America would, perhaps, at this time, be in- habited by the Red men of the wood. The issue might, perhaps, have been less doubtful had not one of his followers defeated his plan by a premature explosion, and before he had had sufficient time to summon and concen- trate his warriors and allies. From this time no smiles were seen on his face. But, though he soon perceived that the great enterprise ho — -z::^ KINU IMIIMP. 227 of by liad formed was likely t'^ -/t frustratod, yet he never lost tliat elevation of soul which dis- tinguished him to the last moments of his life. Ever indefatigable and undaunted, he flew, armed with a tomahawk, from race to race, encouraging those whose firmness began to waver. By his exertions and energy, all the Indian nations occupying the territory between Maine and the River Connecticut, a distance of nearly two hundred miles, took up arms. Every where the name of King- Philip was hailed, accompanied as it was by murder and flames. But fraud and treason soon accomplished what open warfare could not effect. His own followers gave way to numbers ; his nearest relations and friends forsook him ; almost alone, he still defied the i)ower of his adver- saries, and, when least expected, rushed in among them like a lion springing from his den. He — the last offspring- of a mighty race of chiefs — driven from the abode of his ances- tors, without subjects, abandoned by allies, hunted like, a deer, exposed to hunger and thirst, hardly venturing to lay down his royal head on a solitary rock in the forest, when a ball at last struck his heart — was still the same fierce hero who once commanded a vic- i! < \- • I 'J ■m 228 EAST RIVER. torious army of thousands of warriors. Philip fell as a traitor, and his head was carried round the country in triumph ; but posterity has done him justice. Patriotism was his only crime, and his death was that of a hero. Without stopping at Newport, another fashionable watering-place, I continued my journey to New York. A short distance from Newport, our steamer was obliged to stand out to sea for several hours, in order to double a point called Point Judith, before arriving at smooth water, between the bankr, of Rhode Island and Connecticut, on one side, and those of Long Island on the other. Here is the entrance to East River, one of the in- lets to New York. In fine weather, this trip is extremely agreeable. Numberless church- steeples, villages, and country-seats, embellish the scene in rapid succession. Here and there, lighthouses are seen, and, at short in- tervals, steamers, apparently in a blaze. By the aid of a beautiful moon, we perceived countless sails ploughing the deep, whilst her dazzling light played on its surface. Towards morning we approached a place, which, owing to its shallowness and rocky stiuation, is considered very dangerous by navigators. The celebrated Knickerbocker, IIKLL (JATK. 220 in his History of New York, afKrins that tlie Devil liiniself had been seen in that neigh- bourhood, sitting on the back of a hog', play- ing the violin ; and that he fried fish to announce the approach of a storm : in con- secpience of which, the Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam called this pass Hell Gate, which name it still bears. The steamer, however, fearlessly pushed through the narrow passage, and successfully repulsed the waves that opposed her pro- gress. High rose the sea, but she pursued her way, and steered not an inch from her coursv. It was then high tide, it is true ; but, on several subsequent occasions, when pass- ing the same way, I never perceived that the whirlpool at Hell Gate had any particular effect on the speed of the vessel. It is not near so dangerous as that at Bingen, on the Rhine. The President arrived at New York be- fore any house was yet open, so that the pas- sengers had the pleasure of perambulating the streets a few hours, until half-sleeping porters thought proper to leave their comfort- able beds and admit the weary travellers. lit \ CHAPTb:R XI Promote, tlioii, as an olijoit of iniiniiry iin|ioitaiicc, institutions for the genei'ai diH'iision of kiiowledj^c. Washington. M New York \vas now what it had formerly been. The cholera had subsided, and with it the duhiess and panic it liad occasioned. Broadway, as usual, was crowded with pedes- trians and equestrians. Wall Street exhi- bited its regular quota of anxious men of business ; brokers were seen fagging and bustling about, as if emerging from a vapour- bath. Numbers were flocking to the Banks, either to make deposits or to withdraw them. Pearl Street was literally blockaded by goods and carts. Every corner presented an auc- tion of some kind or other. Omnibuses were racing m all directions. Around fruit- stalls were grouped amateurs of pineapples and melons, anxious to gratify their appetite, long checked by the presence of the cholera. '■rr* Bl'STLi: IN MAV YOHK. 231 Diiincis, balls, and su|)|)(m-s, wero (ho order of thcMlay ; and it scciir-d as il' people were (k'tcnnined to indi'iniiily tiu'insclves lor past privation l)y present enjoyment. Niblo's (iarden and the theatres proved insullieient to hold the ninnbers that thr:)n«;ed to them. Lotterv-eontrac^tors availed themselves of the medinm of the press to eoni>ratnlate the pu))lie on the disappearance of the epidemic, and invited their customers, while yet fresh from the country, to make a speedy invest- ment in the lucky wheel.* Doctors' gii^'s — the only vehicles lately ])ara(linj^" the stieets — were now intermingled with carriages of every description ; and their emaciated horses began to show life again. Apothecaries'-shops were deserted, whilst the dealers in vice smilingly calculated the large profits they had realized. At one o'clock, p.m., it was hardly possible to get along in the most frequented streets, • In no place liiive I soon so many Lottery Ollices as in the City of New York. They are inunhorless in Broadway. Tlieir puHing exceeds all belief. Kach coUectur called iioaven and earth to wit- ness that he was the hickiest amonjj- his worthy collea:,Mies. One of them wont so far as to allirm, that ho had paid prizes to a lar-ior amonnt than wonld lifpiidato all the doljts of bankrupts in th(> I iiitod States. This is carrying thinfj-^ii groat length. Tlie Legislature of New York has at last euacteil a law, prohibiting all lotteries after the 1st January, 1834. f .. \ 'I 1 i- \ \ i 1 i 1 r < r I i' 232 BROOKLYN. '; ■I owing- to the number of belles and dandies occupying the pavement. When three drew near, it was advisable to remain in the house ; for, at this time, all the gold-making, light- footed, mercantile fraternity were seen hasten- ing home ; and it is at all times a dangerous experiment to obstruct the course of voracious stomachs and thinking heads. Who could have supposed that a city, deserted but a few short weeks before by nearly its whole popu- lation, and its trade reduced to a state of com- plete stagnation, could so soon have been resuscitated ? Opposite to New York, on Long Island, is a small town called Brooklyn, which, though only divided from it by the river, may be said to be a faubourg. Cleanliness is certainly not one of its characteristics : the streets are covered with mud, and it may be called the focus of Irishmen. Part of the United States' Navy is stationed at one end of Brooklyn : it is less considerable than at Charlestown, but this station appears the more important of the two. Several men- of-war and frigates were laid up under covered buildings, and a few new ships of the latter description were ready to be launched. The quantity of naval stores was also consi- IS a UNITED STATES NAVY 233 (lerable. \t was liere that the steam-frigate Fulton unfortunately exploded in 1829, by whieh accident many persons were killed. The Americans have seven stations for their navy, viz. Portsmouth, Charlestown, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Nor- folk, Pensacola. The whole number of ships amounts to forty, seven of which are men-of- war, ten frigates, fifteen corvettes, and eight schooners. Of these, only twenty-one were laid up in 1832 : the remainder were in com- mission in the Mediterranean, West Indies, South Seas, and Coast of Brazil. Five new ships and seven frigates were, about this period, on the stocks. The United States' Navy is under the im- mediate direction of the Secretary of the Navy at Washington. The highest rank in the service is that of captain or commodore : the question of appointing admirals has been long- agitated, but was not finally settled when I left America. Of captains there are about forty belonging to the service, and their pay, when on duty, is from two to three thousand dollars a year. The American naval officers are in general perfect gentlemen. By being a great deal in active service, they have seen much of the 11 II \ ^\ H ^ki'Ji I' ■: I. k; 234 UNITED STATES NAVY. : I I world, and, on board their ships, or wherever they arc met on shore, sho'-v a degree of tact and good breeding, which redounds much to their credit. Like all seamen, they arc frank, liberal, and stanch in tlieir friendsiiips. I had frequent opportunities of associating with some of these officers during my residence in America, and still retain the highest respect for their merits, and gratitude for attentions almost lavished upon me. A foreigner is never considered a stranger among them. Their artless and upright manner of acting- inspires confidence at once. Rudeness and pride do not exist among them, from the youngest officer to the commodore of a squa- dron. With such seamen, it is not surprising that the Navy of the United States gains daily more and more respect among other nations. About fifteen miles on the other side of New York, in the State of New Jersey, is a small manufacturing place called Patterson. A railroad had been commenced, but was not yet half finished, so that T had to pass over an extremely rough road on my visit to this place. The town, with a population of eight thousand inhabitants, has within twenty years risen from nothing. Cotton goods are :HI^h1 \ Vk PATTERSON, 235 here manufaetuved. The factories, seventeen in nmnber, contain tliirty thousand looms, working two million pounds of raw cotton annually There are besides several sail- cloth and nail-factories. Patterson is situated near the River Pas- saic, by whose aid all the works are carried on, and which afterwards precipitates itself down a perpendicular rock seventy feet high. This cataract is not particularly distinguished for its mass of water or elevation, but merely for the picturesque beauty of the surrounding scei ry. It is Trenton in miniature. The stMj 'in meanders slowly and half dormant between two banks covered with verdure, and expands its smooth and crystal surface over a clear rocky bottom, till it approaches an opening in the same rock. Through this open- ing rolls the whole mass of water, as if from a narrow path down a dark, and from above invisible, precipice. So near are the walls to each other in some places, that the water fills the whole channel. Above, a noise is heard proceeding from below, not unlike thunder at a distance. The spray envelops in an inces- sant vapour this slippery, and to weak nerves really frightful, precipice. Report states that this spot was, a few f ' s 236 FALL OF THE PASSIAC. >l f years ag'o, the theatre of a horrible catas- trophe. A clergyman, dissatisfied with his wife, I cannot recollect exactly for what reason, pushed her down the precipice. When the water reaches the bottom of the pit, it rolls foaming- and agitated a few hundred yards between the close rocks, beneath a feeble bridge thrown across the precipice by the hand of man : it then takes a sudden turn in nearly an opposite direction to its former course, and insensibly disappears be- tween bushes and shrubberies, below which are seen the factories, that are put in motion by its ag'ency. In the month of October every year the city of New York has an exhibition of Ame- rican manufactures, patronized by a society called the American Institute. Its avowed object, as the prospectus states, is to pro- mote and encourage within the State of New York, as well as in other States, native in- dustry in agriculture, commerce, manufac- tures, and mechanical arts ; and to further improvements in all branches, by the dis- tribution of rewards to those who make any such improvements, or excel in any of the said branches. The exhibition first took place in the year 1828, and has since been K 1 EXHIBITION OF MANUFACTURES. 237 continued annually. The number of members amounts to three hundred : out of these, four presidents are chosen (one for each of the four branches) who award the prizes. Every Ame- rican citizen has the privilege of sending goods of home manufacture to this exhi- bition. But, when the exhibition is over, the goods must be taken away by their owners It is to be regretted that the funds of this useful and excellent society do not permit purchases of the exhibited goods, independent of the prizes awarded, so that a regular col- lection might be made, which at all times would prove interesting. Upon the present plan, it is next to impossible to ascertain what progress has been made in the manu- facturing of an article in the course of a twelvemonth ; it requires the aid of a good memory to pass a correct opinion in this respect. I saw a great number of works in wood and iron, glass, woollens, and cotton goods, models, and machinery, all finished in a style and with a correctness reflecting the highest credit on the artisans, and proving the wonderful progress that the country has made : not having, however, seen any other exhibi- tion, I cannot hazard an opinion which de- I ."• •( \ \{. i .- >lll 1 ' n k- i K- ' \f hi^ f. 1 / u J ■; « \l' ;;. I'A 238 NKGRO SCHOOL. rt, partment in particular Iiad made the most improvement within a year. In one of my rambles through New York, I happened one day to approach a house, from the interior of which I heard a kind of soft noise. Curious to ascertain the cause, I entered. On stepping in, I found myself in the midst of one hundred and fifty black children, all of whom turned their large white eyes towards the stranger as he entered. It was a free-school for Negroes. The teacher, an uncommonly active and clever woman, managed this whole Negro flock very deci- dedly. The little rebellious urchins looked up to her with a confidence, which proved at once that she filled her situation with dignity, and that she was rather a tender mother than a severe instructress. Her look was sufficient to bring any little naughty girl to reason, and a word from her lips struck with awe numbers of noisy boys quarrelling about the space of a quarter of an inch on their forms. Gentle reproof was the only correction adopted by her. The children, educated free of expence, are in- structed in reading, writing, arithmetic, geo- graphy, religion, and sewing. At sixteen or seventeen they leave the school, when some are put to the trades of masons, cliimney-sweeps, NEGRO SCHOOL, 239 carpenters, or smitlis ; others again become seamen, cooks, and servants. Tlie girls all goto service. To aspire to something higher in society is quite out of the question, al- though they are Irec-born citizens; and the law makes n^ d* iction between ^ black and a white man ii. the fillinp- of thv. most important offices. The prejudice, however, against their colour is so strong-, that a white man would rather starve than accept a menial office under a black. To. become masters of sloops or other vessels, or to be master in any profession, is therefore an im- possibility. They have the privilege, since the year 1829, of voting in the State of New York ; but, even in this respect, they are treated rather with a stepmother's hand. To be eligible to vote, a Negro must possess an unincumbered property of two hundred and fifty dollars; whilst a white man, in the same State, is only required to be twenty-one years of age, and to have resided one year within its limits. To be worth two hundred and fifty dollars is not a trifle for a man doomed to toil in the lowest stations ; few Negroes are in consequence competent to vote. They are in fact very little better than slaves, although called free. I I 240 NEGRO SCHOOL. I I \ fr ' V I counted about one hundred and fifty children in the school ; hut the instructress informed me that their number often exceeded two hundred. Any one may go or stay away, as he thinks proper : it is therefore difficult to ascertain the number of dail)'^ attendants. This school is conducted on a system of its own, not unlike that of the Lancasterian. The children are kept in the strictest subor- dination, and the more advanced in know- ledge teach those who are less so. This use- ful institution, as well as another of the same kind, is under the patronage of the " New York Manumission Society," which educates in this manner more than seven hundred children of the African race. The members of this laudable and benevolent association belong chiefly to the Society of Quakers, those real friends of mankind. In the year 1832, there were, in the State of New York alone, nine thousand six hun- dred organized school districts, educating four hundred and ninety-four thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine children. Besides these, the same State counted fifty-five gym- nasiums, intended to form teachers, and four universities: the former were attended by three thousand seven hundred students, the (iKN fc'-llAL KDLCATION'. 241 = i latter by more than five hundred. Further, in every village and town, private schools for children of both sexes are established, all numerously attended ; and, if a calcu- lation were made of the total number of young- people receiving instruction within the State of New York, the result would be, at least, five hundred and fifty thousand, or about one to three and a half of the whole popu- lation. Since the year 1816, when the pre- sent system of education was first adopted, the number of school districts has increased from two thousand seven ndred and fifty- five, to nine thousand six hundred ; and of school children from one hundred and forty thousand one hundred and six, to four hun- dred and ninety-four thousand nine hundred and fifty-nine ; consequently, there is an ac- cession in the course of sixteen years of the former, six thousand eight hundred and forty five; of the latter, three hundred and fifty- four thousand eight hundred and fifty-three. In the higher classes of learning, the following* changes have occurred: — - In 1790, when the whole population of the State did not exceed three hundred and forty thousand one hundred and twenty, there were only one university and two gymnasiums, with . VOL. I. R kk i w^ 242 GENERAL EDUCATION. about forty students in the former, and about one hundred and fifty in the latter. In 1810, when the population of the State amounted to nine hundred and fifty-nine thousand and forty-nine, there were two universities, and one medical university, and twenty-five gym- nasiums, with two hundred and twenty stu- dents in the universities, and one thousand four hundred and ninety-five in the gym- nasiums. In 1830, when the population had risen to one million eight hundred and sixty-eight thousand and sixty-one, there were four uni- versities, besides two medical universities, and fifty-five gymasiums. The number of students in the former amounted to five hun- dred and six; in the medical, to two hundred and seventy-six ; and in the gymnasiums, to three thousand eight hundred and thirty-five. The expences of public schools are defrayed by a school fund, raised by taxes and local contributions. The school fund was first col- lected from the citizens as far back as the year 1809, but did not accumulate to any degree of importance till 1816, from which period the commencement of the system of education may be dated. This school fund now possesses a capital of two millions of ( I I CJKNEIIAL EDUCATION, 243 dollars, the interest of which, and the volun- tary contributions of parents and guardians, together with a tax levied on every citizen, amounted in the year 1832 to one million four thousand and eighty-two dollars and forty cents. Of this sum, three hundred and forty thousand one hundred and seventy-nine and a half dollars were expended in fuel for the different schools, and in the purchase of books; and six hundred and sixty-three thou- sand nine hundred and two dollars ajul nine- ty-five cents in salaries to teachers. The whole amount of annual expenditure for the schools in the State of New York is made up in this way, that when the State has con- tributed its share, or, what amounts to the same thing, when the school fund has paid the interest accrued, the citizens are taxed to furnish an equal sum, and to build schools and provide fuel ; whatever money is after- wards required to cover other expences is raised from the parents and guardians of the children. The State has thus only to pay one-tenth part of the charges : about three- tenths are raised by taxes, and the remaining six-tenths are defrayed by the children them- selves. I annex an important and interesting docu- 11 2 i h' i^«.»- ^ 244 GENERAL EDUCATION. mcnt, extracted from a periodical, publislied at Boston, under the title of '• Annals of Education," showing not only the number of young people educated at Schools and Universities, but presenting a point of com- parison between the school education in the United States and that in Europe, and also between the higher degree of education at Universities in America and other countries on this side of the Atlantic. The State of New York stands foremost on the list of school children. It counts in the proportion of one to three and a half of the number of its inhabitants ; the New England States one to five ; Pennsylvania and New Jersey one to eight ; Illinois one to thirteen ; Kentucky one to twenty-one, and so on. By way of comparison, I may just mention, that Wiirtemberg has one to six ; Bavaria and Prussia one to seven ; Scotland one to ten ; France one to seventeen and a half; Russia one to three hundred and sixty- seven ! But, if the United States take the lead with regard to school education, they are far from occupying the first place in academical in- struction. Scotland has there the advantage. The Eastern States of America belong to -^*mmmttl0fjm COMFAUATIVE TABLE OF EDLCA IION. 215 the first class in this respect, and emulate Haden and Saxony. The Middle States are upon a level with Wiirtemberg, Sweden, Por- tugal, and the Low Countries. The Southern, again, are upon a par with Switzerland. Finally, the Western may be classed with Denmark, Naples, and Austria. The States lately peopled in the AVest are about equal to France and Ireland, and Russia leaves the latter at an awful distance. I'NMTED S' FATKS. Kl'ncPEAN COLNTKIES. |1 lii - '15 % 9 ill Massacliusetts 770 i-'f 1 : Scotland "3249" ' 792 1 683 Connecticut 327 960 Baden 1399 1 816 New Hampshiio 241 1118 Saxony 1360 1 1040 Vermont 186 1509 Fngland 10549 1 li:"2 Maine 238 1611 Hanover 1203 1 1303 New Jersey 193 1661 Havaria 2593 1 1312 South Carolina 325 1789 Tuscany 909 1402 Pennsylvania 688 1928 Spain 9867 1 1414 New York 986 1940 Prussia 6236 J I 1470 Rhode Island 50 1944 Wintemherg 887 1731 Maryland 175 2554 Sweden & Nor- Virginia 457 2650 way 2r>«!7 1732 Kentucky 249 276(5 Portugal Vv^,\ 1879 Georgia 173 2985 Low Countries 2 998 1 1979 Mississipi 45 304O Sardinia 1722 1 2120 North Carolhia 233 3170 Switzerland 767 2655 Tennessee 211 3245 Denmark 578 J 3342 Ohio 285 3290 Naples & Sicily 2065 ] 3590 Louisiana 46 3335 Austria 8584 ] 3760 Delaware 23 3336 France 6196 ] 5140 Alabama 84 3034 Ireland 1254 ] 5767 Missom-i 28 5003 Russia 3626 ] 15455 Indiana 65 5101 Illinois 28 5624 \ V */^.a^ \A\ - r : I I'n f II 246 EFFECTS OF EDUCATION. i n ri A statement like the preceding can never be expected to be so accurate as might be wished, containing only the number of those who study at public institutions. It is well known that many young people in Europe receive a highly finished education, without ever visiting these public places : this is equally the case in the United States, particu- larly among those who study the law. Ano- ther circumstance, which renders these calcu- lations questionable is, that nothing is more common than to have the names of double the number of students that are actually present at the University inserted in the rolls. But, setting all these difficulties aside, I still be- lieve that the above table is as near the mark as can possibly be expected. A liberal form of government depends, in a great measure, on the enlightened state of the people : hence education, in the United States, is nearest the heart of every American citizen impressed with a love of his country. He dreads no dissolution of the Union, so long as the facility of learning keeps pace with the increase of population. He looks upon education of so much importance, that, if any individual in the community should happen to disregard that object, he thinks he ■\^^?V SCHOOL AGENTS SOCIETY. 247 deserves to be visited by such a variety of reverses as to make it incumbent on him, if not for the sake of the public good, at least from motives of self-interest, to give his chil- dr 1 or pupils the first rudiments of a common education, such as writing, reading, and arith- metic. Although this opinion seems pretty general in America, and all voices are loud in favour of the system of education, yet there still exists not only a great reluctance on the part of parents to send their children to schools, but also a real want of schools and teachers. To remedy the former evil, a Society, under the name of " American School Agents' So- ciety," has been formed for sending agents in various directions into the interior, for the purpose of persuading parents and guardians of the utility of education and improving schools. In the city of New York there is a Society exclusively occupied with this object. The want of schools and teachers is supplied by the indefatigable exertions of several religious sects ; and in the mean time the end is partly accomplished by the existence of Sun- day schools, where every charitable person may give instruction, and by which disinter- ]<■ \ *• H \ i\ JI i 248 UNEDUCATED CHILDREN. ested assistance thousands of children have been taught to read, write, &c. According to authentic accounts, however, the number of children in America, deprived of the means of education, is about equal to that of the more fortunate who obtain it. More than one million is stated to be the number of the former. Of these, two hundred and fifty thousand are to be found in Pennsyl- vania, eighty thousand in the State of New York, (thirteen thousand alone in the City of New York). In Indiana, it is contended, there are twenty-two thousand children, and in Illinois twenty thousand, who cannot read ; and nearly the same number of full grown persons in the same situation. New Jersey has eleven thousand five hundred children without any kind of education, and in Ken- tucky, in 1833, about one third of all children were in the same lamentable condition.