IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 ^ us, 1.4 M 2.2 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET VtTEBSTER, N.Y. 1 4580 (716) 87i2-4503 ^ iV ^\^^ ^. N>^ Lv>' ' % <* ^%'«^ . <^^>^ <\ '% .<;' kr Q.r 'm ^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques V Technical and Bibliographic JMotas/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographicaliy unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below n Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagie □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculie □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverti're manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes g^ographiques an couleur □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bieue ou noire) □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur □ Bound with other material/ Relit avec d'autres documents n n n Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge inttrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties Icrs d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela ttait possible, ces pages n'ont pas M filmies. Additional comments:/ Comr^entaires suppldmentaires; L'Institut a microfilm* le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6ti possible de se procurer. Las details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier line image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methods normale de filmage sont indiquts ci-dessous. D D D m n D D D n Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restauries et/ou pelliculdes Pages discoSoured. stained or foxed/ Pages d*color*es, tacheties ou piqu^es Pages detached/ Pages ditachtes Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of print varies/ Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partieilement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont *t* filmies d nouvsau de facon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked belov.;/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 12X 16X v/ 20X 26X 30X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada L'exemplaire film6 fut reproduit grdce d la g6n6ro8it6 de: Bibliothdque nationale du Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — *- (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbct V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les images suivantes ont 6t6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet6 de l'exemplaire filmd, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimde sont filmds en commenpant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impressior ou d'illustration, soit pa^ le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commenqant par la premidre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernidre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ► signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diffSrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de I'angle supdrieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A JOUENEY THROUUH THE UNITED STATES AND PART OF CANADA. "Even should she (the United States) continue to flourish for the next century, it will be no longer just to withhold from her the pre-eminence among the nations of the earth. She will have resolved successfully the great problem, how to secure the enjoyments of order and public tranquillity with the least possible check upon the development of the human faculties; in short, how to obtain for man in the greatest proportions the blessings of security, peace, liberty, md knowledge. She will have resolved this problem, too, by a machinery much less complicated, and much less expensive, than the constitution of England."— Lord John Russell, English Conititution, 1823. " I have observed here less swearing and profaneness, less drunkenness and de- bauchery, less uncharitable feuds and animosities, and less knaveries and villainies, than in any part of the world where my lot has been."-SporswooD, Roi/alist and Higfi-Chwchman's Account (if the United States, quoted in "Bancroft's History," vol. ii, p. 459. Lt. rK^c^:. c^i/y^t^^c^^u .^^< A JOURNEY THBOUGir THE UNITED STATES AND PART OF CANADA. BY THE REV. ROBERT EVEREST, M.A., lATB CHAPLAIN TO THE KA8T INDIA COMPANY. LONDON: JOHN CHAPMAN, KING WILLIAM STREET, STRAND. M. DCCC.lv. LONDON : WOODFALL AND KINDER, ANOKL COURT. BKINNIR l,IRKItT. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Embarkation from Liverpool. — Americans on board. — Their opinions and peculiarities. — Comparison of the two lines of steamers, English and American. — Coast about Cape Breton. — Reach Halifax. — Description of the city. — Pino forest. — Houses. — Electric telegraph wires. — American newspapers circulating. — The Cathedral and fighting monuments. — Citizens balloting. — Halifax a poor place. — Drunkenness complained of there. — The soil barren, and the timber stunted. — Set off for Truro. — Pass the flagship. — Lake Charles. — The Canal Company. — Yankee coachman. — Fo- rest. — Wigwams of Indians. — Reach Truro.— Sheep in the fields at night. — Cumberland Mountains. — Sarsaparilla Wine. — Amherst. — Manure.— Cheese. — Road-side inns. — South Joggins Coal Mine. — Account of the Company who work it. — Reflections thereupon. — Remarks of the provincial press PAUE CHAPTER IL Set off for Sackville. — Dirty steamer. — Resources of Nova Scotia. — Despatch concerning. — Comparison with the United States. — Reach St. John's. — Description. — Opinions there. — Blending of this country and the neighbouring States. — Remarks of iuhabitauts. — New Brunswick laud. — Mostly T vl CONTENTS. PAGE ungmnted.- Expenses of clearing.-Falls in the Harbour of St Johns—Susponsion bridge— Leave St. John's. -Life- boItsandhfe-preservers.-Approach the frontier of theUnited States.— Well-peopled country.-Population of New Bruns- vvick in 1783, of Nova Scotia in 1772.-Aristocratic land- holders. — Ignorance of the people. - Alienation of their minds. -Disembark at Portland.- Pass on to Boston.- Houses.— Builway carriages— Well-dressed people.— Revere House.-Description of the schools—Children, native and emigrant— behaviour of the people to each other— Remarks upon It.— The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.- Milton's dream— Carriages at Boston.-IIacks.-No filthy streets. — r aneuil Hall— Picture of Thomas Paine | o CHAPTER III. Factories of Lowell and Lawrence.— Lodgings of the factory girls. — Sympathy for the people a consequence of their possessing political power.— Harvard College— Mount Au- burn.— Jamaica Plains.- Washington's Elm.- Charleston. —Tower on Bunker Hill.— Prospect.-Dr. Paley.— The problem of good and cheap government here solved.— Pu- gilistic combat— Attachment to tho English people.— To the different sects at home. -The Roman Catholics.^Their progress.-The Reform Party.- Surplus in the Treasury — Volunteers.-The Great Republic— The (!ommon . . 27 CHAPTER IV. Leave Boston.-Albany— Soil— Cottage— Hudson River - Puss into the State of New York.-Inhabitants. -Line of Irish and German emigration.— Albany— Classical names. —Railroad a civilizer.— Reach Buffalo.— Ex-President Fil- more— The Falls of Niagara— Yankee speculators— Sus- pension bridge.-Railroad Company.-Arrive at Lewiston -Cross to Toronto, a thriving city—Trinity College.- CONTENTS. vii Amenoan generosity.— Prico of provisions. -Leave forMon- trcal.— Kespoct shown to fomalos.— The St. La;Yrence.-. ri^_; and the third, at various prices under 10/. from Truro we passed on some miles, to a place called the Folly, where m. slept in a small cottage, in which, however, we met with clean beds. Late at night as we were passing along, I noticed the sheep yet abroad m tae fields, and on asking the driver if there were no wolves and bears in the country, he informed me they had been so worried by the settlers that of late they had ceased to molest the farms -a slight mark this, in a new country, of an energetic race. In France, the shepherd yet carefully folds his sheep, and sleeps beside them. CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS. — AMHERST. 9 We continued our way the next day through an undulating country, being what is called the Cumber- land Mountains. The trees grew to a large size, and the autumnal hues were particularly beautiful upon them, as they were in great part deciduo is plants, mostly the different kinds of maple. I saw at one of the inns where we stopped a wine made of the berries of the sarsaparilla plant. It had a rich red colour, something resembling claret, yet it smacked strongly of the druggist's shop. In the evening we reached Amherst, a place situated, like Truro, on the borders of an extensive plain of marsh land. Like that place also the cheese made in it is of excellent quality. The only kind of manure used for the marsh land is the mud of the estuary, which is taken from the banks of the creeks and spread over it. The mud is probably similar to that of the Severn, as the country through which the streams pass consists of a red marl, not of the new red sandstone formation, for which it has been mis- taken, but one which underlies the '^oal. Yet I never remember to have leen the same kind of mud made use of for manure ou the banks of the Severn. Cheese here is about 6d. per lb. ; butter, 1^. per lb. ; farm labourers, 161 to 321. per annum, besides board and lodging. Before reaching Amherst we saw a number of waggons, with females in them, collected round a Presbyterian church by the road side, and we met many on their way to join them. We learnt they were going to a tea-party in the church with their minister. Cer- tainly the church did seem an odd place for a tea-party, but where the people live so many miles apart, as 10 THE UVITRD STATKS AND CANADA. il tlicy ,lo hero, thoy must resort to shift, to h„vo tl,e ,,,^t„n,t, of ..,eeti„«. We have f„„„., the lie 01 t lo r,m, -sule „ws on our ,vay „h„„t e.nml to that of the rural i„„, „f ,,„,,„,„, -j.^^, Sl^To are generally elea„. thu, evincing the ICngli , ^Jancc, ital^, and Germ any ! ^V;o sot out for the South Jomri„s coal mino n -of nt':,!' ti^ter^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 'orest over a Hat eountry for some time ,I„^"" , ,1' we eame every now and then „,.o„ a la J f ' ? ....onU,e igeof a ione.y eri., a„„ C'il'i " t m ,t had been ordere.l in London," we arrived at the spot, and found specimens of the fossil reel The eoal mino adjoining is worked by the General M""ng Assoeiation of Nova Seotia, a Lon.L SomZ wlu. .ave a monopoly of the minerals of the prZ 2 curious *"' '" """' ""^ """''■-'' " '' --wlL' from the cr '""'• "" '""' ^"'"' °f York received from the Crown a grant of all the mines and minerals of Nova Scotia, with the right of searching Trt same, free of royalty. The Dnke then gavf a ease pany for the purpose of workin- the mi ,es b„t h„ Xfle oyalty has sn.ee reverted to the province, excent """' of Cape Breton, but the lease holds good for BRITISH PROTECTION. u thirty yonrs to come, or more. Is it wonderful, with such things pasHiiior before their eyes, that men shouhl become republicans? — when they see their fellow settlers in the neighbouring States, nieu of the same British descent, free from such gross misai)i)Iication8 of the public funds? Those rights and that royalty were vested in the Crown in trust for the good of the peojde — not intended to supply the extravagance of a fa- vourite. And is it wonderful that Nova Scotia should be ill-peopled? A natural source of wealth, which niight have given a livelihood to thousands, is made over to a Company residing across the ocean, who have never yet succeeded in working it to advantage. Who, besides, will take land on which the Company's servants may at any time enter under pretext of searching for minerals ? A local writer, speaking of this monopoly, and of the high j)rice of coals, and insufficiency of supply consequent thereon, remarks, — " This is what they call British protection. We call it plunder. We are laid under contribution, exactly as if a hostile army had invaded us." 1 .i 12 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. I > m CHAPTER II. We returned to Amherst, and set off the next day for Sackville, where we found, in a creek off the bay, a dirty steamer waiting to take us to St. Johr's. It was, indeed, a filthy steamer. It had a large beam engine projecting above the deck, as is usual in this part of the world. Steam was escaping in large quantities from the boiler and pipes, which, with the rest of the machinery, were rusty and dirty as can be conceived. The head of the vessel was pressed down m the water by the cargo, and a large flock of sheep. Fortunately the night was calm, and we arrived at our destination without accident. But \ve had rather a rough sample of colonial life on board. The smoking, and spitting, and tobacco-chewing, and the various stenches that assailed us, were anything but agree- able. A despatch (dated October, 1853) from the Lieut.- Governor of Nova Scotia, upon the resources of the province, has lately been published, which is rather a " curious " document. His Excellency begins by fell- cJtating himself at being able to say that among other articles " coal " commands a high price. But he does not mention why it is so dear, nor how it is that in the neighbouring province or Canada it is undersold by the American coal of Pennsylvania. He next calls attention to the very extraordinary A DESPATCH FROM NOVA SCOTIA. 13 growth of the " mercantile marine " of Nova Scotia, and compares it first, under the heads of shipping and tonnage, with that of several of the European nations, and after that, under the latter head of " ton- nage," with several of the United States, remarking that the " comparison which he is bound to institute may abate a little of the arrogance with which the citizens of the republic are apt to challeno-e rivalry with all the world." ° Those who remember the indignation of the elder Mr. Weller, driver of the Ipswich coach, at the intro- duction of railways, will not be at a loss to account for the ser-sitiveness of his Excellency when speaking of a people who have invented a new patent mode of manufacturing « governors " at the rate of 500/. a year apiece. If the baker who sold his loaves a half- penny each cheaper than the rest was cut by the whole trade, what punishment is not too good for such depraved wretches as these? Passing, then, over this natural outburst of feeling, we find that his Excellency proceeds to compare the' " tonnage " of Nova Scotia with that of several of the interior States, which have no sea-coast whatever. Granting what he states to be true, that most of these lie along the shores of great lakes and of navigable rivers, still, in a question of the growth of " mercantile marine," it appears to be about as reasonable to cite them, as it would be to compare the " tonnage " of the kingdom of Great Britain with that of the kingdom of Saxony, which is also situated on the bank of°a navi- gable river. His Excellency next states, as something still " more curious," that tlie United States, with a population of i T '-'i M !? " ' w w*P '■ :! f 14 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. 25,000,000, and a tonnage of 4,138,439, should have something over " one ton of shipping to every six of the population, whereas taking the population of Nova Scotia at 300,000, and its tonnage at 189,083, it gives but a trifle less than two tons of shipping for every three of the population." Yet surely his Excellency has himself explained all that is curious in this assertion, when he has stated, as he has a little further on, the almost insular position of Nova Scotia, and its extended line of sea-coast, in comparison with that of the United States, great part of whose population has, from its continental, or in- land position, no access to the sea whatever. More- over, his Excellency has not adverted to the legislative hindrances, which, by checking the mining and agri- cultural efforts of Nova Scotia, have made her popu- lation look to the sea as the only means of gainino- a livelihood open to fair competition. I am unable to find out on what authority his Excellency has stated (page 20) that " the whole Atlantic shore of the United States includes but 1800 (miles). The shore-line of the Gulf of Mexico gives them but 11 00 more 2900 in all." In page xxx of the " American Census of 1850 ' find the following: — or we TABLE v.— Shore-line of the United States in statute miles. Main shore, Oce-in line Coast of including bays, Isb.ids. j,/^^''''" ide ^°''^^- i" steps of ^^- ' 10 miles. Atlantic ... 0,801 0,3'28 0,055 19,844 2,059 Pacific 2,281 702 712 3,095 1,405 Gulf 3,407 2,217 3,840 9,530 1,04:3 Total 12,009 9,247 11,213 33,009 5J07 f:^^ ST. JOHN'S. — ENGLISH FEELING. 15 of 1850" we a statute miles. 5 Was this piece of information unknown to his Ex- cellency at the time he wrote, or did he deem it unworthy of attention? St. John's is a thriving city, much more prosperous in appearance than Halifax. Its best houses are built of brick, its streets wide and airy, and its shops such as would be scon in a first-rate city in England. Though it has the same kinds of commerce as Halifax, it i. much better situated for trade with the interior, being on an arm of the sea which communicates, by means of rivers, with the upper country for a distance of above 300 miles. Here we observed the first symptoms of English feeling we had met with since our lauding. Pictures of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, of the Duke of Wellington, and the Battle of Waterloo, were to be seen about, and the people we conversed with showed an attachment to British rule, which we did not meet with on the side of Nova Scotia. There, in the small parlours of the road-side inns, some village artist had delineated, not the Queen, nor the Duke, nor Robert Peel, but the "Death of Washington," "President Jackson," and, upon a capering horse, " Andrew Jack- son, the hero of New Orleans," by the side of " Daniel O'Connell." Nor did the people of Halifax we spoke to, seem to look with repugnance upon the idea of their province being transferred to the United States, but the contrary. In foct, this country appears to be blending gradually with the neighbouring States, from mere propinquity, and identity of origin, religion, and language, which propinquity is much assisted by the invention of steam-boats and railways. The settler in I inmHMi iil 16 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. the forest now looks to New York and Boston as markets for his produce as much as tlie Welsh farmer does to Liverpool and Bristol; there he goes to sell and buy, and to form connections and friends. Ame- rican teachers not only come to Halifax, but parents send their children to New York and Boston as the best places for education. Tliere they grow up with an American version of English history, of the haughty and privileged few living in luxury upon the labours of the many. Like the Norwegians, belonging to scat- tered communities, where man naturally becomes dear to man ; like them also, they are a warm-hearted, but plain and simple people. Like them, strangers to de- pendence and servility, they learn, amid the forests and the rivers, the equality and frat^ lity of man. When they visit New York and Boston, they meet with friends who sympathise with those ideas, and who treat them kindly. But let them go to London, and a different reception awaits them. There the heralds have placed them among the people that nobody knows — the excluded and degraded classes. " English gentlemen," said a woman to me, " think no more of poor colonists than of so much dirt." Then do they bitterly contrast their position with that of their neigh- bours and friends in the United States. " My father," said the captain of a small brig, " fought and bled on the side of England, and what have we got by it? Would that I had been born under the stripes and stars instead ; then I should have passed through the States Custom House on equal terms with the States man, and the ports of England on equal terms with the colonist. What am I now when I go to England ? :tvr^ UNGRANTED LAND. — CLRAUING. 17 —only a dirty colonial skipper Uiat nobody knows ! Had I been a States man, I should have been a person of consideration; I should have h?d a consul to take my part if I got into a quarrel, and if I went to London, an ambassador to :nivoduce me ! " It may be said that things of this kind are trifles ; but trifles have often had weighty consequences. It was a trifle that first made the plebeians of Rome eligible to the office of consul; and surely when t!ie "opposition shop " IS winning away our most skilful heads and our strongest arms, it were good policy, if nothing more to retam them by the plan that has been so successful in leading them away, and like the honourable Samuel Slumkey, at the Eatanswill election, " to kiss the chil- dren." Great part of the land in the province of New Brunswick has, as yet, not been granted by the Crown. I have heard the quantity estimated at 11,000,000 acres, and much good land among it. There is 'less HI Nova Scotia, where, though it has been stated that there are 5,000,000 acres of cultivable land, of which only i IS under cultivation, yet the most part is held by private hands. Mr. Gesner, in his work on New Brunswick (1847), states that the actual quantity of ungranted land in New Brunswick then was 10,129 400 acres, that granted being 6,077,960 acres. The govern- ment price o; uncleared land is said to be about 11/. 15.. sterhng the 100 acres. The cost of clearin-r m the manner practised here-/, e. cutting down the rees and leaving the stumps, which rot away entirely by the end of four or five years-is about 3/. sterling per acre, or 300/. for the 100 acres. Then a residence WM 18 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. of some sort must be built, besides barns, and home- steads for the cattle, as the winter is long and severe. So that, exclusive of the settlor's own labour, from 400/. to 500/. would be required to prepare the 100 acres for his rece])tion. After this there is the ex- pense of stocking them. On the whole, it is com- plained that clearing does not pay, except for a settler with a family, where a great deal of gratuitous la- bour is to be had ; at least, trade pays better, though, from the prices of farm-produce and farm-labour, that I have above stated, the contrary might be supposed. In one part of the harbour of St. John's are the Falls, situate between two perpendicular masses of rock, above 150 yards apart. As the ordinary rise of the tide below the Falls is 26 feet, and above them only 18 inches, the height of the Falls outwards, or towards the sea, is 24 feet 6 inches. There is also the singular phenomenon of a fall inwards at high water, and a fall outwards at low water, as Mr. Gesner has observed. Over this narrow part of the tide-way a suspension bridge has lately been constructed, by an engineer of New York, which is about 635 feet between the points of support, something more than the one over the Menai Straits. We left St. John's, after a short stay, for Bostoi>, by an American steamer, much cleaner and better than the one we had arrived in from Sackville; nor was there so much smoking and spitting. The colonists are a much ruder and more uncivilised set than their brother Americans. Under the deck were stowed a large number of india-rubber life-belts ; and instead of chairs, the stools made use of were tinned cylinders, ■M LIFE-BELTS. EASTPORT. 19 M-atertight, and fitted witli handles, so as to be used for life-preservers. Life-buoys are in the same way stowed ou board English steamers, but thoy take up much room, and the number of them is inconsideitible. Life-belts are so light, and occupy so little space when not inflated, that a number of them may be taken on board without inconvenience, sufficient to save the whole of the crew and passengers. We passed close in shore among rocky islets covered with firs, again reminding us of Sweden, until we arrived at Eastport, within the frontier of the United states. From this place we appeared to be coasting on the shores of an inhabited country. Fishing-boats and trading-vessels were to be seen about, and the plains inland appeared, for the most part, cleared and studded with houses. What can be the reason of this difference between two conterminous countries, inha- bited by the same race ?_a difference remarked by all travellers. Several causes have contributed to pro- duce the effect, among which we may reckon the tollowinff. The provinces of New Brunmvick and Nova Scotia were prmcpally colonised by the officers and soldiers d.sl,a„ded after the revolutionary war, and by the loy- ahs ts who had fled from their houses in the revolte^l States It ,s recorded that in 1783, the population of New Brunswick was estimated at 11,457, and in 1772 the total number of inhabitants of Nova Scotia as reported to the Board of Tn.de, was 18.300. B^t Z all descnptions of men, the soldier is, perhaps the worst adapted for a colonist, as he hi'^ver been accustomed to rely on his own resources. The loyal- o 2 ^ id »mm Mm ■«M«iaMw 20 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. IM i ists, probably, were men of feudal ideas, wbo would obtain large grants of land in consideration for services rendered, or from favour at Court, and who would cling to landed estate with the tenacity of men who believed that the possession of it constituted them members of a superior caste. But they would not be the people to sink into mere cultivators. So they would hold on, neither clearing nor selling to any one who would, hoping that, at some future time, when the country was fully jieopled, they, or their descendants, might be rewarded with a rental and a fortune. I met Avith several instances, during my short stay in the country, where this h.ad been the case, and it has been referred to by writers on the subject. (See Mr. Hathe- way's " History of New Brunswick," p. 7, and with regard more particularly to the monopolies of mines and minerals, Mr. Gesner's '' Industrial Resources of Nova Scotia," p. 230.) It is said that these monopolies from the Crown prevail to a most baleful extent in the colony of Prince Edward's Island ; where thousands of acres are held by aristocratic families in the mother country, who probably look forward to the time vvhcij they may be able to plant a " faithful and att;. tenantry" on this distant shore. In the meanwh... the local Legislature has several times passed laws to escheat these grants, but the Crown has as often vetoed them. A better way would be to tax the land, as is done in the States. The next cause — and the most potent of all — has been the want of the system of popular education which prevails in the United States. The masses, ignorant and lazy, are content to enjoy the passing NADA. eas, wlio would :tion for services 111(1 who would ity of men who )nstituted them ?y would not be itors. So thev lling to any one ! time, when the eir descendants, fortune. I met ort stay in the and it has been See Mr. Hathe- , and with regard of mines and sources of Nova monopolies from 1 extent in the ere thousands of ! in the mother » the time vvhci! ill and att;. the meanwh... s passed laws to 1 has as often to tax the land, tent of all — has pular education The masses, ijoy the passing FAVOURITISM. PORTLAND. 21 hour in animal gratifications. It is probably from this cause that they are less active and skilful in the fishing business than their com])etitors the Americans. If there were one more thing wanted to render igno- rance and indolence completely triumphant, and to sink down the popular taste for education to the lowest level, it would be that the best situations in the colony under the Crown should be given away to ftivourites from the mother country, without regard to the merits and exertions of natives. But this has been done. For it, and its effect in alienating the minds of the peoi)le from British sujiremacy, see also Mr. Gesner's work on New Brunswick, p. 322. As our steamer made but slow progress, we disem- barked at Portland in Maine, and dined at a small inn near the railway station. Though Portland is but a fishing town, and the inn not first-rate, everything was beautifully clean. As Ave passed along by railway to Boston, we were i)articularly struck with the villages on the way-side. Cottages there were none— at least, none of those miserable abodes which go by the name in England. The houses were usually of boards, and painted white, with green Venetians, something :n the Swiss style, only much neater and cleaner, and from their great approach to evenness of size, showed the general diffusion of wealth that prevails here. It seemed as if poverty and dirt were banished from the land. The railway cars were not divided into sepa- rate carriages as in England, but were long vehicles, with transverse seats and a walk down the middle, similar to what I have seen in Austria. There were near sixty people in our cai-, and everv one was well THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. dressed, though there was but one class. Tliere was neither smoking- nor spitting. Soon after dark we arrived at Boston, and put up at the Revere House, an excellent and spacious hotel. By permission of the mayor, I visited the schools in company of the Super- intendent. M. Silj'strom, the Swede, has given a full account of them. There are three classes, the common or district school, the English high school, and the Latin high school. Great pains are taken to win the attention of the children by kindness, and to encourage them to keep themselves neatly dressed and clean. Never have I seen before such animated and hai)py faces at school, though I may have met scholars that have done as well. The children of rich and poor were there alike together, equally well dressed, and equally well treated. I asked the Superintendent how it was that the poor children were so well dressed. To whicli he answered, that if a boy came dirty and untidy to school the others laughed at him, and teased him about it. The child, too, felt a pride in being equal to his companions, and teased his parents until they made him so. It was very rarely, indeed, that the mistress had occasion to speak to the parents on the subject. If there were anything further that I saw which distinguished these schools from others, it was in the endeavours that were made to interest the chil- dren themselves in their studies, to make them think, and to teach them to turn what they learn to purposes of usefulness. Once, and once only, did I ol)serve the children dirty and ill clad, with sullen faces, many of them as if they were under confinement, and showing in their countenances and manner the marks of a de- SCHOOLS. 