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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
OF
THE NEW WORLD.
LONDON
PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO.
NEW-STREET SQUARE.
[Illustration: Map]
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
OF
THE NEW WORLD
ON
TWO TRAVELLERS FROM THE OLD
IN THE AUTUMN OF 1858.
LONDON
LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, LONGMANS, & ROBERTS.
1859
TO
I. L. T.
* * * * *
MY DEAR LITTLE GIRL,
I dedicate this little book to you; the letters it contains were meant
to let you know how your father and I and your brother William fared in
a rapid journey, during the autumn of last year, through part of Canada
and the United States, and are here presented to you in another form
more likely to ensure their preservation.
You are not yet old enough fully to understand them, but the time will,
I trust, come when it will give you pleasure to read them. I can safely
say they were written without any intention of going beyond yourself and
our own family circle; but some friends have persuaded me to publish
them, for which I ought, I suppose, to ask your pardon, as the letters
have become your property.
The reason which has made your father and me consent to this is, that we
scarcely think that travellers in general have done justice to our good
brothers in America. We do not mean to say that _we_ have accomplished
this, or that others have not fairly described what they have seen; but
different impressions of a country are made on persons who see it under
different aspects, and who travel under different circumstances.
When William, for example, was separated from us he found the treatment
he received very unlike what it was while he travelled in our company;
and as many bachelors pass through the country and record their
experience, it is not surprising if some of them describe things very
differently to what we do.
The way to arrive at truth in this, as in all other cases, is to hear
what every one has to say, and to compare one account with another; and
if these letters to you help others to understand better the nature and
character of the country and the people of America, my object in making
them public will be attained.
With some few alterations, the letters are left just as you received
them, for I have been anxious not to alter in any way what I have told
you of my First Impressions. When, therefore, I have had reason to
change my opinions, I have thought it better to subjoin a foot-note; and
in this way, too, I have sometimes added a few things which I forgot at
the time to mention in the letters themselves.
There is only one thing more to tell you, which is, that though I wrote
and signed all the letters myself many parts are of your father's
dictating. I leave you and others to judge which these are. Without his
help I never could have sent you such full accounts of the engine of the
Newport steamer, or of our journey across the Alleghanies and other such
subjects; and you will, I know, like the letters all the better for his
having taken a part in them.
Believe me ever,
Your affectionate Mother.
June, 1859.
CONTENTS.
LETTER I.
Voyage.--Arrival at New York.--Burning of Quarantine Buildings.--Cable
Rejoicings.--Description of the Town Page 1
LETTER II.
West Point.--Steamer to Newport.--Newport.--Bishop Berkeley.--
Bathing.--Arrival at Boston 9
LETTER III.
Journey to Boston.--Boston.--Prison.--Hospital.--Springfield.--
Albany.--Trenton Falls.--Journey to Niagara.--Niagara 28
LETTER IV.
Niagara.--Maid of the Mist.--Arrival at Toronto.--Toronto.--Thousand
Islands.--Rapids of the St. Lawrence.--Montreal.--Victoria Bridge 58
LETTER V.
Journey from Montreal to Quebec.--Quebec.--Falls of Montmorency.--
Island Pond.--White Mountains.--Portland.--Return to Boston.--Harvard
University.--Newhaven.--Yale University.--Return to New York 76
LETTER VI.
Destruction of the Crystal Palace.--Philadelphia.--Cemetery.--Girard
College.--Baltimore.--American Liturgy.--Return to Philadelphia.--
Penitentiary.--Return to New York 97
LETTER VII.
William's Departure.--Greenwood Cemetery.--Journey to Washington.--
Arrangements for our Journey to the Far West.--Topsy 108
LETTER VIII.
Washington.--Baptist Class-Meeting.--Public Buildings.--Venus by
Daylight.--Baltimore and Ohio Railway.--Wheeling.--Arrival
at Columbus 119
LETTER IX.
Journey from Wheeling to Columbus.--Fire in the Mountains.--Mr.
Tyson's Stories.--Columbus.--Penitentiary.--Capitol--Governor
Chase.--Charitable Institutions.--Arrival at Cincinnati 168
LETTER X.
Cincinnati.--Mr. Longworth.--German Population.--"Over the
Rhine."--Environs of Cincinnati.--Gardens.--Fruits.--Common
Schools.--Journey to St. Louis 202
LETTER XI.
St. Louis.--Jefferson City.--Return to St. Louis.--Alton.--
Springfield.--Fires on the Prairies.--Chicago--Granaries.--Packing
Houses.--Lake Michigan.--Arrival at Indianapolis 224
LETTER XII.
Indianapolis.--Louisville.--Louisville and Portland Canal.--
Portland.--The Pacific Steamer.--Journey to Lexington.--Ashland.--
Slave Pens at Lexington.--Return to Cincinnati.--Pennsylvania
Central Railway.--Return to New York 239
LETTER XIII.
New York.--Astor Library.--Cooper Institute.--Bible House.--Dr.
