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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Purchased from the income
of the bequest of
WILLIAM ROBERTSON COE
Honorary M.A. 1949, for
material in the field
of American Studies.

MY AMERICAN TOUR :

BEING

I
NOTES taken DURING A TOUR THROUGH the UNITED STATES
SHORTLY AFTER THE CLOSE OF THE
LATE AMERICAN WAR.

BY DAVID THOMAS.

HAYMARKET STREET, BURY

186 8.

DEDICATION.
To JOHN BRIGHT, Esq., M.P. fok the Bokough or Birmingham.
Honotjiied Sib,
When you kindly consented to allow me to dedicate
" My American Tour " to you, a debt of obligation was conferred which
will not be easily discharged. The motive which prompted the request
was not a mercenary one, for I knew that nearly every copy of this work
was ordered before it was printed ; nor was it because amongst British
statesmen you occupy such a distinguished position, that in almost every
part of the globe your name has become a household word ; nor was it
the consideration that the- influence of an unblemished life, sustained by..
the exercise of rare talents devoted to noble objects, had given lustre to
your reputation ; but it was simply because in the hour of a nation's
deepest suffering, when it was popular in England to express sympathy
for a rebel cause, you had the manly courage to lift up your voice in
favour of universal freedom, and especially on behalf of the millions held
in bondage in the Southern portion of the United States of America.
Never shall I forgot the impulse given to the cause of freedom by your
generous advocacy, and I was glad to find that its effect was felt on both
sides of the Atlantic. Repeatedly it occurred to me, while in America,
that an affirmative reply to the question, " Do you know John Bright ?"
has proved the open sesame which gave me a welcome access to kindred
spirits. Hoping that you may be long spared to exercise your distinguished
abilities for the lessening of human suffering,
I remain, yours most respectfully, DAVID THOMAS.
Buhy, Lancashire, July 21, 1868.

MY AMERICAN TOUR

BY D. THOMAS.

August 30, 1865. — Left home early this
morning, with the intention of making an
American tour. The time had arrived when
the fondest dream of my life was about to be
realised ; for the most ardent longing of my
heart for many years had been to see the
beautiful land across the broad Atlantic. A
favourable combination .of circumstances
brought me to immediate decision, for I was
not only placed in a position which gave me
command of the necessary time, but the
recent conflict in America tinged with a
deeper interest than usual everything per
taining to the country, and furnished me with
an additional motive for prompt action. The
day was brilliantly fine; and after bidding
farewell to my friends (a task which could
not be accomplished without some degree of
emotion), I started on my journey towards
Liverpool. On arrival, a very brief prepara
tion sufficed for the voyage, and on the same
day I embarked in the steamship City of New
York, belonging to the Inman line of
steamers. The ship was full of passengers,
and many applications for berths had been
refused, although higher rates of fares had
been offered by persons anxious to secure ac
commodation. The saloon appeared to be
adapted for about 100 passengers, but as
there were 140 who had taken cabin berths,
the saloon was too small to accommodate the
whole party at once, and the consequence was
that we had to sit down to meals at two dif
ferent times, the first breakfast hour being
eight, and the second nine o'clock. The same
rule was adopted with respect to all the other
meals, and those who dined the first one day,
would be the last the day after. This ar
rangement was perhaps the best which could
have been made under the circumstances, yet
it was attended with considerable incon
venience, for it converted the saloon into a
perpetual dining hall during the passage,
giving the stewards double the usual amount
of labour. Many of the passengers were
obliged to leave the saloon en the conclusion
of each meal to make room for others. This