* Here is a wide field for Philanthropy to exercise her love for mankind. Invited to attend a meeting of the American Bible Society, which assembles every month, I had an opportunity of seeing and forming acquaintance with some of the best informed and most benevolent characters in New York. Annals of Frlucation, Septcmljcr, 1833. iVl AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIKTY. 249 This Society, considered the most extensive in America, has nearly nine hundred auxiliary Societies, and was instituted in the year 1816. Its income amounted in 1832 to the con- siderable sum of eighty-four thousand nine hundred and thirty-five dollars and forty- eight cents, of which one half was received for the sale of Bibles and Testaments. The Society prints all its books at its own expence, and has seventeen printing-machines, worked by steam. The secretary attached to this insti- tution assured me that one thousand Bibles might be printed in a single day if necessary. All these Bibles and Testaments are very neatly printed, and published in different forms, to suit all ages and all classes. A Bible in the English language may be obtained at from forty-five cents to one dollar fifteen cents ; and the expence of a Testament in the same language is from nine cents to sixty cents. Besides these, the Society pub- lishes Bibles and Testaments in English and Gaelic, and in the French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Irish, and Indian languages A re- solution was passed by this Society, in the course of 1832, appropriating the sum of thirty thousand dollars to printing and cir- culating the Holy Scriptures, not only among '< i ( ■» 1 1 250 AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. i ( I native Americans, but also among foreign nations. One third of this amount alone was set aside for the purpose of translating the Bible into the different Indian tongues spoken in the United States. Several parts of the New Testament are already translated and distributed among the Indians in the West ; and it may be mentioned as a remarkable circumstance, that auxiliary Bible Societies have lately been formed among theChickasaws and the Cherokee nations, which are making incredible progress. A translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew was then preparing f-^r the last mentioned nation ; and, when completed, an edition of three thousand copies was to be printed in a small place called New Echota. This Bible Society printed in the year 1832 a smaller quantity of Bibles and Testaments than usual, in consequence of the large stock on hand. It amounted to only ninety-one thousand one hundred and sixty-eight, which, added to those previously issued from the press, formed an aggregate of one million five hundred and thirty-three thousand six hundred and sixty-eight Bibles and Testaments, printed since the organiza- tion of the Society in 1816. CHAPTER XII. For modes of faith let jrraceless zealots fight ; His can't be wrong whose life is in the right: In faith and liojie the world will disagree/ But all mankind's concern is Charity. Pope." It was towards the end of October that I bade adieu to New York, and set out upon my long intended journey to the South. My first visit was of course to Philadelphia. A steamer hurried me from New York to New Brunswick, in the State of New Jersey, in about four hours. From the latter place, all the passengers were conveyed in a number of stage-coaches over a plain and uniform country, and on a very indifferent road to Trenton, a distance of twenty-seven miles, in the course of five hours. To enu- merate how often the drivers indulged in a drop of the " inviting liquid " is a task I could not undertake with any degree of ac- curacy ; but that it was an event of frequent occurrence I can assert without fear of con- •v1 A i. ■ s il j 'II i :l l\ n w 'III :n ■, ( • ii \ VI r Ii L J tu'l 1' i ■ii If \ % ■i ! SI i I i 1 I' -I H V-VaV 252 TRENTON, tradiction ; so much so, that the patience of the travellers was often put to the test. Prayers, threats, oaths, and blustering, were all in vain : the *• knights of the whip" were insensible to remonstrance, or pretended to suffer under the influence of deafness. Three times the coaches were changed, and three times ten, at least, if I mistake not, the horses were watered, till at length we obtained a sight of the small town of Trenton, on the River Delaware. It was early in the afternoon when we arrived ; but, the steamboat having already taken her departure for Philadelphia, and the landlord of the hotel finding it in perfect ac- cordance with his interest to keep the passen- gers over night, spared no pains to convince us that it was literally impossible to proceed any further that evening. For my part, I did not much object to remain till the following morning, although, to speak with the veracity of an historian, the prospects within doors were not altogether of the most promising character ; but a young dandy from New York, one of the exquisites of Broadway, who had travelled in the same carriage over the rough road, made out a long list of griev- ances and objections as to the comforts and r mt'it" \ i ARRIVAL AT PHILADELPHIA. of 253 conveniences ol the bed-room ; and concluded a very eloquent appeal, by insisting on an immediate retreat from quarters absolutely irreconcileable with the ideas of a " perfumed and accomplished gentleman." So great was his perseverance, and so impressive were his oratorical pow s, that a charitable coachman who happened to be present was at length induced to listen to a proposal, the tendency of which was to take us the same evening to Philadelphia. We took leave, in consequence, of our landlord, who was highly dissatisfied with the effect produced by the eloquence of the dandy. It was midnight before we reached our place of destination. To find accommodation at such an unseasonable hour is a thing I have been taught by woful experience never to expect in America. Upon this occasion, I had to enjoy the benefit, of a nocturnal drive through the streets of Philadelphia, from house to house, without a chance of success — alone, and unacquainted with the place — till daylight at length began to dawn upon me. An honest watchman (to the credit of the profession be it mentioned) at last took com- passion on me, and indicated a house where I could at least, as he observed, get shelter for i'^'A.: t,i*< .( 't ^ :1 r 258 MIEHAHY INftTITl TIONS. ;v*. !| (lolplii.'i has been tlie theme of universal panegyric. It was bv tliis respoclable indivichial I was one evening- introdueed to tlie " AVistar Parties," as they are ealled, meetings whieh are held every week at tlie residenee of one of its i-aCMiibers. Here ])()th scientifie and literarv men meet ; every one, in fact, that Philadel- phia contains, laying* claim to genius or talent. The intention of these reunions is to brinj^ tog;ether individuals of different occupations, from which, no doubt, there results much good. It is only to be wished that, with a view to accomplish the object, the members would assemble a little earlier in the evening-, and not convert useful meetings into fjishion- able soirees, commencing about midnight. The evening is spent in conversation on dif- ferent topics, embracing both the productions of the literary world, the latest inventions, and the politics of the day. Among public benevolent institutions, the Sunday School Association, the Pennsylvania Hospital, and the House of Refuge, may be particularly mentioned. The usefulness of Sunday schools is no longer questionable with those whose thoughts have been seriously occupied with the plan of SUNDAY SCMIOOI, \SSO( I A TION. 250 odiiration in Amorica. Philadcli)!!!.*! is their lu'a(l-((uartors. The Sunday School Associa- tion there cstablislied is not only connected witli all the other associations of (he same kind, but prints, on its own account, a number of useful books on religious subjects, adapted for children, in which particular care is taken to exclude every thinp; that niip^ht appear un- palatable to the different sects in the country. A Methodist may therefore make use of them, as well as a Baptist or a Unitarian. Hy the sale of these books the Association nearly defrays its own cxpences : each member pays, besides, a trifling* sum, sufHcient to make up any little difference that mig'ht arise. Any well-known respectable person disposed to sacrifice a few hours on a Sunday to the instruction of the school is at liberty to do so. It is a voluntary choice, without any kind of remuneration. The Pennsylvania Hospital, instituted in the year 1751, by voluntary subscriptions among- the citizens, was originally intended as a receptacle for unfortunate lunatics, and those afflicted with any disease not conta- gious. It was opened to the public in the year 1752 ; from that period to 1832, no fewer than twenty-nine thousand six hundred and S 2 V 1 I l! I I ll '. < < h t I'D ' ^h HI il^ I 260 THE PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL. sixteen patients have been received and taken care of, of wliom fifteen thousand two hundred and ninety-three were so destitute that tliey liad no means of paying*; and fourteen thou- sand three hundred and twenty-tliree (Con- tributed towards the expence. Of this number eighteen thousand four hundred were com- pletely restored to health, and three thousand one hundred and eighty-eight died in the hos|)ital. Tiie number of lunatics, during the same period of eighty years, amounted to three thousand seven hundred and eighteen, of whom five hundred and thirty died at an advanced age or from accidental disease, and one thousand two hundred and eighty-nine were cured. At the moment I write, there are about two hundred an(i forty patients, more than one half of whom are insane ; these are treated with a tenderness and mildness, vv^hich cannot be too much commended. The Quakers, who have always taken an active part in the direction of this insti- tution, have invariably recommen(led a mild treatment tovvards the unfortunate beings suffering' under mental aberration; and this humane system lias now been pursued for the last thirty years. Here, as well as in the prisons, the superintending officers are strictly ,Hi.>.! TREATMENT OF THE INSANE. 261 enjoined to treat tlie individuals under tlieir eare as parents would their ehildren. Not only must they abstain from every thing* bordering' on eruelty, but they are expected to sjieak in a friendly manner, to reason with them on the real cause of their malady, to inspire confidence by salutary advice, and, finally, to try to prove to them that the jirescnt mode of treatment will lead to their ])erfect recovery. That this mild method actually exists in this lunatic asylum cannot be doubted; for in no madhouse — and I have visited a great many in the course of my travels in Europe — have I seen insane per- sons so quiet and calm as in this. I could no where discover the appearance of chains ; and yet it was contended that no danger was to be apprehended from the raving of those labour- ing under what is called mania a j)ohi, or drli- riiim tremens, the highest stage of insanity. Experience has proved, that occupation or labour produces a salutary etfiect on those not arrived at this degree of mental alieuiition, and is, in addition to a mild treatment, unques- tionably the safest and speediest remedy for this dreadful malady. "Where recovery is possible," says the printed description of this Hospital, " it is 1, H ■ V. I < 1 ( { ( h1 ifV fill 1 1 p m 262 TRKATi-SlKNT OF THE INSANE. effected by labour ; and, where it is nearly hopeless, labour gives at least a sound sleep and general composure, seldom found in the indolent lunatic." The men are employed in weaving, wood -cutting', and so on : the women sew, spin, knit, &,c. Books and newspapers are given to those disposed to read. Even music is encouraged among them ; and the visiter is not unfrequently struck witli sur- prise, oil hearing the sound of flutes and ])ianos in these, of all on earth, least har- monious corridors. But the most incre- dible part of all is the introduction of the game of chess among the insane. It borders almost on madness to assert, that a person, suffering under an alienation of mind, can possibly sit down to a similar game, and, left to himself, form plans of attack and defence. More rational is it to suppose that a being so circumstanced would be the last for whom the game of chess could be a pastime. None requires more attention, more reflection, and yet numbers of lunatics are seen playing at chess ! The building, however, is rather too small and conlined for the purpose ; and many in- conveniences, I was told, were incurred daily, in consequence of the insane being under the STATUi; OF WILLIAM I'KNN. (>3 ■^y>. same roof with those atHicted by other ciis- eases. The repeated fits of hiiighter and noise of the former continually disturbed the latter, who re([uired unbroken rest. Rut, independently of this, the proximity had in reality a baneful effect on the physical reco- very of the sick. The mirth or laughter of a maniac is at all times awful, and dejects tlie strongest mind ; but, when it is within the hearing- of ai invalid, it makes a still deeper impression, for his mind is already dejected, and this additional pressure renders him still more miserable, and may eventually ciieck a perfect recovery. It ought, there- fore, to be a subject of serious attention with the benevolent inhabitants of Philadelphia to build a F,?parate asylum for lunatics, and appropriate the Pennsylvania Hospital exclu- sively to bodily diseases. In the middle of the square of thi^ Hospital is a bronze statue in honour of the immortal Quaker, William Penn. T'l* pedestai is of wiiite marble. Penn is attired in the same costume that he used to wear in his life-time ; the square-cut coat, long waistcoat, and cocked hat, have always a peculiar appearance, and particularly so when copied in bronze or marble. His features are in perfect harmony i'v 1 n I ii n* I Hv; ;Ui. ■ ft \ I 264 WEST S PICTURE OF THE REDEEMER. : \ with the character which he displayed. Every time I took a view of this statue I fancied that 1 recognized more and more the friendly Quaker, landing on the sliores of the Dela- ware, and bargaining- with the Indians for that very piece of land now bearing his name. He holds the conventional document in his hand — a memorable epitaj)h of Penn. In a separate building, not far from the Hospital, may be seen one of West's most admired paintings, representing the Re- deemer healing the Sick in the Temple. The artist made a present of this picture to the Hospital, in consideration of his being a native of Pennsylvania. It was impossible to make a more appropriate and handsome donation : its exhibition insures an annual income of four hundred dollars, and has, since its first exposure to the public, yielded an aggregate sum of twenty thousand dollars ; in truth, no trifling gift, still increasing in value every year ! The picture is of great size, and all the figures are as large as life. Several groups are admirable, particularly those in the foreground. The principal cha- racters, however, are here, as in every one of West's paintings, handsome, but without ex- pression. HOUSES OF REFUGE. 265 The House of Refuge, as it is called, is one of the most useful and benevolent institutions in later times. Prison-reports of various countries relate with horror the very lamenta- ble consequences which have resulted from indiscriminate intercourse between young' ofFcnders and those whose whole career has been a series of crime. Levity may, in the first instance, have prompted the former to the commission of petty offences : by daily asso- ciating with the lalte'% and listening to their counsels, they become initiated, and crime insensibly loses its blackness. They now learn things of which they were bef )re igno- rant, and are led from step to step, till murder at last crowns the work, and the scaffold ends a w^retched life. To prevent the contamination of the young by old and experienced delinquents, Houses of Refuge have very properly been instituted. Tiiey are neither prisons nor schools, but partake a little of both. Children of either sex, who have committed and been convicted of offences, are not only received here, but even those who, through misfortune, the influence of demoralizing example, or the negligence of parents, are found strolling about town and country, ready to perpetrate any criminal act m 1 1 Vi ' I I it A t. V I I.: i.t If .--sar- «. Ill Ml 260 MOUSES OF IlEFUGK. for w liich opportunity may present itself. The objects are, therefore, two-fold — to punish those who have already been guilty of crimes, and to guard against the commission of more. Punishment is, however, not the main inten- tion. The infliction of stripes is only a tempo- rary remedy, leaving hardly any impression on the unfortunate being to whom they are ap|)lied. Education and reform are the real object of the House of Hcrugc. It was in the city of New York, as far back as the year 1825, that thefirst institution of this kind was attempted. Philadelphia followed the example three years subsequently. Citi- zens, whose feelings were alive to the suffer- ings of unfortunate children, united, and formed a society, which built at its own expence the present House of Refuge, The State sanctioned this charitable institution, and enacted a law, setting forth that all coii- victed delinquents, who were minors, shculd be sent, not to prison, but to the Houiie of Refuge. But, although the State has given this privaic undertakinjr the form of a public institutio'i, yet it possesses no control over its affairs. It is under the direction of the people ; and that the management in such hands tends materially to its prosperity is EI)U( ATION OF C'UILDRKN. 207 proved by the flomishing situation of several institutions similarly eircumstaneed, and by their benefieial ellcet on young* people. When a child is sent hither by a Judge, no time is fi -ed for the duration of the detention : how, in fact, could this be done? It is not within the sphere of man to decide before- hand what i)eriod is required for the |)roper and suitable education of a child. It de])ends entirely on the did'erence of dispositions. The managers of the institution are the best judges when liberty ought to be restored : and they have, in consequence, authority, if a liberated child does not answer the anticipa- tion entertained of its moral improvement, to take it back again. But this guardianship ceases altogether as soon as the individual becomes of age: if then detected in any crimi- nal act, it is handed over to the prisons. On entering this school of reform, the child is informed of the rules which must be observed, and the two following simple maxims are deeply imp"essed upon his mind : Never tell a falsehood — Do the best you can. The name is then entered in a book, and the child is introduced into the first class. In fif- teen hours of the twenty four, he is instructed in various things, attends to work, &ic. Four I '■^ II' V( I V " 1" f j^i *"i^'^^ \l V i r ..-dr-- imi 2G8 SCHOOL DISCIPLINK. ' * nmW hours arc allotted to school, and eight to tlie pursuit of some profession — for example, shoemaking", car|)eutcrs' work, tailoring, and so on. For each meal he is allowed half an hour, and the remaining- hours are devoted to rest. A short time is granted for recrea- tion and gymnastic exercises. Tiie children have separate bedrooms, and are thus cut off from all communication, which might lead to demorah/.ing" consequences. The children are divided into classes, ac- cording to their behaviour and advancement in knowledge. Promotion or degradation is considered sufficient to maintain discipline. The rewards are suitable for children, and flatter their vanity, while they encourage a continuance of good conduct. A premium, to which great value aj)pears to be attached, is the appointment of monitor, whose duty it is not only to superintend the other children, but to attend to tlieir personal cleanliness and that of the rooms Punishment consists in being degraded from the higher to tlie lower class, privation of recreation, solitary confinement in the day-time, curtailment of food, and, finally, in case of great extremity, whipping. Ever) evening, the children are summoned before the manager, to give an account of SCHOOL DIsriPMNK, 209 tlicir conduct in the course of the clay. Tlic result of the investigation is entered in a hook kept for that purpose, where each child has an account current. At the end of the week the balance is struck, and if the credit- side (speaking" in the language of an ex|)eri- enced bookkeeper) be in favour of the child, he is rewarded witli l)ooks,pa|)er, pocket-handker- chiefs, &,c.; if, on the other hand, he happens to be debtor, degradation follows, and loss of supper on Sunday evening, or something to that effect. I'pon some occasions, the chil- dren are even allowed to sit in judgment on those who have committed an irregularity. Twelve jurymen are then appointed, and deli- ver their verdict with a solemnity proportion- ate to the gravity of the offence, and the sen- tence is immediately carried into effect. When the child recovers his liberty, the manager always takes care to obtain for him some employment, either as servant, appren- tice, or agriculturist. A residence in town is avoided as much as possible. On leaving the institution, he receives, as a present, a Bible, together with written advice how to behave in future. That this system produces incalculable benefit cannot be denied. According to ( .( Ul h ■ m ft ^! Ol f m V I -ll^JW 270 RFFOnMATION OF CIlILnnEX, reports made of tlio beliavioiir o! he, childreii after rci>aining their lil)erty S find that about two-thirds coiuiuct themselves repu- tably. With sucli results before me, I cannot lielp adiiiirini;- a phm, which not nnly corrcds faidts and (lanj;crous propensities, but incul- cates, at the same time, a taste lor reg'ularity, industry, and pro|iriety ; which ^ives useful knowledge, and enables the child subse- quently to support himself in the path of virtue. I was, however, informed that to reform children after the a^*c of sixteen is ,i task of great difficulty. Theft is the prevailing- offence among boys sent to the House of Re- fuge, and immorality that of the giils ; these two crimes, it appears, leave the least hope of amelioration. Yet daily experience shows that it is not impossible. The Mouse of Refuge at Philadelphia cost originally about sixty-five thousand two hun- dred and thirty dollars ; and the yearly ex- pences amount to twelve thousand, including salaries to officers and superintendents. The amount of the children's labour is only two thousand dollars ; the differeuvne of ten thou- sand being made up by the insii.jtion. The yearly deficit is owing to the children not nENKVOLENT rNSTITUTIONS. 271 being' kept continually at work, as practised in prisons ; but this is, after all, a minor con- sideration, if the great object is aUained. The ten thousand dollars are richly re|)ai(l by the re(lenn)ti()n of (ifty children — reclaimed, and changed into useful members of society. Besides the institufi >n iiere alluded to, f ought not to lose sii of several others ettually benevolent, all ul which I was fortu- tunate enough to vis't during my residence in Philadelphia. To enter into a detail of them all would exceed my limits ; and being, moreover, nearly uj)on the same plan as si- milar institutions in Europe, with which the public is acquainted, it is unnecessary to refer to them further than by mentioning their names. At the head of the list 1 will place The Widows' Asylum. This excellent and well supported institution is followed by The Orphans" Institution, Deaf and Dumb Asylum, jNlagdalen Institution, Asy- lum for the Blind, Naval Asylum, &lc. No city in the Union has such beautiful Banks as Philadelphia. The United States' Bank, generally called the Mother Bank, is an edifice of fine effect, situated in one of the principal streets in the city. The architec- tural part is copied from the Parthenon at I 'I A L^ .1(1 If •A ,%< ^ Vs>^, ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 I.I m tis ■ iO kit 1^ 1 2.2 ^ U& 1 2.0 IL25 III 1.4 1.6 ^5 Vi / Photographic _Sciences Corporation 23 WEJT MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 iV -*^ <> ) ^ .«*>^ ^ ^'' 6^ 272 BANKS AT PHILADELPHIA. I. v I,. ■II ll'i! ' r 'M'i Athens. The portico is of marble ; and the pillars of the Doric order. The interior, how- ever, is not in harmony with the exterior. There, every thing appears rather heavy, mean, and less j)leasing to the eye, probably to serve as a contrast to the exterior, which partakes, at least, of the classic, if it is not altogether faultless. The Pennsylvania Bank is another building shown to every stranger. It is much smaller, does not strike the eye so much as the former, but has unquestionably a neater and more suitable appearance. The facade of this Bank, as well as that of the late Mr. Girard, is of white marble, without any pretension to Italian architecture. The new Mint was not yet finished when I visited Philadelphia; but a fugitive glance convinced me that it will be upon a grand scale, combining taste and convenience. This is the only city in the Union where coin is struck. In a long gallery, called The Arcade, is Peale's Museum. The contributors to this in- teresting collection count among their number many natives of the country, now no more. A great many ol)jects of curiosity may be seen, particularly implements of the Indians settled on the western shores of the Mississippi. But what attracts the particidar attention of every SKELETON OP THE MAMMOTH. 273 visiter is the almost perfect skeleton of the mammoth, not long- ago dug nj) in a distant part of Pennsylvania, at the expense of Mr. Peal. The few bones wanting to complete the whole frame are hardly perceptible, except upon close inspection. An elephant placed beside this gigantic animal appears as di- minutive as a calf beside an elephant. The shape or figure is, however, not unlike tlie latter, although the dimensions gf the bones and joints are three times the size. The Indians have a singular tradition with regard to this animal, which deserves to be quoted : " About ten thousand months ago," it states, " it pleased tiie Great Spirit to drown in one day all living* animals, with the excep- tion of the mammoth, who, closely pressed by the rising waters, took refuge on the top of an elevated mountain. But the flood reached this retreat at last, when the animal began to scream so hideously, that the Spirit himself was frightened, and saved it from perdition. This is the reason why, of all gigantic ani- mals which inhabited the earth before the Deiuge, the mammoth is the only one of which any traces are left." A few steps only from this Museum is the Statehouse, justly celebrated in the annals \ I i ii ;« ' 'I I VOL. I. T fc'l 271 THE STATEIIOUSE. of .Viiicrican history, as l)eing; the place from which emanated the declaration of independ- ence. This old building- is of brick, still of its |)ristine colour, with two wings, distin- guished only by a peculiar simi)licity in the architecture. Age has given it rather a dismal appearance ; but even this proved gratifying to my eyes, particularly when travelling in a country where every thing is new and fresh, and where antiquities are as scarce as young cities in Italy, sprung up from nothing. Historical recollections, more- over, attach to this building so much interest, that it is next to impossible to approach it without reverence. It was within its pre- cincts that America shook off her fetters. Here it was, also, that the first impulse was given to the extraordinary revolution which ended in the total emancipation of the Colo- nies. It was here, in short, that a handful of bold patriots, by a stroke of the pen, risked the chance of an ignominious death as rebels, or the immortal glory of heroes of liberty. It was here that the signatures were affixed to an Act w hich has already had, and will for ages to come, have an immense influence on the destinies of the world. i CHAPTER XIII. Narrow is thy (Iwelliii}^ now! dark tlic plaic of lliiiu" ahode! With three sf(»j)s I compass tliy grave, () thou who wast so "jreat before ! OssiAN. The environs of Philadelphia are really of the most enchanting character, particularly those in the vicinity of the Schuylkill, whose romantic borders cannot but be highly ad- mired. The country is intersected with villas vying with each other in beauty. To point out any one in particular would be doing in- justice to all the rest. Two I visited, be- longing to Messrs. Pratt and Boric, from which I enjoyed a most extensive ajul beau- tiful view of the Quaker City. To my great astonishment, however, I was told that these mansions are hardly ever inhabited. Every thing on earth is subject to some objection : even in the midst of the finest wheat, thistles will sometimes grow — so with the elysian T 2 A 111.' i,\ « l\ U Mi 276 THE WATERWORKS shores of the Schuylkill. An im wholesome and fatal miasma rises invariably from this seduciiio- stream, and woe to him who ventures to settle in its neij^hhourhood ! A cadaverous look soon rej)laces tiie wholesome complexion, and health Hies away in the midst of enjoy- ments of an enchanting nature ! This lament- able circumstance reduces j)roj)erty in these parts to little or no value ; the villas are com- pared to the prohibited fruit, the tasting' of which entailed death. They appear like places lately visited by the plague, or neglected by owners too fond of a town residence. Each bower bore the stamp of desertion, and the footpaths were covered with grass. The works of man had a dead appearance in the midst of lively nature. Hut Philadelphia's boast, that of which the inhabitants may justly be proud, is the water- works at Fair Mount, which supply all parts of the city with abundance of excellent water, for the consumption of private houses, as well as for the cleansing of the streets, and for ex- tinguishing fires whenever they happen. The eminence, called Fair Mount, lies close to the city, and rises from the banks of the Schuyl- kill. A place more suitable for this purpose could not have been selected. The stream AT FAIR MOUNT. 