^,^^\ V i^ ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) II 1.0 £Bi m 1 1.1 I'^f^ II ^5 1^ ^ ^ ■ — o 'V y Photographic SoHices Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WltSTIR.N.Y. I4SM ( 71* ) •73-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical IVIicroraproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques . > Tschnical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes tachniquas at bibliographiquaa The tot Tha instituta hat attamptad to obtain the bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibiiographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagas in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. D D D D D D D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur r~n Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagte Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restauria et/ou pelllcul4e I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartas giographiques en couleur Coloured inl< (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encra de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relit avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liura serrte peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge inttrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within tha text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutias lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela Atait possible, ces pages n'ont pas M filmAas. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppltmentaires: L'InstStut a microfilm* le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a iti possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la mAthoda normala de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. [~~| Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurdas et/ou pelliculies r~y Pages discoloured, stained or ^oxed/ I I Pages dtcolories, tacheties ou piqu6es I I Pages detached/ The poa oft filnn Ori] beg the sioi oth firsi sioi ori [^ Pages ditachies Showthrough/ Transparence r~n Quality of print varies/ D Qualit* inigala de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du material supplimantaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible The she TIN whi Mai diff enti beg rigli reqi met Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuiliet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6t6 filmies A nouveau de faqon d obtenir la mailleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de rMuction indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X XX ^^-■M V 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed hare hat baan raproducad thanks to tha ganarosity of: Library of tha Pubiic Archives of Canada L'axemplaira fiimA fut reproduit grice k la giniroalt* da: La bibiiothAqua das Archives pubiiques du Canada Tha imagea 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 covere 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 eopropriate. 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 impreasion. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol ^»> (meening "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol Y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les images suivantes ont 4tA reproduites avac la plus grand soin, compta tenu de la condition at de la nettet* de i'exemplaire filmA, et en conformity avac les conditions du contrat de filmaga. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier eat ImprimAa sont filmte en commen^ant par la premier plat et en terminant soit par la darniAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impreeaion ou d'illustration, soit par la second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres axempiairas originaux sont filmAs en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la darnlAre pege qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un dee symboles suivants apparattra sur la darnlAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames ss required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmfo 6 des taux de rMuction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atra reproduit en un seul cliche, 11 est f ilm6 6 partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut an bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaira. Las diagrammas suivants iilustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ■ -N \ i \ I I', ■ « W u '£" >i)t it'll. A RAMBLE THROTTOH THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. BY JOHN SHAW, M.D. F.G.S. F.L.S. AVTHOR OF '* A TRAMP TO THE DiaOINOS," ETC. AS WBLL AS 8EVBBAL FIBOBIJ OF MUSIC FOR THB FLVTB. LONDON : HOPE AND CO. GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. US 1850. f \v II IK SI ci te to tu nc to 1/ ._A_RAMBLEj EERATA. k Page 143, line 3 from bottom, for having read hearing. 344, line 15, for Oveodoxia Regia read Oreodoxa Regia. 844, line 2 from bottom, for Erivdendron read Eriodendron. markable for having met one of those specimens of taciturnity in John Bull too frequently observable in England. We were a party of four heads ; but what the amount of intelligence contained in each might be, was a secret; for unhappily, not being a supervisor, I had no means of measuring the capa- cities of &heir intellectual barrels. It was my in- tention to have broken the silence, but for wishing to see the extent of Johnny's stupidity and taci- turnity, which turned out to be a decided case, for not a word was spoken during the journey. I went to the George Inn, not one of the first in Liverpool, B i J f- it; ( / •if f. i...^y_ li >\ i> ^ "^^^ A RAMBLE, ^C. 8fe. ■ u}'^ , CHAPTER I. m. August 5th, 18 — , I left London for Liverpool by railway, and concluded a journey of 210 miles in seven hours and a half. The excursion was re- markable for having met one of those specimens of taciturnity in John Bull too frequently observable in England. We were a party of four heads ; but what the amount of intelligence contained in each might be, was a secret; for unhappily, not being a supervisor, I had no means of measuring the capa- cities of their intellectual barrels. It was my in- tention to have broken the silence, but for wishing to see the extent of Johnny's stupidity and taci- turnity, which turned out to be a decided case, for not a word was spoken during the journey. I went to the George Inn, not one of the first in Liverpool, 2 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, but quite good enough for a bachelor traveller. The next day at noon I got on board the tender of the Hibernian steamer, and I took possession of my berth, which was not much larger than the coffin I shall one day inhabit, and consequently much too small for a living soul provided with capacious gills and all those remaining physiological contrivances which in their sum total make a man. I, an average man only in my breadth, depth (physical depth), and height, found it so uncomfortably small, that I might be compared to a rabbit in its burrow, or a fox in its hole. The bustle occasioned by 150 passengers with all their luggage getting on board' during a plentiful fall of rain of the drizzly kind, which so thoroughly moistened every thing even to the skin, accompanied with their usual associates, stillness and mist, made it one of the most disagree- able as well as the most moist embarkations I ever remember. A greater jamb, crush, and crowd, I never experienced, not even at Drury Lane ; and that so sopped in the falling rain, with an infinity of green mushrooms with yellow stalks trickling their tears into the neck of the unfortunate traveller, unpro- vided with a similar canopy, gave the men the look of drakes, and the ladies of course that of dear ducks, as they paddled the various parts of the Hibernian steam-boat. This, in addition to a head wind down the Mersy, blowing from the West, was very gloomy in its forebodings ; and the melan- n .ngrvT. CANADA, AND THB WEST INDIES. 8 cholly nature of the scene was not the least en- livened by the wind getting stronger as we passed the Bellrock Lighthouse, dismally tolling a death- like adieu to the old world, gently reminding the timid of the possibility of its being the funeral knell to another world, different in its geographical boundaries to the one we were sailing, to the New World of America. For two days we had head winds, and the great Atlantic began to show the convulsive heavings of its mighty billows, which resembled the living Alps shifting their proud crested hills and hollowed valleys in uproarious commotion, causing our wooden house to squeak and shriek like an animal unable to con- tend with Neptune, and lustily crying out for help as she felt the weakness of her wooden organs to contend with the battering of the 1000 hills that now tossed her high up in the Heaven, and then let her suddenly fall with dreadful clash into the valleys beneath (as if sporting with her), making every sinew and muscle of her great frame to crackle and stretch, while her machinery pulsating like a mighty heart its vibratio?ii from the centre to every part of her — with the wind shrieking its shrill and whistling notes in her rigging for a tenor, and the funnel and masts equally musical in the thunder of their base — add to this, the sallies of the watery element on all sides, and too frequently above, and B 2 • / \\ 4 ▲ BAIIBLB TBROUOB THE UNITED STATES, then only but a very faint idea can be formed of that most majestic of all earthly sights, a well-bnilt vessel struggling with the infuriated waves of the great Atlantic. The noise of water, wind, and machinery, for a long while kept up, prevents the landsman froiu closing even his weary eyes ; but nature at last over- come, the cautious listening ear sinks into death- like silence, and the weary passenger sleeps. On the second day after our departure, at mid- night, we had a view of Cape Clear Light House, the most southerly part of Ireland — the sea was then rising, and the wind increasing still a head, indicating a hard westerly gale for the remainder of the voyage only just begun : this was, in the middle of black obscurity, rendered frightfully visible by the light-house and lights of the vessel, which resembled an animal monster flying through the air, rather than the sea, particularly when viewed from the top of the saloon, which rose eight or nine feet in height on a part of her deck — with her small boats suspended by the side of her bulwarks — with lights shining from her windows, looking like wings attached to the great Leviathan — all this, from the darkness of the night, favored the impression of a mighty aerial monster wending its way through the atmosphere — until a moveable black fluid, ren- dered visible only by the white crested portion of !'V ,f . CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 6 its wavefl, wandering like ghosts magically dancing in the air, for atmosphere and water appeared both to be one, such was the darkness of the night. Our companions consisted of a very motly group of Scotchmen, Germans, Americans, and English- men, most of them naturalized in the States — many of them eating at meals as if they were taking their last food, and instead of masticating it, they seemed only to divide their portions into two hemispheres, both of which made a rapid descent down the shaft (alias eesophagus), there to be reunited under the especial management of the gastric juice, which would require to be well and strongly concentrated, in order to carry effectually into execution the solution of the large clots of roast beef and divers other eatables, which they swallowed to such a de- gree, that had the animals been divested of life, one might have concluded that they were getting stuffed for some museum. Others ate so unmercifully, that they might be compared to a vessel taking in sup- plies for a long voyage. Nothing remarkable occurred during the voyage. We sailed, ate, drank, and smoked, and so passed the day. One morning we had a sight of a whale by way of change, and caught a glimpse of that very interesting little individual, the flying fish, taking its flight through the air as cleverly as a bird, only for a short distance. I was informed by the sailors (the truth of which I am not answerable for) 6 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, that they flew only when attacked by some vora- cious fish, and that its wings only bore it up whilst in a moistened condition. Sunday, thie seventeenth, we arrived at Boston, having performed the voyage in the unprecedented shortness of twelve days and five hours. On ap- proaching the American coast, I could not help comparing it to many parts of the mother country in almost every thing I observed. The climate before landing appeared similar, but afterwards I found it more like a furnace than Old England. The hills along the coast rose very similarly to those of Durham and Northumberland, everywhere studded with villages, farms, and country houses, with the complexion of both sky and water much resembling that of the old country ; the most striking difference, however, consisted in craft sailing to and fro, cer- tainly the most beautiful I ever beheld — particularly the Baltimore clippers, a vessel quite peculiar to America. These and all the shipping had peculiarly white sails, and the clippers with such a profusion of sail, and so beautifully constructed, that they seemed to be formed of fine white membrane, and might not inaptly be compared to large white volant animals wending their way through the air with their white wings, whilst their gracefiil hulls were majestically ploughing the silvery surface of the shining Atlantic, whose mountainous billows were smoothed down to peaceful repose, as peaceful as if t ' CANADA, AND THE WB8T INDIES. the hand of death had laid low their proud heads^ never to rise again. A true calm is the death of the wave ! I have been much struck with the Frenchified appearance of many things since my arrival ; the costume of the ladies is far more analogous to Gallia's daughters than the descendants of Albion; the men too in their tightly strapped trowsers, long waistcoats, with an immense length of hair, all looked like French- men. The windows too were quite a la Parisienne, the furniture also ; and in my hotel, the lady was seated in the dining room behind the comptoir, which was filled with glasses, liqueurs, and all the various utensils requisite for dining ; the comptoir was surmounted with a slab of marble similar to the caf<§s of Paris. The horses too, that I saw, appeared the worst I ever beheld in any country, as well as the harness, and the carriages were not much better. The waggons also were very ungainly looking things, resembling nothing of the kind that I had seen in Europe ; but I have no doubt that they were well calculated to the application of all that an American could deem essential to the various purposes of trans- Atlantic business. Most of the horses had a very fine network to cover them, and to prevent the flies from helping themselves to living horse-fiesh. Some of the waggon horses had a complete suit of canvass over them for the same purpose. The hotels have their first floor occupied with shops, the second A RAMBLE THRODQH THE UNITED STATES, and uppermost stories forming the dining room, private [apartments, and bed-rooms. These hotels are so immense that they resemble a side of a spacious square, rather than that of a single building; and as most of the Americans, when travelling, eat k la table d'hote, it would be an endless thing to tell all the people by special message that a meal was ready; and a thing so extremely inconvenient, and almost next to an impossibility, as 200 or 300 people usually meal at the same time, and many or most of them in one apartment, and all at the same time; and a short time before feeding, they are in all probability scattered in every direction of the town ; to summon them therefore to their meals, an enormous Chinese gong is sounded, loud enough to wake even an apoplectic sleeper ; and woe betide that nervous lady who is unconscious of the ex- istence of this thundering apparatus ; should shesur vive, she would have nothing to fear from "cannons' roar, storms at sea, and Heaven's artilleries thun- dering in the skies." The first time I heard it, I thought it must be a young earthquake, suddenly gifted with the power of muttering trifling and softly accented sentences. . v .. ■ ; ^ ^ . v^^ : August 18. I visited the State House. From the top of this building may be seen the truly in- sular position of the beautiful town of Boston, look- ing as red as bricks of that colour can possibly make it, with their windows decorated with vivid green i ■ CAN A 7 AND THE WEST INDIES. 9 furniture, which give the town, when seen from this elevated position, a very picturesque appearance. The houses are high and spacious, and beautifully constructed of the most compact-looking brick to be found in the world, and present an appearance more lively than the houses of any town I have previously seen in Europe. The bricks are so particularly and beautifully red, that one might have supposed that the good inhabitants had commemorated their victory over the Red American Indians by erecting a red town. Many of these houses are so truly gay, with their red bricks and green shutters, that they resemble paintings rather than dwellings. In this building, the Old Englander must discuss the point with his New England brother, on whom to bring the verdict of being found guilty of shedding the blood of brothers and sisters of the same great Anglo-Saxon race — a race which has defied enemies of all countries, caste, and colour, for many, many centuries — a race that stands at the head of civiliz- ation, and which has extended its language, man- ners, and useful arts to the four quarters of the globe — and carried Gospel tidings to heathens of all lands — and which is now an independent Anglo- Saxon world, planted on the fertile shores of Ame- rica, and, by the overwhelming power of its civi- lization, rooting up the wild and almost impene- trable forest, the ancient heritage of wild beasts, and turning the soil into all that agriculture can effect — 10 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, navigating her almost endless and majestic rivers with the gigantic power of steam ; and with her railways, winging the air with her locomotives, laden with the fruits of commerce — a race which stands without a parallel, since creation first dawned, as pioneers in the onward road of glorious and peaceful civilization — a race which even forsook its native soil for the honor of worshipping God in its own conscientious manner. That this great people, one and the same in hahits, manners, and language, brothers and sisters of that soil, although not moun- tainous, yet in the page of history makes pigmies even of the Alps, should have fulfilled the Scriptural declaration, " that a kingdom, or house, divided against itself cannot stand," must be the deep regret of every Englishman, when he stands at the top of the State House, and in the distance descries the noble monument of Bunker's Hill ; and after read- ing the following inscription. On four slabs now occupying the bottom of the State House, and which have been taken some time since from the Beacon Hill monument. Little would be the Christian feeling of that American who could see the Old Englander labouring under the deep emotions that this place must arouse, if he did not tender him his deepest sympathy, and immediately give him the cordial hand of brotherly reconciliation. I- Vi'. V 's'- S» \-^r-::-^^ i ■ *: >>■'■> CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 11 Inscriptions on the Old Monument on Beacon Hill, now in the Boston State House : " To commemorate that train of events which led to the American Bevolution, and finally secured liberty and independence to the United States, this oolumn is erected, by the voluntary contributions of the atizens of Boston, MDCCXC." " Stamp Act passed, 1765 ; repealed, 1766. Board of Cus- toms established, 1767. British troops fired upon the inhabitants of Boston, March 5, 1770. Tea Act passed, 1773. Tea destroyed in Boston, De- cember 16. Port of Boston shut and guarded, June 1, 1774. General Congress at Philadelphia, September 4th. Provincial Congress at Concord, October 11. Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775. Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17. Washington took command of the army, July 2nd. Boston evacuated, March 17, 1776. Independence de- clared by Congress, July 4, 1776. Hancock, Pre- sident. Capture of Hessians at Bennington, August 16, 1777. Capture of British army at Saratoga, October 1 7, 1 777. Alliance with France, February 6, 1778. Confederation of the United States formed, July 9. Constitution of Massachusetts formed, 1780. Boudoin, President of the Convention. Cap- ture of the British at York, October 19, 1781. Preliminaries of peace, November 30, 1782. Defini- tive treaty of peace, September 10, 1783. Federal constitution formed, September 17, 1787, and 12 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. ratified by the United States, 1787 to 1790. New Congress assembled at New York, April 16, 1789. Washington inaugurated President, April 30. Pub- lic debts funded, August 4, 1790. " Americans I while, from this eminence, scenes of luxuriant fertility, of flourishing commerce, and the abode of social happiness meet your view; forget not those who, by their exertions, have secured to you these blessings." Friday, August 21, I crossed one of the long bridges, which extends over the water and sepa- rates the main land from the town of Boston, to Cambridge, which latter possesses one of the best Universities in the United States. This University has a good library, containing 70,000 volumes. I was anxious to have a view of the contents of this seat of learning. I had no letter of introduction, and was totally unacquainted with the learned pro- fessors ; and although a mere tramp, and in spite of reading a bill posted on the door, that admittance could only be had on such a day and hour only, and as that time was neither the day nor hour, still wishing to test the extent of Republico- American courtesy, I knocked at the door with a determina- tion to get admission, trusting to civility, and laying great stress upon my being an Englishman, and a bit of a naturalist. An Irishman answered me, after knocking loudly, to whom I made my bow, well knowing that if he were from the old ) I n CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 13 country, he would quickly perceive from my manner and style, which I took care to render doubly effective upon the occasion, that I was an English- man and not an English tramp ; which latter was my rank, from the circumstance of my having walked a considerable distance to the University. I had no sooner addressed myself to him at the door, begging to be allowed the entree, than he immediately answered me, " Yes, sir, walk in*' — strongly tinged with the broad and strongly sound- ed r of the Irish. I asked him if there were any J)otanists near at hand, to which he replied in the affirmative; stating that he had no doubt Dr. Harris was most likely to be found ; and he imme- diately went in search of him, and succeeded in introducing a most agreeable man, and one who had made his name known by his successful pursuits in certain branches of Natural History. I did not suppose that I was in the presence of one of the leading men of the University, or by the side of one of the leading Professors; but, ever cautious, I made it a rule in the United States, as well as in every other part of the world, to address all indi- viduals as politely as if they belonged to the higher walk of life : and I can offer this advice as being safe to secure attention and kindness, hospitality, and many other things truly delightful to the tra- veller in his varied journey of life. It is with much pleasure that I can testify of the extremely kind ./ 14 k RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, reception tendered to a tramp and stranger at the University of Cambridge. \ \ Had the same thing occurred in England some years ago under the old regime, I should in all probability have met with a refusal. Not so, how- ever, with Dr. Harris ; he, already a well-known naturalist, gave me every possible information, and sent a boy and a note to the Botanic Garden, where I again received every possible attention. The Botanic Garden contained trees chiefly natives of America; among which, the tulip tree. Arbor Vitse, and Magnolias, 30 to 40 feet in height, could not, fail to catch the attention and admiration of the botanist. From the Botanic Garden I walked to Mount Auburn Cemetery, in a temperature more than 100 of Fahrenheit , and I must admit that I felt afraid of a coup«de-soleil ; for the blood suddenly rushed into the head in such a manner as to leave no doubt of the possibility 'and even probability of such an attack ; to prevent which, seeing at a dis- tance of one hundred yards some fine umbrageous trees, I commenced a very cautious and almost snail- like march to the above shelter. When attacked with a sudden rush of blood to the head, the heat was intense, and the hot and gleaming rays of the sun fell upon me almost in a concentrated manner^ or in the shape of a shower ; this alarmed me to such a degree, that my good genius suggested two i/ L\^ M. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 15 methods of escape ; viz. by standing perfectly still, and consequently not giving the slightest stimulus to the already excited circulation of the blood, risking an increase or decrease of the rays of the sun in the mean while-— or marching in the most still and quiet manner to the trees, which, when once reached, I could calculate upon escape, pretty much after the fashion of a sea-tossed vessel in a violent gale running into harbour. I decided on not standing still, but determined to reach the tree, to me the true arbor vitse, if possible, running all the risk of the additional stimulus of walking as well as an increase of temperature in one of those sudden showers of heat that may strike the travel- ler down. I shall never forget the slowness of the walk ; it could only be compared to one thing ; viz. ^ the crawl of the snail, and the extreme caution employed in carrying the head neither too high nor too low. When making my way towards the tree with all this intense circumspection, every moment I calculated on the possibility of the arrival of the thunder-bolt to do its work of death. rnQnurf I, however, at last reached the shelter, and con- gratulated myself on having had a very narrow escape. Mount Auburn had been represented to me as superior to Pere-la-Chaise ; it is impossible, however, to compare them with each other, on the head of decoration and ornament derived from trees • and shrubs, as at Mount Auburn; the ground is 16 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, surrounded with native trees, most probably a por- tion of the primeval forest of America. I expected seeing much larger and finer trees ; there certainly was a great variety, but they were not so large and old as I anticipated. I was much surprised to see at some distance a curiously leaved shrub with a scarlet fruit; and when I approached it, I found it more singular than it appeared in the distance. The fruit consisted of great conglomerate cones, of a deep red hue, not unlike the clusters of mulberry in form, but much larger. I found, on enquiry, that it is named Sumach (probably the Rhus Gla- brum or Typhina of scientific botanists), and some of the people informed me that its fruit was some- times employed as a remedy for soar-throat. I tasted it, and found it very cooling and delightfully acidu- lous. There are several species of this tree ; one a rank poison (the Rhus Toxicodendron) ; so that I was fortunate in meeting with an innocuous species of the Genus Sumach. The tombs and monuments of Mount Auburn were certainly elegant and neat, without family arms ; and I do not recollect a single instance of the great English word " Esquire " being placed after a name ; and I think few monu- ments of old Lords and ancient Baronets in England in many of our churches could vie with them in either beauty or neatness. The whole of them consisted of white marble, and they were railed off with iron palisades, well 41 \ '\\ ' '-'''V' '■■>. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 17 wrought and expensWely finished: a great proof that the United States is the true place of prospe- rity ; for I believe that the same class of people in England are usually content with a common tomb- stone ; and scores of this great successful class have their mansions, surrounded with pleasure-grounds and kitchen-gardens, which in England would be esteemed fit residences for country squires — and certainly for poor lords ; and yet I have no doubt that nearly the whole of those beautiful houses that I saw on the Cambridge-road belonged to the first industrious and afterwards wealthy merchants of Boston. I must here remark that I was very abruptly tapped upon the shoulder by a little urchin in the omnibus, who rather rudely demanded my fare; and one gentleman trod on my foot, and a second hit my hat with his stick, and the young money- taker crammed his knees against my back, so as to render the position rather disagreeable — all — all — without the slightest apology. From the general good behaviour that I had observed, I was much surprised at this ; and unfortunately, in the evening, when in a very respectable shop taking an ice, a gentleman placed his chair on my foot, at the same time observing it, without making the slightest apology. ,.ti i: oi» . ■p^.'T-yf I am far from cherishing a wish to criticise the Americans undeservedly, for that has been too 18 ^BLE THlM>r;OH THE UNITED STATES, much done uilroady ; but it is a great pity that a people, in other respects so well conducted, should be backward in a little apology for these slight mis- ^«^ke8, which all are liable to fall into occasionally. Caflled on Dr Channing and accompanied him to the Horticultural Show, with which I was very much gratified. The display of peaches and nectarines was fine ; the apples too must not he forgotten, parti- cularly those with scarlet complexions. From what I have seen of American fruit, I am inclined to think it very fine. The egg plant attracted my attention. I was informed it was a native of the southern states, and also grown on the shores of the Mediterranean. Visited the Atheneeum, and was much pleased with the specimens of sculpture. The Americans in this hranch of the fine arts are destined, I think, to take a lead. Power has achieved wonders, even in Italy ; they have there given him the cognomen of the Modern Canova. His " Greek Slave," exhibited in London, has been too well ap- preciated to require comment. Crauford too has placed himself in the front ro,nk as a sculptor, in his masterly execution of " Ariadne and Orpheus." I was also struck with the Venus by Greenough, \hich, if not ervvl ir Power, probably approaches nearest to hin^. ^la- venger, now no more, was a man of first-rate ability ; aiid ^5e, like Power, rose from a stone-cutter's yard in n Th 7 village, to give himself a first-rate rank CANADA, AND TRR WEBT INDIES. 19 among European artists. T passed up to the paint- ings, and was much delighted witl^ the skill of the various painters, particularly Vanderlyne, in his " Falls of Niagara," which appe.'red to mc to be a first-rate picture. Belshazzar, by Washington Al- stone, is an unfinished picture, and did not strike !n'* f aiuch as I expected, from his having received th \ 20 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, a visit, in order to have all the advantages of an interview, which, to an European, must have an unusual interest, especially as they were the first natives of the New World I had seen. They spoke English very well, and gained a good livelihood by basket-making, principally carried on by the women, to the eternal disgrace of the Indian gentlemen. I have heard of another tribe, which positively had the vanity, as well as the cruelty, to crop off the hair of the females and wear it themselves, and to strut with all the pride of a peacock with the shaven locks of borrowed female embellishment. There were two infants suspended in a sheet at- tached to a tree, which acted as a cradle, from being moved up and down by the mother. The men at first appeared annoyed at our unceremo- nious visit; but, on learning that I was an En- glishman, they somewhat unbent their dignity and were communicative. Although the red-fair ladies entered into conversation, still it was evidently a little against their inclinations. I learnt from the red man that he thought it quite necessary to go to some place of worship, no matter where, or to what sect ; but the absurdities of the Millena- rians he decidedly condemned. I was pleased with the fine contour of the female face, as well as the features separately; also with the smoothness of their skin, and jet-black hair. Their limbs too pos- sessed a rotundity of form not often seen in the .?•■>!' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. white population of Europe; and their figures struck me as being, on the whole, much beyond mediocrity. The form, figure, and complexion of their men displayed nothing but the most ordinary qualities, leaving the women with the undisputed possession of superior beauty, form, and complexion. Returned from Nahant in a steamer truly Ame. rican — the great height of the cabin giving it the appearance of a half-house put into a steam-boat, the uppermost part or roof being the deck, and that part underneath was divided into compartments, having a central alley somewhat resembling a little street ; and the different parts on both sides might be compared to little shops in the said street — the extremities remaining open to allow the free ad- mission of air. ^"' ^ / •' ' 22 A HAMBLE THROUGH THE tJNITED STATES, > 1 CHAPTER 11. I TOOK my place to Albany, for which I paid 24s. The distance is about the same as from London to Liverpool. I was pleased to find that there was a kind of security for the baggage, by receiving a numbered cheque — a much better plan than that of England, of consigning it to perdition, if the person happen to be a careless individual. The construc- tion of the cars (as they are termed) is very inferior to the railway carriages in England ; but the com- fort, I think, little inferior. Instead of a number of coaches containing six, each coach is a sort of demi-train, holding perhaps fifty persons, with an accessible walk through the middle, with cushioned seats with backs placed on each side of the central walk. These cars, from their great length, have movements more resembling a ship at sea, than a carriage on land. I found the servants rather back- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. ward, very blunt in their manners and even uncouth ; but when civilly asked to do a thing, I never met with a refusal, but quite the contrary, an extreme readiness to serve— but still in an uncouth manner. Should these remarks meet the eye of an Ame- rican, he may probably class me with TroUope, and others of her school, who have written the black side of American character, with a view to oflfend and wound the feelings of a people whom I look upon as most assuredly related to myself, and by whom the great achievements of civilization have been so successfully effected ; and I feel a deep gratitude (as every Briton ought to do) for their having ex- tended the English language and happiness to twenty millions of individuals, chiefly descended from the race that now occupies the shores of Great Britain ; and I hope, as long as I live, to feel grate- ful and proud to remember them. And although the great Atlantic may divide the people who once inhabited the same land, it can never change the language, or blot out of the faithful memory the many friendships which time and acquaintance with each other have so firmly established — established, perhaps, not so extensively as might be wished, but at the same time in such a manner, I trust, as to bring forth fruit an hundredfold, in every shape and form. Another thing I remarked, even by the better part of the passengers, and by such as ought to have 24 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, set a better example : viz. the habit of putting their feet in contact with different parts of my dress. This I am sure ought not to be a feature in a people that boast of having, and very justly, the greatest number of educated people in its dominions — to such an extent as to be superior to that of any other people, either in the Old or New World. Arrived at Albany about six. I was pleased with the town. The houses are high and well built ; and I think it may boast of two things, which I have never seen equalled : viz. a broad causeway, and an enormous hotel. There may be more spa- cious hotels at New York ; but more prodigious houses for travellers I have never witnessed. Here I found the tradesmen, as well as the servants of the hotel, very ready to serve, but most particularly in- dependent — so much so, as to lose all courtesy, but still to do their duty. Arrived at Saratoga August 28th. Having heard that the United States Hotel was the best, I lost no time in going there. This is, perhaps, the largest hotel in the Union ; it boasts of dining 600, and of possessing beds for 500. The dinners were good, and the service was performed chiefly by black men, whose watchfulness and attention could not be surpassed by the white waiters of Mivart's or the Clarendon. Indeed, they are the best servants in the Union ; and they are remarkable for a grace and style which the white servants of the country I :-H-. .'^CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 9» are too proud and too independent to imitate. I was surprised to find around me at table as much, and a great deal more, reserve than I ever observed in the Old World. And when one reflects on the liberty of these Republican institutions of the United States, and the great independence of all classes, this more than unprecedented reserve seems unac- countable, and particularly from those people who presented an air of undoubted good breeding. It may be explained, I think, from the circumstance of numbers of adventurers coming to the place to seek their fortunes ; but it is to be deeply regretted, when people of the same standing, breeding, and education, stand stupidly aloof from their species, as if they were not members of the same great hu- man family. ■? Called on Dr. A — , who was good enough to introduce me to the Rev. Mr. Wayland, whose daughter was kind in giving me instruction regard- ing the Flora of the neighbourhood. I made an excursion among the wild plants of the country. I found veiy few British species. Not a tree in the locality could I see that truly belonged to the Bri- tish catalogue. Among the oaks, I found four or five different species, not so sturdy or well-grown as our own. I observed Achelia Millefolia, Prunella vulgaris, and the genus Vaccinium ; and a very beautiful plant, the Impatiens Palustre, growing most plentifully by the side of a little rivulet, where 26 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, I met with a very large brown butterfly. I was quite enraptured with its gigantic proportions, and its unusual beauty — being so much larger than any species of butterfly I had seen in Great Britain. Proceeding on my route, I came in contact with a very extraordinary lizard, beautifully white, with red spots. This is the locality of the humming bird, and also of the rattle-snake. I was informed that the method of attack by the latter is to fly at you the same distance as its own length. The remedy applied by some of the peasantry is as follows ; to cut out portions of the snake and apply them to the wounded part. This seems so ridiculous, that it appears as if the natives were attempting to cram me with a good one. However, I give it as I heard it, without any responsibility resting on my shoul- ders. The medical treatment is excision of the part, with suction, nitrate of silver, and the actual cautery. The waters of Saratoga are the most curious of their kind to be found in one locality. They con- tain iodine and sulphur. Others are purgative and chalybeate ; they only require a third kind, viz. the thermal quality, to make them complete. All the common disorders treated by waters are here said to be eflFectually cured. I would certainly recommend every European, on his road to the great Niagara, not to omit a visit to this very interesting watering place. Having made the CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 27 acquaintance of Mr. Heeling, a druggist, he stated to a Professor Hopkins that an Englishman was sojourning for some days at Saratoga. This induced the learned Professor to honor me with a call. After an exchange of civilities with a most agreeable man, an excursion, geological and botanical, was proposed, to which I most gladly consented. We made a trip to an extent of nearly four miles from Saratoga, to an elevated part which gave a grand view of the Green Mountains, which extend from Canada to many hundred miles south ; and had a view of another range, forming altogether a very fine as well as a most extensive view. I remarked heaps of boulders of granite and gneiss, of which the walls or dykes of the fields were also formed; and, as they rested upon limestone, gave undoubted proof of their having travelled a considerable distance from their original site ; most probably by the powerful action of water. These large boulders had been swept away in the waters of some great flood, and quietly deposited after its subsidence. I observed the Ver- bena Solidago, and the Comptonia Asplenifolia, the latter named after Lord Compton ; and it is not a little remarkable for its being employed as an anti- dote for the Ehus Toxicodendron, as well as its variety, the Rhus Badicans ; which latter is a very common and poisonous plant, in many parts of the United States. The contact of the plant is quite sufiicient to be poisonous, without swallowing it. I 28 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, saw also specimens of the Rhus Vemix, which is a most extraordiDary poison. In the spring months, this plant is highly dangerous even to approach, for the air hecomes impregnated with its poisonous properties. Dr. A — m, of Saratoga, informed me that he had had many cases of poisoning from the wood of this tree being mixed with the common fuel, and that its fumes have affected the lungs in such a powerful manner as to have communicated its poisonous qualities even to those most valuable organs. The reader may imagine some of the difficulties and dangers of the foreign naturalist on his first landing in this neighbourhood. The species, Rhus Glabrum, is a very beautiful plant, both in leaf and flower, and so attracted me, from its striking features of peculiarity in having a great scarlet cone of con- glomerate berries, that I was induced to taste it, and found it most agreeable. Had this plant, which is quite harmless, turned out to bo the Rhus V emix, the latter the most poisonous of the country, I need scarcely tell the reader that the chance of his ' perusing this page would have been in that case very doubtful, for in all probability I should have been poisoned. In addition to these poisonous and destructive^^ plants, the rattle* snake is to be found abundantly, at the distance of four miles from Saratoga, and per- haps nearer ; as a German doctor trained and do- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. mesticated some of them, and even lived with them. Some of them escaped the Doctor's vigilance, and most likely may turn out to he the source of a nu- merous race of rattle-snakes quite near to the tawn. The Doctor ultimately lost his life hy his rash ex- periments in attempting his extraordinary notion of civilizing a rattle-snake up to the standard of homo sapiens. I had been botanizing the whole of one day in woods, hills, and valleys, quite up to the knees in grass ; when, returning home, I learnt from a workman, and that for the first time, that there were rattle-snakes in the neighbourhood. Thus I had to congratulate myself upon a happy deli- verance from the jaws of death, both from poison- ous plants and the dreadful bite of the frightful rattle-snake. Professor Hopkins informed me that he once was poisoned by the fumes of this plant (Bhus Vemix) ; when, in that unfortunate predica- ment, it struck him that if he treated himself homoeo- pathically he might succeed, and he immediately took an external dose of Helleborus, which acted so powerfully as to prove a remedy for an internal poison ; thus proving, according to Professor Hop- kins's view, the verity of Homoeopathy; viz. that one poison will cure another. 4^^, t During my excursion with Professor Hopkins, I gathered the British species Epilobium Monta- num, Achillsea Millifolium, Prunella vulgaris, Sam- bucus niger, and I looked out for Bellis Perennis 30 A HAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, (the Gommon daisy), but in vain, not only in this locality, but in every other part of North America, without finding it. The trees were all specifically different to our own. There were walnuts, ches- nuts, and elms, generically but not specifically re- lated to the British Flora, as far as my experience taught me. Left Saratoga for Schenectady, where I got a bad breakfast, and where I paid twice the yalue of it. Continued on to Utica. After leaving Schenectady, I was surprised to be informed that the extensive crops in this district, much resembling Indian wheat, were broom wheat, which is used for making clothes brushes and brooms, such as are em- ployed in England for sweeping carpets. Trifling as this article may seem, hundredi of acres of land are here cultivated for the growth of it. Utica I found a large and well-built town ; after which, I passed through Rome, when the market was held, and which presented a good sample of the numer- ous farmers of this district, all well dressed and apparently doing well. In the evening, arrived at Syracuse. This place, some twenty years since, had only a few hundreds of inhabitants, scarcely amounting to a large village ; but now it boasts of a population of 20,000. Here may be seen salt works, perhaps as extensive as any to be found in the United States. Here I found an inn, which, from its great length, appeared to be equal to one side of a street; the rent per annum was £1000; V V t- f'. - 1 '■- ■* I CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. al - V • being one of those numerous proofs to be found in the United States of the rapid increase of both wealth and population. From Syracuse I travelled to Oswego by the canal-boat, a long, narrow, and crowded conveyance, requiring that each individual should be very closely packed. After having remained some time upon deck, all of a sudden a voice of authority said, " Gentle- men, it is time to prepare the beds." Immediately two men undid the forms on which we had been sit- ting, and which extended on both sides of the boat, and which proved to be hollow; and, to my utter astonishment, I found that these seats contained an infinite number of beds (beds not in embryo), but beds actually made and complete, with sheets, blankets, pillows, and with a frame or bedstead. These beds were then suspended by the side of the boat, by means of straps attached to nails. Three tiers of these remarkable beds were taken out of the hollow long seats already complete, and placed by the sides of the boat, sufficient in number to accommodate about fifty sleepers. Each passenger taking his place after the order of his name in- serted in the book for payment of his passage. All this changing of a common long seat into fifty beds, to me appeared somewhat allied to actual magic, notwithstanding my having seen the per- formance of the trick ; but I was quite reconciled to the reality of the thing, when I remembered 38 A RAMBLE THROUGH THR UNITED STATES, that I was in a truly go-a-head country. I may mention the circumstance of my riding outside the boat, and miraculously escaping three or four times having my brains knocked out by passing under bridges so low in construction. Not an individual gave the slightest warning, and no notice was given of it in a printed form ; and most certainly, if I had not kept a very sharp look out, decapita- tion must have resulted. Upon one occasion, a passenger observing that I did not perceive the bridge, almost immediately knocked me down in order to save my head. I am surprised that some notice is not given in a printed form to warn travellers of these dangerous bridges. This is one of the too many instances of that ex- traordinary neglect of parties at the head of affairs grossly neglecting to apprise passengers of the dan- ger ; and I may certainly caution all travellers to remember that their heads are in imminent danger in the canal-boat going from Syracuse to Oswego. * Next day proceeded to the falls of Niagara, calling at Rochester. We had a gale of wind a-head, and a very deep steep wave rose on the fair form of Lake Ontario, reminding me very much of the chops of the Channel. Within three miles of the falls of Niagara, the mist arising from the as- cending particles of water, divided by physical force, may be seen, and at times much further. This phenomenon has the appearance of a very fine kind v.. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 33 \.. v of mist, not at all comparable to eo gross a thing as a dense fog. This scene is one of those where the Almighty finger has stamped it with unparalleled grandeur, variety, and beauty, which is continually changing, from a variety of circumstances; viz. quantity of water, clearness of the atmosphere, pre- sence or absence of the sun. These are the three great causes that produce, in the falls, scenes so dif- ferent, that I believe, out of the 365 days in the year, scarcely two consecutive days could be found to produce precisely the same phenomena. It is this great variety of scene that constitutes the great charm which the falls of Niagara produce in the minds of those who are sensitively alive to the beauties of nature. To give the reader some idea of the phenomena which deeply impressed me, let him imagine a river running not with an even sur- face (as would of course ensue), by a fluid passing along an excavated channel, which is the usual course of a river; but let him imagine himself walking over a dry portion of the surface of the ground of an irregular limestone formation, where one portion either crops out, or has been excavated perpendicularly— this is the fall. Let him proceed along this steep and perpendicular rock to some distance in the area, which is very irregular, con- sisting of little elevations and ledges of rock ; these irregularities assuming the shape of a surface of a convex form, rather than a hill, made up of smaller D ■>H. /:■■■■ 34 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, ones ; and the little ledges of rock being steep, so as to resist the water, form each a miniature fall — and the whole of the surface of irregularities gra- dually descending to the grand leaping point, still preserving its great hilly aspect. This will present the observer with the surface of a river convex and hilly, instead of being horizontal as is usual, until it reaches the grand engulphing whirl, where the mighty crash of waters with a circular sweep, like a half wheel in rotating, forces itself down the descent, being perfectly transparent and entirely watery, unmixed with froth, for a considerable way down. For very different to ordinary falls, the body of water being too powerful to split into ordi- nary spray, although parts begin to froth from their less bulky proportions, and varying also their quantity of smoky froth, from the water varying, as well as in its simi-circular course, forms a strik- ing contrast to the foam and froth of the main body of the water, though unfrothy and unbroken, with its beautiful green hue, and adding to the above an appearance at the bottom of the fall, consisting of the grand crash of waters, having transformed both kinds of waters, frothy and transparent, into a moving heap of dancing foam, nearly as white as snow, but much more beautiful from being fea- thered, which, still ascending, appears to transform again into white smoke, then into apparent steam, and lastly into cloud, where it wends its way into (f: CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. iK • the heavens among other clouds ; but still keeping aloof as it were, like a messenger, to inform the atmospheric region, as well as the heavens, and the inhabitants of earth, that a phenomenon of unequalled grandeur and beauty here has its origin, until the great Author of it shall say unto it — stop ! ! ! The descent of the fall is about 140 feet, and the Horse-shoe fall about half-a-mile in length. I was directly under it, blinded with its spray, and standing on a too narrow spot of earth, which a dizzy head did not admire. I saw the danger as well as the terrific grandeur of the scene ; and, to perpetuate it until time shall have entombed the mortal remains, and as long as the memory holds a recollection of the past, I suddenly grasped a handful of the beautiful limestone rock over which the mighty surge has for ages taken its majestic leap. -^^^ •■-'■''^' *'<■' ' • ^ ^■^■-■^i■-■-■'.'^f^■ l have been informed that numbers of natives (whites I mean), residing within ten miles of these unequalled falls, have never visited them. The passing under the falls is attended with danger, and requires caution. Last year an unusual surge rose so high and so suddenly upon a gentleman, specta- tor of the scene, as to take him off his legs, and sweep him into the dreadful abyss. An unfortu- nate lady met with her death in the following manner — she was botanizing too enthusiastically at the top of the precipice, where she over-reached D 2 ./ . - I , 56 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, herself, and from which point she was precipitated into the gulph beneath. In making a botanical excursion in the locality of the great falls, I ob- served the Genus Verbascum and Gentiana, and several other beautiful plants, foreigners to me, and very near to the grand crash of waters. Almost under the fall, I met a lady botanist, who turned out to be from Lincoln, and who was related to the D ys of that town. She was naturalized in Kentucky, and she gave me the seeds of different plants which she had collected near the Great Niagara, to present to some relative at Lincoln. In botanizing further, I observed among trees the following leather-wood. Butter nut. Slippery elm, Hickong, Button wood, Vine, Stramonium. Here the cedar tree grew in such profusion as to form a wood of itself I thought if some of our nursery-men, who sell these trees at a good price, were here, how surprised they would have been. September 25, left Niagara for Chippawa, and afterwards travelled on to Buffalo. The appear- ance of this latter town from the lake is most strik- ing. It appears to be a great place for business. Proceeded on to Port Stanly, with a gale of wind a-head, other boats not daring to encounter the storm. As this period was near to the equinox, it probably might be inferred to be an equinoctial wind. These winds are much dreaded by mariners of this region, and more so by passengers, as the ! Id CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 37 desolation committed by them is so serious as to alarm even the stout-hearted. This Fort Stanly is a poor place, in consequence of a Colonel B refusing to sell his land (being almost sole pro- prietor), except at a most exorbitant price; and thus it is, that one selfish individual has it in his power to keep back the advancement of a town, and the welfare of a whole district. In this neigh- bourhood, for the first time, I observed a plank road, formed of deal wood of a certain length, placed at a right angle to the line of road. , . It is remarkably easy to travel upon, and a very novel thing to a European. The planks in some parts were not firmly placed, and consequently bent under the weight of the carriage, and at the same time squirted up a liquid mixture of mud and water — an extremely disagreeable process to undergo, es- pecially to the proprietor of a fair skin with its well- washed complexion. Visited Miss W n, a lady whom I met once only in the gay and fashionable circles of Edinburgh, who, from her clever conver- sation, travelling, and being bred in the best circles of her native country, possessing all the qualifica- tions for figuring in polished society, certainly one would have concluded would be little calcu- lated for a residence in the wildest parts of an American forest. I walked for four miles through a district which afforded me an excellent specimen of bush residence — woods, primeval woods, con- / 38 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, sisting of trees beautifully formed, to the height of forty to fifty feet, without a branch, straight as a line, and gracefully branched with bunchy bushes at the upper extremity, not dissimilar to tree um- brellas, if one might be allowed a comparison. After travelling four miles of this description of truly sylvan district, with old stumps of trees even in the road, and sometimes too near the middle, I observed, at the top of a hill, a pretty little wooden house, with its verandah, seen through several fields of grass, which had been cleared a few years pre- vious, and which were once the great common, uni- versal forest of the country ; and proofs of this were still present in the stumps of most of the original trees remaining — some to the height of fifteen feet, others higher, some lower ; some quite black, from the attempt to reduce them by fire, which is done a year after they are felled. On each side of this little clear district, appeared again the great origi- nal forest, boW, majestic, and almost terrific in its aspect, particularly when one associated with it the roving wild bear, the vicious wolf, and probably the rattle-snake. This then was the residence of a lady, and of a fashionable one too, who gave me a very hearty reception. Miss W. informed me that she killed her own mutton, made her own soap, manu- factured her candles, obtained her sugar from the maple tree, growing within a few yards of her own home ; that she removed her logs of wood — one of j 1* '■ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. '^' i 39 the most fatiguing and laborious exercises that even a man could endure ; that she walked through the wild woods at midnight ; sometimes slept with her door open; and it has happened, in her peregrin- ations during the night, that she has sometimes been lost for many hours in the deep recesses of the forest ; and the only defenders of her house were a a little girl, six or seven years of age, and a boy still younger. Here the observer of such a scene might have said, " How are the great fallen ! Surely nothing but disappointment or poverty could have induced one accustomed to fashionable life to have deserted her native Britain." This was far from the truth ; for Miss W. possessed property ; and the gaiety of manner, combined with the constant smile and unusually agreeable and intelligent con- versation, fully proved that disappointment had not sent her to her solitude to mourn. No ; her soli- tude was sweet to her; for from her pretty little house she had a view of a church, towards the build- ing of which she had contributed both money and energy, and which, if dispossessed of houses, streets, and bustling men and fascinating women, with all the good and evil that belong to frail humanity, yet delighted her with the association of Him who biiilt the forest, with all its wild tenantry ; and with that Great Being she must have constantly held deep communion, and found a Friend always sup- plying her wants far better than the brothers and sisters of frail mortality. 40 A HAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, From the great influx of uneducated immi- grants, English and foreign, the well-bred settler has frequently, the hard task of submitting to the humiliating contact of these would-be ^reat people, who, having suddenly left potatoe diet, and naturally finding themselves rapidly elevated to the dignity of " Lords of the Soil," with a carriage and pair to boot (for all appear to ride in that vehicle, inas- much as it carries corn to the market at the same time, and possesses also some of the qualities of the light waggon, drawn by an nctive pair of horses), fancy it is now their turn to play the part of Lord and Esquire; and, unfortunately, having neither education nor manners, the contact, conversation, and demeanour of these gentlemen cannot fai^ in rendering them not very agreeable to persons of good breeding. But my friend Miss W. still holds up for the rights of education and good manners ; and upon every occasion where persons are ill- behaved (and instances too numerous are to be found, where those who were originally gentlemen in the Old Country have iosi; themselves by becom- ing drunkards), both are alike kept aloof from her hospitable dwelling. But when the industrious little farmer knows his place, refrains from drink, and does not join the scandal of the neighbourhood, he never fails in finding a friend and a hospitable reception at her house. Such a woman cannot fail to be invaluable in a backwood residence. When CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. /* .. visiting this lady, she requested me to go to the church on the Sunday, -^nd join the choir with my flute. I there met the rustics of the wood, who seemed to gaze with intense interest at the black round limbs of my flute, plentifully tipped with silver ; and they appeared much surprised at some of the tones it sent forth. The reader may imagine the difficulty in wh** h I was placed, not having pre- viously joined the rustic rehearsal. However, all went pretty well. After performing a chant in common time, I remarked that one bar contained only three crotchets or their equivalents. The an- swer of the leader of the choir was — that " that was the way they always played it." This certainly did excite my risabilities, notwithstanding the sa- credness of the place. "* w • - s- . r* .*;; I walked from Miss W.'s to St. Thomas, where I remained three or four days, with a view to obtain shooting, being provided with letters of introduction to Captain S. and Mr. B. Took up my residence at the Town, and joined the table d'h6te, con- sisting chiefly of shopkeepers and clerks of the place, who were far more abundant than travellers. This is a great and new feature to a European ; and the reader may form some idea of the airs these gentle- men give themselves, knowing that they are living on the fat of the land, and in the best inn in the town. The system of swallowing the food adopted by this busy tribe of feeders, seems to be that of >' 4!2 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, just dividing the food so as to bolt it without chok- ing, and leave the stomach to finish the mastication ! « An instance of true want of good feeling exhi- bited itself at this place in the following manner. I applied to the landlady, originally a Yorkshire ; servant, for the loan of a shirt, not having my port- manteau with me. In reply, she said, in the true Yorkshire style, " why did not you bring your own shirt with you ? I have none to lend you." I took ^ the hint, and did not trouble her with a second re- quest ; and I went away, ruminating on the fact of the great importance of little people too frequently to be met with in Canada, m^-m-^'^t - fS? io m^. ^j > Went and delivered my letter of introduction to Captain S. On approaching his house, I observed, for the first time, a thing that reminded me of old " England; viz. the shaven grass lawn. I walked up to the front door, and seeing, as I supposed, a gentleman reclined on a sofa, I addressed him in the following manner : " Sir, does Captain S. live here^' The apparent gentleman, in making the reply, and rising at the same time, gave sufficient proof to my vision that I had mistaken the sex ; for the supposed gentleman turned out to be a de- cided lady, and one of some distinction too; for she was a descendant of the Speaker of the House of Commons in the time of Cromwell. This was • • one of those faux-pas that could not be justified by an apology. This mistake arose entirely from ;x-i CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 4d the rather masculine air of the lady, but more especially from her cobbume, which was not the least calculated, from its peculiar style and trim- mings, to envelop the delicate figure of a lady, so as to be characteristic of the female sex. The lady asked me if I smoked ; and stated that the Captain would be in before long. I then took up my pipe, and commenced a long conversation with my fair hostess, who seemed to regret and languish after the old country she had quitted. In the course of conversation, it turned out that she had been brought up in a family in a part of England that I was well acquainted with, although not with the party. She begged of me, if ever I had an opportunity of ad- dressing her old friends, to be good enough to men- tion her still fond recollection of the happy hours of youthful days passed in their society ; and also that I should return thanks for many acts of kind- ness shown to her son. I delivered a letter of introduction to Mr. B — , one of the best shots of the district. I joined him in a shooting excursion, and had an opportunity of seeing Canadian game, which, m that part, con- sisted of the pheasant, a bird something like a grouse, the quail, and the woodcock. We were unfortu- nate in not killing more than three woodcocks. This bird differs only in size from our own — the plumage, legs, and head, being very similar to the woodcock of Britain ; the size of it about half that \ Tff 44 A RAMRLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. of the English bird. We fell in with quail in great numbers. I had the misfortune to get but three shots, and unfortunately did not kill a single bird. The quail is very similar to our young partridge, but very diminutive, two of them being about equi- valent to an English partridge. They are very plentiful. Eight or ten brace may be killed by a good shot during a three or fours hours' excursion. The Canadian pheasant is more analogous to the grouse than the English. It inhabits the woods, and its size is less than the English pheasant, with the plumage a greyish white, with a tuft of feathers at the top of the head. These birds may be killed with great ease, and in great numbers ; for when they are discovered in the trees, if a dog bay them well, they are so intent in watching his movements, ihat if twenty of them should be perched, the sports- man can secure the whole of them by shooting the lowest bird, the remainder sitting still during the whole time of firing and reloading. This, which may appear incredible to English sportsmen, is too well known to shots of the New World to require further confirmation. h Went to see Judge H — m's son, who lives in one of the prettiest places in his district, for the pleasure of a little shooting. We had the good luck to find a few quail. The quail-shooting can- not fail to interest a European, from the very peculiar ground over which the sportsman has to ih. Vr CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 46 walk. The fences consist of pieces of wood, divided by the wedge, about six or eight feet in length, not planed, and they are laid in such a manner as to overlap each other to the height of three feet, placed not in a straight line, but at an obtuse angle, or zig- zag. At the extremities, two pieces are placed diagonally, so as to form the letter X, on which all the pales rest. This letter X is the terminal pGt^t. After this fashion, the Canadians, as well as the Americans, have constructed a fence sufficiently strong and high to resist all the movements of horses and horned cattle ; and that, without digging a hole for a post, without the use of the plane, without nail, hammer, spade, gimlet, or saw. The fields of native grass iu this locality are not surpassed perhaps in any part of the world ; it is beautifully fine in quality, very thickly imbedded with a most useful admixture of white clover. The fields where the tree stumps have not been removed have an appearance truly singular to a European arriving from the old countries of the old world, where primeval forests have long since disappeared, at least in the cul- tivated parts, and left no vestige of their original grandeur. These trees are usually cut some five or six feet above the surface, and which remain in the ground from eight to ten years in order to rot, at which time the roots become loose, and easily yield to a little extirpating power, and then they are en- tirely removed, when the field assumes the aspect I I 46 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, of an English enclosure. A view of these tree stumps present a most singular aspect ; they seem to be their own tombs and epitaphs, for they are truly dead, although in their native place ; and, literally to carry out the simile, their white and black short columns are not at all dissimilar to a cemetry ; at all events, the term vegetable cemetry will represent their condition pretty accurately. Such are the principal fields of grass and wheat over which the sportsman will have to wander. The quail, when first disturbed, generally fly to the woods, where they collect and secrete themselves under the heaps of large trees, lying, blown down, some dead, others half dead, scattered in all directions, forming frequently a surface, but a most irregular and difficult one to walk on, so much so, that the sportsman must take care that he does not entangle himself in such a manner as to either bruise, break, dislocate, or injure himself more or less in scrambling over these very remarkable collection of trees, living and dead. A curious thing is here visible ; that of trees blown down, ploughing up with their roots an unusual quantity of earth in consequence of the net- work of their roots striking horizontally instead of vertically, forming such a complete tissue so as to wrap up so much earth with them as to form an elevation of twenty feet above the level of the ground. In this entangled mass the quail take shelter after being disturbed. The forests in this ■!