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TRAVELS

IN

NORTH AMERICA,

IN THE

YEARS 1827 AND 1828.

By CAPTAIN BASIL HALL,
'il
KOYAl NAVY.

IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. II.

EDINBURGH :
PRINTED FOR CADELL AND CO., EDINBURGH ;
AND SIMPKIN AND MARSHALL, LONDON.
1829.

EDINBURGH :
rillNTEI) EY BALLANTTVE A>'r> COMTAXI
f AUL's WOllK, CANONGATE.

CONTENTS
OF VOLUME SECOND.

CHAPTER I.
Lake George, 2 — Lake Champlain, 5 — Springs of Saratoga, 7 — Ig
norance of America in England, 11 — And of England in America,
19.. CHAPTER II.
Albany, 28 — Legislature of New York, 29 — Mutual Misunderstand
ing between the Americans and the English, 43.
CHAPTER III.
Court of Errors at Albany, 52 — Presidential Election, 61.
CHAPTER IV.
Stockhridge, 73 — Cattle Show, 74— Intemperate Use of Ardent Spi
rits, 82.
CHAPTER V.
Northampton, 92 — Mount Holyoke, 94— Worcester, 100 — American
Tariff, 101.
. CHAPTER VI.
Boston, 111— Unitarianism in the United States, 112.
CHAPTER VII.
Boston, 122 — Harvard College, 129— Hospital, 133— Manufactories
at Lowell, 134. , CHAPTER VIII.
Salem, 141 — Navy Yard at Charlestown, 145— Influence of Females
in. Society, 152.

11
CHAPTER IX.
Schools at Boston, 164— Education in America, 171.
CHAPTER X.
Boston, 183— Institutions at Hartford, 187— Newhaven, 200— Pack
ets at New York, 207.
CHAPTER XI.
Sketch ofthe Rise and Progress of the American Constitution, 216
— Sketch of the Government, 227.
CHAPTER XII.
Law of Elections, 254— Duties ofthe President, 261.
CHAPTER XIII.
Theory and Practice of Democracy, 268.
CHAPTER XIV.
Congress and State Legislatures, 290 — Effects of Money-making
Habits, 305— Universal Suffrage, 311.
CHAPTER XV.
Philosophical Society at New York, 828 — Journey from New York
to Philadelphia, 335 — Wistar Parties, 339 — Institutions at Phila
delphia, 344.
CHAPTER XVI.
Publication of Books in America, 356 — Philosophical Society at
Philadelphia, 366— Franklin's Tomb, 372.
CHAPTER XVII.
Journey from Philadelphia to Baltimore, 377 — History of Steam-
Boat Navigation, 383. CHAPTER XVIII.
Baltimore, 391— The American Chesterfield, 405.
CHAPTER XIX.
On the American Judicial System, 409. ,

TRAVELS IN
NORTH AMERICA.

CHAPTER I.

On the 7th of September, 1827, we recrossed the
Canadian frontier, and found ourselves once more
in the United States. Our route lay along Lake
Champlain, in a very crowded steam-boat, filled
with tourists on their return from the North, men
of business proceeding to New York, and a large
party of Irish emigrants, who, for reasons best
known to themselves, had not chosen to settle in
the Canadas, hut to wander farther south in quest
of fortune.
There is always, more or less, an air of sadness
in the look of newly arrived emigrants. Tliey
have abandoned one country, without having as
yet gained a new one — they have no home — they
are uncertain as to the future, and have probably
few pleasurable recollections of the past — and
therefore, at such moments, they are little sustain-
VOL. II. A

2 TRAVELS IN THE
ed under privations and cares, by reflections re
moved from the scenes round about them.
I was much struck by the appearance of a female,
better dressed than the rest ofthe group of stran
gers, sitting apart from all the others, on a bundle
containing her scanty store of worldly goods and
gear, tied up in a threadbare handkerchief. Her
face, which was covered with a much-worn black
lace veil, was sunk between her knees, so that her
brow seemed to rest upon her open hands, which,
however, I could not well distinguish behind the
veil, as it hung down to the deck, while every part
of her dress fell so gracefully about her, that I was
reminded of a weeping figure, in a similar atti
tude, in Raphael's celebrated Loggie. This casual
association immediately carried iny thoughts back
to the countries I had left beyond the Atlantic, and
I could not help suspecting, from the appearance
of grief in this desolate exile, that her mind's eye,
and with it the best feelings of her breast, might
be equally far from the present scene, hut alas !
probably without one ray of hope to lighten her
path back again.
On the 8th of September, we made a delightful
voyage along Lake George, freely acknowledging
that we had come at last to some beautiful scenery
in the United States — beautiful in every respect,
and leaving nothing to wish for. I own that Lake

UNITED STATES. 3
George exceeded my expectations as far as it ex
ceeds the power of the Americans to overpraise
it, which is no small compliment. I began now to
suspect, however, that they really preferred many
things which have no right to he mentioned in the
same day with this finished piece of Lake scenery.
At all events, I often heard Lake George spoken
of by them, without that degree of animation of
which they were so lavish on some other, and as I
thought, very indifferent topics of admiration.
It is difficult, I must confess, to discover precise
ly what people feel with respect to scenery ; and I
may he Wrong in supposing so many of my Trans
atlantic friends insensible1 to its influence. But
certainly during our stay in the country, while we
heard many spots lauded to the utmost length that
words could go, we had often occasion to fancy
there was no genuine sentiment at the bottom of
all this praise. At the time I speak of, this was a
great puzzle to me ; and I could not understand
the apparent indifference shown to the scenery of
this beautiful Lake by most of our companions.
Subsequent experience, however, led me to see
that where the fine arts are not steadily cultivated
— where in fact there is little taste for that descrip
tion of excellence, and not very much is knowa
about it, there cannot possibly be much hearty ad
miration of the beauties of nature.

4 TRAVELS IN THE
Of all kinds of navigation that by steam is cer
tainly the most unpleasant. There is, I fear, but
a choice of miseries amongst the various methods
of travelling by water, while that which is pre
sent, like pains in the body, seems always the very
worst. The only way tq render the sea agreeable, -
is to make it a profession, to live upon it, and. to
consider all its attendant circumstances as duties.
Then, certainly, it becomes among the most de
lightful of all lives. I can answer, at least, for my
own feelings in the matter, for I have gone on
liking it more and more every day, since I first
put my foot on board ship, more than six and twen
ty years ago.
But it is a very different story when the, part of
a passenger is to be enacted — a miserable truth
which holds good whether the water be salt or
fresh, or whether the vessel be moved by wind, or
steam, or oars-. Fortunately our passage down
Lake George was in the day-time, for. just as we
had reached almost the end of this splendid piece
of water, we heard a fearful crash — bang went the
walking beam of the engine to pieces, and there
we lay like a log on the water. But the engineer
had no sooner turned off the steam, than the pro
digious fizzing, together with the sound of the, bell,
which was instantly set a-ringing, aided by the
shouts of the crew, gave alarm to those on shore.

UNITED STATES. 5
In a few minutes half a dozen boats shot out
from under the high bank near the village of Cald
well, and towed us speedily to land. This was a
shortlived distress, therefore, and rather pictu
resque and interesting upon the whole, as the
twilight was just about to close, and the magnifi
cent scenery of Lake George, being reduced to one
mass of deep shade, became still more impressive,
I thought, than it had been even in full daylight.
But we had experienced the true joys of a
steam-boat during the previous night when ma
king the voyage from North to South along Lake
Champlain. The machinery was unusually noisy,
the boat weak and tremulous, and we stopped,
backed, and went on again, at no fewer than eleven
different places, at each of which there was such
a racket, that it was impossible to get any rest.
If a passenger did manage to doze off, under the
combined influence of fatigue, and the monotonous
sound of the rumbling wheels, which resembled
eight or ten muffled kettle-drums, he was sure to
be awakened' by the quick "tinkle! tinkle!" ofthe
engineer's bell,, or the sharp voice of the pilot call
ing out " Stop her !" or he might he jerked half
out of his birth by a sound thump against the dock
or wharf. If these were not enough, the rattle and
bustle of lowering down the boat was sure to ba
nish all remaining chance of sleep.

6 TRAVELS IN THE
In the cabin there was suspended a great sta
ring lamp, trembling and waving about, in a style
to make even a sailor giddy. While underneath
its rays were stretched numberless weary passen
gers—some on mattresses spread on the deck,
others on the lockers, or on the bare planks — the
very picture of woe, like the field of battle after
the din of war has ceased. Amongst these pros
trate objects of compassion, various stray passen-r
gers might be seen picking their way, hunting
for their bags and cloaks, and talking all night,
in utter disregard of the unhappy wretches cooped
up in the sleepless sleeping-births round about
them. At every stopping place, fresh parties either
came on board, or went away, or both, so that the
Overcrowded cabin was one scene of buzz ! buzz !
during this very long night.
I went- upon deck once or twice, when worried
almost to death by the incessant hustle, but the
scenery was not very interesting ; for though the
moon was only a little past, or a little before the
full, I forget which, and the sky overhead clear
and sparkling, the lower atmosphere was filled
with a muggy sort of red haze or smoke, arising,
I was told, from the forests on fire, which gave a
ghastly appearance to the villages and trees, seen
through such a choky medium. On one occasion
only, when this mist cleared off a little, I was

UNITED STATES. 7
much struck with the appearance of a town ne; :.r
us, and I asked an American gentleman what place
it was. " Oh ! don't you know ? That is Platts
burgh — and there is the very spot where our Com
modore Macdonough defeated the English squa
dron." — I went to bed again.
On the 9th of September, we drove to Saratoga
Springs from Caldwell, a distance of twenty-seven
miles, which cost us nine hours jolty travelling
over hilly roads, in a most intensely hot and dusty
day. On driving up to the door of an immense
hotel, called the Congress Hall, the steps of the
carriage were let down by a very civil sort of gen
tleman, whom we took for the master of the house,
or at least the head waiter, and were much flat
tered accordingly; but the question he asked dis
pelled these visions of prompt reception. " Pray,
sir," he asked, in great haste, " do you go away to
morrow morning ?"
" To-morrow morning ? No ! what put that
in your head ?"
" Do you go in the afternoon then, sir ?"
" Not I, certainly," was my answer ; " but what
makes you in such a hurry to set us a-going again,
when we are tired to death and half choked with
dust?" Before he could muster a reply, or put another
question, a smart, brushing kind of man, with a full

8 TRAVELS IN THE
drab coat reaching to the dust, stepped in between
us, and with more bows in two minutes than I had
seen altogether since landing in America, wished
us a dozen good days and congratulations on our
return from Canada, and reminded me of a pro
mise I had made to employ him if I should want
his assistance.
" Well !" said I, trying to get past, " what is it
you would be at ? I don't want any thing but a
little rest and some dinner."
" O yes, to be sure, sir," said both these busy
gentlemen at once; and pulling out cards from
their pockets, let me understand that they were
rival stage proprietors on the line of road between
the Springs and Albany. In our subsequent jour
neys amongst the woods, we often thought, with a
sigh, of this solitary instance of empressement, and
would have given a great deal, sometimes, to have
been thus encumbered with help. It did so happen,
by the way, that we met one of these obliging per
sonages again, far away in the south, after we had
travelled more than a thousand miles from this
spot ; when we learnt that he was a complete bird
of passage, — carrying his horses and carriages to
the south in the winter; and accompanying the flock
of travellers back again to the north as soon as the
sickly season set iu at Charleston.
As the dinner hour was past, we had to wait a

UNITED STATES. 9
long while before we got any thing to eat. This
we had expected ; but our disappointment was more
serious and lasting when we found that nearly all
the company had gone away not only from this
watering-place, but also from Ballston, another
fashionable resort of great celebrity in the neigh
bourhood. During the hot season of the year— when
the greater,, part of the United States becomes
unhealthy, or otherwise disagreeable as a resi
dence, even to the most acclimated natives, as the
local expression is — the inhabitants repair to the
North, to these two spots in particular, which are
consequently much crowded during July and Au
gust, and " sometimes during September. A few
days of cool weather, however, had occurred just
before we arrived, which acted as'a;signal for
breaking up the company, so that when the great
bell rung for supper, the whole party consisted of
only fourteen, instead of a hundred and fifty, who
had sat down ten days, before.
.- Had we been sooner aware of the chance of
missing the company at the Springs, we might per
haps have managed to pay our visit at a better
moment, as such a meeting of the inhabitants from
all the different States would have been a sight ex
tremely interesting to strangers. I was also cu
rious to see how the Americans, a people so eter
nally occupied and wound up to business, would
a2

10 TRAVELS IN THE
manage to let themselves down into a state of pro
fessed idleness.
Lake George, Saratoga, and Ticonderogaj which
we visited, are all classical and popular spots in
American history, while their names will doubtless
recall many painful recollections to English per
sons, who are old enough to remember the unfor
tunate details of the American revolutionary war.
But, of course, it is far otherwise in a country,
where all the circumstances connected with that
important event are treasured up in the memory,
to be brought forward as subjects of triumph upon
every occasion. There they furnish a never-end
ing theme of rejoicing, especially to the compa
ny at the Springs, whose guide-books are full of
the details of General Burgoyne's surrender, and
our other mishaps at Saratoga. The names even
of the subordinate officers who figured in those
days, are taught by a kind of catechism at the
schools, in order to render them familiar to the
memory of every American, of whatever age or sex.
There is certainly no harm in this— it is quite
natural and proper — and as then' history is short,
and fertile with incidents of a nature pleasing to
their national vanity, it would be the most unrea
sonable thing in the world for a stranger to com
plain of, however often, or however disagreeably,
it may happen to cross his path.

UNITED STATES. 1 1
On the other hand, the Americans ought, I
think, to remember, that good reasons may perhaps
exist for our little acquaintance with such matters ;
yet I have often met with people in that country
who could scarcely beheve me sincere, and thought
I must be" surely jesting, when I declared my en
tire ignorance of many military and political events
pf the period alluded to, so momentous to them,
however, that every child was familiar with their
minutest details. And they woul d hardly credit me
when I said I had never once heard the names of
men, who, I learnt afterwards, were highly distin
guished, on both sides, during the revolutionary
war. The same remark applies to every part of our
very limited knowledge of America, and all her
concerns past and present ; and while the inhabi
tants of that country suppose themselves — with
what degree of justice may perhaps be gathered
from the sequel — to be minutely acquainted with
every thing which has passed or is now passing
in England, they have no patience for the profound
state of ignorance in which the English confessed
ly remain with respect to them.
I must say, that I have always thought this sort
of soreness on their part a little unreasonable,
and that our friends over the water give them
selves needless mortification about a matter, which

12 TRAVELS IN THE
it would be far more dignified to disregard altoge
ther. I say this with the more confidencej because
I hardly ever conversed with a reasonable Ameri
can on the subject, who, when it was fairly. put to
him, did not give his assent to this view of the
case. The Americans always forget— though perhaps
it is natural they should do so — that while, on their
side of the question, no theme can be more gratify
ing than the war alluded to — so glorious to them,
but so disastrous to us — it is utterly out of nature
to expect that we should view it, or any part of
it, iii the same light. Philanthropic, public-spirit
ed, speculative citizens of the world, the philoso
phers of the present age, even in England, may
declare that all is for the best, and that free and
independent America is far more useful to other
nations, generally, and to England in particular,
now, than she was when a colony, or could ever
have become had she not fallen away from her alle
giance. Possibly this may be true. I should be
very happy to admit it. This is not, however, the
point at issue, and the speculation may be passed
by at present; for my object is merely to show, inde
pendently of all abstract reasoning, how it comes
about, that we are so ignorant of American history,
and, generally speaking, of all the internal affairs
of a country with which, at first sight, it may he

UNITED STATES. 13
supposed we ought, on many accounts, to have no
inconsiderable acquaintance.
Whether, upon the whole, it is better or worse
for us, in a speculative point of view, that we lost
the colonies, the mortifying fact is, we did lose
them, after a contest in which we were worsted.
We tried to keep them, and we could not ; or, at
all events, we did not. Consequently, as far as the
mere struggle goes, its details cannot be considered
very inviting as historical incidents for Englishmen
to dwell upon. Our sires and grandsires who lived
in those days, who had friends and relatives enga
ged in the contest, or who merely marked the pro
gress of the war, from its first disaster to its ul
timate failure, have had httle pleasure in recount
ing to the present generation events so mortifying
to our national vanity : and we, who were then
either not in being, or mere children, could have
no agreeable motive, as we grew up, to tempt us to
investigate such a subject for ourselves, or to listen
to the tale told us by our seniors, in the bitterness
of their spirit. Even if we did hear it spoken of
by them, it was always in terms which never en
couraged us to push our enquiries further, or dis
posed us to think very kindly of the new coun
tries, which had gained their point in spite of all
our efforts to the contrary.
Thus it has happened, that in America the original

11 TRAVELS IN THE
actors in the scene, their children, and the race
that has since grown up, have been stimulated by
a thousand inspiring motives to dwell constantly,
and with delighted interest, upon the minutest de
tails of that period— to speak and to listen to all
that could be said— to fight all the battles, and slay
all the slain, over and over again — in order, as they
allege, to draw practical inferences from the events
of those days applicable to the present state of
affairs. While we, on this side of the Atlantic;
in the old Mother Country, who have been robbed
of our young, are not only left without any en-
eouragement to speak or think of such things- with
pleasure at this hour of the day, but, in times past,
have been deterred by every motive of national and
of personal pride acting in concert, from making
such enquiries.
It is a very true and schoolboy maxim in the
theory of education, that no part of history should
be neglected merely because it may chance to be
unpalatable ; but as there is nothing so congenial
to the mind, or which acts so steadily upon it, as
the removal of ideas affording rather pain than
pleasure, the neglect of that branch of study rela
ting to the American Revolution, and the interve
ning political events, has followed, I suspect in
evitably, in England. Possibly it might have been
otherwise, though even this I do not think very

UNITED STATES. 15
probable, if the interval which has elapsed since
the year 1783 — the date of the American Peace —
had been a mere commonplace leaf in history ; or
if we had imitated America in making it an avow
ed point of national policy, to take as little share
as possible in the events which were passing in
Europe during that turbulent period.
The question is not, who was right or who was
wrong, but how stands the fact? The French
Revolution, within a few years after the American
war, burst out like a volcano at our very doors,
and, as a matter of necessity, from which there was
absolutely no escape, engrossed all our thoughts.
Then came the rise of Napoleon, followed by hos
tile coalitions of mighty empires — threats of inva
sion of our own shores — and the destruction of our
allies. Presently arose, to cheer our prospect, num
berless actions of an opposite character, by land
and by sea — from Seringapatam to Waterloo, from
the First of June to Trafalgar — East Indian con
quests — the Peninsular war — and the Campaigns
on the Continent. These great events, it must be
remembered, were not transient in themselves, or
in their consequences, but endured from year to
year, in dreadful trials of national strength, with
out any intermission of excitement, through the
greater part of the lives of the present generation ;
and I will now ask-^as I have often asked — any

16 TRAVELS IN THE
candid American, how it would have been possi
ble for us to look across the murky tempest of such
•days, in order to take a distinct view, or any view
at all, of a country lying so far from us as Ame
rica, which, professedly, and upon principle, took
almost no share in these absorbing. topics, calcu
lated to brace every nerve, and to call into ener
getic exercise every faculty of our minds !
.-' Various other circumstances contributed to re
move America from our thoughts, besides the po
litical fact of her citizens choosing to keep, person
ally, so completely aloof from us, and from all —
good or bad — i which concerned the rest of the world.
Jn the first place, their form of government, and
the manner in which it was administered, so far as
these were brought to our notice by the slight in
tercourse kept up between us, had nothing in them
to attract our good-will, but, on the contrary,
were repugnant to all our preconceived notions
on these subjects; — notions which had grown with
our strength, and flourished with our success, and
whose soundness occasional failures, such as that
in America, only tended to establish more firmly
in our minds.
In the next place, the Americans took no pains,
or, if they did, they failed in making us acquaint
ed, in a popular way, with what they were actual
ly doing. • They contributed no great share to the

UNITED STATES. 11
general stock of Letters, little to our stock of
Science, and scarcely any thing of importance to
that of the Fine Arts ; while, according to all our
views of the matter, they had actually made a re
trograde movement in the principles and practice
of government. Neither do I think it will be con
tended, even by themselves, that they added much
to what was already known in Europe, as to the
philosophy of manners, of morals, or of any other
branch of intellectual refinement. Thus, they can
not, or, when brought to close quarters, they sel
dom deny, that they have done scarcely any thing
as yet to attach us to them, by the ordinary means
through which other nations have been cemented
together in cordial alliance of kindred sentiment,
however torn apart, occasionally, by political con
tests. In the case of France, for example, though
it has long been the popular fashion to call us na
tural enemies, there exists permanently, through
the hottest wars, a spirit of generous rivalry and
of cordial international respect, which both parties
delight to cherish — but of which, alas ! there are
but feeble traces in our relations with America—
and not the slightest spark, I greatly fear, in theirs
with us.
What might have been the result at this day had
their form of government, and its practical opera-;
tion, together with the frame-work of their society,

18 TRAVELS IN THE
been less repulsive to English feelings and habits
of thought on such matters, I do not say— nor ig
it my purpose now to enquire whether or not they
are to blame for having contributed so little to our
knowledge, or for having taken so small a share
in the struggles for the cause of liberty in which
we were engaged. The well-known facts above sta
ted, are all I wish to dwell upon at present. They
are as undeniable, as their consequences have been
inevitable; and as, long as things remain in Ame
rica in their present state, the circumstances I have
referred to will be, as I conceive, also quite irre
mediable. The artificial structure of society in the
two countries is, besides, so dissimilar in nearly all
respects ; and the consequent difference in the oc
cupations, opinions, and feelings of the two people,
on almost every subject that can interest either,
is so great, and so very striking, even at the first,
glance, that my surprise is not why we should have
been so much estranged from one another in sen
timent, and in habits, but how there should still
remain — if indeed there do remain — any consider-
able points of agreement between us.
It will place this matter in a pretty strong light
to mention, that during more than a year that I
was in America — although the conversation very
often turned on the politics of Europe for the last
thirty years— -I never, but in one or two solitary

UNITED STATES. 19
instances, heard a word that implied the smallest
degree of sympathy with the exertions which Eng
land, single-handed, had so long made to sustain
the drooping cause of freedom.
It will be obvious, I think, upon a little reflec
tion, how the same causes have not operated in
America to keep her so entirely ignorant of Eng
land, as we in England are of America.
Nearly all that she has of letters, of arts, and of
science, has been, and still continues to be, import
ed from us, with little addition or admixture of a
domestic growth or manufacture. Nearly all that
she learns of the proceedings of the other parts of
the world, also comes through the same channel;
England — which, therefore, is her chief market for
every thing intellectual as well as commercial.
Thus, in a variety of ways, a certain amount of ac
quaintance with what is doing amongst us is trans
mitted, as a matter of course, across the Atlantic.
After all, however, say what they please, it is but
a very confused and confined sort of acquaintance
which they actually possess of England. There
was, indeed, hardly any thing in the whole range
of my enquiries in the United States, that proved
more different from what I had been led to expect,
than this very point. At first I was surprised at
the profundity of their ignorance on this subject ;
though I own it is far short of our ignorance of

20 TRAVELS IN THE
them. I was also wellnigh provoked at this some
times, till I recollected that an opinionated confi
dence in our own views, all the world over, is the
most prominent characteristic of error. The Ame
ricans, of course, very stoutly, and I am sure with
sincerity, assert their claims to infallibility on this
point, and accordingly, they receive, with undisgui
sed incredulity, the more correct accounts, which a
personal familiarity with both countries enables
foreigners to furnish.
- I learnt in time to see that similar causes to those
already stated, though different in degree, in addi
tion' to many others, were in action in America, to
render England as ungrateful a topic with them,
as America is undeniably with us. The nature of
the monarchical form of government, with its at
tendant distinctions in rank, we may suppose, is
nearly as repugnant to their tastes as Democracy is
to ours. The eternal recollections, too, of all the
past quarrels between us, in which — probably for
want of any other history — they indulge not only
as an occasional pleasure, but impose upon them
selves as a periodical duty, and celebrate according
ly, with all sorts of national rancour, at a yearly fes
tival, render the Revolutionary war in which they
succeeded, nearly as fertile a source of irritation to
them, with reference to poor Old England, though
the issue was successful, as its disasters formerly

UNITED STATES. 21
were to us, who failed. But there is this very mate
rial, and, I take the liberty of saying, character
istic difference between the two cases : — we have
long ago forgotten and forgiven — out and out— .all
that has passed, and absolutely think so little about
it, that I believe, on my conscience, not one man in
a thousand amongst us knows a word of these mat
ters, with which they are apt to imagine us so much
occupied. Whereas, in America, as I have said
before, the full, true, and particular account- of the
angry dispute between us — the knowledge of which
ought to have been buried long ago — is carefully
taught at school, cherished in youth, and after
wards carried, in manhood, into every ramification
of public and private life.
If I were asked to give my countrymen an ex
ample of the extent of the ignorance which prevails
in America with respect to England, I might in
stance the erroneous, but almost universal opinion
in that country, that the want of cordiality with
which, I grant, the English look upon them, has its
source in the old recollections alluded to.. And I
could never convince them, that such vindictive
retrospections, which it is the avowed pride and
delight of America to keep alive in their pristine
asperity, were entirely foreign to the national cha
racter of the English, and inconsistent with that
hearty John Bull spirit, which teaches them to for-

22 TRAVELS IN THE
get all about a quarrel, great or small, the moment
the fight is over, and they have shaken hands with
their enemy in testimony of such compact.
At the same time, I cannot, and never did deny,
that there existed amongst us a considerable de
gree of unkindly feeling towards America ; but this
I contended was ascribable, not by any means to
past squabbles, recent or remote, but almost exclu
sively to causes actually in operation, in their full
force, at the -present moment, and lying far deeper
than the memory of those by-gone wars, the de
tails of which have long been forgotten, even by
the few eye-witnesses who remain, and about which
the English of the present day are either profound
ly ignorant, or — which comes to the same thing —
profoundly indifferent. Be the causes, however,
what they may, the curious fact of our mutual ig
norance is indisputable. At least so it appears to
me ; and I have good reason to believe, that such is
the opinion of almost every foreigner, Continental,
as well as English, who has visited America. We,
however, in England, as I have said before, frank-
ly.and fully admit our very small acquaintance with
that country; whereas the Americans, probably
with as much sincerity, proclaim their perfect ac
quaintance with England. The conclusion is odd
enough : both parties are satisfied— they are con
vinced that they know all about us ; and we are

UNITED STATES. 23
perfectly conscious that we know nothing about
them. While, therefore, I may perhaps indulge myself
in the expectation of being able to furnish some
slight information to people on this side of the
water respecting that country, I have had far too
much experience pf the hopeless nature of the con
verse of the proposition, to attempt changing the
opinions of the Americans as to what is passing
in England. On this topic, indeed, to use the
words of Burke in speaking of another nation, the
inhabitants ofthe United States are, it is to be fear
ed, pretty nearly — reason-proof.

24 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER II.

The hotel in which we found ourselves lodged
at the Springs of Saratoga, was of great magnitude,
as may be inferred from the size of the verandah
or piazza in front, which measured eighty paces
in length, and twenty-five feet in height. The
public rooms, also, were large and handsome, and
no fewer than 120 beds were made up in this one
building. But with all this show, there was still
some want of keeping, and many symptoms of haste, ; ,
in every thing, indicated chiefly by the absence of
innumerable minor luxuries. On the day we ar
rived, for example, we wished one of the windows
of the dining-room kept open; but there had not
yet been time to place any counterpoises, nor even
any bolts or buttons to hold it up. The waiter,
however, as usual, had a resource at hand, and
without apology or excuse, caught up the nearest
chair, and placing it on the window sole, allowed
the sash to rest upon it. The bed-rooms, too, were

UNITED STATES. 25
uncomfortable little raw sorts of places, fourteen
feet by ten, without a bit of paper or carpeting,
and the glass of the windows was so thin it was
apt to break with the slightest jar. Not one of
these cabins was furnished with a bell, so that
when the chambermaid was wanted, the only re
source was to proceed to the top of the stair, and
there pull a bell-rope, common to the whole range
of apartments.
It is true, we were at the Springs after the sea
son was over ; and, therefore, saw nothing in the
best style. But I must describe things as I found
them, in spite of the explanations and apologies
which were showered upon me whenever anything,
no matter how small or how great, was objected
to. I grant that it would be unreasonable to make
these trifles and many other and graver things,
matters of criticism in so young a nation, were
not claims put forth by the inhabitants to the high
est degrees of excellence.
The truth seems to be, that no one, in that busy
country, has leisure to attend effectually to the
completion of any given job. Instead, therefore,
of carrying their works to their most perfect stage,
they always stop at that point, when the business
in hand has reached that condition which is most
certain of procuring for it a ready market — that is,
when it has reached the degree of excellence suit-
VOL. II. B

26 TRAVELS IN THE
ed to the average taste of the consumers. If pro
ducers go beyond this mark, they are never sure
of finding any sale, certainly not a quick one:—
and if they fall short of it, they will inevitably be
outstripped by their competitors, in the hurried
markets of a country, where nothing is allowed
to remain long on hand..
Where the society of a country is divided into
distinct classes of consumers, as in England, there,
will always be corresponding classes of producers
likewise ; and the competition will not be spread,
over the whole mass, but divided in lots, as it
were, amongst workmen of different qualities, re
spectively. The higher degrees of tradespeople,
as a set apart from the rest, will compete amongst
one another only, without knowing, or at least
without caring, what is done by others in the same
line, who deal in lower-priced or inferior goods..
With these superior tradesmen alone the wealthier,
description of customers will ever dream of deal- .
ing. This order of competition and of purchasers i
is observed in the other steps or ranks in the
scale of society in England — the one set always,
running by the side of the other, from the high-,
est to the lowest. But in America, where there
is no classification amongst the inhabitants, and
very little permanent distinction of any kind, pro
perly so called, even of wealth, the stream of com-

UNITED STATES. 27
petition follows a totally different course. As there
are no steady wealthy customers, so there are no
steady superior tradesmen ; and the grand object
of the competitors comes to be, at all hazards, to
lower the price, so as to ensure purchasers, by the
cheapness rather than the goodness of their articles,
I do not say, that in America there are no differ
ences of wealth. Such distinctions do, more or
less, exist ; and there must, of course, often occur
individual purchasers willing and able to give high
prices for good things. But, in consequence of the
structure of, society, which prevents the transmis
sion of fortunes in a fixed line of descent, and its
gradual accumulation, all the money in that coun
try changes hands so rapidly, that there cannot
possibly spring up a permanent wealthy class, or
one whose habits of regulated expense, and fasti
dious taste, have time to establish themselves, and
who come by practice to consider refinements and
luxuries as necessaries of life, and essential attri
butes to their rank in the country. Therefore, as
there is no adequate and permanent demand for
the higher description of goods, there can be no
steady supply.
On the 1 1th of September, we observed in the
Piazza of the Hotel at Saratoga, a piece of paper
stuck up with this notice, — " This house will be
closed for the season, on Saturday next, the 15th

28 TRAVELS IN THE
inst." Accordingly, taking the hint, we- resolved
to move off, though we found the quietness ofthe
Springs — now entirely deserted — very agreeable,
after the turmoil and excitement we had recent-*
ly been exposed to. By making a slight ! round;
we were enabled to. take Ballston in our way;
but as that very pretty watering-place was like
wise deserted, we drove on to Albany, and, after
an absence of exactly three months, took Up. our
old quarters in that capital, or rather seat of
government ; — for it is difficult to conceive any
other town than New York the capital of the
State. -**-;.'':
I was glad to find the legislature in session, as
I had a great curiosity to see how the public affairs
were managed. The object of the present meet
ing, it is true, was not to transact the ordinary bu
siness of the State, but to revise the laws — a" fa
vourite employment all over the Union. But I had
ample means, during a fortnight's stay at Albany,
of seeing how things were conducted, as innu
merable incidental discussions arose out of the
matter in hand, to show the current modes of pro
ceeding. Each ofthe Twenty-four States ofthe American
Union has a separate government, by which' its
own affairs are regulated. By the Constitution
established after their separation from the Mother

UNITED STATES. 29
Country, a republican form of government is not
only made a condition of the compact, but is gua
ranteed to the different States by the united voice
¦of the whole ; each one, however, being left en
tirely free to modify its own particular constitu
tion, and to make and unmake, or alter laws, at
their good-will and pleasure — in short, to do all
that sovereign states may perform, provided only
.they do not interfere with certain matters, speci
fically appropriated as the duty of the general, or
federative government of the Union.
I shall have frequent occasion, in the course of
the Journey, to refer to these distinctions — at pre
sent I mean to speak only of New York, which is
the most populous, wealthy, and, in many respects,
the most important of the whole. This State had
recently adopted a new Constitution — remodelled
from that'adopted in 1777, — and it came into ope
ration on the 1st of January, 1823. By this in
strument, the "Legislative power is vested in a Se
nate -and House of Assembly; the Senate, con
sisting of 32 members, who must be freeholders,
chosen for four years ; and the House of Assembly,
consisting of 128 members, who are elected an
nually by the whole people of the State, the right
of suffrage being universal.
I was extremely curious to see how a Legislature
formed on such principles would proceed, and I

30 TRAVELS IN THE
visited the Capitol with the truest wish to be well
pleased with all "I saw and heard. The hall of the
House of Assembly was not unlike the interior of
a church ; with a gallery for strangers, looking
down upon a series of seats and writilig-.deskg,
ranged on the floor in concentric semicircles, the
Speaker's chair being at the centre, and over his
head, of course, the large well-known picture of
General Washington, with his hand stretched out,
in the same unvaried attitude in which we had
already seen him represented in many hundreds, I
might say thousands, of places, from the Capitol at
Albany to the embellishments on the coarsest blue
china plate in the country. Each member of the
House was placed in a seat numbered and assign- ¦
ed to him by lot on the first day of the Session.
After prayers had been said, an,d a certain por
tion of the ordinary formal business gone through,
the regular proceedings were commenced by a
consideration of chapter IV. of the Revised Laws.
It appeared that a joint committee of the two
Houses had been appointed to attend to this sub
ject, and to report the result of their delibera?-
tions. The gentlemen nominated had no trifling
task to perform, as I became sensible upon a far
ther acquaintance with the subject. All the exist
ing Laws of the State, which were very volumi
nous, were to be compared and adjusted so as tfo

UNITED STATES. 31
be consistent with one another ; after which, the
result was printed and laid before the Legislature ;
— so that each chapter, section, and clause, might
be discussed separately, when, of course, the mem
bers of the Committee of Revision had to explain
their proceedings.
Some of the chapters were so completely matters
of form, and related to topics upon which no par
ticular interest was felt, that they passed without
any opposition. Others, again, which it was sup
posed would cause no discussion, proved sources
of long debate. On the first day I attended, I
was sorry to hear from an experienced friend, that
in all probability there would be no discussion, as
the chapter, No. IV., which related to " the rights
of the citizens and inhabitants of the State," was
one so perfectly familiar to every native, that it
must pass without delay. When the 3d section,
however, came to be read by the clerk, as follows,
a subject was started which led the assembled
Legislators a fine round. " A well-regulated mi
litia," said this clause, " being necessary to the se
curity of a free State, the right of the people to
keep and bear arms cannot be infringed." Upon
•this being read, a member rose, and objected to
the article as illogical in itself ; and even grant
ing it were altered in this respect, it was totally
needless, as the same clause was distinctly given,

32 TRAVELS IN THE
not only in the Constitution of the United States,
hut in that of the State of New York ; and, finally,
it was quite out of place in the Statute Book.
This appeared simple enough ; but another member
got up, and vehemently defended the Revisers of
the Laws for having brought forward this chap
ter, and this particular section ; adding, that if ever
the Americans relaxed in their exertions and re
iterated declarations of what were their rights, their
liberties would be in danger. A third gentleman
followed, and declared himself so much of.the opi
nion of the first speaker, that he should move, and
accordingly he did move, that the whole chapter
relating to the rights of the citizens, be rejected,
as out of place. This led to a warm discussion by
four or five members, none of whom spoke above
a few minutes, excepting one gentleman, who ad
dressed the House, now in " Committee of the
whole," as it is called, no less than five times, and
always in so diffuse and inconsequential a style,
that I could with difficulty comprehend how he
had earned the reputation of a close reasoner, which
I found him in possession of. He not only object
ed to the article alluded to, but, without the least
pretence of adhering to the subject under discus
sion, or to any thing analogous to it, read over, one
by one, every article in the chapter, accompanying
each with a long commentary, in the most prosy

UNITED STATES. 33
and ill-digested style imaginable. During this ex
cursion among the clouds, he referred frequently
to the History of England, gave us an account of
the manner in which Magna Charta was wrested
from " that monster King John," and detailed the
whole history of the Bill of Rights. In process
of time, he brought his history down to the com
mencement of the American Revolution, then to
the period of the Declaration of Independence —
the Articles, of Confederation — and so on, till, my
patience, if not that of the House, was pretty well
worn out by the difficulty of following these thread
bare commonplaces.
The next member who spoke declared his igno
rance of Latin, and his . consequent inability to
study Magna Charta — which, I presume, was a
good joke — but thought that, if these occasional op
portunities were lost, of impressing upon the minds
of the people a sense of their rights, their imme
diate . descendants, who were not so familiar, of
course, as they themselves were, with the history of
their country, to say nothing of posterity, would
gradually forget their own privileges ; " and then,"
said he, " the Americans will cease to be the great,
the happy, and the high-minded people they are at
: the present day !" . ,
At length a man of sense, and habits of busi
ness, got up, and instantly commanded the closest
b2

34 TRAVELS IN THE
attention of the House. He had been one ef the
committee, he said, appointed to revise the laws,
and as such, had voted for the insertion of the par
ticular clause, not from any great or immediate
good which it was likely to produce, but simply
because it was consistent with other parts of die
American Government, and because it was suit
able to the present genius of the people, to make
these frequent references to their righite. " Here,"
he observed, <{ is a fair opportunity to enumerate
some of these rights, and I trust the committee
will see the propriety of embodying these few but
important precepts in the Revised Code of Laws
which is to become the standard authority of the
State." I imagined this clear explanation would put an
end to the debate ; but the same m vincible speaker
who had so frequently addressed them hefetts, rose
again, and I don't know when th® discission would
have ended, had not the hand of the clock ap
proached the hour of two, the time for dinner. A
motion to rise and report progress was then cheer
fully agreed to, and the House adjo*a»e«L
I do not pretend to have done justice to this
debate ; in truth the arguments seemed to me so
shallow, and were all so ambitiously, <ov rather
wordily, expressed, that I was frequently at a loss
for some minutes to think what the orators really

UNITED STATES. 35
meant, or if they meant any thing. The whole dis
cussion, indeed, struck me as being rather juvenile.
The matter was in the highest degree common
place, and the manner of treating it still more so.
The speeches, accordingly, were full of set phrases
and rhetorical flourishes ahout their " ancestors
having come out of the contest full of glory, and
covered with scars — and their ears ringing with
the din of battle." This false taste, waste of time
¦ — conclusions in which nothing was concluded —
splitting of straws, and ingeniously elaborate ob
jections, all about any thing or nothing in the
world, appeared to me to arise from the entire ab
sence of those habits of public business, which can
be acquired only by long-continued and exclusive
practice. These gentlemen were described to me as being
chiefly farmers, shopkeepers, and country lawyers,
and other persons quite unaccustomed to abstract
reasoning, and therefore apt to be led away by the
sound of their own voices, farther than their heads
could follow. It is probable too, that part ©f this
wasteful, rambling kind of argumentation may be
ascribed to the circumstance of most of the speak
ers being men, who, from not having made public
business a regular profession or study, were igno
rant of what had been done before — 'and had come
to the legislature, straight .from the plough— or

36. TRAVELS IN THE
from behind the counter — from chopping down
trees— or from the bar, under the impression that
they were at once to be converted into statesmen'.
Such were my opinions at this early stage of the
journey, and I never afterwards saw much occa*
sion to alter them ; indeed, the more I became ac
quainted with the practical operation of the demo-
oratical system, the more I became satisfied that
the ends which it proposed to accomplish, could not
be obtained by such means. By bringing into these
popular assemblies men who^r-disguise it as they
may — cannot but feel themselves ignorant of pub
lic business, an ascendency is given to a few abler
and more intriguing heads, which enables them
to manage matters to suit their own purposes.
And just as the members begin to get a slight
degree of useful familiarity with the routine of
affairs, a fresh election comes on, and out they all
go ; or at least a great majority go out, and thus,
in each fresh legislature, there must be found a
preponderance of unqualified, or, at all events, of
ill-informed men, however patriotic or well-inten
tioned they may chance to be.
On the same distrustful principle, all men in
office are jealously kept out of Congress, and the
State legislatures; which seems altogether the
most ingenious device ever hit upon for excluding
from the national councils, all those persons best

UNITED STATES. 37
fitted by their education, habits of business, know
ledge, and advantageous situation of whatever sort,
for performing, efficiently, the duties of statesmen :
while, by the same device, the very best, because
the most immediate and the most responsible
sources of information are removed to a distance*;
¦and the men who possess the knowledge required
for the purposes of deliberation, are placed out of
sight, and on their guard, instead of being always
at hand, and liable to sudden scrutiny, face to face,
with the representatives of the nation.
These ideas arose in my mind — I may say, were
forced on my mind — upon seeing the workings 'of
the legislature of New York ; but I still trusted I
might be wrong in my first views, and looked for
ward with increased interest to the time when I
should be able to examine the whole question on a
wider scale, and with greater means of informa
tion, at the fountain head— Washington.
In the meantime, I was much struck with one
peculiarity in these debates — the absence of all
cheering, coughing, or other methods by which, in
England, public bodies take the liberty of commu
nicating to the person who is speaking a full know
ledge of 'the impression made upon the audience.
In America there is nothing to supply the endless
variety of tones in which the word Hear ! Hear !
is uttered in the House of Commons, by which the

38 TRAVELS IN THE
member who is speaking ascertains, with the ut
most distinctness and precision, whether the House
are pleased or displeased with him, bored or de
lighted, or whether what he says is granted or
denied — lessons eminently useful in the conduct
of public debate.
In America, in every legislative assembly, the-
speakers are listened to with the most perfect
silence and forbearance. This practice, while it
must be particularly discouraging to good speak
ers, cannot foil to protract the wearisome pro-
sings of the dullest and longest-winded orators,
to the great loss of good time, and the mystifica
tion of business. It was not till long after the pe
riod I am now describing, however, that I came to
any satisfactory explanation of this curious ano
maly, which at first sight appeared inconsistent
with the general state of things out of doors. But
I found I was quite mistaken, in supposing this
decorous silence could be safely dispensed with;
and eventually became satisfied, not only of the
policy, but of the absolute necessity, of the rule,
so long as the deliberative bodies in question are
framed on the principles of universal suffrage, and
annual changes.
During the debate, — if the desultory discussion
which has led me into this digression can be so
called, — and while I was standing near the door,,

UNITED STATES. 39
the member who had spoken so often came up to
me, and said, with a chuckling air of confident
superiority, but in perfect good humour, —
" Well, sir, what do you think of us ? Don't
we tread very close on the heels of the Mother
Country?" I evaded the question as well as I might, by say
ing, that I did not think there was any race be
tween us, or any danger of treading on one ano
ther's heels — that the countries were so differently
circumstanced, it was hardly discreet to make com
parisons. I saw, however, by the little smile playing about
his lips, that while he was of the same opinion as
to the indiscretion of drawing such parallels, there
might be a small difference between us as to the
side which had the advantage in the comparison.
Hut out of his great generosity, I suppose, or what
he probably thought a proper exertion of national
candour, and absence of prejudice, he cried out,
*¦— " Oh, yes :!— there is no comparison — different
circurastaoiees— surely — You are right, there can
be none. And as for the rest, are we not both tra
ding nations ? both agricultural nations ? both na
val nations ?"
I bowed to the complimentary companionship
implied in these questions, and was thinking of a
proper reply, when the crush of members near the

40 TRAVELS IN THE
door, on the adjournment, broke up our colloquy.
Amongst the crowd I was jostled against the friend
under whose wing I had gone to the meeting, who
said to me, in a very audible whisper, but with a
look of sufficient intelligence, " Well, Captain, you
have now had an opportunity of seeing how the
Sovereigns legislate !"
tn the evening we went to a party ; and, on en
tering the drawing-room, it seemed as if the gen
tlemen had all come first, and that the ladies were
to follow, for no one was to be seen but male
guests. The master of the house, seeing us hesi
tate, gave his arm to Mrs Hall, and proceeded to
the, inner drawing-room, where the ladies were
seated round the apartment, in a fashion not very
unlike that of the southern continent of America.
I thought, of course, that this degree of formality
was accidental, and that by and by the formidable
line would be broken, according to the most ap
proved tactics in such cases appointed. But a
more extensive acquaintance with the fashions of
the country taught me, that such was the general,
though, as I think, not very. sociable, custom; and
however, much it may be suited to the tastes and
habits of the people themselves, it is certainly not
so to those of Europeans.
I hope it will be recollected, that it is my busi
ness to describe tilings as they actually appeared to

UNITED STATES. 41
me, not as they may appear to the natives — for
whose information, of course-, I do not write — but
almost exclusively for that of my own country
men. We were then introduced with much kindness
to many persons, most of whom, the instant we
were presented, began to exact our admiration of
their country, their people, their institutions, all the
while praising every thing so highly themselves,
that there was hardly room left for us to slip in a
word edgewise. The praise of one's own coun
try, its manners and customs, in conversation with
a foreigner, comes so near to praising one's self,
that the person to whom it is addressed feels a sort
of awkwardness either in joining, or in declining
to join, in such commendations.
Persons of sense and information were, of course,
above descending to such arts to extort praise, and
many Americans whom I met with at Albany, and
elsewhere, were fully of my opinion as to the impo
licy of making such demands upon the admiration
of their guests — but I speak of the general, average
mass of society in America, the current of whose
thoughts, whether flowing at the surface or be
neath it, appears always to set in one direction, and
prompts such expressions as the following : —
" Don't you think this a wonderful country ?
Don't you allow that we deserve great credit for

42 TRAVELS IN THE
what we are doing ? Do not we resemble the Oli
Country much more than you expected? Had
you any idea of finding us so far advanced ?- Are
not the western parts of our State improving very
rapidly ? Is not our canal the finest work in the
world ? Don't you admit that we are becoming a
great nation ? What do you think of us, upon the
whole?" It was really not easy, " upon the whole," to
devise civil answers to these and a hundred other
similar questions — and yet to keep decently within
the truth. It often grieved me very much, when
driven into a corner and obliged to say something
which fell short of their expectations ; — for nothing
could be more kind, or hospitable, or more oblir
ging in all respects, than the Americans were to
us, from end to end of the country. One of the
chief sources of pain, therefore, arising out of these
direct, but often unanswerable interrogations, was
the necessity of appearing to make inadequate re
turns for so much friendly attention. I have fre
quently entered a room feeling every way grateful
for kindnesses shown to my family and to myself;
and, from being in perfect good-humour with what
I had seen during the day, was not only willing
but anxious to commend every thing in moderation,
or with certain obvious, but not strained or uncivil
qualifications. But, before I had been half an

UNITED STATES. 43
hour in company, I had the mortifying conviction
forced upon me, that so far from giving satisfac
tion, I was grievously disappointing the very per
sons it was essentially my wish, as it certainly was
my duty, to please ; but who would not receive at
my hands any thing in tbe way of commendation,
short of such raptures as I really could not bring
myself to express.
It is generally taken for granted, that while tra
vellers in other foreign countries are apt to mis
construe much that they hear, and often, also, to-
express what they do not mean to say, merely from
their ignorance of the language, these embarrass
ments, in the case of an Englishman, will be en
tirely overcome in America, in consequence of
English being spoken by both parties; But I have
little doubt, after the experience of this journey,
that no inconsiderable portion of the mutual mis
understandings between the Americans and theil*
guests, arises from an imperfect acquaintance with
this very English language, supposed to be com
mon to both.
It must be recollected, that the meaning of words
does not depend upon their etymology, or upon
the definitions of Johnson, or any other lexicogra*-
pher, but entirely upon the usage of the society in
which they are current. We see this strongly
marked even in England itself, where many ex-

44 TRAVELS IN THE
pressions are used by one rank of persons, with
.perfect propriety, which, if whispered in another,
would either be considered the, grossest ill-breed
ing, or would be entirely misconceived, from car
rying with them a sense totally dissimilar. Now,
what holds good with regard to the different classes
of society in one and the same country, may fairly
be supposed still more striking in the case of dif-
forent countries.
: Jn America, it so happens — I don't at present
enquire wherefore — that the English language is
somewhat modified. I speak not alone, of the
meaning of individual words, in many of which
also the change is abundantly perceptible; hut
chiefly of the general acceptation of language, as
connected with a* set of feelings, and a state of cir
cumstances, materially different from those which
exist in England." It would certainly be astonish
ing, if some difference were not to be produced
in these two nations, both in the ideas, and in
those forms of speech by which they receive ex
pression, in consequence ofthe continued presence
and operation of physical, moral, and political phe
nomena so essentially dissimilar, arid in spite ofthe
common origin, and the common language, of the
two countries'.
That part of the population in America who are
acquainted with their own country, but who know

UNITED STATES. 45'
little of any other, and who, of course, form an im
mense majority of the whole, naturally give the tone
to thought, as well as to language, — that is to say,
their authority, as to the value of all current ex
pressions, will predominate. And it must inevi
tably happen, that if these persons, forming the
great mass, have acquired the habit, whether wiseljr
or not, of seeing every thing in a favourable light
which respects America, and of depreciating every
thing English ; and if at the same time they have
fallen into the uncontrolled practice of using,
amongst themselves, a correspondent warmth of
language to express these thoughts and feelings,
they may well be supposed to acquire habits of
self-admiration, and of self-praise, beyond what
they themselves are aware of. Their feelings and
their language, therefore, may be strictly in keep
ing with each other, according to the current Ame
rican acceptation of the Words used, and they may
often be speaking with perfect sincerity, with no
want of a mutual and perfect understanding
amongst themselves, when to a stranger the very
reverse of all this may appear.
If it be the custom in England to apply differ
ent words, or a different form of words, from those
used in America, to describe similar feelings and
circumstances, an English traveller in that coun
try, bringing with him his English ideas as to the

46 TRAVELS IN THE
acceptation of words, and the judgment of things,
will naturally be struck with what he supposes a
want of agreement between the facts he witnesses,
and the verbal expression in which they are repre
sented to him by the inhabitants of America.
Now, if this theory be true, both parties will ofc
ten be as much dissatisfied, or perhaps more dis
satisfied, and wider of the intended mark, than if
their respective languages — as happens between
our neighbours the French and us — were entirely
different, not merely in their local usage or occa
sional idiom, but in their whole structure. Accord
ing to this view, an American, aecustomed to use
a certain form of expression to explain an ordinary
sentiment, will be disappointed to find that he does
not carry, the stranger along with him — whereas
it is very possible that he and his guest may all the
while be thinking pretty much alike ; but still the
native may fail to make himself understood, from
using terms which the stranger has been taught to
appropriate to things of a different character. And
in the same way, the stranger may describe what
he feels in terms which, if understood in the sense
he means them, would give his audience pleasure,
instead of offence.
I do not say that all the misunderstandings, as
they are well called, which separate the Americans

UNITED STATES. 47
from us, arise from this source, but I know by pain
ful experience that many of them do ; and I seri
ously believe, that things would now be better, in
this respect at least, between the countries, if,
when the Americans adopted a form of govern
ment so radically different from ours, they could
likewise have reformed the dialect as thoroughly.
It is curious enough, by the way, to see the dis
comfort that some scrupulous Americans show to
the mere name of our common tongue; I have
actually heard a grave proposal made to relinquish
the practice of calling it the English Language !
I remember reading in some old author, that
when the Jesuits went to China, they found the re
ligious ceremonies so like those of the Roman Ca-
tholic Church, that in their labours of conversion,
they were more perplexed than assisted by this re
markable similarity, being often sorely bothered
how to make the difference between the religions
sufficiently manifest in the outward manners. They
declared, accordingly, in writing to their country
men at home, " that in all their travels amongst
the Heathen, they had never before found the
arch enemy concealed under so insidious a garb,
and that it was far easier to convert a Gentoo to
Christianity — though he worshipped a stick or a
stone, and would rather kill one of his parents than

48 TRAVELS IN THE
leap over a cow — than it was to bring about a Chi
nese who cared neither for God nor Devil."
I don't go quite so far. But I will say this,
that in all my travels, both amongst Heathens
and amongst Christians, I have never encountered
any people by whom I found it nearly so difficult
to make myself understood as by the Americans.
So much for language. But I may take this oc
casion, though rather premature, to add, that I
consider America and England as differing more
from one another in many essential respects, than
any two European nation s I have ever visited. This
may look a little paradoxical at first, but is perhaps
easily shown to be true. The accidental circum*-.
stance of their literature being supplied chieflyfrom
us, serves to keep up an appearance of similarity,
which, I am fully persuaded, would soon disappear
under the influence of causes kept in check by this
circumstance alone.
The fact of the greater part of all the works
which are read in one country, being written for
a totally different state of society in another, forms
a very singular anomaly in the history of nations
— and I am disposed to think that the Americans
would be a happier people if this incongruous com
munication were at an end. If they got no more
books or newspapers from us, than we do from

UNITED STATES. 49
France or Spain, they would, I really believe, be
much happier, as far as their intercourse with this
country has any influence over them.
Surely this reasoning holds true in the case of
England? Are we not happier in this country, in
all that concerns our relations with America, where
the great mass of the people never read an .Ameri
can volume, and never even see or hear of one ?
Do we worry and fret ourselves about what is said
of us in America ? Certainly not ! Yet this does
not arise from indifference, but from ignorance. If
American newspapers, books, pamphlets, and re
views, were by any strange revolution in letters,
to be circulated and read in this country, I will an
swer for the sensation they would produce, being
one of extreme irritation — perhaps not less than
what is excited in America by our publications.
While, after all, at bottom, the countries respec
tively may be writing not for each other at all,
but for themselves exclusively, and thus, as I have
explained, virtually using two different languages.
If, therefore, the Americans choose to impprt
from us, by every packet, 'what is disagreeable to
them — but which was really never meant for their
perusal, they ought not to blame us for keeping in
that state of blissful ignorance of their daily opi
nions and feelings with respect to us, which — as
VOL. II. c

50 TRAVELS IN THE

I well know ! — it would be a very foolish sort of
wisdom on our part to destroy, by extending our
acquaintance with their literature and history be
yond its present confined limits.

UNITED STATES. 51

CHAPTER III.