was felt to be very unpleasant, especially
during the prevalence of bad weather, when
it would he impossible to remain on deck,
and inconvenient to go below. The ship was
comparatively new, as this was only its fourth.
voyage from Europe ; and as its sailings had
already secured for it a high reputation, there
were many disappointed when they found
that all the berths were taken up. The pro
bability was that if the ship had possessed
double the capacity, every berth would have
been secured. As a set-off to some of the
small discomforts of which a few of the pas
sengers complained, may be mentioned that
the captain was a most affable and agreeable
gentleman, the stewards were civil and
obliging, and the seamen (ninety in number)
were very attentive to their duties. It is no
small thing to say, that during the whole pas
sage I never heard a sailor swear an oath, nor
saw him perform a discourteous act.
August 31. — Much of the pleasure of a
voyage depends upon the moral and intellec
tual character of the passengers, and in this
respect, with very few exceptions, there was
abundant reason to be highly gratified. We
had on board the proprietor of an influential
newspaper, four Catholic priests, a professor
of moral philosophy, the wife of a missionary,
the United States' Consul at Antwerp, a
number of American merchants, who had
been to England to make purchases, a party
of Latter Day Saints, who were on their way
to the Salt Lake City, and four Confederate
officers, three of whom had been wounded,
and one had been wounded three times. One
gentleman had studied medicine, ano
ther was a lawyer, and another was a
preacher amongst the Scotch Presbyterians.
We arrived at Queenstown at 3 15 this after
noon, having been about twenty-three hours
in accomplishing the voyage from Liverpool.
Having received the Irish mails and pas
sengers, we left Queens.town harbour, and '
proceeded on our watery way towards the
West, and soon lost sight of land. Have
had no sea sickness yet, and the weather

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

continues splendidly fine. From associating
with the passengers, I found that the zoology
of America was about to be improved by the
introduction of seven skylarks, and one
thousand canaries, which we had on board.
I am told that iu America there are neither
larks nor sparrows.
. Sept. 1.— Frequent thick fogs to-day;
Many porpoises playing in the water attract
ing much attention. Fog-signals were
sounded to prevent accident by collision. No
vessels sighted to-day until about seven
o'clock in the evening, when two were seen
about the same time. The steamer exchanged
signals with one of the vessels, which was
bound for Montreal.
Sept. 2. — Early on deck this morning, the
weather being beautifully fine. Had an inter
esting conversation with the consul, during
which I remarked that formerly the appear
ance of a shoal of porpoises was regarded as
a certain indication of an approaching storm ;
but, as the porpoises made their appearance
on the previous day, and no tempest had fol
lowed, it was clear that such a storm-signal
was not to be relied upon. It was only neces
sary to wait a few hours to show how prema
ture was the judgment I had formed. Before
night-fall a terrible storm came on, and the
seamen had to be alert in taking in sail.
While the storm was raging, I saw a seaman
ascend to the top-gallant mast, and take
down the pennant from the very tip. I gazed
upon the foam of the white-crested billows
until I was almost overpowered with a sense
of the magnificence of the scene. Nothing,
in my opinion, can possibly transcend the
glorious sublimity of —
The mighty sea,
Which rolls the great eternal bass,
In Nature's anthem.
Our gallant ship rode the billows most
majestically, furnishing a spectacle of power
which might have' calmed to serenity the
most timorous mind. Never for a moment
did I experience a feeling of peculiar danger,
although one gentleman said that he had
crossed the Atlantic fourteen times, and had
never seen the sea so rough before. We were
only making about seven knots per hour. The
deck was almost clear of passengers, and
there was a great amount of sea-sickness
below. I was not sick during tbe time the
sea was lashed into fury, and during the
entire passage I had very little sickness, al
though I had frequently an indescribable
sensation, feeling too well to be sick, and too
sick to be well.
Sept. 3. — Sunday. — Divine service was ap
pointed to take place in the saloon at 10 30
this morning, but in consequence of the
sea not being sufficiently calm, the intention