277 iscondiK'tt'd thi()»ii;h a djiin to ii kind of basin, near the foot of the eminence, where several hirg'e wheels are worked by the mass of water. These wheels, in turn, jiiit in motion a num- ber of pumps, the ai>gregate power of which is so g-reat that, when all the wheels are •^•oing", a (|uantity of water, equal to seven mil- lions of gallons, is raised in the course of twenty-four hours. Upon the eminence, the water is collected in reservoirs, containing nearly twelve millions of gallons. It is con- ducted hence to the city by means of pipes, which, like the veins in the human body, ser- ))entine in various directions; it is at last brought to the houses, and circulates under the streets. By this excellent arrangement, plugs, placed purposely at regular distances, need only be opened, and all quarters arc supplied. This simple aqueduct cost the city no less than one million seven hundred and eighty-three thousand dollars : the annual exjjcnce, which is proj)ortionably trifling, is borne by every housekee[)er, who has on the other hand the great convenience of water in every part of the house, even in the garret. In fine, nothing in or about Philadelphia de- serves more to be seen than these water- works. M, i J I d\ 278 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. }■ i\ The new prison is also worthy of the atten- tion of every stranger. I shall pass over any detail of this institution for the present, intend- ing in a future chapter to treat more at large on this subject, pointing out the diflerenee between the penitentiary system adopted here and that which goes under the name of the Auburn system. A^ery often it occurred to me, during my travels through the United States, as a singu- lar circumstance, that 1 hardly ever discovered any public monument in commemoration of Franklin. Statues, busts, and portraits, are everywhere seen of Washington — even the names of Lafayette and Kosciusko are not forgotten by grateful Americans. But Frank- lin, the great Franklin, has not received that tribute to which his memory is unquestionably entitled. In a dark corner of a smoky tavein in the country, or as a sign-j)ost, his head may sometimes be seen suspended ; but this honour is any thing but enviable, particularly when it is taken into account that the likeness to the original is in general so questionable, that both painters and landlords are obliged to write beneath the ugly countenance in large gold letters : " This is Henjamin Franklin." — I expected to find in Philadelphia a > t Ills TOMB. 27!) \ variety of memorials relating* to him : but even here tlie memory of this extraordinary man has been treated with a nij;gar(lly liand. His remains are interred in a ehureliyard in tlie middle of the citv. I hastened thither, in full cxpeetation of finding- a splendid monu- ment raised by the American nation. I saw only a flat stone over his grave, with this inscription : KHANKI.IN'. This simple and unostentatious epitaph, although unexpected, leaves nevertheless a deeper impression on the mind than the most costly mausoleum would produce. The life of F'ranklin, like his marble, was without pre- tension. The nruo alone, Benjamin Franklin, is it not a speaking- monument? lie who was content with a frame-house during life-time was too great a man to court, after death, a marble tomb. As a private citizen, he returned to the same mother earth that witnessed his birth, and for whose prosperity he had lived. Near his silent grave now stand the children of his revolutionary brethren, watching its sanctity, as if it were the property of the whole I || I >> ', •I I- i t I ^, I , m '/,. i i %\ 280 F.LKCTION OK FHKSIDllM'. I I I w nation. And such il is in Tact. Tlu'dust whit'li covers America's lirst and j;iTatcst philoso- pher undoubtedly belongs to the people. The simplicity ol' the grave is its greatest orna- ment. Woe to the hand that would destroy its elliect by an attempt at splendcur ! A portion ol' the I'nited Stales' Navy is stationed at the southein extremity of Phi- ladelphia. The largest man-ol-war probably in the world is building here, and is justly shown as a prodigy. It is enclosed in a wooden shed, on the roof of which is a reservoir of water in the event ol' lire. When launched, she is intended to carry one hundred and forty-lour guns, and will be named the Pennsylvania. The President and \ ice- President of the United States are, as it is well known, elected to their resj)eclive oflices for a period of four years. Jn Pcmisylvania, the election takes place in the following manner : four months before the duties of theoilice are entered upon, electors arc chosen by the people, w ho after- wards vote. A similar day of election took place on the 2d of November in Philadelphia. The friends of the respective candidates, Jack- son, Clay, and Wirt, had, during the preceding- week, used every exertion to influence voters to avail themselves of their privilege. No r,l,K( riON OF FIIKSIDKN I*. '2h\ \ 1 |)ains had hocii sjKirt'd, and no induconuMit neglected. In Kiij^land, wliorc I have like- wise attended [lopular eleetions, the zeal of the friends ol' the eandidates is certainly very };reat; i)ut in Anieriea it is carried to a still liii>-her |)ilch. itoth old and young*, poor and rich, men and women, lee! such an intense in- terest in the issue ol' the contest, that the least result which an impartial foreigner can possibly exjject is, the dissolution of the I'nion, effusion of blood, anti civil war. Whichever way I turned, I heard the severest censure directed by one party against the other. In one place, ajipcared a number of Clay-men attacking and tearing down tiie hickory trees.* In another, a numerous and savage mob was seen dancing round similar trees erected in the streets, calling out — "Jackson lor ever !" Not far off, a procession of anti- masons, to w ho.sc party the last-mentioned candidate belonged, was seen moving and laughing* at their antagonists. In another group, were observed a number of the most • A kind of walimt dvo, iliani/,e(l, took phice on one of tliese loonis, and tlie assault was only repulsed by the besieged after a most obsti- nate resistance, when about fifty wounded were left on the field of battle. These scenes did not end till inornin^;'. On the follow in*rettcd that posterity, regardless of the past, should allow these elysian fields to be so completely neglected, and wrapped in the mantle of ob- livion, that not a trace can now be dis- covered ! The only thing now known of this terrestrial paradise on the shores of the Dela- ware is, that its situation was near Cape Henlopen, a short distance from the sea. The colonists purchased tracts of land of the Indians, occupants of these parts, and threw up a few fortifications, namely, Fort Chris- ANCIFAT SWF.niSIl f OT.ONY 2S\) lid lob- tlis- this ipe 5ca. Ithc few 'IS- tina,* Fort Elfsborj;-,! and Now Clotlwn- The nutcli, whose principal city was tlicn New Anisterdaiii, (afterwards called New York,) pretended that the country round the Delaware Ijelon^ d to them, Ikin inj;' paid it a visit before the arrival of the Swedes: this insinuation, however, did not prevent the latter from settling;-; nor ccndd this pretension be supported afterwards, for the Indians had totally destroyed all the fortifications erected l)y the Dutch, and murdered the garrisons. The Swedes now kept peaceable possession of the country, and passed their time, accord- ing" to traditions on record, with little or no care. William Pcnn speaks of them thus: " They are a plain, strong, industrious people, yet have made no great progress in the cul- ture or propagation of fruit trees, as if they desired rather to have enough than plenty or traffic. As they are people proper and strong of body, so they have fine children, and almost every house full ; rare to find one of them without three or four boys, and as • Of tliis fortification there is mi trace. It was situated near WiiniiuKtoii, twenty-seven miles sontli of I'liilailel|)hia. + Fort IsU'shorji was near Salem Creek, east of tlie Delaware. t New Gothenburg, or Tinnicum, between Fort Cliristina and the present '-place for religious vvorshij) at Newcastle ; and the Swedes three, one at Christina, one a( Tinnicum,and one at Wicacoa, within half a mile of this town."' The last mentioned church at; Wicacoa, '-' which in Penn's time was only half . a mile from Phila(lel|)hia, is now within the limits of the city. It is a simple brick building, not painted, something like a country church in Sweden, and erected in the beginning of the sixteenth century on the same s[)ot where the former church stood. The inside is painted white, without ornaments. Above the altar is the pulpit, which, as well as the organ-loft, was covered with black when I visited it, as a token of respect to the memory of the Swe- dish pastor, who died in the preceding year. Some of the remains of former clergymen are interred beneath the altar, among which are those of Anders Rudman and John Dyllander, whose memories have been honoured by ta- blets. On the right side, near the wall, is a simple monument of marble, to the memory of * An Indian name, signif\ing ploasant place. U 2 .' '' ,1 ll I \ \V 2J>2 CKMKIKIIY. i :i ji y ' \ Doctor Collin's wlTo: tlic husband also re- poses henoalh. In the pulpit anh that State, partly throu^'h Pennsylvania, and partly through Maryland, till at length it empties itself into the Chesa- peak, alter travelling more than five hundred miles. i'i H I CFIAPTKH XIV. Siicli is (lie |i;itri(il"> l)(iiist, wlii'rf'ci' uc iiniiii, Hi-- (ii'-t, ln'st cmii.liv t'vc-r is ;il linmc. (ioi.I.-MITH. Haltimoue, ill point of size, is the tliird city in the Union. It is sitiiiited on the River Patapsco, wliieli (1iseharj;es its waters into Ciu'sapeak Hay. The inlet to the port is narrow, fortified by two projecting* ])()iiits of lan(lop]x)site to each other, one of wliicii, called Fort AMIenry, is mounted with heavy can- non, to protect the city in case of necessity. When our steamboat, with the rapidity of lightnino;, entered the harl.our, amidst boats, steamers, and ships, and I saw^ the multitude of steeples, domes, and monuments, rising above the houses, in the form of an amphi- theatre, I could not help expressing my ad- miration to a young- American, close to me on deck. i' i> I ri ii \i I 11 t! -"4 I l \\\ U I! i f, r Mj 2*K) iiAi/riMoitr:. " llNcry slranf;(M' is (Icli^htcd with this place." aiiswcrcil \\c, " and I don't woncU'r at it. TImtc is sonicthin^* so pleasing;- in tho cvlcrior ol' IJahiinorc at liist sii;lil, that it is iinpossihlc not to like it : the s|)l(>ndi(l puhlic l)iiil(linL;s, tlie hoantifnl churches, the inter- estint;' nionnnients, so ^ratil'vinj;' to every American, the convenient and handsome pri- vate houses, have f;iNen to this city a name it richly deserves, and which none in this he- misphere, not even excepting' Philadelphia, can dis|)ute. It is known l>y the name of i\lonun\ak of it with i.-ipturc. Uiit why repeat ji (act so Miiiveisallv admitted? Who can leiiii) iii;noraiiee oi' its attractions o r its amiahle and heaiititiil women ? liotli have passed into a provtirl) in America, as well as in Kiirope, and are therelore iiothinj;' strani;e to those who may led disposed to follow me in my proposed peregrinations. Amonj*' l)uildin«;s, Justly (l!'servin«;- to \)v. noticed, are the Cathedral, the I'nitarian Church, and the K\chani;-e. The first, in particular, the Uoman Catholic Church, is the larf»'<"st in the United States ; the exte- rior is, uiupiestionably, the handsomest of all, the American l^rotestant churches being j^encrally remarkable for their simplieity and bare white walls. A dome, w ith a skylight, gives to this church a most agreea])le light; and (luerin's celebrated picture of Christ's Descent from the Cross, presented by Charles X., ex-King of Kranee, and the many little cha[)els, always found in Catholic churehes, together with the marble altar at the choir, and the ornaments, tapers, and flowers on the altar — all, in short, forms a singular con- trast with the neighbouring Unitarian church, 1 ■'» I l\' '»\ 1l^' HB i yljl •,i 1 llH 1 11 •i f ^^D| ■ ' i 1 H''' "''hI 1 i ) u^B II; - 2US WASHINGTON S MONUMKN'I". where (he utmost siinpheity prevails, and which is nevertheless as imposing' to a true Christian as a temple tiecorated with |)aint- ino's and inia<;es, lighted by a multitude of tapers, and filled with incense. The monument of Washington, the only one oi" its kind worthy tiiis great man, con- sists ol' a large marble column, with his siatuc on the summit. The ])illar is one hundred and seventy-five feet high, twenty in diameter at the base, and fourteen at the top; the statue alone is fifteen feet high. The sides of this column are perfectly smooth, though the original intention was, I believe, to decorate it, in imitation of Trajan's column at Rome, with a bas-relief, representing scenes from the life of the American Cinciiinatus. That this project was not carried into effect is universally regretted, and, I fear, it is no longer thought of. The monument, however, is on the most elevated and conspicuous part of the city, in Howard's Park, at the end of Charles Street, and offers the finest view of Baltimore, the river, and the country for se- veral miles round. Another monument also adorns this city. It is erected to the memory of those Ameri- cans who fell in the battle with the English MONUMKNT FOIl FALLKN AMERICANS. 21)9 before IJaltimore in |S| J. There is always something- so inleicstino- in llie i)ul)iie e\[)res- sion of gratitude and respcci for services ren- dered to the country, that even the most trifling- monument seldom Tails to excite a lively impression in all Americans. They retain, with feelings of gratitude and pride, the names of iiumi who have, in a moment of [)eril, saved country, contemporaries, and an unknown posterity. Kar he it, therefore, from me, like many other jireceding travellers, to censure this monument as iieavv and taste- less! Let it not be forgotten, that it was raised by surviving- parents, children, rela- tives, and friends; it was not the united efforts of a nation. Whatever defects it may ])ossess, they must vanish before the eyes of all spectators disposed to view it in this manner; and, if this piece of sculpture cannot l)e com- pared to many masterpieces with which [taly abounds, it answers at least its purpose [)er- fcctly well, and this. I believe, is the limit of its pretensions. During my short stay in this city, a death occurred, which caused as much sensation and regret all over the United States, from Maine to Louisiana, as when a beloved and esteemed Monarch in Europe dies. Charles Carroll, of \ 1^ I 'A >\ i h tl u rhfi II 1 II Dp'' Hi'' \ 1 i^BVmm Wf'i 'V mm ; II u Biii H HN P 1 ; ^' iP ffi i* '•' ■1 M. «i wi if' ^ ill p 1 if III 1 ■ 1.' f 1 il ^\,i ?00 CARROLL, OF CARROLLTON. Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Act of Iiulcpcndcnce, on the 4th July, 1776, expired in the month of November, 1832. The event was certainly not unexpected, as his age was nearly a century ; but who- ever had seen the aged man in later years, surrounded by a numerous family circle, in which he shone with so much lustre, and heard him speak of the State fabric, to the erection of which he had lent his aid, could not help venerating the aged patriot. He might be compared to a link between former times and the present. Although he did not fill any public station subsequently to the year 1801, yet he was not forgotten by his grateful countrymen, for whose liberty, independence, and prosperity, he staked life, property, and glory. This circumstance alone, that he was the last of the bold revolutionists who separated the Colonies from the Mother Country, would have been sufficient to illustrate his name for ever. His star continued bright after all the others had set ; and the lising genera- tion looked up to it with an almost religious veneration. Carroll's career was fertile in events : with delight, yes, I may add, with the fire of youth, CARROLL. OF (ARROLLTON. 301 he recalled to memory, but a few days pveced- int;- his demise, the many important epochs he had witnessed, and how, regardless of conse- quences, and only acting* for the public good, he had ha/arded his own immense estates, for the honour of being foremost in tlie ranks of those on whom tln^ world tlien bestowed the epithet of rebels. Mis long career gave him, moreover, an opportunity of seeing his young- country twice engaged in a sanguinary con- test with tlie modern rulers of the ocean, and yet able, a few short years afterwards, to pay off the greater part of a considerable national debt. Destiny, however, did not permit him to descend to the tomb before the dreadful voice of rebellion in South Carolina reached his ears. The flame of discord, always destruc- tive to a republic, kindled before him when on his death -bed. Carroll trembled at the idea of witnessing- the annihilation of Wash- ine-ton's magnificent work ; from his pale lips parted a sincere prayer to Him, to whose bosom his affrighted spirit soon fled. Thus died Carroll, he who, like a true vir- tuous Roman, answered a man, who rather sarcastically observed that, of all the signers of the Act of Independence, Carroll hazarded \ I I III \ " li Ji 302 CARROLL. OF CARROLT.TOV. '»■ i'' (1 the least by the insurrectionary step against the hiwful government, inasmuch as many persons in America bore the same name, and tlie English rulers, if victorious, would liave had some difficulty in iinding- which Car- roll it was: "Is it so?" said he: "then T will add another name to the one I already pos- sess." And the sentence was hardly finished, before he wrote, in the important document, immediately after his name, the words : " of Carrollton," which addition has since been censured by people unacquainted with its origin, who have accused him of harbouring arifttocratical notions under a republican exterior. At his death, however, all private rancour ceased : friends and foes hastened round his grave to pay the last tribute of respect to de- parted greatness. The newspapers in Balti- more, as well as in other cities, were bordered with black in token of mourning, and all united in the expression of grief for the death of the deceased. One of the journals inserted the following poetical lines to his honour, which T cannot refrain from copying : they may be called his epitaph, and certainly are not destitute of merit : n, TRIUUTt; TO HIS MRMORY. 303 THE LAST OF THn ROMAN'S, THK LAST OF THAT SACKED HAM), WHO, IN THE DARKF.ST Ilom OF TllKIR COUNTRY'S STRL'GOLE?, PERILLED THEIR LIVES, THEIR FORTUNES, A\D THEIR HONOUR, FOR HER freedom: — CHARLES CARROLL, OF CARROLLTON, The venerated and beloved. The virtuoiiK and the wise, 'J'he patriot and the christian — Js xo Moiii;! He has gone down to the <;r,ive, Full of days, riches, and hononr. Of no distenijH'r, of no i)last, he died, But fell like anlnnin IVnit, that niellow'd ionjj ; E'en woiidei'd at, hecanse he dropp'd no sooner. Fate seeni'd to wind him up for fourscore \ears. Yet freshly ran he fifteen winters more. Till, like a clock worn out by eatiny;Tinie, The wheels of weary life at last stootl still. I fully anticipated witnessing- a funeral different from the ordinary ones in America. We Europeans take it as a thing- of course that the obsequies of a great man should he in proportion to his character. My residence in the United States had then been too short for me to imbibe other notions. When, there- fore, informed that the body of the deceased was to lie in state, that the public authorities were to attend it to the hist place of rest, and that even the President and the Secretary of State were expected from Washington, to follow in the procession, I naturally concluded \ M' \^i !) I '' h / V* \A 304 >. CARROLL S FDXFRAL. ;l that the whole ceremony would be conducted Uj)on a scale of niagnificence similar to what is observed with us. IJndor tliis impression, I proceeded to tiie resi(hMice of the deceased. Two staves covered with lilack crape were placed at t!ie entrance of tlie iiouse, and in front of it, half a dozen black womcji were playing- as if nothing* had happened. Their mirth and wild gestures actually excited my anger before I entered the gate ; but this was a mere prelude to the indecorous, I may almost add, scandalous scene I subsequently witnessed in the room containing the remains of the great patriot. The body was wrapped in a blue morn- ing gown, and laid on a simple bed, in the middle of an apartment, wliich had pro- bably been a parlour in the life-time of the owner. The bed was covered with a white sheet, overhanging the sides. Round it, were four tapers burning, and at the head a crucifix, to show that the deceased was of the Roman Catholic faith. The room bore not the slightest indications of mourn- ing : all moveable furniture had been taken away ; but curtains of the gayest colours were left, and ^''-nauced a strange contrast to the silent victim of death, but a few paces INDRCOIlorS CONDUCT 305 ' K' rn- |)urs t to ces distant. I found the room filled with spec- tators, the greater i)art of whom ai)peared to be Americans. They crowded round the body, and [)ushed each other, at the same time uttering- reproaches, and laughing. Kor a long- while 1 could not get near ; but I felt indignant at witnessing a scene of merriment, and on hearing unbecoming observations close to the bier of a departed fellow-creature. They went even so far as to examine, the morning- gown, to touch the lifeless body, and to place their hands on the forehead. 1 shuddered at this levity, and turned round in hopes of see- ing some person belonging- to the house, ^vho could put a stop to these improprieties. I soon found an individual, appointed to super- intend on the occasion — and, as long- as he remained near the deceased, none dared touch him ; but his presence did not silence the in- decorous language and laughter, which con- tinued all the time that I was in the room. When I surveyed the high forehead of the deceased and his noble features, I could not help fancying that he assumed a look of dis- pleasure. Low, indeed, must he be sunk, who can joke and smile at tlic sight of a corpse. On the contrary, what an instructive and improving lesson is it not to him. wlio, by the VOL. 1. X ' .1 t A r fi \:-\\ 306 FIJNF.KAF, PROCESSION. i';a ! X\ side of a lifeless fol low-creature, pauses in his ardent career, and reflects seriously for a mo- ment, before he himself sets out on the long; journey whence no traveller has yet returned! But, if this preliminary ceremony displeased me, I was not the less disappointed on the following day, when the funeral took place. There was certainly a procession, but without order, without the least magnificence. The President, in signifying" his regret at not being able to attend, despatched a few sol- diers, with a view perhaps of giving greater eclat to the ceremony by the exhibition of elegant uniforms. I need only mention, that of the nimibcr of persons who accompanied the hearse a very small proportion were dressed in black. The majority were attired in grey, brown, or blue small-clothes and coats ; some had white hats, a few even caps, and all carried umbrellas, to shelter themselves from the heavy rain falling- at the time. At the cathedral the procession was received by the archbishop and a number of assist- ing functionaries, who went through the usual ceremonies practised by Catholics. No funeral oration was delivered; but, in its stead, pieces of solemn music and a kind of requiem were sung by a numerous band POPUF. \TI<)N OF HALriMOUK. 307 of amateurs, whicli i)ro(iiico(l a very impres- sive cffeet. When the serviee was conchidecl, a hearse conveyed the body to one of Car- roll's estates, where it was deposited in tlie family vault. Baltimore, althoug^h the largest city in Maryland, is noc the capital of the State. Annapolis, a few miles to the south, and situ- ated on Chesapeak Hay, has the honour of being the seat of the Legislature, witliout deserving it. It is a very insignificant place, with barely three thousand inha])itants; whereas, Baltimore, according to the l-tst cen- sus in 1830, contained eighty thousand five hundred and nineteen souls. In the year 1820, the number amounted to only sixty-two thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight, consequently, there had been an accession in the course of ten years of no fewer than seventeen thousand seven hundred and eighty - one. The prevailing religion is the Roman Ca- tholic, which has been unremittingly main- tained since the period of the first colony under Lord Baltimore. There are several other sects, such as Unitarians, of whom there is a great proportion ; but, upon the whole, it may be said that tho population of X 2 \ i HI I \ \ < I I .? ; ' I' llh 1/ 1 ^ il ■ M ' 308 Sr.AVFS. tlie Stato is almost exclusively Catholic, which is easily percept ihle to any sharp-sighted stranj^er, this religion, it will be admitted, haviiiir certain characteristic (eatures, more or less a d'ect mj tl le mass. Traflic in slaves is j)ermitted in Maryland, and carried on to ^rcat |)ront, particularly amon^' the tohacco-planters in the interior, ^^o ])aneful efltM't on the manners is, however, observable, unlii one aj)pr()aches the southern parts of the State. In IJaltimoie, lor instance, you perceive not in the streets that slavish ignorance and indillerence, j)ainte(l. as it were, on the features of the lower orders in the South : here are still numbers of free servants, who exercise a jjowerful influence over the less fortunate, who arc slaves. In the more enlightened and respectable circles, prevail a frankness, liberality, and hospitality extremely pleasing to every stranger; and, at the same time, this good nature and kindness among masters entirely remove the humili- ating part in the situation of a slave, and so reconcile him to his fate that he forgets his debased condition Any person, ignorant that slaves exist, would never be able to discover it, nothing in the hcmses or streets giving the slightest indications of it. A European, COMMKRC F, OK HM/l'IMoin 'M.r(} proccodiiii;- no lartlu'r south ihan this ciin. Mill certainly return under the impression that the situation ol" a slave is far j'roni de- iiradinii This discovery, to the shame ol' mankind be it said, is not ma( letill von enter the State ol' \ irj;inia. 'JMie principal exports from Maryland are wheat and tohacco, both of which are sent in i;reat (piantities to almost every part oC the world. IJaltimore is distinguished as a particular market for these g'oods ; th'.\v are hrouj;ht tiiitht'r with extra- ordinary facility, tiirough the agency of rivers, railroads, and canals. A company has lately been formed, whose object is to carry into ellect one of the most i>i<>antic projects in modern times, namely, a railroad, not less than three luindrcd Kn<>*lish miles in leni^th. (o facilitate the communication between the eastern and western j)arts of America. MMiis undertaking- once acc()m|;lished, IJaltimore will gain an incalculable accession of articles for export, and also an acUlitional source of wealth and jiopidation. I will resume the subject of this railroad in a subsequent chapter. At length, I quitted Baltimore, on my way to Washington, the capital of this immeiisc Republic. The road leading to it passes I \ (', \\ I'll > ( % JA I' .1 I >( i: ! i i i' k ^ 1'. ; I" If I: ' M 11^ ;uo \VAyHlN(iTON. over a hilly and sandy, tlioii^h in many [)laces |)ictiiros(|ii(', country. No tohat'co-lit'lds wvrc ohservablo, the soil in this part not permit- ting" the cultivation of the plant; it is only in the interior of Maryland that it can be brought to jjcrlection. It was on a rainy, disagreeable, and iin- comlbrtable November day, that 1 arrived at Washington. The first object which struck mc at a distance was the Capitol, the wonder of America, where the members of Congress assemble. The situation of this edifice is on an eminence atone end of the city, facing- the President's house at the other extremity : both arc connected by a long and wide avenue, a mile in length, the only regular and close-built street in the city. The stage moved slowly and cautiously over an infinity of rubbish, stones, and deep holes, as the avenue was then undergoing repair. Few people were to be seen, and those consisted chiefiy of slaves. Not a living being could I observe : there was none of the noise, confu- sion, and bustle, characteristic of a capital. Hardly a coach could be perceived : if one did appear, it was empty, or the driver was indulg- ing in a comfortable nap on the box. In the streets, or rather roads, traversing the avenue ii. m. WAMIIINfnON. :ni wliicli I iMitorcd, solitary houses wno licrcaud there observed, distant several hundred yards from each other. I could scarcely believe my eyes: I fancied myself in a village. Is this VVashin<>ton. said I to myself, the capital of another hcmisjihere? My features nuist have expressed what passed inwardly, for an Ame- rican, who ha|)pcne(l to be in the same coach, asked me, half-smilini;-. whether, with my Kui-opcan notions of a mcMropolis, I was not rather disappointed in my expectations? He concluded these in(pruies l)y adding* in a seri- ous tone: "Simplicity is the motto of a Re- public. M'hat you see is a true illustration of it. What can l)o more i»rand than that a country so extensive as the continent of North America should not require a lari;er spot than this for a capital ?" I mad(» no answer to this remark, just recollectinj;* one of Wash- ing-ton Irving's expressions — " Washing-ton, this immcnso metropolis, which makes so glorious an appearance on paper.' ('ongress had not yet met, nor had any of the persons to whom I had brought letters of introduction arrived from the four-and-tvventy different States, to pass as usual the winter here : I had therefore no reason to remain longer than over-night. On the following '<■ ifi I 1 (I !l!