_Journey from New York to Philadelphia—Steam-boat—Railway
Coach—Militia Muster—American and British Soldiers—Characters of
Travellers—Mansion-house Hotel—Funeral—Excursion to
Holmsburg—Hotel-keepers in America and Ireland—Mr W * *—Sir John
Sinclair of America—Fair Mount—Naval Yard—Philadelphia—Return to New
York—Face of the Country—Agricultural Details._
We left New York in a steam-boat, a little after six o’clock in the
morning, and reached South Amboy, on Rariton bay, a distance of
twenty-eight miles, at half-past eight. From Amboy we travelled on a
railway to Bordentown, distant thirty-four miles, in carriages drawn by
two horses, which were changed three times in four hours, and thence
down the Delaware river, by steam, to Philadelphia, where we arrived at
three o’clock.
The passengers breakfasted and dined on board the steam-boat, paying
half a dollar (2s. 1½ d.) for each meal; no difference in charge or
accommodation being made, and smoking in the cabin or after-part of the
vessel was prohibited. There is a bar on board, at which liquors,
segars, maps, &c. &c., may be obtained. American steam-boats have been
compared to flourishing hotels, a term not sufficiently comprehensive,
as they contain barbers, commodities of different kinds for sale, and
often horses and carriages. They are floating cities.
Soon after leaving New York, the passengers were warned by bell to
purchase breakfast tickets, and some time afterwards to identify their
luggage, when all belonging to those proceeding to Philadelphia was
placed in a large crate, which was lifted from the steamer to a
carriage, and again to a steamer, by means of cranes, without its
contents being moved. The railway carriages rest on four wheels—are
divided into three compartments, each containing six persons, many of
whom are provided with tickets for their respective places before
leaving the vessel. The horses were placed in sheds, ready harnessed, at
the different changing places, for greater expedition in attaching them
to the carriages. Every arrangement in this line of travelling is
excellent.
In passing along the railway, the train of carriages stopped for a few
minutes, which afforded us an opportunity of seeing a militia muster,
which some writers have humorously described. The dresses of the men
consisted of all hues and shapes, there were hats with and without
feathers, and some garnished with roses. The guns consisted of single
and double barrels, with not a few rifles amongst them. Many of the
corps were seen approaching the muster ground on horseback, and others
in light waggons drawn by beautiful horses. The soldiers were,
generally, small, thin, miserable-looking creatures, and such as would
not often have been enlisted in the British army. A young gentleman,
lately arrived from England, and a fellow-passenger in the Napoleon and
railway coach, was quizzing the mean appearance of the militiamen, when
a blithe, jolly-looking fellow from Baltimore good-humouredly remarked,
that such men as these beat off the English at New Orleans; and some
conversation on the relative merits of American and British soldiers
took place; the citizen of Baltimore was drawn into the question.
Whether American or British soldiers are the best, will, I trust, long
remain undecided by actual trial. There is, however, no doubt, that the
British are apparently more muscular than the Americans, and I imagine
also more capable of enduring fatigue and privations. But large men do
not load muskets faster than those of smaller dimensions, while they are
more easily hit by a bullet. My ingenious friend W——, residing in the
neighbourhood of Philadelphia, is of opinion, that the best fed army
will always prove conquerors, and attributes the success of the American
army and navy, last war, to the circumstance of the Americans having
been better fed than the British. The influence of food in imparting
strength and courage to animals is well known, and, under a parity of
circumstances, the best fed army will prove victorious. But my friend’s
argument, to be of weight, requires the British to have been under-fed,
a circumstance not likely to have occurred; but in American warfare,
when men are often armed with rifles and masked by trees, strength and
courage are not brought into play. While the Americans fight in their
own country, in defence of wives, families, and property,
notwithstanding their liberty and equality notions, and want of
discipline, they will always prove an overmatch for hireling soldiers of
any nation. But place them in a foreign land, amidst pestilence and
privation, with no incentives to exertion but a miserable pittance
called pay and frivolous glory, I doubt if they would display deeds of
greatness and valour as Britons have often done.
We had not been long seated in the railway coach, when the Englishman
became the butt of some Americans, who crammed him with such
absurdities, that he must have returned home, which he shortly intended
doing, with very erroneous ideas of the States; and the quickness with
which his character was discovered by the Americans did credit to their
discrimination. The tenor of a foreigner’s conversation with the natives
on his first arrival is an index to his understanding, and the
information he receives is often made to accord with his capacity and
feelings instead of truth. Without sound judgment to discriminate and
appreciate information, the gleanings and impressions of a traveller
must be as apt to mislead as instruct others, and his lucubrations will
often be found more illustrative of his own character than of the people
and country he visits. We took up our residence at the Mansion-house
hotel, Philadelphia, kept by Mr Head; but it did not seem to warrant the
praises bestowed on it by some travellers, meal hours not being
regularly kept; and the bed of my friend was preoccupied by a set of
mischievous natives, which fortunately in no instance paid their
respects to me.
