!III,, 
THE CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON (AS ENLARGED).
S/ * 
AMERICA,
AND
AMERICAN METHODISM.
BY THE
REV. FREDERICK J. JOBSON.
WITH
PREFATORY LETTERS
THE REV. THOMAS B. SARGENT, D.D., OF BALTIMORE,
AND
THE REV. JOHN HANNAH, D.D.,
REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE BRITISH CONFERENCE IN THE YEARS 1824 AND 1856.
lIutrattl from  Origir!a ~ketirFt ha   the  ~tar.
NEW YORK:
VIRTUE, EMMINS, & CO., 26, JOHN STREET.
1857.
7~
II
BY 
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LONDON:
JAMES S. VIRTUE, PRINTER, CITY ROAD.
I 
TO MY WIFE,
MRS. ELIZABETH JOBSON,
Etf5t 2(ttttrs,
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN TO HER FROM AMERICA,
AND NOW PUBLISHED IN ENGLAND,
ARE HEREBY
D E D I C A T E D
BY
HER DEVOTED HUSBAND.
EASTBROOK, BRADFORD, YORKSHIRE,
July 1, 1857.
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PRE F ACE.
I WAS unexpectedly appointed, by the Wesleyan Conference assembled at Leeds, in August, 1855, to accompany the Rev. John Hannah, D.D., to the General
Conference  of the Methodist  Episcopal Church  of
America, which was to open its sessions at Indianapolis, in the valley of the Mississippi, on the 1st of
Mlay, 1856.   On receiving this appointment,  I arranged for my wife's willing participation in our
voyage. But this agreeable arrangement had to be
given up before the time for my departure arrived.
On account of the severe affliction of her aged mother,
I had to leave MLrs. Jobson in England.   So for my
own relief, as well as for the sake of my wife, I wrote
home, from different points of our long travel, as frequently and as fully as circumstances would allow.
The following Letters, in substance and in most of
their particulars, were thus written home; and, at
the time, without the purpose of publication. I publish them now, not only because friends of sound judgment and experience advise it, but for reasons which
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PREFACE.
seem to me to render their publication, in a great
degree, a necessity and a duty.
From the numerous inquiries made of me since
my return, and urgent requests to speak and lecture
on America, I should, if I were to answer all the
inquiries, and yield to all the requests, be in danger
of neglecting my ministerial charge. To end this
difficulty, and because an account seems due to the
ministers and churches in whose name I went, I
respectfully present the account in this form.
The false views which are entertained by many in
England, through the reading of books containing
caricatures rather than true portraits of America, also
determine me to publish these Letters. I humbly
hope they may tend to correct such views, at least,
in the minds of some.
Though written in connection with a particular
object, - the interchange of Christian and friendly
salutations by kindred churches,-still the following
sketches, I trust, will prove of some interest to general readers, as well as to English and American Methodists. They present, at least, frank outlines of the
people and their manners, of the cities, scenery, and
resources of America, as well as of its Methodism.
I have striven to place the truth before readers, and
if I fail it is not for want of purity of intent.
I must, of course, anticipate one objection to these
sketches, - that they are the production of a mere
visitor to a great country, and not of one long resident
viii
IIF I 
PREFACE.
in it, and therefore not likely to have sound impressions of it. But I reply that the true characteristics of
a people and of a country are often best seen by fresh
eyes, and that they often lose force by long familiarity,
so as to render failings undistinguishable from weak
excellences. The best impressions from an engraved
plate are those taken while it is new, and while the
lines are fresh and clear. So it is with impressions
from the mind, especially when they have been placed
on paper amid the scenes and objects described. The
poet Gray-no dull observer himself-has said that a
word written on the spot is worth a cart-load of recollections. The saying encourages me to hope for a
cordial acceptance of these sketches with the general
reader, as well as with my Methodist brethren. And
I congratulate myself that I have so far succeeded
as to satisfy the mind of the Rev. Dr. Hannah,  with
its delicate appreciations.   He having been present
with me in the scenes described, has at my request
read the Letters, that, if necessary, he might correct
me in any erroneous view I might have taken. The
following is his letter upon what I have written.
F. J. J.
I
il
ix 
DIDSBURY, MANCHESTER,
,poril 20th, 1857.
AIY DEAR MR. JOBSON,-I have read your Letters on
"America, and American Methodism" with great satisfaction, and beg to express my personal thanks to you
for the care and pains which you have taken in the
preparation of them.  They vividly recall to mind the
scenes and events through which we passed in our late
happy companionship, and which were of too extraordinary a character ever to be forgotten.   To the
fidelity of your descriptions, as well as to their beauty
and force, I give my willing testimony. You will also
permit me to mention the peculiar gratification which
you have afforded to me in what you relate of the
Methodist Episcopal Church generally, of the ever dear
and honoured ministers and friends with whom we
enjoyed so pleasing a fellowship, and of the virtues and
lives of exemplary saints departed. I follow you with
affectionate sympathy in the details which you supply
of the enthralled negro race, and of the Indian tribes,
now, alas! so visibly fading away.  The composition of
your Letters, with their genial tone and spirit, will, I
doubt not, commend them to your readers of every class.
Anrd I trust that the effect of the whole will prove to be
auxiliary to that closer fraternal union between the two
large families of Methodism, which it was the object of
our mission to promote; while it will not be unfriendly
to a freer interchange of kindly sentiments and feelings
between the two chief communities of the Anglo-Saxon
race.  Believe me to be, my dear Mr. Jobson,
Yours ever, most truly,
Jon  HlANNAH.
To the Rev. Frederick J. Jobson. 
CONTENTS.
LETTER I.
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
PACE
Departure from Liverpool-Passage down the Mersey and into the
Irish Sea-Early Anxiety and Discomfort  of Voyagers-First
Dinner "on Board"-The "Africa" Steamship and its Accommno  dations-Sketch of Character among Passengers-The Atlantic  Perilous Storm-Awful Night Scene-Claims of Seamen for Re membrance-Sabbath Service-The Gulf Stream-Dangerous Fog  Sudden transition into Smooth Water-New York Bay...
LETTER II.
NEW YORK.
Fair way of judging of an American City and of American Manners  General Sketch of New York-Broadway-Monster  Hotels-Ame rican Ladies —Mixed Poptulation-Tone  of Equality —Unforeigu
feeling of an Englishman when he lands in America-Evening Party
-Newspapers, Arts, Institutions, Churches, &c., iln New York  Methodism-Novel Pulpit-Sabbath Services-Rise of Methodism
in New York................. I
LETTER III.
PHILA)ELPHIA.
Mingled Annoyances and Pleasures of Railway Travelling in America  Route through New Jersey-Arrival at Phiiladelphia-Scene among
the Negro Coachmen-Provoking Indifference of American Hotel  keepers-Hotel Life in America-Exposure of the Young to Injurious
Influences-Order and Repose of the Quaker City —Appearance of
the Streets and Public Buildings-Methodismn in Philadelphia-The
Hall of Independence-Franklin's Tomb.........              40
I 
CONTENTS.
LETTER IV.
WASHINGTON.
PAGE
Railway Journey over Slave Territory-Arrival at Washingtou-Un  filled-up Plan of the City-Population and Vice-Manners of the
"Representatives "-Gaiety of Dress-Dandy Negroes-The Negro
Bazaar-The Capitol-Houses of Congress-Scene in the House of
Representatives-Contrast to the British House of Commons  Political Parties in the United States-President's House-Congress
Chaplains-Terrific Thunderstorm-Plainness of the American Chief
Magistrate.................... 58
LETTER V.
]3ALTIMORE.
Origin of the City-General Description of it-American Aristocracy  Coloured Population-Evils of Slavery-The "Liberia" Project  "Washington Monument "-" Battle Monument "-" Green Mount
Cemetery "-Methodist Cemetery, or, "the Mount of Olives "-Im portance of Methodism in Baltimore-Relics of Early Methodism -
Record of Early Labourers-Coloured Churches of Methodists Preaching and Memorable Scene of Excitement at the African Me thodist Church in Sharpe Street-Scriptural Hopes for the Eman cipation of the Enslaved Race............            75
LETTER VI.
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
Railway from Baltimore to Cumberland-Company of Methodist Min  isters-The River Potomac-Town of Cumberland-Hotel Customs,
and Iced Water-Striking View from the Hill above Cumberland  Railway over the Alleghanies-Character of the Scenery-Town of
Wheeling-Policy which dictated the Formation of the great Rail  way to the West-Names of American Towns-Free State of Ohio
-The located Minister-Horrors of Slavery-The Ohio River  Kentucky left behind-Arrival at Cincinnati........  92
LETTER VII.
INDIANAPOLIS.
State of Indiana: its Rapid Growth-The City of Indianapolis-His
Excellency the Governor and his House-Methodism in the State
and in the City-Public Religious Services-American Preaching  A  Bishop's Sermon-The  Sabbath School-A Love-feast-Ame  rican Fires-Political Life-A Stump Orator-The Ballot-box-An
Inner Circle in American Society-Southern Visitors-Glimpses of
Slave-life-An Irishman's Bull-Ministerial Intercourse-Sad News
from England.......................... 108
xii 
CONTENTS.
LETTER VIII.
'eGR-Sg OF METHODISM IN AMERICA FROM 1773 TO 1792.
PAGE
Early Labourers: Embury, Webb, Boardman, Pilmoor, Asbury, Straw  bridge, and Williams-Spiritual Lifelessness of other Churches;
and their Quickening, by the Introduction of Methodism-Laudable
Example of the Rev. Mr. Jarratt, a Clergyman of the Established
Church-Mr. Rankin sent by Mr. Wesley-Question of the Sacra  mental Ordinances-Disturbing Effect of the Revolution on Me thodism-Sufferings of the Preachers-Settlement of the Country,
and Re-organisation of Methodism-Labours of Bishop Asbury,
Garrettson, and Jesse Lee-First General Conference, and Revision
of the Constitution of American Methodism........... 126
LETTER IX.
PROGRESS OF METHODISMI IN AMERICA ]FROM 1792 TO THE
PRESENT TIME.
Continued Persecution, Privation, and Difficulty of the Preachers and
Missionaries-Forest Preaching-Remarkable  Outpourings of the
Holy Spirit, and Striking Conversions-Camp-meetings-Great Mul  titudes assembled, and Extraordinary Good effected-Revival at
Baltimore-Extension of Methodism to Canada-Union of Canadian
and British Methodism-Present Prosperity of Canadian Methodism
-Energy of Methodism in the United States-Its Vast Undertak..
ings-Not Free from Division and Disturbance-Slavery-Separation
of North from Soutth-Charges against F. A. Harding and Bishop
Andrew-Resolutions of Northern Methodism  against Slavery  Fraternal Communication of British Methodism with Anti-Slavery
Methodism in America......................143
LETTER X.
METHODIST LABOUlRERS IN AMERICA.
Francis Asbury-Dr. Coke-Asbury's Peculiar Adaptations for Ame  rica-His Capacity for Labour-His Tirelessness in Travelling-His
Abnegation of Self-His Primitive Manners-His Economy and
Charity-Anecdote of the sceptical Doctor-Last Days of Asbury
-His last Sermon and triumphant Death —His Convert, Punch,
the Negro-Punch becomes a Preacher-Conversion of the perse  cuting Overseer-Punch's Old Age-His Prayer answered-His
happy Death..................                156
xiii 
CONTENTS.
LETTER XI.
METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
PAG E
Bishop M'Kendree-Clearness of his Conversion-Doubts his Call to
the Ministry-His Prejudices against Bishop Asbutry dispelled, and
his entire devotedness to Methodism-His Labours in the West,
and his personal Holiness and Succes.-Elected Bishop-Compa  nionship  with Asbury-Pleasing Camp-meeting  Scene-M'Ken  dree's Farewell to his Brethren-His last Days and happy Departure
-Bishop George -Habits  of Prayer-Powers as a Preacher
Kindliness of Spirit- Anecdote of the Young Preacher and the
Bishop-Freeborn Garrettson-His happy Face and happy Charac ter-Remarkable Conversion-Sets Free his Negroes-His Ministry
-Suffering  for Christ-Pleasant old Age-Rapturous  Death Jesse Lee-Bishop Roberts-Bishop Hedding-Bishop Emory John Easter-Dr. Stephen Olin, &c...........172
LETTER XII.
THIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Appearance of the Assembly-The Bishops-The Delegates from the
Far West-Patriarchal Labourers-Their Jealousy of Declension  Style of their Oratory-Dr. Jacob Young —Dr. Peter Cartwright, or
"Uncle Peter"-His Preaching-Strange Anecdote-" Father Fin ley"-His  Indian  Labours-Squire  "Grey  Eyes," the  Indian
Preacher-Affecting Scene in the Conference-Order and Courtesy
of the Conference-Its Reception of Foreign Representatives... 202
LETTER XIII.
THE GENERAL CONFERLENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Election of officers-Calling the Roll of Delegates-Appointment of
Committees-Opening Address of the Bishops-Statistics of Ame  rican Methodism-Education and  Literature-Coloured  People's
Co)llege-Periodicals-Missions to the Far West-To the Indians
-To Settlers from Germany, the North of Europe, &c.-To Liberia,
to Sweden, Norway, &c. &c.-Status of Methodism in America  The new Proposition respecting Slave-holding Members-Judgment
of the Bishops thereon..................220
LETTER XIV,
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Conference Business-Nature of Committees and their Mode of Proce  dure-Chief Subjects of Interest in the Proceedings of Conference  New Metropolitan Church for New York-The Bible Cause-Cause
of Religious Education-Appeals front Censured and Expelled Minis ters —Extension of Time for a Minister's Stay in a Circuit-Dis  cuission respecting the Office of "Presiding Elder"-Grand Debate
respecting Slavery.......................................... 236
xiv 
CONTENTS.
LETTER XV.
SLAVERY IN  AMERICA.
PAGE
Modified Character of Slavery in Towns-Enormity of its Evils in the
South, and on the Plantations-Its Corrupting Influences both on
the Families of Slaveholders and on the  Slaves-Sophism,  that
Slaves are " Happy and Contented," exposed, and also the assertion
that their Condition is Analogous to that of the English Operative  Nationally Disorganising tendencies of Slavery —Hopes for its Exter  mination from existing Agencies: and Confidence that it will be
brought to an End, founded on the Divine Character.....  252
LETTER XVI.
TIlE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
Peculiar Look of the Race-Mongolian Descent-Noble Original Qua  lities-Hospitality and Bravery-Degraded State of Woman —Ra  pidly decreasing number of Red Men-Christian Labourers among
them-John Stewart, the Negro-Father Finley-indian Converts
and Preachers-Remarkable Occurrence among the "Flat Head"
Indians-Banishment of the Red Race to the Far West-Melan  choly Prospect of their Extinction...........   271
LETTER XVII.
THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
Our "Farewell" to the Conference, and Departure from Indianapolis  Railway to St. Louis-Forests and Prairies- Gigantic Scale of Ame rican Scenery-Rapid Glance at St. Louis-Embarkment on the
Mississippi-Confluence with the Missouri-River Scenery-Magnifi  cent Night Scene-Importance of the "Valley of the Mississippi "  River Steamer and Company-" Snags" and "Sawyers "-Squatting
Wood-Cutters-The Mississippi by Night-Landing at Quincy.. 287
LETTER XVIII.
PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, AND THE GREAT LAKES.
Departure from Quincy-TiThe Prairie-Prairie Fires-Richness of
Prairie Soil-Destruction of Cattle on American Railways-" Off
the Line"-General Tom  Thumb-Neighbourhood of  Nauvoo  Thoughts on Mormonism-Its  Future in the States-Chicago  Amazing Rapidity of its Growth-Meeting with Friends-Drive
round the City-Magical haste with which People get Rich in Chi  cago-Famnily Party-The Lady's Qitestion-Departure from Chi  cago-Arrival at Detroit-Sabbath spent there-Account of Churches
and Services-Voyage to Buffalo —The Great Lakes of America  Sketch of B'iffalo City-Arrival at Niagara........ 305
xv 
CONTENTS.
LETTER XIX.
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
PAGO
Source of the Falls from the Great Lakes-The River of Niagara  The Whirlpool-The Rapids-Goat Island-The American Fall  Luna Island-The Middle Fall-The Canada, or, "Horse-shoe"
Fall-Retrogression of the Falls according to Geologists-View of
the Falls from the Hotel Balcony-View of the River Bank-From
"Prospect Place "-From the Bridge over the Rapids-Landing on
Goat Island- " Prospect Tower "-The "Cave of Winds "-The
Falls by Moonlight-Legends and Tales of Horror respecting the
Falls..........................327
LETTER XX.
CANADA. —WESLEYAN CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
Railway from the Falls along the Line of the Niagara River-Lake On  tario-Arrival at Toronto-Methodist Friends-Sabbath Services at
Toronto-Sketch of Toronto-Great Normal Schools-Dr. Ryerson
-Illness of Peter Jones, or " Kahkewaquonaby," the Methodist Indian
Chief-Canadian Parliament-Mackenzie, and Scene in the House of
Representatives-Loyal Attachment of Canada to England-Lake
Ontario, the "Thousand Islands," and the St. Lawrence-Arrival at
Brockville-Proceedings of the Conference-Railways in Canada  Resources and Prosperity of the Country-Arrival at Montreal.. 349
LETTER XXI.
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
Departure from Montreal-Railway-ticket Sharpers-Beauty of Lalike
Champlain-Town of Burlington-Brief Separation from Dr. Hlannah
-State of MassachiLsets-Its English Features-Glance at its
History-Boston-Sketch of the City-Wooden  Bridges-State
House-Chantrey's Statue of Washington-Faneuil Hall-Ancient
"Timber Houses "-Public Buildings and Monuments-Ascendancy
of Unitarianism-Theodore Parker-Departure from Boston-The
Infidel in the Railway Car-Striking Scenery-Albany-Description
of the City-Churches and Sects-The Shakers-Sabbath in Albany 365
LETTER XXII.
HUDSON RIVE[R, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.
Scenery of the Hudson-The "Crow's Nest"-Tappan's Bay-The
"Palisades"-Hills of Hoboken-Return to New York-Visit to
Brooklyn-Dr. Hannah's Sermon, and Farewell of Methodist Friends
in New York-Re-embarkment on board the Africa-Voyage Home  wards-Passengers-Sabbath Services on board-Siiiging-Land in
Sight-Summary of Thoughts on America.........       382
APPENDIX.  Report on Slavery.............              3.96
xvi 
A M E R I CA,
AND
AMERICAN METHODISM.
LETTER. I.
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
Departure from Liverpool-Passage down the Mersey and into the Irish
Sea-Early Anxiety and Discomfort of Voyagers-First Dinner "ol
Board"-The "Africa" Steamship and its Accommodations-Sketch of
Character among Passengers-The  Atlantic-Perilous Storm-Awful
Nig,ht Scene-Claims of Seamen for Remembrance-Sabbath Service The Gulf Stream-Dangerous Fog-Sudden transition into Smooth Water
-New York Bay.
ATLANTIC OCEAN.
The " Aft}ica" steamship,
-pri 17-19, 1856.
BY the good providence of Godcl we are now approaching the American shores. The sea is smoother than it
was during the former part of our passage; and, as I
have now more leisure than I shall be likely to find
immediately after landing, I write for you, on board,
a letter on our voyage across the Atlantic.
On separating from you and the many kind friends
who accompanied us to the steamship, on the morning
of April 5th, I felt, for a time, a sense of desolation
such as I never experienced before. I had heart-yearnings towards home and Old England that cannot be
described. Yet I remembered, as the anchor was raised,
B
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VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
and the paddle-wheels began to move, that some of the
emigrants on deck, and some of their friends on shore,
must be experiencing deeper pangs of separation; such
as the Prophet of Sorrows may be said to describe, when
he says-" Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan
him; but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he
shall return no more, nor see his native country." I
lingered long against the back rail of the vessel, looking
upon you and our friends, until all dwindled to mere
specks; and at length Liverpool itself faded from my
view. Dr. Hannah, with his own considerate and
fatherly kindness, took my arm, drew me towards him
for a walk on deck, and spoke most encouragingly of
the presence of God, both with us and with those we
had left on land. This turned my mind to the unfailing
Source of strength and consolation; and with prayers
to heaven for you, and for my people in Bradford, my
heart gradually disburdened itself, so that I could enter
into conversation on what was before us in our voyage
and mission.   Our  passage down  the  Mersey  was
favourable; the sun shone brightly upon us; a sharp,
brisk breeze filled our sails; and, borne onwards both by
wind and steam, we speedily cut our way out of the
river's mouth, and stood out to sea.
For a time the water was comparatively smooth, and
most of the passengers were seen walking to and fro
upon the deck; but as we increased our distance from
land the water became more and more broken, and the
walking of passengers sensibly diminished. Anrid now,
at intervals, the ship began to lurch, so as to make this
diminished number halt in their movements, and stagger
in all directions before they could regain their balance.
Earnest questions were proposed by many to the captain
2 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
and other officers concerning the prospects of the
weather and the voyage;  and as eager were the in
quiries made by the passengers among themselves, as
to their being "good sailors." The captain and his
men showed the most considerate patience in answering
the same questions again and again. Some of the passengers shook their heads in doubt of what would be
their fate as to sea-sickness; but others expressed them,
selves more confidently, and told how often they had
been to sea without suffering any discomfort whatever.
Soon, however, several of these more confident sailors
began to lose the colour from their cheeks and lips,
and an ashy paleness spread itself over their faces;
while cushioned seats, carpet-stools, caps, and cloaks
came into great request.   With the more bilious of
our fellow-passelgers, sea-sickness had already commenced; and some of them, hastening to their berths
below  disappeared altogether from our view.   The
weather gave signs of change, hazy clouds spread overhead; Snowdon and the Welsh mountains on our left
were still bathed in sunshine, but the great Lancashire
sand-bank on our right grew dark and grim, while the
sea lost its translucent green, and partook largely of the
grey, leaden aspect of the sky.
At four o'clock the dinner-bell rang, when as many
of us as were able crowded into the large, sumptuous
saloon; and we arranged ourselves at the two long
tables.  The provisions were good and most abundant.
The company seemed eager for their first meal on
board; and many were the observations we overheard
as to what was safest and best to be eaten and drunk at
sea. Soon, however, our number at the tables was
thinned. As the smoking viands were brought in by
3
II 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
the steward and his assistants, and placed before the
guests, one after another of them suddenly clutched his
hat, and unceremoniously hurried away into the open
air. Strong, sturdy-looking men, who had evidently
braved many a danger on land, grew deathly pale at
the sight of a boiled fish, or a pair of headless fowls;
and even stern, moustachioed soldiers fled at the sight
of the boiled leg of a dead sheep. To me, who have
happily been entirely free from sea-sickness all the way,
it has been somewhat curious to observe how several of
those who sat down with us at that first day's meal,
and seemed so earnest in claiming their place at table,
have ever since most scrupulously shunned the saloon
at dinner-hour-fleeing from it before the very first
note of the bell was heard. Some who were with us on
the deck, and in high spirits when we started, have
confined themselves to their berths, from their sudden
disappearance on that first day of our voyage until the
present, when we are getting into smooth water again.
So that, if one had not seen them at the beginning, it
would now be natural to suppose that, in the last night,
we had made an unknown call on our way, and had
received on board a large increase of company. But
no; from the first sharp turn of our paddle-wheels in
the river ]Iersey, at twelve o'clock at noon on Saturday,
the 5th of April, the ponderous engine has never ceased
its regular and powerful movement; and crowded as
the decks are now, we have not one more person on
board than we had at our departure.  Happily, I can
add, that we have not one less: of the 300 souls or
more that left Liverpool with us, all are still living,
by the gracious providence of Almighty God.
It is to be remarked, that the greater number of
4
I 
VOYAGE OVER TIIE ATLANTIC.
sufferers from sea-sickness, in a voyage like this from
England, are foreigners.   One reason for this is no
doubt to be found in the greasy vegetable mixtures
they take at their meals, in the place of more sulbstantial food. And of all pitiable objects to be seen anywhere, most assuredly there is not one more so than
a sea-sick foreigner, huddled up in cap and cloak by the
ship's funnel, and expressing his bitter inward nausea
by significant shrugs and grimaces.
Indeed, notwithstanding all the fine things that have
been written and sung of the sea, I am satisfied, from
what I have seen and learned in this voyage, that it is
not a cradle for physical ease and enjoyment. It is
well for the interests of merchants and travellers that
some men choose to spend their lives chiefly upon it.
It must be the native love of enterprize, and, in some
degree, delight in daring dangers, which impel seamen
to their occupation. It cannot be the love of gain,
for they are proverbially reckless of money generally.
I suspect, however, that even seamen look to the
land for their highest gratification.   Men  usually
think of heaven under the imagery of what is most
joyous to them on earth; but I question whether
any sailor ever imagined his heavenly Paradise to be
at sea.   But whatever the sea may be to seamen,
undoubtedly it is the scene of concentrated incon veniences to landsmen; and is not to be resorted to
by them for recreation and pleasure. Confined within
the narrow range of the ship's decks by day, shut up in
a closet-dungeon (miscalled a "state-cabin") by night,
and where he has to squeeze himself within a straitened
coffln-like berth, and to try to sleep in an unventilated
atmosphere, while the heavy billows are thumping
i
I
5 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
under him, and heavy sleepers are snoring around him,the sea certainly is not the realisation of rest and freedom, even for the best accommodated landsman voyager.
All that could possibly be done for the relief and
accommodation of passengers on board the Africa has
really been done for them.   Our ship is large and
good; she is well-shaped, tightly-built, and clean
throughout. Our day-saloon is more than comfortableit is really superb in its furniture and fittings. Our
captain, whose name is "Shannon," is an able, watchful
seaman; and all the officers and sailors are orderly and
obliging in the performance of their respective duties.
The passengers, too, have been sociable and wellbehaved. There is among them great diversity both
of look and language.  We  have on board natives of
nearly all parts of Europe, as well as persons from difl
ferent parts of America. And yet we have had no
disturbance or contention, but have every day assembled and sat together in the saloon as if we were in a
peace-congress of nations. The only exception to this
amicable association has been a renegade Englishman,
who, with assumed swagger, tried to pass himself off
for a native and enthusiastic American; but this only
afforded amusement, and produced no angry feeling.
He has boastfully obtruded his opinions on the great
superiority of America over all other countries before
the company, until they instinctively combined to
retort upon him, and to put him down; but he
proved to be a dextrous antagonist, and able to make
his way, in one manner or another, out from the most
closely encircling difficulties.  For instance, a patriotic
Canadian, contending for the superiority of the Engglish over the Americans, observed, "The English live
6 
VOYAGE OVER TIIE ATLANTIC.
longer."  "True," said the other, "but that does not
prove superiority; for the real reason for the shorter
life of the Americans is, that having seen and done in
the world all that can be seen and done in it sooner,
they die and leave it sooner, having the sooner fulfilled
their mission in it."   This seemed  to be the very
climax of repartee on such a subject, and for a time
the wordy strife was ended.
There are several passengers of sufficient mark on
board to render them memorable with me in after-life.
There is a dark, soft, luscious-eyed Spaniard who is
going out as consul to the States, and who has complained loudly of the fortnight's misery of sea-sickness
which he has experienced; there is a large, woollyheaded gentleman who has talked almost incessantly
of what he has seen and learned of the relations of
England and America; there is a medical officer re tired from the service of the East India Company, and
who, with his two military-looking sons, is proceeding
to his estate in Canada; there is a mild, placid gentle man who, with his early-fading wife, is returning from
a year's tour on the continent of Europe and in Egypt;
there are Sir. Virtue, the enterprising publisher, andcl
his intelligent and agreeable lady, who are crossing the
Atlantic for a three months' tour in the western world;
there are MAessrs. Betts and Brassey, the great railway
contractors, going out to superintend the completion of
the trunk-line in Canada; there is a tall, upright
Quaker who, in company with his two sons, is on his
way to attend a convention of Friends about to be held
in Philadelphia; there are dark, sallow-faced Spa  niards, with ample finger-rings and abundance of gold
and jewelry, returning to Cuba;-these, and others of
7 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
mark and interest, have walked, conversed, and lounged
together by day, andcl in the evening have grouped
themselves together at the tables according to their
respective tastes and amusements. But with all their
great variety of character and pursuit, I have not
heard or seen anything in their conduct censurable on
the ground of morality; I have not witnessed any
excessive drinking of wine or spirituous liquors; I
have not heard a profane word spoken; and, with the
one ludicrous exception named, there has been an
evident endeavour to be mutually agreeable.
But the SEA-" the many-sounding sea," as Homer
long since called it-has been the chief subject of my
observation and thought since I began this voyage;
and it has alternately filled me with awe, with wonder,
and with delight. At the present it is calm and placid
-the undisturbed image of tranquillity and peace; at
other times it has been broken all around into heaving, tossing billows-the emblems of disquietude; and
anon I have seen it rise up in its stormy fury, and
heave its mountain masses into the air and against the
ship-as the dread sign of unappeasable and overwhelming wrath. In one part of our voyage it would
be light green in colour, in another slate grey, in another deep indigo, and in another, when under heavy
louring clouds, it would be a raven black. But, under
every variety of aspect, and at all times, the sea has in
it a living, undecaying freshness that cannot be seen
elsewhere. It bears no signs of age or decline: unlike the mountains, rocks, and valleys of earth, it is
unworn, while in its ceaseless motion it is a true
emblem of life and immortality.
8
II
i 
VOYAGE OVER TIIE ATLANTIC.
Its vast extent of surface, its depth, and immediate
connection with three of the larger sections of the
earth, all combine to render the Atlantic Ocean an
incentive to large and stirring thoughts. It stretches
from pole to pole, is from 2000 to 5000 miles wide,
and covers an area of some 25,000,000 of square
miles. It is the great highway of the civilised world;
the ordained course of missionaries and evangelists
for the ends of the earth'; and the main outlet for
intelligence, freedom, and philanthropy. It is, indeed,
a divinely-honoured sea; and is not to be crossed or
contemplated  without  feelings  of reverence.   The
name given to it by sailors, "the Great Pond," is
too familiar, and grates on the sense of a thoughtful
voyager. And oh, if this vast trough of waters could
be suddenly drained, what a scene would be laid bare
to view! what ribs of solid granite, what foundations
of the great deep, what treasures, what ruined spoils of
death and destruction would be discovered! It is estimated that on an average every eleventh seaman
perishes in the water; and that on this stormy Atlantic
there are at least three wrecks per day. What secrets
to be revealed at that great Easter of the universe,
when "the sea shall give up her dead! "
The huge swelling motion of this deep, wide ocean
is also very impressive. The short, chopping waves of
the Channel you and I have crossed together, in our
visits to the European continent, are mere playthings
when compared with the grand, giant-waves of the
Atlantic. Free from interruption by obtruding cliffs
and headlands, it rolls its restrainless masses of water
on all sides round us with unimaginable breadth and
grandceur. Sometimes, under a grey, heavy sky, it has
9 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
a very stern and desolate appearance: it is then a verv
"wilderness of waters,"-a grim,  boundless, watery
desert. Sea, sea, sea, and nothing but sea, appears
everywhere, without any breaking light through the
overhanging clouds to relieve it; and the countless
billows battle violently with each other, and lift up
their foamy crests on high, as if in proud, unchecked
defiance. But as there is interest in the land-desert
when viewed in its immensity, so there is in the boundless desert of the sea. We were several days after we
passed the south-west point of Ireland before we saw any
object upon the water beyond our own vessel: no land,
no ship, no craft of any kind. This engirdling scene
of solitary grandeur produced within us strong emotion.
We have had, too, what I have long desired to witness, a "storm at sea."  It continued through several
days and nights, and was fearfiully sublime. Some of
the passengers and sailors who had crossed the Atlantic
several times before, declared they had not previously
seen anything like it in the strength and violence of its
fury.   The heavens gathered the deepest blackness
around us, until the sullen waters could be heard more
than seen. The wind, for a time, sighed, and moaned,
and howled, and made ghostly terrific noises among the
ropes, and blocks, and chains of the ship's tackling,
and amidst the innumerable caverns of the broken deep.
At length the two elements of wind and water came
into raging contact with each other, and then "the
ground swell of the Atlantic" was awful; it seemed to
roll over the rugged floor of the great ocean like
muffled thunder.   Our ship, which  in the Mersey
seemed so large and stately, was tossed up and down,
and to and fro, like a helpless sea-shell. She seemed
10 
')OYAG-E OVER THE ATLANTIC.
suddenly struck in a hundred places at once, as if with
heavy battering-rams; she literally shivered and trembled in every plank and pin, until it appeared as if she
must instantly break to pieces under us, and leave us
to sink, as mere rain-drops, into the yawning element.
Then, indeed, was the Psalmist's graphic description of
mariners in a storm realisedcl by us; we mounted up to
the heavens, went down again into the depths. Our
huge vessel, with its immortal freight, "reeled to and
fro, and staggered like a drunken man."  But though
shaken by the contending and enraged elements, our
gallant ship breasted every swelling wave that met her,
mounted bravely its mountain height, plunged down
into the deep yawning gulph which followed, and, as if
throbbing at the very heart with exultation in her conscious strength, she heaved up and down her enginebeam, and still bounded forwards in her course. A
steamship is indeed a grand triumph of science, and I
have been thinking of ours as a thing possessing human
emotion; but what a real heart of unappalled courage
there must have been in that immortal Genoese who
crossed this untracked ocean in that frail bark, and led
on his sailors, in spite of their prayers and threats,
until his great thought and confidence were realised!
The storm at night was still more terrible than by
day; I remained on deck, and held by a rail, that I
might view it fully. The sea at times leaped in heavy
surges upon the ship at all sides; then it ran along the
decks furiously, and roared with "the voice of many
waters" as it passed along. The wind screamed and
howled fronm above and all around us like ten thousand
furies.  Black masses of midnight darkness shrouded
us in their pall, while the ship, as a goaded, infuriated
11 
VOYAGE OVER TIIE ATLANTIC.
sea- dragon, rushed madly onwards, and with fierce
bright  lights gleaming at every aperture, seemed inwardly full of fire. In such circumstances it required
no great power of imagination to people the dark world
of horrors around us with evil and tormenting spirits.
If the "prince of the power of the air" had not then
his   triumph, the "storm-king of the Atlantic" was
putting forth his strength.  lIy thoughts went to the
land where, in some lonely cottage, belike the howling
of the midnight wind was shaking the widow's heart
as she lay sleepless on her bed, thinking of her prodigal
son at sea, who
"Though the strained mast should quiver as a reed,
And the rent canvas fluttering strew the gale,
Still must he on."
I also pictured, at that midnight hour, the shipwrecked
mariner clinging to the floating fragments of his ruined
vessel, and thinking, ere he sinks gurgling down into
the deep, of his desired home and dear ones. And
perhaps, thought I, some mother's only son-some
home-bound father or returning husband-is at this
awful moment really in these desolate and hopeless
circumstances, and is sending forth, amidst the fury of
the storm, his dying moan of helplessness.  "If so," I
prayed, "Lord of the earth and sea, hear thou his
solitary cry, and send him help from above."
Indeed, my sympathy with seamen has greatly
strengthened in this voyage. The bold, self-forgetful
conduct of our sailors on board in the time of perilous
storm, and their outspoken frankness on all occasions,
have fully won me to them and to their class.  If I am
spared to return to my ministerial duties, I hope to
lead my congregations to pray for them more fre
12 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
quently, and to remember in public prayers more constantly, "all that do business in great waters."  This
duty to those who are far off upon the sea is, I fear, too
much neglected by those who are upon land.
Dr. Hannah and I were greatly interested in the
Sabbath service we have had on board. It was held in
the large saloon, and was attended by most of the
sailors, who were dressed in their best Sunday blue,
and by nearly all the passengers from both ends of the
vessel. The captain read the Liturgy in his rough,
husky voice, with artless simplicity, and the officers,
the men, and the passengers, responded in a devout
and earnest manner. The "Prayer at Sea" was very
affecting, and seemed to be felt by many. At the conclusion of the "prayers" I expounded the 23rd Psalm
to the attentive congregation: and I was truly thankful to find so mingled a company thus ready to improve
the Lord's-day by acts of public worship. This service
gave me an introduction to almost all the passengers,
and since then I have had no inconsiderable portion of
my time occupied with the imparting of instruction
and comfort to the spiritually ignorant, the sorrowful,
and afflicted.
I have had also many pleasant and profitable hours
in conversation and reading with Dr. Hannah. We
together occupy one cabin, as you know; and this is
favourable to us in our seasons of religious retirement,
as well as in other respects. I find the doctor a most
congenial  and  instructive  companion at all times,
whether in the large saloon, on the open deck, or shut
up within our narrow cabin. In addition to his engaging gentleness and goodness, he has a mind which
is ever awake to the varying aspects of creation; and
13 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
his aptness at appropriate quotation, both from poetry
and prose, is remarkable. It is impossible to be with
him in close intercourse and not to love him.
This voyage has been to me, in the variety of its
scenes and circumstances, anything but monotonous.
The least incident at sea excites interest: a passing sail,
a floating log, a stray bird-whether on the wing, or
resting buoyantly on the water-will assemble all the
passengers on deck and engage them in earnest observation. One day a poor little bird was attracted by
the warmth of our engine chimney, and fell down
within it; and this incident was the subject of conversation with many, and that for days afterwards. This
was pleasing, for tenderness towards such creatures is
surely a proof of kindliness of disposition. The noonday observations by the quadrant, and the admeasurement of our rate of travel by the knotted sounding-line
let out at the ship's stern, have usually gathered many
observers around the officers, and furnished subjects
for conversation. Some of the passengers altered their
watches each  day from starting, at twelve o'clock,
putting them backwards. By this time we are a good
part of five hours behind you in England; and when
we go to rest at night, it is almost time for you to be
getting up in the morning. This circumstance must
be borne in mind, if at any period we would realise in
thought the probable occupations and circumstances of
each other.
When within a few hundred miles of the American
coast, we became suddenly enveloped in a dense fog,
which produced upon us, for the time, the effect of
partial blindness. We could not see even the sides of
our ship; and it seemed almost as if old Chaos were
14 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
returning, and had begun again to brood on the face of
the deep. This thick fog is produced by the cold air of
the frozen regions in the north rushing down towards
the south, and coming into contact with the warm air
and vapour from the "Gulf Stream;" very much after
the manner in which the blinding mist is produced in a
wash-house or scullery, when the hot vapour and cold
air come into contact with each other.   The Gulf
Stream is, in fact, a river of warm water, 300 miles
broad, flowing from the Gulf of 1\exico in a swift
current, past the banks of Newfoundland (where it
produces fogs which last for weeks together), and then
across the Atlantic to Europe.  It does not mix with
the cold water in its passage, but runs side by side with
it on either hand, dividing the sea and its inhabitants.
The northern whales never pass through it to the south,
and the sperm whales never cross it for the Arctic
regions.  It is this Gulf Stream which brings so much
damp and vapour to England, and which gives to it, to
the island of Madeira, and to Western Europe, their
mild, moist, genial atmospheres. Liverpool, the port
from which we sailed, and which is always open, is
farther north than the harbour of St. John's, in New..
foundland, which is mostly closed with ice in the month
of June; and it is this hot Gulf Stream, from America
across the wide Atlantic to our shores, which makes the
difference. This, too, determines the course of navigation over the Atlantic, especially on the voyage from
America to England: skilful navigators take advantage
of it, and steer their vessels in its swift-running waters;
so that, in returning home, we expect to be, with this
advantage, several days less in crossing the Atlantic
than we have been in coining over it this way.  The
15 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
sailors call sailing in the Gulf Stream "running down
hill."  They also call the stream itself "the weatherbreeder," for it has much to do with the kind of weather
found upon and near it.  At times, most furious gales
of wind sweep onward with its current; and when
crossed by the cold wind from Labrador, it engenders
thick and almost suffocating fog, such as we had in our
course for several days.
This fog produced a most remarkable change in the
looks and spirits of the passengers. From being cheerful and buoyant, some became gloomy and morose.
There were also strong apprehensions of danger with
many, from floating icebergs, from collision with other
vessels, and from sand-banks but thinly covered with
water.   And  the recent loss of the Pacific  steanmship, supposed to have struck against an iceberg, was
frequently named. On these accounts we had soundings
taken and called out for hours together; and we had
by day and night, about every five minutes, the horrid
screeching of a sort of cow-horn sound, made by the
steam, to warn off ships that might be in our course.
After being for some four days and nights enveloped in
this cold thick fog, we suddenly emerged into a clearer
and warmer atmosphere, beholding again, to our relief
and comfort, both the sun and the sea.  And, last evening, after the American pilot came on board from his
yacht, and scattered the latest newspapers broadcast
among the eager passengers, a most brilliant and Claudelike effect of the setting sun upon the rippled sea was
beheld.  A ship in full sail passed between us and the
descending luminary, and seemed almost transparent
in the warm sunshine in which it glided along. The
sky became easternly gorgeous in its colours. Gold and
16 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
crimson-barred clouds floated across it; and when the
sun sank beneath the ocean, throwing his last blood-red
beams athwart the rising and falling billows, the scene
was magnificent.
But of all tranquil scenes ever beheld, none could
surpass that presented to us this day. The sea was
indeed "a sea of glass," and was literally "as clear as
crystal." Not a ripple appeared on its glancing surface,
and it was most radiant under the flood of bright light
which beamed upon it from the sun. The reflections of
objects upon it were complete, both in form and colour.
WVe had Long Island on the right, stretching its narrow
strip of sea-beach onwards, farther than the eye could
reach, but with its lighthouses in front and fully in
view; on our left was Sandy Hook, a barren piece of
land; all around us were vessels of different kinds,
with their white sails spread, and all making for one
point called "the Narrows," through which ships enter
into the harbour of New York; -these were all reflected
clearly, and at full length, in the polished mirror of the
sea. We have since entered into the bay, and have on
our left Staten Island, sprinkled all over its wooded
slopes with villas and summer residences. We have
Brooklyn in view on our right; the city of New Jersey,
and the thicket of New York shipping before us; while,
at different points of our entrance, and on small islands
which dot the bay, are the signs of defensive fortifications. The bay itself opens and expands most magnificently. Nothing finer of its kind could possibly be
conceived. It is twenty-five miles in sweep, and appears
ready to receive within its vast embrace all the fleets of
the world. Huge, high-built steamboats, with grasshopper-like limbs, are plying from point to point; and
c
17 
VOYAGE OVER THE ATLANTIC.
some are passing us, towards the Narrows, for ilalifax
and Boston. The Cunard Pier is now immediately
before us, with American friends upon it, already recognising us as the Methodist ministers sent from England
to visit them; and they are waving their hats in token
of their readiness to welcome us to their native shores.
So that, though I cannot write any more at present,
you may confidently conclude, when reading this, that
we are safely landed on the continent of America.
18 
LETTER II.
NEW YORK.
Fair way of judging of an American City and of American Manners  General Sketch of New York-Broadway-AlMonster Ilotels-American
Ladies-,Mixed Population-Tone of Equality-Unforeign feeling of an
Englishman when he lands in America-Evening  Party-Newspapers,
Arts, Institntions, Churches, &c., in New York-Methodism-Novel Pulpit
-Sabbath Services-Rise of Methodism in New York.
WE are now in the city of New York, the great emporium and metropolis of America, and you will naturally
desire to know what are my impressions of it. Viewed
in relation to the brief period of its existence, it is undoubtedly a most astonishing city. It has not, as every
one knows, the imposing grandeur and attractive features
of the old cities of Europe. It has no massive timestained castles, palaces, and cathedrals, which fill our
minds with the associations of stirring and stately scenes
and transactions of past ages. But when one considers
that three centuries ago the ground on which it stands
was covered with a dense forest, which sheltered wild
animals and a few red-skinned savages, and that now,
among the great cities of the world, it is second only to
London in the extent of its commerce, New York, which
at the census of 1850 contained as many as 629,810
inhabitants, m1ust be reckoned as unrivalled in its rapid 
NEW  YORK.
growth and progress. It is in this light only, I conceive,
that America and its numerous towns and cities can Le
fairly viewed, not in comparison with ancient countries
and capitals, which have had the advantage of cultivation
and growth through many centuries, but in relation only
to the period for which the land has been possessed by a
civilised community. Of course I am not yet sufficiently
acquainted with America, or with the manners of its
people, to pronounce a decided judgment upon them;
but, from what I have already seen, I have no hesitation
in saying that, for want of this consideration, many of
the disparaging remarks and observations have been
made by English travellers which have so greatly
wounded and irritated the Americans. ]Iany of such
travellers have lived in very different scenes. Some of
them may have been softly and luxuriously brought up
in ancient cities; while others have been nurtured amid
highly-cultivated rustic landscapes.   All have seen,
more or less, their own fruitful country of hill and dale
inclosed, partitioned, and smoothed by plough and
harrow. They have seen it crowded, in almost every
nook and corner, with the signs of elegant thrift mingled
with the weather-beaten memorials of past ages; they
have beheld the baronial mansion frowning with embattled parapet over surrounding moat, the squire's seat
peeping through the long-drawn avenue of elms or
beeches, the merchant's country house resting on closelycropped lawn, and, sometimes, the labourer's cottage half
smothered in roses and honeysuckles; they have beeni
accustomed to receive, from their very childhood, it may
be, the most respectful, if not obsequious, attentions in
the presence of servants and dependents: and so when
they come to this newly-discovered continent, and see
0
20
r I I, 
\Ewl YORKi.
its fragmentary clearings, its snake-fenced plots of land,
its unfinished towns and cities, and meet its somewhat
rough, unpolished, and unceremonious people, these
English travellers pour forth their censures and complaints most unsparingly. Such conduct is manifestly
unjustifiable, and may well prove vexatious to those
who are thus dealt with by foreigners. There is nothing
which may not be made to appear deformed or ridiculous if it be viewed through a distorting medium or
from a morally oblique angle. If caricature, and not
true portrait, be the object sought, it is not necessary to
cross the wide Atlantic to find it. John Bull and his
corn-fields will serve as well for that purpose as Brother
Jonathan and his forests and clearings; and for any
Englishman to carry with him over the seas the pattern
of his own little "angle-land," and try to make it fit
upon a continent which is equal in extent to all Europe,
and, if he fails, grow scornful and angry, savours
somewhat of the pettishness of a spoilt child. Countries
and their inhabitants, like other things, ought to be
viewed in their own relations.  I shall endeavour to
remember this while travelling here; and though, in
my letters home, I may not unfrequently make comparisons between what is found on this side of the
water and what we are familiar with in our own
beloved country, it will not be with the purpose of disparaging America or glorifying England, but simply
with the aim of making myself more readily understood.
Viewed thus apart from prejudice and European associations, New York is, as I have already said, a most
wonderful city. It is situated at the southern point of a
tongue-like island, and has as fine a site both for foreign
21 
NEW YORK.
commerce and internal trade, and for drainage and
healthy ventilation, as can possibly be desired. WVith
the large outspreading harbour (which I noticed in my
first letter) on the east, and on the west the majestic
river Hudson, extending some 170 miles up into the
interior of the country, and with the land on which the
city is built sloping gradually down from the centre to
the water on all sides, a more advantageous position for
trade, health, and prospect, could not be found. It is
related of the aboriginal Indians, that when first discovered by the enterprising Dutch navigator, they
showed themselves most unwilling to part with this
piece of land at any price; and this well might be,
when its beauty of situation and multiplied facilities are
considered.
The general plan of the city is regular, but chiefly so
in the newest parts northwards. The main streets,
running south and north, are called "Avenues," and
are some ten or eleven in number. Between these there
are narrower streets; and at right angles with these
there are "Cross Streets," which are distinguished as
"First Street," "Second Street," "Third Street," and
so on to the extent of some hundreds. The squares of
building between the avenues and principal cross streets
are named "Blocks" by the inhabitants; so that in
giving directions for a certain residence they would say,
"It is in such a Block, between the Fourth Avenue
(say) and Fifteenth Street."   This  arrangement  is
very serviceable to a stranger seeking any house in
the  city.   The  older streets at the  south  end of
New York still bear the names originally given to
them.
The public buildings do not seem large, nor are they
22 
NEW YORK.
attractive to a European visitor. The City Hall, the
Custom-house, and the Merchants' Exchange, are among
the principal buildings shown to strangers; but though
built of granite and marble, and after good Grecian
models, yet, to English eyes, they are not very impressive. The most interesting structures are some modern
Gothic churches, which are built of brown freestone,
and in good style. They are, in form, very much like
some of the larger parish churches in old Lincolnshire.
"Trinity Church," at the lower end of Broadway, is,
perhaps, the best example to be named. It is a large
church in the decorated style of Gothic architecture,
has a lofty spire, ornamented with crockets and finial,
and the whole edifice is consistent throughout. From
the parapet of the tower of this church the most comprehensive view of the city and its suburbs may be
taken.   There are no parks or open squares of any
great extent.   The  largest  park  is the triangular
one surrounding the City Hall. This, however, does
not contain more than a few acres of ground, and
is not large enough for a place of general resort or
promenade.
But pleasure-taking is far from being a characteristic
habit with the dwellers in this capital city. Business,
"push,"  "drive-along,"  are their prevailing habits.
"Go a-head!" seems really to be the motto of all who
throng its numerous streets and thoroughfares-espe cially of such as crowd its principal highways. The
men on the pavement are generally sallow-com plexioned, tall, and thin; and they rush along with
serious countenance and earnest look, as if they were all
pursuing objects important as life and death. You
might as easily stand still, or step slowly, and expect
23 
NEW YORK.
nobody to elbow you into danger in the middle of
Cheapside in London, as pause comfortably on the
pavement of a real business street in New York. To
look upon the faces of many in such a street, you would
think that the most weighty matters imaginable were
pressing upon their minds, and that they were rushing
forth with the goading apprehension of being too late
to gain their wishes. The draymen and omnibus-drivers
in the middle of the streets rattle along with their heavy
lumbering vehicles, until the din and tumult are, to a
stranger, painfully distracting. In several of the long
"avenues" and cross streets there are huge railway cars,
drawn by horses, and which stop at certain points to
take up and let down passengers. These, though very
convenient for travelling in from one end of the city to
the other, do not lessen the general confusion, or increase
one's sense of security.
The most noted thoroughfare is "Broadway." This
great avenue is 80 feet wide, and is two miles long, running north and south, and combines, in its character, Regent Street, Oxford Street, and the Strand of London. It
is not, however, so spacious or stately as the first of these,
and is much more irregular in the style of its buildings.
It consists chiefly of warehouses and "stores," as shops
are called in America; but these are of such different
styles and forms as to lack the appearance of combined
strength and beauty. Some of them are good buildings
in marble and freestone, and are richly ornamented;
while others, adjoining and between these finer piles, are
of red brick, or of gaudily-painted wood, and are covered
from top to bottom with glaring signboards and inscriptions.  This breaks the unity of the view, and disturbs
the eye of the spectator.
24 
NEW YORK.
The hotels are the largest and best buildings, even
in Broadway; they are, in fact, monsters of their class.
The oldest of these is "the Astor House," which overlooks the southern end of the City-Hall Park. It is
built in massive Grecian style, is more than 200 feet
long, has five stories in height, and makes up as many
as 600 beds. "The St. Nicholas," higher up Broadway,
is vaster still; it is faced with pure white marble. But
the most gigantic of all is "the Mletropolitan." This
hotel is as much as 278 feet long, and is said to make
up 1000 beds. There are also some large and superb
restarants and eating-houses.   One  of these has  a
saloon, containing, in its area, not less than 7500 square
feet.
The ladies make Broadway their chief place of promenade; and from twelve at noon to two, it usually
presents, by their appearance, an animated and brilliant
scene, though, from the absence of accompanying gentlemen, attendant livery-servants, and richly-adorned
equipages, it is not equal in general effect to our own
Regent Street. The women here are mostly of lower stature than the women of England, but they are classically
formed, have complexions as white and clear as alabaster,
and well-proportioned features.  They walk naturally,
and neither  " paddle"  like  the Frenchwomen, nor
"step out" with grenadier stride like an English highborn dame, but glide easily along with a gentle and
natural step, which pleasingly contrasts with the fierce
haste and bustle of the men who pass by them. Their
dresses are rich and showy. Crimson silk shawls on
blue and yellow gown, and gaily-trimmed bonnets,
with waving feathers, are very common in Broadway
at noon.
25 
NEW YORK.
The men are not so good-looking. Many of them are
well-dressed in superfine black or blue cloth, adorned
with large gilded buttons; and some of the more
fashionable wear large full cloaks, richly trimmed with
broad velvet and long silk tassels. But there is not
unfrequently a haggard, careworn look in the face, and
a dark sallow hue, unrelieved by the least tinge of
colour, while the gait is restless and impulsive. Great
vigour of character is seen in all their looks and movements; but nothing like the rosy-faced portly English
gentleman  is to be seen in the streets of New York:
indeed, the absence of a true English complexion is as
notable among the women as the men.
The variety to be seen in the streets of this city surpasses anything I have seen elsewhere. There are
wealthy capitalists, merchants, and visitors from different countries, and adventurers from every state of the
Union. There are cautious, grave-looking New-Englanders, luxurious Southerners, enterprising Westerners,
sunburnt men from Oregon and California, some of
whom appear in their unshaven and roughly-clad con-..
dition, as if they were but half-eivilised, and yet all rush
along the crowded streets with the evident feeling that
New York is the capital of their respective States-and
they are proud of it. rhe Germans, Swedes, Irish, and
coloured people, who perform the greater part of the
manual labour and drudgery of the city, reside in back
streets; while the sailors of all nations, as in our Wapping, crowd the great thoroughfares near the water.
There are dens of crime and haunts of depravity behind
the screens of larger houses here, as there are in Liverpool and London, but there is no public indication of
squalid poverty or pauperism._ I have not yet seen a
26 
NEW  YORK.
beggar in any of the streets. It is well known that
want need not be felt by any one who is willing to work,
and therefore begging is not encouraged, The districts
inhabited by the poorest Irish are, as is usual in our
own land, filthy and wretched enough, as are also some
parts occupied by other foreigners and by sailors; but
there are no cripples exposing their withered limbs to
excite compassion, and no sweepers at the crossings
holding out their tattered hats for "your honour's"
pence, as there are in London,  The coach-drivers, as a
class, I should say, are super-o% to our cabmen, and so
are their coaches superior to our cabs, being larger, and
better lined and trimmed, but you have to pay proportionably more for their use. A dollar is little for coach
hire here; and when you pay your fare at the end of a
drive, however liberal you may be, there is no tip of the
hat, and no "Thank you, sir!" but, as in the "stores,"
when you make your purchases, the most perfect indifference appears. In this, as in other things, an Englishman finds he is in a republican land, where all men
are declared to be equal.
And yet, with all these American peculiarities, the
first great wonder to an English visitor who has travelled
in other foreign parts is, that what he sees is so substantially English; it is more so even than in Ireland
or Scotland.   At  least, I may say this is my own
impression.   On landing at Calais, Boulogne, or Ostend, and when advancing into the interior of France,
Rhenish Prussia, Belgium, or Holland, which are comparatively near to our own country, the looks, language,
dress, and manners of the people are so different and
strange, that an English traveller at once sees and feels
that he is on foreign ground; but it is not so on
27 
NEW YORK.
landing in America. Though more than 3000 miles
from home, yet he finds himself surrounded by men and
women with English features, similarly dressed, and
speaking the language with which he has been familiar
from childhood.   There are the American characteristics which I have described, and there is a sort of
sing-song, nasal drawl, in the utterance of some, which
is much inferior to the full, hearty tones of the voice of
an Englishman; but the great characteristics of feature,
dress, and manners are unmistakeably the same, so that
an Englishman says as soon as he enters American
society, "We are all brethren: such as I am, these are:
they are but Englishmen living on another side of the
Atlantic."
WVe have seen much of private and social life in
this city. I am entertained by the Rev. Dr. Osbon,
of Mulberry Street; and Dr. Hannah  by Ralph Mead,
Esq., of the Second Avenue, not far from me; and we
have both received the most kind and hospitable attention. We have also passed some very pleasant hours
in evening parties, to which we have been invited. In
one of them we met Dr. Bangs, the historian of American Methodism; Bishop Baker, just returned from his
visit to the churches of California; Dr. Kidder, editor
of the Stt?C(I(ty School Adlvocate; 3Mr. Harper, of the large
book-publishing firm; Mr. Hall, a father in American
Methodism; several ministers of the city, and many
ladies. The house in which we spent the evening
(Mir. Truslow's) is large and handsomely furnished.
The rooms were brilliantly lighted up, and the evening
was spent cheerfully and religiously.
After free and friendly conversation in groups and
pairs, we went down in couples to the eating-room to
" 8 
FNEW YORK.
partake of our evening meal. The eating-room of an
American private house is that in which all the meals
are taken; it is usually in the lower story, and is plainly
fitted up, very much after the manner of refreshmentrooms in France.  The meal comprised solid food and
light confectionaries; and with it there were "crackers"
and bon)-bons for the juveniles, as there are with us at
Christmas evening parties. Afterwards we sang, read
the Scriptures, and prayed together; and when we
separated for our respective abodes, at something like
eleven o'clock, I went to mine at Dr. Osbon's with the
feeling that a more cheerful, sociable, and happy evening I had never spent away from home. Both Dr.
Hannah and myself were favourably impressed with
the general intelligence and religious excellence of the
company. The ladies, as did also the gentlemen, showed
themselves to be well read in history, and in general
literature; and all were ready to converse on experimental and practical holiness. There was no brag,
no inquisitive interrogations, which some visitors to
America have complained of. Gentleness, goodness,
and deep veneration for England, and for English
Alethodism, were ardent in all; and they openly deprecated, in the very strongest manner, any quarrel of
their country with ours  The cheerful conversation,
not altogether unmixed with hearty laughter, of this
and other evenings, fully relieved me from the sombre
impression I had caught of American character in the
business streets of New York. In some of the streets
everything human looked so rigidly grave, that one
almost thought it would be a crime punishable at law
for an American to perpetrate a joke or a pun; but in
the social evening party there was full proof of a
29 
NEW YORK.
healthy, buoyant, and joyous spirit in the American
people.
The newspapers of America, while far more numerous than with us, seem much inferior to ours. They
contain very little "news" comparatively, and of that
there is still less to be relied upon as correct or true.
The attacks made by the newspaper-writers on public
and private character are most dishonourable; and it is
plain that too many of them unscrupulously pander to
the low, vulgar appetites of poor fallen human nature
for gossip and for scandal. This profligacy of the press
is deeply deplored by the better classes among the
Americans.
Partisanship, too, is here very apparent. It is truly
amusing to converse with the Americans on public men
and public questions. To hear some of them speak of
their public men, one would almost be ready to conclude
that every prominent character in the United States
belonged either to the band of spotless patriots or the
lowest class of scoundrels.  Many of the people seem
incapable of forming any moderate judgment of their
public men; and every political question, however temporary be the excitement it raises, is generally spoken
of as constituting a "great crisis" in the history, if not
in the very existence of the States.
The works of art here are creditable to a country
which is in its youth, but, as might be expected, they
are very inferior to what we have in England. The
general talent for sculpture must not be estimated by
Hiram Power's "Greek Slave" and "Pierced Indian,"
which we saw in the Hyde Park Exhibition of 1851.
America produced Benjamin West, and may yet produce
even a greater painter; but, in the raw and juvenile
30 
NEW YORK.
productions of her existing school, there is no promise
of him. The native pictures here partake more of the
character of the French school than of the English, and
are very deficient in sobriety and repose. The German
artists have some good pictures exhibiting here, chiefly
of alpine and cataract scenery in Norway, and being
simnilar in their subjects to those which they annually
exhibit in London. The New York "Crystal Palace"
is now in a very dilapidated and forlorn condition, and
is seen at once to be what it really is-a most shabby
ipitation, and a miserable failure.
There are many charitable and benevolent institutions
in New York, and they are very generously supported.
There are also some excellent literary and educational
establishments, and these.are as well sustained. The
largest public building in the city is the "Bible Society
House and Depository." It occupies a whole "block"
by itself, and, while six stories high throughout, has a
frontage of some 700 feet. Dr. Hannah and I went
over this important establishment, conducted by the
Rev. Dr. Holdich, one of its secretaries. Its issues
amount to three-fourths of a million copies of the Bible
yearly; and, as all the printing, stitching, binding, &c.,
is done on the premises, it employs a great number of
persons. I remarked there, as elsewhere, the general
inferiority of the paper upon which their printing is
executed by the Americans, and also the want of breadth
and fulness in the type. We had each presented to us
a large octavo copy of the Book of Psalms, in the very
best style of the society's printing; but while superior
in itself, yet, when placed beside an English copy
of the same size, and challenged to say which was the
American, I had no difficulty in doing so.
31 
NEW YORK.
Our own "Methodist Book Concern," as it is somewhat loosely named, is also a very extensive establishment. It is situated in Mulberry Street, and has performed on its premises all things relating to the books,
periodicals, and newspapers, except the manufacture of
paper, so that, with its numerous issues, it also employs
many persons. Dr. Kidder kindly conducted us over
the establishment; and we were gratified to find here,
as in the Bible Society House, how many clean and
neatly-dressed young females were engaged in sorting,
stitching, and ornamental binding.
But by this time you will begin to be impatient for
some account of religion, and particularly of Methodism,
as observed by us in New York. I have not had much
time to acquaint myself with other churches in the city
than those of our own people, nor am I likely to have
the opportunity of doing so before I leave it; but, from
the number and size of the ecclesiastical structures which
I have seen, I should conclude that the churches here
are numerous and flourishing. All the buildings devoted
to public worship of every Christian denomination are
called "churches," and of these there are some 300 in
the city and its suburbs, belonging principally to the
Protestant Episcopalians, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, and the Methodist Episcopalian Church. The
Jews have here some thirteen synagogues; the Roman
Catholics have a large misshapen cathedral and several
other buildings in different parts, and there are structures of various dimensions and forms belonging to
almost all the different nations and to the principal sects
in Europe.
The Sabbath is much better observed in New York
than in London or Liverpool. The streets are far more
32 
NEW  YORK.
quiet, the pleasure-seekers fewer, and the purchases, if
made, are more concealed from public observation.
Among all classes there seems to be more reverent
attention paid both to religion and its ministers.
Methodism has not proportionably, it is said, the
position and influence in New York that it has in some
other cities of the United States, but it nevertheless
stands forth prominently, and numbers 7000 churchmembers, irrespective of the many thousands who are
general attendants at its public services. Dr. Hannah
and I were alternately in two of its principal churches on
Sunday last, and were much gratified with what we found.
The churches in which we preached were good substantial
structures of the Grecian style of architecture, and, like
all the American churches I have seen, are fitted up so
as to secure as much comfort to the congregation as
practicable. The aisles are carefully matted, the pews
carpeted and cushioned; and distributed throughout the
churches are leaf-fans for the use of the congregations
in hot weather. Happily for us, the weather has not
been very hot since we came to New York; the sight
of a large congregation fanning itself for relief would
not be the most helpful accompaniment to ministers
officiating, and unaccustomed to such a waving scene.
These fans, however, are really necessary for the relief
of the people when the heat sets in. You will know that
the extremes of heat and cold here are greater than in
Old England.
The American pulpit is, in my view, far preferable to
the English. It is simply a reading-desk at the front of
a low platform, of the width of the communion rails,
and at the back of them.  It is not boxed-up and imprisoning to the preacher as our cupboard-like pulpits
D
33 
NEW  YORK.
are, but is open at the back and sides, while behind it,
against the wall, is a seat long enough to hold several
ministers. The accompanying pen-and-ink sketch will
best explain it.
: -    ~
/i
I
11       15i
WEEE}4cS -L;;;
t~~~~, -t, Xj,lS X,NXQXX3
7
1. Seat.              2. Platform.             3. Desk.             4. Lamp.
5. Centre Table.      6. Steps.                7. Step.
There are several advantages to a minister in a pulpit
of this kind. Hie is more free than he can be when
closely boarded up on all sides; he also feels himself to
be in more intimate association with his people; while
his ministerial brethren who may be present are seated
behind, and out of his sight. With the usages of
Iz-                                                                              
34
I I i I
II I ..
I I  I :                                                                                                  I -:                                -
i                                                                                                     - -j -, 
NEW  YORK.
America, there is sometimes a drawback felt in the other
ministers on the platform stepping forward, looking
over and taking hold of the officiating minister's hymnbook. This prevents the feeling of separation for the
work of the Preacher which an English minister is
accustomed to have. But this is a mere circumstance
that need not be admitted, and so must not be received
as a reason for objecting to the adoption and use of the
American pulpit.
On the Sabbath morning Dr. Hannah conducted the
public service and preached in Mulberry Street Church,
and I preached for the Missionary Society in the Seventh
Street Church. I was not very well prepared for my
work, for, through the change from rocking in my berth
upon the ever-moving sea to the stillness of the solid
earth, I could not sleep for a moment in the night preceding. And, like Dr. Hannah, I was not a little
annoyed with the hymn-book. It is not only different
from our own in the general arrangement of its subjects,
which, perhaps, may be an improvement, but, regardless
of Mr. Wesley's warning against doing so (as found in
the truly characteristic and sensible preface affixed to
the collection of hymns he published for the use of his
people), our friends here have altered some of the
hymns, both in the words and verses. They have made
what, no doubt, they consider to be "improvements;"
but they have thereby supplied additional proof of the
truth of Mr. Wesley's printed declaration, that others
are not able to mend his hymns either in sense or verse.
At the second hymn the congregation sat to sing, or
rather to hear the choir sing,-this increased my
annoyance; but afterwards, in setting forth Christ as
"the Root of Jesse," who should "stand as an ensign for
35 
NEW YORK.
the people," and give to them that trust in i Him "a
glorious rest," I overcame these petty annoyances, and
forgot for a time my loss of sleep on the night preceding.
The afternoon was spent chiefly in conversation with
some old Methodist friends, who, several years ago,
emigrated from Lincoln, and who had travelled many
miles to see us, and to talk with us about the "old city."
Their inquiries, both as to persons and events, were
numerous, as you will suppose; and  though greatly
benefited temporally by.coming to America, yet they
showed strong affection.for..their native land.
After a somewhat protracted interval between the
morning and evening services, I went, at half-past
seven o'clock, to conduct the service and preach in
Mulberry Street Church, while Dr. Hannah went to
attend a public missionary meeting in the Seventh
Street Church, presided over by Dr. Bangs, and where
they made the doctor and myself.life-members of the
American Methodist Missionary Society. These Sabbath evening missionary meetings we should not hazard
in England, lest they should not fully accord with the
-sacred character of the day; but our American brethren
hold them on that day, and seem to.be satisfied with
them.  I found less annoyance,in the evening than I
did in the morning, and had more enlargement and
-power to proclaim the Word of Life. After the service
mr-ayministers and friends crowded round me to bid
me welcome to America.  Dr. Hannah's ministrations
here have been characterised by great spiritual unction;
and it is surprising to find how many there are who
remember his visit to this country thirty-two years
ago: then, as now, his ministry was highly estimated.
The Methodist ministers in this city have stations
36 
NEW  YORK.
rather than circuits, for their public labours are specially directed to their separate churches. They have
good "parsonages," as their residences are named, and,
apparently, larger incomes than their brethren in England; but, when all things are taken into account, it is
a question whether they are really better provided for
than English Methodist ministers.   Many  of them
are said to have taken good advantage of the rising circumstances of their country, and to have multiplied for
use in advanced life any money they may have had, so
that they are less dependent upon an "annuitant" or
"auxiliary fund" for support in old age than our ministers are at home. I apprehend that this will be less
and less the case as the land becomes occupied, and
money yields smaller returns. With this foresight,
renewed efforts are now being made in the churches of
New York to provide suitable maintenance for "supernumeraries," or superannuated and worn-out ministers.
The "presiding elders," who are very much like our
"chairmen of districts," hold the "quarterly conferences," or, as we should say, "quarterly meetings," for
the several circuits, and take a principal part in the
administration of discipline, so that the resident ministers are thereby relieved of their less agreeable duties.
Here there is a desire expressed by some to transfer
such semi-episcopal duties to the individual pastors of
the churches; but I cannot see reason in any of the
statements I have heard to believe that either the
people or the preachers would be benefited by the
change.
I have heard also some complaints whispered by the
more devout and spiritual on the neglect of attendance
at class-meetings by too many of the members; and,
37 
NEW  YORK.
from what I can learn, the renewal of the quarterly
tickets, as tokens of church-membership, is not deemed
so important a ministerial duty as it is with us in England; but, with these partial relaxations among some,
the prevailing characteristic of the Methodists in New
York is undoubtedly that of earnest, zealous godliness.
They have evident delight in conversing on Christian
holiness, and on the means for its attainment. Books
on this subject are eagerly sought, and extensively read
by them. They are also careful to sanctify private and
social intercourse by the reading of God's Word and by
prayer. All this is the more gratifying when it is
remembered that it was in this city of New York that
the first Methodist society in America was formed
ninety years ago.
The origin of the society was as follows:-A  few
Irish Methodist emigrants not having here the means
and ordinances of religion to which they had been accustomed at home, fell into the fashions, and began to
join in the "pastimes," of the unregenerate world,
when, one evening, as they were together playing at
cards, a good woman of the company, who had not
joined in their evil practice, was roused by what she saw
to administer reproof to the others; she snatched up
the cards from the table, threw them into the fire, and,
with all the power of sincere and earnest rebuke, cried
to Philip Embury, a fallen local preacher, "You must
preach to us, or we shall all go to hell together, and
then our blood will be required at your hands!"  This
led to the first Methodist meeting and the preaching of
the first Methodist sermon in America: the reproved
and now repentant Philip preached to five persons in his
own hired house.
38 
NEW YORK.
Such meetings were continued, and were soon afterwards attended by Captain Webb, a Methodist, from
Bristol, who, being in the country on the king's (George
the Second's) service, joined himself to them that
"feared the Lord, and spake often one to another."
Others soon associated themselves with this little band,
and, with the zealous captain at their head, spread
Methodism into the surrounding parts, and as far as
Philadelphia.   A  large room to meet  in was now
required in New York, and a rigging loft was obtained.
Next a chapel was built in John Street, and application
was made to MIr. Wesley for a ministerial appointment.
In 1768 he stood up in the conference of his preachers
in Leeds, and inquired, "Who will go to help their
brethren in America? " when two good men, named
Richard Boardman and Joseph Pilmoor, volunteered
heir services. A collection-the first " missionary coliection" in Methodism-was made in the conference,
and the two preachers were sent over. Afterwards
Francis Asbury, Richard Wright, and Thomas Rankin
were sent.   And  then, for the organisation of the
Church, which had become considerable in its extent,
Mr. Wesley ordained Dr. Coke, and sent him forth to be
the general superintendent, or first bishop, of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. Since then it has
enlarged and spread through the States, until now it is
foremost in numbers and influence of all the churches in
the country. And thus, from "a grain of mustard
seed," wafted over the Atlantic by accident, as it would
seem to some, has arisen the goodly tree which already
spreads its spiritual branches over all the land.
39 
LETTER III.
PHILADELPHIA.