/ V n : /■■ f " k ■ ii ^' ' ' P'- } m 312 THE I'OTO.MAC UI\ Kll. morning 1 embarked, in company witli a few friends, on board an excellent steamboat, and proceeded down the Potomac to a place called the Creek, distant only nine miles from Fre- dericksburg, a small but flourishing town in Virginia. The trij) down this beautiful river was delightful beyond description. As soon as we left the district of Columbia, which con- tains only three cities, Washington, George- town, and Alexandria, (belonging to no State in the Union, but under the immediate rule of Congress at Washington,) the banks took the form of hills rising one after another as they followed the course of the stream, and appeared in many places, particularly at a distance, not unlike the waves of the ocean. Few rivers in America have left a stronger impression upon me than the enchanting Potomac. It was at once a grand and interesting sight : although the chili of autumn had already stripped the forests of their foliage, it was easy to discern what a variety of trees adorned the shores. Potomac river divides the North from the South, and forms the boundary line. Mary- land and the district of Columbia on the north side still preserve the aspect of a northern climate : Virginia, again, sighs under the burning heat of a southern sun, but, never- MOUNT VKRNON. 313 thelcss, boasts of natural grandeur. Tlio Potomac, taking- its source among the ma- jestic Alleghany Mountains, proudly rolls its mass of water a distance of three or four hun- dred miles, conscious that it may one day perhajjs form the bounchiry between a North- ern and a Southern Republic. But its greatest ornament, its greatest glory, is the unosteji- tatious and fiardly perceptible tomb of him — the last Roman on earth — him whom repub- lican America idolizes, and whose memory even monarchical Europe venerates. The spirit of Washington still hovers over the beautiful regions, by himself selected and so beloved in life : and the Potomac, to embellish the scene, washes with her waters the foot of ]\Iount Vernon. I did not stop to undertake a pilgrimage to the tomb of the great man : the time was too short, and my intention was to return to Washington in the following* spring. Mount Vernon, surrounded by small woods and parks, and still occupied by a namesake of Washington's, soon vanished from my sight, as well as Fort Washington, formerly called United States' Fort, situated on a rock on the opposite side. From the initials of the words United States' Fort, the English used to call I ! '< ■\\ 1 ( \ V II 11 1 I i- u y>5 \ 314 ROADS IN Tin: SOUTHERN STATES. J it, in derision, Uncle Sam's Fort. This cx- ])laniiti()n of the words U. S. is now gene- rally known all over America; in the western parts, in particular, it is so common to say Uncle Sam, instead of United States, or the government at Washington, that scarcely any other denomination is ever heard. On arriving at Fredericksburg, I lost no time in taking advantage of the stage on the point of starting for Richmond. Here 1 was soon reminded of another circumstance, namely, my entrance into the Southern States, by the execrable condition of the public roads. The traveller has to choose between two alternatives — to be shaken to pieces, or be ingulphed in deep mud -holes. The roads are made of trees laid crosswise, emphatically called corduroy roads. It would, in many places, be quite impossible to effect a pas- sage, if this precaution were not adopted, the soil being so soft, that the least rain is suffi- cient to make them impassable : the clay is often three feet deep, the wheels stick fast in it, and the carriage is consequently upset. If the timber, thus laid across the roads, had been cut, and so placed as to fit, it would answer the purpose of a well constructed bridge ; but, in so young a country as Ame- ; ROADS IN TllK SOUTUEKN STATES. 315 rica, tliis cannot be expected. Tlic trees are laid on the ground in their rough state, witli the branches only cut off': in a thousand places the inhabitants had not even given themselves time, or perliaps voluntarily ne- glected, to take off the small boughs, so that it not unfrequently happened that, owing to these leafy branches becoming entangled with the wheels, the trees on the road were dis- placed. The question then naturally arose, which was the stronger — the wheel or the branches : but never did the driver attempt to check the speed of the horses, from ap- prehension that the coach would go to pieces. This idea seldom enters the mind of an Ame- rican coachman ; nevertheless, there is no country on earth where this precaution would be more advisable than in the southern parts of the United States, still so thinly peopled, that you may travel miles and miles through forests, without discovering a human habita- tion where assistance could be procured in case of necessity. The cause of this indifference to horses and coaches is, that all stages carry mail-bags, which, according to contract with the post- office department, must arrive at their desti- nation at agiven time, otherwise the contractor .1 1 : ;i l\ i %' ' ^> :ii() ACCir^.NTS I\ ru WFLLINC 1) is li.'iblc to a considcM'ahIo fine. To evade this result, lie gives the driverfi strong injunctions to make all possibk^ luiste, let the consequence be what it may : they therefoi'e proceed with the utmost celerity, regardless of the danger of breaking down coaches or killing horses. The consequence is, that accidents too often occur; and, on such occasions, if a carriage or team cannot be found in the neighbour- hood, the driver takes the mail-bags, throws them upon a cart, and thus continues his jour- ney, leaving the unfortunate passengers in the middle of the road, in a bog, or in a forest, many miles from any habitation. To similar and numberless other incon- veniences is a traveller exposed in the South ; and, if he is lucky entmgh to arrive at tlic place of his destination alive, or with un- brokeii limbs, he may indeed think that he has had a narrow escape. I must, however, confess that accidents occur less seldom than might be expected on such roads, and which are hardly ever repaired; and the materials of which the coaches are built are so strong and tough, that holes, timber, stumps, roots, or trees, have seldom the power to break them. To the eye they appear very heavy and sub- stantial, and to my taste far from handsome : RAILROADS Dr.sniAHl.K IN rilK SOUTH. .317 the iron alone, which is used lor one, would be suflicicnt for two in Knoland. No douht they are perfectly suited to the roads ; the springs, for instance, are almost always of leather, able to resist any siiocks. It would be as impossible for an English carriage to be used here without being broken to pieces, as for English horses to trot on such roads, or for English coachmen to drive. If railroads be desirable, they are cer- tainly so in a superlative degree iVoni the beginning of Virginia to Louisiana. Pro- bably, many years will not elapse before such may be constructed in this tract of country by enterpri/ing Americans; and whoever then travels from Richmond to New Orleans, by way of Charleston, and will take the trouble of reading this brief description, (the remembrance of which almost makes me shudder) will in all probability not refuse a sympathizing thought to those, who, in former times, to the imminent danger of - 'e, and under numberless inconveniences, performed this journey once, but certainly would not willingly undertake it a second time. U' I r ! ; ■i < f li ' kj vUl ' Hi 1 ''Mr • : 1 1 . :'i I If I i I'M h f i-i ii I > M 1 hi r 17 ;/ CHAPTER XY. That foelins which tells him tliat man was never made to be the property of man. Sheridax. Richmond is the capital of Virginia. Few cities in tiie Union can be said to have a more beautiful and picturesque situation. It is built on a chain of hills, between which James River, navigable to this place, rolls its silvery waters. The public buildings, such as the Capitol, the Court House, and others, are erected on elevated points, and visible in every direction ; their exterior, which would pro- duce effect any where, contributes to em- bellish the whole. The bustle in the lower part of the town proves the flourishing state of the city ; manufactories and institutions of various kinds add to the general activity, and give life to the picture. I visited one day the Capitol, as it is called, or Statehouse, occupied by the Legislature of U f< THE CAPITOL AT RICHMOND. 310 the State, not then sitting-, but wliich generally meets on the 1st day of December, and is, as in all the other States, divided between a Senate and a House of Delegates. The first is composed of thirty-two members, elected for four years, one foi'rth of whom are changed annually, and the latter, of one hundred and thirty-four members, elected every year. This edifice is situate on an eminence in the upper part of the city, and modelled after the well-known maisoii carree at Nismes in France. Eight Ionian pillars adorn that pari of the building fronting the lower end of the city. Two entrances, in opposite directions, lead to a kind of vestibule, in the centre of which is a marble statue of Washington. It is made the size of life, and represents him in the same simple garb which he was accustomed to wear. There is something so unpoetical in a coat in reality, that it is hardly possible for a sculptor to give to a statue of marble, dressed in the costume de Marquis of the seventeenth century, that life and spirit, which can alone impart a natural air to a cold and inanimate piece of marble ; but, notwithstanding this drawback, the spectator is gratified in be- holding this piece of sculpture. I do not question the merits of the execution ; it has \i [" • I' l\ I ft n 1 i:7 * '■ 1 1 m w M\ im4j9j H:^ ' HI 1 It > ( i.i i- 1 H 1* 4 » ; 820 STATin: Ol" WASHING ION. boon conducted with talent, ard a due obser- vance of the ancient and modern rules of tlie art ; I am, however, of opinion, and \ Ii()|)c tlic artist will kindly excuse what I advance in a sj)irit of candour, that it is the noble, well-known features, which, rather than the general treatment, must at first glance strike every one who attentively examines the statue. Washington had a peculiar, open, noble, dis- tiiiguisiicd, and ever-composed countenance : both sculptors and painters have succeeded in copying it without diflicuity. So also with this statue : all tiiose who have seen it, and known Washington during his life-time, arc of one opinion that the sculptor has admirably ex- ecuted the head : all portraits, busts, and sta- tues of him that [ have seen are perfect like- nesses. The attitude, besides, is very natural: he rests his right hand on a stick, and the left on fasces. A plough is ])]accd close by, and a sword hangs upon it, as symbols of the war- rior and the agriculturist. fmmediately behind the palace of the Le- gislative Body is the Courthouse. The exte- rior is the most imposing part of the build- injr : the facade has four rather handsome pillars of the Doric order, and the whole is crowned with a dome. The interior contains (ii FIIIK \r IMf'llMONO TIIKA'lin:. 321 V 'i' notliiu^- renuirka})le, o\coj)t a \v\v pod rails of Wasliin^toii and liafaycKc. During- one of my rainhl'^s in the citv, I mot with one of tlio most affect in"- mauso- leums [ had seen since my arrival in Ame- rica. In an open colonnade, near the front of the Ei)isco|)al Church, and directly opposite to the entrance, is a sarcophaous, on which a great number of names are inscribed. It is a monument commemorative of a dreadful event which occurred here on the never-to-be forpot- ten evening of the 2r)th of December, ISIl. On the same jjlace wliere the church and the monument now stand was formerly a theatre, where the first and most enlightened society in Virginia once found an agree- able recreation. A play was performed on that very evening, the name of which \ can- not recollect, but which was extremely [)o- pular at the time. Many of the first families in town attended the performance : the house was filled with all the talent, beauty, virtue, and knowledge, that Richmond could boast of. In the midst of the j^erformance, at the moment perhaps when the feelings of the audience were excited to the highest pitch — for thus Fate often sports with men — a loud cry of " Fire !" was heard. Panic-stricken, VOL. 1. Y iv / I lil i.:! ^,"1 .v^ 322 MONUMENT FOIl TIIOSK fc; » - ; « / the whole assembly rushed towards the doors; but — f»reat (lod! shall I eoiiliuuc to describe the hist act of Ihis tra<;ic scene? Kuou^li — they met the Harness at tlie entrance — few ventured to brave tliem — some flocked togetlier — their piercing" cries and lamenta- tions reaching' even the ears of fiiends and relatives who had remained at home — smoke and flames enveloped the house sooner than could have l)een expected — a low murmur was heard from the interior of the building* — relatives and friends rushed franticly to the spot — a thunder-crash suddenly drow)\ed the roaring' of the fire and the crackling* of the beams — the smoke took another direction, as if in fear — a sin"lc immeasurable flame rose towards the dark heavens, and its light was more than sufiicient to show to the horror- stricken multitude that walls and roof had irretrievably buried the unfortunate victims in their ruins, A church was afterwards erected on the ruins of the former theatre; and, to remind those who enter the temple to worship God that about one hundred and twenty fellow - creatures here met a premature death, this monument was placed so conspicuously before the gate to the church that no one can go in WHO PKIllSlirj) IN THE TIIKAI'Ur. ;V23 without |)assiii<;' it. Wliat an awCul inc- mento to sinners of the suddenness ol' dealli. often oeeurrin^* wlien least ex|)ee(ed, and in the midst of" earthly enjoyments! With what exeited I'eelin^s must not th(^ citizens ol' llieh- mond visit this simple temple, and hear the consolini;" doctrine pioclaimed ; they caiuiot fail to recollect that all that now reminds them of those whom they bewailed is a com- mon mausoleum, with a few black names cut in the stone! Yes, this monument speaks a powerful lanj^uai^c to all hearts ap[)roach- ing' this place consecrated to death, f^et no one visit Richmond without performing' a pilgrimage to this simple, silent, but yet eloquent mausoleum. Another sight of a different character pre- sented itself shortly afterwards, during my stay in the capital of Virginia: for the first time in my life \ witnessed a scene, alike degrading to mankind and abhorrent and disgusting to the friends of humanity. Who can doubt that I allude to the slave-trade ? The newspapers had several days previously inserted an advertisement to nearly the fol- lowing effect : On Saturday iic\t, at nine oVlook a.m., will be sold by public auction the followinj^ excellent and Kood-looking Nc^no Slaves, &c. Y 2 1 ' 'I I ■ •t % 324 SL.WF, ArCTION. Hctsy, a Ni'Knnvoniui), twciily-tliri't' xcars of itgc, with lu-r rliild C.rsur, llircc yoiiis oM. Slic is a yoml ciiok ; inidcrslaiiils vvasliiii;; and inmiii!;, and is wiirraiit<; f«li()Mn and hfartv ; ha> a tiiHini: hlfinish in (itic eve, uliuT- wisc wairanlcd. Anyjiistiis, ii Nt'^^ro h(iy, >i<'cl fur a scrviiiil. Faiiith'ss. Tht^ ahitvf Niaxt's will he sold, wilhmi* rt'sciM', Id tiii> liij;h('s( l)iddcr ; and tiic l)n\('r may liiivc oni', two, \\d funnnnndis' ciiuht, on ulli'iin^ nni'xccptiunaijli' paper, vVc. I was not behindhand, as it may be sup- posed, in attendinji^ the auction: amonj;' a variety of other saleable articles, such as pots, pans, beds, chairs, books, &c., the iinlbrtunatc slaves were sitting close to each other, all as decently dressed as might be expected from persons who are considered by their equals as mere animals. The mother, with the child in her lap, was the first who drew my attention. She had seated herself, or rather the vender had placed her, in such a situation that any one entering- the store could, without difficulty, see both her and the child. Speculators went round and surveyed the unfortunate group with looks of curiosity and scrutiny, as if it had been some masterpiece from the chisel of a Canova, a Thorwaldsen, or a Bystrom. These cold-blooded and unfeeling beings treated the slaves with an indifference, a roughness, which made me shudder. Not :il SLAVF, AUCTION. .•^25 n. only ' eye as they would horses l)r()U|L;ht to market, inspected their teeth, eyes, ieet, and shoulders ; Celt their sides, and finally pronounced their opinion " that they were tolerably good slaves, ca- pable of doing' much work. " The only one of these Blacks who appeared to feci her degraded situation was poor Betsy. Her eyes were constantly fixed on her infant ; and if at times she lifted them u|), it was at the commanding request of some buyer, desirous of ascertaining' if they were strong' enough to support work night and day ; but the moment she had complied with the injunction, she looked down again on her babe, and answered every question without again raising* them, or even casting* a glance on the inquirer. This, however, was not the case with the other slaves : they laughed good-naturedly at every jest, looked upon the inspection as I' .'1 ; i'i .^.^A ( < 326 SLAVE AUCTION. extremely foolish, and their large white eyes sparkled like brilliants in their heads with delight at the lively and witty talk of the " Gentlemen" who had come all the way from the country for the purpose of purchas- ing human creatures ! Julia indulged in innocent playfulness, ignorant of the real character of tlie scene : the more harshly she was commanded the better she was pleased. But the time for sale approached. Several buyers had assembled in the store, anxious to overbid each other for the possession of the Negroes. The auctioneer invited them to come out ; and on a table before the door, in the middle of the street, one of the slaves at a time was exposed for sale. Betsy and her child had the honour of occupying the first place in the catalogue. Close to her side stood the auctioneer on a chair, and round them a number of people who, partly from motives of curiosity, partly from a desire to speculate, attended on the occasion. In the crowd I discovered at least a dozen Negroes and Negro women, who stopped in passing to gratify their curiosity. They ap- peared to listen with an extraordinary degree of attention to the progress of the sale. I could not avoid sympathizing with them, in i« • SLAVE AUCTION. 327 ill'. 111 witnessing the expression of feeling* they shc7,T(l towards their fellow-creatures. " This proves sufficiently," said I to my- self, delighted at the discovery, " how erro- neous and incorrect the opinion is, that the Negro race is only a link between man and brute animals; and that these unfortunate natives of Africa are only half men, not much better than a certain species of apes !" At that moment, I heard, to my horror, a burst of laughter from the crowd. I looi^ed round, and observed all the surrounding Blacks indulging in so hearty a laugh, that I was nigh being smitten with the same fit, so ridiculous was the scene, and so many contor- tions did the various faces exiiibit. Full of surprise, I inquired the cause, and was in- formed that one of them had happened to make a most striking and ludicrous remark, respecting the mother then about to be sold. Can there be anything more unfeeling, more unbecoming, than that persons, themselves slaves, who have often gone through the same ordeal of being sold like beasts, and who are consequently thoroughly acquainted witii its iniquity, that these persons should jest and laugh at the natural horror and timidity felt by a mother at the time of sale ? ,|l ■;( '( i ■A' 328 SLAVE AUCTION. ^\i " A woman to be disposed of!" commenced the auctioneer, with a loud voice; ** who will st irt a price ? She is an excellent woman, without blemishes ! And a boy into the bar- gain ! What shall I say for mother and son ? Two hundred and fifty dollars. I thank you, Sir. Two hundred and fifty dollars once. Will any person give more than two hun- dred and afty? Why, gentlemen, this is as cheap as cattle ; look at her eyes, limbs, &c. Shall I say two hundred and sixty? Much obliged to you. Two hundred and si::*^y are oflTered, once. Two hundred and &v • 1 7- five dollars did I hear ? Gentlemen, it :■.. vhe cheajiest lot I ever sold. Only two hundred and eighty dollars for the very best cook, laundress, and seamstress ? Is she to be knocked down for a paltry two hundred and eighty dollars ? Going for two hundred and eighty dollars. Three hundred dollars, two voices : T am glad to see you get into the spirit, gentlemen. Three hundred and ten is offered, once. Three hundred and thirty — three hundred and thirty-five — three hundred and forty : going for three hundred and forty. Really, gentlemen, I am astonished ; allow an experienced cook to be sacrificed for only three hundred and forty dollars ! By Jupiter, SLAVE AUCTION. 320 ,il :^ and all the g'ods in Olympus ! snch a woman as this for the trifling- sum of three hun- dred and forty dollars ! I beg* you for a moment to reflect, gentlemen ! and a boy into the bargain !" Here the auctioneer was stopped by one of the buyers, a man whose features from the beginning had inspired me with horror, and who novv, with the indifference and smi^- froid of a real assassin, made the following observation : " The boy is good for nothing; he is not worth a day's feed. If I buy the mother, I will sell the brat immediately, at a cheap rate, to the first comer." I cast a glance at the unfortunate mother, to observe what effect this barbarous expres- sion might produce. She uttered not a word ; but her countenance denoted profound grief and resignation. The little innocent child in her arms fixed his large dark eyes upon her, as if to ask, " Why do you weep, mother ?" and then turned astonished towards those who witnessed this touching- scene, with an expression which seemed to say, '• What is the matter ? What have ye done to my mother, since she is crying so bitterly ?" T shall never forget this moment ; it confirmed me for life in my I ! i i< i«'i \ V (I i ! :\ HI Ih 380 SLAVE AUCTION. 'V fornier abliorrence of the traffic in human llosh. The auction continued : — ** Three hun(h*e(l and forty dollars — three hundred and fifty, three hundred and fifty dollars — a better woman has never come under the hammer, 1 feel well satisfied — three hundred and fifty dollars for a woman worth at least six hun- dred dollars — three hundred and sixty dol- lars — going* for three hundred and sixty dollars — three hundred and sixty dolhirs, once, twice, thrice — going for three hundred and sixty — for three hundred and sixty — goino- — going — going — for three hundred and sixty dollars — three hundred and sixty dol- lars, I say — make up your minds, gentle- men — you will lose her — going — going — gone. She is yours for three hundred and sixty dollars." A blow with the hammer con- cluded the bargain ; the victim descended from the table, and the buyer carried her off. None of the speculators had uttered a single word during the progress of the sale. When they overbade each other, it was not done in the customary way by means of words. They nodded to the auctioneer, who rolled his eyes round the assembly, sometimes in one direc- tion, sometimes in another. Each movement SLAVE AUCTION. 331 with the head head probably a peculiar signi- fication, for the intention of the sjjeculator was never mistaken, and he added, accord- ingly, five, ten, fifteen, or twenty dollars to the bidding'. The other slaves were disposed of in the same manner as poor Betsy. Julia fetched only three hundred and twenty-six dollars ; and Augustus one hundred and five dol- lars. Both were bought by tlie same indi- vidual who purchased the first lot. He ap- peared to be a young farmer, and I was assured that such was his occupation. I re- joiced at least to think that these unfortunate beings had not fallen into the hands of a regular slave-trader. True enough, his looks denoted the delight he felt at having made an advan- tageous bargain ; but he treated his acquired property with mildness, and never addressed the slaves in a harsh and humiliating tone. It may, perhaps, not be irrelevant to the subject to say a few words here of the con- dition of the slaves in North America, their intellectual capabilities, the danger and im- possibility of a sudden emancipation, and the advantages likely to result from the system of colonization. The first rule which every owner of slaves n I i/'i M ■i'C l! ,* j^ 332 CONDiriON OF SLAVP^S. luis prescribed to himself, with a view to treat the NegToes properly, has l)een : '* Let tlie lio'ht of education never dawn upon them. Keep tliem always in a state of complete ignorance. Let them never know aught of a happier existence than the slave life they now lend." This maxim, so unworthy of enlightened minds, and so irreconcileable with the liberal principles of a free country, is, nevertheless, still jn'cvalent in all the Slave States. It invariably guides the conduct of the planters, whose conviction -occms to be irrevocable that a spark of light disser.iinated among slaves would be equivalent to a supply of arms, which they w^ould immediately turn against the white population. This belief has entailed the most disastrous consequences, and been highly detrimental to the moral condition of the unfortunate Negroes. Born of parents, as raw and ignorant as savages, from whom they learn nothing but vice, they live days and years, without being able to understand any of those manifold natural wonders with w^hich thev are surrounded — without knowing: for what purpose they are brought into the world — often without suspecting the existence of God. Their religion hardly deserves that u' I CONDITION (>F SLAVES. 