While walking after tea, a funeral passed by, which was the first I had
seen on American soil. A hearse moved slowly along the side of the
street, accompanied by about thirty men walking two and two on the
pavement, dressed in coloured clothes, without crape on hat or arm; then
followed six or seven females, each supported by a gentleman, and both
sexes were dressed in black garments, and seemed to be near relations of
the deceased; then came forty or fifty men and women in pairs, partly in
black and partly in coloured clothes, which closed the procession. I
afterwards observed a funeral train at New York, composed entirely of
men, chiefly in coloured clothes, arranged in pairs. The custom of
attending funerals in coloured clothes is said to be of recent
introduction; and as grief springs from the heart, and cannot be
expressed by hue of garment, this innovation on old custom is creditable
as well as advantageous to the people.
Wishing to visit a gentleman residing fourteen miles from Philadelphia,
to whom I had letters of introduction, the proprietor of the hotel
demanded five dollars, 21s. 3d., sterling, for a carriage to convey us
to the place and back again by midday. The charge appearing
unreasonable, I made application at several quarters, and at last
engaged an Irishman on the street, who undertook the journey for three
dollars, and he fulfilled his engagement to our perfect satisfaction.
Next morning, we left Philadelphia at an early hour, and on reaching
Holmsburg, were refused breakfast at an unpretending hotel, without a
reason being assigned. On applying, however, at another hotel on the
opposite side of the street, we were more fortunate, and had every thing
set before us which could appease hunger or gratify the palate. The
refusal of breakfast reminded me of being in Ireland in 1830; on which
occasion I was accompanied by a friend. We travelled from Drogheda to
Kells, in the county of Meath, in a common car of the country, exposed
to a burning sun, and choking dust. On reaching that lovely village, and
alighting at an inn, we were told the Marquis of —— was momently
expected, on which account we could not be accommodated, and at a second
inn experienced the same disagreeable reception. I exerted the little
eloquence with which Nature has endowed me to obtain a single room, and
after despairing of success, I petitioned for a stall in the stable. The
heart of mine hostess was so far overcome as to provide tea, and allow
us to wash in a dirty miserable-looking room. I here despatched a card
to a landed proprietor in the neighbourhood by an errand-boy of the
house. This circumstance changed the state of affairs all of a sudden;
but I withdrew to the house of my friend in the country. The great man
did not make his appearance that evening; yet the mere expectation of
his arrival deprived us of food and shelter. What a miserable state of
society!
The tavern-keepers of Ireland, and those of Newton and Holmsburg, seem
to have been actuated by very different motives. Both were culpably
unaccommodating; but those of America, probably, acted from saucy
independence—those of Ireland, from greedy and needy dependence. Paddy
wished to fawn on the rich man, and enjoy the crumbs which fell from his
establishment; while Jonathan indulged his own humour, and disregarded
crumbs of every kind.
Just as we approached Mr W——’s, rain began to fall, and prevented our
examination of his farm, which I much regretted. Our stay, however, was
prolonged till after dinner, having been fascinated by the sentiments of
his powerful and original mind. Besides acquiring much useful
information regarding the United States generally, I learned the
advantages of introductory letters, which I too lightly esteemed, from
the circumstance of having, when a young man, travelled over a
considerable portion of England without such credentials, and obtained
access to whatever interested me, by stating, either verbally or in
writing, the object of my visit. Mrs W—— asked me if I had a friend
named Flanagan, and on being answered in the negative, added, that a
person, passing by that name, introduced himself to her husband as my
bosom friend, and in consequence received considerable attention for
seven or eight months, at the end of which he decamped, without paying
his debts. On reflection, I recollected having received and answered two
letters from a person of that name in the north of Ireland, which formed
the extent of our intercourse. Introductory letters have become so
common of late years, that in many quarters they are treated with
neglect. They ate perhaps unnecessary to liberal-minded men, and only
useful to guard against imposition.
