_New York—Damask hair-cloth manufactory—Dr H——, President Jackson, and
Black Hawk—Hyde Park—Residences in America and Britain—Taste for
Flowers—Cattle and Sheep—Scenery of the Hudson and Clyde—Fast
Eating—Albany—Coach Passengers—Women working in Fields._
Several days were spent in viewing the beauties of New York and its
neighbourhood, which the works of recent travellers render unnecessary
for me to describe at length. This city is the first city in the Union,
both as to shipping and population, which does not perhaps fall much
short of two hundred and forty thousand. It is situated on an island
separated from the mainland by a small creek passing betwixt the north
and east rivers, which some individuals failed in converting into a
canal. From the site of New York as an emporium of trade, there seem to
be no limits to the extension of the city and its suburbs. It is already
the chief outlet of much of the produce of the eastern parts of the New
England states, part of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and almost the whole of
New York State. When the canals and railways now in progress are
completed, it will also become the depôt for part of the produce of the
states of Indiana, Illinois, and the unsurveyed country to the west of
Lake Michigan, traversed by the rivers Mississippi and Missouri; and, in
the course of events, Upper Canada may be added to the list. The mouth
of the Mississippi seems the only outlet, calculated by the extent of
inland navigation, to vie with New York; but the warm and pestilential
nature of the climate unfits it for the reception of produce, and the
residence of man. The public and private buildings vary in size and
elegance; and the inhabitants are justly proud of Waverley and Lafayette
Places, the houses of the latter being decorated with immense Corinthian
pillars, and the whole fronts and steps consist of marble. The streets
are not so clean as the inhabitants wish strangers to believe; but as
swine seem, in part, intrusted with the charge of removing the filth,
they are in as good order as might be expected. The streets appear to be
thronged at all hours, noise and uproar prevailing when I retired for
the night; ladies and gentlemen on horseback, and the industrious on
foot, were bustling forth at five in the morning when I arose. Emblems
of aristocratic pride and shameless mendicity occasionally met the eye,
in the red vests and peculiar cut coats of serving men standing at the
back of luxurious carriages, and in the extended hat supplicating
charity. Like other large commercial and manufacturing towns, activity
characterises the inhabitants by day, dissipation by night.
At Johnston and Green’s manufactory I saw a newly invented fabric of
great beauty—damask hair-cloth, consisting of different patterns, the
raised figures being sometimes of silk and sometimes of linen. A patent
has been obtained for making this stuff, both in the States and in
England. It forms a beautiful covering for sofas and chairs, and is said
to be durable. I paid one dollar for the linen, and two for the silk
damask, per yard, in small quantities. About two hundred people are
employed at the manufactory, and, at the time I saw them, they all
appeared happy, healthy, and clean. Young women, when weaving by the
piece, earned three dollars (13s. 8d.) per week; small boys, six and
seven years of age, one dollar; the hours of labour being from six in
the morning to seven at night, with intervals of half an hour for
breakfast, and an hour for dinner.
Having forwarded an introductory letter to Dr H——, who, on my arrival at
New York, was at his country-seat, I had intimation of his return to
town a week afterwards. On calling upon the Doctor at his friend’s house
in —— Street, I was ushered into the drawingroom by a tawdry-looking
girl, without announcing my name. My reception was all I could have
wished; and on learning my intended movements, he expressed regret at
not being able to be at —— by the day mentioned, and expecting General
Jackson, the President, to visit —— in course of his tour, already
commenced, proposed that I should wait and form one of the party. There
is no ruler of any portion of the earth I would so soon associate with
as a President of the United States of America, chosen by a free and
enlightened people, to administer their laws; but the task which I had
imposed upon myself did not warrant delay in an indulgence of
feeling,—forming part of the President’s tail, being unconnected with
the objects of my excursion. I had no reason to regret this act of
self-denial, the conduct of the people and President during the tour
being such as I could not admire.