Mingled Annoyances and Pleasures of Railway Travelling in America Route through New Jersey-Arrival at Philadelphia-Scene among the
Negro Coachmen-Provoking Indifference of American Hotel-keepers Hotel Life in Amer-ca-Exposure of the Young to Injurious Influences Order and Repose of the Quaker City-Appearance of the Streets and
Public Buildings-Methodism in Philadelphia-The Hall of Independence
-Franklin's Tomb.
DR. ITANNAH and I left New York on Wednesday at
noon. We had been strongly urged to remain a day or
two longer in that city, that we might be present at
the celebration, among his relatives and friends, by
Dr. Bangs, of the "jubilee," or fiftieth anniversary, of
his marriage; but we felt that our special mission to the
General Conference, appointed to assemble at Indianapolis on the 1st of May, was our great object, and that
we must not halt unnecessarily on our way to it, however great might be the prospect of personal gratification in meeting friends on so interesting an occasion as
that which I have just named.  We have also been
most earnestly importuned to delay our journey to the
West, in order that we might attend public meetings to
be held at Washington on behalf of the Sunday School
Union; but the remembrance of the more immediate and 
PHILADELPHIA.
personal duties of our mission determined us to forego
this gratification as we had foregone the other.
We took our places at the water-side of New York for
a through-journey from thence by railway to this city,
some eighty-seven miles, for which we paid three dollars
each, or twelve shillings and sixpence sterling. Before
we left the station at New York we had brass checks, with
correspondent numbers, given to us, for the different
portions of our luggage, and thus secured their delivery
by the ticket-porter at the end of our journey. This
system of luggage-checks is simple and satisfactory; it
saves the traveller from all care and anxiety concerning
his luggage after he has delivered it to the porter, however numerous may be the changes of conveyances for
him on the road. We crossed the water, about a mile
in width, from New York to New Jersey city, which is
on the west bank of the Hudson River, and where the
terminus of the railway is, in a steam ferry-boat.
Crowded on the deck with us were carriages, carts,
cattle, and passengers of all descriptions. On arriving
at the other side of the water, some two or three hundred yards from the terminus, there was a furious rush
by both coach-drivers and persons on foot to gain early
entrance to the railway-station. We did not know the
meaning of this at the time, but found, when the discovery was too late to serve us, that it was to obtain
the best or most desirable places in the carriages. We
seated ourselves separately by some rough and rude
companions, for we were too much behind our fellowpassengers in time of taking our seats to be able to
secure places close to each other.
And now, for a while, we experienced some little inconvenience from the practice of the American doctrine
41 
PHILADELPHIA.
of universal equality, though we were saved any extra
expense for a first or second-class carriage.  Our seatcompanions, who were farmers' men, unshaven, and
with daubed trousers turned up almost to their knees,
leaned and lolled upon us, and doubled their legs back
over the stiles of the seats before us, until they assumed
the form and appearance of huge clasp-knives. Moreover, they chewed tobacco, and jetted out their saliva at
our feet and over us, until we felt ourselves to be in no
enviable situation. This incident taught us a lesson,
ever afterwards to be remembered, for securing early
entrance into an American railway carriage, so as to be
able to select our company, and obtain adjoining seats
for ourselves.
I have named our travelling vehicle on the rail as a
"carriage," but that is not the name given to it here.
WVhat we call "railway carriages" in England are here
called "cars."  These cars are large and ponderous, and
appear on the outside something like huge omnibuses,
with panels and let-down windows at the sides; within
they will accommodate from fifty to eighty passengers.
The seats, each intended for two persons, are transversely placed, and an aisle divides them down the
middle of the carriage, so that, in their general form
and arrangements within, each car may be likened to a
small church on wheels, with its side-seats and middle
aisle. There is usually a charcoal stove in the centre of
the car, and at one end a ladies' retiring closet, in which
there is frequently a sofa and a rocking-chair. In one
corner there is a large can of water, with a chained
mug, for common use by the passengers.
At every stopping place the "conductor" walks down
the middle aisle to examine and take the tickets of
4!2 
PHIIILADELPHIA.
persons entering or departing.  There  are no  first,
second, or third-class carriages, as with us. The cars
are for all white persons promiscuously, except that
there is a select car for ladies, which is in better order
than the general cars. For coloured persons there is
the negro car-coloured persons not being usually
allowed to sit, eat, or ride with the whites. The negro
car is a rough, heavy vehicle, very much like our luggage vans.
A lady entering an American railway car is entitled,
by usage, to any seat she may prefer that is not occupied by one of her own sex; and if she enters the car
with her husband or friend, she has only to intimate to
any gentleman on a seat that she wishes to have it for
herself or her companion, and it is immediately surrendered to her. The seats are so framed that they swing
over upon their arms, and thus afford the convenience of
friends sitting face to face for conversation if they prefer
doing so. Advantage is not unfrequently taken of this
convenience for another purpose-that is, for securing
leg or foot-resters on the red velvet-covered cushions of
the seats, the Americans being notable for nursing their
legs on tables and seats. The real relief to either Englishman or American in a transatlantic railway car is
that he can stand upright with his hat on, or walk to
and fro for exercise along the middle aisle. The comparative retirement of our own  country's  railwaycarriage will, however, be preferred by an English traveller,-though, if he journeys in one of the first-class,
he must pay somewhat more per mile for his fare than
we pay here for travelling in the general cars.
The American railway engine is as much larger in
proportion to ours as their cars are to our carriages. It
43 
PHILADELPHIA.
is a huge black monster, with an elevated, covered, and
glazed box in the middle for the engineer, and with a
tall begrimed chimney in the front, which throws up,
like a great overgrown rocket-tube, showers of large and
dangerous sparks from the wood fire which rages under
the boiler. It is said that when extra speed is required
at a railway race, and when the payments by a great
number of passengers are sufficient to warrant it, no
small quantity of resin is thrown into the fire to make
it burn more fiercely, and to produce force from the
highly-condensed steam. The truth of this I cannot
affirm by personal observation; but this I know already,
that at times, though not able to reckon so much accomplished in several hours' travel as on English railways,
yet American steam-engines, and their heavy cars
appended to them, rush on at a headlong rate, crossing
streets and roads where there are no gates, no policemen, and no signals whatever, except an unshapely
white signboard (hoisted up over the line at the head of
two upright poles), on which is written in black letters,
" When the bell rings look out for the locomotive!"  This
bell swings on a swivel in front of the engine, and is
rung at crossings and at arrivals by the engineer.
Our route to Philadelphia, through the State of New
Jersey, was over a somewhat flat, sandy, and unpicturesque tract of country, relieved at intervals by pleasant
and enlarging towns of trade and manufacture, and by
the signs of advancing cultivation in the land. Newark,
the first town of importance we came to, is evidently a
flourishing place, and has in it several buildings which
stand up with imposing effect above the houses and
"stores" in general.  Most of the houses we saw by the
sides of the line are of wood; but good substantial
44 
PHILADELPHIA.
dwellings in brick and stone may be seen here and there,
with ploughed and cultivated fields around them. In
other parts the log-cabins, the black, burnt tree.-trunks,
and zigzag "snake-fence," told of their occupation by
new settlers.  As we proceeded the number of negrohuts increased, and half-clad coloured men and women,
with their naked black children, were seen on the lands
and by the road. We saw, also, many large mules in
use by the farmers and by the land-carriers, these animals being preferred for their hardy nature, and for
their feeding on coarse food.
The "forked Delaware" also appeared at some points,
spreading out its beautiful waters far into the landscape;
while upon its bosom might be seen vast floating rafts
of newly cut timber-such as you will remember to have
seen upon the Rhine. And here we thought and spoke
of holy David Brainerd, the sickly and consumptive, yet
energetic and devoted missionary of Christ to the
Indians of these parts; for it was in the neighbourhood
of the Delaware that he was most successful in his
labours. Here the man of naturally melancholy temperament, who, nevertheless, experienced such true religious
joy, travelled through forests and swamps, swam across
the deep and rapid river, slept upon the bare ground,
sheltered himself in a log-hut built by his own hands,
preached to the Indians in their wigwams, or gathered
them around him in the open air, and told them of the
Redeemer's sufferings and death, until he saw them lean
upon their spears, and weep like children at the recital.
We arrived at Camden Ferry, which is opposite this
city of Philadelphia, by dusk, having come the eightyseven miles in about five hours, when we crossed the
river in a steamer.  On arriving at the pier a ludicrous
45 
PHI1LADELPHIA.
scene presented itself, very far outdoing the earnest
but laughable display of "touting" zeal which meets
the traveller at the terminus of some continental railway in Europe-that of Calais, for instance. Here
were black coach-drivers with whips in their hands,
and with mouths that seemed open from ear to ear,
crowding the landing-place, and shouting out to the
passengers the names of hotels and boarding-houses
with an appearance of furious clamorousness for customers. Soon they began to denounce one another, and
also the hotels and houses for which they were respectively employed. Their negro terms, applied jokingly to
one another, afforded us no small amusement.
"You be false, bad coachee! " one black man would
cry out; "and your massa's house only fit for niggers!"
"You  turned ober de gentleman  and lady toder
night, and don't know de way to de'otel-hear dat,
darky!" the other would retort at the top of his voice.
Then there would be seen a crowd of black faces,
laughing and gibbering, and then a rush forward to the
passenger going ashore, with a shout together of "Come
wid me, massa! come wid me!"  We gave our luggagechecks to a porter, and, under his direction, got into a
roomy high-wheeled carriage, which was soon stuffed
full with passengers, and drove to this, the "Girard
House," in Chesnut Street.  Our luggage soon followed
us, and was delivered safely, the expense of its landing
and cartage being included in the half-dollar each,
charged for our places in the coach.
But however eager and clamorous for us on landing
might be the coloured coachmen, there seemed to be no
great haste to receive and accommodate us at the hotel.
The master of the hotel and his clerks were behind a
46 
PHILADELPHIA.
counter in a bar-like room on the left to receive the
names of new comers, apportion them their rooms, and
settle their accounts.  When we asked of these authorities if we could have rooms and accommodation, they
viewed us with indifference, and one slowly answered,
"I guess you may." Then we waited for some time
in the passage, thinking of the contrast between our
strange reception here and the bustling officiousness we
should have met in Old England. At length the proprietor's son, as he appeared to be, told us that a doublebedded room, with such a number, could be occupied by
us, and that the key held out to us belonged to it, courteously adding he would order refreshment to be provided for us without delay. We took the key, went up
to our chamber, which was clean and airy, and, after
the necessary ablutions, went down into the dining-room
for a sort of tea-dinner. We found a spacious apartment, with a number of black waiters in snow-white
dresses ready to serve us. With ice-water, tea, roll and
butter, and hot steak, we made, after the day's fast, a
good evening meal, and then went out to view, by
lamplight, what could be seen of the streets of Philadelphia.   The streets in general were orderly, but
liquor-cellars and drinking-rooms were visible at many
a turn, and voices proceeded from some of them which
did not speak of sobriety. We passed the fronts of one
or two theatres, or houses of amusement, into which
was thronging low company of both sexes. About halfpast ten we retired to our room, slept well, and by seven
o'clock the next morning came down at the sound oi
the bell to breakfast.
Here we were fairly introduced for the first time to
American hotel life. On one side of the large dining
47 
PHILADELPHIA.
room, and on both sides of the table, sat young and
middle-aged men, with their wives and children, taking
their morning meal; while on the other side of the
room, on both sides of the long table, men of all ages,
without any women, sat at breakfast. Behind each of
the four rows was a troop of black waiters in cotton
dresses. We sat down among the men, and gave our
directions for what we wished to have brought to us,ice-water, coffee, bread, fish, and meat,-and fared as
well as we could desire. No person, except the dark
waiters, spoke one word to us, or concerning us, though
many looked hardly at us, and watched very closely our
movements; nobody spoke a word, indeed, on any subject at the tables, so far as we could hear, except by way
of orders about the meal. All ate with earnestness and
in silence, and, so soon as their eating was finished, rose
up with energy, individually, and stalked forth from the
room. If it had not been for the crying of an infant,
who would not take its food, we should have been as
silent in that large dining-room as if we had been eating
with some severe fraternity of monks. That an infant
should cry rather than receive its food, in such unsuitable circumstances, seemed not surprising; and I
was ready to ask, as I saw little children fed among
adults at the silent public table, whether that kind of
feeding in early life did not contribute to the dyspepsia
and biliousness under which so many of the Americans
seem to suffer in after-years.
This hotel life became with us quite a subject for
inquiry and study, being a life so different from that
of the hearths and homes of England. With many
young persons here, when there are thoughts of marriage, and that is usually very early, the question is not
48 
PHILADELPHIA.
whether they can provide and keep a house for themselves, but whether they can live in a fashionable hotel
or boarding-house; and, when married, they go to such
a place to reside, and have thus nothing like what Englishmien regard as a home.  At an hotel they live for
some years it may be. In the daytime they are almost
wholly in public, for nearly all American meals at hotels
are taken publicly. After breakfast in the morning the
husband goes to business, and the wife usually walks
out to promenade in the most fashionable streets, or to
make purchases for dress at the "stores." At dinner
all in the hotel are at the public table; and after dinner
the husband goes back to business, while the youthful
wife goes into the ladies' drawing-room-like parlour, to
rest on the sofa, or to play on the public piano. After
tea the wife again goes into the ladies' parlour (mostly
in full dress) to spend the evening among her own sex;
while the husband lounges, talks, smokes, and expectorates with the gentlemen in their parlour, or in the
street. What a strange education in domestic and
married life is this!
In the private houses where Dr. Hannah and I have
been the good housewife was apparent, and the spirit
and manners were in all respects what is most to be
desired in Christian ladies; but I am disposed to conclude that their education and training had not taken
place in public hotels. The effect upon young children
who are, from their very entry into life, always accustomed to public companies must be more injurious even
than upon young wives and husbands. Constantly
inured to glaring publicity, children are sure to become
either shy, dispirited, and uneasy, or obtrusively forward. The latter is said to be the prevailing character
E
49 
PHILADELPHIA.
of American boys and girls-indeed, there hardly seem
to be any children in America; however young, all
give their opinions with the air of men and women, and
with the evident expectation of being heard. In some
instances the parents find themselves, while in company, superseded in authoritative opinion by sons and
daughters of the age of seventeen. But these imperfections of Young America must not blind a visitor to its
many excellences: and the wonder is that, considering
its age and circumstances, America is so far advanced in
the order and refinement of society as it is.
This city of Philadelphia, the metropolis of the State
of Pennsylvania, is one of the most orderly, clean, and
comfortable cities that can possibly be conceived. It
bears throughout the impress of its Quaker origin; and
though, like the Quakers' dress, it is too regular and
uniform to be grand or imposing, yet there is a peaceful,
quiet serenity pervading it, which is fully in accordance
with the benign spirit of its founder, William Penn,
and of some of his first adherents within it. The site
of the city is well chosen. It stands on an elevated
piece of ground, some two miles in width, between the
rivers Delaware and Schuylkill, and had in it six
years ago nearly 409,000 inhabitants. Next to the
city of New York, it is the largest city of the United
States; and it is pleasing to reflect that the State
of which it is the capital, with all its inward resources
of iron, coal, salt, and marble, and its outward beauty
and magnificence of fields, fruit-trees, and forests, was
not obtained by extortion and robbery from the abori
ginal Indian proprietors, but was fairly purchased in its
length and breadth by amicable agreement and treaty,
as represented so graphically in West's well-known
50 
PHILADELPHIA.
picture.  This just and considerate conduct of WVilliam
Penn, we are assured, was not forgotten by the Indians,
and afterwards was a shield of protection to the Quakers
when wars raged most furiously among the red men
against Europeans; so that from that day to this it has
not been known that a Quaker has ever been injured
or slain by an Indian-such prevailing might is there
in kindness, such is the true policy of acting justly!
The plan of Philadelphia is that of an oblong square,
with streets crossing each other at right angles with the
greatest order and regularity, so that the city shows
itself to have been laid out by the line and the rule.
The drawback to this is of course the wearisome sameness which pervades the whole; for when you have seen
one part of the town you have seen the whole, so far as
its arrangements are concerned, and a European eye
craves for some crooked streets, intermingled with some
towering objects, to relieve the view, and to give it
picturesque effect. There are about 600 streets of a
width varying from 40 to 80 feet, but the two principal
streets, crossing each other in the centre of the city,
are more than 100 feet wide. Nearly all the houses
are of neat red brick: some of the brickwork in them
is the most regular and the cleanest I have ever seen.
The streets are all well paved and well purified; and
those running one wav are named after trees-as
"Chestnut Street," "Walnut Street;" while those running the other way are numbered "First Street,"
"Second Street," and so on.
There is a good market-place in the middle of the
city, and around it are wharves and basins;  but ii
maritime trading Philadelphia has not advanced as was
expected, and as, with its outlet by the Delaware to the
51 
PItILADELPIIIA.
Atlantic, it is doubtless yet destined to do. The manufactures of this city are not yet very important; they
are chiefly carpets, floor-cloths, glass, porcelain, and
articles for home use. Pittsburg, which lies some 200
miles hence, in the heart of the iron and coal district,
and in communication with all the States, is the great
place of manufacture. I fear that our special duties
will not allow us to visit that Birmingham of America.
Along the sides of nearly all the streets of Philadelphia are rows of large and beautiful trees, which,
when in full verdure, give coolness and most delicious
shade to the passenger as he treads his way under their
spreading branches on the side-pavement, which is of
diagonally-laid bricks, a material which I never saw
employed in England for our side-pavements, to the best
of my memory, except at Brighton and in the Staffordshire Potteries. Independent of their ornamental beauty,
the trees here-are a necessity, for, I was told by an
English resident on whom I called, that in the height
of summer it is so hot in Philadelphia that many people
cannot bear to move for several hours in the day, and
even water in the bath has to be renewed, so that it may
be cool during the time of use.
There are some good public buildings, principally of
granite and Pennsylvanian white marble. The Merchants' Exchange, and several of the banks, are fine
edifices, designed and copied with real taste from Grecian
models by Mr. Strickland.  The "Girard College," in
the suburbs of the city, reputedly a fine building of the
Corinthian order, I have not seen, so I cannot state
anything concerning it.  This "Girard House," in
which we are staying (and which is a well-conducted
hotel), is a large handsome building of sandstone, and
52 
PHIILADELPHIA.
displays a good degree of architectural composition and
beauty.  M',any of the best executed red-brick houses,
which abound in the city, have white marble steps
ascending to their marble or stone porticoes, while the
doors are cleanly painted, mostly white, and the silvered
knockers and handles, as well as the brass balustrades,
are all in a high state of polish. There are several good
squares within the town, which, with their smooth gravel
walks, grass lawns, and shady trees, form agreeable
walking resorts. The "stores" here are in better taste
and keeping than in New York; they are less glaring,
and more like the shops at the west end of London.
There are some small low-class houses here and there,
but these are fewer in proportion, I think, than in any
other town I am acquainted with; in a word, for cleanliness, neatness, and repose, I should deem Philadelphia
the pearl of cities.
By reputation, the ladies of Philadelphia are comparatively reserved in company, and are somewhat exclusive and "classish" in their circles.  They certainly
exhibit a really refined taste in their dress; and the
quiet, peaceful faces of the Quaker ladies, and their neat
and pleasing apparel, also add to the interest and repose
of the city, and contribute to render it so tranquillising
and inviting. And yet this tranquil-looking place can
be roused to agitation and violence; for on the comling
of some northern men into it some years ago for Abolition meetings, and on the somewhat indiscreet exhibition in the streets of an Abolition procession, in which
white and coloured persons walked arm-in-arm, a mob
assembled, burnt down the building which had been
raised for Abolition meetings, and such was the state of
public feeling, that the leaders in this open and dis
53 
PHILADELPIIIA.
graceful violence were not brought to justice or punished
for their lawless conduct.   To  the honour of  the
Quakers, let it be remembered, they were the persecuted
in this affray; from the beginning they have been foremost in the work of slave emancipation; and, in justice
to some portions of the press and of the inhabitants of
Philadelphia, it ought not to be forgotten that they denounced this anti-abolition and anti-coloured outbreak
in the very strongest terms.
There are numerous churches, belonging to different
denominations, here; and some of them are good examples
of Greek and Gothic architecture. The Methodists are
foremost among the religious bodies both in the city and
in the State; they number in the city alone as many as
10,000 church-members. We were besought to preach in
Philadelphia, but have not been able to do so for want
of time; yet we could have desired to do so, for to an
English Methodist this is a city of great interest, on
account of its early association with venerable names in
MAethodist history.  Captain Webb, the military Methodist from Bristol, whom I have already named, was
among its first visitors, and his Christian labours were
rewarded with gracious success; so that when, in 1769,
Messrs. Boardman and Pilmoor, from the British conference, arrived here, they found not less than one hundred persons gathered into membership with the Methodist Society, principally by the goo0 captain's efforts.
The following letter, sent by Mr. Pilmoor to Mr. Wesley, shows this:
Philadelphia, October 31st, 1769.
"REVEREND  SIR,-By the blessing of God, we are safely arrived here,
after a tedious passage of nine weeks.  We were not a little surprised to find
Captaiin WAebb in town, and a society of one hundred members, who desire to
54 
PIIILADELPIITIA.
bie in close connection with you.'This is the Lord's doing, and it is mar sellous in our eyes.'
"I have preached several times, and the people flock to hear in multitudes.
Sunday evening I went out upon the common.   I had the stage appointed
for the horse-race for my pulpit, and, I think, between four and five thousand hearers, who heard with attention still as night. Blessed be God for
field-preaching. When I began to talk of preaching at five o'clock in the
morning, the people thought it would not answer in America; however, I
resolved to try, and I had a very good congregation.
"There seems to be a great and effectual door opening in this country,
and I hope many souls will be gathered in. The people in general like to
hear the word, and seem to have ideas of salvation by grace."
Good Francis Asbury also laboured in this city; and
when he, with Richard Wright, arrived here from
England on the 7th of October, 1771, they found that,
through the blessing of God upon the services of Messrs.
Boardman and Pilmoor, who had laboured here alternately, some months at a time, there were 250 members
of the Methodist Society in Philadelphia.   On landing
in this place, Mr. Asbury and his colleague immediately
repaired to the church, and heard a sermon from Mr.
Pilmoor, whom they found conducting the service. And
of his own feelings and reception on his entrance upon
the great field of his successful labours for Christ, Mr.
Asbury relates:   "The people looked on us with pleasure, hardly
knowing how to show their love sufficiently, bidding us
welcome with fervent affection, and receiving us as
angels of God. Oh! that we may walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith we are called! WVhen I came near
the American shore my very heart melted within meto think from whence I came, where I was going, and
what I was going about. But I felt my mind open to
the people, and my tongue loosed to speak. I feel that
God is here, and find plenty of all I need."
55 
PHILADELPHIA.
It was here, too, that Thomas Rankin and George
Shadford, Methodist preachers from England, landed
on the 3rd of June, 1773; and here was the first conference for M1ethodism in America held on the 4th of
July of that year, by ten preachers, who reported 1160
members belonging to the several societies: so that to
us, as Methodist visitors, it may easily be understood
that Philadelphia is a place of great interest.
Next to the Methodists are the Presbyterians and the
Baptists, for numbers. The Quakers are now divided
into two sections, under the popular names of the
"Orthodox," who are of the old school of William
Penn, and the " Hicksites," who are Unitarians in doctrine. The German reformers and the Roman Catholics
have also considerable numbers of adherents here.
The churches are, in their interior accommodations,
fitted up with great convenience and comfort for the
worshippers; and several of them have large weeknight lecture and service-rooms underneath, admirably
arranged and furnished. There are, likewise, in the
city and suburbs many good and flourishing educational,
literary, and benevolent institutions that fully accord
with the character and spirit of the inhabitants.
But the most famous of all the public buildings of
Philadelphia is its old State-house, now called the " Hall
of Independence." It stands in the front of Independence Square, adjoining Chestnut Street, and is a large
old-fashioned brick structure, more than a century and
a quarter old, with an extensive fa.ade towards the
street, and a small open tower or cupola on the top. It
was here that the first American Congress was held, and
the original "Declaration of Independence" signed by
the leaders of the revolution.  On  this account the
56 
PHIIILADELPIIIA.
building is of course held in veneration by all Americans.
The room in which the Congress sat is sacredly preserved
in the state in which it was when the Declaration received its signature, and was proclaimed from the front
steps of the building. Within it are several relicssuch as chairs, table, a wooden statue of Washington,
many old portraits of the leaders and founders of
American colonisation and freedom; and the old bell
which was used and rung at the time of the great proclamation, and which bears this significant quotation
from Scripture on its rim, "Proclaim liberty throughout
the land to all the people thereof."
Though not feeling all the deep and natural interest
in this place which the Americans must feel, yet we felt
that a spot so intimately associated with the memories
of Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hancock, Adams,
and others of those remarkable men, was classic ground.
The calmly penetrative face of Franklin, especially,
cannot but frequently come up before the mind while
one treads that hall, for it was chiefly in Philadelphia
that he lived and laboured. But it is with him as with
so many who have written their own epitaphs-the one
he wrote for himself, under the allusion to an old wormeaten book, that should appear again in a new and more
beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author,
is not to be found on his burial monument; there is
simply a plain slab laid flat on the ground, inscribed
BENJAMIN 
BENJAMIND FRANKLIN,
DEBORAH D  1790.
DEOA    1790.
57 
LETTER IV.
W A S H I N G T ON.
Railway Journey over Slave Territory-Arrival at Washington-Unfilled up Plan of the City-Population and Vice-Manners of the " Represen tatives "-Gaiety of Dress-Dandy  Negroes-The Negro Bazaar-The
Capitol-Houses of Congress-Scene in the House of Representatives Contrast to the British House of Commons-Political Parties in the
United States-President's House-Congress Chaplains-Terrific Thun derstorm-Plainness of the American Chief Magistrate.
WE are now in the legislative capital of the United
States, having come to Washington from Philadelphia,
a distance of 137 miles, in something more than six and
a half hours. We left the Quaker City at noon, and,
being detained at the hotel-door waiting for nine passengers to be jammed into a coach only large enough
for six, we were late at the railway-station; and were
not only pressed for time to have Qur luggage duly
checked, and to obtain our tickets, but were also driven
to take such seats as we could find in a rough and
crowded railway car. We could not obtain two
adjoining seats, and had again to take our places beside
rude, unshaven travellers, who annoyed us by their
lounging, and copious distillations of tobacco-juice.
With the Delaware on our left, we passed over some
flat, unvaried country, until we reached Wilmington, a
town of considerable importance on the line, to judge by 
w'ASHINGTON.
what we saw from a distance of its streets, warehouses,
(and public buildings. Soon after this, we crossed the
boundary of Pennsylvania, and entered the Slave State of
Maryland.  Our reflections on this circumstance, at the
time, created within both of us most painful feelings,
which we afterwards expressed to each other; and,
whether our imaginations darkened the objects we
viewed, or it was really so, we both thought that the
transition from the Free States to the slave-holding
territory might be seen in the inferior huts and dejected
appearance of the negroes by the way-side, as well as in
the loose and slovenly cultivation of the land around.
We crossed several streams, creeks, and rivers, flowing
out of Chesapeake Bay, which was now on our left; and
we went shaking and rattling along in our heavy cars
over great lengths of timber-bridges, resting on piles,
unrailed off from the water, and swinging and trembling
fearfully as we passed over them. In about four and a
half hours we crossed the Patapsco river, and rushed
over iron bridges that stretched over docks and basins,
and down the middle of one of the most populous streets
of the city of Baltimore, to the railway-station, the big
bell by the engine-chimney ringing all the way to warn
persons in the street that the train was near. We there
changed our carriage, got seated together, and made
our mutual observations upon what we had seen and
felt on the road.
The number of coloured persons had greatly increased
upon our view since we entered Maryland; and, as we
saw them in the fields, in the streets, at the railway
terminus, and some of them, half-clothed, in miserable
low dwellings in the lower part of the city which we
were passing, I could not but think, prayerfully, of the
59 
VWASHINGTON.
picture, familiar to our childhood, of the negro in chains,
with hands uplifted to heaven, and exclaiming, "Pity
poor Africa! Am I not a man and a brother? "-for
here I was beginning to realise the existence of the
wrongs the picture had so long foreshadowed. We
hurried forward past the junctions for the Pittsburg and
the Annapolis railway-lines; and, as we advanced
towards the Columbia district, and drew near to Washington, we found the land more hilly and better cultivated; numerous villas and country residences scattered
over it; and these adorned with surrounding gardens
and lawns, spreading cedars and fruit-trees. On arriving
at the terminus, which is near to the Capitol, we drove
about half-a-mile to the "National Hlotel," where there
are, as we expected, a large number of members and
visitors of the House of Congress.
Washington is impressive at several points of view,
but it is far from looking like a metropolitan city, and
from fulfilling the hopes and expectations its founder is
said to have formed concerning it. Planned and designed
by General Washington himself, whose name it bears,
and whose perpetual monument it is intended to be, it
has not progressed in population and trade as was originally looked for. Perhaps there is an advantage in this;
for, if Washington had enlarged as rapidly as some of
the other cities of the States, it might have been difficult
to keep the crowded inhabitants in order during times
of excitement regarding great questions. As it is, any
excitement there may be on political matters in Washington is, for the most part, within the Hall of Congress.
The city is finely situated, being on elevated ground
near to the broad, meandering Potomac River, which
communicates, through the Chesapeake, with the sea, at
co 
WASIHINGTON.
some eighty miles distance. The scenery around is
pleasing, being composed of hills with verdant slopes,
and of land richly clothed with trees, and divided by
water. From the Capitol, as a centre, the streets and
avenues of the city radiate, after the manner of the
spokes of a wheel. Unfortunately, when the plan of
the city had been laid out on an extensive scale of some
fourteen miles in circumference, and the Capitol was
commenced, in 1793, instead of disposing of the plots
of land nearest to the central object in the first instance,
purchasers were allowed to select building ground where
they pleased. So that, now, there are large open spaces
seen between the structures, and that in all directions,
justifying the popular saying that "Washington is a
city of magnificent distances." Some of the streets are
nothing more than enclosed roads that run out to the
water, or to the woods; and the whole aspect of the place
is that of half village and half town. The principal
street is called "Pennsylvania Avenue," and extends in
a direct line from the Capitol about a mile-and a half to
the "White House," as the President's official residence
is called. This street, on one side at least, is pretty well
built upon, and displays some good shops, or "stores."
It is very wide, is shaded at the sides by rows of trees,
like the streets of Philadelphia (reminding one also of
Versailles), and is the chief part for both trade and
recreation.
The population of Washington amounts to about
54,000, one fourth of which is composed of visitors,
including the members of Congress and their families.
The varieties of the population are numerous and
striking. The permanently resident white population
are.said to have come from all parts of the Union
61 
WASHINGTON.
members of Congress and their families necessarily do
so; and the number of coloured persons, mulatto and
black, bond and free, nearly equals the number of the
whites.  Fashion and dissipation seem to be the general
objects of life here; morning-calls and eveniing-parties
form the earnest business of existence; and the separation of many representatives and male visitors from
their families is said to be very injurious to the morals
of the people. The large proportion of showily dressed
female mulattoes and creoles seen in the streets would
indicate this at once to an observant stranger; and the
mixture of rough unpolished men of the West, with
the more refined and mercurial men of the South, and
the whites of different States with dark menials, many
of whom are slaves, gives to the population of Washington, in an English point of view, a painful aspect.
The boarders at this hotel are the most motley and
unsatisfactory company we have hitherto joined. They
are principally representatives and their visitors. To
some of these their eight dollars per day from the people
electing them must be important, to judge from their
appearance and manners. They are thorough slovens
in dress, rude and obtrusive in behaviour, crowd the
hall and passages, and smoke and spit, and pass to and
fro and in and out with a reckless, self-important, and
"I do as I like" air.   [ingled with them-or, rather,
in the gentlemen's parlour, or reading-room-there are
several more gentle and refined spirits, but they are
not sufficient in number to give effectual relief to the
unpleasant picture. The first profane oath we have
heard since we left England was uttered here by an
elderly man who sat opposite to us at breakfast; and
who, when reproved for it by Dr. Ilannah, said, putting
6 -, 
WASHINGTON.
his hand to his pocket, "Pray, sir, what am I indebted
to you for your counsel? " Our public meals here,
though dearly paid for, are far from agreeable. There
is plenty of good and substantial food on the table, but
it is taken in such a hurry, and with such a selfish kind
of scramble,-every one clutching what he can for himself, without any respect to his neighbours' wants, and
that with the most dogged silence,-that our English
idea of a "comfortable" meal receives a sore shock.
Each man here seems to bolt, rather than eat his food;
and to see one after another start up and hurry away
out of the room, you would suppose every one had some
vastly important affairs to transact. But when you quit
the table yourself, and go out into the entrance hall, you
find it thronged with loungers and smokers, just come
from the table: so that habit and self-indulgence, not
necessity, evidently induce the conduct so strange and
disagreeable to an Englishman. I should say that, on
the average, Americans at public tables eat more than
we Englishmen, and that of substantial food; but I think
I may state that a quarter of an hour is almost the full
extent of the time an American devotes to his hotel
dinner. In private society, where we have been, there
is none of this semi-barbarous "hurry-skurry," but
everything is agreeable. It is only of hotel life in this
place that I now write; and here, at all meals, and
wherever you may be served, by waiters or porters, there
is the painful suspicion haunting you that they who
wait upon or serve you in this legislative capital are
slaves. This thought darkens, and perhaps distorts all
one's views; and so heavily has it oppressed me at all
meals that I could not eat with comfort, and often have
I had difficulty in restraining an impulse to rise up from
63 
WASHINGTON.
my seat at table, and tell the poor slave, as I supposed
him to be, waiting behind me, to sit down and take my
place, and eat the meal while I waited upon him, to
show that I believed him to be "a man and a brother."
In the streets of Washington, and especially during
morning promenade, there is a great display of gay dress
to be seen; and it is not confined to the whites: some
of the coloured people, who have the means, dress extravagantly fine: silk-gowns, white gauze and feathered
bonnets, white or flesh-coloured stockings, and satin
shoes, with variously-coloured parasols to guard the face
from the sun, may be seen on the dark, and, in some
instances, easy and graceful forms, and in the hands, of
coloured females promenading in the forenoon along
Pennsylvania Avenue. The black male dandy is also to
be seen; and, of all sights, he is the most ridiculous.
Sambo is plainly an imitative creature, but, like most
other imitators, he strays into caricature: thus, Sambo
plays the fine gentleman in the streets of Washington
by wearing a coat of superfine broadcloth, cut in the
newest fashion, and richly adorned with gilded buttons,
and a profusion of white starched shirt-collar and wristbands, and of frilled shirt-front; he holds a silver or
gold-tipped cane within white kid gloves; he perches
his hat sideway on a head tossed up with consequence;
and struts like a magpie. This is a sight that alternately
provokes one to laughter and moves one to pity. It is
not, however, a very frequent sight, for there are not
many coloured men in Washington able to dress thus.
3Many of them are meanly clad, and show by the palms
of their hands and the soles of their naked feet, whitened
by toil and walking, that their life is one of hard and
severe labour. I followed some of these injured and
64 
WASHINGTON.
degraded sons and daughters of Africa to their haunts
and huts behind the larger streets and avenues, that I
might see how they were housed, and found that some
of them were in a very desolate and pitiable condition;
and on the second evening of our stay here, I pushed my
way into a niegroes' bazaar, which was held in a cross
street at a large room, on behalf, I believe, of an African
Baptist church. And of all crowded and heated places,
this was the most disagreeably so of any I had seen.
There were dark females within their stalls, gaily clad,
and with coquettish smiling looks selling their highlycoloured and gaudily-embroidered articles. There were
black and bronzed perspiring young men and women,
arm in arm, parading the room in their best attire,
joking, laughing, and jabbering away through their
even rows of white teeth, in the most amusing style;
and yet, with this, there was a child-like, easy simplicity that rendered the novel assemblage pleasing and
interesting. There were no white faces to break or
diversify the scene, and my presence evidently caused
surprise to the coloured company.
The CAPITOL, as the house of legislation is loftily
named, is the principal object of attraction in Washington, and it is undoubtedly a fine and magnificent edifice.
Standing on a considerable elevation, it overlooks the
city, and may be seen from all parts as its crowning
ornament. It is faced with white marble, and, associated
with the green mound on which it stands, and with the
terraces, walks, and shrubbery around it, is at once
pleasing and imposing. It is by far the best building I
have seen in America. It has a grand, serene, and noble
effect, and is fully worthy of the purpose to which it is
devoted-the debating and framing of the laws by which
65
F 
WASHINGTON.
a great and rising people are to be governed. In form,
it is a large oblong square, crowned with a high dome
in the centre, and has wings attached to the middle of
its sides covered with domes of less altitude. The style
of architecture is the Corinthian, and of that style it is
a chaste, simple, and harmonious example. The entire
front is 352 feet long, the breadth of the building 269
feet, and its height in the centre 120 feet. Additional
wings of large dimensions are now being erected, and
there is to be raised in the centre a still loftier dome.
The sketch given of this grand and imposing structure
is taken from a photograph copy of the architect's own
drawing, and will show you what it is intended to be in
its outward appearance. In the centre, within and
under the principal dome, is the Rotunda, which is
nearly 100 feet in diameter, and nearly 100 feet
high.  It is embellished with sculpture in alto relievo,
and with large historical paintings. The sculpture,
within sunken stone panels at the four cardinal points, is
somewhat rude. It represents-Smith delivered by the
Interposition of Pocahontas; the Landing of the Pilgrim
Fathers; Boone's Conflict with the Indians; and Penn
treating with the Red Men for his Territory. The
paintings represent-the Presentation of the Declaration
of Independence to Congress; the Surrender of Burgoyne
to Gates; the Surrender of Cornwallis, at York-town;
Washington resigning his Commission to Congress, at
Annapolis; the Baptism of Pocahontas;" and the Em
* The story of Pocahontas, the Indian chief's daughter, here celebrated in
painting and sculpture, is romantic in interest. A party of the early English
colonists had fallen into the hands of Powhattan, her father, a powerful chief.
All the English party were summarily put to death except Captain John
Smith, their leader, who, instead of manifesting fear, displayed to the savages
66 
WASHINGTOX.
barkation of the Pilgrim Fathers. These pictures are
all large, and nearly cover the walls of the Rotunda.
The first four are by Colonel Trumbull, a veteran of the
revolutionary war, and are stiff and formal in composition; and the last two are by modern American
artists, and are wanting in solidity and repose, both in
style of design and colour. There are some good statues
on the terrace of the east front-one of Columbus, with
a globe in his hand, and an Indian woman by his side;
and two others, emblematic of Peace and War. In
bas-relief, above, there is a figure of Washington
crowned by Fame, while, in the ground before the east
front, there is a colossal sitting figure of the great
statesman, by Greenough, and bearing a Latin inscription on its pedestal, signifying that "I-lorace Greenough made this image to the great example of liberty,
and  not without  (liberty)  itself to  endure."   On
another side of the pedestal is inscribed-" First in
war: First in peace: First in the hearts of his countrymen."
Leading off from the Rotunda, in the middle, are
his pocket.compass, and, by signs and gestures, engaged and amused them
with a description of the form of the earth, and the nature of the planetary
system. Three successive days they took counsel as to what was to be done
with this wonderful being, and at length decreed his death; but, as hlie bowed
his head to receive the fatal stroke of the tomahawk, Pocahontas, the chief's
young and favourite daughter, threw herself upon the neck of the interesting
stranger, and begged for his life, saying he should make hatchets for her
father, and rattles, strings, and beads for herself. IHis life was spared, and
he afterwards made important discoveries on the coast. Some years afterwards, Pocahontas herself fell into the hands of English colonists, when she
was instructed in Christianity and baptised, as the first Illdian convert in
America. She was then sought in marriage by John Rolfe, who brought her
to England, where she died, after winning love and admiration as a Christian,
a wife, and a mother.
67 
WASHINGTON.
passages to the Senate Chamber and to the HTall of Representatives, which are in the north and south wings
of the building. These are, as to their general plan
and arrangements, much alike, only the Hall of Representatives is considerably larger than the Senate Chamber. They are semicircular in shape, with the chair for
the president, or speaker, in the middle of the diameter
line; the seats and desks of the senators, or representatives, being arranged in semicircular rows, very much
after the style of the French legislative chambers. Into
galleries around and behind the speaker, the public are
admitted. In its interior fittings of Potomac marble
pillars and dome-roofed ceilings, with curtains and
carpets, each place of legislative assemblage is handsome
and tasteful. Under the Senate Chamber is the apartminent in which the supreme court holds its sessions once
a year, and over the entrance of the west front is the
Library, containing, it is said, some 30,000 volumes,
and elegantly fitted up. There are numerous offices
within the general building; and outside, both at the
east and west fronts, the porticoes, steps, and balustrades
are very stately and impressive in their effect.
We attended both Houses of the Congress at the time
of their sittings, that we might see and hear, in their
respective places, the senators and representatives of
the people of America.   The Senate is presided over
by the Vice-President, the second magistrate of the
United States: it is composed of two members from
the Legislature of each State, who are elected for six
years, one-third of the whole Senate going out of office
every two years. We were pleased with the senators;
they bore much of the appearance of old English country
gentlemen.   They  seemed, indeed, to be  fit repre
68 
WASHINGTON.
sentatives of property, for so they may be considered
from the mode of their election. Some of them spoke
with great order, and very effectively. But we were not
so much gratified in the House of Representatives. The
speaker is a fine, noble-looking man; and there were
some of the members who seemed to be thoughtful, and
lovers of order; but many of them appeared to be rude,
disorderly, and bawling men, who do not mend what we
call the "Queen's English" either in form or tone.  We
were told by friends, before we paid this visit to the
place of national debate, that not a few of the representatives are mere political adventurers, who live and
trade upon public excitement, and have no great amount
of confidence placed in them by anybody. In looking
upon them, and listening to them, I could fully understand and believe this statement.
The principal subject of discussion when we were in
attendance was the correctness of a decision pronounced
from the chair. The clamour for opportunity to speak
was great, and the speaking against one another violent.
If what we witnessed ought to be taken as a fair specimen of the daily proceedings in that House of Congress,
one would be ready to conclude that it requires no great
sum of wisdom, genius, or even business-like talent, to
govern the American people. We, however, found there
was good reason to believe that the people, generally, are
better than their parliamentary representatives. It would
be nearly impossible to caricature the strange things
we heard from some of these national talkers. Several
of them, with complexions like meerschaum pipes that
have been long in use, might have been taken for travellers from the backwoods; and these delivered themselves in the most inflated style, piling together epithets
69 
WASHINGTON.
in the superlative with unmerciful profusion, and straining after figures of speech, as if words, and not thoughts,
were the great requisites for guiding the judgments of
those who heard them to a proper conclusion. Some of
the speeches we heard must have been delivered for
bunflkem, as the Americans designate what is spoken for
mere out-of-doors effect.
Between the routine and other circumstantials of the
American parliament and ours, of course there are some
differences. We had no written orders to obtain for
entrance into either house of Congress. Visitors of all
kinds are present, both in the galleries and on the floor:
men in working clothes as well as persons in fashionable
dress; and there were also many ladies in the galleries.
The president, or speaker, was in plain clothes, and so
were the clerks and officers of each house. There are
no ministerial benches, or mention of this or that side
of the house; no cries of "hear, hear," or "divide;"
no cheering, coughing, or interruptions resembling
those so customary in the British House of Commons.
The members secure their seats by choice as they arrive
at the beginning of a session; each man speaks as long
and as loudly as he pleases, but there is often a hard
fight for the next turn, many rising when the speaker
sits down, and no small difficulty in determining who
is to have the turn. The houses sit from twelve at noon
to four, or, if necessary for the dispatch of business, to
six, or later.
I need scarcely say that party-feeling in politics runs
extremely high in this city and in this country. Nearly
all profess the strongest attachment to the constitution,
and seem as if they would sacrifice anything to maintain
it, and yet never were parties more violently opposed to
70 
WASHINGTON.
each other, and never were parties in a country more
numerous. There are Whigs, Democrats, Democrat-Republicans, or Loco-focos, Nullifiers, Seceders, Workies,
and Know-nothings, beside Pro-Slavery and AntiSlavery men, these last two belonging usually to one or
another of the political parties as well. The three firstnamed parties are of most importance. The Whigs are
what we should call Conservatives; the Democrats resemble our Whigs, or moderate reformers; and the
Democrat-Republicans  are Radicals, and  are named
"Loco-focos" from a stratagem they employed at a
meeting with loco-foco matches.   The  bulk of  the
wealthier classes may, perhaps, be said to belong to the
Conservatives, the body of the people to the moderate
reformers, and the most violent to the Radicals. Each
party has its spouters and newspapers, and seems to see
no consistency or virtue in the other; and here, as in
New York, the public profligacy of speech and writing
is most flagrant concerning the conduct and character
of political chiefs and their adherents. They are abused,
scandalised, and denounced in the most unsparing manner. This practice is so fully understood, that what is
spoken in political meetings or written in newspapers
carries little weight with it. All this is admitted and
lamented by observant and candid Americans with
whom we have conversed.
The building in Washington next in importance to
the Capitol is undoubtedly the residence provided for
the chief magistrate of the United States. The President's house stands on an elevated piece of ground at
the other extremity of the city. It is a spacious, good
building, with Ionic pilasters and rustic basement. In
size and appearance it is very much like an English
71 
WASHINGTON.
nobleman's seat; but the parallel has not been continued
to the grounds adjoining it, for they do not include
twenty acres. There are some good government offices
at the same end of the city, near to the President's house.
There is, likewise, between the city and the river, a
large building of red sandstone, and of Norman or early
Gothic architecture, named the "Smithsonian Institute,"
with other collegiate, educational, and scientific institutions. The private buildings in Washington are, with
few exceptions, poor and low.  lIany of them are of
wood; and being either singly detached or in scattered
and isolated groups, they have a comfortless appearance.
And even where the houses are more continuous, as in
the principal streets, they are of such various shapes and
heights, as to present no satisfactory effect. The shops,
for the most part, are small and slenderly furnished, and
are far inferior to the "stores" of New York and Philadelphia. MIany parts of the city seem to be just rising
into existence, and others falling into decay, on the
borders of a marshy common.
At night the city, through its insolvency, it is said, is
scarcely lighted at all, and appears then most desolate.
I cannot but think that the curse of slavery is upon it.
Hlere slavery has its mart, its auction-block, its dungeons,
its whips and chains, and its open profligacy. I could
send you copies of advertisements for the sale of negroes
and the recovery of runaway slaves which appear here
in the newspapers, and I could relate to you several
instances of the wrongs and cruelty done to slaves
within Washington itself; but I forbear to write at
length upon this subject until I shall have seen and
heard more concerning it.
There are about twenty churches in Washington
72 
WASHINGTON.
belonging to different religious bodies. The Methodists
have in the city 2300 fully accredited members: 1000
of whom belong to the coloured race. Public religious
services are daily held in the Senate Chamber and in
the House of Representatives.  The chaplains to each
house of Congress are appointed, on election, by the
members, and usually are Methodists, but at present
there is one Presbyterian chaplain and one Methodist.
We heard the prayer of the venerable Presbyterian
minister in the Hall of Representatives, at twelve at
noon, when the proceedings for the day commenced, and
were gratified. He prayed very earnestly that God
would bless the People's representatives, and make
them good and faithful servants of the Republic.
We had not time to go over to Georgetown, the other
city within the district of Columbia (a small territory
which has been voluntarily surrendered by Virginia and
Maryland to the exclusive government of Congress), or
to visit Mount Vernon, which is fifteen miles distant,
and where, on the banks of the Potomac, is the house
and tomb of Washington. I ought, however, to have
named a colossal monument to the renowned statesman,
general, and founder of this city, which may be seen
now rising between the President's house and the
river.
I must not fail to note for you int this sheet the
features and effects of a thunderstorm which Dr. Hannah
and I have witnessed in this place. It came on in the
dusk of the evening. The clouds gathered black above
and around us, the lightnings flashed incessantly, and
the thunder literally shook the earth with its echoes.
At one time the firmament seemed all on flame around
us, and then it appeared to open and shut in different
73 
WASHINGTON.
parts with fire. The wind rose, and rushed along furiously, until we could not walk in the streets. It bent
and split the trees of the avenues, and howled fearfully
in the corners and among the chimneys of the houses.
A few large pattering drops of rain fell, and spread
themselves upon the pavement, and then, as if the sky
had suddenly burst, the water poured down in torrents,
and ploughed up the ground into deep rugged furrows,
until one was ready to imagine that a second deluge
was come. While in New York we were caught in a
rain-storm that seemed to us overwhelming; it drenched
us through to the skin in a few minutes, but it was a
trifle compared to this storm in Washington.
I may just say, in conclusion, that we did not seek an
introduction to the President of the United States,
though we should have had no difficulty in obtaining it.
The American chief magistrate is readily accessible to
all who desire to see him or speak with him. His
"drawing-rooms" and " levees" are open to all persons,
-even to the poorest, who may go to them in workingdress,-the only qualification being that the person who
thus claims admission should be a citizen of America.
There are no forms or dresses of state and ceremony
used either by the President or any member of the
government. There are no livery-servants belonging
to the American grandees; if they be seen here at all,
they belong to ambassadors or other representatives
from foreign states; and the President may walk
through the streets of Washington with almost as little
observation as any private citizen.
74 
LETTER V.
BALT I MORE.
Origin of the City-General Description of it-American Aristocracy Coloured Popiulation-Evils of Slavery-The "Liberia" Project-" Wash ington Mormlment"-"Battle Monument"-" Green Mount Cemetery" Methodist Cemetery, or, "the Mount of Olives"-Importance of Metho dism in Baltimore-Relics of Early Methodism-Record of Early La bourers-Coloured Churches of Methodists-Preaching and Memorable
Scene of excitement at the African Methodist Church in Sharpe Street Scriptural Hopes for the Emancipation of the enslaved Race.
5VE came to this city from Washington, and have lost
no time in surveying it, and getting acquainted with
whatever it contains of worth and interest. At first we
went to Barnum's Hotel, in Battle Monument Square,
with the intent to inn there, but Dr. Roberts, at whose
house we called while he was from home, followed us,
and insisted on our coming to stay with him. He is
both a doctor in divinity and a doctor of laws and medicine, and is a very intelligent, hospitable, and pious
gentleman.   The  interest  he displays  in whatever
belongs to the antiquities and history of Methodism is
remarkable. He not only possesses many valued relics,
records, and books of early Methodism, but has done
much towards founding a society for collecting and preserving such memorials of the past. Hie is what is 
BALTIMORE.
termed in America a "located minister," practising in
the medical profession, and yet officiating in turn at the
Methodist churches of the city, as well as holding a
chaplaincy to the soldiers and  the cemetery.   Dr.
Roberts has spared no trouble in showing us attention,
and has driven us about most cheerfully to view the
principal parts of the city and its objects of interest.
Baltimore, as you will know, is the capital of Maryland, and, for population and commerce, ranks as the
third city in the United States. At the Census of
1850 it contained 169,054 souls. It derives its name
from Lord Baltimore, the tolerant Roman Catholic
nobleman, who, in the reign of William and Mary,
settled here as a colonist with his family, and who not
only gave to Protestants the free exercise of their consciences in the worship and service of God, but also
acted justly and generously to the aboriginal Indians,
from whom he purchased the lands of the State. Like
the other cities we have visited, Baltimore is most
favourably situated, standing on ground that rises, some
150 feet to its crown, from an extended bay of the
Patapsco River, which, at the distance from hence of
200 miles, passes by the Chesapeake into the open
Atlantic.   In general appearance, as beheld in the
approach to it, the town, rising up from the water,
reminds one of the views given of Constantinople; and
there are several domes, tall, slender monuments, and
minaret-like forms, that materially contribute to this
resemblance. In trade and exports of flour and tobacco,
it is among the busiest cities of this western world; and
its numerous shipping, seen fringing the water's edge,
adds to the general effect of the panorama.
"Baltimore Street," which runs from east to west
76 
BALTIMORE.
through the middle of the town, and is about two miles
long, is the great thoroughfare both for trade and promenade.  It is a good wide street, having in it many
substantial and well-stocked warehouses and stores. The
most fashionable quarter of the town is on the high
ground at the north side. Here are many fine buildings, both public and private; and the well-built brick
houses, with granite or white marble steps and porticoesthe silvered and polished door-handles, knockers, and
bell-pulls-the ornamental railings and balustradesand the clean and pretty grass-plots, render this quarter
equal to the finest parts of Philadelphia; while there is
less of sameness in the general effect than there is in
the fiat Quaker city. This quarter, indeed, may more
properly be styled "aristocratic" than anything we
have yet seen in America. There is an air of real
refinement in its society. The ladies, in their walks
and rides, have a delicacy in their dress and equipage
that tells assuredly of cultivated taste. They are remarkable for gracefulness; and a "Baltimore beauty"
is a proverbial phrase, the fitness of which seems to be
generally acknowledged. The original colonists here
were English and French gentry, many of them being
persons of superior education and manners, and the stamp
of refinement seems never to have been lost. I may just
observe that we have already found there is real selfcongratulation among the Americans when their descent
can be clearly traced from good English families.
The coloured persons in this city are numerous,
amounting, it is said, to one-fourth of the entire population.  Three-fourths of these are reported as "free;"
and, from the dress and style of some of them, it is evi
dent they experience no scarcity of means for comfort
77 
BALTIMORE.
able and even sumptuous living. The slaves are chiefly
domestic and hired-out labourers. Some of these appear
to be well provided for, and seem to be cheerful and
contented in their situations. There is much of the
picturesque in the figures of the female slaves here, as
they are seen cleaning the steps and door-handles of the
best houses, their black but comely arms and faces contrasting richly with their coloured turban-handkerchiefs and body-dresses, and with the white marble
steps and porticoes; and the black coachmen and footmen associated with the fine horses and rich silver ornaments of the carriages produce a stately effect.
But in the lower parts of the city, and in the outskirts, there are many negroes who are very coarse and
very wretched in their looks-many that seem as if
they had abandoned themselves hopelessly to degradation, and who live in filth and misery the most deplorable. Their dwellings seem like dens of darkness and
desolation; and their children, of either sex, with their
rough woolly heads, run in and out of them utterly unclothed. Surely slavery, wherever it exists, exhibits,
even under the most favourable circumstances, its own
brand of wrong and wretchedness. And what is it
here, in this refined and genteel city, compared with
what it is in the field, and on the cotton and tobacco
grounds, where men and women are driven along in
their allotted labour by the whip, and are exposed to
every injury and insult of passionate and depraved
owners and drivers.
All whom I have hitherto conversed with in the
States on this subject deplore the great evil of slavery.
The intelligent and benevolent men of this city express
themselves as being ashamed of it, and seem very earnest
78 
BALTIMORE.
in their desire to get rid of it as soon as practicable. It
is in Baltimore that the most strenuous efforts have been
made to establish Liberia-the colony on the coast of
Africa to which it is aimed to transmit coloured people
when set free in America. Some may question the
propriety of encouraging this scheme. It may be urged
that the strong antipathy to the dark race, which seeks
the entire removal of it from American soil, should not
be fostered. And others may question the justice of
such a measure, since the negroes and their mulatto
children, born on American ground, seem to have as
great a natural right to live and continue there as the
white descendants of emigrants from foreign lands; yet
it is beyond a doubt that many who strive to maintain
this Liberia project are impelled by the earnest pity and
benevolence of their honest hearts.
Among the more modern churches there are some
good buildings in Baltimore. The Roman Catholic
Cathedral and the Unitarian Church are highly spoken
of by some; but though they are prominent objects by
their size, and by the domes with which they are surmounted, yet they are not consistent or good in their
architectural style, and are unattractive when compared
with the cathedrals and churches of celebrity in Europe.
There are two monuments of some pretension in this
"City of Monuments," as it has been called. One, the
"Washington Monument," is a Doric column, with
pedestal and figure, 180 feet high, all of white marble,
and in form is not much unlike the Duke of York's
Column, on the old site of Carlton HIouse, London. This
monument stands on the very crown of the northern or
best part of the city, and is a pleasing object. The
view from the top of this high monument is very exten
79 
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sive. Dr. Hannah and I climbed the 200 steps, and
felt ourselves well rewarded for the labour. The town,
with its streets, buildings, quays, and shipping, is spread
out in its full length and breadth before you; while the
river at its verge may be seen extending towards the
sea. The figure of Washington, by Cansici, an Italian
sculptor, is 16 feet high, and represents the general
at the interesting moment when, after settled victory,
he voluntarily resigned his command to retire into
private life. The veneration for Washington in the States
is unbounded. Hle is undoubtedly the national idol;
his name, acts, and sayings still govern the Americans;
and perhaps of all hero-worship among nations, there
is none existing which is more signal or manifest than
that of Washington among this people. There is wide
difference of opinion respecting other early presidents
and statesmen-such as Jefferson and Adams-but none
as to Washington. Every American holds him to have
been a great, pure-souled, disinterested man, and seems
to regard him as the true beaut ideal of a patriot.
The "Battle Monument," intended to perpetuate the
memory of the men who fell in the several battles
fought during the struggle for Independence is less satisfaetory than the monument to the nation's founder. It
is an odd and incongruous combination of an Egyptian
spreading pedestal with a Roman column of arrows
and bands; it is 62 feet high, of white marble, and has
on its top a female figure, emblematic of the city of
Baltimore.
The cemeteries in the suburbs of Baltimore are, I
think, the most lovely and interesting places of the
kind I have ever visited. I have seen nothing equal to
them in England or elsewhere. The "Green Mount
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Cemetery," north-west of the town, is highly rich and
beautiful in its undulating ground, and fresh green
graceful trees and tasteful shrubbery.   Mingled with
other trees of fine, broad, spreading foliage are cedars
and pines; while under and around them are countless
tombs, obelisks, columns, and gravestones, nearly all of
white marble, and bearing inscriptions for the dead
whose bodily remains have been interred beneath them.
lany of these monuments are very chaste and beautiful
in form, and the devices and inscriptions upon them are
affecting. One, for a departed youth, is an open Bible
on a pedestal, with a broken flower resting on the second
verse of the 14th chapter in the Book of Job-" iHe
cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down." On others
are the names of the parties erecting the memorial,
under the words, "In memory of our beloved mother,"
or, "In memory of my beloved wife."  I observed, also,
that not only have families plots of ground railed ill for
themselves, but that within them, besides the gravestones with inscriptions for deceased wife and child, the
living widower and father's own resting-place was provided, the inscription, of course, omitting the date of
his death and the record of his age. What a locality
for a man to visit, and in which to meditate on his own
frailty and mortality!
The other cemetery, which is north-east of the city,
is exclusively devoted to the Methodists, and is named
"The Mount of Olives."  It is not so fine in trees and
shrubbery as Green Mount; but it, too, with its numerous
white marble monuments, is a most interesting place.
It was first opened in 1846, and contains already more
than 1000 bodies. The remains of Bishops Asbury,
Emory, and George have been brought here, and are
G
81 
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enclosed within a large square, where a suitable monument is to be erected for them. We ]ingered on this
ground, where rest the bodies of so many of "the dead
who died in the Lord," until the sun went down in his
American golden glory, and until the grey twilight
gathered and thickened around us, and made us the
subjects of solemn reflections and of deep feeling.
The Methodists have a very prominent and honourable
rank among the Protestant denominations of Baltimore,
-they are, in fact, foremost both in numbers and
influence.   They  number  forty-three  churches  and
chapels; five of these being for the coloured race, and
two for the Germans. Gospel teaching is supplied in
these churches by thirty stated ministers and seventy
local preachers, of whom twenty-two are coloured freemen, ten of them having been ordained. The number
of full church members in Baltimore is more than 13,000,
3730 of them being coloured persons.   Some of the
churches are highly interesting by their associations
with the earlier scenes of Methodism. At the back of
one of these churches, named "Light Street Church,"
is an upper room in which several of the first and
most important conferences and meetings of Methodism
were held, and which were presided over by Dr. Coke
and Francis Asbury. It is a square, low-ceiled room,
plainly furnished, and still preserved in its primitive
style of arrangement and fittings.  While in it, and
looking upon its rough, heavy furniture, one could not
but picture the scenes of seventy or eighty years ago,
when the few veteran labourers for Christ, with earnest
hearts, but with faces and clothes worn in the wilderness, met there to deliberate on the spiritual wants of
the new continent, and how best to provide for them.
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W' hat a glorious work has God wrought in this land
since their time! But perhaps it is no greater than
the devout confidence of such earnest and truly apostolic
labourers anticipated.
Baltimore must always be viewed as one of the chief
centres from which Methodism first radiated, and from
which it has continued to extend and spread until it has
well-nigh covered the land. Hiere the apostolic Asbury
had his appointed station from the first conference, and
from hence he took his long pilgrimages for preaching
the Gospel in the surrounding parts of the country.
Here, in his day, and repeatedly since, have been experienced overpowering seasons of grace and salvation.
Within twenty-one miles of this place Dr. Coke and his
friends sought to establish the first colleges and seminaries for the youth of Methodism; and though these
first efforts were singularly frustrated by successive fires,
which consumed the buildings erected at great cost and
sacrifice, yet, from their ashes, so to speak, have arisen
the establishments for learning which Methodism has,
since then, so numerously spread over the northern part
of this great continent. Here, too, the "Methodist
Episcopal Church" of America was first organised into
a distinct and separate system of agency for spreading
evangelical holiness and truth through the land, when,
instead of being a number of societies from other
churches, it became a church for itself: and it was here
that the general conference of that church was first held,
and which has adjourned its sessions, quadrennially,
from that time to the present, assembling in different
places, as most convenient. Dr. Hannah was here at
the general conference of 1824 with the venerable
Richard Reece.  Here, too, the manly and eloquent
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Robert Newton attended the general conference of 1840,
and preached to listening and delighted thousands
within the churches and open squares, the "glorious
Gospel of the blessed God." So that, to a MIethodist
visitor, Baltimore is a place of strong and accumulated
interest. But, to me, the most interesting spectacles
within this city have been the Miethodist churches of
black and coloured members. It would be difficult for
me to say fully how it is, but I have felt an intense
interest in the coloured people of this continent. Perhaps
this may be accounted for in some degree by the novelty
of what I have witnessed. It is uncommon to English
eyes to see large numbers of such people; and they are
chiefly associated in the mind with suffering and injury.
One unavoidably connects the sight of them with the
sense of a gigantic wrong. This feeling had strengthened
in the course of our journey, and especially from what I
had seen and thought in Washington, until, when I came
here, I felt that if it were only for the relief of my own
burthen of accumulated feeling, I must preach to the
poor, wronged race. Thus it arose that, when informed
of the arrangements made prospectively for Dr. Hannah
and myself as to Sabbath services, I preferred a request
to be allowed to preach in the evening in one of the
churches of the coloured people. This gave rise to some
passing difficulty, owing to the previous announcement
concerning our services, and so what I desired was, at first,
received with some remonstrance; but I continued to
urge my request, placing myself entirely at the disposal
of ministers and friends for the other parts of the day;
and at length the African church in "Sharp Street"
was assigned to me. In the morning I preached to a
large and respectable congregation in" Caroline Street"
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Church.   Dr. Hannah  preached twice to large  and
delighted congregations-many of his former friends
crowding to hear him again.
]Iy Sabbath-evening work was the most intensely
inspiring and exhausting service in which I ever
partook. The large church was filled to overflowing
some time before I arrived there, and I had difficulty
in making my way to the pulpit. Some said there
were 2000 coloured persons in and about the building;
but assembled multitudes are usually over estimated, and
I should say it was so in this instance. It would have
been very difficult to number them, for they were jammed
together in every part, and that irrespective of passages,
pews, and sittings. There is a gallery on three sides of
the church, which is appropriated to the class of free
negroes-persons who are in, what we call in England,
easy circumstances. The floor was principally covered
with common seats and benches. Within the communion
rails sat some twenty black, woolly-headed class-leaders
and local preachers. These were fine, intelligent-looking
men, neatly dressed in black clothes, and wearing plain
white Mlethodist cravats.  The spectacle, altogether, was
most impressive. Some of the free negroes in the gallery
were not only well, but handsomely dressed-white silk
shawls, white gauze and silk bonnets, white kid gloves,
and white fans, were plentiful among the dark females.
The coloured people seem to be fond of white dress, and
no wonder, for, great as may be the contrast between
their complexions and their white caps and bonnets, yet,
if such portions of their dress were black, how sombre
and unpleasing would be the effect! Some of the men
in the gallery were dressed in handsome blue and black
clothing, associated with a very large amount of white
85 
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shirt-collars, fronts, and wristbands. The congregation
below was more neatly dressed-some of the females had
blue, red, and orange-coloured handkerchiefs gracefully
folded upon their heads into African turbans, but were
plainly and coarsely clad in their body garments. The
men, too, on the ground-floor were plainly, and, in some
instances, roughly clothed. lIany of these in the lower
part of the church were slaves. The place, crowded and
filled in every part, became most oppressively hot, and
the perspiration ran down the faces of the people most
profusely, and made them shine like polished ebony.
For that phrase of quaint old Thomas Fuller's-" God's
images carved in ebony "-so aptly descriptive of the
coloured race, came irresistibly to my remembrance as I
looked upon the dark, shining mass of human beings
before me. There were not more than half-a-dozen
white persons within the church, and they were chiefly
ministers on their way to the General Conference,-for
the whites of the churches in America do not mingle
and worship with the blacks, even when visited by an
English minister, whom, perhaps, they flock in crowds
to hear when he preaches in a church not set apart for
the African race. The strong effluvia emitted by the
heated bodies of the negroes may, to some extent, account
for this separation, but not wholly. No doubt the
degradation so long associated with the coloured people
has much to do with it.  We commenced the service by
singing,-and such singing, I may confidently say, I
never heard before. I do not mean as to correctness
and order, but for its soft, plaintive melody, and its
thrilling effect upon me. They sang in their several
parts, for the choir was all duly arranged in the gallery
in front of us. It was led by a female, who had a sin
86 
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gularly clear, firm, and powerful voice. A band of dark
sisters accompanied her in the air; a brotherhood of
manly and mellow voices joined in the tenor; another
company, in the purest tones, pealed the counter; while
a larger division of huge, brawny black men rolled forth
a mass of bass sounds, that one might have called
"human thunder" almost without hyperbole; and all
the congregation joined the choir in singing. The choir
did not sing to the congregation, or for it-as is too often
the case in congregations-but with it; and there is a
soft, mellowing, and harmonising effect in the African
singing that seems peculiar to itself. At prayer all
seemed to be most reverent and devout, there seemed to
be no irreverence, either in posture or sound, and there
were times when "all the people said, Amen!" I preached
to them on the freeness and fulness of God's salvation, as
set forth in the invitation given by Christ to the poor,
the maimed, the halt, and the blind, especially applying
to them the direction given concerning the treatment
of the unsheltered outcasts of human society, who are
represented as in the "highways and hedges."  I imposed restraint upon myself for a time, finding that the
very sight of the dark congregation, together with
associations in my mind of their injured and degraded
race, filled me with strong emotion; and the people,
from warnings and counsels previously given to them, I
believe, also restrained their feeling for a while. But,
oh! those black, beaming faces-those upturned and
imploringly soft, dark eyes-those eager, devout, and
rapturous looks,-were too much for me, and the bonds
of self-restraint, both with preacher and people, began
to slacken; and when at length praiseful exclamations
arose from different parts of the congregation,-such as
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"Blessed be de name of Jesus! " "Glory to de Lamb! "
"Hallelujah! "-I could restrain myself no longer, but,
from an overflowing heart, preached to them the Gospel
of the Son of God. The effbect was striking-the people
wept and laughed, clapped their hands like children,
shouted, and even leaped up and danced for joy. The
description of Israel at the turning of their captivity
might be quoted to represent the rejoicing negro congregation of that night   they were like men  who
dreamed; their mouth was filled with laughter, and
their tongue with singing; yea, "the floods" of the
assembled people "lifted up their voice" and "clapped
their hands." The whole mass of dark worshippers
bowed and waved to and fro like a field of ripe corn
before the wind; and, at length, clearing spaces around
them, some of them leaped up from the ground and
swung themselves round, literally "dancing before the
Lord." You will hardly comprehend this, but such was
the child-like simplicity and devout fervency that marked
this singular scene, that it produced no confusion in the
service whatever. After the sermon we made a collection; and it was the second during the service,-for
the African Methodists are not willing to appear before
the Lord empty,-we had made one before for the graveyard belonging to the African church; and this second
contribution was for the support of the ministry. Then
we sang and prayed again; and then, before the conclusion, the choir sang some of their own African
pieces.  One piece was on "Canaan, bright Canaan,"
and another was on "Praise to the Lord," and some of
the parts in these had very beautiful passages. One
female voice took a solo, in one piece, and the voice
soared and rang as if it were the voice of a rapt seraph
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singing alone in the ecstatic audience of angels. The
minister in charge, with myself, tried to dismiss the
congregation, but they would not separate, or, if some
went out, others came in and began also to sing and
shout the praises of God, so that the place remained
filled to a late hour. After a time, I pushed my way
towards the door; but the blacks crowded around me,
and I made but little progress. Numbers of dark,
perspiring hands were thrust forth towards me, accompanied with the words, "Bless you, English massa!"
and "Bless de Great Massa above!" others said, "i He
send de Word home to de heart!"
At length I gained the door, and, at something after
ten o'clock, reached Dr. Roberts', where, after family
worship, I retired, with Dr. Hannah, to bed, glad of the
opportunity to speak, with one so congenial in thought
and feeling, upon the Sabbath and its services. I did
not sleep at all through the night, but passed the wakeful hours upon my bed, with joyful feelings and reflections, exultantly exclaiming, "The Spirit of the Lord
is upon me, because Hie hath anointed me to preach the
Gospel to the poor, He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the
Lord."
I can now fully appreciate the opinion expressed, I
believe, by Mliss Bremer with regard to African churches,
~iz., that it is not unlikely God will ultimately raise up
from them, His long-oppressed and down-trodden children, model churches for the world; for, certainly, if
religion be love, and if simplicity, devoutness, patience,
meekness, humility, and fervency be the distinguishing
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attributes of Christ's own religion, then these are to be
found in African churches in all possible perfection. In
them the Book of the Canticles, that "song of songs"
(which, when men's hearts shall be purified from carnality, will be found to be a precious vehicle of spiritually
loving thought and expression), seemed to be beautifully
fulfilled and illustrated. They are sick of love for
Christ, their Saviour and spouse, and they seek him
most earnestly and perseveringly in the streets and
ordinances of the Gospel city, that new Jerusalem which
has come down from God out of heaven. It cannot be
that this poor, suffering, and long-oppressed race, the
prey of all nations, shall have no recompence from a
God who judgeth upon the earth. Their cry, from the
slave-ship, from the auction-mart, from the dungeon,
from the field where they have toiled in chain-gangs,
and under the whips that ploughed long furrows in
their backs, has already entered into the ears of the
Lord God of Sabaoth; and Hle who, when a young child,
went down into Egypt, where Joseph, and Moses, and
enslaved Israel had wept, and suffered, and prayed, and
who had his cross borne for him up the rugged mount
of Calvary by Simon, the black man of Cyrene, shall
ultimately deliver and avenge them. Under His peaceful and millennial reign, the hostile nature of black and
white races of men shall be reconciled, while the savage
natures of men-stealers and slave-traders shall be regenerated and subdued. Then shall "the wolf dwell with
the lamb, and the leopard lie down with the kid; the
calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together, and
a little child shall lead them; the cow and the bear
shall feed together, their young ones lie down together,
and the lion eat straw like the ox; and the sucking
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child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned
child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den: they
shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, saith
the Lord:" and then shall Africa, freed from her
chains, sit rejoicing in her love to Christ, " under her
own vine and fig-tree," no man-stealer "daring to make
her afraid." "Ethiopia shall stretch out her hand unto
God!"
