Produced by Louise Hope, Chris Curnow and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive)







[This e-text comes in three forms: Unicode (UTF-8), Latin-1 and ASCII.
Use the one that works best on your text reader.

  --If “œ” displays as a single character, and apostrophes and
  quotation marks are “curly” or angled, you have the UTF-8 version
  (best). If any part of this paragraph displays as garbage, try
  changing your text reader’s “character set” or “file encoding”.
  If that doesn’t work, proceed to:
  --In the Latin-1 version, “œ” is two letters, but French words like
  “étude” have accents and “æ” is a single letter. Apostrophes and
  quotation marks will be straight (“typewriter” form). Again, if you
  see any garbage in this paragraph and can’t get it to display
  properly, use:
  --The ASCII-7 or rock-bottom version. All necessary text will still
  be there; it just won’t be as pretty.

Footnotes are numbered continuously within each volume. Bracketed
paragraphs are in the original.

Typographical errors and anomalies-- whether corrected or not-- are
listed at the end of the e-text.]


       *       *       *       *       *
           *       *       *       *
       *       *       *       *       *


                    TRAVELS

                    through
                 NORTH AMERICA,

                   during the
              YEARS 1825 AND 1826.

                   *   *   *

                By His Highness,
    BERNHARD, DUKE OF SAXE-WEIMAR EISENACH.

                   *   *   *

                IN TWO VOLUMES.

                   *   *   *

                    VOL. I.

                   *   *   *

                 PHILADELPHIA:
      CAREY, LEA & CAREY--CHESNUT STREET.
      Sold in New York by G. & C. Carvill.

                   *   *   *

                     1828.




EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, to wit:

Be it remembered, that on the seventh day of October, in the fifty-third
year of the independence of the United States of America, A. D. 1828,
Carey, Lea and Carey of the said district, have deposited in this office
the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as Proprietors, in the
words following, to wit:

“Travels through North America, during the years 1825 and 1826. By his
highness, Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach. In two volumes.”

In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States,
entituled, “An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the
copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of
such copies, during the times therein mentioned.” And also to the act,
entitled, “An act supplementary to an act, entitled, ‘An act for the
encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and
books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times
therein mentioned,’ and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of
designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints.”

  D. CALDWELL,
  Clerk of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

  Skerrett--Ninth Street,
  Philadelphia.




PREFACE.


The following journal was by no means originally designed for
publication. I wrote it during my travels, partly to recall past
incidents at a future period, partly to give, with more ease and
certainty, information to my much-honoured parents, my relatives, and
friends, on any subject, upon which inquiry might be made. After my
return, the book was read by several, for whose perusal it had not been
altogether intended. Many judicious persons imagined that it would be of
interest to a larger number of readers, and variously and repeatedly
requested its publication, in order to give it a more extensive
circulation. As I could not easily withstand these solicitations, and
besides met with an experienced and worthy person, Counsellor Luden,
to whom, as editor, I might without hesitation entrust the whole
manuscript, I yielded; whether with propriety or not, I cannot tell.

As to the voyage itself, I have nothing to say, either with regard to
its cause or design. The idea of visiting America, occupied me, almost
from my earliest years. Why this idea arose, or why it continued in my
mind, is not a matter of much moment. The chief reason was, I wished to
see the new world; the country; the people; their conditions and
institutions; their customs and manners. The more I became acquainted
with the old world, the more my desire to see the new increased.

The state and relations of the European countries, however, and the
duties by which I deem myself bound, as a military man, to the country,
to which I had dedicated my services, precluded the hope of an early
accomplishment of my design. Still I made the necessary preparations as
far as my situation and circumstances allowed, so that the voyage might
not be made at a future time without some advantage. At last Europe
appeared to have attained a degree of tranquillity which would permit an
absence of a year or eighteen months, without a fear on my part that I
should fail in any of my engagements. His majesty, the King of the
Netherlands, whom I have the honour to serve, not only allowed me the
requisite time, but also granted me a passage in the Pallas, a royal
sloop of war, commanded by Captain-Lieutenant Ryk, a gallant,
highly-esteemed, and experienced seaman.

Under which order of travellers I am to be ranked, according to poor
Yorick’s classification, is submitted to the decision of the kind
reader.

  BERNHARD,
  _Duke of Saxe-Weimar_.

Ghent, May 20, 1827.




TRAVELS, &c.




CHAPTER I.

  _Departure from Ghent.-- Sojourn at Hellevoetsluis.-- Arrival at
    Spithead._


On the 4th of April, 1825, I set out from Ghent for Antwerp. This
ancient and noble city is in every point of view interesting; to the
admirers of the fine arts, on account of the unique treasures she
possesses; to the military observer for her long defence against the
army of the Duke of Parma, and for her military and maritime importance
obtained in modern times through him who long guided the destiny of
Europe; and to the philanthropist, who derives satisfaction from the
increasing prosperity of mankind, for numerous reasons. Long the victim
of politics and the jealousy of her neighbours, which kept the mighty
Scheld, the harbour of Antwerp, blockaded, she now powerfully lifts her
head above her rivals, and her commerce, nearly as flourishing as under
the Hanseatic league, is annually becoming more extensive, thanks to the
foresight of the wise prince whom Providence has placed at the head of
our country’s government.

A government yacht received us at Antwerp, and with a fair wind and most
delightful spring weather, conveyed us, by the evening of the 6th of
April, to the road of Hellevoetsluis, where the corvette Pallas was
lying at anchor, which had orders to sail on the following day. The
first part of the voyage to Hellevoetsluis is down the Scheld; the
beautiful steeple of the cathedral of Antwerp long remains in sight; the
forts on both shores attract the attention of military men, and perhaps
remind them of the remains of the great bridge between forts St. Mary
and St. Philip, by which Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, crossed the
stream and forced the city to surrender.

At an hour’s sail below Antwerp, the Scheld forms a large basin, and
divides into two arms the East and West Scheld, which are separated by
the island of _Zuid-Beveland_. The West Scheld is the deepest, and flows
into the North Sea: we sailed on the eastern branch to the place of our
destination.

A century ago South Beveland was well cultivated, and contained a town
and numerous villages: it was swallowed up by the water, and still
remains overflowed. It may be reserved for the creative spirit peculiar
to our existing government and its illustrious chief, to give employment
to the plough of the industrious farmer on the spot where at present the
poor fisherman protracts a wretched existence.

We afterwards left the East Scheld, and sailed past several well
cultivated islands, protected against the violence of the stormy waves
by artificial dams. We entered upon the stream formed by the confluence
of the Maas and Rhine, and advanced immediately to Hellevoetsluis,
whence in former times the victorious fleets of Holland frequently
sailed to the remotest parts of the world, and dictated terms to her
enemies. The ships which convey the treasures of the tropical regions to
the rich city of Rotterdam, or carry the products of our own industry,
as well as the defenders of our extensive possessions, are often
obliged, by contrary winds, to remain here for various periods. Hence
Hellevoetsluis is generally very lively.

The corvette _Pallas_, in which our government permitted me to sail for
America, was a new vessel, fitted out as an instruction ship.
A selection of young naval officers was made for this voyage, as
midshipmen. To these were added a young naval architect named TROMP,
a worthy descendant of historically renowned ancestors, whose deep
knowledge, distinguished talents, and estimable character, I became
acquainted with and cherished in the course of the voyage. These
selected officers were entrusted to the direction of Captain _Ryk_, one
of our most approved commanders,[I-1] who had orders to visit some of
the principal English and American naval depôts, in order to acquire
whatever knowledge might best promote the interests of his country. On
this account the corvette was fitted out rather as a packet ship than a
man of war. She had no long guns on deck, except two long sixes in the
bows as chase guns; her battery consisted of eighteen twenty-four pound
carronades. I was established in the captain’s cabin, and a swinging cot
was suspended at night for my sleeping place.

    [Footnote I-1: For the benefit of my readers who are not
    military, I subjoin the names of offices in our navy, and their
    correspondence in rank with army offices:--

      Admiral                        is equal to General.
      Vice-admiral                      ”     ”  Lieutenant-general.
      Rear-admiral                      ”     ”  Major-general.
      Captain                           ”     ”  Colonel.
      Captain-lieutenant                ”     ”  Lieutenant-colonel.
      Lieutenant of the first class     ”     ”  Captain.
      Lieutenant of the second class    ”     ”  First lieutenant.]

In consequence of contrary winds and other causes which it is needless
to mention, the corvette could not sail as quickly as ordered. In the
mean time I stayed at Hellevoetsluis, and employed my forced leisure in
examining this small town and its vicinity.

Hellevoetsluis contains upwards of two thousand inhabitants, among whom
there is scarcely a poor one to be found. The town properly consists of
but one street, on both sides of the harbour, having walled quays, and
united by a double drawbridge, built two years ago. Where the town
terminates, the dock-yard commences, which contains most of the
fortifications. Near the dock-yard are the barracks, which can, if
necessary, contain two thousand men. The frigate Rhine lay in harbour as
guard-ship. There was one ship repairing in the dock, none building. For
the purpose of repairing there is, behind the basin of the dock-yard,
a dry, terrace-shaped, walled basin, or _dry dock_, large enough for a
ship. When the ship is brought into this dock, the gates are closed, and
the water pumped out by a steam machine of thirty horse-power. This
being done, the ship is dry, and may be examined on all sides. When the
repairs are completed, the gates are again opened, the water admitted,
and the ship floated out. A _boat-gate_ is better adapted to this
purpose: a boat-gate consists of a box which exactly enters the canal
leading to the dry dock: when brought to the place where it is to be
used, a quantity of water is admitted sufficient to sink it to the level
of the shores, and then it forms a bridge. When it is necessary to open
the gate, the water is pumped out, and the box is withdrawn from the
canal. The frigate _Kenau Hasselaar_ was in the basin getting ready for
sea, and with the crew of the guard-ship under command of Captain
Dibbetz, she was to sail for the East Indies. The frigates _Scheld_,
_Maas_, _Yssel_, and _Java_, with the brig _Havic_, and about twenty
gun-boats, were laid up in ordinary. One of the gun-boats was built
after a _Danish_ model, which allows the upper part of the rudder to be
taken down and two ports to be opened, by which the stern can be used in
battery. The magazines and smithies are not large, but are kept in very
neat order.

The admiralty have a very large building here which is used as the
residence of the marine commander in chief. From a belvidere of this
house there is a fine view of the harbour and surrounding country. In
the former, the frigate _Amstel_, corvette _Pallas_, brig _De Gier_, and
transport-ship _Zeemeeuw_ rode at anchor, the two latter bound to the
Mediterranean. In the dock-yard we remarked a very large mast-crane,
which may be seen far at sea, and serves mariners as a landmark. There
is also a light-house upon one of the two dams which secure the harbour,
also built two years ago.

[From the 11th to the 25th of April, contrary winds detained the
corvette at Hellevoetsluis, during which time an excursion was made to
_Goedereede_, _Stellendam_, &c. After various changes of winds, and a
storm while lying at anchor, nothing of interest occurred until four
P. M. of the 25th, when the ship weighed anchor and stood out to sea.]

Fair wind and good weather continued until the forenoon of the 27th.
About four o’clock we saw the English coast, being the North Foreland,
not far from Margate. Here we were obliged to steer to the left to enter
the Channel, in order to reach Portsmouth and avoid the dangerous
_Goodwin Sands_. At the same time the barometer had fallen, the air was
thick and rainy, and a disagreeable south-west wind began to blow. The
passage between these sand-banks was by no means pleasant; the wind was
quite boisterous and almost stormy; we lost all hope of reaching the
Channel during this day, and were forced to be content with beating
about in our perilous situation. The motion of the ship became very
vehement towards evening, and I became sea-sick; it was not so bad while
I remained motionless in my cot. During the night the ship was in a very
dangerous situation, and Captain _Ryk_ remained all the time on deck.
The lead was regularly thrown during the night. In attempting to get
into my cot, which was very much inclined, and the ship giving a heavy
lurch at the same time, I received a heavy fall on my head, which,
however, was not productive of much injury. On the morning of the 28th
the wind was somewhat lighter, and we discovered that during the night
we had been in a situation of extreme danger, and had reason to be
thankful to the great Creator for our safety. The weather gradually
cleared up, and we enjoyed with great satisfaction the noble prospect of
the English coast. Immediately ahead lay Margate with the southern shore
of the Thames; farther to the left, Ramsgate, and still farther, Deal.
We were moreover surrounded by shipping, and in the Downs we saw the
English ship of the line, Ramilies, which cruised this year on this
station, lying at anchor.

The wind was now westerly, and our commander having no wish to pass
another night as dangerously as the preceding, resolved to cast anchor
in the Downs. This determination led me to think of landing at Deal,
going to London for a day, and then returning to Portsmouth. In the
course of the day, however, an east wind sprung up, which changed all
our resolutions. We passed the cape of South Foreland, and entered the
Channel prosperously, where we saw the high chalk rock between Deal and
Dover, with several castles, and Dover itself, with its ancient and
strong castle, near the ruins, &c. We were also delighted with a
beautiful view of the French coast, the white rocks of which were
illumined by the sun. The wind, as we passed by Dover, was very light,
the current was against us, and during the night it rained and blew. The
anchor was consequently dropped, and we remained off Dover till one
o’clock the following day. In the mean time the weather improved, though
the wind continued to be very slight and unfavourable. I embraced this
opportunity to visit Dover, in company with Captain _Ryk_, his nephew,
and Mr. Tromp. We breakfasted at Wright’s hotel, in which, eighteen
months before I had stayed with my family, and at that time took a walk
to the fortified camp, that lies westwardly from the town, on an
important height. To this place we ascended by stairs cut about twenty
years ago. A subterranean passage leads from the town to the foot of
these stairs. For a supply of water a well was dug through the rock to
the depth of about two hundred feet, and to this well three stairs were
cut of two hundred and sixty-eight steps each. These stairways are wide
enough to allow two men to walk conveniently abreast. They terminate in
a funnel-shaped excavation, whence a stone staircase leads towards four
terrace-shaped barracks, built one above the other. Somewhat higher is a
pentagonal redoubt, also employed as a barrack, in which at this time a
detachment of artillery, the only garrison of Dover was quartered. The
redoubt forms the right wing of the position. From this point an
irregular line of masonry, partly hewed out of the rock, runs to the
left wing, where there is an oblong quadrangular fort. In front of this
fort is a tolerably deep valley, through which the London road passes.
We were delighted with the view of this beautiful vale and the fresh
green of the turf. Messrs. Tromp and Ryk made a sketch of the rocks and
mountains, which would make a strong impression upon one who had not
beheld them, even upon me who am familiar with their appearance, it
produced a very agreeable feeling. From the left wing a line runs _en
crémaillère_, beside which, at an entering angle, a casemated magazine
is placed near a small fort that defends the harbour. From this line a
door opens towards the high rock called Shakspeare’s Cliff, which we had
not leisure to visit. The masonry of the fortification is of brick, with
a half _revêtement_. The rock is throughout chalk, containing flint.
These flints are much employed in paving roads and streets, to the great
injury of the hoofs of horses; some houses in Dover are also built of
them. We turned back again towards the corvette, highly gratified with
our excursion. We saw two steam-boats arrive at Dover, one from Calais
and the other from Boulogne. A water spout was pointed out to me at a
distance. At one o’clock the wind began to blow fair, the anchor was
weighed, and we stood onwards with fine weather, delighted with the
continuous view of the English coast.

On the 30th of April with a fresh wind we made the eastern point of the
Isle of Wight, where we hoisted a flag, and fired a gun for a pilot, who
did not come on board immediately. We sailed cautiously onwards, came in
sight of Portsmouth, and neared St. Helen’s point, Isle of Wight. The
pilot then came on board, and steered us into Spithead road, off
Portsmouth. This town, in which I was so much pleased two years before,
has a very handsome appearance. Several ships of the line were lying in
the harbour, among which was the _Victory_, on board of which Lord
Nelson was killed. When we saw the admiral’s flag floating from her
mainmast head, we saluted her with seventeen guns, which she returned
with thirteen. We anchored in the road where we found two English
corvettes, an East India company’s ship, and a Portuguese frigate, which
had brought the Portuguese ambassador, the Marquis Palmella, to England.




CHAPTER II.

  _Stay in England.-- Portsmouth.-- Plymouth.-- Devonport.--
    Falmouth._


As the corvette was to remain, for the instruction of the midshipmen,
until all the naval establishments had been accurately examined,
I resolved to go on shore and travel from Portsmouth to Plymouth and
Falmouth, and then rejoin the corvette. On the 1st of May I went in the
boat, accompanied by Captain Ryk and Lieutenant Lejeune, to Portsmouth.
The sea ran very high, and the eight oarsmen made very little way
against the swell. As we entered the harbour where the waves were
exceedingly high, we turned so quickly that two seas struck our boat in
the side, and made us more than once fear that she would be foundered.
Nevertheless we arrived safely, though thoroughly wet.

I remained in Portsmouth three days, and as its situation and relations
were already known to me, I spent the time in reading, writing, paying
and receiving visits, and in strolling about in interesting society. For
a similar reason I allowed myself to make desultory observations.

According to the navy list, there are at Portsmouth sixteen ships in
actual service, mounting five hundred and eighteen guns; sixty-five
dismantled, with four thousand one hundred and forty-three guns, and
eighteen building, which are to carry seven hundred and fifty-six guns;
making a total of five thousand four hundred and seventeen guns.

Some of the lowest class of people were masquerading in honour of the
1st of May. Most of them were dressed as Jack-puddings; others were
ornamented with bladders: they marched through the streets to the sound
of music, stopped and danced before some of the houses, and collected
money. They also had a boxing match between two boys, which was
conducted as a regular combat. As soon as one boy was down, his
antagonist ceased to strike, and his second helped him up. One, however,
did strike a blow while the other was down, whereupon several of the
bystanders rushed upon the offender, held him fast, and gave him so many
punches in the ribs that he was completely discomfited; and this
terminated the fray. In the harbour about one hundred and fifty men were
shipped as recruits for the 89th regiment, stationed in the East Indies.
They came from the depôt at the Isle of Wight, and appeared to be very
weak and miserable.

The Marquis Palmella, who resided in the same hotel with me, set out on
the 3d of May with his family, a wife, eight children, and a numerous
suite, for London. I paid him a visit, and was introduced to his lady,
a very beautiful woman. The marquis, who is very generally esteemed,
suffered considerably during the last Portuguese counter-revolution, and
was kept prisoner for several days. During his stay at this place he has
constantly had two honorary sentries, and an hour before his departure,
a company of fifty marines, with three officers, and the band in full
uniform, marched in front of the hotel, and remained as a guard of
honour until he left Portsmouth. It was with real pleasure that I
remarked the excellent condition of this corps.

The royal marines, whose barracks I visited, and saw the men defile,
have an exceedingly fine appearance, and are highly esteemed. The
officers are promoted according to seniority; but since the peace, the
corps has been much reduced, and the officers are old in their grades.
The officers also are mostly persons without influence, and enter the
royal marines because unable to purchase rank in the army. The barracks
for the soldiers did not altogether please me: they are better regulated
and kept more cleanly in the Netherlands. It is a good regulation that
the bedsteads are iron, and that every man lies alone; but it is very
bad on the other hand, that they cook in the same room.

I visited, in company with Captain Ryk, the Ganges, a ship of the line
of eighty-four guns, built a few years since by Indian workmen, entirely
of Teak-wood. This hard and heavy timber is not only very lasting, but
has also the great excellence of not cracking in a warm climate. We were
received on board the ship with great attention, in the absence of
Captain Campbell, by Lieutenant Wright, who did the honours in a very
friendly manner. I cannot sufficiently admire the neatness observed in
this ship. They have an excellent mode of taking care of the rings,
bolts, weapons, and other iron, brass, and copper utensils, on board of
English ships of war. The forepart of the gun-deck is an extraordinary
apartment, the iron implements are varnished, and the others polished
and arranged along the whitewashed sides, so as to form figures and
inscriptions. When strangers visit the ship a sort of chandelier is
lighted, which produces a very beautiful effect. When we left the ship,
Lieutenant Wright had the politeness to take us in his barge to the
inner harbour, where the ships are laid up in ordinary. As we left the
Ganges, she saluted us with nineteen guns.

Ships in commission are painted black and white; when they go into
ordinary this paint is scraped off, and they are then painted brownish
yellow; if not again to be employed in active service they are painted
entirely black. We went on board of the _Nelson_, of one hundred and
twenty guns, in the harbour. She is a new ship, but lay in ordinary,
having been already affected with the destructive _dry-rot_. The injured
planks had been removed, and at present she is entirely sound. The
Nelson, Ganges, and all the recently built ships of the line have round
sterns. All of them have the wood work necessary for their equipment, as
for gun-carriages, &c. on board. In order to preserve this and the deck
from the influence of the weather, a large roof is built over them. From
the Nelson we went on board the royal yacht, the _Royal George_, which I
had already seen, but which I willingly examined once more, on account
of her elegant construction and great luxury. The magnificence of the
royal apartments, and those for the suite, are very strongly contrasted
with the birth-deck for the crew, which is both dark and confined. We
remarked here a patent iron camboose, which cooked all the food by means
of steam.

Having purchased the necessary provisions, especially Gamble’s preserved
meats, which keep fresh for a year, I went on the 4th of May, at 4 P. M.
on board the steam ship, Sir Francis Drake, to go to Plymouth, distant
one hundred and fifty miles. The engine is of seventy horse-power. The
ship was not very comfortably arranged; the main cabin was so near the
boiler that the heat was intolerable. Our passengers amounted to thirty
persons, only eight of whom were cabin passengers. About five o’clock a
gun was fired as a signal for sailing, and we stood out to sea. Spithead
road with the shipping lay to the left, and our course was between the
land and the Isle of Wight. Cowes with its beautiful gardens presented
an agreeable sight, about a mile to the westward of which stands a
castle called Egypt. It began to grow dark. We saw on the right hand the
extremely bright lights of _Hurst-castle_, and on the left the
light-house of the Needles, on the western extremity of the Isle of
Wight, which I visited two years ago. The white rocks of the Needles
were visible in the dark, and from the effects of frequent storms have
an entirely peculiar appearance. As we passed this dangerous place, the
wind increased, and the motion of the little ship, with the continual
jarring of the steam-engine, became exceedingly disagreeable. As the
birth allotted to me was too short, I was obliged to place my mattrass
upon the floor. The heat and strokes of the adjacent steam-engine, the
coughing of a catarrhous Irishman, and the squalling of a child in the
next cabin, long prevented me from sleeping. It was not until near
morning that I began to slumber, but was soon waked again by the
insupportable heat. I sought refuge upon deck, where nearly all the
company, without excepting the captain, were unwell.

The rocky English coast was in view in almost every direction; the town
of Dartmouth appears to be very finely situated. After a rather long and
unpleasant passage, we arrived in Plymouth Bay at 1 o’clock, P. M. We
passed a little to the left of the breakwater, a dam intended to protect
Plymouth road from the south-west storms, begun thirteen years ago, but
not yet completed: we were gratified with the view of Mount Edgecumbe
Park and Drake’s Island, on which is a small fort that forms a very
beautiful view from the three towns, Plymouth, with the citadel;
Stonehouse and Plymouth Dock, now called Devonport. This dock, with all
the ships building and repairing there, furnishes a beautiful and
imposing prospect.

After my arrival I paid a visit to the authorities of this place. The
admiral in chief, Sir James Saumarez, a worthy man, seventy years of
age, excited in me an extraordinary degree of interest. He has served
England for fifty-six years, and during the last war commanded for five
years in the Eastern Ocean. His actions are known to all the world, and
caused him to be distinguished with the grand cross of the order of the
Bath, which he has worn for twenty-four years.

Among the remarkable things of this place, is the court-house, which is
a new, oblong building, having on one of its small sides a broad
staircase leading to a portico, with four Ionic columns. The hall is
large and very conveniently arranged with galleries for spectators.
Beneath the dock for the prisoners is a trap-door, by which persons are
brought from the prison on the ground floor, for trial, and carried back
again, without being brought into contact with the public. The six cells
for prisoners in the lower part of the house are all arched with stone,
and furnished with iron bedsteads. The doors are of stout oak plank,
studded with iron; a small opening allows air and light to enter, though
very sparingly. The prisoners can walk daily for exercise in a corridor,
twelve paces in length, by three in breadth: they have a miserable
existence. We left this granite and marble abode of sorrow with very
unpleasant impressions. Scarcely had we left it, when our eyes fell upon
a monument, building upon a rock, which is to be a column one hundred
and one feet high, commemorating the change of the name of the town,
from Plymouth Dock to Devonport. This work did not dispel the
disagreeable feeling caused by the prison. Not far distant from this
monument stands a _Gothic_ church, and near this a school-house, in the
_Egyptian_ style. The crowding together within so narrow a space of such
various styles of architecture, exhibits a singular, I cannot say an
agreeable sight. We also examined the market, which is furnished with
numerous covered galleries, in which provisions, fish for instance, are
displayed upon marble tables. But marble is so common here, that the
foot-walks are paved with it: houses are also built therewith. The
houses in Devonport are not handsome: some of the old ones are entirely
covered with slate, which produces a disagreeable impression. In the
court-house there is a fire-place made of slate.

On the 7th of May we examined the dock-yard; there are eight ships here
in actual service, mounting three hundred and sixty-six guns; sixty-five
in ordinary, with three thousand five hundred and twenty guns, and
twenty-two building, which will mount upwards of seven hundred and
twenty; making in all, four thousand six hundred and six guns.

The dock-yard, with its admirable regulation, is perfectly described by
Dupin in his excellent travels in Great Britain. The work is known to
most readers, and for an accurate description of the dock I refer them
thereto. The entrance is really beautiful; you behold the greater part
of the dock-yard, which is terrace-shaped, beneath you; on the right
hand is the church and some offices, opposite to which are two cannon
employed more for show than defence. The houses are built of the gray
marble-like lime-stone, which is so common here. A new magazine is
rendered entirely fire-proof by this stone and iron; the different
store-rooms being separated by iron doors, so that in case of fire it
can be insulated. The rope-walk is a building two stories high, with
walks two hundred yards long. All the ships, as in other English docks,
are built under roofs, which are sometimes covered with slate, though
mostly with copper. To my surprise, the water is pumped out of the dry
docks by a horse-mill instead of a steam-engine. In one of the dry docks
we saw the unfortunate ship Fortitudo[I-2] repairing. All her timbers
were decayed; her copper destroyed, and she required three new masts;
her repairs cost the house of _Roelands_ of Antwerp eight thousand
pounds. There is at this dock a huge iron kettle, in which ship timber
is boiled in sea water in order to protect it from the dry rot. About
two thousand two hundred men are daily employed in this yard, and some
earn thirty-six shillings a week.

    [Footnote I-2: A Netherland merchant ship, employed to carry
    troops to the East Indies, whose wretched condition was not
    discovered until she was in the main ocean, and was obliged to
    make for Plymouth for repairs.]

After a stay of about two hours at the dock-yard, I went in company with
the admiral to _Hamoaze_, where the fleets in service and dismantled lay
at anchor. We went on board the flag ship Britannia, and were received
in a very friendly manner by Captain Pipon, who showed us the ship
throughout: every thing was as admirable as in the ships at Portsmouth.
From the Britannia, which saluted us with twenty-one guns, we went on
board the St. Vincent, which in every respect resembled the Nelson at
Portsmouth.

On the 6th of May, which was Sunday, and the town consequently very
quiet, I went first to visit the marine barracks, and thence to
Plymouth, which I had not yet seen. It is about a mile distant from
Stonehouse. The entrance is agreeable, exhibiting several new houses,
and a large quadrangular building, ornamented with columns, which
contains the theatre and _Royal Hotel_. But as soon as one advances a
little farther into the town the scene changes, the streets are all
narrow and precipitous, badly paved, and without side-walks; the houses
are badly built, and angular, and the sun cannot shine into the streets.
The harbour that is forming at Catwater appears to be visited, and the
bay presents a noble prospect. We passed by a road cut in the rock to
the citadel, to visit the vice-governor, Major General Sir _John
Cameron_; but he was sick. We walked round the ramparts of the citadel,
and enjoyed at every point an admirable view, to which the fine weather
contributed its full proportion. At noon we walked to Stoke, a village
in which the inhabitants of Plymouth have country seats. At this place
it is customary, as far as practicable, to bury the dead on Sunday; we
therefore met funeral processions in most of the streets, which did not
particularly raise our spirits.

On Monday I went with Sir James Saumarez in the Britannia’s barge to
examine the breakwater. We first visited the stone quarries at
_Catwater_, whence the stone for the breakwater is procured. The land
where this quarry is situated was purchased from various proprietors.
The rock, which is lime-stone, is blasted with gunpowder. Many of the
blocks of stone weigh five tons and upwards. They are lifted by iron
cranes, by which one workman is able to raise a ton and a half, and
placed upon small four wheeled iron cars, which run on rail-roads to the
quay where the vessels lay which are to convey them to the breakwater.
These vessels, which are built expressly for this service, can carry
eighteen of the heaviest of these blocks; the lighter stones are carried
in hired vessels. At the quarry we were received by the secretary of Mr.
Whitby, who planned the breakwater, and at present superintends the
work. A cave was discovered in the rock containing rhinoceros bones in
good preservation, and some time after, another cavern was found
containing the bones and teeth of bears. From the mount above the
quarry, there is an extensive and exceedingly beautiful prospect. From
this place we went to Bovisand-bay, where, under the direction of Mr.
Whitby, a quay and reservoir of fresh water is building for the navy.
The water is collected from two springs into a reservoir twenty feet
deep, situated between the hills. Thence it is to be conducted through
iron pipes for nearly an English mile to the quay. These seventeen cocks
will each deliver two and a half tuns of water a minute. The watering
boats will land at the quay, and in a very short time return with their
lading to the ships. In the valley near the reservoir is Mr. Whitby’s
handsome dwelling, from which he can survey the whole work, and
consequently may from his own chamber control the workmen.

The breakwater suffered exceedingly by the terrible storm of the 22d and
23d of November, 1824. It is now to be rendered more permanent in the
following manner:--The stones most exposed to the waves are to be hewed
and clamped together with iron. I fear, however, that this work will
also be destroyed, unless a couple of perpendicular dams be built
touching the principal dam, to break the force of the waves before they
reach the latter. The old works are in so ruinous a condition that we
were nearly wrecked upon them. On this account we stood farther off, and
went on board of the Thetis frigate to pay a visit to Sir John
Phillimore. Sir John, in honour of our presence, displayed all his
flags. The marines, with their officers, stood near the mizen-mast, and
with the crew marched round the deck; some of the latter were armed with
pikes, some with sabres, and others with battle-axes. I was delighted
with the perfect order and neatness which universally appeared. Both
cabins were very elegantly arranged and ornamented with mahogany. As we
took leave, the yards were manned, and a salute given. It was now high
water, and we passed between _Drake’s Island_ and _Mount Edgecumbe_
through a passage called the _Bridge_, which is dangerous on account of
rocks. We touched twice upon them without injury, as fortunately the
wind was slight: we landed at the beautiful stone stairs of _Mount
Wise_.

On the day following, I visited the Marine Hospital, in company with Sir
John Phillimore. This is an admirably managed and richly endowed
institution.[I-3] The building was begun during the seven years war. It
can accommodate two thousand sick or wounded: we found but about seventy
persons in the hospital, and among these some officers and midshipmen.
It appeared to me that the plan of having eight separate buildings, each
three stories high, was a very good one, as the spreading of contagious
diseases, or of a conflagration, can be so much more easily prevented.
Each ward contains sixteen bedsteads, all of iron; the bedsteads for the
officers are of wood, and furnished with curtains. There are also beds
in the wards for the nurses, which, in all the English marine hospitals,
are females, whose attendance is preferred for its greater gentleness to
that of male assistants. The sick are brought from the ships to the
hospital by water, and go, or are carried up a wide stone stair to the
receiving office. They are then stripped and bathed in the hospital to
which they are sent, and their clothes are marked, and kept in a
particular magazine. An iron crane is employed to land those who are
badly wounded. In all the wards, as well as in the different
store-rooms, and the apothecary room, the greatest order and cleanliness
is observable.

    [Footnote I-3: For minute description of this hospital, see
    Dupin.]

The church does not appear to me to be arranged in correspondence with
the rest of the establishment. It is small, and has a store-room on the
first floor, so that the patients find it occasionally very troublesome
to attend upon worship. A covered colonnade surrounds the quadrangular
court-yard which encloses the building, under which the patients, in bad
or hot weather, can exercise. The middle of the court-yard is a
well-kept grass-plot.

For maniac patients there is a proper house, built remote from the
others. The wash-house stands also aloof. In bad weather, the wash is
dried by steam. The wash is hung upon frames, which fold together, and
may be run in and out for the convenience of taking off the dried pieces
and adding the wet. Eight of such frames may be folded together and
occupy a very small space. There is also a very appropriately managed
bathing-house for the use of the patients, in which they may not only
have all sorts of baths, but with the greatest convenience. The
superintendents, physicians, and officers, have their dwellings in front
of the hospital, in a spacious place planted with trees. The
commissioner at the head of the institution, is Captain _Creyke_,
a pensioner, eighty years old, who first served at sea in 1759, and
accompanied Commodore _Wallis_ in his first voyage round the world.
Before we left the hospital we took a glance at his beautifully situated
and tastefully arranged house. We then visited the Plymouth Library,
established by subscription about twenty years ago, which does not yet
appear to be very rich. The establishment consists of three apartments,
the book-room, the reading-room, and the director’s meeting-room. The
library serves properly for a reading club, like our literary society at
Ghent. On the 10th, I dined in company with Admiral Saumarez and Sir
John Phillimore, with the officer’s mess of the twenty-fourth regiment
of infantry, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Fleming.

On the ensuing day, the admiral accompanied us to Mount Edgecumbe Park;
this is a truly noble situation, yet, in time of war, as this position
is indispensable to the defence of the dock-yard, it is necessary to
convert it into a fortification. The ground is very advantageously
employed in the disposition and embellishment of the park: it is not
encumbered with buildings; the green and bath-house are the principal,
and in the construction of these the marble of the vicinity has been
very happily used. The trees are chiefly beech, some of them apparently
very old, sickly, and injured by the sea-air. There are also three great
cedars of Lebanon, which do not thrive well in an English park. The
Castle of Mount Edgecumbe is ancient, and externally resembles a state
prison; we did not examine it internally. We saw the monument of Lady
Mount Edgecumbe, who died in 1806, to whom the park is indebted for most
of its improvements. It is told of her that she was twice buried; the
first time she remained three days in a vault, lying in her coffin, and
was aroused by a thief cutting off her finger to steal a ring: she left
the grave, took refuge in a neighbouring house, made herself known, and
was reconveyed to her castle, where she subsequently lived several years
and gave birth to children. _Relata refero._ On the sea-shore, near the
_bridge_ that we passed two days since, Lord Mount Edgecumbe has erected
a battery of twenty-one iron six pounders, which he fires upon all
festival occasions. We embarked at this battery to visit the rock lying
in front of Stonehouse, called Devil’s Point, which is to be partly
levelled to make room for a new victualling office. The work is scarcely
begun. A cellar was dug out of the rock and a wall built in the sea to
support the foundation. This was effected by means of a diving-bell. The
bell containing the workmen, remained while we were present, nearly four
hours under water. Government intends to construct a new water-reservoir
at this place, which will probably render that of Bovisand unnecessary.
Drinking water is brought to Plymouth in iron pipes from Dartmouth,
which is eighteen miles distant, so that in time of war the supply might
readily be cut off.

Next day I went by land to visit the Castle of _Saltroun_, situated six
English miles from Plymouth at the end of Catwater, and belonging to
Lord Morlay, who resides in London. The road passes through a delightful
valley; on the right is Catwater, to the left the ruins of castles on
the heights: there are also here numerous terrace-shaped strawberry
beds, the fruit of which is exceedingly good. Close to the entrance of
the park we crossed the Catwater upon an old, very narrow, stone bridge
of five arches. Through the park, a beautiful road leads from the valley
to the loftily situated castle. It rained excessively, and as we could
see nothing from the park, we restricted ourselves to the castle, which
was built probably about sixty years ago, and has a very large apartment
in the basement. A very spacious vestibule leads to the library, in
which are a number of splendid family portraits and pictures of some
once celebrated actresses. The best picture is a portrait of Sir Joshua
Reynolds, painted by himself. Four plaster columns resembling
_verd-antique_ are excellent imitations. From the library a small
apartment opens into the picture gallery. In both rooms are several
paintings by Carlo Dolce, Andrea Del Sarto, Teniers, Wouvermans, Ostade,
Kuyp, Vandermeulen, &c. I cannot assert that all these are original
paintings. In the parlour, ball-room, and dining-hall, there are also
numerous pictures. Some of these are attributed to Angelica Kauffman,
others to Reubens, Van Dyke, Sassoferrato, Guido Rheni, Titian,
Ruysdael, Parmegiano, &c. However, I have seen the originals of many of
them at Antwerp and Ghent, and of one of the Parmegianos in Windsor
Castle. Among the statues and busts, I especially remarked a copy of the
Florentine Venus, by Canova, and a copy of Hebe by the same master. The
staircase of the castle is fine, and adorned with pictures by Angelica
Kauffman. The mantel-pieces, all of Italian marble, ornamented with
_bas-reliefs_, are also very remarkable. The bad weather accompanied us
throughout our return to Plymouth. On this occasion I remarked that the
pavement was taken up in several streets, and Macadamized, which is much
better for the horses and houses.

[Several succeeding days were spent in excursions to different places in
the vicinity, in company with the Admiral and Sir John Phillimore; and
one day on a water party accompanied by ladies.]

On the 19th of May, in a small boat belonging to the Fortitudo, I made,
with great pleasure, an excursion to Trematon Castle, which I had
formerly understood was once the residence of the ancient Princes of
Cornwall. Sir John Phillimore had been so polite as to inform the
proprietor, Mr. Tucker, chief director of the neighbouring mines, whose
son is an officer on board the Thetis, of our coming. On landing, we
found a carriage sent by Mr. Tucker to meet and convey us to the castle.
I observed here a water-mill, behind which was a large walled basin that
is filled by the flood tide, and closed by a gate. During the ebb tide
the gate is opened and the mill set to work. It reminded me of the
_bassins de chasse_, in some of our harbours.

Trematon Castle is situated upon a height. Besides the walls furnished
with loop-holes which form a quadrangle, the castle consists of but two
towers, one quadrangular, which forms the entrance, and the other a
round one, somewhat higher. As Mr. Tucker holds this castle of the king,
the royal arms are over the portal. In the court-yard of the castle, Mr.
Tucker has built a tasteful house, and, by removing part of the adjacent
wall, has obtained a beautiful prospect from his dwelling, comprising a
view of most of the Hamoaze with the shipping, Anthony’s Park,
Devonport, and part of Plymouth Sound. Mr. Tucker holds several
important posts in the navy, and during Fox’s ministry he was secretary
to the admiralty. At the overthrow of that administration, he retired to
his native place with a pension of two thousand pounds per annum, and
the office of secretary to the duchy of Cornwall; here he is highly
esteemed, enjoys great influence, and has his property principally
vested in the mines. After receiving us in a very friendly manner, and
introducing his family, he took a seat in the carriage.

We went eight miles further to a silver mine, the only one in England.
It belongs to a company of five stockholders, of which Mr. Tucker is the
principal. The country is very hilly, the road sometimes narrow and
steep, so that it was frequently necessary to lock the wheels. A part of
the way was over the good road from Saltash to Callington; we also
passed near to Pentilhe castle. The land is generally good, with the
exception of a heath, of which England contains a number under the name
of “commons.” The silver mine is situated in a deep valley of Fulliford
common. The mine is named St. Vincent, in honour of the deceased
admiral, who was a great patron of Mr. Tucker. The mine has been but
five years in progress, and produces so little that it sinks two hundred
pounds per month for the stockholders. The vein of silver, whose
presence is judged of certainly by iron-stone, is cut at right angles by
a vein of copper. This copper they are breaking through in hopes of
greater success. The mine has five shafts; the deepest is rather more
than three hundred feet deep, and serves as a working-shaft: two others
are used for pumping out the water. One pump is worked by a steam-engine
of seventy horse-power, the other is worked by a compound lever, which
is about a quarter of a mile long, moved by a water-wheel of forty feet
in diameter. The wheel is overshot, and the water for working it is
obtained from a small brook, aided by the water pumped up by the steam
machine, and conducted to it by a small canal. The lever is composed of
long wooden beams, bound together with iron straps, and hangs by tripods
placed at determinate distances.

The ore raised from the mine, is pounded, washed, and roasted in the
usual manner. In order to separate the silver from the ore, the
following mixture is added to an ounce of the powder; red lead, two
ounces; red tartar, five pennyweights; nitre, nine pennyweights; borax,
four pennyweights; lime, one-quarter of an ounce; common salt, two
ounces; pounded fluor spar, one-quarter of an ounce. The whole is thrown
into a red hot iron crucible, which is placed on a glowing coke fire for
five minutes. The crucible is then taken off and the melted mass poured
into a ladle, allowed to cool and the dross removed. Some copper still
remains in the mass, so that the silver is again smelted with some lead,
and poured into a small vessel made of bone ashes: the lead is oxydated
and the silver remains pure. An ounce of ore produces one-fourth of an
ounce of silver.

The mine is extremely damp, and as I had not felt entirely well for some
days, I did not descend, neither did any of the company. We returned to
Trematon, and in order to examine the noble spot to which we were going
more thoroughly, I mounted the box, and enjoyed a great treat. To the
left I looked down a deep valley upon the Tamer; farther off, upon the
Hamoaze, and to the right, far over Cornwall. Falmouth is said also to
be in sight. In his tastefully arranged house, Mr. Tucker has a very
interesting collection of minerals and metals of the vicinity. He
possesses a valuable library, and his wife has a remarkable collection
of shells. In the quadrangular tower of the castle, he has fitted up a
billiard room, and arranged on the walls numerous curiosities: ancient
weapons, and implements from the South Sea Islands, the tatoed and dried
head of a New Zealand chief, with his dress; pieces of worm-eaten
ship-timber from the Indian Ocean, with one of the worms in spirits;
Indian weapons; an American tomahawk; a human skull, found thirty feet
under ground in Cornwall; a marble bullet, with which an English ship
was struck in the Dardanelles, in 1807; articles from the field of
Waterloo; and a weeping willow leaf from over _Napoleon’s_ tomb! Above
the clock in this tower, is placed the bell of the Spanish ship
_Salvador del Mundo_, taken and burnt by Lord St. Vincent. The round
tower, of which only the outward wall is standing, formerly served for a
prison. The walls of this tower, as well as all the rest of the castle,
are overgrown with ivy. A wooden staircase within, leads to a circular
gallery, which affords a beautiful prospect. A narrow passage cut
through the walls, leads to the garden, which contains numerous hot
houses and a very fine orangery. From this spot Mr. Tucker accompanied
us, by a very shady foot-path, back to our boat. I remarked near the
Castle of Trematon, as about other English castles, and public walks,
a vast flock of rooks, which roost there, making a great filth and
noise. The rook is much esteemed, and I hear that the people foster
them, and have their eggs hatched under pigeons, as they are thought to
destroy vast numbers of injurious insects.

Amid all this friendly, agreeable, and learned society, these
entertainments and excursions, my impatience became great, and augmented
from day to day, from hour to hour. My time was precious, yet the
greater part of it was lost here. I waited with increasing anxiety for
the arrival of the Pallas, which still did not appear. More than once I
resolved to leave behind all I had on board of the corvette, and go to
the United States in a common packet. In the meanwhile various
considerations deferred my departure from day to day, until finally on
the 30th of May the Pallas arrived.

While waiting for the ship, I derived much pleasure from a visit made
with Sir John Phillimore to the country seat of Colonel Ginnis, formerly
of the army. He lives in a beautiful park, a charming situation, five
miles from Plymouth, not far from the left bank of the _Tamer_, with
five lovely and handsome daughters. His house is very tastefully
arranged, and ornamented with paintings by himself. He has a peculiar
talent for landscape painting, both in oil and water colours. He has
thus preserved representations of the most beautiful situations visited
in the course of his numerous journeys. He passed nine years in North
America, and showed us views of wonders of nature, which I hope soon to
admire myself. His view of the cataract of Niagara, and Falls of
Montmorenci, gave me great pleasure.

Sir John Phillimore also accompanied me to see Mr. _Harris_, a surgeon,
who has invented a new lightning conductor for ships. He has, for the
sake of experiment, had the model of a frigate built, which he floats in
a tub of water. There is a conductor to each mast, from which copper
rods, secured close to each other, run down the mast to the keel,
through which they pass into the water. Mr. Harris asserts, that the
lightning passes down these rods without affecting any thing in the
vicinity. To prove this, he wound around the mast a paper filled with
fine gunpowder, through which the lightning was sent without exploding
it. To prove farther, that the electricity can produce combustion after
passing through water, he connected the conductor below the keel by a
copper wire, with the touch-hole of a small cannon, which was floated in
the tub. When the electricity strikes the conductor on the mast, the
cannon is instantaneously fired. The cloud is represented by a frame
stuffed with cotton, which hangs by a silk thread, and is connected with
an electrical machine. Mr. Harris has a fine collection of philosophical
apparatus; the lightning rod of his house communicates by conductors
with a chime of bells, which are set to ringing whenever an electric
cloud passes over the house; this happened during our visit. Mr. Harris
has published a small pamphlet relative to his ship-conductor, of which
he presented me with a copy. We were very much gratified with his
experiments, and were grateful to him for his politeness.

The delay of the Pallas also afforded me an opportunity of seeing an
East India ship launched. She was called the _City of Rochester_; was
built in London, and had sailed on her first voyage last autumn, for
Bengal, but off the heights of Plymouth was struck by a tremendous
hurricane with so much power as to wreck her to a degree that required
rebuilding. I had an opportunity of examining her while on the stocks,
and was pleased with her construction. She is intended to carry
passengers. On the quarter-deck she has a parlour and two state-rooms,
like the captain’s quarters in a ship of the line, and below, the rooms
are distributed, as in the wardroom of a ship of the line, with this
difference, that in a transport ship the chambers are larger and neater
than in a ship of war. In each state-room there is a toilette, with a
_water-closet_, which is exceedingly good and comfortable. As I had
never seen a ship launched before, I was much interested. She rested
upon two ways, and was retained by two wedges; at a given signal these
were knocked away, and then by her own weight she was slowly and
majestically launched into the water, amid the acclamations of a great
crowd of people.

The celebrated General _Mina_, a victim of the troubles which existed in
unfortunate Spain, met with a hearty welcome in England. But the humid
climate of this island did not agree with him, and he was afflicted with
rheumatism. Plymouth has the reputation of enjoying a very fine climate,
and together with the great medical skill of Dr. _Hammick_, who has
charge of the Marine hospital, is very much praised. For both these
reasons, General _Mina_ had selected Plymouth as his residence.
I cultivated his acquaintance, and was witness of a very interesting
ceremony in honour of him. The Spanish committee in London had voted him
a sword, and a member of this society, Mr. _Bowring_, the same person
who in 1824 was arrested in France, on account of a pretended
treasonable correspondence, and soon after liberated again, was
commissioned to present this sword to the general in a solemn manner. It
was on the 2d of June, when a numerous and selected company met at the
Royal Hotel of Plymouth, to attend this ceremony. As the general was
introduced to the company, Mr. Bowring informed the public of the object
of the meeting, and praised the merits of the brave general. He then
addressed the general in Spanish, informed him of the decision of the
committee, and finally displayed the diploma which accompanied the
sword: this was drawn up in English and Spanish with great calligraphic
splendour. The diploma and sabre were then presented to the general. The
sword has a gold hilt, with the general’s arms on it, and a richly gilt
sheath, the sides of which were beautifully embossed with emblems of the
general’s services. _Mina_ returned an answer in Spanish, and gave it to
Mr. Bowring. One of the company quickly translated it into English, for
the benefit of the public, whose long-continued applauses expressed
their admiration of the brave general. Mr. Bowring invited me to a
friendly entertainment that was to be given to _Mina_; unfortunately I
was obliged to decline it, as I had already made another engagement.

[The 5th of June was fixed upon for the sailing of the Pallas for
Falmouth, but bad weather and high head winds detained her until the
7th. On the 9th, at 6 A. M. she arrived at _Falmouth_.]

This tolerably long town lay at the foot of a hill, on our left, and
contains seven thousand inhabitants. It has by no means a brilliant
appearance, as it is, like Devonport, built of grey limestone, and the
roofs are slated. It is not visible from the sea, as a hill intervenes,
upon which the citadel stands. On the right side of the bay there is an
old castle, called St. Mawes, with about five houses, tenanted by poor
fishermen; this castle is one of the often-mentioned _rotten boroughs_:
it formerly was a town, and still sends two members to parliament.

The hills are mostly cultivated; some are employed as pastures. Trees
are very rare, and few ships lay in the harbour. We anchored not far
from the frigate Astrea, a guard-ship, and saluted her with eleven guns,
which she returned. When we fired a salute on our arrival at Spithead,
the oil was spilled from the _sympisometer_, and Captain Ryk was obliged
to obtain a new one from London. To avoid a similar catastrophe, the
sympisometer and chronometer were both kept in hands during this salute.
The frigate Astrea, commanded by Captain King, serves as a depôt for all
the packets, which sail hence to all parts of the world lying south and
west of England, and are collectively under command of Captain King. The
packets were formerly private property; the conveyance of the mail to
foreign parts, was consequently not only very irregular, but a wide door
was opened for smuggling.--On this account, the government, after having
contracted with the former proprietors of the packets, assumed the sole
direction. When a packet is no longer retained in service, a corvette or
brig, commanded by a lieutenant of the navy, is substituted. At this
time thirty-four packets were in service, of which fifteen were vessels
of war, commanded by navy officers, the others were the old packets in
charge of their former captains.

Soon after our arrival we were visited by the consul of the Netherlands,
Mr. Lake, who brought me several letters. We afterwards received a visit
from Captain King, a very entertaining old gentleman. At eleven o’clock,
Captain Ryk and I went on shore, where we found a crowd assembled to
witness our landing. We took lodgings in the Royal Hotel, a large,
tastefully-arranged building, though in a very filthy street. We were
much annoyed by the fish-market, which was immediately opposite to us;
in this we saw very large and fine fish, as well as enormous shrimps,
which are here very cheap. We repaired to the Custom House, where I made
the necessary arrangements relative to the landing of my baggage, after
which we visited Mr. Lake and Captain King. The latter lived without the
limits of the city, near the bay, in a house, which, though old and
small, is very handsomely situated in a garden, and commands a very fine
prospect of the bay. The house is also historically remarkable: it was
once inhabited by Oliver Cromwell.

The citadel, named Pendennis Castle, stands, as has been already
remarked, on an eminence near the entrance of the bay, which it defends.
It occupies the entire height, and is not overlooked by any other
fortress. The soil consists of slate, and many of the works are cut out
of the rock. It has six bastions, and on the water side, two batteries,
each of about twenty pieces. A furnace for heating shot stands near the
upper battery, and the lower, which lies close to the shore, is attached
by its left wing to an old tower erected during the reign of Henry VIII.
The fortress was built in Cromwell’s time. At the southern point stands
an old tower, built of granite and surrounded by a ditch, which was
erected in the reign of Henry VIII. This tower, the original fortress,
serves at present as the dwelling of the commander. It may be compared
with the French _tours modelés_. From the pinnacle, a tolerably
extensive prospect of the surrounding country may be obtained. The day
on which I visited the fortress with several officers from the Pallas,
was very favourable, and yet a fog on the hills, descended into the vale
between the fortress and the city of Falmouth, so that some time elapsed
before we could see the rocky shore of the sea. These fogs are said to
appear very frequently, even on the finest summer days. The fortress,
which is capable of containing a garrison of two thousand men, was
merely occupied by a detachment of veterans. There is an arsenal in it,
where we saw nearly four thousand stands of arms for infantry and
marines, besides a number of sabres, &c. all very handsomely arranged.
I observed in this, as in other English fortresses, that even during
peace, nearly all the cannon are suffered to remain mounted on the
walls, and the fortresses are enclosed with palisades. Truly! many
persons find the business of keeping the carriages in good order very
profitable, and the palisades also serve instead of hedges!

The Dalcoath mines are about fourteen miles from Falmouth. The
stockholders of these mines, held a meeting on the 13th of June, to
settle their accounts. I rode thither with Mr. Lake, Captain Ryk, and
some officers of the Pallas. But having already visited many mines, and
learnt from experience that nothing is generally seen but small and low
passages, that much inconvenience is experienced from dampness and
filth, and my object being to visit America, I thought it by no means
necessary to enter these subterraneous regions. Coals are not found in
the province of Cornwall. The ore is therefore sold in heaps, at about
seven pounds and a half sterling per ton, and conveyed by water to
Wales, where, as is well known, stone-coal is found in abundance; it is
there smelted. The Dalcoath mines occupy a large extent of ground, and
have seven shafts, one of which is three hundred and forty fathoms deep.
The pumps are worked by means of steam-engines, the cylinder of one of
which is seventy-six inches in diameter. We were told of an engine in
the neighbourhood, whose cylinder was one hundred inches in diameter.
Nearly eight hundred people work daily in the Dalcoath mines, whose
wages are proportioned to the product of their labour. The ridge
consists of granite and schist. The metals are copper and tin. The veins
of these metals lie close together, frequently cross each other, and are
so rich, that in general it yields a third of its weight in pure metal.
The stone is broken and washed, and the copper separated from the tin,
after which the ore is collected into heaps for sale. The breaking of
the stone into small pieces is performed by women, some of whom were
very handsome. I remarked also, that the stone was drawn up the shaft in
iron, and not in wooden buckets, as is customary in other countries. The
company to which these mines belong is said to realize great sums;
however a deficit occasionally occurs. This was the case at the present
settlement of accounts, and for this reason the gentlemen, about twenty
in number, with a permanent director, Mr. Rennel at their head, were not
in the best humour. At the dinner, which naturally closed the
transaction, many local concerns, which did not particularly interest
us, were discussed. Many toasts, which all referred to localities, were
drank. At last, it occurred to the gentlemen to drink the health of the
king of the Netherlands, which I returned by drinking the health of the
royal family of England. The dinner consisted, according to the English
fashion, of very solid food--roast-beef, plumb-pudding, &c.

Our course led us through Penryn, a small place, about two miles from
Falmouth, containing about three thousand inhabitants, and but poorly
built. It has a harbour, and lies at one extremity of Falmouth Bay. Coal
ships from Wales, and vessels with grain from Ireland, principally visit
this port. Cornwall is too hilly to allow the necessary grain to be
raised, and the mines occupy so much space, and withdraw so many poor
people from farming, that by far the largest portion of grain must be
brought from other quarters. The road, which, though hilly, was in a
good state, led through many pastures which were enclosed with hedges.

The few trees which are seen, have not attained a great height. In the
new plantations I observed some larches. The houses are built of stone,
many of granite, here very common and cheap, and roofed with slate. Many
new houses are erected on speculation, because the population rapidly
increases. We also passed through Redruth, a hilly and angular town, of
about three thousand inhabitants, who are principally miners. The town
is surrounded by mines, whose general aspect is by no means pleasing. On
an eminence not far from Redruth, we saw some ruins which are said to be
the remains of a Druid temple. In the mines I observed a superstitious
practice, which I find to prevail also in ships and farm houses;
a horse-shoe is nailed over the door to keep off witches. When at
Dalcoath, we found ourselves only a mile and a half distant from Bristol
Channel, and saw St. Agnes’ Beacon, a high mountain in the
neighbourhood. We at last arrived at Tehidy Park, belonging to Lord
Dunstanville; this is principally a new settlement, which appears to
great advantage in a region like this, which is not rich. We stopped at
the dwelling house to view it. It is a tolerably large, square building
with four porches, and contains several paintings by Van Dyk, Lely,
Kneller, Hudson, and Sir Joshua Reynolds; however, I doubt whether the
former be genuine. I was particularly pleased with a very good portrait
of the celebrated Fox. We saw also several statues, copies of the best
antiques and cameos of _verd_ and _jaune antique_.

I had frequently seen sketches of St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, and
had long wished to see the mount itself. I accordingly took advantage of
my present leisure to visit it. The mount lies in Mountbay, opposite
Marazion, twenty-three miles distant from Falmouth. I left this place
June 14th, at noon, the weather being very warm. The road leads through
Penryn, and then inclines to the left towards the ridges, constantly up
and down hill, through heaths, where few traces of culture were
observed; the houses stand detached, and have a miserable appearance. On
the heights, however, we had occasionally a prospect towards the western
ridges of Cornwall. Trees are few in number; we observed mines here and
there. Thirteen miles from Falmouth lies Helstone, a little mining town
of two thousand five hundred inhabitants, containing some neat houses,
but miserable pavements. The court-house stands in the middle of the
town, under which is the market. On the other side of Helstone we came
to a beautiful valley, where we saw trees again, and by means of a stone
bridge we passed over Looe, a small stream, which at a short distance
empties into the sea. As far as Marazion the region is agreeable; hilly
indeed, but better cultivated. We approached the sea on the left; on the
right we had the ridges, among which we discovered some neat farms. As
we approached Marazion, which lies on a descent towards the sea, we
enjoyed the really fine view of Mountbay and of St. Michael’s Mount.
In Marazion we stopped at the Star Inn, and immediately took a boat to
reach the mountain, which is a short distance from the shore. The rock,
which at low water joins the shore, consists of granite, is a mile in
circumference at its base, and is two hundred and fifty feet high. At
its foot there is a small fishing village of about thirty houses, with a
harbour formed by two new piers. By means of very inconvenient steps
which are cut out of the rock, we reached an old castle, standing at the
highest point, and belonging to the family St. Aubyn. This is the same
family, whose chief, Sir John St. Aubyn, owns almost all the houses in
Devonport, and a large portion of the ground of the dock-yard. In former
times, St. Michael’s Mount was a cloister. Adapted by its isolated
situation for a fortress, art has contributed but little to its
strength, and added merely a pair of bastions, and platforms, on which a
few small cannon belonging to the owner of the mount, are at present
standing. It sustained several sieges in former times. We were conducted
to a Gothic chapel with ancient, painted window-glasses, after which we
examined the castle. In this, however, we found nothing remarkable,
except the old refectory of the cloister, called the _chevy-chace-room_,
with strange bas-reliefs, representing ancient hunting scenes. In this
hall are very old pieces of furniture; one chair is said to be three
hundred, another five hundred years old.

The windows of the castle command a very fine prospect towards Mountbay
and its shores, in which Marazion and Penzance, which are three miles
distant from each other, appear to very great advantage. Not far from
the latter place, the Thetis lay at anchor. I regretted extremely that
my time would not allow me to visit my gallant friend, Sir John
Phillimore. A steeple rises above the church of the castle, which I,
however, did not ascend, being fatigued, and the steps in a neglected
state. We rode back to Marazion, which was formerly called Marketzew,
and has eleven hundred inhabitants, and passing by Helstone, we arrived
about one o’clock at night, much fatigued, at Falmouth. Penryn, to which
I made several excursions, contains a row of newly-built, elegant
houses, with handsome gardens and a catholic church. The beautiful
terrace on which the new houses stand with their gardens, is called the
Green Bank, and is a very agreeable promenade.




CHAPTER III.

  _Voyage from Falmouth to Boston._


[The Pallas sailed from Falmouth Bay on the 18th of June, and arrived on
the 26th of July. During the voyage a midshipman was lost overboard, and
the American ship Schuylkill, in distress for water and provisions, was
spoken and relieved. The other incidents of the voyage are not
sufficiently interesting to need a particular description.

The following is the duke’s account of his landing at Boston:--

It was ten o’clock, on the morning of the 26th of July, when I first
placed my foot in America, upon a broad piece of granite! It is
impossible to describe what I felt at that instant. Heretofore, but two
moments of my life had left a delightful remembrance; the first was,
when at seventeen years of age, I received the Cross of the Legion of
Honour, after the battle of Wagram--the second, when my son William was
born. My landing in America, that country which, from my early youth,
had been the object of my warmest wishes, will, throughout life, remain
a subject of pleasing recollection!]




CHAPTER IV.

  _Boston._


On our arrival in Boston we took lodgings at the Exchange Coffee-house,
where I received a visit from Mr. Andrew Ritchie, whose acquaintance I
made in England two years ago. I was much pleased to see this worthy man
again, who eighteen months since married the daughter of Mr. Otis,
formerly a senator of the United States and leader of the federal party;
both these gentlemen are highly esteemed here. I dined at the inn at two
o’clock, according to the custom of the place; my seat was at the head
of the table, by the side of the host, Mr. Hamilton. He had served in
the last war as a volunteer colonel, and still retained his title. He
exhibited much politeness, and indeed I cannot sufficiently praise the
politeness of the guests, with many of whom I became acquainted. The
dishes were very good, and even had this not been the case I should
still have enjoyed them, having so long been without fresh provisions;
this was the case with the fruit, which though small and bad, was still
agreeable. On account of the excessive heat, which had been greater than
at any time during the last twenty years, fruit in general had matured
too early. Wine was served up in coolers with ice, and into every glass
of beer, a piece of ice was thrown.

Adjoining the large dining room is a parlour and two sitting rooms,
where strangers who have nothing to do pass the day. At a sideboard,
wine, lemonade, soda water, &c. with ice, may be obtained. Eight
newspapers were lying on a large table, all of which had the form of
English papers, and were chiefly filled with mercantile and other
advertisements. The house itself is arranged much like an English inn.
The servants of both colours were civil and attentive. At four o’clock,
Mr. Ritchie with his father-in-law, and the son of the latter, lately
returned from a tour in Europe, came to show us the city.

There are many elegant stores in Cornhill, one of the principal streets.
We saw a new building, intended as a branch of the United States Bank,
the front of which is plain, with two Doric columns, each consisting of
a single piece of granite, eighteen feet high, and almost five feet in
diameter. The first popular assemblies at the commencement of the
American revolution, were held in the old court-house. A large hall, in
which the aldermen meet, contains a full length portrait of WASHINGTON,
by Stuart, and also a bust of ADAMS, father of the present president.
The bust is encircled by a wreath of stars. The names of all the
citizens who distinguished themselves by great services during the
revolution, are engraved on four columns. The beef and vegetable markets
are under the court-house; but as this place was justly considered
unsuitable for such a purpose, a new market was built not far from the
water. The corporation began to fill up a ditch, and erect upon it a
long building, the foundation of which is granite, and the three stories
of brick, which was sold to the merchants as a warehouse. This sale was
made on such favourable terms, that from the profits a new market was
built, parallel with this warehouse, entirely of granite. It is five
hundred and twenty-five feet long, fifty feet wide, and one story high.
On the other side of this market, and parallel with it, a new row of
warehouses, similar to the former are building. Mr. Ritchie led us
through several wide and elegant streets to his house, one of the
largest in Boston, and situated on Beacon-hill, a public promenade. Many
frame houses are still to be observed; no new houses can be built of
wood. Most of them are of brick; granite, which is found in abundance
about twenty miles from Boston, is used frequently for foundations,
particularly for those of stores. The _mall_, as it is called, consists
of a large meadow, sparingly planted with trees, and extending down the
hill to the water. On the highest part of the hill stands the
state-house or capitol, with a large dome, covered with copper. The
building is of brick, decorated with a façade of ten columns. These are
of wood, and impart to the whole an air of weakness. Mr. Ritchie’s house
is furnished with much splendour and taste, and decorated by some
paintings which he obtained during his travels. Among these I remarked a
very successful copy of Madonna _della sedia_ of Raphael, another
Madonna of Sassoferrato, and a scene from the deluge of Poussin. We
spent the evening with Mr. Ritchie, and became acquainted with his lady,
and also with the widow of General Humphreys, adjutant of General
Washington, and formerly ambassador of the United States to Lisbon and
Madrid. Mrs. Humphreys is descended from an English family, was born in
Lisbon, and must have been very handsome in her youth. Mr. Otis and his
son were also present. When we departed at nine o’clock, it was still
very warm, and the full moon looked like a glowing coal in the heated
atmosphere. The Pallas arrived at Boston towards evening, and cast
anchor near Long-wharf. In passing she saluted Fort Independence with
seventeen guns, and was answered by eighteen.

I had imagined that no one would take the least notice of me in America,
but I soon found myself agreeably disappointed. The morning after my
arrival I received an invitation to dine the next day with Mr. Otis, and
was visited at the same time by several gentlemen. Captain Henderson and
Mr. Dixon, among others, called upon me; the latter introduced me to his
wife and his father-in-law, Mr. Homer. This gentleman inhabits a large
and handsome house on Beacon-hill, and has two amiable daughters. I was
much pleased with the arrangement of this house, and indeed the houses
and chambers in general are larger and better adapted for convenience
and ease than the English.

In company with Mr. Ritchie I paid a visit to Mrs. Humphreys, whose
house is really splendidly furnished. In the evening I visited Mr. De
Wallenstein, attached to the Russian embassy at Washington, who resides
here during the summer, on account of his health. He is an agreeable and
reflecting man. Afterwards I visited Mr. Edward Everett, professor of
the Greek language in Harvard University. Mr. Everett had previously
written me a German letter, and offered me his services in an extremely
friendly manner. He has passed five years in Europe, during two of which
he studied at Goettingen, and also visited Weimar. He remembered this
with much pleasure, and was particularly pleased with the acquaintance
of St. M. v. Goethe. Having been elected a member of congress he
resigned his professorship.

Mr. Everett called for me the next day to take me to Harvard University,
at Cambridge, three miles distant from Boston. At twelve o’clock we left
Boston, though the heat was extreme, and rode over the wooden bridge
which connects both towns, and is three thousand four hundred feet long.
Cambridge is by no means compactly built, but occupies a large extent of
ground. The houses are generally frame, a few of brick, and very few
entirely of granite; they are however painted with bright colours and
are very pleasing to the eye. Every house has a garden. Many meadows,
like those in England, are enclosed with three rails, lying one above
the other; Indian corn is cultivated in the fields; the grass was dry
and withered.

Harvard University, one of the oldest colleges in the United States, was
founded in 1638, by a clergyman named Harvard, who bequeathed it about
eight hundred pounds sterling. By means of bequests made since that
period, it has now a very large income. The state of Massachusetts
supplies the deficiencies without however making any fixed contribution.
The university has eight buildings, chiefly of brick, and only one of
granite. The Unitarian chapel is in the latter, in which, besides the
usual services on Sunday, morning and evening prayers are held, which
all the students must attend. In front of the buildings is a large
space, surrounded with trees, where the students may amuse themselves.
The students are about three hundred and fifty in number, and
principally board and lodge in the buildings of the university;
a number, however, who cannot find room, or are recommended to families,
live in private houses. They are in other respects, as in the
universities of England, subjected to a very rigid discipline. The
library, which occupies two halls, contains about eighteen thousand
volumes. It contains the first edition of the large work on Egypt;
a Polyglot bible from the collection of Lord Clarendon; a splendid
edition of the Lusiad, by Camoens, with plates from the designs of
Gerard, edited by the Marquis de Souza, and printed by Didot at Paris.
Only two hundred and fifty copies of this edition were printed, and this
copy was given to the university by the Marquis himself. Of manuscripts
I saw but few, and these were Greek, which Mr. Everett bought at
Constantinople during his travels, and another containing the aphorisms
of Hippocrates, which an English schoolmaster copied with so much skill,
that it appears to have been printed.[I-4] In the mathematical lecture
room I did not observe a very complete apparatus. They have also but few
astronomical instruments, and in one observatory there are none. A new
electrical machine with a glass globe had but lately arrived from
England. The mineralogical collection is under obligations to Mr.
Ritchie for most of its finest specimens, which he bought during his
travels at Dresden, and presented to the university. A piece of basalt
found under ground in this neighbourhood, bears some similarity to the
profile of a human face. It is not known whether it be a lusus naturæ or
the work of human hands. Does this belong to the remains of an earlier
race of men which has vanished from the earth, but which has, not
without reason, been supposed by many to have once existed? The other
natural collections were of slight importance; there are no collections
of insects and butterflies. I saw there also the antlers of two stags,
which had become so completely entangled in fighting, that they could
not be separated, and in this state they were killed. The chemical
laboratory is arranged in a separate house, strongly resembling a
chapel. The anatomical theatre has been removed for want of room, from
Cambridge to Boston. In the former lecture room, however, there are
still several handsome wax preparations made in Florence, among which
are two fine full length figures, male and female. The latter represents
a pregnant woman, and is separable. Near the chapel is the assembly room
of the academical senate, where there are some very handsome engravings.
I was surprised to find among these engravings the defence of Gibraltar,
by Elliot, and one which represented Admiral Dewinter taken prisoner by
Admiral Duncan. I gave the attendant who conducted us two dollars, and
he seemed to be so much gratified by my generosity, that when we were in
the chapel he whispered to the organist, who immediately played “God
save the king,” at which I was much surprised. We were escorted through
the botanic garden by Professor Nuttall, an Englishman, who has made
several scientific journeys in the western parts of the United States.
Among the green-house plants I observed a strelitzia, which had been
raised from seed in this country, and also a blooming and handsome Inua
gloriosa, and a Hedychium longifolium. The green-house and the garden
are both small; in the latter I remarked no extraordinary shrubs or
flowers, on the contrary, however, I saw many beetles, which were new to
me, with bright colours, and extremely beautiful butterflies. A son of
President Adams is one of the students of the university, and also Mr.
Jerome Bonaparte, a legitimate son of the former king of Westphalia, by
his marriage with Miss Patterson of Baltimore, which marriage, as is
well known, was dissolved by the Emperor Napoleon. This young man, who
is about twenty years old, bears an excellent character.

    [Footnote I-4: [This manuscript is perhaps one of the most curious
    specimens of calligraphy extant. Without the aid of a microscope
    it is almost impossible to discover that it is not a printed work,
    so extremely uniform and accurate is every letter. We believe it
    was originally prepared for the celebrated Dr. Richard Meade of
    London.]--TRANS.]

My acquaintances increased in number, and I received visits from many
distinguished men. Among those who paid me this honour on the third day
after my arrival, I must mention the Danish ambassador, Mr. Pedersen,
who was travelling with his family in the northern parts of the United
States, and was introduced to me by Mr. Ritchie; Mr. Josiah Quincy,
mayor of the city, was also present, a worthy and extremely agreeable
man, to whom I am under great obligations.

After the gentlemen had withdrawn, I visited the New England Museum,
a very pompous description of which had fallen into my hands. This
museum is a private establishment, and consists of a mixture of wax
figures, musical clocks, stuffed animals, portraits, French caricatures,
butterflies, &c. Two articles alone interested me, namely, two living
rattlesnakes, and three Egyptian mummies. The snakes, caught near Lake
Erie, were lying in a box covered with glass, and received no
nourishment but water. They are ugly creatures, of a dark gray colour,
with large sharp scales and yellow bellies. Large thick heads, prominent
black eyes, and forked tongues. One of them, which was engaged in
casting its skin, was for the time blind; it had four rattles, and was
receiving a fifth. The attendant irritated it, but we did not hear it
rattle. Spirit of hartshorn is said to be very effectual against their
bite. The mummies were brought last year in an American vessel from
Egypt. One was in the same condition in which it had been when in the
coffin, except that the cloth had been taken from the face. The two
others were more or less uncovered; their coffins were well preserved.
I was astonished to see the fresh colours of the figures painted on
them. One of the mummies had two coffins, whence it is inferred that she
was a person of high rank. I saw also a Chinese painting, representing
all the tortures and modes of death common in China; a shocking and
disgusting sight. Finally, I observed a good model of the old bastile of
Paris, made of a stone from this building.

The mayor, Mr. Quincy, had the politeness to show us the state prison.
This is situated in Charlestown, is of granite, and was built about
twenty years ago at the expense of the state of Massachusetts. It
consists of a centre building, containing the dwelling and offices of
the superintendant, as well as the watchroom, and of two wings, where
the prisoners are lodged. Behind the building is a large yard where the
prisoners work. It is enclosed by a high wall, with palisades, which is
guarded day and night by several sentinels. The prisoners are chiefly
employed in cutting and polishing blocks of granite, which are used in
Boston and its vicinity. The punishment of every prisoner who is
sufficiently robust, commences with this hard labour, which, however, is
changed if his conduct merits it, or if he exhibits abilities for some
other employment. As stone-cutter, a daily task is assigned to him,
which, if not finished, or badly done, is followed by solitary
confinement. If he performs more than his task, he is paid for the
surplus. Of this sum he can dispose as he pleases when discharged.
Newly-arrived prisoners, and those who have conducted themselves badly,
are dressed in green and blue, when, however, they conduct themselves
properly again, they are freed from this distinguishing habit. Other
prisoners work at various trades; supplying at the same time their
mutual wants, as shoes, &c. An engraver who was imprisoned for
counterfeiting Nova Scotia bank notes, worked in a separate room, and
engraved very neat maps. Four prisoners sleep in one cell, which are all
tolerably well ventilated, and every prisoner has his own hammock. Black
bread and soup constitute the food of the prisoners, who receive besides
for breakfast and supper, a portion of syrup and flour, forming a kind
of pudding. Besides the usual service on Sunday, they have prayers
daily.

A report of the state of the prison from September 30, 1823, to
September 30, 1824, which was published by the warden, Mr. Thomas
Harris, contains the following results:--

The whole number of prisoners from 1805 to September 30, 1824, was one
thousand eight hundred and sixteen; of these there were thirteen hundred
and three dismissed, after the period of their punishment had expired;
two hundred and ninety-eight were pardoned; fifteen escaped; one hundred
and two died; two hundred and ninety-eight remained; of the thirteen
hundred and three who were dismissed, two hundred and thirteen were a
second time in prison for new crimes, and among these two hundred and
thirteen there were twenty-four who had been pardoned.

On the 30th of September, 1823, there were three hundred and eight
prisoners; of these eighty were dismissed, ten pardoned, six died, and,
consequently, two hundred and twelve remained. To these eighty-six had
been added, so that the number of prisoners amounted, September 30th,
1824, to two hundred and ninety-eight, as was mentioned above. Among
these there were only three females.

Of these two hundred and ninety-eight, there were fifty-four black or
coloured people, and fifty-nine white foreigners, viz. thirteen
Englishmen, seventeen Irishmen, eight Scotchmen, four from Nova Scotia,
two Canadians, one from the Cape of Good Hope, three West Indians, four
Frenchmen, two Swedes, two Italians, one from Green Cape, one
Portuguese, one German.

Two hundred and twenty-two were sentenced for stealing, twenty-six for
passing counterfeit money, sixteen for burglary, seven for attempted
rape, six for attempting to murder, five for being incendiaries, eleven
for forgery, and five, among whom were the three females, for robbery.

The prisoners are employed in different occupations; one hundred and
twenty-one were stone-cutters, twenty-seven for removing the stone,
thirty joiners, eleven brush makers, eight weavers, six shoemakers, ten
tailors, &c. There were eleven in the hospital, four in solitary
confinement, and three invalids.

The expenses of the prison amounted to forty-one thousand six hundred
and ninety-five dollars for the maintenance of the prisoners, clothes,
beds, medicine, and materials employed in the labours of the prisoners;
and fifteen thousand nine hundred and twenty-six dollars for the
officers, &c. Total of expenses, fifty-seven thousand six hundred and
twenty-two dollars.

The income derived from the labours of the prisoners amounted to
fifty-eight thousand eight hundred and thirty-four dollars, and thus the
prison was not only of no expense to the state, but produced a profit of
twelve hundred and twelve dollars!

After leaving this remarkable building, the mayor accompanied us to
Cambridge. A company of volunteers from Boston, the Washington Rangers,
were training. The company were already departing when we arrived, but
had the politeness to halt and repeat their exercise again. They
exhibited much skill. They are somewhat fantastically dressed in green,
and armed with long rifles. I became acquainted with the officers, who
were all young men of the best families. I also spoke with several
Cambridge students, some of whom were dressed in a uniform, belonging to
a volunteer company, consisting of students alone.

We then went to Bunker’s Hill, near Charlestown. The space is small, but
of great importance in American history. Connected with the main land by
a bridge, this field of battle lies on a small island and has two hills,
the higher and most northern of which is called Bunker’s Hill; the
southern, Breed’s Hill, commands Charlestown and the Boston Roads.
In the year 1775, the Americans occupied this hill, and with their
artillery, which was placed in a redoubt hastily thrown up, harassed the
English garrison in Boston, and the fleet. On the morning of the 17th of
June, the English made a sally, left Boston, landed on a point east of
the redoubt, where the Americans had left too weak a defence, formed
their columns, whilst the artillery in Boston set Charlestown on fire,
and attacked the redoubt. This was so well defended, that the English
were twice obliged to retreat with very great loss. In one of these
unsuccessful attacks, the English Major Pitcairn, who shortly before had
commanded the English advance guard at the affair of Lexington, was shot
by an American sharp shooter, who still lives, at the moment when he
shouted to his soldiers not to be “afraid of these d----d rebels, which
were nothing but a crowd of grasshoppers.”

But the English received reinforcements, and renewed the attack. The
Americans, on the contrary, had expended their ammunition, and the shot
sent to them from Cambridge, the headquarters of General Lee, were too
large for the calibre of their pieces. They could obtain no assistance,
as an English man of war kept up a fierce fire upon the bridge, the only
means of communication with the main land. They determined, therefore,
to evacuate the redoubt, and they effected it, though with great loss.
At this time an English officer shot Dr. WARREN, one of the most
distinguished American patriots, who shortly before had been appointed
general, by congress. The English did not pursue the Americans farther
than Bunker’s Hill, but returned during the night to Boston. The remains
of the redoubt are still seen, and on the 17th of June last, the corner
stone of a monument was laid, which is to be an obelisk two hundred and
ten feet high. One hundred and thirty veterans were present at this
ceremony, the last of the seventeen hundred Americans who had
participated in this affair.

Finally, Mr. Quincy introduced us, in Charlestown, to a major of
militia, who devotes much of his attention to rural economy, and to the
breeding of cattle and horses. His whole establishment was interesting.
The major showed us, particularly, a noble English bull, from which he
had raised very handsome and strong calves, and also a fine English
stallion, ten years old.

In these peregrinations I made inquiries after Miss Wright, who, some
years ago, published letters on America, which excited much attention in
Europe, as well as in America. I was told that this _lady_ with her
sister, unattended by a male protector, had roved through the country,
in steam-boats and stages, that she constantly tagged about after
General La Fayette, and whenever the general arrived at any place, Miss
Wright was sure to follow next day, as but little notice had been taken
of this _lady_ in Boston, a literary attack was expected from her pen.
She is no longer young, and is of tall stature and masculine manners. In
general, her letters are not much esteemed, and the flattering terms in
which she speaks of Americans and all their institutions, are regarded
as overstrained.[I-5]

    [Footnote I-5: [This “_lady_” is now one of the editors of a
    newspaper, published in the western country, devoted to the
    especial debasement of the human race. She has kindly undertaken
    to enlighten the Americans by endeavouring to convince them that
    _religion_ is a cheat, _chastity_ a dream, and all who adhere to
    the pure precept of the gospel of our Saviour, fools!]--TRANS.]

On the 30th of July I went on board the Pallas to attend to the
unloading of my baggage. I remained there a few hours, as I found it
cooler on board than on shore. The vessel was as they said, full of
visitors all day, for Captain Ryk, with his usual liberality, denied
access to no one of genteel appearance. Citizens are by no means allowed
to visit American vessels of war, unless they are known to an officer,
and on this account the curiosity of the inhabitants of this place to
see a foreign vessel of war is great.

When I returned to the city, I visited Mr. Quincy, who took me to the
Court-house to see the arsenal of the thirteen volunteer companies of
this place. One of these companies has been organized ever since 1638;
all of these consist of young men of good families, who do not wish to
serve in the same companies with the common crowd, but have united, and,
in elegant uniforms, compose the flank companies of the battalions of
militia. A large hall in the Court-house is appropriated for their
exercises, when the weather is inclement. Every company consists of
about sixty men. The greater number of the companies are armed like
infantry, with bayonets according to the English mode, and the riflemen
alone with rifles. Not only the arms of the company, but the swords of
the officers are kept in the chambers of the Court-house.

From the Court-house, Mr. Quincy took me to the Athenæum, where the
principal journals of the United States are found, and a library of
about twenty thousand volumes, which were partly presented and partly
purchased. A regular librarian showed us every thing; we noticed
particularly several interesting medals, and the collection made by
Thomasson in Birmingham, which represents the Elgin marbles. In the
vestibule of the house, and in the large reading room, are plaster
busts, which Lawyer Thorndike brought from Rome and presented to the
Athenæum. The handsome house itself, which is valued at twenty thousand
dollars, was given to the society by Mr. Perkins, a brother of the
celebrated mechanician in London.

Some days later, August 2, Mr. Quincy had the politeness to show me
several hospitals of the city.

The civil hospital was founded about twenty years ago, and is a massive
building of granite, with ten Ionic columns of the same stone. The
building, founded by voluntary subscriptions, and afterwards enriched by
legacies, now supports itself by the interest of the capital and by fees
which some patients pay. The administration of the hospitals and other
benevolent institutions, is conducted, without charge, by the principal
inhabitants, in a very correct and economical manner. The house has a
cellar, two stories besides a ground floor, and may contain about eighty
sick of both sexes, which are placed in different wings of the building.
There were at that time fifty-six patients, under the care of six nurses
and a matron. The house is under the direction of a steward, who is at
the same time a physician. Those patients who pay ten dollars a week,
occupy separate chambers, with separate attendants; others pay only
three dollars a week, and many nothing at all. The latter are all in the
same halls, which, however, are very light and well ventilated. The sick
sleep on beds of hard wood, with good hair mattresses and very fine bed
clothes. The steps are of granite, the halls and chambers are planked,
and the floors are painted with oil colours. I have seen many hospitals,
but none in which the sick were so conveniently and suitably lodged, and
none in which cleanliness was so well observed. The kitchen and
wash-house are in the cellar. In the former, the victuals are cooked by
means of steam, and the latter is arranged like that in the Plymouth
Marine Hospital, namely, with very large wooden frames to dry the
clothes. The session room of the directors, the anatomical theatre, with
some chambers for sick, are in the first story; the dwelling of the
matron, and the remainder of the chambers for patients, are arranged in
the second story. Two reservoirs of water, which may be raised by pumps,
should a fire break out, are situated on the ground floor. Mr. Coolidge,
one of the directors, accompanied us, and conducted us also to the
lunatic asylum, which is under the same directors.

This building stands on an eminence between Cambridge and Charlestown.
A farm-house has been purchased in the neighbourhood, which serves as
the dwelling of the steward and head physician, as well as for a kitchen
and wash-house. Behind this house two very solid wings have been built,
three stories high, one for males, and the other for females. They
somewhat resemble prisons, but are concealed by the farm-house, which
has a very pleasing aspect, and thus prevents the unpleasant sensations
which the institution would otherwise excite in the minds of the unhappy
lunatics when they first approach it. A large garden, surrounded with a
wall, is attached to each wing, serving as a place of recreation for the
patients. A well-lighted corridor runs along each story, at each side of
which are the doors of the cells; in these nothing is placed but a
wooden bedstead, as in the hospital. Every story has an eating room, and
a common hall; in the latter, in which the sick may pass the day,
a table is placed with benches, which are nailed to the floor. The
infuriated are placed in solitary cells, and when they cannot be
subdued, are brought under a cold shower bath. The chambers are heated,
as in the hospitals, by means of flues. In this asylum also, in which
there were forty patients, the greatest cleanliness prevailed.

On the 3d of August, Mr. Quincy called for me at twelve o’clock, to
introduce me, with Captain Ryk and Mr. Tromp, to the elder Mr. Adams,
father of the present president. This worthy old man, who was ninety
years old, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, lives ten
miles from Boston, on his farm at Quincy, revered by his family, and
honoured by the whole nation, who regard him as their common father.
I was much affected when, as I approached this venerable man who had so
efficiently laboured in the cause of American independence, he extended
to me his hand. He was still in full possession of his mental faculties,
and remembered, not only the things which had occurred long ago, but
knew also every thing which had recently taken place, or was now
passing. His bodily strength, however, was diminishing, and he felt a
weakness, particularly in his legs. He conversed with me about half an
hour, especially concerning Holland, where he had been ambassador during
the revolution, and the features of his ancient countenance revived
again as he dwelt on the fact, that it was owing to him that Holland
then declared war against England, and the English ambassador,
notwithstanding all his intrigues, could effect nothing. When Mr. Tromp
was introduced to him, he remembered his great ancestor, shook his hand
in a friendly manner, was much affected, and said to him, “God bless
you, Van Tromp!” We left this worthy old man in deep emotion, and
congratulated each other on our good fortune in having been introduced
to this departing veteran of a revolution, which may well be called
salutary.

In his house we saw several good portraits and busts of him, portraits
of his wife, who died seven years ago, of his son, the president, and of
General _Warren_, who fell at Bunker’s Hill. We saw also a son of
President J. Q. Adams, who is a lawyer at Boston, and with whom I became
acquainted some days ago in the Athenæum.

From Boston to Quincy there is a good turnpike road. It runs over some
hills, on which the traveller sees a handsome panorama; behind him the
city, on the left the bay, in front a well-cultivated region with
handsome farms, on the right the Blue Hills. We passed by several neat
farm-houses; the grounds are separated by means of dry walls, the stones
of which are partly hewn, and separated from each other, somewhat like
those of Scotland. No old trees are found, because the first settlers
very imprudently destroyed all the wood, and now it must be raised again
with much trouble. Lombardy poplars, and plane trees are frequent. The
inhabitants generally appear to be in good circumstances, at least the
farmers seem to prosper, and the houses appear to great advantage, for
instance, we remarked a common village blacksmith shop, which was built
of massive granite. At the very neat village of Miltonbridge we passed
over the river Neponset, which is navigable for small vessels.

Quincy contains about four thousand inhabitants, and has assumed this
name in honour of the mayor’s family, which is here much beloved and
esteemed. Mr. Quincy’s country seat, to which we repaired from the house
of the ex-president, is about two miles distant from the latter, and
lies in the neighbourhood of the sea on a small eminence, from which
there is a very handsome prospect towards the bay. Mr. Quincy introduced
us to his family, to his wife, two sons, and four daughters. The eldest
daughter is very accomplished, and excels in painting landscapes in
sepia. Some years ago she visited the Falls of Niagara with her family,
and sketched several views. The other daughters are also very well
educated, and have a talent for music. We met here several gentlemen
from Boston, among others, Mr. Shepherd, Mr. Everett, and President
Kirkland, from Cambridge, who was accompanied by an aged English
teacher, Mr. Cooper, who fled from England with PRIESTLEY, thirty-five
years ago, and now directs Columbia College in South Carolina. He
appeared to be a gloomy, austere man, and very different in his address
from the humane and friendly manner of Dr. Kirkland. Towards evening we
returned to Boston by a shorter road, and passed the Neponset by means
of a long wooden bridge, which Mr. Quincy built not far from the place
where it empties into the sea. We then passed through Dorchester, and
saw on an eminence to the right the remains of two redoubts, built by
the English, which the great _Washington_ took from them, strengthened,
and thus principally contributed to the evacuation of Boston.

I accompanied, August 4th, a party to a Mr. Nathaniel Amory; we passed
over the long mill-dam, which cuts off a part of the water surrounding
Boston, and is to be filled up in time, and houses built on it. Six
miles from the city is a wooden bridge over Charles river, which we
crossed to see the arsenal on the opposite side. This establishment was
built in 1816. A long yard, surrounded with a wall of granite, is
attached to the chief arsenal, which is three stories high, with two
wings, containing the offices and dwellings of the two directors, Major
Craige and Lieutenant Van Nessen. The workshops of the different
mechanics, belonging to the arsenal, are arranged behind this building,
on each side of the yard; at a short distance from the arsenal stands
the powder magazine, built of granite, and containing about fifty
thousand pounds; thirty thousand stands of arms are contained in the
arsenal in chests, each holding twenty pieces. I saw there a
newly-invented machine for casting a hundred and sixty-two balls at
once, giving them at the same time a perfectly round form. The arsenal
is very pleasantly situated in Watertown.

We passed farther along the shore, through a romantic part of the
country, towards Waltham. At this place a branch of a large cotton
manufactory is situated, belonging to a company of twenty-five persons.
It is under the direction of Mr. Jackson, who possesses a very handsome
dwelling, where he appears to pass a happy life with his amiable family.
About four hundred and fifty workmen are employed, who live in different
buildings belonging to the factory, and form a particular colony; they
have two schools, a church, and a clergyman. They appear to be in very
good circumstances, as the dress, cleanly exterior, and healthy
appearance of the workmen testify. In these buildings the cotton is spun
and woven; but the colouring and printing are performed in another
establishment. The machines are worked by water, which is said not to
freeze in winter, but sometimes fails in dry summers. More simple
machines than jennys are used for spinning, and the dressing machines
are different from those in the Netherlands, though not better,
I believe, as they have but one cylinder. The weaving machines are
mostly of wood, which is very cheap, though I believe that our iron ones
are better. The workmen of this factory are, as I have since learned,
esteemed on account of their good manners, and their morality is
universally praised. But one case of seduction occurred in ten years.
After leaving this factory we passed by several very neat houses and
parks; the latter are smaller than those in England, because in this
country there are no rights of primogeniture, and the estate of parents
at their death is divided into as many parts as there are children. On
this account we do not find such great and powerful landholders here as
in England. It is a subject of dispute, whether primogeniture or equal
division be preferable; but it is certain that real prosperity is much
more diffused through the nation in America, and the land is better
cultivated.

Mr. Nathaniel Amory’s country seat lies on a small eminence in a
tolerably large park, and affords an extensive prospect of the vicinity
of Boston. Mr. Amory collected several good paintings of the Flemish
school in his travels, and some handsome mosaic work in Rome, with which
his house is decorated. In the afternoon we took a walk through the park
to a cottage, which belongs to the English sea captain, Wormley,
brother-in-law of Mr. Amory, and, though small, is very neatly arranged,
and handsomely situated. A small lake, called the Fresh Pond, with its
shady trees, affords a very picturesque view. After spending some time
very agreeably with his friendly family, we returned at nine o’clock in
the evening, by way of Cambridge to Boston.

I visited the navy-yard on the 5th August, in company with Major
Wainwright, of the marines, and Lieutenant Gwynn. In the small barracks
of the marines where we commenced, the rooms are not large; the beds
stand on a platform, so that the rooms are very narrow and close. The
appearance of the soldiers was not remarkable. The navy-yard was founded
only twelve years ago, and not yet completed, but is very extensive.
A dry dock has not yet been made, but will be advantageously placed. The
two line of battle ships, Columbus and Independence, and the frigate
Java, were in ordinary. Two line of battle-ships and a corvette were on
the stocks, and not yet named. The two former, which were under sheds,
were finished, so that they could leave the stocks as soon as government
should order. But as no loss was incurred, the vessels were allowed to
lie on the stocks, and under shelter as long as possible, that the wood
may become still better seasoned. The sheds are larger than the English,
and are actual houses. The two vessels are very modestly called
seventy-fours, but have each three decks; the one pierced for one
hundred and thirty thirty-two pounders, and the other for an hundred and
thirty-six, of the same caliber. They are built of live oak, and to
prevent the dry rot, salt is scattered among the timbers, which, as I
was told, was of great advantage. The vessels are so high and roomy,
that I could stand erect in the two lower batteries under the beams.
Some methods which tend to strengthen and relieve vessels, used in other
places, have not yet been adopted here; for instance, I did not observe
the cruciform strengthening of the sides, and the diagonal deck,
according to the plan of Sir Robert Seppings, from which two
improvements the navies of England and the Netherlands derive the
greatest advantage. The same system which prevails in England is
observed here, namely, not to employ shipwrights for builders, as in the
Netherlands and in France, but carpenters. Mr. Baker, the master
shipwright of this place, with whom I became acquainted, is considered
to be a very skilful man.

After we had seen the navy-yard, been much gratified with its good
condition, and wishing it might soon be finished, we visited the lady of
the commissioner, Captain Craine, who was absent. The commissioner’s
house belongs to the government, and is placed on a height overlooking
the navy-yard; the architect who planned it, worried the commissioner
with continual questions relative to the form of the house, until
finally he replied in great vexation, build it _like my ----_. The
architect took him at his word, and built it with two round projections
standing close together, which have a very curious appearance from the
navy-yard. We saw in the navy-yard sails of cotton canvass, which are
preferred to hempen sails, both because they are more easily worked, and
are peculiarly durable. They are not, however, liked in the navy,
because they are too combustible, and on that account might be extremely
dangerous to a vessel during an action; they are therefore used only for
the higher sails.

On the next day Mr. Quincy very politely invited me to visit some of the
public schools, which are under his direction. I accepted this
invitation with much pleasure, for in a country like this, where the
people govern themselves, without doubt the prevailing spirit may be
best learnt from the institutions for public education. There are also
at Boston, besides various private and two public schools, a Latin and a
mathematical school, called _high schools_, which are both maintained at
the expense of the city; boys of every class are admitted without paying
for their tuition.[I-6] Well-informed young men, who received good
salaries, are selected as teachers. The first teacher of the high school
receives yearly two thousand five hundred dollars. The study of the
ancient languages, the Latin and Greek, forms the basis of public
instruction. At the same time that these are taught, the attention,
acuteness, and memory of the pupils, are variously exercised; if, for
example, any one recites a line of the Eneid, and repeats the last
letter, another immediately arises, and repeats from the same poem a
line, beginning with this letter. The pupils do this with wonderful
rapidity. The declamations took place during our presence. One of the
scholars recited the speech of an English member of parliament, with so
warm and correct a delivery, that the speech could scarcely have been
better spoken in parliament. Another recited an oration, in which the
advantages of a moderate above a despotic government, were also
exhibited in a very good and distinct manner. Every evening the place of
each scholar in the class for the next day, is appointed by the teacher,
according to the industry which he may have shown during the day, and
entered into a book. At the end of the month judgments are passed on all
the pupils according to this list.

    [Footnote I-6: The expenses of public instruction, with the
    exception of Harvard University, are defrayed by means of a school
    tax, granted by the representatives of the state of Massachusetts,
    to which every inhabitant of the state is obliged to contribute.
    This praiseworthy arrangement exists also in Maine, New Hampshire,
    Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In the last state,
    moreover, those parents who neglect to keep their children at
    school, are fined five dollars for every absent child, which sum
    goes into the school treasury.]

The mathematical and physical sciences are taught in the high school; it
possesses a very good philosophical cabinet. We heard one class examined
in arithmetic, and another in analytic geometry. In the former I saw
that much attention was paid to mental calculation, and was surprised at
the quick and correct solutions of difficult arithmetical questions.
In the higher class the teacher proposed a question, and all those
immediately arose who thought they could answer it. One was designated
by the teacher to solve it, and if another thought the answer not
exactly correct, he raised his hand, without interrupting the first, and
corrected him when called upon. I was pleased both with the kind manners
of the teachers, and the modest, correct, and easy deportment of the
scholars. The boys generally had handsome faces, and were all of an
animated physiognomy. With this they combine, as I was frequently
convinced, the greatest respect for their parents and teachers. It
appears to me impossible that young people, who receive so liberal an
education, can grow up to be bad or malicious men. I was indeed affected
when I left the schools, and could not but congratulate Mr. Quincy from
the bottom of my heart, on such a rising generation! Captain Ryk, who
accompanied us, participated in my views and feelings.

From the schools we went to the state-house or capitol, of the exterior
of which I have already spoken, but the interior arrangement I had not
yet seen. Besides the offices belonging to the state government, it
contains the assembly rooms of the three bodies which govern the state,
the council of the governor, the senate, and the representatives. These
rooms are spacious; still, however, it is evident, that thirty-seven
years ago, when this building was erected, every thing was done in
haste, and that architecture had not then made the progress which it
since has. All the steps are of wood. A trophy is erected in one of the
chambers, composed of Brunswick arms, which were taken at the battle of
Saratoga. One hundred and sixty-eight steps lead to the lantern of the
cupola, which is of wood, and covered with copper. Notwithstanding the
excessive heat, we went up, and our labour was richly recompensed by a
splendid prospect. The dome is the highest point in the vicinity, and
affords a view not only of the whole city and the bay, but also of a
great extent of ground beyond, in every part of which a number of neat
dwellings may be observed.

Thus passed almost fourteen days, in an uncommonly pleasing and
instructive manner. In general my state of health allowed me to enjoy
every new and interesting object with serenity of mind; I was indisposed
but two days, and this was probably owing to the excessive heat. Even
the intermediate hours, which could not be dedicated to the inspection
of public institutions, generally afforded instructive amusements.
I passed the morning in reading and writing, then received or paid
visits, and at all times met with attention, courteousness, and
kindness. I visited the churches on the Sundays I passed in Boston,
which are still more quietly kept in America than in England. The first
time I went to a Unitarian church, attended by a son of the mayor;
a second time I went to an Episcopalian church, accompanied by Mr.
Lloyd, a very distinguished man, and senator of the United States.
I dined twice at the inn, but generally accepted some friendly
invitation, and passed all my evenings very agreeably in company at
musical parties and other entertainments. I also made some excursions
into the country besides those already mentioned.

The society, especially when ladies are not present, is uncommonly fine
and lively--both sexes are very well educated and accomplished. So much
care is bestowed upon the education of the female sex, that it would
perhaps be considered in other countries as superfluous. Young ladies
even learn Latin and Greek, but then they also can speak of other things
besides fashions and tea-table subjects; thus, for instance, I was at a
party of Mrs. General Humphreys, which was entirely in the European
style, without cards, dancing or music, and yet it was lively and
agreeable. Thus I passed some delightful hours with Mr. Ritchie, Mr.
Dixon, Mr. Homer, Mr. Otis, Mr. Shepherd, and Mr. Artiguenave,
a Frenchman, formerly an actor in the Théâtre Français, at Paris, and
now professor of the French language at Cambridge University. Many of
those gentlemen who are met with in such society, have travelled in
Europe, sometimes accompanied by their ladies; Europeans are frequently
present, and thus there is no want of materials for conversation. The
generality of the houses, moreover, offer something attractive in the
fine arts; and in returning home on an evening, the city, the bridges,
and the Mill-dam are very well lighted, not indeed with gas, but with
reflecting lamps, and none of that disorderly conduct is observed in the
streets, which so often shocks the mind in the cities of England.

We made an excursion on the 1st of August into the country with Mr.
Dixon in his dearborn. A dearborn is a very light wagon, with two
benches and four wheels, drawn by one horse. We rode over the neck which
unites Boston with the main land, and was fortified by the English
during the revolution; then in an ascending direction towards the
heights of Roxbury, where, during the blockade, the right wing of the
American lines stood. The ground is very rocky, and partly covered with
fir trees; the trees which formerly stood here must have been entirely
removed, as not one high tree can be seen. Passing farther on we saw
very handsome country houses and gardens, the former generally two
stories high, and surrounded with covered colonnades. At one of these we
paid a visit to the owner, Mr. Rufus Amory. A walk, shaded by oak, elm,
and maple trees, leads to the dwelling on a slight elevation, which
commands an extended and beautiful view of Boston and the bay. We were
received by the friendly owner in an extremely obliging and hospitable
manner. We rode through a romantic part of the country to Dorchester, to
visit General Sumner at his country seat, but did not find him at home.
We then returned by another handsome road to Boston, and passed a large
rope manufactory, the works of which were moved by steam.

At another excursion to Dorchester, in company with some young men, sons
of the richest inhabitants of the place, a game of ten-pins was played.
It is called ten-pins, because that number of pins is here used in the
game.[I-7]

    [Footnote I-7: [Most probably to evade a law against
    “_nine_-pins.”]--TRANS.]

Finally, I cannot omit to mention one visit, which, in company with Mr.
Ritchie, I made to Mr. Coolidge, jr. Mr. Coolidge had, three months ago,
married a Miss Randolph, a granddaughter of THOMAS JEFFERSON. His wife,
about thirty years old, was brought up by her grandfather in the country
in his library. She is said to be so learned that JEFFERSON often asked
her advice. She had arrived a few days previous, and made known that she
would receive visiters, and we therefore found the chamber filled with
people. Every one at his departure took with him a piece of wedding
cake. The young ladies, as it is said, place this cake under their
pillows, and then dream of their future lovers.




CHAPTER V.

  _Journey from Boston to Albany, by way of Worcester and
    Northampton.-- Sojourn there, from the 8th to the 14th of
    August, 1825._


Accompanied by Mr. Tromp, who had become endeared to me by his
knowledge, his modest, honourable, and amiable deportment, I left Boston
on the 9th of August, for Worcester, distant forty miles. The
mail-coach, like the diligence stage, consists of a long calash with
three benches, each capable of containing three persons. The top is
fixed, though the curtains can be rolled up, so that a person may enjoy
the fresh air and the prospect of the surrounding country, without being
exposed to the sun.

We left the hospitable city of Boston with grateful hearts, and rode
over the Mill-dam into the interior of the country. The horses were
changed four times, generally in small villages; Farmingham and
Westborough appeared to be the only ones of any importance. The country
sometimes seemed wild, and but thinly settled, though the state of
Massachusetts is said to be the most populous in North America. We saw
no grain,[I-8] though in some places we observed Indian corn, and now
and then some millet. Apple orchards were abundant--the trees hung so
full of fruit that many of the boughs were broken. The apples are small
and yellow, and are employed in preparing the favourite beverage called
cider. We gradually approached forests, consisting of oak, chesnut, and
elm trees. Sumach also occurs in some places, the bark of which is said
to be excellent for tanning leather. There are evidently no forest
regulations here, and the timber is very much neglected. The road was
for the greatest part a good turnpike, and made in the German manner. We
crossed several small rivers and rivulets on wooden bridges, which are
very slight, though they are built with a great waste of timber. The
planks are not even nailed upon the beams, so that I began to be
somewhat fearful, especially as the carriage drove rapidly over. About
two miles from Worcester we crossed a lake called Guansiganog-pond, on a
wooden bridge one-fourth of a mile in length. The banks of this lake are
covered with wood, and present a very handsome appearance. On our way,
we were overtaken by a considerable thunder-storm, which settled the
dust, and procured us a pleasant evening. We arrived at Worcester about
7 o’clock, and alighted at an excellent tavern. This town contains about
four thousand inhabitants, and consists of a principal street, with an
avenue shaded with old elm trees, and of several bye-streets, which,
like the preceding, are altogether unpaved. The houses, generally built
of wood, and but few of brick, are all surrounded with gardens, and
stand at a considerable distance from each other, so that the town
appears like a village. It has four churches, a bank, and three
printing-offices, each of which furnishes a newspaper. There are also
printing-offices in many of the villages through which we passed, as
well as a fire-engine in each. In the evening we paid a visit to the
governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Levi Lincoln, who resides at this place.
We found this worthy man, who is universally esteemed by his
fellow-citizens, at home with his wife and sister-in-law, and were
received by him in the most friendly manner. We spent a very agreeable
evening in his company. A proof of the public esteem which he enjoys,
is, that at the last election, there was not a single vote against him,
an example almost unparalleled in the United States. The governor is
styled “his excellency.” On the following morning the governor conducted
us to a recently established museum, which is designed chiefly for the
collection of American antiquities. It is yet in its infancy, and
contains but few interesting specimens; the library also is of small
extent, notwithstanding we must render full justice to the inhabitants
for their laudable zeal in the cause of natural science. We rode around
the town in company with the governor, passed the court-house and
prison, which unfortunately we had not time to visit, and returned to
our inn. The gardens we passed had rather a wild appearance. They
cultivate kitchen vegetables, a few watermelons, and fruit; we saw no
flowers excepting the sunflower.

    [Footnote I-8: [The harvest having occurred in July.]--TRANS.]

At 10 o’clock we departed in the Worcester stage for Northampton,
distant forty-seven miles. Our company in the stage-coach consisted of
two gentlemen and ladies from the state of Mississippi, who had
undertaken a tour to the northern states on account of the unhealthy
climate in their own country, and who entertained us very agreeably with
an account of their estates. The road was worse than yesterday,
sometimes sandy, and the horses generally bad, so that on the whole, our
progress was slow. The country is less populous, as well as less
cultivated, though there is more timber, which, however, is also very
much neglected. We observed the cypress and a few large cedars. As there
are no grazing laws in force, they are obliged on account of the cattle,
and particularly on account of the sheep which graze in these woods at
large, to make fences of young chesnut trees which are split into four
pieces. These fences generally consist of six rails placed upon each
other, with an interspace of several inches. They are placed in an
angular form, and at the point where the rails meet, they are placed one
upon the other, and usually supported upon a large stone. Such a waste
of timber and land is only pardonable in a country where the inhabitants
are few, and where timber is abundant. A large extent of wood-land has
been cleared only within a short time, and the trunks of the trees which
remained have been destroyed by fire. The soil is not particularly
fertile. We observed numerous blocks of granite, which may be hereafter
usefully employed, the large for building, and the small upon the roads.
The villages which we passed on our way are Leicester, seven, Spencer,
five, Brookfield, seven, Ware, eight, Belchertown, nine, and Madley, ten
miles. They are most of them small places, consisting generally of frame
houses, standing at a distance from each other, which are very neat and
comfortable; each village has a frame church and a school-house. Stores
are observed in most of these places, and in Belchertown there is even a
fashionable one. The churches are usually provided with long sheds,
in which the carriages and horses of the members of the church are
protected from the heat and weather during the service. Ware, situated
on the river of the same name, which is crossed by a wooden bridge
rather better built than usual, was laid out about three years since;
it is a neat, flourishing place, and belongs to the Dexter family in
Boston, who have established a woollen and cotton manufactory here, the
workmen of which, above three hundred in number, form the inhabitants of
the place. Mr. Dexter, of Boston, had entrusted me with an important
packet of papers for his brother, who resides in Ware, which I delivered
in person. We found Mr. Dexter with his beautiful wife, at his neat and
well arranged cottage, situated in the centre of a garden, and received
a friendly welcome. From his window he can overlook the whole village
and manufactories. Heretofore, said Mr. Dexter, I have received the
greatest part of my wool from Saxony, which is preferred here to the
Spanish; but at present, we have sheep imported from Saxony, which are
permitted to roam at large through the wood, as there are no wild
animals in Massachusetts to destroy them; they yield a very superior
kind of wool. Unfortunately we were not at leisure to accept of Mr.
Dexter’s invitation to look at his establishments. At the tavern, which
was perfectly clean and comfortable, we obtained a very good dinner, and
continued our journey. The inhabitants of Ware are said to be
distinguished for their strict morality. They have a common school, to
which they are obliged by law to send their children, as is the case
throughout Massachusetts, or pay a fine. In Ware there is but one
physician, who has a handsome house, and keeps a well furnished
apothecary store. The strict republicans are jealous of the large
manufacturing establishments, because they are afraid that individual
citizens, in consequence of their property, may have too great an
influence upon a large mass of people; but I imagine that the republic
has nothing to fear on this head, since the effect of individual
influence is counterbalanced by the promotion of the welfare of the
poorer classes.

About a mile from Northampton we passed the Connecticut river, five
hundred yards wide, in a small ferry-boat, which, as the night had
already set in, was not very agreeable. At Northampton we took lodgings
at Warner’s Hotel, a large, clean, and convenient inn. In front of the
house is a large porch, and in the first story a large balcony. The
gentlemen sit below, and the ladies walk above. It is called a piazza,
and has many conveniences. Elm trees stand in front of the house, and a
large reflecting lamp illuminates the house and the yard. This, with the
beautiful warm evening, and the great number of people, who reposed on
the piazza, or went to and from the house, produced a very agreeable
effect. The people here are exceedingly religious, and, besides going to
church on Sundays, they go thrice during the week. When we arrived, the
service had just ended, and we saw some very handsome ladies come out of
the church. Each bed-chamber of our tavern was provided with a bible.
To-day I observed also a new mode of delivering letters and newspapers.
The driver of the mail-coach throws the letters and newspapers, with
which he is entrusted, before the houses where they are to be left; he
sometimes throws them even into open fields, along the lane leading from
the main road to the house.

About two years ago, Messrs. Cogswell and Bancroft established a
boarding-school at Northampton. The day after our arrival, 11th of
August, Mr. Cogswell paid me a visit, and introduced one of his
professors, Dr. Beck, of Heidelberg, a step-son of Dr. De Wette, of
Weimar, who teaches the Latin and Greek languages. Another German
professor, whom, however, I did not see, directs the gymnastic
exercises. Both these gentlemen conducted us to the institute, which is
situated on Round Hill, about a mile from Northampton.

Northampton contains about four thousand inhabitants, and its buildings
are, apparently, very much like those of Worcester; it has one bank,
a court-house, prison, and a printing-office. From Mr. Cogswell’s
institute, you have a magnificent view of the fertile and
well-cultivated valley of the Connecticut river, which, in this place,
winds between two lofty mountains, Holyoake and Mounttoby. On the left,
the lofty mountains of New Hampshire present a beautiful prospect. In
1824, this institution had but forty pupils, and in 1825, it numbered no
less than seventy-four, so that Mr. Cogswell is obliged, although he has
three large houses belonging to his establishment, to erect a fourth and
larger one. The gymnastic exercises, for which a place is provided in
the woods, with the necessary apparatus, form a principal part of the
instructions of this seminary. The boys are entirely excluded from the
world; but that they may not become too much estranged, Mr. Cogswell
accompanies them annually in various pedestrian tours through the
surrounding country. I visited Mr. Bancroft at his room. Both these
gentlemen entertain the warmest enthusiasm for Germany and the German
method of instruction, and are determined to regulate every thing
according to that system. Mr. Bates, a lawyer introduced to us by Mr.
Cogswell, returned with us to town, and showed us the church,
court-house, and a collection of minerals, in the possession of Dr.
Hunt, in which I admired particularly two specimens of American beryl
and several specimens of rock-crystal. On our return to the tavern,
I received a visit from a physician, Dr. Seeger, who was educated with
Schiller in the military school at Wirtemberg. He wished to become
acquainted with me on account of my father, for whom he expressed the
highest veneration. I must acknowledge, that, in a country so far from
my native land, this afforded me the most sincere gratification, and my
acquaintance with the worthy Dr. Seeger, who has been an inhabitant of
the United States during the last forty years, and who is universally
esteemed as an honest man and a good physician, I shall always remember
with pleasure and satisfaction.

At Springfield, twenty miles from Northampton down the Connecticut
river, is the government armoury. We left Northampton, to visit this
establishment, under the most oppressive heat, with five ladies and two
gentlemen in the stage-coach, into which we were crowded, somewhat like
those that were shut up in the Trojan horse. We arrived about 3 o’clock
in the afternoon, and again found an excellent tavern, which was
provided with a piazza. Our ride passed through a well-cultivated region
of country, along the right bank of the Connecticut river; Indian corn,
millet, and potatoes were observed in considerable abundance, in some
places we also observed hemp, and sometimes, though seldom, hops.

Springfield is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut river, over
which, close by the town, is a wooden bridge, five hundred yards long,
and built in a very awkward style. Springfield has much more the
appearance of a city than Worcester and Northampton, for there are at
least some stone houses situated so closely together that they form a
street. Colonel Lee had the goodness to take us in his carriage to the
manufactory of arms, of which he is the director. It is situated about a
mile from Springfield, in a very beautiful valley, on a rivulet. It
employs daily two hundred and seventy-four workmen. These are settled in
the vicinity of the manufactory, form a kind of colony, and have a
school for their children. They are also obliged to distinguish
themselves by their good moral deportment. The muskets for the American
army are made on the improved French model of 1777, with the exception
that they are somewhat shorter, while the bayonets are rather longer.
The barrels and bayonets are browned, as Dupin has described at full
length in Travels through Great Britain. We examined the works
throughout. There are several houses, and the machines are propelled by
water. They finish annually fifteen thousand muskets, each of which
costs the government on an average eleven dollars. How much might be
saved, if, as in other countries, muskets were made by private workmen!
The arsenal in which these muskets are preserved and packed in chests,
each containing twenty pieces, was destroyed by fire about a year and a
half since, but having been rebuilt, it consists at present of a centre
building for the offices, two isolated wings for the preservation of the
different arms, and of several other adjacent buildings for the
necessary workshops. These buildings form an oblong square, of which the
proper armoury forms one of the short sides; on the other, oppositely to
the centre building, is Colonel Lee’s neat and beautiful dwelling. The
houses belonging to the arsenal are built of brick externally, while
internally every thing is of wood; and as, during the winter season
these buildings are heated with wood, there appeared to me to be much
danger of fire. I remarked this to Colonel Lee, who appeared to
participate in my apprehensions. After our return to the tavern, Mr.
Calhoun, with whom we had become acquainted through Mr. Bates,
introduced us to several gentlemen of the town, and took us in the
evening to a musical party at the house of a Mr. Dwight, where we found
the fashionable part of society assembled. The ladies sang very well,
and played on the piano-forte several pieces from “Der Freischutz,”
an opera which is at present a favourite in America.

We had determined to go on the 12th of August to New Lebanon, to visit
the Springs and the Shaker’s village, but the Fates had decreed
otherwise. We left Springfield at two o’clock in the morning in the
stage, rode over the bridge, through Westfield, which, as far as we
could judge in the dark, is a handsome village, and arrived at day break
in a romantic valley, on Westfield river, whose waters fall over huge
rocks. At Russel, which is situated in an uncultivated valley, seventeen
miles from Springfield, we partook of an excellent breakfast at the
stage-office, and were much pleased at the clean and comfortable
appearance of the houses and inhabitants. It was so cold early in the
morning, that a large fire which we found at this house, was quite
comfortable. The road through the wild romantic valley, generally
ascending, and along the river, was rather bad, and often very narrow;
instead of a railing, there were only trunks of large trees, which were
permitted to decay in a very unjustifiable manner. The bridges also were
as badly built as those of which we have already complained. The forest
trees were very handsome, but many of them are destroyed for the cabins
of the new settlers. These dwellings, like the log-houses, are built of
the trunks of large trees. Amongst the few settlers whom we observed
there, were several negro and mulatto families. The villages of Chester,
Bucket, and Lee, through which we passed, consist of but few houses;
Lee, however, appears to be a flourishing village. At this place we left
the mountains, and again entered upon a better cultivated region, in
which we observed stubbles of wheat and rye.

Exceedingly fatigued in consequence of the great heat, and the number of
passengers in the stage-coach, I was anxious to procure a carriage in
order to visit New Lebanon, distant fourteen miles; but the person of
whom I inquired was so extortionate as to ask ten dollars. I determined,
in order to avoid a new yankee trick, to prosecute my journey in the
stage-coach, direct for Albany. At Canaan, thirteen miles distant, we
left the state of Massachusetts, and entered that of New York. The other
villages which we passed after our departure from Canaan, were Chatham,
six miles, Nassau, or Union Village, four miles, and Schoodie, five
miles. The distance from Springfield to Albany is eighty-one miles. The
above villages have a neat and comfortable appearance, and the fields
were in a good state of cultivation. Upon our arrival at Schoodie the
night was just setting in, but unfortunately we were lighted by a
burning house upon an eminence not far off. At the village of Greenbush,
near Albany, we crossed the Hudson or North river in a horse-boat, and
upon our arrival in the city took lodgings at Cruttenden’s
boarding-house, on an eminence near the capitol or state-house.

Albany contains about fifteen thousand inhabitants. It is situated upon
the right bank of the Hudson, and extends westward upon an eminence.
It was built by the Dutch in 1614, under the name of Fort Orange, and
received its present name after it came into the possession of the
English, in honour of the afterwards unfortunate King James II. who was
then duke of York and Albany. Some of the Dutch houses are still
standing, and several of the streets retain their original names.

At the tavern we met with a Mr. Jackson, from New York, who had arrived
at the same time, and who was accompanied by his sister and his son,
Columbus, a sensible lad about ten years of age. Mr. J. is a teacher. In
consequence of the vicinity to the Ballston, Saratoga, and New Lebanon
springs, and the fashionable season, the hotel was so full of strangers,
that I was obliged to sleep with Mr. Tromp, in a small chamber. On the
following morning, at the public breakfast, I again met with Mr. Jackson
and Columbus, and as he was acquainted in Albany, I accepted of his
invitation to take a walk through the city. It is old and in some parts
appears to be in a state of decay. During the late war with England it
was in a quite flourishing state; but since the peace it has suffered
considerably, in consequence of some heavy failures and a great fire.
Albany has received a new impulse, an increase of commerce, and expects
to reap the most happy results from the Erie Canal, which has been
lately established, and which commences here, and runs a distance of
three hundred and sixty-two miles to Lake Erie, as well as from the
canal from Lake Champlain. The pavements were so bad that I was obliged
to complain immediately upon our arrival, and this I was subsequently
forced to repeat; the streets were also very crooked. We visited several
bookstores, which appeared to be well furnished, and then took a walk to
the new basin, into which the canal empties. It is separated from the
Hudson by a dam which runs parallel with the river, and is four thousand
feet long, from three to four hundred wide, and ten feet deep. The dam
is built of strong rafters, which form its two walls, the intervals of
which are filled up with earth and stone. It is connected with the bank
of the river by several high wooden bridges, in the centre of which
there are drawbridges for the passage of boats. The building of this dam
cost one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. It was divided into lots,
and sold separately, on condition that store-houses should be erected
upon it: in consequence of this they have realized the sum of one
hundred and ninety thousand dollars. In my opinion, the managers of the
canal, at whose expense the basin and the two canals have been built,
would have done better, if they had kept the dam and rented it. Being
built of wood, which is more or less subject to decay, as they are to
erect nothing but store-houses upon it, it is to be feared that in the
course of ten years it will tumble down in consequence of the pressure,
or that they will be obliged to repair it in great measure, or perhaps
completely rebuild it with stone. As stone is very cheap here, and sawed
in the prisons, they should have originally built the dam of stone. The
present one seems to me to have been but badly executed. In the basin we
saw a travelling bookstore in one of the canal-boats. Mr. Wilcox, who
established it about two years ago on the Erie Canal, travels backwards
and forwards several times a year, and is said to do considerable
business. He had just returned to get a new assortment of books. Most of
the books which he sells at the villages in the neighbourhood of the
canal are ancient authors, some medical and religious, and a few law
books and novels. This gentleman, formerly a merchant in Albany,
entirely supports his family, who reside with him in his boat, by this
fortunate speculation. I purchased of him an excellent map of the state
of New York.

A few hours after, we visited some of the steam-boats which ply between
Albany and New York. The largest, called the Car of Commerce, is
provided with excellent apartments, and makes her trip in nineteen
hours. This vessel is extremely elegant, but my friend Tromp is of
opinion that the English steam-boats are superior in machinery. In fact,
in this country, the American steam-engines are not celebrated for the
safety of their boilers; and several explosions which have occurred,
serve to increase this evil report. From this reason, as well as on
account of the disagreeable motion of the steam-engine, many persons
were unwilling to risk their lives, so that they have attached a
safety-barge to one of the steam-boats. This is a real floating hotel,
furnished with the greatest luxury. In the ladies cabin there are even
silk curtains. Besides this, the ladies have a separate toilette and
parlour. The gentlemen assemble in the dining room. The whole boat is
surrounded by a piazza, which, in warm weather, must be extremely
pleasant. The name of this safety-barge which carries passengers at four
dollars, is Lady Clinton, in honour of the wife of the governor of New
York, De Witt Clinton. We also visited the Constellation, another
beautiful steam-boat, which has no safety-barge. There are also
steam-boats for the purpose of towing the common sloops, &c. up and down
the river, called steam-tow-boats.

Finally, we examined the horse ferry-boats. These boats consist of two
vessels joined together, have a common deck, and are of an elliptical
form. Upon the centre of the deck is a round house, in which six horses
work, turning a horizontal, which moves two common wheels between the
boats, provided with paddles, as in the steam-boats. The carriage, and
twenty-two two-horse carts crossed at the same time, standing on both
sides of the round house. There are two rudders, one at the stern, the
other at the bow.

The trade in timber and boards is one of the capital branches of
internal trade. We saw a great quantity of both on the wharves, and at
the dam. At dinner we became acquainted with the Spanish consul of
Boston, a worthy young man, who was educated in France. After dinner we
took a view of the capitol, or state-house, situated upon a small
eminence, and at a short distance from our inn. Albany is the seat of
government and the capitol of the state of New York, but it is said to
be the intention of the inhabitants shortly to remove the seat of
government to Utica, which is situated farther to the west, and in a
more central part of the state. The capitol is built of brown
sand-stone, and in a quadrangular form; in front it is ornamented with
large steps, and four Ionic columns of white marble. The halls of the
different branches of the legislature are spacious, but exhibit nothing
remarkable. In one of the halls is a full length portrait of Washington,
and in another, that of the late Governor Clinton, an uncle of the
present governor.[I-9] On the top of the capitol is a cupola, from which
there is a beautiful view of the city of Albany, and the valley of the
Hudson, which is bounded on the right by the Catskill mountains, and on
the left by the mountains of Vermont. On the dome is a wooden statue
representing justice, to the back of which is secured a heavy
lightning-rod, so that witlings remark that she is standing in the
pillory.

    [Footnote I-9: [Recently deceased.]--TRANS.]

At Albany are some remains of the feudal system. The Van Rensselaer
family, one of the oldest of the Dutch emigrants, obtained the country
around Albany at the time it was first settled, as a fief; it was
divided into different portions, and some of these were leased to
vassals who were obliged to pay a certain rent, and to render certain
services to the owner. The eldest of the Van Rensselaer family has
always borne the title of _patroon_, and enjoys certain feudal
prerogatives, for which the family are indebted to the great popularity
they have enjoyed ever since the revolution, though every recollection
of the feudal system is repugnant to the genius of the American
government. By the people in the neighbourhood, the house of the old
General Van Rensselaer is always called the _manor of the patroon_.




CHAPTER VI.

  _Journey from Albany to the Falls of Niagara.-- Erie Canal.--
    Schenectady.-- Utica.-- Rochester.-- Buffalo.-- The Falls of
    Niagara, from the 14th to the 25th of August, 1825._


On the morning of the 14th of August, we took passage on board the
Albany, one of the canal packet-boats, for Lake Erie. This canal was
built at an expense of $2,500,000, and will be completed in about four
weeks: at present, they are at work only on the western part of it.
During the preceding year, they received an income of $300,000, and they
expect, during the present year, after the canal shall have been
completed, an income of $500,000, so that the expenses will, in a very
short time, be replaced, and the state realize an immense profit, unless
it be necessary to make great repairs, which I have no doubt will be the
case, and will consequently require a large share of this income.
Hitherto the great canal system was unknown in the United States, and
was rather unpopular. It might have been expected, therefore, that so
great and rapid an undertaking, would have a tendency to astound, if we
may so speak, the public mind; so that this canal was finished as soon
as possible, without calling to aid the great experience possessed by
other nations. Notwithstanding, this canal, which is three hundred and
sixty-two miles in length, with eighty-three locks, between the Hudson
and Lake Erie, which lies six hundred and eighty-eight feet above the
level of the former river, does the greatest honour to the genius of its
projector; though one who has seen the canals in France, Holland, and
England, will readily perceive, that the water-works of this country
afford much room for improvement. The canal is thirty-five feet wide on
the surface, twenty-eight feet at the bottom, and four feet deep, so
that none but flat vessels and rafts can sail on it. The packet-boat
which took us to Schenectady, was seventy feet long, fourteen feet wide,
and drew two feet water. It was covered, and contained a spacious cabin,
with a kitchen, and was very neatly arranged. On account of the great
number of locks, the progress of our journey was but slow: our
packet-boat went only at the rate of three miles an hour, being detained
at each lock, on an average, four minutes. The locks are fourteen feet
wide above the surface, and have a fall from seven to twelve feet. The
packet-boat was drawn by three horses, which walked upon a narrow
tow-path leading along the canal, and beneath the numerous bridges which
are thrown over it. These bridges, of which there are about three
hundred between Albany and Utica, are all built of wood, and in a very
awkward style; most of them belong to the farmers, and are intended to
serve as a means of communication between their fields. The distance
from Albany to Schenectady, by land, is only fifteen miles, and persons
are enabled to travel it in a very short time in the stage-coach; but as
we were anxious to see the canal, and get leisure to complete our
journals, we preferred going by water, twenty-eight miles.