28 gnuled caste, and that was in a school especially reserved for the children of emigrants. I found afterwards that in the reformatory school for juvenile delinquents, an establishment for reclaiming instead of trying as criminals, above 88 per cent, were children of emi- grants. I saw one dirty ragged child as I passed through the streets with the Superintendent, to whom T pointed him out. " Ah," said he, '* he is not one of ours I know, but I will ask him. Where did you come from ?" said he, taking the child kindly by the hand.—" Liverpool," was the answer.— " How long ago?"— "Five months." In the common schools there was apparatus suffi- cient to explain the elements of natural philosophy, such as electricity, magnetism, hydrostatics, and so forth. The English high schools are to fit those in- tended for trade and mercantile pursuits. The Latin high schools are for those who are to i)roceed to col- lege, and enter the learned professions. There is no- thing in either of these two latter sui)erior to our own. In the last, particularly, I noticed, as part of the course, some of the Dialogues of Lucian, parts of Virgil, Xenophon's Anabasis, and the perpetual IIccuba°of Euripides. The boys usually leave at the age of six- teen to enter college. It is not in the excellence of education, but in the quantity of it diffused among the people, that the re])ub]ic is su])erior. Nor was I more pleased with their excellent common schools, than T was with their demeanour to each other, free as it is alike from arrogance on one side, and ser- vility on the other. In truth, there is but one caste, or one society, neither noble, nor gentle, nor vulgar. When mmmm 24 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. I 8ay no pontic, I mean not as a distinctive class. Every- body is gentleman and iiuly, and is treated as such. Their institutions deify neither wealth nor birth, but every one obtains from his fellows that degree of consideration to which his private worth and public services entitle him. That being the case, and the rich having, in a great degree, the same plain, inexpensive habits as their fel- low-citizens, they have the more superfluous wealth to bestow upon j)ublic purposes, and they think these more worthy objects of their regard than the various ])araphernalia of ostentation which, in other countries, are considered necessary to support the dignity of man. It is often urged that a luxurious style of living among the few is useful, as an incentive to industry among the many. But these people are industrious and enter- j)rising without it. None on earth more so. Even the name of servant is hateful to them, and the only kind of domestic obtainable, some years back, especially in the country, was a " help," who sat at table with the family. The service of the hotels in Boston was then performed by free people of colour ; but or late, by Irish, who have supplanted them. Well, but if this equality and fraternity, or brother- hood of man, be good things (and some may be in- clined to think so), notwithstanding the eflbrts that are made to cast obloquy upon them — here they are established — and here may be observed their fruits, similar to what may be seen in the republican countries of Euroi)e, such as Norway and Switzerland, but in greater perfection ; that is to say, the people are better ofF, better cared for. There is more sympathy from their rulers towards them than in other countries. THE COMMON VVK A LTII. 25 e class. Every- assucli. Their li, but overy one sonsideration to L'es entitle him. 'n\g, in a great •its as their fel- luous wealth to sy think these an the various )thcr countries, lignity of man. f living among stry among the )us and enter- so. Even the I the only kind k, especially in table with the •ston was then •ut or late, by ty, or broth er- le may be in- e efforts that -here they are 1 their fruits, lican countries 3rland, but in 3ple are better ympathy from r countries. No doubt travellers, belonging to a privileged class ut home, must have their vanity continually ruffled by the Mant of accustomed resj)ect they meet with here. Ihit that is another thing. If the happiness of the many be the end of human institutions, then is that end attained in this and its sister n^publics, to a greater ex- tent than in any jiart of the world. I say republics, but that is not the proper word. The term, for in- sta!ice, in official documents, is the old English one, as the "Commonwealth" of Massachusetts; and surely when I looked u}»on the smiling villages of New Entr. land, the houses so equal and so alike, as though they belonged to a band of brothers ; and the beautiful city of JJoston, so orderly, so clean, and well-regulated, a part of the earth where, but for the emigrants, poverty and crime would seem to be banished, I could not help thinking that Mr. Secretary Milton was still in office somewhere, and that this was the very spot the poet was dreaming of, when he wrote that " Truth and Justice will return down to men." How comfortably the citizens go about in their neat carriages, the panels not blazoned like the shields of a tribe of savages, without any powdered liverymen in gaudy coats to assist them to enjoy an airing. Many drive themselves, and thus dispense with a servant alto- gether. When they wish to stop anywhere, they take a heavy iron weight, with a leather strap attached to it, in the carriage with them, and as they get down, i)lace the weight on the ground near the horse's head, and buckle the strap to the rein. This dumb groom effectually l>erfor(ns the office of a living one. The hack carriages at Boston are excellent, as good 20 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. M -il ! I ' t as any private ones, but dear, one dollar (4s. 2d.) per liour being the price of the vehicle, pair of horses, and coachman. However, it is not the fashion here to squeeze down labour to the lowest poi- t, but, on the contrary, to elevate it. I took considei'able pains to ascertain whether there were in Boston any such filthy streets, or alleys, as there are in the cities of Europe, but perambulated the place several hours without finding any; even the water-side was more cleanly than elsewhere. The well-being and improvement of the people have been the main end and object of its government. In the public building known by the name of Faneuil Hall, among other American worthies, hangs the portrait of Thomas Paine, the author of the "Rights of Man." I inquired how it was that so re- ligious a people should have thus honoured such a man, and was told that they overlooked his theological opi- nions, in consideration of his political merits. Nor is this surprising. His religious opinions were probably not very diiferent from those of Bolingbroke, once the Tory minister of England, whose party found it conve- nient at that time to overlook them ; at a later period they raised an affected cry of horror at the irreligion of a political opponent, and were in some measure suc- cessful. As I was looking at the portrait, a voice beside me exclaimed, « The world will yet raise statues to that man." f ' i FACTORIIiS. 27 CHAPTER III. I PAID a visit to the factories of Lowell and Lawrence, near Boston. There were twenty-two persons in the railway car with me, and but one of them a dirty, ill- dressed fellow, and he was an Irishman. For my friend, to whom I pointed him out, took the trouble to ascertain the fact from him. The factories, themselves, are not different from what may be seen in England and elsewhere. The condition of those who labour in them is alone peculiar. Fronting one side of a factory that I entered at Lawrence was a handsome and clean range of red brick houses, with green Venetians to the" windows. In one of them that I was shown over, was a room which may serve as a sample of the rest. It was about 14 feet square, and 8 feet high, and in this were three beds, occupied, at night, by six of the fac- tory girls, or young ladies, as I should better terra them. The rooms, the beds, and bedding, appeared scrupulously clean. There was, besides, a parlour or saloon, and a dining-room, common to all, on the ground-floor. The landlady informed me that each lady paid for board, lodging, and washing, 1^ dollar (OS. 2y.) per week, to which the company, or owners of the factory, added 18 cents (9^.) more, to insure the good treatment of their work-people. For in this ' ■ I i I 28 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. country, public o])iiiion, as a late writer has observed, Avoukl revolt at the ill treatment of a 1 rother citizen,' or any of his family ; a natural consequence of i)olitical power lodged in the hands of the people, beino-, that sympathy is powerfully felt for them. I could not help remembering, that about the same time, the year before, I had travelled through the Highlands of Scot- land, and what troops of ragged wretches I then saw issuing from turf-cabins, scarcely better than the wig- wams of Indians. The landlady paid 140 dollars (29^. 3*. 4d.) per annum rent for her house, and had usually 40 to 50 boarders. The ladies generally spend their evenings ni the study of French, p usic, and other accomplish- ments. I saw an excellent drawing in pencil by one of them hung up in the dining-room. Any impropriety of conduct is i)unished by expulsion from their society, and, consequently, from the establishment. They earn' from three to five dollars ])er week beyond the sum (U dollar) which they pay for their maintenance, and many were the touching stories I heard of the ex- emplary manner in which they saved money and re- mitted it to their families: for they are objects of great attention, and the heroines of many fugitive ])ieccs both in prose and verse. Under the superinten- dence" of a literary lady, who took great interest in them, they publislied a periodical called the " Lowell Offering," in which, it is said, were several pieces of merit. Within a mile or two of Boston, in the village of Cambridge, is situated Harvard College, comprisino- a number of detached buildings, consistijjg of libra^ CANADA. ter has observed, a brother citizen, [uence of political eoplo, being, that m. I could not ne time, the year ig-hlands of Scot- ches I then saw er than the wig- 29^. 3*. -id.) per usually 40 to 50 .1 their evening's ther accomj)lish- penoil by one of Any impropriety am their society, lent. They earn beyond the sum maintenance, and eard of the ex- money and re- are objects of many fugitive the superinten- i-eat interest in ed the " Lowell veral pieces of 11 the village of ;e, comprising a ting of library, MOUNT AUBURN. — JAMAICA PLAINS. 29 locture-rooms, students' apartments, &e., agreeably placed amid groves of trees. The expense of a univer- fiity course here of four years, comprising the higher branches of classics and mathematics, is about 1000 dollars, or 50/. per annum, everything included. That is, of course, if a young man is steady and economical. Above 700 pupils receive instruction here. Some distance from Cambridge, and further from Bos- ton, is the beautiful cemetery of Mount Auburn, also embosomed in high trees. I prefer it to the Fere la Chaise near Paris, which has been so much admired. There is less of an elaborate expression of grief about it; no flowers, nor garlands, nothing usually beyond a simple epitaj^h, often only a name, with the green sod and the branching trees above, a spot of solemn repose. But the most beautiful side of Boston is that towards Jamaica Plains, and Jamaica Pond, as a small lake is called in the neighbourhood. There are situated the villas of its wealthy citizens, each in a woc.ded piece of ground of some acres. The villas, which are some of stone, some of wood, are mostly an imitation of the Swiss, and sometimes of the English (Elizabethan) cottage style. The clear blue lake, and the Italian sky, and the sunlight glowing upon the russet and yellow-tinted leaves of the groves, made this by far the finest landscape I had seen. Yet walks and drives about Boston and its environs are not without melancholy reflections to an English- man, for, as he learns the local history of many a spot, he is doomed perpetually to hear of his countrymen being worsted, and worsted, too, when they were in the wrong. There, under the spreading elm between Cam- II u I . t ill i W! 1! I 1 : ^ 1 ! to ! i I 30 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. bridge and Mount Auburn, Washington stood, when he read to the troops his commir ion from Congress. Here, in Boston, the troops fired upon tlie people. There a citizen bolder than the rest denounced the authors of the wrong. There is an Engh'sh cannon- ball still sticking in one of the walls, and there are some English elms which must have been planted in the early period of the colony. Yet folks from the old country may console them- selves with the idea that they were Englishmen who conquered, fighting in that cause always so dear to them, resistance to arbitrary taxation. Were they the less our brethren, and less deserving of our respect because they did that ? For the unfortunate separa- tion tlat ensued they were not to blame, but the parties who forced them to it. Crossing by a bridge an arm of the sea we come to Charleston, which is, in fact, but a suburb of Boston, and on a small adjacent rise "s built a tower of granite to commemorate the battle of Bunker Hill, which took place here. We ascended the tower by a winding staircase within, and found at the top two small pieces of cannon fixed against the wall, with an inscription, stating, that they were two of the only four which the colonists had in their possession when they began the struggle for their liberties. Strange to say, the tower does not commemorate a victory, but a defeat. The entrenchments of the Ame- ricans were forced, and they were driven from the field. Yet, with the patient courage that distinguishes their race, they bore this and a succession of reverses after- wards, until by such bloody lessons they learnt how to BUNKER HILL. — DR. PALEY. 31 conquer. Perhaps nothing better expressed their de- termination to resist the tyranny that was crushing them than the flag of the celebrated Taul Jones, on which was a rattlesnake, and the motto underneath, " Don't tread on me." From the tower we have an extensive view of the country round, quite a panorama, and a beautiful panorama it is of human prosperity ; of a city with neither palaces nor hovels, but with stately public edifices, busy workshops, and comfortable dwellings for all ; of farms and villas, ship-building yurds and factories in the distance ; and, as if Nature had de- termined not to mar the scene, she has given them a smokeless coal to burn, which neither soils nor clouas the bright sky above. Dr. Paley, after giving an account of monarchy, which those who do not remember would do well to refer to, states that it is only justifiable by the necessity for preserving order. I could not help wishing that it had been possible for the doctor to have witnessed this hive of industry and order, without any monarch to "proi.ct" it (as the Nova Scotians say), and wonder- ing whether, in that case, he would still have re- tained his opinion, a:. J, like many other dignitaries, h.tve pooh-poohed an unwelcome truth, or whether he would have felt any pang of shame at having been instrumental in teaching a delusion to the young. Dr. Hutton exclaimed, when he came to a spot in the Highlands, where the granite veins were to be seen bursting through slate, that it was there the 1 t i ! li «'! 32 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. problem of the earth's formation was to be solved ; and it is here that a problem far weightier than that to the human race has been brought to a successful solution, viz. that of good and cheap government— a government the source of which is the people alone, and the end of which is the common weal, and not the aggrar ■ ■ :^:,t of a few. Out of 1 .7 emigrants from the United King- dom to North America in the year 1840, 219,450 went to the United States. It is not difficult to' ac- count for this preference, when we have once seen the manner in which the working classes are treated here. As to material advantages, the newcomer is, perhaps, as well off in the colonies as he would be in the States, but it is the consideration with which he is treated here that wins his affections. Fancy the broken-hearted emigrant, who remembers nothing but the tones of contempt that the menials of grandeur and the Bumbles of the workhouse used towards him, landing on this shore. And people shake him by the hand" and say, "Come, cheer up, we have no masters here; we are all brothers and friends ; all we want of you is to be one of us, and do as we do. Welcome, brother citizen welcome." lalk of the Yankees squatting everywhere and annexing,— it is these doctrines that do the mis- chief. Keep them out, or the game is lost. These doctrines will annex the world. During my stay at Boston a pugilistic combat took place, on a spot between that city and New York, a combat got up by emigrant English, and attended principally by them, with some few of the native popu- ATTACHMKNT TO ENGLAND. — SECTS. 33 lation from both cities. The press unanimously spoke of it ill terms of indignation, as " that brutal amuse- ment so long patronised by the English nobility," and so forth, and ranked it with the associate vices of "gambling and drinking, horse-racing and betting." Such are the ideas of order and morality of a people left to themselves, who have not yet arrived at the refined doctrine that "vice loses its evil by losing its grnssness." I met with more than one stranger here, who, on finding I wus an Englishman, expressed to me in warm terms the attachment still generally felt towards the " old country," and he thought that if ever she were in difficulty with the foreigner, that 100,000 volunteers would be ready to help her. We must remember that this feeling is confined to the English people— with respect to the Court and aristocracy, it is about the same as it was from the Parliamentarians towards Charles. It is true that I have met with some who talked of hating England, but not one of these who did not love Oliver Cromwell, Lord Chatham, and a host of others. They have, of late, reverted to the old term of "Tories," when they are in an ill humour, the same which was in use at the commencement of their struggle. Besides the general sentiment, the Protestant Epis- copal Church and the different sectarian bodies have each peculiar sympathies with their respective brethren at home. To estimate the comi)arative strength of these in the nation generally we cannot do better than refer to the number of sittings provided by the prin- cipal sects, as given in the last census of the United States (1850) :— I ! Ill •• li I I (I I! til !l ! I 34 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, Baptist 3,247,029 Congregational 801,835 Episcopal 013,598 Methodist 4,343,579 Presbyterian 2,079,090 Eomaa Catholic 007,832 11,783,503 Minor sects, principally English 2,451,202 Total 14,234,825 It may be observed that most of these are strictly English both in origin and feelings; of com-se they sympathise with their brethren, who are suffering under disabilities. And even the Episcopal Church, friendly as it is to Oxford and Cambridge, has thrown over- board " the Martyr Charles," and takes its stand among the rest for " no exclusive privileges, and equal justice to all." The only anti-English party, then, are the Roman Catholics, principally Irish. But their doctrine of absolute obedience, which so well fits them for being the instruments of arbitrary power is as dis- tasteful to the bulk of the American people as it is to the English. No doubt the " patriots " are welcomed as republican martyrs, but, their reception once over, they dwindle into insignificance, in such a land as this, whose beautiful institutions do not leave a single peg on which the most fiery orator can hang a grievance. As, however, the overwhelming progress of the Roman Catholics has been anticipated, particularly by M. de Tocqueville, it may be as well to add what has been said on the other side of the question. A state- ment has been put forth in the Roman Catholic almanack, that their number in the United States is ROMAN CATHOLICS. 36 not 2,000,000 ; or, according to R. Mullen, a Roman Catholic priest, — Roman Catholic emigrants from United King- dom, from 1835 to 1844 800,000 Roman Catholic emigrants from 1844 to 1852 1,200,000 Roman Catholic emigrants from other coun- ^'■'^3 250,000 American Roman Catholic population 12 years °g° 1,200,000, Increase hy births since 500,000 Number of converts 20 000 Number who ought to be Roman Catholics ... 3,970,000 Number who are Roman Catholics 1,980,000 Number lost to Roman Catholic Church 1,990,000 Or, in round numbers, 2,000,000. It is extremely uncertain how far a statement of this kind, which rests on no accurate enumeration, is to be accepted, but all Americans, whom I have spoken with on the subject, agreed that the system is losing ground here. From the first of these lists which I have given, it is hardly necessary to observe that one of the mea- sures most grateful to America, which England could take, would be to put all religious sects upon an equality. These branches in the United States are all intimately connected with their respective mother churches at home. They have each their own re- ligious publications in which the wrongs, the slight.^, the disabilities of their brethren are recorded and com- mented on, much in the same way that the treatment of Protestants in Spain and Italy is commented on in England. It is surely more prudent to cultivate the good-will of a nation, that will, within no very distant D 2 ! I I Mii 86 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. period, contain 300,000,000 people, or even tlie double of that, than to provoke it. The Reform party, at Boston, were urging a change in the constitution, and it was objected to their plan that it would give an undue preponderance to certain districts in the elections, so that the majority might bo ruled by the minority — and this was " tyranny." The Reformers were also urgino; the taking from the Governor the title of " his Excellency," and from the Lieut.-governor that of " his Honour," the last remnants of the gewgaws of monarchy. There was, too, at this time, such a surplus in the public treasury at Washington, that they were disput- ing what was to be dune with it ! ! ! Alas ! Jona- than, that you should have to die of a plethora of cash. It is not now, as it was with you in days of old, when " the funds that had boen regarded as pledged to the university were directed to pay the dowry of the Princess Royal." During my stay here I frequently observed parties of volunteers passing through the streets. Military exercises are in great favour with the American people, the tradesmen of the great towns especially, as they find in them a pleasant relaxation from business. They usually make at least a half-holiday of drill day, and dine together in the evening. This custom is an excellent one, as it renders every small community complete in itself as to means of de- fence, as well as those of exchange and production. It is thoroughly self-relying as it is self-supporting; and, this is one of those traits in which the American cha- racter contrasts so favourably with the British. In that THE ORKAT KEPUDLIC. 37 ill tlie double country all sorts of indirect methods are made use of to keep arms out of the hands of the peojjle of the towns, and to leave them helpless — not a street row can be quelled without sending for the military— the military being officered by the favoured class, the territorial aristocracy— to whom belongs, by medieval institutions, the right of bearing arms. The tradesmen are universally sneered at as unwarlike, and are forced in consequence to be content with such portion of freedom and rights as their masters may find it conve- nient to indulge them with. I visited, while here, a large merchant ship, lately launched, by name the Great llepublic, of nearly 4000 tons. She had four masts, and the two at the stern, the two mizen-masts, if I may so call them, appeared very awkward, being huddled close together — otherwise her ai)pearance was symmetrical, at least to a non-profes- sional eye. One of the finest parts of Boston is what they call the "common," being, in truth, a small well-wooded park, of about 40 acres, on tliree sides of which are rows of the best private hou .s in the place. f 88 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. CHaPTEII IV. I LEFT tlii8 admirable city, after a short stay tiicre, with great regret, and passed through a barren country by railway to Albany. I did not notice any rocks on tlie way, but slate and granite, nor any soil better than a mixture of sand and boulders. The country was, in other respects, uninteresting and nearly flat. Occa- sionally, as we passed through a wooded tract, I discerned a small cottage, such as in England would be the resi- dence of a woodman, or gamekeeper ; but a native, who was sitting beside me, immediately explained that they were emigrants who lived there,— that no American would put up with such a miserable abode. The soil becomes better, after we reach the spot where the slope of the country descends to the Hudson We came upon the river at Albany, apparently as broad or broader than the Rhine at Cologne. There is a marked difference, too, in passing from the State of Connecticut to that of New York. The houses are no longer so remarkably neat and clean, and more slovenly, ill-dressed people are to be seen, wearino- the appearance of a peasant class. I believe the reason of this to be that we have come upon the great line of western travel, and are within reach of the flood of Irish and German emigration. The former we found almost invariably at every iun ALBANY. — BUFFALO. 80 wo had as yet stopped at. In this western hemisphere there seems to bo something eongenial to the " tinest peasantry ui)on earth," in the occupations of bhicking shoes, and waiting at table, as there is at home in kick- ing up rows and shooting landlords. Here, too, tho fair daughters of Erin make the beds, wield the mop, and carry the pail with a grace peculiarly their own. In these lines both sexes defy competition, as the French do as milliners and barbers all over the world. Albany is a thriving, but by no means a clean city. It has great commercial advantages, being connected with the sea by the river, and by canal with the interior as far as Lake Erie. One would think that some schoolboy, fresh from the classics, had had the naming the towns in this part of the country. In one day we pass through, or near Utica, Rome, and Syracuse. I almost expected to have Cicero bidding us welcome, and Cato helping the soup. The country continues nearly flat, and the land of excellent quality, as we advance, all the way to Buffalo. We saw the people, on our route, busy in clearing, grubbing up the stumps, and burning them. The rail- road acts most admirably as a civiliser, for, in addition to its other advantages, it creates a demand for fire- wood to feed the furnaces, and consequently the country near pays for clearing immediately. In the evening we reached Buffalo, a large city, con- taining from 60,000 to 70,000 inhabitancs,— and the next morning took the railroad to Niagara. While we were on the point of leaving the door of the inn, a 40 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. - plain man passed alone, with an umbrella in his hand, and a person standing by told me it was ex-president Filmore. And there was a man, but a short time ago the head of a mighty empire, whose dignity solely con- sisted in the apjirobation of his fellow-citizens, and not m theatrical representations worthy only of Astley's. The celebrated Falls of Niagara are certainly an imposmg sight, but hardly so much so as I should have expected from the descriptions of them. The country being nearly flat, there is no subli.ne scenery to assist the impression. There is not even solitude. Yankee speculators have taken advantage of the great "water-power," and built mills on the rapids just above the American side of the Falls, and a town is rising up both there and on the English side. Below the Falls, the water floMs between cliffs of early limestone and shale, disposed in strata nearly horizontal, for a distance of about seven miles About two miles below the Falls, a suspension bridge IS thrown over the river, at a height of nearly 200 feet above it. The distance between the points of support is 759 feet. A railroad com],any have now undertaken to throw another suspension bridge, fitted for railway traffic, over the i>resent one, making use ot the same towers, but building them up higher and stronger. If this should succeed (which is doubtful) people in England may be led to consider what has been gained by that expensive invention the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait. Before reaching Lewiston, the level of the whole country sinks nearly to that of the river, which shortly after unites with Lake Ontario. LEWISTON. — TORONTO. 