333 name. Many a savage Indian in tlu; wilds west of the Mississippi has ])etter ideas of a Supreme Being-, and greater veneration for the Creator, than a Christian slave, as he is called, in the Christian land of the United States. The greater part of the Negroes profess tiie creed of the Baptists, at least such is tiie case in the States situated on the eastern coast of the country ; but many are found who have no religion whatever, who do not know what it signifies, who are perfectly callous on the subject. Do the owners of slaves, similarly situated, it may be asked, know this state of things? I started this question to a well- informed man in Virginia, and received the following answer. " They are perfectly well aware of it, but care not a straw about it ; for they think it better not to stir the ashes ; the least spark may cause the greatest con- flagration." It is very seldom that a slave has learned to read : his knowledge of the Bible is confined to what others, more fortunate tnan himself, teach him- — persons who, from being white, assume the exclusive privileges of thinking for and instructing the Blacks. Missionaries have certainly endeavoured to circulate f I \ ' II I Hij f .'1' 334 CONDITION OF SLAVES. among the slave-population religious tracts composed solely for this purpose, and written in a style suitable to individuals of so little information as the Negroes ; but, as I stated before, few are able to avail themselves of the gift, and the object in view is far from being accomplished. In many places through which I passed, and where luunbers congregated on Sunday evenings, 1 sometimes found one that could read. On him devolved the duty of reading aloud some religious tract, or a pas- sage from the Bible ; but I must in candour confess tliat this desirable thing was of rare occurrence. Upon nearly every occasion, I found the slave more disposed to indulge in some noisy amusement, which generally ended in drunkenness and riot, and destroyed all con- sciousness, at least for the moment. " Their moral condition," said a slave-projirictor to me, "is better or worse in proportion to their vicinity to high roads, where they come in contact with white men who, one way or other, spoil their morals." To judge from what I have seen in America, I am inclined to think that slaves, generally speaking, are well treated by their owners. Exceptions there are, no doubt, from this rule : what else can be expected from persons coNnrrioN or slaves. a3; who, like the speculator at tlic salo just men- tioned, unfecliiii;Iy observed : "If I buy the mother, I will sell the boy immediately at a cheap rate to the first comer ?" These e\- amj)les of cruelty on the part of slave-owners are, strange enough, almost exclusively traced to persons brought up in the Northern States under early impressions of horror lor slavery, who, from infancy, have shuddered at the very name of slave, and have been in the habit of hearing nothing* but curses and execrations launched against heartless slave- proprietors. When these once settle in the South, they arc obliged to procure slaves for the cultivation of their land, &tc. for Whiter look upon it as a dishonour to work wherever slaves can be found ; but, unaccustomed to treat them in a proper manner, and never forgetting how much labour a man is able to go through in the North, they require of the slave as much willingness and activity as of the free servant. When this disposition is wanting, natural to a being obliged to work, and who, on that very account, does no more than he is actually compelled to do after all — but an inconsiderable portion when compared with the labour of a free man in the North — they then believe it to be the effect of indolence, and have recourse to the mistaken system of i( I n 'I ^ i\ 7 ii M 330 CONDITION OF SLAVF.S. • I I' compulsion, in order to force liiin, l)y the iiinictioii of corporal piinislinicnts and the severest treatment, to work more assiduously. In States where the servants are free, very few are seen in families : this want of domestics is owing' to the facility which every free man j)osscsses of sup|>orting- himself in most parts in an independent way, as master instead of servant. One is therefore obliged to be satisfied w ith few attendants ; but these few must do every thing thai is wanted. In the Slave States again, where hands are abundant, the same work which is performed in theNorth by one man is divided among several: this is not taken into consideration by the planters from the North, who require that every slave shall contribute as much as the free servant. From this misconception, barbarous acts, which would otherwise never be thought of, arc perpetrated. These, however, I am happy to add, seldom occur. Of the dis- gusting and humiliating scenes, and the un- natural cruelties practised by slave-owners in former times, there are now very few instances. Complaints of ill-usage towards servants are by far more common in certain despotic coun- tries of Europe. One of America's most humorous authors,* • J. K, Paulding, iiiillioi- of Tlie Diitcliman's Fireside. * ( ONDITION OF SLAVI'.S. 337 in a work lately |)u])lislu'(l, intitled " West- ward llo," has ^iveii a lively and true pieturc of the didbrenec between the life of a slave and that of a free man, and proves, in a masterly manner, that the situation of the former is by far not so deplorable as it is ge- nerally imagined to be. An old slave, he says, aceompanied his master to Philadelphia, where a man in good eircumstances tried to nersnade him to desert, and by that means obtain his freedom. Pom])ey — this was the name of the slave — felt a strong inclination to have a taste of liberty; but observing, shortly afterwards, a few poor begging, wretched, and swearing Negroes, enjoying the sweets of liberty, he declined the offer, and hastened home to his master, to beg that he would buy the unfortunate free servants, and take them along with him to Kentucky. If this anecdote is not exactly founded on fact, it has at least the colour of probability, for I once heard a slave in Alabama utter the same sentiments respecting free servants. That, consequently, good and tender mas- ters are to be met with, and that they are moi'e numerous than is generally believed in the Northern and Eastern States, admits of no doubt. It is, moreover, their interest to VOL. I. z .1.1 I '.'i i ill 'I 11! .1 V 338 CONDITION OP SLAVRS. •< hf treat slaves well. In many places, no in- spectors or Negro drivers, as they are called, arc to be found. Planters [)refer looking; after them themselves ; but when this is not practicable, either from absence or other circumstances, they invariably choose persons of mild and humane dispositions. Slaves have, however, always the privilege of making their complaints or addressing petitions direct to the masters. Corporal punishments arc still hi use ; but I have been positively assured that they are annually on the decrease, and only resorted to on occasions when slaves show symptoms of obstinacy or insubordina- tion, and cannot possibly be brought to a sense of obedience by mildness and friendly advice ; but, even then, the correction is far from severe. Upon the whole, they are well dressed and fed, and in many plantations treated as if they formed part of the family. The children play undisturbedly with their young masters : they are never put to work until arrived at an age when labour cannot prove injurious to their constitutions. At break of day, slaves generally rise as soon as the sound of a bell announces the time of leaving their resting places. The day's work might easily be performed by a white man in •"/I CONDITION OK SLAVES. 3;ii> lUed, iking s not otlicr rsons liavc, aking direct ts are isured c, and slaves irdina- -j to a iendly is far c well ations amily. their work cannot as soon le time s work man in half the time, for with them rapidity of mo- tion is out of the c|uestion. The setting sun is a signal for retreat to their huts, wliich are built of logs, and close to each other. The slaves are always so divided that married couples with their children live separately from the others and the siiu^le in distinct houses, each sex apart. AVhen age renders them un- serviceable, tlity av\r taken care of with pa- ternal tenderness. Then .very one is allowed a hut and a small piece u " ground, with which he must support Mmself ; but. although this is a more indep:'nd;mt life than the former, they almost invariably prefer continuing ;,l:ivcs to the end of their existence, to avoid the necessity of thinking and providing for them- selves — without which, as free persons, they would certainly starve. A slave, well treated, seldom runs away; if ever he takes this step, he is either impelled by sedui'iiig promises, which he is too weak to resist, or acts under an erroneous impres- sion of his duties as servant. In the first case, he soon finds his mistake; and then it is not unusual for him to return to his former master, and beg as a favour to resume the place he left from thoughtlessness. In the latter case again, he deserts, encouraged by z 2 V, I i 'A 1 /. 340 CONDITION OF SLAVES. religious fanatics, whose blind zeal induces them to propagate doctrines, inculcating' that a slave is as much entitled to freedom as his master, and tiicrefore there is no " arm in taking tliat which by right belongs to him. That these men, instead of doing good, ac- tually cause a great deal of evil among the slaves, is a fact fully demonstrated, of which I will by and by adduce proofs. The idea that a free man must support him- self without the aid of others is a powerful effect on beings unaccustomed, perhaps, their whole life-time, to think about their own main- tenance. Many of them will not, at any jnice, accept liberty as a gift, and would, if emancipated, give themselves up to the first bidder. How many instances are there not on record, of slaves, who, after recovering their freedom, return to their former masters ! The following anecdote, known all over Ame- rica, the truth of which is unquestionable, illustrates the correctness of the preceding- remarks : — In one of the southern States died, a few years ago, a rich planter, who, happening to be without heirs, ordered in his will that all his slaves, to the number of several hundred, should be set at liberty, and his whole pro- V , CONDITION OF SLAVES. 311 porty divided among- tlicm. The executors appointed by tlie will bought large tracts of land in Ohio, divided them in equal shares among the slaves, built houses on each lot, and arranged every thing so comfortably, that the cultivation of the soil was the only thing that remained to be attended to. The slaves were sent thither, and obtained their liberty. The charm of novelty at first pleased them ; but, by degrees, even this grew weari- some. They were obliged to think of the wants of the morrow, and to become initiated in an art perfectly new to them— that of eco- nomy. Fatigued with the blessings of liberty, which they did not know how to appreciate, and which varied so much from their notions of happiness on earth — which, be it said, e?i passant, only consist in idleness and a life without care — they lost no time in emigrating from their new colony, and returning to the State whence they came, where they volun- tarily offered themselves at a sale to the highest bidder. Only a few had sense enouiih to remain in Ohio, and to devote themselves to agricultural pursuits. 1 have before observed, that missionaries from the northern States display a mistaken zeal in the cause of humanity, by endeavour- )'■• i % (' ( i (t I-.'- I 11 it ■in h 842 CONDITION OF SLAVES. ing to induce slaves to desert their owners, and that this zeal, so far from promoting the desired end, entails the most pernicious con- sequences. A disposition to disobedience and irritability among' the slave-population towards the j)lantcrs is too often manifested ; and this feeling is so strong, that it may one day burst out in an open and sanguinary con- test, in ferocity and barbarity, perhaps, not dissimilar to the Sicilian Vespers. The plant- ers again, with a view to prevent desertions, which make considerable inroads on their property, adopt the greatest precaution to prevent slaves from having the least commu- nication with itinerant missionaries, and thus defeat the hopes of the friends of humanity of seeing a due sense and love of religion inculcated in the minds of slaves. Some are even obliged, by way of example, to inflict corporal punishments, thus again disappoint- ing the sanguine expectations of philanthro- pists to see this mode of correction abolished. Another evil results from this irrational zeal: the slave recovers his liberty — but with it no property. In what manner is he all at once to support himself? I admit that he can work, and thus earn a livelihood ; but is it to be expected that a being, unused to think or •^1 CONDITION OF SLAVES. 343 work for himself, shall of a sudden become sensible of the necessity of it ? And, even if he does, is it to be supposed that he can immedi- ately find an occupation, the produce of which will be sufficient to satiate craving hunger? Persecuted, moreover, by his former master, he is obliged for several days to continue his flight under the greatest privations to avoid a re-capture ; in this emergency he can earn nothing. Is it then to be wondered at if these unfortunate victims of mistaken ideas are induced to commit thefts for the support of nature? Would to God they were never tempted to commit greater offences ! Daily experience proves, however, that crimes of the blackest dye are perpetrated by runa- way slaves ; there is hardly a newspaper published in a State bordering on one in which slavery exists, that does not record atrocities of which these desperate and deluded beings are guilty. I could bring forward many more facts to establish the uselcssness and danger of this interference of missionaries ; but my preceding observations will, T hope, have represented the matter in a clear and intelligible light. A man, therefore, brought up as a slave, and without any other notion of education a 1 m i \ I i' I I ■'I jt- y* % 344 CONDITION OF SLAVES. I ■ ■< i 1 than passive obedience, cannot be expected to govern himself, and does not understand the value of liberty. If all his passions, repressed by the yoke of thraldom, are at once let loose, his want of judgment encourages him to rush into momentary excesses, by way of indem- nity for past sufferings. Passions are the only Supreme Being he worships, and, with a view to the gratification of them, no sacrifice is too great for him. He is ignorant of the Bible — it is only through the medium of others that he has heard of its Divine doc- trines — he cannot read ; and if he could, his mind is too uncultivated to allow him to sur- render all the temptations and enjoyments of liberty to what he considers as the severe dic- tates of the Christian faith. He thinks that he has already suffered sufficiently under the lash of obedience. " Now is my time to do what I please," he contends ; and his unbridled and irrational acts are in harmony with such dangerous axioms. In short, the emancipa- tion of a slave, destitute of instruction, who cannot read, and who never learnt to think for himself, has seldom any other result than to incumber the community with a free man, who, from want of discrimination, connnits lawless ollbnces, for which he is amenable to '/ fi II CONDITION OF SLAVES. 345 justice, and punished. In this manner, from being an unfortunate creature, pitied by all, he becomes a culprit, held in general abhorrence. It is not my intention — God forbid it should be so ! to advocate a non-emancipation of slaves ; I only mean to say that giving- a man liberty does not conduce to the object in view, if other means are not adopted pre- viously, to enable him to become, in the course of time, a usefid member of society. This can only be effected by a suitable edu- cation. Many Americans are of opinion that Negroes are differently organized from white men. Such a supposition is evidently false and ungenerous. The Negroes are not de- ficient in any of the properties which distin- guish the Whites • they are sunk in a state of apathy, attributable to their slavery as well as to our prejudices. I often heard instances adduced, clearly showing that the Blacks had a good fund of feeling, and that they might be placed on a level with the Whites. The unhappy contempt invariably entertained for them by the white population in Slave States produces the effect that no action, no expres- sion, however noble and great in its ten- dency, is taken notice of by the free. This \4 : 'I i I t ■ i ri I 1:1 It V ^« h Hi .-' ;/* li 346 CONDITION OF SLAVES. : ( prejudice is carried so far, that even the in- digent Whites, who, in the sweat of their brow, must toil for food, and often perhaps beg for it, treat them as mere animals. In the playhouses, and in all places where public entertainments are given, they are separated from all other living beings by boxes ex- clusively allotted to them, in which a White would abhor to be seen. In New Orleans, this inversion is even extended to those de- scendants of the Negroes, who, by a mixture of several generations with Whites, have become almost white. Is it, then, surprising, if these debased and oppressed creatures, who never hear any thing but commands, who only behold cold and repulsive coun- tenances, who are aware that all the world knows their degraded situation, and who are themselves shut out, as it were, from society — that these go, if I may use the expression, half sleeping through life ; and that, totally indifferent as to the present and the future, they become perfect fatalists? " When my hour is come, I die," said one of them to me, when I asked his opinion of life and death ; " it is, therefore, immaterial what I do." But, it may be asked, cannot a general il I » ( EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES. 317 emancipation be effected by an indiscriminate liberation of tlie slaves on the part of tiie owners? Assuredly, the object would then be attained ; but another evil would at the same time occur, of too much consequence to be overlooked — the total ruin of the Slave States. As long as wages for free people remain so exorbitantly high as they now are in America, and as long as the difficulty ex- ists of obtaining a free workman — the one a consequence of the other — the planters cannot possibly do without their slaves ; for, deprived of their services, they can neither cul- tivate cotton, sugar, rice, and Indian corn, nor deliver these articles of necessity at so cheap a rate as at present. As the riches of these States consist in the produce of their soil, there would not only be a general ruin and distress in these parts, but the measure would also have a nmterial and baneful effect on other States consuming the above-mentioned products. But if, under these circumstances, an imme- diate emancipation of slaves is not advisable, what measures can be adopted to accom- plish the so-much desired object, cessation of slavery ? As dangerous and impracti- cable as emancipation now would be, as easy and unhurtful I believe would it prove \. a* ii '■"if I I K il I i ih * li '' 1 ' a m «: H\ 'M 348 EMANCIPATION OF SLAVKS. at a future day, if the event be prepared beforehand with wisdom and due considera- tion. And this might be effected, if tlie Legislatures of the Shive States were to decree that only a cei tai.'i number of slaves should be permitted to remain in each State, and that the yeaily surplus, over and above that nun ' r, should be purchased and exported to a free colony. By the adoption of this ex- pedient, the black population would be cfTcc- tually kept in check — (in the two States of Louisiana and South Carolina, it is now more numerous than the White) — and remain sta- tionary, whilst the Whites arc gradually on the increase. I will here quote, by way of example, V^irginia, which, according to the last census, contained little less than one fifteenth part of the whole white poj)ulation of the United States, more than one-seventh j)art of free Negroes, but again between one- fourth and one-fifth part of all the slaves in the Union. In this State, the annual increase of slaves is between ten and eleven thousand. Of these about six thousand are sent for sale to other States ; the remaining five thousand would therefore be the number for Govern- ment to dispose of. If purchases were made, particularly of children, the sum would be ,il EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES. 319 incoiisidcral^lc ; and, inakiiii;* an average cal- culation of about one hundred and fifty dollars for each, the whole amount would only be seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. These slaves should afterwards be conveyed, either to Liberia, or some other place in Africa: the expences for sending- them out, and for their support in the colony fi)r a few months, may be calculated at one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, or about twenty-five dollars a-head. One of the principal objections to this project, is the difiiculty in which Virginia is placed of laying* out so large a sum as that first mentioned ; the latter, again, can easily be set aside by Government for this purpose. Several proposals have been made to obtain the considerable appropriation of seven hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars, and among others, that of making those funds available which the Federal Government receives an- nually from the public tracts of land situated in the Western States. * The revenue amounts • The old venerable Ex-President Madison, still living in rctire- inent in Virginia, is of this opinion, and has, in a letter written not long ago, expressed himself in the following manner ; " In contem- plating the ])ecuniary resources needed for the removal of such a number to a great distance, my thoughts arid hones have been long turned to the rich fund presented in the Western lands of the nation, which will soon entirely cease to be under a j)ledi;e for another object. The great one in question is truly of a national character ; /l^ U\ "1 « , It ^ i : N 350 EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES. u. to three millions of dollars. If Virginia, which now possesses a larger proportion of slaves than any other State, more than Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana, put together, and more than four times the number of any of them, receives seven hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars ; and the other Slave States in the same proportion, the whole sum will not amount to three mil- Irons. No appropriation, howc er, of this kind had been made when I quitted America. If the slaves are prevented, by this or any other expedient, from increasing in number, and if, in the mean time. Missionaries or other Christian teachers are allowed unmolested to disseminate among the remaining slave- population the seeds of a true and intelligible religion, at the same time that, quoting pas- sages from the Epistles of St. Paul, they pro- mulgate maxims, having for their tendency that the servant must obey his master — if this simple plan were followed, the slave- owners would not be every moment in peril and it is known that clistincnished put riots, not dwelling in slave- holding States, have viewed the object in that light, and would be willing to let the national domain be a resource hi eifecting it. Should it be remarked that the States, though all may be interested in relieving our country from the coloured population, are not equally so, it is but fair to recollect that the sections most to be benefited are those \\ hose cessions created the fund to be disposed of." I/I EMANCIPATION OF SLAVES. 351 of their lives, nor would those States where no slaves are found be engaged in continual disputes with those in which they are per- mitted, on the subject of cruel and unna- tural treatment ; the slave himself would have a clearer idea of many things to which, as a man, he is entitled, without losi.ig that afFcc- tion for his master, or attempting to acquire liberty by violent means, which he would not fail to do when once acquainted with his rights. In the South, I heard continual complaints respecting the unnecessary interference of the Northern States, in regard to the condition of the slave-population in the former — and their injurious and blind zeal in wishing im- mediately to redress this unfortunate state of things. A great deal of bad feeling has in effect been excited between the North and the South on this subject ; and upon various occasions, of the most trifling nature, the slave question has been submitted for consideration, and this, too, with a warmth that often gave rise to altercations. All this will, I hope, soon disappear, in proportion as the communica- tion between all parts of the Union is facili- tated, so that the Southerns may intermix with the men of the North, and the latter have 'I ' / 'iH .^ i |v'l< ■li 1, i i ( 1 ' ^,i 352 F.MANriPATION OF RI.AVFS. iiioro fre(|ii(Mi( opporlimilics of visit inp^ tho phintations of the loniKM", juhI of ascTrtaiii- iii|»-, by ocular (lemoiistiatioii, whotluM' tlu» slaves are really so miserable as they are re- presented to be. The zeal of the Northern States has, nieainvhile, had this eireet, that the Southern have been roused from their lethar<;y. The slave-trade is now become more than formerly a subject of discussion ; and the owner of several hundred is at all times as ready to discuss the question rela- tive to cmanci])ation, as the individual to whose mind the word slave only conveys something- degrading and sacrilegious. It is therefore to be hoi)e(l that the day is not far distant when slaves shall cease to exist in the United States, when freedom shall be given to them, and not kept by violence from them. CHAPTER XVI. M Fi, As sntnc Idiic hinl, williuiit ;i iniilc, My \vcai\ liMiirt is (Icsoliilc: I look aroiiiid, iinil cannot (race One friciull) smile or uclcunic lace. HviioN. Virginia tobacco is .an article so well known all over the world, that f was not a little anxious to become acquainted with the me- thod of cultivating- it, and to examine some of the manufactories where it is prepared for the use of man. The soil in this State appears to be peculiarly adapted to the growth of this plant, which thrives here better than in any other part of the Union. Yet, with all its ferti- lity, it is considered a bad plan to grow cro|)s of this plant on the same ground for several successive years. Wheat and Indian corn are generally planted the year after a tobacco crop ; in many places it is cultivated only once in three, four, or five years. I was sur- voL. I. ,, A ' > •I, ii i' A. I n 354 TOBACCO MANd'ACTOllV. IH ^'i prised to find the dwclliiii^s l)clonf;iniv to the Cjreater ])art of tliese tohacco-])lantatioiis in a dilapidated state, more reseniblinj;" the ruins of some old mansion than tlie residence of rich Viro'iiiia |)hintevs. The reason as- si«>'ned was, that the cultivation of tol)acco absorbs so mucli time that none is left for the repairs of tiie house, or for attending- to other branches of agriculture. During- my stay in Richmond, T visited one of the most eminent tobacco manufactories in tlie city. Three hundred slaves of both sexes, with their children, were working in it ; they were hired by the proprietor at so much a year. The wages varied according to the streng'th and capacity of the slaves ; for a young and strong man, for instance, eighty or one hundred dollars were paid, and for a child about half that sum. America consumes a vast quantity of to- bacco in chewing ; the manufactory which I visited appeared exclusively occupied in pre- paring it for this purpose. The first process devolves on the oldest Negroes, who assort the different kinds of leaves. The stalks are then taken out, and the tobacco rolled on a table till it has acquired the necessary form. I shudder, when I think of those excessively dirty 1 i TOHACCO ]MANnj \( roHV. 35o IkiiuIs which handled the very tolmcco thut vv;is soon after to be chewed by olcoant aniateiirs. The most disg-nstiiii:^ part, liowever, of the wliole preparation was tlic manufacture of the tobacco of inferior quality, consisting- ol the refuse which had been thrown aside, on which the workmen were trampling and spit- ting- the whole day, until it had formed a uni- form and disgusting- mass : it was then swept into another still flirtier room, and there rolled till it became of the required shape. The process ends in the usual wa> by sweating, after which the article is packed in cases and barrels. Ft is only necessary to witness these preparations once, to take a dislike to tobacco for life. From Richmond T proceeded to Norfolk, and visited, in the co-urse of my journey, seve- ral places which even to this day, although in ruins, revive recollections of the noble Po- cahontas. The banks of James River are hilly, and covered with bushes and trees al- most to the water's edge. Here and there may be seen a few Negro- plan tat ions : their miserable huts, at small distances from each other, continue along the shore. Of J;imes Town, the first English settlement in th.' United States, no trace is discernible, and of A A '?. I". (/ 1 il r II J. ■I* I ■I ,1- m < ' 356 NORFOLK. / ? ' ■ « . the many hospitable mansions of which Vir- ginia formerly boasted, very few are left. A traveller, beai'ing- in mind what this State once was, cannot ho]|) viewing- every object with interest, l-'rom remotest times, histor}' re- presents its inhabitants as distinguished by a chivalrous spirit; and this feature, more and more developed in the course of events, is now [)erceptible in a tendency to aristocracy, f mean only with regard to manners — for in other resi>ects the Virgi- nians are perfectly rej)ublican. During the revolutionary war, this State was not back- ward in sending her sons to fight the battles of the country : since then, it has furnished no fewer than four Presidents. In our times, Virginia still retains an important rank in the political relations of the Union, and Ameri- cans attach great hopes to her energy, in case of need. The city of Norfolk is situated on the east bank of the river Elizabeth, opposite to two small towns called Portsmouth and Gosport, the latter remarkable only as being a station for part of the United States' Navy. Norfolk is a seaport, carrying on some trade, but to no considerable extent. The chief branch of business consists in timber, from the interior >r INCO.WENIKNT TRAVELLING. 357 of the country, suitable for naval purposes, and contracts for this article to no small amount are made with Ciovernmcnt for the use of the fleet. About a mile from the city, on a point of land, a marine hospital has lately been established, which deserves to be visited by every traveller. The stage was at the door. Nine strangers, crowded together in the uncomfortable and heavy cari-iage, soon began to complain of the narrow space allotted to eacii for the con- venience of their legs. My travelling- compa- nions and myself had, unfortunately, too much luggage, a ciiciunstance that gave rise to a very animated debate between us and the owner of the stage ; but, on putting the ques- tion to the vote, we carried it Jtetn. con. by paying u few dollars extra. At length we started. Norfoll might still be seen at a short dis- tance Ijohind us, when one of the travellers calle^^ out that -ill the trunks and portman- teau^s were unfastened, and that the least jolt of the coacii would infallibly send them into the middle of the road. As the sky announced an instantaneous storm, threatening to soak all our carpet-bags, knnpsacks, parcels, &,c. our voices united in one common i '% I \ I, i ■ I (( 1; (1 i u \ I i^C. I lit ' i Mi -_air lioS LOOKING AFTER LUGGAGE. V . / \ the driver should immediately stop and look after tiicm. He obeyed tlie mandate only in part, by pullinj^ up his horses, adding* an observation still foreign to my ears, but with which 1 became more familiarized in my subsequent travels through the United States, particularly in the bouth and West, namely, "that, as to looking after the bag'gage, it was no business of his." This explanation informed each of us that he must henceforth be on the qui vive, and attend to his own pro- perty. In the midst of a drenching shower, we were obliged to alight, and fasten the trunks ourselves, standing ankle-deep in mud ; but to shelter them against the rain was entirely out of the question. They were left to their fate ; and 1 need not assure the reader that they were filled v/ith water before we arrived at our journey 'a end. Not far from Norfolk, is a very large marsh called The Dismal Swamp. The rcari led through only a corner of it, so that I cannot assert that I have seen the whole of this swamp : but, were I to Judge from what 1 did see, 1 should pronounce the Dismal Swamp to be one of the most desolate places in the world. Nature appeared really in mourning. The marshy soil was every where covered with !Ji' THE DICMAL SWAMP. .'