•', CANADA, AND THK WEST INDIES. 47 1\ part, half way between London and St. Thomas's, are perhaps the finest to be found on the whole American continent. Nothing can exceed the majesty, grandeur, and sublimity of these woods ; in my mind they produced awe, reverence, and intense admiration. The surface of the ground underneath the trees possesses a character to- tally different from our own, being as smooth as a carpet, entirely dispossessed of what is termed underwood, thick growing weeds, nettles, and thistles ; indeed, not n particle of vegetable mattev, even in the shape of the smallest weed, can be found underneath these majestic trees ; and the surface as even as if a roller of many tons weight had been daily pressed over it ; so much so, that if a mouse were to be started in the way of a little amusement by bagging small game, it would be most distinctly visible, and could also easily be shot by a dexterous sportsman. v^ < Those who have wandered over England's green suiface of level grass and white stubble fields, oc- casionally interspersed with a woodland scene, can form but little conception of this wild world of wood. In England, the hand of man has re-created the country ; here, all is nature, and, large as our own individual trees growing in parks and detached situations undoubtedly are, our woods are but the veriest lilliputians, when compared with these myriads of forest giants, which, before the hand of man here and there cleared a little farmstead, probably filled M 48 A RAMBLE THBOUGH THE UNITED STATES, up all the entire surface of the country. Canadian scenery, apart from these woods, is in my opinion very superior to many other countries, and vastly so to Scotland, and quite inferior to most parts of England. Exceptions of a very charming kind, however, may he occasionally met with. But when the traveller comes into this dense population of wooden giants, rearing their heads without a hranch to sixty or seventy feet, and some of them perhaps a hundred feet in height, with the remains of the dead and the dying (for I have seen numerous in- stances of trees, hlown down hy the storm, resting their prostrate limhs upon some wooden cousin within a few feet of the ground, and still perfectly alive with his foliage in full vigour), he cannot fail to be struck with the peculiarity of the scene. This contrasted with the remains of the dead trees with their enormous wooden skeletons lying in all direc- tions, intersected, twisted, and bestrewed with the leaves of others, beautifully tinted with autumnal colour, dying and forming a funeral shroud for the prostrated trunk. . ■; .i When the traveller steps into these scenes, and recognises the bear, wolf, lynx, racoon, deer, squirrel, and a host of others of the animal kingdom, he will then discern the wisdom of Providence, and feel the full force of the Poet, when he exclaimed— % ■'''■'' " 'Tis nought to me ; T; ;• Since God is ever present, ever felt. -•' ') In the void waste as in the city full ; And where He vital breathes, there must be joy." M„, CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 49 shooting here is pretty good In this locality I did not meet with any woodcocks. During my sojourn near London, I took up my residence in a house half-way between St. Thomas's and the former place. The little inn was kept by a Scotchman, who had married an American ; the ac- commodations were very rough ; but the people were clean and extremely civil. The landlord was one of those many individuals who, when they have risen suddenly and mounted their Canadian carriage and pair, think themselves at once as grand as Scottish Lairds. Such was the case with Mr. M'Kenzie. He frequently gave me long histories of the great independence of the settlers of his neigh- bourhood ; and usually stated that, if the people could not get rich, they had enough to live on, and that they had all that great lords in England could possess — viz. eating, drinking, clothing, cleanliness, and fresh air. We were conversing, one morning, upon the er lality of the people of the country, when the old settler stated that he never took off his hat to any one, whether he might be the Great Lord Judge, or even the fine plumaged military dignitary. His wife, an American — most probably from the slave states — was full of the prejudices touching people of colour. She stated, one morn- ing, that if she had a hundred sons and they all should have the opportunity of marrying the daughters of great English lords, she should object B w 50 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, \i ''H to it as unnatural and degrading, even if they got \ wealth into the bargain. M'Kenzie also stated that such was the democratic feeling of the country, that the servants all tools, their meals with their master and mistress. I happened to rise earlier than usual one morning, which gave me an opportunity of breakfasting with them. I said to M'Kenzie, do allow me the honour of breakfasting in company with that servant of yours ; I am not at all a proud man ; to which he replied in the affirmative. So we all sat down together. I occasionally glanced at the servant, and I inyariably found his masticat- ing organs like those of a good mUl with a strong breeze, pounding and grinding at full speed ; and I have no doubt that his jaws manufactured as many food boluses as most young men of the neighbour- hood of his size and weight. He wore his hair long, which was cts glossy and bright as if he had been swimming in liquid pomatum, and as clean as if Truefit had just given him the finishing polish. His superfluity of hair frequently dashed about his eyes ; to relieve himself of which he frequently gave his head a peculiar nod, which movement I think can never be tolerated unless it is well per- formed by some affected lady milliner. Sept. 28th, left the neighbourhood of the Back- woods for London. London is making rapid strides, having risen in a very few years to possess a popula- tion of nearly five thousand. In this town I found tho CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 51 82nd Royal Lincoln regim^it quartered, with some artillery, probably amounting to seven hundred men. It is not at all unfrequent to have desertion from our regiments stationed here and elsewhere. Six or seven deserters have been known to start together. When this happens, a great gun is fired to announce to all that may hear it that a deserter is making the best use of his legs. This town, like most others in Canada, has very recently severely suffered from fire ; and although all the houses were not insured, still the streets are rising very rapidly ; and, to prevent them submitting to the flames a seer *;ime, tin roofs with their most glittering sm : ^ u strike the eye of the beholder, which plan will be an excellent preventive against a second attack of conflagration. I took up my residence at the London House, where I had an excellent opportunity of seeing life in Canada, with all its phases, in an hotel. A most essen» tial part of a Canadian as well as an American hotel is the bar-room. "Whatever may be the rank, wealth, and size of the hotel, it appeared to me that all classes have access to this place. To a native of Britain, this bar-room requires some explanation. Instead of being that neat, little, compact apart- ment, the sructum of the 1 mdlord and his wife, herein is the receptacle for all who choose to come, whether he remains in the hotel or not, to drink, quarrel, or talk — the little man to place himself by £2 'li, I'l! il I !i, ..-: - ^ ■■:--'■■■■ C, ■ ; :, ■ . f ': . " . 62 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, the side of the great, and to crow over him if he dare — the braggadocio to show his consequence by picking a quarrel with some one most probably his superior ; and I am sorry to say that occasionally the sons of gentlemen are to be seen drinking with those who, in the Old Country, would be keeping at a respectful distance, or probably grooming their horses, or blacking the boots of those who have to submit to the humiliation of being taken by the hand and forced, by the democratic spirit that pre- vails here, to submit to be treated as equals, who, from their manner and bearing, would look much better in the stable or behind a table in the capacity of groom or waiter. I do not mean to say that this latter society composed the greater part of the visitors to these bar-rooms ; unfortunately it prevails too much. Reversing the case, I have seen too many instances of men well educated, who, in the Old Country, had either committed themselves or had been povert3- stricken, and so compelled to seek an asylum in the colonies, and, not realizing their ex- pectations, have had recourse to liquid poison in the first instance, and, by so doing, have plunged them- selves deeper and deeper into the slough of despond. I remember witnessing a remarkable instance of this kind. A poor, dejected, ragged, drunken, filthy man was surrounded by a numerous audience, and, finding myself suddenly in the middle of them, I was induced to listen to the man'T tale, from the V<-'':'- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 53 circumstance of his speaking so correctly as to leave no doubt in my mind that he had received a very tolerable education. His history is as fcLows, given by himself: He had been apprenticed, at Hull, in England, to a carpenter ; but, being a sharp man with a tolerable capacity, and having a taste for divinity, he left his businecs when young and was sent to college, where he succeeded in being admit- ted a Presbyterian minister. He had had a congrO" gation in tte United States, and in some way com- mitted himself so as to be excommunicated ; after which, he retreated to Canada, where he undertook the vocation of schoolmaster. Some unchristian individual, from the place where he had been minister in the United States, informed the mana- gers of the school of the faux pas the poor fellow had committed, and consequently lost him his situa- tion a second time. This drove him to despair, and he had recourse to the poisoned waters (so desig- nated by the red man) for his consolation. He continued drinking for some time, until the still small voice of conscience called him a third time to Lis duty. He again took a situation as school- master. He then stated tbat he was again dismissed for not discharging his duty. He then concluded by stating that he had had recourse to his original business, that of a carpenter, as a means of sub- sistence, other things failing ; when one day, believ- ing that his master had ill treated him, he again 54 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE U^ 'TED STATES, appealed to liquor for his solace ; when, returning home intoxicated, he made a false step and suddenly disappeared by making a sudden descent into a Wvll twenty-four feet in depth, where he remained all night, until a girl, belonging to the inn where I was remaining for a few days, went to the well early in the morning for a bucket of water, and there found him half drowned and dreadfully exhausted. This is one of those instances among hundreds of others, where not only carpenters and men respectably educated, but even some of the best families of old England, have so degraded themselves by cheap drink as to have lost almost every trace of their original state. While remaining in the hotel, I had that not very uncommon luxury of sleeping in company with another individual gentleman. I was lucky in' not having him for a bedfellow. I think I became a loser by the society of the stranger gentleman; for sundry articles belonging to my dressing-case were wanting when I required them. Judge A — did me the honour to leave his card, and very kindly invited me to his house, where I met his very agreeable lady. Here I had a treat in finding the lady an enthusiastic botanist ; and she took me to the locality where that most singularly beautiful and interesting plant the Saracenia is foun«I. Riding out with the Judge and his lady, in the very town in which he sits in his judical \\ h CANADA, AND TH£ WEST INDIES. 6d capacity, a servant girl accosted us in the following manner : ** I say, you give that shaving-br jh to Mr. W ; he will want it, and you must nut forget to give it him." This was the servant girl belonging to a gentleman that I was well acquainted with, and who at that time was visiting the Judge. This servant, in addressing the Judge's lady, omitted mam, and she neither curtsied either at the begin- ning or end of her address. fe-^«*^^vf-«':- l;t;---J,ir:j, 56 A BAMBIE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, ^ili;-v|SiV>ii-ii5^<.'->"^ ;■ ^ CHAPTER HI. , ;,.;.::,,>, '^:.:.l: October 5. Left London for Hamilton. I ex- perienced one of the most disagreeable trips I ever remember. We started at dark in the evening, and travelled all night. The stage-coaches here are the most ridiculous as well as the most comfortless tilings ever invented for the transport of morta! flesh ; add to this their being the ugliest things in creation, the reader may then form some notion of stage-coach travelling in Canada. I v^lj much amused, at severq^ of the hotels, to find the ostlers and other servants sleeping in beds consisting of nothing but a few bed things thrown into a large wooden box. After travelling a while, we at last reached what is called the " swamp," a road precisely similar in its nature to those which existed somot twenty years ago in the county of Lincoln, in the Fenny districts. The roads are so bad that the most rapid rate of travelling does not exceed a mile J t n CANADA, AND TFE W£6T INDIES. 61 and a half per hour. We were frequently com- pelled to walk, in order to relieve the poor horses, and not unfrequently stuck fast in the mud, and also to get well bedaubed and bespattered with the juice of the dirty road, which might be very cor- rectly termed the essence of dirt, some of it being as adhesive as bees '-wax, which gave us all as per- fect a coat of plaster as if we had been brick-walls undergoing the process of stuccoing. Oct. 7. Arrived at Hamilton. In this locality the land rises high, consisting of an extensive range of limestone hills within half a mile of the town. There hills contribute that which Canadian scenery requires — viz. a view of its distant parts ; for it must be admitted that it is much inferior in most parts of its vast extent to the best parts of Great Britain and Ireland, in consequence of not obtain- ing the necessary elevation to gaze over some of the grandest landscapes in the world. Here may be felt the philosophical truthfulness of the poet, when he exclaimed, "'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view." Once get the proper elevation for a view of these extensive lakes, — majestic forests, tall and detached trees, gigantic in form, and old as Gothic churches — many of them decayed, except the trunk, which stands as its monu- ment of departed greatness — here strike the eye of the traveller, and make him deeply regret that it is only occasionally (from want '/»':. t n n vtV 58 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THB UNITED STATES, ^ of elevation) that such grand and glorious land- scapes can be duly appreciated. Nothing can ex- ceed the beauty of the merchants' houses in the yicinity of the town. They are strongly built, some with parks, and all with excellent gardens, ]'} and so situated as to command extensive views of the most beautiful district of the country, where Lake Ontario may be seen lur many miles, with its sea-like aspect ; for those lakes can be compared to nothing better than fresh-water oceans. ^ The town of Hamilton has risen more rapidly than any other in Canada, and its houses and streets are more beautiful than any of its Canadian compe- ' titers. I have been informed that only a few years since it consisted of a few huts. It resembles many towns of the United States ; and I have been told that numbers of Americans reside here, either preferring it or the institutions of the country to their own ; or possibly they may have been sent or come voluntarily with a /iew to bring about a change which might be the means of ultimately annexing it to the Great American Union. Whether this be true or not, I am not capable of affirming ; but one thing I can answer for, that they are plenti- fully to be found in the place; and I am sure that the Canadians ought to be very much obliged to them for services rendered, as many of the best inns in the town have been built by the Americans ; and wherever any specnktion goes on, it is more readily i\ Si> CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 59 entered into and carried out more thoroughly and effectually by them than by the Canadians. I put up at Mr. Young's establishment. I found him pretty civil, and his accommodations were tolerably good. While I was engaged reading a newspaper, I very suddenly heard the fire-bell ring, which is the signal for all to be on the alert. I went out, and observed the flames issuing from behind that part of the town in which my hotel was situated. At first I thought it might reach the hotel, which induced me to go up stairs and take out of my portmanteau a letter of credit, leaving wardrobe, books, and all other old favourites to be consumed by the flames, in case of the fire attacking the building. I sallied out to learn all the particulars relating to the conflagration, and to my great joy found that it had broken out in a quarter at a great distance from my hotel. When gazing at the fearful element at the opposite side of the street, tout-a-coup, an authority laid hold of me very forcibly and said, " You go and bear a hand at passing the bucket, and help to put out the fire." I said I have my own property to look after. He made me no answer, but immediately seized me by the collar and forced me into the direction of the fire, where a line of men was formed for passing buckets of water from a considerable dis- tance. When he was forcibly carrying me away in the neighbourhood of the fearful blaze, which t ■ffMl 60 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, began to send forth showers of sparks and pieces of wood in a red-hot state, then I protested against it as not being at all agreeable to a traveller, who had left old England in search of pleasure. I again remonstrated with him, by saying, I am an English- man and a visitor to the town, and ought to be allowed to look after my own property. To which he replied ; " I'll be d , if you are an Englishman, you will do your duty." He then placed me in a line so near to the fire that I felt not only too hot, but found that large pieces of wood, lizingand red hot, forced by the wind, were flying about me in all directions. He then departed, and uttered, in the most imperative tone I ever heard, "At your peril to move from your position !" I cer- tainly felt the treatment of my friend to be rather severe; not that I feared a little hard work, or was ashamed to be seen bearing a hand amongst the lower orders for so laudable a purpose as that of extinguishing a fire ; far from it ; I should have been too proud to have recollected the circumstances in after life, and with great delight should have remem- bered the stern and Nelson-like command of my friend ; but for the circumstance of having gone to my portmanteau for a letter of credit from the Messrs. Barings and Co. to the amount of £4,000, which sum was quite at the mercy of the gentle- men of the bucket department. This was the pro- perty I alluded to when urged by my friend to ff* CANADA. AND THE WEST INDIES. 61 handle the bucket ; and as 1 had on a loose-fitting sailor's jacket, the said sum of money could have easily been extracted from a large pocket in my jacket by tlie mob, while both hands were employed in passing the bucket. This induced me, notwith- standing the threats of my commander, to withdraw from the fire and to place myself in a part where it was not so scorching, and where there was much less chance of my being robbed of my letter of credit ; at the same time stating to my right and left-hand companions of the bucket department that I was an Englishman, and proud of doing my duty; and I took down their names, to be witnesses incas !:,/ besieging friend should have returned to the part where he had stationed me and found me departed. I heard no more of him ; and, the weather being calm, the flames were soon prevented from extend- ing ; but not before four houses had been consumed by the firy element. Nothing could surpass the energy and activity displayed by the people of a neighbouring house on fire ; they were on the roof stripping off every thing of a com^j'-tible nature, although surrounded by the flames ; snd they suc- ceeded in obtaining water on the roof, and poured it down into those parts that were attacked by the fire. I stood for an hour and longer in light shoes nearly up to my ankles in mud and water, passing the bucket ; and, by so doing, acquitted my con- science of any neglect of performing my duty to V « in 62 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, my Canadian neighbours. It is much to be lamented that there is not an efficient and well-equipped fire- brigade established in the town. '■'*' Oct. 7th. Left Hamilton, and crossed Lake On- tario to Toronto. I put up at Mr. Donald's hotel. It so happens that, to whatever part I travel, I am sure to come in conta'^t with Lincolnshire people. The bar-keeper turned out to be a native of that county, residing, prior to his coming to America, not far from the town of Lincoln. I delivered my letter of introduction to Dr. Boys, the bursar of the University. I was much pleased with the library, which contained very valuable books in science and literature, chiefly consisting of English authors, as well as numerous works in French, affording an excellent opportunity to those who matriculate of obtaining an excellent education. The philosophical apparatus here, I believe, is considered to be very good. In this town is to be found some of the best society in Cimada. They are chiefly from the old country ; and are, therefore, most of them staunch supporters of the cause of monarchy, and march rigidly in the steps of their forefathers. I fell in with Dr. H , of the 82nd, who very kindly invited me to the barracks, where I dined with him out of a most excellent bee&teak, one of the best I ever partook of, and the only fine one I ever masticated in the New World. I had the treat of an intro- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 63 duction to the band of the regiment, whilst they were practising in their room. I presented them with some musical compositions of my own for the flute. I have no doubt that they performed very well ; but, being too near them, I lost all enjoyment of that which, had it been in the open air, I have no doubt would have delighted me mnch. > vvv >/ ■;• I may remark that, when conversing with an inn-keeper, a little distance from Toronto, I learned-' that people when they quarrelled, instead of boxing, adopted the Kentucky method of biting and gaug- ing. It is not unusual to bite off the nose, ear, or any other part that may happen to come first ; and these too the descendants of honest John Bull, who, prior to their emigration to the New World, prided themselves on the (said to be) manly act of self- defence ; which latter may be justified when em- ployed to save one's own life or for the defence of the innocent and oppressed ; but, when studied as an art for the sake of prize-fighting, with a view to obtaining money and honour t boot, I think it as disgraceful to the name of an En9;lishman, as this disgusting and bull-dog method of fighting is to the Canadian ; and I think there are many savage tribes to be found in the world which would consider them- selves both debased and degraded either in the art of gauging, or even in the much -vaunted and much-talked-of manly art of self-defence. When at Niagara, I was informed by a Canadian , y\ 64 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, that a poor French Canadian was attacked by some Americans ; the poor Frenchman had pluck enough to show fight single-handed ; and his opponents were dastardly enough (being three or four in num- ber) to gauge the poor fellow. > ^ r :*; . ' : ^ >= > Oct. 13th. I left Toronto for Kingston. I arrived early on Sunday morning, in the midst of rain, and took up my quarters at Mr. Daly's. Having heard from one end of Canada to the other that this part was the most famous district in Canada for snipe-shooting, to such an extent that thirty couple of snipe might be bagged by a good shot in a day, I instantly set about finding a com- panion ; for, having no letter of introduction, I was compelled to fall back upon my own resources. I heard that an Irish gunsmith and blacksmith was the best snipe-shot in the town. T lost no time in repairing to his shop, and instantly made arrangements with him for the snipe campaign. I had some difficulty in obtaining a gun; the gunsmith, however, at last succeeded in procur- ing one. Being now fully equipped for the expe- dition, having provided ourselves with an abund- ance of amunition, guns, &c. full of excitement, hoping to achieve such prodigious laurels in snipe- shooting, such as might be deemed worthy of a record in the archieves of the place, and hoping to take our stand at least with the first, if not in the foremost ranks of snipe heroes ; for I had the vanity CANADA AND THE WEST INDIES. 65 to suppose that, {is the locality was so famous for its abundance of snipes, I might be able to kill such numbers as would give me a rank above the ordinary sportsmen of Kingston. We started for a creek within three miles of Kingston ; and, to my very great astonishment, we did not even spring a single snipe. The duck shooting, however, was good ; but it depended entirely upon the luck of getting sufficiently near to them, as they were all on the wing. The black- smith, seeing a great flight of them, immediately started at full speed to place himself in a good posi» tion and quite in the line of direction in which they were coming ; he up with his tube, and finding one duck a species of giant amongst the pack, and being much better to hit, and also more valuable for the pot, he let fly, and down came the giant duck. This so rejoiced young Vulcan, being the first shot he had killed, that he instantly approached me, almost running, with the utmost delight, and putting out his hand, he very cordially shook it ; his simple and innocent soul felt all the glorious transports of the sportsman thrilling through his bosom ; and the smile that sat upon his face clearly indicated that he felt himself covered with undying laurels. I have seen in my time many fine women, and some noble men too, in my rovings ; but few individuals of all ranks that I have known well will make a more lasting and deeper impression upon me than m #■ F \ ' 66 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, ;i! this poor, but honest and simple-hearted man, " An honest man is the noblest work of God." The gunsmith, my fellow sportsmen, afterwards informed me that, although poor, he was a great friend to the Indians : so much so, that whatever work he did for them in the gunsmith line, he never failed to charge them but half price ; and whatever article they bought of him, he invariably let them have it at half price ; and this he did from a strong conviction in his noble soul that they were a race unjustifiably driven from the soil of their fore- fathers, and frequently ill treated by the white man, who, by the command of the British Government, ought invariably to have stood their friend. I may here mention a piece of injustice, of which I was an eye witness. I was going one morning to the studio of my Vulcan ; I there met two Indians, with whom I conversed, and ascertained that they were fellow sportsmen. One of the Indians hadjn his possession the head and ears of a wolf that he had shot, to present to a magistrate, in order to claim the allowance granted oy the British Government, which was £1 4s. The day ailer, I met with the one of the Indians, whom I questioned as to whether he had received his money for having destroyed the wolf; to which he replied in the negative. They then presented me with a certificate, signed by some authority in the town, stating that they were fully entitled to the reward I \ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 67 of the British Government. I then said, "have you applied for it at the proper time and place 1 " To which they answered in the affirmative; and they further statet^ that they were to receive the money in a month. This affair carried upon the face of it such irregularity (a very mild term for it), that I determined to sift the matter to the bottom, not caring for the hot water I might get into, and the little persecution that might be created by tracmg this mistake to its true source. I then said, " come and show me the place and the person to whom you have applied for your money." I then joined my swarthy and red-faced companions, who evidently felt a pride at being seen in the company of the white man, which but too rarely happens here, except for the purpose of plundering them. I then went to some place that looked like a court house, where I suppose some clerks of the magis- trates had refused payment to these poc r fellows ; and, finding one of them, I said, " here is a certifi- cate, signed by some authority, entitling these Indians to six dollars, for having destroyed r wolf." The man immediately paid the money, without ask- ing who I was, or where I came from, or by what authority I had been deputed the friend and advocate of the Red American Indian. . I was informed, by my friend, the sporting gun- smith previously alluded to, that these authorities frequently swindled the poor Indian ; and he had f2 I' ' '* ii! U 68 A %AMBLE THROUOH THE UNITED STATES, no cLumI^c they appropriated the money to their own ^ use. Feeling then, as I have often previously iolt, that to fight the bfcttle of the weak again at t^ic strong, of the oppressed against the oppresBor, of the right against those who arp in erro , is noj oul)^ an esirontial part of the duty of every right-miuled man, but that it is absolutely one of the greatest pleasures of man's existence, I said to my Yulcan friend, "have you no editor of a paper in this place, to undertake the cause of the i>ppressed ?" To whici- |iieGi inn he replied, " There are few free jspiriti} here to do »^ noble thing ; no independence exists , all man are too afraid of each other to ex- pose tJlie paltry tricks of his neighbour; and all dependent in trade one m another;" and Vulcan con( luded by saying, " and I believe, if they were unsha'-kled by the common interest of trade, I don't think there exists a soul to fight the battle of these poor unfortunate Indians: they are a bad lot," , I was sorry to learn that some of the officers belonging to the regiments stationed here have not contributed a good sample of morality in this place ; ' for the gunsmith informed me that some of them quitted the town without paying their debts. The- truth of this latter I am not responsible for ; but the subject of the Indian transaction I can ' ouch v for, and prove in the following epistle I w c'e to , the Governor of Canada: " , >r ; \\ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 69 Montreal, Tetu's Hotel, Nov. 24th. My Lord, As a British subject, from the Old Country, travelling through Canada, I take the liberty of laying before your Lordship a circumstance which took place at Kingston, while sojourning there for a few days. I was in the shop of a blacksmith of the name of Moody, talking and enquiring about guns and shooting, &c. when two poor Indians made their appearance, one of whom enquired for a magistrate, to claim his reward of six dollars, the gift of the British Government, for having killed a wolf, the head of which he had in his possession. Meeting these poor Indians the next day, in whom I took great interest, as well as the race in general, I said, " Well, have you got your six dollars for killing the wolfl" The answer was "no;" upon which one of them showed me a certificate signed by some authority, stating the Indians to be fully entitled to the receipt of the six dolars. The man continued — " I have presented the certificate at the right place, when they told me the money would be paid in a month." This statement of the Indian induced me to believe that there was some- thing, to say tl T least of it, extremely singular ; and, aithougL a perfect stranger to Kingston and the Indians, I determined at any risk to stand up between the poor man and his apparent oppressor. / ll i 70 A BAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, I immediately, in company with the two Indians, started for the locality, where they said the money would be paid in a month, which I believe was the Court House, where I saw an authority. I bowed and said, " here is a certificate on the part ; of this poor man." And I have only to tell to ' your Lordship, that the money was instantly paid, with a favouring, flattering pat on the shoulder by the officer to the Indian, saying, " Now, my good fellow, you will soon kill another wolf " "I took the liberty of leaving a card, with the view of stating to your Lordship, the contents of this letter ; and, not wishing to trouble your Lordship a second time, as well as being pressed for time in consequence of my departure from Canada to the United States, I have felt it my duty to my- self, to the Old Country, to Canada, and to the British Government, to the Indians as well as to your Lordship, to make this communication." rf )^ Here, at Kingston, are ordnance-works, a dock- yard, and strong fortifications, and a penitentiary, which I visited. I was shown over the penitentiary > ne of the keepers, who very civilly paid me marked attention, especially after telling him that I was a physician — a thing that he seemed to doubt Very much, from the circumstance of my having on at the time a sailor's jacket. This prison contains persons committed for every kind of crime ; as theft, w CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 71 arson, murder, &c. ; some sentenced to remain seven years, others for life ; there were some murderers with their sentence of death commuted. The prisoners, one and all, follow their various trades. I passed through the shoe-making depart- ment, where I found the prisoners dressed in white and red, with P. P. in large letters branded upon them. I then paid a virit to the tailors, next to blacksmiths, and afterwards to the carpenters. When in the centre of the blacksmiths' department, I thought myself and the keeper much at the mercy of these suns of fire and metal, which suggested a question to the keeper : "Are you not afraid of the prisoners knocking you on the head with their hammers? — and do they not conspire against the authorities]" He answered, "that they had the greatest hatred towards each other ;" and he men- tioned an account of an attempt by a prisoner to knock down his keeper, when another prisoner im- mediately closed with him and consequently pre- vented him ; thus verifying the proverb, " that there is honour amongst rogues." This hatred of each other induced me to put another question, as I passed the dining-hall, and there observed v chaplain's pulpit : " Whether he knew an instance of true conversion among any of the prisoners 1" To which he answered : " Not one." The prisoners are not allowed to speak to each other on any occa- sion «'' atever ; they have the most deep - rooted m 72 A RAMBLE THROOQH THE UNITED STATES, antipathy one towards another ; shutting out all the social comfort thev niyht have recourse to to solace them during then t-vil' ; and last, by remaining as far as the keeper could judge in an obdurate and unconverted state, and hardened in the sins that they had committed. As the visitor rests his eye upon t^er after tier of cell, jvsl LWf^^i enough for a coffin for these poor mortals, and connects with it the fact of these not being allowed to speak to each other, their deep and secret hatred of their fellow pris'>ners setting up an impassable barrier to all sociul enjoyment here on earth, their unconverted state unfitting them for the enjoyment of that un- known region of bliss where the clanking chain cannot cripple and confine the energies of the im mortal soul — this is a scene too sad to dwell upon, and will naturally cause the individual beholder to bless his stars that he is not one of the inmates of this prison house, and, if a religious person, instantly to quit the scene, with a prayer for the conversion of these poor deluded creatures. Oct. 16th. I left Kingston for Montreal. I was much pleased with the great breadth of the river St. Lawrence , particularly m hen we approached the Thousand Isles, so called from its having an immense number of island? mo* o or less approach- ing in amount to those fig^ i, r onsisting of various sizes and every vaiiety of fo m, b veetly verdant and beautifully decorated with trees. Some of these? CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 73 islands are very small, others large, and some of an intermediate size. I here fell in with a Major Denney, of the 17th Highlanders, whose regiment was at that time stationed at Kingston. The Major addressed me very politely ; although a perfect stranger to him, the manner of doing it, combined with the look and style of the man, so clearly indicated a very superior individual, as well as a most agreeable man, that I immediately paid great attention to him, and very fortunately succeeded in securing his conversation down to Prescott, where he unfortunately left me. May every traveller in his various rovings meet with similar urbanity of manner. I was a perfect stranger to Major Denney ; but he nevertheless took the greatest possible interest in my travelling through the country, so much so as to give me a letter of introduction to Captain R , of the 7 1 "t regiment, at that time stationed at Montreal. Suc!i a good son of Mars was the Major Denney, that he offered me board and lodging at the King- ston fortress, with the band to boot (being musical); and, having further informed him that I had been out shooting in the neighbourhood, and had not sprung a single snipe during the greater part of a hard day's work in the Kingston district, so justly celebrated for its famous snipe ground, he smilingly bade me farewell, saying : " If you come to visit me at Kingston, we will try if we cannot kill a snipe." 74 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, .r The town of Montreal is well built ; the streets are narrow, which at first sight look anything but majestic ; but afterwards gradually improve to the eye of the visitor. The wooden roads are the most beautiful I have ever seen ; and most of the build- ings are substantially built, and some of them may lay claim to the possession of beauty. A hill rises to a very considerable elevation at the distance of about a mile and a half from the town, which gives one of the finest panoramic views of the town and the island on which it stands, formed by the Ottawa and the river St. Lawrence. The view of the town from this hill, during brilliant and clear days, dis- plays a burning and shining aspect, caused by the roofs of the various buildings being made of tin. They look as bright as the sun itself when his rays happen to catch them, which is sure to be the case during fine weather. The town is considerably altered for the better, and every commodity much increased in value, in consequence of the Governor having resided there, whose extreme amiability and sound judgment have secured for him tiie admira- tion as well as the respect of all sensible people. Building is so much the Irage in this place, that carpenters, stonemasons, and bricklayers can demand and obtain the exorbitant pay of sixteen shillings per diem. <•/.. .i-rr. .^i, .: . .v . Oct. 4th. Left Montreal at the unfortunate hour of 5 p. m. for Quebec, being a nocturnal trip f s CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 76 and just occupying the hours of obscurity for its completion. I arrived at Quebec at 6 o'clock the next morning. I repaired to Payne's Hotel, where I found the inn spacious and comfortable, with several inmates, as usual, consisting of resident merchants of the town. The country through which the St. Lawrence passes, after quitting the lakes, is pretty enough, but not picturesque — the land on its shores not being sufficiently elevated to give a grand view until the traveller arrives at Quebec ; and there I have no hesitation in saying that the Rhine, Rhone, and Danube are vastly thrown into the shade by the comparison, as it is there that this very extensive scene unfolds its many beauties. Its beauty does not consist in the length of the river being seen for a distance of fifty or sixty miles in its course, like the Danube at Linz ; for here a much shorter distance than even forty miles of length is observable ; but the grandeur of the scenery fully compensates for its want of distance. The place to catch the best view of the river is Durham Terrace, a very high elevation, being a portion of the town of Quebec, with other streets at the foot of this high cliff forming another part of the town, so that the view comprehends a good portion of the town below the spectator, with all the other varieties of land and water. I can form no exact figure of the height of this elevation ; but it is quite sufficient in altitude to present one of H vy w ;i 111! 76 A BAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, the grandest river scenes in North America, or perhaps one of the finest in the world. On the road to Montmorency, a line of houses is to he seen so singularly white, without a single one de- viating from the exact line either in front or he- hind, that they appear to have heen left hy the river, similarly to a sedimentary deposit ; and the grand view of mountains in the back-ground, with- out a single house in the fore-ground, completes this most singular and extensive scene of moun- tain, of plain, and of river. The opposite side of the river is cliffy and high, and studded with innu- merable little houses, giving a change to the mono- tony of the scene. In the middle of the river, within a few miles of Quebec, is an island, twenty- fr ir miles in length and eight in breadth. The St. Lawrence at its mouth is, I think, 150 miles in width; and in it lies the Island of Anticosti, 120 miles in length, without population, except a few persons maintained at the expense of the Bri- tish Government, to take charge ci shipwrecked mariners when unfortunately cast upon its inhos^ pitable and dreary coast. A vessel was wrecked upon this island before the British Government had any stations on it ; the poor fellows, finding a dreary waste without a single inhabitant, were compelled to subsist on the wild fruits of the country for many days and probably months, until they were lucky enough to hail some vessel, which ultimately CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 77 came to their assistance. The many hardships en- dured by those poor sailors induced the British Government to make a provision in future, by the erection of several stations well calculated to afford necessary protection to all who might suffer ship- wreck on this extensive and uninhabited island. The fortification at Quebec is considered I believe, third in its rank of power and resistance ; and in its appearance, like its magnificent neighbour, the river St. Lawrence, is peculiarly striking, and can- not fail to attract the attention of the traveller. I made a short excursion to Montmorency. This place is remarkable for possessing a very beautiful water- fall, very different in its character from the great Niagara, as the whole of the water is nearly turned into froth while making its descent; whilst the great mass of the Niagara fall is almost entirely unbroken, with slight exceptions, which constitutes the peculiar charm of this magnificent scene. I observed the arbor vitae growing very abundantly, to the height of 30 feet, by the s^de of the spruce fir. I came in contact with a French boy, about twelve years of age, and, wishing to ascertain the degree of intelligence and education of the youth, I put the following questions. " Est ce que vous avez entendu parler de Monsieur Louis Philippe, Roi des Fran^ais V To my perfect astonishment, he answered, " No, Monsieur ! !" I then catechised him a second time. " Vous avez lu dans I'histoire quelque s I 78 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, chose du grand Napoleon V He answered, " No, Monsieur r* This was a young gentleman who had been at the parish school, and who boasted of having carried away academic honours. ^^^^^ I had heard that the French of this part were very ignorant, and I am afraid that this boy was but a too faithful sample of the state of education. I observed, during the short tete-a-tete that I had with him, that he pronounced the adjective Fran- cois, " Francah ;" nous sallon voyer, " nous sallon vayer ;" mois, " mey ;" and du lait, " du lette." He also made use of the expression, *' le steamer," in- stead of " le bateau k vapeur." The traveller here will be much amused and probably vexed, to find that his knowledge of French at his first inter- view with the natives serves him but to little pur- pose ; and it is only by listening very attentively, that he will be able to recognise any thing resem- bling his own knowledge of the language — except- ing in general characteristics, such as the nasal sound accompanied with the roulement of the letter r. A good instance of this kind occurred to me. I was approached by a French Canadian, who very civilly touched his hat, requesting from me some information; not understanding him, I addressed him as follows; " Est ce que vous parlez Francaisl" He said, "Oui, Monsieur'?" I then said, "Qu'est ce que vous voulezl" He then answered me in a long rigmarole of which T could make nothing. I then said, "J'ai appris mon Francois a Paris, et je suis bien fache ■ tMJfMnniTiawHiiiiii >flMMlWnOHI)WMl CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 79 que je ne puis pas vous comprendre." We parted from each other without understanding the least of the sub- ject. I, for my part, could not comprehend the sense or even many of the sounds of his language. The French Canadians are remarkable for living near towns ; they scarcely ever enter the backwoods to handle the axe, but are invariably found build- ing near to a good road or a river. . >.;: •> /t- , *« . jif This circumstance will sufficiently explain that beautiful row of white houses to be seen by the side of the St. Lawrence, extending for many miles, previously described. They are particularly cleanly, very simple minded, and extremely hos- pitable; and would never put themselves at the head of any revolutionary movement without some impudent demagogue to arouse them to acts of dis- obedience. Their lineaments seem to resemblo the original French only rarely, and they are extremely antiquated in their dress. They appear io be very much devoted to their religion, being almost en- tirely Catholic,, but terribly prejudiced against the English, Irish, and Scotch, wLo settle near them. They have b*;?n heard very frequently to remark, how happy they should be if they had the country to themselves, without the intermingling and inter- ference of the British settler. They have means of education ; but I am afraid it is ouly of an indif- ferent kind, although there is an excellent school at Quebec, where for a trifling payment Jiey are enabled to learn all that it professes to teach. i '^ If! *■ lit* 1: H'^ mm it i il ¥} 111! 80 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, \ Here are to be found nunneries and Jesuitical teachers, who, according to treaty, have a right of residence ; and the latter have taken care to thrust themselves pretty generally into society. There is an order of monks, who do every thing by signs, except teaching. I amused myself one day in* Quebec by going into the Court House, to hear and see how assize matters Judge and Jury con- ducted themselves. I was much surprised to find that about twenty jurors were called over without one answering, although they had been regularly summoned, and in case of being defaulters they were subject to pains and penalties. The clerk continued crying out their names with a loud voice, and it appeared to me that only about one in twenty gave an answer. I enquired of some legal gentle- man near me, whether the jurors had been reg;u- larly summoned ; he answered in the affirmative, and remarked further, that the English were the defaulters, but that the French invariably attended to their summons. Here then is a feather in the Frenchman's cap, proving that which I have always heard in his favour, that he is a good-meaning fellow, does his duty, leads a simple and unso- phisticated life, minds his buainess, and interferes with no one. The English traveller, on entering a Court of Justice at Quebec, will find much to amuse him. Instead of seeing the great Lord Judi^e, whose head CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 81 appears to have gathered a mass of wisdom, and whose judicial aspect is vastly increased from his head heing encased in that hoary looking envelope the " wig ;" here he may be seen meek, humble, unpresuming, and wigless. Instead of those more than earthly dignities, the gentlemen with long staff in hand (tipstaff ), who cry " silence," and whose looks far surpass the judge on the bench in awful voice, decided looks, significant curling of the lips, wonderful development of the eye, ex- cessive distension of the nostrils, elevation of the eyebrows to imitate that serene aspect of the judge, showing his humanity and his intellectuality, when deliberately displaying his love of mercy, united to that solemn and severe look which equally indi- cates the severity as well as the necessity of the law — ^here the poor puny gentlemen of the staff look as if they had been tried for forty crimes and found guilty of all, and the staff in their hands seems to be as firmly handled, as unnaturally and as ungraceftiUy as a wooden Punch when performing acts of love in the tenderest manner to his beloved Judy; and they further appeared as if they had been in the habit of eating three meals a week, and none of them very good ones. • 'j: - > ^ I heard also several witnesses examined, who had uncommon difficulty in pronouncing the word " Sir," as they responded to either judge or counsel ; the word scarcely seemed to belong to the lan- '^1 -..IE m G 82 vVit A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, guage of the country ; and those who chanced to begin with it soon left it off, much in the same way as children ; and many grown-up people, when they take nauseous medicines, that are not at all agree- able to their palates ; or when, in the act of masti- cating fish, a bone extremely pointed and sharp suddenly penetrates the tender roof of the mouth ; in short, the word " sir " seemed either too big or too little for the articulating organs ; and they ap- peared to me to require a course of study for the proper pronunciation of it ; for it seemed so foreign to the witnesses during their examinations. One young gentleman, an apprentice, when cross ques- tioned by the counsel, omitted the Sir altogether ; and I verily believe that the counsel treated this pompous and mannerless boy with as much courtesy as the boy ought to have observed and practised towards the former ; and there was that significant nod of the head which accompanied the boy's answers, which invariably characterizes an indivi- dual not only perfectly satisfied with himself, but which also indicates to observers that the indivi- dual examined had placed a very high figure and value upon his physical, moral, and intellectual constitution. I observed too, that the counsel, when pleading, were frequently interrupted by the lower orders rudely passing them to obtain a seat. I saw, in one instance, a barrister, who stood in the centre of an ■•;:% , CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 83 entrance to some back seats, regularly and rudely displaced and pushed by the elbow of some raw peasant. '^ ^ ■ Such is a view of the dignity, order, and so- lemnity of a Canadian Court of Justice. In the Courts of Montreal, I have seen the jury made up of six English and six French, in order that court matters might be fully and perfectly com- prehended by both parties. The French may have poisessed some knowledge of the English, and the English of the French ; still an interpreter is always present to translate sentence after sentence, the instant it is delivered to the witnesses ; and this is Jone in both languages to prevent any mistakes oc- curring. I have seen cases when the counsel was only capable of speaking one language; but I should conceive it necessary in all cases that the judges are not only capable of understanding and translating, but also of conversing fluently in both. Called upon Dr. Fisher, who is connected with the Natural History Society of Quebec. He very kindly introduced me to the reading-room, the library of Natural History, and the Museum. There is an interesting collection of objects in Natural History, principally serving to illustrate that department of knowledge as it exists in Cana- da. Here are to be seen the "Wolverene, Minx, Martin, Bear, Reindeer, Otter, Ermine, Racoon, Mouse^deer or Elk. I ascertained that amongst g2 "4'' 'f'< 84 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, If! ' ' ''' I this body of naturalists there existed an aristo* cratic feeling of a very singular kind, quite pecu- liar to itself, the result of gross ignorance and worse pride; and caused by possessing but little knowledge of the nature of scientific institutions in the more civilized parts of Europe ; viz. an ob- jection to admit any one (however competent he might be) to read papers in their institution, un- less he were of a certain standing in society. The position assumed by these savans pretty well proves, I think, the legitimacy of their claims to a true scientific bearing!! tf v^f jfio^.v^*v I went with Mr. Cassells to Lorette. This is a village containing chiefly the Indians who have been more or less converted to a state of civilized life. They spoke French very well. I had the honour of paying a visit to a lady-chief; and, instead of finding her wrapt up in the robes of reginal splendour, I ob- served her plainly attired ; and she was sensible enough to turn her royal hands to the manufac- turing of various articles of commerce, whereby she was enabled to realize a handsome revenue, without taxing her subjects. I think this Ameri- can-chief fashion might be adopted with great advantage in Europe, as a means of paying off the great debts of many little continental monarchs. . ,1 was much pleased with the excellent manner in which the Indians spoke French. A friend, who accompanied me to that part of the country, related t»« CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 85 the circum8tp'"''e of his heing with some com- panions, who, ^fter paying some attention to an Indian girl, which excited the jealousy of an In- dian gentleman who felt entitled to be better loved than the Englishman, and in order to secure the lady to himself exclusively, made a sudden rush with his hunting knife in hand at his rival, but who was most fortunately prevented from executing his bloody woik through the timely interference of some people who were standing near him. I observed several rather good-looking Indian wo- men chatting and laughing at a great rate ; which induced me to follow them, and to enter their cot- tages. Some of them were well formed, and bore marks of British mixture in their composition. I believe the native Canadians have mariied with them, and the English as well, so that the Indian here, although in his native place, has lost, to a certain extent, his native lan^ aage and blood. When in the cottages, I conveised with one of them, who was engaged in nursing her child. I think few white mothers would have given a better an- swer than she did to the following question: — " Quel est le prix de votre petit infant 1" Her an- swer was, " J'ne doute pas que vous soyez bien riche, mais vous n'avez pas assez d' argent d' acheter mon petit enfant." Saturday, the 12th of November, I went down to see Mr. N n, of the 23rd regiment, stationed V. VAfi m 'ii\ i 86 A RAMnLE THROUUH THE UNITED ST\TE8, at Chaniblay. I walked the greater pp >f the disf ince, anr' afterwards fell in with a native Frenchman (or one of the habitants, as they are called), who was kind enough to give me a good jolting in his long planks of wood put on axles, with a ladder-like projection occupying the front of his very peculiar waggon, so as to prevent the large load of hay they are in the habit of carrying from falling off. This is the simple machine with which the present French race jog along in. It si ves as a carriage for transporting themselves, as well as a waggon for carrying away their various crops of corn to market. I observed another very curious and simple apparatus; an art'ole apparently made of clay, 'inder which is a frame- work of wood, de- tached id (one distance from the house. This, on enquiiy, tu.iicd out to be an oven of most singular as well as economical construction. A net-work of willow-wood forms the skeleton-shape or foundation of the oven, this is plastered inside and out with mud, so as to take the form and shape of the willow-skeleton, and an admirable oven is con- structed ; and it is so large that it may be ranked decidedly as an out-building, from the fact of its standing under a roof, supported by four pillars of wood, at a considerable distance from the house. I was much pleased to find that the French Canadians still retained that which I suppose they must have brought over with them from old w CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 87 m France ; viz. the fashion of beating their clothes with a wooden flat apparatus, wl h at the time that I was a frequenter to i'aris, was the very identical instrument . mnlov-l by t>ie washerwomen on the river Seine; pi )vi ^ th ig, that, how- ever behind the native r m her France the French Canadians mighi le tiiousand other respects, still the old mothc mtry had not ad- vanced to any new discovery in the art of washing. The method of farming here is singularly droll .* the natives never manure their land. An instance of a barn being surrounded by manure, so as to intercept communication, has induced the natives to remove the barn, instead of the greater labour of carting away the manure. It must be remem- bered, however, that the barn is a wooden one, and that, in America, it is not at all an unusual thing for it to be like the servants of the farm-yard, — subject to change its situation. I passed over a district of meadow country, and I found that no manure whatever had been carted to any portion of the land, although they realized good profits by carrying their hay to the town of Montreal. Their ploughs are made of wood ; their method of cart- ing away heavy weights, such as stones and large pieces of wood, upon a bit of an axle with a piece of wood to it, exceeds in its simplicity any thing I have ever previously seen. Although they are be- hind the age in which they live, yet one is forced to m ,..i,i >i :n "'■''If' ^f^f.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) A A ^ 1.0 I.I E Ui ^ 12.2 M |y5 111^ J4 <^ /^v^^.^ ^J^ >> ^^. '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation "^V^^^ 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) •72-4S03 88 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, admit that their experience has advanced them in their particular way ; and necessity has forced them to make use of such simple things, which, although behind the agricultural advancement of our age, still contribute to answer aU the purposes of a Canadian French farmer. They have a great objection to the back woods, from that life being too laborious; and they in- variably settle near to a good road or to a river, in order to save the trouble and expense of constructing a road, as well as to have the already made facility of transporting their goods and farming produce to some market town ; and to receive money, instead of the system of barter sometimes carried on in the back woods of the country. I had great difficulty in understanding the peasantry, from being unaccus^jnQ^ to their style and manner of speakingj^-but on conversing with those a little higher in tl^ scale of education, I had no difficulty in comprehending the greater part of their conversation ; and at the same time I was en- abled to observe their provincialisms. I invariably observed the following deviations from modem French; viz. for froid, "frett;" apres, "aprah;" s'il vous plait, " s'il vous plah ;" mauvais, " mauvah." Although this may appear very horrid to those accustomed to Parisian French only, still I was in- formed by one of the old French noblesse , who resides near' to Quebec, that the peasantry of Canada -■^ -• ..-,-■.,;: ■„ - , r, f ,. .. , - ■.: \' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 89 Speak a much better language than that of the old mother country. That vivacity an4 gaiety of man- ner, with an excessive gesticulation of the hand, combined with the invariable shrug of the shoulder, so peculiar to the French, still remain unabated amongst these truly simple people of Canada. Althoi^h the French Canadians stand committed of being guilty of revolutionary movements, still one and all of the various nations which have sent their emigrants to Canada speak of them as an honest, simple-hearted, hospitable, but too easily misled people. Here, then, the heavy responsibility hangs over the head of the late leader, Papineau ; who, after having stirred them up to acts of rebellion, when asked to take the sword and to lead them to achieve their victory or death, not only refused, but waited the result of the contest at some distance from the theatre of war until the fight was ended, and then, like a coward, abandoned his countrymen to their fate. r.,^r. I have heard upon the best authority that they hate the English, and that right well, whom they designate as the Sacr^s Anglais ; and their affection to the military is much of the same kind, to whom they have given the beautiful nickname of "Des coshons rouges." It is to be feared, should the Americans ever make a descent upon Canada, that the French Canadians would join them ; and I am very credibly informed, religious as they may appear. 