At Troy, five miles and a half from Albany, is the government arsenal,
which appears to be a large establishment. As far as this place, the
canal runs nearly parallel with the Hudson. Troy, which is very
pleasantly situated on the left bank of the river, at the foot of
several tolerably high mountains, one of which is called Mount Ida,
appears, if we may be permitted to judge from the large store-houses and
the good appearance of the dwellings, to be a wealthy place. Here is a
branch canal which has two locks, and establishes a communication with
Troy. Shortly after, we arrived at a place where there are no less than
nine locks, with an ascent of seventy-eight feet. In front, and to the
right of this, is another canal, which unites with the Hudson and the
canal from Lake Champlain. At this place we left the Hudson and directed
our course along the Mohawk river. During our ride we observed a covered
wooden bridge, which extends over the latter river, a short distance
from its mouth, and is about six hundred feet in length, supported by
fifteen wooden piers. Here we saw the famous Cohoes Falls of the Mohawk
river, seventy-eight feet in height and about four hundred feet wide. In
the spring, when these falls extend over the entire bed of the Mohawk,
they are said to be extremely magnificent; during the present dry
weather, they presented a very handsome appearance, though they were
very small. The river was almost completely dried up. I walked over its
bed, which consists of slate rock, as far as its middle and near to the
falls. In some places the rocks are excavated by the action of the
water, and you may see holes which are full of water and are said to
contain excellent fish. Finding great difficulty in continuing the canal
on the right bank of the Mohawk, they were obliged here to carry it to
the opposite side by means of an aqueduct-bridge, one thousand one
hundred and eighty-eight feet in length. This bridge is of wood, and is
supported by twenty-six stone columns, on account of which, they have
placed a _chevaux-de-frise_, to keep off the ice in the river about one
hundred yards off. The part of this wooden canal, which contains the
water, is about twenty feet wide and has a tow-path eight feet wide on
one side. These wooden aqueducts will probably soon require repairing,
and there is no doubt but that they will ultimately be obliged to build
them of iron. The canal is cut through the rocks, almost the whole
distance, where it runs along the left bank of the Mohawk, and presents
a very handsome appearance. Twelve miles farther on, it returns again to
the right bank of the Mohawk by a similar aqueduct, seven hundred and
forty-eight feet in length and supported by sixteen piers. Above this
aqueduct, which is also protected by a _chevaux-de-frise_, there is a
common wooden bridge thrown over the river, for wagons. Four miles
farther on is Schenectady, where we arrived after sunset. Between this
town and Albany, we passed no less than twenty-seven locks. These,
though they are built of solid lime-stone, will soon require repairing,
as the water passes through them in various places. The gates also lock
badly, so that the water which percolates forms artificial cascades. The
country through which we passed to-day was generally wild and hilly, and
somewhat thinly settled.

Schenectady is an old town containing about five thousand inhabitants,
and is intersected by the canal. At this place we left the packet-boat,
in order to proceed to Utica next morning in another boat, and found
excellent lodgings at Given’s hotel, which, after the great heat we had
endured during the day, was exceedingly agreeable. Its inhabitants are,
in part, descendants of the Lower Saxons, and some of them whom I saw at
the tavern conversed with me in bad Dutch. Early on the next morning we
walked through the town, and visited Union College, which consists of
two large buildings situated a short distance from the town upon a
little eminence. It was the time of vacation, and consequently it was
perfectly silent. From its decaying appearance, I should judge the
college was not in a very prosperous condition. From this building you
have a beautiful view of the town, and of the Mohawk valley, which
appears here to be well settled. In the town we observed a peculiar
windmill, with a horizontal wheel, whose sails, about twenty in number,
stand perpendicularly.

We left Schenectady early in the morning on board the packet-boat Samuel
Young, which had engaged to take us to Utica, eighty miles distant, by
an early hour the next day. It was a large boat, and, as the passengers
are obliged to spend the night on board, is provided with separate
apartments for the ladies. The canal again ran along the well-cultivated
valley of the Mohawk, and the country, on account of the foliage of the
trees upon the heights was beautiful. The village of Amsterdam consists
of a few neat houses; and opposite, on the right bank of the Mohawk, is
Rotterdam. On our way we passed several small aqueducts, the longest of
which rest only upon three piers, and extend over small brooks, which,
as well as the small rivulets, are distinguished by the Indian
appellation of “creek.” The canal is carried over two rivers, called
Schoharie and Canajoharie creeks, from which it receives the most of its
water. At this place the horses are conveyed to the opposite side of the
two rivers by means of ferry-boats. At the first ferry is a small
village, called Fort Hunter, where, before the revolution, there had
been a fort, or rather a redoubt of the same name. Towards evening we
passed through a valley, which is formed by two rocky mountains, one of
which is called Anthony’s Nose. The houses we saw on our route, had
generally a handsome appearance; to-day and yesterday I observed also
some saw-mills. There are twenty-six locks between Schenectady and
Utica. The day was intolerably warm, and our company was very numerous.
I confined myself to writing, the whole day, as much as possible; but,
in consequence of the heat, I could not avoid sleeping. In the evening
we fortunately had a thunder-storm, which cooled the air. During the
night, as there was a want of births, the beds were placed upon benches,
and, as I was the tallest person, mine was put in the centre upon the
longest bench, with a chair as a supplement. It had the appearance of a
hereditary sepulchre, in the centre of which I lay as father of the
family. I spent an uncomfortable night, on account of my constrained
posture, the insects which annoyed me, and the steersman, who always
played an agreeable tune upon his bugle whenever he approached a lock.
During the night we passed an aqueduct bridge, which stands over a
solace, called Little Falls. Towards morning we passed through a
well-cultivated region, with some neat houses, called German flats, and
which was settled by some Germans during the time of Queen Anne. At
about twelve o’clock at noon we arrived at Utica, nine miles from the
place where we passed a lock, which is the last that occurs in the next
seventy miles. The land appeared to be marshy, and consisted of sand and
pebbles.

Utica, which is intersected by the canal, is a flourishing town, of
about four thousand inhabitants, and stands upon the site where Fort
Schuyler, a redoubt against the Indians, was formerly situated. In 1794,
there was a small tavern here, which was the only dwelling house in this
part of the country; but at present Utica is one of the most flourishing
towns in the state of New York, and new houses are continually building.
In fact, it is only here that a person begins to admire the great
improvements in cultivation, and gets perfectly new ideas of the works
of man, and of his enterprising genius! Utica, on the right bank of the
Mohawk, has two banks, four churches, an academy, and large and
convenient stores, a bookstore, and printing-office. It has also several
ale-houses, and three fine taverns, at the largest of which, called
Shepherd’s hotel, we found excellent accommodations. In this house there
are always more than seventy beds for the accommodation of strangers;
and these, on some occasions, are barely sufficient. The number of
travellers this summer, is said to have been unusually great, especially
from the southern states, where the heat is intolerable, and the summers
generally unhealthy. In such an American tavern every thing is perfectly
comfortable, and proportionably cheap. The price for board and lodging
is a dollar a day. The bell for rising rings before seven o’clock in the
morning. The bed-chambers are spacious, the beds wide and comfortable,
and the linen fine and perfectly clean. The bed-chambers, moreover, are
furnished with the necessary wash-stands, &c. After a person is dressed,
he enters the bar-room, where he finds all kinds of strong and
refreshing drinks; the desk of the head waiter is also here, who attends
to the bill. The inn-keeper is generally a gentleman, who eats with the
guests, and leads the conversation. Besides the entry, where the boots
and shoes are left in the evening, and where they are found well cleaned
in the morning, there are several sitting, reading, and writing
parlours, &c. And if a person wishes a separate sitting-room, especially
when he travels with ladies, it may be readily had at a separate charge.
Half an hour after rising, they ring the bell for breakfast; and, upon
going to the dining-room, you find upon a covered table, beef-steaks,
mutton, broiled chicken, or other fowls, fish, and boiled potatoes,
which are of a very superior quality. The waiters, or in many places,
the servant-maids, hand the coffee and tea. As the Americans, in
general, are a quiet people, such a breakfast, which is eaten in great
haste, is attended with but little noise. Dinner is generally served at
about two o’clock, and tea at seven in the evening. At tea, the table is
again furnished as at breakfast, with the addition of ragouts and
baker’s bread. Nobody is obliged to drink wine. There are usually water
and whiskey on the table, which are mixed in the summer, as the most
healthy drink. Every one must help himself as well as he can, for the
victuals are not handed about. Napkins you do not get, and instead, you
are obliged to make use of the table-cloth. With the exception of the
spoons, there is no silver on the table; the forks have two steel
prongs, and their handles, like those of the knives, are of buck’s horn.
It is an excellent rule, that no one on departing is obliged to give
money to the servants.

At Utica, seven of us for nine dollars hired a stage to visit the Falls
of Trenton, distant fourteen miles. Our passengers were partly from New
York, and partly from the state of North Carolina. We crossed the Mohawk
upon a covered wooden bridge, built in a bad and awkward manner, on
which I observed an advertisement, “that all persons who pass this
bridge on horseback or wagon faster than a walk, shall be fined one
dollar.” After this, our road gradually ascended to a forest, which was,
however, in part cleared for new fields. The timber is so much neglected
here, that they will very probably feel the want of it in less than
fifty years. At a short distance from the falls of West Canada Creek is
a new tavern, which is situated in a lately cleared forest, and is built
entirely of wood. At this tavern we left the carriage, and went on foot
through thick woods, from which a pair of stairs conduct to the falls.
A new pair of wooden stairs of about eighty steps, built for the
accommodation of strangers, leads to the bed of the river. This consists
entirely of slate-rock, is about two hundred feet wide, and is enclosed
between high rocky banks, which are lined by beautiful and lofty firs,
_arbor vitæ_, the maple, the elm, and the cedar. This beautiful mass of
green, the azure sky, the large and variegated rocks, and the three
falls, produce a most happy effect. The rocks at these falls, which, on
account of the great heat, scarcely extended over half the river, are so
excavated by the water, that they have the form of a common kettle. The
upper falls, which are about ninety feet high, are the grandest; and
near them, under the shade of an _arbor vitæ_, an adventurer has
established a small tavern, which presents a very picturesque
appearance, and is said to yield considerable profit. The rocks contain
handsome petrifactions of shells, plants, and animals; and we saw one
specimen a foot and a half long, which resembled a young alligator; of
the smaller ones we took several specimens. At the tavern where we had
put up, we found a tolerably good dinner, and towards evening returned
to Utica. The day was fine and pleasant. The thunder-storm of yesterday,
had done some good. I regretted that it was too late upon our return to
Utica, to visit a hydrostatic lock, designed to weigh the boats which
pass on the canal.

Having seen enough of the canal, and being anxious to see the
newly-settled country between this place and Niagara, we determined to
continue our journey on the next day in the stage-coach. With this
intention we left Utica at 4 o’clock in the morning of the 17th of
August, and the same day arrived at Auburn, distant seventy-three miles.
The stage-coaches in this country do not, as in England, travel ten
miles an hour, but usually six; as the country is generally hilly, and
the coach, when it carries the mail, stops at every village where there
is a post-office, on account of the great number of newspapers; the
letter-bag must be taken out, opened, again locked, and then returned;
the coachmen also are not very punctual, so that travelling is not so
rapid as it should be. The villages between Utica and Auburn were New
Hartford, four miles, Manchester, five miles, Vernon, eight miles,
Oneida, five miles, Lenox, four miles, Sullivan, eight miles, Manlius,
six miles, Jamesville, five miles, Onandago Hollow, five miles, Onandago
Hill, two miles, Marcellus, eight miles, and Skeneatelass, six miles.

Between Manchester and Vernon day dawned, and we found ourselves in a
rather wild country, in the midst of a wilderness. Oneida is an Indian
settlement, and was built by the remnant of the once mighty Oneida
tribe, who, unlike their countrymen, unwilling to fly before the white
settlers to the west, are at present a wretched people, despised and
oppressed by their neighbours like a gang of gypsies. They have been
obliged to learn trades, and to labour on farms; they have also been
converted to Christianity by means of missionaries, and of whom the
principal one is a Mr. Williams, a converted Indian, educated by the
Quakers. On entering the village we observed on a little eminence to the
left, a small, neat, frame church, where the Indians hold their service,
and close by, an open plain, surrounded by butternut trees, called
“Council Grove” where the elders of the tribe assemble to deliberate on
their most important affairs. The houses of the Indians are scattered
through the fields, are generally small, and built of logs. In the
centre of the village are white settlers, mechanics and tavern-keepers;
the latter of whom in particular make out well, as the Indians are fond
of strong drink. The land belongs to the whole tribe, and each
individual labours for the common good. We observed several Indians
along the road. They had a tawny complexion, and black hair; the men
appeared to be well built, and the women were stout, and resemble the
pictures of Esquimaux women in Parry’s Travels. Some of them wore their
hair down, which, if possible, increased their ugliness. Both the men
and women wear trowsers, generally of blue, and ornamented with white
lace; sometimes also of two colours, like the prisoners at Boston. The
men wear shirts over their trowsers, and great-coats of cloth. The women
dress in white or blue woollen mantles. At first, I thought myself in
civilized Europe, for a great number of children came along the carriage
to beg, a circumstance which had not occurred since my arrival in the
United States. It was soon ascertained, however, that they were Indian
children, dressed somewhat like their parents, and of the same
complexion. The girls had brass buckles on their cloaks, which fastened
in front, and most of them wore large bead necklaces.

Behind this village the road led along a considerable hill, from which
we had a beautiful view of Oneida Lake, which presented the appearance
of a large stream. Here you have a number of extensive prospects, which,
however, as you see but little cultivated land and few houses, is rather
uniform. Farther on we saw a small lake called Salt Lake, which is in
the midst of a forest, and has on its banks three picturesquely situated
towns, Liverpool, Salina, and Syracuse. At Salina are rich salt springs,
the water of which is collected in reservoirs, and it is evaporated by
the heat of the sun to procure the salt. Beyond Sullivan we passed
through the village of Chitteningo. It contains several mills, a cotton
factory, and a branch of the Erie Canal, which forms a kind of harbour,
and serves as a landing place for articles manufactured here, and for
the plaster and lime which are procured in the neighbourhood. This lime
becomes hard under water, so that it is excellently adapted to
waterworks. We dined at Manlius, a new village, containing two churches.
Besides the usual stage-coach there were two others to-day, all full of
passengers. In our own we had for a short distance a farmer,
a descendant of a German emigrant, who spoke the language that was used
in Germany about a hundred years ago. He thought my German was too high,
and that I spoke it like a parson. From the canal which forms an angle
here, we drove in a southerly direction, in order to keep on the plains,
as the main road, which is nearer, leads over a hill. The two Onondago
villages appear to be flourishing manufacturing places, and are
pleasantly situated. Marcellus is also a new village and has two
churches. Most of the small villages have two churches, an Episcopal and
a Presbyterian. In each of them, and even at the Indian village, there
is a school. In several of the villages also I had the pleasure of
seeing bookstores. Beyond Marcellus the night unfortunately closed in,
which prevented me from seeing Skeneatelass Lake, as well as the town of
the same name, which is said to be extremely pleasantly situated on one
of its banks. About nine o’clock in the evening we arrived at Auburn,
and found good accommodations at one of the public houses. This town
contains upwards of one hundred and fifty houses, a court-house and
penitentiary, which is said to be managed in a very excellent manner. To
my regret I saw none of them; for at four o’clock the next morning, 18th
of August, we set out in the stage-coach for Rochester, distant
sixty-nine miles. The villages which we passed on our route were,
Cayuga, nine miles, Seneca Falls, three miles, Waterloo, five miles,
Geneva, six miles, Canandaigua, sixteen miles, Mendon, fifteen miles,
Pittsford, seven miles, from which latter it was yet eight miles to
Rochester.

It was just daylight as we arrived in the vicinity of Cayuga, on the
lake of the same name, which is about twenty miles long, and from one to
three wide. This lake empties into the Seneca river, which afterwards
unites with the Mohawk. We crossed the lake not far from its mouth, on a
wooden bridge, one mile in length, eighteen yards wide, and built in a
very rough and careless manner: the planks are loose and the
_chevaux-de-frise_ is in a bad condition. On the opposite side of the
lake is a large toll-house. At a short distance from this we arrived at
Seneca Falls, so called in consequence of the little falls of the Seneca
river, which are close by, and are chiefly formed by a mill-dam. At the
tavern we met an Indian and his wife, of the Oneida tribe, who were
going on a visit to the Senecas. We conversed with the man, who had been
at school, and understood English. He told us that he had been raised by
a Quaker missionary, and that he was a farmer, and concluded by asking
for a little money, which he probably spent with his ugly wife at the
next grog-shop.

All the villages through which we passed are quite new, and in many
places we passed through primitive forests, which, in some places, they
are just beginning to clear. At Waterloo the first house was erected in
1816, and at present it has two churches and about three thousand
inhabitants. Several of the houses are built of brick, and contain well
furnished stores. At the tavern we saw a large, beautiful young eagle,
which had been caught in his nest and tamed. The country beyond Waterloo
was boggy, and the road in some places made of large logs, so that we
were very disagreeably jolted. Geneva is situated at the north point of
Seneca Lake, which is between fifty and sixty miles long and about five
wide. The town derives its name from its similarity of situation to
Geneva in Switzerland. It is also quite new, and contains about four
thousand inhabitants. It has two churches and several large stone and
brick houses, of which the Franklin Hotel, situated on the bank of the
lake, is the most spacious and beautiful. I went into a bookstore to
ascertain what kind of books were most sold in this part of the country,
and was told that the ancient classics and religious books found the
most ready sale; sometimes also novels, law and medical works. The
college is said to have several hundred students. In front of the town
along the lake, there are beautiful country seats and gardens. On the
other side of the town the woods are but a short distance from the
houses, and are as yet not much cleared. We saw, however, several tracts
of timber on fire; the trees are burnt in order to clear the land.

Canandaigua, which lies on the north point of the lake of the same name,
which is about twenty miles long, is an extremely beautiful and pleasant
town, that has been but lately settled. The Duke de la Rochefoucault
says, that during his travels in America, in 1790, there was but a
single house on this lake, in which he spent the night, in a garret used
as a store-room. Now it is a beautiful commercial town, having one bank,
a court-house, and a very superior tavern. The court was sitting, and
there was a large collection of people, so that the town exhibited a
very lively appearance. At this place the road separates, the left goes
through Batavia and several small villages to Buffalo on Lake Erie; the
right, to Rochester, and thence to Lake Ontario and the Falls of
Niagara: and as this road again approaches the Erie canal, it is said to
be the most interesting. On this account we gave it the preference,
although the longest route.

We left Canandaigua in the afternoon, and rode through Victor, Mendon,
and Pittsford, to Rochester. On this route we observed nothing
particularly interesting, excepting several new settlements; the
inhabitants of which resided in log-houses, which had a peculiar, but by
no means an unpleasant aspect. I was particularly pleased with the neat
and decent appearance of the inhabitants.

We arrived at Rochester at half past eight o’clock in the evening, and
took lodgings at the Eagle Tavern. We crossed the Genesee river, which
divides Rochester into two parts, on a wooden bridge, the first that we
had hitherto met in the United States that was built firmly and
properly. It rests upon stone piers, and is made of solid beams, with
thick and well fastened planks. The next morning we walked through the
town, and were pleased with its rapid increase. In 1812, there was not a
single house here; nothing but a wilderness; and the land could be
purchased at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. At present,
Rochester is one of the most flourishing towns in the state of New York.
It contains four churches, one bank, a court-house, and about four
thousand inhabitants. Many of the houses are built of blue limestone,
and of brick. The town contains several mills and manufactories; and
amongst others, a nail factory, in which the nails are made with a
machine, as in Birmingham. They also manufacture rifle-guns, which are
very long and heavy. On the right bank of the Genesee river, the houses
are not so numerous as on the left, and there are yet many frame, and
even some log-houses: in the place where, probably in a short time,
handsome wharves will be built, there may yet be seen stumps of trees--a
truly interesting sight to those who observe the progress of this
country. The basements of the houses are generally built of rough
sand-stone; their corners, doors, and windows, of a kind of white
marble-like sand-stone, and the rest of brick. The white sand-stone is
procured in the neighbourhood, and is cut into slabs at a saw-mill on
the Genesee river. I saw three of these blocks sawed; and in one frame I
observed no less than five saws. Several hundred yards below the bridge
the Genesee river is about two hundred yards wide, and has a fall of
ninety-five feet, which at present, however, did not appear to much
advantage. Above the falls is a race which conducts the water to several
mills, and it again flows into the river below the falls, where it forms
three beautiful cascades, which reminded me of the Villa di Mäcen, at
Tivoli.

At Rochester the Erie canal is carried over the Genesee river by a stone
aqueduct bridge, and resembles that of the Bridgewater canal at
Manchester, in England. This aqueduct, which is about one thousand yards
above the falls, rests upon a base of slate rock, and is seven hundred
and eighty feet long. A work which has been lately published, called the
“Northern Tour,” gives the following description of it: “The aqueduct
consists of eleven broad arches, built in the form of circular segments,
the tops of which are raised eleven feet above the level of the arches,
and fifteen feet above that of the water in the river. The two exterior
arches have an extent of forty feet each, and beneath them are the
streams which turn the mills; the other nine each fifty feet wide, &c.”
Upon one of its sides is a tow-path secured by iron railings. The whole
is a solid work, and does much credit to its architect, Benjamin Wright.

We left Rochester at nine o’clock, on board the canal packet-boat Ohio,
Captain Storch. The canal, between Lockport and Rochester, runs a
distance of sixty-three miles, through a tolerably level country, and
north of the Rochester ridge. This ridge consists of a series of rocks,
which form the chain of the mountains which commences north of Lake
Erie, stretches eastward to the Niagara river, confines it, and forms
its falls, then continues its course, and forms the different falls
which are north of Lake Ontario, and is at length lost in the
neighbourhood of the Hudson. It has only been within the last year that
this part of the canal has been passable; its course is through dense
sombre forests, in which are but few settlements, such as Spencer’s
Basin, Bates, and Brickport. The bridges are better and higher than
those we have mentioned in the preceding pages. Amongst our passengers,
was a Mr. Bosch, a Dutch clergyman from Curaçao, and the Rev. Messrs.
Sluiter and Wykoff, from New York. These gentlemen, being of Dutch
descent, the conversation was generally carried on in their native
tongue. Captain Storch also, who is a native of Amsterdam, and a Jew by
birth, who has travelled extensively, made the time pass very
pleasantly, by his lively disposition, and his agreeable conversation.
Both before and after dinner, as well as at tea, the two clergymen from
New York, asked a blessing; and before we retired to bed, one of them
read several chapters in the Bible, and then made a long prayer.

We reached Lockport on the 20th of August, about 7 o’clock in the
morning. At this place the canal is carried over the ridge by five large
locks, through which the water is raised to the height of seventy-six
feet. The locks are ten in number, being arranged in two parallel rows,
so that while the boats ascend in one row, they may descend at the same
time in the other. Through this arrangement the navigation is greatly
facilitated, and the whole work, hewn through and surrounded by large
rocks, presents an imposing aspect.

Lockport, to which we repaired, while the boat was left in the basin at
the foot of the locks, is an extremely interesting place, and is
situated just above the locks. In May, 1821, it consisted of two
log-houses; at present it contains not less than six hundred, some of
which are stone houses: it contains a post-office, one printing-office,
which issues a weekly paper, and two churches. Though at present
Lockport appears perfectly wild, yet this appearance will no doubt
vanish in the course of four or five years, so that it will present as
splendid an appearance as Canandaigua and Rochester. On our arrival, the
canal was still unfinished for about five miles; but it was supposed
that the whole would be completed before the close of the year. They
were obliged to cut it through solid rock, generally about thirty feet
deep, for a distance of more than three miles. This was mostly effected
by blasting. Several hundred Irishmen were at work. They reside in log
huts, built along the canal. They make much money; but they suffer also
severely in consequence of the unhealthy climate, especially from
fevers, which not unfrequently prove fatal. The stone, which is
quarried, is employed in building houses, and in making turnpikes. In
breaking the rocks they often find beautiful petrifactions, and other
remarkable minerals; for example, _strontian_, and beautiful transparent
_gypsum_. I saw a large petrified tree, and a handsome petrified
_sea-coral_.

At Lockport we took a dearborn for Buffalo, where we were anxious to go,
in order to see the union of the canal with Lake Erie. Though a good
stage runs between Lockport and the Falls of Niagara, we went in this
bad vehicle five miles, to the navigable part of the canal. The road led
through the forest, the trees of which had been felled along the canal,
and passed over the stumps, so that it was uncommonly rough, especially
as it had rained the day before. Arrived at length at the navigable part
of the canal, we took passage on board a rather bad boat, where nothing
was to be had but the common cordial, whiskey. The village where we went
on board, is called Cottensburgh, and is quite a new settlement. At this
place also the canal is cut through rocks to the depth of about thirty
feet. About two or three miles farther on, it terminates in the
Tonnawanta Creek, which serves as a canal for twelve miles. This creek
has scarcely any outlet, so that when it rises much, they are obliged to
protect the canal by means of safety-locks near its union with the
creek. At the outlet of the creek into the Niagara is a sluice for the
purpose of keeping the water always at a certain height. The creek
itself is about fifty yards wide, and runs through a dense and beautiful
forest, which has never been touched by the axe, except along the canal,
where they have been obliged to make a tow-path. I sat in the bow of the
boat during the whole passage. Nothing interrupted the solemn silence,
except the chattering of the boatmen’s teeth, who are often severely
affected in this unhealthy part of the country, with the intermittent
fever. Another small river, called Eleven-mile Creek, unites with the
main river, and not far from this junction was the site for the new town
of Tonnawanta. A few small houses and a saw-mill were already erected;
the inhabitants appeared also to suffer much from the intermittent
fever. Here the Tonnawanta Creek, unites with the Niagara, where the
sluice which we have just mentioned leads off. At this place also we had
the first view of the Niagara river, which conveys the waters of Lake
Erie into Lake Ontario, from the other extremity of which flows the St.
Lawrence. In the river we observed Grand Island, which contains about
one thousand one hundred acres, is overgrown with timber, and belongs to
a New York editor, Moses Mordecai Noah, a Jew, who purchased it for the
purpose of establishing a Jewish colony. The soil is very good; during
the late war between England and the United States, the Niagara, it is
well known, formed the boundary line between them and the British
provinces of Upper Canada, and this island bore testimony of the bloody
conflict. From this place, the canal runs along the bank of the Niagara,
from which it is separated only by a small bank, built rather
carelessly, and several feet above the level of the river, which is
already somewhat rapid on account of its vicinity to the falls. On the
Tonnawanta Creek we saw several canoes which were made by excavating the
trunks of trees. From Tonnawanta to Buffalo it is eight miles, five of
which we travelled on the canal as far as Black Rock. A basin is formed
here by means of a dam situated near Squaw Island, on which is a lock
communicating with the Niagara. The whole of this work is of wood, and
cannot therefore be expected to be very durable. In the basin lay the
new steam-boat Henry Clay, of three hundred tons, intended for running
on Lake Erie. We had here the first view of the lake, whose shore
appeared to be overgrown with wood. The other shore of course we could
not see, and it seemed therefore as though we were looking into an
expanded sea. The canal to Buffalo not being completed, we again took
stage at Black Rock, and rode three miles to the former town, where we
arrived at about 5 o’clock at evening, and took lodgings at the Mansion
House, pleasantly situated on a little eminence in the lake.

Buffalo was burnt during the late war, by the British, but it has arisen
from its ashes with increased beauty. The town contains about five
thousand inhabitants, and will, in consequence of its situation near the
mouth of the canal and its harbour, at which they are hard at work, soon
become an important place. At the entrance of the harbour is a
light-house, and on the lake we observed several schooners of about
three hundred tons. A steam-boat, called the Superior, was ready to
start with fifty passengers to Erie, and thence to Detroit. In the
streets, we saw some tolerably well-dressed Indians of the Seneca tribe,
who have their wigwam three miles distant. Amongst them were several
women, who indeed, but for their complexion, might have been considered
handsome. We also had an amusing military spectacle. It consisted of a
militia parade, consisting of thirty men, including seven officers and
two cornets. They were formed, like a battalion, into six divisions, and
performed a number of manœuvres. The members were not all provided with
muskets, but had ramrods instead. Only the officers and the
rifle-company, four men strong, were in uniform. The band consisted of
sixteen men, and was commanded by an officer with a colonel’s epaulets
and drawn sword!

On the following day, 21st of August, we left Buffalo for the small
village of Manchester, twenty-three miles distant, and situated on the
right bank of the Niagara, near the falls. As far as the village of
Tonnawanta the road passed along the canal. It was in a very bad
condition, cut through the forest, and no pains have been taken to
remove the trees, which are thrown on the road side, and the most
beautiful trunks are permitted to spoil in a pitiable manner. On the
left we had a view of the river and of Grand-Island, thickly studded
with timber. The river is more than one mile wide below the island. On
the Canada side is the village of Chippewa. From this place, a distance
of three miles, we could already see the rising vapours of the falls.
The water, however, indicated no signs of the approach to the precipice.
It is only a short distance from Manchester, where you perceive the
lofty trees on Goat-Island with its heights, situated in the midst of
the falls, that the river becomes rocky, and the rapids commence; these
form a number of small falls, which are nearly a mile long and the same
in breadth, running as far as where the two great falls are separated by
Goat-Island.

At Manchester, we took lodgings at the Eagle Tavern, and hastened
immediately to the Falls: our steps were guided by their mighty roaring.
In a few moments we stood near the precipice, and saw before us the
immense mass of water which rushes with a tremendous noise into the
frightful abyss below. It is impossible to describe the scene, and the
pen is too feeble to delineate the simultaneous feelings of
insignificance and grandeur which agitate the human breast at the sight
of this stupendous work of nature! We can only gaze, admire, and adore.
The rocks on both sides are perpendicular, but there is a wooden
staircase which leads to the bed of the river. We descended, but in
consequence of the drizzly rain which is produced by the foam of the
water, we had by no means so fine a prospect from below as we
anticipated. On this account, therefore, we soon ascended and satisfied
ourselves by looking from above upon this sublime and majestic sight. As
we returned, full of these mighty impressions, to the Eagle Tavern we
found to our great joy a fine opportunity of speaking of the grandeur
and magnificence we had just beheld. Lieutenants De Goer and Van Vloten,
of the Pallas, had just arrived to render homage to this great natural
curiosity.

In company with these gentlemen we took a walk to Goat-Island, by a
convenient wooden bridge, thrown over the rapids about seven years
since. The first bridge leads to a small island called Bath-Island,
which contains a bath-house and billiard-room: the second to
Goat-Island, which is about one mile in circumference, and overgrown
with old and beautiful trees. The Indians who formerly resided in this
part of the country, considered the island as sacred. They used to say
that the _Great Manito_ or _Great Spirit_ inhabited it. And in fact, how
could the Great Spirit manifest himself more irresistibly than in the
destructive might of the tremendous Falls?

On Bath-Island a person may approach so near to the American falls as to
look into the abyss below. The animals in the neighbourhood are so
careless of this, that the cows and horses go into the river to drink
within five yards of the brink of the precipice. From the foot of the
falls you can see nothing of the abyss, inasmuch as every thing is
concealed by the foam and vapour. On Goat-Island a person may in the
same manner approach the Canadian falls, in the centre of which is a
semicircular hollow, called the Horse-shoe, and here the noise is still
more tremendous than on the other side. The vapour which rises from the
Horse-shoe forms a thick mist, which may be seen at a great distance. To
look into the Horse-shoe is awful and horrible. Nor can this be done but
at the instant when the vapour is somewhat dissipated. You stand like a
petrified being. The level of Lake Erie is said to be five hundred and
sixty-four feet above that of the sea, and three hundred and thirty-four
feet above the waters of Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is consequently two
hundred and thirty feet above the level of the sea. From Lake Erie to
the rapids the water has a fall of fifteen feet, in the rapids
fifty-seven feet, and according to a recent measurement, the falls on
the American side are one hundred and sixty-two feet high. From this
place to Lewistown the river has a fall of one hundred and four feet,
and thence to Lake Ontario, of two feet.

The next morning, 22d of August, we made another visit to Goat-Island.
We afterwards descended the stairs to the river, which we crossed in a
small boat, at a short distance from both falls. The bed of the river is
said to be here two hundred and forty-six feet deep. The current passes
beneath the surface of the water, and does not again become visible till
after a distance of three miles. On the Canada side you have a much
better view of the falls than on the American, for you see both falls at
the same time. There is on the Canada side a covered wooden staircase,
which we ascended, and approached the falls, amidst a constant drizzling
caused by the falling water. The sun threw his rays upon the thick mist
and formed a beautiful rainbow. Another winding staircase leads down the
rocks near the falls, under which you may walk to the distance of one
hundred and twenty feet; several of the gentlemen present went in, but
according to their report they could not see any thing. I was contented
therefore to behold the falls from Table rock, which almost overhangs
them. A part of this rock gave way several years ago and fell down the
precipice, and the remaining part is so much undermined by the water
that it will probably soon follow. The whole distance from the American
to the British shore is fourteen hundred yards, of which three hundred
and eighty belong to the American falls, three hundred and thirty to
Goat-Island, and seven hundred yards to the Canada or Horse-shoe falls.
On the British side, opposite to the falls are two taverns, in the
larger of which, Forsyth’s Hotel, we took lodgings until the next day,
when we intended to pay a visit to the governor of Upper Canada, Sir
Peregrine Maitland, who resides at his country seat within a few miles
of the falls. During the late war a bridge was thrown over the river
about one mile above this tavern, which, together with a mill, was burnt
by the Americans on their retreat from the battle of Lundy’s Lane. A few
years ago a burning spring was discovered here, several of which are
said to occur in different parts of the United States. It is surrounded
by a cask, and contains a cold water of a blackish, slimy appearance,
and of a sulphurous taste. Within this cask is a small vessel which is
open at the bottom, and has a pipe at its upper end. If a lighted candle
be held within a foot of the mouth of this pipe, it will instantly
produce a strong flame, similar to a gas-light. If the vessel be taken
out, and the candle be held over the surface of the water, it will
produce the same effect, but the flame will soon disappear. In the
neighbourhood of Forsyth’s Hotel is the only point from which you have a
full view of both falls at the same time, which, however, is often
interrupted by the ascending vapour.

On our return to the American shore, we examined a _camera obscura_
which is situated at the head of the American staircase, and was built
by a Swiss. This gives a tolerably good view of the falls. Afterwards we
took a ride to the Whirlpool, which is three miles down the Niagara, and
is formed by a kind of rocky basin where the river runs between narrow
rocky banks. It is singular to see this confusion of the water, whose
appearance cannot be better described than by comparing it with the
flowing of melted lead. The lofty rocks which form the banks of this
river, are beautifully covered with wood and present a stately, majestic
appearance. In the evening I again went to Goat-Island in order to view
the falls by bright moonlight: in this light they produce a very
peculiarly beautiful effect, which is greatly heightened by a
moon-rainbow.

The following day, 23d August, all our company departed; my friend Tromp
and myself alone remained. We went to the other side of the river, and
took lodgings at Forsyth’s Hotel, where we found Sir Michael and Lady
Clare, from Jamaica, where Sir Michael is a member of parliament: he was
making a tour of pleasure, with his lady, through the United States.
I also became acquainted with a Mr. Grymes, of Virginia, who was
formerly attorney general of the state of Louisiana, and is married to
the widow of the late Governor Claiborne, a beautiful and wealthy
creole. As this family were also going on a tour to Canada, I hoped to
travel with them. Mrs. Grymes spoke French, a circumstance which was
exceedingly agreeable on account of the facility with which I could
converse with her. I also found the son and adjutant of the governor,
Sir Peregrine Maitland, who had been sent by his father, to await my
arrival. In a short time after, this worthy general came himself to pay
me a visit, and offer me a room in his cottage, four miles off. This I
refused, but on the evening of the following day, I rode to Sir
Peregrine’s in company with Sir Michael and Lady Clare. The road went
over the battle-ground at Lundy’s Lane, (25th July, 1814,) which is
situated upon a gentle eminence, and through the beautiful village of
Stamford. The fields here are much better cultivated than in the United
States, and there is not so much waste of timber. The clearing is done
with much more order and regularity. Sir Peregrine resides at his
cottage, in summer, which was built by his father-in-law, the Duke of
Richmond, and surrounded by a park. His winter residence is at York, on
the northern shore of Lake Ontario, the seat of the parliament of Upper
Canada.




CHAPTER VII.

  _Journey from the Falls of Niagara to Montreal.-- The
    Battle-ground at Queenstown.-- Newark.-- Kingston.-- Montreal._


On Thursday, the 25th of August, we took our final leave of the falls,
in the forenoon, in company with the Grymes and Clare families, for the
town of Newark, which is situated at the junction of the Niagara with
Lake Ontario, on the Canada shore, about fourteen miles distant. At
first our road passed over small hills, until we reached the
battle-ground at Queenstown, a steep hill, which is situated behind
Queenstown, and commands a view of the whole surrounding country. From
this, the country as far as Lake Ontario, is more level. Opposite to
Queenstown, on the American shore, is Lewistown.

The battle of Queenstown took place on the 13th of October, 1812. The
English, under the command of General Brock, occupied the heights, whose
right wing borders on the Niagara, having a deep ravine in front, and
whose left wing gradually slopes towards other no less considerable
eminences, which they had slightly fortified. General Solomon Van
Rensselaer, the present post-master in Albany, and cousin of General Van
Rensselaer, the patroon, encamped with the American troops, consisting
of regulars and militia, on the opposite shore, near Lewistown. General
Van Rensselaer was apprised that General Brock, with the greatest part
of his corps, had marched towards the west, and that there were but few
troops left on the heights. He determined therefore to cross the river,
to make himself master of so important a position. During the night he
conveyed his regulars, about one thousand four hundred men, over the
river, and gave orders that the militia should follow on the return of
the boats, and form a reserve in the rear. These troops gained the
heights, and nearly surprised the British, who, notwithstanding, made a
bold resistance. The Americans would, however, have remained masters of
the field, had not General Brock returned with his detachment. Brock was
a brave soldier, and hearing that the troops whom he had left behind,
were in a dangerous position, he immediately attacked the Americans with
but a single company. In this attack he found a glorious and memorable
death. The Americans kept the heights as long as possible; their
ammunition, however, being nearly exhausted, General Van Rensselaer sent
orders to the militia to advance. The general himself hastened to the
opposite shore to accelerate their movements; he was answered that they
were ready to defend the borders of the United States, but it was
contrary to the laws of the country to take them out of it. The troops
of the line in the meanwhile, having exhausted their ammunition, were
obliged to retreat; they expected to embark, but not finding any boats,
they were compelled, after a heroic defence to surrender as prisoners of
war. On the place where General Brock fell, the parliament of Canada has
erected a monument to the memory of that brave and intrepid soldier. It
consists of a lofty column, which may be observed from every part of the
adjacent country. It was not yet completed, and wanted the inscription.

We expected to meet the steam-boat Queenstown at Newark, in order to
proceed to Kingston, on the eastern extremity of Lake Ontario. We missed
it, however, and were afterwards informed that it had been obliged to
put in at another harbour on account of repairs. We were compelled,
therefore, to remain three days at Newark. Newark is a regularly built
town, with several handsome houses; it is situated at the outlet of the
Niagara into Lake Ontario, between Fort George and Missagua. Fort
Missagua is near the lake; Fort George lies south of Newark, and is in
ruins. During the last war, both these forts were occupied by the
Americans, and from Fort George towards the town, they had raised a
bulwark so as to form a kind of intrenchment. After they had evacuated
this position, and were obliged to retreat to the right shore of the
Niagara, the commander, General M‘Clure, burnt the town of Newark, an
act for which he has been severely censured by his country. Since this
occurred, the village has never properly recovered, and its future
increase will also be slow, especially as government is digging a canal
to the west of Newark, which is to connect Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario,
which will probably hereafter withdraw all the transitory commerce. Our
time passed very agreeably in this town, particularly through the
attention of the worthy Sir Peregrine Maitland, who had come hither; the
politeness of Major Cob, and the gallant officers of the seventy-sixth
regiment, of which four companies were at Newark, as well as the
delightful singing of Mrs. Grymes, who remained with her husband, while
many others, with whom we had expected to sail, went away.

We visited Fort Niagara, which is situated on the American shore, and
which, in consequence of its white houses, and its waving flag, presents
a very handsome appearance. The fort lies on a neck of land; it was
erected by the French in the middle of the last century, and was shortly
after taken by the British. After the peace of Versailles in 1783, it
fell into the possession of the United States, was retaken during the
late war by the British, and at the peace of Ghent, was again obtained
by the United States. We saw all that was to be seen, and found every
thing clean and comfortable. I will only further remark on the present
occasion, that the uniform of the United States’ Infantry is very
simple, and consists of dark blue cloth, with one row of white buttons,
blue lace collars and cuffs of the same, white cord, and leather caps.

We also visited the village of the Tuscarora tribe of Indians, who
reside within the limits of the United States, about three miles from
Lewistown. The village consists of single houses, or wigwams, and is
handsomely situated in a valley surrounded by forests. It contains a
frame church, in which the service is performed by a methodist
missionary, who also, during the winter, keeps school for their
children. Most of the houses are surrounded by gardens and orchards; and
the fields, in which they mostly cultivate Indian corn, appeared to be
in a very good condition. We were conducted into the house of an Indian,
about forty years of age, who had been educated in one of the schools in
New York, who speaks and writes English fluently. We found him in his
bed suffering from an attack of rheumatism. He inquired after our native
countries, and was pretty well acquainted with their geography. We
examined his library, and found that it consisted chiefly of methodist
religious books, with a history of the United States. He also had a
collection of Indian implements of war, consisting of a club of hickory
wood, a battle-axe of stone, bows and arrows, the points of which are
flint, very artificially made; an oblong stone, a kind of serpentine,
which the savages wear on their breasts during an engagement, and
ornaments of glass beads and shells, which they wear around their waists
in time of battle. All these articles I wished to buy; but the Indian
told me that he kept them for the inspection of strangers, and that they
were not for sale. Instead of them, he sold me some mocassins, a kind of
soft leather shoe, made of buckskin, which are ornamented with silk and
beads, and a small basket. Amongst the Indians, the women are obliged to
do all the work, even of the most degrading kind. Mr. Tromp, in order to
see several articles more conveniently, had placed his hat on the floor,
which was scarcely observed by the Indian, before he desired Mrs. Grymes
to put it upon a chair. His grandson, a boy of eleven years, shot very
expertly at an apple with his bow and arrow.

The steam-boat Frontenac, arrived in the evening after our return, and
was to sail on the following day for Kingston. We went on board and
examined her cabin. Around the dining-cabin there are six chambers, each
containing four births. I was shown into one of these, in which I could
lie at full length. In the ladies cabin are fourteen births. A great
part of the deck was covered by an awning, so that passengers could
enjoy the fresh air at the same time that they were protected from the
sun or bad weather. The boat carries seven hundred and fifty tons, and
has an engine made by Bolton and Watt, at Soho, near Birmingham, of
twenty-seven horse-power. Sir Peregrine Maitland conveyed me to this
vessel in his carriage. She lay at anchor off Fort George. Sir Peregrine
had the great politeness to station one of the companies of the
seventy-sixth regiment with a flag, to fire a salute of twenty-one guns;
and his attention was still farther shown in sending his son along, that
I might have no difficulty in seeing the navy-yard, at Kingston. The
Frontenac sailed at half past five o’clock. In a few moments we were on
the lake, and in a short time lost sight of land, and were apparently in
the open sea. There was but little wind, and the vessel, in consequence
of its great size, produced no disagreeable rocking. During the whole
evening we were entertained by Mrs. Grymes, by her delightful
performance on the guitar, and by her singing French and Spanish songs.
The night passed quietly; but it was otherwise at break of day. It
rained repeatedly; the wind grew stronger; the vessel pitched, and
several persons became sea-sick. Lake Ontario is of an elliptical form,
is about two hundred miles long, and fifty-five miles at its widest
part. It is everywhere very deep, in some places five hundred feet, and
never freezes completely over. It contains several good harbours, and
the boundary line between Canada and the United States, divides it into
two nearly equal parts.

In the afternoon we saw a small peninsula towards the west, called
Prince Edward’s Island, and passed between a cluster of small islands,
called the Ducks. About nine o’clock in the evening we reached Kingston,
the British harbour on Lake Ontario. We cast anchor close by the town.
I spent the night on board, and in the morning, as I awoke, I found one
of the companies of the thirty-seventh regiment, who are here in
garrison, marching along the quay, near the vessel, as a guard of
honour, accompanied by a band of music. I dismissed them of course
immediately, and after having received the visits of a few officers,
we rode over the bay to the dock-yard, which lies opposite to Kingston,
surrounded by a high wall and protected by a strong guard. By the
navy-list I ascertained that there are ten ships here, with three
hundred and six guns, in ordinary. It appeared to me, however, that the
number of guns was greater, for the St. Lawrence, one of these vessels,
carried one hundred and twenty guns, and two which are yet on the
stocks, the Montreal and Wolf, have three decks, and ports for one
hundred and thirty guns each. According to the stipulation of the treaty
of Ghent, they are not permitted to build any ships here during time of
peace; so that the soldiers at the arsenal consisted merely of the
necessary officers, besides twelve carpenters, who had scarcely any
thing to do, but to work at an elegant little schooner, which was
shortly to be launched to serve as a yacht. The large vessels on the
stocks were uncovered, and appeared to have suffered much from the
weather. The St. Lawrence was the largest vessel in the river, and is
said also to be in a state of decay; her bottom especially has suffered
from the effects of the fresh water and worms. The wharves of the
dock-yard are built of wood, and bear marks of the haste in which they
were erected; they were in a bad condition. Within a few years they have
erected a magazine, three stories high and one hundred and ninety-two
feet long, with iron doors and shutters, for the preservation of the
sails and cordage. The partitions in the inside are made of wood.
Immediately on our entrance into the magazine the large iron door was
locked and kept so, inasmuch as they greatly mistrust the Americans.
Beneath the building is a cellar, which is also occupied as a magazine,
and the floor of which consists of limestone, which serves for the
foundation of the whole building. The stairs are of stone, and are built
into a tower; they intend also at some future period, to make the
different floors fire-proof, like the magazine at Plymouth, by covering
them with iron. In a distinct massy building are the forges, and in a
third the offices. By the side of the offices is a large room, which
contains the different articles used in ship-building. Opposite to the
dock-yard, on a neck of land, is Fort Frederick, which I had not time to
visit. Behind the dock-yard, upon a small height, stood a number of
tents. We were informed that about four hundred Irish emigrants had
encamped there, who had been sent to this country at the expense of the
English government, to settle a piece of land on the north-western bank
of Lake Ontario, whither they were soon to go. The town of Kingston
contains about two thousand inhabitants, and is built in the usual
style.

We left Kingston after eleven o’clock, on board the steam-boat Lady
Dalhousie, for Prescott, sixty-eight miles from Kingston, on the left
bank of the St. Lawrence. Adjutant Maitland left us at Kingston, but the
rest of the company remained. We had scarcely left this place before we
sailed round a promontory on which stands Fort Henry, into the St.
Lawrence. This river is here very wide, and forms an archipelago about
fifty miles in length, called the thousand islands. The English and
American commissioners for determining the boundary line, took the pains
to count these islands, and found that they amounted to sixteen hundred
and ninety-two; in this calculation, however, they have included every
projecting rock, even if it had but a single tree. This archipelago
presents a beautiful prospect; most of the islands are rocky, and are
overgrown with trees, generally cedars. Here and there a fir reared his
lofty head, which, generally growing upon the bare rocks, where the
trees are less numerous, presents a picturesque appearance. We observed
something similar to the picture of Frederick, of which we were often
reminded in descending the St. Lawrence. Eighteen miles from Kingston
our vessel stopped at the village of Gananoqui, on the Canada shore,
to take in wood. I went for a moment ashore and found an insignificant
village, in the neighbourhood of which the river of the same name falls
into the St. Lawrence. The Gananoqui river has a rocky bed, and is
crossed by a wooden bridge, beyond which, upon a small eminence, is a
square two story log-house, the upper story of which was formerly
occupied as a garrison by about forty men. During the late war the
Americans got possession here of an English post and a magazine, in
consequence of which they built this block-house. At the extremity of
the archipelago of the thousands islands is a similar block-house for
the protection of the navigation of the river.

On the Canada shore, about fifty miles below Kingston, where the
archipelago terminates, is the small village of Brockville, where there
are some fine magazines near the river. At this place the night set in,
which was warm and moonlight. We found two taverns in the village, but
they were so full of people, and had such a dirty appearance, that I
preferred spending the night on board the steam-boat, and my example was
followed by the families of Messrs. Clare and Grymes. The steam-boat
carried one hundred tons, and was of twenty-five horse power, but she
was by no means so convenient and comfortable as the Frontenac.

At this place commence the rapids of the St. Lawrence. They are formed
by rocks, which extend obliquely across the river, over which the water
rushes with tremendous force, so that between this place and Montreal,
a distance of one hundred and thirteen miles, the steam-boats can run
only a part of the way. On this account, therefore, there is a line of
stage-coaches and steam-boats between Prescott and Montreal, which take
the passengers alternately, and produce much vexation in consequence of
the baggage. The rapids may be descended in bateaux, or Durham-boats,
which are small, flat vessels of about forty tons, have but half deck,
and draw eighteen inches of water. The Durham-boats have a mast and two
sails, and carry large cargoes of goods. We were anxious to undertake
the passage, in order to see the rapids, and to ascertain the danger of
which so much has been spoken. We therefore went on board a Durham-boat,
the Flying Dutchman, paid two dollars for each passenger, and were
assured by the captain, that, if the wind should be good, we should be
at Montreal in a day. Sir Michael resolved to attempt the enterprise,
and his lady accompanied him, in spite of her fears. Mrs. Grymes,
however, was so much afraid, that she preferred travelling partly in the
stage and partly by steam-boat.

We embarked on board the Flying Dutchman, at about 6 o’clock, early in
the morning of the 30th August. The morning was delightful, and as we
were much pleased with the beautiful prospect of Prescott, in the
neighbourhood of which is Fort Wellington, a redoubt, which was built
during the late war.

On the American shore we saw the town of Ogdensburgh, which was
fortified by the Americans during the late war, but soon fell into the
hands of the British. The comforts of our vessel were not, as we have
remarked, very great. It was open, a few barrels of potash served us as
a floor; and boards laid across our trunks as seats. Six miles below
Prescott we arrived at a few islands called the Gallop Islands, and the
first rapids. As we approached, the water appeared to be boiling, and
high foaming billows arose, over which our boat passed rapidly. They are
not so high as the swells at sea, but they are very short and rapid in
their movements. As our Durham-boat, however, was remarkably long, it
divided them without producing any disagreeable motion. Scarcely had we
passed the rapids before the river became again smooth, and as we had
scarcely any wind, our progress was but slow. Another set of rapids,
nine miles long, were passed in an hour, and with no more danger than
the preceding. We were assured, however, that a branch of these rapids,
from which we were separated by an island, are very dangerous. It is
called the least channel; and Duncan, in his Journal, gives a beautiful
description of a shipwreck that occurred here, in which many lives were
lost. Our vessel was not only flat at the bottom, like all the others
that pass these rapids, but had also an ingenious false keel, which
could be lowered and raised as the water was either shallow or deep. Our
passengers were principally of the lower class of Canadians, who spoke
bad French, somewhat like the Walloon. There was also a lively young
black bear, three months old, on board.

About twenty miles below Longsault, we reached the village of Cornwall,
on the Canada shore. The wind was so feeble that we had no hopes of
reaching a good tavern before dark, we determined, therefore, to stay
here all night. Towards evening, Mr. Grymes’ family also arrived by
land, and took lodgings at the same tavern. The village is small, but
the streets intersect each other at right angles, and contain several
new stone houses. It appears to be a place of little business. The
country is pretty flat, and the plain near the village is used by the
British as a race-ground. A race was to take place in a few days, horses
had already arrived and lodgings were bespoken. The British government
sends many Scotch emigrants into this part of the country.

Our departure on the following morning was delayed two hours by the
ladies; and it was not until about 7 o’clock that we left Cornwall in
our Durham-boat. The morning was very pleasant, and in consequence of a
rather strong southerly wind, we glided rapidly along. Five miles below
Cornwall, on the right shore, we saw the village of St. Regis, the last
belonging to the United States. The American line here leaves the St.
Lawrence, both shores of which belong to Canada as far as its outlet
into the sea. On the left bank of the river we descried a new Scotch
village, called Glengary Settlement. Farther on, you reach a lake,
called Lac St. François, through which the St. Lawrence flows, and
through which the boundary line between Upper and Lower Canada is drawn.
This lake, which is about forty miles long, and six broad, contains a
number of islands. Not far from St. Regis we passed one of these
islands, which is inhabited by some Indians, who have been baptized by a
Catholic missionary, and have their island in a good state of
cultivation. One of the Indians, with his wife, came along side of us in
a canoe, and sold us some fish. At the point where Lac St. François
terminates, and where the St. Lawrence again commences, is the village
of Coteau de Lac, on the left bank of the river. At this village is a
pretty strong rapid, stronger than those we passed yesterday. In order
that this rapid may be avoided, and that vessels may ascend with more
ease, the government has had a canal dug along the river, which has two
locks, and is covered by a small fort, Fort du Coteau.

Our captain had business at the custom-house; he stopped therefore for
an hour, during which I had time to look at the fort; after which we
continued our course in a strong wind which was brought on by a
thunder-storm. The shores and islands of the river are generally covered
with cedar trees, and amongst them we observed some neat houses and
churches, with bright tin roofs. At the village of Coteau des Cèdres, we
were obliged to encounter the last and most dangerous rapid, called the
Cascades. The waves were uncommonly high, and our vessel passed over the
dangerous parts with incredible velocity. Along these rapids there is
also a canal provided with locks, and intended to facilitate the ascent
of vessels. If these rapids are viewed from the shore, it appears
incredible that a canoe should venture in without being swallowed up.
Such a misfortune, however, does not happen, as we had just proved.
Below this rapid the river, where it receives the Ottawa, again spreads
out so as to form another lake called Lac St. Louis. North of this lake,
and at the place where the Ottawa unites with the St. Lawrence, it forms
another lake, Lac des deux Montagnes, which is separated from Lac St.
Louis by three islands, called Jesus, Perrot, and Montreal. The
thunder-storm passed close by us; the wind blew heavy, but favourably.
We met a steam-boat, having a corpse on board, and her flag at
half-mast; this was a bad omen! Another steam-boat got ahead of us as we
were passing towards La Chine, and excited our desire to sail faster;
but suddenly we saw a terrible storm approaching. In an instant every
hand was endeavouring to take down the sails, and the small one was
fortunately drawn in before the arrival of the squall, but the large
one, in consequence of its bad cordage, was only half way down when it
struck us. Near us we observed a sound, with a dangerous cliff, which it
was necessary to avoid by steering to the left, but we were driven
directly towards it. Six men could scarcely manage the helm. Half of the
sail floated in the water, and our destruction appeared inevitable. No
one knew who commanded; the sailors thought themselves better qualified
than the captain, and every thing was hurry and confusion. I deemed it
best to remain silent, and commit myself to the care of Providence, who
guides the destinies of man. At length a sailor climbed the mast and cut
the cord, so that the sail could be taken down, by which time we had
fortunately passed the sound. The storm also, which altogether did not
last much longer than five minutes, began to abate. The steam-boat ahead
had been in the same dangerous situation, and would have been cast upon
the rocks in the sound, had she not speedily returned into the lake,
where she cast anchor. Immediately after the storm, during which it had
rained, we observed a remarkable phenomenon, viz. a fall of white-winged
insects, of which a great quantity fell upon our boat. It continued
during five minutes. These insects had in all probability been driven
from the neighbouring forests. The storm, though unpleasant, had the
effect of propelling us swiftly forwards. After 6 o’clock in the
evening, we reached without any other unpleasant occurrence La Chine,
a village, which has a harbour situated upon the island of Montreal.

La Chine appears to be an insignificant village, though in consequence
of its favourable situation, it is said to do considerable business. The
French was spoken so badly here, that I thought myself transported to
our provinces of Hennegau or Namur. The village is said to have obtained
its name from the circumstance that during the time the country was
occupied by the French colony, they believed they could pass to China by
way of the St. Lawrence; and with this object, an expedition had been
fitted out, which embarked at La Chine.

Between La Chine and Montreal, the river has a very dangerous rapid, on
account of which the government has built a canal as far as this place,
which is nine miles long, has several locks, and is said to be of much
importance to the trade. As we preferred going by land we hired a
stage-coach, and started about eight o’clock in the evening during a
violent thunder-storm. Lady Clare, who was scarcely recovered from the
fear which she experienced on the water, would willingly have spent the
night here in a tavern, as she was much afraid to travel during a
thunder-storm at night. It soon turned out that her fears were not
unfounded. We had scarcely passed three miles over a good turnpike road,
before we came in contact with several carts that stood in front of a
tavern, loaded with iron bars. The drivers had gone into the tavern, and
left their carts in the middle of the road, and as the night was dark we
approached one of them so suddenly that three of the iron bars entered
the breast of our shaft-horse, which immediately fell and expired. After
much dispute between the coachman and the carters, we rode on with three
horses, and arrived at Montreal about ten o’clock at night. We stopt at
the Masonic Hall, a hotel which has been established within the last
year. It is a very large, convenient, massy building, four stories high,
and built of blue stone. It affords a fine view of the St. Lawrence,
which is upwards of twelve hundred yards wide here. At our arrival,
I became immediately acquainted with Captain Mellish, of the engineers,
who was sent from England on a scientific expedition into the interior
of the colony.

We remained at Montreal nearly three days. The city, which I examined in
company with Lieutenant Colonel Evans of the seventieth regiment, in
garrison here, contains about twenty-five thousand inhabitants. It
extends upon a hill to a considerable distance, between the St. Lawrence
and Le Mont Réal, which is about seven hundred feet high, and is lined
with timber. It has two principal streets, which run parallel with the
river, and are intersected by a third, that runs along the ditch of the
demolished fortresses. The houses are generally built of blue stone, and
covered with bright tin, have iron doors and shutters to protect them
against the fire, which give the city a very dismal appearance. In our
walk we passed a number of young men who wore belts, and were dressed in
blue coats, the seams of which were covered with white cord. We were
informed that they were the pupils of the Catholic ecclesiastical
school. It is well known that most of the Canadians, and four-fifth of
the inhabitants of Montreal, are Catholics; they are bigotted, and the
lower classes are exceedingly ignorant. There is a very broad street,
which unites the two principal streets, and in the centre is the
market-house. At one of the extremities of this street, are the
court-house and prison; behind which is the place where the old forts
stood, since converted into a parade. Montreal has several hospitals,
which are superintended by nurses. These hospitals, however, are not
sufficient, especially as the nuns do not admit any fever patients. In
consequence of this, some of the most wealthy citizens have joined, and
selected a healthy spot, on which they have erected a new hospital,
three stories high, capable of containing seventy patients of both
sexes. In this hospital, the sick, fifty in number, receive cheap and
excellent accommodations. They are under the care of nurses, and are
attended gratis, by the best physicians of the city. The arrangement is
similar to that of the hospital at Boston, but there is less of luxury
here in their management.

The public library is as yet small, though it is rapidly increasing. It
has united with it a cabinet of natural history. We also observed the
foundation for a large cathedral, which is to be built by private
contributions. At the barracks of the subalterns, I was much pleased
with the mess-room, which has a library connected with it; I was also
much gratified with the school for the education of the soldiers, and
their children. The barracks were formerly occupied as the Jesuit
college, which stood in the old French citadel, of which not a vestige
remains. Not far from the barracks is a steam-engine, which conveys the
water from the river into the city, at the same time that it moves a
mill. At the market-house stands a monument erected by the colony in
honour of Lord Nelson. It consists of a statue resting upon a single
column. On one side of the pedestal is an inscription; two others
contain representations of naval engagements; and the fourth,
a representation of the capitulation of Copenhagen.

The next day, Lieutenant-colonel Mac Gregor conducted me to the parade,
where a part of his regiment was assembled. They formed a battalion of
six divisions. The battalion exercises were not performed, but the
manœuvres, which were very complicated, and only adapted to the place,
were executed with much precision and admirable celerity. I learned a
new mode of making ready. At the command “ready,” the soldiers levelled
their muskets, cocked them in this position; at the command “fire,” they
brought them slowly to their cheeks. The infantry were divided into two
bodies, but in making a flank march, they formed into three, by passing
through the files. The platoons were divided into sections, containing
from four to six files, in consequence of which the oblique march was
easily executed.

After this manœuvre was completed, we took a boat, in company with the
officers, for the island of St. Helen, oppositely to Montreal, in the
middle of the St. Lawrence. This island contains a large artillery
depôt, under the direction of Major Wallace. Upon landing we were
saluted with a discharge of twenty-one guns from the battery on the neck
of the island. This battery is of a crescent shape, and serves as a
training-place for the company of artillery stationed here. The gunners
were just practising with one nine, and one six pounder, and a
seven-inch howitzer, each of which was charged with grenades. The mark
stood in the river, and their dexterity was such that the grenade never
exploded before reaching it. The skill consists chiefly in the proper
calculation of the fuse, so that the powder of the grenade may explode
the moment it is over the mark.

St. Helen was the only point that the French retained after all Canada
had submitted to the British power. It is about two miles in
circumference, and is covered with fine elms and different kinds of nut
trees, particularly the hickory. The soldiers have made excellent paths
through and around the island. A botanic garden was established here a
few years ago by the government, in which all the North American plants
are collected, for the purpose of furnishing gardens in England. On the
north side of the island you have some beautiful views of the shores of
the river, and Montreal, with her numerous churches, and situation at
the foot of the green mountain, presents a very imposing appearance.
Here are also the arsenal and barracks, new massy buildings, which are
protected against a _coup de main_ by a breast-work, as well as by
embrasures in the walls. The interior of the island is hilly, and in a
really romantic valley is a powder-magazine, containing four thousand
barrels of powder. Through Major Wallace, who resides in a very
beautiful house at the barracks, we became acquainted with his wife and
daughter, who pass their time very pleasantly at their solitary
habitation in music and drawing. During the winter, the people who are
obliged to stay on the island are sometimes prevented from going to
Montreal for six weeks, in consequence of the ice.

After our return to Montreal we took another ramble through the city,
and observed some very large stores. As Montreal carries on some fur
trade through the Ottawa river, with the Hudson Bay and North-west
Company, I had supposed I should be able to procure some cheap fur; but
I found little that was good, and this was valued at an enormous price.
In the evening we went to the Royal Circus, whose pompous advertisement
had promised a large company of riders and a good play. The riders, four
grown persons and two boys, performed some tolerably good feats; but the
play was so badly managed that we soon returned to the house. The
theatre is in other respects handsomely arranged: it has two tiers of
boxes, and a circle for the horses, which, during the play, forms the
pit.




CHAPTER VIII.

  _Journey from Montreal to Quebec.-- Stay at Quebec.-- Return to
    Montreal-- from the 3d to the 9th of September, 1825._


About 8 o’clock in the evening of the 3d of September, in company with
Messrs. Grymes and Clare’s families, we embarked on board the steam-boat
Lady Sherbrook for Quebec, one hundred and eighty miles from Montreal.
Montreal wants good wharves, a circumstance which we felt sensibly on
going on board the steam-boat, as we were obliged to walk in the dark
through the mire, which was particularly disagreeable to the ladies. We
had taken state-rooms on board the vessel, so that the ladies could live
alone, and not be obliged to sleep in the common ladies cabin. To me it
was also pleasant to have a small room to myself. At Montreal I met
Captain King, of the English artillery, with whom I had become
acquainted at Boston, and who likewise travelled to Quebec. The other
passengers were not numerous.

The steam-boat was one hundred and fifty feet long, carried eight
hundred tons, and her engine was of sixty horse-power, much too little
for such a large and heavy vessel. It started after 9 o’clock in the
evening. During the night it stopt an hour at the outlet of the river
Sorel into the St. Lawrence, at William Henry, a small town, so called
in honour of the Duke of Clarence. They were obliged to take in wood;
for the American and Canada steam-boats are not, like the European,
heated with stone coal, but with wood, which takes up much room on the
vessel, and much time in loading.

The next morning we stopt on the left bank of the little town Les Trois
Rivières, which contains two thousand five hundred inhabitants, is
eighty miles distant from Montreal, and situated where the St. Maurice
empties itself into the St. Lawrence. Before we came to this place, we
had to go through Lake St. Pierre, which is formed by the widening of
the river St. Lawrence. The banks of this river are thickly inhabited on
both sides, and are also said to be cultivated and productive. The river
is throughout from one to two miles wide, but fifty-two miles below
Trois Rivières, at the village of Richelieu, it becomes narrower, and
here are the last rapids, called Rapids de Richelieu. The banks, which
as far as this place are pretty low, become higher and more rocky,
particularly on the left side. The neighbourhood is remarkably handsome
and picturesque. The majestic stream with its pleasant banks and the
view of the distant blue mountains near Quebec, produce an indescribable
effect. The weather was favourable, a clear sunny day, and not very
warm; in this northern latitude you can already perceive the approaching
autumn by the coolness of the nights and mornings.

We reached Quebec at 10 o’clock in the evening. This city consists of
two parts, the upper town, which is built on a rock, and the lower,
which is pressed in between the river and the rock. The lights in the
lower town and the fortifications, had an elegant appearance, when
contrasted with the dark rock. The first coup d’œil, which was by night,
reminded me of Namur, as it is seen from the right bank of the Maas.
In the river were many vessels, mostly used for carrying wood. It was
already late, and we should have found difficulty in transporting our
baggage by night, besides other inconveniences in finding lodgings for
the ladies, so we spent this night also on board the steam-boat, where
we were very comfortable and found it cleanly.

The next morning, after dismissing the guard which the governor had
appointed to escort us, we went to our lodgings, in the upper part of
the town. The lower town is very narrow, and has a filthy appearance.
The streets are not paved, and badly provided with side-walks. The road
which leads to the upper part of the town is very steep. It stands on a
rocky ground, and its fortifications are elevated three hundred and
fifty feet from the level of the ocean. The upper is separated from the
lower town by a stone wall, which has the form of a horn-work. Through
this wall is a gate, which has a guard, the guard-room is opposite the
gate, and by means of a portcullis defends the entrance. For the
convenience of foot-passengers, there is a door near the gate, with
wooden stairs, by ascending which you reach the upper town. On the right
side of the gate is a building which resembles a chapel, and serves for
the house of commons of Canada. In order to get home, we were obliged to
go round part of the walls of the town. Even here you have an
indescribably beautiful view of the Bay of Quebec and the right bank of
the river, which has the appearance of a cape called Point Levi.

Shortly after our arrival, I received a visit from Colonel Duchesnay,
first adjutant of the governor-general, and from Colonel Darnford,
director of engineers. The first gentleman came to bid me welcome, in
the name of the governor, and the latter begged to show me the
fortifications. Lord Dalhousie, governor-general of all the British
possessions in North America, was at that time in England, but was
expected daily. During his absence, the government was under the
direction of the lieutenant-governor, Sir Francis Burton, brother of
Lord Conyngham. He is a civilian, but is said to fill his high post with
credit. The good spirits the inhabitants are in, and the harmony that
exists in the colony, is mostly owing to his good management, and his
humane and friendly deportment towards them. It is said of Lord
Dalhousie, that he has estranged the hearts of the people from himself
and the government, through his haughty and absolute deportment, and the
opposition party in the Canadian parliament has thereby been
strengthened.

With the above-mentioned public officers, we wandered through the city,
and first of all visited the government house, which is a large old
building, vacant during the absence of Lord Dalhousie. The rooms are not
large, and were not as richly furnished as I expected to see the mansion
of an English governor-general. At the back of the house, over the
vault, is a large balcony, from which one can see part of the town, the
harbour, and the surrounding neighbourhood. The citadel is a new work,
and not quite finished. The English speak with a kind of exultation of
the fortifications of Quebec, and compare it to Gibraltar. I also
expected something extraordinary, but cannot say that my expectations
were gratified. The heights near the town are the well-known plains of
Abraham, or more correctly heights of Abraham, upon which, on the 12th
of September, 1759, the battle between the English general, Wolfe, and
the French general, Marquis Montcalm, took place; a battle which cost
the lives of both generals, and in which the French were defeated with
the loss of the town and colony.

General Wolfe took possession of the Isle d’Orleans, and made himself
master of Point Levi. The Marquis de Montcalm, upon the heights by the
falls of Montmorency, with his army in a fortified position, heroically
received the attack of General Wolfe and drove him back, with great loss
to the English army. On this occasion, General Wolfe embarked his men in
the night, took advantage of the darkness to pass the town, sailed up
the St. Lawrence, and disembarked at the place that is now called
Wolfe’s cove. He mounted the rock with a great deal of difficulty, and
then put his army at the break of day in order of battle on the Heights
of Abraham. To assist the town, and drive the English from the heights
of Abraham, the Marquis de Montcalm found it necessary to leave his
impregnable position at Montmorency, and to cross, by a bridge secured
by double piers, over the river St. Charles. He now, with Quebec in his
rear, drew up his army upon the heights in good order and gave battle,
the result of which was unfortunate to him and his government.

The English engineers make use of bricks which are burned in England,
for building the casemates of the fortification. A thousand of these
bricks cost the government, including transportation, two pounds ten
shillings! The reason they give is, that the bricks burned here, crack
in the winter. I rather believe that the preference of these foreign
bricks has some other reason.

The arsenal is a large, yet not bomb-proof building, in which there are
more than twenty thousand muskets, and some useful pistols. We also saw
here several very handsomely ornamented single and double-barrel guns,
which are kept for the purpose of making presents to Indian chiefs.

The upper part of the town is very old and angular, the streets are
muddy, and many not paved. Both towns contain about twenty-five thousand
inhabitants. The Catholic cathedral is quite a handsome building; it has
three altars, and paintings of but little value. On account of the
coldness of the climate the church is floored. The inside of the church
is divided like English churches, into aisles. It is near the seminary,
an old French building, with massive walls, having four corners like a
bastion. In this seminary resides the Bishop of Quebec. We had already
been introduced to Bishop Plessis, in the house of Sir Francis Burton,
and found him a very agreeable and well-informed man. He is the son of a
butcher of Montreal, and has elevated himself by his own merit. A few
years ago he travelled through England, France, and Italy, where he
received the title of Archbishop of Canada, from the pope. The English
government in the mean time, took into consideration, whether they would
recognise his title, because he would, as archbishop, rank in the
Canadian parliament before the English episcopal bishop. We paid our
respects to this worthy man. He received us kindly, surrounded by many
young priests. His secretary showed us the building and the garden. The
scholars had a vacation, and the house was deserted. They are not all
destined for the priesthood; the most respectable people of this country
have their sons brought up in this institution, in which they receive a
very good education. The Catholic clergy are very much respected here,
and they are said to deserve it, on account of the information they
possess, and the benefactions they bestow. The English government left
them all the emoluments and prerogatives which they possessed before the
colony was conquered. On this account, the clergy are obedient to the
government, and exert their best influence over the people in favour of
the government. In the seminary is a small philosophical apparatus. The
natural history cabinet is not very rich; the best part of it is a
collection of East India shells. The garden of the seminary is rather
large, and serves as a fruit and vegetable garden, &c.

Nine miles from Quebec is the waterfall of Montmorency, to which we
travelled, escorted by Colonel Duchesnay. The road passed through the
palace gate. This is the gate where General Arnold made his attack, when
he stormed the place in December, 1775, and was wounded in the leg. His
column had already pressed into the city, and would certainly have taken
the town, if General Montgomery, who attacked the lower town from the
side of the St. Lawrence, had met him at the same time. This, however,
was impossible, as General Montgomery fell, and after his death his
division fell into confusion, and retreated. An English artillerist,
returning to the only cannon placed there, which had already been
deserted, set a match to it, killed this hero with twelve men, and thus
saved the town.

We crossed the river St. Charles over a long well built wooden bridge,
and continued our journey partly on a road cut through the rock, having
the St. Lawrence always in view. The neighbourhood is well cultivated;
several farm-houses have a very ancient appearance. The handsomest of
them belongs to the seminary at Quebec, and serves the priests as a
pleasure ground. About the middle of the road is the village Beaufort,
where one has a very good prospect of the city, the right bank of the
St. Lawrence, the Isle d’Orleans, and down the stream. We left the
carriage at the river Montmorency, over which a wooden bridge is thrown,
and walked nearly to where the Montmorency empties itself into the St.
Lawrence. At that place are the falls, two hundred and seventy-five feet
high. The surrounding country is extraordinarily beautiful. Near the
waterfall is a cave, where the soil is either sunk, or washed away by
the water; it is a narrow deep crack in the earth, which you cannot
behold without shuddering. When the water is high, there are three
falls. The middle one precipitates directly down, the two others cross
over the middle one. The drought, however, of the summer of 1825, and a
canal, which drains the water from the river to drive saw and other
mills, has lessened the quantity of water in the river, so that only one
of the three falls has water, and instead of seeing the other two, you
perceive the bare rock. This rock is slate. At Quebec and Point Levi,
it is limestone; in Quebec it is interspersed with silicious crystals,
hence its name Cape Diamond. The stones of Point Levi are used for
building houses and fortifications; all copings are made of this stone.
Most of the trees in this neighbourhood are cedar. Below the falls of
St. Lawrence they have constructed a little harbour by means of two
piers, whence they trade in boards on account of its nearness to the
sawmills. About a mile and a half above the great falls, in the same
river, are others. The channel at these falls is very narrow between the
rocks, and formed like stairs; on this account, they are called the
natural stairs; resembling very much, though in miniature, the falls of
Trenton, near Utica, and are situated in a thick forest of fir, pine,
and cedar trees. The road from the bridge to this place, and hence to
the turnpike, is a very obscure footpath through the woods.

On the second and last day of my sojourn at Quebec, I went to the
parade, escorted by Colonels Durnford and Duchesnay. I was pleasantly
taken by surprise, when I found the whole garrison under arms. The
commanding officers wished to show me their corps. On the right wing
stood two companies of artillery, then a company of sappers and miners,
after this, the sixty-eighth, and lastly, the seventy-first regiment of
infantry. The last is a light regiment, and consists of Scotch
Highlanders; it appeared to be in particularly good condition. This
regiment is not dressed in the Highland uniform, which was only worn by
some of the buglemen. It has a very good band of buglemen, who wear
curious caps, made of blue woollen, bordered below with red and white
stripes. The troops defiled twice before me.

On the 6th of September we sat out in the steam-boat for Montreal. Sir
Francis sent us his carriage, which was very useful to the ladies. On
the dock stood a company of the sixty-eighth regiment, with their flag
displayed as a guard of honour, which I immediately dismissed. The
fortification saluted us with twenty-one guns; this caused a very fine
echo from the mountains. Night soon set in, but we had sufficient light
to take leave of the magnificent vicinity of Quebec.

The journey, of course, was more tedious in ascending than in descending
the river. Fortunately the tide was in our favour during the night,
until we passed the rapids of Richelieu. In the morning we stopt at
Trois Rivières to take in wood; we then went slowly on. I employed this
leisure in writing, but was often interrupted. In this boat they have
four meals daily, and at every repast they drove me from my writing
place. In the morning at seven o’clock, they ring the bell for the
passengers to rise and dress; at eight o’clock breakfast is served,
which consists of tea, coffee, sausages, ham, beefsteak, and eggs; at
twelve, they take luncheon; at four, dine; at eight, take tea; and an
hour before every meal they set the table. The weather was cloudy nearly
the whole day; it began to rain towards evening, and continued raining
through the night.

At Sorel, or William Henry, we came to, in order to land some
passengers, and take in wood. This place is situated on the right bank
of both rivers, at the confluence of the Sorel or Richelieu, (the only
outlet of Lake Champlain,) with the St. Lawrence. The French built a
fort here, which stands yet, if such bad palisades, barracks, and
arsenals, deserve that name. The town itself was built in the year 1785,
by the so called American tories and discharged soldiers. It contains
two churches, about one hundred houses, and six hundred inhabitants,
whose houses are mostly of wood, and stand separately in the streets,
which are arranged in squares, and occupy a great space. It is built on
a sandy soil, and has a poor aspect. Generally speaking, the towns in
Canada bear a very poor comparison with those of the United States, and
will never arrive at the same point, because the settlers in Canada are
mostly poor Scotchmen and Irishmen, who come out at the expense of the
government; they receive land, and are oppressed by the feudal system,
which opposes all prosperity; emigrants, however, who possess some
property, and have an ambitious spirit, settle themselves in the United
States, where nobody is oppressed; on the contrary, where all the laws
are in their favour.

At Fort Sorel is stationed a garrison, a detachment of the seventieth
regiment, commanded by a sergeant; an artillery detachment which was
moving to Montreal, tied its sloop to our steam-boat, and came on board;
the artillerymen mostly intoxicated. Towards evening, we learned that
the sloop contained three boxes of gunpowder, which caused us a great
deal of uneasiness. The danger was so much the greater, as the sparks
were continually flying from the pipe of the steam-boat, which the wind
drove towards the sloop. I was one of the first who received the
information, and immediately gave the alarm. All the passengers agreed
in persuading the captain during this rainy and stormy night to remove
the sloop some distance from our boat, and place in it an officer and
three of the least intoxicated artillerymen. The night was dark, and we
were compelled to cast anchor and remain till morning.

The next morning the weather was still cloudy and rainy; the storm was
particularly strong, and the wind ahead. The machinery was too weak to
make any progress. We therefore saw Montreal three hours before we could
reach it; the current particularly was so strong between Montreal and
the Isle of St. Helen, that in spite of the machinery we were driven
backwards. At last we were obliged to draw up the boat by aid of six
oxen, two horses, and ten men. The Lady Sherbrook, however, is one of
the oldest steam-boats on the St. Lawrence, and the captain himself
confessed that she was so rotten that she was not worth repairing, and
will soon be condemned. About 4 o’clock in the afternoon, after we had
been forty-six hours on our journey, which took but twenty-six hours
going down, we were landed at Montreal. The battery on the Island of St.
Helen saluted us with twenty-one guns. The first information we received
was, that fifty houses were burned down yesterday in the suburbs of the
town, and that this misfortune fell mostly upon the poorer class, whose
houses were not insured.

Mr. Bingham, from Philadelphia, who married a rich heiress here, and
turned Catholic to get possession of her estate, gave a ball to-day, in
honour of the first birth-day of his only daughter, and politely invited
our company. We accepted the invitation, and rode to the ball at 9
o’clock. He was twenty-four years of age, and his wife nineteen; has
many friends, because his cellar is well filled, and has the talent to
spend his money liberally among the people. We found assembled in his
rich and tastefully furnished halls the whole fashionable world of
Montreal. They mostly dance French contra dances, commonly called
Spanish dances. To the contra dances, in honour of the officers of the
seventieth regiment, who are the favourite young gentlemen, they have
adopted tedious Scotch melodies; to the Spanish dances they played
German waltzes. The native ladies conversed in very soft Canadian bad
French, not even excepting our handsome landlady. I took particular
notice of a Miss Ermatinger, the daughter of a Swiss, and an Indian
woman, on account of her singular but very beautiful Indian countenance.
She was dressed in the best taste of all, and danced very well. Indeed
there was a great deal of animation at this ball, as well as a great
deal of luxury, particularly a profusion of silver plate and glass in
the house of Mr. Bingham, whose sister is the wife of the banker,
Baring, of London.




CHAPTER IX.

  _Journey from Montreal to New York.-- Isle Aux Noix.-- Lake
    Champlain.-- Lake George.-- Falls of Hudson.-- Glenn’s Falls.--
    Saratoga Springs.-- Saratoga Battleground.-- Shaker Settlement
    at New Lebanon.-- Military School at West Point._


As the season was so far advanced, I wished to reach New York without
delay. We therefore concluded to travel soon, and visit Lake Champlain
to its southern extremity, then to Saratoga, Albany, and further down
the Hudson to New York, taking the Catskill mountains by the way, and
inspecting the famous military school of West Point. With this view, on
Friday, the 9th of September, we went on board the steam-boat Montreal,
which runs between Montreal and the right bank of the river.
Lieutenant-Colonel M‘Gregor and Major Loring escorted us to the boat.
In half an hour we found ourselves on the other side of the river. We
landed near the village Longueuil, where stage-coaches awaited us, which
carried us and our baggage to St. John, situated on the river Richelieu,
about twenty-seven miles from Longueuil. The road lies several miles
along the banks of the river St. Lawrence, till you arrive to the
village of La Prairie. In this village we took our leave of this noble
neighbourhood and majestic stream, on whose banks we had tarried so
agreeably. The road led through a plain, which was very little
cultivated, and containing few trees. We only met with a single village
called Lavane. Here and there we observed some larch trees. About half
past one in the afternoon, we reached the village of St. John, having
arrived a mile from the above-named village, at the river Richelieu.
Here we went on board the American steam-boat Phœnix, in order to sail
for Whitehall. This vessel deserves the name, because the boat, whose
place it supplies, was of the same name, and burned some years ago on
Lake Champlain. The new Phœnix is commodious and clean, one hundred and
twenty feet long, having machinery of forty-six horse-power. Both banks
of the river were thickly timbered. Ten miles above St. John we reached
an island called Isle Aux Noix, the last English strong post on Lake
Champlain. The captain had the politeness to tarry here a short time,
in order that I might survey the island and its fortifications.

Isle Aux Noix contains about ninety acres, and is very flat and swampy.
The fort is called Fort Lenox, in honour of the late duke of Richmond;
it consists of a regular square, with four bastions and two ravelins,
and is built according to the system of Vaubans. On account of the
swampy ground, the fortification which anciently stood here, is almost
sunk. The revêtement is a half one, and formed of wood, as well as the
scarp and counterscarp. The whole lower wall consists of roots of trees,
mostly cedar, placed horizontally crosswise, and only those roots which
constitute the revêtement stand upright. On the horizontal roots earth
is thrown and rammed. The engineers believe that this costly work will
stand thirty years. I however believe it would have been better if they
had rammed the roots into the ground and put a grate upon that, and then
a strong stone revêtement, or still better if they had arched it _en
décharge_. The two ravelins, whose basis is also of wood, lie before
the northern and southern front. Under the curtain of the eastern front,
they have built casemates for the garrison. Near the gate in the wall
are small arsenals, and on the inside of the fort stands the
guard-house, which also contains the prison. The base of this
fortification, as well as the few buildings which stand within, are
bomb-proof. The houses are built of blue limestone which comes from the
state of Vermont. A road covered with palisades surrounds the fort.
I observed here palisades which can be knocked down backwards, and might
be advantageous in case of accident, whilst I took a survey of this
work, accompanied by Captain Reed of the seventieth regiment, who is
commandant, and has already been in garrison here one year with his
company, also by the two engineer officers. Northward of the fort stands
the navy-yard, which is in the same situation as it was at the period of
the treaty of Ghent. There were about twelve gun-boats under cover, and
a frigate of thirty-six guns on the stocks, whose keel and skeleton has
rotted ever since. A naval magazine, and the dwellings of the officers,
overseers, and workmen of the wharf, stand behind the navy-yard. The two
branches of the stream separating the island from the main land are
tolerably small, and the shores are covered with trees.

Eleven miles above Isle Aux Noix we left Canada and again reached the
territories of the United States. At the point where the river Sorel
leaves Lake Champlain, and where we entered into the latter, the
American government has erected a fort called Rous’ Point, consisting of
a defensive tower with casemates, which, as well as I could judge in
passing, appeared to have been located with much judgment and erected at
a small expense. This tower completely commands the communication
between the lake and the Sorel, and as the guns are all under cover, the
garrison has but little to fear from the vertical fire of the enemy’s
infantry. The fort stands on a cape. According to the treaty of Ghent,
the forty-fifth degree of north latitude, between the state of Maine and
the St. Lawrence, between the United States and Canada, were fixed as
boundaries; and as to fulfil the terms of the treaty, the commissioners
determined the latitude of several places astronomically, it has been
discovered that this fort lies somewhat north of forty-five degrees, and
consequently is on the Canadian side.

The greatest breadth of Lake Champlain, which contains several large
islands, is six miles. The shore on our right, belonging to the state of
New York, is low and covered with trees; the other belongs to Vermont,
and is more mountainous. As night approached, we were prevented from
enjoying this beautiful part of the country; I was also with regret
prevented from seeing the battle ground of Plattsburgh, at which town
the vessel made a short stay during the night. Some American
custom-house officers came on board, without, however, inquiring after
our baggage, and this was a new and not disagreeable circumstance.

The same night we stopped at Burlington in Vermont, and the Grymes’
family left us here to go to Boston. I expected to meet this interesting
family again in New York in fourteen days. Towards morning we passed the
ruins of Fort Crownpoint, which lie on a hill. At this place the lake is
very narrow and resembles a river. The shores are generally covered with
bushes and pine trees, are hilly, and afford a pleasing prospect. At the
village of Shoreham, twelve miles above Crownpoint, on the eastern shore
of Vermont, we left the Phœnix, which went twenty miles further to
Whitehall, the southern point of Lake Champlain, and landed to see Lake
George, which is celebrated for its romantic situation and shores. Sir
Michael and Lady Clare continued with us, and resolved not to part from
us till we arrived at Albany, after which they would travel to Boston.
As a slight recompense for the loss of the Grymes’ family, Mr.
Shoemaker, and his wife, from Philadelphia, bore us company hence to
Albany. They were Quakers, but had laid aside the striking costume of
their sect.

At the inn of Shoreham is a place for loading and unloading vessels,
which transport much plaster of Paris and blue limestone for building,
to Canada. Among the stones on the shore we found some which appeared to
be rich iron ore, said to be common in Vermont. At the inn we met with
an elderly lady of the middle rank, who was smoking tobacco; this custom
is said to be prevalent here among elderly women. We passed over the
lake, scarcely half a mile wide, in a wherry, and landed on the other
shore, not far from the ruins of Fort Ticonderoga. This in an old French
fort, lying on an elevated cape, which commands the navigation of the
lake. From the ruins we saw that it was a square with four small
bastions and three ravelins, the scarp, and the counterscarp being
covered with strong stone-work; the bastion contains casemates as well
as the curtain of the eastern front. Several massive buildings stood in
the fort so that it must have had but little room. About three hundred
paces east of the fort, on the extremity of the cape, stands a small
pentagonal redoubt, which communicated with the fort by means of a
covered way. The cape is connected with the main land of New York by
means of a neck of land, which was cut off by a crownwork, consisting of
earth. The eminence on which this crownwork lies, in some measure
commands the fort, and an entrenched camp seems to have been located
here. Between the fort and crownwork we remarked the remains of two
square redoubts. On the same shore, south of the fort, but separated
from it by an inlet of the lake, lies Mount Defiance, which commands the
fort in a great degree, and from which, in July, 1777, the English,
under General Burgoyne, bombarded the fort, which was too quickly
evacuated by the Americans, under General St. Clair. On the eastern
shore of the lake, opposite Ticonderoga, lies another hill, Mount
Independence, of the same height as the fort on which the Americans had
formed their works at that time, under the protection of which they
passed the lake after the evacuation of the fort. This was afterwards
destroyed by the English. In July, 1758, when the fort still belonged to
the French, the English attacked it, but were repulsed with a loss of
eighteen hundred men.

From Ticonderoga we went in a stage three miles further to Lake George,
through a very hilly country. The level of this lake is about three
hundred feet higher than that of Lake Champlain; the stream which flows
from the former into the latter lake, forms a succession of small
cascades, and turns several saw-mills. We arrived at the northern point
of Lake George, and entered the steam-boat Mountaineer, which was ready
to depart; it was ninety feet long with a machine of sixteen
horse-power.

Lake George resembles the Scottish lakes. It is thirty-six miles long,
and never more than five miles broad. The shores are very hilly, the
heights are all covered with trees, and are not, as it seems to me,
above eight hundred feet high. There are several islands in the lake,
generally covered with wood. A single one, called Diamond Island, on
account of the handsome crystals which are found in it, is inhabited.
The inhabitants consist of an Indian family, which lives in a small
house, and maintains itself by selling these crystals. About five
o’clock in the evening, we arrived at the southern point of the lake.
The scenery is very handsome. One of the highest mountains, which rises
perpendicularly out of the lake, is called Rodgers’ rock, after an
American Captain Rodgers, who being hunted by the Indians, during the
revolution, fled to the top of this rock, and in extremely cold weather,
being urged by danger, glided on the smooth surface down to the frozen
lake. Towns are not seen; but few single houses stand along the shore.
At the southern extremity, however, lies the village of Caldwell,
founded about twenty years ago, which, besides a very good and large
inn, where we took lodgings, contains several neat houses. In former
times, an English fort, William Henry, stood here, which, to judge from
its few remains, must have been a square redoubt of earth. It was built
in the year 1755, by order of Sir William Johnstone, who commanded the
English army in the then colony of New York, after having completely
routed, on September the 8th, 1755, a French corps which had come from
Ticonderoga to attack him. In this rencontre, Baron Dieskau, a French
general lost his life. In the following year, however, Marquis de
Montcalm arrived with a stronger force and captured the fort.
A capitulation was allowed to the English garrison, but they were
attacked after leaving the fort, by the Indians, in a disgraceful
manner, and the greater part cut to pieces. After the fort was taken,
the Marquis de Montcalm ordered it to be destroyed. Not far from this
place, in a higher station and on a rocky ground, the English erected
afterwards a new fort, called Fort George, which, at the unsuccessful
expedition of General Burgoyne, in 1777, served his army as a depôt and
magazine, till he moved too far forward and was cut off from the fort.
Remains of it are still plainly seen. It was a strongly-built square
redoubt, the entrance being protected by a _fleche_. It lies in an
advantageous situation, commands the whole southern shore of the lake,
with a large part of the vicinity, stands, as was said before, on a
strong ground, and is covered on one side by a morass. On the eastern
side alone, it is commanded by a high mountain, which, however, is at
some distance. If the American government should resolve to restore
Crownpoint and Ticonderoga, the latter particularly would be adapted,
after fortifying the two mountains, Defiance and Independence, for an
arsenal of a superior kind; it might contain large depôts, serve as a
fortified camp, and be successfully defended by a small garrison. Here
fleets might be completed to command Lake Champlain, and an expedition
against Isle Aux Noix and Canada organized. However, a good road would
be necessary, leading from Ticonderoga to the northern point of Lake
George, three miles distant, and here it would be necessary to protect
the place of embarkation by a fort. A new fort on the same spot where
Fort George was erected, would be necessary. There is a good locality
between this fort and Fort William Henry to found a dock-yard. The
communication between Ticonderoga and the United States would be well
and doubly protected by the southern point of Lake Champlain, towards
Whitehall, and by Lake George. If the English should attack the United
States on this side, they would undoubtedly waste much strength, and not
advance a step, unless they had seized Ticonderoga.

We left Caldwell at eight o’clock the next day, September 11, in two
inconvenient carriages, and passed through a very uninteresting, deep,
sandy road, in a hilly country, covered with thorny trees, on our route
to Saratoga springs, to which the whole fashionable world of the United
States repairs in summer, for the fashionables have here the same mania
which prevails in other countries, to visit the baths in summer, whether
sick or well. The distance is twenty-seven miles. On our passage, we saw
but one interesting object--the Hudson falls, which river we had left at
Albany, and reached again nine miles from Caldwell, coming from the
west.

These falls are known under the name of Glenn’s Falls. A village of the
same name is built in their vicinity, on the rocky shores of the river.
The river is crossed by means of a pendant wooden bridge. The arches
rest on pillars, consisting of large beams, which lie across each other,
as tit-mouse traps are constructed in my native country; the bridge
might therefore be called bird-cage bridge. These cages rest on a
foundation of limestone, cut through by the Hudson in its course. This
river is really a remarkable sight in this sandy country. Above the
bridge it is one hundred and sixty yards broad, and crossed by a dam,
which conducts the water to the saw-mills along the banks. A single
rock, on which, also, a saw-mill stands, divides into two parts, the
principal fall, which is forty feet high. But there are, both above and
below the principal falls, a number of smaller falls, which we could
approach with ease, as the water was very low. These falls are not
indeed to be numbered among the largest, but among the handsomest falls
which I have seen. A constant mist arises from them, and, as the sun
shone very brilliantly, we saw several rainbows at the same time. In the
rock, as at Niagara, we observed some remarkable and deep cavities. They
arise from the flintstones which are scattered throughout the limestone,
and are washed away by the violence of the water. When these flintstones
meet with resistance, or fall into a small cavity, they are constantly
agitated by the falling water, and moving in a circular direction, form
by degrees deep cavities in the soft limestone. At the base of the small
island, which divides the chief fall into two parts, a remarkable cave
appears below the falls, leading to the other side of the rock; this was
also undoubtedly made by the washing of the water. The saw-mills, all of
wood, occupy a bold position over the falls, and appear besides, to be
in such a state of decay, that a fear arises, lest they should soon fall
into the abyss. The Hudson is partly navigable above Glenn’s Falls, and
two miles further up, feeds a navigable canal, with thirteen locks,
which runs seven miles north of the Hudson, and then joins Champlain
canal.

We arrived at Saratoga at two o’clock in the afternoon, and stopped at
Congress Hall. The greater part of the company had already departed, so
that but forty persons remained; among these was the governor of the
state of New York, the celebrated De Witt Clinton.[I-10] I was
immediately introduced to his excellency, and very well received by this
great statesman.

    [Footnote I-10: [Since, unfortunately for his country,
    deceased.]--TRANS.]

The water of the springs is cold, of a somewhat salt taste, and stronger
than the mineral water of Eger. It is said to act very beneficially as a
tonic. When this region was yet covered with forests, inhabited
principally by Indians, and by few white people, the Indians were
acquainted with the virtues of this water; only one spring, however,
High Rock Spring, was discovered. They led to it the above-mentioned Sir
William Johnstone, who was much beloved by the Indians, and in a bad
state of health. By drinking this water he regained his health, and thus
this spring became known. It is not above twelve years since a beginning
was made to clear the ground, and build houses; at present, more than a
hundred, principally of wood, form a street. They are generally arranged
to receive strangers. The four largest hotels are Congress Hall, Union
Hall, the Pavilion, and the United States Hotel, the last of brick, the
three former of wood. Congress Hall alone, was yet open, the others had
closed since September 1st, on account of the frost. The hotel can
accommodate two hundred strangers. In the evening the company assembles
in the large halls in the lower story, at this season, alas! by the
fire, and pass the time in music, dancing, or conversation. Games of
chance are strictly forbidden by the laws of the state, and in general,
public opinion in the United States is much against gaming. I was told
that at a watering-place in Pennsylvania, three genteel young men once
arrived from different parts of the United States. They were at first
very well received, but afterwards were found to be gamblers. All
communication with them was immediately broken off in so striking a
manner that they were soon obliged to leave the place.

The different springs, which do not lie far from each other in a swampy
ground in the same valley, are called Hamilton, Congress, Columbia, Flat
Rock, Munroe, High Rock, President, and Red Spring. The water is
generally drank, but baths are also erected. High Rock Spring flows from
a white conical limestone rock, five feet high, in which there is a
round aperture above, about nine inches in diameter, through which the
water in the spring is seen in a state of constant agitation. So much
fixed air escapes from it, that an animal held over it, as in the
_Grotto del Cane_, near Naples, cannot live above half a minute. Mr.
Shoemaker held his head over the opening, and though he had covered it
with a handkerchief, immediately fainted away; he retained besides,
during several days after this experiment, a bad dry cough. The vicinity
of Saratoga Springs possesses no attraction. Promenades are not yet
constructed. The only pleasure which can be enjoyed must be sought in
company. A large piazza is built before Congress Hall, to the pillars of
which wild vines are attached, which almost reach the roof. I passed the
evening in the lower parlour by the fire, with the governor and Mr.
Schley, from Maryland, in very agreeable and instructive conversation.
The ladies did not entertain us with music, because it was Sunday.

The governor had the kindness to give me some letters for New York, and
a letter of introduction to the Shakers of New Lebanon. Furnished with
these, we left Saratoga Springs, September 12th, at 9 o’clock, in a
convenient stage to go to Albany, thirty-six miles distant. We passed
through a disagreeable and sandy country. The uniformity was, however,
very pleasingly interrupted by Saratoga lake, which is eight miles long.
At Stillwater village, we reached the Hudson. Not far from this, runs
the new Champlain Canal, which was commenced at the same time with the
Erie Canal, but is not yet completed, and which I mentioned on my
passage from Albany to Schenectady. At Stillwater we visited the two
battle-grounds, Freeman’s Farm and Bernis’s Heights, which became
celebrated September 19th, and October 7th, 1777. These actions, as is
known, took place during the expedition of Burgoyne. They closed with
taking the whole corps of this general, to which also the Brunswick
troops, under General Von Riedesel belonged, at Saratoga.

Our guide to both battle-grounds, which are adjacent, was an
octogenarian farmer, called by his neighbours Major Buel, because he had
been the guide of the American army during the campaign. The ground has
since greatly changed; wood has grown again, so that with the exception
of some remains of the English lines, nothing is to be seen. Not far
from the river, on an eminence, are the remains of a very small work,
called the great English redoubt. Here lies General Fraser, of whose
burial Madam Von Riedesel gives a description so attractive, and yet so
terrific. I broke off, near his grave, a small branch of a pine tree to
present it to Baron Von Riedesel, Land-marshal of the Grand Duchy of
Saxe-Weimar. I inquired after the house in which the mother of the
latter had lived, and in which General Fraser died. This house stands no
longer on the original spot, as the canal passed through its site; in
other respects it is said to be arranged now, as it was then. The place
in the bar-room, where General Frazer died, and a small room behind
this, in which Madam Von Riedesel lived with her children, were shown
me.

At the small town of Waterford we passed along the left shore of the
Hudson on a long wooden bridge, to avoid a bad bridge over the Mohawk.
We proceeded on our route in the night on a very good road, and passed
through Lansingburg and Troy. The latter is very handsomely built, and
many stores are very well lighted up in the evening. Here we returned to
the right shore of the Hudson, and reached Albany at 10 o’clock at
night.

On the 13th of September I went with Mr. Tromp in a stage-coach to New
Lebanon, twenty-eight miles from Albany to see the settlement of
Shakers. We passed through Greenbush, (where the team-boat put us on the
left side of the Hudson,) Schodack, Union, Stephentown, and Canaan. The
country about New Lebanon is extremely handsome; the tops of the
mountains are covered with trees, and the lower parts well cultivated.
The valley is wide, with very neat houses, and resembles a garden. Fruit
is particularly cultivated. On a slight eminence at the foot of a
mountain, the Shaker village is very beautifully situated, and is about
one mile long. The houses stand in groups at a distance from each other,
in general large, built of wood, and painted yellow; the church alone,
or rather the meeting-house, is wide, with an arched roof of slate.

The Shakers are a religious sect, originally from England. It was
founded by Ann Lee, the daughter of a Manchester blacksmith, and wife of
the blacksmith Stanley, of the same city. Her chief doctrines are,
community of goods, a perfect continence with regard to the sexes and
adoration of the Deity by dancing. Ann Lee pretended to higher
inspiration, performed miracles, announced the speedy reappearance of
Christ on earth, spoke of the millennium, and of similar glories. She
commenced in England, by making proselytes among the lowest classes, who
followed her when she preached in public, held noisy prayer, or rather,
dancing meetings, and thus disturbed the public peace. This worthy
prophetess was therefore, with her friends, at different times
imprisoned; the impatient and unbelieving public even began once to
stone her. The good soul, whose convulsions were said by the wicked
world to be the effect of ardent spirits, wandered therefore, in 1774,
with her family, and several of her friends, to New York, where she
settled. But her husband was wearied with the sisterly connexion in
which he lived with her, and resolved to divorce his sisterly wife, and
marry another. Whereupon the repudiated wife wandered towards Albany,
settled first at Watervliet, and held meetings. These meetings, however,
appeared to the Americans so suspicious, (it was during the time of the
revolution,) that the good lady was arrested at Albany with several of
her friends, and transported to the neighbourhood of New York, in order
to give her in charge to the English, who then held the city. But she
soon returned again to Watervliet, and her faithful adherents bought
land near Niskayuna, between Albany and Schenectady, and settled there.
A large part of this people, those particularly who had joined the sect
in America, founded the colony of New Lebanon. Ann Lee died in
Niskayuna, in 1784. As this sect conducted itself very quietly, and gave
no public offence, the government allowed them to live in peace. The
colony numbers about six hundred members, who are divided into families,
some of which contain above one hundred individuals of both sexes. Each
lives in a group of houses with an elder at their head. The elders of
all the families form a counsel, which watches for the public good. They
have for divine service a sort of preachers, two of each sex, who hold
forth on Sundays. The greatest cleanliness prevails in the houses,
equalled perhaps only by the hospital of Boston; the brethren live on
one side, and the sisters on the other. They have a common eating-room,
in which again each sex has its own side, but different working places.
Both the brethren and the sisters live, generally, two individuals in
one room, and two also sleep in the same bed. Many of the sisters,
however, notwithstanding their good food, were pale and wan.

When a family wishes to join the Shakers, the relation of brother and
sister, must immediately take place between husband and wife. The
children are then brought up in Shaker principles. Orphans also find a
home with them; still, however, unfavourable reports are circulated
about the origin of these orphans. Of course, if the principles of these
people should prevail, which, however, may heaven prevent, the world
would soon be depopulated. In countries, however, with too great
population, it might perhaps be of service to receive missionaries of
this sect and promote proselytism.

Every family possesses a shop, where all things made by the family are
laid out for sale. These articles generally consist of wooden utensils,
sieves, brushes, harness, table-linen, somewhat coarse silver writing
pens, very good rose water, &c. Besides, they sell books, exposing the
doctrines of their sect, and containing the life of their founder, Ann
Lee, whom they call mother Ann. They pay also much attention to the
breeding of cattle, make good butter, and particularly good cheese,
great quantities of which they sell. Their hogs are remarkably handsome,
and cleanliness is also extended to them. It is a rare pleasure to walk
about in a Shaker pig-sty! they have a large kitchen garden behind the
church, where they raise vegetables, principally for the sake of seed,
which is said to be here of a remarkably good kind. Medicinal herbs,
roots, and berries, which they cultivate very carefully in a separate
garden, and which, as I heard in Albany, are of a remarkably good
quality, form a principal part of their commerce.

The governor’s letter every where procured me a good reception, as they
generally lead strangers about the settlement with reluctance. The few
men with whom I spoke, and who accompanied me, were elderly people, and
had long ago become Shakers with their parents. An old man told me, that
he had been one of the first adherents of mother Ann at her arrival in
America. They were very polite to me, and appear to be somewhat monkish.
They showed me also their church, which they do not generally do,
Sundays excepted, as every body can attend their worship. My travelling
plan did not allow me to pass a Sunday with them. The hall, which serves
as their church, is about eighty feet long, and above fifty broad. On
one side stand benches in form of an amphitheatre, for spectators and
old members, to whom the dancing has become difficult. The floor
consists of handsome cedar wood, which is well polished; the boards are
attached to each other without nails. Service commences, as I was told,
with a speech, which the congregation hear in a standing position, the
sexes being again divided. Occasionally the spirit comes upon one or the
other; they are so moved by the speech, that they begin to shake, and to
make strange contortions. Then begin the prayers, which are sung, and
during which, they dance. Every member has a spot about four feet square
for jumping, and I was assured this service was done with such a zeal,
that the vaulters sometimes fainted away.

We delayed too long with the Shakers to follow our plan of previously
visiting Lebanon springs, and reach Albany the same day. We consequently
gave up this design and returned to Albany; we were overtaken by the
night, and a storm. It was so dark, that the driver could scarcely find
the way; he therefore took a lantern against my advice. This was
extinguished, and we were in a still worse situation. Two miles from
Greenbush the driver left the road, went to the right towards a slope,
and almost threw the stage entirely over; it fell on the right side, and
my head and arm were injured, though but slightly. On my right side I
was much more hurt, and one of my ribs was actually broken, as it was
afterwards discovered. Mr. Tromp had his head and one of his hands
injured. As we had no baggage, and were but two miles from Greenbush, we
resolved to leave the stage where it was, and walked to Greenbush. At
about eleven o’clock we reached the river. Not a soul was in the street;
the lights were all extinguished, and the ferry boats were on the other
side of the river. Our shouting was of no avail; the pain in my side
also prevented me from calling. In about half an hour, however, the
stage arrived, which the driver had raised with the help of some
farmers; and he made such a terrible noise, that at last, after waiting
an hour, the ferry boats came to take us to Albany. In riding through
the city the jolting of the stage gave me much pain. On leaving the
stage at twelve o’clock I could scarcely speak or walk on account of my
side, which I had also injured two years previously, on my passage from
Ostend to London, and since that time it had constantly retained a
painful sensation.

The next morning I awoke with such dreadful pain in my right side, that
I could scarcely move in bed. The obliging Sir Michael Clare gave me
every assistance. He opened a vein in my arm, took sixteen ounces of
blood, gave me a purgative, and ordered embrocations to the side, by
which treatment the pain had so much abated in the afternoon, that I
could move with more ease. I was, however, confined the whole day to my
bed. The Van Rensselaer family showed me much attention. On the second
day I could indeed leave the bed, but still not continue my journey. On
the third day, September 16th, Sir Michael and Lady Clare left Albany
for Boston, whence they were going to New York. My pains had not much
abated, but I nevertheless resolved to proceed to New York, as I had
read in the papers that the Pallas had arrived there, and as I wished to
receive the attendance of Dr. Schilett. I was indeed obliged to
relinquish my design of seeing Catskill Mountains, but thought of
stopping at West Point to visit the military school.

At ten o’clock we embarked on board the steam-boat Richmond. The banks
of the Hudson are very handsome, and here and there well cultivated.
From Albany to New York it is one hundred and forty-four miles, and to
West Point ninety-six. Hudson, a place twenty-seven and a half miles
from Albany, which we reached at noon, seems to be very handsome and
lively. We remarked in the harbour several sloops, and on shore some
brick stores, five stories high. On the opposite side of the river lies
Athens, between which and Hudson there seems to be much communication
kept up by a team-boat. A very low island in the middle of the stream
between the two places rendered this communication somewhat difficult at
first, as vessels were obliged to make a great circuit. To avoid this
inconvenience, a canal was cut through the island, through which the
team-boat now passes with ease and rapidity. This place affords a very
fine view of the lofty Catskill Mountains.

About eleven o’clock at night we arrived at West Point, on the right
side of the Hudson, and landed at a wharf furnished with a sentry-box.
An artillerist, who stood sentinel, examined us. I afterwards discovered
that this rule was made on account of the visits which the cadets
receive. We were obliged to ascend a somewhat steep road in order to
reach the house, which is prepared for the reception of strangers.
A small but very clean room was prepared for us. The building belongs to
the government, and is designed for the mess-room of the officers and
cadets. The purveyor for this table is bound by contract with government
to keep several chambers with beds in order, for the reception of the
relations of the cadets, and thus a kind of inn arose.

The morning after our arrival we paid an early visit to
lieutenant-colonel Thayer, superintendent of the military school, and
were received in a very friendly manner. He has presided over this
school eight years. It was founded in 1802, during the presidency of
Jefferson. Colonel Thayer has entirely remodelled this institution.
During his travels in Europe he visited the French military schools, and
has endeavoured to make this resemble the polytechnic school. But he
will find it difficult to equal this once celebrated school, as with the
best will in the world he cannot find in this country such excellent
professors as were assembled in that institution. The cadets, whose
number may amount to two hundred and fifty, but at the last examination
consisted of two hundred and twenty-one, are divided into four classes
for the purposes of instruction. They are received between the ages of
fourteen and twenty, undergo an examination before they enter, and must
then pass a probationary term of half a year, during which time the
mathematics are chiefly studied. After six months the young men are
examined on the instruction which they have received, and those only who
pass this ordeal continue in the school; the others are dismissed.

Instruction is communicated gratuitously to the cadets, each of whom
receives monthly eight dollars from government as wages. A public
examination of the cadets takes place every year at the end of June,
by a commission, appointed by the secretary of war. This commission
consists of staff-officers from the army and navy, members of congress,
governors of states, learned men, and other distinguished citizens.
After this examination, the best among those who have finished their
course are appointed as officers in the army; the very best may choose
the corps in which they wish to serve. The others receive stations,
according to their capacity, in the following order: engineers,
artillerists, infantry, marines. Should even these corps have the
necessary number of officers, these young men as supernumeraries,
receive full pay. At the examinations also, the cadets advance from one
class to another. The names of the five best in each class are made
known in the newspapers, and also printed in the army list, which
appears every year. This is certainly an encouraging arrangement, and
worthy of imitation.

The discipline of the cadets is very rigid; they leave the school only
as officers, on which account their noviciate in the corps of cadets
serves as a practical school of passive obedience. The punishments
consist of arrest, which, however, does not interrupt the course of
instruction; but when a case occurs that a cadet is to be punished a
second time for the same fault, he is dismissed. The same takes place
when after two public examinations he has not learned enough to advance
into a higher class.

The day is thus divided in this school:--

_From day-break till sunrise._ --Reveillé at day-break--roll-call
after reveillé--cleaning of rooms, arms and dress--half an hour after
roll-call, inspection of the rooms.

_From sunrise till seven o’clock._ --First class, military engineering.
--Second, natural and experimental philosophy. --Third and fourth,
mathematics.

_From seven till eight o’clock._ --Breakfast at seven o’clock. --Parade
at half past seven.--Class parade at eight o’clock.

_From eight till eleven o’clock._ --First class, recitations and
engineer and military drawing.--Second, natural and experimental
philosophy.--Third and fourth, mathematical recitations.

_From eleven till twelve o’clock._ --First class, lectures on engineer
and military sciences. --Second, lectures on natural and experimental
philosophy. --Third and fourth, mathematical studies.

_From twelve till one o’clock._ --First class, Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, lectures on chemistry applied to mechanics and the arts, or
mineralogy and geology. --Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, studies on
the same subjects. --Second, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, lectures
on chemistry. --Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, studies on the same
subject. --Third, French recitations.--Fourth, French studies and
recitations.

_From one till two o’clock._ --Dinner very plain and frugal at one
o’clock--recreation after dinner till two o’clock.

_From two till four o’clock._ --First class, studies and recitations
in geography, history, belles lettres and national laws. --Second,
landscape and topographical drawing. --Third, Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, drawing of the human figure--Tuesday and Thursday, studies of
the French language. --Fourth, French studies and recitations.

_From four o’clock till sunset._ --Military exercises--inspection of the
dress and roll-call at sunset.

_From sunset till half an hour later._ --Supper immediately after
parade--signal to go to the rooms immediately after the supper.

_Half an hour after sunset till half past nine._ --First class, studies
on engineer and military sciences. --Second, studies on natural and
experimental philosophy. --Third and fourth, mathematical studies.

_From half past nine till ten o’clock._ --Retreat beat at half past
nine--roll-call immediately after--signal to extinguish the lights and
inspection of the rooms at ten o’clock.


  TABLE

  _Of the Sciences taught and the Books used at West Point._

  ==============================================================
  First Class. Course of fourth year.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  SCIENCES.
    PARTICULAR SUBJECTS.
      TEXT BOOKS.
  ==============================================================
  _Engineering._
  INSTRUCTORS.
  Capt. Douglass.
  Lieut. Mordecai.
    Artillery tactics.
    Field and permanent fortifications.
    Civil and military architecture and constructions.
      Treatise on the Sciences of War and Fortification,
          by Guy de Vernon.
      Traité des Machines, par Hachette.
      Programme d’un Cours de Construction, par Sganzin.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _History and belles-lettres._
  Rev. Mr. M‘Ilvaine, Chaplain.
    Geography.
    History.
    Moral philosophy.
    Laws of nations.
      Morse’s Geography.
      Tytler’s Elements of General History.
      Paley’s Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy.
      Vattel’s Law of Nations.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _Chemistry and Mineralogy._
  Dr. Torrey.
  Lieut. Prescott.
    Application of chemistry to the arts.
      Cleveland’s Treatise on Mineralogy and Chemistry.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _Tactics._
  Major Worth.
  Capt. Hitchcock.
  Lieut. C. Smith.
  Lieut. Kinley, teacher of the Artillery.
    Platoon--battalion--school and line-evolutions.
    Exercises and manœuvres of artillery
      Rules and Regulations for the Field-exercise and Manœuvres
          of Infantry.
      Lallemand’s Treatise on Artillery.
  ==============================================================

  ==============================================================
  2nd Class. Course of 3rd year.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  SCIENCES.
    PARTICULAR SUBJECTS.
      TEXT BOOKS.
  ==============================================================
  _Natural and Experimental Philosophy._
  Prof. Mansfield.
  Lieut. S. Smith.
  Lieut. Parrot.
    Statistic, dynamic, hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, pneumatic.
    Magnetism, electricity, optics, astronomy.
      Gregory’s Treatise of Mechanics.
      Newton’s Principia.
      Enfield’s Institutes of Natural Philosophy.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _Chemistry._
    Chemical philosophy.
      Henry’s Chemistry.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _Drawing._
  Capt. Douglass.
  DRAWING MASTER.
  Gimbrede.
    Landscape.
    Topographical drawing.
  ==============================================================

  ==============================================================
  3rd Class. Course of 2nd year.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  SCIENCES.
    PARTICULAR SUBJECTS.
      TEXT BOOKS.
  ==============================================================
  _Mathematics._
  Prof. Davies.
  Lieut. Ross.
  Lieut. Webster.
  Lieut. Greene.
  Lieut. Mahan.
    Differential and integral calculus.
    Analytic geometry.
    Perspective shades.
    Descriptive geometry and conic sections.
      Traité du Calcul Différential et Intégral, par Lacroix.
      Essai de Géométrie Analytique Appliquée aux Courbes et aux
          Surfaces du second ordre, par Biot.
      Crozet’s Treatise on Perspective, Shades and Shadows.
      Crozet’s Treatise on Descriptive Geometry and Conic Sections.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _French Language._
  TEACHERS.
  Berard and Ducommun.
    Translation from French into English.
      Histoire de Gil Blas, les 3 derniers tomes.
      Histoire de Charles XII. par Voltaire.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _Drawing._
  DRAWING MASTER.
  Gimbrede.
    Human figure.
  ==============================================================

  ==============================================================
  4th Class.
  Course of 1st year.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  SCIENCES.
    PARTICULAR SUBJECTS.
      TEXT BOOKS.
  ==============================================================
  _Mathematics._
    Surveying and measuring.
    Trigonometry.
    Geometry.
    Algebra.
      Treatise on Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, and on the
          Application of Algebra to Geometry, translated from
          the French of Lacroix and Bezout, by Professor Farrar.
      Legendre’s Geometry.
      Complement des Elémens d’Algébra, par Lacroix.
      Lacroix’s Elements of Algebra.
  --------------------------------------------------------------
  _French Language._
    Translation from French into English.
      Histoire de Gil Blas, tome I.
      Berard’s Lecteur Français.
      Berard’s French Grammar.
  ==============================================================

I was surprised to learn that the young men clean their rooms and
clothes themselves, as well as make their own beds: only the cleaning of
shoes and boots, and carrying of wood may be done by servants. But
Colonel Thayer thinks, that if too many servants were in the school, the
cadets would have too great an opportunity of remaining in connexion
with the world, without the knowledge of the officers. The cadets are
divided in four companies, and live in two large massive buildings,
three stories high. In the older of the two buildings, two occupy one
room; in the other, three are placed in one room. They sleep on
mattresses, which are spread out on the floor in the evening, and have
always two chambers, one for sleeping and the other for study.--This
opens upon a long corridor. The cadets keep their arms also in their
rooms. Their uniform consists of a grey jacket, with three rows of
yellow buttons, bound with black cords; in winter, grey, in summer,
white pantaloons; white leather equipments, as worn by the army, and,
for fatigue service, leather caps. The officers wear the uniform of the
artillery corps, to which they belong. Notwithstanding the
extraordinarily fine situation of the school, the cadets have not a
healthy appearance, perhaps because they have too little recreation.

After having seen the rich private library of Colonel Thayer, he took us
to the school. We met with a class which was engaged in descriptive
geometry. Several cadets, who stood at the board, demonstrated some
problems of this science very correctly, and answered with great ease
and accuracy some questions and objections, which Professor Davies made
to them. We then attended a physical lecture of Lieutenant Prescott,
which, however, appeared to be elementary; he explained the principles
of the doctrine of heat, and then related the theory and history of the
thermometer.

The institution possesses a fine library and a collection of maps, which
receives constant additions. We found several of the newest German maps.
Colonel Thayer is a man who labours under a disease with which they say
I am also afflicted, namely, the bibliomania; on that account I
continued a long time in this library. I remarked here, also,
a full-length portrait of the former president, Jefferson, by Sully, of
Philadelphia, and another of the engineer, General Williams, founder of
the school.

The institution possesses four principal buildings. The two largest
serve as barracks for the cadets, a third contains the mess-room and
inn, and the fourth the church, chemical laboratory, library, and the
hall for drawing, in which are some of the best drawings of the cadets.
As a model of topographical drawing, they had taken the Montjoui of
Gironna, designed according to the Atlas of Marshal G. St. Cyr. They
have adopted the French manner of drawing plans; I saw, however, in the
library, Lehmann’s work translated into English. A very fine marble bust
of the Emperor Napoleon stands in the drawing-hall.

A large level space, consisting of several acres, lies in front of the
buildings, forming a peninsula and commanding the navigation of the
Hudson, above which it is elevated one hundred and eighty-eight feet.
Towards the river it is surrounded with steep rocks, so that it would be
difficult to ascend, unless by the usual way. At its junction with the
main land, it is commanded by a mountain, whose summit is five hundred
and ninety-six feet above the level of the river. This position called
to my mind the plain below Lilienstein, in Saxony, opposite to
Kœnigstein. On the summit of this mountain lie the ruins of Fort Putnam,
so that the plain on which the buildings of the academy stand, is
entirely insulated, and may be very well defended as well in the
direction of the river as of the main land. During the revolution this
fort was erected, like Fort Clinton, and was impregnable. To seize it,
the English had recourse to bribery, and General Arnold, who commanded
West Point, was on the point of delivering this position to them. This
disgraceful treachery was fortunately prevented by the seizure of Major
André. The tragical end of the major, and the flight of Arnold on board
the English corvette Vulture, which lay at Verplank’s Point ready to
receive him, are well known.

The above-mentioned Fort Clinton stood on the eastern point of the
level, and was considered as a redoubt. It consisted of a crown-work of
three bastions, and the redoubt which the two wings of the crown-work
adjoined. The redoubt stands on the extreme point of the rock, and the
remains of the battery can still be seen in it, which completely
commanded the river, both above and below West Point. The fort is now in
a state of dilapidation, and the foundations of the buildings alone, are
to be seen. During the revolution, chains were extended here across the
river. On the left side, in an oblique direction towards West Point,
is another rock, not so high, and similar to a peninsula, washed by the
Hudson on three sides and separated from the main land by a morass. Two
redoubts stood on this rock, in order to have complete control over the
river.

Besides the above-mentioned buildings, several houses and gardens are
situated on the plain of West Point, occupied by the officers and
professors. Large wooden barracks also stand here, inhabited by a
company of artillerists, and some soldiers condemned to confinement in
irons, who are employed to blast the rocks. These culprits have a long
chain attached to one foot, and the other end of the chain is fastened
to a twenty-four pound ball, which they must either drag or carry. Three
iron six pounders stand in front of the barracks. The Americans use iron
cannon, like the Swedes, and are very well satisfied with them. At
another place on the same plain, we saw five six pounders, with which
the cadets exercise. Three are French pieces, presented to the Americans
by Louis XVI. decorated with the French arms; and the motto, ultima
ratio regum. The two other pieces are English, were taken during the
revolution, and as an inscription says, were given by congress to
General Greene as a reward for his conduct in the south of the United
States during the war. His heirs have not yet reclaimed them, and they
consequently remain here. A pyramid of white marble not far from these
pieces was, according to the inscription, erected by General Brown, to
the memory of Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, a pupil of this school, who fell
in 1814, at a sally of Fort Erie.

In the evening we saw the cadets exercise; they form a small battalion
of four divisions, and are commanded by their officers, and the eldest
cadets of the first class, who wear officer’s scarfs, and swords. The
young men perform their exercises uncommonly well, and I was gratified
at the good order which prevailed. A band of music, paid by the
government, belongs exclusively to them, and is said to afford the best
military music in the United States. Every one has his taste, but I must
confess that even the celebrated music of the English guards, and the
American music, are far behind that of the French, Netherlanders, and
Germans.

In company with Colonel Thayer, we crossed the Hudson to visit an iron
foundry which belongs to a society, whose director is Mr. Campbell,
a friend of Colonel Thayer. Two high furnaces are in constant
employment, as the foundry furnishes all the iron arms which government
requires. One piece had just been cast, and we saw several other pieces
cast from a new high furnace. Next to the foundry is a building for
boring the guns, in which ten pieces may be bored at once; for this
purpose they lie in a horizontal position, the machinery being turned by
a large wheel. As, however, in hot and very dry summers, or in very cold
winters, the water now and then fails, they contemplate substituting a
steam-engine in place of water-power.

Notwithstanding my injured side, I ascended the rocky mountain on which
the ruins of Fort Putnam lie. My way led through a handsome forest of
oak, beech, chesnut, and walnut trees. The fort occupied the summit of
the mountain, was erected in an indented form, of strong granite, and is
altogether inaccessible on the side next the enemy. It had but a single
entrance, with very strong casemates, and two small powder-magazines. It
was built during the revolution on private property; the owner of the
ground claimed it, and government were obliged to restore it to him,
after which he destroyed the fort. The government afterwards acquired
the ground on which West Point stands, as well as the adjoining heights.
It appeared to me, if not necessary, still to be useful to build Fort
Putnam again, in order to complete the important position of West Point,
which can serve in time of war as a fortified camp, or place of refuge
for the people, &c. as impregnable as it was before. But to my
astonishment, I learned that this would probably not take place, that on
the contrary, with regard to the defence of the country, reliance was
placed on the fortified entrance of New York, and that in general in the
interior of the country no fortifications would probably be made. They
appear to think that the impregnability of the country particularly
consists in having no powerful neighbours; that England could not send
over a strong army, and that even if this should happen, England would
be obliged to scatter her strength too much, so that single corps could
be subdued with ease. This view appears to me doubtful; I wish from my
heart that these excellent people may never find by experience, that
they have deceived themselves. But security, when too great, is always
dangerous. A very fine view is enjoyed from Fort Putnam of the plain of
West Point, and of the Hudson, which here calls to mind the high banks
of the Rhine. The view to the north is particularly handsome, in which
direction Newburgh, lying on the river, is seen in the back ground. We
saw nothing of the Catskill mountains.

We went with Colonel Thayer and the cadets to church. The chaplain of
the academy, Dr. M‘Ilvaine, an Episcopalian clergyman, performed divine
service. The sermon was very good and sensible, and very well adapted to
the young men. He proposed several objections which are made against the
superiority of the Christian religion, and refuted them all, by deriving
his arguments from the new testament and human reason. I was much
pleased with the deportment of the cadets in the church, a deportment
which is not always observed in young people in other countries at such
times.

The topographical drawings which the cadets make, and according to which
they are instructed in fortification, were shown to me by the excellent
Captain Douglass, teacher of engineering. The so called modern system,
or the Carnmontaigne system, improved by the French engineers, forms the
basis of the instruction. Captain Douglass, who also instructs them in
the formation of roads and bridges, makes use of Wiebeking. Many of the
cadets who do not intend to remain in the military service as officers,
being bound to remain but one year in service, after leaving the
academy, serve each in his own state, as civil engineers, and perform
very essential services. All officers of the army and navy are now
supplied by cadets from the academy; for there are no cadets in the
regiments, and in time of peace no subaltern officers are promoted.