of having public service was abandoned.
Sept. 4 — Tiie sea was still much agitated,
and there was plenty of sea-sickness on
board. Sometimes flocks of stormy petrels,
or what are commonly known at sea as
" Mother Carey's chickens," were seen flying
about, although we were about 1,000 miles
from shore.
Sept. 5— The weather much calmer, the
deck more thronged with passengers, and
there was a general interchange of compli
ments. Every one seemed wishful to con
tribute to the happiness of the rest. What
a delightful change a few hours could accom
plish. During the storm very little conver
sation was heard, but now every one was as
loquacious as possible. We held public dis
cussions on deck, and every one who felt
disposed took part in the proceedings. As
might be expected, the leading topic was
the American war and its results. One of
the late Confederate officers was a lawyer,
and took a leading part in the discussion. A
gentleman from New Orleans, and another
from Petersburg, near Richmond, also spoke
well on the question. Much was said upon
the Personal Liberty Bill, and other points
of a kindred nature. One thing was very
observable, and that was, that those who
took the side of the Confederates never re
presented that the matter at issue between
the North and South was a tariff question.
They complained that they had not been
permitted to take their "property" any
where, and one of them instanced the fact
that on one occasion a negro nurse accom
panied his family when taking an excursion,
and he hail great difficulty in preventing her
from gaining her liberty. He also urged
that slavery was sanctioned by Scripture, and
was the happiest condition for the negro
race. 1 he question was well argued on both
sides, the discussion was conducted with
good temper, and on one or two occasions
it continued till long after sunset. On the
side of the North the American Consul
came out most boldly, defending the policy
of the United States Government with great
tenacity. His conversational powers are of
a high order, and he was listened to with
great attention. I found that the Consul
was well known in the United States, and
had been a member of Congress four years.
Sept. 6 — Had an interesting conversation
with the Consul, during which he compli
mented me for the part I took in the discus
sion on the previous evening. Subse
quently, he gave me his card, and offered,
during my stay in the United States, to
render me all the assistance in his power. I
thanked him for his kindness, although it
did not appear to me probable that his as-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

sistance would be required, During my
walks on deck I met with a Frenchman, who
intimated to me that he was not able to
speak a word in English. I undertook to
give him lessons, and in teaching him the
numerals, had considerable difficulty to
make him pronounce oorrectly the word
" one." In teaching him English [ was
cojnpelled to rub up my French, so that I
fully realised the truth —
Teaching we learn, and giving we receive.
He lent me a copy of Goldsmith's " Vicar of
Wakefield," in French, aud in looking over
the introduction Ifoundthat theworkol Oliver
Goldsmith was held in very high estimation,
for it was set before Shakespere's tragedies or
Milton's " Paradise Lost." I regarded it as
exaggerated praise, but I was nevertheless
glad to find an evidence that Goldsmith was
well liked on the continent of Europe. The
day was wet and uncomfortable, and caused
a greater number than usual to remain in
the saloon amusing themselves with chess,
draughts, cards, reading, &c.
Sept. 7. — Crossing the bank of New
foundland, and was much pleased to find
that in this foggy region the weather was
nice and clear. The intense blue colour of
the water, which is acquired by the great
depth of the ocean, is now changed to a
beautiful green, the depth of ihe water being
only about thirty or forty fathoms. The
bank is perhaps seventy miles broad, and
more than three hundred in length. We
did not see any fishing vessels, nor any
whales, but there appeared to be many
dolphins. There was much pleasant con
versation on board, and a variety of health
ful games were indulged in on the main
deck. The interest was increased by ex
citing a competitive feeling, by dividing the
company into parties. Sometimes it was
England against America, sometimes North
against South, Kentucky v. Connecticut,
Richmond v. New York, and so on. The
games were very exciting, and produced
quite a glow of animation both amongst the
performers and the spectators.
Sept. 8. — It was intended to have delivered
despatches at Cape Race, but, although only
about 18 miles distant, as the wind was con
trary, the captain decided to pursue his
course towards New York, aud thus save
time. In the evening passed a steamer
going east, supposed to be the Persia for
Liverpool. Rockets were sent up.
Sept. 9 — Beautiful weather. During the
day we sailed 312 miles. It has been a
lovely sight to behold the moon rising re-
splendantly as if from the bosom of the
deep, and, being the harvest moon, for
several evenings iu succession it has risen