90 A RAMBLE TBROUGH THE UNITED STATES, that they are equally anxious to get rid of their priests as they are of the English. The habitans, as they are called, having but little money to part with, have been compelled to manu- facture for themselves ; so that in each house may be found the Manchester department, where the carding, spinning, and weaving of flax, hemp, and cloth, is carried on in a way perfectly satisfactory to all the various wants of Canadian life and habits. Their cloth is probably the most durable of the kind ever produced ; their linen is unusually course, but nevertheless well suited to all the purposes of simple life. Taking them on the whole, they are well dressed, and vastly surpass the people of England in the same rank of life. I scarcely remember to have seen a ragged native amongst them ; and, as far as I could judge, they appeared to pay great attention to cleanliness. In thf^ir dress there is something remarkable ; instead > hat, the head of the peasant is usually covered with a woollen cap (either purple or blue), not dissimilar to our night- cap, in its fitting the head loosely and being bereft of every species of ornamental appendage, either in front or behind. They wear long gray coats, with a hood hanging down behind for the purpose of ad- ditional covering to the head, similar to those worii by our grandmothers in times gone by ; they encircle the waist with a good, substantial, and remarkably red-complexioned sash ; combined with well-made / CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 91 boots of yellow leather, to complete the costume. I am sure, as for as external religious ceremonies contribute to form the Christian (and I trust they have laid hold of the internal spiritual grace), they are a most devoted people to their church (the Ca- tholic, of course) ; ibr I have seen them flocking in great numbers as early as five o'clock in the morning, and I have been informed that they frequently assemble as early as four, a. m. ; prov- ing one thing at least, that they are not indolently religious. One morning I fell in with a Dr. Kimber, an extremely intelligent and clever medical practitioner. He was a French Canadian, and received his medical education at Paris. He was an enlightened, as well as a very unprejudiced individual. He informed me upon one occasion that be had a patient suffering much from a very bad case of strangulated hernia, which was irreducible by the ordinary mode of practice, viz. warm bath, opium, tobacco injection, and venesection. At this critical juncture, an indi- vidual happened to be passing who was acquainted with the means adopted by the North American Indians in such cases ; and as the case was an en- tirely hopeless one, the Dr. consented to submit his patient to the trial of the skill of the individual. The person made a decoction of the root of the plant called Rezinet, which was taken internally and portions of the boiled plant applied externally and 92 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, locally ; the result was an almost immediate relief of the intestine. The Dr. furthermore informed me that he inyariahly employed the Rezinet, and that he had, in all and in every variety of case, most effectually succeeded. He also informed me that he once had a very had case of epistaxis (bleeding from the nose), which would have required the patient to have his nose plugged, in order to save his life. A man happened to be passing who was acquainted with the Indian practice of arresting hsemorrhage, whom he allowed to exercise his skill upon the patient, by the application of some plant which the Br. informed me he had found to succeed in many very bad and obstinate cases. In this neighbourhood is to be seen Beloeil, one of those singularly detached mountains standing up to the height of 1500 feet above a flat fenny country. Happening to be a rainy day at the time I made the excursion, I had an opportunity of beholding the swamp in its very perfection of dirt. The road through which I passed was a natural one, consisting of mud and water, instead of macadamized materials and gravel, with occasional little lakes in its centre ; this may give the reader some idea of the doughy and almost liquid qualities of this very extraordinary road to the mountain ;. it looked more like a muddy river, meandering in its course through a beautifully wooded district, than a highway. In this weari- some and tedious excursion (for the road would not :i CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 98 permit a greater progress than one to three miles per hour), was to be observed a yery varied vegetation of trees, such as Arbor VitsB, Pinus Abies, Cedar, Betula Alba, and I think I observed the Nut also, all of which reminded me of choice and weU->selected shrubs in some pleasure ground of old England; and vei7 rarely indeed could one meet with pleasure grounds in Great Britain containing trees more beautiful, even when reared by the careful hand of the gardener, than those which bounded this filthy road, and which grew over thousands of acres of this vast and filthy swamp. As there is but one step from the sublime to the ridiculous, so is there to be found here the filthiest and ugliest thing in the world, surrounded by a most beautiful display of the vegetable kingdom. In a flat fenny dis- trict, extending for many miles, detached moun- tains, of the height of from ten, twelve, and fifteen hundred feet above the common level, cannot fail to make a deep impression upon the spectator ; and when considered geologically, the interest taken by the naturalist must far exceed that of the mere traveller. I ascended the mountain of Belceil. I found it composed of black limestone, which at first appeared to comprehend the whole mountain ; but on arriving at the summit^ where a magnificent cross has been erected by the Koman Catholics, I found it beautifully capped with granite. On an undulating surface, or in a mountainous district, 94 A RAMBLE THROOOH THE UNITED STATES, one is not at all surprised to see here and there hills much larger, higher, and steeper than others ; but in a flat swamp, to observe detached mountains of a conical form, without the slightest irregularity or rise of the common surface of the ground between them, is so exceptional as to deserve well of the attention of the physical geographer, as well as that of the geologist. This district certainly more resembled the land of Pyramids than any thing else I have ever previously beheld. I observed another phenomenon, if possible of still greater in- terest ; viz. that of the existence of a lake probably flve>hundred feet below the summit of the moun- tain, and one thousand feet above the level of the swamp, supplying a river never known to fail even during the very dryest season of the year, and con- stantly supplying it with a sufficiency of water, which has been turned to great advantage by Major Campbell, in the erection of various fac- tories entirely worked by the stream. If the source of this lake and river were supplied by rain falling into its basin, exclusive of other sources, the ex- tent of evaporation produced by the sun during the extreme heat of the summer months, as well as the constant drain upon it by the river neverv ceasing to flow, clearly demonstrates that imme- diate and local atmospheric phenomena play but a trifling part in the production of this very extra- ordinary lake and river. We must then search for '.\ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 95 other causes capable of producing the very singular fact of the existence of a lake, the source of a river, five hundred feet below the summit of a detached mountain, whose summit is fifteen hundred feet in height, in the middle of an extensive fenny swamp. Water is well known to rise by atmospheric pressure to the height of thirty-two feet above the level; this then quite fails to explain the existence of such €t phenomenon. If we suppose it connected with a subterranean supply of water, and knowing that that fluid, whatever may be its elevation, will rise to the same height by laws of its own, we then have to search for some stream, lake or river, situate at an altitude of fifteen hundred feet above the level ; and X have but little doubt that this is the true explanation ; and it is very possible that the Great North American lakes may be the true source of this curious accumulation of water on the mountain of Belceil. 96 A RAMBLE TUBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, CHAPTER IV. I LEFT Montreal November 26. The weather continued warm and unusually fine up to the period of my departure. The winter this year set in a month earlier than usual ; and having commenced so very fiercely, and being anxious to reach New York by water, I was fully persuaded that twenty- four hours* delay would entirely shut up all navi- gation, if the frost continued ; and, although rumours of war with the United .States still formed the grand topic of the Canadian people, at all risks I was de- termined to vir>it the United States of America, not- withstanding the unanimous declaration of the Cana^ dians that the Yankees would skin me alive, if I dared to show my face upon their territory during the time of the very angry discussion of Congress upon the Oregon dispute. The Governor, Lord CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 97 y ■ 1 ^^. ■ 1 er 1 )d 1 a 1 jd 1 Metcalf, quitted Canada for England on the same day, with all his suite, and overtook me at St. John's, where I remained all night. I joined the bar-room of the inn, which is the place of public resort in the New World for all travellers, drinkers, and smokers ; where senators, servants, and the greatest dignitaries may be seen indiscriminately mingling with all who happen to be present. In this inn I observed a servant, looking gay and conversing rather loudly, all of a sudden to walk to the chimney piece and seize my glass of brandy and water, and help himr self to the contents. I said nothing to the young gentleman at the time; but I observed him to march a second time to the chimney piece and re^ peat the dose. The landlord, observing the circumr stance, merely remarked to the boy that the glass was mine ; and neither he nor the boy tendered me the slightest apology. I do not give this as an invariable and certain sample of the manners of the Canadians; but suffice it Co say that it occurred. I rose early next morning, and found the town all alive, on the occasion of the arrival of the Goi- vernor. Lord Metcalf. Four or five hundred sol- diers made their appearance to pay him homage ; and I am sorry to say that the respect shown to him there was almost exclusively military. The place contained numbers of people. I do not think there were three ladies present to greet the Governor ; and I believe that those individuals forming the 98 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, rabble who were present, did not come to evince any feeling of admiration, or even to show him any mark of respect, but simply to see him, and so to cause him to know and feel how a people, not only thoroughly republican, but brutally rude, although considered particularly loyal, could receive one of the most worthy and deservedly popular Governors of Canada, even without a single cheer of approba- tion, or a touch of the hat. I stood on board the steamboat when a crowd of French Canadians flocked round the carriage of the Governor, and I am sorry to say, as he proceeded to embark, not one of the crowd touched their hats, although the French salute each other very graciously whenever they happen to meet; and, notwithstanding the Go- vernor turned round and bowed to them most dis- tinctly and graciously to the thirty-two points of the compass, during a frightfully cold day, and he at the same time afflicted with the fatal disease of cancer, which of itself must have necessarily agi- tated him much, still he received but one salute, and that was from an American. i The same day I got on board the Whitehall steamboat, and paid two dollars for a passage of 160 miles. The Lake Camplain, on which I sailed, ^ I found far more analogous to a river than any thing else, from its narrowness^ The best grazing country I have yet seen in North America, and one which resembles the rich grass fields of England, are cer- w ' ( ./:; f CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 99 all 60 vl try [ch ler- \\ tainly the far-famed pastures of Vermont. Here, I belieye, are to be found some of tho best breeds of cattle in the United States. I had pointed out to me immense numbers of oxen congregated to- gether in a place surrounded with a high railing, attached to which was a large slaughter-house for the purpose of despatching. I was informed that from this place they were sent, dead, to many parts of the Union, and that they were also shipped to England. The houses of Vermont are celebrated for bein^ the best in the country ; and its men are alike re- nowned for their colossal size. I observed, near the Lake, one or two residences which reminded me of first-class farm-houses in England ; and some of them even rivalling the house of the country squire, from their possessing numerous windows, and being substantially built with good red bricks, having also a fine open space of rich grass land in front of them, somewhat resembling the park. ^ I arrived next morning at Whitehall, in the middle of the most pelting shower of rain, when I immediately left the Governor and the beautiful Whitehall steamboat, for a paltry little canal boat, one of those peculiarly constructed conveyances, thoroughly American, fully proving the great apt- ness the people possess for the production of a new thing, perfectly applicable to its intended purpose. Imagine a very small canal boat containing about H 2 100 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, I'll iiii 100 living souls, with beds for only forty, and ac- commodation for dining only fifty at a time, and certainly not calculated to render comfortable more * than fifty or sixty altogether. But suppose thirty persons crammed into it more than it ought to carry, and then the reader may form some idea of its comforts, and that on a rainy day, preventing any of the over-crowded party from taking fresh air on deck ; and let him further picture to himself five-sixths of the passengers to be of the working class, in a country where all men are constitutionally equal, packed as closely as figs in a basket, sticking as near as animalized particles will allow. I really believe the reason why no bones were broken, or dislocations occurred, was, that there was not room for it — there being such a perfect pressure in every direction, similar to that of the atmosphere. After- wards, let the reader be informed that ever and anon some person was extricating himself from this prison-house of pressure, to breathe fresh air ; and in so doing, let him suppose every toe, big and little, gouty or chilblainy, with cors-au-pied to boot, to be trampled upon as a matter of course, and that without the slightest apology. One man gave me a very hearty kick on the knee : this was the Cap- tain, who merely acknowledged it with a significant look, which, when interpreted, signified nothing more than " I'm aware of it." I have previously described the method of bed- I s J} CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 101 Jing travellers in the canal boat ; but here I had an opportunity of seeing them fed ; and so crowded were they, that I wager none but the go-a-head Americans could have made the thing palatable at all. I observed a few boards closely stuck to the top of the ceiling or roof, as close as if legerdemain had sent them there, with some wooden sticks beside them. I wondered what they were ; but when it was announced that the tea was in preparation, I suddenly observed these sticks to be placed in a per- pendicular position at the bottom of the boat, the long boards were then laid on them, and a capital table was quickly produced; and one of the best meals was put upon it that I ever partook of in any country. The provisions were excellent, accom- panied with a tolerably clean cloth. This was the last place in the world to have expected a good meal. However, a good thing sometimes comes unexpectedly; and so it was with the celebrated repast in the canal boat from Whitehall to Troy. Let the reader have further pictured to him the tact of a philanthrophic, good, old gentleman, an American by birth, who had travelled for the pur- pose of educating children of all countries, and par- ticularly in religious instruction ; and also another individual, a great lecturer on temperance ; and let him observe besides, in this motley group, one of America's true sons, highly gifted with eloquence and a burning zeal to be of service to his country 102 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, by his lectures on anti-slavery. Let him further remark a tall gentleman with a foot as long as a leg, and his shoe much larger than necessary, with a head full of honest intention, and a face perfectly characteristic of one of the most puritanical of men, robed in a most correct suit of black, leaving little doubt in the mind of the observer that his vocation was that of putting straying and straggling sheep into the Christian fold. Ard do not let the reader forget the humble writer of this, squeezed, jammed, trampled upon, elbowed, and occasionally kicked by way of variety, surrounded, at the opposite end of the boat to the temperance, anti-slavery, and clerical gentlemen, by raggamuffins of the best breed from old Ireland, suddenly relieving themselves from their cramped positions, by an occasional extension of their heavy legs, nearly in as delicate and in as light a manner as they are wont to wield the black shelalagh about the bodies of those who hold the doctrine that Ireland has produced no fine potatoes, that Irishmen are not good fellows, and that all good whisky comes from Scotland. I certainly, upon this occasion, must lay claim to a discovery which I do not remember to have seen in any dis- sertation on man. Pope, at least, as well as many other writers, never came to the pith of the matter — viz. that the intellectual faculties are strongly developed in proportion as the feet, legs, arms, as well as the trunk of the body of an individual, are >&ii CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 103 forcibly squeezed. I think there can be no doubt of the existence of intelligent legs, arms, hands, and even heels, or how could philosophers have ever made use of the expression of a man of parts, without haying a direct allusion to those very valu- able, although very inferior members of the British constitution. Deep and intelligent parts, such as the foot of our tall lecturer, previously described, possessed, being unusually large with a shoe big enough for a foot to promenade in it, with an enormous heel for a companion, must have posses- sed a high amount of intelligence, and, like a sound argument, must have caused great weight with them wherever they went, especially if it happen to be upon the tender foot of some gouty individual. Admitting then that intellect diffuses itself through the individual like electricity, it must be clearly demonstrated that, if a man is so placed as to be squeezed from his feet to his neck, an extra- ordinary and sudden intellectual inflation of his head must be the result. And so it turned out upon this occasion ; for the anti-slavery, temperance, and clerical gentlemen all rose at the same time, under the influence of a red-hot enthusiasm, to address the various travellers, which lasted several hours, until they were completely exhausted, like hard- ridden horses after a severe day's hunting ; and it was not until they were quite becalmed for want of intellectual wind, water, and fuel, that their end of f 4 'M 104 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, :P.X the boat assumed any thing like repose and tran quillity. ';.;■::,.-.. ..'v „.•: ;u.' .^.r ,.-■.•.. f.,.-r"^:t- v.;. ^ One gentleman got his steam up so high as to continue his oratory, notwithstanding the blowing of a boisterous wind a -head (for such was the audience), until he struck upon the rocks and was ultimately wrecked for want of a sufficiency of wind, water, and especially alcohol and steam. Physicians are well acquainted with the fact that the same Mnd of medicine does not affect all constitutions alike, and such was the effect of the squeezing influence ; for, out of a company composed of from seventy to a hundred, I found that only four had undergone the process of having the Intel- lect sent upwards. The others, no doubt, must have been nipped in the head, from, their being so quiet and silent ; and consequently all their intelligence forced into their heels, where, not being provided with organs of articulation, it was unfortunately lost. At last, arose the clerical gentleman, very mtich Resembling one of our dissenting preachers, in a neat suit of black, loosely fitted. I have always observed that most dissenting ministers adopt the loose method of dress, from the fact of their usually being very hard-working men, and also from the circumstance of their arms revolving in the air with unusual rapidity, as well as that curtseying move- ment of the body forward (like an elastic image to \^ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 105 acb as a fulcrum), in order that the arms maybe sent off in any given direction, sometimes reirolving like the sails of a mill, then flapping similar to the wings of a bird, and, afler having performed in the most vehement manner every kind of flexion and exten- sion the arms are capable of producing, the ex- hausted speaker, after the storm of his oratory had passed away, at last assumed his original and natural attitude, which, when contrasted with his former very flexible movements and excited state, if he should not happen to be an Apollo Belvidere, might not inaptly be compared to a pump with two handles quietly reposing his over-exercised limbs and arms after his very severe exertion. Such then was the appearance of this enthusiastic speaker. I have seen some dignitaries of the Established Church, frequently very tightly clad, quite the re* verse of our dissenting preachers — they not requir- ing to exert themselves in rapid gestures, from the fact of their having made one grand movement, not with their arms revolving, but by a simple nod of the head in the right quarter, have jumped into the possession of livings of from £500 to a £1000 a year, not requiring a working suit of clothes for the after performance of their clerical duties. The temperance gentleman then rose to address the audience, with a face as round and as red as a pickled cabbage, which red complexion I very much suspected to have been the result of having over- s' m P '•f:i 106 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, dosed himself with alcohol in the earlier part of his life, and being saturated with it to his heart's discon- tent, afterwards concluded it most probably to be the golden opportunity for launching out his anathemas against intemperance. I am only giving my opinion. But Airplay ; it must not be concluded that I am the advocate of intemperance; far from it. Divines have not done every thing in the present age to ameliorate the condition of suffering and sinful humanity. The religion of the majority of man- kind appears to have been either not the true, or that very few have 'embraced the true religion, from the fact of crime bdng rapidly on the increase ; and especially in Scotland, where a great profession of external religious observances is carried out, where they claim the honour of being at the head of most things useful, and at the same time of standing pretty near first, if not all out, in the catalogue of crime. Let not the reader conclude that I am scof- fing at religion — quite the contrary; my creed is, that he who embraces true religion, gets possession of a gem whose lustre is but dimly seen during ouif short sojourn in this beautiful and yet gloomy world of ours, but whose beautiful tints only begin to wear their unfading brilliancy, until illumined by the glorious rays of the never-setting sun of the eternal world, and when the grave has closed over our mortal remains, and the greensward and the mournful cypress are the only living monuments of f * CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 107 the departed dead. ' I believe' thai Hemperance has been most effectual in arresting Vice in her onward progress. The originator of it may claim more gratitude from his country and all the world besides, where it has taken root, than is due to a Napoleon, rendered immortal through his military laurels of death; or to the selfish statesman and diplomatist, with all their grdat intellect, eter alive to serve their own country and plunder the rights of every other, if permitted to do so. The temperance gentleman, having addressed us at great length, only finished, like his predecessor, when his oratory had worked him up to such a high pitch that he at last suddenly stopped his vociferous vomitings and fell down in a complete state of ex- haustion. America is, probably, the most social country in the world. At most meetings of her citizens, where they are free and easy and understand each other, something is contributed by each individual pre- sent, if at all qualified for it. Such then was the feeling in the canal boat, when the anti. slavery gentleman remarked that it was now my turn to contribute something for their intellects to feed upon. I stated that I was an Englishman and a visitor to their country, and highly gratified at the many proofs of their many and great advancements in the useful arts as well as in commerce, and that I should leave the shores of America with the ever- 108 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITBD STATES, lasting remembrance that I had received many un- called-for acts of kindness ; but that I was no orator, and that they must consequently excuse me giving to them an oration upon that occasion. I consequently succeeded in making a kindly impres- sion upon them, without standing up in the capacity of an English lecturer. I may remark, that al- though the majority of this motley group of human beings consisted of hard-working men, yet a good behaviour, unknown to the same class in the Old Country, manifested itself — the kicking and squeezing arising from the circumstance of our being so closely packed, and consequently not being done intentionally. I may conclude this picture of the canal scene by stating that a good number of those gentlemen nipped in the head, all of a sudden got relief from the pressure, and conversation became more general as the night advanced towards the morning. I afterwards found the clerical gentleman to be possessed of vocal organs so loud that one would have thought that they must have included the whole of his very colossal frame ; for they were the longest and loudest notes I ever heard, and con- sisted of sacred songs too ; in the middle of which, a party, by way of variety, consisting of stentorian- lunged individuals from Old Ireland— one of whom, in a most excited manner, screamed out at the top of his voice, " Now, my boys, for * Rory Oliiore' " — CANADA, AMD THE WEST. INDIES. 109 commenced a most thundering chorus, consisting of some of the most noisy and Bacchanalian songs of the emerald isle ; whilst, at the other end of the boat, the big-legged clerical individual was still loudly vociferating his sacred strains ; and this very extraordinary blending of harmonies continued, I think, for an hour and a half. At Troy, I got on board a magnificent steamer called the " Troy," and proceeded down the much- talked -of river Hudson to the great commercial city of New York. I observed, at starting, two very magnificent specimens of American river steamers —viz. the " Henrie Hudson " and the " Oregon." Nothing will convince the traveller from the Old World, when going down the river Hudson, that he is in the New World, sooner than a glance at one of these gigantic steam-boats which ply down the river. I have been informed that one of these 'river steamers is ten feet longer than our much- celebrated " Great Britain." Nothing can exceed the gorgeous splendour with which these boats are fitted up. Let the reader imagine one of these steamers ^ sharp at etem and stem as the edge of a knife, terminating in a point, with the interior so constructed as to give the observer a view from one end of the boat to the other, with three or four tiers of beds on each side, each bed most elegantly fitted up and provided with the most costly curtains, 110 A RAMBLB^fBBlOUGH THE UNITED STATES, which with one graceful sweep extend from the ceiling to the floor, oompletelj covering the three tiers of beds,which may be seen at one glance from end to end. The river Hudson, in its broad silvery expanded course amongst hill, mountains, and cliffs, may pro^ bably be ranked amongst the finest river scenes in the world — decorated with its ever-green vegetation of different species of the pine tribe, as well as tall and magnificent trees of Arbor Vitse, contrasting very beautifully with the leafless tribe of other numerous trees— -ever changing in its aspect—* mountains descending into hills, hills into moun- tains, and both suddenly transformed into steep cliffs, dotted in many places with the dark and sombre-looking Arbor VitsB, looking like so many tremendous giants reviewing the passing crowds of steam-boats rapidly cutting both air and water on their way to New York» The finest part of the river, ** West Point," 1 omitted seeing, the dinner* bell unfortunately ringing before arriving at that very interesting part ; but I was lucky enough to have a good view of the "Palisades," so called from the cliff having its strata so arranged as to resemble in the distance the columnar basalt of the Giant's Causeway in the north of Ireland, and also from its similitude to palisades. ^v. u^j .«>«*/.:< At one of the towns, where we remained a short time to embark and disembark, the great lawyer ... .- . w ■: y ^ \ CANADA, AND THE ^MjfMDTlS. Ill statesman, Daniel Webster, came on board. I was conversing with a gentleman at the time that knew him well, and who immediately acquainted me with the circumstance ; upon which I marched with my companion to that part of the steam-boat where the great man was to be seen. Without the slightest assistance from my friend (having previously heard that he was a very tall and noble-looking man), I selected him from among a hundred of others, and said, there is the man. Mr. Webster is what every genius and what every great and good man, I think, ought to be — a magnificent specimen of a man. He possesses a noble figure, being tall, but not thin ; strong, without being coarse ; with a head at the top of his majestic figure which clearly pronounces him to be one of the noblest monarchs of his species, and that without a crown— and his title to nobility consists in his being duly registered in that sphere whose King-at-arms claims for himself, besides, the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Mr. Webster's title did not descend to him from his father, but from his God — not from his paternal an- cestor, but from his Heavenly Father. I watched him for more than half an hour, whilst conversing with those around him, and took a well-directed view of his face, where I saw distinctly written in capital letters, " Giant in mind. Lion in intellect." My friend spoke in perfect admiration, not only of his great talents, but likewise of his great honesty 112 A RAMBLB H^c UQH THB UNITED ITATM, (for political honesty is a rare quality, with shame be it spoken, in this highly enlightened nineteenth century of o»^*^), as well as of his sound political knowledge. Mr. Webster is one of those choice spirits whose noble mind belongs not to the pre- cincts of the country and locality that nurtured and fed him. My friend informed me that he possessed a noble heart, which ever expands with i mr.:> sympathy to every member of the great human femily, to whatever kingdom, country, or nation he may belong. Such a mind as he possesses sees a little further than the mere height of the body — ^it soars above the clouds, and, like the glo- rious orb of day, takes a view— an universal view of man; and the extended surface on whibh he dwells, and the dark clouds which roll beneath, are penetrated by his piercing, eagle eye. Few there are that penetrate this mist, through littleness of vision ; and the reason is, they have never soared ; not being provided with the intellectual wing, their energies have been cramped, either by a sordid world or a selfish nature ; they are wounded birds, unconscious of their injuries, and content to Ijafit of that pa- triotism which has never seer >.: r:]\ n^ soaring out one world, narrow in its boundaries — the little world that produced this half-fed, lilliputian specimen of man — this soul that would be patriotic. The former, 1 thinks may be called the great political, universal eagle, buying no particular locality for its dwelling. CAN VDA, ANK THE WE8 X»... 113 but clainuiig universal gpace for its home; looking even to the confines of eternity, tvbere all the petty distinctions of time and place, country, and geo- graphical limits, are lost and forgotten — in that New World, where all kingdoms, religions, all races of humanity commence a new career — in a region with- out geographical boundaries, inhabited by one race, the pure in heart. The latter, I think, might be justly compared to the political goose (if there were such a thing), big, heavy, and unwieldy in bodily parts, taking very short journeys to the dirty pond, and very rarely extending its flights beyond the farm-yard. Arrived at New York, Nov. 27. i went in the evening to the Olympic Theatre. This is but a small building, and not one of the first theatres in New York. The others being closed I was of course prevented from paying them a visit. I saw no acting that particularly struck me as posse sing high merit; the theatre pretty enough, and tne acting tolerable. I was seated in the boxes, with my play- bill hanging very low down on the margi i of the seat, when all of a sudden it was snatched cway by some individual in the pit ; which little circum- stance seemed to amuse exceedingly the gentlemen seated in that division of the house, as wdl as in other parts of the theatre. As this was during the discussion of the Oregon question at Washington, I rather suspected that I, as the representative of }\.. Ha t n. 114 :i#THRO A RAMBLB"THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, John Bull, had been marked out for special insult, which made me feel and look, I have no doubt, a little disconcerted. By the side of me sat a very good-natured fellow with dirty hands and nails — rather rare things in Yankee land — who immediately sympathized with me in a strong, nasal twang, by remarking, " the boys must be amused ;" and he apo- logized for them in his rough way, as he was aware that I was an Englishman, for he had previously questioned me upon that point. He was a very good fellow, as the sequel will show ; but extremely in- quisitive as to where I came from, where I was going to, and what stay I expected making in the country t What I thought of the people of Ame- rica 1 Whether the Yankees had shaved me 1 To which latter question I replied by saying " that I was a Lincolnshire man, and lived too near the county of York to allow any shaving process being successfully carried on. He further amused me by saying that the French were a much greater people than the English. I wondered at this, until he fur- ther continued — " I am of French extraction." I give this as a sample of what may occur to an Englishman on his travels through America, in or- der that I may offer him that which I conceive to be very wholesome advice; which is, to wait a long while before he takes offence : for that which would be put down for impertinence in Great Britain, very frequently in America is nothing more than good CANADA, AND THE W£ST INDIES. 116 intention, a strong desire to please, and very fre- quently a means of rendering to the traveller every possible civility, and even many acts of kindness. I am sure my acquaintance in the box was a kind fellow, whose sympathy was so tender for me that he offered me a very large and sound-looking apple. I accepted it, on condition that he take the other half. I had no knife — he had none ; what was to be done in such a case of extremity? A Yankee is never at a loss ! ! He placed the apple on the edge of the box, put his finger at the top of it, hit it with a mighty blow with his double fist, and exclaimed, as he very effectually divided it, *' This is the way we divided apples when I was a boy at school." The apple was so well divided that one half flew into the pit, where it was very speedily devoured by the rogues who snatched away the play-bill ; the other half we retained for our own gratification, and par- took of it as jollily as hearty, hungry little boys would have done at school. I would strongly re- commend all travellers who visit the New World to answer as well as they can the many questions put to them by the natives without taking offence ; as the means of leading to many very valuable ac- quaintance, and besides to the obtaining a fund of information respecting the country they are visiting. The above specimen of my friend with whom I ate the apple in the boxes is not intended to convey to the reader an idea of the manners of the Americans :t ■•> - ': 1^1 14' i 116 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, — ^it is a very great exception to the well-bred people of the country. Dec. 8, 1 left New York, to pay a second visit to the town of Boston, taking the Narroganset steam- boat the greater part of the distance. When we ar- rived at Hurtgate, all of a sudden an unusual quan- 'tity of steam proceeded from a part of the boat, which at once convinced me that something was terribly wrong. I found myself unfortunately in the middle of this issue of hot steam, and, wishing to extricate myself as soon as possible, I unluckily got further into it, but without getting well scalded. The conjectures were very various as to the accident we had sustained. Some said the letting off the steam was to prevent the boiler from bursting; others, that we had too much steam on, and that it was requisite to let it off all of a sudden in conse- quence of another boat filling up our way in a nar- row passage through which we were compelled to pass. Some said that we should proceed; others remarked that it was impossible. Several indivi- duals appeared to understand perfectly the nature of the mishap, and what was going to be done with us ; others were quiet and perfectly ignorant of the nature of the injury, but they were not the less anxious to avail themselves of the best remedy for the unfortunate circumstances under which they were unluckily placed. In the middle of these dis- putations, which resembled most other controversies. 11 CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 117 —particularly where the talkers are so numerous and the listeners so few, that there is more noise than sound logic, more said than was at all heeded, — the steamboat suddenly twisted round towards the shore, quite at the mercy of the tide, her machinery being at the same time perfectly useless, and bump she went upon the rocks, which acted upon the principle of a little earthquake, the result of which was quite shocking; so much so that many gentlemen near me, expecting her to roll over, and they being placed on that side which would be uppermost in case of a capsize, very prudently kept their places, with the exception of one gentleman, who got astride the bulwark with a view to paddling ashore, as we were within forty yards of it, or of swimming, if out of his depth ; but finding all of a sudden that the ship changed her position, while the gentleman, fuU^ possessed of all the spring that fear gives to leaping legs, quickly observed that the vessel carefully and quietly seated herself on a rock, as elegantly as an elephant would do in an easy chair, withheld .he excited motion of his legs, already almost too much in motion to admit of any moderate restraint, for the more useful purpose of walking off the old crip- pled steam-boat — which very much resembled, from her very unnatural position, a severely-wounded ship after a hot engagement. However, there being another steam-boat a little a-head, which, observing our dilemma, most kindly put back to our assist- I s£i I 118 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, V ance, and our money being returned, we got on board the Cleopatra, and we all ultimately reached our destination, sound in wind and limb, without a single accident of any kind. I afterwards heard that the screams of the ladies (as usual) were re- markable for their shrill and well-sustained notes ; and that it was very difficult to decide, even by a shrewd observer, whether the movements of the larynx or the muscles of the leg were most in action upon the occasion of the first outburst of hot steam. On my first landing at Boston, I have previously described the people of that town as very Frenchi- fied in their dress. This I found, on my second visit, to be a very great mistake. The people whom I principally saw at that town, were visitors from the Southern States ; while the great majority of the most respectable of the inhabitants of the town were, like their southern brethren, from home, journeying to different parts of the great American Union. I therefore found the town of Boston, on my second visit, to be a great deal more English in its aspect ; as all the better class of peoj^e appear to have adopted that style of dress which the same class wear in London, belonging to the best circles, even in the west-end of our great metropolis. Before leaving Boston, I re-visited the Blind Asylum, under the management and superintend- ence o^ Dr. Howe, a man apparently highly quali- fied for the treatment and careful direction of these ■r-5«;A. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 119 poor unfortunates. I saw them instructed in read- ing, writing, geography, and music. This will appear singular and almost unintelligible to those who have not witnessed the system of tuition here adopt&l. The geography is taught by placing on a surface a country with its boundaries raised pro- tuberantly, instead of a map, or in written words ; a ridge is felt by the learner, and in this way rivers, mountains, and boundaries of countries may be traced by the blind student. Writing is taught by feeling letters which project above a common sur- face on which they are placed ; when the student afterwards takes pen in hand and tries to imitate on paper that which he has traced with his finger. Beading is rendered legible to their capacities by having solid letters cut and placed upon a level surface of some kind, where the learner makes the acquaintance of his letters by the introduction of his finger. Musical characters are taught by asso- ciating a certain sound when feeling a particular kind of letter. I could not help remarking, when in the part appropriated to music, where they were all assembled in full concert and surrounded by their preceptor, the very singular appearance of their eye-lids rapidly moving up and down whilst music was being performed, so as to resemble more the act of the wind agitating any material of light texture, rather than an act of muscular contrac- tility. Here then was a lesson for proud man, one \\ 120 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, m'M probably fond of feasting his eyes on the extensive domain to which he lays claim, or on the unrivalled collection of choice paintings which decorate his mansion; another to the study of botany for the tiBk$ of the beautiful tints of colour displayed by the corollas of different tribes of plants ; a third — and nobly does he employ the faculty of vision by looking extensively round the Great Creator's works, at the variously - coloured rainbow, the spangled canopy of night, the sun, the differently tinted plumages of birds, the variegated insect, the glittering and gem-like fish — all are to him, blessed with vision, a source of unbounded delight. All these delightful and soul-stirring sights, that make the man, the poet, the philosopher, the naturalist, the better man, when duly appreciated as proceeding from the hands of the Great Architect of universal matter, are unfortunately but a dark and dreary work to these poor benighted creatures. These are charm- ing things to witness ; all of which many of these poor creatures never beheld. Were they less happy ? The question, I think, is partly answered by that placid smile and quiet look which sat upon every face ; and now, occasionally, as the ear gave to the soul within some cheering sound during the performance of the music that either reminded them of something joyous they once had seen, and many being probably shut out from external nature from infancy, the soul might have pictured to itself ■/' \ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 121 some imperfect foretaste of those heavenly strains which await the poor blind who have never swerved from the path of virtue, after they have finished their earthly toil ; and this, or some other joy of highest grade, must have thrilled through their heart, for true harmony and delight were sweetly seated on the countenance of most. One poor fellow, not remarkable for his beauty, grimaced in a most remarkable manner with his features the overflowing cup of pleasure he felt within. ^ v^^x ^^1 .«,;. . \ f -i;:, i!:"- I •:W.. -.^^ ^^- 122 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, f- ; I. '(■>■?' ■■ < It ' .. ' * ' * .«■ 'J' I ; '' .■•■.*i;-.' ••-f/' ,^<; :';•., .-»■«? CHAPTER V. Saturday, December 20th. I left Boston, and travelled through Worcester and Greenport, and proceeded to Long Island, to New York, and almost immediately started for the beautiful town of Philadelphia, where I arrived before the 24th of December. I visited the prison of Philadelphia, where I fell in with the warden, one of the old school of Quakers. This is one of those institutions of which America may feel justly proud ; for it was she who first originated the prison discipline — a system which has for its objects the amelioration of the condition of the prisoners of all grades and of every kind of crime, by means of education, religion, and kindness. The prisoners are allowed to work ; for which they are paid, after doing a certain quantity ^tV, CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIli.8. 123 for the establishment. The cells, instead of being small and confined, similar to many other prisons, were wide and large enough even for a short pro- menade; and it contains rooms and apparatus suited to the task and trade of the prisoner. Here is a moral guardian, whose office it is to converse with them kindly, and who, on their entrance, pre- sents them with a Bible, and endeavours by every possible kind means and manner to reclaim them from their immoral and careless condition. A school- master is employed, also, to teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic. Attached to each cell is a long kind of court-yard, in which they are allowed to walk and breathe fresh air, by a door communi- cating with it from the cell itself Every facility is afforded them for following out any amusing and harmless employment ; and, to show that they may be brought to pursue little pastime accomplishments, one cell presented a very remarkable appearance of stained yarn ; there were, I suppose, fifty to sixty specimens of patterns on the walls, so nicely executed as to resemble paper of different colours, in imita- tion of flowers and various other objects. They were also allowed the use of baths ; and each indi- vidual is compelled, for the sake of cleanliness, to take it once a fortnight. A very curious gallery is constructed, having on each side doors or entrances to the cells ; and al- though it is probably seventy yards in length, the \s l'^ ■Hi 11! 124 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, chaplain, standing at one end and reading in the ordinary tone of voice, may be distinctly heard at the other — the cell door of course being open. The kind, affable, and charming manner of the warden (a true Quaker, such an one as William Penn would have been justly proud of) is calcu- lated to make every inmate look up to him as a father, friend, adviser, and almost companion. This then cannot fail to accomplish the things more or less so desirable to these poor unfortunate inmates ; viz. the rendering them as happy as possible under their confinement ; and there is every probability of succeeding in making an impression upon them through kindness ; that they are objects (although cast down and degraded) deserving of great care, and even value ; and, by the education and moral instruction given to them, they are effectually di- rected to the path of virtue and rectitude of conduct. One thing belonging to the system particularly de- serves notice ; viz. that names are never employed, but numbers are attached to their cells instead, and by such means they are designated ; and by adopting this method, the occupant of the next cell, although he may frequently see his neighbour, is not at all acquainted with his name ; thus enabling the prisoner, when his time expires, to go and start the world afresh, without even his crime or his name being known. I visited the Alms-house of Philadelphia, a place • w '% CANADA, AND THE wAt INDIES. 126 where the noblest philanthropy that can move the human heart here exercises its benign influence to all poor creatures of every kindred and tongue. Here the poor are received and cared for, and that entirely at the expense of the country and town of Philadelphia. This is a feature of American good- ness which she may very justly boast and be proud of; and other countries, whose natives too extensively feed upon her bounty, ought to feel deeply grateful to her, and at the same time would do well to take a lesson from this philanthropic establishment. The women are kept apart from the men, the diseased from the healthy, and the insane have an asylum of their own. I visited a small lake, very near to the water- works of the city, where I observed the very singular process of taking in a stock of ice from the lake into an ice-house. The process was as follows: The communication from the lake to the ice-house was maintained by means of a wooden scaffolding, and formed an inclined plane down to the latter, by which means the ice, when once put in motion, glided along the surface. There were placed at intervals two men, whose office was to give a help- ing-kick to it, if at all inclined to be lazy. The height of the scaffolding at the extremity of the lake probably might be sixty feet above the level, which required the use of pulleys, worked by horses, to raise the ice to the top, and then, being ■,i I 'r%\ I y ii ■■i 3 a '"ill 126 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, on an inclined plane, which was also very slippery, an immediate and gradual travel to the ice-house was the result. The distance from the lake to the house might, probably, be two hundred yards. I shall never forget the novelty of the scene of large oblong pieces of ice, beautifully transparent and mountains in miniature, slipping along in a very graceful manner, until they reached their destina- tion, where a number of men, with hooked sticks, were directing each piece as it passed along (without allowing it to stop) to some particular corner of the great reception-room, where its huge masses were as regularly and duly packed as cakes in a confec- tioner's shop. The pieces of ice, before arriving at the scaffolding, when it has a thickness of about two inches, is cut by a plough ; when thicker than that, by an axe ; and then it is towed along in an open part of the water, until it reaches the foot of the scaffolding, when it is raised by the method previ- ously described. I was standing on the lake, surveying this very curious scene, not far from a man engaged in the act of ploughing the ice, when I heard him mutter something, which I could not understand at the time, being somewhat abstracted. I paused for & considerable time without answering him, and after- wards thinking he might have some information to communicate relative to ice-cutting, I said to the individual, " What did you say just now V to which tf^Wlft^' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 127 he replied very coolly, " If you had proceeded to where they are ploughing, you would have been drowned ; for although the ice here is very thick," he continued, " the part you were going to is scarcely frozen over." And although I was going directly to the water which was only thinly skim- med over with a slight covering of ice, and very probably to my grave, my friend did not think the circumstance worth naming to me a second time. I said to him, " 1 have to thank you very much for your good intention; if ever you have the oppor- tunity in ftiture of being the means of rescuing the life of a fellow mortal from a watery grave, address him a second time instead of once ; and speak at the top of your voice, instead of muttering like individuals who indulge in the peculiar gratification of talking to themselves." This was a narrow escape. I was shortly after, however, beset with other snares, which endangered life and limb; for so soon as the next day, at my inn, when seeking the servant in a dark passage, who had neglected to prepare breakfast at the appointed time, I sud- denly disappeared into a dark cellar, having made the descent (all of a sudden without the slightest previous indication of such a fall) of perhaps half- a-dozen steps, without the slightest injury. The change was so sudden and so unexpected, that, when I found myself in the cool, dark cellar, I can only compare it to a person, walking at mid-day <" .' ! 1? 4 ,1 "A 1 128 ▲ RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, 'fei' under the brilliant light of the meridian sun, all of a sudden, without the slightest notice, being pitched into the middle of black and frightful obscurity. 1 cannot explain my escape otherwise than having borrowed for a short time the instinct of that sure- footed living creature, the cat. One would have supposed that these two previous narrow escapes might have sufficed for one twenty-four hours; but fate had ordered otherwise — for, on quitting the hotel only half>an-hour after the descent into the cellar, whilst getting into my carriage, with both hands engaged, the ground being slippery, from being recently thawed and afterwards frozen, and when in the act of presenting myself to mine host to bid him farewell, I suddenly fell with my back on to the edge of a sharp stone step, both hands engaged with sundry packages, affording me, consequently, not the slightest chance of breaking the fall. This immediately fetched the landlord to my side, who was then standing within a few paces, and who nervously and sympathetically exclaimed, " Oh ! my dear Sir, you must have broken your back." The various things I held in my hand I instantly let go, and said to him, in answer, whilst exerting myself to obtain the perpendicular atti- tude, ' I will tell you directly." After having stood upon my feet for a few seconds, I said to the land- lord, in a tone of voice very low in accent, accom- panied with shortness of breath, with a peculiar f ^ • CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 129 expression of countenance somewhat similar to those unfortunate people who fancy they are all of a sudden in the society of a ghost ; " No, my back is not broke a I" I afterwards started for Baltimore, and although my back was not broken, I knew that there must be an injury of a serious kind, and in a very short time afterwards I had a proof of it. My back was not of course resting against the back of the car in which I was seated, from its having been so recently injured ; but, to my great surprise and consternation, I found all of a sudden my back to be in contact with the back of the seat ; prov- ing that a swelling of sufficient magnitude (I sup- pose about as large as a small apple dumpling) had filled up the interval between the two. On my road to Philadelphia, for the first time I had a view of the beautiful American wild shrub, the Rhododendron. I arrived at Baltimore, and immediately had re- course to medical resources to reduce the swelling of my back, and then felt what it was to suffer a serious accident in a strange town, without friends, being the only town in the Union to which I was unprovided with letters of introduction. On ray arrival at the hotel, I immediately asked for a person to provide me with leeches, and at the same time to put them on and attend to me for a short while. The person whom I addressed said, " Do you not want a doctor V I said "No; if you look at my P 130 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, portmanteau, you will find two (for my name was written in large black letters at each end of it), and I am a third." The man with the leeches at last arrived ; I showed him the swelling, and said, " How much shall you charge me for a dozen leeches V* To which he replied, " three dollars." I then said, tapping him on the shoulder, " you and I are nearly in the same profession, and as thieves are known to be honest men occasionally, and espe- cially when dealing with each other, you must con- sider yourself well rewarded with two dollars," to which proposal he very readily consented, and in less than two days the swelling had retired to some other part of the universe. Philadelphia contains a population of 220,000 inhabitants. It is a beau- tiful town ; there are the Gerrard College, United States Bank, and the Bank of Philadelphia, which I think would not disgrace Old Athens. Friday, the 26th, I quitted Mr. Head's hotel, at Philadelphia, for Baltimore. Mr. Head is one of the old school of America, who resembles very much the same class in England. He wears the waist- coat so as entirely to cover the bust, being very long, and fitting cloi^e up to the neck ; with very little hair, nicely smoothed over a very handso^ne and venerable head, the very opposite of a state of erection, not at all having that terrified appearance as when brushed the contrary way, but hanging down in the natural direction, just as Nature's bar- - ' ' .i ,' ' ' ' ' '- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 131 ber intended it to be worn. I could not refrain from frequently gratifying my eye with a glance at his most venerable and truly English look. I arrived at Baltimore on the same day on which I took my departure from Philadelphia, and took up my residence at the Exchange Hotel. Balti- more is a fine town, containing 120,000 souls. The women are said to be the finest in all America. I consider myself an excellent judge, and ftiUy concur in the truthfrilness of the remark. Their bearing and appearance far exceed in graceful deportment both the ladies of Boston as well as those of New York. They are truly majestic in their carriage. I should recommend all travellers paying a visit to the Union, who are fond of gazing at a fine woman, not to take my word, but to go and judge for themselves. I have seen American ladies with finer features and probably finer complexions ; but the great superiority of the Baltimore ladies con- sists in their very beautiful figures, and a very par- ticularly fine expression of the countenance. The men too are the best made I have seen in America. They possess a fine muscular development, and a very gentlemanly expression of countenance, and walk remarkably well. The horses too far exceed, in every respect, those of every other town I have previously seen ; and the few equipages T chanced to meet were good, and even superior. The craft I \H SiiUJ 132 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, built in this town are celebrated throughout the world for both beauty and speed. When I first entered Maryland, I quickly found all the characteristics of a slave- holding state. Here I met with what appeared a peasantry for the first time ; for in the New England states a pooi class of people scarcely appears to exist — all merging more or less into the truly independent and well-dressed individual. In Maryland, every now and then I observed a sort of mansion in the centre of an estate, reminding me very much of the old mother country. When at Baltimore, being Sunday, I went to church — a i?rotestant one. I took my place very humbly in the middle aisle. I had not remained standing longer than half a minute, before a person asked me to be seated, and he instantly showed me into one of the finest pews in the church, which, on entering, was quite empty, with plenty of elegant books in it, clearly indicating the respect- able and wealthy position of the owner. I had my seat quite to myself, and was admiring the extremely elegant curriage of the many ladies who thronged to the church, which reminded me of one of our London west-end buildings of the same kind during the height of the London season— everything was so correct, orderly, and elegant around me — when all of a sudden a very elegantly attired lady walked up to the pew door, which I opened, and who seated herself at the other end — I keeping at the same <<< CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. All 133 time at a very respectful distance, seats were completely crammed, except our own ; and being alone with one of the most elegant spe- cimens of fair women, I felt not a little proud of the position I held : and the plague seize on that strin- gent etiquette which places a barrier between a grateful heart and a beautiful woman! But for that, I should haye tendered her my best thanks for the high compliment paid to an English stranger. What a difference to the system pursued in Old England ! A stranger, unintroduced, standing as I did like an interloper in the middle aisle, to be suddenly approached (and thac without payment) and placed beside an elegant creature, in a beauti- ful pew, all alone, affords an example both to pew- openers and proprietors of sittings in the churches of Great Britain by which they might profit y- ■.'. K !-f;;r ; ,.v . ■ ■ 1 .. I f ^?ifefe*f'-^-r-;-. .^:^%,r - 'r/J'v' •'y.j-i 134 A RAMBLE THROUGH ^HE UNITED STATES, ..■y •.;j.''.?' (i"' CHAPTER VI. ■'ft' . At the htter part of the month of December, 1 arrived in Washington. Having previously heard that the Christmas festivities of that town were carried out with great spirit, and especially as Con- gress was thei* sitting, I was induced to prefer that time, in order to see the Members of both Houses, as well as to be present at one or two discussions of the federal assembly. I was very fortunately pro- vided with a letter of introduction to the Hon. C. Winthrop, who very kindly returned my call, and who showed me every possible attention. I must here inforia the reader that the Oregon dispute, at that time, was carried on in both countries in such a manner as to cause the lovers of peace on both sides of the Atlantic to fear that the good un- derstanding, previously existing between the two Governments, might at any moment of time be suddenly broken of; and that the two greatest com- mercial countries of the world might all of a sudden te plunged into all the horrors of a most desolating, devastating, and horrible war. « f> i I CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 135 Washington contains but a small population — has the widest streets to be found in any town — pos- sesses a fine building, the Capitol, where the mem- bers of both branches of the federal government assemble- the White House, the residence of the President — and a Museum, well worth the attention of the traveller, on account of its containing models of a vast number of American inventions, and the original printing machine of Benjamin Franklin. I accompanied the Hon. C. Winthrop to a party at Captain Wilks', the celebrated circumnavigator, where I met statesmen, scientific, literary and di- plomatic gentlemen, and a number of very pretty women, extremely well dressed, very lively and agreeable in manner. It was here that I had an excellent opportunity of studying the features and figure of the great statesman, Calhoun. They contrast in a very remarkable manner to the great Daniel Webster, previously described. Calhoun is thin, spare, and tall, with an almost mountainous forehead, a profusion of black hair, and the tout ensemble of his expression of countenance decidedly characteristic of a great man ; but certainly wanting those individual and collective features which con- stitute what might be termed a handsome, or fine man. In his dark, hollow, revolving eye, might be seen flashes of a kind which clearly indicated the fiery temperament of the man of the south, and which portrayed at the same time extreme restless- -v> '\S 136 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. ness, united to untiring activity, to such an excent, as to impress the spectator with the idea that the mind was wearing out its tabernacle of clay, and that the bodily parts were too flimsily constructed ,i to stand the fiery shocks of the untiring zeal and enthusiasm of his powerful intellect. I had an introduction to Mr. Davis, the senator for Massachusetts, a good specimen of a courteous and polite American gentleman, who complimented the English with the remark, that he was exceed- ingly struck with the firm, solid workmanship of every thing the English undertook, and that es- pecially it was remarkable in the construction of our railways. I replied, by saying, that if the American railways were not so solidly constructed as our own, they possessed the advantage of having cost much less; that they frequently passed through wild and unpopulated regions, and that if they did not possess our fine stations, they were well calculated to carry out all the purposes of the great enterprise of the American Republic ; and so by mutually complimenting our native countries, we passed to- gether an agreeable chat of a few minutes. I after- wards got an introduction to Mr. Pickering, author of the different Races of Man, and the naturalist who accompanied Captain Wilks in his expedition of cir- cumnavigating the globe. I found Mr. Pickering sitting very quietly in a corner, unpresuming and modest in manner, who, before I approached him. ■)l CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 137 seemed to be enjoying all the pleasures of solitude, or abstraction of thought, even in the middle of a gay party. On New Year's Day, Mr. Winthrop kindly took me to the Whife House, to pay my respects to Pre- sident Polk. It is only upon an occasion of this kind that the striking difference which exists between a Monarchy and a Republican form of government can be duly appreciated. Here was required no presentation card, no appeal to the lord chamberlain, no thousand enquiries upon the subject of the par- ticular manner of dress, and how to bow, and by what particular method to kiss the hand ; here was to be seen no lord in waiting — an entire absence of the yeomen of the guard — the honorable corps of the gentlemen at arms no where to be found — and not a soldier made his appearance upon the occasion, many of them being too busily employed on the frontier line of some youthful territory, protecting the industrious settlers, and keeping them in the very useful employment of killing wild bears, instead of shooting down their fellow mortals. Every American citizen — of whatever grade, calling, or profession, rich or poor, talented or of little capacity, the man without a pedigree, as well as one who claims his descent from the Murman Conquest, the fine gentleman, as well as the indus- trious settler, the dandy by the side of the plain- dressed individual, all religions and every variety of v** 138 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, m creed, the natives of all countries, of every caste and shape except the black — all claim their presentation card, without a seconder, in the plain and untitled name and rank of simple citizen of the Great American Republic. One unaccustomed to join in such a scene would naturally say, why you must have been surrounded by a most precious lot of raggamuffins ; so they were, some of them, originally, no doubt ; but they were raggamuffins peculiar to the soil of America, whose well-fed stomachs and stout limbs were covered with dark, shining suits of black, that you might have taken the majority for clergymen, and whose heads contained so much sound knowledge of praictical life in many instances, as to rivet a deep conviction on the part of the spectator that he was surrounded by real and practical men, whose heads had been well cultivated, and whose hands had been hard worked. Before entering the White House, in the middle of this mixed group, I was struck, not only with the well-dressed individuals that composed it, but I was more surprised at the orderly method of approaching the entree ; for there was a complete absence of that cramming and pushing which I have too frequently experienced where no ragga- muffins assemble — viz. when the gentlemen of England collect in front of the Italian Opera, before the commencempnt of the performance. After I had entered the White House, I found my way at • « 1 ,1 CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 1 139 last into that apartment where the President was standing, when I beheld a crowd of people shaking the hand of the President so quickly, so uncere- moniously, and in such continued attacks, that, had I been the President, I should have said — " If these are my friends, defend me from them ; ' Up, Guards, and at them.'" No London public pump-handle ever got a tithe of the exercise that fell to the lot of poor President Polk's right arm upon this occasion. Presentations are not required ; the individual walks in — free from restraint, with an entire absence of nervousness, boldly, manfully, but respectfully, as much so as if he were within the precincts of his own domicile, — marches up to the great President, who is but a man ; shakes hands with him as such, makes his remark, receives another in return, passes on ; and although his status in society may be at the bottom of the scale, the hearty welcome he has just received from the upper extremity, the great Pre- sident, makes him feel all the dignity that belongs to man when he is upright in heart, and fully con- vinces him that he is as essential a part of the great social fabric, just as much as every stone in a building, small or great, is absolutely necessary for the security as well as the beauty of the whole edifice. After looking about the crowded room for some time, we at last approached President Polk, to whom the Hon. Mr. Winthrop introduced me in the fol- lowing words; "Dr. Shaw, Old Boston, Lincoln- ^ 140 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, ] shire, England," where some of the earliest settlers of Boston, Massachusetts, originally dwelt, and where the Rev. John Cotton was vicar of the parish*. I found Mr. Folk a plain, sensible-looking man. Being the 1st of January, I wished him a happy new year; he acknowledged the compliment by saying, " you'll find Mrs. Folk in another apart- ment." I was then presented to Mrs. Folk, who had so many visitors around her, that there was scarcely an opportunity for even passing a remark. I passed on with my friend, Mr. Winthrop, until we approached the Belgian Minister. Mr. Winthrop, with a familiar bow, knowing him well, " How do you do V Belgian Minister, " I hope you are quite well." The Belgian Ambassador wore his very smart official costume, all covered with medals varying in size from a shilling to a five-shilling piece. Mr. Winthrop, with a smile, accompanied by the best possible good humour, laid hold of one of the smaller medals and said, " This is very pretty, and I have no doubt that you performed some deed which fully entitled you to wear it." The Minister smiled. Mr. Winthrop then took hold of a larger * It received its name from the affection of some of the first planters for their native place, Boston, in Lincolnshire, England, and from respect to their pastor, Mr. Cotton, minister of that place, whom they shortly expected to follow them. The name was confirmed by Act of Court, September 7, 1630, whicli may be considered the date of the foundation of the town of Boston. .-. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 141 one, and remarked, that, as it was a much better specimen than the other, no doubt he had obtained it for some service of much higher value. The Minister nodded assent. Mr. Winthrop, passing over many of the others of intermediate dimensions, at last seized the largest : " Ah !" said he, " but here is the token of the chef-d'oeuvre of all your perform- ances ; to have obtained this, you must have per- formed a magnificent coup-de-maitre." The Minister nodded assent, of course. Mr. Winthrop bowed, good humouredly, and smilingly remarked, " Ah, well, if our government possessed them, we should give them all to the Indians." No other costume but plain clothes was to be observed, from the Presi- dent down to the poorest visitor at the White House. No servants in livery. The only exception being tke Foreign Ambassadors, and an English officer in his red coat ; which latter I conceived to be a half declaration of war, as at that very time the Oregon question was very hotly discussed in both Houses of the Federal Government. We then pro- ceeded to pay our respects to the Russian Minis- ter, who was very popular with the Washingtonians, from the circumstance of his having married a very young and beautiful American lady. We fell in with General Scott, then Commander-in-chief of the American forces, who, I think, was the tallest, broadest, and most colossal soldier I ever beheld. We afterwards paid a visit at the private house of the ffreat •John Quincy Adams, and his lady, who it ■' ,('! i f' 1( ^h 142 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, upon this occasion kept open house to all visitors. I bowed to him, and the very little I saw of him (scarcely a glance) — ^for his lady, as soon as she ascertained that I was an Englishman, immediately took possession of the conversation, by informing me that she was an English lady, born or educated at Clapham, and was consequently pretty well ac- quainted with the metropolis— prevented me from carrying away with me any permanent impression of the great man ; and as a whole crowd of visitors thronged around us to pay the compliments of the season, I was compelled to quit the lady, who seemed much inclined to carry on a long conversation. We then proceeded to the residence of Mrs. Maddison, an elderly lady of the olden time, the wife of a deceased President ; when, after regaling ourselves with an excellent glass of milk punch, we departed. "We then entered the mansion of Mrs. T — r, quite a fashionable style of lady, where we fell in with a cluster of Ambassadors, including our friend the Belgian Minister previously described, to whom I was presented. After an introduction to Mrs. T — r, she remarked, " Is it possible that you have left the fine climate of England, to come to this dreadful oneV I said nothing ; for I thought she was quizzing me. However, on approaching her a second time on quitting, she said very graci- ously, " If you are remaining at Washington for a few days, we shall be glad to see you." . . After leaving Mrs. T — r, we paid a visit to the CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 143 i' Mayor of Washington, where I was presented to him as a native of Old Boston, Lincolnshire, Eng- land. After an exchange of bows and a very cordial shake of the hand, the Mayor remarked, " If you will allow me, sir, I will now introduce you to an Old Boston gentleman." I repUed that I should be most happy to be introduced ; wonder- ing, at the same time, what other individual besides myself could be sojourning at that time at Wash- ington, as, at that date, the natives of Old Boston were not famous for leaving their rich pastoral plains for distant parts of the world. As the Mayor approached me with his old Boston friend, I surveyed him from head to foot without being able to recognize him, for the reason that I had never previously seen him, he having emigrated to the United States at a time at which I was but little acquainted with the inhabitants of the town. He presented me, however, to Mr. Thompson. I then said, " May I take the liberty of asking you if you are the author of the History of the Town of Boston?" He answered in the affirmative. The Mayor's daughter afterwards introduced herself, and said, " I am from Derbyshire, England ; and such is my attachment to that dear old country, that I would prefer having what Sir Kobert Peel had for his dinner, any day of the week, than pay a visit to Virgil's tomb!!" V, 144 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, >."''■».;■■ - '_■ ,■ •-. CHAPTER VII. i i As the Oregon dispute was at its height during my visit to the United States, it may naturally be expected that some account of the proceedings of the Congress ought to be given relating to that much*disputed point. I took the liberty of putting the question pointblank to Mr. Winthrop, at that time one of their leading statesmen, and who was a staunch advocate for peace, whether or not the two nations were going to embroil themselves in a disgraceful war. His answer was, that he thought the British Government and his own were in per- fect ignorance as to the fiiture ; that the question stood perfectly balanced at present ; but that the slightest change might, at any moment, give the beam a turn and plunge us into all the horrors of war. (y ■*=t- ■ r. {r> ^■■V- ' 3 CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 145 The following speech was delivered by the Hon. C. Winthrop,* Member for Massachusetts, the Ore- gon dispute being the subject of debate. Mr. Win- throp next obtained the floor, and proceeded to say, that he understood the chair to have decided that, upon the pending motion referred to, the Committee of the whole of the States of the Union, a bill for rais- ing two regiments of riflemen had been sanctioned. The whole question of Oregon was open to dispute. The house too had virtually Sdnctioned this decision, by declining to sustain the previous question a few moments since. Mr. Winthrop could not alto- gether agree in the fitness of such a decision, but was unwilling to omit the opportunity which it afl'orded for expressing some views upon the sub- ject. " My honourable colleague (Mr. Adams), in his remarks yesterday, and the Chairman on the Committee of Foreign Affairs this morning, have alluded to the course pursued by them last year, and have told us that they both voted for giving immediate notice to Great Britain of our inten- tion to terminate at the earliest day what has been termed the convention of joint occupancy. Thouga a much humbler member of the house, I may be permitted to sUude to the fact, that 1 voted against s> * The name of Winthrop is an historical name, as early as two centuries ago, and has filled from time to time the highest offices con- nected with the town of Boston and the State of Massachusetts. h ! I" ii f 146 A .MBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, that proceeding last year ; and to add, that I intend to do so now. I may be allowed also to remind the house of a series of resolutions upon this sub* ject which I offered to their consideration some days ago. I know not whether these resolutions will ever emerge from the pile of matter under which they no.T lie buried upon your table. If they should, however, I am by no means sure that I should propose to lay them down again without discussion. Nothing certainly was further from my purpose in offering them, than to involve this house in a stormy debate about Oregon and war. Such debates, I am quite satisfied, have a very in- jurious influence on the public quiet and prosperity ; and I have no disposition to render myself respon- sible for a renewal of them. I desired only then, and I desire only now, to place before the house, and before the country, before it is too late, some plain and precise opinions which are sincerely and strongly entertained by myself, and which I believe to be no less strongly entertained by many of those with whom I am politically associated, in regard to the present very critical state of our Foreir n rela- tions. I desire to do this on many accounts, and to do it without delay. An idea seems to have been gaining ground in some quarters, and to have been somewhat industriously propagated in all quarteicB that there is no difference in sentiment in this house in reference ti* the course which has oeen CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES., Jt 4 147 se, e ,nd ive se to lo to en en 11(5, his en pursued, or which seems ahout to be pursued here- after, in regard to this unfortunate Oregon contro- versy. Now, Sir, upon one or two points connected with it, there may be no difference of opinion. I believe there is none upon the point, that the United States have rights in Oregon which are not to be relinquished. I believe that there is none upon the point, that if the controversy with Great Britain should result in war, our country, and the rights of our country, on both sides of the Rocky Country, are to be defended with ail the power and all the vigour we possess. I believe there is none either upon the point, that, such is the state of this controversy at the present moment, we owe it to ourselves as guardians of the public safety to bestow something more than the ordinary amount of attention — J might say, the ordinary amount of inattention upon our nautical defences, and to place our country in a posture of preparation for meeting the worst that can befall it. So far, Mr. Speaker, I believe these are common opinions, united thoughts and counsels in both branches of Congress, and, indeed, throughout the country, without dictinction of party. Certainly there are wide differences of sentiment among ourselves and among our consti- tuents, upon no other less interesting and less sub- stantial points ; and I am not one of those who believe in the necessity or the expediency of con- cealing these differences. I have very little faith l2 ' '5ili 148 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, ■ I in keeping up an appearance of entire unanimity on a question like this, where such unanimity does not exist, for the sake of mere stage effect, and with a view of making a profounder impression upon the spectators. Everybody understands such concert- ed arrangements, everybody sees through show; whether the theatre of their presentment be one side of the Atlantic or the other. Because Sir Robert Peel, and Lord John Russell, and Lord Aberdeen, and Lord Palmerston, thought fit to unite in a common and coincident expression of senti- ment, in the two Houses of Parliament, eight or nine months ago, during the well-remembered de- bate upon the President's' inaugural address, I do not know, I do not believe, that the people of the United States were any the more awed from the maintenance of their own views and purposes in re- gard to Oregon, than if these distinguished leaders of opposite parties had exhibited something less of dramatic unity, and had indulged rather more freely in their diversities of sentiment which ordi- narily lend interest to their discussions. Kor am I of opinion, on the other hand, that a similar course on this side of the Atlantic is to have anv material in- fluence on the course of the British governriient. I hold, at least, that it is better for us to speak our own minds, to declare our own honest judgments, and to look more to the influence of our remarks upon our own people and our own policy, than upon • /r '\a^ «.'» Y' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 149 ipon those of Great Britain. T oaay add, Sir, that, in presenting these resolutions at the earliest oppor- tunity which was afforded me, I was actuated by the desire to put my own views upon record, before returning steamers should bring back to us from England the angry recriminations to which the late message of the President may not improbably give occasion, and before the passions of our people were inflamed by any violent outbreaks of British feeling which that document is likely to excite. I am perfectly aware, Mr. Speaker, that, express the views which I entertain when I may, I shall not escape reproach ard imputation from such quarters of the house. I know that there are those by whom the slightest syllable of dissent f rom the extreme views which the administration wo lid seem recently to have adopted, will be eagerly st ized upon as an evidence of what they call patriotis n and American spirit. I spurn all such temptatirns in advance. I spurn the notion that patriotism can only be mani- fested by plunging the nation into war ; or that the love of one's own country can only be measured by one's hatred to my other country. Sir, the American spirit that is wanted at the present moment, wanted for our highest honor, wanted for our dearest in- terests, is that which dares to confront the mad impulses of a superficial popular sentiment, and to appeal to the sobei, second thoughts of moral and intelligent men. Every school boy can declaim \s I s 150 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, about honor and war, the British Lion, rnd the American Eagle ; and it is a vice of our nature, that the calmef^t of us have heart-strings which may vi- brate for a moment even to such vulgar touches. But, thanks to the institutions of education and religion which our fathers founded, the great mass of the American people have also an intelligence and moral sense .vhich will, sooner or later, respond to appeals of a higher and a nobler sort, if we vill only have the firmness to make them. It was the remark of an old English courtier, a century and a half ago, to one who threatened to take the sense of the people on some important question, that he would take the nonsense of the people, and beat him twenty to one. And it might have been something better than a good joke, in relation to the people of England at the time it was uttered ; but I am not inclined to re- gard it as applicable to our own intelligent and well- educated American people at the present day. An appeal to the nonsense of the American people may succeed for an hour; but the stern sense of the country will re-assert itself and carry the day in the end. But, Mr. Speaker, there are other reproaches, besides those of opponents, to which I may be thought to subject myself by the formal promul- gation of the views which I entertain on this subject. It has been said, in some quarters, that it was not good party-policy to avow such doctrines ; that the friends of the administration require nothing so CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. >;1 much as an exouse for branding the Whigs of the union as the peace^arty ; and that the only course for us in the minority to pursue, is to brag about our readiness for war with those who brag loudest. Now I am entirely sensible that, if an opponent of the present administration were willing to make a mere instrument of this Oregon question, he might find in its most recent history the amplest materials for throwing buck upon the majority in this house the imputations in which they have been heretofore so ready to indulge. How easy and obvious it would be for us to ask where — when was the heroic deter- mination of the executive to vindicate our title to the whole of Oreejoni — Yes, sir, ♦'the whole or none" — when a deliberate offer of more than five degrees of latitude was recently made to Great Britain] Made, too, when the President and his Secretary of State tell you that they firmly believed that our right to the whole was clear and unques- tionable I How easy it would be to taunt the Se- cretary with the policy he has pursued in his cor> respondence, of keeping back those convincing ar- guments upon which he now relies to justify him in claiming the whole of this disputed territory, until his last letter — until he has tried in vain to induce Great Britain to accept a large part of it ; as if he were afraid to let even his own country understand how good our title was, in case he could succeed in making a compromise ! In myself, however, I ut- •i :. 152 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, terly repudiate all idea of party obligations or party views in connection with this question. I scorn the suggestion of the peace of my native country as to be regarded as a mere pawn upon the political chess-board — to be perilled for mere party triumph. We have seen too much of the mischief of mingling such questioufs with party politics. "We see at this moment it has been openly averred elsewhere, and was repeated by Ihe Hon. Member for Illinois (Mr. Douglas) in this house yesterday, that Oregon and Texas were bom and cradled together in the Baltimore Convention — that they were the scorn and offspring of that political conclave; and in that avowal may be found the whole explanation of the difficulties and dangers with which the question is now attended. I honour the administration, Mr. Speaker, for whatever spirit of conciliatory compromise and peace it has hitherto manifested on this subject ; and I have no hesitation in saying so. If I have anything to reproach them with or taunt them for, it is for what appears to me an unreason- able and precipitant abandonment of that spirit. If anybody chooses, on this account, or on any other account, to brand me as a member of the peace party, I bare my bosom, I hold up both my hands to receive that brand. I am willing to take its first and its deepest impression while the iron is sharpest and hottest. If there be anything of shame in such a brand, I certainly glory in my shame. As Cicero II " ' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 158 said, in contemplation of any odium which might attach to him for dealing in too severe or summary a manner with Cataline, " Eo animo semper fui ut invidiam virtu te partem, ploriam, non invidiam pu- tarem" ! ! I But who — wno is willing to bear the brand of being the member of the war party] Who will submit to have that Cain-mark stamped upon his brow % I think, however, that all now, on all sides, have thus far refused to wear it. No man, of ever so extreme opinion, has ventured yet to speak upon this question without protesting in the remotest terms that he was for peace. Even the Hon. Member for Illinois (Mr. Douglas), who was for giving the notice to quit at the earliest day, and for proceeding at once to build forts and stockades, and for asserting an exclusive jurisdiction over the whole of the Oregon territory, at the very instant at which the twelve months should expire, was as anxious as any of us for preserving peace. My vene- rable colleague (Mr. Adams), too, from whom I always differ with great regret — but in differing from whom upon the present occasion I conform, not more to my own conscientious judgment than to the opinions of my constituents, as I understand them — ^he too, I am sure, even in that very torrent of eloquent indignities which cost us for a moment the order and dignity of the house, could have had nothing but the peace of the country at heart. So far as peace then is concerned, it seems we are all sr 164 ▲ RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, agreed, only it must be an honourable peace : that, I think, is the stereotype phrase of the day ; and all our differences then are reduced to the question — what constitutes an honourable peace] Un- doubtedly, Mr. Speaker, the answer to this question must depend upon the peculiar circumstances of the case to which it is applied ; yet I will not press to the consideration of that case, without putting the burthen of proof where it belongs. Peace, sir, in itself, in its own natu and of its own original essence, is honourable. No individuals, no nation can lay a higher claim to the honour of war, or the blessings of peace, than to seek peace and secure it. Louis Philippe may envy no monument which ever covered human dust, if it may justly be described upon his tombstone (as has recently been suggested) that while he lived the peace of Europe was secure ! And, on the other hand, war, in its proper character, is disgraceful ; and the man or the country which would wilfully and wantonly provoke it, deserves the execration of earth and heaven. These, Mr. Speaker, are the grand principles which civilization and Christianity have at length engrafted on the public code of Christendom. If there be exceptions to them, as I do not deny there are, they are to be proved specially by those who allege them. Is there then anything in the Oregon controversy, as it now stands before us, which furnishes an excep- tion to these general principles'? Anything which CANADA, AND TUB WEST INDIES. 155 would render a pacific policy discreditable, or which would merit war with any degree of true honour 1 1 deny it altogether. I reiterate the propositions of the resolutions on your table. I maintain, first, that this question, from its very nature, is peculiarly and eminently one for negotiation, compromise, and amicable adjustment. 2. That satisfactory evi- dence has not yet been afforded, that no com- promise which the United States ought to accept can be effected. 3. That if no othei mode of amicable settlement remains, arbitrati i ought to be resorted to; and that this p-^vRrnment cai^iot relieve itself from its responsibil ty io maintain the peace of the country, while arbitration is still un- tried. I perceive, sir, that the brief time allowed us in debate will compel me to deal in the most summary way with these propositions, for doing full justice either to them or myself. Let me hasten, however, to do them what justice I may. There are three distinct views in which this question maybe pre- sented, as one peculiar. / f^r negotiation and compro- mise. In the first place, ihere is the character of the subject matter of the controversy. Unquestionably there may be rights and claims not of a nature to admit of compromise, and as to which there must be absolute and unconditional relinquishment on one side or the other, or a conflict is inevitable. I may allude to the impressment of our seamen, as an ex- ample — a practice which could not be renewed by ils'^ (3 ti Ik ,;.. ^V: 156 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, Great Britain at any moment or under any circum4 stances, without producing immediate hostilities.' But here we have, as the bone of our contention, a vast and vacant territory, a thousand miles distant from both countries, entirely capable of division,' and the loss of any part; I had almost said of the whole, of which would not be of the smallest prac- tical moment to either of them — a territory the sovereignty of which might remain in abeyance for a half century longer without serious inconvenience or detriment to any body, and in reference to which there is not the slightest pretension of a necessity for summary or precipitate action. We need ports in the Pacific. As to lands, we have millions of acres of better land, still unoccupied, on this side of the mountains. What a spectacle it would be in the sight of men and of angels, for the two countries which claim to have made the greatest advance in civilization and Christianity, and which are bound together by so many ties of nature and art, of kin- dred and commerce, each of them with possessions so vast and various, to be seen engaging in a con- flict of brute force for the immediate and exclusive occupation of the whole of Oregon ! The annals of barbarism would form no parallel to such a scene! In the second place, there is the character of the title to this territor}' on both sides. I shall attempt no analysis or history of this title. I am certainly not disposed to vindicate the British title ; and as to the hr i kr CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 167 American, there is nothing to be added to the succes- sive expositions of the eminent statesman and diplo- matist by whom it has been illustrated. But after all, what a title it is to fight about ! "Who can pre- tend that it is free from all difficulties and doubt ? Who would take an acre of land upon such a title, as an investment, without the warranty of some- thing more than the two regiments of rifles for which your bill promises 1 Of what is the bill made up ? — Vague traditions of settlement, musty records of old voyages, conflicting claims of dis- covery, disputed principles of public law, acknow- ledged violation of the rights of original occupancy ; these are the elements — I had almost called them the beggarly elements — out of which our clear and undisputable title is compounded. I declare to you, sir, that, as often as I thread the mazes of this con- troversy, it seems to be a dispute as to the relative rights of two parties to the territory of which neither of them has any real right whatever ; and I should hardly blame the other nations of the world for insisting on coming in for a share of its soil. Cer- tainly, if we should be so false to our character of civilized nations as to fight about it, the rest of Christendom would be justified, if they had the power, in treating us as we have always treated the savage tribes oF our continent, and turning us both out altogether. Why, look at a single fact in the history of this controversy. In 1818, we thought Mi r 158 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, our title to the Oregon as clear and unquestionable as we think it now. We prepared then to divide it with Great Britain, without the slightest reference to any third party. Yet at that very moment Spain was in possession of those rights of discovery which, since they were transferred to us by the treaty of Florida, we consider as one of the strongest elements in our own case. It is a most notable instance, that, in the discussions of 1818, not a word was said in regard to either the rights of Spain or the Noot- ka convention. Yet, now Great Britain and the United States are found placing their principal re* liance on these two sources of title. Is there not enough in this historical fact to lead us to distrust our own judgment and our own conclusions, and to warn us of the danger of fixing our views so exclu- sively on our own real or imagined wants or interests as to overlook the rights of others. Let me not be misunderstood, Mr. Speaker : I have no hesitation in saying, that I honestly think — upon as dispas- sionate a view of the correspondence as I am capable of — that the American title to Oregon is the best now in existence ; but I honestly think also that the whole character of the title is too coniiised and complicated to justify any arbitrary and exclusive assertions of right, and that a compromise of the question is every way consistent with reason, in- terest, and honour. There is one element in our title, however, which I confess I have not named, / I CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 159 and to which I may not have done entire justice. I mean that new resolution of right which has been designated the right of our manifest destiny to spread over this continent. It has been openly avowed, in a leading administration journal, that this, after all, is the strongest title-^one so clear, so pre-eminent, and so indispc^table, that if Great Britain had all our other titles in addition to her own, they would weigh nothing against it— the right of our manifest destiny I ! There is a right for a new chapter on the law of nations, or rather for the special laws of our own country ; for I suppose the right of manifest destiny to spread will not be ad* mitted to exist in any nation, except the universal Yankee nation ! ! ! This right of our manifest des- tiny, Mr. Speaker, reminds me of another source of title, which is worthy of being placed beside it. Spain and Portugal, we aU know, in the early part of the sixteenth century laid claim to the jurisdic- tion of this whole northern continent of America. Francis the First is related to have replied to this pretension, that he should like to see the clause in Adam's will in which that exclusive title was found. Now, Sir, I look for an early reproduction of this idea. I have no doubt, if due search be made, a copy of this primeval instrument, with a clause giving us the whole of Oregon, can be hunted up. Perhaps it may be found in that same Illinois cave in which the Mor- 160 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, y; mon Testament has been discovered. I commend the subject to the attention of those in that neigh- bourhood, and will promise to withdraw all my opposition to giving notice, or taking possessions, whenever the right of our manifest destiny can be fortified by the provisions of our great first parents. Mr. Speaker, there is a third, and in my judgment a still more conclusive reason for regarding this question as one for negotiation and compromise. I refer to its history, and to the admissions on both sides which that history contains. For thirty years this question has been considered and treated as one, not of title, but of boundary. To run a boundary line between Great Britain and the United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the ocean — this has been the avowed object of each successive negotia- tion. It has been treated by Mr. Munro, Mr. Adams, Mr. Galleetin, and Mr. Rush, and by all the other American statesmen who have treated it at all. Offers of compromise and arrangement have been repeatedly made on both sides or this basis. Three times we have offered to Great Britain to divide with her on the 49 parallel of latitude, and to give her the navigation of the Columbia into the bargain. Mr. Polk and Mr. Buchanan themselves have acted upon the same principle, up to the moment of the final abrupt termination of the negotiations. They have offered again to make the 49" parallel the boundary line between the possessions of Great Britain and 1 1 CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 1(U the United States in the North-western territory. With what face, then, can we now turn round and declare* ♦hdt there is no boundary line to be seen, nothing to negotiate about, and that any such course would involve a cession and surrender of American soil ? Such a course would be an impeachment of the conduct of the distinguished statesmen whose names I have mentioned. It implies an imputation upon the present President of the United States and his Secretary of State ; and, explain it as we may, it would be regarded as an unwarrantable and offensive assumption by the whole civilized world. Sir, I am glad to perceive that the language of the President's message is in some degree conformable to this view. He tells us that the history of the negotiation thus far affords satisfactory evidence, not that no com- promise ought to be made, but that no compromise which the United States can accept can be effected. And this brings me to anotner of my propositions. I take issue with the message on this point — I deny that the rejection of the precise r Ter which was made to Great Britain last summer has furnished satisfac- tory evidence that no compromise which the United States ought to accept can be effected. Certainly I regret thai ijreat Britain did not accept that offer. Certainly I think that thi« question mighv j \;rly be settled on the basis of the 49° parallel of latitude ; and I believe sincerely that, if precipitate and effect ; e steps be not taken on our part, the question will be M V, 162 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, 1 1 j^^'l' 1 m III *a,::r' settled on that basis ; but there may be little de- viatiorss from that line required, to /nake it acceptable to Great Britain ; and if so, ^ve oug>)t nrt io I 'si- tate in making !^hem. I deny that the precipe offer of Mr. Buchanan h the only one which the United States ought to actu'pt for the sake of peace. Such a suggestion is an impeachnitat of the wiedora and patriotism of men, by no yneans lih •*ifenor, who hfive made other and more liberal offers. I think that wf ought to accept a compromise at least as fuvorabie to Great Britain as we have three times proposed to her. If we are unwilling to give her the navig'ition of the Columbia, we should provide some equivalent for it. If the question is to be amicably settled, it must be settled on terms con- sistent with the honor of both parties. And nobody can imagine that Great Britain will regard it as consi stent with her honor to take a line less favorable to her interests than that which she has three times declined within this last thirty years. Let me say honor, in regard to the navigation of the Columbia, that if I understand it right, it is of very little im- portance whether we give it or withhold, it, as the river is believed not to be navigable at all where it is struck by the 49° parallel of latitude. I trust that we shall not add folly to '".ime, by going to war rather than yield the navigal of an un-navigable rv^r. And here, Sir, J bav ' .vord to say in re- f 'ice to a remark mad: !■ le Honorable Member lor New York ('Mr. Presto ; KinffV I understand : ^4^A, CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 163 re- ad him to say that the administration, in making the offer of the 49'» parallel to Great Britain during the last summer, did it with the perfect understanding that it would be rejected. I appeal to the Honorable Member, to say whether I have quoted him cor- rectly." , , Mr. King. " I said 1 had heard it." Mr. Winthrop. " There is an admission to which I wish to call the solemn attention of the house and of the country. I trust, however, that the honourable member is mistaken. I trust, for the honour of the country, that the Chairman of Committee on Foreign Affairs will obtain official authority to contradict the statement. I will not wait for any authority; I deny it most unqualifiedly. « > Mr. P. King. " I have no other authority upon this subject than public rumour, and this I believe to be correct." Mr. Winthrop. " It cannot be correct. What sort of an administration are you supporting, if you can believe them to have been guilty of such an act of gross duplicity in the face of the world, in order to furnish themselves with a pretext for war ? I would not have heard their enemies suggest such n idea." Mr. P. King (Mr. Winthrop again yielding the floor for explanation) " Any man of common sense migl.t; have known that such a proposition to the British Government would be rejected, as it M 2 w t - I 164 A RAMBIE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, has been, without even being transmitted across the water." Mr. Winthrop. " Better and better. I thank the honourable member even more for the admis- sion he has now made." Mr. P. King. " You are welcome to it." Mr. Winthrop. " I am under no particular obligation to vindicate the cause of the present administration. But as an American citizen, with- out regard to party, and with a single eye to the honour of my country, I would indignantly repel the idea that our government, in whomsoever hands it might je, could be guilty of so scandalous and abominable an act as that which has now been imputed to it by one of its peculiar defenders. But the honourable member admits that any man of common sense must have understood that the Minister of Great Britain would refuse the oifer which was thus (hypocritically, as l-o believes) made, and would refuse precisely as it has been refused, without even transmitting it across the water. What, then, becomes of all the indignation which has been expressed and implied by the administra- tion and its friends, from the Secretary of State downwards, at the rejection, and more particularly at the manner of that rejection, of that offer. Why, it seems, after all, that the honourable member and myself are not so very far apart. This admission of his is entirely in accordance with the view which CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 165 I have already expressed, that if any compromise whatever was to be made (and I rejoice to find that even the Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs has this morning emphatically denominated himself a compromiser), the rejection of this pre- cise offer does not authorize us to leap at once to the conclu3\on, " that no compromise which the United States ought to accept can be effected." If our Government thus far has made no offer, except one which " any man of common sense might have known would be rejected," precisely as it has been, I trust it will bethink itself of making another hereafter which will have no arbitration. Our title is so clear, and so indisputable, that we can find nobody in the wide world iiiipartial enough to give it a fair consideration ! ! ! Sir, t^' ' ^ a most unworthy pretence ; unworthy of us, and offensive to all mankind. It is doing injustice to our own case, and to our own character, to assume that all the world are prejudiced against us. Nothing but consciousness of having given cause for such a state of feeling could have suggested its existence. The day has been, when we could ho'' our heads and appeal confidently, not only for justice, but for sympathy and succour, if they were needed, to more than one gallant and generous nation. We may do so again, if we will not wantonly outrage the feelings of the civilized world. For myself, there is no monarch in Europe to whom I «»i 'ife B v\ 166 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, Y should fear to submit this question. The King of Fiuii % Wi^ King of Prussia, the Emperor of Eussia, either of them would bring to it intelligence, impar- tiality, and ability. But if there be a jealousy of crowned heads, why not propose a commission of citizens? If vov " put no trust in princes, there are profound jurists, accomplished historians, men of learning, philosophy, and science, on both sides of the water, from whom a tribunal might be con- stituted, whose decision upon any question would command universal confidence and respect. The venerable G .Uatin (to name no other American name), to whose original expositions of this ques- tion we owe almost all that is valuable in th2 papers by which our title has since been enforced, would add the crowning grace to his long life of patriotic service by representing his country once more in a tribunal to which her honour, her interests, and her peaco might be entrusted. At any rate, let us not reject the ilea of arbitration in. the abstract; au: I if the terms jannot be agreed upon afterwards, we shall have some apology for not submitting to it. Gev.eiul Jackson, sir, did not regard arbitration as a measure unfit either for him or his country to adopt. Indeed it is s^ wei . understood that he was so indig- nant with t!» ^irg of Holland's line not being ac- cepted by U3. that he declined to ta,ke any further steps on the subject of the North Eastern Boundary. I cannot but regret, Mr. Speaker, that the President, CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIE8. 167 in making open issue before the civilized world, upon which he claims to be relieved from all responsi- bility which may follow the failure to settle this question, has omitted all allusion to the fact that arbitration upon this subject of Oregon has been once solemnly tendered us by Great Britain. I am willing, however, to put the very best construction upon this omission of which it is susceptible, and to believe that the President desired to leave him- self till uncommitted upon the point. Without some such explanation, it certainly has a most unfortunate and disingenuous look. This omitted fact is, indeed, enough to turn the scale of the public judgment on the whole issue. Arbitration offered by Great Britain and perseveringly rejected by us, leaves the responsibility for the preservation of peace on our own shoulders. The administration cannot escape from the burden of that responsibility — and a fearful responsibility it is — both to man and to God! Before concluding my remarks, as the clock admonishes me I soon must, I desire to revert to one or two points to which I alluded briefly at the outset. I have already declared n syself opposed to my honourable colleague (Mr. Adams), as to giving the notice to Great Britain. I honestly believe that the termination of that convention of joint occupation (I call it by that name for convenience, not perceiv- ing that it makes any material difference as to the real question before us) at this moment, under exist- ing circumstances, and with the view, which my 168 A RAMBLE TUAOUOH THE UNITED STATES, honourable colleague has expressed, of foUowiug it up by the immediate occupation of the whole of Oregon, would almost unavoidably terminate in war. I see no probable and hardly any possible escape from such a consequence. And to what end are we to involve our country in such a calamity ? I appeal to my honourable colleague and to every member on this floor, to tell me what particular advantage is to be derived from giving the notice and terminating this convention at this precise moment, and in advance of any amicable adjust- ment. The honourable member for Pennsylvania (Mr. C. Ingersol) has said that this convention is the old child of my honourable colleague. It has been twice established under his auspices, and with the advice and consent of statesmen as patriotic and discriminating as any who now hold the helm of Government. What evil has it done 1 What evil is it now doing ? The honourable member for Pennsylvania has given us a rich description of the rapid influx of population into that territory. He has presented us with a lively picture of I know not how many thousand women and children on their winding way to the promised land beyond the mountains. Let them go. God speed them I There is nothing in the tenor of this convention which impedes their passage, nor any thing which prevents us from throwing over them all the protec- tion of a limited territorial government. I am ready to go as far as Great Britain has gone in establish- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 169 ing our jurisdiction there ; and no interest, either of those who arc going there or of those wo are stay- ing here, calls upon us to go further at present. The best interests of both parties, on the contrary, forbid any such proceeding. Gentlemen talk about following up this notice by taking immediate posses- sion of the territory. This is sooner said than done. What if Great Britain should happen to get the start of us in that proceeding. Such a thing would not be matter of very great astonishment to those who remember her celerity in such movements, and her power to sustain them when once made. Where should we be theni Would there be no war? And what would be the consequences of war under such circumstances ? The consequences not upon cotton or commerce, not upon Boston, or Charles- ton, or New York, but what would be the conse- quences so far merely as Oregon itself is concerned 1 The cry is now — the whole of Oregon, or none ; and echo would answer, under such circumstances, * none.' I see not how any man in his senses can resist the conviction, that, with whatever compen- sation we might console ourselves by a cut out of Canada, or by the whole of Canada, under what- ever 'circumstances of success we might carry on the war in other quarters of the world or of our continent, the adoption of such a course would result in the immediate loss of the whole of that territory. This, at least, is my own honest opinion. 170 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, As a friend, then, to Oregon, with every disposition to maintain our just rights to the country, with the most sincere desire to see that territory in possession of such of our own people who desire to occupy it — whether hereafter as an independent nation, as was originally suggested by a distinguished senator from Missouri (Mr. Benton), and more recently by a no less distinguished senator from Massachusetts (Mr. "Webster), or as a portion of our own wide-spread and glorious Republic — I am opposed to the steps which are about to be so hotly pursued. Sir, I feel that I have a right to express more than an ordinary interest in this matter. There is uo better element in our title to Oregon than that which has been contributed by Boston enterprise. You may talk about the old navigators of Spain, and the Florida treaty, and the settlement of Astoria, and the survey of Louis and Clarke, as much as you please ; but you will come back for your best satisfaction to Auld Robin Gray in the end. Captain Robert Gray, of 7>oston, in the good ship ' Columbia,' gave you your earliest right of foot-hold on that soil. I have seen, within a few months past, the last sur- vivor of his hardy crew — still living in a green old age, and exhibiting with pride a few original sketches of some of the scenes of that now memorable voyage. My constituents all feel some pride in their con- nexion with this title to this territory ; but in their name I protest against the results of their peaceful CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 171 i \ • enterprise being turned to the account of an unne- cessary and destructive war. I protest against the pure current of the river which they discovered, and to which their ship has given its noble name, being wantonly stained with either American or British blood I But while I am thus opposed to war for Oregon, or to any measures which, in my judgment, are likely to lead to war, I shall withhold no vote from any measures which the friends of the admi- nistration may bring forward for the defence of the country. Whether the bill is for two regiments or tweny regiments, it shall pass for all me. To the last file, to the uttermost farthing, which they may require of us, they shall have men and money for the public protection: but the responsibility for bringing about such a state of things shall be theirs, and theirs only. They can prevent it, if they please. The peace of the country and the honor of the country are still compatible with each other. The Oregon question is still perfectly susceptible of an amicable adjustment, and I rejoice to believe that it may still be adjusted. We have had omens of peace at the other end of the capital ; of none in this; but if war comes, the administration must take the responsi- bility of all its guilt and all its disgrace." - The Honorable C. Winthrop, vho delivered this admirable speech, is the member for Massachusetts, and has a name which stands high in the history of his country, his ancestors having settled in Massa- \.i I 172 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, chusetts as early as two hundred years ago. He is descended from our noblest English stock, and claims relationship with some of our oldest and aristocratic families, some of whom stand high for their intel- lectual attainments. This probably was one reason why he was such a strenuous advocate for peace ; looking upon a war with England much in th': light of "House divided against itself;" or, to make a better simile, war between father and son. I liad the great pleasure of knowing him during the four happy days I spent at Washington. In this speech may be found that which I consider a rare quality — viz. a patriotism of a Christian kind, differeii.t to that which is usually practised by diplomatists and statesmen in general — who, many of them, only look to the interests of their own country ; not aring to commit, in the beautiful name of patriotism, many violations of the Christian code, in order that their own little spot of earth that gave them birth might reap the benefit. '*' Here follows a speech of a very different kind, or rather a part of a speech ; I think it smells strong of gunpowder, and may be well placed as the anti- ' pedes of Mr. Winthrop's oration. Better than all ! The Yankees, it seems, are determined to go a head, and no mistake ! ! The following is the richest of the latest outpourings of their indignation on the head of that unfortunate old gentleman, John Bull. Verily, as the Montreal Herald observes, -J,J CANADA AND THE WEST INDIES. 173 *» the antipathy these younger sons of Britain bear towards their older brethren would be mofit as- tounding, were it not for the established fact, that nothing equals the ferocity of hatred of an ungrateful relative. We cannot account for the constant display of weak, impotent, and ridiculous malice in the United States newspapers, and in the reported speeches of eminent men of the Anglo- American Republic, towards the British in any other way. We must, however, lay the rich morsel before our readers. It is taken from a New York paper, the Oregon question being its subject. Here it is. " The rapacity of that Vampire of the Seas is inap- peasable. Her lust for dominion, like that of the miser for gold, only increases with her acquisitions. Her garments are stained with the blood of all nations. Her escutcheon is darkened with the re- cords of her cruelty, her perfidy, her grasping avarice, and insatiable craving for plunder. With the weak she holds no parley — with the strong she only negotiates to defraud. Her history 7S a history of piratical encroachments upon the rights of other nations. The remotest corners of the earth have not escaped her peaceful visitations, and these have been invariably followed by the fire and the sword. Ask of Spain what she has lost by the rapacity of England, and she will point you to the rock of Gibraltar. Ask of France, r id she will tell you of St. Helena and the Canadas. Ask of China, and ;i 174 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, the old Emperor will answer, that she has com- pelled him to pay for the interdicted opium, and the expense of the slaughter of his innocent people. — Ask of Syria, and she will point you to the ruins of St. Jean d' Acre.— =• Ask of Denmark, and let Copen- hagen give the response. — Call upon Egjpt, and the bloody destruction of the Nile will rise up before you. — Inquire of Holland, and she will refer you to the Island of Ceylon. — Ask how the East India Company progresses, and they will tell you that at the point of the bayonet they are marching to the monopoly of Asia. — Call upon the darkened nations of Africa, and the Cape of Good Hope and Sierra Leone will respond as the entering columns to the conquest of that quarter of the globe. And what of New Holland, Australia, Borneo, Chusan, New Zealand, Tasmania, Guiana, &c., all around the world ] Do not her possessions stand out as a testimony before the nations that she is an incor- rigible, insatiable, unappeasable, unsatisfiable, un- resting, never yielding, always grasping, never re- ceding, always encroaching, unconscionable bloody pirate ! ! !" : CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 175 ■• .'. '■, ; V . ■,,-''■ ♦ - CHAPTER VIII. 'A The wisdom of war. War we believe to be a law of nature. All the various tribes of lower animals have only one instinct, self-preservation; and their politics consist in how they shall eat and avoid being eaten. The balance of power between them is about on an equipoise — the tribes which are eaten being, by avoirdupois, as great eaters as the largest eaters of their fellow brutes. For ex- ample; the whale requires 5000 herrings for a dinner ; but the whale, compared with the number of herrings eaten, is as 1 to 20,000 — so the her- rings have the balance of power decidedly on their side; yet, we find good-natured people often re- gretting that the whale is so ferocious, and that the poor innocent heriing is not a saw-fish, so ap to be able to cut its way out of the whale's belly. Her- 176 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, rings are made to be eaten, and so were whales ; and the same principle lies at the bottom of all ani- mated nature. If the taking of the life of no animal, from man down to the oyster, were not necessary to animal life, within five centuries the world would be so filled that there would be no room for the vegetable kingdom. Trees would not have room to grow; and potatoes, instead of being troubled with the disease that the faculty have no medicament for, would be praying for utter extinction. The exist- ence of war, famine, and pestilence, from the begin- ning of creation, can have no reason except on this ground. Yet, while in this belief, we have no doubt that the natural impuless carry us often beyond the point essential to the best ends of our being. Passion is given to man to be gratified ; but see how far, through excess of this, gratification runs beyond the natural law ; and how destructive is the consequence. God made us free agents, and we have used this free agency to cheat Him ; but the punishment which belongs to villains comes ultimately, and we receive it for infringing the natural law. So war, unless unavoidable, brings its own penalties ; so individual vice strikes those who practise it with disease, and send theia prematurely from the enjoyment of this beautiful world to a terrible tribunal. -^ This much introductory to a communication on war from Mr. Burrett, the learned blacksmith, a portion of which we extract below. i i: 's?. ■.:. / CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 177 " The King of England," he says, " took from the pockets of his subjects many millions of dollars, to replace the Bourbons on the throne of France. 'J'he interest of the money thus wrenched from the hard, lean hands of the toiling people of Great Britain would build 10,000 miles of railroad every year, until the habitable globe were intersected by the iron highways for the nations. The amount, or principal, if divided among the two hundred and fourteen millions of inhabitants of Europe, would put iil! 18,95 into the hands of every individual ! The debt of the Netherlands, contracted, as all national debts are, to meet the expenses of war, amounts tp 11665,000,000. To liquidate this debt, would require a tax of three dollars and twelve and a half cents on every individual on the globe. Divided among the population of Holland, the share of each inhabitant would be $ 266. The wages of labouring men, throughout the world, probably do not average 20 cents a day. Then, at that rate, 3,340,000,000 of hard toiling sons of labour would have to work one day, in order to foot this war-bill of little Holland ! Let every Englishman read this fact, and look upon the hungry millions of his countrymen, and ponder, feel, and speak. During the year 1835, one of great commercial prosperity, the value of all the British and Irish produce of manufactures exported from the United Kingdom was $ 208,000,000. The ap- propriations for the payment of the interest of the w 178 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, British war debt, and for the support of the army, , navy, and ordnance, during the current year, amount to $ 225,403,500 ! ! Think of that, all who love humanity ! The war expenses, in time of peace, exceeding by nearly j?20,000,000 all that the human hand, and even machinery of that great kingdom, can produce beyond its home consumption ! ! But let us end, if we do not begin, at home. Let us assume the average price of cotton, at all places of its exportation in the Union, to be seven and a half cents per pound ; the crop for 1 845 is estimated at 872,000,000 of pounds ; worth, at the above rate, j^ 65,400,000. In 1831, the capital invested in the production of cotton was $ 800,000,000 ; and the value of the whole crop, $ 76,000,000, at sixteen cents per pound. It may, then, be fair to suppose that $ 1,000,000,000 have been thus invested in the year 1845. The interest of this sum, at six per cent., amounts to |l 60,000,000 ; which being de- ducted from the home value of the entire crop, leaves but $ 5,400,000 clear profit of the business itself. Now the appropriation to the United States' navy for the current year was $ 6,350,789 ! ! ! Let cotton-growers ponder on this fact, and on another of vital interest to themselves — a war ; to prepare for which we are absorbing three-fourths of the revenue of the nation, which would annihilate at least one half of their capital, now invested in the production of cotton ; for they would find that \ // CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 179 '^ 00,000,000 of their money were invested in stocks \v hich would not bring one cent on the dollar in the time of war. In case of a war with England, the function of our glorious little navy and of the glorious great navy of Great Britain would be a mutual effort to destroy the commerce of both nations, an interest which they own in partnership amounting to $ 100,000,000 per annum, of which raw cotton makes an item of $ 60,000,000 ! So that all the navy would do for the cotton growers in such a war would be to destroy a market for $ 50,000,000 of cotton a year." » • ^^ - "■>>■■:'■■ ,,, .- It may be necessary here to give a slijjht sketch of this very remarkable man, Elihu Burrett, vhe learned American blacksmith, especially as I believe it possible for many people in this country, to this day, not to be aware that there ii such a man in existence, partitW'arly those in the higher walks of life, even of a liteiury and scientific taste, who do not look beyona the immediate circle to which they belong, and who are particularly satisfied with dwelling too significantly upon men and things that belong to their own land, without extending their vision over the broad and wide expanse of universal humanity. Elihu Burrett, like most of the other distinguished mer of the Anglo-American race, is from the Northern States, and I think a native of Boston, or else born in the state of Massachusetts. Notwithstanding his having worked eight hours a n2 '■n n 160 A. RAMBT.E THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, day at the anvil, he economised \ >.iuch of his time as lie was able for the cultivation of languages, having a very remarkable faculty and facility for the pro- secution of that particular branch of study. After having mastered the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, he then commenced the study of the European lan- guages ; and progressed so far in them, as to entitle him to the distinguished rank of the first linguist of the day, not excepting Mezzofanti, the great Italian master of languages. In his biography it is stated that he mastered fifty languages and dialects, whilst his great rival, Mezzofanti, was only acquainted with twenty-five. < — ■ ■.■^•■''- ? ■ •' ^-^v'-s^'o- Prior to his lea ing the shores of America, on a visit to Europe, he obtained the signatures of twelve II en, which formed the first nucleus of a society whose object was to extend its principles far and wide, and to inoculate with its doctrines all the civi- lized nations of the Old World. This was the Peace Society. One would have supposed, on his first visit to England, the land of his forefathers, that, if he had not been sought by the learned professors of languages at our different universities, he would at least have sought their acquaintance, in order to display that knowledge for ^Thich he was so parti- cularly distinguished. Instead, however, of prose- cuting the study of languages in England, or making any display of his great knowledge in that depart- ment in the presence of the learned, the scientific. s\ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 181 and the literary world, we find him, on his first land- ing at Liverpool, leci ring the poor people of that town on the great necessity of man earning his bread by the ■'• swe^^^ of his brow." He is, besides, an elo- quent lettuT ^* hciS written several essays, re- markable i »• ' Jearness, and bearing upon the amelioratioi aiuty, and are well calculated to improve the tc i political morals, both of mo- narchs and of men. I heard him, in the town of Boston, Lincolnshire, deliver an admirable and elo- quent lecture upon the subject of Oceanic Penny- postage. I know of but few instances, if any, in ancient or modern biography, that can excel either the head or the heart of Elihu Burrett — and if at one extremity of his tombstone should be written the word " blacksmith," after he has departed this life of useful labour — at the other I think might most truthfully be inscribed " a truly great man !" The next is an extract from General Cass's speech, advocating the war. " I did not rise, sir, to discuss, in whole or in part, the question of our right to Oregon. That question will come upon its own time. There may be some difference of opinion, as well in Congress as in the nation, respecting the ter- ritorial extent of that right ; though I take the op- portunity of expressing my hearty and entire con- currence in the claim, as advanced by the President. But I am sure there is no great party, and I trust there are few individuals, in this country who are ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // A-*** A V 1.0 1.1 li&lZS |Z5 Ui Ui2 122 2.0 us u tM I III '-2^ 1 '-^ llUi^ ^ 6" ► $9^ 7 ^ *>;^^ ^ '/ Photographic Sciences Corporalion 33 WIST MAIN STMET WMSTM.N.Y. 14S80 (7I6)«72-4S03 4b .\ o \ w 182 A BAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, prepared, even in the extreme spirit of compromise, to accept the most liberal offer that England has yet made. Her pretensions and ours are so widely separated, that there seems no middle ground on which to meet. Our moat moderate claim, and her most liberal offer, leave the parties asunder by 10° of latitude, and by a large portion of the territory in question. What then is our condition? Can we recede 1 Can we stand still, or meet in ad- vance ? As to receding, it is neither to be discussed or thought of. I refer to it, but to denounce it — a denunciation which will find a response in every American bosom. Nothing is ever gained by na- tional pusillanimity ; and the country which seeks to gain temporary security by yielding t^ unjust pretensiomi, buys present ease at the expense of honour and safety. It sows the wind to reap the whirlwind. I have said elsewhere what I will re- peat here, that it is better to %ht for the first inch of national territory than for the last It is better to defend the door-sill than the hearth-stone — the porch than the altar. National character is a richer treasure than gold or silver, and exercises ja moral influcDce in the hour of danger ; which, if not power itself, is its surest ally, however separated by party or by space so as to preserve it. Our defensive works are unfinished, and some of them are unfur- nished. I do not know, but I fear that many im- portant branches of supply are inadequate. Our 1' '. \ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 183 navy, and especially the steam portion of it, is not upon a scale commensurate with our wants, if war is almost upon us. That navy fought itself into £Eivour, and its country into honour, in the seemingly unequal and almost desperate struggle into which it so gallantly went in the last war. And another contest would find it equally true to its duty and to the public expectations. I trust the time will never come again when it will be a question in a great crisis whether the navy shall be dismantled and not in our docks, or whether it shall be sent out to gather another haiTest of glory upon the ocean. It is the material for military and naval operations it is first necessary to procure. Men we have ready ; and such is the patriotism inherent in the American character, that they never wiU be found wanting in the hour of difficulty and danger. Our militia re« quires a new and efficient organization. It is a reproach to us that we have suffered this branch of national defence to become so inefficient. It has almost disappeared from the public view. Both the laws upon this subject and the administration of them require immediate and severe examination. For this is one of the great bulwarks of the nation in the hour of danger. It has shown its patriotism and its valour upon many a bloody field; and the future, if it should need its services, will witness its devotion to the country whenever and wherever, and however it may be tried. 