On the 15th of September, 1827, when- we went
again to the House ef Assembly, the speaking was
even more discursive than it had been upon the
first day. The orators rambled about from topic
to topic with a most wasteful contempt of time, of
which I dare say the same persons would have been
much more economical had they been at their or
dinary occupations — that is to say, working with
their hands, not with their heads.
From thence we went to the Senate chamber,
"where we found the members acting not in a Le
gislative, but a Judicial capacity. The Senate con
sists of 32 members, besides the Lieutenant-Go
vernor of the State, who is, ex officio, President.
The senators are chosen for four years, and one
quarter of their numbers go out annually.
By an article ofthe State Constitution, the court
for the trial of impeachments and the correction of
errors, is directed to consist of " the President ofthe

52 .TRAVELS IN THE
Senate, the senators, the Chancellor of the State,
and the justices of the supreme court, or. the ma
jor part of them." Causes are brought up to this
court by writ of error from the supreme court of
the State, in the same way, as far as I understand
the matter, as appeals are carried to the House of
Lords in England.
We were fortunate in hearing a case of consider
able interest pleaded, before the Court of Errors.
It related to a matter of alleged conspiracy arising
out of one of those fraudulent bubbles with which
America was quite as rife as England in the wild
season of 1825.
But I took a still deeper interest in the regular
business which was done in the Senate in the ear
ly part of the morning, before resolving itself, with
the additions before mentioned, into a Court of
Errors. The revision of the laws was the sub
ject under discussion, and I had ample means of
judging of that passion for legislating, which I had
been told frequently before was only second in
the breast pf an American to the passion of elec
tioneering. As yet, however, I had seen nothing of
the actual management of the elections, though at
every table, and, indeed, in every place I had yet
visited, this engrossing topic formed the principal,
and generally the only, subject of conversation.
,, I was not very well repaid, however, by attend-

UNITED STATES. 53
ing these discussions in the Senate, which, like
those in the House of Assembly, were, in every
case, spun out to a most unconscionable length
of wordiness and commonplaces. Every motion
that was made was sure to be overloaded with
amendments upon amendments, so as to perplex
their objects entirely, at least in the apprehension
of the uninitiated. The science of law-making
seemed to them to require nothing in the shape of
previous education ; and though I observed that*
in the end, matters were generally got through
in the way pointed out by the men who really un
derstood the business, it was not always so ; and
I could detect the mortification of these gentle
men very distinctly when the House was running
adrift, and member after member was prosing
away upon stale views of the subject, and use
less gossipings in the shape of business, interlard
ed with long rigmarole arguments upon matters
which, in most other quarters of the globe, have
been long ago settled and put on the shelf, as ques
tions no longer to be mooted.
* The sensible and well-informed men in America,
if I am not very much mistaken, see all this, and
feel its entanglement quite as much, and probably
more than a stranger can do ; while they have
the additional annoyance of knowing_that there is
no remedy for it, as long as the principle of these

54 TRAVELS IN THE
legislative bodies brings annually to the councils
a great number of men who must of necessity be
ignorant of the intricate^ subjects to be handled. >,
During our stjiy at Albany we lived in a board
ing house, occupied chiefly by memhers of the; Le
gislature, both of the Senate and House of Assem
bly, besides several lawyers, judges, officers of
the army and navy, and, amongst others, the Edi
tor of a newspaper, one of the kindest, most can-r
jlid, and most useful friends I had the -pleasure
to make in America. But indeed they were all
friendly and obliging to us. It happened also, for
tunately, that several of these gentlemen took con
siderable charge of the public business which was
then going on, and were the best informed men
we could have met with any where in the State?
so th^t we erijoyed, the advantage of their conr
versation under circumstances highly advantaged
ous. At meals we all met, of course ; and as there
was not quite so great a hurry here as we had
observed elsewhere, we had more leisure for disi-
cussing the various topics which arose from time
Jo time, than we had ever found before. Good op
portunities were thus afforded pf obtaining the
opinion of different persons on the same point,
and of conversing repeatedly with the same gen
tlemen on different aspects of the subject, as cir^
cunistances varied the complexion of affairs, or

UNITED STATES. 55
suggested new ideas to us respecting them. In this
way I often discovered that the views I had taken
up at first were incorrect, or, at all events, differ
ent from those with which some of my various
informants wished to impress me. When quite
puzzled, therefore, by what one person told me, I
had straightway recourse to another, and another,
till I got some daylight to bear upon the obscure
point. Besides these advantages, I found it very
useful, as well as agreeable, to converse with these
kind persons in different moods, and at different
seasons, — an advantage which can be fully enjoyed
only by people who live under the same roof; as
every body, I presume, knows how different a man
is when hungry, from what he is when satisfied ;
or when he has had things his own way, from what
he is when crossed.
As I had nothing whatever to occupy my at
tention; but to study the humours, and fo get ac
quainted with these obliging people, in order to
get as much information from them as possible,
my object was to avail myself of all these moments ;
and though, I fear, I must very often have bored
them,, I will do them the justice to say, that on
every occasion, favourable or otherwise, they were
most willing to lend their assistance, either to go
into the subject deeply, or to touch it lightly, as
the case might be. My sole purpose was to get at

56 - TRAVELS IN THE
the real. State of the facts before me ; and though,
-of course, like every other traveller, I had my full
share of prejudices to entangle me, I was willing
at all times to change my opinions, and did in fact
often change them.
I may remark, by the way, that a person who
moves about the world, though he may not, in fact,
be more prejudiced than his neighbours who stick
fast in one spot, or than the people whom he en
counters on his journey, is much more liable to
have his supposed errors brought to light than if
he had never stirred from home. He has a sort
of gauntlet, indeed, to run, between rows of people
fixed in position and in opinions, who, from know
ing little of what is doing elsewhere, feel at liberty
to give the poor traveller a cut as he passes along,
whenever he does not consent to think as they bid
him. It is altogether impossible to write down at the
time the details of such varied intercourse ; and if
this could be done, the particulars would neither
be useful, nor could they with propriety be pub
lished. In many cases, there would necessarily be
some breach of confidence ; for, let men be ever so
circumspect in their conversation, they will ofteiv
in the heat of discussion, or in the cheerfulness of
a t&te-a-tete conversation, let slip remarks, to be
tray which would be a grievous offence against

UNITED STATES. 57
such kindly intercourse as I was perniitted to en
joy. Besides which, a stranger, in spite of himself^
is always apt to colour his notes according to his
own fancy at the time, and he may often misstate
what he has heard, without being conscious of mis
representation. Thus I find, in looking over my
Journal, that one day's memorandum is often flatly
contradicted by that which follows; and I frequent
ly discover, that opinions are changed so gradually,
that I cannot ascertain the time, or the exact cir
cumstances, which induced the alteration. I can
perceive only. that at two epochs. there have been
different views taken of the same subject, and Con
sequently learn that there must have been some
where a medium point, when the mind Was free
to take its bias either way, as the impulse might
happen to be directed.
It would undoubtedly be satisfactory to the read
ers, as well as to the writers of travels, if there
could be some method devised of making straight
so rugged and uncertain a path as journalizing ;
and that such good reasons for every opinion should
be furnished, that no doubt could remain on the
mind. But I fear that no observer will be found
with a mind so constituted as to take in all the-'
facts strictly necessary to a right judgment of any
foreign country, and who at the same time shall
have skill enough to satisfy all the parties interest-
c2

59 TRAVELS IN THE
ed in his statements,: that he had done their favours
ite views justice. While some readers would think
his accounts too diffuse, others would declare they
were too much condensed; and, in spite of all he
could advance, manypersons would go on drawing
inferences totally different from those he wished
should follow a perusal of his writings. It is fauv
indeed, that readers should act thus ; and the wrt*
ter ought to consider it quite enough if his state
ments of fact, and his own views of them, be un
derstood. Whether or not they are adopted by
others, is quite a different matter, and should be
no concern of his. /
This being the state of the case, it strikes me
that travellers should endeavour not so much to
give minute details; or entire conversations, or
even general views of their subject, in the way of
set, rule-and-compass description, but rather to
explain, honestly,' from time to time, and as occa
sion serves, the result produced on their own minds
by the sum-total of their investigations.
For my part, I am conscious that I shall be found
to advance many opinions respecting America, for
which there cannot appear adequate authority;
nevertheless, in every instance, the sentiments
expressed Were actually excited in my mind, by
incidents which did occur, at some period or other
of my residence in that country. Whether or not

UNITED STATES. 59
fthese views furnish to others- true pictures of the
state of things in that country, I cannot pretend
-to say. But this I do not hesitate to affirm, that
the sketches here given are as faithful representa
tions as I am able to draw of the impressions left
upon my own mind, by the whole series of inci
dents, and observations, which occurred during the
Journey, or by the reflections which a more atten
tive consideration has suggested since it was fi
nished.. .
During our stay at Albany, we went frequently
into company, especially to dinners and to evening
parties, both large and small, which afforded us the
most agreeable opportunities of seeing and judging
ofthe state of domestic society; one feature of which
ought to be mentioned, as it meets a stranger's ob
servation in every quarter of that wide country.
I mean the spirit of party — not to call it politics
—or rather, to define it more correctly, the spirit
of electioneering, which seems to enter as an es
sential ingredient into the composition of every
thing.-- The most striking peculiarity of this spirit, in
contradistinction to what we see in England, is
that its efforts are directed more exclusively to the
means, than to any useful end. The Americans, as
it appears to me, are infinitely more occupied about
bringing in a given candidate, than they are about

J50 TRAVELS IN THE
the advancement of those measures of which he is
conceived to be the supporter. They dp occasionally
advert to these prospective measures, in their can
vassing arguments in defence of their own friends,
or in attacks upon the other party ; but always, as
far as I could see, more as rhetorical flourishes, or
as motives to excite the furious acrimony of party
spirit, than as distinct or sound anticipations of the
line of policy which their candidate, or his antago
nist, was likely to follow. The intrigues, the can-
vassings for votes, all the machinery of newspaper
abuse and praise, the speeches and manoeuvres in
the Legislature, at the bar, by .the fireside, and in
every hole and corner of the country from end to
end, without intermission, form integral parts of
the business — apparently far more important than
the candidate's wishes — his promises — or even than
his character and fitness for the office.
All these things, generally speaking, it would
seem, are subordinate considerations ; so complete
ly are men's minds swallowed up in the technical
details of the election. They discuss the chances of
this or that State, town, or parish, or district, go
ing with or against their friend. They overwhelm
one another with that most disagreeable of all
forms of argument— authorities. They analyse
every sentence uttered by any man, dead or alive,
who possesses, or ever did possess, influence ; not*

UNITED STATES. 6t
it must be observed, to come at auy better know
ledge of the candidate's pretensions as a public
man, but merely to discover how far the weight
of such testimony is likely to be thrown into their
own scale, or that of the opposite party.
The election of the President, being one affect
ing the whole country, the respective candidates
for that office were made the butts at which all
political shafts were aimed, and to which every
other election was rendered subservient; not in
directly, but by straight and obvious means. It
was of no importance, apparently, whether the
choice to be made, at any given election, were that
of a governor, a member to Congress, or to the
Legislature of the State — or whether it were that
of a constable of the obscure ward of an obscure
town — it was all the same. The candidates seldom,
if ever, that I could see, even professed to take their
chief ground as the fittest men for the vacant office
— this was often hardly thought of — as they stood
forward simply as Adams men or Jackson men —
these being the names, it is right to mention, of
the two gentlemen aiming at the Presidency. Al
though the party principles of these Candidates for
any office, on the subject ofthe Presidential elec
tion, could not-— nine cases in ten — afford any. in
dex to their capacity for filling the station, to which
they aspired, their chance of success was frequently

62 TRAVELS IN THE
made to hinge upon that matter exclusively. Thug
the man who could bring most votes to that side
of this grand, all-absorbing Presidential question)
which happened to have the ascendency for the tiitte
being, was sure to gain the day, whether he were
or were not the best suited to fill the particular
vacancy. • ,-
More or less this interference of Presidential
politics in all the concerns of life, obtained iu
every part of America which I, visited. There were
exceptions, it is true, but these were so rare, that
the tone I have been describing was assuredly the
predominant one every where., , The consequence
was, that the candidates for office, instead of being
the principals, were generally mere jkuppets-^inett
of straw— abstract beings,' serving the purpose of
rallying points to the voters from whence they
might carry on their main attack in the pursuit of
an ulterior object,! which, after all, was equally im-*
material in itself, but which served, for the time
being, to engross the attention of the people ai
completely as if it, were of real consequence to"
them. In these respects, therefore, the Presidential
contests in America resemble those field sports in
which the capture of the game is entirely subordi
nate to the pleasures of its pursuit. . . J
I do not deny that there is more or less of this
spirit in the popular elections of England. I once

UNITED STATES. 63
assisted at a "contest of this sort in Westminster,
and well remember how completely the. ultimate
purpose was lost sight" of by myself, and by many
friends of the parties .respectivelyj: in our ardent
desire to succeed, merely for the sake of succeed
ing. Such, I fully believe, is the necessary con
sequence of any thoroughly popular election ; and,
accordingly, while it lasts, it is sometimes not a bit
less violent" in Covent Garden than it is in Ame
rica. But the essential difference between the
cases lies in the frequency, and in the duration of
these vehement excitements.
, Now, with 'the knowledge we have of the com-
motioti which even, these comparatively rare, and
always transient, ebullitions produce, let us, if we
can, imagine what would be the state of things in
England, were the Westminster form of election
to become general over the Island, and, instead of
lasting a fortnight, were it made perpetual ! We
should then have some idea of what is going on in
Am'erica at all times and seasons. Persons who
have seen only one side of the picture may suppose
this colouring exaggerated; but those who have
seen both, will be ready, I am persuaded, to ac
knowledge, that as far as it is possible to establish
a comparison between societies so differently cir
cumstanced, the illustration is one which will help

64 TRAVELS IN THE
an Englishman to understand what iff passing in
America. In England, where the elections, upon an ave
rage, occur once in little more than four yearsr
these scenes pass over, after producing their whole
some excitement, and, having left us quite as well,
and generally better than they found us, allow peo
ple to set about their ordinary business again with
renewed spirit and cheerfulness. But in America
the electioneering spirit never dies ; and though no
one in that country denies this fact, the admission
is qualified by the assurance, that, upon the whole,
essential good is the result. It is declared that,
withput some such powerful stimulus perpetually •
acting upon the people, they would become indif
ferent to their duties on the one hand, and to their
rights on the other — and then their liberties would
be lost for ever.,

UNITED STATES. 65

CHAPTER IV.

We left Albany on the 28th of September, 1827,
and proceeded in the direction of Boston, through
what are called the New England, or Eastern
States, consisting, as I think I have mentioned be
fore, of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Mas
sachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
We should be the most ungrateful people in the
world, were we to omit expressing our sense of
the uncommon kindness shown to us by every per
son, with whom we formed any acquaintance at
Albany. The formality, so irksome elsewhere,
though, still much greater than we had been ac
customed to in other countries, seemed gradually
to wear off, upon more extensive and varied inter
course ; especially in the case of our fellow-lodgers ;
and we now most anxiously trusted, that our pre
vious opinions on this subject had been hastily
formed. In general society, also, so much attention
was paid to all our wants, and such a ready disposi-

66 travels in the
tion manifested to give information, — to say no
thing of the obliging notice taken by all parties of
our young traveller, now a year anda half old, — that
we left Albany with sincere regret ; and, in lay
ing out plans of future operations, always arranged
matters for paying another visit to our kind friends
there. It is easy, to make such resolutions on. par
per, but when so large a portion of a whole con
tinent is to be visited, so many thousands of rugged
miles to be gone over, and all sorts of climates to
be encountered, it is somewhat presumptuous te
calculate what. shall be done a year in advance*
And so it proved — for we never saw Albany, again.
It is often supposed that travellers can rarely
acquire any strong interest in places through which
they pass so quickly. But the valuable friendships
I formed at Albany, and in many other parts of
America — added to ample experience elsewhere—
have taught me how soon even such casual and
apparently transient influences take deep root,
when circumstances are suitable; and how. firmly
they hold their ground afterwards, amongst the
long-tried regards, of older acquaintance.
At starting from Albany we had to cross the
Hudson, and in this troublesome operation lost
much time ; for it happens in America, as in other
parts ofthe world, that things are not always best
managed at those places where it is expected they

UNITED STATES'. 67
will b^ found in the highest order. The ferry-boats
in general, it is true, in this part of America, are
admirably contrived both for foot passengers and
carriages ; being made so wide that half a dozen
¦stages and carts, besides twice that number of
horses, may easily find room on their decks. The
anbVing power is' almost invariably that of horses ;
generally six or eight in number, whose strength
is applied to paddles similar to those of a steam-
vessel. On reaching the water's side, we had the morti
fication of seeing the boat just entering the dock
at the opposite shore ; so that if we had been five
or ten minutes sooner, we might have saved more
than an hour's delay. Owing to something having
gone wrong at the ferry, a long time was spent
in disembarking the cargo of horses, sheep, carts,
waggons, and people ; while we had nothing to do
but sit on the bank, looking at the retreating mul
titude streaming out of the boat, and wending
their way up the hill, like the flight into Egypt in
the old pictures.
At length the boat put off, and slowly recrossed
the water to our side ; where, however, we were
kept in the most provoking manner some twenty
minutes after every thing was ready for moving,
by the obstinacy of the ferryman, who would not
stir a foot. What his reasons were we could not

68 TRAVELS IN THE
make out; though probably he was nettled at the
unmeasured abuse of the stage-driver, who indul
ged his spleen in a tirade of oaths and scurrility
such as I had not heard before in America;-*
where, I must say, their Jarvies have the advan
tage of ours ih this respect.
I fancy our surly skipper had taken an extra
glass of whisky ; for, by dint of a more ingenious
piece of nautical mismanagement than any sober
"man would have thought of, we bungled our' entry
into the dock on the eastern side of the river, and,
in spite of many an oath, and many a thump ber
stowed on a worn-out horse — Charlie byname — we
fairly stuck fast, with the bow of the vessel jammed
between the two pier-heads, while her stern was
held tight down the stream by the ebbing tide. I
was rather amused than otherwise by the dilemma,
and for some time refrained from interfering, as I
have generally seen professional persons make mat
ters rather worse than better by their spluttering
on these occasions. At last the ferryman, after
urging his poor beasts to turn the paddles to no
purpose, threw down his whip in despair, gave the
horse nearest him a sound box' on the chops, and
roared out, to the horror of the good company,
" D — n your soul, Charlie, why don't you get up!"
I now thought it high time to make a move; and
jumping from the carriage, rigged out a spar over

UNITED STATES. 69
the starboard quarter, and reaching to the. bow of
a sloop lying at the wharf, by which means we
boomed-off the ferry-boat's stern, till she came ex
actly in a line with the entrance of the dock. Poor
Charlie, knowing instinctively that his services
could now be of some use, ran round quite merrily,
and in we slipped to our birth.
I felt a particular degree of interest in revisiting
$he interior of this part of the country, from a de
sire to compare the state of rural and also longer
settled society, with that which I had now become
pretty familiar with in the cities, and in the more
recently peopled, bustling parts of the States. I
was the more anxious to do this from having been
told, over and over again, by persons whose opinion
I was disposed to hold in much respect, and who
seemed honestly desirous of putting me in the right
path, that all, or nearly all, the ideas I had takeo
jip respecting the moderate degree of intelligence
of these people — their incapacity, in common with
the rest of mankind, for self-government, and so
on — were erroneous. Whenever I spoke with disap
probation of the incessant high fever in which all
the world seemed to be kept by the Presidential
filectipn, — or when I cast any reflections upon the
jnischievous practical effects of universal suffrage
and annual Parliaments, in bringing into the Le
gislatures of the States ignorant and incompetent

70 TRAVELS IN THE
persons, to the exclusion of the ablest and most
experienced, — or when I spoke of the limited nature;
of the information possessed by the great majority
Of all the persons I had yet met with, and of the dif-i
ficulty I had hitherto found in carrying their ideas
©Ut of mOriey-making, electioneering, and otheu
local channels, — in short, when I did not think
every thing in America perfect, or not so good as
I had been accustomed to see in other countries,
in correspondent situations, I was always told that
I had fallen into bad hands — that I had been acci
dentally or wilfully misled by the pebple I had been
amongst — or that I had unfortunately gone to such
and such a town at a wrong moment.
1 From hearing these assertions so frequently re
peated, I really began to hope that I had been de*
ceived, especially as these optimists told me to
wait till I had seen the people of the interior, out
ofthe reach ofthe contaminating influence of cities;
steam-boats, and stage-coaches. " Go to our flou*
rishing villages, sir," they said, " and talk to our
farmers ; there you will see our character — there
you will find the high-minded and intelligent citi
zens of our country."
I said I would do so with all my heart. And I
kept my word. Nor did I go about the enquiry
with any unwillingness to find things as they were
represented to me; but, on the contrary, in all

UNITED STATES. 71
these researches I most anxiously endeavoured to
see things as the inhabitants wished me to see them;
took every possible means of explaining the ano
malies I saw, or thought I saw, in a pleasant way,
and persevered in following the rule I have been
guided by through life — to see every thing on its
most favourable side.
It is due to the subject, however, and perhaps
to myself, to say, with reference to the above as
surances of the Americans, and my determination
in eonsequence, that I was not quite so young a
traveller as to believe at once, and upon trust,
that the usual law in such matters was inverted
in the case of their country, — which would cer
tainly be the case if more intelligence and talents
Were found in the villages of the interior, than
in the cities. AIL I assert is, that I was willing to
he convinced ; — a;feeling which I carried not only
to the agreeable little country town of Stock-
bridge in Massachusetts, where we made our first
halt, but to hundreds of others which I visited in
all parts of the United States ; — so varied in situa
tion and circumstances; as to present themselves
under every conceivable aspect as to age, prospe
rity, population, climate, and all the other modi
fying causes, domestic and political, which can be
supposed to have any influence in determining
national character.

72 TRAVELS IN THE
It may perhaps be thought that I anticipate
matters a little — but I think the truth cannot be
too soon told — and I must therefore confess, that
in spite of my own best wishes, encouraged by the
ardent persuasions of the Americans, I found all
parts of the country very much alike, — that I could
never in any place discover for myself, or hear
Upon good authority, any thing of that peculiar
intelligence, or that peculiar high-mindedness, so
much insisted upon by American writers, and rung
into my ears by almost every person I met with
from end to end of the continent.
The fact, it appears to me, is simply this :— the
American people are very like other people in these
respects ; and exactly in proportion to their mo
tives to exertion, so they become well informed
and attend to their business, and not one whit more;
Under similar circumstances, when such do occur;
which, for obvious reasons, can very rarely happen,
they are just like the common run of Englishmefr;
and as I do not think the circumstances in America
are more favourable for the attainment of intellec
tual excellence than they are in England, but tend
rather, on the contrary, to distract and waste the
powers ofthe human mind, by diverting it from its
proper, because most natural course, into a hun
dred minor channels; so I do not think that the

UNITED STATES* • 73 ,
inhabitants, generally speaking, are by any means
more intelligent.
During my residence near Stockbridge, I went
frequently into the village, it being my pleasure as
well as my business to get acquainted with as many
of the inhabitants as I could. This was an easy task,
as they were universally as kind and obliging as
I had found their countrymen elsewhere. I had
also opportunities of visiting the neighbouring
country houses and farms, sometimes in company,
and sometimes alone, upon which occasions I had
the means of seeing, on every hand, instances of
that energy of character, and ardent perseverance
for which the New Englanders are so deservedly
distinguished. It is well known to every one in
the least degree acquainted with America, that by
far the greatest conquests of man over the wilder
ness in the West, have been achieved by these hardy
pioneers, as they are well termed, from the Eastern
States. That section of the Union, indeed, has
served as a hive from whence swarms of emigrants,
as robust in body as in mind, have issued forth,
and carried with them to the woods the same spirit
of freedom, of enterprise, and of active labour,
which has belonged to them, I believe, ever since
their first settlement.
Besides these numerous detailed examinations of
VOL. II. d ¦

74 tAatels ik the
the country society in Massachusetts, we.fcip,.^
frequent good fortune to meet the more wealthy
class of the village residents at their own houses.
Upon one of these occasions I was gratified in, ^,
very high degree by making acquaintance with the,
accomplished author of (Several admirable! wpjk$ of,
fancy--" Redwood," " Hope Leslie," and others
which I am happy to find have been republjsj^
and are becoming more known in England; bp-.
Cause, independently of that high and unijrers-pl
interest attaching to works of fiction in the, hands,
of genius — wherever placed,— rthese.novels possess.,
another and very ' pleasing kind of merit, inthp
graphic truth with which the country iu which thej
scenes are laid is described. , ,
It was our peculiar good fortune, not only to,
converse with the author, but afterwards, under
instructions which she chalked out for us, tq visit
some parts of the ccuritry best adapted for show
ing off the beauties of a New England autumn.
Thus prepared, we carried this lady's boqk§ in pur;
hands to the tops of the mountains of, the $$$%
World, as the tourists to the Highlands of ( Spot-,
land used to, carry the Lady of the Lake,, fo aW
their taste in admiring Loch Katrine.
In the meantime, however, the picturesque wa$
obliged to yield to scenes of , aaother, description,
as the grand cattle show at Stockbridge, the,fou?th

UNITED STATES. 75
"f ¦ » '
anniversary ef the Agricultural Society; took place
at the period of our visit.'
The hilarity of the meeting, however, was essen
tially injured by the heavy rain which fell during all
the morning ; a circumstance the more provoking,
from its being the only unfavourable day which
had Occurred for some time. It was truly melan
choly to see the poor people's best clothes and other
finery destroyed, and all their amusements mar
ked. The merry flutes were no longer merry, while
the drums became soaked, and scarcely yielded a,
sound, though ever so well thumped. The gay flags,.,
instead of waving over the heads of the lads and
lasses of the neighbourhood, hung dripping down
to the very mud. The bright muskets of the awk
ward but showy militia were speedily tarnished ;
and instead of the whole fields being speckledover
with parties skipping to and fro, the inhabitants
of the village and surrounding hamlets, cased in
great-coats,1 or cowering under umbrellas, were
huddled together, silent and dissatisfied. All was
discomfort ; and it made one feel cold and damp,
even to look from the window at the drenched*
multitude. As the first exhibitidn, a ploughing match, took
place so near the house, that we could see it
pretty well without going over the threshold, we
satisfied ourselves for some time with the vie\»f

76 TftAVfiLS IN THE
from thence. But I was soon tempted, by the
growing interest of the scene, to make my mind up
for a ducking, and sallied forth in the face of the
storm. The ploughmen, who showed a great deal
of spirit in this amusing competition, all drove
oxen, excepting one man, on whose ridge horses
Were used. I have such an obscure idea of what
good ploughing is, that I cannot tell how this trial
Ought to rank with similar exhibitions elsewhere ;
in truth I soon ceased to watch the details of the
match, in the personal interest I was led to take in
one of the competitors, whose vehement anxiety to
win the prize enlisted the sympathy of most of the
spectators on the field. He was a small and rather
handsome negro, who drove a team of oxen as di
minutive, in proportion, as himself. His whole
soul was absorbed in the enterprise — he looked
neither to the right nor to the left, nor any where,
indeed, but to the heads of his cattle, , whose.
slightest deviation from the straight line, he watch
ed with a quickness, which excited the admira
tion and sometimes applause of the bystanders. , In
his hand he wielded a little whip, or more gene
rally he laid it across the plough, using it only when
his voice failed to direct his team. Even then
he merely touched one or the other of the oxen
with the end of the lash, not rudely, and with a
volley of angry reproaches, but gently, and more

UNITED STATES. 77
as a hint, apparently, to the animals, than as a
punishment. Accordingly, as in duty bound, they
seemed to enter fully into their master's anxiety^
and tugged and panted along in gallant style !
After the match was over, the umpires kept us
a long time in suspense before they decided which
ridge was the best ploughed ; for it appears that
expedition in these matters is only one of many
points which determine the real merit of the work
done. But the judges at last decided in favour of
our sable friend, — a result with which the whole
field seemed satisfied. Poor blackie, indeed, has
very seldom such occasions of triumph, for even in
these non-slave-holding States of America, this
fatal shade, by marking out the negro as a totally
different race, gives him little''— or I might say no
chance — of placing himself upon any permanent
equality with the white lords of the creation, who,
on their part, would as soon think of sitting down
to eat Indian corn leaves, or chopped pumpkins,
with their cattle, as of entering into social inter
course with a ' negur ;' with whom, however, it
would seem, they have no objection to engage in
manly, but temporary competition.
Shortly after the ploughing match was ended,
the day cleared up, and I expected to see some of
that merriment 'set a-going which I had been
taught to consider as the appropriate and almost

78 TRAVELS IN THE
necessary accompaniment to such a meeting. <_ In
particular I hoped to see the women tripping
out of the houses and, mixing gaily, with the meat
But no attempt of this kind was made, pr ojnce
thought of ; the whole proceedings, indeed^ being
strongly marked with that air of laborious, efej
which always accompanies unwontedamusemehts,;
and certainly I never fully understood before what
v-pas meant by making a; toil of a pleasure.' Th§
Americans, who are a very grave people, keep.fejfl
holidays; and whether, it be cause or, effect,? L do
not know, but they appear wofuUy ignorant of t!j$
difficult art of being gracefully idle, — of jcelasang
from toil, and leaving off business, for the more
pleasing occupation of interchanging good- and
kindly offices, merely as such, without referenO©
to pecuniary profit, or electioneering politics ;— as
if bodily and mental profit, the gaiety of spjiJ
and the elasticity of limb, which spring out of hg«
bitual and innocent festivities, were not so much
clear gain ! On this occasion, atleast, there was no
attempt at amusement even when the day hadmi*
proved, for the very instant the ploughing mat^J}
was over, all the women trudged home, unattend
ed ; while the men crowded eagerly to the tavern,
where, although I must allow there was nothing
like drunkenness, or riot, or noise, there was a
great destruction of ardent : spirits,

UNITED STATES. 79
i As I' found the smell of whisky and the cloudy
of tobacco smoke not very pleasant, I took the opr
portunity of examining the domestic manufactures,
laid out for public inspection in the Academy.
The articles exposed showed greater skill than I
had expected to find in this remote country place,
and I could not help thinking that such well-ap
plied dexterity and industry were more likely to
advance the interests of the country than the ope
rations of any artificial system of duties. On the
other hand, if the protecting system can really
be made effective in the encouragement of such
works as I saw on this day, without occasioning
more than an equal loss to some other part of the
community, it would be unfair to deny the wisdona
of such a measure. ''¦¦..
At one o'clock, the men were summoned to din?
iier in the tavern, by a loud bell, and we sat down,
to the number of about , 150. Two gentlemen of
the Committee took charge of me, and nothing
could be more attentive or communicative than
these obliging persons were. A Presbyterian mir
nister, from one ofthe Southern States, said a
long grace before we began, during which he alone
stood. On my right sat the Professor of a college,
and opposite to us, side by side, were placed an Epis
copalian clergyman, and a lawyer of the village.
A member of Congress, who had invited me to the

80 tr;avels in THE
dinner, was called away justas we sat down, to see
about some twenty head of cattle he had brought
to the show for sale. After dinner the clergyman
of the Episcopal church said the grace. I mention
these things to show the good fellowship that seem
ed to prevail amongst persons and sects so dissi
milar. Dinner, as I have often said before, is a brief
affair in America, a mere business to be got over,
not a rational pleasure to be enjoyed ; and we were
soon called away, by sound of drum, to join the pro*
cession to the church, where an oration suitable
to the day, was to be delivered. The company
walked two and two, with the most formal and
funereal solemnity, the women being kept carefully
separated from the men. I was rather surprised
when the gentleman with whom I was appointed
to walk, took me to the very last, the tail of the
line, which, at first, looked odd enough, as it was
obvious, from a hundred other things, that they
wished to treat strangers with all distinction. But
in the rear I found also the clergyman and seve
ral other principal persons of the village. This
arrangement, which reminded me of the etiquettes
at a naval funeral, I found was a device for giving
us the first entry into the church, and consequently
"the choice of seats ; for when the head of the co
lumn reached the church-door, a general halt took

UNITED STATES. 81
place, and a lane being formed by the gentlemen
who had been walking side by side now facing one
another, the two clergymen took off their hats,
and advanced from the end of the line up the
avenue formed by the double row of people.
I was invited to follow next, and, accompanied
by my friend, moved along cap in hand. I ob
served, that as the clergymen passed, about one in
ten of those who were in the line touched their
hats. There did not seem to be any intentional
rudeness on the part of the other nine, as the omis
sion evidently arose from want of habitual polite
ness in such matters. In fact, the whole affair
was a most amusing though rather clumsy com
promise between the natural consequence which
arises from wealth and station, and the nominal
rights and privileges of that much talked of equal
ity which belongs to a democracy. The dignity
of the sovereign people, it will be observed, was
duly maintained on this occasion by their being
allowed the precedence in the line of march ; while
their subjects, or rather the subordinate sovereigns,
— the rich or influential villagers — by means of the
device I have described, were allowed the more
solid advantage of good situations in the church.
The ladies, still kept apart, had already occupied
one side, while the other was allotted to the men.
d2

82. TRAVELS IN THE
An appropriate, agricultural discpurse was deli-
vered after a hymn and a prayer. It was so good
that I regret not having room for it all. , s , -.,, .
" The next thing which I mention,?? Saidr jhe
orator, ^ as havinga bearing upon the farming, jg-
. terest, and affecting its respectability, though of
course unfavourably, is the use of ardent spirits.
Something, indeed, has been done of late.to,awafe§n
public sentiment with regard to it ; but there is, po
subject on which a deep-toned remonstrance ^is
more needed. On this subject I must state fa^ts,
with regard to which, for the credit of this; town,
for the credit of this county, and of this country,
I would gladly be silent. The general correctness
of my statement cannot be questioned. How much
ardent spirits do you suppose, gentlemen, is pur
chased annually at the different stores in this tpjpi?
Do you suppose there are twelve hogsheads ?v,,J56
you suppose there are twenty ? Gentlemen, there
are thirty ! and this is rather- below- than above, ihe
truth. These, upon an average, contain 120f- gal
lons, making 3600 gallons consumed in this.]t^n
in one year, or more than 2 J gallons for every roan,
woman, and child. None of this is sold for,, legs
than 50 cents argallon ;, and if we put it at an ave
rage of 62£ cents, it will be very low- If we ave
rage it at that, the amount paid by this fown for
ardent spirits, is 2250 dollars.

UNITED STATES. 83
"If hbW, to the expense of all this, we add that
of pauperism, produced by intemperance,' — and
probably nine-tenths of it is thus produced,— and
that of the various lingering diseases' which not
only an excessive, but a moderate use of this sti
mulus induces, there is no calculating the expense
or misery Which it occasions. But the expense,
enormous as it is, and probably, for this county,
riot less than 100,000 dollars a-year, we would not
regard. Let Our people be poor, comparatively,
we care not for it; but let them retain their in
tegrity arid then* virtue; let them keep themselves
clear from this abominable sin against God and
against man."
This appeal is sufficiently energetic, and, of
course, ¦ Would have roused my attention to the
subject, had I not already been much struck with
the extent of the baneful practice alluded to. In
all other countries with which I have any ac
quaintance, the use of ardent spirits is confined
almost exclusively to the vulgar ; and though, un
doubtedly, the evil it causes may be severe enough,
it certainly is not, Upon the whole, any where so
conspicuous as in the United States.
In the course of the journey, such ample means
of judging of these effects lay on every hand, that
I speak of them with great confidence, when I say,

84 TRAVELS IN THE
that a deeper curse never afflicted any nation.
The evil is manifested in almost every walk of life*
contaminates all it touches, and at last finds its
consummation in the alms-house, the penitentiary^
or the insane institution ; so that, while it threat*
-ens to sap the foundation of every thing good in
America — political and domestic — it may truly be
said to be worse than the yellow fever, or the ne
gro slavery, because apparently more irremediable;
Dram-drinking has been quaintly called the na
tural child, and the boon companion of democracy ;
and is probably not less hurtful to health of body,
than that system of government appears to be to
the intellectual powers of the mind.
Fortunately, however, the sober-minded part of
the American population, who are fully alive to the
enormity of this growing and frightful evil, are
making great efforts to check its progress. At the
same time I must confess, that as yet I have not
heard in conversation, nor seen in print, nor ob*
served any thing myself in passing through the
country, which promises the least alleviation to
this grievous mischief, of which the origin and con
tinuance, I suspect, lie somewhat deeper than any
American is willing to carry his probe. The habit,
according to my view of the matter, is interwoven
in the very structure of that political society which

UNITED STATES. 85
the Americans not only defend, but uphold as the
very wisest that has ever been devised, or ever put
iri practice, for the good of mankind. At present,
however, my object is to deal chiefly with the fact,
though I may remark in passing, that in a coun
try where all effective power is placed— not indi
rectly and for a time, but directly, universally, and
permanently — in the hands'of the lowest and most
numerous class of the community, the character
istic habits of that class must of necessity predo
minate, in spite of every conceivable device recom
mended and adopted by the wise and the good
men of the nation.
That I am not overstating the facts of this case,
will be seen from the following extracts from the
First Report of the "American Society for the
Promotion of Temperance," established at Boston
oil the 10th of January, 1826.
" The evils arising from an improper use of in
toxicating liquors, have become so extensive and
desolating, as to call for the immediate, vigorous,
arid persevering efforts of every philanthropist, pa
triot, and Christian. The number of lives annu
ally destroyed by this vice in our own country is
thought to be more than thirty thousand ; and the
number of persons who are diseased, distressed,
and impoverished by it, to be more than two him-

86 TRAVELS IN THE
dred thdus'arid i mah jr of them are not only risfelessj
but a burden and a nuisance to society.
" These liquors, it is calculated, cost the inha*
bitants of this country annually, more than forty
millions of dollars ; and the pauperism occasioned
by an improper use of them, (taking the commoni
wealth of Massachusetts as an example,) costs them
upwards of twelve millions of dollars." (P. 8.)
The Society is in hopes, that by " some system
of instruction and action, a change may be brought
about in public sentimerit and practice in regard
to the use of intoxicating' liquors ; and thus an end
be put to that wide-spreading intemperance which
has already caused such desolation in every part
of our country, and which threatens destruction to
the best interests of this growing and mighty Rei*
public." (P. 4.)' ";
The same Report contains many very curious
extracts from official and other documents, all bear
ing more Or less testimony to the enormity of this
evil, but which are too long to extract. The fol
lowing paragraphs, however, are so remarkable in
themselves, independently of their connexion with
this subject, that I think it right to give them a
place without abridgement.
" The number of paupers received into the
alms-house at Philadelphia

UNITED STATES* 87

in 18<J3 was 4908 expenses in dollars 144,557
in 1824 5251 .< . . ,198,000
in 1825 4394 . . , 201,000
in 1826 4372 . . . 129,383

Tptal in four years 18,825, expenses 672,940
" The alms-house at New Yprk, and the., pe
nitentiary connected with it, has about 2000 in
mates, constantly, at the annual cost of about a
hnndred thousand dollars. Nearly all these peo
ple are addicted to intemperance.
" ^rom a Report made, to the legislature of Nfew
^Hampshire in 1821 by a committee, it appears
that the .maintenance, of the; poor ir^ thfit ^jtate
has cost /fhem, from ,1799 to 1820, 726,547 dpi-,
lars — average annual expense, 36,327 dollars.
In Massachusetts there are 7000 paupers, yhose^
support costs the state 360,000 dollars. From a
RjePpTt ;™ade to the legislature by the Secretary
of. State, in the year 1,822, it appears that there-
were then 6896 permanent,, and, 22,111 tempo
rary paupers, whose support cost that year 470,582
dollars.^ ,
" By means of these data we estimate the num
ber of paupers in the United States at two hun-,
dred thousand, whose support costs annually te»

88 TRAVELS IN THE
millions of dollars. We coincide in opinion with
the managers of the Society for the Prevention off
Pauperism in the city of New York, who, in one
of their Reports, say, ' in the production pf crime
and pauperism, ardent spirits may justly be called
the cause of causes.' " — First Annual Report of
the American Temperance Society, printed at An
dover, 1828, pages 64 and 65.
It would be well, I think, if those writers and ora
tors — on both sides of the Atlantic — who are so
prompt at every moment to visit with unmitigated y
censure the operation of the English Poor Law
system, would take the trouble to look at some of
these things. The abuses of the Poor Laws are no
doubt often grievous ; and certainly I have no in
tention of becoming the champion of such depar
tures from their original intention. That sort of
argument, indeed, which derives its merit from re
crimination, like the celebrated dispute touching
the relative colour of the pot and kettle, may not
always elicit important truths, but may sometimes
do good, by making inconsiderate people think and
enquire, before they speak.
The same curious Report goes on to observe,
that " others compute the drinking population at
one million, and the number of intemperate per
sons at three hundred thousand, and the number

UNITED STATES. 89
of families afflicted in various ways by this terri
ble scourge at four hundred thousand.
" We believe the foregoing estimates are as near
ly correct as the nature of the case will admit of;
and after all the deductions are made which any
person whatever may demand, enough of want,
disease, madness, crime, and death, will remain,
to "stain the custom of using ardent spirits with
human blood, and lay to its charge the perdition of
souls !"
Although it maybe thought I have already said
enough on this subject, I must, in justice to all
parties concerned, add the opinion of one of the
most respectable bodies in America. The follow
ing paragraph is taken from page 256 of the Mi
nutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in the United States, published in Phila^
delphia in 1828.
" Intemperance is a vice which maintains a wide
and fierce conflict with the remonstrances of in
terest, reason, and honour — with the warnings of
conscience, and the threatenings of Heaven ; and
since a closer and more anxious enquiry into the
extent and consequences of the practice of freely
using ardent spirits has been instituted, the reli
gious community have awoke, as it were, from a
dream, to witness the wide and mournful, arid

90 TItAVELSTN THE
augmenting ravages of this evil, which is e'very
year bearing its thousands to untimely graves ; rfr
ducing hundreds of virtuous arid independent faM-
lies to poverty and disigrace ; laying the brightest
hopes of genius, and learning, and the fairest ¦pfti-
spects of usefulness and honour, in the dust, and
hastening to cover our nation with general dis-4
graoe, and plunge thousands of immortal beings
into everlasting destruction."
After these frightful statements, it may seem
strange that, during the whole journey, I should
have seen very little drunkenness, properly so call*
ed. But drinking and drunkenness, it must be ob
served, are not always necessarily connected; and
I was perfectly astonished at the extent of intem
perance, and the limited amount of absolute intoxi
cation. To get so drunk as to kick up a row, or
tumble about the streets, or disturb a peaceable
household all night long, are feats that require a
man to sit down to his bottle, and swill away till
inebriety is produced. To what extent this prac
tice is followed as a habit in America, I cannot
say. I certainly never saw any of it. But what
•I did see, at every corner into which I travelled,
north or south, east or west, was the universal
practice of sipping a little at a time, but frequent
ly. In many places, it was the custom to take a

UNITED STATES. ,91
dram before breakfast, and in some parts of the
country another was taken immediately after that
meal; and so on at intervals, which varied from
half an hour to a couple of hours, during the whole
day.

92 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER V.

On the 3d of October, 1827, we left Stock-
bridge, and proceeded across the country to North
ampton, another of those beautiful New England
villages, which it is impossible to overpraise. Our
road was conducted through ravines, over moun
tain passes, and occasionally along the very sum
mit of ridges, from whence we commanded a view
of sufficient beauty to redeem, in the course of
one morning, all the flatness and insipidity of our
previous journey. The greater part, indeed, of
the country which we had yet seen — always, of
course, excepting the beautiful Lake George, and
delightful Hudson — consisted either of ploughed
fields, or impenetrable forests, or it was spotted
over with new villages, as raw and unpicturesque
as if they had just stepped out of a saw-pit. The
towns of Massachusetts, on tbe contrary, were em
bellished with ornamental trees and flower gar
dens, while the larger features of the landscape

UNITED STATES.

93

oWed their interest to the more vigorous accom
paniments of rocks, mountains, waterfalls, and all
the varied lights and shades of Alpine scenery.
In the course of this agreeable day's journey, we
traversed a considerable portion of the route over
which it has been seriously proposed, I was assured,
to carry a rail-road between the cities of Boston
and Albany. No single State, still less any Sec
tion of the Union, it seems, likes to be outdone by
any other State ; and this feeling of rivalry, sti
mulated by the success of the great Erie Canal —
an Undertaking highly favoured by nature — has, I
suppose, suggested the visionary project in ques
tion. In answer to the appeals frequently made
to my admiration of this scheme, I was compelled
to admit, that there was much boldness in the con
ception ; but I took the liberty of adding, that I
conceived the boldness lay in the conception alone ;
for, if it were executed, its character would be
chariged into madness.
Albany and Boston lie nearly east and west of
each other ; while much of the intermediate space
is so completely ribbed over by a series of high
ridges running north and south, that the rail-way
in question would have to pass along a sort of gi
gantic corduroy road, over a country altogether
unsuited for such an undertaking. Besides which,
several navigable riversj and more than one canal,

94 TRAVfeLS IN THE
lying along the intermediate valleys, c6rihe6t'the
interior with the sea," and thus afford far readied
means of exporting of importing goods to of frpih
New York, Albany, or Boston, than any rail-w&jf
can ever furnish.
The same reasoning might be applied to a hun
dred other projects in the United States, riiany of
them not less impracticable, but which, although
existing only on paper, are, nevertheless, assumed:
as completed, and cast into the balance of Amen-*"
can greatness, till the imaginary scalej loaded with
anticipated magnificence, makes the Old World
kick the beam, to the great satisfaction of the in
habitants of that country, and the admiratioh of
distant lands* Who know nothing ofthe mattei*.*1'
The view from the summit of Mount Holyoke,
which we visited on the 4th of October, is really
splendid, and is otherwise most satisfactory for tra
vellers, from bringing under their eyes a grie&t ex
tent of country. The top is 880 feet above the level
of the river Connecticut, Which winds about in the
alluvial land below, in a very fantastic style. This"
pretty stream was visible in a northern direction, for
many miles, in the gorges amongst the hills ; but,
on turning to the south, we could discover only a
few touches of it here and there, which to the na
ked eye seemed merely patches of smoke ; but when
viewed through a pocket telescope, these glimpses

UNITED STATES., 95
looked like bits of some immense looking-glass
shivered to pieces, and cast among the trees. As
many of the hills and dales in this pleasing prospect
had been long cleared of, woods, the eye was not
offended by that ragged appearance, sp cprnfortlpss
and hopeless-looking in most newly settled coun
tries., Spch spots, in this comparatively old part of
the country, are laid out mostly in orchards, — but
sometimes in ine^d'Qw..lands, or in wheat, or, more
frequently still, in mpize fields. The flourishing
villages of Northampton, Hadley, and Amherst,
lay almost at our feet. The planners of these, and
indeed of most of the villages in that part of the;
United States, appear to have commenced by ma
king ^street, pr unpaved avenue, of not less than
eighty or, a hundred ya?d§ in \vidth, with a double
row pf trees on, fach side, and a walk between.
The houses were almost invariably detached from
one another-^, and stood back some ten °r. twelve
yards from the broad and agreeably shaded walks
lining ^hejB(iain,;S|,reet ; the intervening space, in
front of the houses being generally railed in, and
triirinied. witfy shrubs, flowers, grass, plots, and
gravelled paths. Even the porches, and occasion
ally alsp the sides, of the windows and the ends of
the houses, were covered with creepers, in a very
pleasjng taste; and as jnosit of these tjuildings were
pf^ood,. painted white, with dark green doors and

96 TRAVELS IN THE
folding shutters, made in the Venetiari blirid style,'
the effect of the whole was particularly striking.
Of the unrivalled splendours of an American
autumn we had heard so much before, that we
considered ourselves fortunate in seeing it in the
very centre of the most favourable part of the coun
try. I think it is the maple, whose, leaves change
at this season from light green to bright crimson,
on every branch from top to bottom. Whatever,
tree it was, however, nothing could be more daz
zling than the effect produced. But. there were
many others, whose extreme tops only were yet
tinged ; but in such endless varieties of colour,
and all so vivid, that it was sometimes wellnigh
painful to the eye to look at them. I need not
say with what effect the honest evergreens held
their place as a sober ground-work to these bril
liant though transitory tints — not the less pleasing,
probably, on that account. Upon the whole, I do
not know that I have seen in other countries any
thing so wonderfully diversified, as the colours of
the foliage at this season in New England.
The word for autumn in that country is the Fall —
a term happily expressive of the fate of the leaves,
and worthy, perhaps, of poetical, if not of vulgar;
adoption. Why, if the Spring be the rise of the
year, should we not apply an equally descriptive
expression to the period when the law of nature,

UNITED STATES. 97
that all things on earth must droop and perish,
is urged in such impressive language upon our
thoughts ?
Before stepping into the carriage, in which it
appeared we might proceed about half way up
Mount Holyoke, we consulted the people of the
house as well as the guide-books, as to the facilities
of the road ; and I particularly asked the bar-keeper
if he thought we might take the child. He laugh
ed, and exclaimed, " O, no ! you will never be able
to get up if you take the infant ; the road,1 1 pro
mise you, is very difficult and steep."
Travellers are an obstinate race, it is said ; — but
in truth, they seldom know rightly what to do till
the excursion is over, and then their experience,
like that of most people, comes rather late. As the
habit of road-books and guides, for obvious rea
sons, is always to exaggerate things, so their ob
ject in this case was manifestly to make the moun
tain as high as possible. I therefore inferred, from
nothing being said in the books of the difficulty of
the ascent, that the patriotic bar-keeper was merely
puffing off his favourite hill, by superadding an
allowance of steepness. Accordingly, I decided
upon carrying the whole party, notwithstanding
the smile which I detected whisking about the lips
of my informant as he closed the carriage door,
and we moved off.
VOL. II. E

98 TRAVELS IN THE
For the first mile and a half, our road lay through
a flat alluvial meadow, covered with groups of hay
makers, besides parties of men and women stripping
overloaded apple-trees which lined the way, along
which the fruit was piled into pyramids, ready
for the waggons. After this, we crossed the, Con
necticut, a stream which gives its name to one of
the eastern States, and soon afterwards began to
clamber up a cleft in the hill, or what in fact was
more like a South Americari Quebrada than any
thing else — much steeper at all events than any
road I ever saw attempted before in a wheeled car
riage. At length the driver, declaring he could
go no further, let us out, and pointed to a tolera^
bly steep foot-path. We laughed to scorn this pig
my difficulty, and chuckled at the triumph over
the bar-keeper and his predictions. By and by,
however, the path took a bend, upon which the in
clination became like that of a stair, with this mate
rial difference, that the steps on the mountain side
were formed of loose stones, planted at such awk
ward distances from one another, that the effort
necessary to establish a proper footing, was by no
means trifling. Here I was, of course, obliged to
hoist the young lady on my back, — and a weary tug
we had of it !
The proverbial facility of descent, however, was
any thing but easy in our case, and I really do not

UNITED STATES. &9
Icnow how we should ever have got down agam-*-
with whole bones, at least — had we not met a gen
tleman and his son, an active boy, ramblers like
ourselves, and such obliging persons, that we scru
pled not to accept their aid in our difficulties.
The beauty of the prospect from the summit of
this noble hill, by completely arresting our atten
tion, had rendered us careless about sundry threat
ening squalls of rain, which stalked slowly over
the landscape, like enormous giants with their
heads thrust into the clouds, and adding much to
the grandeur of the scenery, both by their own
majestic and half mysterious appearance, and by
the long belts of shadow which trailed behind
them for many a league. In the course of time
one of these drizzly monsters advanced upon Mount
Holyoke, and after drenching the village of North
ampton beneath us, and setting all our friends, the
haymakers and apple-gatherers, to the right about,
took possession of the high ground, so as to shut us
completely out from the wide world we had been
.admiring. As there was nothing more to be seen, and the
night was falling fast, it became necessary to re
trace our steps without delay. The path, how
ever, up which we had laboriously climbed, looked
twice as steep as before ; the stones, moreoverj
were nearly as slippery from the shower, as so

100 TRAVELS IN
many blocks of ice, and consequently, the danger
of tumbling far greater than in the first instance.
A false step on the ascent would merely have
brought our noses in contact with the ground, but
a similar slip now might have pitched us headlong
down the ravine. On reaching the inn at North
ampton, the steps were let down by our friend the
¦bar-keeper, who, as he lifted the exhausted little
girl from the carriage, and observed the state of
fatigue of the whole party, seemed half tempted to ¦
reproach us with our insensibility to his warning;
but he managed his triumph with better taste, and
merely smiled when I groaned out that he was the
better prophet of the two.
On the 5th of October, we proceeded to Worcps*
ter, another of those very pleasing villages which
are such an ornament to New England. Here the
weather, that for some days had been fine, changed
in the course of the night ; and the wind, chopping
about, blew so furiously, that when I looked- out of
the window next morning, a shower of leaves as
thick as snow-flakes, but of all dies — red, orange,
yellow, scarlet, and green, swept glittering by.
At Worcester I met a remarkably intelligent
person, with whom I fell into conversation on the
subject of manufactures, and the measure which
was then in agitation, and has since been earned,
of protecting, as it is called, the domestic industry

UNITED STATES. 101
of that country by a new Tariff, or higher scale of
duties on imported goods.
¦ He contended that the manufactures of New
England in particular, but also those of other parts
of the Union, had grown up during the late war,
when foreign goods were excluded, and had been
enabled to flourish, more or less, ever since, in
consequence of the protecting duties laid on foreign
articles by the General Government. I was more
anxious to hear his opinions than to give my own,
and therefore merely made one or two common
place remarks on the danger of tampering with
such matters, and the evils which arose from go
vernments attempting to lead industry by roads
which it would not have followed naturally if left
to itself. " Yes, sir," said he, " that is all true in
theory, and quite suitable to those gerieral princi
ples which would be unerring guides, provided all
the world were wise, and equally liberal and rea
sonable in such matters ; but I put it to your can
dour to answer me this question, — How are the
people of those parts of our country to live, where
agriculture, in consequence of the inferior soil, is
not a productive line of industry? What are we
to do ? And, on the other hand, with whom are
the agricultural portions of our Union to exchange
their produce ? If all the world were open — well
and good — but when you in England, for example,

102 TRAVELS IN THE
shut the door against the introduction of American
wheat and other bread-stuffs — what are the inha
bitants of those sections of our country which raise
grain in abundance, to do with their crops ? They'
want manufactured goods— they have grain to give^
for them — but you who manufacture cheap things,
will not accept the only payment they are compe
tent to offer; and consequently they must apply *
to their own industrious countrymen of New Eng
land, who, by dint of great regularity of habits, and
vigorous application, assisted, too, in a most re
markable manner, by an almost unbounded com
mand of water-power for their machinery, as well
as water-transport for their goods, are enabled by
a moderate protection to compete — at least we
trust we shall do so — with the superior skill and
greater capital of England. Thus we shall not
only afford ourselves a livelihood, superior to that
which our comparatively barren soil can yield us,
but we shall provide a market for those sections of .
our own country where the land is fertile, and
where industry finds muchmore productive employ
ment in bringing waste lands into cultivation, than
it can in manufactures for a long time to come."
This argument may be very good for New Eng
land, but unfortunately, I fear, for that portion of
the Union, its application extends but a little way
oyer the whole country; at all events, this doc-

, UNITED STATES. 103.
trine of protection is vehemently opposed by the
Southern States, where the raw material is culti
vated, and nothing manufactured; and where, of
course, the object is to get the greatest return of
goods, from any quarter — no matter what — in ex
change for the products of their industry. The
Americans of the South feel comparatively indif
ferent -about how their eastern brethren employ
their industry; and are apt to tell them to do as
they have done for many years past, that is, to
drain off to the westward, into those new and rich
countries, which want only the stroke of a New
Englander's axe to make them start into life and
vigour. Such, indeed, has heretofore been the
course of things in America ; and I think it not
unlikely that they must eventually return to the
same channel, if the recent Tariff, passed avowed
ly for the immediate purpose of assisting one part
of the community, and only prospectively for the
benefit of the whole, shall not be able to resist the
efforts of those parties who suffer under its ope
ration in the meantime.
t Should this Tariff, however, really be a good
measure with reference to America, it will, of
course, hold its ground in spite of its inconveni
ence — whatever that may be — to other countries.
But I suspect it will be a hard matter to persuade
the opposite parties, or those who do not benefit

104 TRAVELS IN THE
directly by it, to lie upon their oars, and be con
tented with measures, of which the present effect
is notoriously to make what they want dearer, and
for, any future change in which, they have only the
interested promises of those very manufacturers,
who flourish, say their antagonists, only at the
expense of their non-manufacturing countrymen.
If New England were a separate and independ
ent State, I can really discover no good:argument
in reply to the above reasonings. My friend, how
ever, did not make put his point, I think, in defend
ing the Tariff; but perhaps his argument may sug
gest another and equally important view, namely,
that these Eastern States may really have within
themselves the means of becoming an independent
manufacturing country. But they cannot reason
ably hope to accomplish such a purpose, even with
all their local advantages, at the cost of the South
ern States, while both are members of the same
political body ; while, if they were disentangled
from such association, they would have to enter
the market along with the competitors of Europe.
How New England would be able to stand this,
remains to be seen.
After all, it is probable, I think, that if there were
no protecting duties at all, or very moderate ones,
these matters would come to the same point, ulti
mately, and pretty nearly in the same interval of

UNITED STATES. J 05
time as they will do now. It is quite clear, that
goods from England, or any where else, will not
continue to flow into America, unless payment
flows out of.it, in some shape or other ; and if the
English manufacturer will not take the 'bread-
stuffs' of the agricultural American States in ex
change, while the New Englanders are willing to
take them, what is to prevent the adjustment
alluded to? This, if I understand it, is exactly
what the manufacturers expect will eventually
take place. " But in the meantime," say they,
"until we are helped over the stile, and fairly
placed in the market, by the exclusion of foreign
competition, we cannot begin the race on fair
terms." Perhaps the best policy of America would
be the adoption ofthe lowest duty which would not
entirely exclude foreign competition; not, of course,
out of tenderness to foreigners, but simply because
if this minimum point be exceeded — as it is loudly
declared by a great part of the nation to have been
by the late enactments — there seem to be obvious
reasons why no reliance can be placed pn the sta
bility of the Tariff; and the capital which is turn
ed aside by such delusive hopes, will be in some
danger of perishing altogether.
Without entering into the morale of smug
gling, I may observe, tbat all experience shows
the utter impossibility of keeping out those goods
e2

106 TRAVELS IN THE
which the people wish to have, even from places
beyond comparison more easily guarded than Ame
rica. It is idle, indeed, to talk of any thing being
permanently effective in this way, against the
general wishes of the country, along such extensive
lines of coast as those ofthe Gulf of Mexico and of
Canada, to say nothing of what is called the sea
bpard, or Atlantic shore. In the course of one
day, I have passed along a district which a thou
sand custom-house officers could not have protect
ed from such inroads for an hour. And I have re
peatedly heard in American companies the details
of projects which could easily defeat every such
surveillance. As to any refined moral sensibility ,
standing in opposition to such methods of making
money, it is useless to say one word. In all parts
of the globe, the moment taxes of any kind, and
especially those which relate to the duty on foreign
goods, become more severe than the sensible part
ofthe nation think reasonable, the shame of smug
gling is at an end. The only difference which
practically takes place is, that the working hands
are changed. The reckless Contrabandista takes
the place and reaps all the profits, and generally a
great deal more than the profits, formerly earned ,
by the fair dealer — the difference being paid by the
consumer ; " for vice," to use the expression of an
acute American reasoner on this subject, "is-;

UNITED STATES. 107
¦always ready to fill up the gap left by misgovern
ment." These very shocking doctrines are, of course,
stoutly denied in the American legislature ; — but
I have seen too much of the difference which
exists between promise and performance, in poli
tical matters, to distrust what experience has es
tablished in every other quarter of the globe ; or
to expect that, if smuggling can be made profitable
in that country, the shame which attaches to it
will not be soon frittered away.
The arguments drawn from the success which
long ago attended a similar course of prohibitory
regulations in England, will hardly apply to Ame
rica, in consequence of most of the essential cir
cumstances being dissimilar. During those times
when, I grant, our commerce and manufactures
did flourish under the exclusive system, we had
things nearly all our own way, or with hardly any
thing deserving thename of competition to oppose
us ; and it was really too much for flesh and blood
to-resist the temptation of profiting thereby. Now,
if America can manage, by any system of tariffs,
coast blockades, treaties, or other devices, to place
herself in circumstances at all similar, she will be
very foolish not to avail herself of those advantages
which we found to flow from them. But is any
approach to this possible, with such a rival as Eng-

108 TRAVELS IN THE
land in the market— to say nothing of the Contir
nental nations of Europe, which have lately enter
ed the field of competition since the halcyon days
of British monopoly were over ?
In answer to this question, it may be urged, that
America, in some senses, may be called an insular
nation, and possesses other peculiarities besides the
absence of neighbours, which cannot be imitated.;
such as the unbounded room in which her popula
tion may rove about. But it remains yet to. be
seen, how far these geographical distinctions which
insulate her so much from the rest of the world,
are capable of being turned to useful account. For
my part, . I really think we ought not to decide
hastily upon such questions, as it may possibly he
shown by time, that reasonings of great pith and
moment, as applied to Europe, may have little or
no reference to the political economy of a country
so entirely different in some essential points of
comparison. The Tariff of 1828, which raised the duties on
the import of English goods, was certainly at first
a most unpopular measure over great part of the
Union ; and was received, in the Southern States
particularly, with much loud indignation. Many
threats of resistance were held out, all of which, as
I understand, have since died away. The fact seems
to be, there is too little concert amongst the mem-

UNITED STATES. 109
bers of any party to such opposition, to carry their
wishes through. But perhaps the chief explana
tion of this and many other similar instances of ac
quiescence, is to be found in the peculiar character
ofthe American people, whose youth and elasticity
carry them through these arid many other tempo
rary obstructions. It is not at all uncommon to see
branches of trade entirely broken up, — for example,
that with the British West Indies, — and yet no par
ticular ill consequences follow. The persons en
gaged in those lines of business, speedily find sonje
other occupation, and then their murmurs cease.
This, however, is attributable to a very obvious
national trait in the character of the American
population-: they are a people of shifts arid expe-
dierits, always accommodating themselves to cir
cumstances, never losing their own confidence, but ¦
ever ready to try something else, after a failure in
one thing. This peculiar versatility and resource
is inherent in the whole nation, but more particu
larly in the Northern and Eastern States, and may
possibly have taken its rise from the privations and
hardships suffered by their ancestors in the early
occupation of the country.
In new settlements, where present comforts are
all that are looked for, every difficulty is met by
some ingenious and ready, though perhaps tempo
rary expedient. From the small number of arti-

110 TRAVELS IN THE
sans in such situations, too, the settlers are obliged'
to turn their hands to every thing ; and hence they
become capital Jacks of all trades. The result of
causes acting so extensively over the country,,
taken along with other circumstances in their po-,
litical and geographical situation, is the formation
of a race of people prompt to adopt new trials of
skill, and who are not likely to be depressed or
permanently injured by changes in the direction of
commercial enterprise ; or, indeed, by any of the
ordinary reverses of fortune.
• At the same time, there has sprung up amongst
them a habit of shrewdness, which is generally dig
nified by the name of intelligence,! in close con
nexion with the universal habit of bargaining,
which soon makes them adepts in every business
they undertake. In the early years of American
colonization, the adoption of these qualities was
almost indispensable to their existence, as means
of self-defence, when surrourided by the dexterous
savages of the wilderness. And although the
aborigines have entirely disappeared, the same
principles of action, under various modifications,
are still, very often, found necessary to success, in,
a country where all men are engaged in one and
the same engrossing pursuit — namely, that of,
making money.