General Jackson having resolved to visit the chief towns in the northern
parts of the Union, he got as far as Boston, when he was compelled by
fatigue to return to Washington. In every town his deportment and
reception seemed an imitation of the rules of despotic countries—a
spectacle to the crowd, and an object of extravagant devotion. An Indian
chief, named Black Hawk, who had been taken prisoner the preceding year,
in a war to the west of Lake Michigan, and who was carried through some
of the great towns, with a view of impressing him with the power of the
States, preparatory to his liberation, arrived at New York the day after
the President, and divided public attention. The ladies declared in
favour of Black Hawk, some of them actually kissing him, which, it is
said, affected the old President’s health. The chief of the white men,
and the chief of the red, were alike objects of curiosity; the President
holding a levee by day, the Hawk by night, in Niblo’s gardens. Had a
mammoth or elephant appeared, the mighty ones of the earth would have
been eclipsed in public favour.
We left New York early in the morning, by the Albany steam-boat, for
Hyde Park, after viewing which we returned to the landing-place on the
river Hudson, and, at half-past twelve at night, stept on board of a
steam-boat which landed us at Albany a little after seven next morning.
I got on deck at four, when passing the town of Hudson; the wind was
blowing high from the north, and piercingly cold.
Hyde Park, the seat of Doctor Hosack, is the most celebrated in America,
and which Mr Stuart describes as being “embellished as a fine residence
and fine grounds in England.” The house is situated some hundreds of
feet above the level of, and at a considerable distance from the Hudson,
the intervening grounds being finely undulating. In front of the house
there is a road, leading from the landing-place on the river, along a
small stream, over which there is an elegant wooden bridge, and several
artificial cascades have been formed in its channel. The house is
composed of wood, as well as the offices and lodges, painted white, and
are very neat of their kind. The conservatory had been dismantled a few
days before our arrival, by placing the plants in the open air; the
collection seemed extensive and well kept. The flower garden is small,
the walks limited, and both destitute of beauty. I am aware that most of
the evergreens which impart loveliness to the residences in Britain
cannot withstand the rigours of an American winter, but this
circumstance is no excuse for the nakedness of Hyde Park walks, the aid
of many native plants having been disregarded. The matchless beauties of
the situation have not only been frequently neglected, but destroyed by
stiff, formal, naked walks, and the erection of temples resembling
meat-safes, without a climbing plant, which the country produces in
endless variety, to hide their deformity, and harmonize them with the
surrounding scene. In short, while I greatly admired the situation of
Hyde Park, I do not recollect having seen a celebrated place where
nature had done so much, and man so little, to render beautiful. The
embellishments at Hyde Park, contrasted with those met with every day in
Britain, place American landscape-gardening immeasurably behind, if it
can be said to exist.
The progress of a people in refinement and taste, manifested in a
combination of nature and art, is commonly the work of time, and the
decoration of grounds an unproductive investment of capital. Thus the
residences of England having descended for ages in the same line,
without the power of possessors changing their destination, may be said
to represent the accumulated savings, labours, and tastes of many
generations. In America the country has not been long possessed by the
present owners, and property does not necessarily descend in the same
line; and if to these causes be added the high price of labour, and the
scarcity of capital, the state of the residences will be sufficiently
accounted for. Dr Hosack has great merit in what he has accomplished,
but it is mockery to compare his grounds, in point of embellishments,
with the fine places in Britain, which have originated from
circumstances which America is not likely soon to experience.
Throughout the whole of my transatlantic tour, the inhabitants of the
country manifested perfect indifference to the beauties of nature. It
was rarely I could learn the name of a plant, with the exception of
trees. Nurserymen, seedsmen, and farmers were, generally, unacquainted
with varieties, and, with exception of two or three individuals, no one
seemed interested in the matter. Rhododendrons grow as plentifully in
many parts of the Eastern States as furze in Britain, yet I saw vast
numbers of this plant shipping at Liverpool for Philadelphia, although
millions of the same variety could have been obtained for the trouble of
lifting, at no great distance from the city. Gardens and nurseries were
overrun with weeds, and did not display beauty either in decoration or
arrangement.