Rae.--Dr. Tyng.--Tarrytown.--Albany.--Sleighing.--Final Return to
Boston.--Halifax.--Voyage Home.--Conclusion 279
* * * * *
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
OF
THE NEW WORLD.
* * * * *
LETTER I.
VOYAGE.--ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK.--BURNING OF QUARANTINE
BUILDINGS.--CABLE REJOICINGS.--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN.
New York, September 3, 1858.
We landed here yesterday afternoon, at about six o'clock, after a very
prosperous voyage; and, as the Southampton mail goes to-morrow, I must
begin this letter to you to-night. I had fully intended writing to you
daily during the voyage, but I was quite laid up for the first week with
violent sea sickness, living upon water-gruel and chicken-broth. I
believe I was the greatest sufferer in this respect on board; but the
doctor was most attentive, and a change in the weather came to my
relief on Sunday,--not that we had any rough weather, but there was
rather more motion than suited me at first.
Papa and William were well throughout the voyage, eating and drinking
and walking on deck all day. Our companions were chiefly Americans, and
many of them were very agreeable and intelligent. Amongst the number I
may mention the poet Bryant, who was returning home with his wife and
daughter after a long visit to Europe; but they, too, have suffered much
from sea sickness, and, as this is a great bar to all intercourse, I had
not as much with them as I could have wished.
The north coast of Ireland delighted us much on our first Sunday. We
passed green hills and high cliffs on our left, while we could see the
distant outline of the Mull of Cantire, in Scotland, on our right. We
had no service on that Sunday, but on the one following we had two
services, which were read by the doctor; and we had two good sermons
from two dissenting ministers. The second was preached by a Wesleyan
from Nova Scotia, who was familiar with my father's name there. He was a
good and superior man, and we had some interesting conversations with
him.
We saw no icebergs, which disappointed me much; but we passed a few
whales last Tuesday, spouting up their graceful fountains in the
distance. One came very near the ship, and we had a distinct view of its
enormous body. We had a good deal of fog when off Newfoundland, which
obliged us to use the fog-whistle frequently; and a most dismal sounding
instrument it is. The fog prevented our having any communication with
Cape Race, from whence a boat would otherwise have come off to receive
the latest news from England, and our arrival would have been
telegraphed to New York.
The coast of Long Island came in sight yesterday, and our excitement was
naturally great as we approached the American shore.
Before rounding Sandy Hook, which forms the entrance on one side to the
bay of New York, we ran along the eastern coast of Long Island, which
presents nothing very remarkable in appearance, although the pretty
little bright town of Rockaway, with its white houses studded along the
beach, and glittering in the sun, gave a pleasing impression of the
country. This was greatly increased when, running up the bay, we came to
what are called the Narrows, and had Staten Island on our left and Long
Island on the right. The former, something like the Isle of Wight in
appearance, is a thickly-wooded hill covered with pretty country
villas, and the Americans were unceasing in their demands for admiration
of the scenery.[1]
Before entering the Narrows, indeed shortly after passing Sandy Hook, a
little boat with a yellow flag came from the quarantine station to see
if we were free from yellow fever and other disorders. There were many
ships from the West Indies performing quarantine, but we were happily
exempted, being all well on board. It was getting dark when we reached
the wharf; and, after taking leave of our passenger friends, we landed,
and proceeded to an adjoining custom-house, where, through the influence
of one of our fellow-passengers, our boxes were not opened, but it was a
scene of great bustle and confusion. After much delay we were at length
hoisted into a wonderful old coach, apparently of the date of Queen
Anne. We made a struggle with the driver not to take in more than our
own party. Up, however, others mounted, and on we drove into a
ferry-boat, which steamed us, carriage and all, across the harbour, for
we had landed from the ship on the New Jersey side. After reaching New
York by means of this ferry-boat, we still had to drive along a
considerable part of Broadway, and finally reached this comfortable
hotel--the Brevoort House--at about eight o'clock.
The master of the hotel shook hands with papa on entering, and again
this morning treated him with the same republican familiarity. The hotel
is very quiet, and not a specimen of the large kind, which we intend
seeing later. We had fortunately secured rooms beforehand, as the town
is very full, owing to the rejoicings at the successful laying of the
cable, and many of our fellow-passengers were obliged to get lodgings
where they could.
We found that Lord Napier was in the hotel, so we sent our letters to
him, and had a long visit from him this morning.
Two topics seem at present to occupy the minds of everybody here; one,
the successful laying of the cable, the other the burning of the
quarantine buildings on Staten Island. We were quite unconscious, when
passing the spot yesterday, that the whole of these buildings had been
destroyed on the preceding night by an incendiary mob; for such we must
style the miscreants, although they comprised a large portion, it is
said, of the influential inhabitants of the place. The alleged reason
was that the Quarantine establishment was a nuisance, and the residents
had for months been boasting of their intention to destroy the obnoxious
buildings. The miserable inmates would have perished in the flames, had
not some, more charitable than the rest, dragged them from their beds.
The Yellow Fever Hospital is destroyed, and the houses of the physicians
and health officers are burnt to the ground. At the very same moment New
York itself was the scene of the splendid festivities in honour of the
successful laying of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, to which we have
alluded.