UNITED STATES. Ill

CHAPTER VI.

On Saturday, the 6th of October, 1827, just as the
sun was dropping behind the ranges of hills througb
which we had passed the day before, we came in
sight of the goodly city of Boston, the capital of
Massachusetts, and the great northern rival to the
Port of New York. A high moslem-looking dome
in the centre of the town, surmounting the State
House, which is placed on the most elevated point
of ground, was of course the last which kept sight
ofthe sun. But we were still in time to enjoy about
ten minutes' illumination of the numerous -spires,
and other high buildings, ranges of streets, and
long bridges, three or four in number, which con
nect several distinct ranges of suburbs with the
peninsula upon which this beautiful town is built.
One of these districts, called Charlestown, claimed
our particular attention, from its standing at the
bottom and partly on the side of the celebrated
Bunker's Hill.

112 TRAVELS IN THE
As our object on arriving at any place was al- <
ways to see, as soon as possible, whatever was most
remarkable, we gladly availed ourselves of a friend's ¦
convoy to one of the Unitarian churches, on the
next day, Sunday, the 7th of October, when a cele
brated champion of these doctrines was to preach.
A considerable change, it appears, had taken
place at Boston, of late years, in the religious
tenets of the inhabitants ; and Unitarianism, or, as
I find it called in their own publications, Liberal
Christianity, had made great advances, chiefly
under the guidance of this distinguished person.
The pastor had just returned to his flock after .
an absence of some months, and took advantage of
the occasion to review, in a rapid manner, the rise
and progress, as well as the peculiar nature, of the
doctrines he so powerfully advocates. He struck
me as being, in many respects, a very remark
able preacher ; particularly in the quietness, or
repose of his manner. How far this proceeded,
from the simplicity of his thoughts, or from the
unaffected plainness of his language, I cannot ex
actly say ; but the power which it gave him of ,
introducing, when it suited his purpose, occasional
passages of great force and richness of expression,
was one of which he availed himself with much
skill. It was manifest, indeed, that the influence
he held, or appeared to hold, over the minds of his

UNITED STATES. 113
hearers was derived mainly from their reliance on
his sincerity, whatever some of them might have
thought of his doctrines. The tone of his voice
was familiar, though by no means vulgar ; on the
contrary, it might almost be called musical, and
was certainly very pleasing to the ear ; but whe
ther this arose from the sounds themselves, or from
the eloquent arrangement of the words, I never
thought of enquiring, as I was carried along irre
sistibly by the smooth current of his eloquence.
He began by greeting his friends with great
suavity of address ; and if there did appear a little
touch of vanity in the implied importance which
he attached to all that concerned himself in the
eyes of his flock, it partook not in the slightest
degree of arrogance, but was very allowable, con
sidering the real influence he had so long enjoyed.
Indeed, from what I saw artd heard, I should think
he rather fell short than exceeded the limits to which
he might have safely gone, when speaking to his
congregation of the feelings, the hopes, and the
fears, which rose in his mind on returning to his
wonted duties,' with health somewhat repaired, but
not restored. At first, this familiarity of tone, and
almost colloquial simplicity of expression, sounded:
so strangely from the pulpit, that the impression
was not altogether favourable, but there soon ap
peared so much real kindness in all he said, that

114 TRAVELS IN THE
even we, though strangers, were not untouched
by it.
He then gradually embarked on the great ocean
of religious controversy, but with such consummate
skill, that we scarcely knew we were at sea till we
discovered that no land was in sight. After as
suring us that he had been called to the front of
the battle, though, in truth, he was a man of peace,'
and a hater of all disputation, he described^ with
singular effect, the impression left on his mind, one
day recently, by hearing a discourse in a country
church where narrow views of mental liberty had:
been inculcated. Nothing certainly could be more
poetical than the contrast which he drew between
the confined doctrines he had heard within the
walls, and what he eloquently called the free beau
ties of thought and of nature without.
By the time the preacher reached this part of
his discourse our curiosity was much excited, and
I, for my own part, felt thoroughly caught, and
almost prepared to go along with him into any
region he pleased to carry me.
He next gave us an account of his share in the
progress of the controversies to which he alluded,
and explained again and again to us, in a variety
of different shapes, that his great end in advocating
the Unitarian, or Liberal doctrines, was to set the
human mind entirely free on religious subjects,

UNITED STATES. 115^
without any reference, he earnestly assured us, to
one sect more than to another, but purely to the
end that there might be, in the world at large,
the fullest measure of intellectual independence
of which our nature is capable. He spoke a good
deal of the Christian dispensation, to which, how
ever, he ascribed no especial illuminating powers,
but constantly implied, that every man was to
judge for himself as to the degree and value of the<
light shed by Revelation. Reason and conscience,
according to his view of the matter, ought to be
our sole guides through life, and the efficacy of our
Saviour's atonement was not, as far as I could dis
cover, even once alluded to, except for tbe pur
pose of setting it aside. He earnestly exhorted
his hearers not to rely entirely upon the Scrip
tures, nor upon him, then pastor, nor upon any
other guides, human or divine, if I understood him
correctly, but solely upon the independent efforts
of their own minds. Our Saviour, as " the first
of the Sons of God," he held up as an example
worthy of all imitation; but the indispensable
necessity of his vicarious sacrifice, was clearly-
denied. The Christian religion, he told us, as first preach
ed by the Apostles, was well suited to those early
times. But, according to him, it soon became
corrupted, and was never afterwards purified, even

116 TRAVELS IN THE
at the Reformation. Much, therefore, still remain
ed to be done ; and one step in this great work, he,
led us to infer, was actually in progress before us,
in the extension of Unitarianism.
As it is quite foreign to my purpose to enter in-,
to tlie details of this controversy, I have merely
mentioned, as impartially as possible, what seem
to be the leading points of a doctrine which has
obtained a complete ascendency in one of the most
enlightened parts of the country, and is rapidly
spreading itself over the United States, in spite
of the efforts of the Episcopal and Presbyterian
Churches. Under their banners, indeed, I have
the satisfaction of saying, there are collected men
of the most eminent piety, and ardent devotion
to the service of religion, who, I am well con
vinced, from all, I saw and heard, are as zealously
bent on defending the sacred cause intrusted to
their hands, as any body of men in the world. I
make this assertion respecting the American Clergy
without reservation of any kind ; for it is my firm
belief, after the most attentive observation and en
quiry, that as far as in them lies, the cause alluded
to will not be neglected.
But the Church, most unfortunately, I think,
for that country, is unconnected with, and unsup
ported by the State. Neither can it, by any possi
bility, under the present arrangements, derive as-

UNITED STATES. 1 IT
sistance, direct or indirect, from government, nor
can the Church, in turn, render back any services
to the State. Without at present- entering upon
any discussion as to the theory of the alliance be
tween Church and State, I simply mention the fact,
that in America there is no such union, either tacit
or formal. The evils which the absence of this
important connexion brings on the nation are, ac
cording to my view of the matter, twofold in kiud,
one affecting the civil administration of affairs, the
other influencing religious sentiment.
But I expressly defer entering into the argu
ments upon this subject, till I shall have described
those facts, moral and political, upon a knowledge
of which these reasonings must be grounded, in.
order to be useful, or even intelligible. In- the
meantime, however, I may state, with reference to
the particular topic under consideration, that it
has never before fallen in my way to examine with
attention the subject of Unitarianism ; and I sus
pect, from all I could learn, very few, even of this
clergyman's regular congregation, have either time
or application, or the means in other respects, of
giving the question that full and independent exa
mination which he himself recommended, and in
fact stated, in my hearing, to be absolutely neces
sary to a right comprehension of the subject. Still,
even if his congregation really had such opportu-

118 TRAVELS IN THE
nity of leisure, I imagine there is abundant ana
logy to bear me out in the belief that, in the end,
so far from their all being of one mind, no two of
¦the investigators would land in the same persua
sion. And I greatly mistake the state of the fact,
if this conviction have not, at bottom, a place in
the minds of almost all this great orator's hearers-;
who, therefore, so far from attending to his re
commendation of exerting their own powers, and
their own knowledge, towards the formation of a
religious sentiment for themselves, are merely led
along, unresisting captives to their pastor's elo
quence. The truth is, independent thinkers, on any sub
ject, are not so easily made as this discourse seem
ed to imply; and fortunately it happens, that
it is least of all on subjects connected with the
foundations of religion that men are inclined, even
if they had it in their power, to make an except
tion to this rule. In proportion, therefore, as this
circle of Liberal Christians is extended, so, I sus
pect, will increase the number of those who, as
they either cannot, or do not choose to take the
matter into their own -hands, will freely give the
reins of their imagination into those of any preacher
who, as in the present instance, from his pre-emi
nent talents, disinterestedness, and virtuous life,
may seem competent to guide, or at all events to

UNITED STATES. 119
please them ; while, in point of fact, their religious
thoughts and opinions, however, they may have
strayed from the faith of their fathers, are not one
whit more independent than before.
I have perhaps dwelt on this subject longer than
at first view may appear necessary ; and most as
suredly, I should not have entered upon it at all,
had I not been forcibly struck with an import
ant analogy between the doctrines of this Liberal
Christianity, and those principles of government
which have gained, by gradual advances, the en
tire political ascendency in America. Unitarian
ism, as I heard it laid down at Boston — and I am
acquainted with it in no other shape — may, I con
ceive, fairly be called, without any thing disre
spectful, the Democracy of Religion ; for while
it affects to teach men to cherish entire mental
independence, it disentangles them totally from
that allegiance and reliance upon the merits of
their Saviour, which Revelation inculcates on the
minds of all those who believe in his divinity, as
the surest, indeed the only solid ground-work of
their hopes; whereas the doctrines referred to
above, send us back, in a vicious circle of unsub
stantial reasonings, to the shallow fountains of our
own unassisted thoughts, for what certainly can
not be found there. I am firmly persuaded, there
fore, such principles, sooner or later, must lead, in

120 TRAVELS IN THE
any country that adopts them generally, to as por
tentous changes in questions of religion, as those ,
which civil democracy, if I may so call it, has al
ready brought about in every country whose people
have tried the very perilous experiment of direct
self-government. I have the less scruple in stating, my opinions
with respect to the probable effects of the diffusion,
of these doctrines, from finding the same expecta
tion as to the probable extension of Unitarianism .
advanced with complacency in various American
publications. In that country the popular cast of
the religious institutions and discipline is already
very great, while the facilities of further change ,
are so inviting, that these liberal doctrines, from
harmonizing so well with every thing else, are aU
most sure of ultimate success.
The difference between America and England
in the important point of church government, ap
pears to be simply this : — With them religion, like
every thing in the country, is left to take its own
course; we, on the other hand, have chosen fo
collect together the experience which has result
ed from long ages of trial and discussion, and to
fix this condensed knowledge in one solid fabric.
By means of the powerful Establishment so con
structed,^, any violent or radical alterations in doc- ,
trine or discipline, are rendered well-nigh impossir

UNITED STATES. 121
ble, as far at least as they affect the mass of the
community ; while, at the same time, all persons
who may not choose to go along with the Church,
are left at perfect liberty to exercise their birth
right, and think and act for themselves.
In these respects, indeed, the Church of Eng
land has the good fortune — in which the rest of
the country far more than equally participate — of
being diametrically opposed, in every circumstance,
to the religious institutions of America. Changes
with us, it must be remembered, are proverbially
difficult in all things — in matters relating to the
Church, pre-eminently so. And I trust, before the
close of this work, I shall have no difficulty in
showing in what manner this long-continued sta
bility in the most important branch of the Eng
lish Government — this type of the Rock of Ages —
has contributed to fix the national character ; and
also how confidently, as long as the Established
Church retains its ascendency, avoiding carefully
all internal changes, and setting popular interfe
rence with its constitution at defiance, we may
likewise predict the permanency of every thing else
we hold dear in the country.

VOL. II.

122 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER VII.

As we had brought upwards of twenty letters of
introduction to different persons in Boston, we
thought at first of sending only a few, selected
from those which seemed most likely, from what
we had heard, to prove useful. But, upon con
sideration, we found this required a greater know
ledge of the, parties than we possessed; so we
merely wrote our address upon each letter, sent out
the whole batch, and sat still to watch the result.
The sun was scarcely down before a considerable
number of visitors came to us, amongst whom was
one very distinguished person, whose conversation
struck me as superior to what I had before heard
in America. We soon fell to work, and for several
hours kept up a smart discussion on the never-
ending topic of our respective countries; but all in
perfect good-humour, and, I hope, in a spirit of
mutual and friendly allowance for the wide differ
ence ^circumstances between us.

UNITED STATES. 123
It is amusing enough, by the way, to- observe,
that whenever an Englishman and an American
meet in that country, they seem to fancy it a point
of conscience to put their lances in rest at once,
and try to unhorse each other, with or without
further subject of dispute, like the Knights in the
Fairy Queen, at every rencounter, whether of friend
or foe.
But for all this,, I cannot say that during the
Journey I met with any thing that gave me more
pleasure than this interview, or which I found
more useful afterwards. Heretofore I had often
had occasion to regret the contracted and distorted
kind of acquaintance which, in spite of all their
declarations to the contrary, some of the best-in
formed persons appeared to have of the operations
of the English system pf government, and of so
ciety generally. Here, at last, thought I, is a man
whose knowledge is not confined to the superficial
aspect of things, but who really goes into their
spirit ; and, if he cannot be expected to feel like us,
he at least understands what we feel. In this man
ner we went over many points of comparison be
tween the two nations ; and though we by no means
took the same view of matters, we each saw dis
tinctly what the other meant, — which, next to con
vincing your antagonist, or being yourself convin
ced, is the greatest pleasure such discussions can

124 TRAVELS IN THE
afford. Accordingly, if my highly-informed friend
had taken leave at this stage of our intercourse? I
might have written down in my notes, that at length
I had met an American who, with reference to
England, understood the operation of those circum
stances which, as we think, give permanent stahk
lity to governments, as well as virtue and freedom,
and consequently happiness, to mankind. Unfortu
nately, however, just as he had taken his hat, and
was leaving the room, he paused, and said^ " Af
ter all, notwithstanding these admirable balances,
effective distinctions in rank, and other sources of
remedy for admitted evils, and, in spite of your
practical freedom, the real power on the part of
the people, and actual responsibility of the govern
ing parties, there are moments when I have some
misgivings,— some distrust of the permanencfe: of
your system, — ahd when, I confess to you, I expect
to see the whole of that singular piece of political
machinery, which has withstood the tear and wear;
©f ages, broken to pieces."
" Indeed 1" I exelaimed. " I did not expect to
hear this, considering how correctly you appear to
have understood the way in which all things work
themselves clear in that country, happen what may.
But pray, tell me what are the circumstances which
you think threaten the stability of the present order
of affairs in England ?"

UNITED STATES. 125
" Why," said he, smiling, as if half ashamed to
express what he felt strongly, " I do sometimes
imagine, when I read of your Manchester riots,
and the prevalence of your radicalism, that a body
of those desperate men, say thirty* or forty thou
sand, will march to London, and overturn the
Executive Government, the Throne, and the Con
stitution !"
My first impulse was to enter into some explana
tion of this mistake ; but in the next moment I felt
how utterly hopeless such a task must be, where
the substratum of radical error was so deep. I
merely, therefore, smiled in return at the destruc
tion of the grand expectations I had formed of
having met with one American who was aware how
such matters were managed else where — and I am
not sure that I ever again reached so near the
mark of what I should consider just information,
as I had done upon this occasion.
Subsequent and more careful reflection, how
ever, upon this anecdote, has taught me to suppose
it by no means impossible that many of my own
views, with respect to America, may be equally
open to ridicule in that country, as this idea of the
Radicals marching to London is with us. It is
quite natural, indeed, that the native of a country
governed by the- people at large should hold the
Radicals in respect; — but the influence due to rank,

126 TRAVELS IN THE
which we reckon upon as something, they may hold
as cheap as we do the shouts of a mob.
On Sunday evening, we set out, under the gui
dance of one of our fellow-lodgers, to stroll over
the to\Vn, and in the course of our ramble visited
the new market, an extensive building of gra*
nite ; and afterwards perambulated many of the
wharfs and other parts of this cheerful-looking city.
Nothing we had yet seen in America came near to
Boston in the cleanliness, neatness, and, in many
instances,' the elegance of the streets* The greater
number of the buildings were of brick ; but being
painted of different colours, the staring red was ex*
changed for a tone of colouring every way pleasing
to the eye. The lower story xrf many of the houses
was of granite, though some were built entirely oi
that stone. Several dwellings which stood apart
from the rest, looked particularly comfortable, and
such as would have been considered handsome in
any part of the world. There was, moreover,.a fine
Mall, or publie promenade, called the Commonj
laid out in grass fields, surrounded and intersected
by broad gravel walks, stretching under rows of
trees, altogether as pretty a place in its way as
I ever saw in the heart of a town.
On the morning of the 8th of October, we had
a crowd of visitors brought to us by the letters sent
out the day before ; and all not only willing to give

UNITED STATES. . 127
us advice as to our proceedings, but to lend us their
personal assistance in viewing the Lions. Every
one, indeed, was naturally anxious that we should
see things in the most favourable light, and, of
course, fancied he could do the honours most suc
cessfully in that respect. This was very agreeable ;
and the only difficulty, by no means a small one,
was to settle what we should see first, and under
Whose patronage. One gentleman recommended
us to go at once to the * Factories' at Lowell,
twenty-five miles off. Another exclaimed, " The
thing best worth seeing, is our navy yard at
Charleston." A third said, " O no ! our hospitals
certainly are by far the most interesting objects
of curiosity for a stranger." Thus our time was
speedily and pleasantly apportioned.
In the course of the day, a gentleman gave us
a very interesting account of a species of commerce
peculiar, at least on so great a scale, as far as I
know, to the United States — I mean the transport
by sea of large quantities of ice. This trade is car
ried on chiefly to the Havannah in the West In
dies, and to Charleston in South Carolina. Up
wards of twenty years ago, a gentlemen of most>
praiseworthy enterprise hit upon this idea, which
he has pursued ever since with great activity, and,
eventually, with success, though in its progress he
had many difficulties to encounter. There is no

128 TRAVELS IN THE
particular care taken to preserve the ice on- board,
except that the ship is cased inside with planks to
prevent it coming in contact with the ceiling. The
ice, cut into cubes 18 inches each way, is carefully
packed by hand. The loss by melting on the voyage
is sometimes one- third of the whole, though it
often arrives with no perceptible diminution. My
informant told me, that when the ice is embarked
in winter, with the thermometer at zero, or below
it, and the ship has the good fortune to sail with a
brisk, cold, northerly wind, not a single pound of
the cargo is lost. As the temperature of the ice on
shipping it is sometimes 30 degrees below the point
at which it begins to melt, a considerable expendi
ture of cold must take place, and consequently a
certain amount of time elapse, before it begins to
lose weight ; so that, if the voyage be short, the en
tire cargo is saved. On the other hand, if it be em*
barked from the ice-houses of Boston in July, with
the thermometer at 80° or 90°, the melting process
will have already commenced ; and if the ship he
then met by a southerly wind against her, or get
drifted into that immense current of hot wat^r
flowing out of the great Bay of Mexico, known by
the name of the Gulf Stream, the whole slippery
cargo is apt to find its way overboard — via the
pumps — before the voyage is half over.
Of late years, no less than three thousand tons

UNITED STATES. 129
of ice have been shipped annually from Boston to
-the South, a fact which affords a curious illustra
tion of the power of commerce to equalise and bring
together, as it were, the most distant climates.
We arc so familiar with the ordinary case pf
oranges, which we buy on the lowest stalls for
three a-penny, that we almost forget they are not
natives to our own soil, and that it is far beyond
the reach of art to make them so. But it must go
hard With the fancy of a person who sees it for the
first time, if he be not struck with the fact of his
being able to buy ice almost as cheap in the streets
of Charleston, as he can in those of Quebec.
On the 10th of October, I visited Harvard col
lege, or, as it is sometimes called, the University
of Cambridge, two or three miles out of Boston.
I had the good fortune to see this establishment
under the guidance of a man of sense and learn
ing, possessed also of an extensive knowledge of
many other parts of the world, from actual obser
vation. As he readily acceded to my wish to ba
allowed to look over the whole without any pre
vious notice being given of my visit, I amused
myself by going leisurely from class to class, where
I found the students all busily engaged at their
ordinary work. There seemed to be much assi
duity on the part of the pupils ; and I have seldom
seen more anxiety any where, than was evinced by
f2

130 TRAVELS IN THE
the Professors of this University to keep alive,
amongst the young men, the proper degre& of en
thusiasm in the pursuit of "knowledge.
During the day we were joined by a party of
ladies"; and in their company we perambulated the
museum and the library, both establishments of
great and merited celebrity in America ; — the lib
rary, in particular, which, I am told, is very rich
in valuable and rare books.
On returning to town, half drowned in the de
luges of rain which had been falling all the morn
ing, v^e were much amused wifh the apo!5gies made
to us, by every one we met, for the state of the wea
ther — as if they could help its raining and blowing !
I think I have already given some touches of what
maybe called the defensive system' of entertaining
strangers in America. These tactics were brought
into great play at Boston, where many of our
friends seemed to take it for granted — though with
out any reason — that we were watching for objects
of censure ; and therefore they ran beforehand with
excuses and explanations, respecting things which,
if left alone, we shoidd either not have noticed,*-
been indifferent about. I have already mentioned
that they often prompted us to overpraise,' and
helped us to draw comparisonsfavourable to them
selves and their country, at the expense of our own.
But here was a new source of 'mutual worry ; for

UNITED STATES. 131
almost every person was in the fidgets about the
bad weather ; not at all on account of its inconve
nience either to themselves or to us, — that seemed
quite a subordinate consideration, — but purely as
it acted against their nationality, by making us
suspect their climate was not much better than
that of England.
In general, the month of October is very fine in
that part of the country — at least so we were told
a hundred times— and we should have believed the
fact implicitly upon one«tithe of these assurances,
had not doubts been raised in our minds by this
incessant show of irritation at the poor elements,
for daring to belie the fine speeches made in their
favour. We really did not care two straws 'about
the matter, and, if nothing had been said, would
not have minded what could not be helped; for we
were far too much interested by the novelty of all
we saw, and far too grateful for the hospitality
which met us at every turn, to think of drawing
those offensive comparisons between the two cli
mates, with which the good people of Boston fan
cied our heads were full, when, in truth, it .was
only our wet feet that gave us any concern.
So far were we from indulging in this disrespect
ful turn of mind, that, ever since coming to Bos
ton, we had been more struck, and confessed our
selves to have been so, with the degree of taste and

132 TRAVELS IN THE
luxury in all we saw, both in the external appear^
ance of the bouses, and in the good sense and good
manners within, than with any thing we had before
met in the United States. Our, friends seemed to vie
with one another, as to who should be most useful
or attentive to us, by placing balls, evening parties,
and morning excursions at our disposal. These
opportunities afforded such ample means for stu
dying the character of the people, that I might
easily describe in what the difference consists be
tween American and European manners. But
there is always, I think, more or less, a breach of
confidence in such descriptions, however generally
or however delicately expressed. And this is true,
even where praise alone is used. Strangers should
recollect that they are admitted not as spies, but
as friends, into such circles ; and, it appears to me,
they are no more at liberty to make use of that
privilege to publish their remarks on the company,
because they are only temporary members of it*.
than they would be, were they permanent residents
on the spot.
On the same principle, I shall often pass over
in silence many other things relating to the man™
ners and customs of Ameriea, some of which might
be more instructive, if not quite so amusing, as the
gossip just alluded to; I suspect, after all, that in
order to understand the delicate subject of domestic;

UNITED STATES. 133
Society fully, it must be examined amd re-exami
ned on the spot ; and those who trust to the eyes of
travellers must always take their chance, at the
very best, of hearing accounts far short of the real
ity. Each anecdote or other detail which is re
lated, may be quite true in itself, as far as it goes,
and be also quite faithful to the general ideas left
on the writer's mind; but still the conceptions
which a reader forms by such assistance may be
totally different from the truth, and dften far wide
of the impression which the writer proposes to
leave. In this dilemma there is but one resource—
a journey to the country itself.
On the 11th of October, I visited the General
Hospital, a large and well- ventilated granite build
ing, abundantly roomy and well-ordered in every
part. Indeed, I hardly ever saw an establishment
of the kind which could pretend to rival it, except,
perhaps, the Infirmary at Derby. I accompanied
one of the physicians for some hours during his
round of visits, attending to all the details of the
daily routine, without which it is impossible to
form a correct idea of the internal discipline of
such an institution. Of course, I can only judge
of the general merits of matters so much out of
my own particular line ; but, certainly, few men-
of-war are better regulated than this excellent hos-.
pital appeared to be.

134 TRAVELS IN THE
I had a still better opportunity of judging of its
arrangements about ten days afterwards, when I
witnessed the performance of what the surgeons
call a grand operation. The attendant circum
stances incident to a piece of real service, as this
may be called, it is of course out of any one's
power to get up for show. Accordingly, I made
it my business, however painful the effort, to be
present on the day appointed. I can be no judge
of the skill displayed upon this occasion by one of
the ablest, if not the very ablest operator in Ame
rica, But I feel quite competent to judge of those
subordinate circumstances, which, if they be not
so striking to the unpractised eye, are yet, per
haps, even more severe tests of the merits of a pub
lic institution, from their influence — good or bad
—being more extensively felt. And I am certain
that nothing could be more perfect in all their
parts, than these important details.
On the 12th of October, we made an expedi-1
tion from Boston to the largest manufacturing
establishment in New England, or, I suppose, in
America, at Lowell, on the banks of the Mem-
mack, This river had been allowed to dash un
heeded oyer the Falls in that neighbourhood^ from
all time, until the recent war gave a new direction
to industry, and diverted capital heretofore em
ployed in commerce or in agriculture, into thG

united states; 135
channel of manufactures. A few years ago, the
spot which we now saw covered with huge cotton
mills, smiling villages, canals, roads, and bridges,
was a mere wilderness, and, if not quite solitary,
was inhabited only by painted savages* Under
the convoy of a friendly guide, who allowed us to
examine not only what we pleased, but how w©
pleased, we investigated these extensive works very
carefully. The stuffs manufactured at Lowell, mostly of a
coarse description, are woven entirely by power
looms, and are intended, I was told, chiefly for
home consumption. Every thing is paid for by
the piece, but the people work only from daylight
to dark, having half an hour to breakfitet and as
long for dinner. The whole discipline, ventilation,
and other arrangements, appeared to be excellent ;
of which the best proof was the healthy and cheer
ful look of the girls, all of whom, by the way,
were trigged out with much neatness and simpli
city, and wore high tortoise-shell combs at the back
of their heads. I was glad to learn that the most
exemplary purity of conduct existed universally
amongst these merry damsels — a class of per sons not
always, it is said, in some other countries, the best
patterns of moral excellence. The state of society,
indeed, readily explains this superiority : in a coun
try where the means of obtaining a livelihopd are

136 TRAVELS IN THE
sa easy, every girl who behaves well is so sure of
being soon married. In this expectation, they all
contrive, it seems, to save a considerable pcrtipn of
their wages ; and the moment the favpured swain
has attained the rank of earning a dollar a-day, the
couple are proclaimed in church next Sunday, to a
certainty. The fortune, such as it is, thus comes
with the bride ; at least she brings enough to buy
the clothes, furniture, and the other necessaries of
an outfit.
Generally, however, these good folks, as well
as many of the more wealthy class of the com
munity, do not think of setting up an establish
ment of their own at first, but live at boarding-
houses. "Shis apparently comfortless mode of life,:
is undoubtedly far the most economical ; besides
which, it saves the mistress of the family from the
wear and tear of domestic drudgery, always un->
avoidably great in a country where menial service
is held to be disgraceful. What happens when a-
parcel of youngsters make their appearance I forgot,
to enquire ; but before that comes about to any great.
extent, the parties have probably risen in the world;
— for every thing in America relating to popula-s
tion, seems to be carried irresistibly forward by a
spring-tide of certain prosperity. There is plenty
of room — plenty of food — and plenty of employ-.
ment; so that, by the exercise of a moderate shar^

UNITED STATES. 137
of diligence, the young couple may swell their esta
blishment to any extent they please, without those
doubts and fears, those anxious misgivings, which
attend the setting out of children in older and more
thickly peopled countries ! In America, an urchin*
before he is much bigger than a cotton bobbin, is
turned to some use. By and by, when he gets tired
of school, he turns mutineer, buys an axe, and
scampers off to the western forests, where he squats
down on the first piece of land which pleases him.
He forthwith marries, and rears Up a nest-full of
children ; who, in due course of time, play a similar
round of independent pranks, and reap the same
roving sort of success, in the same broad world
which is all before them, where to choose their.
place of unquiet rest.
On the 13th October, at six o'clock in the morn
ing, I was awakpned by the bell which tolled the
people to their work, and on looking from the
window, saw the whole space between the ' Fac-,
tories' and the village speckled over with gilds,
nicely dressed, and glittering with bright shawls
and showy-coloured gowns, and gay bonnets, all
streaming along to their business, with an air of
lightness, and an elasticity of step, implying an
obvious desire to get to their work,
I was called away from this gay scene by a sum
mons from our host to accompany him in his gig

138 TRAVELS IN THE
to inspect the hydraulic works, Anglicfc, the mill-
dam, by which the water is brought from the river
above the Falls to the manufactories, which stand
a mile or two below the cascade. Every thing
hereabouts looked determined and business-like,
as if the whole had been guided by one clear head.
A stream capable of giving motion to forty or fifty
cotton-mills was brought through the forest to a
reservoir, from whence it was distributed at plea
sure to the numerous establishments starting up
on every hand. Several school-houses were point
ed out to me, and no less than three churches ; — be
sides innumerable boarding-houses, taverns, news
paper offices, watch-makers, book-shops, hatters,
Comb-makers, and all the family of Stores, every
one of them as fresh and new as if the bricks had
been in the mould but yesterday.
I was much pleased to see a great brewery starts
ing up like a Leviathan, amongst this small fry
of buildings ; and still more pleased when I learnt
from my friend that there were hopes of being able
to substitute malt liquor among the cotton-mill
population, in place of the abominable ardent spi
rits so lamentably prevalent elsewhere.
I walked over these flourishing establishments,
I can honestly say, without any admixture of
jealousy; though, had I thought the success of
Lowell likely to prove seriously detrimental to

UNITED STATES. 139
Manchester or Preston, I am not such a furious
citizen of the world, or itinerant philanthropist, as
to have viewed its progress with unmixed pleasure.
But I had no such fears. These industrious people,
it must be recollected, are manufacturing for their
own home markets ; and I imagine a very large pro
portion of the English manufactures are likewise
made for home consumption. At all events, there
is room enough- for us both. Agriculture is now,
and must continue for many years to come, the
most productive method of employing capital in
America. And this is not the less true because,
here and there, jndividual activity, and the power
ful momentum of capital, avail themselves of some
accident, such as that of the late war, or take ad
vantage of some favourable natural position, and,
by pressing the powers of nature into their service,
at the right period of time, overcome many difficul
ties which would arrest the progress of ordinary
men possessed of ordinary means. But unless those
general principles which, in spite of all legislation,
regulate commerce, manufactures, and every other
species of money-making, be really attended to in
these matters, no such speculations can succeed in
the long run.
The cheapness of labour, the facility of getting
money, and, above all, the low rate of profits with
which manufacturing industry is content to be

140 TRAVELS IN THE
rewarded in England, compared with the high
wages, the large profits, and the comparative small
amount of capital in America, must, probably,
for a time, give to the British manufacturer the
power of competing successfully in foreign mark
ets with the Americans. And as to what shall
take place in their own markets, I have not the
least doubt that adjustments will ere long be made
which a thousand Tariffs could not materially ii*
terfere with.

UNITED STATES. 141

CHAPTER VIII.

After breakfast, on the 13th of October, 1827,
we left Lowell, and shaped our course across the
country to Salem, a town on the sea-coast, 14 miles
from Boston, in a North-Easterly direction, long
well known to the commercial world as one of
the most enterprising ports in America, and the
first, I believe, to bring into notice the advanta
ges of the trade to China, India, and the Eastern
islands. So much, indeed, if I am rightly informed,
had these spirited New Englanders of Salem taken
the start of the rest of their countrymen, that for
many years they were the great suppliers of tea,
spices, and other India goods, even to New York,
now the maritime mistress of the Western world.
It is most interesting, however, to observe, that
although that channel, and indeed every other, is
choked up by competitors, still the ships of Salem
contrive to maintain some portion of their ancient

142 TRAVELS IN THE
ascendency by dint of their unbroken energy and
perseverance, qualities which as yet, it is said, are
undazzled by the glitter of those new and less sub
stantial promises of gain, by which so many of
their countrymen elsewhere have been led astray.
At a country inn, bearing the English name of
Andover, close to the Indian river Shawsheen, I
observed the following printed bill stuck up in
the bar : —
SPORTSMEN, ATTEND!
300 FOWLS
Will be set up for Sportsmen at the Subscriber's
Hotel, in Tewksbury, on
Friday, the 12th October, instant,
at 8 o'clock, A. M.
gg° Gentlemen of Tewksbury, Lowell, and the
vicinity, are invited to attend.
Oct. 10th, 1827. William Hardy. -
This placard, which was utterly unintelligible to
me, will, I daresay, be not less so to most people
on this side of the water.
The landlord laughed' at my curiosity, but
good-humouredly enlightened my ignorance by
explaining that these shooting matches were so
common in America, that he had no doubt I would

UNITED STATES. 143
fall in with them often. I never had this good
fortune, however ; and I regretted very much ha
ving passed only one' day too late for this trans
atlantic battu. It appears that these birds are lite
rally barn-door fowls, placed at certain distances,
and fired at by any one who chooses to pay the
allotted sum for a shot. If he kills the bird, he is
allowed to carry it off, otherwise, like a true sports
man, he has the amusement for his money. Cocks
and hens, being small birds, are placed at the dis
tance of 165 feet; and for every shot with ball, the
sportsman has to pay four cents, or about twopence.
Turkeys are placed at twice the distance, or 110
yards, if a common musket be used ; but at 165
yards, if the weapon be a rifle. In both these cases,
the price, per shot, is from six to ten cents, or
from threepence to fivepence.
We reached the town of Salem in good time for
dinner ; and here I feel half tempted to break
through my rule, in order to give some account of
our dinner party ; chiefly, indeed, that I might have
an opportunity of expatiating — which I could do
with perfect truth and great pleasure — on the
conversation of our excellent host. For I have
rarely, in any country, met a man so devoid of
prejudice, or so willing to take all matters on their
favourable side ; and withal, who was so well in
formed about every thing in his own and in other

144 TRAVELS IN THE
cpuntries, or who was more ready to impart his
knowledge to others.
To these agreeable attributes and conversational
powers, he adds such a mirthfulness of fancy, and
genuine heartiness of good-humour, to all men,
women, and children, who have the good fortune
to make his acquaintance, that I should have no
scruple — if it were not too great a liberty — in na
ming him as the person I have been most pleased
with in all my recent travels.
After dinner, we repaired to the Museum, the
rich treasures of which have been collected exclu
sively by captains or supercargoes of vessels out of
Salem, who had doubled one or other of the great
southern promontories — the Cape, and the Horn,
as they are technically called by seamen. As my
eye fell on numberless carefully cherished objects,
which I had often seen in familiar use on the other
side of the globe, my imagination revelled far and
wide into regions I may never live to see again ! '
It was quite dark before we got back to Boston,
where next day we recommenced our round of
sight-seeing, which we pursued with such indus
try, that in the course of a week, hardly a single
institution was left unvisited. Rope-works—
printing-offices — houses of correction — prisons-
hospitals — - penitentiaries — schools — alms-houses
—Navy and building yards, passed in quick, but not

UNITED STATES. 145
in careless review before us. All that our friends
desired us to see, we made a point of seeing. It
mattered not what it was we wished to examine ;
scarcely was the wish expressed, when immediate
ly some one left his business at a minute's warn
ing, to become our zealous and useful guide. All
this busy intercourse brought us into very plea
sing habits of acquaintance with the good citizens
of Boston, with whose manners, appearance, and
style altogether, we were much taken.
In the Navy yard we saw two line-of-battle ships,
one frigate, and one sloop of war, on the stocks ;
all ready to be put into the water at a month or six
weeks' notice. The frames of these fine ships were
of live oak, as well as the keels, transoms, and
other essential large timbers, including the beams
before and abaft the masts ; the rest was white oak.
The line-of-battle ships were about the size of His
Majesty's ship Ganges, but without poops. A dry
dock, which, when completed, is to be 210 feet
long, is in progress, under the management of a
skilful engineer whom I had the satisfaction of
meeting on the spot. With that absence of all idle
concealments which I found every where in Ame
rica, this gentleman produced his plans before me,
and we discussed together the pros and cons of such
matters, as if the whole were merely an abstract
question of scientific engineering,-- to the entire
VOL. ll. G

146 TRAVELS IN THE
oblivion of national rivalries. Nothing, certainly,
is more agreeable than such confidence.
While we were chatting away in this familiar
style, we were joined by the naval officer in com
mand of the Station, an old and valued friend pf
mine, with whpm I had formed an acquaintance in
other countries, such as no circumstances of peace
or war, I trust, will ever diminish.
The naval officers of America form, necessarily,
as it always appeared to me, a class somewhat more
distinct than any other from the rest of the com
munity ; for they are the only persons in the coun
try whose whole lives are passed in permanent ha
bits of subordination. In fact, they are almost the
only men by whom the practical value of those in
equalities in rank, which the rest of the American
world deride, are admitted to be important. Every
one, I suppose, is aware, that a ship of war whose
discipline is not strict, especially in those branches
of it which consist in keeping up strong lines of
distinction amongst the officers, must, as a matter
of course, be worse than useless ; for, instead of
being able to do the country honour, she cannot fail
to bring it into disgrace, at moments of trial. Of
the truth of these principles all parties in America
are so well aware, that any tampering with naval
discipline, whatever may be done in the army, has
not been seriously thought of; consequently, a very

UNITED STATES. 147
rigid system — probably not too rigid, but still a
very strict system — continues to be observed in
their ships of war. The effect even of this, in
deed, would be inconsiderable upon persons ex
posed to it only for a time ; but when, applied to
the whole life, it must of necessity give a distin
guishing character to the whole class subjected to
its influence.
I, have reason, indeed, to believe,, from what I
saw and heard, that the American discipline, espe
cially as applied to officers, is more stern than in
the British navy, and for a reason which, I think,
will be admitted the instant it is stated. With us,
the supply of officers comes from a society not only
familiar with the theory of ranks, if I may say so,
but practically acquainted with those artificial
distinctions in authority, the acknowledgment of
which forms the very life and soul of a fleet. Conse
quently, whether it be at first starting, or in after
years of professional life, naval officers with us
meet with nothing, in their intercourse with gene
ral society on shore, to weaken the habit of subor
dination taught on board ship. The details of obe
dience' may be different afloat and on shore — just
as the duties are essentially different— ibut the prin
ciple of paying respect to the distinctions of rank,
without any attendant feeling of degradation, is
thus quite easily kept up amongst English officers,

148 TRAVELS IN THE
at all times and seasons, whether they be on the
water or on land. But a young American officer,
when he comes on shore to visit his friends, and
goes to the back woods, or front wppds, or any
where, indeed, will hear more in one day to inter
fere with his lessons of dutiful subordination, than
he may be able to recover in a year of sea service.
Unless, therefore, the system of discipline on board
be not only-very strict, but of such a nature as to
admit of no escape from its rules, the whole mar
chinery would fall to pieces. Democracy, in shortj
with its sturdy equality, will hardly do afloat !
I heard a story at Washington, which is in point
to this argument. A midshipman of an American
ship-of-war, having offended in some way or other
against the rules of the service, fell, of course, un
der his Captain's displeasure, and was reprimanded
accordingly. The youth, however, not liking this
exercise of authority, announced his intention of
' appealing to the people ;' which determination
was forthwith reported to head-quarters. By, re
turn of post, an order came down to say, that Mr;
So-and-So, being the citizen of a free State, had
a perfect right to appeal to the people ; and in order*
to enable him to proceed in this matter without
official entanglement, his discharge from the Navy
was enclosed.
Great care is taken in the selection of persons

UNITED STATES. 149
wishing to enter the Navy ; and these gentlemen
are also exposed, afterwards, to frequent and rigor
ous examinations: by which means incompetent
persons are excluded. Be the causes, however, as
they may, I can only state, that the American naval
officers are pleasant persons to associate with ; and
I reflect with great pleasure on the many profes
sional acquaintances I was fortunate enough to
make in that and other countries. I also look for
ward with equal confidence to meeting them again ;
being well assured, that whatever the nature of our
intercourse may be — as national foes or as national
allies, or merely as private friends — I shall have
thorough-bred officers and gentlemen to co-operate
or contend with.
On the 17th of October, I drove with a most
obliging and intelligent friend to the village of
Brighton, within a mile or two of Boston, where
the great annual cattle show of the State of Mas
sachusetts is held. This Fair, as it may be called,
was established some- years ago by the people of
Boston, while the farmers of the State, from far
and near, sent their cattle, fruit, home manufac
tures, newly invented agricultural implements, and
any thing else they wished to show off, to this
grand exhibition. In process of a very short time,
however, the country folks became jealous of
Brighton; and each county or town got up its own

150 TRAVELS IN THE
little independent cattle show,— like colonies de
serting the parent firm, and setting up shop for
themselves ! But there was still enough left ofthe
original Show to interest a stranger; Besides a
ploughing match with 20 teams of oxen, there were
various trials of strength, by cattle drawing loaded
carts up a steep hill. The numerous pens where
the bullocks and sheep were enclosed, afforded also
a high treat, from the variety of the breeds, and the
high condition, of the animals exposed. And lastly,
we were shown the rooms in which the specimens
of domestic manufactures were displayed: most
of these goods, which appeared excellent in quality,
gave indication of native industry, well worthy of
encouragement. In spite of all these objects of interest, I felt ill
at ease, and though the expression be a strong one,
it is not too strong, when I say that I was struck
to the heart, with what seemed to me the cruel
spectacle of such a numerous assemblage of peo
ple, on such a fine sunny day, in as pretty a little
valley as ever was seen, close to a romantic village,
and within four miles of a great and populous city
like Boston, and yet amidst all this crowd there
were no women! Literally and 'truly, amongst
several thousand persons, I counted, during the
whole day, only nine females ! I wandered round
and round the grassy knolls, in search of some

UNITED STATES. 151
signs Of life and merriment,— some of those joy
ous bursts of mirth which I had been wont to hear
in other lands on similar occasions. But my eye
could discover nothing to rest upon but groups
of idle men, smoking segars, and gaping about,
with their hands in their pockets, or looking list
lessly at the penned up cattle, or following one
another in quiet, orderly crowds, up the hill, after
the loaded carts I spoke of, glad, apparently, of
the smallest excitement to carry them out of them
selves. But not a woman was to be seen. Neither
were there any groups of lads and lasses romping
on the grass ; — -no parties of noisy youths playing
at football for the amusement of the village maid
ens ; — no scampering and screaming of the chil
dren amongst the trees ; for, alas ! the little things
appeared nearly as solemn and soberly disposed as
their elders.
But in all the numerous booths placed over the
ground, parties were hard at work with the whisky
or gin bottle. In some, companies of ten or a
dozen people might be seen working away at hot
joints and meat pies — all very ordinary sights, I
grant, at a fair in any country; but the pecu
liarity which struck me was the absence of talk
ing, or laughing, or any hilarity of look or ges
ture. I never beheld any thing in my whole life,
though I have been at many funerals, nearly so

152 . TRAVELS IN THE
ponderous or so melancholy as this gloomy, lum
bering, weary sort of merry-making. I felt my
spirits crushed down, and as it were humiliated,
when, suddenly, the sound of a fiddle struck my
ear, literally the very first notes of music I had
heard, out of a drawing-room, in the whole coun
try. Of course I ran instantly to the spot, and
what was there ? — four men dancing a reel !
I spoke to several gentlemen on the field about
this strange, and to European eyes, most unwontr
ed separation of the sexes. But I got little else
than ridicule for my 'pains. ' Some of my friends
smiled, some laughed, and one gentleman in reply
to my expressions of surprise that females should
be excluded from a scene every way innocent and
suitable to them, exclaimed,' " Ah, sir, this question
of yours only adds another example of the impos-;
sibility of making any stranger understand our
manners." This may or may not be true ; but a stranger
has eyes and can see; and long before this holi
day, I had been struck in every part of the coun
try through which I had passed, with this strong
line of demarcation between the sex'es. At Stock-
bridge, it is true, a considerable number of women
were present at the oration ; but they were care
fully placed on one side of the church, and during
the whole day there was no more intercourse be-

UNITED STATES. 153
tween them and the men, than if they had belong
ed to different races. At this cattle show at Bright
on, however, the exclusion was still more com
plete, for not even one female entered the church,
though an agricultural discourse was there deli«
vered, which the most delicate-minded person on
earth might have listened to with pleasure and
advantage. These, and a great number of other circum
stances — some minute, some important, but all
tending the same way, and varied in every possi
ble shape, and conspicuous in all parts ofthe coun
try — naturally claimed my attention irresistibly as
something very unusual, and well deserving of a
stranger's notice. I lost no fair opportunity, there*
fore, of conversing with intelligent persons on the
subject, being naturally anxious to reach some ex
planation of so remarkable a distinction between
America and any other Christian country I was
acquainted with. The result of all my observations
and enquiries is, that the women do not enjoy that
station in society which has been allotted to them
elsewhere ; and consequently much of that import
ant and habitual influence which, from the pecu
liarity of their nature, they alone can exercise over
society in more fortunately arranged communities,
seems to be lost.
In touching upon so delicatea subject, it is right
g2

154 TRAVELS IN THE
to state at once, and in the most explicit terms,
that I never had, for one instant, the least reason
to suppose that there was any wish on the part
of the men to depress the other sex, or indeed any
distinct knowledge of the fact. On the contrary,
I conscientiously believe that there exists univer
sally among the men a sincere and strong desire;
not only to raise women up, but to maintain them
on the fairest level with themselves. But I con
ceive that the political and moral circumstances
now in full action in America, are too strong to
be counterbalanced even by these laudable endea
vours. In that country, it must be observed, every man,
without exception, has not only a direct share in
the administration of public affairs, but he is put
in mind almost every hour of bis life of the'neces-
sity of exercising this privilege. He is called up
on at one time to choose representatives to Con
gress, or for his own State, or to nominate the
electors for the office of President, or to elect a
governor, or an alderman; or he may himself be
called to fill any one of these stations. In every part
of the country, at all times and seasons, therefore,
the men are more or less actively engaged with
some election ; and this propensity to canvass and
be canvassed, or to attend, in some shape or other,
to the complicated machinery of representation, is

UNITED STATES. 155
generally admitted by the Americans themselves
to form one of their most important occupations.
I have been often told, and can well believe, that
the closest attention, and a great deal of personal
devotion of time, is required in order to under
stand the operation of this extensive system well
enough to be able, effectually, to influence the re
turns. This arises, in a great measure, from the
immense number of persons interested, or who^
whether interested or not, have a right to interfere.
Consequently, any partial or qualified degree of
vigilance is quite useless, and electioneering, in
order to be successful, must be made a business of.
When to these engrossing and highly exciting
objects of attention, we superadd the endless liti
gation into which all mankind are led in that coun
try, by what is called Cheap Justice — in other
words, the facility of going to law ; together with
the care with which, as a matter of necessity, the
head of a family must attend to its pecuniary in
terests, we can easily conceive that a very small
portion only of his time can be devoted to the do-*
mestic fireside, however sociably disposed he may
be by nature.
Now, it is scarcely possible that the women, who
of course do not personally interfere in any of these
matters, can be made to understand sufficiently
what is going on out of doors, to take a continued

156 TRAVELS IN THE
interest in these things, much less to use any de
cided, or steady feminine influence upon them.
I have repeatedly heard gentlemen, whohadgiven
most of their time to public matters, declare that
they could not comprehend the complicated politics
even of their own particular State. This arese*
they told me, from these matters being so entirely-
made up of intrigues and counter intrigues, each
of which involved an endless round of elections^
the bearings of which upon the main point — gene
rally the Presidential question — none but the most
initiated even amongst the men could ever pre
tend to understand fully. Whatever be the causes,
however, the fact I think is indubitable, that they
are almost exclusively engrossed abroad by occu
pations which the women cannot possibly compre-1 :
hend ; while the women, for their part, are quite
as exclusively engaged at home, with business
equally essential and engrossing, but with which.
the men do not meddle in any way.
There is also another cause, which, although it
may appear trivial to people who have not been
exposed to its influence, has, I have no doubt, a
considerable share in bringing about the state of
things to which I now advert. I mean the in
creased household duties inevitably imposed upon
the mistress of a family by the total want of good
servants in America. This is an evil which no

UNITED STATES. 157 .
fortune can remedy. Good nurses, men servants,
cooks, or any description of female attendants, are
rarely to be found ; and, if found, no money will
bribe them to stay long in a house, or to behave
respectfully when there. Thus the whole system
of domestic service is deplorable, and the cause of
more misery than I can describe, without going in
to particulars which I am very unwilling to dwell
upon. All these things, and various others, some great,
some small,' have a tendency to give to the men
and the women of America such different classes
of occupations, that they seldom act together ; and
this naturally prevents the growth of that intimate
companionship, which nothing can establish but
the habitual interchange of opinions and senti
ments upon topics of common employment.
In England, a state of circumstances entirely-
dissimilar, has produced, as might be supposed,
very different effects ; and I allude to these, not, I
beg to assure my American friends, for the sake of
offensive comparisons, but simply for the purpose
of describing more clearly what I conceive to be
one of the most striking, and, I believe, inevitable
peculiarities of American society, as contradistin
guished from that of Europe.
All over America, I admit fully, and with the
greatest pleasure, the women are treated with much

158 TRAVELS IN THE
kindness by the men. I never saw or heard of
any rudeness, or had any reason to suspect that
incivility towards females was ever practised, or
would be tolerated, even in those parts of the coun
try which have enjoyed the least advantages in the
way of civilisation and refinement. But this kind
ness and attention are quite compatible with the
absence of that habitual and mutual understand
ing which I conceive exists almost universally in
England, but which it would be impossible to esta
blish in America, so long as the political condition
of society preserves its present form.
In England no fair, no place' of public amuse
ment, no election, no court of justice, no place,
in short, public or private, is ever thought com
plete without a certain, and most influential pro
portion of female interest being mixed with its
duties or its pleasures. No farmer, any more than
a nobleman, is satisfied to enjoy what is to be seen,
without the participation of his family. No plea*
sure is ever thought worth enjoying except in fe
male company. Such is the universal fashion, or
long-established custom, call it what you will,
which has transmitted to modern manners much
of the grace and dignity of chivalry, withcut it's
extravagance. But I dwell far less upon what strikes the eye,
than upon those deeper and more important influ-

UNITED STATES. 159
ences which spring from this intimacy of habits,
and of which these outward signs are merely the
types and shadows.
The virtual control which women in England
exercise over the conduct of the men, extends to
every thing public as well as domestic ; and with
out, at present, stopping to enquire how it has
been brought about, I believe it will generally be
admitted, that no man can hope, by dint of talents,
or power, however high, to escape from that uncom
promising scrutiny, which lets nothing pass unob^
served, and forgives nothing which is found to be
wrong. The judgment of the women, as a body, is
rarely if ever wrong— their feelings and their prin<-
ciples, never, — which certainly cannot be said for
those of the men. The effect, in practice, is this :
Every person, whatever be bis profession, his for
tune, or his rank, is made sensible, sooner or later
in the course of his progress through life, that he
has no chance of earning the good-will of the so
ciety in which he moves, if he fail to carry with
him the sympathy ofthe female portion ofthe class
to which he belongs. It is of no consequence how
splendid his abilities iriay be, or how extensive his
knowledge, or recommendations in other respects.;
so long as he is ill received by the other sex, he is
made to feel that he has gained nothing. Now, as
this is universally the case, pervading in a greater

160 TRAVELS IN THE
or less degree every class of society, as a fixed, in
herent principle in its structure; and as the women
are thus, by tacit consent, vested in a great measure
With the real power of rewarding or of punishing
desert, and with the actual distribution of public
opinion; it becomes the obvious interest of every
virtuous man to render those persons who are to
be the judges of his claims, as competent as possi
ble to do him justice.
In this view, it is an object, not of mere theory
and speculative benefit to society, but of prac
tical importance to every one, and, above all, to
the highly gifted and ambitious, to elevate the
understanding, and improve every, discriminating
faculty of the mind and heart, of the opposite sex.
I do not, of course, say that these feelings are pre*
sent to all people's thoughts, or that men set sys
tematically about raising the standard of female
excellence with any such express view; but I have
no doubt that these principles and motives do
really form the mainsprings of this undoubted and
universal action. That the husbands, brotherSj
and fathers. of the English community do, in factj
exert themselves seriously to bring about the end
alluded to, is most certain ; the whole texture of
society shows the extent of female influence, and
we all know that the result is eminently powerful
in its reaction upon the men, in every walk of Iife*i

UNITED STATES. 161
But such important influences as these can exist
only where all things have had time to settle into
their proper places, and where a thousand minor
pauses, many of them unseen and unsuspected,
conspire to lend their assistance to the establish
ment of such general and permanent checks to vice
on the one hand, and of bounties to virtue on the
other ; to say nothing of the boundless range of
innocent enjoyments, and elevated views, as well
as feelings, which can take their rise only in a sys
tem of manners thus ehastened and regulated.
I shall only add, that I met with several in
structive corroborations of these views, in the cor
respondent sentiments excited in the minds of some
American travellers, who described to me their
surprise on going to England, where nothing struck
them so much, they assured me, as the different
degree of power which the English ladies appeared
to hold over society, compared to that exercised by
those of their own country.
I have been told a hundred times that compari
sons ought not to be made between so old a coun
try as England, and so new a country as America ;
but I confess I never yet heard a single good rea
son why such comparisons should not be drawn,
if the purposes of illustration were served thereby.
If any thing offensive is aimed at by the compa
rison, or if the object be to raise'one country, invi-

162 TRAVELS IN TH!E
diously, at the expense of the other, it is a very
different affair, and then, certainly, comparisons
are odious. But I cannot understand why any
one, writing for the information of his own coun-
trymen, should not make use of those resemblances
or contrasts which strike his eye as existing be
tween circumstances with which his readers are
familiar, and those with which they are not ac
quainted, and are never likely to see. His object
should be — at least my object has been— to de*
scribe, not how things might, could, or should be,
but truly how they are ; or, to speak in language
still more critically correct, what they seem to my
eyes. Now, if it shall appear that the most faithful
way of doing this consists in drawing comparisons,
why on earth should I not draw them ? What is
it that every other mortal is doing every hour of
his life, when he wishes to illustrate his meaning to
those he is conversing with, by reference to circum
stances familiar to his auditors ? And why should
a traveller in an unknown country like America,
be debarred of this common privilege ? Because,
forsooth ! that country is young, and we are old !
Why, this, independently of all purposes of mere
description, seems one ofthe strongest reasons pos
sible for instituting these comparisons, if we wish

UNITED STATES. 163
to see whether any, and what advances have been
made. But there seems a fair enough argument, if so
it can be called, in answer to objections on the
score of national parallels — furnished, too, by the .
very parties making the difficulty — I mean the
Americans themselves, who, if we are to judge
from their own writings and conversation, are
almost as fond of inviting such comparisons as if
they had really nothing substantial to boast of, yet
hoped to make us think better of them, by think
ing worse of ourselves ; and fancied that every thing
subtracted from Europe, must, as a matter of
course, be added to America.