nearly at the same time. The phosphoric
light marked the pathway of the ship, and
the bright constellation of golden stars
seemed to give more than usual light. We
were favoured with a beautiful exhibition of
the aurora borealis, and a splendid sight it
was. The weather also is becoming warmer
and pleasanter as we approach the Ameri
can shore. Life on deck becomes more and
more charming, and speeches aud recitations
are continued till near the midnight hour.
Sept. 10, Sunday. — The baimy soft sea
breeze is unspeakably pleasant. Met the
City of Baltimore steamship proceeding to
wards Liverpool. Attended Divine Service
in the saloon, which was crowded with per
sons from different countries — England,
India, France, Germany, America, &c.
The Church of England service was read,
and a sermon was preached by a Scotch
Presbyterian minister. He read his sermon,
and sat while he read it, although a portion
of his audience was standing around him.
He spoke with a low voice, and consequently
few could hear. Those who heard not suf
fered little loss, for a more inappropriate
discourse I never listened to ; it was a golden
opportunity thrown away, and time literally
wasted. Early in the evening there was an
interchange of rockets, and presently after
the pilot was received on board.
Sept. 1 1 . — Arrived about one o'clock this
morning off Sandy Hook, and cast anchor till
daylight. We were only about twenty miles
from New York, and when the bright beams
of the sun had dissipated the morning mist,
it disclosed some of the most lovely scenery
the eye can behold. New York bay is ex
tremely beautiful, and especially so at this
time of the year. The rich tints of autumn
had given variety of colouring to the foliage,
while the numerous villa residences on Long
Island to the right and Staten Island to the
left, furnished continually new objects for the
eye to rest upon and the mind enjoy ; New
York, with its stately houses and lofty spires,
soon presented itself to our view, and, with
out much loss of time, we were conveyed in
a tug boat to one of the piers, where custom
house officers were in attendance to inspect
our luggage. T his was a tedious operation,
and was performed with care. The expen
sive war which has just been brought to a
close has rendered heavy taxation a necessity,
and has, probably, caused custom-house
officers to be more particular than usual in
making their examinations. One gentleman
had more to pay for duty than the goods had
cost him in England. The inspection over,
1, was greeted by about twenty Jehus, each
anxious to take care of my baggage. At
length, one of them succeeded in thrusting a
card into my hand and then all the rest ceased

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

to tease me. On asking the fare to the hotel
where I intended to stay, which I knew to be
only about a mile distant, I was told it was
"five dollars. A sovereign for a ten minutes'
ride was a luxury I did not relish, and be
lieving it to be an imposition, I declined to
pay, and, ultimately, another coachman was
willing to accept two dollars and a half, which
was paid to him. New York was very full
of visitors, and the hotels much crowded.
Three dollars per day for three meals a day
and a bed was the ordinary charge ; but there
were extras to pay for which could not be
avoided, and which tended to make living in
New York very expensive. Even the shoe
blacks in the streets demanded ten cents for
polishing a pair of boots, and if done at the
hotel, the charge was still higher. Peaches
were two or three cents each, apples five
cents, and oranges twenty cents. Everything
else was dear in proportion. Took a stroll
through some of the principal streets of the
city, and was soon recognized by a person
named Seddon, who formerly lived in Lan
cashire. Passed down Fulton-street, where
William Cobbett, formerly M. P. for Oldham,
once kept a seed shop. In the evening, went
over to Brooklyn. On arriving at the East
River Ferry, I passed into the ladies' waiting
room. American gentlemen are supposed to
be very gallant towards the ladies, and it was
preferable to sit with the latter, because, in
the first place, no smoking was allowed in
there apartnient ; and, in the second place,
there was a printed notice in the room re
questing gentlemen, out of respect for the
ladies, not to spit on the floor. After wait
ing as I supposed for the steamer to arrive to
take me across the river, I was surprised to
find that I had already nearly accomplished
the voyage. What I took to be waiting rooms
were, in fact, a portion of a huge floating
palace, the middle area of which was devoted
to the accommodation of carriages of all
sorts. By this arrangement gentlemen in the
city riding in their own carriages can cross
the broad river without ever leaving their
seats. Sept. 12. — My first impressions respecting
New York were not of the most favourable
character. I expected to find Broadway as
throng, busy, and bustling, as the corner of
St. Paul's, or Fleet-street, and the Strand,
London , whereas it was not near so busy as
Market- street, Manchester. True, Broadway
is several miles in extent, and this ought to
be taken into consideration when forming
comparisons. There is no uniformity in any
thing. Its architectural appearance is not of
a commanding character, the houses present
ing every variety of elevation. Many of the
streets of New York are exceedingly dirty
and ill-paved, yet I was assured by a citizen