Returning to Philadelphia in the afternoon, I delivered an introductory
letter to an eminent individual, who had been described to me as the Sir
John Sinclair of America, which appellation I found he well merited. A
dirty-looking girl opened the door of a house in one of the principal
streets, and desired me to occupy a seat in the passage until —— came
down stairs. The passage was about five feet wide by forty in length,
and so dark that objects were not distinctly visible in the lightest
part of it; and in this hole, on a plain wooden chair, I sat for upwards
of a quarter of an hour before the gentleman made his appearance. During
this interval of suspense, I debated with myself the indignity offered
me according to British notions, and whether I ought to leave my dungeon
in disgust; but on reflection I resolved to submit to any thing, short
of insult and imposition, that might come in the way, whilst amongst the
Americans, for the double purpose of seeing character and ensuring
personal comfort—knowing how disagreeable it would be to act at variance
with the manners and customs of a nation, and vain to expect to bring
the population to my way of thinking on such matters. The gentleman at
last made his appearance, and conducted me to a room, without saying a
single word about the delay he had occasioned, or the situation in which
I had been placed; and from his manners being easy and polite, I was led
to conjecture that sitting in the dark lobby was a common occurrence
with his visitors. My reception was flattering, his offers of service
extensive, and conversation, which was chiefly agricultural, more fluent
than profound.
Rain continued to fall in torrents during the night and next day, which
prevented us visiting the celebrated botanic gardens belonging to
Colonel Ker, to whom we had letters. With the aid of a street coach, we,
however, reached Fair Mount, where public works which supply the city
with water are situated. The machinery is propelled by water from the
river, part of which is raised to an elevated reservoir, from which the
city receives a copious supply for every purpose. The reservoir is
surrounded by a pale fence, enclosing well-kept walks, accessible by
flights of steps. The beauty of the spot and surrounding scenery deserve
a visit from every person of taste, even although they disregard the
machinery of the works.
From Fair Mount we drove to the Naval Yard, which we reached just as the
workmen were leaving it to dine, during which time visitors are
excluded. The sentinel on duty enquired if we were foreigners, and on
learning that we were, conveyed information to his superior in command,
but on his return informed us we could not be admitted. While we
lamented being too late to see the Naval Yard, the justness of our
exclusion was fully admitted.
Philadelphia contains about 170,000 inhabitants, is the second place in
population and the fourth in shipping within the United States, and
forms the _depôt_ to a county yearly increasing in population, wealth,
and extent. It is situated on the west bank of the Delaware river, which
is navigated by vessels of the largest size. Many of the streets are
shaded with trees, and all of them remarkably clean and well paved,
running parallel and at right angles to each other. The houses are
generally built of red brick, those of some of the principal streets
having the basement, steps, door, and window sides of white marble. The
doors are in general painted white, and have silver handles and
knockers. Houses of this description have a chaste and pleasing
appearance. Many of the public buildings are elegant, and composed of
white marble. The city is generally considered regular, to a fault—the
inhabitants the most wealthy, fashionable, and polished in America.
The weather continuing wet, we left Philadelphia for New York at three
o’clock in the afternoon, passing the night at Perth Amboy, where we
paid a charge of threepence sterling for cleaning boots, and reached New
York next morning. The railway from Amboy to Bordentown passes chiefly
through Middlesex county, state of New Jersey. The soil is absolutely
drift sand, and, according to my present notions of farming, unworthy of
cultivation. The crops consisted chiefly of rye and Indian corn, and
were uniformly bad. Clovers and timothy grass are seldom sown. In
several instances lime and gypsum had been applied where Indian corn was
growing, having been carried to the field in waggons, and spread thinly
over the surface. In one instance farmyard manure was being applied in
imperfectly formed drills, which I supposed were destined to receive
potatoes. Women were seen hoeing Indian corn in the fields, but I could
not discover whether they were white or coloured. The cattle grazing on
the scanty herbage appeared mere starvelings, and smaller than some of
the Highland cattle of Scotland. The sheep were even more
miserable-looking than the cattle, and many of them retained their
winter fleece. Pigs corresponded with the sheep and cattle; the horse
alone forming an exception to the general wretchedness, some noble
animals of this species being met with. Many orchards, consisting
chiefly of peach-trees, the fruit of which is distilled into brandy, had
been lately formed, and seemed the only thriving thing on the surface of
the earth. The men seen at the militia muster, already noticed, are
inhabitants of this district, and appeared to partake of its character.
When passing along the railway, I was much struck with the beauty of a
plant, bearing a profusion of pink-coloured flowers, which the rapidity
of motion prevented me seeing distinctly; and on asking its name, one
passenger guessed it to be lauristinus and another hawthorn, but which I
soon discovered to be rhododendron. This plant grows in great profusion
along the road, and more especially around the seat of Joseph Bonaparte,
near Bordentown.