164 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER IX.

At nine o'clock, on Saturday the 20th of October,
1827, one of our most active friends called to take
us round some of the schools of Boston. We could
not visit them- all, for a reason which will be obvi
ous enough when I state, from an official docur
ment in my possession — the School Report of
1826 — that the number of these institutions in
this single town of Boston is no less than two hun
dred and fifteen, though the population is somewhat
under fifty thousand ! We thought we did pretty
well in visiting three out of this grand army. Two
of these were for the instruction of boys, and one
for girls, or Misses, as they are called, in contradis-
tinction to females, which, I observe, is the term ap
plied in the Reports to the girls in the poorer and
less aristocratic institutions. With all the outcry
against ranks and classifications, no opportunity,
I observed, was ever omitted of drawing lines of
distinction, wherever they could be safely traced.

UNITED STATES. 165
In many of the States of America much atten
tion is paid to elementary education, and in Mas
sachusetts, in particular, a great number of public
schools are maintained by a tax, which I believe
amounts to about three dollars and a half* upon
every thousand of income. Thus, while every per
son has a right to send his children to these esta
blishments, the poor get this description of educa
tion almost gratis. The rich, it is true, may also
do the same, without further payment. But, as
might naturally be supposed, most people who can
afford it prefer sending their children to schools
which they select for themselves, where they pay
more or less according to the nature of the tui
tion. The Bostonians are very proud, and perhaps
justly so, of this system of public instruction.
When I ventured, however, to insinuate something
of its having a charity look about it, I was an
swered, that education, being Considered in Ame
rica essential to the maintenance of the republican
form of government, it deserved to be made a mat
ter of national establishment, like that of the Courts
of law or the Police, the benefits of which are
common to all. The institutions alluded to, and
niany others, are supported essentially by the rich ;
*' and therefore," say the advocates of this system,
•' there is no more degradation in a poor man ha-

166 TRAVELS IN THE
vjng his children educated at the expense of the
public, than there is in his deriving the advantage
resulting from the administration of public justice,
or the protection of his person and property, on the
same terms precisely." I confess this looks specious,
and though not quite satisfied, I had no very good
answer to make. The obligation incurred by the
parents who have their children thus educated
almost gratuitously, brings the matter, I think, too
near home — in too tangible and eleemosynary a
shape — giving them, at the expense of the rich,
advantages which, in order to be useful, ought toi
be earned. I may be wrong — and probably am so
—for the gentlemen I conversed with, while they
admit the soundness of this doctrine in theory, as
sured me that the poorer people who benefit by the
tax, do not feel any degradation in profiting there
by. This, by the way, does not perhaps mend
the matter much ; for it is not always those who are
least indebted to their own exertions, who feel the
most scruple in being aided by others. And 1
may further observe, that this remark applies with
particular force to a community, where the laws
regulating the distribution of property are not
framed by those who have the greatest pecuniary
interest at stake.
At the high-school for girls, we found the young
ladies working away at Algebra in a surprising'

UNITED STATES. 167
style of rapidity. The only question is, whether or
not this be the fittest study for misses ? They next
exhibited in Geography, in which also they seem
ed to be very proficient. The severest task, how
ever, was in English reading, and our ears detected
some instances of what we should call mispronun
ciation. The schoolmaster, who, I suspect, took me
for a brother ofthe cloth, asked me to give my opi
nion as to the young ladies' reading. I tried to do
so as cautiously as might be ; but I found it hardly
possible to make a critical remark without risk of
giving offence, for he instantly took fire whenever
any thing was objected to. I had, indeed, been
well prepared for this, by observing that every
where in the country, however earnestly such cri
ticisms were solicited, nothing but unqualified ap
probation would ever satisfy them.
At the high-school for boys, two youths were
called out in succession to spout in our presence.
Poor little fellows ! they took us for their own
country people, and as the most grateful theme
they could choose, indulged us with a couple of
furious Philippics against England. We were
amused to the top of our bent, and the young ora
tors, seeing us take more than common interest in
their declamations, elevated their incipient legis
lative voices, and rose into high energy when any
thing particularly patriotic, that is to say, cutting

168 TRAVELS IN THE
against the mother country, was let fall. ** Gr&*
titude ! gratitude to England ! What does Ame
rica owe to her ? Such gratitude as the young lion
owes to its dam, which brings it forth on the de
sert wilds, and leaves it to perish there. No ! we
owe her nothing ! For eighteen hundred years the
world had slumbered in ignorance of liberty, and
of the true rights of freemen. At length Ame
rica arose in all her glory, to give the world the
long-desired lesson !" &c. &c. &c.
Both our companions were somewhat discon
certed by this contretemps of the lads ; but I could
not bring myself to pity them much. What busi
ness, I may ask, have persons who affect to wish
that the two countries should be on good terms,
to adopt in their seminaries such models upon,
which the taste of the rising generation is to be.
formed, when all the world of letters is before
them ? Or what title have these most thin-skin
ned of all people to abuse the English, without
intermission, measure, or mercy, for an occasional
squib against them, when they themselves sys
tematically teach their own young ideas to Ishoot
at this rate ?
These, however, are things to laugh at — and I
turn to a more important branch of the subject :—
I mean the general question,of education in Ame
rica. Upon this I think, that in England, as well

United states, 169
afe in America, some considerable mistakes prevail,
which it is of consequence to the cause of truth to
rectify. The Americans write and talk so much of
the immense extent to which they carry the educa
tion of their people, that one is apt at first sight to
suppose that a greater step is made in the cele*
brated March of Intellect than the result will by
any means be found to justify. There certainly is
in that country a very general wish to teach the
elements of knowledge to the rising generation of
all classes, so that hardly any one is growing up
now-a-days without a competent proficiency in
reading and writing. This I grant in the fullest
extent for which the admission is claimed by the
Americans theiriselves. But still, I take the Ik
berty of saying, this is very far from filling up
thei idea which we attach to the word education
in England. Those persons amongst us are very
much* mistaken who are led to suppose, that he-
cause there are a prodigious number of schools^
colleges, and universities, in America, and large
sums are expended by the different State Govern
ments for education, there must necessarily be dif
fused a considerable amount of that description of
knowledge usually taught in European seminaries
of the same nominal pretensions, I allude now
more particularly to classical studies, which are, in
fact, so much neglected from end to end of America,
VOL. II. H

1 70 TRAVELS IN THE
that they may be said to have little or no exists
ence, except in the prospectuses, or printed courses
of study, nominally required at the above mention?
ed institutions.
There is no want of talent in the country, noe
of ability and honest zeal on the part of the profess?
ors and other teachers ; but my enquiries in every
part of the Union ended invariably in one and the
same conclusion— that it was impossible, by means
of any system of discipline, by fines, by punish
ments, by the stimulus of artificial rewards, by
parental or state authority, to keep the young men
long enough at those establishments, to imbue them
with what in Europe would be called a tolerable
portion of classical knowledge; or even to impart
to them much taste for elegant letters, ancient or
modern; still less, of course, to carry them into
the regions of amy abstract science.
- The reason of all this lies so completely inter
woven with the whole texture of American society,
that, wei* the efforts of those public-spirited per
sons, who sttuggl e so manfully against this popular
torrent, a thousandfold more strong than they are,
their exertions Would avail little.
Every thing in America, as I believe I haw
before mentioned, appears to be antedated— every
thing, and every body is on the move — and the field
is so wide and so fertOe, that no man, whatever be

UNITED STATES. 171
his age, if he possess the slightest spark of energy,
can fail to reap from the virgin soil an adequate
harvest. By the word adequate, I mean a sufficient
return for his own maintenance and that of a fa
mily. Thus the great law of our nature, Be fruitful
and multiply, having no check, supersedes every
other, carrying before it classics, -science, the fine
arts, letters, taste, and refinements of every de
scription, in one great deluge of population.
, This is hardly any figure, being almost literally
the fact. As applied to education, its effects are
somewhat of the following nature.; A hpy w1m»
hears and sees nothing all round him but independ
ence, and individual license to do almost any thing,
Very soon becomes too wild for his father's house ;
and off he is sent to school. When there, he is rest*
less himself, and the cause of restlessness in Others ;
for he worries his parents till he accomplishes his
purpose of going to college. This point gained, h is
object is to run through the required course as
fait as possible, get his examination over, and take
his -degree, that he maybe at liberty to follow the
psttks of his predecessors, and scamper away: fo
tbe fertile regions of the West or South, where,
whatever betides him, in whatever line of indus
try his taste or talents may be cast, he is sure of
being able to support, a wife and children.
This appears to be going ou, with slight shades

172; TRAVELS IN THE
of difference; over the whole United States, and
is, in truth, the inevitable consequence of their
geographical and political situation. The Ameri
cans assure us that it cannot possibly be altered,
Perhaps not. At all events, it must be submitted
to, but whether for good or for evil, is not now the
question. The real point is, whether or not any
modified restraint can be placed upon the opera
tion of such powerful principles- of human action
in the case of the young men of that country; so
as to give them, along with their present advan
tages, those also which spring out of classical
knowledge ? — I fear not.
« What answer, for instance, can be made to a
lad of sixteen, who sees before him so wide and
tempting an area for his immediate exertions to
expand themselves in ? Who is certain that if he
marries to-morrow, with scarcely a dollar in his
pocket, hfe may rear up half-a-dozen children in as
many years, and maintain them- in abundance, till
they are in a state to shift for themselves? Or
who begs you to tell him in what respect Greek
and Latin, or the differential calculus, will advance
his project of demolishing the wilderness, and peo
pling the ground where it stood ? Or how a know
ledge of the Fine Arts will improve the discipline
of a gang of negroes on a rice or cotton planta*
tion ? Ypu can really say nothing in reply.. For

UNITED STATES. 173
what instruction you give him in reading and
writing he is most grateful ; but for all the graces
of literature, or the refinements of science, or the
elegancies of polished societies, he cares not half
a straw. In fact, they are so much in his way,
that if he chance to have picked any of them up,'
he feels tempted afterwards to fling them from him
as troublesome encumbrances, only tending to ex- .
cite distrust in those unqualified to appreciate such
attainments. : I do not say that it is exactly the same in every
walk of life ; for the church, and medicine, are
professions which do certainly require consider
able study — I mean some further degree of appli
cation than many other profitable pursuits which
stand wide open to the youth of America. Even,
however, in these walks — I speak now from the
authority of the Americans themselves — there is
the greatest possible difficulty in fixing young men
long enough at college. Innumerable devices have
been contrived, with considerable ingenuity, to
remedy this evil, and the best possible intentions,
by the Professors and other public spirited per?
sons, who are sincerely -grieved to see so many
incompetent, half-qualified men, in almost every
corner of the country. The examinations have
been made more strict— the courses of study longer.

F74i TRAVELS IN THE:
—the qualifications higher, and so on— but all in
vain ! Nothing can bind them !
When, however, it is recollected', that in Ame
rica the voice of the multitude regulates everything',
aud is in feet omnipotent, it is not to be expected
that there ever will be found, under such a stale;
of things, any set ©ff Examinators or Profe&sbn^ or
other body of men, whose office it is to judge of.
such qualifications, or to distribute the requisite,
sanctions for actual business, who shall not be,
virtually, under the influence o( this irresistible
popular voice. If then that voice shall require, as
it does now require — I do not ask whether wisely
or not— that the students shall be let out into the
world to seek their fortunes, no conceivable force
can keep them within the college walls.: They will
go off to real business in spite of the- best framed
laws to the contrary, or the si neer est desire of the
cooler headed part of the community, who exert
themselves, I must say very gallantly, to prevent
the multifarious evils brought upori the conntty by
this inevitable dissemination of iso much crude
knowledge, the deleterious effects of which are not
greatly remedied by their being honestly exerted.
This is not mere speculation, but what I my
self saw, and what every one who has gone over
America must have seen, in full action in all parts
of the country. It accords exactly with what I was

UNITED STATES; 175
told, not only by those who were labouring hard
to check its influence, who sincerely loved the
cause of letters and science, and bitterly deplored
their downfal, but also by some of the young men
themselves, the actors in this singular experiment
on civil society. Even these gentlemen were often
conscious of its mischief, they told me ; but added,
reasonably enough, that no one could be expected
to keep back While the rest of the world was pro
gressing, Thus many people are forced info active
life, long before the time tiiey would probably have
chosen to come forward, had the state of things been
different— that is to say, had there been any steady
demand in society for higher acquirements. In one
word, tbere is abundant capacity, and abundant
desire to learn in America, but by no means any
adequate reward for learning. There are excep
tions, no doubt; and instances might be quoted
of men of literature and science whose exertions
are well repaid, but the comparative numbers are
exceedingly small when the extent of the popula
tion is taken into account.
It is by no means the fashion, however, I may
observe, to hold this language, generally, in Ame
rica, even under the rose ; and in public not at
all. On the contrary, almost every public speaker
and writer cries up this very state of things as
the perfection of human society. Nevertheless,

176 ' TRAVELS IN THE
I will not do my acute transatlahtic friends 'the
injustice to take them literally at their word; for
I seldom fell in with a man, to whom I had an
opportunity of talking deliberately on the subject^
«who, if he were clear-headed in other respects^ and
the question was put to him in direct terms, didnot
appear to admit, that the country was by no means
the better of all this haste and consequent want
of Solid knowledge. It is most true, however}
that I did meet many more persons, who,; even hi
a' quiet way, .did not go 'alongiwith me ; whb<re»
fcoluiely denied the evil, distrusted the accuracy of
riiy picture, and ascribed the whole to that sort of
delusion which, they tell uS, comes over the un-
derstariding of all foreigners the instant they touch
the American shore, and prevents," them'frdm see?
ing the character of the people, or discovering the
operation of causes which, but for this alleged
iriysterious difficulty, would lie within the reach
of any common apprehension. -, _ " ¦
I often wished that these persons would onlj!
take a small part of the trouble I was beStofoing
bri the Subject; but they Were generally 'quite
satisfied that they knew every thing about it*
though they had never moved out of their own
State. In this- matter, however, they reasoned^
hot unnaturally, that if, as they supposed,- they
were well acquainted with every thing. in Eng-*

•United states; '.177
land, a foftiori, they must know all about their
own Country.' •'¦¦':,¦¦
I should be doing much injustice, however, to
many sensible persons in that country, with whom
I made the most agreeable and instructive ac
quaintance, were I not to except them from such
sweeping remarks, I met some gentlemen who
not only looked these domestic evils fairly in th4
face, but were unaffectedly desirous of hearing
how such matters really stood with us, and often
begged me to explain anomalies which had long
puzzled them.
¦ *' Pray tell me,'' said a friend one day, "how
it is that you contrive, in England, to keep youi»
young men of family and fortune so long at the
public schools, and afterwards at the universities;
though many of them, from all I can hear, have'
the means of marrying and settling in life ; while
we, in this country, find it next to impossible to
keep back even the poorest lads? They insist
upon being allowed to go off, at an early age, to
the unexplored back woods, to the great cities, or
to try their fortune on the ocean. How do you
manage to oppose, with success, the barren classics
to the natural desire of settling independently in
the world?"
" That is very easily explained,'? I said. *' In the
first.place, we do not maintain the doctrine of entire
H 2

178 TRAVELS IN THE
independence, according to the American accepta
tion of the word, to be a good one. Moreover, with
us, all men are divided into ranks o* classes, which,
although they blend insensibly, and intermix with
one another where they meet, are yet veiry obvi
ously distinguished, while the acknowledged rights
and privileges of each are scrupulously preserved.
Every one finds out, also, in the long run, that his
best chance of success arid of happiness, consists in
conforming as nearly as possible to the established
habits of that branch of society in which' he hap
pens to be born, or which he may reach by dint
ef extraOr&ifiary industry or good fortune. I may
even add, that without doing so, no man is con
sidered respectable. Every class bas its own pe
culiar marks by whicb it is distinguished from all
the rest ; and without these distinguishing charac
ters, no man can possibly succeed permanently in
society, whatever be his merits in other respects, fa
the learned professions, in the Church, in the Law,
in the House of Commons, in the Diplomatic line,
and some others,— always excepting, as you know
very well, naval captains and country squke»->-
it so happens that a certain amount of classical
knowledge has been settled from time immemorial
as the indispensable mark of a gentleman. And
as that amount of learning is not to be acquired
without a long course of hard study, there is no

: UNITED STATES. 179
-escaping from the preliminary ordeal which expe
rience has shown that this requires. So that even
if the exact degree of knowledge I speak of be not
ultimately attained in all cases, still the whole
-protracted ceremony of education must be gone
through; otherwise there is no hope of success
afterwards. " Besides which," I continued, ¦*' every profes
sion—indeed, every description of employment—
in England, is so much overstocked, that men are
compelled to wait much longer before they go into
life than is necessary with you, where the ground
is comparatively little occupied. We are glad,
therefore, to find employment for that interval, of
inaction which must necessarily elapse between
boyhood and manhood, and before the season of
real business, commences, in giving young men that
kind of knowledge which we know by experience,
does essentially contribute to their happiness, by
purifying their taste, filling their minds early. With
images of the highest excellence, and sharpening
all those faculties with which their future fortunes
aire to be carved out. Thus, before men come into
contact with the actual world,— the bustling, mo*
ney-making, intriguing world,— their thoughts and
their feelings are well disciplined, and their man
ners tempered by habits of patience, so as to suit

180 TRAVELS IN THE
¦flriy particular description of duties which itudue
¦time they will -be called upon to perform;"1 , i
i ' "-Yes; sir," said; he; " all that is very. true,; as
applied to an old and crowded, artificial state of
Society, such as England ; but wherein do you con
ceive would consist the advantage of giving our
young men in America the same amount of classi
cal knowledge, supposing thai possible, when their
present and future lives are so widely different from
youi-s ?" ¦'-
" Indeed," was my reply, f'T really do npt see
the practical utility of such delays and refinements,
if men* are to follow the same occupations they now
ptorsue in America."
.",<', Well, then," continued my friend, half re
proachfully, i' don't you think you should be cau
tious in finding fault with our small acquaintance
With the classics, and with many other things
Which differ from What you have been accustomed
to; but which, may; nevertheless, be very suitable
to us, or, if not so, at all events irremediable in this
Country ?"
( " I have not the smallest, Wish," I answered*
" to find any fault, if you would only let things go
on, and take their chance for what they are truly
worth; but what calls forward such remarks as
you allude to, is hearing many persons in your
country claiming the highest degree of merit in

UNITED STATES.' lSl
these Very respects, though entirely inapplicable
to the state of your country, as Well as in those
which properly belong to you ; thus running "away
with the advantages of both conditions, — the old
and the new. You are not content with possessing
the vigorous pleasures of youth, and the broad field
you have got to play about in, but you claim like
wise the wisdom of age, and the refinements of a
crowded society."
" In what respect do we lay in this double
claim ?" he asked.
" Why, I hear every where in America, and
read every where, declarations of your high-mind-
edness and intelligence — not an hour passes that
I don't hear of your improvements upon us — and
of the immense distance you have shot a-head
of Europe, in knowledge, power, wealth, and so
forth : but when I come to closer quarters with the
claimants of these advantages, said to have been
gained over the Old World, and show my reasons
for declining to concede all they ask for, they turn
about upon me and say ; { Why, sir, you make no
allowances for our situation — we are a young coun
try — we want only time — we are really getting on
very fast — do not you think so?' Thus, without
any actual shift of wind, they put about on the other
tack, and as soon as their sails are trimmed afresh,
seek to gain those favourable concessions, on the

182 TRAVELS IN THE
score of wonderment, which the real nature of
things denies, and for which self-praise, let me tell
you, is but a hollow substitute."
" Ah, sir,'* sighed my worthy friend, " I see
that no foreigner can ever be made to understand
our character."

UNITED STATES. 163

CHAPTER X.

Wr kft Boston on the 23d of October, 1827,
after a stay of nearly three weeks, greatly pleased
with the place and with the people; and much
gratified as well as flattered by the reception we
bad every where met with.
The fashion of living at boarding-houses pre
vails there, as it does every where eke in the
United States; and we were fortunate in meeting
a very pleasant party of fellow-lodgers at the house
where we remained during our stay. The cold
and formal habits of which we had complained in
most other places, were exchanged in this agree
able city for a greater degree of frankness than
we had seen before. The gentlemen at the board
ing-house, indeed, won our particular regard by
tlie friendly attentions they paid to our little com
panion, who was often left at home, while we were
enjoying the hospitality of our other acquaintances,
I happened to look into the dining-room one day,

184 TRAVELS IN THE
upon hearing the child screaming with delight,
when I found these good-natured people had al
lowed the young traveller to mount the table, and
to run backwards and forwards from one end to
the other. Each of the party had a segar in his
mouth, from which he gave her little ladyship a
broadside of smoke, as she passed along the line,
according to the best principles of naval tactics,
I had, however, many sharp, amicable -discus
sions with my friends at Boston, on the thousand
and one topics which arose between us ; but I must
do them the justice to say, that I have rarely met a
irtore good-natured, or perhaps I should say, a more
good-tempered people ; for during the whole course
of iriy journey— though I never disguised my sen
timents, even when opposed to the avowed favour
ite opinions of the company — I never yet saw an
American out of temper. I fear I cannot say.
half so much for myself; for I was often a good
deal harassed by these national discussions, when
the company and I took our station on the opposite
Poles of the question. But it is pleasant to have
it in my power to say, that I cannot recall a single
instance in which any thing captious, or person
ally uncivil, was ever said to me, though I repeat
ed, openly, and in all companies, every thing I
have written in these volumes, and a great deaL

UNITED STATES.' 185
iriore than, upon cool reflection, I choose to say
again. -:
In the course ofthe day, we reached Providetice^
the Capital Of the State of Rhode Island; having
averaged somewhat less than seven miles an hour,
which I record from being considerably the quick-a
est rate of travelling we met with any where in
America.'-'¦'' Frbiri Providence, we wished to proceed to Hart
ford in Connecticut,; a distance of seventy-two
miles, by an extra stage, and at our own time ; foi*
We -found it very unpleasant not to have the power
of stopping when any thing interested us. The
Stage proprietor, however,- Would not let us have
an extra, unless we paid for the whole nine places.
Even this I did not object to, though we had ge
nerally secured the whole carriage for the hire of
six seats. But when we came to understand one
another, it proved that, even if I did hire the whole
vehicle, still the time was not to, be our own ; for
if the conveyance went with us at all, it must start
at a certain hour, and run straight through in one
day, without stopping any where. As this was
defeating the object" in view, and the proprietor
was -inexorable, we amused ourselves in walking
lip and downthis busy town, lookingin at every
place whA-e we thought carriages or horses might
be hired. But there was not a man in the place

186 TRAVELS IN THE
Who would fake us on any terms; and at last we
were compelled to engage our places in next morn
ing's mail stage.
The nominal hour of starting, was five fa the
morning; but as every thing in America comes
sooner than one expects, a great tall man walked
into lhe room at ten minutes before four o'clock,
to say it wanted half an hour of five ; and present
ly we heard the rumbling of the stage coming jfep
the door, upwards of thirty minutes before the
time specified.
Fortunately, there were only five passengers, so
that we had plenty of room; and as the morning was
fine, we might have enjoyed the journey much, had
we not been compelled to start so miserably earlj,
At the village of Windham, we dined in a cheer
ful sunny parlour, on a neatly dressed repast, ex
cellent in every way, and with very pleasant, chatty
company. The whole dinner party were absorbed
in vehement discussions respecting the endless Pre
sidential question, which fa country as well as in
town, appeared to occupy all men's minds, morn
ing, noon, and night. I joined as well as I could
in these conversations, though sorely perplexed fa
trying to follow the rambling nature of these New
Englanders' talk ;, for they wandered from the to
pic to the right and to tbe left fa such a way, that
I often quite lost sight of the original point. They

UNITED STATES. 187
were extremely bitter against General Jackson, one
of the candidates ; but what I then thought odd
enough, they were not much more favourably dis
posed, individually, to Mr Adams, his opponent.
We made out our seventy-two miles fa fourteen
hours and a half, or nearly five miles an hour, over
a rugged, hilly, disagreeable road as ever was seen.
When going up the steep parts, the pace was very
slow; hut to compensate for this, we generally gal
loped down ;. and frequently, also, when the ascent
was short, made a noisy canter of it, right up. At
every four or five miles, we stopped to water the
horses, and to give out and take fa the mail-bags,
which were never ready at the post-office. Then
we had the most troublesome of all jobs to go
through, that of changing coaches, no less than four
times ; all these things, together with frequent
stops to have a gossip and a glass of brandy, made
the day seem endless.
In the course of the 25th of October, -spent at
and near Hartford in Connecticut, we visited .three
very important public establishments, all of first-
rate excellence in their respective lines. The State
Prison, the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, and.
the Institution for the Insane. The prison, or pe- ,
nitentiary, is upon the Auburn plan already descri
bed, where the separation of the convicts at night
is complete— hard labour and silence are rigorously

188 TRAVELS IN THE
eiiforced throughout the day— ^solitary meals in the
cells — and where all social intercourse amongst' the
prisoners is effectually interdicted ; no intercourse,
indeed, of any kind being allowed, excepting only
that salutary communication which every one of
them who desires it is at liberty to hold With the!
resident clergyman, on Sundays. This excellent:
establishment had been only three months in ope
ration, when we saw it ; but such appears to be the
simplicity of all parts of the system, that every
thing had fallen into its place with the precision
of habitual order, just as happens with the machi
nery of military or naval discipline,
-'. The Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb at Hart-*7
ford has the merit of being the: earliest institution'
of the kind established in America. It is under ad-
mirable management ; but there is nothing respect
ing it so peculiar as "to call for particular notice.
In one of the rooms we saw a very interesting:
person, a young woman born deaf, blind, arid
dumb. It appeared that some of the other girls
had been trying to bring her to the room in which
we were standing, which attempts had discompo
sed her wonted Serenity a little, for the expression
of her countenance was at first by no means agree
able. But in a few minutes Mr Gallaudet, the
benevolent and able manager of the establishment,
by patting her gently on the cheek, pressing her

¦UNITED STATES'. 189
hands between his, and using other little blandish
ments which he knew were pleasing to her, gra
dually brought a smile to her lips, and then, cer
tainly, the expression of her countenance was most
engaging. She* took our hands, felt our clothes
minutely, took my watch in her hand, examined
the chain and seals, and seemed desirous of show
ing that she knew how to wind it up. Her nume
rous mute companions who stood round us, appear
ed much interested in her. A needle and thread
was brought, which she threaded by the assist
ance of her tongue, after four or five ineffectual
attempts. While looking at a creature differing from om-
selves in so many respects, we are tempted to ask,
what can a mind so circumstanced be thinking of?
What images — what combinations of ideas can it
be contemplating? It is like conjecturing what
the inhabitant of another planet is about ! Indeed,
I felt several times as if I were in the presence of
a being of a different order, and was conscious of
a feeling somewhat akin to awe. It may be some
thing of this kind, perhaps, which makes people fa
a rude state of society hold idiots in reverence.
May it not be that they seem to belong to another
race ; and, if to another, why not to a higher ? It
is true, there was no idiocy in this case ; on the
contrary, evidently the workings of regulated fa-

190 TRAVELS IN THE
tei lect ; but how regulated ? or hoW employed?
were questions: utterly beyond the reach of human
research. Every one is now familiar with the peculiar Style
of writing of these cheerful-looking and happy
people, the deaf and dumb ; but I think the follow
ing description of Niagara may amuse, as well as
instruct, for it is quite as intelligible as any other
with which I am acquainted.
*' Of the Cataract. By a ymtng man eighteen
years of age^ born deaf and dumb i —
" Tlie amazing Fall that is naturally made bythe
Almighty, is Caused by the source of the river St
Lawrence, fa which its passage tuns from Lake
Brie into Lake Ontario. The cataract is called
the Falls of Niagara. It is uncertainly said,: that
it is the largest and noblest in the world. It is
about one hundred and fifty feet perpendicular,
and it runs like a horse shoe. It can pour its wa
ters into the Atlantic Ocean. When any of fh$
persons visit the Falls, I think he is amazing ait
seeing it, that makes him attack it, and when he
IS imprudent, fo go and fall violently into it. It
is useless 'for the Falls to run continually, yet it
makes those who arte 'delighted to see its curiosity',
It is 'said, that one of the Indians slept in a canoe
which was bound to the root of a tree with a rope*
When a white man saw him asleep, he rejoiced

UNITED STATES. 191
that he broke the rope out of the root ; and when
the canoe was afloat, the Indian opened Ids eyes,
and immediately took his oar and rowed ; but he
left it ; so he was fond of drinking some spirituous
liquors, and when the Falls swallowed up the ca
noe, which fell down, his limbs were fill broken)
and perished."
Our last visit was to the Connecticut Retreat
for the Insane. The title given to it will recall the
celebrated establishment for the same benevolent
purpose at York. At Hartford, however, the moral
treatment, and the system of gentleness, are car
ried even still farther, as I understand, than in
England. , Many persons approach this 'Subject with dis-3
gust— some with apprehension— and all, or nearly
all, when .they first come into actual contact with
it, with feelings of great uneasiness. A little reso
lute practice, however, soon banishes these un
worthy considerations, or it reduces them within
all the control that is necessary For any useful in
vestigation of the subject. At least so I found it fa
America, for though I could never bring myself to
examine such places at home, the difficulty vanish
ed when the trial was actually made as a matter
of duty. But I speak upon this, and upon many
other points fa these American enquiries, with much
and sincere distrust of my own conclusions. The

192 TRAVELS IN THE
mere wish to see and to represent faithfully is not
enough.; It is not: very easy, in the first place,
to get at every thing we ought to examine in such
^places, in order to form a right judgment upon the
question in hand., We have often not time, arid
still more frequently have not sufficient prepara
tory knowledge, to make the proper enquiries. And
even when in presence of the things we have been
seeking for, how difficult is it to look at them
aright ! It will not unfrequeritly happen, too, that-
a casual misconceptiori; of a fact, sends us away
with more error than'knowledge ; and I have some
times seen people of good sense visit the same in
stitution on the same day, and even in the sam^
company, and yet leave it impressed with, very
opposite opinions.
Dr i Todd, the eminent and kind physician fa
charge pf the Retreat, gladly communicated 'his
plans, -and showed us over eVefy part of this noble
establishment, — a model; I venture to say, from
which any country might take instruction. The
fastitutions at Hartford, which, indeed, are not fa
be excelled any where, not only do high honour to
tfas,part of the Union, but are every way credit
able to the nation generally, - ¦¦ '
Dr Todd's method is to treat every insane patient
as if he were a reasonable being. This would be
nseless, of course, as applied to idiocy, pr th^

UNITED STATES. 193
class which bears the terrible name of Mania
Ferox ; but even with them he observes the same
principle as much as possible. When a patient
is brought to the Retreat, the physician converses
with him freely; and, without attempting to de
ceive, states all that is known of his case, explains
that he is brought there for the purpose of being
cured of a disease which happens to affect his
mind, as it might have done his body ; that he
will have every possible freedom consistent with
his own safety, and the comfort of his friends;
but that he must conform exactly to the regufa-
tions established for the good order of the house.
The same cordial, unreserved system is pursued
from first to last ; and even if there be no cure in
the end, still it must diminish greatly the misery
of the patients. Nor need I observe how much
a knowledge of this fact is calculated to alleviate
the affliction. of friends, who, after all, may often
be the parties most in need of commiseration.
In practical illustration of this system, Dr Todd
carried us to a neatly furnished parlour, where we
found eight or ten females seated at their work.
Instead of showing them off like monsters, he in
troduced us to each of them, and encouraged con
versation as if all the company had been in per
fect health.
It is curious to observe how much the fancy
VOL. II. I "''<*¦

194 TRAVELS IN THE
sometimes takes possession of the thoughts when
we are engaged in such desultory enquiries. At
the Penitentiary, we fancied crime was written in
every countenance, though some of these culprits,
as we supposed them, proved tp be very trust
worthy keepers ! Amongst the Deaf and Dumb,
the sound of a voice made us start ; while at the
Insane Establishment, it looked quite strange to
see people talking in company — as we forgot that
neither silence nor solitude were characteristics
there. The following extracts from the Report of the
Visiting Physicians of the Retreat at Hartfardj
will, I have no doubt, be read with interest. The
allusion in the first part is' important, and gives
me an opportunity of saying, that all over America,
I observed that in such offices of active benevo
lence, the share taken by the ladies was of first-
rate practical consequence. " The characters of
the keepers, the condition and treatment of tb# in
dividual patients, and, through the medium of the
ladies,— who always compose a part of the Com
mittee on these occasions,— the household concerns
ofthe Institution, have been examined every month,
by your Committee, and in all theg/e respects we
are enabled to speak with decided approbation,
" Of the moral and medical management of the
patients, the Committee are bound to give a brief

UNITED STATES. 195
'detail ; as the general plan of treatment adopted
at -this Institution is more or less original, and dif
fers in some material respects from that pursued
at any other hospital.
" In respect to the moral and intellectual treat
ment, the first business of the physician, on .the
admission pf "a patient, is to gain his entire confi
dence. With this view, he is. treated with the
greatest kindness, however violent his -. conduct
may be, — is allowed all the liberty which his case
admits of, and is made to understand, if he is still
capable of reflection, that so far from having ar
rived at a mad-house, where he is to be confined,
he has come to a pleasant and cheerful residence,
where all kindness and attention will be shown
him, and where every means will be employed for
the recovery of his health. In case coercion and
confinement become necessary, it -is impressed .up
on his mind, that this is not done for the purpose
of punishment, but for his own safety and thatpf
his keepers. In no case is deception on the patient
employed, or allowed ; on the contrary, the great
est frankness, as well as kindness, forms a part pf
the mpral treatment. His case is explained to him,
and he is made to understand, as far as possible,
the reasons why the treatment to which he is sub
jected has become necessary.
« " By this course of intellectual management, fa

196 TRAVELS IN THE
has been found, as a matter of experience at bur
Institution, that patients— who had always been
raring when confined without being told the rea
son, and refractory, when commanded instead of
being entreated — soon became peaceable and do
cile. " This kind treatment, of course, does riot apply
to Idiots, or those labouring under low grades of
mental imbecility; but it is applicable to every
other class of mental diseases, whether maniacal
or melancholic.
" In respect to the medical and dietetic treat
ment, it also varies essentially in the main from
the course adopted at other hospitals.
" Formerly, patients labouring under mental
diseases were largely medicated, chiefly by eme
tics, cathartics, and bleeding. At the present time,
this mode of treatment has given place to intellec
tual and dietetic regimen, fa most European hos
pitals. The physician of our institution has intro
duced a course of practice differing from both these,
but partaking more or less of each. He combines
moral and medical treatment, founded upon the
principles of mental philosophy and physiology^
In one class of cases moral, and in another medical
treatment, become the paramount reriiedies ; but
in each class of cases both are combined.
" The proportion of cures which have been ef- »

UNITED STATES. 197
fected at our Retreat has satisfied your committee
that the mode of treatment there adopted is highly
salutary and proper. During the last year, there
have been admitted twenty-three recent cases, of
which twenty-one recovered, a number equivalent
to 91/j; per cent. The whole number of recent
cases fa the institution during the year was twen
ty-eight, of which twentyrfive have recovered, equal
to 89/5 per cent.
"At two of the most ancient and celebrated
institutions of the same kind in Great Britain, the
per centage of recent cases cured has been. from
thirty-four to fifty-four. In" our own country, at
two highly respectable institutions, the recent cases
cured has amounted to from 25 to 51 per cent."
Qn the 26th; of October we proceeded to New
Haven, which is also on the Connecticut, and is
considered, alternately with Hartford, the capital
. of the State ; for the legislature meet first at one
place, and the next year at the other. This clumsy
arrangement requires the annual transfer back
wards and forwards of all the records and other
papers, to which reference has to be made during
the session, It reminds one of those old times,
whpn Parliament met one session at Oxford, the
next in London.
We visited on our way an establishment recently

198 Travels in the
iset a-going by a very spirited private individual, in
rivalry ofthe celebrated Military Seminary at West
Poirit, which, aS I have mentioned before, is sup
ported at the public experise. The founder and
manager Was absent, but the professor of mathe
matics received us riiost kindly ; and under his gui
dance we iftspeeted the different parts of his esta
blishment, which, though not yet equal to its mo
del, is highly creditable to the skill and industry
of the projector.
While we were talking in the court-yard, dfaflei'
was announced ; and the professor begging us to
walkwith him, we entered the gfcdat hall together!
The principal body of the young men, assembled
on the exercising ground, were marched to dinner,
to the sound of drum and fife, in very good order,
About a dozen of the students, however, were first
adrriitted as carvers, and I stood in perfect astonish
ment at the scene which ensued.
In all countries, old as well as new, gentlemen,
to their shame be it said, carve abominably ill;
but I had no expectation of seeing any thing sP
primitive as what now took place. The meat was
literally hacked and torn to pieces. In a few mi
nutes afterwards, at a giVen signal, the rifhCf stu
dents entered, arid there* cotiimenced such ari ex
hibition of feeding— or devouring, I thay1 call it—
as would have eXcited the admiration of a cor mo-

UNITED STATES. 199
rant. Some of the youths were spooning great
lumps of meat down their throats with their knives,
while others helped themselves, two or three at a
time, with their own knives and forks, from the
same dish ! I really never saw any thing so disa
greeable. I relate these circumstances, not certainly for
any purpose of ridicule, nor as matter of mere
curiosity, but in the hope that the disinterested
remarks of a stranger may contribute in some de
gree to Temedy so grievous a defect in goodbreeding,
as that just described. It will be observed, that I
have, up to this moment, studiously avoided ma
king allusions in my narrative to a«y«f those points
in domestic manners which, in consequence of the
difference -between American and English usages,
appear repugnant to our tastes. But I hope that
fa speaking of this public establishment, I shall
have given no offence, by taking notice of an evil
which might so easily be remedied. In what re
spect, it maybe asked, would the studies, and other
pursuits of young men at these military and lite
rary seminaries, be injured by requiring of them
to cut their meat decently, and eat it leisurely?
Or from making it imperative upon them to de
port themselves at table, according to those rules
and customs established, as matters of course,

/
200 TRAVELS IN THE
amongst gentlemen in every other civilized part
ofthe world? . '
j Next day, we did a good deal of duty fa thp
way of sight-seeing at New Haven. Our guide
was Profesgop Silliman — ra gentleman well known
to the scientific world as editor, of a valuable phir
fasophical journal, which, bears his name. .-,; ,i».i.:,
' -, Yale, College, of cpurse, was the chief object 'of
attraction; and it was extremely agreeable to see
so many good old usages and orthodox notions
kept up as rigorously, all things considered, as
possible. How long the able and zealous pro*
fessors of this celebrated establishment will, be
sibje to stem effectually that deluge of fanovatkl^
and would-be improvements fa doctrine, discipline,
and pnr§uits, which is sweeping over the rest of
the countey, and obliterating so many of the land-
marks of experience, I cannot pretend to. say.
Meanwhile, every things that came under my nor
tice, seemed judiciously regulated. The courses
of study were apparently well managed, andthfe'
period required was rather longer than we haji
heard spoken of in other places. But there is
here, I suspect, as fa every other institution fa
America, almost insuperable difficulty fa prevails
ing upon the persons, essentially, most interested}!
to remain long enough in training befofe they Start
in the vehement race of busy life. ,, ; ,

\
UNITED STATES. 201
¦ After an early dinner, we drove out of the town
to the Grave-yard, one of the prettiest burying
places I ever saw. , It occupies an area of twenty
acres, laid out in- avenues, and divided by rows of
trees into lots for the different inhabitants. These
connecting lanes or roads are not gravelled, but laid
down in grass, as well as the intermediate spaces,
which are spotted over with, handsome monuments
of all sizes and forms, giving a lively instead ofa
gloomy air, to the whole scene.
:¦;-¦ There is certainly some improvement in this,
compared with the practice of huddling together
so many graves in the confined space round the
places of worship in a populous city. The idea of
death and its earthly consequences is said, and
probably with truth, to aid the purposes of reli
gion. But it- surely does not follow, that these
purposes are less usefully served in such a cheerful
place as 1- have- been describing, than by the asso
ciations connected with a soppy churchyard, where
the mourners sink ankle-deep in a rank and offen
sive mould, mixed up with broken bones and frag
ments of coffins ; or that the cause of virtue is ad
vanced by the recollection of coughs* colds, and
rheumatisms out of number, caught whilst half a
dozen old fellows, with long-tailed, threadbare
black coats, are filling up a grave, for which they
themselves might seem the readiest tenants.
i 2

202 TtAVEls in *he
It was a biting cold day-^but the sttn sfaftifr out
pleasantly oh sea and land, and brighteried Up thfe
last dying tints of the autumn. After an amusing
scramble, we gained the brow of a basaltic ridge
facing the south, exactly resembling fa its gee*-
logical character, in height, arid picturesque ap^
pearance* the well-known cliff caUed Salisbury
Crags near Edinburgh. The Otily difference which
I could discover Was fa this ridge befag clad With
a forest of young oak-trees* amongst which thft
Cactus, or prickly peat, was growing in great luxu
riance. Our next visit was to a place of considerable
Interest, -arid much celebrated in the early histo
ries of America. It seems that three of those bold
men who sat in judgment UpOti their King* Were
driven to New England fa 1660, after1 the Restora
tion, and, during the anxious peripd Which succeed
ed, when their blood was eagerly sought for, they
were often compelled to fly to the interiors-then a
complete wilderness. It is generally believed that
their place of security was a dark cavern, formed
by the overhanging rocks* a mile or two to the
Eastward ofthe cliffs just mentioned, The names of
these regicides were Goffe, WhaUey* and Dixwell?
and their retreat is still called the Judge's Cave.
In the evening, I had the pleasure of being in
troduced to Mr Noah Webster, of New Havert, a

UNITED STATES. 203
gentleman who has been occupied during the last
forty years of his life fa preparing a dictionary of
the English language, which, I find, has since
been published. He includes in it all the technical
expressions connected with the arts and sciences.
Thus giving, he hopes, as complete a picture as
possible of the English language, as it stands at
this moment, on both sides of the Atlantic. .
We had a pleasant discussion on the use of what
are called Americanisms, during which he gave me
some new views on this subject. He contended that
Ms countrymen had not only a right to adopt new
words, but were obliged to modify tbe language to
suit the novelty of the circumstances, geographical
and political, in which they were placed. He fully
agreed with me, however, in saying, that where
there was an equally expressive English word, cat
and dry, it ought to be used in preference to a new
one. " Nevertheless," said he, " it is quite im
possible to Stop the progress of language — it is like
the course of the Mississippi, the motion of which,
at times, is scarcely perceptible; yet even then
it possesses a momentum' quite irresistible. It is
the same with the language we are speaking of.
Words and expressions will be forced into use, in
spite of all the exertions of all the writers in the
world."

£04 TRAVELS IN THE
<« Yes," I observed ; " but surely such innova
tions are to be deprecated ??'
".I don't know that," lie replied. "If a word
become universally current In America, where
English is spoken, why should it not take its sta
tion in the language ?"
" Because," I said, " there are words enough
already; and it only confuses matters, and' hurts
the cause of letters to introduce such words/'
c« But,"' said he, reasonably enough, _" in Eng
land such things happen currently, and, fa procfe'sS
of time, your new words find their way across the
Atlantic, and are incorporated in the spokCn1 Ian*
guage here. In like manner," be added, "many
of our words, heretofore not used in England, have
gradually crept in there, and are now an aekriow*
ledged part of the language. Tile interchange-i fa'
short, is inevitable; and, whether desirable or riot,
cannot be stopped, or even essentially modified;"'
I asked him What he meant to do fa this rnatf et
fa his dictionary.
" I mean," he said, "to give every word at pre
sent in general use, and hope thereby to contribute
in some degree to fix the language at its preseiri?
station. This cannot be done completely ; but it
may be possible to do a great deal."
I begged to know What he proposed to do With
those words which were generally pronounced' dif-

UNITED STATES. 205
ferently in the two countries^ " In that case," said
he, " I would adopt that which was most consonant
to the principles of the English language, asdeno-
tedby theanalogy of similar words, without regard
ing which side of the water that analogy favoured.
For example, you in England universally say chi
valry — we as generally say sftivalry \ but I should
certainly give it according to the first way, as more
consistent with the principles of the language., On
the other harid, your way of pronouncing the word
deaf is def^— ours, as if it were written deef ; and
as this is, the correct mode, from which you have
departed, I shall adhere to the American way."
, I was at fijst surprised when Mr Webster as
sured me there were not fifty words fa all which
were used fa America aud not in England, but Ihave
¦cgrtafaly not been able to collect nearly that num
ber. He fold me too, what I did not quite agree
to at the time, but which subsequent enquiry has
confirmed as far as it has gone, that, with very
few exceptions, all these apparent novelties are
merely old English words, brought over to America
by. the early settlers, being, current at, home when
they set out on their pilgrimage, and here they :
have remained in good use ever since.
On the 29th October, we proceeded in a steam
boat from New Haven, down what is called Long
Island Sound, and through the well-known narr

206 TRAVELS IN THE
row pass which bears the ominous name of Hell?s
Gates. But as it was almost dark before we reach-
•ed New York, we Were deprived, for the second
time, of a view of this noble city on approaching
it by water.
Next 'morning we roved about the s-tsreets, which
now assumed a familiar, home sort of look to our
eyes. All that visionary, dreamy kind -of effect
which the strange mixture of new and old objects
had excited on first landing from England, had so
completely fled, that I could with difficulty recall.
even a trace <of it to my mind. The experience of
five months' travelling, and the perpetual references
to New York; and -to persons and things connected
with it, had given -itan established, local habitation
in Our thoughts. We were soon, indeed, made still
more sensible of Our sympathy with it, by the re
newed attentions arid kind offices of every descrip
tion on the part of friends, who would give the
character of home to any quarter of the world.
On going to the custom-house one day, I found
that a box of dresses, and other things, all liable
to duty, had arrived in our absence. In the bill
of lading, these articles had been accidentally
styled merchandise, which created some difficulty.
" I suppose they are things that have been worn ?"
said the collector to me, with the good-natured
air of a man wishing to be civil, and anxious' to

UNITED STATES. 207
discover an opening by which his official strictness
might escape. I Was, however, obliged to say that
I feared not one of the things had yet been on. I
bethought me, however, of a method of coining to
the same point, " They will all," I said, " most
jjrobably be worn out in travelling over this coun
try ; and if your wish be, as I have no doubt it i&,
fo Contribute to our peace and comfort on th*
journey, you may certainly assist us, by letting this
finery pass without delay." I saW by the smile
which this speech produced, that the captive ward*-
robe was about to be released; and accordingly
the docket or cocket, Or whatever it WaS, being int
stantly signed, the goods and chattels were deli«-
vered from bondage in ten minutes !
On the 1st of November, we had a fhinOUS cruise
OVer the greater part of the magnificent harhout
of New Ydrk ; and though the air was rather Cold,
all nature looked so beautiful, that we enjoyed
the excursion much. On the first day of every
month throughout the year, a number of packet
ships sail from this grand focus of American com
merce, to Various parts of the world ; ahd as they
all Start about the same hour, no small bustle is
the necessary consequence. Exactly as the clock
strikes teri, a steam-boat with the passengers for
the different packets, leaves the wharf, close to a
beautiful public promenade Called the Battery. We

208 TRAVELS IN THE
resolved to take a trip in this boat on the morning
fa question, as if we had > been i embarking, for a
voyage, but merely) to see , how: things were ma-i
naged. The crowd on the shore was immense^
Troops of friends, assembled to, take leav^were
jostled by tradesmen, hotel keepers, and hackney ,
coachmen, urging the payment of their account^
and' hy newsmen disposing of papers wet from the
printing, press, squeezing amongst; carts, waggonsix
and wheelbarrows, filled with luggage. vThroaghl
this crowd of idle and busy folks, we elbowed iour
way, with some difficulty, and at last found our
selves on „the deck of the steamer. -Here a new
description, of confusion presented itself. There
were no fewer, the captain assured us, than one
¦hundred and sixty passengers on board his boat at
that moment, destined for the different, packets;
each of whom, may fairly be allowed to have had
at least one parting friend ; the crush, therefore,
may be imagined !
. -At length we put off, and paddled alongside of
two packets for Havre, two for 'New Orleans, and
-one for each of the following ports, Charleston^
London, and Liverpool. Every set of passengers
was accompanied by a huge mountain of chests,
portmanteaus, hags, writing-desks, bird-cagesi
bandboxes, cradles, and the whole family of greats
coats, boat-cloaks, umbrellas, and parasols. The

UNITED STATES. 209
captains ofthe several packets were of course on
board the steamer, in charge of their monstrous
letter bags; while close under their lee came the
watch maker, with a regiment of chrohometers,
which he guarded and Coddled with as much care
as if they had been his children. The several
stewards of the packets formed a material portion
of our motley crew, each being surrounded, like
the tenants of the ark, with every living thing,
hens, ducks, turkeys, to say nothing of b^ef and
mutton in joints, hags of greens, baskets of eggs;
bread,! and all the et caeteras of sea luxury. Slen
der clerks, ' belonging to the different mercantile
houses, flitted about with bundles of letters, bills
of lading, and so forth. -Some people, whom busi
ness prevented from accompanying' their friends
to- the ships, were obliged to take leave in the hot
haste peculiar to steam navigation; and I could see,
here and there, one or two of those briny* drops
which rush unbidden to the eyelids at such: mo
ments — though; in truth, the general character of
the scene was sheer selfish bustle, in which far
more anxiety was shown about baggage thaff about
sentiment. At one end of the deck stood a very lively Set
of personages, chattering away at a most prodi
gious rate, as if the fate of mightiest monarchies,
tot say nothing of Republics, depended upon their

210 TRAVELS IN THE
volubility. This group consisted of a complete
company of French players, with all their lap-dogs,
black servants, helmets, swords, and draperies—
the tinsel and glitter of their gay profession. They
had been acting for some time at New York, and
Were now shifting the scene to New Orleans, as
the sickly season had gone past. Our ears could
also catch, at the same moment, the mingled
sounds of no less than five different languages,
French, Spanish, German, Italian, and English,
all running on Without the parties having the least
apparent consciousness that there was any thing
remarkable in such a confusion of tongues. We,
indeed, appeared to be the only two unconcerned
spectators on board ; and, accordingly, were allow
ed to ramble about the decks unnoticed, or to
mount the scaffolding near the machinery, or to
sit on the benches along the deck, as these situa
tions afforded facilities for seeing and hearing what
was going on.
Every mortal -on board the ships Which we
visited, Was engaged with his own particular
business. The captain, the mate, the creW, were
severally employed in heaving up the anchor,
hoisting the luggage in, or in making sail; while
the poor bewildered passengers wandered about,
ignorant where to go, mistaking the forecastle for
the poop, the caboose for the cabin ; and all the

UNITED STATES. 211
while undergoing the torture of seeing their darling
bags and boxes pitched about, or cast into the bot
tomless pit of the inexorable hold! The pilot
roared and swore to the master, that if more haste
were not made, the tide would be lost. The cap
tain, of course, handed over these reproaches, with
interest, to the officers, who bestowed them, with
suitable variations, on the seamen, and these again,
though in a lower key, growled and muttered their
execrations upon the poor riew eomer§. The hens .
lay cackling and sprawling in bunches of a dozen
each, tied by the legs ; — while the pigs ran madly
about, under the influence of a shower of kicks,
squealing in concert with the fizzing of the steam
from the waste pipe of the engine !

212 , TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER XI.