184 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, \i Many of tke supplies required for the operation of war demand time and care for their collection and preparation ; and we must remember we have to do with a people whose arsenals and dock-yards are filled to repletion ; whose supplies are upon a scale equal to any probable demand upon them ; whose gigantic naval and military establishments announce their power and maintain it ; and the structure of whose government is better fitted than ours for prompt, and vigorous, and offensive action. If we cannot concede, can we stand still ? No, Mr. Pre- sident ; in thiS) as in all other elements of national power and greatness, our duty and our destiny are onwards. We might as well try to stay the waves of the Pacific, as to stay the tide of emigration which is setting towards its shores. If this government had the disposition, it has not the power to arrest this human current. But it has neith; aeither the power nor the disposition to do it. i here are questions of public right which may rest in abeyance, which are not called into daily exercise, and need be asserted only when required. But such is not the right by which we hold Oregon. We must main*> tain it, or abandon it. A vigorous and enterprising people are fast increasing there, who will possess the country by the best of all titles, that of occupation and improvement ; and if we do not provide them a government, they will prov'de one for themselves. Already necessity has compelled them to organize \ ( CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 185 \ . ■ their civil society, and make those arrangements for the preservation of order, without which no civilized community can exist. It is, only a few days since they made known to you, by a judicious and well- written memorial, their condition and their wants ; and asked your interposition to remove the serious difficulties by which they find themselves surrounded. And think you, if their prayer iu unheard and their grievances unredressed, and if the present state of things continue, that you will find a distant colony patiently waiting your tardy movements, and ready to admit your jurisdiction when you may be ready to exercise it 1 No ; they will feel themselves neglected, cast off, left to their own resources, the victims of diplomatic chicanery, or of national pusillanimity, and they will seek their own security in their own power. That great truth, not appli* cable alone to Republican governments, but common to all, and which lay at the foundation of our own revolution, that protection and allegiance are reci- procal, will soon be heard upon the banks of the Columbia, and will inspire the councils of the hardy pioneers, who, while they have sought a new home in a distant country, have carried with them the sentiments of their liberty beyond the regions of the Rocky Mountains. If, then, Mr. President, we can neither retard our steps nor check them, we must go onward — and England has placed herself in the path that is before us ; and, if she retain her posi" 186 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, tion, we must meet her. If the last proposition she' has submitted be her ultimatum, it is effectually a declaration of war. Its advent may be delayed a few months ; but, as soon as the notice expires, if she persists, as she will do, in her occupation of the country, the struggle must commence. It is not the notice which is a belligerent measure — ^for that is a treaty right ; but it is the subsequent and immediate course the parties will probably pursue that will lead to war. I hope, or I ought rather to say I wish, that England would awaken to a sense of her injustice, and yield where she could yield honourably and ought to yield rightfully. But will she do so t It is safest to believe die will not; and this dictate of principle is fortified by every page of her history. When did she ever voluntarily surrender a territory she had once acquired 'i—oi abandon a pretension she had once advanced 1 If a few such pages could be found in the record of her progress and acquisitions, they would be the best exceptions, which would render the general principle of her conduct the more obvious. For my own part, I see no symptoms of relaxation in the claim she has put forth, and the declaration in Parliament of the leaders of the two great par* ties that divide the gcvemment and her people. Sir R. Feel and Lord John BusseU show a union of opinion, and foreshow a union of action, should action be necessary, rarely to be found in the politi- cal questions that agitate her councils, and are the h CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 187 w index, if not of the assurance, of an equal una*' nimity of public sentiment. The President has discharged his duty ably, patriotically, and fear- lessly. Let us now discharge ours, not by words merely, but by deeds. The best support we can give him is to respond to his declarations by our actions. It is my firm conviction, and I do not hesitate publicly to avow it, that the best, if not the only hope we. have to avmd a war with England, is by exhibiting a public and united determination to prosecute it, should it come, with all the enei^es that God has given us, and by an instant and se- rious consideration of the preparations necessary for such offensive and defensive measures as may be required, and as prompt an adoption of them. Our country is extensive. In many portions of it, the population is sparse. The frontier, both Atlantic and inland, is long and exposed." The editor of the paper (from which I extracted this speech) made the following comment : " Had our space permitted it, we should have published entire the very able speech of General Cass, made in the United States Senate, in support of the reso- lutions introduced by him of the 15th inst en- quiring into the state of the national defences. We do not concur in all the views of the honourable speaker, yet we greatly admire the patriotic enthu- siasm displayed throughout his speech, and indeed his whole conduct as an American citizen." The 188 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, next extract, as the reader vrill quickly perceive^ is a pacific one — here it is. Mr. Yancy. As will be seen under our Washington head, this gentleman, on the 7th inst. delivered a speech in the House of Representatives on the Oregon question. He took the ground that the giving of the notice at this time will be a decided war measure. He referred to the state of our army and navy, and said, it was evi- dent we were not prepared for war at this moment This being the case, would not discretion be the better part of valour ? He was for waiting to see what could be done by milder measures. He ex- ^ '- patiated upon the difficulties in carrying troops and provisions to Oregon, and showed that the British would have a decided advantage, so far as a war in that territory was concerned. He put it to Western gentlemen in particular, whether, after a long and protracted war, peace would not be made as at the last war, when both parties remained as they were before the contest commenced. He then drew a glowing picture of the horrors of war, and the tendency it would have to bring upon us again a burdensome paper system. If the honour of the country demanded a war, it would be a different i matter ; but to go to war at this time for the acqui- sition of territory, when we were not prepared, would be highly improper. He was in favour of continuing the joint connexion, as in four years there would be at least 100,000 American settlers CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 189 there. This is the only way to get the country. " The only way to get the country, in the words of a distinguished statesman, is to conquer it in our own chambers." All we wanted Was population, and that we could have, if we would only wait. This is good, and if compromise do not prevail, we believe the only policy is that shadowed forth by Mr. Yancy. The following is another extract to show the amiability of the war feeling. Under the caption of " wounded sensibilities," the New York Morn- ing News has a pleasant article, which perhaps may excite John Bull to an unwonted degree — that is, if the surly old customer should chance to read it. The News says : " We remember an old police report of a certain veteran lady, grown grey in infamy and moral squalor, who burst into tears in the court, on some gentle insinuation adverse to the entire purity of her character, and complained bitterly of the manner in which her feelings were huii ' A paragraph in the last Albion (the English weekly newspaper published in this city) affords a parallel case of delicate sensibilities cruelly lacerated by rude insinuation : " It is this demand for the whole (by the United States)," says our respected contem- porary, " this denial to England of any right — this imputation on her honesty for claiming what is not her own— 'Startled and offended the British people." This was indeed an unkind cut by brother Jonathan 190 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, on honest John Bull's tenderest point— 'his very seat of honor, so to speak. Any other imputation might have been forgotten, than a suspicion of her honesty of daiming what is not her own ! Charge her with all the seven deadly sins — chaise her with the violation of any or all the rest of the decalogue — and she has Christian fortitude and pious resignation to suffer and to forgive ; but touch her upon the point of coveting — coveting her neighbour's house, or his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is her neighbour's, — no wonder that it has startled and offended the British people! In the burning words of the amiable Mrs. Gamp, when overpowered with gin and feeling, " it is what lambs could not foi^ve — no nor worms forget." In truth, the disinterested for- bearance of the English policy, in regard to the extension of its foreign domain and dominion at the expense of the right of other nations, has become almost proverbial in modem history. Hence the restriction of her foreign colonial possessions within such narrow points. Bare pattern nation of un- ambitious justice, magnanimous morality, and self- denying deference to the rights of other and especially of weaker nations ; no tale of rapacity for territorial acquisition, of fraud, or force for its indulgence, stains the pure pages of her annals I ! Every continent, every clime, every sea, unite to bear witness to the generous disinterestedness of which her flag has always and every where been the \ ! CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 191 .1 symbol. No wonder, indeed, that after the com- placent perusal of the history of her Indian Empire within the past hundred years, with the little ap- pendix of the Chinese opium war, she should rise in majestic indignation of conscious virtue, and with all the justly wounded sensibilities of conscious virtue, resent any imputation on this most cherished trait of her national character and history, much as the injured lady whose feelings we stated above to have been so deeply " hurt." The following is an extract from another paper. — ^** Peace or war 1" The Charlston Evening News, an able and dignified democratic paper, whose sound conservative views upon the Oregon question, and our foreign relations generally, we have often quoted with approbation — ^in answer to the enquiry at the head of this article, says, " War, in all popular go- vernments, being in the hands of the people, we confidently pronounce that the people of the United States do not wish, but deplore war. We say this from the most inMlible of all indications, the al- most entire abi^ence of all expression of popular opinion in favour of war. General Cass's war speech in the senate, and other outpourings of the same character in that body, have not been echoed by those public assemblages which, if the national pulse beat high for war and its excitements, would have accompanied these war-stirring orations. They have fallen dead upon the popular ear, mind, and 192 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, feeling. All of which is strictly true. Never did a public man commit political suicide more effectu- ally than General Cass, by his ilUtimed, impudent, and foolish war-speech. He is very dead ! ! 1" The following extract contains a view of the war a little k la Punch. Felix's resolutions — wholesale an- nexation of territory — particularly Ireland 1 1 On the 6th inst. Felix Grundy Mac Connell, member of Congress from Talladeyna in this state, introduced in the United States House of Representatives the following wholesale annexation resolutions, which the House allowed to be read for information. The Baltimore American says, * the reading was inter- rupted with laughter, and the whole thing was re- garded by many as a fitting burlesque upon the proceedings and speeches of Congress. Resolved, That we hail the elevated feeling which now un- usually prevails in our glorious confederacy to strengthen and consolidate the principles of Repub- lican freedom, and extend the blessings of our insti- tutions in every practicable quarter of the universe in the spirit of Christian love and peaceful brother- hood. Resolved, That, while we hail the admission of Texas (which fought her way to independence) as a sister state into the Union, we now with un- affected pride and satisfaction hail the resolution of the Executive and Congress of the United States to uphold our title to Oregon ; and in the same spirit we observe the growing desire to incorporate \ r- t W CANADA, AND THB WEST INDIES. 193 Mexico, YuoAtan, California, &c. into the confede- racy ; and that Ireland is fuUy entitled to share the blessings of our free institutions. Resolved, That the Irish people, as a nation, haye long been ground down by British misrule and misgovemment ; and while her people, for centuries, have been mis- managed by a monarchical yoke, they have always cherished the principle of a democratic govern- ment — the only government that has ensured free- dom to man. Resolved, That the house will re- ceive with due attention and consideration any communication that may be forwarded by that high-minded and liberty-loving people, with the view to effect such an object." The following is an extract detailing the pro- ceedings at Washington relative to the war question. " Washington, January 7th: — In the senate, the Bill to raise two companies of mounted riflemen (the cause of the Oregon debate) was ordered to be en- grossed for a third reading. It was amended by Mr. Benton, by the insertion of 176,500, for de- fraying the expenses it created. In the house, Mr. Rhett brought proofs to sustain certain charges of inconsistency which he had made against Mr. Adams. The old gentleman replied. There was some sharp-shooting, but none of it essential to the ends of legislation ; so we omit an account of it. Mr. Caleb Smith, of Indiana, made the following remarks. He was against giving notice, and in ■( i iK 194 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, favor of letting the matter rest in the President's hands. January 8th : — The riflemen Bill was read a third time, and passed hy the senate. Mr. Allen then, from the Committee on Foreign Belations, to which had been referred the joint resolution hereto- fore offered by him, advising the President of the United States to give notice to Great Britain of the termination of the treaty of joint occupancy, re- ported as follows : Besolved by the Senate and House of Bepresentatives of the United States, in congress assembled, that, in virtue of the 2nd article of the convention, of the 6th of August, 1827, between the United States and Great Britain, relative to the country westward of the Stony or Bocky Mountains, the United States do now think fit to annul and abrogate that convention — and that the said convention is hereby accordingly annulled and abrogated. Provided that this reso- lution shall take effect after the term of 12 months from the day on which due notice shall be given to Great Britain of the passing of this resolution ; and the President of the United States is hereby authorized to give the said notice, and also, at the expiration of the said convention, to issue his proclamation setting forth the fact. Mr. Allen said he would move to take up this resolution on Monday, for the purpose of having an early day fixed for its consideration. Mr. Cobb, of Georgia, had the floor, and spoke in opposition to the views // CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 195 sustained by the Southern men of his own party. He did not concur with Mr. Calhoun. He believed our title to the whole of Oregon was a good One ; that the question was a national one ; as much so as the annexation of Texas. The negotiations had reached a crisis. We were advised by the Pre- sident to give the notice. Should we not be placed in the position of receiving a recommendation from the President to give the notice, and of declining to act upon the rt^oommendation 1 The effect of placing Congress in opposition to the Executive would be disastrous to our claims on Great Britain. British statesmen would see our position and take advantage of it. We have received the ultimatum of Great Britain, and she has received ours ; and, as our claim was a good and hers a bad one, some new mode must be had recourse to to settle the question. We weakened our claim, if we did not give the no- tice ; and, regardless of consequences, he was for giving it at once." The next extract gives an account of a newly- invented instrument for carrying on the war. « New Engine of War. We copied a paragraph from the New York Sun, a day or two ago, stating that a gentleman of that city had invented a powerful engine for harbour defence. The New York Herald has quite an extended notice of the invention, which is said to be simply that of the sling, applied to machinery, in connection with a tube or gun, o2 196 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, throwing out a discharge of 30 balls in a minute, for hours together. The machine is so constructed that in putting in at one end the balls to be dis- charged, a rotatory motion is produced by means of a crank, and by a few rapid revolutions each ball receives a power and momentum equal to that communicated by any quantity of gunpowder. When this has been done, a slide starts and allows each ball to escape in succession from the chamber into a tube, when they are thrown to almost any distance, and with unerring aim. The invention is Mr. McCartney's, a gentleman connected with the navy yard at Brooklyn. A number of experiments were recently made with this new engine of des- truction, by order of the government, and are said to have given entire satisfaction to the distinguished persons who witnessed them. On one occasion, about twenty pieces of solid timber were united together, forming one compact body; against this piece of wooden breastwork Mr. McCartney opened the battery of his piece of ordnance, and in less than ten minutes the whole solid breastwork was entirely demolished and shivered to splinters, by the power- ful and rapid succession of discharges upon it. . 1 i ■)i'Mxi'^'A frriuwyp ./ f i. if :.'.< '-V IS CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 197 '%'- r:-/0i. i > ■■i , i,:.V- :- ^0;' V m'^- x^f.r- "%r^ I'^i^c CHAPTER IX. . , I ;, r ;!v-- it «"■"-■■ January 1st. I left Washington and sailed down the Potomac for 60 miles. I afterwards mounted the railway cars and journeyed on to Virginia, which town is named after our most renowned and ever to be remembered Queen Elizabeth. Here, all of a sudden, I observed a forlorn condition of the people, whites as well as blacks ; shabby houses, bad roads, forming a most complete and striking contrast to the invariable neatness of dress, comfortable and neat dwellings, of the Northern states. Such is the result of slavery. We glided past Fredericksburg, leaving it to the right, and quickly arrived at Richmond, a town of considerable population, and beautifully situated on the top of a high hill, commanding ex- tensive views of the surrounding scenery. The •'i^mm- 198 A RAMBLE THROUOH THE UNITED STATES, town, as well as I could judge, seemed to be made up of some good houses, with others very indifferently constructed. I observed two remarkably fine girls gracefully walking over the hill, displaying the most perfect figures I think I ever beheld, which instantly brought to my recollection the good old-' Cushioned song of " Sweet lass of Richmond Hill." I regretted very much having passed so rapidly by railroad through this town, so rich in female beauty, if I may judge from seeing only two specimens. What so charming to the traveller, wending his way through woods and swpmps, as to gratify the eye with a sight of a living Venus. Here I believe the manufiicture of cotton has been established, but in a way and method very inferior to those of New England.— >We then proceeded on to Petersburg, a pretty respectable town, where we dined, and quickly passed on to Weldon, where another rail- way hastened us down to Wilmington, during the night After passing a most disagreeable night, for want of sleep, as well as fix>m being too crowded to render that indulgence next to im- possible, I passed to the other end of the cars early in the morning, when I discovered that we were flying through a magnificent primeval pine forest, on a scaffolding of wood merely, without any embankment. This might be compared to an osteological or skeleton railroad, elevated to a considerable height above the common level, which /^ CANADA, AMD TBB IfEST INDIES. 199 appearance, at firit sight, was rather calculated to terrify the traveller, from its extreme novelty. The forest possessed trees almost exclusively of one species of pine; viz. the Pinus Oampestris, a beau- tiful, tall, and stately tree, beneath whose branches were observable evergreen oaks ; below these were Myrtica Oarolinensis, « specie of myrtle, Laurus Carolinensis, and ether shrubs I could not make out, but all more or less evergreen — such shrub* beries, for extent, sise, and variety, as could be seen only in a similar part— ^or they were in their native homes, the wild wood. The surface of the ground was covered with stagnant water, containing all the sources of malaria, fever, and death, only re>> quiring the £ei11 of the leaf united to the hot rays of a summer^s sun to brew that pestilential air, so fear- ful, and even fatal, to all foreigners who chance to stop, only for a few hours, to breathe it. I was in- formed that, when accidents occurred during the summer months, causing a delay of a few hours only, the poor foreign traveller would be almost certain of catching an attack of fever. The natives of the Northern states are so fully aware of the unhealthy state of the atmosphere of these Southern parts, that they chiefly carry on their trips of pleasure, as well as business, during the winter months. I was informed, by a resident lady of the town of Charlston, which place con- tains a population of 100,000, that it was con- 200 A KAMBLE THBOUGH THE UNITED STATES, l^ iidered certain death, even to a native, to p^^s a night in the country, in the neighbourhood of these infectious and unhealthy localities. In North and South Carolina, and Virginia, the railroad passes through these wild pine forests, sometimes for miles, without enabling the traveller to catch a glimpse of field or pasture. I can com- pare travelling in these forests, on. these skeleton railroads, on which the air freely circulates below the carriages as easily as it does in the air above, from the intervals between each portion of wood- work not being filled up with either wood or earth, high up above the common level, to a bird on the wing, striking its course through nature's wildest scenes, where tall pines, sufficiently high and straight to form the mainmast of a frigate, with elegant evergreens filling up all space, are steeped in the fluid of death ; for stagnant water surrounds the eye of the spectator, to whatever quarter he may turn ; with an entire absence of population, houses, or fields, excepting the occasional station. So original and wild was the scene, that we seemed to be navigating the air through a country where human being never trod. These pine forests are far too extensive in the Southern states, although I was informed the land is well cultivated and of excellent quality where cotton is grown; but of this I saw so little, such was the monotony of the scene ; when all of a sudden we arrived at Wilming- CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 201 ton, where we had to embark on board a steam- boat, to perform the voyage to the town of Charleston, in the State of South Carolma. At Wilmington I got on board the steam -boat, Oovemor Dudley, for Charleston, a short voyage of both difficulty and danger. To cross the bar of Cape Fear river (down which we descended) required not only daylight, but accurate navigation at the same time. Our captain, however, having delayed so long as to allow Sol to depart, we were consequently left to take our chance in a most difficult and dangerous part To prevent blunders, we proceeded at a very slow rate, with men a-head carefully looking out for the buoys, placed at certain intervals, which we were lucky enough to find, and by so doing we were fortunate enough to escape accident. Our steam-boat, instead of being properly constructed for ocean navigation, was unfortunately built for river accommodation, with all that superabundance of superstructure on deck which forms so striking a feature in an American vessel ; besides which, her timbers were nearly rotten, and her boiler so thin as not to allow the usual and necessary amount of fuel, for fear of an explosion. Thus were we crawling, at the rate of three and four miles an hour, on a part of the Atlantic most dangerous, from our course being in the middle of a bay through which the gulph stream sets and stormy winds are frequent. This 202 A RAMBLE THBOUGH THE UNITED STATES, was one of those instances, where that recklessness of human life is too frequently to be met with in America, which is no compliment to the country that possesses an abundance of excellent timber, with many millions of hands, to build ships, to allow such a vessel to run the risk of encountering the storms of the ocean, particularly when one reflects that they are very deservedly celebrated for their beautiful clippers, as well as every other kind of craft ; and it is more surprising still that the government should allow the mail bags to be put on board of such a crazy and cracked old vessel. The Americans on board made no secret of telling me of her actual condition, although I informed them that I was an Englishman. On examining the state of her timbers, I found, in laying hold of a portion of her near to her helm, that it easily frac- tured, and presented all the appearances of dry rot. I certainly did talk long and loud against the American government, all which was taken in perfect good humour by the various passengers, who allowed me to begin and finish all I had to say upon the subject without interruption or the slight* est dissent. January 3rd. I arrived at Charleston, and, although it was the middle of winter, and on that same continent where, only a few weeks before, in the town of Boston, when the weather was so severe and the cold so intense upon one occasion CANADA, AMD TBS WB0T INDIES. 208 that I was literally induced to feel for my ears, fearing they might have dropped off like the leaves in autumn, when, to my great satisfaction, I found them in situ, here I threw aside the cloak and first felt the influence of that balmy air of the South, scented with the delicious fragrance of flower and fruit, whose odours came like gentle messengers to bid one welcome, and gave one an introduction and gradual foretaste of aU those enjoyments peculiar to the still more glorious luxuriance of tropical vege- tation and climate. In walking through the town, the exhilarating effect of the change from cold to a genial atmo- sphere, from leaving behind one leafless trees, with their wintry aspect, with a glorious sight of the orange and lemon, produces an effect, from the suddenness of the change, far more agreeable than any I think I ever experienced in any summer in any latitude. In strolling into the town, I observed their gardens and grounds decorated with oranges and lemons. Pride of India, Melia Azedarach, Finns Palustrus, Finns Teda, Myrica cerefera, Gerasus Carolinensis, Laurus Carolinevsis, bananas, dates, and pines, and a great variety of others, including the noblest specimens of evergreen oaks I ever beheld, consisting of large trees, 40 feet in height, with massive trunks, free from branches up to a certain height, displaying a vigour and growth not often to be found in England. » • 204 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, \ » I called upon Dr. B — n, a good naturalist < and a very amiable man. He informed me that the cele- brated ornithologist, Audubon, married his sister ; and that they had laboured together in bringing out a yery beautiful work on the Quadrupeds of Ame- rica. The Doctor very kindly showed me the work, with several engravings of animals, specifically named after himself. He is, besides, the minister of Charleston ; and I was sorry to hear many qffin- plaints made against him for his strong and axdent love of natural history. Surely these grumblers must have passed some portion of their dme in an asylum. I doubt not they would even censure their minister taking a walk in the fields, or a stroll by the side of a brook; yet how sinful to pluck a flower, and how impious to admire a bird I I had no letter of introduction to him, and I was as kindly received as if I had been a plenipotentiary repre- senting Great Britain. He scolded me for my short visit, chatted about some of the English naturalists^ introduced me to several of his friends who hap- pened to call at the time, and, after a most pleasurable and profi^ble interview with an amiable and ardent naturalist, I bade him good-bye with regret, and de- parted with an impression that, if this is a republi- can, then long live the Republic. The next day I left Charleston for Augusta in the state of Georgia. I found the journey a repetition of the previous day, consisting of # I CXJIADA, AND THB WlfT IMDIM. 206 « forests ; and, haTing been sated with the monotony of the scene, I began to think of din^ ner. I put the question to the conductor as to the hour of dining. He answered me by stating that we should have our repast at one o'dook. However, to my utter astonishment, when we ar- rived at the place for dining, the conductor gave us the very pleasing iDtelligence that, in consequence of the mail being after its time, we should be com- pelled to postpone that most important event of the day (dinner) until six o'clock. Here I cannot re- frain from alluding to this most unjustifiable method of treating travellers. It appears that their comfort, in regard to refreshment, is not near so well con- sidered as it ought to be. I very justly complained of being worse treated than the poor man's pig; for in most cottages, however humble, the owner generally contrives to feed the animal once a day, and that at the proper time. We arrived at Au- gusta at six in the evening, where a tolerable dinner was provided; and as absence from friends renders their presence doubly charming on meeting them, so it was with the dinner; for the railway cars of these Southern States do not run smoothly, and the many joltings and almost constant disagreeable movement of the coaches had so thoroughly agi- tated the digestive tube that it contained nothing but empty space — the very best condition for that very valuable receptacle (but not the pleasantest) < illfi A SAIIBLC TiMOaOH TBB CHITID ITATIS, for a good cUnner after a long hat We faMwI. va- pidly throngh the town, and immediately placed ouraelTes in another set of carriages to pursue our journey to Atlanta. These cars contained beds, where the weary traveller might rest his limbs and sleep as soundly as if he were on a bed of down at his own home. This is one of the many instances to be found in America, where something new and original will be constantly meeting the eye of the European traveller. While I was asleep upon this admirably constructed shelf-bed, two labouring men without permission stole into our apartments, and, finding the uppermost beds next the roof unoccu- pied, there horizontalized themselves; and one of these weighty gentlemen laid himself down in such a manner upon my hp.t, which I had placed there, as to reduce its full-developed size and figure to the narrow dimensions of Jack-in-a-box, or, in other words, flattened it like a pancake. However, I was happy to find that, when the conductor was made acquainted with the circumstance, he commanded the sleeping individuals to get up and refresh them- selves with a little walking exercise, x j <; id the bed to conduce much to the sleeping ' « jr lii{f, notwithstanding the constant shaking and agitatibn of the cars, so much so that I was enabled to pass a ->;ry good night, and on waking found that we had u ^I'd 170 miles in twelve hours. The railways ia iu~ l^>':ith do rot exceed fifteen miles an hour. \ f% CANADA, Wn THE WMT UfDIU. 90t ■:m. The Wilmington ^ine it too tloTenly an ezsMpto of railway conitruction to call forth the admirajdon of the foreigner. Arriving at a backwood place called Atlanta, a locality consiiting of a few hoiues only, here we had to encounter that which I found to b« least interesting, but particularly novel (especially to one accustomed in olden time to the rapid transit of our horse-coaches on excellent roads), viz. that of travelling through wild woods on stiff clay roads, formed simply by felling the timber, without mac* adamizing, gravelling, or laying on any additi' nal ma* terial to that which geological agency had originally deposited. We mounted a very well-constructed strong coach, capitally horsed and well harnessed, which, from the unevenness of the road, more re* sembled a craft on the ocean than a coach on land, from the frequent ascents and descents so suddenly executed, with all the lateral sallies, fits and starts, produced by deep ruts, fibrous roots, fangs and stumps of trees, deep pools of water (Uttle lakes in minia- ture), which constantly beset us. Life's journey cannot be better appreciated in all its vicissitud«'S than when taken for a short time in such a stage- coach as the one I had the honour to ride in ; for, after enduring the storm of shaking, jolting, and antelope-jumping, jigging, wriggling and twisting, and rolling to and fro, all of a sudden the old wheeled craft would sail into stiff mud, two or three feet in depth, where she would stick like a stranded )^8 A BAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, vessel on a lee shore (this was the calm), and there loll her lazy old hull until her hallast was lightened (immortal ballast) by the graceful descent of fair ladies, bruised, blighted, and half covered with mud, very inferior in quality and quite as different in complexion to that higher-prized clay, commonly but very appropriately called flesh and blood, which in these Slave States is compelled to submit to all the humiliating changes and circumstances allotted to a pound of soap or a ton of coals. The gentle- men, upon every occasion when there was any diffi- culty of progress, were asked and even expected (after paying for riding) to walk on these primitive roads so amply plastered with Nature's stiff, sticking mud and clay. I really expected a fracture or dis- location of some of the osseous portions of my Bri- tish constitution several times, so sudden and vio- lent wore the many convulsive heavings of our am- phibious two-wheeled conveyance. Amphibious she truly was, for she was more than half the time splashing the water with her big revolvers. Some portions of this plaster road were so perfectly im- passable, that it was much easier for the wheels of our coach to navigate through the open parts where they occurred than on the old beaten track ; upon which occasion a number of fresh performers made their appearance, not only upon the stage-coach, but too frequently in it, in the shape of branches of trees of all shapes and sizes, differently endowed \ , yj'- ' A ■'■'■' ' " '♦. 3 r- I v'. r Sti" i 1 r i I > f [ ^%. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. n: 209 with the quality of dancing, thumping, and hitting, not only the coach, hut the passengers, and not unfrequently upon the face, where the nasal oma^ ment, being most prominent, usually came in for more than its share of salutation ; and those indivi- duals who wore very large noses upon the occasion had too frequent opportunities of affording a striking example of the want of sociality between the animal and vegetable kingdoms. Ever and anon the strong branch of a tree would strike the windows, then another branch of the vegetable family would rudely obtrude itself, remaining for several seconds a pas- senger guest, departing with a bend for an adieu, so elastically and so forcibly given, that, if they hap- pened to salute on the head or the face, they made such an impression upon the poor passengers that it could be asserted most truthfully that they had painful recollections of their journeyings through the forest. We were about thirty hours performing a journey of 1 36 miles. We travelled the last sixty miles at the rate of seven miles an hour — the road being better. At the beginning of our journey, we could not have averaged more than three miles an hour. Some individuals who are affected with weakness of the digestive organs are frequently recommended to take carriage exercise in order to strengthen them, especially that class of invalids who, from extreme debility, are incapacitated for walking. Should it fall to the lot of that class of p 210 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, ,{: '/ sufferets ever to ride in one of these coaches of the Southern States, I can promise him as severe a re- medy for his complaint as any that can he adminis- tered hy the holdest physician ; and, if it does not kill him, he will have the stomach of an ostrich. Arrived at Montgomery, in the state of Alahama, a town situate in the middle of a heautiful hog, where, in the summer time, hilious, intermittent, and yel- low fevers invariahly prevail. It was during the winter season, in the month of January, that the thermometer stood at 70** at Montgomery, and a thunder-storm — such an one as I had never pre- viously seen — having more similarity to a great universal waterfall, accompanied with constant flashes of lightning (not dissimilar to spirit of wine, ignited), is almost without intermission illuminating the town in such a manner that one could only compare it to the rising and setting of the sun in rapid succession. I attended a concert at the Mont- gomery Hotel, given by four American vocaUsts. Among the songs sang upon the occasion, was one giving an account of John Bull taxing the tea, with other allusions to the revolutionary times, which called forth not so much applause as I anticipated. Another of them was to the effect of " Put the kettle on ;" " Loud blow the bellows;" " If John Bull should come upon our coast, we will give him gun- powder tea" — this latter also failed in eliciting any amount of marked approbation ; fully showing that CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 211 the people of the town were well disposed towards John Bull ; and that there, at all events, the war- movement was not popular. The singers, before commencing their performance, made no saluta^ tion, and also finished their songs without bowing. January 10th. Embarked on board the Ma- rengo steam-boat, at Montgomery, in the State of Alabama, and sailed down a river named after the State, a distance of 500 miles, for the sum of J&l, with provisions included. This was cheap enough. Travelling in the United States where the passen- gers do not exist in great numbers, I think may be considered dear. The steam-boat was one with a high-pressure engine, one of the finest I ever saw ; and I must confess that the thundering rush of steam, vomited through her capacious pipes, rather startled me the first time I heard it, especially when I pictured to my imagination the possibility of an explosion, an event too frequently resulting from the bad management of these high-pressure steam- ers. The peculiarity of her construction was not a little interesting ; for the accommodations were all above deck, instead of below. The great saloon, which extended from one end of the boat to the other, was very handsomely fitted up, and could not fail in calling forth the admiration of the tra- veller, especially to a foreigner viewing it for the first time. The berths were differently placed to the Hudson steamers, in having the beds fixed in a p2 W -f'A .v!f / 212 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, \\ small room, with its door and number upon it. The group of passengers was, as might be expected, very various, and even variegated, for some of them wore white blanket coats, embroidered at the edges with blue and scarlet, some in entirely blue coats, and others in red ones. These gentlemen, so remarkable for their variegated costumes, were from the far west. I conversed with many of them without meeting an intentionally rude or disagreeable indi- vidual. I was informed that in this mixed group there were gamblers, blacklegs, and other idlers, who are called, in the States, Loafers. I met with the greatest possible politeness and attention from the passengers, especially when I informed them that I was a Britisher, as they designate an English- man ; and I am bound to assert, to do them justice, that, although the Southern gentleman lives in a poorer and less cultivated country than his brethren of the North, and in whose States education has not advanced so much as in the New England States, and where the slave is bought and sold like a pig or a house, yet he is a much more communi- cative and more agreeable travelling companion than the men of the Northern States. I here ex- perienced, for the first time, an offer to pass or leave a dish at the table — a thing very unusual in the Northern States ; or, if it is the custom, I had the misfortune not to have an opportunity of observing it. I came in contact but with one w CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 213 of the ladies, and I am bound to confess that I never, upon any occasion, in any country, fell in with a more agreeable, intelligent, and amiable woman ; so much so, that I deeply regretted parting with her. V • I observed, sitting opposite to me at meals, a youth with a fine expression of countenance, dressed very shabbily in his white blanket coat, fringed with blue, with long hair flowing wildly over his shoulders, whose appearance, most favorably conjectured, could not have passed for any individual higher in the scale than a working man ; afterwards, however, I found this individual bowing away in pretty good style on the violin, and, not content with that dis- play of his musical abilities, further commenced and ended a good piece upon the piano, to the great astonishment as well as delight of the beholders and listeners ; proving the difficulty of accurately judging a man from his dress and appearance. The Alabama, down which I sailed to Mobile, like most of the American rivers, is very tortuous in its course, but diflfered in another respect, viz. that of unusual narrowness, as well as being bounded by the most monotonous, swampy low ground, filled with trees, from whose branches dangled a long thready mass of vegetable matter (a species of lichen), in some instances more than a foot in length ; and so completely and invariably were they furnished with it, that there was scarcely to be found a tree with- 214 A BAMBLE TBBOUOH THE UMITED STATES, out these waving and floating and most peculiar appendages. This appearance is peculiar to the trees of the Southern States. We passed 600 aiiles of this most monotonous scene, in a riyer which, if appropriately named, ought to haye heen called the liquid-mud river, without observing a decent house on its banks, or a change of scene to relieve the eye, without an inch of cultivated land, nothing but swamp and wood, surrounded and soaked in stagnant water, which contained all the obnoxious sources of those endemic disorders which too powerfully attack both the native and the ^v foreigner. In this river, during the summer , season, might be seen the alligator, lazily lolling on logs of wood, as if he were an animal of such delicate constitution as only to be capable of enduring the fresh breezes of summer, at the most enlivening period of the year. This river and the alligator are well matched ; for I think it would be with difficulty that one could encounter two uglier things in the domains of universal nature. *»* ^ ^ I arrived at Mobile early in the morning. I found this climate the most delightful imaginable, although in the summer season it would be certain death for a foreigner to inhale its poisonous atmo- sphere. I never felt in England during the summer season such an agreeable temperature and climate as I experienced at Mobile at their CDldest season of the year. The town is situated not far from the CANADA, AND THE WJiST INDIES. 215 Gulph of Mexico, and is remarkable for possessing a shifting population, like that of a watering place. The Northerners are the great visitors during the winter months, who carry on an extensive specula- tion in cotton, and who quit the town as soon as the unhealthy season commences. /> ^^^xm^. £ January 12, left Mobile for New Orleans. Our steamer was one of the cleanest and best regulated I ever met with. In sailing out into the Gulph of . ^ Mexico, we passed several islands covered with a most charming vegetation, consisting of flowejs, shrubs, and trees, and the shore was covered with the most beautiful white sand, sweetly contrasting with the colour of the water, and the fine exhibi<« tion of the vegetable world. It was on board this steamer that I dined according to the rules of gas- tronomic art, and in the most perfect manner. At the best restaurant in Paris, at Yery's in Regent Street, and in the London Clubs, one is not sur- prised to meet and enjoy a perfect dinner ; but to meet with such a thing in a small steamer, where the passengers were not the most finished speci- mens of humanity, is a thing unusual in Europe, and quite characteristic of Republican America. The majority of the passengers were of that class probably that might have possessed some of the untutored and hard-working individuals, who knew so little of the arrangement of a good dinner, that if the soup had come last and the dessert first, they 316 A RAMBLE THBOUGH THE UNITED STATES, might have considered it secundem artem. Such is the equality of the democratic form of government, that every man feels himself entitled to dine like a king ; and he does it too. The captain too was a fine example of a man of taste, not only in the arrangement of a dinner, for I have no doubt that he possessed some knowledge of the culinary art, but was an individual possessing very pleasing manners, accompanied with an excellent judgment, and more than an usual degree of refinement for a man of his class. In my conversation, when com- plimenting him upon his good dinner, he remarked : ** It is not always appreciated, especially by some of our rough customers from the backwoods." I arrived at New Orleans the same day, January 12. After quitting the steam-boat, there remained a few miles to finish the journey to New Orleans, where I found the old state of things — viz. swamps and bogs — but whose vegetation was somewhat al- tered. It was here that I caught sight of the Cupressus Disticha, a sombre-looking tree ; and a most interesting specimen of the vegetable kingdom, the Chameerops palmetto. The state in which it is found principally has been nick-named the Palmetto State. It is a most curious-looking thing, three or four feet in height, with a stem terminated with leaves which are gracefully waved by the wind, and expand after the fashion of the majestic palm tree. The town of New Orleans dates its origin from the ■W CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. in year 1717, and was originally colonized by the French, whose population still amounts to 20,000 souls, and who keep themselves as much aloof from the American people as their pursuits will permit them. The French language, manners, habits, and even population, seem to be falling prostrate before the overwhelming influence of the great Anglo- Saxon race. The situation of the town of New Orleans, I should think, is the least beautiful of any town in the world — its environs being a swamp, in which houses are built in the middle of the most quagmiry, impassable bogs, that even Ireland would probably find some difficulty in competing with it. The yellow fever rages here. During some years, however, the inhabitants have not been visited with this dreadful scourge. Here the St. Charles's Hotel is one of the most striking buildings in the town, and renowned all over the United States as one of the most remarkable, if not the first in the world. This building is so large, that on the Continent of Europe it might pass for the Hotel de Ville — ^in England, for a Royal Exchange — or at Rome, from its possessing a dome,for a moderate-sized St. Peter's. There are 395 rooms, many of which contain double beds. There are two ordinaries, one for the ladies, another for the gentlemen, quite separate. At the gentlemen's ordinary, 650 can be accommodated ; at the ladies, 200 can dine. The building internally is of an octagonal shape, with a fine circle of 218 A RAMBLE THBOCJOH THB UMITBD STATES, pillars placed in the centre for its support. In the middle of this circle, one of the most magnificent staircases I ever beheld extends from the top to the bottom, twisting round and round, precisely similar to the turns of a corkscrew, the height of which is 200 feet. At the time that 1 was a guest at the St. Charles, an unfortunate Irish girl, a servant of the establishment, fell from the top of this staircase yery near to the bottom witho\it dis- locating or fracturing a single bone, but neverthe- less got severely bruised. How she contrived to manoeuvre it, is best known to herself If I had been the President of the United States, I should have rewarded the clever creature with a handsome annuity for life, for her great aglHtj in not killing herself upon the spot. The waiters here are regu- larly drilled ; and on entering the great saloon for dinner, the visitor may observe them altogether in military attitude, ready to pounce upon vegetable dishes, tureens, and plates, as eagerly and as quickly as a military rush could be executed when scal- ing a wall or leading a forlorn hope. The person dining goes on with his soup and fish until the time arrives for removing the first course, when all of a sudden the comm&uder-in-chief of the waiting corps, at a certain signal given, which, when interpreted, signifies " Up, Guards, and at them." The soup and fish are removed, and in an instant, throughout the whole Une, the second course is simultaneously iv CANADA, AND THE WS8T IMDIBt. 219 placed upon the table before you can say Jack Bobinson. The waiters amounted to 102, and the sum total of servants of every kind to 170. Nine hundred individuals have dined at the same time at this mighty St. Charles. Such is the eager and hasty rush to the dining table, and the numbers so vast, that you might suppose the richest man in the town had died and bequeathed something to each citizen, with every man on the tip-toe, half phrenzy with excitement to know who the lucky man might be to take possession of the mansion and estate of the departed good man. The bar-room of this hotel is a very curious and amusing place for the traveller anxious to study the men and manners of such as frequent this spa- cious apartment. It consists of an enormous saloon, with a great counter at one end, behind which stand numerous waiters with all the various drinkables, so many and various that I believe forty of them might be enumerated; for the Americans are as perfectly original in their appetites for liquids as they are remarkable for their prodigioift steam- boats and wonderful hotels. At one end of this saloon, opposite to the counter, is the entrance, to the right of which are shops containing articles of apparel, such as shirts, braces, gloves, &c. &c., en- closed in large glass cases (shops in miniature) for sale ; on the other side is a cigar shop, expressly for the use of the hotel. Here it was that I fre- 230 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, qaently smoked my cigar, although some of my very respectable American friends declined joining me, and some of the very particularly shy and respectable citizens even declined accompanying me for a short walk through the saloon. I was therefore compelled to be alone. This, however, had its advantages, as it enabled me more com- pletely to investigate all the extraordinary scenes and remarkable people which were to be observed in this very singular locality. Here was to be seen that man standing in an unfashionable but easy attitude, with a white hat on his head, the brim of v which is large enough to claim relationship with some members of the umbrella family, his coat, made out of a white blanket, ornamented with a deep edge of a purple colour, fitting him loosely. This is one of America's noblest sons, the man who has handled the axe, and converted the forest into a farm, a house, and a homestead ; who, in his first pilgrimage to these original scenes of nature, pro- bably proceeded without a companion, with his axe in his hSnd, to confront the bear and the wolf, his nearest and only neighbours in his backwood soli- tude. Let us leave him ; he is like a fine vessel safe in harbour ; after having braved the storms of the ocean, he is entitled to wear his colours. Standing there, may be observed a fashionable-looking and well-dressed man ; if you had met him upon the promenade, or in any other locality, excepting the CANADA, AND TBI WBST INDIES. 231 place i;?here you now see him, you would, as a stranger-traveller, have not the slightest objection to make his acquaintance. You see him surroundd by a number of individuals similar to himself, put- ting his hand into a dish of thinly cut raw salt beef, which at certain times is found upon the counter, with a plentiful supply of biscuits, being given away to all who choose to pay the price of a glass of grog. That man is a gambler, and one of the worst description. These American gamblers are such desperate characters, that upon one occasion a number of them infested the neighbourhood of a young and prosperous settlement in some part of the Union, where, not content with cheating at cards, they committed depredations of every kind, to the great detriment of the quiet settlers. The settlers held a meeting, and passed a resolution, that if they did not depart at a certain time, they would hang them ; which resolution, strange as it may appear, was carried into effect. The above is an instance of what is termed Lynch-law. In this bar room many a man gets his three meals a day, without charge, for simply paying for three glasses of grog. Here may be observed that which in the North is scarcely ever perceptible, viz. an inferior- looking, badly dressed, dirty class of people. In this group may be found individuals so indolent that they only work two days in the week, for the purpose of obtaining creature comforts, and who ■) '- iff %22 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, keep holiday the other days by every possible method of dissipation, until all their money is gone ; they then re-commence work. In the North, one man (with very slight exceptions) dresses as well as another, whatever his situation or vocation may be. The constitution tells them that all men are equal, and the tailor is sufficiently versed in consti- tutional law as to insist upon all men being equally well-dressed ; and as black cloth is the most fashion- able, as well as the least durable, he makes forty of that colour to one of any other ; and thus fashions to himself a fortune by his quick-stitching republican needle. Here it is that every third man, if at all of a quarrelsome disposition, carries concealed the bowie knife — a long, heavy-backed, deadly instrument, whose edge is as sharp as a razor, and a back as thick as a cleaver — capable of splitting a skull at a single blow; and severing an arm, including the bone, with equal facility. This is an instrument peculiar to the Slave States ; and I am sorry to state that our manufacturers of cutlery in England have demeaned themselves by making these unmanly weapons. In this motley group of mortals I ob- served a scene novel enough, but peculiarly Ame- rican in its result. A well-dressed, but drunken man marched into the centre of the Rotunda, evi- dently full charged with bitter bile and all the ele- ments of discord, and at the same time well laden /■ l) CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 223 with a full cargo of alcohol. He commenced by shouting, howling, and all sorts of noises, and defied any individual then present either to put him out or stop him from bellowing. He addressed himself to every one with whom he came in contact ; and, to my great astonishment, not a single individual had the courage to show him the door. I must state, however, that it was electioneering time, and that the said noisy individual was the editor of the best Whig paper in the town. At last, however, he was taken by the collar and thrust into the street. An immense rush followed him out into the street, where a regular affray took place. The people, anxious to preserve order, called the watch. The editor had a large party of friends at his back, who probably persuaded him to make a fool of himself for the sake of creating a little fun. This party and the watch had a regular fight for it. The watch had to take possession of him and secure him for the night; but, being too feebly supported and too strongly opposed by the editor's friends, finding themselves getting the worst of it, springing rattle after rattle to summon fresh allies to the battle-field, and, notwithstanding the arrival of a fresh supply, so staunch and true were the numerous friends of the editor, that I could see the watchmen with staff uplifted ready to strike ; which, in nine cases out of ten, failed, by their being completely pinioned by their opponent in such a manner as to break the 224 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, fall of the staff; thus making a perfect joke of the ' poor watchmen. For an hour the greatest ex- citement prevailed. A numher of careful people, anxious to see the result of the riot, kept at a ' respectful distance from the rioters; being mere spectators to the affray, not wishing to take any part or share in it. I joined this very respectable group, invariably placing myself in such a position as enabled me to advance and retreat with the ut- most facility. After having had a fight in the street for a considerable time, the majority of both parties suddenly sallied into a coffee-house, most \ inappropriately named the Pacific, where sudden rushes to and fro, accompanied with uplifted ba- tons, with bowie-knives bright and bristling already for action, were tp be seen. At this critical moment an individual sprang to the top of a table, and com- mence d most vehemently haranguing the mob. This was a friend of the editor's, who, in the strongest possible terms, declared the watch to be a set of scoundrels. The captain of the watch was present at this harangue, with all the men and assistance he could muster. The opposite party succeeded in carrying off the editor to his own home. And thus ; the party prevented this drunken man from re- ceiving that infliction of the law which his unparal- leled insolence justly deserved. I was ex(;eedingly surprised to find that, on the following day, no men- tion was made of this riotous proceeding in any of \ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 225 the journals, not even by those of the opposite party — and here the thmg ended, without coming before a court of justice. A duel took place between an Englishman and a Kentucky gentleman, in conse- quence of some slight mistake at a ball, with refer- ence to a lady — the challenge was sent, accepted, and the Englishman killed his man. Having heard of the billiard-room of the St. Charles Hotel, I went and paid it a visit ; where, instead of finding a single table, I beheld no less than nine. .;,;;:,...,;■ « .-.•■<^-^>. ;-,.-'. '■■■"\. ^^> ... ii> ^^''' t'.^•^?^■^X'' '^''''-] ■?-*..^i'V'-^ ■,'■'1 v''^4^" ■ ,, , f Q 226 A RAMBLE THBOUGH THE UNITED STATES, It J- CHAPTER X. ^^.:,.^^^-^V^ i r^ *■-- Haying now conducted my reader to New Or- leans, where I took leave of America ten years since, at a time which threatened to emhroil hoth countries in all the horrors of war — a state of affairs which, I trust, will never recur to mar the peaceful and commercial pursuits of two countries so nearly allied to each other by every tie of commerce and consanguinity — ^it is now my intention to give the reader a concluding chapter upon America, written in 1855, before taking him to the West Indies. On the whole, I was much surprised to meet with so much kindness and attention at a time when the Oregon question was all the vogue; and equally pleased to find, with two or three exceptions, the moderation of the American press upon the subject of war. As one of the extracts upon the war savours CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 227 of a bitterness and acrimony rarely to be met with in any previous or subsequent production, some ex- planation of that state of feeling of the writer, which seemed to approximate very near to the boiling point, may be afforded by the perusal of an article written in England the year before, during a time of peace, in the Foreign Quarterly Review, from which I shall extract a page, leaving the reader, at his own option, to finish the article. Here it is— poetry the subject. " Swagger and impudence, political immoralities, and social vices, of which a democracy may be rendered capable. As yet, the American is horn-handed and pig-headed, hard, persevering, camivcrous, rancorous, with an in- credible genius for lying, &c. Peopled originally by adventurers of all classes and casts, America has been consistently replenished ever since by the dregs and outcasts of all other countries, like wolves in search of the means of life— living from hand to mouth. Catholics, Unitarians, Calvinists, and Infi- dels were indiscriminately mixed up in this work of violent seizure and riotous colonization. • > " This brigand confederation. An open haven of refuge for the Pariahs of the wide earth. The best blood America boasts was injected into her at the time of the Irish Rebellion, and she looks up to it with justifiable pride. Can poetry spring out of an amalgam so monstrous and revolting 1 Can its pure spirit breathe in an air so stiffling and fcetid 1 You q2 n 228 A HAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, might as reasonably expect the vegetation of the tropics on the wintry heights of Lapland. The whole state of American society, from first to last, presents insuperable obstacles to the cultivation of letters, the expansion of intellect, the formation of great and original minds. The population of the United States has advanced at an alarming rate. Has never produced statesmen, but teems with politicians. Henco, the judges on the bench con- stantly give way to popular clamour, and law itself is abrogated by the law-makers, and openly violated by its functionaries. Hence the total abnegation of all dignity, earnestness, truth, consistency, and courage, in the administration of public affairs. Hence the ascendancy of Lynch-law over State- law : hence, assassination in the day-light, in the thronged streets : hence, impunity to crime, backed by popular fury : hence the wild justice of revenge, bearding the justice of the judicature in his own courts : hence the savage bowie-knife, glittering in the hand of the murderer on the floor of Congress. Outrage and disorder, and naked licentiousness. That depravity, which rots like a canker, at the core of American society. The leading journal of New i'ork [being the paper which no decent man there would then be seen reading, though it is now somewhat reformed] says, &c. &c. This is a por- trait of American society drawn by one who knows it well, and who is, of all men, the best qualified to .*- CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 229 describe it accurately [That is, by a foreign ad- venturer, who, for his vulgar and abusive perso- nalities on respectable citizens, publicly received more than one deserved cow-hiding.] The orator must strew his speech with flowers of Billingsgate, and a garnish of falsehoods, to make it effective. The preacher must preach down to the fashion of his congi'egation, or look elsewhere for bread and devotion. The newspaper editor must make his journal infamous and obscene, if he would make it popular." — Foreign Quarterli^ Review^ January, 1844. Mr. Charles Dickens has the following remarks upon America : " That Republic, but yesterday let loose upon her noble course, and to>day so maimed and lame, so full of sores and ulcers, that her best friends turn from the loathsome creature in disgust." Title of an Article in Fraser's Magazine : " War with America a blessing to mankind." Honest confession of Captain Marryat to the Edinburgh Review : " My great object was to do serious injury to democracy." 