that the cost of cleansing them was double
the amount paid in Manchester. This I can
readily conceive to be the case, when the
difference in the price of labour is taken into
consideration. The cost of cleansing the
streets of New York is 498,300 dols. a year,
yet many of the streets are an inch thick in
unctuous mud, and many persons do not
hesitate to declare that it is the filthiest city
in America. The olfactory nerves are fre
quently disgusted with a most horrible stench.
Stagnant water, broken pavement, decaying
fruit, rotten vegetables, dirty gutters, offen
sive garbage, death-breeding filth, and masses
of putrid decomposing substances present
themselves to the view with most loath
some prominence in the poorer and more
neglected portions of the city. None but eye
witnesses would be prepared to believe that
in this wealthy city, where millionaires spring
up like mushrooms, there may be found crazy
tenements affording miserable shelter to six
or even sixteen families a-piece. Yet such
is certainly a fact, and if the cholera, which is
now traversing Europe with a fearful stride,
were to visit this continent, death would hold
a carnival at New York. In the streets there
is not only apparent a great amount of filth
but also a great deal of slovenliness. It is as
if the occupiers of the different stores had
obtained a license to convert the footpath, and
even a portion of the carriage way, into a
warehouse for their goods, for almost every
where may be seen baskets, boxes, bales, and
barrels, and a multitude of heterogeneous
packages piled together in a confused heap,
obstructing foot passengers and vehicles to a
considerable extent, ln Manchester private
interest has to give way to public convenience,
but in New York the reverse is the case, or
at least so it appears to me. Went to Sing
Sing, in Winchester county, where there is a
state prison containing 1,000 cells. The pri
soners earn a subsistence by working in the
marble quarries, which are very extensive,
and the marble is of an excellent quality.
Even the prison workshops are built of mar
ble. Sing Sing is a most picturesque spot.
Went to Croton, about thirty-six miles from
New York. Near this place are the exten
sive waterworks by which New York
is supplied with water of a very pure
quality, and in great plentiness. Went to
Peekskill, a picturesque village, on the
eastern bank of the River Hudson, forty-
three miles from New York. Two gentlemen
from Western Pennsylvania, both of whom
were barristers, arrived at the same time.
Their object was to have an interview with
Dr. Grant, an eminent horticulturist, who
had paid great attention to the cultivation of
the grape vine. It is supposed that there
are about 5,000 different varieties of grapes

