VOYAGE TO ENGLAND--ARRIVAL AT PLYMOUTH--REFLECTIONS--ARRIVE AT
THE PLACE OF MY NATIVITY--CHANGES--DEPOPULATION--LONDON--THE
THAMES--LIVERPOOL--EMBARK FOR NEW YORK--ARRIVAL--THE
AMERICANS--ENGLISH AND AMERICAN TOURISTS--ENGLAND AND
AMERICA--NEW YORK.
1842.--I embarked for England on the 18th of August, on board a small
schooner of sixty tons, deeply laden with fish and oil. It is scarcely
necessary to observe, that the accommodations the craft afforded
were of the meanest kind; but the inconveniences weighed lightly in
the scales, when compared with the anticipated delight of visiting
one's native land. We had a very fine passage; a steady fair breeze
carried us across the broad Atlantic in a fortnight. The green hills
of Cornwall came in view on the 1st of September, and I had the
satisfaction of treading the soil of England early on the 3d.
I remained a few days at Plymouth, to feast my eyes on scenery such as
I had long been a stranger to;--scenery, I may say, unrivalled by any
I had ever beheld at home or abroad. What spot in the world, in fact,
can present such varied charms, as the summit of Mount Edgecumb? where
the most refined taste, aided by the amplest means, has been employed
for a thousand years in beautifying the glorious landscape. To me,
just arrived from _Ungava_, the beauties of the scene were undoubtedly
heightened by the contrast; and one short visit to Mount Edgecumb
effaced from my mind the dreary prospect of bleak rocks, snow banks,
and icebergs, with which it had been so long and so sadly familiar,
and inspired it with a rapture and delight to which it had long been
a stranger. Yet this terrestrial paradise, I am informed, belongs to
a noble lord, who is a miserable invalid. Alas, for poor humanity!
neither wealth nor grandeur preserve their possessors from the ills
that flesh is heir to: and this nobleman may, perhaps, envy the lot of
the humblest individual that visits his enchanting domain.
Bidding adieu to Plymouth, and its delightful environs, I set out
for London on the 11th of September. The desire of home, however,
now urged me forward; so that even the wonders of this wonderful
city could not detain me. Passing over the uninteresting incidents of
steamboat and railroad travelling, I arrived on the 20th of September
at the spot from which I had started twenty-three years before. The
meeting of a mother with an only son, after so long an absence, need
not be described, nor the feelings the well-known scenes of youthful
sports and youthful joys gave rise to. These scenes were still the
same, as far as the hand of Nature was concerned:--there stood the
lofty Benmore, casting his sombre shades over the glassy surface of
Lochba, as in the days of yore; there were also the same heath-covered
hills and wooded dells, well stocked with sheep and cattle; but
the human inhabitants of the woods and dells--where were they?--far
distant from their much-loved native land in the wilds of America,
or toiling for a miserable existence in the crowded cities of the
Lowlands,--a sad change! The bleating of sheep, and lowing of cattle,
for the glad voices of a numerous population, happy and contented with
their lot, loyal to their sovereign, and devotedly attached to their
chiefs! But loyalty and attachment are but fancies, which, in these
utilitarian and trading days, are flat and unprofitable; yet the
aristocratical manufacturers of beef and mutton may live to feel the
truth of the lines of Goldsmith:--
"But a bold peasantry, their country's pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied."
I remained about six weeks in my native country, and set out for
London, where I arrived early in November,--"the beginning of the gay
season;" but it appeared to me the reverse. The city was shrouded in
a cloud of condensed smoke and fog, that shut out the light of heaven.
During three whole days the obscurity was so great that the steamboats
were prevented from plying on the Thames, and the gas-lights were
seen glimmering through the windows at noon-day. How applicable is
the description of the Roman historian to the Rome of our day:--"Caput
orbis terrarum, urbis magnificentiam augebant fora, templa, porticas,
aquæductus, theatra, horti denique, et ejus generis alia, ad quæ
vel lecta animus stupet." My time was too limited, however, and the
weather too unfavourable, to admit of my seeing all the "lions;" but
who would think of leaving London without visiting that wonderful
work--the Tunnel,--that lasting monument of the genius of a Brunell,
and of the wealth and enterprise of British merchants!
A Cockney may well boast of his great city, its wealth, its vast
population, and its magnificent buildings; but with regard to the
Thames, of which he is equally proud,--he that has seen the St.
