STAY IN NEW YORK, PHILADELPHIA, AND BORDENTOWN, FROM 9TH TO 16TH JULY
New York--Bloomingdale--Hoboken--New
Brunswick--Trenton--Bordentown--Philadelphia--Fair Mount, with
the water-works--Stay at Bordentown--Park of the Count de
Survilliers--Excursions in the forests--Return to Philadelphia.
New York is but little inferior to the capital cities of Europe, with
the exception of London and Paris. It has, at present, 220,000
inhabitants, and its commerce is so extensive, animated, and active,
that, in this respect, it is scarcely surpassed by any. There are so
many descriptions of this great city, that to say much on the subject
would be merely repetition. The first impression that it made on me
was very striking, on account of the beauty of its situation. In the
interior the style of building resembles that of many English cities.
It has one remarkably fine street, called the Broadway, which
traverses its whole length; other parts are old, and not so handsome.
In the Broadway, which is the favourite resort of the fashionable
world, is an uninterrupted line of shops, but little inferior to those
of London and Paris. The city is extremely animated, and people of all
nations carry on business here. We were assured that the population
had been diminished, in a few days, by the emigration of 20,000 of the
inhabitants, who had fled to other towns for fear of the cholera.[26]
It is well known that this lamentable disease had been very fatal in
Canada, and had now penetrated into the Northern States of the Union:
it was raging in Albany, on the Hudson, at Detroit, and on the great
lakes, so that it seemed as if it would defeat our project of
beginning our journey to the interior by that route. This had been my
plan, in which the recommendations of our worthy countryman, Mr.
Astor,[27] would have been of great service, as he is the founder and
head of the American Fur Company, which has spread its trading
stations over the whole of the interior of North America. I formed
numerous interesting acquaintances, in a short time, in New York.
Several estimable fellow-countrymen, Messrs. Gebhard and Schuchart,
and Mr. Iselin, did their utmost to afford us their counsel and
assistance. Mr. Schmidt, the Prussian consul, contributed not a little
to make our stay in this city agreeable; and so did Mr. Meier and
other of our German friends. Mr. Schmidt has a country-house at
Bloomingdale, [pg. 14] where we passed some very pleasant days in the
circle of his amiable family. Mrs. Schmidt, an American lady, had
visited Europe and travelled in Germany, and remembered, with
pleasure, the banks of the Rhine.
The house at which Mr. Schmidt resides in the summer, is charmingly
situated on the banks of that picturesque river, the Hudson, seven
miles from the town. The pretty dwelling-house, with a veranda all
round, covered with passion flowers, honeysuckles, the red trumpet
flower, and other beautiful climbing plants, stands on a verdant lawn,
shaded by lofty trees, among which we observed the finest kinds of
this country, the trunks of which were slender, and straight as
pillars. The park extends to the Hudson, where the tall sassafras,
tulip, oak, walnut, and other trees, protected us by their shade;
while the large steam-boats, rapidly passing on the bright surface of
the Hudson, had a very picturesque effect. Mr. Schmidt had the
kindness to afford us an admirable view of what is called the island
of New York. Near Bloomingdale is a large and very well conducted
lunatic asylum, from the lofty roof of which we enjoyed an
inexpressibly beautiful, extensive, and interesting prospect of the
whole country. From this spot we overlooked the East and North Rivers,
the broad bend of the latter, and its high banks towards Albany; to
the north, dark forests, with detached dwellings and country seats;
and, in all directions, luxuriant green thickets, towns, villages, and
handsome country-houses. At our feet, contrasting with that rich and
noble view, full of variety and life, we looked down on the buildings
and court-yards of the hospital, in which we could observe the
patients; while, in another enclosed space, Virginian deer were
sporting and playing. This asylum is a very excellent establishment,
and contains a great number of patients: the physician resides in the
house, and was so good as to show us over it. New York has many such
useful institutions,--hospitals, poorhouses, and houses of correction,
in which latter the young, who may still be reclaimed, are not mixed
with the old, hardened offenders, but are kept apart. There is an
asylum for the deaf and dumb, &c.