We came in for the _finale_ of these yesterday, when the streets were
still much decorated. In Trinity Church we saw these decorations
undisturbed: the floral ornaments in front of the altar were more
remarkable, however, for their profusion than for their good taste. On a
temporary screen, consisting of three pointed gothic arches, stood a
cross of considerable dimensions, the screen and cross being together
about fifty feet high. The columns supporting the arches, the arches
themselves, and all the lines of construction, were heavily covered
with fir, box, holly, and other evergreens, so as to completely hide all
trace of the wooden frame. The columns and arches of the church were
also decorated with wreaths and garlands of flowers.
On a panel on the temporary structure already mentioned was the
inscription, "GLORY BE TO GOD ON HIGH, AND ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL
TOWARDS MEN," all done in letters of flowers of different colours; the
cross itself being covered with white roses and lilies. In the streets
were all sorts of devices, a very conspicuous one being the cable slung
between two rocks, and Queen Victoria and the President standing,
looking very much astonished at each other from either side. The
absurdity of all this was, that the cable had really by this time come
to grief: at least, on the morning after our landing, an unsuccessful
attempt was made to transmit the news of our arrival to our friends in
England. It was rather absurd to see the credit the Americans took to
themselves for the success, such as it was, of the undertaking.
Besides seeing all this, we have to-day driven and walked about the town
a good deal, and admire it much. It is very Parisian in the appearance
of its high houses, covered with large bright letterings; and the shops
are very large and much gayer looking on the outside than ours; but, on
examination, we were disappointed with their contents. The streets seem
badly paved, and are consequently noisy, and there are few fine
buildings or sights of any kind; but the dwelling-houses are not
unfrequently built of white marble, and are all handsome and
substantial. In our drive to-day we were much struck with the general
appearance of the streets and avenues, as the streets which run parallel
to Broadway are called. The weather has been sultry, but with a good
deal of wind; and the ladies must think it hot, as most of them appear
at breakfast in high dresses with short sleeves, and walk about in this
attire with a slight black lace mantle over their shoulders, their naked
elbows showing through. We go to-morrow to West Point, on the Hudson
River, to spend Sunday, and return here on Monday, on which day William
leaves us to make a tour in the White Mountains, and he is to join us at
Boston on Monday week.
You must consider this as the first chapter of my Journal, which I hope
now to continue regularly.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] The admiration thus claimed for the scenery was sometimes so
extravagant as to make us look for a continuance of it, a reproach of
this kind being so often made against the Americans; but we are bound to
add this note, to say that we very seldom met afterwards with anything
of the kind, and the expressions used on this occasion were hardly,
after all, more than the real beauty of the scenery warranted.
LETTER II.
WEST POINT.--STEAMER TO NEWPORT.--NEWPORT.--BISHOP
BERKELEY.--BATHING.--ARRIVAL AT BOSTON.
Brevoort House, 5th Avenue, New York,
8th Sept., 1858.
My letter to you of the 3rd instant gave you an account of our voyage,
and of our first impressions of this city. In the afternoon of the 4th,
William went by steamboat to West Point, on the river Hudson, and we
went by railway. This was our first experience of an American Railway,
and it certainly bore no comparison in comfort either to our own, or to
those we have been so familiar with on the Continent. The carriages are
about forty feet long, without any distinction of first and second
classes: the benches, with low backs, carrying each two people, are
arranged along the two sides, with a passage down the middle. The
consequence is, that one may be brought into close contact with people,
who, at home, would be in a third-class carriage. There are two other
serious drawbacks in a long journey; the one being that there is no
rest for the head, and therefore no possible way of sleeping
comfortably; the other, that owing to the long range of windows on
either side, the unhappy traveller may be exposed to a thorough draught,
without any way of escape, unless by closing the window at his side, if
he is fortunate enough to have a seat which places it within his reach.
Another serious objection is the noise, which is so great as to make
conversation most laborious. They are painstaking in their care of the
luggage, for besides pasting on labels, each article has a numbered
check attached to it, a duplicate of which is given to the owner; time
is saved in giving up the tickets, which is done without stoppage, there
being a free passage from one end of the train to the other. This
enables not only ticket-takers, but sellers of newspapers and railway
guides, to pass up and down the carriages; iced water is also offered
gratis.
The road to Garrison, where we had to cross the river, runs along the
left bank of the Hudson, a distance of fifty miles, close to the water's
edge nearly the whole way, and we were much struck by the magnificence
of the scenery. The river, generally from two to three miles in breadth,
winds between ranges of rocks and hills, mostly covered with wood, and
sometimes rising to a height of 800 feet. Owing to the windings and the
islands, the river frequently takes the appearance of a lake; while the
clearness of the atmosphere, and the colouring of the sunset, added to
the beauty of the scene. We travelled at the rate of twenty miles an
hour, and arrived in darkness at Garrison. Here we crossed the river in
a ferry-boat to West Point, and found William, who had come at the same
speed in the steamer. The hotel being full, we accepted the offer of
rooms made us by Mr. Osborn, an American friend of papa's, at a little
cottage close to the hotel. Mr. and Mrs. Osborn and their two children
had passed some weeks there, and said they frequently thus received
over-flowings from the hotel, and but for their hospitality on this
occasion, we should have been houseless for the night. This cottage
belonged to the landlord of the hotel, and there being no cooking
accommodation in it, we all took our meals in the public dining-room.
