town of Sunbury, on the bank of the main river, and about two miles
distant from Northumberland. Sunbury is a very pretty country town,
with a delightful promenade along the side of the river. In all parts
of the vicinity there are some beautiful prospects: near it, a very
large dam has been thrown across the stream, where, by the junction of
its two branches, it spreads out, and forms a basin three quarters of a
mile across. I observed some fishermen hauling their nets, and went up
to them. They had taken some cat-fish, and several salmon. The cat-fish
has obtained its name from its appearance: its head, which is out of
all proportion to its body, is large and round, with the addition of
two worm-like appendages projecting beneath the eyes, like the whiskers
of a cat. It is altogether a dark, ugly-looking fish; but is eatable,
with a flavour something like that of an eel, but inferior. In the
larger western rivers it sometimes attains a weight of eighty or one
hundred pounds. The fish improperly called the salmon, in no respects
resembles the real salmon of Great Britain. It has none of the
peculiarities of the salmo genus; and does not rise at a fly. In figure
it is not remarkable; in colour it is more similar to the pike than to
any fish I am acquainted with. The weight of those usually taken, is
about a pound; but some of them are larger. A fly-fisher would have but
moderate sport on the Susquehanna; but he might kill a great variety
of fish, if he condescended to use a bait, and might occasionally
take a large trout with a minnow. The river contains pike and eels,
of immense size; trout, not numerous; rock-fish, cat-fish, suckers,
common and silver perch—a beautiful fish; and a very small species of
lamprey, that is only used as a bait. The shad is also found in great
quantities in this and almost all the rivers of the Eastern States.
It is excellent eating, and usually weighs about four pounds; but I
thought the flavour of the Susquehanna salmon equal, if not superior,
to any fish I tasted in the United States. I should almost presume that
it was peculiar to that river, as I have frequently met with natives of
other States who had never heard of it.
At Sunbury, I chanced to be told that three Yorkshiremen had just been
taken up. I would bet three to one, said I to myself, that their crime
is horse-stealing! and so it proved when I made inquiry.
I here turned my steps away from the Susquehanna, which for placid
beauty surpassed in my opinion any other river in the States, and
proceeded towards Philadelphia, by way of Pottsville and Reading.
Scarcely more than a year ago there were but a few houses at the former
place; but in consequence of the immediate vicinity of enormous beds of
anthracite coal, and the improved means of conveyance to Philadelphia,
its size and importance had increased in a most extraordinary manner.
The country around Philadelphia is very flat; so that I could not
find a rising ground to take a sketch from, at what I considered the
best distance. But, I think, in passing down the river, in my way to
Baltimore, I perceived a small cliff on the left bank, that would have
answered the purpose, being distant about two miles and a half. A view
in a flat country requires great minuteness, if it be taken correctly,
and would have occupied too much time; besides, before commencing a
drawing of either of the larger cities in the Union, it really became
a matter of consideration, that I had but one cake of “Newman’s light
red” in my colour-box.
A fine steamer carried me down the Delaware. About thirty-five miles
from Philadelphia, we passed Wilmington and Brandywine. We were
then landed at the mouth of the Chesapeake and Delaware canal, and
were towed onward, at a brisk trot, in one of the canal boats, and
soon entered the Elk river, near the head waters of Chesapeake bay.
The country was flat; and a great proportion of it was covered with
forest. Here we went on board another steam-boat, that rattled us along
at a tremendous pace down the Chesapeake, passing the mouth of the
Susquehanna. The captain assured me that upon one occasion, during a
camp-meeting, he had carried no less than fifteen hundred persons at a
time; he landed them during the night, and about two hundred got away
without paying their passage.
In an hour or two, the North Point, at the entrance of the Patapsco
river, became visible. General Ross landed here, with the British
force of 5000 men, on the 12th of September, 1814, and met his death
in the skirmish that ensued shortly afterwards. I rode from Baltimore
to the spot where he fell, marked by a small plain stone-monument, by
the side of the road. The last four miles out of fourteen lay through a
very pretty wood, affording a most grateful shade. When we were within
two miles from the city, we passed Fort Mac Henry, which was bombarded
upon the same occasion, almost from the extremity of the range of a
shell. Some of them, where they fell, penetrated the ground to a depth
of five or six feet.