Our returning from Bloomingdale, in the evening, was extremely
agreeable, the weather being delightful. In the dark thickets and
woods were swarms of fire-flies; and from the marshes and pools came
the croakings of the frogs, with which we were not yet familiar; but
we did not hear that of the celebrated bull-frog.
The most beautiful spots and environs of New York are indebted for the
attraction of their views, to the variety of the waters surrounding
the city: thus, for instance, at the end of the Broadway, is the
Castle Garden, formerly a circular fort, the walls of which are
converted into a public walk. From the wall itself is a fine prospect
of the noble harbour, the neighbouring city, the banks, the opposite
coast, and the broad river, where ships of every kind and of all
nations are coming and going. Another favourite place of resort is the
garden at Hoboken, the name of which indicates its Dutch origin, for
it is well known that the Dutch founded the first considerable
settlement in this place, numerous traces of which still remain.
[pg. 15] The communication with Hoboken is by means of a steam-boat. The
garden extends along the banks of the Hudson, and the lofty trees and
thickets are pleasing and interesting to the stranger. The tall
hickory and other kinds of walnut trees had now their fruit half
grown. Storax trees (_Liquidambar styraciflua_), with their maple-like
leaves, grow very high and straight, _Gleditschia triacanthos_ and
_inermis_, with wild vines, climbing round them; and many other fine
forest trees afford protection against the heat of the summer. Many
European trees and shrubs, too, have been planted here. Thus we saw a
hedge of whitethorn, the growth of which, however, was stunted by
other wood. Many birds, whose notes were unknown to us, were heard in
these shades. On my first visit to New York, I was interested by some
collections of natural history; for instance, two museums, one of
which, belonging to Mr. Peale, is, however, much inferior to that of
his brother at Philadelphia. Being anxious to see Philadelphia, I
hastened to set out for that city, and left New York, where the
cholera was daily spreading more and more.
On the 16th, at six in the morning, I embarked on board the Swan
steam-boat, which was so crowded with passengers that there was
scarcely room to sit down. On our left we had Staten Land; but we soon
turned to the right, into the river Raritan, on which New Brunswick is
situated.
New Brunswick is a village, consisting of many straggling streets,
where all the passengers landed from the steam-boat, and took their
seats in stage-coaches, drawn by four horses, which were standing
ready to receive them. The heat was great, the company very mixed, and
I had the misfortune to have noisy and disagreeable companions. A long
hill, with steep sides, which appears to consist of a reddish clay,
extends along the water-side to New Brunswick. On the eminence above
the town it was naked and rather sterile; the road was bad, and we
were roughly jolted as we drove rapidly along. Meadows, fields of
clover, rye, oats, and maize succeeded each other in the vicinity of
the habitations, as well as plantations of European fruit trees, full
of large caterpillar's nests, but flourishing in the greatest
luxuriance. The beautiful red trumpet flower partly covered the sides
of the houses, about which Italian poplars and Babylonian willows were
frequently planted; the latter are often very high and spreading. The
cattle are partly without horns. Sheep and swine were numerous.
While we were changing horses at Kingston, negro and other children
offered milk, little cakes, and half-ripe fruit for sale, of which a
great deal was bought. Some German peasants, lately arrived from
Europe, who were welcomed by their relations, previously settled in
the country, completely filled a couple of stages, and were not a
little merry, in their low German language, at which Americans laughed
heartily. From this place the country was rather woody. Here and there
were fine forests, the shade of which was very refreshing in this hot
weather. The growth of timber was very fine. A pretty wild rose
blossomed among the bushes in the meadows. Oak, sassafras, walnut,
chestnut, plane, and tulip trees, displayed their luxuriant foliage of
various and often glossy green. The tulip trees, when young, are
distinguished by [pg. 16] their pyramidal shape and beautiful light
green leaves; they were at this time covered with their seed vessels,
which were full-grown, but not ripe. The branching phytolacea, and the
thorn-apple with its large white flowers, which were now open, as well
as several plants brought from Europe, grew in abundance by the
road-side, also species of sumach, partly entwined with wild vine; and
in the forest was underwood of _Rhododendron maximum_. We passed
rapidly through Prince Town, and arrived at Trenton, on the Delaware,
a straggling town, lying among thickets, on the low banks of the
river. A long, covered wooden bridge led to the opposite bank of this
broad river, which was animated by ships and boats. Such colossal,
covered wooden bridges are very common in the United States; and many
travellers have already described the construction of these useless
masses of timber. From Trenton, we hastened over a sandy tract to
another place on the river, opposite to which is Bordentown, and at a
short distance lay the steam-boat, Trenton, ready to convey us down
the river to Philadelphia. We descended the fine river Delaware, the
low, verdant banks of which are covered with many towns, settlements,
and country houses; here and there, too, with forests of oaks, &c.,
and of a kind of pine (_pinus rigida_).[28] After taking dinner, at
which we were waited on by negroes and mulattoes, we reached
Philadelphia about five or six o'clock.