91 
LETTER VI.
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
Railway from Baltimore to Cumberland-Company of Methodist \Mifisters The River Potomac-Town of Cumberland —Hotel Customs, and Iced
Water-Striking View from the Hill above Cumberland-Railway over
the Alleghanies-Character of the Scenery-Town of Wheeling-Policy
which dictated the Formation of the Great Railway to the West-Names
of American Towns-Free State of Ohio-The Located Minister-Horrors
of Slavery-The Ohio River-Kentucky left behind-Arrival at Cin  cinnati.
I MIUST now describe to you our journey from Baltimore
over the great Alleghany Mountains, by the bright Ohio
River, Cincinnati,-the "Queen City of the West,"and over rich prairie and forest lands, on to this "City
of Railroads," as it is called, Indianapolis.
We left Baltimore by an early morning train, that
we might have as much of the daylight as possible
while travelling on the Ohio Railway. In the cars we
had with us for companions several Methodist delegates,
who, like ourselves, were on the way to this place for
the General Conference. They were intelligent, wellinformed ministers, strong haters of slavery, and
thoroughly unreserved in speaking their sentiments on
what they had seen and learned of that abominable
system. Some of them were of English birth and edu 
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
cation, and were thus wholly free from American prejudices concerning African colour and caste. We had,
therefore, considerable advantage in our companionships
during a long and toilsome journey, and had not only
relief and interest arising from them, but also instruction and profit. The first day was very close and
oppressive, and we both saw and felt some reason for
certain light-coloured-and, to our English eyes, rather
unministerial-clothing which some of our American
brethren wore.
Our first two days were spent in passing along the
margins of the Slave States of Maryland and Virginia;
and in our course we saw slaves working in the fields,
and serving within and outside of refreshment-rooms,
and of private houses. To our thinking, most of them
wore a dejected and sorrowful look; and here, again, in
the loose and rude manner in which some of the land
was cultivated, we believed we saw signs of what has
often been asserted in print, and of what was stoutly
maintained by several of our companions, that slavelabour is not really profitable to its owners. Many of
the slaves appeared as if they were destitute of sufficient
motive for exertion, since they seemed both to work and
to wait lazily.
The scenery improved upon us as we advanced into
the country. At first it was rather fiat and tame, but
after a time it began to resemble, in its hills and dales,
some parts of Derbyshire and of the English lake district. At many different points we saw and crossed the
Potomac River, which separates the States of Maryland
and Virginia, and which is more than 500 miles long,
from its mouth of seven and a half miles wide at Chesapeake Bay. This noble river bends greatly and fre
93 
94     THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
quently in its course, and varies much in the aspect
under which it is seen by the traveller through the
valley along which it flows. Hiere it will be seen
rolling tumultuously over a wide and broken bed, and
there lingering in deep gorges and dark pools; now
brawling amidst fragments of rocks and huge boulders,
and then it will present a comparatively calm sheet of
water, pleasingly dotted with small islands clothed with
trees and shrubs. The Potomac is said to have in it
abundance of fish, particularly of the white shad, the
herring, and the sturgeon. The last-named fish is often
found of immense size, weighing as much as 100 lbs.,
and is seen taking enormous leaps at falls and cascades.
The white shad is a fiat fish of good substance and
flavour, and is not much unlike the sole, so well known
and esteemed in England. The shad is a favourite dish
at an American table. The Potomac is also frequented
at certain seasons by troops of wild swans and flocks
of wild geese, which afford pastime to sportsmen, and
favourite, if not dainty, food for epicures.
As we approached Hlarper's Ferry, eighty-two miles
distant from Baltimore, the scenery grew very bold and
romantic; indeed, when viewed from a more elevated
point than we attained, the scenery in that neighbourhood is, reputedly, beautiful and grand. On reaching
Cumberland, 178 miles from Baltimore, and at the foot
of the Alleghany range, we learned that we could
remain there for the night, and re-commence ourjourney
the next morning; so we resolved to stay, and engaged
beds at the hotel nearest the railway station. We were
again annoyed by the apparent indifference of the hotelkeeper, and his long delay in making known to us what
sleeping-room we could have. If such neglect were to 
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNiIAINS.-CINCINNATL.
be shown by an innkeeper to his visitors in England,
one may venture to say that he would have to close his
establishment before many days had gone over his head.
When, after long and weary waiting, we attained the
knowledge that we could be accommodated, we hastened
to refresh ourselves with ablutions of cold water, and,
before our evening meal, went out to view the town, and
to get a glance at the scenery around it.
The town of Cumberland consists chiefly of a main
street, running north and south, and having in it the
principal "stores;"  and from it two or three cross
streets branch off. The number of inhabitants may
be about 7000.   On  an elevated ground, south of
the river, there is a court-house, a good Gothic stone
church, with tower and spire, and several villa-like
residences of the wealthier inhabitants. The trading
part of the town, the bulk of the population, the bank,
and several churches, lie north of the suspension-bridge,
between the river and the railway. We remarked here
the great number of rooms and houses which had
written upon the doors, or their sideposts, "attorneyat-law," and supposed that, as Cumberland is the seat
of justice for "Alleghany County," that circumstance
might be regarded as the explanation why the number
of lawyers here exceeded what is usually found in such
a town, even in America, where the legal profession
seems to give the readiest passport to political life or
office.
At our evening meal we found, as we had commonly
found it to be in American hotels, that almost all provisions and attentions were given to the ladies. We had,
as before, much difficulty in obtaining places at the
table, being left behind by boarders and travellers, who
95 
96    TIHE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
rushed into the refreshment-room at the first sound of
the bell; and when, through the kindness of our ministerial friends, we had obtained seats, we could not very
easily obtain tea and food. One luxury we had here, as
elsewhere, and which Englishmen who have not been in
a hotter climate than their own will hardly know how
to value, and that is iced water. This has been our
constant beverage since we landed in America; and it
is likely to be so as long as we remain in the States, for
we not only do not need anything else, but we do not
wish for or desire anything else; and if we did, the
customs of American society would forbid it to us, for a
minister of religion in this country might almost as soon
swear a profane oath as call for wine or spirituous
liquor.  Wre do not yet, and, I suppose, we shall not,
relish fully the one drinking-can in the railway car for
all passengers; but iced water, where we can obtain it to
ourselves, is drunk by us with unspeakable relish. We
have more than once expressed our fears to each other
that, having enjoyed this luxury here, we shall miss it
in our own country when we return. Ice, even when obtained in England, is not so solid, clear, and refreshing
as it is in this country. It seems here to give healthful
tone to the stomach and firmness to the nerves.
After tea, while the ladies repaired to their general
drawing-room, and the gentlemen sat near the front
windows of their room, some extending their feet over
the window-sills, and others with their legs resting on
chair-backs, where they chewed, smoked, and spat, Dr.
Hannah and I, with some of our ministerial companions,
climbed the hill north of the railway, to view the mountain-scenery, with the Potomac, as we Iooked towards
the south. The sun was going down behind the hills, 
THE ALLEGHIANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
so that the scene had not such mingling of lights and
shadows as it would have had if the sun had been higher
in the heavens; yet there were before us largely-extended mountain ranges, with stern outlines and deeply
awful shadowings, and the setting sun threw his beams
of glowing crimson, at openings, across the landscape,
and made portions of the river blaze with golden glory.
I sketched a memorandum of the outline of the hills
and river, but it can give no idea of the sombre grandeur and mysterious loveliness of the reality. It was an
impression for life-a panorama to be remembered and
thought of through succeeding years.
After this I went alone to view the houses and sheds
of the poorer and coloured inhabitants of the town. I
found them neither so low nor so mean as the dwellings
of the humbler classes in the larger towns which we had
visited. There was also a good Methodist church; and,
on the whole, I was cheered by what I saw of the state
and order of the town. We went early to bed, that we
might be refreshed by sleep before rising at four in the
morning; but the heavy tramp of travellers and boarders
going to their beds up to a late hour prevented us from
falling asleep; and just before midnight, when we were
closing our eyes with the stillness that followed, an
over-eager black man came thundering at our bedroom
door, to call us up, in mistake, for the midnight train.
This roused us so thoroughly, that our rest was irrecoverably broken-a circumstance which was much against
us after our excitement in Baltimore, and ill-fitted us
for the loss of sleep we had afterwards to sustain. At
four we rose from our beds, ate a hasty meal, and resumed our journey upon the rail.
After passing through some scenery which again re
H
97 
98     THIE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
minded us of our own Skiddaw and Windermere district,
we began fairly to ascend the Alleghanies, and had in
some parts to be drawn up zigzag roads, and steep
inclines, as well as through long, dark tunnels, by powerfuli engines. These ranges of mountains do not, like the
Alps of Europe, stand forth in clear, snowy, crisp forms,
seeming to inhabit and pierce the heavens with their
sharp peaks and ridges: they are of more round and
swelling shapes, and are covered, for the most part,
with unshorn forests. The height of the highest point
of the Alleghanies is not much more than half the
height of "Sovran Ilont Blanc:" but the length of this
American range dwarfs the Alps; it is nearly 1000
miles, and extends from the State of Georgia through
the States of South and North Carolina, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, and New York, and terminates in New
Hampshire. Numerous rivers have their source in it,
and pass off to the Atlantic on the east, and to the Alississippi on the west.  From one of these, the "Alleghany River," the main group of mountains derives its
name. The breadth of the range is sixty or seventy
miles. There were some patches of snow remaining on
parts where we crossed, but nothing like the vast cold
piles we saw on the European Alps. The face of nature,
in other respects, was wild and grand. Forest trees, ill
different stages of growth, maturity, and decay, were to
be seen on all sides; now and then some woodcutter's
rough and solitary cabin, most primitive in its shape,
peeped out from amidst the masses of "primeval trees;"
and we could catch the echo of the stroke of an axe, or
the crash of a falling tree. One would like to realise
the effect of these mountains as seen from a plain or
valley not far from the foot of them; passing over them 
THIE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
in the manner we did, I can only say that their general
aspect was one of wild and solitary grandeur. With
our Miethodist associations, it was impossible to journey
over these mountains without recalling the labours of
Asbury, AI'Kendree, and other zealous pioneers for
Christ, who crossed them to preach His Gospel to the
emigrants and settlers in the West, and without comparing our mode of journeying with theirs; for theirs
was indeed solitary travel, and it needed a high heart
to tread these pathless forests, whose only tenants were,
at that time, wild beasts and savage men.
By about four o'clock we reached Wheeling, more
than 300 miles from Baltimore, and had our first view
of the full and broad Ohio River. Wheeling is evidently
a thriving and increasing town, and, from its situation,
its manufactures, and the great plenty of coal to be
found in its neighbourhood, it bids fair to become a very
important town in the States. Hiere terminates the
Ohio Railway, and the ways of transit hence branch off
to Pittsburg on the north-east, to Columbus, Ohio, and
Indianapolis on the north-west, and to Cincinnati and
St. Louis for the great and far West. This town displays
some good public and private buildings; it is surrounded
by high, bold hills, and it has a broad quay, and a
handsome suspension-bridge across the Ohio; but, like
our English manufacturing towns, it is but a sooty,
grimy place. The last epithet I might also justifiably
employ to describe the "National Hotel," at which we
stayed for the night.  We obtained, as usual, a doublebedded room for ourselves, but it was dirty. The noise
around us was also annoying, and, for the third night
after our Sabbath excitement at Baltimore, we could
obtain little or no sleep.
99 
100   THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATLI.
As may be supposed, this railway over the Alleghany
31ountains is a vast and costly undertaking; but it is
seen to be most important, nationally, to the United
States: so the cost has not been spared. From the West,
by the Alississippi and the Lakes, there are outlets to
the Atlantic, both on the south and the east, and this
without any passage through the States, except by
water; and as it is discerned that the valley of the
]Iississippi is destined to become the grand granary, not
only for the States, but for other parts of the world,
American statesmen perceived that, without free and
easy communication between this vast corn-field and the
manufacturing and commercial towns of the east, the
States bordering on the Atlantic would be irreparable
losers. To prevent this apprehended diversion of the
western corn-traffic into the harbours of New Orleans
and Quebec, and to preserve for the Atlantic States full
sympathy from those on the Pacific, this gigantic railway
over the Alleghanies has been constructed, The wisdom
of this policy is unquestionable. With the railway and
canal from east to west, the States are bound together by
commutual trade interests and facility of intercourse,
and thus, in spite of the distance of their Pacific from
their Atlantic boundary, feel themselves to be still the
Great Federation. The returns of the railway cannot,
of course, be immediately remunerative; but every
American and every foreigner must feel that the outlay for its construction has been wisely and nobly
spent, and that this Titanic iron tram-way deserves to
be ranked, as it is, among the great national works of
America.
We  left Wheeling at four o'clock on Wednesday
morning, and went on board a steam-packet, which took 
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS. —CINCINNATI.    101
us about five miles down the Ohio. Here we'were set
on shore, to start for Cincinnati by the railway through
Columbus and London. By the way, the names of
English and European cities of distinction are very
numerous in the American States; and not only so, but
they multiply the names, having several towns named
"Athens," and several "Cambridge," for instance.  It
might have looked more truly national if the Americans had given original names to their towns; but
one must attribute the present practice, I think, at
heart, to interest in the celebrities of the Old World.
As for any thought about postal confusion, it has not
seemed to enter the heads of these namers of towns
in America.
Columbus, the capital of Ohio, is another great railway centre, from which lines branch off in many directions. The scenery of the State of Ohio, as we beheld
it, in travelling through it from east to west, is principally that of forests and clearings.  The trees by the
sides of the road were of all sizes and conditions: some
were very tall, and interlaced each other with their
spreading branches, while they were richly festooned by
creepers and springers; others were decayed and falling,
or burnt black as charcoal both in their huge trunks
and arms; and some had recently been felled by the
woodsman, and lay like tall giants shorn of their
strength and pride. Some parts of the land looked
swampy and uninviting; but there were many tracts in
high cultivation, and richly clothed with verdure. The
dwellings by the way-side were really houses in form,
and not mere log-cabins, though they were chiefly
formed of boards. Altogether, the State of Ohio has a
promising and improving aspect, unlike the worn-out 
102    THiE ALLEGHIANY MOUNTAINS-CINCINNATI.
face which is often presented by the landscape in the
Slaves States of Maryland and Virginia.
I was delighted to see in our car two handsome
bronze-coloured persons sitting near to us, chatting and
laughing together in the midst of white travellers, and
evidently feeling at home among them. This was what
I had not hitherto seen in any part of the States; and
the remembrance of this incident will stamp on my
mind the cheerful and pleasant image of "free and
young Ohio."' We rode with our ministerial companions as far as Xenia;- there they went off directly
west for Indianapolis, and we went south-west for the
city of Cincinnati.   In the succeeding part of our
journey we were recognised by a located minister, who
was exceedingly kind and attentive to us, but who
spoke somewhat apologetically for slavery in America.
This roused British feeling within us; and on hearing
soft things said of the " happiness" and "contentment" of the slaves, we significantly inquired if there
were no runaway slaves from Kentucky in Ohio. Our
question drew forth the following shuddering statement:
During the previous hard winter many slaves had
escaped from the Slave States, over the ice of the river
Ohio, into the Free State. (You will be reminded of
"Eliza" in Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin.") In
Cincinnati and other towns many good humane persons
were ready to receive, shelter, and hide these poor
fugitives from their vengeful pursuers.   Among the
rest, a negro woman, with her husband and two children,
thus escaped to the Free State of Ohio. She was pursued, and her hiding-place discovered and surrounded.
Those who had sheltered her were unable to save her, 
TIE ALLECHANY MOUNTAINS-CINCINNATI.    103
and there seemed to be nothing left for her but to surrender. So dreadful was the prospect of returning to
her bondage, combined with the knowledge of what
severe punishment would be inflicted on her, that she
set herself to destroy her whole family rather than go
back with them to slavery. She killed one child, and
was about to kill the other, before destroying herself,
when her fierce pursuers broke into the place, and
secured her. Her after-fate I must leave to your imagination. The relation of this case, as you may suppose,
entirely dissipated all that had been said of the "happiness and contentment of slaves in America."
Again we came in sight of the Ohio River; it was
flowing smoothly and placidly on by our side, and full
of water-though it is not always so, being subject to
great elevations and depressions, and rising as much as
50 feet higher in March than in September. We had
strongly desired to descend this river, from Wheeling
to Cincinnati, that we might see it in its breadth of
2400 feet,-the numerous lovely islets with which it
is studded, and its banks adorned with resplendent
flowers and foliage of rich and magnificent growth.
Our resolution to be at Indianapolis by the beginning
of the Conference, prevented this. We have, however,
seen sufficient of it to understand the appropriateness
of the name, "La Belle Riviere," given to it by the
French,-who, it will be remembered, greatly coveted
the possession of the fine country beyond its border,
and longed to add that land to their Canadian territory, but were driven back by the Virginian colonists,
headed by Washington, who was at that time a mere
youth.
Looking across this noble stream, we could see on its 
104   THiE ALLEGIIANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
south side, the State of Kentucky, the landscape of
which   appeared broken, diversified, and lovely, especially  as it was reflected on the surface of "the river of
beautiful waters" which flowed between us and that
State. Kentucky has a great reputation for fertility,
so that it is said of it, in American style,
"If you plant a nail in the soil at night,
It will come up a spike by morning light!"
From what we have seen of the Kentuckians travelling on this side of the water, I should pronounce them
interesting and good companions.   They are lighthearted, ardent, and dashing; and are exceedingly
loquacious, and very fond of a joke,-a sort of genteel
Irish in America.  We woul4 willingly have seen more
of them, and have visited their celebrated "Mammoth
Cave"  (with  its  subterraneous churches,  avenues,
domes, cataracts, rivers-with their "fishes without
eyes," pits, stalactites, and depths of 600 feet, and
length of eighteen miles, with an unknown, and as
yet unexplored, extent beyond), but we could not do so
without a serious interruption of our duties.  So we
left Kentucky without any personal visitation, remembering that with all its fertility, beauty, and natural
wonders, it is a State under the ban of slavery; but
with this relieving circumstance, that many of its
proprietors desire and seek its deliverance from that
accursed evil.
In the afternoon of Thursday we reached Cincinnati,
and by the good offices of our located brother, who
accompanied us, we were soon comfortably provided for
at the "Gibson Hotel," and were able to go out and
look at the city. Assuredly it is not without fitness 
THlE ALLEGHIANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.   105
that Cincinnati is entitled "The Queen City of the
West." It is handsome and stately, and is enthroned
on a high, wide platform, in two slopes, on the north
side of the broad river. Villas and mansions, embosomed in trees and shrubberies, flank it and surround it,
while the grape is extensively and successfully cultivated in its vicinity. Less than eighty years ago this
city did not contain more than 100 white persons-now
it has a population of 210,000, and is the fourth city in
rank (if not the third) within the United States. It
stood then at the very limit of western civilization; and
there yet remain in the neighbourhood buffalo "trails,"
or hard trodden paths, three or four yards wide, and
extending miles away, along which, almost in the memory of living man, scores and hundreds of those animals used to crowd down through the forest to drink at
the Ohio. Now it is become the grand emporium of
western trade and commerce; is well drained, and well
supplied with water; is paved down to low-water miark
at the wharf, and has floating piers to rise and sink
with the variable waters of the river; is decked with
imposing public buildings, handsome  "stores,"  and
numerous churches; and its enterprising inhabitants,
by the system of railroads and steamboats, are ill
constant and active communication with all parts of
the Union, and, through them, with all parts of the
world.
The manufactures of Cincinnati are numerous, employing between 200 and 300 steam-engines; but, as
you will know, it is chiefly celebrated for the slaughter
and sale of hogs. As many as 400,000 of these animals
have been known to be cut up here during a season
of twelve weeks. We imagined that the scent of 
106   THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
butchered pigs, which had been caught up into the
rarified air from the numerous slaughter-houses during
the day, came down upon us in the evening, and did
not make the streets, as we walked through them, over
fragrant. But very likely the imagination had a good
deal to do with our impression.
Cincinnati has everywhere the signs of great thrift
and enterprise; and, in spite of its immense butchery
of pigs, it is evidently a place of advancing taste and
literary culture, as well as a town of rapidly rising
commerce. Some of its public buildings are of excellent forms and proportions. Its bookshops are among
the finest "stores" in its wide, handsome streets; and
our own Methodist Book-concern has a large building,
and issues very numerous publications in the year. The
libraries and reading-rooms of the city are on an extensive scale, and many of the young citizens, by their
college studies, are preparing themselves for honourable
and useful positions in life. We visited the library and
the reading-room of the Young Men's Christian Association, opposite our hotel, and found them equal, if not
superior to anything of the kind in England. Religion,
too, is here venerated and liberally supported. There
are nearly 100 churches of various denominations. The
Methodists have a considerable share of them; and,
what to us was a fact of interest, the Germans have
here Methodist ministers of their own nation, issue
Methodist publications in their own language, and have
erected several of the Methodist churches. The Roman
Catholics are numerous, and have their " cathedral," as
well as their other churches.   After the Methodists
rank the Baptists, the Protestant Episcopalians, the
Presbyterians, and the Lutherans. 
THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.-CINCINNATI.
Altogether, we received a very favourable impression
of Cincinnati; and we resolved, as the night closed
upon us and we retired to rest, that, if circumstances
would permit, we would return to it from the Conference, and get better acquainted with this "Queen
City of the West."
107 
LETTER VII.
INDIANAPOLIS.
State of Indiana: its Rapid Growth-The City of Indianapolis-His Excel iency the Governor and his House-Methodism in the State and in the
City-Public Religious Services-American Preaching-A Bishop's Ser mon-The  Sabbath  School-A Love-feast-American Fires-Political
Life-A Stump Orator-The Ballot-box-An Inner Circle in American
Society-Southern Visitors-Glimpses of Slavejlife-An Irishman's Bull
-Ministerial Intercourse-Sad News from England.
LESS than half a century ago this extensive and flourishing State of Indiana, which contains about 22,000,000
of acres, was an uncultivated wilderness of forest, swamp,
and prairie land, and was inhabited by wild beasts,
poisonous reptiles, and savage men. Now it is largely
under cultivation, is divided into numerous counties,
has numerous towns, its capital city, its own legislative assembly, its state governor, judges, and various
officers, and a population of more than one million and
a quarter. The State is favourably situated: it extends
from the river Ohio, on its southern boundary, to Lake
AIichigan on the north; and has the Wabash River on
its western limit for more than 120 miles, while the
White River runs up eastward into its centre. Indiana
is, for the most part, an agricultural State, possessing
a deep vegetable soil, which the "returns" of its
Agricultural Society show to be very productive. There 
INDIANAPOLIS.
are beds of coal and iron in it, which are near to the
surface; it is intersected by numerous railways, and is
in the way of the great thoroughfare from the south
to the north-western part of the country.
Indianapolis, the capital (at which we arrived by
railway, a journey over forest-lands and "clearings" of
about 100 miles from Cincinnati), stands in the middle
of the State, and is built on a level and extensive plain
of richly-wooded land; it is the meeting-point for mnany
railways, and on that account has been named "the
City of Railroads." The ground on which it stands,
with many miles of land around it, was covered by a
dense forest, and was sold for 35,596 dollars (about
~7120); now it is worth seventy times as much, is
divided on every side into squares, streets, and gardens,
as far as the eye can reach, and is adorned with many
public buildings. The city is very regular in its plan,
being laid out in streets that diverge from a common
centre, and radiate in all directions to the extent, in
some instances, of two miles. In this respect it is not
unlike the city of Washington, and looks well when it
is viewed from an elevated position, though here, as
there, some of the streets have little more to mark their
existence than the wooden fences at their sides, or the
occasional dottings of a house or cottage. The principal street is named "Washington Street;" this is the
chief thoroughfare both for passage and for business.
It contains some good buildings and "stores" of brick
and stone, wherein may be purchased, not only the
necessaries of life, but also its luxuries and delicacies,
brought from London and Paris. This street, like the
rest in Indianapolis, is yet unpaved, and, at times, is
deeply cut in its light soil by heavy traffic. In some
109 
INDIANAPOLIS.
parts, where the ground has not been trodden down
hard, especially towards the extremities of the town,
planks are laid for the wheels of vehicles to run upon.
Several of the streets are planted at their sides with
trees, which, in their perspective length of avenue, and
now in their light-green spring leaves, look very beautiful; while, at intervals, there are quiet village-like
openings, revealing pleasant cottages, villas, and clean,
summer-like residences, surrounded with their gardens
or orchards. The public buildings here are respectable,
but not so imposing as those of the larger cities we have
visited. The State House stands in the middle of a
spacious square, which is planted with trees; the building is a copy from the Parthenon at Athens, but being
only of brick and stucco, it lacks dignity. Its length
is 180 feet, its width 80 feet, and its height, to the top
of the central dome, 45 feet. The asylums for the blind,
for the deaf and dumb, and for the insane, all three of
which are in the suburbs, are also large and fair-looking
edifices. From the central turret of the Blind Asylum
an extensive view may be had of the city, with its
radiating streets, its green avenues, and its encircling
woods. The population of Indianapolis amounts nearly
to 20,000, and is chiefly white; some free coloured
people live in the outskirts, but they are not many.
The governor's house-where we are entertained
during our stay for the Conference-is a villa.like building of wood, containing about ten rooms; it is surrounded by a garden, and stands near a street which
leads to the front of the State House. The governor's
house is such a one, both in size and fittings, as a
retired English gentleman, living at the rate of ~400
or ~500 a year, would be able to keep up. In America,
110 
INDIANAPOLIS.
of course, money will purchase more than with us, and
I should suppose that the governor may be able to
support an establishment such as this for ~300 at the
most. The salary of his office, though the very highest
in the State, is only about ~200 a year; and he has
told me that he expends half as much more from his
own private resources. The house, with its furniture,
is provided by the State, and is set apart for the
governor during the period of his office.
The present governor-his Excellency Joseph A.
Wright, Esq.-is a tall, well-made, intelligent, frank,
and hospitable man. He has received us with the
greatest cordiality, and is ever anxious to supply to us
the best of whatever his house contains. He is evidently
a man of good information and of ready utterance, and,
like the Americans generally, is always eager to coinmunicate on subjects of interest.  I-e is very regular
and systematic in his mode of life, rises and breakfasts
early, dines at half-past twelve at noon, sups at six, and
retires to bed at ten. His house, and table too, are free
to all who choose to call upon him or upon us, and
altogether we are most comfortably situated. Our host
is ready to take us anywhere, or to explain to us anything, and perceiving our interest in American matters,
he converses with us upon them in the freest and most
unreserved manner.   He is one of those men  who
devote their lives to public care; he has held various
offices, has been a member of Congress, and says that
when his term of office expires in Indiana, as it will
this year, he shall seek some other public employ, either
in this or some other State. Not having ample means
of his own to fall back upon, his personal character and
abilities are his best recommendations. He is a truly
III 
INDIANOPOLIS.
religious man and a very devoted Methodist, supporting
the cause of Christ to the extent of his ability; and
teaching personally in the Sabbath-school connected
with the church at which he worships.
Methodism prospers in Indiana. There are 100,000
full members of the Methodist Episcopal Church within
the State, to say nothing of the great numbers who
attend on the Methodist ministry as hearers of the
word, without being enrolled in membership. In
Indianapolis itself there is much public respect shown
for religion; there are here, belonging to different
denominations, as many as twenty-five churches, and
seven of these, including an African church, belong to
the Methodists. The Sabbath-schools are twenty-seven
in number, and in attendance upon them nearly all the
children of the city are to be found,-there being not
more than 250 children of eligible age who do not
actually attend some Sabbath-school. Among the different sects of professing Christians here, those of them
who hold orthodox sentiments keep up friendly and
fraternal communication with each other. Several of
the Methodist delegates to this Conference are lodged at
the houses of Presbyterians and Protestant Episcopalians; and, on the Sabbath, several churches of other
denominations are supplied by Methodist preachers
during the Conference.
Dr. Hannah and I have been highly gratified with
the public services we have attended in the Methodist
churches of the city. The doctor has been very happy
in his ministrations. His sermons have been characterised by his usual eloquence, and by blessed effects
upon his audiences. The attendance at the services we
conducted was large; the ministers not personally em
11.2 
INDIANAPOLIS.
ployed were present; and the people, not merely from
the city of Indianapolis, but from surrounding states
and cities, crowded to hear the English preachers. Not
unfrequently the congregations assemble some time before the service is to commence, and sing harmonious
pieces together, as they sit, just as a family might
sing together in their home. This they did until we
ascended the pulpit for the regular service. The devotion of the ministers and people was very fervent; and
at the end of the sermon we had to wait until the
exclamations of "Praise the Lord!" had somewhat
subsided before we could proceed to give out the hymn.
The American preaching which we have heard is not
so methodical and compact as the English. It is drawn
less from the text, and deals more with extraneous remark-or what would be deemed such in England.  But
if the value of the instrument is to be measured by the
effects produced, then American Methodist preaching
must be pronounced most fit and excellent; for, of a
truth, it has been most wonderfully owned of God. We
heard an excellent sermon from the venerable Bishop
Waugh. He preached on the Sabbath morning in the
German Methodist church; and a more truly apostolic
discourse could hardly be delivered. It was on the
direction given by Paul and Silas to the penitent jailer"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved." It was simple, evangelical, and full of divine
unction and power.   The German Methodists very
evidently profited by it; and at the end of it they sang
with fervour their German song of " Praise to God."
Several additional services have been held during the
time of Conference. There has been a tract meeting,
where several American brethren, with Dr. Hannah,
113 
INDIANAPOLIS.
spoke very ably. There was a meeting for Methodism
in Ireland.  The Rev. J. Robinson Scott explained the
object of the meeting, Bishops Simpson and Janes,
with other ministers, spoke earnestly in support of it;
and a liberal collection was made. It was reported
that, to aid Methodism in Ireland, some ~10,000 had
already been contributed by the Methodists in America,
and that it was confidently expected the sum of ~20,000
would ultimately be supplied by them.
On the Sabbath afternoon, I went with the governor
to the school in which he regularly teaches, and delivered an address to the children. On arriving at the
school, I was highly gratified by a novel spectacle which
might be imitated with profit in some parts of our own
country. Not only the children in the school, but
many adults, grouped in companies, were reading the
word of God together, verse by verse in rotation, and
then edifying one another by making such remarks as
were presented to their minds.   A  more profitable
method of employing the hours of a Sabbath afternoon,
for many persons in mature years, could scarcely be
pointed out.
A love-feast has also been held during the Conference,
and I think it will never be forgotten by them that
were present.   Not only Methodists from different
parts of Indiana, and from surrounding States attended
it, but also ministers from the plains and woods of the
far west. One of these, with sun-burnt countenance
and whitened hair, said, "I have slept on the banks of
many western rivers; I have been attacked in the night,
and when alone, by wolves; I have travelled, slept,
laboured, and prayed, between terrible tribes of Indians
at war with each other; I have been in perils by wild
114 
INDIANAPOLIS.
beasts, by land and by water, and this for forty years:
and yet my heart has not only trusted, but rejoiced in
the Lord, and I am now enjoying perfect love!"
Others told how the lion and the wolf in sin had
entered the log-cabin to devour the little flock, but were
smitten down by the word of Christ, and became lambs
for the charge of the spiritual shepherd. And emigrants
and settlers of different nations told with tears how
they left their father-lands to find in a strange country
the way of life and salvation. It was, indeed, a scene
of heart-subduing influences, and of moral beauty and
grandeur, such as Christianity alone can exhibit.
I have been strongly urged to preach in the open air,
and to hold a sort of camp-meeting service. This I
should have been glad to do, but I was afraid of the effect
of the heated atmosphere. Without any exercise, I am
daily in such a state of perspiration as to require at times
several changes in clothes during the day. The air is
close and humid, and sometimes has the same stifling
effect upon us as is felt in England just before a thunderstorm. Several of the ministers have suffered from a
sort of miasma, which, in the valley of the Mississippi is
common, as are also "chills" and "fevers," the effects
of the great profusion of decaying vegetable matter.
And if I had yielded to my desire of hearing some of
the backwoodsmen preach in the open air, the time
spoken of for the camp-meeting would not have served;
since, on that day, as also on the night preceding, the rain
fell in torrents, ploughed up the unpaved roads, and so
filled them with water that we might have floated along
themn in a canoe.
While I thus refer to the air and the water, I must not
forget to name another element that has called forth our
115 
INDIANAPOLIS.
excited attention daily. I mean the element of fire,
which here commits terrible destruction of property,
and occasions frequent alarm. In New York, and other
large cities of the States, we heard the fire-bell ringing
often, both by day and by night. But in Indianapolis,
there seems to be hardly any cessation of fires. The
peal of the fire-bell is heard, I had almost said, continuously. WVe can scarcely attend a public service,
either on the Sabbath or week-day, but during it we
hear the fire-bell's loud and hurried clang, and the
rattle of the fire-engines through the streets to the
place of conflagration. The great number of wooden
erections in the city is, I suppose, an explanation of this
fact.   And, to judge from what we have seen, when
a wooden building takes fire, there is no chance of
saving it from total destruction. All that can be done
by the working of the engines is to prevent the flames
spreading to the adjacent buildings. As in England,
where there is a fire, great crowds rush to it. But,
in America, the crowds press up close to the engines
and the firemen, there being no ropes stretched across
the road to secure a free working space from intrusion.
We have had some insight into American political
and public life while here, and facilities for observing
party associations and party struggles, such as we could
hardly have had, if our entertainer had been a person
merely in private life.  The governor is a professed
Democrat (that is, a moderate reformer); so are most of
his friends with whom we have conversed on politics in
his house; and nearly all of them have made no secret
of their being extreme partisans. They have no forbearance towards others who are forward to proclaim
political convictions; and though moderate and tem
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INDIANAPOLIS.
perate men in other matters, in politics they are most
resolute and determined. Public men, periodicals, and
newspapers maintaining sentiments in common with
theirs, are outrageously be-praised, as it seems to us;
and their censures appear equally unsparing and overdone. This seems, almost invariably, to be the practice
of men who are in earnest on politics in America, as I
have before stated. Unflinching adherence to party is
principle with them, and to forsake a party is regarded
as an act of the greatest dishonour.
I have been introduced by the governor to several
officers of the State of Indiana. One day he said if I
would accompany him to the post-office, he would introduce me to Judge Wick.  I went expecting to see
some personage who by his appearance would inspire
veneration; but I found him to be quite a homely,
common-place looking man, sorting the letters in a
disorderly, warehouse-like room, and as workman-like in
his dress as a day-labourer! He may, however, for all
that, be a good judge, if he still presides in courts of
justice. That he does so, I am not sure; for it is the
custom here to continue to a man his title after he ceases
to fill the office: hence, from the custom of change
which pervades America, we have so many persons
throughout the States bearing titles of office.
The governor also took me with him to hear a
"stump orator" of celebrity.   He is a candidate for
the governorship of the state, and is of the same political creed as the present governor, our host.   A
"stump orator" is one who addresses the people in the
open air on public questions, the name having been
derived from the early settlers' times, when a speaker,
in order to make himself heard by all who could gather
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INDIANAPOLIS.
in the "clearing," had to stand upon the stumnp of a
forest-tree, and address his audience. We first went to
the City Court House to hear the candidate; but while
that was announced to be the place of meeting, it was
not expected that the building would hold his audience.
So, after "Yankee  Doodle," and other well-known
tunes had been played on the fife, accompanied by the
drum, up and down the streets to gather the multitude,
we were led into Washington Street, where the speech
was really to be delivered. The orator, supported by
his friends, took his stand on the steps of an hotel, and
addressed the people, who crowded the road and the
pavement, before and beside him.
Hie spoke on three questions: the right of States to
govern themselves internally, the unreasonableness of
the Nlaine Liquor Law, and the exclusive proposal of
the'Know-nothings,' that none but native Americans
should take any part in the government of the country.
On each of these questions he spoke well and popularly,
managing his audience with great tact. He was a tall,
well-made man, and had a powerful voice. We stood
on the opposite side of the street, I should say 120 feet
from him, and I do not think we lost one word of his
speech. Nor did I perceive that in his address, which
lasted well on to two hours, he tripped in any one sentence, or faltered with a single word. He was certainly
a master in the art of addressing an out-door crowd.
Hle seemed to base all he said upon the Constitution, as
agreed to by the American States; and freely and
readily quoted Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, in
confirmation of what he advanced. Hie spoke reverently
of morality, religion, and its ministers; but he evidently pandered to the Irish, as Papists, to gain their
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INDIANAPOLIS.
votes; as he did also to the prejudices of the whites
against the residence of coloured settlers in this "'free
state." There were frequent bursts of laughter, and
many shouts of approval of what he uttered.   The
whole exhibition served to bring to memory the former
election times of Old England, when an out-door crowd
was addressed from hustings or balcony, by a talented
and popular candidate; and I was really glad to have
had so favourable an opportunity of hearing an American
"stump orator."
The governor also showed us how the vote by ballot
was given in the elections. The titles of the offices
to be filled up are printed on strips of yellow paper
(the government colour), and the voter writes upon
them the names of the persons he wishes to be elected.
Hie folds up his paper, duly signed, and drops it into the
ballot-box; and, at the end of the day, the votes are
recorded, counted, and the numbers for each candidate
declared. This record of every man's vote seems to
me to take away the secrecy of voting. However, it
seems to satisfy the Americans; though, I am told, it is
generally no secret how a man has voted.   If, on pre senting himself to deposit his paper in the ballot-box,
there be any doubt of the voter's identity, or any suspi cion that his paper contains a fictitious name, he is
required to hold up his hand and swear to his name as
given upon his voting paper. In times of fierce oppo sition and contest, it is said to be no uncommon fact
within populous districts for Irishmen, prepared by
whiskey for the vile service, to give, at the bidding of
a party, several votes each-the men swearing to as
many different names as may be required.
But we have had the advantage of other views of
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INDIANAPOLIS.
American life and society, while in Indianapolis, than
those which I have described. There is always an
inner circle that must be reached and studied, if the
real character of a people is to be understood. And
the man who takes his estimate of American life and
manners merely from what he sees of stump orators
and political parties, will have very incomplete and
imperfect data on which to rest his judgment. Within
doors, in the houses of friends and brethren, and in free
and intimate conversation and communion with them,
we have seen some deeply pleasing and refreshing forms
of American character, and of Christian and domestic
life. The governor, in his parlour and rocking-chair,
as well as at his hospitable table, is a truly genial and
sociable man. He is thoroughly American in his style
of thinking and speaking, as we expected and desired
to find him; and his own country and people are everything to him. But he knows how to appreciate the
character and power of Great Britain, and speaks well
of Old England when her interests and those of his own
country do not jostle.  Now  and then he will half
intimate, while dilating on American progress, a conviction that England is about to be distanced and left
behind as a worn-out and jaded nation.   But this
harmless outbreak of regard for his own land we feel
we can afford to let pass.
Taking him for all in all, the governor is a candid
and robust minded man.  Hle is manly, frank, and
courteous; and reminds one of the superior class of our
English yeomanry.   He  has recently lost his wife,
whom he speaks of with the most tender affection. He
is a kind and indulgent parent, an attentive relative to
his female kinsfolk who are with him, and a considerate
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INDIANAPOLIS.
master to his Irish servants. At his substantial table,
where he helps us and attends to us as courteously
as the most -hospitable English gentleman could do,
we meet many guests of all classes; but the majority of
them are ministers. We have been much pleased with
the open and generous bearing of some of the governor's
friends from the South, who have crossed the border,
and come to the Conference, not as delegates, of course,
but as visitors.   They greatly urge Dr. Hannah and
myself to accompany them to their homes, and preach
to the Methodists in the Southern States; but we cannot
think of doing so, while conscious of their public relation to the question of slavery. Still, we cannot but
conclude that, with their friendly bearing towards this
General Conference of the North and its members, the
friends whom we have seen from the South are in heart
opposed to that lamentable evil.
WVe have had with us the Rev. Henry Slicer, a
presiding  elder from Baltimore.   With  his  strong
American views, and the large dash of humour in his
somewhat controversial nature, he has been to us a very
intelligent and agreeable companion. We have had,
too, for some days with us, a truly amiable and pleasant
friend in Dr. Dally, President and Professor of Mental
and M[oral Philosophy at the State University of Indiana. These, as well as others, have been joint partakers with us of the governor's hospitality, and so
freely and frequently associated with us, that we have
been able to converse with them at length on subjects
of deep interest. They have all deplored the evil of
slavery, and expressed their desire for its removal. In
one or two instances there has been, what was natural,
an effort to keep from our view some of the most offen
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INDIANAPOLIS.
sive features of slavery. And when, by persevering
questions we have drawn forth from the less wary what
they knew of the cruel treatment of negroes, there have
been side-long looks from the discreet, that told of
regret within for the humiliating disclosures made to us
as visitors from another country.
This was notably the case one day when, after some
strong observations Dr. Hannah and I had made on the
abuse of slaves by arbitrary and irresponsible owners,
a young lady present expressed her full approval of
what we said. I immediately questioned her as to
what she had seen and known, in Kentucky, of the
treatment of slaves, and she gave us the following relation. One evening, at a friend's house where she was
visiting, a weak and almost imbecile master, who had
sent a slave on horseback for liquor which he, the owner,
drank until he became intoxicated, would insist on
having the poor negro severely beaten for obeying him,
and for doing what the poor creature would, most probably, have been flogged for refusing to do. The slave
was brought, stripped, stretched by the extremities, and
bound to stakes upon the ground; gagged, to prevent
his cries being heard at a distance, and then flogged
most unmercifully, just to please the whim of a besotted
and tyrannical owner. Other exposures of the inhuman
and atrocious system have been made, at times, in the
form of incidental evidence; and while these recitals have
caused us almost to groan with indignant feeling, we
observed that they were the source of mortification and
inward shame to several of our American brethren. A
considerable portion of our time, since we came into
the States, has been spent in conversations upon the
subject of slavery.
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INDIANAPOLI.S.
We have also met here several Irish friends whom I
had seen in their native land. Their conversation is
ever bright and sparkling. One of them amused us
much by a thorough Irish bull, which he perpetrated
one day when we were conversing with him on the
difference of time between friends at Indianapolis andcl
in England and Ireland. A bright thought seemed to
flash through him in an instant concerning the electric
telegraph wire proposed to be laid down between England and Ireland, and America.  "Ah!" said he, "we
are six hours behind them in England and Ireland; but
soon, in less than that time, we shall have news from
across the water here-so that we shall have news of an
event before it has occurred." That it would appear so
by difference of time was what he meant, but it was
not what he said.
We have also seen the bishops, and Doctors Durbin,
MI'Clintock, and Thompson; as well as our old and
beloved friend, Dr. Sargent, with whom we have had
much free and friendly conversation. And we are visited
daily by, I had almost said, crowds of both ministers
and laymen, who love and respect England and English
3Iethodism; and who evidently feel interested in us for
their sakes. We have hadc many an affecting conversation respecting "the old country" with emigrants
from England who have come miles to see us; and we
have seen many a tear shed at the remembrance of home
and friends. Aged ministers have come to us at the
governor's, and talked with us at length of their labours
among the Indians and the early settlers; and younger
ministers, from all parts, have spoken with us of their
hopes and purposes in relation to the kingdom of Christ
in their country. So that we have had within our
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INDIANAPOLIS.
abode at Indianapolis, the greatest advantages for ascertaining the state of America, both civilly and religiously.
We have been most kindly and hospitably entertained
by Bishop Ames, who resides in a good and comfortable
house in the suburbs of this city. We spent some very
pleasant and happy hours with him, his family, and his
episcopal brethren. We have also spent evenings out
at the houses of the ministers and friends.   At one
minister's house we passed a very pleasant and profitable
evening with the Rev. Dr. Young (one of the pioneer
fathers whom I must afterwards describe to you), with
Dr. Elliott, the historian of the great secession of
Southern from Northern Methodism, and an effective
writer against slavery.  With these, and their wives
and friends, we conversed, prayed, and sang, through
some very joyous hours. We have also visited, by invitation, a Quaker's family, with whom, in company
with the governor, we soon felt ourselves to be at home.
And we have met a large company at the house of a
professor of education;-so that our intercourse with
persons of different professions, tastes, and opinions, has
been great, and has afforded us large means of forming
our judgment respecting the true character of the
people and the state of things in this country. We
have been careful to improve our opportunities as much
as possible. And, on the whole, our estimate of American society, life, and manners, has been considerably
raised by what we have observed. There have been
touches of social and affectionate nature which must ever
afford to us very pleasant and grateful remembrances;
while our intercourse has been sweetened and sanctified
by the spirit of Christ-like religion which we have
found among our friends.
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INDIANAPOLIS.
On the other hand we have had our joys danmped by
the tidings of death which have come to us from our
own land.   The departure of dear Dr. Beecham  is
deeply felt by us. He was one of my more intimate
friends, and had a truly genial and affectionate soul
under his somewhat formal and stiff exterior. There
were few to whom I could confide an inner thought
with less reserve than to him. Hie took our passage for
us in the Africa steamship, selected our berth, and
showed deep interest in our mission. It was plain to
me that, since his return from Canada, be bore the
marks of exhaustion upon him, and that his day of
strength was over. But I little thought when I last
saw him, that I should see his hearty, open, English
face no more. And the Church must feel the loss of
him. He was a man of unbending integrity, of persevering faithfulness, as well as of thorough, English,
practical good sense. In him a great man has fallen in
our Israel; and in other public, as well as missionary
matters, we shall feel his removal.   But while God
buries his workmen, He will carrv on His work; and
we must more earnestly pray that Hie, the Lord of the
harvest, will send forth labourers into His harvest. The
other news concerning deaths at Liverpool has also
affected us, and drawn forth our sympathy and prayer
for the bereaved. We thought the time long in getting
news from England; but now it has come it almost
wears the form of an obituary. Wherever we may be,
we find proofs that in the midst of life we are in death;
and we here in America, as well as you in England,
hear a voice saying,-" Be ye also ready; for in such
an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh!"
125 
LETTER VIII.
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA FROM 1773
TO 1792.
Early Labourers:  Embury, Webb,  Boardman, Pilmoor, Asbury, Straw bridge, and Williams-Spiritual Lifelessness of other Churches; and
their Quickening, by the Introduction of Methodism-Laudable Example
of the Rev. Mr. Jarratt, a Clergyman of the Established Church-Mr.
Rankin sent by Mr. Wesley-Question of the Sacramental Ordinances Disturbing Effect of the Revolution on Methodism-Sufferings of the
Preachers-Settlement of the Country, and Re- organisation of Me thodism-Labours of Bishop Asbury, Garrettson, and Jesse Lee-First
General Conference, and Revision of the Constitution of American
Methodism.
BEFORE I enter on a description of conferential proceedings here, I judge it will be really interesting to
you to have in your possession a brief retrospect of the
progress of Methodism on this continent, together with
slight pen-and-ink sketches of its most devoted and
successful labourers. I will therefore endeavour, in this
letter, to set forth the advance and growth of Methodism here, from the time of the meeting of its
preachers in the Quaker City, in the year 1773 (which
I previously noted), to the time of the first General
Conference held in the city of Baltimore, in the year
1792. My authorities will be the writers of various
English and American books (which I have at hand), 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
the chief of them being Dr. Bangs, the author of the
" History of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America;" but I shall also add some information derived
from Methodist friends in America, with whom I have
conversed.
That meeting of Methodist preachers in Philadelphia was the first regular "conference" ever held for
Methodism in America. Before that, the meetings held
officially in relation to the societies which had been
formed were simply quarterly meetings for the circuits,
separately; but the conference of preachers held in
Philadelphia, in 1773, was for all the circuits, connexionally; and the number of 1160 members then
returned, shows how, by the instrumentality of a few
labourers from Ireland and England, the work of God
had extended and grown. Philip Embury and Captain
Webb had laboured successfully in New York, Long
Island, and Philadelphia. Mr. Boardman had carried
the Gospel message into the north as far as Boston, and
Mr. Pilmoor into the south as far as South Carolina.
The indefatigable and persevering Asbury had not only
toiled, for three and six months at a time, in the central
cities of New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimnore; but
he had also traversed the intervening and surrounding
parts, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, daily, to
settlers and to negroes. Other labourers had sprung
forth to aid these devoted and zealous men in their holy
work. A Mr. Strawbridge, formerly a local preacher
in Ireland, and who had settled in Frederick County,
Virginia, began to preach in his own house; and afterwards went forth to surrounding villages and towns,
proclaiming salvation through Christ to congregations
in log-huts and by the way-side, until, at length, he
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128     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
separated himself wholly from secular pursuits, and became an itinerant Methodist preacher. Mr. Williams,
too, a local preacher from England, and who bore a
note of credit from Mr. Wesley to preach under the
direction of his missionaries, travelled as far as Norfolk,
in the south-east portion of Virginia, publishing the
good news of the Gospel to the people. So that within
the short space of five or six years, the truth as it is in
Jesus had been proclaimed by a few poor itinerant
Methodist preachers through the greater part of what,
at that period, constituted the most populous region of
the North American States.
In addition to this, it may be affirmed as unquestionably as in England, that the preaching and services of
Methodism had been the means of quickening into life
and spiritual activity, existing churches which were
previously formal and lifeless.   When  the first Methodist missionaries went from England to America,
nearly all the churches of the colony were destitute of
earnest godliness. The churches of the South belonged
principally to the Established Church of England;
and; just as it was with the parent Church in our own
country, vital piety was scarcely known among them,
and they were marked by little but the observance of
external forms and ceremonies.   The nonconformist
churches, legally established in the north, owed their
origin to the "Pilgrim Fathers;"  but while they
still resembled their founders in rigid intolerance to
Christians of other views, they had so far departed
from the stern discipline of their Puritan predecessors
as to be unable to bear, in their pulpits, the earnest
preaching of the great and good Jonathan Edwards
against youthful immoralities. 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
It is true, that the ardent and eloquent Whitefield
had been among these churches, both of the south and
the north, and had aroused their attention, temporarily,
to vital religion; but, for want of organisation and
permanent agency, the revival of the work of God
under him in America, for the most part, subsided, and
lived only in the recollections of those who had heard
his powerful preaching. There were also in the middle
provinces, it is said, some few ministers and members of
Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed Churches who had
solid learning and fervent piety. These happily exceptional cases, however, were few indeed, and did not materially relieve the cold and formal state of the general
American Church. The majority of its professing members were spiritually dead, while they had a name to live.
But, on the introduction of Methodism, some of the
ministers and churches were stimulated to earnest efforts
for the revival of experimental and saving religion.
This seems to have been eminently the case with the
Rev. MIr. Jarratt, a clergyman of the Church of England, in the State of Virginia. He fully imbibed the
spirit of Methodism, and, fraternally co-operating with
its preachers, formed his awakened parishioners into
classes, and led them on from the elementary principles
of religion, to maturity of Christian life and character.
Some of his own statements, in letters of his still extant,
are precious records of Pentecostal visitations of grace,
to him and his people. These letters prove that the
faithful preaching of the truth as it is in Jesus, in
believing dependence on the Holy Spirit's influence,
will assuredly and unfailingly be made the means of
spiritual awakening to a people, however dead they
may be in trespasses and sins. If truth would authorise
K
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130     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
the statement, it would be pleasant to have to add, that
this good minister of the Lord Jesus Christ continued to
the end of his life to co-operate with Methodist ministers in their great and successful work. But the best of
human characters has its infirmities and prejudices;
and when the Rev. Mr. Jarratt found that the Methodist
societies were organised into a separate and formal
Church, he was so disappointed and offended, that he
not only ceased to co-operate with Methodist ministers,
but even wrote letters against them.
Mr. Rankin, who, immediately on his arrival, summoned the Methodist preachers in America to meet him,
at the first conference in Philadelphia, seems to have
been sent by Mr. Wesley more especially for the establishment and maintenance of discipline in the societies.
The saving doctrines of the Gospel had been successfuilly preached by the itinerants I have named; but the
converts had not been fully brought into order, and
under government. This, to the orderly and practical
mind of Mr. Wesley, was not satisfactory; for, unlike
the seraphic Whitefield, he was most careful to conserve
and to mature the work of divine grace begun under
the preaching of the Scriptural word. He therefore
sent over Mr. Rankin, a Scotchman, and a determined
disciplinarian, to be his general assistant for the organisation of Methodism in America. And this end of
his coming to this continent, Mr. Rankin, to a great
extent, accomplished. He met with some difficulties in
a few of the societies; and Mr. Asbury thought that he
assumed too much authority over the preachers; but he
pursued his course with rigid conscientiousness; and, at
the end of one year of stricter church-government,
there was reported 1000 increase in the societies. 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
It would appear that there was arising, among both
preachers and people, some unwillingness to submit to
Mr. Wesley's direction on one point: his requirement
that they should attend the services of the Established
Church, and carefully abstain from administering the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper among themselves. For,
in America, as in England, Methodism began in the
form of societies professing to belong to the Established
Church; and not as a separate and distinct ecelesias.
tieal organisation. But, as I have stated, the Protestant
churches of America were mostly lifeless; and many of
the clergy were not only opposed to Methodism, but
were openly irreligious. The societies, therefore, desired
to have the sacraments administered by their own
preachers; and some of the preachers were inclined to
yield to that desire. Mr. Rankin, under directions from
IMr. Wesley, and assisted by Mr. Asbury, prevented this,
until the States obtained their political and national
independence,-when the Church of England having
ceased, in America, to be an establishment by law, and
the people being, in numerous eases, left without sacra
ments and ordinances through the return of English
clergymen to their own country, MIr. Wesley ordained
Dr. Coke for the office of general superintendent, and
sent him forth with letters of authority to provide for the
wants of the people by duly organising the "Methodist
Episcopal Church of America." I should add, that 3Mr.
Asbury was appointed to be associated with Dr. Coke, in
the general superintendency; and that Messrs. Whatcoat and Vasey were ordained "elders" for the Church.
The establishment of church discipline by Mr. Rankin,
before the " War of Independence," was most opportune; for the war, it is scarcely necessary to say,
131 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
seriously interfered with the labours of the preachers,
and the spread of Methodism, in America. The societies
and congregations were, of course, disturbed by the
general commotion; and many of them were reduced and
broken by the engagement of some of their members in
the war. The English preachers, too, were naturally
unwilling to make haste in taking the oath of allegiance
to the States; and so fell under suspicion of political
aims, and( of enmity to the independence of the colony.
MIr. W5esley's loyal letter on their duty to their sovereign
did not contribute to the safety of the preachers. Some
of them were silenced, others were fined, and some imprisoned.   Messrs. Boardman,  Pilmoor, and Rankin,
returned to England.   And even 3Ir. Asbury, who,
though unwilling to take the oath of allegiance to the
States (while, as yet, their independence was unacknowledged by the mother country), yet resolved not to
leave so fair a field of evangelical labour, had to conceal
himself by day; and, under covering of night steal
forth to the settlers' cabins and negroes' huts, to speak
and to pray with his people.
But, with all these difiiculties and disturbances,
Methodism, now brought under regular discipline, lived;
and, in some degree, increased. The preachers, from their
prisons, preached through the iron bars to their people,
and to multitudes who pressed to hear them, until, as
in the case of MIr. John HIartley, in Queen  Anne's
County, M\aryland, the authorities released the preachers,
lest all the people of the towns should be converted to
ilMethodism.  3Ir. Freeborn Garrettson, after being confinedcl for some time in the prison of Dorchester County,
in the same State of Maryland, where at night he had
to lie on the cold ground, with no pillow but a pair of
132 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
saddle-bags, and with two grated windows constantly
open to the air, on being liberated by the governor, at
the suit of 3Ir. Asbury, immediately recommenced his
appointed work of preaching the Gospel, and with
blessed success. "The word of the Lord spread through
all that country," as he himself states, " and hundreds
of both white and black experienced the love of Jesus;"
so that, not far from the place of his imprisonment, he
soon afterwards preached to a congregation of not less
than 3000 persons, and many of his bitterest persecutors became, there and then, joyful converts to the
faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Wvhen, however, the
war was ended, then the labourers in the Gospel returned
to their employment without restraint on the part of
the newly-constituted authorities of the Republic; and,
on the arrival of Dr. Coke and his companions, proceeded to organise themselves and their people into a
separate and regular church, under the authority of
Mfr. WVesley.
This organisation of Alethodism, in America, into a
distinct church, took place, as I have already stated, in
the city of Baltimore, in the year 1784, under the
joint superintendency of Dr. Coke and 3Ir. Asbury.
The preachers assembled there at that time to the number
of sixty, being about three-fourths of the entire number
then labouring in this continent. The first act of the
Conference was to elect Dr. Coke and Alr. Asbury to
be joint superintendents: thus making  1ir. W/esley's
appointment their own, by an united act; and thus
meeting the views of Mir. Asbury, who refused to accept the office to which he had been appointed by Mlr.
Wesley, unless elected to it by the suffrages of his
brethren in America. Twelve of the preachers were
133 
134     PROGRESS OF METHIODISM IN AMERICA.
then elected and ordained as "elders" to administer the
sacraments, and to have a general supervision of associated circuits. The "Articles of Religion," as given by
IMr. Wesley in his "Abridged Form of Common Prayer,"
which he had prepared for the American Church, were
then agreed upon, and made the standard of Methodist
doctrine.   These " Articles" were selected from the
thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, but were
reduced to twenty-five by Mr. Wesley; he having excluded such as were doubtful, or unnecessary, in his own
judgment, for a list which should form an authorised
standard of Christian doctrine.   The " Form of Discipline" was also agreed upon; and is similar to the
discipline of our own Methodist Society in England,
except that it is adapted to the more formal "Episcopal"
construction of church-government established in American Methodism.
Thus, the Methodist Church of America was regularly organised and inaugurated, something more than
fourscore years ago; and it is impossible to trace
Methodism in this country, from its commencement in
1766 up to this period of 1784, and not see how undoubtedly it was the work of God, and how signally it
was, in its successive stages, under His providential
guardianship and direction. In its beginning it was
small and feeble. It was not delegated and sent by any
man's authority. It was not sown or planted by any
authorised ministry, but by a faithful aged Christian
woman, and a re-awakened lay preacher.   It began
without system, further than that five or six persons
agreed to meet together in a private house, for prayer
and Christian fellowship. It laid down no precise plan
of operation; for Methodism in America was not, any 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
more than in England, the result of human sagacity
and foresight. It was not sketched out at full length
and breadth, in cloistered retirement, before being carried out into public action, like the wily and craftwoven system of Loyola. It was formed and matured
piecemeal, and according to the advance and requirement of circumstances.   It outreached the thoughts
and purposes of the steady and legislative mind of Mr.
Wesley. It broke in upon his authority; burst through
his prejudices and predilections for the Established
Church of England; and framed itself into a regular,
separate, and independent Church, making its preachers
"ministers,"  and  its superintendents "elders"  and
"bishops."
3Mr. Wesley, however, in this instance, as in others,
showed unmistakeably, that for the work of God he was
ready to sacrifice any views and purposes of his own.
When the organisation of American Methodism into a
regular and separate Church became necessary, he
cheerfully acquiesced; and, fully satisfied, as he states,
of the Scriptural parity of bishops and presbyters (or
elders), he ordained and set apart Dr. Coke for the
office of general superintendent, and sent him forth to
organise the Church, and, with Mr. Asbury, to take the
oversight of it.   And here we may undoubtedly see
Mr. WVesley's view of the form of full-church government,
where circumstances warrant and require its adoption.
It is that of a Presbytero-Episcopal Church, such as
existed and flourished in the first ages of Christianity.
Associated oversight of the churches (local societies)
and their ministers is provided for; and yet the bishops
(overseers or superintendents) are not independent of
the presbytery (or elders), but are elected to their office
135 
136     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
by their ministerial brethren associated in conference,
and are held responsible for their character and acts to
that conference.
On the organisation of the Church the preachers
went, severally, to their appointed circuits; and the
general superintendents began to travel to and fro
throughout the connection, taking episcopal oversight
of the churches and of their ministers.   Both  the
bishops and ministers devoted themselves earnestly to
their work, and endured hardship as good soldiers of
Jesus Christ. MIr. Freeborn Garrettson (now an "elder")
went, with Mir. James O. Cromwell, to Nova Scotia, at
the request of 3r. Wesley and Dr. Coke.  The purpose
for which he was sent was, to form a society among the
M[ethodist settlers; and he was exposed to no inconsiderable amount of peril and suffering. AIr. Garrettson
relates of his dangers in travelling:
"I traversed the mountains and valleys, frequently on foot, with my
knapsack on my back, guided by Ildian pathls in the wilderness, when it
was not expedient to take a horse; and I had often to wade through morasses half-leg deep in mud and water, frequently satisfying my hunger with
a piece of bread and pork from my knapsack, quenching my thirst from a
brook, and resting my weary limbs on the leaves of the trees.  Thanks be to
God!  he compensated me for all my toil, for many precious souls  were
awakened and converted to God."
In addition to this, MIr. Garrettson suffered much, not
only from persecution by the unregenerate world, but
also from violent opposition by Antinomian professors.
But notwithstanding these difficulties, the faithful labourer pursued his course; and when, two years afterwards, he departed from that British province and
returned to the United States, he left as many as 600
members in the societies which he had formed, and 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
which were then transferred, for ministerial supply and
government, to the British Conference.
Bishop Asbury, and MIr. Lee went together south, as
far as Charleston, in South Carolina, and established
Methodism there; for though both the Wesleys, Whitefield, and Pilmoor, had been there previously, yet no
permanent footing had been obtained by their transient
visits: but now a Mir. Willis was left in charge with
the work of God in that part, that it might be duly
fostered and preserved. The woods of Kentucky were
now penetrated by some Methodist local preachers, and
the scattered groups of enterprising settlers were followed by them with the word of life. One of these
local preachers was attacked in his boat, on the Ohio,
by savage Indians; and died within it, kneeling down
and shouting praises to God. The indefatigable Asbury
itinerated north and south, labouring in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. At one time we find him at New York,
with Dr. Coke; then preaching on Long Island; then
traversing the middle States, and going down into the
South, by the "Dismal Swamp"  of Virginia, into
North Carolina; and afterwards visiting Maryland,
crossing and  re-crossing  the Alleghany  Mountains.
The notes by the bishop, in his " journal," on these
long and perilous journeys, are truly interesting; and
give us by a few words an insight into the labours, privationris, and sufferings of American Methodist preachers
in those times.   Of his passage through the Dismal
Swamp of Virginia he says, "I found we had to go
twelve miles by water, and send the horses another way.
Oh, what a world of swamps and rivers and islands we
live in here!"   Of his travel over the Alleghany
Mountains he records:
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138     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
"Thursday, 10th (1788). We had to cross the Alleghany Mountain again
at a bad passage. Our course lay over mountains and through valleys, and
the mud and mire were such as might scarcely be expected in December.
We came to an old forsaken habitation in Tygers' Valley: here our horses
grazed about while we boiled our meat: midnight brought us up at Jones's,
after riding forty, or perhaps fifty miles. The old man, our host, was kind
enough to take us up at four o'clock in the morning.   We journeyed on
through devious lonely wilds, where no food might be found, except what
grew in the woods, or was carried with us.  We  met with two women who
were going to see their friends, and to attend the quarterly meeting at
Clarksbirg.  Near midnight we stopped at A —'s, who  hissed his dogs
at us: but the women were determined to get to quarterly meeting, so we
went in. Our supper was tea. Brothers Pheebus and Cook took to the
woods; old        gave up his bed to the women.   I lay along the floor on a
few deer-skins with the fleas. That night our poor horses got no corn; and
the next morning they had to swim across the Monongahela: after a twenty
miles' ride we came to Clarksburg, and man and beast were so outdone that
it took us ten hours to accomplish it. I lodged with Col. Jackson. Our
meeting was held in a long close room belonging to the Baptists: our use of
the house, it seems, gave offence. There attended about 700 people, to whom
I preached with freedom; and I believe the Lord's power reached the hearts
of some. After administering the sacrament, I was well satisfied to take my
leave.   We  rode thirty miles to Father Haymond's, after three o'clock,
Sunday afternoon, and made it nearly eleven before we came in; about midnight we went to rest, and rose at five o'clock next morning.   My mind has
been severely tried under the great fatigue endured both by myself and
horse. 0, how glad should I be of a plain, clean plank to lie on, as preferable to most of the beds; and where the beds are in a bad state, the floors
are worse. The gnats are almost as troublesome here as the moschetoes in
the lowlands of the seaboard.   This country will require much work to
make it tolerable.  The people are, many of them, of the boldest cast of
adventurers, and with some the decencies of civilised society are scarcely
regarded, two instances of which I myself witnessed. The great landholders
who are industrious will soon show the effects of the aristocracy of wealth,
by lording it over their poorer neighbours, and by securing to themselves all
the offices of profit or honour: on the one hand savage warfare teaches
them to be cruel; and on the other the preaching of Antinomianis poisons
them with error in doctrine: good moralists they are not, and good Christians
they cannot be, unless they are better taught."
Of another journey, made in 1789, over these Amne 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
rican alps, to visit Kentucky, which was then a comparative wilderness, he has recorded that, in some
places, the mountains " rose up before him like the roof
of a house;" and he adds,
Those who  wish to know how  rough it is may tread in our paths.
What made it worse to me  was, that while I was looking to see what had
become of my guide, I was carried off with full force against a tree that
hung across the road, some distance from the ground, and my head received
a very great jar, which, however, was lessened by my having on a hat that
was strong in the crown...... From December 14th, 1789, to April,
20th, 1790, we compute to have travelled 2578 miles.  Hitherto has the
Lord helped.  Glory! glory to ouir God!...  I found the poor preachers
indifferently clad, with emaciated bodies, and subject to hard fare, but I
hope they are rich in faith."
Such were the labours, privations, and hardships, of
the first MiIethodist bishops, and of their itinerant
brethren, in America. And, in addition to these, they
were not unfrequently exposed to "perils in the wilderness" from hostile and revengeful Indians, who waylaid the solitary white traveller, or tracked him on his
path, with the fell intent to tomahawk and scalp him.
To this danger Bishop Asbury was exposed in his
journeyings over the swamps and through the forests.
Sometimes, from their knowledge that there would be
hostile Indians in the way, it was necessary for
white travellers to associate themselves in companies,
and travel in " caravan."  An instance of this Bishop
Asbury has noted, in his journal for the year 1792:
"Wednesday 5th. This morning we again swam the river," (namely,
Laurel River,) "and the west fork thereof.  My little horse was ready to
fail. I was steeped with water up to the waist. About seven o'clock, with
hard pushing, we reached the Crab Orchard. How much I have suffered in
this journey is only known to God and myself. What added much to its
disagreeableness was the extreme filthiness of the houses."
139 
140     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
Again he records, under the date of May lst,
"An alarm was spreading of depredation comnlmitted by the Indians on
the east and west frontiers of the settlements: in the former, report says,
one man was killed; in the latter, many men, women, and children; every
thing is in motion.  There having been so many about me at conference,
my rest was much broken: I hope to repair it, and get refreshed before I
set out to return through the wilderness, but the continual arrival of people
until nulidnight, the barking of dogs, and other annoyances prevented.  Next
night we reached Crab Orchard, where thirty or forty people were compelled
to crowd into one mean house.   We could get no more rest here than we
did in the wilderness.  We came the old way by Scagg's Creek and Rock
Castle, supposing it to be safer, as it is a road less frequented, and
therefore less liable to be waylaid  by the savages.   Miy body  by this
time was well tried.  I had a violent fever and pain in my head; and
I stretched myself on the cold ground, and  borrowing clothes to keep
me warm, by the mercy of God, I slept for five hours.   Next morning
we set off early, and passed beyond Richland Creek.   Here  we  were
in danger, if anywhere.   I could have slept,  but was afraid.   Seeing
the drowsiness of the company, I walked the encampment, and watched the
sentries the whole night. Early next morning we made our way to Robinson's Station. We had the best company I ever met with-thirty-six good
travellers and a few  warriors; but we had a packhorse, some old men,
and two tired horses." He adds-" Through infinite mercy we came safe;"
and then he exclaims, "Rest,  poor house of clay from  such exertions
Return, O my soul, to thy rest!"
These labours and sufferings of his servants for their
Lord and M\aster were not in vain.  In different parts
of the country, men not only heard the word, but gladly
received it. In some places, sudden and powerful outbursts of the Holy Spirit's influence came down upon the
congregations, and great numbers were savingly changed
and added to the Church. Jesse Lee, who accompanied
Bishop Asbury into the southern parts of Virginia, has
described what he witnessed of numerous conversions
there. There were, also, some remarkable revivals of the
work of God within this period, both in the city of Baltimore, and in several other places; and, in 1790, 3Mr. Lee 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
travelled northward as far as Boston, to establish Methodism in that city. Both Mr. Boardman and Mr. Garrettson had been there previously; but had left the small
societies formed without any to watch over them, or to
visit them; and, as might be expected, these societies
had entirely dwindled away. Not so much as a solitary
MIethodist, or the known friend of a Methodist, was left
in Boston, to welcome 3Mr. Lee when he arrived there:
so that, do what he could, no house or room could be
obtained by him to preach in. But the intrepid evangelist, in his plain, Quaker-like garb, took his stand
upon a table which he had placed under a gigantic
elm, on Boston Common; and there preached the word
of life to some thousands of men and women who, from
the shady walks around, were drawn unto him by his
joyful singing and fervent praying. Yet, though the
people heard him attentively, for some time after no
room or house could be obtained for Methodist worship.
3Ir. Lee and others then went into different parts of
New England, and preached the Gospel, under much
opprobrium and persecution. They were pelted with
mud and stones, and hooted at as " Itinerant Pedlars;"
but they pursued their course, and gathered converts to
their cause. In this year, also, Sunday-schools were
commenced, in connection with Methodist places of
worship, for the instruction of black and white children.
And in the year following (1791), a Methodist preacher,
named William Losee, was sent by the New York
Conference into Upper Canada, where, after many
hardships by the way and in the country, he succeeded
in gathering some converts into classes, and arranging
them into a circuit. Thus "mightily grew the word
of God and prevailed;" so that, by the year 1792,
141 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
only thirty-six years from the formation of the first
small society in New York,-the Church had enlarged
and extended until it numbered 66,246 members; and,
reckoning the numerous attendants on its public services,
had under its influence, it is estimated, not less than a
twentieth part of the whole population then contained
in the United States of America.