The city of New York, and indeed the whole
State bearing the name of that grand sea-port,
was at this period, November 1827, agitated, by
the teinpest of a popular election ; and as I was
anxious to make myself acquainted with the de
tails of the machinery by' which such things are
carried forward in America, I resolved to give the
subject fair play, by remaining for some time on
the spot. During a whole month, accordingly, I
devoted my time as assiduously as possible to this
one purpose. I am quite sensible that to have dived
completely to the bottom of all the intrigues," and
counter intrigues, or to have mastered the infinite
variety and complicated ramifications of party, as
many weeks as I could afford days would not have
been sufficient. My object, however, was differ
ent ; for I had no hope, and no great wish, to arrive
at a minute knowledge of circumstances not essen
tially connected with the general principles of the

UNITED STATES. 213
system I was anxious to understand. Many such
points, it is true, did come, incidentally, under my
view, and thus helped occasionally to explain; ano
malies which at first had greatly perplexed me.
But, there were still many things which I could by
no means fathom ; and though I was sometimes
told that in this way I had lost much, I had no
reason, upon a further acquaintance with the sub
ject, to think these minute particulars were of great
consequence,- since they generally hinged upon
some personal considerations having no concern
with the main question.
I laid myself out on this occasion, to make ac
quaintance with all- sorts of ¦. people ; with men of
all parties, and with persons of every different de
gree of standing in the estimation of the public.
In general, I found these gentlemen as unreserved
fa their communications as could be wished.; Of
course, very different statements were made by the
different -sides; and often also, entirely opposite
opinions were expressed by persons of the' same
way of 'thinking in politics, but whotook different
views as to thefittest method of initiating a stranger
into such mysteries. On these occasions,- however;
I h-rid always abundant means, ready at hand, of
checking the information obtained from one man,
by reference to that derived from others. While
Watching the progress of events, also, I could

214* TRAVELS IN THE
pretty generally subject what I heard to a certafa
amount pf experimental scrutiny.
I am thus particular in stating the degree of
pains which I took to arrive at a correct knowledge
of these subj ccts, because it has been said again and
again by the Americans, that no traveller has ever
staid long enough amongst them to know what is
going on; and consequently, that the °pfaws?
formed by foreigners hav-e heretofore been inva
riably hasty and prejudiced. ;No' man, as I Ji^^
said before, can pretend to be free from error fa
such enquiries. But on this occasion, £t l^agt, jjt
mighteasily be shown, even fo the satisfaction of
many of these objectors, that however erroneously
•the subject may be handled, it was certainly not
examined hastily or carelessly, or without the C°W"
stant and friendly assistance of well-qualified local
authorities. To give the details of these conversa
tions is impossible. Even to mention the names
of the persons with whom I communicated, or
to allude to them, however indirectly, might be
thought indelicate and unfair in many cases ; and
certainly this sort of reference could not be made
useful for any effective purpose of authority, with
out in some degree withdrawing that confidential
veil, behind which I felt at the time most happy
and most proud to be admitted. I might possibly
never have received this information, had there not

UNITED STATES, 215
been a tacit understanding, that the main object
of such frank communications was to guide my
immediate researches on the spot, and was never
meant to be quoted in order to ssbstautiate any
opinions I might express at a future time.
I have, indeed, occasionally thought of attempt
ing to arrange and modify my own ideas on the
workings of the republican system of America, by
combining them with the opinions pf gentlemen on
the spot, and with those of previous travellers and
writers on such subjects; but having satisfied my
self, after- some reflection, that although much
might thereby be gained fa extent and variety of
knowledge, much, also, of the freshness of original
observation, might probably evaporate. I have,
therefore, determined to put forth my own incom
plete and crude remarks alone ; though I shall he
sorry if these sketches— for truly they are no more
— be considered as attempts to exhaust so copious
a subject. Their only purpose is, to describe the
state of things as they appeared to me, fa the
United States at the time of my visit. Whether
those impressions be correct or not, is, of course,
another affair. My first object is to be thorough
ly understood ; and if I can accomplish this point,
the collateral, or secondary reflections, such as they
are, may stand or fall, according to circumstances;
every one being at liberty to draw fresh inferences

216 TRAVELS IN THE
for himself from the picture I shall endeavour tff
present. ••' The Union of the Americans as a political body
existed long antecedent to the Revolution of 1776,
which ended in the entire separation of the colonies
from the parent State. Such mutual agreements
amongst themselves were considered necessary to
their safety and prosperity, long before they dream
ed of absolute and entire Independence; . So early
as the middle ofthe seventeenth century, several of
the colonies entered into an offensive and defensive
league by the name of the United Colonies of New
England. They had a ' Congress' which met an
nually ; and every determination fa which three-
fourths of the assembly concurred, was binding on
the whole confederacy. This was the first of a long
series of efforts for a more extensive and perfect
Union of the colonies. The Mother Country, in
deed, was at that time too much occupied with a
civil war on her own immediate soil, to think of
such remote symptoms of a wish for Independence ;
and the Union alluded to lasted nearly half a
century. Occasional , Congresses, however, were
held from time to time, chiefly, indeed, for the
purpose of concerting measures for the defence of
the frontiers, always menaced by the Indians. As
might be expected, these meetings tended more or

UNITED STATES. 217
less to familiarize the people with the idea of self-
government. In 1754, a Congress was called of commissioners
' from seven of the colonies,' at .the instance of the
Lords , Commissioners for: Trade and the Planta
tions, to consider what might be the best means
of defending America in the event of a war with
France. The object of the English Administration
was pf a more limited nature than- that which the
colonies had in view. At all events, they took
advantage of the opportunity to promulgate various
opinions, which, whether cause or effect, in them
selves certainly contributed to . give currency to
many doctrines subsequently of great impprtanpe
in that country. Some of the delegates; for instance,
were- instructed to enter into articles of Union in
peace as well as in war. The convention also voted,
unanimously, that a Union of the colonies was
absolutely necessary for their preservation. It was
then proposed, to have a general council of dele
gates,, to be triennially chosen by the provincial
assemblies, and a ' President General' , to be ap
pointed by the crown. They were to have the
power of making laws for the government of the
new settlements — to raise troops — to build forts —
to equip j vessels, and, so on. They were also to
have the power of making laws and levying, taxes.
vol. ii. - . K

218 TRAVELS IN THE
But as these projects were then thought too da
ring, they were rejected, not only by the crown —
which was to have been expected — but what show
ed plainly enough that the times were not yet ripe
for revolt, by every one of the provincial assem
blies likewise.
Meanwhile, the different colonies were kept in
such a state of constant irritation by their inter
nal disputes as to boundary lines, and charter
claims, that even Dr Franklin, fa 1761, observed,
that any Union of the Colonies was absolutely im
possible, unless brought about by the most grievous
tyranny and oppression.
In the year 1765, a Congress of Delegates from
nine of the colonies was assembled at New York,
fa consequence of measures connected with the
subject of colonial taxation, proposed by England.
This Congress drew up a Bill of -Rights, fa which
the power of taxation was declared to reside fa their
own Colonial Legislatures. This was preparatory
to a more extensive and general association ofthe
colonies fa 1774, which laid the foundation of the
present state of things fa America. For while the
British Government, on their part, were resolved
to try their strength in establishing the measures
in dispute, the resolutions of this Congress, declara*-
tory of what they deemed their inalienable rights
as freemen, were received with acclamation over

UNITED STATES. 219
the country, and the Union may be said to have
been then fairly established.
In May 1775, a Congress was again assembled
at Philadelphia, with still more extensive powers.
Tbey had authority from their constituents to " con
cert, agree upon, direct, order, and prosecute such
measures as they should deem most fit and proper
to obtain redress of American grievances;" m
short, to manage the struggle with the Mother
Country., The number of colonies concerned in
these hold measures was thirteen.
Hostilities: soon followed. Manifestoes were pub"*
lished to the country, and to' the worlds explana
tory of their motives and objects ; armies and fleets
were prepared, a paper currency issued on the
faith of the Union!, and gradually all the powers
¦of sovereignty were assumed) by the colonies,
wanting only the last, irrevocable step, which was
not taken till the 4th of July 1776, when the cele
brated Declaration of Independence was promul-*
gated in the name, and by the authority, of the
American people.
It is not my purpose; to discuss the question of
right or wrong, as to this important measure. The
colonists thpught themselves— with what justice,
and with what discretion;, history must tell — in- a
situation to manage their own affairs better alone,
than with our assistance. Theyals® thought them-

220 TRAVELS IN THE
selves strong enough to try this matter by an ap
peal to arms, and here certainly the result shdwed
no error in the calculation. An excuse was readily
found for throwing off their allegiance. The bat
tle was fought — they gained their point— we ac
knowledged then right to govern themselves, and
they have accordingly enjoyed this privilege ever
since; under circumstances which the world never
saw before, and will probably never see -again.
They had a wide, unpeopled, fertile country over
which to spread themselves; they had rio neigh
bours, tp interfere with them, and they had the
accumulated experience of ages to choose from in
their selection of a form of government.
The first proceeding of the Congress was to
digest and prepare Articles of Confederation, by
which the newly launched j vessel of the- State-.
might be rigged, manned, and navigated. These,
however, were not such easy matters ; and it
was a long time before the Congress could adjust
the discordant interests and purposes of the thir
teen united communities, so as to agree upon the
terms of their mutual compact. When the Ar
ticles came to be considered afterwards in each of
the separate States, they were met by still greater
obstacles. In consequence of which, it was not
till March 1781, that the well-known "Articles
of Confederation" received the unanimous appro-

UNITED STATES. 221
bation of the United States — three years after their
first promulgation.
¦'' These minor difficulties, started during a period
when cordial union was of the utmost importance,
form, according to the language of a distinguish
ed American writer, a striking " example of the
mighty force of local interests, and discordant pas
sions, and they teach a monitory lesson of modera
tion to political councils." *
The Articles of Confederation, though very im
perfect in many respects, served, nevertheless, to
carry the country triumphantly through the contest
in which they were embarked. The great error
of the arrangement alluded to, say the American
writers, was that the Decrees of the Federal Coun
cil were carried in their sovereign capacity to the
separate States, none of which ever intended to
relinquish its independent sovereignty. The State
Legislatures, however, even in moments of the
greatest conceivable difficulty and national danger,
when the enemy was still in the country, refused
to confer upon Congress the right to exercise this
permanent authority. Neither was there any ar
rangement in the original Articles of Confedera
tion by which Congress could add a sanction to
enforce its laws. Their powers, indeed, were much
* Ke&t's Commentaries,- vol. I. p. 198.

222 TRAVELS IN THE
cramped by the omission of any constotetive pro-
-vision which might authorize them fo exercise an
implied authority. In other words, these Articles
were to be acted upon literally, arid nothing
' construed,' as it is called, fa a sense different
from its obvious and direct meaning. Neither had
this Congress any authority to interfere fa contests
between the different States.
As the danger and difficulties of war subsided,
.the obedience to this very ill-constructed form of
government was of course still further loosen
ed. The requisitions made by the federal head to
the different States for pecuniary supplies were
despised. The national arrangements seemed al
most entirely abandoned, for what one State re
fused to do, another, on that very plea, declined
likewise ; thus, nearly the whole weight even of
the current expenses of the country fell on a few
States. " It was found impracticable," says Chancellor
Kent, " to unite the States in any provision for
the national safety and honour. Interfering re
gulations of trade, and interfering claims of terri
tory, were dissolving the friendly attachments, and
the sense of common interest, which had cemented
the Union during the arduous struggles of the
Revolution. Symptoms of distress, and marks of
humiliation, were rapidly accumulating. It was

UNITED STATES. 223
wifh difficulty that the attention of the States could
be sufficiently excited to induce them to keep up
an adequate representation in Congress, to form a
quorum for business. The finances of the Union
were annihilated. The whole army of the United
States was reduced, in 1784, to eighty persons, and
the States were urged to provide some of the
militia to garrison the Western Ports. ' In short,'
to use the language of the Federalist, ' each State,
yielding to the voice of immediate interest or con
venience, successively withdrew its support from
the confederation, till the frail and tottering edifice
was ready to fall upon our heads, and crush us be
neath its ruins.'
" Most of the federal constitutions in the world
have degenerated or perished in the same way, and
by the same means. They are to be classed among
the most defective political institutions which have
been erected by mankind." *
In this opinion of the old confederation, most
people, even in that country, will agree. The writer
ascribes the evil chiefly to the mistake of constitu
ting a sovereignty over sovereigns. " The inevi
table consequence," he says, " in every case fa
which a member of the Union chose to be disobe- '
dient, was either a civil war, or the annihilation
* Kent's Commentaries, vol. .1. p. 203.

224 TRAVELS IN THE
of national authority."* We shall see by and by
how far this defect was remedied by the ingenuity
of the statesmen who followed.
The first efforts to relieve the country from na
tional degradation and ruin, came in the shape of
a proposition from the State of Virginia, to form
a convention of delegates to regulate commerce
with foreign nations. Several States sent mem
bers to this meeting in 1786 ; but finding they
could do little or nothing towards remedying the
evils in question, they concurred fa a strong ap
plication to Congress for a general convention, to
take into consideration the whole condition of the
United States. The suggestion was adopted by
them all, excepting Rhode Island, and each sent
delegates accordingly, who assembled at Philadel
phia in May 1787.
After several months of deliberation, the Con
vention agreed on the plan of government which
now forms the Constitution ofthe Union. As this
measure, however, required the individual sanction
of the different sovereign States, it was submitted
to conventions of delegates, chosen by the people
at large in each. " This," Chancellor Kent goes on
to say, " was laying the foundations of the fabric
of our national polity where alone they ought to
* Kent's Commentaries, vol. I. p. 303.

UNITED STATES. 225
be laid — on the broad consent of- the people. The
Constitution underwent a severe scrutiny and long
discussion, not only in public prints and private
circles, but solemnly and publicly, by the many
illustrious statesmen who composed these local
conventions. Nearly a year elapsed before it re
ceived: the ratification of a requisite number of
States to give it a political existence. New Hamp
shire was the ninth State which adopted the con
stitution, and thereby, according to one of its ar
ticles, ' it was to become the government of the
States so ratifying the same.' Her example was
immediately followed by the powerful States of
Virginia and New York ; and, on the 4th of March,
1789, the Government was duly organized and put
in operation."
Thus, it will be observed, the present Govern
ment pf the United States is now — 1829 — in strict
ness, just forty years old, or considerably short of
half a century. So that any arguments as to its
future stability, drawn from the experiment ha
ving succeeded for upwards of fifty years — and I
have heard many such-^-are not quite fairly de
duced.. , The Government, antecedent to 1789, is
admitted, even in America, to have been a failure.
It remains to be seen what its successor will prove.
The ten years required to complete the half cen-:
k2

226 TRAVELS IN THE
tury, form, indeed, a short period in the history of
Other countries ; but in that of America they occupy
one-fourth part of its whole existence.
The abortive Confederation alluded to, which
lasted eight years, and the subsequent Constitution,
which has lasted five times as long, are supposed
by the Americans to be sufficiently distinct in their
essential principles to afford grounds for believing,
that the present state of things will enjoy greater
favour from time, and become, in faet, the perma
nent Government of the country. I have come to
be deliberately persuaded, however, that such ex
pectations have no solid foundation, either fa thej
nature of human society, generally considered, or
in what experience has hitherto shown, and is now
showing more and more, every day, under the ope
ration of this Constitution, somewhat boldly put
forward as the wisest which the world has fiver,
seen. In order to make my opinions on this subject
intelligible, as well as the descriptions by which I
, hope to support them, it will be necessary to men
tion slightly, what are the chief provisions of the
written Constitution ofthe United States as it now
stands. But I must observe in passing, that very
few indeed of these provisions are universally ac
quiesced fa over the country; and many of the

UNITED STATES. 227
most important have long been, and. still are, the
subject of vehement altercations.
The legislative power is vested fa a Congress,
consisting of two bodies — the House of Represent
atives, and the Senate. The Representatives are
required to he at least twenty-five years of age,
they must have been seven years eitizens, and
must also be inhabitants of the State in which they
are chosen. They are elected biennially by the
people, the suffrage being universal, or very nearly
so. By an act of Congress, dated 7th March, 1 822,
the Representatives were apportioned among the
several States according to the fourth census, taken
in 1820. The ratio then fixed upon was one Repre
sentative to every forty thousand persons in each
State, making the whole 213 members.*
In the discussions which arose during the form
ation of the Constitution, a difficulty was started
as to the number of members who should be sent
to Congress by the slave-holding States ; and it was
at length decided, that as far as the rule of appor
tionment, fixing the number of members accord
ing to population, was concerned, every five slaves
should count as three freemen ; and such has been
the practice ever since.
- IngersoU's Abridgement, page 68.

228 TRAVELS IN THE
The census of 1820 gives the following for, the
population— Total 9,638,226 :*
Of which were Whites, . . . 7,861,935
Slaves, . . . • ' • .. • • • 1,538,118
Free Blacks  ¦ . . . . 233,557
All other persons, except Indians,
not naturalized, . . ... 4,616
The Senate of the United States is composed of
two Senators from each State in the Union, who
are chpsenfor periods of six years, by the respective
Legislatures of the States; consequently, there are
now 48 Senators fa Congress, who represent the 24
States of the Union, and one third of these go out
every second year, when they may or may not be
re-elected. Thus, while the mere number of the
population, officially ascertained once in every
ten years, regulates the number of members in the
House of Representatives, that ofthe Senate never
varies, unless when a new State is admitted into
the Union, upon which two Senators are added tp
Congress, together with one member to the House
of Representatives for every forty thousand of the
new citizens. The election of the members of the
Senate by the State Legislatures is, I understand,
considered a constitutional recognition of the se-
* Carey and Lea's Atlas.

UNITED STATES. 229
parate and independent existence of the States as
sovereign powers.
I may here mention, as an instance of the ex
treme difficulty of regulating such matters by
any written instrument which human ingenuity
has yet devised, that doubts have more than once
arisen as to what is meant by this apparently plain
expression in the Constitution, " The Senators shall
be chosen by the Legislatures of the States." Some
parties contend, that this is meant to confer the
power upon these Legislatures in their true, tech
nical or legislative sense, being the two Houses
acting in their separate, organized capacity, with
the ordinary constitutional right of a negative on
one another's proceedings. But the practice in
some States, notwithstanding the apparently ob
vious meaning of the terms of the Constitution,
is to elect the Senators to Congress by joint ballot
of the two Houses, so that the weight of the least
numerous House of the two is dissipated and lost
in the more numerous votes of the popular branch.
And here we see the beginning of a system which
I shall shortly endeavour to explain.
Many of the grievous evils of the old Confede
ration, glanced at above, were ascribed to the cir
cumstance of that Government consisting of only
one body. Indeed, it was admitted on all hands, or
nearly so, " that single assemblies, without check

230 TRAVELS IN THE
or balance, or a government collected into one
centre, were visionary, violent, intriguing, corrupt,
and tyrannical dominations of majorities over mi
norities, and uniformly and rapidly terminating
their career in a profligate despotism." *
The division of the Legislature into two bodies
is undoubtedly essential to good government, as
it prevents the action of those sudden and violent
impulses which all experience shows are liable (to-
obtain the mastery over single assemblies, but
which are not so liable to extend their influence
to other deliberative bodies. " A hasty decision
is not so likely to arrive to the solemnities of a
law, when it is to be arrested in its course, ami
made to undergo the deliberation, and probably
the jealous and critical revision, of another and a
rival body of men, sitting in a different place, and
under better advantages, to avoid the preposses
sions and correct the errors of the other branch." f
Such, in a few words, is the structure of the
Congress, which forms the legislative branch of
the American Government.
The Legislatures of the different individual
States, it may be well to mention here, axe formed
nearly on the same principles, and after the same
model as Congress. In five States the Houses
" Kent, vol. I. p. 309. f Ib;d. p. 208.

UNITED STATES. 231
of Representatives are elected for two years, but
in the other nineteen they are chosen annually.
In one State Pnly the Senators sit for five years
without break of any kind. In eight of the State
Legislatures the Senators are elected for four
years, in four of which it is arranged that one half
of the number shall go out every second year,
while in the others one quarter go out annually.
In four States they are elected for three years,
one third going out annually. In two the Sena
tors are elected for two years ; and fa the remain
ing nine, the Senators are elected annually.
Every member of Congress, Senator as well as
Representative, receives, during the actual session,
a daily pay, or compensation, of eight dollars, or
about L.l, 16s., and a like sum for every 20 miles
of estimated distance, by the most usual road,
from his place of residence to the seat of Con
gress.* In all the 24 State LegislatureBJ ahso, the mem
bers receive a daily pecuniary compensation for
their trouble and loss of time, and also for their
travelling expenses. In the State of New York
three dollars a-day is the allowance, and in New
Hampshire it is two dollars.
* Ingersoll's Abridgement, p, 66.

232 TRAVELS IN THE
It is not easy, I found, to' ascertain the exact
number of Legislators, Congress included, who
are in Session every winter in the United States;
but from all I could learn from persons most like
ly to he correctly informed, it certainly does not
fall much short of four thousand , and a great ma
jority of all these are changed every year. + .»
*? The powers of Congress extend, generally,1 to
all objects of a national nature. They are autho
rized to provide for the common defence and ge
neral welfare ; and, for that purpose, among other
express grants, they are authorized to lay and col
lect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises ; to borrow
money on the credit of the States ; to regulate com
merce with foreign nations, and. among the several
States, and with the Indian tribes; to declare war,
and define and punish offences against the law of
nations; to raise, maintain, and govern armjes,
and a navy ; to organize, arm, and discipline the
militia ; and to give full efficacy to all the powers
contained in the Constitution. . Some of these
powers, as the levying of taxes, dutie?, and excise,
are concurrent with similar powers in the several
'States ; but, in most cases, these powers are ex
clusive, because the concurrent exercise of, them
by the States separately would disturb the general
harmony and peace, and because they would be

UNITED STATES. 233
apt to be repugnant to each other in practice, and
lead to dangerous collisions."*
Every other legislative power,' not expressly
granted to Congress by the constitution, is left to
the separate States, each of which is considered
independent, and possessed of the exclusive con
trol of all concerns merely local.
- It is not to be supposed, however, that this ar
rangement and distribution of powers is so simple
as to be universally intelligible, or so convenient
to the different parties respectively, as to be quietly
acquiesced in. On the contrary, interminable dis
putes have arisen on points where, there is every
reason to believe, the framers of the Constitution
took more than ordinary pains to leave nothing to
implication, or to ' construction,' as it is called.
It will fall in my way to allude to some of these
¦disputes in the course of the journey, as they throw
great light on the internal workings of this singu
lar experiment in the science of government.
The executive power of the United States is
vested in a President, who, though he holds his
office for a term of only four years, may be re
elected. He must have reached the age of 35, and
be a natural born citizen, or have been a citizen
of the United States on the 4th of March, 1789,
* Kent/voL I. p. 222.

234 TRAVELS IN THE
when the Constitution was adopted, and he must
also have resided fourteen years in the country.
¦" The mode of his appofatment," says Chancel
lor Kent, " presented one of the most difficult and
momentous questions that could have occupied the
assembly which framed the Constitution ; and if
ever the tranquillity of this nation is to be disturb
ed, and its peace jeopardised by a struggle for
prfwer among themselves, it w^ill be upon this very
saabject of the choice of a President. This is the
question that is to test the goodness, and try the
strength of the Constitution ; and if we shall be
able," adds this distinguished jurist, " for half a
century hereafter to continue to elect the chief
magistrate with discretion, moderation, and inte
grity, we shall undoubtedly stamp the highest var
lue on our national character, and recommend our
republican institutions, if not to the imitation, yet
eertainly to the esteem and admiration of the more
enlightened part of mankind. Tlie experience of
ancient and modern Europe has been unfavourable
to the practicability of a fair and peaceable popu
lar election of the executive head of a great na?
tion."* Here I may remark, that the half century often
referred to as the interval during which the mea-
* Kent, vol. I, p. 256.

UNITED STATES. 235
sure fa question is to be considered merely expe
rimental, and antecedent to which, I presume, fo
reigners may suspend their esteem and admiration,
has not nearly expired. The Constitution went
into operation on the 4th of March, 1789, forty
years ago ; but that particular part of it of which
we are now speaking, relating to the election of
the executive head, and which, in the opinion of
the wisest men in America, is to form the touch
stone of the whole, being clearly the most impor
tant, has been changed within the present century.
A material alteration, as it is thought to be fa
America, was made in the mode of election, by an
amendment to the Constitution in 1804. The first
practical exercise of the new powers vested in the
people, after this change, was in the Presidential
election of the same year. In strictness, therefore,
only 25 years, or barely one half of the fatal term,
has yet elapsed. How far the experience of that
period gives a fair promise for the future, I shall
consider in its proper place. At present, it may
be interesting to point out the methods by which
the statesmen who framed the original Constitu
tion hoped to evade the evils which they well knew
surrounded the subject, as well as the alterations
subsequently made upon that part of the Consti
tution. Before describing the form of electing the chief

236 TRAVELS. IN THE
magistrate, it may be well to apprize persons who
are not much acquainted with American affair|,
that the whole system, from top to bottom, is one of
avowed distrust of public men ; in which, accord
ingly, every art is used, on principle, to complicate
the machinery of electioneering, in prder to scatter
the conflicting motives in such a way, that every
Tnan shall act more or less as a check on his neigh
bour. This universal want of confidence fa all who
interfere in public affairs, — that is to say, very
nearly the whole body of the people, — is confessedly
the main-spring of their political movements.
" The Constitution," says Chancellor Kent, "from
an enlightened view of all the difficulties that at
tend the subject, has not thought it safe or prudent
to refer the election of a President directly or im
mediately to the people ; but it has confided the
power to a small body of electors, appointed in
each State under the direction of the legislature;
:and to close the opportunity as much as possible
against negotiation, intrigue, and corruption, it has
•declared that Congress may determine the time of
choosing the electors, and the day on which they
shall vote, and that the day of election shall be the
same in every State."*
All these devices, however, avail but little ; — for
* Kent's Commentaries, vol. I. p. 257.

UNITED STATES. 237
since the manner of choosing the said electors is left
to the legislatures of the States— and these legis
latures are not only elected annually, but by uni
versal suffrage — the choice of the Presidential elec
tors comes, as will be seen presently, almost as
directly from the people as if it had been arranged
by the Constitution to place it in their hands at
once. As the choice of the chief magistrate is a mat
ter of high importance fa America, and is really
very curious in itself, I shall give some details
respecting it, which seem calculated to illustrate
the topic generally. To go into any minute detail,
is out of the question ; but an idea of the whole may
perhaps be obtained from what I shall now state.
The Constitution says, in Article II. sect. 1 :
" Each State shall appoint, in such manner as
the legislature may direct, a number of electors
equal 'to the whole number of senators and repre
sentatives to which the State may be entitled in
the Congress ; but no senator, or representative,
or person holding an office of trust or profit under
the United States, shall be appointed an elector.
"The electors shall meet in their respective
States, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom
one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same
State with themselves. And they shall make a
list of all the persons voted for, and of the number

238 TRAVELS IN THE
of votes of each ; which list they shall sign and
certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the
government of the United States, directed to the
President of the Senate. The President of the
Senate shall, in the presentee ef the Senate and
House of Representatives; open all the certificates,
and the votes shall then be counted. The person
having the greatest number of votes shall be tbe
President, if such a number be a majority of the
whole number of electors appointed ; and if there
be more than one who have such majority, and
have an equal number of votes, then the House of
Representatives shall immediately choose, by bal
lot, one of them for President. And if no person
have a majority, then, from the five highest on the
list, the said House shall, in like manner, choose
tbe President. But fa choosing the President, the
votes shall be taken by States, the representation
from each State having one vote ; a quorum for
this purpose shall consist of a member or members
from two-thirds of the States; and a majority of
all the States shall he necessary to a choice. In
every case, after the choice of the President, the
person having the greatest number of votes of the
electors, shall be the Vice-President. But if there
should remain two or more, who have equal votes,
the Senate shall choose from them, by ballot, the
Vice-President."

UNITED STATES. 239
Such is the original wording of the Constitution ;
but an alteration was made, previous to the elec
tion of 1804. By the above Article fa the Consti
tution, it will be seen that the electors are called
upon to vote for two persons, without specifying
which of the two they wish to be President j
leaving that question to the: ultimate result of the
numbers. This, it was alleged had the effect, or
might have the effect, of bringing in a person to
the Presidential chair — the highest office in the
State — when the electors might have intended him
merely for Vice-President, an office comparatively
of small importance. It was thought,, however, by
the Democratic party, which by this time had gain
ed the ascendency, that it would be an improve
ment, to direct the electors to specify distinctly
and separately, which person they wished for Pre
sident, and which for Vice-President. And a
change fa this important part of the Constitution
was made accordingly.
The amended part ei the article, now, runs
thus : — " The electors shall name in their bait-
lots the person voted for as President, and in dis
tinct ballots, the person voted for as Vice-Pre
sident ; and they shall make distinct lists of all
persons voted for as President, and of all persons
voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of
votes for each, which lists they shall sign and eer-

240 TRAVELS IN THE
tify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of government
of the United States. The person having the
greatest number of votes for President shall be
President, if such number be a majority of the
whole number of electors appointed, and if no per
son have such majority, then from the persons
having the highest number, not exceeding three
on the list of those voted for as President, the
House of Representatives shall choose immediately
by ballot the President." *
The number of Senators in Congress, as I have
already mentioned, is 48, or two from each of the
24 States. The House of Representatives contains
at present 213 members, making in all 261 persons
in Congress. Consequently, by the terms of the
Constitution just quoted, this is the present num
ber of electors of the President. If a majority of
these, or 131, decide for any one candidate, he is
considered as elected, without further discussion.
But if there be more than two candidates, and
that none of these have 131 votes, the House of
Representatives proceed immediately to ballot for
the President from the highest names on the list.
The members of the House of Representatives do
not vote upon this occasion individually — in which
case there would be 213 votes — but by States, which
* Amendments to the Constitution; Article XII., adopted in 1804-,

UNITED STATES. 241
reduces the votes to 24. The members of each
State respectively, in the House, having formed
themselves into as many committees ' as there are
States, determine which candidate their State shall
vote for. When they have agreed upon this point,
either unanimously, or by a majority, they give
one ticket into the ballot-box. Every State, there
fore, whatever be the number of its Representa
tives, has the same weight on this occasion, the
small as well as the great. Thus, New York, which,
by reason of her large population, sends 34 mem
bers to the House of Representatives, has no more
influence in balloting for the President than the
State ,of New Jersey, which sends only 6.
The most memorable occasion on which the
choice of President devolved upon the House of
Representatives, was at the election of 1800 ; and
the details are so curious, that I shall insert a
memorandum ofthe -whole proceeding, as I find it
in Mr Rawle's Work on the Constitution, Appen
dix, p. 310.
The number of electors, I ought to mention,
was then much smaller than it is now, as there
were only 16 States, instead of 24, and the popu
lation was greatly less.
There were four candidates, and the votes stood
as follows : —
vol. n. L

242 , TRAVELS IN THfe
Thomas Jefferson, . . 73
Aaron Burr, ... 73
John Adams, - . .64
Thomas Pinckney, . . 63
" The equality of the votes for Mr Jefferson
and Mr Burr, produced an arduous contest in the
House, the history of which is worth preserva
tion. " The declaration of the votes took place in the
Senate Chamber, on Wednesday, the 11th of Fe
bruary. After the declaration that a choice had not
been made by the electors, and that it devolved on
the House of Representatives, the House convened
in its own chamber, and furnished seats for the
Senate as witnesses. The House had previously
adopted rules, that it should continue to ballot,
without interruption by other business, and should
not adjourn, but have a permanent session until
the choice be made ; and that the doors of the
House shall be closed during the balloting, except
against the officers of the House.
" The following was directed to be the mode of
balloting :
" Each State had a ballot-box in which the
members belonging to it, having previously ap
pointed a teller, put the votes of the State ; the
teller on the part of the United States having then

UNITED STATES. 243
counted the votes, duplicates of the rest were put
by him into two general ballot-boxes. Tellers
being nominated by each State, for the purpose of
examining the general ballot-boxes, they were
divided into two parts, of whom one examined one
of the general ballot-boxes, and the other exami
ned the other. Upon comparing the result, and
finding them to agree, the votes were stated to the
Speaker, who declared them to the House,
" The number of States was at that time 16, —
nine necessary to a choice. On the first ballot,
Mr Jefferson had eight States, Mr Burr six, and
two were divided.
" The first ballot took place about four o'clock,
p. m. Seven other ballots, with similar results,
succeeded, when a respite took place, during which
the members retired to the lobbies and took re
freshment. At three o'clock, on the morning of
the 12th, two other ballots took place, and at four
o'clock in the morning, the 21st trial. At twelve
at noon, of the 12th, the 28th ballot took place,
when the House adjourned to the next day, having
probably, in secret Session, dispensed with the
rule for the permanent Session. On Friday, the
13th, the House proceeded to the 30th ballot,
without a choice, and again adjourned to the next
day. On Saturday, the 14th, the ballotings had
the same result. On Tuesday, the 17th, at the

244 TRAVELS IN THE
36th ballot, the Speaker declared, at one o'clock,
that Mr Jefferson was elected, having the votes of
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia,
Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina,
Maryland, four votes for Mr Jefferson and four
blanks, and Vermont, one vote for Mr Jefferson
and one blank 'v^te. Thus ended the contest ; and
it merits the attefftion of the enemies of republican
institutions, who are fond of anticipating the oc
currence of tumult and violence on such occasions.
The decorum with which the' whole was conduct
ed, and the ready and peaceable acquiescence of
the minority, evince both the sound texture of the
Constitution, and the true character of the Ame
rican people." i
In the subsequent elections of a President in.
1804, 1808, 1812, 1816, and 1820, there was al
ways a decided majority fa favour of one or other
candidate ; but in 1825, the choice again fell upon
the House of Representatives, in consequence of
none of the four candidates having a majority of
the whole electors. The House came much sooner
to a conclusion, however, though this election alsq
turned upon the vote of one State. The same
praiseworthy decorum prevailed withih the House
as upon the former occasion ; but, from a pretty
extensive personal observation, I can testify that;
fa its consequences, there has been " tumult and

UNITED STATES. 245
violence" enough to satisfy the cravings of the
most bigoted " enemies of republican institu
tions." The method used on this occasion,.to decide
the contest, was similar to that above' described.
General Jackson had 99 electoral votes, Mr Adams
84, Mr Crawford 41, and Mr Clay 37; and as
none of these gentlemen had neatly 131, a majo
rity of the whole electors, the House of Represen
tatives decided, as they were bound by the Con
stitution to do, and, by a majority of one State,
declared Mr Adams President. Yet I have often
heard it roundly asserted, that as General Jackson
had the greatest number of votes, he was, in strict
ness, the candidate of the people, and ought to
have been nominated President by the House of
Representatives. I do not say that this opinion, which, it will be
observed, has not the slightest support from the
letter of the written Constitution, is maintained by
any of the wisest men in the country ; but, what
is, practically, much more to the purpose, I know
that the principle upon which the assertion turns
has a very general and favourable reception with
the public.
There is another circumstance, which is thought
to be of considerable importance in America by
persons who have watched the progress of events,
and who greatly fear that the Presidential ques-

246 TRAVELS IN THE
tion will lead to mischief. Up to the period of
the election of 1824, the candidates for the chair
were persons who had signalized themselves more
or less in the Revolution, and who, consequently,
were considered as possessing, by a sort of pre^
scriptive right, a title to the- confidence of their
countrymen. Thus, General Washington held
the office of President almost as a matter of course,
and without dispute, for two periods, that is, for
eight years. In 1796, the elder Mr Adams came
in for four years, after a successful trial of strength
with Mr Jefferson, who, in his turn, gained the
day in 1801, after a vehement struggle, which, by
all accounts, shook the structure of the Govern
ment to its centre. " This election," says Chan
cellor Kent, " threatened the tranquillity of the
Union; and the difficulty that occurred in that
case in procuring a constitutional choice, led to
the amendment of the Constitution on this very
subject; but whether the amendment be for the
better or the- worse, may be well doubted, and
remains yet to be settled by the lights of experi
ence." *
Mr Jefferson was again returned in 1804, under
the amended Constitution. Mr Madison, another
statesman well known to the Revolution, succeed-
* Kent, vol. I. p. 263.

UNITED STATES, 247
ed for two periods, or eight years ; and then Mr
Monroe, fa like manner, for two periods, • These
Presidents, independently altogether; of their per
sonal merits, were so much identified with the his
tory of their country, that they were naturally fix
ed upon as the most obvious persons from whom a
selection was to be made to fill the station of Chief
Magistrate. But that race having now,, in the
course of nature, died out, the 'field has been laid
open to an infinitely larger class of competitors,
none of whose claims, it may be expected, will
ever be recognised in the same way as those which
belonged, by general consent, to the first five Pre
sidents, who filled the chair for the thirty-six years
which elapsed between General Washington's elec
tion in 1789, to Mr Monroe's vacating the chair
in 1825.
The question is not whether the country will
now get more able or less able men as Presidents,
but the description of candidates must, of course, be
different. They will come before the country with
pretensions unlike those which have heretofore
claimed the suffrages of the people, and the proba
bility is, that further changes will be made in the
mode of electing the chief magistrate, in, order to
give the choice a still more popular character, or
one more consistent with the range of competition
which is widening every day, and also with the

248 TRAVELS IN THE
more discursive style of thinking on such subjects
which now prevails universally fa America.
The technical details of the Presidential Elec
tion are not only curious in themselves, but are
otherwise interesting, I think, as illustrative of
the electioneering machinery fa the country. I
can give little more than a mere outline, however,
as the whole picture would confuse at a distance.
Even on the spot, it is by no means easy to com
mand a steady view of it.
All elections fa America are managed by ballot,
not viva voce ; but as the methods by which the
votes of the people are collected, differ consider
ably fa the different States, it is material to a right
apprehension of the subject that these varieties
should be explained.
I have already mentioned that the President is
chosen by a body of electors, equal in number to
the whole Congress, or 261. Each State fa the
Union nominates as many of these electors as it
setids member^ fo Congress, the number of whom,
it will be remembered, is regulated by its popula-
tion. The Constitution says, that these electors shall
be Chosen fa such manner as the legislatures ofthe
respective States shall direct, and I have already
stated how these electors are to proceed to choose
the President. I have now, therefore, only to de
scribe in what manner they are themselves chosen,

UNITED STATES. 249
for upon this point the whole question ofthe elec
toral law depends.
There are three ways in which the clause of the
Constitution, quoted at page 237, may be obeyed.
1st, The legislatures of the different States may, in
their own legislative capacity, assemble and nomi
nate the electors for the President to which their
State is entitled, Or, 2dly, they may direct the
electors to be chosen by what is called a ' General
Ticket.' Or, 3dly, they may direct them to be
chosen ' By districts.' These terms, and even the
words which;compose them, require explanation.
The legislature of each State consists of two
Houses, a Slenate and House of Assembly ; and if
they choose to. retain the power pf naming the elec
tors, there is no further question about the matter,
for whichever party has the preponderance in the
legislature* of course, carries with it the whole
number of electoral votes for that particular State.
The other; two methods are not so simple. In
every election' fa America, the friends ofthe candi
dates form themselves into committees, one of the
chief occupations of which is to circulate amongst
the voters a number of slips of paper, or ballots,
with then* [Candidate's name printed upon them.
These are called ' tickets,' and are dropped by the
voters into the ballot-box on the day of election.
When the electors for the President are to be
l2

250 TRAVELS IN THE
chosen, the committees on the different sides pre
pare printed lists, or tickets, of those persons whom
they wish to have nominated as electors, from their
known predilection for that candidate whose cause
they have undertaken to support. Thus, in every
State during the recent election of a President,
there was a ' Jackson ticket,5 and an ' Adams
ticket,' piut into circulation by the different parties;
on one of which were printed, the names of as many
electors, previously ascertained to be friendly to
General Jackson, as the particular State was entitled
to ; and on the other ticket, a like number of names
of persons pledged, in like manner, to the cause
of Mr Adams, then at the head of affairs, which
sometimes gave it the name of the ' Administration
ticket.' But the methods used to collect the sense ofthe
people are very different in the two cases 'By Gene
ral Ticket,' and ' By districts.'
, If the law of any State directs the electors for
the President to be chosen by ' General Ticket,'
then the friends of each candidate prepare respec
tively a printed list of as many electors as the State
is allowed. These two tickets are then put into
circulation over the whole State. On the day of
election, the ballots, or tickets, in the box, are count
ed, and if there be one more Jackson ticket than
there are Adams tickets, all the electors for that

UNITED STATES. 251
State go to General Jackson ; a bare majority, in
this case, deciding which way the whole weight
of the votes shall go in the Presidential election.
In the other case, the State being divided into
districts, a power is given to each to nominate
one or more of the Presidential electors, for that
State. The friends of the respective candidates
in these districts, prepare tickets containing, not
as before, the whole electors,' but only the name
or names of- as many persons as their particular
district is allowed to nominate. These are theri
put into circulation exclusively in that district. If
a State, for example, be divided into thirty districts,
there will be thirty Jackson tickets, and thirty
Adams tickets in circulation in different parts of
the State, each containing one or more names of
proposed electors. On the day of election, the
ballots in the thirty different districts being count
ed, it will be seen how many electors are chosen
-for one candidate, and how many for the other.
- If it happens that these numbers prove equal, then
the one side will neutralize the other, and the voice
of that State, as far as the Presidential election is
concerned, goes for nothing. If the numbers should
-be unequal, then the difference between the two
counts effectually for the candidate who has the
majority. Thus, on the recent election for the President,

252 TRAVELS IN THE
fa 1828, the State of Pennsylvania, which adopts
the ' General ticket' system, nominated the wholeof
the 28 electors, whose names were on the Jackson
ticket. But the State of New York, which is en
titled, by her greater population, to nominate 36
electors, made her choice by districts ; 20 of these
decided for General Jackson, and 16 for Mr Adams,
leaving, fa strictness, only 4 actual votes for Ge
neral Jackson ; so that, while Pennsylvania chose
nearly one-ninth of the whole 261 electors, New
York, with a larger population, brought forward,
in fact, no more than a sixty-fifth part.
It maybe interesting to mention, that fa the
State of New York, at the recent choice of elec
tors, there were one hundred and forty thousand,
seven hundred and sixty-three persons (140,763)
who voted in the different districts for the Jackson
- tickets, and one hundred and thirty-five thousand
four hundred and thirteen (135,413) for Mr
Adams. The total number, upwards of two hun
dred and seventy-six thousand, (276,176) was be
tween one-seventh and one-eighth of the whole
population of the State of New York, estimated on
the 1st January, 1828, at sixteen hundred thousand
souls, including women and children. The num
ber of votes taken over the United States, during
the same Presidential election, was upwards of
eleven hundred thousand, or, as nearly as possible,

UNITED STATES. 253
one-eleventh part of the whole population, if we
include somewhat more than a million of slaves,
or between one-eighth and one-ninth part, if we
count only the free part of the population.

234 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER XII.

As the Law of Elections is a rock upon which
many other nations have split, every thing which
relates to its history, in a country where the science
of government is avowedly made the subject of
experiment, carries with it more than common in
terest, A. slight sketch, therefore, of what has
actually taken place in one of the principal States
— that of New York — may possibly be considered
curious by many people, more particularly, as the
facts it unfolds to view will materially help the
explanation of various collateral matters of some
importance. Such a glance, besides showing how
the details of such things are managed in America,
will serve to give an idea of the unstable nature of
written constitutions, where the executive, legis
lative, and popular powers are all so much inter
mingled, that none of these members of the body-
politic can have any steady independent action.
From the adoption of the United States Consti-

UNITED STATES, 255
tution in 1789, up to 1824, the electors for the Pre
sident were invariably chosen, in the State of New
York, by the legislature. In the autumn of 1824,
a Presidential Election took place, very bitter and
acrimonious in its course. The . revolutionary
stock of Presidents, to use an expression I often
heardfa America, beingexhausted with Mr Monroe,.
the deference which on previous occasions had been
paid to candidates with such historical pretensions,
no longer existed ; and four prominent candidates,
each availing himself of his privilege to assail the
rest, took the field — Messrs Crawford, Adams, and
Clay, and General Jackson. .
The choice of electors being in the legislature,
and a majority of the members being known, to en
tertain a preference for Mr Crawford, it was con
sidered next to certain that he would receive the
entire vote of the State, or that the whole of .the 36
electors named in his ticket would be chosen by
the legislature. It became, therefore, a matter of
common interest with the several minorities who
supported the other three candidates, at all events
to prevent this .result. Various objections whicb
had been urged during, the previous year, against
a choice of Presidential Electors by the legislature,
were, accordingly, . revived with great activity,
That mode of election was denounced as anti-re?
publican — aristocratical — as having been unjustly

256 TRAVELS IN THE
wrested from the people, and too long withheld
from them. The people, as the source of all sove*
reignty, were urged to re-assume the exercise ef
their rights, speedily and fully. No doctrine, in
deed, could be more palatable to the multitude,
for it ministered to their natural proneness to
wield all practicable authority. These notions,
though urged at first by interested men, for selfish
purposes, were so strictly in accordance with the
taste of the country, that they soon became general
over the State, and the public mind was inflamed
thereby to a high degree.
During the session of the legislature in January
1824, vigorous attempts were made to change the
law of election. In the House of Assembly, the
friends of Mr Crawford, though originally in the
majority, at last yielded to the popular ferment;
and, after a stormy and protracted debate, passed
a bill,'directing that the electors for the President
should no longer be chosen by the legislature, but
by general ticket ; — in other words, that a majority
of the votes collected over the whole Staite should
carry the day. In the senate, however, which con^
sisted of 32 members, 17, or a bare majority, resist
ed all the efforts made to shake them, fa and out of
doors, and seemed determined not to relinquish the
Constitutional power which had been so long exer
cised. The necessary consequence of the bill not

UNITED STATES. 257
passing both houses before their adjournment, was
the indefinite postponement of allprbjects pf change ;
and, of course, the choice of electors continued, as
before, with the legislature.
The popular feeling, however, was not to be
so easily stifled, nor their love of change suppress
ed by a slender majority fa the least numerous and
popular house in their legislature. These feelings
were still farther inflamed by a proclamation issued
at midsummer by the governor, in the same year,
1824, convening an extra session, for the express
purpose of reconsidering this question, which al
ready agitated the State from end to end. What
was very singular, both houses, with more than
their usual moral courage, refused to legislate far
ther, and actually adjourned without making any
change in the law.
In November of that year, 1824, the same legis
lature accordingly assembled for the purpose of
choosing the electors for the President ; and it so
happened, that exactly at this moment the annual
general election took place for the legislature of
next year, 1825; while that of 1824 was still in ses
sion. The people, who were highly indignant at
the supposed denial of their rights, returned a large
majority of new members to the succeeding legisf
lature favourable to a change fa the obnoxious law.
This expression of popular sentiment out of doors,

S58 TRAVELS IN THE
indirect opposition to that of the nieinbers then
assembled — and the unremitting pressure made
upon them by the friends of the three other can
didates unfavourably disposed to Mr Crawford-^
together with the combination of all the parties in
the legislature against the candidate supposed to
be the strongest, produced a division of their elec
toral vote, the largest part not being, as had been
expected from their former declarations, for Mr
Crawford's ticket, but for that of Mr Adams.
This result having destroyed the hopes of that
party fa the legislature which had reckoned upon
Mr Crawford's election, their motive for resisting
the change desired by the people was removed, and
although they had previously and successfully op
posed any change, they now unanimously resolved
to relinquish their power of nominating the electors,
for the President, arid to give it into the hands; of
the people.
A controversy then arose as to what shape, the
change should take — whether the choice was to he
made by a general ticket over the whole State, or
whether the electors were to be chosen in sepa
rate districts. The legislature, however, not choo
sing to settle this question themselves, agreed to
refer the decision to the State at large. Accord
ingly, at the annual general election fa November,
1825, the votes ofthe population were taken, as tp

UNITED STATES. 259
which of the two methods they chose to adopt. The
greater principle, however, having been already
conceded, the people, who had cooled upon the
matter, took comparatively little interest in the
particular mode by which their increase of power
should be exercised, and only about a hundred and
thirty-eight thousand voters — about half the usual
number,: — gave in ballots. Of these a small ma
jority were in favour of the district system.
Two causes led to the adoption of this method,
in preference to that" by general ticket. An idea
had prevailed in the State of New York, that the
district method was the most democratical. The
inhabitants had also a desire to show an example
to the other States, hoping that it might lead to a
uniform choice of Presidential electors over the
whole Union.
But there appears to have been a fallacy in both
these reasonings. The democratical tendency, of
affairs in America, as I understand the matter, is
to preserve and strengthen the power of the sepa
rate States ; while the federative or. anti-dpmocra-
tical tendency is to augment that of the general
government, and to diminish the influence of these
individual sovereignties. According to these views,
therefore, any thing which adds to the power of a
particular State, by giving it, for example, a more
influential voice in the choice of the President, may

260 TRAVELS, IN THE
he considered as inclining towards the democratic
side, and any thing which diminishes the authority
of her voice, as acting in the opposite way.
The district mode of choosing the electors for
the President, as I have already shown, may divide
the electoral votes, and sometimes makes one por
tion of the State neutralize the other, as in the
recent case of New York. Whereas the general
ticket system, by ensuring one undivided fist of
Presidential electors, preserves to the State its en
tire strength, one way or the other, fa this grand
struggle, as in the case of Pennsylvania.
As to the expectation of furnishing an example
for the rest of the Union, that appears to have been
equally unfounded, since none of the other States
adopted the same plari ; on the contrary, several of
them cast off the district mode, and decided for
the general ticket, as the more purely democratical,
A change has, I believe, been made fa the pre
sent session of 1829, from the district to the ge«
neral ticket system in the State of New York, in
consequence of the feeling being almost universal,
So that she will come into the field at the next
Presidential election, which takes place in 1832,
with not less than forty-two electoral votes, and
in all probability with a candidate of her own par*
ticular choice.
SuCh is the history of the electoral law of the

UNITED STATES. 261
State of New York, as far as regards the choice of
a President. Of that which relates to the other
members of the Union, I shall merely mention that
similar changes in their laws have been made, or
are now in progress. It is needless to dwell fur
ther upon this branch of the subject, except to re
mark, that in every instance, without exception,
that has come to my knowledge, the object has been
to give a more decidedly democratical character,
not only to the Presidential election, but to every
thing else. I have never been able to hear, even,
of one solitary example of any experiment being
tried on the other side ; and I am certain that any
attempt to stop the advancing tide of democracy,
at this hour of the day, would be about as effect
ual as the commands of Canute to the waves of the
ocean. The duties of the President, when at length he
is elected, are soon enumerated. He is commander-
in-chief of the army and navy, and of the militia
of the several States when called into the service
of the Union. He has power to grant reprieves
and pardons, except in cases of impeachment. ' By
and with the advice and consent of the Senate,' he
has the power to make treaties ; but two-thirds of
the senators present must concur, fa order to give
validity to the negotiations he enters into with
foreign powers. Nothing can be more explicit

262 TRAVELS IN THE
than the letter of the Constitution on this head.
Yet the House of Representatives have sometimes
discussed this point warmly; and once actually
passed a resolution, declaring, that when a treaty
depended for the execution of any of its stipula
tions on an act of Congress, it was the right and
duty of the House to deliberate on the expediency
or inexpediency of carrying such treaty into effect.
I mention this merely to show that even where
the Constitution is most distinctly worded, oppor
tunities are never wanting to interfere with its
operation. On many other occasions, the same
principle of interference and convenient construc
tion, inherent in the nature of a popular govern
ment, is made to show itself.
The President nominates, and after consulting
with the Senate, and obtaining their consent, he
appoints ambassadors, public ministers, consuls,
the judges of the supreme court, and all other of
ficers whose appointments are not otherwise pro
vided for in the Constitution. The Congress, how
ever, has the power of deciding whether these in
ferior officers shall be appointed by the President
alone, or by the courts of law, or by the heads of
the departments to which they belong.
This dependence of the President upon the Se
nate, is considered by the ' Americans as a great
security for their liberties. It certainly is strictly

UNITED STATES. 263
in keeping with the universal distrust of which I
have already spoken ; and if that jealousy and want
of confidence be well-founded, nothing can be de
vised more appropriate than such a check on the
executive. How far this division of responsibility
relieves men in power from the danger of a heavy
reckoning, I do not pretend to say, nor how much
is lost of the unity and vigour of political action —
whether with reference to domestic affairs, or to
foreign relations — by the necessity of constant
appeal to so fluctuating a body as the Senate,
which, by the nature of things, must be partially
informed on the subjects which, come before it for
decision. The President is required to give information
to Congress from time to time of the state of the
Union, and to recommend what he shall judge
necessary and expedient. He may convene both
Houses on extraordinary occasions. He is required
to receive ambassadors and other public ministers ;
to commission all the officers of the United States ;
and to take care that the laws be faithfully execu
ted. The President, Vice-President, and all other
civil officers of the United States, may be impeach
ed by the House of Representatives, and upon con
viction by two-thirds of the Senate, be removed
from office. Neither the President, the Secretaries
of State, nor any other person holding office under

264 TRAVELS IN THE
the United States, is allowed to sit as a member in
either House during his continuance in office.
Such then is the structure ofthe American Con
stitution, fa its two most important particulars —
the Legislature and Executive. As to how far it
is likely to be permanent, or how far the changes
which have already been made both in the Consti
tution itself, and in the practice of the States with
respect to the mode of choosing a President, are
wise or unwise, the ablest American authorities
are divided in opinion. Indeed, most parties admit
that this branch of the Constitution is open to im
provement. " The election of a supreme execu
tive magistrate for a whole nation," says a high
authority, " affects so many interests, addresses
itself so strongly to popular passions, and holds
out such powerful temptations to ambition, that
it necessarily becomes a strong trial to public vir
tue, and even hazardous to the public tranquil
lity."* In short, the most important element in the
whdle fabric of the American Government, the
key-Stone of the arch, or that which all writers
agree is the most dangerous to tamper with, is by
no means well fixed fa its place. It underwent a
change, as I have already stated, so recently as
'• Kent, voL.I. p. 257.

UNITED STATES. 265
1804, by theXIIth amendment ofthe Constitution ;
and as that alteration has not led to the practical
improvements anticipated, the propriety of a fur
ther change is now one of the most common topics
of discussion. From all I could hear, it seems by
no means improbable, that the choice of the Pre
sident will, ere long, be made by a general ticket
over the whole Union, without the intervention of
any specific body of electors chosen in the States
respectively. After which, the next step will be
to abridge the period of holding the office, and not
to allow of any re-election — both favourite projects
at present.
I shall conclude this branch of the subject, with
an extract from the official opinion of one of the
ablest practical statesmen in America — the late
Mr De Witt Clinton, who, in his annual commu
nication to the legislature of New York, on the 1st
of January, 1828, made use 6f the following re
markable words : — -
" But it cannot, nor ought it to be concealed,
that our country has been more or less exposed to
agitations and commotions for the last seven years.
Party spirit has entered. the recesses of retirement,
violated the sanctity of female character, invaded
the tranquillity of private life, and visited with
severe inflictions the peace of families. Neither
elevation nor humility has been spared, nor the
VOL. II. M

206 TRAVELS IN THE
charities of life, nor distinguished public services,
nor the fire-side, nor the altar, been left free from
attack ; but a licentious and destroying spirit has
gone forth, regardless of every thing but the gra
tification of malignant feelings, and unworthy as
pirations. The causes of this portentous mischief
must be found fa a great measure in the incompe
tent and injudicious provisions relative to the office
of Chief Magistrate of the Union. A continuance
in office but for one term, would diminish if not
disarm opposition, and divert the incumbent, from
the pursuits of personal ambition, to the acquisi
tion of that fame which rests for its support upon
the public good. The mode of choice is also high
ly exceptionable. Instead of a uniform system,
there are various rules, some of which are calcu
lated to secure unanimity in the electoral colleges,
and others to diminish the legitimate power, if not
to annihilate the real force, of the States, And
there is every facility to bring the final determi
nation into the House of Representatives — an
ample field for the operation of management and
intrigue, and for the production of suspicions and
imputations, which ought never to stain the cha
racter of our country. Nor are the claims of the
national government fa derogation of the consti
tutional authorities of the States, calculated to
quiet the agitation of the times, nor to tranquillize

UNITED STATES. 267
the apprehensions of the community. Although
rash innovation ought ever to be discountenanced,
yet salutary improvement ought to be unhesita
tingly cultivated; and until some adequate pre
ventives and efficacious remedies are engrafted in
to the Constitution, we must rarely expect a recur
rence of the same tranquillity which formerly shed
its benign influence over our country."

.268 .TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER XIII.