This city extends a great way along the right bank of the Delaware,
but has by no means so beautiful and striking an effect as New York.
It is large and regularly built; the long, straight streets crossing
each other at right angles. The modern part of the city is handsome,
consisting of lofty brick buildings, ornamented in the English
fashion; but the older parts of Philadelphia consist of low, mean
houses. It is very judicious that, in hot weather, an agreeable shady
walk is formed by awnings spread before the houses, and that the
streets are well watered. The water-works are at Fairmount, where
there is a basin, from which pipes convey the water to every part of
the city.
The streets which run at right angles to the Delaware are called by
the names of different kinds of trees--Mulberry Street, Walnut Street,
Chestnut Street, &c.: the streets which cross them are numbered, First
Street, Second Street, Third Street, &c. Chestnut Street, without
doubt the finest, is full of life and traffic. A part of it has, in
the middle, a shady avenue of lime trees; and, besides, there are, in
many of the streets, rows of trees which do not yet afford much shade.
Splendid shops, in almost uninterrupted succession, line the streets,
and you find here all the manufactures and produce of the other
quarters of the globe. The ancient, injudicious practice of having the
churchyards in the towns is still retained in America. They are filled
with great numbers of whitish monuments, of various forms, often
planted with high trees, and lie quite exposed to view, being
separated from the street only by an iron railing. Philadelphia has a
considerable number of public buildings, especially many churches and
meeting-houses of [pg. 17] different religious denominations, most of
which are extremely plain brick buildings, without any external
ornaments whatever. This country has no history like the Old World,
and therefore we look in vain for the ancient Gothic cathedrals, and
those awe-inspiring monuments of past ages, from which the traveller
in Europe derives so much pleasure and instruction. Besides the
churches, the principal buildings are the State House, where the
independence of the country was proclaimed on the 4th of July, 1776,
the United States Bank, the Bank of Pennsylvania, the Exchange, the
University and the Medical College, the Mint, some hospitals, the
Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and many others, which it would lead us too far
to mention here.
Philadelphia would make a more striking impression if we could find a
spot commanding a view of the whole; but as it lies in the plain
between the rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, which unite five miles
below the city, no such spot is to be found.
It is well known that this city was founded, in 1682, by William Penn,
a Quaker, who concluded, under an elm tree, which recently fell down
from age, a convention with the Delaware Indians, the proprietors of
the soil, by which they ceded to him a tract of land. Philadelphia,
literally "the city of the brethren" (Quakers), contains people from
all the nations of Europe, especially Germans, French, and English. In
some parts of the city, German is almost exclusively spoken. In the
year 1834, the population consisted of 80,406 whites, and 59,482
people of colour. I arrived in Philadelphia at an unfavourable moment,
for the cholera had already manifested itself also in that city.