41 At the descent, the scenery is beautiful. Shortly after arriving at Lewiston, we crossed the head of Lake Ontario on our way to Toronto. The water of this large lake resembles in a degree that of the sea, but it is lighter-coloured. I met now several people returning from the "far west;" they all 8i)oke in most enthusiastic terms of the extraordinary fertility of the land, and stated it would bear successive crops of wheat without deteriorating in quality (?). The prairie land, too, needs no expense for clearing. One man, who had been an English farmer, told me his land had cost him but two dollars per acre; that he had reaped a crop of wheat of forty-five bushels per acre, each of which he had sold for 11 dollar; that the whole expenses were not above 5 dollars, and that the land was now as ready for another crop of wheat as it was the year before. In fine, they had neither poor-rates nor landlords— I never before saw a farmer that was not a grumbler. Toronto is a very thriving city, presenting the usual appearance of extensive wooden wharfs and ware- houses froi'ting the water. I went over a new insti- tution here, called Trinity College, for members of the Church of England, combining religious with secular instruction. I notice it only to mention a marked trait of generosity on the part of the Episcopal Church of the United States, who, hearing the rising insti- tution was in want of funds, sent it a present of 10,000 dollars. We have another instance of the same kind in xMr. Grinnell, of New York, who, at his own expense, fitted out, and sent a vessel to search for Sir John Franklin. Acute as the American trader U^ 42 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. is and thrifty in his habits, he is not sparing of his money when he has gained it ; on the contrary, he is decidedly warm-hearted and generous, and devotes more to pubHc purposes, in proportion to his means, than the native of any other country. The following is a list of the prices of provisions at Toronto, October 26, 1853 :— CURRENCY. s- d. s. d. Wheat (bushel of 60 lbs.) 5 3 to 510 Barley (bushel of 48 lbs.) 3 ... 3 3 Oats (bushel of 34 lbs.) 2 q |'" ^ q Potatoes (bushel) go o « ^•^^^ (P«^ ll'-) ."."."".'■.*■■ IZ 5 Pork (perlOO lbs.) 07 ... 30 Fresh butter q jg 10 Firldn butter q 8... 9 ^"""^^ 6 ... n Apples (per bushel) 13 o ^^e^se 5 *•; ~ ^, Straw (per ton) 30 ... 45 Hay (per ton) 75 ... 80 Turkeys (each) 2 ... 3 9 ^^^^^ 2 5 ..." 3 6 Fowls 1 ... 1 6 Eggs (per dozen) q 7J- Wool (per lb.) 1 5 ... 1 Q I left Toronto, after a short stay, for Montreal by the American steamer. A characteristic of the people of this country is, the great respect and attention they show to females. I have never observed any want of it, even among the rough and wild fellows from the west. In accordance with this feeling, the steamers are usually fitted up with a number of state-rooms FEMALES. THE ST. LAWRENCE. 43 )f provisioijs at oil the saloon deck, which are reserved for females, while the gentlemen are consigned to berths around the eating-room, a dark and ill-ventilated apartment. When you take a place, and ask for a state-room, it is usually inquired if you have a lady with you, and if you have not, you have to wait until all who are •n board are accommodated. In the present case there was but one state-room left, and the clerk deter- mined to reserve it for any lady who might come on board; I had, therefore, to sit up all night. I know not any other part of the world where a man could not have a bed by paying for it. At the country hotels, be the rest of the edifice but comfortless and dirty, as it often is, yet there is always a clean and well-furnished drawing-room for females alone. In the railroad cars, and in the stage-coaches, you are expected to yield your place to them, if desired. I am sorry to be obliged to add, that the fair sex have repaid this indulgent treatment by endeavouring to wrest from their protectors that portion of masculine attire which is usually regarded as the emblem of power. The St. Lawrence is a magnificent river, much finer in its appearance than any river of the Old World with which I am acquainted,— the Rhine, the Nile, the Ganges, or the Danube. On leaving Lake Ontario it is from a mile to two miles broad, and of a clear blue colour. At this part we come to what is called the thousand islands; whether there be exactly that number I do not pretend to say, but the river winds among them — small wooded knolls as most of them are— for many miles. At the time I was there (the 44 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. end of October), the deciduous trees liad all shed their leaves, so that tlu^ landscape was rather wintry; but we had great pleasure in descending the rapids of the St. Lawrence, which we did at intervals during the day. The huge steamer bowled along among the foaming waters with the si)eed of a railroad car, while the four men at the wheel, with anxious faces, were striving to keep her straight. Yet we felt quite safe, for we were carried by the strength of a giant. What a contrast to the days when Moore wrote his " Canadian Boat Song ! " Montreal is a splendid city, on an island in the St. Lawrence, more like an European capital than any one 1 have yet seen on this Continent. First, there is the Roman Catholic Cathedral, built of the fine lime- stone which is quarried near, as most of the larger edifices here are, a cathedral of the gothic style, which, if not of the largest size, might still compare, in beauty of architecture, with any in Europe, and, in dimensions, with those of the second class. On the opposite side of a small square stands the temple of another deity, with a portico supported by Corinthian columns in front, and a dome behind, in imitation of the Pantheon at Rome. In plain English, the bank, a superb build- ing, fronts the cathedral on its western end ; then there is a huge Jesuits college, nunneries, and large, hand- some churches, most of them Roman Catholic. To complete the resemblance to Europe, there is a more decided peasant class than I have yet seen in the French Canadian; and well there may be, for another European blessing has been added to this country, in the sha])e of feudal tenure, so that, what between LOWER CANADA. 45 mother church, and his "lords," or seigneurs, too, Jaques Bonhonime is about as well " taken care of," as he would be in any ])art of Europe itself. However, even here men are beginning to stir, and I see from the newspapers published in French, that an agitation has commenced for the purchase of the " droits seig- neuriaux " by the State. Still, Lower Canada does not progress as much as Upper Canada, and perhaps never will, as it is situated further to the north. In the latter locality frosts begin very early, and are apt to damage the crops on the ground. I was assured that one year a frost had occurred as early as the 12th of August. In this part of the world a slight difference of latitude makes a great variation in the temperature, particularly in the spring and autumn. 4Q THE UNITED STATFS AND CANADA. CHAPTER V. There are more signs of amiisemejit on the Canadian, than on the American side ; at tlie Falls I noticed many English si)orting dogs, setters, and hounds about, and here I see from advertisements that "gentlemen of the hunt" are about to have their annual steeple- chase. If amusements are rife, so also is labour in great demand. Masons are wanted at 2^ dollars (10.9. 5d.) a day, a higher price than I have yet ob- served. There are, however, two great drawbacks to this country (Canada). The first is, its distance from the sen, which will always hinder its being a great com- mercial country, as the St. Lawrence, its -atural outlet 18 frozen up great part of the year; and the second is' the dearness of fuel. Coal, at Montreal, was selling CO*, the chaldron, and at Toronto, at 40*. Though this is currency money, and about one-fifth must be cfe- ducted for the English value, yet the price is very large, and must operate severely upon the poor, and prevent the peoj^ling the country, where the winter is so long and severe. As yet this inconvenience has been but slightly felt, on account of the abund.-.nce of wood, but as the land is cleared, it will be expenenced more and more every year. Professor Johnston, in his re- marks on the agricultural resources of New Brunswick, PROGRESS OF CANADA. 47 has calculated that where coal cannot bo had cheap, ten acres of land must be set apart for the supply of fuel for each family of five persons ; and it is well known that in such countries as Norway and Sweden, great part of the surfece of the country is kept in forest for that purpose. Further west than Lake Huron, the British frontier bends to the north by the margin of Lake Superior, and beyond that keeps the parallel of 49° north lati' tude, so that there is no large extent of land in reserve well fitted for agricultural i)urposes, as there is on the American side. The climate is too severe. Of late years the progress of Canada has been rapid, which has given rise to different conclusions respecting it. The Canada officials have triumphantly cited it, in comparison with that of the older and eastern States of New England ; and on the other side, a writer has no less triumphantly compared with it, the advance of the newly-formed States on its western frontier. Each party has taken those points of the comparison which favoured the conclusion they wished to establish, and neglected the others. In the old States population is tolerably dense, 130 to 60 per square mile, and the land all occupied. In consequence, migration takes place from them to the new States, where large quantities of fertile land are yet lying waste, and labour is in great demancl. It is doubtful, however, whether the main fact in question, viz. the progress of Canada West, has yet been cor- rectly ascertained, for I have seen a statement that for the first of the periods (1831), the population has only been estimated. 48 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Mr. Laing, M.P., has stated the case thus (speech at meeting of Groat Western Railway Company of Canada, London, 1853): "Even compared with the most flourishing of the United States, Upper Canada showed the greater increase of population. In 1830, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, had a population of 1,126,851, and in 1850, of 3,239,305. (These figures are not exactly the same as those obtained from the census, but near enough for com])arison.) Here was an increase of threefold, while the increase in Ui)per Canada, from 1830 to 1850, was fourfold." Now there is no reason that I know of, why Mr. Laing should have selected the three States, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, for the comparison, as the two latter do not ad- join the Canadian frontier. The American writer I alluded to took Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa, the two first of which adjoin the Canadian frontier, and the last is more to the north than Ohio and Illinois. The populations are thus given in the census. 1850 (page ix.) : — 1850. 397,654 1830. Michigan 31,039 ifiio. Wis'^onsiu 30,915 ;}05,391 ^'^^^^ 15.112 192,214 107,096 895,259 The population of Wisconsin and Iowa are not stated for 1830. Of course, if they had been, the ratio would be even of greater inequality than what is here given, viz. 1 : 8. If, by nothing else, the United States must win the day, from being a greater favourite among the British COLONIAL INSTITUTION'S. 49 emigrants themselves; for it is impossible but that they must contrast the imperfect share of management in their own affairs, which they obtain, with what is en- joyed by their republican neighbours. The English constitution, and the colonial branches of it, appear to have been framed for the express purpose of allowing as much jobbery and corruption as possible, short of provoking civil war. When popular indignation is fairly roused, the people's House put an end to the grievance; but as under pretence of restraining popular excesses, a chamber is always given, not appointed by the people, and who cannot be dismissed by them for misconduct, there are no means of punishing them for their misdeeds ; and when the storm has blown over they return to their malpractices, undeterred by the past. In other respects, a colony will be more or less a copy of home institutions. There will be a small court where the fashionable are to show their finery and where the "vulgar" are to be excluded. Land will be distributed in large tracts, so as to form a favoured class of wealthy proprietors, and difficulties will be thrown in the way of the poor man obtaining a portion. Upon these poor, deprived of electoral rights and thus forming the degraded class, will be thrown the weight of taxation. Educated they may be, in a way, but not in the way most essential to their own well-being, and to the welfare of the State ; for no Government, except a republican one, dare give its people an instruction in political science, which would enable them to perceive how much they are wronged. iNo other can cultivate that education of the judgment 60 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. which Professor Faraday has remi rked as being so de- ficient in England. I passed from Montreal, by railroad, to Lake Cham- plain, and there embarked on the steamer. We had a pleasant stean down the lake, the country on both sides being mcmtainous, and wooded in the uj)lands, but most of the low grounds were cleared and culti- vated. We stopped at Troy for the night, and the next morning left for New York by the Hudson River Railroad. Some distance below Albany, we observed, on our right, the Catskill mountains to the west of the river. They are a favourite retreat during the heats of summer, and there are several hotels there. Below this place, on a rocky and m coded promontory extend- ing into the Hudson, is situated the military academy of West Point, where all the youths who receive com- missions in the American army are educated. I learnt that appointments to this place are in the patronage of the Secretary of State, or the President himself, which, in a country like this, ought not to be — the boys should be selected by a competent board of examiners — there should be no favour or disfavour shown to any family in the land. However, it would be much more in accordance with the rest of American institutions, if the soldiers were enlisted young, en- couraged to continue their education, and promoted to commissions as they merited them. Shortly after we reached New York, coming first to a terminus in the suburbs, where the engine was de- tached, and horses put on, by which the cars were taken through gi-eat part of the city. We found, after- Jonathan's heraldry. fij wards, that there were other lines on which this is the case, ai d m addition, railway onniibuses run at short intervals. A car, containing from fifty to sixty passengers. IS drawn by two horses. As the streets are wide, this does not Hiterrupt the cart and carriage traffic. Were the sheets of London wide enough, its enormous trahic might be accommodated in this way. with much greater ease than at present. Some parts of New York are not pleasing to a stranger; the worst streets are filthy, and the people dirty as m Europe; again, in other parts, the houses are as clean and handsome as in the best parts of Lon- don. I rubbed my eyes as I went along-was I awake, or was I dreaming ? Carriages were i)assing by with hveries, less ostentatious than those of London, it is true and on the panels were depicted strange animals, as if the paniter thereof had lately had the nightmare. Jonathan, Jonathan, thought I, did Benjamin Frank- hn teach you to do this, or did you find these dragons and griffins on the tea-chests you brought from China ? We go a httle further, and what do we see? "Office of Heraldry," and above the door, a splendid coat of arms with supporters, and an Earl's coronet above. It 18 surprising that the republicans of New York should have mdulged in a vanity of this kind, when they must remember the use that has been made of it in the Old World to form out of the same race of men a superior and a degraded class. These things ought to be thrown into the next bonfire on the 4th of July, and never heard of more. I saw nothing of the kind in the other cities of the Union, Boston. Philadelphia, or Bal- timore. E 2 52 THE UNITED STATKS AND CANADA. Well, but if men are made republicans, it is not, therefore, to bo supposed that vanity Ijas been put an end to in their hearts. All that can bo said is, that the State does not pander to it, any more than their religion does. And let us in fairness mention a trait of another kind. Not long ago, a Railway Company introduced first-class carriages upon its line, similar to those in England, but the rich refused to ride in them, and took the seats they had been used to beside their fellow-citizens. It must bo remembered, too, that New York was originally an aristocratic, or slave State ; but slavery has only been abolished in it within the last few years, and national ideas alter slowly. Loud was the outcry, and dismal were the prophe- cies, of the privileged class, and their retainers, on this occasion. It was said that the abolition of slavery would put an end to "gentlemanly spirit," and the race of gentle- men in the country. To which the reply was, that it would only restore labour to its true and proper dignity, by putting an end to a race of privileged idlers. New York is a handsome city, the best part of it equalling the best part of London, except, perhaps, one or two favoured localities in the latter, such as Grosvenor Square and Carlton Terrace. Red brick is a favourite building material ; but the finest houses are usually built of red sandstone, similar to the new red sandstone which is so largely used in England. The churches, too, are handsomely and substantially built. In the New Town, which lies to the north of the old, the streets are placed at right angles to each STREET AND AVENUE. 68 other, and they have au excellent method of number- ing them, so as to enable any one to find the place he wants, however ignorant of the localities he may be. Two different names are given to the streets; viz. street and avenue. The avenues run from north to south, and the streets from east to west. The avenues are counted from east to west, and the streets from south to north. To take a familiar example from home ; suppose the Strand in London was called First Street, Oxford Street and Holborn Tenth Street, and the New Road Twentieth Street; and that Chancery Lane was the First Avenue, Regent Street the Tenth, and Bond Street the Twen- tieth. Then, if a person were directed to " the Tenth Street, corner of Tenth Avenue," he could hardly fail of finding the place he wanted, as the names both of streets and avenues are written up at the inter- sections. Some little stir was produced here shortly after my arrival by an announcement that the Sheriff of Massachusetts had sent over a demand to the Governor for the arrest and delivery of some fifty or sixty of the spectators at the late prize-fight, as fugitives from justice. It seems that some of the youth of this city belonging to the wealthier classes had resolved to tom-and-jerry it upon the occasion. But justice in this part of the world is a stern and blindfolded dame; aye, blindfolded with a bandage that does not permit her to leer out of the corners of her eyes at lords and fine gentlemen. The newspapers tell the delinquents that they will probably have to spend a night or two upon the cold stone floor of the prison. 64 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. and that they richly deserve it. Laws executed in this way are a preservative of i)ublic morals; as for laying hokl of the small fry, the miserable followers of the pugilistic ring, the betting mania, or the elections bribery, and letting the gentlemanly and lordly ring- leaders go free, it is not only useless, but cruel. I visited the public schools at New York, and found them much the same as at Boston, with this exception, that now and then there were three or four badly- dressed and dirty children in the room, which showed, at any rate, that their parents took no nterest, nor any decent pride, in seeing them as well-clad as their richer schoolfellows. Here also I observed, as at Boston, that the boys had the habit of folding their arms, and assuming a perfectly independent air when they answered the master; a thing of i.o consequence, perhaps, but I took it as part of the system of perfect equality which is inculcated here. With us, one great object of the pedagogue appears to be to put the child into a constrained position of humilityj and to make him a servile creature from his cradle upwards. They have a large house of refuge here for vagabond children, w^here above 200 are received annually. To this place they send those who are caught pilfering, instead of treating them as we do, like criminals; and also those neglected by their parents. For they have a rather stringent law, viz. that if a child be neglected by its parents, on the neighbours deposing to the fact before a magistrate, he may order it to be placed in the house of refuge. Such are the powerful means adopted by a republican Government to ensure the training of its future citizens. In THE JUVENILE ASYLUM. 55 addition to the general motive of benevolence, it is actuated by the livelier principle of fear— by the know- ledge that an ignorant and vicious neighbour invested with political power is likely to become an intolerable nuisance. In monarchical countries, less attention is paid to the subject, as soldiers are always ready to shoot down the multitude if they make themselves troublesome. But the object of most interest was the Juvenile Asylum, for the same kind of oflfenders as the House of Refuge, but on a different plan — the parental system, as it is called, under the superintendence of Dr. Russ.* The doctor himself was out when I arrived, but I had the satisfaction of hearing from his wife and daughter a description of their management. The house was such as might have belonged to a wealthy family, with well-wooded grounds about it, situated on the bank of the estuary which bounds the eastern side of Manhattan Island ; but a new and spacious building is being erected for its inmates on the opposite shore of Blackwell's Island, where the other govern- ment establishmei^ts for paupers and criminals are placed. I learnt from the elder lady that their plan consisted in treating the whole of the inmates as members of their own family. That no one had food, lodging, or * It is founded upon the idea, that in childhood, when the feelings are extremely acute, and impressions, either of friendship or aver- sion, are received, that last for life, something more is necessary than the cold care of a master. The tenderness of a parent is required to form a docile creature, instead of a perverse enemy of human society. I 1:1 i I; .;( i .:i ^■1 Hi M ly 56 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. comforts of any kind better than another. " I make a point," said she, " of setting an example myself by partaking of no indulgence that I do not share equally with them, and thus encouraging them to share every- thing they have with each other." As I went through the house, I remarked the rooms were so thickly strown with beds, on the floor, that I thought they must be close at night. But the good lady answered me that the doctor, who was a physician, thought it best that people should be brought up hardily, and in consequence that they slept with the windows open all night. She added too, that the doctor thought that every indi- vidual ought to have sufficient plain food to keep him in good health, and no more. I would have attempted to answer these assertions, but that I remembered— "having food and raiment, therewith we should be content." The manner of the lady was so kind and unaffected, so free from any appearance of Pharisaical sanctity— for while she talked with me, one arm was employed in playing with the children, who pressed round her— that I could not help believing, from their bright and happy faces, that what she told me was true. I learnt afterwards that she had been eminently suc- cessful in reclaiming the most hardened little ruffians.* I afterwards went over the government establishments at Blackwell's Island, the Penitentiary for those con- victed of small offences, the almshouse for paupers. Besides which, there are the Bellevue Hospital, the * By the second report of this Juvenile Asylum I see that 267 people subscribed 50,880 dollars (ubout 40^. a-piece), to set it going. No wonder the habits of the country are unostentatious : it has no money to spare for liveries. THE pope's nuncio. 57 " I make myself by are equally hare every- mt through 2k\y strown ey must be ed me that t best that )nsequence ight. She jvery indi- ' keep him attempted smbered — should be kind and ?*harisaical ! arm was pressed from their was true, ently suc- ruffians.* lishments lose con- paupers, pital, the e that 367 ), to set it teiitatious : hospital for the insane, and the nursery for young children at Randell's Island. As I walkod over these huge piles of buildings, and remarked the admirable order and cleanliness that reigned throughout, I remembered that they had been called the " palaces of republicans." The sight explained to me a peculiarity of American character, which I had often before observed in pass- ing through palaces on the continent of Europe, in company with American travellers, viz. that while Europeans would become lost in admiration at the splendour, like children before a glittering toy, they always felt regret that so much wealth, exacted from the earnings o^ the industrious, had not been spent on some better purpose than the extravagant luxury of one. At Randell's Island I found the Pope's Nuncio and party inspecting the establishment there. This digni- tary was attired in a silk robe of bright purple, the sight of which drew from some Americans near me sundry angry gesticulations, similar to those which Mr. Weller, senior, is said to have exhibited in the presence of Stiggins. About this same time a correspondence ai)peared in the papers, between the Nuncio and a con- gregation on the shore of Lake Erie, who had applied to him to settle a dispute between them and their Bishop. The latter claimed the entire control over the funds which the congregation had raised for eccle- siastical purposes, and which they would not allow. The Nuncio, to whom the claim was referred, desired them to yield. But they replied, that in all things 8i)iritual they should be willing to render absolute 58 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. obedience to their spiritual head, but the temporalities they should keep the dispensation of to themselves. Upon this, the Nuncio tells them they incur the guilt of bemg disobedient children of the church. This is but one instance of several that came under my notice, of Roman CathoHcs acquiring an indepen- dent spirit here. Another was the case of an Irishman, who. on the priest's proceeding to administer the accustomed corrective of a horsewhip, knocked him down. Although the Roman Catholic children are as carefully secluded from the rest as possible, not above 20 per cent, of them attending the national schools yet they play with other children, and soon learn to regard with contempt the artifices of the prie-ts PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 60 CHAPTER VI. This small community (the State of New York) has taxed itself for the education of the people in common schools, to a greater amount than for all other items of government expenditure put together. In 1851 the government expenditure for the year was 910,082 dollars. The aggregate expenditure . for scliool purposes was 1,884,826 dollars, the second amount being more than double the first. In Massa- chusetts this difference is even more marked. There the annual expenses of executive, justice, and legis- lature, were for the same year, 166,821 dollars; for support of schools, 865,859 dollars. Well then may M. Siljestrom, the Swede, remark, that the sums spent upon educational and philanthropic institutions in this country are truly astonishing; and Mr. Ban- croft, the historian, say that the institutions of his country regard the creation of wealth itself as se- condary to the distribution of it. Such an expendi- ture could not have been borne in any other than a republican country, where the habits of the people are inexpensive, and their most eminent men, such as judges of the Supreme Courts, and those who have filled the oflice of President, employ their leisure hours in teaching in Sunday schools, so as to fix the atten- tion of the people upon this as the one thing needful. 