I was very sorry that we were obliged on the third day after our arrival
to leave this agreeable place, which had so extremely pleased me; but I
was obliged to go to New York at last! Our West Point friends
accompanied us to the steam-boat, and here we took an affectionate
farewell. A Captain Randolph, of Virginia, with whom I had become
acquainted at West Point, with his wife, went also to New York, so that
I was agreeably entertained on board; the boat was so filled with
people, we scarcely found room at the dinner-table. The shores continue
to be handsome. We passed several handsome places and country-seats,
which denoted that we were on the road to a large and flourishing city.
At a turn of the river the shores approximate, and here stands a
handsome country-seat with a garden, called Verplank’s Point; opposite
is a fort, Stony Point, the possession of which was disputed during the
revolution by several bloody fights. The situation of Singsing, where
there is a house of correction, is very handsome. We saw the offenders
engaged in blasting rocks. The stream now becomes broad, and forms two
successive bays, the former Haverstraw Bay, and the other Tappan Sea. On
the right shore of the latter is the town of Tappan, where, condemned by
the court-marshal as a spy, Major André was hung and buried. The English
government ordered him to be dug up some years ago, and his remains to
be transported to England, if I am not mistaken, to be laid in
Westminster Abbey, whilst the remains of General Fraser, who fell like a
hero in open battle, at the head of the royal troops, still lies without
the slightest memorial in the old redoubt of Stillwater! The tree which
grew on André’s grave was also taken to England, and as I was assured,
transplanted to the Royal Garden, behind Carlton Palace!!

Below Tappan Sea, the shores again approximate, and the right side
becomes very steep, resembling the rocks near Pirna, on the Elbe, and
are called the palisades. After sundown we came into the vicinity of New
York, the largest city in the United States, which attracts nearly the
whole commerce of the country, and now already numbers one hundred and
seventy thousand inhabitants. We landed about eight o’clock in the
evening, and on account of the incredible number of strangers could not
obtain lodgings at five different taverns. At last we were very glad,
after much fatigue from running about, to find a miserable bed-chamber
in a common and ordinary tavern, the Theatre Hotel, handsomely situated
near the park and theatre.




CHAPTER X.

  _Stay at New York._


On the ensuing morning, we removed for the present to a French
boarding-house, No. 76, Broad street; and I took a first walk through
the city, in order to acquire some general knowledge of it. The city is
partly built in a regular style; the streets are badly paved, but the
side-walks are good, and there are not so many hogs running at large as
in Albany. I was particularly pleased with Broadway, the principal
street. This is three miles long, very wide, has elegant stores, and
very pleasant side-walks. The Park is likewise very handsome, as well as
the City Hall, which is situated in its centre, and is called one of the
handsomest buildings in the United States. However, I was not
exceedingly pleased with it, finding neither there, nor in the churches
of this city, a remarkably fine style of building. There is a great
number of churches, and most of them have church-yards attached; but for
some years past they have interred their dead in cemetries, which are
situated out of town. At a church near the Park, I observed a monument
in memory of General Montgomery, who died in attacking the city of
Quebec; this monument is not very tasteful.[I-11]

    [Footnote I-11: [It was designed and executed in _Paris_.]
    --TRANS.]

Back of the City Hall is a large building, called American Museum. It
contains a number of curiosities from the animal and mineral kingdoms,
put up in very good order in two large halls. A considerable collection
of American birds occupies nearly the entire walls of one hall; there
are numbers of quadrupeds, though less perfect; an interesting
collection of fishes very well preserved, and a fine series of turtles,
from a gigantic species,[I-12] seven feet six inches long, down to the
smallest; there was likewise a considerable series of crustaceous
animals; a small collection of minerals, and these without arrangement.
Besides, there were various Indian weapons, dresses, and other
curiosities; ancient and modern arms of different nations, &c. a helmet
of the first regiment of the Duke of Naussau, found on the field of
Waterloo; several Italian antiquities, the most of them small lamps and
other trifles. There is a large and exceedingly beautiful specimen of
rock crystal, weighing two hundred and twelve pounds, found in a Mexican
silver mine. An Indian mummy is likewise very interesting; this was
found in the year 1814, near Glasgow, state of Kentucky, nine feet under
ground, in a nitre cavern, two thousand yards distant from the entrance;
it is in a sitting posture, and was enveloped with deer-skins and Indian
cloth. In addition to various miscellaneous articles, there was a number
of miserable wax figures and paintings.

    [Footnote I-12: [_Improved_ by having a number of _Shark’s teeth_
    placed in its mouth and throat.]--TRANS.]

The battery, to which I walked, is at the southern extremity of the city
and island of New York; there was formerly a Dutch fort here, but it has
been pulled down, and the place altered into a public garden, which
gives a fine perspective of the entrance of the bay, and of Long Island.
West of the battery, in the Hudson river, is a fort, called Castle
Clinton, communicating with the battery by a wooden bridge, ninety paces
long. This fort forms a semicircle; on the diameter are the former
barracks, and behind the walls, which form the semicircle, a battery of
twenty-four guns, under casemates. North of this fort, on the same
shore, in front of the city, are two other forts of the same
description, called North Battery and Fort Gansevoort; being of no use
they are abandoned. Castle Clinton is now a public pleasure house. In
the barrack is a coffee-house; boxes for parties are arranged within the
battery, and on the platform are amphitheatrical seats, because the yard
of the fort is used for fire-works, and other exhibitions. From the
battery I walked to Brooklyn ferry, and was delighted with the large
number of vessels, and the great life and bustle. Brooklyn is situated
on Long Island, opposite to New York. The straight, called East river,
at Brooklyn, requires about seven minutes and a half to cross it; there
are two steam-boats and two team-boats continually crossing. Brooklyn
appears to be a flourishing little town, judging by the quantity of
stores which are established there. I passed to the left, and after
having walked upwards of a mile, spent some hours at the navy-yard, and
returned to the city exceedingly fatigued, on account of the great
distance.

I went on board of the Pallas with Mr. Hone, president of the Canal Bank
of this city, a rich and respectable man, and with Mr. Derviter,
a merchant of this city, and a native of Grammont, in Flanders. The
Pallas rode at anchor in the Hudson, between New York and Jersey City,
a little village in the state of New Jersey, opposite New York, on the
right side of the river. Soon after our arrival, boats likewise arrived
with some ladies, who had wished to see the Pallas. As the cabin was but
small and narrow, the ladies were served, by Captain Ryk, with an
elegant luncheon on deck, under an awning; they were some of the most
amiable and fashionable ladies of the city, and remained on board till
three o’clock, and then went on shore during a pretty heavy storm.

On returning home at night, I observed that the streets were not well
lighted. I was afterwards informed, that the corporation of the city was
just engaged in a quarrel with the gas-company relative to the lamps;
this quarrel protracted the inconvenience, though it was somewhat
lessened by the numerous stores, which are kept open till a late hour,
and are very splendidly lighted with gas. The gas-lights burn in
handsome figures; at a music store, I saw one in form of a harp.

An eminent physician of this city, Dr. David Hosack, who, since his
second marriage, is said to have an annual income of twenty thousand
dollars, receives every Saturday night, during the winter season, the
professional gentlemen of the city, and distinguished foreigners. His
library, and collection of engravings, is then opened for the use of the
visitors, and a discourse is sometimes delivered. This learned and
obliging gentleman, offered himself to me as a guide through the city;
I accepted his politeness, and visited several interesting institutions
in his company.

The City Hospital was built in the year 1770, by voluntary
contributions, and is supported by the interest of its capital, and by
the state government. The building is of blue stone, and stands on high
ground, in a very healthy situation. An avenue of old and high elm trees
leads to it. In the first story is a large room, where the board meet;
this contains the library, which is particularly rich in botanical
works. In the basement is the kitchen, and several wards for syphilitic
patients. They intended to establish a new hospital for these patients,
like the lunatic asylum, formerly in one of the wings of this hospital,
which is now established out of town. There may be accommodated in this
hospital altogether four hundred patients of both sexes. They are
attended to by nurses in large wards, each of them containing about
sixteen beds. The bedsteads are of wood; upon inquiring why they were
not of iron, they replied, they were afraid to use them, on account of
the heavy thunder-storms which frequently occur. Six physicians and four
surgeons are attached to the hospital, and alternately attend. One
physician and one surgeon live free of expense in the hospital, and one
of them must always be present for extraordinary cases. The apothecary’s
shop attached to the hospital is kept very neatly; however, it appeared
to me to be inferior to those in the hospitals of Boston and Montreal.

For the purpose of visiting the newly-erected lunatic asylum, we called
upon Thomas Eddy,[I-13] an aged and venerable Quaker, who is at the head
of the hospitals, charitable institutions, &c. I was introduced to him
at Dr. Hosack’s. We found Mr. Eddy at home, with his two daughters, his
son, and partner, who is likewise a Quaker. The family was dressed in
the plainest style, and this simplicity joined to the greatest
cleanliness, prevailed through the whole house. Mr. Eddy is in
possession of a fine library, which he showed us; it contained several
splendid works on natural science; among others, Wilson’s American
Ornithology, with the splendid supplementary volume published by Charles
Lucian Buonaparte, son of Lucian Buonaparte. Mr. Eddy then drove with us
to the country-seat of Dr. Hosack, on the East River, opposite the
navy-yard. Dr. Hosack, who was formerly married to a sister of Mr. Eddy,
accompanied us to the Lunatic Asylum. This is five miles from the city,
on a hill, in a very healthy situation, not far from the Hudson River.
The road lies between country-seats and handsome gardens, and it is one
of the most pleasant places I have seen in America.

    [Footnote I-13: [This ornament of human nature, died in the year
    1827.]--TRANS.]

The asylum is built of sand-stone, is three stories high, and surrounded
by a garden; it was built mostly by subscription, but is likewise
supported by the state government. Mr. Eddy is one of its greatest
benefactors and patrons. There were one hundred and thirty-three
maniacs, by which number the building was almost filled; they were about
to enlarge it by two other wings. Besides the meeting rooms for the
committee in the first story, there are the apothecary’s shop, and the
wards for the poor patients, who have a large corridor and sitting room.
One wing of the building is inhabited by the male, and the other by the
female patients. There are subterraneous passages from the corridors to
the large yard, which is surrounded by walls, and serve the patients for
walking, exercise, and play. In the middle of each yard is a shelter
supplied with benches, for bad weather. In the upper stories are the
rooms for the inspectors, and several other apartments where patients
may live separately. In the whole establishment great cleanliness is
observed; but still the institution appeared to me less perfect than the
asylum of Boston, or that of Glasgow in Scotland. The garden is kept in
very good order; there is likewise a hot-house, which is supplied mostly
from Dr. Hosack’s collection. On the roof of the house is a platform,
from which we had a very pleasant and extensive view.

A Philosophical Society hold their meetings in the same building
containing the American Museum. In one of the rooms is a collection of
minerals, not yet very extensive, but exhibiting many fine minerals from
the northern frontiers of the United States. Another saloon contains a
collection of paintings, which do not appear to be very valuable. The
best picture was a portrait of the celebrated American painter, Benjamin
West, who died in London; this picture is from the masterly pencil of
Sir Thomas Lawrence. There are two paintings by Teniers, and two others
by Salvator Rosa. I was particularly pleased with one of the latter; an
old soldier praying in a wild landscape before a simple cross! Two other
paintings are said to be by Rubens: among these I observed a portrait of
Rubens, of which the original is in the collection of Mr. Schamp, at
Ghent. There are likewise good plaster-casts of the best Roman antiques,
of a Venus of Milo, and the three Graces of Canova, and likewise two
gladiators of full size by the same artist.

The house of Commodore Chauncey[I-14] is situated on a hill in the
navy-yard, which affords a fine view of the wharf and Long Island. The
commodore took a walk with me to the wharf. As I left his house, I was
escorted by a guard of honour of thirty marines, commanded by a captain;
in the meantime the man-of-war Franklin saluted me with twenty-one guns.
This mark of respect was quite unexpected in the United States, and of
course I was the more surprised and flattered.

    [Footnote I-14: Commodore of the navy-yard.]

In the navy-yard two frigates and two corvettes, not yet named, were
building; one frigate was finished, but was still under cover. Both
frigates are called forty-fours, but carry each sixty-four guns. These
are intended to be thirty-two pounders, which is now the common calibre
of the navy of the United States. The vessels are built of live oak,
from North Carolina; the timbers are salted in order to prevent the
dry-rot. The three ships of the line, Franklin, Washington, and Ohio,
were in ordinary; they are called seventy-fours, but the two first are
each calculated for eighty-six and the latter for one hundred and six
guns. I saw likewise the renowned steam-frigate Fulton the First, of
which many fables have been fabricated in Europe. The schooner Shark,
of eight guns, was perfectly fitted out, and ready to sail in a few days
for the coast of Africa, in order to prevent the slave-trade.

At a second visit, we first went on board the steam-frigate, Fulton the
First; this vessel is entirely disarmed, and serves as a receiving ship.
She is a floating battery, and was to carry thirty thirty-two pounders.
Her sides are six feet thick, made of oak timbers, which are fixed upon
and crossing each other, so that the vessel may be compared to a
floating block-house. Her machinery resembles that of a team-boat: she
has two parallel keels, between these an engine of one hundred and
twenty-horse power is fixed, and one large wheel is moved by it. The
vessel is very spacious: in several places reverberatory furnaces may be
added, in order to heat balls red-hot. Before this frigate was
dismantled, she carried two small masts with triangular sails, but the
commodore has substituted large masts with the usual sails, for the
instruction of the sailors. The machinery had been taken out for some
months, and placed in an arsenal on the wharf: the place it had occupied
was covered with boards, to make a common deck for the sailors. Since
that time an upper deck has been built, upon which are comfortable
state-rooms for the officers. This frigate has been spoken of as a real
miracle; that she presented towards the enemy a forest of swords and
lances, and threw a stream of boiling water, &c. all of these are
stories. Her construction during the latter part of the war with England
was merely an experiment, though it caused the English a great deal of
anxiety. All competent judges with whom I conversed concerning this
vessel, objected to her and were of opinion that this large body could
only be used to defend straits. She never was at sea, and some feared
that she would be unfit for it. Moreover, as the navy-board at
Washington having objections to the further application of steam to
ships of war, it is probable that they will discontinue the building of
more steam-frigates, although the machinery of a second is already
finished and placed in the magazine.

We were likewise on board of the two ships of the line, Ohio and
Franklin. The Ohio is of a new construction, and has not yet been in
service; the Franklin and Washington, however, have already made several
voyages. The sides of the Ohio are thicker than those of the other
ships, and her decks higher: all these men of war have not the modern
round, but broad sterns, in each of which is a battery of twelve guns.
Only one of the frigates, still standing on the stocks, has an
elliptical stern, which unites the defensive power of the round, with
the elegance of the broad sterns.

Every thing appears to be in an improving state at the arsenal. In the
house where the office of the commodore and his agents is kept, there is
a hall fitted up as a chapel; this serves during the week as a
school-room for the midshipmen; we found these young gentlemen engaged
in their mathematical studies, under the direction of the chaplain.

In the harbour we visited two Liverpool packet-ships, the William
Thompson and the Pacific. Every regular mode of communication between
two places, by stages, steam-boats, &c. is here called a line. Two years
since, I saw the packet-ship Cortez, at Liverpool, and admired her
elegant arrangements; but these two vessels were far superior to her in
regard to elegance and comfort. Both have a large dining room, and in
its centre a long mahogany table; on both sides of the dining room are
the state-rooms, each of them containing two beds one above the other,
and a wash-table. In this cabin there are ten of these state-rooms, five
on each side, and, besides, near the windows in the stern of the ship,
there are two state-rooms having but one bed, so that twenty-two
gentlemen may be accommodated. The mizen-mast passes through the cabin
and table. The cabin is lighted partly by the windows in the stern and
partly by a large skylight; the state-rooms receive their light by
patent deck-lights. There is another room in front of the dining room,
for the ladies, near the mainmast, where the motion of the vessel is the
least felt; on each side of their room, are two state-rooms, for eight
ladies. The sides of the dining room and ladies cabin are of mahogany
and curled maple, with elegant looking-glasses. In the Pacific, between
every two state-rooms there are columns of white marble. All the settees
are of mahogany covered with black horse hair cushions, and the floors
of both cabins are richly carpeted. The stairs which lead into the
dining room, are likewise of mahogany and covered by a shelter, under
which sea-sick passengers may sit on benches. There is likewise a roof
over the poop, where passengers may walk and be sheltered from the rain
and sun. The passage from New York to Liverpool costs but thirty
guineas, for which price passengers are perfectly accommodated. Each
packet is of about five hundred tons, and they sometimes make the
passage in seventeen days. On the 1st and 16th of each month, one of the
eight vessels of this line leaves New York for Liverpool, and on the
same day another leaves Liverpool for New York.

On the first Sunday of my stay in New York, I visited the new Lutheran
church, with the consul, Mr. Zimmerman. The service was in English,
because there are at New York but few descendants of German parents who
understand the German language. Dr. Schaeffer preached: he is a native
of Philadelphia, and the son of a German clergyman; his sermon was good
and not too long, but after the sermon came a lamentation upon the
miserable state of the church funds, which was not particularly
edifying. There appeared to be a deficit of eighteen thousand dollars,
which the consistory tried to make up by subscription, to which the
congregation was invited to contribute. Dr. Schaeffer’s congregation
formerly belonged to an older Lutheran church, still existing in this
city, but they parted from the latter and established a new church,
though rather in too extravagant a style, as their expenses were
disproportioned to their income. The minister besides complained of his
own small salary, and implied that an augmentation would not be
unpleasant to him, as he stood in need of it.

It is a difficult matter to ride in a carriage through the streets on
Sunday, because there are chains stretched across in front of the
churches, to prevent their passage during service. The land of liberty
has also its chains![I-15]

    [Footnote I-15: [This unwarrantable and exasperating usurpation of
    extending CHAINS across the public highways is not attempted by
    all religious sects. Through the good sense of congregations it
    has been entirely relinquished in some of our cities. That it is
    productive of more dislike to _churches_ and _churchmen_ than of
    any other result, is a truth which will one day be profoundly
    felt.]--TRANS.]

In this manner eight days soon elapsed, and amusement was not wanting,
as my mind was occupied with interesting and useful novelties. I passed
my time in cheerful and pleasant company. At dinner and evening parties
I continued to make interesting acquaintances with men of different
occupations and professions. I observed that the families I visited were
richly furnished with silver, china, and glass; the fine arts also
contributed to the ornament of their apartments. At the evening parties
we commonly had music and dancing. The dinner parties consisted
generally of from twenty to thirty persons, whose conversation was
generally refined. In New York, as well as at all other places, where
English customs prevail, the ladies leave the table during the dessert,
and the gentlemen keep their seats; however, nobody is obliged to drink,
unless he feels inclined. Every one rises and leaves the house without
ceremony. The servants are generally negroes and mulattos; most of the
white servants are Irish; the Americans have a great abhorrence of
servitude. Liveries are not to be seen; the male servants wear frock
coats. All the families complain of bad servants and their impudence,
because the latter consider themselves on an equality with their
employers. Of this insolence of servants I saw daily examples. Negroes
and mulattos are abundant here, but they generally rank low, and are
labourers. There are but a few slaves in the state of New York, and even
these are to be freed in the year 1827, according to a law passed by
senate of the state. There are public schools established for the
instruction of coloured children, and I was told that these little
ape-like creatures do sometimes learn very well. In the city there are
several churches belonging to the coloured population; most of them are
Methodists, some Episcopalians. A black minister, who was educated in an
Episcopalian seminary, is said to be a good preacher. But there is in
this country a great abhorrence of this class of people, who are obliged
to live almost like the Indian Parias. In the army they are only
employed as musicians, but are never admitted to be soldiers. Soldiers
are not even allowed to be of mixed blood![I-16]

    [Footnote I-16: [Blacks are shipped as seamen in the navy of the
    United States, where they stand on the same level with white
    seamen.]--TRANS.]

Colonel Bankhead, of the second artillery regiment, who was on the
recruiting service in this city, offered to show me the fortifications
for the defence of the bay of New York. We sailed in a boat, along with
General Swift and an engineer, first to Governor’s Island, opposite to
New York.

Upon this small island is a fort of red sandstone, called Columbus; it
consists of four bastions, which, on the city side, has still a covered
work between two of the bastions, but further below, in the Narrows, new
fortifications have been built, and therefore Fort Columbus is
considered useless and is neglected. In the interior are the barracks
and arsenals, the former in very good order, and inhabited by a company
of artillery. I found a bible in each room, and was informed that it was
a present from the New York Bible Society.

West of the fort, near the river, there is a tower after the style of
Montalambert, called Castle Williams. This was commenced in 1803, and
finished in 1811. Colonel Macrea of the artillery in the fort, received
me with twenty-one guns. The officers have lodgings and gardens on the
glacis of the fort; there is likewise a wooden barrack, which serves in
time of war for a battalion of infantry; a large two-story brick house
with a piazza, is intended for the head-quarters of the commanding
general. Opposite to Castle Williams, are two small islands; on each of
them is likewise a battery, called Fort Wood and Fort Gibson. These
batteries appear but small, and the principal defence will be at Castle
Williams, where also I observed furnaces for heating shot. From this
spot there is a particularly fine view of the city.

We then sailed along the western shores of Long Island, to the straits
called the Narrows, a thousand yards wide, and formed by the shores of
Long Island and Staten Island. They are defended by Fort Tompkins on
Staten Island, and Fort La Fayette on Long Island. We visited the
latter; it is built on rocks in the sea, two hundred and fifty yards
distant from the shores, so that it forms an island. It is a square
building, and erected after a plan of General Swift. From the outside it
has the appearance of a Montalambert tower. The outside of the walls is
of red sandstone, but their interior of gneiss; it was garrisoned by one
company of artillery. During peace a shed was built over the platform,
and a garrison stationed here during the present hot summer.

Fort Tompkins stands on a height opposite to Fort La Fayette, and on the
shore of Staten Island is a battery which defends the Narrows by a
raking fire.

On Long Island is another hill near the village of New Utrecht which
commands Fort La Fayette, and in the vicinity there is a bay, where the
English and Hessian army landed in the year 1776, when coming from
Staten Island to take possession of Long Island. In order to defend this
spot sufficiently they are about to build a very strong fort designed by
General Bernard, resembling Fort Francis, near Coblenz, (on the Rhine.)
The casemates, calculated for dwellings as well as for defence, are to
be built under the ramparts, whose front face will be three hundred and
seventy-five feet long: they are to be covered with earth, and a common
rampart erected on top of them. In front of this is a covered way in the
ditch, lower than the ramparts, with six guns, three on each side, for
the defence of the ditch, &c. They were just beginning to build this
fort, which is to be called Fort Hamilton, and the engineer-officers
thought that it would not be finished in less than four years. The
government has experienced the disadvantage of those buildings which
were built by contract, and this well-arranged work will therefore be
built under the immediate direction of government. General Bernard is a
Frenchman; he was engineer at Antwerp, and obtained the attention and
favour of the Emperor Napoleon by his great knowledge and modesty, who
appointed him his aid. In 1815, he entered the service of the United
States, at the recommendation of General La Fayette, and was appointed
in the engineer corps under the title of assistant engineer, with the
salary of a brigadier-general, but without wearing the uniform of the
engineer corps, nor having any rank in the army.

He is a great acquisition to the corps, and I was somewhat astonished at
the cool and indifferent manner in which they spoke of this
distinguished engineer. The cause, however, of this coolness,
undoubtedly is to be found in a silly misconception of patriotism; for
the general is a foreigner, and frequent experience has shown that a
foreigner in military service seldom enjoys satisfaction. Two new
fortifications are to be built outside of the Narrows on rocks, in order
still better to defend the entrance to New York, by firing crosswise at
vessels, and are intended to serve as advanced posts to Forts La Fayette
and Tompkins.

A gun-maker, by name of Ellis, received a patent for making
repeating-guns; I visited him in company with Mr. Tromp. A repeating
musket will fire frequently after being once loaded; it consists of a
long tube, in which touch-holes are bored at certain distances,
according to the number of shots it is intended to discharge. The musket
is charged in the usual way, a piece of sole-leather is put upon the
load, on this another charge, and again a piece of leather, &c. until
the required number is introduced, according to the size of the tube.
For each of these loads, whose height is known by a mark on the rod,
there are touch-holes made on the right side of the tube, each of them
closed by a valve. A box is attached to the lock, which primes itself,
and moves downwards from the highest touch-hole to the lowest, until the
shots are gradually discharged, one after the other, and in the same
manner the valves of each touch-hole must be opened. This instrument was
very interesting to me. Mr. Ellis has also made an experiment of his
plan for the use of American troops, but it seems to me that such a tube
would be much too long and too heavy, and the loading would consume too
much time, not to speak of the difficulty of drilling a man to use this
curious weapon. This idea struck me, and my opinion was confirmed as
soon as I tried Mr. Ellis’s gun. The experiments I made with it, proved
to me that particular care would be necessary in using it without
danger. A musket of this nature, containing five charges, fired the two
first separately, and the last three at once!

We also went with Mr. Tromp to several private wharves on the East
river; the largest of these belongs to Mr. Bayard, my banker. On one of
the wharves there was a frigate on the stocks, of sixty-four guns,
intended for the Greeks; they worked very industriously, and hoped that
she would depart for her destination next year. She was built of
Carolina live oak like the government vessels. The advantage of this
wood is said to be, that in addition to its durability, when balls
strike it, they simply make a hole, without many splinters, which latter
generally disable more men than the shot themselves. At another wharf
lay a frigate of sixty-eight guns, with an elliptic stern; she was built
for the republic of Colombia, and is nearly ready for sea; she is built
like a ship of the line. Her gun-deck was so high that I could stand
upright in it.[I-17] On the upper deck the guns were disposed of in an
irregular row, which gave this frigate still more the appearance of a
ship of the line. The three masts raked somewhat like those of a
schooner, which was said to be more fashionable than useful. When we
came on board they were just finishing the officers cabins; they were
built of mahogany and maple, roomy, and the state-rooms long, so that
the officers are very comfortably situated. The cabins as well as the
mess-rooms were below deck, therefore not in the way during an action.
In the battery were only the rooms of the captain. There were also two
other men of war on the stocks, of smaller dimensions, which are also
said to be intended for Colombia. The guns of all these ships were
manufactured at Mr. Campbell’s foundry, near West Point.

    [Footnote I-17: [The duke, it will be recollected, was rather
    above six feet in height.]--TRANS.]

The house of the American Bible Society, to which I was accompanied by
Mr. Eddy, was built by voluntary contributions of its members, and has
been three years finished. It is four stories high, built of red
sandstone and brick, and cost twenty-two thousand dollars. In the
basement story is the office and place of deposit for bound bibles,
which lie on shelves, ready to be sent away. The English bibles are sold
at one dollar and forty cents, and the Spanish, of which a great number
are printed and intended for South America, for one dollar and fifty
cents. They also sell a great many new testaments separately.

In the office I saw a great collection of old and new bibles; among them
I observed Walton’s Polyglot, of which I had already seen a copy in the
library of Harvard College, near Boston; an old bible, printed in
Switzerland, in the old German text; also a new very elegant folio
bible, printed at Zurich; one in Irish, with the most singular type;
a bible half in the Sclavonic and half in the Russian language; in
showing the latter they told me that bible societies were prohibited in
Russia; also two bibles in Chinese, one printed at Calcutta, and the
other at Macao. The printing-office and the bookbindery of the society
are in the second, third, and fourth stories of the building, and are in
charge of a bookbinder and printer under certain contracts. In the
garret they dry the fresh printed sheets. The English and Spanish bibles
are stereotyped; they have now in operation twelve or thirteen presses;
these presses are made of iron and very simple, but without a drawing a
description of them would be unintelligible. To every press there is a
workman, and a boy whose business it is to ink the form. At the
bookbindery several women and girls are engaged to fold the sheets.
These persons work in the third story, and in order to separate them
entirely from the males, there is a separate stair for them to ascend.
The large hall where the members of the bible society meet, is decorated
with two portraits, one of Governor Jay, and the other of Dr. Boudinot,
first president of the society.

The high school was also built by subscription; in this building three
hundred boys are educated, not gratuitously, as in Boston, but by a
quarterly payment, according to the class the boy is in. In the first
class every child has to pay three dollars, in the second, five, in the
third, seven dollars; the mode of instruction is the Lancasterian. In
the lower classes are small children, some only four years old; they
learn spelling, reading, writing, and the elements of arithmetic. The
boys are generally commanded by the sound of a whistle, like sailors;
they rise, seat themselves, take their slates, and put them away, form
classes in order to change the different courses of instruction, all of
which is done at the whistle of the instructors. In the middle class
education is more extended; the children are instructed in grammar,
English, Latin, history, geography, physics, and make likewise
considerable progress in mathematics. In the highest class the boys are
instructed in the higher mathematics, and are prepared to enter college.
As I entered the school they were just receiving instruction in
geography. The teacher asked, where is Weimar? The answer was, on the
Rhine. The instructor then informed the children of the meritorious
share my forefathers had in the Reformation, and praised the
encouragement given in modern times to literature in Weimar. He spoke
altogether with great enthusiasm of German literature, and concluded by
wishing that the time might soon come, when instruction in the German
language should be given at this school. As I left the room the scholars
spontaneously applauded me, and I confess I was affected by it. In this
higher class the orders are also given with a whistle, combined however
with a small telegraph, which stands on the desk of the principal. This
school, which is only seven years old, is already in possession of a
very handsome mineralogical cabinet, and a small philosophical
apparatus.

The institution for juvenile offenders is situated out of town; it is
for children condemned by the court to imprisonment, and are thus
confined in a separate prison to improve their principles by education.
When they are improved, and have some education, they are then bound out
to a farmer in the country, but if they are of an untameable
disposition, and need stronger control, they are then disposed of as
sailors. The girls are bound out as servants in the country. In order to
have a good location for this institution, the society bought, of the
United States government, a building, heretofore used as an arsenal, but
become useless to the government on account of its distance from the
water. It has existed but one year, and has at present forty-four
juvenile delinquents. The sexes are separated, and each child occupies a
distinct chamber. During the day they are mostly employed in learning,
and in domestic occupations. As the building was not sufficiently large
to receive all the offenders, a new one was built in the rear of the
first, which the boys were employed in erecting. One of the boys who had
escaped twice, walked about with an iron chain and heavy iron ball
secured to his leg. A young man of respectable family, sixteen years
old, who was imprisoned for his great propensity to stealing, was
employed as a sub-instructor, account-keeper, and sub-overseer of the
institution. Hopes are still entertained that he may be reclaimed.

From this institution, Mr. Eddy led me to another establishment, also
founded and supported by voluntary contributions, viz. the Orphan
Asylum. The house, in which there are one hundred children of both
sexes, is in a very healthy situation; the rooms are large, and the
children sleep in wards, which contain twelve beds. They are instructed
in reading, writing, arithmetic, particularly in mental calculation, and
at the age of twelve years they are bound out to farmers. Several of the
boys were very expert in mental calculation, and solved the following
questions with great facility:--How much is three hundred and twenty
multiplied by three hundred and forty; how many days constitute three
years seven months and twenty-one days? The manner of instruction is
Lancasterian. The principal directors of this institution are Friends,
among whom Mr. Collins is said to be the most distinguished.

With Mr. Eddy, I also visited the state-prison, which contains about
five hundred and fifty prisoners of both sexes, and can receive seven
hundred. The building stands in the village of Greenwich, was built
about twenty years, and at that time stood quite insulated; since that
period the population has so rapidly increased, that Greenwich is united
with New York, and three sides of the prison are surrounded with rows of
houses; the fourth faces the Hudson river. In front of the house are the
offices and stores, behind this are two courts, which are separated by a
church; one yard is for males, and the other for females. The dwellings
surround the yards, and are three stories high. The prisoners sleep
eight in a room, on straw mats, covered with woollen blankets; every
sleeping room is separately locked; the eating-hall is spacious; the
fare, good brown bread, soup, and three times a week meat; on other
days, fish. The workshops are in appropriate buildings, partly built of
wood, standing in separate yards. You find among them all kinds of
handicrafts, and all domestic utensils and clothing are manufactured.
Articles intended for sale, are generally wooden ware, brushes, and
other household utensils. The prisoners receive no money, and if they
are backward in working, or otherwise behave ill, they are subjected to
solitary confinement, which soon brings them to their senses. There is
nothing to object to this building, except that the stairs are of wood,
and there is otherwise too much wood about the house, which appears to
me dangerous, in case of fire.

On the second Sunday of my stay in this city, I went with the consul,
Mr. Zimmerman, to a German Lutheran church, where the venerable Mr.
Geisenheimer, performed the service in the German language. It was a
curious accident, that, when I entered the church, they sung an ancient
hymn, which was composed by Duke William, of Saxe-Weimar. My ancestor
certainly never expected that one of the unworthiest of his descendants
should, for the first time in his life hear, in the new world, that he
had composed church music, and that this hymn should originally greet
his ears in New York. The church is very old and inelegant; the
congregation was plain: however, they are not in debt, and the church is
moreover said to possess a good fund. The organ was good, and the
performance of the organist pleasing.

I twice visited the theatre; in Chatham Theatre, situated at the
extremity of a public garden, they performed the melo-drama of the Lady
of the Lake tolerably well. I was much pleased with the inside of the
theatre, and particularly with the decorations; it was full of people,
and the heat extreme. Ladies of the first fashion do not go often to the
theatre. In the pit persons pulled off their coats, in order to be cool.
At the Park Theatre, so called because it is situated near the Park, the
drama of William Tell was performed, and the after-piece of Love, Law
and Physic. The first is by no means an imitation of Schiller’s drama,
but entirely dressed up in English taste, with a full share of battles.
Whenever any observation was made in favour of liberty, the pit
applauded. The decorations were very handsome, and I was pleased with
the internal arrangement of the theatre, but the spectators were not
numerous. The visitors of the theatre are entirely unrestrained; the
gentlemen keep on their hats in the boxes, and in the pit they make
themselves in every respect comfortable.

On the afternoon of the third of October, there was a great procession
of negroes, some of them well dressed, parading through the streets, two
by two, preceded by music and a flag. An African club, called the
Wilberforce Society, thus celebrated the anniversary of the abolition of
slavery in New York, and concluded the day by a dinner and ball. The
coloured people of New York, belonging to this society, have a fund of
their own, raised by weekly subscription, which is employed in assisting
sick and unfortunate blacks. This fund, contained in a sky-blue box, was
carried in the procession; the treasurer holding in his hand a large
gilt key; the rest of the officers wore ribands of several colours, and
badges like the officers of free masons; marshals with long staves
walked outside of the procession. During a quarter of an hour, scarcely
any but black faces were to be seen in Broadway.

Mr. J. R. Livingston, a very respectable citizen of New York, whose
country seat is at Massena, near Redhook, about a hundred miles up the
Hudson river, near the little town called Hudson, invited me to visit
him, and be present at a ball. I accepted the invitation, especially as
I was informed I should find assembled there the best society, who
generally reside during the summer in the country.

The Grymes’ family, which arrived at New York not long after me, were
likewise of the party. Consequently we left New York on the 5th of
October, on board the safety-barge Lady Van Rensselaer, for Albany. As
Mr. Livingston had invited several other persons of the best families of
New York, who were all on board, good conversation was not wanting.
About half past five we started, but did not long enjoy the beauties of
this noble river, as it soon became dark. During night we were awakened
with the unpleasant news that the leading boat had run ashore in a fog.
After five hours of useless exertion to get her afloat, we were obliged
to go on board the steam-boat Henry Eckford, passing up the river. This
boat was old, and no longer used for conveying passengers, but as a
tow-boat. She had vessels attached to her, on both sides, laden with
goods, which gave her the appearance of a ferry-boat. Though not very
pleasantly situated on board of this boat, we had a good opportunity of
observing the magnificent banks of the river after the fog disappeared.
Instead of arriving at eight o’clock, A. M. we did not reach our place
of destination till five o’clock P. M. We were received by the owner,
a gentleman seventy-six years old, and his lovely daughter. The house is
pleasantly situated on an elevated spot in a rather neglected park. Our
new acquaintances mostly belonged to the Livingston family. I was
introduced to Mr. Edward Livingston, member of congress, the brother of
our entertainer, a gentleman, who for talent and personal character,
stands high in this country. He resides in Louisiana, and is employed in
preparing a new criminal code for that state, which is much praised by
those who are acquainted with jurisprudence.

In the evening about eight o’clock, the company assembled at the ball,
which was animated, and the ladies elegantly attired. They danced
nothing but French contra-dances, for the American ladies have so much
modesty that they object to waltzing. The ball continued until two
o’clock in the morning. I became acquainted at this ball with two young
officers from West Point, by the name of Bache, great grandsons of Dr.
Franklin. Their grandmother was the only daughter of this worthy man;
one is a lieutenant of the artillery at West Point, and the other was
educated in the same excellent school, and obtained last year the first
prize-medal; he was then appointed lieutenant of the engineer corps, and
second professor of the science of engineering, under Professor
Douglass. On the following day we took a ride in spite of the great
heat, at which I was much astonished, as it was so late in the season,
to the country-seat of General Montgomery’s widow, a lady eighty-two
years of age, sister to the elder Messrs. Livingstons. General
Montgomery fell before Quebec on the 31st of October, 1775. This worthy
lady, at this advanced age, is still in possession of her mental
faculties; her eyes were somewhat dim. Besides her place of residence,
which is handsomely situated on the Hudson river, she possesses a good
fortune. Adjoining the house is a small park with handsome walks, and a
natural waterfall of forty feet. I observed in the house a portrait of
General Montgomery, besides a great number of family portraits, which
the Americans seem to value highly. According to this painting he must
have been a very handsome man. At four o’clock in the afternoon we left
our friendly landlord and embarked in the steam-boat Olive Branch,
belonging to the Livingston family for New York, where we arrived next
morning at six o’clock.

During the last day of my stay at New York, I received two interesting
visits, one from the Prussian consul at Washington, Mr. Niederstetter,
and the other from a Piedmontese count, Charles Vidua, who has made
several journeys through Scandinavia, Turkey, Asia Minor, Palestine,
Egypt, &c. and is now travelling through America. Afterwards I paid a
few farewell visits. At Mr. Eddy’s I found a whole society of Quakers,
men and women; they took much pains to convince me of the excellence of
their sect, and seemed not disinclined to adopt me as one of their
members; at least they desired me to read the letter of an English
sea-captain, who resigned his situation as a captain in the British
navy, and turned Quaker. Mr. Eddy gave me likewise Barclay’s Apology for
the Quakers, in German, to read and reflect upon.




CHAPTER XI.

  _Journey to Philadelphia.-- Stay in that place.-- Bethlehem and
    Nazareth._


On the 10th of October we left the city of New York in the steam-boat
Thistle, which conveyed us to New Brunswick, through a thick fog which
lasted all day. For several days past we had smoky, warm weather, which
was ascribed to the burning of a forest in the state of Maine.

The shores of New Jersey seemed flat and swampy, resembling very much
the Dutch banks. As we approached New Brunswick, the banks of the
Raritan become higher. On our arrival, eight stages were already waiting
for us, having each four horses, and the passengers were so numerous
that each stage carried from eight to nine persons; we had hardly time
to have our baggage packed, and consequently could see nothing of the
neighbourhood. We continued our journey through New Brunswick,
apparently a busy and well built place, thirty miles by land to Trenton,
on the Delaware. The road led through a hilly country, but carefully
turnpiked, several pits being filled up to make the road even. This road
is formed somewhat according to the manner of German turnpikes, of small
beaten stones, with side-roads and ditches. The neighbourhood is mostly
woody, consisting of chesnuts and oaks. The forest has been regularly
cleared of undergrowth, and has a cleanly appearance. In places where
wood has been felled, the land is well cultivated with corn and fruit
trees. Most of the good-looking houses we passed were provided with
cider-presses. About four o’clock, P. M. we arrived at Trenton, and
immediately embarked in the steam-boat Philadelphia.

I was very sorry for this great hurry, because I should have liked to
have examined Trenton; it is a very handsome place, and was to me
particularly interesting, on account of General Washington’s crossing
the Delaware above Trenton, in the winter of 1776-77, and attacking a
troop of Hessians, of whom he took one thousand four hundred prisoners.
The Hessian Colonel Rall fell in this engagement. This was one of the
best fought battles of the American war. There is, moreover, at Trenton,
a remarkable bridge crossing the Delaware. It consists of five great
suspended wooden arches which rest upon two stone abutments, and three
stone piers. The difference between this bridge and others consists in
this, that in common bridges the road runs over the tangent, but in this
bridge, the roads form the segment of the arch. The bridge is divided in
two roads in order that wagons may pass without meeting, and has also
side-walks for foot-passengers.

The banks of the Delaware are hilly, well cultivated, and covered with
elegant country-seats and villages. The neighbourhood, and the breadth
of the river reminded me of the river Main, near Frankfort;
unfortunately we could not enjoy this handsome landscape, because as
soon as we arrived on board, we set down to dinner, and afterwards it
became dark. Amongst other little towns, we passed Bordentown, where
Count Survilliers, Joseph Buonaparte, ex-king of Spain, has a very
handsome country-seat, and Burlington. About eight o’clock, P. M. we
reached Philadelphia. Mr. Tromp, who left New York a few days before,
came immediately on board, and conducted us to the Mansion House, where,
though we were not so elegantly lodged as at New York, we found every
thing neat and comfortable. Next morning we drove out early, in order to
get acquainted with the city, which contains more than one hundred and
twenty thousand inhabitants, and to observe some curiosities. We went up
Market street over the Schuylkill. In the middle of this broad Market
street or High street, the first objects we perceived were the
market-houses; the long, straight, uniform streets, which appeared to be
endless, seemed singular to us: they are mostly planted with poplars,
and all provided with paved side-walks. In point of showiness of stores
and bustle, the streets of Philadelphia are far behind New York.

The two bridges over the Schuylkill are of wood; Market street bridge,
consists of three covered arches of very strong wood-work, which rest
upon two stone piers, and two stone abutments. These piers and abutments
are built upon a rock; the pier on the west side must have cost a great
deal of labour, because the rock on which it stands, is dug out
forty-one feet below low-water mark. It is said, that this pier required
seventy-five thousand tons of stone. The length of this bridge including
the piers, is one thousand three hundred feet, whereof the wood-work
takes up five hundred and fifty feet; the extent of the middle arch
amounts to one hundred and ninety feet, and the two others, each one
hundred and fifty feet. A company, in the year 1798, began this bridge,
and finished it in six years. At the east end of the bridge is an
obelisk, which contains the following inscription: that besides the cost
of the ground on which this bridge and its appendages stand, and which
amount to forty thousand dollars, there were two hundred and thirty-five
thousand dollars expended in building it; about a mile above this bridge
there is another over the Schuylkill, which was finished in 1813, and
cost one hundred and fifty thousand dollars; it is also of wood, and
consists of a single arch, whose segment amounts to three hundred and
forty feet, four inches; a toll is paid for crossing both bridges.

Somewhat north of the last bridge, and on the left bank of the
Schuylkill are the water-works, by means of which the whole city of
Philadelphia is supplied with water, even to the tops of the houses if
wanting. The water of the Schuylkill is raised by aid of a dam; the
water runs into a basin behind the dam as in a mill-pond; hence it
drives by its fall three wheels, each of them sixteen feet in diameter,
which are in an appropriate building. These wheels work three horizontal
pumps, which force the water through iron pipes into the reservoir,
ninety-two feet above the surface of the river. Within twenty-four
hours, four million gallons of water can be pumped into the reservoirs.
From these basins the water is conveyed by iron pipes into every part of
the city. At certain distances there are hydrants, where hoses can be
screwed on in case of fire. Generally, one wheel and one pump are
worked, the others are kept in reserve, and are only used in case an
extra quantity of water is needed, or in case of fire. This work has now
been in operation for two years; it was designed by Mr. Graff, an
hydraulic engineer; the whole establishment cost four hundred and
thirty-two thousand five hundred and twelve dollars; the daily expenses,
including two overseers, are five dollars. The dam has also rendered the
upper part of the Schuylkill navigable, and in order to unite the upper
with the lower part of the river, a canal with a lock to it, has been
opened along the western side of the dam.

A high square pyramidal tower attracted our attention; it is a
shot-tower, one hundred and sixty-six feet high. The melted lead, which
is thrown through a tin box, whose apertures are suited to the size of
shot wanting, falls from the whole height into water; while falling it
forms itself into shot and becomes cold as it falls in the water. The
different numbers of shot are intermixed; in order to separate the
perfect from the imperfect shot, they put them in a flat basin, and by a
certain motion in an oblique direction, the perfectly round ones roll
down into a receiver, whilst the imperfect remain in the basin. After
this they throw the good shot into a box of the shape of a bureau, with
rockers like a cradle; the drawers have perforated tin bottoms, the
upper drawer has the largest holes, and the lower the smallest; when the
upper drawer is filled with shot, it is locked, and then the whole box
is rocked for some minutes. Through this the shot is separated according
to the size, and I believe there are fourteen different numbers. In
order to give the shot a perfectly smooth surface, they throw it into a
box which is attached to a wheel turned by water, and in this manner
they are rolled for some time. They are then packed according to their
number, in bags, and carried into the warehouse.

In front of the state house, whose lower floor is used as a court room,
we saw a great assemblage of people; we heard it was the election of the
common council. This state house is remarkable in an historical point of
view, as being the place where the Declaration of Independence was
signed, on the 4th of July, 1776, and in which the first Congress
assembled, until its removal to Washington City. From the public houses
in the vicinity, flags were displayed, to give notice what political
party assembled there; hand-bills were sent all over town into the
houses, to invite votes. From the tenor of these bills one might have
concluded that the city was in great danger. The election, however,
to our exceeding astonishment, passed over very peaceably.[I-18]

    [Footnote I-18: Here is one of the bills.

    SIR,

    The enclosed _Federal Republican_ Ticket, is earnestly recommended
    to you for your support, _This Day_. Our opponents are active--
    Danger threatens-- Every vote is important-- One may be decisive.
    Be therefore on the alert-- vote early for your own convenience,
    and the public good. Bring your friends to the poll, and all will
    be well. The improvement of the city is carefully regarded-- good
    order and tranquillity abounds-- general prosperity is every where
    apparent. Then secure by your vote _This Day_, a continuance of
    the present happy state of things.

    Our mayor is independent, faithful, and vigilant:-- _Who will be
    mayor if we fail_!!! Think on this and hesitate no longer, but
    vote the whole of the enclosed ticket.

    (Naturalized citizens will please to take their certificates with
    them.)

    _Tuesday, October 11th, 1825._]

The Bank of the United States, which is situated in Chesnut street, is
the handsomest building that I have yet beheld in this country; it is
built of white marble, after the model of the Parthenon at Athens; its
entrance is decorated by eight Doric columns, and large broad steps.
White marble is very common here; the steps of most houses are made of
it. The railings are generally of iron with bright brass knobs; even on
the scrapers at the doors I observed these bright brass knobs. The
private houses are generally built of brick, the kitchens, &c. are
commonly in the cellar. I observed here a very good contrivance, which I
also remarked in various cities of the United States, that there are
openings through the foot-pavement, covered by a locked iron grate,
which serves to throw wood, coal, &c. in the cellar, so that they need
not be carried through the houses.

I visited several bookstores; the store of Messrs. Carey, Lea & Carey
appeared to be well assorted; Tanner’s is the best mapstore.

The Philadelphia Museum was commenced by an artist, CHARLES WILLSON
PEALE, and was subsequently incorporated as a joint stock company. The
most remarkable curiosity it contains is undoubtedly the famous skeleton
of the mastodon, which has rendered this museum so celebrated. The
height of the shoulders is eleven feet; the length of the animal,
including the stooping of the back, from the point of the head to the
tail, measures thirty-one feet, but in a straight line seventeen and a
half feet; its two large tusks are ten feet seven inches long; one of
the back teeth,--for there are no front teeth,--measures eighteen and a
half inches in circumference, and weighs four pounds ten ounces. The
whole skeleton weighs about one thousand pounds. I was somewhat
astonished that the knee of the fore-foot bends backwards and not
forwards.[I-19] This skeleton was found in a swamp in the state of New
York, and there is a painting representing the colossal machine and
building, by which the skeleton was removed from the swamp. For the sake
of contrast, they have put the skeleton of an elephant next the
mastodon. Under its foot is the skeleton of a mouse.

    [Footnote I-19: [This surprise originated from the almost
    universal mistake of considering the _elbow_ of animals as a
    _knee_. The anterior extremities of animals are in all respects
    analogous to those of the superior extremities of man; hence the
    second joint from the shoulder blade uniformly bends backward like
    the human elbow. It is not longer ago than the year 1810, that the
    present Sir Everard Home, whose pretensions as a comparative
    anatomist are well known, almost quarrelled with Mr. Peale, in
    presence of Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Heavisides, for insisting
    upon the similarity of the anterior limbs of animals to the human
    arm!]--TRANS.]

The academy of fine arts is a collection of paintings and statues. The
best works which we saw belong to Count Survilliers. Among these was the
count’s own portrait, robed as king of Spain, the portrait of his lady,
and his two daughters, while yet children, all painted by Gérard of
Paris. There were four busts, one of Madame Mère, the queen of Naples,
Madame Murat, the princess Borghese, and the empress Marie Louise; and
last of all a statue, representing the infant king of Rome, all by
Canova. Amongst other paintings I observed several from the Flemish
school, very few Italian, but some very fine pieces by Granet, which
represented the interior of an Italian cloister. Two large paintings,
one representing the children of Niobe by Rehberg, and the other the
raising from the dead by touching the bones of the prophet Elisha, by
the American painter Allston; both have merit, but I was neither pleased
with the colouring nor execution. The statues are mostly casts, copies
of the most famous antiquities. I observed, however, amongst them, the
Venus of Canova.

In wandering through the streets I was struck with a building having a
dome similar to the Roman pantheon; it was a Baptist chapel.
I accordingly entered; the interior arrangement was very simple, and
offered nothing remarkable. In the midst of the chapel is the baptismal
font for baptising grown persons; it is a marble bath, something in the
manner of the bath in the palace of Weimar. While speaking on this
subject, I will notice the various sects that have churches in this
city. 1st, Catholics; 2d, Protestant Episcopal; 3d, Presbyterian; 4th,
Scotch Presbyterian; 5th, Covenanters, or Reformed Presbyterians; 6th,
Baptist; 7th, the Methodist; most of the coloured people belong to the
latter sect; 8th, the Friends or Quakers; 9th, the Free Quakers; 10th,
German Lutheran; 11th, German Reformed; 12th, Dutch Reformed; 13th,
Universalists; 14th, Swedenborgians; 15th, Moravians, or United
Brethren; 16th, Swedish Lutheran; 17th, Mount Zion; 18th, Menonists;
19th, Bible Christians; 20th, Mariners Church; 21st, Unitarians; and
22d, Israelites; and all these sects live peaceably in the vicinity of
each other.

A merchant, Mr. Halbach, to whom I was introduced, took a walk with me
to two gardens adjoining the city. One of these belongs to a rich
merchant, Mr. Pratt, and is situated upon a rocky peninsula, formed by
the Schuylkill, immediately above the water-works. The soil consists
mostly of quartz and clay. The owner seldom comes there, and this is
easy to be perceived, for instead of handsome grass-plots you see
potatoes and turnips planted in the garden. The trees, however, are very
handsome, mostly chesnut, and some hickory. I also observed particularly
two large and strong tulip trees; the circumference of one was fifteen
feet. In the hot-houses was a fine collection of orange trees, and a
handsome collection of exotic plants, some of the order Euphorbia from
South America; also a few palm trees. The gardener, an Englishman by
birth, seemed to be well acquainted with his plants. Through a hydraulic
machine the water is brought up from the river into several basins, and
thence forced into the hot-houses. There was also in the garden a
mineral spring of a ferruginous quality. From several spots in the
garden there are fine views of the Schuylkill, whose banks, covered with
trees, now in the fall of the year, have a striking and pleasant effect
from the various hues of the foliage. The other garden, called
Woodlands, belonged to the Hamilton family. The road led us through the
village of Mantua, which altogether consists of country-seats, and where
Mr. Halbach also has his country residence. Woodlands has more the
appearance of an English park than Mr. Pratt’s country-seat; the
dwelling house is large, and provided with two balconies, from both of
which there is a very fine view, especially of the Schuylkill and
floating bridge. Inside of the dwelling there is a handsome collection
of pictures; several of them are of the Dutch school. What particularly
struck me was a female figure, in entire dishabelle, laying on her back,
with half-lifted eyes expressive of exquisite pleasure. There were also
orange trees and hot-houses, superintended by a French gardener.

The navy-yard, which I visited with Mr. Tromp, was shown us by a
lieutenant of the navy and major Miller of the marines; at the same time
I became acquainted with the naval architect, Mr. Humphreys, who is
considered one of the most skilful in his department in the United
States. Three years ago he visited England and its dock-yards by order
of the government. This navy-yard is not very large, for although ships
are built here, yet they do not leave the yard perfectly equipped, as
the Delaware is too shallow for completely armed ships of the line. On
the stocks there was a ship of the line and a frigate yet incomplete,
which, however, could be made ready for sea in a short time. The former
is to carry one hundred and forty guns, and is said to be the largest
vessel ever built. The frigate was of sixty-four guns. Each vessel had
an elliptic stern, and was under cover. The house which covered the ship
of the line is so large that I counted on one side one hundred and forty
windows. Between the two houses the keel of a sloop of war is to be
laid.[I-20] There was no man-of-war here in actual service, but a small
steam-brig in ordinary, called the Sea Gull, which had returned a few
months ago from the West Indies, where she had been cruising after the
pirates; she was now condemned as unseaworthy, and used as a receiving
ship. Philadelphia is inhabited by many Germans and descendants of
Germans; some respectable people among them have formed themselves into
a German society, which has rendered great services, particularly to the
unfortunate Germans who arrived here some years ago in great numbers.
When those gentlemen heard of my arrival, they invited me to a dinner,
given in honour of me. It took place on the 15th October, in the Masonic
Hall, a large building, erected by the freemasons of this place, whose
basement story contains a very handsome hall, which serves for public
entertainments. The table was set for seventy persons; every thing was
splendid.

    [Footnote I-20: [The Vandalia, recently launched.]--TRANS.]

Before dinner I was introduced to all the guests present; the
descendants of Germans had almost forgotten their mother tongue; some of
them were lawyers, some merchants, and some mechanics. At the dessert,
several toasts were drank in honour of America and Germany, and also in
honour of me; I of course thanked them in a short speech. Our waiters
were blacks; even the music was performed by blacks, because white
musicians will never perform at public entertainments. After every toast
the music struck up; but our virtuosi were only acquainted with two
German pieces. After drinking my health, they played “a dish and a
song,” &c; and after the toast was given of “the German Athens,” they
played “Oh thou dear Augustin,” &c. After the regular toasts by the
president, Mr. Wampole, were finished, volunteer toasts were drank,
ad infinitum. I soon retired to call upon Mr. Walsh, to whom I was
introduced by letter.

At Mr. Walsh’s I found a numerous assembly, mostly of scientific and
literary gentlemen. This assembly is called “WISTAR PARTY;” it is a
small learned circle which owes its existence to a Quaker physician, Dr.
Wistar, who assembled all the literati and public characters of
Philadelphia at his house, every Saturday evening, where all
well-recommended foreigners were introduced. After his death, the
society was continued by his friends, under the above title, with this
difference, that they now assemble alternately at the houses of the
members. The conversation generally relates to literary and scientific
topics. I unexpectedly met Mr. E. Livingston in this assembly; I was
also introduced to the mayor of the city, Mr. Watson, as well as most of
the gentlemen present, whose interesting conversation afforded me much
entertainment.

Mr. Shoemaker accompanied us to a Quaker meeting. The Quakers, as is
well known, have no parsons, but sit quietly assembled until the spirit
moves some one. The individual thus excited, then preaches, ad libitum,
whether male or female. The meeting was very quiet when we entered, and
remained quiet for more than an hour; the spirit moved no one; at last
this fatiguing sitting terminated, and we went home unedified. The
church, or rather the meeting-house, is very simple, without the least
ornament; the whole hall is filled with benches, and on an elevated form
sit the elders of both sexes, with those who are in the habit of
preaching.

A Quaker, Mr. Vaux, is at the head of several public institutions in
Philadelphia. I was introduced to him by Mr. Eddy: he received me
kindly, although using the appellation “_thou_,”[I-21] and promised to
show me these institutions. The first objects we saw in his house, were
paintings and copperplates referring to the first settlement of the
Quakers in this state, and a model of a monument which is intended to be
erected to the memory of William Penn. The model represented an obelisk,
and was made of part of the elm tree under which this great benefactor
of mankind concluded his treaty with the Indians.[I-22] After that we
drove to the new penitentiary, a prison which was built near the
water-works.

    [Footnote I-21: [“Thou,” in _German_, is only used in addressing
    individuals of the lowest degree.]--TRANS.]

    [Footnote I-22: This took place on the banks of the Delaware, in
    Kensington, near Philadelphia. The elm tree was struck by
    lightning, a few years ago and destroyed.]

Efforts have been made to abolish capital punishment in Pennsylvania,
and to substitute solitary confinement, which hitherto has only been
occasionally resorted to in the prisons, for offences committed there;
it is even intended to inflict this punishment for life. It is also
wished to separate prisoners condemned to hard labour, to give them
their tasks in separate cells. For this purpose, a large square yard has
been walled in, each side of which is six hundred and fifty feet long.
This yard has but one entrance, over which is erected a Gothic building,
to accommodate the officers, offices, watchrooms, and hospital wards.
The portal has very much the appearance and strength of the gate of a
fortification. In the middle of this yard is a round tower, which is
intended for the watchmen, and from this central point, six wings run in
an eccentric direction, containing the cells. Each wing consists of a
vaulted corridor, which runs from one end of the wing to the other;
on both sides of each of the six corridors are nineteen cells, whose
entrance is from the outside. There is an opening in every cell, leading
into the vaulted corridor, merely large enough to admit provisions; this
aperture has a small iron door attached to it, only to be opened from
the corridor. To every cell there is a yard, sixteen feet long and seven
feet broad, surrounded by a wall twenty feet high: in this yard leading
to the cell, the prisoner has the liberty of walking, provided the
prisoners in the next cells are locked up. The cell itself is eight feet
long and five feet broad, its entrance is low and small, and secured by
a door and grate. The floor of the cell is of boards, the roof an arch
which inclines outwardly, that the rain may run from it: a patent glass
gives light to the prisoner. There are small apertures in the walls, in
order to admit a current of air, and others to admit heated air during
winter. Every cell has a water-closet, which is connected with the
principal pipe, under the corridor, throughout all the length of the
wings. They are not yet quite decided in what manner the prisoner is to
sleep, whether in a bedstead or on a hammock.

I do not now wish to enter upon the question whether it is advisable to
abolish capital punishment altogether or not, but I maintain that this
solitary confinement, in which the prisoner is prohibited from all human
converse, without work, exercise, and almost without fresh air, is even
worse than punishment by death. From want of exercise they will
certainly become sickly; from the want of work they will become
unaccustomed to labour, and perhaps lose what skill they may have
possessed heretofore in their trades, so that when restored to the
world, they will be useless for any kind of business, and merely drag
out a miserable existence. No book is allowed them but the bible. It
appears therefore to me perfectly possible, that this insulation of the
prisoner will be injurious to his mind, and drive him to fanaticism,
enthusiasm, and even derangement. When Mr. Vaux asked my opinion of this
prison, I could not refrain from answering him that it reminded me of
the Spanish inquisition, as described by Llorente. Mr. Vaux answered
that it is only an experiment to ascertain whether capital punishment
can be abolished; but notwithstanding this philanthropic view, the
experiment appears to me to be an expensive one, because the building
has already cost three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and the state
of Pennsylvania will have to expend annually for its support, an immense
sum. The first great object of a government ought to be to provide for
the welfare of its good citizens, and not to oppress them with taxes; on
the contrary, to relieve them as much as possible, as it is hard for the
good citizens to have to maintain vagabonds, for the sake of deterring
others by example, or to render convicts harmless. In this view it
should be the object of the government to arrange the prisons so that
convicts can maintain themselves. When once this is realized, then it is
likewise easier to improve their moral principles. Continued employment
would answer both purposes. If it be possible that the prisoner can earn
a little surplus money, in order that when he returns to society he may
be in possession of a small sum for his pressing necessities, I believe
it would be much better than any philanthropic experiment.[I-23]

    [Footnote I-23: [Both sides of this question are warmly and ably
    defended by philanthropists of high character and unquestionable
    benevolence. The reader will find in the late correspondence
    between ROSCOE and Mr. Roberts Vaux, of Philadelphia, the
    arguments urged for and against the system.]--TRANS.]

The county jail contains prisoners who are waiting for trial; they are,
however, seldom confined longer than one month before they receive
sentence. The house consists of a principal building and two wings; the
one for males, the other for females. In the centre building are the
offices, dwellings of the keepers and watch, as well as the infirmary,
where the patients have good bedding, and are carefully nursed. In the
wings are long corridors, with rooms on each side, which are closed
during the night with iron doors. About eight prisoners sleep in one
room, they sleep on the floor, and have only two blankets, to sleep upon
and cover themselves. The floor is of boards, and I was delighted at the
great cleanliness prevailing through the whole house. At the end of each
wing is a yard where the prisoners walk, and in each yard there is a
shed under which they work. The men I found busy pulling horse-hair, and
most of the females at their usual domestic occupations. Even here we
perceived the great distinction between the white and coloured races.

The number of female prisoners of both colours was nearly equal, and the
coloured were not permitted to sit on the same bench with the white; the
coloured were separated to the left! I procured a sight of the register,
and was astonished to see that in this free country a magistrate has the
right to imprison a person for two days, for cursing in the streets, as
I found in the book. There are also in the county jail several cells for
solitary confinement, narrow dark holes, in which it must be
insupportably hot during the summer. Those who are of savage behaviour
are confined in these cells, and kept there till they become civil.

Of the charitable institutions, we visited first, the Orphan Asylum, and
then the hospital for widows, which stand near each other. They owe
their origin to the donation of a lady, which has been increased by
voluntary contributions, and is now under the direction of a board of
ladies, mostly Friends, who are aided by the advice of a few select
gentlemen. In the Orphan Asylum were ninety children of both sexes, who
remain till they are twelve years of age, and are then bound out to
learn a trade. They are educated in the same way as the orphans at New
York. During the hours of recess, the children run about in a garden;
the house is very cleanly, the bed-rooms are spacious, and each contain
twenty beds; nevertheless, two children have to sleep in one bed.

Some years ago, the house caught fire, and the conflagration was so
rapid that more than thirty children perished in the flames. In
rebuilding the house, they had the praiseworthy consideration to banish
wood entirely from the building, and even the stairs are of stone. The
Widow’s Asylum is tenanted by helpless widows, over which the
above-mentioned board also have control. They are boarded, clothed, and
nursed as long as they live. The rooms are occupied by one or two
persons each, and there is a common sitting and eating room. In this
establishment great cleanliness is also observable.

The large and celebrated hospital of Philadelphia was established by the
Quakers, and is under their direction. It owes its origin to voluntary
contributions and posthumous donations. It is surrounded by a garden,
and consists of a main building with two wings, besides other separate
buildings, one of which is used for incurable lunatics, another for
venereal patients, and others for household purposes and stables; for
they here keep carriages, in which the convalescents ride when it is
allowed. Behind the principal building is a kitchen garden, with a
hot-house that contains many exotic plants. A particular building has
been erected for the painting of Sir Benjamin West, who was a native of
Philadelphia, and presented it to the hospital. The subject of the
painting is Christ healing the sick. Neither the composition nor the
execution of this painting appear to me to be successful; and perhaps it
is only here, where they are unaccustomed to see great and well executed
paintings, that this could excite such astonishing admiration as it has
done.[I-24] It is really singular that near this painting, which
certainly has some merit, they should hang a little picture,
accidentally discovered in the city, which was daubed as a first essay
by the same artist, when young.

    [Footnote I-24: [Perhaps, had his highness known that this picture
    was long exhibited and admired in London by amateurs and artists,
    who certainly are _somewhat_ accustomed to seeing good pictures,
    he would not have pronounced so decidedly from a very cursory
    examination. There is nothing, however, which the Duke of
    Saxe-Weimar says concerning the fine arts, in these travels, to
    entitle his opinion on paintings to any authority.]--TRANS.]

The hospital is three stories high; in the lower story are the offices,
the apothecary, the rooms of two physicians, one of whom must always be
in the house, and the library, which contains a very handsome collection
of books on medicine and natural history. As a sort of antiquity, they
show here William Penn’s arm-chair; a leaden statue, made in England, of
this eminent man, of full size and in the Quaker dress, stands in the
square in front of the house. Corridors run through both wings, and
thence you enter the rooms, each containing twelve patients; they are
under the care of female nurses, and lay on wooden bedsteads; only the
maniacs have them of iron. Throughout this house extraordinary
cleanliness is observed. To the melancholy, every species of employment
is permitted, provided it does not interfere with their own safety or
that of other patients. Some worked in the garden, two were occupied as
cabinet-makers, and a lock-maker from Darmstadt was engaged two years in
making a musket, for which he has prepared a colossal lock of wire and
tin.

When I returned from this remarkable institution, I received a visit
from a literary gentleman from Leipzic, Mr. Rivinus. This young man had
already been two years in this city, collecting observations on America,
to make known in Germany. I was much interested by him. He appeared to
me well suited to gather information concerning the new world and to
present it to the old; perhaps he may contribute to make German
literature known to the Americans.

Mr. Vaux had the politeness to accompany me to some literary
institutions. We went first to the Franklin Library; this collection,
which amounts to thirty thousand volumes, was established by voluntary
subscriptions, and is supported by the same means. The subscribers have
the right to take books home with them; the library contains likewise a
large collection of copperplates, and amongst others a handsome edition
of Hogarth’s prints. The library is arranged in two great halls, and as
a curiosity they show Dr. Franklin’s library chair. The statue of this
famous man stands in a niche over the entrance of the house, and was
presented, as the inscription says, by Mr. Bingham, the meritorious
father of Mr. Bingham of Montreal. After that we went to the
Philosophical Society, which also owns a building, and possesses a rich
library and cabinet.[I-25] The librarian, Mr. John Vaughan, a venerable
gentleman, equally esteemed for his benevolence and urbanity, performed
the honours. He showed us the handwriting of several celebrated
individuals of the revolution. The cabinet contains, amongst other
things, a mineralogical cabinet, a collection of shells, &c. Finally, we
went to the State House, and saw the plain and not very large hall in
which the Declaration of Independence was signed on the 4th of July,
1776. This hall is decorated with a wooden statue, the size of life of
President WASHINGTON; on the pedestal is the following inscription:
“First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

    [Footnote I-25: [The library of the American Philosophical Society
    is one of the most valuable collections in the United States, and
    is richer in the Transactions of other learned societies than any
    in our country. The Duke states in the original that books are not
    lent from this library, which is so erroneous that we have not
    repeated it in the translation. Members of the society enjoy a
    free use of the books, and literary men properly recommended are
    always able to obtain advantageous access to the library.]--TRANS.]

On the 18th of October, I travelled in the stage to Bethlehem, a place
settled in the year 1741, by the evangelical congregation of Moravians.
It was impossible to me to leave the state of Pennsylvania without first
visiting this society, which is highly esteemed here on account of their
usefulness, morals, &c. Mr. Vaux gave me a recommendatory letter.

Bethlehem is fifty-two miles from Philadelphia; as the intercourse
between both places is not very great, the stage goes but twice a week
from each place. Day had not dawned when I left Philadelphia; the stage
was very full, and the weather was uncommonly cold. As stage companions,
I became acquainted with two Messrs. Rice, members of the Moravian
Society, and inhabitants of Bethlehem, and found them very amiable,
sensible, and well-informed men. One of them had travelled in Germany,
and both spoke very good German. We changed horses twice, and also the
stage, which unfortunately was worse at each change, the first time at
Whitemarsh, and the second at Quakertown; the road was mostly turnpike,
and somewhat resembled our German roads, except that the stones thrown
on the road were rather too large, and the path was not well filled up.
After having changed horses the second time, we went on a lately made
turnpike, the stones not having been travelled on. The latter part of
the road was not yet turnpiked, and resembled a rocky bye-road, but, on
account of the dry season, was the most comfortable. The agriculture of
this region shows that the country has already been long under
cultivation. The houses are mostly strong, built of blue limestone, and
covered with shingles. There has been considerable expense bestowed on
the barns, most of them have the appearance of churches. The fields and
meadows were fenced, mostly with zigzag, commonly called worm-fences.
Corn was still standing on the fields, but they had begun to gather it.
The winter grain had already sprouted, and had a pleasing appearance.
The trade in wheat flour is carried on very largely in Pennsylvania;
this flour has very justly obtained a good reputation, and is much
sought for in the West Indies; no where, not even excepting Europe, have
I eaten as good bread as in this state. The original forests have been
eradicated, and you see very few old and handsome trees as in the state
of New York; the wood, however, has grown again, and consists mostly of
large-leafed oaks, chesnut, walnut, and hickory trees; the soil is
partly limestone, and partly clay. In the neighbourhood of Bethlehem,
the soil is mostly limestone; there are a great many rocks, and you
observe here the earth often crumbled, as is the case in calcarious
mountains. The inhabitants are mostly descendants of Germans, emigrants
from Wirtemberg, who still retain their language, although in an
imperfect state. They print here for the country people, newspapers and
sheet almanacs, in American German. The difference is already
perceptible in the state of Pennsylvania which exists between the
southern and northern states in the education of the lower classes:
it is said to be still more striking in the southern states. They
particularly complain that the former German farmers did not send their
children to school at all; lately, however, they have become more
ambitious, and attend the schools, because the legislature of
Pennsylvania has passed a law, that no citizen shall sit on a jury
unless he can read and write the English language. The German farmers
consider it an honour to be called upon a jury, but find themselves
deprived of that honour on account of their ignorance. They now,
therefore, have their sons instructed in English. I saw in the woods two
small octagonal houses, and was informed that they were schools, which,
however, were never frequented.

In many villages where you see handsome brick buildings, stables, and
barns, the school is a simple log-house, much worse than the
school-houses I have seen among the Indians. There is no want of
churches, mostly Lutheran, some Calvinist, Quaker meeting-houses,
Anabaptists, and Menonists. Between Quakertown and Bethlehem, the former
called so on account of its having been originally settled by that sect,
but now inhabited mostly by Germans, there is a parish of Swiss
Menonists, which they call here Dunkards, because the men let their
beards grow. As we passed through, there happened to be the funeral of a
young girl, and almost the whole congregation followed the coffin.
Between four and five o’clock, P. M. we reached Bethlehem, and staid in
Bishop’s tavern, which was very cleanly, and well managed.

Bethlehem is very handsomely situated, partly in a valley, and partly on
a hill near the river Lehigh, into which empties the Manokesy brook.
Very near the town there is a wooden bridge over the river, which was
built in the year 1791, and rests upon three stone pillars, and over the
brook there is a newly-built stone bridge of two arches. The moment you
behold Bethlehem, you are pleased with it: opposite the town, on the
right bank of the Lehigh, are rather high mountains, overgrown with
wood. The brick houses of the town are situated amphitheatrically; above
all the houses, you see the church with a small steeple, and the whole
is crowned by the burying-place, which lies upon a hill, and is planted
with lombardy poplars. The fields around the town are excellently
cultivated, and the landscape is bounded by the Blue Mountains, eighteen
miles distant, a long range of mountains with no one distinct summit,
but with some openings through. The streets in Bethlehem are not paved,
but planted with poplars, and provided with broad brick side-walks; the
houses are built either of blue limestone or of brick. The greatest
building in this town, which formerly served as the house for the
brethren, is now occupied as a young ladies boarding-school. There is
also here an arched market-place, where butcher’s meat is sold. On the
place where Bishop’s tavern now stands, not long ago stood a little
frame building, which was built at the time Bethlehem was founded by
Count Zinzendorf. The town has about seven hundred inhabitants, mostly
tradesmen and merchants. The clergy consists of Bishop Huffel and the
two preachers, Messrs. Seidel and Von Schweinitz; the latter is the
great grandson of Count Zinzendorf, he was just absent on a voyage to
Germany, where he met the general synod in Herrenhut.

One of the Messrs. Rice introduced me into the tavern, and gave notice
to the clergy of my arrival; shortly after, I received a visit from Mr.
Seidel, a Saxon by birth, who has resided nineteen years in the United
States. I found him a very friendly and pleasant gentleman, and had a
long conversation with him. I also met with an old man from Eisenach,
by the name of Stickel, who came to this country as a surgeon with the
Hessians, and for some years past had taken up his residence in this
tavern, where he acts as cicerone to the strangers.

Next morning I received another visit from parson Seidel, and went with
him to Bishop Huffel; the bishop is a man of about sixty years of age,
also a Saxon, and a very friendly man, who has travelled much and speaks
pleasantly. He had a very handsome collection of minerals, particularly
of American marbles; Mr. Seidel resides with him in the oldest dwelling
of the town, which has quite the appearance of the house of a country
parson in Germany, and has even German locks and bolts to it; in this
house is a large hall, which formerly served the parish as a church
until the church was finished. I visited the church, escorted by the two
divines; the arrangements are quite simple, a white hall with benches,
and a somewhat higher seat for the clergy, with a table before it; the
church has a very fine organ, which was made at New York. The bishop,
who is a good performer on the piano, had the goodness to play for me on
the organ. From the steeple of the church is a handsome prospect of the
surrounding neighbourhood, the Lehigh, the mountains of the same name,
and the Blue Mountains. In the church building, next to the large hall,
are several chambers, where they formerly kept school, before the new
school was built, but now the elders hold their conferences in it, and
the smaller meetings of the parish. By building this new church, the
parish incurred a debt; the building, however, is not very tasty. The
burying place of the congregation is upon a small hill, and resembles a
garden planted with trees. The graves are in rows, a simple stone lying
on each, containing the name, birth, and time of death of the departed.
This morning I observed by a circular notice, the death of a young lad
who died last evening; in order to give notice of his death, they played
with trumpets the tunes of three hymns from the steeple, early in the
morning; certainly a very simple and touching ceremony! The corpse is
put in the corpse-house, and the burying takes place in presence of the
whole parish. Not far from the burying place, upon an elevated spot, is
a cistern, in which by means of a forcing machine, the water is carried
from the brook, and thence all the houses and streets are supplied with
water.

After that we went to the dwelling of the sisterhood; all the old maids,
and some younger ones of the parish, who have no parents, live together.
Heretofore, all the unmarried women were obliged to live in the
sister-house; but this has been changed since, and those who have
parents, live with their families. Those sisters who live together, have
either each a separate room, or several have a sitting room together.
They support themselves by selling female utensils, which they
manufacture. There is no house for the brotherhood, because young
industrious labourers in this happy land, where there are no taxes, can
support themselves very well. The ground on which the houses stand,
belongs to the parish, and every man, who wishes to build here, has to
pay a certain ground rent. There is, however, here no community of
goods; every one has to work for, and to support himself, and the parish
only assists him when he has become poor by misfortune.

After this interesting ramble I visited Mr. Rice, who is a merchant,
owner of a mill, and is particularly engaged in the flour business;
he also keeps a store, where every article is to be found, which the
country people are in need of; from cloth, and fine linen, down to
common wagon-screws. After that, I dined at home in the lively company
of six young ladies from Providence, who also came to finish their
education here in the boarding-school; as in Germany, the brothers have
boarding-schools, where children, whose parents do not belong to the
society, are carefully educated. The female school is at Bethlehem, and
the male school in Nazareth.

After dinner I took a ride with Dr. Stickel, in order to examine a new
lock, lately established on the river Lehigh. Within a few years they
have opened important coal works, about thirty miles from this place,
at Mauch Chunk, on the other side of the Blue Mountains; these mines
furnish Philadelphia and the neighbourhood with the well-known Lehigh
coals, which are much better than the English coals. These coals were
formerly shipped in light boats near the pit, and floated down the
Lehigh into the Delaware to Philadelphia, and the boats were then broke
to pieces and sold, on account of the falls and strong current of the
Lehigh, which prevented their return. As even the navigation down the
river was frequently obstructed on account of low water, and incumbered
with difficulties, the company owning the mines, made a dam in the
river, through which canals pass with locks, by means of which they have
improved the navigation.

In the vicinity of the Lehigh, there are many limestone rocks; these
they explode, partly for the purpose of having heavy stones, which are
thrown on the dams, partly for burning them to lime. The burned lime is
not only used for building, but also as manure for the fields.

We returned from the locks to Bethlehem by another road; on account of
their distance from the coal pits, these locks are called the
thirty-seven mile locks. We passed through a well cultivated valley,
wherein is situated a place called Butstown, settled by Germans, and
consisting of a few neat brick buildings. Thence the road passed through
an oak-wood, which appeared to be in very good order, and belonged to
the brotherhood. In the evening I went with Mr. Seidel to a concert,
which the amateurs of the town gave. In the town-school is a room
appropriated for these concerts, which take place weekly. The orchestra
consisted of eleven musicians, all of whom were mechanics of Bethlehem,
who very successfully practiced this art as amateurs. The greatest part
of the religious service of the brotherhood consists of music; for this
reason music constitutes a principal part of their education. The music
was fine beyond all expectation; I heard very good male and female
singers; amongst others were Mr. Seidel and one of the young female
ushers of the boarding-school, Miss Humphreys. Finally, the good Bishop
Huffel had the politeness to amuse us, to our great gratification, by
performing fancy pieces of his own on the piano. After the concert I
remained a few hours with Mr. Seidel, his wife is a German by birth;
moreover, I made acquaintance with a preacher, Mr. Frueauf, a native of
Dietendorf, near Gotha; he married a sister of Mr. Von Schweinitz, and
lives on his income; I found in him a friendly old gentleman, who was
rejoiced to meet a countryman. Moreover it was no trifling gratification
to me, to have conversed this whole day in German, and to hear that
language spoken in purity, which is hardly ever the case in other parts
of America.

On the third day of my stay at Bethlehem, Mr. Frueauf called for me, for
the purpose of riding with me to the brotherhood of Nazareth, which is
ten miles distant. The road passes partly through a well kept wood, and
partly through a well cultivated country. A great many single farms,
which we passed, showed the wealth of their owners. One of the places we
passed, is called Hecktown; this name originated from a waggery of Mr.
Frueauf, on account of the fruitfulness of the inhabitants, who increase
and multiply very fast. Nazareth is also very well built, and resembles
Bethlehem, only it is, if it be possible, still more quiet. The town was
laid out in the year 1744, and the large brick building, which is now
used as the boys boarding-school, was originally intended for the
mansion of Count Zinzendorf. This district has about five hundred
inhabitants, including the adjoining parish called Schoeneck, they are
mostly mechanics and farmers. There were two clergymen, Mr. Van Vleck,
son of the ex-bishop of Bethlehem, and Mr. Ronthal, a native German, who
was long pastor of the parish of Sarepta in Russia.

We first visited Mr. Van Vleck, and then inspected the society’s garden;
it is situated on the slope of a hill and has some pavilions and
handsome promenades. Then we went in the boarding school, in which sixty
boys receive their education; forty board in the house, and twenty
reside with their parents, in the village. This school is likewise for
children of different denominations, and is generally praised.
Immediately on my entrance, I remarked the great cleanliness of the
house. The scholars are divided into four classes, and are not received
till they are eight years old. The tutors are mostly Germans, or at
least speak that language, which is taught to the boys by particular
desire of their parents. The school possesses a good cabinet of natural
history, which is kept in good order, and has a collection of eggs of
various birds of the neighbourhood, gathered by the scholars. The
scholars sleep in common in two great halls, two superintendents sleep
in each of them. They eat in common and take a long daily walk, under
the guardianship of their tutors. Besides the common school rudiments,
the French, German, and English languages, they are taught drawing,
music, and Italian book-keeping by double entry. For instruction in
music, every class has a piano: a particular room is destined for
religious worship. The boys have all healthy, lively, and open
countenances, and are kept very clean. In the building there is also a
theological seminary for young men who are designed for the pulpit;
there were five pupils studying. These students are obliged to finish
their education in the large theological seminary of Gnadenfeld in Upper
Silesia. On the top of the house there is a gallery, from which you see
the surrounding neighbourhood. Nazareth is situated on rather high
ground, and is only eight miles distant from the Blue Mountains. The
vicinity would be very handsome, if there were more streams in the
neighbourhood, but in these it seems to be deficient.

After this we went to the sisterhood’s house, wherein were lodged
thirty-seven old women, who sleep all in one large hall. In the room
where they perform worship, there is a small organ, as in the sisterhood
at Bethlehem; one of the sisters acts as organist. I observed here, as
well as in Bethlehem, that the old Moravian female costume, particularly
the caps, have gone out of fashion, except some few very old women, and
they now dress in handsome modern style. We visited the parson, Mr.
Ronthal, and the elder of the congregation, Mr. Hoeber. I became
acquainted with a former missionary, Mr. Oppelt, who was many years
amongst the Indians, one hundred miles the other side of Detroit, and
has baptized several of them. He has retired to Nazareth, and was busy
in making preparations of birds.

On our return to Bethlehem, we went rather roundabout, in order to see a
large farm, which is distinguished in the country on account of its good
management; it is occupied by a native of Nassau, Mr. Schlabach. His
fields are indeed in an excellent situation, as well as all his barns
and farm houses. This proprietor, who is now so wealthy, came over a
redemptioner, and owes his present wealth to his industry and frugality.

After dinner I went with Mr. Seidel, who is the guardian, to the great
female boarding-school. In the office where the small domestic library
is kept, which not only consists of religious books, but also belles
lettres, voyages and travels, I met the venerable Bishop Huffel, who
accompanied me, with Mr. Seidel, during my inspection of the school. In
this school we found about one hundred handsome young ladies, between
the ages of eight and eighteen years, who are carefully educated, and
who, besides the common school education, are instructed in drawing,
music, and all female accomplishments. They make very fine embroidery
and tapestry, and also handsome artificial flowers. They are divided
into four classes; in every class-room was a piano. I was informed that
they performed their morning and evening devotions by chanting. After
dinner they receive no other instructions but music and female
accomplishments; the latter part of the day is employed in walking in
the large garden, which lies in a vale behind the house. They have also
a hall for prayers, in which stands a piano, and which is often made use
of as a concert room. They sleep in large halls, with the
superintendents, and the girls have a very good appearance. The custom
which prevails in European boarding-schools, of dressing all the girls
in uniform, and distinguishing different classes by different ribands,
does not take place here; every girl dresses as she pleases. The
scholars are from all parts of the United States, even some from
Alabama.

After having examined this interesting establishment, I walked with the
bishop and Mr. Seidel on the banks of the brook, in order to examine
some works that are situated on the waterside. The first was the work
which forces the water into the cistern, as above-mentioned. By a
conductor from the brook, a water-wheel is set in motion; this wheel
works two pumps, which force the water into iron pipes leading into the
cistern. Not far from this work lives a currier by the name of Mr.
Leipert, who manufactures leather and morocco: in this establishment the
principal machinery is also moved by water. They have two ways here of
raising water, one is by boxes fastened on a large wheel, these boxes
fill themselves with water, when they are below, and throw it into a
gutter, when they come up; the other is by a common pump.

At last my companions introduced me to a gentleman, who, with trouble
and expense, had established a cabinet of ancient and other coins. This
collection was indeed extensive and valuable, recollecting that it was
in America.

I spent the evening very pleasantly in the young ladies school; all the
girls were assembled, and gave a musical entertainment, mostly songs
composed for several voices. But as the girls have to retire early, the
entertainment, for which I was indebted to the politeness of Mr. Seidel,
was soon ended. I remained a short time with Mr. Seidel, I then took my
leave of this worthy man, of the venerable Bishop Huffel, and the polite
Mr. Frueauf, with the intention of returning next spring, God willing,
to this lovely spot, with which I was so much delighted. In going home,
I heard the young ladies sing their evening hymn, and received a very
pretty serenade from twenty young folks of the place, who, although they
belong to the brotherhood, serve as the musical band of the militia.
I could not leave this peaceable and quiet Bethlehem without being
affected, whose inhabitants all live united like one family, in
brotherly and sisterly love, and seem all to have the same habits,
acquired by the same education and continued sociability. I returned
with the stage on the same bad road to Philadelphia by which I left it,
but better enjoyed the view of this beautiful, well cultivated and
thickly peopled country. The last part of the road was particularly
interesting to me. In the flourishing villages of Germantown and
Nicetown there are handsome gardens and country-seats of Philadelphians.
In the vicinity of Whitemarsh, I observed the remains of General
Washington’s entrenchments. Germantown, originally settled by Germans,
forms only one street, which is above three miles long. During the time
when the English occupied Philadelphia and its vicinity, General
Washington fell upon the English that were in and about Germantown. One
battalion of the British threw themselves into a stone house, and
defended themselves in it until the British army could rally again, and
drive the Americans back. The house is situated in a garden, about one
hundred paces from the road; near the house, in the street, is a well
which supplies the house with water; to keep possession of the well was
of great consequence to the British, and in its vicinity many men are
said to have lost their lives.

On the ensuing morning I went with Mr. Halbach to Mr. Vaux, in order to
visit under his guidance some other public institutions. At Mr. Vaux’s
we met several of the public characters of the city, with whom I had
conversations on various subjects of public utility, such as schools,
punishments, &c. Then we went into a Lancasterian free school, where
five hundred lads are instructed, and several hundred girls of the lower
classes. We did not see the girls; it was Saturday, which is a holiday.
The boys are of various ages, and are divided into eight classes, under
the inspection of one teacher and several monitors. They obey their
instructors by signals, all their motions are made according to these
signals, and they give their answers with the greatest precision. They
exercise their memory by reciting pieces of poetry, and making mental
calculations. They write well and all alike; they also receive
instruction in geography; one of the boys had drawn a good and correct
sketch of Thuringia. They ought to pay more attention to the dress of
the children, for some of them were in rags. The school is supported by
the city, and is under the direction of Quakers.

Of the courts of justice I will say nothing; they are entirely formed
after the English model. The common law of England is so well known, and
so many huge volumes written upon it, that I need say nothing on the
subject.

The state prison, which, about fifty years ago, was built for a county
jail, contained ad interim those prisoners which are intended for the
new penitentiary. For this reason this prison is overfilled with five
hundred prisoners; they were not sufficiently watched, and therefore
often riotous. Through a misdirected philanthropy of the Quakers, who
have also the direction of this prison, there are no guards on the
walls, nor in the passages, and but five overseers go continually
amongst the labouring prisoners, and their lives are often exposed. The
inspector of the house, Mr. Swift, seemed no way to favour this system,
which not only does not improve the morals of the convicts, but also
seems to threaten public security. At this time there was a bad feeling
among the prisoners, and they daily expected a riot. The Quakers
themselves, in spite of their philanthropy, seemed to have no great
confidence in the prisoners. In our walk through the prison with Mr.
Vaux, it was evident from his countenance that he felt uneasy, and as
the prisoners were assembled on the large stairs at twelve o’clock,
to go to their dinner, he ensconced himself behind the iron grate.

The female prisoners occupy one of the wings of the prison, and are
employed in spinning, sewing, knitting and pulling horse-hair, platting
straw, and washing. They sit in long warmed corridors, adjoining to the
doors of their bed-rooms; ten and more sleep in one room, on horse-hair
mattresses with blankets. There are also cells for solitary confinement
established for them; in one of them, four weeks since, a handsome girl
was confined that had been condemned for stealing, and affected to be a
simpleton, deaf and dumb, but during her solitary confinement she began
to speak sensibly, and with good understanding. The male prisoners
inhabit the other wing, and have the whole yard to themselves, where
there are several workshops. Most of the prisoners were busy in the yard
sawing marble, others weave, are tailors, shoemakers, &c. and there are
several good cabinet-makers, who make very fine furniture for the stores
in the city. All hands are busy: the invalids are mostly employed in
pulling horse-hair. In the bake-house of the institution they bake very
good brown bread, and each prisoner receives daily one pound and a half.
The prisoners have a long subterraneous room for an eating hall, which
is lighted with lamps, and receive daily good broth, fresh meat, and
potatoes. They certainly live much better than many an honest man who
has to maintain his family by his industry. A weaver was confined in the
solitary cells, who, in a moment of impatience, had cut through his
thread with a knife, because it was entangled. In each wing there is a
separate nursery for the patients of both sexes. In spite of the great
number of prisoners, great cleanliness is maintained.

His excellency, John Quincy Adams, President of the United States, had
just returned from a visit to his aged and venerable father near Boston,
and took the room next to mine in the Mansion-house. He had been invited
to the Wistar-Party on the 22d of October, at the house of Colonel
Biddle, and accepted the invitation to the gratification of all the
members. I also visited the party. The President is a man about sixty
years old, of rather short stature, with a bald head, and of a very
plain and worthy appearance. He speaks little, but what he does speak is
to the purpose. I must confess that I seldom in my life felt so true and
sincere a reverence as at the moment when this honourable gentleman whom
eleven millions of people have thought worthy to elect as their chief
magistrate, shook hands with me. He made many inquiries after his
friends at Ghent, and particularly after the family of Mr. Meulemeester.
Unfortunately I could not long converse with him, because every member
of the party had greater claims than myself. At the same time I made
several other new and interesting acquaintances, among others with a
Quaker, Mr. Wood, who had undertaken a tour through England, France,
Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Russia, mostly with the philanthropic view
of examining the prison discipline of those countries. I was much
gratified with his instructive conversation, although I had some
controversy with him on the prison discipline, as he heard that I did
not agree with his views relative to the new penitentiary, of which he
was one of the most active promoters. Mr. Livingston, who has effected
the abolition of capital punishment in the state of Louisiana, was here
lauded to the skies by the philanthropists. God send it success!

On the following day I paid my respects to the President, and gave him
the medals which Mr. Cornelissen at Ghent had confided to my care. One
silver medal was from the Botanic Society of Ghent, with an appropriate
inscription for the President; the other a bronze medal, which had been
struck in the year 1823, in honour of the Haerlem jubilee on the
discovery of the art of printing; both were sunk by the skilful artist
Mr. Braemt, at Brussels. In the evening I saw the President again, who
honoured with his presence a party at Mr. Walsh’s. I had first the
intention of leaving here to-day with the steam-boat for Baltimore, but
the arrival of the President changed my resolution, as I wished to
attend with him the anniversary, which was to be celebrated on the 24th
of October, and then to travel in his company to Baltimore.

In order to celebrate the day on which William Penn landed in the year
1683 in America, which was the origin of the state of Pennsylvania,
those who respect his memory have established a society, which
celebrates the 24th of October as a public festival. At this time the
celebration consisted of a public oration in the University and a public
dinner. Mr. Vaux called for me at twelve o’clock to go to the oration.
The building of the University of Pennsylvania was originally intended
as a dwelling for President Washington, who declined the present, and it
was then used for the University. A great number of people had collected
in one of the lecture rooms; they seated me within the tribune whence
the orator was to speak; the President, who entered soon after me, was
led to the same place, and received with loud and warm acclamations. The
oration was delivered by a lawyer, Mr. Charles Ingersoll; it contained
rather a statistic account of the state of Pennsylvania than of the
landing of William Penn; this the Quakers did not like, although the
oration was well conceived and generally admired. The orator mentioned a
particular fact, which, as far as I know, is unknown in Europe, viz.
William Penn mentions in one of his writings, of which I had already
seen the original in the library of the Philosophical Society, shown to
me by Mr. Vaughan, that by an act of Charles II. this land was given to
William Penn, and his Majesty, in honour of Penn’s father, Admiral Penn,
called it Pennsylvania; he, William Penn, had proposed the name of New
Wales, but the king did not sanction this name; Penn then offered to the
secretary of the king twenty guineas, if he would persuade the king to
call the country merely Sylvania; but even this proposition did not
succeed; the name of Pennsylvania was very unpleasant to him; for they
would think it great vanity in him, although he was very far from being
vain. In his observations concerning the manufactures of Pennsylvania,
the orator went now and then too far. He said, for instance, that
nowhere, not even in Europe, are better carriages made than in
Philadelphia, although the carriages of this place are not the very best
nor the most convenient. The school establishments, however, he pointed
out in a too indifferent light, and confessed complainingly that in the
northern states they were farther advanced than here; he particularly
observed that the University of Pennsylvania was in a poor condition. He
also complained of the dissipation of the lower classes. This oration
was much applauded; the audience likewise exhibited their respect to the
President as he retired.

I sat next to Judge Peters, a venerable gentleman of eighty-two years of
age, who was secretary of war during the revolution; moreover, I was
introduced here to Mr. Washington, nephew of the hero, and Judge in the
Supreme Court of the United States. He is the heir of his uncle, and
possessor of Mount Vernon, where his ashes rest. After the oration I
inspected the anatomical cabinet of the University; it is not a rich
collection, but has some interesting articles, viz. two wax figures of
full size, which can be taken to pieces; also a collection of human
skulls, among which I remarked particularly the flattened skulls of two
Peruvian Indians, and also a skeleton of a Creek Indian; many samples of
fractured and badly cured human bones, and many curious bones; parts of
the human body, injected or preserved in alcohol, &c.

At four o’clock, P. M. I drove with Mr. Vaux to the Masonic Hall, where
the dinner was to be given. About seventy persons, mostly gentlemen of
my acquaintance, were present. The President of the United States sat on
the right of Judge Peters, who was president of the dinner, and sat in
William Penn’s chair; I sat on the left of this worthy old gentleman,
and on my left was the orator of the day, Mr. Ingersoll. Behind Judge
Peters’s chair was William Penn’s portrait, painted in oil, and under
that was a copperplate of his well known treaty with the Indians. The
vice-president of the table was Mr. Duponceau, a Frenchman who has
resided in this country forty-seven years, and during the revolution was
adjutant to Baron Steuben; he is a lawyer, and pleads very well in the
English language. This gentleman possesses a rare talent for languages,
and has a particular fondness for the German. Gœthe’s Faust is his
favourite work, and as I agreed with his taste, we entertained ourselves
for a long time with Faust, alternately reciting our favourite passages.
The first health that was drank, was naturally that of the President of
the United States; his excellency rose, and in a short speech thanked
them heartily; as my health was drank, I also rose, excused my imperfect
knowledge of the English, and begged permission to thank them in the
French language, wherein I could express myself better and more
fluently. I then spoke a few words from the bottom of my heart,
expressing the sincere interest I take in the happiness and welfare of
this country; I congratulated the society on the pious feelings with
which they celebrate the memory of their ancestors, and particularly of
that excellent man who laid the foundation of this great community;
these would be the best security for their future prosperity.
I expressed my gladness at being present on this occasion, to witness
their animated sentiments, thanked them, feeling fully for the kind
reception I had met with, and told them that this festival, which was
still more valuable on account of the presence of the chief magistrate
of this great nation, would never fade from my memory, and that I hoped
to leave behind me friends in the new world when I should have returned
to the old. I concluded with wishes of blessings and happiness. It
appeared to me that my plain address was not unkindly received. The
president retired at eight o’clock, and I remained until ten. Among the
commonly called volunteer toasts, the following were drank: “Weimar, the
native country of letters!” I rose and said, that to this toast I could
only answer by a modest silence, as it was worthy to be answered by a
learned man from Weimar, and unfortunately I could not pretend to be
one. When young, I had left home for a military school, to run my career
in the chances of war, so that the sciences did not enter my door.
I therefore, gave them in reply, the following toast: “Pennsylvania, the
asylum of unfortunate Germans!” This toast was received with great
applause. The venerable Judge Peters[I-26] sung a song, which he
composed the preceding evening, with a great deal of vivacity, and every
one was merry and lively.

    [Footnote I-26: [Recently deceased.]--TRANS.]

The society have their laws written on parchment, bound in a very
elegant volume. This book was placed before the president and myself, to
sign; we signed it, and by this means became honorary members of this
respectable society.




CHAPTER XII.

  _Baltimore._


On the 25th of October, I made several farewell visits, and went on
board the steam-boat Baltimore at twelve o’clock, to leave the dear
Philadelphia to which I had become so much attached. Mr. Tromp had set
out several days before, to meet the Pallas at Norfolk. The President of
the United States came on board of the steam-boat soon after, in company
of several gentlemen from town. At the steam-boat wharf, a crowd of
citizens had assembled once more to see the respected chief of their
government, who is justly venerated by all intelligent men. When the
boat started, the crowd, consisting of well-dressed individuals, cheered
the president, who remained a long time uncovered. We descended the
Delaware about forty miles. This river becomes very large; the shores
are flat, and apparently well cultivated. The president had the kindness
to converse a long time with me.

I was here introduced to a Mr. Sullivan, from Boston, who seemed to be
much esteemed by the president, and Captain Maclean of the garrison of
Halifax, who was travelling for his pleasure.

I also met with Mr. De Salazar, ambassador from Colombia, with his
secretary, Mr. Gomes, and the Mexican consul, Mr. Obregon: I had already
made the acquaintance of these gentlemen in New York. Their interesting
conversation, and the moderation of their views gave me much pleasure.

We arrived at New Castle between four and five o’clock; this is a
well-built little town, situated on the right shore of the river, in the
state of Delaware, whence it is sixteen miles to Frenchtown by land,
where the Chesapeake steam-boats receive the passengers.

The president being in one of the stages, the drivers went on more
rapidly than customary. The road was in general sandy, and ran through
woods; we did not perceive any villages, as it soon became dark, and the
interesting conversation respecting the scenery ceased. Frenchtown is a
little place, which was burnt and plundered during the last war, by the
British Admiral Cockburn. We went on board the steam-boat Constitution.
This boat was very spacious, and furnished with beds, the machinery,
however, made a great noise, and produced a jarring motion.

The night was beautiful; the moonlight and the woody shores of the
river, produced a very fine effect. I remained a long time on deck in
conversation with Captain Maclean; no rest could be obtained in bed, as,
in addition to the noise of the machinery, six horses trampled just
above me on deck, and a German mechanic, who was unable to sleep, talked
to himself, near me. We arrived very early next morning at Baltimore.
After our arrival, the president took a carriage for Washington, which
is only thirty-six miles distant. The greater part of the travellers
remained in bed until between six and seven o’clock. I went through the
somewhat solitary but regular streets to the hotel, called the Indian
Queen, where lodgings had been prepared for me. Here I had the pleasure
to meet Sir Michael Clare and his lady; shortly after my arrival,
I received the visit of Mr. Huygens, son to the Chevalier Bangemann
Huygens, ambassador from the Netherlands, at Washington, officer of our
artillery, and attached to the legation. His father had the politeness
to place this young gentleman at my disposal. As soon as I was
established in the hotel, I went out in company with Sir Michael, in
order to see the curiosities of the city. The town is of a regular
construction, and contains, as I was assured, seventy-five thousand
inhabitants. Great projects are formed for increasing its prosperity;
these projects, however, have been somewhat stopped by some considerable
failures. This place has increased with almost incredible rapidity; in
the year 1752, there were only ten houses. The streets are wide, with
foot-walks, some of them are planted as in Philadelphia, with poplar
trees. The city seems tolerably animated; I saw a very great number of
negroes in the streets. The state of Maryland is the first on which I
set my foot where the slavery of negroes is legally maintained. Farther
to the south, this state of things is every where common. I merely
mention the fact; it does not belong to me to give opinions on so
delicate a subject. Still my journey convinced me of the truth of the
old observation, that inaccurate judgments are easily formed respecting
things not sufficiently known, which we have neither seen nor examined
ourselves. We first visited the Washington Monument, situated on a hill.
It is, or rather will be, erected by the state of Maryland; it consists
of a column of white marble one hundred and sixty feet high, it is to be
adorned with bas-reliefs of bronze, representing scenes from the life of
the hero. On the top of the column is to be placed the colossal statue
of this great man. But the requisite funds are wanting; and therefore
these ornaments are not yet finished. We ascended the column by a spiral
staircase of two hundred and twenty-six steps, but did not enjoy a fine
prospect, on account of the misty atmosphere. We visited another
monument, erected to the memory of the citizens who fell in the defence
of Baltimore on the 12th of September, 1814. On a pedestal stands a
column representing a bundle of staves. The names of the fallen citizens
are inscribed on the ribands which unite them. On the top is the statue
of victory; at the four corners of the pedestal, griffins. We remarked
several fine public buildings, among which, some churches were very
distinguished. The handsomest is the Catholic cathedral, the dome of
which, is similar to that of the Roman pantheon. The interior of this
church is richly ornamented, and contains several fine paintings, the
greater part of which, arrived during the French revolution. The
handsomest among them is a descent from the cross, by Gulein, in Paris,
which, according to an inscription, was presented to the church by Louis
XVIII. at the request of Count Menou. It is to be regretted that its
size does not permit it to be placed over the altar. It was suspended
near the entrance. King Charles X. is said to have promised the
companion to this piece. I was introduced in the church to the
archbishop of Baltimore, M. Maréchal,[I-27] who is the Catholic primate
of the United States. He is a native of France, and has resided in the
United States since 1792, whither he first came as a missionary. He is
spoken of as a man of much spirit and activity. His exterior is of great
simplicity; he is of small stature, and animated. When he first
addressed me, with his book under his arm, I took him for a French
teacher, but he very soon presented himself to me as the archbishop.

    [Footnote I-27: [Since deceased.]--TRANS.]

The state of Maryland contains the greatest number of Catholics, with
the exception of the state of Louisiana and Florida, where the
Catholics, on account of their wealth have some influence. Not far
distant from the cathedral is the Unitarian church, tastefully
ornamented on the exterior with columns, and surmounted by a dome. The
English Episcopal church is likewise not far distant; it has a colonade
at the entrance, but a spire without the least taste. The front of the
church is ornamented with two statues, of the Saviour and Moses, by an
Italian sculptor, (still living here,) Mr. Capellano. It is reported
that the inhabitants of Baltimore being very much scandalized at the
horns of Moses, the artist was obliged to take them off. Certain it is,
that the Moses on this church does not wear these ornaments. We saw
another building of recent construction, called the Athenæum, which was
built by subscription. We found there a small library and reading room
for American and English newspapers, and a concert room. Finally, we
went to a large building called the Exchange. A few hours after this
promenade, Sir Michael and Lady Clare set out for Now York, whence they
intended to embark for Jamaica. To them I was indebted for an
introduction to Dr. Macauley, a respectable physician, whose
acquaintance was the more agreeable to me, as I found him to be an
accomplished man. In his company I rode to Fort M‘Henry; this fort is
situated two miles from Baltimore, at the latter extremity of the
isthmus formed by the eastern and western arms of the Patapsco, which
empties into the Chesapeake Bay. This fort was rendered interesting by
the repulse of an attack made by the British the 12th of September,
1814, by water; this well-sustained defence contributed much to the
safety of Baltimore. The English disembarked their troops on the eastern
shore of the Patapsco--these were to attack the city by land, meanwhile
the fleet was to bombard, and to take Fort M‘Henry. The landed troops,
whose general, Ross, was killed, met with such resistance from the
citizens that they were compelled to retire with considerable loss; the
attack on Fort M‘Henry had no better success. The English bomb-ships
were anchored too far from the fort to allow the shells to do much
mischief. Not being able to obtain any advantage from this side, they
embarked troops in boats the following night, which, by aid of the
darkness, passed the fort, and entered the western branch of the
Patapsco. But they were discovered in time, and repelled by the
batteries situated above the fort. The fort itself is very small, and
ill-shaped; a pentagon with five little bastions, where at most but
three large guns can be mounted; in front of the entrance is a little
ravelin which defends nothing. There is no counterscarp; the ramparts
are sodded. The fort is separated from the land by a wall, which might
rather prove injurious than advantageous. Near the water’s edge there is
a battery which can contain more than fifty guns for firing over the
beach. There are also some furnaces for heating cannon balls. It was
this battery which offered the greatest resistance to the British. It
contained heavy guns formerly belonging to a French man of war, which
were served by American sailors. One thousand five hundred men stood in
this narrow space, without a single bomb-proof building in the fort, not
even the powder-magazine, and notwithstanding, not more than thirty men
were killed and wounded. Since that time, the engineers have erected
bomb-proofs on each side of the gate, as well as a bomb-proof
powder-magazine, and a bomb-proof roof over the pump. The fort is in a
decayed condition, and is to be abandoned on account of its unimportant
situation. The engineers intend to construct new fortifications several
miles farther off in the Chesapeake Bay. Moreover, the situation of this
fort is so unhealthy that the garrison leave it during the summer. From
this spot there is a fine view of both branches of the Patapsco, on
whose shores the trees in their autumnal dress of variegated leaves
presented a very handsome appearance. On returning, we ascended one of
the hills commanding the city, where we enjoyed a beautiful prospect. An
observatory situated here, announces the arrival of ships in the bay by
signals.

Dr. Macauley showed me the medical college, constructed at the expense
of the state of Maryland, a spacious and handsome building, decorated
with a portico. It contains an amphitheatre, sky-lighted rotunda for
anatomical lectures, a semi-amphitheatre for chemical lectures, to which
are joined a laboratory and a cabinet with philosophical apparatus. The
anatomical cabinet did not appear to be very rich, as the school is yet
in its infancy. I remarked a female wax figure representing a rupture of
the uterus, and several human embrios, abortions, and monsters. I saw
likewise a considerable collection of minerals, among which I saluted as
an old acquaintance, a basaltic column from the giant’s causeway in
Ireland. Seven professors lecture in the medical college; the lectures
are delivered during four months, from November to the end of February.
Near to the college is an infirmary belonging to this institution, where
the sick are nursed by an order of religious women called sisters of
charity.

The Baltimore Museum was established by the second son of the same
artist, C. W. Peale, who founded the Philadelphia Museum. His sons were
destined from their cradle to become artists, as their Christian names
are Rafaelle, Rubens, Titian, &c. One of the saloons of the museum is
occupied by the paintings of Rembrandt Peale. He succeeds very well in
some of his copies; for instance, King Lear braving the tempest, from
West; perhaps he is less successful in his originals, especially in his
full length equestrian portrait of Napoleon. Several paintings in
miniature, by Miss Peale, niece of C. W. Peale, are tolerably good.

The museum is not so extensive as that of Philadelphia; still it
contains some very interesting objects, which however, I had not time to
examine sufficiently in detail. The museum is arranged in two stories of
the buildings; the first contains various quadrupeds and birds,
I perceived a specimen of the duck-bill animal from New South Wales. The
birds are all indigenous, and are described in Wilson’s Ornithology. The
collection of American insects and butterflies is very handsome; among
them are several centipedes, large scorpions, and the mammoth spider
from South America, which kills the humming bird. These insects are well
preserved in frames of white plaster. The plaster is cast on moulds, the
insect is put into the cavity, and fastened by pins stuck in the plaster
while it is sufficiently hot to destroy the moths which may have entered
the cavity; finally, they are hermetically secured beneath watch
crystals. There is also a handsome collection of Indian antiquities,
weapons and other objects; among these arms were a great number of
arrow-heads of flint, such as I had seen among the Tuscaroras; farther,
a great number of toys, and other trifles; a skeleton of the mastodon,
but not so complete as the one in Philadelphia, forms part of this
museum; the large teeth are missing, but the lower jaw bone[I-28] is
particularly well preserved; two weeks previous to my visit it had
fallen down along with the chain by which it had been suspended from the
ceiling, and had broken in two.

    [Footnote I-28: [This is the only perfect lower jaw of the
    mastodon _ever_ found, and the lover of Natural History must
    regret the extreme carelessness of the proprietor or
    superintendent of the Baltimore Museum, which has allowed so
    valuable a specimen to be mutilated. The London Medical Society
    was once in treaty for this jaw bone, at the price of three
    hundred guineas.]--TRANS.]

There is also here, a very handsome collection of minerals. It is to be
regretted that so many rare things are not better arranged, and
separated from mere trifles. The city library was founded by
subscription; it contains about fifteen thousand volumes; I asked to see
Humboldt’s splendid work on Mexico; the library does not contain any
thing very remarkable. Mr. Thomas, a Friend, one of the philanthropic
public characters to whom I was introduced by Mr. Vaux, of Philadelphia,
conducted me to a steam-mill, situated near the basin. It seems to me
that such a mill is well worth imitating, especially in Flanders, where
running water is so scarce. The machine which moves the wheels was made
by Bolton and Watt, of Soho, in England, and is of sixty horse-power.
This mill has eight pair of stones, of which there are commonly but four
worked at a time; most of the work, which in general is done by men,
is performed by machinery connected with the steam-engine; a long and
horizontal chest leads from the interior of the mill to the wharf, where
the vessels with grain lie; from the vessel, the wheat is poured in one
of the extremities of the chest, or rather channel, along whose whole
length a spiral screw runs, which by turning brings the grain to a large
reservoir in the mill. By another piece of machinery the wheat is
conveyed to the upper part of the house and thrown into a wire cylinder,
where it is perfectly fanned, and is thence conducted to the hoppers;
the flour falls into a common reservoir, whence it is conveyed to a
bolting machine. The fine flour passes through a trough to a place where
it is spread by a horizontally revolving rake, to be cooled; after this
it runs by a spout to the ground floor, where it is packed in oaken
barrels. A workman fills the barrel with a shovel, pushes it on an iron
ring forming part of a scale, to weigh it, underneath a wooden block,
which acted upon by a lever presses the flour into the barrel; this
block, after being sponged in the common way, is again ready for
immediate use. Two hundred barrels of superfine flour can be furnished
daily by this mill, which works night and day; twelve workmen are
sufficient to attend to all the operations. The owner said he could do
with fewer, but was unwilling to dismiss them. The engine has three
boilers, one is unemployed, to be cleaned and to be in reserve in case
of an accident; from the roof of the mill there is a fine prospect over
the city and harbour.

Mr. Thomas, who is one of the trustees, accompanied us to the
Alms-house, nearly three miles distant from town, which was erected four
years ago, at the expense of the state of Maryland. The house consists
in a centre building, composed of the dwelling of the superintendent,
office, and store-house; farther off are two insulated wings, the one
for the men, the other for the females and children. The latter are
brought to the Alms-house by their parents, or they are the children of
disorderly parents taken up by public authority. Several of the paupers
are intrusted with the care of these unfortunate creatures; two
schoolmasters, who, by drunkenness, had been reduced to beggary, and
lived as paupers in the house, taught them to read and write.
I observed, with regret, that they were both armed with whips. The poor
sleep in large airy rooms, the sick excepted, who are in separate
infirmaries situated in the wings of the building; each one has a
separate bed. Some infirm females only were in separate apartments,
where three or four occupied one room. Each wing has three stories and
one under ground, containing the kitchen, the wash-house, and
bake-house; the bread used here is white and very good. Their meals are
excellent: four times a week they have meat, twice vegetables; and on
Fridays, as there are many Catholics, herrings. The building contains
two large court-yards, with all the shops necessary for several
mechanics, a large kitchen garden and all its dependencies of husbandry.
It is situated on an elevated ground of cleared woods, a considerable
number of acres of land appertaining to it, are cultivated by the poor.
They are employed according to their strength and capacity, particularly
in working for the house and in making their clothes. All the articles
not used by the establishment are sold. Every poor person on entering
the house, is shorn, takes a bath, and is clothed. For his clothes he
becomes a debtor to the establishment, and cannot be dismissed until he
has paid for them by his labour. The directors decide at this time if
such a person is able to make his living in an honest manner, and
resolve upon his discharge. Those who conduct themselves ill in the
house are punished by solitary confinement. If they are sick on entering
the house, two physicians, who are attached to the establishment, visit
them daily and alternately; four students, also, from the medical
college lodge in the house, and two of them are constantly present. For
lunatics there are appropriate cells on the ground-floor.

I was twice in the Catholic Cathedral, the first time on Sunday, October
30th. The desire of hearing good music, decided me on going to this
church, and I had no occasion to repent it. At the beginning of the
service, I remained standing near the door, but being perceived, was
conducted to a pew near the altar. The archbishop was sitting on an
elevated chair, under a canopy. The music was particularly good, both in
composition and execution. There were ladies attached to the choir, and
it was a lady who played the organ. The charity sermon, by Mr. Wheeler,
on charity and on the pleasure of doing good, was very edifying. This
text had been chosen to move the hearts of the congregation, in behalf
of the Catholic poor-school. Several days after, I returned to the
Cathedral, in company with Mr. Vallenilla, (attached to the Colombian
legation, and who had lately been married here,) to see Dr. Fenwick
consecrated bishop of Boston. The church was crowded; it was with
difficulty we obtained seats in a gallery opposite to the choir. A mass,
composed by Cimarosa, was executed under the direction of Mr. H. Gilles,
in a masterly style. I do not remember to have heard such good music for
a long time. The best female voices were those of Mrs. French, Mrs.
Gilles, and Miss Olivia Donaldson, sister-in-law to Mr. Vallenilla. The
ceremony lasted very long. I remained from ten o’clock until two, P. M.
and then left the church; the service continued until three o’clock. The
archbishop himself officiated, _in pontificalibus_, with a mitre of
cloth of gold and his gilded crosier-staff. He was served by the bishops
of Charleston and Philadelphia, who wore mitres of cloth of silver. The
first, Mr. England, delivered a long sermon, with a strong Irish accent,
of which I did not understand much, except that he drew a comparison
between a republican state citizen and a good Catholic: he spoke with
much vehemence, and was very declamatory. It is said that this prelate
is one of the pillars of the Romish church, in the United States.

I found the society very agreeable in Baltimore; at dinners every thing
was unceremonious, and the conversation very instructive and lively; the
evening parties afforded excellent music; the ladies in general are very
handsome, and sing very well. It was at one of these evening parties,
given by Mr. Henry Gilles, that I made the acquaintance of General
Bernard and his lady, Baroness Serchenfeld of Bavaria. His acquaintance
gave me great pleasure. I found him a very plain, modest and interesting
man.

In paying Mr. Thomas my parting visit, I met his father, eighty-eight
years old, and in full possession of his mental faculties. I entertained
myself a long time with him. Among other topics, he related to me, that
he had seen the spot which the city of Baltimore now occupies, a forest
inhabited by Indians.




CHAPTER XIII.

  _Stay in Washington, from the 2d until the 15th of November,
    1825._


On the morning of the 2d of November I received another visit from Mr.
de Vallenilla. He showed me a golden medal, which had formerly been
coined by the town of Williamsburg in Virginia, in honour of President
Washington, and a very well made miniature of that great man, painted by
Stewart, to which was appended his hair. The medal was in a box made of
wood from one of the trees standing near Washington’s tomb. The medal
and miniature were intended by Washington’s family as presents for
President Bolivar, and Mr. de Vallenilla was to set off within a few
days for Caraccas, in order to present them to his patron, the liberator
Bolivar.

In the public stage I left the friendly city of Baltimore, with which I
was extremely gratified, accompanied by Mr. Huygens, for Washington, the
seat of government of the United States, distant thirty-nine miles. The
weather was good and tolerably warm. The stage travelled slowly, and we
did not arrive before five o’clock in the evening. The road was
principally a turnpike, kept in a very good state. The country belonging
to the state of Maryland is for the most part hilly, covered with wood
of large-leaved oak and pine trees, appearing but very little settled.
The ground is sandy; the fields are planted with Indian corn and
tobacco. The country is for the most part uniform; we did not pass
through a single decent village. The difference between this country and
the northern states is very striking. The houses are a great deal
smaller, and of an inferior construction than the worst log-houses in
the state of New York. The most of these small houses are inhabited by
negroes, who generally had a very tattered appearance. We crossed
several creeks over good wooden bridges, and six miles from Washington,
near Bladensburg, we crossed the east branch of the Potomac, by two
wooden bridges. It was here, that in the year 1814, an engagement
between the English and the Americans took place, in which the American
militia is said to have displayed no very great degree of courage. In
consequence of this affair, the English marched into Washington, and
burned the capitol and the President’s house.

I had not formed a great idea of Washington city, but what I saw was
inferior to my expectation. The capitol stands upon an elevation, and is
to be considered as the centre of the future city. Up to this time it is
surrounded but by inconsiderable houses and fields, through which small
houses are also scattered. From the capitol, several avenues, planted
with trees, extend in different directions. We rode into the
Pennsylvania avenue, and eventually came to the houses, which are built
so far apart that this part of the city has the appearance of a
newly-established watering place. The adjacent country is very fine, and
there are several fine views upon the broad Potomac. We passed by the
President’s house; it is a plain building,[I-29] of white marble,
situated in a small garden.

    [Footnote I-29: The Duke of Leinster’s Palace served as the model
    for this building; that, however, is one story higher.]

The president resides in the middle building; the four others are
occupied as public offices. They are built of brick.

The plan of Washington is colossal, and will hardly ever be executed.
According to the plan, it could contain a population of one million of
inhabitants, whilst it is said at present to have but thirteen thousand.
To be the capitol of such a large country, Washington lies much too near
the sea. This inconvenience was particularly felt during the last war.
It has been proposed to transfer the seat of government to Wheeling, on
the Ohio, in the western part of Virginia.

Quite early next morning I received a friendly visit from the French
minister, Baron Durand de Mareuil, whom I knew in Dresden, nineteen
years ago, and afterwards as French minister at Naples, and met him in
the same quality at Brussels. General Macomb, commander of the engineer
corps of the United States, paid me a visit, and I was much delighted
with his interesting conversation. Lieutenant Huygens also came, with
whom I rode to Georgetown. This small town is amphitheatrically situated
on the Potomac, whose right bank, covered with wood and partly
cultivated, presents a pleasant view. Georgetown is separated from
Washington, or rather from the ground on which it is to stand, by a
small river called Rocky Creek, which empties into the Potomac, over
which there is a bad wooden bridge. I returned to Washington with the
minister, in order to be introduced to several of the highest public
officers, and to the diplomatic body. At first we went to the office of
Mr. Clay, the secretary of state, one of the most celebrated American
orators. He is a tall, thin man; I found him in mourning for one of his
daughters, of whom he has had the misfortune to lose three in a short
time. Afterwards we went to see the president, who received us very
kindly, and treated me as an old acquaintance. The house of the
president, as already mentioned, is built of white marble. In the
interior there is a large hall with columns. We were received in a
handsomely furnished apartment. Beautiful bronzes ornamented the
mantels, and a full length portrait of President Washington hung upon
the wall.

From the president’s house we went to the office of the war department,
to visit Mr. Barbour, the secretary, whom, however, we did not find, and
thence to the navy department, to see the secretary, Mr. Southard. This
officer is reputed to be one of the most learned men in the United
States. The four offices are all built alike, very plain, with wooden
staircases; their interior resembles a school-house. There are no
sentinels nor porters; in the building for the war department a woman
kept a fruit shop. Even the president himself has usually no sentries,
and only during the night the marines from the navy-yard keep guard
before his house.

We next visited Baron Mareuil, and I was very glad to renew my
acquaintance with his amiable lady. His house stands quite insulated,
like a country dwelling. The houses stand generally so widely distant in
Washington, that the plan of the city exhibits more streets than houses.
We made our last visit to the Russian minister, Baron Tuill, and the
English minister, Mr. Vaughan, but found neither at home. At five
o’clock I dined at Baron Mareuil’s, who gave a diplomatic dinner in
honour of the King of France’s name-day. I found the greatest part of
the diplomatic body assembled, and observed the French legation,
particularly, was very numerous. It was composed of the consul-general
Durand de St. André, brother of the Baron Mareuil, the vice-consul
Thierry, the secretary of the legation De Bresson, the Count Ganay, and
Mr. De Sonntag, a step-son of the Baron Mareuil, who was attached to the
legation, and of Mr. Laborie, who, however, did not appear. Of the
Russian legation, I found Mr. De Wallenstein, whom I had known in
Boston, and who is very much esteemed and beloved here on account of his
sensible conduct and good character, but particularly on account of his
solid acquirements and correct views. The president, it is said,
entertains a high opinion of him. I saw likewise Baron Maltitz, of the
same legation, who married an American wife some months ago, also the
Chargé d’Affaires of Brazils, Chevalier Rebello. I also became
acquainted with the secretary of the treasury, Mr. Rush, who was for
many years ambassador to England, and I met too with Mr. Brent, the
under secretary of state. The ladies present, were only Mrs. De Mareuil
and Mrs. De St. André. The dinner was truly splendid.

The number of our acquaintances soon increased, and pleasant and
interesting parties ensued. At the same time we saw what was remarkable
in Washington and its vicinity.

With Messrs. Huygens, father and son, we rode to the navy-yard, which is
under the command of a commodore. The commodore was just gone
travelling, therefore, we were accompanied on our tour by Captain Booth.
In this navy-yard ships are only built and refitted; after that they
descend the Potomac into the Chesapeake Bay, and go to Norfolk, where
they are armed. At the time of our visit there were but two frigates in
the yard, called forty-four gun ships, but mounting sixty-four pieces:
the Congress, an old ship, which was repairing, and the Potomac, an
entirely new ship, which has been launched, but subsequently hauled up
and placed under a roof.

Upon the spot where the frigate Brandywine, which carried Gen. La
Fayette to France, was built, the keel of a new frigate was laid, and at
the same time the foundation for a house over this new ship was begun.
The ground being very moist, this building is erected on piles. Opposite
the entrance of the navy-yard, stands a rostral column of white marble
with allegoric figures. It was erected by the officers and midshipmen of
the navy of the United States, to commemorate the death of their
comrades who fell in the attack of Tripoli. The English, at the time of
their taking possession of Washington, on the 25th of June, 1814, broke
the fingers of one hand belonging to the allegoric figure representing
America, and destroyed the stylus in the hand of the muse of history.
This inscription has been added to the column: “MUTILATED BY THE
BRITISH.” At the foot of the monument stand two Spanish brass
twenty-four pounders, taken by the Americans at Tripoli.

In this, as well as in other American navy-yards, there are several
buildings. I found large forges where chain-cables are made, and tried
in the same manner I had witnessed two years ago in Newbridge, South
Wales. All the old copper taken from the ships is melted, and with an
alloy of brass, converted into utensils of every description used on
board ships; a steam-engine of fourteen horse-power moves a saw-mill,
consisting of two large and several smaller circular saws, as also,
machines for block-making, which however, can by no means be compared
with Brunel’s block machine in Portsmouth; in the little arsenal are the
muskets, swords, &c. I observed a contrivance on the locks of the guns
to insulate the priming, and secure it in damp weather. I saw also a
kind of repeating musket with two locks, one behind the other. With such
muskets, by means of the anterior lock, twelve consecutive discharges
can be produced, and these being over, the gun is loaded again like an
ordinary infantry musket, and fired by means of the lowest lock. After
the anterior lock is fired, all the remaining shots incessantly follow,
and cannot be withheld at will, as it is the case with the repeating gun
bought by me in New York, already described. It is yet unknown how this
successive firing can be obtained. Captain Booth showed me also double
screws of his own invention, the object of which is to supply the place
of ordinary lanyards for ships. This officer has obtained a patent for
his contrivance, and it has been adopted, for experiment, in the frigate
Brandywine; in the same navy-yard is a laboratory, under the arsenal,
where the necessary fire-works for the artillery are made. The place
seemed to me to be ill chosen, since an explosion that may easily happen
in such an establishment, might cause most terrible consequences to the
navy-yard.

Over the Potomac there is a long wooden bridge, built upon ordinary
cross-beams. I measured it, and found it to be fifteen paces broad, and
one thousand nine hundred long. My paces being to the ordinary ones in
the relation of four to five, it may be assumed that it is about two
thousand three hundred and seventy-five paces in length. It required
nineteen minutes to walk from one end to the other. Every foot-passenger
pays six cents. This bridge astonishes by its length, but not at all in
its execution, for it is clumsy and coarse. Many of the planks are
rotten, and it is in want of repair; it has two side-walks, one of them
is separated from the road by a rail. It is lighted by night with
lanterns. It is provided with two drawbridges, in order to let vessels
pass. It grew dark before I returned home, and was surprised at the
stillness of the streets, as I scarcely met an individual.

Patents of invention are issued from the patent-office; whoever wishes
to obtain a patent for an invention, is obliged to deliver a model or an
accurate drawing of it. These models are exposed in an appropriate
place, where they remain until the expiration of the time for which the
patents are granted; they are then put into the lumber-room. Among such
models, there certainly is a great number of things of little
importance, as for instance, a contrivance for peeling apples; there are
also ninety-six models for making nails in different ways, but some of
them very remarkable. The most interesting models of machinery seemed to
me to be those intended to remove mud from the bottoms of rivers, and
canals, or to make them deeper. One of them consists of an ordinary
steam-boat; with her they go to the spot where they are to work; arrived
at the spot they cast anchor, stop the two water-wheels, and with an
apparatus which is moved by the engine, draw the mud from the bottom.
According to another model, the same operation can be performed by means
of a draw-wheel. A great many models are intended to separate seed from
cotton, to beat, spin, and weave it; none of them, however, are reputed
to be superior to the known English machines.