At the first General Conference held in this year, in
the city of Baltimore, it was found that the work of
Methodism had extended until the greater proportion
of the ministers could not attend any one conference
together: so that annual conferences were in danger
of making laws and regulations that might not be acceptable to the general body of ministers. To remedy
this, and to harmonise the general working of Mlethodism, a central council had been appointed, composed
only of bishops and presiding elders.   But this not
proving satisfactory, a General Conference composed of
ministers from the annual conferences was substituted,
and appointed to meet at the close of every four years,
with powers to legislate for the whole connection, under
certain restrictions.   At this General Conference  in
Baltimore, the constitution of the "Methodist Episcopal
Church of America" was revised; and, since then,
Methodism has progressed and extended widely over
the northern part of this great continent, as may be
related in my next letter.
142 
LETTER IX.
PROGRESS OF METH-IODISM IN AMERICA FROM 1792
TO THE PRESENT TIME.
Continued Persecution, Privation, and Difficulty of the Preachers and Mis sionaries-Forest Preaching-Reimarkable Outpourings of the Holy Spirit,
and Striking Conversions-Camp-meetings-Great Multitudes assembled,
and Extraordinary Good effected-Revival at Baltimore-Extension of
Methodism to Canada-Union of Canadian and British Methodism Present Prosperity of Canadian Methodism-Energy of Methodism in the
United States-Its Vast Undertakings-Not Free from Division and Dis turbance-Slavery-Separation of North from South-Charges against
F. A. Harding and Bishop Andrew-Resolutions of Northern Methodism
against Slavery-Fraternal Communication of British Methodism with
Anti-Slavery Methodism in America.
I TAKE up the historic notice of American Methodism
at the point where I broke off in my last letter-the
year 1792. Its progress continued to be marked by
encounter with opposition and warfare with difficulties.
This, indeed, is the case with every genuine work of
God, whether in churches or individuals. The Captain
of our salvation was made perfect through suffering;
and it is so with his followers, everywhere. We cannot
attain matured strength and perfection without the
discipline of struggle and conflict. Energy and power
of character never spring from soft luxurious ease taken
on cushioned seats or sofas; but grow from the habit of 
144     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
determined and persevering effort under afflictive and
trying circumstances. It was this habit which made
the early settlers in this country men of strength, and
the fathers of a robust and energetic people; and which
gave to the first Methodist labourers here, and in our
own country, that force and breadth of character which
render them  still great in our estimation.   It will
be an evil day for Methodism, here or elsewhere, when
it shall cease to have opposition from an unregenerate
world; when it shall have, as its professed supporters,
accomplished weaklings, rather than earnest, persevering
labourers accustomed to go forth, like our fathers, to
encounter the storm, and to enter personally into aggressive conflict with the enemy.
At every stage of its progress in this country, the
work of God has unmistakeably roused the "old hatred." Under the malignant influence of the god of
this world, violent mobs assailed the Methodist evangelists, and hooted and pelted them in the streets and on
the roads; prejudiced clergymen publicly decried and
denounced them, as "circuit-riders," and as "Satan's
messengers;" while magistrates and governors prosecuted, fined, and imprisoned them. But, constrained
by the love of Christ, these devoted heralds of the
Cross pursued their course of duty amidst all obstacles,
not counting their own lives dear unto them, in comparison with their high spiritual object. The privations
and sufferings of these itinerant labourers in the wild
and uncultivated parts of the country seem to have
been very great. Some of them are related to have
passed as many as twenty-one successive nights in the
open wilderness; and often they had to swim across
broad, flooded rivers and creeks, and then to sleep in 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
their wet clothes on the hard, cold ground.   Others
picked their way through hundreds of miles in the
forest, by Indian trails and marked trees, to the scattered huts and cabins of settlers, that they might carry
the word of life to families separated from religious
means and ordinances, and who had sunk down into
such degraded depths of ignorance that they had to be
taught the very first elements of worship,-for they
knew not when to sit to hear, or kneel to pray!
Of others it is related that they paddled down the
great rivers more than 700 miles at a length, in frail
canoes, to reach their fellow.-men in the western outskirts of population, and for whose souls none others, at
that time, cared. In their circuits they walked or rode
on horseback as many as 1600 miles within five weeks,
to preach the Gospel of Christ often to no more than
half-a-dozen persons for an audience-for many of the
settlers were then only to be reached in families. And
when, under other circumstances, they could assemble
the people together in larger numbers within and under
the shelter of deep forests, they heard bears and wolves
moaning and howling around them as they preached
and prayed. While sustaining such unwearied labours
and encountering such perils, they did not receive sufficient earthly remuneration to be able to provide themselves with necessary food and clothing; neither, at
that time, was there any provision made for their wives
or children. Bishop Asbury records in his journal for
the year 1806, when attending a western conference,
"The brethren were in want, and could not suit themselves; so I parted with my watch, my coat, and my
shirt."
Yet, with all this, they were content and happy if only
L
145 
146     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
the work of God prospered in their hands. And Jehovah
did not leave them without bright and cheering proofs
of His power to save. The records of this period describe some most signal instances of numerous conversions.   Where considerable numbers could assemble,
not only scores but hundreds at one service were
pricked to the heart, and cried out, "Men and brethren,
what must we do?" In the year 1799, the first campmeetings seem to have been held in the States of Ohio,
Kentucky, and Tennessee. At some of those large outof-door assemblies there were wonderful displays of
divine grace. The people who attended them had, generally, been moved to religious desires by the several
services held among them in their own localities. Thus
when called to assemble with others alike concerned for
salvation, they went in right earnest, and fully resolved
to get religious good if it were to be had by earnest.
ness. They came forth with their horses, waggons, food,
and bedding, by thousands; encamped, with their several tents, in the wide wilderness; and then, at protracted services, under the over-hanging foliage of the
forest-trees hung with lanterns at night, they continued
together for exhortation, the breaking of bread, and
for prayer. At one of these meetings as many as
20,000 persons were assembled; so that, for hearing the
word of God preached, they had to be gathered into
separate congregations, and addressed by different
speakers, some of whom were Presbyterians, and some
Baptists-for earnest men  delight to mingle where
there is earnest work going on, though the projectors
of such work may not be, nominally, of their own
party.
Some of the scenes of spiritual awakening, both of 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
these and other meetings, were attended by signs and
circumstances such as marked the preaching of Mr.
Wesley and his coadjutors in England, and such as
were beheld at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
Hlearers of the word fell down to the ground, in the
agony of spiritual conviction, and cried aloud for salvation. At a large camp-meeting at Caneridge, it was
estimated that not less than 3000 persons were under
deep religious concern together, and made the surrounding woods resound with their sobs and cries before
the Lord. Bishop M'Kendree seems to have taken a
very earnest and successful part in these western campmeetings; and some which he attended are especially
memorable in connection with his name.
There were also gracious revivals in other parts of
the country, where great numbers at a time were added
to the Lord. The city of Baltimore seems to have
been, on several occasions, the favoured scene of numerous conversions, and of large additions to the church of
God. In the year 1818, a wondrous religious awakening commenced at "Fell's Point," in the lower part of
the city, and spread through the other parts: this
gracious visitation was manifested in several influential
families, appeared among the poorer portion of the
population, and penetrated even to the prison-cells of
felons and convicts.   At that one period, nearly 1000
persons were brought into church-fellowship with the
Methodists in the city of Baltimore.   This work of
God spread from thence through the State of Maryland.
And in the States of Virginia, New York, and other
States of New England, Methodism also grew and
prospered.
In Canada, too, Methodism made rapid progress. I
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148     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
have already named its commencement in that province
under Mr. Losee; and among the earlier notices, I find
one of a gracious revival in Upper Canada, in the year
1797, under Calvin Woolster, "a man full of faith and
of the Holy Ghost." This work of God seems to have
extended from Upper to Lower Canada, and on to
Quebec, under Joseph Sawyer, Nathan Bangs, William
Case, and other devoted servants of Christ. In 1811,
Bishop Asbury crossed the St. Lawrence River and
visited Canada, with which country and its people he
seems to have been highly gratified. In 1812, the declaration of war between America and England produced uneasiness between Canada and the United States;
and the Canadian Methodists began to entertain a desire
for separation from the Methodists of the States. This
desire strengthened naturally by a consideration of the
political relationship between Canada and England;
and, at length, by commutual consent of all parties,
Methodism in Canada was given up to the British Conference, for general superintendency and government;
but this was not brought about until 1828. Since that
period, Canada has been divided into two sections, in
its relation to Methodism, named Eastern and Western
Canada; and these have their own annual conferences,
which they hold in affiliated connection with the British
Conference.   Canada has also had its devoted  and
zealous labourers for Christ; men who carried the axe
with them in their adventurous journeys, that they
might cut their way through the forest wilderness, and
fell trees by the water-side, place the trees across
streams, and so pass over, and pursue their way.
William Case, before named, and who died this year
(1856), is remembered among the Indian tribes of 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
Canada, as "the Father of the Indians," and was one
of the most honoured instruments employed by God
for the commencement of His work in Canada. And
now schools and houses for worship have multiplied,
until this great North American province, in both its
Methodist sections, is " a field which the Lord hath
blessed." It should not, however, be forgotten, that
alike among the white population and the native Indians, Mlethodism in Canada is originally an offshoot
from the Methodism of the United States. Peter Jones
and John Sunday, and other Indian converts in Canada,
so well known to us in England, and to hundreds of
our red brethren, were the fruit of Methodist agency
from the States.
With this wide extension of the work of God by its
instrumentality, the Methodist Episcopal Church of the
United States has steadily advanced in the multiplication of its appliances for securing the stability of its
spiritual conquests, while it does not slacken in zeal and
effort for further gains. It has made more adequate
provisions for its ministers and their families. It has
instituted Tract Societies and Sunday School Unions.
It has organised domestic missions for widely-scattered
settlers of different nations, for the poor degraded
slaves, and for the remnants of the various tribes of
Indians; and it has sent forth its intrepid missionaries
over the seas to South America, Western Africa, the
European continent, and India. Some of these have
nobly sacrificed their lives for the name of Jesus: and
have, themselves, names which are not only honourable
in the martyr-records of the Church on earth, but bright
in the heraldry of heaven. The dying saying of one of
them, Melville B. Cox, who was cut off by the destruce
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150     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
five climate of Liberia, in the year 1832, must long be
remembered as one of the most heroic sayings of heroic
men. Being asked by his friend what should be written
upon his tombstone should he die in Africa, he answered,
"Write this-' Let thousands fall before Africa be given
up!' " Other missionaries, both male and female, have
followed this brave warrior for Christ, and willingly
surrendered their lives, while in the years of comparative youth: thus pressing, like good soldiers of their
Lord, into the citadel, though they knew beforehand
that they were likely to become mere stepping-stones
for those who were to follow after thein, and secure the
full victory.
The Methodists of the States have also established
numerous Schools, Academies, Colleges, and Universities, and have spread them widely over the length
and breadth of the land; and while literature has
been cultivated with the most encouraging success in
these institutions, publications have been issued from
the Methodist press by hundreds of thousands. As the
work of God has enlarged, ministers, local preachers,
class-leaders, and other agents of the Church have been
multiplied; and the number of the bishops, for general
superintendency and oversight, has likewise been proportionally augmented.
It was not to be supposed that such a great and extended work of God as I have briefly sketched could,
through good part of a century, escape the plague
of internal commotion and disturbance, any more than
external assault and conflict. As early as 1793, we find
contention and revolt created by disappointed and ambitious men; and, at successive periods, secessions of
the disaffected form a part of the chronicle of Methodist 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
affairs. At one time, the appointment of ministers by
the bishops was opposed, and made the subject of strife
and division; more than once, the office of "presiding
elder" in the Church has been assailed; and some even of
the poor African members in the churches of the States
have been moved to agitation and separation, on one
"vexed question" or another.  In reading the history
of these disturbances and divisions, it is really curious
to notice the similarity of their character and names
to those of the disturbances and divisions of Methodism
in England. There have been "Primitive Methodists,"
" Reformers," and " Methodist Associations;" and all
these before their namesakes arose in our country. I
need only add, that notwithstanding internal and external storms, the Methodist Episcopal Church of America has held on its way, progressing in spite of difficulties and disturbances, until it is now foremost of
all the churches of the land, both in numbers and in
fluence.
One great disturbing element has, from early days,
as you know, existed in the Christian Church here; and
has, at length, divided the Methodist Church of the
United States into two parts: that is, the monster evil
of slavery. This abhorrent system, by its authorised
status under civil governments, has continually hampered and embarrassed the Church. Mr. Wesley, Dr.
Coke, Bishop Asbury, and the early preachers, in their
conferences, expressed the strongest opposition to this
"complicated villany;" and wrote, spoke, and legislated for its entire eradication from the Methodist
Church,-prohibiting, most positively and peremptorily, both ministers and members from any participation in it. But the fact of the evil being sanctioned
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152     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
by several of the States, separately, and not being subject to general legislation by Congress, interfered with
the action of the Methodist Churches. Except they
took the position of direct rebellion against civil government, any laws which the Methodists might make
against slavery were impracticable. On this account,
the Rules were modified by the appendage-that they
should be carried into execution by the annual conferences, so far as allowed by the laws of the several
States.   And with evident reference to past requirements on this matter, relating to both ministers and
people being free from criminal association with slavery,
the conference of 1824 passed the following resolutions,
which are in the "Book of Discipline," and remain in
force to the present time:
"Quest. What shall be done for the extirpation of the evil of slavery?
"4ns. 1. We declare that we are as much as ever convinced of the great
evil of slavery: therefore no slaveholder shall be eligible to any official
station in our Church hereafter, where the laws of the State in which he lives
will admit of emancipation, and permit the liberated slave to enjoy freedom.
" 2. When any travelling preacher becomes an owner of a slave or slaves,
by any means, he shall forfeit his ministerial character in our Church, unless
he execute, if it be practicable, a legal emancipation of such slaves, con.
formable to the law of the State in which he lives.
" 3. All our preachers shall prudently enforce upon all our members the
necessity of teaching their slaves to read the word of God; and to allow
them time to attend upon the worship of God on our regular days of divine
service.
"4. Our coloured preachers and official members shall have all the privileges which are usual to others in the district and quarterly conferences,
where the usages of the country do not forbid it. And the presiding elder
may hold for them a separate district conference, where the number of
coloured local preachers will justify it.
"5. The bishops may employ coloured preachers  to travel and preach,
when their services are judged necessary, provided that no one shall be so
employed without having been recommenrded by a quarterly conference." 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
These rules were not satisfactory to some of the
preachers and people, and exciting controversies arose
concerning them; and, at length, the Baltimore conference suspended a minister, of the name of Francis
A. Harding, for the holding of slaves,-which slaves,
the said minister pleaded, the laws of the State in
which he resided would not allow him to emancipate.
Hie appealed from the decision of the conference of
Baltimore to the General Conference held in 1844. But
this conference confirmed the decision given at Baltimore; and, in the proceedings, brought out the fact,
that one of the bishops (Bishop Andrew) was also a
slaveholder.   This the bishop acknowledged, stating
that the slaves had come to him by his marriage, that
year, with a widow lady; and that, by the laws of the
State in which he lived, he could not liberate them.
Next, the question of this bishop's continuance in his
office was raised; and, on the ground that he would no
longer be acceptable to the connexion at large, judgment was likewise given against him. This was no
sooner done, than thirteen of the conferences in the
Southern States, with the Churches belonging to them,
withdrew from the general connexion, and formed
themselves into a separate connexion, under the name
of the "Methodist Episcopal Church, South;" and,
since then, these separatists have never been reunited to their brethren of the North. It is to the
General Conference of the Northern body that we have
been sent. This Church is not merely passively, but
actively and determinedly opposed to slavery.   The
separatists of the South condemn slavery, and profess to seek its extirpation; but the Church of the
North  imperatively  prohibits  all participation  in
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154     PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
slavery, either by ministers or other officers of the
Church. In justice to the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South, however, it ought to be stated, that no church
whatever is doing so much for the religious instruction
of the Africans in the United States as it is doing.
It has numerous schools, nearly 200,000 full-church
coloured members-most of whom  are  slaves-and
hundreds of thousands more of the same dark race who
regularly hear from its preachers the word of life.
From the beginning, Methodism in England  and
America has maintained friendly relationship, and has
exchanged, as occasion allowed, fraternal salutations
and greetings, both by written addresses and by ministerial deputations. In the early records of the Churches
we find declarations that Methodism throughout the
world is one. In 1824, the Rev. Richard Reece,
accompanied by the Rev. John Hannah, attended the
General Conference which assembled in Baltimore.
In 1836, the Rev. William Lord was deputed by the
British Conference to attend the General Conference of
Methodism in the United States.  In 1840, the Rev.
Robert Newton, D.D., was at the General Conference
held in the same city. In 1848, the Rev. Dr. Dixon
attended the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Pittsburg. And now, in 1856, Dr.
Hannah and I are on our way to the General Conference about to assemble at Indianapolis.
Before the American Methodist Church was divided,
the British Conference, both by its addresses and its
representatives, had to remonstrate with the Conferences
here on the ground of slavery. But, since the division,
there cannot be just suspicion of any leaning towards
slavery on the part of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
i 
PROGRESS OF METHODISM IN AMERICA.
North; and with it only the British Conference holds
communication, and recognises a relationship.
These hasty notices of the leading events and principal circumstances in the history of Methodism on this
continent, will give you a general idea of the manner
and measure of its progression up to the present time.
Full particulars of such a history belong to the voluminous chronicler, and not to the writer of a letter. Some
further characteristics of the American Methodist Church
at its different periods you will, however, be able to
gather from the outline portraitures of some of its most
prominent and successful labourers, with which I shall
endeavour to supply you in my next letter.
155 
LETTER X.
METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
Francis Asbuiry-Dr. Coke-Asbury's Peculiar Adaptations for America His Capacity for Labour-His Tirelessness in Travelling-His Abnega tion of Self-His Primitive Manners-His Economy  and Charity Anecdote of the Sceptical Doctor-Last Days of Asbury-His  last
Sermon and Triumphant Death-His Convert, Punch, the Negro-Punch
becomes a Preacher-Conversion of the Persecuting Overseer-Punch's
Old Age-His Prayer answered-His Happy Death.
FRANCIS ASBURY is uniformly spoken of, here, as the
chief agent in the establishment of the Methodist Episcopal Church: and, undoubtedly, this honour is justly
due to him. For, while Mr. Wesley must ever be regarded as the father and founder of Methodism, both in
Europe and America, while they were his people who
first held Methodist meetings in this country, his
preachers who were first sent forth to attend to the
infant societies which had been formed, and it was by
his authority that the scattered societies were organised
into a united and a distinct Church, yet it was Francis
Asbury, more than any other man, who stamped upon
the American Church the Methodist image and superscription.
Dr. COKE is also very affectionately and gratefully
spoken of here. How could it be otherwise? He was
Mr. Wesley's most devoted assistant and friend. He 
METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
was the father of Methodist missions; and gave his
life, learning, and fortune, to the furtherance of that
object.   He was the first appointed bishop of  the
Methodist Church in America; and to serve it he crossed
the wide Atlantic not less than eighteen times, at his
own expense. Dr. Coke was, moreover, a true friend
of the degraded negro race; and with a zeal not less
ardent than that of Wilberforce, Clarkson, or Fowell
Buxton, he sought their social and spiritual emancipation. Here, as in England, he was the very drudge
of charity; and though a gentleman by birth and a
scholar by education, he encountered the roughest missionary labour in the unshorn wilderness of this Western
world.   Standing under the broad, spreading mapletree, he made the deep forest echo with the sound of his
overstrained voice, as he preached to assembled emigrants and outcast slaves the word of life.
But with all his personal excellence, zeal, and devotedness, Dr. Coke could not so fully engraft himself
upon the American stock, and be so thoroughly united
to it, as Francis Asbury. Hie had strong predilections
for the Church of England and its services: these prepossessions the Americans did not share, and so they
became unwilling to confide their entire interests to
him. Above all the reasons, however, why he failed to
secure the full sympathy of the Americans, the strongest
was his impulsive zeal for the immediate liberation
of the slaves.   This brought him often into perilous
collision with the slave-owners and the government;
and, by consequence, led the people to distrust his prudence. Besides, Dr. Coke did not remain long at a
time in America; but passed and repassed to England,
leaving his colleague in the general superintendency of
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METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
the Methodist Church, in single charge of the several
circuits and the districts.
Bishop Asbury, on the other hand, gave himself
wholly to Methodism in America.  As soon as he arrived on this continent, he adopted it as his field of
spiritual labour for life. And when the Church here
had been thoughtfully and skilfully organised, and himself confirmed in his office, he carried out the system of
evangelical agency and pastoral oversight with amazing
energy and success.   As we have seen, the form of
church government here established was devised by
Mr. Wesley; but how much, under God, did it depend
upon the agent 3Mr. Wesley might select to carry it
into practical operation!  That agent was Francis
Asbury; and there can be no doubt that he was also
most especially chosen of God for this great work.
Like most men specially destined for important service
under Divine Providence, he seems, from the beginning
of his itinerant career, to have had a strong presentiment of his destiny with regard to America. In his
journal he has recorded that, before any proposal was
made by Mr. Wesley to the Conference at Bristol, in
1771, for some of the preachers to go and assist their
brethren labouring in America, he had felt strong and
clear intimations within his mind that he ought to go
there; and that, when he made known his views and
feelings, the preachers and his friends agreed in the conclusion that he ought to go. From the conviction that
America was the sphere of labour appointed for him by
God, he never afterwards moved, even for an instant.
When, in the time of war and extreme peril, other
English preachers left this continent and returned to
their own country, Francis Asbury, as I have before
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hinted, remained, and resolved not to desert his great
work on any account. And though, during the fiercest
period of the conflict for Independence, he durst not
appear abroad in the daytime (because unwilling as a
British subject to take the oath of allegiance to the
States), yet even then he went forth by night to instruct
the people, and to pray with them in their homes. He
states that the two months thus spent by him were "a
season of the most active, most useful, and suffering
part of his life." For the work in America to which
he had devoted himself, he was ready to make any
sacrifice of personal ease and comfort; and for the extension of Alessiah's kingdom he was ready to perform
any amount of labour. Itinerancy seems to have been
the very element of his existence.
This sagacious as well as zealous servant of Christ
knew, from what he had seen in England, the power of
itinerant preaching for aggression upon the territory of
Satan; and, like Wesley and Whitefield, he went forth
into the thoroughfares of human society publicly to call
upon men to enter the way of salvation. "General
assistant" as he was, yet he did not content himself
with making out plans for the stated labour of brethren
placed under his superintendence.   He did not seat
himself in a comfortable room, and ask, with maps and
rules before him, "Who  will go for us?"  No: like
all great leaders he went forth personally at the head of
his " helpers," and cried " Follow me! "
On his first arrival in America, he saw the disposition of the preachers to shut themselves up within the
large towns.   This he not only lamented and condemned, but he immediately went out to the neglected
settlers of the wilderness; and, as he says, " showed
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METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
his brethren the way" of real itinerant labour. And
when raised to the Methodist episcopacy by the unanimous voices of the preachers, and thus placed over them
in the Lord, Bishop Asbury did not seek official ease
or personal indulgence, by leaving the drudgery of the
work to others; but continued to adventure on the most
perilous evangelic enterprises, labouring more abundantly than they all. Hie travelled, it is estimated, not
less than 6000 miles a year for the extended period of
forty-five years; and preached at least once a day
during the whole of that time.  His journeys were
performed, not in railway cars or steamboats, but
upon horseback or on foot, and often under the most
dangerous and comfortless circumstances. In his interesting " Journal," where he has chronicled in the
most artless manner his daily exercises of heart and
life, he tells us how he had to travel on the roughest
roads; to wade through dismal swamps; to cross difficult
mountain ridge; to journey alone through the solitary
wilderness, where the deep silence was broken only by
the howls of hungry wolves, and the yells of murderous
Indians; to swim over broad rivers, and sleep on the
cold ground in his wet clothes, with no pillow but
his saddle-bags,-or, if he found shelter for the night
in a settler's hut or log-cabin, it was not unfrequently
in circumstances of the greatest inconvenience and discomfort. When detained from itinerant service, he
mourned over his silence, recording in his journal, " It
is now eight weeks since I have preached-awfully
dumb Sabbaths!" When so far recovered in strength as
to be able to proceed over the Cumberland Mountains,
he relates, " On my way I felt as if I was out of prison.
Hiail! ye solitary pines! the jessamine, the red-bud,
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METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
and the dog-wood!  How charming in full bloom! the
former a most fragrant smell."   And afterwards he
records,-" I have travelled about 600 miles with an
inflammatory fever, and fixed pain in my breast." For
arduous and enduring labours, it may be affirmed, that
Francis Asbury was not excelled by any of the most
devoted and toiling messengers of Christ.
There is but little of written memorial respecting
this most  excellent man.   And  there is only one
authentic portrait of him that I have seen, except the
small one in the Metho(list 2Iagazine for the year 1809.
He seems to have shrunk with instinctive dread from
the honour which cometh from man. It was only by
stratagem that a likeness of him could be obtained,that of a promise of clothing for his poor preachers, if
he would sit to a portrait-taker.   Before he died, he
solemnly enjoined upon his friends that no "Life"
should be written of him, and that dying injunction to
the present has been observed. His bodily remains
rest, now, in the " Mount of Olives" Methodist Cemetery, at Baltimore; but no monumental stone records
his deeds. Without picture-portraits, written memoirs,
or marble monuments, his memory is blessed in the
Church he established in the land; and to any one
standing within the living walls of that Church, characterised by its vast extent, and its goodly framework of
spiritual beauty and order, if inquiry were made for
Asbury's monument, the answer might be in the words of
that strikingly appropriate inscription for Sir Christopher
Wren, within St. Paul's Cathedral:- " Si monumenturn
quceris, circumspice:"  " If thou askest for his monument, look around thee!"
The friends here, who remember him, describe him as
M
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162      METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
having been, in person, a spare, upright, and dignified
man. Hle is said to have had eyes that pierced those
he looked upon, as if he were probing human character
to its core; while, at times, when he was administering
reproof, the glance from under his large overhanging
brows was terrible. To judge from the lines and fixedness of the mouth, and the general cast of his features,
as shown in the one portrait of him, firmness and
decision, seriousness and earnestness, must have been
habitual with him. In his advanced years, they relate,
that his long, silvery locks flowed freely on his shoulders, so as to give him a truly venerable and fatherly
appearance.   Hle is also described as having been
remarkably neat and clean in his clothing, and as
having worn a plain, quakerly kind of dress, and a
low-crowned, broad-brimmed hat.
Bishop Asbury does not seem to have been marked
by imaginative or creative powers of mind. He was,
rather, a man of plain, solid understanding, with a potential will, and undiscourageable endurance and perseverance. ile had mainly ed(lucated himself while on
his itinerant rounds; and he obtained, not only a good
degree of ordinary learning, but also a critical acquaintance with the original language of the New Testament.
He was a man of exact order and method.  His business
movements are said to have been almost as regular as
clock-work. Like iIr. Wesley, he ate, slept, laboured,
conversed, and prayed by rule. Hle was a rigid enemy
to ease or self-indulgence, and would not allow it either
in himself or his brethren.  "The love of money" had
no place in his affections: he would never take for
himself more than 60 dollars (~20) a year for his
support, beyond his travelling expenses; and he dis 
METHODIST LABOURERIS IN AMERICA.
tributed the greater part of that sum to the more
needy. His sermons, in his later years, are described
as being without regularity of plan or arrangement;
but still to have been very weighty and impressive.
The simple truth, delivered in a solemn, authoritative
manner, accompanied by the power of the Spirit, shook
the hearts of the preachers as well as of the people.
He "ruled well," and therefore was counted worthy of
double honour.   He  was forbearing and conciliatory
where he observed any irregularity which did not
involve a principle; but where transgression was really
censurable, he was immovable in firmness and resolution.   So unerring was his insight of human  character, that he knew at a glance the materials on which
he had to work; and he had strength and courage, as
well as wisdom, to use them for the best advantage of
the Church of Christ. Some, who only saw him in his
public administrations, thought him stern and unapproachable; but to those who knew him well he was
loving and easily accessible. When he entered the
poor man's cabin for rest or for shelter, little children
ran to him as soon as he was seated, climbed up his
knees, and received his fatherly benediction.
Bishop Asbury never married; for, as he used to say,
he was too constantly occupied with the work of God
to take upon him the cares of a private family. He
seems, however, to have had a manly sense of the duty
of help and succour which man owes to woman. Thus
he always contributed, from his yearly pittance, to the
support of some needy female or other; and, when he
died, he left 2000 dollars, which friendship had bequeathed to him, for the relief of a preacher's widow,
and of the most needy of his brethren.
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METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
With all this, he was pre-eminently a man of prayer.
Dependence upon God seems to have been his constant
feeling. He began and finished every service with
prayer. He prayed on the road, in the silent woods,
and in the houses where he lodged, whether they were
private or public. He lived and breathed in the element of prayer. When a sceptical doctor of medicine
refused to receive from him any pecuniary remuneration
for attending upon him during a dangerous sickness, he
said, " But I never suffer myself to be in debt, so let
us kneel down together and discharge the obligation
with thanks and supplications before the Lord;" and,
kneeling down, he prayed most earnestly for the unbelieving physician who had dealt so generously with
him. His gift in public prayer is spoken of as having
been remarkable. This talent he had well improved
by exercise, as Freeborn Garrettson, his companion in
labour, declared in the funeral sermon which he preached
for the bishop, when he said, "He prayed the best, and
he prayed the most, of any man I ever knew. His
long-continued rides prevented his preaching as often
as some others; but he could find a throne of grace, if
not a congregation, upon the road."
This truly apostolic man lived to a good old age.
When he had passed his threescore years and ten, and
when his venerable father, Wesley, with Dr. Coke, and
many others of his early friends and acquaintances, had
departed to their eternal rest, he still pursued his
itinerant labours. Incessant travelling, amidst all the
changes of weather, and the constant burden of anxiety
which he bore for the Church he loved, preyed seriously
upon his constitution in later years. But when urged
to desist from continuous labour, on the ground that
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God had graciously raised up many strong men to carry
on and watch over the work he had begun, he replied,
"No man can do my work." When too weak to preach
on his journeys as often as he had been wont to do, he
had printed copies of the Word of God stored in his
waggon, to distribute as he went along the road, saying,
"Now I know that I am sowing good seed." From
the last entries he made in his journal, it is plain that all
his desires for itinerant labour were not then fulfilled,
but that his heart was enlarged towards the " Far
West."  They are in these words:  "M\y soul is blessed with continued consolation and
peace in all my great weakness of body, and crowds of
company. I am a debtor to the whole continent, but
more especially to the north-east and south-west; it is
there I usually gain health, and lose it in the south and
centre. I have visited the south thirty times in thirtyone years. I wish to visit Mississippi; but am resigned
My eyes fail.  I will resign the stations to
Bishop M'Kendree.  I will take away my feet..
It is my fifty-fifth year of ministry, and forty-fifth of
labour in America....   I die daily, but my
consolations are great.   I live in God from moment to
moment."
Notwithstanding this resolution to "take away his
feet," and give place unto another, he still continued
his journeys, until after riding forty-three miles one
day over a rough and jolting road, he said, "This will
not do —I must halt, or order my grave." Yet he persevered, fearing to lose the last remnant of his life
from useful service, until he reached Virginia, where
he preached his last sermon only a few days before
his death. When his friends beheld him in his feeble
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166     METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
ness, they besought him not to preach; but he replied
that "God had given him work to do there, and he
must once more deliver his testimony in that place."
And like as the "beloved disciple" St. John, according
to the relation of Jerome, was carried in the arms of
the early Christians to their place of meeting and
placed before the people, when old age disabled him
from walking, so the devoted Methodists of Richmond
carried the dying Asbury in their arms to the house of
God; and when they had placed him on a table inside
the pulpit, he preached, in tremulous tones, to a weeping
congregation, from the signal words, "For Hie will
finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness:
because a short work will He make in the earth."
He was then carried back from the pulpit; and on
the next Sabbath-after travelling on alternate days
till he reached the house of his friend, Mr. George
Arnold-when bowing himself upon his bed to worship,
and, like Jacob, leaning upon his staff, he looked up
joyfully to his companion, and raising both hands to
heaven in holy triumph, he passed into the joy of his
Lord.
Bishop Asbury was in his seventy-first year; and his
death occurred on the 21st day of March, 1816. He
was, at first, interred at Spottsylvania, in Virginia,
the place where he died. Afterwards, by the direction
of the Conference, his remains were brought to Baltimore, and deposited within a vault under the- recess
for the pulpit, in Eautaw Street Church, when a funeral
address was delivered over them, to the ministers assembled, by Bishop Mll'Kendree.  In the church was placed
a written memorial of his name, labours, and death.
Since then his bones have been removed to the Mount 
METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
of Olives Cemetery, as I have already stated; and there,
with the bodies of other bishops of his beloved Church,
his mortal relics seem to have found a last resting-place,
wherein to await their great change into a "spiritual
body."
lIany interesting anecdotes are related of this good
bishop from  the memories of his survivors, and these
reminiscences of him are vividly illustrative of his
excellent character.   Some of them very affectingly
show his benevolent attention to the poor degraded sons
and daughters of Africa, and are truly honourable to
him. It is clear that he was never neglectful of them,
wherever he went; and that he not only prayed and
conversed with the master in his house and in his parlour, but also with the slave in the kitchen, the field,
and the log-hut. On one occasion he observes, in his
journal, "I was exceedingly happy last evening with
the poor slaves in brother Wells' kitchen, while our
white brother (a young minister of the circuit) held
a sacramental love-feast up-stairs. I must be mindful
of the poor: this is the will of God concerning me."
But his attention to these poor outcasts, and the great
harvest of good that may spring from way-side sowing
of the word of life among them, appeared very fully
in his conduct towards a notoriously wicked negro,
whom he one day found by the road-side, as he was
riding to Charleston, in South Carolina; and who was
not only brought to seriousness and reformation of life,
but became successful in winning many of his own
dark race to the love of the Saviour. The relation is as
follows:
Bishop Asbury came up to this negro, who was
sitting on a bank, fishing in a creek, and whistling to
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himself a merry jig tune. The bishop pulled up his
horse, and turned it aside to drink. While the horse
was drinking, the bishop began to enter into conversation with the dark fisherman, asking what was his
name. "Punch," was the reply.  "Do you ever pray?"
inquired Asbury. "No, massa," answered the negro,
with a        vague look that showed  he hardly knew  the
meaning of the question.   The bishop at once dismounted, sat down on the bank beside the slave, and
spoke to him earnestly on the evil of sin and its
danger, and on the way of salvation by Christ Jesus,
until the tears flowed swiftly down the black man's
face, and he began to cry to God to have mercy on him.
Asbury now sang, by his side, several verses of the
hymn, commencing
"Plunged in a gulf of dark despair,
We wretched sinners lay."
This thoroughly subdued Punch, insomuch that his
tears flowed faster, and his heart melted into sorrow.
The bishop then explained to him the way of faith in
Christ; and, after giving him suitable directions, prayed
with him, and bade him an affectionate farewell. The
evangelist and the negro did not meet again until
twenty-five years afterwards, when Punch obtained leave
to quit the rice-field in order to make a visit to Charleston, where the bishop then was, and whither the negro
walked sixty or seventy miles to see him.   But, to
pursue the story in order:-When Bishop Asbury left
Punch at the side of the creek, the negro quickly drew
up his fishing-line, and went to his hut; for the Hloly
Spirit was working effectually in the depths of his soul.
"I began tink," he said afterwards, "'fore I get home
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METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
Punch be gone to hell."  Following the directions of
his spiritual instructor, he now prayerfully and unceasingly sought forgiveness through the blood of
Christ; and, after a few days, he joyfully obtained
redemption through that blood, even the pardon of his
sins.
Feeling the blessedness of his new state, he could not
refrain from speaking of it to others.   It seemed a
strange tale for Punch, who had been so notoriously
wicked, to tell to his fellow-slaves. But they saw that
he was a changed and a happy man; and by degrees
they gathered round him, and heard with seriousness
what he had to say. One after another began to pray,
and then to rejoice, until, at length, large congregations collected round the door of Punch's cabin for religious conversation and prayer; and soon, without
intending it, Punch became a preacher of the Gospel.
Standing at the door of his hut, he, night after night,
proclaimed the good news of salvation to crowds of his
brother negroes.
This awakened the ire of the overseer of the estate,
and he set himself to put down Punch's preaching and
the effects of it among the slaves.   And  now poor
Punch could only speak and pray with a few that might
hide themselves in his narrow cabin. One night, when
thus engaged, to his alarm he heard the persecuting
overseer call him, and he went forth fully expecting to
be flogged; but, behold! when he opened the door,
there lay the overseer, writhing on the ground, under
conviction for sin, and crying out, "Punch, will you
pray for me?" and, as may readily be supposed, Punch
most gladly and earnestly complied.  "I cry, I pray,
I shout! " he used afterwards to relate; "I beg de Lord
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to hear. De overseer rise, trow him arms round me;
and den he tank God, and tank Punch!"  This overseer afterwards joined the Methodist Church, became
an exhorter, and afterwards a preacher.
For some years, the devoted negro's course for religious usefulness was freely open; and, having been long
known to them, he continued to win his companions in
bondage to newness of life. His owner dying, he passed
into the possession of another, and was removed to an
entirely new field for labour. There, however, as before,
by zealous, persevering goodness, he won the confidence
of those who were over him, and the ears and hearts of
his fellow-slaves, who, like the others, resorted to him
for religious instruction and worship.
Several years after, when Punch had grown old, a
Methodist minister was sent to that part of the country,
and was requested to visit the plantation. The minister
sought first the cabin of this veteran Methodist negro,
of whom he had previously heard. He asked a negro
herdsman if any preacher lived on the ground, " O yes,
massa, de old bushup lib here," answered the man,
pointing to Punch's cottage, "he be good preacher.
De word burn we heart!" The minister knocked at
the cabin-door, and immediately heard tottering footsteps, and a sound of a cane on the floor. The door
opened, and there within stood a trembling grey-headed
old black man, leaning upon a staff.
When informed of the office of his visitor, Punch
was silent with the overflow of grateful feeling; and,
looking up to heaven with his dark eyes beaming with
rapture, he at last burst into tears, and exclaimed,
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation!" The minister
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was overpowered by what he saw, and stood like one
confused, not knowing what to reply. Punch invited
him in, and explained to him the meaning of the
exclamation, by saying, "I have many children in
this place. My end is nigh, and I have looked round
me in vain for some one to take my place and preach
to them. I prayed to God to send some one, and I felt
as though I could not die until He did.  He has heard
my prayer, and sent you.   So I am  now ready to
depart."
Very soon afterwards his departure arrived.   lie
seemed almost to know when it would come; for, on
the morning of the Sabbath on which he died, he said,
joyously, "I shall die this day!"   Many weeping
negroes crowded round his low, scanty bed, and heard
his dying words. Again and again he repeated the
grateful words of Simeon-" Lord, now lettest thou thy
servant depart in peace!" And as his redeemed and
enfranchised spirit escaped from the dark, captive
tabernacle in which it hadl lodged, his quivering lips
were repeating, "Let thy servant depart in peaceLet-let-l-."
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LETTER XI.
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Bishop M'Kendree-Clearness of his Conversion-Doubts his Call to the
Ministry-His Prejudices against Bishop Asbury dispelled, and his entire
devotedness to Methodism —His Laboutrs in the West, and his personal
Holiness and Success-Elected Bishop-Companionship with Asbury Pleasing Camp-meeting Scene-M'Kendree's Farewell to his Brethren'
His last Days and happy Departure-Bishop George-Habits of Prayer
-Powers as a Preacher-Kindliness of Spirit-Anecdote of the Young
Preacher and the Bishop-Freeborn Garrettson-His happy Face and
happy Character-Remarkable Conversion-Sets Free his Negroes-His
Ministry-Suffering for Christ-Pleasant old Age-Rapturous Death Jesse Lee-Bishop Roberts-Bishop Hedding-Bishop Emory-John
Easter-Dr. Stephen Olin, &c.
THE name held in most regard and reverence, next to
that of Asbury, among American Methodists, is that of
his colleague and successor, Bishop M'KENDREE. His
memory is more immediately identified with the West,
of which he was one of the chief Gospel pioneers. No
formal memoir of him has yet been written, though love
for him seems to exist in every Methodist heart. iHe was,
pre-eminently, a devoted, laborious, eloquent, and successful minister of Christ. In person, he is described
as having been above the average height; and though
his bearing is said to have been impressive and dignified, 
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yet his intelligent face was remarkable for openness;
and his large falling rolls of dark hair gave him a cast
of manly beauty.  His voice is said to have been one of
remarkable sweetness and power.
He was born in the State of Virginia, in the year
1757, and was an adjutant in the American army during
the war of Independence. When thirty years of age,
he was brought to God under the preaching of a
"Boanerges" who then travelled in that part of the
country, of the name of John Easter, and from that
time to the end of his life MI'Kendree was a faithful
soldier of the Cross.   The work of conversion was
thoroughly accomplished within him.   Like the repentant Saul of Tarsus, he was three days and three
nights fasting, praying, and restlessly agonizing for the
forgiveness of his sins. At the expiration of this period
he was enabled to trust in Christ for salvation, and
received the clear and full witness of the Holy Spirit
that his past offences were pardoned and that he was
adopted into God's spiritual family. Soon after this he
felt risings of evil within; but, by persevering reliance
upon the blood of Christ which cleanses from all sin,
he obtained power to overcome and mortify to the
death all carnal passions, and to devote himself, body
and soul, wholly to the service of the Lord.
When he first began to call sinners to repentance, he
was strongly tempted to desist from so doing with the
belief that he was not chosen for so high and holy a
work; and through the discouraging remarks of some
who heard him, he prepared to return home for other
employment. But God so signally owned his labours at
this crisis, that neither he nor the people could longer
doubt that he was truly called of God to labour in the
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Gospel vineyard. A few years after he had regularly
entered on the work of the itinerant ministry, his mind
was warped against Bishop Asbury, and he tendered
his resignation. This was owing to a discontented
preacher of the name of O'Kelly, who misrepresented
Asbury's faithfulness in the discharge of his duty as an
abuse of his episcopal authority.  3M'Kendree, however,
was taken to accompany Asbury where he could see the
good bishop's life and conduct for himself. Hie became
satisfied of the incorrectness of O'Kelly's representations; felt that Asbury's conduct and character were
noble and truly Christian; acknowledged it; and set
himself to understand thoroughly the whole system of
Methodism. And now, without wavering, he gave himself fully to the itinerant work; and laboured, most
zealously and successfully, first as a circuit-preacher,
and then as a presiding elder, in the extensive district
between the Alleghany Mountains, West, and Chesapeake Bay, East,-a district the care of which necessitated frequent, prolonged, and very difficult journeying.
Bishops Asbury and Whatcoat had already perceived
the importance of the great Western valley beyond the
Alleghany Mountains; and finding M'Kendree to be
exactly the sort of labourer they desired for it, they
appointed him to accompany them into that district;
and it was they also who appointed him to be presiding
elder there. At three hours' notice, without books, or
a change of clothes, which were far away from him,
he set off on his long and arduous journey, with these
two venerable, and now, through age and toil, infirm,
servants of Christ. And here, in Kentucky, Tennessee,
and Ohio, he preached and laboured with amazing power
and success. He used to gather large multitudes from 
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many miles around, assemble them in the forest, and
there, under the overhanging trees, preach the most
powerful sermons, until hundreds of his hearers, stricken
with a deep sense of their sinful condition, made the
woods ring with their cries to God for mercy.
And as for the preacher himself, there were seasons,
it is said, when he was so filled and overpowered with
the glory of God, that his face seemed to shine as an
angel's; and he would sink down upon the ground,
silent and almost breathless with spiritual awe and
heavenly rapture. All who knew him and heard him,
unhesitatingly testify that he was a most eloquent and
powerful preacher. Hiis noble frame, they relate, used
to quiver under the thrilling thoughts he uttered on the
great truths of God; and his preaching was in " the
demonstration of the Spirit, and with power." As far as
I can judge from what I have learned concerning him,
he must have been a bright exemplar of personal
holiness: he seems to have lived as if daily within the
holy place, and to have come forth as with sweetlyperfumed garments from within the veil. Joined with
such a rich experience of sanctifying and gladdening
religion, there can be no wonder that the eloquence of
this great preacher was so blessedly persuasive; and that
he was not only instrumental in the spiritual awakening of hundreds, but happily useful in building up
believers, and stimulating them to higher acquirements
in holiness. Hiis knowledge of the Scriptures was also
very comprehensive; and this, again, would insure his
usefulness, as it would render him able to meet the
cases alike of the unconverted, the penitent, or the believer, and apply to them the very words they needed,
fresh from the mouth of God Himself.
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176     METHODIST LABOURERS IN AMERICA.
It was clear to all who knew him that Il'Kendree
was designed, by the all-wise Governor of the Church,
to be a leader in Israel; and that by  his years of
labour and suffering, as well as by the heart of sympathy
he manifested for his brethren in their itinerant trials,
he had the full preparation and fitness for the office
of a general superintendent. Accordingly, when at the
Conference of 1808, in Baltimore, the place of the deceased Bishop Whatcoat had to be filled up, he was
elected to the office of bishop. It would appear from
Dr. Bangs' relation of the election, that M'Kendree, on
coming to the Conference, was scarcely known to his
brethren, from the fact of his having spent so many
years entirely In the West. Hte was not, therefore, at
fiirst thought of by the majority of preachers as Bishop
Whatcoat's-successor. Dr. Bangs goes on to describe
how the preachers were led to fix upon him. M'Kendree
was appointed to preach in Light Street Church, Baltimore, on the Sabbath before the election of a bishop was
to be made in the Conference.
"The house," says Dr. Bamgs, "was crowded with people in every part,
above and below, eager to hear the stranger, and, among others, most of the
members of the General Conference were present, besides a number of
coloured people who occupied a second gallery in the front end of the church.
Bishop M'Kendree entered the pulpit, at the hour for commencing the services, clothed in very coarse and homely garments, which he had worn in
the woods of the West; and after singing, he kneeled in prayer.  As was
often the case with him when hlie commenced his prayer, he seemed to falter
in his speech, clipping some of his words at the end, and hanging upon a
syllable as if it were difficult for him to pronounce the word. I looked at
him not without some feeling of distrust, thinking to myself,' I wonder
what awkward backwoodsman they have put into the pulpit this morning, to
disgrace us with his mawkish manners and uncouth phraseology.' This feeling of distrust did not forsake me until some minutes after he had announced his text, which contained the following words:-' For the hurt of 
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the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken
hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why,
then, is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?'
"His introduction appeared tame, his sentences broken and disjointed, and
his elocution very defective. He at length introduced his main subject,
which was to show the spiritual disease of the Jewish church, and of the
human family generally; and then he entered upon his second proposition,
which was to analyze the feelings which such a state of things awakened in
the souls of God's faithful ambassadors; but when he came to speak of the
blessed effects, upon the heart, of the balm which God had provided for the
'healing of the nations,' he seemed to enter fully into the element in
which his soul delighted to move and have its being, and he soon carried
the whole congregation away with him into the regions of experimental
religion.
"Remarking upon the objections which some would make to the expression
of the feelings realised by a person fully restored to health by an application of the' sovereign balm for every wound,' he referred to the shouts of
applause so often heard upon our national jubilee, in commemoration of our
emancipation from political thraldom, and then said,' How  much  more
cause has an immortal soul to rejoice and give glory to God for its spiritual
deliverance from the bondage of sin!'  This was spoken with such an
emphasis, with a soul overflowing with the most hallowed and exalted feelings, that it was like the sudden bursting of a cloud surcharged with water,
and the congregation was instantly overwhelmed with a shower of divine
grace from the iupper world.  At first sudden shrieks, as of persons in distress, were heard in different parts of the house; then shouts of praise, and
in every direction sobs and groans, and eyes overflowing with tears, while
many were prostrated upon the floor, or lay helpless upon the seats. A very
large athletic looking preacher, who was sitting by my side, suddenly fell upon
his seat as if pierced by a bullet; and I felt my heart melting under sensations which I could not well resist.
"After this sudden shower the clouds were disparted, and the Sun of
righteousness shone out most serenely and delightfully, producing upon all
present a consciousness of the Divine approbation: and when the preacher
descended from the pulpit, all were filled with admiration of his talents, and
were ready to' magnify the grace of God in him,' as a chosen messenger
of good tidings to the lost, saying in their hearts,' This is the man whom
God dielights to honoer.'"
At the close of the service, Bishop Asbury was heard
to say, " That sermon will make him a bishop." And
N
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it did; for the worthiness of the life and character of
the preacher was canvassed and duly estimated, after
his brethren had witnessed the eloquence and power of
his preaching; and in the week following they elected
him by a large majority. This was deeply gratifying to
Bishop Asbury; and he recorded in his journal-" The
burden is now borne by two pairs of shoulders, instead
of one: the care is cast upon two heads and hearts."
These two bishops, Asbury and \I'Kendree, travelled
together to superintend the Churches, and to cry aloud
for God in the wilderness, through the different States,
and in Canada. Within eight months, in one tour, they
travelled over 6000 miles, attended the sessions of nine
Conferences, and publicly assisted at several campmeetings. To do this they passed over the old difficulties of mountains, swamps, forests, and prairies, and
crossed the Rivers Ohio and Mississippi, as well as the
northern lakes. Their work cheered them in its rich
results, as Bishop Asbury declared.
"My flesh sinks under labour," says the veteran
evangelist.   " We are riding in a poor thirty-dollar
chaise, in partnership..... But it must be confessed
that it tallies well with our purses. What bishops!
WVell: but we have great news, and we have great
times; and each Western, Southern, together with the
Virginian Conference, will have 1000 souls truly con verted to God. Is not this anll equivalent for a light
purse? And are we not well paid for starving and toil?
Yes: glory to God!"
At one of the camp-meetings which 3I'Kendree at tended about this time, a fact occurred which brought
into beautiful display the tender sympathy he always
felt for broken-hearted seekers of salvation. The camp 
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meeting was held on a farm in Ohio; and, on the
Monday morning, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper
was solemnly administered, in the open air, to a very
large number of communicants, assembled from all
the surrounding parts of the country. The ministers
first surrounded the table, and received from Bishop
lM'Kendree the emblems and memorials of their Saviour's
love. Afterwards, with him, they administered to the
multitude which came up in companies to partake of
the blessed ordinance. The scene was devoutly impressive; and a silence pervaded it that was only occasionally broken by the grateful exclamations of joyful
and worshipping believers. But beyond the circle of
ministers and communicants sat a lady leaning her
head upon the shoulder of her converted sister, and
sobbing as if her heart would break, with sorrow for
her sins, as she looked upon the affecting scene before
her of hundreds who were so happily and gratefully receiving the tokens of the Redeemer's love. The eyes
of the bishop fell upon the penitent.   " Come here, my
child," he exclaimed, "and kneel at the foot of the cross,
where you shall find mercy!" She publicly asked, if so
vile a sinner as she felt herself to be might draw near, and
receive into her unholy hands the emblems of Christ's
dying love.  " Yes, my child," replied M'Kendree, "it
was for just such sinners as you that the blessed Jesus
died; and thus in his last agony he demonstrated his
power and willingness to save the vilest of the vile by
snatching the penitent malefactor from the verge of
hell." "Then I'll go to Christ!" said the weeping
penitent; and pressing through the crowd, she bowed
down at the table of the Lord. The bishop gave to
her the broken bread, and then the cup,-himself in
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tears, and looking up to heaven in her behalf. As she
drank at the cup, the divine assurance of salvation was
given to her soul; and, with a countenance radiant
with holy joy and intelligence, she immediately rose
from her knees, and told what God had done for her
soul, in a strain which caused the whole multitude of
communicants to utter a shout of praise to the Almighty
and merciful Deliverer.
For eight years, these two bishops were united in the
general superintendency of the American Methodist
Church; at the end of which period Bishop Asbury
"took away his feet," as he said, and resigned his work
to his brother \I'Kendree, who now, in turn, became
the patriarch among American Methodists.
M'Kendree's excessive labours in the difficult West
had told upon his constitution, and it soon became
evident that his career also was drawing to a close.
Bishops Enoch George and Robert R. Roberts, had been
associated with him in his arduous work, and his friends
entreated him to rest.  But, like a true Methodist
pastor, he felt his heart was in itinerant labour; and
he would continue to travel on in his rounds, though
in doing so the slightest jolt upon the rugged road
pierced him with most acute pain. More than once he
returned to his native county to die; but, on recovering
a little strength, he left it again to travel and labour.
At the Conference of 1832, in Philadelphia, Bishop
M'Kendree met his brethren in their general assembly
for the last time, and delivered to them his farewell
words.   Dr. Bangs, in his " History of American
Methodism," has thus beautifully described the scene
which he there beheld:
"Like a patriarch in the midst of his family, with 
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his head silvered over with the frosts of seventy-five
winters, and a countenance beaming with intelligence
and good-will, he (Bishop M'Kendree) delivered his
valedictory remarks, which are remembered with lively
emotions. Rising from his seat to take his departure
the day before the Conference adjourned, he halted for
a moment, leaning on his staff. With faltering lips,
and his eyes swimming with tears, he said,' 3y brethren and children, love one another! Let all things
be done without strife or vain-glory; and strive to keep
the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.'   Then
spreading forth his trembling hands and lifting his
eyes towards the heavens he pronounced, with faltering
and affectionate accents, the apostolic benediction."
The ministers gazed with tearful eyes upon his bending
form; and, as he retired, wept with the thought that
they should see his face on earth no more.
Yet, even after this, so indomitable was the spirit of
this Christian hero, that he again set out to pursue his
itinerant rounds. At length he went to the house of
his brother, Dr. James M'Kendree, in Sumner County,
to die.   Here he experienced intense sufferings of
body; and when medical skill failed to relieve him, he
showed his undiminished faith in God by requesting
his friends to kneel beside his bed and pray that he
might have ease. In calling upon a friend and neighbour to do this, he said, " Now, pray for me-not as
you pray in your family-but in faith, and with direct
reference to my case." And after the prayer, he said,
"It is easy now."
In his last days he was principally attended by a
loving sister; and he had also a young niece who
watched him almost constantly as he lay suffering
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upon his bed.   "Frances," he said to her one day,
"you       are like a lamp: you wake when I sleep, to shine
upon me when I wake." Hie seems to have had very
strong family feelings.  When he felt that his death
was near, he would have his father's bedstead brought,
that he might die where his beloved parent had died.
On the Sabbath of the week in which his death occurred,
his brother perceiving that his end was near, told him
so; and asked him if he had anything particular to
say, or any departing desire to express. The cheering
answer was, "All is well for time or for eternity. I
live by faith in the Son of God. For me to live is
Christ: to die is gain." This he repeated with deliberate emphasis, adding, "I wish that point to be perfectly understood-that all is well with me, whether I
live or die. For two months I have not had a cloud to
darken my hope: I have uninterrupted confidence in
my  Saviour's love."   As expressive of his state, he
tried to repeat the stanza         Not a cloud doth arise to darken the skies,
Or hide for a moment the Lord from my eyes."
But his voice failed; and another had to finish the verse
for him.  Of his burial, he said, "I wish to be buried
in the ancient Methodist style: like an old Christian
minister." Hie continued to suffer until Thursday,
when a sudden spasmodic attack twitched up the muscle
of his cheek: he gently smoothed it down with his
hand, then smiled, and passed away from earth, whereon
he had lived seventy-seven years.
Another memorable name among early Methodist
labourers in America, is that of Bishop GEORGE, of
Virginia.  Like Bishop M'Kendree, he was converted
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to God under the zealous and successful evangelist,
John Easter.  He entered upon his itinerant course in
1791 (the year of Mr. Wesley's death), was elected and
ordained to the office of bishop in 1816, and died,
triumphantly exclaiming, "I am going to heaven, and
that's enough! Glory! glory!"
In personal appearance, Bishop George is described
as large and well-proportioned, with a broad massive
face, a sallow complexion, through exposure and fatigues in the open air, and with thick neglected folds
of dark air hanging upon his neck. The strong lines
of his countenance were touched by religion into softness and gentleness; but, both in look and quick earnest movement, he was ever seen to be a man of energetic action. His experience of the power of inward
religion was deep.   He spent much time in secret
prayer; and often, like the patriarch Isaac, would go
out into the fields at eventide to meditate. His morning hours before breakfast were regularly spent in
devotional exercises; and, like holy Thomas Walsh, he
not unfrequently rose at midnight, wrapped his cloak
about him, and wrestled with God for the salvation of
sinners. This made him a minister of the Spirit, and
the honoured instrument of the conversion of many.
Bishop George does not seem to have been a man of
learning; but he was endowed with an original and
independent mind, and evidently possessed the true
key to usefulness. He was accustomed to say, "It is
the grammatical eloquence of the Holy Ghost which
deeply, lastingly, and profitably affects the hearts of
men." His mastery over the passions of his hearers
was great; and he was distinguished especially for his
pathetic power.   Not unfrequently, the deeps of his
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OWn soul would be broken up within him while he
preached, so that he wept, and all were weeping around
him.   These were usually seasons of great spiritual
good; so that, if he went forth sowing in tears, he
came again reaping in joy and bringing his sheaves
with him. Some of the flights of his natural eloquence
are said to have been not only beautiful, but inspiring,
to all who were looking for the heavenly country;
while, on the other hand, such was the power of his
denunciation of sin, and the force with which he carried home conviction to the conscience, that cries and
shrieks of heart-pierced sinners would often break forth
among his congregations in all directions. Dr. Hannah
was with him at the General Conference of Baltimore,
in 1824, and has a distinct remembrance of eloquent
passages in a sermon which he then heard from him.
Among them was a description of St. John, whom the
bishop described as "retiring to the Isle of Patmos
covered with the smiles of Jesus, and filled with the
presence of God." Dr. Wilbur Fisk, who was his
intimate friend, wrote of him in a lady's album:
"Bishop George has gone to heaven. He left this world for glory on the
twenty-third of August last; and from the known tendency of his soul
heavenward, and his joyous haste to be gone, there can be little doubt but
his chariot of fire reached the place of his destination speedily, and the
triumphant saint has long ere this taken his seat with the heavenly company.
And, since he is gone, the owner of this, to whom I am a stranger, will
pardon me if, upon one of her pages, I register my affectionate remembrance
of a man whom I both loved and admired, and at the report of whose
death my heart has been made sick. I loved him, for he was a man of God,
devoted to the Church with all his soul and strength. I loved him, for his
was an affectionate heart, and he was my friend: but the seivant of Godthe servant of the Church and my friend is dead. I admired him, not for
his learning, for he was not a learned man; but nature had donLe much for
him. She had fashioned his soul after an enlarged model, and had given it
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an original cast and an independent bearing; into the heart she had instilled
the sweetening influences of a tender sympathy, and infitsed into the soul
the fire of a spirit-stirring zeal, sustained by a vigorous and untiring energy;
but, to finish his character, grace comes in and renews the whole man, and
the Spirit anointed him to preach the Gospel, and the Church consecrated
him to be one of her bishops. He superintended with dignity and faithfulness; he preached the Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.
The unction that attended his word was not merely like the consecrating oil
that ran down Aaron's beard, but it was like the anointing of the spirit that
penetrates the heart. He preached with his soul fiil of glory. No wonder,
then, that his dying words were,'I am going to heaven, and that's enough!
Glory! glory!'  Yes, thou triumphant spirit, that is enough.'May  I
die the death of the righteous, and may my last end be like his.'"
There seem to have been many interesting and loveable traits in Bishop George's character. Among them
were his kindly attention to the young, and his prayer
ful sympathy with the afflicted and distressed.   An
anecdote is related of him in the Southern Ladies' Companion, which exhibits him as a true shepherd of the
flock over which the Holy Ghost had made him an
overseer: it also affords a very significant lesson for
both preachers and people concerning the appointment
and reception of ministers. It relates to the appointment which had been made of a young preacher to a
station in Kentucky, and which was very unacceptable
to the 3{ethodists of the place. Like many other appointments made under similar circumstances, it may
however be observed, this eventually proved to be God's
own; for IHe blessed it; and that young preacher has
since become eminent and useful in the Church which
he has served.
The bishop, having learned how unwelcome the appointment of the young man was to the people, and
knowing how much tender feeling there was in this
youth, who had been unaccustomed to cold receptions and
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unsympathising treatment, set out with him towards his
station, and rode with him through the woods and along
the roads some 200 miles. During their journey together,
the youthful minister had good opportunity of witnessing the prayerfulness of the bishop, and of observing
what was the secret of his spiritual strength. When
about twelve miles from the place of the young man's
destination, at the house of a friend, the bishop was
attacked with asthma, an affliction to which he was
liable. The usual remedies did not avail; and sending
for the young preacher into his room, he directed his
attention to the sublime description of the New Jerusalem given in the latter part of the book of Revelations, and requested him to take his Bible with him into
the grove, that he might meditate for a season upon the
passage referred to, and after that come to him and
preach upon it; for said the bishop, " I want to get
made happy: and if my soul were to be powerfully
blessed, I believe it would cure my poor body."
The young man, not feeling himself qualified to
preach on such a sublime portion of the word of God
to the bishop, begged to be excused, and respectfully
suggested to him that it would be better to avail himself of the oft-tried expedient for being made happythat of prayer to God.  "Well then, my son," said this
father in Christ, "go out of the room, shut the door, and
let me be left alone for a season." The door was shut,
and after pleading with God alone for a time, the holy
wrestler was heard offering praises with a loud and
triumphant voice. Hiis bodily malady was healed, as
he had anticipated; and he would have his youthful
companion prepare by the next morning to accompany
him to the appointed station. 
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Before their departure, the friend with whom they hadcl
lodged, indiscreetly informed the young preacher how
his appointment was regarded by the people to whom
he was going. Depressed beyond measure by the unexpected communication, he instantly went to the bishop
and expressed to him his firm determination not to go
to a people who thus so strongly objected to his appointment. The bishop advised him not to act precipitately on such an important matter, but to give himself to prayer for Divine direction, and to wait before
deciding what he would do until he should have seen
the place and the people. This advice was reluctantly
complied with.
Arrived at the new station, they were lodged together at the house of the principal Methodist there.
The next morning, as the bishop was preparing for his
departure in a room with his host, and as the young
man was standing unseen by the open window, where
he could not but hear what was said within, the bishop
asked,-" Well, my brother, how will the young man
I have brought do for this station?"-" Not at all,"
was the instant reply; " we might as well be left
without a preacher altogether as be left to him."-" I
hope you will like him better after a time," said the
bishop: "I will leave him with you.  Only treat him
well, and I am persuaded he will be made a blessing to
you."-" I have no objection to his remaining at my
house for a few weeks, if you desire it," said the host,
"but it will be for no good, for the people do not want
him."
The young man on hearing this was in an agony;
and as soon as the bishop came forth for departure, he
followed him to a sheltered part of the road, and said
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with tears, "Bishop, I cannot remain-I heard what
passed in the room between you and Mr., and you
must release me! "-" Get your horse," said the bishop,
"and ride with me a part of the way."  This direction
was readily obeyed; and the cherished purpose was to
ride away altogether from the station. After proceeding
together a few miles, and after conversing freely together upon the matter, they turned aside into the
forest and prayed for direction and help from above.
The presence of God was manifest; and rising from his
knees, the venerable saint took his young friend by the
hand, and with a look of paternal love, said, " My son,
I have now a proposal to make to you; and if you will
attend to its conditions, and then still request to be
removed from this station, I will remove you. The
condition is this: go back to the town where we have
been, and remain there for a month; doing diligently
the work of an evangelist, fasting one day in each week,
and spending an hour in each day in special prayer to God
that He would make you a blessing to the people. Can
you do this?" asked the bishop. " I think I can,"
said the preacher, trembling. They parted-the bishop
pursuing his way upon the road, and the young man returning with fear and mortification to his station.
Faithfully were the conditions of the proposal fulfilled; but the month seemed long and tedious; for none
but one wicked man and his wife gave to him in that
time a word of welcome or encouragement. At length
the last-the fourth Sabbath of the month arrived,
when rising from the struggle of the last covenanted
hour of prayer for a blessing upon him as a preacher in
that place, he walked towards his attic window, which
commanded a view of the Methodist Church and the 
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streets adjoining, when to his great surprise he saw
crowds from all directions flocking to the house of God.
With mingled feelings he hastened to the pulpit, wondering what the gathering of the people in such large
numbers could mean. Hie took for his text (Isaiah,
chap. vi., v. 4),-" And the posts of the door moved at
the voice of him that cried." The preacher spake with
power; for in that thirtieth hour of special prayer for a
blessing, the live coal from the Divine altar had touched
his lips. The people sobbed and rejoiced in all parts of
the Church. Several were in that service convinced of
sin and converted to God. And for the space of four
weeks following, the stores and shops of the place were
closed each day for several hours, so that the awakened
people might assemble together and seek the Lord.
Some hundreds united themselves to the Methodist
Church of that place; and thus the unwelcomed preacher
(now the Rev. Dr. Stevenson) was made by God, in
answer to prayer, an unspeakable and unexpected
blessing!
This instructive relation of the conduct of Bishop
George towards the young preacher, yields us more
insight into the bishop's real character, than many
pages of descriptive portraiture could afford; and serves
to explain to us the lasting remembrance and deep regard in which he was held by thousands in this country.
FREEBORN GARRETTSON, whom I have already had occasion to name incidentally, was another of the early
patriarchs of the American Methodist Church, and was
intimately associated with Asbury, Coke, and M'Kendree,
in laying its deep and broad foundations. Hie was one
of those marked men of God who are memorable by the
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spiritual and heavenly expression of their countenances.
WVe have seen such faces in the Church. Those of
men accustomed to commune much with God, and upon
whose features the Divine glory seemed to linger after
they came from before the mercy-seat, where a bright
cloud had overshadowed them. This is more especially
seen in such as have feared and loved God from their
youth up. Their lineaments have been early trained
and fixed by the sweetness and tenderness of religious
thought, feeling, and enjoyment; and sin has not been
admitted into the soul to harden them. Holy love and
joy were so evidently transfused from the soul into the
countenance of Freeborn Garrettson, that an eminent
Presbyterian divine has said of the effect produced
upon himself by the appearance of this saint of the
Lord, " ily first convictions, when a boy, were received
from observing sir. Garrettson as he was walking.
There was something so holy, so heavenly, in his expression, that I was strongly impressed with the truth
of religion."
Hiis leading characteristic was Christian singleness of
heart. All who knew him speak of him as a man of
godly sincerity, of transparent goodness. Without profound learning, or extraordinary genius, he possessed
good practical sense, and devoted it to the one object of
promoting the honour of Christ in the salvation of men.
In figure he was round and full: neat and clerical in
dress. There is a portrait of him, by Paradise, which
represents him somewhat after the manner of Holbein's
portrait of Martin Luther; but with less hardness in
the face, and with the hair more neatly parted in front,
and turned back over the ears in orderly folds.
Hie was of European descent. Hiis grandfather lived 
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in a quaint old house, of small, narrow, red brick, still
standing upon a bold open bluff reaching out into
Chesapeake Bay; and was one of five brothers who had
adjoining plantations in that part, which are still known
by the name of the "Garrettson Forest."  His father
gave him a liberal education; but he devoted himself
to the study of the physical sciences, rather than to
languages or classical literature.
From childhood, Freeborn Garrettson was sedate,
thoughtful, and virtuous; and was greatly beloved by
all who knew him. But he became convinced, by the
Holy Spirit, that mere morality could not save him,
that his life had been "without God in the world," and
that he needed forgiveness of sins, and inward renewal
in righteousness. Being thus graciously led to inquire
"What must I do to be saved?" he went to the minister of the parish; but the minister, though a master in
Israel, like Nicodemus, knew not these things. Soon
after, a Methodist preacher came round into that part
of the country, and Garrettson went to hear him. The
preacher clearly explained the way of life and salvation,
pointed out the necessity of a full surrender of the
heart to God, and what would be its immediate effects.
The word came home to Garrettson's heart with power;
and he mounted his horse to ride home on that Whitsunday night, with the whole inner man in a fearful
state of struggle. "I felt," says he, "Satan on my
left, the good spirit on my right. The one contrasted
the world and its allurements, prosperity in business, a
a good name, and honest renown, with that which a
proud man likes least to incur-obloquy, shame, distrust, the averted glance of friends, the open taunt of
enemies." The combat was strong; but the Holy Spirit
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continued to impress upon Garrettson's mind the allimportant realities of eternity, and demanded instant
decision. Garrettson felt that the crisis had arrived,
dropped the bridle, clasped his hands, and exclaimed in
the fulness of his heart, "Lord, I will part with all, and
become an humble follower of Thee!"
In that instant his soul was filled with joy and
peace, the "peace of God which passeth all understanding." Nature seemed, in that solemn and solitary
place, to unite with him in highest jubilee.   "The
stars," said he, "seemed like so many seraphs going
forth in their lIaker's praise." As he approached his
home, the servants, hearing the sound of his rejoicing,
ran out to meet him, and to ask what was the matter.
"I called the family together for prayer," said he, " for
the first time; but my prayer was turned to praise."
It was a few days after this that, as he stood up to give
out a hymn at family worship, the moral evil of slavery
was impressed on his mind. With a willing heart he
responded, "Lord, the oppressed shall go free! "-and,
turning to the astonished negroes, he proclaimed their
liberty, and promised a just compensation for any services they might render in future.  "And my  mind
was as clear of them," said he, "as if I had never
owned them." Thus did he bring forth the fruits meet
for repentance; and, like Zaccheus, give proof of the
reality of his change.
Hie not only established a "church in his house,"
and gathered his black servants, now free from bodily
bondage, for daily worship; but he went forth to the
surrounding lands and households, and declared what
God had done for his soul. Blessed by the Lord in his
efforts, he saw not only all his brothers, and some of 
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his cousins converted, but beheld many others, both
black and white, brought "to know Him whom to know
is life eternal." By his instrumentality a Methodist
society was soon formed in that part of the country, a
large log-house was erected for public worship, and the
society was regularly visited by the circuit preacher.
From what he saw of the fruit of his labours, he
next began to think that he ought to devote his entire
life to the service of Christ, and to go forth as an itinerant M     ethodist preacher.  He foresaw that privation
and suffering awaited him if he should do so; but, like
the Apostle Paul, he conferred not with flesh and blood,
but gave himself up wholly to the word of God and to
prayer. He laboured at first in the south-eastern States,
and there bore reviling, beating, and imprisonment for
Christ.           As a Methodist  preacher devoted  to Mr.
Wesley, he did not take the oath of allegiance to the
States during the revolutionary war, and was thus the
more exposed to suffering, but he meekly submitted to
it, assured that whatever happened would be for the
furtherance of the Gospel. Whether imprisoned or free
he proclaimed the word of life to sinners. If at liberty,
in addition to travelling on unformed and dangerous
roads, he preached from one to four times a day; and
when he was in prison, blacks and whites would gather
round his grated window to hear him declare how Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Like other
devoted servants of God, he seems to have found that the
highest consolations are often given in the time of suffering, so that he could sing in his damp, solitary dungeon             "When my sorrows most increase,
Then my strongest joys are given;
Jesus comes with my distress,
And agony is heaven."