60 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Could such things be proposed in Asia? No —the Hindoo would say, « I am very sorry, but I have an expensive idol to keep, and I must pay the i,eople who cover it with spangles and paint, and beat drums, and blow trumpets, round it." Could such institutions be proposed in Spain? No The spirit of the mailed knight of La Mancha would reply ; I really cannot afford it : for I must maintain the dignity of the Crown and the splendour of the Court balls. What the country would come to without Its chivalry, and its noble national sports, its bull-fights 3nd grandees, and all that, to take care of it, I shudder to think of." I have often hem-d it said that the Americans are a lord-ioving people, which is only so far true as that there are some vain and silly, dressy Americans, who generally flock to Europe, because there only, if they obtain introductions, they can gratify their love of finery and ostentation. I have met with some such of both sexes, but I never met with an American of sober and serious thought, who did not prefer his own institutions and assign as a reason for it, that they were the only impartial ones, and the best fitted for promoting the happiness of all. ° It is also true, that there is a great deal of luxury in forniture and dress, displayed by the wealthy classes ot New York, though principally by young people, and those of the weaker sex. But how small are the de- mands made upon a man of fortune by such items, in comparison with what would take place in England ' Here are no game laws, and in consequence no poach- ers, and, as a further consequence, no regiments of Vh THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 61 keepers and watchers to be maintained, nor any pheasants to destroy the crops. Tliere is no hunting, and consequently no need for a squadron of light horse under the names of mounted grooms, huntsmen, and whippers in, nor for a menagerie of dogs, who devour oatmeal and biscuit enough to feed a whole parish. What on earth, then, can a man of fortune do with his money but turn public benefactor? He has not even the last and dearest weakness of an Englishman, the wish to found a family that shall last for ever. So if he do not like his heirs particularly, he may just as well leave his money to found a college. The New York Crystal Palace was not to be com- pared with the one in London. Yet it was a surprising effort, considering that it was made only by a company of speculators. But there is something arising from the in- stitutions of the country which renders it ill adapted for display. Prosperity and comfort are generally diffused, but there are no examples of concentrated wealth, such as crowns and crown jewels, and great diamonds. Perhaps those who saw the Koh-i-Noor at the London Exhibition, and remembered its history, might have thought that the world would be quite as well without anything of the kind. There were great complaints shortly after my arrival here, that the city of New York had been badly governed. The newspapers pointed out the cause to the people with great good sense. They told them it was their own fault— that they had, through carelessness, allowed extravagant mismanagement to subsist— that they had given their votes from party considerations, and not selected honest and able men, as they ought to I'iilt m 62 THE UNITEP STATES AND CANADA. Z. t I ' ^'^ '^ '''^'^^" ^^"^^' ^"^ ^^^^ advice was taken. The reform ticket prevailed. So easily are abuses corrected in a family where the servants can be nVhT .f : .' '' ^"'^ ^'^"'' '^'' ^^^^a"^« «l^'"i vested lights, that reform becomes difficult, if not impossible 1 went to one of the balloting houses on the otderlH'"^' ''/" "^'' "'^ ^^'"^^ «"• T'^- greatest order and regularity prevailed, though a little fighting took place m other wards where a great number of In h were assembled. Every one here, as elsewhere, Mas satisfied with the ballot, and believed it to be the best mode of conducting an election. Five ballot- boxes were used, marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which, in the housel entered, were placed on a counter in a room on the first floor Each of the boxes had a slit in the top to receive the slips of paper containing the names. There were in the city altogether 126 polling places, which were named by advertisement in the newspapers m which also the purpose for which each box was used, was thus indicated :— • ' "THE BALLOT-BOXES. " There will be five ballot-boxes used, as follows :_ ^^'^ • ■ State, City, and County. Charter. Assembly. Senator. Common Schools. "The first box will receive ballots having names for Secretary of State, Comptroller, State Treasurer, Canal Commissioner, Inspector of State Prisons, Attorney- General, State Engineer and Surveyor, Judges of the No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 BALLOT-BOXES. 68 ises on the Court of Appeals, Clerk of the Court of Appeals, Jus- tices of Supreme Court, Justices of Superior Court, Judge of Common Pleas, District Attorney and Gover- nor of the Alms House— all the names to be on one ticket, endorsed when folded, ' State, City, and County, number one.' "The second box receives the ticket for Alderman, Councilman, Assessor, Constable and Inspectors of Election-endorsed on the back, 'Charter, number two.' " The third box takes the ballots for members of Assembly, endorsed 'Assembly, number three.' " The fourth box receives the ballots for member of the State Senate, endorsed ' Senator, number four.' " The remaining box will have only the school ballots —two Commissioners, two Inspectors, and one Trustee, (except in the twenty-first and twenty-second wards,' where five Trustees will be chosen), endorsed ' Com- mon Schools.'" Before reaching the house I was beset by sundry specimens of the genus " touter," wanting me to take their tickets, which of course I refused. I observed others refuse them, who were going up to vote. I also stood some time beside the ballot-boxes, and saw several persons come in, take folded slips of paper from their pockets, and place them in the ballot-boxes. According to all appearances, the ballot was secret. No doubt in a country where intimidation is un- known, there will be plenty of gossips to tell all the world how they intend to vote, or to receive printed tickets from partizans at the door. And this is probably the explanation of what Mr. Tremenheere 64 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. >■■■. ;ir has mentioned about the ballot not being secret, but open, and voters being provided witli slips of coloured paper- the colour of their candidate. The only i).)iiit upon which I have ever heard sen- sible Americans express themselves in doubt as to the working of their popular constitution, has been that of the judges, who were formerly chosen for life but at present for four. ..Vh,, or twelve years. Yet I have very little doubt that if ever the abuse should become glaring, and puldic attention be aroused, it would be speedily remedied. At present the remarks are rather complaints of what may than wliat has happened. I went into one of their Courts of law, the Court of Common Pleas, which, in fittings up, as far as I could perceive, resembled our own. But three persons were sitting on the judgment seat, in the plain dress of modern English gentlemen. It is really quite refresh- ing to see the freedom from affectation, cant, and humbug, everywhere displayed by Americans. The counsel, too, were all in their ordinary apparel. Had I been in England I might have seen the same number of most resj)ectuble persons, of the same honourable profession and filling similar oflices, but clad in vest- ments so preposterous that one would think they were engaged as actors in some medieval farce, such as condemning an old woman to death for witchcraft What can induce such persons to join in the paltry game of fudge ? Costume is for quacks, and for here- ditary ciphers, who wish to inspire the ignorant with awe, and not for people of high worth and acquire- ments like them. barnum's theatre. 65 Strolling down Broadway, I went into JJarnum's Museum. Not that I had any particular desire to see his bearded lady, but that I had a curiosity to see the great man himself, who, according to all ac- counts, must have made an admirable Prime Minister, if, as Mr. Weller says, ho had been born in that line of life. The great man, however, did not appear ; so, after inspecting sundry baboons and boars, with which a crowd of children were amusing themselves, I en- tered an apartment fitted up as a theatre and lighted with gas, where a dramatic representation was going on. The scene was laid in England, and the plot was something of this kind :— An old cotton-spinner, who has grown very rich, is desirous of becoming " genteel," so he cuts his old friends, and promotes a nilitch be- tween one of his sons and the Lady Valeria, daughter of a Countess. But he has another son who does not "pretend to be better than his neighbours merely because he is richer." He insists upon wearing the workman's dress, and is in love with one of the factory girls, named Martha, the daughter of a game-keeper of the Countess. The most ludicrous scene occurs when the old man, expecting a visit from tho Countess, comes on in his new blue coat, to look v^, himself in the glass, and lecture his workman son for not beino- genteel. ® At last the Countess is announced, and the old man is in desperate flutter. She enters with a fan in her hand, and a magnificent plume of ostrich feathers on her head. After a word or two exchanged, she perceives the "workie" in the room, and, looking at him for some time through her eye-glass, drawls out, I i gf I ■ |l :;''l 60 THE UNITED STATES AND CASADA. " What is that ? That is oiio of the ' vilo rabble,' is it not?" When I left, tlie Countess and the workie were " having- it out " togetlier. It was curious to think that those winged words, first spoken in an eastern district of England, had flown across the ocean to friends and kindred here. Men of old talked of prayers ascending to the throne of God, but now the tale of wrong and insult flies to the hearts of millions beyond the sea, and is not forgotten. The Broadway, of which I have l)een speaking, is, perhaps, the longest street in the world, lieginning at the southern ])olnt of the island of Manhattan, it goes northwards through the city, not quite parallel to the direction of the avenues, and extends for a distance of eight or ten miles to what is called the High Bridge, where a magnificent aqueduct of granite, above 450 yards in extent, is thrown across thj eastern branch of the river. In the Broadway are some enormous piles of building. There is the Metro- politan Hotel, the St. Nicholas, and others of less note. A great deal of white marble is used for the fronts of difFerent buildings; and I entered a restaur- ant (Taylor's) fitted up in the French style, but larger and more gorgeous than anything at Paris. The great peculiarity of the American hotels is the 6ar, which is usually on the side of a spacious hall, where a promiscuous crowd, from workmen to members of the Legislature, is assembled all day long, smoking and chatting. It seems as much a part of their ^social institutions as the London club is of the English ones. THE OLD ENOLISH OENTLEMAN. G7 I met ill this city with nisiiop Waiiiwright of the Protestant EpiscoiJal Church here, whose acquaintance I was so fortunate as to make some years ago at Jerusalem. He mentioned to me a good trait of American feeling; ho was going to send his daughters into the country, and should send them alone by railway, merely requesting the conductor to take care of them if they needed anything. In this way, it is the custom for young ladies to travel all over the States alone. When I took my leave, the good Bishop himself followed me to the door to let me out. I need hardly add that the bishops on this side the water are not lord bishops. A lordly bishop would bo here an anomaly about as puzzling as the fighting bishop of the Middle Ages. Christian bishops they are, and beloved and respected in a wide circle, nevertheless. I was told in New York that as I travelled south I should meet with many speciments of the fine old English gentleman, more so, indeed, than I should in the old country, where they had somewhat de- generated. My informant did not say in what way, but as I knew that they were the " horse-racing, hard- drinking, cock-fighting" Southerners still, and that all these accomplishments, except the first, had been abandoned by their brethren of England of late years, I could not but suppose he referred to them. I am now able to say something of American manners. They are not a people who live for effect, like the French, but, like all free people, are frank and manly in their behaviour. With respect to the smoking and spitting, it is not worse than what I have 2 F I i 1 68 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. I -li. seen on the Continent of Europe— decidedly not so bad as in Germany— but there they are not plain republicans. Baron, count, and prince join to lend a dignity to the pastime, and no travellers presume to criticise the manners of people of rank. There yet remains the custom of chewing tobacco, in which they are rivalled by their neighbours of the British colonies, and this filthy habit it is to be hoped they will soon get rid of. There can be no doubt they will, for a peoi)le so quick and intelligent, and so desirous of improving, I never met with. Some time ago, the city of Boston prohibited smoking in their streets, but this regulation they found it prudent to i-escJnd. However, the Maine Liquor Law has succeeded, and efforts are being made to establish it in other States. Such is the strength of a Government dependent on the will of the people. They obey it cheerfully because they love it, and know that it is impartial and just to all, and acts only for their good. PHILADELPHIA. 69 CHAPTER VII. Upon a November day, gloomy, foggy, and rainy, as it would be in England, I passed through a wide extent of flat country by railway to Philadelphia, admirably situated between Schuykill and Delaware rivers. There is nothing remarkable in tlie streets, except here and there a statue to the Quaker sage; but a pro- fusion of white marble, which is quarried near, is used both for the fronts of private and public b^^ldings. One of the handsomest of these is the Custom-House, which has a Doric portico of eight columns, similar to that of the Parthenon at Athens. I know no country but Italy where they are so fond of massive pillars of ornamental stone. At Boston, the Custom- House was of white granite, with Doric columns all round. At New York it was also of white granite with massive Doric columns m front; and the merchants' Exchange was of the same stone, with a row of Ionic columns. But the most perfect Grecian temple at Philadelphia, of white marble, was the Girard College, so named from a wealthy native, who left by will funds for its erection. It is of the same form as La Madeleine at Paris, but the capitals of the columns are somewhat different. Here I was refused admittance, as the founder had ', ^ 70 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ordained that no clergyman should ever set foot within the walls, I believe, because he feared them as a set of sectarian firebrands. He also commanded that religion should not be taught there. The college has now been opened about ten years, and as yet has in no wise justified the fears of those who predicted evil from this regulation. The young men who are brought up in it receive religious instruction at their homes, and are not worse than their neighbours. If the public institutions of New York are the palaces of republicans, still they arc inferior to those of Philadelphia. The state prison on Cherryhill, the county prison at Moyamensing, the Blockley Alms- house across the Schuykill, are not equalled any- where. Yet the city 's not without its gaieties. There is a general diffusion of wealth among its inhabitants, more so than at New York, and music is much cultivated. Nay, even a troupe of hippodrome peoj)le had established themselves in the street not far from a statue of the Quaker sage. He must have been a mirthful soul himself at times, as when he named his streets after sorts of trees, chestnut and Avalnut, oak and filbert, and so on. Those running across from river to river are thus distinguished. In Chestnut, the principal, street, stands Indepen- dence Hall, a building of red brick, rather retired from the street, and having a row of trees in front. In it are the government offices, and the celebrated hall in which, on the 4th of July, 177G, that day ever memorable in the annals of the human race, was first read aloud "the Declaration of Independence A PUBLIC THANKSGIVING. 71 I of the United States of America in Congress as- sembled." There is preserved a part of the step on which the secretary stood when he read the Declara- tion ; besides a fac-simile copy of the Declaration itself, a statue of Washington, and an inscription underneath, " First in war, and first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." The 24th of November was a day set apart by the President for a public thanksgiving, and the shops were shut up, and the different places of worship crowded. I went to St. Andrew's (Protestant Epis- copal) Church, where, after service was ended, the preacher addressed his audience in an eloquent discourse. He first pointed out how short a time it was since a few poor people, leaving their homes for conscience sake, sought out in this, then desolate land, a spot where they might worship in peace. What screened them then, helpless as they were, in the north from the severities of winter, in this very spot from the arrows of the Indian, but the hand of Providence ? Then he briefly alluded to the exodus of the Israelites to the Promised Land, so like their own, and came to that stirring time when a mighty nation, their own unnatural parent, brought forth its hitherto invincible armies to trample them down ; but, like those Israelites journev- ing to the Red Sea, the hosts of Pharaoh could not harm them, for they were indeed the children of God. Next he adverted to the progress they had made since then, and were making now every year. He spoke of the spread of their opinions in Europe and throughout the world, thougli kings and rulers had set themselves to persecute. He noticed the number of nations that, l5 Ih] ■. ^s l/j Zko in cargo. Vo unfortunately Kxed upon one of this latter elas.,. and ■nado a most tedious i)assago down the river Wo Imd again a long, Imudsonio saloon on tlio upper Jeck, and a large party, ,,rinei,,al|y Kentnekians. an oug whom we had an opportunity of observing the ma^ oTaff , " t';-"'- ^""'-"""^^ --« "-"'ri d out after breakfast, aud dai.cing took place in thoeven- " g to the sound of the banjo, played by a negro. L.ke all other pnvdeged orders, the business of these slave- owners on earth appears to be to amuse themselves. In general, they are rough and unpolished, but there weie some, particularly a bridal ,,arty, on board ^emar able for good looks and eleg'^nce^'of mannt' note the ceremony that takes place. When dinner is ready, a small bell rings, and immediately the Z 1 men. who are alone, that is, without ladies, ran^e them- selves at the lower end of the table, each standing b" nnd h,s chau-. After a pause, the females walk in tossn>g about their little chins, and looking important' a..d when they are comfortably seated. the°si„g .! g ' lemen are allowed to take their chairs too! How pat.en ly do all obey this mandate of politen ss Th ugh wantmg i„ devotions to Brummell" the God of tadors, they are well-i.formed. and converse excel on board tins steamboat, I uoticed Macaulay's "His- Sns B "'" ?'''' " ^'""'" T'-logy."' works of Uakens, Byron, and many other popular English writers. I; R£VOLV£BS. 81 Tlicro is, however, a frightful disre^mra of human life. 1 hoard that people were often shot, and no notice taken of it. Feuds existed between families; and one was mentioned, in consequence of which twelve persons had, at dilferent times, lost their lives. Shortly before my arrival at Louisville, a young man, son of one of the wealthiest proprietors in the neighbourhood, went to the school, where his brother, who was a scholar, had been punished, and shot the master dead with a revolver. lie was in prison, but it was expected that his influential friends would be able to get him off. In this respect, the country appears to . jsemble Ireland, or what Ireland was GO years ago. One hears of bowie-knives and revolvers continually, and I was assured that nine-tenths of the party carried them in their pockets. How far this ratio was the correct one, I had no means of ascertaining, but a man with whom I happened to be conversing, after fumbling in his pocket, as I thought, for his pocket- handkerchief, pulled out a revolver to fire at a duck that was sitting on the water ; so it is probable that the custom is not uncommon. This carrying arms arises from the circumstance that proprietors, living on their estates among a slave population, are obliged to be on their guard against sudden attacks. To be sure, a slave-owner, to whom I mentioned this, denied the truth of it ; but whenever you speak about slavery, the most intelligent Americans deny its evils, especially to a foreigner, with all the passion and prejudice of politi- cal partisans. They are wilfully blind to its evils. It is strange to see these straightforward republicans putting forth the same kind of shallow excuses, and 92 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. i II I using the .ame Jesuitical sophistry, as the advo^.ates of despotism do everywhere. They call it « oiu domestic mstitution." There is, however, another way of arriving at the truth, besides talking to the slave- owners, and that is questioning the slaves. They are mostly timid, and shy of committing themselves, but when they learn you are a stranger passing through the country, and in no way connected with it, they will sometimes state freelv the cruelties they hLve suffered. An English friend of mine was told by a slave that he once saved 2000 dol- lars to purchase his freedom, and went to his master With tde money for that purpose. « Put the money down, said the master, and gave him a note to h's lawyer, for the purpose, he said, of making out the ne- cessary papers. The lawyer gave him a note to a third gentleman," who happened to be a slave-dealer, and who handcuffed him, and carried him of to the South and sold him. He could not complain, for no court would admit his testimony. On the ether hand, it is said that there are laws for he protection of the slaves; and a man assured me that he had known a person fined 1200 dollars, in Virginia, for not clothing and feeding his slaves pro- :>erly. However, as the evidence of a slave is not admissible ii a court of justice, it is certain that such laws can be enforc ^d \ery rarely. There are, besides, two circumstances which make slavery worse in this part of the world than in Asia. Ihe fir.t IS, the difference of race, which induces the white man to rega.d these unfortunate creatures with aversion, ui consequence of their uiiscemlj phy.siogiiomv SLAVERY. 93 :Ivo(?ates of 1 domestic iiig at the incl that is, timid, and ' learn you and in no tate freely b friend of 2000 dol- lis master lie monev )te to his ut the ne- to a third ealer, and ihe South no court ) laws for Hired me ollars, in ives pro- e is not hat such jh make in Asia, -ices the res Avith ognomv. and the state of brutal ignorance to which they have been reduced. The Mahometan is dark himself, and ignorant too. He has no respect for human knowledge, and if the slave be but a believer in the Koran, the one thing needful, that is sufficient. The slave, taken as a child IS often treated as tenderly as though he were one of the family, anr^ perhaps rises to freedom, affluence, and power. The next circumstance is, the opinions which HI a country like America, circulate everywhere. ThJ opinions are what the slave-owners call the "abomi- nable doctrines " of the abolitionists, which are, in fact only the doctrines of the « Declaration of Independ- ence," and the « Rights of Man " applied to the case of the negro, and which the sufferers from injustice, in every part of the world, have a perverse habit of anply. ing to themselves. The Asiatic slave knows nothing of all this. If he suffer a miserable lot in life, it is the will of God— the same Being that sends the storm, the pes. tilence, and the famine ; he is resigned to his condi- tion, bears it with patience, and makes the best of M. Not HO the American negro. He feels that he is wronged and ill-used, and becomes, in consequence, what masters everywhere call "troublesome." I have noticed here another resemblance to the East. Females come on board with a train of three or four black maids straggling after them. In both coun- tries the possession of this kind of property constitutes dignity, and the better half of human kind, who are never backward in claiming a share and a half of that for themsehes, take care to have a "tail" behind them whenever they are visible. 94 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. CHAPTER IX. We made but slow progress down the river Ohio, which is so wide, and the current of it so slow, that it resembles a long winding lake more than a river. Little clearing was to be seen on either bank, but a continuous brown forest, bare of leaves, fringed the edge of the water. The stoppages were frequent to take in passengers, pork, candles, flour, or empty casks, and we lay to at night on account of the shoals. Upon the Kentucky bank coal is worked in several places, and run down by tramways to the water's edge. Within t^^e State exists a large formation of the mineral, the limits of which are, as yet, hardly ascer- tained. From Cairo, at the mouth of tne Ohio, the cur- rent of the river becomes more rapid. Its breadth is hardly increased, but its depth very much. It winds so that vre appear sometimes to be going round in a circle. The same things perpetually recur. The brown line of forest is interrupted here and there by a clearing of a few acres, in which stands the woodman's hut, and the cords of wood, each eight feet long, four feet high, and four broad, to be sold to the steamers. Anything like heights or bluffs are very rare. The whole country for many miles back appears to be alluvial. To-day is so like yesterday, and yesterday was FUOmVE NEGROES. 95 80 like the day before, that if we were not quite cer- taui the river would come to an end, we might well conclude we were gliding with the current to the very si'ot we had visited two days previously. Occasionally we meet a steamer coming up tlm stream; or, what they call a flat boat, a rude kind of barge, shaped like a parallelogram, which is built up in the forest, laden vv.th coal, or some other coarse produce, and broken up on .ts arrival at New Orleans. What a miserable crea- ture was man in these parts before the invention of froTsf ^r'^^^'rZ "'' ""''"'' making the journey f om St. Louis to New Orleans, and six months on their return. They rowed down, and, up the stream pushed the boat with poles. - I was told that among the forests and swamps on both sides the river, fugitive negroes were always s^orv if"; T Tr"''" '" P™"'*- A <=""»"« wUh tie m"' 'T^" ^' ""' ^"■"^"*'" "■'«'oiicilable VI h the tales that the slave-owners and their friends tell ot happy and contented negroes There were two slave children on board this steamer, both clean and neatly dressed, lively and intelligent with whom I became acquainted. There was also a diminutive of the white race, about five years old, who nsed to imitate a full-grown man, standing with his back to the fire and talking politics. I observed hm walk up to one of the black ehildren, and deliberately hit him a blow on the face with his fist and then kick him without any provocation. The poor little negro durst not resent it, for it is as bad for one of them to strike a white, as it is for a Christian to strike a Maho- metan in Asia. Both these negro children were beaten =,,^^..^, J, il 06 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. severely ; or, as an American who told me of it said, " well lathered " with a rope's end, by the Captain, for romping together. There is no redress for the black. Every one who feels inclined gives him a kick or a cuff. About 60 miles by the river above Memphis, or about half that distance in a straight line to the north, is situated Craig's Head, the most northern cotton plan- tation, on the right, or Arkansas, bank of the river. The latitude will probably be about 35° 30'. In the Old World the most northern spot I know of where the plant is grown, is about Naples. From this place downwards both sides are more cleared and cultivated, and we often come in sight of a plantation, that is, a planter's house, and a number of cottages near it for the negroes. A little more to the south than this, the dwarf bamboo, or " cane brakes," as they call the groM'ths of it, is first seen. Upon a promontory near Craig's Head, we observed seven gentlemen lounging about, clad in gawdy coats of pea-green, mulberry brown, and sky blue. All had smart walking-canes in their hands, " prodigious ties " of white neckcloths, and white gloves, but their faces weve black. These were no other than the slaves enjoying a holiday. So great is their love of finery that I was told they are to be seen in New Orleans with white kid gloves on. I believe the truth to be, that the masters encourage them in this folly to prevent their thinking. We did not lose sight of tlie snOw on the ground until we had got beyond a place called Napoleon, about half way between Memphis and Vicksburg. Above the BATTLE ISLAND. 