Of steam-engines and steam-boats there are a great many models of very
singular form, also steam-boats with rotatory motions; they however do
not answer the purpose. I saw patterns of railways, and models of
machines to draw boats from a lower canal into a higher one, by help of
an inclined plane. Then two models of floating covered batteries. One of
them was an oblong case, in which is fixed a steam-engine, giving to two
long iron bars a rotatory motion. These bars, like two clock-hands,
projecting off the deck, are intended to keep off a boarding enemy.
A model to compress leaden bullets, in order to give them more weight.
A great number of household and kitchen apparatus, fire-places of
different descriptions, an earth-augur for seeking water, fire-engines
of various kinds, a fire-proof roof, contrived by a German, several
machines to make bricks, instruments by means of which, in navigating
the Mississippi, trees lying under water can be taken hold of and sawed
to pieces without stopping the vessel in its course, machinery to bore
holes in rocks, and others to hoist rocks out of water; the machine
contrived in London by Perkins to print with steel; models of book
printing-presses; models for combing wool, and dressing woollen stuffs;
fan-mills; leather manufacturing instruments, and among others, an
instrument for splitting hides; a great number of agricultural
instruments, namely, a great many ploughs for every kind of soil,
invented by Germans; machines for mowing grass, for thrashing and
cutting straw. Among the most important machines, I will mention one for
making blocks, which is considered not to be inferior in any respect to
that of Brunel, in Portsmouth, and another which renders steeping of
flax unnecessary, and yet fits it after fourteen days drying to be
broken and heckled. For permission to take a copy of the machine, one
must pay ten dollars to the inventor. I ordered two copies; one for the
Agricultural Society of Ghent, and another to present to my father.
Several fine models of bridges, especially of hanging ones, among
others, one of the bridges in Trenton, near Philadelphia, and another of
that near Fayetteville, in North Carolina; also one of a hanging bridge,
under which is suspended a canal passing over the river. Respecting arms
I did not find much improvement. There was also a triangle of steel,
weighing six pounds, upon which three different hammers struck, to
supply the place of church bells. This ringing is said to be heard at a
great distance. It has been introduced in several places to assemble the
people.

The patent-office is in the same building with the post-office. They
pointed out to me two large gilt frames with the arms of France and
Navarre. They hung before the catastrophe of 1814, in the house of the
president, and contained full length portraits of Louis XVI. and Marie
Antoinette, which were presented in 1783, by those unfortunate monarchs
to the United States, at their especial desire. Both portraits suddenly
disappeared, and it is believed that it happened in 1814, when the
English made their unexpected visit to Washington, and burnt down the
house of the president.

The patent-office is under the direction of Dr. Thornton,[I-30] who is
an able draughtsman. Under Dr. Thornton, a Swiss is employed, whose name
is Keller, a very able mechanic, and inspector of the model room, who
explained every thing to me. Dr. Thornton was so kind as to accompany me
to a sculptor, who, by means of casting a mould upon the face, obtains a
striking resemblance, and has made busts of the first American
statesmen, &c.

    [Footnote I-30: [Since deceased. His place is supplied by Dr.
    Thomas P. Jones, of Philadelphia.]--TRANS.]

I arranged a party to the Falls of Potomac, with Mr. De Bresson, sixteen
miles distant, where we were accompanied by Mr. Huygens, Jr. On the 6th
of November, at nine o’clock, we left Washington and went five miles
upon a very rough road, along the left bank of the river, which is at
first very broad. Both shores are hilly and covered with wood, for the
most part hickory and different species of oak. Of the primitive woods
nothing is to be seen, for generally the wood is second growth. The
banks soon became rocky, and we observed even in the river some
projecting rocks. On the left shore they have dug a canal, this, however
is too narrow, and only navigable by long boats, resembling the
Durham-boats on the St. Lawrence river. In these boats, wood, lumber,
stones, especially mill-stones, and the harvest from the upper
countries, are carried to Washington.

Five miles above the city, we went over, on a hanging bridge, to the
right shore. The chains consist of bars of wrought iron. The bridge
itself is of wood, as well as the two cross-beams standing on its
extremities, through which the chains are passed; these cross-beams form
a kind of entrance, having an Egyptian appearance. The length of the
bridge is about one hundred and sixteen feet, its breadth sixteen feet.
A rather high toll is paid for passing it; we paid a dollar and a half
for a carriage with two horses, for going and coming. The road, passing
almost incessantly through a wood, became a little better after we
arrived at the other side of the bridge. It was called a turnpike road,
but still it continued hilly. We passed but a single inn, and saw but a
single country house, which belonged to Commodore Jones, whose daughter
became a Catholic and a nun, in a convent at Georgetown; this occurrence
produced a great sensation in the United States. Most of the people we
met with, were tattered negroes, who humbly saluted us. We were now in
the state of Virginia, in the vicinity of the falls; when the road
became very bad, we left our vehicle and went on foot through the
forest, to see this natural curiosity, whose noise made us sensible of
its proximity.

The river runs here over a rocky bed, and is about three hundred paces
wide; in the dry season it is a great deal narrower. It forms several
distinct falls, none of them above fifty feet high. They recall to
memory Glenn’s Falls on the Hudson, between Lake George and Saratoga.
We crept about in the labyrinth of broken rocks, not without danger or
difficulty, in order to obtain different views of these falls. The sun
was shining upon them at the time, and afforded us the sight of several
rainbows; we soon felt ourselves richly rewarded for our pains.

In order to avoid these falls, a canal with locks has been made on the
right shore. The canal passing through the rocks, is in some places dug
down more than fifty feet. We, unfortunately, had chosen Sunday for our
excursion; the inhabitants were gone to church, and there was nobody to
give us the necessary explanations. There was no vegetation on the rocks
about the falls, except some broom and single clover. We saw also upon
the rock a creeping cactus plant, resembling the cochineal cactus, with
small pear-shaped fruit, which contained a purple-red slimy juice. This
plant gave me the first sign of my approach to the south. We returned to
Washington by the road we came. Notwithstanding the late season, it was
as warm as in midsummer.

The capitol is a really imposing building. When it is once surrounded by
handsome buildings, it will produce a fine effect. It is built of white
marble, and has three domes; the largest is over the rotunda, and the
two smaller over the wings. The capitol stands on an acclivity, and in
front is three stories high, and on the back, which is opposite the
president’s mansion, four stories high. In front is the entrance, with a
portal of Corinthian columns; on the back part there is a large balcony,
decorated with columns. The entrance under the portal is a little too
low.

In the centre of the building, under the principal dome is a large
circular hall, receiving light from the roof. Pictures are to be placed
in this hall, under the bas-reliefs. One of these represents the
deliverance of Captain Smith, commander of the first English settlement
in Virginia, by the Indian Princess Pocahontas; another is an allegory,
representing the landing of European emigrants. Behind this hall is a
large saloon, contiguous to the balcony, which contains the library of
Congress. During the English incursion in 1814, the library was
destroyed by fire; the present library has been gradually collected
since, and consists in great part of the late President Jefferson’s
books. Under the large hall is a small one, supported by three rows of
columns, not unlike a family tomb. It receives its light from above, by
a round opening in the floor of the large hall, and serves as a passage.
It has been proposed to place there the coffin of the great WASHINGTON.
No principal staircase is yet built, but a great number of smaller ones.
The interior is altogether very angular. Columns and corridors are
numerous in all the lateral galleries and saloons; the capitals of the
columns are mostly of Egyptian taste, and the models seem to have been
taken from the “description de l’Egypte.” In the corridor leading to the
senate chamber, are columns, the shafts of which represent a bunch of
stalks of Indian corn, and the capitals the fruit of the same plant.
In the wings on the right hand side from the entrance, is the senate
chamber, the offices belonging to it, the office of the president, and
session room of the supreme court of the United States. This, and the
senate chamber, are built in a semicircular form. In the centre is a
place for the presiding officer. The members of the senate have their
seats amphitheatrically arranged; every one has a chair, and before him
a small mahogany desk. In this wing are hung the four pictures by
Trumbull, which are hereafter to be placed in the rotunda. One of them
represents the Declaration of Independence: there is a very fine
engraving of this picture; another, the surrender of General Burgoyne to
General Gates, near Saratoga; the third, the capitulation at Yorktown,
and the filing off of the English between the American and French army;
the fourth, the resignation of General Washington, and laying down of
his commission to congress on the 23d of December, 1783. The portraits
are said to be striking likenesses. As to the composition and execution
of these pictures, the first makes one think of the pedantic school of
Benjamin West, and the other loses by faint colouring. The painter was,
moreover, placed under restraint by want of taste in his countrymen for
the fine arts, who resemble, in that respect, their English ancestors:
the posture of almost every single person having been prescribed him.

In the other wing of the building is the hall of representatives,
likewise in form of an amphitheatre, and the offices belonging to it. In
this hall is a full length portrait of General La Fayette. The ceiling
of this saloon, like that of the senate chamber, and supreme court room,
is supported by doric columns, whose shafts are of pudding-stone. The
gallery above the principal dome, affords a very extensive view. The
principal avenues of the city, which is to be built, all depart from
this point, and this view recalls the situation of the castle at
Carlsruhe, with this difference, that here no wood, and but few houses
are seen.

With the families de Mareuil, St. André, Huygens, and all the French
legation, we made an excursion by water to Mount Vernon, the
country-seat of the great Washington. Mount Vernon is situated sixteen
miles from the capitol, and on the right bank of the Potomac, in the
state of Virginia. We hired a steam-boat for the purpose, on board of
which we went at half past ten o’clock, at Georgetown. We went across
the long bridge through an opening of a double drawbridge, and steered
down the Potomac. Washington remaining on our left, had a very handsome
appearance from the water, and especially the cape, named Greenleaf’s
point, situated at the junction of the east branch with the Potomac,
which is fortified, and contains very spacious storehouses. Eight miles
below Washington, we stopped at the city of Alexandria, lying on the
right bank of this river, in order to obtain a boat for landing at Mount
Vernon. Alexandria is one of the three cities of the district of
Columbia, which are Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria. This town is
said to have a considerable commerce; it has a harbour with wooden
wharves, near which I saw several schooners lying, and also two brigs.
It is said to contain about eight thousand inhabitants. The streets are
long and very straight, crossing each other at right angles. After a
stay of twenty minutes, we continued our course. Both banks are hilly,
in some places rocky; there is a great deal of gravel, and they are
covered with wood. At a winding of the stream we passed by Fort
Washington, recently built upon a rock on the left bank, commanding the
stream with its batteries. In an oblique direction on the opposite
shore, we at last perceived Mount Vernon, beautifully situated. The
water near the banks being very low, the steam-boat stopped in the
middle of the stream, about a mile from the shore, and we landed in
boats. We ascended by a very bad road to a place where cattle were
grazing, which I heard was formerly Washington’s garden. Between three
oaks and some cypress trees, we saw a coarse wooden door about four feet
high, in a very bad piece of masonry. I thought at first it was a
spring-house. How great was my astonishment, when I learned that this
was the entrance to the sepulchral vault of the greatest man of his
time; the ornament of his age; of WASHINGTON!

I picked up some acorns fallen from the trees which shaded the tomb; my
object was to plant them when I returned home. I took also from this
sacred spot a twig of a cypress tree. The tomb is no longer opened,
since strangers have nearly cut to pieces the whole of the pall covering
the coffin, in order to preserve it as a relic. It was last opened at
the time of General La Fayette’s visit.

Thence we went to the dwelling-house, about three hundred paces distant,
and situated on a hill, from which there is an extremely fine view of
the Potomac. This estate belongs to Judge Washington, who, being absent
upon business connected with his office the greatest part of the year,
permits his inherited property to decay very much. He has no children.
The house is two stories high, built of wood, and without taste. On the
side next the river, it has a piazza, and on the other, is the entrance
with stone steps, which are almost decayed. By means of a wooden
colonade, the house communicates right and left with the wings and
household buildings. Farther on, are houses for negro slaves, of whose
dirty, ugly, and ragged children, we saw a great many running about. It
being Sunday, we had much difficulty in finding access to the house; at
last we succeeded in getting into the lower story, which has been left
nearly in the same condition it was at the decease of its great
possessor. But the number of books belonging to the library, has been
increased by many new works by the present proprietor. A great many fine
engravings decorate the walls, especially a very handsome Louis XVI.
which Washington was presented with by that unfortunate monarch. On the
gilt frame above, are the arms of France, and below, those of
Washington’s family. In the four corners are the cyphers of the king and
G. W. There are also two very good engravings, representing the battle
of Bunker’s Hill, and the death of General Montgomery; four views of the
attack of Gibraltar and its defence, and a miniature portrait of the
great man painted on enamel. One of the keys of the Bastille, sent after
its destruction by General La Fayette to Washington, is exposed in a
case of glass, under it is a sepia drawing of the demolition of that
prison. The furniture and other regulations of the rooms, are very
plain; in the eating-room I observed a valuable chimneypiece of Italian
marble, with handsome bas-reliefs, and two columns of _gallo-antico_.

It is known that when General La Fayette was visiting Washington’s
burial place, an eagle made his appearance in the air and hovered over
the spot until the general had proceeded farther. We also observed to
day a very large one, which seemed to observe us from the height; we saw
him above us when we were embarking. He seemed to hover over the same
spot for a long while, and when the last boat came near the steam-boat,
he suddenly left the place, flew towards the wood, and was lost to
sight.

In our travelling company, I became acquainted with Count Miot, who had
formerly been minister of the interior in Naples, and afterwards in
Spain, under Joseph Buonaparte, and now was travelling for pleasure, and
to visit his ancient master. Mr. De Mareuil detained all the gentlemen
of our party to dinner at his house, and we remained there till ten
o’clock, very much pleased. At a ball given by Baron Mareuil, more than
two hundred persons, the members of the diplomatic body, the first
authorities of the country, and the principal inhabitants, were present.
I met with General Bernard, and became acquainted with General Brown, an
aged man, whose right side appeared to be palsied. The most interesting
acquaintances I made, were those of Commodore Porter, whose name, as
well as the important services he rendered to his country, and his late
trial, have rendered him known to the world, and of Colonel Roberdeau,
of the engineers. I became farther acquainted with Mr. Calvert, who told
me his son had studied in Göttingen and had some time ago travelled to
Weimar, where he was presented at court and was very well received. The
ladies were very elegantly dressed, and danced very well. They danced
mostly French quadrilles, but always with the same figures. The music
was good, and by the marine band of the garrison. The ball, however, did
not last long; I was one of the last to go, and came home at eleven
o’clock. The president was not there; he does not accept any invitation
in the city. The present president receives even the foreign ministers
only when they have been announced by the secretary of state. The
president is likewise exempt from returning visits, which he had already
the kindness to give me notice of by Mrs. Sullivan, in Baltimore.

Another ball was given by General Brown, in honour of the marriage of
Captain Gardner, of the fourth regiment of artillery. The gentlemen I
found there were mostly officers of the army. There is scarcely an army
in Europe in which the corps of officers is better composed than in the
small American army; since in the United States no one can on any
account be an officer, if he is not well educated. The officers are
exclusively taken from the military academy in West Point; no subaltern
officer is promoted. The greater part of the inferior officers who were
advanced during the last war, had been dismissed. Such a measure is in
this country unavoidably necessary, where none but people of the lowest
class enlist as soldiers in the army; without such an interval between
the officers and the rank and file, discipline could not be maintained.
Therefore, if a young man is seen in the uniform of an American officer,
it may with confidence be inferred that he is in every respect fit to
maintain his place in the best society.

At the third ball, given by Mr. Huygens, we once more met with a very
pleasant company. I conversed a long time with Lieutenant Wolf Tone, of
the first regiment of artillery. He is an Irishman by birth, educated in
a French military school. He had been formerly in the French service,
and is patronised by General Bernard.

At a visit I made to General Macomb and Major Vandeventer, at the
war-office, the general showed me many drawings and plans of fortresses
and entrenchments, together with two remarkable lists sent in every
month from West Point by Lieutenant-Colonel Thayer. One of them contains
the names of the best and worst cadets in every class, and the other the
names of those who deserve to be rewarded, as well of others who have
been punished, with indication of their faults; finally, of those who
have been expelled, and the reason of their expulsion. Both lists are
put in frames, under glass, and hung up in the general’s office; one is
changed every fortnight, and the other every month. I was told by the
general, that they saved him frequently from wasting conversation with
the parents of the cadets.

The general conducted me also to the topographical office, being under
the direction of Colonel Roberdeau. I found there several repeating
circles, theodolites and telescopes, made by Troughton and Ramsden; also
two transit instruments, destined for the observatory which is still to
be built; an instrument by Troughton, which serves for measuring the
ten-thousandth part of an English inch, and a model measure of the
English yard, French mètre and litre. This gentleman regretted that the
old English measures and weights are retained in the United States,
instead of adopting, as it has been done in the Netherlands, the new
French standard, which is much better.

There were also several good plans of battles and sieges of the
revolutionary war, namely, those of the old fortresses Ticonderoga and
Crownpoint, on Lake Champlain. I missed the most recent drawings. On the
other hand, General Macomb showed me what they call the Indian
department, where all business with the Indian tribes is attended to.
There we found portraits of a great many Indian chiefs, and several of
their wives, who have been at different periods in Washington, in order
to compliment the president. They then receive medals according to their
rank, which they wear by a riband round the neck. There were also
several weapons and different ornaments of tribes I had already seen.
Finally, I visited the ordnance department, which is under the direction
of a colonel. I saw here a gun invented by Mr. Hall, at Harper’s Ferry,
which is loaded from the breech, and with which five sure shots can be
made in a minute. With this gun, three thousand discharges had been
made, and it has proved very exact; several have been ordered, and one
or two companies are to be armed with them in case of war.

At a dinner given by the president, and at which I had the honour along
with about forty persons, to be present, were the diplomatic body, the
state secretaries, several generals, and other persons of distinction.
Among them, I made the acquaintance of Mr. Gaillard,[I-31] of North
Carolina, president pro tem. of the senate. No ladies were present,
because Mrs. Adams was not well. The table furniture was very rich.
I was particularly pleased with a service of silver gilt. The
eating-room is very spacious, besides which there were two richly
furnished rooms open. I remarked several handsome Sèvres, porcelain
vessels, and a marble bust of the great Washington, by the Italian
sculptor Ceracchi, who was afterwards shot in Paris, on account of a
conspiracy against Napoleon’s life. A great chandelier was remarkably
fine; it was made for the Emperor Napoleon, and purchased in the year
1815, by the American minister in Paris. The imperial eagles now pass
for American.

    [Footnote I-31: Since dead.]

General Brown,[I-32] during a visit, showed me a large gold medal which
was presented to him by congress, on account of his services in the late
war. On one side of it is a bust of the general, and on the other a
trophy of English arms surrounding a fasces. Four shields bear the
names, Sackett’s Harbour, Niagara, Chippewa, and Erie, with the dates on
which these places witnessed the general’s deeds. At the foot of the
trophy an American eagle is represented, holding in his talons an
English banner. This medal is not intended to be worn: the general
preserves it in a box. The American citizens are not allowed to wear any
foreign decorations; even General Bernard was obliged to lay aside those
he had so truly merited. General Brown showed me also a gold box,
presented to him by the city of New York, together with the freedom of
the city.

    [Footnote I-32: [Since dead.]--TRANS.]

On the 14th of November I began to make farewell visits, for the
dwellings in Washington are so far distant, that such visits require a
great deal of time. On this occasion, I had a long conversation with the
secretary of war, Mr. Barbour, and general Macomb, on military subjects.
I differed in opinion from the secretary about the efficiency of militia
men, of whom he, as their former general,[I-33] seemed to entertain too
high an opinion. At Mr. de Wallenstein’s I saw some good instruments;
a barometer for measuring heights, and a telescope which he had adopted
as a transit-instrument. I found there also Krusenstern’s large Atlas of
the South Sea, a fine work on bad paper. Mr. de Wallenstein had
translated an astronomical work from the Spanish into English; he had
also an English copy of the illustrations of Göthe’s Faust laid open.
With General Bernard I conversed for a long while on the science of
military engineering. He told me he had served at the defence of two
fortresses, and obtained the experience, that there can be no strong
defence, without having covered works on the front of attack. Respecting
coast batteries, he was of opinion that the best were those which had at
least an elevation of thirty feet above the surface of the water, in
order that the rebounding shots coming from ships should not attain the
breastwork. He considered the establishments for military instruction in
this country susceptible of great improvements. He had proposed to
establish a military exercise school, to which should be alternately
sent battalions of infantry, and companies of artillery; this
proposition has not been adopted. The general said also a great deal
about the importance of Anvers, and gave me many interesting
explanations of Napoleon’s designs in fortifying that place. Finally,
the conversation turned on the battle of Waterloo, at which the General
had been present as aid to the Emperor. Tears came into the eyes of this
gallant man, while speaking of his former master.

    [Footnote I-33: He had commanded the militia when Governor of
    Virginia.]

On the last day of my stay in Washington, I took a ride with Messrs.
Huygens, and Mr. de Bresson; we went to the marine barracks, where, by
order of the secretary of war, experiments with Hall’s muskets were to
be made. Mr. Hall, who is inspector of the gun manufactory at Harper’s
Ferry, was present himself.

Experiments were made on the celerity of firing; Mr. Hall fired with his
gun, and the sergeant major of the marines with an ordinary infantry
musket. The last could make but four shots in a minute; whilst Mr. Hall
made six. He has also applied his invention to ordinary infantry muskets
and rifles, and caused them to be constructed at Harper’s Ferry. They
cost the government eighteen dollars a piece. An essential improvement
would be to introduce percussion fire-locks. Moreover these arms can
only be given into the hands of very well exercised men. The government
intends to arm the left wing companies with them. For the riflemen or
light infantry, this gun seems to be very well suited. I expressed a
desire that Mr. Hall would make such a gun for me; but he replied, that
being in the service of the government, he was not allowed to make any
without particular permission of the secretary of war. The few marines
in quarters were paraded under the command of a Lieutenant, and I was
received with music and presented arms. The whole of the marine corps is
composed of but seven hundred men, who were employed on board the
squadrons in the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and in the South
Sea, to serve on board the receiving ships, and in the navy yards of
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Norfolk. Hopes were
entertained, that the next congress would consent to augment this corps
to the number of fifteen hundred men, and this augmentation would, no
doubt, have a great influence on the improvement of the service.




CHAPTER XIV.

  _Departure from Washington.-- Fredericktown.-- Harper’s Ferry.--
    Blue Ridge.-- Staunton.-- Natural Bridge.-- Wier’s Cave.--
    Charlotteville.-- University of Virginia.-- Monticello.--
    Richmond.-- Jamestown.-- Norfolk.-- Fort Monroe.--
    Fayetteville.-- Columbia._


On the 15th of November, I set out from Washington with Mr. Huygens,
jr., who was desirous of accompanying me by permission of his father.
I had hired a carriage with four horses to Harper’s Ferry, about fifty
miles from Washington, where we were to arrive in two days. The road was
for some miles very good, but afterwards it became bad and rugged and
continued so the rest of the day. We left the District of Columbia, and
again entered the state of Maryland. The country through which we were
passing was hilly, covered with wood, and in some places cultivated;
single large houses belonging to tobacco planters, and in their vicinity
small ones for the negro slaves, were scattered here and there. We went
through only one decent place called Rocksville. About seven o’clock in
the evening we reached an inn called Scholl’s tavern, situated in the
township of Clarksburg, distant from Washington twenty-five miles.

Next morning we left Clarksburg; it was pretty cool, and the road as
rough as before. It was fifteen miles to Fredericktown, over a hilly and
rocky country. Sometimes we saw handsome prospects on the mountains of
the Blue Ridge, which we were approaching. The houses that we passed by,
were like those of yesterday; the negro houses mostly of wood, with
clumsy chimnies, built close to the house. The Monocacy river we passed
at a ford within four miles of Fredericktown. This is one of the
principal places in the state of Maryland, and is situated in a well
cultivated country surrounded by hills. It has about five thousand
inhabitants, and is built very regularly. At the entrance of one of the
streets stood a wooden triumphal arch raised in honour of General La
Fayette. The inscriptions were already nearly effaced by the weather.
I had hardly alighted at the tavern, when I received a visit from a
clergyman of this place named Dr. Schaeffer, a son of a preacher of the
same name in Philadelphia. This gentleman accompanied me to see Mr.
Schley, whom I had known in Saratoga, and afterwards we went to a
Lutheran church, a very plain building. We ascended the spire in order
to have a view of the town and surrounding country. The country appeared
to be very well cultivated; their principal agricultural object is
tobacco. There are four churches, Lutheran, Reformed, Catholic and
Methodist. The public buildings are the Court-house and prison.

Harper’s Ferry was yet twenty-one miles distant from Fredericktown. The
country grew at every moment more hilly, and the road rugged and worse;
as we were approaching the Blue Ridge, we often alighted and walked.
We met with several herds and flocks, which are driven from the western
states to different seaports for sale. The wagons we met were generally
carrying products of the west; they were large wagons with five stout
horses. Every horse had on its collar a set of bells, consisting of five
different tones, which made a very singular music.

Meanwhile, our road passed mostly through forest; we went through but a
single insignificant village called Newton. The mountains grew higher
and more rocky. At last we came again to the Potomac, which we had left
the day before, and enjoyed many fine views.

This country reminded me of Pranen, near Dresden. It was night when we
arrived on the left bank of the Potomac, opposite to Harper’s Ferry;
we were obliged to wait for a considerable length of time for the
ferry-boat. When this came, we saw it was conducted by an intoxicated
negro; even the ferry-boat itself was very bad; however, we fortunately
crossed the shallow river, passing amidst pieces of rocks, and perceived
at some distance up, three piers standing in the river, on which the
next year, a bridge was to be built. Having crossed, we came into the
state of Virginia. At Harper’s Ferry, we took our lodgings in a neat
tavern; and I had here the pleasure to see Dr. Weise, from Dresden, who,
as soon as he knew I had arrived, came to see me. I take the liberty of
inserting here the following description of this country, by THOMAS
JEFFERSON, in his “Notes on the State of Virginia.”

“The passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is perhaps one of the
most stupendous scenes in nature. You stand on a very high point of
land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the
foot of the mountain an hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left
approaches the Potomac, in quest of a passage also. In the moment of
their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder,
and pass off to the sea. The first glance of this scene hurries our
senses into the opinion, that this earth has been created in time, that
the mountains were formed first, that the rivers began to flow
afterwards, that in this place particularly they have been dammed up by
the Blue Ridge of mountains, and have formed an ocean which filled the
whole valley; that continuing to rise they have at length broken over at
this spot, and have torn the mountain down from its summit to its base.
The piles of rock on each hand, but particularly on the Shenandoah, the
evident marks of their disrupture and avulsion from their beds, by the
most powerful agents of nature, corroborate the impression. But the
distant finishing which nature has given to the picture, is of a very
different character. It is a true contrast to the foreground. It is as
placid and delightful, as that is wild and tremendous. For the mountain
being cloven asunder, she presents to your eye, through the cleft,
a small catch of smooth blue horizon, at an infinite distance in the
plain country, inviting you, as it were, from the riot and tumult
roaring around, to pass through the breach and participate of the calm
below. Here the eye ultimately composes itself; and that way too the
road happens actually to lead. You cross the Potomac above the junction,
pass along its side through the base of the mountain for three miles,
its terrible precipices hanging in fragments over you, and within about
twenty miles reach Fredericktown, and the fine country round that. This
scene is worth a voyage across the Atlantic. Yet here, as in the
neighbourhood of the Natural Bridge, are people who have passed their
lives within half a dozen miles, and have never been to survey these
monuments of a war between rivers and mountains, which must have shaken
the earth itself to its centre.”

The morning after my arrival at Harper’s Ferry, I visited Mr.
Stubbersfield, director of the gun manufactory, to whom I was
recommended by the secretary of war, and he showed me the establishments
under his orders. The workshops are in seven large stone buildings, of
which the interior partitions, with regret be it spoken, are of wood.
The buildings stand in rows, four at the foot of the mountain, and
opposite to them, three on the bank of the Potomac. At the entrance of
the street which they form, is Mr. Stubbersfield’s office, from which he
can overlook the entrances of all the buildings. The machines are moved
by water-wheels. All the buildings are two stories high; in the lower
part are the forges, and in the higher stories, workmen who use no fire
in their work. In the working of iron I saw nothing new. The iron
employed for barrels, comes from Juniata, in the state of Pennsylvania,
and is in plates, of which each is calculated for one barrel. The steel
is German, called Halbach’s steel, furnished by Mr. Halbach, of
Philadelphia. Every gun must pass through one hundred and twenty hands
before it is ready. A particular workman is appointed for every part and
paid for it separately, when the work has been duly examined, and proved
to be good. A skilful and diligent workman can gain two dollars per day.
When the workmen have prepared all the parts of a fire-lock, they
deliver them to a man who examines, tries them, and puts them together.
The barrels are turned by means of rings, which can be rendered smaller
or larger. The machinery for making gun-stocks was the most interesting
to me, because it was formerly a very laborious work. A piece of iron is
screwed upon a piece of wood, which has been made in the form of a
stock, at the place where the barrel is to be placed. After this the
piece is screwed into the machinery; in a parallel direction to it a
piece of iron is screwed, having the same form that is to be given to
the stock. The planing is performed by means of a wheel, to which are
adapted ledge-planes. The operation begins with the muzzle, and ends
with the breech of the gun. The gun-stock moves together with the iron
model, each round its axis, having a parallel direction with the axis of
a plain wheel of brass, which is rubbing on the iron model, and
following all its prominences and cavities. This wheel is also put in
motion and drawn towards the breech by means of an endless screw; during
this motion it planes the gun-stock off, and gives it the proper form.
This operation lasts six or seven minutes, and there is nothing to
prevent it from turning at the same time another gun-stock on the other
side. The gun-stock being duly formed, is taken out of the machinery,
and another put in its place; then the iron piece is taken away from the
turned gun-stock, it is fixed in a cramp, and applied to a bore-plane
for making the groove to receive the barrel.

This manufactory, and that of Springfield, the only ones belonging to
the government, furnishes at present in time of peace, fifteen thousand
guns yearly. These guns are generally browned by the process indicated
by Dupin, also, the rings and bayonets, the last of which are kept
bright by the British.

Mr. Stubbersfield conducted me also to the arsenal, in which the
finished muskets are delivered, and are either here preserved, or packed
up in cases by twenty, and sent to other arsenals. In the interior of
the arsenal, every thing is of wood, notwithstanding the great
importance of being fire-proof, as it contains such a large capital.
There were eighty-four thousand guns. If the value of one be estimated
only at thirteen dollars, it makes the sum of one million and ninety-two
thousand dollars.

From the arsenal, we were conducted to a new manufactory, half a mile
from the town, where Mr. Hall’s patent guns are constructed under his
own direction. He not being present, I was not fortunate enough to find
any body to explain the machinery, which appeared not yet in full
action. Dr. Weise, went with us to a mountain above this place, called
Jefferson’s Rock. The prospect from it is really very fine; it agrees
with the description, yet I believe I have seen finer landscapes in
Germany. From that place also, the town can be surveyed, the houses of
which appeared to be rather scattered; of its fifteen hundred
inhabitants, three hundred are working in the gun manufactory. The
ground for the most part belongs to the government, and well recommended
persons obtain permission to build upon it. On an elevation, near
Jefferson’s Rock, a large building, three stories high, has been
erected. The first story was intended for a church, the second for a
Lancasterian school, and the third for a free mason’s lodge. I suffered
very much from a very cold wind, which brought with it a little snow.
In the evening, Dr. Weise came to me with a bridge builder, who was a
native of Reuslingen, who came here thirty years ago as a baker, and
then had learned the art of constructing mills and bridges. The second
bridge on the Schuylkill, above Philadelphia, built of a single arch, is
of his invention, and the next year he was to build one here over the
Potomac.

On the 19th of November, we left Harper’s ferry in a clear, but very
cold morning, and set off on a journey to the Natural Bridge, which is
one hundred and seventy-five miles distant. We rode in an ordinary
stage. The improvement of stages, appears not yet to have extended
beyond the Blue Mountains, because we were obliged to be contented with
one, which was in every respect very uncomfortable. The way led us
through a hilly country and was very bad. We went for a considerable
distance on rocks; on the road, a great many loose stones were lying,
and I was surprised, that our miserable vehicle was not broken to
pieces. At break of day, we arrived at a small place called Smithfield,
eighteen miles from Harper’s ferry. A couple of miles farther, we came
to warm Sulphur Springs, the water of which has the taste of spoiled
eggs, like that of Aix-la-Chapelle. It seems to be very little known, as
there is no enclosure around it, and no houses near. A lucky chance will
no doubt make it known, and I should not be surprised, were I to come
hither again in fifteen or twenty years, to find at this spot an elegant
watering place, somewhat like Saratoga Springs. The road continued
through a forest of oak, chesnut, acacia, and cedar trees; houses were
seldom met with. We forded many creeks, the most considerable of them is
called Cedar creek. We observed also some grist-mills. It froze pretty
hard, so that the borders of the creeks were covered with a pretty thick
ice, and large icicles hung on the sluices of the mills. Eleven miles
beyond Smithfield, we came to Winchester, a very nice country town,
where the houses are mostly of masonry, and form a long principal
street, intersected by other smaller ones; it has a market-house, and
many stores, which appeared to be very well provided. Here we changed
our stage for a better one, although still very inconvenient. The wood
of which it was constructed was hickory, which has a great deal of
elasticity.

From Winchester, we went to Stephensbury, eight miles farther, to
Middleton, then to Strasburg, six miles, and at last to Woodstock,
twelve miles, where we passed the night. This place is sixty-one miles
distant from Harper’s ferry. We reached our night-quarters in the
evening about six o’clock, in a very cold night and a fine moonshine.
The places between Winchester and Woodstock were not considerable,
except Strasburg, which is more ancient than the others, and appears to
have a larger population. The houses are generally of wood and covered
with shingles, although a great number of stones are found here. The
country became at last very fine. On our left we saw the Blue Ridge,
from which we now withdrew at every moment. Another ridge, in a parallel
direction with the former, called the Northern Ridge, rose suddenly
between us and the Blue Ridge, which soon entirely disappeared. On our
right there was another ridge of mountains, it was an arm of the
Alleghany Mountains, and we went through a valley at least ten miles
wide. The formation of these parallel ridges is very singular, and no
instance occurs of it in the other parts of the world. The country was
pretty well cultivated, and by the exterior appearance of many
country-houses, we were induced to believe their inhabitants enjoyed
plenty. The enclosures of fields are here, for the most part, the
above-mentioned old fences, yet next to the houses they are of masonry
carefully formed. As it appeared, they travel here much on horseback.
On account of great distances between the plantations, almost all the
ladies can ride on horseback; we met several of them elegantly dressed,
and also black women. The race of horses of this country, appears to be
a very strong one. They use also oxen for drawing; to many carts were
put two oxen, and before them two horses. On the 20th of November, we
left Woodstock at half-past two o’clock in the morning, in a very
miserable stage, and proceeded to Staunton, seventy-one miles distant,
on a still more rugged road than that of yesterday; in this place we
passed the night. The places on our way were mostly insignificant: only
Shryock, New Market, Big Spring, and Harrisonburg, deserve to be
mentioned; the last of them is said to have from eight to nine hundred
inhabitants. The greatest part of the houses were wooden ones, and but a
few of masonry. This part of the state of Virginia does not bear
comparison with Massachusetts, New York, or even Pennsylvania. The great
number of slaves in this state, makes also a very bad impression.[I-34]
The largest part of the country is not covered with wood, and appears to
be well cultivated. As for the rest it is very hilly, and on our left
hand we had all day the ridge of North Mountains, of which, however, we
could not see much, owing to the fogginess of the weather. We crossed
many streams at fords; these streams were rather torrents. We crossed
the Shenandoah near its source. About seven o’clock in the evening we
reached Staunton, and took our lodgings in an unpleasant tavern. This
long and uncomfortable journey, in an extremely bad stage, and upon a
very rough way, made me quite uneasy, and my young travelling companion
more so, for he seemed not to be very much accustomed to such fatigues.
I suffered, however, this want of comfort with a great deal of patience.

    [Footnote I-34: [“Let it never be forgotten that a part of the
    quarrel of the Americans with the government of Great Britain,
    arose from the determination of the former not to tolerate the
    farther importation of slaves; an importation absolutely forced on
    them by England, in consideration of the vested rights of the
    Royal African Company!!! With an admirable grace does England
    upbraid America with tolerating slavery,--a curse by her inflicted
    on her colonies.” --_London Literary Chronicle, June 7th,
    1828._]--TRANS.]

On the 21st of November, we were obliged to stay in Staunton, because
the stage goes only every other day to the Natural Bridge, which is on
the road to Knoxville and Louisville, and this bridge being too far
distant from Staunton, we could not, with a hired carriage, go there,
and return within two days. We employed the leisure forced upon us in
examining the country. The town itself is small, has about one thousand
six hundred inhabitants, and consists, properly speaking, of but two
principal streets, intersecting each other at right angles. The greatest
part of the houses are of wood, covered with shingles. Staunton is the
chief place of Augusta county; the court was in session, and on that
account a great many lawyers were present. The town is surrounded by
hills and covered with wood, as far as I could observe in the foggy
weather, which lasted all day. The Shenandoah here is but a small brook;
opposite the town is a limestone rock, having many cavities. I was told
they were very spacious. I tried to creep in, but found the entrance so
narrow and low, that I was obliged to give it up. I had obtained from
Mrs. Weightman, in Washington, a letter of introduction to Dr. Scheffey,
her brother-in-law, and the most renowned lawyer in the place.
I delivered it, and received a visit from this gentleman. He came with
several of his brother lawyers, and among them three generals of militia
were introduced. Dr. Scheffey himself was a major, and almost every
inhabitant of distinction is invested with a rank in the militia. The
custom being here to call one another by their military rank, one is
tempted to believe himself transported to the head-quarters of some
army! In conversing with these gentlemen, I observed with astonishment
the aristocratical spirit which the Virginians possess. I was astonished
to hear them praising hereditary nobility and primogeniture! In the
evening I went to see Dr. Scheffey, and we spent the time very
pleasantly over a good glass of wine, and in rational conversation.

The next morning, I left my baggage in Staunton at half past two
o’clock, in a miserable stage, in order to go to the Natural Bridge,
upon a very bad road. We passed only two decent places, Fairfield and
Lexington, the last is the chief town of Rockbridge county, and has a
court and high school. On account of a fog, which lasted all day, we
could see but little of the country, which in some parts of Rockbridge
county becomes very mountainous. We forded two small streams, called
Middle river and Buffalo creek, over the last there is a wooden bridge,
which is made use of only at very high water. Our travelling company was
not the most agreeable, it was composed of two Americans, who did not
open their mouths, and of an Irish resident, who talked the more for the
silence of the others; all this was disagreeable enough. At times he
became interesting, when he had cheered his heart with whiskey. We
passed by many very handsome country-houses; at one of them we saw eight
large black eagles sitting on a fence, they were fed by the care of the
proprietor. The inhabitants seem not very fond of shooting, for I saw
snipes in Fairfield, which flew even into the yard of the tavern. Game
is here very abundant, a deer costs about a dollar and a half.

In the afternoon we reached a lonely tavern, situated in the mountains
called Natural Bridge, which is fifty miles distant from Staunton.
I availed myself of the short time the sun remained above the horizon to
hasten to the Natural Bridge, which is a mile and a half distant from
the tavern, and for the sake of which I had made so great a circuit and
suffered so many fatigues. A young negro slave from the tavern was our
conductor; the way lead through mountains overgrown with wood. At last I
stood upon a rock whence I could overlook the cleft and the bridge just
before me. In Jefferson’s Notes, that learned man gives a description of
the bridge, which is as follows:

“The Natural Bridge, the most sublime of Nature’s works, though not
comprehended under the present head, must not be pretermitted. It is on
the ascent of a hill, which seems to have been cloven through its length
by some great convulsion. The fissure just at the bridge, is by some
admeasurements, two hundred and seventy feet deep, by others only two
hundred and five. It is about forty-five feet wide at the bottom, and
ninety feet at the top; this of course determines the length of the
bridge, and its height from the water, its breadth in the middle is
about sixty feet, but more at the ends, and the thickness of the mass,
at the summit of the arch about forty feet. A part of this thickness is
constituted by a coat of earth, which gives growth to many large trees.
The residue, with the hill on both sides, is one solid rock of
limestone.--The arch approaches the semi-elliptical form, but the larger
axis of the ellipsis, which would be the chord of the arch, is many
times longer than the transverse. Though the sides of this bridge are
provided in some parts with a parapet of fixed rocks, yet few men have
resolution to walk to them, and look over into the abyss. You
involuntarily fall on your hands and feet, creep to the parapet, and
peep over it. Looking down from this height about a minute, gave me a
violent head-ache. If the view from the top be painful and intolerable,
that from below is delightful in an equal extreme. It is impossible for
the emotions arising from the sublime, to be felt beyond what they are
here: so beautiful an arch, so elevated, so light, and springing as it
were up to heaven! The rapture of the spectator is really indiscribable!
The fissure continuing narrow, deep, and straight, for a considerable
distance above and below the bridge, opens a short but very pleasing
view of the North Mountain on one side and Blue Ridge on the other, at
the distance each of them of about five miles. This bridge is in the
county of Rockbridge, to which it has given name, and affords a public
and commodious passage over a valley, which cannot be crossed elsewhere
for a considerable distance. The stream passing under it is called Cedar
creek. It is a water of James’s river, and sufficient in the driest
seasons to turn a grist-mill, though its fountain is not more than two
miles above.”

I confess that I am no poet; yet I was very glad to have taken the
trouble of coming hither; this rock-bridge being certainly one of the
greatest wonders of nature I have ever beheld; and I have seen Vesuvius
and the Phlegrean fields, the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, the Island of
Staffa, and the Falls of Niagara! The brook under the bridge was almost
dry; the most majestic view is from below.

On the 23d of November we left the wretched tavern at the Natural
Bridge, and returned to Staunton in a crowded stage, in which were four
gentlemen from the state of Tennessee, members of congress, going to
Washington. I took my seat as usual alongside the coachman, where I had
more room and fresh air. We returned as far as Lexington by the road we
left it. Having stopped for a short while here, I was the object of much
curiosity to the German descendants who are settled here. The town of
Lexington was first established about forty years ago, and it now
contains eleven hundred inhabitants. In its vicinity upon a hill, is a
large arsenal covered with zinc, belonging to the United States.

From Lexington we took another road which led us through the
considerable villages of Brownsburgh and Middleburgh. The road was in
some places very bad, and terribly rough; but we sometimes found a side
road, which in that dry season was still very good; it ran generally
through a forest. We saw lonely houses and met with many travellers on
horseback, several of them were well dressed white women. All our
coachmen in this state were whites; I was surprised at this, knowing
that black coachmen could be had at a cheaper rate, and was told that in
this state, blacks were not allowed to drive the mail stage.

On the 24th of November, after nine o’clock in the morning, we set out
from Staunton in a hired coach, in order to pass by a circuitous route
the celebrated Wier’s cave, and thence continue our journey to
Charlotteville, whither we had sent our heavy baggage by the stage.

As far as Wier’s cave, eighteen miles distant, we had a good country
road. We took our lodgings in a lonely house belonging to Mr. Mohler,
a German from Pennsylvania, of Saxon origin. The way was through a
hilly, woody country; many breaks in the earth presented limestone
rocks, and announced the proximity of caves. For a sportsman this
country must be delightful, for we saw in the woods two flocks of
partridges, which left the road, only to give way to the passing
carriage, and then settled at not more than ten paces from us. On the
banks of the creeks we saw a great number of snipes. Mohler’s house is
situated on a considerable creek, called the South river, which by means
of a canal, works a grist-mill and forge.

The grist-mill belongs to a miller, who has also a whiskey distillery,
and upwards of one hundred acres of land, with four negro slaves. He
cultivates wheat, some rye, and a great quantity of Indian corn. His
mill, a large stone building, is arranged very compendiously, and
reminded me of the large steam-mill at Baltimore. There are only two
pairs of stones, one for wheat, and the other for Indian corn. The
boulted flour is conveyed to the upper floor by means of elevators, and
spread upon it by a rake, which has a circular and horizontal motion, in
order to cool it. He sends his flour packed up in barrels to Richmond,
and even to Baltimore. The industrious Mohler has connected with his
grist-mill, a saw-mill, and a mill to break flax, which is likewise
cultivated, though not in a large quantity; this year, on account of the
dryness, it has failed.

The entrance of the cave is about a mile and a half from Mohler’s house,
and is situated in the middle of a steep side of a mountain on the bank
of the South river. We crept down the hollow, every one provided with a
taper, and came directly into a space where we could stand up; there
were some beautiful stalactites, mostly in columns. This place is called
the antichamber. Then we arrived at a hall called dragon’s room, from a
stalactite, which is said to have the form of a dragon. Several of the
stalactites are not unlike waterfalls; one of them is called Niagara
Falls.

The following gallery is called the Devil’s gallery, from a figure
standing in it; yet I found in this figure more resemblance to a statue
of the virgin, than to that of a devil.

A whole stratum of the stalactites detached from the roof of the cavern,
was as it were, suspended between heaven and earth, and afforded a fine
view, especially as a new formation of stalactites took place between
the roof and the suspended stratum.

A narrow hollow passage leads into a more spacious cavern called
Solomon’s Temple; here are very singular and mostly foliated transparent
stalactites, hanging from the roof down to the floor. Not far from that
cavern is another, named hide-room, in which the stalactites hang down
in form of hides in a tannery. Then we came into another vault, which is
called the drum-room, because if a stone is thrown against the
stalactites, they give a sound resembling that of a drum. Some of the
stalactites having the form of sticks, and ranged in circles, produce
all the sounds of an octave, if struck with a stick. You pass afterwards
through a narrow passage, by an opening, which looks like an antique
tomb in ruins, and is called Patterson’s grave, in commemoration of an
individual of that name who fell in there. By means of a rather rotten
ladder, you come now into a very high smooth saloon, eighty feet long,
called the ball-room, in which benches are placed; I was told that
visitors having ladies with them, entertained themselves here very often
with dancing. Then you ascend another ladder, and creep on all fours
through a narrow hollow, which has been partly enlarged by a mine, when
you arrive at a natural, but very slippery staircase, called Jacob’s
ladder, which you descend; then passing through a narrow dungeon, you
get into a more spacious room, named Senate-chamber, when by means of a
rotten ladder you reach a long gallery, called Washington-hall, from a
large stalactite standing in the middle of it, and having the form of a
statue, which is called Washington’s statue.

Not far from this statue, there is a small fountain, the water of which,
though very thirsty, I did not venture to drink, having some days since
experienced bad consequences from drinking water from limestone rocks.
Next to this hall, is a place in which the stalactites covering the
rock, have a shining crystalline-like surface, wherefore this vault is
called the diamond room. Farther on, you get in a large saloon called
the dining room, in which the stalactites represent something not unlike
a side-board set with bottles and tumblers. In Washington-hall there is
a heap of this filtered stone, called the hay-stack, and over it hangs
another stalactite, having the form of a rake.

From the dining room, we passed into the last cave, that had been
hitherto visited, by the name of Jefferson’s-hall, in which are seen
several clefts, and I am persuaded that a new passage could be easily
opened, and new caves discovered. In different spots of the cavern,
where the crust of the stalactites is broken, we saw hollows, which have
not yet been examined. Such an undertaking, seems the more worth while,
as this cave is probably in communication with the Madison’s cave, which
was discovered by Jefferson, many years ago, and is in the same
mountain; its entrance being only three hundred yards distant from that
of Wier’s cave.

Wier’s cave was discovered in the year 1806, by a German farmer named
Wier; Madison’s cave is not any longer visited; it is said also, that
its finest stalactites have been destroyed by the indiscretion of
strangers.

My attention in Wier’s cave, was particularly attracted by plates, which
came off from the roof of the cavern, and hang from it, so that new
stalactites have been formed between them and the roof, the last giving
the others a very singular form. One of these plates looks like a large
shell of mother of pearl,--another, like a looking-glass. The cave is of
course damp, from the dripping of water, but it is less so than I
expected, and less than is the case in such caves in Germany and
England. The temperature was pretty high, and the air very pure. Our
candles burnt with a bright flame, and we felt no difficulty in
breathing.

From Jefferson’s hall, we began our rather difficult retreat, and came
again into day-light, which was already decreasing.

We spent the rest of the evening with our friendly landlord, by a
chimney fire; he had a bible in folio, printed in Nuremberg in the year
1765, with the portraits of my ancestors, the Grand Duke William IV.,
the Grand Duke Bernhard, and others.

It was interesting to me, to be reminded of my family in such a way,
when in the interior of Virginia, and beyond the Blue Ridge.

On the 25th of November, we set out for Charlotteville, thirty-two miles
distant, passing over the Blue Ridge. The road is through a country
little cultivated, and without a single village; and the number of
separate houses could scarcely be more than a dozen. After we had gone
about five miles, we arrived at the western base of the Blue Ridge,
which affords an agreeable view, being overgrown with wood up to the
top. Then we entered a narrow valley, and when the road began to ascend,
we alighted and walked over the mountains. I was surprised to find the
road less steep than I expected, and it was also pretty good. From
elevated places, the day being not so foggy as the preceding ones, we
had many fine views of the mountains. The wood consisted of oak trees,
and different kinds of nut trees; here and there were colossal fir,
larch, Weymouth’s pine and acacia trees. Evergreen rhododendrons, for
which some amateurs in Europe spend a great deal of money, are growing
here in abundance, also wild vines, which wind themselves round the
trees. The prospect on the mountains would have been more pleasant, had
there been some marks of human dwellings, but we saw only two miserable
log houses, inhabited by dirty and ragged negro families, on the whole
tract for eight miles over the mountains; and we met but a few carts
loaded with flour.

Having crossed the Blue Ridge, we arrived at a good-looking country
house, and a mill called Brown’s Farm, situated at the base of the
mountains, and took our dinner there. This house is surrounded by fields
belonging to it, and from its piazza there is a very fine view of the
mountains. From this place we had yet twenty miles to Charlotteville.
The road became less hilly, at least we had no more mountains to cross;
however, the road continued very rough, and we were rudely jolted. About
eight o’clock in the evening we reached Charlotteville, in which the
houses appeared to be scattered. In its vicinity is a new establishment
for education, called University of Virginia. The next morning we went
to see the university, which is one mile distant from the town.

This establishment has been open since March, 1824, and it is said to
have already one hundred and thirty students; but a spirit of
insubordination has caused many of the pupils to be sent away. The
buildings are all new, and yet some of them seem to threaten to fall in,
which may be the case with several others also, being chiefly built of
wood. The interior of the library was not yet finished, but according to
its plan it will be a beautiful one. The dome is made after the model of
the Pantheon in Rome, reduced one half. This place is intended for
public meetings of the academy: but it is said that an echo is heard in
case of loud speaking, which renders the voice of the speaker
unintelligible.

Under the rotunda are three elliptical halls, the destination of which
is not yet entirely determined. The set of columns on the outside of
this building, I was told is to be a very fine one; the capitals were
made in Italy.

As for the rest, the ten buildings on the right and left are not at all
regularly built, but each of them in a different manner, so that there
is no harmony in the whole, which prevents it from having a beautiful
and majestic appearance.

The garden walls of the lateral building are also in crooked lines,
which gives them a singular but handsome appearance. The buildings have
been executed according to Mr. Jefferson’s plan, and are his hobby; he
is rector of the University, in the construction of which the state of
Virginia is said to have laid out considerable sums of money.

We addressed a gentleman whom we met by chance, in order to get some
information, and we had every reason to be satisfied with his
politeness. It was Dr. Dunglison, professor of medicine. He is an
Englishman, and came last year with three other professors from Europe.
He showed us the library, which was still inconsiderable, and has been
provisionally arranged in a lecture room; it contained some German
belles lettres works, among others a series of Kotzebue’s calendar of
dramatical works. It was said a great quantity of books was coming from
Europe.

The university is situated on a hill in a very healthy situation, and
there is a very fine view of the Blue Ridge. President Jefferson invited
us to a family dinner; but as in Charlotteville there is but a single
hackney-coach, and this being absent, we were obliged to go the three
miles to Monticello on foot.

We went by a pathway, through well cultivated and enclosed fields,
crossed a creek named Rivanna, passing on a trunk of a tree cut in a
rough shape, and without rails; then ascended a steep hill overgrown
with wood, and came on its top to Mr. Jefferson’s house, which is in an
open space, walled round with bricks, forming an oblong, whose shorter
sides are rounded; on each of the longer sides are portals of four
columns.

The unsuccessful waiting for a carriage, and our long walk, caused such
a delay, that we found the company at table when we entered; but Mr.
Jefferson came very kindly to meet us, forced us to take our seats, and
ordered dinner to be served up anew. He was an old man of eighty-six
years of age, of tall stature, plain appearance, and long white hair.

In conversation he was very lively, and his spirits, as also his hearing
and sight, seemed not to have decreased at all with his advancing age.
I found in him a man who retained his faculties remarkably well in his
old age, and one would have taken him for a man of sixty. He asked me
what I had seen in Virginia. I eulogized all the places, that I was
certain would meet with his approbation, and he seemed very much
pleased. The company at the table, consisted of the family of his
daughter, Mrs. Randolph, and of that of the professor of mathematics at
the university, an Englishman, and of his wife. I turned the
conversation to the subject of the university, and observed, that this
was the favourite topic with Mr. Jefferson; he entertained very sanguine
hopes as to the flourishing state of the university in future, and
believed that it, and the Harvard University near Boston, would in a
very short time be the only institutions, where the youth of the United
States would receive a truly classical and solid education. After dinner
we intended to take our leave, in order to return to Charlotteville; but
Mr. Jefferson would not consent to it. He pressed us to remain for the
night at his house. The evening was spent by the fire; a great deal was
said about travels, and objects of natural history; the fine arts were
also introduced, of which Mr. Jefferson was a great admirer. He spoke
also of his travels in France, and the country on the Rhine, where he
was very much pleased. His description of Virginia is the best proof
what an admirer he is of beauties of nature. He told us that it was only
eight months since he could not ride on horseback; otherwise, he rode
every day to visit the surrounding country; he entertained, however,
hopes of being able to re-commence the next spring his favourite
exercise. Between nine and ten o’clock in the evening, the company broke
up, and a handsome room was assigned to me.

The next morning I took a walk round the house, and admired the
beautiful panorama, which this spot presents. On the left, I saw the
Blue Ridge, and between them and Monticello are smaller hills.
Charlotteville and the University lay at my feet; before me, the valley
of the Rivanna river, which farther on, makes its junction with the
James river, and on my right was the flat part of Virginia, the extent
of which is lost in distance; behind me was a towering hill, which
limited the sight. The interior of the house was plain, and the
furniture somewhat of an old fashion. In the entrance was a marble stove
with Mr. Jefferson’s bust, by Ceracchi. In the rooms hung several copies
of the celebrated pictures of the Italian school, views of Monticello,
Mount Vernon, the principal buildings in Washington and Harper’s Ferry;
there were also an oil painting, and an engraving of the Natural Bridge,
views of Niagara by Vanderlin, a sketch of the large picture by
Trumbull, representing the surrender at Yorktown, and a pen drawing of
Hector’s departure, by Benjamin West, presented by him to General
KOSCIUSZKO, finally, several portraits of Mr. Jefferson, among which the
best was that in profile by Stuart. In the saloon there were two busts,
one of Napoleon as first consul, and another of the Emperor Alexander.
Mr. Jefferson admired Napoleon’s military talents, but did not love him.
After breakfast, which we took with the family, we bid the respectable
old man farewell, and set out upon our return on foot to Charlotteville.

Mr. Jefferson tendered us the use of his carriage, but I declined, as I
preferred walking in a fine and cool morning. In the afternoon we left
Charlotteville, in a tolerably good stage, in order to go to Richmond,
the chief town of Virginia, distant eighty miles. A student was our
travelling companion, and so we had plenty of room. But the stage went
only ten miles to a small tavern situated in a wood, and kept by Mrs.
Boyd. We passed by not far from Monticello, crossed the Rivanna at a
rather deep ford, and remained for some miles on its left bank. The
banks were high and rocky in some places. The road was, for the greatest
part, through a wood, hilly and rough; in some places it was what they
call causeway.

On the 28th of November we set out at half past two o’clock in the
morning, by moonlight and very cold weather, and went seventy miles to
Richmond. The stage was better, and the road was also better than
formerly. Notwithstanding that the country continued hilly,
a considerable portion of the road was causeway, for the greatest part
of logs, and the country uninteresting. When we approached James river,
along the banks of which we went for some miles, the country grew finer,
and had it been more settled I would have compared it with that on the
Elbe, above Dresden. The ground was in the beginning loamy, then sandy.
We changed horses at isolated taverns. Gordonsville and Goochland were
the only villages through which we passed, and in these villages too the
houses were very scattered, and almost all of them of wood. We rode on
the left bank of James river, and passed by a navigable canal, which is
said to extend in land about eighty miles above Richmond, and appeared
to have been constructed with great care; the wooden bridges were neatly
constructed and solid; an aqueduct of two arches, which conducted the
canal over a brook having high banks, was well built. About eight
o’clock in the evening we reached Richmond, a town of about seventeen
thousand inhabitants of both colours. To judge by the houses, Richmond
must be a wealthy place. We took our lodgings in the Union Hotel,
a large and well-furnished inn. I felt really happy at finding myself
once again in a considerable place, as I was almost unaccustomed to such
a sight.

We could not depart on the 29th of November, as no steam-boat went in
the direction we wished to take. My design was to go to Yorktown, to see
the remains of an English fortification of the revolutionary war, and
Fort Monroe near Old Point Comfort, and then to travel on farther to
Norfolk, to see the navy-yard, thence to hasten to the south, in order
to make up for the time I spent in Virginia. I took a walk through the
town, to look around, for there was nothing else remarkable to be seen.
The town lies on the left bank of James river, and consists of two
streets, running parallel with the river, and of several insignificant
alleys. The main street, which lies next to the river, is finished, the
other does not contain many houses; the former is probably a mile long,
paved, and has side-walks made of bricks. As they burn coal here, the
city looks nearly black. In the western part of Virginia, they only use
wood. The blacks seem to compose the most numerous part of the
population of that place. It is here where James river becomes
navigable; above the city, navigation is carried on by the
above-mentioned canal, which here joins the river, after having gone
through a large basin, at whose wharves they were yet working. This
canal descends in the city from a considerable height, by means of eight
locks; the sides of the canal between the locks are only made of plank.
On the hill where those locks begin, there is a pretty large basin,
which serves as an harbour for the boats coming from the countries
above, and bound for Richmond. In the vicinity of this basin, I saw a
hollow formed by rocks and full of wooden huts, which were inhabited by
negroes, and exhibited a true picture of human misery. This hollow has
the form of a funnel. In rainy weather, these poor people must probably
suffer a great deal from dampness. Below the locks, you cross James
river on a wooden bridge resting on wooden trestles. From this bridge
you go over a side bridge to a small island, containing a public garden,
and lying in the middle of the river; above the island a ledge of rocks
crosses the river and forms a small cataract; farther up there are said
to be several other falls in the river.

On a hill which commands the city, stands the state-house, called the
capitol, surrounded by a newly laid out garden; it reminds one of the
Maison Quarrée, at Nismes in France. On one of the smaller sides of the
parallelogram there is a portico of eight Ionic columns. But these
columns are of wood only, and have, when closely inspected, a rather
decayed appearance. On the two long sides, the building has entrances
with steps. In the hall in the middle of the house, there is a full
length marble statue of President Washington, somewhat tasteless. It
represents the great man in uniform; the right hand reposing on a cane,
the left arm on fasces, to which a sword is hanging, and against which
the plough leans. In one of the lateral chambers the court of the United
States was assembled, to try a captain of a merchant vessel, and a
Frenchman by birth. This man had twice sunk his ship, in order to get
the insurance money for it. At one of these sinkings, a lady lost her
life, and on that account the captain was accused of murder. I was sorry
I could not fully understand the debates and speeches of the advocates,
as I heard that the person under trial had the best lawyers for his
defenders. The decision did not follow.

Behind the capitol stands the court-house, a massive building with a
portico of four Doric stone columns; in the interior of the building I
saw nothing farther remarkable. At several booksellers I asked in vain
for the plan of the city and the surrounding country, also for a
description of the canal.

We intended to leave Richmond at three o’clock in the morning of the
30th of November, and set out on our projected tour. But, as the
ordinary stage was repairing, they put us in a small carriage with only
two horses, in which it was impossible to carry our baggage. As I would
not part with it, I gave up the tour which I had concluded on, and left
Richmond, in the morning at eight o’clock, on board the steam-boat
Richmond, to descend the James river to Norfolk. In the mean time, I had
an opportunity of noticing the particular manner in which the negroes
are treated. I wished to employ my leisure in writing; when I entered
the room, I found several slaves wrapt up in woollen blankets, sleeping
on the floor by the chimney-fire; upon inquiring, I was told that slaves
never receive a better bed.

We had one hundred and twenty-two miles to Norfolk, and reached that
city between nine and ten o’clock in the evening. During the whole day
the weather was not clear; on the banks of the meandering James river,
which grows gradually larger, there was not any thing remarkable. The
travelling company was not large, and was composed of incommunicative
persons: I could not exchange a word with any of them. There was no
opportunity of writing, as the engine communicated such a quivering
motion to the whole vessel, that I could hardly hold my pen, and spent
my time in reading. Towards evening we perceived a large stone building
on the left bank, the only remains of James Town, the first English
settlement in Virginia. The following romantic story is related. An
Indian princess, Pocahontas, daughter of a powerful Indian chief on the
banks of this river, whose name was Powhattan, fell in love with the
English Captain Smith, who was the commander of the first settlement at
James Town. This Indian princess swam across the river in a stormy
night, in order to give notice to her lover of the conspiracy of her
father and the principal chiefs, against his life. In this manner she
saved the new settlement, and also twice afterwards under the same
circumstances. However, her lover fell at last into an Indian ambush,
and was to become a victim of the Indians. Then she laid her head down
with his on the block, and once more saved his life. This scene is
represented by a bas relief, which is in the large rotunda in
Washington. Captain Smith was a married man, and on that account could
not, when returning to England, take his benefactress with him; he made
her believe that he was dead, and secretly went on board a ship. Some
time afterwards, Pocahontas married Rolf, who succeeded her lover in the
command of the settlement, and followed him to England. She met once, by
chance, with her first lover in the street, whom she believed to have
been dead, and soon sunk into such a melancholy state, that she left
England, embarked for America, and died on the passage.[I-35]

    [Footnote I-35: She left an only son by her marriage with Rolf,
    who settled himself in America, and had two daughters. From these
    are descended the families of Randolph and Robinson, and from
    these the family of Claiborne, consequently the two eldest
    children of Mrs. Grymes, Charles and Sophrone are descendants of
    the unfortunate Indian princess. In the two families, Randolph and
    Robinson, the eldest son is named Powhattan, and the eldest
    daughter Pocahontas. At New Orleans I became acquainted with a
    member of the Robinson family who had formerly been governor of
    Louisiana.]

In very disagreeable weather we landed at Norfolk, a city of ten
thousand inhabitants, and took our lodgings in Carr’s Hotel, a tolerably
good tavern. I made acquaintance with Mr. Meyau, the French Consul,
a very pleasant man. In his company I went the next day to Fort Monroe,
distant fourteen miles from Norfolk. We went in the Baltimore
steam-boat. It fortunately happened that our steam-boat, with the
steam-boat Richmond, were engaged to tow the frigate Constellation into
Hampton Roads, which could not sail on account of a feeble breeze. This
road is intended to be the principal rendezvous of the United States
navy, and is advantageously situated; it commands the Chesapeake bay,
which is to be connected by a large union canal with the Delaware, and
consequently with Philadelphia, so that the ships built in the navy yard
can go into Hampton Roads, where they will be armed.

On a point of land called Old Point Comfort, in the above mentioned
road, on which also is a light-house, lies the principal Fort Monroe,
and before it upon the sand-bank Riprap, a small casemated fort called
Calhoun, to command the road or rather the passage from a nearer point.
To prevent this position from being turned on its right wing by a land
army, all the dry points between Norfolk and the surrounding
impracticable marshes are to be fortified, and a large central arsenal
with dry-docks is to be erected farther backwards in the bay, in order
to receive a whole fleet after a battle, and fit it out there. The
frigate Constellation, under the command of Captain Woolsey, was
designed for the West India station, called the pirate station; the
principal object being to suppress these wretches. The frigate is one of
the oldest ships, and served in the last war, but being blockaded in
Hampton roads, could not come to any engagement. She is what they call a
thirty-six gun ship, but carries forty-eight pieces, thirty-two
pounders, and caronades of the same calibre. The guns were almost all
from the captured English frigate Macedonian.

We passed by a small fortified Island, called Crany Island, and by a
fort on our right, both rendered useless, since Fort Monroe was built,
and their works will be demolished; we approached the Constellation, our
steam-boat on her left side, where she was made fast with cables. The
steam-boat Richmond did the same on the right of the frigate. Captain
Woolsey finding that I was on board of the boat, had the kindness to
invite me on board the frigate. His cabin was in the forepart of the
gundeck; and was very neat, having four guns in it. The after-cabin was
arranged as a parlour and contained two cabinets, all tastefully
contrived. The officers had their lodgings below, as in a ship of the
line. I was very much pleased with the great neatness and general order
that prevailed. Even by the sentry at the captain’s door was placed a
spit-box, and every thing of iron or copper, shone like mirrors. Instead
of the ordinary and very often incorrect hour-glasses of our ships,
there was by the sentry a chronometer, for the purpose of calling the
hour. We came on board, as the last anchor was lifted, and then
proceeded, being towed by the two boats till we came opposite Fort
Monroe; where, on account of the feeble breeze, the anchor was dropped,
and the steam-boats continued on their way.

Captain Woolsey gave us a boat with twelve oars, under the command of a
midshipman, to carry us to Fort Monroe. A guard composed of thirty
marines was under arms, and made a military salute, whilst the frigate
saluted me with seventeen guns. When we landed we stopped at a very good
tavern, where we found two majors of artillery. After dinner we went to
survey the fortress, which General Bernard planned; but the work was yet
far from being completed. The fortress consists of a bastioned heptagon,
which can be attacked from land, but by a single front. The sides facing
the sea, are entirely casemated, and every gun has its particular arch.
On the most dangerous side where the ships of the enemy can approach the
land, there is on the counterscarp, a casemated coast-battery protected
by the fire of heavy guns on the rampart. This battery on the
counterscarp was built temporarily of wood, like a block-house, and
served the garrison for quarters. The coping is of granite, found in the
vicinity of Washington. The arches are of brick. The government does not
build by contract, but by measure, what the French call _au mètre cube_;
whereby it obtains good work. The masons work only is performed by hired
workmen, mostly by blacks; other work is done by military prisoners, who
have been condemned by court martial to public labours. The garrison
consists of eleven companies of artillery, which form a provisional
regiment, and are under the command of Colonel Fenwick, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Eustis. The first officer I became acquainted with,
at General Brown’s in Washington, where he is still residing. To the
latter I was recommended by Lieutenant-Colonel Bankheard from New York.
Mr. Eustis invited me to stay till to-morrow, in order to show me his
regiment; but I was obliged to decline his invitation on account of
time.

We availed ourselves of the opportunity, which the steam-boat Potomac
presented coming from Washington to go to Norfolk, and went on board of
her in a boat rowed by artillerists. About nine o’clock, P. M. we landed
in Norfolk, all day we had disagreeable rainy weather. I designed to
stay longer in order to see the navy-yard in Gosport, a mile distant
from Norfolk; Mr. Meyau would accompany me. The landlord, who was
willing to derive as much advantage as possible from my presence, had
advertised in the papers, he would on that day give a dinner of
turtle-soup, game, wild ducks, &c, but it was written in the book of
fate, that I should not partake of these dainties. On inquiring, I was
told that the mail stage was the only ordinary means of communication
with the south, and went only on Tuesdays and Fridays to Fayetteville,
and consequently if we did not leave Norfolk in half an hour, we should
be obliged to wait until the next Tuesday. This not at all agreeing with
my travelling plan, and as a hired coach could not be procured, I packed
up my baggage in great haste, bid the friendly Mr. Meyau farewell, and
left Norfolk at half past ten o’clock in the mail stage, connected with
the Baltimore steam-boat.

We went sixty-eight miles to Murfreesborough, where we arrived about
eleven o’clock in the evening. We crossed at first two small inlets of
the bay, on very long wooden bridges, passed through Portsmouth, a small
place near the navy-yard, where I saw the ship of the line Delaware, and
the frigate Macedonian, taken from the British, in ordinary, but had no
time to examine this very interesting establishment. We had scarcely
left this place when we entered a forest, through which we travelled
during the day. The country is a large marsh, called the Dismal Swamp,
crossed by a sandy road. The forest is very thick, and consists of oak
trees, among which I noticed the live oak, cypress, cedar and pine
trees; on the marshy spots there are evergreen trees, and bushes of the
Portuguese laurel and holly; here and there were also magnolias, and
large wild vines around the trees. This variety of vegetation must look
very fine in the summer season, however I was told that at that time
flies and mosquetos were very troublesome, and that there are also a
great many snakes. This marsh is said to be full of bears, which,
however, never attack men. In Suffolk, twenty-eight miles from Norfolk,
a small place, having wooden houses, and situated in the middle of the
forest, we took our dinner. The wheat bread became scarce by degrees,
and in its place we had a sort of cakes made of Indian corn. On the
other side of Suffolk, we passed by a cotton plantation, the first I
saw. It was already night when we passed the boundary and entered on the
territory of North Carolina. We crossed the rivers Nottoway and Meherrin
in bad and narrow ferry-boats, which were very dangerous, as the night
was very dark. Candles and lamps seem to be here very scarce; for the
few houses that we passed by were lighted with torches of pine: we took
some of them to light our way. Our journeying was very unpleasant, on
account of a rainy and very dark night. We alighted in Murfreesborough
at a tolerably good inn.

On the 3d of December, at two o’clock, A. M., we set out in dreadful
rainy weather, which lasted all day, and travelled as far as Emerson’s
tavern, seventy-five miles distant. The country still continued woody as
yesterday, and in frequent marshy spots, presented to the eye a very
pleasant variety by the evergreen trees and bushes. In some places the
country was somewhat cultivated; that is, there were some plantations
where cotton and Indian corn were raised. Such a plantation consists
only of wooden buildings; in the middle is the house of the planter,
with a piazza; on its right and left are log-houses for negro slaves,
and barns for corn and cotton. Horses are kept in very spacious wooden
stables; cows and pigs in the open air within an enclosure of worm
fences. Only fattening beasts are kept in stables. In many plantations
we saw cotton-gins, in which the seed is separated from the cotton by
means of a cylindrical hackle. These mills are worked either by water or
horses. The cotton cleaned from its seed is put into a large chest,
pressed in, and packed up. In the chest is a bag, which receives the
cotton; the cover of the chest is moveable, and is pressed on the cotton
by means of a screw turned by two horses; afterwards the cover is taken
away, the bag closed, and the bale which it forms fastened with ropes;
such a bale weighs on an average three hundred pounds. This is a very
troublesome work, and only two bales can be made in a day. If instead of
that awkward machine, they would make use of Brahmah’s water press,
a great deal of time, expense and power would be spared. The bagging
made use of is wove in England. We crossed the Roanoke river in a rather
bad ferry-boat. The banks of the river are really picturesque, and
covered with a variety of southern plants, which reminded one of a park.
We dined at a very good tavern in a small town called Tarborough,
situated on the river of the same name. We had already crossed this
river, and were delighted with its fine banks. Our lodgings were at a
solitary plantation, where we arrived at eight o’clock in the evening;
the house was entirely of wood, except the chimney. It was rather
transparent; they assigned us a garret for a sleeping place, and through
the cracks in the floor we could see into the room below. If fire once
breaks out in such a house, it cannot be saved. In the morning we passed
by the smoking rubbish of a school-house, which burned down in an hour;
the brick chimney alone was standing. The log-houses of the negro slaves
in particular are very open, and present by night when lighted with pine
splinters a very singular appearance. The road was thoroughly sandy;
however, it was interrupted by log causeways, which are made over the
marshy spots, in passing which in the mail stage we were shaken to
pieces. The small town of Tarborough where we dined, is said to contain
eight hundred inhabitants, is regularly built, has broad streets, but
its houses are of wood. I saw but two built of brick; had there been
more brick houses, I should have compared this pleasant place to a
village in Holland.

The next morning, at three o’clock, we left our airy lodgings and went
eighty-six miles to Fayetteville. During the day we travelled through a
thick forest, and did not meet with a single village; we saw some lonely
plantations of corn and cotton. During several days we saw different
species of birds, unknown to me, especially a great many large vultures,
called buzzards, the shooting of which is prohibited, as they feed upon
carrion, and contribute in this manner to the salubrity of the country.
We crossed the Neuse, a rather wide river, in a narrow and clumsy
ferry-boat. On the banks of this river, are many evergreen trees and
bushes. The oak trees are here not very high, but there is a great
variety of them: thirty-seven species are enumerated; chesnut and nut
trees are not so numerous; we were told they were common only in
mountainous countries. At a short distance from Fayetteville, where we
arrived about nine o’clock, P. M., we crossed Cape Fear river, by a long
covered bridge, consisting of hanging lattice work, of which I saw a
very good model in the patent-office at Washington. As I was very much
fatigued with the uncomfortable travelling, I intended to stay one day
in Fayetteville, a flourishing place of about four thousand inhabitants.
But I was told that no opportunity would occur sooner than three days
for Charleston. Therefore I resolved to continue our journey next
morning. A new difficulty now arose; the mail stage going directly to
Charleston, had only two horses, and could not take my baggage, whilst
the mail for the above city passing through Columbia, South Carolina,
drives four. Although the first was the direct road, and the second a
circuitous one, I resolved to take the latter.

On the 8th of December, at three o’clock in the morning, we set out from
Fayetteville, and travelled for fifty-seven miles to Cheraw, in the
state of South Carolina, where we arrived at seven o’clock in the
evening. Our travelling company was increased in Fayetteville, by Mr.
Davis from Columbia, a young gentleman very well educated. The weather
was pretty cold, but not rainy. The way continued still through forests,
and was very sandy. We saw little interesting, except the vegetation.
We discovered new plants progressively as we advanced to the south, for
instance, jessamines and a tree hitherto unknown to me, called pride of
China, melia azedarach, which is generally seen near the houses; there
were also gum-trees. We crossed several rivers, the most considerable of
which were the great and the little Pedee, near Cheraw. In this place I
met with Commodores Bainbridge and Warrington, and Captain Biddle; these
gentlemen were appointed commissioners by the government, to determine a
place for a naval establishment on the Gulf of Mexico, becoming every
day of greater importance to the United States. They came from Pensacola
to Savannah by sea, whence they went to Washington by land. Commodore
Warrington, however, was to return to the Gulf of Mexico, where he
commanded the station. I was very much pleased with their acquaintance
and spent the evening with them. On the 6th of December, at three, A. M.
we left Cheraw and went to Camden, sixty-eight miles. We continually
rode through a thick wood. It had frozen very hard the preceding night,
and the cold continued still in the morning; but the sun appeared, it
grew warmer, and the day became very fine, as in spring. The increasing
blue of the sky, indicated that we were rapidly advancing towards the
south. The plants were much the same, but the magnolias of different
kinds, became gradually larger. Our meals showed us that we were in a
country, were rice is cultivated.

Black creek and two branches of Lynch’s creek were the most considerable
streams. The country on these creeks, on account of their evergreen
vegetation pleased me very much. The ground was sandy, and we went very
slowly on. We breakfasted and dined in solitary frame houses, which
stand upon pillars built of bricks, and permit the air to pass under
them, the walls of these buildings are so thin and disjoined, that the
daylight finds access every where. At the openings for windows, there is
nothing but shutters. It would be a good speculation to establish a
glass manufactory in this country, where there is such a want of glass,
and a superabundance of pine trees and sand. About eight o’clock in the
evening we reached Camden, a flourishing place, where we found a very
good abode. The nights were very clear; some time since I saw quite new
constellations, whilst the old ones disappeared by degrees.

On the 7th of December, at three o’clock in the morning, we set out in
severe cold weather for Columbia. The road was as on the preceding days,
but the country grew more hilly, the sand more yellow, and mingled with
clay. We crossed the Wateree river in a small boat with much difficulty.
We reached the river by break of day. The driver often blew his horn,
nevertheless we had to wait about half an hour for the ferry-boat. At
last it came, manned by two negroes. But scarcely was the carriage in it
when another misery began. We were sitting on a bench, and the negroes
were obliged to work for half an hour before we were again afloat.
Finally, we reached the opposite shore, but the negroes were so awkward,
that they took more than a quarter of an hour, to place the boat in such
a situation as to permit the carriage to get out. We reached Columbia
about one o’clock in the afternoon, and took lodgings at Clark’s hotel,
a large but merely tolerable house. We were obliged to content ourselves
with the narrowness of our lodgings, for the legislature of the state
was just assembled in that place, and all the houses were full. It is
only forty years since the city was laid out; it contains four hundred
inhabitants, is situated very pleasantly upon an eminence, below the
confluence of Saluda and Broad rivers which form the Congaree by their
junction. The town is built very regularly, contains a great number of
brick houses, and its streets, crossing each other at right angles, are
one hundred feet broad; though not paved, they are provided with large
side-walks, and rows of pride of China trees. In the surrounding gardens
of many elegant private houses, I saw a great number of evergreen trees,
mostly laurels, and also some pretty high _yucca gloriosa_, which they
call here palmetto. In Columbia there are many well-provisioned stores,
and there seemed to be a great deal of life in the place. At the common
table where many of the deputies were dining, I made acquaintance with a
Mr. Washington, from Charleston, to whom I had letters from Baltimore.
He made me immediately acquainted with several of the members of the
legislature. The governor of the state, Mr. Manning, sent me his
compliments by Mr. Butler, his aid, and invited me to an evening party.
Towards the evening Mr. Washington, a distant relation of the president,
and son of Colonel Washington, distinguished in the revolutionary war,
accompanied me to see Judge Desaussure, one of the principal men of this
city and state, to whom also, I had letters, and found in him a
respectable old gentleman. His father was a native of Lausanne, in
Switzerland, and uncle of the celebrated naturalist Desaussure. I met at
his house a large company of gentlemen, who had dined there, and became
acquainted with the governor, a very fine man. After the company had
retired, Judge Desaussure accompanied me to one of his step son’s,
Colonel Blanding, civil engineer, who has the reputation of being a man
of great knowledge. The habit of chewing tobacco, practised by several
of the gentlemen, and in which they indulge even when in the society of
ladies, appeared remarkable to me. The society was numerous, and
composed of many ladies; I became acquainted with two Professors of
Columbia College, Messrs. Henry and Nott; the first is acquainted with
the French and German languages, he has translated Niebuhr’s Roman
History into English. Mr. Nott studied in England and France, resided
for some time in Ghent, and married a lady of Brussels. From Mr.
Blanding’s house we went to the governor’s, where again a large company
was assembled to a ball. No other dances but cotillions were danced,
in the manner of the tedious German quadrilles; the band consisted of
negroes. The governor, who in this state is elected for two years, and
his lady, did the honours exceedingly well; he introduced me to all
present, gentlemen and ladies. The acquaintance I made with a Frenchman,
Mons. Herbemont, was very interesting to me; he has been an inhabitant
of the United States for more than forty years, was formerly Professor
of Botany in Columbia College, and now lives upon his income. The
company remained together until the evening.

On the next morning I received visits from Messrs. Desaussure and
Herbemont, who came with the design of showing me the few curiosities of
the city. We went at first to see the water-works, which provide the
whole city with water. In a hollow place there is a basin, or rather a
reservoir, to which several fountains have been conducted. From this
reservoir the water is pumped by means of a steam-engine having two
horse-power, and driven into the city, which is situated one hundred and
thirty feet above it. The water is distributed in the different parts of
the town by pipes, which are in the middle of the streets. At different
places the tubes are provided with fire-plugs, constructed according to
the plan of Mr. Blanding.

Afterwards we went to see the state-house, a large wooden building,
which will probably in a few years be replaced by one of stone. In one
of the halls of the state-house, the senators, forty in number, were
assembled under the presidency of Mr. Johns; in another were the hundred
and twenty representatives: the speaker was Mr. O’Neil. The halls are
very plain. The senators as well as the representatives, sit in a
semicircle, and the speaker in a more elevated place in the middle.
During my presence, the debates in both chambers were on no interesting
subjects, therefore I did not stay long. In the senate chamber hung two
pictures of no great excellence, by an artist of Charleston: the battle
of Eutaw in the revolutionary war, under General Greene, and the defence
of the lines at New Orleans, by General Jackson. In a few days an
interesting object was to be taken into consideration, namely, the
question if the government of the United States have the right to lay
out canals and public roads in the different states of the union, or
not! Reasonable men conceive that the government must have the power to
execute such works; on the other hand, the short-sighted, from certain
envy between the states, dispute this right with the government. The
jealousy between the states seems to take the upper hand. The state of
South Carolina intended to make a public road, leading from Charleston
westwards to the state of Tennessee; this road would have passed for
some miles through the state of North Carolina, the state of North
Carolina opposed its execution, under the pretext that the road would
not bring sufficient profit to the last state, although the two first
states would have executed it at their own expense. The true reason of
this opposition is said to be that the advantage of that road to the
state of South Carolina, was grudged by the other states.

From the state-house we went to Columbia College; it is an university,
but has neither medical nor theological faculties. There are six
professors. Dr. Cooper is the president, with whom I became acquainted
last summer in Boston: on his return home, he was taken sick in
Richmond.

The number of students was one hundred and twenty, who live in two large
buildings, opposite each other; between them is the house of the
President, and on both sides the houses of the professors. We paid a
visit to Mr. Vanuxem, Professor of Natural History. He showed us the
collection of minerals belonging to the college, but not so interesting
as the collection of minerals of South Carolina, made by him last
summer. There were several fine tourmalines, emeralds, pyrites
containing gold; a new kind of metal called Columbian, asbestus and
different specimens of primitive rocks. There was also pure gold from
North Carolina, which was only discovered about six years ago. When at
Cheraw, I was willing to make an excursion to the gold mine, but it
would have taken me a couple of days. I was told, gold is found in a
slime, which is dried up and then sifted, the gold dust remaining in the
sieve. But miners are expected from Germany, and at their arrival, they
will begin a regular exploration. It is said, that at present the
company has a profit of twenty dollars a week. I visited also the
library, which was not considerable, and did not contain any thing
remarkable. On this occasion I made acquaintance with a Mr. Elliott, who
had published a Flora of the state of South Carolina; he extolled the
botanical treasures of that state. A small observatory was shut up;
perhaps they would not show it to me, because there were but few
instruments.

In Mr. Herbemont’s garden, we saw some very interesting plants and
trees; magnolias, gardenias, pomegranate and other fruit trees, which he
had grafted in a very singular manner one upon another; date palm trees
and fig trees, raised from kernels, and a great number of evergreen
laurel trees.

A mile from the city, on the left bank of the Congaree river is a canal
three miles in length, to avoid some rapids, which are in the river.
This canal has four locks, and the difference of the level of the water
above and below them, is thirty-six feet. Two are built of granite,
which is obtained close to the canal. Several blocks have been blown up,
to make way for the canal. The other two are of brick, and the mason
work appeared to me to have been well executed. They were just building
a wooden bridge over the Congaree, in order to lead to Augusta; the
bridge was to be supported by eight piers of stone. They are made of
granite without any lime or cement.[I-36] The exterior stones were
chiseled and connected with cramp-irons. The undertaking was contracted
for at seventy thousand dollars.

    [Footnote I-36: Because they would be obliged to bring it from the
    northern states at a great expense.]

Not far from the bridge are several cotton plantations belonging to the
wealthy family of Taylor. On one of these fields the harvest was just
making by fifty-eight negroes of both sexes. They take the cotton by
hand from the capsules, look at it, that no withered leaves may be
attached to it, and throw it into bags, which are hanging before them;
afterwards they shake the cotton from the bags into baskets which are
prepared for that purpose. These negroes made a very disagreeable
impression upon me, especially when some of the women asked Mr.
Herbemont for some chewing tobacco. I saw here some fine oak and pine
trees, the latter are very abundant in all the woods we lately passed
through. They have extremely long leaves; the young shoots particularly
have a fine appearance. The leaves are more than a foot in length, and
the shoot looks like the bunch of horse-hairs on the caps of the
Prussian grenadiers. On the trees hangs a long moss-like plant called
Spanish beard. They pick up this plant, put it into water, to rot the
grayish bark, and employ the black fibres which then make their
appearance, like horse-hair, for making mattresses, which are even
exported to Europe. Finally, we saw several aromatic and medicinal
herbs, for instance, the _monarda punctata_, the juice of which, mixed
with that of an onion, is said to be very efficacious in gravel
complaints.

The Lunatic Asylum of Columbia is situated in an open place out of the
city. It consists of a principal building adorned with a portico of six
columns. In this building are lodgings for the inspectors, offices, and
rooms for persons of moderate fortune. Two wings are connected with the
principal building, and form obtuse angles with it, each of them is
three stories high, in which the lunatics are placed. By degrees, as the
income of the establishment increases, other wings will be built, and
the whole will form an octagon. There is on the principal building a
spire, from which is a very extensive view, though you see nothing else
but woods. The distempered in mind will find here many conveniences when
the buildings are completed: namely, good rooms, gardens, and walking
places on balconies, inclosed with high walls.

A Catholic chapel in Gothic style has been built in Columbia by
subscription, but the amount collected, being not sufficient, a lottery
has been opened to obtain the deficiency! Next to the chapel is a
theatre, which likewise is unfinished by the undertaker, on account of
insufficiency of funds.

At Professor Henry’s, a very agreeable society assembled at dinner. At
that party I observed a singular manner which is practised; the ladies
sit down by themselves at one of the corners of the table. But I broke
the old custom, and glided between them: and no one’s appetite was
injured thereby.

I spent one evening at a ball given by Mr. Taylor, a rich proprietor, at
one of his plantations. I found there a numerous and splendid society.
But the music was of a singular kind; for the blacks, who two days ago
played very well at the governor’s, were now drunk, and could not make
their appearance. This was the reason that the whole music consisted of
two violins and a tamborine. This tamborine was struck with a terrible
energy. The two others scraped the violin, in the truest signification
of the word; one of them cried out the figures, imitating with his body
all the motions of the dance. The whole of it amused me much; for the
rest, I was astonished at the great plainness of the house. Besides the
first room, there were three rooms open, which had white walls, and were
without window-curtains.


END OF VOL. I.


       *       *       *       *       *
           *       *       *       *
       *       *       *       *       *


                    TRAVELS

                    through
                 NORTH AMERICA,

                   during the
              YEARS 1825 AND 1826.

                   *   *   *

                By His Highness,
    BERNHARD, DUKE OF SAXE-WEIMAR EISENACH.

                   *   *   *

                IN TWO VOLUMES.

                   *   *   *

                    VOL. II.

                   *   *   *

                 PHILADELPHIA:
      CAREY, LEA & CAREY--CHESNUT STREET.

                   *   *   *

                     1828.




  Skerrett--Ninth Street,
  Philadelphia.




TRAVELS, _&c._




CHAPTER XV.

  _Journey to Charleston, and Residence in that City-- from the 11th
    to the 19th of December, 1825._


On the 11th of December, we were prepared before five o’clock to travel
in the mail stage from Columbia to Charleston, one hundred and twenty
miles distant. Unfortunately, our coachman had, the evening before,
involved himself in a quarrel with a watchman, who attempted to arrest
his sable Dulcinea, and given him a stab with a knife. It was feared
that the watchman, who was the father of a family, would die. The
coachman was immediately taken into custody. We were, consequently,
obliged to remain till seven o’clock, since the contractor of the mail
stage was unable to find another white driver sooner, and according to
law, no negro could convey the United States’ mail.

Our company was very pleasant; I especially remarked a Mr. Bacott, from
Charleston, and young Mr. Ramsay, as being well-informed men. Three
miles below Columbia, we crossed the Congaree in a wretched boat, and on
the right bank of the river, passed through a little place called
Granby, which formerly had been a German settlement, called Saxe-Gotha.
The road was, without exception, sandy, swampy, and at times hilly. The
stage travelled very slowly, and for the greater part of the way, I left
it behind, being on foot. It was nearly a continued forest, composed
mostly of pine and oak trees, from which the Spanish moss hung in such
quantities, that the appearance was far from agreeable. The number of
the magnolia, kalmia, and gardenia trees increased, and also of the
_yucca gloriosa_, which until now were situated principally in the
neighbourhood of the dwellings. We also saw more live oaks here, of
which the timber is uncommonly excellent for ship-building, because it
does not rot, and cannon-shot in striking it produce no splinters.
Towards evening, we passed the village of Orangeburg, with wooden
houses. We supped in a solitary house, and at the same time met the mail
stage coming from Charleston, in which we took seats. It had been built
for General La Fayette, and was named the La Fayette stage. We proceeded
through the whole night: the day had been pleasant, the night, however,
was extremely cold: I suffered considerably, as I sat upon the
coach-box, where I always took my seat, for the advantage of free air
and prospect.

We travelled during the forenoon of the 12th of December, constantly
through a forest. The number of live oaks increased, and they were
really beautiful. The solitary fan-like macaw trees, which we took
notice of, were small. The yuccas multiplied every moment. The last
place before reaching Charleston, was Dorchester. We then passed by an
old church, nearly in ruins, called St. Andrews, which has survived
since the time of the English government. It stands in the midst of a
venerable church-yard, under lofty live oaks and hickories, with
palmettoes and macaw trees growing between the graves. The whole had a
picturesque aspect. The plantations succeeded each other more
frequently, presented a more agreeable appearance, and every thing
showed marks of the proximity of a large city. At length, in the
afternoon, we left the continued forest, and entered upon an open swampy
district. Charleston extended before us. The city, distinguished as a
seaport, lies upon a tongue of land, formed by the rivers Ashley and
Cooper: we crossed the Ashley to reach the city. A causeway, constructed
of fascines, passes through the swamp to the ferry. The river is
three-quarters of a mile broad; we crossed it in an eight-horse
team-boat. A wooden bridge, which formerly crossed the river here, was
destroyed by a severe storm, and never again rebuilt. Upon the right
bank, in the vicinity of Charleston, an entirely novel spectacle
expanded itself to my view. The houses of the suburb, were, for the most
part, surrounded by gardens, in which orange trees, with most splendid
ripe fruit, monthly roses in full bloom, and a variety of other
flourishing plants displayed themselves. The greater part of the
habitations have piazzas and spacious balconies. Upon the walls and
columns run creeping vines, we took notice of a great number of passion
flowers. I felt delighted with this southern climate.

Charleston has a population of forty thousand inhabitants, about
twenty-five thousand of these are free. The city is regularly built, the
streets cross each other at right angles. The smallest streets are
paved, all have brick side-walks. The paving-stone is imported from the
northern states, on this account it is an expensive article, and the
paving of the streets can only be gradually effected. In the suburb we
passed through a street which was a log causeway. The principal part of
the houses are, it is true, built of wood, and all are, as I am told,
covered with shingles, on account of the frequent prevalence of severe
tempests; the more recent are, however, of brick, and in very good
taste. I took up my abode in Jones’s Hotel, a well supported and finely
situated house, whose host was a mulatto. I had the pleasure to meet
here with Colonel Wool, inspector-general of the army, with whom I
became acquainted in Washington. I moreover made acquaintance with Mr.
Bee, an elderly gentleman who had travelled much, to whom I had letters;
also the late governor of the state, Mr. Wilson, with his young and
accomplished lady, from New York, who, besides her native language,
spoke French, German, Spanish, and Italian, and understood Latin and
Greek; lastly, Major Massias, army paymaster.

A severe catarrh obliged me to remain at home a whole day. The weather
was also unpleasant and stormy; Fahrenheit’s thermometer had fallen to
twenty degrees, which degree of cold is here extremely uncommon. In the
meantime, I received visits from a number of the distinguished
inhabitants: from Dr. Tidyman, whom I had known in Philadelphia; from
Mr. Lowndes, to whom I had introductory letters; from Dr. Johnson, mayor
of the city; from Messrs. Pitray and Viel, French merchants; from the
Marquis De Fougères, French consul; from Mr. Bacott, with whom I had
arrived yesterday, and from Major Massias. Some extremely interesting
strangers were also in the hotel, so that I did not lack entertainment.
The following was related to me:--Some years previous, the negroes of
the country engaged in a conspiracy to murder all the white males, and
spare none but the females. This design was found out, and it was
discovered that the original projectors were free negroes out of the
limits of the state, who travelled in the northern section of the union,
and in part were become Methodist preachers. They had returned home and
preached freedom to the slave population. Since that period the
legislature of this state has adopted very severe precautionary laws
against free negroes and mulattoes. One of them is, that no individual
of this description, if he have once left the state, shall be permitted
to return. The wife of our host, Jones, found herself in this
predicament. She had undertaken a voyage to New York, her native city,
and now dared not to attempt a return. On this account, I was informed,
had I brought a free black servant with me, he would have been taken
from me, and put in custody till I should have left the state, or I must
deposit a considerable security for him.

I made my first excursion abroad in company with Colonel Wool and Major
Massias, in a boat to Fort Moultrie, where the Colonel had to inspect
two companies of the third regiment of artillery, lying there in
garrison. This fort is situated at the entrance of Charleston Bay, upon
a peninsula, Sullivan’s Island, which is connected with the continent by
a marshy strip of land. The vessels running into the bay are compelled
to pass within reach of the cannon of this fort. It is four miles
distant from the city, and lies about half way from each extremity of
the peninsula. Opposite is the coast battery, with a stone parapet. This
battery can receive fifty pieces of cannon. There will be no further
disbursements for the maintenance of this fort, since new works, after
plans of General Bernard, are to be placed at the entrance of the
passage, to guard against too close a blockade of the bay, so that the
ancient and more retired posts will be deprived of all their importance.
Between the city and Sullivan’s Island, on a point of land to the left,
stands a defensive work called Castle Pinckney, resembling Castle Garden
in New York, on the right is situated Castle Johnson. Sullivan’s Island
is exceedingly sandy, nothing but cabbage trees grow upon it, so that I
seemed transported to India. Outside the fort there are a number of
slight built wooden houses, which, during the heats of summer, and
especially when the yellow fever prevails in Charleston, are occupied by
the inhabitants of that city, for the peninsula has the reputation of
being healthier, and much more temperate in climate. The trunk of the
cabbage-tree affords a good porous timber, which is peculiarly valuable
for building in salt water, since it is not injured by it. It is highly
recommended for entrenchments, as the balls of the enemy cannot splinter
it. On the same spot where Fort Moultrie now stands, a fortress of the
same name stood in the revolutionary war, which was built in great haste
from trunks of the cabbage-tree, and maintained itself with great glory.
We had a boat, attached to the artillery, prepared for our passage,
which was manned by the artillerists. These are exercised as oarsmen in
all posts situated on the water, and this is certainly a good
arrangement, if the officers do not abuse the privilege. Our boat’s crew
had unfortunately made too spirituous a breakfast, the oars of course
moved as Providence guided them, and the colonel was so irritated, that
he dispatched the whole six on landing to the black hole. I remained
during the parade of the two artillery companies in garrison. A company
of this description is with matrosses and cannoneers, fifty-five strong;
from these are subtracted, the sentinels, sick, and those under arrest,
so that both corps had scarcely sixty men under arms. The privates had
fire-arms and cartridge boxes, and the matrosses and corporals alone
carried side-arms. The haversack consisted of a wooden box, covered with
black waxed linen. They wore grey pantaloons, and boots, as our
artillery; the officers alone had white cloth pantaloons. The coats were
not well made, and did not fit; all the men had large shirt collars,
which had a bad effect, and gloves of a different pattern, because each
individual bought for himself. While the colonel was going through the
inspection, I took a walk on the ramparts with Major Massias, and
visited the officer’s quarters. In the chamber of a lieutenant, in which
we stopped, I found, besides the books belonging to service, a small
library of English belles lettres, and classical poets.

Charleston keeps in pay a company of police soldiers, who during the
night occupy several posts. They have their guard house near Jones’s
Hotel, and I was startled to hear the retreat and reveillé beat there.
This corps owes its support to the fear of the negroes. At nine o’clock
in the evening a bell is sounded; and after this no negro can venture
without a written permission from his master, or he will immediately be
thrown into prison, nor can his owner obtain his release till next day,
by the payment of a fine. Should the master refuse to pay this fine,
then the slave receives twenty-five lashes, and a receipt, with which he
is sent back to his master!

The market consists of five houses, in a long street ending upon the
harbour, and resemble somewhat those of the Philadelphia market. The
quantity of the most beautiful tropical fruit therein arranged, oranges
from Florida, pistachios, and large excellent pine apples from Cuba,
interested me much. These large and delicious fruit cost only twelve and
a half cents each, of course a dollar for eight. There were nuts of
various descriptions; many sorts of potatoes, cabbages, and white and
red radishes. Fish were not presented in so great a variety as I
expected. Of shell-fish, I saw oysters only, which are roasted in the
shell at market, and consumed by the negroes with great avidity. Upon
the roofs of the market houses sat a number of buzzards, who are
supported by the offals. It is a species of vulture, black, with a naked
head. Seen from a distance they resemble turkeys, for which reason they
are denominated turkey-buzzards. They are not only suffered as very
useful animals, but there is a fine of five dollars for the killing of
one of these birds. A pair of these creatures were so tame that they
crept about in the meat market among the feet of the buyers.

Accompanied by Dr. Johnson, Mr. Lowndes, and Dr. Tidyman, I visited the
public institutions of the city. The Court-house, in which the different
courts of justice hold their sessions, contains nothing remarkable with
the exception of the City Library in the upper story, established by
subscription. I noticed in this a beautiful collection of copperplates
from the Shakspeare Gallery, and a sketched plan of Charleston with the
investment of it in the revolutionary war. Since this epoch the city has
much extended itself. On the localities, which then were occupied by
fortifications, houses are now standing. The morasses which covered the
left wing of these works, are filled up level with earth, and no trace
of them is perceivable.

In the City Hall, the lower story is occupied by one large saloon. It is
appropriated to the sittings of the city police. Above it are arranged
the meeting rooms of the magistracy and various separate offices. In one
of these apartments I noticed an elegant new plan of the city, designed
by an emigrant French engineer, Mr. Petitral.

The Orphan-house is a brick building, three stories high, erected by
voluntary contributions, and in it, one hundred and thirty-six children
of both sexes are supported. I was surprized at the exceeding
cleanliness pervading the whole establishment. The children sleep upon
the floor, and the girls and sick only are allowed mattresses; the boys
have a woollen coverlet, in which they wrap themselves. I was informed
that this was done from fear of vermin. A very nourishing diet, and a
truly maternal care, preserve the children healthy. At their twelfth
year, they are provided for abroad to enable them to earn their own
subsistence. Many of the boys enter into the United States navy, and it
has been reported to me that two of the pupils of this institution have
attained the rank of officers. Behind the house is a moderately large
chapel, in the midst of the garden. The clergy of all Christian
professions can hold divine service here every Sunday afternoon; in the
mornings, the service in turn is taken charge of by a superintendent.
In front of the building is a large open square. In it stands an
ill-preserved statue of Lord Chatham, which was erected by the then
colony of South Carolina, before the breaking out of the American
revolution, in memory of that great man, in gratitude for the opposition
he maintained against colonial taxation. An inscription on the statue
mentions this. During the siege, it stood at the corner of the street,
near the City Hall. There it lost an arm by one of the first English
balls that struck the city.

The state prison is a small building. The prisoners are too much crowded
together, and have no employment. The atrocious criminals live in the
upper story, and are immured two together in a cell, without ever being
permitted to come into the open air. This is allowed only to those
dwelling in the first story, consisting of debtors, and persons who are
imprisoned for breaches of the peace. The walls within, as well as the
flooring, are of strong oak wood. In each apartment is an iron ring in
the floor, for the purpose of securing dangerous prisoners. In the upper
story there is a negro confined, who, implicated in one of the late
conspiracies, had not committed himself so far as to allow of his being
hung; nevertheless, his presence appeared so dangerous to the public
tranquillity, that he is detained in prison till his master can find
some opportunity to ship him to the West Indies, and there sell him. In
another room was a white prisoner, and it is not known whether he be an
American or Scotchman, who involved himself by his writings deeply in
the last negro conspiracy. The prisoners received their food while we
were present: it consisted of very good soup, and three-quarters of a
pound of beef. Upon the ground floor is the dwelling of the keeper, who
was an Amsterdam Jew, and the state-rooms in which gentlemen, who are
lodged here, receive accommodation for money and fair words. The
cleanliness of the house was not very great; upon the whole it left an
unfavourable impression upon me.

I found the other prison, destined for the punishment of minor offences
of the negro slaves, in a better condition. In it there were about forty
individuals of both sexes. These slaves are either such as have been
arrested during the night by the police, or such as have been sent here
by their masters for punishment. The house displays throughout a
remarkable neatness; black overseers go about every where armed with
cow-hides. In the basement story there is an apparatus upon which the
negroes, by order of the police, or at the request of their masters, are
flogged. The latter can have nineteen lashes inflicted on them according
to the existing law. The machine consists of a sort of crane, on which a
cord with two nooses runs over pullies; the nooses are made fast to the
hands of the slave and drawn up, while the feet are bound tight to a
plank. The body is stretched out as much as possible, and thus the
miserable creature receives the exact number of lashes as counted off!
Within a year, flogging occurs less frequently: that is to say,
a tread-mill has been erected in a back building of the prison, in which
there are two tread-wheels in operation. Each employs twelve prisoners,
who work a mill for grinding corn, and thereby contribute to the support
of the prison. Six tread at once upon each wheel, while six rest upon a
bench placed behind the wheel. Every half minute the left hand man steps
off the tread-wheel, while the five others move to the left to fill up
the vacant place; at the same time the right hand man sitting on the
bench, steps on the wheel, and begins his movement, while the rest,
sitting on the bench, uniformly recede. Thus, even three minutes
sitting, allows the unhappy being no repose. The signal for changing is
given by a small bell attached to the wheel. The prisoners are compelled
to labour eight hours a day in this manner. Order is preserved by a
person, who, armed with a cow-hide, stands by the wheel. Both sexes
tread promiscuously upon the wheel. Since, however, only twenty-four
prisoners find employment at once on both wheels, the idle are obliged
in the interval to sit upon the floor in the upper chambers, and observe
a strict silence. One who had eloped several times from a plantation,
was fastened by a heavy iron ring, that passed over his leg to the
floor. To provide against this state of idleness, there should be
another pair of tread-wheels erected. The negroes entertain a strong
fear of the tread-mills, and regard flogging as the lighter evil! Of
about three hundred and sixty, who, since the erection of these
tread-mills, have been employed upon them, only six have been sent back
a second time.

The poor-house, an old building raised by subscription, contains one
hundred and sixty-six paupers. It will only admit such poor persons as
are completely disabled. Those who can labour a little can obtain the
employment they desire, and then receive good attendance and proper
support. The sick were taken care of in a distinct infirmary, where each
had a separate bed. The healthy slept upon the floor. I enquired why the
sick were not provided with iron bedsteads in place of the wooden ones
they occupied? and was informed that it was from apprehension of the
prevailing severe thunder-storms.

Connected with the Poor-house is a Magdalen Asylum, which provides
shelter and care for thirty unfortunate beings. It struck me forcibly,
as I saw under an open shed in the yard where the poor walked about, the
dead cart, and close by it numbers of empty coffins piled up together,
that the scene might be very well introduced in a monastery of the order
of La Trappe.

A medical school is to be built not far from the poor-house. Until the
completion of this structure, the students, one hundred and twenty in
number, receive their instruction in a wooden building, in which there
are arranged an amphitheatre, and a chemical laboratory.

Dr. Tidyman and Mr. Lowndes had the politeness to show me a rice mill
established a few years ago. This mill is the property of Mr. Lucas, who
has fixed a similar one in the neighbourhood of London. Rice is known as
the staple article of produce of the lowlands in South Carolina, and yet
there was no mill hitherto to free the rice from its husk, and to
prepare it for use or export. This mill is situated near the river
Ashley. The schooner that conveys the rice from the plantation, lies
directly before it, a cart is taken on board the vessel filled with
rice, and by means of an inclined plane drawn into the mill, where it is
deposited. Hence the rice is drawn to the upper story, in which it is
cleared of dust by a fan, and passed between two large mill-stones which
frees the hull from the grain. It is then placed in a cylinder of
bolting cloth. By this it is further cleaned from all the hull. Now it
comes into the trough, where it is beaten by heavy hammers faced with
tin, and by that means is completely cleaned. It is once more conveyed
into a bolting cylinder, where, by another series of revolutions, it is
freed from the slightest dust, and shook through a tube into the tierces
placed for packing. The tierces stand upon a trunnel, which whirls round
while a hammer continually strikes upon it. Such a tierce in this way
receives six hundred pounds of rice. The machinery is to be set in
motion in future by a steam-machine of twenty-four horse-power. It is
wonderful, however, that the best steam-engines must be made in England
to supply a country that has numbered ROBERT FULTON among her citizens!

Dr. Tidyman honoured me with a dinner, at which I met several of the
distinguished inhabitants of the place, as Mr. Lowndes, Major Garden,
son of that Scotch physician to whose honour Linnæus has given the name
of Gardenia to a class of plants; Mr. J. Allen Smith, who passed
seventeen years of his life in Europe, principally in Russia, and
enjoyed the especial favour of the Emperor Alexander; he was present at
my brother’s marriage, and enquired after him in the most ardent manner.
This extremely amiable and interesting man has lost the greater part of
his property. Here also I met with the Marquis de Fougères, Mr. Viel,
and the English Consul, Mr. Newman. After dinner was over, a numerous
company of gentlemen and ladies assembled, who remained in society
through the evening. We had music, some of which was very good.

In one of my strolls through the city, I talked with a person from
Erfurt, Mr. Siegling, who had established a music store here, and
appeared to do very good business. I saw at his residence several
handsome English harps and piano fortes; also several wind instruments
of different kinds. He pricks the notes himself on tin, and has a press
with which he prints them.

In Charleston there exists among the Germans, and their descendants, who
for the most part are tradesmen of small capital, but persons of great
respectability, a Friendly German Society.

On Sunday the 18th of December, two members of this Society, the militia
Colonel Sass, a native Hessian, who had already passed fifty-two years
in this country, and Mr. Strohhecker, came to take me to the Lutheran
church. The Lutheran preacher, Mr. Bachman, a native of Troy, in the
State of New York, administered divine service in the English language.
The church has been built but a few years. It is simple within, but in
very good taste. The organ is good, and was well played, and the hymns
sung in unison by the congregation. Mr. Bachman delivered an excellent
sermon upon the story of Cornelius, from the Acts of the Apostles.
Afterwards he detailed a report of a journey of about eight hundred
miles, which he had performed through the interior of this state, for
the purpose of examining the condition of the various Lutheran
congregations. The report upon churches and schools appeared very
favourable. This service displayed so much benevolence, and real
goodness, that I felt truly edified.

Upon the following day I was accompanied by Mr. Bacott and his
brother-in-law, to St. Michael’s episcopal church, to see the building,
and particularly the steeple, one hundred and eighty-six feet high. We
mounted two hundred and thirty-six steps, and enjoyed a very handsome
prospect over the regular built city, the bay, and adjacent country. The
bay, with its protecting forts, showed to great advantage; the
surrounding district not so agreeably, it being very level and overgrown
with wood. In the city several buildings reared their heads, among
others, the churches, and there are here twenty-two churches belonging
to various sects, then the orphan-house and custom-house. St. Michael’s
church contains in itself nothing worthy of remark, if you except some
simple funeral tablets. The churches, moreover, stand in the centre of
burial grounds, and the custom still prevails, so injurious to health,
of entombing the dead in the city.

On the same day, the last of my stay in Charleston, I was present at a
dinner which the German Friendly Society gave in compliment to me,
having invited me by a deputation. The party met at half past three
o’clock. The company was composed, with the exception of the mayor, Dr.
Johnson, of more than sixty persons, for the most part Germans or of
German origin. It was assembled in a house belonging to the society,
in which, besides the large assembly room, was also a school for the
children of the members, and the dwellings of the preceptors. The
society was instituted in the year 1766, the principal founder was
Captain Kalteisen, a native Wirtemburger, who had raised a volunteer
corps of fusileers from the Germans then living there, with which he not
only distinguished himself in the defence of Fort Moultrie against the
English, but also personally, during the whole war, rendered the most
important services as adjutant quarter-master-general in the staff of
the southern army. The company of fusileers always preserved their
connection with the German Society. Kalteisen himself died in the year
1807, as commandant of Fort Johnson; he was so attached to this German
association, that he had himself buried in the yard of the building, the
bricks of the pavement mark the form of his coffin over it, and a tablet
of marble in the hall contains an inscription to the memory of the
deceased. In the great hall, his portrait hangs next to that of Colonel
Sass, who after him commanded the company, and of a Wormser, named
Strobel, who was a joint founder of the society, and whose sons and
nephew appeared at table. Two brothers, Messrs. Horlbeck, presided at
the dinner, which was very well arranged. They had the politeness to
nominate me an honorary member of the society, and to present me their
laws for my signature; under them were here and there crosses only.
Several of the usual toasts were given out; my health being drank,
I returned my thanks in the German language. There was also singing. The
melody was guided by an old Mr. Eckhardt, a Hessian that had come to
America with the Hessian troops, as a musician, and remained here. He is
now organist of one of the churches, and three of his sons occupy the
same station in other churches. The German society possesses, moreover,
a library, which owes its origin to donations. In the school-room there
was a planetarium, very neatly finished, set in motion by clock-work.




CHAPTER XVI.

  _Journey from Charleston, through Augusta, Milledgeville, Macon,
    and the country of the Creek Indians, to Montgomery, in the
    State of Alabama._


My design had been to travel from Charleston to Savannah. I understood,
however, that the stage to Savannah was very bad; that the steam-boat
went very irregularly; that Savannah had lost its importance as a place
of trade, and on the whole, contained nothing worthy of observation. As
this tour would cost me many days, and a circuitous route, I resolved to
relinquish the visit to Savannah, and betake myself the nearest way to
Augusta, one hundred and twenty-nine miles distant; thence by
Milledgeville through the Creek Indians, to go into the state of
Alabama. Colonel Wool liked my plan, as also did Mr. Temple Bowdoin, an
Anglo-American, a very polished man, who had travelled, and who in his
younger days served in the British army. We had engaged the mail stage
for ourselves alone, and in it left Charleston on the 20th of December.

We passed Ashley river at the same place, and in the same team-boat,
as I did eight days back. It was at low ebb, and many oyster banks were
exposed dry. This was a novel spectacle to me. The oysters stood
straight up, close together, and had somewhat the appearance of a brush.
Several negroes were employed in taking them out of the mud, in baskets.
Even on the piers of the bridge, many oysters were sticking fast. On the
opposite shore the road ran through a country generally woody, but
partly ornamented with plantations. Several of these plantations are
pretty, commonly an avenue of ancient, well preserved live oaks, leads
up to the mansion-house, at the entrance of which a grated gate is
placed. Maize and cotton are planted here, and in some places also rice,
which is the staple of the lower part of South Carolina. The rice fields
must stand several months of the year under water. On this account they
are situated in swampy districts, and surrounded by ditches of water.
But in consequence of this, these places are so unhealthy, that hardly a
white planter can remain during the summer on his plantation; he is
obliged to resort to Charleston, or the northern states. The climate of
Charleston is such, that whoever is there in the beginning of the hot
season, dares not to sleep a single night during the continuance of it,
upon a plantation, without exposing his life to imminent danger. The
blacks are the only human beings on whom this deadly climate has no bad
effect, and they are, therefore, indispensable for the cultivation of
this district. The vegetation was again extremely beautiful, noble live
oaks, laurel trees, magnolias, cabbage and macaw trees. The road ran
upon light bridges over small rivers, on the banks of which negroes were
busied in angling. We saw the family of a planter in an elegant boat,
manned by six black oarsmen, rowing to their plantation. In a large inn,
which was itself the mansion-house of a plantation, we found a
particularly good dinner. In the evening we crossed the Edisto river in
a narrow ferry-boat, for the arrival of which we were obliged to delay a
long time. The soil was mostly very sandy, partly also marshy, and the
jolting log causeways made us tired of our lives. On this side of the
river we arrived at the village of Edisto. We travelled through the
whole night, and I suffered much from the cold in my airy seat.
Otherwise, it was a clear moonlight, and if it had been a little warmer
would deserve the appellation of a fine night. We changed our stage
during the night, but gained nothing.

The succeeding morning exhibited all the ponds of water covered with a
crust of ice. We passed the Salkechee and Cambahee rivers upon bridges,
and noticed nothing worthy of observation. The vegetation was less
beautiful than on the preceding day; the plantations were also less
considerable. At a new plantation, at which we arrived about break of
day, I spoke to the overseer of the negroes. The man’s employment I
recognised from his whip, and from the use he made of it, in rousing up
the negroes to make a fire. He told us that in the district, where the
plantation was situated, and where maize and cotton were planted, but a
little time before there was nothing but forest; his employer had
commenced in 1816, with two negroes, and now he possessed one hundred
and four, who were kept at work in clearing the wood, and extending the
plantation. The cotton crop was finished in most of the fields, and
cattle were driven in, to consume the weeds and tops of the bushes.
We passed several mill-ponds, and saw some saw-mills. Only pine trees
appeared to flourish in this part of the country; upon the whole, it was
hilly, and the progress was tedious through the deep sand. We passed the
river Savannah three miles from Augusta, in a little ferry-boat. The
left bank appeared here and there to be rocky, and pretty high; the
right is sandy. When we crossed the river, we left the state of South
Carolina, and entered that of Georgia, the most southern of the old
thirteen United States, which in fifty years have grown to twenty-four
in number. We reached Augusta in the evening at nine o’clock, on a very
good road, a scattered built town of four thousand six hundred
inhabitants, of both complexions. We took up our quarters in the Globe
Hotel, a tolerable inn; during the whole day it was very clear, but cold
weather, in the evening it froze hard. The old remark is a very just
one, that one suffers no where so much from cold as in a warm climate,
since the dwellings are well calculated to resist heat, but in nowise
suited to repel cold.

We were compelled to remain in Augusta during the 22d of December, as
the mail stage for the first time went to Milledgeville on the following
day, and Colonel Wool had to inspect the United States’ arsenal here,
which contained about six thousand stand of arms for infantry. We
understood that Mr. Crawford, formerly embassador of the United States,
in Paris, afterwards secretary of state, and lastly, candidate for the
office of president, was here at a friend’s house. We therefore paid him
a visit. Mr. Crawford is a man of gigantic stature, and dignified
appearance; he had a stroke of apoplexy about a year since, so that he
was crippled on one side, and could not speak without difficulty. To my
astonishment, he did not speak French, though he had been several years
an envoy in Paris. They say, that Mr. Crawford’s predecessor in Paris,
was chancellor Livingston, this gentleman was deaf; both Livingston and
Crawford were introduced to the Emperor Napoleon at the same time; the
emperor, who could carry on no conversation with either of them,
expressed his surprise, that the United States had sent him a deaf and
dumb embassy. I likewise reaped very little profit from Mr. Crawford’s
conversation. As he was an old friend of Mr. Bowdoin, almost all the
benefit of it fell to his share, and I addressed myself chiefly to his
daughter, and one of her female friends, who were present. Much indeed
was to be anticipated as the result of a conversation with the daughter
of such a statesman. She had been educated in a school of the southern
states. My conclusion was, the farther south I advanced, so much the
firmer am I convinced that the inhabitants of these states suffer in
comparing their education with those of the north. To conclude, Mr.
Crawford was the hero of the democratic party, and would, in all
probability, have been chosen president in the spring of 1825, had not
his apoplectic attack supervened. On account of his indisposition,
General Jackson was pushed before him; and so much was brought forward
against the individual character of this person in opposition, that the
present incumbent, Adams, on that account, succeeded.

The city of Augusta is very regularly built. The main street is about
one hundred feet wide, it contains many brick houses, and good-looking
stores. None of the streets are paved, but all have brick foot-paths.
A wooden bridge, three hundred and fifty yards long, and thirty feet
wide, crosses from the neighbourhood of the city, to the left bank of
Savannah river, the city lies on the right bank. Along the bank is
erected a quay in the manner of a terrace, which is one of the most
suitable that I have seen; for it is accommodated to the swell of the
river, which often rises above twenty feet. It has three terraces. The
lower one has a margin of beams, mostly of cypress timber, at which,
in the present uncommon low stage of the water, the vessels are loaded.
From the second terrace, (which as well as the upper one, has a brick
facing,) are wooden landings reaching to the edge of the under terrace,
by which, at higher stages, the vessels may land there. The upper
terrace is paved with large stones, which are quarried above the city.
The quay, as well as the landings, belong to the State Bank of Georgia:
the landings produce fifteen per cent. annually.

Augusta is the depôt for the cotton, which is conveyed from the upper
part of Georgia by land carriage, and here shipped either to Savannah or
Charleston. We noticed a couple of vessels of a peculiar structure,
employed in this trade. They are flat underneath, and look like large
ferry-boats. Each vessel can carry a load of three hundred tons. The
bales of cotton, each of which weighs about three hundred pounds, were
piled upon one another to the height of eleven feet. Steam-boats are
provided to tow these vessels up and down the stream, but on account of
the present low state of the water, they cannot come up to Augusta.
I was assured that year by year between fifteen and twenty thousand
bales of cotton were sent down the river. The state of South Carolina,
to which the left bank of the river belongs, was formerly compelled to
make Augusta its depôt. To prevent this, Mr. Schulz, a man of
enterprise, originally from Holstein, has founded a new town, called
Hamburg, upon the left bank of the river, close by the bridge,
supported, as is said, by the legislature of South Carolina with an
advance of fifty thousand dollars. This town was commenced in the year
1821, and numbers about four hundred inhabitants, who are collectively
maintained by the forwarding business. It consists of one single row of
wooden houses, streaked with white, which appear very well upon the dark
back ground, formed by the high forest close behind the houses. Nearly
every house contains a store, a single one, which comprised two stores,
was rented for one thousand dollars. Several new houses were building,
and population and comfort appear fast increasing. The row of houses
which form the town, runs parallel with the river, and is removed back
from it about one hundred and fifty paces. Upon this space stands a
large warehouse, and a little wooden hut, looking quite snug, upon the
whole, with the superscription “Bank.” A Hamburg bank in such a booth,
was so tempting an object for me, that I could not refrain from
gratifying my curiosity. I went in, and made acquaintance with Mr.
Schulz, who was there. He appears to me to be a very public-spirited
man, having been one of the most prominent undertakers of the landings
and quay of Augusta. It is said, however, that he only accomplishes good
objects for other people, and realizes nothing for himself. He has
already several times possessed a respectable fortune, which he has
always sunk again by too daring speculations. This Hamburg bank,
moreover, has suspended its payments, and will not resume business till
the first of next month. On this account, it was not possible for me to
obtain its notes, which, for the curiosity of the thing, I would gladly
have taken back with me to Germany.

On the 23d December we left Augusta, about four o’clock, by moonlight,
and the weather pretty cold, in the miserable mail stage, which we had
engaged for ourselves. It went for Milledgeville, eighty-six miles
distant from Augusta. The road was one of the most tedious that I had
hitherto met with in the United States; hilly, nothing but sand, at
times solitary pieces of rock, and eternal pine woods with very little
foliage; none of the evergreen trees and the southern plants seen
elsewhere, which, new as they were to my eye, had so pleasantly broke
the monotony of the tiresome forests through which I had travelled from
the beginning of December; even the houses were clap-board cabins. Every
thing contributed to give me an unfavourable impression. The inhabitants
of Georgia are regarded in the United States under the character of
great barbarians, and this reputation appears really not unjustly
conferred. We see unpleasant countenances even in Italy: but here all
the faces are haggard, and bear the stamp of the sickly climate.

To the cold weather which we had for several days, warm temperature
succeeded to-day. We were considerably annoyed by dust. Besides several
solitary houses and plantations, we encountered two little hamlets here,
called towns, Warrenton and Powelton, this last lies upon Great Ogechee
river, over which passes a wooden bridge. We stopped at Warrenton. The
court of justice is in the only brick house of the place: close by it
stands the prison, or county gaol, a building composed of strong planks
and beams nailed together. Between Warrenton and Powelton, we had a
drunken Irishman for our driver, who placed us more than once in great
danger. This race of beings, who have spread themselves like a
pestilence over the United States, are here also, and despised even by
the Georgians. We travelled again all night; it was, however, not so
cold as the nights previous. Towards midnight, we reached a trifling
place called Sparta. We were obliged to stop here some time, as the
stage and horses were to be changed. We seated ourselves at the
fire-place in the tavern. All of a sudden there stood betwixt us, like
an evil genius, a stout fellow, with an abominable visage, who appeared
to be intoxicated, and crowded himself in behind Mr. Bowdoin.
I addressed this gentleman to be on guard for his pockets. The ruffian
made a movement, and a dirk fell from his sleeve, which he clutched up,
and made off. They told me that he was an Irishman, who, abandoned to
liquor, as most of his countrymen were, had no means of subsistence, and
often slunk about at night to sleep in houses that happened to be open.
Most probably he had intended to steal. We then obtained another driver,
whom, from his half drunkenness and imprecations, I judged to be a son
of Hibernia, and was not deceived.

On the 24th December, we left this unlucky Sparta at one o’clock in the
morning. The driver wished very much to put a passenger in the stage
with us, which we prevented. Vexed by this, he drove us so tediously,
that we spent full eight hours going twenty-two miles to Milledgeville,
and did not therefore reach there until nine in the morning. Immediately
after leaving Norfolk, and travelling in the woods where there was
little accommodation for travellers, we had every night seen bivouacs of
wagoners or emigrants, moving to the western states--the backwoods. The
horses of such a caravan are tied to the side of the wagon, and stand
feeding at their trough; near the wagon is a large fire lighted up, of
fallen or cut timber. At this fire the people sleep in good weather, in
bad, they lay themselves in or under the wagon. After leaving Augusta we
encountered several of these bivouacs, which consist partly of numerous
families with harnessed wagons. They intended to go to Alabama, the
district of country lately sold by the United States, and there to set
themselves down and fall to hewing and building. I saw three families
sitting on a long fallen tree, to which they had set fire in three
places. These groups placed themselves in a very picturesque manner; but
their way of acting is very dangerous. The night before we saw the woods
on fire in three different directions, and the fire was without doubt
occasioned by such emigrants as these. The lofty pine trees look very
handsome while burning, when they are insulated, but the owner of the
forest has all the trouble attending it to himself.

The country which we passed through towards morning was hilly, the
bottom constantly sandy, towards the last, mixed with clay and rock. The
trees were nothing but long-leafed pines. Close by Milledgeville, we
crossed the Oconee river on a bridge that had been finished but a few
days, and which rested on wooden piles. Until now the river was passed
by a ferry-boat. Both shores are very high and steep, so that going in
and coming out were attended with great difficulty.

Milledgeville lies upon elevated ground, the town is very regularly
built, its broad streets are right-angled, they are, however, unpaved.
It numbers about three thousand inhabitants of both complexions. It was
established about twenty years ago, and increased very rapidly from its
commencement, as it is the capital of the state of Georgia, and the seat
of the legislature. Its increase is now calculated to be checked, since
the story goes that the seat of government will be changed to the
newly-founded town of Macon, or when the state has conquered congress in
the cause yet depending before that body, and part of the Creek Indians
territory is obtained, then it will be placed at Athens, where the
university of the state is situated. We took up our residence at La
Fayette Hall, a large tavern.