'v■■(M^i}i.4^;}■,^n^ v.rAM-;*^'v%>.-^.../ •..y*/ iit^^v" In this age of railroads, electric telegraphs, and rapid steam communication between the most distant parts of this world, the age of national exhi- bitions of industry of all nations, by which national prejudices and gross ignorance must be dispelled, to make place for truth, improvement, and the advancement of love of universal humanity, as well ■ ■ I.'. . 230 A ItAMBLE THBOUOH THI^ UNITED STATES, if as the arts and sciences, I should not have recorded the precious sayings of these belligerents of pen and ink, if I did not hope and believe that their future mischievous occupation is now become obso- lete, and that their poisonous out-pourings may only be regarded as curious monuments of a by- gone epoch, never likely to return, and from which we may take warning for the future not to employ the noblest gifts of God to man (freedom of thought, developed by a free press) to the fostering of stupid prejudices ; but exert all our energies, moral, intel- lectual, and physical, to the more useful develop- ^ ment of commerce, and to the creating a good understanding between the two most powerful and' commercial countries of the civilized world. I take the greatest possible interest in the States of New England, from the fact of the Pilgrim Fathers having assembled at night on a lonesome heath in Lincolnshire, prior to their departure and exile at Leyden in Holland ; and, also, from the circum- stance of my native town of Boston having produced men who emigrated to Massachusetts, and who were followed by the Rev. John Cotton, minister of that town, and who had the high compliment paid him of finding, on hir arrival in America, that the locality where he settled was at that time named Boston, now the capital of New England, famous for everything that is great, good, and intellectual. These Pilgrim Fathers were Puritans — a name first CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 231 given to such cler'j/meh of the Church of England as declined to subscribe to its liturgy, ceremonies, and discipline, according to the bishops in their respectiTe dioceses. The clergymen so called were advocates for a further reformation than the existing authorities deemed it proper to sanction ; they de- sired a form of worship more simple and pure than they believed that of the Church to be, as then establiuhed. John Cotton was one of these Puritan ministers. ** The precious spark of liberty," says an historian, who was never accused of favoring the Puritans, " had been kindled and preserved by the Puritans alone." — Bancrofts History of the United States^ip. 113. Robinson, a leading man amongst them, delivered the following lecture : — " I charge you, before God and his blessed angels, that you follow me no further than you have seen me follow the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord has more truth yet to reveal out of his holy word. I cannot sufficiently bewail the condition of the Reformed Church ; which is come to a period in religion, and will go at present no further than the instruments of the Reformation. Luther and Calvin were great and shining lights in their times, yet they penetrated not into the whole counsel of God. I beseech you remember it is an article of your church covenant that you be ready to receive whatever truth shall be made known to you from the written word of God." — Bancroft^ p. 331. 232 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, The Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from the perse- cutions of the English government, amounted to 102 in number ; and, after a short sojourn at Leyden, in Holland, resolved upon seeking their fortunes in a foreign land, and subsequently landed at Plymouth Rock, after enduring every kind of hardship, and there, in 1620, laid the foundation of that Great Republic, the United States. They were princi- pally Lincolnshire and Yorkshire people, and who departed from their native homes on that well- known water which separates the two countries, the river Humber. They announced the austere principle that not a ceremony should be tolerated unless it was enjoined by the word of God. The Church of England, at least in its ceremonial part, was established by Act of Parliament. Puritanism, zealous for independence, admitted no voucher but the Bible ; a fixed rule, which they would allow neither Parliament, nor hierarchy, nor King to interpret. They adhered to the Church of England as far as their interpretations of the Bible seemed to warrant, but no further, not even in things of indifference. They would yield nothing in religion to the temporal sovereign. They would retain nothing that seemed a relic of the religion which they had renounced. — Bancroft, p. 301 . Rogers and Hooper, the first martyrs of Pro- testant England, were Puritans. These stern old relirionists, the Puritans, were \ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 233 not only the pioneer settlers in the New England States, but they, and their descendaiits, further claim the merit of mstituting those social moral and educational institutions which have taken a most unquestionable leading position in American affairs, and have, at the same time, produced an effect which has been felt in every part of Europe and, although a small body originally, wandering upon the earth's surface in search of a home, across the Atlantic, from the persecuting soil of Old England, they at last placed themselves so high in the scale of civilization, that their influence may be compared to the little star in the heavens, whose i;winklings have been seen and felt in the remotest corners of the civiUzed world. We have seen what they were in England ; let us now take a look at them in America*. " In a few years it was said of them, that you might live amongst them from one year to another without seeing a drunkard, hearing an oath, or meeting with a beggar." " There was nothing mean, nothing effeminate, nothing pusillanimous, nothing in their composition that could be viewed with contempt or indifference. Every trait in their character was strong and dis- tinguished. Their virtues were of a strong and independent cast, resembling those of the old Ro- J * Charles Shaw's Description of Bodton, Massachusetts, p. 182. 234 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, mans, in the best days of the republic. To use the words of a great writer, they would not tread on a worm, or sneak to an emperor. Perhaps there never was a society of men, equally numerous, which pe- culiar circumstances so completely identified. Hence it was that friends and enemies painted them in such opposite colours, and gave, as it were, an individual portrait of a collective mass. They had suffered at home for the same cause, and they left it for the same purpose. They were all of one heart and one mind, and aimed at one and the same end. There was hardly a shade of difference in their religious or political opinions. None have joined them with reluctance, nor were admitted into their company whose opinions or character were doubt- ful or exceptionable to the majority. In short, they presented a spectacle which the world had rarely seen, a large and virtuous community, swayed by the same motives, and controlled by one will." > ^ - Stoughton eloquently says, " God sifted a whole nation, that he might send choice grain over to the wilderness." ^^■ •.•yu,;;>jj;r ;V;.^ii^>:^i, ,17^ The persecutions of Quakers, Antinomians, and Anabaptists, and otliers whom they suppose guilty of heresy, cannot be wholly excused, even if we make allowance for the age in which they lived. Their intolerant spirit has occasioned the severest animadversions of writers, both at home and abroad. h // CANADA, AND THE WEST 1MDIB8. 235 They held the doctrine, says Shaw*, that that state that will give liberty of conscience in matters of religion, must give liberty of conscience and con* versation in their moral laws, or else the fiddle will be out of tune, and some of the strings crack. They required all who joined them to conform perfectly to their religious and political principles. No man could be qualified either to elect or be elected to office who was not a church member, and no church could be formed but by a license from a magistrate. Their policy was rather to establish a Christian community of a particular kind, and preserve it from any foreign principles, especially religious, than to form a great society, either for splendour or power. Their settlement was rather a flight to the desert, from religious persecution, than emicrf\tiou upon political principles. The following are some of their laws. " Whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God ; and they that resist, receive to themselves damnation." The game of shuffle-board and bowling was pro- hibited at houses of common entertainment. Any man committing fornication with a single woman should be punished with enjoining marriage, or fine, or corporal punishment. Any man who denies the immortality of the soul shall be banished. Any one denying the Scripture to be the word of God, should pay a fine of £50, to be severely whipped, * Charles Shaw's Description of Boston, Massachusetts. 1 1 .".V^^V 236 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, not exceeding forty strokes; and if he offend a i second time, to be put to death or banished. Trading was regulated by them. In 1 640, one Edward Palmer, who, for asking an excessive price for a pair of stocks, which he was hired to frame, had the honor to sit an hour ia them first himself, after he had finished them. Captain Stone was sentenced by them to pay £100, for having called a justice a just ass. Josias Plastow, x for stealing four buckets of corn from the Indians, was ordered to return them eight, to be fined £5, and hereafter to be called Josias, and not Mr. Plastow. Sergeant Kerkins was ordered to carry 40 turfs to the fort for being drunk. Catharine, wife of Richard Cornish, was found suspicious of incontinency, and seriously admonished to take heed. John Wedge- wood, for being in the company of drunkards, to be set in the stocks. It is ordered that John Daw shall be severely whipped, for enticing an Indian woman to lie with him. It was agreed, at a court, that adultery should be punished with death. April, 1 632. Thomas Knower was set in the bilboes for threat- ening the court that if he should be punished, he would have it tried in England, whether he was lawfully punished or not. Robert Coles was fined j£10, and ordered to stand with a white sheet of paper on his back, whereon drunkard shall be written in capital letters, as long as the court think fit, for abusing himself when shamefully drunk, and enticing John Shotwell's wife to incontinency. -A CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 237 Where is the reader to be found who will not laugh heartily at these curious laws of the Puritans, and also at the very singular names of some of the offenders. Among the first settlers of America we find men of genius and literary acquirements, who would have been conspicuous as statesmen in the courts of Europe, or as divines in the Church of England. It is no wonder that their characters were so highly esteemed by the Puritans in their own country, or that they shone as lights in the dark places of the American wilderness. I received a letter from the Vicar of Boston, Lincolnshire, the other day, upon the subject of John Cotton, a persecuted Puritan, vicar of that place, whio emi- grated to America. . - : , - t^ - 'li ' ■>h .'./ ie^ V Boston Vicarage, May 26th, 1855. Dear Sir. — In reply to your note of the 24th, I beg to inform you that John Cotton was the vicar of this parish for many years. That we have his autograph in the register books, and that, in the corporation records, there are many traces of his life in England. The fullest account of him will be contained in a History of Boston, by Pishey Thompson, Esq. which is soon to come out, and for which subscription lists are still open, at Noble and Co.'s of this town. I have much pleasure, also, in informing you that the Hon. Edward Everett, of Boston, Massachusetts, is kindly raising a sub- U 2S8 A BAlfBLB THEOUOH THE UMIi'ED STATES, soription, in America, among Cotton's descendants and friends, to erect some permanent memorial of him in this beautiful church, and that they will probably raise a sum of £300 for the purpose. You are quite right in supposing that Boston, in New England, is named in compliment to him. Many interchanges of friendship have already passed between the corporations of the two towns, and many more, I trust, still remain to be passed. Apologising for the brevity of this communication, I remain. Dear Sir, Faithfully your's, ' ' • ^ i i*t ^t. ■ a B. BLENKIN. 4i. When paying my visit to the Bostonians of Massachusetts, in 1845, 1 was one evening so sud- denly seized with violent pains in the abdomen, and so dreadful were the paroxysms that I lost all con- fidence in " physician, heal thyself," that I imme- diately sent for Dr. Warren, to whom I had a letter of introduction. The landlord of the inn, whom I had aroused up at dead of night, being seized after I had retired to rest, whose apartment I very luckily entered the first door I knocked at, quite by acci- dent, risking the circumstance of my entering that of any other individual's, recommended me to have Dr. Channing, the brother of the distinguished writer and divine of the same name; as Dr. Warren, he was quite sure, was, at that hot season of the ■•'.fi .') CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 239 year (the month of August) at his country place. I found Dr. Channing one of the most amiable and best of creatures ; and who not only cured me of a very violent attack of the cholera of the worst kind, which at that season of the year is very prevalent, but who afterwards showed me every possible kind- ness and attention. I may here mention a little cir- cumstance that occurred, which, I trust, may be the means of bringing a smile from the Doctor himself, should he happen to read it or hear of it. My kind friend, Dr. Channing, was a strict practitioner and lecturer on temperance as well as of medicine — 'this [ was not the least aware of In return for his great kindness to me during my illness, as well as for his attention afterwards shown to me in various introductions to different parties in Boston, I invited him to dine, to meet another gentleman of the town, the son of a celebrated physician and scientific man, who, of course, was well acquainted with all the leading features of Dr. Channing's life and cha- racter, i*^-^ '•^•'P. "/^'^i'S-'r^ jiy'iy^ -^UJ M When seated with my two friends at the public table at the Tremont Hotel, champagne was un- corked, which of course was offered to Dr. Chan- ning. He refused in the most marked and decided manner, by a most peculiar and horrified expression of countenance ; and when the bottle was held over his glass, he put his hand over his glass as an effec- tual stopper to any further proceeding of that course. 240 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, which might have e£Eectually damaged the character of a distinguished lecturer as a disciple of tem- p^^i.tince, without the slightest explanation or remark being made either by him or myself; no doubt, to the great amusement of my other Boston friend, as well as to those who might witness the circumstance at other parts of the dinner-table. Dr. Channing must have thought me the rudest man in the world, from another curious circumstance which occurred previous to dinner ; he being quite ignorant of the fact of my being a flute-player, and much devoted to music. He was in my bed-room at the Tremont Hotel a few minutes before dinner, when Chyle, the best flautist in America, in the next room, suddenly dashed into a most masterly and brilliant passage, developing all that fine expression in music which is comparable only to the fine shades of Ught and colour in a first-rate picture, evidently proving him- self a magnificent master of his instrument. This so perfectly overwhelmed me with its effect, and, although the great Chinese gong had suddenly poured forth its thundering notes of another kind, my attention was so deeply rivetted by the flute, that, instead of going to dinner, I waited a fevi minutes longer to listen to the flute, which appeared to produce little or no effect upon Dr. Channing ; when I remarked, " that man (not knowing at the time that it was Chyle) is one of the greatest masters of the flute I ever heard." ^\.way bolted the Dr. to CANADA, AND THE W£ST INDIES. 241 the summons of the gong ; and I, in my enthusiasm for music, being perfectly entranced by the magical notes of the great musician, rudely allowed him to go to the dinner-table alone. To atone, however, in some measure for this apparent rudeness, on my return to England I sent the Doctor an engraving of the beautiful old Boston Church, with another for Dr. Warren ; and four others, one of which I begged might be given to any descendants of the revered John Cotton, whom I enquired for, but unfortu- nately failed in meeting with any of them. When I first landed at Boston, I presented my friends with a little musical composition, named after the place, and mentioned to them the fact of cur having one of the finest churches in the world ; which declara- tion they stoutly denied, by saying, " that cannot be — for, if it were true, we must have heard of it." I replied, " you may depend upon the truthfulness of the statement, as I have travelled extensively with- out meeting with a finer structure of its kind." ^ I paid them a second visit on my wuy to New York, after visiting Canada. During my absence, the Hon. Edward Everett (late American Minister at St. James's, on his way to the British Association held at York, either intentionally or accidentally paid a visit to Boston, and of course was much struck with the church) had returned to New Eng- land, where he had given the ITew Bostonians a very glowing picture of the renowned edifice in K 242 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UMTED 8TATES, Lincolnshire. Consequently, the whole of mj firiendii who had preyiously denied its existence, said^ " why you were quite right in the remark of your haying such a fine structure at Boston, in Lincolnshire; for our minister, Mr. Everett, has just returned to America, and he has seen it I replied, "I am much obliged to your minister for corroborating my statement ; but I am not at all obliged to you for not believing me in the first instance." To what extent I may have been the means of causing the many and complimentary interchanges of civility and friendship between the two towns, is best known to the inhabitants themselves. One thing is certain — I never heard of these interchanges before I visited them, and I have frequently heard of them subse- quent to that period. Here I may conclude the subject of the two Bostons for the present, so con- spicuous for their development of Puritanism, by offering a quotation which I trust may not be deemed offensive to the inhabitants of either town; viz. " that democratic liberty and independent church worship were established by the Puritans." — Ban- croft's Hist, of the United States. And I think that the inhabitants of Old Boston, and Lincolnshire in general, may feel not a little flattered to know that Bancroft, the historian; Prescott, the historian of Ferdinand and Isabella ; Bryant, the poet ; Tichuor Emerson, the transcendentalist ; Dante and Long- fellow, both poets ; Hawthorne and Mrs* H. B. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 243 lat iii lat of lor »g- B. Stowe, all claim a relaticmship \r < those worthy old Pilgrim Fathers who held their meeting upon a heath in Lincolnshire, piio/ to their departure for America, as they can all claim the proud title of men of New England. It is the duty of every tra- veller, whether possessing fine faculties highly deve- loped by classical education, or the less cultivated, with the good common sense he may possess— 'Or the man, of whatever grade of mental faculty, who leaves his home to visit a foreign land — and even to the pleasure-3eeker, to record &ithfully, and by the aid of his discaiminating and reasoning powers to come to the soundest conclrsion he may be capable upon all subjects that have deeply impre.4sed him during his sojourn from his native land ; and, by drawing the comparison on any given subject be- tween what he sees during his travels a ad that which he finds at home, to come to soOiC satis- fiictory and definite conclusion upon the p^* int ; and if, in coming to that conclusion, he finds the com- parison unfavourable to his own country, it is never- theless his painful duty as a man, and, above all, as a Christian patriot, to speak out boldly, fearlessly, and manfully, in order tkat that conclusion may be tested by those st home wi:o take the result of his experience as a traveller. Having resided several months in each year, during u period of ten years, in my native town of BoL^ton, after having made the tour of Europe, and af!;er passing many months in r2 244 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, the metropolitan towns of Paris, Edinburgh, an^ London, I was compelled to come to the conclusion, after fairly invescigating the question, that the phy- sical, moral, intellectual, and educational state of the lower orders was the lowest on the scale I had ever witnessed, when compared with what I had seen in most parts of Europe ; and when I returned from America, which gave me an opportunity of occasionally observing the manners and habits of the black African, as well as the red American Indian, I took the liberty of stating to many of the most influential of the clergy of the country, and particularly to the clergy of the county, that many of the poor people belonging to their parishes were far more degraded in habits and manners, and, above all, that their moral and educational con- dition was quite on a par with that of the savage, and sometimes even below it. These remarks in some instances were of course put down to the con- ceited notions of a traveller dicontented with his own country, and they were very rarely believed. Nevertheless, I kept on preaching, particularly to the clergy, and I now flatter myself that it may have produced some little efliect. I had come to these conclusions, unhappily, from painful experi- ence, by being brought into contact a good deal with the lower orders; and, from having to fight my battle single-handed and alone for some length of time, I at last enlisted others to take my views of CANADA, AND THE WE8T INDIES. 246 the subject, and act with me in putting down rude* ness, trespassers, and the almost semi-barbarous condition of my poorer brsthren. While I had to fight this battle alone, it was one of the greatest trials of my life ; for I was looked upon by one party almost as an interloper, abridging the rights of the poor, when in truth I was only teaching them how to behave themselves ; and by another party, which ought to have afded me at first starring, as a very strange man, who had travelled a good deal, and one who had gone a little wrong in the head ; but, by the exercise of patience and forbearance, and mildness of 'nanner, united to a firmness, the suavitor in modo fortitur in re — the union of the lamb and the lion — I was enabled to come off a con- queror. This state of things, I am happy to say, has since been quite changed for the better ; for as when things come to the worst they are sure to mend, so it has proved with Boston and the county of Lincoln in general ; for although, some twenty years ago, they were behind the rest of the world in many respscts, from possessing the scanty educa- tional system of the day, without any railroad com- munication to improve them — they are now, how- ever, going a-head so rapidly that they may justly claim their real and true relationship with the Yankees; and mbre especially so with the de- scendants and friends of the ever-memorable, much- revered and departed John Cotton, of Boston, Mas- 246 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, sachusetts. Should the hard-working and indus- trious poor man glance at this part of the book» where I have alluded to the semi-barbarous con" dition of the lower onders in the county of Lincoln some twenty years ago, without knowing the cha- racter and views of the writer, he must not run away with the impression that I am an enemy and op- posed to the wel&re of their class — quite the con- trary. I> have been the firm and unflinching advo- cate of the amelioration of their condition by inva- riably arguing for a better educational system, and also for extensive emigration to any or all parts of | the world: where, in a short time, the most ignorant and unskilful, by the exercise of a strong pair of hands, are capable, if prudent and sober men, of becoming lords of the soil. Before quitting the subject of the two Bostons, whose histories aro com- pletely interwoven with the Pilgrim Fathers — ^after having described the latter in such glowing colours, it is only fair to sttite, before quitting that subject, that Hudibras mentions the fact of one of their descendants or relatives being found guilty of some misdemeanor, and who happened to be a most use- ful man — ^probably a skilful artizan — and who did good service to the community in which he lived by his skilful labour, the old Pilgrims pardoned him, and hung a poor weaver in his Btead ; which latter they preferred losing, ibr the reason of his not being 80 useful t^:- ^he state. CANADA, AND TBI WMT INDUS. 247 CHAPTER XI. It is my intention in this chapter to deyote a few pages to the consideration of education, as it exists on the continent of Europe and in the New England states, as contrasted with our own, with a view to arouse the apathy of those to active exertion who are not alive to its many advantages, from having been badly or very imperfectly educated themselves; and, above all, to make an earnest appeal to the educated classes, beginning at Oxford and Cam- bridge, and ending with every man in Great Britain and Ireland who has received what is termed a liberal education. The advantages of education to aU classes of the community, from the highest aris- tocracy down to the po(Hrest individual, I think, can- not be doubted for one moment by any men possess- ing the men's sana incorpore sano^or, in other 248 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, words, a sound mind 'united to a good state of health. Education, I think, may he proved to pro- duce that state of mind in every individual which is best calculated to receive impressions of a sound, good, truthful, moral, and holy character ; to place an individual in such a position, in regard to the community, as may enable him to exert the faculties of his mind in such a way as to be most advan* tageous to himself; while the world by which he is surrounded shall benefit at the s ie time from the results of that cultivation of the intellect. By edu- cation I do not mean to assert reading, writing, and arithmetic, and indeed the accumulation of all knowledge, if it were possible, to constitute its essential character; knowledge received by the mind of man, I think, constitutes the foundation of education only. Mind and knowledge may be com- pared to the seed and the soil ; for it is well known that if the land is not properly prepared for the seed which enters it, the farmer would not be so unreasonable as to hope for a crop. Still there are other conditions requisite — such as a certain amount of moisture, heat, with the operation of weeding, before a perfect crop can be had or hoped for. So it is with knowledge conveyed to the mind in the shape of hard facts, which re- quire a kind of mental digestion ; and until that process is effected, education may be said to have produced no fruit ; or, in other words, those facts. CANADA, AMD THB WEST INDIES. 249 as originally conveyed to the mind, are of no value until they have been properly digested, so as to produce other facts, just in the same way as the common food of the stomach is converted into all the various tissues which constitute the human frame, for its ultimate aim and object. Facts and figures conveyed to the mind, without undergoing any process or change, may be compared to a mass of raw cotton before it is spun and afterward? woven into a fabnle texture, to be rendered suitah^s for a^l the purposes of domestic life. And what is tVd mental process by which these raw facts and figires are submitted to undergo this state of me ::U diges- tion ] Undoubtedly by the exercise, first of the per- ceptive faculty and afterwards of the understanding ; secondly, by the exercise of the reasoning faculty and that of the judgment ; and then comes another faculty, reflection, the object of which is to review the whole proceeding, to see whether some mistake may not have occurred in some part of the process, from its commencement to the pvd. Afterwards come the moral faculties, to take the co\i imand of the know- ledge acquired by the individual, and to suggest to him the mode of application ; and in proportion as these moral faculties are highly cultivated or neglect- ed, in such ratio will the man be guided in his action to become a useful or useless member of the commu- nity. When the moral faculties are highly developed, they then assume that condition which is best calcu- ■ ■■\'; 250 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, I i lated for the and ippreciation of religious truth. An uncultivated mind may be compared to the bale of raw cotton, unspun and unwoven, in which state it is not near so valuable as when it has under- gone the spinning and manufacturing process. It is highly t^ssential, then, to have a good and sound education given to all classes of the community. The system adopted, however, should be the right one, otherwise an immense amount of injury may be done, not only to the individual, but also to the state. Great injury to the mental faculties may be produced by being taught that which is not suitable, in which it takes but little interest, and by giving it too much exercise, especially in those departments of knowledge which are not in the least calculated to develope the particular taste of the individual. The power of the mind also requires to be well balanced, by having the intellectual and moral faculties equally exercised , otherwise the individual will be but partly educated, and an immense amount of mischief may be produced by giving the intellectual faculties of a strong-minded individual a fuU development, without paying due attention, at the same time, to the full and complete exercise of the moral faculties. I believe that, by a false system of education, we may leave the mind in such a state, when not sufficiently uncontrolled by the moral faculties, as to give it the wrong bias, and lay the foundation, in some few instances, of training .c .ir CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 251 up accomplished pickpockets, and producing, at the same time, educated criminals. It is most essential to have a good teacher ; not only one possessed of the power of easily communi- cating instruction to his pupils, but one capable of taking the measure of the mental powers of the pupil, by observing which are the strong faculties, and where the weak ones are to be found, and also by observing the peculiar taste and bent of the mind ; and, by the cultivation of the weaker facul- ties, while the stronger are not neglected, produce those e£fects which are alone observable in a well- balanced mind. A good teacher ought to be capable of taking the same view of the mental faculties as a skilled butcher does that of an ox, who by merely touching it upon its hinder parts, flank, and chest, is capable of calculating its weight. If the bale of cotton is of little or no use until it has been manufactured, so it is with the mind in an uncultivat'Ml state ; and that country that neglects the education of all classes of the community, is just as culpable as that unwise mer- chant who would leave his bales of cotton to rot in the warehouse, instead of sending them to the manufactory. In a commercial sense, then, edu- cation is valuable, as much to the hard-working man as to the merchant possessed of a large capital. Hence it is that schools of design have been es- tablished amongst us, with a view of improving 262 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, our taste, and making our textile fabrics more valuable, more saleable, both at home and abroad. The mind, then, as well as the hand, is required to be cultivated, to make our textile fabrics even saleable or valuable ; and it is impossible to calculate the loss that a great commercial country must have sustained, in having neglected the education of every individual born within its precincts. I have no doubt that there are many individuals in England who are of opinion that education ought not to be universally adopted, and who believe that tbe rustic can plough without going to school, and the laun- v dress wash her clothes, the scullery-maid and the shoe-black perform all their various duties without any tuition whatever. But I hope to be able to prove that education is not only valuable when con- sidered commercially, but most essential to the welfare of the state, in many other ways, as well as to the rustic, the washerwoman, the scullion, and the shoe-black. It will be very readily admitted, I think, that all those who are bom to be prime ministers, dis- tinguished statesmen, commanders-in>chief of the army, distinguished admirals in the navy, poets, painters, philosophers, musicians, scientific and lite- rary men, and aU who possess true genius, are foUy entitled to receive the best possible education their country, that gave them birth, can afford them. And in what grade of society are all these great if:'. ' I KV CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 253 men most likely to be found 1 Why assuredly in that class which is most numerous ; although the birth of a genius is perfectly accidental, and may be found in every grade, from the king down to the pauper, still it is more probable that he will be found to take his first breath in this world from the middle classes of society, and irost probably from the lowest, which is the most numerous class in the community. But leaving the genius and first*class men, who are the few, aside, and de- scending in the scale, we come to a more numerous class of men, possessing powerful mental faculties, capable of performing the most essential services to the state in every department, civil, military, sci- entific, and literary ; these also, I think, are entitled to the best possible education their country is capable of giving them at the time of their birth. We now come to the third division of our sub- ject, by descending still lower in the scale, where we shall find a still more numerous class, viz. those who neither belong either to the ranks of the geniuses, or those of the clever men bel )w them. This class, when well educated, are capable of becoming valuable members of the community, and also of occupying very respectable positions in so- ciety, and of undertaking the management of the minor offices of the various departments of the state, the customs, the Bank of England, and many other departments too numerous to mention. 254 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, We now come to the fourth division, that of the lowest class, and most numerous, where we find the agricultural labourer, the manufacturer, the artizan, the servant of all- work, down to the poorest peasantry in our rural districts, and the numerous tribes of 1^' poor creatures who inhabit our towns, all capable of improvement by the adoption of a sound edu- cational system, without being geniuses or indi- viduals possessing first-rate abilities, but merely endowed with ordinary faculties united to good common sense. This class, when educated, are capable of performing exceUent services to the community in which they live, and also of becoming book-keepers, and clerks, &c. ; and, as it is most probable that it will contain the greatest number of geniuses, to be converted into poets, statesmen, philosophers, painters, musicians, generals, admirals, and even prime ministers, surely here is a sufficient reason alledged for the adoption of a sound and uni- versal educational system. f Let us gee now in what way education may be beneficial to a poor man, besides enabling him to earn more money by his improved condition. After ^, the severe fatigue of labour is ended, he can take his hook in hand and refresh his mind with the contents of an amusing, interesting, or improving work ; and, by so doing, is prevented from frequenting . the gin-palace, or joining in the scandal and news of his neighbourhood, to the great detriment of him- 'jf.: CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 255 self as well as society at large. I am of opinion that if ignorance were driven from the soil of Great Britain, one of tha chief pillars that supports the gin-palace would fall to the ground, and lecve the edifice in such a dangerous condition as would render it unsafe even for the poor, ignorant, and idle drunkard to put himself under its roof, not- withstanding its various fascinations of old Tom and gin-cream, put into sherry bottles, placed upon mahogany shelves, all so gay, either sparkling in the rays of the sun, or brilliantly illuminated by the gas burners, for a show ; and where, I am sorry to con- fess, that some of the best street musicians of London are sending forth their enchanting strams, frequently so well executed as to stimulate the mind of the lover of music without the addition of alcohol. What then must be the effect upon the musical drunkard 1 This is a scene so sad, that it fully proves that we are indeed fallen ( reatures. I have heard of a Quaker, who keeps a gin-palace and several hotels besides, who will not allow anything to be given to an individual intos :ated, and who will not allow swearing. These terms are written, legibly written, so as every one may read and understand. I have heard, also, that the said Quaker, on remonstrating with a drunken man, a proprietor of a gin-palace, by refusing him d ixk and pointing to his written regulations, has suc- ceeded in persuading the individual to adopt the 4^K '■ ,■>■ T V. 56 A RAMBLE THRCUGH THE UMTED STATES, 1 of a. h.i^e same regulations in his own establishment. What a lesson to the government, as well aa to f5in-paiace keepers in general I But iiow essential it is for tlui mot- family of children to be well edur ated ; for she fre- quently decides that on>v dhall learn the piano, without ascertaining whether there is tlie slightest musical capacity in the child; and, if a widow, so\ul? one !» be educated to be a physician, v; Uen lt\d eapT,ciiy is best suited for that of a lawyer ; anocher into th.: urmy, whose taste and turn of mind were b:?iit caL'^ulated for the church. And, during the early peiiod of the existence of these inter- esting little creatures, the mother ia looked up to, and spends much more time with them than the father, and in whose hands and position it devolves to put into moral practice the figures and fects taught to the child at school, the real object of learning, and by far the most valuable part of education. ... > ..;«;. v^. i ..Let us now turn our attention for a while to the state of our educational system in England, and con- trast it with that of our relations in Massachusetts, as well as on the continent. The Rev. H. Morley, Government Inspector of the Midland District, says, (see Minutes of Education for 1846) '* The general impression, amongst persons who ar 1 kely to be best informed on the subject, is, tb : le average age of cl J ren who attend our ^fT- itary schools ' I CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 257 is steadily sinking. We may be educating more ; but I believe they are younger children, and stay with us less time." Mr. Morley represents the age at which the majority of children leave our schools to be about nine. Mr. Fletcher, another school in- spector, represents it at no more that ten. In Germany, the children remain at school to the end of the fourteenth, and in Switzerland to the fifteenth year, and often to the sixteenth. So that, not only are our teachers too few in number, and incom- parably worse than those of foreign countries, but our children only remain in the schools about four years, or less than one half the period during which every child in Switzerland receives a first- rate education. The next is a description of a school of which there are scores, both in England and in Wales, very little better provided with accommodations, taken from Dr. Kaye's work upon Education, p. 467, vol. ii. " Mr. Lingen, a government au- thority, says, * the school was held in a miserable room over the stable ; it was lighted by two small glazed windows, and was very low ; in one corner were a broken bench, some sacks, and a worn-out basket : another corner was boarded off, for storing tiloy aixd mortar belonging to the chapel. The furniture *?onsisted of three small square tables, one for the master, wo large ones for the children, and a few benches, all in a wretched state of repair, s M' ' !:■..■ 258 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, There were several panes of glass broken in the windows ; in one place paper served the place of glass, and in another a slate to keep out wind and rain ; the door, also, was in a very dilapidated con- dition. On the beams which crossed the room were a ladder and two large poles.' " This account was either written or published in 1 848. Mr. Kaye's work was published in 1860. Dr. Channing, the distinguished divine of Boston, Massachusetts, brother to the Doctor of Medicine previously mentioned, in his Duty of Free States^ says, "To a man who looks with sympathy and brotherly regavd on the mass of the people who is chiefly interested in the lower classes, England must present much that is repulsive. The condition of the lower classes at the present moment is a mourn- ful comment on English institutions and civilization. The multitude are depressed to a degree of igno- rance, want, and misery, which must touch every heart not made of stone. In the civilized world there are fewer sadder spectacles than the present contrast in Great Britain of unbounded wealth and luxury, with the starvation of the tens of thousands crowded in cellars and dens, without ventilation or light, compared with which the wigwam of the Indian is a palace." Mr. Joshua Ruddock, Inspector of Workhouse Schools, in reporting to the Privy Council, on the result of his inspection, during 1853, in the coun- / . <^a:^n. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 259 ties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, and Hampshire. "The new children, thus admitted, were grossly and absolutely ignorant. I have been painfully struck with the uniformity of ignorance which is shown to prevail amongst the newly- admitted, in all returns sent to me. It is not only that children of t'velve to fifteen years of age cannot read or write, but they are not acquainted with the Creed, or with the Lord's Prayer, and scarcely know that there is a God in heaven. Personally, I have made enquiries in most of the Unions in my district, whether such cases were of frequent occurrence ; and the invariable answer has been, that they are the rule and not the exception. The most complete and heathenish ignorance ceems to prevail amongst the children of those whotr » temporary pressure obliges to appl^ for paroclud. relief.' ■8 ■•Idooj •q« |0 ao||«onpa tin nomoid ot ^aatnonioo mo|i|i»)f ;iiaii^B|p aqj, •eidoad na m papiAoid oq iivqt MtnoH (ooqag 4«i|| uvo i9ifn }aaiaiu9A0o uatrMmX pm noAeg 10 taSt aqi oaajitaq 'looqog pa«)}« (X) *ii«i Xq 'paSHqoannaipnqaiiv ■qSiq XnuapsM ^a\m 100 «aop n Wimmufv\\a pm; sio) -mjwqo at oqA uan >) jo ^aein}n|odd« aq^ u t>:)8A « nq )aeiniii8A0]| aqx ■laqoiaxvaqo) paAoipi MAa *K)n8in ■nmt* patiatranqo q8|q JO nouad « ^nq 'eao om 'i^nainujaAoo Xq ■non«n})( !)irapaed -apoi pen aiqvjoooq a| patioddnt nqtmax aqx •jaq:)a>(n pa^onpe ■4388 nio)>||aH ^uaiitBtP V naipiiqa 'i^aennuaAonjo aoi^oadBUi eqi 0^ nedo 'jood aqt iN (m >H (m >H pN ^ 81$ 8 8888^8^$ 8^ 8^88<>^8d a 8 88:^8888 8S 8 888^t^88 H^H fH >H (>N (>< H {*H H >^ 88 8 8^83888 tM>4 t-l [d >-t >-( (H Jm tH >H 88 8 8888888 5 I 8 8 % 1 CQ OO CO CO >n w c) M 09 CO 0> •^ »-■ 3 o »5 ^ o it o g o S5 >s a § M f-< »* 1-1 O ^ t-S i-i N t- ■* N ^ CO ■* e^ 1-1 OS 1-1 13 s . Is ^^* U62 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, The work of Mr. Kaye, the travelling bachelor of Cambridge, was published in 1850, and I have not the slightest doubt that great good has resulted from it, and that many alterations and improve- ments have taken place since its publication. Of the results of that table, with its frightful No ! with its accompanying note of admiration, contrasted with the almost unanimous Yes, in every foreign country, setting its seal to a far better system of education, long since established on the continent, is a mournful comment upon English exertion (first and foremost in the useful arts) to stifle and strangle | that monster, ignorance, whose skeleton, only, ought to be seen in our British Museum, as a fossil relic, 'I dug out of the earliest strata of our globe, repre- sented in grim aspect, enveloped in an atmosphere of frightful darkness, with one single ray of light shot on its ugly outline of face and figure to exhibit it shaking hands with a fiend. Let us see now what has been done in America, by the people of Massachusetts. It is not my intention to go to any great length upon this topic, but merely to quote a passage or two firom the admirable pamphlet of the Hon. Mr. Twistleton, , who visited Boston with a view to investigate their system of education This work is quite recent, as it was published during the present year. The following is from the American Gazetteer. "Our general system of public instruction originated with . ),• : ( ■£■ *" -Jt».*">-~*' ■«-*«».;|i# -." ^'-'■-- i.j..t, ■F-?* 4i CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 263 the Pilgrim Fathers of New England, when, as early as 1628, provision was made for the education of every child in the settlement. In 1637, a school was ordered to be provided for every neighbourhood of 80 families ; and another, for a higher grade of instruction, for every 100 families. A sum suffi- cient to maintain these schools was raised annually by a town tax, voluntarily imposed, and each school district drew its proportion of the whole sum for the support of its own school or schools." Hence, I am truly delighted to place on record, that those sturdy and worthy old Lincolnshire and Yorkshire people exhibited, at such an early date, such a glorious example of real and true patriotism, whereby every child in the settlement should receive an ex- cellent education. I hope that the cousins of these old Pilgrims in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and in every part of England, will very soon come to the same wise conclusion ; viz. that there shall not be a single child in the realm, that takes food for the support of its body, but shall have an ample in- struction provided for the support and improvement of its mental faculties. The following are from the Hon. Mr. Twisleton's pamphlet. "The evidence thus being distinct, that in the State of Massa- chusetts the system exists by which instruction, neither sectarian nor irreligious, is provided for all the children of the commonwealth, of all religious denominations. Daily prayer and the reading of m 264 A RAMBtE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, the Scriptures are in daily use in the common - schools. The religious instruction is taught at the Sunday schools and by the parents. The teachers are required to be moral and religious men. In consequence of the provision of law, that the masters shall be appointed, and the schools governed, by committees, chosen by the inhabitants of the school district themselves, and shall be supported by taxes assessed upon themselves, they of course take a lively interest in the government of the schools, and also in the due appropriation of its funds. The town of Boston, Massachusetts, has adopted two' most important laws respecting education. Every person, or other person, having the control of a child between the age of five and fifteen years, shall send it to school for a period at least of twelve con- secutive weeks in each and every year, under a penalty of twenty dollars, or about £i 3s. 4d. English ; and the other law provides that every child of school age, who is found in the streets during school hours, and n )t employed in any lawful occupation, shall be taken in charge by one of the several officers, called truant officers, and, upon conviction before a Justice of the Peace, be either fined twenty dollars, or committed to the house of correction or reformation for a period of time not longer than one year." Here, then, we have an admirable instance of the way in which the people of Boston and Massachusetts have a*. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 265 exerted themselves orx behalf of the people, in i adopting such an excellent system of education, entirely free from religious jealousy, political opinion^ or party strife of any kind whatever. i wwii- I ^ I shall conclude this chapter by giving two more extracts from newspapers, dated within a month of this present time, July, 1 855, at which I am now writing, especially as I conceive that deplorable condition of the people, about to be described, to arise chiefly from the want of a better educational system. " In the North-East part of the Metropolis, in one street, containing 152 families, consisting of an average of four persons each, seventeen families only attend divine service. In St. Philip's district of Haggerstone, containing about 10,000 souls, in one street, containing 60 houses, and about 200 or 300 persons, seventeen persons attend the service of the Church, and thirty or forty, various dissenting places, the rest being strangers to any place of worship whatever, spending the Sunday in resting, idleness, or ordinary labour. Of the rising gene- ration, however, about 200 or 300 have been gathered into a Sunday school. This district con- tains two streets of the worst description. If we turn to the East of London, we find one parish which, with a population of 30,000 to 40,000 souls, has one parish church, attended by about 500, and a chapel, by about 200. A new church has been built, but is not yet opened, because the endowment fund 266 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, is not ready ; meanwhile, there are in the same locality two Protestant Dissenting places of worship, and one Romish Mass-house." The next, I think, I extracted from a Speech made by the Earl of Shaftesbury, during the discussion of the Religious Worship Bill. " The returns of the Registrar- General showed that there were in England and Wales five millions of people who never attended divine service at all, or were under the influence of any religious ordinances whatever." I may remark, in my own experience as a tra* veller, that I have always been struck, on my return ! to England, or from the colonies, with the painful fact of the shabby and degraded moral, physical, and social condition of many of our poor people; but I am happy to be able to perceive very distinctly a very marked improvement, since my return from the colonies of Australia and New Zealand, in 1852. I have mixed with them both at home and abroad, and strongly recommended emigration to those at home, and invariably advised those of the colonies to write for their poor relations to follow them; where, with prudence and the exercise of their hands, they would be enabled to become compara- tively rich. And it will scarcely be believed, such has been the ignorance of many of our poor people at home in regard to the colonies, that, when their relatives have written to them from those parts, stating their complete success, they have never ■•#". r ^mr' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 267 answered their letters, from the belief that they were exaggerating their condition, and only wanted to lead them into a trap, into which they had fallen themselres. I have conversed with many people well to do, of great respectability in every sense of the word — some of whom were people of wealth, also capable of returning to England — in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, who have stated to me that they would never return to England, because the spectacle of the deplorable condition of our poor people was such as to make them prefer the colonies as a permanent resting-place, in preference to returning to the land of their birth. This con- dition, I am forcibly persuaded, is in part owing to the imperfect educational system. Under the falls of Niagara, in 1846, 1 fell in with two ladies, who were natives of the county of Lincoln, and who were naturalized in the States. When they ascertained that I was from the same county, they said, when you get home, tell all your poor people to come out here, where they can have land, education, food, and clothing, with a Ml stomach, a good coat, e^id an improved intellectual condition. These were not American, but true-bom daughters of Old England. On whom are we to lay the blame for this neglected state of the poor — to the class itself, or to the go- vernment \ Let us 5CG in what way the government has exercised its liberality in assisting this move- ment. " Parliament," says Mr. .'wisleton, " this .5' 268 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. F year, 1855, voted only £263,000 for the whole of England and Wales, with a population of 1 7,922,768 ; whereas, the state of Massachusetts, with a popula- tion of only 994,665 persons, raises yearly not much less than a million of dollars — a sum equivalent to j£200,000, for educational purposes." Here we find a most painful fact staring us in the face ; viz. that the state of Massachusetts, with not quite a million of inhabitants, votes in one year £200,000 ; while England votes only £63,000 more for a population of 17,922,768 ! ! ! If the people themselves are not alive to the advantages of an im- proved system of education, why not send lecturers amongst them to arouse them to a due sense of its many advantages 1 As the City Mission is connected with some of the poorest and most degraded part of our population, to Christianize them, would it not be wise for government to grant them an annual sum for education, and supply them with teachers well qualified for the undertaking ? These missionaries are well acquainted with the habits and localities of our poorest and most degraded classes. And, above all, when they have succeeded in improving the morals, what an excellent time and opportunity they would have for imparting educational instruc- tion ! Grants, at the same time, might be allowed to the Country Towns Mission for the same valuable purpose ; and, by so doing, an extensive area would be open to receive instruction, and in a quarter CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 269 where it is most needed. Even in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge a professorship of agricul- ture was established for the first time a few years since in one of them; and, to this day, neither University possesses a chair of Zoology, where the under-graduates are deprived of the opportunity of studying that branch of Natural History which every poor person can be practically educated in at the Zoological Gardens for che payment of sixpence. And what has been the result of this imperfect sys-* tem of education at the great Universities, valuable as they are well known to be in the classics and mathematics *{ Why, that one of the greatest geniuses of the age, Edward Forbes, now no more, whose classes (not of the working people) were moderately attended, to my certain knowledge, from having attended them; and I have been informed, upon pretty good authority, that, the first time he lectured, his class amounted to the highly respectable sum total of two individuals. And that another famous lecturer of that admirable institution commenced his career of teacher with a number not higher, when he delivered his inaugural discourse ! And is it not a most lamentable faci; that the various sects of religionists amongst us should not have contri- buted their assistance to the government in the good cause of education, whilst in every other European nation included in the table, as well as in America, they }iave done so, leaving our own land to stand m ' ^70 / BAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, A^ % out first and foremost as a disgraceful and solitary exception 1 And to what extent ought we not to he grateful to the exertions of Mons. JuUien and HuUah for their having popularized musical in- struction amongst us ? Why it really seems as if we were so helpless ourselves that foreigners were com- miserating and sympathizing with our neglected condition. Many thanks to them for what they have done. I helieve that mind in its uncultivated state, or, to use the commercial phrase ^ in its raw state, is a great loss to the community, socially, commercially, morally, and politically. To what are we to attribute that superiority which charac- terizes American captains, as well as their common sailors, and the fact of their having built, for the last fifty years, a class of vessels vastly superior to our own, but to an improved educational system ? I believe that our morals and our religion, our com- merce as well as our agriculture and manufactures, our political and social conditions, are all suffering from want of a better and, above all, a more ex- tended educational system. The late lamented Pro- fessor Forbes, finding his lectures were not duly appreciated in the metropolis, and for want of a more lucrative government appointment, removed to Edinburgh, where he had the means of carrying out and developing more fully his beautiful and original views in Natural History science. Our poor people have also suffered for lack of informa- h /■ CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 271 tlon concerning the colonies; and such has been the ignorance of parties higher up in the scale, that I remember conversing with a very intelligent owner of a good farm in my own neighbourhood, who, when speaking of New Zealand as a good country for either poor people or small capitalists to settle in, said to me — so little was his knowledge of our vast colonial possessioni ; " New Zealand — why, is not that in the middle of South America]" The following will serve the purpose of showing the effects of the universally adopted system of edu- cation on the New England States. I was at the house of one of the first medical men in the town of Boston, where an individual brought his child to the Doctor with a diseased joint ; and the father of the child was not a medical man. After the Doctor had examined the case, the father of the child said, t* Do you think. Doctor, that the synovial membrane is affected \ Are you of opinion that the articular cartilages are diseased \ Is there any pus accumu- lated in the joint 1" More important questions could not have been put by a medical man himself; and the poor Doctor had to get out of it as well as he could. I shall now conclude this chapter upon education by inserting the bill of an exhibition at St. Martin's Hall, which was there exhibited for fifteen days. " For a short time only— on and after Monday, June 25, 1855. Atkins's Gigantic Educational 272 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, Panorama of Creation, Science, and Civilization, comprising 500,000 of Celestial, Geological, Ante- diluvian, and Terrestrial Objects : also a scientific Flan for Home Colonization and Emigration ; with model homes for the people. A geographical sec- tion of the earth, from the North to the South pole ; delineating every known animal, vegetable, and natural phenomena of interest, classified in their respective latitudes, on 20,000 feet of canvass — forming part the first of the most compendious and comprehensive system of visual, practical, and in- dustrial education ever projected to elevate the con- ^ dition of the people. To which is added, a faithful delineation of mining operations, iion works, model farm, workshops, and machinery for practically teaching the whole range of science and art to all classes ; and demonstrating the eternal truths that * ignorance is slavery, and knowledge is power.' Accompanied throughout with select and appro- priate music. The whole delineating the interior of a model school, and forming the most attractive, amusing, and instructive exhibition ever offered to the public. To be preceded by an introductory ex- planation. The whole of the profits arising from the exhibition will be devoted to erect a model school on the principles therein illustrated." I was present at the exhibition, and was de- lighted with it a second and even a third time. I went up to Mr. Atkins, and nade his acquaintance. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 273 who informed me that he was a self-educated man, and that at 'Jy.e age of twenty-one he scarcely knew the North from the South, or the East from the West. I am sorry to say, that, after expending much money in advertising, the audience consisted chiefly of persons to whom orders had been given ; and that Mr. Atkins, after exhibiting fifteen days, only took in hard cash £10 — one of the greatest proofs, I think, that could be given, that education is not understood and duly appreciated by the people of this country. Mr. Atkins is a native of Oxford, where he first brought out his exhibition : there it was pretty well attended by the working-men and tradesmen of the town ; but the profits derived from the front benches, where the gentlemen sat, only amounted to fifteen shillings during eight nights — showing that the gentlemen of Oxford do not occupy themselves mu'^h with any scheme not only calculated to instruc the lower orders, but well capable of impartin;^ amusement and even instruction to the greatest and best-educated men of the age. Mr. Atkins informed me that he had been closeted with Lord Palmerston, who highly compli- mented him for his exertions on behalf of the people of this counti7, and who received him in the most courteous manner possible, without however making any offer on the part of tLt government. I was present at the last night of the exhibition. I had previously given him my card as an introduction, to T m i I 274 > B»MBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, baud over to the great journal of th' >rld, as well as to t" other parties connected with the metro- politan press, as well as a personal introduction to the Practical Museum in Piccadilly ; and being anxious to know what had resulted from these in- troductions, he informed me that, as the exhibition was to be closed in two or three days after, he had not thought it worth his while to take advantage of my introductions. But the most surprising thing to me was the fact, that none of the .^ondon press, although invited to the exhibition, and who ex- pressed their admiration of it, deemed it worth their while to notice it in any way whatever. Their reason for not doing 90 -s best known to the parties them;?elves. '■''■■' "'^'■•■- k - 'i-''^' '-"^^ -v- ^ The manners too of the poorer classes, while tliey are receiving instruction, certainly ought not to be neglected; and this might be taught without forming a separate study, or occupying their valu- able time no further than by selecting a well- behaved teacher, who, at the same time that he is imparting instruction, could perform it in such a manner as to convey a deep impression to the stu- dent of the necessity of it. Another great evil of the country might be partly remedied, no doubt, by paying especial attention to the morals; viz. the vile trickeries of commerce, and that disposition to accumulate money by means of that most unjusti- fiable and dangerous system of adulterating most of ; \ rr // CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 275 the articles of daily food. And if that is had recourse to, in consequence of the severe )mpetition carried on, a partial remedy mi; lit up found in instructing the poor man (wlio, i^ In^^ v in tb** world, frequently turns his attention to trau t tuere are colonies where he can buy lane it* • buHlings an acre (the price of land in New Z( utt? aud where he would not only better his conditi out would no longer be running that race of hard competition at home, which, in many instances, is destructive of profits, and which proves such a strong incentive to that abominable system of adulteration. The ignorance of the working people of this country, and some of the classes higher in the scale, in colonial matters, has become proverbial. I may here remark that I am perfectly persuaded that the poor people of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, vastly surpass us in their various educational systems. It is a lamentable fact that, to this day, in the middle of the 19th century, England is only half-educated! Our merchants, although trading in the vast number of articles that are derived from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, are comparatively ignorant of the beau- tiful science of Natural History. A country squire of the midland counties informed me, when present at a meeting in his neighbourhood on the subject of education, that the following story was related, to show the gross ignorance of our poor people ; viz. that, in Australia, some coolies of the East Indies, as t2 ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ 4.^ ^ .^^^> '/ '^l^^^.