Lawrence, the Hudson, the McKenzie, and many others, compared to which
the Thames is but a rivulet, may be excused if he cannot view its
not very limpid waters with the same extravagant admiration as the
Londoner, who calls the Serpentine a river, and dignifies a pond of a
few roods in extent with the name of a lake. Yet there is one feature
about the Thames, of which he can scarcely be too proud, and which
is unparalleled perhaps in the world,--the often-noticed "forest of
masts," extending farther than the eye can reach, and suggesting,--not
the silence and solitude of the forests with which I have been
familiar,--but the countless population, the wealth, and the grandeur
of Britain; and the might and the majesty of civilized and industrious
man.
I took leave of London on the 12th of September, and set out for
Liverpool by railroad, and reached it in six hours. I had sufficient
time to visit its docks, crowded by the ships of every nation; its
warehouses containing the produce of every clime; and, though last,
not least in my estimation, the splendid monument erected to the
memory of Nelson. No monument of stone or brass is necessary to
perpetuate our hero's fame; he lives in the heart of every true
Briton, and will ever live, till British oak and British prowess shall
cease to "rule the waves."
I embarked on the 15th of December on board a sailing-packet bound
for New York. These vessels are so punctual to the hour of sailing
advertised, that, if the wind proves contrary, and blows fresh, they
are towed out to sea by steamboats. This proved to be our case, and we
kept tacking about in the "chops" of the Channel for six days, when
a fair wind sprung up that soon carried us out of sight of England.
England! great and glorious country, adieu! I shall probably never
see thee more; but in quitting thy white-cliffed shores, I quit not my
ardent attachment and veneration for thee;--and now for _thy_ eldest
daughter beyond the ocean!
To me, who had spent so much of my lifetime in solitude, the tedium
of the voyage so much complained of was gaiety itself; with three
fellow-passengers besides the captain, the time passed very agreeably.
On board these floating palaces a passenger, in fact, finds everything
that can contribute to his comfort; the best of accommodation, the
best of fare, and the best of attendance; so that there is nothing
wanting but _stability_, to make him fancy himself in a first-class
hotel on shore.
The weather proved extremely favourable throughout the passage; not an
incident occurred worthy of notice; and on the 17th of January, 1843,
I landed safely at New York, and thus found myself for the first time
in a foreign land; and, since fate has so decreed, among a foreign
people. Yes! they are foreigners, if being called by another name, and
living under a different form of government can make them so; yet in
language, in laws, in religion, and in blood, we are the same. Their
ancestors brought abroad with them the same sentiments of regard
and attachment to their native land as we feel; they rejoiced in the
prosperity of Britain; felt proud of her victories, and grieved at
her misfortunes. Alas, how different the feelings of the present race!
Britain may, in fact, reckon the Americans of the present day her most
inveterate foes; those who are of our own kindred, and whom therefore
we might expect to stand by us in our hour of need, regard us with
more envy and hatred than the "hereditary foes" with whom we have been
for centuries engaged in mortal strife.
In resisting the arbitrary acts of a misguided government, the
American people only proved themselves possessed of the same noble
spirit that procured for their English progenitors the confirmation of
Magna Charta, and that hurled a tyrant from his throne. The heroes of
the American revolution nobly fought and conquered; they entered the
arena with fearful odds against them; they continued the struggle
under every disadvantage, save the sacredness of their cause; and
finally won the prize for which they contended. Of that prize the
Americans of the present day have undisputed possession; and nothing
can be more certain than that the Britons of the present day have no
wish to deprive them of it--even if they could. What cause, then, can
there be for still cherishing those feelings of animosity which the
unhappy disruption gave rise to? If our fathers quarrelled, cannot
we be friends? But are not the British themselves to blame, in
some measure, for the continuance of these irritated feelings? The
mercenary pens of prejudiced, narrow-minded individuals contribute
daily to add fuel to the flame. Our "Diaries," and our "Notes,"
replete with offensive remarks, are, from the cheapness of
publication, disseminated through the length and breadth of the Union,
and are in everybody's hands; and those foolish remarks are supposed
to be the sentiments of the British nation; when they are in fact
only the sentiments of individuals whose opinions are little valued at
home, and ought to be less valued abroad.