97 latter of these places, about 60 miles up the Ga.oo nver. and in the swamps adjoining, alligators are said to be found. The northern limit, then, of them is about 33^ On the Nile, the northernmost spo^ Xre U.e crocodile is found, is below the grottoes of Beni Hassan, m latitude about 28°, The crew of the steamer were all free white men. Why was th.s? I was told it was too unhealthy work for the negroes. They were apt to fall sick and die, and then ,t was such a loss! For the same reason white men are hired to make the levees or dykes, and d^ the ditches round the sugar plantations. Year after year they are sui,planting the negroes, in all the hardest work, from the city of New Orleans upwards. Iwenty-hve years ago, I was told, a white man would no be seen carrying a parcel in the streets of New Orleans. So groat a change has operated in that time ' Above Vicksburg is a place called Battle Island, in which spot and on the bank of the river adjoining, a number of gamblers and thieves settled, and levied contributions on the country round, even taking toll from boats passing up the j-iver. At last their depre- dations got so bad that the citizens assembled and attacked them. After some loss of life they were sub- dued, and imprisoned or driven out of the country, so that for once a monarchy was crushed in the bud I left the steamer at Vicksburg, and the next morn- mg visited a cotton plantation. On passing the out- skirts of the city, I saw roses flowering in the gardens, though It was the 29th of December. Our way lay over a number of blufTs or eminences, formed of recent strata of sandy clay. 98 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Ul > The only outlay required for the cotton plantation is the gin and gin-house, which cost about 500 dollars. A bale of cotton, worth about 40 dollars (8/. 6*. 8d.), per acre is reckoned a good yield. The cottages of the negroes, as Well as the habitations of their masters, were of wood, the latter reminding me much of those of the indigo planters in India, from the broad verandahs which surround them. I do not think the dwellings of the slaves were worse than those of the labouring class in the rural districts of England. Each man, I found, was allowed a peck of Indian corn flour weekly (something above 21bs. per day) and 41bs. of bacon, besides abundance of garden vegetables in the season—carrots, potatoes, turnips, &c. The bacon would be worth, say 10 cents per pound, or 40 cents per week, and the peck of Indian flour 25 cents, at 1 dollar the bushel. Total for provisioning a man, 65 cents per week. Call this, not to be below the mark, fths of a dollar per week, and we have 39 dollars, annual cost of provisions for a slave ; add 21 dollars more for clothing and other necessaries, and we have 60 dollars for the annual cost. We can now have some idea of the expense and profit of a cotton planta- tion, I met, in one of the papers, with an account of the sale of an excellent cotton plantation of 2800 acres. It fetched 70,000 dollars, or 25 per acre— -one-third, at least, of this would be kept in forest for fuel The remainder would require a force of 10 hands the 100 acres to cultivate it, = 184 for the whole. The cost of these, at an average of 500 dollars for the whole COTTON PLANTATION. 91) .•m.n,l, wo„l,I be 92,000 dollars, and 162.000 would bo ^:' TcK eoT*':"" ■' ™''™'''^^ '''«^'''^^- "''" ToH 171 000 ' T, .'""'=^"-'-- "rtiel-. 9.000. 10 al 171 000. ri,c ,„terest „,,on this sun, at 7 n.OrO dolars. Besulos, there is the keep of each slave, at the cost of CO dollars for each, or Il.MO 2300O Til ""'"""• /"'"S - ">tal of 23,01O_say be 1840 bales of cotton at the rate of a bale „er acre we.jhing each from 400Ibs. to 4501b. nnd "orth 40 dollars, total 73,600 dollars. There ",n however, be son.e additional expenses, snch as insur- attendance, &c.. wh.ch it i, impossible exactly to estate; add for these 7000 dollars, and we have a total annual expense of 30,000 dollars. We must now deduct from 73,600 dolla,-s, the gross profit, tl e expense of bringing the article to market, which will of coin-se, depend a great deal upon the situation of the state. If we deduct from the price of each bale (40 dollars) one-fourth for this, or a total of 18.400 do ars from the 73,600 dollars, there remains 55 200 dollars Deduct, again, the expenses of cultivation and H.te est on capital (30,000 dollars), and we have still a surplus of 25,200 dolhrs Tt i= \ , ^■..l I J , 1 *■ ''owever, only on the r.ch lands bordermg the Mississippi, that a product so great as a bale per acre is to be obtained. I„ the up- lands of Georgi.a, Alabama, and the Carolinas, not above half and from that to three-fourths of a bale are to be reckoned upori. For further details upon this subject I would refer H 2 ■■— :-.:^i^b^v..- 5f 100 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ]^ I to Professor De Bow's « Industrial Resources of the Southern and Western States" (New Orleans, 1853). The estimates given there differ greatly. In the re- port of the Commissioner of Patents (Agriculture) Washington, 1852, a writer asserts that cotton can- not be grown under 7| cents per pound, even on the richest land that yields a return of 6001bs. (a bale and a half) of clean, marketable cotton per acre. If this be the case, I cannot make out how the growers in the uplands, who get a return of only half a bale an acre, can make a profit. After leaving the cotton plantation I set out in the railway car for Jackson, the capital of the State of Mississippi. Great part of the country is yet uncleared, and the oak still the predominant tree of the forest. Its branches, however, were hung with pendant moss, as they used to be in the Himalaya mountains. There appears almost an unlimited quantity of ground here well-adapted for the culture of cotton, the extent to which capital will be applied to it for that purpose de- pending upon the price of cotton in Liverpool. Let us never lose sight of that fact, viz., that every new factory built in Lancashire creates a new demand for slaves on the banks of the Mississippi. I found at the hotel at Jackson, a rougher and ruder set than I had yet met with in America. The landlord, on hearing that I was an Englishman, burst out laughing ; and exclaimed, " Colonel, colonel, here 's an Englishman wants to talk with you about the repu- diation of the bonds." Upon this a short burly man, dressed in a rough upper Benjamin, With a knotted cudgel in his hand, stepped up to me and began, STATE PRISON. IQI llui'l'' f ^ """ '"^ '■"' "'"' "'« ""o^e the people e bu„^ bo„e it, sir, t.,e more they are'dete^ined hi h . ^7: J'^y '"-^ "'*' "'o »»■>"« "'ere put to the bonds ,„ega„y,. This ,vaa the sum and substance of h.s discourse, which he repeated several times with fori r'!n™h "^^r'""- "*""■"« "" ^-^ "'°™ "«- cudgel on the floor, to give emphasis to what he said ™m,„dmg me of the irritable Dr. Slammer in p::t he m,ght resort to inculcate his views upon the ques- tion, I was obliged to decline discussing it. not JT'"" "'l?'" '•™°" ''«^«- The warden was not at home, and I found only a subordinate. I nue^ tinned him about the number of people of eolourTn ^e P aee a„, ^e answered me the're w'ere none ZZ Whether they were sent to the county jails, or where he d,d not know. I was evidently"^ asking uncom: fortab e questions, so, finding that I could not obtaTn the information I wished, I left him. I passed the night at the miserable inn here not before I had had a lively altercation with the landloTd on the subject of having a bedroom to myself, and did no succeed until I had declared in despair that if he would not oblige me I must sleep in the street. The next morning I took the cars and returned to Vicksburg, making the distance, about 96 miles in t"2 ^'"' '' ''""^ " '•'''"'' ■»»™"'ent for'the It was a fine morning when I arrived at Vicksbur.. and standing on the high bank, waiting for a steame" to proceed on my journey, I noticed two young men 102 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. I ill ill 'I ' f looking like young farmers, also waiting near with some dogs in chains. There were three hounds and one white bull terrier. It being the day before Christmas day, I thought these young people had got a holiday, and were going to have some amusement in the woods, so I gave them a " Good morning, sirs," and asked them what they run with their hounds. " We keeps 'em to run niggers with," replied the eldest youth. " What are they ? " said I, for the answer startled me. "Negroes, man, slaves, runaways," returned the lad again, with an expression of scorn at my stupidity. This verified, what I had before heard, that there were numbers of runaways in the woods, and more- over that hounds were kept exi)ressly to hunt them. It is so difficult to got at a truth which affects the interests of large classes of men— they deny it with such pertinacity and effrontery, that I could hardly have expected to have been able to put even this fact beyond controversy. I was soon again upon a steamer going down the river. A person who was going on board before me happened to be touched by the corner of a portmanteau which a black porter was carrying. Upon this he set to and began thrashing the black, and as it is a crime in the negro to defend himself, this oummelling him becomes a fashionable amusement, which children and grown people alike indulge in. There was a small party on board this steamer, and, as we sat together round the stove, some began to question me as to where I had been. On my ex- plaining that I had been to Jackson, and that it was extraordinary that I did not find any people of colour JUDGE LYNCH. 103 ill the Penitentiary, they all began to laugh, and exclaimed, "Judge Lynch settles their affair. In these out-of-the-way places, peoi)le cannot afford to lose much time; when a man has a troublesome negro, he calls his neighbours together, and they just bring him under a strong branch of the black-jack tree, which 18 very elastic, tie one end of the rope to it, and i)ut a noose at the other end under his ear, then let loose, and up he goes." I gave a nervous sign of horror, and the man next me laughed, and added, "It is 80 easily done, yon would think nothing of it if you saw it. I have seen seven swinging from one tree." Then another joined the party, who said he remem- bered seeing a nigger burnt to death at St. Louis for stabbing a white man. They chained him to a tree (about 150 people were assisting at the ceremony), then they heaped piles of ctry wood all round him, and set them on fire. The man described this scene with a ferocious delight; one might imagine like a bull-fighter recounting the struggles of his victim. Another spot was pointed out to me, as we past down. Point Palmetto, on the left bank of the river, where two negroes were some time ago burnt to death \ or rather, one was burnt to death, the other, who had broken his chain, was shot by an infuriated multitude. Those excellent men in the Northern States, who spend their time in the instruction of youth, would do well to consider how far spectacles of this kind are calculated to train up their future citizens in the principles of justice and mercy. At the mouth of the Red River, in Lit. 31°, the sugar-cane cultivation commences, and, for the most 104 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. part, supersedes that of cotton, as the boll worm and the caterpillar attack the latter plant lower down, and render its cultivation unprofitable. From hence the country is well-cleared, and planters' houses, and tall brick chimneys of the sunrar-mills, are to be seen on each bank at every short interval. I got down again at Baton Rouge for the purpose of visiting the state prison, where I was glad to find that both free coloured and slaves are admitted. A man who wished to free his own children by a mulatto woman, here complained to me of the hardship of the law, which does not allow a man to free his own offspring, unless they are sent out of the State. Baton Rouge is a charming place, the houses are neat, and the gardens pretty, with roses flowering in them. I passed the night at the hotel here, and heard a party in the public-room discussing the merits of the different dealers in « fancy girls " at New Orleans, and their respective stocks, with as much gusto as amateurs of pictures or race-horses would use respecting their favourite articles. The next morning I again took a steamer for New Orleans. This was a trading-boat established for the convenience of sugar-planters and others between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. In her cabins, as in tlie others I came by, was hung up a certificate of the Government inspector, from which it appeared that she had four high pressure boilers, each 26 feet long, and 42 inches in diameter, that were worked up to a pressure of ISOlbs. the square inch. What hydrostatic pressure they had been subjected to, on their trial, was n i ^:tated, the number of lbs. being GOVERNMENT COLLEGE. 105 voriii and er down, m heiico ises, and be seen purpose il to find tted. A mulatto dsliip of his own Baton I oat, and liera. I 1 a party different id their iteurs of g their for New for the between lis, as in 2 of the ed that 26 feet worked What to, on . being jA left blank in the certificato. JJut in the one \ had come to Baton Rouge in, the boii rs were worked up to ISOlbs. per square inch, and had been subjected to a previous trial by hydrostatic pressure of lOSlba. the square inch. Accidents have been rare since the last law on the subject; and, moreover, racing has become unpopulnr. So easily do the i)eople, when left to themselves, redress any evils incidental to their social state. The old doctrine was that mankind were a ,u.it of perpetual children, who needed to be under the tutelage of a body of hereditary masters. To give colour to the argument, the people wpre purposely kept in ignorance. Fifty-six miles from New Orleans, on the left bank of the river, is a college established by the Govern- ment, which is open to all creeds (would that I could add, to all colours) of men. It was a fine day as we approached New Orleans, quite a summer's day to us coming from the North, and the large houses of the planters on each side, in gardens of orange-trees loaded with ripe fruit, were most agreeable to look at. French and Spanish were talked on board, and from a list of the landed pro- prietors on each bank, I found that not above four per cent, had English names. Our boat was heavily laden, 1G8 sugar hogsheads, 280 barrels of molasses, f -'d 22 bales of cotton, being her cargo. Towards the afternoon, a large steamboat from New Orleans l)assing us, hove to, and our skiff was immediately sent off with a passenger, who was received on board, and she then left. While he was getting into the other vessel, a man with whom I had conversed a good deal, \-' • > " • v^^ XOG THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. asked n,e If I knew Who that was, and then added, ll'at ,s fightnig Dick. He has lately killed a white man near here,-met him one day when he had his gun with him, and shot him dead, and he is going up the country to be out of the way until it blows over He is a colonel in the army and a Methodist preacher Upon this, I inquired what his congre- gation thought of the deed, and why they did not get nd of him. To this he replied that they stood in sucirthiir''^ ^'"^ '""'^' ""''" ""^ '""" ^^ ^"'"^P* ^"^ I heard ngthing of these fighting and murderincr propensities while I was in the North, and have reason to think they are confined within the limits of the slave States. This is perfectly natural. It has always been pointed out as a reason of the superiority of the social institutions of modern Europe to those of ancient Europe and Asia in the present day, that the former do not allow a man to become a tyrant in his own house. His wife has rights, so have his children, and so have his servants, nor can he lay a finger upon either of them, without rendering himself lable to be called to account for it. He becomes then obliged to exercise the social virtues from his earliest years. But, as in ancient Europe, so in modern Asia, the young lord, or slave-owner, is brought up from his cradle to know no control of his wfll, and he consequently becomes a tyrant. Tiie youn- Ameri- can slave-owner is, in this respect, on a par with the • young Asiatic. It is the slave States that grow their crops of bowie knife and revolver men, fillibusters, and so forth. Every NEW ORLEANS. 107 ve reason man is judge of his own wrong, and of the compensation he ought to receive, and carries about him accordingly the means of obtaining the same. It is true, tliat, in America, the wife has more rights than she has in the East, but a man may, if he please, take in lieu thereof a harem of slave concubines. Still, as we approached New Orleans, the tall brick chimneys of the sugar factories rose on each side of the river, just as, years ago, I had seen them on the banks of the Nile. There, too, the labourers were working under the whip of the overseer, and I thought, with the eternal Pyramids in sight, how many thousands of years the lash had been going in the house of bondage, and . wondered whether it was to last for ever. It did not strike me at the time, that in that New World, to which so many had fondly turned with hope for the regenera- tion of mankind, the very same scenes were enacting. It seems as if mankind were destined to tread for ever in a vicious circle, and never to improve. After dark, we arrived at New Orleans, and took our place at the quay, amid a line of large river steumers. This city has the most unwholesome situation of any place I know of, except, perhaps, Calcutta. It is, in fact, surrounded by svvami)s, at the mouth of this mighty river, and tliere is no drainage. An ominous name is given to one of the streets, " Rue du Marais." Water runs from the river to the back of the town, as the sur- face of the land, on these alluvial flats, is always higher near the stream, than at a distance from it. Vet do not say that it is unwholesome here, or people will get angry, and declare that it is entirely r^ mistake, as they do when a remark is uttered about the evils of slavery. i''' H ;: 108 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. and as men do all over the world, when they hear of what they don't wish to know. Except the epidemics 2 the n^,abitants (which is about equivalent to ^ tragedy of Hamlet, with the part of Hamlet left out) there ,s not a more healthy place in the world. I he streets of this place are narrow and dirtv the gutters filthy in the extreme. There are Iw'fit bmldm,^ The St. Charles Hotel, with a white porti" of Cormthian columns, is one of the finest; and another ^ the Cty Hall m Lafayette Square, of white marble, wjth a portico of Ionic columns. I visited here the parish prison, where culprits un- dergo sentences of short duration, and found in it a total number of 207 prisoners; of these, 187 were whites, 13 slaves, and 7 free coloured. In the police ' pnson which was only divided from this by a high wall, there were sixty slaves, sent there for con-ection by their masters. One poor wretch, as I went round, came and expostulated with the gaoler-lean and withered he looked, and worn down ly miserj "He .s to have twenty-five lashes more," said the gaoler for striking a white man." What the white ml had done to deserve it, could not be known, as the evidence of a slave is not received. I could obtain no further m formation from the keepers of these prisons, which did not appear to be kept up with the order and clean- mess hey are in the North. However, as there a 1 four police prisons in New Orleans, we must multiply the above item of 60 by 4 = 240, for the total number of slaves under correction from their masters. Perhaps added hT'; "■'" ""' '"'"" ^^'™™S-''"'' "■"-' '-t ^ added that, from an account of the arrests in the citv CITY ARRESTS. 109 for the month of December, 1853, published in the New Orleans Daily Delta, as read at a meeting of the Board of Police, and signed by S. O'Leary, Chief of Police, January 10th, 1854, we find that 108 runaway slaves were arrested in that month, and 44 more for being without a pass (or illegally) abroad, which comes to pretty much the same thing; say 152 out of a total of 2078 arrests. Besides, 30 more are down under the head of « slaves for safe keeping," which I conjec- ture must refer to some of those 60 I have above alluded to. Now out of the total of 2078 arrests, 186 are for assault and battery ; breach of the peace, 104 ; disturb- ing the peace, 127 ; fighting and disturbing the peace 102; intoxication, 471; intoxication and disturbing the peace, 113; and if we deduct these (1103) from the above 2078, we have remaining, 975. Of this, 152 + 30 = 182, or about 19 per cent, of the whole number of arrests, from all other causes, are runaway or refractory slaves. This is a "happy family" that Jonathan has got here ! The total population of Or- leans, the county or district in which the city is situated, is stated in the Census of 1850, to be 119,460, of which 18,068 are slaves, so that about one per cent, of the number were arrested in the month of December. If we deduct from our former estimate of 240, the number sent to the police prisons for correc- tion by their masters, one-fourth, it also leaves 180; so that it does not seem extravagant to estimate that about one per cent., or more, of the whole number, are always under correction. It must also be remembered that great part of the offences committed by slaves, are m no THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. punished by the masters themselves.* But we have other means of ascertaining how numerous the run- aways are, notwithstanding the small chances of escape, and the certainty of undergoing a dreadful punishment If taken. In Professor De Bow's w^ork (see "Industrial Resources," &c., v. ii. p. 128), a pamphlet is quoted by one Randolph of Roanoke, in which the writer calcu- lates from the great increase of free negroes in the mudle and border free States, the annual number which make good their escape there, at 1540, besides 500 whom the North annually assists to escaj.e into Canada, and laments the "felonious plunder" of so nmch pro- perty of the southerners by the abolitionists. It ap- pears, then, that the happiness and contentment of the negroes is of such a kind, that large numbers are de- termmed at all hazards to get rid of them. Governor Hammond, whom I have quoted, is arcru- mentaiive, but unfortunately, logic is not confined'to one quarter of the globe, and the arguments which answer so admirably for the meridian of New Orleans wdl serve equally for those of St. Petersburgh, Vienna and Dahomey. Nor do I see how they, who, like Randolph Roanoke, call the sheltering slaves from their masters "felonious plunder," can reconcile to their con- sciences the acts of their own Government, which shelters the fugitive slaves of Europe wherever it has the power. Surely no one need be reminded that "lord," "slave- *" Remember that on our estates we dispense with the whole machinery of puhltc police and public courts of justice ! "-Goverkok Hammokd 8 -Letter to T. Clarkson."-Dc Bow, vol. ii. p. 288 (Judge Lynch, with a vengeance, is this !) HOUSE OF REFUGE. Ill owner," and « despot," arc only synonymous terms. Well may the Emperor of Austria complain of the " felonious plunder » of the fugitive Hungarians, his property, and calcuate the "mighty heap o' dollars" he has lost tnerehy. They have lately established at New Orleans a House ot Refuge, similar in principle to those of New York and rinladelphia; but it is yet in its infancy, fostered only by the exertions of a few benevolent ind' iduals who have migrated here from the North. The natives of the place are devoted to pleasure, music, dancinn-, card-playmg, and racing. Sundays and weekdays all come alike to them, as far as I can learn. I visited the House of Refuge for Girls, and by the kmdness of a lady directress obtained a list of the nativities of the inmates. The total number was 76, of which only three were the offspring of native Ame- ricans. In the workhouse, where culprits are confined under sentence for sma'l offences, and which is next door to the Boys' House of Refuge, I counted no less than sixteen advertisements of runaways, stuck up in the gateway. More happiness !— yes, " happy and con- tented," and « faithful and attached," are the phrases all over the world. I saw one date-palm growing in a garden within the city of New Orleans, but it does not bear fruit. The most northern point in Europe wh.re it is to be found IS, I believe, Nice, in the south of France, where also It does not bear fruit. The banana, or plantain, also grows m gardens in the city, but produces little or nothing. They import the fruit from Jamaica. The climate is subject to those violent meteorological changes 112 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Winch occur in other parts of North America. In January, 1852, the thermometer stood at 12° Fah., and all the orange trees were cut off. In January, 1854 .t stood at 80°. This portion of the globe, situated between a cauldron of warm water (the Gulf of Mexico) on the south, and the enormous mass of ice that extends from Baffin's J3ay to Behring's Straits on the north, undergoes the most violent changes of heat and cold, according as the wind blows from either quarter. Snow falls at New Orleans very seldom -it •s saul, not more than once in twenty years,-but float- ing masses of ice from the frozen regions of the north have been seen in the Mississippi, passing the city I left this i,lace by the railway to Lake Pontchar- tram, a distance of six miles, which was accomplished in more than half an hour. The cars were more dirty and uncomfortable, and the rate of going slower than any I had ever before experienced. The road lay mostly through a SAvamp, in which great quantities of the dwarf palm, or palmetto, as they call it, were growmg. The railway ended upon a long wooden pier stretching into the shallow water of the lake from vv-hich we were transferred to the steamer.' From this we had to pick our way all night among low IS ands and in shallow water, until a little before daylight we got aground in a narrow channel re- mained there three or four hours, and at last reached Mobile early in the afternoon of the next day. MONTGOMERY. 118 CHAPTER X. Mobile is situated in a swamp at the mouth of the Alabama River. To the west there is a small wooded Fomontory at a short distance; on every other side the tall reeds of the swamp extend for many miles. This site has been fixed upon as well suited for shin- ing bales of cotton, a great number of which are brought down the river. Besides cotton shippers, the three descriptions of animated nature that thrive most there are doctors, alligators, and undertakers. The first endeavour to attract attention by handbills of cholem mixtures, &c., and the last by inviting pictures ot coffins, which meet one at every turn. I walked to the gaol here, where I found a large number of runaway slaves, and saw a huge whip, hand- cuffs and a number of other irons, hung up against the After a very short stay, I left by the steamer on the Alabama river for Montgomery. This river is not above 80 yards to 100 yards wide, and, where it issues from the swamp, is enclosed between high banks covered with forest, and runs at a rapid rate. Its breadth does not vary all the way to Montgomery, but its steep banks show at times sections of red and variegated marl, similar to what I had seen between Philadelphia and Washington. Montgomery, at which we arrived I II i ijj'i II 114 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. af era voyage of forty hours, is pleasantly situated upon n In 1 of these marly strata, 50 feet or more above the level of the river. The streets are well laid out, at right angles to each other, as in most American towns, bu as the roadway is neither paved nor macadamized, and the weather happened to be wet when I was there It was a perfect quagmire, through which beasts of every kmd struggled as they could. The Capitol is well situated on an eminence, and, as he Legislature was sitting, I went to have a look at them. I entered a large circular cliamber, below a dome, where a number of members were sitting at desks with pens, jnlc, and paper before tbcm. These desl "»i^ or winch, 1 think, was crusbiiiff his ftngers ,„ a vice, and finally they set dogs upon him «bo tore h,m to pieces. It was doubted, he ad e"' vbether a white man could be convicted for the m^r- dor of a slave, but public opinion was roused by the hornble nature of the transaction, and the judge co^ .lenmed the eulpri.s to death, laying down very Ira vCv 1.0 doctrme that a black man wat, after all, aCan ben,g I was the first tin.e that such a condemT tion bad taken place within the State. But my ae qua„,t.ance added afterwards, in the true An,eri«m •one,-" T«o nasty, dirty fellow, ! it wasn't even a COLUMBIA. 