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

in America, and it has been found by culture
that the Catawba grape, which was formerly
held in high repute, is not the best for table.
purposes, the Isabella having superseded it.
The gentlemen to whom I have already
alluded took so deep an interest in the culti
vation of the vine that they had come all the
way from Western Pennsylvania in order that
by**personal observation their knowledge
might be increased. One of them (Mr.
Richards) made me promise that if at all
convenient I would pay him a visit before I
left the country. West Point is only about
seven miles distant, and is chiefly noted for
its military academy, which was established
here more than 60 years ago. It was here
where General Lee, late commander of the
Confederate army at Richmond, was edu
cated. General Grant, and other celebrated
military men connected with the United
States army, received their military training
here Sept. 12 — My chief objectin visiting Peeks-
kill was to have an interview with the Rev.
Henry Ward Beecher, with whom 1 had
become slightly acquainted during his recent
tour in England. He is minister of Ply
mouth Church, Brooklyn, but as he has a
farm at Peekskill, it forms a very convenient
retreat from city life, where he can rusticate
at pleasure. His house is beautifully situ
ated on the slope of a hill which commands
a view of the river Hudson, and is about 3
miles distant by the high road, but measur
ing, as the crow flies, much less. I found
Mr. Beecher suffering from opthalmia, to
which he is periodically subject. He was
nevertheless cheerful, affable, and communi
cative. Amongst other topics we conversed
about the war of independence over 80 years
ago, when Arnold, one of the American
generals, became a traitor with the intention
of delivering West Point and the Peekskill
district into the power of the English ; but
the scheme turned out a miserable failure,
although Arnold received £10,000 for his
complicity. Mr. Beecher told me that only
ten days before my visit a cannon ball was
dug up on his farm, which had probably re
mained there undisturbed for more than
eighty years.
Sept. 1 3. — Visited the Central Park, which
is supposed to be one of the largest parks in
the world, containing more than 840 acres.
The attractions consist of the old arsenal
buildings, parade ground, botanical gardens
vista rock, &c. The pedestrian will here
find plenty of scope for exercise, the walks
extending over twenty-one miles. The bridle
paths are five miles in extent, and the car
riage drives nine miles. I considered it a
very great defect that there should be al

most an entire absence of floral decoration
in the park. This is the spot for loungers
to visit, and thousands upon thousands
take advantage of it. Here may be seen
persons driving in almost all kinds of ve
hicles, whether the Wide World, Legion
Gem, Pride of the South, Queen's Phaeton,
Jocelyn No Top, Gipsy Top, Georgia, Cane
Side Buggy, City No Top, Sporting Wagon,
Tontine Top, Excelsior, French Jump Seat,
World's Fair Buggy, Montgomery Top, Flor
ence, Imperial, Premium, Mobile, Eureka,
Antique, Park, Victoria Buggy, Plantation,
Medium, Cut Under, Farmer's Buggy, Cash,
Student, New Orleans, Barouche, Quinh-
piack, Road Sulky, Whitney, Boston Chaise,
Gazelle, Champion, Jagger, Dayton Bret,
Crescent, Cabriolet, Slide, Coupe Rockaway,
Spring Coach, Hamilton, Lawrence, Crane
Neck, Livery, Shifting Front, Panel Quarter,
Brewster Calash, Fall Scroll, Charriottee,
Houston, Continental, Dog Cart, German-
town, Yorktown, Loop Calash, Brougham,
Alabama, Turn Over, Perch, and other kinds
of carriage peculiar to the United States.
Sept. 14. — Being anxious to see every
thing which is newly brought out by the
inventive genius of America, I called at the
Tribune office to ask if any composing
machine was in use in New York. I was
immediately conducted upstairs, where I saw
the machine in operation. Many persons in
England have au objection to the introduction
of labour-saving machinery, believing thatits
tendency is to lower the rate of wages paid
to working men. I entertain a different
opinion, for there has been more machinery
introduced into England during the last fifty
years than has been the case in any previous
century, yet wages are higher now than they
ever were before. I have faith in the "good
time coming," and hail with pleasure every
new invention which can be made serviceable
to man. No person can consistently argue
against the use of machinery, unless he be
willing to throw away his garden spade and
scratch mother-earth with his finger nails.
On entering the room where the machine
was in operation, I saw a young lady in a
black silk dress, white muslin jacket, gold
rings on her fingers, hair dressed up in the
most fashionable style, and everything about
her person as neat and prim as if she had only
just stepped out of the drawing room. She
was engaged in setting up a leading article
which had to appear in the New York Tri
bune on the following day. The machine
only occupies a small amount of space, and
is composed entirely of iron, steel, silver, and
brass. By a wonderful contrivance it sets
up aud distributes type with a degree of ac
curacy never before attained. The operator