Circumstances taken into consideration, I think it very unfair to
draw comparisons between the social condition of young America, just
become a distinct nation, and of old England, whose empire has lasted
a thousand years. The American people are still too much occupied
with the necessaries of life to devote much of their time to its
elegancies; they are still engaged in the pursuits that ultimately
ensure wealth and real independence. Those results attained, what is
there to prevent the American gentleman from becoming as polished and
accomplished as his cousin in Britain? Can it be supposed, with the
least shadow of reason, that the short period that has elapsed since
the Revolution can have been sufficient to produce that alteration in
the character and manners of the Americans, which our travellers love
to exercise their wit upon? It is impossible. The Americans "guessed,"
and "calculated," and "speculated," while they were British subjects,
just as they do now; nor have they learned to chew, and spit, and
smoke tobacco since the 4th of July, 1782.
As to the peculiar phrases the Americans use in conversation, I am
convinced that their forefathers brought the greater part of them from
Britain, as many of those phrases are to be found in the works of
old English authors still extant. The English language as spoken in
America, is elegance itself, compared to the provincial dialects of
Britain, or even to the vile slang one hears in the streets of London.
This is a fact that every unprejudiced person who has travelled in
America must admit.
It appears Americans find leisure, of late years, to travel and take
notes, as well as their transatlantic brethren; and, in return for the
polite attentions of our travellers, describe England and Englishmen
in the bitter language of recrimination and retort; and thus the
enmity between the mother and daughter is kept alive and perpetuated.
A publication of this kind fell lately into my hands, entitled, "The
Glory and Shame of England." The writer, said to be a _Christian
minister_, with the malignity of baser minds, sinks and keeps in the
background her "glories," and brings into relief and dwells upon her
shameful parts; representing in the most sombre colours the misery of
the "squalid" population of our cities. Would to God there were not
so much truth in the picture! His reverence, however, seems to have
lost sight of the clergyman; and in gratifying his resentment against
England, and in his zeal to kindle the same unchristian feeling in
the breasts of his countrymen, has not hesitated to sacrifice the
truth;--and he a clergyman, whose office it is to "proclaim peace on
earth, and good-will to men!"
That there is much misery and wretchedness in England, none can deny;
but will not the well-informed philanthropist consider it rather as
our misfortune than our reproach?--consisting mainly, as that mass
of wretchedness does, of those ills which neither "kings nor laws can
cause or cure." What plan would this philanthropic divine recommend to
remove those evils, which, while he affects to deplore, he yet glories
over? Strip the nobility and land-owners of their possessions--convert
our monarchy into a republic--and the church into a "meetin ouse?"
These _reforms_ effected, would the people of England be permanently
benefited by them? Supposing the whole arable soil of England were
divided in equal portions among its crowded inhabitants, (passing
by the injustice of robbing the present proprietors of their lawful
possessions--many of them acquired by the same hard labour or skill
by which an artisan gains his weekly wages,) would the equality
of property long continue? Would not the sloth, improvidence, and
imprudence, that ever distinguish a great proportion of mankind; and
the industry, foresight, and ambition that characterise others, soon
bring many of the equal lots into one, thus forming a great estate,
the property of an individual,--when matters would just be at the
point where his reverence found them? And then, of course, would
follow another "equitable adjustment," to relieve the wants of the
poor, whose progenitors had squandered their patrimony. Or, admitting
that the lots remained in possession of the families to whom they were
originally granted, would the produce be equal to the maintenance
of their numerous descendants, when the property became divided and
subdivided into fifty or a hundred shares?
The present proprietors of the soil of England have, undoubtedly,
large incomes; but what becomes of those incomes? Do they not flow
back into the hands of the merchants, tradesmen, servants, &c.?--the
greater proportion, at least; for the sums expended by our tourists
on the continent form so inconsiderable a portion of those incomes,
as not to be worth mentioning. The same may be said of the _alleged_
wealth of the clergy; for (admitting the allegation) it all flows back
into the channels whence it issued; and, although neither belonging
to the Church of England, nor approving of her forms of government, I
do not think that her downfall would improve the _temporal_ condition
of the people. If we wish to remain a Christian nation, we cannot
dispense with the services of the clergy; and in order that those
services may be efficient, they must be maintained in independence and
respectability.