119 I'liich is tlie the Missis- a man in )ttle in liis e morning, ock in the is man was 3II dressed, not inipro- r. What, mniber of this kind ? the State 9d at this related to f a slave, nhood of . slave in ishing his pon him, le added, the mur- 'd by the Ige con- ^ gravely a human ndemna- my ac- meriean en their own nigger they were ' using up ' in that scandalous manner ; " as if the crime consisted in the destruction of so much j)roi)erty. No doubt, then, extraordinary acts of cruelty are sometnneG punished in the slave States. I learnt, for instance, the following from a newspaj)er :— "In New Orleans, Mesdames and have been held to bail in 1500 dollars each for subjecting their slaves to the most cruel and inhuman treatment. The indictment says that the negroes have on their bodies the marks of punishment and torture, unwar- ranted by any law, and of a character inhuman ; that they have not been provided with sufficient food ; that their bodies indicate that injuries are inflicted' with n-on mstruments, with pins, fire, and other means of a most revolting description." However, as the evidence of a slave is not admissible ni any court, it is not probable that convictions can often take place. Columbia is pleasantly situated on an eminence of the red marl, which we have travelled upon so lono- and commands an extensive view of the country round,' which appears to be nearly in its primitive state. No- thmg meets the eye but an unbroken expanse of pine forest. The city is well laid out, with broad streets at right angles to each other, and like all the other cities of the South, except New Orleans, unpaved. The State College here is a large and handsome brick building, in the form of a quadrangle, or rather three sides of a quadrangle. The course of study in mathe- matics and classics did not appear so severe as that at Harvard College, near Boston. Two chambers in the 120 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. some of the distinguished men of the country have delivered their first oratorical essays. ^ Ihey had no gaol at Columbia, only a guard-room t e/LT„ Tf"^: ^""^ '""-/l '--<• a- Short ttl T""'-'^'*"" "'^"^^'"^ •"»■ hanging. Short terns of imprisonment were sometimes resorted to. Thus, for horse-stealing, an instance was mentioned of three months, and three whippings." This Teas troublesome, and most economical svstem i/= -ed in North Carohna. which, as a Ct f e Z miSTo tt'r''? ^ T"'"^ "^ ">« "'^ "hout 30 ^tltn 'r.-'T' '"° °^*''^ ^"'"""'ia and Cambden With the Charlestowii railrnnH h x. '*"'""^" ^t^^:::;ac;:5:-^^^^-^ narrow space br^nl:: UlJ^ ^fplar Ticket Office." m large letters, over the door Be ttr r, T'" """ "" ""o'"- "• *ai4 on «it I d rerned t ' ' "''' ™"""^ »" "'e platform discerned two young men with whips in their hands NEGRO-HUNTING. 121 and five couple of hounds, coupled together. After what had happened at Vicksburg, my suspicions were aroused and I said to the man next me, " Fine hounds those; hunt deer ^vith 'em, I suppose." ~« No no --niggers, niggers-hunt niggers with 'em," he replied' 1 then got out, and went up to the elder of the young men who had care of the hounds, and repeated the emark I had made before. « Yes," he answered, " two- legged deer." The crowd round (for there were a number of people patting and caressing the dogs) aughed heartily at this sally, and I drew back a little to hsten to what others said. « Them 's a capital pack o negro dogs," said one ; « worth a heap o' money every one on 'em." Then a second, at a little distance pointmg to the elder of the two who had care of the dogs, said, «I know him very well,-he makes his ivmg by going about the country with those dogs huntmg runaways." Then chimed in a third-" No' ingger as ever breathed 'ud ever get quit o' those dogs, If they once got upon his tracks-no, not if he had gone by forty-eight hours before; not even if he had mixed in a crowd of 500 people." And so the conversation went on. The American Government, v" :ch is generally so minute in its details, and points with justifiable pricfe to the occupations of its people, has not yet favoured the joi d with the statistics of so unusual a branch of in! dustry. We may know the take of mackerel and of whales, but we cannot find what the catch of human flesh has been, nor the number of men and do^s em- ployed in the pursuit. All, then, I can a«sert is, that in a period of forty 122 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. day .dunng which I travelled through the slave States, at the „te of near 100 miles a day, I chanced to meet w'th two packs, comprising fourteen dogs and four me,^ who got their livelihood by this occupation. Yet .n the villages, as we passed by, I observed every now of learmng from h,s owner his excellent qualities, and for what purpose he was kept. I„ the forests, o^ the borders of the Mississippi, I saw several part es out horsemen and hounds together, but what they were huntmg must be left to conjecture. I have, however, ascertained enough to feel both re- gret and shame, that among people, of English race and who speak the English tongue, praetifes snould st.ll exist, worthy of the Cannibal Islands. proved T' 1"" ™'™^^ ■"" ■"" y^' ">»'> ™- den Railroad, which we left at two, p.m., we were until five the next morning, a period of fifteen hours, going ' ICO miles, to Wilmington, in North Carolina I'rom here, we again leil in the cars for the North and as we went along, witnessed a new branch of in! dustry The stems of the pine trees are stripped of heir bark near the ground, for a couple of hands- breadth or more, and for a height of five or six feet. At the bottom of this space, a hollow is cut to receive the rosm. which trickles from the tree into the hollow and there congeals. It is said that one man can collect m this way from 200 to 400 barrels of rosin, worth three dollars (12,. 6^.) each. We also observed sevei^l stilfe for making oil of turpentine from the rosin. At Weldon, on the borders of Virginia, there were a A. ilave States, 3ed to meet s and four ation. Yet every now opportunity lalities, and Jsts, on tlie 'arties out, they were el both re- ?Iish race, 368 siiould much im- md Camb- *^'ere until urs, going he North, ch of in- ripped of )f hands' six feet. receive 3 hollow, n collect n, worth 1 several n. were a RICHMOND. 123 good many bales of cotton lying on the railway plat- form. Tins was the furthest place, north, at which we Tl n' v^^" P^'"' ^""'^ "«^ ^"^^''^^d so well in North Carohna as in South Carolina, and in Virginia the quantity that is raised is very small indeed. J am disposed to believe 36° 30' to be its northern limit here about a degree more than it is on the banks of the Mississippi. The cane brakes, which accompany it at the latter place, also disappear with it here. Late on the same evening that we left Wilmington we reached the city of Richmond. Here I visited the' s ate prison, the city gaol, and the county gaol, and the alms-house, and was glad to find that the free coloured men were admitted to this last place, though, by a strange inconsistency, they are not allowed the same burial ground as the ^vhites. Negro dust must not come near the aristocratic dust of its master. Alas for human vanity ! It seems active even in the grave. 1 left Richmond in the morning, and after four hours' railway travel, and three hours by steam-boat, on the Potomac River, arrived at Washington, which I had left the Is of December. This day I met with a native of New Orleans, who informed me that in his part of the world people redressed their own injuries, especially in cases affecting the females of their family such as seduction, by shooting the offender whenever hey met him. This savage custom may have pene- trated in some degree to other parts of the Union, but It IS from the strongholds of slavery that it has been introduced. I found Washington very full. Both Houses of Legislature were in session. In tl Senate, a bill had 124 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. nil been ju8t mtroduced, called the Nebraska Bill, which caused a great deal of excitement, as it proposed to do away w.th the Missouri Compromise o 1820, which proh.b,ted slavery to the west of that State, north rf Before leaving England, I entertained a notion hat slavery would die out in America, but, accord ".g to present appearances, some hund;eds, or evt thousands of years may elapse before it does so l" .8 true, slavery is a vice of new or thinly-populated countoes, and that in many of the old northern's a^ It has already been extinguished. But ihese partial remo a s „ave hHherto been more than col LC by the progress of .t in the new States lately added to he t^T' ^'''""^/f'- '"^ War of Independence, fourthrr "n" "' ''"''^ "-"^ '^'""^'"^ »' three: fourths of a mdhon, and the time within which the insti- tution would probably come to an end. at twenty yea,. Smce then, as we noticed above, it has died out JZ;, o the older States, only to spring up vigorously in v Mates where .t was before unknown. When the va d.s r,cts to the west, which were obtained from F Jce w.th Louisiana, came to be inhabited, a great coXsI arose about Missouri, which was the Lt settled lh.s enormous tract was added to the slave States upon he express condition, that slavery should not exist in ■g^r T, "" ^"'' 1 "• "-"^ -""" "' «- P--^'" Ofthisr.bY "r"V'" ™"""-^ '^d'^'l by Mexico. VI this Cahfornm has of itself abolished slavery, but all t at the extensive district of Texas was added to the slave States. In 1820. Missouri only contained 10 "22 SLAVERY. Bill, which osed to do i20, which , north of a notion, it, accord- , or even i SO. It populated srn States 5e partial pensated, added to >endence, It three- tlie insti- ty years. '' in some r in new the vast I France contest settled, es upon 3xist in parallel VIexico. but all iled, so to the 10,222 125 slaves It now contains 87,422. For Texas there are no data earher than 1850, at which time it contained 58,160 slaves. But it is now a favourite spot for the Planters of the south to migrate to,~whereas under the Mexican Government it was a free country. It needs then, only a glance at the map, to see that if the slaved dnvers and their human cattle are to take possession of the portions of the American Continent south and elapse before the process can come to an end, if ever it does. A e,d ^he South talks of the "manifest des- tiny of the American people, and of the fertile lands on the banks of the Orinoco, the La Plata, and the Amazon. Legree cracks his whip, and halloos to his bloodhounds, and swears that he will have Cuba If we turn a little further back to the early history ot the American people, we shall find that the slav'e power was „ot at that time so powerful as it now is. Washington, himself a slave-owner, considered slavery a great political and social evil, and wished that some means could be devised foi putting an end to it. Jef- ferson, also a southern man, was the author in 1784 of what was called the Jefferson Proviso, whic. proposed Ujat in all the new Sto .. then to be formed ea'st of the Mississippi River, viz. Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ken- tucKy slavery should not be allowed to exist north of 31 iatuude. This measure M-as unfortunately thrown out of Congress by a majority of two or three votes only Next came the anti-slavery ordinance of 1787 by which slavery was for ever abolished in the country to' the north-west of the Ohio. In the course of thirty-three years (to 1820), slavery had gained new force. In that 126 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. CJZeatT^f'"''' **'"'"'"' "'.ether it Should Mmjtted to the Union as slave or free and thp pomt was yielded, upon condition that .livery "hoi d JO 30 . Pass on another thirty years, and we see the slave power gaining another step, by v. "ZJ^ ^ measure of 1850, in which, under thf-.r'T""" the Union, they obtained ^he pi ^T, ,,t"'i'::f Slave Laus by which runaway' slaves may be fpn I hended wthin the free States, thus destroyil ,5,eir fnde pendenee. At the end of th^o "^'"g "leir mde- another step is taken 1th: ,e uH" "'"V''^ Cr.^ • . ifpeai or the vervMissonH Goverle",t of 1 Tr° " """"^^ "P^'^' ^^at the which tZt^r T V' '""'^"■« "> *e policy wmch the wise foresight of its founders had marked that the very object and end of slavery is to cheaZ :"nt:frb: r " ^-'''"^-TttZs?-' a .entiy-unduiating cot:.;";:: 57170:".: f on in '':,''"' I ""' "™'' » "- "g"t ban", nd f.ont,„g the south-east. Two small rooms. h;rdly Washington's tomb. 127 I..gger han closets, on the ground-floor, were alone shown to strangers. In ^„e of these I noticed his coat of arms and crest. In the small hall, was his plan, wooden arm-chair, and five small prints; one, of tohim77f "? '"^ '"^ Baatile. which was s nt two oIcl.fa8h,o„ed English hunting scenes, and two of the defence of Gibraltar. How English he mu" have been m his tastes, until ill-treatment estra^^i a short distance from the south side of the house upon the same rising ground which overlooks the river' I s enclosed by a high wall, and the entiance-gate of ^o„ luihng .3 kept locked. I„ a .small chami n fron are deposited two ornamental sarcophagi of stone; the remains are deposited in an interior vfllt of which only the entrance is visible. Outside he' entrance-gate are two white marble obelisks! re conlmg the virtues of some others of the Washingt^, the'^'Ib'of" w\' T ""' " """=■' "'--<' -"• FrlikZ ;L T" "^ ^ ™» ""h "-"t of ,/ T . ,T " " '^™"0'«n'l exclusive air about It. The heraldic bearings in the mansion, the whl wnich IS not to be witnessed elsewhere In saying this, no comparison whatever is made be ween the character, of the two individuals. Washinr ton was, by birth, „f a certain class, and his familv :^: 128 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. grated from England during Cromwell's time (in 1657) From this, and especially from the part of the country they came to (Virginia), it may be inferred they were Royalists. So much the more credit then is due to him for not having stood by his '« order." Perhaps no character less disinterested, less pure less noble, than Washington, could ever have brought the American people successfiilly through the arduous contest in which they were engaged. By the clear light of contemporaneous history, he stands forth among the ambitious knaves of his class-the CjBsars and the Napoleons— like one of those lofty figures of the age of fable, whom, as the old poet tells us,— Ztls Kpovldps TTot^cre 8iKai6rtpoy Kal Spuou, AvSpuv fipwuv Bfiov ytvos. He snatched no crown from his confiding followers he quartered no family of idlers upon the public for ever, he refused all pecuniaiy recompense, he served no private ends. And for this his countrymen, a nation of democrats and levellers, yet hallow his memory with a veneration approaching to idolatry, and write beneath the feet of his statues, " The father of his country." Here the « factious," the revolutionist of Europe whom the fear of bayonets and dungeons couVl not subdue, stands awed and humbled, and sinks into a quiet citizen. Would you crush the " revolutionary hydra,' as it is called? Be self-denying, like him. Ihe Mount Vernon estate is now (February, 1854) to be sold, and it is proposed that Government should buy It, not for the purpose of building a mansion THE PRESIDENT. 120 not thomipon, an.l cndovviiig tl.o fh?nily with it, and tlio Washington honours, that men for over hereafter niav be provoked to contrast the qualities of the fonnd.'r with those of his insignificant descendants, but to buihl there public colleges and schools, so as to teach the young, while sitting within sight of his grave, to imitate his great example. Which of these two is the preferable mode of honouring the illustrious dead? No traveller leaves Washington without seeing the President, so, like all the rest of the world, I deter- mined upon a visit to the great man. " No need of an introduction, everybody goes that likes," said all the folks of whom I inquire.1. Having, then, ascertained the proper day and hour, I bent my steps to the White House, and had some difficulty in finding on which side the entrance lay, until a man, who was digging in the garden, sliowed me. I walked in, the doors being open, and in a passage met a plainly-dressed man, of whom I asked the way. He pointed with his finger, and I went onward, through three or four doors, open or ajar, until I came into a large room, where a number of people of both sexes were standing in groups, talking. I stood but for a moment, when a person came up and shook me by the hand. He had so little about him of that manner which some call the dignified, and others the consequential, according as they are pleased or not with it, that I at first thought he must be the " Fadladeen " of the scene; that is to say, the master of the ceremonies, or intro- ducer of some kind. But that I might not he wrong, I said, " Have I the honour of s])eaking to the Pie- K 130 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. «iclcnt?" He replied, «Yos; I am the President," and tlien inquired my name, and most courteously in- trodueed me to Mrs. Pierce and two or three other ladies. Verily, those two great ills of life, which the poet tells us exasperate man to self-murder, "the proud man's contumely," and « the insolence of office," are in this country unknown. Jle did not appear tall, hnt of an intelliirent countenance, and I should have I'kod to hear him speak, which he appeared inclined to do, but the bonnets had mustered strong, and per- mitted no one to talk but themselves, so I made my bow and retired the way I came. I could not help pausing at the threshold, and turning round to survey the scene before me, for it was most impressive. Not a single soldier, not a solitary i>ol,ceman, not one livery was to be seen, but only a tew ordinary mortals in every-day dresses, passing in and out, by families together, as though It were the village doctor they had been to chat With. The stars had not left their spheres to illumine the chambers of Washington. Those celestial visitants were here unknown ; and the ribands, except those that administered to the weaknesses of women and children, reposed quietly in the haberdashers' shops What a contrast to the Old World, both in Europe and Asia ! ^ Had I there wished to see the ruler of a country what an affair of importance it would have been ! First,' I must have found some one to introduce me, that It might bo known I was a fit person to appear in the 'esidont," oualy in- Bo other iho poet b' proud ice," are ear tall, iM have incluied nd per- I made Id, and , for it not a ?en, but dresses, though io chat ine the isitants those m and shops. Europe )untry, First, ^ that in the A COMPARISON. 13 j wl ose only business on earth is to work and pay taxes and who are no more to be admitted into CouS time, I bad wended my way through swarms of fierce tZT ""' ,''™'""^ '^y"^"''- «"" through anlC crowd m motley garb, looking as though tireylad ome from the stage^ompany of Astley'^ th n'ev^J form I had to undergo, and circumstance of the occasion would be such as to imply that I was tt »n.mal of an inferior species ushered Into the prin ^ of an earthly deity. For that, the kneeling; ITl^t the term " Majesty " itself wa, made. ^ What mean these challenges of trumpets and these flounshmgs of sabres ? What, but the basting o tl e sronger and plundering party over the weaker and plundered There, too, stand the knights of tl^ Tb ■n w,^ »d gowns, who are hired to provt that whalt^ But, besides the Idol, and the drums and trumn. *, soundmg, and the heroes and heroines in melo-draZuc ostume, there is a ragged and dirty crowd outsd the background of the picture." They are free per haps, but they are ignorant and degraded. -LZ'^ too; because you placed ignominy upon them at their b^rth, and made their childhood familiar with shamT You taught them that neither should industry "o good conduct ensure respect. Respect! that was for the h,gh-bor„, and not for such as they. The,« they 8 and lookmg on. the hereditary fags and drudges at the hereditary and privileged idlers. So close up E 2 132 THIi: UNITED STATES AND CANADA. your ranks and seiul for more policemen, for no ono knows wliat may liappon. Turn now to this un^iuirdcd man with open doors. Like Prosper he has a spell that has hushed the storm of human passions, and left him more tranquil and secure than hedges of bayonets and sabres. For a thousand miles and more, in each direction, as far as the land extends, arc peace and industry to be seen. In these j)arts des|)eradocs cease to be desperate, and conspirators no longer conspire ; and why ? Because every man knows in his heart that he is fairly and impartially dealt by, and the spell that has lulled his angry feelings is the simjde one of " Justice to all." There is no other part of this wide earth, where such a scene could be witnessed ; no other people that bear such a warm love to their institutions, and they " know the reason why." " The Government by all for the good of all" is their favourite after-dinner toast, the sentiment of their hearts. " Look on this picture and on that," — both matters of fact, and the one no more of theory and Utopia than the other — and then say, which of the two comes nearest to common sense, and which to harle- quinade ? President Pierce deserves the thanks of the human race for the order forbidding his diplomatists to put on livery. If they do not associate, so much the better, for in that society they might be corrupted. The example, for instance, of a successful conspirator living in luxury is not a good one to be paraded before the eyes of honest rei)ublicaiis. WAR AND MONATICTIY. 133 This plain drossiiiir of tlicirs may, pcrliaps, read tlio world a lossoii, the same kind of lesson that the modest woman's apparel is to the extravagance of the harlot. When Benjamin Franklin in his suit of drab appeared among the brilliant costumes of the Court of Louis, any one, without much foresight, might have con- jectured that the beginning of the end was at hand ; and even John Hull himself, that superb flunkey, were lie to meet the plain American niinister, immediately after an unpleasant interview on the r)th of April, might be led to ponder — It is this contrast with what they have been accus- tomed to, that tills Americans with sur])rise when they visit foreign countries. Letters from Europe, published in their pa])ers, speak in this way : — "The life of these people is in display — liveries everywhere, wherever they can be seen — coaches with escutcheons emblazoned on their panels so large they might serve for the signs of country inns." Many intelligent men have told me they considered the European system to be about breaking up ; that the extravagance of the privileged orders has brought most of them to the verge of bankruptcy, and thus rendered it impossible to go to war. But war is essen- tial to the very existence of monarchy, for it rests upon the two bad passions of man, his vanity and ferocity. The first great robber, or pirate, or conspirator, who- ever began the game, has bribed the lesser fighting men to his side by the promise of spoils and privileges. And so the game has gone on from age to age. Take away the excitement, the glory, the music, the ribands, ^mmmmmmmsm 134 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. and the longer the time of tranquillity lasts, the more will men reflect, the louder will be heard the cries of the degraded and excluded classes at its wrong. There is, however, one great mistake in the system pursued here, and that is, the leaving so large an amount of patronage in the President's hands to be distributed as rewards for electioneering services, instead of devising a well-regulated course of promotion, that should recognise the claims of merit and long services. The less spoils, too, there are, the less intriguing there will be, and the less chance of fighting for them. Moreover, there are two capital faults in the consti- tution itself. The first of these is the proviso, by which every State returns members to the Legislature, in proportion to the numbers of its white population' plus three-fifths of its slaves. But these slaves are mere goods and chattels, and have not even a nominal vote. It would be quite as reasonable that three-fifths of the horses, pigs, and oxen in the State should count. However this favoured the lords of the South, and they got It inserted. The next fault is in the composition of the Senate, which consists of two members from each State, so that the smallest has as much influence as the largest. Wherever this is the case, a sinister influence must arise, the influence of those who have more to gam by corrupt government than by good. Barring this objection, the mode in which the senators are chosen appears happily devised. The two local Houses of the Legislature in each State must concur in the choice of an individual, /. e. the absolute majority of each must be in his favour. About one- third of the Senate is replaced every two years. PEERS AND SENATORS. 135 The Earl of Derby, when he made a defence of the British House of Peers, at Liverpool, did not undertake to show that the hereditary principle, in virtue of which nine-tenths of the members of that House take their seats, was a wise one, but he brought forward an instance of a non-hereditary member (Lord St. Leonards), an admirable instance no doubt, but the effect of choice, which is so far analogous to the prin- ciple of democracy, that it allows the claims of personal merit. Whereas, the point which it was de-Jrable to clear up was, whether the hereditary principle is the best that could be devised, for ensuidng a supply of able legislators. This, however, any one can do for himself by comparing the non-hereditary with the hereditary members of the present House of Lords, or by going a little back into history, and comparing the founder of the family, the first non-hereditary member, with his descendants. It is not necessary to mention any names. They must occur to every one. Political economy would dictate that the best method of obtaining a supply would be to leave the market open to competitioii, instead of giving it into the hands of an hereditary close corporation. The composition of the Senate, as might be expected, is excellent. Of 56 members that were sitting in it, during my stay at Washington, 43 belonged to the category of "my learned friends," — and it is to the ])redominance of this sect that the good working of the American constitution may be attributed. If wrongs and grievances are somewhat to " my learned friend's " taste, assault and battery are not at all so, and by his superior powers of elo(pience he takes care to impress 13(5 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. upon the peoj)le a salutary horror of such violent pro- ceedings. It is mainly through his exertions that the nation obtains a better notion of right and wrong, a clearer idea of political rights and duties, than any com- munity upon earth. Should hereafter a diflferent state of affairs arise, and rival generals throng the legislative chambers, it might end in mischief, but the j)robability of that appears to be guarded against by the establishment of the federal instead of the central- ising system. The superiority of monarchical to republican govern- ment is considered in most parts of the world to be so well proved, that nothing can be said upon the subject. Yet it may be doubted whether the proof be not of that kind which the Edinburgh Review calls " finding out premises for preconceived conclusions" that the few who profit by the system have unscrupulously made use of venal advocacy to support their views, and that failing them, have resorted to the more cogent logic of persecution. Most people remember how Edmund Burke's senti- mental letter upon the French Revolution was Re- warded by a comfortable pension; but we know not what admirable things he might have said upon the other side of the question, if the comfortable pension had been there. Comparisons are constantly made to the disadvantage of the ancient republics; but before the invention of the printing-press no means were available by which the mass of mankind could receive a sufficient educa- tion to fit them for choosing legislators. They were conseciucntly, more at the meiey of ambitious and' KOMAN DIVINITIES. 137 designing men. Add to this, that tliey had the worst form of a republic, namely, the slave-owning. Yet, notwithstanding, the old republics will favour- ably compare with cor temporary monarchies, which was all that could be expected of them. If the one had its dis Tuers and civil wars, so also had the other, and time, that puts an end to all things human, has not been more sparing to the empire of Xerxes, than to the small communities of Greece. Which of the two has left the brightest remembrance behind it, and what is known of the former but its extravagant luxury ? Again, the republic of Rome, after having lasted several hundred years, and brought the country to an unparalleled state of prosperity, ceased. The Empire succeeded, and with it began the "Decline and Fall" the process of inversion. Did monarchy put an end to civil wars and disturbances ? For a time it did, because, as the historian says, the warlike spirits had all been killed oflr, either in the field, or on the scaffold, and the rest were ready to submit to anything to escape their present miseries, — but during succeeding generations did it? When the actors in these scenes of debasement could not obtain from the peoj)le that degree of re- spect to which their own vanity told thctn they were eiititled, they hit upon a notable ex])edient. They made themselves divinities. The device was by no means new, but it was new at Rome, and from her has de- scended that extravagant worship of royalty uliich is seen among the nations of Europe. The most wonder- ful thing is, that the worship should have remained so long after the belief in the divinity has ceased. ■WWWill 138 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. Fi'esideiit Pierce, then, ami his Oovernment do not stand upon that vantage ground of delusion, which has been denominated by the gods "prestige," and by plain mortals " humbug." It was necessary to clioose another, principle on which to proceed, and that principle has been — "Justice to all, and no exclusive privileges to any." Whether this form of government will be lasting is more than can be asserted, seeing that all human things have hitherto passed away ; but that it has, more than others, a chance of being so, we may infer from this, that it is at present the only one that can hold the people together, and they are not likely to become more manageable as the population becomes more dense. Indeed, one great cause of civil war, viz. an obnoxious ruler, has been removed by the very nature of their institutions. Perhaps some may be inclined to believe thiit it would have saved England, at several junctures in her history, from long civil wars, and their attendant mise- ries, if, by similar institutions, a simple vote of the people could have dismissed into private life the first Charles and the second James, to say nothing of others in the series, who perhaps, under the circumstances, would never have been brought into notice. And lastly, under such circumstances, it never could have come to pass that one man, tinged with foreign ideas of despotism or prerogative, and not remarkable for sound- ness of intellect, but the reverse, should have been able to effect the lamentable separation of the two great branches of the British race. Whatever be President Pierce's pohcy, it is strictly American. He has no ENGLISH AND AMERICANS. 