After spending a few days viewing the country in this vicinity, I
again crossed the river at Hennipen, and passed on to the stage road.
The next day, I took the stage, and went to Peoria, the county seat
of Peoria county, which stands on the site of fort Clark. This is
quite a village. It is regularly laid out on a beautiful prairie, on
the western bank of the Illinois river; has a brick court house, two
taverns, a dozen stores, and about twenty dwelling houses, some of them
quite elegant. It is eighty miles from Ottawa, one hundred and sixty
from Chicago, one hundred and fifty from Galena, one hundred and fifty
by land and two hundred by water from St. Louis.
The river here swells out to more than a mile in width, and the
opposite shore is low, marshy land. Peoria seems to be subject to
bilious fevers and the fever and ague; but I could perceive no cause
for its being unhealthy, unless it was the river and marshy land on the
other side. The water is brought to the village in an aqueduct, from
a high bluff, half a mile back of it, and appeared to be excellent.
A number of deaths had occurred, previous to my arrival; and I saw a
number of pale-faced invalids.
In coming to this place, I passed over a fine country, much more
settled, with larger fields and more extensive improvements than I
found in the upper part of the State; but still it was diversified with
rolling prairies and groves of timber. While the mail was changing at
one of the post offices, I passed on and came to a log school house,
where all the scholars studied aloud. This was quite a novelty to me.
More discordant sounds never grated on the ear; and if the master had
a musical one, he must have been severely punished. I asked him, if
his scholars commonly studied in that manner; and he said they did,
although he thought they now hollowed a little louder than usual. This
inconvenient practice of some of our ancient schools, I supposed had
been entirely done away; but on enquiry, I was informed it still held
its sway to some extent in many of the western States.
Stages run from Peoria (through Springfield), to St. Louis, to Galena,
and to Chicago. There is a rope ferry just below the village, where
the river is narrow. It is a place of a good deal of business, quite
a thoroughfare for travellers; and it is supposed by some that it will
shortly become the seat of the State government. I spent three days
here, then took passage on board a steamboat for St. Louis.
I have often remarked, that the amount taxed by taverners, is,
generally, in an inverse proportion to their accommodations; that is,
the less they furnish their guests, the more they charge. In my present
trip, I have more than once been reminded of an anecdote related to me
some time ago, of a tavern keeper at the south. A gentleman with his
family, travelling in the westerly part of Virginia, was obliged one
night to put up at one of the small country taverns, more suited to
the accommodation of the teamster who sleeps in his wagon, than to the
entertainment of gentlemen and ladies. They were furnished with the
best the house afforded, but it was mean in kind and badly prepared.
Some of them were obliged to sleep on the floor, and those that were
accommodated with beds, were exceedingly annoyed by the insects they
contained. The gentleman arose early, ordered his carriage and asked
the landlord the amount of his bill. He told him, _thirty dollars_!
The gentleman stared; but at length asked him, what he had had to the
amount of thirty dollars, or even five dollars. The landlord very
politely assured him that his was a reasonable charge, for says he, I
hire this establishment at the annual rent of thirty dollars, and this
I must charge to my customers; the year is almost out, and you are the
only available guest I have had; therefore I have charged the whole
amount to you. The gentleman laughed heartily; and considering it too
good a joke to be spoiled by any fault on his part, very pleasantly
handed him over the thirty dollars. He that travels much in the world,
may have occasion to fear the _rent day_ is near at hand. This frank
explanation of the Virginia landlord has furnished an easy solution
to _some_ tavern bills I have paid, that otherwise would have been
entirely inexplicable; and perhaps it may be equally useful to other
travellers.
The Illinois river is a wide, sluggish stream; clear water, but
generally, hardly any perceivable current. It is a very shoal river,
having many sand bars.--Our boat did not draw more than two feet
of water, yet was continually running aground. I should think the
lead was thrown a quarter part of the time; and it used to amuse me,
sometimes, to hear the leadsman sing out "_two feet and a half_"--"_two
feet large_"--"_two feet_"--"_two feet scant_,"--and then aground;
and perhaps it would be half a day before we could get afloat again.
We were seven days going to St. Louis--rather slow travelling, and
somewhat vexatious; we thought, however, we might as well be merry as
sad, so we made the best of it. The captain had as much reason as any
of us to complain; for we took a cabin passage, and he had to board
us, however long the passage might be. All along down, the country is
rather low, except some bluffs on the river--and where we found a
bluff on one side, there would be either a low marsh or a lake on the
other. Probably, there are twenty lakes below Peoria, on one side or
the other of the river. They were all long and narrow, and often had
an outlet into the river. They appeared more like former beds of the
stream, than any thing else.
Pekin is twenty miles below Peoria, on a high bluff, the east side of
the river, having two taverns, thirty houses, and a large steam flour
mill. Sixty miles below this, on the same side of the river, is a large
village called Beardstown. Here are large flour mills, saw mill, &c.
all carried by steam.--Twenty miles below this, is a small village
called Naples.
As we approached the Mississippi, we saw a good many stately bluffs
on the right hand bank, composed of limestone, and rising almost
perpendicular, from two to three hundred feet high. Some of them are
really grand and beautiful.
At length, with no small degree of pleasure, we came in full view of
the majestic Mississippi river. The moment our boat entered the stream,
it felt its power, and started off with new life and vigor. It seemed
something like travelling, after leaving the sand bars and sluggish
current of the Illinois, to be hurried down the Mississippi at the rate
of eight or ten miles an hour.
We soon reached Upper Alton, a large flourishing village of recent
origin. Here, are large steam flour mills, and large warehouses; and
in the centre of business is located the State Prison! There is no
accounting for taste; but it appeared to me rather singular, to see a
prison of convicts brought forward into the centre of a village to be
exhibited as its most prominent feature. The reason may have been, to
keep it constantly in _view_ as a "terror to evil doers." This is the
last town we stopped at in Illinois--and on taking leave of the State,
I may be allowed to add a few words respecting it.