As to a republican form of government, that experiment has been
already tried in England, and failed; it may be tried again with no
better success. The circumstances in which the American people found
themselves after the Revolution, rendered the adoption of republican
institutions both safe and beneficial. They had learned by experience
that the remote position of their country secured their independence
from the ambitious projects of any power in Europe; while they had
nothing to fear from any power in America. Thus situated, any form of
government, consistent with the due maintenance of good order at home,
answered their purpose. The nascent republic might, at the period in
question, have adopted as its motto, "Liberty and Equality," with
the utmost propriety; for all enjoyed equal liberty, and nearly equal
fortunes. Experience, however, shows that liberty and equality cannot
long exist under any form of government; industry procures wealth,
wealth induces ambition, and ambition sighs after distinction and
power.
While America feels secure from the aggression of her neighbours,
Great Britain is surrounded by powerful states, some of whom afford
her daily proofs of their envy of her greatness and their hatred of
her power; and only want the ability, not the will, to annihilate
both. Those states are, for the most part, ruled by absolute or
despotic governments, who can call fleets and armies into action
without losing a moment in debating the justice or injustice, policy
or impolicy, of their movements. With such neighbours as these, would
the Messenger of Peace recommend the "Britishers" to adopt a form of
government which would necessitate them to debate and consult while
their enemies were acting; and to remit to the people to discuss the
question of peace or war, when they should be enlisting and drilling
them?
Columbia, happy land! the broad Atlantic intervenes between thee and
the envy or hatred of Europe; thy wide domain, presenting millions of
acres of untenanted land, stands open to the industry and enterprise
of thy citizens. How thankful, then, ought they to be for the
blessings they enjoy, compared with the condition of their brethren
"beyond the water," confined as they are to the narrow limits of their
sea-girt isle, whose soil is no longer sufficient for the support of
its over-crowded inhabitants, and surrounded by hostile nations, who
have long since pronounced the sentence, "_Delenda est Britannia!_"
"Boz" has already told his countrymen all that is worth telling about
New York, and something more. What the "Dickens" brought him to
the "Five Points?" Did he never visit Wapping with the same views,
whatever they might be? If he did, did he observe nothing in that sink
of filth and wickedness equal to the scenes that shocked him so much
in the outskirts of New York? One just arrived from England finds
little in this city to excite wonder or admiration, unless it be the
extraordinary width of some of the streets. Were those streets kept
clean, and the liberty of the pigs a little restrained, the citizens
might well boast of their superiority to most of the streets of our
British cities; and as their taste improves, everything unsightly will
be removed.
Nature has done much for New York: she possesses one of the finest
harbours in the world; her climate is pleasant and salubrious; and
one of the noblest rivers of America gives her the command of the
commercial resources of a country which equals in extent nearly all
Europe. New York will undoubtedly become one of the first cities in
the world; in commerce, in wealth, in population, she has advanced at
a prodigious rate within the last fifty years, and her progress is not
likely to be arrested.
The aqueduct that supplies the town with water, pure, wholesome, and
abundant, is well worth the notice of a stranger. This stupendous work
was executed at a cost of nine millions of dollars, and conveys the
water from a distance of forty miles!--the genius of the engineer
and the power of money overcoming every obstacle. The two great
reservoirs, near the city, present splendid specimens of that kind of
architecture. Happening in company to express my opinion of this work,
as reflecting the highest credit on the enterprise of the citizens, a
gentleman present, evidently an American, in reply to the compliment,
observed, "It is very much to their advantage, no doubt, and it will
also be much to their credit, if they pay the debt they incurred in
constructing it." The fact is, that this and many other public works
in the United States, have been executed by British capital. Would to
heaven that our _sympathising_ friends, who are so jealous in regard
to the honour of America, where a few thousand acres of worthless land
are concerned, were equally jealous in regard to it when, under the
newly-invented name of _repudiation_, the honour of their country is
tarnished by a vast system of unblushing robbery! Would to heaven that
their _sympathies_ were extended to the thousands who are involved in
misery and ruin by this audacious system of national perfidy!
If the art or ingenuity of the good citizens of New York has not
produced very many objects worthy of admiration, the faces of their
lovely fair make ample amends for it. Among the crowds of charmers
who throng the fashionable promenade of Broadway, scarcely an ordinary
face is to be seen. I, in fact, saw more pretty faces there in one
hour than in all my tour in Britain.
I landed in New York without any prejudice against the Americans, and
I now take leave of their commercial capital with feelings of esteem
and regret. In the society I frequented I neither saw nor heard
anything unworthy of, or unbecoming the descendants of Britons. Some
little peculiarities, the natural result of circumstances, I certainly
noticed; some differences also in their social life; but I shall leave
it to those who are disposed to find fault to criticise these matters.