There is every reason to believe, from internal
evidence, as well as from other sources of infor
mation, that the framers of the Constitution of the
United States intended to establish a Republic,
not a Democracy ; and there seems little reason
to doubt, that if those Statesmen could now re
appear upon earth, they would be far from ap
proving of what has already been done, still less
of much that is in progress, in their names, and
under the professed sanction of their authority.
This opinion, however, is grounded upon what I
conceive to be the differences which exist be
tween the letter and spirit of the Constitution of
1789, and the practice which has since grown out
of it. A Republic, as I understand the word in its
broadest sense, is that state in which the affairs of
government are managed by Representatives cho
sen from time to time by the people, and who are

UNITED STATES. 269
intrusted with the power of regulating public
matters for the general benefit of the country —
a Democracy, that in which the people themselves
manage these things, not by true delegation, but
in their own proper persons.
As my knowledge of these subjects is derived
chiefly from actual observation, fa many different
parts of the world, very differently governed, ex
perience and reflection will perhaps be the safest
ground for me to stand upon, without any attempt
to carry these speculations into parts of history
with which I am less acquainted, or to support
my opinions by the writings of others.
In a very small community, it is just possible to
conceive that a pure Democracy might exist, under
which the laws and other public affairs might be
discussed directly by the whole community as
sembled for that purpose. But in so large a coun
try as the United States, such a proceeding is
absolutely out of the question. The inhabitants
of America, however, have gone on, ever since the
promulgation of their Republican Constitution, in
rendering the form of their government, or at
least its practice, more and more democratical;
till at length, as I conceive, nearly every trace of
the genuine Republican spirit is merged in that of
as pure a' Democracy as can possibly exist.
By the spirit of Republicanism I mean that

270 TRAVELS IN THE
thorough representative character which, while it
refers the choice of public men to the people, from
time to time, really intrusts the details of manage
ment to the persons chosen for this express purpose.
It supposes, indeed, the full responsibility of the
Representative to the constituent ; but as a neces
sary preliminary, presumes him to be a free agent,
and accordingly makes the delegation of authority
complete. In order, however, to render this import
ant/responsibility effective, or even just, the Re
presentative must have the means of acquiring a
thorough knowledge of his business, otherwise it
is a mockery to hold him accountable for not exe
cuting duties he can never have learnt to perform.
Still further, to fix this independent but not irre
sponsible character upon him — terms which in
volve no contradiction — he ought to be removed
to a considerable distance from the influence of
those transitory impulses which, all experience tells
us, are apt to mislead both the wishes and the opi
nions of the multitude. In other words, the tenure
of his office should not depend upon so slender
a thread that it may be broken, like a cobweb, by
every casual flaw of popular sentiment. A Re
presentative, to he really useful to his country,
should have a sufficiently long probation, to show,
not by any one speech or act during a Session or
two, but by a varied course of unshackled service,

UNITED STATES. 271
that he has the good of the people at heart, and to
prove that, fa the long run, when his actions and
opinions are taken in the aggregate, he is a person
qualified by his knowledge of public affairs, and
by his personal disinterestedness and ability, to
manage the intricate machinery intrusted to his
care. All these conditions are compatible with the
strictest responsibility ; and the more completely
the Representative is left to act for himself, the
more equitable is the exercise of a severe scrutiny
on the part of his constituents.
Such a system is evidently calculated to produce
the best effects, by bringing the highest talents and
knowledge, as well as the most virtuous motives,
into conspicuous action. It also leaves the fullest
degree of vigilance still open to the constituents,
while it is not calculated to beget distrust, that bane
of all good service. Indeed, it may be assumed as
a position from which there is hardly any exception
fa practice, that where there is no confidence, there
will never be any good work done, public or pri
vate. For distrust and jealousy in official, as well
as fa domestic matters, being almost always re
ciprocal, the most infallible method of expelling
every generous mind from any service, is to show
that no reliance is placed upon its integrity.
At the same time there must, and ought unques
tionably to be, in every case, a certain amount of

272 TRAVELS IN THE
watchfulness, in connexibri with an adequate de
gree of power on the part of the constituents, to
make their disapprobation felt by the Representa
tive, should his general conduct, after a sufficiently
protracted trial, not meet their views of his duty.
Otherwise, there can be no doubt, the true repub
lican, or representative spirit alluded to, would
speedily evaporate and leave nothing but despotism
behind. For as the absence of confidence will
always repel, instead of attracting, the most effi
cient men, and at the same time bring much
incompetence into play, anarchy may chance to
ensue ;¦ — which is merely "a despotism of another
sort. There will be found, invariably I suspect,'
in political matters, what the mathematicians, fa
speaking of a peculiar description of curve, call
a point of contrary flexure; and the highest art
of a practical statesman should be, to discover that
medium station which shall be common to both,
but incline too much to neither — where the ade
quate amount of confidence on one side shall be
duly balanced by watchfulness on the other.
The enquiry then reduces itself to this : have the
Americans hit that point, or have they not ? I
think they have not. This opinion has been forced
upon me in spite of the most earnest desire to
persuade myself of the contrary, and after listen
ing with patient and anxious attention to the rea-

UNITED STATES. 273
sonings of the Americans themselves, who, it is
hardly necessary to say, hold such an idea as not
only visionary, but altogether at variance with the
existing state of the facts.
Before proceeding further with these, however,
or with the reasonings which flow from them, it
may be useful to consider an argument connected
with this subject, which is so much dwelt upon in
that country, that it cannot well be passed by,
though the discussion may appear somewhat trite
and commonplace in England. In America, it
is laid down as a self-evident truth, that the pos
session of power, under any circumstances, though
it may improve the intellectual capacity, has the
necessary effect of deteriorating the moral qualities
of the possessor.^
If the question relate to despotic, or what we
may call irresponsible power, the maxim is proba
bly correct. But I conceive the effects which spring
from the possession of authority, fa a free coun
try, where it is duly watched, are very different.
It is agreed on all hands, that the exercise of
power will undoubtedly sharpen those faculties of
the mind which it calls into play ; hut I conceive
it will have a still higher effect, even in this way,
when exerted fa a consistent, straight-forward,
business-like manner, instead of being tossed about
by the waves of passion and selfish caprice.
m 2

274 TRAVELS IN THE
If men in power be placed under a strict scru
tiny, whatever be their talents, or whatever their
motives, they will soon find out, or, at all events,
will in the long run come to learn, that no line of
conduct, under all circumstances, will be able to
stand the wear and tear of public life, but that of
integrity. The longer the period be, over which
their experience is allowed to extend, the more
they will be satisfied, that a virtuous course is the
safest to steer through the storms of so boisterous
a region, while it is evidently the most likely one
to gain tbe substantial favour of the public.
Violent or interested measures may, for a time,
carry all before them ; but if the men fa power be
responsible agents, and if the country be so admi
nistered that, from time to time, this liability to a
public reckoning is made apparent, it is quite clear,
that a high stimulus is given to the practice of
virtue, and if so, there seems to be no reason fa the
nature of the human constitution, why the moral
faculties should not improve by exercise, as well
as the intellectual.
I suspect, after all, that the two must, in most
cases, go hand fa baud; and that one cannot im
prove materially without the other ; by which, I
mean, that while any great improvement in the
mind, under a course of vicious indulgence in
selfish or fa dishonest practices of any kind, is

UNITED STATES. 275
hardly to be expected fa any country, that system
—no matter where it exists— which has the great
est tendency to cultivate the intellectual powers of
public men, will be found the best calculated to
improve their moral worth likewise.
I grant, freely, that the instant the. superintend-'
ing check of inevitable responsibility is removed^
the tendency to abuse power begins at once to show
itself. But I conceive that no check at all, or
rather the contrary, is afforded by that universal
jealousy, the operation of which I am labouring to
describe; still less by that endless round of changes
in public men, which is denominated,, in the ex
pressive language of America^ the ' Rotation of
Office,* — a wheel fa their political machinery, by
the revolutions of which every man comes in turn
to be uppermost, and straightway goes down again.
The Americans themselves generally admit, that
their system is adverse to the formation of men
of commanding talents ; but they always add, that
in the present state of affairs, they do better with
out what we call leading men. " When, however,
moments of danger and difficulty shall arrive,"
say they, "the general intelligence which is spread
over our country will ensure us leaders enough
for all possible exigencies of the State." A posi
tion which strikes me as being about as sound as
it would be to assert that a ship, officered and

276 TRAVELS IN THE
manned by intelligent persons not bred to the sea,
Would be well handled in a gale of wind, because
the crew displayed no ignorance of seamanship in
a calm. Many Americans with whom I have conversed,
allow tbat a period may arrive when the country
shall be filled up to a dangerous pitch; but this
they consider a very remote event, and always take
their stand, in the interim, upon the excellence cf
thp present state of things, which they hold up
as the wisest fa theory, and the most efficient fa
practice, that the world has ever yet beheld.
My friends acrpss the water will, I am sure,
remember that I never shrunk from meeting them
on this ground ; and as nothing I have heard, since,
bas shaken the opinions I there expressed, I trust
they will now receive this more formal exposi
tion of my .views, with the same frank and manly
goodi-humour, which I felt as the highest compli
ment to my sincerity, and the most friendly en
couragement that could possibly be offered to a
stranger wishing to investigate the truth. Had it
been otherwise— or had any ill-temper slipped out
on these occasions — my researches must have been
cut short, or have been limited very much to what
I saw, while the results of my investigations must
have taken that character of prejudice, to which
etrangers are said to be so prone. As it was, I

UNITED STATES. 277
at least enjoyed the advantage of discussing all
these topics, again and again, with the persons best
qualified, as far as I could discover, to do them jus
tice ; and fa the course of those conversations I had
often the advantage of finding that I was in error,
before the means of rectification were at a dis
tance. Of course, I do not expect that my opi
nions in print shall have more weight than they car
ried in conversation ; but I shall be well pleased,
should they ever find their way to America, to
think that they are received with equal forbear
ance. At all events, I have here written my opi
nions, so far as lies in my power, in the spirit
which the people whom they concern so often as
sured me, was the best road to the esteem, if not
to the concurrence, of the judicious amongst their
countrymen; and with this general declaration,
which, like many others, must take its chance for
credit amongst the persons who will recollect my
allusions, I proceed to justify these views, as well
as I can, by further details.
It will not be denied out of America, that the
most important object of a properly regulated re
presentative system, or that which is likely to be
most serviceable to the nation, is to bring the ablest
men fa the country into public life, and having
brought them there, to maintain, or fix them in

278 TRAVELS IN THE
the management of affairs, as long as their con
duct shall be found deserving of confidence.
The practical operation of a democracy, how
ever, is the very reverse of this. It neither brings
the most qualified men into power, nor retains
them long, when by any accident they chance to
rise so high as to engage the public attention-.
While a correct representative form of govern
ment, therefore, offers the highest premium to the
growth and permanent exercise of those talents
which are useful fa the public service ; a demo
cracy, for reasons which I shall endeavour to ex
plain, appears, in practice, to' have a direct ten
dency to lower the standard of talents, of know
ledge, and of public spirit, besides putting public
virtue in great danger.
The common-place rule of supply and demandj
is in no case more strictly observed than in this.
If there be no steady motive for the production of
talents and knowledge for the public service, that
is to say, if there be no permanent demand for first-
rate men in the management of affairs, there will
be no great supply. I do not say, that there will be
no men of abilities fa public life, but that there will
be no recognised class of sueh men,, well known to
the country over which they are dispersed, and
from whose numbers the public servants may at
any time be selected. Men of superior attain-

UNITED STATES, 279
ments and powers will, of course, in every coun
try, even in a democracy, gain some ascendency
if they choose to come forward. But exactly in
proportion to the rarity of such qualifications, will
be the power and the will to abuse such influence ;
because, where the elass to choose from is limited,
the control of public opinion, according to the
simplest axioms ofthe doctrine of competition, will
always be least effectual, aud consequently both
the power aud tbe will to do wrong least effectually
restrained. The whole value of this argument turns upon
the supposition that the science of government —
Legislative as well as Executive — is one of the
most difficult— certainly the most complicated of
all branches of human knowledge. With persons
who deny this position,, who see no difficulty fa the
matter, I have little to say ; and yet, so it happens,
these will form probably a numerical majority fa
every country. The really intelligent portion ofthe
American community see and feel, and sometimes
acknowledge, the truth of this position. " If," says
an eloquent American writer, " if, as is unques
tionable, among all the intellectual pursuits, the
master science is that of government, in the hier
archy of human nature, the first place must be
conceded to those gifted spirits, who, after devoting
their youth to liberal studies, are attracted to the

280 TRAVELS IN THE
public service, and attain its highest honours, shed
ding over its course the light of that pure, moral,
and intellectual cultivation, which at once illus
trates them, and adorns their country."*
A political maniac some years ago suggested,
that a committee of several hundred persons should
disperse themselves over England, and poll each
individual man in the country, as to his opinions
and wishes on the subject of Parliamentary Re
form. Had this idea been acted upon, the chances
are, that a great numerical majority of the whole
population would have decided for a change, more
or less radical ; and this result would have been
considered, fa America, a perfectly rational and
proper way of getting at the general sense of the
nation. Let us suppose, however, that instead of Parlia
mentary Reform being made the object of this en
quiry, the canvassers in question had been instruct
ed to ask every man in the kingdom his opinion
upon the best kind of Escapement fa the machinery
of a chronometer ? or which was the most accurate
way of placing a Transit instrument in the Meri
dian ? or how a stranded ship should be got offa reef
of rocks ? — oan there be the least doubt that the
itinerant investigators would have been laughed at,
" Eulogium on Jefferson by Mr N. Biddle, p. 48.

UNITED STATES. 281 .
from end to end of the kingdom ? Would they not
have been told to go and consult the watchmakers,
the astronomers, or the seafaring men, who had
served long and arduous apprenticeships to their
several professions, and without which study no
man could be supposed to understand a word of
these intricate matters ? Not one person in a thour
sand would probably know what an Escapement
was, or what was the use of a Transit instrument ;
still less would they feel competent to give any
opinion as to the best mode of turning them to
practical account. Yet these very same men would
pronounce, with the utmost confidence, on a point,
to say the least of it, more complicated than the
nicest piece of clock-work that ever kept true
time !
If asked, as I have been very often in America,
whether I would wish to exclude the people from
all share in the administration of public affairs, I
reply, " Certainly exclude all such direct interfe
rence of the uninformed multitude — much mis
called the People — as I have alluded to in the above
figurative illustration." For I conscientiously be
lieve, that persons who take this line of argument,
will be found in the end by far the truest friends
of the people, even taken in the American sense of
that abused word, who, in this, and every other
case, I am certain, lose much more than they can

282 TRAVELS IN THE
ever gain, by direct interference with matters be
yond their knowledge. Public opinion — that is
to say, the real sentiments and wishes of the re
flecting part of the nation — cannot be got at by
mere numerical balloting, or any other method of
individual voting at a particular instant of time.
At all events, one thing is quite clear,— it is not fa
this way that a knowledge of men's views on any
other question which involves their interests is ever
obtained; how, therefore, can it be expected to
prove efficacious on this solitary occasion? Public
opinion, in such a country as England, is not made
up of the sentiments of the numerical mass, but of
the aggregate opinions of all those persons who,
whatever be their rank in society, habitually exert
an influence over their inferiors in station, in know
ledge, or fa talents. These form what in England
are generally considered the People; and it seems
a complete perversion of the meaning of words, fa
speaking of political matters, to include in the de
finition of public opinion, the crude ideas of persons
whose knowledge is confined to the objects of mere
manual labour.
The lowest and most numerous orders in Eng
land cheerfully and wisely submit, in these re
spects, to those immediately above them, who are
somewhat more fortunately circumstanced, and
who, from enjoying that casual, but not invidious

UNITED STATES. 283
advantage, have leisure to acquire knowledge, or
power, call it what you will, by which those about
them and below them are willing to be influenced.
These again, in the very same manner, — without
the slightest diminution of true freedom, — are un
der the influence ofa still higher class, whose means
are proportion ably greater ; and so on, through a
hundred gradations, many of them almost in
sensible, to the top of the scale. The honest
but necessarily unreflecting opinions of the most
numerous class are in this way by no means
disregarded, but are gradually sifted, as it were,
through a variety of different courses of exami
nation, by persons possessed both of abilities, and
experience, beyond the attainment of men who,
whatever be their capacity, have no means to in
vestigate such subjects. At' the last, after the
rude material of public sentiment, well strained
and purified,' has found its way to the hands of the
master workmen fa a condition fit to be wrought
to the purposes of life, it is returned to the country
fa a thousand useful forms of national prosperity,
not one of which it could ever have attained, had
it been left to the direct management of those nu
merous classes, whose happiness it is mainly des
tined to influence.
It were to invert the whole of this process, to
imagine that the science of gpvernment lies within

284 TRAVELS IN THE
the capacity of the labourers of the soil, or that the
mere wish to govern well shall qualify persons
habitually engaged in any of the ordinary walks
of life, to exercise the loftiest functions that have
ever yet awakened the genius of man — the regula
tion of the lives and fortunes of millions of human
beings !
Surely the knowledge of an art of such infinite
importance cannot be intuitive, .when every other
with which we have any acquaintance, even to the
cobbling of shoes, requires years of careful appli
cation? And yet, strange as it may appear, these
are not ideal shadows which I am fighting against
— not long ago exploded fallacies — but the grave,
received doctrines, universally acted upon in the
country I have just left — where the position that
every man understands what is best for his own
good, and that of his neighbour, in the administra
tion of public affairs, is not only held to be no pa
radox, but, on the contrary, is considered a self-
evident truth — the main-spring of their freedom
and happiness — the pole star of all their political
navigation, and the sure reliance of their perma
nent glory as a nation !
It is not very difficult to show, that in a demo
cracy, men of high attainments or talents can
never be encouraged as a body, while individuals
thus gifted by nature or by study, will stand rather

UNITED STATES. 285
a worse chance than their neighbours of being
placed in stations of public trust. It is natural
that persons who are ignorant of any subject, but
who, nevertheless, imagine they fully understand
it, should be more willing to place confidence in
men of their own class, on the same level with
them in attainments, and with whom they can
sympathize; than in others, whose knowledge they
do not possess, whose talents they have no means
of appreciating, and whose ways of thinking on
political subjects, of which they conceive them
selves to be complete masters, are entirely differ
ent from their own. Such feelings of distrust,
as I have before observed, will almost always be
reciprocal; and, therefore, a man of abilities, pos
sessed of real knowledge, and experience in public
business, • or who, even without such experience,
believes that he possesses talents which, if exerted,
would do justice to a high' station, will consider
his time mispent in the service of people who
cannot be made to feel that he has any claims to
superior capacity. Unless he be made of very
stern materials, he will soon cease to court a pub
licity which can lead to nothing but speedy dis
missal, under the dictation of constituents, who
are sure to fancy they know more of the matter
¦than he does, and who, from holding the doctrine
•that no man ought to be trusted, will, for obvious

286 TRAVELS IN THE
reasons, be least inclined to repose confidence in
him who has most talents.
A perfectly pure democracy, according to the
usual definition, cannot, of course, exist in a large
community, spread over a wide country; for by
no conceivable means could such multitudes be
brought together for the purpose of discussing
public affairs. The Americans, however, by se
veral ingenious devices, have arrived, it must be
owned, as near the point aimed at as the nature
of things will admit of. In booksellers' phrase,
their work might be called, " The Science of Go
vernment reduced to the lowest capacity, or every
man his own Legislator."
The contrivances by means of which this ob
ject, so eagerly sought after in America, has been
nearly attained fa practice, are Annual Parlia
ments, Universal Suffrage, and what is termed
Rotation in office. The framers of the Constitu
tion evidently intended to establish a representa
tive system, fa which the most experienced and
fittest men fa all respects, should not only be se
lected to administer the public affairs, but be left
to do so in their own way. It is barely possible
to conceive, that under a republican form of go ver a-
ment, — if the periods of service were made long,
the elections transitory, and the population small,—
there might grow up a race of public servants, whose

UNITED STATES. 287
chief duty and pleasure it should be to acquire a
knowledge of their particular business, and by pur
suing it as a profession, acquire proficiency therein.
These men might eventually Obtain, by the force
of knowledge and personal merits alone, the per
manent confidence of their constituents. But it is
useless to speculate upon what might be done fa
such an imaginary Republic — a Utopia which
never existed. My object is rather to show what
has been done, and what is actually doing at this
hour, in America.
Since, in all the twenty-four States forming the
Union, the members of the most numerous and
influential legislative House are elected for one
year only, it seems nearly out ofthe question that,
with so short a period of service, the members can
feel themselves independent of their constituents;
neither is it intended that they should so feel.
The moment of re-election is always close at band;
and if the members fail to conform strictly to the
wishes of the electors, they are ousted as a matter
of course. Even if they do attend to these wishes
at one moment, the chances are, that if they hope
to continue in favour they must take an opposite
part before the session is out, — inasmuch as the
popular opinion shifts about as often, and some
times more swiftly than the wind, with no more
visible cause ! The most sagacious manager that

288 TRAVELS IN THE
ever lived, therefore, could not regulate his con
duct under a system such as this, so as to please
a mass of people who, let them or their admirers
say what they please, must of absolute necessity
be ignorant of most of the subjects brought before
them for their consideration.
Accordingly, we do find that no great number
of members are allowed to remain longer at then-
public post than one term ; for at the end of each
year, a large proportion of new legislators always
come in, ' fresh from the people,' more full of con
fidence, probably, in their own wisdom, than well
grounded in what has been done by their predeces
sors ; and not very profoundly versed, it may he
reasonably supposed, in the general science of go
vernment. The legislature of New York consists of 160
members, including the Senate and House of As
sembly. Ih the year 1823, only 15 members of
the legislature of 1822 were re-elected, and 145
out of the whole 160 were new, or about nine-
tenths. In 1824, only 37 members who sat in 1823 were
re-elected, and 123 were new, or eight-tenths.
Ih 1825, 34 were re-elected from 1824, and 126
were new, or about eight-tenths, as before.
These numbers are taken from the lists given
in vol. II., pages 602 to 605, of the laws relating to

UNITED STATES.'

289

the canals of New York, printed by authority of
that State in 1825.
From the same, and other official sources of fa-
formation, the following table has been drawn up,
to show how long the members of the legislature
of New York, in 1827, had held seats in one or
'ther of the houses : —
Total number, 160.
Of these, 1 member had sat for 11 years.
1 . . . ¦ 9

1 1
25
10
12
30

875
'4 32 1

97 were new members.
Thus, nearly f of the whole were new; § had
sat from 4 to 1 years ; and jV had sat from 11 to 5
years. The average time of the old members sit
ting Is 2^ years nearly. The new members are to
the old as 3 to 2.

VOL. 11.

N

$90 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER XIV.

EvfcRY Legislator in America in Congress, as
Well as in the different. States, receives, for his
trouble during the. Session, a. certain daily pecu
niary compensation. This, it will he observed,
gives a distinctive feature to these bodies, and,
coupled With another very important circumstance,
almost completes the democratical character. The
members are returned to the legislature, not mere
ly to represent the particular spot for which they
are chosen, but they are absolutely required by
law to have been residents on it for a certain
stated period previous to the election. Neither
can they be elected for any other place. This re
gulation is one of the most destructive that can
well be conceived of true independence, as it forces
men to consider local, not general objects. The
Representatives, although not bound by law to
do so, invariably consider the interests of their

UNITED STATES. 291
constituents as the paramount object. If any man,
therefore, be public-spirited enough to oppose those
interests, in consideration of the general good, his
dismissal follows quite as a matter of course, at
the ensuing election ; which, it will be recollected,
is always close at hand. Thus, the doctrine that
the will of the constituents is to guide the con
duct of persons sent to the legislature, is almost
universally acted upon. Consequently, these Re
presentatives are, in strictness, neither more nor
less than mere agentsr engaged to do the will of-
their respective constituents, for such short periods-
of service as may best tend to establish and keep-
alive that unbounded want of confidence which
avowedly pervades the whole system, and is, ac
cording to the American doctrine, the truest anti*.
dote to the corrupt selfishness which, they say,
poisons every man's political nature.
There is another consideration, tending the same •-
way, which it is impossible to overlook. When a
member is certain, or next to certain, do what he ¦
may, that he is not to remain beyond one year in
the legislature, he will be irresistibly impelled,^
unless human nature is different on different sides
of the Atlantic, to make the most of his brief au ,
thority to serve his own particular purposes ; or,
which is nearly the same thing in practice, to serve
those of the persons amongst whom he is again to

292 TRAVELS IN THE
mix, and whose wishes, however narrow, it is evi
dently more his interest to meet, than those of the
community at large. Thus the public service must
become a secondary consideration, under any view
of the case.
It is needless to enlarge upon the absence of
true freedom, involved in thus limiting what may
be called the Representative Franchise to a parti
cular spot, and that spot the very one where, from
the nature of society, independence of political cha
racter is least likely to be found, or, if found, least
likely to be valued by the constituents. If the coun
try at large is open to men of talents and genuine
public spirit, those prime qualities in a statesman
will be sure^to be appreciated somewhere; but
nothing seems more probable than the unpopu
larity of such men fa their own narrow circle.
It seems, indeed, very idle to talk of universal
suffrage, and yet to circumscribe the limits beybhd
which no candidate shall be eligible. There is a
double drawback here on liberty. The electors
cannot choose any man they wish, and the candi
date cannot solicit the suffrage of any but one set
of constituents.
In Congress the members are chosen for a pe
riod twice as long as that of the State legislatures,
or for two years ; but even this is much too short
a time to enable any man to acquire an adequate

UNITED STATES.

293

knowledge of public business, or to establish a
character which shall gain the permanent confi
dence of his constituents. There are, indeed, some
men in public life in America whose talents are
of such an order, and whose general tenour of con
duct is so popular, that they have contrived to hold
on somewhat longer than their companions. It
would, indeed, be monstrous to suppose, that out
of such numbers there should not be found many
men above suspicion, even where the rule is to
suspect every body.
' The following table shows how long the mem
bers of the House of Representatives in Congress
for 1827-28, had held seats in the House. The
total number being 213.
Of these 1 member had sat for 27 years.

1
1

15

1

13
1
12
3
11
1
10
5
9
2
8
17
7
4
6
34
5
4
4
294 TRAVELS IN THE
48 ... 3
3 ... 2
And 87 were new members.
Thus T55 nearly, or between a half and a third,
were new ; x55 nearly, had sat for from 5 to 2 years ;
\ nearly, had sat from 10 to 6 years ; and j\ from
27 to 11 years. The average time of the old mem*
hers sitting was about 5\ years, and the new
members were to the old as 2 to 3 nearly.
The number of Representatives and Delegates
to the Congress of the United States, from the
commencement ofthe present government in 1789,
to 1827, a period of 38 years, was 1464; and the
average time of each member sitting was 3 years
and 8 months and a half. *
^ I shall insert here, as a, matter of curious com
parison, a Table similar fa its nature to the above,
showing how long the members of the British
House of Commons of the same session, that of
1827-28, had sat in the legislature.
, Total number in the House of Commons 658.
Of these 134 had sat upwards of 20 years.
3 . • . 19
7 ... 18
6 ... 17
" Deduced from the tables in the National Calendar, published at
Washington in 1838.

UNITED

STAT]

ss, •

5 ... 16

4

15

32

14
18
13
15
12
6
11
21
10
20
9
64
8
19
7
55
6
20
5
17
4
14
3
22
2
10
1
And 166 wert
s new
mem
bers.
295
ThUs nearly £ of the whole were new members ;
i nearly had sat from 6 to 1 years ; g65, or between
^ and \, had sat from 14 to 7 years; 5\ from 19
to 15 years; and \ of the whole number for 20
years and upwards. The average time of the old
members sitting is about 11^ years, on the sup
position that the 134 members at the top of the
preceding list had sat only 20 years ; but as many
of them had been in Parliament for upwards of
30 years, the average period must he considerably
296 . TRAVELS IN THE
greater. The new members were to the old as
1 to 3.
The average duration of the 17 Parliaments,
which sat from the Revolution in 1688, to the ac
cession of George III. in 1761, is 4 years and about
one week. That of the 12 Parliaments which sat
during the 59 years of George III.'s reign, was 4
years and one month.*
I have often been told, that the Representa
tives to Congress, and to the State legislatures,
are not actually instructed how to speak and vote ;
but in spite of this,- they- know perfectly well that
unless they manage to discover and conform to
the wishes of their- constituents, right or wrong,
they' will be put out in a very short time. This,
if I mistake not, is bringing, matters as near to
pure democracy as can be, — a conclusion to which,
I am confident, the numerical majority of the
American nation would say — Amen ! Those,
however, who are not quite so much in love with
that system, come in at this stage of the argu
ment and say, " All this has some truth and force
in it as applied to the most numerous branch of
the legislature ; but look at the Senate, especially
the Senate of the United States; observe the
beautiful check which the constitution of that
• Royal Calendar for 1887.

UNITED STATES'. , 297
august body affords to the over-popular character
of the other House, if such it be."
; It was originally intended, most undoubtedly, that
the Senators in Congress should be less dependent
upon the mass of the people than the members of
the House of Representatives are. This object, it
was supposed, might be accomplished, first, by the
longer period of their service — six years instead of
two ; . and next, by the circumstance of their being
chosen by the State legislatures, and not directly,
like the members of the other House, by the peo
ple at large. In practice, however — deny it who
may as a matter of- political speculation — the Se
nate of the United -States is, necessarily, and to
all practical intents and- purposes, as little inde
pendent of the people as the other House. '
It must always be reeollected, in considering
this branch of the subject, that the whole Senate is
not chosen, as a body, for six years, though each of
its members be elected for that length of time. At
every second year, one-third of the whole number
of Senators go back to then constituents, by whom
they may or may not be re-elected. It follows,
therefore, as a necessary consequence, that no com
mon system of permanent policy can be adopted
by the Senate, any more than it can by the other
House, since the introduction of so large a body
of members as one-third, ' fresh from the people,'
h2

298

TRAVELS IN THE

.every second year, must inevitably disturb any
continuous course of action, provided that course,
however judicious, be contrary to the sentiments
of the population, taken numerically, at that part
icular moment. ,
In the Senate of the United States, for the year
1827-28, the periods of each member sitting were
aS follows : — Total number, 48.
Of these, 2 members had sat for 13 years,
3 11

1
2 1
6 1
34
11 4 1

10 9
8
76
5
4
3 2 1

And 9 were new members.
So that one-fifth were new, and the average
period of the old members sitting was five years
and six months and a half.
The number of Senators in the Congress of the ,
United States, from the commencement of the
present government in 1789 to 1827, a period of.
38 years, was 317. The average time of sitting of

UNITED STATES. 299
each Senator was four years three months and two
weeks.* This popular character of the Senate is the fa-
- evitable consequence of the nature of their consti
tuents, the State legislatures, which are themselves
chosen annually by universal suffrage. And thus
the senators to Congress, though not quite directly,
are yet quite strictly, Representatives of the popu
lar voice, which happens to prevail at the time of
nominating those bodies by whom the senators are
chosen. Every second year, therefore, one-third
part, or 16 out of the 48 senators, come into Con
gress in a line almost as immediately from the
people as that which brings the Representatives.
The genuine spirit ofthe Constitution undoubtedly
is, that these senators shall be Representatives of
the. States in their sovereign capacity. And so in
truth they are ; yet the sceptre is not wielded by
the hands of the legislature, but by those of the
people at large.
In order still further to destroy the obvious in
tention of the Constitution, of making the Senate
independent, their constituents, the State legisla
tures, whenever they please, exercise the right of
instructing their senators how to act in Congress.
It signifies little to say, that no such power of fa-.
*• Deduced from the tables in the National Calendar, published at
Washington in 1828. ,

300 TRAVELS IN THE
•structing the senators is to be found in the letter
of the Constitution, or that high legal authorities
dispute the propriety of such interference.* That
the State legislatures do actually exercise this au
thority, I know by innumerable examples.
It is often said, in answer to these positions, that
this very questionable power is not much exer
cised, and that it cannot be enforced. But this
argument proves nothing, or rather it proves too
much, as it shows the complete subserviency of
the body in question to the fluctuating wishes
•of the mass of the people. There is, therefore,
' seldom any occasion for such instructions, in con
sequence of the people's wishes being anticipated ;
but this power of dictation is exercised upon im
portant occasions, as I have myself witriessed.
Every thing that has now been said, is strictly
consonant to the general spirit of the Ainerican
Constitution, as interpreted by the majority of
persons whom it concerns. And I feel pretty sure
that in thus demonstrating the direct practical as
cendency of the people over their legislators in
Congress, as well as in the States, my reasonings
will be fourid, for once, in strict conformity with
the views and feelings of the mass of the nation —
• numerically considered. '
• Kawle on the Constitution. Chap. III. p. Si.

UNITED STATES. SOI
In America, every public man may be said to live
upon popularity ; and I have often heard it asserted,
both by friends and by foes of the present system —
by the one set with complacency, by the other with
sorrow — that no person who ventures to oppose
himself for one instant to the current of popular
sentiment, has much chance of success. No one,
indeed, of any party in that country, can escape
very rough handling, unless he prefers. retiring, as
many able men are forced to do, into absolute se
clusion ; or into, those private walks of . life .where
their talents have a better chance of fair play, than
they can have when exposed to the stormy ocean
of politics.
" The tendency and the danger of other govern
ments," says an accomplished and eloquent Ame
rican writer, " is subserviency to courts l, that of
ours is submissiPn to. popular excitement, which
statesmen should often rather repress than obey.
Undoubtedly the public counsels should reflect the
public sentiment ; but that mirror may be dimmed
by being too closely breathed upon, nor can all the
other qualities of a public man ever supply the
want of personal independence. It is that fatal
want which renders so many ostensible leaders, fa
fact, only followers, which makes so many who
might have been statesmen, degenerate into poli
ticians, and tends to people the country with the

302 TRAVELS IN THE
slaves and the victims of that mysterious fascina
tion, the love of popularity."*
I shall have frequent opportunities of showfag
as I go along, how the same causes operate, with
a force absolutely irresistible, in every other de
partment of the American body politic. Demo
cracy, in short, when once let loose, is exactly like
any other inundation — it is sure to find its level, —
and whatever it cannot reach, it undermines and
finally subverts.
In this rapid sketch of the American system of
government, I have merely glanced at the more
important branches of the subject ; and, in so do
ing, have endeavoured to indulge as little as pos^-
sible in theories or speculations not absolutely
necessary for the purpose' of illustration. At all
events, the materials are drawn from my own ob
servation alone. In the same spirit, it might per
haps be interesting to advert to the effects of de
mocracy fa other walks of life besides those of a
public nature ; since I daresay it will occur to many
persons, to ask how such a system of things" can
go on at all, Or how it happens that the whole
frame-work of society is not torn to pieces in a
very short time, as it was recently in France, and
most undoubtedly Would be in England, under a
* Eulogium on Jefferson, by Mr N. Biddle, p. 47.

UNITED STATES. 303
similar form of government. To this the answer is
quite simple. The Americans retain a great share
of the knowledge, with which they started in this
grand political race, — they never knew what op
pression was, — they have still plenty of room, —
they have abundant stores of food, — they have no
neighbours to interfere vrith them, — and they stu
diously avoid entangling themselves with the dis
tracting affairs of the old world. Were any one of
these circumstances in their history materially
changed, the present state of things might possibly
not subsist so long as some of its fond admirers
anticipate. One of the effects of democracy, both in public
and private life — for these must of necessity be
much interwoven — is, unquestionably, to lower
the standard of intellectual attainments, and also,
by diminishing the demand for refinement of all
kinds,sto lessen the supply. Accordingly, there is
absolutely no such thing in America, at least that
I could hear of, as men who are looked up to.
Whenever I asked who were their great men —
their high authorities, — reference was invariably
made back to the statesmen of the Revolution — to
Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Patrick Henry.
It was very nearly the same in literature — fa
science— and, with one brilliant exception, Allston,
in the arts likewise.

304 .TRAVELS IN THE
I am far from saying, that there are no able
statesmen, or profound authors, or men of general
knowledge in that country; but the number, con
sidering the population, is certainly limited. I
have great pleasure in the acquaintance — I hope I
may add the friendship — of many gentlemen fa
America of scientific attainments, or possessed of
knowledge in all the different departments of in
formation alluded to ; and I well know how much
honour they would do to the correspondent classes
in any country in the world. But these distin
guished persons are quite aware how insulated they
are — how feeble the present tendency of things is to
improve — and how little sympathy, fa short, they
receive from their countrymen ; and I am sure
they cannot but look with bitter though unavail
ing regret to the gradual changes which are taking
place in manners, and in all those valuable refine
ments of lifej which the rest of civilized mankind
deem essential, not only to the cultivation of true
knowledge, but almost equally so to the purifica
tion of public and private virtue, i
I was often told, when I took the liberty of sta
ting some of these things in conversation, that due
allowance was not made for the country; but when
ever they were taken at their word, it generally
appeared that allowances were more willingly made
than the company were disposed to receive con-

UNITED STATES. 305
cessions. It could not be denied, indeed, that un
der the circumstances which exist at present in
America, it would be the most unreasonable thing
- imaginable to expect the arts and sciences to flou
rish, or that great excellence could possibly be
reached in any walk of industry, public or political
life inclusive ; still less, that those graceful embel
lishments to society which belong to old and dense
ly peopled countries alone, should as yet be found
amongst them.
In America, it must be recollected, almost every
man is occupied in making money, while few are
engaged exclusively in spending it. Out of these
peculiarities spring several conclusions interesting
in themselves, and perhaps worth attending to as
useful in elucidating some circumstances in the
condition of their society, which might otherwise
appear anomalous. I may farther observe, that all
the money in America, or nearly all, is in the
hands of persons who have actually made it. But
as the habit of making money, and the habit of
spending it, are directly opposed to each other, the
proper moment for spending it is apt to be defer
red till too late. It will be admitted, I think, after
a moment's pause, that the art of spending money
well may be considered, uppn the whole, a more
difficult one than the art of making it ; I mean,
of course, the art of spending it like a gentleman.

30S TRAVELS IN THE
In the one case, industry, frugality, and the ave
rage run of abilities, will, at least in that country,
insure to every man a competence ; while talents
somewhat higher than the average, or extraordi
nary diligence, aided bythat prompt vigilance which
is ready to profit by every turn of the wheel, and
is called Fortune, is sure to command much more
than a competence, — often wealth. Accordingly,
we do see considerable sums of money amassed fa
all parts of America, by persons answering this
description. It is not so clear, however, by any means, that
the same attributes which taught their possessor to
accumulate riches, will enable him to invert the
process, and teach him how to dispose of his gains,
or any great proportion of them, in the most proper
manner. The reason will appear plain enough
when stated ; for even admitting the persons in
question to have all the desire in the world to act
properly in this respect, the practical difficulty
which men who become wealthy have to encounter
in America, is the total absence of a permanent
¦money-spending class in the society, ready not only
to sympathize with them, but to serve as models,
in this difficult art.
The law of primogeniture was abolished long
ago ; and though there be at present no positive
legislative enactment against as definite a disposal

UNITED STATES. 307
of property by descent,- as in England, the general
feeling of the American community is so decidedly
hostile to any such settlements, that, in practice,
they are rarely if ever attempted. The property of
the parent, therefore, is, generally divided equally
amongst the children. This division, as may be
supposed, seldom gives to each sufficient means to
enable him to live independently of business ; and,
consequently, the same course of money-making
habits which belonged to the parerit necessarily
descends to the son. Or, supposing there be only
one who succeeds to the fortune, in what way is
he to spend it ? Where, when, and with whom ?
How is he to find companionship ? How expect
sympathy from the great mass of all the people he
mixes amongst, whose habits and tastes lie in to
tally different directions ?
When this language is held in America, though
the facts are too obvious to be denied, it is asked
how it happens that the same thing does not occur
-with the money-making classes in England ? The
ready answer is, that the attendant circumstances
are sufficiently different to prevent like conse
quences. A merchant, or any other professed
man of business, in England, has always before his
eyes a large and permanent money-spending class
to adjust his habits by. He is also, to a certain
extent, in the way of communicating familiarly

308 TRAVELS IN THE
with those who, having derived their riches by in
heritance, are exempted from all that personal ex
perience in the science of accumulation, which has
a tendency to augment the difficulty of spending
money well. Sometimes this acquaintance with
the aristocracy — whether it be of wealth or of
rank — arises from circumstances of birth, more
frequently from alliance, and still oftener from
talents, or knowledge, or from some of those in
cidents which the intermixture of all classes in
England, in spite of their marked distinctions,
perpetually gives rise to. At all events, while he
goes on acquiring property, the man of business
learns almost as well, though more gradually and
insensibly, how to spend his money, as if he had
actually been born and bred in one of those classes
whose peculiar province it is to distribute, not to
accumulate, the riches of the country. At length,
when he thinks he has made enough to entitle
him to retire from his labours, he at once enters
the permanently wealthy ranks, amongst whose
members he is always sure of finding sympathy
and companionship, whatever be his tastes or his
future views. -
Any such accumulation and distribution of pro
perty, however, in America, is abhorrent to the
feelings of the inhabitants ; and, of course, Entails,
unequal divisions, or every thing like primogeni-

UNITED STATES.' 309
ture, are not to be dreamt of. They will scarcely
allow the words to be whispered in conversation ; —
one might as well speak of a coronet, or a close
borough, or any Other abomination ! I remember
hearing, when I was in Virginia, of a gentleman
whose elder sons had displeased him so much, that
he left all his fortune to the youngest. The public,
however, were so universally scandalized at this
act of injustice, as it was termed-, — though the fa
ther had earned all the money himself, — that the
heir, after a year or two of miserable badgering,
was compelled, for the sake of a quiet life, to divide
his property amongst his disinherited brethren.
(-¦, It is by no means difficult to point out whence •
all this springs. It is the legitimate offspring of
those. levelling or equalising principles already dis
cussed. In all countries, it may be observed, the
great mass of the people are without disposable,
property, and live, as it is well called, from hand
to mouth. This is decidedly the case in America ;
for, though it be easy for a man to keep himself
and his family alive by bodily labour, the great
majority of the whole population possess little more
than enough for that purpose. Generally speaking, -
very few persons amongst them have any spare
property, or surplus revenue ; they have no for- ,
tune, in short, which requires care and ingenuity '
to dispose of for purposes beyond the immediate

310 TRAVELS IN THE
wants of life. When, therefore, the democratical'
principle is fully established, in a society so consti
tuted, and all the elections are brought under the
absolute control of the people at large, the legisla
tures chosen by them must, as a matter of course,
be made up chiefly of persons almost without for
tune. This singular state of the representation does-
not strike so directly at the administration of cri
minal justice as might at first be supposed, because-
the legislators, generally speaking, are strongly
interested, for their own sakes, in maintaining that
branch of power inviolate. But all the multifa
rious and changing laws, which regulate the dis
tribution of property, being framed by persons who;
have little or none to dispose of belonging to them
selves, they are invariably aimed, more or less--
directly, at its subdivision. In this way, any con^ "
siderable accumulation is not only prevented, but
when it does happen to be gathered together, it is -
soon broken up by the resistless agency of this-
levelling propensity.
I was most anxious at all times during the jour- :
ney to converse with intelligent persons, whose -
experience qualified them to assist my researches
on these curious topics. The government and coun
try, some of these gentlemen assured me, had not
always been in the state in which I saw them, but-

UNITED STATES. 311
had gone on, becoming daily more and more de-
mocratic in their form, as well as in their substance.
Almost every article and clause in the Constitution
which suited that grand end, was now differently
construed from what had been originally under
stood to be its meaning, and always with the direct
and avowed purpose ef strengthening the hands
ofthe people at large, considered numerically, and
at the same time of weakening the authority of the
executive. The same course, I was told, had been
run fa the separate States as in the general govern -
ment. In every part of the country, the elective fran
chise has been gradually extended, till it is now
universal, I believe, in every State but one, Vir
ginia; and I observe that conventions have been
called to consider this subject, which will probably
bring that State into the vortex likewise. In pro
portion as the legislatures of the States have ac
quired the democratical character, their favourite
object has been to annihilate as much as possible
every thing like vigour or efficiency in the execu
tive, and not to allow any governor, secretary of
state, or other public functionary, to have one
whit more power than is indispensably necessary
for merely carrying forward the daily work of the
State. The constant aim ofthe populace is to draw
within their circle as much of the executive power

3\£ TRAVELS IN, THE
us possible, and to blend this with their legislative
authority ; two things which universal experience
elsewhere shows ought always to be kept separate.
The progress of democracy has been quite as
Temarkabie, from all I could learn, in the case of
the general government of the United States, as
in that of any of the separate State sovereignties,
and the tendency to unite the legislative and exe
cutive functions — the most perilous of all combi
nations, and truest road to tyrannyy — made still
more complete. During the administration of Ge
neral Washington, the government was carried on
with considerable vigPur, both at home and abroad,
by means of his great influence, and his inflexible
adherence to what Was then considered by the high
est authorities the true interpretation or construc
tion of the Constitution. But great changes have
been made since, especially in the political charac
ter of the Senate.
I find the following passage in Niles' Register,
vol. XIV., page 49, for the year 1811 : — " It cannot
have escaped the observation of those who have
attended to the legislative history of our country,
that with the growth of our government, the com
plexion of the Senate of the United States has gra
dually varied from that which it appears to have
worn in the infancy of our political institutions,'
and that the character, of its deliberations more

UNITED STATES. 313
and more nearly approaches that of the represen
tative chamber.
" The Senate, on its first organization, secluded
itself from the public eye, and appears to have
been considered rather in the light of a Privy
Council to the President, than as a co-ordinate
branch of the legislature. Indeed, if we mistake
not, it was so termed in conversation, occasionally,
if not in official proceedings of that day. There
are not many of the present generation of readers
who remember the fact, that in the first session of
the first Congress of the United States, President
Washington personally came into the Senate, when
that body was engaged in what is called executive
business, and took part in their deliberations.
When he attended he took the Vice-President's
chair, and the Vice-President that of the Secre
tary of the Senate. One or other of the Secre
taries of State occasionally accompanied the Pre
sident in these visits. The President addressed
the Senate on the questions before them, and in
many respects exercised a power in respect to their
proceedings, which would now be deemed incom
patible with their rights and privileges. This prac
tice, however, did not long continue. An occa
sion arose of collision of opinion between the Pre
sident and the Senate, on some nomination, and
VOL. II. 0

314 TRAVELS IN THE
he did no* afterwards attend, but communicated
by message what he desired to lay before them."
I may take this occasion to mention another very
peculiar, and in every respect important feature in
the American government. None of the Ministers
of State, nor indeed any person in office, can sit
in either House ; consequently, all the information
submitted to the legislature by the executive is, of
necessity, in the shape of written communications.
Neither is any person allowed to be present, on
the part of the administration, to explain circum
stances which may not be understood; still less to
originate public discussions. When farther inform
ation is required, it must always be formally writ
ten for ; since it would be held highly unconstitu
tional for any one acquainted officially with the
facts, and responsible for their accuracy, to appear
within the walls. This rule obtains not only in
the House of Representatives, but even in the
Senate, although one of their most important duties
is, to consider the fitness of the nominations to
various offices suggested by the President, and also
the propriety of treaties ; neither of which subjects
—let men say what they please — can ever be well
understood, without oral communications.
At all events, one of the severest tests of the
abilities of any public servant, and the most effec
tive check to impropriety of conduct, are thus en-

UNITED STATES. 315
tirely removed from official men in America. All
experience shows that no ordeal is so severe as
that of open discussion in the face of the country.
Unfortunately, men will always be found to com
mit in their closet, without scruple, actions, of
which the bare imagination would make them
shudder, if they were liable to be called upon to
explain and justify their proceedings in the pre
sence of such a body as the House of Commons.
In a country where the official men are exposed
to daily personal scrutiny in the midst of their fel
low representatives, and from the moment they
accept office, are aware that they incur the risk
of being cross-questioned at any moment, by any
member of the legislature, these checks are surely
much greater, because more prompt and search
ing, than where ministers sit apart in their offices, -
and have ample time to prepare their answers,
without the chance of being called upon to reply off
hand to troublesome interrogatories. The clumsy
machinery of an impeachment, however useful to
have in reserve for great occasions, is a poor sub
stitute — in fact no substitute at all — for this ever-
working and truly popular safeguard. The prime
object in politics is to keep men right — not to
punish them when wrong. Companionship and
vigilance form, the soul of all discipline — and with
out personal contact and joint labour, there can

336 TRAVELS IN THE
he no good results — as these jealous systems in
America but too well serve to show.
When I come to describe the actual proceed-'
fags of Congress, I shall have an opportunity of
reverting to this subject, and of showing how every
kind of business is retarded, by excluding from the
House all those men who must.be best informed
ou the state of affairs. At present, I need scarcely
say, how strictly in character such unbusiness-like
arrangements are with that restless spirit of dis
trust, which meets a public man at every corner
in his career — chilling the best energies of a gene
rous-minded person, to whom mutual confidence
is quite as essential in the execution of his duty,,
as the air he breathes is to his animal existence;,
while, on the other hand, the same machinery,,
applied to minds that are not generous, has a ten
dency to stimulate their worst propensities; into;
double action, by raising the price of duplicity, and,
hy cutting off all chance of a virtuous interpreta
tion of then- motives, to render the election between
selfishness and public spirit a matter not of prfar
eiple, but of convenience — not of habitual senti-:
ment, but. of transient personal expediency.
It appears that Washington's successor, Mr John
Adams, found it necessary ta yield, on various
occasions, some little points, as he thought them,
but which, in fact, were the feather end of the

UNITED STATES. 317
wedge that was eventually to move the whole edi
fice, when driven home by the resistless momentum
of the sovereign people. Mr Jefferson succeeded,
and as he was himself devoted to the cause of de
mocracy, it made great strides under the hearty en-
couragementof his eight years' administration. The
Law of Primogeniture was abolished, and various
other acts passed, all tending the same way. In
those times there were two great parties in the coun
try, Federalists and Democrats, vehemently oppo
sed to one another. There is no longer any such
distinction, for the democrats have entirely gained
the day, and their star will probably continue to
rule the ascendant, until circumstances arise to
change the whole aspect of affairs. I am confirm
ed in my opinion upon this point, by the admission
of every American I have conversed with, that
there is not a single instance in the whole period
Pf their forty years' history, in which any power
once given to the people has ever been got back
again. This holds good in small as well as great
matters. It is triumphantly announced by the
democrats, and is admitted, in sorrow, by those
persons who deprecate, hut with vain bitterness of
spirit, the resistless progress of the popular deluge,
which threatens to obliterate so much that, in
former days, was considered great and good in
their country.

318 TRAVELS IN THE
The only hope of the few remaining outcast
Federalists — I may almost call them so — lies in
the future crop which is to arise when the present
torrent of democracy has retired, and left the po
litical soil of their country not less rich than be
fore, in all essentials to national greatness, but
with a totally different species of tillage to call
these resources into being. In the meantime,
there is no deriying — and fa fact all parties agree
— --that the actual, practical, efficient government
of the country, has got into the hands of the po
pulation at large, who have no mind to quit their
grasp, and who, as I have before observed, having
no neighbours to interfere with them, are at full
liberty to carry on this great political experiment,
as they call it, undisturbed in their wide field, and
far from the embarrassments of European interests.,
It would be tedious to enumerate all the differ
ent ways in which this pure democracy has been
gradually brought about, and is continued in ac
tion in the four-and-twenty States of the Union.:
The manner in which it works in the case of the
general government^ however, will be readily un
derstood from the following statement of one of
the numerous devices by which the Legislative
branch of Government has managed to draw to it
self a great share of the Executive power.
The House of Representatives, upon some sug-

UNITED STATES. 319
gestion of the Executive — I forget in what year —
appointed a committee of foreign affairs, to deli
berate upon a point referred to them, though here
tofore all such matters had been managed exclu
sively by the President. Nothing further, of course,
was intended by the Executive than to have the
decision of the House upon this one case ; but the
Representatives, in the spirit already described,
had no idea of parting with any authority con
ceded to them in a single instance, and straight
way appointed not a temporary, but a- standing
committee, to consider not only this, but all other
matters of the same nature. In process of time,
other permanent committees were named to take
various classes of questions into consideration. It
soon afterwards grew into an established usage of,
the House, at its first meeting, to direct their
Speaker to nominate standing committees, . At
present, accordingly, there are above thirty per
manent bodies in the very heart of the legislature,
strictly executive in their nature, who take charge
of commerce, naval and military affairs, foreign
matters, expenditures, — in short, of all public con
cerns whatsoever ; while the nominal Executive, as
well as the Senate, are compelled to submit to the
overwhelming force of the House of Represent
atives — the organ of the triumphant people. I
may perhaps err in the exact order or manner in

320 TRAVELS IN THE
which these things have been brought about ; but
such is unquestionably the state of matters at pre
sent; so that when Congress is not in session, it
may almost be said there is no general or national
government at all-~for the ostensible executive is
tied up on every side, till the true executive— the
Legislature, reassemble.
I remember once, before I had much acquaint
ance with the subjeet, asking a well-informed per
son, whether he did not think it possible, by some
device of entails or of rank or station, to interpose
a counteracting force to this popular torrent, fa
order to check some of the evils of such a wide-
spreading democracy. He smiled at my entire ig
norance of the feelings of the Americans on these
subjects, and assured me that any such thing as I
alluded to, or fa the remotest degree approaching
to an aristocracy — either of wealth, or title, or sta
tion, or even of talents, or experience — was abso
lutely out of the question, and was fully as incon
sistent with the whole spirit of their system, as an
equal division of property would be with that of
England. " To maintain any aristocracy," said
he, " that should be useful in the way you pro
pose, there must be a powerful Government, pos
sessed of a direct physical power as well as a high
moral interest in preserving ' the said aristocracy.
But if you place the actual executive, as well

UNITED STATES. 321
as legislative government, in the hands of the
mass of the people themselves,^-whose direct inte
rests, or, at all events, whose supposed interests,
consist in destroying every thing approaching to
hereditary accumulation of property, and whose
thorough disposition and highest pleasure it is to
prevent the operation of those distinctions between
man and man which nature has invested them
with, or which fortune may introduce, — it is not
possible even to conceive how any such project
Could be attempted, still less rendered efficient in
practice. The power being indisputably, or, as we
say, ' emphatically, in the hands ofthe people,' who
have little or no property, what could possibly pre
vent them from taking it from those who happen
ed to have it ? Nothing ! There must in every
democracy, as a matter of course, be a permanent
conspiracy against property. There is not now ex
isting in America, nor could there be established,
any physical force sufficient to protect possessions
unequally divided ; and as to any moral force, it
sets quite the contrary way ; — for all the prejudices
—the interests — the habits of the nation, are de
cidedly against it. And our lords and masters —
the sovereign people--tak6 good care, I assure you,"
continued my informant, " to let it be distinctly
seen and felt, at every turn we take, how completely
irresistible they are. Every day — every hour, the
o2

322 TRAVELS IN THE
population of this country," said the hopeless Fede
ralist, " are becoming more and more democratical,
and they will not remain contented — that is quite
clear — while there is left one shadow of power any
where, except amongst themselves. They are quite'
as suspicious, however, of each other as they are of
us, and insist upon what is called amongst them,
a Rotation of Office ; a device which brings every
man, competent or otherwise, into the legislature
fa turn ; though, it is true, he soon makes way for
another, equally uninformed, but not one whit less
confident that he knows all about the matter !"
" Where," I asked, astonished at this picture,
" where is all this to end? The new world, any
more than the old world, cannot always go on at
this rate."
" Ah !" said he, " that is what I cannot tell —
no man can say when or how it will end. But in
the meantime, it must be confessed that it is a great
and curious experiment, however difficult it is to
foresee the issue."
I then put some questions as to the Presidential
election, which had been, and was still, agitating
the country from end to end. He admitted that
it was a topic fraught with difficulty whichever
way it was viewed, and every aspect presented
grievous danger to the' Constitution ; neither did
he see any chance of peace or quiet while the pre-

UNITED STATES. 323
sent System of choosing the head of the nation
continued in force. " What would you do, then ?"
I asked, in hopes that I might hear some rational
plan of amending matters ; but he shook his head,
and declared that it baffled him completely. " You
will hear hundreds of proposals," said he, "for
lengthening the period of service— for making it
perpetual — for making it annual — for rendering
the President once chosen ineligible, and so on,
through every ramification of ingenuity; but all
the plans I have yet heard are visionary."
Finding I could get no satisfactory answer to
these speculative enquiries, I thought something
farther might be obtained as to facts in actual pro
gress, and therefore begged to have an example of
the manner in which property was attacked by
those who had none themselves. " Of that," he
replied, " you will find thousands of instances as
you go along, where men of wealth are taxed for
projects which they disapprove of, but cannot avoid
paying for, though their voice in making these ap
propriations of money goes for rather less than if
they .had no property at all. But," added he, " it
will be better that you find out those things for
yourself as your journey advances ; and, I will
answer for it, if you study the case attentively,
you will have no lack of facts by which to form a
judgment of the effects of democracy on public

324 TRAVELS IN THE
spirit, and on private morals and manners. If yon
have opportunities of attending the debates fa Con
gress, and afterwards study the Slave question, as
well as that of the Indians, and particularly that
of the Relief Laws, as they are called, by which
the obligations of contracts in some of the Western
States were almost completely dissolved ; or if yoa
shall have the means of watching closely the admi
nistration of justice, you will be abundantly satis
fied, I am sure."
It did afterwards fall in my way to have a dis
tinct view of most of these, and many other results
of tbedemocratical system. My present object, how*
ever, is not to dwell upon the results, but merely
to establish the fact, that a democracy, and not by
any means a truly representative government, does
exist in America ; the evils consequent upon that
state of things will come better afterwards.
By casting up straws, we see how the wind
sits ; and, it may, perhaps, help to make my point
good, to insert two or three of the toasts given at
a public dinner at Philadelphia, in November, 1827,
which are sufficiently characteristic.
" Executive patronage and the public purse— *¦
powerful engines with the travelling sycophants
of aristocracy, but too weak for the pure democracy
of the United States."
" New York and universal suffrage— tlie one a

UNITED STATES. 325
good State, the other a good principle ; together,
they will advance the best interests of the na
tion." " William H. Crawford — in whom the virtues of
a sound and consistent democrat, an incorruptible
patriot, and honest man, are concentrated. The
Coalition could not convert him from the principles
of Jefferson, nor can their slanders hurt his cha
racter ; like the father of democracy (Jefferson),
he avows it a blessing for his country, that An
drew Jackson will be fit for service four years
more." " The old democrats of 98, here and elsewhere.
The youthful democrats of 1827 — let them emulate
their firmness, and escape their persecution."
" Official pirates. — Public opinion has already1
crippled their flag-ship; the ballot-box guns of
the sovereign people will soon bring her colours
down." " The right of instruction, a republic's boast
— Clay, Adams, Frank Johnson, &cl notwithstand-
ing." I am tempted to conclude this branch of the
subject with a well-known quotation from the 38th
chapter of the Book of Ecclesiasticus, in the Apo
crypha, in illustration of this wholesome truth,
which people sometimes forget, that in the body
politic it is wise to keep the head up and the heels

326 TRAVELS IN THE
down, instead of inverting the process, according
to the present fashion in America. I certainly saw
nothing in that country to disprove the truth of
these old maxims, which, though not written by
an inspired pen, are so admirably true to human
nature, that they will apply to all ages and all
countries. " The wisdom of a learned man cometh by op
portunity of leisure ; and he that hath little busi
ness shall become wise.
" How can he get wisdom that holdeth the
plough, and that glorieth in the goad ? That dri-
veth oxen, and is occupied in their labours, and
whose talk is of bullocks ?
" He giveth his mind to make furrows ; and is
diligent to give the lane fodder.
" So every carpenter and work-master, that la-
boureth night and day ; and they that cut and grave
seals, and are diligent to make great variety, and
give themselves to counterfeit imagery, and watch
to finish a work :
" The smith also sitting by the anvil, and con
sidering the iron work, the vapour of the fire wast-
eth his flesh, and he fighteth with the heat of the
furnace ; the noise of the hammer and the anvil is
ever in his ears, and his eyes look still upon the
pattern of the thing that he maketh ; he setteth his

UNITED STATES. 327
mind to finish his work, and watcheth to polish it
perfectly :
" So doth the potter sitting at his work, and
turning the wheel about with his feet ; who is al-
way carefully set at his work, and maketh all his
work by number ;
"He fashioneth the clay with his arm, and
boweth down his strength before his feet ; he ap-
plieth himself to lead it over ; and he is diligent to
make clean the furnace :
" All these trust to their hands ; and every one
• is wise fa his work.
" Without these cannot a city be inhabited : and
they shall not dwell where they will, nor go up
and down :
" They shall not be sought for in public coun
sel, nor sit high in the congregation: they shall
not sit on the judges' seat, nor understand the sen
tence of judgment : they cannot declare justice and
judgment : and they shall not be found where pa
rables are spoken.
" But they will maintain the state of the world ;
and [all] their desire is in the work of their craft."