139 royal cousins in foreign parts, and can never involve his country in quarrels about families and dynasties. The American constitution, too, appears better adapted for spreading, and holding distant possessions, than the English, which, besides having its share of civil wars and disturbances, appears peculiarly ill adapted to retain dominions of the kind. If 1000 Americans are found to- gether in the wilderness of the far west, in California or Oregon, they meet and pass laws, levy rates and taxes, elect officers, and build schools and churches. Moreover^ if they are attacked by the savages, as every man is well acquainted with the use of arms, the militia is called out for defence. They wait, under the name of terri- tory, until their population is sufficient to entitle them to admission into the Union. They are no expense to the mother-country, and no one ever dreams of sepa- rating from her. Now turn to the English, just landed upon a distant shore, and as helpless as children, if not actually, at least assumed to be so, for they cannot govern them- selves, but must have a governor, soldiers, and a suite of functionaries, all appointed by the Crown. As they grow in strength, they become dangerous as enemies. Then bickerings begin between the colonists, and their masters or guardians, the root of all which is that they are ruled by people not of their own choice, who are independent of them, and treat them cavalierly. To this are added the embittered feelings of an excluded and degraded caste, towards their hereditary masters.* * The Earl of Elgin has lately discovered that wo have two advantages over the Americans. (See his speech at Dunfermline in Tinm Newspaper, February 5. 1865.) The first is, that "the 140 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ^ Cardinal Bodini, whom I had before seen at New York, was also at AVashington, dliring my stay there. He exhibited himself in full costume at one or two parties, for the edification of members of Congress. During the first part of his tour in the country, he was received with much 6clnt; but latterly the Italian refugees at New York published an account of his cruel- ties to republicans while Governor of Bologna, which changed the public sentiment towards him, and he slunk away on board ship without any one knowing when or how. While at New York, on a visit to a large charity head of the State represents the unity of the nation— represents those great and permanent interests that unite us." I am at a loss to know what interest the monarchy represents, except its own and its favourites'! Milton says, that monarchy has but in one respect the same interest as the people. It wishes them to get rich that it may be able to fleece them the better. The second advantage his Lordship lias pointed out, is that, with us, Government retired, when a motion in Parliament was carried ftgamst them, but the Americans are saddled with a President for four years, and " I defy them to get rid of him. or his ministers, if he chooses to keep there." Had the noble Earl taken the trouble to look at the American constitution before he made this remark, he would have seen, that the President, and his ministers too, may he removed from their situa- tions, Nay more. He appoints his ministers by the advice and with the consent of the Senate. If he reject a Bill that has passed the Legislatures, and they repass it, it becomes law without his consent. The only fair comparison would be between the heads of the two countries, the one usually changed every four years, the other inheriting the people as a family property, and not to be removed without civil war, even if he be the vilest ^f mankind. I.cally, the Republic docs make British Officials very uneasy. ENGLISH AND AMERICANS. 141 school (at RandoH's Island), the children were made to go on then- knees before him, which excited a good deal of indignation. It was indeed beginning rather early, and in the wrong part of the world, to lay claim to divine honours. "wwmn 142 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. CHAPTER XI. From Washington, where the winter was very mild and we were beyond the limits of sleighing, I went once more by rail to Baltimore, and thence to Philadelphia. Since I had heard the eloquent discourse of the preacher there, on the 24th of November, I had travelled up to this time (February 8th) several thousand miles over great part of the Union, and was now better able to judge, than I had been before, of the future of the American people. There can be no doubt that the republic, even if she do not extend her present limits, will attain in the course of 100 or 150 years to an amount of wealth and population, which the world has never yet witnessed in any one nation By the census of 1850 we learn that she has now in round numbers, 3,000,000 of square miles, nearly ten times the area of the United Kingdom and France combined. The whole of this lies south of 49° N. lati- tude, and without the tropic, and is fitted for the growth of that most productive kind of grain, the maize, or Indian corn, whereas the whole of Great Britain and the north of France are beyond its limits The powers of this plant in supporting a dense popu- lation are well known. I have seen them estimated as equal to those of potatoes, and, at least, they are double those of wheat. From the meteorological data afforded by the charts of the Smithsonian In- THE HIVE WITlfOTTT ITS DRONES. 143 stitution, Washington, we find that the conditions of heat and moisture, requisite for its growth, are to be found, with very little exception, over the whole area. Besides, the mineral wealth is enormous, probably to that of Great Britain, as the respective areas of the two countries, especially in the items of coal, iron, and copper. Not less remarkable are its unrivalled means, of water communication. The Mississippi alone, and its tributaries, are said to have 25,000 miles of river fitted for steam navigation. The inhabitants, too, are of the same British race, the sons of the men of Birmingham, Liverpool, Man- chester, and Glasgow, who have the steam-engine for their familiar spirit ; the same fishermen and seamen, shipwrights, farmers, and labourers, the strength of the empire without its incumbrances, the hive without its drones. At a very moderate estimate, then, we might consider the above area would finally contain a popula- tion per square mile equal to that of France and the United Kingdom, which would give a total of more than 600,000,000 persons. But if on account of the evil of slavery, which will always operate as a draw- back, we should reduce that by one-half, it still gives 300,000,000, and the third of this, or 300,000,000, it may be expected to attain about the commencement of the next century. There is, then, a great, but there is also a double future before the American people. This immense power may hereafter display itself to the world as a model of good government and peaceable progress, or it may take, like Rome, to dreams of conquest, and become a nuisance to the rest of mankind. In the first case, it 144 THE UNITKI) STATRS AND rANAl>A. would be necessary tl.at it sI.ouM ^ot rid of slavery, n tliinn. not so very difficult to u uatiou, like them, of resolute purpose, eveu with compensation to tlie owners. Fron. the census. I perceive, tliat in the three western States of Texas, /.rkansas, and Missouri, the total number of slave childre^i under one year old was m 1850, about 5300; the worth of these would be about 100 onck-' and "man „™„." The Chivalry it is tha^ .3 warhke, and fond of glory, striving to incrme he government naval, and military establishmel t a s Id e children may (as one of their own papera telb o, that of the quarter-deck and the parade gronnd • een temen of high descent are they, and not the iX tnons farmei-s and artisans of the North, who work wul tl.en- own hands. If there is anything that n>akes t ' .■epnbhe work badly, and may hereafter prodle „ eh.et, ,t ,s this system of slavery. The evil h ^1 1 -tin the new institutions themselves, u t L 'Ito I' n>ed.a.val n.stitution has not been extirpate.l, il™ pat,ble a. ,t is with the rest, and producing aZZ •ahsed upper, and a degraded lower ch.s. The accoT pLshed gentleman, duellist, and gan.bler. ■^.li^n .T: tens, su, profusus," isjnst the stuff foraco; to ' It .s true the Northerners have been accused of" filli bustenng too, for .sympathising in the troubles of Cana^ L 2 148 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. but the name has been applied to them either from ignorance or malevolence. They are still Englishmen by race, whose orators talk to them of " glorious old John Hampden." They knew what a blessing they had themselves obtained, and they wished to assist their brethren struggling for it, upon the same principle that a man escaped from drowning lends a hand to his neighbour yet in the water. The fillibusterism of the South is a different thing altogether; it is a hankering after neighbours' goods. The planters are struck (like King Ahab with the vineyard of Naboth) at the rich- ness of the sugar estates of Cuba, and, especially since the late Mexican war, have to some extent succeeded in stirring the warlike spirit of the people. If an Englishman speaks on the subject, he is immediately answered by pointing to the vast conquests of his countrymen in the East, and an intimation that the Americans intend to follow their example. Whatever course they may take, it appears extremely impnident for the English Government to intermed- dle in the affair. But it is said they have already guaranteed Cuba to Spain. If they have done so, they have incurred the risk of plunging into a war with a powerful nation, which is inclined to be our best friend ; and the English people may have to spend their money, and shed their blood, to uphold the rights of the Crown of Spain, and the order of Grandees. Verily, one would think that our hereditary rulers still take their cue from the observation of King James to Chan- cellor Jeffries— " that it has become the fashion to treat kings disrespectfully, and they must stand by their order." BIRTHDAY OF WASHINOTON. 149 I left Philadelphia after a sliort stay there, and ar- rived onee more at Kew York. We had great difficulty m passing the rive« on the way, by reason of the quan- ^y of ice m them. At New York, the birthday of Washington (22nd February) was celebrated with Lit enth„«,a,„. xhere were parties of soldiei. in variou costume, and paintings, some of them allegorical, were arried about in prceession-sad subjects'of contem! I' ation to an Englishman, as may be supposed. But what surprised me most, was to see some troops inZ Jlress of the Revolution. What an old-fashio' dE g! . h dress It was, and might have made one think thfy had been disentombed ! The coats were blue with buff facings, breeches bnif or leather, and top-boots, the old hveo' of the Whigs, and the same that Washington wore. F„, hat they had on that kind of three-corn^red head-piece, which, in England, i. used only by digni- taries ecc Wical, which the profane denomLtf a ' shovel ; ■ and not only that, but the whole cut of th! dress, reminded us of those biographies of the eighteenth centuiy where the worthy himself is portrayed in the frontispiece. The equestrian figure in Cavendish Square! London, IS an instance of the kind. It is said and with truth, that there is a quantity of mffiamsm m New York-perhaps not more than in most large cities; but t have heard travellers, in conse- qneuce, express apprehension of the ultimate success of American institutions. The alarm is groundless; the native American character much resembles the Swiss, m being self-relying. industrious, and orderly. Nearly five-s.xths of those who are imj.risoned at Now Ifork are foroiguoi-s, or free coloured peoj.le. Thus 150 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. there were received or discharged from the city prisons (police prisons) durin|r the years 1850-61-52, a total of 68,456 persons, of which only 12,522 were native white Americans, 3757 coloured people, and 52,177 foreigners. m the whole of the prisons I visited in New York I found that for equal numbers of the population of each class the number of native white Americans was to the others : : 1 : 5-56 for the coloured, and 1 : 4-42 for the foreigners. I have extracted from a New York paper the following: "The whole number of places in this city where alcoholic liquors are sold, is 7130: 1043 are kept by Americans, or persons calling themselves such; 8270 by Germans; 2327 by Irish ; 235 by other foreigners- 233 by women, and 22 by coloured people. Open on Sunday, 5893 ; drinking places where boxing-matches are allowed, 11; resorts of thieves, 126; resorts of prostitutes, full 500; billiards, 216: dance-houses of prostitutes &c., 162; dog-fights allowed in 6 ; rat-killino- allowed in 4 ; cock-fighti'ig allowed in 7." Now the county of New York (including the city and a small district round) had in 1850 a total number of native white Americans, 260,743~of foreigners, 240,989. It is not, then, to her own institutions that the chief city of the republic owes this mass of profligacy, but to the different monarchies of Europe, whose degraded children have been trained up to dissipation by the pernicious example of the privileged idlers they have been taught to venerate. Let us, at least, put the saddle on the right horse. This corrupt element is now a large one, and in- creasing year by year from the emigration. It will be THE COKBUPT ELEMENT. 15] curious to observe how far it may influence the future of the repubhc, and how far the institutions may .l,c- ceed in amalgamating and changing it. Jefferson ap- pears to have had some apprehensions on the subject when he wished that a sea of fire could separate ht country from the Old World, and cut off all communi cation with it.* i^mmum- Another comparison may be drawn between the city of New York m a free State, and that of New Orleans Hi a slave State. Let us see what results this will give us. Onr data on this subject are imper^fct, but, from a pohce report published at New York, we know that 3581 pc.^ons were arrested there during the month of December, 1863 ; while a; the city of Net Orleans, from a Similar authority, during the same period, 2078 r ere 7ur,L "^''t '"l"' >'"P"'^«»»' *'-". "{ New ^ork \T. ' " " ""^ ""'"''<»• ai-i-ested there (35811 :: 100 000 ■. 695. The total population of No: Orleans liiy,40U) IS to the number arrested there (2078^ :: 100,000 : 1739; and 695 : 1739 ::1 • 2 5 From this it would appear probable that the popu- lation of he slave States is more disorderly and crimi- nal than that of the free States. Notwithstanding, the organs of the slave party are accustomed to boast much of their superior morality and absence of crime, which IS in some degree apparent in the prison returns, but which I beheve to be principally owing to the sparse- ness their populations, which renders concealment diftcult, if not impossible. Walking about the streets of New York, you occa- * Since this was written the Know-nothing movcmont has arisen to meet the difficulty. "^ovomont lias 152 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. sionally meet with a pole stuck up on the side of the way, longer than the maypole of an English village, m some eases as tall as the mast of a large ship, and on the head of it is a huge cap of liberty, gilt and burnished. These liberty poles were, at the com- mencement of the troubles with the mother-country especial favourites of the people, and parties of soldiers were despatched to cut down the « emblems of the factious" by way of extirpating national sentiment. i>unng the montli of January, 1854, a large steamer, with United States troops on board, which had left the eastern coast for California, encountered a severe storm, in which the vessel nearly foundered, and great part of her passengers were washed over- board. A small merchantman, belonging to Glasgow took off great part of the survivors with considerable risk, as the storm continued raging, and brought them to New York. The whole city was stirred to wel- come and honour the deliverers. Public meetings, dinners, balls, were given to that « brave and generous man" the captain, as they called him. How strong is human sympathy for noble actions where institu- tions have not diverted it to the accidents of birth and wealth ! In other countries an equal emotion might have been felt, provided he had belonged to the privileged class, not else. While I was at New York I visited the Sailors' Home. As I had seen the one at Liverpool just before leaving England, a comparison between the two was not without interest, as it showed tlie different modes of going on in the two countries. At Liverpool the house was much larger, and a better specimen of THE SAIIOES' HOME. Ig3 architecture; but I was rf.own into a hall, and could proceed uo further, because, as I was iufonned, the men were unwilling to have their privacy disturbed by Visitors. Ihe rules were strict, attendance at prayer ZZl^- Tn """"'"^ '""'« ""■"I'-'^o'-y. the system dictate ml, hke everything of the kind, in a country wheie the labounug class are supposed to be incapable of managing for themselves, and are to be kept for over „, a state of tutelage. With room for 700, they had not above 100 in the house. At New York wtZ''Tl, ^ T'"^ "'" readiug-room of the estal bhshment, the Captain Superintendent, whom I had mqu,red for came up, shook me by the hand, and said, We are al sittmg down to dinner, will you join us?" with a frankness that reminded me of the times of ancient Greece, when the poet told them they "should exercise hospitality, for by so doing some had enter- tamed the gods unawares." There was no jealousy of a dominant class here. All dined together one or two captains, and one or two mates with their wives who boarded m the house, among them. Why, in Eugland, the very same folks would have been as Wgetty about their respective " dignities » as a parcel of Chinese mandarins. Like Nupkins's servants they wo^d have "the boy and the gal as does the dirty woA to dine .11 1 u. washus," and not sit at table with them. I went all over the house, which was clean and comfortable. In the reading-room was a colfl t^on of voyages, sermons, and essays, principally upon "temperance. Prayei-s morning and evening, but attemhnce not compulsory. Liquor not allowed to be brought into the house. Inmates CO, there l«ing iSS^! 154 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. room for 250, but the house in general wcll-filled. At present, owing to an unusual demand for seamen, they do not stop above a day or two. My stay in this country has also enabled me to explain a difficulty in the question of alms-giving For when you meet with abstract political economists, they are apt to tell you, that the giving alms is hurtful, as it teaches people not to rely upon their own resources, but to seek aid from others. Yet here the charitable provisions for the poor, which prevail to so great nn extent, do not appear to have checked in any way the industry and self-reliance of the people. A man has some sense of shame aroused in him at receiving from another, if that other be his equal ; but change the circumstances, make that other his superior a great personage, and all reluctance to receive is taken away. _ I heard here a remark I have often heard made m England, namely, that office spoils a man ; that they get such exaggerated ideas of their own importance after a short period, that they are only fit to be turned out. It IS not, then, true that the people are fickle, but that office-holders grow vain and conceited New York is not only the largest city of the Union, but the most wealthy. In the first of these respects It IS nearly equalled by Philadelphia, the population ot this latter being somewhat over 400,000, and of the former 500,000; but in the second item, that of wealth, and wealth concentrated in a few hands it stands alone. It is to be regretted there should 'be seen m such a country as this a participation of the follies of the Old World. The press, however, remaiks SERVILE CLASS. 155 very freely upon tliem. The census affords us a moans of comparing the amount of ostentatious living here with that of other countries in one respect, and that is of servants. The number of domestic male servants in the free States was, in 1850, 1C,C99 for 13,434,922 inhabitants, while Great Britain had, in 1850, out of 21,121,967 inhabitants, 133,622 domestic male ser- vants. St. Petersburgh, as was stated in a paper read before the Statistical Society, had 68,000 domestic male servants to a population of 448,723. These per- centages are respectively = 0-12, 0'63,and 14; but that for St. Petersburgh is probably higher, as being the capital, than it would be for the whole country. Altogether, New York bids fair to become a city of good taste. Yet if it be that, it will be nothing else,— lectures and meetings will become a dull and tiresome way of spending the evening, and the theatre, the song, and the dance will be preferred. If there is anything that strikes a traveller as excellent in this country, next, of course, to their per- fectly free and fair elections, and the impartial system of taxation which is the result of them (a taxation which is laid upon property, and not upon poverty), it is the strong tie of sympathy ana brotherhood that pervades all— the manner in which the rich and leading men spend their time among the poorer classes, lecturing, guiding, and instructing them. And this may be attri- buted, in no small degree, to those institutions which, according to the historian (Bancroft), regard the acqui- sition of wealth itself as secondary to the diffusion of it, to the absence of all distinctions of rank and degra- dation, which estrange man from man, as though they 160 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. wore different species of animals, and to the people bomg the sole source of power and advancement in public life. « My learned friend " can find a leisure hour to give his young neighbours a lecture on political rights and duties, when those neighbours may hereafter assist in making him a senator, a governor, or a judge. If the c-rcumstance of a very small proportion of the offices of State, such as the judgeships, being thrown open to the competition of the people, is sufficient to render one monarchical country dis- tinguished among others for progress and intelligence how great must be the effect, when not a small frac- tion, but the whole, governorships, seats in the Senate as well as seats in the Legislature, are fully and fairly thrown open to all ? It is this which makes the United States what they are, and not education alone. The free coloured race, too, partake of education, but It little profits them. There is that one thing wanting which remained at the bottom of Pandora's box of evils, and that is-hope. Their lot is, to be for ever in the background. Instead of finding fault with what is wanting here there is rather cause for wondering that so much has been done already, considering that two and a half centuries ago the plough had never touched its soil. In conversation with an Amer". an one day about the proposed railway to the Pacific, and the little probability there was of its ever paying a dividend, he answered me it was the case, but that rich men in his country were obliged to spend their money in promot- mg public enterprises, or they would lose all weight and consideration in the community. WORKINO MEN. 167 Another peculiar excellence was pointed out to me, in the large number of men of capital here, who put on the working dress and work with their men. Cor- tainly, men do work more cheerfully and good- humouredly here than anywhere else. I also under- stood it was the custom of employers here to divide their capital into small shares, and to encourage their work])eoplc to save money and purchase into them, so as to have a stake in the concern. I have found this country much belied as it is repre- sented at home, and the reason, which I have adverted to elsewhere, is evident. Fadladeen and all his family, in gilded jackets and lace, are banished from the soil! Not a herald is there, not a State " Costumier." Why it is enough to bring tears into Don Quixote's eyes. No wonder that republics should be unfashionable. O, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world ! How angry we do get with those who have dared to renounce them ! Passing through the communities of European descent that inhabit this North-American continent, we may remark five distinct classes among them. First, there is in the North-east, the French Canadian, who' represents the fixed ideas of Medieval Church and State. He will never make any great stir in the world. And next to him is the British settler, possessing, in a great degree, the industry and enterprise of'' his republican brethren, but still with certain notions that hold him back ; and thirdly, there are the New Eng- landers, the most democratic of all, among whom the doctrines of liberty, equality, and the brotherhood of 168 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. inan have most prevailed, and they, too, are the most udm.rably governe-!. u. luo- n.oral, the most intellivho may be considered as in transition, we come to the fifth class, the Southerner 3 .1 .ctainin,^ though nom.nally republicans, the time-honoured institution of lords and bondmen, the land divided into large estates, where the proj)rietor administers justice ac- cordmg to his will, ignorance prevalent, labour de- graded, and consequently brutalised. Let us now compare the two extreme systems, by placmg side by side the number of inhabitants to a square mile with which eacli has succeeded in peopling the new Continent, recollecting thai the advantages of sod and climate are in favour of the Southern States- »T ■„ , Number of w . , New England States inhabitants Number of (free). to square Slave States. "'''al"t«'t8 nule. S'** Massachusetts 137'17 M • 1 <1 Rhode Island ... i-jo-o^ it- • • ^ . i^^u& Virginia i23']7 Connecticut 7,s-nft v^-fi /-i t >T TT ,. " J>«orth Carohna... 19-10 New Hampshire ;i9.06 South ,. ...23 87 Of these Maryland has been started by the contact of freedom. It now contains the largest free coloured population of any State in the Union. The railroads in the United States are remarkable for then- great extent (13,000 miles being already completed m 18o3, and some thousands more in progress), and much more from the circumstance that most of them TIELTOIOUS FKETJNO. 