The country around Philadelphia through which we passed, forms a
striking contrast to that of New Jersey; its general aspect resembling,
in all respects, the finest parts of the south of England. Many of the
fences consist of well-kept thorn-hedges, studded with wide spreading
trees; and many of the crops were excellent, although the soil is not
generally in a high state of cultivation. The trees were covered with
massy rich foliage, superior to any thing I had ever witnessed
before—the effects of which were heightened by the season of the year
and prevailing weather, which was warm and moist. Here and there a few
pollard trees were seen raising their thin tops and branchless trunks
amidst the glorious exuberance of nature; and when viewed in the
landscape with the weeping willow, queen of American vegetation, the
tendrils of which, clothed with shining leaves, hang in graceful
festoons thirty feet in length, show how destitute of beauty are the
works of man when compared with those of nature.
Men assisting at farm-work, in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, get
from ten to twelve dollars, with maintenance, per month, and they are
not easily obtained to attend regularly at work. Young men and women of
the industrious classes in the country dress in fashionable clothes of
the finest fabrics before marriage, after which, the wife becomes a
lady, and generally engages a hired girl or help. Thrashing machines are
common, but not good; and when the flail is used, barley and oats cost
three cents, rye seven cents, and wheat twelve and a half cents per
bushel, when found,—that is, food provided for the workmen. From the
high price of human labour, compared with the price of food, Indian corn
is often trod out by oxen. Craddlers generally mow round the field when
the crop admits of doing so; and stop only when the scythe requires to
be sharped. Hay costs in cutting from one to one and a half dollar per
acre. Mr W—— pointed out a field of rye which was a good crop, and which
he had a few days before let to be craddled at seventy-five cents per
acre, without board or any other etcetera. The craddler not being
permitted to sit at table with the family, and disliking to eat in the
kitchen, had agreed to board with one of Mr W——’s labourers for
forty-five cents per day, and would be thus fed, viz. breakfast at seven
o’clock, on wheat-bread, rye-bread, fish, cheese, butter, and coffee;
luncheon at ten o’clock, on cold meat, pickled pork, cheese, butter,
pickles, bread, and coffee; dine at twelve, on every thing that is good
and substantial; at five is served coffee, with bread, butter, fruit,
and fruit-pie. Occasionally supper is taken at seven, but this meal is
considered superfluous. Mr W—— thinks Americans perform a great deal
more work than Englishmen, which he attributes to their being better
fed. At the conclusion of my transatlantic tour, my opinion is, the
inhabitants of America do not work near so much as those of Britain
throughout the week or year, although they may, perhaps, do more in a
day. The strength and expertness of workmen seems a favourite idea—those
of every district which I have visited being accounted by the
inhabitants the best in the world. But the climate of England being
better fitted for exertion than that of America, and the apparent health
and strength of Englishmen superior, I can discover no reason why they
should do less work than the Americans. Men and animals may be
considered machines capable of manufacturing or yielding labour
according as they are fed, provided their powers be not weakened by
excess, or other circumstances affecting health. The half-starved,
potato-fed Irishman could no more keep pace during a day’s work with the
meat-eating American, than the grass-fed steed with one trained on corn
and hay. It is shortsighted policy in a master to pinch his labourer of
food, when he reaps the fruits of his exertions.
In the neighbourhood of Philadelphia, land of fine quality and in high
condition, may be had from 100 to 120 dollars per acre. Produce of all
descriptions is high, and the straw of a wheat crop has been sold at
thirty dollars per acre. Wheat is often mildewed. I saw several fields
of a newly introduced grass, called Andes grass, said to have been
lately brought from the range of hills in South America bearing that
name. On examining the plant in the fields, and the seed in the shops, I
think it is identical with the small-bulbed oat-like grass (_Holcus
avenceus_ of Sinclair) indigenous to Britain, and which I afterwards
observed growing in a state of nature in different parts of New York
State. Much has been said and written in exaggeration of Mr W——’s system
of farming; and he seemed highly amused when told of their nature. He
grows excellent Swede turnip after his wheat crop, and this is the only
succession of crops he gets in one year. His system is to plough in
green vegetable matter, such as clover aftermath, French beans, and
Indian corn, for manure to other crops. Horses and cattle are soiled
with green food in summer, farming operations appeared to be well
executed, and every thing connected with the establishment was in good
order. Mr W. takes charge of agricultural pupils for 300 dollars a-year;
and, from my visit to this gentleman, I think him eminently qualified
for imparting knowledge to them. Young boys are often apprenticed to
farmers for four years, with a stipulation of getting a quarter’s
schooling each year of their apprenticeship.