Letters of introduction from Europe procured me a kind reception in
some houses; but, on the other hand, I had not an opportunity of
becoming acquainted with several scientific gentlemen, because, being
physicians, they were now particularly engaged. Professor Harlan, M. D.,
well known to the learned world as an author, was of the number.[29]
Mr. Krumbhaar, a German, to whom I had letters, received me with much
kindness, and introduced me to many agreeable acquaintances. He took
me to the water-works at Fair Mount, one of the most interesting spots
near the city, which are indeed worth seeing. The road led past the
House of Correction, where young offenders, who are still capable of
being reclaimed, are confined. On the bank of the river, there are
buildings in which large wheels set in motion the machinery by which
the water is raised to the reservoirs, on an eminence about eighty
feet high, whence the pipes are carried to all parts of the city. The
rocky eminence, from which a fine, clear spring rises, is provided
with stairs and balustrades, and adorned with elegant pavilions, which
command a view of the water-works, and of the beautiful valley of the
Schuylkill. It is a favourite promenade, and daily resorted to by
numbers of persons, as they can have all kinds of refreshments there.
Beautiful plants, the catalpa, plantain, &c., grow among the rocks
with great luxuriance, being watered by the springs. We crossed the
great bridge over the Schuylkill, to return to the city, where I made
but a short stay, because my fellow-travellers were still detained at
New York, waiting for our baggage from Boston. As [pg. 18] all the
roads were crowded with fugitives from New York, it was not a
favourable moment for travelling; I therefore resolved on an excursion
to Bordentown, in order to obtain some little knowledge of the forests
of New Jersey.
I left Philadelphia, on board the Burlington steam-boat, about noon,
and arrived at Bordentown between four and five o'clock. At this place
are the estates of the Count de Survilliers (Joseph Buonaparte), who
had but lately sailed for Europe.[30] The pleasant country house, in
the fine park, is about 300 paces from the village, near to the high
road, and near, also, to the iron railway from Amboy to Camden,
opposite to Philadelphia.[31] Workmen were employed in making this
road, in doing which, advantage was taken of the hollow of the valley,
so that the railway was much below the common road, or the street of
the town. I found some interesting plants in the woods opposite the
Count's park. There were three or four kinds of oak, among which are
the _Quercus ferruginea_, with its large, peculiarly shaped leaves;
the white oak, the leaves of which are the most like the European;
also, varieties of walnut trees, chestnuts, and the sassafras, a fine,
tall tree, which was just then in blossom, the leaves of which often
vary in shape. The undergrowth of this forest, in which pines were
mixed with other trees, consisted of _Rhododendron maximum_
(Pennsylvania mountain laurel) and kalmia, the latter of which, in the
deep shade, was already out of flower; but the former still had its
large bunches of beautiful white or pale red blossoms, and was from
ten to fifteen feet high. The stiff, laurel-like, dried leaves of this
fine plant covered the ground, and crackled as we passed along, which
reminded me of the Brazilian forests, where this occurs in a much
greater degree. On open, uncultivated spots, the great mullein
(_Verbascum thapsus_), with its yellow flowers, and large, woolly
leaves, grew in great abundance, and likewise the phytolacea. Among
the thick blackberry bushes, entwined with vines, by the road-side, I
observed the little striped squirrel, which doubtless climbs to get at
the fruit.
At ten o'clock, the heat was already so intense that I returned to the
inn, where I arrived very much fatigued. This house is very pleasantly
situated on an eminence above the Delaware, at the place where the
steam-boats arrive, and from which there is a fine view of the arm of
the river, and the adjacent lowland, covered with woods and thickets.
A great ornament of this landscape is the white garden-pavilion of
Count Survilliers, which rises above the thick groves on the left bank
of the Delaware, above Bordentown. In the cool of the evening I
usually went to this park. The house itself is a pretty building, on a
lawn near the water-side, where oleander and orange plants are placed.