Baltimore, when viewed from the Chesapeake, appears to be built
over several low hills, or slopes, and surrounded by others that
are considerably higher. Its situation is much finer than that
of Philadelphia. It is not so fine as that of New York; but in
some respects, is, I think, superior to Boston. When approached by
water, the most conspicuous objects are—Washington’s monument, the
shot-towers, the Roman Catholic cathedral, and the Unitarian church,
all scattered in different parts of the city. Washington’s monument
is a plain column of marble, raised on a square base, 175 feet in
height, and surmounted by a colossal statue of Washington. It is seen
from a great distance on every side, and commands the finest and most
extensive prospect; but I am very much inclined to doubt the taste
that placed any other than an allegorical object on the top of a lofty
pillar. The size of the column, and its simplicity, are calculated
to excite admiration; but in my humble judgment, it would have been
much better to have had a really fine statue placed inside the base of
the column, than to perch the General upon a height that would make
a living Admiral feel giddy. Lord Hill’s monument, near Shrewsbury,
and that to the memory of General Brock, at Queenstown, are, I think,
objectionable, for the same reasons. The battle monument is much
prettier, although it is somewhat florid in its ornaments: it is
fifty-four feet in height. The column is a circular fasces, symbolical
of the Union, twined round with fillets, bearing the names of those
who fell on the 12th and 13th of September, 1814; and supporting an
allegorical statue of a female, personifying the city of Baltimore,
with a bald eagle, the United States’ emblem, at her side. The
Archbishop of Maryland is the metropolitan of the States. The Catholic
cathedral is a handsome building, with a dome in imitation of the
Pantheon. The inside, which is divided into pews, contains two very
good pictures from the French school: a descent from the cross, by
Paul Guerin, presented by Louis XVI.; and St. Louis burying his dead
officers and soldiers before Tunis, by Steaben, presented by Charles
X. The descent from the cross is much and deservedly admired. It has
the merit of being free from that tedious detail that is usually to
be observed in the works of French artists, who paint every thing
as it is, and not as it appears. It occurred to me, that the body
of Christ did not sufficiently rest on the ground, as intended. The
latter picture displays more of the French taste. I did not like
it so well, but many prefer it to the other. At Baltimore, is the
University of Maryland, which ranks very high as a medical school.
The average expenses of a student are one hundred and twenty dollars
per annum. It has also professors in law and divinity. St. Mary’s
College and Baltimore College are also justly celebrated throughout
the Union; the latter will accommodate one hundred and fifty students,
who are instructed, by twelve professors, in the ancient and modern
languages, mathematics, natural philosophy, &c. The city also contains
a good museum, which I did, and many more public buildings, which I
did not visit, as I could not learn that there was any thing in them
particularly deserving of attention. The theatre was not open.
* * * * *
The waters of the Chesapeake and the Patapsco are the favourite resort
of the canvas-back duck, which I had always been told was the greatest
delicacy imaginable; and, “like nothing else, sir! I assure ye!” The
sporting commences early in November, and affords most excellent sport.
An experienced shot will sometimes kill three dozen in a morning
with a single gun; and occasionally they are shot on the wing with a
single rifle. The canvas-back duck very much resembles the red-headed
wigeon, or common dun-bird. Lucien Bonaparte, who has so well continued
Wilson’s work on American Ornithology, has successfully shown that it
is quite a different bird. It is about half as large again, with a
black and different formed bill and black legs. Those of the red-headed
wigeon are of a dark lead colour. They breed on the borders of the
great lakes, or about Hudson’s Bay; but in the winter months, they
are found in prodigious quantities on the Chesapeake, the Patapsco,
and the Potamac. Its flavour is owing to the root of the Vallissneria
Americana, or wild celery, on which it feeds, and for which it will
dive to a depth of eight or ten feet. The red-headed wigeon, when in
company with the canvas-back, will often wait till it has risen from
the bottom, and then snatch from it the hard-earned morsel. The _bons
vivants_ of America, talk of the canvas-back with an interest that
borders on affection, and is sometimes very amusing. “Sir,” said an old
fellow to me, “I wished to give a duck feast, and accordingly I bought
nine couple of them, all fresh killed, and all of the right weight. I
stuffed them into every corner of my gig; and would not suffer the cook
to touch them, except in my presence. I dressed them all myself, in
different ways, in my parlour, so as to have them all done according
to figure, sir! Well, sir! all my company had arrived, except an old
German; we could not wait, and sat down without him. When he came, he
exclaimed, ‘What! noshing but duckhs!’ I started up in a rage, sir! a
violent rage, sir! ‘Noshing but duckhs!’ I repeated after him: Why,
you d——d old scoundrel, said I, your own Emperor of Austria never
had such a dinner: he could not, sir, though he gave the best jewel in
his crown for it.” I tasted these birds several times before I quitted
America, and they certainly are extremely good. The meat is dark,
and should be sent to table underdone, or what in America is called
“rare.” I think the flavour might be imitated by a piece of common wild
duck, and a piece of fine juicy venison, tasted at the same time. The
word “rare” used in that sense, and which is given by Johnson, on the
authority of Dryden, is no doubt one of many which have retained in
America, a meaning in which they are not now used in England, but which
was doubtless carried over the Atlantic by the settlers of a hundred
years ago. I confess that I was for some time in error. I heard every
one around me giving orders that his meat should be “rare,” and I
thought it a mispronunciation of the word raw.
