The day after my arrival, I was both interested and amused by
accidentally falling on the bivouac of a Swiss family of emigrants.
I had risen early for the purpose of bathing, and was making my way to
the fort through the grounds of the Battery as the rising sun was just
adding new light and life to the most beautiful of harbours, when I came
suddenly upon the barriers of a little encampment perfectly Teutonic in
its arrangement; it was, however, no surprisal to the hive within, for
their morning operations had already begun.
Within a circular rampart, formed out of various articles of household
gear,--three or four antique-looking spinning-wheels, a pair of churns,
a few clumsy chairs, a large chest, together with a couple of small
heavy waggons not yet placed upon the wheels,--were a few as lively
recruits as any land desirous of population could wish to welcome.
The party consisted, first, of a right venerable-looking old man, the
patriarch of the tribe, as he told me, seventy-four years old; six men,
his sons and grandsons; seven lively boys, his great-grandchildren, and
about an equal number of girls, the patriarch's wife, nearly as aged as
himself, but with a shrill piercing voice and the activity of a girl of
nineteen, with four other women, the wives of the ancient's sons.
At the moment I came upon them the whole camp was rousing into full
activity. The grandmother, assisted by a couple of her young women,
found ample occupation in first catching and next washing the junior
branches of the colonists: these appeared already aware of their being
in a country where every individual thinks for himself, or at least
thinks he does, which comes to the same thing, for they stoutly
resisted, to the last extremity, the soapless saline ablutions profusely
administered by their great grandam.
Meantime a couple of the more staid of the youngsters, who had been
passed outside the lines, were busied beneath the trees collecting
fallen sticks, leaves, &c. for keeping up the fire already lighted and
presided over by one of the females, whose task it evidently was to
prepare breakfast.
A couple of the men yet slept soundly; another pair were composedly
leaning against a waggon smoking their pipes; whilst a third, the
youngest of the grown men, and evidently the _beau-garcon_ of the party,
was busied about the completion of a careful toilet before six square
inches of looking-glass, held up to him by a young lass, rather
good-looking, who, kneeling before this Adonis in evident admiration,
most patiently abided the completion of his equipment previous to
commencing her own.
My course was at once arrested by a scene so new and unexpected; and I
stood for a long time contemplating the repose of this little group,
camping here in the midst of a busy population on the banks of the
Hudson, in the same manner and after the same fashion their ancestors
are described to have followed by the Rhone and the Danube in the time
of Caesar.
There was an air of confident security about the whole arrangement, that
spoke equally in favour of the hardy simplicity of these strangers and
the courtesy and honesty of their adopted country; for I know no
European capital wherein such a group could have sat them down and
passed a summer night, unhoused and unwatched, without receiving
annoyance, if not suffering loss.
I learned that the family had been landed late on the preceding
afternoon from a French ship; so that, not being able, as is the wont of
this people, to depart for their destination immediately, they had in
the most prompt and orderly manner pitched their tents here for the
night, and were now preparing for their march into the wilderness.
This sight, striking in itself, was no less illustrative of the country
and the time: these arrivals are of daily occurrence here during the
season; every one of the northern nations of Europe is contributing her
quota out of the most enterprising of her children to swell the numbers,
and give additional pith and vigour to the population, of this land of
wonder.
About three hours after this first rencounter, whilst seated in our
parlour at breakfast, I pointed out to my friend P---- the whole family
passing the city hotel _en route_.
They had now gotten one of their clumsy waggons mounted, and rudely
harnessed to a stout-looking horse, and on this vehicle was piled all
their worldly store. The males, pipe in hand and marching four abreast,
strode boldly on before; next came the waggon, surrounded and followed
by the women and children: the heads of one or two of the youngest of
these, by the bye, might just be seen poking out from the lumber amongst
which they were ensconced upon the car.