Soon after our arrival, I took a walk through the town. It contains
mostly wooden houses, but they were good and even elegantly built, good
stores, also a bookseller’s shop, and several printing presses. There
are published here four gazettes, which a little while since were
exceedingly active on the sides of the two parties who oppose each other
in the state. One party is that of Governor Troup, who, from his
discussions with the United States concerning the Creek territory, and
on account of his warmth in his official correspondence, has become
noted; the other is the party of the former governor, General Clark, who
is, in all appearance, a very mild man, and very much respected by
sensible and well-disposed persons. At the last election of the
governor, it was believed and hoped that General Clark would be chosen.
He had the majority of the legislature in his favour, yet, as the
governor in this state is chosen for two years by the people, and every
man that pays half a dollar tax has a vote, it so happened that Governor
Troup succeeded, by his popularity, in bearing off the palm.

I examined the state-house, which is a simple, but well-finished brick
building of two stories. In the ground floor are the offices, in the
upper story two halls, one is for the senate, the other for the
representatives. In each there is a seat, with a canopy, for the
speaker. The senators have each a desk before them, in the hall of the
representatives one desk serves two persons. All places are numbered,
to prevent awkward encounters. In each hall there is a gallery for the
public. The state-house is placed alone on a little eminence. In its
neighbourhood stands the state arsenal. Another house belonging to the
state, is appointed for the residence of the governor. Mr. Troup,
notwithstanding, does not inhabit it; he has no family establishment,
and has domesticated himself in a plain boarding-house. We intended to
pay him our respects, he could not, however, receive us, as he lay
dangerously ill of a pleurisy. Through two friends, Colonel Hamilton and
Mr. Ringold, he tendered us his apologies, and these gentlemen, in his
name, proffered us their services.

We were then carried to the state prison, a large brick edifice, under
the superintendence of Mr. Williams, and contained seventy-six
prisoners. All these were white persons, for the black were punished by
the whip, and not with imprisonment. No idleness was suffered among the
prisoners. If one understood no mechanical trade, he was obliged to
learn one. I found most of them employed in wagon and saddle-making;
others laboured in a smithy; others as shoemakers or tailors. The
greatest quiet and silence prevailed among the prisoners. Their dress is
blue, with broad white stripes upon all the seams. The interior of the
lodging-house did not please me as much as the workshops. Cleanliness,
so indispensable to such an establishment, was wanting here; it was
neither swept nor scrubbed, and in the cells of the prisoners, in which
four or five slept upon the floor, the woollen coverlets and pillows lay
confusedly together. There were also cells for solitary confinement,
this was, however, used only as a means of house discipline. The eating
room was equally disagreeable to me. A piece of cooked meat was laid on
the table for each prisoner, without knives, forks, or plates. Bread did
not appear to be furnished every day; at least the day we were there,
none was to be seen. The prison is surrounded by a high wall, at each of
its four corners stands a sentry-box for the watch, which they ascend
from without, and from which the whole yard can be overlooked. This
establishment is so well conducted, that it occasions no expense to the
state, on the contrary, it produces a profit. Upon the principal
building stands a turret, which commands an extensive view over the town
and circumjacent country. The district around appears uneven and covered
with wood, the monotony of the view is relieved by nothing. The woods
begin at the edge of the town.

Colonel Hamilton and Dr. Rogers accompanied us on Christmas day to the
state-house. A travelling Unitarian clergyman from the northern states
held divine service in the hall of representatives. The generality of
people here are either Methodists or Baptists. As the Unitarian had
found the churches here shut on this day, he had opened his temple in
the state-house. His audience was composed of the beau monde, as a
Unitarian was something new. He delivered a good discourse, in which he
set forth pure morality, and received general approbation. After dinner
he proposed to give a second service, for the purpose of expounding the
doctrines of his belief, as founded on common sense.

Colonel Hamilton, a particular friend of Governor Troup, was formerly
secretary of state of Georgia. The appointment to this office belongs to
the legislature. This was the cause that though Troup is again chosen
governor by the people, Mr. Hamilton and all the friends of the governor
have lost their places, which are occupied by persons attached to the
Clark party. Dr. Rodgers was secretary of the state treasury, and has
been deprived of his office from the same cause. We saw here several
Indians of both sexes, from the Creek nation, who sold bows, arrows, and
very neatly made baskets. These Indians had a much better appearance
than those I saw in the western part of the state of New York and
Canada. Afterwards several of the grandees of the country were presented
to me by Colonel Hamilton. All these gentlemen had their own peculiar
character. It was evident that they lived in a state separated from the
civilized world.

We were constrained to remain in Milledgeville on the day after
Christmas, how unpleasant soever it might be. No stage goes from this
place through the Indian territory to Montgomery on the Alabama river,
whither we intended to bend our way. We therefore hired for this journey
of one hundred and ninety-eight miles, a four-horse extra stage, for the
price of two hundred and twenty-five dollars; this stage was at present
under repair in the state prison, and could not be placed at our
disposal before the 27th of December. It was necessary for us to have
patience, and pass the time as well as possible, and the few gentlemen
with whom we had formed acquaintance exerted themselves to amuse us.

On the 27th of December we left Milledgeville at nine o’clock in the
morning. It was a pretty cold day, and there was ice half an inch thick.
We rode only thirty miles to Macon. In spite of the large sum of money
which our carriage had cost us, it broke twice; the repairs consumed
much time, and we left it several miles behind. The day was very clear,
and towards midday moderately warm, in the evening there was again a
strong frost. I was pleased with the dark blue of the sky, such as we
hardly have in Germany in a midsummer’s day. We met with several
families, emigrating with their property to Macon and the State of
Alabama. One of these families, who had paid their wagoners beforehand,
had been left by them under frivolous pretext in the middle of the
woods, two miles from Milledgeville: we found these unfortunate persons,
who had made a bivouac, after they had waited several days in vain for
their runaway wagoner and his horses. Several lonely houses which we
passed were grog-shops, in which the neighbours were celebrating the
third day of the Christmas holy-days. Every thing as at home, thought I,
and fancied that I was in a European country. We noticed a gentleman and
lady on horseback, the horses were not loaded completely, a barefooted
negro wench was obliged to run with a heavy sack of corn on her
shoulders to feed the horses! Then I was convinced, and with pleasure,
that I was not in Europe! The road was sandy, uneven, and passed through
pine woods. This wood was here and there cleared, and a patch of cotton
and Indian corn planted. Close by Macon we crossed the Oakmulgee river
in a ferry-boat, and reached the town after sunset. We found tolerable
accommodation in a new tavern.

The country in which Macon is situated, was first purchased from the
Creek Indians, in the year 1822, and the town began about two years ago.
In the last war, the Indians had collected a number of their people
here, and the United States built Fort Hawkins, on the left bank of the
river, at present deserted.

In Macon we received a visit from a Colonel Danah, who formerly served
in the army, and was now settled here. He introduced to me several of
the distinguished people of the place, who had come to see me. The town
has only three streets, which crossed at right angles. At the point of
intersection is a large square, there are houses only on three sides of
it; on the fourth side it is contemplated to erect the capitol, if,
as it has been proposed, the government should be removed here from
Milledgeville. One street runs perpendicular to the line of the river,
over which a bridge is intended to be built: the mason work for its
support has been completed on both sides. The streets are about one
hundred feet wide, the roots of the felled trees are visible in them,
of which trees the houses are constructed throughout. The place contains
about sixteen hundred inhabitants, white and black. The population are
partly young people from Georgia, partly emigrants from the two
Carolinas and the northern states, who have fixed themselves here from
motives of speculation. Although the site of the new town is represented
as extremely healthy, yet they have suffered during the preceding summer
from bilious fever. The country around is little built upon, and the
woods begin not far behind the houses.

About nine o’clock in the morning, on the 28th December, we left Macon
and rode thirty-one miles distance to the Indian agency, on the left
bank of Flint river, called by the Indians, Thlo-no-teas-kah. The road
was partly sandy, partly rocky, but extremely uneven. It was kept in
very bad order. No pains had been taken to carry away or saw through
trees, which had fallen more than a year back crosswise over the road;
the carriage was obliged to make a considerable deviation through the
woods to pass these fallen trees. The plantations by which we passed,
are all new; the houses were completely log huts. The tiresome
uniformity of the pine woods were, in the low and marshy places into
which we often came, very pleasantly interrupted by evergreen cane, as
well as by thorn oaks and laurel trees, we also saw several green-leaved
trees, chiefly oaks, as formerly.

Towards four o’clock in the afternoon we reached the agency, a group of
twenty log houses, and some negro huts. It is appointed for the
residence of the agent of the United States with the Creek Indians,
(he, however, was absent at this time,) and is situated in a very
handsome tract of land on the left side of the Flint river, which rushes
over a rocky bed between pretty steep banks. The right bank belongs to
the Creek nation, of about twenty-one thousand souls, and is inhabited
by them. The contest between the state of Georgia and the United States
is caused by this territory. The state of Georgia had concluded a treaty
with one of the Creek chiefs, M‘Intosh, concerning the surrender of this
district of land; the nation, discontented with the treaty, and is
nowise willing to evacuate their country, insisted that they had been
deceived, and killed M‘Intosh. The United States espoused the side of
the Indians, and blamed the Georgia commissioners for scandalous
impositions upon the Indians. Congress is now about to decide upon this
matter. In one of the log-houses, with a Mr. Crowell, we took up our
night’s lodging, and enjoyed some very well cooked venison. In a
neighbouring grog-shop we found a collection of drunken Indians, and
some negroes, who were frolicing during the Christmas holy-days. Several
of them were well dressed; they wore mocassins and leggings of leather;
broad knee-bands ornamented with white glass beads, a sort of coat of
striped cotton, and upon the head a striped cotton cloth, almost like a
turban. Several of them were very large. For a treat of whiskey, which I
gave them, eight of them performed the war dance. They skipped here and
there in a circle, moved themselves right and left, sprung against each
other, raised their hands on high, let them fall again, and bellowed
horribly through the whole scene. Some old men who stood near, took it
in dudgeon, that the young men should dance in such a way before white
people. They called to them to stop. Mr. Crowell, however, brought them
to silence easily, by whiskey.

The colour of these Indians is a dusky brown. They have black straight
hair. Several of them possess negroes, to whom it is very acceptable to
live with them, since they are treated with more equality than by the
whites. Some of these negroes were very well clothed in the Indian
manner, they drank and jumped about with the Indians. One of them was of
colossal stature, and appeared to be in great request among the Indians,
to whom he served as interpreter. The constitution of these Indians is a
mixture of aristocratical and republican form of government. The chiefs
are chosen for life, and the dignity is not hereditary; for improper
conduct they can be deposed. They cannot write their language. Their
laws are of course very simple, and founded on traditionary usage.

It had rained hard in the night, between the 28th and 29th of December,
it rained also in the day, almost incessantly, yet this rain was mild
and warm, nearly like a spring rain in Germany. There was a
consultation, whether we should remain or go farther on, I determined on
the latter. About nine o’clock we left our night quarters. In the
vicinity thereof, the governor of the state of Georgia had built Fort
Lawrence, which was evacuated, and given up at the peace. The houses,
which belonged to the agency, were then built as magazines and hospitals
for the troops, and arranged for a post of defence. Near the chimney,
and the doors and windows, (the last without glass sashes,) were
loop-holes pierced. Behind this post we passed the Flint river in an
Indian ferry-boat, and found ourselves landed upon their territory. We
rode twenty-eight miles farther to a lonely plantation, called Currel’s.
The road ran through the worst part of the Indian lands, the woods
consisted as before, of the long-leaved pine, and it was only in damp
places we observed green leaves. In particular, there grew high and
beautiful cane. The soil is for the most part dry sand, in strata, and
particularly in the bottoms it is mixed with clay, and of a full yellow
colour. The Indians have thrown bridges over two brooks with marshy
shores, at each of them we paid, with great pleasure, half a dollar
toll-money. The bridges are indeed not remarkably good, yet better than
several in the christian state of Georgia, and even in many of the more
northern states. We met but few of the Indian inhabitants; these were
all wrapt up in woollen blankets. We only saw three wigwams, Indian
houses, chiefly toll-houses of the bridges. They resemble the
log-houses, neither are they so open as those which I saw last summer in
the state of New York. The day was exceedingly uninteresting. Mr.
Currel, with whom we passed the night, is a Virginian, who has settled
here for the opportunity of speculating among the Indians, from whom he
purchased his land at a rather cheap rate: to judge from his habits of
intoxication, he has already adapted himself too much to their mode of
life. His plantation buildings are, as all the rest, log huts: the wind
blew to our heart’s content through the room; no lamp could burn, and we
were forced to use a great hearth fire to give us light. There was no
ceiling to our room, but a transparent roof of clap-boards directly over
us. I was surprised to discover Shakspeare’s works in this place. In one
of the out-houses there was a very good supper set before us, at which,
especially, we had excellent venison.

Upon the 30th of December, after we had passed a cold night in our
clap-board hut, which allowed the storm free admission, and locked our
few articles of property in our chamber, from fear of the Indians
sneaking about, we started before break of day, and rode a distance of
thirty-three miles to Fort Mitchel. The weather was cold the whole day
through, and threatened rain. The country again very uninteresting,
mostly pines, a sandy soil, here and there mingled with clay: at length
wood with green leaves. Only in low situations, along the rivulets,
of which we passed three, was the vegetation to be admired. The laurel
bushes particularly looked well. It gave me real pleasure to be able to
walk in a green thicket along a brook, which I could have accomplished
with difficulty in summer, since these bushes are the favourite resort
of a great number of rattlesnakes. In a solitary plantation we took our
breakfast; it belonged to a Mr. Colfrey, a worthy old Virginian, who had
lost a considerable property, and to better his circumstances, had
determined on the hard alternative of settling among the Indians. We
found his plantation in a very uncommon state of order and neatness, and
we were delighted by an unexpected and most excellent breakfast. Mr.
Bowdoin said to the owner of the place, that he appeared as if he had
not always lived thus among the savages, and never can I forget how the
old man, with tears in his eyes, turned away without making an answer.

We met with several wigwams, and various temporary cabins of travelling
Indians, also a number of bridges, at which we were obliged to pay the
Indians toll. The country was very hilly till we came into a valley,
a mile from our night quarters, through which the Chatahouchee flowed.
This river empties itself into the Mexican gulf. The district, even to
the left bank of the river, is rather marshy, grown up with willows,
laurel, and cane. Not far from the river we beheld several buildings
appointed for the popular assembly of the Indians, called the big talk.
They are large and round, having a conical-formed roof, covered with
tree-bark; they have walls of lime, and a covered low entrance also of
lime. The Indians assemble in these buildings only in bad weather, or at
night, and then a fire kindled in the middle of the house, gives light.
In good weather they collect in a square place covered with sheds, under
which the Indians sit down on planks protected from the sun’s heat.
There is also another place for public games, and particularly for
ball-playing. They appeared here also to have a species of masquerade,
for we found some in a half gourd, cut through and made into a mask,
with eyes and mouth cut in it, and the nose set on of a piece of wood.
From the neck of the gourd, which was cut at half its length, they had
made a pair of horns, and fasted them on the mask, and under this a long
white beard.

We passed the river Chatahouchee at one of the ferries belonging to the
Indians, and kept in order by them. The right bank is somewhat steep,
of red earth, which, from the violent rain, had become slippery. Half a
mile from the ferry brought us to Fort Mitchel. It stood upon a height,
and was situated to the right of us. We dismounted not far from this,
between Indian wigwams at Crowell’s tavern. The host was a brother of
the Indian agent. This house has also a plantation attached to it, as
the one above-mentioned had. Colonel Wool and I were lodged in an airy
out-house of clap-boards, without a ceiling, and windows without glass.
We were accommodated with freer circulation than would have fallen to
our lot in a German barn. Four companies of the fourth regiment of
infantry, the staff of which was fixed at Pensacola, lay in garrison at
the fort. The commandant, Major Donoho, and his officers had taken board
at Crowell’s tavern; in the evening we made acquaintance with them. The
most of these officers, pupils of the school at West Point, were men of
information, and we passed the remainder of the evening much pleased
with their society.

We made the 31st of December a day of rest, as Colonel Wool had to
inspect the garrison of the fort. The four companies here stationed form
properly the garrison of Pensacola, and were only sent here last summer
during the contest between Georgia and the United States, to protect the
Creeks against the encroachments of that State. It openly wishes to take
possession of the Indian territory to the Chatahouchee, to which river,
agreeable to the charter, Georgia extends. The right bank of the river,
on which we now found ourselves, is in the jurisdiction of the State of
Alabama. The troops arriving, at first encamped here, but immediately
commenced building a new but smaller fort, on the spot where Fort
Mitchell stands, so called in honour of the then governor of Georgia,
which they now occupy. They hoped, however, that they should return to
Pensacola as soon as the disagreements had been settled.

After the inspection, we took a walk to a plantation lying near, which
belonged to an Indian named M‘Intosh. He was absent at Washington as a
delegate from his nation. He is the son of that M‘Intosh, who obtained
from the State of Georgia the title of General, and who last spring, on
account of the treaty with the state, had been shot by his countrymen
and hewed in pieces. Polygamy prevails among the Indians. The young
M‘Intosh had indeed only two wives, a white woman and an Indian. They
say he had several wives whom he wished to keep: the white woman however
had driven them with scolding and disgrace out of the house, as she
would only submit to one Indian rival. We did not see the Indian wife.
The white wife, however, received us quite politely. She is the daughter
of a planter in Georgia, and tolerably pretty. She was attired in the
European style, only according to the Indian fancy in dress, she carried
a quantity of glass beads about her neck. She showed us her two
children, completely white, and also the portrait of her father-in-law,
as large as life, with the sword of honour given him by the United
States. The family is in very good circumstances, and possesses seventy
negroes.

In the afternoon we went to a Methodist mission, one short mile distant.
We found none but the women at home. The missionaries have established a
school, which is frequented by thirty children. They have three Indian
girls, boarders, who were extremely modest. The mission is situated in a
handsome plantation, on which I saw tame deer. The deer here are
evidently smaller than those in Europe.

Sunday, the 1st of January, 1826, we were awakened by the drums and
fifes, which announced the new year, by playing Hail Columbia and Yankee
Doodle. With the break of day, between seven and eight o’clock, we left
Fort Mitchel, and rode twenty-five miles to a plantation called Lewis’s,
which is located on the spot, upon which, in the last war, Fort
Bainbridge stood. The road ran through a very hilly country. At first
the soil was sandy and poor, it bore nothing but pine trees. After we
had passed over half the distance, the soil improved, it looked
reddish-yellow, and the apparently everlasting pines gave place to
handsome oaks and lofty hickories. On the other hand the carriage road
became very bad, and in a narrow place we upset. The carriage fell
slowly towards my side, I took the right moment, sprung from the box on
which I sat, and fell upon my feet. This was the eighth time I had been
overturned, and never did I escape so cheap as on this occasion. As none
of the other gentlemen were injured, we could happily laugh at our
accident. The carriage was somewhat damaged, and since we were only four
miles distant from Lewis’s, and had very fine weather, a true spring
day, with clear dark-blue sky, we went the rest of the way on foot.

We passed several wigwams and temporary Indian huts, in which the men
lived with the hogs, and lay around the fire with them. A hut of this
description is open in front, behind it is closed with pieces of wood
and bark. The residents live on roasted venison and Indian corn. The
hides of the deer, and even of cattle, they stretch out to dry in the
sun, and then sell them. At one hut, covered with cane leaves, there was
venison roasting, and bacon smoking. The venison is cut in pieces, and
spitted on a cane stalk, many such stalks lie upon two blocks near each
other. Under these the fire is kindled, and the stalk continually turned
round, till the flesh is dried through. Upon this is laid a hurdle made
of cane which rests on four posts. To this are all the large pieces
suspended. The hams of bacon are laid upon the hurdle so that the smoke
may draw through them.

The grass in many parts of the woods was in a blaze, and many pine trees
were burning. We crossed two small streams, the Great and Little Uchee,
on tolerable wooden bridges. Between three and four o’clock in the
afternoon we reached Lewis’s, a handsome house, the best that we had
found in the Indian territory. We took here an excellent dinner. We ate
daily of the best of venison. In Fort Mitchel we had eaten partridges,
of which the officers in one day took fifty-seven in the morning, and
forty-six in the evening, in their nets. For the singularity of the
thing, I will notice our dinner of to-day, that the inquisitive reader
may observe that one is in no danger of hunger on the lands of the
Indians: soup of turnips, roast-beef, a roast-turkey, venison with a
kind of sour sauce, roast-chickens, and pork with sweet potatoes.

On the 2d of January we rode thirty-one miles to Walker’s, also a
solitary plantation. The country hilly, the road bad to such a degree
that we could only creep along in the most tedious manner, and were
obliged to proceed on foot very often. The wood on the other hand grew
better and better, and consisted, besides the pines, of handsome oaks,
and various sorts of nut-bearing trees, mostly hickories: the soil, for
the most part, of a reddish yellow. In several marshy places, and on the
banks of rivulets, we saw again the evergreen trees and bushes, and in a
swamp nearly a mile long, through which a causeway ran, some magnolia
grandiflora which were at least sixty feet high. I also saw here again
several trees, which first forming one trunk, four or five feet above
the ground, divided themselves into two trunks, and then shot up into
the air one hundred feet. In the north-western part of the state of New
York, I have seen trees which ran up in five, six, and even seven
trunks. Over a stream with marshy banks, a bridge was thrown, three
hundred and eleven paces long: the view which I took from this bridge of
the luxuriant exotic vegetation which surrounded me, exhibited, as I
thought, the original of the sketches of the Brazilian forests in the
travels of the Prince Nieuwied. The beautiful day, the cloudless
dark-blue sky, also introduced by him, were recalled to me by this
picture. But when I observed upon the trees the hateful Spanish moss,
I was reminded that I was in the neighbourhood of Columbia and
Charleston, and that it was a token of unwholesome air. In the swamps I
noticed several plants which were known to me from hot-house
cultivation, but unfortunately I cannot recall their names.

The country is comparatively populously inhabited by Indians. They live
partly in wigwams, partly in bark cabins. Before one of these huts, or
cabins, hung a skinned otter, upon which they seemed preparing to make a
meal. The Indians roast their maize on the naked coals, then they throw
it into a cavity made in a trunk of a tree, and pound it with a stick of
wood into a sort of coarse meal. I bought a species of nuts, which were
roasted, ground-nuts, and amused myself with the propensity to thievery
a young Indian displayed. As I was putting the nuts in my pocket, one or
more would drop, instantly the young fellow would step forward, as if by
accident, set his foot on the nut, take it between his toes, and move
off. We passed through a tolerably cleared, fenced, and built district,
in which several negro quarters of a decent appearance were scattered
about. This plantation belonged to a chief, one of the principal of the
Creeks, called the Big Warrior, who owns above three hundred negroes,
whose wooden dwelling-house stands in the centre of his property. He is
now at Washington, as one of the deputies of his nation. We came over
another cleared spot, where the Indians were routed in the last war by
the Georgia militia under General Floyd.

Not far from this place, we noticed a number of Indians collected in the
neighbourhood of a plantation. We left our carriage to inquire into the
cause of it. There had been a horse race of middling unsightly horses:
the festival was, however, ended, and the meeting was on the point of
breaking up. A white planter who was there, conducted us to the son of
the Big Warrior. He was himself a chief, and possessed a high
reputation, as was said amongst those of the nation. He sat upon a
felled tree between two inferior chiefs. His dress was a tunic of
flowered, clear blue calico, a piece of the same stuff was wrapped round
his head like a turban. He wore richly ornamented leather leggings set
with glass beads, and mocassins, and had an equally ornamented hunting
pouch hung around him. Moderately fat, and of a great stature, he
appeared to be about thirty years old. He had mustaches like all his
countrymen. I was introduced to him, and shook hands with him. The
conversation was very trifling and short. It took place through an
interpreter who appeared to be a dismissed soldier. This creature caused
the chief to rise when we commenced speaking to him; when I begged him
to remain sitting, he reseated himself mechanically. He directed no
questions to me, and answered mine with yes and no. To the question,
whether he knew any thing of the country of which I was a native, he
answered by a shake of the head. He looked no more at me. Several
Indians wore their hair in a singular style; it was shorn on both sides
of the head, and the middle, from the neck over to the forehead, stood
up like a cock’s comb. Seen from behind, they appeared as if they wore a
helmet. Quite small boys practised themselves already in shooting with a
little bow. I attempted to joke with a little fellow, three years old,
but he took the jest in bad part, and threatened me with his bow.

After sunset, towards six o’clock in the evening, we reached Walker’s,
and found a good reception in a large log-house, each of us had a
separate chamber. The landlord was a captain of infantry in the United
States’ service formerly, and had, as our host of yesterday, an Indian
wife.

On the following day we rode to Montgomery, twenty-five miles distant.
The road was in the beginning bad, afterwards, however, really good.
We crossed a bridge over a stream one hundred paces long, and were then
obliged to toil over a long, wretched causeway. The vegetation was again
exceedingly luxuriant, it was remarkably beautiful on the banks of Line
Creek, a little river, which forms the boundary between the Indian
territory and the state of Alabama, eight miles from Walker’s. Very
lofty live oaks, and oaks of other descriptions, several magnolias, and
amongst them, a particularly handsome and lofty macrophylla.

As we entered upon the territory of Alabama, we soon observed that we
were upon a much better soil. It was darker, much wood was removed, and
signs of cultivation every where. Upon several plantations, the cotton
fields exhibited themselves in beautiful order; the log houses were only
employed as negro cabins; the mansion-houses, two stories high, are for
the most part painted white, and provided with piazzas and balconies. At
most of them the cotton gins and presses were at work. The planters had
not finished the whole of their crop, on account of the unusual drought.
The Alabama river was so low that the steam-boats had not been able for
several weeks to pass from Mobile to Montgomery. This place had
therefore, for a length of time, suffered for the want of the most
necessary supplies, which are drawn from Mobile; fifteen dollars had
been asked for one bushel of salt. We met several caravans of emigrants
from the eastern part of Georgia, who were on their way to Butler
county, Alabama, to settle themselves on land which they had purchased
very cheap from the United States. The number of their negroes, wagons,
horses, and cattle, showed that these emigrants were in easy
circumstances. On account of the bad road, we went at first a good deal
on foot; at one of the creeks, the carriage passed through the ford, and
we footmen crossed over on one of the simplest bridges in the world,
namely, a felled pine tree of great size. We arrived at Montgomery about
two o’clock. In the night it had frozen, but the day had solaced us with
the warmth of spring.

Montgomery lies on the Alabama river, a navigable stream, which rises
about two hundred and twenty miles above this place, and after it has
joined itself to the Tombigbee, empties into the Mexican gulf, below
Mobile. The town contains about one thousand two hundred inhabitants,
of both complexions. It has two streets, which are very broad, tolerably
good houses, one, not yet finished, of brick, which material is very bad
here. This place was first laid out about five years ago, and has
already a very lively appearance. On the bank of the river, they were
employed in loading two steam-boats with cotton bales, as, within a few
days, the river had risen five feet, and the navigation was once more
carried on with animation.

The journey by water from Montgomery to Mobile, is four hundred miles,
and as we intended to go this way, we took a look at the two steam-boats
lying here, the Steubenville and Hornet, bound for Mobile. We chose the
Steubenville, which gave out to start on the next day. The construction
of both these boats, and their arrangement, was far inferior to that of
the steam-boats in the north: every thing was coarser, and displayed the
difference between the civilization of the two different sections of the
union. This town is so new, that the original forest still stands
between the houses. In a street there was a well digging; I discovered
by this that the earth was exceedingly well adapted to brick-making, and
that an industrious man, who should establish a kiln here, must make a
handsome profit on the business. The bricks which they sell here at ten
dollars a thousand, are scandalous. Of the inhabitants I heard nothing
commendable: and how can this young town, whose situation, at least in
summer, is unhealthy, have a fixed character; how can it attain a high
degree of cultivation? All come here for the purpose of amassing
property, or are driven here by the prostration of their fortunes, in
their old residence!




CHAPTER XVII.

  _Journey from Montgomery, on the Alabama river, to Mobile, and
    residence in that city._


The Steubenville, commanded by Captain Grover, is of one hundred and
seventy tons, and has a high pressure machine, of fifty horse-power.
Machines like these are very dangerous, and therefore prohibited in the
Netherlands. The machine of the Steubenville was made in Pittsburg. The
body of the boat is occupied by the cargo, the cabins are upon deck. The
dining-room had twelve births; behind this is a gallery with some
apartments; the last one was hired by us. Before we sailed, two Indians
came on board, who wondered very much at my double barrelled gun, with
percussion locks; they had never seen such fire-arms before; I permitted
them to discharge it, and gave them some of the copper caps, at which
present they testified great delight.

We went down the river very swiftly, sixteen miles an hour. The banks of
the river near Montgomery are rather high, they consist of red earth,
with many spots of flint, and covered with willow-growth. We came only a
distance of eighteen miles, to a place called Washington, where the
Hornet lay, and where we also were stopped, to remain during the night
for the purpose of taking in wood and cotton. On account of the number
of sand banks, the navigation of the river must be dangerous; the
captain assured me that the experienced pilot then on board, had one
hundred dollars per month pay, so seldom are the officers of the boats
here, accustomed to the localities!

The next morning we moved on at break of day, with considerable
rapidity; but we soon stopped again, to take in some cotton bales, which
lay ready in a wood on the shore. We had above four hundred bales
already on board. The hold of the boat was full, the space between the
machine and the first cabin was filled, as well as the space about the
cabins, and the roof over them. There was no room left for exercise in
walking, and in the cabin it was very dark. The first delay lasted about
an hour; as soon as we were in motion again, we were obliged to stop for
several hours, as one of the two pipes fell, and drew the other with it.
The steward standing near, was wounded. We pursued our journey about
midday, and laid by again towards sunset to take in wood, and remain for
the night, as the water in the river had fallen, and the sand banks were
numerous in this vicinity.

We went on shore to look about, and found ourselves near to a plantation
with extensive cotton fields, a cotton gin, and a large cotton press.
There is a vast quantity of cotton seed left, more than is required for
the next year’s planting, and the overplus is used for manure. I am well
convinced, that with a small trouble and little expense, a very good oil
could be expressed from this seed. It was thrown out in great heaps,
which contained so much heat, that it was impossible to keep my hand in
it a moment. The breadth of the river is here said to be three hundred
yards, but I cannot believe it to be so much. The right bank may be
about sixty feet high, it rests partly on sandstone, and consists of
many layers of soil; the left bank is lower. Both are grown up with
wood, close to the water’s edge with willows, and farther back with
different sorts of trees; lofty oaks, live oaks, and white oaks, which
only flourish in the south, with plane trees, hickories, and other
nut-bearing trees, here and there with beech, ash, and alder, and also
with tall green cane. If it were not so warm and unhealthy during the
summer, a residence here would be delightful. We saw upon the river many
flocks of wild geese and ducks, and upon the shore several buzzards. The
river makes a number of turns, and contains several islands; yet the
most of them are merely sand banks. Upon them lie fallen trees, of which
passing vessels must take great care. On the banks were canoes, which,
in the Indian fashion, were hewed out of a single tree.

On the 6th of January, the boat was under way before daybreak; she stopt
at Cahawba till ten o’clock, to take in wood. This place has its name
from a small river, which here flows into the Alabama. It lies upon the
right hand bank of the river, here rather high. It was founded about
five years ago, and it is already the capital of the state. With all
this advantage, it contains only three hundred inhabitants of all sorts,
and it is to be feared that its population will not increase, as the
present legislature of Alabama, has resolved to change the seat of
government to Tuscaloosa.

A fatiguing and bad road goes from the landing to this village. It has
two very broad streets, which cut each other at right angles. Only four
or five houses are of brick, the others all built of wood; they stand at
a distance from one another. In the streets were erected two very plain
triumphal arches, in honour of General La Fayette. I was made acquainted
with Colonel Pickens, friend of Colonel Wool. He had formerly served in
the army, was afterwards governor of South Carolina, and now a planter
in Alabama. He carried us to the state-house, where the legislature was
in session.[II-1] He introduced me to Governor Murphy, in whose office
we passed half an hour, in conversing very pleasantly. The governor gave
me several details concerning the state. The greater part of it had been
bought from the Indians, and settled within ten years. It was first
received by congress as a state of the union in the year 1819. All
establishments within it, are of course very new. The staple productions
are Indian corn and cotton, which are shipped to Mobile, the sea port of
the state, and sold there. The bales of cotton average about forty
dollars. About forty miles hence, at the confluence of the Black Warrior
and the Tombigbee rivers, lies the town of Demopolis, formerly called
Eagleville. It was located by the French, who had come back from the
much promising Champ d’Asyle. This place attracted my curiosity in a
lively degree, and I would willingly have visited it. The governor and
the secretary of state, however, advised me strongly against this, as
there was nothing at all there worthy of observation. They related to me
what follows:

    [Footnote II-1: Accommodation is here so difficult to procure,
    that the senators are obliged to sleep three upon one mattress
    laid upon the floor: their food consists, it is said, almost
    without exception of salted pork.]

Alabama, as a territory, was under the especial superintendence of
congress. At that period a number of French arrived from the perishing
_Champ d’Asyle_ to the United States. At the head of them were the
Generals Lefebvre-Desnouettes, Lallemand and Rigaud; congress allowed
these Frenchmen a large tract of land upon a very long credit, almost
for nothing, under the promise that they would endeavour to plant the
vine and olive tree. Both attempts miscarried, either through the
neglect of the French, or that the land was too rich for the vine and
the olive. Some of these Frenchmen devoted themselves to the more
profitable cultivation of cotton; the most of them, however, disposed of
the land allotted to them very advantageously, spread themselves through
the United States, and sought a livelihood in a variety of ways. Some
were dancing and fencing masters, some fancy shopkeepers, and others in
Mobile and New Orleans, even croupiers at the hazard tables, that are
there licensed. General Rigaud betook himself at the time of the Spanish
revolution to Spain, there to contend against France, and may now be
living in England; General Lefebvre-Desnouettes, also went back to
Europe, as it was said to obtain the money collected in France for the
colony, and to bring out settlers; he lost his life some years ago in
the shipwreck of the Albion packet, on the Irish coast. General
Lallemand resorted to New York, where he is doing well. The Frenchmen,
with some of whom I afterwards conversed in New Orleans, insisted that
they had received none of the money collected for them. Eagleville,
since called Demopolis, has only one store, and a few log houses. It
lies in a very level country, and at the most only five Frenchmen, whose
names I could not obtain, are living there now, the remaining
inhabitants are Americans.

After we had looked about the two streets of Cahawba, we embarked and
pursued our voyage. At our going on board, we remarked that Cahawba was
a depôt for cotton, which, partly in steam-boats, and partly in vessels
made of light wood, are transported down the river. These vessels have a
flat bottom, and are built in the form of a parallelogram. The part
under the water is pitched, and on the fore and back narrower ends, are
rudder oars, with which the boats are steered. The vessels are finished
in a very rough way; they are broken up in Mobile, and the timber sold.
They are known by the general title of flat boats.

Some miles below Cahawba we stopped on the right bank, near the
plantation of Mr. Rutherford. There were still fifteen bales of cotton
to be taken in. While this was doing, we went on shore to take a walk,
where the bank was tolerably high. Mr. Rutherford’s plantation has been
about six years in cultivation. The mansion-house is of wood, and built
as other log houses, but it is handsomely situated among live oaks and
pride of China trees. The entrance is shaded by a rose-tree. Around were
handsome, high and uncommonly thick sycamores, whose trunks appeared
white, elms, gum trees, and the above named (live oaks and Chinas) many
from a single trunk, also cane, that was at least twenty feet high. The
situation of the plantation was unhealthy, and Mr. R. a Georgian by
birth, told us that he carried his family for the sake of health to the
north every summer. We saw here several hundred paroquets flying round,
who kept up a great screaming. Many were shot. They are parrots, but of
a larger species than the common kind, clear green with yellow tips to
their wings, and orange-coloured heads, flesh-coloured bills, and long
green tails. We had before seen on the bank several astonishingly
numerous flocks of black birds. The banks of the river are here and
there one hundred feet high, they are composed of steep sandstone rock,
from which springs flow.

By the accession of the new load of cotton bales, our vessel became too
heavily laden. She acquired a balancing motion, like a ship at sea. This
was exceedingly embarrassing in the numerous bends of the river, and to
avoid the danger of falling back, it was necessary to stop the machinery
at every turn. The fine dry weather which pleased us so much, was the
cause of the great fall in the water of the river. The change from high
to low water was very rapid. In the spring, as I was assured, the river
rose sixty feet and more, and inundated the high land near it. I could
not doubt the fact; for I saw upon the rocky banks the traces of the
high water. About dark we laid by on the right shore to take in wood.
We remained here for the night, and I had in a wretched lair an equally
wretched repose.[II-2]

    [Footnote II-2: In this part of the country, they have either
    feather beds or moss mattresses; if these latter are old, the moss
    clots together, and it is like lying on cannon-balls.]

On the 7th of January, at six in the morning, our vessel was once more
in motion; soon, however, she stuck fast upon the sand. It required much
trouble to bring her off, and turn her round; the task occupied an hour
and a half. It was shortly before daybreak, and we were all in bed, if
such miserable cribs deserved the name. It had various effects upon our
travelling companions. Mr. Huygens rose in consternation from his bed,
and made a great disturbance. Mr. Bowdoin called to his servant, and
directed him to inquire what had happened. He was very uneasy when we
told him that we might lie several days, perhaps weeks here, to wait for
rain, and the consequent rise of the river. The colonel and I, who had
acquired by our long experience, a tolerable portion of recklessness,
remained in our cots, and left the matter to Providence, as we perceived
that the captain would rather disembark his cotton, which consumed
nothing, than to support much longer a number of passengers, all with
good appetites, who had agreed for their voyage at a certain price. When
we were again afloat, Mr. Bowdoin remarked with a face of great wisdom,
that he had foreseen that we should not long remain aground, as he had
not felt the stroke of the boat on the sand-bar.

We passed the whole day without any further accident, the weather was
rather dull and drizzling. Nothing interesting occurred to our
observation. We passed by two steam-boats that had been sunk in the
river, of which the last, called the Cotton Plant, went down only a
month since. Both struck against trees in the river, and sank so slowly,
that all the passengers, and part of the cargo were saved. They were so
deep that only the wheel-houses raised themselves above the water. From
these boats already a part of the machinery has been taken out
piece-meal.

In the afternoon we passed a little place called Claiborne, situated on
an eminence on the left bank of the river. Three miles below, we stopped
about sunset, on the right bank for wood. The name of the place is
Wiggins’s Landing. It consists of two log-houses standing upon a height,
among old tall thin oak trees, which was settled by a Mr. Wiggins, with
his wife and children, a short time before. The houses had a very
picturesque appearance, and I was sorry that I could not take a sketch
of them. Mr. W. proposed to cut down the wood for the purpose of raising
cotton there. It was a pity to do so with this handsome grove, handsome,
although injured in its appearance by the Spanish moss which hangs from
the trees. Monsieur Chateaubriand compares the trees enveloped in this
moss to apparitions; in the opinion of Brackenridge, they resemble ships
under full sail, with which the air plays in a calm at sea. I, who never
beheld ghosts, nor possessed Mons. Chateaubriand’s powers of
imagination, though I had seen sails tossing in the wind, compared these
trees in my prosaic mood, to tenter-hooks, on which beggars dry their
ragged apparel before some great holy-day.

We were in hopes, that we should have made more progress during the
night, but the captain had become so prudent, and almost anxious, from
the sight of the two sunken steam-boats, that he determined to spend the
night at Wiggins’s Landing. Formerly, near Claiborne, there was a
stockade, called Fort Claiborne, where an affair took place with the
Indians in the last war. This place is named in honour of the deceased
Mr. Claiborne, governor of the former Mississippi Territory, of which
the present state of Alabama formed a part, who died about eight years
ago, governor of the state of Louisiana, in New Orleans. He had taken
possession of Louisiana, in the name of the United States, which the
then existing French Government had sold to them. Mr. Claiborne was a
particular favourite and countryman of President Jefferson. He had by
his voice decided the presidential election in favour of Jefferson,
against his antagonist, Aaron Burr, for which Jefferson was gratefully
mindful during his whole life.

On the 8th of January, we left our anchoring ground between six and
seven o’clock. The shores, which at first were pretty high, became by
degrees lower, they remained, however, woody, mostly of oak wood in
appearance, hung with long moss. Under the trees, grew very thick, and
uncommonly handsome cane, above twenty feet high. At the rise of the
river, these shores, often covered with water, are on this account
little inhabited. Taking it for granted that the population of Alabama
increases in numbers, and the higher land becomes healthier from
extirpation of the forest, without doubt dykes will be made on these
lower banks, to guard the land from inundation, and make it susceptible
of culture. Here and there rose sand banks out of the water, and also
several snags. We passed the place where the year before, a steam-boat,
the Henry Clay, was sunk; since which time, however, she has been set
afloat again. It is not very consolatory to the traveller, to behold
places and remains of such occurrences, particularly when they find
themselves on board such a miserable vessel as ours. Several
steam-boats, which at present navigate the Alabama, formerly ran on the
Mississippi, as this one did; they were judged too bad for that river,
and were, therefore, brought into this trade, by which their possessors
realized much money. We saw to-day many wild ducks and geese, on the
shores also, numbers of paroquets, which make a great noise; in the
river there were alligators, which are smaller than the Egyptian
crocodile. One of these creatures was lying on the shore of the bank,
and was sunning itself, yet too far from us, and our boat went too fast,
to permit of my seeing it distinctly, or of shooting at it. In the
afternoon we saw several small rivers, which flowed into the Alabama, or
ran out of it, forming stagnant arms, which are here called bayous. The
river itself takes extraordinary turns, and shapes out a variety of
islands. We afterwards reached the confluence of the rivers Alabama and
Tombigbee, where there is an island, and the country appears extremely
well. Both rivers united, take the name of Mobile river.

About three miles below this junction, several wooden houses formed a
group on the right bank. Formerly, there was a stockade here, Fort
Stoddart, from which this collection of houses has its name. Here is the
line which forms the thirty-first degree of latitude, once the boundary
between the United States and the Spanish possessions. The Mobile river
still increased in breadth, and as the night commenced, seemed about
half a mile wide. The weather was very dark and cloudy, the pilot could
not distinguish his course, and although we approached close to the
city, we could proceed no farther, without exposing ourselves to danger.

Early on the 9th of January it was extremely foggy. On this account a
boat was sent out to reconnoitre. The fog after some time cleared away a
little, and we found ourselves so near the wharves that we immediately
touched one of the piers, and landed about half past eight. We had
travelled four hundred and fifty miles from Montgomery. The journey by
land amounts only to two hundred and fifty-eight miles, and yet is
seldom performed, on account of the want of good roads and
accommodation. Being arrived at Mobile and extremely glad at having left
our wretched steam-boat, in which we had enjoyed no comfort, we took up
our residence in Smooth’s Hotel, a wooden building, the bar-room of
which is at the same time the post-office, and therefore somewhat
lively.

Mobile, an ancient Spanish town, yet still earlier occupied by the
French, was ceded with Louisiana, in 1803, to the United States. The few
respectable creole families, who had formerly dwelt here, left the place
at the cession, and withdrew to the island of Cuba, and none but those
of the lower classes remained behind. A new population was formed of the
North Americans, who came here to make money. From this cause, the
French as well as the Spanish language remains only among the lower
classes; the better society is thoroughly American. Mobile contains five
thousand inhabitants, of both complexions, of which about one thousand
may be blacks. The town lies on the right bank of the Florida river,
where it is divided into several arms, and has formed Mobile bay, which,
thirty miles below, joins the Mexican gulf. It is regularly built, the
streets are at right angles, part of them parallel with the river, the
rest perpendicular to it. Along the shore is a wooden quay, and wooden
piers or landing bridges project into the water, for the convenience of
vessels. There are lying here about thirty ships, of which several are
of four hundred tons, to be loaded with cotton. The most of them are
from New York. When the ebb tide draws off the water, a quantity of
filth remains uncovered on the shore, and poisons the atmosphere. This
circumstance may contribute its agency to the unhealthiness of the place
in summer. The shore opposite the harbour is marshy and full of cane.
The town lies upon a poor sandy soil; the streets are not paved, and
unpleasant from the depth of the sand. On both sides of the streets
there are paths made of strong plank, which divide the walk from the
cartway of the street, which will be converted into pavements when brick
or stone shall have become cheaper.

The generality of the houses are of wood, covered with shingles, and
have piazzas. Some new houses only, are built of brick. This article
must be imported, and is not to be procured in large quantities of any
quality. As an example of this, I saw a house finished, of which the two
first stories were of red brick, and the third of yellow. There are also
here some Spanish houses which consist of timber frames, of which the
open spaces are filled up with beaten clay, like those of the German
peasantry. Besides several private houses, most of the public buildings
are of brick. These are, a theatre, which, besides the pit, has a row of
boxes and a gallery, the bank, the court of the United States, the
county court-house, the building of which was in progress, and the
prison. Near this prison stood the public whipping post for negroes. It
was constructed like a sash frame. The lower board on which the feet of
the unfortunate being were to stand, could be pushed up or down, to
accommodate the height of the individual. Upon it is a block, through
which the legs are passed. The neck and arms are passed through another.

The Catholic church here is in a very miserable situation. I went into
it, just at the time the church seats were publicly rented for the year
to the highest bidders; two in my presence were disposed of for nineteen
dollars a piece. The church within resembles a barn, it had a high altar
with vessels of tin, and a picture of no value, also two little side
altars.

A large cotton warehouse, of all the buildings in Mobile, most excited
my attention. This consists of a square yard, surrounded on three sides
by massive arcades, where the cotton bales coming from the country are
brought in, and preparatory to their shipment are again pressed, that
they may occupy as little room as possible in the vessel. The bales were
arranged on a layer of thick plank, between which there is room allowed
to pass the ropes through. Above the bales, which are placed between
four strong iron vices, is a cover, in which there is room left for the
ropes as below. These covers have four apertures, with female screws,
through which the vices pass. On every screw there is a face wheel. All
these four face wheels are driven by a crown wheel, which is put in
motion by a horse. The covers are thus screwed down on the bales, and
their bulk reduced one-third. During the pressure, the negro labourers
have drawn the ropes through the groves between the planks and fastened
the bales with little difficulty. This warehouse or magazine has two
such presses. It occupies three sides of the yard, the fourth contains a
handsome dwelling house. The whole is built of brick, and has an iron
verandah. It belongs to speculators in New Orleans, and is known by the
name of the “fire proof magazine,” although the interior is of wood.

The weather was very fine, and as warm as we have it in summer: I felt
it very much in walking, and most of the doors and windows in the houses
stood open. On this account I seated myself in the piazza before the
house. A number of Choctaw Indians, who led a wandering life in the
woods around the town, went about the streets selling wood, which they
carried in small billets, bound on their backs. They are of a darker
colour, and, if possible, still dirtier than the Creeks, they wrap
themselves also in blankets, and most of them wore round hats trimmed
with tin rings and pieces of tin. I walked through the streets of the
place, which contains several large stores, to all appearance well
stocked. In these excursions I found an old Brunswicker, named Thomas,
who kept a grog-shop here, and who showed me a young alligator, an ugly
animal, at most three months old. It was about eight inches long, and
was preserved in a tub of water, in which it was daily supplied with
fresh grass. When it was taken out of the water and placed on the sand,
it ran about with much alacrity. Its head was disproportionately large,
and it had already double rows of sharp teeth.

In the afternoon we saw a volunteer company, of about twenty and upwards
strong, pretty well equipped, turn out to celebrate the anniversary of
the battle of New Orleans, the eighth of January, 1815. On the preceding
day, being Sunday, this festival was not commemorated. They had erected
a platform on an open spot of ground, and brought there three old iron
pieces, with which a national salute of twenty-four guns was fired.
Colonel Wool had many acquaintances and countrymen here, from the north,
to whom he introduced me. Conversation, therefore, did not fail us,
though many comforts of life are withheld for a period. Thus, for
example, I was deprived of milk so long as I was in the Indian
territory, as the cattle were driven into the woods during the winter,
to support themselves.

I made an attempt to pass round the town, but was prevented on one side
by woods, and on the other, by ditches and marshes, so that I found
myself limited in my promenade to the streets. These, however,
I measured to my heart’s content. There was nothing new to me but some
fruit shops, in which were excellent oranges from Cuba, at six cents a
piece, large pine apples, much larger than the finest I had seen in
England, also from Cuba, at forty-two and three-quarter cents a piece,
thus much dearer than in Charleston, where they cost but twelve and a
half cents a piece, besides bananas and cocoa nuts in abundance.




CHAPTER XVIII.

  _Travels to Pensacola._


Colonel Wool was obliged to go to Pensacola, in pursuance of his duty of
inspection. I determined to accompany him with Mr. Huygens, as Pensacola
was interesting to me as a military man. Mr. Bowdoin felt himself
unwell, and was tired of travelling. He remained, therefore, in Mobile,
with the intention of going to New Orleans by the first opportunity.

On the 10th of January, we left Mobile in the steam-boat Emeline. This
vessel goes daily from Blakely, which lies on the left shore of the bay,
to Mobile, and back again. The distance amounts, in a straight line, to
about twelve miles; some marshy islands covered with cane and shallows,
lengthen the passage to fourteen miles. The Emeline, Captain Fowler, is
the smallest steam-boat that I ever saw. She is only of thirty-two tons
burthen, is built of planks, which are laid over each other without
ribs, like a skiff, and the engine, a low pressure, has only eight
horse-power. The boat belongs to the captain, and, with its engine, was
constructed in New York. When it left that city to sail for Mobile, no
insurance company would undertake to underwrite it, and Mr. Fowler was
compelled to come on his individual risk. His capital embarked in it,
will, nevertheless, produce a very good profit. Yet the smallest
steam-boats which navigate the Florida and Alabama rivers, are insured.
Some are too old and rotten for any company to insure, especially as the
navigation on these rivers is so dangerous, that the few good vessels
must give one per cent. monthly, as a premium.

From the water side, Mobile, with its ships in harbour, has a pretty
appearance. We had also a handsome view of Mobile Bay, in which we
counted nine ships of various sizes stretching in. A number of wild
ducks flew about among the islands. In two hours we crossed the bay, and
landed at five o’clock in the evening at Blakely.

This place has a very good situation, on rather an elevated bank, in a
grove nearly composed of live oaks, of which some are full twenty feet
in circumference. A bushy kind of palm tree grows here which is called
Spanish bayonet, which appears to partake of the nature of the macaw
trees. Blakely was founded in the year 1816, by a Mr. Blakely, dead
about five years since, and then sold to various speculators. This place
was established to injure Mobile, and to draw the commerce of that place
away from it. The design has, however, failed of success. Mobile is
superior in capital, and Blakely has injured itself alone. Upon the
shore stand two large wooden buildings in ruins, the smallest part of
them only is rented, and used as stores. On the eminence behind these
buildings are placed about twenty wooden houses, of which the largest is
the only tavern, and it is really a respectable one. We took our lodging
there. The houses are very neatly built, with projecting roofs and
piazzas, and surrounded with gardens. Some, however, are deserted, and
exhibit the decay of the place. A large wooden edifice two stories high,
provided with a cupola, was originally intended for an academy; from the
want of scholars, this academy has never been in operation, the building
therefore is used as a place of worship, and as a court-house. The
number of inhabitants cannot exceed two hundred.

During our ramble it had become dark; the moon was in her first quarter.
The air was as warm as in a fine May evening in Germany. All was
pleasant and cheerful, and only our recollection that this handsome
country was poisonous in summer, produced a discord with the scene. In
the evening I sat and wrote in one of the rooms of the tavern with open
doors and windows, and heard the sparrow chirp as if it were summer.
I had noticed very few sweet orange trees in this part of the country,
and the few which I saw were small and young. As I manifested my
surprise, the reason was given, that the numerous orange trees which
formerly were here, had been all killed in the winter of 1821-22, by a
four day’s frost.

Before we commenced our journey the next morning, I found in the earth
several pieces of petrified live oak. The mineral riches of this
district are not yet explored. I imagine, that a mineralogist, who
should here prosecute his researches, might reap a rich harvest.

We hired a two-horse barouche, which was to carry us to Pensacola,
sixty-five miles distant from Blakely. In this, we departed about ten
o’clock in the morning, well stocked with plenty of provision, which,
in this country, so destitute of inns, was considered as a necessary
supply. Close to Blakely we ascended a hill, which afforded us a very
beautiful view of the town, the bay of Mobile, and of a valley watered
by a stream, with the richest prospect of vegetation I ever beheld. The
grove before us was full of magnolias of all sizes, of laurels, and an
evergreen bush that was called the water oak; and among them all, the
most splendid live oaks. Unfortunately this lovely country did not reach
very far. Scarcely a short mile from Blakely, the good soil ceased, and
the wearisome sand and long-leaved pines began once more. We advanced
but thirty miles during the day; a delicious warm state of the weather,
however, cheered us. At first we found several plantations which the
inhabitants of Blakely, in somewhat easy circumstances, resorted to
during the summer, when the yellow fever occupied that place. On some of
these plantations, the dry rice, (so called from the fields which
produce it lying so high that they cannot be overflowed,) is cultivated.
This rice is little inferior to the swamp rice of South Carolina, and
will yield fifty bushels to the acre. I regaled myself with the melody
of several birds, of which most were robins, birds of passage, which
live through the winter in these southern countries, and in the spring,
approach the north, there to announce it. I saw also several cranes. To
complete the illusion, that it was summer, a number of frogs lent their
aid, and croaked loudly from the marshes.

We halted at noon, in a shady place, near a clear brook, and dispatched
a part of our provisions, seated on a dry green turf. For the first time
in my life, a shade in January was a desirable object. The night
overtook us before we reached our lodgings for the night, which we
intended to take up at a place called Belle Fontaine. The road was
hardly discernible, for it was so little travelled, that grass grew in
the tracks, and the stumps of trees were as difficult to avoid, as they
were frequent. We risked oversetting more than once. To avoid such an
accident, we determined to proceed on foot. We took in this way, a walk
of at least six miles, in an unbroken pine forest, inhabited by bears,
wolves, and even panthers. At first we had the light of the moon; about
nine o’clock it went down, and we had considerable difficulty to keep
the road. As the dwellings were scattering from each other, we imitated
the barking of dogs, to give them an opportunity to answer in the same
language. This succeeded; we heard dogs bark, moved in the direction
whence the sound came, and reached about ten o’clock, the desired Belle
Fontaine, a log house with two rooms, or cabins, and a cleared opening
before it. A man of rather unpromising appearance, the landlord, Mr.
Pollard, admitted us, and took charge of our horses. His wife, a pale,
sickly looking being, who hardly returned an answer to our questions,
was obliged to rise from her bed, to prepare us a supper and
sleeping-room. The whole establishment had at first, the look of a
harbour for robbers, but there was well roasted venison prepared for us,
on a neat table, and tolerable coffee, for which we had, luckily,
brought sugar along with us. It was really comfortable, though our
chamber remained open the whole night, as there was no door, and only
two beds were furnished.

The 12th of January we left our quarters at seven in the morning, and
travelled thirty-two miles to Pensacola. Twelve miles from Belle
Fontaine brought us to a stand at the Perdido, where we breakfasted at a
plantation, situated on the right bank of the river. This stream forms
the boundary between Alabama and the territory of Florida, which does
not yet contain inhabitants sufficient to entitle it to a reception
among the states of the Union. The river is small, its banks sandy, and
we crossed it in a poor ferry-boat. On the banks, as generally through
the whole of that district, I saw many bushy palms, here called
palmattoes. The soil on the whole, was as bad as that we saw yesterday,
the growth was pine; there is fresh vegetation only about the springs.
The air grew still warmer, we saw a few butterflies. As we approached
Pensacola, the pines ceased, and we moved through dwarf oaks. The soil
was a deep sand; we passed by a marsh full of water oaks.

Pensacola, which we reached about five o’clock, lies upon a bay of the
ocean. It is an ancient Spanish town, and was surrendered by Spain with
all Florida, to the United States in 1821. It contains about one
thousand inhabitants. We lodged ourselves in Collins’s Hotel, and went,
immediately on our arrival, to walk about the town. It is the most
miserable place that I have beheld since I crossed the Atlantic. Such
Spaniards as possessed any property have left this place, when it was
ceded to the United States, and have moved off either to New Orleans, or
the island of Cuba. Only the poorest of them have remained. Since that
time, the Americans settled here, have, as at Mobile, created a new
population. The deepest sand covers the unpaved streets, which are
broad, and regularly laid out. Only a few new houses are of brick, they
are mostly of wood, and stand at a considerable distance from each
other. There is not a single ship in the port. A new market-house of
brick is building upon the shore, and not far from it stands the wooden
catholic church, the outside of which appears in a forlorn condition.
Near the church are the ruins of an old English barrack, which was burnt
about four years ago; its two wings were covered by two block houses of
logs, which are standing, one of which serves for a custom-house. About
the town several block houses have stood, which formerly afforded a good
protection against the Seminole Indians, the original inhabitants of
this section of country.

In the evening of this day, and on the next morning we received visits
from several officers, from Colonel Clinch, commandant of the 4th
regiment of infantry, who was posted here with Major Wright and others.
Captain Campbell of the Marine Corps, who had the command of the new
navy-yard, that was to be established here: some supplies had arrived,
and were put in store at Fort Barrancas. As we wished to see this fort,
the gentlemen were so polite as to accommodate us with their boats.

I went with Colonel Wool in Captain Campbell’s boat. We had a favourable
wind, and spreading two sails we reached fort Barrancas, nine miles by
sea from Pensacola, in an hour. On the way we saw a flock of sixteen
pelicans. On account of the point of land stretching into the bay, we
had to make a circuit; it was called Tartar point, and the new navy-yard
is to be upon it. It is thought that it will be commenced in two months.
The country about Pensacola and the shores of the bay are the most
disagreeable that can be conceived of; nothing but sand heaps
dazzling-white like snow. In the bay lies a level island, St. Rosa, with
a growth of dwarf oaks. On it had been erected a fort, which was blown
up by the English, when they occupied Pensacola in the year 1814, to
support the Creek Indians then at war with the United States, and were
compelled to evacuate it by General Jackson. The English blew up also a
part of Fort Barrancas at the same time, but the Spaniards have
reinstated it, although on a smaller scale; thus it remains at present.

The cannon are of brass, English and Spanish. Among the latter I
observed two very fine twenty-four pounders, cast in Seville. Nothing
can be more unhandy than the Spanish gun-carriages, they have wheels,
which at the outside measure four feet in diameter.

In the gorge of the works, there is a large bomb-proof casemate, and in
the yard a furnace for red-hot shot. The whole of the work is built of
sand, therefore the wall outside, and the parapet inside, are covered
with upright planks, and the cheeks of the embrazures in the same
manner. The Spanish cannon, also mounted on the clumsiest carriages, are
placed in battery. The fort was temporarily given up to the marines, who
employed the casemates and block houses for magazines, till the
requisite preparations could be made in the navy-yard. At that period,
the fort will be dismantled, and in its place a respectable fortress
will be erected to defend this important point.

It is of the highest consequence to the United States, to have an
extensive maritime and military position on the Mexican gulf, on account
of the increasing power of the new South American Republics.
Nevertheless, Pensacola can only be of secondary ability to fill such a
station, since the sand bank lying in the mouth of the bay, has only
twenty-two feet upon it at high water; and necessarily, is too shallow
for ships of the line, or even American frigates of the first class.
Besides, upon the whole coast of the Gulf of Mexico, there is but one
single bay, (and this is situated southward of La Vera Cruz,) in which
armed ships of the line can pass in and out. The pieces of ordnance
placed upon the walls, as well as some forty lying upon the beach, half
covered with sand, of old Spanish and English cannon, are, as is said,
perfectly unserviceable.

Outside of the fort, about two hundred paces distant from it, along the
sea-coast, stands a light house built of brick, about eighty feet high,
in which twenty lamps in divisions of five, constantly turn upon an axis
in a horizontal movement during the night. They are set in motion by
clock-work, and were prepared in Roxbury, near Boston. I saw the model
in the patent office at Washington. The lamps are all furnished with
plated reflectors, and are fed with spermaceti oil. The land about the
fort is for the most part sandy, and produces only pines naturally,
these however have been rooted out, and dwarf oaks and palmettoes have
since sprouted out.

I have mentioned General Jackson above, and surmised that he had driven
the English out of Pensacola. I add to this remark the following: the
Seminoles, as it is asserted, manifestly stirred up by the English,
without the least provocation, commenced a war against the United
States, in the year 1818. General Jackson defeated them, and directed
the two Englishmen, Arbuthnot and Ambrister, who had sold weapons and
ammunition to the Indians, as well as stimulated them to war against the
United States, to be hanged. After this, he attacked Pensacola and the
Barrancas, where the Indians were sheltered and protected by the Spanish
authorities. The town of Pensacola was poorly fortified and soon
mastered. General Jackson then opened a cannonade of two pieces of
artillery on Fort Barrancas. The Spanish governor hid himself under the
steps of the coast battery, and surrendered the fort, since by the
agreeing statement of two captains, the garrison refused to fight,
(consisting of three companies of the Spanish regiment of Louisiana,)
because they had not received their pay for some time. “Audacibus
fortuna juvat!”

On the 14th of January I took a walk in front of the town to view the
former fortifications of this place. These works owe their foundation to
the English. England, indeed avowedly possessed this country, West
Florida, from 1763 to 1783; at the treaty of Versailles, it was fully
given up to Spain, after it had been conquered by Don Galvez, then
governor of Louisiana, who afterwards was Viceroy of Mexico. The best
defence of Pensacola consists in the marshes which surround it. Beyond
the marshes lie undistinguishable sand hillocks, which were occupied by
forts. A thousand paces in front of the town, to the left of the road
leading to Mobile, lies a fort.

The form of this fort, I made out from the remains grown over with
bushes. Behind it was open, and there are still the ruins of a
bomb-proof powder magazine, built of brick, which the English blew up in
1814. It appeared partly covered with timber. A thousand paces farther
to the left, are the ruins of another somewhat larger fort, upon another
small eminence so disposed as to command the interior of the first. It
appears to have been calculated for from four to five hundred men, while
the first could only shelter two hundred. The ramparts of both are
composed merely of sand, and the high bushes of various species, which
flourish to a remarkable degree on the ruins, exhibit the productive
force of the climate. The soil around the forts, also consisting of sand
only, yields palmettoes and dwarf oaks. I had remarked the same soil
upon the land side of Fort Barrancas, and besides cactus, some of which
grew in a screw-like form through the bricks, many of them in the driest
sand. In 1782, a handful of Waldeckers, then in English pay, defended
these works against fifteen thousand Spaniards, and in the absence of an
English engineer, the captain there, and the present Lieutenant-General
Heldring, of the Netherlands, discharged that duty.

Colonel Walton, secretary of state of Florida, who had just returned in
a vessel from Talahasse, told me so much of the beautiful situation, and
delicious country about that town, only laid out within a year, as well
as of the interior of Florida, with its rising and falling springs and
lakes, the discharge of which no one was acquainted with, that I was
sorry I could not visit that place, to which the fourth regiment had
marked out a road. Thirty miles from Talahasse, Prince Achille Murat, in
company with the former colonel, now Mr. Gadsden, purchased much land,
on which he will cultivate maize, cotton and sugar. M. Murat must be a
young man of great spirit. It is, however, charged against him, that he
has addicted himself to a low familiar behaviour, in which he appears to
wish to excel; that he chews tobacco constantly, &c.

I paid a visit to the catholic clergyman of this place, Abbé Mainhout,
a native of Waerschot, in East Flanders. The Abbé came in 1817, with the
bishop of Louisiana, Mr. Dubourg, as a missionary to the United States.
This excellent man does very little credit to the climate, he is now
just recovering from a severe fit of sickness. He is universally
esteemed and loved on account of his exemplary conduct and learning: and
as he is the only clergyman in the place, the inhabitants of whatever
persuasion they may be, resort to his church. He was pleased with my
visit, particularly, as I brought him news from his native land.

Colonel Clinch sent us his carriage, to carry us to the quarters, where
Colonel Wool was to hold his inspection. Since the English barracks have
been burnt, the troops have been stationed out of town in preference,
from apprehension of the yellow fever. There is a large wooden barracks
built in a healthy situation, on an eminence two miles from town on the
road to the Barrancas, for the troops. These barracks in the phrase of
this service are called cantonments, this one, after the colonel, is
named cantonment Clinch. It consists of ten log-houses built in a row,
under one roof. Each house is for a company, and contains two rooms.
Before this long range of barracks, is a large parade, with a flag
staff. Opposite to this are the officers quarters. The officers of each
company have a house, which stands opposite to the barrack of their own
soldiers. Behind the long building for the men, is the range of
kitchens; behind this is the guard house and prisoners room, and still
farther back in the woods, the etcetera. On the right wing is the
colonel’s house, placed in a garden surrounded by a palisade. The house
is built of wood, two stories high, and furnished with a piazza below,
and a gallery above. Upon the left wing, stands a similar building
appointed for the residence of the lieutenant colonel and major; at
present, however, arranged as an hospital, as the first officer commands
in Tampa Bay, and the major in Fort Mitchel. The cantonment has its
front towards the bay; at the foot of the eminence on which it stands,
is a bayou, and the appearance is really handsome. The colonel has only
two officers and about twenty men, with the regimental surgeon, so that
the inspection was soon completed.

After dinner we returned to the town, and passed the evening in a very
pleasant party at Mr. Walton’s, which was given from politeness to me.
I found here several Creole ladies of the place, who spoke bad French,
but looked very well, and were dressed with taste. Conversation was our
only amusement, but this was animated and well supported.

On the 15th of January we left Pensacola, at eight o’clock in the
morning, to return to Mobile by the same way we came. We encountered a
skunk, something larger than a cat, with a thick, hairy, and erect tail.
This creature cannot run with agility, and we could easily have caught
it. We, however, suffered it to go quietly to its hole, as it scatters
its effluvium when disturbed, and if the least piece of clothing be
touched by it, it must be thrown away entirely, as there is no method of
freeing it from the detestable smell. If a dog is sprinkled by it he
become almost sick, whines, and throws himself about for some time on
the earth. We passed also two wolf-traps, resembling our rat-traps, but
of course constructed on a larger scale.

We made a short stay at the house on Perdido river. We met with a
planter from the banks of the Alabama, who had come here to take back
one of his negroes, whom he had hired before to the mistress of this
house and ferry. He had treated the poor creature with such barbarity,
that the negro not far from the house had threatened him with the knife,
and had ran back. The man had put us across the river, but as soon as he
saw his master, he ran away quickly, and was no more to be seen. The
gentleman asked us to assist him in arresting and detaining his negro,
but we unanimously rejected his proposal with disgust. Some days before,
the negro had pleased me much by his lively and agreeable disposition,
while his master and tormentor appeared to me, in every respect, highly
the reverse.

About five o’clock in the afternoon we reached the same log-house in
which we had passed the night, near Belle Fontaine. As it was still
daylight, I went immediately in search of the spring to which this place
owes its name; I found, however, only a marsh with several springs,
about which, except the vegetation, there was nothing attractive. The
landlord was not at home, and the whole domestic management rested on
the poor pale wife, who had five children to take care of, and expected
a sixth soon. She had for an assistant a single little negro wench, who
was soon sent away, so the poor woman had every thing to provide; yet
she set before us an excellent supper.

Towards morning, I was roused out of my uneasy slumbers by a powerful
uproar. It was caused by cranes that flew over the house. At eight
o’clock in the morning we left Belle Fontaine and travelled back to
Blakely, where we arrived before five o’clock in the evening, and took
possession of our former quarters. Through the whole passage back, not
the least thing occurred worthy of remark. A good road could be made at
little expense between Blakely and Pensacola, at least the numerous
large trees, which after violent storms have fallen transversely over
the road and shut it up, might be cleared away. One is obliged often to
make a considerable circuit on account of these trees.

On the following morning at ten o’clock, we embarked once more on board
the steam-boat Emeline, and in very fine, though cold weather, reached
Mobile at twelve o’clock. We found Mr. Bowdoin confined to his bed, with
the gout in both legs. We immediately betook ourselves to the harbour.
During our absence, the packet schooner Emblem, Captain Vincent, from
New Orleans, had arrived here, and designed returning to that city. The
captain had heard of us, and remained some time to take us along. His
vessel stood in very high repute, as well for her sailing, as on account
of accommodation and cleanliness. We agreed for the passage at fifteen
dollars for each person. The vessel would have sailed exactly on this
day, but as the captain had understood that we were desirous of seeing
the new fort on Mobile point, which was built thirty miles from Mobile,
he was so polite as to postpone his voyage till the next morning, to
allow us to see the fort by daylight.

Of course, we had some time on our hands. We took a walk in the woods
situated behind the town, which is composed of pines, and some evergreen
bushes. It is also the great burial-ground, which is thickly filled up
by the agency of the yellow fever, and the sickly climate. Several
Choctaw Indians bivouacked here, like gypsies; the men lay drunk upon
the earth, and their miserable women were obliged to carry the bundles
of wood to town for sale.

To my great astonishment, I learned that there were gambling-houses even
here, kept by Frenchmen, and that each in the city paid a yearly tax of
one thousand dollars for a license. I was told that respectable
merchants were in the habit of going there to have an eye over their
clerks, and also to observe what mechanics, or other small tradesmen,
played here, to stop giving credit to such as haunted the resorts of
these gentry. I was taken to two of these gambling-houses, which are
united with coffee-houses, to see how they were conducted. In one of
them were two roulette tables, in two separate rooms, in the other,
which was smaller, one roulette and one pharo table. There was betted
here silver and paper, but not more than twenty dollars bank notes, and
most of them did not bet more than a dollar a time. A couple of young
fellows lost all that they had, and behaved very indecently when they
were stripped of their money. Several of the better sort appeared to be
country people, who had brought their corn and cotton to market, and
only played off their profits. At one of the tables sat some common
sailors, half drunk. We found rather low company collected in both
houses, and our curiosity was soon satisfied. It is to be hoped, that
the legislature of Alabama will prohibit such houses. They are, on the
whole, very good places for recruiting the army and navy!




CHAPTER XIX.

  _Journey to New Orleans, and Residence in that City._


On the 18th of January, we embarked in the schooner Emblem, whose cabin
was proportioned to her tonnage, (which was but fifty tons,) but
comfortably high, and well ornamented. The sides were of mahogany and
maple; on each side were two state-rooms, with two births each; the back
part of the cabin, being something higher than the forward part,
contained a birth on each side. Of these, the starboard was occupied by
Mr. Bowdoin, the other by myself.

The shores of Mobile Bay, which is very wide, are low and overgrown with
wood, before us lay a long island, called Isle Dauphine, by the
unfortunate Delasalle, who discovered it. Mobile point lies to the left,
where, after sunset, we beheld the light in the light-house. There stood
on this point in the late war a small fort, called Fort Bowyer, which
the present Lieutenant-Colonel, then Major Lawrence, gallantly defended,
with a garrison of one hundred and thirty men, against eight hundred
disembarked English sailors and Seminole Indians, under Major Nichols.
The assailants were defeated, after their ordnance was dismounted, with
considerable loss, and the English corvette Hermes, which covered the
attack, was blown up by the well-directed fire of the fort. In February,
1815, this brave officer found himself obliged to yield to superior
force, and to capitulate to Admiral Cockburn, who was on his return from
the unsuccessful expedition to New Orleans. This was the last act of
hostility that occurred during that war. Fort Bowyer is since
demolished, and in its stead a more extensive fortress is erecting,
which we would willingly have inspected, had the wind been more
favourable, and brought us there earlier. We steered between Mobile
Point and Dauphin Island, so as to reach the Mexican gulf, and turning
then to the right, southward of the Sandy Islands, which laid along the
coast, sailed towards Lake Borgne. Scarcely were we at sea, when a
strong wind rose from the west, which blew directly against us. We
struggled nearly the whole night to beat to windward, but in vain. The
wind changed to a gale, with rain, thunder, and lightning. The
main-topmast was carried away, and fell on deck. The mate was injured by
the helm striking him in the side, and was for a time unfit for duty. On
account of the great bustle on deck, the passengers could hardly close
an eye all night. The motion of the vessel was violent, on account of
her small size. A falling block broke out several of the panes in the
sky-light of the cabin, so that the rain was admitted, and the furniture
was tossed about by the rolling.

On the morning of the 19th of January, we were driven back to the strait
between Dauphin Island and Mobile Point, and the anchor was dropt to
prevent farther drifting. I was sea-sick, but had the consolation that
several passengers shared my misfortune. The whole day continued
disagreeable, cold, and cloudy. As we lay not far from Dauphin Island,
several of our company went on shore, and brought back a few thrushes
which they had shot. I was too unwell to feel any desire of visiting
this inhospitable island, a mere strip of sand, bearing nothing but
everlasting pines. Upon it, stands some remains of an old entrenchment
and barrack. Besides the custom-house officers, only three families live
on the whole island. We saw the light-house, and the houses at Mobile
Point, not far from us. I wished to have gone there to see the
fortification lately commenced, but it was too far to go on a rough sea
in a skiff.

On the 20th of January, the wind was more favourable; it blew from the
north-east, and dispersed the clouds, and we set sail. After several
delays, caused by striking on sand-banks, we proceeded with a favourable
wind, passed Dauphin Island and the islands Petit Bois, Massacre, Horn,
and Ship Island.

These islands consist of high sand-hills, some of them covered with
pine, and remind one strongly of the coasts of Holland and Flanders.
Behind Horn and Massacre Islands lies a bay, which is called Pascagoula,
from a river rising in the state of Mississippi, and emptying here into
the sea. Ship Island is about nine miles long, and it was here that the
English fleet which transported the troops sent on the expedition
against New Orleans, remained during the months of December and January,
1814-15. At a considerable distance from us to the left, were some
scattered islands, called Les Malheureux. Behind these were the islands
De la Chandeleur, and still farther La Clef du Francmaçon. Afterwards we
passed a muddy shallow, upon which, luckily, we did not stick fast, and
arrived in the gulf Lac Borgne, which connects itself with Lake
Ponchartrain, lying back of it, by two communications, each above a mile
broad; of which one is called Chef Menteur, and the other the Rigolets.
Both are guarded by forts, the first by the fort of Chef Menteur, the
other by that of the Petites Coquilles, so called because it is built on
a foundation of muscle shells, and its walls are composed of a cement of
the same. We took this last direction, and passed the Rigolets in the
night, with a fair wind. Night had already fallen when we reached Lake
Borgne. After we had passed the Rigolets, we arrived in Lake
Ponchartrain, then turned left from the light-house of Fort St. John,
which protects the entrance of the bayou of the same name, leading to
New Orleans.

I awoke on the 21st of January, as we entered the bayou St. John. This
water is so broad, that we could not see the northern shore. We remained
at the entrance one hour, to give the sailors a short rest, who had
worked the whole night, and whose duty it was now to tow the vessel to
the city, six miles distant. This fort, which has lost its importance
since the erection of Chef Menteur, and Petites Coquilles, is abandoned,
and a tavern is now building in its place. It lies about five hundred
paces distant from the sea, but on account of the marshy banks cannot be
thence attacked without great difficulty. The bank is covered with thick
beams, to make it hold firm, which covering in this hot and damp climate
perishes very quickly. The causeway which runs along the bayou, is of
made earth on a foundation of timber. Behind the fort is a public house,
called Ponchartrain Hotel, which is much frequented by persons from the
city during summer. I recognized the darling amusements of the
inhabitants, in a pharo and roulette table.

As the passage hence to the city is very tedious in stages, we proposed
to hire a carriage, but there was none to be found; six dollars was
asked for a boat; we therefore, decided to go on foot. The Colonel, Mr.
Huygens, Mr. Egbert, Mr. Chew, and myself made up this walking party.
The morning was beautiful spring weather; we passed through a shocking
marshy country, along the right side of the bayou. The woods were
hanging full of the hateful Spanish moss, and a number of palmettoes
were the only variety afforded. The causeway was very muddy; there were
good wooden bridges over little ditches, which conveyed the water from
the surrounding marshes into the bayou.

After we had proceeded three miles in this manner, we came into a
cultivated district, passed a sort of gate, and found ourselves quite in
another world. Plantations, with handsome buildings, followed in quick
succession; noble live oaks, which had been trimmed to regular shapes,
young orange trees, pride of China, and other tropical trees and bushes,
along the road. Several inns and public gardens were exhibited, for a
population that willingly seeks amusement. We noticed several
mansion-houses, ornamented with columns, piazzas, and covered galleries;
some of these were of ancient style in building. It was naturally
agreeable to me, after wandering a long time in mere wildernesses, once
more to come into a long civilized country. We saw from afar, the white
spires of the cathedral of New Orleans, also the masts of the ships
lying in the Mississippi. The bayou unites itself, three miles from this
city, with a canal leading thither, which we passed upon a turning
bridge, to strike into the city by a nearer way.

This road carried us between well-built mansions, and over the streets
were hung reflecting lamps. The first view of the city, as we reached,
without knowing it, was really not handsome; for we came into the oldest
section, which consisted only of little one-story houses, with mud
walls, and wide projecting roofs. On the whole, the streets are
regularly laid out, part parallel with the river, the rest perpendicular
to it. The ancient town was surrounded by a wall, which is destroyed, in
its room there is a boulevard laid out, called Rue de Remparts. Next to
the old town below, lies the suburb Marigny, and above, that of St.
Mary; then begins the most elegant part of the city.

Before we searched for lodgings, we looked about a little through the
city, and went first to the Mississippi, to pay our homage to this
“father of rivers.” It is about half a mile wide, and must be above
eighty fathoms deep; it is separated from the city by a compost of
muscle shells. This causeway defends it from inundations. There are no
wharves, they cannot be fixed, as the river would sweep them away. The
ships lay four and five deep, in tiers along the bank, as in the Thames,
at London. Below them, were ten very large steam-boats, employed in the
river trade. In a line with the bank stood houses, which were two or
three stories high, and built of brick, also ancient massive Spanish
houses, known by their heavy, solid style, and mostly white. We passed
by a square, of which the river formed one side, opposite stood the
cathedral, and on each side of it, a massive public edifice, with
arcades. Along the bank stood the market-houses, built of brick,
modelled after the Propylæa, in Athens, and divided into separate
blocks. We saw in these, fine pine-apples, oranges, bananas,
peccan-nuts, cocoa-nuts, and vegetables of different descriptions; also
several shops, in which coffee and oysters were sold. The black
population appeared very large; we were informed, that above one-half of
the inhabitants, forty-five thousand in number, were of the darker
colour. The custom-house on the Levée, is a pretty building.

We met a merchant, Mr. Ogden, partner of Mr. William Nott, to whose
house I had letters, who had the politeness to take charge of us, and
assist us in our search for lodgings. We obtained tolerable quarters in
the boarding house of Madame Herries, Rue de Chartres. The first person
I encountered in this house, was Count Vidua, with whom I had become
acquainted in New York, and who since had travelled through Canada, the
western country, and down the Ohio and Mississippi.

My first excursion was to visit Mr. Grymes, who here inhabits a large,
massive, and splendidly furnished house. I found only Mrs. Grymes at
home, who after an exceedingly fatiguing journey arrived here, and in
fourteen days after had given birth to a fine son. I found two elegantly
arranged rooms prepared for me, but I did not accept this hospitable
invitation. After some time Mr. Grymes came home, and accompanied me
back to my lodgings. As our schooner had not yet arrived, we went to
meet it and found it in the canal, a mile and a half from town, where
two cotton boats blocked up the way. We had our baggage put into the
skiff, and came with it into the basin, where the canal terminates.

In the evening we paid our visit to the governor of the state of
Louisiana, Mr. Johnson, but did not find him at home. After this we went
to several coffee-houses, where the lower class amused themselves,
hearing a workman singing in Spanish, which he accompanied with the
guitar. Mr. Grymes took me to the masked ball, which is held every
evening during the carnival at the French theatre. The saloon in which
they danced, was quite long, well planned, and adorned with large
mirrors. Round it were three rows of benches amphitheatrically arranged.
There were few masks, only a few dominos, none in character. Cotillions
and waltzes were the dances performed. The dress of the ladies I
observed to be very elegant, but understood that most of those dancing
did not belong to the better class of society. There were several
adjoining rooms open, in which there is a supper when subscription balls
are given. In the ground floor of the building are rooms, in which pharo
and roulette are played. These places were obscure, and resembled
caverns: the company playing there appeared from their dress, not to be
of the best description.

Next day, we made new acquaintances, and renewed some old ones.
I remained in this city several weeks, for I was obliged to give up my
plan of visiting Mexico, as no stranger was allowed to go to that
country who was not a subject of such states as had recognized the new
government. There were too many obstacles in my way, and therefore I
determined to wait in New Orleans for the mild season, and then to
ascend the Mississippi. The result was an extensive acquaintance,
a succession of visits, a certain conformity in living, from which one
cannot refrain yielding to in a city. No day passed over this winter
which did not produce something pleasant or interesting, each day
however, was nearly the same as its predecessors. Dinners, evening
parties, plays, masquerades, and other amusements followed close on each
other, and were interrupted only by the little circumstances which
accompany life in this hemisphere, as well as in the other.

The cathedral in New Orleans is built in a dull and heavy style of
architecture externally, with a gable on which a tower and two lateral
cupolas are erected. The façade is so confused, that I cannot pretend to
describe it. Within, the church resembles a village church in Flanders.
The ceiling is of wood, the pillars which support it, and divide the
nave into three aisles, are heavy, made of wood, covered with plaster:
as well as the walls, they are constructed without taste. The three
altars are distinguished by no remarkable ornament. Upon one of the side
altars stands an ugly wax image of the virgin and child. Near the great
altar is a throne for the bishop. On Sundays and holy-days, this
cathedral is visited by the beau monde; except on these occasions,
I found that most of the worshippers consisted only of blacks, and
coloured people, the chief part of them females.

The sinking of the earth of the Levée is guarded against in a peculiar
way. In Holland piles are driven in along the water for this purpose,
and held together by wattling. After the dam is raised up, there are
palisades of the same kind placed behind each other. Here the twigs of
the palmetto are inserted in the ground close together, and their
fan-like leaves form a wall, which prevents the earth from rolling down.

There are only two streets paved in the city; but all have brick
side-walks. The paving stones are brought as ballast by the ships from
the northern states, and sell here very high. Several side-walks are
also laid with broad flag stones. In the carriage way of the streets
there is a prodigious quantity of mud. After a rain it is difficult even
for a carriage to pass; the walkers who wish to go from one side to the
other, have a severe inconvenience before them; either they must make a
long digression, to find some stones that are placed in the abyss, for
the benefit of jumping over, or if they undertake to wade through, run a
risk of sticking fast.

Sunday is not observed with the puritanic strictness in New Orleans,
that it is in the north. The shops are open, and there is singing and
guitar-playing in the streets. In New York, or Philadelphia, such
proceedings would be regarded as outrageously indecent. On a Sunday we
went for the first time, to the French theatre, in which a play was
performed every Sunday and Thursday. The piece for this night, was the
tragedy of Regulus, and two vaudevilles. The dramatic corps was merely
tolerable, such as those of the small French provincial towns,[II-3]
where they never presume to present tragedies, or comedies of the
highest class. “Regulus” was murdered; Mr. Marchand and Madame Clozel,
whose husband performed the comic parts very well in the vaudevilles,
alone distinguished themselves. The saloon is not very large, but well
ornamented; below is the pit and parquet, a row of boxes each for four
persons, and before them a balcony. The boxes are not divided by walls,
but only separated by a low partition, so that the ladies can exhibit
themselves conveniently. Over the first row of boxes is a second, to
which the free colored people resort, who are not admitted to any other
part of the theatre, and above this row is the gallery, in which slaves
may go, with the permission of their masters. Behind the boxes is a
lobby, where the gentlemen who do not wish to sit in a box, stand, or
walk about, where they can see over the boxes. The theatre was less
attended, than we had supposed it would be; and it was said, that the
great shock felt in the commercial world, on account of the bankruptcy
of three of the most distinguished houses, in consequence of unfortunate
speculations in cotton, and the failures in Liverpool, was the cause of
this desertion.

    [Footnote II-3: [This is the same corps which the Philadelphians
    extol so highly, that one might almost suppose them equal to the
    artists of the _Theatre Français_, if, unfortunately, one visit to
    the theatre, did not completely dispel the illusion!]--TRANS.]

The garrison consists of two companies of infantry, of the first and
fourth regiments. This has been here since the last insurrection of the
negroes, and has been continued, to overawe them. In case of a serious
alarm, this would prove but of little service! and what security is
there against such an alarm? In Chartres street, where we dwelt, there
were two establishments, which constantly revolted my feelings, to wit:
shops in which negroes were purchased and sold. These unfortunate
beings, of both sexes, stood or sat the whole day, in these shops, or in
front of them, to exhibit themselves, and wait for purchasers. The
abomination is shocking, and the barbarity and indifference, produced by
the custom in white men, is indescribable.[II-4]

    [Footnote II-4: Among the slave traders, a Hollander from
    Amsterdam, disgusted me particularly, his name was Jacobs. He had
    the most vulgar and sinister countenance imaginable, was
    constantly drunk, and treated the wretched negroes in the most
    brutal manner; he was, however, severely beaten by these miserable
    beings, driven to despair.[II-4a]]

      [Footnote II-4a: The virtuous indignation of the Duke, at
      these horrible consequences of slavery, is such as every man,
      not hardened by long familiarity with such scenes, must feel;
      those to whom they are daily presented regard them with calm
      indifference, or even attempt to argue in favour of their
      continuance and harmlessness. It is not as generally known, as
      it should be, that the _slave trade_ is carried on, almost as
      vigorously now, as ever it was, and by citizens of almost
      every nation; not in the least excepting Americans. The slave
      vessels sail principally from Havanna and St. Thomas, and land
      their cargoes on the island of Puerto Rico, and elsewhere,
      whither purchasers and agents resort, when such an arrival
      occurs. Two schooners, with large cargoes, arrived in Puerto
      Rico in February last, and two brigs were daily expected. It
      is said in the West Indies, that all ships of war, of powers
      owning West India Colonies, _connive_ at the trade, which is
      fully supported by facts; as French, Danish, and English
      cruisers were in the vicinity, when the above mentioned
      cargoes arrived. The idea of cruising off the coast of Africa,
      to prevent the trade, is ridiculed by the slave dealers, with
      one of whom the writer of this note conversed. If the
      American, or any other government _really wished_ to put an
      end to this trade, it could be very effectually accomplished,
      by sending small armed vessels to intercept the slave traders
      near their places of landing cargoes, which are not very
      numerous. It is also said, in the West Indies, that the
      Havanna traders still contrive to introduce Africans into the
      southern part of the United States; of the truth or falsehood
      of this, we know nothing. The slave vessels are generally
      Baltimore clipper brigs, and schooners, completely armed and
      very fast sailers. Two of them sailed on this execrable trade
      in February last, from a part visited by the writer. --_Trans._]

There were subscription balls given in New Orleans, to which the
managers had the politeness to invite us. These balls took place twice a
week, Tuesdays and Fridays, at the French theatre, where the masquerade
had been, which I mentioned before. None but good society were admitted
to these subscription balls; the first that we attended was not crowded,
however, the generality of the ladies present were very pretty, and had
a very genteel French air. The dress was extremely elegant, and after
the latest Paris fashion. The ladies danced, upon the whole,
excellently, and did great honour to their French teachers. Dancing, and
some instruction in music, is almost the whole education of the female
creoles.

Most of the gentlemen here are far behind the ladies in elegance. They
did not remain long at the ball, but hasted away to the quadroon ball,
so called, where they amused themselves more, and were more at their
ease. This was the reason why there were more ladies than gentlemen
present at the ball, and that many were obliged to form “tapestry.” When
a lady is left sitting, she is said to be “bredouille.” Two cotillions
and a waltz, are danced in succession, and there is hardly an interval
of two or three minutes between the dances. The music was performed by
negroes and coloured people, and was pretty good. The governor was also
at the ball, and introduced me to several gentlemen, among others,
a Frenchman, General Garrigues de Flaugeac, who, having emigrated here
from St. Domingo, had married, and given the world some very handsome
daughters. Several of the French families here settled, and indeed, the
most respectable, were emigrants from that island, who wait for the
indemnification due to them, but without any great hopes of receiving
it.

Colonel Wool inspected the two companies of the first and fourth
regiments, under Major Twiggs stationed here; both together made at the
most, eighty men under arms. The inspection took place before the
Cathedral. I admired the good order and great propriety of these
companies, as well as their uniformity of march and dressing, which I
had no opportunity to observe before, in the troops of the United
States. There was indeed many things to be wished for; as for example,
the coats of the men did not fit, and many were too short; the grey
cloth pantaloons were of different shades, and much too short; no
bayonet sheaths, nor gun straps; the belt intended for the bayonet
sheath over that of the cartridge box: the privates had wooden flints in
their guns, and none in their cartridge boxes, also no spare flints,
files, screwdrivers, nor oil flasks. From the false maxim, that the
second rank, if they are shorter men, cannot fire over the front, the
lesser men are ranged in the first, and the taller in the second rank
through the whole army of the United States, and this produces a great
eye-sore. There was some manual exercise, and manœuvres in battalion
training: all good. The soldiers were mostly young, handsome and strong
men, well fed and healthy looking natives of the western states; there
were some Germans and Irish among them. The Irish, however, since their
conduct is often in nowise commendable, are no longer admitted. Governor
Johnson remained during the review, which lasted above an hour or more;
there were also several members of the legislature now assembling,
present. I formed an acquaintance here with General La Coste, who
formerly had been engaged in the Spanish service, and at present
commanded a division of the Louisiana militia. Colonel Croghan also
attended the review.[II-5]

    [Footnote II-5: Colonel CROGHAN was one of the most distinguished
    officers of the American army. In the last war, he defended a
    miserable stockade, (Fort Stephenson) on Lake Erie, against a
    force eight times greater than his own, which had artillery, and
    drove it back. After the peace, he was appointed Post Master of
    New Orleans, and during my stay in this city, he had entered again
    into the army, and held the post of second Inspector-General.]

When the review was over, the governor showed me the two extensive
buildings, joining the Cathedral, with arcades, as before-mentioned. One
of them is devoted to the use of the several courts of justice, and the
other is the City Hall. In the first, the United States court was
holding its sessions, and as it was rather cold, the judge had removed
himself to the fire-place, there to have the business transacted before
him. The suit in controversy related to the sale of a negro. The buyer
had purchased him as a slave for life; after the bargain had been
concluded, and payment made, he discovered, by the declaration of his
former master, the seller, that at a certain period he was to be free.
I could not remain long enough in the court, to wait for the decision.

We passed then to the City Hall. In the lower story, is the guard-house
of the city guard, besides a prison[II-6] for runaways, or negroes
punished by order of their masters, who are here incarcerated, and
employed in all servile labours for the city; they are termed _negres
marrons_. The masters receive a daily recompense of twenty-five cents
for each imprisoned negro. Near the guard-house stands a small piece of
ordnance, from which the signal tattoo is fired. After this shot, no
negro can tread the streets without a pass.[II-7] The upper stories of
this building contains the offices and court halls of the magistrates.
Part of them were ornamented very richly, as these chambers served as
quarters for General La Fayette, who was here in the month of April
last. Before the chambers, the whole length of the building, ran a
gallery with very large windows, which being raised in summer, change
the gallery into an airy balcony: an arrangement which I had remarked to
exist also in the other building, where the courts of justice sat.

    [Footnote II-6: [Commonly known in New Orleans by the name of the
    Calaboose, (from Calabozo, the Spanish term for a vaulted
    dungeon,) and a great terror to evil-doers in that city; the
    efficiency of the police of which can never be enough
    admired.]--TRANS.]

    [Footnote II-7: I have already made some remarks with regard to
    the apprehension of negroes in Charleston. If a person wishes here
    to have a house-negro, male or female, chastised, they are sent
    with a note, in which the number of lashes which the bearer is to
    receive are specified, with a quarter of a dollar; he or she is
    lodged in the slave prison. Here the slave receives the
    punishment, and a certificate, which he must carry to his master.
    The maximum of lashes is thirty-nine, according to the Mosaic law.
    The species of punishment is specified as in Charleston, or “_aux
    quatre piquets_.” In this last case, the poor wretch is pressed
    out flat on his face upon the earth, and his hands and feet bound
    to four posts. In this posture he receives his flogging. This
    frightful method of chastisement, is principally in use on the
    plantations; and cruel discipline is there chiefly practised.
    Whoever wishes to punish a house servant severely, either hires or
    sells him to work on the plantations.]

Hence the governor next conducted me to the old Spanish government
house, in which the senators and representatives of the state of
Louisiana were now assembled. The building is ancient and crazy,
otherwise situated in a handsome spot on the levée, surrounded by a
balcony. There is nothing more done for the repair of this building, as
in a few years the legislature will be removed to Donaldsonville. The
reason given for this is, that many members of the legislature are plain
people, who feel embarrassed in New Orleans, and hope to be more at
their ease in Donaldsonville. The office of the governor is in the yard,
in a small house, where the secretary of the Spanish governor formerly
had his office.

In a magazine belonging to the state, there are still several articles
which belonged to the former navy-yard, and which, hereafter, are to be
sent to Pensacola. Among these, I remarked brass and iron cannon of
various calibres, and from different countries, English, Spanish, and
French. There were some ancient ones among the French, with beautiful
ornaments and inscriptions. On one was, “_ultima ratio regum_;” on
others, the darling “_liberté, egalité_.” These pieces were found in the
trifling fortifications that formerly surrounded the city, when the
United States took possession of Louisiana, in 1803.

During the last of January, it rained uncommonly hard and steady. The
streets became bottomless: holes formed in them, where carriages and
carts were in constant peril of upsetting. At first it was cold; while
the rain continued, there followed such an oppressive heat, that it was
feared an earthquake was about to take place: it thundered and lightened
also very heavily.

At the masked balls, each paid a dollar for admission. As I visited it
for the second time, I observed, however, many present by free tickets,
and I was told that the company was very much mixed. The unmasked ladies
belonging to good society, sat in the recesses of the windows, which
were higher than the saloon, and furnished with galleries. There were
some masks in character, but none worthy of remark. Two quarrels took
place, which commenced in the ball-room with blows, and terminated in
the vestibule, with pocket-pistols and kicking, without any interruption
from the police.

On the same evening, what was called a quadroon ball took place.
A quadroon is the child of a mestize mother and a white father, as a
mestize is the child of a mulatto mother and a white father. The
quadroons are almost entirely white: from their skin no one would detect
their origin; nay many of them have as fair a complexion as many of the
haughty creole females. Such of them as frequent these balls are free.
Formerly they were known by their black hair and eyes, but at present
there are completely fair quadroon males and females. Still, however,
the strongest prejudice reigns against them on account of their black
blood, and the white ladies maintain, or affect to maintain, the most
violent aversion towards them. Marriage between the white and coloured
population is forbidden by the law of the state. As the quadroons on
their part regard the negroes and mulattoes with contempt, and will not
mix with them, so nothing remains for them but to be the friends, as it
is termed, of the white men. The female quadroon looks upon such an
engagement as a matrimonial contract, though it goes no farther than a
formal contract by which the “friend” engages to pay the father or
mother of the quadroon a specified sum. The quadroons both assume the
name of their friends, and as I am assured preserve this engagement with
as much fidelity as ladies espoused at the altar. Several of these girls
have inherited property from their fathers or friends, and possess
handsome fortunes. Notwithstanding this, their situation is always very
humiliating. They cannot drive through the streets in a carriage, and
their “friends” are forced to bring them in their own conveyances after
dark to the ball: they dare not sit in the presence of white ladies, and
cannot enter their apartments without especial permission. The whites
have the privilege to procure these unfortunate creatures a whipping
like that inflicted on slaves, upon an accusation, proved by two
witnesses. Several of these females have enjoyed the benefits of as
careful an education as most of the whites; they conduct themselves
ordinarily with more propriety and decorum, and confer more happiness on
their “friends,” than many of the white ladies to their married lords.
Still, the white ladies constantly speak with the greatest contempt, and
even with animosity, of these unhappy and oppressed beings. The
strongest language of high nobility in the monarchies of the old world,
cannot be more haughty, overweening or contemptuous towards their fellow
creatures, than the expressions of the creole females with regard to the
quadroons, in one of the much vaunted states of the free Union. In fact,
such comparison strikes the mind of a thinking being very singularly!
Many wealthy fathers, on account of the existing prejudices send
daughters of this description to France, where these girls with a good
education and property, find no difficulty in forming a legitimate
establishment. At the quadroon ball, only coloured ladies are admitted,
the men of that caste, be it understood, are shut out by the white
gentlemen. To take away all semblance of vulgarity, the price of
admission is fixed at two dollars, so that only persons of the better
class can appear there.

As a stranger in my situation should see every thing, to acquire a
knowledge of the habits, customs, opinions and prejudices of the people
he is among, therefore I accepted the offer of some gentlemen who
proposed to carry me to this quadroon ball. And I must avow I found it
much more decent than the masked ball. The coloured ladies were under
the eyes of their mothers, they were well and gracefully dressed, and
conducted themselves with much propriety and modesty. Cotillions and
waltzes were danced, and several of the ladies performed elegantly.
I did not remain long there that I might not utterly destroy my standing
in New Orleans, but returned to the masked ball and took great care not
to disclose to the white ladies where I had been. I could not however
refrain from making comparisons, which in no wise redounded to the
advantage of the white assembly. As soon as I entered I found a state of
formality.[II-8]

    [Footnote II-8: If it be known that a stranger, who has
    pretensions to mix with good society, frequents such balls as
    these, he may rely upon a cold reception from the white ladies.]

At the end of January, a contagious disorder prevailed, called the
varioloid. It was said to be a species of small-pox, and was described
as malignant in the highest degree. Even persons who had undergone
vaccination, and those who had passed through the natural small-pox,
were attacked by this disorder. The garrison lost six men, of whom two
were severely marked. The garrison were placed in the barracks to
preserve them from this malady. It was thought that it was imported by
some negro slaves from the north. Many owners of slaves in the states of
Maryland and Virginia have real--(pardon the loathsome expression,
I know not how otherwise to designate the beastly idea,) stud nurseries
for slaves, whence the planters of Louisiana, Mississippi, and the other
southern states draw their supplies, which increase every day in price.
Such a disease as the varioloid is a fit present, in return for slaves
thus obtained![II-9]

    [Footnote II-9: [A plain, unvarnished history of the _internal
    slave trade_ carried on in this country, would shock and disgust
    the reader to a degree that would almost render him ashamed to
    acknowledge himself a member of the same community. In unmanly and
    degrading barbarity, wanton cruelty, and horrible indifference to
    every human emotion, facts could be produced worthy of association
    with whatever is recorded of the slave trade in any other form.
    One of these internal slave traders has built, in a neighbouring
    city, a range of _private prisons_, fronting the main road to
    Washington, in which he collects his _cattle_ previous to sending
    off a caravan to the south. The voice of lamentation is seldom
    stilled within these accursed walls.]--TRANS.]

We paid the late governor of the state, Mr. Robinson, a visit. It gave
me much pleasure to cultivate his acquaintance. Mr. Robinson is regarded
with universal respect, and I met in him a highly interesting and well
informed man, who converses with wit and spirit. At a dinner, given by
the acting governor, I became acquainted with the former governor and
militia general Villaret, as well as with Dr. Herman, from Cassel, who
was employed in the navy of the United States as surgeon-general. From
this dinner we went to the child’s ball, which was given in the
customary ball room of the French theatre, for the benefit of the
dancing master. Most of the children were quite charming, and danced
very prettily: only the little girls from ten to eleven years of age,
were dressed and tricked off like full grown ladies. About eight o’clock
the little children left off dancing and were mostly sent home, and in
their place the larger girls resumed the dance. The costume of the
ladies was very elegant. To my discomfiture, however, a pair of
tobacco-chewing gentlemen engaged me in conversation, from which I
received such a sensation of disgust, that I was nearly in the situation
of one sea-sick.

On the 1st of February, to my great sorrow, the brave Colonel Wool,
who had become exceedingly dear and valuable to me, took leave.
I accompanied him to his steam-boat, which departed at eleven o’clock,
and gazed after him for a long time.

I paid a visit to the bishop of Louisiana, Mr. Dubourg, and was very
politely received. He is a Jesuit, a native of St. Domingo, and appears
to be about sixty years old. He delivers himself very well, and
conversed with me concerning the disturbances in the diocese of Ghent,
in the time of the Prince Broglio, in which he, as friend and counsellor
of that prince, whom he accompanied in his progress through his diocese,
took an active part. In his chamber, I saw a very fine portrait of Pope
Pius VII. a copy of one painted by Camuccini, and given by the pope to
the deceased duke of Saxe-Gotha. The bishop inhabited a quondam nunnery,
the greater part of which he had assigned for, and established as a
school for boys. The bishop returned my visit on the next day.

At a dinner, which Mr. Grymes gave with the greatest display of
magnificence, after the second course, large folding doors opened and we
beheld another dining room, in which stood a table with the dessert. We
withdrew from the first table, and seated ourselves at the second, in
the same order in which we had partaken of the first. As the variety of
wines began to set the tongues of the guests at liberty, the ladies
rose, retired to another apartment, and resorted to music for amusement.
Some of the gentlemen remained with the bottle, while others, among whom
I was one, followed the ladies, and regaled ourselves with harmony. We
had waltzing until ten o’clock, when we went to the masquerade in the
theatre of St. Phillip’s street, a small building, in which, at other
times, Spanish dramas were exhibited. The female company consisted of
quadroons, who, however, were masked. Several of them addressed me, and
coquetted with me some time, in the most subtle and amusing manner.

A young lawyer from Paris, of the name of Souliez, paid me a visit.
He was involved in unpleasant circumstances in his native country, on
account of some liberal publications which he had made against the
Jesuits in the newspapers. On this account, he, full of liberal ideas,
had left his home, and gone to Hayti, with recommendatory letters from
bishop Gregoire to President Boyer. There, however, he found the state
of things widely different from what he had fancied them at home. The
consequence was, he had come to the United States, and he now candidly
confessed that he was completely cured of his fine dreams of liberty.

Dr. Herman gave a dinner, at which were more than twenty guests. Among
them were the governor, Colonel Croghan, and several of the public
characters here. Mr. Bowdoin, who was slowly recovering from his gout,
and Count Vidua, were also there. Except our hostess there was no lady
present. Mrs. Herman, a very beautiful young woman, was very unwell, and
obliged to leave the table soon. The dinner was very splendid.

We crossed the Mississippi in a boat, like a small chest, such a boat is
styled a “ferry-boat.” This was the only stated means of communication
supported between the city and the right bank. Formerly there was a
steam ferry-boat, and afterwards a horse-boat, but neither the one nor
the other could be supported by the business. The stream is nearly
three-fourths of a mile broad. Arrived on the right bank, we found a
little inconsiderable place called Macdonaldville, that did not appear
very thriving. Along the bank runs a levée, to protect the land from
inundation. Several vessels are laid up here. The country is exceedingly
level, and is composed of swampy meadows, and in the back ground, of
forest, partly of live oaks, which is much concealed, however, by long
ugly moss. Farther inward is a sugar plantation belonging to Baron
Marigny. The river makes a remarkable bend opposite New Orleans, and the
city, with its white spires, and crowds of vessels lying in the stream,
looks uncommonly well from the right bank.

General Villaret invited us to dinner at his country-house, which is
eight miles distant from New Orleans, and had the politeness to bring us
in his carriage. At half past eleven o’clock, I went out with Count
Vidua, and Mr. Huygens. The habitation, as the mansion-houses lying in a
sugar plantation are termed, is upon the left bank of the Mississippi,
about a short mile from the river. In December, 1814, it served the
English army for head quarters. The road to it led along the levée, past
country houses, which succeeded each other rapidly for five miles.
Several display the comfort and good taste of their owners. The
mansion-house, commonly, is situated about one hundred paces from the
entrance, and an avenue of laurel trees, which are cut in a pyramidical
form, and pride of China trees, leads to the door. The most of these
houses are two stories high, and are surrounded with piazzas and covered
galleries. Back of the elegant mansion-house stand the negro cabins,
like a camp, and behind the sugar-cane fields, which extend to the
marshy cypress woods about a mile back, called the cypress swamp. Among
these country-houses is a nunnery of Ursulines, the inhabitants of which
are employed in the education of female youth.

Five miles from the city we reached the former plantation of M‘Carthy,
now belonging to Mr. Montgomery, in which General Jackson had his head
quarters. About one hundred paces farther, commences the right of the
line, to the defence of which this general owes his great renown. I left
the carriage here, and went along the remainder of the line, at most a
mile in length, with the right wing on the river, and the left resting
on the cypress swamp.

The English landed in Lake Borgne, which is about three miles distant
from General Villaret’s dwelling. On the 23d of December, a company of
soldiers attacked this house, and took two of the general’s sons
prisoners. The third of his sons escaped, and brought to General
Jackson, whose head quarters were at that time in the city, the
intelligence of the landing and progress of the British. Immediately the
alarm guns were fired, and the general marched with the few troops and
militia under his command, not two thousand in number, against the
habitation of Villaret. The English had established themselves here,
with the intent to attack the city directly, which was without the least
protection. The general advanced along the line of the woods, and nearly
surprised the English. He would probably have captured them, if he had
had time to despatch a few riflemen through the generally passable
cypress swamp to the right wing: and had not the night come on, and a
sudden fog also prevented it. He judged it more prudent to fall back,
and stationed his troops at the narrowest point between the river and
the cypress swamp, while he took up his head quarters in the habitation
of M‘Carthy.

There was a small ditch in front of his line, and on the next day some
young men of the militia commenced, on their own motion, to throw up a
little breast-work, with the spades and shovels they found in the
habitation. This suggested to the general the idea of forming a line
here. This line was, however, the very feeblest an engineer could have
devised, that is, a strait one. There was not sufficient earth to make
the breast work of the requisite height and strength, since, if the
ground here was dug two feet, water flowed out. To remedy this evil in
some measure, a number of cotton bales were brought from the warehouses
of the city, and the breast-work was strengthened by them. Behind these
bales artillery was placed, mostly ship’s cannon, and they endeavoured,
by a redoubt erected on the right wing at the levée, to render it more
susceptible of defence; especially as no time was to be lost, and the
offensive operations of the British were daily perceptible; still the
defensive preparations which General Jackson could effect were very
imperfect. The English force strengthened itself constantly, they threw
up batteries, widened the canal leading from Villaret’s to Lake Borgne,
so as to admit their boats into the Mississippi, and covered this canal
by several detached entrenchments.

A cannonade was maintained by their batteries for several days on the
American line, but they could not reach it, and had several of their own
pieces dismounted by the well-directed fire of the American artillery.
Finally, on the 8th of January, after General Jackson had time to
procure reinforcements, of which the best were the volunteer riflemen of
Tennessee, who were distributed along the line, well covered by the
cotton bales, and each of which had one or two men behind him, to load
the rifles, the English commenced storming the line, under Sir Edward
Packenham’s personal direction. The soil in front of the line consisted
of perfectly level cane fields, which had been cut down, not a single
tree or bush was to be found. The unfortunate Englishmen, whose force in
the field was reckoned at from eight to ten thousand men, were obliged
to advance without any shelter, and remain a long time, first under the
fire of the well-directed cannon, afterwards under the fire of the
rifles and small arms of the Americans, without being able to effect any
thing in return against them. The first attack was made upon the left
wing of the line. The British did not reach the ditch, but began soon to
give way. Sir Edward attempted to lead them on again; a cannon-shot,
however, killed his horse and wounded him in both legs. The soldiers
carried him off, but he unluckily received some rifle-shots, that put an
end to his life, having five balls in his body. The Major-generals Gibbs
and Keane were struck at the same time, the first killed and the latter
mortally wounded. By this the troops, who had continually supported a
most murderous fire, were at length obliged completely to give way.
Major-general Lambert, who commanded the reserve, and upon whom also at
this period the whole command of the army devolved, made a last attempt
to force the line. He led his troops in a run upon the batture, between
the levée and the river, (which at that time was very low,) against the
right wing of the line, where the small redoubt was placed, stormed, and
took possession of it, but was forced, by the well-supported fire of the
riflemen behind the line, to evacuate it again. The English colonel of
engineers, Rennee, met with a glorious death, upon the breast-work, in
this affair. After this unsuccessful attempt, the English retreated to
their entrenchments at Villaret’s, and in a few days re-embarked.

During the failure of this principal attack, the English had conveyed
eight hundred men to the right shore of the river, who gained some
advantages there against insignificant entrenchments. These advantages,
when they heard of the bad results of the main attack, they were obliged
to abandon, and to return to the left bank. Had the storm of the right
wing, and the feigned assault on the left been successful, in all
probability General Jackson would have been obliged to evacuate not only
his lines, but the city itself. Providence surely took the city under
its protection; for the English were promised the plunder of New Orleans
in case of success, as was asserted in that city: General Jackson
moreover had given orders, in case of his retreat, not only to blow up
the powder magazine of the city on the right bank, but to destroy the
public buildings, and set the city on fire at the four corners. The
general himself so fully recognized the hand of Providence in the event,
that on the day after his victory, he expressed himself to Bishop
Dubourg thus: that he knew the city owed its preservation to a merciful
Providence alone, and that his first step should be on his return to the
city, to thank God in his temple for the victory so wonderfully
obtained. The bishop immediately gave directions for a thanksgiving, and
it was unanimously celebrated with a sincere feeling of gratitude.

From the battle ground to General Villaret’s dwelling, we had three
miles still to go over. For some days back, we had dry weather, and the
road, which after a hard rain, must be bottomless, was on that account,
hard and good. The Mississippi has the peculiarity possessed by several
streams in Holland, of changing its bed. The house of General Villaret,
was once much nearer the river; for some years, however, it has inclined
so much to the right, that it constantly wears away the soil there,
while it forms new deposits to the left. The general’s possessions are
therefrom increased, and that with very good soil. The visit of the
English nearly ruined the general. Their landing on this side was so
entirely unexpected, that he, being employed in collecting the militia
in the districts above the city, had not been able to remove the least
of his property. The English took all the cattle away, as well as above
sixty negroes. There has not been any intelligence of what was the fate
of these negroes, probably they were sold in the West Indies. All the
fences, bridges, and negro cabins were destroyed. The mansion-house was
only spared, as it was occupied as head-quarters. The youngest son of
the general, between thirteen and fourteen years old, was obliged to
remain in the house the whole time it was retained, and was very well
treated by the English generals and officers. As the English were on the
point of re-embarking, General Lambert gave young Villaret four hundred
dollars in silver to carry to his father, as indemnification for the
cattle carried off. The young man went to the city, and delivered the
money to his father. General Villaret requested General Jackson to send
a flag of truce on board the English fleet, to carry the money back to
General Lambert, with a letter from General Villaret. This was done, but
the general never received an answer.

The removal of the negroes was a severe stroke for the General, from
which, as he told me himself, it cost him much trouble gradually to
recover. The canal or bayou, which ran from his plantation to Lake
Borgne, was shut up by order of General Jackson after the retreat of the
English, and there were not labourers sufficient left with General
Villaret to reinstate it; it was of great importance to him for the
conveyance of wood and other necessaries.

We found at the general’s, his sons, his son-in-law, Mr. Lavoisne, and
several gentlemen from the city, among them Governor Johnson. We took
some walks in the adjacent grounds. The house was not very large, and
was not very much ornamented, for reasons already mentioned. Behind it
was a brick sugar-boiling house, and another one for the sugar mill.
Near that was a large yard, with stables and neat negro cabins for the
house-servants. The huts of the field slaves were removed farther off.
The whole is surrounded by cane fields, of which some were then brought
in, and others all cut down. A field of this description must rest
fallow for five years, and be manured, before being again set out in
plants. For manure, a large species of bean is sown, which is left to
rot in the field, and answers the purpose very well. The cane is
commonly cut in December, and brought to the mill. These mills consists
of three iron cylinders, which stand upright, the centre one of which is
put in motion by a horse-mill underneath, so as to turn the other by
crown-wheels. The cane is shoved in between these, and must pass twice
through to be thoroughly squeezed out. The fresh juice thus pressed out,
runs through a groove into a reservoir. From this it is drawn off into
the kettles, in which it is boiled, to expel the watery part by
evaporation. There are three of these kettles close together, so as to
pour the juice when it boils from one to the other, and thus facilitate
the evaporation of the water. The boiling in these kettles lasts one
hour; one set gives half a hogshead of brown sugar. In several of the
plantations there is a steam-engine employed in place of the
horse-power: the general’s misfortunes have not yet permitted him to
incur this expense.

After dinner we walked in the yard, where we remarked several Guinea
fowls, which are common here, a pair of Mexican pheasants, and a tame
fawn. Before the house stood a number of lofty nut-trees, called peccan
trees. At the foot of one, Sir Edward Packenham’s bowels are interred;
his body was embalmed and sent to England. In the fields there are
numbers of English buried, and a place was shown to me where forty
officers alone were laid. We took leave of our friendly host at sundown,
and returned to the city.

On Shrove Tuesday, all the ball-rooms in the city were opened. I went to
the great masked ball in the French theatre. The price of admission was
raised to two dollars for a gentleman, and one dollar for a lady. There
was dancing, not only in the ball-room, but also in the theatre itself,
and on this occasion, the parterre was raised to a level with the stage.
The illumination of the house was very good, and presented a handsome
view. Many of the ladies were in masks, and intrigued as well as they
were able. I could not restrain my curiosity, and visited the quadroon
ball in the theatre of St. Philippe. It however was too late when I
arrived there, many of the ladies had left the ball, and the gentlemen,
a motly society, were for the most part drunk. This being the case,
I returned after a quarter of an hour to the principal ball. But here
too, some gentlemen had dipped too deep in the glass, and several
quarrels with fists and canes took place. The police is not strict
enough here to prevent gentlemen from bringing canes with them to balls.
The balls continue through lent, when they are but little frequented.

On the 12th of February the intelligence of the death of the Emperor
Alexander was spread abroad, which had been received by the ship Mogul,
yesterday arrived from Liverpool, and by London gazettes of the 24th of
December. I could not believe this to be a fact, and betook myself to
the office of one of the public papers. I was here given the English
gazette to read, and I found, to my no small terror, the detailed
account of this sorrowful event. Consternation entered into my mind, on
reflecting what effect this must have produced in Weimar, and increased
my troubled state of feeling!

The volunteer battalion of artillery of this place is a handsome corps,
uniformed as the artillery of the old French guard. It is above one
hundred men strong, and presents a very military front. This corps
manœuvred about half an hour in the square before the cathedral, and
then marched to the City Hall, to receive a standard. Upon the right
wing of the battalion, a detachment of flying artillery was placed. The
corps had done essential service on the 8th of January, 1815, in the
defence of the line, and stands here in high respect.

About four miles below the city Mr. Grymes has a country-seat, or
habitation. The house is entirely new, and situated on a piece of ground
formerly employed as a sugar-cane field. The new plantings made in the
garden, consisted of young orange-trees and magnolias. Behind the house
is an artificial hill, with a temple upon it, and within the hill
itself, a grotto, arranged artificially with shells. At the entrance
stands a banana tree, and this, with several creeping plants, will
conceal it very well in summer. I observed in the garden several
singular heaps of earth, which are hollow within, and stand over a hole
in the ground. They are said to be formed by a species of land-crab, for
their residence. If a stone be thrown into the hole, you hear that it
immediately falls into water. Generally, in this country, you cannot dig
more than a foot deep in the earth, without meeting water.

It was pure curiosity that carried me a third time to the masquerade, in
St. Philippe’s theatre. It was, however, no more agreeable than the one
eight days previous. There were but few masks; and among the
tobacco-chewing gentry, several Spanish visages slipped about, who
carried sword-canes, and seemed to have no good design in carrying them.
Some of these visiters were intoxicated, and there appeared a willing
disposition for disturbance. The whole aspect was that of a den of
ruffians. I did not remain here a half hour, and learned next day that I
was judicious in going home early, as later, battles with canes and
dirks had taken place. Twenty persons were more or less dangerously
wounded!

It rained very frequently during the first half of the month of
February; in the middle it was warm, and for a time, about the 20th, an
oppressive heat prevailed, which made me quite lethargic, and operated
equally unpleasantly on every one. Indeed a real sirocco blew at this
time. It surprised me very much, that with such extraordinary weather,
not at all uncommon here, that there should be so many handsome,
healthy, and robust children. This climate, so unhealthy, and almost
mortal to strangers, seems to produce no injurious effect upon the
children born here.

In the vacant space, where the walls of New Orleans formerly stood, are
at present the _Esplanade rue des Remparts_, and _rue du canal_. The
city proper forms a parallelogram, and was once surrounded by a palisade
and a ditch. At each of the four corners stood a redoubt. The last of
these redoubts, which stood at the entrance of the Fauxbourg Marigny,
was demolished only since the last war. It would be important for the
security of the present inhabitants, to have a fortress on the bank of
the river, so that in case of an insurrection of the negroes, not only
the trifling garrison, but the white women and children should possess a
place of refuge, which is now totally wanting. The ditch is filled up,
and planted with trees; there are no buildings newly erected here, and
these open spaces are the worst parts of the city.

On the night of the 22d of February, the alarm bell was sounded: a fire
had broken out in the warehouse of a merchant. There was time to save
every thing, even the wooden building was not consumed, but in the
course of two hours the fire was extinguished.

On the same day, was celebrated the birth of the great Washington. All
the vessels lying in the river were adorned with flags, and fired
salutes. The volunteer legion of Louisiana was called out in full
uniform, to fire volleys in honour of the day. The artillery before
mentioned, which gave thirteen discharges from two pieces, distinguished
themselves again by their excellent discipline. The infantry was very
weak, not exceeding fifty men, with a most monstrous standard. A company
of riflemen of thirty men, who had done good service on the 8th of
January, 1815, appeared very singular in their costume: it consisted of
a sky-blue frock and pantaloons, with white fringe and borders, and fur
hoods. This legion was established in the last war, and considering
itself independent of the militia, it has clothed itself after the
French taste, and is officered by Frenchmen.

In the evening there was a subscription ball, in the ball-room of the
French theatre. This ball was given also, on account of the festival
celebrated this day. In former years, each person had subscribed ten
dollars for this ball; the saloon had been decorated with Washington’s
portrait, and a number of standards, and a splendid supper spread for
the ladies. This year the subscription had been reduced to three dollars
for a ticket, and hardly filled up at that price. It was attempted to be
accounted for, by the critical juncture of commercial affairs, in which
the city was placed; the true cause, however, might be traced to the
incomprehensible want of attachment among the creoles to the United
States. Although the city of New Orleans, and the whole state of
Louisiana, has benefited extremely by its union with the United States,
and daily increases; yet the creoles appear rather to wish their country
should be a French colony, than annexed to the Union. From their
conversations, one would conclude that they do not regard the Americans
as their countrymen. This aversion certainly will lessen, as the better
part of the young people acquire their scientific education in the
northern states; at this moment, however, it is very powerful. Under
this state of things, Mr. Davis, the manager of the French theatre, the
balls, and several gaming houses, announced a masked ball, at one dollar
admission, for Washington’s birth-night. The young ladies, however, to
whom a subscription ball was in anticipation, and on account of it had
prepared a fresh set of ornaments, to assist their toilet, felt
themselves exceedingly disappointed by this arrangement; as there would
be a very mixed company at the masked ball, and they would not be able
to distinguish themselves by individual ornament. For this reason, their
parents and relations had exerted themselves, and happily brought it to
pass, that instead of a ticket ball, there should be one by
subscription. In fact, this ball was very splendid, so far as the dress
of the ladies contributed thereto. Moreover, no battles took place.

In the neighbourhood of the city, some Choctaw Indians hunted, and lived
a wandering life. They frequently resorted to the city to sell the
produce of their hunting, also canes, palmetto baskets, and many other
articles. The money for these was afterwards consumed in liquor. They
are of very dark colour, have coats made of woollen blankets; wear
mocassins, and undressed leather leggings, necklaces of checkered glass
beads, with a large shell in the form of a collar, silver rings in the
nose and ears, and smooth copper rings on the wrists. The children until
four years old are quite naked; only wearing mocassins, leggings, and
the rings round the wrists.

In a tavern on the Levée, there was a collection of fossil bones, which
had been dug out of a swamp, not far from the mouth of the Mississippi,
the preceding year, and must have belonged to a colossal amphibious
animal. The single piece of the spine remaining appeared to be that of a
whale; a single rib however, also found, was too much curved ever to
have been the rib of a whale. The largest piece of those that were dug
up, appeared to be a jaw bone. Unfortunately I understand too little of
these things, to be able to venture upon a description of these
remarkable remains of an apparently antideluvian animal; certainly it
would be worth the trouble of having them examined and described by a
scientific person. Two of the bones appeared to have belonged to the
legs, and from these alone, some would determine, that the animal was a
crocodile. I was informed at this time--I say, with Herodotus, that I
only tell now what others have told me, and perhaps some one may either
believe it, or know it,--I was told that a perfect skeleton of a mammoth
was collected many years ago in one of the meadows, on the banks of the
Mississippi, not far from its mouth, and was conveyed to London, and
that very old inhabitants had heard as a tradition from their ancestors,
that this mammoth had been thrown ashore by the sea, part rotted, and in
part was devoured by the buzzards.

There is no particular market day in New Orleans, as in other places,
but every morning market is open for all kinds of vegetables, fruits,
game, &c. This market is very well provided on Sunday, as the slaves
have permission to offer for sale on this day all they desire to dispose
of.

I visited Captain Harney of the first regiment of infantry, who in the
year 1825, as lieutenant to General Atkinson, had accompanied the
expedition to Yellow Stone river, and had brought back with him several
of the curiosities of those western regions, so little known. These
curiosities consisted of a variety of skins of bears, for example, of
the grizzled bear, also skins of buffalo, foxes, of a white wolf, (which
is a great rarity,) of a porcupine, whose quills are much shorter than
those of the African species, and of wild cats. Besides these, Mr.
Harney has procured pieces of Indian habiliments, coats and leggings
made of deer skin. The warriors among these Indians wear the mark of
their dignity--the scalps--on the leggings, those of the inferior grade
on one leg, those higher, on both. The coats are made with a checkered
sewing, ornamented partly with glass beads, and partly with split
porcupine quills. The Indian women, who are designated by the universal
name of squaw, work these ornaments very ingeniously. Mr. Harney showed
me also a quiver, made of cougar’s skin with different sorts of arrows,
a bow of elk’s horn, strung with tendons drawn from the elk; several
tobacco pipes, with heads of serpentine stone, of which I had seen some
on Lake Ontario already, hunting pouches, a head dress of eagle’s
feathers for the great chief of the Crow nation, a set of the claws of
the grizzled bear, which also were worn for ornament, and a tomahawk of
flint with a variety of bunches of human hair: for every time a warrior
has killed his enemy with his tomahawk, he fastens a bunch of his hair,
with a piece of the scalp on his weapon. He farther showed me a pipe
made of a sheep’s rib, adorned with glass beads, upon which the Indians
blow all the time they are engaged in a fight, so as not to lose
themselves in the woods; a spoon made of the horn of a wild mountain
ram; various minerals, and among them petrified wood, which is found in
great quantities in that western region; serpentine, and other
curiosities. The coats of the squaws are trimmed with long thin strips
of leather, on one of these a bunch of yellow moss and grass was tied,
which the Indians regard as a sort of amulet or talisman.