{59 bushes ; and liere and there cypresses, symbols of death, raised their gloomy heads. The j>'round was so saturated with moisture, that each footstep of the horses made a decj) im])res- sion, which was immediately (illed witli water. Trees, half-decayed, lay about in all (hrcc- tions, and millions of frogs were leaping* spor- tively across them, at the same time rcnchng- the air with their discordant notes. In some places I discovered a 'Jnd of grass or weeds growing, but weak and unhealthy. Branches of trees formed a haunt for hawks, falcons, and eagles, which diverted themselves bv Hy- ing from tree to tree, whilst uttering' shrill and deafening- screams. The air itself was damp and cold. In the interior of this swamp, there are said to be several dry spots, where runaway Negroes have taken up their resi- dence, and v/here they spend the remainder of a miserable life. jNlany are born there, but more leave their bones behind in this marshy and pestilential soil. Some time ago, a re- gular hunt took place after the deserters ; but the inaccessibility of the spot to persons unaccustomed to this labyrinth ])rove(l an insurmountable obstacle, and prevented the pursuers from penetrating into its inner- most recesses. Many of the unfortunate '( 'I M J ii \ k u ■ >' U'fl ,S60 EXECRABLE ROADS. . fugitives were, however, killed, or made pri- soners : others hardly ever venture out of their hiding-places, and, rather than lose life and liberty, pass their time in the greatest misery, with but a scanty subsistence. It is thought that but few now remain in this swamp. A canal has lately been cut in this neigh- bourhood, which unites Chesapeak Bay and Albemarle Sound, in North Carolina. Nor- folk expects to derive great advantages from this communication, and time will show whe- ther tlsese anticipations are well founded or not. Not far from a small place called Somerton, we entered the territory of North Carolina. The road was execrable, and consisted of deep sand, and bottomless holes, a d here and there artificial corduroy roads, generally in so indifferent a condition, that they drew down the severest animadversions of the tra- vellers. By way of change, streams and rivulets were sometimes crossed by swim- ming, and the numberless rivers in ferry- boats, or rather canoes, which invariably iilled with water before we reached the oppo- site shore. Bridges were, no doubt, seen, and even frequently ; but their dilapidated state mf II APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY. 30 1 made it more hazardous to traverse them than to take the chance of fording- the stream. The country presents a very monotonous appearance, consisting* only of plains and woods. No mountains arc visible; even liills are scarce. The wild forests seem to be end- less, and sometimes reminded me of those in the North of Sweden, with the exception that American woods are comprised of a variety of trees, such as oak of different kinds, cypresses, cedars, pines, &,c., which is not the case witii us. The soil is very poor, being chiefly sand, with a small proportion of good earth. The scattered plantations in these ill-favoured parts bore evident marks of the poverty of their owners; and, on more than one occasion, I felt persuaded that tiie poor condition of the people of North Carolina had not been overrated. All the houses near the roads deserve no other name than that of huts. Built of the trunks of trees, the branches of which are not even cut oH", laid loosely on the top of each other, so that the ends only join, they afford but a wretched shelter against the inclemency of tl:e weather. On the out- side of these huts is a chimney made of brick, which gives a stil! more miserable appearance 1 1 , I ,'i ■'lii 1 J .■ 'J. f :iG2 uncomfohtablf: houses. I ' '■'I I r. \\ 1 1. ( to tlio l)iiil{lin^'. Fences are seen in abund- niicc ; and every cultivated (ield has its inclo- snre. The |)lanks or stakes are hiid hori/on- taliy on eacli otlier, without l)eing' bound or nailed, and Ibrm angles with other |)lanks also laid hori/ontally, thus making' a solid sup- ])()rt for tiie whole. Before many of the dirty houses, numberless peacocks strutted in full parade, displaying- their plumes of all colours. They are raised in unusual numbers in this State, and the people carry on a kind of traffic, thougii not a very profitable one, with them, the price oi" such a bird being' only one dollar. The interior of the houses was destitute of every kind of comfort, in riici.iy places no furniture was to ])e seen. Instead of candles, splinters of lighted woo(i, carried in the hand, were used, and, to my great surprise, negligently thrown by the Negroes into a corner of the room, close to the wooden walls. Drin king-glasses did not belong to the cata- logue of necessaries in these habitations ; goat-horns served as a substitute. But even these may prove acceptable, if the traveller has but a sufficient supply to fill them, which was not the case in the parts of the country which I visited. ' i RMKillAllON I" ).M {'AnOLlNA. 3(53 KicUls and meac.'ows were scarce and Tar IVoin ncli, S(j tliatcattle looked poor and lean, and millv could not be obtained for several days. These circumstances may account for the continual emigration from North Carolina to Cieorg-ia and Alabama. On the following ilay, 1 met numbers of poor people on their way to these States, after having converted their little all into tangible property. They travelled mostly on foot, sometimes on horse- back or on mules, accompanioil by a waggon, covered with canvass, and containing, besides women and children, sjiiic rniserable articles of household furniture. At night they bi- vouacked in the woods around a large fire, which formed a singular contrast with the sombre appearance of tiie forest. Many of these emigrants return to theii former homes poorer than they left them. Their scanty resources are generally insudi- cient for the purchase of good land in (Jeorgia and Alabama. Obliged to be satisfied with inferior lots, mostly in the hands of specula- tors, they soon perceive that the soil is not better than what they have left behind. Dis- appointed in their expectations, they return to their place of nativity, after having spent their little property in travelling and other ( \ a i> '( '4i n. I M iM m ;i()t A C'OUNTUV ( IIIJUC'II. expellees, and <>ained nothing* but woliil ex- perienee. Tliis is a sad pieture, but it will be easil roe ogi 1 1 MH I I )S any one \v ho i las visited Norlli Carolina. I saw very few livi'ii>- ereatures on tlie road, as the nuiiib.'r of" travellers is vcrv ineonsider- ai)le bolh d w \ men and women journey on l:oi-se- baek. But, independently of these, 1 met seareely any one exeept a Negro now and then, who, half naked and sleepy, was wan- dering' in the woods. A white pedestrian I never observed during my whole journey thorough the Southern States. Near a chureh, situated in the midst of a wood, not far dis- tant from the road, where divine serviee was performing- when I iiappened to |)ass, I eounted not fewer than a thousand saddle- horses, besides a few sulkies, a species of vehicle used all over the United States. All the horses were tied to trees, but not a crea- ture was in attendance to look after them. Indian corn was chiefly cultivated in these parts. Cotton-fields are not seen till you approach Fayetteville. Stumps and dead trunks of trees are invariably left standing in the fields, ami give a wikl appearance even to cultivated Nature. One night, our road led directly through a field of Indian corn, covered 1 M ' h; FIELD OF INDIAN C'OHN. ;i(>5 with the withered and dry stalks of a forrnrr cmp. tlie whole looUino- as if it liad heen ihe prey of a great eoidlagration. The objects ap|)eare(l so dark and gloomy, that it iiilhi- eiieed, in some measure, the s|)irit of l!i ' vn- veil ,s, and for a while we siisposid'.i '.n* coi'tomplations. Korests of lifeless {luiiks an' If burned stumps met the eye in c\erv direction ; and in the moonlight these miiiht b(: taken for a phalanx of ghosts. A\'c pulled up the windows of the coach, and continued silent. The heat and confined air obliged me at length to let down a window, and, to my great surprise, I suddenly perceived an exten- sive field, perfectly white, as if covered with snow. The first impulse was that snow had actually fallen, and the lateness of the season rendered this supposition probable ; but tiie day had been remarkably warm, and the atmosphere was still rather o|)j)ressive, two circumstances little in harmony with a fall of snow. The whole seemed like a dream. Rubbing my eyes, I attempted to awake one of my neighbours, with a view to point out the singularity of the scene. Ho did not answer my appeal, and his oppressed respira- tion removed all doubt as to his being under 'J/ '1 Hi 4 H V' •I' il I ( I ,n, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) I 1.1 1.25 US 1^ Ui M. 1 1.6 HiotogTEphic Sciences Corporation 23 WliST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 // ^ ^/ ^ ,;\ lV ? 1 ^ 366 COTTON FIF.LDS. the uncontrollable power of Morpheus, alike unable to enjoy the beauty of a fine land- scape, and to answer questions. My curiosity was therefore highly excited, without being able to satisfy it ; and it was only after the lapse of a few hours that I was informed that the snow-covered ground, as I fancied it, was nothing but a cotton-field, the first I had ever seen. Cotton grows on short stalks, in pods or balls, which burst, like the buds of flowers, when tlie cotton is ripe. In the spring it is planted as thickly as possible ; but, as soon as the plants grow up a little, the field is cleared of weeds, and they are left at a certain distance from each other. The flower is yellow, red, or white, according to tlie quality of the cotton ; the best is snow- white, and in appearance like the lily. Like the sunflower, it follows the direction of tiic sun : in two days it generally withers. Ne- groes are employed in gathering and col- lecting the cotton in baskets, after which it is put into an iron machine in the form of a wheel, worked by horses, which separates the cotton from the seed. In this wheel there are several parallel spouts, set with small teeth, before which the cotton is laid, and by ! it DRESSINCi rOTTON, 3(l7 i the motion of the wheel it is drawn between tliem, and then ])asses throng'h the spouts till the seed is completely separated from it. The cotton is now received into another wheel, also worked by horses, which cleanses it from every species of impu?*ity by means of fine brushes placed witliin it. A i)ress is afterwards employed to pack it into bales, and in this state it is sent to market. In many places it is usual to manure the fields with the seed not used for sowing- ; but of late years experience has taught the planters to set a hif>her value on it, as it contains a considerable quantity of oil, which is ex- tracted by pressure, and is suitable bc^th for burning and painting. Tiiis oil may, in the course of years, become an additional source of wealth to the planters. At length, late in the evening of the third day, I arrived at Fayetteville, a small town in North Carolina, which may be said to have seen its best days. It owes its origin to a certain period of the last war, when the En- glish were stationed in every direction off the coast, and all commerce with the interior was carried on through this })lace. Considerable capital was soon brought into play ; and from an insignificant spot it gradually rose into a I ) fi I > • \m\ i 3()8 I AYF/iri'A'ILI.K. I'l 1 town of some consequence. Hut a conflagra- tion of unysual violence unfortunately checked this {prosperous career, and, on the 29th of jMay, 1831, reduced to a heap of ruins a town which it had taken a number of years to erect. By this sad calamity more than seven hundred houses were consumed, and the loss was estimated at nearly a million and a half of dollars. Strenuous efforts arc makini>* by the sufferers to rebuild the town ; but the dwelling's are scattered, and means are wanting' to restore Fayetteville — at least for years to come — to its former splendour. On the following day, about noon, I de- parted in another stage, determined not to stop until I reached Charleston. I found the country of tiie same character as to the north of Fayettevilie : plain, woody, and sandy, it possessed the same features as the former, with the sole difference that swamps occurred very frequently, and rendered the journey any thing but pleasant, if not dan- gerous. This was particularly the case on the frontiers of North and South Carolina, between two small places called Lumberton and Marion, where the coach was continually in water, which ros^* in many places above u i > I ., { IIOSSINO IIIVKUS. :m\{) J on ina, 'ton ally ove the axlctrces, threaten in j>- more than onee to invade the coach itself. Nothiiij;- is more common, after heavy rains, than for tlie water to penetrate into the carriage ; and passen- gers, to avoid drowning, are tiien obliged to have recourse to the roof. We luckily escaped this inconvenience, although continually on the alert to effect a retreat through the win- dows ; but our trunks and portmanteaus were completely soaked. What particularly contributed to render this journey hazardous was, the constant crossing of rivers, inter- secting the country in every direction. Many of these streams are very extensive, especially the Great Pedee and Santee, both of which in Europe would be considered large. The banks of these rivers, as well as those of the minor yireams. Black River, Lynch River, &,c., are of a very pleasing aspect, and afford a great relief to the eye, previously fatigued with the sight of swamps and plains of sand. Covered with wood to the water's edge, they rise and fall in a thousand different undula- tions, thereby intercepting the prospect in many places. In passing Great Pedee, we embarked in a real Indian canoe, made of a single tree, which contained five passengers, the driver, VOL. I. KB I/' i" i .1 I t. 11' i I 1:i 370 Tlir- r.RKAT AND LITTLE SANTEE. a boatman, and a quantity of lug^gage and mail-bagSk The current was so strong-, and the boat so heavily laden, that the least mo- tion by any member of the company would infallibly have precipitated the whole inl^o the stream. But the boatnian, who never ceased recommending us to preserve the equilibrium, steered us safely to the opposite shore, although guiding the bark with only one oar, which he used so dexterously, as to avoid several shoals and rocks in the middle of the river. The following night [ effected another pas- sage, not less perilous than the preceding: between Georgetown and Charleston there are two rivers, the Great and Little Santee, united by a canal. The country between them is nothing but a swamp, so excessively low as to be inundated by the water of the streams. When this is the case, no traveller can possibly pass, unless he chooses to pro- ceed by the canal. In the day-time this is attended with no inconvenience ; but the ne- cessity of effecting the passage in the darkest part of the night, still more obscured by a dense fog, and this too in a ferry-boat, the bottom of which was so decayed that the water rushed in every minute, deprived me, NITiHO B^)ATMF,N. :i7i lis IS le ne- rkest by a the the me, T candidly confess, of all tho |i;rati Heat ion I should otherwise have derived from the sii;hl of so characteristic alandseape. 'rwoNeg;roes, the one lame, the other with hut one arm. formed the complement of rowers. On the arrival of the stai^e, they were roused from a sound slumber, and ap|)eared to be half asleep during- the whole passao-c ; iudred I fancied at times that I perceived symploirs of snoring : but, whether this was foundjui '\u reality or the effect of imagination, I will not pretend to determine, for they never dis- continued rowing until the steersman, also of the African race, in a loud vf)iee informed them that we had arrived at the place of destination. To be able, however, to steer the course in the dark, across large rivers, and through a narrow canal, required no ordinary acuteness on the part of the steersman, how- ever experienced and well acquainted with the localities. The dense fog prevented him from distinguishing any object at a greater dis- tance than a boat's length from us, and the unsteady reflection of the evening star in the water was the only mark which guided and enabled him to calculate the direction he ought to follow. This calculation proved cor- rect in every respect, and we at length reached '■\ .« I( I'M t ,/* i'\ B H 'ill \ ^ i [a i 372 VITALITY OF TIIK SOU,. the o|)positc shore without the slightest aeci- dent. The country south of Fayetteville to the vicinity of Cieorp,etovvn is poor, and rej^arded by agriculturists as unfit for cultivation. The rich soil generally found in the West- ern States induces numbers of farmers frorii parts less fertile to resort thither, and to leave all land neglected which recpiires many hands and more labour, on account of its poverty. The |)rice of land in this part has, in consequence, considerably decreased, no more than forty or fd'ty cents being paid for an acre covered with wood. If I may credit what was said, I should be inclined to think that the soil is not so indifferent but that it might, by industry and perseverance, be ren- dered productive. I believe, moreover, that, with very little exeition, the swamps might be drained, and converted into fruitful fields. In this conclusion I am the more confirmed, when I take into account the statements of experienced and respectable persons in the neighbourhood, who admitted that the sand is merely on the surface, and that, if the furrows in ploughing the fields were made deep enough, a large proportion of good earth would be thrown up, capable of producing K(nti;sis. 'M'A the Indian coimi, potjitoos, 6c('. Tlio population in iIr'so parts consists chiody of tlie oll'spiinj;' of emigrant liij>hlan(lers. Tlic forests arc of ^reat extent ; to the traveller they appear endless. Of the dillerent kinds of wood with which tiicy abound, oak a|)pcare(l to me to prevail ; of tiiis s|)ecies, the varieties were very numerous and such as 1 had never seen, hein^* distinguished by a trifling dillerencc in the shape of the leaves. Near Cieor^etow ii, the well-known live oak, so suitable for naval purposes, grows in great abundance. It is only found near the sea- shore ; the leaves arc slender and pointed. There is, also, in the Southern States, a species of fir, which is peculiar to this part of the country. To the age of three years it is one of the most splendid plants that can be seen, and wot ] J be a real ornament to any park. The trunk is perfectly straight, with a thick crown at the toj) ; the whole resembling a young palm-tree. It is usual in the spring- to set fire to the brushwood, which has sprung up in the preceding year, with a view to make room for grass and to give it additional vigour ; this operation, however, destroys great quantities of young firs, and oak-trees take their place. The same thing occurs if a I ' 1 i(' » J Iv I n 1 f^ .'/ i :m HAT ILKSN ARKS. uuiiil)er 1)1' the hitter ai'e cut down: lirs in turn rise on tlicir ruins, precisely on the same spot. Besides these principal species of trees, I saw considerable (quantities of evergreen ht>liies, w ith their red berries, cypresses, lau- rels, junipers, &tc. all intermingled in the woods. In tlie course of this journey, i had frequent opportunities of seeing rattlesnakes, which are found in great abundance in tlie Northern woods. Their bright eyes sparkled among the l)ushes, which concealed ever) other part of them from view ; but they were generally discovered, when stretched out on the ground, taking the benefit of a sunny day. In this attitude, they are absolutely harmless, as they cannot bite till they have formed a ring or circle, thus affording ample time for escape. The most dangerous enemies of this venom- ous animal are deer and hogs : the former never come near unless it is stretched out, when, with the rapidity of lightning, they jump on its head, and trample it with their fore-feet till life is extinct. The hogs again give the snake a regular chase ; it does not possess sufficient strength to penetrate their hard hides, and vainly diffuses its poison over the bristles : the chase is never given up till REMKDY FOR TIIKIR lUTE. 375 the snake is dead, when they -er than the rattlesnake, equally venomous, l)ut more dangerous to man on account of their ^ivini»' no warninp;' before th(^y bite. Many remedies for the bites of these animals have been tried, but none have yet effected a cure, or saved the life of the j)ati(Mit. The Indians pretend to be ac- quainted with a method of healing- the bites of poisonous serpents; and experience has shown that, if any thing can effect a recovery, it is their simple ap|)lication. The following is one of their remedies. Take an herb called gold of the earth, or golden rod, lay part of it fresh on tiic wounded part, make a kind of tea of the remainder, and let the patient frequently drink of it. Administer afterwards a copious dose of salts, and then a few drops of turpen- tine. The slough will, by degrees, assume the colour of the snake, and drop off of it- self This remedy is said to have been very successful : recovery, however, is hopeless, if the snake in biting has punctured a vein. No human power can then rescue the victim from death ; to assuage the excruciating pain is the only thing that can be accomplished. !l I S I ill r ^J. :nc. TIIF. MATTr.F.SNAKK S MASTF.RPIKCT.. Many ('\])(M'iiiHMHs have been inado to dis- cover llic Ik'sI means of (lercnco a};ainst \'v- noinons Hcrpcnts. I heard a farmer in North Carolina assert that il' the hands are riilihed witlj an herl) called (he rattlesnake master- piece, or the root of it is kept in the pocket, any snake will drop down as iT dead, and writhe in excessive pain, like a worm in an anthill. I could not ascertain what herb it was, nor do F know if he meant the leaves of white ash, whicli are said to have a wonderful cdect on the rattlesnake. The following ex- periment was lately made ; and, as I enter- tain no (loul)t of the authenticity of t!ic state- ment, I here report it. A few sportsmen were chasinj^ a deer, and happened to fall in with a rattlesnake. Having* heard of the effect of the ash leaf on this animal, they liastened to cut off a couple of branches from trees within their reach, one of ash, the other of sugar-maple. Armed with these, they approached the snake, which imme- diately prepared for battle, hissing with rage. I will finish the story in the words of the narrator himself: •' I first stretched forth the branch of the ash, and rubbed the body of the animal gently with the leaves. Tt immediatelv lowered its KPFFCT OK WIIITK ASH ON SNAKKS. :m head to the ftroiiud. stnMchcd itself out, in- sti'.'ul of'('()irm;;its('iru|), fell Ij.'icku aid, twisted, and llin'w itself into every possible attitude except that of a circle, and a|'|)eared to he in the f;reatest a^ony. Satisfied with the trial, I laid the ash aside: as soon as the snak<> perceived this, it a^ain rose, and resuniecl the same threatenini>' posture as before. I now held out th(> other branch. In an instant it threw itself upon it, concealed its head anioni>' the leaves, and drew back, and re-conunenced the attack, advancing;' its whole body with the celerity of an arrow. After repeat inj;- this se- veral times, I suddenly chanf^cd the branch, .ind aj>ain rubbed it j^ently across the back with the ash leaves. No sooner had I done this than it fell backward a second time, and no more ventured to look at its enemy. Curious to sec what effect blows from this weapon might have upon it, I struck several times at its slippery body, expecting' to see the animal foaming' with rage : but the })I()ws did not produce the effect I anticipated ; they oidy served to increase its uneasiness and pain. At each l)low, the snake buried its head as deep as it could in the sand, as if to find a passage under the earth, and thus escape its enemy." it I. » ;' h I !h ,1 i! M mm J" y "'\ ■'\ I I ! !• 1 378 GEORGETOWN. But I must resume my narrative of the journey to Charleston. Towards evening, the day following our departure from Fayette- ville, we arrived at a small place called Georgetown, on the river Great Pedee, not far from the sea. It was here I first disco- vered a rice-field, which appeared to me to look like one of oats ; the plant itself is not unlike the latter. All rice-fields are in low situations, and require to be often under water, which circumstance occasioning great dampness, the neighbourhood of the plan- tations is extremely unhealthy, and often fatal to the miserable slaves, who are frequently obliged to stand up to the middle in water. The stage stopped at a distance of about two miles from Charleston, where the passengers embarked in a boat, rowed by six Negroes, the merriest slaves, without exception, I ever saw. The numberless anecdotes with which they amused us proved sufficiently that these beings, at least, were not unhappy under the yoke of thraldom. Their songs continued till the boat landed us at the port, after having passed the bay between Charleston and the sea, which forms the entrance to the city. The sun had just risen, when I found myself in the streets of Charleston. i 1 't, 5 II I ( CHAPTER XVII. if Le meilleiir de tons les plans de fiiuuices est do depoiiser piui et ie meilleiir de tons les impots est le j)lus petit. f ' Say. Charleston is the second city in size in the Southern States ; it counted in 1830 a popu- lation of thirty thousand two hundred and eighty-nine souls. Its advantageous situa- tion on an isthmus between two rivers, the Ashley and Cooper, at a small distance from their outlet into the sea, places it in the rank of the most considerable city for commerce, with the exception of New Orleans, south of the Potomac, a rank which I firmly believe it will continue to occupy for a long- period, ^'ievved on the map, the city bears a strong- resemblance to New York, but in reality there is no comparison. Charleston, closely exami- ned, has an old and dilapidated appearance, ^l .{^' I (•V J! I '.i h U i 380 tHAiiLi;sroN. ■ t f whereas New York is quite the reverse : there, every thing* bears the stamp of freshness. Wliat contributes to give Charleston a dif- ferent feature is the |)iazzas and balconies at- tached to every house ; and these, in addition to the trees planted in the streets, called Pride of India, soon inform the visiter that he is arrived in a southern latitude. The houses are chiefly of brick, and plas- tered : heat, heavy showers, and dust, have, however, taken off the plastering in many places, so that the buildings have a very shabby appearance. This was particularly observable in the churches, the exterior of which indicated only misery and destruction. Almost every house has a garden adjoining, filled with flowers, shrubs, and trees, peculiar to these warm regions ; many flowers were in full bloom, although the month of December was at hand. Few streets are paved ; they are consequently in a very bad state after the least shower ; but, generally speaking, they are regularly planned and tolerably wide. The climate of Charleston, in winter, is as pleasant and healthy as it is oppressive and dangerous in summer. During my residence there in the last month in the year, the most delightful summer heat continued uninter- TRADF. OF niARLESTON. 