I observed that the old dame now carried in her hand a wicker-cage,
containing a little captive of the goldfinch tribe, some home-bred
favourite, whose simple notes will often call up the memory of
father-land, when this family of humble adventurers shall be located,
happily I trust, on some wild stream of the far west, for thither were
they bound, and, with the appliances I have sketched, were cheerfully
setting forth to perform a journey of some two thousand miles. These,
however, are the sort of persons who may look most to benefit by such a
change; after a few to them trifling privations, and an industrious
struggle, they have the certain satisfaction of beholding their
offspring surrounded by comfort, and their means yearly increasing. They
presently exchange want for plenty, and cease to look upon the coming
time with fear or doubt for even their children's children; since
generations must rise and pass away before enterprise and honest
industry will feel any lack of elbow-room here.
The weather was awfully hot during the last week of this month; and
great was my delight, on entering the parlour of a morning, to look upon
the butter luxuriating beneath a large wedge of clear ice: only for the
cutting up, I should have gloried in being a _Pat_ of butter myself.
This article of ice is presented here in a purity of form, and is withal
so plentiful, that it almost makes amends for the dog-days.
Our breakfasts were excellent--fish, fruit in abundance, chickens,
omelette, &c. with good coffee, and the best black tea I ever drank. The
parlour was a very large well-furnished room, level with and fronting on
the busiest part of Broadway; and a more amusing stand than one of the
windows, for a stranger, it would be difficult to select. The whole busy
population, I should imagine, passed in review here once, at least, in
six hours; together with samples of all the nondescript vehicles city or
country rejoices in.
To one worthy I owe many a hearty laugh,--who knows but I may have
repaid the good soul in kind?--I hope I have, for my gratitude is his.
Let the reader imagine a long street, very crowded, and about noon
shadeless, with the thermometer at 98 deg. in the sun. In the very middle
of this broiling thoroughfare, fancy a low carriage on four wheels,
ycleped a Jersey waggon, having a seat with a high back hung by straps
athwart-ships; over this seat a buffalo robe of vast dimensions, the
thick fur outside and a red lining within, falling in heavy folds to the
waggon floor; upon this buffalo skin, seated right in the centre, with
knees and elbows spread as far apart as possible, a huge mass of
humanity clothed in a dark jacket of home-spun cloth, with vest and
trousers of blue cotton; his pumpkin-like head covered by a broad-leafed
straw hat, a Dutch pipe on his lip, and before him a hard-mouthed
awkward little horse pulled about by both hands, now right, now left,
but rarely going out of a walk. Above a high shirt-collar his full-blown
cheeks might be seen, as he sucked in the hot air and rejected it again
like a blowing porpoise: cravat he had none, because he had no neck to
tie it about; but in lieu of this article he carried, knotted over his
broad shoulders, a little red handkerchief. Daily did I ask myself for a
whole week "Will it walk again?" and, so surely as the shadeless hour of
noon arrived, did my Dutch fire-king arrive with it, steering his waggon
through the sweltering mass with a composure--coolness I could not call
it--most enviable.
I would have given anything to have known him and his history; but
though I had opportunities of pointing him out to my friends
occasionally, no one knew him. Son of a thousand burgomasters, may your
shadow never grow less! for I owe to you the beguilement of many a hot
hour: but I fear me my friend must be "larding six feet of lean earth,"
somewhere in the vicinity of Manhattan, since for the last year I have,
on every day that the sun shone intensely with the glass over 90 deg.,
watched in vain for his coming.
In the cool of the afternoon, if there chance to be any cool, it is a
common custom for the young men of all classes to drive or ride some
five or six miles along the north avenue,--an excellent road leading to
the pretty village of Harlaem; and on this line, about sunset, the
amateur of horse-flesh may see done, the fastest pace in the trotting
world; double-horse waggons of the neatest and lightest construction,
gig, sulky, and saddle, all are alike borne along by trotters or pacers
at a speed varying from the pair that are doing their mile in three
minutes, to the sulky or saddle nag flying at the rate of a mile in two
minutes, thirty seconds.
The first time I was whirled along this road at the heels of one of the
crack goers of the city, amidst clouds of dust through which the rushing
of other vehicles might be dimly made out, and startled by the wild
cries used by the rival drivers, at once to encourage their horses and
prove the impossibility of scaring them into breaking up, I thought it
one of the most exciting things I had ever met; and on getting down at
Cato's, involuntarily found myself drawing a long breath.