On the 28th of February, in the forenoon, I went with Mr. Huygens to pay
General Villaret a visit at his country-house. A pretty strong west wind
moderated the great heat outside of the city; within it, the thermometer
of Fahrenheit had stood at eighty-one degrees in the shade. Most of the
fruit trees were in blossom. Every where we saw fresh green and bloom;
all was fresh and lively. In a sugar-cane field, there were oats a foot
and a half high, cut as green fodder. The general and his son were
occupied in managing the labours of the field. We went with them to walk
in the garden. The soil is very fruitful, that, however, is the most so,
which is reclaimed from the swamp of the Mississippi, or the Bayou. In
this soil, nevertheless the germ of a real land plague, the coco, as it
is called, shows itself, the same which was made use of on the continent
of Europe, as a substitute for coffee, during the existence of the
vexatious continental system. This knotty growth is principally found in
the mud; and one lump or knot of it multiplies itself so extremely
quick, that it kills all the plants growing near it, and covers the
whole field, in which it has taken root. It is very difficult to
extirpate, since the smallest knot, that remains in the earth, serves
for the root of a new plant, and several hundred new knots. The
legislature of Louisiana, has offered a considerable reward to whoever
shall succeed in the discovery of an efficient remedy against this pest
of the soil. No one has yet obtained the desired object.

The general explained to me, the manner in which the sugar-cane fields
were managed. Parallel furrows are made through them at intervals of
three feet. In these furrows, the cane is laid lengthwise, and covered
with earth. Some planters lay two cane joints together, others content
themselves with but one. The end of the successive piece of cane, is so
placed, that it lies about six inches above the end of the first. From
each joint of the cane, there shoot up new sprouts, and form new stalks.
In St. Domingo, there is another method of arranging the cane field. The
field is digged in square holes, placed checkerwise at the distance of
three feet apart, in which four pieces of cane are laid in the square,
and then covered up. This method is judged the best.

The tragedy of Marie Stuart by Le Brun from Schiller, and a vaudeville,
la Demoiselle et la Dame, were produced at the theatre, to which I went.
The first piece was announced at the request of several American
families, of course there were numbers of ladies of that nation in the
boxes. The tragedy of Le Brun is changed very little from that by
Schiller; it is only curtailed, and two parts, those of Shrewsbury and
Mellvil, are thrown into one. Many scenes in it, particularly the
meeting of the two queens, is translated almost word for word. Madam
Clozel undertook the part of Marie Stuart, and supported it from
beginning to end in a masterly style; but she was not properly
supported. Nevertheless, the piece met with great approbation.
Unluckily, however, the machinery was not in order. At the close of the
piece, when Leicester falls in the greatest distraction into the arms of
an officer of the guard, the curtain could not be lowered, and several
minutes elapsed, before poor Leicester could leave his painful attitude.
On this account the audience made known their displeasure by hissing,
which marred very much the effect produced by the piece.

A representation of Hamlet, in the French theatre was uncommonly well
attended. The Colombian Commodore Jolly, who had brought a brig of his
nation into New Orleans, appeared in uniform, and drew the attention of
the public upon himself, partly by his dress, and partly by his huge
dress hat, with a white feather. The next morning I made acquaintance
with the commodore, and with his two officers, of whom one is a
Colombian, and the other an Englishman by birth. The commodore had also
taken up his quarters with Madam Herries; he is a Frenchman, fifty-six
years of age, of which he has passed forty in the West Indies. I carried
him and the two officers to visit Governor Johnson, and also Bishop
Dubourg. The latter appeared very much flattered by this visit. On going
away, the Englishman kissed the Bishop’s hand. He, the bishop, expressed
his surprise at receiving this testimony of respect from a protestant;
to which the officer replied, that this reverence was paid to the
episcopal ring. Mr. Dubourg, indeed, wore a costly amethyst on his
finger, as a representation of the fisher’s ring.

For some days back the weather had become oppressively warm, like the
heat of summer. Several persons who were not accustomed to this degree
of heat, found themselves unwell; it, however, agreed with me. After a
while considerable showers of rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning
took place. The consequence of this was, in one way, that the mud became
excessively deep in the streets, but on the other hand, the river began
to rise, which occasioned great joy in the city. Numbers of steam-boats,
and flat-boats were looked for, with provisions from the western states,
as they began to grow scarce and dear.

An acquaintance very dear to me, and of which I shall always preserve a
grateful remembrance, was that which I made with Baron Marigny, a creole
by birth, and one of the most distinguished inhabitants of the state.
One of the suburbs of New Orleans was laid out by his father, and bears
his name; at the entrance of it, he lives in a mansion-house, erected
with taste and splendour. Never shall I forget the happy days, which I
passed in the circle of his amiable family. During the troubles of the
French revolution, the then duke of Orleans, found a refuge and active
assistance with M. Marigny. After some time, this gentleman made a
voyage to France, and was well received by the duke. I saw at his house,
a coffee-set of French china, which he had received from him as a
present. The cups contained the well executed portraits of the duke, the
dutchess, and their nine children, and upon the larger pieces were views
of the palais royal, and of the castle and park in Neuilly. The Baron
Marigny, also had in his possession a very fine portrait of the duke,
painted by Augustin, in Paris; likewise an engraving, representing him,
as he supported himself during his exile in Switzerland, by giving
lessons in the mathematics.

On the 11th of March, in a small company of ladies and gentlemen, I saw
a cosmorama, which was set up here. It is known generally, to be a sort
of prospect, given by being in a dark room, and beholding various
objects, through glasses of different magnifying powers. This cosmorama
contained ten views of different places, which are changed every week.
Some views of East Indian antiquities, and remarkable buildings, were
well displayed, as also, a representation of a hall in the former
prisons of the Inquisition at Goa, not so good; and a couple of views in
Japan and Macao, in China. The examination of all the objects, detained
us until evening. We then accompanied the ladies home, they lived in a
country-house, a mile below the Fauxbourg Marigny, on the Levée. It was
eight o’clock as we descended the Levée; the evening was clear, with
star-light; the bustle in the harbour had ceased; we only remarked on
board of some ships the sailors collected on the deck, under an
illuminated awning, where the captain held evening divine service.
Precisely at eight o’clock, the retreat-gun fired at the City Hall,
which is the signal for the negroes to return home, immediately after,
the two Colombian brigs fired, the drums and bugles sounded the retreat,
while the barracks of the infantry did the same. All this, added to the
lighted ships, and the solitary gleams from the opposite side of the
river, made an impression upon me, which I cannot venture to describe.
The wretched miry way, in which we nearly stuck fast, was almost
forgotten. One of the gentlemen accompanying us, had the politeness to
send me home in his chaise. This was a pleasant attention to me, for
there are drunken sailors, and fellows of the lower class, (which are
called here, as in Mexico, Guichinangos,) in great numbers here, and as
these creatures have a strong propensity to street-robbing and stabbing,
it is not very prudent to be alone on a dark evening, upon this deserted
road.

In an excursion to the country-house of Mr. David Urquhart, I observed
the great injury done by the coco, before alluded to, in his garden; it
covered both the walks and beds, from which daily industry will not root
it out. In the vegetable garden, I found most kinds of those used in
Europe, the peas were as large on the 13th of March, as they are in
Flanders on the beginning of June; we ate of green peas full three weeks
ago. The melons are first deposited in beds of manure, to force them for
earlier use, and when they begin to sprout, are planted afresh in the
field. The soil is so rich, that it does not require manure. I noticed
several fruit trees of various kinds, but was informed, that the fruit
produced by them, on account of the intense heat of summer, would not be
of good quality.

The brig Arcturus arrived on the 14th of March from Boston, with a cargo
of ice. This article is very conducive to comfort in a warm climate, but
it is exceedingly difficult to preserve it. Where there is water every
where two feet below the surface of the earth, of course, ice-vaults are
impracticable. The cargo which now arrived, was thrown into a large
brick building, and it was asserted that it would keep there till
winter. I examined the construction of this building. A coffer, made of
strong thick planks, and some forty feet in height, is provided with a
small opening under the roof. Through this opening the ice is thrown in,
and again taken out for use. About the coffer there is carried a brick
wall, and the vacant space between the wall and the planks of the
coffer, which is about two feet, is filled up with a mixture of shavings
and saw-dust, which resists the influence of the exterior warm
atmosphere.

A great quantity of drift timber was floating on the river, even huge
trees. Negroes were busied in small canoes in collecting it, as it
serves the residents on the Levée for fire-wood. The largest part of it,
however, is driven into the Gulf of Mexico, strikes the gulf stream, is
again carried into the Atlantic ocean, and driven upon the shores of
Iceland and Greenland, where it serves to warm the miserable inhabitants
of those inhospitable countries.

On the 17th of March, I accompanied Commodore Jolly to the criminal
court, before which he was cited. The cause thereof was as follows:--The
year previous, a Colombian corvette had arrived at New Orleans, from
which several sailors deserted. One of these sailors, an Indian, native
of Maracaybo, had hired himself as a servant at a Spanish grog-shop, and
came on board the Pichincha, Commodore Jolly’s brig, to visit his old
comrades, and to induce several to desert. He was recognised as a
deserter, and as such arrested. The Spaniard, with whom the sailor
Ramirez had served, laid his complaint before the criminal court, and
the commodore was cited to appear. The Spaniard had employed two
lawyers, a Frenchman, named Canonge, and an old Spaniard, Rodriguez, who
defended the cause of the sailor, and laboured to prove the commodore’s
proceedings to be illegal. The pleading of the Frenchman was full of
common place and far-fetched haranguing. Mr. Rodriguez explained his
arguments more logically, though by his Spanish accent he excited great
merriment among the audience. The commodore had no counsel, wherefore a
Mr. Morel was assigned to him as such, who, as he had no time for
preparation, requested the postponement of the cause to the following
day. This request was granted.

On the next day, we again visited the criminal court. I was apprized
that several Spaniards had combined, and promised five hundred dollars
for the setting Ramirez at liberty. They had employed a Mr. Davezac as
their third advocate. The officers, some petty officers, and one seaman,
of the two brigs, were heard as witnesses. These proved in the fullest
manner, that the sailor had deserted from the corvette Ourika last year.
The Spaniards produced opposing witnesses. These contradicted each other
so vilely in their respective declarations, that they were soon held
back, so as not to be involved in a charge of perjury as false
witnesses. By this opportunity I learnt, that it was considered
difficult among the Spaniards here to obtain a witness for the sum of
eight dollars, to say any thing in evidence that was required. And yet
that is more than such a complacent witness costs in some other
countries. The lawyers put such strange questions to the Colombian
witnesses, and particularly to the seamen, (as for instance, in what
manner was he enlisted, what was his pay, and how he was paid, how he
was fed and treated?) that the judge called them to order several times.
Mr. Morel conducted his defence very well, and successfully combated the
arguments produced by his antagonists. He then laid down the principle,
which certainly is a very just one, that the person who is on board of a
vessel of war, is within the limits and jurisdiction of that government
to which the vessel may belong. Upon this principle the commodore
necessarily must gain his suit, and this he did in a very satisfactory
manner.

After the disposal of this cause, on the 17th of March another one was
taken up. A resident lawyer, named Lloyd, whose reputation stood very
low, had, on the preceding day, insulted the presiding Judge Turner in
the street, for which reason the judge had him taken in custody by the
sheriff, and thrown into prison. The injured judge presided in his own
suit, and in this manner was both judge and party. I was informed that
Mr. Turner was insulted in his individual capacity, but that he decided
as a judge in the name of the state of Louisiana. This explanation did
not satisfy me, the distinction between person and his office, may be
correct in theory, it is, however, very hardly so in practice; and on
this account, the proceeding to me appeared arbitrary. It appeared
unfair also to me, that the judge was not assisted by a jury. Farther,
Mr. Lloyd wished to defend his own cause, he was, however, half
intoxicated, and attacked the judge so grossly from time to time, that
he ordered him frequently to be silent. The examination of the witnesses
consumed so much time, that I was obliged to leave the court before the
termination of the case. I heard afterwards that Mr. Lloyd had been
adjudged, to provide two sureties for his good behaviour, during one
year, each in a penalty of one thousand dollars, and since he was not
able to find these securities immediately, to be remanded to prison.

On the same day, Mr. Bowdoin left us, and embarked on board the
steam-boat George Washington, bound to Louisville: afterwards to return
to New York. I accompanied him on board of the boat, and had an
opportunity of observing her most excellent accommodations. The part
devoted to lodging passengers, is built like a house in a boat. The
lower deck, or deck on which the engine is placed, is occupied by what
are called deck-passengers, those who pay a lower price,--there are cot
frames suspended for them, but if there should be too many, the last
comers must of course sleep on the deck. Above this, is the principal
cabin, the passage in which to Louisville costs fifty dollars. Here is a
handsome saloon lighted from above, in the centre and on each side are
enclosed state-rooms, each with two births, one over the other. Behind
this is the ladies cabin, which can be so joined to it by the opening of
two folding doors, that both apartments may be thrown into one at
pleasure. Around this principal deck, runs a broad and lofty gallery,
for the convenience of travellers. Above the cabin, is the deck also
covered with a roof, where cotton, other articles, and deck-passengers
find accommodation. For such as smoke tobacco, there is a separate
apartment provided, in which they enjoy this acquired habit, without
incommoding the other passengers, or the ladies thereby. For the use of
travellers, there is likewise a library provided on board. The elevated
position of the cabin is very agreeable, because one is not annoyed by
the engine; moreover in case a boiler should burst, he is exposed to
less danger, as the explosion can only direct a fatal force along the
lower deck. There were a pretty large number of passengers on board; the
vessel sailed about half after four o’clock, P. M. and presented a
majestic appearance in her progress.

On the 19th of March, at nine o’clock, I went with Mr. Huygens, and a
Mr. Authur Andry, to his brother Michael Andry’s habitation, about
eleven miles distant from the city below, situated on the right bank of
the Mississippi. The road carried us over the field of battle, and past
the habitation of General Villaret: about two miles farther on, we
stopped at the habitation of Jumonville, left the carriage and embarked
in one of Mr. Andry’s ferry-boats, sent over for us, manned by seven
negroes, and crossed the river. There was much drift wood collected on
the left bank, through which we worked our way with difficulty. Then we
had also both wind and current against us, and had to keep guard against
the floating trunks of trees. We spent three quarters of an hour in this
passage. We landed at a large field of clover, belonging to Mr. Andry,
and through the garden reached his large and handsome mansion-house, two
stories high, with a piazza and very broad gallery, which is defended
from the heat of the sun by large curtains extended from pillar to
pillar. Here Mr. Andry received us.

Not long after our arrival, we went to the sugar-mills, behind the
mansion-house, near the negro-quarter. The mill, in which the cylinders
lie horizontally, is set in motion by a steam-engine of twelve
horse-power, made in Liverpool by Faucett. The juice from the cane flows
into the boiling-house, in which there are ten kettles. Mr. Andry
directs himself all the operations, and while the mill is at work
resides in a small room not far from the engine. He has the reputation
of being very severe to his negroes. Whether this imputation be just or
not, I could not decide, but twelve years ago an insurrection of the
slaves broke out at his habitation, in which one of his brothers was
murdered, and his father received three severe wounds with an axe. The
garden here was not well kept. Scientific gardeners are very difficult
to be procured here. Some years before two ships arrived with German
emigrants, who were sold to defray the price of their passage. There
were several gardeners among them. These men very soon extricated
themselves from their dependent situation, and part of them established
themselves; but the rest fell a sacrifice to the noxious climate. As the
term of their service was limited to a few years, their masters did not
give themselves much trouble to reclaim the runaways. Mr. Andry’s garden
was surrounded by a thick hedge of orange trees, and contained many
magnolias, orange trees, myrtles, jasmines, &c. We returned to the left
bank about eleven o’clock at night, and our carriage conveyed us through
the beautiful, mild moonlight, back to New Orleans in an hour.

In the American theatre, “Der Freischutz” was presented under the title
of the “Black Huntsman of Bohemia.” This drama, so universally known and
admired, and which has followed me even in America like an evil genius,
(since detached pieces of it were sung and played in almost all
companies,) I had never yet witnessed. Determined not to remain longer
in the rear of the age, I therefore went to the theatre. The orchestra
was very weak and badly filled, hardly any of the performers could sing;
I was told that the handsomest pieces of music are either abridged or
entirely omitted. The decorations, nevertheless, were tolerably good,
I found the boxes and galleries thronged. In the pit there were but few
spectators, and these consisted of sailors and countrymen from Kentucky,
who made themselves quite at ease on the benches, and cracked nuts
during the finest pieces of music; a custom I have noticed in all
English theatres, and from which my tobacco-chewing neighbours in the
boxes did not refrain. The theatre is newly erected, and is arranged not
untastefully. It contains, besides the pit and parquet, three rows of
galleries as the French theatre; the boxes are only divided by low
balustrades, so that you look out as if from a balcony; the second
gallery is destined for the reception of coloured spectators, among whom
I saw not a single female, and in the upper gallery the mob and women of
the town sit. The saloon is lit with gas, and has a very tasteful
girandole. I remained but for a short time.

One witnesses almost daily examples of the degrading treatment which the
poor negroes experience. I should say nothing of it, but one particular
scene, which roused my indignation in the highest manner, on the 22d of
March, I cannot suffer to pass in silence. There was a young Virginian
female slave in our boarding-house, employed as a chamber maid,
a cleanly, attentive, quiet, and very regular individual. A Frenchman
residing in the house, called, in the morning early, for water to wash.
As the water was not instantly brought to him, he went down the steps,
and encountered this poor girl, who just then had some other occupation
in hand. He struck her immediately with the fist, in the face, so that
the blood ran from her forehead. The poor creature, roused by this
unmerited abuse, put herself on her defence, and caught the Frenchman by
the throat. He screamed for help, but no one would interfere. The fellow
then ran to his room, gathered his things together, and designed to
leave the house. But when our landlady, Madam Herries, was informed of
this, in order to satisfy the wretch, she disgraced herself by having
twenty-six lashes inflicted upon the poor girl with a cow-hide, and
refined upon her cruelty so much, that she forced the sweetheart of the
girl, a young negro slave, who waited in the house, to count off the
lashes upon her.[II-10]

    [Footnote II-10: This Frenchman, a merchant’s clerk from
    Montpelier, was not satisfied with this: he went to the police,
    lodged a complaint against the girl, had her arrested by two
    constables, and whipped again by them in his presence. I regret
    that I did not take a note of this miscreant’s name, in order that
    I might give his disgraceful conduct its merited publicity.]

The river was progressively on the rise: the level of the water already
higher than the land. It still brought down great quantities of drift
timber with it. It was said, that about three days before, an uncommonly
long and thick rattlesnake had been caught upon a tree that had been
fished out. It was killed by a stroke of an axe, and had eighteen
rattles on its tail. From this it was concluded that extraordinary
inundations had taken place in the upper countries.

In order to pay my farewell visit to Mr. and Madam Andry, I crossed the
Mississippi river in a little boat, and it occupied me full
three-quarters of an hour to gain the right bank. It required a quarter
of an hour alone to pass through the drift wood, which had collected on
the shore. We were compelled, nevertheless, to direct our course
parallel with the bank, for if we had attained the main current, it
would have swept us down with great force. In addition to this, we
experienced a real equinoctial tempest, so that the passage was far from
being comfortable. I hired a horse upon the opposite bank, and rode in
less than an hour to Mr. Andry’s habitation, ten miles distance. The
horses here are trained to a small gallop or canter, which is upon the
whole not fatiguing, and carries you speedily. The storm had driven off
in a thunder-squall, I felt but the beginning of it, and reached the
habitation just at the right time. I galloped back again about five
o’clock in the evening, under a beautiful clear sky. The road ran partly
on the levée, partly along side of it. The land is chiefly cane-fields.
I came past three considerable sugar plantations, from which canals were
made in the cypress woods behind the fields, and thence to the Lake
Barataria. These canals are intended principally for the carriage of
wood. The young sprouts of the sugar cane made their appearance above
ground, and the negroes were employed in weeding it. The passage over
the river was shorter this evening than in the morning, it lasted an
half hour.

Dr. Herman showed me, at my farewell visit to him, besides his library,
the claws and head of an alligator, which he had shot on the lake
Barataria. The teeth of this reptile are indeed very long, but they do
not appear to be fixed firmly in, but are hollow, and seem as if the
animal changed them periodically; for in the cavities of several teeth,
which had appeared to leave no roots, you see young teeth pushing forth.
Below the under jaw, the alligator has two little glands, which have a
strong odour of musk. The Doctor has dried these glands, and hung them
up in that state for several years, yet still they impart a strong musky
smell. The alligator perhaps may avail himself of this substance to
benumb the fish which come within his reach, and then swallow
them.[II-11]

    [Footnote II-11: [Nonsense.]--TRANS.]

Bishop Dubourg, whom I have often visited during my residence in this
place, received me one day in his library, which contains besides
theological works, many books of science and belles lettres. I remarked
a perfect set of the French _Encyclopédie_, and complimented the bishop
upon it, and expressed my surprise that he should have been able to
purchase this work so complete in this country. The worthy man related
with a smile how he had acquired it. As he was travelling through
Flanders in 1816 and 1817, in company with the Bishop Prince de Broglio,
he formed an acquaintance with a gentleman and his daughter, well known
for their bigotry. The latter, a great admirer of books, told him
confidingly, that she experienced great scruples on account of keeping
in her library the Encyclopédie, in which so many wicked things were
contained in opposition to the church. She inquired of him whether she
had not better throw this shocking book into the fire? He himself being
a great book fancier, and having observed that the work was complete,
forbid this pious proceeding, and told her that if she would commit it
to his custody, he would provide against its proving prejudicial. In
this manner he saved this expensive work from destruction, and thereby
enriched his own library.




CHAPTER XX.

  _Travels up the Mississippi from New Orleans to St. Louis, and to
    St. Charles, on the Missouri_.


After a stay of nine weeks, I at length left New Orleans, on the 26th of
March, with the most grateful feelings towards its inhabitants, who had
received me in a friendly and affectionate manner, and had made this
winter so extremely agreeable to me. Never shall I forget what the
families of Messrs. Grymes, Urquhart and Andry, did for my benefit, and
with what cordiality and true hospitality they acted towards me. The
Baron de Marigny has, however, merited the most from my hands, and since
he has it in prospect to leave America, and settle himself in Europe,
I trust yet once more to have it in my power to exhibit my gratitude to
him otherwise than by words. The real creoles are, upon the whole,
a warm-hearted generation, and the people with whom I was least pleased
here, were the Americans, who are mostly brought only by the desire of
accumulating wealth. The Germans in Louisiana, unhappily rank behind
even the Irish. They are mostly a lazy race, not distinguished for their
morality, and very different from their countrymen in Pennsylvania, who,
on account of their moral and industrious characters, are universally
respected, and are worthy of this high regard.

Since my landing in Boston, on the 26th July, to my reaching New
Orleans, I had travelled the distance of four thousand two hundred and
seventy-five English miles. I entered now upon another great journey.
I designed to go from here to St. Louis, thence through the states of
Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to Pittsburgh, thence through Pennsylvania by
Philadelphia to New York. Here I proposed, with God’s help, to embark
for Liverpool, in the month of June.

About ten o’clock in the morning, I repaired from the Levée on board the
steam-boat Phoenix, bound for St. Louis, and immediately left the shore.
Eight steam-boats ascended the river on the same day. Ours was the
finest of this number. She was not large and had proportionately a too
powerful and dangerous high pressure engine. This communicated to the
vessel such a violent shock, that it was hardly possible to write. Mr.
Huygens was still my travelling companion; and I found to my great
satisfaction, a new and very welcome one in M. Hottinguer, the son of a
banker in Paris, whom I had known in New York, and who was now desirous
of viewing the western states on his return to Europe. The remaining
passengers, only three in number, were inhabitants of St. Genevieve, not
far from St. Louis, in the state of Missouri. The day was very
beautiful; the city, as well as the extensive suburb of St. Marie,
afforded a very picturesque view. What a pity that the shores are so
very low. It is hard to determine where the suburb St. Marie ends, the
houses gradually stand farther apart, until they are confounded with the
sugar plantations, of which we observed a good many on both banks of the
river, and some ornamented with very convenient dwelling houses. The
banks are highly cultivated, behind the fields, however, the cypress
woods are seen to commence. Towards the afternoon, something broke in
the engine, and we had to lie by for repairs, about three hours. We
heard music on the plantations, as the negroes were allowed to amuse
themselves on this first day of the Easter holy-days. So much timber
drove down the stream, that our engine was frequently stopped, to
prevent the buckets of the wheels from being injured by floating trunks
of trees.

Our accommodations consisted of a cabin with sixteen births; behind this
were two ladies cabins, of which, as there were no ladies on board, we
took possession, so that we might be located at the greatest possible
distance from the engine. We met three steam-boats, and several keel and
flat boats, which were laden with cotton, meal in barrels, bacon, hams,
birds, &c.

We passed the whole night without receiving any damage, although we
suffered some heavy blows from floating trunks of trees. The next day
the dwellings were more scattered, all of them, as well as the
sugar-cane fields about them, appeared in good condition. The banks on
both sides we found mostly covered with wood; the cypress had ceased,
and green-leaved trees, such as ash and poplar took their place. At
first the shore was very low, and we could observe from the marks on the
trees left by the water, that at a high stage of it the surrounding
country must be overflowed. Towards midday we passed the small town of
Baton Rouge, which lies upon a height, and may contain about twelve
hundred inhabitants. It was the first town we had noticed. In passing,
I remarked upon the eminence two brick barracks, two stories high, and
good looking, which are inhabited during the summer by the garrison of
New Orleans, on account of their healthy situation. Baton Rouge is one
hundred and thirty-one miles distant from New Orleans, and owes its name
to an ancient Indian trunk of a tree, which was so denominated by the
first French settlers. We did not stop here, but made our first halt
after sunset, at Bayou Sara, one hundred and sixty-three miles from New
Orleans, for an hour, to take in wood for the engine. Above Baton Rouge
the banks were steep, especially the left. Such solitary elevations are
termed here bluffs. The islands in the Mississippi are numbered as they
occur from the junction of the Ohio down. The last is No. 97, we came
this day up above No. 94, and found all these intermediate islands low
and covered with wood. Towards the rising of the sun, we had passed by
at the mouth of the Bayou la Fourche, the little town of Donaldsonville,
where as it is said, the seat of government of Louisiana will be
established.[II-12] We saw three large alligators lying on the shore
sunning themselves, the largest must have been from six to eight feet
long. The weather was fine the whole day.

    [Footnote II-12: [Our author has somehow been confused in his
    diary here: the mouth of La Fourche is generally called
    seventy-five miles above New Orleans, Stoddart makes it
    eighty-one. At any rate it is about half way between Bayou Sara or
    Point Coupee and the city of New Orleans; and of course the Duke
    must have passed Donaldsonville, which is at the junction of La
    Fourche with the Mississippi, in the morning of the day he passed
    Baton Rouge.]--TRANS.]

We did not lie by again in the evening, but went on through the night,
and still received several blows from the drift wood.

The next morning produced nothing novel; some tortoises only passed us,
sailing on pieces of wood. The river made many and considerable
windings. The banks are every where woody, and for the most part so low,
that from the water-marks on the trees, they must be inundated at high
freshes. There were several high bluffs on the left bank, of which those
called Loftus Heights, appear to be the most remarkable. There is a
small settlement there called Fort Adams, from a fort that formerly
stood here. Scattered, but considerable plantations, are situated on the
shores. The sugar plantations have ceased, and the cotton fields have
taken their place. We stopped at one of these plantations to take in
wood; I embraced this opportunity to land, and look round about me in
the neighbourhood of the plantation. The soil appeared to be of a dark
colour, and very productive. The trees were chiefly of ash and poplar,
of which one was sixteen feet in circumference. Upon all the trees, wild
vines branched aloft, partly from thick trunks; also many locust trees
grew about here. In the garden of the plantation, there stood a large
bush of the champagne rose, as it is called, which appeared very
beautiful, as it was in full bloom, and diffused a delicious odour. The
raising of bees was carried on at this plantation. The vegetation was as
far advanced almost, as it is in Germany about June. The right bank of
the stream still belongs to Louisiana, the left side however, is in
Mississippi. Before we reached Fort Adams, we saw to the left of us the
broad Red river, emptying itself into the Mississippi two hundred and
thirty-two miles from New Orleans.

I take the liberty of inserting the following account of this river,
which is given in the “Western Navigator,” a work which is published
with charts of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers: “The Red river falls
into the Mississippi a little to the south of the thirty-first degree of
north latitude. At its mouth it is about five hundred yards wide, and
its general breadth is between two hundred and fifty and three hundred
yards. The main branch of this majestic stream rises in the Mexican
range of mountains eastward from Santa Fé, in nearly the thirty-sixth
degree of north latitude. It flows about one hundred miles in a
north-eastern direction, unites itself with another broad branch coming
from the north-west, makes then a great circuit towards the south-east,
and follows this direction to the Mississippi for the distance of
fifteen hundred miles. The country about the lower half of the Red river
is pretty well examined, and found equal to the other part of Louisiana
in fertility, except about fifty miles from the Mississippi, which
district is exposed to annual inundations. The cotton and the tobacco
raised about Natchitoches and at the Rapids, are of the best quality,
and command the highest prices. Besides many small craft, the trade
employs several steam-boats at Natchitoches. The bed and shores of this
river consists of clear red sand, mixed with clay and gravel, the same
colour is imparted to the water.”

On the morning of the 29th March we reached Natchez, and made a stop of
some hours, to repair a leaky boiler. I employed this leisure in writing
some letters of thanks to New Orleans. This occupied so much of my time,
that I was not able to look about in Natchez. Several of our company did
so, and informed me that the city was regularly and well built, and
situated upon an eminence on the left bank of the river, removed a short
mile back from it. Upon the bank itself, are some few streets of wooden
houses, with shops for provisioning and supplying the steam-boats, which
mostly make this a station. Back of these streets, rises a sand-hill,
upon which the city stands, and a very laborious ascent through deep
sand carries one there. Natchez is two hundred and ninety-eight miles
distant from New Orleans.

At half past eight o’clock we proceeded: the banks were very low, and
bluffs were to be seen only now and then on the left side. Only one
solitary plantation on a hill covered with grass appeared well
cultivated. It was situated upon a point called Petit gulf, where the
river makes a remarkable bend, and is three hundred and forty miles from
New Orleans. Besides this, we took notice of several little plantations
which are exposed to inundations, and have only wretched log-houses.
They are fixed there by poor people, who seek to acquire property in
this unhealthy district. We stopt at two of this kind of plantations to
take in wood, and I went ashore both times for exercise. At one of these
places, the owner had put fire to all the trees that were not hewn down,
to make the land arable, and to change the wood into cotton fields. The
day passed over in the same way: our travelling party was increased by a
woman from St. Louis, who had waited for us with her three children at
one of the plantations. She was the wife of a mechanic in St. Louis, who
also was engaged in trade, having been to Santa Fé, in Mexico, and from
there had brought mules for sale to the state of Alabama. He appeared to
have staid away rather too long; his wife, and her three little
children, had travelled after him, but not being able to find him, she
now returned home.

During the night we passed the little town of Warrenton, on the left
bank of the river, three hundred and ninety-eight miles from New
Orleans, and afterwards another, on an eminence on the same shore,
called Walnut Hills, ten miles farther. About midday, on the 30th of
March, we passed the mouth of the Yazoo.

Concerning this river, the Western Navigator makes the following
remarks:--“The Yazoo rises in the state of Georgia, takes a
south-westerly direction, meanders through a fertile country, and
empties itself into the Mississippi, in the latitude of 32° 30´. At its
mouth it is about one hundred and thirty yards wide.”

The country was again very monotonous, low banks, partly covered with
water, covered thickly with trees, of which the fresh green leaves were
very much hidden by the disagreeable Spanish moss: some inconsiderable
plantations, where cotton and Indian corn were raised, and the
dwelling-houses, miserable little log-cabins, which are built on a sort
of grate, on account of the overflowing water. We stopt at one of these
places for wood, on the left bank. The labourers discovered among the
wood prepared for them, a snake two feet long, green and yellow striped,
with a white belly. They considered it poisonous, and killed it;
I believe, however, that it was not, for at a dinner in the habitation
of Mr. Andry, the sons of our host brought a similar snake, which he had
found in the garden, into the chamber, and I permitted it, (to the
terror of the ladies,) to creep into my sleeve upon the naked skin.
Although the head of this snake had been cut off, yet the body still had
life, and wound itself so fast upon my finger with the tail that I could
carry it a considerable distance. There are many bears in the woods
here, as the wife of the planter assured me, which make great havoc
among the hogs of the inhabitants, but do not attack men. The islands in
the river are very low, and covered thick with timber.

The weather had become cold, on the 31st of March it became warmer.
Nothing new! woody shores, high trees, poplars and sycamores, with large
creeping plants, mostly of wild vines, and here and there tall cane. We
passed several low islands, which, as well as a distance on both shores,
were overflowed, also some solitary, mean, and miserable dwellings. The
left bank of the river still is in the limits of the state of
Mississippi, the right thus far is in Arkansas Territory; of which
Little Rock on the Arkansas river is the principal place, at which many
emigrants from the eastern states have settled themselves. About ten
o’clock at night we reached the mouth of the Arkansas. Of this, the
“Western Navigator” speaks as follows:--This very beautiful river is
about three hundred and sixty yards wide, at its mouth it is said to be
fifteen hundred miles long. It rises at forty degrees north latitude in
the Mexican mountains, between the river La Platte on the one side, and
the Rio del Norte on the other. “This river, (as Stoddart writes,) has a
rocky bed, and the navigation of it is much impeded by rapids and
shoals. The extensive country through which it rolls, is diversified by
some mountains, numerous elevations, and fruitful vallies, especially
along the water-courses; by scattered groves and copses of wood, and by
prairies or natural meadows of great extent, where immense flocks of
various kinds of wild animals resort to graze.”

The pilot was obliged to be very careful here, since several dangerous
“snags”[II-13] lay in the river where we passed by the remains of the
steam-boat Putnam, sunk there. We met the beautiful large steam-boat
Caledonia, which, coming from Louisville, went down the river in a most
imposing style. The mouth of the Arkansas is distant five hundred and
ninety and a half miles from New Orleans, and there are still five
hundred and fifty-nine and a half miles remaining to St. Louis, so that
the distance from New Orleans to St. Louis amounts to eleven hundred and
fifty-eight miles.

    [Footnote II-13: In these rivers there is a difference understood
    between the two kinds of trunks of trees which lie in the stream,
    and are dangerous to vessels, i. e. snags and sawyers. The first,
    of which I have spoken already in the Alabama river, are fast at
    one end in the bottom, and stand up like piles; the others are not
    fastened, by being moved by the current the upper end of the tree
    takes a sawing motion, from whence its appellation is derived.]

On the 1st of April, the shores on both sides, as well as most of the
islands, continued still as low and woody as those we had noticed during
the preceding days. The ugly long moss, however ceased to deform the
trees. Upon the right shore, was situated a little new settlement,
Helena, which, from the appearance of its buildings, must be in a
tolerably thriving condition. Towards evening, we stopped to wood on the
right bank, at a small settlement, called Big Prairie. It was an open
place, surrounded by forests, in which stood some very handsome
live-oaks. As it became dark, we saw in the woods a great number of fire
flies, swarming about, which for a moment led us to think that there was
a smithy, or a high furnace in the forest, out of which the sparks were
flying. The navigation during the night was very dangerous on account of
the number of snags: we received some powerful blows, and a branch, to
which we approached too near in the dark, forced its way into one of the
cabins, and made a considerable breach. Luckily no one at the time was
sleeping there.

Upon the following day we still contemplated no object but low and
inundated shores. The human dwellings, the most miserable that could be
conceived, were placed along in a scattered manner. As we took in wood
towards evening, we were obliged to fasten to the wood-pile, as the
whole plantation was under water. The lights on the left shore, which
may rise about forty feet, are called the Chickesa Bluffs, of which
there are reckoned four in a stretch of about sixty miles.

Before we reached the fourth Chickesa Bluff, we passed a large island,
called President’s Island. The river changes its course almost every
year, and constantly washes the sand-banks away, while it makes others,
so that the chart of the stream made a few years back, is not to be
depended upon as a guide. The passage in which we sailed along, was at
times rather narrow on account of the island, when the river was at
least an English mile broad. Upon the fourth Chickesa Bluff stood the
quondam Fort Pickering, consisting of a stockade, as were the forts, as
they were called in the Creek nation. The two block houses of this fort
are still visible, of which a plantation house has been made. A short
mile above the fort, stands a group of rather miserable houses: it is
the town of Memphis. It is seven hundred and sixty-three miles from New
Orleans, and three hundred and eighty-seven from St. Louis.

Above this town of great name, the Wolf river discharges itself into the
Mississippi. The state of Mississippi has its boundary here, and the
state of Tennessee commences. It is reported, that Miss Wright, of whom
notice has been taken before, has settled herself near Memphis, bought
several negroes, and located a plantation. During her travels in the
northern states, she expressed so great a disgust towards slavery, that
she could not be persuaded to cross the Potomac, to go into Virginia.
And now, she has even purchased negroes! It is said, however, that she
has acted thus from a philanthropical designs, to follow a proposed plan
of setting the negroes free, and giving them their liberty by degrees.
I have already given my sentiments at Boston, concerning Miss Wright.
All that I have since heard respecting her, confirms the unfavourable
judgment which I then communicated. A respectable person, who had become
acquainted with her in Philadelphia, said, that she stretched herself on
a sofa, spoke little, and gave herself little or no trouble about any
one, now and then breaking out in detached sentences, such as this, for
example; I believe that bears are of more value than men. At Memphis,
she will, I have no doubt, enjoy many opportunities of confirming
herself in practical experience of the truth of this maxim. In the
evening, we were amused again with the great numbers of fire flies,
which filled the woods.

On the 3rd of April, we were embarrassed by our fire wood giving out.
The banks were overflowed, and there was no regular landing place to be
obtained. At the place called the new cut-off, we had a very powerful
current against us, which we overcame with great trouble and waste of
time. The wood was so far gone, that old barrels were broke up, and a
mast and several boards were obliged to be sawed for a supply. This new
cut had formed itself in February 1822, and saves the vessels a circuit
of thirteen miles. It may be observed on the chart, what a large bend
the Mississippi makes here. By degrees it washed the small isthmus of
land, which intervened between the bends, and formed itself a new bed
directly through. This neck of land, through which this new cut passes,
is hardly half a mile wide. It is but a short time since the steam-boats
first ventured to take this short route: for the remains of the trees
washed away are still visible, and this admonishes the navigator to be
on his guard.

After we had passed this strait, which is distant eight hundred and
sixty-nine miles from New Orleans, we stopped on the right bank, to
provide ourselves with wood. We embraced this opportunity to go ashore
for a walk, and into the woods. A young man of our vessel, killed a very
handsome snake in the forest. It was one and a half foot long, whitish,
with coal-black, edged spots on the back, the belly white with black
stripes.[II-14] Farther on, a black eagle with white head and tail was
shot. We saw a similar one in the afternoon fly long before our boat,
he had found a snake which he held in his talons. We met with several
plovers also. After sunset, we stopt at the right bank for the second
time, to obtain more wood for the night. This place was called Point
Pleasant, and there were about it several small plantations; one of
which served as a trade-deposit with the Indians. The Indians bring
deer, buck, muskrat and other skins, and barter them for arms,
ammunition, woollen blankets, stamped calicoes, &c. one of our
travelling companions, Mr. Vallais employed himself in this trade. We
accompanied him to the depôt, whence he brought a whole cart-load of
pressed skins to the boat, to take up with him.

    [Footnote II-14: Coluber coccineus.]

On the right hand shore the Arkansas territory ceases, and the new state
of Missouri begins. This was first received into the Union two years
since, and with truly great difficulty, and after long debate; as
congress was at issue whether the state should be suffered to permit
slavery within its limits or not. The state at length, however, obtained
that privilege.

Six miles below Point Pleasant, the little town of New Madrid lies upon
the right bank, nine hundred and twelve miles from New Orleans. We past
by it in the night, to my great regret; for I should have liked to have
seen the remains of the violent earthquake, which prevailed here in the
years 1811 and 1812. There are great sink-holes to be seen here yet, in
which trees are buried. The soil upon which the town itself stood, has
sunk many feet, and the place has suffered very much. New Madrid was a
Spanish settlement, and so long as the whole right bank of the
Mississippi, that is, from 1763 to 1803, belonged to the Spaniards,
under the name of Louisiana, there was a Spanish military post there.
On the left bank of the river this evening, we left the jurisdiction of
Tennessee, and entered that of Kentucky.

On the 4th of April, it was exactly one year, since I left the city of
Ghent, and my family. The time has passed over rapidly with me, I have
seen many remarkable things, my mind has been kept on a constant
stretch; nevertheless, that which passed more than a year ago is as
present, as if performed but a few days since. If the great Architect of
the universe shall conduct me in health home to those I love, which I
have prayed for, then shall the 4th of April be a festival-day in my
family as long as I live.

Both shores of the river, appeared in the forenoon just as they appeared
during the last days. Only we remarked two elevations on the left bank,
of which one was called Chalk Bank, the other Iron Bank. About one
o’clock in the afternoon we found ourselves opposite the mouth of the
Ohio river. The river is here very broad, and both streams with their
low banks, grown thick with wood, puts one in mind of the Mecklenburg
lakes.

The Western Navigator says, in a note concerning the Ohio: “The Ohio
arises from the junction of the Alleghany with the Monongahela at
Pittsburgh, the first is about three hundred and seventy, the
latter near five hundred yards broad at their mouths. After a
west-south-westerly course of nine hundred and fifty-two miles the Ohio
empties itself into the Mississippi about in the degree of north
latitude thirty-seven. It changes its breadth from four hundred to
fourteen hundred yards. At Cincinnati it is eight hundred and
forty-seven yards wide, which may be considered its medium. Its course
is gentle, not broken by falls or rapids, except at Louisville. It is
inferior to few streams in the convenience of communication from one
part to the other, especially if the operation of canaling the falls,
and erecting of locks, which has long been contemplated, be carried
through with success. The height of the falls is estimated at twenty-two
and a half feet, the length of the descent two miles. The greatest
extremes of falling in the height of the river, are between Pittsburgh
and the Mississippi; they lessen as the river is descended, and the
medium height is from twenty-five to thirty feet. At the lowest state of
water, the river is fordable in many places above the falls.”

The mouth of the Ohio is nine hundred and seventy-seven miles from New
Orleans, and one hundred and seventy-three from St. Louis. Two
steam-boats, the Friendship and Philadelphia, which had remained near us
all the way from New Orleans, here left us, and ascended the Ohio. The
Mississippi continues still very broad above the Ohio, and contains many
islands. From the mouth of the Ohio, the left shore of the river belongs
to the state of Illinois, the right, as already observed, to the state
of Missouri. The banks of the Mississippi begin to be something higher,
and at times still more rocky. We stopt at a couple of solitary houses
on the right bank for wood. During this halt I went into the wood lying
back, to walk, and remarked several sycamores of an uncommon height and
stoutness; I believe I can affirm that one of them was twenty feet in
circumference. We observed from the cooler air, and the less precocious
vegetation, that we were again in a more northern climate. A few of the
trees were in leaf, others were blossoming, which in New Orleans,
occurred six weeks ago. Near the dwellings were large orchards, in which
the apple-tree was in blossom. On the bank grew arbres de judée, whose
blossoms resemble those of the peach-tree, and near them blossoming
white-thorns.

The water in the Ohio had risen very much for some days, and poured with
force into the Mississippi; this circumstance assisted our progress,
since above the junction we had a weaker stream to contend with. At ten
o’clock at night we reached a little town on the right bank, Gape
Girardeau, where Mr. Vallais had some goods to land. This place is
situated on a high bank, and appears to be thriving and well built, in a
fruitful and tolerably populous district. On account of the numerous
snags under water and the sawyers, the navigation during the night would
have been dangerous, we therefore spent the night at Cape Girardeau.
There are here several examples of unlucky steam-boats. The place is one
hundred and thirty-two miles from St. Louis.

On the 5th of April we were set in motion before daybreak, and stopped
towards morning at a group of five wooden houses, called the town of
Bainbridge, one hundred and twenty-two miles from St. Louis, on the
right bank. Again goods were landed, and wood taken in. In the outset of
our day’s trip, the shores became higher. Upon the right side we saw
sandstone rock, probably forty feet high; they were partly worn with
water, and had singular forms. One of these rocks, which stands alone,
is called the Devil’s tea-table. Farther the river is compressed in its
course between two ledges of rock, of which one is called the Devil’s
bake-oven, where several steam-boats have gone down. The current is here
very strong. On the right bank rises a solitary rock named the Tower,
resembling very much an old fortress. It must be about one hundred feet
in circumference, and one hundred and fifty feet high. The river became
by degrees narrower. The vegetation continued still more backward.
Towards evening, we encountered a very heavy storm, that lasted, with
severe thunder, rain and hail, for a couple of hours. On this account we
could advance no farther without danger, and remained during the night
on the right bank near the Saline River’s mouth, sixty-nine miles and a
half distant from St. Louis. On this river considerable and profitable
salt works are established.

On the sixth of April, we moved again before daybreak. The storm of
yesterday had cooled the air very perceptibly. After we had advanced
five miles farther, we stopt on the left bank. An establishment was
placed there, Simonton’s Warehouse, where the goods intended for
Kaskaskia were landed, which is a town in the state of Illinois, lying
on the river Ouwa or Kaskaskia, two miles from the warehouse: we soon
got under way again. The country on the right bank was very well
cultivated. On a small eminence we beheld the little town of St.
Genevieve. This place is one mile distant from the river, on a little
stream called Gabane creek. Mr. Vallais, and another of our fellow
travellers, Mr. Rozier, a native of Nantes, and established as a
merchant in St. Genevieve, landed their goods purchased in New Orleans
here, and took leave of us.

We stopped several hours. The river takes a new direction against the
right bank, wears it out in hollows, and often tears away whole fields,
by which the left bank profits. We accompanied our fellow voyagers to
the town, which contains about two thousand inhabitants, of both
complexions. The road ran between fields of Indian corn, and then over a
bridge on Gabane creek. The place has regular streets, but has rather a
poor appearance. I remarked only three substantial houses: one of them
stands on an open square, and is the court-house. Not far from this is
the prison, a box framed of strong timbers. Upon the eminence on which
the place slopes down, stands a massive edifice, which indeed had a roof
upon it, but was without doors or windows, and threatened to fall in.
It was destined for an academy, but for want of funds the plan was not
completed. The place receives great advantage from the neighbouring lead
mines. The navigation near St. Genevieve is extremely dangerous, from
the snags lying under the water. Two steam-boats have been sunk here,
the Franklin and the Cincinnati. The accident of the last took place
when Prince Paul of Wirtemburg was on board. I noticed here several
pieces of a very brittle sandstone, found in the vicinity of St.
Genevieve, and sent as an article of trade to Pittsburgh, where it is
used in the manufacture of glass.

Before we proceeded on our voyage, we received the visit of a Shawnee
Indian on board, a well looking man of about thirty years of age, who
spoke tolerably good English. He travelled on horse-back with his gun,
hunted on the way, and sold his venison. His dress was very similar to
that of the Creek Indians. Between twelve and one o’clock, we were again
under way. The right bank continued rocky, and contained below very
singular shapes and excavations, which reminded me of the rocks on the
Inn, and the one called Buckfarth Castle.

About ten miles above St. Genevieve an island lies on the left shore,
called Fort Chartres, where at the time of the first French
establishment, a fort of this name was standing. It was nevertheless
partly torn away by the current, and at present, has vanished entirely.
We passed several islands, of which three are called the Plattan
islands. In the woods on these we saw many birds with parti-coloured
feathers, the largest among them were cormorants. About 5 o’clock in the
evening, we reached Herculaneum, a little town on the right shore. The
river Joachim, which has been turned into Owashing creek, which here
flows into the Mississippi, divides the place into two parts.
Herculaneum is thirty miles from St. Louis, is very small, but contains
several decent houses, and supports itself by the lead establishments,
furnished by the mines in the neighbourhood, and by two shot factories.
The rocks, which form the right bank of the river, open themselves here
to let the Owashing pass through, which flows in a narrow, truly
picturesque valley, which again recalled the Ilmthal to my mind. Looking
from the river, Herculaneum is situated between two high crags of rock,
in the back ground woody heights crowned with rocks, and appears very
handsome. On each summit of the rocks, stands what is called a shot
tower. The material of the rock here is wacke, in which there are many
flints. We stopt here to take in wood.

The 7th of April, we continued our voyage about five o’clock, and
reached St. Louis about eleven o’clock forenoon. Thus had we
accomplished a distance of 1150 miles in less than thirteen days against
the current, which before the introduction of the steam-boat required at
least three months, a new testimony of the importance of this noble
discovery, so honourable to the human intellect.

We enquired in several houses for accommodation, but found the most of
them too bad; and remained at length in the Missouri Hotel, a tolerably
moderate kind of an inn, where we were obliged to house ourselves very
narrowly.

St. Louis has existed since the year 1763, and was settled by French and
Canadians. In that year when Canada with the left bank of the Illinois
and Mississippi were ceded to England, these people were not willing to
be English subjects, and withdrew to the right bank of the Mississippi,
which then was under the dominion of France, but soon after was given up
to Spain. The emigrants built St. Louis and St. Charles on the Missouri,
as well as several other little places: they lived a long time cut off
from the civilized world, and surrounded by Indians. They effected but
little in the cultivation of the soil, had almost no agriculture, and
supported themselves by hunting. They would at length have become
savages, had not this territory, with Louisiana, in the year 1803, came
into the possession of the United States. Since that time communication
and roads have been opened between the United States and St. Louis; many
Americans and foreigners removed here, and brought their property and
their industry with them: and by the introduction of the use of
steam-boats, a new and easy intercourse was opened with the shores of
the Ohio, and with New Orleans, that important depôt of the western
states. A glance at the map of the United States shows what an
interesting place St. Louis is destined to become, when the white
population has spread itself more westwardly from the Mississippi, and
up along the Missouri river. Perhaps it may yet become the capital of a
great nation.

St. Louis lies upon a rather high rocky foundation on the right bank of
the Mississippi, and stretches itself out, nearly a mile in length, in
the direction of the river. The most of the houses have a garden towards
the water, the earth is supported by walls, so that the gardens form so
many terraces. The city contains about four thousand inhabitants. It
consists of one long main street, running parallel with the river, from
which several side streets run to the heights behind the city. Here
single houses point out the space, where another street, parallel with
the main street can one day be built. The generality of the houses are
new, built of brick two stories high; some are of rough stone, and
others of wood and clay in the Spanish taste, resembling the old houses
in New Orleans. Round the city, along the heights, formerly ran a wall,
but it is now taken away. At the corners stood massive round
guard-towers, the walls of which one still can see.

In a northern direction from the city, are seven artificial hillocks, in
two rows, which form a parallelogram. They belong to the much talked of
Indian mounds and fortifications, of which numbers are found on the
shores of the Ohio and Mississippi, and which are dispersed over these
regions from Lake Erie to New Mexico. There exists neither documents nor
traditions concerning the erection of these works, or of the tribe of
people who erected them. In some, a great quantity of human bones have
been discovered, in others, on the contrary, nothing. This double row
near St. Louis has not yet been examined.

Soon after our arrival, we made some visits to deliver the introductory
letters given me by Bishop Dubourg. We called first upon General Clark,
governor of the state of Missouri. The general was absent in Washington.
We were, however, received in a very friendly manner by his wife and
daughters. Governor Clark is moreover the well-known fellow traveller of
the late Governor Lewis, in the expedition to the mouth of Columbia
river, on the Pacific ocean, in the years 1804, 1805, and 1806. We
afterwards went to visit Mr. Choteau, who was one of the founders of St.
Louis, who was not at home.

As we were so near the Missouri, we were unwilling to leave this part of
the country, without at least looking at that interesting river; for St.
Charles, a little town on the left bank of the Missouri, which empties
into the Mississippi some twenty miles above St. Louis, is but twenty
miles distant from this city. Not to lose any time, we determined to go
there this very day. We therefore hired a little two-horse carriage, and
with it, I and Mr. Hottinguer, and Mr. Huygens, began our journey in the
afternoon. At first, all went right. The road ran through an uneven
prairie, upon which many cattle pastured. After a ride of eight miles,
we came into a forest, which lasted all the way to the Missouri. The
country was pretty hilly, the forest consisted of green-leaved timber,
oaks, and various nut-bearing trees, of Canadian poplars, and much
sumach. On most of the trees, climbing plants mounted over them, wild
vines, and ivy. There was hardly any sign of the spring here yet: the
vegetation was still as backward as at that period of the year in
Flanders. This made no very friendly impression upon us, who had just
arrived from New Orleans, where it had long been summer. In the woods we
found several solitary inclosures, made by worm-fences. Wheat, oats, and
Indian corn were raised here. The cattle, and the numerous swine
bivouacked in the woods, and were obliged to take care of themselves.
There are a number of emigrants from the eastern states, also Germans,
established here in Missouri, who have purchased the land from
government for one dollar and a half per acre, and made it arable. Most
of them, however, repent of this proceeding; on account of the small
population of this state, and the want of a market, they cannot dispose
of their produce. We also passed a little village “the station,” and
afterwards had nearly been lost in the forest, as our coachman knew
nothing of the road. The road was marshy and very bad; and to complete
our misfortune the night shut in. One of our companions betook himself
to his knowledge of astronomy, and wished to steer us by the pole star.
I trusted more to my judgment of localities, and opposed all learned
demonstrations. My other companion voted with me, and therefore we
proceeded by my guidance, and I had the glory of finding the true road,
for we arrived at half-past ten o’clock at night, on the right bank of
the Missouri, opposite St. Charles, at Chauvin’s ferry.

The way had latterly become so bad, that to prevent accidents, we
proceeded on foot. It was too late to cross the river to St. Charles;
we therefore had a frugal supper prepared for us at the ferry-house, and
passed the night in a little garret-room. The country in the
neighbourhood of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi, cannot
in any manner be healthy; in the summer bilious fevers prevail, and in
the winter, what they call the influenza, which has shown itself in most
of the northern states. It consists of a very severe cough, joined with
rheumatic symptoms. If the disease be neglected, death may be the
consequence. To my no small alarm and dissatisfaction, one of our
chamber associates was very much affected with this influenza, and
another stranger, who slept in the next apartment, was visited by this
malady likewise; so that we were fated to hear a most annoying cough
duett.

On the next morning we crossed early to the left bank of the Missouri,
where St. Charles was situated, in a small canoe. The river is here
three-quarters of a mile broad, has excessively thick and muddy water,
and a very powerful current. The right bank is rather level, yet so high
that it experiences no inundation, while the left is pretty hilly. St.
Charles, which has the same origin with St. Louis, lies at the foot of a
hill; it consists of a single street running parallel with the river,
and is mostly built of brick. These houses are for the greater part
built by the Americans who have come here in later times, and are
inhabited by them as the most respectable portion of the inhabitants.
The Canadian, (or as they are called here, from their original parentage
and their language, the French,) are less industrious than the
Americans, and occupy themselves of preference in hunting; they live in
smaller, older houses, at the commencement and termination of the
street. The place may contain one thousand inhabitants, who nearly all
belong to the Catholic faith, and have a small wooden church. I spoke to
the present pastor, Verhegghen, a native of Ghent, a young man, who,
with the Abbé Maenhout in Pensacola, and many other young students from
Flanders, accompanied Bishop Dubourg on his return from Europe. Abbé
Verhegghen told me, that eight Flanders clergymen were appointed either
as pastors through the state, or placed in the seminary five miles from
St. Genevieve.

St. Charles has no remarkable exterior, and the streets are not paved.
We had it in contemplation to go to an eminence lying below the town,
“les Mamelles,” where it was said there was a view of the Missouri and
Mississippi both at once. The road carried us through a wood, which
begins below St. Charles. We had no guide, lost our way, and came at
last to a couple of lonely cabins. These cabins were inhabited by
Canadians, who took me for a Catholic pastor. We learned to our dismay,
that far from the “Mamelles,” we had six miles between us and St.
Charles. In this manner we took a sentimental walk of twelve miles for
nothing. Luckily for us we had fine weather. We had constantly remained
in the vicinity of the river, the return way took us somewhat
differently, and we came to a great marshy meadow, from which we could
distinguish the heights on the left bank of the Mississippi. The forest
is rather thick, with the same trees before-mentioned, and with large
and very thick sycamores. Not a sign of herbage was to be seen. In the
forest, however, there were beautiful birds, a pair were of a dazzling
sky-blue, and several paroquets, similar to those I had seen on the
river Alabama. For snakes, and especially for rattlesnakes, which are
found in great numbers here in summer, it was now too cold.

Exceeding fatigued with our useless promenade, we crossed the Missouri
immediately from St. Charles to Chauvin’s ferry, where we had slept. We
took our dinner here, and set out on the road to St. Louis in our little
light carriage, about four o’clock. We got over the worst part of the
road by daylight. We were surprised at the great numbers of partridges,
upon which we came, and which were so tame, that they would hardly run
out of our way: they remained sitting within ten paces of us. As the
night overtook us, we reached the better part of the road. We passed a
bivouack of an emigrant family, and arrived in St. Louis without
accident, in a very cold night about ten o’clock.

The 9th of April found us plunged into the midst of winter. It never
ceased snowing and freezing during the whole day. Except a slight fall
of it that I had experienced at Harper’s ferry, in the month of
November, 1825, this was the first snow that I happened to witness in
America. We could not make up our minds to go abroad, but preferred
sitting at the fire-side, and entertained ourselves with past happy
days. Later, however, we paid Mrs. Clark a visit, and spent the evening
at her house.

The steam-boat Mexico, Captain Clark, from the Prairie des Chiens on the
upper Mississippi, arrived this day, in the afternoon, at St. Louis,
fired a cannon to announce it, and intended to sail the next morning
down the Mississippi, and up the Ohio to Louisville and Pittsburgh.
I determined to embrace this opportunity to arrive in the Ohio, and then
visit New Harmony on the Wabash. My design at first was to have gone by
land through the state of Illinois, to Vincennes, and from there down
the Wabash to New Harmony. From information since obtained, this road
would be almost bottomless at this season of the year, several rivers
were to be crossed, and those provided with miserable ferries. For these
reasons, I declined the journey by land, in which, without such
considerations, there was nothing interesting to attract attention.

I had also felt a desire to visit the lead-mines, of which the most
important lie at Potosi, sixty miles from St. Louis, which are almost
daily increasing in consequence. I declined to join in this excursion,
since the journey there would take at least two days, the return as
much, and besides the road was described as wretched in the highest
degree. I was told, that the lead ore lies almost on the surface, and is
so extensive, that it is not worth the trouble to dig for it deep. If
therefore a shaft is pushed so deep as to strike water, this shaft is
abandoned and another opened. This easy method of working will last
until the owner has laboured over every part of his territory, then he
will be obliged to have recourse to water-pumps, and steam-engines. On
Fever river, on the upper Mississippi, are also very rich lead-works.
These, united to the works at Potosi, have delivered, during nine
months, eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand two hundred and
ninety-eight pounds of lead; the amount of per centage which the United
States receive from these works during that time, was a hundred and four
thousand one hundred and thirteen pounds. It is supposed, that in the
next year the mine-works will produce from three to four million pounds
of lead, which must be three hundred and fifty thousand pounds for the
share of the United States. It is but a few years since these mines were
worked.

On the 10th of April, we paid yet some other visits, before our
departure. First, to Major Biddle of the sixth regiment of infantry.
He is a brother to Commodore Biddle, and also of the President of the
United States Bank, in Philadelphia. His wife, educated in France, does
not appear particularly delighted with these out posts of civilization.
We then went to see Mrs. Clark, who, through the secretary of her
husband, Mr. Alexander, exhibited to us the museum collected by the
governor on his travels, and since considerably augmented. Mr. Alexander
showed us articles of Indian clothing of different kinds, and various
materials,--except the leather, the larger part of these materials were
American, or rather entirely European in their origin. A single garment
alone, was made by the Cherokees of cotton, which was pulled, spun, wove
on a loom, made by an Indian, and even dyed blue by them. Besides,
several weapons of different tribes, wooden tomahawks, or battle-axes,
in one of them was a sharp piece of iron to strike into the skulls of
their prisoners; another made of elks-horn, bows of elks-horn and of
wood, spears, quivers with arrows, a spear head of an Indian of the
Columbia river, hewed out of flint, a water-proof basket of the same
people, in which cooking can be performed, several kinds of tobacco
pipes, especially the calumet, or great pipe of peace. The heads of this
pipe are cut out of a sort of argillaceous earth, or serpentine; in time
of war the spot where this stone is dug out, is regarded as neutral, and
hostile parties, who meet each other at that place, cannot engage in any
thing inimical against each other. The pipe which the commissioners of
the United States use at treaties with the Indians, has a heavy silver
head, and a peculiarly handsome ornamented wooden stem. Farther: Mr.
Alexander showed us the medals which the Indian chiefs have received at
different periods from the Spanish, English and American governments,
and the portraits of various chiefs, who have been at St. Louis to
conclude treaties with the governor, who is also Indian agent. Among the
remarkable things in natural history, we noticed an alligator, eight
feet long; a pelican; the horns of a wild goat, shot by the governor in
his tour among the rocky mountains; the horns of a mountain-ram, and
those of an elk, several bearskins, among others, of the white bear;
buffalo, elk, of the skunk, which were sowed together in a robe, skins
of martins, ferrets, &c. &c. moreover, several petrifactions of wood,
and animal subjects, among others, of elephants teeth, a piece of
rock-salt, tolerably white, yet not shooting in crystals, as the
English; various crystals; a large piece of rock crystal; very handsome
small agates, which are here taken for cornelians, &c. Among the
curiosities, the most remarkable were two canoes, the one of
animal-hide, the other of tree-bark, a peace-belt, which consists of a
white girdle, set with glass beads two hands breadth wide; farther, snow
shoes, nets which are drawn over an oval frame, also the rackets, which
they use in playing their game of ball, &c. &c.

After the examination of this interesting collection, we paid our visit
to Mr. Choteau. This is a venerable old man of eighty years, a native of
New Orleans. He told us that at the founding of St. Louis, he felled the
first tree. His house resembling in architecture the old
government-house in New Orleans, was the first substantial building
erected here. The conversation with this aged man, who received us like
a patriarch, surrounded by his descendants, was very interesting. He was
of opinion that the people from whom the Indian antiquities have come
down to us, either by a pestilential disease, or by an all-destroying
war, must have been blotted from the earth. He believed that Behring’s
Straits were more practicable formerly than at present, at least it must
have been Asiatic hordes that came to America. How otherwise,
(asked he,) could the elephants, since there have been none ever upon
this continent, have reached the American bottom, where their bones are
now found? This bottom is a very rich body of land, running south,
opposite to St. Louis. Mounds and fortifications are found there, of the
kind spoken of before. Here the elephants bones are not scattered about,
but found laid in a long row near each other, as if they had been killed
in a battle, or at the assault of some fortification. I gave him a
description of the opening of a Roman mound, at which I was present with
my father, in the year 1813, and he expressed his astonishment at the
great similarity between these mounds, and those of the Indian
grave-hills. Among the stone war-hatchets in the governor’s museum,
there are several resembling the battle-axes which are found in Germany
at these mounds.

In our inn there lodged merchants, who prepare caravans, with which they
go in a space of from between forty and fifty days, to Santa Fé in New
Mexico. The articles which they mostly carry there, consist of cotton
fabrics, cloths, iron ware, &c. These goods they pack in four-horse
wagons, covered over, in which they sleep at night. There are about one
hundred men in such a caravan. From Santa Fé they bring back dollars and
mules.

After dinner the worthy old gentleman, Mr. Choteau, surprised us by a
visit, and brought his brother, his sons, and a Captain Smith, of the
first regiment of infantry, who is here on recruiting duty, with him. He
staid long with us and was very talkative. He related, for example, that
at the commencement of the settlement of St. Louis, the Indians attacked
the town, which was only defended by one hundred and fifty men, and that
they were driven off. After this attack, the Spaniards had built the
defensive towers, of which the remains stand yet around the city. They
resemble the English Martello towers, and like them were of but little
value.




CHAPTER XXI.

  _Travels from St. Louis to New Harmony.-- Mr. Owen’s System and
    Experiment._


On the 10th of April at seven o’clock, P. M. we left St. Louis, in the
Mexico, a neat boat with a low pressure engine. We went down the stream
so rapidly, that we advanced fourteen and fifteen miles per hour. We
received an unpleasant shock during the night from a snag. It gave the
vessel such a violent blow, that all were roused from sleep, and sprang
out of bed: I thought that the boat was going down. Happily we were only
scared this time. Towards morning we hastened past Cape Girardeau, and
all the places which we had seen a few days before. It was agreeable for
us again to come something more southerly, and recognize traces of
vegetation. We reached the junction of the Ohio with the Mississippi
about twelve o’clock in the day. We then quitted the Mississippi, and
steered into the Ohio.

At the period when the French extended their posts from Canada to New
Orleans, the Ohio was known to them under the name of “La Belle
Riviere;” Mr. Choteau, Senr. used this appellation constantly in
speaking of it, while conversing with me. The water of the Ohio is much
clearer and purer than that of the Mississippi, which is evidently very
foul from the confluence of the Missouri. At the union with the Ohio,
this difference in the colour of the streams is striking, when you pass
from the turbid waters of the Mississippi into the purer current of the
Ohio. They are divided from each other by a perceptible line, disturbed
cloudings being visible on each side of this line.

I took a solemn leave of the majestic father of rivers, the Mississippi;
but, with God’s permission, not an eternal one.

The banks of the Ohio are at first very low, and exposed to inundations.
Upon the right bank, eleven miles above the mouth, lies a small place,
consisting of a few wooden houses, called America. It is built upon a
bank raised several feet above the highest water-mark. It is only three
miles hence across to the Mississippi. A project, therefore has been
agitated, and a company formed with a capital of ten thousand dollars,
to cut through this narrow piece of land, to unite the rivers sooner,
and gain an easier navigation. Since the bank is not exposed to overflow
at this point, as I have remarked before, a town may be established
here, in process of time, when this design is carried into effect, that
will be extremely important and wealthy.

About six miles from the mouth, stand a tavern and warehouses, on the
right bank, which is called Trinity. In this vicinity there are several
rocks concealed under the water, that must be very dangerous at a low
stage of the river. Some miles higher, thirty-seven and a half miles
from the mouth, fourteen hundred miles from New Orleans, and three
hundred and thirty-four and a half from Louisville, is Fort Massac,
situated on an eminence on the right bank. The remains of a stockade,
two block-houses, and barracks, are what is left of this fort, which
gains its name from the massacre of the French garrison by the Indians.
As long as the western military posts of the United States were kept up,
an infantry company remained here in garrison. This fort has been
abandoned for a long time. Nine miles higher up on the left bank, the
Tennessee river flows into the Ohio, upon which the Western Navigator
makes the following remarks: “This river is the largest branch of the
Ohio, and is navigable for large boats more than six hundred miles. It
rises in the north western part of Virginia, and runs through the whole
breadth of East Tennessee, in a south-westerly direction. Afterwards it
enters at the north-east corner of Alabama, through the breadth of which
it runs, then turning in a northern direction, nearly in a direct line
with the western boundary of that state, it flows through Tennessee and
a part of Kentucky, in which it discharges itself into the Ohio.” The
right bank of the river on which we were now sailing, belongs to the
state of Illinois, and the left to Kentucky. Both shores are thickly
covered with woods. Although our course up the stream did not equal the
speed with which we had descended the Mississippi, yet we made handsome
progress.

On the second night we went on, in spite of the snags, and without
accident. On the third day, 12th of April, we were delighted with the
prospect of the beautiful banks of the Ohio, thickly covered with wood.
The right shore especially is rocky, and occupied by neat dwellings and
little settlements. During the night we had passed the mouth of the
Cumberland, an eastern tributary river to the Ohio. This is one of the
largest rivers in Kentucky. It rises in the Cumberland mountains, in the
vicinity of the heads of Clinch and Kentucky rivers, flows in a westerly
direction more than two hundred miles, enters the state of Tennessee,
reaching Nashville, after meandering through that state one hundred and
twenty miles, in the thirty-sixth degree of north latitude, or
thereabouts, flows then one hundred and twenty miles in a north-west
course, and discharges itself into the Ohio.

This mouth of Cumberland is eight hundred and ninety-four miles from
Pittsburgh, and ten hundred and thirty-five from New Orleans. On the
right shore we saw the little town of Golconda, afterwards the Cave in
Rock, where a considerable cavern runs into the rock. It reaches one
hundred and fifty feet deep under the hill, and was used by a robber in
former days for a place of residence, whence he sallied out and
plundered the passing flat-boats and smaller craft.

Towards noon we reached Shawnee town, on the right bank, ten hundred and
ninety-five miles from New Orleans, and eight hundred and thirty-four
from Pittsburgh. The Western Navigator says, “Shawnee town was formerly
a village which belonged to the Shawnee Indian nation, and bore its
name. It is at present a handsomely situated town, in Gallatin county,
state of Illinois. It contains a post-office, a land-office, and a bank,
called the Great Bank of Illinois, with a capital of two hundred
thousand dollars. Although it is subject to be overflowed, yet it is
nevertheless a considerable place, since it is the centre of the
emigrants going to Kaskaskias, St. Louis, &c.” It appeared to me safe
from inundation, as it lies upon a tolerably elevated bank. The houses,
of which many contain stores, are mostly of wood, yet I observed many of
brick. It may contain eight hundred inhabitants, mostly white persons.
The states of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, lying between the Mississippi
and Ohio, hold no slaves; a slave coming here from other states is free:
and yet these states are only divided by the Mississippi from Missouri,
and by the Ohio from Kentucky and Virginia, in which three states,
slavery still exists.

Ten miles above Shawnee town we passed the mouth of the Wabash,
a western tributary of the Ohio.

The Wabash, a very beautiful river, rises not far from the sources of
the Miami of the Lakes, and meanders through one of the most fertile
districts of the west. At its mouth, it is about two hundred and fifty
yards broad, and is navigable about four hundred miles. The Wabash forms
the boundary between the states of Illinois and Indiana, the right bank
belongs to the former, the left to the latter state. About evening, the
steam-boat landed Mr. Huygens and myself on the right bank at Mount
Vernon, a place established about two years ago, whence we proposed to
go by land to New Harmony. Mr. Hottinguer left us, as he pursued his
voyage in the steam-boat; I parted very reluctantly from this esteemed
fellow traveller, who possessed many good qualities, above all others,
one seldom found in his countrymen, great modesty.

Mount Vernon lies upon a high bank, one hundred and twenty-six miles
from New Orleans, and eight hundred and three from Pittsburgh. It is a
favourable situation for trade, laid out on an extensive plan, but has
only frame houses, and at most three hundred inhabitants. It is the new
capital of Posey county. A prison was finished for the use of the
county; a court-house was about to be built. We formed an acquaintance
with a physician established here, and a travelling merchant. The roots
of the felled trees remained yet in the streets of the town, the woods
began close behind the houses; nay, the latest built were encircled by
them.

On the following morning, 15th of April, we hired a two-horse wagon, to
carry us to the village of New Harmony, which is sixteen miles distant
from Mount Vernon, and lies on the left shore of the Wabash. The road
passed through a hilly country, thickly grown with green-leaved trees.
The way was made very bad by former rains, and the most miry places were
mended with logs, forming a grievous causeway;[II-15] over a little
stream, called Big creek, we crossed a tolerable wooden bridge. About
half way is Springfield, at first made the capital of Posey county,
which, however, afterwards was changed to Mount Vernon, as I have
mentioned before. In Springfield the county gaol still remains, also a
brick court-house, and about ten wooden houses, two of them are taverns.
As the road was very bad, and the horses went very slow, I walked at
least ten miles, and arrived at New Harmony, before the carriage. As
soon as you clear the woods, you have a very handsome view of the place.
It lies in a valley, not far from the Wabash. The woody and low banks of
this river, were at present, in the neighbourhood of New Harmony,
overflowed. From the roots of trees still remaining, it was visible,
that this country had been covered with wood but a short time back.

    [Footnote II-15: [These log turnpikes are better known by the name
    of “corduroy roads.”]--TRANS.]

In fact, it is but eleven years since Mr. Rapp with his society, after
they had disposed of Harmony in Pennsylvania, moved here, and felled the
first tree to found New Harmony in a country inhabited only by wolves,
Indians, bears, rattlesnakes, &c. The hills immediately next to the
place, are already cleared of timber of the larger kind; they are
converted into vineyards, and partly into orchards. Farther off are
meadows and fields to the right, and to the left fruit and vegetable
gardens, carefully enclosed by palisades. New Harmony itself, has broad
unpaved streets, in which good brick houses appear alternately, with
framed cabins and log houses: the streets are regular, running at right
angles. We took up our quarters in the only tavern there, belonging to
the community; it was passable.

Rapp’s society, called from their former residence, the Harmonites,
consisted of Wurtemburgers. Their early history is known, and perhaps,
when I visit this society from Pittsburgh in their new establishment,
“Economy,” I may find an opportunity to say more concerning them. Rapp
sold New Harmony in the year 1825, to the Englishman, Robert Owen, and
left there with his people on the 5th of May, to go up the Ohio to
Economy. Mr. Owen was originally engaged in manufactures, and possessed
a large cotton factory at New Lanark, on the Falls of Clyde, ten miles
from Glasgow in Scotland, where he had, by the adoption of a new system
of education and formation of character, changed a collection of one
thousand rude labourers into a community of industrious beings. His
system, and his ideas upon the situation of human society, as well as
the improvements that are capable of being made, he has divulged in a
series of essays, which are collected, and appear in print under the
name of a new view of society. They conclude with the project of a
constitution for a community formed on his system.

Mr. Owen is an enemy to all sects, the spirit of which has generated so
much evil under the imposing name of religion. He allows each person
liberty to believe in what he may consider to be good; so that a pure
Deism is the peculiar religion of his adherents. On this account he was
very obnoxious to the prevailing sects in Great Britain, and accordingly
his system could not extend itself there. He was therefore induced to
turn his attention to the United States, and particularly to the western
part of the Union, where, as he says, there is less hypocrisy of
religion prevailing than to the east. He then purchased New Harmony from
Mr. Rapp, and commenced his establishment in the month of May last. As
he laid the foundation of it entirely on perfect equality and community
of property, many enthusiasts in these principles from various parts of
the Union joined themselves to him; and also a number of vagabonds and
lazy worthless persons, from all parts of the world, that would
willingly live well at the public expense, who had drank away the little
money, if they brought any at all, at the tavern, and who would not
work, but desired to say a great deal. Mr. Owen had gone to England on
account of business in the month of July, and during his absence,
a complete anarchy had been introduced into the new community. At the
end of October he arrived from England at New York on his return, gave
lectures there, in Philadelphia, and in Washington, upon his system,
made some proselytes in Philadelphia, and came back to New Harmony. He
lamented over his people, and brought the situation of anarchy in which
they had fallen before their eyes so plainly, with the consequences
resulting therefrom, that they invested him with dictatorial authority
for one year.

In the eastern states there is a general dislike to him. It was thought
unadvised that he issued a proclamation to the Americans on his last
arrival in New York, in which he told them, that among many virtues they
possessed great faults, among which he alluded to an ill-directed
propensity to religious feelings, and proposed himself as their reformer
in this respect. I heard at that time unfavourable expressions from
persons in the highest public offices against him; and one of them gave
Mr. Owen to understand very plainly, that he considered his intellects
rather deranged.[II-16] In one family alone, where theory took place of
experimental knowledge, did I hear conversation turn to his advantage.

    [Footnote II-16: [This is, perhaps, the most charitable idea that
    can be formed of the actions of such reformers, as well as of a
    “lady” heretofore mentioned, who has unsexed herself, and become
    so intoxicated with vanity, as enthusiastically to preach up a
    “reformation” in favour of the promiscuous intercourse of sexes
    and colours, the downfall of all religion, and the removal of all
    restraints imposed by virtue and morality!]--TRANS.]

After all this, I came with the utmost expectation to New Harmony,
curious to become acquainted with a man of such extraordinary
sentiments. In the tavern, I accosted a man very plainly dressed, about
fifty years of age, rather of low stature, who entered into a
conversation with me, concerning the situation of the place, and the
disordered state in which I would find every thing, where all was newly
established, &c. When I asked this man how long before Mr. Owen would be
there, he announced himself, to my no small surprize, as Mr. Owen, was
glad at my visit, and offered himself to show every thing, and explain
to me whatever remained without explanation. As the arrangement
calculated for Rapp’s society was not adapted to his, of course many
alterations would naturally be made. All the log houses still standing
in the place, he intended to remove, and only brick and framed edifices
should be permitted to remain. Also all enclosures about particular
gardens, as well as all the enclosures within the place itself, he would
take away, and only allow the public highways leading through the
settlement to be enclosed. The whole should bear a resemblance to a
park, in which the separate houses should be scattered about.

In the first place, Mr. Owen carried me to the quondam church of Rapp’s
society; a simple wooden building, with a steeple of the same materials,
provided with a clock. This church was at present appropriated to
joiner’s and shoemaker’s shops, in which the boys are instructed in
these mechanic arts.

Behind the church stands a large brick edifice, built in the form of a
cross, and furnished with a species of cupola, the purpose of which is
unknown. Rapp, they say, had dreamed three times that this building
should be erected, and therefore he had it done; but it is thought, and
I believe correctly, that he only did this to keep his society in
constant employment, so that they could have no leisure to reflect upon
their situation, and dependence upon him. His power over them actually
extended so far, that to prevent his society from too great an increase,
he forbid the husbands from associating with their wives. I also heard
here a report which I had already been apprised of in Germany, that he
had himself castrated a son who had transgressed this law, for the sake
of example, and that the son had died under the operation. Over one of
the entrances of this problematical edifice, stands the date of the year
1822, hewed in stone; under it is a gilt rose, and under this is placed
the inscription Micah 4. v. 8. The interior of the house forms a large
hall, in form of a cross, the ceiling is supported by wooden pillars.
Mr. Owen has devoted the hall to the purposes of dancing, music, and
meetings for philosophical discussions. He told me that he intended to
have the ends of the cross, both of the grand saloon as well as those of
the hall under the roof, divided off by partitions, so as to use them
for school-rooms, for a library, for a cabinet of natural history, of
physical objects, &c.

Mr. Owen then conducted me to Rapp’s former dwelling, a large,
well-built brick house, with two lightning rods. The man of God, it
appeared, took especial good care of himself; his house was by far the
best in the place, surrounded by a garden, with a flight of stone steps,
and the only one furnished with lightning rods. Mr. Owen, on the
contrary, contented himself with a small apartment in the same tavern
where I lodged. At present, the offices, and the residence of Mr.
M‘Clure, the associate of Mr. Owen, are in Rapp’s house.[II-17]

    [Footnote II-17: [It is understood that Mr. M‘Clure has long since
    given up all connexion with the New Harmony bubble.]--TRANS.]

Mr. M‘Clure is a man distinguished for learning, who has published a
geological chart of the United States. He told me that he was in Germany
in the year 1802, and also at Weimar, where he had become acquainted
with the literati residing there: I was introduced by him to a native of
Alsace, of the name of Neef, a rather aged man, who had the
superintendence of the boys. Mr. Owen’s two eldest sons were also here
shown to me, pupils of Fellenberg, who is greatly respected. Afterwards
Mr. Owen made me acquainted with Mr. Lewis, secretary of the society,
from Virginia, and a relation of the great Washington. He was already
pretty far advanced in years, and appeared to have united himself to the
society from liberal principles, as far as I could judge from our short
conversation. Another acquaintance that I made, was with a Mr. Jennings,
from Philadelphia, a young man, who was educated as a clergyman, but had
quitted that profession to follow this course of life, and had united
himself to Mr. Owen. He intended, nevertheless, to leave this place
again, and return back to Philadelphia. Many other members have the same
design, and I can hardly believe that this society will have a long
duration.[II-18] Enthusiasm, which abandons its subjects but too soon,
as well as the itch for novelty, had contributed much to the formation
of this society. In spite of the principles of equality which they
recognise, it shocks the feelings of people of education, to live on the
same footing with every one indiscriminately, and eat with them at the
same table.

    [Footnote II-18: By late newspapers it appears, that the society
    actually dissolved itself, in the beginning of the year 1827.]

The society consisted, as I was informed, of about one thousand members;
at a distance of two miles are founded two new communities. Till a
general table shall be instituted, according to the fundamental
constitution of the society, the members are placed in four
boarding-houses, where they must live very frugally. Several of the most
turbulent, with an Irishman who wore a long beard, at their head, wished
to leave the society immediately to go to Mexico, there to settle
themselves, but where their subsistence will be procured with as much
difficulty.

In the evening Mr. Owen conducted me to a concert in the non-descript
building. Most of the members of the society were present. The orchestra
was not numerous, it consisted at first only of one violin, one
violoncello, one clarionet and two flutes. Nevertheless the concert was
surprisingly good, especially as the musicians have not been together a
year. The clarionet player performed particularly well, and afterwards
let us hear him on the bugle. Several good male and female vocalists
then took a part, they sang among other things a trio accompanied by the
clarionet only. Declamation was interspersed among the musical
performances, Lord Byron’s stanzas to his wife after their separation
were extremely well recited. Between the two parts of the concert the
music played a march, each gentleman gave a lady his arm, and a
promenade took place, resembling a Polonaise with pretty figures,
sometimes in two couples, sometimes in four; two ladies in the middle,
the gentlemen separated from the ladies, then again all together. The
concert closed with a lively cotillion. I was, on the whole, much
amused; and Mr. Huygens took an active share in the dancing. This
general evening amusement takes place often in the week; besides, on
Tuesday, there is a general ball. There is a particular costume adopted
for the society. That for the men consists of wide pantaloons buttoned
over a boy’s jacket, made of light material, without a collar; that of
the women of a coat reaching to the knee and pantaloons, such as little
girls wear among us. These dresses are not universally adopted, but they
have a good appearance. An elderly French lady, who presides over the
department of young mothers, and the nursing of all the very small
children, stuck by my side during a large portion of the evening, and
tormented me with her philosophical views. All the men did not take a
share in the dance, i. e. the lower class, but read newspapers, which
were scattered over the side-tables.

The public house in which we lived was conducted on account of the
society. General Evans was looked for, who was to keep the house; in the
mean time it was directed by the physician of the society, Dr. M‘Namee,
from Vincennes. Among the public buildings I remarked two of which the
lower part was strongly built with rough stone, and provided with
loop-holes. The larger of these was the granary, and it was reasonably
thought that Rapp had this built as a defensive redoubt for his own
people. At the first period of his establishment in this country he not
only had the Indians, but also the rude people known under the general
title of backwoodsmen, who not only saw the establishment of such a
society with jealous eyes, which they knew would be wealthy in a short
time, but also entertained a grudge against Rapp’s unnatural rules of
chastity.

On the morning of the 14th of April, I strolled about the place to look
round me. I visited Mr. Neef, but found his wife only at home, a native
of Memmingen, in Swabia. Her husband was in the act of leading the boys
out to labour. Military exercises form a part of the instruction of the
children. I saw the boys divided into two ranks, and parted into
detachments marching to labour, and on the way they performed various
wheelings and evolutions. All the boys and girls have a very healthy
look, are cheerful and lively, and by no means bashful. The boys labour
in the field and garden, and were now occupied with new fencing. The
girls learn female employments; they were as little oppressed as the
boys with labour and teaching; these happy and interesting children were
much more employed in making their youth pass as pleasantly as possible.
Madam Neef showed the school-house, in which she dwelt, and in which the
places for sleeping were arranged for the boys. Each boy slept on a cot
frame, upon a straw bed.

We went next to Rapp’s distillery: it will be removed altogether. Mr.
Owen has forbidden distilling also, as well as the use of ardent
spirits. Notwithstanding this, the Irishmen here find opportunities of
getting whiskey and fuddling themselves from the flat boats that stop
here, &c. We saw also a dye-house and a mill set in motion by a
steam-engine of ten horse-power. The engine was old and not in good
order, Mr. Owen said however, he hoped to introduce steam-mills here in
time from England. From the mills we went to the vineyard, which was
enclosed and kept in very good order. I spoke to an old French
vine-dresser here. He assured me that Rapp’s people had not understood
the art of making wine; that he would in time make more and much better
wine, than had been done heretofore. The wine stocks are imported from
the Cape of Good Hope, and the wine has an entirely singular and strange
taste, which reminds one of the common Spanish wines.

We went again to the quondam church, or workshop for the boys, who are
intended for joiners and shoemakers. These boys sleep upon the floor
above the church in cribs, three in a row, and thus have their sleeping
place and place of instruction close together. We also saw the shops of
the shoemakers, tailors and saddlers, also the smiths, of which six were
under one roof, and the pottery, in which were two rather large
furnaces. A porcelain earth has been discovered on the banks of the
Mississippi, in the state of Illinois, not far from St. Louis. Two
experienced members of the society, went in that direction, to bring
some of the earth to try experiments with, in burning. The greater part
of the young girls, whom we chanced to meet at home, we found employed
in plaiting straw hats. I became acquainted with a Madam F----, a native
of St. Petersburg. She married an American merchant, settled there, and
had the misfortune to lose her husband three days after marriage. She
then joined her husband’s family at Philadelphia, and as she was
somewhat eccentric and sentimental, quickly became enthusiastically
attached to Mr. Owen’s system. She told me, however, in German, that she
found herself egregiously deceived; that the highly vaunted equality was
not altogether to her taste; that some of the society were too low, and
the table was below all criticism. The good lady appeared to be about to
run from one extreme to the other; for she added, that in the summer,
she would enter a Shaker establishment near Vincennes.[II-19]

    [Footnote II-19: [According to the report of some females, who
    were induced to visit New Harmony, and remained there for some
    time, any situation much above abject wretchedness, was preferable
    to this vaunted terrestrial paradise.]--TRANS.]

I renewed acquaintance here with Mr. Say, a distinguished naturalist
from Philadelphia, whom I had been introduced to, at the Wistar Party
there; unfortunately he had found himself embarrassed in his fortune,
and was obliged to come here as a friend of Mr. M‘Clure. This gentleman
appeared quite comical in the costume of the society, before described,
with his hands full of hard lumps and blisters, occasioned by the
unusual labour he was obliged to undertake in the garden.

In the evening I went to walk in the streets, and met with several of
the ladies of the society, who rested from the labours of the day. Madam
F---- was among them, whose complaints of disappointed expectations I
had listened to. I feared still more from all that I saw and heard, that
the society would have but a brief existence. I accompanied the ladies
to a dancing assembly, which was held in the kitchen of one of the
boarding-houses. I observed that this was only an hour of instruction to
the unpractised in dancing, and that there was some restraint on account
of my presence, from politeness I went away, and remained at home the
remainder of the evening. About ten o’clock, an alarm of fire was
suddenly raised. An old log building used as a wash-house was in flames,
immediately the fire-engine kept in a distinct house, was brought and
served by persons appointed to that duty. They threw the stream of water
through the many apertures of the log-house, and quickly put a stop to
the fire. In a quarter of an hour, all was over. Since the houses in the
place all stand separately, there is nothing to fear from the extension
of fire, unless in a strong wind. The houses, however, are all covered
with shingles.

On the 15th of April, I went into the garden back of Rapp’s house to see
a plate or block of stone, which is remarkable as it bears the
impression of two human feet. This piece of stone was hewed out of a
rock near St. Louis, and sold to Mr. Rapp. Schoolcraft speaks of it in
his travels, and I insert his remarks, as I have found them correct.
“The impressions are to all appearance those of a man standing upright,
the left foot a little forwards, the heels turned inwards. The distance
between the heels by an exact measurement was six and a quarter inches,
and thirteen and a half between the extremities of the great toes. By an
accurate examination, it however will be ascertained, that they are not
the impression of feet, accustomed to the use of European shoes, for the
toes are pressed out, and the foot is flat, as is observed in persons
who walk barefoot. The probability that they were caused by the pressure
of an individual, that belonged to an unknown race of men, ignorant of
the art of tanning hides, and that this took place in a much earlier age
than the traditions of the present Indians extend to, this probability I
say, is strengthened by the extraordinary size of the feet here given.
In another respect, the impressions are strikingly natural, since the
muscles of the feet are represented with the greatest exactness and
truth. This circumstance weakens very much the hypothesis, that they are
possibly evidences of the ancient sculpture of a race of men living in
the remote ages of this continent. Neither history nor tradition, gives
us the slightest information of such a people. For it must be kept in
mind, that we have no proof that the people who erected our surprising
western tumuli, ever had a knowledge of masonry, even much less of
sculpture, or that they had invented the chisel, the knife, or the axe,
those excepted made from porphyry, hornstone or obsidian. The medium
length of the human male foot can be taken at ten inches. The length of
the foot stamp here described, amounts to ten and a quarter inches, the
breadth measured over the toes, in a right angle with the first line is
four inches, but the greatest spread of the toes is four and a half
inches, which breadth diminishes at the heels to two and a half inches.
Directly before these impressions is a well inserted and deep mark,
similar to a scroll of which the greatest length is two feet seven
inches, and the greatest breadth twelve and a half inches. The rock
which contains these interesting traces, is a compact limestone of a
bluish-gray colour.”

This rock with the unknown impressions are remembered as long as the
country about St. Louis has been known, this table is hewn out of a
rock, and indeed out of a perpendicular wall of rock.

The garden of Rapp’s house was the usual flower-garden of a rich German
farmer. In it was a green-house, in which several large fig trees, an
orange, and lemon tree stood in the earth. Mr. Owen took me into one of
the newly-built houses, in which the married members of the society are
to dwell. It consisted of two stories, in each two chambers and two
alcoves, with the requisite ventilators. The cellar of the house is to
contain a heating apparatus, to heat the whole with warm air. When all
shall be thoroughly organized, the members will alternately have the
charge of heating the apparatus. Each family will have a chamber and an
alcove, which will be sufficient, as the little children will be in a
nursery, and the larger at school. They will not require kitchens, as
all are to eat in common. The unmarried women will live together, as
will also the unmarried men, in the manner of the Moravian brethren.

I had an ample conversation with Mr. Owen, relating to his system, and
his expectations. He looks forward to nothing less than to remodel the
world entirely; to root out all crime; to abolish all punishments; to
create similar views and similar wants, and in this manner to avoid all
dissension and warfare. When his system of education shall be brought
into connection with the great progress made by mechanics, and which is
daily increasing, every man can then, as he thought, provide his smaller
necessaries for himself, and trade would cease entirely! I expressed a
doubt of the practicability of his system in Europe, and even in the
United States. He was too unalterably convinced of the results, to admit
the slightest room for doubt. It grieved me to see that Mr. Owen should
allow himself to be so infatuated by his passion for universal
improvement, as to believe and to say that he is about to reform the
whole world; and yet that almost every member of his society, with whom
I have conversed apart, acknowledged that he was deceived in his
expectations, and expressed their opinion that Mr. Owen had commenced on
too grand a scale, and had admitted too many members, without the
requisite selection! The territory of the society may contain twenty
five thousand acres. The sum of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars
was paid to Rapp for this purchase, and for that consideration he also
left both his cattle, and a considerable flock of sheep behind.

I went with the elder Doctor M‘Namee, to the two new established
communities, one of which is called No. 2, or Macluria; the other lately
founded, No. 3. No. 2, lies two miles distant from New Harmony, at the
entrance of the forest, which will be cleared to make the land fit for
cultivation, and consists of nine log houses, first tenanted about four
weeks since, by about eighty persons. They are mostly backwoodsmen with
their families, who have separated themselves from the community No. 1,
in New Harmony, because _no religion_ is acknowledged there, and these
people wish to hold their prayer meetings undisturbed. The fields in the
neighbourhood of this community were of course very new. The community
No. 3, consisted of English country people, who formed a new
association, as the mixture, or perhaps the cosmopolitism of New Harmony
did not suit them; they left the colony planted by Mr. Birkbeck, at
English Prairie, about twenty miles hence, on the right bank of the
Wabash, after the unfortunate death of that gentleman,[II-20] and came
here. This is a proof that there are two evils that strike at the root
of the young societies; one is a sectarian or intolerant spirit; the
other, national prejudice. No. 3, is to be built on a very pretty
eminence, as yet there is only a frame building for three families
begun.

    [Footnote II-20: He was drowned in the Wabash, which he attempted
    to swim over on horseback.]

After we had returned to New Harmony, I went to the orchard on the Mount
Vernon road to walk, and beheld, to my great concern, what ravages the
frost had committed on the fruit blossoms, the vines must have been
completely killed. The orchards planted by Rapp and his society are
large and very handsome, containing mostly apple and peach trees, also
some pear and cherry trees. One of the gardens is exclusively devoted to
flowers, where, in Rapp’s time, a labyrinth was constructed of beech
tree hedges and flowers, in the middle of which stood a pavilion,
covered with the tops of trees.

I afterwards visited Mr. Neef, who is still full of the maxims and
principles of the French revolution; captivated with the system of
equality; talks of the emancipation of the negroes, and openly proclaims
himself an ATHEIST. Such people stand by themselves, and fortunately are
so very few in number, that they can do little or no injury.

In the evening there was a general meeting in the large hall, it opened
with music. Then one of the members, an English architect of talent, who
came to the United States with Mr. Owen, whose confidence he appeared to
possess, and was here at the head of the arranging and architectural
department, read some extracts from the newspapers, upon which Mr. Owen
made a very good commentary; for example, upon the extension and
improvement of steam-engines, upon their adaptation to navigation, and
the advantages resulting therefrom. He lost himself, however, in his
theories, when he expatiated on an article which related to the
experiments which had been made with Perkins’s steam-gun. During these
lectures, I made my observations on the much vaunted equality, as some
tatterdemalions stretched themselves on the platform close by Mr. Owen.
The better educated members kept themselves together, and took no notice
of the others. I remarked also, that the members belonging to the higher
class of society had put on the new costume, and made a party by
themselves. After the lecture the band played a march, each gentleman
took a lady, and marched with her round the room. Lastly, a cotillion
was danced: the ladies were then escorted home, and each retired to his
own quarters.

I went early on the following morning, (Sunday,) to the assembly room.
The meeting was opened by music. After this Mr. Owen stated a
proposition, in the discussion of which he spoke of the advances made by
the society, and of the location of a new community at Valley Forge, in
Pennsylvania, and another in the state of New York. A classification of
the members was spoken of afterwards. They were separated into three
classes, first, of such as undertook to be security for the sums due Mr.
Owen and Mr. M‘Clure, (that is, for the amount paid to Rapp, and so
expended as a pledge to be redeemed by the society,) and who, if
desirous to leave the society, must give six months previous notice;
secondly, of such as after a notice of fourteen days can depart; and,
lastly of those who are received only on trial.

After this meeting, I paid Mr. M‘Clure a visit, and received from him
the French papers. Mr. M‘Clure is old, childless, was never married, and
intends, as is reported, to leave his property to the society.
Afterwards I went with Mr. Owen, and some ladies of the society, to walk
to the cut-off, as it is called, of the Wabash, where this river has
formed a new channel, and an island, which contains more than a hundred
acres of the best land; at present, however, inundated by water. There
is here a substantial grist-mill, erected by Rapp, which was said to
contain a very good set of machinery, but where we could not reach it on
account of the water. We went some distance along the river, and then
returned through the woods over the hills, which, as it was rather warm,
and we could discover no pathway, was very laborious to the ladies, who
were uncommonly alarmed at the different snakes we chanced to meet. Most
of the serpent species here are harmless, and the children catch them
for playthings. The poisonous snakes harbouring about here, are
rattlesnakes and copperheads; these, however, diminish rapidly in
numbers, for it is a common observation, that the poisonous serpents,
like the Indians and bears, fly before civilization. The rattlesnakes
have a powerful enemy in the numerous hogs, belonging to the settlers,
running about the woods, which are very well skilled in catching them by
the neck and devouring them.

In the evening I paid visits to some ladies, and witnessed philosophy
and the love of equality put to the severest trial with one of them. She
is named Virginia, from Philadelphia; is very young and pretty, was
delicately brought up, and appears to have taken refuge here on account
of an unhappy attachment. While she was singing and playing very well on
the piano forte, she was told that the milking of the cows was her duty,
and that they were waiting unmilked. Almost in tears, she betook herself
to this servile employment, deprecating the new social system, and its
so much prized equality.

After the cows were milked, in doing which the poor girl was trod on by
one, and daubed by another, I joined an aquatic party with the young
ladies and some young philosophers, in a very good boat upon the
inundated meadows of the Wabash. The evening was beautiful moonlight,
and the air very mild; the beautiful Miss Virginia forgot her _stable_
sufferings, and regaled us with her sweet voice. Somewhat later we
collected together in the house No. 2, appointed for a school-house,
where all the young ladies and gentlemen of _quality_ assembled. In
spite of the equality so much recommended, this class of persons will
not mix with the common sort, and I believe that all the well brought up
members are disgusted, and will soon abandon the society. We amused
ourselves exceedingly during the whole remainder of the evening, dancing
cotillions, reels and waltzes, and with such animation as rendered it
quite lively. New figures had been introduced among the cotillions,
among which is one called the _new social system_. Several of the ladies
made objections to dancing on Sunday; we thought however, that in this
sanctuary of philosophy, such prejudices should be utterly discarded,
and our arguments, as well as the inclination of the ladies, gained the
victory.

On the 17th April, a violent storm arose, which collected such clouds of
dust together that it was hardly possible to remain in the streets, and
I remained at home almost all day. I received a visit from a Mr. Von
Schott. This person, a Wurtemburger by birth, and brother of lady Von
Mareuil, in Washington, has settled himself seven or eight miles from
New Harmony, and lives a real hermit’s life, without a servant or
assistant of any kind. He was formerly an officer in the Wurtemburg
cavalry, took his discharge, and went, from pure enthusiasm, and
overwrought fanaticism, to Greece, to defend their rights. As he there
discovered himself to be deceived in his anticipations, he returned to
his native country, and delivered himself up to religious superstition.
To extricate himself, in his opinion, from this world plunged in
wretchedness, he accompanied his sister to the United States, came to
Indiana, bought a piece of land from Rapp, by whom he asserted he was
imposed upon, and had difficulties to undergo, since he knew nothing of
agriculture. He lived in this manner in the midst of the forest with a
solitary horse. A cruel accident had befallen him the week before, his
stable with his trusty horse was burnt. He appeared to be a
well-informed man, and spoke well and rationally, only when he touched
upon religious topics, his mind appeared to be somewhat deranged. He
declared that he supported all possible privations with the greatest
patience, only he felt the want of intercourse with a friend in his
solitude.

To-day two companies of the New Harmony militia paraded, with drums
beating, and exercised morning and afternoon. They were all in uniform,
well armed, and presented an imposing front.

I was invited to dinner in the house, No. 4. Some gentlemen had been out
hunting, and had brought home a wild turkey, which must be consumed.
This turkey formed the whole dinner. Upon the whole I cannot complain
either of an overloaded stomach, or a head-ache from the wine affecting
it, in any way. The living was frugal in the strictest sense, and in
nowise pleased the elegant ladies with whom I dined. In the evening I
visited Mr. M‘Clure and Madam Fretageot, living in the same house. She
is a Frenchwoman, who formerly kept a boarding-school in Philadelphia,
and is called _mother_ by all the young girls here. The handsomest and
most polished of the female world here, Miss Lucia Saistare and Miss
Virginia, were under her care. The cows were milked this evening when I
came in, and therefore we could hear their performance on the piano
forte, and their charming voices in peace and quiet. Later in the
evening we went to the kitchen of No. 3, where there was a ball. The
young ladies of the better class kept themselves in a corner under Madam
Fretageot’s protection, and formed a little aristocratical club. To
prevent all possible partialities, the gentlemen as well as the ladies,
drew numbers for the cotillions, and thus apportioned them equitably.
Our young ladies turned up their noses apart at the democratic dancers,
who often in this way fell to their lot. Although every one was pleased
upon the whole, yet they separated at ten o’clock, as it is necessary to
rise early here. I accompanied Madam Fretageot and her two pupils home,
and passed some time in conversation with Mr. M‘Clure on his travels in
Europe, which were undertaken with mineralogical views. The architect,
Mr. Whitwell, besides showed me to-day the plan of this establishment.
I admired particularly the judicious and economical arrangements for
warming and ventilating the buildings, as well as the kitchens and
laundries. It would indeed be a desirable thing could a building on this
plan once be completed, and Mr. Owen hopes that the whole of New Harmony
will thus be arranged.

On the following day I received a visit from one of the German patriots
who had entered the society, of the name of Schmidt, who wished to have
been considered as first lieutenant in the Prussian artillery, at
Erfurt. He appeared to have engaged in one of the political conspiracies
there, and to have deserted. Mr. Owen brought him from England last
autumn as a servant. He was now a member of the society, and had charge
of the cattle. His fine visions of freedom seemed to be very much
lowered, for he presented himself to me, and his father to Mr. Huygens,
to be employed as servants.

Towards evening, an Englishman, a friend of Mr. Owen, Mr. Applegarth,
arrived, who had presided over the school in New Lanark, and was to
organize one here in all probability. After dinner I went to walk with
him in the vineyard and woods. We conversed much concerning the new
system, and the consequences which he had reason to expect would result,
&c. and we discovered amongst other things, that Mr. Owen must have
conceived the rough features of his general system from considering
forced services or statutory labour; for the labour imposed upon persons
for which they receive no compensation, would apply and operate much
more upon them for their lodging, clothing, food, the education and care
of their children, &c. so that they would consider their labour in the
light of a corvée. We observed several labourers employed in loading
bricks upon a cart, and they performed this so tedious and disagreeable
task, as a statutory labour imposed on them by circumstances, and this
observation led us to the above reflection. I afterwards visited Mr.
M‘Clure, and entertained myself for an hour with the instructive
conversation of this interesting old gentleman. Madam Fretageot, who
appears to have considerable influence over Mr. M‘Clure, took an
animated share in our discourse. In the evening there was a ball in the
large assembly room, at which most of the members were present. It
lasted only until ten o’clock, in dancing cotillions, and closed with a
grand promenade, as before described. There was a particular place
marked off by benches for the children to dance in, in the centre of the
hall, where they could gambol about without running between the legs of
the grown persons.

On the 19th of April, a steam-boat came down the Wabash, bound for
Louisville on the Ohio. It stopt opposite Harmony, and sent a boat
through the overflow of water to receive passengers. I was at first
disposed to embrace the opportunity of leaving this place, but as I
heard that the boat was none of the best, I determined rather to remain
and go by land to Mount Vernon, to wait for a better steam-boat there.
We took a walk to the community, No. 3. The work on the house had made
but little progress; we found but one workman there, and he was sleeping
quite at his ease. This circumstance recalled the observation before
mentioned, concerning gratis-labour, to my mind. We advanced beyond into
the woods, commencing behind No. 3: there was still little verdure to be
seen.

On the succeeding day, I intended to leave New Harmony early; but as it
was impossible to procure a carriage, I was obliged to content myself.
I walked to the community No. 2, or Macluria, and farther into the
woods. They were employed in hewing down trees to build log houses. The
wood used in the brick and frame houses here is of the tulip tree, which
is abundant, worked easily, and lasts long. After dinner I walked with
Mr. Owen and Madam Fretageot, to community No. 3. There a new vegetable
garden was opened; farther on they were employed in preparing a field in
which Indian corn was to be sown. This answers the best purpose here,
as the soil is too rich for wheat; the stalks grow too long, the heads
contain too few grains, and the stalks on account of their length soon
break down, so that the crop is not very productive. The chief complaint
here is on account of the too great luxuriancy of the soil. The trees
are all very large, shoot up quickly to a great height, but have so few,
and such weak roots, that they are easily prostrated by a violent storm;
they also rot very easily, and I met with a great number of hollow
trees, in proportion. I saw them sow maize or Indian corn, for the first
time. There were furrows drawn diagonally across the field with the
plough, each at a distance of two feet from the other; then other
furrows at the same distance apart, at right angles with the first.
A person goes behind the plough with a bag of corn, and in each crossing
of the furrows he drops six grains. Another person with a shovel
follows, and covers these grains with earth. When the young plants are
half a foot high, they are ploughed between and the earth thrown up on
both sides of the plants; and when they are two feet high this operation
is repeated, to give them more firmness and to destroy the weeds. There
is a want of experienced farmers here; the furrows were badly made, and
the whole was attended to rather too much _en amateur_.

After we returned to Madam Fretageot’s, Mr. Owen showed me two
interesting objects of his invention; one of them consisted of cubes of
different sizes, representing the different classes of the British
population in the year 1811, and showed what a powerful burden rested on
the labouring class, and how desirable an equal division of property
would be in that kingdom. The other was a plate, according to which, as
Mr. Owen asserted, each child could be shown his capabilities, and upon
which, after a mature self-examination, he can himself discover what
progress he has made. The plate has this superscription: scale of human
faculties and qualities at birth. It has ten scales with the following
titles: from the left to the right, self-attachment; affections;
judgment; imagination; memory; reflection; perception; excitability;
courage; strength. Each scale is divided into one hundred parts, which
are marked from five to five. A slide that can be moved up or down,
shows the measure of the qualities therein specified each one possesses,
or believes himself to possess.

I add but a few remarks more. Mr. Owen considers it as an absurdity to
promise never-ending love on marriage. For this reason he has introduced
the civil contract of marriage, after the manner of the Quakers, and the
French laws into his community, and declares that the bond of matrimony
is in no way indissoluble. The children indeed, cause no impediment in
case of a separation, for they belong to the community from their second
year, and are all brought up together.

Mr. M‘Clure has shown himself a great adherent of the Pestalozzian
system of education. He had cultivated Pestalozzi’s acquaintance while
upon his travels, and upon this recommendation brought Mr. Neef with him
to Philadelphia, to carry this system into operation. At first it
appeared to succeed perfectly, soon however, Mr. Neef found so many
opposers, apparently on account of his anti-religious principles, that
he gave up the business, and settled himself on a farm in the woods of
Kentucky. He had just abandoned the farm to take the head of a
boarding-school, which Mr. M‘Clure intended to establish in New Harmony.
Mr. Jennings, formerly mentioned, was likewise to co-operate in this
school; his reserved and haughty character was ill suited for such a
situation, and Messrs. Owen and M‘Clure willingly consented to his
withdrawing, as he would have done the boarding-school more injury, from
the bad reputation in which he stood, than he could have assisted it by
his acquirements. An Englishman by birth, he was brought up for a
military life; this he had forsaken to devote himself to clerical
pursuits, had arrived in the United States as a Universalist preacher,
and had been received with much attention in that capacity in
Cincinnati, till he abandoned himself with enthusiasm to the _new social
system_, and made himself openly and publicly known as an
ATHEIST.[II-21]

    [Footnote II-21: [He is at this time advertising a boarding-school
    in the Western country, on his own account, which is to be under
    his immediate superintendence!]--TRANS.]

I passed the evening with the amiable Mr. M‘Clure, and Madam Fretageot,
and became acquainted through them, with a French artist, Mons. Lesueur,
calling himself uncle of Miss Virginia, as also a Dutch physician from
Herzogenbusch, Dr. Troost, an eminent naturalist. Both are members of
the community, and have just arrived from a scientific pedestrian tour
to Illinois and the southern part of Missouri, where they have examined
the iron, and particularly the lead-mine works, as well as the
peculiarities of the different mountains. Mr. Lesueur has besides
discovered several species of fish, as yet undescribed. He was there too
early in the season to catch many snakes. Both gentlemen had together
collected thirteen chests of natural curiosities, which are expected
here immediately. Mr. Lesueur accompanied the naturalist Perron, as
draftsman in his tour to New South Wales, under Captain Baudin, and
possessed all the illuminated designs of the animals which were
discovered for the first time on this voyage, upon vellum. This
collection is unique of its kind, either as regards the interest of the
objects represented, or in respect to their execution; and I account
myself fortunate to have seen them through Mr. Lesueur’s politeness. He
showed me also the sketches he made while on his last pedestrian tour,
as well as those during the voyage of several members of the society to
Mount Vernon, down the Ohio from Pittsburgh. On this voyage, the society
had many difficulties to contend with, and were obliged often to cut a
path for the boat through the ice. The sketches exhibit the originality
of talent of the artist. He had come with Mr. M‘Clure in 1815, from
France to Philadelphia, where he devoted himself to the arts and
sciences. Whether he will remain long in this society or not, I cannot
venture to decide.[II-22]

    [Footnote II-22: [He has left it some time since, as well as Dr.
    Troost.]--TRANS.]




CHAPTER XXII.

  _Travels to Louisville, and Stay in that City._


On the 21st of April, we left New Harmony, after taking a cordial leave
of Mr. Owen, and availed ourselves of the mail stage, which leaves here
once a week for Mount Vernon, to make this passage. Besides our company,
there was only a single traveller in the stage, a Mr. Riley, from
Cincinnati, and a native of Ireland. One mile from New Harmony, we were
forced to alight from the carriage, as the horses would not draw us up a
steep hill. One-half mile farther, we got out again on account of a
similar dilemma, and we had hardly done so, when it was overturned by
the unskilfulness of the driver. We unloaded our baggage, left it under
the care of Böttner, my servant, permitted the driver to his chagrin and
mortification to go on alone, and returned back on foot to New Harmony,
to look about for another method of conveyance. I paid a visit to
Messrs. M‘Clure, Lesueur, &c. They told me that about ten o’clock a cart
under the direction of a Mr. Johnson would leave this place for Mount
Vernon, in which our baggage would find a place. As to our own
conveyance, I saw plainly that it would be the wiser plan to confide
mine to my own trustworthy legs. I assumed therefore the pilgrim’s
staff, left my slower moving travelling companions something behind, and
accomplished the sixteen miles to Mount Vernon, over a very hilly road,
in five hours.

I did not pass through Springfield, saw only two solitary log-houses,
and encountered but few people. The herbage had advanced very much
during a week; many trees were in blossom, and the young green leaves,
particularly those of the tulip trees, produced a very pleasing effect.
I passed by many sugar-maples, which were perforated, to draw the sugar
juice from them. When the trees are completely in leaf, the natural
scenery of these forests, of which the ground is very hilly, must be
extremely beautiful, especially to the eyes of a northern European, who
is not accustomed to the grandeur of the colossal sycamores, tulip trees
and maples. In noticing these trees, I may add the remark that Mr. Rapp
had planted the Lombardy poplar in the streets of New Harmony; that
these poplars had succeeded very well at first, but when their roots
struck a stratum of reddish sand lying under the good fertile soil, they
died. Mr. Rapp then substituted mulberry trees, which have thriven well,
and Mr. Owen has it in design, to make an experiment in raising
silk-worms.

I reached Mount Vernon, tolerably fatigued, about three o’clock, P. M.
I met Dr. Clark again. Mr. Huygens and Mr. Riley made their appearance
after some time. Towards evening the expected cart arrived, but without
Böttner and my baggage. The carter said in his own excuse, that they had
given him so much freight in New Harmony, that his horses could hardly
draw it, and that there was no room left for my effects. After having
made a survey of the localities in person, I was obliged to admit the
cogency of his reasons, in spite of my vexation; and of course to find a
remedy in patience.

In this state of affairs, I solaced myself with Major Dunn’s society.
He and his countryman Riley, belonged to the better class of Irish, and
possessed a good deal of shrewdness, so that the time passed very
pleasantly. In the evening we went to the court-house, to hear a
Presbyterian preacher, travelling from the eastern states. He was quite
a young man, of the name of Stewart, whom I had met in New Harmony;
he had, however, only looked about, without announcing himself as a
clergyman, probably from his knowing the anti-religious opinions
prevailing there. In the little new settled places of the western
states, they do not build churches before houses, as is the practice in
the north-eastern section, but a dwelling and clearing of land is their
first object. Nevertheless, divine service is not lacking; for many
clergymen, who are not located, seek after a situation; in so doing are
accustomed to preach, where they can be heard. In most of the public
houses, and ferry-boats, no pay is required from these clergymen, and
thus they can take pretty long journies, the descriptions of which are
often published, at a very cheap rate. From the want of a church in
Mount Vernon, the meeting was held in the court-house. It was a
temporary log-house, which formed but one room. The chimney fire, and
two tallow candles formed the whole illumination of it, and the seats
were constructed of some blocks and boards, upon which upwards of twenty
people sat. The singing was conducted by a couple of old folks, with
rather discordant voices. The preacher then rose, and delivered us a
sermon. I could not follow his discourse well, and was very much
fatigued by my day’s walk. In his prayer, however, the minister alluded
to those who despise the word of the Lord, and prayed for their
conviction and conversion. This hint was evidently aimed at the
community in New Harmony and the new social system. In the sermon there
was no such allusion. Probably the discourse was one of those, which he
knew by heart; which he delivered in various places, and admitted of no
interpolations. The service lasted till ten o’clock at night.

Unluckily for me, my port-folio also remained behind among my other
baggage. I suffered therefore, the whole forenoon of the next day the
most excessive tedium, and was obliged to remain in noble idleness.
I went to walk in the woods, gaped about at the pretty flowers, and the
amazing variety of butterflies; came back, seated myself in Mr. Dunn’s
store, and viewed the steam-boats going down the river. At length in the
afternoon, Böttner arrived, with my baggage in a one-horse cart,
splashed all over with mud, as he had been obliged to lead the restive
horse all the way by the bridle. The poor fellow bivouacked in the woods
yesterday, from one o’clock in the morning till four in the evening,
when by chance the shepherds of New Harmony passed by, and gave Mr. Owen
an account of Böttner’s situation, upon which old Dr. M‘Namee had come
out with his one-horse vehicle, and brought back the baggage and its
guard. By Mr. Owen’s kindness, the cart was on this day sent on, with my
effects.

Now my earnest desire was to get away as quickly as possible. To be
sure, the splendid view of the Ohio and its banks by the light of the
moon, regaled me in the evening; but the residence in this place was too
inhospitable and uninteresting; besides I suffered the whole afternoon
and evening with tooth-ache, and symptoms of fever. But how were we to
get away? During the night a steam-boat passed, going up the river, but
she kept to the left bank where the deepest water was, and took no
notice of Mount Vernon. About nine o’clock on the 23d of April, another
steam-boat, the General Wayne, came up, bound in the same direction.
A flag was hoisted, to give notice that passengers wished to come on
board, we waved our handkerchiefs, but the vessel did not regard us, and
passed on. To kill time, I went with Mr. Riley to Major Dunn’s store,
where we told stories about steam-boats to keep off ennui as well as we
could, but in vain. In the evening I heard much concerning Rapp’s
society, from a German mechanic, who had belonged to it, and who had
left it as he said, because Rapp refused to let him have the inheritance
of his father-in-law. We heard psalmody in the court-house, for the
religious inhabitants of the place, mostly methodists, hold Sunday
evening prayer meetings without a clergyman. The day was upon the whole
quite warm, and towards evening we had to contend with numbers of
mosquetoes. To prevent in some measure their coming from the woods,
where they harboured, fires were kindled about the place, and likewise
before the houses. The situation here must be an unhealthy one, for not
only was I annoyed during the night with head-ache and fever, but
Messrs. Huygens, Riley, and Johnson, complained of being unwell. With
the exception of some miserable, filthy lodgings in Canada, I do not
recollect in any part of the United States, even among the Creek
Indians, to have found myself so wretchedly situated in every respect,
as here. The food, furnished in small quantity as it was, was hardly fit
to be eaten; the only beverage was water, which it was necessary to mix
with ordinary whiskey; the beds very bad; and the whole house in a state
of the most revolting filthiness.

On the morning of the 24th of April, came the hour of our deliverance.
The steam-boat General Neville came up the river after seven o’clock.
We dispatched a boat to tell them that several _cabin passengers_ waited
for them in Mount Vernon. Immediately the vessel steered for our shore,
and took us in.

We were extremely rejoiced at our escape from this disagreeable place.
The boat had come from St. Louis, and was bound for Louisville. She was
but small, containing sixteen births in her cabin, and had a
high-pressure engine. Luckily, however, we found but three cabin
passengers on board. We started immediately, and the banks of the river
here and there low and subject to inundation, gratified us very much by
the fresh green of the trees. We passed by some considerable islands.
One of them, Diamond Island, is about three miles and a half long and
above a mile broad, and must contain several thousand acres of excellent
land. Afterwards we saw upon the left bank, here pretty high, the little
town of Henderson, in Kentucky. Eleven miles and a half higher, we saw
Evansville upon an eminence on the right shore, still an inconsiderable
place, but busy; it being the principal place in the county of
Vandeburg, in the state of Indiana, lying in the neighbourhood of a body
of fertile land, and is a convenient landing place for emigrants, who go
to the Wabash country. Upon the same shore are seen several dwellings
upon the fresh turf, shaded by high green trees. Close below Evansville,
a small river called Big Pigeon creek falls into the Ohio. In its mouth
we saw several flat boats, with apparatus similar to pile-driving
machines. These vessels belong to a contractor, who has entered into an
engagement with the government, to make the Ohio free and clear of the
snags and sawyers lying in its current. This work was discharged in a
negligent manner, and the officer to whom the superintendence was
committed, is censured for having suffered himself to be imposed upon.
I remembered having seen models in the patent-office at Washington, of
machines which were intended to effect this purpose. Seven miles and a
half higher up, Green river unites itself to the Ohio on the left bank.
Of this the Western Navigator says: “that it is a considerable river in
Kentucky, navigable about two hundred miles, and rises in Lincoln
county.” On board our boat we did not find ourselves comfortable, either
in respect to lodging, or the table. All was small and confined, and in
the evening we were much annoyed by the mosquetoes. My mosqueto bar,
purchased in New Orleans, assisted me very much as a defence during the
night.

During the night, we stopped several times to take in wood, and once to
repair the engine. An overhanging tree, which we approached too nearly,
gave us a powerful blow, and did much damage to the upper part of the
vessel. I had no state room, and therefore obtained no sleep during the
constant uproar. The banks became constantly higher, and more
picturesque in their appearance. They were frequently rocky: in several
rocks we observed cavities, which with the houses built in front of
them, produced a pleasing effect. Upon the right bank, was a little
place called Troy; several settlements, composed of frame houses,
instead of logs. Towards evening we saw upon the left bank, the mouth of
a little stream, Sinking creek. Upon the right shore of this creek, is a
group of houses called Rome, and on the left a little place, named
Stevensport; both places are united by a wooden bridge, resting upon one
high pier. I spent nearly the whole day on deck, to regale myself with
the beautiful landscapes surrounding us. Between several turns of the
river the country is so shut in, that one would suppose himself sailing
on a lake. The agreeable sensations caused by the beautiful country, and
the mild spring temperature which surrounded me, upon the whole
compensated for many of our privations. We indeed were in want of every
thing but absolute necessaries. I met an acquaintance indeed; one of our
fellow travellers who had formerly been a clerk of the English North
West Company, and had remained three years at the posts of the company
in the Rocky Mountains, and on the Columbia river; but this person had
acquired so many of the habits of the savages, that his company was in
no wise an acquisition. I was also, as well as all the other gentlemen
who had been in that unlucky Mount Vernon, tormented with constant pains
in the limbs, and our coarse food was so bad, that it was hardly
possible to consume it. There was neither wine nor beer on board, nor
any acids, so that water and whiskey, were the beverages to which we
were reduced. For many years I had never undergone such gastronomic
privations, as in the western parts of America. The Ohio appears to
contain many good and well tasted fish, but it seems that the people
here prefer the eternal hog meat, and that mostly salted, to every thing
else, for until now I had seen no fish in these regions, at least none
procured for eating. In the night, we advanced on our voyage without
stop or accident.

On the morning of the 26th of April, we saw the mouth of Salt river,
which, as the Western Navigator says, is a considerable river of
Kentucky, about one hundred and thirty yards wide at its mouth, and
navigable one hundred and fifty miles. Twenty miles above this, the
little town of New Albany lies on the right bank, which promises to be a
flourishing place. It has a factory of steam-engines, which finds good
employment here. On the bank, a newly-built steam-boat was lying,
waiting for her engine. These engines must be built very strong,
proportionably too powerful for the tonnage of the vessel, on account of
the stiffness of the current. They of consequence suffer a violent shock
from it, and can only be used about three years. An island in the river
divides it into two narrow channels, in which there are rapid currents.
Above the island is the foot of the Falls of Ohio. At the present high
stage of water, the descent does not strike the eye, and vessels are
able to pass up or down the river over the falls. Ours, which went no
farther up, stopped on the left bank at Shippingport, opposite New
Albany, two miles below Louisville.

Shippingport, is an insignificant place, which is supported by the
lading and unlading of vessels. We found several hackney coaches, which
carried us and our baggage by land to Louisville, where we took up our
abode in a large and respectable inn, called Washington Hall, kept by a
Mr. Allen. The Western Navigator has the following remarks upon this
neighbourhood: “The rapids of the Ohio are, in a natural as well as a
political regard, a point well deserving of attention. In low states of
the water, they are the termination of navigation by steam-boats, and
the last place in the descent of the Ohio, where any considerable
impediment occurs in its course. A number of infant towns have already
sprung up on both shores of the Ohio, in the neighbourhood of this
point, Jefferson, Clarksburg, and New Albany, in Indiana; Louisville,
Shippingport, and Portland, in Kentucky. Among these is Louisville, the
principal, with a population of three thousand souls; while new Albany
contains about one thousand, Shippingport six hundred, and
Jeffersonville five hundred inhabitants; all these are thriving
situations. Inclusive of the towns and neighbourhood, there is a
population of ten thousand people in this vicinity. In the year 1810,
Louisville contained only thirteen hundred and fifty-seven inhabitants;
it exceeds beyond a doubt its present estimate of five thousand, and
will still increase. It is the seat of justice for Jefferson county,
Kentucky, contains a prison, court-house, and the other essential
buildings, besides a theatre, three banks, of which one is a branch of
the United States Bank, a market, several places of worship, and three
printing-offices. Louisville lies in 38° 18’ north latitude, and 5° 42’
west longitude from Washington.”

Louisville, at least the main street of it, running parallel with the
Ohio, has a good appearance. This street is rather broad, paved, and
provided with foot-walks; it contains brick buildings and several
considerable stores. In our hotel, I renewed my acquaintance with Major
Davenport, of the sixth regiment of infantry, whom, together with his
lady, I had known in Washington, at General Brown’s, and who is here on
recruiting duty. It fell out luckily enough, that the post-master here,
Mr. Gray, had just married his daughter, and in compliment to her gave a
splendid party, to which I received an invitation. I repaired to it with
Major Davenport, and found an extremely numerous, and, contrary to my
expectations, even an elegant society. It was a real English rout, so
full that many of the guests were obliged to remain on the steps. I was
introduced to most of the ladies and gentlemen, was forced to talk a
good deal, and found myself very much annoyed by the heat prevailing in
the rooms. About eleven o’clock, I reached home heartily fatigued.

In former years, when the state of Kentucky was an integral part of
Virginia, Louisville consisted of a stockade, built as a protection
against the hostile Indian tribes, who then still inhabited the banks of
the Ohio. It received its name as a mark of respect for the unfortunate
King, Louis XVI. This is attributable to the Canadian traders, who
established this post to secure their trade. By degrees white settlers
joined them, and thus the town commenced, which at first suffered much
from the Indians. It is five hundred and eighty miles distant from
Pittsburgh, one hundred and thirty-one from Cincinnati, and thirteen
hundred and forty-nine from New Orleans. I took a walk with Major
Davenport through the town, and to the new canal. It consists of three
streets running parallel with the Ohio, of which only the first or front
one is built out completely and paved; and of several cross streets
which cut the former at right angles. It has several churches, tolerably
well built; a new one was began, but on rather too large a scale. The
pious funds were exhausted; therefore a lodge of freemasons undertook
the finishing of this grand house, and kept it for their own use. The
canal is destined to light vessels over the Ohio, when they cannot pass
the falls on account of low water, and are obliged to discharge their
cargo. It is apprehended however, that the money invested in the canal
will not yield a great interest, as the time of service, for which the
canal is required does not extend beyond three months. During six months
of the year the Ohio is so low, that not a solitary boat can navigate
it, and when it rises, it becomes so high, that the rocks which produce
the rapids are covered, so that vessels can go up and down without
danger. The labour on the canal has been commenced about six weeks. The
banks in the neighbourhood of the canal are high, and present a
beautiful prospect over the rapids, and the adjacent region, which is
well cultivated and bounded by woody hills.

A second walk with Major Davenport, was directed to the north side of
the town, where several respectable country houses are situated, all
built of brick; and then to a handsome wood, through which a causeway
runs, which is used by the inhabitants as a pleasure walk. The wood
contains very handsome beech trees, sugar maples, sycamores and locust
trees, also different species of nut-bearing trees.