0
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With all his devoted attachment to Mr. Wesley, it
does not seem that Freeborn Garrettson was less desirous
than others of establishing the independence of Methodism in America, when he believed that could be done
safely. He was among the most strenuous withstanders
of innovation upon Mr. Wesley's plan, at the first, concerning attendance at the Established Church, and on
its sacraments. But when Dr. Coke arrived with the
letter of authority to organise a separate and distinct
church, Garrettson went, as the doctor states, "like an
arrow," both north and south, to gather the preachers
for the Conference held at Baltimore in 1784; and when
the American Methodist Church was organised, he supported it with all his life, showing himself willing to be
or do anything in its service. When asked to go to
Nova Scotia as a missionary to the people in that cold
and cheerless region, he went readily, and laboured
diligently and successfully. Though elected bishop for
that part of the continent, for some unexplained reason
he was not ordained to the office; yet he neither complained, nor so much as asked for an explanation. With
unabated zeal he went forth, north of New York, and
with several devoted young men laboured right and left
of the Hudson River. Here he remained, a diligent,
devoted labourer for Christ, until the year 1817, when,
unasked by himself, the Conference returned him as a
"supernumerary."
The latter portion of Garrettson's life seems to have
been very pleasantly spent at Rhinebeck, a place most
lovely in its situation by the Hudson River. There, in
one of his itinerant rounds, he had found, in Miss
Livingstone, a wife from the Lord.  From her own possessions, she more than made up to him what he had
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expended as a Methodist preacher out of his own patrimony.  With this "elect lady" he had a social and
happy abode in the evening of his days. The bishops
and ministers of Methodism were wont to repair to his
house with the greatest freedom. Bishop Asbury records
of his first visit there, "He hath a beautiful land and
water prospect, and a good, simple, elegant, useful
house for God, his people, and his family." But while
he had this peaceful, happy home, in which he was
"given to hospitality," yet he did not even in old
age cease to travel and preach for the benefit of the
churches.
It was during one of these journeys that he had staid
to preach, at New York, what proved to be his last
sermon. He was seized with mortal sickness, and his
sufferings for the time were very painful. Filled with
holy submission, he said, "I shall be purified as by fire:
I shall be made perfect through suffering; it is all right
-there is not a pain too much." When his bodily
strength was exhausted, he exclaimed, "I want to go
home; I want to be with Jesus-I want to be with
Jesus." To a friend who inquired how he felt spiritually,
he said, "I feel the perfect love of God in my soul."
His love for Wesleyan Methodism continued ardent to
the end, for, on thinking and speaking of the heaven to
which he was departing, he joyously observed, "And I
shall see Mr. Wesley too." As he went down into the
valley, he was heard praising God for all His goodness,
and, as if rehearsing for the song of heaven, among his
last utterances were "Holy, holy, holy Lord God
Almighty! Hallelujah! hallelujah! hallelujah!" Then
clasping his hands and raising his eyes to heaven, he
exclaimed, "Glory! glory!"  Others in that room felt
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the presence and glory of God so overwhelming that
they were ready to sink upon the floor with its weight
and power upon their souls. The rapturous look which
marked his victory over death continued upon his countenance till it was hidden from human view. His body
was borne to Rhinebeck, where it was buried amidst a
weeping multitude, in the rear of that church in which
he had preached so frequently and faithfully the Gospel
of Christ. Thus, at the green old age of seventy-six,
and in the fifty-second year of his ministry, triumphantly
rejoicing in God, the devoted Freeborn Garrettson
passed away to his eternal reward.  Hle was one of the
most honoured instruments of God in founding and
building up the M3ethodist Episcopal Church in America.  When he joined it, there were only 19 ministers
and 3128 members belonging to it, and when he was
removed from it by death, it comprised 1576 ministers,
and 381,997 members.
JESSE LEE, whom I have already named as the
leading pioneer for Methodism in the States of New
England, was another signal instrument of God in
founding and spreading His truth in America.  Hle was
a native of Virginia (a State which has been remarkably productive of eminent men of diversified talent
and usefulness), and was converted to God through
the instrumentality of the simple-hearted and earnest
Robert Williams, who, as we have seen, was associated
with the Rev. Mr. Garratt in the revival scenes of his
parish and neighbourhood. Jesse Lee was the early
companion of Francis Asbury, the first Methodist
chaplain to the House of Congress,-the first historian
of American Methodism,-and a most laborious, self 
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denying, and persevering minister of Christ.  iHe is
described as having been a large, plain man, with a
look of peculiar intelligence and shrewdness. Hie possessed real native wit, and was most ready and pointed
in his replies to public opponents.   Many  anecdotes
are related of him, and some of them are very racy and
amusing, and highly illustrate his power of repartee.
His last sermon was preached at a camp-meeting, and
it is said that when he gave out his text of, "But grow
in grace," he announced it with these words, "You will
find my text in the last Epistle of St. Peter, the last
chapter, the last verse; and it may be that from it I
shall preach my last sermon!" The sermon is described
as being one of surpassing power.  Immediately after
it, he received the summons for departure to another
world. Even at the point of his exit, it is said his wit
and pleasantry broke forth, but without levity-it was
"the ruling passion strong in death."  He died happy,
at the age of fifty-eight, exclaiming, "lHallelujah!
Jesus reigns!"  Indeed, triumph in death seems to
have been the almost universal experience of these
early American worthies. God evidently honoured his
faithful and devoted workmen.
There are other bishops and ministers of Methodism
whose memories are gratefully cherished here, but I
must only make brief mention of them.   There  is
BIsHOP ROBERTS, "the grandfather of all the missionaries," as the Red Men of the Far West were accustomed to call him. He was for many years the senior
bishop of the Church, and appears to have been a plain,
simple-minded, benignant, and able man. Hie never
forgot his lowly condition when MIethodism found him,
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a farmer's boy in a hunter's shirt, and taught him to
study and pray in the depths of the forest, and there to
preach over his youthful sermons to thick, standing
trees, as if they were living men. When, as a local
preacher, he went forth in the garb of a backwoodsman,. to preach in his own neighbourhood, one who
heard his first sermon, and who was well able to judge
of its character, has said, "It was worthy of grey
hairs and of broad-cloth." As a preacher, he was
powerful and popular from the beginning, and that
whether in the Indian's wigwam, the forest campmeeting, or the metropolitan church. His election to
the office of bishop made no difference in his way of
life. He built himself a log-cabin in the State of
Indiana, and lived in it, though the wolves were often
heard howling round it in droves. There he laboured
with his own hands (at intervals of cessation from
preaching journeys), felling trees, cultivating ground,
and ministering to his own necessities. From this rude,
primitive retreat he used to go forth, in order to take
the oversight of the ministers and churches. He was
simple and patriarchal in appearance, but was arrayed
in the "beauty of holiness," for purity of heart and
life were eminently his. His last two texts were characteristic of himself: one, the words of the royal
preacher, "He that loveth pureness of heart, for the
grace of his lips the king will be his friend;" and the
other, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God."   This  modest, unassuming, and faithful
Methodist minister fell calmly and peacefully asleep in
the Lord, in the year 1843. His body was at first
deposited in a lonely field on his own farm, but has
since, at the general call of the Church, been interred 
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at Greencastle, where stands the Methodist University
for the State of Indiana.
Bishop HIEDDING'S is another name held in great
love and veneration by the American Methodist Church.
He was originally from the Green Mountains, where,
amid the bracing air, he had become possessed of a
strong frame, and seemed prepared for almost any
amount of endurance. But notwithstanding his iron
constitution, his early hardships were such as almost
broke him down. He is described as a large and
somewhat rugged man; of solid, compact mind;
powerful both in preaching and debate, and orderly
and resolute in the administration of church discipline. It is said that he suffered much from calumny
and reproach among brethren, but that, with undaunted courage, he was meek and forgiving. His
last words were uttered on the 9th of April, ] 852, and
were, "Glory-glory-glory to God!  I am happyfilled!"
Bishop E.MORY, as I have stated, sleeps in the dust,
with Bishops Asbury and George, in the Mount of
Olives' Cemetery at Baltimore.   He  was a man of
orderly and practical mind, of accurate scholarship, of
resolute, persevering diligence, and of courteous, gentlemanly demeanour. He attended as the delegate to
the British Conference in the year 1820, for the settlement with it of affairs respecting Methodism in Upper
Canada. His life was suddenly terminated in December,
1835, by his being hurled out from his carriage near to
the city of Baltimore, through the running away of a
restive and ungovernable horse.
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Among earlier names, JOHN EASTER, the father in
Christ of Bishop M'Kendree, is spoken of as having
fulfilled a short, but brilliant course. He was indeed
a burning and a shining light. In one circuit (that of
Brunswick, Virginia), not less than eighteen hundred
souls were brought to a saving knowledge of Christ
under his ministry, within the space of one year. His
name, as one specially owned by God for powerful conviction and numerous conversions, is held in profound
respect and veneration. CALEB B. PEDICORD, combined
in himself many excellent qualities, and suffered much
for his Lord and Master.  Like Paul, he bore upon his
body "the marks of the Lord Jesus," having been publicly whipped and beaten upon the road, for preaching
the Gospel. He carried the scars with him to the grave.
WILLIAM GILL is mentioned as a veteran preacher, of
solid mind  and blameless life; and JOHN TUNNELL,
SYLVESTER IHUTCHINSON, and GEORGE PICKERING, have
each left a name beloved and honoured for excellence.
Among more recent worthies, who now rest from
their labours, and whose works do follow them, are the
amiable and attractive JOHN SUMMEERFIELD, who, at the
age of twenty-eight, had consumed his slender frame by
the earnestness of his pulpit exercises, which charmed
and edified many thousands; and Dr. STEPHEN OLIN,
a powerful preacher of the Gospel, whose discourses,
although they extended at times over two hours and
two hours and a half, are said by those who heard
them never to have been too long. By devotedness
to study and to the work of Christ, he found that,
though naturally of a robust frame, he had become, as
he said, "an old man and a broken reed at twentyseven." In death, he said to his wife composedly,
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"I may die just as I am, trusting, believing, but with
no rapturous expressions. Though I think I should
have a glad feeling to find myself on the borders of
endless life, with infirmities, disappointments, sorrows,
for ever at an end.  I feel that it cannot be that I
should be cast out from heaven, where are gathered
the people whom I love, and with whose spirits and
tastes I sympathise-from the society I relish, to that
which I loathe,-to the hell where the worldly, the
unbelieving, for whose society I have a distaste, with
whom I have nothing in common, find their portion.
It is unphilosophical to think so: it cannot be in God's
economy to separate me from what I have so long
trusted in. He sends to hell those who will not submit
to His will; but my will is in harmony with His. The
law of affinities will find place."
These, and many others I cannot name, are held in
veneration, and will be held in lasting regard, by
American Methodists, for their character, and sufferings, and labours for Christ.
201 
LETTER XII.
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Appearance of the Assembly-The Bishops-The Delegates from the Far
West-Patriarchal Labourers-Their Jealousy of Declension-Style of
their Oratory-Dr. Jacob Young-Dr. Peter Cartwright, or "Uncle
Peter"-His  Preaching-Strange Anecdote-" Father Finley"-His
Indian Labours-"Squire Grey Eyes," the Indian Preacher-Affecting
Scene in the Conference-Order and Courtesy of the Conference-Its
Reception of Foreign Representatives.
Tm   general appearance of the Conference  is very
impressive. The bishops are grave, dignified men, who
bear in their very looks and demeanour the care of the
churches. There is no haste or impetuosity in anything they say or do; but, at all times, they show great
self-possession and wisdom. When appealed to on
points of law and order, they show themselves fully
prepared to answer; and yet their response to a question
is given in such a manner that it by no means tends to
check free and full discussion by the Conference, or to
place the party complained of for being out of order
in a painful or humiliating position. And if any one
appeals against their decisions to the General Conference, they manifest no dogmatic authority, or tenacity
of opinion; but calmly submit the case to the assembly
of their brethren for final determination. The bishops 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  203
are, very evidently, humble and devout men, who
speak and act with reverence towards God, and with
respect and affection towards their brethren.   This
ennobles them in the estimation of all thoughtful and
candid observers, and gives to them an aspect of apostolic dignity when seated before the general assembly
of their brethren in the ministry.
The Delegates from the Annual Conferences, sent by
the preachers to represent them and their churches,
have the appearance of real labourers in the vineyard
of the Lord. This is the first impression made upon
one's mind when looking on them. They look as if
they had performed hard toil in the service of their
Master.  Many of them are far advanced in life, and
have evidently borne their share in the burthen and
heat of the day. Some are deeply tanned by the sun,
and exhibit unmistakeable marks of continuous exposure
to the climate.   There are men from California, and
Oregon, and the shores of the Pacific, looking worn and
exhausted by itinerant service under the scorching sun;
and seated among them are venerable men from the
north and the east, with peaceful beaming faces, and
with long hair white as wool. It is impossible to look
upon the men of this Conference without discerning,
at a glance, that many of them are persons of strong
decisive character, and yet devout and humble servants
of the Lamb. Distinct and marked in their primitive
energy and zeal, here are a few of the early backwoodsmen preachers, the true pioneers of the West, who have
spent their lives in the rough unsheltered wilderness.
These fathers of Western Methodism seem absorbed
with interest in the truth and service of Christ, and
evidently watch with godly jealousy over the doctrines 
204  THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
and discipline of a system, whose superlative value
they have proved, by witnessing its transforming and
saving effects upon the most uncultivated examples of
human nature. They take their full share in the
proceedings of the Conference, and most earnestly use
the influence which their long and successful labours
have secured them, in checking any attempts that may
be made, either by preachers or people, to slacken the
cords or to loosen the stakes of the Methodist Tabernacle. Some of the speeches we have heard from these
earnest, practical men were speeches of great power.
They were evidently spontaneous, and purely extempore; but sentence after sentence struck home, to those
for whom they were intended, with indescribable pungency and force.
This was especially the case in the instarce where
complaints of circuit-hardship or over-labour were made
by a preacher, and where he pleaded for relief or indulgence. Then the old men arose and told of their own
early life; how they had wandered in the woods after
Indians and settlers, to seek these as subjects for their
Lord; how they had to take shelter in greasy, smoking,
wigwams, or in rugged, unfurnished log-cabins; or, as
one of them said, "make beds of gathered leaves for
themselves and their wives; to sleep on hard boards
between negroes and Indians; shoot and hunt for their
meals before they could eat; to make their breakfast or
dinner upon bear and racoon bacon, without salt or vegetables; and with no quarterly allowance but what they
could obtain by the sale of buffalo skins, to pass from
station to station, and all this through year after year."
After these startling narratives of their own self-denying and self-sacrificing services for Christ in the wilder 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  205
hness, the old men turned upon such as sought modern
indulgence, with words of overwhelming rebuke. Their
speeches were, for the most part, highly figurative.
They showed that what they declared before Masters
of Arts and Doctors of Divinity (who, they said, were
too numerous) was true: that they had "studied in
Nature's own great university-high up on the mountainrs-deep down in the valleys-in the spreading
woods and waving prairies, and in the free school of
self-culture." For nearly all their images and forms
of expression were drawn from the scenes and the life
of the western wilderness. Within the compass of a
quarter of an hour's address, the speaker would, in his
figures of speech, be shooting, hunting and " racooning,"
as with forest-settlers; canoeing and shooting, as with
Indians; soaring and screaming, as with the eagle;
bounding, as with the buffalo and the deer; climbing
with the bear, springing with the panther, howling
with the wolf, and darting with the serpent. Indeed,
the wild beasts, birds, and Indians of the forest, would
not unfrequently be all turned upon the delinquent, or
the antagonist; and made, there and then, to tear in
pieces the false plea, and prey upon the false position;
and yet all this was done with manifest zeal for Christ
and His cause, and without any laborious or strained
effort for effect. With all its variety and singular
combination of metaphors, the style was simple and
unlaboured. Like all true eloquence, theirs consisted
of short unmistakeable words, which were fused into
flowing harmony by the inward fervour of the soul, that
seized and employed them. Theirs was no patch-work of
schoolboy eloquence, which any man with a remnant of
modesty must become increasingly wearied of repeating 
206 TIHE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAI0PLIS.
and using as he advances in life; but it was the eloquence of a sincere and earnest nature, that mellows
and strengthens with years. It was Nature's own
oratory: that of the strong and sincere soul pouring
forth its convictions under the influence of renewing
and sanctifying grace, and reaching and stirring to
their depths the souls of all who were within hearing
of it.
Three of these pioneer fathers are especially prominent
and active in the Conference. They have all passed the
allotted boundary of human life, and yet they are full
of vigour. Like a few ancient trees that remain to tell
of the grandeur of some primeval forest, these few
survivors of a by-gone generation, by their look and
behaviour, embody to your imagination the towering
strength and unsubduable enterprise which characterised
the men who laboured with them in the wilderness.
The eldest of them, Dr. JACOB YOUNG, is not so hale and
vigorous as the other two. He has been of late years
the subject of affliction, that seems to have nearly bereft
him of eyesight. Hle is of Scotch Presbyterian descent,
and is the son of a Virginian farmer. In early life, by
the aid of. his father's books, he wrought his way out
of Calvinism into Arminianism, and experienced regeneration of heart. Almost ever since, and through a
long life, he has been labouring as an itinerant Methodist preacher in the Western States. He is now a
tall, slender man, with deeply-sunken eyes that seem
filled with thought, and flowing, snow-white hair that
renders him venerable even to the eye, while one's
remembrance of his patriarchal age deepens the feeling.
Hle retains undoubted marks of careful self-culture, and
though not so strong and vigorous as his two veteran 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  207
brethren, nor so animated and figurative in his style of
speaking, yet, on all great questions, he has something
to say which commands the attention of the Conference.
He is evidently a man of sound understanding and
reliable judgment.
The next in advance of years is Dr. PETER CARTWRIGHT, a large, square-built man, with some native
ruggedness, mingled with a good deal of humour, both
in his looks and in his speeches. There is a granite-like
texture in his flesh, and a knotted roughness in his
features, that stamp him as one who is hardy and
enduring. And yet it would be a great omission in
the slightest sketch of his appearance to represent him
as lacking in geniality and good nature, for both his
mouth and eyes, as well as the radiant play of the
upper part of his cheeks, tell of a kindly and sociable
nature. His head is large, and firmly supported between
ample and compact shoulders. His brow is broad, and
overhung with a mass of iron-grey hair. His eyes are
intensely deep in colour, and shine like dark fires beneath his shaggy eye-brows, while crow's-feet wrinkles
mark their corners, and add to the peculiar expression
of his countenance. His complexion, never fair, is deeply
tanned by the sun. His voice, when he begins to speak,
is tremulous, but, as he proceeds, its old power returns,
its rich natural organ tones are recovered, and he swells
and rolls its deep diapasons most manfully. At times,
to give point and wing to his side-shot arrows, he
assumes a mock tragic tone and look, and then, after
relating some backwood anecdote which convulses the
assembly with irresistible laughter while he himself is
solemnly grave, he falls upon his antagonist with overwhelming power, and leaves the victim prostrate under 
208 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
sarcasms. When roused by combined opposition, he
launches in swift succession keen-edged sentences, and
thoughts vivid and scathing as lightning, and then, with
a'voice roaring like a forest hurricane, he pours out his
condemnations and warnings with a force that crushes
his foe, and fills others that hear with a sensation
approaching to awe. Indeed, to hunt down and put to
the cover of shame those whom he regards as dangerous
to constitutional Methodism seems to be regarded by
him as his proper vocation. Hie plainly performs this
work with all the zest of a backwoodsman hunter, and,
to accomplish it, he spares neither bishops, deputations,
presiding elders, ministers, nor people. On some occasions he is absolutely terrible in execution, and seems to
stand on the floor of the Conference as fearless and as
irresistible as the lion in his domain.
This unique and really grand sample of manhoocld -as
born and brought up among the wildest mountains of
Kentucky, and has been in his day a most popular and
powerful open-air preacher.   For  camp-meetings in
the woods, his name was a magnet to draw forth thousands from their scattered homes to hear the words of
eternal life. Some of his forest gatherings are said to
have been immense, and under his full, trumpet-toned,
and mighty voice, that alternately wailed and thundered
as he lamented the sinful state of mankind, and foretold
their doom, the multitudes bowed their heads and waved
as the long grass of the prairie-land bows and waves with
the wind. On one occasion, not less than five hundred
persons prostrated themselves on their knees while he
was preaching, and prayed to God for mercy. Many
anecdotes are related, as you may suppose, in connection
with his name, and some of these approach the ludicrous. 
TH'/ GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 209
It is said that on one occasion, when interrupted by
scoffers, he descended from his pulpit, and seized a
notorious leader of them. The man had never been
mastered in fight, but the preacher shook him until the
border-ruffian, for such he was, was completely subdued.
Doctor Peter then grasped him by the neck, made him
kneel down and repeat a prayer to God for mercy, and
then the preacher, while his opponents and the crowd
were strilcken with wonder, resumed his station, and
preached on without further disturbance. Of course, I
cannot vouch for the authenticity of this story, or determine what amount of fact or measure of exaggeration
there may be in it. I can only affirm that Dr. Peter
Cartwright does not seem an unlikely hero for such a
narrative, and that he has a most marvellous facility for
passing from grave to gay, and from gay to grave. I
need only add of him that he entered the itinerant
ministry at the early period of eighteen years old, and
has continued in it ever since, toiling chiefly on the
Western frontier, and advancing as it has advanced.
He has studied hard amidst the woods and prairies;
and, in addition to the study of divinity, has made, it is
said, considerable attainments in mathematics, logic,
physic, law, and the learned languages. And still he is
found working for Christ and for Methodism among
the emigrants and settlers of the Far West.
The third of these Western veterans is the Rev.
JAMEs B.  FINLEY,    or "Father Finley," as he is usually
called. He is a most loveable, brave old man. In
person he is large and massive, but he is neither so
rugged in exterior n or so stormy in matter as "Uncle
Peter "-the name often familiarly given to Dr. Cartwright. Father Finley's face wears an habitual ex
P 
210 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
pression of serenity. Religion has softened down the
harder lines of his sun-embrowned countenance, and
made it shine; and his long grey hair thrown smoothly
back from his forehead, and flowing upon his neck and
shoulders, places him also among the patriarchs in
appearance. He is dressed in buff-coloured clothing of
a primitive fashion, and always bears his staff with him,
whether he walks or is seated. This keeps him at all
times upright, and wherever you might see him, he would
be a noticeable figure, and you would set him down for
more than an ordinary character. When he speaks in
the Conference, he rests what he says firmly and confidently on his age and experience in the work of God,
and he always speaks graphically and well. In addition
to his manly, Saxon style of expression, and forestgathered imagery, there is a pathos in his addresses
which is very winning. The deep founts of his nature
often find vent in tears, and while speaking in the
assembly, he seems to yearn over his audience with the
full affection of a father in Israel. He has been through
a great portion of his life a missionary to the Indians.
He was among the first appointed missionaries from
the Methodist Episcopal Church to that noble, but uncivilised and flagrantly abused people. His father was a
Virginian minister of Scotch descent, and his ancestors
fought hard for American independence. He was
attracted towards the Indians in early life by their wild
and adventurous sports, and seems to have loved them
still more on account of the cruel wrongs they suffered.
It was therefore by preference that he became a missionary to them, after his conversion to God. He took
charge of the  first Indians converted under  John
Stewart, the coloured local preacher, in the north-west 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 211
of the upper States, and became himself God's instrument
in the conversion of numbers of the red people, whom he
has seen gathered into churches and die happy in the
Lord. In his autobiography, which he has published,
and which is a most interesting and exciting book on
the Methodism of the backwoods, Father Finley gives
sketches of several Indian preachers, with specimens of
their style of preaching; and some of these are affecting,
as showing what God has done by and for the descendants of those who were formerly lords of the
American forests and lakes. So much was this veteran
missionary revered and beloved by the aboriginal
Indians that they formally elected him a chief of the
"Bear" tribe; as they also elected his wife to be a chief's
daughter of the "Turkey" tribe.
A scene has transpired in the Conference, between
Father Finley and one of his Indian converts, that
reached the height of moral sublimity, and which was
overpowering in its effect.  The convert had learned
that his beloved father in the Gospel was to be as far
north-west as Indianapolis, attending there with the
brethren. And so the Indian set off with his "squaw,"
on foot; and, as soon as he arrived at the city, Father
Finley brought him to the Conference, and had him
introduced, through Bishop Janes (the Indians' bishop),
to the assembly. He was handed up to the low platform, where he could see and be seen by all; and was
announced as "SQUIRE GREY EYEs," an Indian Methodist preacher of the Wyandot nation. He appeared to
be upwards of fifty years of age; and is somewhat
smaller in figure than the Indian red-men are in
general. He has deeply sunken grey eyes, with smooth
strong hair of mingled white and black. Care and 
2] 2 TIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
suffering have ploughed their furrows deep upon his
tawny, shrunken face. Hie looked footworn and haggard; and there were signs on his legs and clothes of
his recent struggles over the soil, and through the
entangled brushwood of the forest.
On his introduction, Father Finley stood up by his
side, and said, with deep emotion, "Brethren, twentyfive years ago, I found this our brother in the wilderness,
a wild savage man, filled with all the pride and imaginary pomp and glory of an Indian chieftain. I preached
to him' the glorious Gospel of the blessed God.' IHe
listened, was soundly converted, and retained his conversion. No man can say that Brother Grey Eyes has
ever turned away from the narrow path, either to the
right hand or to the left. Hie has held on his way to
Zion from that time to this; and has been honourably
instrumental in the conversion of others. Twenty years
ago, at Springfield, in Ohio, he was ordained a deacon
of our Church.  Sumnude Watt, a fellow-labourer with
him in the Gospel, was barbarously killed by the white
people who sought the lands of the Wyandot Indians;
and this so discouraged the tribe that they removed far
away across the great river, into Kansas. There, since
the removal into this new settlement, this my brother
and son in the Gospel has preached the word of life to
his persecuted people; and has continued to be a fellowlabourer with you, though you have heard little or
nothing of him.  My heart burned, as with fire, when
I met him to-day. And when I inquired of him concerning my spiritual children among his tribe, I learned
that many of them had gone home to heaven. Blessed
be God for ever sending me among the poor Indians
to preach the Gospel of His Son! Soon, very soon, I 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 213
shall join my redcl brethren and sisters before the Throne.
Brethren, pray and labour for the Indians! There
never was a people more robbed and maltreated than
they. If I were young, I would compete with the
stoutest of you for the privilege of bearing, once more,
the divine message of grace and mercy to them; and
would gladly labour for their salvation. But I am old,
and near my end. Bless the Lord, however, I am a
happy old man!"
While this was being spoken, the Indian —who
before his conversion would have died rather than shed
a tear, and who, according to the spirit of his people,
would have stoutly chaunted his own death-song while
in the hands of murderous tormentors-sobbed and
cried like a child. The tears gushed profusely from his
eyes, chased their course in streams down his cheeks,
and fell pattering down upon the floor.  ile tried to
speak, but was choked with feeling. Again he tried,
and gave utterance to a few words, which a worn,
browned labourer among the Indians interpreted for
the Conference as being,-" I am far too small to speak
to you-I am very small among Christian ministers;
but the love of Christ is in my heart. I am going, like
you, to heaven, and when we meet, I will speak to you
there!"
The darkly sunburnt interpreter then related to the
Conference how he had heard the last sermon of Brother
Grey Eyes preached to the Wyandot Indians before
they removed into the Far West; and that among other
words which he heard the preacher deliver to the
assembled and weeping tribe, and which he must ever
remember, were the following: "}My people, we now
go from this place of our fathers, who are buried here. 
214 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
We must bid an everlasting farewell to our mountains,
our rivers, and our hunting grounds. And, most of all,
we must bid farewell to our house of God, which we
built, and wherein we have worshipped and rejoiced
together. But God shall go with us, and bless us in
our new home." The interpreter further related that,
on reaching their new settlement, Grey Eyes and his
people built first a house for God before they prepared
habitations for themselves; and that, when questioned
by some white men as to their reason for so doing, they
replied, "Because we care more for our souls than for
our bodies; and more for eternity than time!" As
may be supposed, the whole of this scene produced a
great effect upon the assembly. Amidst floods of tears
from more than two hundred grateful and rejoicing
ministers of Jesus Christ, there were bursts of "Praise
the Lord!" and "Glory be to God!" from every part
of the State-Hiouse. The ministers insisted upon making
a collection, there and then, for Brother Grey Eyes and
his tribe. This they did in hats seized at the moment
for their object; and then the Indian preacher departed
with his treasure, deeply wondering at the goodness of
both God and man towards him.
There are in the Conference other "strong men," to
use the phrase of the Americans when they would
describe mental ability. Some of them are ready and
powerful in debate, and others are men of ripe, finished
scholarship.   These last are principally in office, either
as editors of periodicals, or professors in colleges; and
it is really a surprise to a British Methodist to have
introduced to him so many ministers who are in offices
not immediately connected with circuits or stations.
But when the large number of Methodist publications, 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 215
colleges, and academies, in relation with the Conference,
are taken into the account, one's wonder on this ground
must greatly abate. Our American brethren give their
best men in learning and scholarship to these objects,
as they ought to do; and the demand for accomplished
scholars is more than equal to the supply.
The proceedings of the Conference are very orderly.
Every one that speaks must first address the chair, and
must take his turn as his "Mr. President" may  be
heard by the presiding Bishop. Every one must speak
to a resolution that has been regularly moved and
seconded; and which, in due time, must be handed up in
writing to the secretary. All, in speaking, must observe
the rules agreed upon for the government of the Con ference. If any indulgence, as to time, or otherwise,
be allowed, it must be by resolution to that effect.
Every man can say what he pleases, so long as he
speaks respectfully and in order; and in the Conference,
as throughout America, there is a self-confident air in
public speaking exceeding what we see or hear, ordi narily, in England. There seems to be less fear of
critics, and a kind of disdain of any care as to propriety
or style in speaking. A man here not only says what
he has to say without fear, but he will sometimes
tumble out a sentence "neck and heels" together, or
send it sprawling into the midst of the assembly on
"all fours."  This does not help weak or vain men;
but it very effectually serves "strong" and earnest
men. It enables them to put out all their strength to
the greatest advantage.
One thing cannot fail to surprise an English visitor
to American assemblies, engaged in discussing and
deciding public matters; and that is the frequent 
216  THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
question that is raised as to the judgment pronounced
by the chair. We found this in the Congress, at Washington, where a good part of a day was spent in discussing the accuracy of a decision pronounced by the
Speaker; and we find it here in the Conference, where
the decision by the presiding bishop is questioned
daily, and sometimes several times in a day. With us,
in England, the decision by the chair is final; and an
appeal from it would be considered intrusive and disorderly.  But it is not so here.  No offence is produced
by the cry of "Question" from any one, after judgment
has been pronounced upon the carrying of a resolution;
and the bishop simply says, "rise and be counted,"
when the reported numbers determine the result. But
it would be an unpardonable slander upon the American
Methodist ministers to represent them as uncourteous;
or as unconfiding, either in each other, or in deputed
visitors. They are highly respectful to one another in
their language and conduct. They seem to reverence
human nature in itself; and the nancn, as throughout
America generally, is more in their estimation than any
accidental or adventitious circumstances whatever.
And so with their treatment of stranger visitors.
Such were received and entertained by them in the
most respectful and affectionate manner. There were
introduced into their assembly, the Revs. John Ryerson
and Richard Jones, as representatives from the Methodist Conference of Western Canada; the Revs. Robinson
Scott and R. G. Cather, M.A., from the Methodist
Churches of Ireland; as well as Dr. Hannah and myself
from the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of England.
And in all cases, and at all times, they showed all and
each of us the most fraternal and most courteous 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  217
attention. Their high veneration and filial regard for
British Methodism were plainly evident in their conduct
to us, as visitors from England. If we had been ambassadors from princes, they could not have shown us
greater favour. They provided for us a residence with
the governor of the State-the highest official personage belonging to it. On our arrival, the bishops
waited upon us to inquire after our health and comfort;
and to assure us of the great gratification which they
and their brethren had in our visit to them. At the
time appointed for our introduction to the Conference,
two of the bishops came to the governor's house, to
accompany us to the State-House, and to lead us up to
the platform. The senior bishop took the chair, out of
his turn, in order that he might formally introduce us
to the Conference; and the whole assembly stood up
to receive us. In introducing us, the venerable Bishop
Waugh, with silvered head, expressed the deep interest
of that hour to the Conference, the high gratification of
all present to receive among them for their session,
brethren from the parent body; and assured us of the
cordial greetings and hearty welcome given to us by
all the assembly.
And when, after the Conference Letter from England had been read, Dr. Hannah and I addressed the
assembly, responding to its salutations, and expressing
a desire that America and England might never be
disunited, either Methodistically or nationally, tears
burst forth in every direction, and cries of "Never!
never!" were heard from many voices. By official
direction, we took our seats among the bishops; and
then, by formal resolutions, the Conference expressed
and recorded the cordial welcome it gave to us as
IIp I 
218 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
visitors from the British Conference; the free and full
reciprocation it made to our addresses on fraternal fellowship; the fervency with which it united in the
prayer to God for unbroken preservation of union
between our respective Churches and countries; and
the earnest desire it entertained that, as we might feel
disposed, we should participate at any time in the
discussions of the Conference.
Afterwards we were, by resolution, requested to
preach before the Conference. We did so; business
being suspended that the brethren might attend. They
heard us attentively and joyfully, for they praised God
aloud for Hiis word and for Hiis grace. They formally
recorded their thanks for our services, and asked for
the publication of our sermons, that they and their
people might have a more permanent memorial of our
visit to them.
In all our private interviews with the bishops and
ministers, which have been numerous, we have enjoyed
the freest and friendliest intercourse. Many inquiries
have been made as to the state and prospects of "the
old body" in England, and as to its extended agencies,
both at home and abroad; and the most reverential
mention is made of previous visitors from the British
Conference, and of fathers in English Methodism of
whom they have heard or read.
Letters of greeting and salutation were sent to the
Conference by Churches and communities which were
not represented personally in the assembly. There was
an interesting document from our Wesleyan-Methodist
brethren in France, for whose aid ~1000 had been contributed during the year by the Methodist Episcopal
Missionary Society of America. There was likewise a 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  219
fraternal address from the Congregational Union of
England and Wales.  These were received, read, and
responded to, in a most cordial and appropriate manner.
But the particulars of the business of the Conference,
and the extent of its relationships, I must reserve for
other letters. 
LETTER XIII.
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Election of officers-Calling the Roll of Delegates-Appointment of Com mittees-Opening Address of the Bishops-Statistics of American
Methodism-Education  and  Literature-Coloured  People's C,)llege Periodicals —Missions to the Far West-To  the Indians-To Settlers
from Germany, the North of Europe, &c.-To Liberia, to Sweden, Nor way, &c. &c.-Status of Methodism in America-The new Proposition
respecting Slave-holding Members-Judgment of the Bishops thereon.
As I have already indicated, the Conference assembles
in the State-House of Indiana. The hall in which it
holds its session is large, and has numerous massive
pillars supporting the panelled dome of the half-circular
part appropriated to business, in the middle of the
building. Opposite the bend of the half-circle is a
platform, two steps high from the floor, of sufficient
length to hold nine or ten persons, and with a table in
front for writing upon. The seven bishops, with the
deputations from distant churches, sit upon arm-chairs
on this platform.  Immediately before these, "within
the bar," as it is termed, are the clerks and other
officers; and around them, on semicircular rows of
seats, as far as the pillars, are the members of the Conference. Behind the pillars, both on the floor and in
small corner galleries, are the visitors. 
THiE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 221
A considerable time was occupied, at the opening, in
what is called "organising the Conference;" that is,
in appointing its officers and committees. The officers
of the Conference are not regarded as holding stations
of honour, like the officers of the British Conference.
Though the secretary, for instance, must be of good
standing among his brethren to warrant their choice
of him, yet his election rests principally on their confidence in his business tact and general capacity. iHe
is not so frequently associated with the bishops in
official acts and documents as the secretary of the British Conference is associated with its president. He
has three assistant secretaries, who take the minutes,
and prepare the lists for him. The election to each of
these offices is by ballot of all the members.
The Conference first opened at nine o'clock on Thursday morning, May 1st: Bishop Waugh, the senior
bishop, presiding. After devotional exercises of reading the Scriptures, singing, and prayer, the roll of the
Conference was called; when the delegates from the
thirty-eight Annual Conferences answered to their
names in order, and each presented his certificate of
election as a representative. The names of the Annual
Conferences were called in the following order:     ]. New Hampshire.           12. Wyoming.
2. New York.                13. Erie.
3. Troy.                    14. Oneida.
4. New York, East.          1 5. East Genesee.
5. California.              16. Oregon.
6. Maine.                   17. North-Western Indiana.
7. Vermont.                 18. Genesee.
8. Black River.             19. Michigan.
9. Western Virginia.        20. Ohio.
10. East Maine.              21. Indiana.
11. Pittsburg.               22. North Indiana. 
222 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
23. Wisconsin.
24. Rock River.
25. North Ohio.
26. Cincinnati.
27. Iowa.
28. South-Eastern Indiana.
29. Southern Illinois.
30. Illinois.
With a map of the United States before you, this
list will enable you to learn something of the localities
and the extent of Methodist territories represented in
this Quadrennial, or General Conference. The delegates
numbered from two to fifteen from each of these thirtyeight Annual Conferences, according to their respective
distances and relative importance, making in all between
200 and 300. These representatives, as you will conjecture, are in the main the principal ministers, for
intelligence and experience, of the districts from which
they are sent by their ministerial brethren.
The Conference, as you know, is open to the public.
Immediately after the election of officers, it was occupied
for several sittings in fixing the times for meeting in each
day, in appointing the parties who should be responsible
for the daily publication of its proceedings, in electing
the committees likely to be required for the consideration
of the details of the different departments of its business,
and in agreeing upon the rules to be observed in the
government of the Conference during its session. The
standing Committees for business are about ten in
number, and they nearly all consist of thirty-eight
members-that is to say, of one delegate from each of
the thirty-eight Annual Conferences. The committee
on the Episcopacy, on the Itinerancy, on Boundaries, on
Slavery, on the Book Concern, on Missions, on Education,
3 1. Kentucky.
32. Missouri.
33. Arkansas.
34. Baltimore.
35, Philadelpbia.
36. New England.
37. Providence.
38. New Jersey. 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 223
on the Tract Cause, on Sunday-schools, on Revisals, and
on unfinished business. Such are the chief committees.
There are also smaller committees on Temperance, on
the Bible Cause, on Temporal Economy, and on the
Expenses of Delegates. This list of committees will
show you, at a glance, what kind of business is anticipated by the assembly. I need scarcely observe that
the early appointment of these select bodies is well
calculated to facilitate general business.
The rules agreed upon for the government of the
Conference are nineteen in number, and relate chiefly
to the attendance of delegates, to the order of presenting
memorials, and to the proposing, discussing, and carrying of resolutions. To these rules the assembly is bound
to adhere, and they are printed and circulated for the
use of the delegates.
The bishops do not take any prominent part in the
formal proposal and discussion of questions. They
simply preside in rotation, and give their judgment
when appealed to on points of law and order. But
they present a joint address to the General Conference,
reporting upon the state of Methodism in its several
departments, and offering suggestions for such alterations or improvements as they may deem fit and necessary. Bishop Janes read the address we heard, and we
thought it most interesting and appropriate. It contained a statistical account of the progress and extent of
the work of God, as it had come under their supervision
during the four years which had elapsed since the last
General Conference. Of this account, rendered by the
bishops, you will be glad to learn something, inasmuch
as it, with other authentic notices which I may refer to,
will enable you to judge in some degree of what God is 
224 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
doing by his Methodist servants in this, the northern
section of the United States of America; though mere
numerals will not in this case, any more than in others,
fully make known the amount of good accomplished by
the Holy Spirit, through external agencies, upon the
minds and hearts of immortal men.
The address of the bishops reported that among the
encouraging proofs of progress to be adduced were the
following:-In 1851, the official minutes reported 4450
itinerant ministers, 5700 local preachers, and 721,804
members and probationers; while the minutes of 1855
return 5408 itinerant ministers, 6610 local preachers,
and 799,431 members and probationers: showing a net
increase during the four years of 958 itinerant ministers,
910 local preachers, and 77,627 members and probationers.
The statistics on education and literature showed that
there are fourteen chartered Universities, or large colleges, pertaining to American Methodism, and in which
the sons of the more wealthy Methodists are being
trained for useful and honourable service in the state and
in the Church; seventy Academies or seminaries of a high
class, affording ample literary advantages to Methodist
youth of both sexes, and two Biblical or theological
institutions, formed or being formed, in distant parts of
the States. Common day-schools, for the purposes of an
ordinary commercial education, you are aware, are provided by Government in all convenient parts of the
States: it being understood that American youth have a
legitimate claim upon their country for such an education as shall fit them for its service.  And I must say,
while the occasion serves, that, so far as I could ascertain,
the common day-schools are generally good and effective; 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 225
the school buildings are usually healthy and commodious;
the teachers are duly qualified: they are moral; in many
instances religious; and the Scriptures are freely used
in the schools.
The Ifethodist Sunday-schools were reported by the
bishops as being 10,469 in number, and as having
113,159 officers and teachers, and 579,126 scholars.
The number of conversions to God in these schools
within the four years, as far as ascertained, was stated
as being 65,096.
There is also a very encouraging movement now
being made by the 3Iethodists for the education of the
youth of the coloured race. A committee has obtained
land and buildings for an institution where coloured
youth of both sexes shall be taught the higher branches
of learning, and from which they shall be sent forth to
instruct and train, in Sabbath and week-day schools, the
youth of their own people. This institution is situated
in the southern part of the State of Ohio, so as to be
accessible from the Southern States, and already there
have been instances of wealthy and benevolent gentlemen
emancipating their slaves, and sending them to what is
termed "The Coloured People's College" for education.
The beneficial results of this institution to the African
race, both in the States and in their own land, are likely,
under the blessing of God, to be very great. It will
bring forth to public observation the capacities and
acquirements of a long abused and despised section of
the human family, and will provide well - educated
teachers and ministers for the coloured children and
congregations, both in America and Africa. As declared
by the deliberate judgment of the General Conference,
it " will tend, under God, to the most speedy and
Q 
226 TIlE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
effectual elevation of the coloured race in this country,
and to prepare the way for the restoration of the
benighted millions of down-trodden Africa to all the
blessings of civilisation, science, and religion."
The list of publications issued under the direction of
the General Conference is very large, and shows that our
American MIethodist brethren know how to appreciate
the important power of the press. The Sabbath-school
Library has in it 1066 volumes, which have been supplied
to it by the Methodist "Book Concern."   The total
issues of publications during the last four years have
been 1a,58S,926 publications of all kinds, including
7,226,409 bound volumes, and 8,36),517 tracts and
pamphlets. Some of these are in the German, Swedish,
and Danish languages.
The Methodist periodicals are exceedingly numerous,
and are scattered abroad throughout the Northern
States very largely. They number, in single copies for
one year, 9,097,840, having for them 285,461 annual
subscribers. Yet there are not more than two or three
of these periodicals which, at present, are remunerative
to any considerable extent. But the good to be effected
is regarded in their circulation rather than in the money
returns,-and the good which is thus effected no doubt
is,ery great. I             give you the     list of these Conference
periodicals, as reported by the bishops, that you may see
what the names and numbers of the respective publications are:
Annual Subscribers.
.  29,875
2. 8,718
.   15,000
.  10,033
.     8000
Christian Advocate and Journal
Western Christian Advocate.
Northern Christian Advocate
North-western Christian Advocate
Pittsburg Christian Advocate 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 227
Annual Subscribers.
.  114,692
.   34,000
6967
272].
.   15,875
.   29,580
Sunday-school Advocate.
Missionary Advocate..
Christian Apologist (German)
Quarterly Review..
National Magazine..
Ladies' Repository..
These are all conducted by editors appointed from the
ministers belonging to the General Conference. They
are for the most part very creditable publications, and
each promotes and upholds spiritual Christianity. The
profits of Conference publications are professedly for the
support of worn-out ministers, but, since the secession of
the Southern churches from the northern on the ground
of Slavery, the yearly profits have had to be applied to
the payment of the share of capital in book affairs which
has been adjudged to the South.
The missionary department is reported as being
cheeringly prosperous. As with us in England, the
Methodist Conference here has under its direction both
Home and Foreign Missions.  Of necessity, it has been
principally occupied with what may be called HIome Missions, though some parts of this field of its operation are
several thousand miles off. The swarming emigrants
from different European countries, and the rapid advance
of the American population westward, demands a constant augmentation of the number of missionaries, if the
people are to be overtaken and instructed in the way of
life. And many of the settlers in the Western States
would be as destitute of the means of grace, and very
soon as much lost to religion and morality, as are the
heathens in pagan lands, if it were not for Methodist
missionaries going forth into the backwoods and into
newly-formed settlements. So that properly, and in the 
228 THIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
right order, the Conference has directed its first missionary efforts to the necessities of America, and supports
largely from its mission fund the preachers sent forth
into California, Oregon, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska,
and other states and districts of the Far West, as well
as those employed in "sparsely" settled portions of the
inner parts of the country, where there are not churches
large enough to maintain their own ministers.
The Conference has also missions to the Indians.
Nor are its efforts limited to the preaching of the
Gospel in the ears of the red-man. With the aid of
Government, it is providing from five to ten acres of
ground for each Indian family which comes under its
influence: and this land, it is said, can never be sold,
leased, or rented to or by a white man. By this philanthropic measure, it is hoped that a feeling of attachment
to the soil will be created among the native Indians,
and that they will cease to wander about, and be less
liable to moral corruption by vicious emigrants and
settlers. And some of these missions are in a promising
condition. Several Indian converts have built themselves houses, and have been reclaimed from their
roaming and restless habits. Others have been brought
to settle on farms or in villages around the missionary
stations, so that the missionaries express their hopes of
the work of God being permanent among their red
converts.   They  report-" The  Indians,  under  the
influence of our missions, are all gradually improving
in the arts of civilised life. Their religious experience
in the things of God is generally quite clear. Their
attendance on the means of grace is quite uniform'
Their devotions are marked with great fervour and simplicity, yet quite free from excesses." It is also stated 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 229
by the same authorities that, as converts, the red-men
are steadfast in their Christian life and profession-that
apostasy with them is very rare, and that, so far from
wasting away as do the unconverted Indians, and as it
had been supposed all the aborigines must waste away,
all of them who have received the Gospel increase
rapidly, insomuch that the missions to them are straitened for room. On one occasion forty Indians had
been converted to God, and on another as many as sixty.
Bishop Janes has the supervision of these Indian missions, and though they have been injured and retarded
by white men who have corrupted the converts by "firewater," and by their profligacies, yet they are now in a
very hopeful and promising condition. There are at
present ten Methodist missionaries, exclusively devoted
to this department of evangelical labour.
Among the domestic missions belonging to the General
Conference must be also named the missions  to the
Germans, the Scandinavians, the Welsh, the French,
and the Seamen, within the United States. Some of
these are of recent origin, but their growth has been
very rapid, more especially that of the German Mission.
It is estimated that there are 700,000 of this nation
within the States, and to a large portion of these Mlethodism is successfully proclaiming the word of eternal life.
There are not fewer than 11,778 church members and
probationers of the German people now under the pastoral care and instruction of 187 Methodist missionaries.
These have schools and German literature plenteously
supplied to them, and they are confessedly more liberal,
according to their means, in the support of the work of
God among them than any other section of Christians
or Mlethodists within the States. The Scandinavian 
230  THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Missions are those to the Swedes, Norwegians, and
Danes, who have emigrated in considerable numbers to
the west and north-west of the States.  Of these there
are about 1000 church members and probationers, under
the care of eighteen missionaries. About fifteen missionaries devote themselves to the Welsh and French
emigrants, and there are six missionaries to the seamen
who visit or reside in the principal seaports.   The
Domestic 3lissions, including those to settlers not otherwise provided for, and to the foreign populations within
the United States, are 681 in number, and they have
belonging to them 636 missionaries, and 69,222 church
members and probationers. The amount appropriated
by the Missionary Society for their support during the
last year was 184,093 dollars, or nearly ~37,000.
But our MIethodist brethren on this side of the
Atlantic are not neglectful of the foreign department of
missionary enterprise; and it is evident that they are
now about to put forth new strength for important
services in regions beyond their own land. As I have
already stated, they have a flourishing 3Mission in
Liberia, which stretches over 400 miles south of the
British settlements on the coast of Western Africa, and
extends backwards into the country along the river
lines, giving access to 150,000 of the natives. This
AMission has now belonging to it an Annual Conference
of twenty-two missionaries. It numbers 1449 church
members and probationers; and has a promising educational department, which includes academies, dayschools, and Sabbath-schools. It was visited last year
by Bishop Scott; and the whole Mission is now so
far advanced, that it cannot be left longer without
constant episcopal supervision. 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 231
The Conference has also foreign Missions to Germany,
Sweden, and Norway, which, notwithstanding opposition
and persecution from jealous governments, hold on their
way, and spread Gospel light and practical godliness in
those countries. The German Missionaries are sufficiently numerous to form an Annual Conference to meet
in Germany. The agents employed in Norway and
Sweden pursue their way noiselessly, but successfully.
These read the Scriptures, preach, sing and pray, and
commune with the people in their own dwellings; and
this labour has been owned of God, many of the Swedes
and Norwegians having enrolled themselves as Mlethodists, and given proof of real conversion. The Scandinavian Missions are three in number, under the care of
five missionaries; and 450 members and probationers
are, up to this time, the acknowledged fruit of their
labours.   These foreign missions to Europe are more
especially interesting with the consideration that evangelical religion in the Old World is reviving under
the reciprocal agency of the New.   The Germans,
Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes, emigrate in great
numbers to this western continent, for the improvement
of their temporal condition. Here they become partakers of spiritual life; send word to their friends
in Europe how, and by what agency, they obtained
it; their friends send for Methodist Missionaries;
these go, and the European foreigners are converted;
churches for Christ are formed among them; and
thus, by the all-controlling beneficence of God, who
wondrously "worketh  all things  after the  counsel
of His own will," nation is made to act upon nation,
people upon people; while Methodism, as Hils work,
extends its blessedcl agency across continents and over 
232  TIIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
seas, and gathers souls from all the ends of the
earth.
Finally, the foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church of this continent include those to South
America, China, and India; and the whole of its foreign
missions number  71,218 church  members,  who  are
under the care of 867 missionaries. To this work the
yearly sum of 86,000 dollars, or about ~17,000, is
apportioned out of the general fund. The total annual
sum for Missions of all kinds which are under the
direction of the General Conference is ~54,000. This
amount is raised very much after the manner in which
we raise our missionary income in England,-by collections after sermons, and at public meetings, and by
annual subscriptions. No doubt this amount of income
will largely and rapidly increase; though there is some
complaint from the General Missionary Board, that
considerable sums collected for Missions are appropriated
locally, instead of being sent to the general fund for
proportionate distribution.  The Missionary Committee
here, too, it may be added, have it under consideration
to establish a missionary seminary to be devoted exclusively to candidates for the work of missionary life;
and wherein, it is conceived, they will be wholly separated from associations and influences which tend to
distract, or divert, their minds from their great object.
From the reports supplied of the agencies and progress of Methodism in the United States, as well as
from what we personally observed, where we have been,
it is plain that it is as unrivalled among American
churches for the promotion of experimental and practical godliness, as it is for attention to education and
literature, and to institutions for general benevolence. 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  233
Indeed, it may be spoken of as having the prestige
among the churches which the Church of England has
in our own country; and yet, as possessing and exerting the vigour and evangelistic activity of British
Wesleyan Methodism.  It is to be found in almost
every nook and corner of the thirty-one independent
states and nine territories which comprise the federal
union.   In its communion are governors of states,
senators, and representatives in congress, judges of the
supreme court, as well as of the states. Taking the
northern and southern sections of Alethodismrn together,
and including two or three small offshoots still bearing
its name, it numbers 1,600,000 full.church members,
and has regularly under its religious instruction six
millions (or more than one-fifth) of the entire population of the United States. In this new country every
section of the Church of Christ has "a fair field and no
favour;" and without old institutions to obstruct its
course, 3Iethodism here has shown its surpassing elasticity and might.
There was another subject set forth iln the address by
the bishops to the General Conference, which, as soon
as it was named, absorbed the attention of all the
brethren; and that was-Slavery. This subject had
been presented by the bishops to the thirty-eight
Annual Conferences, in its relation to church membership: some parties having sought a change in the discipline of the church, by which all slaveholders in the
border churches would be peremptorily excluded from
them. This attempt, it was felt by some, proposed an
alteration of the constitution upon which they had
originally adhered to the northern anti-slaveholding
churches; and would be perilous to the interests of the 
231  THIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INBIANAPOLIS.
large number of slaves on the borders, who were
members and hearers in Methodism, and who might,
through such an extreme act of ecclesiastical legislation,
be deprived, at the will of their offended masters, of
their religious privileges. This difference of judgment
corncerning the proposed measure had already produced
considerable excitement; and, after earnest discussions
upon it in the Annual Conferences, the proposition had
failed to secure the requisite number of votes (threefourths) to secure its legal recommendation for adoption
by the General Conference.
Nevertheless, it was resolved by the northern men
to propose the said measure in this Conference. This
was known by the bishops; and, in their address, they
expressed unitedly their strong doubts that such a
measure, however desirable, could be constitutionally
adopted by the General Conference, unless it should
have also the requisite concurrence of the Annual Conferences. And after reporting upon the numbers, and
relative numbers, of the parties who would be affected
by the proposed measure,-namely, the churches in
slave territory belonging to six Annual Conferences,
which have connected with them 500,000 or 600,000
white hearers, and 143,000 white members and probationiers; together with upwards of 100,000 coloured
hearers, and more than 28,000 coloured church members, some of whom are slaves,-they, the bishops,
declared their deliberate opinion on the effect of the
existing discipline of the Church in the following
words:
"In ore  judgment,  the existence of these conferences and churches,
under their present circumstances, does not tend to extend or perpetuate
slavery. They are kniown to be organised under a discipline which charac 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 235
terises slavery as a great evil; which makes the slaveholder ineligible to any
official station in the Church where the laws of the State in which he lives
vill admit of emancipation, and permit the liberated slave to enjoy freedom;
which disfranchises a travelling minister who, by any means, becomes the
owner of a slave or slaves, unless he execute, if it be practicable, a legal
emancipation of such slaves conformably to the laws of the State wherein he
lives; which makes it the duty of all the ministers to enforce upon all the
members  the necessity of teaching their slaves to read the word of God,
and allowing them time to attend upon the public worship of God on our
regular days of divine service; which prohibits the buying and selling of
men, women, and children, with an intention to enslave them, and inquires,
What shall be done for the extirpation of the evil of slavery?
"With this discipline freely circulated among the people, or certainly within
the reach of any who desire to examine it, and with other churches existing
in the same territory without these enactments,  these societies and conferences have either by elective affinity adhered to, or from preference associated with, the Methodist Episcopal Church.   In a few instances  their
church relations have exposed them to some peril, and in numerous cases to
sacrifices. But sulch have been their moral worth, and Christian excellence,
and prudent conduct, that, generally, they have been permitted to enjoy
their religious immunities, and serve and worship  God according to their
consciences."
When the reading of this quadrennial address of the
bishops to the General Conference was concluded, it was,
without discussion or remark, referred, by the distribution of its several parts, to the respective committees
appointed for the consideration of the different subjects
which it set forth; and was ordered to be printed for
the use of the delegates in their deliberations. And
now the business of the Conference fairly commenced.
The roll of the members had been called; the committees had been formed; the principal subjects for
consideration had been presented in the address by the
bishops; and the assembly evidently set itself in order
for deliberative proceedings. 
LETTER XIV.
TIJE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Conference Business-Natmie of Committees and their Mlode of Procedure Chief Subjects of Interest in the Proceedings of Conference-New MIetro politan Church for New York-The Bible Cause-Cause of Religious
Education-Appeals from Censured and Expelled Ministers-Extension
of Time for a 3\Iinister's Stay in a Circuit-Discussion respecting the
Office of "Presiding Elder "-Grand Debate respecting Slavery.
TIlE business of the Conference being necessarily multifarious, it seems absolutely requisite, in order to expedite
its transactions, that so many and such varied concerns
should be previously referred to the committees for
preparation and arrangement. By this means much
time is saved which might otherwise be consumed in
confused debate. I have already noted for you the
appointment of these committees in what is termed the
organisation of Conference, but it may be well to explain
to you their powers and services. There are, as I stated,
ten of them, distinguished by the titles I named.
1. The Committee on the E)iscopacy has under its
examination the whole administration and conduct of
the bishops for the preceding four years; and as there
is one minister on this committee from each of the
Annual Conferences, no judicial act of the episcopate
can well be left unnoticed. If there be any complaint,
or anything appearing doubtful to the committee, the 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDFANAPOLIS. 237
bishop concerned is respectfully summoned before it to
explain or to defend his conduct, as the case may be.
And in the end, when due inquiry has been made, the
committee report to the Conference the result of its
examinations, and recommend approval or condemnation.
The freest and most unrestricted inquiry and debate are
admitted in the Conference when the report of any
committee is presented. But from the decision of the
General Conference, whether it approves or rejects the
advice of the committee, a bishop has no appeal: it is
the final tribunal.  Provision is made, in the "Discipline," for the suspension of a bishop by a committee
composed of his brethren and presiding elders, during
the intervals of the quadrennial conference, if such committee be satisfied that he has transgressed; but he has
still an appeal left to the General Conference.
2. The Committee on Itinerancy examines the minutes
of the Annual Conferences during the four previous
years, and reports thereon to the General Conference,
according to its view of the observance or infringement
of the "Discipline;" the Conference then approving or
censuring, as the case may seem to them to require.
3. The Committee on Bo?)cl)arie8 has assigned to it all
applications for alterations in the boundary lines of the
Annual Conferences, and for the formation of new conferences. The labours of this committee, through the
ever-changing character of the population, are necessarily great. As many as nine new conferences have
been added at this session: increasing the number of
Annual Conferences for the north of the United States
to a total of forty-seven.
4. The Committee on Slavery has referred to it for
consideration all petitions and memorials on that subject, 
238 TIHE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
and is required to collect and classify the proposals, to
inquire into their agreement with the established constitution of the Church, and to report its opinions and
recommendations thereon to the Conference. If in this
or any other committee a minority is not satisfied with
the report of the majority, it can draw up one for itself,
and present the same to the Conference, and the Conference can adopt either report.
5. The Committee on the Book Concern examines the
reports from the book establishment and repositories,
and any recommendations that may have been made for
improvement in the publications of Methodism, or with
regard to their circulation.
6. The Committee on lissioiss considers all business
relating to missions, whether home or foreign. In the
intervals between the quadrennial conferences, the missions are under the direction of a "Board of Managers,"
consisting of sixteen Mlethodist ministers and sixteen
M3ethodist laymen, who are annually elected, with the
bishops as presidents and vice-presidents, and, at the
General Conference, their acts and administration are
reviewed by this committee, who report to the Conference
as they may deem necessary. The Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer of the Board of M:anagers are
appointed by the General Conference, and are also
amenable to it.
7. The Committee on Fducatfion examines, prepares,
and recommends to the General Conference whatever
measures may seem advisable in relation to seminaries,
colleges, universities, or Biblical institutes.
8. The  Committee on Stinday-schools inquires into
the system of instruction pursued, the character of the
books and publications employed in Sunday-schools, 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  239
and recommends anything to the Conference which it
deems likely to promote their efficiency.
9. The Tract Committee inquires into the system and
agency in use for tract distribution, as well as into the
character of the tracts circulated, and reports thereon to
the Conference.
10. The Committee on Rezvisal8 examines into all
verbal alterations to be made in the "Discipline," and
other Conference records, so that the words may suitably
express the meaning intended; and they recommend
accordingly.
These are the general, or standing committees, which
are composed of one delegate from each annual conference, chosen by his co-delegates of the conference to
which he belongs; and each committee chooses its own
chairman. There are, in addition to these, a few special
committees appointed as cases may require, such as the
Committees on Temperance, the Bible Cause, &c., which
I have already named. These committees have apportioned to them the business to be prepared for the
General Conference, as it may arise, on the presentation
of memorials, the reading of minutes, &c. The memorials
presented are very numerous. Several days have been
occupied with the mere presentation of them. They are
of all possible kinds-from conferences, churches, committees, and individuals; and, to obtain them for consideration in committee, the roll of each annual conference
is called, when the delegates present in rotation whatever they may have brought with them, or whatever
may have been sent to them of this documentary nature
for consideration by the General Conference. This year
there were Aiemorials for Lay Representation, Local
Preachers' Conferences, and Conferences of Coloured 
240 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Mlinisters, as well as for other proposed changes, which
came prominently before the Conference for discussion
and for formal judgment.
Among the more important subjects for the "action"
of the Conference, as the brethren here are accustomed
to term their united decisions on practical matters, were
those of  1. A Metropolitan Church to be erected in New York,
as a grateful memorial by Methodists to Almighty God
for his merciful goodness in employing them so successfully and extensively in spreading scriptural holiness
through the land. This church is to be supplied by
ministers in rotation, appointed for a term of years
by the bishops, from all parts of the country. The
ground for the structure has been purchased, and a
considerable sum of money has already been contributed,
through the several annual conferences, towards it.
2. An Annual Conference in Germany; the work of
God having prospered there until this measure has
become necessary for the wants of the people, and for
the admission and oversight of ministers.   Such  a
conference was authorised, and is to be presided over by
one of the bishops.
3. The Bible Cause, which had its representative in
the Conference-the Rev. Dr. Hiolditch, a Methodist
minister, and one of the general secretaries, who reported
that the income of the Bible Society for the last year was
393,167 dollars, or ~78,000, and that its issues for the
year had been 668,225 volumes. The Society publishes
the Bible, entire and in parts, in ten modern languages,
besides what it sends forth in Indian and African
dialects, and is now engaged in an effort for "a thorough
exploration and re-supply" of the entire region of the 
TIIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  241
United States.  The report was cordially received by
the General Conference, and the Society was earnestly
recommended to the annual conferences and to the
churches for support.
4. The Tract Cause, which, for a widely-scattered
population, and for passing emigrants from all nations,
is very important. This cause has its board of managers
regularly appointed, and systematically issues tracts in
several languages, to the extent of many hundreds of
thousands per year.
5. The Religious Education of the youth of MIethodism. This is felt by our American brethren, as it is
with us in England, to be a most important object, for
they, like us, lament the estrangement of too many sons
and daughters from the church of their fathers. One
question formally discussed and resolved upon was "The
Relation of Baptised Children to the Church." This
subject drew very earnest attention, and the issue of the
consideration given to it was a declaration of the claims
of such children, as covenant members of the kingdom of
God, upon ministers for pastoral instruction and care;
and a formal injunction to ministers to register, counsel,
and watch over them, for their admission, under appro
priate circumstances, into the Church.
The Sabbath-schools, too, were considered in their
relation to the Conference and to the churches, and
recommendations were given for the observance of plans
which might render them more efficient. A Sundayschool "Demonstration" in one of the churches of
Indianapolis was autherised and attended by the Conference. The children were assembled and addresses
delivered to them under the presidency of our host, the
governor of the State. This was a most interesting
R 
242  THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
service. Mlost appropriate and affecting addresses were
given by ministers from all parts-some relating what
God was doing by Sunday-schools in Oregon, in California, and on the shores of the Pacific.  One sunburnt,
attenuated minister told of a time he had known in
California, the land of gold-mines, when a little child
was so great a novelty that, where it was found, rough
miners gathered round it with intense interest, and wept
over it in remembrance of home associations; and when
a minister of his acquaintance called back a mother
retiring from the congregation because her infant was
crying, publicly stating that its little voice was sweeter
music than either he or his people had heard for months
past. But now, he said, through the rush of emigrants
for the gold-mines, children had become numerous, and
many hundreds of them, whose parents were of various
nations, were gathered into Sunday-schools, and were
rising up useful and honourable members of the Church
and of society.
Another minister related how he and his colleague
first dropped anchor in the harbour of San Francisco, at
a time when there was no city, but only a few shaky
tenements and an old windmill; how they there opened
the first Sunday-school on the coast of the Pacific Ocean;
and how they had since been in Oregon,where fifty-eight
Suniday-schools  were  now  established, with  10,000
volumes in use; and that in these schools, during the
past year, there had been 119 conversions to God.
There was also a meeting held of the committee and
friends of general education, on a Saturday afternoon,
presided over by the Rev. Dr. Thompson (a highlyaccomplished man, of English birth), at which Dr.
Hannah gave a very clear and interesting account of 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 243
the Wesleyan Theological Institution in England, as to
its character, working, and beneficial influence upon the
Connexion; and I spoke of our day-school operations
for the poor, and of Kingswood and Woodhouse Grove
Schools as seminaries provided for the education of
ministers' sons.  The establishment of Biblical institutes
in America, the rapid multiplication of Aiethodist colleges and seminaries here, induced many inquiries concerning the educational movements of Alethodism in
our own land, which we answered as well as we could.
The report of the state and prospects of the institution
for the education of coloured youth was adopted by the
Conference-all breathing the most tender compassion
towards the long-degraded African race within the
States, expressing the most encouraging hopes of their
elevation to honour and usefulness through such an
institution, and most earnestly recommending it to the
benevolent in I4ethodism, and the patriotic and philanthropic in the country at large.
But the subjects discussed at greatest length, and
which excited the deepest interest in the Conference,
were:  1. The appeals by censured and expelled ministers
against the decisions of their annual conferences. These
appeals were fourteen or fifteen in number, and were
conducted in the most formal and court-like manner.
The case was first stated, and the "action" of the Annual
Conference read from its journal. Then the appellant,
in person or by substitute, pleaded. In most cases a substitute was engaged; and he, as well as the chosen advocate for the Conference, being usually a minister of great
ability, the pleadings were not unfrequently sustained
in a very masterly manner. In the majority of cases 
244 THIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
appealed against this year, either the decisions of the
annual conferences were reversed, or the cases were sent
back with directions for new trials. Some of these
appeals occupied several sittings, and, with the increase
of annual conferences, and the general spread of
3lethodism, the difficulty of hearing all such appeals in
the General Conference is increasingly felt. But, though
urged to consider this difficulty by the bishops, and to
try, if practicable, to provide some substitute in a large
and wisely-selected committee, yet the brethren are not
disposed to give up this privilege of supreme judicature
at present-the manifest difficulty presenting itself at
once of erecting a court of final appeal, in the form of
a select committee, that should have more weight and
authority than an annual conference.
2. The extension of time for a minister's stay in a
circuit, or residence at a station. The ministers are
appointed by the bishops, in council with the presiding
elders; and the limit, at present, of their continuance at
one place is two years. Some of the ministers desire to
extend it to three, or even to five years, and have
memorialised the Conference  accordingly.   But, on
examination of these memorials, the committee reported
that it was not in evidence that any considerable number
of the people desired such alteration; and, jealous of any
symptoms of decline in the spirit of itinerancy, the
Committee on the Itinerancy recommended that no
change be made by the Conference.  It must be remembered that, in not a few instances, an American Methodist
minister preaches three or four times a week in the same
church, and that his place is not taken by another,
except once a quarter by the presiding elder; so that,
within his two years, he has preached oftener to the 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 245
same people than an English Methodist minister does
ordinarily in three years. This consideration has, no
doubt, its influence both with ministers and people in
determining them against the proposed change.
3. A most earnest discussion arose on the report by
the committee on the exclusion or modification of the
office of "presiding elder." This seems to have been
an old question for dispute, and an alteration had, this
time, been memorialised for by some large and influential circuits.   The  presiding elder is an officer
chosen and appointed by a bishop to act for him in
overlooking the spiritual and other interests of the
churches within a given limit, for a period of four years;
and who receives his support from the joint contributions
of the circuits he overlooks. He has, in the absence of
the bishop for whom he acts, the charge of all the
elders, deacons, travelling and local preachers, and
exhorters. He presides at quarterly conferences for the
circuits (what we call quarterly meetings); hears appeals
there against the preachers, deacons, or stewards;
changes, receives, or suspends preachers, as may be
deemed necessary, during the intervals of the annual
conferences; inquires into the state of the circuits,
churches, and schools; and has the power of decision on
the laws governing the different cases, subject to appeals
to the next annual conference. He reports the state of
the churches to the bishop of his district, and gives the
bishop counsel for the stationing of ministers.
There were as many as ninety presiding elders in
this General Conference, delegated by their brethren of
the Annual Conference. The memorialists, in some
instances, sought to have the presiding elder stationed
like another minister in a circuit within his district, 
246  THiE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
from which circuit they proposed that he should receive
his support and travelling expenses. In other instances,
the memorialists proposed that each Annual Conference
should regulate its own economy with regard to this
office; while some memorialists suggested that certain
circuits named might be excepted from the support of
this office. Some of the ministers think and say they
can perform all the work of a presiding elder in their
own circuits, and that they do not need his visits; while
some of the people regard the office as an unnecessary
charge upon them. But the majority both of preachers
and people are satisfied of the propriety of preserving
the office; and the actioi of the General Conference
was, that no change in regard to it should be made at
present.
4. The appointment of a bishop, required for Liberia,
was, as I have before stated, another subject of earnest
discussion.  The Missionary Committee recommended
that, if a suitable person could not be found in this
Conference willing to be ordained and go forth as
resident bishop for Africa, the Annual Conference in
Liberia should be directed to elect an elder in good
standing among them, and send him to America for
episcopal ordination by the bishops,-who should ordain
him under the express conditions, that the churches of
which he shouldcl have the oversight should still belong
to the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, and
that his jurisdiction, as a bishop, should be limited to
Africa. Some objections were raised against this recommendation of the committee, on the ground of the
discipline, which requires that a bishop shall travel
through the connexion at large. And some few were
for separating the Liberian churches to act for them 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  247
selves, recommending them to follow the discipline and
government of the American Methodist Episcopal
Church. In the end, however, the substance of the
committee's recommendation was adopted by the Conference; that seeming the best and most practicable
conclusion to come to under the circumstances.
5. Another question of manifest interest was, the
appointment of officers and editors to the institutions
and periodicals in connection with the Conference.
These numerous offices had to be filled up; but the
appointments to them were purposely and professedly
delayed, until it should be seen how the votes were
given on leading public questions; the different parties
in the assembly resolving, so far as they could, to place
in those offices ministers with views similar to their
own.   Several attempts were  made to hasten such
appointments, and to fix early dates on which they
should be made; but the attempts did not succeed; and
delay was avowed on the ground I have stated. On
great questions the votes are taken singly, in "Ayes"
and "Noes;" so that every man's vote may be publicly
known and accurately recorded. In the end, nearly all
the editors of newspapers and Conference periodicals
were changed, in order that the most decided antislavery sentiments might be put forth on behalf of the
Conference. This great and sweeping change of officers,
however, is not deemed very notable here, reappointments not being common.
6. But the great absorbing question, as you will
anticipate, was that of Slavery. The particular question
in relation to it, as presented to the Conference in
memorials, &c., was, whether the rule of membership
should be made to exclude all slaveholders. The rules, 
248 THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
as they now stand, exclude all slaveholders not only
from the ministry, but from every office in Methodism.