159 nro profitMhlo concorns, marking strongly by tl.is tlio superior prudence of the people. Tn England every, tiling was to be done_fbr display, magnifiront archi- tectural stations to be erected, and swarms of servants attached thereto, no money ^.pared, gentlemanly prices given for everything, and dividends = 0. The proportion of religious feeling between the two sexes is about the same in the States, as it is in Enghmd and in the north of Europe generally, that is to say, on eight different occasions when I counted the numbers entering acliurch, they amounted to G95 adult females, and 349 males. Jn England, some years ago, I made a more extended series of observations of the same kind, and found that G157 females entered church for 8022 males. This in- equality of ratio was greater among the wealthy and aristocratic classes (being there nearly 3 : 1) and less among the tradespeople and industrious classes of the towns. The ratio in l^ngland, 2 : 1, is abont the same that prevails in the north of Europe, that is, as for as my observations went, in Belgium, France, and Prussia. To the south-east, or in Lombardy and Italy the ratio approaches equality, and in Greece and Asia there is a predominance_of males. Nothing has gratified me more during my stay than t_o observe the doep feeling of attachment towards the English people , prevailing here, especially in New Eng- land. I say to the English people, meaning thereby to confine the remark to the working and middlino- classes; as for the privileged orders, they think of them much about as a good Protestant does of the Inquisi- tion. ICO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. It was not to bo expected that the descendants of those who have escaped from the tender mercies of the Stuarts, and the press-gangs of George the Third, wouhl have entertained a very h)ving remembrance of their former masters. Perhaps, if the truth were known, the people of the United Kingdom have an equal sympatliy for tlio Americans, as may be inferred from the large number of emigrants that settle among them year by year. It may seem ])aradoxical to say that the last war was partly brought about by American sympathy for the English people. Yet this was the case, for they, too, had read Dibdin's songs, and they loved " Poor Jack." They vowed it was a shame to press him, instead of paying and treating him properly, and that he should find an asylum under their flag. The two parties came out to fight, and bloody work they had of it, but the day was won. Poor Jack will never be pressed again. He has too many and too warm-hearted friends for that. But when he is wanted, those who want liim, must find the means of i)aying for him, either by taking besom in hand and sweeping out the idlers, or taxing some such luxury as " patrimonial timber." Better to lay the axe to the lord's oak, than the lash to the back of the slave. The quarrel, however, was but a family one, which had been going on for many years; indeed, ever since old Cromwell's time. Do not call them Americans. As we are the Englishmen of King Cliai-lcs, they are the Englishmen of John Milton. The numerous towns they called by his name, attest how they honour the memory of that blind old man. THE FREE AND DEGRADED. IfJl Before you condemn thorn, would it not bo prudent to read over again what that same blind oM man has written, and see whether thc>ro be not some sound sense in It; and as a sequel to the inquiry, visit those few parts of the world, such as Switzerland], and the United Mates, where violence and fraud have as yet failed to destroy the republican princi,,le ; a..d, by comparing the condition of the people there with what it is in other countries, find whether that principle be not the only one, which honestly pursues the common weal, whether it be not, wherever established, a blessing to mankind. TheNorthern States yet lack one thing. They have done good by halves only, in leaving the coloured race, as at present, free and degraded. They must take them by the hand, train them in the same schools with their own children, give them equal political rights ; in short, make them one with themselves. For it would be lamentable, if those who have done so much for humanity in putting an end to the follies and super- stitions of the Old World, should raise up for themselves a new aristocracy of race, Anglo-Saxon, or any other. It is the only subject of regret with one now about to quit them, that a people so worthy of admiration, in every other respect, should yet retain a barbarous pre- judice. ' I He who would view the past, as it were, living before Ii.m should go to Asia. There he may see the pure, unadulterated <^tic)vc singe" in all his ignorance, his finery, and his ferocity, such as he was before the dawn of the printing-press. But he who would conjecture M 162 THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. J what the future of man may be, should visit the New World, and observe what philosophy has already done for him. In the New England States he may remark a people who have better notions of fairness and impartiality, and \vho live together more like a society of brothers and friends tlian I have ever observed in any other part of the world ; who are plain in their habits, and inex- pensive, except when ignorance is to be taught, misfor- tune to be succoured, or vice to be reclaimed. Those sounding titles which the natives of Europe whisper with bated breath, those phenomena of cos- tume, which its servile prints cln-onicle among things sublime, move them only to laughter. This, it will be said, is matter of taste ; but, to any one who is not blinded by prejudice, and yet con- scientiously doubts whether a republic be a thing prac- ticable, and not a thing of " closet i)hilosophy," a dream of the sage, I repeat—Go to New England, and see the machine at work ; see whether it has not gone far to banish crime and misery from earth. If you do not, and yet retain your opinion, are you a whit more reasonable than the savage, Avho meets you with a smile of contempt, when you tell him that there are contrivances by which travellers can be carried at 40 miles an hour, and people can converse at 1000 miles apart ? APPENDIX. I CONSTITUTION OP THE UNITED STATES. MhTm" }n '""'^ '""'" •"•"'*''«' i" London, en- r Constitution of the United States compared e r' "■;;• '^ "• ^- ^-menheere. It should have added, „,t,, „„,. ^„„ ^^ ^ ,torf«.,rf,.. fo, t,,„„„,^ wuten ,v,th ability and knowledge of the suhject,'"it yet seems to have been so nnder the prevalence of one '!?; T- f ';''''-'"^™- « EngUsh, is right, and what- ever deviates from th,at, wrong. Every parallel that mijht be drawn favourable to the United States ,s carefully avoided. The subject is altogether one of so much niterest to every Englishman who travels in the States, and mdeed to every one who wishes for ^ood government, that I will take the opportunity of makin. some further remarks upon it, especially on the side o°f tlie question that he has neglected. The author speaks of the" democratical principles of government, "which were not adopted without the gravest misgivings on the part of the „isest men of he Revolution. Mr. Jay, even Washington himself, InTco;,:!"^ "»"" ""^" •^""■■'""^"^'»- "f --"^ We may observe upon this point, that these great men had been bred np as Englishmen, with English Ideas. Now it has always been the policy of a do- minant class, to cultivate .sentiments among the people H 2 1G'± APPENDIX. 'J favourable to its own power. The English aristocracy, having first overcome its rival, the Church of Rome, and next the regal power, could not have adopted a better plan for promoting its own interests than preach- ing up a horror of democracy. Having likewise com- mand of all the avenues to preferment, it brought for- ward to eminence only those whose fidelity to the " Order " could be depended upon. Arguments in its favour acquired new force from the profligacy and igno- rance of the degraded classes, which are to be observed in all monarchical and aristocratical countries. Besides, there was no good example of a flourishing republic on a large scale to be seen. The ancient republics, too, were always triumphantly cited as examples of failure, and it was overlooked, that, since their time, the invention of the printing-press had removed the great obstacle to a Bjstem of equality, by putting a good education in political rights and duties within the reach of all. Without any disparagement, then, of the great men of the Revolution, we may believe that they partook in a degree of the prejudices of their age and country, as, if they had lived two centuries earlier, they would most probably have believed in witchcraft and astro- logy. Whether they would retain the (same opinion now, if they could be brought to life, and see how gloriously their great experiment has succeeded, is another thing. But those who look further into human motives may fancy they perceive in these very misgivings and apprehensions the elements of success. The wealthier classes in a republic find that it will not do to neglect their poorer brethren, as' they cannot CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 1C5 call out soldiers to shoot them down if they should become troublesome; so they cease to talk about 'v,le rabble" and "swinish multitude," and to stand haughtily aloof, and to spend their lives in dissipated foll.es, which are only the more precious to them be- cause they are more exclusive. Then it is discovered that a moral and intelligent people is absolutely neces- sary, and the favourite character becomes ti.e sym- pathiser with the unfortunate, the instructor of 'the young, and the friend of human kind. Talk of civil war, what monarchy can exist without Its beloved guards ? It is under constant dread of in- surrection. The President has not a single policeman The author finds fault with the judicial svstera in the United States, and particularly the election of the judges for a term of years, instead of for life; but this IS yet a subject of controversy among Americans them- selves, ,t has been gradually introduced, and many have assured me that it works much better than ever they expected it would. We must remember that an elec- tion of this kind by the whole people is very different from a nomination in the hands of a privileged order. Of course the lawyers think it wrong that tlfeir claims to public honours and emoluments should, from time to time, be submitted to their fellow-citizens for apnroba- tion or rejection. But though « my learned friends" give most excellent opinions, where they are paid for the same, they are as little likely to give opinions adverse to then- own interests, or the interests of the profes- sion, as any other human beings. The author also cites, with disapprobation, the case of tiie Van Renselaor estate, where the tenants were lie I 166 APPENDIX. enabled to keep possession, by having the power of electing the local officers, through whom alone eject- ment could be made. This seems to be one of those cases where, as the historian observes, the American laws favour the diffusion of wealth, rather thf n the ac cumulation of it among a few. Land mouM seem to have been originally, like light and air, che common gift of God to all ; and the reason why it should have been parcelled out to individuals was for the purpose of cultivatJon. But this does not explain why largo territories should belong to one .individua?, more than he can ever superintend, or even see. In Eng- land it has been allowed that private rights should yield to the public good. The Pope, in the dark ages, gave away whole kingdoms at once, but it is not likoly that rights of the kind would ever be acknowledged in our time. I have lately heard that the Van Renselaer tenants have submitted. As a contrast to the Van Renselaer case might be cited the ejectments in Ireland and Scotland, "where men, women, and children, labouring under fever, have been turned out to die on the roadside, or such a case as this—" The stunted nature of the collier children arises in their coal districts, from the height of the pas- sages they have to traverse, baing frequently not above 30 inches in height. They are harnessed to the corves (waggons) by means of a strap round the waist, and a Cham passing through the legs; thus they go alono- on all fours, like animals ; and this work is done by girls in trousers, as well as boys.—Sub-commissioner. This g^rl IS an ignorant, filthy, ragged, and deplorable-looking object, and such a one as the uncivilised natives of the t; CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 167 prairies woiikl be shocked to look upon." (^' Facts and Figures," Hooper, London, 1842. Article, Colliery Reports, p. 133, ct scq.; see also vignette tliere.) No such cases as these could occur in America, for public opinion would ])revent the ill-treatment of a brother citizen. The rights of property there are tem- pered by the rights of humanity, and so, indeed, they are m England in other kinds of property, such as rail- ways. It is only landlords' riglits that are sacred, be- cause landlords are the dominant class, and everything must be subservient to their wishes. A ride in a com- fortable carriage, inclosed from the open air, is given by Jaw to every poor man who travels by railway, but a right to comfortable food, clothing, and lodging, has not yet been given by the same power to those who labour on tho land. If in America the law sometimes leans to the poor, in England it systematically favours the rich, and the' moral feelings of the two countries vary accordingly. With respect to the right of voting (pp. 40-42) the author having remarked, that infants, minors, insane persons, &c., were always excluded from it, adds— " Who are, or who are not, to be deemed voters is a rr.atter resting on no doctrine of abstract riglit, but held to be M'ithin the discretion and competence of the actual possessors of the franchise, acting under responsibility for the public good." But surely it is rather a far- fetched conclusion to ai-gue, that because some are physically unfit, thciefore the actual possessors of the franchise should have :.io power of excluding whom they please. Sui)posing the. do not act under resj)OTisibility for the public good (and I cannot conceive how it can 1G8 APPENDIX. 1 be asserted that those who cannot be turned out of othce, or punished in any way for what they do, act "mler rosj,onsibiIity)_su,.posing they serve only their elass interests (which is always the case when they are independent of the people), and exclude their fellow- men from power, that they may be able to lay upon hem an unfair share of taxation and other public buruens and thereby relieve themselves,-is this as it should be? The author regards the doctrine that all men are born free and equal as unsound, and so it undoubtedly is, If the mean.ng be allowed, which he has attached to it, namely, that they are equal in pei-sonal qualities. But h,s ,s so ab8u..|, tl,at it is not probable any sane mind would have enten,:.ed it for a moment; we must, I erefore, look fior another. It may be observed that t e declaration ,s, not that all men are equal, but that a 1 men are bm-n equal, by which I understand, that y are equal by birth, or at the time of their birth, wte, the.r quahties are as yet undeveloped, an,l then utnre cou..e of conduct unknown. The phrases Sue a one ,s a gentleman born," or a "gentleman by ^' ';. ="!! r^ **-"' f-". "S"oh a o,. is a gentle- man. Nelson was noble in after life, but he was not born noble. The as,sertio„, then, is only levelled at the doctrme of the heralds, that there is a difference in the blood It denies, for instance, that the sucking baby liould be mvestedwith the honours of a learned jnd«-e becanse some hundreds of years ago the said U'^ orefa her was a learned judge, and merited the honours e obtamed. It de, lares that men shall be iud<.ed bv then- actmns alone, and not by circumstances over which CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 169 they had no control ; that the start shall be fair in life both for the said baby, and for his fellow human unit whose sire rests beneath the sod of the village church- yard; that such public honours shall be dispensed impartially to each as his services may merit, and no degradation be bestowed except for misconduct and crime. Is the doctrine sound now ? At least, if acted on, it would tend to spare the young the sight of idle- ness and frivolity in high places, a sight much more likely to be instructive in its way than any abstract exhortations in another. It is astonishing that so acute a person as the author should have mistaken so plain a phrase. But he has made no such error in favour of the republic ; like the mistake in mine host's bill, it is on his own side of the question.* The author appears to think that property and en- lightenment usually go together; but are not the obser- vations of the ancients rather true on the enervating effects of luxury-that the effect of large hereditary possessions, especially when accompanied with here- ditary honours, is to indispose the m:nd to active exer- tion ? An historian has remarked, thnt under su^h cir- cumstances men return to the instincts of sava-e life such as the chase, and slaughter of wild animafs, and the management of fiery horses. Let any one compare the speeches of the hereditary members of the House of Lords on the subjects of the day, with the essays in the "Times" newspaper and *Tlie declaration of the French National Assembly is "Men ai-e born free, and equal in respect of their rights." the meaning of which IS tolerably plain to any one not determined to pervert it 170 APPENDIX. some other periodicals. But how few of our hereditary legislators are known for their speeches at all, or for the jmrt they have taken in any public measures ! What has fame divulged to the public ear resj)ecting many a one, beyond the feats of his horse in the last great race, and the costume of the "noble owner" himself at the' last Court fancy ball ? The author is under great apprehensions about what he calls the tyranny of majorities, but the sui)reme power must be lodged somewhere, and in two marked instances where such a power has been exercised, it has not worked ill. I allude to the "Maine Liquor" law, forbidding the sale of intoxicating drinks, and the law by which the children of a dissolute man who neglects them may be taken up and jjlaced in the House of Reformation. Both these were objected to by lawyers, as contrary to personal rights, and to natural rights, yet they are both so much approved of, that States which have not yet adoj)ted them are about to do so. The latter has some countenance in English law, as the Chancellor can exercise the power of removing children from their father. There is, too, a third case, where what some would call the honest instincts of the people, sometimes prevent the working ofthe corrupt Fugitive Slave Law. Would the author, in his zeal for legality, have assisted Legree to obtain possession of the slave Eliza, his property, against the efforts of the tyrannical majority ? At all events, it is not probable that a people so moral and intelligent as the Americans will go too far in this re- spect, as the laws are not made by a governing class, so that tyrannical majorities must themselves be liable to CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 171 experience whatever inconveniences are felt from the laws of their own making. He likewise remarks witli disapproval the jealousy en- tertained in the States towards public men of talent, but I should have selected this, above all others, as the most promising symptom of the improvement of mankind. The evil has always been, that the multitude too easily followed designing men of talent, who afterwards be- trayed them. The Americans appear to discriminate better; if they are shy of men of talent, it is probably be- cause they suspect ambitious rogues. Something more than a man of talent is wanted— one who loves mankinu, and not a haughty enemy, who pursues only his own ag- grandisement and the interests of his order. With respect to the selfishness and corruption of Congress (p. 300), the author must surely be aware that no form of government can eradicate the evil propen- sities of human nature ; the whole, then, is, in fact, a question of degree, of greater or less, wlietlier the Russian system or the American, or any intermediate one, is best adapted for checking the rapacity of man, and promoting the public good. He has paraded an instance of the extravagant expenditure of Congress (Note 14). Was he unable to find a parallel instance of lavish expenditure in the British Parliament to place alongside it ? Was it of the States that Sydney Smith penned the following remark ? " Profligacy on taking office is so extreme, that we have no doubt public men may be found, who, for half a century, would postpone all remedies for a pestilence, if the preservation of their places depended on the propagation of the virus." 172 Al'PENDIX. The Amoricans, however, liave tliis advantage, tlint, like a private iiKlividual, they can chancre their agents when they become intoleraUle. Un(K'r other forms of government, the agents defy their emph>yers, and claim an hereditary right to govern. This hereditary right is part and parcel of slavery. It presu])poses that mankind are heritable property, mere goods and chattels, like sheej) and oxen, to be' governed for the benefit of their masters, and as they are heritable, so are they transferable fr< m one ruler to another. The doctrine of perpetual allegiance is from the same source. It suppo.sco the sovereign lord (or slave-owner) hi^ a right or property in the person of his subject, which no act of the latter can render void. It is true there is now and then a fracas in the legis- lative chambers, but I do not remember anything worse in America, than the attack on Mr. Gladstone at the Carlton Club, as described in the newspapers. The slave- owners, it must be confessed, are a lawless set (these descendants of the fine old English gentleman), haughty and fiery, being brought uj) from childhood to brook no control of their will. It is said that they send duellists to Congress, especially to maintain their interests by intimidation. With respect to more serious disturbances, America has fared rather better than her parent since the se- paration. In a period of seventy-eight years (1776 to 1854) she has had no civil war. England, from the period of the Revolution to the present (1G88-1854), or during 16G years, has had four rebellions (1715-1798), and one of these ending in a separation. This is about CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 173 at the rate of a civil war once in forty years. Of lute, as the interests of the peopk have been mor(> attended to, there has been more oniet and contentment. It is not, therefore, fair to j. resent republics as the sole theatres of rows and disturbances. That is the one- sided method '^f argumentation, the finding out the beam in a br> iier's eye, and forgetting the mote in thine oMii eye. The author truly remarks that American statesmen have deteriorated; and this might well be, without their being worse than o' lary mortals. How to ac- count for it, is another thing. Is it not, that times of difficulty and danger make great men, both morally and intellectually ? The mind is roused by perils. The pure and high-minded men of the Revolution had embarked in a contest in which they had at first but little hope of success. They saw that the eyes of the world were upon them, and that, as they were to die, it should be their first object to die without a stain. The old obser- vation was, that adversity is the nurse of virtue. However, republican leaders have generally shown more honesty than others. Witness the refusal of Washington to accept the salary voted him by Congress, and in the last French revolution, the conduct of Cavaignac, Lamartine, and the first ministry after the 24th February, and even the sanguinary actors in the first revolution. It is the monarchical conspirators that plunder the strong box. Examples must go for something, and it is not probable that a nation which has been taught by the models of Washington and Franklin would be as bad as those who have had held out to their venera- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) fe '^o o .^^fk i< 4i 7a 1.0 I.I 50 ■^" 1^ 1:25 i 1.4 6" 2J 2.2 1.8 1.6 w^^ 7 ?•>•. Hiotograpiiic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 87^-4503 '4^ iV iV ^u "'L ^^■f^ #1>- ^'^ '^^^ ^A'. 174 APPENDIX. tion, George the Fourth and Charles the Second. In the case in question, the conclusive proof of the supe- rior probity of the American Legislature is the small amount they raise from the people and the large sur- plus that remains in the Treasury. The author has, with some candour, allowed that corruption is about as rife in the English Legislature as in the American, and instances the peculation in rail- way matters ; but when he excepts the House of Lords, and terms them the "soul of honour," his memory appears to be strangely oblivious upon this point. Has he forgotten the celebrated card-cheating case some years ago, in which one of the "souls of honour" figured as a principal? Surely he must recollect that a member of the same illustrious body, an ecclesiastic of noble birth, was once brought up to a London Police Office on a charge of unnatural crime, and forced to fly the country. If parallel instances could be named in the American Senate, how triumphantly they would be brought forward as arguments against republican institutions ! Has he never read about Nicholas Suisse, the valet of the old marquis, the inti- mate friend of that pillar of Church and State the Quarterly Reviewer — natural consequences as such instances are of the hereditary principle ? Is it not true that in old times the great estates were held of the Crown by tenure of military service, and that the lords have made use of their political power to escape from this and every other public obligation ? Was not the excise first placed upon the nation in lieu of commuted payments due by hol'^ers of lauds to the Crown ; or, in other words, " a tax upon CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 175 every man who earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, to excuse those who hold lands from paying the rent-charge, which was the condition upon which their lands had been granted?" (The Van Renselaer anti-rent movement was nothing to this.) Did not tho same body, at the end of the late war, fix an artificial famine upon the nation during 34 years (1815 to 1849) to keep up rents? Think of tlie deiiths by hunger and the bankruptcies, and the first general in Europe employing his strategetical talents to keep down the insurrection of the starvhig multi- tude. Is he not aware that the House of Lords resisted the abolition of the slave-trade, that hideous traffic in human flesh, after resolutions in its favour had passed the Commons (1792), and thus got its intro- duction deferred for ten long years? He must remember the opinions of the most en- lightened jurists respecting the game laws. Did he find any poachers in the gaols of America? Did he hear of any midnight encounters there with maimings and murders? No; they have not perpetual civil war tJiere about my lord's partridges. Notorious instances of peculation in railway matters are stated of the Lords ; but, granting it to be true that as a body they were less mixed up with railway matters than the Commons, yet there are reasons which may account for this. Railways were trading concerns, and as such, too vulgar for the chivalry to have anything to do with. Besides, they had the spoils of the nation at their feet, and it was hardly worth while to fly at such small game as railways. But if the author really ^ [''^""^■MipiiHnpRP PNni 176 APPENDIX. doubts what they can do in the way of helping them- selves, let him look over the first half a dozen numbers of the Liverpool Financial Reform Tracts. Can he find anything in the United States to match what he will meet with there ? When such instances are stated, n'hat are the poor to think, and what a useless waste of time it is attempting to teach them morality. They will be what the examples of the honoured class set before their eyes teach them to be. Honourable all this, no doubt — very. And here we come to the root of the evil, viz. that honour is after all a faulty and pernicious code of morality. It keeps no faith with the degraded classes. Half the kings in Europe have cheated their subjects. Half the tradesmen in the country could tell of gejitlemen who have never paid their debts. It is the code of a tribe of conquering savages, which makes fighting, idleness, and pleasure reputable, and labour and industry disgraceful. It gives, by the acci- dent of birth, to — " The proud, the mad, the vain, the evil," what is naturally due to good conduct and public services, and thus makes the multitude reflect, like him of ancient days, that they " have cleansed their heart in vaiii." Dignity consists in display ; luxury is virtue, and the merit most sure of reward is that of being an accom- plished flatterer. This is a species of idolatry which sets up false principles, or false gods, to be honoured, and is one great cause of the inferiority of moral character in monarchical peoples. coNsrmmoN op the united states. 177 nJl 'a T ^ "^^^^^ "'"* ">« """-or should liave omitted to compare the modes of choosing members for the American Senate with that adopted for the great majority of the English House of Lords viz hereditary right I can liod no argument ill fa^; ot such 8 system, except the heralds' doctrine of a difference in the blood, which is but another vei^ion of the ancient superstition of a race divine. If, indeed lZr^r\" ""'"' ''''''' ""'■ -"'--8 wisdom,' and free from human weaknesses, beings, in truth, of a superior species, then it would be fiuing and con istenwth perfect fairness and impartiality to all that they should legislate for the rest; but I have failed to discover this race divWe in the society nldch Bnimmel swayed and which 'rhackera- has painter The wonderful circumstance about the superiority is that It IS confined to eldest sons. The younger children and their descendants pass away into the i^ob e t^d and are forgotten. If, i„deed, they havf a li.ht it" aT ?,"'r''-="'""'-^'. that nobody can perce^e After all, the best method of comparing two diff!r„'t edition will give a comparative statement of the annual cost of republican government in the Uni d States, and of monarchy in the United Kingdom Let us have a table in two columns, the one for le Kmgdom, the other for the States, so that the expenses of each may be placed side by side, beginning wtl the monarch and the president, next the royal ImHy and he presidential family, and so on th^ngH ^ cvil list, and the pension list, the diplomacy. :„, a^ N pnnMi mmmmmmmmi'im^imimimmmm^ mmmm 178 APPENDIX. other State departments, and ending with the sums paid in each for education. Having learnt how the public money is distributed in both cases, we should next like to know from what sources it is raised, i. e. what portion from the labouring- class, such as by taxes on malt, spirits, tobacco, tea, and sugar, and what from the upper. And when we have gone through this, we shall be the better able to judge which of the two Governments pursues as its end the common weal, and which the interests of a few favoured families. Or is reasoning only to be applied when it makes against the people? Turn it against the privileged class, and then, in the language of the court-jc nter — " Reason, philosophy, Fiddle-de, diddle-dee." Tt is even a kind of wickedness to do so. " The age of economists and calculators has succeeded, and the glory of Europe is extinguished for ever." Upon the whole, the author has given a work full of valuable information to those who are interested in the subject of America. THE END. Woodfall and Kinder, Printers, Angel Court, Skinner Street, London. in !