The hotel itself is a very spacious building, with a wide verandah at
each end. We found an endless variety of cakes spread for tea, which did
not exactly suit our appetites, but we made the best of it, and then
went into the public drawing-room, where we found all the guests of the
hotel assembled, and the room brilliantly lighted. Here balls, or as
they call them "hops," take place three or four times a week. The scene
is thoroughly foreign, more German than French. The ladies' hoops are
extravagant in circumference; the colouring of their dresses is violent
and heavy; and there is scarcely a man to be seen without moustachios, a
beard, a straw hat, and a cigar. West Point is the Sandhurst of the
United States, and is also the nearest summer rendezvous of the
fashionables of New York. It is beautifully situated on the heights
above the river, and the Military Academy, about ten minutes' drive from
the hotel, commands a most splendid view of the Hudson, and the hills on
either side.
We went to the chapel on Sunday the 5th, where we joined, for the first
time, in the service in America. It differs but little from our own, and
was followed by a not very striking sermon. The Holy Communion was
afterwards administered, and it was a comfort to us to join in it on
this our first Sunday in America. The cadets filled the centre of the
chapel, and are a very good-looking set of youths, wearing a pretty
uniform, the jacket being pale grey with large silver buttons. We dined
at four o'clock at the _table d'hôte_, in a room capable of holding
about four hundred. We sat next to the landlord, who carved at one of
the long tables. The dinner was remarkably well cooked in the French
style, but most deficient in quantity, and we rose from table nearly as
hungry as we sat down. Some of the ladies appeared at dinner in evening
dresses, with short sleeves (made _very_ short) and low bodies, a tulle
pelerine being stretched tight over their bare necks. In some cases the
hair was dressed with large ornamental pins and artificial flowers, as
for an evening party. We met them out walking later in the evening, with
light shawls or visites on their shoulders, no bonnets, and large fans
in their hands. This toilette was fully accounted for by the heat, the
thermometer being at 80° in the shade. Many of the younger women were
very pretty, and pleasing in their manners.
We left West Point early on Monday morning, the 6th, taking the
steamboat back to New York, leaving William to pursue his journey to the
White Mountains and Montreal alone, and we are to meet him again at
Boston next week. The steamboat was well worth seeing, being a wonderful
floating house or palace, three stories high, almost consisting of two
or three large saloons, much gilt and decorated, and hung with prints
and filled with passengers. The machinery rises in the centre of the
vessel, as high nearly as the funnel. We went at the rate of twenty
miles an hour. We again enjoyed the beauties of the river, and could
this time see both sides, which we were unable to do on the railway, by
which means too we saw many pretty towns and villas which we had missed
on Saturday. We were back at the hotel by twelve o'clock, and are to
make our next move to-morrow afternoon to Newport, a sea-bathing place,
a little way north of this. We are doing this at the strong
recommendation of Lord Napier, who says, at this time of the year
Newport is worth seeing, as giving a better idea of an American
watering-place than Saratoga, where the season is now drawing to a
close.
We have now become more familiar with this place, and I think are
beginning to feel the total want of interest of any sort beyond a
general admiration of the handsome wide streets and well-built houses.
The Brevoort House is in the fifth avenue, which, in point of fashion,
answers to Belgrave Square with us, and consists of a long line of
houses of large dimensions. A friend, who accompanied us in our drive
yesterday evening, pointed out many of the best of them as belonging to
button-makers, makers of sarsaparilla, and rich parvenus, who have risen
from the shop counter. He took us to his own house in this line, which
was moderate in size, and prettily fitted up. He is a collector of
pictures, and has one very fine oil painting of a splendid range of
mountainous scenery, in the Andes. It is by Church, a rising young
American, whose view of the Falls of Niagara was exhibited this year in
London. We have made frequent use of the omnibus here; the fares are
half the price of the London ones, and the carriages are very clean and
superior in every way to ours. Great trust is shown in the honesty of
the passengers, there being no one to receive payment at the door, but a
notice within directs the money to be paid to the driver, which is done
through a hole in the roof, and he presents his fingers to receive it,
without apparently knowing how many passengers have entered. We
frequently meet woolly-headed negroes in our walks, and they seem to
form a large proportion of the servants, both male and female, and of
porters and the like. We are disappointed in the fruit. The peaches are
cheap, and in great quantities, but they are very inferior to ours in
flavour, and the melons are also tasteless. The water-melons are cut in
long slices and sold in the streets, and the people eat them as they
walk along. The great luxury of the place is ice, which travels about
the streets in carts, the blocks being three or four feet thick, and a
glass of iced water is the first thing placed on the table at each meal.