The rules also, by directions and injunctions, discountenance and condemn slavery, as an evil before God andcl
man. But, as the civil government allows slavery, and,
in some instances, forbids emancipation, it was found
impracticable, without making a man a rebel against
civil government, to carry out a rule against slaveholding membership. Such a rule has not, therefore, been
enforced. This has dissatisfied many, especially in the
northern and north-eastern states, which are farthest
removed from the life and scene of slavery; and they
have sought to have such a rule introduced into the
"discipline."  The bishops, as before observed, had submitted the recommendation of the dissatisfied party to
the Annual Conferences, who had not passed it by
sufficient majorities. Yet, the parties recommending it
resolved to press their proposal on the General Conference, that it might go from thence to the Annual
Conferences again. This produced strong excitement,
and drew forth memorials and counter-memorials, which
the committee on slavery had to report upon. A majority of the committee proposed resolutions for the Conference to exclude slaveholders from church-membership. To this a minority of the committee objected,
and drawing up their objections, presented them to the
Conference for its consideration.
They stated decidedly, and as a fact beyond contradiction, that parties, not a few, held slaves left to them
with the benevolent purpose of keeping the negroes
from cruel usage by irreligious owners; and with the
direction to emancipate these bondsmen as soon as
practicable, and as soon as they could be provided for. 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS. 249
And on this ground (seeing that there is a specific
prohibition, in the "discipline," of the purchase or sale
of slaves, by Methodists) the minority object to exclude
all slaveholders from church-membership. They also
declare that such a rule would be likely to break up the
churches on the southern border, and on slaveholding
territory; for, while there are few slaveholders who
would themselves be affected by it, they would be likely
to prohibit the attendance on religious services of the
slave members, who are numerous, and who would thus
be deprived, in their bondage, of all the instructions of
religion. And further, they object on the ground that
they originally separated from the slaveholding churches
of the South without such a condition of membership;
and that now, when they must be separated from both
sections if such a rule were enacted, it is not kind or
just to impose it.  They state that the "discipline," as
it is, has worked effectually to the discouragement and
extirpation of slavery;  that with it the Methodist
Episcopal Church is known to be an Anti-Slavery
Church; and that the rule proposed would retard, in
its working, the object professed to be sought by allthe extirpation of slavery. On these grounds, and
with the evidently strong plea that it is at present
unconstitutional to include such a rule in the "discipline," since it has not passed, as required, three-fourths
of the Annual Conferences, the minority of the committee reported to the Conference for themselves, and
objected to the report and recommendations of the
majority. In stating their objections to the new proposal, the minority declared themselves earnestly
opposed to slavery; and challenged any one to prove
that there was a pro-slavery man on the floor of the 
250 TIIE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.
Conference, amidst cries from every side of "no, no!"
They urged too, that with their adherence to the MIethodist Episcopal Church, at the time of the secession, so
that they might not partake with the southern churches
in the iniquity of slavery, it was unjust to harbour the
least suspicion of their honest hostility to it. In proof
of the well-working of the "discipline" as it is, they
further stated that in the city-station of Baltimore, the
capital of the slaveholding State of Alaryland, where
ilethodism is so influential and prosperous, it is not
known that there is a single slaveholder in the church.
But, notwithstanding all these objections and pleas,
the report of the majority of the committee was presented, and the proposal to change the general rule
was carried by 122 votes against 96. This was a
decisive proof of the views held by the ministers at this
Conference; although, as there were not two-thirds of
the votes in its favour, and as it has not yet passed
three-fourths of the Annual Conferences (as the rules
require in all essential changes), the new rule will not,
at present, be entered into the "discipline." That you
may know exactly what the report and recommendations
of the majority of the committee on slavery are, I
subjoin them to this outline of the proceedings.*
There was another test of anti-slavery feeling, by
the proposal to publish and circulate largely antislavery tracts; which proposal was carried by a much
larger majority: the minority stating that they were
in favour of such an effort, if it were made judiciously.
I have described this subject of slavery as the allabsorbing one. It is so, not only within the Conference,
but out of it, and throughout America. Thoughtful
* See Appendix. 
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE AT INDIANAPOLIS.  251
men, everywhere, perceive that this is the great problem
to be solved in relation to their country; and Christian
men view it as the great and heaven-provoking sin of
the land. A very large portion of our time in America
has been spent in conversing upon it. All who have
spoken upon it in our hearing have deprecated it as a
fearful evil.   None have attempted to justify it on
moral or scriptural grounds. If, as in some instances,
while travelling, we spoke with persons who attempted
to defend it, they did so on the ground of expediencyas having to do with an evil which existed, and must
be made the best of. But it is due to our Methodist
brethren to state that, in no instance, have they given
any other character to slavery than that of sinfulness
and crime. They do, however, make the distinction
between the holding of slaves bequeathed, and which
the law of the State will not allow to be emancipated,
and the purchase, use, and sale of slaves, for merely
mercenary purposes.
Such were the principal subjects of business in this
General Conference held at Indianapolis, which continued from Mfay 1st to June 4th, 1856. In conclusion
it directed that its next quadrennial session (in 1860)
should be held in the City of Buffalo. 
LETTER XV.
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
Modified Character of Slavery in Towns-Enormity  of its Evils in the
South, and on the Plantations-Its Corrupting Influences both on the
Families of Slaveholders and on the Slaves-Sophism, that Slaves are
"Happy and Contented," exposed, and also the assertion that their Con dition is Analogous to that of the English Operative-Nationally Disor ganising tendencies of Slavery-Hopes for its Extermination from exist ing Agencies; and Confidence that it will be brought to an End, founded
on the Divine Character.
I HAVE repeatedly alluded, in my former letters, to the
subject of Slavery in America, as viewed by us in our
passage through Slave States on our way to this city;
as it has been regarded by the Methodist Church from
the beginning, and in its progress; and as presented
for consideration at the General Conference. But it is
far too serious a subject to be passed over with incidental notices. No doubt, slavery will be found vital,
in its final issues, both to the States themselves and to
the churches within them.   I have given the most
wakeful and earnest attention to this subject which
circumstances would allow; have not only had frequent
conversations upon it, and read authentic books and
documents concerning it, but have made careful inquiries of persons fully acquainted with it; and now,
before leaving Indianapolis, I devote a letter to Slavery, 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
in which I shall give reliable information, and, what I
believe I may term, a matured judgment concerning it.
I have described what we noticed of slave-life and
occupation in our journey along the borders of Virginia and 3/aryland; but it must be remembered that
we have seen it only in its domestic character.   As we
passed through 3Iaryland, and skirted Virginia, here
and there we saw, as previously stated, the poor dispirited Africans toiling wearily in the field, or lazily
at the edge of the forest. But slave-life even at the
road-side, as well as in cities and in the slave-owner's
house, is different to slave-life in cotton-fields, or in
sugar and tobacco plantations, where hard task-work
has to be performed in gangs, and under the lash of
slave-drivers. This seems to me to be a distinction
very necessary to be made when considering and discussing the subject of American slavery; for, whenever
I have conversed with an advocate or apologist for it, I
have invariably found that he spoke of it under its
mildest aspect, as the "domestic institution." Though
by far the greater number of slaves in the States are
not to be found lodged and boarded in their masters'
warm houses, and employed on flower-gardens as ordinary servants; but are miserably and indecently crowded
together, as mere cattle, in log-huts, and are driven forth
to daily task-work under the merciless whip.
Of the real and deeply wretched condition of the
great majority of slaves, I have learned much from
particular inquiries made in the States, from publications
issued on the ground, and from ministers and friends
who have most carefully informed themselves, by personal investigations, on what is passing in the South.
And after due inquiry and consideration, I have come
253 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
to the painful conclusion that American slavery, in the
Southern States, is as wicked, cruel, and offensive, in its
character and operations, as it has been reported to us
in England.  I say distinctly, in the Sotthiern States;for it must never be forgotten that the Northern States
have resolutely separated themselves from this evil.
Half the states of the Union have done this.  All the
MN[ethodist churches of the North, in those States, and
some within the borders of Slave States have done it;
and that at considerable sacrifice, as before related. The
churches of Baltimore, named in a former letter, have
done this. Therefore, it is unjust, inconsiderately and
cruelly unjust, to class all the States and Churches together, as slave-holding, or alike involved in the guilt of
Slavery. There are not more earnest, zealous, and determined opponents of Slavery anywhere, than are to be
found in the Northern States and Churches of America;
and some of the border-men who travelled with us in
our last journey were determined Abolitionists.
But in the South, and on the plantations, the evil of
Slavery exists in its grossest and most revolting forms.
It is there not merely tolerated for expediency; but
legalized, maintained, and guarded, as if it were the
most just and sacred of institutions. By some violent
upholders it is ranked with religion itself; for they
inscribe upon their placards and banners, "'GOD and
SLAVERY!"  By perversions of Holy Scripture, which
nowhere, if properly interpreted, favours Slavery, and
in direct contradiction of their own declaration of Independence, upon which the constitution of the Union
is based, and which positively and unequivocally declares that "all men are created equal, and are endowed
with the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the
254 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
pursuit of happiness,"-the men of the South uphold
and promote this atrocious system against the remonstrances of their northern brethren, and against the cry
of the civilized world. Even in Columbia, the small
district surrendered by 3Iaryland and Virginia to the
sole control and government of Congress, Slavery exists;
and in Washington itself, the renowned  legislative
capital of the United States, there are, as already noted,
slave-marts, auction-blocks, and slave-prisons, under
the control and use of licensed slave-dealers.
Indeed, in some of its aspects, the Slavery of the
Southern States of America is not only one of the most
glaringly inconsistent evils in existence; but it is, in
some of its legalised conditions of deprivation and
cruelty, without example or parallel in the history of
the world.  As Ir. Wesley wrote of it only four days
before his death-it is "the vilest evil that ever saw
the sun." In a country which has voluntarily associated itself with other powers to repress and terminate
the Afirican slave-trade, not only are the existing slaves
retained, but large numbers of slaves are raised and
bred for the market yearly. The negro mother has
no claim to her own child.  By law it belongs to her
owner, with all the children that she and her daughters may have born to them, for ever. This is the express law of the Slave States-that the child shall
follow the condition of its mother.
And this unnatural and oppressive law leads to acts
of the most revolting cruelty and wickedness. It not
only encourages the most brutish profligacy towards the
females kept on the slave-breeding estates,-and that
as soon as there is any chance of slave-bearing,-but it
makes fathers the salesmen of their own children; and
255 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
it brings upon their descendants, however white and
far removed from the original negro, through successive generations, the most painful and degrading
circumstances.   A considerable proportion of the coloured slaves are the fruit of intercourse with white
owners, owners' sons, and slave-drivers. So that some
of the slaves are sold by their own fathers; and if, in
rare instances, slaves are redeemed, either by others or
themselves, they have not unfrequently to be purchased
from their own fathers. Yea, fathers, under this iniquitous law, prostitute to the most revolting purposes
their own children. And sometimes, as I learn from
cases related to me, the most ruinous and degrading
consequences will fall upon the acknowledged wives and
children of slaveholders through the operation of this
law. Delay in the act of emancipation (where it is
allowed) towards the wife selected and obtained for her
beauty and whiteness, may, by the sudden death or
bankruptcy of the husband and father, be followed
by the sale of his indulged wife and accomplished
daughters; and these, who never dreamed of their
slavery, must then be exposed in the public auction
mart, and sold to hard-hearted and licentious slavedealers-again, severe truth compels me to repeat-for
the most degrading purposes.
The cruelties, too, inflicted by law upon the slaves
are enormous and horrible. Not only are they deprived
of their natural, social, and civil rights,-robbed of
self-ownership,-denied marriage contracts, family enjoyments, intellectual culture, and complaint or redress
in a court of justice; but they are unsparingly separated
from husband, wife, child, brother, sister-if they may
use such terms-sold to merciless slave-dealers, who
256 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
brand them, chain them, lodge them in dungeons, then
drive them forth in gangs barefooted and almost naked, men and women together,-over hard rough roads and
through tangled forests, to other and distant States, to
be sold and branded again; and then to be driven forth
into the field for daily labour under the cow-hide lash,
and to be exposed to the gloating licentiousness of
hired slave-drivers. I could give abundant proof of all
this, in quotations from legal documents, advertised
auction sales, and published descriptions of actual occur rences, which none can dispute.
I do not suppose that all slaveholders maltreat their
slaves. Some of them, I would fain believe, for the
honour of humanity, are benevolent men, sorrowing
over their heritages of human beings, of which, under
the laws of the States to which they belong, they know
not how to rid themselves. And such are kind and
merciful to their slaves. But I write of the system, of
what it legalises and allows, and how by many it is
used.  And, in cases of merciful and kind treatment by
owners, death or reverse of temporal circumstances may
throw the best of slaves, accustomed to mild and considerate conduct, suddenly into the most painful and
deeply degrading circumstances. The Rev. James B.
Finley, in  his "Sketches of Western Methodism,"
relates a case which occurred in Virginia, and most
affectingly proves what I have just said; while, at the
same time, it exhibits the meek and forgiving endurance
of wrongs by Christian slaves, and the abundant mercy
of God to the vilest sinners when they repent and turn
to Him.
The author of these sketches relates, that in the State
o      f       Virginia there l ived a   wealthy and influential planter,
who owned a large number of slaves. In his circum
S
257 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
stances, he was a kind and indulgent owner, and sought
for them the means of mental and moral culture. A
methodist minister was invited by him to preach on his
plantation, and was heard by himself, his family, and
his slaves. The word reached their hearts, and on subsequent visits, the preacher collected into a church
there, the master, the mistress, and many of the negroes.
One of these negroes, whose name was CUFe, became
eminent for his devotedness to Christ, and for the
exemplification of Christian graces among his brethren.
Being a man of superior intelligence, he was selected to
conduct religious services in the absence of the minister;
and in these he was wont to pour forth prayers to God
from a full heart, and to speak with words that burned
into the very depths of the souls of the congregations.
Both white and black hearers trembled and wept under
the power with which he prayed and spoke before them.
But amidst the fearful contingencies of slavery, even
in its most alleviated circumstances, Cuff, through the
death of his master fell into the possession of a spendthrift son, who had soon to sell him by public auction for
the benefit of clamorous creditors. Hie was purchased
by an infidel, newly settled in life, and whose youthful
wife had, before her marriage, often heard with deep
feeling the addresses and prayers of Cuff. On making
the purchase, he expressed to the insolvent owner his
pleasure with Cuff's looks and manners, and inquired
particularly what was the precise character to be
received with him. The answer given was, that there
would be nothing found in him objectionable to the
purchaser, unless it was that he would pray and attend
the meeting.  "If that be all," said the infidel, "I will
soon whip that out of him."
He took home his purchased slave, who with a heavy
258 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
heart left his old homestead, and his brethren in bond age with whom he had so happily associated for worship.
At the close of the first day's appointed labour, he went
in search of a place for private prayer, which he found
in a thicket of young trees near to his master's garden,
and where he knelt and poured forth his evening cries
to heaven. While thus engaged, he was overheard by
his youthful mistress, who was walking in the garden;
and when she heard him pray not only for himself, but
also for his new "massa" and his new "misse," the deep
fountain of her heart was broken up, and she wept greatly.
On the ensuing Sabbath Cuff went some miles to the
Methodist meeting, returning in the evening, that he
might be ready in time the next morning for his labour
in the field. On Monday morning his master asked
him where he had been on the Sunday, when, not
knowing the infidel character of his owner, he replied,
"I have been to meetin, massa; and bless de Lord it
was a good time! "-" Cuff," said his master, with an
angry voice, "you must quit praying; I will have
none of it about this place."-" Massa," said Cuff, "I
will do anything you tell me dat I can do; but I must
pray. My MAassa in heaven command me to do so.""But you shall quit it," said the master, "and you
shall promise now to do so, or I will whip you."-" I
cannot do one nor de oder, massa," said the slave."Then follow me, you obstinate negro," said the master,
inflamed with passion, "and we will see whose authority is to be obeyed."
The slave was led forth, stripped of the few tattered
garments that covered his person, was tied to a tree,
when the infidel master, full of anger, inflicted twentyfive heavy strokes of the cowhide lash upon him with his
own hands.  "Now, Cuff," said the master, "will you
259 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
quit praying?"-" No, massa," said the bleeding slave;
"I will pray to Jesus as long as I live." Hle gave him
twenty-five lashes more, and that with terrible severity.
"Now,"   said the monster of cruelty, "you will quit
praying, wont you? "-" No, massa," was the meek
slave's reply; "me will pray while me live." On
hearing this the master flew upon his victim with the
utmost fury, and he continued to ply the bloody weapon
upon the mangled flesh until, from sheer exhaustion, he
could strike no longer. "Now, you infernal nigger,
will you cease praying?" asked the master.-" No,
massa," answered the bound and bleeding slave; "you
may kill me,.but I must pray."-" Then you shall be
whipped as much as this every time you pray or go to
the meeting." The slave was unbound from the tree;
he gathered up his clothes, crawled to his gloomy hut,
and when he had reached it he was heard to sing within
it in a plaintive voice,
"My suffering time will soon be o'er,
Then shall I sigh and weep no more;
My ransomed soul shall soar away
To sing God's praise in endless day."
While this cruel conduct had been pursued the young
mistress had been looking through the window in tears;
and when her husband returned into the house she
said, "1 My dear, why did you whip that poor negro so
much for praying?-there is no harm in that.""Silence!" said the enraged husband; "not a word
upon it, or I will give you as much." Through the
remainder of the day the infidel husband raved like a
madman; he cursed all the negro race, and he cursed
God for creating them. Night came; he writhed with
agony on his bed. Before the morning dawned he exclaimed, "I feel I shall be damned! O God have mercy
260 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
upon me! Is there any one to pray for me? "-" None,"
said the wife, "unless it be the poor negro you have
whipped so severely."-" HIe will not pray for me," said
the husband. —" He will, I am sure," said the wife. "Then send for him without delay, for I cannot live as
I am," said the husband. Cuff was sent for; he came,
sore and bleeding, expecting more ill-usage, when, to
his great astonishment, he found his cruel master bowed
upon the floor of his room, and crying to heaven for
mercy.  "Cuff, will you-can you pray for me?" was
the earnest inquiry proposed to the bowed slave."Yes, massa," was the prompt reply; "I have been
praying for you and misse all night." They prayed and
wept together until the heavy burden was removed from
the awakened conscience, when the rejoicing master,
springing to his feet, and throwing his arms around his
dark slave, exclaimed, "Cuff,  my forgiving brother,
from this moment you are a free man!"  The master
formally emancipated his injured slave, and, with his
youthful wife, united himself to the Methodist Church.
Afterwards, with Cuff, whom he engaged as chaplain
for his estate, he preached that Jesus whose name he
had blasphemed, and whose disciple he had scourged.
A few persons whom I have met while in America
have tried to persuade me that the slaves are happy and
contented in their condition; and have significantly remarked that they are more so than many of our English
operatives in the manufacturing districts. But if this
assertion be true, why do so many of the slaves run
away? what mean the numerous public advertisements
in the newspapers for runaway slaves, describing so very
particularly their stature, weals, maims, and branded
marks? what mean the laws against education of slaves,
261 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
coloured assemblies, and harbouring of runaway negroes?
what mean the pronged collar, the chain, the stocks, and
the notorious "Fugitive Law?" and what mean the
slave-owners' tormenting fears of risings and insurrections among the negroes?
And if any of them be happy and contented under
this heavy pressure of degradation, what does it prove?
Not that Slavery is just and good, but that, in this
instance, it has completed its destructive work, and
crushed  down  human  nature  into brutality.   The
chained dog may frisk before his master,  and  not
repine; and when the spirit of manhood has been struck
down and extinguished by the lash and brutal insults,
then, and not till then, can man be happy and content
in a state of slavery. To be deprived of all rights-to
hold no place in civil or social life-to see his wife and
daughters indecently outraged, and reduced to unbridled
prostitution-to see his children sold away from him
into hopeless bondage-to lie bleeding and writhing
under the lash, —and yet be "happy and content! "  Is
not such talk madness?
And what parallel can justly be instituted between
the slaves in the Southern States of America and English operatives? Are the operatives of England raised
and bred for sale in the public market? Are they deprived of all ownership in themselves, and sold body and
soul, flesh and spirit, as mere goods and chattels, to the
proprietorship of others? Are they deprived of home
and family, and of civil protection? Are they exposed
to the whip? Are their wives and daughters exposed
to the unbridled licentiousness of masters and masters'
sons? Are English operatives liable to be marched off
in chain-gangs to other counties than those in which
they live? Cannot they change their employers for
262 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
better wages when these are offered? Does not the law
of England protect them as safely, with their families,
in their homes, from insult and injury as it does the
titled dweller in a castle or mansion? Where, then, is
the likeness between the case of the American slave and
the condition of the English operative? There is none;
and no attempt to prove that there is will ever be made,
except in sheer ignorance, or from the spirit of wilful
misrepresentation.
The effects of this unnatural and cruel system are as
great as we, in England, so often heard that they were.
It is enormously destructive of slave life, as well-authen..
ticated  statistics show.   It corrupts the moral  and
spiritual life and nature of the slaves, while it destroys
their physical life; for the oppressed negro hears vice
termed virtue, and virtue termed vice; sees their proper
rewards and penalties reversed; and becomes often helplessly blinded in his distinction of right and wrong.
It degrades all residents in the States who belong
to the negro race, or who are the least tinged with
African blood. It deprives them of position and status
in society, even though free, and living in Free
States, by creating prejudice against them, which will
not allow them to sit and eat, or to ride in a railwaycar, in the company of the whites. It not only drives
them into the North, where the colder climate is uncongenial to the African constitution, but it pursues them
with menacing laws and restrictions, that not only
prevent their citizenship, but security. In some of the
Free States there are what are called "Black Laws,"
which prohibit their residence altogether; and in some
of the Slave States free negroes remaining so many
days within them are to be seized, and sold into slavery
for ever; indeed, in not a few instances, it seizes the
263 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
free negro under pretence of suspicion that he is a runaway, and if he happens not to have his manumission
papers upon him, locks him up in prison, advertises him
as to be sold for his expenses at such a time, and thus
kidnaps and enslaves him who had previously purchased
his freedom, or was born free. It is affirmed that not
less than thirty free negroes were thus kidnapped in
the free city of Philadelphia within the years 1825 and
1826, and were sold into slavery.
This evil system also demoralises slaveholders and
their families-sensualising husbands and sons, and
rendering hard-hearted and cruel even females and
little children. A white mother will have her offending
negro slave laid down and whipped before her eyes;
and even the young child in the arms of the nurse is
promised, as a toy from the market or the fair, a whip,
with which to flog the young negro. It corrupts the very
seat of legislative government; renders its laws a dead
letter; and seeks to make a State that would be free-like
Kansas-a Slave State against its will. It impoverishes
the country, so that the localities where it exists are a
full century behind the other parts of the Union in the
increase of the free population and in scientific improvement. It induces slovenly culture of the soil by negroes,
who will not do anything more than they are forced to
perform. It produces idleness, wastefulness, and recklessness of life both among the slaveholders and their
slaves. It foments disputes, insolence, duels, and bloodshed between the men of the Free States and those of
the Slave States; strikes down a senator in the Hall of
Congress (as in the case of Sumner) for his speech
against it; and executes "Lynch Law" upon Abolitionists, or even suspected Abolitionists.
Moreover, this vile system disorganises the States,
264 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
and, in the event of an invasive war, would render
them a more easy conquest. It provides increasing
internal enemies in the slaves, who are multiplying so
quickly, and are now proportionately so numerous,
that in a century more, at the same rate of increase,
they will outnumber all the white people in the
States put together. With such an army of revengeful negroes within her own borders, how appalling
would the consequences be in bloodshed, if any European power were to land on the southern shores, and
give arms to the slaves! Indeed, it fills this continent
with suspicion and terror, so that zealous Abolitionriists
and thoughtful men of the Free States devise colonisation plans which shall remove the increasing and dangerous Africans away from America to their own
country.  It is, in MIr. Wesley's words, "an execrable
sum of all villanies;" it is a complicated evil of injustice, cruelty, licentiousness, and murder, which, unless
it be abandoned, will assuredly avenge itself upon its
own supporters, and will bring down upon them destruction and shame before the gazing world. There
is a God who judgeth in the earth; and He who
avenged Joseph's bondage in Egypt upon them who sold
him for twenty pieces of silver, so that they acknowledged in the dungeon the connection of their sin and
its punishment, and said, "We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his
soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us." Hie who heard the cry
of His people under their hard taskmasters, when wasted
by the heat of the furnace, and avenged their wrongs
upon Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea-He who
has already avenged Slavery upon Spain and Portugal,
by which powers the slave-trade on the American con
265 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
tinent was commenced in 1503,-will arise out of I-Tis
rest, and baring the red arm of Hlis vengeance, will
judge the oppressor, and overthrow his power. As
one has justly remarked, "no attribute of God is on the
side of slaveholders;" and this is a most fearful consideration, which ought to make them tremble, and
abandon their foul iniquity without delay.
But you naturally inquire if there be no hope and
prospect of the removal from the States of this monstrous and destructive evil. I believe there is. I believe this, because Right is stronger than Might in the
long run; I believe this from the signs and circumstances favourable to emancipation which now most
unmistakeably begin to appear. Slavery recedes farther
and farther South, and, if it continues to retire, it must
eventually pass from the land, and leave America free
from it. The anti-slavery principles are now widely
diffused, not only in the Free States, but in the Slave
States; so that many slaveholders really desire general
emancipation, and though not able to act openly, yet
they covertly send both money and information to the
Abolitionists, and declare they wish success to the cause
of emancipation. Every true-hearted woman who cares
for the purity of her husband and her sons must abhor
Slavery, and inwardly desire its removal. Christianity,
as well as the law of Moses, condemns Slavery both by
its spirit and direct precepts, and must, by its pervading
power and influence, remove Slavery from this country
as it has banished Slavery from Christian Europe. The
churches are astir for its removal, and have already
effected much that is important as a preparation. The
American churches are not "the Bulwark of Slavery," as
they have been tauntingly declared to be. How can
266 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
they be so, unless Christ's own kingdom be divided
against itself? I will not say they have at all times
proved themselves as firm to endure sufferings for the
cause of freedom as they ought to have done-for even
martyrdom in such a cause would have been honourable.
Undoubtedly a time-serving expediency has, in some
instances, swayed them in their decisions and in their
conduct. But with this admission, it may be confidently affirmed, that the Quakers, the Baptists, the
Presbyterians, and the Episcopalian Churches, have, in
various ways, and to no inconsiderable extent, rebuked
and withstood the evil.
The Methodist Episcopal Church has from the beginning condemned and contended against Slavery. Mr.
Wesley did, as his letters to America show. Dr. Coke,
and Francis Asbury, and others of that period also
earnestly testified against it. The early minutes expressly forbid any member of the Methodist Church
"buying and selling of men, women, and children with
an intention to enslave them."   The later minutes,
before noted, declare, "we are as much as ever convinced of the great evil of Slavery;" and expressly
provide that "no slaveholder shall hold any office in
the Methodist Church where the law of the States will
allow of emancipation." And for this principle the
Northern churches, as I have repeatedly intimated,
became separated from the Southern, and endured the
great secession of 1844.
The religious interests of the enslaved and coloured
population have, from the very foundation and first
organisation of Methodism in America, been cared for
and sought. In the first published minutes I find that,
at that period, one fourth of the members returned were
of coloured people.  In the year of Mfr. Wesley's death
267 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
there were 12,000 coloured Methodist members in the
States. At the time of the separation of the Northern
and Southern churches, in 1844, there were more than
150 000 coloured members, and there are more than
200,(,00 now in both sections.  The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, while in error on the public
question of Slavery, is nevertheless labouring most
strenuously and successfully for the moral and religious
instruction of the slaves; and is, undoubtedly, doing
more for them, morally and religiously, than any other
agency whatever. In addition to its regular ministry
and numerous schools, for both the white and coloured
people, it has not less than 145 missionaries who are
exclusively devoted to their interests, and who, amidst
the destructive mnalaria of river swamps, and the consuming heat of rice and cotton-fields, are seeking the
spiritual welfare of the negroes in bondage, and of their
children. Both in the North and in the South, there
are African churches, African schools, African preachers
and class-leaders, African deacons and missionaries; and
thus American Methodism, in its two sections, is diffusing
Christian principles among the white and the coloured
population-among the masters and their slaves, and,
with the labours of the other churches of Christ in the
States, must not only mitigate the evils of Slavery
while it exists, but, if the Church be faithful to truth,
most assuredly will eventually exterminate it.
What believer in Christ can doubt this when he
remembers that there are the accumulated prayers and
supplications to be answered of God's servants through
successive years and generations for this great and
glorious object? How many a fervent and acceptable
prayer has ascended into the ear of the Lord of Sabaoth
from poor, overwrought, whipped, and imprisoned
268 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
neg,roes?  How  many,  like "Uncle Tom"  in Mrs.
Stowe's story (so fuill of real genius as well as philanthropy), have cried to God in their bondage and meek
suffering? How many have called upon Him from the
cabin and the bush, from the prayer-meeting and the
sanctuary?  HIow  many  white ministers and their
people have prayed that the oppressed may go free!
And shall not these prayers be remembered by the
Eternal?  Are they lost or forgotten by him?   Like
the prayers and alms of Cornelius, they are gone up for
a memorial before God, and shall yet be answered.
Some of these prayers are on record, and may be read
and repeated until the desires expressed in them shall be
fulfilled. The following is Mr. Wesley's own prayer,
recorded at the conclusion of his " Thoughts on
Slavery," in 1774:
"0 thou God of love, thou who art loving to every
man, and whose mercy is over all thy works-thou who
art the father of the spirits of all flesh, and who art rich
in mercy unto all-thou who hast mingled of one blood
all the nations upon earth,-have compassion upon outcasts of men, who are trodden down as dung upon the
earth. Arise, and help these that have no helper,
whose blood is spilt upon the ground like water! Are
not these also the work of thine own hands, the purchase
of thy Son's blood? Stir them up to cry unto thee in
the land of their captivity, and let their complaint come
up before thee; let it enter into thy ears! make even those
who lead them away captive to pity them, and turn their
captivity as the rivers in the south. 0 burst thou all
their chains asunder, more especially the chains of their
sins! Thou Saviour of all, make them free, that they
may be free indeed.
269 
SLAVERY IN AMERICA.
'The servile progeny of Ham
Seize as the purchase of thy blood.
Let all the heathens know thy name:
From idols to the living God
The dark Americans convert,
And shine in every pagan heart.'"
This prayer shall be answered: yea, and I cannot but
think that, out of the numerous and efficient churches
of the coloured race in this Western continent, shall go
forth ministers and missionaries to their own people
across the seas, and bring thousands of Africa's sons and
daughters on their own native soil, into the spiritual
kingdom of the Redeemer. Some of the negro members
of the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Protestant, as well as
of the Methodist churches in this land, are being educated and prepared for important Christian services.
Some of the negro local preachers are intelligent and
zealous labourers in the vineyard of the Lord; and
suited as they are in constitution, sympathies, character,
and modes of thought, to this missionary work to the
African heathen, I cannot but think that they will be
called and sent forth to engage in it. Then shall
Africa's real compensation for Slavery appear. Not in
pounds or dollars-for what compensation can money
afford for the heavy and accumulated wrongs inflicted
upon so many millions of her sons and daughters for so
many  generations?-but in the spread of Messiah's
kingdom over the African continent; in the reception,
by its millions yet to be born, of the Gospel-the good
news of Christ's salvation, which "healeth the broken
in heart, and bindeth up their wounds;" in the real and
everlasting enfranchisement of the children of Hamfor, when "the Son shall make them free, they shall be
free indeed."
270 
LETTER XVI.
TIIE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
Peculiar Look of the Race-Mongolian Descent-Noble Original Qualities
-Hospitality and Bravery-Degraded State of Woman-Rapidly  de creasing number of Red Men-Christian Labourers among them-John
Stewart, the Negro-Father Finley-Indian Converts and Preachers Remarkable Occurrence among the "Flat Head" Indians-Banishment
of the Red Race to the Far West-Melancholy Prospect of their
Extinction.
THERE is a melancholy interest attached to the aboriginal
inhabitants of this country, as an ill-fated and declining
race; and a thoughtful visitor can scarcely fail to feel a
craving for reliable information concerning them. As
for what the race was in the past, there are no crumbling
monuments of antiquity, no fallen arches or broken
columns to attest it, or to furnish hints for the spirit of
theory: one sole monument remains-the living ruin of
a perishing nation. I have made diligent inquiries
concerning the Indians of missionaries who have been
much among them, and have studied their character and
closely observed their manners and customs, being,
meanwhile, devoted to their interests both for this world
and the world to come. Thus, though I may not have
much to communicate that will be new, yet my statements respecting them, and more especially of the work
of God among their wasting tribes, will be authentic. 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
Each specimen of the aboriginal race that I have seen
in America resembles the Indian missionary visitors we
have seen in England. There is the same sombre countenance, the same inwardly brooding look, that seems to
tell of the sense of past and present wrong, and of a
proud grief deeply seated, and so absorbing as to render
the subject of it almost insensible of what is passing
externally.   Some observers attribute the red-man's
peculiar look to the hardness and inflexibility of his
features from long training, rather than to his sense of
injuries received from the white obtruders upon his
rightful domain; and, perhaps, it may be attributable
to both these causes. His skin is not sufficiently transparent to allow the flush of feeling to mantle in his face,
or to deepen his colour, and he would seem to have been
trained to conceal rather than exhibit the working of
his passions. Yet, with his stolid and immovable
features, there are deeply indented lines which tell of
inward contest; that brooding, melancholy eye is often
kindled into defiant fierceness, and there is a proud
bearing in the red-man's upright form which seems to
proclaim that he is conscious of descent from a free and
noble ancestry.
The theory that the North American Indians are the
descendants of the lost tribes of Israel finds no credit
with the missionaries who have been among them, and
become best acquainted with their language and customs. There are some Indian words which have some
resemblance to their synonyms in Hebrew, and a few
Indian rites resemble the Jewish. But these scattered
resemblances, it is well known, are found among many
tribes where they would not be expected —such as the
Tartars, for instance. The most supportable theory,
272 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
undoubtedly, is that the Indians are of Miongolian
origin, and came from Asia across the narrow sea which
we now call "Behring's Strait."
Come, however, from wherever they might, at the
beginning, there seems to be no doubt of the common
origin of all the remnant tribes of the North American
Indians. Some differences exist in their language and
in their customs, but none of these are so essential as to
lead to the inference that all the red-men are not
derived from one stock. When first visited by Europeans, they were scattered in various, and, for the
most part, mutually hostile, tribes over the continent,
and numbered, it is supposed, fifteen or sixteen millions. They were not when first discovered "barbarous savages," in the literal sense of the phrase, but
rather wild, roving men with an indomitable love of
liberty; and however fierce and revengeful towards
each other hostile tribes might be, all were kind and
friendly towards the white man when he first approached them. Afterwards, when they felt themselves
wronged and injured, defrauded out of their beloved
hunting-grounds, and left with mere trinkets instead,
they became exasperated and revengeful. When driven
cruelly away from their own lands, and from the
graves of their fathers, they turned upon their murderous pursuers, and fought for their liberty and lives like
stags at bay. And when unable to compete with their
enemy and with his fire-weapons in the open field, they
crouched in the thicket, and shot him with the poisoned
arrow as he passed along upon the "Indian track."
It was not till goaded and driven to violence and
bloodshed, by injury and bloodshed, that the red-man
showed himself to be fierce and revengeful. Columbus
T
273 
THE NOPITHII AMERICAN INDIANS.
wrote home to his royal patrons concerning one of
these aboriginal races:-"I swear to your  majesties
that there is not a better people in the world than
these,-more affectionate, affable, and mild. They love
their neighbours as themselves, and they always speak
smilingly." And their first admission of white men to
their country seems to have been from motives of compassion and hospitality, as the mournful chief declared
to General Knox, in the city of New York, when interrogated on the reason for his dejected and sorrowful
countenance amidst such gay and stirring scenes. " I
will tell you, brother," said the chief to the general,
"what makes me look sorrowful.  I have been looking
at your beautiful city-your great waters full of ships
-your fine country, and I see how prosperous you all
are. But then I could not help thinking that this fine
country was once ours.   Our ancestors  lived here.
They enjoyed it as their own in peace. It was the gift
of the Great Spirit to them and to their children. At
last white men came in a great canoe, they only asked
to let them tie it to a tree, lest the water should carry
it away. We consented. They then said, some of their
people were sick, and they asked permission to land
them, and put them under the shade of the trees. The
ice came, and they could not go away. They then
begged a piece of land to build wigwams for the winter. We granted it to them. They then asked corn
to keep them from starving. We furnished it out of
our scanty supply. They promised to go away when
the ice melted. When this happened, instead of going
away as they had promised, they pointed to the big
guns round the wigwams, and they said,'We shall
stay here.'   Afterwards came more.   They brought
274 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
intoxicating drinks, of which the Indians became fond.
They persuaded them to sell this our land; and, finally,
have driven us back, from time to time, to the wilder ness, far from the water, the fish, and the oysters. They
have scared away our game. Aly people are wasting
away. We live in want of all things, while you are
enjoying abundance in our fine and beautiful country.
This makes me sorry, brother, and I cannot help it."
The North American Indian, like the nomade of
Asia, is proverbially generous and hospitable. Like
the Arab, he spreads his tent in the wilderness, and
refuses to dwell in a walled-up immovable dwelling;
but a travelling stranger may enter his tent and lodge
there for the night as freely as the passing bird can
enter and shelter itself in the open bush. He gives
readily to the unknown visitor the pipe of peace, and
shares his best provisions with his guest. He spurns
subjection to any but his uncrowned patriarchal chief,
loves the chase, is fondly attached to his horse and
his dogs; and bounds with the fleetness of the wind
over the waving prairie-ground and through the forest
after the buffalo, the bear, the panther, and the deer.
He is orderly and eloquent in council, respectful of the
rights of messengers and mediators from hostile tribes,
and, with a voice "sharp as the eagle's and powerful as
the lion's," will, after the message has been delivered,
reply to what has been spoken. He is scrupulously
attentive to the forms and customs of his false religion,
and by bodily mortifications, prayers, and sacrifices,
gives such a proof of his sincerity as ought to put to
shame many a professing Christian.
As it is with all heathen nations, woman is degraded
among the red people;-instead of being man's caressed
275 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
companion and friend, she is his drudge and slave.
She is wooed by scalps, purchased by cattle, and taken
to perform degrading  service in the smoky wigwam
and  in the open field.   But notwithstanding  this,
there are frequently touching displays of connubial
and parental affection among these unpolished tribes.
The Indian husband, with no bond but love, is not
unfrequently faithful to his purchased and laborious
wife. No Indian mother, however high in rank, gives
up her infant to be nurtured by another. She weaves
for it a richly-embroidered cradle, bears it in its
infancy therein upon her back as she goes forth to
labour in the field, hangs it near to her upon the
spreading branch of a tree, that it may be rocked to
sleep as the cradle swings to and fro with the breeze;
and if it dies, she bears its empty cradle with her,
wherever she goes, for months afterwards, that she may
think lovingly of her lost offspring. Parents and children hold the graves of their lost relatives as their most
sacred possessions, and often visit their burial-places
from cherished reverence and love.
All who know the red-men declare them to be remarkable for bravery.  No coward is cherished among
them. They record not their deeds in books, but they
picture their wounds in red stripes upon their flesh;
and embroider their conquests over men, beasts, and
birds, by suspending scalps, hair tufts, and eagles'
claws to their robes. If threatened by invading foes,
they prepare themselves for the conflict; make the
forest and the surrounding plains echo with their war cry of defiance; and if taken prisoners in battle, they
submit to insult and extreme tortures without com plaint, sing their own death-song before their enemies,
276 
THE NORTHI AMERICAN IN\DIANS.
and die like heroes, without lamentation or tears.
Indeed, so lasting an impression has the Indian made
upon the mind of his destroyers by his unconquerable
spirit, that while the white Americans would feel
themselves degraded by any supposed alliance, however
remote, with the crouching African, yet they pride
themselves in any descent, where it can be traced, from
the red son of the forest.
And yet this interesting, hospitable, patriotic, and
courageous race of men are wasting rapidly away, and
are likely soon to become extinct. The opinion is
almost universal that they are a doomed race, and must
ultimately, and that before very many years have
elapsed, totally disappear. They have been robbed of
their native heritage, and driven farther and farther
back from the borders of civilisation, until now they are
principally located, by the Government of the United
States, in the rocky and swampy regions west of the
Mississippi. Here, they who at one time were numbered
by millions, do not now number more than 500,000 at
the most, and this number decreases rapidly. Their own
melancholy conclusion on their impending fate is, that
they are "travelling to the shades of their fathers,
towards the setting sun." W'ell may they dread the
advance of the white man, and speak so revengefully
of the "pale faces" who are thus pursuing them to
complete extermination!
Yet this is not of necessity their fate; for they have
proved themselves capable of both civilisation and godliness.  This was convincingly shown, 200 years ago,
under the holy and martyr-like labours of Eliot and
Brainerd, and it has been clearly demonstrated since
under  the Moravian  missionaries.   The  Methodist
277' 
THilE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
Churches, both in the States and in Canada, have had
churches, schools, class-leaders, and preachers among
the Indians, as I have already indicated. The commencement of Methodist missions to them was in
1816, and that by an instrument most peculiarly and
evidently appointed of God. This was a poor coloured
man of the name of JOHN STEWART, who soon after his
conversion had a strong conviction given to him that
he ought to go and preach the Gospel of his Saviour
to the Indians. With no encouragement and with
no authority from man, he went forth on foot, with
his Bible and Hymn-book, and travelled from the
southern border some hundreds of miles through the
forest to find them. When he found them, in the
first instance, though they were attracted from their
war-dance by his melodious singing, yet they attended
not to the word he preached to them, and even threatened his life, unless he would give over preaching, and
depart from them.
IHe now travelled onwards until he met the Wyandot
tribe, in Upper Sandusky; and at one of their great
festivals he sued for and obtained permission to speak
to them of Jesus Christ-the morrow being appointed
for his preaching. When the hour came, the poor
converted negro's heart was chilled to find that his
audience was only to consist of one old Indian, of the
name of "Big Tree," and an old Indian woman of the
name of Mary. Nevertheless, he proclaimed the way
of life and salvation to these two. A few more collected to hear him, gradually; and though for a time
they despised and mocked him as "a black man," yet
he persevered; and by a godly life and earnest representations of the truth as it is in Jesus, he won their
278
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THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
confidence and was instrumental in bringing many of
them to the faith of Christ.
In 1819, the Rev. James B. Finley and other missionaries were sent forth to the Indians, and among the
first-fruits of their ministry were some chiefs of distinction, who afterwards became eloquent and successful
preachers to their own people. One of these bore the
strange name of "B ETWEEN-THaE-LoGs."  I have heard
Father Finley speak of him several times, and there is
a sketch of him in Father Finley's own biography.
This chief was of the Bear tribe, and had gained his
position by the energy and force of character he had
displayed in the defence of his people. Not long before
his conversion, he had voluntarily taken a long and
dangerous journey on foot, to plead the cause of the
injured aborigines before the Government at Washington.  When reminded by the Secretary of State that
he had come unauthorise,], and had given no official
notice of his coming, he replied, "I know; but I
thought the great way was open, so I came." After
his conversion, his superior powers were unreservedly
devoted to the cause of Christ. He became a most
laborious servant of the cross, and a very powerful
preacher; was at the head of the Indian school department, attended the Ohio Annual Conferences, and
went into different parts to advocate the cause of missions before his red brethren. The following address
was delivered by him at the Missionary Anniversary
held at New  York, in the spring of 1826.   After
giving an account of the attempts formerly made to
introduce Roman Catholicism into his nation, he said,
"It is true we went to Church on the Sabbath-day, and then the minister
preached; but we did not understand one word he said. We saw he kneeled
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THE NORTII AMERICAN INDIANS.
down, and stood up, and went through motions with his great dress on; and
when chtrch was out we all went to a place where they sold ruin and whiskey, got drunk, and went home drunk.  He would tell us we must not get
drunk; but he would drink himself, and frolic and dance on the Sabbath.
We  counted our beads, and kept our crosses about our necks, or imder our
pillows, and would sometimes pray to the Virgin Mary. But we were all as
we were before. It made no change in us, and I began to think it was not
as good as the religion of our fathers; for they taught us to be good men
and women, to worship the Great Spirit, and to abstain from evil. Soon
after the Seneca Prophet came to our nation, and he told us that he had
found the right way; that he had a revelation, and had seen and talked with
an angel, and was directed to teach all the Indians; that they must quit
drinking, and must take up their old Indian religion, and offer their constant
sacrifices, as their fathers had done, which had been neglected too much;
and, on account of this, the Great Spirit had forsaken them: but if they
would come back and follow him, that he would yet drive the white man
back to his native home. We all followed him till we saw he went crooked,
and did not do himself what he taught us to do. Then we followed him no
more, but returned to our old course. Some time afterwards came the
Shawnee Prophet, the brother of Tecumseh, and be told us that a great
many years ago there lived a prophet that had foretold the present state of
the Indians, that they would be scattered and driven from their homes;
but that the Great Spirit had said that he would make them stand on their
feet again, and would drive the white man back over the waters, and give
them their own country; that he had seen an angel, and he told him that
all the Indians must qutit drinking, and all turn to their old ways that their
grandfathers had followed, and unite and aid to drive the white from our
country. Many believed and followed him. But I got tired, and thought
it was the best for me to keep on in the old way, and so we continued.
Then the war came on, and we all went to drinking and fighting. When
the war was over, we were a nation of drunkards, and so wicked that the
chiefs thought we must try and get up our old religion of feasting and
dancing.  We did our best to get our people to quit drinking.  But while
we were trying to reform, God sent a coloured mlan, named Stewart, to us
with the good book. He began to talk, and sing, and pray; but we thought
it was all nothing, and many made fun of him because he was a black man.
The white traders told us we ought to drive him away, for the white people
would not let a black man preach for them. We, however, watched his
walk, and found that he walked straight, and did as he said. At last the
word took hold, and many began to listen, and believed it was right, and
soon we began to pray, and we found that it was of God. Then others
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came, and they told us the same things. The work broke out, and God
has done great things for us. I was among the first that took hold, and I
found it was the religion of the heart, and from God. It made my soul
happy, and does yet. The school is doing well. Our children are learning
to read the good book, and promise fair to make good and useful men. We
thank you, our friends, for all the kindness and help you have shown us, and
hope you will continue to help us till we can stand alone and walk. We
will do our best to spread this religion at home, and send it to all nations."
In the year following that in which this address was
delivered by him, he died triumphantly in the faith of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Another of these converted chiefs was named "MoNONCUE." Hle was a very eloquent and effective assistant
to the Missionaries sent to the Wyandot tribe.  The
following is Father Finley's own'simple and graphic
account of this Christian chief: it will at once show
you what he was, both as a gifted and an affectionate
man, and as a powerful preacher of the Gospel:  "This renowned chief of the Wyandot nation was about medium in stature,
and remarkably symmetrical in form. He was one of the most active men
I ever knew, quick in his motions as thought, and fleet as the roe in the
chase. As a speaker, he possessed a native eloquence which was truly wonderful. Few could stand before the overwhelming torrent of his eloquence.
He was a son of thunder. When inspired with his theme, he would move
a large assembly with as much ease, and rouse them to as high a state of
excitement, as any speaker I ever heard.
"There is a peculiarity in Indian eloquence which it is difficult to describe.
To form a correct idea of its character, you must be in the hearing and sight
of the son of the forest; the tones of his voice and the flash of his eye must
fall upon you, and you must see the significant movements of his body. As
an orator Mononcue was not surpassed by any chieftain.
"I will give a specimen or two of the eloquence of this gifted son of nature.
Imagine yourself, gentle reader, in the depths of the forest, surrounded by
hundreds of chiefs and warriors, all sunk in the degradation and darkness of
paganism. They have been visited by the missionary, and several converted
Indian chiefs. One after another the chiefs rise and address the assembly,
but with no effect. The dark scowling infidelity settles on their brows, and
the frequent mutterings of the excited auditors indicate that their speeches
281 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
are not acceptable, and their doctrines not believed.  At length Mononcue
rises amidst confusion and disturbance, and ordering silence with a commanding voice, he addresses them as follows:
"'When you meet to worship God, and to hear from his word, shut lup
your mouths, and open your ears to hear what is said. You have been here
several days and nights worshipping your Indian god, who has no existence,
only in your dark and beclouded minds. You have been burning your dogs
and venison for him to smell. What kind of god or spirit is he, that can be
delighted with the smell of a burnt dog? Do you suppose the Great God
that spread out the heavens, that hung up the sun and moon, and all the
stars, to make light; and spread out this vast world of land and water, and
filled it with men and beasts, and everything that swims or flies, is pleased
with the smell of your burnt dogs? I tell you to-day, that his great eye is
on your hearts, and not on your fires, to see and smell what you are burning. Has your worshipping here these few days made you any better? Do
you feel that you have gotten the victory over one evil? No! You have not
taken the first step to do beter, which is to keep this holy day. This day
was appointed by God himself a day of rest for all men, and a day on which
men are to worship him with pure hearts, and to come before him, that he
may examine their hearts, and cast out all their evil. This day is appointed
for his ministers to preach to us Jesus, and to teach our dark and cloudy
minds, and to bring them to light.' He here spoke of the Saviour, and his
dying to redeem the world; that now life and salvation are freely offered to
all that will forsake sin and turn to God.  He adverted to the judgment-day,
and the awful consequences of being found in sin, and strangers to God.
On this subject he was tremendously awful. He burst into tears: he caught
the handkerchief from his head, and wiped them from his eyes. Many in
the house sat as if they were petrified, while others wept in silence. Many
of the females drew their blankets over their faces and wept.'Awful,
awful day to the wicked!' said this thundering minister,'your  faces
will look much blacker with their shame and guilt, than they do now with
their paint.'"
Mr. Finley also describes  the funeral scene of Mononcue's aged aunt, who had died peacefully in the
Lord, at which the Indian chief poured forth spontaneously an eloquent lamentation.  Hle states:
"I was sent for to go and bury her. Brother Riley and myself rode there
in the night, and early in the morning commenced making the coffin. It
was late before we could finish it, and, consequently, late before the funeral
282 
THE NORTHI AMERICAN INDIANS.
was over. But I think I shall never forget that scene. It was between
sundown and dark when we left with the corpse.  The lowering clouds hung
heavily over us, and the virgin snow was falling.   We entered a deep and
lonely wood, four men carrying the bier, and the rest all following in Indian
file.  When we came to the burying-ground, the Indians stood wrapped  up
in their blankets, leaning against the forest trees, in breathless silence, and
all bore the aspect of death. Not one word was said while the grave was
filling up, but from the daughter and some of the grandchildren a broken
sigh escaped.  At length Mononcue broke out in the following strains:' Farewell, my old and precious aunt, you have suffered much in this world
of sin and sorrow. You set us all a good example; and we have often heard
you speak of Jesus in the sweetest strains, while the falling tears have witnessed the sincerity of your heart. Farewell, my aunt, we shall no more
hear your tender voice, that used to lull all our sorrows, and drive our fears
from us. Farewell, my aunt! that hand that fed us will feed us no more.
Farewell to your sorrows-all is over!  There your body must lie till the
voice of the Son of God shall call you up. We weep not with sorrow, but
with joy, that your soul is in heaven.' Then he said,'Who of you all will
meet her in heaven?'"
There were other early converts, both in the Bear,
and Wyandot, and other tribes, who were signally
owned of God, as preachers to their brethren. "Squire
Grey Eyes," introduced to the General Conference, as I
have described, was one of them. Peter Jones, John
Sunday, and Peter Jacobs, whom we have seen in our
Miethodist assemblies in England, were others.
In the year 1833 a circumstance occurred in relation
to the tribe of Indians bearing the strange name of
"Flat Heads," who are dwellers in a distant region of the
Rocky MVountains, which showed their earnest desire to
have a better religion than their own, and which deeply
interested the Christian public of America in their
behalf. They heard a trader who visited them incidentally speak of Jesus Christ as the Saviour of mankind,
and of the Scriptures which testify of him. A strong
desire was instantly awakened in their minds to know
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TIlE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
more of these things, and they eagerly inquired of the
trader what more he knew concerning these truths. iHe
had to declare that he himself was not able to teach
them, but that there were men "living towards the
rising sun" who could tell them all they desired to
know. They instantly called a council of their nation,
and appointed four of their principal and most trustworthy men to go many hundreds of miles, over the
rocks, and through the wilderness, to General Clark,
the Indian agent at St. Louis, to inquire of him what he
could tell them of Jesus Christ and his word.
These deputies instantly departed on their long and
dangerous journey, reached St. Louis in safety, received
from the general all the Christian instruction he could
give them, and then returned to their own people to
communicate what they had learned. Two of them
reached the tribe of anxiously-waiting Indians in
safety, and related all they had learned, but the other
two had fallen through exhaustion in their long travel.
The publication of this interesting fact drew forth
much Christian sympathy towards the Indians in the
western region.   The  Methodist Mission Fund was
considerably augmented through it; several missionaries
were sent to the trite, and soon, from Oregon, and
other States beyond the great Mississippi, Indian converts in large numbers were gathered into the Christian
Church. Other efforts for the conversion of the Indians
have been successfully made both in the United States
and Canada. In some instances the Indian converts
began to show a disposition for regulated habits of life;
they settled on farms and in villages, and gave promise
of advancement in civilisation as well as religion. But
the cupidity of the American Government dispossessed
284 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
them of the lands which, in mockery, had been "guaranteed to them and to their children for ever," and
drove them from their settled homes in the heart of the
country to the uncultivated and uninhabited parts beyond
the 3Iississippi. There most of the Indians have been
located by this "paternal" government; there, with
a deep sense of their wrongs and injuries burning
within their souls, they at present exist; and there,
probably, they will be permitted to linger until the
large Western States shall be peopled and cultivated;
then, if any of them remain, they will, most likely, be
driven farther West still-either to take refuge in the
rocky uncultivable heights of the mountains, or to
wander, desolate and uncared for, on the western shores
by the Pacific.
This removal of the Indian tribes from the abodes of
civilisation has brought ruin upon the Christian churches
which had been established among them; for though
MIethodist missionaries have followed them to their
Western region, yet the number of church members has
been very seriously reduced. In some instances the missionaries to them are encouraged in their labours, as you
would learn from their reports to the General Conference, noticed in a former letter. Where brought under
the power of the Gospel, they live orderly, and increase;
but without religion they give way to irregular and
corrupting habits, and waste away at a rate that is most
affecting to observe. If they are to be saved from utter
extermination, it must be by the Gospel of the Son of
God.
In Canada the Government has dealt more justly
towards the red people; it has cared for them and provided for them with true paternal interest. But there,
285 
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS.
as in the United States, without the Gospel of Christ
they fade away before the face and tread of the white
man.   Ilis "fire-water" and profligacy corrupt and
destroy them; and it is to be feared that this whole
nation of heroes and patriots, once spread over the
North American continent, will one day have fallen
under the cupidity and sinfulness of professing Christians. And if the fall of one hero and patriot be so
loudly lamented, what shall be the voice of mourning
which shall lament the fall of a whole nation?
286  
Ttl  ilSISPPI 
LETTER XVII.
THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE "FAR WEST."
Our "Farewell" to the Conference, and Departure from Indianapolis-Rail
way to St. Louis-Forests and Prairies- Gigantic Scale of American
Scenery-Rapid Glance at St. Louis-Embarkment on the Mississippi Confluence with the Missouri-River Scenery-Magnificent Night Scene Importance of the "Valley of the Mississippi "-River Steamer and Com pany-" Snags" and " Sawyers "-squatting Wood-Cutters-The Missis sippi by Night-Landing at Quincy.
Tm dav arrived when we had to leave Indianapolis,
for we had duties to perform in England before the assembling of our own Conference at Bristol, that required
us to return by a certain date. Our brethren, too, of
Western and Eastern Canada had memorialised us to
attend their Conferences on our way home. We felt sad
at the thought of separating from friends and brethren
with whom, for nearly three weeks, we had been so
intimately and pleasantly associated; and, though home
and friends in our own land beckoned us, yet it was in
serious mood and with heavy hearts that we went to the
State-House, on the day of our departure for Canada
and for home, to bid the Conference farewell.
Bishop Morris was in the chair when we took our
leave, and Bishop WVaugh, the senior bishop, addressed
us on behalf of the brethren, referring to our mission 
288        THE  MISSISSIPPI, AND THE  FAR  W'EST.
and our services in the kindest manner, and assuring
us of their love to us and to our brethren in England.
WVe replied with full hearts, while the Conference
and spectators were all in tears. The Conference then,
on the proposal of the venerable bishop, stood up with
lifted hands, and in silent prayer committed us to the
care and protection of the Almighty: and, when we
stepped down from the platform to leave the StateHouse, the bishops, ministers, and friends crowded
around us, expressing, in the most affectionate and
earnest manner, their good-will for us, for our country,
and for British Methodists.
We struggled through the friendly crowd to the
governor's office, below stairs, for some official returns
on America which he had kindly obtained for us, and,
laden with volumes and pamphlets issued by the legislature, we made our way to the governor's house, that
we might pack up our luggage and prepare for departure. But here again we were surrounded by friends
of the city and of the country, who crowded upon us to
bid us adieu.  We forced ourselves up into our lodgingroom and began to arrange our portmanteaus, when it
became almost immediately filled with ministers from
the Conference to bid us another and a final farewell.
And through the remaining hours of the evening similar
kindness and attentions were shown to us.
We left Indianapolis for St. Louis and the Mississippi
by the 8'40 train, in the evening, his excellency the
governor, with his Irish man-servant, kindly accompanying us to the station, and assisting us with the disposal
of our luggage, and with the obtaining of our railwaytickets. We took a very grateful and affectionate leave of
our generous and attentive host, and most earnestly de 
THE  MISSISSIPPI, AND THE  FAR  WEST.
sired that he might visit England, and thus give us the
opportunity of making some practical return for the very
great kindness he had shown us, by our attentions to
him in a land distant from his own home. It was a fine
moonlight night, and we could see the principal objects
and features of the city as the huge snorting engine
dragged us away from it. Remembering how much we
had seen and felt in Indianapolis, we looked towards it,
as long as any part of it was to be seen, with strong
emotion, and when, in the cold grey light, it at length
faded from our view, we took off our travelling-caps,
and, with tears in our eyes, waved a last farewell towards
a city which must lastingly live in our remembrance.
We spoke to each other of the accomplishment of our
mission and of our journey homewards, which was now
in reality commenced, and turned our thoughts to Eng land, and to what awaited us there.
Our road for some time lay through forest lands par tially cleared and cultivated, and some of the moonlight
effects in the dark, gloomy passages through the forest
avenues, and upon our breaking forth into the silvery
light in the clearings, were particularly striking. These
passages through the woods were indeed awfully grand;
they seemed filled with the very shadow of death, and,
when looking forth into the impenetrable depth of
darkness, and thinking of the serpents and beasts of
prey which harbouired there, it was difficult to throw off
a shuddering feeling. We passed Terra Haute, a neat,
pleasantly-situated town of rising importance; and,
threading our course by the side of the deep blue Wabash
River, we passed over miles of rich, self-sown Prairie
land, to the old French settlement of Vincennes. Hlere
we changed cars about three o'clock in the morning, and
U
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290      THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
took some refreshment preparatory to our journey
directly westward across the State of Illinois to St. Louis.
I may here note that it was in this neighbourhood, by
the side of the Wabash, that Robert Owen made his
heathenish attempt at a socialist colony. Twelve months,
however, were sufficient to bring it to an end, and to fill
his deluded followers with the disappointment they have
everywhere had to experience from his godless and
abortive schemes.
We now saw and felt ourselves to be fairly in the
Western wilderness. The moon, which had been our
companion on the way, and which had gleamed for us
at intervals into the depths of the dark forest, and upon
the blue water, lost its brightness; and the stars,
which had shone so spiritually, and which we had so
earnestly watched for, and beheld in their piercing light
at glimpses as we rushed through the woods, now faded
from our sight. The morning light began to dawn in
the horizontal distance of the boundless Prairie; gradually, objects came faintly out of the darkness and the
twilight, with an apparition-like effect; and soon the
ascending sun pierced the woods to their very heart;
lighted up our roads through the glowing, fire-gleaming
forest colonnades; and revealed to us the ocean-like
Prairie, with its long grass bending under the breeze,
like waves, all round to the horizon, and showily inter spersed with large bunches of red, yellow, lilac, and
white flowers. English travellers can never be weary
of a journey like ours in the Western wilderness. The
deep blackness in the depths of the forests; the huge
dark pines, silver-stemmed birches, and verdant maples,
festooned and garlanded by varied-coloured creepers up
to their topmost boughs; the thick entangled brush
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THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
wood, mixed with wild flowers; the clouds of large
gaudy butterflies, brilliant gauze-winged dragon-flies,
and gleaming fire-flies, with here and there a bird of
purple or red plumage; and then the boundless, unbroken, self-sown pasture-lands, and interminable prairies;-these sights and scenes so varied, with all their
vastness and silent solitariness, have a power over the
feelings which is indescribable-they are so utterly
unlike anything one has seen in England or in Europe.
Since I beheld them I have dreamed of them by night,
and thought of them by day, until my mind seems
filled with them, and until it seems stretched out and
expanded with the effort to contain them.
Indeed here lies the great difference between American scenery, generally, and the scenery of Europe.
Here all is on so much larger a scale. Nature is here
wrought out with so much more boldness, that it seems
everywhere to have a sort of large-featured sublimity;
and when you turn your mind from it to Europe, it
seems like reversing the telescope, and reducing creation to miniature. I do not wonder that an American, when visiting England, should somewhat complacently express himself as if afraid to move, lest he
should fall off the sides of our little island; or that the
phrase of "our great country" should here so often be
used. The land, in its vast length and breadth, in its
immense chains of granite and limestone mountains,
and sweeping valleys, in its unbridged chasms, unshorn
forests, interminable prairies, and deep swelling rivers,
thousands of miles in length-looks as if it were framed
for a race of giants.
We reached the terminus of the westward railway on
Tuesday at noon, and proceeded from thence in an
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292      THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
omnibus to the eastern bank of the Mississippi, which
was near, that we might cross the great river by the
steam-ferry to St. Louis. And here, in going the short
distance, we were exposed to extreme danger by the
recklessness of our driver. To get first to the waterside, he drove past another omnibus, round a sharp
angle, and over soft new-made ground, on the edge of a
very deep embankment, until the wheels on one side
sank down far into the soil, and threatened us with a
complete overthrow. Being by the door, I jumped out
of the vehicle, expecting to see it turn over the next
moment; but this American Jehu pushed on to the
edge of the river, and kept the omnibus and its sixteen
or eighteen passengers right side upwards. We drove
on to the deck of the ferry-boat, and remaining within
the omnibus, crossed the strong, heavy, muddy current
of the Mississippi, which there is about a mile wide and
some 70 feet deep. We soon were driven up the landing on the other side, and found ourselves rattling andcl
rocking in the carriage through the streets of St. Louis.
This city, like almost every other we have visited in
America, occupies a very favourable site for commerce.
The best view of it is obtained while crossing the ferry.
It is thence beheld rising gradually up from the water's
edge to a considerable height, with a mile or more of
wharf thronged with craft of different sizes in front.
Large massive warehouses line the quay, while behind
rise the streets, principally in parallel rows, with their
houses, stores, and public buildings, planted and backgrounded with green-lands and shrubbery. A more
advantageous situation could not possibly have been
chosen for this great commercial city of the West,
which already contains more than 94,000 inhabitants,
i
I
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THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
and exhibits everywhere the signs of activity and progress. It is, in fact, the central point of commerce
between the west and the east, the north and the south,
of the United States; and considering its connections
with the great rivers of the north-west, with the Ohio,
and its outlet by New Orleans to the ocean, one would
hardly dare to say what St. Louis, in extent of commerce
will become. It now employs more than 2000 steamboats; its import and export returns show that it shares
one-third of the whole foreign commerce of the United
States.
We had a rapid view of the different parts of the
city; found it contained some good houses and stores;
and were interested with the great mixture of nations
of which its inhabitants are evidently composed. St.
Louis was originally a French settlement; and it is
said that, among the first inhabitants of the town, there
was no slight admixture of Indian blood. But now
it is inhabited by natives, not only of all the States in
the Union, but from nearly all the countries of Europe.
We were shown through its bustling thoroughfares by a
Methodist minister, who was on  his way from the
General Conference to his field of labour in Kansas and
Iowa. He is a fine, athletic, energetic man, who has
evidently learned to "rough his way" for the attainment'of his noble object, and related to us some interesting events and circumstances connected with his
missionary work among the Far West settlers and the
Indians. Having made inquiries concerning Methodism
in St. Louis, and having learned that it is divided
between the Northern and Southern Churches, and numbers in white and coloured persons some 1500 members;
and having visited the office for the Methodist news.
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294      THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
paper of the West, we made our way down to the
wharf, and after hard search among the crowd of ships,
and dragging of our luggage to and fro several times
amid the scorching and exhausting heat, we found a
steamship that would take us up the Mississippi, went
on board, and by five o'clock, or a little later, loosened
from our moorings to ascend "the Father of Waters."
The Mississippi, for some few miles, was in the main
such as it appears to be in front of the city of St. Louis
-a wide, muddy stream, with a heavy, swelling current
in the middle, which hurries down huge logs of wood, and
crooked trunks of trees, in its course towards the ocean;
while the sandbanks at its sides are often verdureless.
As we proceeded, however, the scenery on each boundary
became more picturesque, especially on the western side,
where the bank of the river rose to a considerable
height, and was richly covered with trees. At about
eighteen miles distant from St. Louis, on the left, the
great turbulent Missouri River, which rises in the
Rocky 3MIountains, and drains the land for 2655 miles,
pours its flood of waters into the Mississippi. Islands
are constantly being raised up, swept away, and formed
again, by the soil-deposit and force at the confluence
of these two giant rivers. Twenty-five miles further
Utpwards the Illinois River, which is a fine, deep, navigable stream, 245 miles long, also flows into the llississippi; but so superior is the mightier volume of this," the
Father of Waters," as the Indians named it, that while
it is known to deepen in its channel by its reception of
tributary rivers, yet, by the appearance on its surface,
it seemed to gain no accession by its union with the
flowing volumes of the Missouri and the Illinois. When
we had passed the confluence of the two rivers, and
i
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1.I 
THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
began again to ascend the Mississippi, it flowed, apparently as widely and as heavily as before. But its waters
were now clearer, and its banks, with their trees and
rocks, were seen reflected on the glassy surface. Numerous lovely islands also burst upon our siglt-islands
which the mighty river had formed by its eddying
current striking diagonally from a point, and depositing
its sediment. These islands, in an incredibly short
period of time, become clothed with fast-growing cottontrees, that give shelter to various kinds of aquatic fowl,
such as swans, geese, ducks, and pelicans, which congregate there. The captain of our steamer stated that
no chart of the river, with its islands, could be laid
down, so as to be practically and permanently useful;
and that he had known islands to be produced within
the period of his going up the river and returning.
There might be some exaggeration in the latter part of
this statement; but to the speedy formation of islands
in the -iississippi, and of the rapid growth of their rich
covering of verdure, many give testimony. The trees at
the sides of the river increased in size, until we were
bounded on the right and on the left with dense forests
of giant growth, extending on the plains and over the
hills, as far as we could see. In some parts, the river
had overflowed its banks, and was many miles wide,
until the scene combined, with its own vast extent all
the swelling grandeur of the Scotch and Cumberland
lakes, and, with its numberless and picturesque islands,
all the romantic loveliness of Killarney.
Towards the evening of our first day on the river, a
vision of indescribable magnificence and glory burst
upon us. The sun was sinking behind the hills and
forest trees on our left, and had irradiated all that side
295 
296      THE MISSRSSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
of the sky with the richest orange and crimson light.
His golden beams pierced through the fringes of the
massive foliage, and shone aslant on the water. The
colours deepened into glowing carmine and lake tints,
until at length the whole scene seemed dyed in scarlet,
and yet shone as if on fire. On our right, over the
dark forest, now came up the moon, apparently twice as
large as we see it in England, and not pale and silvery,
but red and glowing, as if it had ascended from out a
furnace of molten gold.   It rose rapidly into the
heavens, gilded not only the hills and the trees, but
threw such a pathway of splendour across the river,
that we seemed surrounded with dazzling enchantment.
Exclamations of wonder and admiration broke uncontrollably from Dr. Hannah and myself as we witnessed the successive phases of this vision of creation's
glory; and at last I climbed to the upper deck of the
steamer, to muse upon it alone. Here, thought I, I
am really on the bosom of this magnificent Mississippi,
which has long, through reading and from report, been
a dream of the imagination that I never expected to
realise. Here, for untold thousands of years, has flowed
this mighty river, through unbroken solitudes, a course
of 3200 miles in length, draining off into the measureless ocean the surplus water of considerably more than a
million square miles-swallowing up in its course the
turbulent Missouri, the bright Ohio, the white Arkansas, and the Red and Yellow Stone Rivers, all of great
depth, length, and breadth, and yet, without any
changed appearance, absorbing all of them into its
volume. Thus it flowed, perhaps, ages before the scream
of the eagle or the war-whoop of the Red Indian were
i 
THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
heard on its banks; and thus it shall flow on, perhaps,
to the end of time. But how different will be the
Future from the Past! Here, on each side of this
mighty river, shall rise cities and ports, in which
civilised man shall build and trade, and send forth the
produce of the cultivated soil and the works of his hands
to the ends of the world; and here, amidst the teeming
population which shall throng these shores, shall rise
churches, and colleges, and halls of learning and
science that shall vie with those of my own land; and
here shall rise men of art, and literature, and religion,
whose names will become watchwords for future generations.
I tried to imagine the feelings of De Soto, when, two
centuries ago, he discovered this great river. And I
thought also of the self-forgetful, self-sacrificing, and
persevering zeal of the French Jesuit missionaries, who,
nearly two hundred years ago, adventured upon the
ocean-like current of this giant river in light frail
canoes, and explored it, for Christ and their king, from
the Falls of St. Anthony to the Gulf of Mexico. Those
disciples of Ignatius Loyola (Joilet, Marguette, and Le
Salle) may have been mistaken men, but surely their
examples of Christian heroism and enterprise ought to
shame and stimulate Protestant ministers into selfdenying and laborious service for the Lord of IHosts.
But the Future-the Future!-is the thought which
swells within you as you gaze on this grand river;
indeed, it is the thought which is perpetually rising
uppermost go where you will in America. No hoary
castles or ivy-hung monastic ruins serve to wing back
your thoughts to the Past in this region. Each forestclearing and embryo giant city lead you to ask, amidst
297 
298      THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
the exhaustless resources of the vast country, "What
will this America and its people be in the Future?"