The park is very shady, and extends along the Croswick Creek, towards
which the bank forms a steep, wildly wooded declivity. In this wood
there was likewise a thick undergrowth of _Rhododendron maximum_, now
in full blossom. On an eminence immediately above the river, stands a
kind of tower, several stories high, upon a terrace, from the gallery
of which is a fine and extensive view over the low, wooded country,
and the arms of the river. From this place winding paths lead through
the gloomy forest of [pg. 19] pine trees, of different varieties, where
many birds, of kinds unknown to me, were flying about. The cat bird
(_Turdus felivox_, Vieill.), whose voice has a slight resemblance to
that of a cat, was very numerous in this place. From the top of the
wooded bank a sort of bridge has been carried out, a great height
above the river, and a square place furnished with seats, from which
you overlook the whole country. An old Canadian pine stands at the
edge of the bank, some branches of which we carried off, by way of
memorial. The view from this place is remarkably beautiful; to the
right and left extends the river, or rather broad brook, which, at
the feet of the spectator, is covered with water plants. The
yellow-blossomed _Nymphaea adversus_, and the beautiful _Pontederia
cordata_ grow here in great abundance. There was plenty of occupation
for the botanist and the ornithologist, and the sportsman would have
reason to be satisfied, for in the neighbouring thickets there were
deer (_Cervus virginianus_), and hares (_Lepus Americanus_), which
frequently crossed our path.[32]
On my return to Bordentown, I found before the door of the inn a
number of gentlemen lying in more than easy positions on the benches;
the chief subject of conversation was the cholera, which filled the
whole country with terror.
It was precisely the hottest part of summer, and it was scarcely
possible to protect one's self against the swarms of European flies,
which are very numerous. On this account there are, in the inns,
negroes and mulattoes, who attend at table, and give the company rest
from those troublesome insects, and, at the same time, cool air, by
fanning them with fans, made of feathers, often those of the peacock.
Fans are, in fact, an article of luxury, and are purchased in the
towns; they are made of the tail feathers of the wild turkey, the
crane, or the swan, of palm leaves, &c. It was so hot in the daytime,
that it was hardly possible to leave the house; and the cholera,
therefore, spread rapidly in New York. In this sultry season, the
evenings were really refreshing, and gave new life both to men and
animals. When it became dusk, luminous insects flew about, and the
crickets chirped in notes like those in Europe, but in more rapid
succession.
On the following day I visited other places and woods in the vicinity
of Bordentown. The town itself is built in the country fashion, with
regular, broad, unpaved streets or roads, and the houses lie detached
from each other, shaded by rows of trees: this is very necessary, for
now, at 10 o'clock in the morning, Fahrenheit's thermometer, in the
cool passage of the inn, was at 73 deg. The avenues of trees in the
town consisted of robinia, paper-mulberry, large-leaved poplars, which
exude an aromatic gum, weeping willows, and Syrian mallow, which
latter grow to the height of ten and even fifteen feet. These plants,
with their beautiful flowers, flourish here in much greater perfection
than in Germany. In the gardens we observed monarda (Oswego tea),
[pg. 20] the Indian cress (_tropaeolum_), purple convolvulus, buckthorn
(_Lycum Europeum_), the climbing trumpet flower, vine, catalpa,
larkspur, &c.
From Bordentown I sometimes passed beyond the iron railroad, and
penetrated into the neighbouring forest. Five or six species of oak,
several kinds of walnut trees, beeches, chestnuts, and dogwood, formed
the thick wood, the undergrowth of which consisted of _Rhododendron
maximum_, kalmia, rhus, and tall juniper.
On the 23rd of July I left Bordentown, and returned to Philadelphia,
as our baggage had not yet arrived from Boston. I made use of this
interval to examine the museum of Mr. Titian Peale, which contains the
best collection of natural history in the United States. There is the
fine large skeleton of the Ohio elephant (_Mastodon, Cuv._), and
likewise most of the animals of North America, pretty well stuffed.
Among them I noticed, especially, the bison, the bighorn or wild sheep
of the rocky mountains, the prairie antelope (_Antilocapra Americana
Ord._), the elk (_Cervus major_, or _Canadensis_) the grisly bear
(_Ursus ferox_), and others. Mr. Peale, the owner, accompanied the
expedition under Major Long to the Rocky Mountains, where he procured
part of these specimens himself.[33] There are likewise many
specimens of foreign animals; for instance, a rhinoceros; and the
collection of Indian dresses, utensils, and arms, is, I think, the
most important that I have yet seen. I was particularly interested by
some oil paintings of Indian villages and scenery by Seymour. This
artist also accompanied Major Long's expedition. Mr. Peale's
collection deserves precedence above all the public museums in the
United States, for its more scientific arrangement, and because fewer
trifling nicknacks have been admitted into it. Mr. Peale has also
travelled in South America, and his health was still suffering from
his visit to that country.