The cookery at this hotel is French, and first rate. We have had a few
dishes that are new to us. The corn-bread and whaffles are cakes made
principally of Indian-corn; and the Okra-vegetable, which was to us new,
is cut into slices to flavour soup. Lima beans are very good; we have
also had yams, and yesterday tasted the Cincinnati champagne, which we
thought very poor stuff.
_Fillmore House, Newport, Rhode Island, September 13th._--We left New
York on Thursday afternoon, and embarked in a Brobdingnagian steamboat,
which it would not be very easy to describe. The cabin is on the upper
deck, so that at either end you can walk out on to the stern or bow of
the vessel; it is about eleven feet high, and most splendidly fitted up
and lighted at night with four ormolu lustres, each having eight large
globe lights. We paced the length of the cabin and made it 115 paces, so
that walking nine times up and down made a nice walk of a mile. The
engine of the steamboat in America rises far above the deck in the
centre of the vessel, so this formed an obstruction to our seeing the
whole length, unless on each side of the engine, where a broad and clear
passage allowed a full view from end to end; but instead of taking away
from the fine effect, the engine-room added greatly thereto, for it was
divided from the cabin, on one side, by a huge sheet of plate glass,
through which the most minute workings of the engines could be seen.
There was in front a large clock, and dials of every description, to
show the atmospheric pressure, the number of revolutions of the wheel,
&c. This latter dial was a most beautiful piece of mechanism. Its face
showed six digits, so that the number of revolutions could be shown up
to 999,999. The series of course began with 000,001, and at the end of
the first turn the _nothings_ remained, and the 1 changed first into 2,
then into 3, &c., till at the end of the tenth revolution the two last
digits changed together, and it stood at 000,010, and at the 1,012th
revolution it stood at 001,012.
To go back to the saloon itself; the walls and ceiling were very much
carved, gilt, and ornamented with engravings which, though not equal to
our Albert Durers, or Raphael Morghens at home, were respectable modern
performances, and gave a drawing-room look to the place. The carpet was
gorgeous in colour, and very pretty in design, and the arm-chairs, of
which 120 were fixtures ranged round the wall, besides quantities
dispersed about the room, were uniform in make, and very comfortable.
They were covered with French woven tapestry, very similar to the
specimens we bought at Pau. There were no sofas, which was doubtless
wise, as they might have been turned to sleeping purposes. Little
passages having windows at the end, ran out of the saloon, each opening
into little state cabins on either side, containing two berths each, as
large as those on board the Africa, and much more airy; but the
wonderful part was below stairs. Under the after-part of the saloon was
the general sleeping cabin for the ladies who could not afford to pay
for state cabins, of which, however, there were nearly a hundred. Our
maid slept in this ladies' cabin, and her berth was No. 306, but how
many more berths there may have been here we cannot tell. This must have
occupied about a quarter of the space underneath the upper saloon. The
remaining three quarters of the space constituted the gentlemen's
sleeping cabin, and this was a marvellous sight. The berths are ranged
in four tiers, forming the sides of the cabin, which was at least
fourteen feet high; and as these partook of the curve of the vessel, the
line of berths did the same, so as not to be quite one over the other.
There were muslin curtains in front of the berths, forming, when drawn,
a wall of light floating drapery along each side of the cabin, and this
curved appearance of the wall was very pretty; but the prettiest effect
was when the supper tables were laid out and the room brilliantly
lighted up. Two long tables stretched the whole length, on which were
placed alternately bouquets and trash of the sweet-cake kind, though the
peaches, water-melons, and ices were very good, and as we had luckily
dined at New York, _we_ were satisfied. The waiters were all niggers,
grinning from ear to ear, white jacketed, active, and clever, about
forty strong. The stewardesses, also of African origin, wore hoops of
extravagant dimensions, and open bodies in front, displaying dark brown
necks many of them lighted up by a necklace or diamond cross, rivalling
Venus herself if she were black. They were really fearful objects to
contemplate, for there was a look of display about them which read one a
severe lesson on female vanity, so frightful did they appear, and yet
rigged out like modern beauties. It was the most lovely afternoon
conceivable, and we stayed on deck, sometimes on the bow and sometimes
on the stern of the vessel, till long after dark. We preferred the bow,
as there was no awning there, and the air was more fresh and
invigorating.
The passage through Long Island Sound was like a river studded on both
sides with villas and green lawns, something like the Thames between
Kingston and Hampton, but much wider, and with higher background, and
altogether on a larger scale. When, owing to the darkness, we lost sight
of these, they were replaced by lighthouses constantly recurring. This
huge Leviathan, considerably longer than the Africa, proceeded at the
rate of about eighteen miles an hour, going half-speed only, on account
of the darkness of the night. The full speed was twenty-four miles an
hour, and remember this was not a high-pressure engine. After proceeding
through this narrow channel for about 120 miles, we again entered the
Atlantic, but speedily reached the narrow inlet which extends up to this
place. You may wonder at our having been able to make such minute
observations upon the saloon, &c.; but having tried our state cabin, and
not relishing it, we paced up and down the saloon, and occupied by turns
most of its 120 chairs, till three o'clock in the morning brought us to
the end of our voyage. There was no real objection to the cabin, beyond
the feeling that it was not worth while to undress and lie down for so
short a time; besides which, papa was in one of his fidgetty states,
which he could only relieve by exercise.