This valley of the Mississippi, with its unparalleled
richness of soil, and with every variety of climate, has in
it more than one and a quarter million of square miles,
and would hold, without inconvenience, all the nations
of Europe. Its commerce is now much more than all
the foreign commerce of the States besides. Its rivers,
which are its great highways, extend 17,000 miles, and
already have upon them 1200 steamboats. The tide of
emigration has set in for this valley of the Mississippi
from all parts of the States-nay, from all parts of the
world. Its dark rich mould-the deposit of ages, and
often 100 feet deep-where cultivated, produces corn
and           fruit rapidly and abundantly, until this great "central basin of the States" appears like a huge loaded
harvest-waggon. As Berkeley wrote,
"Westward the course of empire takes its way,"
and numerous circumstances contribute to the rush of
the population towards it. Disappointed, ruined, and
restless men of the States hasten towards it with hope,
or for shelter, and men of other nations press on to it as
the great agricultural field of the world, where they
may obtain as many acres as they choose at almost a
nominal price. Already there are ten or twelve millions of people in this immense valley, and fifty or sixty
thousands a year enter it afresh. And when it is
remembered that the Mississippi River lies along the
middle of the United States, and has as much land on
the west of it as it has on the east, the mind shrinks
from the fatigue of stretching itself to conceive what
America and its Mississippi valley shall one day be
I
i 
TIlE MISSISSIPPI, AND TIlE FAR WEST.
come. "Going West" and "Far West" are phrases
that sound more curiously, and raise the imagination,
the more one hears them. We heard them in the
Eastern States, we heard them as we crossed the
Alleghanies; but still we hear them-though hundreds
of miles from the Atlantic, the cry is still "Going
West!" and about the country "Far West."
After the moon had risen high into the heavens, I
went below into the saloon and the under-deck, to look
at our  steamboat  and our  fellow-passengers.   The
steamer was a monster of its class, and bore the name
of,attie 2[(ay)e.  It had three decks, and seemed to
have no hull to rest upon, and nothing but its large
paddle-wheels to unite its piled-up castle.-like tiers
together. The saloon was luxuriously fitted up with
sofas, rocking-chairs, tables, and mirrors, and stretched
from end to end of the vessel, under the upper deck, for
the convenience and enjoyment of the better-paying
passengers. The berths were in closets at the sidessome for families, and some for individuals. In the
middle, encased in glass, through which its bright
working parts might be seen, was the engine, with its
rising and falling beams, all in the cleanest and purest
condition. In front of this was a brassrailed spiral
staircase, leading down to the refectory, or eating
cabin; while right and left of the saloon were common
wash-rooms for the passengers, with pro bono publico
towels, hair-brushes, and combs: one of each of the
last-named articles serving for all who enter the washroom. In the fore-part of the saloon was the bar for
the sale of drams, American cordials, and tobacco.
Below was a huge deck (that seemed almost level with
the water), crowded with emigrants, furniture, heavy
299 
300        THE MIISSISSIPPI, AND  THE FAR WEST.
goods, and firewood; while in the middle was burning
the great engine-fire, and around it, shining with profuse perspiration, were some big black men constantly
throwing logs of wood and lumps of resin upon it to
make it burn fiercely.
The company in the saloon was of all kinds. The
people seemed to be of several nations; and some of
them were most uninviting in their aspect. Several of
the men had dark-lantern looking faces, with hollow
cheeks, deeply sunken eyes, long hair, and grisly unshaven faces; others had a bilious or aguish look.
Now and then, from under the waistcoats of some of
them, or out at their pockets, might be seen obtruding
the handle of a bowie-knife or a revolver. Some of
them looked like "border-ruffians," or slave-dealers, if
they were not such; and as we had the Slave State of
M1issouri on the left of us, we were ready to conclude
that some of them were really of this character. They
lounged, whittled pieces of sticks, and balanced themselves on broken.legged chairs and lame stools, when
upon deck, and in the evening cast off their coats,
waistcoats, and shoes, and danced with ladies in full
dress until near midnight. Wre retired to our berth,
but not to sleep, though we had been travelling all the
night before, for our berth was next to the bar, and the
gathering and loud talking at it, as well as the sound of
music and dancing until far into the night, kept us
awake.
We were obliged to go into the common washingroom when we rose in the morning, for there was no
provision whatever for our ablutions in our berth; and
we were glad that we could take with us into the
washing-room our own combs and brushes, if we could
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II 
THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
not obtain towels and water-glasses for ourselves. In
this room there was a barber, who shaved any who
were disposed, for fourpence, placing them on a high
seat, with their feet on a resting-block as high as their
chins, as if they were going to have a surgical operation
performed upon them. I submitted to this mode of
treatment for once, but was glad when I passed from
under the hands of the Western barber. Our meals
were very unsatisfactory, for our companions, as usual,
clutched first at seats, and then at meats, until we could
hardly find room or food; and unchanged plates andcl
knives at table did not increase our relish for eating.
Unfortunately, too, our drinking-water was not clear
and good, as it had uniformly  been before in our
travelling, but was the thick muddy water of the river,
drawn up for use as the steamer spedcl along.
The following day was principally spent on the forepart of the upper deck, viewing the river and its varying and beautiful scenery, though, in remaining in that
part of the vessel, we suffered no small inconvenience,
at times, from the large wood sparks, which issued in
shoals from the two huge black chimneys of the
steamer. I sketched, hastily, passing memoranda of
the river at several points, with its islands, bends, and
skirting foliage, so that I might have, by minute observation of its forms, its character and associations fully
stamped on my memory. In some parts it was beautifully placid and calm, spreading itself out over miles on
the right and left, as if in bays or lakes. In other parts
it was pent up in a narrow channel, where it boiled
furiously, and tore away at its sides large masses of soil
with their falling trees, and formed these trees into the
most dangerous obstacles of navigation on the Missis
301 
302      THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
sippi, by fixing them with their roots in the bottom of
the river, and their tops and forked branches just under
the surface, ready to damage the hulls of ascending or
descending vessels. These impediments to navigation
are called, in Western phraseology, "snags" and "sawyers." The quantity of floating logs and driftwood in
some parts of the river was amazing.
On the river-banks were to be seen, every few miles,
log-cabins, belonging to squatting woodcutters, with
long piles of timber cut into short lengths, and laid
ready for sale and exportation. Nearly all the fuel of
this region is of wood, and it is a large article of commerce on the borders of the Mississippi. Our steamboat
stopped at several points to replenish its fuel from these
stores. Some of the woodcutters' cabins are very forlorn and desolate in their appearance, being in the
midst of swamps formed by the overflowing of the
stream; and the men and women, separated as they
are from society, sink into coarseness, until they look
like uncivilised creatures. I am told it is no uncommon
thing for men, when driven from general society for
crime, to fix their dwellings in these wild spots, not
caring for any other title to their lands than the rifle or
the revolver.
There are, however, some good rising towns on the
banks of the river, among which may be named Alton,
Louisiana, and Hannibal, as lying in our course. We
saw also as we passed along large floating rafts of timber,
such as are common on the Rhine, bearing upon them men
and women, who were lodged in temporary huts in the
centres of them, and steered them down in the current of
the river for the towns and cities below. As we sat and
viewed the scenery on our way, we thought of the slaves
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II 
THlE MISSISSIPPI, AND  THE FAR WEST.
on our left hand hiding themselves in the cane-brakes
and trees till they can escape across the water to the free
State of Illinois, and of the poor Indians who have been
driven into western seclusion by the Government. The
day was exceedingly hot, and the sun scorched and blistered us with its heat; but we could not forego the sight
of this solemn and beautiful scenery, and except during
the intervals of meals, we sat on the uncovered deck
through the day. In the evening the same glowing sunset
and the same burning appearance of the moon were seen
as on the evening before. The whole panorama was dyed
in orange and crimson, and when the sun had gone
down, the effects of objects upon the water and by the
river-side were very striking. The moon glared behind
us like a huge globe of fire, and streamed its red light
upon the water, making its reflection appear like a
pathway of blood. The steamboats that we met, with
their funnels issuing ceaseless showers of large sparks,
seemed like living monsters with open throats of flame
snorting fire from their blackened and upturned nostrils,
while the horrid screeching of the vessels, by way of
warning signals as they approached and passed, strengthened this imagination.
Then, at intervals, the lights of rising towns on the
banks sparkled in the distance before us, and reflected
their burning points deeply down in the water, while
watch and signal-fires, in high stilted cauldron-like
grates, blazed on their quays and piers. As we passed
the islands and swamps, we heard the croaking of
monster bull-frogs mingled with the cries of disturbed
and afrighted birds. We gazed upon and listened
musingly to these strange sights and sounds until nearly
eleven o'clock, when the signal-fire of Quincy made
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304      THE MISSISSIPPI, AND THE FAR WEST.
known to us that our landing-place was near, and we
must prepare to disembark, after having steamed up the
Mississippi, in thirty hours, nearly 200 miles.
We landed on the sloping embankment, and drove up,
at the recommendation of an English mechanic (who
told us that, as a coachmakers' smith, he earned four
dollars per day), to the "Virginia" Hotel, to pass the
night. But our countryman, we hope unwittingly, had
misled us. The room allotted to us was loathsomely
filthy and comfortless, with broken window, broken furniture, broken utensils, and with hard straw half-coveredcl
beds; so that we did not pass a very easy night, but we
thought and said that many good men had been worse
lodged than we were, and, needing rest, we made the
best of our circumstances, and in partial undress soon
fell asleep.
I
I 
LETTER XVIII.
PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, AND TIlE GREAT LAKES.
Departure from Quincy-The Prairie-Prairie Fires-Richness of Prairie
Soil-Destruction of Cattle oni American Railways-"Off thle Line" —
General Tomn Thumb-Neighbourhood of Nauvoo-Thouglits on Alor monism-Its Future in the States-Chicago-Amazing Rapidity of its
Growth-fleeting with Friends-Drive round the City —Alagical haste
with which People get Rich ill Chicago-Family  Party —Tihe Ltdy's
Question-Departire from Chicago-Arrival at Detroit-Sabbath spent
there-Account of Churches and Services-Voyage to Buffalo-The Great
Lakes of America-Sketch of Buffalo City-Arrival at Niagara.
WE rose early on Thursday morning, May 22nd, to leave
Quincy by the railway for Chicago. At breakfast we
had a goodly number of companions, several of whom
appeared to be Western traders.  Our meal was somewhat coarse and uninviting, but, with iced milk and
bread-and-butter, we have never felt ourselves at a loss
for a satisfactory morning, or evening meal while in
America. Through the stolid indifference of our host,
we were in danger of being left a whole day at Quincy
-the vehicle for conveying us and our luggage to the
railway not having been provided for us until a few
moments before the starting of the train.  We had
made the best use of our morning hour for glancing
over the town. Quincy is situated on an elevation of
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306     PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
125 feet above the Mississippi, and commands a fine
view of the river and of the surrounding country. It
appears to be a town of considerable trade, with some
good buildings, chiefly of wood, and is said to have a
population of more than 9000. The railway terminus
is not yet completed, being at present without suitable
rooms and booking-offices. After a hard and jolting
drive in our hastily-provided vehicle, we reached the
carriages, deposited our luggage in the van, and started
at 7 A... for Chicago.
Our road lay over forest and prairie land. Towns in
process of formation were seen at distant intervals. Some
of the prairie wildernesses over which we passed were
exceedingly impressive. They extend for scores and
scores of miles unbroken by any trees or hills, or, indeed,
by any other object than the line of railway which
passes through them. All round to the horizon, on
every side, is prairie-prairie, just as in the middle of
the Atlantic all round is sea-sea. The grass has not
yet attained its full height, but it is more than breast
high, and rolls before the wind in billows or undulating
forms, such as reveal to us the meaning of the epithet
often given to the prairie lands-that of the "land
ocean." These immense plains of heaving grass are
richly enamelled with large, beautiful flowers, that grow
in clusters or patches of white, red, yellow, lilac, and
blue.
We could see here and there in our course what desolation had been made in the high grass of the prairies
by fires in it, occasioned by the large blazing woodsparks which fly in shoals from the engine-chimney as
it rushes along with its train. In some parts there
are black gaps of miles in circumference which have
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1.I
I 
PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
been made by this means. We are told that the conflagrations in the prairie-grass, through lightning or
other modes of combustion, are most fearfully sublime
and destructive. When its high-waving stalks are set
on fire, the flame rushes on with the wind at the rate of
five miles an hour or more, consuming all in its course,
and destroying beasts, reptiles, birds, and even men,
that may be sheltering in or travelling through it.
The prairie-fire, with the huge black cloud of smoke
which accompanies it, seems to be as swift and fatal as
the simoom is in the Arabian or African desert, and is
much dreaded by all living creatures. When seen or
scented at a distance, beasts-buffaloes, wolves, and wild
horses-dash through the grass with furious speed to
escape from it if possible; while a company of men
unmounted have no chance of saving their lives but by
burning a large clear space around them, and then
prostrating themselves flat on their faces until the
prairie-fire has leaped over them. Some very exciting
stories have been told me of these prairie-fires, such as
would form delicious food for excited ears on long winter
nights under the ancient chimney nooks of old-fashioned
Lincolnshire.
Where the prairie lands are broken for cultivation,
the pastures appeared to be very rich indeed. Large
numbers of cattle, tended by long-limbed boys on horseback, were seen feeding, or gambolling and galloping to
and fro. Indian corn-stalks were standing to rot and
fall upon the soil, not being worth the labour of cutting
and gathering; and wooden frames and houses were seen
rising in different localities on grass land (with the names
of stores and streets upon them), where, in a short time,
will be found important towns and cities. The more fre
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308      PRAIRIE LAND, CIIICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
quented thoroughfares of these skeleton streets and
buildings were deeply ploughed into ruts by the wheels
of vehicles which had passed over them, and were it not
that the soil is light and sandy in character, though dark
in colour, the roads would seem to be almost impassable.
Miany of the houses seemed to be neatly furnished, and
displayed cleanliness in their window-blinds and bedcoverings. The women, too, who stood at the open doors
to gaze at the train as it passed, were trimly dressed, and
looked very much like what may be seen at the doors of
middle-class houses in English small towns and villages
in summer time.  The stores appeared to contain more
of the necessaries of life than of its luxuries, and were
made known by large lettered signboards outside, rather
than by display in the windows. The men were tall,
and looked rough and earnest.  They ride and drive
horses long-limbed and as full of energy as themselves,
like American traders generally. They seem everywhere and at all times in haste, and one would think, as
one looked upon them with their grisly unshaven chins,
strong clothing, high over-boots, and hurried movements, that they were afraid of not obtaining the fortunes they desired out of the lands on which they had
settled, before the crowds of coming emigrants should
arrive to share with them in their Western possessions.
There is, however, in nearly all the persons we have seen
on this line, whether in the embryo towns by its side, or
within railway-cars, a thriving, well-to-do appearance,
which has led us to conclude that they had made a good
selection of locality for settlements. Guide-books here
are but of little use to travellers. To be really serviceable, they ought to be published every month, as Bradshaw's Railway Guides are in England.
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I
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PRIAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
This railway, like the others on which we have
travelled in America, in most parts is unfenced off fromt
the adjoining lands, and cattle may be seen a-head in
droves, standing or lying across the rails. To scare
them away, a most horrid screech-horn is blown by the
engine; but sometimes the oxen will not move, or, if
they move, it is so slowly that the engine-driver has to
stop the train, and either he or his man leap down and
drive the beasts away. The thousands of cattle run over
and destroyed annually upon this railway is almost
incredible. On our way we ran off the rails, and that
on a somewhat rude embankment, and over soft boggy
land.  But the officials seemed fully prepared for such
an ordinary mishap, and, by a species of wooden fulcra
and levers, they succeeded in less than an hour in getting
us back upon the rails, and again we sped along. The
railways in this part are rough  and jolting.  They
appear as if they had been made for only temporary use
-the iron rails are laid over sleepers which are verv
irregular both in thickness and length, while little or
no attention seems paid to the levelling between them,
or about the rails. And here, as in nearly all other
parts of America, the traveller may see by the roadside,
or crossing the land for a shorter course, the telegraphwire supported by rough, tall posts, and at points he
may read on a rudely-constructed guide-board perhaps
"300 miles" to some city of importance.
In this Western part of the world, as elsewhere, we
found that the sublime and the ridiculous are often near
neighbours, or that the one comes often close at the
heels of the other. We were bounding over the rich
and immense plains of waving prairie land, and were
full of solemn thoughts on the strange panorama, arind
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310     PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
on the great future for these regions, when, on stopping
at the rude station of a newly-risen town, who should
enter our car and take his seat near to us but" General
Tom  Thumb!"i He looks older, less childlike, and
more jaded and worn than when he was exhibited to
such crowds in England. Hle does not seem to have
grown much.  He was dressed in blue clothes of the
ordinary shape, ornamented with gilded buttons, and
with a somewhat tall hat upon his head. Hie looked
more like a dwarf than he did when in our country. He
lounged, stretched his short length upon the seat, slept,
walked to and fro, and spoke with the assumed airs of a
full-grown man, but it was evident that in mental
capacity he was still a mere child.
WVhen in the neighbourhood of Quincy, both on the
river and on the rail, we could not but think and speak
together upon the Atormons, for we were there nigh to
the locality in which they made their first Western
settlement-Nauvoo, or "The Beautiful," as it was named
by them.  It was about fifty miles from Quincy, on the
eastern bank of the 5{ississippi, and was, consequently,
on our left hand when we were on the railway from
Quincy to Chicago.  Nauvoo is now in ruins, as a place
that has been deserted by its people, and destroyed by
its invaders; but its large temple, built of polished limestone to accommodate 3000 persons, may still be distinctly seen standing, as if in monumental mockery of
its infatuated and impious builders.  While steaming up
the solitude of the great river, on the evening that we
drew near to Quincy, with the knowledge that the
remains of the Mormon city were not distant, and in
the direction to which our faces were turned, it was
impossible not to reflect upon the deeds of Joe Smith 
PRAIRIE LAND, CHIICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
and his designing company a few years ago in that
region; and then, after thinking of the blasphemous
pretensions, the gross indulgencies, and the unwarrantable expectations of the Mormon prophet and his suecessors, we had only to turn to the left, and think of
the region of Utah and its Salt Lake City, where so
many thousands of deluded beings are settled under a
system which is the most revolting, as well as the most
astounding, of any that has appeared among men. To
think that a scheme of such gross falsehood, sensuality,
and despotism-a scheme which, on the basis of a
clumsy fraud, represents God in the Trinity of the
D)ivine Persons as material, which makes pretensions to
miracles, and which authorises an unbridled licentiousness, should now number among its converts in England
30,000 souls, and should have emigrating to its Sodom,
in the Salt Lake valley, thousands yearly, many of them
not of the lowest classes, but farmers, mechanics, and
clerks, with their wives, mothers and daughters, brothers
and sisters-this is, undoubtedly, the most humiliating
fact that an English traveller in the Western world can
possibly contemplate. I am informed that the scenes
beheld among the emigrants to this land of blasphemy
and vice are often most appalling. We have been in
their great highways of passage to the City of the Salt
Lake, and have heard lamentable accounts of the deplorable and broken-hearted condition into which many of
the poor deluded parties are plunged by the time they
arrive on the borders of the West. They are worn and
haggard, ragged and wretched, having exhausted their
means and become awake to the folly and sinfulness of
their undertaking. They generally travel in caravans,
or companies, from this part to the Far West, and the
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312      PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
white settlers, as well as the revengeful Indians through
whose regions they have to pass, hold them in the
strongest abhorrence.  With thoughtful persons in the
States, a serious question has been pondered concerning
the admission of such a communion of profligate persons
into the Federal Union when they shall become numerous
enough, as they soon will, to claim a formal position
among the recognised States, and to have their senators
and representatives in the Congress. Already, indeed,
the Mormon district of Utah has been inaugurated as a
"territory," and has its representative without a vote;
and the president now appoints its principal officers, of
governor, judges, marshals, &c. But when the time for
its full reception into the Union as a "State" shall come,
its deeply immoral laws and irreligious principles must
be freely and searchingly investigated; and then, remembering the spirit of defiance and insubmission which
MIormonism has manifested in the past, it is expected
that it will come into direct and desperate collision with
the authorities of the rUnion rather than give up its
intolerance and its polygamy, or open its territory to
settlers from all parts of the earth. For a time, the
struggle with such an infatuated and evil-principled
multitude may be dreadful, but, in the end, the general
laws of the States must prevail over the so-called
"priestly" domination of Utah.
On arriving at Chicago, about seven o'clock in the
evening, we found ourselves in a city which, perhaps
more than any other, impresses the mind with astonishment at the rapid advance of the western parts of America. Thirty years ago a solitary log-cabin for Governmnent stood here at the head of Lake M1ichigan; now it
is a city which contains nearly 100,000 inhabitants,
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PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
with its streets, stores, warehouses, railways, shipping,
and all kinds of trade. And from the very first glance
one takes at its situation, and its widely-scattered building-plots, it is evident that Chicago is only in its
infancy, and must eventually become a monster city.
It stands adjoining the great lake region of the northwest, and is in communication with the immense corngrowing districts east and west of the 3lississippi,
while it has direct means of transit both to the Eastern
States and the Atlantic Ocean. It is, in fact, and must
continue to be, the great store city of the north-west
of America, holding trade and commerce in articles of
food and clothing not only with other parts of the
Union, but also with England and with other nations of
Europe.
On arriving at the railway terminus we were assailed
by a crowd of "touters," or runners, from different
hotels and boarding-houses; but we had previously fixed
upon the Fremont IHotel for our abode while we should
remain in Chicago, and so we pressed through the
shouting crowd, and drove away for our lodging as
quickly as possible. The Fremont is a huge hotel,
and is crowded with travellers from many parts of
the States.   In going to it we  passed, on bridges,
over the river, which divides the city into three
parts, and could see, as we went along, the shipping,
wharves, and warehouses of a place of great trade.
The large wide streets, too, were thronged with people
hurrying to and fro; while lighted-up stores, restaurants, public lounges, and places of evening amusement,
told of a gay and flourishing city.
Next morning, after an early breakfast, we set out to
view the city, under the guidance of the Rev. Thomas
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314      PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
Williams, formerly of England; but first we went to
the top of our hotel, and took a bird's-eye view of Chicago, tracing it, from that point of advantageous sight,
into streets, river, adjoining lake, and principal buildings. We then proceeded to the Methodist Book Depository, to examine some recent publications. Afterwards, under the charioteer-driving of dIr. Brown of
the bank, we rode in a carriage and pair through the
principal streets, and round the suburbs. Very few of
the streets are paved, and in some parts planks of wood
are laid down to drive upon. Everywhere there are
signs of recent building; and the city, in its most
crowded parts, seemed almost madly in earnest and in
haste with the "push" of business.
All round the city, except at the lake, there is level,
good prairie land, suited either for cultivation or buildinrgs; and a good part of it will soon be occupied.  Land
has risen from almost nothing to enormous prices, and
streets and new building plots have been marked and
fenced out in the outskirts; while a large park, with
mansions and villas, may be seen on the north-east
side of the city.
We drove to the cemetery, and from thence to the
railway pier, which stretches for more than a mile over
the upper end of the lake, and forms a serviceable
breakwater. Chicago has now in communication with
it, either opened or in progress, 6000 miles of railway;
who shall say what such a city may not become? We
found everywhere signs of plenty and prosperity.
Copper money seemed to have hardly an existence in
the town. If a news-boy sold you a newspaper at the
professed price of two cents, he expected you to give
him a five cent silver piece for it; while the little
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FRAIRIE LAND, CHIICAGO, DETROIT, ETC,
urchin that ran to open the gate for you would reject
any copper piece that might be offered him, saying, " I
do not take copper."  We were plainly told that, in
Chicago, the question with every one was not "How
shall I live?" for that was certain, but "How soon can
I get rich?" And accounts were given us of the profitable investment of money, by which it doubled itself
with certainty in three or four years; and numerous
proofs were given to us of this in living individuals
who had gathered immense riches within very short
periods of time.
Several friends from England urged us to remain
over Sunday, and preach to them.  They assured us
that at least one hundred persons now settled in Chicago had known and heard us in England. We felt
deeply interested in these friends, but could not remain.
We were likewise greatly interested in Mr. Brown, the
gentleman who drove us in his carriage through and
around the city. He is a very intelligent, generous,
and courteous Methodist friend. After our drive we
dined with him and his family at his own house. It is
a pleasant villa in the suburbs of the city, and is surrounded by a garden and shrubbery. MIrs. Brown is
an intelligent, ladylike person; and with our host and
his wife, their mother and children, and our friend
Williams, we ate as English a meal, and passed as
sociable an afternoon as we could desire so many thousand miles from home. Our friends were all strong
haters of Slavery.  MIr. Brown said some earnest and
rather desperate things concerning it.   He  seemed
almost prepared to fight with sword and gun for the
immediate emancipation of the slaves. He spoke also
very strongly against the "Fugitive Law," and the
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316     PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
"Black Laws," which prohibit the settlement of persons of colour in the "Free" State of Illinois, inr which
we now are.
One question asked of us by a lady in Chicago was a
proof, not only of the strength of early impressions, but
how impossible it often is for us to place ourselves, even
in idea, in a strange and unexperienced condition. The
lady had been speaking in high praise of England and
its institutions, when she suddenly said, "But there is
one arrangement concerning which I must make some
inquiry, so that I may, if possible, be able to understand
it, and that is, how it is that you retain the same person
as sovereign ruler of your state for his or her lifetime?"
It may be imagined that, although we looked at each
other, and smiled, we were, nevertheless, extremely
puzzled to muster together a sufficient force of philosophical argument to convince our fair questioner that it
was better to sit under the settled rule of our beloved
Queen for life than to exchange her for a four years'
president.   The  lady was  a native  American,  and
could not be brought, by any arguments, to think there
was real excellency in any monarchial rule.  We did
not wish, indeed, in the circumstances, to enter upon an
elaborate argument on the subject-not that we think
our monarchial government indefensible, but we felt
that the attempt to convince her was hopeless, and so
got out of the challenge as politely as possible.
There are numerous churches in Chicago, and among
them the MIethodist churches are conspicuous. I found
that our book on Chapel and School Architecture was in
use by Methodist friends here, as well as in other parts
of the States. There are some good schools and public
buildings. It is near to this city, at Evanston, that the
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"Garrett Biblical Institute for the education of candidates for the Methodist ministry" is to be established.
It appears that it is the munificent bequest of a lady
which has provided for the support of the intended
institution.  IHer husband  died  after willing away
almost the whole of his large property from her.  By
a law of the State, a widow, if not satisfactorily
provided for, can claim one-third of her deceased husband's estate. She made her claim, and had land
awarded her for her portion in and about Chicago.
This land has since increased so much in value, that
what she has left of it for the support of this establishment will bring in an immense yearly sum.  One condition of the bequest is, that no part of the money shall
be spent on buildings. This is not uncommon with
bequests in the States, and it often secures the property
left from diminution by wasteful expenditure.
On Saturday morning, the 24th of May, we left Chicago for Detroit by the "Lightning Express" train.
Our friend AIr. Williams informed the manager of the
railway who we were, and the manager very generously
gave us free passes along the line. At first we hardly
were satisfied with this. As English travellers, we did
not wish to have our independence interfered with, and
we would rather have paid our fare than be placed
under obligation by a special favour from a stranger.
But when we were assured that it was no uncommon
act towards strangers and ministers, whom they desired
to publicly honour, we  "pocketed  the affront," as
we say in England, and rode free of all charges for
282 miles.  Our course was chiefly through forest land,
with here and there clearings, and peeps, through
openings among trees, into the Lake Michigan.  We
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318     PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
saw many a creek and bay on our left hand, where
Indian canoes, a few years ago, undoubtedly entered
and were lodged; indeed, the signs of Indian residence
in that part were distinct and certain. Several of the
places through which we passed bore Indian namessuch as Dowagiac, Paw-Paw, Kalamazoo, &c.  We saw
also, at the stations on the road, civilised Indians in
European clothing, mingling and conversing freely
with the white settlers; and, in several instances on the
way, we saw proof, in complexion, eyes, and hair, of
intermarriages of whites and Indians.
We had another breakdown stoppage, through our
"Lightning Express" train running off the rails; but
we were soon "all right" again, and on we went.  Some
coloured youths came into our car, and were quite cheerful and merry together, laughing and jabbering, and
showing their even rows of pearl-white teeth, in free
style. This was pleasing to us. It was a sign, not only
that AIichigan, into which we had now come, is a free
State, but also that in this quarter prejudice against the
poor negro race is not so strong as in some others. The
day was very hot and sultry; we drank freely at the
water-can, and were thankful for apples and oranges sold
to us by boys, who, at the successive stations, came into
the cars with baskets full of cakes and fruit. The dust,
too, gathered thickly upon us. But by seven o'clock in
the evening we reached Detroit, and drove as quickly
as possible to the Biddle Hotel. We obtained very
comfortable bedrooms adjoining each other; and after
plentiful ablutions and our evening meal, we walked
out to see what we could, by lamp-light, of the city.
Of course we could not see much of it at that time of
day, but we learned the general character and plan of
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the town, and saw what was its general aspect as a place
of trade and merchandise.
Detroit, as its name shows, was originally a French
settlement. It was so as early as the year 1610, and it
still, by the names, countenances, and manners of many
of its people, bears undoubted marks of its origin. The
city is situated on the southern bank of the river Detroit, and is seven miles from LIake St. Clair, and
eighteen from Lake Erie. It is a large, well-built city,
having a very wide street about a mile and a half long,
running parallel to the river, and several cross streets,
squares, a market-place, &c.,-extending backwards a
mile or so from the river, and sloping upwards from
the water 50 feet or more.  Detroit contains some good
public buildings, such as the State-House, the City Hall,
and the -Iarket-House.   It has numerous churches,
belonging to different denominations, several literary
institutions, and many good shops, and has more than
40,000 inhabitants. It is a place of considerable merchandise, has its manufactures, is a great timber port,
is visited by numerous steamboats and water-craft of
various kinds, bears a high reputation for ship-building,
and, by its returns of imports and exports, shows that
it is increasingly prosperous. The western part of the
principal street is a very pleasant promenade, and with
its plank walks, overshadowed with trees, and skirted
with good houses and lovely gardens, is much frequented
in fine weather.
WVe passed the Sabbath in Detroit; and as our other
Sabbaths in America had been wholly spent among the
Methodists, we resolved, after a visit to the Methodist
churches, to attend on that day the services of other
denominations. Early in the morning we went to the
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PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
Roman Catholic Cathedral, where we found a large
congregation, and heard a young priest delivering instruction to the children of the schools on the section
of the Creed relating to "the Communion of Saints."
Hiis discourse was intensely popish. He began by showing how persons became members of the true Church
by baptism and the eucharist administered by authorised hands; showed how~they then had communion
with all the faithful, both in heaven and earth; and on
this ground exhorted his audience to pray earnestly to
angels, and to select their patrons and guardians from
the calendar of departed saints. Next, we went to the
Protestant Episcopal Church, which is a neat wooden
building, on the right-hand side of the great thoroughfare in which the Roman Catholic Cathedral is situated.
Here, also, we found a good congregation, and very
English in its appearance. After the English Liturgy,
somewhat altered and mutilated, we heard a very good
sermon against infidelity and scepticism, by a minister from New York. It was founded on Psalm cxix.
98-100. In the afternoon we went to an elaborately
ornamented Presbyterian church, of Grecian architecture, and heard a good, plain, practical sermon on
prayer (Numbers xi. 2), delivered to a somewhat
fashionable congregation.   After our evening  meal
we went to St. Paul's, expecting to hear the bishop
of the Protestant Church preach.   The large, handsome, Gothic structure, richly adorned,  and cheerfully lighted with gas, was well filled by a respectable
looking congregation-a more brilliant and imposing
scene I never witnessed within a Protestant church.
The bishop read the Liturgy in a manly, effective style,
displaying now and then a little of the Irish accent;
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but a clergyman on a visit to Detroit preached the
sermon, from 2 Peter i. 18, which was in the most
popular style of French oratory, and was delivered
with considerable taste and power.   It was  on the
Transfiguration of our Lord.   Altogether, we were
much impressed by the services of the Protestant
Episcopal Church in Detroit-remembering that that
Church, in other parts of the States, is so little attractive to Americans, that it is only in the third or fourth
rank among Christian churches.
On Monday morning, at ten o'clock, we left Detroit
for Niagara Falls, by a large steamer which was to take
us through Lake Erie to Buffalo. WVe descended the
river,-a pleasant stream delightfully bordered on its
banks with trees,-and, by one o'clock, after passing a
sort of lighthouse and some other buildings on the
extremity of its western shores, we found ourselves
fairly on Lake Erie. We steamed onwards in its deep
green waters, being scarcely ever out of sight of one
or other of its shores, all of which were well wooded,
and reflected their forms clearly in the water. Lake
Erie is one of the smaller lakes, and yet it took the
steamer till five o'clock the next morning to reach
Buffalo, at the other end of it. Our passage over it
was very pleasant; the air was still, the water smooth,
we had a good and commodious steamer, and the banks
and trees that skirted the lake were, in their longstretched outlines, rich clothing, and reflected forms,
highly picturesque.
These great American Lakes are not to be imagined
as being similar in appearance to the lakes of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, or even to the larger lakes of
Switzerland. They are totally unlike them in all their
y
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32.2    PRAIRIE LAND, CIIICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
more characteristic features; and, unless personally
visited, can be but imperfectly realised in idea. The
European notion of a lake is that of an expansive sheet
of smooth water, locked in by sheltering mountains,
glistening under the sun like a polished mirror, and
over whose calm bright surface pleasure-boats glide with
their white-winged sails, like birds asleep in the sky.
The image is that of unconscious loveliness, or beauty
asleep on a flower-bank in summer-time. Hence we
speak of "the fair bosom of the lake." Or, if we
think of the European lake as stirred by the breeze,
we imagine it rippled on its glassy surface into innumerable glittering wavelets, that silently chase each
other to the sloping margin, where they fall languidly
upon the shore, kissing the pebbles of the strand as they
fall in succession, and making only a soft silvery sound
that dies away from us like the music of a dream.
Very different is it with these great American Lakes;
they are, in fact, inland seas, and, in length, breadth,
and depth, exceed considerably some of the renowned
inland seas of Europe. Though very pleasant and calm
at times, as was Lake Erie when we passed over it, yet
at some seasons, and under certain influences of the
wind, they are exceedingly stormy and dangerous.
The wind sweeps down upon them from all sides,
disturbs the waters, breaks them into tumultuous
billows, lashes them into fury, and renders the passage
over them far more perilous than over the wide open
ocean; and, even in their calmest moods, being unmoved by any ebb and flow of the tide, there is a solitary desert-like effect in the monotonous dead-level of
their still, green or blue waters, which, if not seen, can
hardly be understood. No mere study of engraved
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PRAIRIE LAND, CHIIICAGO, DETROIT  ETC.
maps can give the full idea of their extent, and no
word-painting can effectually convey the true image
of their expansive desolateness. It is estimated that
in this great chain of Lakes, extending eastward from
the north-west point of the United States, and, for
the most part, forming the boundary line between the
States and Canada, there are not less than 5000 miles'
length of coast-line. It is stated that in the Georgian
Bay, the mere arm of one of these lakes (Lake Huron),
there are not less than 2700 islands, the largest of
which is more than one hundred miles in length. The
official returns give the following as the dimensions of
the principal lakes in this vast extending chain of
navigable waters:  Lake Superior, the largest of all the lakes, and which
is situated at the extreme north-west point of the United
States, is 420 miles long, 100 miles in average width,
and is 900 feet deep.
Lake Michigan, which extends from the south-east
point of Lake Superior to Chicago, is in length 340
miles, in average width 58 miles, and is 850 feet
deep.
Lake Hiuron, which extends from the south-east
point of Lake Superior, and from the north-east point
of Lake Alichigan, in a south-east direction towards the
Lakes of St. Clair and Erie, is 270 miles long, 70 miles
in average breadth, and is 950 feet deep.
Lake St. Clair is the smallest of these lakes, and is a
few miles north of Detroit. It is eighteen miles from
north to south, and twenty-five miles from east to
west.
Lake Erie, extending eastward from Detroit River to
Buffalo, and receiving for transmission towards  the
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324     PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, I)ETROIT, ETC.
Atlantic the water of the four lakes above-named,
is 240 miles long, 38 miles in average breadth, and 265
feet deep.
Lake Ontario extends eastward from the Niagara
River, by which it is united with Lake Erie, to the
River St. Lawrence, and is 180 miles long, 40 miles in
average width, and 550 feet deep.
All these lakes flow, by rivers, and straits, and
canals, out of one deep basin into another; and from
Lake Superior, in the order I have named, transmit
their volumes of fresh water (drained from the great
north-west of the continent) by the River St. Lawrence,
which is 700 miles long, into the Atlantic Ocean,
making, in one continued line of measurement (without
following, as we did in our former reckoning, the indentations of the shores), more than 2000 miles: the largest
inland navigation in the world.
On reaching the north- eastern shore of Lake Erie,
we found we were at the bottom of the port and city of
Buffalo. The pier at which we landed is constructed of
stone and wood, and has a lighthouse of yellow limestone standing at its head. This pier extends as much
as 1500 feet into the lake, and serves as a breakwater
for the protection of vessels from the violent gales
which are occasionally experienced here. There appeared to be many vessels of different sizes in the port,
and, in the lower part of the city, it bore quite the
aspect of a maritime place. After depositing our lug gage at the railway station, we ascended the rising
ground to look at the city. Buffalo resembles other
American cities, being regular in its plan, well-built,
and having broad, open, straight streets, that intersect
each other at right angles. The principal street, run 
PRAIRIE LAND, CHICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
ning from east to west, is named "Main Street;" it is
more than two miles long, is 120 feet wide, and on each
side has large massive piles of buildings for stores,
dwelling-houses, and hotels. There are three public
squares, named "Niagara," "Franklin," and "Washington" Squares; they are planted with trees, and add
much to the appearance of the city. There are also
some good public civic buildings, and numerous churches
of more than ordinary architectural consistency. Altogether, the city looks like a great commercial mart, and
situated as it is on the shore of Lake Erie, from which
vessels can go not only to Detroit, but also to the Great
West by the large upper lakes of Superior and M]ichigan, and having direct railway communication with the
St. Lawrence, and also with the Northern and Eastern
States, Buffalo presents every promise of increasing importance and thrift. It first became a settlement of
white men in 1800; in 1814 it was only a small village,
surrounded by thick forests; in 1825 it had only 2000
inhabitants; but since then, through the formation of
the Erie Canal, which opened the navigation between
the Atlantic and the upper lakes, its increase has been
amazing.   Three times  within thirty years  it has
doubled its population, and it now contains as many as
80,000 inhabitants. Its situation by Lake Erie secures
to it both pleasing views and refreshing breezes.
After having viewed Buffalo, we took the railwaytrain for Niagara Falls, and passed through several
small towns and villages, having the Niagara River
flowing smoothly at our left. In little more than an
hour we passed through Niagara village, crossed the
new suspension bridge over the deep chasm of the river,
and landed at the railway station on the Canada side.
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PRAIRIE LAND, CIIICAGO, DETROIT, ETC.
We engaged a coach, drove towards Clifton Hlouse, and
as we went, knowing that we were now in the British
dominions, we took off our hats, and, with loyal hearts,
together exclaimed aloud, "God save the Queen!"  We
soon had our rooms selected, and, making as little delay
as possible, you may be sure, went out to have our first
gaze at the giant cataracts, the deep ponderous sound
of which we could now distinctly hear.
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LETTEPT XIX.
THIE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
Source of the Falls from the Great Lakes-The River of Niagara-The
Whirlpool-The Rapids-Goat Island-The American Fall  Luna Island
-The Middle Fall-lThe Canada, or "Horse-shoe" Fall-Retrogression of
the Falls according to Geologists-View  of the Falls from the Hotel
Balconv-AYiew from  the River Bank-From "Prospect Place "-From
the Bridge over the Rapids-Landing on Goat Island-" Prospect Tower'
-The "Cave of Winds "-The Falls by Moonlight-Legends and Tales
of Horror respecting the Falls.
I AM now in the presence of this great overpowering
wonder of creation-the Falls of Niagara.  I have been
here three days, viewing it from all points, until my
mind is filled with it, and now, from the hotel window,
from whence I can see it, and from amid so much of its
ceaseless sound as seems to make the earth tremble
under the building, and which shakes the window-frame
of this my chamber, I attempt to describe it. I feel the
attempt to be almost hopeless, for words can never
describe this overwhelming spectacle, nor express the
mingled sensations of awe and delight with which it is
beheld. I have here felt more than ever the excelling
grandeur of the works of God as compared with the
works of man. One may have experienced deep and
solemn emotion in visiting English and foreign cathedrals-viewing them in their long-retiring perspective 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
of columns and arches, of nave and choir, of transept
and aisles-under varying and changeful lights, or
coloured with slanting reflections of richly-stained windows, at noon of day, or darkened into gloomy and
frowning grandeur at the approach of night; but
the contemplation of God's workmanship, which man
can neither alter or adorn, is productive of far more
profound and indescribable feeling and thought. I felt
it to be so when you and I together viewed the stern
uninhabitable Alps, which rise so far above the paths of
men, and seem themselves to inhabit the heavens-those
Alps, which, when once viewed, ever afterwards "stand
fast" before the mind as the everlasting hills which
cannot be moved, and as the abiding proof of the Divine
omnipotence. It was so with the ocean, as I saw it in
our outward voyage to this continent-that dread
infinity of "many sounding" waters has a voice for
the soul which language cannot express. And it is so
with Niagara: there is a might and majesty in it which
irresistibly sway the soul of man, and make him feel his
own insignificance, and the littleness of all-even of the
greatest works of his race.
Before coming to view the Falls, we were repeatedly
warned by our friends against yielding to a feeling of
disappointment at first sight. But though in most
things where high expectations are entertained the
imagination usually exceeds the reality, it was not so
with us and Niagara; indeed, it is difficult to understand how expectation could surpass this scene. When
it first burst on our sight we felt it to be unspeakably
sublime; and as we have viewed it from various standingpoints day after day, our wonder and delight have never
abated. We have scarcely thought of anything else by
day, and we have had no real sleep by night; rushing
328 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
cataracts have always been before the mind, whether we
have been in slumber or broad awake-we seem to live
in a sort of reverie with waterfalls. When ill the
immediate presence of this marvel we are all agitation-s
our awe approaches to terror-the blood seems to be
sent back with overpowering pressure to its fountainwe stand gasping for breath, mute and powerless, and
are some minutes before we can do anything but gaze,
and before we can begin to contemplate.
I believe it to be impossible for words, however skilfully employed, to express the feelings and thoughts with
which Niagara is viewed. It must be seen for these to
be known. The most moderate and defective language
will seem exaggeration to those who have not been
where we now are. I am not sure that what I now
write will not, even to you, seem to be such; but I must,
in this instance, be willing to pay the unavoidable
penalty of being deemed too emotional, and console
myself with the thought that nearly all who come after
me will irresistibly and inevitably find themselves in
the same case. Yet I must attempt something like a
narrative description.
The Falls of Niagara are the headlong plunging of
an immeasurable mass of waters, which flow down
from the Great Lakes enumerated in my last letter,
and which here suddenly precipitate themselves over
immense shelves of rocks down into the river or strait
below.   From  thence  they hurry onward  to unite
themselves with the lower waters of Lake Ontario,
which empties itself into the St. Lawrence, from
whence, winding amidst a thousand islands, the outlet
is into the vast Atlantic.   The source of this immense volume of water is in the rocky region of the
north-west of the American continent. It is estimated
329 
THIE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
that Niagara drains an area of not less than 40,000
square miles, and is connected with half the entire
quantity of the fresh water of the globe. The waters of
the four large inland seas-Lakes Superior, Michigan,
Hluron, and Erie, with all the rivers and streams flowing
into them-all pass onwards by this course, which, in
their narrow, deep bed between Lake Erie and Lake
Ontario is named "the River of Niagara."  The distance between these two lakes (and, consequently, the
length of this river) is about thirty-seven miles, and its
entire descent from the basin of Lake Erie to that of
Lake Ontario is 334 feet. At about twenty miles from
Lake Erie, across the entire bed of the descending river,
occurs a sudden break in the rock, where the waters
fall 160 feet downwards over the perpendicular cliffs,
and these are called the Falls of Niagara. The river,
as it leaves Lake Erie, is about a mile in width, and
flows but lazily along at first, between low and marshy
banks, and almost in a straight line, being dotted with
many small islets. It widens, however, in some places
as it approaches the Falls to nearly three miles. Then,
when it has passed the Falls, it suddenly narrows
exceedingly, for immediately below them the river is
confined within a gorge of only three-quarters of a mile
wide, and thus it flows onwards in its straitened channel,
in a more serpentine course, to Lake Ontario. In the
upper part, or before it reaches the Falls, the river is
comparatively shallow, but half-a-mile below the Fallsthe point nearest to them at which soundings have been
ascertained-it is as much as 260 feet deep. Lower
down it is deeper still.  Immediately under the Falls,
where the bed of the river receives the descending flood,
the depth cannot be fathomed, but, from the time which
elapses between the passage of a huge piece of timber
330 
THiE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
over the precipice, and its reappearance on the surface
of the river below, it is supposed that the depth of the
cauldron of waters there is very great indeed. An
opinion is entertained that, at the foot of the Falls,
and in other parts, there are vast cavernous openings
through which a portion of the water finds its way, by
subterraneous channels, beneath the natural bed of the
Niagara, straight into Lake Ontario. This opinion would
seem to find support from the fact that there are concave
recesses and deep yawning hollows under and behind the
Falls, as well as from the appearance of the water at
points and bends lower down, where it whirls up as from
rushing under-currents.   The bed of the river, as it
proceeds downwards in its winding course, narrows into
a deep, rocky, picturesque gorge, which, in one part, is
not more than 100 yards wide, and descends in its surface
line below the overhanging cliffs and wooded banks,
until it is as much as 400 feet below them. It, therefore, becomes difficult to conceive, without the admission
of a subterranean passage, how the millions of tolls of
water from the Lake region above, which are precipitated
every hour over the Falls of Niagara, can be held within
that narrow channel below. At a distance of about three
miles below the Falls, at a bend of the river in its narrowest strait, there is a singularly turbulent appearance
in the midstream, called the "Whirlpool," where the
gathering waters whirl in circular and agitated eddies
until they rise as much as 10 feet above the edge of the
stream. Here huge logs and fallen trees are caught in
their descending course, and are twisted round and
round by the circular motion of the water until they
stand on end with several feet out of the river, and then
sink down and disappear entirely. It is supposed that
this is one of those cavernous hollows where the water
331 
TIIE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
either rushes up from a subterranean passage beneath
the bed of the river, or sinks whirling down from the
channel above into the vaulted stream below. Whether
either side of this theory be true, or whether the strange
turmoil there is caused by the river making a sharp bend
ill its narrow rock-bound channel at nearly a right-angle,
I am not competent to pronounce, I can only say that the
sight of the "troubled waters" there is very impressive.
As the floods hurled over the Falls rise up from the
huge seething cauldron into which they have been precipitated, and issue forth into the lower river to flow
towards this whirlpool, and then in a widening channel
to Lake Ontario, they do not toss themselves into waves,
but move heavily along, as if stunned by their fearful
descent, or as if
"Astounded and amnazed;
No wonder: fall'n such a pernicious height."
Paralysis seems to succeed the sudden shock.  But this
is only temporary. As the river descends in its course
it recovers strength and buoyancy, and at length hurries
rapidly towards its destined receptacle, Lake Ontario.
The rate at which the River of Niagara travels from one
lake to the other is from two to eight miles per hour,
according to the nature of the declivities and angles met
with in its passage.
Immediately above the Falls are what are termed "The
Rapids." These are tumultuous descents of the water
over a succession of rocky shelves towards the giant precipice of the Falls.  Within one mile's space the stream
thus descends, by a succession of slopes, as much as 50
or 60 feet, and also narrows itself, as I have stated, from
about three miles in width to three-fourths of a mile.
All along its journey over these rocky shelves, the speed
of the river is, of course, much accelerated, its waters
332 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
rage furiously, toss and upheave themselves into the air,
and seem to battle madly with each other ill their fated
course to the margin of the precipice which awaits them.
About half way up the Rapids, the raging waters are
divided into two moving masses by the intervention of
an island called "Goat Island," which lies nearly in the
middle of the river, and extends its north-western extremity to the very edge of the grand precipice, and thus
makes of Niagara two great falls of water. The body
of water between this island and the American shore is
named "The American Fall," and the body of water
between Goat Island and the Canadian shore is termed
"The Canada Fall."
The American Fall is 900 feet in breadth, and the
water descends nearly perpendicularly over a precipice
of 164 feet in depth. This fall, by the intervention of
another and much smaller island, called "Luna Island,"
from the lunar rainbows seen on it by night, is divided
for the space of 30 feet into another cataract, which
bears the name of "The Middle Fall," and is a fall of
crystal clearness and beauty. The Canada Fall is as
much as 1800 feet in breadth, without any intervention
in any part, and with a deep bend in the surface line,
formerly in the shape of a horse-shoe (whence it is
called "The Horse-shoe Fall"), but now worn to the
figure of a demi-hexagon; and its vast body of waters
descend less perpendicularly, or with a greater projectile
curve, over cliffs 158 feet deep. The greatest volume
of water rushes over the Canada Fall, and it is by far
the grandest and most impressive spectacle-though,
if the American Fall were alone, it would be reckoned
one of the greatest wonders of creation.
As much as seven-eighths of the whole descending
water rolls over the Canada Fall; and that with a pro
333 
TIlE FALLS OF NIAGAPA.
jecting curve of not less than twenty feet at the edge
of the precipice. This sweeping curve-line, with the
glancing sun-light upon its ever-moving crest, and its
constant variety of translucent colours, give the Canada
Fall an aspect of more commanding attraction than
that of its neighbour. The American Fall can only
boast of a straight line, which, as every one knows, is
never favourable to beauty. And then, again, while
wanting that gracefully sweeping curve of rolling waters
over the edge of the precipice, its cataract does not, as
in the Canada Fall, pour itself into an abyss of convulsed and fathomless waters, white as molten silverbut plunges among fragments of dark fallen rocks, from
whence it winds its way into the lower river. From
the foot of both the Falls, however, clouds of white mist
or spray, like fine steam, ascend high up into the air in
curling wreaths, until they seem to mingle with the
clouds of heaven.  In this respect the "Horse-shoe"
Fall is still greatly superior to the American; the
cloud of shining vapour hanging over it proclaims to
travellers far distant that they are approaching this
wonder; and, no doubt, it calls up before the imagination of some of them, as it did with me, that Pillar of
the Cloud which hung over the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, and which preceded the march of the Israelites
to the Promised Land.
According to Sir Charles Lyell, and other geologists,
the Falls of Niagara have gradually retrograded northwards, having eaten their way backwards from Queenston, which is seven miles distant from the present
Falls, four miles beyond the Whirlpool, and about half
way between the present Falls and Lake Ontario. This
conclusion of men of science is a very probable one; for
the action of the immense volume of water which pours
33-1 
TIIE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
over the precipices at the rate of 20 millions of cubic
feet per minute, with the stupendous weight of 100
millions of tons per hour, must of necessity "wear away
stones," and so remove the Falls farther and farther
upwards.  No person can examine, even cursorily, the
strata of the Falls and the bed of the river, without perceiving that the process of disintegration, or gradual
abrasion and removal of both rocks and soil, has long
been going on, as it is going on at the present time.
The ponderous body of water which teems over the
precipice falls from a height as great as that of the front
towers of York Cathedral. The upper ledge is of hard
limestone rock, and the immediately underlying bed
consists of slaty shale in horizontal layers, which is
perpetually crumbling away. Blasts of wind, charged
with the spray that is constantly rising from the fathomless abyss under the cataract, strike against this bed of
perishable shales, and, together with the expansive
agency of frosts, incessantly crumble and force it away
from under the calcareous rock, and leave the limestone
to project without support.
Through the operation of these agencies, there is now
a passage behind the falling waters of the Horse-shoe
Fall of 50 feet wide in some parts; hither adventurous
visitors go for a length of 100 feet, upon a slippery
path, to be immersed in spray and sand-dust, while they
have the concave recesses and worn-away limestone on
the one hand, and the crystal veil of the descending
flood, through which the light gleams, on the other.
From time to time, the unsupported rock falls in large
masses headlong into the profound abyss below, and
into the bed of the river around, with a sound the most
terrific. Such a fall occurred on the American side in
1818, and again in 1843; and on the Canadian side in
335 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
1828. In 1852, a large portion of the Horse-shoe
ledge fell, and left a severed mass, 150 feet high, remaining erect. On all these occasions, it is affirmed,
the surrounding district was shaken as if by an earthquake. Parts of the fallen rocks still remain at the
foot of both the cataracts, and appear like the overthrown relics of a Cyclopean wall. Living men, of
advanced years, who from childhood have resided in
the neighbourhood, affirm that in their time the Horseshoe Fall has receded as much as 150 feet. An early
print, made from a drawing by Father Iennepin, in
1678, confirms this statement, and shows another fall
jetting out obliquely from the Canadian cliff, where the
"Table Rock" has since fallen: with the Table Rock
the oblique jet has wholly disappeared.
Every intelligent observer may ascertain for himself,
that the appearance of the disintegrated strata (along this
space of 150 feet, which is said to have been worn away
within the memory of living men), as seen at the sides
of the ravine, are precisely of the same character as that
of the seven miles gorge which has been gradually
excavated backwards from Queenston to the present
Falls; while, at several points, he will find unmistakeable wearings of an overflowing flood of waters: so
that the probability, if not certainty, is with the conclusion of geological science, that the Falls have gradually receded through the seven miles chasm up to
their present position, and have scooped out for themselves the deep and rocky ravine through which the
river now flows from them southwards.
The only difficulty in the way of this conclusion is
the length of time required for the process. For, if
150 feet have been worn awav within the memory of
living men, it would require 10,000 years at least (Lyell
336  
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FALLS OF NIAGARA.
says 35,000!) for the Falls to have reached their present
situation. But, without encroaching on the Scriptural
chronology of the world in this instance (if the first
verse of the Bible is not to be separated, as a general
statement respecting the creation of all things), since it
cannot be proved that the rate of the abrading power
upon the rocks has never been swifter than it is at
present, the difficulty of time, even with the most
tenacious holder by the old chronology, need not prevent
the conclusion of science on this question.
Another question may arise in the mind, as to the
number of years that would be required to bear back
the Falls, at their present rate of recession, through the
twenty miles which intervene between them and Lake
Erie. But the geological survey recently made may
save us the trouble of a calculation: the limestone rock
dips northward towards Lake Erie, and at the distance
of two miles-if the Falls recede so far-the limestone
will be at the base, the ledge incomparably lower than it
is at present, the weight of water incomparably less, and,
most likely, the recession would cease altogether.  Such,
at least, is the opinion of the first living geologists.
The accompanying ideal bird's-eye view of the course
of the iNiagara waters, from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario,
as suggested by Sir Charles Lyell in his Geographical
Observations on America, will explain to you, at a
glance, both the position of the Falls, and the character
of the bed of the river down which their volume flows.
But whatever the supposed facts of the formation and
process of this great phenomenon of nature may be,
undoubtedly it is one of the most stupendous and over.
whelming of all the works of the Almighty. If a visitor
to these shores were to see nothing else, it would be
z
337 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
worth his transit over half the convex world.   Dr.
Hannah and I commenced our survey, on the morning
of our arrival, without any preconcerted plan. We
agreed simply on one thing-that we would not hurry
from point to point, but would deliberately view it in
its various features, until we should have received into
our minds as full an impression of its solemn grandeur
as possible. And this has proved our best course. We
have now walked and sauntered around it for nearly
four days: we have stood before it on fallen masses of
rock, under its white drizzling spray, until, with sight
bedazzled and ears confounded, we could almost imagine
that we were witnessing a world of waters come tumbling down out of a rent in the firmament, or that Chaos
were come again; and we have watched it with greater
calmness at a more respectful distance.
The general scene, as beheld even from the balcony of
the hotel where I am writing, is magnificent. Yet this
view of the Falls being from an elevated point, and at a
distance, is not so overpowering in its awful effect as
that taken from a lower stand-point and in closer contiguity with the great wonder. Here, from the hotel
balcony, the vision is that of a panorama of cataracts.
The Horse-shoe Fall is directly before us-an extended
line of overflowing waters, reaching across and filling
up the whole breadth of the yawning chasm between
one bank of the river and Goat Island. The American
Fall is on our left, separated from the Canadian Fall
by that island, and divided by Luna Island into one
expansive cataract, and another of more slender breadth.
The water, as seen rolling over the rocky ledge at this
distance, appears like moving sheets of snow-white
foam, varied at intervals with gleaming crystal and
338 
TIIE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
emerald.   The background  beyond  the Horse-shoe
Fall, and on the right, is a richly-wooded elevation
sprinkled with villa-like buildings. The clothing of
the forest trees on Goat Island, and of the shrubbery
on the shelving sides of the river, is a rich spring green;
while from both the great cataracts rise clouds of spray
that steam high up into the air, are wreathed by the
wind into spiral forms, and then disperse imperceptibly,
or join the overhanging vapours in the heavens. I
have sketched and coloured this view, from the hotel
balcony, considering that, though it is not the most
impressive, yet it may be regarded as the most explanatory view of the Falls that could be selected to present
to the eye of a non-observer.
When we first descended from the balcony of our
hotel, we advanced towards the Horse-shoe Fall along
the Canadian cliff. We then returned to the point immediately on the left, by our hotel, and winding down
upon a carriage road formed at the side of the river, we
took the ferry-boat, and crossed over to the bank on the
American side, that we might view the general scene
from thence. In crossing, we found the river, which
looked peacefully smooth from above, to be variously
agitated and heavy in its descending current. Our
skiff seemed a mere cockle-shell in the disturbed waters;
but our strong-armed ferryman pulled us over, with
our bow pointed against the flow of the current, and in
ten minutes landed us at the foot of the wooden staircase on the other side of the river. In our short passage the spray from the cataracts fell thickly upon us,
and partially obscured our view of the Falls; but this
served to heighten the effect, by veiling the grand object
in mysterious folds.
339 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
Having landed on the American side, we ascended
by the wooden staircase of 300 steps to the cliffs,passing out at intervals to view the American Fall in
its huge profile,-and on reaching the top we stood on
a picturesque and frequented piece of ground, called
"Prospect Place," doubtless on account of the impressive view here to be obtained of the Falls. Standing at
the side of the American Fall, and looking over its vast
body of waters as they rush down from the Rapids at
your left, and roll over the edge of the precipice at your
right into the gulf beneath, you see the great Canadian
Fall, with its long reach of snowy foam in front, skirted
and backed with trees and verdant embankments, and
with its column of half-transparent spray hovering
before it and ascending on high.  We had this view
daguerreotyped, with Dr. Hlannah and myself in the
foreground-for such is the regularity even in the indentations and foldings of these ever-moving waters,
that they may be successfully transferred by the sunlight to the chemically prepared plate. But it is impossible to give, even with this accurate representation by
the sun itself, the accompanying impression of resistless
and overwhelming power which is experienced by the
spectator in the presence of this great work of the
Creator: such profound feeling cannot be transferred
by any art, however skilful or true. Upon the perfect
accuracy of the lines of the scene, as you will see them in
the daguerreotype, you may, however, confidently rely.
After lingering a considerable time over the view
from Prospect Place, we picked our way eastwards by
the side of the American Rapids, until we reached a
long wooden bridge, which undaunted and persevering
man has thrown over the lesser breadth of these turbu
340 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
lent waters, that he may have an entrance to Goat
Island. Here, perhaps, from the middle of this bridge,
which trembles with the violent rush of the water over
the rocky shelves beneath it, you have as impressive
a view of the Rapids as can possibly be obtained; for
though the amount of water rushing over the American
Rapids and under you, as you stand on this bridge, is
only one-seventh of the moving mass which descends
over the Rapids to the Horse-shoe Fall, yet, as there is
no bridge over the Canadian Rapids, there is no middle
point for seeing them.
The comparative narrowness of the channel which is
spanned by this bridge renders the waters more tumultuous, and from this stand-point on the safe but trembling bridge, the vision of the Rapids is really sublime.
There is a solemn grandeur in the wildness of the
waves that thrills one's whole nature. They are broken
into every variety of form, as they rush over their
shelving bed; some of them leap perpendicularly many
feet, and rear their foaming crests in the air, far above
the horizontal line of view, showing themselves in their
whirling fury strongly against the background of the
sky, and catching at every change of form and posture
gleaming prismatic lights from the sun. Others rush
headlong over their broken bed, as if too sullenly resolute on reaching without delay the edge of the great
gulph, to linger even for a moment and upheave themselves into spouting billows. The entire spectacle of
these wild, tumultuous waters, extending up to the very
heavens on one hand, and down below to the precipice on
the other, and reflecting in their raging and multiplying
forms the various hues of sky and trees, is indescribable
in its effect upon the mind of the beholder.
341 
TIEE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
Crossing the long wooden bridge, we landed on Goat
Island. This island contains about sixty acres of forest
land, and is about a mile in circumference. Where you
first step upon it from the bridge there is a picturesque
cottage, with a garden on the left, and a factory-like
paper-mill by its side on the right. For the greater
part the islet is thickly wooded with forest-trees of large
growth. We hastened along a colonnade of these to
the north-western point of the islet, singularly named
" Hog's Back," where there is a most charming and
impressive view looking down the deep gorge of the
river. The profiles of the American Falls, divided by
the lovely islet of Luna, are immediately in front; and
the graceful suspension bridge of 800 feet span, with its
double floor, and swinging on its slender cables, is also
before you. I traced this scene also in my sketch-book,
and while so doing, a most beautiful rainbow shone out
in its prismatic colours amidst the ascending spray from
the fall, and seemed to corroborate the suitableness of
another name which is sometimes bestowed on the islet
of Luna, that of "Iris Island."
From thence we took a narrow path, by the side of
the river, leading to the Horse-shoe Fall (passing what
I have since visited alone-the descent to the eastern
shore of the river between the cataracts, called "Biddle
Stairs," where I sketched memoranda of some terrific
views of the descending torrents in front of the "Cave
of Winds "), and picked our way to the south-western
corner of Goat Island. Here, by a narrow, slender
bridge of shaking planks, we passed over the Rapids to
a sort of lighthouse structure, named "Prospect Tower,"
that stands on the very edge of the terrible abyss of the
Falls. Ascending to its height of 45 feet, we looked
342 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
dizzily down from our frail and trembling platform into
the hulge cauldron of seething and smoking waters
below. And here again, as may be supposed, the scene
of the raging Rapids and descending cataract was fearfully sublime. The waves from the expanse of the
upper river came tumbling and whirling along, and
uniting at some distance from the curved-out precipice,
rolled over its brink with unexampled grandeur.   The
smooth, deep current between the Rapids and the edge
of the Fall flowed on like a stream of molten glass, it
was so pellucid, and so even and unwrinkled on its surface. But, as it formed its curve of 20 feet over the
brink of the precipice, it broke into an infinite variety
of forms and colours;-here it looked like whirling
pillars of alabaster, and there it streamed over like
liquid emerald;-here it seemed forming spiral pillars
of glistening snow, and there it sparkled and gleamed
like rolling folds of crystal. These ever-changeful forms
seemed to chase each other down into the terrific gulph
beneath, from whence clouds of drizzling spray came
rolling upwards to our faces; while, as if to inspire us
with hope on our slender and quivering stage over the
fearful abyss, lovely rainbows interlaced each other
before us, and, as if to inspire us with praise to the
Creator of so much awful magnificence, a little songbird, soaring amid the ascending incense of this high
altar of falling waters, warbled its sweet carol in notes
of silvery-ringing clearness, so as to be distinctly heard
above the deep roaring from the cavern of howling
winds below. But all this, in its mingled grandeur,
terror, and beauty, surpasses verbal description; it
must be beheld to be appreciated.
If I were askled how best this scene of wonders
343 
TUE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
can be viewed?   I should answer,  "Alone, and in
silence: in deep, profound silence." This is the imme diate dictate of man's nature while standing before it.
And doubtless this dictate ought to be obeyed. There
are some scenes, sacred in their solemn majesty, which
ought to be viewed alone,-scenes where the presence
of another seems an intrusion, and where a passing
footstep would dissolve the solemn charm. And when
in the presence of this great wonder of creation, the
spell under which the admiring soul is bound ought
not to be broken, even by the voice of loved companionship. SIan feels himself to be here most veritably
in the awful presence of the Almighty and Infinite
Source of Being, and he would stand before his Creator
and worship in silence. Without any agreement for
this, Dr. Hannah and I, before inseparable in American
scenes, have obeyed this instinctive feeling, and frequently paced our way separately and alone around this
scene. And as I have stood at parts before it to gaze
and contemplate, I have thought of the great Sir Isaac
Newton, who, by his contemplation of the stupendous
works of creation, was so filled with reverence for the
matchless Alaker, that he uniformly took off his hat at
the mention of God's name. So, in silent adoration
before God at the Falls of Niagara, man may well
uncover his head and worship. Infinity and Almighty
power are here the great impression.  Voices from
innumerable past ages sound in its ever-flowing waters,
and the future of its continuance seems to have no
limit but the end of time. Infinite variety and diversity are seen in all its parts, and irresistible and overwhelming power are everywhere apparent.   Niagara
is, in fact, the true sublime; and like the true sublime
34-t, 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
in other things, it is, with all its rush and fall of
waters, caln and majestic.   It is not hurried  and
confounding.   It does not seem to put forth all its
might. And its vast booming, which resounds for miles
distant, is still the voice of majesty. It does not bawl
or strain; it is not like any other sound of earth, air,
or sea; for it is a voice deep-profoundly deep and
unbroken.  It is "the voice of many waters and of
mighty thunderings;"  and after  all that has  been
written and sung concerning it by gifted travellers
and poets, the Iroquois Indians' simple name for it
is its best description-iNiagara, or "the Thunder of
WVaters."
The appearance of the Falls, and the scenery around
them, when beheld by moonlight have an exceedingly
impressive and subduing effect.   The  whole  is then
flooded with soft silvery brightness, which harmonises
the scene, and renders it more spiritual in its aspect.
The harsher lines of the rocks and cliffs are softened
down; the river flows in its deep bed as if it were
molten silver; the trees stand as in dreamy repose;
the cataracts themselves have a subdued lustre; and
the very sound of the Falls, by its softened cadence,
seems to be in sympathy with the scene.
But I am told that the spectacle in winter is surpassingly grand and wonderful. And from what I have
seen here of daguerreotype views taken by an accomplished artist at that season, I fully believe it to be so.
In the coldest periods the body of water continues, of
course, to descend as usual; but above the Rapids, and at
a mile or so below the cataracts, the river is frozen over,
so that passengers go over it on foot. The water rushes
from under the ice of the upper level to supply the
345 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
Falls, and then passes again under the ice of the river
below, to flow, under cover of it, to Lake Ontario, which,
as well as Lake Erie above, is entirely frozen over in
midwinter. In its course fromn above, the descending
water brings with it huge boulders of ice, many tons in
weight, and precipitates them over the Falls, where
they accumulate until they sometimes get progressively
piled up even higher than the Falls themselves. Meanwhile the cataracts keep for themselves a free passage
between the edge of the precipice, over which they roll,
and the wall of ice and snow before them. The remains of one of these winter-screens are now to be
seen in large dimensions at the foot of the American
Fall, and appears as represented in the sketch from the
hotel balcony. But the appearance of the rocks, and
cliffs, and trees at that season, as depictured in the
daguerreotyped views which I have seen, is especially
striking.   The rocks and  cliffs appear hooded and
cloaked with ice and snow. The trees, retaining the
drifted particles of frozen spray from the cataracts,
accumulate upon their stems and branches masses and
bunches of gleaming ice, until they assume the most
grotesque and significant forms. The forest bends, as
it were, under the fruits of ice with which it is laden;
while the smaller trees and shrubs on the margin of the
river get filled up with statue-like shapes, and stand
like nuns in snow-white vestments to do saintly homage
in this Scandinavian temple.
Of course there are legends and tales of horror told
in connection with the paths and precipices of this
scene of terrific majesty. In the rear of Goat Island
there are several sentimental-looking islets that lie side
by side covered with moss and shrubbery, and divided
346 
THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
by feathery-like falls, which are associated with lovescenes, both of life  and death.   There are solitary
patches of ground in the midst of the Rapids, and cultivated plots on the island, that are shown by Niagara
guides as having been inhabited by an eccentric hermit,
who, wearied with the dissipations of fashionable life,
built here for himself a log-hut, and lived in voluntary
solitude until he was drowned while bathing in the
river below. Respecting almost every prominent point
there are relations given of perilous falls, surprising
rescues, and instantaneous deaths that thrill the listener.
At Hiog's Back, in addition to the united deaths of two
lovely young persons swept over the middle cataract, a
Dr. Hungerford is said to have been suddenly precipitated, by a falling piece of the cliff, into the river
below, where he sunk to rise no more alive. Near
Biddle Stairs, a madman, named Sam Patch, leaped
from a scaffold ninety-six feet high, and afterwards
attempting a more daring feat still, was drowned. From
the frail narrow bridge which extends from the southwest corner of the island to Prospect Tower, a gentleman is said to have been swept by the wind into the
current, and yet to have been rescued from an arresting
rock at the very brink of the precipice.
In Indian times an annual human sacrifice to the
Great Spirit was sent over the great cataract in a
canoe; and, as might be expected, "the chief's lovely
daughter" is named among these sacrifices in the
legends. Perilous situations, surprising rescues, and
frightful deaths, are spoken of in connection with the
islands in the Rapids. As late as 1844 a youthful
lady, stooping to pick up a flower from the margin of
the Canadian side of the river near to the Horse-shoe
317 
THIE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
Fall, is said to have been plunged with the crumbling
soil into the destructive gulf below.
There are also caves in different parts of the rocky
sides of the river that have names of heroes and supernatural beings associated with them.   Some of these
caves are grotesquely festooned with petrified moss and
stalactites of carbonate of lime. Others of them, like
the "Cave of Winds" behind the middle Fall, are
fearfully stormy and turbulent. There are also stories
of desperate battle between Indians and Europeans,
and Englishmen and Americans, associated with this
scene; and though one would not be over credulous,
or so voluntarily superstitious as to receive for facts all
that one hears in this locality of wonders, yet who that
has any sense of the marvellous within him would
doggedly close his ears against the stories of the
Niagara guides? It would strip life of many of its
flowers, if everything were brought down to proved
reality.  Who would wish to dissever the Lakes of Killarney from the legends of O'I)onoghue and his attendant sylphs? WVho would stay to have Rob Roy's
hiding-places in the caves around Loch Lomond all
shown to have no existence?  Who would desire to
have the beautiful tale of William Tell proved to be,
what some have of late affirmed it to be, an entire
fiction?
No; life must not be denuded of all its poetry, and
entirely reduced to leaden, dull prose. Niagara may
be permitted to have its traditionary legends as well as
its authentic stories. But whatever may be true or
false in what is related as belonging to it in years gone
by, it is now in itself, and apart from all fictitious
accompaniment, a sublime reality.