As the study of the aboriginal nations of America had peculiar
attractions for me, I searched the shops of all the booksellers and
printsellers, for good representations of that interesting race; but
how much was I astonished, that I could not find, in all the towns of
this country, one good, that is, characteristic representation of
them, but only some bad or very indifferent copper-plates, which are
in books of travels! It is incredible how much the original American
race is hated and neglected by the foreign usurpers. Only a few
eminent men, who have felt this reproach and defect, are now exerting
themselves to rescue from oblivion the neglected materials, scarce as
they now are, after it has become next to impossible to collect
anything complete respecting the history of many exterminated Indian
tribes. Messrs. Morse, Smith Barton, Edwin James, Say, Duponceau,
Schoolcraft, Cass, McKenney, and some others, are an honourable
exception in this respect. A fine work, with coloured lithographic
plates, was contemplated at Philadelphia, which deserves
encouragement; it was to give the history of the several Indian
tribes, with portraits of their chiefs, for which the Government was
ready to furnish all the materials in its possession. It seems that
this important publication has at length been carried into execution.
FOOTNOTES:
[26] The first recorded death by cholera, in North America, occurred
on June 8, 1832, at Quebec. The epidemic began raging in northwest
India in 1827-28. It reached the shores of the Caspian Sea (1829),
spread throughout Russia (1829-30), reached England (1831), and spread
to the United States by way of Detroit the following year. Rapidly
extending throughout the union, it counted its victims in nearly every
state and territory.--ED.
[27] For a brief sketch of Astor, see Franchere's _Narrative_, in our
volume vi, p. 186, note 8.--ED.
[28] The Americans report of this pine that, if it is cut down, oaks
and other trees immediately grow up in its place; and if these are cut
down, the pines grow up again, and so continually alternating in the
same manner!--MAXIMILIAN.
[29] Richard Harlan (1796-1843) graduated from the medical department
of the University of Pennsylvania (1818), practiced medicine in
Philadelphia, and later occupied the chair of comparative anatomy in
the Philadelphia Museum. He was a member of the Cholera Commission of
1832, and of many learned societies both in this country and abroad.
His chief publications were: _Observations on the Genus Salamandra_
(Philadelphia, 1824), _Fauna Americana_ (1825), _American Herpitology_
(1827), _Medical and Physical Researches_ (1835), and a translation of
Gaunal, _History Of Embalming_, with additions (1840).--ED.
[30] Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) held many positions of trust under
his brother Napoleon. He negotiated the treaty of peace between this
country and France in 1800, and the treaty of Amiens in 1802. He was
made king of Naples (1806), and king of Spain two years later. In an
interview with his brother after the battle of Waterloo, arrangements
were made for a meeting in New York. In the summer of 1815 Joseph
Bonaparte, under the assumed title of Comte de Survilliers, came to
the United States and purchased a mansion in Philadelphia, a country
seat of about a thousand acres, near Bordentown, New Jersey, six miles
below Trenton, and later a summer home on the edge of the Adirondack
Mountains. His favorite residence was "Point Breeze," near Bordentown,
where in 1820 he built what was accounted the finest mansion in the
state. In 1850, Henry Beckett, the British consul at Philadelphia,
purchased "Point Breeze," and demolished its mansion. Joseph Bonaparte
was in Europe from 1832 to 1837; the next two years in this country;
and in 1841 went to Florence, Italy, where he died. His benevolence
and hospitality won for him much admiration in the United States. See
our volumes xi, p. 159, and xii, p. 79.--ED.
[31] On February 4, 1830, the state legislature of New Jersey granted
a charter for the Camden and Amboy Railroad.--ED.
[32] We were told that the Virginian deer were formerly very numerous
here, but that it had been found necessary to shoot them, because, in
the rutting season, they roamed about and did great damage to the
crops.--MAXIMILIAN.
[33] For Major Long's _Expedition_, see our volumes xiv-xvii. Short
notes on the Peale family, Seymour, and Say may be found in our volume
xiv, pp. 39-41, note 2.--ED.