The environs of Baltimore are exceedingly pretty: almost every eminence
is crowned with a country house, surrounded by gardens and pleasure
grounds richly wooded, and laid out to the best advantage, so as
generally to afford a peep through the trees at some part of the
Patapsco, or the Chesapeake. They are admirably adapted for a fête
champêtre, or a strawberry party, as it is called at Baltimore. I had
the honour of an invitation to the only one that was given during my
stay in that city. The company assembled about six o’clock. Quadrilles
and waltzes were kept up with great spirit, first on the lawn, and
then in the house till about eleven. In the mean time strawberries
and cream, ices, pine apples, and champagne, were served up in the
greatest profusion. I had understood, and am quite ready to admit, that
Baltimore deservedly enjoys a high reputation for female beauty. I am
speaking of the American ladies in general, when I remark that it is no
injustice to them to maintain, that where you will see twenty pretty
girls, you will not see one really handsome woman. I have frequently
observed the prettiest features,—such as more reminded me of England,
than of any other country; but I think that most Europeans who have
formed a correct taste from the “stone ideal” of Greece, would agree
with me that ladies with pretensions to that higher degree of beauty,
are not so often to be met with in America as in England. There is one
particular in which they would do well to imitate my fair countrywomen.
They have great charms for the breakfast table; but yet, elegant and
lady-like as many of them undoubtedly are, how often have I been
compelled to wish, that the breakfast table had not quite so many
charms for them. They _must_ know that to eat is unfeminine; and that
ladies should in the presence of gentlemen, appear _very_ hungry, is
a decided proof of a deficiency in national manners,—just as much, or
even more so, than that men, be they who or what they may, should sit
with their hats on in the dress circle at New York. The influence of a
court would extend to, and would remedy all this. I should here again
remark, that the first society is seldom seen at the theatre, and would
not be guilty of such behaviour.
It is a matter of great surprise to a stranger, that there is not one
single promenade at Baltimore. There are some very eligible situations
immediately adjoining the city, and which to all appearance are so
easily convertible into a public walk, that it is difficult to
understand why the ladies do not insist upon its commencement. I would
most humbly advise them to do so.
I was honoured with an invitation to “the Manor,” the country residence
of Mr. Carroll, of Carrollton. The house was built long before the
revolution, and is a curious specimen of Anglo-American architecture,
somewhat resembling one of those large old parsonage houses which are
to be seen in some parts of England. It stands in the midst of an
extensive domain, in a high state of cultivation, and extremely well
and neatly kept, considering that it is worked by slaves. I could have
fancied myself in England, but for the loose zigzag fences of split
logs, which offer to the eye but a poor apology for the English hedge
row. Hedges of any kind would not, generally speaking, thrive well in
the United States. It would be necessary, I was told, that they should
be banked up, in order to keep them from being washed away by the heavy
rains; and it is probable that during the extreme heat of the summer
months, they could not obtain moisture sufficient to preserve them from
being dried up entirely. They are, however, often to be seen close to a
gentleman’s house, where they can be constantly attended to. I should
conceive that the aloe hedges of Spain and Portugal, might succeed in
the United States. It is neither a fault, nor a misfortune, that there
is no water scenery at “the Manor.” The rivers and lakes of America
are usually on a vast and magnificent scale, fitted either to bound or
to deluge a continent; small streams are also common; but a lake for
instance of a mile or two in length, is seldom to be seen, excepting
in New England, where they are plentiful. Before I arrived there, I do
not think that I had seen more than half a dozen ponds, and those all
in Kentucky. Instead of being thought an advantage, a piece of water
is avoided; no American, from choice, would build on its banks, as the
exhalations in the hot weather render such a situation very unhealthy,
excepting in the more northerly states.
At the manor I partook of that hospitality which is so kindly and
universally extended to every foreigner who visits Baltimore with
a proper letter of introduction. Mr. Carroll himself, is the most
extraordinary individual in America. This venerable old gentleman is in
his ninety-fifth year, is exceedingly cheerful, enjoys most excellent
health, and is in good possession of his faculties. He is the only
survivor of the patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence on
the 4th of July, 1776. He has always adhered to the federal principles,
and his valuable estate is one of the very few that have descended in
a direct line from the first possessor. Mr. Carroll is the grandfather
of the Ladies Wellesley and Caermarthen.