The state of Kentucky is involved at this period in considerable
confusion. A son of Governor Desha, was arrested on a charge of having
robbed and murdered a traveller the year before; was tried and found
guilty by two different juries. For the purpose of screening his son,
as was reported, the governor had changed the whole court, and filled it
anew with his own creatures. There was a prodigious excitement through
the state at this arbitrary stroke of authority. It was torn by parties;
I was assured that political struggles, often terminating in sanguinary
conflicts, were the order of the day; nay, that this division had
already given occasion to several assassinations. It is said to be
almost as dangerous to speak upon the political relations of the state,
as to converse upon religion in Spain.

A merchant from Lexington, Mr. Wenzel, a native of Bavaria, made me
acquainted with an architect, Barret, from New York, who has the
superintendence over the canal that is going forward. I received some
more particular intelligence from this person concerning the work. The
expense was estimated at three hundred and seventy-seven thousand
dollars. The labour on it began this March, and is to be concluded in
the month of November of the following year. The length of the canal
amounts to nearly two miles. It commences below Louisville in a small
bay, goes behind Shippingport, and joins the Ohio between that place and
Portland. Its descent was reckoned at twenty-four feet. Three locks,
each at a distance of one hundred and ninety feet from each other, will
be located not far from the mouth near Shippingport, and the difference
of level in each will be eight feet. The breadth of the locks was fixed
at fifty feet, to admit of the passage of the broadest steam-boat, on
which account also the interval from one lock to the other was made one
hundred and ninety feet. Above the highest lock on both sides of the
canal, dry docks will be constructed for steam-boats to repair in. The
sides of the canal are only walled with masonry between the locks. The
banks above are in a terrace form. One advantage this canal has, is that
the bottom consists of rock; the depth to which it is hewed or blown
out, must be throughout fifty feet wide. The rock, however, which is
broke out here is a brittle limestone, which is not fit for water
masonry, and of course does not answer for locks. The rock employed for
this work is a species of blue stone, brought out of the state of
Indiana, and a bulk of sixteen square feet, four feet deep, costs four
dollars delivered at the canal. To dig this canal out, twenty-seven feet
of yellow clay at its thickest part, then seven feet thick of yellow
sand; from here fifteen feet thick of blue clay, must be passed through
before you come to the rock, where there are ten feet thickness still to
be dug away. As for the lock gates, they were to be made only of timber,
and none of the improvements introduced in England, either the
elliptical form of the gates, or the iron frames were to be employed.
Moreover, I observed from the profile of the work, the incredible height
of the river, which often raises itself fifty feet over places fordable
in the last of summer.

Upon the following day I took a walk with Dr. Croghan and Major
Davenport, down the canal to Shippingport, and witnessed the labour in
removing the earth for the canal. The soil intended to be dug out, was
first ploughed by a heavy plough, drawn by six oxen. Afterwards a sort
of scoop drawn by two horses was filled with earth, (and it contained
three times as much as an ordinary wheel-barrow,) it was then carried up
the slope, where it was deposited, and the scoop was brought back to be
filled anew. In this manner much time and manual labour was saved.

Several steam-boats lie at Shippingport, among them was the General
Wayne, which had arrived at New Orleans in five days voyage from this
place; had stopt there five days on account of unloading, and reloading,
and had made her return trip from New Orleans to Louisville in ten days;
consequently had moved against the stream one hundred and thirty-five
miles daily. Several hackney coaches waited here from Louisville,
expecting the arrival of the steam-boat George Washington, which was
looked for every minute. The country is highly romantic. We found
ourselves on an eminence upon the bank, where a large substantial
warehouse had been built jutting over the river. Before us was the foot
of the falls; opposite an island overgrown with wood, to the right the
falls, and Louisville in the back ground; to the left on the other
shore, New Albany, and all around in the rear, a green forest of the
finest trees.

On our return we passed by a large deserted brick building. It is called
the Hope Distillery, and was established by a company of speculators to
do business on a large scale. After the company had invested about
seventy thousand dollars, several of the stockholders stopped payment.
One of them procured the whole at auction for three thousand dollars,
and would now let any one have it for less. In the year 1817, the desire
to buy land and build upon it, had risen to a mania in this place. Dr.
Croghan showed me a lot of ground, which he had then purchased for two
thousand dollars, and for which, at present, no one would hardly offer
him seven hundred. He has hired a German gardener, who has laid out a
very pretty vegetable garden on this spot, which will yield considerable
profit by his industrious management.

Dr. Ferguson, a physician here, carried us to the hospital. This edifice
lies insulated upon a small eminence. The building was commenced several
years ago, and is not yet finished. The state of Kentucky gave the
ground as a donation, and bears a part of the expenses of building. As
the establishment is principally used for the reception of sick seamen,
congress has given the hospital a revenue from the custom-house in New
Orleans. The hospital consists of a basement story, three stories above,
and wings, which each have a basement and two stories. In the basement
of the centre building, are the kitchen, wash-house, the store-rooms,
&c., and in the upper story, the chamber for the meeting of the
directors, the apothecary’s room, the steward’s dwelling, and the state
rooms for patients paying board and lodging. In the third story a
theatre for surgical operations will be arranged. In the wings are roomy
and well aired apartments for the white patients, and in the basement,
those for the negroes and coloured persons. Slavery is still permitted
in Kentucky. There has been until now only one apartment habitable,
in which twelve patients are lying. These have cleanly beds, but only
wooden bedsteads. When the building is thoroughly finished, it will
contain at least one hundred and fifty persons with comfort. Such an
establishment is extremely necessary for such a place as Louisville,
which is very unhealthy in summer.

I made with Major Davenport an excursion into the country, to the very
respectable country-seat, Locust Grove, six miles from Louisville,
belonging to Dr. Croghan and a younger brother, and inherited from their
father. Close by the town we crossed a small stream, which falls here
into the Ohio, and is called Bear Grass creek. This serves the keel and
flat boats as a very safe harbour. From the bridge over this, the road
goes several miles through a handsome wood on the banks of the Ohio,
past country-seats, and well cultivated fields, behind which fine
looking hills arose. The wood consisted mostly of sycamores. We observed
five that sprung from one root; two are quite common. The trees are very
thick. We measured the bulk of the thickest sycamore, and found it
twenty-seven feet four inches in circumference. I never recollect to
have seen such a mammoth tree. Locust Grove itself lies about a mile
from the river, and is, as appears from its name, surrounded by those
trees. We found here the doctor, his brother William Croghan, with his
young wife, a native of Pittsburgh, and a fat, lovely little boy, who
strikingly reminded me of my sons.

At a party in the house of Mr. Use, a rich merchant and president of the
branch of the United States Bank here, we met a very numerous and
splendid society. Cotillions and reels were danced to the music of a
single violin, and every thing went off pleasantly. We remained till
midnight, and the company were still keeping up the dance, when we left
them.

Dr. Ferguson was very much occupied in vaccination. The natural
small-pox had made its appearance within a few days, under a very
malignant form, in the town. On this account every one had their
children vaccinated as speedily as possible; even those who were
prejudiced against vaccination. In the evening, I went with Major and
Mrs. Davenport to the house of Mrs. Wilson, to tea, whose daughter,
fifteen years of age, had been married above a month. The young females
marry much too early here, quite as early as in Louisiana.

There were two pieces represented at the theatre for the benefit of a
Mrs. Drake; Man and Wife, a favourite English drama, and a farce called
Three Weeks after Marriage. We were present on this occasion. The
proscenium is very small; a confined pit, a single row of boxes, and a
gallery. It was well filled; as Mrs. Drake was very much a favourite
with the ladies here, all the boxes were full of the fashionables of the
place. The dramatic corps was very ordinary with the exception of Mrs.
Drake. Most of the actors were dressed very badly, had not committed
their parts, and played in a vulgar style. One actor was so intoxicated,
that he was hardly able to keep his legs.

I was furthermore witness to a revolting spectacle in Louisville, from
which I escaped as quick as I was able. A pregnant mulatto woman was
offered for sale at public auction, with her two children. The woman
stood with her children on a bench at a coffee-house; the auctioneer
standing by her side, indulged himself in brutal jests upon her thriving
condition, and sold her for four hundred dollars!




CHAPTER XXIII.

  _Cincinnati, interior of the State of Ohio.-- Pittsburgh, in
    Pennsylvania._


On the 30th of April I was very agreeably surprised by a visit from
Colonel Wool, returning from an inspection on the Red river, the
Arkansas, and New Orleans: he had ascended the stream in the steam-boat
Washington, and arrived in the night at Shippingport. Being on his
return to Washington, he took his passage on board the steam-boat
Atlanta, for Pittsburgh. As this boat stopped at Cincinnati, whither it
was my intention to go, I immediately concluded upon continuing my
journey in the same boat, to enjoy as long as possible the society of so
estimable a friend. We went on board between ten and eleven. The Atlanta
was crowded with passengers, but we were fixed very comfortably and
neatly. The greater part of the passengers were from Natchez, who came
with the intention of spending the summer in the healthier northern
states. Among them was Major Chotard, who was going with his family to
New York, whence he intended to embark for France; and Abbé Martial,
a Frenchman, who had kept a boarding-school in New Orleans for a long
time, and was at that time employed by the Bishop of Kentucky in
Bairdstown, on whose account he was to travel in France and Italy.

Our trip up the river was very pleasant. The weather was fine; the
shores of the Ohio became more and more interesting the higher we
ascended the stream. In the afternoon, we perceived on the right shore
the little town of Madison, situated on an eminence. It appeared to be
in a flourishing condition, and contained many brick houses; a multitude
of well-dressed persons were standing on the shore. Towards evening we
passed the mouth of the Kentucky river on the left shore. The Kentucky
river, according to the Western Navigator, is a beautiful river in
Kentucky. It originates in the Cumberland mountains, is two hundred
miles in length, one hundred and fifty of which are navigable. Its mouth
is one hundred and sixty yards broad, and proves to be an excellent
harbour for boats. The town occupies a very pretty situation; above its
mouth, and farther down lies Prestonville. The flourishing town of
Frankfort, the seat of government, is situated about sixty miles from
the mouth of the river. The former is five hundred and twenty-four and a
half miles distant from Pittsburgh, fifty-seven and a half from
Cincinnati, and fifty-five and a half from Louisville. Shortly after
leaving Louisville, we were followed by another steam-boat called the
General Marion, towards evening it reached, and wanted to pass us;
a race took place, which discomposed us considerably, and became
dangerous to a high degree. The boilers, being soon over-heated, might
have burst and occasioned a great disaster; during this time we were so
close together, that the railing, as well as the roofs of the wheels
knocked against each other. The danger increased as night drew on, and
particularly so as there were a great number of ladies on board, who
were crying in a most piteous manner. One of them conducted herself most
distractedly; she fell into hysteric fits, wanted to throw herself in
the water on the opposite side of the boat, and could scarcely be
prevented by three strong men. The heating of the boilers of the General
Marion had been so violent, that they ran short of wood, and to their
great confusion, and our extreme satisfaction, they were not only left
behind, but were overtaken by the slow steam-boat Ohio: thus the Atlanta
obtained a brilliant victory. Ten miles above the mouth of the Kentucky
river on the right shore, is the little town of Vevay, built and
inhabited by Switzers. They planted vineyards, which it is said give
them a good revenue. I regretted very much that we passed them by night,
and thus were deprived of the view of Vevay. On the left shore is a
small village called Ghent, in honour of the treaty concluded in that
city, in Flanders. I regretted not to have been able to visit that
place, if only on account of the name. Without farther accident we went
on the whole night, and next morning found ourselves opposite to the
mouth of the Great Miami, which joins the Ohio from the right shore.
This stream forms the boundary between the states of Indiana and Ohio,
and the Western Navigator makes the following observation concerning it.
“The Great Miami is a considerable river, which takes its sources in
Allen, Logan, Shelby, Merion, and Drake counties. It runs southerly
through Miami and Montgomery counties, and receives in the last two
considerable rivers, on the left the Mad river, and on the right the
south-west fork. On entering Butler county the Miami takes a
south-westerly direction, and flows into the Ohio at the south-west
corner of this state, and the north-east one of Indiana. Its course is
one hundred and twenty miles. Its sources situated between 40° and 41°
lat. are in the vicinity of the Massassinaway, a branch of the Wabash,
the Auglaize and St. Mary’s, which are branches of the Maumée and the
Sciota, its course is in general rapid, but without any considerable
falls, and runs through a large and fertile valley which is partly
submerged by high water. Near Dayton, about seventy-five miles from its
mouth, the Miami receives on the east side the Mad river; from this
place boats carrying three and four thousand barrels, may run into the
Ohio during high water. The trial of ascending Mad river is seldom made,
the stream being too rapid and there being a great many sand-banks and
dams. The Miami has a diameter of one hundred and fifty yards during
forty miles.”

We found the shores of the Ohio well cultivated, with orchards and
Indian corn: we observed several very pretty country-seats. These shores
are mostly elevated, and at the distance of about a mile we could
perceive a chain of hills covered with woods, which made a fine
prospect. Towards ten o’clock in the morning we reached Cincinnati, four
hundred and forty-nine miles from Pittsburgh, one hundred and thirty-one
from Louisville, and fourteen hundred and eighty from New Orleans. It is
situated on the right shore of the Ohio, and built at the foot of a
hill, which is surrounded by a half circle of higher hills covered with
forests. This city presents a very fine aspect. The hills on the
opposite side likewise form a half circle, and in this manner the hill
on which Cincinnati is built, lies as it were in a basin. On the left
shore, the Licking river flows into the Ohio. This, says the Western
Navigator, is a considerable river in Kentucky, which, originating not
far from the sources of the Cumberland and running about two hundred
miles in a north-westerly direction, flows into the Ohio opposite
Cincinnati. The towns of Newport and Covington, the former immediately
above, and the latter below the mouth of Licking river, are beautifully
situated in Campbell county, Kentucky: Newport contains a military depot
of the United States. The shores near Cincinnati are rather steep, and
to render the loading and unloading of boats more convenient, they are
paved and provided with rings and chains of iron.

Before we could land, the health officers came on board to seek
information respecting the health of the passengers, as great fears were
entertained in Cincinnati of the small-pox, which was raging in
Louisville. We took lodgings at Mack’s, a good hotel, near the shore.
Shortly after our arrival, I took a walk in town with Colonel Wool and
Major Foster, of the sixth regiment, who came here to recruit. We
visited some bookstores. The town contains about fifteen thousand
inhabitants, and consists mostly of brick houses. Some of the streets
run parallel with the Ohio, and others form a right-angle with them,
which makes them very regular; they are wide, well-paved, and have
side-walks. Those streets which cross in the direction of the river,
ascend and lead to the top of the hill, from which there is a view
resembling a panorama. Here they were building a large Catholic
cathedral, which was commenced during the last year, and would probably
be finished the next: it will be an ornament to the city. The Bishop,
Mr. Fenwick, had been travelling for some years past in the Catholic
countries of Europe, and had collected considerable contributions for
the construction of this cathedral. The old cathedral, a modest wooden
building, stands yet in the rear of the new one; it is to be demolished
when the former is finished. Cincinnati was settled in the year 1788,
round an old fort, called Washington. The first settlers came from New
England. The settlement did not succeed until 1794, when General Wayne
subdued the Indians. In 1815, it contained six thousand five hundred,
in 1818, about nine thousand, and in 1826, about fifteen thousand.
Cincinnati is the most important city of the western states. There are
two Presbyterian, two Methodist, one Episcopal, one Baptist, one
Swedenborg, and one Quaker church, and the Catholic cathedral. There are
three markets, and several museums. We visited the principal one, called
the Western Museum, but did not meet with any thing new: several Indian
dresses, weapons, pipes, a human scalp, a dried human head from the
South Sea Islands, the head of an Egyptian mummy, manuscripts on papyrus
from the sarcophagus of the mummies, several ancient and modern coins,
the last consisting mostly of foreign gold coins, and some objects of
natural history; a handsome collection of birds, many of them European,
several quadrupeds, some minerals, as well as an indifferent collection
of butterflies. We also saw some oil paintings,[II-23] scarcely worth
mentioning, and finally some show-boxes.

    [Footnote II-23: These had been presented to Bishop Fenwick by
    Cardinal Fesch, for his cathedral, and were only here, until they
    could find their place in the Temple of God.]

To my great regret, Colonel Wool left us this day, to continue his
journey up the river, on board the Atlanta. Having seen on the map of
the city of Cincinnati, the indication of some Indian mounds, I went in
search of them, but was unsuccessful, for the very good reason that the
hills had been demolished and in their place houses built. After this I
called on Bishop Fenwick, but he was not at home. I here met with a
clergyman who was a native of Hildesheim, his name was Rese, who was
educated in the Propaganda in Rome. This man showed me the old and new
cathedral. The former is built of wood, resembling a German village
church; in its interior the splendid episcopal seat is particularly
distinguished. The altar had but few ornaments with the exception of
four silver chandeliers which the Queen of Etruria gave to Bishop
Fenwick for his church, and a gilded tabernacle a gift from Pope Pius
VII. In the sacristy there were no ornaments, with the exception of two
gilded frames with relics. The new cathedral is a spacious and lofty
building: they were building the choir, in which an organ made in
Pittsburgh was to be placed. There was to be a large vault under the
altar, destined for the sepulture of the bishops and clergymen. The
church had not as yet any bells, with respect to these, the clergy
expected some contributions from Italy. The vicar-general of the bishop
was Abbé Hill,[II-24] he had formerly been a captain in the British
service, and having become a Catholic while in Italy, entered the
Dominican order. He was said to be a good orator.

    [Footnote II-24: [Brother of Lord Hill.]--TRANS.]

Deer creek runs into the Ohio above the town--two wooden bridges lead
over it. This brook was very inconsiderable, and could be leaped over,
but it was evident from its steep shores that it swelled sometimes to a
great height. On the other side of this creek is the highest hill in the
vicinity. From its summit there is a delightful prospect over the city
and valley, the centre of which it occupies. This view, _even_ in
Europe, would be considered as very handsome. I found on the top a great
quantity of reddish limestone with shells, an evident proof that this
part of the country was formerly covered by the sea. Among the gentlemen
who favoured me with their visits, I remember a General Neville, from
Pittsburgh, whose father had been adjutant to General La Fayette during
the revolutionary war. Mr. Symmes,[II-25] brother of Captain Symmes,
author of the theory that our planet is hollow and inhabited, drew very
well, and had collected the likenesses of all the persons visiting
Cincinnati who had interested him: he had the kindness to include my
portrait in his collection. Some of these gentlemen conducted me to see
the remains of Indian antiquities which are yet existing, but which
could scarcely be recognized. We ascended an Indian mound, which is
about thirty feet high, situated in a garden. One part of it had been
cut off, but nothing being found in it, they began to plant it with
trees. I had resolved on travelling in the interior of the state of
Ohio, in order to convince myself of the condition of this country,
which has been inhabited but thirty years by a white population.
I therefore renounced the comfortable travelling on the Ohio for the
inconvenient passage by land. To be enabled to travel at my leisure,
I hired a carriage with four horses, at six dollars per day, and left
Cincinnati on the 3rd of May, at eleven o’clock, A. M. We rode that day
twenty-one miles, to the lodgings of the governor, Mr. Morrow, to whom I
had letters from Governor Johnson, of New Orleans. The road led through
a hilly and well-cultivated country. The fields separated by worm fences
adjoin each other, and contain good dwelling-houses and barns. Their
extensive orchards mostly contain apple and peach trees. I had not seen
before any place in the United States in so high a state of cultivation.
But alas! the rain had made the roads so muddy, that it was with
difficulty we proceeded. Fourteen miles from Cincinnati we reached a
little country town, Montgomery, of very good appearance, surrounded
with handsome fields. A few years past there were nothing but woods
here, as the roots which still exist bear testimony. They cultivate
Indian corn and wheat, which is said to succeed better here than in the
state of Indiana. The dwelling of the governor consists of a plain frame
house, situated on a little elevation not far from the shore of the
little Miami, and is entirely surrounded by fields. The business of the
state calls him once a month to Columbus, the seat of government, and
the remainder of his time he passes at his country-seat, occupied with
farming, a faithful copy of an ancient Cincinnatus; he was engaged at
our arrival in cutting a wagon pole, but he immediately stopt his work
to give us a hearty welcome. He appeared to be about fifty years of age;
is not tall, but thin and strong, and has an expressive physiognomy,
with dark and animated eyes. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and was one
of the first settlers in the state of Ohio. He offered us a night’s
lodging at his house, which invitation we accepted very thankfully. When
seated round the chimney fire in the evening, he related to us a great
many of the dangers and difficulties the first settlers had to contend
with. They suffered mostly from the Delawares, the Indians then living
there. They had to place their houses in a state of defence. There are
at present scarcely any Indians in the state of Ohio, and it is not now
necessary for the inhabitants to guard their crops and cattle, or to
tremble for their lives. The governor told us that the increase of
population in the state of Ohio was almost incredible. In the year 1800,
it amounted to two hundred thousand inhabitants, in 1810, between four
and five hundred thousand, in 1820, about eight hundred thousand, and it
is to be expected that at the next census of 1830, it will pass one
million. Very few of the settlers brought any thing with them, it was
therefore necessary that they should do every thing by their industry
and exertion. The state had not yet been able to undertake any public
works, roads, &c. The two canals which were constructing, were the first
great work which they had attempted. We spent our evening with the
governor and his lady. Their children are settled, and they have with
them only a couple of grandchildren. When we took our seats at supper,
the governor made a prayer. There was a bible and several religious
books lying on the table. After breakfasting with our hospitable host,
we took our leave at nine o’clock, and rode fifteen miles to Union
Village, a settlement of the Shakers. The road was again hilly, and the
country as well cultivated as that we saw yesterday; we passed through a
country town of good appearance, Lebanon, which lies only four miles
from the Shaker Village.

    [Footnote II-25: [Peyton Symmes, Esq. receiver of the land
    office.]--TRANS.]

Towards three o’clock, P. M. we reached Union Village, and as the
Shakers do not allow any taverns nor public houses, we were received
with great hospitality into one of their private dwellings; we had a
clean and very nice apartment. Soon after our arrival, we were visited
by a great number of the brothers, who looked at us in a very
scrutinizing manner, and asked us a great many questions. The
inquisitiveness of these people resembles very much that of the monks,
to whom they bear a strong resemblance. I remarked among them two old
persons named M‘Naman and Houston, on account of their sensible
conversation; they had formerly been Presbyterian clergymen, and are now
a sort of church-wardens to the congregation. This sect consists of six
hundred members, and is of more recent origin than the one in the state
of New York, containing mostly people of limited fortune. It had to
contend in the commencement with great difficulties, and was not in so
flourishing a condition as the one in New Lebanon. The produce of their
labours is scarcely sufficient for their wants, they have therefore not
been able as yet to establish stores, which are so productive to their
fellow believers in New Lebanon. Their houses are good and clean, they
are almost all of brick, and distant from each other. Each house has a
stone staircase leading to two doors, separated only by a window. The
right one is for the men, and the left for the females or sisters, and
so the right side of the house is destined for the brothers and the left
for the sisters. In the rear of the dwelling-houses, some of which
contain sixty members, there is a separate building for the kitchen and
dining-room, and for the workshops. The houses are surrounded with sods,
over these boards are laid leading to the pumps, stables, wash-houses,
&c.; along the side-walk and the road through the village, there are
also boards for the pedestrian. At six o’clock in the evening, the
members take supper in the adjacent refectories; I was permitted to look
at them. Two long tables were covered on each side of the room, behind
the tables were benches, in the midst of the room was a cupboard. At a
signal given with a horn, the brothers entered the door to the right,
and the sisters the one to the left, marching two and two to the table.
The sisters in waiting, to the number of six, came at the same time from
the kitchen and ranged themselves in one file opposite the table of the
sisters. After which they all fell on their knees making a silent
prayer, then arose, took hold of the benches behind them, sat down and
took their meal in the greatest silence. I was told this manner was
observed at all their daily meals. They eat bread, butter and cakes, and
drank tea. Each member found his cup filled before him--the serving
sisters filling them when required. One of the sisters was standing at
the cupboard to pour out the tea--the meal was very short, the whole
society rose at once, the benches were put back, they fell again on
their knees, rose again, and wheeling to the right, left the room with a
quick step. I remarked among the females some very pretty faces, but
they were all without exception of a pale and sickly hue. They were
disfigured by their ugly costume, which consists of a white starched
bonnet. The men likewise had bad complexions. During the whole evening I
was visited by the brothers, by whom I was completely examined; among
them were two Frenchmen of the name of Conchon, father and son, who told
me they were very well satisfied. The son had perfectly adopted the
humble manner of the monks, did not open his eyes, and in explaining the
principles of their sect according to the bible, he maintained that they
were the only Christian sect who followed the true spirit of the gospel.
Respecting their political regulations, they are entirely founded on
perfect community of goods, and renunciation of all private property;
they live in a perfect equality. It will be found that Mr. Owen has
borrowed the greater part of the laws of his new social system from the
Shakers, with this difference, that the Shakers are united by the tie of
religion, and the hope of a better life, which is entirely disbelieved
by Owen.

It is known that a part of the worship of the believers in mother Ann
Lee, as the Shakers call themselves, consists in dancing. The bible
gives us several examples of worship by dancing--king David danced
before the ark. Mother Ann Lee, founder of this sect, taught that God
should not only be worshipped with the tongue but with the whole body,
and in consequence she introduced jumping and dancing in her divine
service. This is practised publicly in church, accompanied by the
singing of hymns composed for the purpose--strangers are admitted as
spectators. Their church consists of a plain and spacious room, but not
near so large as the church at New Lebanon. On the mornings and evenings
during the week, there are private dancing prayers in the dwelling
houses. The walls of the rooms of the brothers and sisters consists of
large folding doors, which, when opened, form with the corridor one
large room, in which they dance and jump. Our presence putting them
under some restraint, there was no dancing in the evening, which was a
great disappointment to us. Delicacy prevented my inquiring after the
dance. At nine o’clock in the evening every one retired. I was shown to
a very good and clean room.

The following day, 5th May, several brothers called upon me. Among them
was a German, the only one belonging to this sect. His name was
Christian Bockholder, a native of Neuwied on the Rhine. He is a small,
weakly man, who was converted to this sect but six years ago, and who
seemed much pleased, particularly with the good order, tranquillity, and
peace, which reigns among them; but he observed that this life not
suiting every one, it was necessary to try it carefully before becoming
a member; he had lived six months among them before being received.
Finally he remarked, that notwithstanding every one was free to leave
the society when he thought proper, it would be very wrong to do so, as
when once accustomed to it he would be utterly unfit for the world. At
nine o’clock, when we left Union Village, they, to our surprise, refused
to receive either pay or presents, and nothing now remained but to
return verbal thanks for their hospitality, after which we parted. We
rode twenty-six miles to Xenia, a small country town, where we arrived
after five o’clock, P. M.

We rode through a very fine and cultivated country, which originally
consisted of woods. We saw at least every five hundred paces with an
habitation or some fields. Those forests which still remain, are chiefly
composed of oak, ash, sugar-maple, plane, shumac, and dogwood trees; the
latter bears handsome white flowers. I did not find the vegetation so
much advanced as in the states of Indiana and Kentucky. We suffered very
much from the bad roads, a greater part of which were log causeways.
I walked a great part of the way. We forded several little rivulets and
creeks, among them the Little Miami; we found a tree laid across without
a rail, intended as a bridge. At several of these we saw some flour and
saw-mills, and passed several small and new settlements, with neat brick
houses and large barns. The handsomest is Bellbrook. Xenia, where we
found a good tavern, is situated very agreeably. The streets are large,
and cross each other at right angles: most of the houses are of brick,
and are situated at a certain distance from each other. The number of
inhabitants is about eight hundred, who farm and carry on different
trades. This little place has two printing-offices, a Latin school, and
several stores. In the centre of the town is the court-house, built of
brick. Xenia is the chief town of Green county. Next to it is a massive
jail. In an excursion we made the following day, May 6th, I remarked one
of the machines for preparing flax, of which I bought a copyright at the
patent-office in Washington. It was worked by a single horse, and did
the work of five men, besides which the flax does not require any
rotting. After nine o’clock we departed, and rode eighteen miles to
Springfield. We stopped on our way at a small village, Yellow Springs,
to see the spring from which this place derives its name. The village
occupies a woody elevation on the shore of the Little Miami, rushing
through a deep rocky valley. The place is small, and was bought by a
society of twelve gentlemen, under the direction of Mr. Lowndes,
a friend of Mr. M‘Clure. These gentlemen intended to found a sect upon
Owen’s system; there had been one established here previously, but
dissolved on account of the majority of them being worthless creatures,
who had brought neither capital, nor inclination to work. Mr. Lowndes,
whose acquaintance I made, said that he expected new and better members.
The locality is healthy and favourable for such an establishment. The
spring originates in a limestone rock, the water has a little taste of
iron, and deposits a great quantity of ochre, from which it takes its
name. The spring is said to give one hundred and ten gallons of water
per minute, which is received in a basin, surrounded with cedar trees.
The yellow stream which comes from the basin, runs a short distance over
a bed of limestone and is afterwards precipitated into the valley. These
limestone rocks form very singular figures on the edge of this valley;
the detached pieces resemble the Devil’s Wall of the Hartz.

They had no baths fitted up, as yet there is only a shower-bath. The
former will most probably be established, when it becomes a place of
public resort. Mr. Lowndes told me that it was their intention to take
more water in, and to have some walks established in the vicinity, to
which the surrounding country is very favourable. Following Mr. Lowndes’
advice, we took a roundabout way of one mile and rode to a saw-mill
called Patterson’s mill, to see the lesser falls of the Little Miami.
I had no reason to repent it, as I was richly rewarded with one of the
finest prospects I ever beheld. The Little Miami forces itself for the
length of a mile with most singular windings through a rocky dale at
least fifty feet deep, which in many places is but eighteen feet wide,
it forms little cataracts, and suddenly disappears for a short distance.
Large cedar trees shade this precipice, which makes it very gloomy, and
contribute in a great measure to the peculiarity of this imposing scene
of nature. The rocks are very steep, and are connected by a bridge, on
which one looks from the dizzy precipice into a real abyss. Following a
narrow path, I went down to the water and found myself almost in
obscurity. I felt entirely separated from the world, and was scarcely
able to preserve the consciousness of my own existence. I experienced a
peculiar feeling on again perceiving the day-light. Following the course
of the rushing waters I reached Patterson’s saw-mill, where the men
working for their daily bread, recalled me to human life. Near the
saw-mill a dam forms an artificial waterfall, making a very handsome
effect, being about twenty feet high. The saw-mill has a horizontal
water-mill of the same description as those which I had previously seen
in the United States. With a strong fall of water these wheels have more
effect, and are cheaper than those used in other countries. The road
from the mill to Springfield was bad, mostly by causeways, and I was
again compelled to walk a greater part of the way. Springfield is the
chief town of Clark county, and lies partly at the foot of a hill and
partly upon it, at the confluence of two creeks, the shores are so
marshy that I believe it would be possible to cut turf there. The town
contains fifteen hundred inhabitants, nearly all the houses are built of
brick, the streets are wide and right-angled, they are not paved; the
principal street has a side-walk of brick. In the centre of this little
town is a court-house built of brick, and having the form of an octagon;
next to it stands a jail. The place is surrounded with orchards, meadows
and well cultivated fenced fields. A chain of hills end in a point
behind the town, not far from the confluence of both creeks. On this
point are four insulated hills, which are said to be Indian mounds,
three stand on the edge of one of the creeks, and at some distance is
the fourth, which is quite detached from the others. The latter is the
highest, its elevation is more than one hundred feet above the level of
the valley; from this hill the eye commands a view over Springfield, the
whole surrounding valley, the union of both valleys and the woody
heights encircling the whole, there are clusters of blooming and high
black thorn bushes growing in the meadows, which produce a good effect.
This place seems to be opulent, it contains several good stores, and
depends chiefly on the breeding of cattle and agriculture. We were very
comfortably lodged at the inn at which we stopped.

On the 7th of May, at nine o’clock, we left Springfield on a beautiful
Sunday morning, and curiosity had assembled a crowd of people before our
inn, to gaze at such wonders as we were. We went twenty-three miles on
the road to Columbus, until we arrived at a single tavern, called
Pike’s. The country was less cultivated than we had seen since leaving
Cincinnati; we saw however, several fine orchards and fields; all the
settlements are new, and the habitations mostly consist of log-houses;
we met several carts filled with well-dressed country people and several
of both sexes on horseback, they were all going to church at
Springfield. The road was generally very bad, and over many log
causeways, kept in bad order. Beyond the woods, we saw vast tracts of
meadow ground, on which only a few trees could be seen, but there were
very handsome black thorns in flower. On the meadows numerous cattle
were grazing, we passed two with a great number of sheep, and hogs were
always plenty; the breeding of cattle is carried on to a great extent;
quantities of cheese and butter are made here for sale; the cattle are
drove to the eastern states, or the meat is salted and sent to New
Orleans. We observed a great many partridges of a large kind, which they
call pheasants[II-26] here; the forests abound with wild pigeons. We
reached our lodging place, Pike’s tavern, about four o’clock in the
afternoon. It is situated amidst meadows[II-27] and consists of two
log-houses erected close behind each other, they resemble those of the
state of Georgia, differing only in being better suited for a colder
climate, as the crevices are filled with clay. Our landlord only began
his establishment five years ago; he came from Massachusetts. Towards
evening we saw a fine drove of cattle belonging to him, and in which his
fortune chiefly consisted. Next morning we left our abode where we had
been better lodged than we had expected, and went twenty miles farther
to Columbus. The road was worse than any I had ever met with, consisting
generally of log causeways, which are badly assorted and have large
holes between them. We were barbarously jolted about, and therefore I
went more than half the way on foot; the soil principally consists of a
black meadow ground, marshy, with little wood and less cultivated. It is
said to be unwholesome during the summer; the houses are scattered and
in a bad condition. At one mile from Columbus, is a small place called
Franklinton, having several brick houses and a court-house. Its increase
was at one time promising, but Columbus prevents its future advancement.
Columbus is situated on the high left bank of the Sciota; we forded this
river, which was perilous, as the water ran into our carriage; there was
a wooden bridge formerly between Franklinton and Columbus, but it was
broken down a year ago; trees are growing very fast in the woods in the
vicinity, but the wood is without strength and becomes rotten as soon as
it attains its growth, which makes it impossible to depend on the
duration of wooden buildings. Columbus is the chief town of the state of
Ohio, and contains about one thousand eight hundred inhabitants, and
three churches; one Presbyterian, one Lutheran, and one Methodist. In
the year 1812, there were nothing but forests, and in the same year the
lots of the city with the wood were sold, upon which they immediately
commenced building. It is astonishing how this place has since
increased, and still continues to improve--the streets are wide, and
cross each other at right angles. The principal street running parallel
with the Sciota, is about one hundred feet wide, having side-walks, and
a considerable number of brick houses--the adjoining streets are not yet
much occupied. In building the principal streets, one of the Indian
mounds has been opened, and nearly destroyed. A great number of human
bones were found, remains of urns, and an owl carved in stone, but very
clumsy; with the clay of which the mound was made, bricks were burned
which served for the construction of the state-house; this building
contains the offices of the state, and the United States court. These
three buildings stand near each other at one end of the principal
street, each of them having two stories--the state-house as well as the
court, are situated at the sides of these long offices, which gives them
the appearance of barracks; they have steeples and galleries, from which
the course of the Sciota, receiving a mile above the town the Whetstone
river, can be followed with the eye to a great distance over the fertile
plain on the right shore of the Sciota, where Franklinton is situated,
and is a very handsome sight. The Sciota originates in the state of
Ohio, runs one hundred and eighty-two miles, and flows in the Ohio
between Portsmouth and Alexandria, its mouth is one hundred and fifty
yards wide; it is navigable one hundred and thirty miles and upwards.
The Whetstone, which it receives above Columbus, is at certain times
navigable for nine miles. About five miles above Columbus, on the left
shore of the Sciota, is a quarry of white sandstone, which resembles
marble until polished, after which it turns grey. Columbus contains
three printing-offices, each of which issues a newspaper. There are also
bookstores, one of them belongs to Mr. Kilbourn, author of the Ohio
Gazetteer; this book having been of great use to me, during my journey
through this state, I wished to see the author of so useful a work,
an attention with which he appeared much pleased. Respecting the three
newspapers, I found their number great for so small a place, but I heard
that only one, which is in some measure the official paper of the state,
was much read, and had many subscribers; the other two having but fifty,
and could only maintain themselves by advertisements, &c. I met in
Columbus with a Mr. Doherty, whose acquaintance I had made in
Cincinnati, and who conducted me to see the town. There is nothing
remarkable in the public buildings above mentioned; the state
penitentiary interested me much more; it is well situated, appears to be
well arranged, and contains one hundred and fifty-two convicts; the
principal building is on a rising ground; in the rear are several yards
where the workshops of the prisoners are situated, they are clothed in a
dress part grey and part white, and sleep two together, in airy but
narrow cells, on straw mattresses; during the day they are employed in
the workshops, or in the work of the house. They have a large refectory,
where their meals, consisting of meat and vegetables are served up in
wooden plates; each prisoner is obliged to work at the trade which he
understands, and he who is acquainted with none is obliged to learn one,
being permitted to choose which he prefers. All the clothing used in the
house, as well as the cotton cloth, are made by the prisoners, who
receive no payment; there is also a wheelwright shop in operation, as
well as blacksmiths, coopers, cabinet-makers, comb-makers, saddlers, and
gunsmiths, who make very good rifles: the articles manufactured by the
coopers consist chiefly of buckets and barrels, made of white and red
cedar wood; there is a store attached to the prison, where all these
articles are exposed for sale. I understand that the prison maintains
itself, and causes but a trifling expense to the state. The favourite
solitary confinement in dark and subterraneous cells is used as a
capital punishment. A couple of prisoners who had tried to escape and
were retaken, wore an iron collar with a horn attached to it; the prison
has been in use ten years, during which time, ten men only had escaped,
nearly all of whom had been retaken: the prisoners are so well treated,
that I was assured that several of them stole again, after having served
their time out, in order to return to their prison. It is worthy of
notice that during ten years, two white females only, were committed to
this prison; the yards are surrounded by a large and high wall, where
sentries keep watch day and night with loaded muskets. We left Columbus
on the 9th of May, at eight o’clock in the morning, and rode to
Circleville, a distance of twenty-six miles. The road passes along the
left shore of the Sciota, through a woody and rather uncultivated
country, two days of rain had softened the ground considerably;
fortunately we met with very few log causeways; we forded two small
rivers which flow into the Sciota, called Big-Belly creek, and Lower
Walnut creek. We passed a small place, Bloomfield, consisting of small
frame houses, and reached Circleville towards two o’clock, P. M.
Circleville is built in one of the old Indian forts, whose origin, as
well as that of the nation which erected it, is buried in utter
darkness. The circular part immediately joins the square, and
communicates with it by means of a single outlet. The square fort has
eight outlets, and in the rear of each of them there is a little mound,
which appears to have served as traverses for the defence of the
entries; the round fort has two parallel ramparts separated by a ditch.
The quadrangular fort has but a single one, where there are no traces of
a trench; the diameter of the circular fort, taken between the exterior
ramparts, is one hundred and ninety-six rods; both of them are twenty
feet high, taken from the base of the ditch; the inner one is filled up,
and the exterior is dug from the ground; the fortress consists of clay,
the latter of sand and flintstone; the rampart of the square fort is ten
feet higher, and of clay; the length of one side of the square is
fifty-four rods; the town, containing six hundred inhabitants, is for
the greatest part built inside of the round and square fort, of which it
occupies the fourth part of the surface. In its centre is a round space,
in the midst of which stands a court-house of brick in the shape of an
octagon. Circleville is the chief town of Pickaway county. From this
circular place four principal streets run towards the north, south,
east, and west; in order to open them, the double round wall has
unfortunately been partly demolished; the selfishness of the inhabitants
goes so far that they take the clay of the inner wall and the square
fort to burn bricks of it; this little town was founded in 1812, at the
same time with Columbus, but has not increased much since; the houses
are generally of wood. The prison alone is of solid construction, built
of free-stone.

    [Footnote II-26: [_Tetrao Umbellus_, L.]--TRANS.]

    [Footnote II-27: These meadows are designated in America, by the
    name of prairies, and extend over large tracts of land in the
    western country; they are covered with high grass; trees grow very
    sparingly on them, while the surrounding forests exhibit the most
    beautiful trees; the soil of these prairies generally consists of
    turf-moor.]

On the outside of the circular fort, on the hill opposite the
quadrangular fort, is another hill ninety feet high, that commands all
the neighbouring parts, which appear to have been a burying-ground--a
great number of human skeletons of all sizes having been found there;
they were all in a horizontal position, the heads being turned towards
the centre of the hill. With the skeletons were several stone axes, and
oval, polished black stones, having a hole in their centre, probably to
fix them on a string, to be worn as ornaments or talismans.

In the centre of the circular fort, where the court-house now stands,
there was formerly another hill, on the eastern side of which are the
remains of a semicircular pavement, made of pebble-stones, the same
which are found in the bed of the Sciota; the top of the hill is of
thirty feet diameter, and has a flight of steps leading to it; two human
skeletons were found there. At the natural level of the ground a great
number of stone arrow-heads, which were so strong that they must have
belonged to lances. A great quantity of wood ashes and hard burnt bricks
induce the belief that the bodies were burnt; there was a looking-glass
made of mica membranacea. More minute details of these antiquities,
as well as all the others which have been found in this state, are
described in Mr. Caleb Atwater’s _Archaelogia Americana_. I paid a visit
to this gentleman, who resides here; he is a great antiquarian, and
exists more in the antiquities of Ohio, than in the present world.
I spent the evening with this interesting man, and was very agreeably
entertained; he possesses a collection of objects which were found in
different mounds; it contains fragments of urns, arrow-heads of a large
size, battle-axes made of flintstone, and several human bones. Mr.
Atwater likewise possesses a very handsome collection of minerals, among
which I found some interesting petrifactions of wood and plants, in
particular, the whortleberry plant. He offered to send to the university
of Jena a collection of these petrifactions which are found near
Zanesville, in this state, and for which he desired to obtain some
German minerals. I must not omit to mention, that on the hill, outside
of the circular fort, is a small wooden house nearly destroyed by
storms, which commands a view of all the surrounding country. It had
been a house of ill fame, but being visited one night by a violent
storm, it was abandoned by its inhabitants, to the great edification of
the whole town.

The 10th of May we rode nineteen miles, from Circleville to Chillicothe,
formerly the capital of Ohio, situated on the right shore of the Sciota.
Our way led us through a handsome and very well cultivated country;
we saw fine fields, good dwelling-houses, orchards, and gardens; also
several mills, turned by the water of the Sciota, and several other
little creeks; some of these mills are at the same time fulling, flour,
and saw-mills.

The forests are chiefly of sugar maple, plane, and different kinds of
nut trees: the road was tolerably good, the weather fine and warm; there
is a covered wooden bridge which crosses the Sciota not far from
Chillicothe; this bridge runs at least five hundred paces on piers, over
a meadow which is sometimes inundated by the Sciota. We were comfortably
lodged at Watson’s hotel, in Chillicothe. This town, like Philadelphia,
lies between two rivers--the Sciota may be considered as the Delaware,
and Paint creek rivulet takes place of the Schuylkill: the streets are
large, at right angles, and without pavement, but have side-walks:
a great part of the houses are built of brick; there are several fine
stores. Over the whole prosperity and liveliness appears to reign.
Chillicothe is the chief town of Ross county; it contains a court-house,
built of freestone, which, at the time it was the seat of the state
government, was used for the senate house; the representatives met in
the building now used for the court offices: there is also in this city
a jail, and a market-house of brick. I received visits from several of
the most distinguished inhabitants, among them was a lawyer, Mr.
Leonard, Dr. Vethake and Colonel King, son of the celebrated Rufus King,
the American minister to London, and son-in-law of the former governor
of this state, Mr. Worthington: the latter lived at a country-seat two
miles from Chillicothe, where he enjoyed his rents and the revenue of
his considerable property, in the midst of an amiable family and an
agreeable old age, free from cares. His son-in-law invited us to his
father’s house; we accepted his invitation and rode in Messrs. Leonard
and Vethake’s company, towards evening, to the country-seat; our road
led us through a beautiful and well cultivated valley, near a little
Indian mound, and through a forest of beach, maple, chesnut and hickory
trees; finally we rode through handsome fields, where here and there we
saw groups of white thorn. The governor’s house is surrounded with
Lombardy poplars; it is constructed in the style of an Italian villa, of
free stone, with stone steps on the exterior, is two stories high, and
has two wings, having a court in front of the centre building containing
honeysuckles and roses: on one side of the house is a terrace with
flowers and kitchen vegetables; this garden was arranged by German
gardeners who keep it in very good order: behind the house are large
clover fields, and to the right the farm buildings. Governor Worthington
occupies himself with the raising of cattle, particularly sheep; he had
a flock of one hundred and fifty merinos. I understood that they were
numerous in the state of Ohio. Colonel King and his highly accomplished
lady, came to meet us; the governor and his lady soon appeared: he has
travelled a great deal, has been a long time in public offices, and was
for several years a member of the United States’ senate; his eldest son
was travelling in Europe, another son was in the military academy at
West Point. He has ten children, on whom he expended a great deal for
their education; the evening passed rapidly in instructive and
interesting conversation, the hospitable governor insisted on our
passing the night at his house; the house is very commodious, the
furniture plain, but testifies the good taste and easy circumstances of
the owner. I arose early next morning and took a walk in the governor’s
garden, I ascended to a platform on the roof to take a view of the
surrounding lands, but there is as yet nothing but woods covering the
greater part of the country. Fires, which were burning in some places,
were proofs, that new settlers were clearing the woods; from this
platform the governor can overlook the greater part of his property,
containing twenty-five thousand acres of land; by this means he has the
greater part of his workmen under his control; the ground consists of
low hills, and it is only towards the east in the direction of
Zanesville, that more considerable elevations are perceived. I took
breakfast with the worthy governor and his family, and found here, as at
Governor Morrow’s, that the father of the family, observed the laudable
custom of making a prayer before sitting down. After breakfast we took
leave of this respectable family, whose acquaintance I consider as one
of the most interesting I made in the United States, and returned to
town. Chillicothe contains from two to three thousand inhabitants, who
subsist chiefly by farming, raising of cattle and retail commerce; they
had also commenced establishing woollen factories, and possessed a bank;
it was formerly a branch of the United States Bank, but doing too little
business, was suppressed by the mother bank in Philadelphia. We visited
two churches, one Methodist and one Episcopalian, the former was rather
large, both of them were very plain and contained nothing worthy of
remark. We paid a visit to Mr. Hufnagel, a native of Würzburg, an
elderly man who had experienced misfortune, and who is now established
as a butcher and trader in cattle, and finds himself in easy
circumstances; he appeared to be very much delighted at my visit, and
received us very heartily in his well arranged house, situated in an
orchard. Between two and three o’clock, the stage took us to Colonel
King’s house, where we dined, in order to drive us eighteen miles to
Tarleton; we took leave of him with grateful hearts; the road ran
through a well cultivated country, which is very hilly and presents
several picturesque situations; ten miles from Chillicothe on a hill, is
a small village, Kingston, with farms of a good appearance, and several
mills. Towards sunset we reached Tarleton, a handsome little spot of
about twenty houses, and took our lodgings at a very good tavern, kept
by a Pennsylvanian German. I had lost my pocket-book, probably by one of
the hard jolts which our stage had received; it contained several papers
of importance. It was found one mile from Chillicothe, and by its
contents I was known to be the owner; a man set out in the night to
bring it to me; at midnight this man arrived in Tarleton, had me called
up, and safely returned me my pocket-book. I was so much delighted to
recover it, that I expressed my thankfulness in every way I could. On
the 12th of May, we left Tarleton at two o’clock in the morning, and
rode to New Lancaster, which is sixteen miles; we arrived between seven
and eight o’clock, and took our lodgings at Steinman’s hotel; the mail
stage which went that day to Zanesville, had only two horses and took no
passengers, I therefore resolved to stay until the following day, as it
was said there would be a stage with four horses, and I found no cause
to repent it. New Lancaster has its name from the city of Lancaster in
Pennsylvania, and was founded by Pennsylvanian Germans, who were joined
by many German emigrants, particularly Wurtembergers, and some Switzers,
all of whom were pleased with the good climate, the fertile soil, which
requires but little cultivation and manure, and above all, by the cheap
living and profitable earnings. New Lancaster is the principal town of
Fairfield county, and is handsomely situated on the side of a hill on
the Hockhocking river, not far distant from its source; it contains
nearly two thousand inhabitants, living by retail commerce, farming, and
cattle raising. Since 1822, the culture of tobacco has also been
introduced; this tobacco is called yellow, and is esteemed; I understand
that it sells very well in Holland. The streets of the town are wide and
rectangular; the court-house is a brick building; there is also a
market-house of brick, and above it a lodge for freemasons. Shortly
after my arrival, I received the visits of several of the German and
half German inhabitants, among the latter I remarked Judge Dietrich,
a native of Philadelphia, an agreeable, plain and well-informed man; he
offered to be my guide through the town, which I thankfully accepted. He
introduced me to several of the merchants, whose well-furnished stores I
visited. Such a store in America contains a great variety of articles:
all kinds of dry-goods, porcelain, earthenware, glasses, stationary,
implements of husbandry, iron wares, saddlery, and spirits; the latter
are only by wholesale; also school-books, bibles, and psalm-books.
I observed in almost all the cities in the state of Ohio, that German
translations were affixed to all the signs over the stores, in large
golden letters, which is not only a proof that a great many Germans
inhabit the state, but also that they are good customers. We saw an
English and German printing-office; the latter was under the direction
of a German, Mr. Herrman, who publishes a German newspaper under the
title of _Der Ohio Adler_,[II-28] the English printing-office likewise
publishes a paper; the type for the German paper is from the foundry in
Philadelphia, and cannot be said to be elegant; it is true there is
generally but little elegance to be observed in German type. I read in
Mr. Herrman’s office about twelve different German papers, published in
the United States; they were mostly written in a corrupted German; the
only well written one, was edited in Philadelphia, by Mr. Ritter.

    [Footnote II-28: [The Ohio Eagle.]--TRANS.]

Judge Dietrich conducted me to a cloth manufactory belonging to Mr.
Risey, whose machinery is moved by the waters of the Hockhocking. It was
of recent date, and furnished cloth of middling quality; the want of a
sufficient quantity of water made it necessary to divide the manufactory
into different parts, at different situations; one was occupied by the
machines for carding wool, and some by looms; the wool was spun by
country women. We visited the county jail, a brick building, the
interior has partitions made of strong beams, separating obscure cells;
a dark and miserable hole called the dungeon, was destined for solitary
confinement; there was but a single prisoner, and for debt. Mr. Dietrich
introduced me to a Mr. Sherman, judge of the supreme court, who is one
of the most respectable inhabitants of the place. He invited me to tea,
and I met with a very agreeable society; we all took a walk to Mount
Pleasant, two miles from town, which on three sides presents steep
cliffs; this mountain is only accessible from one side, through a forest
and hollow between rocks. From the top of the mountain the town seems to
lay below your feet, and is surrounded with fenced fields; this point
being one of the highest in this hilly country, the prospect would be
very handsome if the eye could perceive any thing but woods. Next
morning some Swabian farmers came to see me; I was sitting at my
writing-table when they entered; they sat down without taking off their
hats, and conversed very sensibly; I understood from them that they were
very much pleased with the country, and that they felt conscious of
being honest and useful men. At eight o’clock we went into the mail
stage, an uncomfortable box, in which we rode thirty-six miles to
Zanesville, on a rough road with many causeways leading through a hilly
region, so that we had to stop at least forty times. It was very warm
and dusty during the day; the land was less fertile than what we had
previously seen in the state of Ohio, containing more clay and sand;
we arrived in the district of the coal and salt mines, both of which
articles are found in the vicinity of Zanesville. We passed between New
Lancaster and Zanesville the insignificant places of Rush-hill,
Somerset, Union town, and Jonathan’s creek; Rush-hill is in a pretty
situation on Rush-creek, a strong rivulet which works several mills; it
consists of about thirty houses, some of them of brick. Somerset, half
way from New Lancaster to Zanesville, contains four hundred inhabitants,
it is on an elevated situation and is the chief town of Perry county.
Jonathan’s creek has given its name to the little village situated on
both of its shores; the true name of this creek is Maxahala; it is very
convenient for mills. We met with two herds of beautiful cattle, which
had been brought from Chillicothe, and were driving to the eastern
seaports for sale; towards six o’clock we arrived in a well-cultivated
district, our road led us through orchards and neat houses; finally we
arrived at Putnam, a little place situated on the right shore of the
Muskingum, opposite Zanesville. We crossed the river by a covered wooden
bridge, resting on five stone piers. The Muskingum is one of the most
considerable rivers in the state of Ohio, it begins in the most northern
part, runs in a southerly direction, waters several counties, and
empties by a mouth twenty-five yards broad, into the Ohio at Marietta;
it is navigable from Zanesville upwards; below, the mill-dams prevent
the navigation. On account of the new canal which is to unite the Ohio
with Lake Erie, on which they were working, though slowly, for want of
funds, the navigation on this river will cease.

In Zanesville we took good lodgings at Hughes’ hotel; there must be a
great number of travellers, as in the principal street we could count
seven other taverns. Zanesville contains three thousand inhabitants: its
streets are large and straight, a great number of brick houses, upwards
of twenty stores, two printing-offices, and two glass-houses, where
common window-glass and bottles are manufactured, which are well paid
for in the vicinity; this town has been for some time the chief town of
the state of Ohio, and is now the principal place of Muskingum county;
the court-house is a large brick building, in front of it was erected a
triumphal arch in honour of General La Fayette, but he did not pass
here. We returned in the evening over the bridge to Putnam, to deliver
letters to Mr. Ebenezer Buckingham. On this occasion I found that the
length of this bridge was about two hundred and seventy-seven ordinary
paces; it is divided in two parts, the wagons keeping the right side.
Putnam consists of a single street, running along the river, behind
which is a rocky elevation; the street afterwards forms an angle,
leaving the river and looses itself in a picturesque valley between
fields and orchards. This place has six hundred inhabitants, a great
many brick houses, and presents a flourishing appearance. Mr. Buckingham
is one of the most respectable inhabitants, and has a large store in
which he keeps all articles that may be required here; he received us in
his store, and gave us much information relative to Zanesville, Putnam
and its vicinity; the ground is not so fertile here as in other parts of
the state, but kind Providence has indemnified them in some measure with
salt, and coal-mines; the salt springs were previously known to the
Indians, but not used by them. When the country became inhabited by a
white population, they bored to the depth of two hundred feet and found
abundant salt springs, some of them were deeper; the openings being made
larger, walled cisterns were fixed to collect the running water. The
salt is boiled in large kettles, after which it is made to run over flat
reservoirs, where it is cooled, and the salt separated; this is the same
method which is followed in England, and which I had seen in the salt
works of Northwich; having heard this description, and the springs being
four miles distant, I gave up the idea of visiting them. A great many
petrifactions and impressions of plants are found here, some of which I
had seen at Mr. Atwater’s, in Circleville.

On the next day, Mr. Buckingham came for me, to introduce me to his
family, consisting of his wife and three daughters, very good children;
the eldest was nine years old, his only son was a cadet in the military
school at West Point. The house in which he resides at Putnam is at some
distance from his store, is two stories high, built of brick with a
stone porch; in front of the house is a space planted with trees and
flowers separated from the street by an iron railing with large stone
posts. In the rear of the house is a kitchen garden and orchard; the
house is very convenient and furnished with taste and well-directed
luxury. All this was interesting to me, because I heard from Mr.
Buckingham that twenty-nine years since, he emigrated as a poor man from
the state of New York to that wild country, and on the spot where his
property now stands he had himself felled the trees, and built a
log-house in which he lived several years; he owes his welfare to his
integrity, his industry, and economy. In his business, he informed me
money was a rare thing, which he seldom saw; the greatest number of
persons who buy articles from his store, pay for them in corn, beef,
lard, corn meal, vegetables, fruits, &c. This is, however, the case with
most of the stores in the western states, and give the merchants
considerable trouble to sell them. I accompanied Mr. Buckingham and
family to the Presbyterian church in Zanesville, a large brick building,
which was very full and very warm. I understood very little of the
sermon; the singing was excellent, without organ or any musical
accompaniment. In the centre of the church was a long table, as a
greater part of the congregation were communicants. Mr. Buckingham and
family partook of this religious rite. I took a walk through the town,
and visited a second bridge crossing the Muskingum, situated above the
first; this bridge is more ancient than the first, and likewise rests on
five stone piers; it is covered and made of wood, but badly constructed
and in a decayed condition. It does not run in a straight line, but
forms an obtuse angle, in order to reach a point of land which is
produced by the union of the Licking with the Muskingum, from this angle
of the bridge, another begins, which goes towards the point of land;
this is not roofed; this bridge leads to the Newark road, meanwhile the
covered branch is directed to the New Lancaster road. Since the
construction of the better bridge below, the older one is very little
used. The prospect from it over the Muskingum and Licking is very
handsome. Both of them have, not far from their junction, high dams
forming waterfalls, and on all the four shores mills for flour, oil and
sawing. The Licking begins at the junction of three little rivers in
Licking county, and has some falls above, where it unites with the
Muskingum, which have been used for mills. At two o’clock we returned to
our mail stage; the weather being very hot, we rode but twelve miles, to
an insulated house called Dugan’s tavern, where we arrived between five
and six o’clock, and met with tolerably good quarters. The country is
woody and very hilly, the road was so bad that we had to stop
frequently, and for this reason I again went the greatest part of the
road on foot, in spite of the heat and dust; the next day we travelled
in the same manner to Fairview, forty-eight miles distant, along a very
hilly country, bad road, rocks, causeways, and so many rapid
declivities, that we had to stop thirty times. We passed through Salt
creek, Cambridge, Washington, and Frankfort. Salt creek lies on a small
river of the same name, over which there is a bridge. Cambridge is a
flourishing place of about seventy houses, on a height situated on
Will’s creek, which is crossed by a plain wooden bridge of one hundred
and seventy-five yards, which passes over a low meadow; this town is the
chief place in Gurnsey county, and contains a court-house and several
stores. We arrived on a court day, and the tavern was filled with
lawyers. Will’s creek runs through many windings, about one hundred and
fifty miles, and flows into the Muskingum; it is in some seasons
navigable to Cambridge, in boats of seventy-five feet length. Washington
and Frankfort are small places, of which nothing can be said. On the
road, especially near dwelling houses, were several large open buildings
constructed with beams to dry the yellow tobacco. The country is mostly
covered with woods. The ground consists of yellow and red clay, &c.

Fairview, which we reached towards five o’clock in the evening, is a
little place containing about twenty houses, most of them frame; it is
situated on an elevation commanding an extensive prospect, whence it
derives its name. We met here with part of the great national road which
leads from Washington city to Wheeling, and is to be continued as far as
St. Louis. It is a turnpike road, dug out six inches deep, and is
covered six inches thick with small stones, having a ditch on each side;
they were working slowly at it: Fairview is now at the end of the road.

On the 16th of May we left Fairview, in a beautiful starlight and warm
night, and continued our journey sixty miles to Washington in
Pennsylvania. The country was hilly. The two last villages we passed in
the state of Ohio, were Morristown and St. Clairsville. Both places are
small, but well situated on elevations, and surrounded with fields and
orchards. St. Clairsville is the chief town of Bellmont county; it
contains a court-house, jail, market-house, and printing-office, which
issues a newspaper; also several stores. The houses are merely of wood.
The nearer we approached to the Ohio, the handsomer was the country.
Finally, we came to a romantic dale, through which flows in a serpentine
direction a rivulet called Indian Wheeling, which joins the Ohio
opposite Wheeling. We frequently rode along the new national turnpike
road, on which they were working rapidly. This road carefully avoids the
numerous hills, cuts through several of them, and has, where it is
requisite, solid stone bridges. It was said that it would be finished in
the autumn. When arrived at the Ohio, which runs between hilly shores,
partly covered with woods, partly cultivated, twenty-nine miles from
Fairview, we crossed over the river and arrived at a considerable woody
island, and crossed the left arm in a horse-boat, which took us to
Wheeling, a town containing two thousand inhabitants, built on a terrace
along a steep and high hill. Thus we left the state of Ohio, an
important and daily increasing state, which, with the exception of the
bad roads, had pleased me very much. We entered the state of Virginia,
of which a part runs like a wedge between the states of Pennsylvania and
Ohio. In Wheeling we took the stage on the great national road to
Washington in Pennsylvania, which is twenty-nine miles distant. We soon
ascended a high mountain, from the top of which we could discover on one
side the beautiful valley of the Ohio, the woody mountains bordering the
valley, and the town of Wheeling with its orchards and gardens on the
other; a deep valley along which the Wheeling creek runs in a
picturesque manner. The national road gradually descends this steep
hill, forming the western border of the valley, continues in it and goes
over a handsome stone bridge across Wheeling creek. A neighbouring
family who profited considerably by the construction of the national
road, have erected at the bridge a monument in honour of the secretary
of state, (H. Clay,) who was the chief promoter of it in congress. This
monument consists, as far as I could perceive in my hurry, of a statue
of liberty, coarsely sculptured in sandstone, placed on a clumsy
pedestal ornamented with inscriptions and bas relief. Monuments erected
to living persons have always something suspicious; they generally
exhibit that vile adulation to which the Dutch give a characteristic
name.[II-29] I was greatly surprised to find such sentiments in this
country, and to see them tolerated. The national road, which is finished
seven years ago, requires considerable repairs, or at least to be kept
in better order. Since it has been finished nothing has been done to it.
The tracks are deep, and the road is very rough. The stage we rode in
was of the description made in the north-eastern states, which are the
best and most convenient I had met with since October last year. We
changed horses twice in West Alexandria and Claysville. We passed
several little places through a well cultivated country, over some stone
bridges of sumptuous construction. Fifteen miles from Wheeling we left
the state of Virginia, and entered the state of Pennsylvania partly
known to me, and which I now intended to cross from its western to its
eastern extremity. We arrived at Washington at ten o’clock at night, and
left there at one o’clock on the morning of the 17th of May, the weather
being cloudy. Abandoning the national road, we turned to the left
towards Pittsburgh, twenty-five miles from Washington. To Cannonsburg,
a distance of seven miles, the road was tolerably good, but after this
it became bad, and I was compelled, in conformity to my old custom,
to walk a great part of the way.

    [Footnote II-29: Knopendraayerye.]

To the cloudy night succeeded a fine warm morning, and a picturesque
valley where handsome houses and mills cheered the spirits. The
mountains are filled with coal and several openings penetrating into
them, prove that this important fuel is not neglected. We finally came
to the left shore of the Ohio, and before us was Pittsburgh covered by a
black cloud of smoke. This city is situated at the confluence of the
Alleghany and Monongahela; both these rivers after their union form the
majestic Ohio. The water of the Monongahela is much more muddy than that
of the Alleghany, and both rivers are distinguished separately at a
great distance. The situation of Pittsburgh, as well as the Ohio valley,
resemble in some measure the environs of Liege, on the Meuse, with the
exception that the mountains of the Meuse are higher than these. We
passed through a little village called Birmingham, where are salt-works,
a glass-house, and iron-works, and arrived at the bridge which crosses
the Monongahela. This bridge is marked on the map as projected, but has
been finished for six or seven years. It is of wood resting on five
stone piers, and consists of six arches of very solid construction,
being covered and divided in two parts. A fine of fifteen dollars is
exacted of those who ride on horseback or carriage faster than a walk;
there are also foot-walks. Pittsburgh contains fifteen thousand
inhabitants--it has not a pleasing appearance, containing a great number
of wooden buildings, all of a smoky colour from the smoke continually
ascending from the numerous manufactories. Pittsburgh reminds you of an
English city, and therefore is called the American Birmingham. It was
nine o’clock, A. M. when we arrived, and took lodgings at the
Mansion-house, kept by Colonel Ramsay, a good hotel, and a very polite
landlord.




CHAPTER XXIV.

  _Pittsburgh.-- Economy.-- Mr. Rapp and his Society._


I was scarcely settled here before I received a visit from two German
residents, Mr. Bonnhorst, a justice of the peace, and Mr. Volz,
a merchant. These gentlemen accompanied me to indicate the most
remarkable places and manufactures of the city.

We visited a French glass-cutter, a very skilful man, who does a good
business; passed by the court-house, which is built opposite the
market-house in a half circle, and stopped at the glass factory of Mr.
Bakewell, in which fine flint glass is blown and ground. This crystal is
as clear, and nearly as good as the English. The processes used in such
a manufactory are known; but I wondered at the celerity with which the
different articles are made. Glass-cutting, as is well known, is a
difficult work, and requires skilful artists, which are still rare in
this country, and very dear. We visited a paper manufactory belonging to
Mr. Baldwin, which is arranged in the usual manner: thence we went to an
eminence which overlooks the city, called Grant’s Hill, after an English
General Grant, who, during the seven years’ war, was slaughtered here
along with his troops, by the Indians.

The French, about the middle of the preceding century, had built a fort
on the point of land, immediately at the confluence of the two rivers,
called Duquesne. The English found this fortification annoying, and
hence arose the occurrences which subsequently produced the seven years’
war. This place has the highest interest to every European soldier.
General Grant wished to obtain possession of Fort Duquesne, and besieged
it from the height which still bears his name. He however kept a
miserable guard, was surprised, and paid with his own life, and that of
his men, for his negligence. From this hill, one may behold, at a view,
the three vallies of the Alleghany, Monongahela and Ohio.

Rapp’s society, after leaving New Harmony, chose a new situation which
they named Economy. This is eighteen miles from Pittsburgh. I intended
to visit it on the following day, but on this evening, (May 17,) I was
surprised by a visit from Mr. Frederick Rapp, adopted son of the founder
of the Society, who gave me an invitation to pay their establishment a
visit. We therefore went willingly at ten o’clock, next morning,
accompanied by Messrs. Bonnhorst and Volz, to Economy, whither Mr.
F. Rapp preceded us.

We reached the Alleghany bridge, which is built of wood, roofed, and
supported upon five stone piers. The foot-walks are separated from the
wagon-road, and are open on one side, so that foot passengers are not
incommoded by the dust from the inside of the bridge. On the opposite
side is a little village called Alleghany town, laid out upon a great
scale, but on account of the proximity of Pittsburgh, it will with
difficulty attain any importance: in former years, the Indians, which
then thickly hovered about the right bank of the Alleghany and Ohio,
were a powerful obstacle to the increase of this place. On the heights
stand elegant country houses. Farther off ran the road, which was bad
enough, near to the right bank of the Ohio, through a wonderfully lovely
landscape. The valley strongly reminds one of the Maas Valley between
Namur and Lüttich; it is beautifully cultivated; the farms lie close
together; the green hills, and groups of sugar maples and acacias have a
most beautiful appearance. The latter were beginning to blossom, and
filled the air with perfume.[II-30] In the Ohio we saw Neville’s island,
which is about seven miles long and one broad, and is well cultivated.
Over two little creeks we passed upon well kept, roofed bridges, and
reached Economy at two, P. M. This place lies on a bluff fifty feet
above the low water mark of the Ohio. Behind the village are some hills
containing springs, whence the water is conveyed in pipes to Economy.

    [Footnote II-30: In the year 1826, I enjoyed _three_ springs; the
    first about the end of February at New Orleans, the second at New
    Harmony and Louisville, and the third in the state of Ohio, and
    west Pennsylvania.]

In approaching Economy we passed two burning brick-kilns; then we came
to a newly-built house, at which stood three men with horns, who began
to blow on our arrival. At the inn, a fine large frame house, we were
received by Mr. Rapp, the principal, at the head of the community. He is
a gray-headed, and venerable old man; most of the members emigrated
twenty-one years ago from Wurtemberg, along with him. After our first
greeting, we were conducted into a simple but tastefully arranged
apartment. We conversed together for a time, and then all set down to
dinner. The table was furnished with German dishes, over which reigned a
jocund heartiness.

Having been prejudiced against Mr. Rapp and his society, by what I had
read, and more recently heard at New Harmony, I was much rejoiced at
having visited this place, to be better informed by personal
observation. Never have I witnessed a more truly patriarchal
constitution than here, and men’s actions speak best for their
regulations, and for the concord prevailing among them.

The elder Rapp is a large man of seventy years old, whose powers age
seems not to have diminished; his hair is gray, but his blue eyes
overshadowed by strong brows, are full of life and fire; his voice is
strong, and his enunciation full, and he knows how to give a peculiar
effect to his words by appropriate gesticulation. He speaks a Swabian
dialect, intermixed with a little English, to which the ear of a German
in the United States must become accustomed; generally, what he says is
clearly and plainly delivered.

Rapp’s system is nearly the same as Owen’s. Community of goods, and all
members of the society to work together for the common interest, by
which the welfare of each individual is secured. Rapp does not hold his
society together by these hopes alone, but also by the tie of religion,
which is entirely wanting in Owen’s community; and results declare that
Rapp’s system is the better. No great results can be expected from
Owen’s plan, and a sight of it is very little in its favour. What is
most striking and wonderful of all, is that so plain a man as Rapp can
so successfully bring and keep together a society of nearly seven
hundred persons, who in a manner honour him as a prophet. Equally so for
example in his power of government, which can suspend the intercourse of
the sexes. He found that the society was becoming too numerous,
wherefore the members agreed to live with their wives as sisters. All
nearer intercourse is forbidden, as well as marriage; both are
discouraged. However, some marriages constantly occur, and children are
born every year, for whom there is provided a school and teacher. The
members of the community manifest the very highest degree of veneration
for the elder Rapp, whom they address and treat as a father.

Mr. Frederick Rapp is a large good-looking personage, of forty years of
age. He possesses profound mercantile knowledge, and is the temporal, as
his father is the spiritual chief of the community. All business passes
through his hands; he represents the society, which, notwithstanding the
change in the name of their residence, is called the _Harmony_ Society,
in all their dealings with the world. They found that the farming and
cattle-raising, to which the society exclusively attended in both their
former places of residence, were not sufficiently productive for their
industry, they therefore have established factories, which in this
country are very profitable, and have at present cotton and woollen
manufactories, a brewery, distillery, and flour-mill. They generally
drink, during their good German dinners, uncommonly good wine, which was
made on the Wabash, and brought thence by them: they left the worst,
as I have remarked, at New Harmony.

After dinner we visited the village, which is very regularly arranged,
with broad rectangular streets, two parallel to the Ohio, and four
crossing them. On the 22d of May it will be but two years since the
forest was first felled upon which _Economy_ is built; the roots still
remaining in the streets are evidences of the short time that has
elapsed. It is astonishing what united and regulated human efforts has
accomplished in so short a time!

Many families still live in log-houses, but some streets consist almost
entirely of neat, well-built frame houses, at proper distances from each
other, each house has a garden attached to it. The four-story cotton and
woollen factories are of brick; Mr. Rapp’s dwelling-house, not yet
completed, and a newly-begun warehouse, are also to be of brick. The
log-houses stand in the rear of the line which the new houses are to
occupy in the street, so that when in time they wish to erect brick
buildings, it may be done without incommoding the tenants of the log
dwellings. Mr. Rapp’s residence speaks rather freely against the
equality he preaches to his people, yet without exciting jealousy or
becoming a stumbling block. It consists of a principal building two
stories high, with two lower wings standing in the same line, and is
adorned with beautiful Philadelphia paper. At the back of the house is a
piazza and balcony. There is also a garden containing several acres with
flowers and vegetables, as well as a vineyard, situated on a
terrace-shaped half circle on the hill, ending in a bower. I especially
admired the beautiful tulips of this garden, in the midst of which is a
round basin with a noble spring. Mr. Rapp intends to build a temple
here, in which he will place a statue of Harmony: the statue is now
ready. It is the work of a carver in Philadelphia, and is a colossal
wooden figure, like the figure-head of a ship. In the garden are several
cottages, one of them is roofed with sods, and is used for a pastry
house. On the top is a sort of seat, where hereafter musicians are to
sit; within there is a temporary frame hall. Near the garden is the
green-house; this house, as well as the garden, is under the inspection
of a very pretty girl, Miss Hildegard, a relative of Mr. Rapp, and
possessed of much botanical knowledge. The women of this community have
all preserved their Swabian costume, even to their straw hats, and they
look very becomingly.

In the cotton and woollen factories, all the machinery is set in motion
by a high-pressure engine of seventy horse-power, made in Pittsburgh.
The machine pumps the water from a well fifty feet deep, sunk for the
purpose. The community possesses some fine sheep, among which are many
Merino and Saxon: they purchase wool, however, from the surrounding
farmers, who have already begun to raise it to bring to Economy. As soon
as the wool is washed, it is picked by the old women of the community,
who work in the fourth story, whence it is reconveyed by a sort of
tunnel into the lower story. The wool is then separated according to its
quality into four classes, dyed together in the dye-house near the
manufactory, returned to the mill, where it is combed, coarsely spun,
and finally wrought into fine yarn by a machine similar to the spinning
jenny. As soon as spun, it is placed in the loom and wrought into cloth,
this is placed in a steam fulling-mill, so arranged that the steam from
the engine is made to answer the purpose of soap and fuller’s earth,
which is a great saving. The cloth is shorn by means of a cylinder, upon
which a strong piece of steel turns. There is a model of this
shearing-machine in the patent-office at Washington. The woollen goods
most in demand in this country, are blue middling, grey mixed,
(principally used for pantaloons,) and red and white flannel cloths. The
red flannels are in great demand.

The cotton factory is employed in spinning and weaving. The printing of
cottons has not yet been attempted, as the stamps cannot be procured
without great expense and difficulty, and the fashions of printed calico
are very changeable. The coloured cottons wove here are blue and white,
mixed; a stuff of this colour much in demand in Tennessee, is called
cassinet, the chain of which is of cotton, and the filling of wool. The
spinning machines are of the common kind, each of which have one hundred
and fifty spools at work. The first machine, which does the coarse
spinning, has been much improved, so as to save a great deal of manual
labour. There are also some power-looms here, though not many, neither
have they at present but one dressing machine. Many of the machines are
made in Pittsburgh; most of them, however, at Economy. As this
establishment has been so recently founded, it is natural enough that
but few machines should be prepared or in operation. The factories and
workshops are warmed during winter by means of pipes connected with the
steam-engine. All the workmen, and especially the females, have very
healthy complexions, and moved me deeply by the warm-hearted
friendliness with which they saluted the elder Rapp. I was also much
gratified to see vessels containing fresh, sweet-smelling flowers
standing on all the machines. The neatness which universally reigns
here, is in every respect worthy of praise.

After visiting these interesting factories, we went to Mr. Rapp’s
temporary dwelling, a good frame house, in order to take tea. I saw here
his unmarried, rather faded daughter, and his blooming grandchild,
Gertrude, the daughter of his only son, concerning whose death such
strange reports are circulated. The table was decorated with beautiful
silver plate, and Rapp appeared to be rejoiced, to indicate by its
possession, his well-merited prosperity. He commenced his business, as
he informed me, with very slender means; when he began at New Harmony,
he had to contend with the bitterest want, and more than once, had not
bread for his community. He sent Frederick Rapp to Pittsburgh, to
procure store goods, and absolutely necessary provisions, upon credit.
The latter found himself generally repulsed, and remained the whole
night awake in Pittsburgh, lamenting the cruelty of mankind. The elder
Rapp, who waited in vain for his return, went to his house, also
lamenting his situation, but not in the least doubtful of Providence,
who watched over him and his; nor was his confidence misplaced. The
heart of one Pittsburgh merchant was moved; he could not rest during the
night for having so scornfully dismissed Mr. Rapp. He sought him early
in the morning, took him to his store, and offered him whatever was
necessary upon credit. In this manner was the society rescued. This
worthy merchant some time after suffered in his business, and on this
unfortunate occasion, the grateful Harmony society assisted him in a
very generous manner.

We spent the evening likewise with Mr. Rapp. He collected the musical
members of the society, and entertained us with music. Miss Gertrude
played upon the piano, and three of the girls sang; the other
instruments were violins, a violoncello and two flutes. The music was
really not so good as we had heard in the preceding autumn at Bethlehem;
but gave us much entertainment. Mr. Bonnhorst also delighted us with his
fine performance on the violin. The music was principally directed by a
German physician, named Müller, who belongs to the community, and also
has charge of the school.

The next morning we went with both the Messrs. Rapp through the village.
We visited the distillery, in which good whiskey is made, which is in
much demand in the neighbouring places. None is made use of in the
village itself, as the members of the society have mutually agreed to
abstain from the use of distilled liquors. This distillery feeds many
swine and horned cattle, which produce the society a handsome profit.
The beer brewery from lack of barley, made beer of wheat; this brewery
was not in operation. The flour-mill, not yet completed, is to be worked
by a steam-engine, and is to be arranged like the Baltimore steam-mill.
In a short time four sets of stones will be in operation, and an oil
mill is also to be connected therewith. As careful managers, the
directors of the society, in the upper part of the mill, which is five
stories high, put away grain enough for a year, in order to be secured
against scarcity, which is even in this happy country much to be
dreaded. In the mill as well as in the factories, in each story there is
a great iron cylinder, filled with water, which is thus at hand in case
of fire. The society possesses a fire-engine of their own making, and
have organized a fire company to work it.

We examined the workshops of the black and locksmiths, which are under
the same shed, and then the joiner’s and cooper’s; we especially
observed the marks of actual and filial respect which is borne towards
the elder Rapp by his young people. The warehouse was also shown to us,
where the articles made here for sale or use are preserved; and I
admired the excellence of all. The articles for the use of the society
are kept by themselves, as the members have no private possessions, and
every thing is in common, so must they in relation to all their personal
wants be supplied from the common stock. The clothing and food they make
use of, is of the best quality. Of the latter, flour, salt meat, and all
long keeping articles are served out monthly; fresh meat on the
contrary, and whatever spoils readily, is distributed whenever it is
killed, according to the size of the family, &c. As every house has a
garden, each family raises its own vegetables, and some poultry, and
each family has also its own bakeoven. For such things as are not raised
in Economy, there is a store provided, from which members with the
knowledge of the directors, may purchase what is necessary, and the
people of the vicinity may also do the same. The warehouse and store are
for the present in wooden buildings, but in a short time the requisite
brick buildings will be erected.

Under Mr. Rapp’s new house we found a fine roomy cellar, in which he
gave us a very good glass of old Rhenish wine, and also some good wine
made on the Wabash, of which he had twenty-one casks. I tasted a very
dark and powerful wine, made from wild grapes, which grew on an island
in the Wabash. For the first three years it is said that this wine
cannot be drank on account of its sourness; this has been in casks for
eight years and is so much improved, that it now is similar to old
Hungarian wine.

As we passed along we saw a small deer park, in which the elder Rapp had
amused himself in taming some bucks and does, which would eat out of his
hand. We saw also here a noble young moose deer, which was as large as a
stout ox. He is also very tame, but during the _season_ is dangerous.

Mr. Rapp finally conducted us into the factory again, and said that the
girls had especially requested this visit, that I might hear them sing.
When their work is done they collect in one of the factory rooms, to the
number of sixty or seventy, to sing spiritual and other songs. They have
a peculiar hymn-book, containing many hymns from the Wurtemberg
psalm-book, and others written by the elder Rapp. The latter are truly
in prose, but have been arranged to old tunes by the girls.[II-31] The
elder Rapp is very fond of psalmody, and the girls must devote
themselves considerably thereto, since Gertrude is a proficient and
receives musical instruction. A chair was placed for the old patriarch,
who sat amidst the girls and they commenced a hymn in a very delightful
manner. It was naturally symphonious and exceedingly well arranged. The
girls sang four pieces, at first sacred, but afterwards by Mr. Rapp’s
desire, of gay character. With real emotion did I witness this
interesting scene.

    [Footnote II-31: In this hymn-book are some pieces, which, if the
    perfect child-like innocence of these maidens be not recollected,
    might appear rather scandalous. For instance, there is a literal
    translation of the song of Solomon, among others.]

We had an excellent dinner in Mr. Rapp’s house, and the musical members
of the society took this opportunity to play their best in front of it.
The band consisted of twelve musicians, and performed very well, among
them were two who played bugles. Both the Rapp’s, and especially the
elder, advised me strongly to settle in their neighbourhood, and
purchase at ten miles hence, the Beaver Falls on Beaver creek, for
twenty-five thousand dollars. There I might establish iron works, said
they, and make a great deal of money; they and their society would
assist me in every possible manner!

With peculiar feelings we took leave of the friendly and industrious
Economy, at three o’clock. No payment was received at the tavern, and we
set out through the same beautiful places by which we had come towards
Pittsburgh. Mr. F. Rapp, who had business there, followed us,
accompanied by Gertrude. During this ride I had another opportunity of
admiring the beautiful rocks as we passed by, and particularly the
caverns, probably made in them by water, which remind one of the little
caves near Ems, on the Lahn.

We stopped at Alleghany town to examine the new and unfinished
penitentiary, which is arranged according to the system of solitary
confinement. The whole is surrounded by a high hexagonal wall. The
principal building, which is of sandstone, is three stories high. This
is to contain the residence of the superintendent, the offices and
infirmary. On two of the other angles of the hexagon are high round
towers, from which the interior of the house can be overlooked, where
the guards are to be stationed. Behind the principal building in the
court-yard, stands a smaller building, containing, besides many cells
for the convicts, the kitchen and wash-house. In a circle which is
interrupted by the above mentioned buildings, stands a one-story
building, containing convict cells, which has one row of entrances near
the inner circular yard, and the other towards the space enclosed by the
hexagonal walls. Each cell is eight feet long by six broad. It contains
a bench, and receives its light through an opening secured by an
external iron grate; within this is a wooden door, which the prisoner
can, at his pleasure, open or shut. Before each cell is a very small
open space. The cells are floored, and provided with iron rings to which
the prisoners may be secured if necessary. These unfortunates have
neither light nor room enough to work; I was informed that each prisoner
was to be allowed to enjoy the fresh air for fifteen minutes daily. In
this way, this new system can scarcely have any other result than that
of destroying the health of the convicts. The prison contains one
hundred and ninety-six cells, and it is said, that next autumn the first
victims are to be sacrificed to a mistaken philanthropy.[II-32] The
expense of maintaining these prisoners, who are not permitted to earn
any thing, will necessarily be considerable.

    [Footnote II-32: [It is to be hoped that the able and luminous
    report of the commissioners appointed by the state, to make
    inquiries on the subject of penitentiary discipline, will be
    sufficient to correct the glaring errors of this _new system_;
    which like most of the new systems of the present day, is clearly
    proved thereby to be more specious than beneficial. The evidence
    accumulated by the commissioners is of a character to satisfy
    every candid mind, not chained to the support of a particular
    theory, that solitary confinement without labour, is unequal in
    operation, inadequate to the end proposed, and promises to be as
    destructive to human life as it is discordant to humane
    feelings.]--TRANS.]

On the 20th of May I went with Mr. F. Rapp, who still remained in
Pittsburgh with Gertrude, to visit some manufacturing establishments.
We crossed the Monongahela near its mouth, in a skiff, to a salt-work on
the left bank. With the earth-borer invented in England, and improved in
America, they found salt water at the depth of a hundred feet. As this
water was thought to be too weak, a pipe was placed in the well, and
bored in another place, until at the depth of a hundred feet a
sufficiently strong brine was obtained. The salt water collected and
rose to the top. It is now pumped out by a small steam-engine into a
boiler, where it is boiled for four hours. It is then poured into a
large vat, to the depth of eight inches. It stands in this vat four
hours; a little alum is added to precipitate earthy impurities. Hence,
by a cock situated above the level of the precipitated matters, the
fluid is drawn off into various kettles, in which the now pure brine is
again boiled for four hours. Now the white salt begins to form, and is
skimmed off with large iron ladles. This is a very simple process, saves
expense and room, and appears to me far better than our great
salt-houses. In returning to the city, we saw many iron-works, of which
there are eight in the city and vicinity. One of them is a nail factory;
the nail-cutting machine acts from above, and the workmen holds the rod
to be cut with a pair of tongs, and has to move it at every stroke;
a hammer strikes the nail which falls through in such a manner as to
form the head. We also saw a steam-engine manufactory of considerable
extent. I had seen such an establishment previously in England, but as
most of the machines are made here in parts, one cannot see a great
deal. What most interested me was a double lever, by which the holes are
punched in iron plates for the boilers, which are riveted together;
a work which requires a great degree of exactness.

We next visited the Union Rolling-mill, near the city, on the bank of
the Monongahela; here also is a nail factory. In the patent-office at
Washington I saw upwards of seventy different models of nail-making
machines. In this factory they were cut by horizontally moving shears,
and at the same time the heads were formed by a hammer. A workman can
make a hundred and fifty pounds of the smaller kind of nails daily. The
preparation of the iron plates from which cut nails are made is very
interesting. The crude pig iron is made white hot in the furnace; it is
thence taken and rolled seven times through, between two iron cylinders,
which are screwed closer together after every revolution. It is then
passed seven times more between two narrow cylinders, which are also
screwed closer after each time the plate passes. By this time the pig is
reduced to a plate less than a quarter of an inch thick. This plate is
again made red-hot, and finally passed between two cylinders, which are
just as broad as the length of the nails to be cut. The piece in the
upper cylinder passes directly in one cut to the lower, where the broad
red-hot plate is cut into as many strips as are wanted. The very
smallest of these are used for making wire. This machinery is set in
motion by a large steam-engine, which works the bellows for the
different furnaces and forges. The whole reminded me of the colossal
iron-works I saw three years ago in South Wales.

Mr. Rapp accompanied me also to a sieve-maker, who weaves iron and brass
wire, &c. which is done in a loom something like, but longer than a
cloth-loom, in order to extend the wire properly. This one was
twenty-five feet long. Our last visit was to an iron foundry, where,
during our stay, different articles, grates and smoothing irons were
cast. The smoothing irons were cast four in a mould, and while still
red-hot were knocked asunder.

In the evening we went to the United States arsenal, two miles from the
city, on the Philadelphia road; it is under the command of Major
Churchill of the artillery, who received us at his house and introduced
us to his wife, and four lovely children. This establishment contains a
place of about four acres, lying between the road and the river
Alleghany: the front consists of a large four-story main building, of
sandstone, and two smaller buildings, one of which is the residence of
the directors and the other of the sub-directors. On entering the
court-yard, one sees that the side of the quadrangle facing the front
contains three buildings not yet inhabited, which are barracks, and four
others, workshops for the repair of arms, &c. opposite to these are two
buildings in which are the smith and wheelwright shops. Except the three
fronts, all the buildings are of bricks. The arms are kept in the main
building, where there may be about twenty thousand stand; most of them
are packed in chests: those not packed up, are very tastefully arranged
in the hall, as trophies, &c. An arch of steel is formed over this hall
by eighteen hundred muskets, which has a very beautiful appearance. Both
the adjoining buildings are connected with the centre by roofed
passages, under which are kept cannon of various calibers; most of these
are English, and trophies of the late Commodore PERRY’S victory on Lake
Erie.

The 21st of May, was Sunday, and at twelve o’clock, I went with Mr.
Bonnhorst to the Episcopal church. I have generally remarked that most
of the fashionable people in the United States, either belong to the
Episcopal church, or at least prefer to attend service there on Sunday.
It is in Pittsburgh _style_ to go to this church, while it would be
unfashionable to visit the Methodist meeting, to which most of the lower
class of people belong. It is a luxury to have a pew in the Episcopal
church, and an especial politeness to invite a stranger to take a seat
in it. I sat in Mr. Bonnhorst’s pew, which was rather full, and the air
hot. In consequence of this, I was much incommoded by the frequent
kneelings, as well as by the long psalms, which were sung standing.
We had a very good discourse from a rather youthful preacher upon the
subject of the Trinity, this being Trinity Sunday. The service lasted
two hours.

Afterwards we paid a visit to Mr. Baldwin, a distinguished lawyer. This
gentleman was formerly a member of congress, and had paper and iron
factories in the vicinity; he however speculated largely, and in five
weeks became a bankrupt. However, Mr. Baldwin lost nothing in public
estimation; his practice as a lawyer produced him a very handsome
income. He walked with us to the point where the Alleghany and Ohio
unite, the former situation of Fort Duquesne, of which no trace now
remains. The English did nothing for this fort, as in the year 1759, it
was evacuated by the French, who could no longer obtain aid from Canada.
The English then demolished the fort, and built one of earth, somewhat
in rear of the old one, called Fort Pitt, whence the name of the city is
derived. Fort Pitt, of which some remains of the walls and a barracks,
now form part of an iron work, appears to have been a pentagon resting
upon both rivers. During the American revolutionary war, this fort,
which was no longer of importance, was abandoned by the English.

Next day Messrs. Craft and Volz, accompanied me to the cotton factory of
Adams, Allen & Co. Mr. Craft is one of the principal proprietors of the
firm, which does an extensive business, notwithstanding its recent
establishment. The building is of brick, four stories high, and has two
wings standing at right angles. This factory employs two hundred people
daily. All the machinery is worked by a steam-machine of seventy-five
horse-power. The machinery is similar to that in Economy, and the
fabrics made at Economy are copied from this factory, &c. I saw nothing
particularly new, except the machine which picks the cotton, and thus
saves a great deal of filthy manual labour. During winter the factory is
warmed by steam, throughout.

After examining this interesting factory, we went to the Juniata
foundry, belonging to Mr. Schöneberger. It was a holy-day, as the men
were training in the militia. The militia system is neither popular in
this country nor profitable: the militia are trained for two days in the
year, of course they can learn very little; the manufacturers lose the
work of their people, and the workmen lose their pay. Neither is the
Pittsburgh militia uniformed nor armed. The only operation we witnessed
to-day at the Juniata works, was the grinding of the cast
smoothing-irons, which was done first by stone, and then by wooden
wheels, turned by a horse-mill.

We afterwards visited Mr. Volz, and saw a domestic warehouse containing
all home manufactured articles; a really interesting museum of western
industry to strangers. All the fabrics of the city and vicinity are
brought here and offered for sale on commission. The articles are
chiefly cast and wrought iron wares, all the utensils necessary for
cotton or woollen factories, dye-houses &c., and various sorts of pure
white, white and blue mixed, or plain blue cotton stuffs, but no printed
calico. Some of the woollen cloths were very fine, and sold for seven
dollars a yard; they were made at Steubenville. A good lasting dye-stuff
for wool is still to be desired. I saw here some newly-invented locks;
fine steelware is not very abundant, and the cutlery business is still
in its infancy.

Finally, we visited Mr. Eichbaum, seventy-six years old; he is a
glass-cutter, father of the owner of a wire factory, and postmaster of
the city. By his skill and industry he has amassed a very handsome
fortune. He was formerly in Carlsruhe, and boasted much of the court of
Baden, and particularly of the wife of the Margrave.




CHAPTER XXV.

  _Journey to Philadelphia, and second stay in that city._


On the 23d of May, at eight o’clock, we commenced our journey to
Philadelphia, in the mail stage. I left Pittsburgh with much regret; it
pleased me in every respect, and would have pleased me still more had I
continued there longer. Two roads lead from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg,
the northern and the southern, and as it was of no moment which I took,
I chose the former, as this was travelled by the stage, which leaves
Ramsay’s hotel. We rode fifty-six miles to Armagh, and changed horses
but twice, at M‘Miller’s and New Alexandria. These changes are too
distant to allow the horses to travel with rapidity, and they have in
Pennsylvania a custom of watering the horses every three or four miles.
The country is hilly; the road had been a turnpike, is still so called,
and is furnished with toll-gates, where toll must be paid, but is in a
dreadfully bad state. The traveller is jolted in a barbarous manner, and
still makes but little progress; the heat and the dust of this day were
almost intolerable. We met many travellers and emigrants from the east,
going with their families and goods to the western states, to settle
there. The western states appear to the inhabitants of the eastern and
northern states, in the same light in which Europeans, and particularly
the Germans, view the United States in general. They expect to find here
the land of promise, where milk and honey flows, and are sometimes much
disappointed; though many, however, derive great advantage from the
change.

We passed through East Liberty, Wilkinsburgh, Murrysville, New
Alexandria and Blairsville--all unimportant. The streams were the
Loyalhanna and the Connamaughe, with high and rocky shores. Wooden
bridges are thrown over these rivers, but are so bad that one of our
leaders broke through two planks of one of them, and was extricated with
much difficulty. In the evening we passed over the first of the chains
of mountains, which cross this country from south-west to north-east,
and divide the regions of the Mississippi from the Atlantic states. It
was Chesnut-ridge, which is tolerably high. Beyond this we saw a still
more mountainous region; the valleys we met with were in a state of
cultivation. It was eleven o’clock at night before we reached Armagh,
as the accident on the bridge had detained us some time. At two o’clock,
A. M. we continued our journey.

We rode fifty-eight miles to Alexandria, through Ebensburg, Munster,
Blair’s Gap, Hollydaysburg, and Williamsburg. A few miles beyond Armagh,
we came to another of the parallel ridges, called Laurel hill.
I ascended the mountain on foot; as the sun was just rising, the fresh
and green dress of the trees, together with the fragrance of the
blooming azaleas, made a very pleasing impression on me. These
honeysuckles were in bloom on almost all the mountains which we passed
this day; rose-coloured kalmias began to bloom; the rhododendrons had
not yet commenced. The fragrance of the white acacias was often combined
with that of the azaleas. The other trees which we saw on this mountain,
were chesnut, walnut, and hickory trees, sumac, some large-leaved linden
trees, large pines, maples, and planes; the two latter kinds, however,
were found in greater numbers in the valleys. Amid these mountains, with
their lovely prospects, and this splendid vegetation, the mind feels
itself exalted, and the heart strengthened. This enjoyment, however, of
the traveller, is somewhat diminished by the bad roads, which appear to
be neglected, although the payment of toll is not forgotten.

After we descended Laurel hill, we rode several miles through a
tolerably thick woods, and reached Ebensburg, where we changed horses
for the first time. This is a small and handsomely situated place, of
about three hundred inhabitants, appearing, however, rather to decrease
than increase. Two miles from this place, lies a small and quite
deserted village, called Beula, founded by Welchmen, who, however,
dispersed, as they found it of no advantage to continue there. After
leaving Ebensburg, and behind this place, we ascended the Alleghany
mountains, the highest in this region. The highest point which we passed
is called Blair’s Gap, and considered to be more than three thousand
feet above the level of the sea. The turnpike, though neglected, is
still well laid out, and the ascent of the mountain is by no means
steep. These regions have a remarkable aspect, they consist of ridges,
which adjoin each other, and are of a prismatic form; the ridge above is
perfectly level, and only thirty paces broad. When standing in front of
such a ridge, one mountain appears as high and long as the other, which
adjoins it.

After leaving the Alleghany mountains, of whose vegetation the same
remark might be made as of Laurel hill, we reached a lovely valley,
where we found by the side of a creek, a large stone mill, and a group
of good houses, Blair’s Gap post-office. We here again changed horses.
This creek is called Beaverdam creek, and empties into the Juniata,
between Hollydaysburg and Frankstown. The region near this stream is
said to produce good iron, and, as was before remarked, much use is made
at Harper’s Ferry of Juniata iron. At Frankstown we reached the Juniata,
and passed the rest of the day on its shores. The road often ran close
to the river. Here, as well as on the passage over the mountains,
railings were altogether wanting on the turnpike, and the road often
passes by the edge of deep precipices. When large wagons meet, a false
step of a horse at these dangerous places would have led to our
unavoidable destruction. The road is often cut out of the rock; we
remarked at several places in the mountains, declivities, which seem to
be strewed with pieces of rocks of different sizes in a very remarkable
manner.

Beyond Frankstown we came to a valley, which is formed on the right side
by Lock mountain, and on the left by Brush mountain. Parallel with the
latter, for a short distance runs a ridge, which commences in this
valley, and is called Canoe mountains. It commences with a single hill,
Canoe hill, which forms a right-angle, and in a manner closes the
valley. Between this hill and Lock mountains, the Juniata forces its
passage; the road leads over Canoe hill to a handsome valley, called
Canoe valley, in the centre of which stands an inn with a farm, named
Yellow Spring. This name is derived from a spring, arising in a rocky
basin behind the farm, not far from which it empties into the Juniata.
The spring is said to be chalybeate, and to give the stones over which
it flows a yellow colour; however, neither taste nor sight could
distinguish the chalybeate qualities. Some miles from Alexandria we
passed a defile in the Tussey mountains, where the Juniata again forces
its way. About nine o’clock, P. M., we arrived at Alexandria, where we
passed the night. Here I heard in the evening, for the first time the
croaking of the large frog, known under the name of bullfrog. It
resembles the bleating of a calf, or rather the roaring of a young
steer. Alexandria is a small place, and contains about three hundred
inhabitants.

We intended to leave Alexandria at three o’clock, A. M., but the driver
overslept himself, and we were obliged to wait till four o’clock. We
rode sixty miles to Thomsonstown. The country was again tolerably hilly;
we remained for the most part on the left side of the Juniata. A few
miles below Alexandria we passed indeed by a ford to the right side, but
after passing a mountain, belonging to Warrior’s ride, we returned seven
miles below at Huntingdon, to the left side again, under a roofed
bridge. We passed through Huntingdon; Lamberts, where we changed horses;
and Waynesburg, Lewistown, Mifflin and Mexico. These places in general
were unimportant, but well-built, with many substantial houses. Between
Huntingdon and Waynesburg, the road led through Jack’s mountains, at the
place where the Juniata forces its passage. The road is here generally
cut through the rock, and runs without railings along a deep precipice
by the river. After this, comes Juniata valley, which is formed on the
left by the low Limestone-ridge, behind which, the high Jack’s mountains
rise, and on the right by Blue-ridge, which rises immediately out of the
Juniata. This valley reminded me of the regions on the river Lahn in
Nassau, except that the mountains of the Lahn are not so high as these,
and not so handsomely covered with trees to their summit. Waynesburg,
where we again changed horses, occupies a very romantic situation on the
Juniata. Lewistown on the Juniata, is well-built and finely situated.
The road hence to Thomsonstown, led through a hilly country along the
river and continued bad. On the other side of the river, the high
Tuscarora mountains rise. The river is navigable from this place to
Waynesburg; we saw keel-boats in it. We did not reach Thomsonstown till
ten o’clock at night; we had seen but little of the surrounding country,
though I heard it was very handsome.

May 26th, we arose at two o’clock, A. M., and rode to Lancaster, distant
seventy-one miles, through Millerstown, Coxtown, Harrisburg, High Spire,
Middletown, Rockstown, Franklin, Elizabethtown and Mountjoy. At first
the road went through a hilly country along the left side of the
Juniata; then we crossed in a boat at Beelen’s Ferry. The water was low,
so that the rocky bottom of the river could be seen. A canal, which is
already marked out, is intended to obviate the difficulties of the
navigation, arising from the low state of the water. The road which we
now passed, and which was not a turnpike, led us over three hills,
Limestone-ridge, Mahony-ridge and Dick’s hill to Clark’s Ferry, on the
Susquehanna, a little below the place where the Juniata empties into the
Susquehanna, which is here about a mile wide, and rushes between two
high ridges over a very rocky bed, in which at several places dams have
been raised with passages in order to facilitate the navigation. On the
left side a canal had already been laid out. At Clark’s Ferry, we had an
extremely handsome view of the Susquehanna, which is here surrounded by
such high mountains, that it resembles a lake, and calls to mind Lake
George, in New York. On the left its junction with the Juniata takes
place, and on the right it forces itself through a gap in a high ridge,
which on the right side is called Mount Peter, and on the left, Cave
mountain. Through this opening another valley is seen bounded by the
Blue mountains. The broad Susquehanna is seen in front, and the high
Mount Peter on the other shore.

At Clark’s Ferry we crossed the Susquehanna in a ferry-boat. The water
was so clear, that the rocky bottom could be distinctly seen. Cove
mountain forms an arch on the right shore, and touches the Susquehanna
with its two extremities, not far from Clark’s Ferry, and again eight
miles below; at this place a rocky mountain nine hundred feet high on
the left shore corresponds with it, and forms a part of a ridge called
Second mountain. In a space of eight miles, four ridges of mountains run
parallel to each other, first Mount Peter, then Third mountain,
afterwards Second mountain, and last the Blue mountains. This country is
said to abound in good stone-coal. The road which we travelled is a
turnpike, and runs between the Susquehanna and this mountain, out of
which it is partly cut. The Blue mountains, through which the
Susquehanna forces its way at right angles, forms the last chain of
mountains on our route. I had first seen this chain of mountains at
Nazareth, then at Harper’s Ferry, as I went to the west, and last of
all, as I travelled in an eastern direction from Staunton to
Charlotteville.

Behind the Blue mountains we saw grain and Indian corn flourish in a
cultivated region, and reached Harrisburg. We delayed here about two
hours, and met with a stage which had come from Pittsburgh by the
southern road. Harrisburg is two hundred and nine miles from Pittsburgh,
and a hundred from Philadelphia, occupies a somewhat elevated position
between the left side of the Susquehanna and Paxton creek, and may
contain about four thousand inhabitants. It is the metropolis and seat
of government of the state of Pennsylvania, and contains a capitol, with
the other necessary buildings. These stand on an elevation, commanding
the city; the capitol is in the middle, and on both sides of it are two
buildings containing public offices. All three are of brick, and their
entrances decorated with colonnades of white stone. These columns stand
in a semicircle. The capitol consists of two stories, with a cupola
sustained by columns. The assembly rooms of the senate and of the
representatives are in the lower story; the seats are arranged in a
semicircle, and rise in height as in an amphitheatre. The upper story
contains lodgings for the governor, which are indeed splendid, however,
the present governor, Mr. Shulze, does not use them, and inhabits a
private house in the city. I regretted that my time did not allow me to
form a personal acquaintance with this public officer, of whom such
different opinions have been entertained. The capitol and offices are
covered with slate, whilst the houses of the city are generally roofed
with shingles. The city is regularly built, with paved streets, and
contains many brick houses, a court-house, and a jail. A covered wooden
bridge leads over the Susquehanna, which is divided by an island in the
river into two parts. The piers of this bridge consist of stone, not
united by mortar, but by iron clamps.

At two o’clock in the afternoon we left Harrisburg, and rode thirty-six
miles farther to Lancaster, in hot weather and much dust. The road was
better, the stage more convenient, the changes shorter, and the passage
quicker. We continued on the left side of the Susquehanna for nine
miles; at Middletown we forded the Swatara creek, although a handsome
wooden roofed bridge leads over it, and then left the shores of the
Susquehanna. After passing Conewago creek, we entered Lancaster county,
celebrated for its good cultivation, and almost entirely inhabited by
descendants of Germans. The fields all appear to be extremely well
cultivated; worm-fences were superseded by posts and rails. I was
particularly struck with the barns, which often look better than the
dwelling-houses; the houses are generally of wood, and not handsome,
whereas the barns are generally built of stone, at least the lower parts
containing the stabling, and the two gable-ends. Between these, the barn
is built of wood; a broad ascent leads to the entrance on one side, and
on the other, the barn forms a broad shed over the entrances of the
stables. The cattle and horses appear to great advantage, and the
breeding of sheep seems to receive attention. The houses are surrounded
by orchards, and in the greater part of these I observed cider presses.
The smiths here burn their charcoal close to the shops; I saw near
several of these charcoal kilns on fire, in the villages. We passed by
means of wooden bridges two small creeks, Little Chickie and Big Chickie
creeks.

The bridges over the Swatara rest on dry stone piers. Instead of worm
fences and other hedging, I saw to-day, also, some dry walls, such as I
had seen last summer in Massachusetts. We came to Lancaster at ten
o’clock at night, and found lodgings in a very good tavern. During our
ride in the dark, we saw a large number of fireflies, which abounded
particularly near wet meadows. We had for several days past also seen
very handsomely coloured butterflies of different kinds.

I passed the 27th of May in Lancaster, for three reasons: first, I felt
the effects of my long journey, of the heat, and of want of rest;
secondly, I did not wish to pass Sunday in Philadelphia, where it is
very particularly tiresome; and thirdly, I wished to post up my journal,
which had been necessarily neglected during the preceding days. I took
advantage of the cool morning to view the place.

Lancaster is the chief city of Lancaster county, and contains about six
thousand inhabitants. It is built on a hill; the streets cross each
other at right angles, and are generally paved and supplied with
side-walks, shaded by Italian poplars. The houses are principally of
brick, though some are also quite massive; here and there a frame
building may be seen. A square place stands in the middle of the city,
in whose centre the court-house is erected. The market-houses are not
far from this. The museum contains merely poor wax figures, some Indian
curiosities, stuffed animals, shells, some fishes, and minerals. A tame
gazelle, which had been taught several tricks, was also exhibited; it
could cypher, distinguish different cards, knew names, &c. Some of the
inhabitants visited me, among whom was a Mr. Voigt, of Leipsig, who
conducted us about the place. Lancaster is said to produce the best
rifles in the United States. I bought one for eleven dollars to take
home with me, as a curiosity. Mr. Voigt took us to a public garden near
the city, which was tastefully arranged, and where the inhabitants of
the place enjoyed themselves in playing ten-pins, and in other innocent
amusements. We went afterwards on the Baltimore road, over a roofed
wooden bridge, which leads over Conestoga creek. This bridge resembles
those in Ohio, though much lighter; it cannot last long. The arches in
Ohio are formed of eight or ten planks placed over each other, and
united by screws, so that the bridge seems to rest on springs,
resembling those of carriages; whereas, here the arch consisted of a
single crooked fir tree. In the evening I received a number of visits,
among which I may mention one from a member of congress, Mr. Buchanan,
whose speeches in congress are received with much applause, and a
Mennonist, Mr. Witmer, who showed me a contrivance, invented by himself,
to cool wine.

On the 28th of May we left Lancaster, at five o’clock, A. M. The
turnpike was in a good state, and we advanced on an average five miles
an hour, so that we reached Philadelphia before seven o’clock in the
evening, after travelling sixty-four miles. Between Lancaster and
Philadelphia, we passed through Sandersburg, Paradise, Sadsbury,
Coastville, Downingstown, and Warre; between these there are yet a
number of settlements and taverns. The streams are Conestoga creek, near
which they are digging the navigable canal, Peegnea creek, two arms of
the Brandywine, and last of all the Schuylkill at Philadelphia. Upon the
whole, the country is not hilly; we had only to ascend Mine ridge, on
which we rode for several miles.

The whole country is cultivated in a most excellent manner, and covered
with handsome farms; many barns look like large churches. The fences
were often supplied by dry stone walls, or live hedges. A well-built
hospital stands not far from Lancaster, to which an avenue of Lombardy
poplars leads, here much admired. The country about Brandywine is
classic ground, on which much blood was shed during the revolution. We
passed near to Valley Forge, where the great Washington was encamped
with his corps, whilst the English held Philadelphia. The farther we
proceeded, the more clearly we saw that we approached a large city, for
the number of elegant country-seats increased, and people in handsome
attire met us on foot, on horseback, and in carriages. In Philadelphia
we again took lodgings at the Mansion-house.

Thus I was once more on well known ground, in beloved Philadelphia.
During the few days which I could pass here, old acquaintances were
renewed with pleasure, and new ones formed with new interest. At the
same time I saw several things which had escaped me at my former visit.
Mr. Huygens, who had hitherto been my companion, now left me, and
returned to his friends at Washington.

I rode to the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, with my old friend Mr. Roberts Vaux,
the philanthropic Quaker, and with Mr. Niederstetter, chargé d’affaires
of the king of Prussia. I had before omitted to visit this
establishment, as the pupils were just leaving their old temporary
dwelling in the city, to move in their newly-built house. This house is
large and massive. It consists of a principal building, which is reached
by means of a portal, decorated with four doric columns; and of two
wings behind it, one of which is inhabited by the boys, and the other by
the girls. There were at that time eighty pupils in the institution,
fifty maintained by the state of Pennsylvania, thirteen by their
families, five by the state of New Jersey, and twelve by the institution
itself. It has now subsisted for six years; at the beginning it was
founded by voluntary contributions and subscriptions; the legislature of
Pennsylvania afterwards gave eight thousand dollars, and the state
annually pays one hundred and fifty dollars for every pupil which it has
placed here. The direction of the institution consists of a president,
four vice presidents, among which was Mr. Vaux, a treasurer,
a secretary, and at this time, twenty-three directors. A principal
teacher, Mr. L. Weld, four tutors, a matron, and two physicians preside
over the house.

Mr. Weld had passed a long time at Hartford in Connecticut, and had
learned the method of instruction in the deaf and dumb asylum at that
place, which he practises here with great success. He was teaching one
of the lower classes when we arrived. He dictated to the pupils
something on subjects of natural history, which they wrote with great
rapidity on large slates. We put several questions to them, which they
answered with much sagacity. Mr. Niederstetter asked them if they could
form any idea of music; one of the boys answered, he well knew that
there were tones, and that several tones systematically combined made a
sound, but what this was, and how all this was connected together, he
could form no idea. In other rooms, other pupils were engaged in writing
and cyphering. One of them had made much progress in crayon drawing, and
was just working at a portrait of President Adams. The boys learn
trades, several were weaving, others were making shoes, &c., the girls
learn to sew and knit. The clothes, which the pupils wear in the house,
are all made there. They have a common eating room, and each sex has
separate sleeping rooms, where two sleep in one bed; besides, each wing
contains a separate infirmary. Every where I saw the most exemplary
cleanliness and order prevail; the pupils had a very healthy appearance.

I conversed with some of them in writing; one of them asked me, what was
my favourite study, I answered mathematics. Upon this he wrote to me,
that he was also pleased with this study, but found no opportunity of
making great progress in it. In order to teach the pupils the principles
of arithmetic, a machine is used similar to the Russian. A vegetable
garden behind, and at the sides of the building, which was then
preparing, was intended to serve also as a place of recreation for the
pupils. I could not forbear making to Mr. Weld an especial expression of
the great pleasure which this institution and his method of instruction
gave me.

I saw the Academy of Fine Arts last autumn, but went there again, as the
exhibition of paintings had been opened. This collection, however,
consisted merely of portraits, and these were rather indifferent. In
general, the fine arts, as I believe has already been mentioned, do not
yet flourish in the United States to a great degree; perhaps this is to
be attributed to the taste of the Americans, which they inherited from
their English ancestors, and which does not appear to be very great for
painting.[II-33] But I rather believe, and this idea president Jefferson
gave me, that the little encouragement which the fine arts receive in
this country is to be attributed to the equal division of property among
the children, so that in large families an estate cannot be long kept
together.

    [Footnote II-33: [This is a very erroneous idea. The taste for
    painting and music has not been cultivated, generally, in this
    country, on account of the condition of property and society,
    which demand of Americans a primary devotion to things absolutely
    necessary and useful. As wealth becomes more accumulated, artists
    will be encouraged; and then we have no fear of their being long
    inferior to the artists of any other nation.]--TRANS.]

I saw also, in company with Messrs. Vaux and Niederstetter, the mint of
the United States, which is established here. In the year 1793, when
Philadelphia was still the seat of government of the United States, this
mint was located in a newly-built private house, and it is as yet the
only one in the United States. The processes in this mint are very
simple, and but few improvements are yet adapted, which so greatly
distinguish the mints of London and Milan. They were doing but little
when we came; we saw nothing but the stretching of the bars of silver
between cylinders, like those in the rolling mills at Pittsburgh, and
the stamping of the pieces, which was done by means of a contrivance
similar to that by which rivet-holes are made in the iron plates for
steam-engine boilers. We saw, moreover, the cutting of half dollar
pieces, which is done by means of a stamp, worked by two men. A third
stands by to place the uncoined pieces in a box, which are then brought
under the stamp by a particular contrivance. After they are coined, they
fall by means of this contrivance into a box which stands below. Since
1803, no larger silver coins are made than half dollars, as the dollars
were immediately bought up and exported to China for trade, because the
merchants there will take no smaller coins than dollars. We saw also a
collection of medals stamped here, some of which, particularly those
which were struck after naval victories, are very well finished. One
side represents the bust of the naval hero in whose honour the medal was
struck, and the reverse represents the action itself. A golden medal was
struck after the victory of General Jackson at New Orleans, one side
exhibiting the bust of the general, and the reverse a figure
representing the United States pointing to the Muse of History, writing
on a shield the name of New Orleans. The medal which the Agricultural
Society bestows at the annual cattle show, is also handsome. It is to be
regretted, that all the medals, which were struck before president
Monroe’s administration, are missing in this collection. The mint itself
is very small, and its boundaries are still more limited by a twelve
horse-power steam-engine. No application, however, is made to congress
for a larger and better building, as it is feared that congress might
then propose to remove the whole establishment of the mint to
Washington.

We visited the Episcopalian church yard, in which lies Dr. Franklin’s
grave, who died in the same year, and rests in the same grave with his
wife. It is near the wall, and covered with a large white marble slab,
with the following inscription:--

  Benjamin } Franklin
        et } 1790.
   Deborah }

I confess these simple words appear to me more eloquent and noble, and
spoke to me in a more affecting manner, than any encomiastic epitaph
could have done. The celebrated Professor Rush, father of the present
secretary of the treasury, is also buried here. This grave-yard, like
the rest in Philadelphia, is in the midst of the city, an evil of which
much is said, but which it would be difficult to remedy.

Another visit was made to Peale’s Museum. I found, however, nothing new,
except a terrible rattlesnake, which was alive, and with two smaller
harmless snakes, formed an extremely ugly ball in a glass case. Its
rattles could not be exactly seen, as they were covered by its flat and
broad body. The body is full of scales, and the head uncommonly broad,
in comparison with the head of other snakes. It was almost stiff, and
only moved the head when any one approached too closely. It had handsome
bright black eyes, and there was a quite small triangular aperture in
the upper lip, through which its long, black, forked tongue was
projected, when irritated. I could not make it open its mouth to see its
teeth. They told me that it was fed with mice, which it first bit, and
after they had died in convulsions, swallowed. Among the many gentlemen
who paid me visits, I mention only Mr. Autenrieth, of Lehigh county, as
he gave me much interesting information concerning the coal mines on the
Lehigh, and at Mauch Chunk, which I intended to visit in a few days. But
I met with a very agreeable surprise in the appearance of the excellent
General Bernard; this worthy officer, whose acquaintance forms one of my
most pleasing recollections of the United States, was to pass but two
days in Philadelphia, in order to advise with a canal commission.
General Bernard is one of the few meritorious men, of whom one hears
nobody speak otherwise than well; and if he had, in an incomprehensible
manner, any enemies, his amiable character would at the first meeting
change them into friends.

I again met with a very friendly reception on the part of Mr. Arnold
Halbach, and his brother. The former had the kindness to attend me in
several of my excursions, as far as his extensive business would allow.
He is a patron of the fine arts, and as such, took me to two painters of
this place, Eicholz and Birch. The former, from Lancaster, is the son of
a coppersmith, in which occupation he himself worked, but having a
talent for portrait painting, he has devoted himself thereto with much
success. His portraits have the merit of strong resemblance, and are
also tolerably well, and correctly painted. The other artist, Birch,
possesses a very fine talent for landscape painting, and particularly
for sea-pieces. I had hoped to meet with views of the United States at
his house, but was disappointed. Mr. Birch told me that landscape
painters found so little encouragement in the United States, that they
lost all courage to design handsome scenes in their native country. His
sea-pieces are very handsome, but none are entirely completed. He is
particularly happy in representing storms. Whilst Mr. Eicholz, with
moderate talents, does much business, Mr. Birch, with great talent,
is often a prey to severe distress.[II-34]

    [Footnote II-34: [The reason is, that the portrait painter
    ministers to the gratification of personal vanity, or self-love,
    and the landscape painter to a refined taste. As the proportion of
    egotists to men of refined and cultivated taste, is somewhat less
    than a million to one, it is easy to see which branch of the arts
    will receive most attention.]--TRANS.]

I saw at the house of a dealer in looking-glasses, a gallery of pieces
by living painters, among others, of Sully. One of these paintings is
really terrific. It represents a man, who, with his horse, is attacked
and entwined by an anaconda. The expression of pain in the horse is very
well represented, but the countenance of the man, as well as the whole
subject, is horrid. Few of the paintings were very remarkable; I was
most pleased with one by Birch: a boat in a storm, in which the crew
were saving themselves from a wreck.

I inquired, in company with Mr. Niederstetter after maps, but the result
was not very satisfactory. It is very difficult to furnish maps of the
United States, as they have not yet been trigonometrically surveyed, and
the only astronomical designation of places and maps are founded on
common surveys. At a dinner given by General Cadwalader, commander of
the Philadelphia militia, and one of the most distinguished citizens,
among other new acquaintances, I made also that of General Harrison, of
Cincinnati, senator of the United States. He had been a general in the
army during the last war, and defeated the English General Proctor,
on the boundaries of Canada, on which occasion, the celebrated Indian
chief, Tecumseh lost his life. But the general, to the great regret and
disadvantage of the army, resigned, on account of a dispute with the
then secretary of war, Armstrong.

At a party, which consisted of perhaps thirty persons, I was much
questioned about my journey, and particularly about my stay at New
Harmony. Mr. Owen’s system does not meet with much favour here, and it
is not thought that his society will last long. Much offence is taken at
its irreligious principles, and much surprise is manifested, that Mr.
M‘Clure, as an old, learned and sensible man, should have been so
captivated by this new system, as to declare in a meeting of a learned
society, when a proposition was made to buy a new building, that they
should only wait a couple of years, till this new social system should
be extended over the country, as land would then be so cheap in the
cities, that it might be purchased almost for nothing.

I must not neglect to mention a little present from Mr. Vaux. It is a
snuff-box, made of the wood of the elm tree at Kensington,[II-35] under
which William Penn made the treaty of 1682, with the Indians. It is very
simple, and decorated merely with a silver medal, on which is inscribed
“Penn’s treaty, 1682,” and below, “unbroken faith.”

    [Footnote II-35: Kensington was formerly a distinct village, on
    the Delaware above Philadelphia; the city has now extended thus
    far, so that it now belongs to the city. The tree was some years
    ago struck by lightning and destroyed.]




CHAPTER XXVI.

  _Journey from Philadelphia to New York.-- Coal-mines of Pottsville
    and Mauch Chunk.-- Bethlehem._


I left Philadelphia, June 3d, at four o’clock in the morning, to see the
coal-mines beyond the Blue Mountains, and then pay another visit to my
friends in Bethlehem; after which, I must repair to New York, as to my
great sorrow, the time for my embarkation approached. I rode fifty-two
miles in a mail stage to Reading. Notwithstanding a gust on the previous
evening, it was again very warm, and on the latter part of the journey
particularly, we were much incommoded by dust.

At first we took the same way, which I had taken last autumn to
Bethlehem, through Sunville, Germantown, and Chesnut Hill. The present
appearance of the country was very different from its aspect at that
rough season of the year. Every thing was now alive and green, and the
numerous and elegant gardens of Germantown, were filled with the
beautiful flowers. Although this place is three miles long, it presents
no tedious uniformity. The various country-seats of the wealthy
inhabitants of Philadelphia, which are tolerably close to each other,
rather present an agreeable change. Chesnut Hill affords a very
extensive view over the surrounding handsome and thickly inhabited
country. The valley of the Schuylkill appeared to particularly great
advantage, which by means of dams and canals, made near shallow places,
is navigable till beyond the Blue Mountains. Beyond Chesnut Hill, we
left the above-mentioned road and turned on the left to Norristown,
a very romantic place on the left side of the Schuylkill. Before
reaching this, we passed extensive marble quarries, which are about one
hundred feet deep, and form very picturesque hollows. The blocks are
raised by means of machines, worked by horses. This marble is gray, and
is used in the fire-places of most of the respectable houses in
Philadelphia. Several of the mile-stones on our road were also made of
this marble. The cuttings are partly burned to lime and partly thrown on
the turnpike. The turnpike, as an American one, was on this route
tolerably good.

Beyond Norristown we again rode through a very handsome country. Between
Chesnut Hill and the marble quarries, we passed a good stone bridge over
the Wissahiccon creek, which turns many mills. Between Norristown and
Trap, a small place through which the road runs, we passed two other
creeks, the Skippar and Perkiomen creeks, and at Pottsgrove, over a
third, called Monataway creek, which here empties into the Schuylkill.
The road then went over a hilly country through Warrensburg and
Exertown, and over the Mannokesy and Rush creeks. At last we saw
Reading, in a lovely valley. It had a military aspect, as a company of
volunteers had held a review to-day, and were recreating themselves at a
tavern near the town, after their toils. At five o’clock we reached
Trautman’s tavern, where we found good lodgings.

Reading contains about five thousand inhabitants; it consists of a long
principal street, which is very wide, in the middle, and of several
other streets, which cross it at right angles. The place depends on
agriculture and some manufactories. Many hats, especially felt hats, are
made here, which are sent in great numbers to the slave states and the
West Indies. I here visited Mr. Hiester, former governor of
Pennsylvania. This worthy old man bears his age, which is seventy-four
years, remarkably well. He took me to his son-in-law, Dr. Muhlenberg,
the German Lutheran minister of this place, son of the celebrated
naturalist and learned man of this name, who died about ten years ago.
We took tea at his house, and then walked to the Schuylkill, over which
a covered wooden bridge led. We saw also a part of the canal, on which
coal is brought to Philadelphia from the upper parts of the Schuylkill.
Here at Reading, this canal ascends four locks, which appear to be built
in a tolerably solid manner. It made a strange impression on me to hear
every person speak German. On the road from Philadelphia, I had every
where heard this language; but in Reading scarcely any thing else than
German is spoken, and better than I had heard in the state of Ohio,
or in Lancaster. Reading possesses a good German school under Dr.
Muhlenberg’s direction, in which this language is taught in its purity.
He himself has a numerous and selected library of English and German
books. Two canal boats run at present alternately every week between
Philadelphia and Reading, in which about one hundred travellers may be
accommodated. They leave the one place at three o’clock in the morning,
and reach the other about five o’clock in the evening.

I hired at Reading a carriage with two horses, for three dollars a day,
in order to visit the coal-mines beyond the Blue Mountains. I left
Reading at seven o’clock in the morning, and rode thirty-six miles to
Pottsville. We passed over a turnpike, which was occasionally very
rough. It several times led us in the neighbourhood of the canal, the
surface of which is about thirty feet wide on an average. It is lead by
means of wooden boxes over several deep streams. Between Reading and
Pottsville there are about eighty locks, several of which we passed; at
one time I saw seven together, which formed a very pleasing sight. About
noon we reached a little German place, called Hamburg, half way to
Pottsville, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, not far from the
Schuylkill and its canals. On the road to Hamburg, we passed but one
creek which had a name, Maiden creek. I dined at Hamburg, and met, as it
was Sunday, a number of idlers, all Germans, assembled in the tavern.
Several Germans of education in the United States, made the remark to
me, which I found but too true, that next to the Irish, the Germans form
the roughest portion of the emigrants. The truth of this remark again
forced itself on my attention in Hamburg, and especially in the case of
a young doctor, who had formerly studied in several German universities,
and gave vent to his giddiness in a vulgar manner. It was the first time
in the United States that the _affectation_ of republicanism arrested my
attention.

Not far beyond Hamburg, we came to a defile where the Schuylkill forces
a passage through the Blue Mountains. This narrow vale was very
romantic, and my interest in the scene was greatly increased by the
numberless blooming kalmias, improperly called laurel, the rhododendra,
which offered a splendid sight amidst the rich vegetation of chesnut
trees, butternuts, oaks, elms, sycamores, blooming tulip-trees, and
sumacs. How frequently I thought of the great pleasure which my father
would enjoy, if he could travel with me among these mountains, and
admire the treasures of the vegetable world with his experienced eye!
The way led along a mountain over the Schuylkill, which lay deep below
me. It forms here a curve, and is made navigable by means of dams, as
there was too little room to continue the canal on the side of it. After
we had passed the chief defile of the Blue Mountains, we left for a time
the navigable Schuylkill with its canal, and passed through a narrow
vale, through which the little Schuylkill flows, which is covered with
kalmias, rhododendrons, and some azaleas. Afterwards came another vale,
formed by Scrub Hill and Scollop Hill; then a long mountain, called
Limestone Ridge. Beyond this mountain we reached Orwigsburg, which,
entirely enclosed by mountains, occupies a romantic situation; it is
built in the form of a cross, and contains about eight hundred
inhabitants. We rode farther, through a valley covered with trees, again
reached the Schuylkill with its canal, and at length arrived at
Pottsville.