^ -»■ ^ /A /ywih. '/ 1.0 1.1 |50 ^^" II^H Ui Uii 12.2 ^ U£ |2.0 I L25 III 1.4 IE IIIIIJ4 Hiotographic Sdences Corporation ^>^ 23 WIST MAIN STRIET WEBSieit.N.Y. MSM (716) •72-4S03 ^^« K^ ^ •/I^ ^ C\ \ 276 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, well as Chinamen, obtained better wages in conse- quence of their possessing a little knowledge of reading and writing, while our powerful and nobly- constructed hard-working men were thrown into the back-ground for want of that knowledge. I am fully persuaded that that system of edu- cation is best which appeals to the morals and to the higher faculties of the mind, reason and judg- ment, and not in cramming the memory with useless facts, too hard for mental digestion. The memory is, undoubtedly, a most valuable mental faculty ; but by being too much exercised, it may not only be impaired, but may be educated so as to work at the expense of the higher faculties, reason and judgment. How frequently do we see instances ' in society of persons defective in this respect, and who, for want of a better development of the higher faculties, and possessed of a long memory, torture their reasonable audience with an accumu- lated mass of rubbish, while they, at the same time, are deluded into the belief that they are equal to the first-class men of our universities. Analysis and invention, the two grand characteristics of a higher grade of mind, have worked out their happy results, not by a long memory, overcrowded with hard facts, but by the aid of that mental discipline which is only acquired by se^^ere reasoning and by much . thinking. Some persons, who know but little of mental ) I. /■ CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 277 culture, believe that when the youth has quitted school, his education is finished. The reverse is the fact ; it only ends with the grave. All the problems, facts, and figures, taught at school, have to be worked out and applied in the daily affairs of after life, among our friends, enemies, and ac- quaintance, many of whom, in cases of difficulty, will be most ready to take the advantage of the youth fresh from school, as well as the man more advanced, when he will find himself compelled, for his own advantage, to work out problems that will require additional reading, much thought, and the best conclusion the reasoning and judging faculties can come to in matters of business, religion, politics, as well as the social duties of life. How necessary to be educated at this particular time, when old systems are crumbling to pieces, and new ones forming. What a rich soil to sow the seeds of error into is possessed by the Roman Catholic hierarchy and the Jesuists, among the poverty- stricken and half-educated, and non-educated, classes of our country, at all times proud of being noticed by their superiors. This is a rich field of enterprize for the Pope; and he knows it too. It will be no Sebastopol. The storming party is already in the citadel. And is education of no value in a political sense \ do not the moral faculties want cultivation, in order to put down bribery and corruption, and that shocking state of mal-ad minis- 278 A RAMBLB THROUGH THE UKITED STATES, tration which we have witnessed, to our sorrow, in the Crimea, as well as at home 1 Does the elector suppose that, if he sells his sacred vote, he will be represented in Parliament? Such is the state of this electioneering business, that there are some few men in this country, as well as America, who are political thinkers, and who would have been political actors, but from the fact of the political machinery being so £lthy that they have refrained from handling the dirty thing, for fear of catching the obnoxious moral disorders of bribery and corruption. And is not more education needed to teach us to place a higher value upon the renowned names of Newton, Shakespeare, and Milton, who to this day are with- out monuments in the streets of our great metro- polis, whilst, with very few exceptions, we have perpetuated the little deeds of men of scarcely any renown whatever in most of our squares 1 And to what an e^ : are we not money-worshippers, whilst talent is sometimes neglected, evincing a sad want of mental culture in the masses ? :^, Mr. Atkins's Panorama of Creation, which pre- sents to the mind of the student the noble Book of Nature, filled with many lovely and curious objects of the universe, instead of the 26 letters of the alphabet, will do more to educate all classes of the community, the highest as well as the lowest, the greatest genius as well as the man just removed from idiotcy, than all other systems of education IT / r / w f ■tv CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 279 besides. It is only a very few years since our government first founded the Practical Museum of Geology, in Piccadilly, in order that our miners and geologists might be brought in contact ; prior to which the two classes were absolutely laughing at each other, in consequence of the supposed wild theories of the one, connected with the blunders of the other ; and if this union of the two had taken place previously, how many of those silly blunders, committed by persons spending enormous sums of money in searching for coal in localities, who, if they had consulted that establishment, would have been told that, if they had dug through to the antipodes, they would have not succeeded in finding the mineral they were searching after, in conse- quence of the ignorance of that beautiful law of invariable order of superstructure developed in the strata of our globe, so well known to our practical geologists. A French pipe now lies before me, manufactured by Gambler of Paris, which possesses a very graceful form, united to decorations of flowers and fruits, vastly superior to anything produced by our Milo, proving that the pipe-manufacturer had brought a higher degree of education to bear upon the making even of his pipe. Before concluding this chapter upon education, I may remark, that elementary physiology should be taught, especially to the poor, who are frequently 280 A RAMBLE TBROUOB THE UNItEO STATES, crowded together in small apartments, inhaling each other's noxious breath, in the neighbburhood of an abominable sewer, equally deleterious and dangerous from its poisonous exhalations. If, then, the great object of mental and moral discipline taught at school is to qualify and prepare the student for an honest and upright performance of his various duties, moral, social, religious, do- mestic, and commercial, in after life, — ^is it not fear- ful to think of the many trials that await the boy fresh from school, in the vigour of youth, taught to reverence every thing that is truthful and beautiful, at a time when his mind is capable of taking that bias which may determine his destiny, not only in time but in eternity ] — that he should fall into the hands of a dishonest trader, behind whose counter he may be compelled to sell adulterated food, and perhaps be compelled to take a part in the process of adul- teration, and to tell white lies into the bargain ? In conclusion, the reader will naturally ask what has all this to do with America 1 I answer, expressly to show to him that the people of Massachusetts, once the natives of Old England, the Pilgrim Fathers, more than 200 years since, founded an educational system, which has been gradually developed in such a manner as to be most instructive to the people of this country — and especially to those who believe that " ignorance is slavery, and that knowledge is power." \' 11 \' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 281 CHAPTER XII. Let us now, in this chapter, examine Republi- canism, or, as it is called by the Americans, " the government by all for the benefit of all ; " or, in other words. Democracy. Let us enquire from whence it originated, the advances that it has made, and the cause of its origin. Mons. de Tocqueville, in his excellent work on the Democracy of America, says, in his introduction, " It is evident that a great democratic movement is going on amongst us for 700 years. Soon after the clergy was founded and began to exert itself, the clergy opened its ranks to all classes, to the poor and to the rich, the villain and the lord ; equality -penetrated into the government through the church, and the being who as a serf must have vegetated in perpetual bondage, took his place as a priest in S82 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, the midst of the nobles. The value attached to the privileges of birth decreased in the exact pro- portion in which new paths were struck out to advancement. In the 11th century, nobility was beyond all price ; in the 13th, it might be pur- chased : it was conferred, for the first time, in 1270; and equality was thus introduced into the govern- ment by the aristocracy itself. In the course of these 700 years, it sometimes happened, in order to resist the authority of the crown, or to diminish the power of their rivals, that the nobles granted a political share to the people, or, more frequently, the king permitted the lower orders to enjoy a degree of power, with the intention of repressing the aris- tocracy." Here we have traced it to its origin : let us now see how it has been treated. The same excellent writer observes: " The heads of the state have never had any forethought for its exigences; and its victo- ries have been obtained without their consent, or even without their knowledge. The most powerful, the most intelligent, and the most moral classes of the nations, have never attempted to connect them- selves with it, in order to guide it. The people have been, consequently, abandoned to their wild propensities, and it has grown up like those out- casts who receive their education in the public streets, and who are unacquainted with ought but itbe vioet »Pd wgBliQhedRess of society.". We shall \ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 263 » 1^ find, by the reading of History, as we have already seen in part, that the modern republicanism or democracy first originated in Europe by the emi- gration of the Pilgrim Fathers from this country, and that nearly every kingdom on the continent has furnished its quota of emigrants, to establish it in the United States of America. History will show that, in a majority of cases, religious persecution has laid the foundation stone of this powerful form of government. The rise of the people called Quakers is one of the memorable events in the history of man. It marks the moment when intellectual freedom was claimed unconditionally by the people as an inalienable birthright. n George Fox, the founder of the Quakers, and Voltaire, both protested against priestcraft. Vol- taire in behalf of the senses ; Fox in behalf of the soul. The inner light, said Penn (the founder of Pennsylvania, another femous Quaker), is the do- mestic God o: Pythagoras. The voice in the breast of George Fox, as he kept sheep in the hills of Nottingham, was the spirit which had been the good genius and guide of Socrates. Above aU, the Christian Quaker delighted in the contemplative Plato. The Quaker demands the uniform pre- dominance of the world of thought over the world of sensation. George Fox and Penn both emi- grated to America, where they could enjoy religious freedom without being persecuted ; and on the 3rd 284 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, day of March, 1677, the charter, or fundamental laws, of West New Jersey, whither they went, were perfected and published. They were written with almost as much method as our present consti- tutions, and recognize the principle of democratic equality, unconditionally, universally, as the Quaker Society itself." Bancrofts p. 358. " Quakers, like Descartes, made the human mind the point of departure in philosophy. And the Quaker agreed with the philosophers of old, that freedom of mind, applied to the contemplation of God, is the end of life." Bancroft, The plebeian sect of Anabaptists, the scum of the Reformation, with greater consistency than Luther, applied the doctrine of the Reformation to the social relations of life, and threatened an end to kingcraft, spiritual dominion, tithes and vassalage. The party was trodden under foot, with foul reproaches and most arrogant scorn, and its history is written in the blood of myriads of the German peasantry ; but its principles, safe in their immortality, escaped with Roger Williams to Provi- dence ; and this colony is the witness that, naturally, the paths of the Baptists were paths of freedom, pleasantness, and peace. Bancrofts p. 461, vol. ii. In 1773, the persecuted Protestants, known by the name of Moravians, heard the message of hope, and, on the invitation of the Society in England for the Propagating the Gospel, prepared to emigrate to Savannah, in the State of Georgia. \ w » ( •- ; 1 1 CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 285 The city of Amsterdam offered the Waldenses^ another persecuted sect, a free passage to America; and a welcome reception was prepared in New Ne- therlands for the few who were willing to emigrate. The persecuted of every clime and every creed were invited to the colony. South Carolina became the chief place of settlement for the Huguenots, in the time of Louis XIV. Soldiers were quartered in the neighbourhood of these poor, persecuted people, to prevent them emigrating ; . notwithstanding, five hundred thousand contrived, in spite of every ob- stacle, to leave their native land for a soil where religious freedom could be enjoyed. **When the Protestant churches in Rochelle were razed, the Calvinists of that city were gladly admitted ; and the French Protestants came in such numbers, that the public documents were sometimes issued in French as well as in English." Bancroft "Tyranny and injustice peopled America with men nurtured in suffering and adversity. The history of our colonization is the history of the crimes of Europe." Bancroft^ p. 261, Virginia, however, formed a happy exception to religious persecution. " Unlike Massachusetts, Virginia was a conti- nuation of English society. The first colonists were not fugitives from persecution ; they came rather under the auspices of the nobility, the church, and the mercantile interests of England ; they brought 286 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, with them an attachment to monarchy, a deep reverence for the Anglican Church, a love for Eng- land and English institutions. Their minds had never been disciplined into an antipathy to feudalism ; their creed had never been shaken by the progress of scepticism ; no new ideas of natural rights had in- duced them to faction. The Anglican Church was therefore, without repugnance, sanctioned as the religion of the state ; and a religion established by law always &vours aristocracy ; for it seeks support not only in connection, but in vested rights. The aristocracy of Virginia was from its origin exclusively a landed aristocracy ; its germ lay in the manner in which rights to the soil had been obtained. For every person whom a planter should at his own charge transport to Virginia, he could claim fifty acres of land ; and thus a bcdy of large proprietors had existed from the infancy of the settlement. These vast possessions, often an inheritance for the eldest-bom, awakened the feelings of family pride. Many of the Royalists who came over after the death of Charles the First, brought to the colony the cul- ture and education that belonged to the English gentry of that day ; and the direction of affairs necessarily fell into their hands." Bancroft, p. 190. The servants of Virginia, according to the severe laws of that age, were doomed to a temporary ser- vitude. Some of them were convicts ; but it must be remembered that the crimes of which they were f (• f CANADA, AND THE WBST INDIES. 287 convicted were chiefly political The number trans- ported to Virginia for several crimes was never con- siderable ; yet the division of society into two classes was strongly marked, in a degree unequalled in any northern colony, and unmitigated without any care for education. The system of common schools was unknown. ** Every man," says Sir William Berkley, in 1671, *' instructs his children according to his abi- lity — a method which left the children of the ignorant to hopeless ignorance. The instinct of aristocracy dreaded the general diffusion of intelligence, and even the enfranchising influence of the preaching of the ministers. The ministers," continued Sir William, in the spirit of the aristocracy of the Tudors, " should pray often and preach less. But, thank God, there are no free schools nor printing, and I hope we shall not have them these hundred years ; for learning has brought disobedience, and heresy, and sects, into the world ; and printing has divulged them, und libels against the best Govern- ment ; God keep us from both." It is a most singular feature in American history, that the colonists, from the very earliest period, resisted all power of the British Parliament when it in any way interfered with the true interests of democracy, even in Virginia, where the Govern- ment gave the aristocracy great power ; even there the democratic element was not only strong, but even had the sympathy of the aristocracy itself. 288 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, " I have dwelt at considerable length on the first period, because it contains the germ of our institutions. The maturity of a nation is but a continuation of its youth. The spirit of the colonies demanded freedom from the beginning. It was in this period that Virginia first asserted the doctrine of popular sovereignty ; that the people of Mary- land constituted their own government ; that New Plymouth, Connecticut, New Haven, New Hamp- shire, and Maine, vested their legislatures on the popular will ; that Massachusetts declared itself a perfect commonwealth." Bancrofts Preface to his Railway Edition. -/;; . . >»*4 ^i?* .= •* In the time of Roger Williams, a Puritan minister, the freeman's oath was appointed ; by which ever freeman was obliged to pledge his alle- giance, not to King Charles, but to Massachusetts." Bancroft^ p. 279, Railway Edition. ' ■ ' "At the Revolution of 1688, nearly the whole of America got rid of their oppressors, and renewed their charters for liberty. Charles restrained emi- gration, and allowed servants only to go to America, and forced the oath of allegiance." Bancroft^ p. 306, Railway Edition. ... "The party which separated itself from the people and united with the King in a desire of gaining triumph over democratic influence and in- stitutions, was always on the point of reconciling itself with the people, and making a common cause • > // CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 289 against the tyranny of the metropolis. The really adverse parties in Virginia were Royalists and the people." Bancroft, ^. 199. I It is not my intention to go into the history of Virginia, but merely to remark that a rebellion took place between the people and the Governor ; each party, no doubt, thinking it was perfectly right in its proceedings. Let us see, however, what took place at the Restoration, in order to show the effect produced upon the democratic body. ' ' ' " " The Restoration of Charles the Second was therefore to Virginia a political revolution, opposed to the principles of popular liberty and the progress of humanity. An Assembly continuing for an in- definite period at the pleasure of the Governor, and securing to its members extravagant and burthen- some emoluments ; a Royal Governor whose salary was established by a permanent system of taxation ; a constituency restricted and diminished ; religious liberty taken away almost as soon as it had been won ; arbitrary taxation in the counties by irre- sponsible magistrates ; a hostility to popular edu- cation and to the press ; — these were the changes which in about ten years were effected in a province that had begun to enjoy the benefits of a natural independence and a gradually ameliorating legis- lation." Bancroft, ^. 208. "Thus at this period of the Restoration two u 1 ' 290 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, elements were contending for the mastery in poli- tical life in Virginia. Daring the few years of the interruption of monarchy, the people ruled. The Restoration of monarchy deprived them of popular rights, and they did not recover for a century. It gave to the forming aristocracy a powerful ally in the royal Governor and his officers." Bancroft^ p. 195. ^ " The inclination of the country," wrote Spots- wood, in 1710, when the generation bom during Bacon's rebellion had grown to maturity, " is ren- dered mysterious by a new and unaccountable humour which hath obtained in several countieOf of excluding the gentlemen from being burgesses, and choosing only persons of mean figure and cha- racter." But Spotswood, a royalist, a high church- man, a traveller, reverenced the virtues of the people. " I will do justice to this country," he writes to the Bishop of London — and his evidence is without suspicion of a bias — " I have observed here less swearing and profaneness, less drunkenness and debauchery, less uncharitable feuds and animosities, and less knaveries and villanies, than in any part of the world where my lot has been." — Bancroft^ p. 684, Railwat/ Edition. .;. . „... . ,. ,^, ....... ^.„.,; , ... " Gustavus Adolphus was the great advocate of emigration, upon the principles of free labour. To the Scandinavian imagination, hope painted the New World as a paradise; the proposed colony as a benefit ■f" . ■ ^*- -in:^ ^T: CANADA, AND THE WESl' INDIES. 291 to the persecuted, a security to thehouour of the wives and daughters of those whom wars and bigotry had made fugitives; a blessing to the common man, to the whole Protestant world. *■ It may prove the advan- tage,' said Gustavus, ^ of all-oppressed Christen- dom/ '* — Bancroft^ p. 660, Railway Edition, irmin.k Mm- A vast portion of the United States was at one time known as New Sweden. We have now traced this powerful Republic to its source. We have seen diat almost every European country has provided it with emigrants; and that these emigrants, in a majority of cases, have been persecuted religionists. It has been shown also that, during the time of the formation of the settlement of Massachusetts, men of high education, and individuals in the rank of gentlemen, left their native shores for that distant colony ; many of them to be freed from religious persecution. History also records the fact, that Vir- ginia was settled voluntarily on the part of the English people, whose emigrants were not flying from persecution, and whose ranks were composed of the gentry of that day, carrying with them the education and civilization of the age in which they lived; and after that period, and up to the pre- sent time, millions of the divers races of Europe, chiefly from the lower ranks, have been pouring into the United States. We have seen also, for the last seventy years, the great democratic move- u2 iK •■> 292 A RAMBLE THROaGH THE UNITED STATES, ment that has been gradually, but powerfully, gain- ing ground, in spite of every obstacle to thwart it in its progress ; sometimes checked, but only to give it an additional impetus to further advancement, until a vast number, if not a majority, of that class have found a permanent resting-place and a quiet home in the civilized soil of the United States of America. The first emigrants to the United States being well nurtured in suffering from religious persecution, and many of them well-educated men, formed, no doubt, the very best nucleus to lay the foundation of a great and prosperous country. An individual who has suffered severely in life from the various causes that unfortunately afflict humanity, possesses a mind so well schooled in adversity that he readily lends his sympathy to the afflicted, the oppressed, the sorrow- ful, and the unfortunate. The poorer classes who have followed their pioneers of America in later days have reaped a rich harvest from these early old set- tlers — from the many excellent institutions esta- blished by them — many of whom carried over wretchedness, poverty, and ignorance, to such a degree as to be most objectionable as settlers, and who could only become valuable to the community by assuming that altered condition produced by good education, and possession of the soil which is so readily and so easily accessible to every emigrant to the shores of America. i CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIEff. 293 And what has been the result of this great gathering in of every kindred and tongue to the shores of America ? — ^where the genius, the clever man, and the ignorant, have met together upon the same constitutional footing of equality, each bring- ing from his own land the peculiarities of his country in information, ignorance, education, science, art, arms, commerce, philosophy, religion, and poli- tics ? — a new, social, moral, and political world — one of the grandest revolutions in mind, and that to such a degree that the pages of history cannot re- cord any thing equal to it in its magnificent result. It is, indeed, a New World, where the ignorant be- come educated, the poor rich, the little cottager a landed proprietor; where national prejudices are forgotten, all merging into one grand object, whose sole aim is the mental, moral, social, intellectual, and physical improvement of every member of the various nations of which it is composed ; where the lowest man in the social scale may place himself at the top ; where the meanest may attain to the rank of President; where the criminal is treated kindly ; and where wealth is as universally diffused as the Ittnd that constitutes it a country, or the light of heaven that illumines its soil ! Many of the great moral reforms of the age have originated in the United States. " Popular education — the temperance reform — the ministry for the poor in cities; all these have received their first impulse 294 A RAHBLB THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, from American philanthropists, and have only been echoed and transplanted by those of Europe. Thii is not yain-glorious boasting."— ^mmcan Facts, p. 145. They have established houses of reliige lor those found pilfering, instead of treating them as criminals ; and also for those who are neglected by their parents. They have a law, that if a child is neglected by its parents, on the neighbours depos* ing to the facts before a magistrate, he may order it to be placed in the House of Refuge-*- the parental system, under the valuable superintendence of Dr. Russ, which treats all under its roof as if they were members of one family. <> And what has been the result of this universal congregation of mind in the United States, con- sidered mechanically and commercially 1 Why, that it has produced a yacht vastly superior to that of the English ; the best lock of the age by Hobbs ; a M^Cormack's reajong machine, capable of cutting and clearing twenty acres of wheat in a day; Thompson's soap used for washing in salt water as well as fresh ; a chum for producing more butter than that of any other ; a Colt's ret volver, by the use of which eight opponents may be slaughtered in a second; and an infinite num^ ' her of other inventions too numerous to mention,* and which only can be seen and duly appreciated by a visit to the land of this very remarkable people. The traveller, if intelligent, must be a gainer by a ) t ^ /• CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 295 \ I trip to different countries merely as a temporary visitor-- by mixing and conversing freely with its natives, and by visiting the various institutions ; but this gives but a faint idea of the amount of know- ledge gained by Uie natives of almost all the countries of Europe, having met on the soil of America, not for a short time only, but for life — not pent up in a corner or looking at each other as if they were statues instead of men, but mixing freely and speaking out loudly and earnestiy : and by this fiiction of mind, this intellectual battie, have been produced those extraordinary changes which are characteristic of the American. And has there been any change in the manners of these people \ Yes, a most remarkable change in that respect, as well as in their dress, their intel- lect, and their commerce. The manners of the mass are plain and manly in general, not attempt- ing to realize any thing approaching to the French school in its high finish, and equally devoid of those perfect manners which are characteristic of our highest aristocracy ; although there are to be found in America people who are as well mannered, and who have travelled, as any either in England or France, or in any other part of Europe. But there is to be observed a most decided improvement when compared with our own lower orders, who, when they arrive in America, contrast but too sadly with what is there observable. It is in the countenance i 296 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, and his dress, more than by his manners and ad- dress, that you see the grand change that has been wrought upon the poor people who have gone to America— -as they are the best-dressed people, taking them en masse, that exist upon the face of the earth; and their heads are better cultivated than the masses of any other part of the world. This is visible in their countenances, and which is fully proved by conversing with them. When I was amongst them, the fashion consisted in the wearing of an invariable suit of black, united to well-blanched linen, when seated at their long din- ner-tables in their prodigious hotels, surrounded by an enormous display of every imaginable dish, from the large joint down to the most delicate viand, every luxury and delicacy that their extensive climate, extending in its range from six months of winter almost to the tropics, could furnish, and dressed by men who had adopted every system of cooking — French, Italian, German, and English. That is the place to contrast the manners, dress, and address, with the masses in Europe ; and it is there alone, and in America, that this wonderful spectacle can be seen. They are so well dressed that you might take them all for clergymen ; and their faces all bear the mark of a cultivated Intellect; and be it remem- bered that this is the lowest class in America, — and the highest also, blended into one by being equally well educated, well dressed, and well fed. \\ 'fi ..A. --.'- \'y CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 297 I *• I heard M. Thenard deliver a chemical lecture some twenty years ago, at the Sarbonne, when iron was the subject. He said, " that country that manu- factures and consumes the most iron, may claim the honour of being at the head of civilization." That country is England, to the great surprise of many French students at that time attending the class ; and he might have lengthened his sentence by adding that that country which contains the least number of foolish people and fewest raggamuffins, with the greatest number of cultivated intellects, is the country that ought to be placed at the head of civilization — ^that country is America. I have seen in the United States a smaller number of foolish people and raggamuffins than I have observed in any other part of the world. The traveller in America need not be surprised if he meet in the United States an absence of those polished manners of Europe which belong to the upper classes, when he reflects that the great majority have gone over to them from the lowest classes of Great Britain, Ireland, and most of the countries of Europe. The wonder is that they possess any man- ners at all. : After having made the tour of Europe many yeari since, after which I visited Canada, the United States, the West Indies, Australia, and New Zealand, I found in all those colonies the democratic element working its way upwards by the 298 A RAMBLB THBOUOH THE UNITED 8TATB8, possesuon of the soil and a better education than we give our people at home. I'his state of thingi has re-acted upon the poor people of Great Britain. They are now fully aware of the fact, that those who have gone to America and the colonies have bettered their condition, which has made them dis- contented with their own drcumstanoes and situa* tion at home. We have now this great democratic movement in our towns, and amongst our rural population, in our streets, and at our very doors» possessed to an alarming extent of ignorance, poverty and wretchedness, all anxious to better their con- dition ; and it has now assumed the attitude of defi* ance, which can only be called by another name— ^ that of mob-law*. This is the result of our not having taken warning in time. Let us be wiser for the future. Education is the grand remedy ; firm- ness and wisdom the other. The Americans are not at all thankful to Europe for sending over its uneducated masses to disturb the settled states of their social, religious, and educational systems, and who are suddenly put in possession of political rights which may be turned in a direction which runs counter to the interests of the country. This has been one of the greatest trials America has had to contend with ; this she has hitherto succeeded in, by managing the immense immigration by every kind i .-^vf* «vi»^ * Sunday riots in Hyde Park. ^^ CANADA, AND THB WB8T INDIES. 299 of toleration, united to a free press and a sound educational system. This will afford an explana* tion of the formation of that recent party in the United States, known by the name of the ** Know Nothings." We have the same fiery ordeal to pass through with our own poor people— rmay we get well through it. t . « i Let us now turn our attention to the American press — the great antidote for gross ignorance — which has been so successfully and extensively established, that the number of papers issued ex* ceeds that of all Europe put together : fK^HU: ^ Oiraolatloa. Dailies 860 — 760,000 Tri-weeklies . . 160 — 76,000 Semi-weeklies, 126 — 80,000 Weeklies .... 2,000 — 2,876,000 Semi-monthlies, 60 ^ 300,000 MonthUes .... 100 — 900,000 Quarterlies . . 26 — 20»000 Vomber of coplM printed annully — 236,000,000 — 11,700,000 — 8,320,000 — 149,600,000 — 7,200,000 — 10,000,000 — 80,000 .^, -_ ^»T Another statement to prove that the Americans have treated their democracy wisely and humanely^ besides having originated some of the grand moral movements of the age, is the fact of the extra- ordinary development of the minds of women, where they act in the capacity of teachers, and have 300 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. even qualified themselves for a diploma in medicine ; and the still more nmarkable fact that their jails have scarcely any native-bom Americans as their inmates. At the dose of 1814, Europe was in expecta- tion of at last tasting freedom and hajp^ m* 38 under royalty. At the close of the last ''ttr.i;';!} . v, lien the calamitous break-up of all hop'S ^^ the French Republic was fresh, the eyes ^f patriots turned to England as the type of the tsoie practicable public liberty. "The eyes of patriots are now turned towards the United States. That side of American institutions connected with executive administra- tion, as to which their superiority to us ought to abate the pride of our aristocracy and the confidence of Mr. Tremenhere and Mr. Ryle*." " England, on the whole, is little aware how very far she is behind the United States in solving the great problems of the day." — Westminster Review. It is in colonization that they have gone rapidly a head of us. We see a few stragglers emigrating to a distant part, forming the nucleus of a little state, not hampered with governors pulling one way, private and selfish com- panies ano*'. " md the colonists left to the mercy of routine mf^ i^: '-admin :;.Aation, but by a free transplanting of the energies and political lifb of * Westminster Review. — Mr. Tremenhere and Mr. Byle have both written books on America. / t 'f) ... / CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 301 the older states into the wilderness, by which means they have suddenly turned it into a territory, and afterwards into a state. " In Canada, the policy of England was deter- mined by considering what for U" moment was expedient, without admitting the pre ious enquiry whether there was a claim of right. '1 > same fact is visible in our colonial policy, whirVr in ts dealing with Canada, not only took no wi ling from the American war, but was impe Jed b> that ar itself into worse injustice. Because the A mer ai olonies — nursed in fi eedom — had broken loo Vom Eng- land when their rights were violact therefore Canada was kept under a stringent regu en of sham constitutionalism, such as the old colonie Had never known. The executive power did as it pi ised, and utterly disregarded the House of Assen ly ; and when, after a long struggle, the Assembi betook itself to its ultimate constitutional weapon, oy stop* ping the supplies — the Assembly of the l^w^r Pro- vince in 1833, that of the Upper in 1836,- Lord John Russell, leader of the Whig party, moved and carried a series of n solutions in the House of Com- mons, which not only condemned the Canadian Assemblies, but usurped their constitutional func- tions, by voting the taxes in their stead, April the 14th, 1837. This was precisely the offence by which England had raised the old American rebel- lion. It was now repeated by England's most 802 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, constitutional minister, a Whig and a Russell ; and his resolutions were sanctioned by a majority of 269 against 46 in the House of Commons I The conse- quence was a rebellion in Canada, and a civil war in which England was yictorious. But our statesmen knew that their cause was tyrannical, and that the nation felt it so. Victorious in the war, they happily revised their policy. Canada had gained in defeat all that was refused to her before the rebellion ; and though no English minister publicly proclaimed himself a penitent, there is really good ground of hope that henceforward the whole colonial policy of England will follow the new precedent of Canada. Since the accession of George III, Canada has begun to thrive just as she has been emancipated from English control." Westminster Review. \*oH3i mi « Scarcely was the Canadian war ended, when the same ministers, following up an old system of iniquity and of carelessless, embroiled us in a vast and detestable war against China, in defence of an illegal opium traffic. By the mere magnitude of the empire, the war lasted into a fourth year, and was terminated by our stipulating for opium com- pensation, repayment for war expenses, free trade with five ports of China, and possession of the island of Hong Kong. Henceforward the Chinese em- peror is forbidden to shield his people from the noxious drug with which, for the avowed benefit of the Indian revenue, it has pleased British statesmen i I !^4 CANADA, AND THfi WEST INDIES. 303 that China shall he supplied. Free trade is libelled by the tyranny which enforced it, and the might which pretends to diffuse civilization and Christianity be- comes hated for its violence and immorality.*'l-i.«.v-^ Another result of the education of the map" 8 is that versatility displayed by a great majority v*f the Americans; it is Ao unusual thing for au American farmer— after having secured his crops, and hearing that corn is Celling higher in the West Indies than at his own market — to march down to a sea-port, charter a vessel, Engage sailors, and perhaps take the command of it himself, and to undertake a voyage to the Indies ; where, finding that a cargo of sugar, ^^ny other commodity, would pay better than returning home in ballast, he loads his vessel a second time, and returns to that port most likely to afford him the greatest remuneration ; and after- wards recommences in due season the handling of the plough." " When the Mexican war broke out, the present President was a lawyer in good practice in New Hampshire ; turning himself into a general for the nonce, he returned, after a year's hard fighting, to his briefs. What should we think of a barrister thus including the Crimea in his circuit." Westminster Review. * Weatminster Beview, July 1855. morality, pp. 60 arid 61. Article — International Im- 304 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, The following is a description of our own people, taken from the Westminster Review : ^ "The millions in England, during the last century, in no way forced themselves on public attention. Either they lived contentedly, or at least they died or starved quietly. The life of a boor or an artizan was the only life they could dream of. The two great agencies that have so much altered their condition, Sunday Schools, only began to tell till the end of the century." During the year in which I was in America, a singular movement originated at Cincinnati, the great city of the West. A church was organized in direct and avowed opposition to the Pope of Rome and the hierarchy of the ancient Catholic Church. " A number of the most intelligent and influential adherents to the Catholic faith in that region have associated themselves together, for the purpose of worshipping the God of their fathers according to the prescribed form and ceremonial of the ancient creed, but in perfect independence of the Papal see, and of all the dignitaries generally recognized in the United States ; all allegiance to the respectable successor of Peter, located in the eternal city, is thrown off by these reformers; and the paternal authority of the bishops and priesthood is most in- dependently set aside. But the distinctive tenets of the Roman Catholic Church are to be rigidly main- tained ; the rites, ceremonies, and sacraments are to r, h'f ■;:ih CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 7r^ 305 be retained in every respect, except Papal allegiance. A priest, duly accredited and regularly authorized to administer at the altar, is to preside over the congregated faithful in the beautiiul city of the West; and the solemn and imposing rites of the church are to be adhered to in every particular. But the Pope, and the Bishop, and the hierarchy, are to be most undutifiilly and unceremoniously set aside." ,vv.-).iru-'i^-^'-':; ' :i <■/■ w Such is the working of American democracy upon the Pope of Rome. During my sojourn amongst them, I was treated in the most kind man- ner, notwithstanding the Oregon question was at its height, with a fighting President, who secured his position by pledging himself to carry on the war. I received several presents of books from people whom I had never previously met, especially when they made out that I was an Ei^glishman. I met with but one instance of incivility, and the blame in that case was not wholly attributable to the American. When travelling in a canal boat, densely crowded, I awoke very early in the morning, in consequence of having an uncomfortable berth, and finding a Kentuckian rising at the same time, we naturally got into conversation. I passed some compliments upon the country in rather a loud voice, which was answered by the Kentuckian ; this aroused the choler of a gentleman at the other end of the boat, in his berth, who, in the strongest nasal 306 A^ RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, accent I ever heard, addressed us as follows : " I am not at all surprised at a John Bull having no more sense than to be talking whilst other people are sleeping ; but that a Kentuckian and an American should have no more sense, I am exceedingly sur- prised." I must say I felt a good deal annoyed ; and I addressed him by saying, " You may rely upon it I shall not interrupt your repose in future." He replied, " If you do, you are no gentleman." I met the Kentuckian afterwards on deck, and alluded to this sleeping irritable man, by remarking that we had caught a good scolding ; " Ah," said the Ken- tuckian, " He is neither a gentleman nor a man, but a beast." We have seen them in a favorable light, when viewed in connection with education; let us now take a brief view of them in connection with that plague and curse— slavery, especially as a good deal of misunderstanding prevails in England, where persons have paid but little or no attention to the • subject. " While Virginia, by the concession of a repre- sentative government, was constituted the asylum of liberty, by one of the strange contradictions in human affairs, it became the abode of hereditary * bondsmen. The unjust, wasteful, and unhappy system was fastened upon the rising institutions of America, not by consent of the corporations, nor desire of the emigrants ; but as it was introduced M f CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 307 by the mercantile avarice of a foreign nation, so it was subsequently riveted by the policy of England, without regard to the interests or wishes of the colony." Bancrofts Hist. Thus we find that it was England that first saddled the colonists with the institution of slavery, and whose legislation in Virginia, representing the home government, enacted as follows : " all servants, not being Christians, imported into the country by shipping shall be slaves ; " and it was added, " con- version to the Christian faith doth not make free." Virginia was humane towards men of the white race ; was severe towards the negro. The death of a slave, from extremity of correction, was not accounted felony; and it cannot be presumed, such is the language of the statute, " that pre- pensed malice, which alone makes murther felony, should induce any man to destroy his own estate." The legislature did not understand human passion ; no such opinion prevails now. Finally, it was made lawful for persons pursuing fugitive slaves to wound or even kill them. The master was absolute lord over the negro. After a long series of years, the institution of slavery renewed a landed aristocracy, closely resembling the feudal nobility." £ancro/if, p. 193. « y^v'^r ^.> f^ ' In 1776, an American Congress prohibited the sale of slaves. The Earl of Dartmouth addressed a colonial agent as follows. " We cannot allow the 308 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, colonies to check or discourage, in any degree, a traffic so beneficial to the nation." "People in England do talk very absurdly, especially as some six or eight States, which re* ceived slaves from Great Britain, liberated them, long before their venerable mother even dreamed of such a process in her other colonies. I believe, sincerely, that nineteen twentieths of the present slaves are really better treated than an equal number of the lower classes in England, to say nothing of Ireland. But this does not affect the system, which I abhor from my soul. The time is coming when we shall see the end of it ; and, mean- while, you may tell the man who attacks you next about it, that a part of the United States, equal in extent to all Great Britain, and half the rest of Europe, has no slavery at all." American Faets^ p. 16. Introduction. All the free states of America allow that it is a curse upon the constitution of the United States, and are anxious to get rid of it ; but before that riddance can be effected, it is necessary to master the owners of the negroes, who unfortunately muster too powerfully upon the slave question in Congress. I read, in the Daily News, some three weeks since, that the northern free states of New England have been compelled to submit to a law passed at Washington, which enacted that the free states of the Union should give up the fugitive '^t'- r\ CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 309 slaves within their boundaries. The town of Boston nobly defended their rights, by dismissing both the governor and judge who sanctioned the abominable law; and thus a grand struggle has commenced between slavery and freedom. And surely this par- ticular moment, when the great fight for liberty is going on in Europe against the barbarism of the North, is the best time to throw overboard all national prejudices, and use our best endeavours, in England, to obtain the sympathy of the United States; for who can see through the dark mist which hangs over the horizon, rendering the fore- sight of the greatest intellects as of little avail as that of the mere child, in calculating the ultimate termination of this great struggle. And when it is remembered that our interchange of commodities exceeds sixty millions of pounds Stirling, and that each country exports to the other more than to all the world besides, surely, then, there exists another powerful reason for cultivating the best possible understanding and friendship between the two countries. Poor Massachusetts has got her Czar of the South to contend with, in the slave states ; ourselves the Czar of the North. England may be so situated, in a very short time, as to require every possible aid, to enable her to carry on the great struggle which has only just begun ; and it behoves us to make friends with those powers who, like ourselves, have fought and bled in the great and noble cause of freedoin. I 310 ▲ RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, When at the British Association, at Hull, an American scientific gentleman was on the plat- form, and was classed with the rest of the foreigners hj one of the speakers ; hut I am happy to state that, when the same American gentleman was present at the Red Lion dinner, it was most gratifying to me to hear his health proposed, not as a foreigner, hut as an American memher of the great Anglo-Saxon family. A treaty, to secure a recognition of principles of international arbitration between this country and the United States, has been concluded. The object of the treaty was to refer all matters of dispute^ that might possibly arise between the two govern- ments, to the judgment of impartial arbitration. In this unfortunate struggle, now commenced in Europe, we have very justly blamed routine as one of the causes of failure ; but I ask, was not the system known to be false long before the failure in the Crimea 1 I answer, yes. Now, we are loudly calling for administrative reform ; let me here recommend the necessity of an individual reform at the same time, as the best remedy for mal- administration, adulterated food, bribery at elections, and that fashionable deceiver, humbug ; and then, and then only, will our country stand a better chance to conquer. As administrative reform is one of the topics of the day, the following state- ment may prove, perhaps, useful. The President ■r\ CANAr AND THE WEST INDIES. 311 of the United States receives 125,000 a year, and has the use of the executive mansion at Washington. The Vice-President receives |[8,000 ; the judges of the supreme court 14,000, except the Chief Justice, who receives |4,500 ; members of Congress, 8 dollars a day, the secretaries of state, treasury, navy inte- rior, the Postmaster-General, Attorney-General, each 8,000 dollars per annum ; the Foreign Minis- ters of the first rank, i. e. Ministers Plenipotentiary, 9,000 dollars ; those of the second grade, i. e. Minis- ters resident, 16,000, with an outfit of j?6,000 ; of the third rank, i. e. Charge d' Affairs, 114,500, with an outfit of M,500 ; Consuls receive their emolu- ments in fees. — The dollar is 4s. 2d. English. I may here remark that their elections are con- ducted quietly, without uproar, rioting, music, or drunkenness. The vote by ballot is the method adopted. " Our wealth and population already give us a place in the first rank of nations, are so rapidly cumulative, that the former is increased fourfold, and the latter is doubled every period of twenty-two or twenty-three years. There is no national debt, the community is opulent, the govern- ment economical, and the public treasury full. Religion, neither persecuted nor paid by the state, is sustained by the regard for public morals, and the conviction of an enlightened faith. Intelligence is diffused with unparalleled universality. A free press teems with the choicest productions of all I 312 A BAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, nations and ages. There are more daily journals in the United States than in the world beside. A public document of general interest is, within a month, in at least a million of copies, and is brought within the reach of every freeman in the country. An immense concourse of emigrants, of the most various lineage, is perpetually crowding to our shores; and the principles of liberty, uniting all interests by the operation of equal laws, blend the discordant element;' into harmonious union. Other governments are convulsed by the innovations and reformers of neighbouring states ; our constitution, fixed in the affections of the people from whose choice it sprung, neutralizes the influence of foreign principles, and fearlessly opens an asylum to the virtuouc , the unfortunate, and the oppressed of every nation." Bancroft. Railway Edition. IntrO' ductioH. Bancroft might have added, that America has turned men into monarchs, by making them lords of the soil, and by giving them the best practical education, and may be, further, the means of teaching silly monarchs to become sensible men. w -■:.-^:f>'--.i l-^/'W » U-.,-r?;rfj.V ■fe ' A*Vi. ^;i^>'^ r;.. ■. - ■■■ ,". . II t .* <;, ■T-y'f. CANADA, AND THE 4T fKDI 313 ,«.,^ -y CHAPTER XIII. j^^^? January 24th, 1846. I went on board the Titi, a neat craft, of small tonnage, bound for Havannah. To one accustomed to sailing in spacious steamers, with every possible accommo- dation, this small vessel seemed to bid fair for testing the patience and resignation of the traveller, particularly as our companions consisted of seven- teen passengers, many of whom were invalids whose lungs were half destroyed by consumption, and who were going to Havannah to effect a restoration, that climate being famous for invalids suffering from that malady. We had, likewise, seventeen horses as compagnions de voyage, which are excellent things on a high road, when one is astride of them, but very useless on board ship ; much in the way, very awkward to manage, and, in a gale of wind, the 814 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, worst cargo that can be carried, as they have no sea legs, to use the sailors' phrase, and are very bad sailors. Our craft, I was happy to learn, however, was considered not only swift, but safe ; and our captain, an Englishman, naturalized in the States, gave me some confidence in our reaching Havannah safely. I had always, as a traveller, the greatest possible objection to sail under canvass, for the following reasons : first, being becalmed, with its twofold disadvantage, viz. non progress, with a possibility of its lasting so long that our stock of provisions might become exhausted — a thing very possible in the Gulph of Mexico, as it is no unusual thing to be becalmed for many consecutive days, and even weeks ; secondly, head-winds, which we had for three days, when progress is so slow that it may be said to be almost equivalent to a calm ; thirdly, in case of being placed on a lee shore, in a gale of wind, when the vessel runs great risk of being driven ashore, and which must invariably happen, if she fail to sail to windward, or her anchor failing ; fourthly, the difficulty of navigating a narrow harbour, depending upon favorable winds for its execution — all these difficulties can be well obviated by steam. ' ^ -ir? l. The sail down the Mississippi, from New Orleans to its mouth, presented a scene truly American, and one that contrasted well with European rivers. Although the Mississippi is 3,500 miles in length. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 315 in many parts it is not more than a mile in width (between New Orleans and its mouth), extremely muddy, sometimes with a few trees scattered upon its banks, beyond which is an almost endless dis- trict, on both sides, as flat as the earth can possibly be, filled with reeds eight or ten feet in height, resembling the great prairies in its evenness of aspect and crop, there being neither tree, housd, nor green patch, to contrast with its monotonous white appearance, except, now and then, an evergreen shrub. The country appeared as desolate as any part of the world that I had previously seen, with- out timber, without vegetation, excepting its ever- lasting reed ; and its only lords of the soil were alligators, pelicans, and swans ; the latter I saw at the distance of several miles, with his regal aspect, stretching out his noble neck upon his native terri- tory, where man never interfered with him, but left him in the undisputed possession of his domain, which had descended to him as an ancient heritage. This was a scene in which the eye could dwell on with intense wonderment, and the mind feel almost as if gifted with new faculties and new enjoyments — so original and imposing was the scene. We had a steam-boat to tow us down to the mouth of the Mississippi, where we were left to our own feeble exertions ; for truly feeble they were, for want of wind, and a dead calm continuing for several hours, leaving us in sight of this extraordinary flat 316 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, scene, with its light-house for an object, to break its monotony, and which was visible far longer than was required for passengers anxious to be on the wing. The horses turned out to be the greatest possible inconvenience on board, by almost blocking up the communication from one part of the deck to the other, preventing the passengers from taking a promenade on deck — a thing most essential during a voyage. The second morning of our voyage, we caught a favorable breeze, before which we scudded the water as gracefully as a bird in the air ; it con- tinued for about twenty-four hours. We were after- words becalmed in the Gulph of Mexico for some time, after which a gale set in from the south, which was a head-wind, and continued to blow for thirty hours, during which we were going back- wards rather than advancing. This gale was frightful enough, for some of the waves obtruded themselves far too freely to be agreeable. I happened to be smoking my pipe at the head of the vessel, when all of a sudden a sea rose which I quickly perceived would sweep our deck to a certain extent ; I immediately took shelter in a little place not dis- similar to a sentry-box, and suddenly shut the door, and succeeded in keeping out the water, but narrowly escaped being washed away in my little wooden temporary habitation into the raging billows below, which would have very soon annihilated box and man. w ■'MP CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 3n ' li e i e i • <(H i lyt' SONG. When on the foaming ocean sailing, With stonny skies and winds bewailing, The mariner gaily scuds the sea, With heart and soul both frank and free ; Then take your pipe and glass, my boys, And let us join in sailors' joys. And drink to beautiful girls, that love Just as well as angels that live above. And may old Titi's motley crew In the right track her path pursue, ; .; Until she has reached that distant shore Where passengers and friends will part no more. ' ■■=■* -t'";'- Chorus. '' .-'■^i.-f..^:--: ■:;■>; Then take your pipe and glass, my boys. .. ■ ," ■^■-'.- i . .. ■''■ 'r)- ' i ■ ' '\r A" ' And if we should not all agree, In our journeying through this beautiful sea, We shall only resemble old ocean's waters. And, also, compare with Eve's beautiful daughters. Chorus. Then take your pipe and glass, my boys. Who, beautiful, both, with pretty faces. Sometimes do show some queer grimaces. But soon recover their beautiful smile. And, like a sick stomach, get rid of their bile. Chorus. Then take your pipe and glass, my boys. John Shaw. •A^^ After this, I went abaft, and was pointing out to an American gentleman the grandeur of the raging storm, and was admiring the good appetites of the 818 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, horses, which amounted to seventeen, as well as the same number of passengers, more than a sufficiency for a craft of 200 tons — especially when, compelled, for the sake of comfort, or a little variety or change of position, to move to another part of the boat, one had to risk being kicked by some of these very un- gainly passengers — the hay provided for the horses, instead of being packed in tmsses and kept apart, lying quite loose and even in contact with the chimney, through the negligence of the grooms — when, as the gale was at its height, I heard one of the sailors, who stood near me, sing out in a loud voice, expressive of fear and surprise, ^' the hay is on fire ! " The reader may imagine the thousand thoughts that rushed upon the mind at a crisis such as this, when convinced of the impossibility of escape from death, either on board the vessel or on the ocean, rendered infinitely more horrible from being announced in a second of time, and to one totally unprepared to settle his final account upon such short notice ; and the reader may duly appreciate (without a very powerful stretch of his imagination) the many thoughts rushing in the mind, like rays of light, and as quickly as electricity itself, on distant regions, where friends dwell, or con- juring up in a moment of time all the deeds done in the past, and forgotten until then, from their being so numerous and so similar, stand, in the twinkling of an eye, distinct and apart, with their separate accu- sations to the terrified conscience ; then, also, the f ' ;:iil' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 319 reader may appreciate and picture to himself the thousand pleasant sensations that arose as quickly as the frightful ones, when the sailor who observed the fire as suddenly exclaimed, at the top of his voice, " the fire is out, all right !" The sum total of time, between observing the fire and extinguishing it, did not exceed, at most, three seconds ; for the reader must be aware that hay, scattered about a vessel, perfectly dry, once on fire, if not extinguished, at the time that a furious gale of wind was rocking us in the ocean, must, in a very few seconds, have sent us all suddenly to our permanent resting places. A criminal with a rope round his neck, about to cross the frontier of time to eternity, suddenly re- ceiving his reprieve, could not have been more sur- prised and delighted than were most of the passen- gers at this sudden snatch from the wide open jaws of fearful death. After this we were becalmed a third time. I, who had always the greatest possible objection to sailing under canvass, then felt most powerfully all the many disadvantages ; and the Captain's patience nearly getting exhausted with the unusual calm weather at a season of the year when wind usually prevailed, found that which every man must have felt at some period of his life — viz. that experience is valuable, and that many of the misfortunes of life happen from having had too little experience. This the Captain felt, and that deeply ; for he had provisions for a week only, at a time that 320 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, /' it was most probable a fortnight would be requisite for landing us at the Havannah. Thus were we, after having escaped death from fire and water a few hours before, now threatened with another from famine. Our water began to be turbid, thick, and nauseous. We then pictured to ourselves the hardship of being at sea in a stormy ocean, with convulsive heavings of the stomach playing the counterpart of the boat in its vagaries over the water, loudly appealing to its proprietor for some bread and cheese ballast to steady its stormy move- ments. With these sad apprehensions for the future, and no sign of a breeze from the still and cloud- less sky, while the sea was as motionless as the land, prostrate with its universal glassy aspect, without a wrinkle upon its silvery surface, smooth as a mirror ; while the sun himself seemed another confederate in the plot, by striking his hot rays upon our poor, feverish frames, by increasing our thirst ; to such a degree was every thing still, quiet, and noiseless, that there seemed to be written upon universal nature the still and quiet calm : '.\ 1 1 •■ / Oh ! mighty Ocean, boundless Sea, What thoughts arise from viewing thee — Of friends and distant home that's dear. Oh ! kindly thought, thou bring'st them near. When sailing on thy billows dashing. Amid the storm with lightnings flashing, Or in sweet calm, with sleeping wind Thou soothest the contemplative mind ! "■./i CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. ■ ) ^ And may I ne'er forget thee, Ocean, That fills my aoul with sweet emotion ; And when on land I'm far from thee, My thoughts shall turn to thee, beautiful Sea ! 