Hyde Park is also celebrated for its agriculture, which I found under
the charge of a gentleman from Fifeshire, Scotland, a person on
excellent terms with himself. The farm offices, which are extensive,
would be considered good in most situations, and were the best I saw in
America. There was a young hawthorn hedge, well kept, and in a thriving
state. The cattle consist of imported short-horns, or their descendants,
and one or two of the best cows were tolerable specimens of that breed.
The sheep were said to be a mixture of the Leicester and Cotswold
breeds; the pure blood of the former not having been found to answer.
The flock was miserably low in condition, and the ewes were followed by
large, though not fat-looking, lambs.
However well the short-horned breed of cattle, and improved Leicester
sheep, may have been found to answer in some parts of Britain, it is
doubtful if the farmers of the State of New York will benefit themselves
by introducing them. The one is remarkable for lack of dairy produce,
and the other for inferior quality of mutton; and both for being
unprofitable, unless liberally supplied at all seasons with nutritious
food. The population of the country cannot well dispense with any part
of their present dairy produce, and do not require an increase of
quantity at a sacrifice of quality of mutton, while the present state of
agriculture does not furnish a sufficiency of food for the health and
growth of short-horns and Leicesters during winter. I imagine smaller
and more hardy breeds, of both kinds of stock, will be found more
profitable for general purposes.
During my residence at New York, I attended the cattle market, which was
stored with moderately fatted cattle, many of which had been worked. I
also witnessed a herd of two hundred passing along the streets, said to
have come from the state of Kentucky, forming part of four thousand
which had been bought by one company, and brought forward in weekly
supplies. They bore some resemblance to the Hereford cattle of
England—were four and five years old, of excellent quality, and were
estimated to average eighty stones dead weight, of 14 lbs. to the stone.
The scenery of the Hudson did not realize my expectations on first view,
an occurrence which frequently takes place when much has previously been
heard in praise of objects. Every person of observation must have
remarked how different scenery appears under a change of circumstances.
The weather being cold and raw during the passage, affected, perhaps, my
feelings; and it was not until the objects had been seen a second time
in the beginning of November, that I became sensible of their beauties.
The Palisadoes, a line of rocks extending for twenty miles on the west
side of the river on leaving New York, are of moderate height, with
their base covered with stunted trees, and convey nothing of the sublime
to the beholder. The objects became more interesting on approaching the
high lands where Anthony’s nose is situated, and forms the most
prominent and beautiful feature. The channel of the river seems to have
been produced by a mighty convulsion; the banks being destitute of soil,
and the islands masses of pure rock, which strikingly display the
economy and beauty of nature—the islands, without a particle of soil or
blade of grass, being thickly studded with healthy, though small trees,
while the perpendicular rocks on the banks, from the water’s edge to
many hundred feet in height, were adorned with blossomed kalmias.
The margins of the river Hudson, and islands in its course, assume a
different character on approaching Albany; the islands being depositions
of mud, susceptible of cultivation, and the banks rich soil, bearing
good crops, and adorned with pretty houses.
The tide flows up the Hudson to Albany, distant from New York 144 miles,
admitting vessels of considerable burden, and sloops of small size
penetrate much farther up the river. The waters of the Hudson, passing
through a rich and populous country, forming the outlet of the Erie
Canal, present a never-ending scene of pleasing industry. At all times
innumerable sailing vessels, with extended cotton canvass, whitened by a
bright sun, and pure air, float gracefully to and fro. Steam-boats,
crowded with passengers, pass with rapidity, while cock-boats, loaded
with fish, poultry, and fruit, rest in quietness. Sloops carrying
well-formed hay and straw stacks, glide towards New York, while
steam-boats tow canal barges and vessels of every description, up and
down the river. The surrounding country is also full of interest,
abounding in thriving villages and towns, each forming a depôt to the
country in their rear; besides villas, academies, hotels, prisons, and
forts without number, associated with the history, literature, and
improvement of the country. To a citizen of the States, the Hudson is
the most interesting, beautiful, and important river in America, and no
foreigner of taste can be insensible to its charms.