3Sl ruptedly, so that great-coats were absolutely useless : many of the principal inhabitants have never used these superfluous articles. At certain periods, however, tiie city is con- sidered extremely unhealthy : those who can aflford it then remove to the plantations, or visit the Northern States. F^ven a residence at the former places is, during tlie great sum- mer heat, attended with attacks of dangerous fevers, attributable to vapours rising- from the rice-fields and swamps : the rich planters then lose no time in returning to tlie city. Thus, removals take place from the l)cg'inning to the end of the year, to avoid infection. The principal exports from this city are cotton and rice, immense quantities of which are shipped for Europe. The well known Sea Island cotton is chiefly exported from this place; it brings considerable sums into the State. Nothing but bales of the latter article and barrels of rice are seen in the lower part of the city ; the streets and quays are some- times so filled with them, that the agility of a sailor is required to effect a passage. The ear is continually annoyed with sounds ])ro- claiming the price of these articles, and mer- chants and dealers are incessantly engaged in drawing samples from the bales, for the pur- I < ik' ij;' 382 COMMERCE OF CHARLESTON. pose of trying the goodness of the article, by pulling out long threads betvveen their fingers, or dipping their hands into the barrels of rice, to examine its whiteness and purity. This branch of commerce has been for a long time, and still continues to be, a source of great wealth to the merchants of Charleston : but lis prosperity is not proportionate to that of other cities. Many reasons have been as- signed for this stationary condition, and among others, the vicinity of the rival city of Savannah, which possesses the advantage of a water-communication with the interior of the country, and has consequently a locality pre- ferable to that of Charleston. To remedy this disadvantage, a railroad has lately been com- menced between the latter city and Augusta, from which beneficial results are expected. This railroad was expected to be finished the following year, and 1 have yet to learn whe- ther the anticipations so fondly entertained have been realised or not. St. Andrew's Society is a benevolent insti- tution, having for its object the education of poor children. It has branches in all parts of the Union, and is reported, much to the credit of its members, to do a great deal of good. It has a large building in Charles- > '■i\ ( ■ GENEllAL HAYNE. 383 ton, where public assemblies and meetings are held. I attended one of the latter, convoked to pay a tribute of respect to the memory of Sir Walter Scott, the account of whose death had but recently re.ched the citv. Several orators, natives of South Carolina, had here an op- portunity of giving- specimens of innate elo- quence. The extraordinary talents of the deceased as a poet and novelist were repre- sented in colours which soon drew the most enthusiastic applause from all parts of the hall, and clearly evinced a disposition on the part of the audience warmly to contribute to the proposed subscription for raising, in some conspicuous place in the city, a marble bust in commemoration of the Scottish bard. Among the speakers, none produced so pov, erful an effect on the audience as General Hayne. This remarkable personage, the boast of his native city, has lately played an important part during the eventful period of the Nullification project, and is now Governor of South Carolina ; he is in the prime of life, with the vigour of youth and a seductive eloquence, and will always prove a dangerous antagonist to any enemy who may attack him. His language is pleasing, but vehement. ! ' % % Jl m s] j I'll I'Hf 384 OKNERAL II AVNE. . :\s\) moral )OSO(I mt oC from "fail that (lOVoniiiKMit he called IVcc. wliicli levies taxes with inipmiitv, in order lo eii- e()urai;e one Nraiieh ol' indnstrv to tli<' (letri- iiieiit oC odiers, if" sneli a tax is not aclnally prompted hy some j^reat and inevital»!e piihlie call? Other nations appear disposed to re- move restraints on commerce; our Conj^ress, on the contrary, is determine*! to lay every im|)e(liment on the importation of the very «^()ods whicji we barter for the produce of the South, and thus throw the w liole weii>ht of taxation on this \)i\vi of the rnion. A people which has fought for liberty can suffer such wronf;s no longer. With the last session of Conj^rcss, all h()|)es vanished of seeinj^ justice ouide the proceedings of the assembled repre- sentatives of the Confederation. One alterna- tive only remains for this State : it is, citi'/.ens. Resistance, not physical, but moral. It is a matter of indifference ])y what name it may bedistiniiTiished in the world — whether Nulli- fication, State interference, State Veto, or something- similar; if it be only resistance against oppressive measures, it is the path which duty, patriotism, and self-defence, point out. And this resistance is even constitu- tional, for the act itself which prompts it is unconstitutional, and nullification was already t . M' 1*1 ■jsxL '/ 31)0 OPPOSITION OF SOITII rvnoMNA roiisidci'i'd constitutional hy a parlicular com- niittcc, appointed in 171>S " V'cs, (lovornmcnt is awair of it, and will not vrntiirc by military interference to force this State into obedience. Such a step would onlv load to disunion between the members of the Confederation : it is, besides, in oppo- sition to the spirit of the age. Look at Kn- ^land, which has lately accomplished one of the greatest reforms over recorded in her annals — a reform which her wisest statesmen would, ten years ago, have considered im- practicable without a civil war and great eirusion of blood. The people are now every where enlightened, and this intellectual experi- ence obligcsCiovernmcnts to exercise reflexion, moderation. Citizens, our dispute will be amicably adjusted, we are well persuaded, and nullification will consolidate instead of tearing asunder the Union. '• But the die is cast ; we have solemnly de- clared our determination not to pay any taxes till abuses and grievances are redressed. Prepare yourselves, citizens, for the ensuing contest, and be ready to meet it as becomes free men. We call upon you by every thing that is sacred not to abandon the cause till we have obtained justice. Do your si » 1 <'(>Fn> lU nil. M,\\ lAKIKF. :m • luty tu your count rv. and \vn\v (he rrst to (lod; In the last afldross nj;ain. naniolv to th(» people of the twonty-thrcc other States, the Convention says — •* No ^ovenunent has ever exereised greater vlolenee than that now atteni|)te(l by the Kcderal Ciovernnient against South Carolina, by conip(?lling' it to purchase at an exorbitant pric<» articles nwinu fact need at home, instead of loreij;ii ones at a cheap rate. This (iovernnient, originally lorined to protect, ini|)rove, and extend commerce, luis done more to destroy it than all land and sca- piratcs ever could. "South Carolina, an ai;"riculturalStatc, whose commerce consists in l)artering- the produce of her soil for foreign manufactures, would, if trade were free, at least receive one-third more for her own commodities; for the duties of about fifty per cent, now laid upon them amount annually to the sum of three millions of dollars, whilst the whole produce of cottou in the same State — and cotton is the chief article of exportation — does not exceed six millions. Let us suppose, for a moment, that another State, New Jersey, for instance, manu- factured the raw material to nearly tiic same amount, ought not both States to enjoy the same advantages? And yet is it so? The I M 392 OPPOSITION OF SOUTH CAROLINA ■. .i fifty per cent, duties fall only on South Caro- lina: this is not enough; they are paid to protect the manufacturers of New Jersey, who are at last benefited by it. What right have the manufacturing- States — for the Fede- ral Government is in our eyes only their tool — to prevent South Carolina from exchang- ing, directly or indirectly, the rich produce of her soil against such foreign goods as contri- bute principally to the wealth and prosperity of the inhabitants? it cannot be assumed — for truth opposes this objection — that, by bar- tering our produce against cheap European manufactures, we injure any of the privileges of the home-manufacturers, although it would undoubtedly be more in accordance with their wishes if we boug'ifc their inferior goods at higher prices. " South Carolina is now upon the same foot- ing with these States as the Anglo-American Colonies were formerly with the mother-coun- try, with this difference only, that we suffer infinitely more than our ancestors. Must we remain indifferent spectators to this violence, and patiently give up an inheritance sealed with the blood of our forefathers? A people who voluntarily submit to oppression, and know that they are oppressed, deserve to be slaves : history proves that such a people in- TO THE NEW TAllIFF. 393 variably find a tyrant. A tyrant has never yet made slaves; but a slavish disposition in the pco|)le produees tyrants. The smallest community animated with a free sj)irit never has a master. IMay, therefore, none of the other States in the L'uion be induced to take precipitate and violent steps, in the vnin ex- l)ectation that South Carolina shall be found to waver in defending her rights and her liberties, merely because she has a population of only half a million instead of twenty ! "This dis[)Ute can be settled only by a mo- dification of tlic tariff, or by a general Con- vention of all the States. Should South Caroli na be separated from the Union, other agricul- tural States, as well as some in the West, will follow her example, compelled by necessity. How is it possible, that Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, even Kentucky, can feel inclined to pay to the Northern States a tax of fifty per cent, on articles of consumption, merely for the privilege of being united to them, when they are able to obtain all their su[) plies from the ports of South Carolina, without i>aying one cent, in duties? The secession of South Carolina will therefore entail a dissolution of the whole Union. " Under these circumstances, we earnestly recommend that the other States may duly ,f i'ili 1^. ill m :VM OPPOSITION OF SOUTH CAROLINA M consider the step which tliey arc taking. We tlo not believe that the Federal Government will venture by military force to maintain the tariff system ; but if, in spite of our warn- ings, such an act of madness should be re- solved upon, we hereby most solemnly declare that this system of oppression shall never succeed in South Carolina until slaves only remain to submit to it. . " Rather would we see the territory of the State converted into cemeteries of the free than inhabited by a population of slaves. These are the principles which animate us : true to them, we are determined to embrace the pillars of the temple of Liberty, and, if it must fall, let us be buried in the ruins !" Besides these two important documents, another was also issued by James Hamilton, governor of the State of South Carolina, who, n a message, dated Colombia, 27th Novem- ber, 1832, informs the Legislature that it is its duty to sanction the interposition of the revolutionary Convention ; recommends the placing the whole State upon a war footing, in order not to be unprepared in case of ag- gression ; but hopes at the same time to see an amicable adjustment of the dispute in ques- tion by the interference of the other States. Thus far had the Nullifiers advanced, when TO THE NEW TAKIFF :ii)5 I arrived iit Charleston. Everj' thing* seemed to indicate that a revolution was on the eve of breal^ing' out. The excitement among- the hot-lieaded inhabitants was very great : a spark would have sufficed to set the whole in a flame. Of Union men there was also a considerable number, men who disapproved the principles of nullification, and who, partly from apprehension of a civil war, partly from attachment to the former state of things, en- deavoured to extinguish the wide-spreading conflagration ; but their efforts only served to irritate the minds of tlie others still more, and the flames of revolution continued to burn uninterruptedly in every corner of the State. Enthusiasm prevailed among w^omen as well as among men ; the zeal of the former was so great, that many a maiden in South Caro- lina enjoined her lover to display his prowess before he should be permitted to press her hand to his lij)s, and receive a return to his ardent declaration of love. Societies were formed by these modern Amazons, the object of which was to keep up the enthusiasm of the men. At a public meeting held at Char- leston, during my residence in the city. Ge- neral Hayne delivered a very violent speech, in which the word disunion was used, when the f>, > 1 : I 11 1.1 \^ 39() ENTHUSIASM OF rilR WOMLN. ladies imiiicdiatcly testified their feelings by tokens of iinhoiindcd a|)|)robation. White handkerchiefs waved continually at every sentence pronounced by the orator, and their brii^lit eyes Hashed fire and flames. It would indeed have re(|uired but very little exertion to induce these patriotic heroines to take up arms and march for Washington, to besiege and take tlic Capitol and the White House* by assault, and make the President himself prisoner. All these threatening measures at length reached the ears of the Government at Wash- ington. But General Jackson, far from allow- ing himself to be intimidated, determined immediately, by prompt and energetic mea- sures, to destroy the weeds v/hich began to grow up on the American soil. Ccngress had just commenced its sittings ; and, in a mes- sage from the President, dated 4th of Decem- ber, he informs the members of the circum- stance, in a manner which led to the belief that the threats had had some effect, or that the Federal Government was still undecided how to act. But this illusion was soon dis- pelled ; for, on the 10th of December following, (I ) The White House in which the President resides at Wash- ington. THE PUESIDENT S PROCLAMATION. :m a proclamation was issued, the language of which sounded like an alarm-bell, accom- panied by the unexpected annunciation, that Government had ordered several detachments of troops, both of the land and sea service, to enter the rebellious State. " A number of the most enlightened and dis- interested Statesmen," says the President, among other things, in his proclamation, "have invested Congress with power to regu- late the revenues of the State, and yet every State wishes to arrogate to herself the right of opposing it. These two prerogatives appear in direct opposition to each other ; yet it is con- tended that such an absurdity exists in the Constitution. I consider the attempt assumed by a State to annul any law duly enacted by the United States as irrec(mcileable withtheexist- enceof the Union, expressly contradicted by the Constitution, and contrary to the spirit and principles on which it is framed, and finally, destroying the great object for which it was intended. Complaints have been made that the laws do not operate equally. This may be said of all laws that have ever been, or ever will be, made. Man, in his wisdom, has never yet discovered any system of taxation, operating in an equal degree. If the unequal ,'i li li I II ui VJ 398 THE PRESIDENT S PROCLAMATION. ■^'/^ II operation of a law constitutes its unconstitu- tionality, and if all such laws can, for such reasons, be annulled by any State at pleasure, then indeed is the Federal Constitution unfit to make the least effort for its conservation. We have hitherto relied on it as the safest link of our Union. We have hailed it as a work framed by the soundest and wisest men in the nation. We have contemplated it with holy veneration, as the palladium of our liber- ties. Are we in error, fellow citizens, to attach this importance to the Constitution of our country? It forms a Commonwealth, but not a Confederation : its character is the same, vvhether effected by a convention among- the States, or in any other way. Each State has, in union with other States, delegated so much power as is necessary to constitute a single nation ; and has, therefore, from that moment, relinquished the right of seceding from the Union ; for such a defection not only dissolves the ties of an alliance but destroys the concord of a nation. To advocate that any State may at pleasure secede from the Union is the same as to contend that the United States is not a nation. It would be a solecism to piocend that any part of the nation may break off all connexion with the THE PUKSIDI'.M S rUOCLAMATION. 31H) other parts, to their detriment aiul ruin, without committing^ a crime. Secession, like every other revolutionary act, may be excu- sable, if oppression gives rise to it ; but to call it a constitutional right is to confound the meaning of the expressions. The laws of the United States must be obeyed. I have no unlimited control over them — my duties arc clearly defined by the Constitution. Those who told you, fellow citizens, that you may, unmolested, obstruct the march of the laws, have deceived you — they could not be de- ceived themselves. They know that such a resistance must be repelled. Their object is secession from the Union ; but be not mis- guided — secession from the Union by vio- lence and with arms is treason. I conjure you, fellow citizens of the State in which 1 was born, if you value the cause of liberty, to which you have devoted your lives, if you value the tranquillity of your country, the lives of your principal citizens, pause ; with- draw from the archives of your State the dangerous edicts promulgated by the Con- vention — announce to its Members that all misfortunes are light compared to those whicli will follow a secession from the Union — de- * General Andrew Jarksnn is a native of South Carolina. /'•: 'I 400 EFFECT OF THE PROCLAMATION. clare that you will never fight under any otlier than tlie star-spangled banner — and that you wish to see your names go down untarnished to the latest posterity. You can- not destroy the Constitution of your country — you can only disturb its tranquillity, check its prosperity, eclipse its future fame for du- rability ; but tranquillity shall be restored : once more shall hap|)iness and prosperity thrive in your native soil, and the dark stain which now disgraces the character of your State be expunged, and remain a perpetual stigma on the authors of these troubles." This Proclamation gained universal ap- plause : one voice alone was heard from the confines of Canada to the extremity of the Floridas. Even in South Carolina the peo- ple began to waver, and the chiefs of the new party paused for a whiie to recover themselves, and to consider whether they had not gone too far in their inferences as to State-rights to withdraw from the contest. The situation of the Nullifiers became still more alarming, when, shortly afterwards, a Bill passed Congres^s, authorising the Pre- sident to enforce the payment of duties, if not voluntarily liquidated : this Bill was after- wards called " The Bloody Bill." a name by i)' COMPROMISE WITH TliC NIJLF.IFIKIIS. 101 're- not fter- by wlucli it is now gcnorally known. In addi- tion, came the unexpected circnnislance, that the neighbouring' States, Nirginia, Nortli Ca- rolina, and Cieorg'ia, luiving- nearly the same interests at stake as South Carolina, and on whose co-operation it liad confidently calcu- lated, had disappointed its expectations, in- duced partly by jealousy, partly by other causes. In this posture of affairs, it was not strange that Messrs. Calhoun and M^Duflie, representatives of the Nullifiers at Washing- ton, acceded to the compromise which Mr. Clay, father of the manufacturing system, proposed, although they easily perceived that the reduction of duties suggested had rather the appearance of being advantageous to the Southern Slave-States than was so in reality. The voice of Nullification became in the mean time weaker and weaker, till it died away altogether — at least it was never heard openly threatening- a dissolution of the States. The party is, however, far from being dis- persed : like the snail, it has only retired within its shell. The day may yet come, when the progress of the doctrine of State- rights in the Southern parts may attract the serious attention of the Northern. t ; I I , 1) VOL. I. D D r r ..^- .1 CHAPTI^R XVllf. W Ikj could ^iicss If over more hIiouIiI meet those luiitiial eyes .' IJyron. Ready to continue lay journey, I embraced the opportunity of a steamboat going* to Sa- vannah, to proceed tliitlicr. In calm weatlier, the steamers generally steer their course out- sule the rocks : the trip is then extremely short and pleasant ; but, in winter, vvlien rain and fog are the order of the day, the inland navigation, singular in its kind, is j)referred. The country between Charleston and Savan- nah is everywhere intersected by rivers, which we either ascended or descended, ap- proaching close to the sea-coast, where a number of islands are situated, and form a barrier against the violence of tlie waves. It was, in fact, a scene full of variety ; sometimes we passed unhealthy swamps, then followed the shores of serpentine rivers ; again we were surrounded by extensive cotton and rice , / * A SKA ISLAND COTI'*^. 103 fioUls ; tluM) a view offortilo islands prosciitod itself; and at last wc travers(Ml vaiioiis bays, where the rivers disrhari;e themselves into the sea. I lad the weather been hne, (his trip woidd have* afl'orded me many pleasant recol- lections ; as it was, [ had an opportunity ol" attentively and with (lee|) interest oljservini»- the ever-chan^'ing- scenery, varyin«;- from the hif>hest state of cultivation and fertility to the desolation of swamps, with their accessory inanimation. It is on these islands, and all round the coast south of Savannah, that the Sea Island cotton, superior to any other, is cultivated ; the length of its threads distin- guishes it from ordinary cottons. The culti- vation of this particular variety is different from that of the short cotton : the sea air, it is supposed, has also no small influence on the quality. It fetches a much higher price than other cotton. The steamboat stopped on the following morning at a small town called Beaufort, to land and take on board passengers. Among the number, I observed a middle-aged man, accompanied by a young Negro woman, better dressed than any I had lately seen. Her com- panion was one of those despicable beings who traffic in human flesh : he had just before I) D 2 . t 'i ■J 101 FKMAi.i; SI, am;. f, l)()ii<;lit the unfortunate leniaU' from a pl.iiitcr, who, IVoni sonio capric't'or other, hiul sold hr, althoui>'h brought up in his own laniilx , and a I'avourito with all its nioinlnM-s on account of her honesty and rcniarkahly handsome countenance. IJelore she left the shore, she l)a(le, oppressed with *;rier, a tender iaiewell to her fellow-slaves; and when at len<;th she end)race(l her husband for the last time, she lost all power, and Tell senseless in the arms of her uid'eelinj;' master, who kept incessantly repcatiiii*' his orders to go on board. With the utmost exertion she was able to obey the command, and scarcely had she reachetl the deck before the steamboat started. Leaniri*;' against the side of the boat, she (ixcd her large black eyes on the home which was gradually disappearing before her, and waved her handkerchief as long as she could see her unhap])y husbai\d and the group of friends whom she left behind; but, when the winding of the river concealed from her view the dearest objects on earth, she contemplated in deep silence the waves agitated by the vessel. Presently her native place disappeared alto- gether, but she remained immoveable in the same attitude. Kven on our arrival at Sa- vannah, I observed her eyes fixed on the AIIRANGKMKNTS llKSl»K("riN(J SI.WI'.S. 105 (jnartcr wIhtc n<*;m(oft was siliiatcd. Her coiiiilciinncc horc the sl.-nnp ol" pci fret r('sii;iia- (ioii, aiul it was only wlicn her (»vos happened to meet those ol" her new niaster that her un- easiness became visihh'. Accustomed to sillier and submit tosacrilices, this unhappy creature was prol)al)ly no strani;('r to such trials and heart-rendinj;- scenes. IJeside un\ on deck, stood a rich planter I'rom the interior of South Carolina. I had in the mornin£>- had a loii<;- conversation with him on the subject of slavery, and could not help, by way of illustration of this abominable tradic, pointiiii;' out to him the case just men- tioned. " [ do not deny," answered he, very deliberately, " that cases like this sometimes occur ; but, for the honour of humanity, they xire not rrequcnt. In my neighbourhood, every planter has a<;recd that, if he has a Neo-ro married to a Negro woman belong'ing* to another, and he wishes to get rid of the Negro or quit the vicinity, he will either oiler the slave to the proprietor of the Negro woman, or will himself purchase the latter: in this case, the jirice is regulated by other planters. People begin," added he, '* to show more feeling towards these unfortunate crea- tures than formerly, so much so, that ill-usage i I? n 406 THE PALMETTO TREE. is hardly ever heard of. On the contrary, you will, find many proprietors treating" their Negroes like their own cliildren, and, partly by salutary admonition, partly by the distri- bution of religious tracts, endeavouring to make them sensible of simple moral truths, and thus gradually inculcating a deeper and more affectionate love for God and the Bible." Not far from Beaufort, I saw the palmetto tree growing in great luxuriance : all the banks were covered with it. This southern plant has, when young, a number of excre- scences on the trunk, which gradually dis- appear as it grows up, and is freed from branches. Like Italian fir, the crown of the palmetto is always green. The trunk is of so spongy a nature that a nail driven into it will not hold fast : it is, therefore, unfit for ship-building, but is used ns piles in streams or lakes, for which it is particularly adapted. It is not liable to be worm-eaten, neither does it suffer the slightest injury from water. Round the trunk, rings or cracks are formed in the bark; these are said to indicate the age of the tree, each ring signifying a year. The leaves resemble fans, and possess great strength : seats of chairs, hats, baskets, &c. are made of them. m FORT OF OYSTi;il-,SIlELLS. ^07 A little farther on, I arrived at a |)lace formerly fortified by tlie Indians, the ramjiarts of whicli were made of oyster-siielis. These truly characteristic fortifications were un- doubtedly erected long- before the arrival of the English in these parts ; for history ch)es not mention any occasion for whicii they were thrown up. The probability is, that they have been constructed by some Indian tribe, to serve as a bulwark against another. One of the redoubts is considerable, of great length, with aisles, and twelve feet in height. Its situation along the sliore leads to the in- ference that it was from this side that attacks were expected. Considei ed as defences, they certainly possess very little interest ; but it is ^the material of which they are built that at- tracts the attention of travellers. Flow many millions of oysters must have perished in order to the erection of these redoubts ! The first view of Savannah produces no very favourable impression, particularly if the tra- veller is unfortunate enough to alight at an hotel close to the landing-place ; but, upon nearer inspection, hecannot avoid pronouncing a fair opinion of the city, namely, that it is far from unpleasant, and that the houses of the inhabitants are ever open to strangers, to i f I' n 408 SAVANNAH. whom ail the attentions of hospitality and politeness are shown. Savannah is situated on a ridge of sand, close to a river bearing* the same name, which divides the States of South Carolina and Georgia. It is built in a square, with streets perfectly straight, and surrounded by walks, or boulevards, shaded by beautiful Pride of India trees. In that part of the walk conti- guous to the river, as well as in the one below on the bank itself, all business is transacted, which consists chiefly in cotton shipments to Europe. In this j)articular spot, nothing is heard but conversations about the article ; bales are piled up in every store and at every corner. Whoever visits a merchant's office will find it filled with samples : if the clerks are occupied with correspondence, rest as- sured the subject is cotton. If the chief of a mercantile house is seen in conversation with any one, be equally sure that he is talking about the price of cotton. But in the inte- rior of the town reigns perfect tranquillity ; nothing indicates that on the article of cotton alone depends the prosperity of Savannah. The houses are mostly of wood, and have bal- conies in the usual southern style. The uu- paved streets resemble well-kept high roads. THE RIVER AUGUSTA. 