On landing at the Battery, our first visit was to an office of the
customs here; and, instead of the dogged, sulky, bribe-demanding scowl,
too commonly encountered from our own low-class officials, who seem to
consider the custom-house as a means rather of annoyance to the lieges
than a protection to trade, we were met by civility, respect, and prompt
despatch. The luggage we had brought with us on shore was not subjected
to the least examination, and we went on our way highly pleased. First
impressions give their colour to succeeding matters; and surely those
derived from my encounter with the officials of a service at best
annoying, were much in favour of the land.
On entering the quiet Bowling Green, where many of the houses have
coloured fronts, and all gaily painted jalousies, with trees shadowing
the _stoups_, I was reminded of Cape Town: but the impression was
momentary; a few yards on, and the long line of Broadway, with its
crowded side walks, showy shops, and numerous hotels, at once transports
you back to Europe; and, were it not for the sprinkling of black faces
with which the mass is chequered, one might swear oneself in Paris on
some portion of the Boulevards not altogether familiar to the eye, but
offering most of the points needful to prove identity, from the monkey
and hurdy-gurdy of the Savoyard, the _blouse_ of the carman and
_Conducteur_, to the swagger of the citizen-soldier, and the mincing
step and "_tournure charmante_" of the _belles_. The fronts of the
_cafes_ and hotels, too, as you pass along, you perceive to be covered
by chairs occupied by similar loungers to those on the Boulevards.
Such were my impressions whilst moving on a hot day from the Battery to
the City Hotel, and so give I them place here; since I have often, after
a long residence in a place, found myself referring back to these first
glimpses, when desirous to present it at once fresh and comprehensive to
the eye of the stranger, and for such these sketches are chiefly
designed.