But how now to describe Newport? Papa is looking out of the window, and
facing it is an avenue of trees running between two lawns of grass as
green as any to be seen in England, though certainly the grass is
coarser than at home. In these lawns stand houses of every shape and
form, and we, being _au troisième_ have a distant view of the sea, which
looks like the Mediterranean studded with ships. As this place (the
Brighton of New York) stands on a small island, this sea view is
discernible from all sides of the house. We walked yesterday a long way
round the cliffs, which are covered with houses far superior to the
average villas in England, the buildings being of a brilliant white and
sometimes stone colour, and of elaborate architecture, with colonnades,
verandahs, balconies, bay windows of every shape and variety, and all
built of wood. The churches are some of them very beautiful, both Gothic
and Grecian. A Gothic one to which we went yesterday afternoon, was
high, high, high in its decorations, but not in the least in the
doctrine we heard, which was thoroughly sound on "God so loved the
world," &c. The fittings up were very simple, and the exterior of the
church remarkable for the grace and simplicity of its outline; for
being, like the houses, built entirely of wood, elaborate carving cannot
be indulged in.
The church which we went to in the morning offered a great contrast to
this, the interior being fitted up with high old-fashioned pews, like
many a village church at home; but besides this, a further interest
attached to Trinity Church, as being the one in which Dean Berkeley used
to preach, and from its remaining unaltered in its internal appearance
from what it was in his days. The pulpit is still the same, and there is
still in the church the organ which he presented to it, at least the
original case of English oak is there, and part of the works are the
same, though some pipes have lately been added. Independently of Trinity
Church, the town of Newport has many associations connected with Bishop
Berkeley's memory, the place where he lived, and where he wrote his
"Minute Philosopher" being still pointed out, as well as the spot on the
beach where he used to sit and meditate. The most striking buildings,
however, are the hotels, one of which, the "Ocean House," is the largest
building of the kind we have ever seen. It has very much the appearance
of the huge convents one sees in Italy, and, standing on the top of the
cliffs, it has a most remarkable effect. There are some very good
streets, but the greatest part of the town consists of detached houses
standing in gardens. There are very few stone buildings of any kind. The
hotel we are in is not the largest, but is considered the best, and in
the height of the season the place must be very gay.
The next, perhaps the greatest, feature here is the bathing. There are
three beaches formed round a succession of points, the whole forming a
lovely drive on dry hard sand; and such a sun as we gazed upon yesterday
setting over these distant sands passes description. On the first of
these beaches are ranged more than a hundred bathing machines at about a
hundred yards above high-water mark, looking like sentry boxes on a
large scale, with fine dry sand between them and the sea. We went down
on Saturday to see the bathing, which is here quite a public affair; and
having fixed our eyes on a machine about a dozen yards off, we saw two
damsels enter it, while a young gentleman, who accompanied them went
into an adjoining one. In a few minutes he came out attired in his
bathing dress and knocked at the ladies' door. As the damsels were
apparently not ready, he went into the water to wait their coming, and
in due time they sallied forth dressed in thick red baize trowsers and a
short dress of the same colour and material, drawn in at the waist by a
girdle. The gentleman's toilet was coloured trowsers and a tight flannel
jacket without sleeves. He wore no hat, but the ladies had on very
_piquante_ straw hats trimmed with velvet, very like the Nice ones, to
preserve them from a _coup de soleil_. They joined each other in the
water, where they amused themselves together for a long time; a
gentleman friend's presence on these occasions is essential, from the
Atlantic surf being sometimes very heavy; but the young gentleman in
question did not enact the part of Mr. Jacob, of Cromer, not being
professional. The number of bathers is generally very great, though now
the season being nearly over there are not many, but there were still
enough to let us judge of the fun that is said to go on.
There are few guests in this house now. A "hop" was attempted on Friday
evening in the entrance hall, but the unhappy musicians exerted
themselves in playing the Lancers' Quadrilles and all sorts of ugly
jerking polkas without success, although an attempt at one quadrille, we
were told, was made after we had retired for the night. The _table
d'hôte_ toilettes here now are much quieter than they were at Westpoint,
there being but two short sleevers yesterday at our two o'clock dinner.
There is a large and handsome public drawing-room, where we can rock in
rocking chairs (even the bed-rooms have them), or pass an hour in the
evening. We are waited on at dinner by twelve _darkies_, as the niggers
are called, marshalled by a head waiter as tall as papa and as black as
his hat. A black thumb on your plate, as he hands it to you, is _not_
pleasant. The housemaids are also niggeresses, and usually go about in
coloured cotton sun bonnets. I now leave off, as we start for Boston in
an hour.
_Boston, 14th September, 1858._--We reached this yesterday, and were
looking for William all the evening, but were disappointed at his
non-appearance. He arrived here, however, at three this morning by the
steamer, and is now recounting his adventures; he enjoyed himself very
much, and looks all the better for his trip.