409 and After heavy rains, or, more properly, drench- ing- showers, it is customary to plough the ground, as in a field, with a view to render it sooner dry. This method of drying streets appeared rather new to a stranger ; but cer- tain it is that the object was accomplislied with extraordinary rapidity, for the deptli of the furrows enabled the sandy soil to imbibe the water much sooner than if it had been left to drain away of itself. Late in the evening, I ag'ain took my de- parture in a steamer, with the intention of proceeding up the river to Augusta, a distance of about two hundred miles, owing to the continual windings of the river, but which in a direct line would not exceed one hundred and fifty. The character of this stream is exactly similar to all those south of the Potomac ; crooked, sometimes winding for- ward, then turning back round a small pro- jecting point of land, which it often required nearly an hour to double, without gaining, in a straight line, more than a mile. The banks are low, in many places not higher than the surface of the water, and consist exclusively of swamps, in which both bushes and trees grow down to the water's edge, intercepting the prospect of the interior of the country. ^^1 1 \ *? M 1^1 410 AUGUSTA. The woods appeared covered with a long grey moss, which produced a dismal and desolate effect on tlie landscape, and reminded man that Death resided in these unhealthy regions. In truth, 1 perceived but few solitary habitations. The wretched scattered hovels that were visible were occupied only by mi- serable woodcutters, who seemed to prefer the alternative of death to the horrors of starva- tion in a healthier climate, or by Negroes, who are less liable to the fevers generated by unhealthy and marshy regions. In the brush- wood, near the banks, were myriads of wild ducks and wild turkeys. In summer, I am assured that large snakes and alligators also show themselves on sunny days. Of all the towns in the Southern States, none, with the exception of New Orleans, has a more agreeable exterior, and inspires the stranger at first with a stronger idea of com- fort and wealth than Augusta. Frequent fires have of late years not a little contributed to embellish the town, by the removal of old and the erection of new buildings ; but the principal cause of these improvements is to be traced to its active and flourishing trade. The situation of Augusta is in every respect advantageous : on the borders of two cotton- AUGUSTA. 411 growing; States, iind lying* close to a na- vigable river, down which |)ro(Uice is sent with the greatest facility to the large ex- porting towns, Charleston and Savannaii, its locality is really enviable. Macon, it is true, divides the interior cotton trade with Augusta; but its share is small when compared witli the latter, for Augusta receives produce not only from South Carolina, but from Cicorgia, whereas Macon only receives it from the latter State. The cotton stores in Augusta are well worth seeing. These immense buildings, not unlike arsenals at a distance, are planned on a scale which sufficiently shows the extent of the cotton trade. ]\Iany of them are spa- cious enough to contain as many as nine thou- sand bales. They are built in squares, with an open space in the centre : the sides are formed of stone sheds, roofed with tiles, and open towards the yard. The houses are of various classes, both in regard to materials and arcliitcf , ire ; the greater part, however, are of brick, bearing- undeniable evidence of the progress of the art. The streets are capable of many improve- ments : Augusta may, nevertheless, boast of a thoroughfare called Broad Street, surpassing in width any other in America. Its length is A ^ 112 AUGUSTA. about two miles. When filled with loaded wago'ons, which is often the case in the winter months, the visitor forc^ets that he is in the centre of a region but lately a complete desert. Splendid coaches, elegant ladies, or perfumed dandies, arc certainly not to be found ; but, notwithstanding' the absence of these attributes of a large city, it is still lively. In this street are only to be seen de- cently dressed women, devoid of all coquetry, speculative merchants, loaded waggons, the size of which exceeded any thing I had as yet seen, close ind shrewd farmers, saddle-horses without number, but no equipages. To this catalogue 1 must not omit to add the noise occasioned by heavy-footed mules, six of which are attached to every loaded cotton waggon, and the peculiar tones with which the Neg-ro, mounted on one of these animals, drives his team. Generally, he has only one rein in the hand, fastened to one of the fore- most mules ; but, as this is at times insuffi- cient to give a proper direction to the heavy train, he is continually speaking to his beasts in a manner which they never fail to under- stand ; and, in order to give a stronger im- pulse to his words, he adds a few cuts in the air with his whip, which have also a certain IIAMnURG. U3 meaniiii^, and they are as promptly obeyed as understood. Opposite to Aiig-usta, in tlie State of South CaroHna, is a small insii^nifieant villaf>e, called Hamburg, also })ossessing- a few cotton ware- houses : the i ihabitants are strivinji- verv hard to share the palm with the rich and mig-hty neighbouring town. Their hopes seem particularly founded on the belief that the now nearly-finished railroad from Charleston, which terminates here, will give new life to their business, to the prejudice of Augusta. How far these ex])ectations will be realized, when the railroad is completed and made available, 1 am notable to judge; but I cannot help entertaining some doubts on the score of any extraordinary rise of Hamburg, as long- as Augusta exists. A traveller intending to proceed hence by land to New Orleans is earnestly recom- mended to bid adieu to all comforts on leaving Augusta, and make the necessary prepara- tions for a hard and rough campaign. If he has a wife and children unprovided for, and to whom he has not the means of leaving a suitable legacy, let him by all means be careful to insure his life to the highest amount the offices will take ; for the chances of perishing (H I i 414 ('ASIIAT,T[F,S ATTENO.WT ON . I on the road arc at the rote of ten to one, calculated according to the following- table of casualties : 1. Vty horses nmning away. 2. l^y (Irowiiing. 3. l>y murder. 4. liy explosion. When told in Augusta of the numberless accidents which awaited me on this tour, •I could not refrain from laughing, satisfied in my own mind that they were exaggerated, and that I could not possibly have to endure more than I had already encounteied during my journey from Norfolk to Charleston ;' but experience soon taught me to view the latter trip in the light of pleasant and comfortable, when compared with the inconveniences, not to say sufferings, to which a traveller is ex- posed, when hazarding his person in the woods of Georgia and Alabama. I had hitherto ventured to indulge in invective against the roads in Virginia and both Carolinas : these were now English turnpike-roads, when com- pared with those I had actually to traverse. I had also complained of the indifference of the stages in the same State: in Alabama I should have deemed myself happy, could I but have got sight of a Virginia stage. TRAVELLING IN THE SOUTH. 415 instead of the skeleton vehicles which were pre- sented to my view. Too often had I iieaped animadversions on the Virginia drivers : in Alabama again, I should have conferred on them the title of real gentlemen. I iuid even gone so far as to speak in derision and with contempt of the tough, split, and broiled fowls, with which a traveller is regaled at every meal in Virginia, and which are alive five minutes before they are put on the table for consumption : in Alabama, where bacon and sweet potatoes constitute the only de- licacies, one of the feathered tril)e would have been considered superior to the best Parisian patee uux truffes. It was towards dusk that 1 took my place in a narrow, old-fashioned stage, in company with eight passengers, who were proceeding to Macon, a distance of about one hundred and twenty-five miles. Scarcely had we lost sight of Augusta, when a dark, heavy cloud, greeted us with a drenching shower. All the luggage haing" Irish melodies: but, desirous of aceom|)aiiying- his songs by an exhibition on the light fantastic toe, he suddenly slipped, and disappeared in the deep j)uddle, s])lashing the bystanders all over with dirty water. Owing- to the coolness of the driver, he, however, escaped a watery grave; but, wet as he was, he resumed his seat in- side the coach. Having at length obi ained assistance from some waggoners, who with difficulty contrived to lift the stage out of the hole, we continued our journey uninterrupt- edly till evening, when new adventures awaited us. The road, entirely of clay, sadly cut up by the continual transport of cotton, and full of deep holes and furrows, had, be- sides, numberless roots, stumps, and trunks, of trees, left absolutely untouched by the makers of this highway. Between these, amidst crooked and steep hills, the coachman was obliged to proceed very cautiously ; and he was frequently under the necessity of making several turns about the same hill, to AlllllVAL AT MAION. 117 Jivoicl coming' incoiitacl \vi(li (licsc (lMiio(>n)us obstructions, wliicli must iiiraliibly upset the coach. It was on a hill of this kind, w her*' ho had probably neglected the usual precau- tion, that one of the carriage-wheels was un- luckily raised by two stumps, high enough to touch the axlctree ; and, by the violent concussion, the pole, as well as the wheel, was shivered to pieces, and a large hole broken in the bottom of the carriage itself. To me it is still a matter of surprise that none of the passengers were hurt, though I must con- fess that the confusion was sufliciently great to have produced the most disastroiis conse- quences. To find assistance in the midst of a wild forest, and this too at midnight, was not to be expected. A deliberative council was held, at which it was resolved that we should continue our journey partly on foot, partly on horseback, leaving; the coachman to take care of the baggage till the following* morning. At daylight we arrived at the much vvished-for Macon. Were I to judge of the little I saw of Georgia, I should say, that the soil of this State did not appear much adapted to the cultivation of cotton ; however, from other accounts, it seems that the interior is as fertile VOL. I. E E •i% 'I u 418 MACON. as those rej^ions throiip^h which I directed my course were poor. Far l)e it from me to (|ucsf;ion the correctness of this statement; on the contrary, it is more than probable, considering; the large quantities of cotton pro- duced in this State, ' liich are afterwards forwarded for sale to .\iacon, Augusta, and Savannah. Uctween Augusta and Macon, nevertheless, the soil is extremely poor, con- sisting chiefly of sand. I have seldom beheld a wilder picture. No mountains are found ; but steep hillocks and heaps of stone in abun- dance. Between these, in the loose sand, are pines growing' close to each other, and a hun- dred diTerent species of oak. Cultivated fields were hardly ever discernible, and the few scattered ones that we did see bore the ap- pearance of indifferent soil. The houses, which from the road seemed to be at an immense dis- tance from each other, hardly deserved the name of human habitations : had they been without chimneys, I should have been inclined to consider them as sheds for the reception of hogs. Even the inhabitants of these regions had something savage about them : their dress, manners, language, all seemed to partake of the repulsive features of wild nature. Before arriving at Macon, we passed LAND I.OTTF.UY 110 through the smull towns of NN'.irrt'utoii. Powclton, and Sparta, as woll as Millcdoo- villo, the capital of (icoro-ia, situated (ui a saiid-iiill, near the River Oconee, and in its present diUipi(hited state a wolid :nonti- nient of more pros[)eroiis days. Tlie (own was at tiiis time rather lively and noisy, owini;- to a land-lottery, org'anized by the State, then drawing. CJeorjj^ia had, several years before, bought large tracts of land from the Indians within the territory of the State, which it was now, according to contract, obliged to relinquish. The lots were divided by the State among its citizens in such a man- ner, that each inhabitant who had resided in Georgia three years after the passing of the act by the Legislature was entitled to a ticket; a married man received an additional ticket, and, if he happened to have children, he obtained a third ticket. Whoever had upon any occasion fought for his coimtry was also presented with a particular ticket. Even gokl regions were shared in like manner, and with the same distinctions among tiie inhabitants : the latter division caused, how- ever, considerable dissatisfaction, it being openly declared that fraud and deception had been practised by an individual who had the K i: 2 420 ENVIIIONS OF MACON. *l management of it. This person was arraigned before the tribunal upon various charges con- nected with it, but the Court had come to no decision when I left Georgia. Macon was founded in the year 1823, on a sand-bank near the River Ocmulgee, and counts about three thousand inhabitants. Its excellent locality for purchases of cotton has already had great influence on its increase; so many as eighty thousand bales of this article are annually sent from this place to Savannah, which traffic brings considerable capital into circulation. The environs of Macon retain their pristine features: tall firs rise in every direction, like dismal and impenetrable walls. Here and there may be seen a small piece of land lately cleared ; the trees had been so recently felled or burnt that a perpendicular column of smoke rose from the stumps which remained almost to the sky. Amidst these stumps, as if peeping out of the dark wood, were observed a few solitary frame-houses, where some of the townspeople spend their winters and summers. In the town, the build- ings, erected at some distance from each other, are also of wood, some two stories, but most of them only one story high, divided into two apartments, of which that fronting SMALLNESS l)F THE HOUSES. 121 the street is used as a store, the other reserved foi' the family, let it be ever so numerous. Tii most places recently peopled, the practice of crowding together many |)ersons in the same room is of common occurrence : in houses in the country, particularly in those in the woods, the accommodation of a separate apartment is out of the question ; but, in a town with three thousand inhabitants, to find wealthy families living together in one confined room was certainly more than [ anticipated. I formed an acquaintance with several of them in very comfortable circumstances, who would in any part of the world have been considered affluent, and yet they lived in a single apart- ment, beyond the store. The furniture was in harmony with the rest, simple, coarse, and tasteless : the manner of living, too, was sim- plicity itself. The people are mostly Presby- terians, a sect which forbids every thing- bordering on ostentation, and whose princi- ples are not a little conducive to the preva- lence of artless and unsophisticated manners: in Macon these seemed to be strictly followed. The streets are not paved, but covered with light sand, which the least wind raises in volumes, so as to conceal one side of the street from the inhabitants of the other. Like 'I' i 422 DANGEROUS STATE OF STREETS. all those in the new Southern States, they form right angles and parallel lines, and are of a width not to be found in older cities. Many of these streets had not yet been named, and were only marked out by the clearing of the wood, and the digging of ditches on the sides : on the map of the town a place had already been assigned to them, as well as to many others, on which were still left the stumps of the trees, which are not a little dangerous to the passenger in the dark. With streets in such a condition, it r/r ^ not sur- prising that coaches were very seiJ' ^een : I observed no vehicles in Macon, .i.i a few miserable stages and a couple of country waggons. Most people travelled on horse- back ; and this rule was observed upon every occasion, whether they were going into the country, or merely to visit a neighbouring friend. The aversion to walking must be either the natural consequence of the heat of the climate, which produces a relaxation of the system, or the effect of indolence, that has insensibly grown into a habit. I shall not stop to decide the question, but only to men- tion its existence. Saddle-horses were seen whole days standing before the houses, and, when not there, were to be found in sheds in COiMMERCE OF THE TOWN. 423 the yards. A merchant could not conclude a bargain with a neighbour, if ever so near, without his horse. A sueing swain would be sure of a rebuff, if he had the temerity to present himself as a pedestrian at the resi- dence of his mistress. The principal article of commerce in Macon is, as I have before observed, cotton. The bales are forwarded, immediately after pur- chase, to the two neighbouring seaports, of which Savannah, on account of its proximity, receives the largest supply. The conveyance is effected by means of the rivers, first by the Ocmulgee, on which Macon is situated, after- wards by the Oconee, which joins the Ocmul- gee, and forms the large river Alatamaha, down which it is carried as far as Darien. The craft are either long and narrow, or built in the shape of boxes, the bottom of which is made of timber and cork. On these small vessels eight rows of bales are piled up ; from four to five hundred constituting a cargo. They float down the stream, and look like moving houses. This method of conveying goods was, however, by some individuals, considered both expensive and tedious : a few of the wealthier and more enterprizing citi- zens determined to make a trial with steam- ^i r 424 MILDNESS OF THE CLIMATE. I' I ■ 'I a < \'. boats. One was built, by way of experiment, with a flat bottom, to enable her to get over the shoals in the rivcr, at low and high water. This steamer was not finished when I left Macon. The climate, in these desolate regions, com- pensates, in some measure, for the pleasures elsewhere so highly valued ; which a want of civilization among different classes here pre- cludes. The atmosphere is, during the whole winter, extremely mild and agreeable : in summer the heat is great, without being op- pressive, or attended with epidemics, so pre- valent near the coast. In the middle of December, the period when I visited Macon, the leaves first began to change colour, a change which I had already witnessed the preceding September in the States of New York and Pennsylvania. Thousands of rosei^ were still in full bloom on terraces before the houses, and here and there I saw flowers in the fields, of which I had been in the habit of taking leave on the appearance of the first autumn day ; but in this delightful climate they continue to dispense their fragrance till the arrival of the new year. The surrounding woods were filled with the most odoriferous and enlivening perfumes, and even in certain I ! A NEGRO SHOPKEEPER. 425 parts of the town, at sunset, the evening lireeze wafted to the pedestrian a delicious odour. On my return from an excursion to the ruins of a fort, formerly raised against the Indians, a free Negro was shown to me, who, unlike all others of the same race, had not had recourse to beggary after recovering his liberty. It is an incontestable fact, fully authenticated by experience, that a Negro, once a slave, and afterwards set free, from that moment becomes as. useless as he has formerly been industrious. I was therefore not a little pleased to form acquaintance with a man so different from the rest, which leaves at least one conclusive evidence on record, that the doctrine so repeatedly advanced, and so revolting to the ideas of the philanthropists, is false, namely, that a Negro is half man and half brute. His name was Solomon Hum- phries, and he was as well known by all classes a hundred miles round as the governor him- self. He kept a kind of grocery store, which yielded a handsome annual profit, and added to an already acquired property of twenty thousand dollars. Known as industrious and prudent, he had greater credit than many an extensive merchant : and there was no indi- vidual in Macon, from the richest cotton-dealer \ \ 1 42(i A NEGRO SHOPKF.EPER. m ' i to the poorest servant, who did not stop and shake him by the hand. Solomon was married to a woman of colour, drove his own unosten- tatious carriage, and had a neat and comfort- ably furnished house, where he often enter- tained strangers. The principal merchants were not above accepting his invitations to dinner: upon these occasions, they were wel- comed with an hospitality and kindness .perhaps unexpected from a Negro. Never forgetting his station in life, it was customary with him, when performing the office of host, to wait upon his guests in person ; and, although possessing several slaves, he never permitted any of them to stand behind the chairs, or even to approach the table. He made a rule of inviting every stranger coming to the city, and as such I had also the honour of an invitation ; I was, however, under the ne- cessity of declining it, having already fixed the period of my departure for Columbus on the following evening. It was with no small mortification that I renounced this pleasure ; probably it was the last time in my life that I should have an opportunity of dining with a Negro, as it was the only invitation I ever received. A little before midnight I was again in the 11 'iV— „ GOLDEN DREAMS. 427 stage, filled, as usual, with nine travellers, mostly inhabitants of Columbus, returning- from Milledgeville, where they had been in the gold region, exclusively on the rawing tickets for lots conversation turned The subjec ' : gold dust and gold bars: calcula- tions of certain incomes, derivable from this source of wealth, were made in the coach, and appeared, at least to them, so clear and in- fallible, that it would have been easier to con- vince them that the earth is square, than that they could possibly fail to be possessed, in the course of a few years, of as much of the pre- cious metal as would purchase a kingdom in Europe. I listened for a long time with the greatest attention to these lofty statements and illustrative plans, and was just on the eve of joining the general conversation, with a view to obtain some further information respecting these valuable gold regions, when a very sudden and serious shock at one end of the coach demolished at once all aerial castles and golden dreams, and di- rected the attention of every one to his per- sonal safety, preparatory to his becoming a Croesus. The driver, who had probably also been indulging in the same happy dreams, having himself drawn a prize in the golden I2H ACCIDENT TO THE COACH. I lottery, had unfortunately missed his way in the dark, and did not discover his error till the carriage was fairly jammed between two old trees, which squeezed the frail vehicle so dreadfully that the axletrec was broken in pieces. This accident happened in the middle of a steep hill, down which the coach rolled with no ordinary velocity, so that the horses, once started, could not be stopped, but ran away the moment the accident occurred. Left alone with the fragments of a ci-devant stage, we held a consultation as to the best mode of proceeding : at the recommendation of the driver, it was unanimously resolved to await the approach of morning, and take the chanceof meeting some waggon, roomy enough to convey ourselves and our luggage to the nearest village, distant about sixteen miles. Without waiting for the break of day, \ con- tinued my journey on foot, in company with one of the passengers well acquainted with the road. During this compulsory prome- nade, I had frequent opportunities of contem- plating the wild and uniform appearance of these uncultivated regions. From a soil almost exclusively of sand, rose a close and dark wood, the height of whose trees bespoke "enerable age. Here and there the loose and 3--^ A (iANO OF SI,AVi:S. 121) dry saiul variod a little; a verdant svvam|) was seen enveloped in fog', throngh which drooping- cypresses rose like g'hosts at a gloomy distance. Nearer to Columbus, the country became more hilly : the Alleghany Mountain chain, which may be called the back-bone of North America, here commences in a long' series of sloping* hills, above and round which the road winds in various direc- tions. It was at the foot of one of these hills that I fell in with a gang- (as they are called) of slaves, on their march to New Orleans, for sale. The slave-trader had chained them two and two together, and so disposed of them during the few hours in the night allowed for rest after the day's fatigue, that none of them could possibly escape the watchful eyes of the owner or his assistant. A great num- ber of these miserable beings were seated round a large fire, attentively listening to each other's narratives : others were lying in groups, absorbed in profound sleep. At the further extremity, near a tree, was the slave- trader himself, looking sternly at his victims, and now and then roaring to them to be quiet. He was not, however, able to quell the general mirth that prevailed, occasioned by the lively \ 430 MKRHY SLAVES. I« anecdotes related by a yoiinpf slave, about twenty, to his companions in misfortune: laugh- ter and signs of approbation continued with- out interruption. Yes, bursts of laughter made the whole wood ring. Who would have supposed that these were slaves, going to a market for sale? Witliout being perceived, we approached this singular group. They were all without any head-covering, but pretty decently dressed in linen clothes, in my opinion rather too light for winter, but with which they seemed perfectly satisfied. Real joy was expressed in every countenance, and they gave way to fits of laughter, which made their eyes sparkle with tears. The young speaker related with southern warmth the many vicissitudes he had ex- perienced during his short life, and painted in equally lively colours the happy and unhappy adventures in which he had been engaged. His narrative of an attempt to escape from his owner in South Carolina inspired me with real interest for the young hero: upon several occasions he made the most striking compa- risons. It was impossible not to feel com- passion, on hearing him describe the severe punishment which followed the unfortunate attempt: even the other slaves, so disposeil A CllKLK INDIAN. 131 to be merry, heranu- siloiit for a moiiuMit, horror-struck jit tlie laithful description which he gave of his corporeal suireriiif;s. Hut tliis silence continued only for a few minutes: the narrative ag-ain became animated, and tlie audience was not backward in testify-ng its approbation by loud and reiterated applause. This short biography was scarcely finished, before a glittering object suddenly made its appearance from the small wood in the swamp, and changed the features of every face, sub- stituting astonishment and curiosity for joy and happiness ! The kindled (ire spread its pale light over the bushes in the neighbour- hood, and between the bald (ir-trunks stocjd a tall, swarthy, and wild-looking ligure — it was an Indian of the Creek race, the lirst of the " Red Men" I had seen in the woods. The strong impression which this meeting- produced will not be easily effaced. I had in my subsequent travels frequent opportu- nities of seeing these sons of the iuiest, but never did they appear to me so formidable, so noble, so majestic, as this solitary Indian. His head was covered with a kind of red woollen turban, the ends of which hung down on one of his shoulders : on his le^s he wore a kind of stockings, made of skins, and his i 432 A CIIKEK INDIAN, Vi feet were covered by a pair of handHonic nioccasiny. He was wrapped in a blanket, which, nevertheless, did not prevent my see- ing* his strong, well-proportioned, and ath- letic figure. His height and martial air (such as a warrior ought to have) — the ex- pression of his countenance — his features — were all noble and grand. Could this really be a savage? My travelling companion, who had often seen Indians, was not seized with the same degree of admiration as myself, and lost no time in asking him the motive of his sudden appearance. The reply destroyed the illusion as quickly as his person had at first pre- possessed me. Whisky was now the only deity he worshipped : for the possession of it he would sell father, children, and country. How much more delighted should I have been, had I seen him raise his tomahawk, and, foaming with rage, demand the blood of the Whites, instead of begging for a compound which, like slow poison, undermined his con- stitution, enervated the sinewy arm, and made the free hero an object of contempt, com- miserated by none. Hardly had he received the wished-for liquor, before he eagerly put the bottle to his mouth, and ran away from us, I A CREEK INDIAN. 433 carrying off the few remaining drops. Un- happy man! His draught was death. In the course of the following day his corpse was found close to a lire in the middle of the wood. Judging from the situation in which his half-consumed body was discovered, he must have fallen asleep in an intoxicated state too near the firr, and been either suffocated or burnt to death. KM) OF VOL. I. LONDON : r. sHOiiKHF., .lUN., 4, i.ku.kstkr strkkt, i.kicusti'.k pquahk.