328 TRAVELS IN THE

Chapter xv.

I turn with the greatest delight from these un-
genial and irritating discussions, to topics on which,
if all the world do not agree, eVery one can look
with complacency. I allude to the pursuits of
science and literature ; and I shall never forget the
pleasure I experienced on being admitted to the
friendly companionship of a circle of distinguished
persons who had established a Philosophical So
ciety at New York, called the Lyceum of Natural
History. Their meetings were held once a-week ;
and though the numbers who attended were not
great, the information communicated, and indeed
the whole proceedings of the institution, were
worthy ofthe highest praise.
All things considered, it is not to be expected
that there should be many men of science in Ame
rica ; but those gentlemen who have turned their
attention to these matters, have been well reward
ed in the rich fund of knowledge which has every

UNITED STATES; 329
where repaid their labours. Such enquiries, it is
true, are conducted under considerable disadvan
tage, in the general absence of sympathy, and the
dissimilarity existing between their pursuits and
the occupations of all the rest, or nearly all the
rest, of their countrymen.
I was a good deal surprised one evening to hear
a paper read by a member of this excellent insti*
tut ion, the object of which, was to show, that the
enormous collection of boulders, or loose blocks of
stone, found in digging the foundations of a new
part of the city, and also lying in heaps every
where in the neighbourhood, had not been brought
there, as some persons supposed, by a great torrent
or deluge. Immediately after the meeting, there
fore, I made acquaintance with the author, and
mentioned to him how different the conclusion was
to which I had been led by the observation of in*
numerable other facts all over the State of New
York, Canada, and the New England States. This
in turn surprised him. But as he was a man of
genuine philosophical spirit, the prospect of adding
to his stock of real knowledge, seemed more than
a compensation for the loss ofa favourite theory;
and accordingly we made an appointment for next
day, during which we examined facts enough to
satisfy him completely that his conclusions had been
hastily drawn. If he felt any mortification, it

330 TRAVELS IN THE
arose only from reflecting how long his eyes had
been closed to evidences lying at his feet, every day
in his life, but which had never once happened to
engage his attention. This circumstance affords
a lesson to geologists- — and also to travellers, as
some one remarked good-humouredly to me at the
moment, by observing, that my own political
optics might be equally closed to phenomena not
less striking in the moral and political world, than
those we had now been discussing.
Be this as it may, the evidences of an immense
torrent having swept over the Canadas, and the
Northern and Eastern States of America, are quite
as striking as Lhave ever seen them in any other
part of the world. The whole line of the New
York canal from Albany to Buffalo — the shores of
Lakes Erie and Ontario — the banks ofthe St Law
rence and the Ottawa, as well as both sides of
Lake Champlain and Lake George, and all the
country about Boston, and between that city and
New York, are covered with marks of a tremen
dous deluge, which has evidently flowed from the
North. The rocks are every where dressed, as if
by a lapidary, all the asperities of the surface being
worn quite smooth ; leaving grooves and scratches
parallel to one another. These I observed on lime
stone, slate, granite, puddingstone, and sandstone.
Millions of boulders are scattered over the whole

UNITED STATES. 331
country, and lie in great quantities on rocks of a
totally different formation from themselves, some
hundreds of miles from the nearest spot where,
according to the investigations of many geologists,
the parent rocks are to be found. The sides of most
of these boulders are worn into flat surfaces, de
noting the extent of their travels; and this ap
pearance I observed was most remarkable on the
undersides, when their form was such as to render
their tumbling or rolling not so easy as that of
sliding along. At Corlear's Hook in New York,
where these transported stones lay in great num
bers, we had many opportunities of studying their
peculiarities, whilst the workmen were employed
in removing them.
The direction of the torrent, as indicated by the
scratches and groovings of the rocks, as well as
by the form of the ridges in the land, and the at
tendant phenomena which occur when obstacles
stand in the way, varies from N.N.E. to N.N.W.
At Lake Erie it is about N.N.E., and at Boston
N.N.W. ; at the intermediate stations the direction
varies with the form of the neighbouring high
grounds ; but all agree in pointing to the North,
as the source from whence the flood must have
come, which has left these distinct traces of its
transient passage. When any cliff or mass of rock
rises above the surrounding country, it presents a

332 TRAVELS IN TH£
bold naked face to the North, with a long tail or
train of loose materials stretching towards the
South. These, and many other circumstances
well known to geologists, indicate with sufficient
precision the direction of this mighty torrent.
Long Island, as will be seen by inspecting the
map, lies at no great distance from and nearly pa
rallel to the main shore, or nearly East and West.
It is a hundred miles fa length, and from ten to
twenty in width, being composed from end to end
of amass of diluvian "matter — of clay, sand, gravel,
and myriads of water-worn boulders of every de
scription of stone, cast together fa the most ad
mired disorder. The readiest theory to account
for the formation of this interesting island, is to
suppose it to have been deposited by the great tor
rent above mentioned, out of the sweepings of the
countries over which it had passed. As long as
the stream, probably several hundred feet in depth,
was carried over the solid ground, its velocity
would be sufficient to carry along an enormous
mass of materials, by the attrition of which the
surface of the submerged country would be polish
ed or dressed as we now find it. But when this
tremendous moving mass of half-fluid half-solid
materials reached the sea, the water would spread
itself on all hands, and the velocity consequently
being almost instantly checked, the heavy matters

UNITED STATES. 333
Would be deposited, and Long Island formed, like
a bank or bar at the mouth of a river, only as
much more gigantic, as such a stream or deluge
must be conceived beyond comparison greater than
any permanent river on the globe.
I was much disappointed in the latter part of
my journey in America, by not being able to dis
cover the traces of this flood on the Alleghany
mountains, where, I think, they must be found, as
I know they exist in various parts of Pennsylvania,
and in the State of New York, directly north of
them. Those noble ranges of mountains are now,
however, so completely covered with wood at every
part of the road by wldch I crossed them, that none
of these traces could be discovered. I trust, how
ever, that some of the gentlemen of the various
Philosophical Societies which are starting up. in
different parts of the new world, will ere long
multiply observations on this interesting sub
ject. On our way back from investigating these Re
liquiae Diluvianae in the vicinity of New York, we
looked. in at an establishment belonging to one of
the most skilful and successful ship-builders in
America. This enterprising person, it seems, had
already sent several large frigates to the Brazils,
Columbia, and elsewhere ; indeed, there was abun
dant testimony all round us of his industry and

334 TRAVELS IN THE
ample capital ; materials out of which a man of
the least pretensions to genius in America is sure
to carve a fortune very speedily.
A long, low, roguish-looking corvette, called the
Bolivar, was pointed out to me, lying alongside
the wharf, dismantled and said to be quite rotten,
having returned from South America, after only
two or three years' service amongst the Columbians.
I naturally remarked, that the owners must have
had rather a hard bargain of their ship if she last
ed so short a time. " Oh, no !" said my companion,
" she was not warranted to run long; and she paid
herself three times over by the capture ofthe Ceres,
you know."
"Indeed, I do not know ! — The Ceres, what was
she ? I never heard of her before."
" Not hear of the Ceres ?" said he, in a tone of
surprise, as if no one could have been ignorant of
her history.
" Never," I repeated.
" Why, then, I must tell you," said he laughing,
" the Ceres was a ship built for the Spaniards in
this very yard, and by the same gentleman who
built the Bolivar for the Columbians, their sworn
enemies. Now, in the course of the war one of
these ships captured the other. Thus, you see,
our friend here builds and sells for any one who
is willing to pay ; and if his customers choose to

UNITED STATES. 335
go to loggerheads, and pit one portion of his handy-
work against the other, it is no concern of his, you
know !"
We left New York at noon, on the 28th of No
vember, 1827, and proceeded in one of the beau
tiful and commodious steam-boats of the country,
across the harbour in a direction nearly south.
Our next point was Philadelphia ; but an inspec
tion of the map will show that, unless a great round
be made, it is impossible to perform the journey all
the way by water. The steam-boats, therefore, go
as far as they can up a small river called the Ra
riton. The passengers then disembark, and are
carried in stage-coaches across a neck of land till
they reach theDelaware; where, having again ship
ped themselves in the steam-boat, they are speed
ily transported down the stream, to the goodly city
of Philadelphia, which stands on the right bank
of that magnificent estuary, on the point or tri
angle of low land, lying between the river just
named, and the Schuylkill, not far above the con
fluence. Such a point, or triangle of land, between
two rivers, is admirably adapted for the site of a
great town. In Oriental nations, this particular
spot is always held sacred, under the name of Sun-
gum ; but in the West, where the manners and
customs are as different from those of India as
their longitudes, such a nook is merely valued as

336 TRAVELS IN THE
it affords facilities for commercial intercourse with
the interior, and a communication with the sea.
The surface of the water in the harbour or bay
of New York, through which we glided, during the
first part of the voyage was as smooth as if it had
been made of melted glass ; so that the soft undu
lations, extending far on either side of us, looked
like immense wings, so beautifully curved and poT
lished as to reflect every object we shot past — not
fa zig-zag patches of broken images, but in well-
defined, though detached pictures, which rested for
some seconds, unmoved, on the sides or tops of these
liquid ridges. There was no wind, and the air,
though cold,, being by no means disagreeably so,,
we kept the deck all the morning during this very
picturesque inland navigation, between Staten-
I-sland on our left, and the shores of New Jersey
on the right. Our course, after entering the Ra-j
riton, lay in very winding bends, amongst osier,
beds and salt marshes, thickly studded over withs
hay cocks. Some parts of the river were covered
with broken sheets of thin ice, while sat others we
could detect innumerable crystals just beginning
to form themselves on the surface.
In spite of the doctrine of liberty and equality, .
it is in vain to deny, that these said grand steam
boats carry at one moment many distinctions of
rank ; — a circumstance which would matter little

: UNITED STATES; 337
if the whole journey were made by water ; because
persons of different habits, when there is room for
choice, naturally keep together. The steerage pas
sengers leave the quarter-deck free to ladies, or to
those who choose to pay something more for the
honour and glory of the principal accommodation.
But when the vessel stops, and a dozen or two of
carriages dash down to the wharf, each adapted to
carry ten passengers, a scene of indiscriminate con
fusion and intermixture might occur, unless steps
were taken to preserve some classification of the
company. The fitting arrangements to maintain order, and
prevent disagreeable propinquities, without hurting
the dignity of any one, are accomplished by a simple
enough contrivance. The captain of the boat goes
about the decks during the voyage, and having
taken down the names of all the passengers, he
judges from appearances what persons are likely
to be agreeable coach companions to one another.
He then tells each person what the number of the
stage is in which it is destined he shall proceed
after landing. The passenger, on learning his num
ber, points out his luggage to one of the crew, who
marks with a piece of chalk all the trunks and other
things with the same number as the coach. Then
the goods and chattels are sure to keep company
with their owner, who, in fact, is treated pretty
vol. n. p

338 TRAVELS IN THE
much as if he himself were a portmanteau, anel
-finds himself handed along from boat to coach, and
from coach to boat again, with extremely little care
on his own part. '
i On our way to Philadelphia from New York, we
made a visit, by invitation, to the Count de'Sur-
villiers, elder brother of the late Emperor Napo
leon, and formerly King Joseph of Spain, who has
resided for some years at his country seat, near
Bordentown, in New Jersey.
t It would give me pleasure to relate the incident*
of this agreeable interview with a person, the vi*
ibissitudes of whose life have been so remarkable.
¦But I have no right to trespass on the retirement
into which this amiable nobleman has chosen to
withdraw himself. Yet I trust I am taking nO
unwarrantable liberty, by mentioning, that he hag
gained the confidence and the esteem, not only of
all his neighbours, but of every one in America
who has the honour of his acquaintance — a dis
tinction which he owes partly to the discretion with
which he has uniformly avoided all interference
-with the exciting topics that distract the country
of his adoption, and partly to the suavity of his
¦personal address, and the generous hospitality of
his princely establishment.
\ On the 30th of November we reached Philadel
phia, and next evening, the 1st of December, 'I

UNITED STATES.* 339
Accepted the convoy of one of the kindest and most
useful of men, to a Very agreeable conversazione/
consisting of most ofthe men of letters, and science/
or general information, in Philadelphia. Thesef
meetings, called the Wistar parties, from' their
founder, the late Dr Wistar, a distinguished me-1
dical practitioner of that place, assemble once a-
week at the houses of the members in turn. Cer-4
tainly nothing can be imagined more advantageous
than these parties for all travellers properly intro
duced to the agreeable society of Philadelphia,
whose greatest pleasure appears to lie in giving
a hearty and most hospitable reception to strangers;
I had here the satisfaction of making acquaint
ance with many gentlemen, of whom I had heard
before, and with some of whose writings I was
already acquainted ; but I have since learnt, per
haps too late, to estimate the full value of the op
portunities then placed in my way. •'
• A traveller, on such occasions, at least if he he
an Englishman, has a curious, and not a very easy
part to play. For although nothing can be more
attentive or obliging than these 'gentlemen are, a
stranger has to stand a sort of running fire of ques
tions, many of which require more address than he
may happen to be master of to answer with since
rity, yet without the appearance of incivility. I at
least was often surprised to discover the degree of

S4<* TRAVELS IN THE
anxiety with which the opinions of a foreigner were
sought for with regard to many insignificant topics,
upon whichhis sentiments might have been thought
worth very little. I was also amused sometimes ta
find myself in the midst of a circle of gentlemen,
one of whom catechised me, while the rest stood
by like the Picadores in a well-known Spanish
game, ready to insert an argumentative dart, when
any weak point appeared. It must not be supposed
that this was done ill-naturedly — exactly the re
verse ; for while I cheerfully courted such disci
pline, there was invariably the greatest good hu
mour on the part of my obliging American friends.
Indeed, I shall never forget these agreeable and
instructive Wistar parties at Philadelphia ; and I
trust that my kind antagonists, iri the national
discussions alluded to, will not be displeased at
my describing one or two of the peculiarities of
their conversational society, which differ in some
respects from any, which, as far as I know, exist
elsewhere. It frequently happened, for example, that the
whole of an argument went for nothing, the in
stant it was discovered that some minor pofat of
information had escaped the traveller's notice;
though, when this trivial deficiency was supplied,
the original reasoning stood as firm, and often
firmer than before. Generally speaking, I may say

UNITED STATES.' 341
that throughout America, it seemed to be consi
dered a sufficient answer to any exceptions taken by
a stranger to what was passing, if it could be shown,
— as, of course, it almost always could, — that some
petty detail had been left out of sight. Many of
these conversations, accordingly, were more like
tussles between barristers fighting for their clients,
than discussions where truth and justice were the
sole objects.
It may be mentioned, by the way, that the in
habitants of Philadelphia, perhaps from being
more stationary than those of any other part of
America, seem at times to forget how liable they
are to fall into those very mistakes which they
deprecate so much in travellers. Permanent resi
dents on any spot, indeed, become so intimately
acquainted with what they see immediately round
them, that they often take it for granted they know
about every thing else at home, whether they have
seen it or not. When any part of a stranger's in
formation, therefore, respecting those parts of the
country which these fixed residenters have not
themselves visited, does not happen to square with
their own preconceived notions, they instantly, and
without much consideration, set down the whole
of his opinions as erroneous.
- If a man were to devote eight or ten years of
his life exclusively to travelling up and down any

342 TRAVELS IN THE
foreign Country, there can be no doubt he would
•accumulate a much greater stock of particulars,
than if his time were limited to eight or teq
months. He would see'more, it is true ; but there
is reason to doubt whether, in the end, his means
of giving a correct general account of the coun
try would be improved in the same ratio ; because,
along with his knowledge, he wpuld probably im
bibe a due share of local prejudices, quite as unfa-:
-vourable to' distinct vision, as those which obscured
-his eyes at first landing.' The very multiplicity of
the observed facts would in many cases distract
his judgment, and lead him into error, by counter^
acting those habits of generalizing, which are so
important to the formation of a clear and compre
hensive narrative. All description, it may be obr
Served, is a species of interpretation ; and in this
sense, the traveller, after a time, may be said to
forget some portion of his native language — at
least the tone and turn of his sentiments become
insensibly changed, and with them the character
,©f his expressions is altered likewise. Thus, one
side of the interpreter's office may lose fully as
much as the other gains. Besides which, if he be
honest, he will be obliged to confess at last, that
he has still much to learn, before he can feel as
well acquainted with the whole country, as the

"UNITED STATES*' 343
different residents must be With their- own parti-i
cular spots respectively. >
There is a limit, no doubt, to this argunient, be*
yond which it becomes a mere fanciful paradox.
To assert, for instance, that such a country as
America could be fairly judged of ih six weeks,
would be more absurd, than to say that justice
could not be done to it in six years. There is
some intermediate point, probably, in all these
matters, where the best chance for a correct esti-i
mate will be found to lie ; and this golden medium
Will.vary with the different capacity of the obser-»
vers, their previous' experience, and the nature of
their opportunities. Zt
I In discussing this point, I b6g it may be under
stood, that I am not inventing difficulties, or hunt
ing for speculations on a . subject, which to some
persons may seem clear enough. I feel in a mea
sure obliged to'discuss it; for,' lit almost every com
pany in America, I had the mortification to hear
it stated, that my stay was far too, limited— thai
the couritry Could not be seen under three or four
¦years — that such a hasty visit as mine would only
tend to confirm prejudices—and so on, through an
endless chain of difficulties; the object of which
was to show, that all the pains I was taking, or
could possibly take, to understand the suhjiect; mhst
prove fruitless. Where the fruth lies^Icanqoipre*

344 TRAVELS IN THE
tend to say— but of this I am quite sure— an ac*
count which should please every body, would re*
quire, not months or years, or even a whole life —
it must not be the work of a mortal, but of an angel
^-and a hard task he would have of it I
, On the 3d of December, we visited the Asylum
for the Deaf and Dumb, which, like most of the
charitable institutions fa America, is admirably
managed. The building is not only handsome fa
its external appearance, but skilfully and commo-
diously arranged within. The silence and carder
of a deaf and dumb establishment, give it a sort
of enchanted appearance, which is very pleasing;
when things are so ordered as to make the inmate^
happy. This excellent asylum is amply sustained
by voluntary subscriptions, judiciously aided by
eight thousand dollars a-year from the State Go»
vernment. We afterwards visited several of the schools fa
Philadelphia, fa company with a friend, with whom,
in the course of the morning, I fell into conversa
tion upon the subject of American education in all
its branches. This led, I forget how, to various dis
cussions on the form of government, and many
other, collateral topics, which I have not room for
here. But I cannot resist putting down the obser*
vation of another gentleman, who joined us during
the day. "1 think," saidhe, " that many.of ouj

¦tJNITED STATES^ 345
institutions are a-head of our morals. We are, fa
fact, as yet only in our chrysalis state, and though,
as you may have observed, we boast a good deal,
we are, generally speaking, well aware of the dis
advantages under which we now labour, and must
long continue to labour. Society here is running
the same course as it has done in other countries-
only somewhat more rapidly— and Time will tell
Us the result."
' On the 4th of December, we visited the new
Penitentiary, in company with one of the principal
managers. The building is of considerable extent;
and is not without architectural beauty ; but, I am
sorry to say, I think it entitled to no further praise.
There cannot be, and indeed, as far as I know,
there has never been, a shadow of doubt cast on
the public spirit, and the benevolence of the mo
tives, that have led to the erection of this expen*
sive establishment, which, when completed, is, I
understand, to hold only 250 prisoners, though
estimated to cost five hundred thousand dollars.
The new State prison at Sing Sing, formerly de
scribed, adapted to the safe custody of 800 convicts;
Will cost little more than one hundred thousand ; ;
while that which we visited near Hartford, for the
reception of 136 prisoners, has cost under forty
thousand dollars. This consideration of expense;
however, is immaterial, or would be so considered,
jp2

34<3 TRAVELS IN THE
I am sure, by the liberal-minded inhabitants pf
Pennsylvania, were it not a matter of great doubt,
jwhetber or not the most costly be the better of the
two systems of prison discipline. The Auburn plan,
or that which has been adopted in the State of New
¦York, and more lately, fa the eastern States, has
been already fully described. The system of peni
tentiary discipline, originally proposed for this
new prison at Philadelphia, consisted of unremit
ting solitary confinement, both by day and night,
and without labour. Some modification has, in
deed, been proposed latterly, by which it is intended
Jthe prisoners shall be set to work in solitude, in
little courts before their cells, under circumstances,
however, which, it is thought by persons who have
studied the subject, will hardly ensure regularity
.of labour, chiefly from the difficulty of superin
tendence. i
As the controversy which has arisen in America
respecting the merits of these two systems — that
of Philadelphia and that of Auburn — has been
.carried on with great animation, and as I have
already described the Auburn prison, it is right I
should mention what are the peculiarities of the
intended penitentiary at Philadelphia.
In the centre pf the yard is erected what is called
an observatory, and on seven lines diverging from
this building arc to be built double ranges of cells^

r UNITED STATES. 347
sfe'ach 1-2 feet by 8, and IB feet high, lighted by a
small hole fa the top. Connected with these apart.
ments on the outside, is a small exercising yard,
through which the cell is entered. The keeper,
however, can see the prisoner through a small
orifice opening from the cell into the passage. This
opening, which may be clpsed at pleasure, it is
intended shall generally be kept shut, though it
affords the only mode of seeing the prisoner; except
when the door into the small court is opened, "When
•fa the exercising yard, he cannot be seen at all.
The central building is miscalled the Observatory,
since none of the movements of the prisoners can
be discovered from it, in consequence of the inter
vention ofthe side walls ; and thus effectual inspec-
. tion seems out ofthe question. When fa their cells,
, ,. they have no means of communicating with one
another, it is true,, and if the orifices into thepasr
sage are closed, they are shut out so completely
..from the world, that they have no means of calling
to the keeper, even in the event of sickness.
The Auburn plan, it may be useful to remem
ber, consists in the strictest solitary confinement
, „at night — in hard labour, but in rigid silence, by
day, and always in company, though under con
stant superintendence — in solitary meals, under
lock and key — in regulated marchings to and from
; ^their. workshops —in subjecting the prisoners tp

.TRAVELS IN THE
stripes for infractions of the prison rules— and in
"their never being placed in absolute solitary coni-
'finement, except as a punishment of a temporary
nature — in having prayers morning and evening
said regularly by a resident clergyman, with whom
alone- the prisoners are allowed to converse, and
that only on Sundays.
The Philadelphia plan is widely different from
this. It is intended that the prisoners shall be
subjected, during the day as well as night, to se
parate confinement, either in solitary idleness, or
in solitary labour ; along with which they are to
be allowed no more exercise than what they may
themselves choose to take in their little courts. The
keeper is the only person, besides the clergyman,
who is ever to see them, and a Bible is to be placed
fa each cell. By these means, it is expected that
while many of the prisoners will be reformed, a
salutary terror will be spread over the evil spirits
¦of the State, and crime will thus be doubly pre
vented. The arguments on both sides of this important
question, however interesting to many persons, are
much too long to be crowded into a narrow space.
But it may be mentioned, that all parties are
agreed on one point,— the superior productiveness
of the labour of the prisoners under the Auburn
system, by -which means a large proportion of the

'UNITED STATES'. 34,9
Whole expenses of every prison on that plan is
defrayed from this source alone. Such considera-
:tions, however, would of course weigh little, were
they not accompanied by other advantages. The
point most under discussion fa America, at the
time of my visit, related to the reformation of the
convicts ; and it may be useful to dwell upon that
branch of the topic for a few moments.
As far as I have been able to learn, all the ex
periments which have been tried in America on
solitary confinement have proved its inefficiency
for any purpose of reformation; while there is
abundant reason to suppose, that in very many
cases — I believe a majority — it leads to insanity or
to suicide. It is difficult, indeed, to see how any
good can spring out of compulsory idleness in a
prison, when the whole analogy of external life
proves it to be the parent of every mischief. It
ought always to be borne in mind, also, that it is
no part of the object of prison discipline to torture
the prisoner, merely as a punishment for his of
fences, independently of its effect as an example
to society. Neither, of course, should a jail be
made a place of amusement. It ought certainly to
be rendered exceedingly irksome to the culprit;
but, as far as he is concerned, its discipline, bodily
and mental, should not be more severe than will
make him fully sensible of the folly of his past

350 TRAVELS IN THE
Ways'. In order to accomplish this at the least ex
pense of permanent human suffering, the criminal
should, if possible, be so treated, that whenfai gets
out again, and starts afresh in the world, he should
be less inclined to do mischief than he was before.
The only serious doubt is, whether there is much
chance of amendment taking place in a vicious
and ill-regulated mind, if left to commune exclu
sively with its own thoughts, in solitude, with or
without labour, but deprived of every ray of cheer
fulness to lend efficacy and confidence to virtuous
resolutions. The occasional visits of the clergyman
may certainly relieve the fearful misery of absolute
solitude ; but unless the prisoner's mind be more
or less habitually enlivened, even these lessons will
fall on a soil unprepared to give them efficacy, ¦
Although, under the very best conducted system
¦of prison discipline, it seems more than doubtful-
whether any material reformation can ever take
place amongst old culprits, it is, undoubtedly, our
-duty to give them the best chance of amending
their lives. No method that has ever been hit
upon, as far as I know, comes nearer, to the ao
complishment of this point than the Auburn plan,
so often alluded to ; while that of Philadelphia
steers wide of" the mark, by leaving out several
elements apparently essential to reformation. ;
In justice to the. Americans, who exert then**

¦United states; 351
Jeelves so manfully in this difficult race, it must
not be forgotten, that with them the reformation
«>f convicts is a more momentous question than it is
with us, for they have no outlet similar to that of
Botany Bay, by which so many evil spirits may
be extirpated, root and branch, from society. It
is not always recollected, by people in England,
that this good riddance is accomplished at an ex
pense greatly less than it would cost us to maintain
them permanently, under any effective system of
surveillance at home, and, as far as they are con
cerned, with far less chance of their reformation.
The general, but perhaps unreasonable, objection
to capital punishments in America, is another cause
of the augmentation in the numbers of those per-<
sons whom it is absolutely necessary, for the peace
of society, to place annually in confinement in the
very heart of the country, while the influence of
this misapplied lenity on crimes of the highest
enormity, is by many persons supposed to be any.
thing but salutary.
I heard at Philadelphia one curious argument in:
favour of the solitary system : It was said to be
so dreadfully severe, that it would frighten all the
rogues liable to its action, out ofthe State of Penn
sylvania altogether ! But if this, which was grave
ly stated to me, were justifiable, fire, or any other
species of torture, w°uld be preferable ; because*

352 TRAVELS IN THE
while equally effectual, it would be more transient
in its operation, and if it stopped short of death,
less horrible to think of, from being applied to the
body, not to the mind. I speak this in sincere
earnest, being of opinion, after much patient in
vestigation of the subject, both in North and South
America, and elsewhere, that there really is no
torture more severe, even to a virtuous mind, than
absolute solitude ; and that to one which has no
thing but vice in its retrospect, the misery becomes
absolutely unbearable.
On the 10th of December, while these topics
were fresh in my thoughts, I visited the Bridewell,'
or common jail, of Philadelphia, in company with
the gentleman who had shown me the intended
solitary prison. Nothing, I thought at first sight,
could be much worse than the scene which I now
witnessed. Some of the prisoners had been senfe
there for petty offences, some to take their, trial
for the most heinous crimes ; but the whole mass
of guilt, by conviction, or by anticipation, or by
mere suspicion, black and white, were all huddled
indiscriminately together in a great court-yard, or
under a long covered shed, where they were left
to lounge about in absolute idleness, and to indulge
in the most unrestrained intercourse ; forming, as
my friend justly observed, a complete high school
pf practical iniquity. At night, these same per-

UNITED STATES. 853
sons were confined in parties of ten, twenty, or
thirty, in each room, where the lessons of the day
were repeated, and the plans of future villainy no
doubt matured.
The advocate of solitary confinement called up
on me at this moment to say, whether any thing
'could be worse than what I now saw before me ;
and asked triumphantly, if it would not be a great
improvement to have all these people confined in
separate cells ?
I admitted that it was difficult, at first sight, to
conceive any thing much worse.
" At all events," I observed, " it is satisfactory
to see no boys amongst this crowd of old sinners."
" Oh !" said the keeper, with an air of glee, and
a sort of chuckle, as he rattled a bundle of keys,
¦*' we keep the youngsters in another part of the
Establishment, quite in a different manner ; they
can come to none of the mischiefs of evil com
munication." " I should like much to see how you manage
that," I observed to him.
So he and I, leaving the rest of the partyj
walked off together through a long series of half-
darkened passages joined by flights of steps, some
leading up, some down, till at length, far away
from the rest of the world, we came to a range
of cells, each ten feet by six, the passage with

.354 TRAVELS IN THE
which they were connected being feebly lighted by
a narrow window at the end. These deris were
closed by iron doors, with chinks left for air, and
in each of them was confined a single boy, who
.was left there both day and night, in absolute so
litude ; — without employment of any kind, with
out books, and far beyond the reach of appeal to
any human being.
i I went close to one of the cells, fa which, as soon
as my eyes became accustomed to the degree of
lights I could distinguish, between the plates of
iron which formed the door, a fine-looking lad,
about thirteen years of age. On asking the keeper
¦what crime the boy had committed to merit such
Severe punishment, I was told that he had twice
^¦an away from his master, to whom he was ap
prenticed. This was literally the sole offence for
which he had been thus caged up during no less a
period than nine weeks !
" Speak to him, sir," said the keeper. — I did so,
and asked him how he liked it ?
" I am very miserable, sir," he said, " I am al*
most dead."
" What do you do with yourself — how do you
employ your time ?"
" I just walk up and down here — miserable I"
" Have you no books ?"
, "No, sir,"

UNITED STATES. 355
" Did not you tell me a little ago," said I, turn-
fag to the keeper, " that in every cell there was a
Bible ?"
" O, yes, I did ; but all those belonging to the
boys were worn out and gone long ago."
" Have they, then, absolutely no means of em
ploying themselves ?'*
" None whatever," was the reply.

355 TRAVELS IN THE

CHAPTER XVI.

In America, there is no system of mutual con
cert and assistance amongst the publishers of books,
as there certainly might be, though not very easily,
and greatly to the advantage of the public and of
themselves. The praiseworthy and spirited exer
tions of some leading persons in this line of busi
ness, to accomplish the point in question, have
been always unavailing, and, consequently, there
is not at this moment the slightest concert, nor any
combined system of subscribing and circulating
books, according to the practice in England. It
is true many of the circumstances are very differ
ent, as I shall presently show ; but still plans might
easily be devised, which would greatly advance the
cause of literature, could ' the Trade,' as they are
called, be brought to act cordially together.
No foreigner, unless he be a resident in the
United States, can take out a copyright in Ame
rica, either openly, or by indirect contrivance.

UNITED STATES.' 357
An American publisher, therefore, who succeeds
in obtaining a copy of a book written in Europe,
may reprint and put it into circulation, without
sharing the profits with the author, or having any
connexion with him at all.
Mere extent of sale, it may be observed, is the
grand object aimed at by the American republish-
ers ; and as nothing secures this but low prices,'
competition takes the direction of cheapness alone.
This circumstance affords a sufficient explanation
of the miserable paper, printing, and binding, by
which almost all reprinted books in that country
are disfigured. It is very true, they serve their
purpose ; they are read and cast aside, or, if kept
for any time, they inevitably go to pieces. Except
in the large cities, in the houses of the wealthiest
persons, or in public-institutions, there is no such
a thing to be seen as a library. Undoubtedly,
a vehement passion pervades America for reading
books of a certain light description ; but there
does not exist the smallest taste, that I could
ever see or hear of, for collecting books, or even
for having a few select works stored up for oc
casional reference. In truth, the rambling dispel
sition of the great mass of the people, their fluc
tuating occupations and habits of life, even fa
their most settled state, and various other causes,
some domestic, and some political, puts it out of

358 TRAVELS IN THE
their power to form libraries ;— at all events, bk
the causes what they may, very few individual per-i
sons ever seem to think of such a thing — a tran-*
sient perusal being all that is looked for. ,
Messrs Carey and Lea, of Philadelphia, the re«
publishers of the Waverley Novels, who happen to
be persons of the highest activity, not irierely as
tradesmen, but as men of letters and science,- al*
ways get over, at some considerable cost, the proof
sheets from England, and having printed a large
quantity, throw them into the market before any
other English copies can have reached the country*
These spirited publishers are sure of a certain
amount of profit, in consequence of the avidity
with which the works in question are welcomed
by the public ; the number printed being generally,
I believe, above ten thousand. In consequence of
the momentary monopoly which these gentlemen
enjoy, from obtaining the proof sheets to print from,
and thus securing the priority of publication, they
are enabled to put a small additional price to each
copy above what the book will eventually bear
when brought fully into the market from other
quarters. But they must take great care not to
fix the price one cent higher than the anxiety of;
the public will counterbalance.
A Waverley Novel, which in England is printed
fa 3 vols, at 31s. 6d., is republished in 2 vols, at 8s,

^UNITED states; 359.
6d. In the Course of a few days afterwards, how-
fever, it is often republished on coarser paper and
in a smaller size, for several shillings less, and,
before many weeks have elapsed, copies are sold for
a dollar, or 4s. 3d., and sometimes even cheaper.
The price of the American edition of Sir Walter
Scott's Life of Napoleon, reprinted in 3 vols, oci
tavo, was 4| dollars, or about 20s. In England, it
was 94s. 6d. Within a short period after its first
appearance, it was again republished and put into
circulation for two dollars and a half, or about 10s.
6d., being little more than a ninth part of the ori
ginal English cost. The materials and the exe-r
cution of these works, compared with those of the
original, bear a pretty fair proportion to the above
differences in price. But if the original repub
lishes at Philadelphia, guided by their own excel
lent taste in these matters, were to attempt to
get up the works in question in a more respect
able style, and consequently at a higher price,
the edition might lie on their shelves till dooms
day! - The sale of a book does not go on from month
to month, or from year to year, as with us — the
whole being over in a few weeks, or, at the most,
months ;— consequently, the printer who is most
expert, and most ingenious in cheap devices, makes
the most profit while the public curiosity is alive.

360 TRAVELS IN THE
The precaution used by Messrs Carey and Lea, of
getting out the sheets of any new and popular
work before its appearance in England, does not
always afford them even a temporary security
against competition. Upon one occasion, indeed,
they very nearly sustained a heavy loss. They had'
received, by various opportunities, all the sheets
of a Waverley Novel but one, and as fast as they
received them, printed off about ten thousand
copies of the work. The packet fa which this un
fortunate last sheet was dispatched, sailed from
Liverpool on the 1st of the month, up to which
time the ;book had not been published. But it hap
pened, perversely enough, that a ship which sailed
from Liverpool some weeks afterwards, arrived at
New York on the same day. In the interim between
the sailing of the first and the last of these two
vessels, the book made its appearance fa England,
and a complete copy, sent off by the last opportu*
nity, reached America at the very same moment
with the anxiously looked for missing sheet, sent
by the first ship.
The publisher, a man of great energy and prompt
titude of purpose, who was waiting at New York
for the arrival of the packet, boarded her be*
fore the anchor was gone, got hold of his prize,
and galloped back to Philadelphia. The unlucky
sheet was straightway set up in a dozen different

UNITED STATES. 361
printing offices, which were kept in motion night
and day, by relays of workmen, till the book
was not only completed for immediate sale on the
spot, in Philadelphia, but, by means of carriages
posted on the road, a couple of thousand copies
were actually ready for distribution at New York,
within six-and-thirty hours after the arrival of the
ship ! Thus the missing pages had first to travel
ninety miles before they reached a printing press,
then to be worked off, stitched, packed, and re
turned to New York, all in a day and a half, so
as to supply the market before any of the publish
ers of that city had time to enter the field.
It is amusing to think that cases may, and I be
lieve have occurred, in which the early sheets of
one of these works have been printed and ready
for publication on the other side of the Atlantic,
when the conclusion of the story was yet unwrit
ten on the banks of the Tweed !
At first sight, it seems hard that English pub
lishers should reap no benefit whatever from this
extensive part of the circulation of their works.
But, on the other hand, as long as there is little
or no home literary manufacture, it is so obvi
ously to the advantage of America to keep clear of
the entanglement of copyrights, and every other
species of monopoly in books, that no statesman of
that country could venture to propose a change,
VOL. II. g

362 TRAVELS IN THE
pr indeed could reasonably expect to carry any
measure, having for its object the advantage of
foreigners, to the manifest injury of bis country
men. Were the balance of letters equipoised be
tween the two countries, it might then, naturally
enough, be the subject of discussion and mutual
adjustment ; but the case is quite different.
One thing, however, might, and I think ought
to be done, which would injure nobody, and tend
essentially to improve the taste and information of
America, so far as books are concerned, not only
with respect to the mere paper and printing, hut
also as to the substantial quality of the matter con
tained in them. At present, a duty of 30 cents, or
about fifteenpence a-pound, is charged on import
ed books, which, it will be observed, is quite su
perfluous as applied in the way of protection, in
aU such speculations as those above alluded to ;
since, even were there no duty at all, the expenses
of copyright in England, added to the charges
pf transport across the Atlantic, would inevitably
prevent successful competition in the American
market, fa all those cases where the circulation of
a book was considered great enough to justify- re
publication. No English copies of any popular
book would, therefore, be ever sent out, with a
view to this competition ; for the cheapest possible
English-printed work could not stand a moment

UNITED STATES. 363
against the same work when reprinted in America.
But the duty acts as a direct prohibition in the
opinion of many persons in that country, whose
taste would prompt them to have good-looking
and lasting copies, even of these popular works,
if they could be procured, without the present ex
travagant cost. If the facilities of import were
greater, the number of such persons, wishing to
possess handsome editions, would increase likewise.
The benefit, however, to the English publisher,
from this source of sale, would, if any thing, be
very insignificant and transient. For the Ameri
can bookseller, in every case of successful sale,
would soon find it for his interest to meet the de-<
maud for better books, by throwing off some hun
dreds of superior copies in every edition, in order -^
and very fairly, to crush the foreign competition.
At present they have no motive to print any fine
copies at all, because no foreign and good copies
enter the market, to show the way, or to stimu
late the booksellers to greater exertion.
None of the publishers with whom I conversed
in America, objected to an arrangement for taking
off the duty. Even those who, from the extent of
their transactions, might be supposed most con
cerned in guarding the, national monopoly, were,
always the most confident in asserting that the
change might, and ought to be made, as it would

364 TRAVELS IN THE
not only augment their own pecuniary interests*
but must essentially benefit the country.
There is yet another, and more important, view
of this subject, however, in which America is deep
ly interested. At present, with few exceptions,
the only English works reprinted in that country,
are those of a light and popular character, while
the more solid mass of European literature never
finds its way across the Atlantic, or is known only
to the scholars of that country. At all events,
such works alone as happen to have acquired po
pular currency and reputation in Europe, sufficient
to justify the mercantile speculation, are repub
lished in America. But if the duty were removed,
many books would probably be introduced into
America, which are not even heard of there. Per
sons wishing to form libraries, are prevented, as
I have heard them again and again declare, chiefly
by the additional expense caused by the duty upon
books which are not to be had at home. The
American booksellers themselves, who would be
the channel of such importations, are, of course,
losers by these impolitic restrictions ; for it is not
a question of foreign competition — but merely,
whether or not these books shall, or shall not,
exist at all in the country. The works of the de
scription I allude to never enter the American
market, and never will enter it, or even stand a-

UNITED STATES. 365
chance of being known, still less of gaining favour
in that country, till they cease to be positively dis-«
couraged. As the present prohibition benefits
nobody, and indeed has no pretence of protecting
any interest of a domestic growth, it is wonderful
how the Americans, so quick-sighted in most' mat
ters, who cheerfully expend such large sums of
money on education, and take so much pains to
advance the cause of letters, should not see, that
by thus excluding books printed abroad, they are
actually retarding the cause of general intelligence;
and keeping down the good taste of the country. •
If the sort of books I speak of were written in
America, there might be some shadow of sense in
excluding similar Works ; but the fact is, no books of
that description are now written there ; and neither
the taste for reading them, nor the talents for com
posing them, will ever grow up, if the established
models be thus jealously excluded.
In the Celestial Empire of China; any person
who presumes to introduce an improvement in
ship-building, receives thirty blows with the, bam
boo. And there is some reason in this summary
regulation ; for the Junk builders of that ancient
country are a powerful body, claiming protection
for their industry. But where shall we find an
equally large body of classical authors in Ame
rica, who, on the truly Chinese principle of exclu-

366 TRAVELS IN THE
sion, call for protection against the scholars of
Europe ?
In Philadelphia, there were no fewer than six
teen public libraries fa 1824, containing fa all
upwards of sixty-five thousand volumes.*
The American Philosophical Society fa that city
is too well known fa Ifarope to require any parti
cular mention. The library of this distinguished
institution has been gradually increased of late
years, to a considerable extent, chiefly, I believe,
by the indefatigable exertions of the librarian, Mr
John Vaughan, who certainly deserves the thanks*
not only of Philadelphia, but of Ahaerica in gene
ral, and I may add, of the scientific public fa all
other countries iriterested fa American research.
He has collected the most complete series any
where extant of the different Memoirs and Trans
actions Of the various learned institutions esta*
Wished in the old world, which he contrives to keep
constantly up to the date of the latest publication ;
by which means, the most complete facility of Tefer*
ence is afforded to American enquirers at all times.
I need not say that the valuable Transactions ofthe
Philosophical Society itself are transmitted, in re
turn, to all those institutions ; by which useful in
terchange, the most important scientific intercourse
• " Philadelphia in 1881." Carey and Lea, . :

tJNITED STATES. 361
is maintained with every foreign nation, where
letters or physical enquiries are pursued,
This judiciously selected library contains, fa a
separate department, a complete set of catalogues
of all the other public libraries in America, so ar
ranged, that in a few minutes it can be ascertain
ed whether or not any given book is to be found fa
the country. This ingenious device compensates,
in a great degree, to literary men, for the small
ness of many of these collections, by enabling them
to know what the whole country possesses,
Besides the Philosophical Society, there are va
rious other learned bodies in Philadelphia, of which
I shall merely say, that I have seen few similar in
stitutions elsewhere, managed with a more earnest
desire to pursue knowledge for its own sake. The
inhabitants of Philadelphia, indeed, appear to have
more leisure on their hands than those of any other
city in the Union ; and accordingly, scientific and
literary pursuits are there cultivated with much
steadiness and success. This circumstance im
parts a peculiar character to the style of thought
and of conversation in that city, sufficiently ob
vious to distinguish the inhabitants from those1 of
most other parts of America.
Philadelphia has been called a Quaker-looking
city. It certainly possesses a good deal of the re
gularity and neatness which belong to thatcharac-

368 TRAVELS IN THE
ter. But there is much beauty in it also— just as*
we may often detect a very pretty face under a very
demure bonnet. It stands upon low ground, hut
there is sufficient variety in the houses, churches,
and other public buildings, to give it consider
able interest. The city, as planned on paper, ex
tends from the right bank of the Delaware, to
the left bank of the Schuylkill; but only the east
ern or Delaware side is yet built. The principal
streets, which run at right angles to both rivers,
are named after different trees. The local di&r
tich — " Chestnut, Walnut, Spruce, and Pine,
Market, Arch, and Race, and Vine,"
every stranger does well to get by heart, as a sort
of memoria technica, to guide him through the
city. There is one exception, as it will be obser
ved, to this rule, in favour of the noble paved
avenue, called Market or High Street. The streets
which cross these again, at right angles, are num
bered from 1, as high, I think, as 14 and upwards,
and will go on, I presume, till the town reaches
the river Schuylkill.
On Saturday the 8th of December, I had again
the pleasure of finding myself at one of the Wistar
parties- — meetings well contrived, and maintained
with much spirit. In the course of the evening, I fell
into conversation with Mr Du Ponceau, a gentle-

UNITED STATES, 369
man well known to European and to American li-
¦terature, as one of the most learned philologists
alive. He attacked me, with great good-humour,
and much more learning than I Could stand under,
upon a statement I had published some years ago,
respecting the nature of the languages used on the
shores of the China sea. I had taken upon me to
say, that in every one of those countries, China, Ja
pan, Corea, and Loo-Choo, though the spoken lan
guages were different, the written character- wafc
common to them all, and, consequently, that when
any two natives ofthe different countries met, though
neither could speak a word of the other's language,
they could readily interchange their thoughts by
means of written symbols. Before Mr Du Ponceau
had proceeded far in his argument, he made it quite
clear that I had known little or nothing of the mat
ter ; and when at length he asked why such state
ments had been put forth, there was no answer to
be made, but that of Dr Johnson to the lady who
discovered a wrong definition fa his dictionary ,-
" Sheer ignorance, madam !"
Seriously, however, it is to be regretted that aii
error of this magnitude in the history of language,
should still have currency ; and I have done, by
way of reparation, what obviously presented itself
at the time. I prevailed upon Mr Du Ponceau to
write down his ideas on these points;, which have
o 2

370 TRAVELS IN THE
since been published in the Philosophical Magap
zine and Annals of Philosophy for January, 1829,
fa London. In this paper it is shown, I think with
great success, that while the languages of the coun
tries in question are dissimilar, both when spoken
and when written, the Chinese characters may very
probably be known to all well-educated men over
the whole of the region to which I had referred.
I wish I had room for the whole of my esteemed
friend's letter ; but perhaps the following passages
may prove interesting, although I would strongly
recommend any one who takes an interest in such
enquiries to consult the whole argument by which
these conclusions are substantiated.
" This reasoning, you will say, may be perfectly
correct ; but what if, fa spite of your theory, Chi
nese books are understood in Japan, Corea, and
Cochinchina, even though the people do not un
derstand the spoken idiom of China ? This is, in
deed, a pressing argument ; but was the child born
with a golden tooth ?
" It is a pretty Well ascertained fact, that in
Tonquin, Laos, Cochinchina, Camboje, and Siam,
and also in Corea, Japan, and the Loo-Choo Islands,
the Chinese is a learned and sacred language, fas
which religious and scientific books are written,'
while the more popular language of the country IS1
employed for writings of a lighter kind. It is not,

UNITED STATES. 371
therefore, extraordinary, that there should be many
persons in those countries who read and understand
Chinese writing, as there are many among us who
read and understand Latin j and many on the con
tinent of Europe, and also in Great Britain, and
the United States, who read and understand French,
-although it is not the language of the country. In
many parts of the world there is a dead or a living
language, which, from various causes, acquires an
ascendency among the neighbouring nations, and
serves as a means of communication between people
who speak different idioms or dialects. Such is the
Arabic through a great part of Africa, the Persian
fa the East Indies, the Chinese in the peninsula
beyond the Ganges, and the Algonkin or Chippe
way among our North-western Indians. This alone
is sufficient to explain why Chinese books and wri
tings should be understood by a great number, of
persons in those countries, and why they should
smile at an unlettered foreigner, who cannot do
the like. But it must not be believed that they
read those writings as a series of abstract symbols,.
without, connecting them with some, spoken, lan
guage. If their language be a dialect of tbe Chi-i
nese, varying only in the pronunciation of some
words, and if it be entirely formed on the same.
model, there is no doubt but that the two idioms
may be read with the same characters, as their

372 TRAVELS IN THE
meaning is the same in both ; but if there is any
material diversity between the two idioms, it is
impossible that the Chinese character should be
understood, unless the spoken language of China
be understood at the same time ; and this may be
proved by well-ascertained facts." *
On the 12th of December, we made a pilgrim
age to the tomb of Franklin — dear old Franklin !
It consists of a large marble slab, laid flat on the
ground, with nothing carved upon it but these
words : —
benjamin} and VFRANKLIN.
DEBORAH i
1790.
Franklin, it will be recollected, wrote a humo
rous epitaph for himself; but his good taste and
good sense showed him how unsuitable to his li
ving character it would have been to jest in such a
place. After all, his literary works, scientific fame,
and his undoubted patriotism, form his best epi
taph. Still, it may be thought, he might have been
distinguished in his own land by a more honourable
resting place than the obscure corner of an obscure
* Letter on the Chinese Language, in the Philosophical Magazine
and Annals of Philosophy fo* January, 1829. By Peter S. Du Pon
ceau, Esq. President of the Am. Phil. Soe, and of the Athenieum
at Philadelphia, and Corresponding Member of the Institute of
France. Richd. Taylor, Fleet Street, London.

UNITED STATES, 373
burying-groUnd, where his bones lie indiscrimi
nately along with those of ordinary mortals, and
his tomb, already wellnigh hid in the rubbish, may
soon be altogether lost. '
One little circumstance, however, about this
spot, is very striking. No regular path has been
made to the grave, which lies considerably out of
the road ; but the frequent tread of visitors having
pressed down the rank grass which grows in such
places, the way to the tombstone is readily found
without any guide.
During such a man's lifetime, every person must
feel — whatever be bis political creed as to distinc
tions in rank — that Franklin would have been
much out of his place had he passed his time
amongst inferior company. All the world were
ready to acknowledge that his proper sphere was
that of the master spirits of his age; and, pro
bably, it was mainly in consequence of his occu
pying so commanding a station — to which his ge
nius and virtues alone had raised him — that his
lessons of practical wisdom were delivered with
sUch peculiar force.
That the Grave levels all worldly distinctions,
is true only as far as relates to mere corporal at
tributes. But in the case of so distinguished a
philosopher as Franklin, for example, who may'
almost be called the Socrates of modern days,

374. TRAVELS IN THE
Death, instead of lowering the moral rank of its'
victim, contributes, if any thing, to raise it still
higher. During Franklin's lifetime, it must be re
collected, that by far the greater part of the world,
his contemporaries, although they acknowledged
his influence, held no more personal intercourse
with him than posterity are able to do. The mer©
circumstance, therefore, of his absence from this
living scene, can neither destroy the beneficial
influence of his intellectual companionship, which
we enjoy equally with our predecessors, nor weaken
the salutary example of his character and conduct.
Still less does it diminish the weight of his autho
rity; for although the grave, in such cases, ab
sorbs, irrevocably, when life is extinguished, very
much that cannot be supplied, that portion which.
has been recorded becomes, thenceforward, the
fixed inheritance of all mankind, to be turned tot
greater or less account, according to the manner
fa which it is found to bear the touch of Time.
The value of such instruction, however, fa the esti
mation of ordinary minds, may often be modified
by the degree of respect in which the author's me
mory is held. And in this lies the chief, though
not the only, advantage of conspicuous and honour
able monuments, compared with such unworthy
neglect as that fa which Franklin's grave is al
lowed to remain. In this spirit, the inhabitants ef

UNITED STATES. 375
Boston have lately erected a handsome cenotaph
to Franklin ; and I amsure the public-spirited Phi-
ladelphians will not fail to profit by an example, in
which they ought to have been the first to lead.
¦ In the course of the following morning, we visit
ed several of the Public Institutions ; some of them
completed, and some only in progress, but all in
dicating a great deal of active, practical charity,
and public spirit. Of these, one incomplete build- ^
ing interested me a good deal ; it was a large and
splendid naval asylum—a sort of Greenwich Hos
pital. After going through the Bank of the United
States, we visited the room in which the American'
Declaration of Independence was signed, upwards
of half a century ago. Every one is familiar with
the appearance of this apartment, from the well-
known picture by Trumbull; — an artist who, I
am happy to say, is still alive and hearty. An
event so important in American story, it might
have been expected, should have hallowed the
spot in the estimation of every native of that
country. But the unpleasant truth seems to be,
that nothing whatsoever is venerated in America
merely on account of its age, or, indeed, on any
other account. Neither historical associations, nor
high pubhc services, nor talents, nor knowledge,
claim any peculiar reverence from the busy gene-

376 TRAVELS IN THE
rations of the present hour, who are reaping the?
fruits sown by their ancestors, or, to speak more
correctly, by their predecessors — for the race who
achieved their independence is not yet quite extinct.
Be this as it may, all the rich panelling, cornices,
and ornamental work of this room, have been pull-^
ed down, and in their place, tame plastering and
raw carpentry have been stuck up, on the occasion
of some recent festival.
The Turks who pounded the Frieze of the Par-;
thenon into mortar, had an object in view ; but I
never could hear that the Americans had an equally
good excuse for dismembering their Hall of Inde
pendence.

UNITED STATES, 377

CHAPTER XVII.