The scenery of the river Clyde, in my native country, is of a different
character. In vegetable decoration, the banks of the Clyde are greatly
inferior to those of the Hudson, as well as in soft and picturesque
beauty, although some sweet landscapes, such as the bay of Rothesay, are
found on the former. But the Hudson is altogether wanting in the rugged
blue mountains, so conspicuous from the Clyde, which are the most noble
and awe-inspiring objects of nature. I know not whether it is taste or
prejudice which makes me prefer the scenery of the Clyde to the Hudson.
On reaching Albany, the bustle and confusion on board the steam-boat,
with passengers landing, and porters scrambling for the luggage, was
excessive; and there was some difficulty in preserving unauthorized
hands from carrying away our effects. We reached the Columbian hotel
rather late for breakfast; after which we walked about the town. Things
appeared very different from what New York presented: carts, waggons,
and carriages, as well as the animals harnessed to them, were greatly
inferior. The population did not appear so active, and the eye looked in
vain for those ladies whose fashionable attire, interesting
countenances, and elegance of feet and ankles, delight the beholder. Our
dinner party consisted of upwards of sixty. One gentleman dined in five
minutes, reckoned by my stop-watch; the ladies rose from the table at
the end of twelve; dinner and dessert occupied about fifteen minutes.
The affair seemed an eating race, and my companions not being aware of
the rapidity of the pace, were sadly behind. I was amused at a little
jockeyship displayed in the contest. An individual, as soon as he seated
himself at table, emptied a dish of green pease on his plate, to the
evident disappointment of a gentleman on his right hand, and when a
fresh supply appeared, he performed the like feat a second time,
although part of the first seizure was unconsumed. Few of the party
drank wine during dinner, and very little of the brandy which stood on
the table, for the use of the company, was used. At tea, a gentleman
removed from table in four minutes, but the party generally sat as long
as at dinner.
Albany is the capital of the state of New York, containing about twenty
thousand inhabitants, and has lately been made a port of entry. From
being situated near the outlet of the Erie Canal, which is the channel
of commerce with the country to the west and north, and on the line of
railway now in progress, which will soon connect Boston with Lake Erie,
it is almost certain to rise into importance. It is at present a place
of considerable trade, being the seventh or eighth in the union.
Betwixt dinner and tea I took an opportunity of delivering a letter of
introduction to a gentleman residing a little to the north of Albany,
availing myself of a railway coach proceeding to Schenectady. I chose
part of an outside place behind, sufficient to accommodate five
individuals of ordinary size, and which was occupied by two beings,
half-men, half-boys, sitting cross-legged, and who, by their position
and expression of countenance, seemed resolved not to admit a third
person. After waiting for some time without speaking a word, I made
preparations for taking a place between them; and at last their legs
were only withdrawn to escape the weight of my body. I notice this
circumstance, trivial in itself, as being the only instance where
rudeness, or want of an accommodating spirit was manifested by
travellers in the course of my American tour. The gentleman I called on
being from home, I returned by the fields to Albany. On my way I saw a
grey coloured fox, which appeared larger, and not so active as the red
fox of Britain. I observed several women engaged in the fields in
weeding, cutting, and planting potatoes, and none of them seemed in
poverty, or tinged with black blood. Mr Stuart, in his “Three Years’
Residence in America,” says, women are not allowed to work in the
fields, without saying whether the prohibition arises from custom or by
law. Women are actively employed in different occupations when their
services are wanted, which does not, however, often occur.