I ought to tell you of a few Yankee expressions, but I believe the most
_racy_ of them are used by the young men whom we do not come across: "I
guess" is as common as "I think" in England. In directing you on any
road or street, they tell you always to go "right away." If you do not
feel very well, and think you are headachy, and that perhaps the weather
is the cause, you are told you are "under the weather this morning." An
excellent expression we think; so truly describing the state papa is
often in when in dear old England. Then when you ask for information on
any subject, the answer is frequently, "I can't say, sir, for I am not
_posted up_ on that subject." I asked an American gentleman, who was
walking with us last night, not to walk quite so fast, and he answered,
"Oh, I understand; you do not like that Yankee hitch." "Yankee" is no
term of offence among themselves. Our friend certainly made use of the
last expression as a quotation, but said it was a common one. They will
"fix you a little ginger in your tea, if you wish it;" and they all,
ladies and gentlemen, say, Sir, and Ma'am, at every sentence, and all
through the conversation, giving a most common style to all they say;
although papa declares it is Grandisonian, and that they have retained
good manners, from which we have fallen off.
I reserve my description of the journey here, and of this town, for my
next letter.
LETTER III.
JOURNEY TO
BOSTON.--BOSTON.--PRISON.--HOSPITAL.--SPRINGFIELD.--ALBANY.--TRENTON
FALLS.--JOURNEY TO NIAGARA.--NIAGARA.
Delavan House, Albany, Sept. 15th, 1858.
I find it at present impossible to keep up my letter to you from day to
day, but I am so afraid of arrears accumulating upon me that I shall
begin this to-night, though it is late and we are to start early
to-morrow. My last letter brought us up to our arrival at Boston, but I
have not yet described to you our delightful journey there.
We left Newport with our friends, Mr. and Miss Morgan, at two o'clock on
the 13th, and embarked in a small steamer, which took us up the
Narragansett Bay to the interesting manufacturing town of Providence. We
were about two hours on the steamer, and kept pace with the railway cars
which were running on the shores parallel to us, and also going to
Providence. The shores were very pretty, green and sloping, and dotted
with bright and clean white wooden houses and churches. We passed the
pretty-looking town of Bristol on our right. The day was lovely,
brilliant and cool, with a delightfully bracing wind caused by our own
speed through the water.
The boat brought us to Providence in time only to walk quickly to the
railway, but we had an opportunity of getting a glance at the place. It
is one of the oldest towns in America, dating as far back as 1635; but
its original importance is much gone off, Boston, which is in some
respects more conveniently situated, having carried off much of its
trade. It is most beautifully situated on the Narragansett Bay, the
upper end of which is quite encircled by the town, the city rising
beyond it on a rather abrupt hill. Among the manufactories which still
exist here, those for jewellery are very numerous.
We were now to try the railway for the second time in America, and
having been told that the noise of the Hudson River line was caused by
the reverberation of the rocks, and was peculiar to that railway, we
hoped for better things on this, our second journey. We found, however,
to our disappointment, that there was scarcely any improvement as to
quiet; and as papa _would_ eat a dinner instead of a luncheon at
Newport, this and the noise together soon worried his poor head into a
headache. We were confirmed in our dislike of the cars and railways,
which have many serious faults. The one window over which papa and I
(sitting together) were able to exercise entire control, opened like all
others by pushing it _up_. A consequence of this arrangement is that the
shoulder next to it is in danger of many a rheumatic twinge, being so
exposed to cold; whereas, if the window opened the reverse way, air
could be let in without the shoulder being thus exposed. I forgot in my
description of the cars, to tell you that the seats are all reversible,
enabling four persons to sit in pairs facing each other, and also if
their opposite neighbours are amiably disposed, enabling each pair to
rest their feet on the opposite seat, and if the opposite seat is empty,
the repose across from seat to seat can be still more complete; but it
is an odious contrivance, and neither repose nor rest can be thought of
in these most uncomfortable carriages. Our seats faced the front door,
and were close to it, which was very desirable as the air is clearer at
that end, and not so loaded with the impurities of so large a mass of
all classes as at the other end. We made various purchases as we went
along. First came the ticket man, then cheap periodicals, then apples
and pears, common bon-bons, and corn pop, of which I am trying to keep
a specimen to send you. It is a kind of corn which is roasted on the
fire, and in so doing, makes a _popping_ noise, whence its name. It is
pleasant to nibble. Then came iced water, highly necessary after the dry
corn pop, and finally about twenty good and well-chosen books. Papa
bought the Life of Stephenson.
But if we had room to grumble about discomforts within, we could only
admire unceasingly without the very lovely road along which we were
rapidly passing. The country consisted of undulating hills and slopes,
prettily wooded, while bright white wooden houses and churches rapidly
succeeded each other; the tall, sharp, white church spire contrasting
beautifully with the dark back-ground of trees. It was delightful to see
all the houses and cottages looking trim and neat, and in perfect order
and repair. There was no such thing as dilapidation or poverty apparent,
and the necessary repairs being so easily made, and the paint-brush
readily available, all looked in the most perfect order. We could do
little else than admire the scenery, and arrived at Boston at about six
o'clock; the last few minutes of the journey being over a long wooden
bridge or viaduct, which connects the mainland with the peninsula on
which Boston is built. We found rooms ready for us at Tremont House. It
is an enormous hotel, but the passages are close, and the rooms small.