On Wednesday, the 19th of December, 1827,
we left Philadelphia, and splashed and rattled in a
gallant Steamer, down the Delaware, at the rate of
ten miles an hour, including stops, though in the
very teeth of the flood-tide. The shore is quite
low all the way to Newcastle, a town forty miles
below Philadelphia; and all things having now
their winter dress on, the landscape looked cold
and spiritless.
Before reaching the wharf, the captain as usual
arranged his company into parties often — nine for
the inside ofthe stage, and one outside along with
the driver; and when Newcastle came in sight, he
displayed as many white balls on a pole as there
were coaches required. But the party being un
usually large, there arose some little difficulty
after landing in accommodating them all, during
which arrangements, the streets ofthe little village

378 TRAVELS IN THE
in which they rendezvoused presented a curious
scene. There is no posting in America, as I must have
mentioned before, and consequently no horses are
kept at these stopping places, beyond the ordinary
wants of the stage-coach. When, therefore, up
wards of a hundred passengers arrive at one mo
ment, the stage proprietors are obliged to collect
extra cattle from the neighbourhood. This opera
tion delayed us a little, while the street of the vil
lage was gradually filled with carriages. No one
of these vehicles was allowed to start till all the
luggage, and passengers, were safely packed, along
the whole line'; an operation requiring no small-
allowance of skill and determination: Of skill,
because many of the boxes, trunks, and bundles,
obstinately refused to fit the places allotted to them;
and of determination, because it became absolutely
necessary, from sheer want of conveyances, to stuff
more passengers into the inside, and to stick more
additional persons on the driver's seat, than was-
usual. All this required address on the part of the
captain and the stage proprietor. But the philo
sophical quietness with which so much knocking
about was submitted to by the parties exposed to
it, was the most praiseworthy thing fa the way of
travelling patience I ever saw. Scarcely a word
fell from any one of the party, — the talk and bustfa

UNITED STATES. 379
being monopolized by the two masters of the cere
monies, while the well-behaved passengers seemed
content to be handled with nearly as much indif
ference as so many passive sheep. I need hard
ly say, however, that a sufficient uproar was cre
ated by troops of wild Irish porters wheeling bar
row-loads of portmanteaus to and fro, amongst
the legs of the numerous idlers who lounged about
the pavement, with their hands in their pockets,
and segars in their mouths, to see what was to be,
seen, but all in solemn silence.
In about three-quarters of an hour; when all
was ready for a start, stage No. 1. moved forward :
No. 2. followed; and so on, in regular succession,
like a caravan wending through the desert. As
this part of the road had been repeatedly de-,
scribed to us fa shocking terms, as the worst in the
Union, we prepared for an extra allowance of jolts
and thumps ; but we were most agreeably disap
pointed. The road, it is true, was not good, or, as
the driver .said, "pretty tolerably cut up;*' but in
the early part of our journey we had gone over
many worse, and we had many sad forebodings—*
Which proved but too true — that we were still to
traverse hundreds of miles of ground, where it
would be happiness to discover a Httle of this much-
abused piece of road. At dusk, when we stopped
to water the horses and brandy the gentlemen, -the

380 TRAVELS IN THE
busy scene round the little inn by the road-side,:
with ten or twelve great four-horse stages pouring
forth their cargoes by the dozen, would have fur-,
nished materials for many a page in the sketch
book of some merry Cruickshanks.
The last hour and a half of this day's journey
brought us, long after it was pitch dark, to French
Town, on the left bank of the Elk river, a small
stream running into the Chesapeake, the largest
of those immense estuaries, or bays, which cha
racterise the ' Sea board' of America. We could
tell by the angry fizzing of the steam-pipe, and
the tall column of sparks from the wood fire under
the boilers, that all was ready for a start. The"
stages drew up on the wharf in the midst of a sea
of mud, through which we had to find our way
as we best could to the boat. Our feet must have
been finely soaked with wet and dirt, had we not
availed ourselves of an admirable species of overall
shoes, much used in America, made entirely of
Indian rubber, and without any seam, being by
far the best things of the kind I ever saw. These
shoes, which are brought from the north coast of
South America, are quite light and easy for the
foot, besides being altogether impervious to water,
I am much surprised that they have not yet been
brought into general use in England.
When at length we did get on board, the squeeze

UNITED STATES. 381
was excessive, there being hardly room to turn
about in ; and as for chairs, or benches, they were
all occupied by the lucky first comers, our prede-
dessors. In the ladies' cabin, where I deposited
my party, the heat was intolerable, and the air
quite suffocating. But all mankind must be re
signed to their fate when they put their foot on
hoard ship — for, alas ! there is no resource. The
ladies sat round the apartment in fixed silent lines,
with their reticules and little baskets in their laps,
the images of philosophical indifference to all that
was passing, till the supper made its appearance.
This, as usual, being discussed in a crack, the tables
were removed by three or four light-fingered negro
domestics — slaves, I was given to understand — for
we had now come within the limits of that large
portion of the Union where the labouring popula
tion do not possess even the name of freedom.
A very diverting scene followed — a lottery for
the sleeping births — of which it appeared there
was not above one for every three passengers on
hoard. This small number was still further re
duced by a slice being taken off the gentlemen's
cabin, to enlarge that of the ladies ; for it is a rule
we saw universally observed in America, never to
think how the men shall fare till every female
has been fully accommodated. A set of tickets,
equal in number to that of the gentlemen, were

382 TRAVELS IN THE
put into a drawer, out of which each one; as he
paid his passage money, drew a card. If the
ticket so drawn had a number upon it, well and
good — it served as a voueher for the sleeping place
bearing the corresponding figures. But if it were
blank, the weary passenger had nothing for it but
to stretch himself on the lockers, or to look out,
according to the cockpit phrase, for the softest
plank fa the deck, and make that his bed.
There was much good-humour throughout the'
whole process, but, of course, the poor blanks were
heartily laughed at. I was fortunate enough to
draw a prize, which I was right glad of, being
wofully tired, and having no mind to plank it J
My number was 36, and proved to be in the fore
cabin, at the extreme end of the vessel. But, oh,
tlie misery of a long night on board of a crowded
steam-boat ! In the middle of the cabin blazed
and smoked a red-hot stove, the ferruginous va
pours of which were mixed with such a steaming-
and breathing of brandy, gin, and tobacco, as, for
my sins, I have seldom encountered before. These
miseries were made worse by the half-whispered
prosings of sundry birthless passengers — intermi
nable personages, who would neither sleep them
selves, nor allow others to sleep. At last, when I
had reached a most distracting pitch of restlessness,
I got up and tried the open deck, — but a nipping

UNITED STATES. 383
frost soon drove me below' again. The tremor from
the machinery, the puffing from the Waste-pipe,
the endless thumpings of the billets of wood on
their way to the furnace, the bawling of the engi
neers, the firemen, the pilots, the captains, stewards
and stewardesses, to say nothing of children crying,
and the irritating pat-pat-pattering of the paddle-
wheels, altogether formed an association of head-
rending annoyances, for which blessings, forsooth !
we are now to thank the inventors of steam-engines
and steam-boats, the Watts and the Fultons pf the
past generation !
Be it so. — But when we get on shore, and have
time to cool on the matter, it does seem a pity that
any question should be allowed to rest undecided,
respecting the merits of such men as those I have just
named, especially when the point, as to priority of
invention, has assumed something almost of a na
tional character. One thing, hpwever,_is quite clear
— no one doubts who is the inventor of the steam-
engine now in use. But who deserves the praise
of having invented the steam-boat, is a matter
which ought to be fairly set at rest. Watt did not,
in strictness, discover the principle ofthe steam-en
gine, — hut he did more — he invented those prac
tical applications which brought it into use. Ful
ton, in the same way, did not originate the idea of
the steam-boat, but he combined and turned to

384 TRAVELS IN THE
teal, every-day use, devices which, in the hands
of less able or less fortunate men, had not succeed
ed. A person who tries clever experiments, but
goes no farther, must be content with the merit of
ingenuity, and praiseworthy endeavours; while the
honour of that invention which, after trial, con
tinues to answer all the purposes aimed at, belongs
unquestionably to the skill and sagacity of the
person who knows how to profit, not only by the
success, but even by the failure, of his predecessors.
In science, indeed, it is rather a misnomer to speak
of failure. Nature never fails. And although the
philosopher who reads her pages aright will not be
misled, the task of true interpretation belongs to
genius alone ; while the office of inferior minds is
merely to turn over the leaves, without profiting by
their contents.
As every thing relating to an invention of such
vast importance must carry with it more or less
popular interest, I have taken some pains to inform
myself of the particular steps through which it
has proceeded to its present height. A very brief
notice will show distinctly how the degrees of me
rit, in this matter, ought to be apportioned.
In 1737, Mr Jonathan Hulls, of London, pro
posed to apply steam as the moving power for
working a paddle wheel in a steam-towing vessel,
in a pamphlet bearing the following title, which

UNITED STATES. 385
is singularly prophetic of the eventual uses of the
power which he felt himself in possession of, but
had not skill or means enough to apply : — " A
description and draught of a new-invented ma
chine, for carrying vessels out of or into any har
bour, port, or river, against wind and tide, or fa
a calm." For this idea Hulls obtained a patent fa
1736. Between 1769 and 1784, Mr Watt took out his
various patents for improvements on the principle
and mechanism of the steam-engine.
In 1781, the Abbe Arnal proposed in France to
apply the steam-engine to work lighters in the in
land navigation of that country. During the next
year, the Marquis of Jauffroy built a steam-boat,
which was tried upon the Saone, but did not suc
ceed. I understand that in the United States Mr Elli-
cot, in 1775, and the well-known Thomas Paine,
in 1778, suggested the use of steam for propelling
boats. In 1785, a competition for the merit of this
invention arose between Mr James Rumsay of Vir
ginia, and Mr John Fitch of Philadelphia. Mr
Rumsay proposed to propel his vessel by a current
of water forced out at the stern, and Mr Fitch by
paddles, not wheels. Mr Fitch actually constructed
a steam-boat, which worked upon the Delaware,
tol. II. . h

386 TRAVELS IN THE
between Bordentown and Philadelphia, but it was
soon laid aside.*
In 1787, Mr Patrick Miller of Dalswfaton pub
lished a pamphlet, with a description, and print of
a triple vessel, propelled by paddle wheels, moved
by cranks, originally intended to be worked by
men. He states, that " he had reason to believe
that the power of the steam-engine may be applied
to work the wheels, so as to give them a quicker
motion, and consequently to increase that of the
ship." This, certainly, was a great step. ;
In 1788, Mr Miller employed Mr William Sy
mington, along with Mr James Taylor, the tutor
of his spns, who was quite an amateur of the steam-
engine, to superintend the construction and placing
of a small one in his pleasure-boat upon a piece of
water near his house. Its success encouraged him
to an experiment upon a larger scale ; and Mr Sy
mington was employed to construct, at Carron, a
steam-engine of greater power, which he was to
erect in one of Mr Miller's double boats, upon the
Forth and Clyde Canal. This vessel was put in
motion at the end of the year 1789, and though
found to answer in point of speed, was liable to
objections which rendered it expedient to discon
tinue the use of it, and the machinery was taken
out of' the vessel.
* Colden'a Life of Fulton, p. 132. New York,' 1817.

UNITED STATES. 381?
, In 1801, Mr Symington was again employed;
by Lord Dundas, to construct a steam-towing ves
sel on the Forth and Clyde Canal, with more
powerful machinery. This, he states, was com
pleted upon an improved plan after many expen-1
sive experiments, and was tried in the spring of
1802, with two loaded, vessels in tow, which it
drew at the rate of about 2 \ miles an hour, agafast
a head wind. Soon after this trial, however, this
boat was also laid aside, on account, as alleged, of
its washing and injuring the banks of the Canal.
Mr Symington took out a patent for steam-boats
in the same year, and he has the undoubted merit
of being the first person who applied tbe power of
the steam-engine to produce motion in vessels.
Mr Robert Fulton, a native of Pennsylvania,
and an engineer of the United States, whose at
tention had been for some time directed to the sub
ject, inspected the vessel of Lord Dundas before
it was laid up. He also made a trip fa it with Mr
Symington fa 1802, along part of the canal, and,
with the acuteness and forethought by which he
was so much distinguished; was very particular in
his examination of all its^ parts. Upon this occa
sion, the steam-boat went over 8 miles in one hour
and twenty minutes.
, In 1803; when Mr Fulton was at Paris with
Chancellor Livingston; he constructed, in company

388 TRAVELS IN THE
with that gentleman, a steam-boat upon the Seine,
which, after some mishaps, was tried and found
to have very little velocity, owing to the defects
of the apparatus. Mr Fulton perceived the cause
of this failure, and, with his usual sagacity, at once
devised the remedy, by addressing himself to Messrs
Boulton and Watt, first by letter, and afterwards
in person. This was in 1804. He requested them
to make for him a steam-engine to be applied to
the propelling of a vessel by paddle wheels on the
sides, which was to be used in the United States ;
stating his conviction, that all former attempts had
foiled chiefly from the badness of the machinery,
though he considered the confined waters fa which
the trials had been made to be also unfavourable. .
Against the difficulties arising from bad machine
ry, he expected to be secured by directing his ap
plication to such skilful workmen ; and he judged,
with equal knowledge of the subject, that the wide
rivers of America presented a field quite unobjec
tionable for the action of steam-boats. '
The principal parts of the engine were made,
accordingly, and forwarded early in 1805 ; the
planning and execution of the subordinate parts,
as well as ofthe connecting and paddle machinery,
having been undertaken by Mr Fulton himself.
He built a vessel from his designs at New York,
called the Clermont, and having erected the en-

UNITED STATES. 389
gine on board of her, the first trial was made in
the spring of 1807, and being eminently successful,
the vessel was soon afterwards established as a
regular steam-packet between New York and Al
bany. The admiration which this grand experi
ment excited, and which is so graphically descri
bed by Mr Fulton's accomplished biographer, -Mr
Colden, led to the construction of various other
steam vessels upon the different waters of the Uni
ted States and fa Canada.*
There can be no doubt, therefore, that Fulton
is entitled to the unqualified praise of having' been
the first man to bring steam navigation. into real
use. His predecessors, Mr Symington and others,
paved the way, it is true ; but so did Newcomen
fa the case of Watt,: whose merit, as the inventor
of the modern steam-engine, no one denies. That
of Fulton, as the contriver of the present steam
boat, rests nearly on the same grounds.
Steam-boat navigation has made rapid strides
in America since the period alluded to, chiefly
on the great rivers. The rise and progress of
the invention, as applied to sea-going vessels, is
not uninteresting. Mr Henry Bell of Glasgow —
who had seen the steam vessel upon the Clyde in
1802 — became acquainted with Mr Fulton, with
" Life of Fulton, by his Friend Cadwallader D. Colden, p. 16$.
New York, 1817.

390 TRAVELS IN THE
whom he subsequently corresponded. In 1811,
he built ;a steam-boat upon the Clyde, called the
Comet. In this boat, which he fitted up with 'a
steam-engine and paddle wheels of his own ma
nufactory, he began to ply between Glasgow and
Greenock fa January, 1812.
This was speedily followed by other steam ves
sels upon the Clyde. In 1813, a boat, called the
Prince of Orange, was fitted with two steam-engines
by Messrs Boulton and Watt, with the cranks
working at right angles to each other, by which
the power was equalised throughout the stroke,
according to an original idea of Mr Watt when he
first devised their application to rotative purposes.
This construction, which, it may be observed, is
attended with the additional advantage of giving
a double security, has often proved of eminent
utility in seargoing vessels.
Two steam-boats proceeded from the Clyde to
the Thames in 1815; one through the Forth ahd
Clyde Canal to Leith, and thence along the east
coast, — the other round the Land's end, under the
direction of the late Mr George Dodds. These, I
believe, may be considered the first successful at
tempts at sea navigation by steam.

United states. 391

CHAPTER XVIII.

We took up our quarters at Baltimore, on the
80th of December, 1827, in one of the largest hotels
I ever saw. Here we engaged a sitting-parlour for
ourselves, a luxury to which we had long been
Strangers. By1 agreeing to pay an additional sum,
we had our meals also alone, an advantage which
can rarely be purchased in America — never, I may
say, out of the great cities— and not always even
there, without more trouble than pleasure. At
Baltimore, the charge was five dollars for us, one
for the maid, besides a dollar for the fires in two
rooms, — in all seven dollars, or about thirty-one
shillings a-day. For this we got every thing very
comfortably arranged, except the attendance, which
would have been excellent too, had not the un
happy black boy, Cato, who waited upon us, been
required, he told us, to serve more than ten other
rooms ; so that the odds were generally about a

TRAVELS IN THE
dozen to one against his answering correctly any
given bell of the suite.
At Philadelphia, I ought to have mentioned be
fore, we were lodged in a delightful boarding-
house, where the average expense of our whole
party was a little less than five dollars, or about
twenty-one shillings a-day. We never were so
well accommodated anywhere else in the United
States. It is true, we had to take our meals at
the public table, and at stated hours, — breakfast at
half-past eight — dinner at three — tea at six, and
supper at nine or ten. But every thing was so
clean, and well-ordered, attendance included, that
we really had nothing to wish for.
How far the very agreeable party which we had
the good fortune to meet with, contributed to make
our stay pleasant, I cannot say ; but certainly we
shall ever look back to our residence at Philadel
phia with sincere pleasure.
The letters of introduction which we carried to
Baltimore soon brought us into the heart of the
agreeable and intelligent society of that place.
For my share, I was beyond measure relieved by
finding that it was not the custom of the place to
cram down our throats their institutions, their
town, their bay, their liberty, their intelligence,
and so forth. On the contrary, all was rational
and moderate praise, and fair play fa these matters.

UNITED STATES. 393
It was also, quite a comfort to learn how little was
to he seen in the way of sights. Perhaps I ought to
be ashamed to say so ; but there is a limit to the
exertions of travellers as well as of other people ;
and what I saw at the great cities of Boston, New
York, and Philadelphia, had so completely satiated
me with institutions, jails, schools, and hospitals,
that it was comfortable to find oneself in the midst
of a pleasant circle of people who left such things
to make their own impression, and were not eter
nally reproaching their guests with wilful neglect
of their city, when all the while their poor bodies
and souls were worn out in trying to do it justice.
Within the good city of Baltimore, however, is
contained one of the greatest wonders of the whole
country, and one of the most remarkable men I
ever saw, — Mr Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the
only survivor of those bold revolutionary states
men who signed the Declaration of Independence
fifty-three years ago. Mr Carroll, when we saw
him, was fa his ninety-first year, in which cir
cumstance, indeed, there is nothing remarkable ;
but what was truly astonishing, was the entire
possession which this excellent veteran retained of
all his faculties, not only of mind, but of body.
His speech, sight, and hearing, were still perfect ;
and while all his thoughts were fresh and elastic,
r 2

394 TRAVELS IN THE
his step was so vigorous that not a symptom of
decay could be traced about him.
I heard Mr Carroll say that Baltimore, which
now contains seventy thousand inhabitants, was a
village of only seven houses, within his memory !
Of late years, however, it has come nearly to a
stand still, in consequence of events over which, I
much fear, the inhabitants have no control. Du
ring the long period of the late European war, this
city flourished, like some others in America, under
the neutral flag. It was a place of much greater
consequence, too, before the New York canal drain
ed off from the interior of the country, much of
that export trade which the capital and the indus
try of the citizens of Baltimore had long turned
to such profitable account. The peace, which
brought the full weight of Continental as well as
English resources into the open field of competi
tion, gradually lessened the importance of Balti
more, Boston, and Philadelphia, and of many other
places in America, which cannot boast, like New
York, of enjoying peculiar local advantages, that
promise to flourish and improve under all political
changes. The proximate causes of the declension
of Baltimore, therefore, are not only the alteration
of the times consequent upon the general peace,
but the much higher commercial facilities exist
ing at the two great ports of New York and New

UNITED STATES. 395
Orleahs. The harbour of New York, it may be
mentioned, is at all times accessible for merchant
ships, while the climate is nearly always healthy.
It is also connected, during a great part ofthe year,
with the interior States, and the Lakes of Canada,
by numerous rivers and canals, which as yet have
no rivals any where on that continent. In the
South, again, the steam navigation of the Missis
sippi, the Ohio, the Missouri, and fifty other gi
gantic streams, has rendered the communication
with New Orleans a matter so expeditious and
economical, that, in spite of its noxious climate,
the produce of the interior will probably always
find it a'place of deposit in the highesT degree ad
vantageous. There are projects afloat, however, for restoring
this lost balance to Philadelphia and Baltimore,
and of regaining some portion of the profits de
rived from supplying the western country with
goods, and of drawing off its produce. This, it is
hoped, may be accomplished by means of a rail
road from Baltimore on the Chesapeake, and a ca
nal from Philadelphia oh the Delaware, both stri
king the Ohio, over the Alleghany mountains.
If the mouth of the Mississippi could be dam
med up, or the harbour of New York be demolish
ed, there might be some chance for the resusci
tation of the intermediate Seaports; but, fa the

TRAVELS IN THE
meantime, I suspect, both Philadelphia and Bal
timore must be contented to enjoy their localr
but comparatively limited advantages, without at
tempting to rival those great emporiums. The
natural obstacles which stand in the way of any
direct communication between the western coun
try and the coast are so numerous and formidable,
that I fully believe, if the proposed canal from
Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, which stands at the
point where the confluence of the Monongahela
and the Alleghany forms the commencement of
the Ohio river, or the rail-road from Baltimore
to Wheeling, on the left bank of the same magni
ficent stream, could be laid down free of expense,
the transit of goods upon them would not do much
more than defray the cost of keeping them in re
pair. I shall be well pleased to find that I am in er
ror, because I should be sorry to see so much
energy and good capital wasted. Nationally speak
ing, the success or failure of these projects is a
matter of perfect indifference, both at home and
abroad"; for the very same sources of prosperity
will exist by whatever channels the produce of in
dustry finds its way to the ocean, and the readiest
means of profiting by them will inevitably be found
out. The sections of country in which these at
tempts are made to force nature to bend to the

UNITED STATES. 397
purposes of man, against her will,, may perhaps
suffer deeply by such rashness ; but the rest of the
nation will look on and profit all the more cheer
fully by their failure — if such it prove — just as
the rival canal and rail-road companies do in Eng
land and elsewhere, though in the end the public
generally derive benefit from most of these over
wrought competitions.
Very different, indeed, are the hopes of the
Americans themselves, as will be seen by the
following extract from a printed paper, in which
one of these projects is gravely spoken of as if. ac
tually finished. The habit of amplification is here
carried to a considerable height ; for this enter
prise, though not commenced at that time, is put
by the writer, with the greatest ease and compla
cency imaginable, before all the successful and
completed works ofthe rest ofthe world, which are
made to sink into insignificance before underta
kings which may, at some future time, possibly,
be accomplished in America !
" The canals of France, Holland, and England,"
says this writer, " dwindle to mere nothing in com
parison, when we think of the lofty Alleghany
Mountain yielding its wood-covered summit,
wrapped in clouds, or opening its rocky bosom,
enriched with minerals, to the enterprise of a free

398 TRAVELS IN THE
people, opening a highway to the great valley of
N the West!"
Generally speaking, however, we found the so
ciety of Baltimore more reasonable upon all mat^
ters relating to their country than the inhabitants
of most of the cities we had previously visited.
They appeared, I thought, to be better acquainted
with the manners of the rest of the world, and
to have learnt, that overpraising their own things
was not the most effectual method of establishing
a favourable impression on the mind of a stran
ger ; and that the best way, after telling him every
thing openly and fairly, was, to leave him to form
his own conclusions and make the proper allow
ances. Indeed, I hold myself particularly fortu
nate ih having made the acquaintance of several
gentlemen at Baltimore, from whose candid and
manly suggestions I continued to derive, through
out all the journey, the greatest assistance.
' Ih company with one of these gentlemen, of
whose friendship I shall always be proud, and by
whose advice I have often profited, I visited the
jail, and penitentiary, and the insane institution.
Every one of these establishments appeared to be
strongly marked with the effects of that active
desire to contribute to the wants of the wretched,
which we met with in all parts of America, but ih
no place more conspicuously than in Baltimore.

UNITED STATES. 399
Upon another day I examined the alms-house,
in company with one of the Directors, and I do
not know when I have seen any such institution
managed with more skill. The difficulty of regu
lating a poor-house in any country is, I believe,
considerable ; but in America it is probably even
greater than elsewhere, from the movable state
of the society, the desultory and improvident ha
bits of the great mass of the population, and the
fluctuating nature of the public responsibilities,
incident to the systematic ' rotation of office' al
ready described, which appears to extend to every
department, municipal as well as political.
I give the following passage from an official
Report of a Committee of the guardians of the
poor of Philadelphia, appointed to enquire into the
systems adopted in that city for the relief of the
poor, as it points out, with great good sense and
knowledge, the evils which beset this very diffi
cult question even in a land of plenty, and com
paratively scanty population.
" That we have been prosecuting a career of
error is sufficiently obvious ; and the natural con
sequence is, a co-extensive increase of misery and
profligacy, of idleness and crime. The incentives
to industry have been weakened, the ties which
connect society relaxed, and the desire of honest
independence lessened, amongst that class of the

400 TRAVELS .IN THE
community to whom honesty, industry, and so
briety axe peculiarly indispensable. .,-
" The manner in which charity is too often ad
ministered affords encouragement to idleness, in
temperance, and improvidence. The idle will beg
in preference to working, if relief is extended tp
them without suitable discrimination.
"Our climate indicates tbe necessity of forecast;
and if the winter comes upon them, and they are
cut off from labour, they have a resource in the
charity of individuals ; and if not, they can obtain
relief by application to the overseers of the poor."
The following statement on the same subject,
extracted from the Report of the Trustees of the
alms-house for Baltimore city and county, 1827,
carries with it a degree of fearful interest, which
ought, to make every lover of his country look
about him.
" In a country where the means ef obtaining a
comfortable subsistence are so abundant as in this
community, and where labour is at the same time
so amply rewarded, and so wholly unencumbered
by taxation or any kind of burden, it must natu
rally excite astonishment, that there should be
found so large a mass of poverty as is concentra
ted in the alms-house of Baltimore city and coun
ty ; and when we consider that this mass is con
stantly augmenting, both in magnitude and de-

UNITED STATES; 401
pravity, it surely becomes a matter of serious im
portance to investigate the causes which have led,
and are still leading, to this melancholy exhibition
of human suffering and demoralization.
" The trustees, deeply impressed with the re
sponsibility which, from their situation, neces
sarily devolves upon them, have thought it their
duty to take measures to enquire into these causes;
and they now lay before the Mayor and City
Council the result of their investigation, which
will he seen on reference to the accompanying
document. " By this it appears, that of the 623 adult per
sons admitted into the alms-house during the year
ending April 1826, five hundred and fifty-four were
positively ascertained to have been reduced to the
necessity of being placed there by drunkenness."
Independently of the important information we
derived from viewing these institutions, some of
which were very well conducted, the agreeable
companionship we were fortunate enough to enlist
in our service, would have marked out the few
days we spent at Baltimore as amongst the most
instructive, as well as the most pleasing, which we
passed in the United States.
But it was not always in America that we had
the satisfaction of falling in with persons who, like
our considerate Baltimore friends, were willing to

402 TRAVELS IN THE
let us see things as they teally were, or who show
ed no uneasiness when the naked truth happened
to come before us. In order to give an idea of this
unhappy spirit, I may mention that a gentleman
once asked me which of two routes I meant to fol
low ? When I told him, he said, thoughtfully, " I
am sorry for that-^-Very sprry."
"Why so?"
" Because," said he, " all that part of the coun
try is so bad."
" Do you mean the roads ?"
" O no, they are good enough ; but by going
in that direction, you Wdl see an ugly part of the
Country, and consequently be disposed to draw
unfavourable conclusions as to the beauty of our
State." " Yes, that may be,— but if the impression is a
fair one, Why should I not do so ? What does it
matter ?"
" Ay, that's true," he observed; " but then I want
you to see only the best parts of our country, ahd I
really wish you would oblige me by going round
by the route I shall give you."
" I am afraid," I replied, " the country for once
must take its chance. Many parts which we have
come to are good, some are bad ; these must all be
jumbled together, and a fair mean taken. Besides,
it is the people I want to see, and for this reason

UNITED STATES. 403
I intend going in the direction I first spoke of,
in order to see another of the State legislatures in
session." " Oh, for any sake," eXClaitaed my friend, who
by this time was in the high fever of nationality,
' — " oh, I beg and entreat of you not to do that !"
" Why not ?— why should not I see what cer
tainly must be characteristic of the country ?"
" Because," — and here he lowered his voice,—
" because these said legislators, whom you think
of visiting, are really no great things; and, I fear,
they will not leave on your mind a favourable im
pression of our country."
- " Are they not, however," I asked, " the men
Who regulate all your affairs, who make the laws,
who are chosen by the people, and who, in fact,
exercise the supreme authority of the State ?"
" Yes, they certainly do all that you say — they
Certainly are the sovereigns de facto."
" Then, if so," I retorted — beginning to feel a
little nettled at this double-refined sensitiveness —
" I cannot but think they are very proper persons
for a traveller to see. I presume, also, the legis
lature in question is not inferior to those of the>
other States. I have already seen that of New
York, and I wish to compare it with others."
" O, there again," he called out, " I could have
wished you had left that legislature alone, for we

404 TRAVELS IN THE
do not by any means consider it a favourable spe
cimen of our country." '<
" Upon my word," I cried, " I must say this
is very hard! You are constantly blaming ' us
travellers for taking a superficial view of youif
country, and yet the very moment we pretend to
go thoroughly into any subject, you are up in
arms, and would have us look at one side of the
picture only. You ask us for our opinions, but if
they be given with sincerity, what is their recep->
tion ? Within this last half hour, I have heard you,
and the other gentlemen present, abuse your legis
lature, your roads, the face of your country", and
even this overwhelming tendency to democracy,
besides half a dozen other evils ; and yet, if any
stranger were to insinuate one-tenth part so much,
you would say he did you injustice — that he tra
velled too quickly — that he did not- make proper
allowances — and that he did not understand your
character !"
They all laughed at my taking the matter so se
riously, but admitted there was some justice in
what I said. They begged, however, that I would,
at all events, stay long enough to arrive at the right
explanation of these apparent anomalies, which,
they assured me, were all easily explained by per
sons who understood the true nature of their insti
tutions.

UNITED STATES. 405
One day, when walking through the streets of
Baltimore, my eye was caught withuthe following
title-page of a book stuck in a shop window : —
t{ The American Chesterfield, or Way to Wealth,
Honour, and Distinction, &c. &c, with alterations
and additions, suited to the youth of the United
States. By a member of the Philadelphia bar."
The work in question I found to contain, besides
an abridgement of Lord Chesterfield's Letters, " A
chapter addressed to the Americans."
I should probably not have ventured to touch
on these -delicate topics, had it not been for this
casual opportunity of quoting the words of a wit
ness who must be supposed impartial.
< " The foregoing instructions," says the writer,
** were originally written for the improvement of
a European. The editor of this work . takes the
liberty of adding a few remarks, addressed parti
cularly to the young gentlemen of the United
States. -*' As there is no nation that does not exhibit
something peculiar in its manners worthy of com
mendation, so there is none in which something
peculiar cannot be observed that demands reproof.
Should an American gentleman, during a visit to,
Europe, be seen chewing tobacco, it matters not
What may be his dress, or his letters of introduc
tion, he will immediately be set down as a low-.

40© TRAVELS IN THE
bred mechanic, or at best, as the master of amer-
chantvessel. No gentleman inEurppe ever smokes;
except it be occasionally, by way of frolic ; but no
person, except one of the very lowest of the workr
ing classes, is ever seen to chew.
" The practice of chewing leads to that most
ungentlemanly and abominable habit of spitting
upon the floor, and into the fire. No floor in the
United States, however clean, — no carpet, how
ever beautiful and costly, — no fire-grate, however.
bright, — not even our places of divine worship,
are free from this detestable pollution. A person
who is guilty of so unpardonable a violation of de
corum and outrage against the decencies of po~
lished life, should be excluded from the parlour,
and allowed to approach no nearer than the hall -
door steps. When in a house, and a person has
occasion to spit, it should be into one's pocket hand
kerchief, but never upon the floor, or into the fire.
The meanest and the rudest clown in Europe is
never known to be guilty of such an indecorum ;
and such a thing as a spitting-box is never seen
there, except in a common tavern.
" There is another habit, peculiar to the United ,
States, and from which even some females, who
class themselves as ladies, are not entirely free ;
that of lolling back, balanced, upon the two hind-
legs of a chair. Such a breach of good-breedings

UNITED STATES.. 407
is never committed in Europe. Lolling is carried
even so far in America, that it is not uncommon
to see attorneys lay their feet upon the council
table ; and the clerks and judges, theirs also upon
their desks, in open court. But, low-bred and dis-,
gusting as is this practice, how much more repre
hensible is it, in places of a still greater solemnity
of character ! How must the feelings of a truly
religious and devout man be wounded, when he
sees the legs extended, in the same indecent pos
ture, in the house of God !
' " Another violation of decorum, confined chief
ly to taverns and boarding-houses of an ordinary
class, is that of reaching across a table, or across
three or four persons sitting next to him, who
wishes for some particular dish. This is not only
vulgar, but inconvenient. It is a sure sign of ha
ving been accustomed to low company, and should
be avoided by every one who is ambitious of being
thought a gentleman. The nasty practice of car
ving with one's own knife and fork, and of using
one's own knife or spoon when wanting salt or
sugar, does not call less loudly for amendment ;
but cannot always be dispensed with, unless the
mistress of the house will be careful in performing
her duty, by. seeing that the table is fully provided
with such things as a decent table requires."*
* The American Chesterfield, p. 201. Philadelphia, 1827.

408 Travels in the
Upon these statements I have only to observe,
that while I bear testimony to their too great fide
lity, I think it right to state, that I never saw the
slightest indecency ofthe kind above alluded to, or
of any other kind, in an American church ; on the
contrary, there always appeared to me the most
remarkable decorum in every place of worship
which I entered in that country. Neither did it
ever fall in my way to see an American Judge
fa the strange attitude above referred to; but I
have seen many a legislator extended in the man
ner described by the American Chesterfield,— a
posture of affairs, by the way, which, by bringing
the heels on a level with, or rather higher than,
the head, affords not a bad illustration of the prin
ciple as well as the practice of Democracy.

"UNITED STATES. 4Q9

CHAPTER XIX.

I have as yet said nothing of one of the most
important branches of government, — the Judicial
Department, or, to use a convenient American
word, the Judiciary. But as there is perhaps none
which is calculated, sooner or later, to have so di
rect an effect on the happiness of a nation, I feel
it right to state what has been the result of my
observations in America upon this subject.
The Executive and Legislative branches of the
general government, or the President and the Con
gress, as distinguished from the government of the
particular States, haVe already been described.
There is, in like manner, a General, or, as it is
called, a Federal Judiciary — a Supreme Law Court
ofthe United States, Which holds one term annual
ly, at Washington. Its judges also make circuits
through the States, for the purpose of deciding
those causes which come within the jurisdiction of
their Court alone. The judges of this Supreme
vol. ii. s

410 TRAVELS IN THE
Court are appointed by the President and Senate,
and hold their offices for life, that is to say, during
good behaviour— thefe being no limit on account
of age, as in several of the individual States.
They also receive for their services a salary, Or, as
it is called, a compensation, which cannot be di
minished during their continuance fa office.
" The judicial power of the Supreme Court of
the United States extends to all cases in law and
equity arising under the constitution, the laws,
and treaties of the Union, — to all cases affecting
ambassadors and other public ministers and con
suls,— to all cases of admiralty and maritime juris
diction, — to controversies to which the United
States is a party, — to controversies between two or
more States,- — to Controversies between a State
When plaintiff, and the citizens Of another State, or
foreign citizens Or subjects, — to controversies be
tween citizens of different States, and between ci
tizens of the same State, claiming lands under
grants of different States, and between a State, or
citizens thereof, and foreign States, or between ci
tizens and foreigners."*
All suits Which do not fall under these heads,
come within the jurisdiction of the law courts of
the separate States.
* Kent's Commentaries, vol. I. p. 277.

UNITED states; 411
The Supreme Court of the United States consists
ofa Chief Justice and six associate justices. It holds
one term annually, at the seat of government. The
Union includes seven great circuits, and in each
district of these circuits, two courts are held an*
nually by one of the judges of the Supreme Court,
and the district judge of that district.*
These district courts are vested with certain
powers analogous to those of the Supreme Court
at Washington, some of which they exercise in
concurrence with the Courts of the several States ;
and some without such concurrent jurisdiction.
For instance, they have exclusive original cogni->
zance of all civil causes of admiralty and maritime
jurisdiction, of seizures under impost, navigation
or trade laws of the United States, where the sei
zures are made on the high seas.
But it would occupy too much space, and re
quire much more technical knowledge than I pos
sess, to make these distinctions intelligible to pro
fessional mpn, while to others they would not be
interesting. The Supreme Court of the United States is vir*
tually the interpreter of the written Constitution,
since it belongs to them to decide fa disputed cases
what is the true construction of that instrument,
• Kent, vol. I. p. 282.

412 TRAVELS IN THE
As this is a very important and peculiar feature
fa the American government; I shall quote the
Words of Chancellor Kent on the subject.
" The people of the United States have declared
the Constitution to be the supreme law of the land,
and fa is entitled to universal and implicit obedi
ence. Every act of Congress, and every act of the
legislatures ofthe States, and every part of the Con
stitution of any State, which is repugnant to the
Constitution of the United States, is necessarily
Void. This is a clear and settled. principle of con
stitutional jurisprudence. The judicial power of
the Union is declared to extend to aU cases of law
and equity arising under the Constitutibn ; and to
the judicial power it belongs, whenever a case is
judicially before it, to determine what is the law
of the land. The determination of the Supreme
Court must be final ahd conclusive; because the
Constitution gives to that tribunal the power to
decide, and gives np appeal from the decision."*
Upon another occasion; the same author states
this point still more distinctly. " It has accord
ingly bfecome a settled principle in the legal polity
of this country; that it belongs to the judicial
power, as a matter of right and duty, to declare
every act of the legislature made in violation of
* Kent, vol. I. p. 2931

UNITED STATES, 418
the Constitution, or any provision of it, null and
void."* I need hardly say that innumerable disputes
have arisen, as to the extent of these powers, be-r
tween the different States and the Supreme Court ;
hut for the reasons already mentioned, I refrain
from attempting to describe such technical points,
: Each State in the Union has a separate Judiciary,
consisting of a Supreme court and various inferior
courts. In some of the States these are very nu
merous.1 In the United States courts, the judges,
as I have mentioned above, are named by the
President, under the approbation of the Senate,
In the different States, various methods obtain of
appointing these officers. In four of the States,
they are nominated by the governor and council ;
in five by the governor alone ; in one by the got
vernor and senate, and in eight they are elected
by the legislature. In all these eighteen instances,
the judges hold their offices during good behaviour.
In two States, the judges are elected annually
by the legislature ; in two others by the legisla-r
ture for seven years ; in one they are appointed
by the governor for seven years, and in one State
— Georgia— the judges of the superior court are
elected by the people at large for three years, and
* Kent, voL I. p. 422.

414 TRAVELS IN THE
those of the inferior courts annually. The judges
are liable to be removed in most of the States by
impeachment, but in some they may be dismissed
by the governor, on the address of two-thirds of the
legislature. In one of the States, no judge can sit
on the bench after he is sixty years of age ; in two
of the States, the age of retirement is sixty-five ;
and in three, it is fixed at seventy. In the other
nineteen, there is no limitation.
The popular nature of these appointments, taken
along with Other circumstances inherent in the
very nature of a democracy, has an effect on the
independence ofthe Judiciary in the United States,
which it is important to consider attentively, for
there is probably no element fa the formation of
civil society, which — both by its action and reac
tion — so directly influences the virtue and the free
dom, and consequently the prosperity of a nation,
as the administration of justice.
In America, the judges have a great variety of
difficulties to contend with, some arising out of
the uncertain state of the laws, some out of the
form of government, and some out of the peculiar
habits of the society.
Antecedent to the separation of the Colonies,
the Common Law of England prevailed in America,
with no further modification than was absolutely
necessary to make it suitable to the difference of

UNITED STATES, 415
circumstances fa the two countries. The points
fa dispute, between the Mother Country and the
Colonies, were considered by the colonists as fa-
fractions of the Common Law ; and accordingly,
when the separation took place, the Common Law
was claimed unanimously by the Americans as
their birthright.
- But since the Revolution, great changes have
been introduced. Previous to that event, the
Constitution and the Common Law were almost
convertible terms. But in the republics which
were formed out of the Colonies, written constitu
tions were established in place of the old tradi
tions, decisions, customs, and parliamentary en
actments which had formerly combined to form
the constitutional law under which they lived.
The Common Law, indeed, is still referred to for
the interpretation of passages in their written con
stitutions and statutes, which have borrowed its
phraseology ; but it is no longer looked to as the
source of constitutional authority.
The learned Mr Du Ponceau of Philadelphia,
in his work " On Jurisdiction," has these words :
" The Common Law, therefore, is to be considered
in the United States in no other light than as a
system of jurisprudence, venerable, indeed, for its
antiquity, valuable for the principles of freedom
which it inculcates, and justly dear to us for the

416 TRAVELS IN THE
benefits tlfet we have received from it ; but still,
fa. the happier state to which the Revolution has
raised us, it is a system of Jurisprudence, and no
thing more. It is no longer the source of power
or jurisdiction, but the means or instrument
through which it is exercised. Therefore, what
ever meaning the words Common Law jurisdic
tion^ may have in England, with us they have
none : fa our legal phraseology, they may be said
to be insensible." *
¦ For some time after the Revolution, there was
a certain degree of adherence to English prece
dents; "perhaps from the vain wish," says Mr
Du Ponceau, " to introduce by that means uni
formity throughout the Union." This was felt,
however, and complained of by the people, and the
consequence was, that some of the States — as
Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New Jersey — prohibited
by law the citing of British authorities posterior
to the Revolution. " This," continues Mr Du
Ponceau, " was applying the axe to the root of the
tree ; it was an ill-judged and inefficient remedy,
but at the same time a solemn warning to judges,
and an indication of the manner fa which the
people wished the law to be administered, giving
" A Dissertation on the Nature and Extent ofthe Jurisdiction of
the Courts of the United States. , By P. S. Du Ponceau. LL.D,
Philadelphia, 1824. ,,

-UNITED STATES' 417
them to understand, that the spirit of our own
statute-books, our national feelings, opinions, ha
bits, manners, and customs, were as much to be
taken into consideration in their decisions, as the
letter of the English law-" *
" The doctrine," continues the same author,
¦" that statutes altering the Common Law, are to
be construed strictly, has, I believe, been carried
so far as in some cases to counteract the views of
our legislatures, and the principle which they
meant to establish.
" This evil," he adds, " is gradually correcting
"itself, and the common law appears more and more
dignified with American features. It is observed
¦with pleasure, that the opinions of Mr Chief Jus
tice Marshall are more generally founded upon
principle than upon, authority." f
. I have extracted these passages merely for the
purpose of showing, on good authority, what is
the general feeling on this subject. There is, in
deed, in all parts of the United States, on this and
every other matter, a great reluctance to being
•guided by authority of any kind ; and, fa this spirit,
even their ablest jurists, are much more disposed
,than we are fa England, to rely upon principles
rather than decisions. The collective wisdom of
* Du Ponceau, Preface, p. xxjii,
f n»d. p. xxiv.
s 2

418 TRAVELS IN THE
ages on these subjects, accordingly, goes for little
with them, in opposition to what appears right and
proper at the moment. In this, however, it is im
portant to remark, these gentlemen merely follow
the general sentiment of the country. The legis
latures ofthe different States are completely under
the influence of this popular dictation ; it is quite
natural, therefore, that, when the essential prin
ciple which bound the Common Law together, and
gave it nearly all its value — I mean its depend*
ence on myriads of antecedent authorities — was
once loosened, the elements of which it was com
posed should be scattered abroad. The effect of
this singular experiment in the science of jurispru
dence is so ably described by the learned author
whom I have lately quoted, tbat I take the liberty
of giving it in his own words.
" Those who wish to see uniformity of jurispru
dence in the widely-extended Union, ought to re
member, that nothing is uniform but sound prin
ciples, and that false theories and false logic lead
inevitably to contradictory decisions. In England
there is, in fact, but one great judicature sitting
at Westminster Hall. Although divided into dif
ferent tribunals, the same spirit pervades them all,
and, in important cases, the twelve judges meet
together to decide. Above them is the House of
Lords, whose judgments are final and conclusive.

UNITED STATES, 41 §
Here we have, on the contrary, twenty-four differ
ent supreme judicatures, with a countless number
of inferior tribunals, dispersed over an immense
extent of territory. Beyond them, there is no au
thority whose decisions are binding in all cases.
The supreme court of the United States is limited
fa its jurisdiction and powers, and, except in cer
tain matters of national concern, State judges do
not conceive themselves bound to conform to their
opinions. In short, there is no Polar star to direct
our uncertain wanderings. We must either tacit
ly submit to receive the law from a foreign coun
try, by adopting the opinions of the English judges,
however they may vary from our own, or even
from those which they formerly entertained, or we
must find some expedient to preserve our national
independence ; and at the same time to prevent our
national law from falling into that state of confu
sion which will inevitably follow from the discord
ant judgments of so many co-ordinate judicial au
thorities. Already the evil is felt fa a consider
able degree ; it will be more so in process of time,
and it is to be feared that fa the course of fifty
years, the chaos will become inextricable, unless a
¦ speedy remedy is applied.
" The only remedy that I can think of," conti
nues this eloquent writer, <{is to encourage the

420 TRAVELS IN THE
«tudy of general jurisprudence, and of the eternal
and immutable principles of right and wrong." *
t I very much fear that the existence of the evil
of which my learned friend, in common with every
intelligent person I met with in America, appears
to be perfectly sensible, has a far deeper source than
they ascribe to it. I suspect it lies so closely im
bedded in the very structure of their political soci
ety ; that it cannot possibly be reached by the
studies he alludes to, or indeed by any thing short
¦of one of those great moral convulsions which, from
time to time, rend nations to pieces, and teach their
citizens how dangerous a thing it is to place their
own wisdom in opposition to that of past ages.
The framers of the American Constitution, who
deemed it of primary importance to establish, as
far as possible, the independence of the Judiciary,
succeeded in part by securing to the judges fa the
Federal courts, the permanenoe in office for life,
or during good behaviour. In the greater number
of the State Constitutions, as I have already men
tioned, the same rule obtains. But many persons
fa that country doubt whether this goes far towards
the establishment of real independence. Some even
think that so permanent an appointment is incon
sistent with institutions of so popular a character
* Du Ponceau, p. 127.

UNITED STATES. 421
as those of America ; while others fear that both
in a legal and practical sense, but especially in a
practical sense, this independence must finally be
broken down.
The theory of judicial independence, fa a coun
try where there are two conflicting and opposite
powers — that of the crown on one hand, and that
of the people on the other, is not only a most effi
cient one, but also a safe one to trust to. This
branch of the government is essentially helpless fa
itself ; but as it has the advantage of giving the
sanction of the laws to that power on whose side it
is found, it has also the advantage of receiving from
the same power, the protection that it stands fa
heed of from the opposite side. It is sustained,
therefore, as in England, in its middle position by
the contrary forces of the government — a position
in which probably will be found the perfection of
legal administration.
Every thing in America — it cannot be too often
repeated — is, without any exception---decidedly po
pular. Even the theory of an Executive, capable
of holding the people in check, does not belong to
their system, as a principle of government, while
their whole practice is directly the reverse. The
executive, and both branches of the legislature, in
the general as well as the State governments, as I
have already endeavoured to show, are thoroughly

422 TRAVELS IN THE
democratic ; they are actually so much a part ofthe
people, that even for the brief period of their nomi
nal authority, they have no real influence. Thus, in
America, all the power is on one side, and so thi ngs
must remain ; for there is no authority whatsoever
to counterbalance the overwhelming weight of the
people at large, or even to check them fa their career.
Upon any occasion, then, of popular excitement,
extending to the legislature, as such excitements
almost always do — and I may say must inevitably
do, where the elections are so very frequent, and
the suffrage universal — if inroads are made upon
the Constitution — what are the Judiciary to do ?
Their duty, it is true, is very clear; but if they
should proceed straight forward in the path which
it directs, they would soon find themselves in oppp-
sition to the great power of the nation, without any
sustaining force on the other side to help them.
The judges in America, it will be recollected, are
the interpreters of the written Constitution j but
how can they be expected to read its clauses in a
sense different from that laid down by the sovereign
people ? Judges are but men, and it is utterly out
of nature to expect them to stem such a torrent
single-handed, even supposing them not to be in
fected by the prevalent sentiment, which, on the
contrary, it is a hundred to one they must be,
or even without considering the popular nature of

UNITED STATES. 423
their appointment, and the total absence of sup
port from any other class.
The embarrassments arising from this disagree
ment between the letter of the law, and the wishes
of the people, might be so great, that it is not im
probable the judges would try to prevent a recur*
rence of them, even if the people did not, by endea
vouring to modify the Constitution itself — in order
that their decisions might square better with the
popular voice. Some changes, from other causes,
have already been made in the Constitution of the
United States ; while those of the separate States
have nearly all of them been subjected to altera
tions. Nothing, therefore, can be more directly
contrary to fact, than calling the written Consti
tutions of the American States, fixed instruments
—-since they are, in point of fact, every way flue?
tuating and uncertain.
It must be acknowledged, however, that so far
as matters have yet gone, the Federal Judiciary
have maintained their ground; and, with Safety
and effect, have declared several laws of the differ
ent States to be unconstitutional and void. But
their greatest trial, and one to which they are liable
to be exposed at any moment, would be the consi
deration of a law of Congress, passed in conformity
with the will of the people, on some subject of high
public interest — such as that of the Tariff — the

434 TRAVELS IN THE
great Slave question — or the rights of the different
States in their sovereign capacity.
• How far the pre-eminent talents and high cha
racter ofthe present venerable Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States, have contri-;
buted to keep things steady, in the quarter where
stability is most important, it would be presump
tuous in a stranger to say. But I venture to proT
phesy, that his successor will have a still more
troublesome task to perform.
' It is probable, that the gradual encroachments
Which the spirit of democracy has been making on
the independence ofthe Judiciary, can be distinctly
Visible only to the eye of an observer long resident
in the country, Nevertheless, when a fact of this
nature really does exist, and to a great extent over a
whole nation, its effects may easily come within the
range of a traveller's ears, if not of his eyes ; and
as my attention was early awakened to it during
my journey in America, I lost no opportunity of
investigating the subject as closely as I could, in
every quarter. The most striking evidences of the
advance of this tide of popular interference with
the independence of the bench, may, as I under
stand, be seen in the increased apprehensiveness,
on the part of the judges, to meet what are called
constitutional questions, — in the vast latitude which
the judges in some States have consented to give

UNITED STATES. 425
their legislatures, to the extent of actually denying
that they — the Judiciary — are competent to declare
a law unconstitutional,— in the actual change of
Constitutions to get rid of obnoxious laws, and ob-
npxious judges, — in the excitement of terror by
popular commotions, — by accusations, — impeach
ments, and the like.
The problem, therefore, of the independence of
the American Judiciary remains yet to be solved—-
if, indeed, the answer be not already given in the
negative. But what an extraordinary feature will
it not be in the government of a country, to have
the judges avowedly subject to the popular voice J
Even with perfect independence in the Judiciary —
supposing that could be obtained — but without sub
mission on the part of the people to the decisions
of the bench, where would be the sanctions of the
law ? And if, on the other hand, there be no inde
pendence in the judges, will not the law necessa
rily fluctuate about with the voice of the populace
-— proverbially unsteady ? And if so, what possible
security can there be of property and person ?
In discussing this question in the United States,
I was desired to recollect, that a people and their
laws act and react upon each other, and that as
America is still in its infancy, during which its sys
tem of government is subject to many changes, the
Constitution and laws may, fa the end, act more

426 TRAVELS IN THE
upon the people than the people do upon them, and
thus a Judiciary practically, as well as theoretical
ly independent, may be found to administer the
laws of that country. That such are the hopes of
many reflecting and patriotic men in America, I
was rejoiced to find; but I regret, with all my
heart, that I cannot join in them — simply because
I saw no analogy in any thing else in the United
States to justify such expectations.
The radical principles of bringing justice home
to every man's door, and of making the adminis
tration of it cheap, have had a full experiment fa
America; and greater practical curses, I venture to
say, were never inflicted upon any country.
The State of Pennsylvania will serve as a good
example, because it is eminently democratic, and
has been called, par excellence, ,the key-stone of
the republican arch. There they have done away
with nearly all the technicalities of the law — there
are no stamps — no special pleadings — and scarcely
any one is so poor that he cannot go to law. The
consequence is, a scene of litigation from morning
to night. Lawyers, of course, abound every where,
as no village containing above two or three hun
dred inhabitants, is without one or more. No per
son, be his situation or conduct in life what it may,
is free from the never ending pest of lawsuits.
Servants, labourers, every one, fa short, pu tha

UNITED STATES. 427
first occasion, hies off to the neighbouring lawyer
or justice of the peace, to commence an action.
No compromise or accommodation is ever dreamt
of. The law must decide every thing ! The life
of persons in easy circumstances is thus rendered
miserable ; and the poor man, led on by the hope
of gain — by an infectious spirit of litigation — or by
revenge, is prevented from employing his time use
fully to himself and to the community, and gene
rally ends by being a loser. The lawyer's fees are
fixed at a low rate, but the passion for litigating a
point increases with indulgence to such a degree,
that these victims of cheap justice — or rather of
cheap law — seldom stop while they have a dollar
left. The operation of the much-vaunted principle,
just alluded to, of bringing justice home to every
man's door, is in most cases equally mischievous. It
leads to the endless establishment of new courts,
swarms of lawyers, and crowds of litigants. Thus,
on a spot where the population increases, and it is
found a hardship to go twenty or thirty miles for the
pleasure of a lawsuit, a new county town must
forthwith be erected more at hand, with all its ac
companiments of judges, clerks of court, marshals,
and so forth. I have heard of a bad road being
used as an argument before the legislature, to ob
tain the establishment of a new county town. As

428 TRAVELS IN THE
the population increases further on, these towne
must be again multiplied or, removed, and thus
continual expense, and the endless appointment of
new judges goes on, ,
In a society composed of such loose materials, as
the active, roving population of America, it is almost
impossible, except at the great cities, to find men
of education and high character to fill these judicial
situations. I may here remark, that, with the ex
ception of one State — Virginia — the justices ofthe.
peace are every where paid by fees from the clients.
In fact, it would be impossible to get men in that
country, where the property is so much divided — <
and where all men are so busy, to do this or any.
other duty gratis. One of the greatest and most
substantial blessings of England, therefore — its un
paid magistracy; — has no existence in America;
neither can it be expected to exist there for a long
time to come — never, • indeed, unless some great
changes be made in the structure of society fa
that country.
I have not been able to obtain any very exact
returns of the number of judges in the United
States, but it is certainly enormous fa its extent,
I was greatly astonished to hear, that in Pennsyl
vania alone there are upwards of a hundred judges
who preside on the bench ; besides several thou
sands of justices ofthe peace, who take cognizance

United states: 429
of all suits not exceeding one hundred dollars in
amount. The number of persons, therefore, who
administer justice in America, probably exceeds
that of their army and navy ! And, upon the
whole, I suspect justice will be found much dearer
there than any where else in the world. At all
events, nothing can possibly compensate for the
boundless spirit of litigation, which, conjointly
with that of electioneering, keeps the country in
constant hot water from end to end.
The salaries of the judges, in consequence of
their great number, are necessarily so small, that
no first-rate lawyer can afford fo take the appoint
ment. I know of several barristers, every way
fitted to do honour to the bench, who have posi
tively refused to accept office. Consequently these
very important stations are filled by a totally differ
ent class of men — many of whom, undoubtedly, are
very excellent persons, but some of them, likewise,
are quite unsuited for such duties. When the popu
lar mode of appointing the judges in the different
States is recollected; either by the governors or
by the legislatures, who are themselves changed
annually, it will be at once perceived that the de
mocratic principle of reducing all things to one
level, must, as a matter of course, very often bring
the choice far down in the scale. Electioneering
predilections and antipathies, too, both past and pro
spective, and the eager pursuit of office — which pre-

430 TRAVELS IN THE
vails to an extravagant extent — will come into play
here, as they do, unfortunately, fa every thing else.
It is a curious feature in the American Judicial
system, that in many ofthe States — Pennsylvania
amongst others — the bench is composed of one
judge who is a lawyer, and of two others who are
not lawyers, called associate judges. These men
are selected from the county in Which they reside
and hold their court. They are generally farmers
— not, however, like the English gentleman-farm
er, for such characters do not exist, and cannot
exist, fa any part of the United States — they are
men who follow the plough. They seldom, as I
am informed, say a word on the bench. This sin
gular system has been adopted, because the people
thought it was necessary there should be two per
sons, taken from among themselves, to control the
President or Law Judge. These associate j udges are
paid two hundred dollars per annum, or about L. 45.
An appeal lies from the courts below to the Su
preme Court, on points of law ; and, as the pro
ceedings in this, as in every other part of the suit,
are cheap, these appeals are almost invariably made
when the case is of any importance. The law ren
ders it imperative on the judge to charge the jury
on any points of law which either party may re
quire. Sometimes each party will insist upon the
judge charging the jury upon twenty or thirty
points. Then exceptions to the charges follow,

UNITED STATES. 431
and thus an endless source of delay and fresh li
tigation is opened up.
In some of the States there is a regular and dis
tinct Court of Chancery ; in others, as in Pennsyl
vania, the courts of law are vested with Chancery
jurisdiction, with the power to grant divorces for
legal causes. In extraordinary cases, divorces —
which in some of the States are numerous — may
be granted by the legislature.
The circumstance already adverted to, ofthe Su
preme Court of each State having the right to de
clare the acts of its own particular legislature un
constitutional, and that of the Supreme Court of
the United States having the right to declare the
acts of the legislature of any State, as well as those
of Congress, or the Federal legislature, unconsti
tutional, and consequently invalid, is a peculiarity
in the American system worthy of particular at
tention, as, I believe, it is the only instance of the
Judiciary in any country being placed above every
other branch of the government. What would be
the result of this arrangement, if the Judiciary
could be rendered effectually independent, it is
very difficult to say ; though, perhaps, it may be
about as difficult to predict what will be the effect
now, when that independence seems to be next to
impossible. The Supreme Court of the United Stales, how
ever, in the exercise of this authority, have re-

432 TRAVELS IN THE UNITED STATES.
peatedly declared acts of the different States un
constitutional ; but they have ncft yet, as far as I
know, declared any act of the general government
to be so. It is perhaps in consequence of this in
terference with the enactments of the States, and
their non-interference with those of Congress, that
lmuiy persons in America look upon that Court
with great jealousy, from an idea that it has a dis
position to augment the power of the general go
vernment, or has a tendency towards what is term
ed ' consolidation,' at the expense of the sovereign
ty of the individual States.
Sooner Or later, hoWever, as already hinted, such
formidable questions as the duties on imported
goods — the extinction of Indian claims — appro
priations of public money for internal improve
ments — and many other questions involving what
are called State rights, will force the Supreme
Court to interfere. But what the result will be,
time alone can show:

END OF VOLUME SECOND.

Edinburgh:
feinted bv ballantyne & company,
vaul's wokk, cahonoate.