321 JoHX Sbaw. In the middle of this great holiday of nature (for the elements appeared not to be working — even the sun looked lazy), a circumstance occurred which served to amuse some and alarm others, particularly those inclined to be superstitious among the passen- gers: viz. a bird, unusually large, with a tremendous breadth and length of wing, hovered about our ves- sel for some time, and at last alighted on the top of our highest mast, and there seated himself as a fellow-passenger, just as much so as if he had paid his fare from New Orleans to Havannah. So com- pletely at home did he make himself, and so com- pletely bereft of all suspicion towards his fellow- passengers, like many a simple and honest-hearted traveller, that he never suspected for a moment that a robbery and kidnapping of the most atrocious kind was about to be committed ; viz that of taking pos- session of him without his consent, and before he was aware of it too ; for he had no sooner alighted, than one of the most active of the crew repaired to the topmast, tied his wings and legs, and brought him down a captive, wondering, and fearful, and trembling at such an act of brigandage. I lerrnt from the crew that the name of this unfortunate 322 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. wanderer was the mau-of-war bird, and that it was seldom seen at such a distance from the shore ; and they were of opinion that he had been driven out of his course and out to sea by a gale of wind which we might have soon rolled in, to the great delight / of all the passengers. , , . i, ;^, * , ** i The sailors looked upon the incident in a nautical sense, as indicating bad weather ; the superstitious and fearful part of the passengers saw further into the matter, and declared it was ominous, not only of a storm, but of an unfavorable voyage. These Job's comforters laid great stress and insisted upon it, from the fact that the bad water we had been drinking, as well as the long calm we had experienced, so unusual in the gulph of Mexico at that particular season of the year, partly realized the unlucky omen. At this crisis, a consultation was held; when, finding the water scarce, and that many of the passengers were economizing it, whilst others were making much too free with it, at the expense of the economists, and perceiving that the horses were allowed two buckets per day, it was strongly recommended that each man be put upon his daily allowance, and that the horses should be restricted to one bucket per diem. During these cogitations and teces-artetes, the poor bird, having recovered from his fatigue, suddenly and voluntarily sprang into the air and made an attempt to navigate his native element to his native shore. After being most impertinently -^f> I I- •\''l CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 323 questioned and examined as to the nautical blunder he had committed, and having proved that we were not too Mendly to his tribe, in having tied his legs and handled him so roughly, — disgusted by these violations of the laws of hospitality, he nobly con- cluded to reach his native shore, or perish in the attempt. The sun having set, we watched him ; I, at least, with as much anxiety as if one of my own species had dared to make so rash an experiment, and at last lost sight of him, when all of a sudden he re-appeared, making for us once more. The consciousness of his untimely grave was as evident to his senses as if he had been a pious Doctor in Divinity, or a Christian of the first order, about to enter upon that unknown state beyond the boundary of time. And this poor bird, although one of the brutes that perish, was as much horror-stricken at the thought of a watery grave, as that reasonable, or rather unieasonable, but immortal man, who tied his legs when he craved our hospitality, and roughly handled him when he sought our shelter from the storm, as well as a rescue from a watery grave, would have been on leaving the land of his birth for the unexplored regions of wide eternity. The poor bird hovered over the mast where he had lit the first time, which probably reminded him of the circumstance of his capture and bad treatment, resolved to make the tenderest appeal to our callous hearts by descending to the deck, even where several Y 2 324 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, people were standing near the helm, and there threw himself a second time under our protection ; his wings were, unfortunately, too slightly rested upon the boat's bulwarks, where he conceived himself to have had firm footing ; or else feebleness and ex- haustion seized him, and, at the very moment that he anticipated his rescue, his unfortunate foot never reached the boat, and down he fell, to be the living prey of some hungry monster of the deep, or else to die the lingering death of hunger. Great minds, as well as great boobies, may laugh at this description of a bird ; but I envy not the feelings of that man who could fail to sympathize with the poor m.an-of- war bird ; and he who could shed a tear, I would say to him, " Give me your hand; that heart whose sympathies extend to the brute, must be a fine com- panion in the social journey of life." At this time, finding our prospects no better for a breeze, we were about coming to the conclusion that each man should be put upon his rations, and of course anticipating some of the horrors of a scarcity of provisions ; the horses were not only to be deprived of a portion of the usual water, but probably of their lives also, should there be no alteration of the weather, as the most effectual means, not only of economizing the water, but of supplying us with food at the same time, in the shape of steaks for dinner ; and the captain also determined to run for any port, even to an American ; / CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 325 a to one, which was a retrograde movement, in order to replenish our stock of provisions, which were coming to an end far too rapidly to hold out the slightest hope of lasting until we reached the Havannah, un- less the wind should come very soon from the most favourable quarter. - \ - ' When things come to the worst, they are soonest likely to mend. In the middle of these disagreeable reflections, a Norther arose and wafted us along as fast as a steamer ; and the splendid craft Titi averaged her 10 and 11 knots, and scudded over the waves like a thing of life, looking as perfect as a co- lossal insect with her huge wings spread to the wind, which was not only cooling and agreeable to our parched frames, but refieshing and invigorating to our souls ; for in that breeze we had both faith and hope that the many hardships which so recently threatened us had now vanished like a tale that is told. The reader must be informed that we were then, if not in, very near ^o, a tropical climate; and, although the middle of their winter, we were attired in linen instead of cloth. The difference of tempe- rature in a tropical climate is such as to render a linen costume necessary all the year round, sum- mer and winter, at times during the prevalence of Norther; that is, a strong gale of wind from the north, when the temperature descends rapidly. Woollen cloth is not only worn, free from its usual irritation, in a tropical climate, but will be found :x" 326 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, not only comfortable, but necessary at most seasons of the year. The remarkable change of temperature between the Gulph of Mexico and Canada is such as to produce a most pleasing effect upon the mind of the traveller ; especially when one associates with it all the change of vegetation which is observable between six months of winter, and that latitude where the effects of frost and snow are never seen. In the town of Boston, I had my ears so severely frozen upon one occasion, and to such a degree, as to alarm me ; and in six weeks after, I wore linen instead of cloth, and experienced that lazy sensation only known to those who have sat under the hot and blazing rays of a tropical sun. Tho.ie of Old England who wish to see the extraordinary produc- tions of the tropics, as well as the equally surprising vegetation of some parts of the South of North America, with the remarkable changes of climate observable in those latitudes, must leave Canada when the winter sets in, and proceed to the West Indies to enjoy the winter months, where he will enter the region of perpetual summer, and there find the hot-house out of doors, with the heavens for its roof, and the earth on which he treads for its foundation, beautified with all that charming vege- tation which is only to be observed in that remark- able region of the earth — taking Boston, New York, Washington, and New Orleans, for his route. This route, if taken in the summer-time, would fl CANADi, AND THE WSIT INDIES. 31^7 endanger the life of any traveller, as fever an^ malaria would be sure to attack him. During the winter months he would run no such fearful risk. The gale from the North was now delightfid, and there was a favourable prospect of reaching the far- famed town of Havannah that night. In the midst of sallies of water and the various noises produced by the wind on the masts and rigging, T heard the loud voice of a sailor articulate the words " Light- house a-head, sir." Well knowing that all the dan- ger consisted in approaching the shore in a sailing vessel, and although in the dark, I managed to dress myself and come on deck, surrounded by tossing seas and pitchy darkness, to look at the many twinklings of the various lights that shone ashore — a dismal sight at sec. especially when the shore is steep and the night dark, without the pos- sibility of any i.nchorage, from an almost unfathom- able sea washing the base of a perpendicular cliff, with a harbour so narrow and a rock in the centre, that it is contrary to both law and custom to enter it during the night. All the passengers were in their berths, quite ignorant of the risk they were running and the dangers they were exposed to. The great revolving light on the top of the cliff seemed, for more than an hour, to be close upon us ; still we appeared to be no nearer, owing to the great distance at which the light was visible. Sud- denly coming across the captain, I questioned him 328 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, t, as to what we were about to do ; when he replied, " It is my intention to make the harbour, notwith- standing the risk of running on the rock in the centre of the entrance." At last we were under the light-house, surrounded by white and noisy breakers, showing their ghostly figures, thundering their heavy artilleries from the depths of the gulph on the un- moveable barrier of the Morro, its coral reefs, and its steep rocks. The captain took his position at the head of the Titi, the mate in the centre, with all hands in their respective places. This was a most critical moment, and the captain was aware of it ; when he remarked, " In a minute we shall be at the entrance of the harbour, when all voices will be hushed into perfect silence" — from every man on board carefully, silently, and promptly obeying each word of command from the captain, whose every word was instantly repeated by the mate and exe- cuted by the sailors as soon as it possibly could be. At this critical juncture up came an old Captain Merchant, well acquainted with the navigation of those parts, and a resident of Havannah — fully alive to the difficulty as well as the danger of entering the harbour, and, quite surprired to find himself under the revolving light, he exclaimed, " What the d — 1 is the captain running this serious risk for, when he could have securely and quietly got in at daylight ?" I immediately remonstrated with him upon the want of wisdom in alarming all the pas- l\ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 329 '^' \\ sengers at such a critical moment, by saying, '* Sir, it is your duty to hold your tongue at a time like this ;*' which remark he took very quietly at the time, but waited for a future opportunity to have his rejoinder, which was very near bringing us to a rupture, in the middle of which we suddenly found ourselves shutting out the ocean swell, and was quickly surrounded with the many lights of the town of Havannah, and the quiet waters of the har- bour, which formed a delightful contrast to the stormy waves of the Gulph of Mexico, which had threatened us at one time with death from our craft being on fire, and subsequently with death from famine. 330 A RAMBLE THROUOH THE UNITED STATES, I I ■<).■ ».!'-*-<-- (/' ■■» ! ;*« CHAPTER XIV. ^i.r^ -mU w Jt^s ;i^i- ■ :» i^''-r u'.^.-rfts^^-r.lk*-^^:^!'^ In 1655, the English attempted to take Hayan- nah hy assault, but failed, with a great loss of men; having been frustrated by a miracle, the memory of which is perpetuated by the name of " los con- gregos," the crab miracle. It is related that they disembarked on the coast during a dark night, but became so alarmed by the noise of the crabs among the dead leaves of the mangroves, which, with the lights from an immense number of cocullos (a lar^e beetle, more than an inch in length — when flying, resembles a burning taper), induced them to believe they had fallen into an ambush ; who, filled with terror, fled to their boats in the greatest disorder. In 1762, however, they were more successful, and took the city, attacking the defences by sea and land, making a break in the Morro. The Morro, a strong fortification, was defended by Don Luis Vecente Velasco, who refused to capitulate, and 1 1 V \ M \v %'\ » '- >l CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 331 was mortally wounded while defending a breach in the final assault of the English. The English, after retaining possession of the whole island for one year, restored it to Spain, and by so doing gave up the possession of one of the finest islands in the world, which commands the Galph of Mexico in such a manner as to entirely sweep every thing away op- posed to it, if properly and sufficiently supplied with naval armaments. The harbour is one of the finest in the world, being land locked on all sides but the north, where its entrance is only a thousand feet wide, with the fathomless gulf-stream running before it. ■ :- -.-^ ,;>^ ..,.-.>.ft; ,. «.^i..>v, ■,,.5 f;«*y.^ Havannah, like the island on which it stands, is a remarkably fine and most peculiar town, contain- ing a population (according to the census of 1841, including some of the villages near to it, which may be turmed suburbs) of 184,600 individuals. Its streets are very narrow, unprovided with side pave- ments, afibrding no more accommodation for foot- passengers than for the quadruped, who, if he be not an active pedestrian, runs imminent risk at all times of being run over. The Calle des Mercaderes is the principal street for shops, and contains many fine and extensive stores, filled with goods of every kind. These are designated by different names, which, however, have no reference to their contents. The name of the owner never appears on the sign- board. The shop-keepers are remarkably sharp in 332 A BAMBLB THEDUGH THE UNITED STATES, their dealings, and, unless the traveller is aware of it, he will have to pay handsomely iov his want of experience. One of its most striking peculiarities is the entire absence of ladies among the busy crowds, who never think of being seen out of their volante (the carriage of Havannah), even when shop- ping, upon which occasion the goods are brought to them, setting aside the necessity of a descent from the carriage, which would be deemed a gross violation of Spanish etiquette, and far below the dignity of a Spanish lady. It is only when the seller of goods is one of their own sex that they condescend to enter a shop. In the streetb! .^y be observed great numbers of narrow carts wi! r* /.eels so low that one might jump over them ; then the heavy volante with its long shafts and big wheels rolling past you at every moment. These volante- drivers, however, do not proceed at a rapid rate, and it frequently happens that the pedestrian will find himself in contact with one of them, which is a notice for him to look out for his safety, as the driver gives none, leaving the foot-passenger to take care of himself. Here may be seen the heavy ox- ' cart with a capital team of cattle, long trains of pack-horses carrying heavy loads of poultry, green fodder, &c. mounted horsemen galloping at a great rate for a short distance, and innumerable negroes with wheel-barrows, or carrying heavy loads on their heads. Such is the great variety of scene \\ «> CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 333 \l -i observable in one of the great thoroughfares of the city. * Under the arcades, near the markets in Havan* nah, may be seen a number of shops about ten feet square, with a show-case before them, where the pro- prietor is constantly promenading, not aiasimilar to a wild animal in a rage. When the business of the day is ended, the show-case is carried into his cabin, which comprehends the sum total of his establish- ment, where he sleeps, cooks and eats all his meals, is a .hop besides, and a kitchen at the same time. The trayeller of Continental Europe, when he first enters the town, will be much struck with the sub- stantial manner in which all the houses are con- structed. The walls are seldom less than two feet in thickness, and the larger ones are so stoutly con- structed that you would suppose a strong fortification was about to be erected. I have heard that one of the largest houses cost £100,000. They may be com- pared, in solitary cases, to the minor palaces of Europe. There are many houses in Havannah which rent from £1,000 to £3,000 per annum. The architecture of the large houses is extremely heavy. They are built in such a manner as to form open squares in their centres — their only yards, and upon which the lofty arches of the corridors look down. The lower story is occupied by the store- * This description of Havannah is chiefly taken from Notes on Cuba, presented to me by a friend. 334 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED XiAT^S, . house, reading-room, kitchen, and stable, and the common entrance is frequently blocked up with the volante, which is the only coach-house belonging to the establishment. From the side of the common entrance, a wide flight of stone steps leads to the corridor of the second story, into which all the rooms open, and which constitutes the common passage to every apartment. The architecture is of a most peculiar kind, having for its result an air of rude grandeur that cannot fail to strike most forcibly the eye of the beholder. The chief hall, or parlour, is not unfrequently fifty feet in height, twenty wide, and as many feet in length. The floors are all stuccoed or tiled, and the walls and ceilings some- times ornamented with frescoes ; while only here and there a few panes of glass let into the thick shutters serve to admit the light when they are closed. The great peculiarity of the construction of these houses consists in the very effective way in which every pre- caution is taken to keep out the robber. Every ac- cessible window, either from the street or the roofs of the neighbouring houses, is strongly fortifled with iron bars ; while the enormous door at the entrance is strengthened to such a d i .o-iai?«lriJ The royal lottery, established in 1812, is drawn in Havannah sixteen times a year; the prizes I ■■..;-'. :^ ■•■•■■■ '"t.^^-' ■■- ■■■■,' ' 336 A RiMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, amount each time to about £17,000, and once a year to £45,000. The price of the tickets is six- teen shillings ; and so numerous are its agents that almost every small town has one, and pedlars carry them about the streets and through the country, where many are bought by the slaves. A glance at this enormous establishment, with its many rami- fications throughout the island, will give an idea of the incalculable mischief it has effected, by fostering a spirit of gambling amongst the people. i Among the charitable institutions, may be men- tioned the Casa de Beneficencia, where orphans and lunatics are kindly treated. Another charitable insti- tution well worth seeing is the hospital of San Lazaro, destined chiefly to relieve those unfortunate indi- viduals affected with the incurable Kocubea, or Lazarino, commonly called leprosy, a disease pecu- liar to the West Indies. It commences itf> attack on the toes and fingers, which first become atrophied and distorted, then a small blister appears on their extremities, and joint after joint decays and falls off, until sometimes the whole hand to the wrist and the whole foot to the instep are entirely destroyed. This very curious disease is not considered contagious. The military hospital, which has lately been esta- blished in what was formerly the Royal Factory of Tobacco, is one of the finest in the world, both in regard to size and the neatness of its arrangements. The ward for the treatment of affections of the eyes i\ CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 337 well deserves the attention of the physician. It is about two hundred feet long, forty wide, and twenty high ; nd the light is admitted through panes of green and blue glass, transmitting those hues pecu- liarly grateful to the sight. The whole building covers a large space of ground, and is well worth visiting, to observe the extreme cleanliness and order that pervades every part of it. Its wards are well ventilated, spacious, and comfortable, and the atten- tion that is every where paid reflects great credit upon the character of the Spaniard. It contained, in Jan. 1842, four hundred and eighty patients, and received that year five thousand six hundred and twenty-two. Another charitable institution, named La Cuua (the Cradle), deserves the attention of the traveller. It was founded by the illustrious Valedes, in 1711, at an expens 3 of £4,000, and maintains both the nurses and tl e foundlings. The name of its founder is conferred ( n all infants left without a protector, thus perpetu iting a living monument to his noble charity. The Plaza des Armes deserves a visit from the traveller, to listen to the fine military bands that perform several nights in the week. It is situated in front of the Captain General's mansion, and is laid out in four small parks, enclosed by low iron railings, and is traversed by two wide walks paved with smooth stone, while urother of similar width surrounds the whole, with numerous benches, some %■ 338 A RAMBLTS THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, extending the whole length of the sides, offering to the promenader a most agreeable lounge. A few trees are planted in the parks, so arranged, as not to interrupt the view ; while fountains, pouring out constant streams into their reservoirs, serve the two- fold purpose of watering the garden and cooling the air. It is in this locality that the stranger may see the ladies promenading, but only by the light of the moon or lamps, as they are never seen out of their carriages during the day. The grandest, and by far the most extraordinary sight I ever witnessed, is the lish market of Havannah. Let the reader picture to himself all the various hues and tints he may have beheld in the beautiful tribe of humming birds, let him call to his aid all that he has seen in the well-contrasted and delicate colours of flowers, let imagination present to him those singularly beauti- ful glistening surfaces of various gems and minerals —especially the metals, let him add to the above the exquisite display of colour developed by the prism ; and then, and only then, will he form but a most imperfect conception of these gems of fishes belong- ing to the seas that surround the island of Cuba. ,. A visit to the cathedral of Havannah will well fepay the traveller, for it is there that he will find the last remains of Christopher Columbus. The ashes of the discoverer of the New World are there preserved in a silver urn, enclosed in a leaden chest. History informs us that by his will they were con- / . 'I t CAliADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 339 veyed from the Carthusian convent in Seville, where they had been deposited, to St Domingo, and, with the chains which he had borne from his ungrateful Sovereigns, were deposited in the cathedral of that metropolis. When that island was ceded to France, at the request of the Spaniards they were delivered to them ; and in 1796, one hundred and three years after they had been placed there, they were brought to Havannah. A curious incident occurred to me, when walking through the different parts of the ' cathedral. Some religious ceremony was going on at the time, which I was watching with a good deal of attention, without conforming to its rules, and instead of kneeling, I kept in the erect posture, which so annoyed one of the functionaries then present, that he immediately advanced towards me, and, without any explane.tion whatever, insisted by forcible gestures that it was becoming on the part of a foreigner to go down upon his knees. I could not explain myself, not knowing the language of the country ; and to avoid further misunderstanding, I quietly submitted, and went down on my knees. Englishmen have been shot in Mexico for not at- tending to all the minutiee of the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. I thought of this, and considered that I had been pretty well treated at the Havannah cathedral; although I must confess it was rather against the grain. The Roman Catholic religion is the only one tolerated in Cuba. r ii z 2 340 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, a ^' On examining a table of the temperature of the island for the entire year, I found that the highest degree of heat, according to Farenheit*s thermo- meter, was 92** in the month of August, at mid-day, in the shade ; and the lowest, 65°, at eight in the evening, in the month of December. This will give the reader some idea of the climate of a tropical region, although the thermometer is by no means an indicator of the true value of the amount of heat experienced in this climate as it is felt by an indi- vidual. " The climate of Cuba is one of the finest in the world during the winter and spring ; at which time the rain falls but slightly, and is commonly called the dry season. In the beginning of November, the rains of summer cease, and the regular trade winds from the east set in ; the sun is warm enough to admit of summer clothing, and the nights are so cool, that a woollen coverlid is not unacceptable in bed. In the month of January, it is not an unusual thing to have no rain for the space of two montho, and it is then that the sun performs the part of a frost in a northern clime. The soil becomes dried to a great depth; the trees drop many of their leaves ; and the herbage is parched on the portreros, affording but a scanty supply to the cattle, which then require to be fed on guinea grass and sugar canes, that remain verdant all the year. The heavy dews, that fall almost every night, alone preserve i ♦ » CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 341 ♦ • vegetation from being burnt by the torrid heats. In the month of April, the orange is in its greatest per- fection. The best time to eat them is early in the morning, when they have been rendered cold by the dev s of night. There is considerable truth in the Spanish saying, that " they are gold in the morning, silver at noon, and lead at night." The gardens thrive best during the early part of winter, and many flowers open in that season, the savannahs being all in bloom. In April and May, when the spring has fairly commenced in Charleston, every thing is her J parched. The coffee has, it is true, given several successive crops of flowers, and, like the orange, lemon, aquacati, and other trees, is covered with young fruit ; but the palms still retain their dark green winter dress, and the woods present no new verdure, nor have the portreros become re-car- petted with the lively green of the young grass. June, however, approaches, with its heavy showers and hot suns, and vegetation starts forth with the suddenness of Canadian growth. The trade winds now are less frequent ; and the south-west winds, that during winter produced the feverish feeling of a Sirocco, are now refreshing ; the mornings until ten o'clock are sultry, but the mid-day and evenings are cool. The sun generally rises on a clear sky ; but about nine, clouds form from every quarter of the horizon, and unite into large dark masses, some of which are stationary, while others rise against the i { 342 A RAMBLE THBOUOH THE UNITED STATES, breeze that now blows daily from different points. About two o'clock, the rain descends in torrents, the thunder rolls, and lightnings flash ; and the wind in a single squall changes all round the compass. It often, however, falls perpendicularly, unaccompanied by wind or thunder ; and no idea can be formed of the quantity that in a short time is discharged from those tropical clouds, by the heaviest thunder-storm in our more moderate climate. Between four and five ^ock, the rain ceases, the sky becomes clear, and the evening is ushered in with a gorgeous sun- set, while a delightful freshness is given to the air. At night, it is often necessary to close the windows, so cool does it become. The scorpion now leaves his snug winter quarters in the palm-thatched roof, driven out by the soaking showers, and crawls over the whole cottage of the planter — into his bed, into his shoes, and his clothes. All the butterfly tribe is on the wing, and the nights are illumined by the bright lamps of the coccuUos. This is also the season for the luscious pine, the mellow aquacate, the anona, and the banana; although many of them are found on the trees as late as November*." *^'' '' Cuba is remarkable for not possessing many venomous living reptiles and insects; its scorpion and large spider, resembling the tarantula, are neither of them very painful or dangerous. The * Notes on Cuba. / ( '• • • 11 CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 343 ■A snakes are perfectly harmless ; while the alligators are confined to the lagoons ; and not an animal in any degree ferocious has been found in its forests. Neither are the insects very troublesome. I suffered severely from mosquitos — to such an extent that I despaired of my life ; but this was owing to a certain peculiarity of constitution, not that the bite of the insect was worse in Cuba than elsewhere. A fresh importatiion of mortality is a great treat to these voracious in beets. The mosquitos are confined chiefly to tue low .< ii'ounds. The geeger, an insect about the si^e ot a flea, that burrows beneath the skin and l^ere depositf; its eggs, rarely attacks the feet f those amply provided with shoes and stockings. , v, The vegetation of the island of Cuba cannot fail to strike the attention of every traveller, how- ever unskilled in botany he may happen to be. It is here that he will see an almost entire absence of all those weeds, flowers, shrubs, and trees with which he has been familiar from his infancy ; where l;I>!) umbrageous trees of the temperate zone, its cereal crops and meadows, are changed for the royal palm, the bread fruit tree, the coffee shrub, the sugar-cane, the two latter of which may be termed the agricultural crops of the tropics. It is there that the hot-house, instead of being confined to the narrow limits of a few feet of glass in height, width, and length, stands out of doors and extends over 344 A RAMBLE tHBOUQH THE UNItED STATES, imwersal nature, with the glorious canopy of heavdn for its roof and superstructure, and the great earth on which we tread for its floor and foundation, with the majestic sun in the centre, pervading all nature with his sublime and glorious showers of light and heat, spreading joy and vitality to the animal king* dom, heat and life to the vegetable world, painting the hills, the valleys, the heavens, and the plains with all those beautiful tints of colour, perfuming the air with those strongly scented and delightful aromatic odours which are only found, seen, and enjoyed under the powerful blaze of a tropical sun. The first object in the vegetable world that will necessarily attract the attention of the botanist is, the noble palm tree, Oveodoxia Regia, fifty to seventy feet in height, called also the Queen of the Forest. It is one of the most valuable trees on the island, and one of the most beautiful of tropical latitudes. Its fiowers furnish honey for the bee, its seeds ex- cellent food for animals, while its leaves and trunk are made use of in building the cottage of the native. It ends in a perfectly green top, six feet long, composed of the footstalks of the leaves, and encloses the embryo foliage, which, when boiled, is more delicious than the cabbage of our gardens. There are many other species of palms in the island, much inferior to it in size and beauty. Another remarkable tree, Erivdendron anfrac- tuosum, a cotton tree, may be justly included among CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 845 t the great curiosities of tropical vegetation. This majestic giant of the forest rises to a height of sixty feet without a branch, where it throws out immense horizontal arms of massive timber, whose extremities only are divided into twigs, which, covered with foliage, forms aD umbrella-shaped canopy over the whole. Its large arms, although free from twigs and leaves, except at their extremities, are ornamented with a great number and variety of parasites, some erect and ascending on the upper- most surfiice of the branches ; other species in bunches of strings hang pendant, or in fan-like shapes spread close to the parent tree ; while some, with hairy coats like long creeping insects, cling to the sides and under surfrices of the branches. This monarch of the forest supported in his arms and trunk such an extensive family of parasites of every shape and form, many of their flowers so beautifril and various, that one might have supposed that a floricultural fete was about to take place on his colossal trunk and branches, whose dimensions were so enormous, especially in width united to the numerous parasites, that they and the old father tree alone might be compared to a little vegetable kingdom. There is another very remarkable tree which cannot fetil to be noticed by every traveller, and that must attract the particular attention of the botanist — the Ficus Indica. It commences its growth as a parasite, by sending down a small band 346 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, from the topmost branches of the great cotton tree, which, as it descends to the earth, divides into numerous threads, each taking root. When these branches have attained a sufi&cient thickness, al- though at a distance of several yards from the trunk of the cotton tree, it sends off a great many side- suckers, or roots, at a considerable height from the ground, all pointing towards the parent cotton tree from whence they originally sprang. These suckers ultimately reach the trunk, encircle it on all sides, and, increasing in strength and size, entirely destroy the cotton tree. Such is the power of a parasite in tropical regions. A visit to a coffee plantation wUl amply repay the traveller for the time passed in such a delightful locality ; where he will find from two to three hundred acres of ground divided into squares planted with evenly-pruned shrubs, intersected with broad walks of palms, oranges, mangoes, and many other beautiful trees ; the intervals between which are filled up with lemons, pomegranates, tube roses, lilies, and various other gay and sweet-smelling flowers, with additional ornaments of guinea grass and the pine apple, contrasting sweetly with the other plants, as well as the well-cleansed soil of a reddish hue. The coffee shrub, when pruned and trained for proper bearing, does not exceed the height of four or five feet, although its natural dimension would attain to fifteen. Nothing can IK CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. S4V exceed the beautiful appearance of a coffee planta- tion when in full flower, the appearance of whose bloom may be compare^ to flakes of snow by the side of the fringe-like blossoms of the rose apple, the red flower of the pomegranate, the young pine apple with blue flowers, and the pinon, which, when in bloom, covers the whole tree with a flaming coat, the flower of the Urio painted yellow and re^, and many other plants, altogether forming a truly tro- pical scene, and one that cannot be seen to perfec- tion in that artificial place, the hot-house. *^ And when some of the flowers have given place to the ripened fruit; and the golden orange, the yellow mangoe, the lime, the lemon, the luscious cocoa-nuts and sugared zapote, the mellow alligator pear, the custard apple, and the rose apple, giving to the pcdate the flavour of otto of roses ; when all these hang on the trees in oppressive abundance, and the ground is covered with the over-ripe, the owner of a coffee estate might safely challenge the world for a fairer garden. Nor must this be thought the ap- pearance it presents for only a short peric ^ The .coffee has si scessive crops of blossoms five nx times in the winter and spring ; and on the orange, the ripe fruit, and the blossom, and the young green fruit, are often seen at the same time ; while several of the shrubs and plants bloom nearly all the year*." vo in -#tjrjf ,* Notes on Cuba. «^* rr d48 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, I shall COD elude this chapter with a brief ac- couDt of the Slave in Cuba. ' When I first landed, I was much struck with the well-proportioned limbs of many of these sons of Africa, whose blackness and brightness, in some cases, almost resembled ebony, and whose symmetry might entitle them very frequently to the appella- tion of ApoUos. ** When fresh from Africa, and before they have been submitted to the training of the white man, they are frequently bold and stub- bom, if injudiciously treated ; and, having been in their country at the head of the war-like tribes, if already arrived at manhood when brought from the coast, are much disposed to resist undue oppression from their masters. They are very prone to commit suicide, believing, with all Africans, that after death they become retransported to their native country. The Spaniard has not the same antipathy to them as the Americans have ; for a few of the wealthiest and most intelligent, in some parts of the island, mingle in the higher society. These are, however, only that class in whose veins there is a strong admixture of white blood; the swarthy are totally excluded. They are all permitted to enjoy the advantages of education ; but intermarriage between the white and coloured races is interdicted by law, by which they are also excluded from the learned professions. This obstacle is sometimes removed by having the chil- dren christened as white by the priest, or by procur- #• i\ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 349 ing witnesses to give oath to their white extraction, and the fraud is winked at. The greater portion of this class has procured its freedom by purchase, and is consequently more intelligent and irdustrious than that remaining in slavery. " The importation of them is carried on to this day," continues the author of Notes on Cubal'^ ; " but feebly checked by the efforts of Europe and the United States to stop the trade." From the number introduced into this island, during the three winters I spent there, it is probable that nearly two thousand are annually im- ported. In 1841 , three hundred were openly carried on the deck of a steam-boat from Havannah to Matanzas. Their owner, an Italiafi, was my fellow- passenger, and I learned that he had made eight hundred thousand dollars by the trade, and intended to continue it until he accumulated a million. In the spring of 1843, two thousand were congregated in and near Havannah for sale, or had been sold at its mans; and much anxiety was felt by the slaves, lest the English should notice it. These had been imported within a few months. The whole island is in f t,vour of continuing the trade; and conse- quently no one interferes. It is related of the ex- British Consul, Mr. Tumbull, that, having dis- covered a thousand of the Negroes exposed in the * A work piil'^'^bed in 1844. 350 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, Havannah market to have been- just impoited, be hastened to tke C'epcain General (the Governor) with the sews, «\6Fifrmiri^ tliat be knew also the owners and the v^issti that bi'^mvHt them. The latter, witb feigE ^ci smj^rif^u HnM .:hc 2aws should thus open!? be b.Tuken in the very capital, ordered a com- pcjuy ot iiorse to attend Mr. TumbuU to the spot, and rapture boih tb^ s- ive^ and the owners. On iho way thither, the commanding officer became suddenly mdisposei^, and, getting rapidly worse, was compelled to stop at his house, where several physicians were soon in attendance on him, and his case woB pronounced to be very dangerous. In about three hours, however, he was sufficiently relieved to accompany the Consul in a volante, at the head of his troop ; but, when they reached the mart, only a few ladinos* were found there. The next day, a bill of two thousand doubloons was sent by the owners of the slaves ; one half as hush-money for the Captain Gfeneral, and the other half a re- muneration for the physicking the officer of the troop had undergone on their behalf. During which a timely notice had caused them to remove all the bozalesf from the mart This anecdote, for the truth of which I do not vouch, was circulated in 1841, and is related to show the feelings of \the people on the subject. ^. BiV i: Uiat had been on the island for sc e yean, t ^'a aewly imported. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 351 After a delightful residence of three weeks in Havannah, which will ever he recalled as one of the most happy and agreeable intervals of time I ever passed, I got on board one of the fine West India steamers that navigate those seas, boun^ for the island of Jamaica. Havannah, viewed in connexion with the splendid tropical vegetation it possesses and the fine island on which it stands, possessing an alluvial soil of unbounded richness, its motley groups of individuals to be seen in its streets, presenting a scene of the most interesting and agreeable variety, with its opera, theatre, promenade, and fine military bands, with its peculiar and massive architecture, may, viewed collectively, tak« a rank with the minor metropolitan towns of Europe. 352 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, CHAPTER XV. •0 II During a few weeks' residence at Kingston, in the island of Jamaica, I ceased taking further notes, except a few brief ones upon the trees that I came across in the island, or heard of, as either natives of it or introduced from other parts, whilst making an excursion to the Blue Mountain Peak. The Blue Mountain Peak, in the island of Jamaica, is situated in the county of Surrey, and has an elevation of eight thousand feet. From the town of Kingston to the peak is thirty-four miles. In the commencement of this excursion, I was gratified by having a ride between an avenue of cacti, or cactuses, from twenty-five to thirty feet in height, interspersed with numerous other trees, such as the cotton tree (previously described in the island of Cuba), Tamarind tree. Lignum y^^ a^ red, M\i CANADA, AND THE WIST INDIES. 853 w bright birch, &c. At another locality, I fell in with the star apple, the cocus, and a forest of ebony, and the logwood ; and, at Cocoa- walk, with a sugar estate. At Windsor Forest, T had an opportunity of examin- ing the mahogany tree ; and at Epping Farm, which has an elevation of 3,500 feet above the common level where coffee is cultivated, I observed the cabbage palm, the tiger plantain, the cocoa, bread- fruit tree, royal palm, hog plum, cedar, Santa Maria, bullet tree, prune, and an apple tree, in the garden. This latter, of course, was transplanted from the temperate zone. The apple tree is only found in certain localities, where the soil and temperature are best suitable for its growth. The climate of Jamaica produces an effect upon the apple tree unknown to us in England ; viz. that of being in bud, flower, and fruit, at the ^ time. I frirther observed at this part the castor oil, locust, the rose apple, pome- granate, bamboo, and wild cane, and lime") and oranges, which bear fruit the entire year ; the . si- flora, lace bark, iron wood, soap*berry tret, whose leaves are used for washing and the berries for a necklace, and the blackberry. At Cocoa- V at an elevation not much above the common level, i came in contact with a Scotch ploughman, who informed me that he had been on the island twelve years, and in the enjoyment of good health. He related to me the story of his cow being sun struck. AA 354 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, At Windsor Forest, another sugar estate, the carriage-road ceases, and the steep and dangerous mountain passes commence, along which I had many narrow escapes from being precipitated head- long into the steep declivities beneath. I had had some previous experience in ascending mountains ; i.i! making excursions to the summits of Snowdon, in Wales ; Mount Vesuvius ; Skiddaw, in Cumber- land ; Ben Mac Dhui, in Scotland ; the Col de balm, in Switzerland ; and from extensive travelling in the mountain ranges of Norway, which contributed not a little to give me a sure foot, united to that confi- dence in self so essential to carry the traveller over the many difficulties and dangers of the mountain pass, and withr \t which both his head and his feet would serve him ineffectual! and pos^ biy be the means of sending him headlong to destruction into the valleys below. At Epping Farm, at about twenty-*^!^ miles from Kingston, and eight from the summit the Blue Mountain Peak, we passed the night under the very hospitable roof of Mr. Parker, where we had an excellent opportunity of seeing a coffee plantation, and learning many interesting particulars connected with the growth and culture of that most valuable shrub. The next day we proceeded to Farm Hill, the property of Mr. Pearce, of Southampton, whose son at that time resided there, and whose occu- pation consisted in the cultivation of the coffee -* '2?. CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 355 '\ shrub. I observed the following vegetation at Farm Hill, at an elevation of 4,223 feet ; viz. the Jack fruit, castor oil, mango, lignum vitce, Indian com, banana, and plantain, turnips, radishes, potatoes, cherry tree, forbidden fruit, cedar tree, fig tree, mountain guava, &c. From Farm Hill we pro- ceeded to Abbey Qreen, the property of Dr. M'Feyden, the last and highest cultivated ground in the Blue Mountain district. Here it was neces- sary to walk ; we consequently dismounted our horses and commenced the harder, but more secure method of ascent, accompanied by blacks laden with provisions, well provided with cutlasses, guns, dogs, and horses, and a tarpauling for our house, when we arrived at the summit. We afterwards ascended to Fortland^ap, at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, where we had a most magnificent view of the north and south boundaries of the island ; then to Jacob's Ladder, where we fell in with great numbers of yacca trees; afterwards to the Blue Mountain ridge, where we had, again, most pictu- resque and bird's-eye views of the island, extending even to the sea ; after which, a sudden descent took us into a locality named the Hog Ponds, where we found excellent water, with which we refreshed our- selves for a quarter of an hour. Here we were about half way between Portland-gap and the summit ; and, after being sufficiently refreshed and strengthened, by eating, drinking, smoking, and AA 2 s \ d5ft A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, talking, we recommenced the most formidable part of our day's journey, by attacking the steep ascent, which ultimately conducted us to the celebrated and much talked of Blue Mountain Peak, where we encamped for the night, and had the immense satisfaction, next morning, of seeing the sun rise out of the sea, shedding his glorious rays of light and heat on the Blue Mountain Peak, the island of Jamaica, and the ocean that lay asleep below the picturesque island, diversified and ornamented with all the wonderful productions of the tropics. One of our party amused me much with some of the characteristics of the island of Jamaica, by stating that they had had oysters on the mangrove trees, that cold brandy and water soon became hot, that the hens and chickens chased the mice, and that fox-hunting consisted in rubbing a dead pig with aniseed to give it such an odour that, when trailed over a certain district, the hounds would pursue it as readily as a fox. The thermometer was down at 42 degrees of Fahrenheit, at the top of the Blue Mountain Peak. Tuesday, the 34th of March, I left Kingstown, Jamaica, for London ; calling at Jacmel, to land the mail ; at Porto Rico, St. Thomas's, and the Azores. On the Friday following, at noon, we landed the mail at Jacmel, in the island of St. Domingo or Hayti. On the Sunday following, we went ashore for a few hours, at the island of Porto Rico, where I CANADA, AND THB VLf i INDIES. 357 I was much struck with the richness of its soil, and the commercial activity that was apparently carried on. A.t six o'clock, the same day, we arrived at St. Thomas's. We remained a day at St. Thomas's, where I heard both French and English spoken, and learnt, also, that the town contained a popu- lation of 10,000, and the island 4,000 more. St Thomas's is a slave-holding island. Many slaves have run away to the island of Tortola, and have not unfrequently stolen boats to land them and gain their freedom. At the island of St. John's, near Tortola, belonging to the Danes, the slaves, to gain their liberty, place themselves upon doors, instead of boats, and so paddle themselves over to Tortola ; running <*11 the risk of a watery grave, while skim- ming the ocean on such a fragile and uncertain apparatus as that of a door at sea. Such is the value and love of liberty, even to the black, bom, bred, and educated in its heaviest chains. On Tuesday, the 30th of March, we quitted the island of St. Thomas, after a day of very agreeable sojourn. I have always been unfortunate, when at sea, in meeting with many tremendous gales of wind, and experiencing many of the changes dependent upon life on the ocean ; and, although I have never been shipwrecked, still I have experienced the hardest weather, when I have seen the canvass flying to pieces like wet paper. Upon this occasion I came in for my share, as the sequel will show. -'// 358 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, From St. Thomas's to the Azores, we encountered heavy winds, which were chiefly a-head. On. Saturday, April the 4th, with a pretty good breeze, all the tea things suddenly shifted from one side of the table to the other, to the great surprise of those partaking of the repast. At this time we began to experience such a change in the temperature that cloth, instead of linen, was worn with great comfort, and the weight and warmth of a blanket could be borne at night. On the 6th, during a gale of wind, a sea struck the Severn with such violence as to break a glass out of the scuttle fin, and demolished, at the same time, the greater part of the breakfast crockery near to the round house, to the great mortification of the steward. On the following morning, the gale continuing as strong as ever, the Severn rolled in such a manner, when in my berth, just before the servant came to fetch my shoes, that I said to him, " what was the old Severn going to do a few minutes ago % " The boy answered, " I thought she was a going to roll us all overboard. Sir ; " and su' h was my apprehension too ; however, we luckily kept from being thrown on our beam ends. The next day wr experienced no abatement of the gale, while a mountainous sea was knocking us about ; we had a famous roll upon one occasion, which, at a single stroke, moved every thing, capable of shifting its position, from one end of the steamer to the other. Shortly after, the captain ordered a gib sail to be set. \\ - I- I'.' / 1)W-; 0': CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 359 which had not been done more than a minute before it snapped in two, as if it had been composed of barley-sugar. To day, Saturday 11th, in the evening, the wind lulled for a short time, having blown hard since the previous Monday ; but, at two the next morning, broke out into a hard gale from the north- west, and shattered to rags the fore-top-mast stay-sail, and continued blowing until dinner-time without any abatement. We were now approaching the Azores, a latitude well known to mariners for its fearful and destructive gales of wind ; it was during that time of the year that equinoctial gales prevail, and of which we had more than our share. Sunday, 12th of April at 11 A.M. the gale of the previous day had slightly moderated, for a short time, only to break out into one of the hardest squalls I ever saw at sea. I was standing near to the helm, talking to a naval captain, who was one of our passengers, with several others, when the squall was raging in all its wild fury, turning each sea behind us (for we were running before the wind) over, in the shape of a fall, in which I beheld that singular hue in it, precisely similar to the aqua marina, with a shower of foam and froth, driven by the wind so as to resemble a snow-storm. In the middle of this gale, I heard the captain give an order which was not obeyed at the required instant; upon which, with a countenance full of determiixation and anxiety, he rtn and performed the act himself, at the same time anathematizing ^ » 360 A RAMBLE THRODOH THE UNITED STATES, the sailor for his want of promptitude, in a very loud and enraged voice. I knew something was dreadfully wrong, and even anticipated going to the bottom every instant, from the fearful seas which were threatening to overwhelm us. I stood by the side of the naval captain passenger, whose counte- nance told me enough, without asking any questions. We, however, survived. On our landing at Southampton, I ascertained that daring that fearful gale the ship's helm did not answer for the space of three minutes, every moment of which was quite sufficient to have sent us all headlong into the infuriated waves of the Atlantic. In a few hours after this, we suddenly sighted the Azores, the weather being foggy, and the first land that I saw was the Peak (altitude, 7,000 to 8,000 feet), high up in the heaveus, in the island of Pico. We landed at Fayal, wheio there had been no com- munication with the neighbouring island of Pico for a whole month, in consequence of the many severe gales of wind which at that time prevailed. The Azores, or Western Isles, are nine in num- bor ; namely, St. Miguel, Santa Maria, Terceira, St. George, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico, Flores, and Corvo ; situated in the middle of the Atlantic, about 1,500 miles from the coast of America, and perhaps 1,000 miles distant from Africa and Europe. As we only remamed at Fayal for a few hours, to my great regret, I had no means of gathering information \\ / ■l 1 CANADA, AMD THE WEST INDIES. 361 respecting these lovely and interesting islands, ex- cepting from a book belonging to the Captain, some passages of which I shall here transcribe, trusting that the reader may feel as interested in the details therein contained as I felt myself at the time that I was a beholder of the many charming scenes which I beheld when a transient visitor to the Azores. The land is generally high, the coast steep and rocky. These islands are said to have been dis- covered, about the middle of the fifteenth century, by Joshua Vanderberg, of Bruges, in Flanders ; who, in a voyage to Lisbon, was driven to them by stress of weather. At Lisbon he boasted of his discovery ; on which the Portuguese, in that spirit of enterprize so strongly manifested by them at this period, set sail and took possession of them, calling them Azores, or Isle of Hawks, from the many hawks and falcons found amongst them. It appears they were entirely destitute of in- habitants, and of every animal, excepting birds ; the latter were numerous and of various species. Antonio Gonzalo says that the great Don Heury, Prince of Portugal, considered these isles so valuable an acquisition, that he went in person to take pos- session in 1449 ; this was fourteen years before Columbus landed in America. And it has been affirmed that the Flemish merchants, on the part of their countrymen, sent a colony thither, many of whose descendants continue in Fayal to this day. 362 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, Hence the isles have been also called Flamingos, or Flemish Isles. The capital of the Azores is Angra, in Terceira, the residence of the civil Governor; and the general residence of the Bishop is in the island of St. Michael. The inhabitants have gene- rally been described as an innocent, good, honest people, who prefer the olive to the laurel, and who would seek for distinction rather by industry than by arms. The climate is delightful, the air gene- rally clear and serene ; the soil so prolific, that both European and tropical plants arrive at the greatest perfection ; the face of the earth, however, is so diversified, as in some places to exhibit within a small extent volcanic hills and its productions, gardens of aromatic plants, pastures, vineyards, orangeries, &c. The greatest inconvenience to these isles is their having been subject to eruptions and earthquakes ; and in some parts, where the coasts are low, the sea has at times overflowed the land and occasioned considerable mischief. Yet, in the cultivated parts, the lava, once a stream of fire» is planted with oranges, lemons, vines ; and th.e land formed from the decomposition of volcanic sub- stances is sown with Indian corn, small beans, and wheat. The islands still abound in waste lands, fit for the cultivation of hemp, vine, &c. Being gene- rally mountainous, they may be descried from a considerable distance ; particularly the Peak, on the island of Pico, which is seen at a distance of ■m'7- I f ■jy'f J CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 363 ■W - ,' =4? 1 sixty miles. Daring the winter, storms, with much wind and sea, dark and rainy weather, from north to west and south, prevail. '- The Inhabitants of St. Michael's and other islands were formerly compelled by law to confine their trade to the port of Lisbon ; but latterly they have been allowed a wider range, and maintain a considerable commerce, not only with Lisbon, but with England, Russia, "^nd America, &c. From England they are entirely supplied with woollens, hardware, earthen- ware, and various other necessaries; sending in exchange about seventy vessels annually with fruit. To Portugal are sent corn, pulse, poultry, cattle, and vegetables ; which are paid for in returns of tobacco, sugar, coffee, trinkets, dispensations, indulgences, images of saints, reliques, &c. From America they receive boaids, staves, lumber, rice, fish, pitch, tar, iron — in pots and bars, — and a variety of Indian goods ; which are paid for in exchange by wines. The intercourse with Russia is similar to that with America, but on a more contracted scale. There exists also a ready-money trade with vessels which make the island for refreshment, the crews of which are furnished with cattle and provisions equal to the English, and to any in the world besides, and also with wine, pleasant and peculiarly suited to the health of seamen. The following description of the rise and fall of a volcano is so perfectly graphic, that I trust it may 864 A HAMBLE THROUOU THE UNITED STATES, not be found uninteresting to the reader, especially as the occurrence is comparatively recent, as there are now many persons alive on the islands who must have witnessed it. On the 1st of May, 1808, a dreadful volcano, seen from Fayal, burst out above the centre of the island, in the midst of fertile pastures, about three leagues south east of Vellas. On the 3rd, a crater was formed, in size about twenty-four acres. In two days it had thrown out cinders, or small pumice stones, which a strong north-east wind had propelled southerly, and which, independent of the mass accumulated round the crater, had covered the earth from one to four feet ' in depth, half a league in width, and three leagues in length ; then passing the channel, had done some injury to the eastern end of Pico. The size of this large crater had nearly subsided on the 3rd of May ; but, in the preceding evening, another small crater had opened, one league to the northward of the large one, and only two leagues from Vellas. The sulphureous smoke of the new crater rendered im- practicable an approach to the larger one. Within a mile of the crater, the earth was rent in every direction. The Fredonian Consul at Fayal, who with some friends visited this place, stated that they at length arrived within two hundred yards of the spot, and saw it in the middle of a pasture distinctly at intervals, when the thick smoke which swept the earth lighted up a little. The mouth of it was only ) . , i • ;"••'** ).-■ i CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 365 about fifty yards in circumference ; the fire seemed struggling for vent ; the form with which a pale blue flame issued resembled apowerfiil steam engine multiplied one hundred fold ; the noise was deafen- ing, the earth where they stood had a tremulous motion. The whole island seemed covulsed; hollow bellowings were occasionally heard from the bowels of the earth ; and earthquakes were frequent. After remaining here for ten minutes, we re- turned to town ; the inhabitants had mostly quitted their houses and removed into the open air, under tents. We passed the night at Vellas, and next morning went by water to Ursulum — a small sea- port town, two leagues south of Vellas, and viewed that part of the country covered with cinders before- mentioned, and which had changed the most valu- able vineyards in the island into a frightful desert On the same day. May the 4th, the party re- turned to Fayal ; and on the 5th and succeeding days, from the 12th to the 15th, small volcanoes broke out in the fields they had traversed on the Srd, from the chasms above, descended and threw out a quantity of lava, which travelled on slowly towards Vellas. The fire of the small crater subsided, and the lava ceased running about the middle of May ; on which day, the large volcanoes, which had been dormant for nine days, burst out again like a roaring lion, with horrid belchings, distinctly heard at ten leagues distant, throwing up prodigiously large stones 366 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES, with an immense quantity of lava, illuminating at night the whole island. This continued witli tre- mendous force until the 5th of June, exhibiting the awful, but yet magnificent, spectacle of a perfect river of fire, distinctly seen from Fayal running into the sea. On that day, the 5th, its form began to fail ; in a few days after, it ceased entirely. The elevation of the crater above the sea was 3,500 feet. The lava inundated and swept away the town of Ursulum, and country-houses and cottages adjacent, as well as the farm-houses throughout its course. It, as usual, gave timely notice of its approach, and most of the inhabitants fled ; some few, however, remaining too long, endeavouring to save their effects, were scalded by flashes of steam, which, without injuring their clothes, took off not only their skin, but the flesh. About sixty persons were thus miserablv scalded, some of whom died on the spot or in a few days, and numbers of cattle shared the same fate. The consternation and anxiety were so great amongst the people, that even their domestic concerns were abandoned ; and, amidst plenty, they were in danger of starving. Supplies of ready-baked bread were sent from Fayal to their relief; and large boats, to bring away the inhabitants who had lost their dwellings. In short, the island, heretofore rich in cattle, com, and wine, was nearly ruined ; and a scene of greater desolation and distress had seldom been witnessed in any country. \\ 7 ^' CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 367 Another account has been given of a volcano that broke out near to St. Michael's. In the early part of the year 1811, a most awful explosion of moke and flame issued from the sea, at the dis- tance of half a league from the shore, at the western end of the island. From the depth of about forty fathoms in the ocean, issued smoke, fire, cinders, ashes, and stones of an immense size. Innumerable quantities of fish, some nearly roasted, and others as if boiled, floated on the surface of the sea to- wards the shore. Thus a dangerous shoal gradually formed. On the 10th of June, the crew of the " Sabina" British sloop of war observed two columns of white smoke arising from the sea, which they supposed to arise trom a^ engagement, and made sail towards it ; but were disappointed by the wind dying away. The smoke continued to ascend with volumes of flame, and they then concluded it was a volcano. Next day, they were close in with the land of St. Michael's, and found the volcano still raging. They learned, on the island, that smoke was first discovered on the 13th of June ; twelve or thir- teen days previous to which, there had been felt re- peated shocks of an earthquake in the capital of St. Michael's, which threw down several cottages and portions of the cliff towards the North-West, so that the destruction of the island was feared; but these ceased as soon as the volcano broke out. On the 18th, the " Sabina" went as near as she 868 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE TNITSD STATES, could wit^ salfety to the island, and found it still raging t« iui unabated violence, throwing out from under the water large stones, cinders, ashes, &c. ac- companied with several severe concussions. About noon on the same day, they observed the mouth of the crater just showing itself above the surface of the sea, where there were formerly forty fathoms of water. At three f. m. the same day, it was about 3 feet above the sur&ce of the water, and about a furlong in length. On the 1 9th, they were within five or six miles of the volcano, and found it about 50 feei in beight, and two-thirds of a mile in length ; still raging as before, and throwing up large quan- tities of stones, some of which fell a mile distant from the volcano. The smoke drew up several watcr-spouts, which, spreading in the air, fell in heavy rain, accompanied with vast quantities of fire ; and black sand, thiat completely covered the deck of the ** Sabina,** at a distance of three or four miles. On the 20th, they proceeded on a cruise, leaving the volcano about 150 feet high, and still raging as for- merly, and still continuing to increase in size. On the 4th of July, they again visited it, and found that a complete islanu was formed, and perfectly quiet. The captain and several officers landed upon it, and found i^ very steep ; and its height from 200 to 300 feet. It was with difficulty they were able to reach the top, which they at last effected in a quarter where there was a gentle declivity; but the ground, w t i^ CANADA, AND THE WEST INDIES. 369 h or rather the ashes, composed of sulphureous matter, Iross of iron, &c. was so very hot to the feet that they were obliged to return. They, however, took possession of the island, in the name of his Britannic 'fujesty, and left an English uni .' .^<\ck flying upon it. The form was nearly cirriuar, liid the circum- ierence at that time about a mile. In the middle was a large basin of boiling water; whence a stream, of about six yards across, ran into the sea, on the side facing St. Michael's ; and, at a distance of fifty yards from the island, the water, although thirty fathoms deep, was too hot to hold the hand in. In short, the whole isle appeared as a crater ; the cliff on the outside as walls, steep within and without ; the basin of boiling water being the mouth, from which the smoke issued. On the 17th of June, Captain Tellard, of the " Sabina," accompanied oy Mr. Reid, the British Consul, with two other gen- tlemen, proceeded overland to the cliff nearest to the volcano; and which was between 300 and 400 feet above the level of the sea. The first appear- ance it presented was that of an immense body of smoke revolving in the sea, almost horizontally, in varied involutions ; when suddenly would shoot up a column of the blackest cinders, ashes, and stones, in a spiral form, and rising to windward at an angle of 10 to 20 degrees from a perpendicular line. This was rapidly succeeded by a second, third, and fourth ; each having greater velocity, and over- I) li > IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ^ 1.0 lti|Z8 |2.5 |5o ~^~ M^H K4 ^ |2.2 1.1 f.-^isa IE ||L25 1 1.4 1.6 1 ^ 6" ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 873-4503 370 A RAMBLE THROUGH THE UNITED STATES. topping the preceding one, till they had attained an altitude as much above the level of the eye on the cliff as the sea was below it. The columns of ashes, &c. at their greatest height, formed into branches resembling magnifi- cent pines ; and as they fell, mixing with the fes- toons of lehite feathery smoke, at one time assumed the appearance of black and white vast plumes of ostrich feathers ; at another, that of light waving branches of weeping willows. These bursts were accompanied with explosions of the most vivid lightning, with a noise like the perpetual firing of canon and musketry intermixed ; and, as the cloud of smoke rolled off to leeward, it drew up the water-spouts abo\ a mentioned, which formed a beautiful and striking addition to the scene. Sub- sequently, the isle fell by degrees into the sea, and, in the middle of October, no part was left above the water ; but a dangerous shoal remained in the place which it had occupied. In February, 1812, smoke was discovered still issuing out of the sea near the spot. w I THE END. HOPE AND 00. GREAT HARLBOROUGH STREET. IPI^W t f f ^ ■■ - • ■ ■'■■.■'■■ dan I the atest _ • ' " -;■■ 'nifi- \ fee- / ( ■ " . " , med ; ■ s of f ■ (ring 1 vere ivid ring \\ ■ ( the up id a i 1 »> J,,. . lub- md, ^ the - ace oke the ^ « 1 ■ * ir ^^^j^^^^^^^itjoi^^^^ i^i^^