This place is scarcely to be found in any map, as it arose but three or
four years ago, and owes its existence to the neighbouring coal-mines.
The navigation of the Schuylkill commences here; this is the place where
the vessels which navigate this canal and river, small keel-boats, are
built. A couple of saw-mills are erected for this purpose, as well as a
high furnace, in which the iron ore found in the neighbourhood is
smelted. The coal-mines are worked under the direction of the Schuylkill
Coal Company, which has made the Schuylkill navigable at its own
expense, in order to transport the coal to Philadelphia and New York.
A bushel of coal, weighing eighty pounds, is sold at Philadelphia for
twenty-five cents. The river was made navigable only about eighteen
months ago, and it is only since this time, that they have commenced to
dig out coal.

Pottsville consists of a single street, lying in a somewhat narrow vale
on the right shore of the Schuylkill, and owes its name to a Mr. Pott,
who commenced the first iron works. The entrances of two coal-mines are
seen on the shore opposite the place; there are some which, however, are
not worked on account of scarcity of labourers. I became acquainted in
our tavern with a Mr. Baker from New York, who is one of the chief men
in this undertaking, as well as with a Mr. Taylor, editor of the paper
called the Miner’s Journal, which bears a good character.

I rode with these two gentlemen to the coal-mines, two miles and a half
from Pottsville, and not far from Norwegian creek. The coal appears
almost on the surface of the ground, in which a certain dark colour
denotes its presence. No one thoroughly understands the business of
coal-mining, and therefore it has hitherto been conducted in a very
unsystematic and expensive manner. Shafts are made wherever it is
thought that coal would be found, and when a vein is discovered it is
worked. The veins run from east to west, and then descend in a southern
direction at an angle of forty-five degrees; between the veins, slate is
commonly found about twelve feet thick. Under the lower layer of slate,
coals have been again discovered by boring, but have not yet been
farther worked. The shafts are not much above twenty feet deep; the
coals are brought up in buckets by means of two windlasses; at one place
machinery worked by a horse is employed for this purpose. One shaft
contains water, which, as the pumps are not yet in order, must be drawn
out in buckets in a very tedious and expensive manner. The coal is of a
superior quality, burns very well, and contains no sulphur. About fifty
men work in the mines, each of which on an average receives monthly
fifteen dollars. Hitherto the society has employed thirty vessels to
transport the coals to Philadelphia. They are brought from the mines in
large wagons to the head of the navigation, and are weighed before
unloading. A profit of a certain amount is expected to arise from the
working of these mines, which, however, will only be properly
calculated, when the mines are worked more systematically. They design
to connect the works with the river, which certainly would be a
considerable saving, by means of a rail-road. A mountain, which runs
parallel with that containing the mines, and which is yet covered with
trees, is also said to contain great quantities of coal, but has not yet
been worked.

After this fatiguing excursion, as I had seen most of the mines, I left
Pottsville on the 5th of June, and rode forty miles to Mauch Chunk at
the junction of a creek of this name with the Lehigh. After passing
Orwigsburg we turned to the left towards M‘Keansburg, through a woody
valley not well settled, and this only near Pine creek. M‘Keansburg is a
small place, and lies on an eminence, which affords a prospect of a
romantic valley, through which Little Schuylkill flows. M‘Keansburg
adjoins on one side a wood swarming with locusts, which made so much
noise that they might be heard at a great distance. These locusts are
seldom seen, and their present appearance is ascribed to the uncommonly
dry spring. I walked among the trees, and found under the stones several
crystallizations; I found among others, a stone perfectly resembling a
petrified bird’s head with the beak. Many vegetable petrifactions, such
as fern and leaves of the kalmia, are found in the slate between the
veins of coal. I was told that the impression of a whole collection of
snakes was found in a cavity in the slate, and that the impressions of
the heads, particularly, were very distinct.

After leaving M‘Keansburg we passed valleys and mountains, and reached,
in this manner, the narrow and romantic valley of the Lehigh, by a very
steep road. Lehighton, which lies at a junction of Mahoning creek and
the Lehigh, consists of but few houses, and is supported in a miserable
manner; because the land is too hilly and rough for cultivation, and the
industrious village of Mauch Chunk, which is but three miles distant,
withdraws from it all support. The country, however rough and
unproductive as it may be for those who wish to live here, would afford
a particular enjoyment to a botanist, and a lover of his science, by its
rich and blooming vegetable productions.

It began to grow dark when we reached Lehighton, I nevertheless
continued on the road; this grew narrow, was partly cut out of the rock,
and closely approached the right shore of the Lehigh as far as Mauch
Chunk, which we reached after dark, and in a storm. I took lodging in
the only inn, which, however, is very good and respectable, and kept by
a quaker, Mr. Atherton. The place has only existed four years, and owes
its origin to the neighbouring mines, which, with all the surrounding
country, belongs to the Lehigh Coal Company; a company which possesses a
large capital, has existed longer than its rival in Pottsville, and
conducts its operations more systematically. One of the most important
stockholders is a quaker, Mr. White, who lives here, and has properly
created every thing, and directs every thing himself. He visited me the
same evening, and appeared to be a plain Friend, who however has
reflected much on the good of mankind, and speaks very well.

On the next morning Mr. White took me about the place; it lies in a very
narrow vale surrounded with high mountains, which rise out of the Lehigh
and are covered with trees. The company has made the Lehigh navigable,
or rather is at present engaged in this work, by means of dams, locks
and canals, in order to transport the coal to Philadelphia with ease and
cheapness.

The canal, in which two locks stand at a distance of one hundred and
thirty feet from each other, is thirty feet wide between the locks, the
sides of which are covered with planks; behind this covering a wall has
been erected, the crevices of which are filled with a liquid mortar. Mr.
White calculates, that the covering of wood will last about thirty
years, and that during this time, the wall will unite with the mortar
and form a kind of rock. Neither the locks, nor the canal were finished,
so that there was as yet but a temporary navigation. The coal is put
into flat boats six feet wide and ten feet long; these are attached, two
together and five behind each other, so that a kind of raft of ten
boats, or rather a box is formed. When this raft arrives at
Philadelphia, and the coal unloaded, these boats are taken to pieces,
the boards sold, and all the iron which was in them, brought back to
Mauch Chunk in carts. Two saw-mills are in constant operation for the
building of these boats, the timber is previously cut in form, so that
practised workmen may nail together such a boat in an hour. But as soon
as the canal and the locks are finished, even this navigation so
expensive and destructive to the wood, will cease, and coal be
transported in steam-boats, which will pass up and down the river and
canal. The banks of the canal are covered with stones, or rather
formally paved, so that they may not suffer from the action of the
wheels. The coal is taken from the mine in wagons to the place where it
is put into boats, and there weighed. After this the carts move upon a
disk which turns, where the horses are quickly unharnessed. The carts
are then raised by means of a machine, worked by a horse, and when they
have attained a certain height, are brought in an oblique position, so
that the coals fall out into a kind of enclosure, where they remain till
wanted; the boats are loaded by means of moveable broad iron gutters,
which are elevated or depressed according to the height of the water.
Grates are put in this gutter, so that the coals which are too small,
and the dust, fall through, and merely the larger pieces fall into the
vessel.

Considerable quantities of iron ore are found near Mauch Chunk, in a
sandy state, and near the surface of the earth, which is melted in
furnaces, erected for this purpose. But they have not yet succeeded in
doing this by means of stone coal, and are obliged to use charcoal. This
iron is used to make rail-roads, which lead to the most important
coal-mine, nine miles distant. They will facilitate the transportation
of the coal to the water in a very great degree, and make this at least
three-fourths cheaper. Iron carts are to be used on this rail-road. Its
ascent to the mine amounts to one foot in a hundred; the empty carts are
to be drawn up by horses, each of which draws four at the rate of three
miles an hour; when they are loaded, they are carried to the river by
their own weight, and make the passage in less than an hour. When they
reach a certain point not far from the river, they are sent down an
inclined plane, at an angle of forty-five degrees, and by means of
machinery yet to be attached, they draw the empty carts by their weight
up this plane.

A very good turnpike, now leads to this important mine, nine miles from
Mauch Chunk, along the romantic valley of the same name, which ascends
but two feet in a hundred, so that we could trot the whole way. I went
in company with Mr. White. The mountain is imperceptibly ascended, and
it occasions surprise, when, after a ride of eight miles, the woods,
which cover the mountains are left, to see Mauch Chunk creek, whose
shore has apparently just been left, rushing deep below, and at the top
of the mountain to find oneself in a coal-mine. It is a highly
interesting sight, and alone worth a passage across the ocean. The coal
does not here run in veins, but the whole mountain consists of a solid
mass of coal, covered with a layer of clay at most a foot thick. The
earth assumes a dark colour six inches below the surface; coal dust a
foot and a half thick, is found at the depth of one foot, then comes the
coal in small pieces, which are not used, but at a foot deeper the solid
coal begins, which is broken off and sold. They have hitherto bored to
the depth of sixty feet, and found nothing but the purest coal; they
have however, dug but forty feet deep, and prefer working horizontally
rather than perpendicularly. Except some veins of slate, which as solid
rocks are not more than two feet thick, no heterogeneous substances are
found among the coal. This is entirely black, and only those parts which
are more or less exposed to the weather, are iridescent.

These mines, which are not subterraneous, occupy at present a space of
nearly four acres. An iron wedge forced by a hammer is used to break the
coal. The stratum of coal is partly horizontal and partly at an angle of
forty-five degrees; it seems as if it had been once elevated and broken
by a subterraneous power. The workmen are paid daily, gain about
eighteen dollars a month, and occupy several houses not far from the
mine. They have dug a well in the stratum of coal, which furnishes pure
and good drinking water.

We rode back to Mauch Chunk on the excellent road, made altogether on
account of the mine. There is a place on the road where iron sand is
dug, and whence runs a chalybeate spring, which leaves settlings of
ochre. Two miles from Mauch Chunk we ascended the hill, on the other
side of which, again quantities of coal are found. It is, however, very
difficult to reach the layer on this high and steep hill, and the
transportation of coals thence to Mauch Chunk would be attended with
great inconvenience and expense. To obviate this, the company is cutting
through the hill at a certain height, a tunnel in the rock, by which
means the stratum may, to use the expression, be reached by the rear,
and the conveyance of the coals be much facilitated. This tunnel is to
be ten feet high and fifteen wide, with a rail-road in the middle. They
have cut through two hundred feet already, and have yet one hundred and
twenty feet to work, before they reach the coal. This labour is
fatiguing and tedious; twelve men work day and night. They blast the
rocks with powder, and advance but one foot in twenty-four hours.

In the valley of Mauch Chunk creek, along the road, two furnaces are
erected in order to cast the pieces necessary for the rail-road, to
avoid their transportation and to accelerate the work on the road. Two
saw-mills have also been built in this valley, but the water in the
creek is generally too low to depend much on their assistance in such
works. The company employs about one thousand eight hundred workmen, who
live partly near the mine, but generally in small houses in the place
belonging to the company. Their habitations form a street along Mauch
Chunk creek, nearly half a mile long. A great number of them are married
and have their families with them. The company has given them a
clergyman, and a school with a good teacher, to instruct their children.
A massive mill is also erected near the creek, in which all the flour
necessary for the place is ground; the country is too rough for culture;
the company exchanges in a very profitable manner coal for grain.
Meadows have, however, been laid out in the valley, in order to gain the
necessary hay for one hundred and twenty horses, which daily work here.
The creek also works bellows, by means of which the necessary draft of
air is preserved in the furnaces and in the forges.

A store belonging to the society, and furnished with all the necessary
articles, is also kept here. In this the workmen and their families
receive the necessary articles, the price of which is deducted from
their wages. Every workman has his leaf in a large book, wherein his
account stands, and besides a small pass-book, wherein a copy of his
account is written. Every month, or if the workman prefers oftener,
a settlement is made, and he receives a note on the treasurer for the
money owing to him, unless he wishes it to remain in the treasurer’s
hands. The company makes a great profit in this manner, and the greater
part of the money expended flows back again into its treasury. The
ground three miles up and down the Lehigh, belongs to the company, so
that no one can dispute with them the monopoly of keeping a store. If
other companies should be formed to dig coals in the mountains above
Mauch Chunk, where great quantities are said to be found, they could not
gain much, as this society has taken possession of the only outlet, the
Lehigh, and on account of the locks could lay many difficulties in the
way with regard to the transportation of other coal.

I visited Mr. White in his tasteful house on the declivity of a
mountain, whence he may see the whole of Mauch Chunk. He has a park
behind his house, with tame game, which eat out of his hands. They
consist of two stags and a female elk and her young one, which is
already nearly as large and strong as a horse. They were obliged to
shoot the male elk last autumn, as he attacked Mr. White and gave him
eight wounds in the legs, with his horns, which confined the poor man
about a month to his bed. The assistant of Mr. White ran to aid him, but
received some wounds himself in the body, and would have been killed by
the furious animal, if, at the cry of the two unfortunate men, a number
of people had not hastened with poles and clubs to relieve them.

At five o’clock in the evening, I left the interesting Mauch Chunk and
went sixteen miles on the road to Bethlehem, as far as Cherryville. At
Lehighton I took the left shore of the Lehigh passing two small creeks,
Big creek, and Aquanshicola creek, and at last, (for the fifth time,)
the Blue Mountains, through Lehigh Water Gap. This country must be very
handsome, and it was with regret that I saw so little of it, but it
began to grow dark, was very rainy weather, and thick clouds covered the
Blue Mountains. Two miles from Water Gap we passed through a small place
called Berlinville, and were yet two miles distant from Cherryville.
In the darkness we could not see the posts which stand wherever roads
cross, and there was no turnpike. We accordingly lost our way, and at a
cross road knew not which direction to take. We ran about in the rain
and the darkness, but found nothing which could have directed us. At
last we took a road at random, fortunately the right one! But it was
midnight before we reached Cherryville, where we found lodgings in a
very good tavern. This whole country is inhabited by Germans, and the
German language is the only one spoken.

Cherryville consists of but few houses, has, however, an open and
handsome situation, and the roads in the vicinity are planted with
handsome and large cherry trees, whence the name of the place. I left
this place, June 7th, at eight o’clock in the morning, and rode fourteen
miles to much-esteemed Bethlehem. We passed through two small places,
Kreiderville and Howardtown, and through a well-cultivated country; the
grain and fruit, however, were suffering much from the drought, and
beyond Howardtown we rode in a thick cloud of dust. I was uncommonly
pleased, and felt quite at home, when, on leaving the woods, I saw the
friendly Bethlehem before me. But it was quite different from what it
was last autumn; it was then cold, and the trees beginning to lose their
leaves; now summer had given every thing new life.

At Bethlehem I went to my old quarters at Bishop’s tavern, and soon
after my arrival visited the worthy Mr. Frueauf. He was the more pleased
with my visit, as no one in Bethlehem believed that I would fulfil my
promise of returning, except himself. He took me to his brother-in-law,
the Reverend Mr. von Schweinitz, who, at the very time I was at
Bethlehem last autumn, had visited my father in Weimar, and spoken with
my wife. Mr. von Schweinitz is on the mother’s side a great grandson of
Count von Zinzendorf, and the brother of a deceased Lieutenant von
Schweinitz, with whom I had been in early years in a company of the
Saxon Guards. He is a very agreeable man, who unites a polished
education with an excellent character. At dinner I met with pleasure
with the old Dr. Stickel. After dinner I walked with Mr. Frueauf and Mr.
von Schweinitz, across Lehigh bridge, to a promenade along the river,
leading to a semicircular place. Benches were placed here, and a spring
was overarched to keep wine, &c. cool. We then went below the garden of
the girl’s school to the mill of the congregation, where there is also a
place under a handsome linden tree, affording a very pleasing view into
the vale. But Mr. von Schweinitz was unfortunately obliged to leave here
this afternoon on business of the society, and I could enjoy his
extremely agreeable acquaintance but for a short time.

I now visited Bishop Hueffel and the Rev. Mr. Seidel. I went again with
the latter to the girl’s school, and again admired the great order which
reigns there, and the handsome and fine work of the girls. In the
evening I was present at service in the church; but it was not well
attended, and consisted merely in singing several hymns, which Mr.
Seidel sang, accompanied by a good organ. This devotional exercise
occupied perhaps half an hour, and takes place every evening. The rest
of the evening I spent in a very agreeable manner, at Mr. Seidel’s
house, in company with Bishop Hueffel and Mr. Frueauf.

The following day passed in a very agreeable manner. I read several
allemanic poems of Hebel with Mr. Frueauf, who played to me on his
piano, which instrument must not be wanting in any house here; these
poems may well be called Pennsylvanian, as they are written in a dialect
which is spoken here, especially in Lancaster county and in the western
country. Bishop Hueffel showed me his handsome collection of sketches of
great masters, which are selected with much taste and science, as well
as several other good paintings and drawings. This worthy Bishop, is a
man of polished education, in whose society nothing but profit can be
obtained, on which account I was particularly sorry that I could not
longer stay at Bethlehem. I also visited the sister’s house, and these
maidens, who have grown old in honour, seemed to be much pleased with my
repeated visit. I was obliged to go through all the rooms, sit with
several, and tell them of my travels, which was done with the greatest
pleasure. I found many of them employed in making hats of fine chips of
the ash tree. These are woven in a loom like a bolting cloth, then cut
and sewed into hats. A merchant of this place made this speculation,
sells the hats at three quarters of a dollar a piece, and is said to do
much business.

But I could stay no longer. I left Bethlehem at five o’clock in the
afternoon, with much regret, and rode twelve miles to Easton. The road
led through a country tolerably hilly, and partly woody, but generally
very well cultivated, and through one small place called Butstown. I had
for several days past remarked, that instead of fences, dry walls were
made in a very neat manner, consisting of numerous stones gathered from
the fields. Easton, which I reached at seven o’clock, is a flourishing
place of about three thousand inhabitants. It lies in a valley at the
junction of the Delaware and Lehigh. The shores of both rivers,
especially of the latter, are high; in this are also many rocks, and the
country offers a number of picturesque views. The Delaware forms the
boundary between Pennsylvania and New Jersey; Easton on the right side
belongs to the former. The place is regularly built. The greatest part
of the houses are built of brick, though there are also some of stone.
A large square place stands in the middle, surrounded with a row of
Lombardy poplars, in the centre of which the Court-house is erected.
I found these poplars in Pennsylvania, and especially in the eastern
parts, preferred as an ornamental tree; in the greater part of the
villages the streets, and even the roads, for some distance are planted,
and some farms are surrounded with them. But it is said they attract
insects, which infest the houses, on which account they have been rooted
up in many places, as for instance, in the streets of New York; in
Pennsylvania, on the contrary, to obviate this evil, their trunks as far
as the branches, are covered with whitewash. The butternut tree, the
leaves of which resemble those of the ash, is also used as an ornamental
tree. At Easton a roofed wooden bridge leads over the Delaware, resting
on two stone piers, and is about two hundred and seventy-seven paces in
length. Like the generality of these bridges, it is divided into two
parts lengthwise, in order that wagons may not meet each other.
A handsome chain bridge, about two hundred and ten paces in length,
leads over the Lehigh. It is divided into three parts lengthwise; the
extreme parts being for wagons and horses, and the middle and smallest
for foot passengers. This bridge was erected ten years ago, and though
it has borne heavy loads, has not yielded in the least degree.

I received in the evening visits from several Germans, who live in the
place, among whom I mention particularly a physician, Dr. Muller, Mr.
Schumann, and Mr. Till, from Bethlehem. The latter is a teacher of music
and an instrument maker, in Easton. Mr. Schumann was sent to the
seminary of the Moravians at Gnadenfeld in Silesia to become a minister.
Not being pleased with this, he left Gnadenfeld, visited several German
universities to study medicine, returned to America, and now dedicates
himself in Easton to the law.

A military academy was founding in Easton, of which great expectations
were formed. It was a private undertaking by Mr. Constant. Since it has
been seen, that the military academy at West Point furnishes such
excellent subjects, a strict military education is becoming more and
more popular in the northern states. The number of pupils at West Point
is too limited to admit all the young men for whom application is made.
A captain Partridge, who was formerly an officer at West Point, but
condemned to be cashiered by a court-martial on account of an act of
insubordination towards General Swift and Lieutenant-colonel Thayer, has
founded a military school at his own expense at Middletown, in
Connecticut, in which he is said to give a very good education and solid
instruction to the young men entrusted to him. The result of these
schools shows more and more the advantage of a military education, and
awakens a spirit of competition among individuals to erect similar
schools.

I left Easton, June 9, at four o’clock, in the mail stage, and rode
through New Jersey to New York, seventy-two miles. We passed the
Delaware, and rode on a good turnpike, through a hilly, well-cultivated
country, and through some unimportant places to a tolerably high
mountain, called Schooley’s Mountain, where there is a mineral spring
much frequented in summer. We afterwards came to a neat place in a
handsome valley, called German Valley; then passing through Chester and
Mondham, also handsome places, we came to Morristown. All these places
in New Jersey are well located, containing generally brick and some
large houses; the streets are wide, planted with poplars, and in the
centre of each place is a roomy square opening, in the midst of which
stands a high pole, whence the national flag waves on public days.
Churches also are not wanting; I saw four in Morristown, which appears
to contain about one thousand inhabitants. The churches have here
generally high and white steeples, so that they may be seen at a
considerable distance. We came also through a small place, Springfield,
and then reached Elizabethtown, a very handsome place, surrounded with
neat country-seats, the greater part of which belong to rich inhabitants
of New York. After a short delay we left Elizabethtown, rode two miles
farther through a meadow ground, much like Holland, and reached a bay.
Here we left the stage, and went on board the steam-boat Bellona, being
about fourteen miles distant from New York. This bay is properly an
inland lake, and is called Newark bay, after a town on it of the same
name. It receives its water from two streams, Passaic and Hackensack,
and communicates with the sea towards the south through Staten Island
sound, and on the east with the bay of New York through the channel of
Castleton, through which we also passed. We had on the left a cape
belonging to New Jersey, and on the right Staten Island belonging to New
York. As it was narrow here we could see with great ease the handsome
country-seats and gardens on both shores. But we enjoyed the handsomest
and most unexpected sight, as we entered the bay of New York. On the
right was the beautiful shore of Staten Island with Castleton, then the
quarantine, where, besides several other vessels, lay a Swedish
line-of-battle ship, which being sold to the Colombian government,
remained here on account of some difficulties in the payment; beyond the
Narrows the sea, then Fort La Fayette; we had in front of us the shore
of Long Island, and on the left the bay of New York, with the forts on
Governor’s and Bedlow’s Island, and between in the back ground the city
of New York, with its pointed spires and forest of masts, in the North
and East rivers. This sight is wonderfully beautiful, and well deserves
to be represented as a panorama. Arrived in the bay, we turned to the
left, passed the above-mentioned fortified islands, left Bedlow’s island
and the slightly fortified Ellis’s island, passed Castle-garden, and
landed from the North river at seven o’clock in the evening.
I immediately repaired to the City Hotel in Broadway, where I had lodged
last autumn, and occupied again the same apartment which I then did.

I leave it the reader to imagine with what remarks and feelings I again
entered this place. I gratefully turned to the Great Master of Life, who
had so manifestly protected me during this long journey, and brought me
back again to this place in health!

I passed at this time but few days in New York, and I mention but a few
circumstances. I was indeed very busy during these days, but almost
every thing was done with a view to my departure.

I made a visit to Colonel Burr, who was a vice-president of the United
States at the commencement of this century, and a rival of Mr. Jefferson
for the presidency, which was decided in favour of the latter by the
vote of Mr. Claiborne. In consequence of this election, Colonel Burr
fought a duel with General Hamilton, in which the latter was killed.
Burr afterwards went to the western states, and, as it was said,
intended to detach these from the eastern, and form them into a separate
state. His plan was, however, discovered, and he was arrested, but
acquitted for want of sufficient proof. He then travelled through
Europe, and now lives at New York as a lawyer. During his travels in
Europe, he came, in 1810, to Weimar, and spoke of a remarkably good
reception on the part of my father. I found him to be a little old man,
with very lively eyes, who spoke very well.

As I went to pay a visit to Mr. Zimmermann, consul of the Netherlands,
a fire occurred in a tar manufactory near his house. It was fortunately
checked by the excellent fire companies, before it extended. I had
scarcely remarked the fire when the bells were rung, and fire cried in
all the streets. In less than five minutes engines arrived, each drawn
by about thirty people, by means of two long ropes. In New York numerous
fire companies exist, among whom the different engines are divided. The
members of these companies have voluntarily engaged themselves for this
laborious service, and are relieved, in consequence, from jury and
military service. They wear a short frock at a fire, of coarse linen,
with a leathern belt, and a leathern hat with a number. As in many
English cities, there are water pipes laid in the streets, with an
inscription at the corner, how many feet distant is the opening. This
has an iron cover to which each engine has a key, is brought near, and
the water conveyed into it through a leathern hose. As I had nothing to
do with the fire, I returned to my lodgings, and passed a second fire in
another street. This was, however, less important than the former, and
soon extinguished.

I went one evening to the Italian opera in the Park Theatre. This opera
was established here last autumn, and is an attempt to transplant this
exotic fruit to American ground. It does not, however, appear adapted to
the taste of the public here; at least the speculation of the Italian
theatre is not so profitable as was expected. The members of this
theatre came from the Italian opera in London. At their head stands
Signor Garcia, a very good bass. The orchestra was not numerous, but
complete, and was directed by a French pianist, Mr. Etienne. Don
Giovanni, by Mozart, was given; it was a great satisfaction to me to see
this classic piece so well represented. At first nothing but operas of
Rossini were played, but now operas of Mozart are preferred to the
former by judges in this place. The price has been raised, and two
dollars is asked for the first tier. The theatre continues till half
past eleven, when one returns home through well-lighted streets.

As I heard that Governor Clinton was in the city, I hastened to pay him
my respects, but did not find him at home; on this occasion I again saw
how large the city was. The house where the governor lived is nearly two
miles distant from the City Hotel, without being out of the city.
I remarked that since last autumn three new churches have been built
here, of which one, a presbyterian, was very tasteful; since this time
also several new houses had been erected in this quarter. The number of
the inhabitants of the city increases exceedingly, it now supposed to
amount to one hundred and seventy thousand.

I rode also to the navy-yard in Brooklyn, on Long Island, where I paid a
visit to the worthy Commodore Chauncy. I found him with his interesting
family in excellent health, but very busy, for he had just despatched
the corvette Lexington to New Foundland, in order to protect the
American fishermen against the chicaneries of vessels of war belonging
to other nations, cruising about there. I saw also the frigate
Brandywine, which had returned from the Mediterranean sea, after taking
General La Fayette to France; she was now undergoing repairs, in order
to go to the Pacific ocean. A frigate and corvette were building.

I saw also the celebrated chess-player of Kempelen, which, with some
other curiosities is exhibited by its present owner, the mechanician Mr.
Maelzel, from Vienna. He is said to have already gained much money with
it in New York. The automaton represents a Turk, sitting behind the
table with a chess-board before him. A table with another chess-board
stands opposite, on which any of the company begins a game of chess with
the automaton. When the automaton is to make a move, a noise of wheels
is heard in the table, and at the same time the Turk lifts his left
hand, which rests on a cushion, opens his fingers, takes the piece,
makes the move, closes his hand, and places it on the cushion again. If
his antagonist makes a false move, the Turk knocks with his right hand
on the table in anger, shakes his head, and expresses his indignation by
a sound. When the Turk gained a game, Mr. Maelzel wound up the machine
like a clock, by means of a handle at the table, then the Turk took a
knight and placed it successively once in every square. The whole
machine stands on four wheels, and may be very easily moved from one
part of the chamber to the other. Whilst the Turk plays the game, Mr.
Maelzel stands by; but it cannot be seen in what manner he directs his
movements. It is said that Mr. Maelzel is negotiating with the keeper of
the National Hotel, where he exhibited his automaton, for the purchase
of the chess-player, and has already received an offer of nineteen
thousand dollars.

After Mr. Maelzel had moved back the player, he showed us a small figure
made of pasteboard, and representing a violoncello player, which moves
his head and both hands. Mr. Maelzel plays several pieces on the piano,
and the small figure accompanies him with his violoncello, keeping exact
time. He then showed us a trumpeter as large as life, who plays several
pieces with the trumpet in a masterly manner, and with his trumpet
accompanies Mr. Maelzel, who plays the piano. I had already seen this
trumpeter in 1809, at Vienna, and I also recollected to have seen the
chess-player in 1812, in Milan, in the palace of the then vice-king of
Italy. Mr. Maelzel finally showed us three small automata a foot and a
half high. One of them represents a little girl, which when its arm is
moved cries maman; the other a clown, who made grimaces and cried oh la
la! This and another smaller figure were placed on a rope, on which they
performed various evolutions.

To Castle-garden, on the battery, I went about seven o’clock in the
evening. The tasteful illumination is effected by gas. A handsome and
large saloon is also arranged here, where various refreshments may be
obtained. A good orchestra played the whole evening, and rockets
ascended from time to time. I was particularly pleased with the walk on
the upper gallery, whence there is a beautiful view of Hudson river and
the bay. It was a moonlight evening; the water was calm, and a gentle
wind from the sea, refreshed the sultry atmosphere in a very agreeable
manner.

At a visit which I made to Governor Clinton, in the City Hall, where his
office is, I saw in the room of audience several handsome portraits by
Sully, Peale, Trumbull, &c. I was most pleased with a full length
portrait of the deceased Commodore PERRY. This naval hero was
represented at the moment of leaving in a small boat his vessel, which
had became useless, and going on board of another, in which he gained
his splendid victory over the English on Lake Erie. There is also here a
full length portrait of General Jackson, and of Generals Brown, Macomb,
and Swift, as well as those of Commodores Hull, Decatur, Bainbridge,
M‘Donough and Chauncy, and of the former Governor Lewis. There is also a
very good portrait of Ex-President Monroe, as well as of several of the
earlier Governors of New York, among whom is one of the last Dutch
Governors, Peter Stuyvezant, in full armour. In another hall
appropriated to the meetings of the corporation, there is a portrait by
Trumbull of the great Washington, and opposite to this, a portrait of
the elder Governor Clinton, uncle of De Witt Clinton, as well as those
of General Hamilton and Chief Justice Jay.

To my great delight I met with my fellow traveller, Mr. Bowdoin; we were
much together; in company with him I paid a visit to the English
Admiral, Sir Isaac Coffin. He is an American by birth, and although he
belongs to the English navy and is a member of parliament, his whole
heart still clings to his native country, and he has come hither to see
it again before his death.

I was much disappointed at a second visit to the Italian opera. Il
barbiere di Seviglia was announced, but on account of the indisposition
of the Signorina GARCIA, it was not represented. The same folly prevails
among the public here, as among the English, to require a repetition of
the greater part of the airs, even of the most difficult songs, without
regard to the exhaustion of the singer.

I visited again, in company with the Rev. Mr. Schaeffer, the excellent
institution, called House of Refuge for juvenile offenders. This
institution has increased since last autumn, and now contains
ninety-three young persons of both sexes; at present, however, there are
only twenty-three of the female sex. Such an institution is certainly
worthy of imitation; for children, who are led astray by wrong
inclinations, by the wickedness of their parents, and by bad company,
are brought back again to the right road, whereas in other countries
they are shut up in public prisons with old offenders, and thereby they
become still more corrupted. The house intended for the boys was
finished, and inhabited by them. They were at this time employed in
building another for the girls, parallel with the former. The boys sleep
each alone in a cell on a piece of sail cloth, which they spread out and
fasten by four pegs. These are long rooms, which serve as school rooms,
and are on one side of the building two stories high. The second row is
reached by wooden steps, and a gallery runs before the cells of this
row. All the boys are employed; either in receiving instruction or in
attending to some mechanical business. They are taylors, shoemakers,
weavers, joiners, and basket-makers. I saw here a machine to cut out
shoe soles and heels. Sharp irons are formed according to the shape,
which is designed for the sole or heel; these irons are placed on a pair
of wet hides, and brought under an iron press, which is worked like
those in the mint. The boys who distinguish themselves by their industry
and good behaviour, are placed in the first class, and carry on the left
arm a brass plate, with the inscription, first class, as a mark of
distinction. Those on the contrary, who have endeavoured to escape, drag
a chain with a heavy iron ball. The period of detention in this
institution is left to the discretion of the commissioners; they may be
detained till their twenty-first year.

In order to show me the boys, the director gave notice with a whistle,
upon which they arranged themselves, according to their size. Several
large and strong fellows stood on the right wing, among which I saw one
of a very good appearance, whom I saw here last year as clerk. His
family had confined him here on account of an irresistible propensity to
steal, against which, neither exhortation nor severe corporeal
punishment availed. I saw two little boys of seven years, on the left
wing, who had already begun to steal. The biography of every one is
written in a separate book, and a journal afterwards kept of his
behaviour, punishments, &c. The director of the house showed me some of
these biographies; they are psychologically, exceedingly remarkable. The
greater part of the boys had been induced to steal by larger ones, who
have been confined on account of this offence in the penitentiary or
state prison. The director called the former of these institutions the
academy, and the latter the university for thieves. The benefit of this
house of refuge is perceived in the clearest manner from these
biographies, it is seen of what importance it is to anticipate the
development of crime. It is certainly an effective mode of improving the
morality of the lower classes. They say that it is more difficult to
keep the girls in order, than the boys, and that upon the whole, the
former are much worse than the latter. They are generally seduced, when
they are but nine or ten years old. When not engaged in receiving
instruction, they are employed in female occupations.

After leaving this interesting institution, we repaired to the
alms-house on the East river. With the alms-house they have connected
the workhouse, in which criminals are confined and employed for the
benefit and advantage of the city. The institution was erected at the
expense of the city, and consists of three long massive buildings, three
stories high, with several side buildings, designed for hospitals,
schools, smithshops, &c. The whole is surrounded with a wall, and
divisions made in the interior, to separate the paupers from the
criminals. The offices and the rooms occupied by the officers, as well
as those of the poor, are arranged in the building fronting on the
river, the second house also contains rooms for the poor, and workshops,
in which those who can yet work, are usefully employed. About twelve
hundred helpless poor people and children, among which are many
foundlings, are here supported. They inhabit large halls, which,
however, have a bad smell, and I missed that cleanliness, which is
indispensably necessary in such an establishment. A poor-house, is at
best an unpleasant, and when it is not cleanly kept, a disgusting sight.
Those who are confined, are criminals of a lower kind, the worst are not
confined longer than three years. The men work during the day, either in
the fields belonging to the city, or in the public streets. A chain is
attached to their leg, and they are under the inspection of appointed
sentinels. The women are employed in various manners. A treading-mill
was formerly in operation in a side building; but this has not been used
for a year, as it was thought injurious to the health of the prisoners.
A kind of typhus raged in the prison last year, which carried off
numbers of the prisoners. These sleep in separate cells, each of which,
is seven feet long, and three feet broad. Each prisoner has here, as in
the house of refuge, a piece of sail cloth, spread out on four pegs, on
which he sleeps. There is a small grate in each door, which admits the
necessary light into the cell. There are sixty cells in one hall, all on
one side, in five rows above each other; each row has a small gallery.
The hall receives its light from above. A pulpit, opposite the cells, is
erected in this hall for worship; the prisoners who are confined during
the service, stand behind the grate in their doors, whence they may see
the minister. The whole arrangement has, as remarked above, a handsome
and open situation; there is a belvidere on the roof of the front house,
whence a handsome and extensive prospect may be enjoyed.

On the last day of my stay in New York and in America, I went with Mr.
Zimmermann into some stores, and walked in some of the oldest parts of
the city. In these parts the streets are crooked, narrow and gloomy,
well adapted to retain the yellow fever. In the neighbourhood, however,
of the alms-house there is a building three stories high, where the
incurable lunatics, supported by the corporation of the city, are
received; but the two upper stories are designed to receive, when the
yellow fever appears, those who suffer with this dreadful evil, in order
to remove, as quickly as possible, the infection from the city. Some old
Dutch houses stand in the narrow streets, built by the first settlers,
consisting only of a lower story, with the gable-ends towards the
street. They are building in Wall street, a new exchange, which, when
completed, will be a handsome building. The post-office is already
placed in its lower story. Wall street is the street in which the most
commercial business is done, and in which most of the banks stand; it is
to be regretted that it is one of the ugliest streets in the city.

After having paid some farewell visits, I passed a part of my last
evening in America, in a very agreeable manner in the house of Mrs.
Bell. It is the most agreeable house for strangers in New York, in which
they always meet with a very good reception. I enjoyed also, for several
hours, the company of Mr. Bowdoin, and of Colonel Jones, the
brother-in-law of Governor Clinton.




CHAPTER XXVII.

  _Return Voyage from New York to Liverpool._


To my great and sincere regret, the hour at length arrived when I was
constrained to leave this happy and prosperous land, in which I had seen
and learned so much, and in which _much_ more still remained to be seen
and learned: _sed fata trahunt hominem!_

On the 16th of June, at ten, A. M., I proceeded to Whitehall, the
southernmost point of the battery, accompanied by Mr. Zimmermann, Mr.
George Beiden, and Mr. Armstrong, the American Consul at Port-au-Prince.
Close alongside the wharf, the steam-boat Nautilus, which plies between
New York and Staten Island, lay ready to take passengers on board the
Pacific, one of the Liverpool and New York packets, on board of which I
had taken passage for Europe. The Pacific had on the preceding day,
sailed down to the quarantine ground. The gentlemen above named
accompanied me to the vessel. We were scarcely on board the steam-boat
before she departed on her trip. She was tolerably crowded, inasmuch as
she not only carried the Pacific’s passengers, but likewise their
friends, who accompanied them, and the passengers for Staten Island. The
rain fell in torrents, and the passage was rather unpleasant.

After stopping a few moments at Staten Island to land some passengers,
we reached the Pacific in an hour. The wind being contrary, the ship
could not put to sea. Not far from us lay the packet ship Edward
Quesnell, which had left New York the day previous, and likewise, owing
to head winds, could not proceed on her voyage. This ship belongs to the
Havre-de-Grace line, trading between that port and New York. Our friends
and acquaintances, who had come to bid us farewell, after partaking of a
luncheon, returned in the Nautilus to the city. Now I once again was
compelled to arm myself with patience! I recalled the time, when I was
obliged to remain fourteen long days on board the Pallas, in the Road of
Goeree, and I now consoled myself with a more pleasing situation. At
that time I had just torn myself from the dearest objects of my heart;
I contemplated a tedious stay in England, a dangerous voyage, in a word,
to encounter a host of difficulties, and moreover found myself, in an
inclement season of the year on board a ship, which was to bring me to a
new world. These difficulties were now overcome; the voyage had been
accomplished, and I was conscious that the object of my free choice, had
been truly fulfilled to the best of my endeavours. According to a close
calculation, I found that from my landing in Boston, to the time of my
re-embarkation for Europe, I had travelled over a distance of seven
thousand one hundred and thirty-five miles! How happy was I on board the
Pacific! The greatest tranquillity, order and discipline, the utmost
comfort in respect to quarters; a sedulous attendance, profuse and
palatable meals, seasoned with the best of wines, graced our splendid
board.

The first day was employed by the passengers, about twenty in number, in
making themselves at home; I passed the afternoon and evening in reading
and writing. The rain abated towards night, but the wind remained
unchanged. Among the passengers I observed a Dr. Garret, a surgeon
attached to the seventieth English regiment of the line, whose
acquaintance I had made in Montreal, during the summer previous, also
two Catholic clergymen of that city, Abbés Roux and Richards, a Mr.
Wilkins, and Mr. Adair, an Irishman, and also several gentlemen from
Jamaica, a Swiss merchant named Hoffel, and a young Hamburger, called
Drusina, who had lately returned from Mexico, where he was partner in an
English commercial house, a very genteel young man, and lastly a Dr.
Cabell of Richmond, in Virginia, with his wife, a sister of Mrs. General
Scott, and with their charming friend, Miss Caroline Marx, also a
resident of Richmond.

Though we had no rain on the 17th of June, still the wind continued
unfavourable; the Edward Quesnell had gone farther out to sea, and the
Pacific did the same. The anchor was weighed, we spread our sails, and
coasted for some miles along the shore to the Sandy Hook light-house,
located on a point of land belonging to the state of New Jersey; here we
again joined the Edward Quesnell and cast anchor close to her. While
sailing along the coast, I was visited by my old acquaintance,
sea-sickness, which however did not last long. While attacked by this
sickness, I gratefully recalled to mind the goodness of Providence, in
having preserved me from all disease during my long journey through the
American continent! In England I had several attacks of rheumatism in
the left arm and shoulder; but these pains disappeared during my voyage
to Boston. Owing to the unhealthiness of the climate in the
neighbourhood of Lake Ontario and the river St. Lawrence, I had a
breaking out in the face, which ultimately increased to a scab on the
chin, and of which I did not get rid for several months. To this I have
to add the unfortunate injury from the carriage at Greenbush, which
caused violent pains in my chest. All these left me the moment I reached
the genial climate of the southern states, and during my stay in New
Orleans I did not feel the least inconvenience, and when, during the
journey, I experienced now and then a slight indisposition, it was
doubtless to be attributed solely to the water that I was compelled to
drink; it was but short in its duration, and, upon the whole, during my
travels, I enjoyed perfect health.

The country adjacent to the spot where our ship lay, opposite the
quarantine hospital at Staten Island, until this morning, is uncommonly
beautiful. On leaving this station, we passed through the Narrows,
beheld on our right Fort Richmond on Staten Island, to our left Fort La
Fayette, and in the back ground, on a hill of Long Island, Fort
Hamilton, in the erection of which they were busily engaged. Then we
left the charming high coast of Staten Island and came in sight of the
bleak low lands of Sandy Hook, with Long Island to the left, and the
ocean before us. The Sandy Hook light-house is a high white tower,
surrounded by small underwood; to the south of it, and tolerably distant
from each other, are two small towers, likewise furnished with lanterns,
whose lights are, however, not to be seen at so great a distance at sea
as that of the large one. They serve as landmarks for mariners.

As we lay so near the Edward Quesnell, I went towards evening in a boat
on board that vessel, in order to see how the passengers, and
particularly the worthy Mr. Hottinguer, whom I have heretofore
mentioned, were situated. Although this ship is well constructed and
provided with state-rooms, still it is by no means so elegant and
comfortable as the Pacific, nor is it so large. She had thirty-five
cabin passengers, with a number of children; they were greatly
straightened for room. Besides Mr. Hottinguer, I met several
acquaintances; Colonel de Quartel,[II-36] Baron Lederer,[II-37] with his
two sons, whom he intended to place at a school in Germany; Major
Chotard,[II-38] with his lady and four children, and also a young
Italian scene-painter, from New Orleans, called Fogliardi, who married
there a very old but extremely rich wife, and was on his way to France
and Italy, to escape with his better half from the quizzical jokes of
the wicked wags of New Orleans. Although the deck of the Edward Quesnell
was very narrow, Mr. Hottinguer had received a present of an elegant
saddle-horse from his friends at New York, which, to please those
friends, he was forced to take with him; therefore there was a stable
erected for it on the deck, which took up a great space, and caused much
inconvenience. Mr. Hottinguer and Colonel de Quartel accompanied me back
to the Pacific, and remained some time with me. It was a charming
moonlight evening; the wind, however, still continued unfavourable.

    [Footnote II-36: In service of the Netherlands, on his return from
    a mission to the new South American republics.]

    [Footnote II-37: Austrian Consul-General to the United States.]

    [Footnote II-38: Whose acquaintance I made on the Mississippi
    during my trip from Louisville to Cincinnati.]

On the 18th of June, just one year had elapsed since I departed in the
Pallas from Falmouth. The whole of this day we had dull weather; the
wind remained unfavourable, and the vessel rode at anchor. Among our
fellow travellers there were several very agreeable individuals. The
English military surgeon was a very sprightly man, who perfectly
understood how to cheer up the spirits of the ladies. Mr. Wilkins,
a very elegant young man of good education, had been previously
introduced to me by Governor Clinton in New York. One of the clergymen,
the Abbé Leroux, an elderly Frenchman, we found tolerably dull. With
regard to the other, the Abbé Richards, I heard it stated, that he had
been originally a Protestant minister in Virginia, and had removed to
Montreal, to endeavour to make proselytes in the seminary of that place;
but in his controversies he became so won over to the Catholic faith,
that he was not only converted, but likewise took the orders of Catholic
priesthood. One of our boats went ashore, and the steward brought back
some fresh provisions, among others tolerably large clams, which, when
roasted or stewed in a rich sauce, resemble the flavour of the lobster,
as likewise a species of large crab, termed horse-shoe, which resembles
the Molucca crab, having a long pointed spine instead of a tail. The
form of the shell of this crab resembles a horse-shoe; seen from the
under part it is all alive; they have ten nippers, with which they seize
their prey, and which answer likewise for feet. In the afternoon we
received a visit from Mr. Hottinguer, Colonel de Quartel, Baron Lederer,
and Mr. Fogliardi. I escorted those gentlemen back to the Edward
Quesnell. The sea running rather high, we were splashed by the salt
water. Our trip seen from the ship must have had a dangerous aspect, for
it was really affecting to behold with what tenderness Madam Fogliardi
caressed her young husband, as he once more happily stood on the deck.
I also became acquainted on board the Edward Quesnell with a Portuguese,
Dr. Constancio, and his wife. During the ephemeral government of the
Cortes in his native land, this individual was Portuguese ambassador
near the government of the United States, and had subsequently, during
the existence of the counter-revolution, lost his office. After
remaining half an hour on board the Edward Quesnell, Mr. Croker took me
back in his long-boat to the Pacific. We made the transition in less
than four minutes. This Mr. Croker is a Quaker, and an experienced
seaman; he had crossed the ocean one hundred and thirty-four times.

During the next three days the wind remained unfavourable. Several
vessels from Liverpool, were making port; one of them had only been
twenty-six days on her voyage. We were likewise, approached by several
small vessels bound to different foreign countries, and like us,
contending with a contrary wind. Towards evening I received a note from
Messrs. Leroy, Bayard & Co. in New York, acquainting me with the failure
of the firm of Fries & Co. in Vienna. As I had formerly been very
hospitably received by that house, and was personally acquainted with
all the individuals belonging to it, their misfortunes deeply afflicted
me.

On the 22d, the rain abated and the weather began to clear up, but the
wind continued steadily blowing from the east, which kept us in the same
spot. Nothing interrupted the uniformity of our mode of living, which we
beguiled by reading the newspapers that we received from the city, and
looking at vessels coming from England, running into port before the
wind. One of these vessels had one hundred and forty Irish emigrants on
board. The James Cropper, a ship belonging to the line, had sailed on
the 16th ultimo from Liverpool. Two days previous, the Silas Richards,
another of the same line, had also arrived, which left Liverpool on the
24th ult. In one of the New York papers, we found a letter from the
master of this vessel, in which he stated, that he had seen the
celebrated sea serpent, not far from the American coast.

During the 23d of June, we still remained becalmed; the weather was
cloudy and rainy throughout the whole day. Mr. Hottinguer, who likewise
began to feel the effects of ennui on board his vessel, paid me a visit,
took a luncheon and dined with us, and passed the greater part of the
day in our company. When in the evening he returned to the Edward
Quesnell, I accompanied him, and made a short visit to my half
despairing acquaintances. One of our boats had gone towards land upon a
fishing excursion, and came back loaded with a rich collection of
various kinds of fish: flounders, bluefish, and herrings in abundance;
clams, crabs beautifully coloured with blue and red; large sea-shells of
extraordinary form, several bass and a small fish, with a brown back,
resembling a toad, with a thick white belly, which it fills with air to
such a degree, that the whole fish has the appearance of a ball,
three-fourths of it are white, and one-fourth forming the back, brown.
When this fish is caught and dies, the air gradually escapes from it,
and it ultimately assumes the form of an empty bladder.

At last, on the 24th, the weather became somewhat clear and the wind
came round favourably for us. At noon the anchor was weighed and we
spread our sails. A number of vessels, desirous to avail themselves of
the fair wind, were coming down from New York and the quarantine ground.
The line packet, John Wells, next in rotation to the Pacific, made
likewise its appearance from port, which was no doubt the principal
cause of our hastily hoisting sail. I counted more than fifty vessels of
all sizes, putting to sea. The wind in the beginning was so slight, that
we could only move along with the ebb tide. We doubled the low cape of
Sandy Hook; in the back ground we saw the light-house, surrounded by
underwood, and in front of it, like two outposts, the two low stony
beacons. Not far from the light-house, stands a half ruined block-house,
in which during the last war a military post was stationed; it now
answers as a landmark for mariners. In the rear of the high light-house,
at a distance of several miles, towers the highland of Navesink,
presenting a charming prospect. To the south one discovers the long and
low coast of New Jersey, and perceives the sea-baths of Long Branch,
which during the heat of summer are numerously visited by the
fashionables of New York and Philadelphia. The heights of Staten Island
with Fort Richmond are seen, to the right of them are the Narrows, and
farther to the right the southernmost high coast of Long Island,
gradually fading from the view. In the centre of the Narrows, Fort La
Fayette stretches out, like a solitary point. As we put farther out to
sea, we saw several buoys, which designated the shallows, through the
midst of which the skilful pilot brought us safely. Two small vessels
were employed in fishing up lost anchors. The pilot remarked, that the
anchors of the French fleet under Admiral De Grasse, had remained here
ever since the time of the American revolutionary war. This fleet owing
to the unskilfullness of two pilots, was compelled to part with its
anchors. When an enemy’s fleet blockades New York, the shipping make to
Sandy Hook bay, properly called Raritan bay, for shelter against storms,
and are thus enabled to blockade the Narrows very closely. Should a
fleet wish to force the passage, it can, as I remarked last fall,
neither be prevented from so doing by Fort Richmond, nor Fort La
Fayette. In a conversation which I had with General Bernard, he stated,
that he would prevent a close blockade by means of two strong casemated
forts, which he would erect on the before-mentioned shallows, whereby
the enemy would be perfectly excluded from Raritan bay. This project
could not, however, be realised at that time, because the grant of funds
by congress were to be appropriated to the completion of the works on
the fortress already commenced.

In the afternoon, the pilot at length left us, and we found ourselves on
the open sea. Although the wind blew very gently, still the sea, owing
to the late storm, ran very high. The ship rolled dreadfully and many of
our passengers were sea-sick. I also felt somewhat unwell, but my
complaint did not produce vomiting.

During the 25th of June the wind not being favourable, we made but
little progress. The weather was rather unpleasant, and the whole day
clouded with a thick fog, almost as dense as that through which we made
our way during last year on the banks of Newfoundland. Towards the
afternoon the weather brightened up a little. We spoke two ships, the
Camillus, of New York, from Greenock, in Scotland, with Scotch
emigrants, bound to New York, and a small brig from New Brunswick, in
ballast, to New York. A shark followed our ship for some time. It gave
me particular pleasure to perceive what tranquillity reigned on board,
that no swearing was to be heard, and that every thing tended to the
comfort of the passengers.

During the night rain fell, and on the 26th of June we had likewise
several showers. We perceived the Edward Quesnell astern of us, and set
several additional sails that she might not reach us. The wind was not
very favourable, and blowing from the south-east, it drove us into the
neighbourhood of the perilous George’s bank, which we so carefully
avoided last year. Therefore we changed our course and stood to the
south. It became imperiously necessary this year to keep aloof from the
bank of Newfoundland, because we had been assured that a great quantity
of detached ice had come down from the north, and setting on the bank in
the shape of bergs and fields of ice, had rendered the passage extremely
dangerous. Several of our passengers, and I among the number, had not
entirely recovered from the effects of sea-sickness.

On the 27th of June the wind had come round favourably to the west,
so that we were enabled to hoist a larger quantity of canvass. In the
forenoon there was a heavy swell, which made me sea-sick. While
labouring under this unpleasant sensation, it is difficult to conceive
how men can expose themselves to the dangers of the sea, while there is
a comfortable house and quiet bed at home. But scarcely is it over, or
scarcely have we put foot on shore before all these inconveniences are
forgotten, and one thinks little of embarking again. The sea gradually
became more still, the weather charmingly warm, and an awning was spread
over a part of the deck, under which we collected, and even the ladies,
who had slowly recovered from sea-sickness, joined us, to breathe the
fresh air. In the evening, we were regaled with music; one of the
steerage passengers blew tolerably well on the bugle, amused his
companions therewith, and we listened to his strains at a distance.
There was some musical talent among ourselves; a young Scotch gentleman
from Jamaica, named Leslie, played elegantly on the flute, and often
delighted us. Several water birds followed our ship; it is a species of
bird resembling a swallow, called petrel, and termed mother Carey’s
chickens by sailors, who say that they never alight upon land, and as
their nests are not readily found, it is hard to tell where they
propagate. A large vessel, which we supposed to be either the Edward
Quesnell or the John Wells, followed constantly in our wake; but our
heavy press of sail kept us always in advance. It is a matter of
surprise, how such a large quantity of sail can be managed by so few
hands, for we had but fifteen sailors and two boys; however, the
steerage passengers were obliged to lend a hand to the manœuvres on
deck; there were thirteen of these on board; they are similar to the
deck passengers in the steam-boats; they pay but little, provide their
own provisions, and are narrowly lodged in a small place below decks,
near the fore-mast, and are not allowed, unless when working, to show
themselves abaft the mainmast, inasmuch as this place is solely reserved
for the cabin passengers. On board our vessel, the sailors slept in
quarters provided for them on the deck, between the fore-mast and the
bowsprit.

During the whole of the 28th of June we were favoured with a prosperous
breeze and fine weather. Our situation was, by a midday observation, 40°
3´ latitude, and 65° 4´ longitude. Since yesterday we had seen grass
floating close to the ship. Thence we concluded that we had already
entered the favouring Gulf Stream. The awning was again spread. Mrs.
Cabell and Miss Marx, who had recovered by degrees from their
indisposition, presented themselves to-day upon deck, and made a
considerable change in the tedious uniformity of our late mode of
living. In the evening Mr. Leslie brought his flute, and delighted us
with music; finally, we began to dance on deck, although from the motion
of the ship it did not succeed well.

On the 29th of June, both wind and weather continued favourable to us;
otherwise things remained as before. Captain Croker, who did every thing
in his power to entertain his passengers, set off in the evening a
couple of rockets, and other fire-works, which afforded us much
pleasure. Mr. Croker, who is very experienced in a seafaring life,
related us many of his adventures on the deep, which we found very
interesting. We twice perceived swarms of flying fish arise from the
water, which after flying a considerable distance, plunged anew into
their native element; they did not, however, come sufficiently near to
enable us to observe them distinctly. A large dolphin likewise made its
appearance, and we were still escorted by mother Carey’s chickens, and
saw numerous sea-gulls.

On the 30th of June no change; wind favourable, weather fine and clear,
and a curiosity in natural history! We generally kept a pair of hooks in
our wake. One of these hooks had caught a mollusc which goes by the name
of _Portuguese man-of-war_. It is of a violet colour, and has a spongy
body with long feelers and two bladders, the largest of which is about
the size of a carp. This bladder the animal fills with air at pleasure,
in order to enable itself to swim, and when the sun shines upon it, it
displays very fine colours. Otherwise we caught nothing, as heretofore,
because fish most generally avoid copper-bottomed vessels, such as ours.
In the evening we saw in the ship’s wake the phosphoric sealight.

Under a continually favourable wind, we made great progress on the 2d of
July, and had the agreeable certainty of leaving the bank of
Newfoundland behind us, so that we had reason to hope, during the
remainder of our voyage, not to be again incommoded by fogs; latitude
41° 24´, longitude 50°. Notwithstanding the constantly favourable and
fresh breezes, the sea was so smooth, that our ship had no more motion
than if we were sailing on a stream. And thus passed off the third of
July; the air, which had thus far been very warm, became to-day rather
cool, which made our cabin very comfortable. At a cable’s length from
our vessel we perceived a numerous herd of porpoises, which were
sporting on the surface of the water; latitude 42°, longitude 46° 48´.

The 4th of July was the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of
American Independence; it was of course duly celebrated on board our
vessel. The American flag was hoisted early, and at dinner more wine
than usual, and of various kinds, was drank freely. Several toasts were
proposed: Mr. Croker drank the health of the King of England; whereupon
Dr. Garret proposed that of the President of the United States; I gave
Governor Clinton’s; thereupon followed a great many of like kind. We
were pretty gay and cheerful, and drank till tolerably late. Several
gentlemen got head-aches, and became sea-sick; and many laughable scenes
took place. I stole into my state-room, in order to avoid similar
mishap.

On the 5th of July we had the good fortune to meet a large whale, which
spouted the water high above him in all directions. He did not, however,
honour us a long time with his presence, but pursued his course, and we
ours, though with much greater velocity; for at the usual meridian
observation, we found our latitude 44° 9´ and our longitude 39° 38´. In
the morning we had little wind, but when towards evening it freshened,
we made from eight to nine miles an hour. Up to this period our voyage
had been most prosperous, continually fair wind and the sea very smooth.
During three days we had seen a brig at the distance of some miles from
us, which was going on the same course, but our ship being a better
sailer, we left it to-day considerably behind.

On the 7th of July, weather dull, with occasional rain; which rendered
it cold and uncomfortable. Latitude 46° 50´, longitude 30° 31´; wind
towards afternoon rather strong, sea running very high with the wind in
our stern; this increased the motion of our ship, which was constantly
pitching from one side to the other. What was not properly fastened gave
way. This gave rise to many droll scenes. The ladies, who were
unaccustomed to this new unpleasantness attending a sea voyage, became
frightened; they conceived that danger was near, and we had considerable
trouble in allaying their fears. One of them entreated in the most
affecting manner, several gentlemen, who were whiling away their time at
a game of whist, and others who were engaged at back-gammon, not to
bring down the vengeance of heaven, and not to increase the danger that
surrounded us, by sinful card-playing and unholy back-gammon! But there
was no danger whatever to apprehend, though the rolling of the vessel
was unpleasant; the passengers scarcely knew where to go, or what to do,
for it was even impossible to sleep, inasmuch as the shocking rolling
threatened us with a fall from our beds.

We pursued our course swiftly during the 8th of July. Latitude 47° 58´,
longitude 25° 10´. In the forenoon the sea was calmer, but during the
afternoon, and particularly in the evening, it ran so high that the ship
pitched more than yesterday. The weather was, during the whole of the
day, unpleasant, cloudy, and rainy, and it was with the greatest
difficulty that we kept our feet on the wet deck. In the evening,
I observed again in the sea the phosphoric light; some parts of the
water sparkled like fireflies.[II-39] We overtook a brig, apparently
bound on our course; on this occasion we once more remarked what a good
sailer the Pacific is, for when we discovered the brig, she was far
ahead of us, and although she had all her sails set, we not only soon
overtook her, but soon left her far behind us. We did not approach her
sufficiently near to speak. During this damp weather, I acknowledged the
superior construction of the Pacific to that of the Pallas; whilst in
the latter the moisture penetrated throughout, and exerted its noxious
influence on a variety of articles liable to rot, and spread through the
whole vessel an insupportable foul smell; every thing in the Pacific was
dry, and in our cabin we had not suffered at all from the existing
humidity.

    [Footnote II-39: [This light is emitted by molluscous animals,
    which are exceedingly abundant in some parts of the ocean. They
    are also seen to great advantage during the night, in the
    Chesapeake bay.]--TRANS.]

The night of the 8th and 9th of July I passed very unpleasantly, owing
to the rolling of the vessel; I was every moment on the point of falling
out of my bed, and it was only towards six o’clock in the morning that I
began to enjoy some repose. The day brought with it clear weather. The
wind had been so favourable for the last twenty-four hours, that we
found ourselves in latitude 48° 40´, and longitude 19° 12´. In the
afternoon the wind became variable and blew from various quarters; we
experienced several squalls accompanied by showers of rain. At last it
set in strong from the north-west, and drove us forward at the rate of
eleven miles per hour. Towards evening we came up with a vessel bound
from Savannah for Liverpool, spoke her, and gave her our longitude.
Their reckoning differed from ours, as they believed themselves to be in
longitude 16°. The sea ran rather high while we were in the
neighbourhood of this vessel, so that we could not have a long talk with
her, nor even rightly understand her name. We left her far behind us.

On the 10th of July, the wind continued favourable, there was a heavy
swell of the sea, and much motion in the vessel. The weather clearing
off towards noon, we were enabled to make exact observations, which we
could not do for some days before, on account of the cloudy weather.
It appeared, that we had made a small mistake in our computation of the
longitude, for by the precise observation of this day, we found our
latitude to be fifty degrees twenty-two minutes, and our longitude
seventeen degrees. We saw already several birds, a proof that we were
approaching land; we continually saw petrels and mother Carey’s
chickens. The more we sailed northwards, we felt the air becoming
cooler, which created in me no pleasant sensation.

The 11th of July was rather windy and rainy; in other respects matters
remained in statu quo. Latitude fifty degrees thirty minutes, longitude
twelve degrees fifty-five minutes. We hoped to find ourselves on the
next day on the Nymph bank, which stretches from the south of Ireland,
far into the sea, nor were we deceived in our expectations, for very
early on the 12th of July, we experienced an uncommonly heavy motion,
and the waves ran as high as in a storm, although the wind was not
strong. This served as an assurance, that we had attained the Nymph
bank. The motion of the sea here is caused by the pressure of great
masses of water upon the bank, whereby the under water is cast up, and
driven with great force towards the surface. The lead was hove for
soundings several times since midnight, as we lay still too far to the
south, to be governed by landmarks; had the weather not been so hazy, we
could easily have distinguished Cape Clear, the south-westernmost point
of Ireland, consisting of a single high rock, jutting out into the sea,
and provided with a light-house. While we were seated at dinner, land
was discovered. We mounted on deck, and beheld the high coast of the
county of Cork in Ireland; the weather continued so hazy and rainy, that
we could not have a clear and fine view of the land. I was surprised at
the indifference with which I contemplated the first European land that
now met my view, and particularly when I compared this indifference with
the joyful enthusiasm, with which, one year past, on the 24th of July.
I put my foot for the first time on the soil of America! But at that
time every thing was new to me, and my expectations were wrought up to
the highest pitch; now on the contrary, I could only expect to see what
was generally familiar. After dinner we perceived off the coast of
Ireland, two islands with high hills, called the Saltees, and near them
a three-masted ship, as a floating light at anchor. We met likewise a
steam-boat, bound from Milford in Wales, to Waterford in Ireland. It lay
rather low in the water, and as the wind blew strong from the west, the
sea ran so high, that I did not at all envy the condition of the
passengers in the steam-boat, over whose deck the waves were constantly
beating. The sight of land made our passengers more cheerful, and
towards evening we became more happy than usual.

On the morning of the 13th of July, the wind was uncommonly mild, the
weather, however, cleared up, so that we gradually discovered the lofty
and mountainous coast of Wales. Among these high mountains, we
particularly distinguished that of Snowdon, which towered above the
others, until its pinnacle became lost in the clouds; it is about four
thousand feet high. We descried the Isle of Anglesea next, and came so
near it, that we could perceive distinctly its rough, high and
precipitous rocks, arising from the ocean. On the highest of these
rocks, stands a watch-house with a signal pole; we showed our number;
every vessel that trades with Liverpool, is there furnished with a
number, under which it is inscribed in the book of the exchange, and our
signal was immediately hoisted over the watch-house. By a chain of
telegraphs, the news of our arrival reached Liverpool in a moment, at
the distance of sixty miles. Under the high rock of Anglesea, is a
smaller, more isolated rock, on which stands a white light-house, which
contrasts charmingly with the dark rocks. From the higher rock, a zigzag
path, cut in the rock and surrounded with a white wall, leads to a
bridge, suspended by ropes, over which you enter this little island. As
we approached it towards noon, the wind sprang up, and we enjoyed the
majestic spectacle of the waves breaking on the black rocks. Then we
made the highlands of Holyhead, doubled them and directed our course to
the east. Behind the cape, the beautifully situated town of Holyhead
with its harbour burst upon our view. This English harbour is the
nearest to the Irish coast; between it and Dublin there is a regular
communication by steam-boats. We tacked and stood over to the coast of
Wales, and were delighted with the appearance of its fresh green soil;
its neat houses and churches. The green hedges with which the fields and
meadows are encompassed, produce a very pleasing sensation; I however
observed, that there was a great scarcity of trees. The scenery towards
the sea side began likewise to be more lively, as there was a great
number of vessels in view. At last the pilot-boat came up, and put a
pilot on board. As one approaches England from the European continent,
the elegant construction of these one-masted cutter pilot-boats and
their quick sailing, excites astonishment; but if one is bound from the
United States, and has beheld their elegant shipping, and particularly
the New York pilot-boat schooners, there is no reason for surprise, for
the English shipping is far inferior to the American.

Toward evening, the ebb was against us; we could no longer run into
Liverpool, and were obliged to cast anchor within fifteen miles of the
city. We had passed the same floating light, which I observed three
years ago, in a voyage from Liverpool to Dublin, and we lay near four
light-houses, two of which gave a remarkably clear and beautiful light;
the light of one of these towers played gracefully on the waves. These
towers were a considerable distance from each other, and are so
situated, that two must be brought in a line, to find the proper course.
I had observed on the coast of Wales, some white pyramids, which also
serve as landmarks. We met to-day several steam-boats, bound to
different ports along the Irish coast. Dr. Garret, whose business led
him to Ireland, availed himself of this opportunity to proceed to
Dublin, and left us while we were still under way. We beheld the
departure of this lively fellow-passenger with much regret, as the loss
of his good humour and wit, greatly depressed our spirits. Three
custom-house officers soon came on board, who after inspecting the
vessel for form sake, and partaking of a hearty collation, instantly
freed us from their company. We were boarded by several boats, which
offered to take passengers ashore; but as it was near dusk, and as the
most of us were in no hurry, only two of our fellow-passengers accepted
their proposals. This was the nineteenth day since our departure from
Sandy Hook, and we could not be too thankful to Providence for his
protection, and our happy and speedy voyage. As it was known in
Liverpool, that we were to sail on the 16th ultimo, from New York, our
friends anxiously awaited our arrival.

On the 14th of July, between two and three o’clock in the morning every
body was already stirring on board of our ship; we hoisted anchor and
set sail, with a favourable wind, to reach Liverpool by daybreak. This
city, as is known, is situated on the right bank of the Mersey, in
Lancashire; seen from the water, it presents a charming prospect. To the
right you behold the coast of Chestershire, and a deep bay which
stretches to the city of Chester. This coast is not handsome at first
view, but becomes more agreeable after doubling a very dangerous rocky
point, which runs from the left bank of the Mersey, not far from the
harbour of Liverpool, and on which, during gales, vessels are often
liable to be wrecked. You then discover on this coast beautiful
country-seats, and in the back ground pleasant villages. Captain Croker
wished to avail himself of the rising tide to run into the Prince’s
dock; this required much manœuvering, and at last we took in sail. After
an hour’s labour we ultimately reached the dock. The dock was so crowded
with ships, that the Pacific took her place fourth from the wharf.
I went ashore, and took up my lodgings at the King’s Arms Hotel, in
Castle-street, an excellent hotel, in which I lodged three years ago.
The landing of my baggage went on very slowly, because it had to be
carried over three vessels. When landed, it was carried to the so called
old dock, to a toll-house, situated in the interior of the city. This
toll-house is an old, narrow, smoky building, by no means worthy so rich
a trading emporium as Liverpool. Before I could have my baggage
examined, I was obliged to present myself at the alien-office, to
produce my passport; it was taken from me, and I received a passport ad
interim, in lieu thereof. Upon the whole, I had to undergo a great many
formalities. In AMERICA, it was quite the contrary: there they never
thought of asking me for a passport. Ultimately I received permission to
have my baggage examined, which was done in the politest manner
possible.




CHAPTER XXVIII.

  _Stay in England, and return to Ghent._


Among the gentlemen who shortly after my arrival in Liverpool favoured
me with a visit, was the American consul, Mr. Maury. He is a native of
Virginia, about eighty years of age, and a school-mate of President
Jefferson. He is the American consul who, after the treaty of
Versailles, came to England with credentials signed by WASHINGTON.

The gloomy and smoky appearance of the city of Liverpool, as well as its
many narrow and partly angular streets, had no pleasant effect upon me.
However, I found the pavements much better than in America. I visited
several splendid porcelain shops, which article is made in the vicinity
and in Staffordshire. The chinaware is very fine, the painting and
gilding good, and this ware also is very durable. In these stores one
likewise finds Wedgewood white and blue crockery, and the so called
stone-china, representing landscapes and all kinds of figures, and in
solidity much resembling the porcelain of Tournay.

I afterwards visited the House of Correction, which was built seven
years ago, and is a mile and a half distant from the city. This
institution is the central prison of Lancastershire, and contains
prisoners whose time of imprisonment does not exceed three years. Those
who have to undergo a more severe punishment, are generally transported
to New South Wales. I had a written permission from a magistrate to
visit the establishment, through which I was accompanied by the
governor; the building stands on a rising ground, enjoys a free
circulation of air, and can accommodate eight hundred prisoners; at this
period they amounted to six hundred and fifty.

The prisoners are divided into twenty-one classes, thirteen for the men
and eight for the women, according to the extent of their crimes and
ages. Those who are prisoners for the first time are dressed in gray and
yellow garments; those incarcerated for the second time, in blue and
red; and those requiring particular attention are dressed in complete
suits of blue or gray. The treatment observed towards women and children
is pretty much the same, for even the children are divided into
different classes, and entirely separated from the grown persons.

For food the prisoners have daily either meat or fish. On Sunday there
is service in the chapel, but for each sex separately, and every morning
there are prayers. The prisoners were formerly principally employed in
spinning or weaving cotton; but as for some months this article had much
fallen in value, the working of the prisoners, except those engaged on
the tread-mill, had in some measure ceased, and the greater portion of
them were idle.

Whipping is expressly forbidden in the prison. The most severe
punishment which the governor is allowed to inflict, is three days
solitary confinement. Should it become necessary to exercise a greater
punishment, application must be made to a committee of magistrates, who
meet weekly in the prison, and the punishment is left to their option.
A court-house, built of sandstone, adjoins the prison. The grand entry
is ornamented with a portico of six Ionic columns: it communicates with
the prison by a small back-door, through which the prisoners are
conducted unperceived into court. It is two stories high, has large
rooms, and is handsomely laid out. The hall for the public sessions is
extremely elegant, and is the whole height of the building. The
antechambers are destined for the jury, witnesses and judges, to meet in
private, and for the different offices attached to the court. One of
them is a dressing-room for the judges and lawyers; there are several
shelves in it for their wigs and cloaks; for in the English courts the
judges and lawyers must in open court be dressed in powdered wigs.

After I had inspected this interesting prison, we went to visit the
institution for the blind, of which I had heard such a high character.
Unfortunately, the hour for the admission of strangers had passed, and
notwithstanding all our intreaties, we were denied admission by a
handsome girl, who opened the door.

We next visited a small museum, which was pretty much on the plan of
those in America, and like most of these establishments, was furnished
with a hand-organ, on which they played at certain hours, to induce
people to enter. This museum possesses rare stuffed animals, viz.
a large ant-eater, and a quantity of foreign lizards and snakes; many
living ones of the same kind I had seen in America; they are attached in
a very natural manner to moss-covered rocks. It has likewise a
collection of foreign birds and shells; garments and weapons of the
savages of America, and the Southern Islands; a boa constrictor coiled
round and choking a young antelope, &c. A Miss Brown, a young person,
born without arms, was to be seen working with her feet in the most
ingenious style. She eats not only with her feet, but likewise pours out
a glass of wine, and carries it to her mouth without spilling a drop;
she mends a pen, and writes very distinctly with her right foot; she
threads a needle, sews, &c.

On the 16th of July, at eight o’clock in the morning, I departed from
Liverpool in the stage for Birmingham, with the intention of soon
proceeding to the continent. The English stages are better closed, and
run easier than the American, but I prefer the latter, because their
seats are more comfortable. The distance from Liverpool to Birmingham is
one hundred and one miles; the turnpike is most excellent, and the road
even the whole way. On one side of the turnpike, along the whole length
of the road, there is a side-walk for pedestrians; it has a pebbly
surface, and is enclosed on both sides with sandstone, to heighten the
pavement. Wherever this side-walk is not paved, it is at least smoothed
and lined with small sods; at equal distances two posts are driven into
the ground, to prevent the passage of horsemen and wheelbarrows.
I admired the peculiar care with which the stones destined for the
repairs of the highway, are broken into the smallest pieces. With such
stones it is easy to make a good road, and the Americans and other
nations might well take example from the British, whenever they wish to
have a good road, or to repair one. The number of villages that lay upon
our route had a very handsome appearance. The dwellings of the farmers
are small, but they have a very neat appearance, owing to the
straw-thatched roofs, variegated with small windows, the bowers in front
of the doors, and the garlands of roses and ivy, which twine gracefully
along the walls; the little flower-gardens by the road side, also
enhance the charms of these cottages. On the other hand, the towns have
narrow streets, and a gloomy, smoky look.

Soldiers are garrisoned in the towns as far as Wolverhampton. This
arrangement had been made for some months past, because several large
manufactories in this neighbourhood had stopped working, and the
famishing artizans had adopted forcible measures in order to procure
bread. The country is very well cultivated; mostly with wheat and
barley. The wheat appeared already nearly ripe; the straw was however
very small, owing to the want of rain. The green and blooming hedges
that ran along the fields had a delightful aspect. In comparing the
beautiful and large trees of America, with those of this country, I was
astonished at the contrast between the two, the latter consisting of low
and miserable woodland. However, in the parks and large gardens, several
of which I saw, there are many fine trees; but it is on account of these
many parks of the nobility, that a great quantity of land remains
uncultivated, which, in a country so populous as England, becomes a
matter of the highest importance.

Between Newcastle and Stone we passed through a village called Trentham,
where the Marquis of Stafford possesses a large castle, situated in an
extensive park; to the left of the road stand large square masses of
stone, said to be the burial place of the Stafford family. Near the town
of Stafford, which is the capital of Staffordshire, the old castle of
Stafford is erected on a high hill. Two of its towers are still
remaining, several rooms of which are fitted up for a sporting
rendezvous. In former times it is said to have been a very important
fortress, but was destroyed during the protectorate of Cromwell.
Staffordshire is celebrated for its manufactures of earthenware; there
are two very respectable establishments of this kind at
Newcastle-under-Lyne, the most excellent of which is that of Wedgewood
in Etruria, situated two miles from the aforesaid town. We passed
several cotton manufactories, and a silk factory near Congleton, a town
on the other side of Knutsford, containing six thousand souls.

We crossed at several times to-day two excellent canals, one belonging
to the Sankey Navigation Company, and the other to the Duke of
Bridgewater. We drove twice under this canal. In Stafford I observed a
very decent looking court-house, and upon a hill the central prison of
Staffordshire. I also remarked to-day several coal-mines; particularly
at the last post between Wolverhampton and Birmingham they are very
numerous. For a considerable distance no sign of cultivation was to be
seen; nothing was to be seen but coal and iron-works, with
steam-machines and colossal chimneys in the form of obelisks, and high
flaming furnaces. This district had the appearance of a conflagrated
city, several of whose houses were still burning; the sulphurous smell
that pervaded the atmosphere, almost took the breath away. As we
approached Birmingham, these works began to disappear; we passed through
pleasant villages interspersed with charming blooming gardens, and every
thing foretold that we were approaching a large and wealthy city. This
impression was strengthened on our seeing the citizens returning from
the country in their holy-day suits. It was about nine o’clock in the
evening, when we reached Birmingham. I took up my quarters in the Royal
Hotel, an excellent tavern, where I resided three years previous. In a
public advertisement, stating the advantages connected with this
establishment, travellers are notified that it is located in the
pleasantest part of the town, whereas the finest prospect it presents,
opens upon a burial ground, which also answers as a promenade for the
inhabitants, and as a playground for children.

In Birmingham three years past, I spent several days; I wished, however,
to see several things once more, and therefore sojourned a few days in
this city. I went to Mr. Thomason’s show-room, where every thing,
manufactured in Birmingham, is to be seen. Several rooms contain
uncommonly tasteful plated ware, others trinkets, medals, curiosities,
steel ware, guns, works in papier maché, crystals, &c. The well known
Warwick castle Vase, I again saw of multifarious dimensions; firstly,
of the full size in bronze, for which Mr. Thomason had expressly built a
small house adjoining his own; then another of smaller dimensions,
likewise of bronze, with the marks and ornaments in silver, or
silver-gilt, which must make a very elegant appearance at table. I here
likewise saw imitations of the greatest precious stones known, in their
exact form, size and colour. This collection, in a very neat box, costs
twenty-five guineas.

Mr. Thomason has connected himself with an artist, who, during his
residence of many years in Russia, had acquired at Tula the secret of
steel working, and was beginning to imitate it here. In his first essay
he tried to inlay a silver waiter with steel; in this attempt, however,
he did not succeed properly. Should it succeed, the introduction of this
invention into England, would be of great importance, as this art being
now confined to Russia, is there considered as a very important secret.
Mr. Thomason had likewise the politeness to conduct me to an armory;
here an immense quantity of various sword-blades was shown me, and also
the mode of trying them; they are strained in a machine, by which they
are bent to a certain degree, and then unbent; they are then examined,
to see if they are not curved, then a block of steel is struck with the
flat of the blade, and a wooden one cut with the edge; and if it is
proof to this, it is considered sound, and stamped. At this moment,
owing to the existence of profound peace, there was little work done in
this manufactory, consequently I could not see the sharpening and
polishing of the blades, which takes place in a particular workhouse.

In lieu thereof I saw in it the silvering of polished brass wire. This,
first of all consists of a piece half an inch thick, which receives a
very thin silver covering; it is heated in an oven, seized with tongs,
and drawn through different holes, which are cut in pieces of steel,
gradually diminishing in size, until they attain the size of a common
piece of wire. By this means the wire may be drawn out to the thinness
of a hair, and it is remarkable, that it still retains the silver. The
tongs are pulled by a patent chain, the links of which are double
folded, and for the invention of which, the owner of this establishment
has obtained a patent from government. I also visited another show-room,
which has only been two years fitted up; it is very splendidly arranged;
it has a larger space than Mr. Thomason’s, but is not so richly and well
provided.

In the evening I went to the theatre; they exhibited the disagreeable
tragedy of Jane Shore, after which we had a tolerable pantomime, called
the Village Festival, and it closed with an uninteresting melo-drama,
the Woodman’s Hut. In the first piece Miss Lacy, from Covent-garden,
personified the character of Jane Shore most capitally, and was well
supported by several of the other actors; the piece, however, is
abominable in itself, and I can imagine nothing more disgusting than to
behold an unfortunate being, struggling on the stage in the arms of
death. In this country, however, it is a favourite piece. They
endeavoured to produce it on the French boards, but it would not take at
all. The theatre is well fitted up: it has a pit, two rows of boxes, and
a gallery, which can accommodate a great many spectators; on this
occasion it was likewise greatly crowded by a noisy mob. I found in the
boxes and pit fewer spectators than I expected, the decorations are well
painted, and the interior lighted with gas. The provincial theatres
receive generally but little encouragement, and their receipts only
increase in summer, when the large London theatres of Covent-garden and
Drury-lane are closed, and the celebrated actors there engaged, make a
trip to the provinces.

On the 18th of July, at eight o’clock in the morning, I left Birmingham
in a post-chaise and proceeded by a circuitous route to Oxford. I sent
on my baggage by the direct course in the stage. I went out of my way
for the purpose of visiting the ruins of Kenilworth and Warwick castles.
The distance from Birmingham to Oxford by this road is seventy-one
miles, the turnpike at times hilly, but invariably good. Our route lay
through Knowles, a very charming country town. Kenilworth, on the
contrary, is a small ill-looking place, but inclosing splendid ruins of
the old castle, which have become universally notorious by the romance
of Kenilworth. Excepting the ruins of Paulinzelle, those of Kenilworth
are the most beautiful I ever beheld. The castle was built at three
different periods. The most ancient northern part erroneously called
Cæsar’s tower, was erected about the year 1120, by Geoffroy de Clinton,
and was a fortress during the early inland strifes between the barons,
the scene of many important events. Towards the close of the fourteenth
century, it fell into the possession of John of Gaunt, who added to it
the western and largest wing, called after him Lancaster buildings. At a
later period Queen Elizabeth bestowed it upon her favourite, the Earl of
Leicester, who, in 1571, erected the southern portion, called Leicester
buildings; he also built between two towers a tilting yard for
tournaments, and erected likewise, the large portico, which now is
occupied as a dwelling. In this palace he entertained his queen with a
splendid feast, that lasted seventeen days, and which is described in a
particular book. After the earl’s death, the castle with its extensive
domains, escheated to the crown. Cromwell partitioned it among several
of his officers, who drained the ditch, that circumscribed the greater
portion of the castle walls, and likewise destroyed the park, and
ultimately the castle, to sell the timber. Nothing but the tower,
containing the portico, remains standing, because one of the officers
occupied two rooms over the gateway, he turned this building into a
dwelling place. This is still to be seen, and is now inhabited by Lord
Clarendon’s agent, whose forefathers received a grant of this castle
from Charles II.

Through this building you enter the grounds belonging to the castle,
after passing through a file of beggarly children, who offer you a
description of the ruins for eighteen pence. Near the old house, called
Gateway, there is a sign saying that the chimney-piece may be seen for
sixpence. A tidy girl receives this stipend with a smart courtsey, and
opens the door leading into an old room; it is one of the two which have
been made out of the gateway. The chimney-piece was probably transported
from the castle during the sacking of it. It is of alabaster, and bears
the inscription, “_Droit et Loyal_,” and on each side the initial
letters R. L., Robert Leicester; beneath it is Leicester’s coat of arms,
surrounded by the order of the garter; below is inscribed the year 1571,
and the motto, _Vivit post funera virtus_. Over the chimney-piece there
is a square frame, containing the initial letters E. R., Elizabeth
Regina; in the centre of it are holes, which lead one to believe that
weapons were formerly fastened in them.

The garden lies to the right of this building. Close thereto is the
dungeon, which stands on rising ground between the castle and the moat,
which is now transformed into meadow-ground, and it runs north, west,
and south, round the castle to the tilting ground. The bank of the moat
was lined by a wall, crowned with several towers, one of which was
called the Swan-tower. On the left hand one perceives a large yard, in
the rear of which are the out-houses, and behind them lie the fortified
walls with several towers. On ascending to the right of the castle, you
arrive at the grand court, which is now only encompassed on three sides
by ruins of edifices; of the buildings that were situated on the fourth
side, no trace is remaining. The first ruin that you discover on the
right is that called Cæsar’s tower; of this building, which was
quadrangular, three sides are still standing; the walls are on an
average sixteen feet thick. Here a flight of stairs lead to a door, now
built up, which opened to the garden. Here is the only fountain which
has as yet been discovered among the ruins. It is, like the whole
castle, built of red sandstone, and cut, farther down, out of the hard
rock; it is seventy feet deep, but is gradually filling up by the many
stones cast into it. The kitchen adjoins Cæsar’s tower, and must have
been a considerably large building, but there are only a few remains of
it. The place where the furnaces and large kettles stood is still
perceptible.

Adjoining the kitchen is the strong tower, forming the north-west
corner; it is here that the Lancaster buildings commence. In this tower,
which is also supported by uncommonly strong walls, are several
tolerably well preserved winding stairs, by means of which one can
ascend the walls to enjoy a fine and delightful prospect. Here are
likewise cellars, still in good condition. The corners of this tower
lead to small outer-towers provided with port-holes, which must have
served for the defence of the place. Left of this building you reach the
great hall. You observe in the basement story the servant’s hall,
vaulted and furnished with central columns, which support the broken
arches to the right and left. Over those arches is still to be seen
where the flooring of the grand banquet-hall stood. The windows of this
hall are very high, in a Gothic style, with columns in their centre. In
the recesses of the windows are still several stone benches, and there
are also two chimney-pieces to be seen in this hall. A smaller room is
connected with it, having likewise a fire-place, which served as a
chapel; and there is also a small closet, which the folks here call
Queen Elizabeth’s dressing-room.

The great hall forms the south-west corner of the castle, and the ruins
connected with it, belong to the southern wing. Close to the great hall,
there are two ruins, of which but little remains to be seen, the first
is called the white hall, the other the presence chamber. The so called
privy chamber is next to them, in which a window and fire-place are
still distinguishable; they say, that the chimney-piece, now in the
gate-house, was taken from this place. Here begins the newest part of
the castle, or the Leicester buildings. They consist of a large,
quadrangular tower, four stories high, in which the place for the
staircase, as well as the different stories, may still be clearly
distinguished. And here terminate these uncommonly interesting and
picturesque ruins, to the beauties of which the creeping ivy, which has
grown very thickly over them, adds considerably. Fortunately, Lord
Clarendon has forbidden, that any portion of the ruins should be taken
away, for previous to the prohibition of such an abuse, the peasantry
were in the habit of carrying away stones from the ruins to build their
houses and for repairing their garden-walls.

From Kenilworth I travelled five miles through a lovely country to the
town of Warwick, the capital of Warwickshire, to behold the Earl of
Warwick’s castle, at that place. Two miles from this town, lie the now
much visited and fashionable springs of Leamington, where with the
exception of the company, nothing remarkable is to be seen. Warwick
stands on stony heights, on the banks of the river Avon, contains about
nine thousand inhabitants, and though a very ancient city, has a
tolerably agreeable appearance. The principal church has an ancient and
venerable aspect, as also two gateways, the remains of the old city
walls, now standing in the middle of the streets. The court-house is a
new edifice, and as the town assizes were then holding, several splendid
equipages were drawn up in front of it.

I immediately afterwards proceeded to the castle close to the city. It
is a very old building, the foundation of which, it is said, was laid
before the conquest of England by the Normans; the walls and towers
still standing, which environ the court-yard of the castle, are said to
have been erected at that period. The castle stands upon a rock by the
bank of the Avon, and commands a view of a surprisingly romantic
country. At the foot of this ancient castle, at the water’s edge, are
the castle mills, which on account of their venerable appearance, and
the waterfall, caused by a dam in the river, greatly enhance the beauty
of the scene. Behind the mill are to be seen the ruins of a bridge which
led over the river, and is now overgrown with ivy. Quite in the back
ground, one discovers the new bridge over which the road from Leamington
runs. These groups produce an uncommonly pleasing prospect.

On approaching the castle from the city, you see a gate with a Gothic
tower, which serves as a habitation for the gate-keeper. Hence, after
inscribing your name in a book, you continue on your way to the castle.
This road leads through the park, and is mostly cut in the rock, the
sides of which are very picturesquely overgrown with ivy.

On attaining an open space, the whole castle stands in view; it is
approached over a stone bridge, through a gate furnished with a
portcullis, and then you find yourself in a spacious court-yard, the
castle standing to your left, in front, and to the right the lofty walls
that surround the court-yard, studded with towers. Grated gates lead
underneath the towers, to the park that surrounds the castle. I entered
the castle up a handsome spacious staircase, and there I found the neat
house-keeper, who for money and good words, shows strangers the interior
of the castle.

First you enter the great hall, the walls are lined with carved oak
wood, and ornamented with scutcheons and ancient arms, and with three
real colossal elk-horns, the largest of which was found in Ireland, and
the other two in America. From this hall there is a fine view into a
considerable suite of rooms, and from the windows the charming prospect
of the Avon, and the before-mentioned mills and bridges.

From the hall you proceed into the ante-room; here I admired two
paintings by Van Dyk; one represents a lady as large as life, belonging
to the Brooke family, with her son; the other is the portrait of Queen
Henrietta Maria, the consort of Charles the first. In the same room is
to be seen, the extremely handsome portrait of Queen Johanna of Naples,
by Raphael; also the portrait of the Marquis Spinola, armed cap-à-pied,
a painting of Rubens; the portrait of count Gondomar, the Spanish
ambassador, near the court of James I., a production of Don Diego
Velasquez de Silva; and two very charming landscapes, by Poussin, which
however, require to be retouched. In the same room there is a table
inlaid in Florentine mosaic, two vases of lava, several Etruscan vases
and lances, which are to be seen in almost all the rooms, a marble bust
of the present Lord Warwick, by Nollekens, and a book-case of tortoise
shell inlaid with brass.

Adjoining this chamber is the cedar drawing-room, so called, because the
walls are wainscoted with cedar wood, which, notwithstanding its
antiquity, sends forth a charming odour. There is likewise in this room
a handsome fire-place, and a marble table, inlaid with lava. Among the
paintings are five by Van Dyk, viz. the Countess of Carlisle,
Charles I., the Duke of Alba, the Marquis of Montrose and the landscape
painter, Martin Ryckaerds. Beside these there is a Circe of Guido,
a very beautiful piece, and two paintings of less value, one by Romney,
representing the celebrated E. W. Montague in a Turkish costume, and the
other by Patoun, representing a muse.

Adjoining this hall there is a room, which, owing to the heavy gildings
on its walls, is called the gilt-room. Here are two paintings by Rubens,
the one of Lord Arundel, the collector of the celebrated antiquities at
Oxford, known by the name of the Arundelian marbles, and the other
representing St. Ignatius. This piece was painted by Rubens, for the
Jesuits College at Antwerp, and was transported hither from that city.
There is also a well painted portrait of Prince Rupert, by an unknown
artist, another of the Prince of Orange, by Holbein; the portrait of a
lady, by Sir Peter Lely; several of Vandyk’s productions, one
representing Admiral Russell, and another a Spanish General; by the same
master hand, the portraits of Charles I., Lord Northumberland, Queen
Henrietta Maria, two portraits of the celebrated Lord Stafford, one of
them representing this unfortunate statesman in his earlier, and the
other in his latter years, the portrait of Lord Warwick, a full-size
portrait of Prince Rupert, and another of the Marquis of Huntley. Those
portraits are altogether executed in a masterly manner. The portrait of
a lady, by Sir Peter Lely; two small Murillos, one representing a girl
with a pen, and the other a child, blowing soap-bubbles; moreover,
a portrait of Lord Lindsay of Charles 1st’s time, by Cornelius Janssen,
and a Tintoretto, representing the Italian sage Davila. It it a pity
that several of these pictures hung in the shade, and that in the
usually clouded atmosphere of England, they cannot be properly seen.
In this as well as in the ante-room, were several vessels by Majolica,
ornamented with handsome paintings copied from drawings of Raphael.

You next proceed to the state bed-room, hung with old tapestry,
representing French gardens. The richly ornamented bed is said to have
been fitted up by the order of Queen Ann. It contains a bust of the
Black Prince in full armour by Wildon, and three paintings, a full-size
portrait of the Duchess Margaret of Parma, by Titian, a family portrait
by Sir Peter Lely, and a profile of the unhappy Earl of Essex, done by
Zucchero, an Italian painter, whom political causes had driven from his
native land to England, where he received protection, patronage, and a
friendly reception from Queen Elizabeth.

Next to this room is the small state dressing-room, from the windows of
which there is an extensive and fine prospect. It contains a precious
collection of paintings; one by Paul Veronese; a very grand sketch by
Rubens, of the four evangelists; two old men’s heads by the same master;
two landscapes by Salvator Rosa; four Vandyk’s, consisting of the second
Earl of Bedford; tritons and sea-horses; a study; a sketch of St.
Sebastian, and a bacchanalian scene; two by Gerard Douw, one an
excellent portrait of a Mrs. Digby, abbess of a convent, and the other
an effect of light, representing an old woman eating; two by Teniers,
scenes of witches and the interior of a watch-house, hung with armour;
three Holbeins, the first a portrait of Luther, the second the
unfortunate Ann Boleyn, and the third her sister Catharine Boleyn, aunt
and tutress of Queen Elizabeth, and in the midst of these portraits,
that of Henry VIII. in his childhood. There are two pieces by Steenwyck,
one representing St. Peter in prison, and the other his liberation
therefrom. Portraits of two of Charles the second’s mistresses are
likewise to be seen here, as also a copy of a portrait of Henry IV.
of France, by Patoun.

A small cabinet, called the Compass Window, adjoins the just mentioned
apartment; it takes its name from a painted window. Among the paintings
in this room are a battle piece by Schut, a sea-storm by Vandervelde,
and several invaluable pieces.

From this cabinet you enter the chapel by a gallery which runs in the
rear of the before-mentioned room. I remarked in it a full-length
portrait of Charles I. on horseback, by Vandyk, and a half-length
portrait of Oliver Cromwell, by R. Walker. The chapel is rather small,
contains the arms of the Warwick family, and over the altar Gothic
ornaments, carved in wood.

On returning to the large hall, you reach the dining-room through it. It
is a splendid, large hall, containing an ancient marble table, and three
large portraits of the Prince of Wales, grandfather of the present king,
his consort a princess of Gotha, holding George III. in baby-clothes on
her lap; a Lord Brook, a copy by Patoun, who, as preceptor to Lord
Warwick, was more of an amateur than a painter. These paintings are
devoid of taste, and the best things about them are their heavy gilt and
ornamented frames. Over the portrait of the princess are the arms of
Saxony.

Adjoining the large hall is likewise the breakfast-room. In this room
are the following most excellently executed paintings: Charles 1st’s
children, by Vandyk, and a portrait of a female, by the same artist; two
lions, by Rubens; and a full-length portrait of Admiral Tromp, by
Rembrandt. Three paintings by an unknown master; the unfortunate Mary
Stuart, with her son as a child; a Lord Brooke, and Sir Philip Sydney.

After I had inspected the castle, I passed out through a private gate in
the lofty wall of the castle-yard, and proceeded to the park over a
stone bridge that crosses the dry castle moat. Groves are beautifully
interspersed with bowling greens in this park; a solid pebbled path
takes you round the park in about half an hour. There are several fine
prospects, and the place is well stocked with evergreens, which during
the last winter, I had many opportunities of admiring in a state of
nature. Three years ago, while journeying for the first time through
Great Britain, I could not help admiring in the English parks, the
luxurious abundance of evergreens and their lovely growth; but after
beholding these plants in their native land, growing in their full
vigour, the most splendid English gardens dwindled into insignificance,
when compared with the beauties of nature in America. I observed a
number of fine lofty cedars of Lebanon, which are to be found in most of
the extensive English gardens. In this park there is also a very large
hot-house, the plants raised in which are now elegantly distributed
throughout the garden. In this hot-house I perceived the celebrated
antique vase, the copy of which, in bronze, I had seen at Mr. Thomason’s
in Birmingham. This remarkable antique was found not far from Hadrian’s
Villa in the vicinity of Tivoli. It was first purchased by Sir William
Hamilton, then English ambassador at Naples, who sold it to the late
Lord Warwick. It is of white marble, round in form, and will hold one
hundred and sixty-three gallons. It has two handles of entwined vine
branches, which with their elegant leaves and heavy clusters of grapes,
wind themselves round the upper part of the vase. On the under part is
seen the panther’s skin, and on it several well finished heads of
satyrs, as well as several thyrsus and augur staves. The vase is in a
state of high preservation, and only one satyr’s head is replaced; the
remaining ornaments are not in the least injured.

During my walk through the park, I passed along the bank of the Avon,
which runs at the foot of the rock, on which the castle is built. On a
small black slate, attached to the rock, there is an inscription,
stating that a young man, one of the Bagot family, was drowned there
while bathing. The unfortunate father has erected this little monument
to the memory of his son. On my return to the castle, I ascended one of
the towers, called Gay’s tower, about one hundred and fifty feet high;
this tower is very well preserved, and is provided with fortifications.
In the interior there is a small room, and from the top of the tower
there is a fine and extensive prospect.

On my return to the city, the stage for Stratford-on-Avon was about
starting; I took a seat, and after eight miles journey, found myself
once more on the grand turnpike leading from Birmingham to Oxford.

Stratford is a small, inconsiderable, ill-built town, but celebrated as
the birth place of SHAKSPEARE. One of the smallest houses bears the
following inscription, “in this house the great Shakspeare was born.” It
is now a butcher’s stall and belongs to strangers, to whom Shakspeare’s
posterity were compelled by poverty to dispose of it. It is said that he
was born in a room of the Upper story; in this apartment are several old
pieces of furniture, the existence of which they flatteringly endeavour
to trace from the days of Shakspeare, also a poor portrait of the poet,
and a copy of his will; and a spectacle case made of the wood of a
mulberry tree, which they say was planted by him.

At Stratford I took a post-chaise, proceeded on my journey, and at ten
o’clock in the evening reached Oxford, which is thirty-nine miles from
Stratford. I took up my lodgings in the Star Hotel. As I had seen Oxford
three years previous, I merely sojourned there half a day, with the
intention of beholding once more, in the Bodleïan Library, the lovely
portrait of the unfortunate Mary Stuart, painted by Zucchero, and which
had formerly pleased me so much that I considered it as the best
likeness I had ever seen of that interesting woman. I therefore
proceeded to that library: I hurried through the library hall, but made
a much longer stay in the gallery of paintings. The sight of the
portrait of Mary Stuart renewed all my old impressions, and I gazed
intently upon it for a considerable time with the greatest pleasure.
I likewise remarked a collection of seven paintings by Schalk, effects
of light, representing the seven mortal sins, very well painted,
moreover a number of pieces by English painters, and a number of
portraits of the patrons and benefactors of the university, of its
chancellors, and several of the most celebrated literati who had resided
in the university. Also a few by Holbein, among which, the portraits of
Luther and Erasmus, pleased me the most. A full-length likeness of
Charles XII. of Sweden, by Schroeder, is uncommonly well finished; of
the same size, and next to it, hangs the portrait of Frederic William I.
King of Prussia. The physiognomy of the former, and the entire form, are
expressive of the great and original genius of that monarch; there is
something abhorrent, pedantic, and tyrannical in the features of the
latter.

The library contains several models of Grecian architecture, which are
skilful imitations in plaster; also a model of the Parthenon at Athens,
which very agreeably recalled to my mind Philadelphia and the Bank of
the United States. Here is likewise to be seen a model of the
Amphitheatre of Verona, cut in cork, and an elegant collection of the
Elgin marble bas reliefs, well imitated in plaster. A full-length statue
of one of the Lords of Warwick, in bronze, representing him in a warlike
costume, is also well worthy of the attention of travellers.

After having here satisfied my curiosity, I went to the Radcliff
Library, which is built in the form of a cupola, in order to enjoy a
view of the city from its roof. Fortunately the weather was very clear,
which seldom occurs in England, and as there are no manufactories and
steam-engines in Oxford, the atmosphere is not obscured by coal smoke.
The city, owing to its ancient university and churches, has a singular
appearance, and though I had seen during my travels a great many cities,
still I found none to be compared with Oxford. The university, its
twenty colleges, and five halls, have the appearance of so many old
castles: such is also the appearance of the Bodleïan Library, that
stands near the Radcliff library. In the court-yard of the former, there
is a gate, in which the five orders of architecture are placed over each
other, which produces a strange effect. Near the gate are four Tuscan
pillars, over these four Doric, above these four Ionic, and again over
these four Corinthian, and this strange conjunction is terminated by
four Roman columns. Two columns are always joined together. Between the
fourth row, the statue of James I. stands in a niche, next which, on the
right, as I believe, there is a Minerva, and on the left the university
is personified by a kneeling figure, to whom the learned king most
graciously tenders his own works. Four thousand students are said to
belong to the university, but there were very few then present, it being
vacation time. Therefore the city with its ancient buildings, looked
rather dull.

At twelve o’clock, noon, on the 19th of July, I left Oxford in the
post-chaise, and proceeded to London, which although fifty-eight miles
from Oxford, I reached in six hours. It is incredible how fast one
travels on this route and how quick they change horses. I was by chance
enabled to retain the chaise all the way from Oxford to Hounslow. The
moment I arrived at a post-house, a servant came instantly to demand,
whether I wished to stop or proceed; no sooner did I answer in the
affirmative, than he would call out for horses, and the whole proceeding
lasted at the utmost one minute. The leader was brought out, ready
harnessed, and put to; the postillion followed on the saddle-horse from
the stable, and remained in the saddle while they were gearing the
horses; the stable boy then requested his fee, and off we went. During
this journey, I was only detained three minutes at each post. They
charge for carriage and horses, eighteen pence a mile, and the
drink-money, three pence per mile. Since my journeying in this country
three years previous, postage had been raised three pence.

The road lay through a cultivated and woody country, and we traversed
several rising grounds. We passed many fine large country-seats,
surrounded by extensive parks. From Salt Hill, which is a very pretty
little place, there is on the right, a charming view of the castle of
Windsor, two miles distant, on the lofty round tower of which was
displayed the royal standard as a sign that the king was there. The
castle has really a very imposing appearance. The large Gothic church of
Eton College, recalled unpleasant recollections to my mind. For on my
visit to this college, three years past, they showed me on a shelf a
number of elegantly tied, long birch rods, with which youth, engaged
there in study, are flogged, and for the supply of which, a regular
contract is made with the steward. In a handsome village, called Slough,
stands the dwelling of the celebrated German astronomer, Herschel; there
is still to be seen in the garden, the stand supporting the telescope,
forty-eight feet long, by five feet in diameter, with which Herschel
made his great astronomical discoveries. Hounslow is a charming town,
and very lively, owing to its proximity to London. The number of stages
and other carriage, which I met with in this neighbourhood, is scarcely
to be credited. This concourse of vehicles, and afterwards the multitude
of country-seats, which follow one another in rapid succession, together
with the chain of towns, that continually present themselves, indicated
clearly, that I was approaching the greatest city in Europe, and perhaps
in the world. I remarked in Hammersmith and in Kensington,
a considerable number of new and handsomely built houses, that had been
erected within the last three years. We drove through Hyde Park into
Piccadilly street, and thence into Albemarle street, where I found
excellent quarters in Grillion’s hotel.

I made a stay of six days in London. To speak of the circle of my
acquaintance in which I moved during my residence in this bustling city,
would ill become this book, and to make any mention of London itself
would be both useless and superfluous. Consequently, I shall present but
a few particulars.

Whoever is obliged to make many visits to London, or whose business
takes him to many houses, loses an enormous quantity of time; to him one
day is as nothing. From my hotel to Mr. Goeman’s,[II-40] who resides in
the city, in the neighbourhood of the East India company’s stores, it
took me three quarters of an hour. At first to a stranger, a walk of
this kind is by no means tedious, on account of the great and strange
bustle surrounding him. In the stirring part of the city there is a
store in almost every house, and as the English are known to possess
much taste in displaying their wares, these stores have an amusing,
interesting, and charming appearance. In most of the streets the
pavement had been cast aside, and the streets were Macadamised; an
improvement which is both beneficial to those who ride, and to the
poor-built houses, which, owing to the rolling of heavy carriages along
the pavement, were dreadfully shaken. I had long been aware that several
merchants and tradesmen decorated their signs with the names of those
members of the royal family, by whom they were particularly patronised,
viz. corset inventress to the Dutchess of Kent, &c.; this time I
remarked in Knight’s bridge, on my way to Kensington, a sign bearing the
inscription of “only purveyor of asses milk to the royal family.”
Through the medium of Mr. Goeman, I received from the celebrated
engineer Brunel, an admission to visit the new tunnel, under the Thames;
it was a five miles drive from my lodgings. The entrance is near the
church of Rotherhithe. To commence the work they had to dig a round pit
seventy-five feet deep, above twenty feet in diameter, and walled in
with bricks. In the centre of this pit they have constructed a
quadrangular wooden scaffold. On this is erected a pumping machine, by
which the spring water that gushes out from the tunnel, is pumped off.
The water collects itself in a basin under the scaffold. The ejection of
it is accomplished by means of an iron pump, which draws off the water
from the basin, and forces it into an iron tube, which passes out from
the pit. Another pump and tube is in reserve to be immediately used, in
case the former should require repair. In the interior of this scaffold
there are two buckets, to hoist the earth from out the tunnel, one of
which comes up filled while the other goes down empty. These buckets
have four small iron wheels, and rest upon a board. The moment it
reaches the top, it is received by a workman, who carries it twenty feet
along a railway, to the place for depositing the earth, and after
emptying it carries it back on its board; that it may be let down while
the other is coming up filled. The place, into which the earth is
thrown, is a large wooden receiver, which is erected in the manner of a
bridge. In the bottom of this receiver are several holes, which can be
opened and closed by means of slides. The wagons destined for carrying
away the earth, drive underneath such a hole, the slide then is drawn
back, and the wagon is filled with earth and drives off. Up to this time
none but silicious earth has been dug out of the tunnel, and this was
appropriated to the filling up of the swampy ground, near Southwark. But
now they find clay, which is used in burning bricks. The machinery, by
which the buckets are hoisted and lowered, and that moves the pump, is
set in motion by a species of steam-engine, called the expansive engine,
an invention of Mr. Brunel. I did not perfectly comprehend its
mechanism, and could only perceive that it occupies a very small space,
and acts with great facility; there are two boilers and two machines,
one of which is unemployed, but can immediately be set in motion,
whenever any thing happens to the other, so that nothing may stop the
work.

    [Footnote II-40: A respectable London merchant, and native of
    Flanders, to whom I am much indebted for very important services.]

Around the wooden scaffold, stairs run down to the bottom of the pit.
My guide, Mr. Armstrong, who inspects the work under Mr. Brunel’s
direction, conducted me. When arrived at the bottom of the pit, we found
ourselves at the entrance of the tunnel, which then ran already, one
hundred and twenty feet under ground, to the bed of the Thames. It was
conceived that about one-third part of the work had been completed. The
tunnel consists of two vaults for two passages, one of them is for
carriages passing in, and the other for those going out. Along the
partition wall of those two vaults, there is on each side a somewhat
elevated side-walk for pedestrians; this wall is open in some places in
order to admit of a communication between both walks. It is lighted by
means of portable gas, which is contained in copper barrels.

The manner that the work is conducted, cannot be clearly explained
without a drawing. The scaffold, upon which the workmen stand who are
employed in digging out the earth, consists of thirty-six small boxes,
lying in three rows above each other. This scaffold is at the end of the
tunnel, and rests exactly against the earth to be taken away. There are
three men in each box, one to break the ground with a pick-axe, the
other to shovel it out of the box, and the third to throw it on a cart,
in which it is carried into the pit, whence it is raised in the buckets.
For the safety of the workmen, cross-timbers are used to prop up the
earth that is to be dug out. The first workman, on beginning his
excavation, removes the upper beam and hacks out the earth behind it;
which done, he takes away the second beam, and removes the second tier
of earth, then the third, &c. If sufficient earth, about a foot wide,
has been dug away from behind the first box, then the two boxes
adjoining, begin the same operation. During this time the masons are not
idle; for they continue working in the same proportion at the vault
which has to support the earth above the tunnel. When, however, all the
earth before the whole scaffold has been taken away, it is moved forward
by means of steel screws. Both above and below the scaffold there are
iron plates, with sharp edges, to facilitate the moving of it. On this
plan the work proceeds at the rate of two feet in twenty-four hours; it
is hoped that it would be completed in two years time; they have been
over a year already working at it. I regret very much my not having met
with Mr. Brunel, who is likewise the inventor of the block-machine at
Portsmouth, and other very useful engines.

In Leicester square there were two fine panoramas; one representing the
city of Edinburgh, and the other that of Mexico;[II-41] the former
panoramic view was taken from Caltonhill, and I recognized every place,
owing to my having been there three years previous. In beholding the
second, I regretted anew that my affairs during the last winter did not
permit me to undertake a journey to Mexico. The beautiful blue sky
reminded me of the happy days I passed in New Orleans, and I recognized
the lofty Andes from the description, which I have so often read of
them. Mexico deserves, if I am to judge from the panorama, to be called
the city of palaces, as it is generally styled. In order to give an idea
of the manners of the people, the artist gives a representation of the
circus on the great square during the time of a bull-fight, and not far
from it a procession.

    [Footnote II-41: [Now exhibiting in New York.]--TRANS.]

At Regent’s place a diorama was to be seen. You are conducted into a
pretty dark round saloon, and you perceive there, through a square hole,
a painting that is lighted in a manner which cannot be discovered. The
painting represents a church in Scotland called Rosslyn chapel. You seem
to be at the entrance of the church, and you see that the sun darts his
beams from the side and causes multifarious shades, on account of the
bushes and trees in front of the windows of the church. In the rear of
the church you see a small door, leading to a yard, planted with
underwood, and in the back ground, a Gothic building. By and by the sun
disappears, and you perceive by the effect of light, that a storm is
approaching; then you see the effect of rain, and after this disappears,
you enjoy the finest sunshine. The illusion is so perfect, that you seem
to hear the rain. In the interior of the church several objects are
represented with the greatest accuracy, viz. a part of a scaffold, to
which ropes are attached, a basket with tools, &c. The Gothic pillars of
the church display a particularly handsome view.

After having contemplated this painting for a considerable time,
a signal is given with a bell. The floor on which the spectators stand,
turns to another opening through which you have a view of the city of
Rouen, in France. Now the same effects of light as in the other piece
are displayed, and you imagine yourself to be in the place, which is
represented to your sight. But the first piece made the best impression
on me. The finest part of this diorama is the representation of interior
parts of buildings.

I was delighted at the fine view of the newly-finished buildings of
Regent’s park, the construction of which was begun during my visit three
years ago. This new quarter consists of palaces. At Mr. Ackermann’s
store I enjoyed a sight of the greatest variety of fancy articles. It is
only to be regretted that the works published at his establishment are
so very expensive. I had the pleasure of becoming personally acquainted
with Mr. Ackermann, this venerable philanthropist is plain in
appearance, but is very interesting in his conversation. He spoke much
with me about my happily finished travels, and invited me to his
country-seat; but I was obliged to decline this invitation on account of
the short time which remained at my disposal. I next visited the store
of another German, a cutler and manufacturer of surgical instruments,
Mr. Weiss; he is a native of Rostock, but already more than thirty years
established in this city, and particularly in making surgical
instruments, he is said to be the first manufacturer in England. He
showed me several apparatus and instruments, among which there was one
for removing a stone, without the necessity of performing the operation
of cutting. He showed me the cast of a stone as large as a chesnut,
which had been extracted from the bladder of a man, without any cutting
operation. Moreover, he showed me a poison pump of his own invention, by
means of which, poisons that have been swallowed, may be extracted from
the stomach. This machine consists of a brass tube which contains the
pump; to this is attached a long tube of elastic gum, which terminates
in a sack of the same substance provided with holes. This tube is passed
through the throat into the stomach, and when the sack has entered the
stomach, the poison is pumped through the flexible tube into the brass
one. By turning the handle of the pump the gum tube is closed; then it
is forced down again, by means of which another valve on the other side
of the brass tube opens, and to this another elastic tube is attached,
through which the extracted poison is ejected. Then the handle is turned
a second time, which closes this valve and opens the first one, leading
to the tube that is fixed in the stomach, and the operation is continued
until no poison is left in the stomach. Mr. Weiss told me, that some
weeks ago, by means of this instrument, his son had saved the life of a
girl, who had taken a considerable dose of arsenic in a fit of amorous
desperation.

The English nobility give, at certain times, in the British institution,
Pallmall street, a public exhibition of their collections of precious
paintings. Just now there was the king’s collection of paintings from
his palace, Carlton-house, because they were about to demolish this
palace, and in its place erect an edifice after the model of the
Parthenon at Athens, which is calculated to contain the works of English
artists. This is a fine idea, and certainly encouraging for the artists
of this nation, but it is a pity that it causes the destruction of this
elegant palace. The British institution is a building which consists of
three large halls, and which receive their light from above. The
collection mostly contained paintings of Flemish artists, some English,
and a few Italian and French. There were seven pieces by Rubens, amongst
which I particularly noticed his own likeness and that of his first
wife, finished in the same manner as those in the collection of Mr.
Schamp at Ghent, and at Warwick Castle; besides these, a landscape with
figures, representing the history of St. George, with the portraits of
Queen Henrietta Maria and Charles I. for whom it was done. Seven
paintings by Vandyk, among which the portraits of Charles I. in three
views, which his lady had sent to the statuary Bernini at Rome, to
finish the bust of the king therefrom. A sketch, studies of horses and
horsemen, of remarkable value, and a full-size portrait of Gaston de
France, and two portraits of Queen Henrietta Maria, which, like that of
her unfortunate husband, I might call unavoidable, because it is to be
found almost in every collection of paintings in England. I found seven
pieces by Rembrandt, among which were several excellent portraits, and
his own; they were all easily distinguished by his particular colouring.
Fourteen paintings by Teniers, collections of people; small portraits;
a view of the towns of Holland, and a couple of landscapes, one of which
represents likewise, the artist, his wife, and his gardener; a real
ornament to this collection. One of these pieces, representing a village
festival, had been on the artist’s harpsichord. I admired two other
pieces, in the same style, by J. Ostade, and seven by A. Ostade; six by
Jan Steen. One of the latter, very excellently finished, represented an
elderly man, just rising from bed, who is listening to the reproaches of
a young girl, for his niggardliness; she holds forth to him a trifle of
money, and an old woman is urging him to be more generous. Four effects
of light, by Schalken, and a portrait by Holbein, are likewise worthy of
attention. Nine pieces by Wouverman are easily distinguished by the
white horses, representing skirmishes and country scenes. Seven pictures
by Mieris are to be known by their fine keeping. Three pieces are by
G. Douw, one by Slingelandt, and five by Metzu. A landscape by Ruisdael,
and two by Hobbema, attracted my particular attention, as well as eleven
pieces by Vandevelde, representing sea-pieces, landscapes, and views of
several cities of Holland; two of the latter are finished by him and
Vanderheyden jointly; I observed likewise, four very fine pieces by
Vanderwerff, one of them representing the Roman Mercy, the other a
concert, the third Lot with his daughters, and the fourth two children.

The collection is likewise rich in paintings of animals; there are four
capital works by G. Potter, one of them representing two hogs, as true
as if they were living. A piece by Hondekoeter, representing a chicken,
belongs likewise to this class, as well as ten pieces by Cuyp, in which
the landscapes are very well finished. Among these I enjoyed
particularly a camp-scene with a horseman in the fore-ground, engaged in
currying his horse. Six very good pieces, by Berghem ought not to be
omitted, nor a handsome sea-piece by Buckhuizen, with a view of Briel in
the back-ground.

Besides these pieces, there is a good collection of other paintings of
the same school, but it would lead me too far, to mention them all. From
other schools there are but a few and of less value. A landscape with
sheep, by Titian; Christ taken down from the Cross, by Michael Angelo
and Venusti, and another piece by Gonzalez. Among the paintings of
modern times, I found the portrait of Garrick and his wife, by Hogarth;
a domestic scene, by Greuze, and several pieces of an Italian painter,
Zeffani. One of them, which has become more generally known by the
copperplate of Bartolozzi, represents the Royal Academy of London, and
the other the Gallery of Florence, with the portraits of several
Englishmen of note, who sojourned at that time in Florence. By the same
artist I saw two pieces, representing the interior of two royal palaces,
with the children of George III. and their mother. These tasteless
pieces, compared with the before-mentioned elegant paintings, make an
unpleasant impression. I saw eight pieces by Sir Joshua Reynolds, among
which his own portrait and two full-size portraits of the Portuguese
Chief Marshal Count von der Lippe, and of the English General Marquis of
Granby. These two pieces are masterly works, and full of expression. You
distinguish in the countenance of Count von der Lippe and in his whole
posture, his profound and enterprising spirit, and in the features of
Lord Granby his great benevolence, which procured him in the army the
name of the soldier’s friend. The features of the count excite respect,
while those of the lord claim your attachment. I was much less pleased
with the historical pieces of Sir Joshua. The most handsome of the newer
paintings was undoubtedly the interior of the choir of a Capuchin chapel
by the French painter Granet. The expression of the countenances of the
monks is unparalleled; in some you see piety, in others listlessness;
another couple make sport of the exceeding piety of a monk, kneeling in
the middle of the hall; the countenance of a young, tall, stout monk, is
the personification of fanaticism. Near the altar stands a monk in the
sacerdotal habit, with two choristers and tapers in their hands, the
monk singing a hymn. The light is very well executed; it enters through
a large window in the back ground, and makes a fine effect on the bare
crown of the head and the gray beard of the priest. I think this piece
one of the finest of the whole collection. I saw here a great many
gentlemen and ladies, and it is said to be fashionable to visit this
splendid gallery in the afternoon.

On the 26th of July, (the anniversary of the day on which I first landed
on American ground at Boston,) I went to the custom-house for the
purpose of taking passage for Ostend on board the steam-boat Earl of
Liverpool, Captain Peak, which was laying there at anchor. At the
custom-house I was quite surprised. I expected to see the splendid,
newly-erected palace for the offices of the custom-house, the same
which, three years ago, I had admired so much, and instead of it, found
nothing but ruins. They said that the foundation had not been well
enough examined upon which the custom-house had been built by contract;
the building cracked, the large, splendid hall was near falling down,
and in order to prevent this accident, they were obliged to demolish the
centre building; both wings of the building were yet supported by beams,
but they soon will have to demolish them likewise, in order to build an
entirely new house. The gentleman who made the contract to have the
house built, lays the blame of this bad work upon the architect, and he
upon a commission, under whose control he acted.

The Earl of Liverpool, of one hundred and thirty tons, with two engines,
left London at eleven o’clock, A. M., and on the next morning at six
o’clock I landed at Ostend. At four o’clock, P. M. I proceeded by the
way of Bruegge to Ghent. During this journey I remembered an observation
which I had heard frequently in America, that upon an American visiting
Europe for the first time, nothing makes a greater impression than the
old monuments, which trace the time past for many centuries, and which
are a proof of the prosperity and good taste of preceding generations.
I found this observation perfectly true, by my own feelings on returning
from America, which exhibits none but new objects, and has nothing but a
bustling present struggling for future improvement.

On the 28th of July, at four o’clock, P. M., I arrived at Ghent.


  THE END.


       *       *       *       *       *
           *       *       *       *
       *       *       *       *       *


Errors and Inconsistencies (noted by transcriber)

Spelling was corrected if the mistake was clearly mechanical, or
inconsistent with the author’s (or translator’s) usage elsewhere.
This includes some spellings that were acceptable in 1828, but are
different from other occurrences of the same word.

All commas are as printed. Inconsistent italicization of ships’ names
is as in the original. The notation “invisible” means that there is an
appropriately sized empty space, but the punctuation itself is missing.

  “Bodleïan” is written with dieresis
  “chesnut” is standard for the time and is used consistently
  “team boat” (referring to canals) is not an error

  “lime-stone” and “sand-stone” are hyphenated at the beginning
    of the book but later become single words
  “free-stone” or “freestone” are not frequent enough to establish
    a pattern
  “country seat” starts out as two words, but later becomes
    hyphenated “country-seat”
  the inconsistent spacing of “no( )where” “every( )where”
    and “else( )where” is unchanged
  “back ground” is generally two words; “fore-ground” occurs only once

Spelling (unchanged):

  appointed him his aid
  present as aid to the Emperor
  Mr. Butler, his aid
    [_the spelling “aid” is used consistently_]
  the tatoed and dried head of a New Zealand chief
  roast-beef, plumb-pudding, &c.
  This place is called the antichamber.
  it is fixed in a cramp  [_text unchanged: error for “clamp”?_]
  some negroes, who were frolicing during the Christmas holy-days
  corset inventress to the Dutchess of Kent
    [_“Duchess” and “Dutchess” are each used once_]

French (corrected):

  From the left wing a line runs _en crémaillère_
    [crémaillére]
  When a lady is left sitting, she is said to be “bredouille.”
    [bredouillè]
  so that they would consider their labour in the light of a corvée.
    [corveè]

Errors (corrected):

  strange bas-reliefs, representing ancient hunting scenes
    [bass-reliefs]
  the rooms are not large; the beds  [is not]
  On the top of the capitol is a cupola  [cupalo]
  the pen is too feeble to delineate the simultaneous feelings
    of insignificance and grandeur  [simultaneons ... insignificence]
  then a company of sappers and miners,  [minors]
  in which again each sex has its own side  [each sect]
  There are two paintings by Teniers  [painting]
  the office and place of deposit for bound bibles  [deposite]
  They recall to memory Glenn’s Falls on the Hudson
    [recal; _“recall” is used consistently elsewhere_]
  the other loses by faint colouring  [looses]
  an English copy of the illustrations of Göthe’s Faust laid open.
    [illustratrations; _spelling “Göthe” with umlaut unchanged_]
  In a hollow place there is a basin, or rather a reservoir  [their is]
  close by it stands the prison, or county gaol,  [goal]
  this journey of one hundred and ninety-eight miles  [ninty-eight]
  the log houses were only employed as negro cabins  [onegr]
  we might lie several days, perhaps weeks here  [several day]
  because they had not received their pay for some time.
    [_missing “not”_]
  Several of the French families here settled  [familes]
  so as not to lose themselves in the woods  [loose]
  and on this account, the proceeding to me appeared arbitrary  [acount]
  has followed me even in America like an evil genius  [and evil]
  an inspection on the Red river, the Arkansas, and New Orleans
    [Arkansa; _“Arkansas” is used consistently elsewhere_]
  a great part of the houses are built of brick;  [_missing “a”_]
  We frequently rode along the new national turnpike road
    [frequently road]
  over some stone bridges of sumptuous construction  [contruction]
  about the right bank of the Alleghany and Ohio  [righ]
  parallel ridges, called Laurel hill.  [callel]
  the girls learn to sew and knit  [sow]
  The gentlemen above named accompanied me to the vessel.  [accompaned]
  every thing, manufactured in Birmingham,  [Burmingham]
  a fine view into a considerable suite of rooms  [considerble]
  until no poison is left in the stomach  [stomuch]

Spacing, hyphenization, capitalization:

  By his highness, Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar Eisenach.
    [_capitalized as shown_]
  two stories besides a ground floor, and may contain  [floor,and]
  so that it is excellently adapted to waterworks
    [_anomalous missing hyphen unchanged_]
  They have a large kitchen garden  [they have]
  The corpse is put in the corpse-house  [the corpse]
  views of Monticello, Mount Vernon, the principal buildings in
    Washington  [Mount-Vernon]
  many evergreen trees and bushes.  [ever green]
  with Madam Herries; he is a Frenchman  [Herries;he]
  This is, however, the case with most of the stores  [this is]

Punctuation:

  Footnote I-4: [This manuscript .... of London.]--TRANS.
    [_printed “of London.--TRANS.]”: changed for consistency_]
  On the 9th, at 6 A. M. she arrived at _Falmouth_.  [6 A. M]
  Schenectady.-- Utica.-- Rochester.  [--Utica--]
  and produce much vexation in consequence of the baggage.
    [_final . missing_]
  the village of St. Regis, the last belonging to the United States.
    [_final . missing_]
  a monument erected by the colony in honour of Lord Nelson.
    [_final . missing_]
  to protect the place of embarkation by a fort.
    [_final . missing_]
  On the ensuing morning I went with Mr. Halbach to Mr. Vaux
    [Mr Vaux: _period invisible_]
  mineralogy and geology.-- ... lectures on chemistry.
    [_missing . after “geology” and “chemistry”_]
  drawing of the human figure.--  [_final . missing_]
  The cotton cleaned from its seed is put into a large chest,
    pressed in, and packed up.
    [_final . missing_]
  Mr. Nott studied in England and France
    [Mr Nott: _period invisible_]
  the 16th ultimo from Liverpool  [ultimo.]
  [Footnote II-9: [... within these accursed walls.]--TRANS.
    [_missing -- before “Trans.”_]
  the river is fordable in many places above the falls.”
    [_close quote missing_]
  a diameter of one hundred and fifty yards during forty miles.”
    [_close quote missing_]
  even this navigation so expensive and destructive to the wood,
    will cease  [_punctuation unchanged_]
  one hundred and twenty horses, which daily work here,  [work here.]
  in the neighbourhood of Lake Ontario and the river St. Lawrence
    [St Lawrence]