They were otherwise, however, very luxurious, for I had a small
dressing-room out of my bedroom in which was a warm bath and a plentiful
supply of hot and cold water laid on, besides other conveniences.
The next morning we found Lord and Lady Radstock in the breakfast-room;
and papa accompanied Lord Radstock to see an hospital and prison.
The prison was the jail in which prisoners are detained before their
trial, as well as when the duration of their imprisonment is not to be
very long. Nothing, by papa's description, can exceed the excellency of
the arrangements as far as the airiness and cleanliness of the cells,
and even the comforts of the prisoners, are concerned, but the system is
one of strict solitary confinement. Papa and Lord R. were surprised to
find that some unhappy persons, who were kept there merely in the
character of witnesses, were subject to the same rigorous treatment.
Lord R. remarked, that he would take good care not to see any offence
committed while in this country, but the jailor replied, "Oh, it would
be quite enough if any one declared you saw it."
The hospital appears to be a model of what such an establishment ought
to be. The wards are large, and, like the prison cells, very airy and
clean, but with a great contrast in the character of the inmates for
whose benefit they are provided. The great space which can usually be
allotted, in a country like this, to institutions of this description,
may perhaps give this hospital an advantage over one situated in the
centre of a large city like London; though the semi-insular position of
Boston must render space there comparatively valuable; but even this
cannot take away from the merit of the people in showing such attention
to the comforts of the needy sick. But what papa was most pleased with,
was the provision made, on the plan which has been often tried in
London, but never with the success it deserves, of an hospital, or home
for the better classes of the sick. In the Boston hospital, patients are
received who pay various sums up to ten dollars a week, for which they
can have a comfortable room to themselves, and the best medical advice
which the town affords. Papa and Lord R. were shown over this
institution by Dr. Shaw, who was particularly attentive and obliging in
answering all their questions.
We have since been exploring the town, and are quite delighted with it.
It has none of the stiff regularity of New York, and the dwelling
houses have an air of respectable quiet comfort which is much wanted in
that city of wealth and display. The "stores" too are far more
attractive than in New York, though their way of asking you to describe
exactly what you want before they show you anything, except what is
displayed, reminded me much of France. The city is altogether very
foreign-looking in its appearance, and we are glad to think we are to
return and make a better acquaintance with it later in the month. There
is a delightful "common," as they call it, or park, which is well kept,
and much prized by the inhabitants. Some beautiful elm trees in it are
the largest we have seen in this country. Around one side are the best
dwelling houses, some of which are really magnificent. The hotel, which
is a very large one, has some beautiful public sitting rooms, greatly
larger than those at the Brevoort House at New York, which is much more
quiet in this respect; but these large rooms form an agreeable adjunct
to an hotel, as they are in general well filled by the guests in the
house, and yet sufficiently large to let each party have their own
little coterie.
The character of the inhabitants for honesty seems to be called in
question by the hotel-keepers, for all over these hotels there are
alarming notices to beware of hotel thieves (probably English
pickpockets); and in Boston we were not only told to lock our doors, but
not to leave the key on the outside _at any time_, for fear it should be
stolen.
_Trenton Falls, Sept. 16th._--We left Boston on Tuesday afternoon, and
got as far as Springfield, a town beautifully situated on the river
Connecticut, and celebrated for a government institution of great
importance, where they make and store up fire-arms. It is just 100 miles
from Boston, and the railway runs through a beautifully wooded country
the whole way, which made the journey appear a very short one. The
villages we passed had the same character as those between Providence
and Boston, and were, like them, built altogether of wood, generally
painted white, but occasionally varied by stone-colour, and sometimes by
a warm red or maroon colour picked out with white.
Springfield lay on our way to Albany, and as we had heard much of the
beauty of the place, we were not deterred from sleeping there by being
told that a great annual horse-fair was to be held there, but to secure
rooms we telegraphed for them the day before. At the telegraph station
they took upon themselves to say, there was no room at the established
hotels, but that a new one on the "European plan" had been opened the
day before, where we could be taken in; at this we greatly rejoiced, but
to our dismay on arriving, we found its existence ignored by every one,
and we were almost in despair when we bethought ourselves to go to the
telegraph office, where we were directed to a small new _cabaret_, whose
only merit was that we, being its first occupants, found everything most
perfectly fresh and clean; but having been only opened that day, and the
town being very full, everything was in disorder, and there were but two
bedrooms for papa, myself, William, and Thrower.[2] It became an anxious
question how to appropriate them, as there was but one bed in one of the
rooms, and two in the other. However, it was finally arranged, that papa
and William should sleep in the double-bedded room, and Thrower and I
together in the single bed. We called Thrower a _lady_ of the party, and
made her dine with us, for had they known she was only a "help," she
might probably have fared badly.