No one who visits Baltimore should omit seeing the vessels known by
the name of clippers. They are uncommonly neat single-decked schooners
usually, but sometimes are rigged like a brig. Their burden is commonly
about 200 tons. They are cut remarkably sharp at the bows, with a great
breadth of beam. When lying in the water, the head is considerably
elevated above the stern, so that, although the masts are nearly at
right angles with the hull, they appear to rake much more than they
really do. They will sail on a wind at the rate of seven knots an hour,
when other fast sailing vessels can make only five and a half, or six;
but few of them are good sailers before the wind. They usually make
a voyage to the Havannah, where they are sold for slave ships, or to
South America, where they are bought by smugglers or pirates, for whose
occupations they are admirably adapted. They are built nowhere so well
as at Baltimore.
Two rail-roads had been commenced at Baltimore: one called the
Baltimore and Ohio rail-road, because it was intended to join that
river. The exact line of country through which it would pass, was as
yet a secret with a select few, who would thus be able to secure from
the owners a refusal of the land through which it passed without being
obliged to pay an increased price. The other is called the Susquehanna
rail-road, and was intended to join that river at York-haven, about
sixty miles below Harrisburg. Deputations have been sent from Baltimore
to Philadelphia, to obtain the necessary permission to carry it into
the state of Pennsylvania; but their applications have been, I was
informed, twice refused. The rail-road, however, is still continued,
from a well-grounded persuasion that the inhabitants of the western
parts of Pennsylvania, convinced of the advantages that will accrue
to them by its affording them another means of carriage for their
bituminous coal, iron, and timber, will ultimately succeed in obtaining
a majority in Congress in favour of its completion. But does not a
jealousy of this kind arise, after a contemplation, however distant,
of the political horizon? Has it not a prospective reference to the
interest of the State separately, when the federal government shall be
no more?
By the constitution of Maryland the governor does not possess the right
of a veto over the Acts of the general assembly.
More flour is annually inspected at Baltimore, than at any other port
in the United States excepting New York. The amount for the year
1830, was 597,804 barrels; but by the returns made since the first
of January, 1831, it is supposed that the quantity in this year will
exceed 600,000 barrels. The wheat that is shipped, is sent almost
exclusively to England; but it bears a very small proportion to the
flour, although it sells better in the English market—about 70,000
bushels of wheat were shipped this year for England. The quality in
general is good, excepting that a portion of it is sometimes tainted
with garlick; a nuisance that is almost unavoidable, because the plant
grows spontaneously in the wheat districts. It is said to have been
first introduced by the Hessians, during the revolutionary war, and it
has since increased so much, that it cannot be got rid of. The wheat
exported from Baltimore is grown in the State of Maryland, and in
many parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania. Money had been plentiful for
the last two years, and investments that would produce five per cent.
were not easily to be met with. A market overstocked with imports from
Europe and India, was the assignable cause: trade was comparatively
less brisk, and many capitalists withdrew their funds from active
business, for the purpose of investment in the stock of bank insurance
and rail-road companies. A great quantity of money was likewise lying
in the market in consequence of the national debt being in a course
of reduction by the payment of government loans. However, when I was
there, money was more scarce, and worth more than six per cent.; the
exchange on England had risen as high as eleven per cent. per annum,
and a large quantity of specie had been exported to that country.
At Baltimore, I first saw the fire-fly. They begin to appear about
sunset, after which they are sparkling in all directions. In some
places ladies will wear them in their hair, and the effect is said to
be very brilliant. Mischievous boys will sometimes catch a bull-frog,
and fasten them all over him. They show to great advantage, while the
poor frog, who cannot understand the “new lights” that are breaking
upon him, affords amusement to his tormentors by hopping about in a
state of desperation.
About thirty miles from Baltimore, on the western shore as it is
termed, stands Annapolis the capital of Maryland. It is situated at
the bottom of a fine bay, and contains several curious old houses,
built long before the revolution. The most conspicuous object is the
capitol, which is surmounted by a fine steeple. The general assembly
of Maryland, hold their sittings there, and it was there that General
Washington resigned to the federal congress the command he had so nobly
used. It sat there for some time after the independence of the United
States was established.
At Baltimore, I visited the studies of two very promising young
artists: Mr. Hubard, an Englishman, is certainly the better painter;
but has the advantage of four or five years of experience over Mr.
Miller, who is an American, quite a boy; and whom, I think, at least an
equal genius. He has had little or no instruction. If sent to Europe,
as he certainly ought to be, I will venture to predict, that at some
future period he will be an ornament to his native city; and which he
certainly never will, or can be, if he does not leave it. Will it be
credited, that in America, with all her pretensions to good sense and
general encouragement of emulation and enterprise, the voice of public
opinion is a bar to the advantage of drawing from a living model?
Without it, historical painting cannot thrive, and sculpture must be
out of the question.