_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.