348 
LETTER XX.
CANADA. —WESLEYAN CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
Railway firom the Falls along the Line of the Niagara River-Lake Ontario
-Arrival at Toronto-Methodist Friends-Sabbath Services at Toronto
-Sketch of Toronto-Great Normal Schools-Dr. Ryerson-Illness of
Peter Jones, or "Kahkewaquonaby," the Methodist Indian Chief-Cana dian Parliament-Mackenzie, and Scene in the House of Representatives Loyal Attachment of Canada to England-Lake Ontario, the "Thousand
Islands," and the St. Lawrence-Arrival at Brockville-Proceedings of the
Conference-Railways in Canada-Resonrces and Prosperity of the
Country-Arrival at Montreal.
WE left the Falls for Toronto at noon of Saturday,
Blay 31, travelling by the train as far as Lewiston, and
from thence by steamer across the western end of Lake
Ontario. WVhen passing Queenston, seven miles from
the Falls, we could see on its heights the monument
erected to the memory of General Brock, a British
officer, who received there a mortal wound, when, in 1812,
he was about to lead his men to the conflict.  It is a high
columnar monument, something like our Nelson's in
Trafalgar Square, and is of very recent erection-the
former monument having been shattered and destroyed
by some unknown person, who, in the night, blew it up
with gunpowder. It was interesting to trace the bed of
the Niag,ara River as we passed along, and to observe
how it had worn its way through the strata of the
country, and united itself with the lake. 
350     CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
On reaching the pier at Lewiston, we took the steamboat across the lake to Toronto, a distance of 50 miles.
Leaving the American Niagara Fort on our right, we
started in a "tight " and commodious vessel, with the
British flag streaming from the stern, and with fifty or
sixty passengers on board. The day was exceedingly
fine, and we enjoyed the lake scenery very much. Our
company, too, was more English than it had been since
we landed in America, especially in manners. There
was less inquisitiveness, and less hurry, and more
sobriety and quietness. After three hours' passage, we
neared the city of Toronto, which stands at the head of
a large open bay, and, being met by ministers and friends
at our landing, we drove with them direct for the house
of the President of the Canadian Methodist Conference,
the Rev. Enoch Wood, like ourselves a native of homely
old Lincolnshire. He resides in a pleasant cottage in
the upper suburbs of the city. We were most cordially
welcomed by him and his family, and it was proposed
that both Dr. Hannah and I should be his guests. But
a friend from Dublin soon learned of our arrival, and
insisted that I should accompany her to her hospitable
home. From pleasing reminiscences relating to the
"Sister Island," I was nowise reluctant to do so. Dr.
Egerton Ryerson, and his daughter, just returned from
England (where she had been presented to the Queen),
spent the evening with us; and with such companions,
together with Mr. Hodson, the intelligent husband of
my cheerful and youthful hostess, the evening was
exceedingly pleasant. The unexpected meeting with
former friends in a far country, and among a crowd of
strangers, is a pleasure that can only be estimated from
experience. 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
On the Sabbath morning Dr. Hannah conducted the
service in Richmond Street Chapel, and preached to a
crowded and admiring congregation an eloquent sermon
on the Priesthood of Christ; it was full of divine unction,
and was delivered with amazing energy and power.
In the evening, I preached to a multitude in the same
chapel, and afterwards assisted in administering to
several hundreds the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
The services here were thoroughly English in all
respects. The chapel is large, and in a good style of
Grecian architecture. It will hold, I suppose, fifteen
hundred persons; but it has one fault-copied, I presume, from some recent erections in England: the
entrance is at the end where the pulpit stands, so that
the minister is disturbed by cold draughts of air from
the door every time it is opened, and by the entrance
and exit of the congregation, while the worshippers have
their attention arrested by everything that transpires
at the doors in connexion with persons coming in late
or going out early. Under such an arrangement, no
Sabbath-stroller is likely to enter the house of God to
hear the saving truths of the Gospel as he passes, for he
would have to face the whole audience to do so. Nor
can a mother with a crying infant retire without disturbing both the minister and people.
Dr. Hannah also preached in the evening at another
large Methodist chapel in the city, and administered
there the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We enjoyed
the day greatly, feeling so much of home in our services.
WVe had, too, our own English hymn-book, unaltered
and unmutilated, and this was satisfactory. The number
of British emigrants who gathered round us, and inquired concerning England and friends, was very great.
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352     CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
One of them came seventy-five miles, with his wife and
child, to have his last-born infant baptised by Dr.
Hannah.  In the small vestry of Richmond  Street
Chapel I must have counted not less than twenty
Methodists who had emigrated from our own county of
Lincoln, and how many more there were in the general
congregation who did not press into the crowded vestry
to speak to me I cannot say. Most of them seemed
"well-to-do," so far as I could judge from appearances;
but with all of them there were the same affecting
remembrances of home and England that we found with
English emigrants to the States. Childhood's home is
nowhere forgotten.
On Monday we visited the principal buildings and
institutions in Toronto. Some of the streets, with their
shops, will bear a comparison with the best streets in
Liverpool, Manchester, or Birmingham. Several of the
public buildings are in good architectural style, and
imposing in their appearance. The cathedral, and some
of the churches, are excellent Gothic structures in stone.
The Methodists have several excellent chapels, a wellfurnished book-room, with its numerous publications, and
a weekly newspaper. The president has recently built
a very neat Gothic chapel, with its belfry in front, near
to his own dwelling: and, altogether, Methodism has a
foremost place in Toronto, among the different sections
of the Christian Church. The Roman Catholics are
strong in the city. They have their cathedral and their
"religious houses," and have at the head of their priesthood a French nobleman, who devotes himself and
property to the interests of the Church of Rome.
We spent considerable time at the great Normal
establishment for the schools of Canada, which is under 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
the able superintendency of the Rev. Dr. Egerton Ryerson. This is the normal college for all the grammar
and common schools, supported by the Government
throughout Upper and Lower Canada, and is a most
effective and flourishing institution.  It is Dr. Ryerson's
own creation, after careful inspection and comparison of
the different systems of education in Europe and the
United States, and must remain a lasting and honourable
memorial of his enlightened and benevolent zeal for the
best interests of the youth of his own country. The
Government have, happily, been liberal in their grants
for his object; so that, in most respects, the funds required
for the accomplishment of his plans are supplied. The
buildings of the Normal and Practising Schools, with the
offices of the superintendents and clerks, are in an elevated situation, and have a large open space of gardenground and walks round them. They are of Italianised
Grecian style, and have a good facade with central
turret, in connection with the long line of public offices
in front. The Practising Schools, with their class-rooms
and theatre, are behind and in the wings; the playgrounds are in the open spaces at the sides.
WVe attended the exercises in the different departments, and were much interested with the order
and proficiency of the scholars; but, above all, we
were delighted to see that coloured children were
unreservedly mingled with the children of the whites.
The school system pursued is most like the national
system of education for Ireland. This system does
not secure by itself the religious and scriptural education of the scholars, but in its present superintendency the practice is better in this respect than the
profession. Dr. Ryerson, as a methodist minister, is
A A
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354     CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
evidently watching over this part of education, and, by
his own arrangements and superintendency, to a great
and admirable extent secures it. But we could not
help inquiring with solicitude, " How shall this be
secured in perpetuity, when it is not provided for in the
system?"
We saw several of the Government day-schools in
Toronto. They are neat substantial buildings, mostly
of good white brick, with stone dressings, and have
ample playgrounds attached to them.
We afterwards dined at Dr. Ryerson's, and found
there, at his friend's house, the Rev. Peter Jones, or
"Kahkewaquonaby," the Methodist Indian chief who
visited us in England some years ago. He is thin and
sunken both in countenance and body, and is dying of
consumption. But love to Christ and to the churches
of England beamed from his dark eyes, and irradiated
his tawny face, as he said to us, "Tell my friends of
England that I die triumphing in the blood of a crucified Redeemer." Dr. Hannah administered the sacramrnent of the Lord's Supper to him, to his wife, and to
his friends; and the solemn service in the dying chief's
chamber is truly memorable. With Dr. Ryerson, his
wife, and Dr. Ryerson's mother, we had some lengthened
conversation respecting Peter Jones and his Christian
course. We learned that his father was a Welshman,
but that his mother, by whom he was brought up, is so
thorough a "squaw," that she never could be persuaded
to sleep on anything but her own blanket, however good
or comfortable might be the bed in a house where she
was visiting with her son. Peter was converted under
the preaching of a missionary from the United States,
as before related. He has since that time laboured un 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
ceasingly for the temporal and spiritual interests of his
Indian people, and has been employed as a Methodist
missionary among them. He has aided the British
Government greatly by his interpretations and by his
loyalty, and among all classes he is held in high estimation. It is most probable that this worthy servant of
Christ will have passed to his eternal reward before you
receive this letter.*
In the evening I went with Mr. and Mrs. Hodson to
hear and see the Canadian representatives in their own
house of legislation. The Upper House was not assembled, but we went into the hall, which is a good room,
richly canopied and adorned, and hung with some fulllength portraits of English kings and queens. The Hall
of Representatives is a large room, very much after the
style of the old British House of Commons-the floor
being devoted to the speaker and members, and the
gallery given to the public. Several of the members
are of French descent, as you will suppose, but the
whole assembly had a most English aspect, and the
gentlemanly bearing of the speaker, and of the members generally, made one feel it creditable that they
belonged to England.
There was in the house one member who is known as
an opposing demagogue-Mackenzie, who took a prominent part in the Canadian rebellion of twenty years ago.
He is a thin, sharp, ferrety-looking man of more than
sixty years of age, and sits at his desk, watching, in
Joseph-Hume-like style, everybody and everything.
WVhen any of the members on the Government side can
retort upon him, they evidently do so with great zest.
* He died on Sunday, the 29th of June, in the fifty-fourth year of his
age, and was followed to his burial by multitudes of both rich and poor.
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356    CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
Some of them did so with considerable effect on the
evening I was in the house. Mackenzie had been
attacking the Government most unmercifully, and had
represented it as a rotteni cabbage, which became only
more corrupt and offensive by age. Hie said that he
was the oldest member in the house, and he had not in
the whole length of his experience known anything so
nauseously offensive as was the present Government. A
member on the Government side, by way of rejoinder,
exhibited Mackenzie as an old rotten cabbage, and, after
showing from the demnagogue's political life, that Mackenzie had always been a corrupt member of that house,
finished with the conclusion that, as he was the oldest
member and the most corrupt, he was, on his own
principle, the most offensive. Loud cries of "Ilear,
hear!" from all sides told that the force of this repartee
was almost universally felt, and Mackenzie tried to
parry the effect of the blow by pretending to join in the
general laugh, and by exclaiming aloud, "Good-very
good!" but when his foe proceeded to administer still
further castigation by similitudes, and likened him to a
fusty old maid dressed up in man's clothing, and
bothering everybody with his ridiculous officiousness
and petty meddling, his face lost its assumed smiles, and
twitched violently with chagrin. And when a Frenchman, in broken English, exclaimed aloud, in Mackenzie's own words and manner, "Good-very good!"
the roar of united laughter was overwhelming, and
the old man was for once, at least, thoroughly put
down.
It is plain, even to a casual observer, that the policy
now pursued by England in granting enlarged freedom
and independent action to Canada has worked most suc 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
cessfully both for the colony and for England itself. That
a colony can thrive, and that absolute "independence"
is not necessary to secure the prosperity of a country, is
proved by the example of Canada under the wise policy
to which I have alluded. The governor, on opening
the present legislative session, congratulated the colony
on the satisfactory state of the finances, and on the increasing wealth of the country. This is a pleasing contrast to the complaints of debt under the old system.
And now, also, in the place of perpetual feuds between
the Upper and Lower Canadians, and between French,
Irish, and English settlers, and in the place of proposals
and threats to unite with the States, there is a feeling
of the very strongest and most enthusiastic loyalty
towards England. Our sovereign and our country are
toasted and lauded wherever they are named in Canada;
and in all respects, so far as we can see, Canada is all
that one can reasonably desire a British colony to be.
But with so vast an extent of territory, stretching, as
Canada does, over the broadest part of North America,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and comprising more
ground than the United States, it may to some minds
seem impossible that such a country should continue to
be an appendage to the British dominions; yet if the
day of severance should come, largely peopled as Canada
is with England's sons, and modelled as it is upon
English laws and institutions, the parent will find in
her child her own image reflected, if not her youth
renewed.
We left the city and our friends of Toronto, on
Tuesday at noon, June 3rd, by the steamer which was
to convey us over the length of Lake Ontario, through
the Thousand Islands and by the St. Lawrence, to
357 
358      CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
Brockville, where we were to attend the Wesleyan
Conference for Western Canada on Wednesday morning. The president, and from twenty to thirty ministers, with numerous Methodist passengers, were on
board with us; and we had good opportunities of conversing with them upon both the country and its
churches. The day was not very fine. Fog gathered
round us at times, but it cleared away as we approached
Cobourg, where, while fresh log-fuel was taken in, and
numerous passengers were exchanged, we could view
the Victoria Wesleyan University which has been established there. It is a good, substantial, and imposing
structure, with returned wings at the sides, and a
cupola over the middle. There appears to be a considerable quantity of land belonging to it.  With its
accomplished president, professors, and tutors, it is a
most respectable and effective institution. Its officials,
and other ministers, came on board our steamer at
Cobourg, and proved to be most interesting companions
and friends.
I rose before five o'clock the next morning, that I
might view the "Thousand Isles,"-as a number of
islands extending  from  the foot  of Lake  Outario,
thirty miles down the St. Lawrence, are named. These
islands are, in reality, more than 1600 in number, and
they are surpassingly picturesque and lovely. They
are of various sizes, some containing fifteen acres, and
others only just visible, and bearing a single shrub,
and they are of every form imaginable. But while
richly adorned with trees and rocks, they have only a
slight elevation above the water. The scenery of these
islands, while threading your way among them, with
their varied shapes and colours, and with their clear 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
reflections in the surrounding waters, you feel to be
exceedingly beautiful; and that it would well repay a
voyage from England to the St. Lawrence to gaze upon
such a sight alone.  The" Thousand Island "scenery is
more like Killarney than any that I have seen, but it is
much more extensive. In steering through these isles it
is an ever-changing vision-at one time you are inclosed
in a narrow channel, then you see before you many
openings, like so many noble rivers flowing in different
directions, and immediately afterwards you are surrounded on every side as by a spacious lake.
WVe arrived at Brockville by nine o'clock on Wednesday morning, and, with several other ministers
attending the Canadian Conference, we were very hospitably entertained at the house of Mr. John Ross.
In another hour we went to the Wesleyan chapel,
where, among the numbers of our brethren who were
gathering from Western Canada, we recognised some
whom we had known in our own country. Brockville
is a homely sort of town on the northern bank of the
River St. Lawrence. Neither the town nor the Wes.
leyan chapel is large; but Methodism flourishes among
the inhabitants, and Brockville is prosperous, and it
may be judged that it is central from the fact of the
Conference for Western Canada being held here.
The president, with his co-delegates, the Rev. John
Ryerson and the Rev. Richard Jones, with Dr. E. Ryerson, Dr. Green, and ourselves, sat within the communionrails, and the ministers generally filled the pews on the
ground-floor. The ministers were about 150 in number,
and bore a very respectable appearance. There were
more young and middle-aged men, proportionably, than
are seen in our own Conference, or than we had seen
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360     CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
in the General Conference of Delegates at Indianapolis.
The aspect was more like that of a meeting of ministers
for a large district, such as London or AIanchester; but
it was thoroughly English in character.
We were most kindly and respectfully introduced by
the president, and most cordially received and welcomed by the brethren.  Dr. Hannah and I addressed
the Conference on the fraternal regard in which they
were held by the English MIethodists, and we reported to them the state of our churches and institutions ill England.   We felt immediately at home
with our Canadian brethren; so much so, that we
at times, almost unavoidably, took part in their deliberations.
The only election to be made for the organisation of
the Conference, was that of one secretary. This was
soon done; and here, as in the States, such an election
is not made so much of as with us in the English
Conference.   The secretaryship  is regarded almost
entirely as a business office, and does not bring the
holder into such close alliance with the president as
it does with us. The business of the Canadian Conference was conducted in an orderly and able manner; the brethren discussed their subjects freely,
often displaying considerable logical and rhetorical
power; and the president, with his co-delegates, gave
good and  weighty counsels.   The only question I
had of the entire wisdom and propriety of their proceedings was in reference to their reception of ministers
who are advanced in years from other parts. Their
temptation to this is great; for with them "the harvest
truly is great, while the labourers are few." But their
practice of receiving ministers of more than forty years 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVRILILE.
of age, with their families, while it evinces self-forgetful zeal on the part of the Conference, may-and I
should say must-ere long, prove oppressive upon the
connexional funds. We spoke upon this both in and
out of the Conference, and we were glad to observe that
many of the most influential ministers are awake to
this danger.
In the evening Dr. Hannah preached, by request,
before the Conference, on the prophetical investigation
of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that shall
follow. He was not free from the effects of past excitement and over-labour, and I feared the consequences of
the services upon him; but he preached like an apostle,
with all the fervour and glow of his own manner, and
his ministration was exceedingly refreshing to us all.
Next morning we took formal leave of the Conference,
exchanging the most tender and affectionate salutations
and greetings; and bore away, from the crowd that
thronged about us in the chapel to bid us farewell,
many a token and message of love to parents, brothers,
and sisters in England.   The Rev. John Ryerson and
Dr. Green accompanied us to the railway-station, and
at twelve at noon we left Brockville by the train for
-iontreal.
By taking this route we missed, to our great regret,
the sight of the Shooting Rapids on the River St. Lawrence; but we saw what we most desired to see-the
character and state of the land in Canada, with its
various classes of settlers and cultivators. The country
through which we passed very much resembled what
we had seen in some of the more westerly States of the
Union. The land appeared to be good, and was largely
cleared in some parts; while in others the original
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forest-trees remained, and near to them was the logcabin surrounded with black burnt stumps,-the proofs
that clearance had only recently begun. The country
had, decidedly, a more English aspect than the new
lands of the United States; and the settlers looked, in
figure, countenance, and dress, as well as in their associated gear of agricultural teams and instruments,
more like British husbandmen. On the whole, I should
say that a finer or more promising country than
Canada cannot anywhere be found. Taking into account its climate, soil, wood, mineral treasures, rivers,
lakes, railway conveyances, and quickly advancing
towns and cities, we may feel ourselves warranted in
concluding that Canada is destined to become one of
the first countries in the world.
Within the last seven years it has doubled its population, while the gross revenue of the colony has in that
period been quadrupled. Some of the cities and towns
have advanced in a still higher ratio.   The city of
Toronto had, in 1830, scarcely 5000 inhabitants; it
now contains more than 50,000 souls, and its assessed
property is valued at full four millions of pounds sterling.
The railways and their telegraphic wires are crossing
and intersecting the country in all directions.   At
present there are more than 800 miles of railway in
use, and preparations are making for opening within
the year 250 miles more, or what is called the "Great
Trunk Line," and which, by a colossal tubular bridge
a mile and a half long over the St. Lawrence at Montreal, will connect the large and increasing traffic between Canada and the United States.  Then there is
the great highway on the water, from the estuary of
the St. Lawrence at Quebec to the upper lakes: indeed, 
CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLT,E.
the facilities of the country for transit, agriculture,
mining, trade, and merchandise, seem to be boundless;
and, ultimately, Canada must assert its claim to be
classed among the most wealthy and flourishing portions of the globe.
With the river on our right, as an interesting companion for several miles as we rushed along, we advanced towards Montreal. We reached it at four in
the afternoon, and drove to the St. Lawrence HIotel,
where we obtained a two-bedded lodging-room for the
night. We went out to look at the town until dinnertime, and got a fair general idea of it.  Montreal is a
large, fine city, stretching along the side of the river
about two miles, and extending inwards, up a sloping
acclivity, a mile and a half. Paul Street, the chief
commercial thoroughfare, runs parallel to the St. Lawrence for the whole length of the city.   There are
several good squares and places of promenade. The
quay at the river-side, a full mile in length, by its
situation and masonry may be favourably compared
with any structure of the kind in England. There are
some large, fine public buildings. The churches are
good. There is a very handsome Gothic Methodist
chapel in James Street, which will hold, I should say,
1500 persons.
But the most pretentious structure is the French
Roman Catholic cathedral. It is said to be capable of
accommodating from ten to twelve thousand personsa report which, from experience of the exaggeration
so customary in speaking of public buildings, and the
number they will hold, I should translate into five or
six thousand at the most. This cathedral is of flat,
pasteboard, Gothic style, outside, with high towers; but
363 
361    CANADA.-CONFERENCE AT BROCKVILLE.
inside (like the Romish Church itself), it has nothing
worth admiration. Here, too, as in the cities of the
United States, the Romish cathedral is pewed, and has
no open space left, as in Europe, for the kneeling poor.
The town, in many parts, bears unmistakeable signs of
Roman Catholic inhabitants. It has several religious
houses and schools; and in the lower parts there are
crowded together the poorer classes of French people,
not the most cleanly in their persons and dwellings.
There are many large handsome houses in the great
streets and in the suburbs; also an English university,
a college, and numerous institutions for the promotion
of learning, science, and religion. There is, likewise,
a marble monument of Nelson; but it is much shattered
and broken. The population of the city of Montreal
was 9000 in the year 1800; now it is 75,000, and it
is rapidly on the increase.   The aggregate value of
the real estate of the city is estimated this year at
~6,391,333, and the total revenue at ~71,258; so that
Montreal is now a city of extensive and increasing merchandise and trade.  With the exception of half an
hour for dining, we spent our hours till bed-time in
looking over the town, and, as you will suppose, found
in it much to interest us. 
LETTER XXI.
LAKE CHAIPLIAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
Dcparture from ilontreal- Railway-ticket Sharpers-Beauty of Lake Champ lain —Town of Burlington-Brief Separation from Dr. Hannah-State
of Massachusets-Glance at its History-Its English Features-Boston
-Sketch of the City-Wooden Bridges-State-House-Chantrey's Statlue
of Washington-Faneuil Hall - Ancient  "Timber Houses" - Public
Buildings and AIonumieuts-Aseendancy of Unitarianism-Theodore Parker
-Departure  from Boston-The Infidel ill the Railway-car-Striking
Scenery -Albany -Description of the City-Churches and Sects  The Shakers-Sabbath in Albany.
WEV left Alontreal on Friday morning, the 6th of June,
at six o'clock,-Dr. Hannah intending to rest for a day or
two at Rhinebeck, while I turned aside to see Boston
and Albany, and then returned with him to New York.
I had very much desired to visit Quebec, having heard
much of the advantages of its position, and the grandeur of its surrounding scenery. The doctor, however,
evidently felt some effects of our long travel and continuous excitement; and having become fully accustomed
to each other's company, I resolved not to remain so far
behind, but to journey with him as far as Rutland, at
which point we might separate more safely for a day
or two, knowing that, meantime, we should not be
far from each other.
The morning was fine, and I rose from my bed in a 
366    LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
thankful frame, for it was the anniversary of my birthday. But as soon as we reached the quay to cross the
river for the Rutland Railway, we met with considerable
discomfort.   A crowd of eager, bawling ticket-sellers
surrounded us, contending for us as purchasers of railway tickets, which they said we could not obtain after
we left Montreal. Many of our fellow-passengers, either
on the ferry-steamer or the quay, saw how much we
were annoyed and perplexed, yet allowed us to stand
and reluctantly buy our tickets of these contentious
sharpers at any price they chose to demand. Not a
word was spoken for our counsel or relief by our fellowpassengers, though they knew that tickets might be
had either on board as we crossed the river, or of the
conductor in the railway-car. We purchased our tickets
of the salesmen on the quay, at the lowest price we
could obtain them for, and went on board the steamer,
in which we were to cross the River St. Lawrence for
the train waiting to receive us on the other side.
On being seated in the railway-car, it occurred to me
that our bill of charges at the hotel was very high,
considering the brief time we had stayed at Montreal.
On examination I found that full three-quarters of a
day each more than was due was set down to us. This
increased our annoyance, and the more so because it
was the first overcharge we had detected since we left
home (except in the hiring of coaches), and it had
occurred in the British dominions. We felt our British
character involved in it, and I immediately pencilled a
note to the proprietor of the hotel, enclosing the bill,
and pointing out the overcharge, which I hoped was
the clerk's error, and which I requested he would remit
to me in dollar notes. Having done this, we deter 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.    367
mined to rise above our annoyances, so resumed our
spirits, and prepared for the enjoyment of the scenery
in our way.
We passed over forty or fifty miles of cultivated
prairie land, between the Montreal ferry and Rouse's
Point, which is at the head of Lake Champlain, and
immediately on the border line between the United
States and Canada.  Here we crossed the lake in the
railway-car over an unfenced timber bridge, and ran
several miles down on the east side of the water to
Burlington, crossing the several creeks and bays of the
lake also on wooden supporters. WVe might have gone
down the lake in a steamer, and landed at Burlington
to take the rail, if we had not been perplexed and confounded at starting by the ticket-sellers. If we had
done so, we should have seen more of the beauty and
expanse of the lake, and of the charms of its lovely
islands. But as we had bought our tickets for the
railway we went upon it, and the prospect afforded from
it was very pleasing and beautiful. Lake Champlain is
132 miles long, and at Burlington, the widest part
unobstructed by islands, it is nearly ten miles across.
It varies in depth from fifty to nearly three hundred
feet. Its shores are richly-wooded, and are surrounded
by lofty Cumberland-like mountains. Many of these
heights have an historic interest from the skirmishes
and battles that were perseveringly sustained in them.
Burlington seems to be a town of importance, both in
learning and trade. The University of Vermont,
founded as early as 1791, is here, with its president and
five professors, and its library of 10,000 volumes. It is
* Since our return home the overcharge has been returned to us, thereby
showing that it was a clerk's error only. 
368    LAKE CIAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
situated on a rising ground, at about the middle of the
east side of the lake, on one of its larger bays, and has
some good streets intersecting each other, and regularly
laid out. Steamboats and river-craft are plentiful on the
water in front of it. On leaving Burlington by the
train, we still kept near to the lake for an hour and a
half, as far as Vergennes. From that town we took a
direction somewhat more inclined to the east for Rutland, where Dr. Hannah and I separated for a short
time-the doctor going on south to Albany for the night,
and from thence to Rhinebeck the next morning, while
I went south-east to Boston. The scenery, while we
were together, was highly picturesque. It very much
resembled some parts of the Welsh scenery in its gorges,
mountain  passes, and  valley streams.   But  all the
scenery, both of hills and valleys, was richly wooded, of
a light pea-green colour.
When the doctor and I separated, I journeyed on
by rail to Keene. The scenery continued to be very
delightful; some of the rocks and cascades pouring from
them were strikingly picturesque. After this I entered
the State of iAlassachusets, and proceeded towards
Boston, which I reached about nine in the evening,
having travelled in fifteen hours about 330 miles. I
obtained good accommodation at " The American
House," and, after a comfortable meal and a brief stroll
through the town, retired to bed.
Massachusets is one of the oldest, wealthiest, bestcultivated, and most influential states of the Union.  It
is small in comparison with some other states; but it is
rich in iron, lead, marble, and limestone, as well as in
the varieties of its soil. It is also advantageously posited,
with its fine bays and ports on the east coast, while it is 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.    369
well watered by its rivers within. Of late years the
manufactures of this State have risen to considerable
importance. Farms are numerous, in proportion to the
extent of the State, and are well cultivated. The roads
are good and well fenced, the gardens and orchards are
trimly kept, and, altogether, an English traveller is
more reminded of his own country in passing through
)Iassachusets, by its enclosed fields, flocks of sheep,
blooming orchards, and flowery gardens, than he is by
what he sees in any other State. So that he is fully
reconciled to the use of the name given by Prince
Charles to this and the five adjoining States eastward of
the Hudson River, that of " New England."
I need scarcely say to you that in this State is the
landing-place of the "Pilgrim Fathers," who, after their
long and perilous voyage in the 3Iayflower (fleeing from
the persecution of the first Stuart), reached its shores on
December 22, 1620, and founded the town of Plymouth.
Their early struggles in the establishment of their infant
colony are  familiar to you.   Alassachusets, in  the
beginning, seems to have borne very much of the
character of its Puritan founders. Its laws were most
unjustifiably strict for mere private and domestic faults,
and it was disgraced by its cruel persecution of the
Quakers, and its barbarous burnings for "witchcraft."
It seems to have been involved with the other States in
the guilt of slavery, and to have advertised for sale not
only negroes and Indians, but also Irish and Guernsey
boys and girls.  It also committed some sad depredations
upon the Indian possessors of the soil. One is happy to
say that AIassachusets, like some other parts of Christendom, has now cleared itself of many errors which
lingered too long, and that it is now foremost of all the
BB 
370    LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
States in the promotion of benevolent and moral schemes
for the advantage of the coloured race and the aborigines,
as well as of its own population.
Before the revolution of 1776, Massachusets had
virtually abolished slavery in its own territory, and now
not only are the coloured people within it all free, but
possess equal electoral rights with the white inhabitants.
It has also its organised Abolition Society, which is
zealous and active.   Eliot and Brainerd were missionaries to the Indians from New England; and, at the
present time, not only is Massachusets the richest of
all the States in its provision of university and college
education for the youth of the wealthier classes, but it has
public schools which are said to be fully adequate to the
wants of all the children within it. There is, however,
one drawback to its public reputation, and that is a very
serious one; it is foremost in the profession of Pantheism,
and of the Socinian heresy. Next to the Presbyterian
and Baptist Churches, the Unitarians are most numerous,
while  the Universalists have  also many supporters
within the State. The people, generally, seem cold and
phlegmatic. There is a hard, stern, Scotbchman-like
look and bearing in their demeanour that differs as
greatly from the sunlike glow of the luxurious and hospitable Southerner as it does from the impulsive, go-ahead recklessness of the onward-bound Westerner.
Boston is the capital of Massachusets (as the abor'ginal Indian tribe after whom it was named called
themselves), and the metropolis of New England. It
was first described by an Indian name which signified
"the hill with three tops," and which was Englished
into "Trimountain," or "Trement," but afterwards, in
honour of a minister and some emigrants from Boston, 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.    371
in Lincolnshire, it was authoritatively determined to
designate it by its present name-the emigrant's feeling
for his native place being strong then, as it is now. It
is on record that the first three children baptised in the
church of Boston were named "'Joy," "Recompence,"
and "Pity," by way of memento, no doubt, as in patriarchal and Jewish days, of the state and circumstances
of the parents. The city is now large, handsome, and
prosperous. It contained at the last census 162,629
inhabitants. It is older in appearance than any other
city of the States which I have seen, and is less regular
and methodical in its plan and thoroughfares. But it
has a substantial, well-established look throughout, and,
like the State of which it is the capital, is very English
in character. Boston stands on a kind of peninsula,
and when seen from the water, with its rising terraces,
streets, and domes, like Baltimore, it reminds one of
pictures of Constantinople seen from the Bosphorus.
One of the remarkable sights here consists in the long
wooden bridges which connect the city with the surrounding country. Some of these are as much as 6000
feet long, and 40 feet wide. They rest upon hundreds
of piers, and at night are lighted with numerous lamps,
that seem doubled by reflection in the water. Here are
numerous wharves, with large, handsome warehouses
upon them, capacious docks, and shipping so extensive
as to rank next to that which is seen in the harbour of
New York.
The State-House, and other public buildings, are on
the crown of Beacon Hill, in front of which, on one
side, is a large park for the use of the public-" Boston
Common," as it is usually called; and on the other, is
the huge reservoir for the supply of the city with fresh 
372    LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
water. The principal street for stores of light and
fashionable goods is a long street named after Washington, in the lower part of the city; but the most
elegant shops for ladies are those of Tremont Row,
which is in the higher part, leading to the park. The
business in heavy goods, which of course is great, is
transacted near the wharves. The private residences in
Boston are good and substantial, and are almost wholly
of stone or brick.  lIany of them, with their granite
basement and steps, their tasteful porticoes, balconies,
and palisades, are stately and imposing. The impression
made by the whole, whether in the throng of the city,
or in its suburbs, is that of wealth divided and diffused
among the many, and not amassed and possessed by
the few. There are no huge mansions, but there are
numerous good and elegant houses, with their garden
plots and trees before or around them; and almost
everywhere but in the lowest parts of the town, there is
an air of cleanliness and solid comfort beyond what can
be found, so far as I have observed, in the other large
cities of the States.
The public buildings are large and respectable. The
State-Hlouse stands on the highest point; and is seen,
with its well-proportioned dome, as a crowning ornament of the city from every point of view. It is a
good structure, and is something after the form of the
Capitol in the city of Washington; only, it is coloured
as stone, instead of being whitened as marble. It is
approached by a lofty flight of steps. Both the Senate
Chamber and the Hiall of Representatives are fitted up
with semicircular and gradually elevated desks, fronting
the chair of the speaker-the arrangement common
to all the legislative halls of America. It is, in fact, 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
the model of the old Greekl theatre, if you imagine a
stage in place of the speaker's chair; and undoubtedly
combines more advantages for both seeing and hearing
than any other form that could be followed.
In a recess farthest from the door of the grand
entrance to the State-House, is an exquisitely beautiful
statue of Washington, executed by Chantrey, in the
very best style of his art. This is the statue of Washington: the face, the form, the calm and dignified
intelligence, the conscious strength and serenity embodied to the eye in the marble-seem a full realisation of the mind's ideal of skill and courage, goodness
and greatness. Near to the State-Hlouse is the tenement
formerly occupied by John iancock, one of the leaders
in the revolution, and whose name stands first among
the signatures to the "Declaration of Independence."
The building is still occupied by his descendants; and
is not much unlike an English village parsonage of the
olden time.
The "City Hiall" and "Faneuil Hiall" are both large
old buildings.  The latter is regarded as "the cradle of
American liberty," for in it the first strugglers for independence assembled to rouse the people into resistance
against the British Government.  There are also a few
old "timber-houses" of the Elizabethan order, hanging
awry with their wooden projecting stories and gables.
So that the city of Boston bears more of the signs of
antiquity than any other city of the United States.
There is a public museum in Tremont Street that pro mises much by its outside appearance, but greatly
disappoints an English visitor, who, on entering, sees
only a strange jumble of wax-works, paintings, engrav ings, casts from statuary, and Indian clothing and
373 
374    LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
weapons of war. There are some large churches and
lecture halls in Boston; and several imposing structures
belonging to literary, scientific, and philanthropic insti tutions.
The appearance of the people is, in general, American.
The men are tall and thin, with bilious complexions,
serious countenances, and straight hair, having a puri tanical cast. They are, for the most part, well-dressed,
without show or dandyism: and have less hurry and
bustle in their movements than you see in New York
and Philadelphia. The women may not vie with the
"Baltimore beauties;" but they have truer taste and
less gaudiness in their dresses, and there is a quiet
air of superiority evident in both their gait and look.
No one professes aristocracy in Boston, yet there is
said to be a talk of "the best circles;" and there is
more reserve of look and manners in this "Athens of
the West," than you see in most other places in this
new and republican world. All things in this city
wear more of the air of English life and society than
other parts of the States; and many of the inhabitants,
while most reluctant to admit the superiority of the
English to themselves in any respect, yet pride themselves on the purity of their descent from English
families of distinction.
The suburbs of Boston have their objects of interest.
There is the " Harvard University," with its numerous
professors and students, and its extensive library. But
this is now in the hands of the Unitarians, and is a
stronghold for the corruption of real Christianity, rather
than the defence and preservation of it. There is also
the Auburn Cemetery, which, with its natural scenery of
river, lake, forest, and shrubbery, some admire  more 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
than the celebrated Pere-la-Chaise of Paris. And then
there is the much-talked-of Bunker's Hill Monument,
which I expected to find far more massive and imposing
than it is. It is barely a modern grey granite obelisk,
not near so high, and far from being so symmetrical, as
some of our factory chimneys, to say nothing of our
Gothic towers and spires; and, in my humble judgment,
has no grandeur of effect, though placed on an eminence
by the harbour of more than one hundred feet.
There are also the Navy Yard, docks, and navy
hospitals, which cannot fail to interest the visitor, and
which, with other public works and structures, surround
and adorn the city; and, on the whole, an English
traveller cannot leave Boston without a deep impression
of its advanced state both in substance and refinement;
while, if he be a regenerate man, he will sigh as he
turns away from it, and remembers how rapidly it is
becoming the citadel of Unbelief.   Boston, in still
greater proportion than the State to which it belongs,
is the seat of Unitarianism, Universalism, and various
forms of scepticism. The Unitarians have more churches
here than any other worshipping community. Both
Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches have fallen,
with their ministers, into this Christ-dishonouring
heresy, and have borne along with them large numbers
of the more wealthy and influential families of the
city; while the University of Cambridge and other
colleges have fallen into their hands. Theodore Parker,
the polished Pantheist, gathers his crowded audiences
in this city, and, with his spurious conceptions of tole rance, is said to bless God that Mormonism can have its
free and unrestrained liberty in Boston. The Roman
Catholics, too, chiefly through the influx of Irish emi
375
I I 
376    LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON. AND ALBANY.
grants, are numerous, and have here their priests and
female agents in full employment. These facts, to a
mind under the influence of spiritual and saving Chris tianity, throw a gloomy cloud over the city, and
lamentably darken its character. The Methodist Epis copal Church numbers here some 2000 fiill-church
members, and has its "Book Concern," from whence it
issues its Zior's Hera1l(, and various literature.
I left Boston for Albany by the WYorcester Railway,
and had not been long in the car before I had proof of
the prevalence of scepticism and infidelity in this part
of the States. A lady, the wife of a senator, as I
learned, took her seat at Boston immediately behind
me. Very soon a respectable-looking man seated him self beside her, and, in the American manner, entered
freely into conversation with her respecting her journey.
The lady stated that she was from Auburn, and was the
wife of a county senator, who, at a sudden call by the
death of a brother on the railway, was journeying from
Albany to the  West.  She seemed to feel her bereavement deeply, and spoke of it as a very serious and
solemn event. The gentleman on the seat with her
said that it was not surprising that such an event should
be felt by the bereaved friends, but for himself, he was
reconciled to death on the ground that it terminated
existence, and with that all pain and sorrow. He used,
he observed, to shudder at the approach of death, when
he believed in reward and punishment after it, but in
late years he had given the subject a thorough investigation, and he was convinced, both from reason and
Scripture, that there was no hereafter. Then he entered
upon pretended expositions of passages in the Bible bearing on the question, and gave the most false and unwar 
LAKE CIIAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.    377
rantable interpretations. The lady expressed her doubt
respecting his conclusions, and declared that, in her
view, they afforded no relief or consolation in bereavement, or in the personal prospect of death. He set
himself still more earnestly to shake her faith in the
doctrine of a future state, and tried to show her how
his unbelief was relieving in such a case as hers.
I forebore from making any remarks as long as I could,
but this attempt to seduce a sorrowing woman from the
truth seemed so insidious and unmanly, that it reminded
me of \Iilton's representation of Satan as a toad squat
at the ear of Eve, and I could no longer restrain the
expression of my condemnation; so turning round to
the gentleman, I said firmly, "Sir, you must excuse me
for seeming intrusion upon your conversation with your
friend, but, sitting where I do, I could not but hear what
you have said; and satisfied as you may have personally
become on the subject you have named, yet you must
admit that you incur tremendous responsibility in trying
to take from the mind of another the all-powerful motive
to moral and religious duty which is to be derived from
a belief in a future life." He evidently quailed under
the rebuke; his eyes drooped, and the flesh quivered on
his face. He admitted the responsibility incurred by
his conduct, but endeavoured to justify it on the ground
of truth. WVe then discussed the question itself, examining Scripture texts; but his ardour in debate soon
subsided, and, on our stopping at the next station, he
either left the train, or went into another car, for
neither the lady nor I saw him again.
The scenery on this line was very pleasing, particularly in the neighbourhood of Springfield, where we
crossed, the Connecticut IRiver. The chain of hills for 
378    LAKE CIIAMIPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
many miles was beautiful in its round swelling forms
and rich green clothing. It was covered with fresh leaved trees, and that from the river-edge to its summit,
so that the sight as I rode along and viewed them was
very refreshing. As the train approached Albany the
hills became less undulating and more extended in their
outline. They assumed more of the form of mountains,
and were not so uniformly wooded. With the horizontal streaks of the descending sun behind them, they
produced a very solemn and grand effect, which was
more sombre as we advanced, and before arriving at
Troy, where we crossed the Hudson by ferry for Albany,
the scenery was almost wholly massed in darkness. The
lights of Albany, sprinkled over the sloping heights
of the city, made known its general outline. I drove
up to the Congress Hall Hotel, and soon pronounced
myself to be in a very comfortable lodging.
Albany is the legislative capital of the Empire State
of New York, and was one of the earliest Dutch settlements. It was wrested from them by Charles II. in
1664, and, both under the English and the Americans,
has continued to prosper, so that now it is a large and important city, with more than 60,000 inhabitants. Lying
on a sloping ascent on the western bank of the Hudson,
Albany looks well from the opposite side of the river, as
it is seen rising from its quay and wharves at the water's
edge, and displaying its buildings and streets at different steps of elevation, until they are all crowned by
the dome of the City Hall, which, being overlaid with
plates of zinc, glistens in the sunshine most brilliantly.
The chief trade is in the lower parts of the city, and,
both in appearance and names, the stores remind a
visitor of the Dutch origin of the place. Albany is 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
nearly at the extremity of the deeper navigation of the
Hudson, and being, as it is, a great point of communication with Canada and the Atlantic, as well as with
the West, the steamboats and river-craft are numerous.
The public buildings and better sort of residences
are in the higher part of the town, either on the
crown of the hill, or in either of the two chief cross
streets, named Market Street and Pearl Street. The
great thoroughfare is a long, wide street or avenue
ascending from the banks of the river, and reaching to
the Capitol on the hill. The streets are irregular in
the older part of the town-that nearest the river; but
in the higher and more modern division, order has been
observed, and large spaces have been appropriated to
public squares, which, with their walks and trees, add
much to the pleasant appearance as well as to the salubrity of the city. The Capitol is not so stately and
imposing as some other public buildings in its neighbourhood, which are of later date.
Churches and educational establishments are numerous in Albany; there is church accommodation for
more than two-thirds of its population, including children; and it is said that fully two-thirds regularly
attend public worship. The Methodists have the greater
share of the churches, and hold a very good position
in the city. The Presbyterians, the German Reformers,
the Baptists, and the Protestant Episcopalians, as well
as the Roman Catholics, have large churches, and all of
them have Sunday.sehools belonging to them. There
are also normal or model schools on a large scale, in
which teachers are trained for the public schools in the
State.
That very singular religious sect, the Shakers, have
3,9 
380    LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.
a large establishment within eight miles of Albany,
but I had not time to visit it. They are the followers
of "Mother Ann Lee," of Manchester, in our own
country, who joined herself to some German Shakers,
and began like them to profess special revelations and
manifestations from Heaven, and held meetings in
which leaping and dancing were the results of high
mental excitement in some, and persecution the natural
result in others. She left England to escape the persecution, and, in 1776, located herself at Niskynna, in
this neighbourhood, where the chief community of her
followers still reside. There are other communities of
this strange sect scattered over the States, comprising
4000 men, women, and children, and they are said to
be gaining adherents more rapidly now than for some
time past. I might have spent the Sabbath in visiting
the Shakers' establishment, and I must confess that I
had some curiosity to witness their monastic system,
their jumping, dancing, and singing, especially as they
have the highest reputation for morality and sincerity;
but I could not, on reflection, think it the most suitable
way of spending the hours of the sacred day. So I
remained at Albany, and visited the various churches.
In the morning I went to the Methodist service in
Pearl Street, where, in a good, commodious church, I
heard a somewhat desultory, but on the whole a telling
sermon on the Christian duty of overcoming evil with
good. The service was fervent and impressive. Afterwards, I turned into a large Protestant Episcopal church
in State Street, where, to a fashionably-dressed audience,
I heard delivered a decent moral discourse, which lacked
earnestness, evangelical motive, and direct application.
In the afternoon, I looked in at the Roman Catholic 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN, BOSTON, AND ALBANY.    381
church, which was filled in every part. The altar was
highly decorated and the priests were in full dress;
the schools were in their characteristic costumes; many
candles were burning; the choir was large and powerful;
and all the congregation seemed to be most earnestly
engaged in the service. The show and glare of Popery
seemed carried to their utmost height, and as I stood
and surveyed the priests and their attendants, bowing
and chanting before the crucifixes, I could have shouted
"Idolatry!  Idolatry!" as loudly as Latimer himself,
for my spirit was stirred within me at the semi-heathenish sight.   In the evening I sought the African
church, but could not find it; so I turned into the
Baptist church in Pearl Street, and heard from a Mr.
Nixon, who was there that evening, a very tender and
loving sermon on the first part of Solomon's Song.
After that I called on Mlr. Lord from England, and
then returned to my hotel, where I slept soundly in a
good bed until five the next morning. 
LETTER XXII.
HUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.
Scenery of the Hudson-The "Crow's Nest "-Tappan's Bay-The "Pali sades "-Hills of Hoboken-Return to New York-Visit to Brooklyn Dr. Hannah's Sermon and Farewell of Methodist Friends in New York Re-embarkment on Board the A4frica-Voyage homewards-Passengers
-Sabbath Services on Board-Singing-Land in Sight-Summary of
Thoughts on America.
I LEFT Albany for New York by the Hudson Railway,
which passes along the eastern bank of the river. The
Iudson gradually increased in width, and was broken
by islands richly covered with graceful foliage. After
about an hour's ride, the Catskill Mountains were seen
on the right: rain-clouds were hanging upon them at
the time, and they were reeking in their morning-dew
with fine Turneresque effect. Hiere and there the veil
of mist was parted, and afforded glimpses of dark,
wooded, high-peaked mountains, and of the sylvan
sloping scenery around them. I passed the town of
hIudson, which takes its name, like the river, from the
Dutch navigator and explorer, and saw across the
water the small village of "Athens."
In about three hours from starting I reached Rhinebeck, where my friend, Dr. Hannah, joined me againhe having spent the time of our separation very plea 
HUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.  383
santly and profitably at lRhinebeck, with the daughter
of Freeborn Garrettson and Mrs. Olin, who reside in
that locality. Hie had preached twice on the Sabbath,
and had administered the sacrament of the Lord's Supper in a newly-opened church at Jtill Side, for building
which the ladies had obtained the funds by their own
efforts. It was the first time that the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper had been administered there. Notwithstanding these labours, I was delighted to see that the
doctor looked refreshed by his visit.
We now journeyed on together, and had most lovely
landscape views opening to us,-they were scattered
over with mansions, and we learned that this charming
locality was named " Hyde Park." The scenery grew
bolder as we approached the flourishing towns of
Poughkeepsie and Newburgh. The blue hills stretched
away beyond the river, reminding us by their forms of
our own Cumberland and Westmoreland scenery. Then
we came to a highly picturesque part at what is called
"W est Point," where two frowning hills overhang the
water, while an island of rock rises up in the middle
of the river.   This view of the immense toppling
masses of craggy heights and leaning precipices is very
impressive. But the most lovely scene of all was that
of the "Crow's Nest," where a mountain 1428 feet high
rests in the river, in the midst of the most beautiful
lake-like expansion of water, and in the most picturesque
manner slopes upwards to the summit, where there is a
depression in form of fancied resemblance to a crow's
nest. Nothing can be imagined finer than this part of
the Hudson scenery. The shelving banks and hills
sink down at their sides into the glassy river, and
reflect their rich covering of June verdure as in a 
384  IIHUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HIOME.
bright mirror; while the Crow-Nest mountain, with
deeper shadows at his sides and in the water, rests in
high, calm majesty, like a monarch amidst the whole.
In this neighbourhood, too, standing on an elevation,
is the Military Academy, where the cadets for the
United States' army are trained, and also the pillared
monument raised by them to the Polish patriot, Kosciusko, who, in early life, fought under Washington for
American independence, and who spent his latter days
in quietness in this neighbourhood, receiving a pension
from the United States' government.  Further, after
passing "Buttermilk Falls" on the right, and "Anthony's Nose" on the left, we came to "Sing Sing,"
where are the noted marble quarries, worked by state
prisoners.  Then we reached "Tappan's Bay," where
the water expands to an average width of two miles and
a half, in a length of about ten miles. This locality is
memorable in American history for being the headquarters of Washington during the war of the revolution.  We were now also in the neighbourhood of the
homes of Washington Irving, the genial author of "The
Sketch-book of Geoffrey Crayon," and of Mrs. Wetherell,
the successful writer of "Queechy," and "The Wide
WVide World."
The Hudson river narrowed again; and now, on
our right, for twenty miles in length, rose a most
remarkable range of trap-rock, ascending perpendicularly from the water to a height of from 100 to 500 feet,
with sharp-pointed edges at its precipice. This wall of
rocks, from its appearance, is called "The Palisades."
In some parts it is perfectly bare, showing the angular
seams and fissures; in other parts it is scattered over
with brushwood, and here and there slopes down a bit 
HUTDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME. 385
of lawn to the edge of the river, while between the cliffs
may be seen peeping lovely cottages, half-smothered in
shrubberies. The eastern bank of the river, upon which
we passed by the train, is only of moderate height; but
it is not without its adornment of trees and villages.
The Hudson may be considered as the Rhine of the.
United States; but its scenery is not so bold and romantic as that which we have seen together on the
veritable Rhine, though it is as winding in its course,
and as abrupt in some of its turns.   The loftier elevations by the side of the Hudson are almost wholly confined to its western bank, and you are not presented
here with the rocky juttings and fine old ruined castles
which so greatly heighten the picturesque effect of the
panorama on the true Rhine, and so constantly carry
back the thoughts to the old chivalrous times. Thought
is awakened as one gazes here at so much that is beautiful. The imagination pictures the delight and wonder
of the first Europeans who ascended the Hudson-for
delight and wonder must have been experienced, even
by a Dutch commander and his crew, when these varied
scenes of beauty and fertility first broke upon their view.
They must, one cannot help thinking, have gazed from
the deck, with almost breathless admiration, at the
richly wooded scenery; while here and there at openings
or at the water's edge, would be seen.painted and headplumed Indians, peeping or staring at them and their
heavy vessel. And then there would be the glowin,
thoughts of the report of their discovery, which they
would have to bear to Holland-that report which,
when actually delivered, induced the Dutch instantly
to form a company for the colonisation of this newlyfound realm of loveliness.
cc 
386 DUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE IIOME.
1Ve soon beheld on our right the hills of IToboken,
where many of the more opulent merchants of New
York have their villas and mansions, the site combining
the advantages of good air, extensive and beautiful
scenery, and proximity to the great city. On the river,
, too, the numerous steamers and craft of different kinds,
approaching or leaving New York, now gave additional
animation to the scene; and soon we were rattling
through the streets on the western side of the metropolitan city, and then were busy claiming our luggage
at the terminus by the corresponding checks.   One of
the checks proved to have been given us in error, for
it did not bear the same number as that which was
attached to the doctor's black bag. However, by explanations and certificates, we obtained the whole (ten
portions), and with it drove in a spacious swing coach
to the Book Concern. There we took up'our large
portmanteaus, which we had forwarded for relief fromn
Indianapolis, by Adam's Express, 1000 miles for about
~1. Thence we proceeded to our friend Mr. AMead's,
truly thankful for Divine protection during our long
journey over so large a portion of the American continent, and reconciled to the overcharge of four dollars
(16s. 8d.) for the use of the coach from the railway,
knowing that, with the exception of a bunch of keys
left at Rhinebeck, all our luggage was safe, and that
we with it were on the eve of departure for home.
During our very brief stay in New York we went
over to Brooklyn bv the steam ferry; and while Dr.
Hannah called upon an English friend there, I went on
to Greenmount Cemetery. This suburban burial-place is
very beautifully situated on a rising ground facing New
York, is tastefully laid out in walks and water, and its 
HUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN AND VOYAGE IOME, 387
white marble tombs and obelisks are surrounded or
overhung with shrubbery and trees.   There is something very instructive and subduing in these American
grave gardens.   Reverence and love for the departed
are evident in the care, order, and taste with which the
graves and sepulchres are preserved.   The mementoes
of garlands and bunches of faded flowers strewn over
them, tell of visits by the bereaved, and the simple and
unaffected inscriptions which some of them bear in the
place of the full name-such as "My Husband," "Our
Mother," or "M y Brother," are very touching.
I also revisited the Methodist Book Concern, where
the kindest attentions were paid to me by the Rev. Thos.
Carlton, and where copies of several publications were
generously presented to me. I also stepped into Harper's great book-store, and several other publishing
and bookselling establishments. But I found little in
the price of American books to tempt me to add much
to the weight of my luggage; nor, ind(eed, did I find
anything in the States much cheaper than the like
article in England, while many things, particularly
clothing, were considerably higher.
I)r. Hannah preached, by special request, in the
evening of the single entire day we spent in New York
on our return, in Green Street Methodist Church. The
large building was crowded; and the doctor, worn and
jaded though he was, preached a most eloquent and
powerful sermon.  IMany had come not only from different parts of the city, but from different parts of the
country. Some were there whom we had known in
London and Manchester, and seemed to feel much under
the remembrance of old times. After the sermon I was
proceeding to conclude the service, when we discovered 
388 IIUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.
that it had been arranged to take a public farewell of us
on the eve of our departure for home and England.
3~any ministers were within the comnmunion-rails and
around. Dr. Bangs delivered to us a most affectionate
address, and Dr. Hannah replied to it appropriately.
They pressed me for a speech; but I was tired of
public exhibitions, and was too much the subject of
emotion to speak at length, so I sheltered myself under
the speech of Dr. Hannah, and made my escape from a
front position.
The inquiries made of us, and the messages and
daguerreotypes entrusted to us, by settlers in the new
world, were very numerous. We shook hands that night
with not merely scores, but hundreds, of friends; and
we returned at a late hour to our host's, in the "Second
Avenue," to sleep a little, and then prepare for commencing our homeward voyage on the morrow.
We were on board the Africa-our old ship-by
eleven o'clock on the morning of June the 11th, accompanied and met by a crowd of well-wishers — among
whom were our constant friend, Dr. Osbonr, his wife,
and Dr. and M1rs. Palmer. The last-named lady has
written some excellent works on Christian holiness, and
kindly presented copies of them to us. At twelve at
noon, with feelings never to be forgotten, we waved our
hats and handkerchiefs, as the steamship was loosened
from her moorings, and began to move her paddlewheels for England. When we could no longer discern
our friends on the pier, we took our last long look
around the beautifully expanding bay through which
we were steaming towards the ocean; and sighed'forth
our prayers to heaven for the churches and brethren
from whom we had received such uniform attentions, 
HUDSON RIVER BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME. 3S9
and expressions and proofs of regard during our sojourn
in America.
We were now fairly afloat, and bound for home.
The captain, officers, and men belonging to the Afiica
recognised us with pleasant looks and words, as their
old passengers; and we were not long before we set
our cabin in order, and prepared for repose, after nine
weeks continuous travel and excitement. We both felt
the effects of our doings, and were glad to escape from
the saloon to our cabin, there to rest, and speak unrestrainedly together of our thoughts and feelings in
relation to the past and future. We were scarcely out
at sea-that is to say, fairly out of sight of land-before
we were enveloped in thick fog, so that the horrid
screech-horn, to warn approaching vessels, was heard
every few minutes. And this was to be endured for
several days and nights.
On crossing the banks of Newfoundland, where the
cold current from the ice-bound north comes in contact
with the warm Gulf Stream, in which we sailed, the
fog thickened greatly upon us.  Fog, fog, fog, was
everywhere-shrouding our vessel, hiding from us the
sky and the sea, and filling the saloon and cabins with
dense vapour. WVe were crowded with passengers; and
had still greater varieties among them than among
those who were with us in our outward voyage.  They
were well-behaved; and less sea-sick than those we
went out with, for the water was remarkably and continuously smooth.  There were sudden stoppings, and
alarms at times, which made the passengers crowd to
the gangway. But the doctor and I kept much in our
berths, feeling seriously the effects of our past toil, now
the excitement was over. 
390  HUDSON PIVEER, BROOKLYN; AND VOYAGE HOME.
At length the fog cleared off for a time; and from
the deck we could see whales sporting in the water, and
spouting out the steam from their nostrils. Then
several icebergs were beheld drifting towards us from
the north; a sight which interested us all, somewhat
apprehensively. I sketched them with black and white
crayons.  They were like floating islands, as white as
snow; and, in the place of dark shadows upon them,
there were green, emerald-like reflections.   One  of
them, as it passed by us, having worn the under part
away in its course, until the upper had become the
heavier, toppled over fully in our view. Thus my
desire to see icebergs was fulfilled; and that under
most favourable circumstances.
I have been greatly interested and amused by considering the varieties among our passengers-especially
of their adornments of beard and moustache; and, one
day, I set myself to sketch the forms of these, as I
could see themin, during the time of a meal, in  the
saloon. I have sketched no less than thirty-five varieties,
which extend from the first pepper-dust crop on the
lip and chin, to the full-trained bushy beard that covers
all the lower part of the face. Some of the forms are
very fanciful and ridiculous, as you will see; and if
exhibited, as they might be, to the public, might tend
to shame fast and foppish young men from disfiguring
the "human face divine" in this b)(bcbarolis way.  Some
of these beards, you will observe, resemble much those
of a goat; and others give the face a sort of harlequin
character, by patching it with pieces of dark and light
colour. Surely, this rage for face-hair training is the
most absurd rage which has displayed itself inl modern
times  
IIUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME. 39t
On the Sabbath, Dr. IIannah preached in the saloon,
and I read the liturgy. The passengers were very
attentive, and the service was most refreshing. A
venerable Russian general, on board, took much to us,
and was eager in his inquiries concerning religion.
He particularly asked questions regarding the bodily,
or "real," presence of Christ in the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper. Hie was evidently sincere; and seemed
glad to be instructed in the things which belong to
salvation.  We have had some delightful singing on
board. In the evening, the Germans, who are numerous,
gathered between the decks, and sang, some of their
full-chorded  German  hymns,  which  sounded  most
heavenly on the water.  A lady, too, with her guitar,
at night, sang most charmingly:
"Her voice was like the music of a dream."
We are now bearing onward, in clear weather, with
a fair wind; and I am hoping, in a few more hours,
to see England, "home, sweet home," and yourself.
This inspires me until I could not forbear perpetrating
some verses expressive of my thoughts and feelings;
for cold prose does not seem an adequate or appropriate
vehicle of the mind, in such circumstances. I am like
the Irishman who wrote a letter and carried it himself;
for no mail will get this sheet from me to convey it to
you: I shall have to bring it myself. Yet, having
described by letter almost all things I have seen, heard,
and thought, in my Transatlantic tour, I am induced to
spend my time on board in thus penning for you the
,memor(abilia of our homeward voyage.
Indeed, land is now in sight, and we are making for
the south-east point of Ireland; in other words, for the 
392 HiUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.
entrance into St. George's Channel. Nearly all the
passengers are on deck in their better clothing; many
of them with spy-glasses in hand, to look for the first
speck of England. The water is smooth as glass; and
as I shall have time and space to do so, I will try,
in the next hour or two, to pen for you my most
mature thoughts upon the character of America and its
people.
The country and its resources are great beyond
conception by a stranger: indeed, it is a world in
itself. The area of the United States is three millions
of square miles, extending from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, east and west, and from the British possessions
on the north to the Gulf of MIexico on the south. The
extent of shore line is 12,609 miles; half of this line
being on the Atlantic coast, and looking towards the
old countries of Europe. It has thirty-one independent
States, and nine territories, including the district of
Columbia. In the first twenty years of independent
existence the States doubled their territory, and in less
than sixty years increased it threefold. The entire
population of the United States at present is more than
twenty-seven millions; one-sixth of this number are
coloured people, of whom all, except about half a million, are slaves. The yearly revenue of the United
States' Government is now more than thirteen millions
sterling. All this indicates an immense advancement,
for it is not yet a century since the Americans won their
independence. And when it is considered that their
country contains every variety of the raw materials of
commerce-wood, coal, stone, and the metals-in abundance; that the soil, for the most part, is as rich and 
IIUDSON RIVER, BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.  393
productive as can well be conceived, and that under
every variety of climate; that its vast sea and lake lines
girdle it all round, affording openings for the most
convenient ports and harbours, and that by these, and
by railroads and rivers within, it possesses the very best
facilities for both external and internal communications
-it must be perceived that the prospect for further
advancement is almost boundless.
But it is on the American character that one relies
when anticipating a vast progress for the country, since
mere material advantages can never make a great nation.
And the Americans have energy, expertness, and tact,
such as cannot be overmatched by any other people in
the world. Brother Jonathan is really a handy fellow;
he is ready for anything that will produce profit. And
although he eagerly reaches after the "almighty dollar,"
one cannot charge him with sheer avarice, for the
liberal provision he makes for his numerous philanthropic institutions would disprove the charge at once.
The Americans live in an element of political party
strife, and are constantly at war on the borders between
the North and the South, but they are resolutely determined, at all costs, to maintain their Federal Unioil, and
whatever may be their internal broils, they would combinedly resent the interference of any foreign power, as
certainly as the quarrelling husband and wife within
doors resent the unasked interposition of a meddling
neighbour. They are disgracefully criminal, as well as
grossly inconsistent, in their association with Slavery;
but several of the States are progressively severing
themselves from this monster evil, and surely we may
hope that the rest will, sooner or later, follow their
example. Perhaps it is to purely religious effort, after 
394 HUDSON InIVER BROOKLYN; AND VOYAGE IIOME.
all, that we must look for the moving power that shall
eventually secure negro emancipation in America. One
cannot help expecting, with very anxious interest, the
coming decision of the Northern )Iethodist Church
relative to this question.  It may bring the important
issue sooner than some people seem to expect. And yet
great preparation seems necessary before the coloured
race could take rank with the whites in America.
WVhoever has seen the country, and felt himself girt in
by the prejudices and contemptuous habits of the whites
towards the negroes, will fully understand how difficult
it is to persuade one's self that the evil can be swept
away. But with the Almighty Governor of nations this
is possible.   With His blessing on the struggles now
making, and with increasing and persevering efforts,
enfranchisement shall be won for the poor negro.
People who have only heard and read the ridiculous
sketches of American character and manners so commonly given, may affect to despise this great Transatlantic people, but those who have been among them,
and made due use of every opportunity for observation,
cannot do so.  An  Englishman  may prefer his own
country, people, and institutions; he may admire most
devotedly his own island scenes, all under full cultivation, and rich in their architectural antiquities and
historic associations; he may love the English breadth
of face and figure, and rejoice in the fresh, healthful
appearance of the men and women of his native land;
he may exult in the balance and spring of the British
constitution, and believe that, under our beloved
Sovereign, it bestows more genuine freedom than where
government is exercised by presidents who recklessly
outbid each other in promises for popularity: but with 
ItUDSON RIVER BROOKLYN, AND VOYAGE HOME.  395
all this preference and love for happy Old England, an
observant mind cannot regard Young America without
admiration and hearty good wishes.
Since writing the foregoing letter, we landed at
Liverpool, and arrived safely at our homes, after an
absence of nearly twelve weeks, and an extent of
travelling of nearly 11,000 miles. As the steamer
entered the Mersey, brilliant rockets were profusely
discharged, as signals to the town of Liverpool of her
approach.  John Robinson Kaye, Esq. (who, with Dr.
Vood and others, had witnessed our departure), met us
at midnight in the river, where we let fall our anchor to
remain until the morning, and informed us that our
wives and friends were well, and that Airs. Jobson was
at Birkenhead awaiting my arrival.  On hearing this, I
left the steamship with AIr. Kaye, and went ashore,
grateful to God for His sparing and protecting mercies.
The next day, when  journeying  to Suinmerseat, and
looking on the trim, fruitful scenes of my own country,
I fully appreciated the saying of foreigners, that it is
"all a garden,"  and  rejoiced that I  was born an
Englishman. 
APPE JDIX.
REPORT ON SLAVERY.
[Page 250.]
THE Committee on Slavery present the following as their report:   "That the reduction of a moral and responsible being to the con dition of property is a violation of natural rights, is considered by
most men an axiom in ethics; but whatever  opinions may  have
obtained in general society, the Methodist Episcopal Church has ever
maintained an unmistakeable anti-slavery position.  Affirmations that
slavery is founded in the philosophy of civil society, that it'is the
corner-stone of Republican institutions,' or that it'is sanctioned by
the Bible,' have never met with an approving response in our Church.
Contrariwise, the founder of Methodism denounced the system in
unqualified terms of condemnation, and the Fathers unwaveringly
followed the example of the venerated Wesley.
"The M. E. Church has, in good faith, in all the periods of its history, proposed to itself the question,' What shall be done for the
extirpation of the Evil of Slavery?' and it has never ceased, openly
and before the world, to bear its testimony against the sin, and to
exercise its disciplinary powers to the end that its members might be
kept unspotted from criminal connection with the system, and that
the evil itself be removed from among men.
' It is affirmed and believed that the M. E. Church have done more
to diffuse anti-slavery sentiments, to mitigate the evils of the system,
and to abolish the institution from civil society than any other organisationl, either political, social, or religious.  It is also affirmed and
believed that the administration of discipline in our Church, within
the bounds of Slave territory, have faithfully done all that, under
their circumstances, they have conscientiously judged to be in their
power to aiswer the eiids of the discipline in esxterninztiay  that
g)-eat evil. 
APPENDIX.
"At this period in our history we are met with the inquiry-Does
our book of discipline state clearly and definitely our true position
and our real sentiments?   Does the letter of the statute distinctly
indicate the practice we propose?   We answer No, and give fronm
among others the following reasons for our negative reply.  The discipline does not, in express terms, make the slaveholder ineligible to
the Episcopacy, and yet the General Conference of'44 considered
itself justified, both by the spirit of the discipline and the acknowledged preacher of the Church, in affirmingl that the relation of slaveholder was a disqualification for the office of a Bishop, and this it did
at the expense of an ever-to-be regretted division of our ecclesiastical
organisation. The discipline declares that'when any travelling
preacher becomes an owner of a slave or slaves, by any means, he
shall forfeit his ministerial character in our Churchl, unless he execute,
if it be practicable, a legal emancipation of such slaves conformably
to the laws of the State in which he lives,' but the administration
assuming that legal emancipation in the case of travelling preachers,
universally practicable, does not admit a slaveholder to the itinerant
connexioln.
"Again, our discipline does not distinguish between mercenary
slave-holding andcl the holding of a slave for benevolent purposes, and
yet all the arguments found in our official publications or heard in our
Conference debates, by which the admission of slaveholders to church
membership is justified, are based upon this distinction, and that for
the obvious reason that the distinction itself does really and justly
exist in the public mind, and the practice referred to cannot otherwise
be justified. Our book of discipline does not expressly enjoin it upon
our members that they secure to their slaves the sanctity of the conjugal and parental relations, and yet within all the borders of our
slave-holding territory, the uttered suspicion that Methliodists  are
negligenlt in these regards would be repelled with indignation.
"We now inquire whether the time has come when it becomes the
duty  of the  Church through its representatives assembled in its
highest ecclesiastical court, to so revise the statutes of the Church
as to make them express our real sentiments, and indicate our praetice as it is?  We answer —first, because it is just and equal; it is
right before God and all men that on a subject involving directly the
personal liberties of thousands, and indirectly of millions, of our fellowmen, the position of the Church should be neither equivocal or doubt
397 
A PPENDIX.
ful; secondly, because we cannot answer it to our own consciences,
nor to God, the Judge of all, if we fail to do what is in our power to
bear testimony against so great all evil; thirdly, because it is solemnly
demanded at our hands by a very large majority of those whom we
represent; and, fourthly, because the signs of the times plainly indicate that it is the duty of all good men to rally for the relief of the
oppressed, and for the defence of the liberties transmitted to us by
our fathers.
"We are aware that it is objected that in the present excited state
of the public mind to take any action on the subject will be to place
a weapon in the hands of our enemies, with which they may do us
essential injury.  Wie reply that in all cases to say one thing, and
mean another, is of doubtful e.i1peiieoey as well as of doubtful moraiity.  We judge the rather that on all questions vital to morality and
religion, the honour of the Church is better sustained by an unqualified
declaration of the truth.
"We  come now to state what, as it seems to us, is, always has
been, and ever should be, the true position of our Clhurch in respect
to slavery. WVe hold that the buying, selling, and by inference, the
holding of a human being, as property, is a sin against God and man;
that because of the social relations in which men may be placed by the
civil codes of slave-holding communities, the legal relation of master
to slave may, in some circumstances, submit innocently; that connection with slavery isprijodfacie evidence of guilt; that in all cases
of alleged criminality of this kind, the burden of proof should rest
upon the accused, he always having secured to him the advantages
of trial and appeal before impartial tribunals. In view of these facts
and principles, the committee recommend the adoption of the following resolutions:
"Resolvecl-1-st, by the delegates of the several annual Conferences
in General Conference assembled, that we recommend  the several
Annual Conferences so to amend our General Rule on Slavery as to
read-' The buying, selling, or holding a human being as property.'
"Resolve(I-2nd, by the delegates of the several Annual Conferences in General Conference assembled, that the following be and
hereby is substituted in the place of the present seventh chapter of
our book of discipline, to wit-' What shall be done for the Extirpation of the Evil of Slavery?'
"ts. 1. —We declare we are as much as ever convinced of the
393 
APPENDIX.
great evil of Slavery.  AWie believe that all men, by nature, have an
equal right to Freedom, and that no manl has a moral right to hold
a fellow-being as property; therefore, no slaveholder shall be eligible
to membership in our Clhurch hereafter, where emancipation can be
effected without injury to the slave.  But, inasmuch as persons may
be brouo'ht into the legal relation of slaveholders, involuntarily or
volLutarily, by purchasing slaves in order to free them, therefore the
merely legal relation shall not be considered, of itself, sufficient to
exclude a person who may thus sustain it, from the fellowship of the
Church.
"_,7s. 2.-AThenever a member  of our Church, by any  means,
becomes the owner of a slave, it shall be the duty of the preacher in
charge to call together a committee, of at least three members, who
shall investigate the case, and determine the time in which such slave
shall be free, and on his refusal or neglect to abide by the decision of
said committee, he shall be dealt with as in case of immorality.
"(tns. 3.-It shall be the duty of all our members and probationers,
who may sustain the legal relation of slaveholder, to teach their
servants to read the word of God; to allow them to attend the
public worship of God, on our regular days of divine service; to protect them in the observance of the duties of the conjugal and parental
relal ions; to give them such compensation for their services as may,
under the circumstances, be just and equal; to make such provisions
as may be legally practicable, to prevent them  and their posterity
from passilng into perpetual slavery, and to treat them in all respects
as required by the law of love.
"4Aizs. 4.-It shall be  the duty of our preachers prudently to
enforce the above rules.
All of wl'ich is respectfully submitted.
" M. R,AYMO-ND, Chairiean."
TEIE END.
J. S. VIRIUE, PilNTERi, CilIy   )AD.
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