8

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

stands before a key board on which are 154
keys, with silver-plated heads, resembling
the concertina, and these embrace the Ro
man upper and lower cases, small capitals,
italics, double letters, numerals, punctuations,
signs, and spaces. The main wheel revolves
upon friction rollers, and upon its circumfer
ence are 36 conveyors, every one of whioh
attends to setting up type; and as each con
veyor possesses nine moveable polished steel
fingers, there are in the whole 512 different
combinations,although only 154 are necessary
to set up every type. The operator has only to
read the manuscript and touch the key at the
same time, and he acquires such facility with
practice that he is able to accumulate signals
on the register wheel in advance of the de
livery, yet no evil result follows, for a bell
informs him when he ought to rest, and the
machine continues to deliver with all the cer
tainty of a fixed law. Eight revolutions of
the wheel per minute is considered a slow
movement, yet at this speed the machine
would set up and distribute more than 73,000
characters in ten hours. The inventor of the
machine was himself a compositor, and after
spending twenty years and £8,000 in experi
menting upon and bringingit to its present
state of perfection, his physical frame yielded
to the exhaustive power of anactive intellect
and he died without receiving the reward of
his labours.
Sept. 15. — Went to Central Park, near
the centre of which is Croton Lake Reser
voir. The waterworks by which New York
is supplied with water are of a costly and
extensive character. Tbe receiving reser
voir has capacity sufficient for 150,000,000
of gallons. The cost of the works was over
£2,500,000. The repairs alone during the
last year amounted to nearly £4,000. The
water is conveyed nearly forty miles. The
new reservoir in the Ceutral Park, when
completed, will be a model for engineering
and architectural skill. An immense sum
will have to be expended before the water
works of New York and Brooklyn will be
completed. Sept, 16. — Visited Plymouth Church,
Brooklyn, where the Rev. H. W. Beecher
officiates. Externally it is a plain edifice
entirely unadorned by Grecian columns, but
internally all its appointments are a model
combination of beauty and utility. The
sittings will accommodate 2,500 persons, but
when the church is crowded, as it generally
is, about 3,000 persons are present. In each
aisle I observed an arrangement which was
quite new to me. In order to economise
space chairs were placed in the aisles, but in
such a manner that almost in the twinkling
of an eye they can be opened out or shut up

at pleasure. It is the invention of one of
the seat-holders, and has already been
patented. The pews in the church are sold
annually by auction, the pastor's pew alone
being excepted from the sale. The receipts
last year amounted to nearly 40,000 dollars.
Mr. Beecher's salary is 12,500 dollars, and
the rest of the money is devoted to other
purposes. Connected with the church is a
lecture-hall, capable of accommodating 700
persons. A room is also devoted to the use
of the ladies of the congregation, in which
tbey assemble to make garments for the poor.
During the war many garments were made
and sold, the proceeds of which were de
voted to the relief of sick soldiers. There
is also a tea-room and other useful appliances.
The Sunday school will accommodate about
1,000 children. I never previously entered
a school possessing such beautiful arrange
ments. An ornamental fountain occupied
the centre of the room, the water of which
played almost in a noiseless manner, and, in
summer time must prove very cooling and
refreshing. Each class is semi-circular in
form, and the seats permanently fixed, giving
the teacher entire command of his class.
The teacher's seat is so arranged that it forms
a box to contain the books. Each class has
a silk banner, on which is inscribed a suitable
motto ; the banners are used on festive occa
sions At one end of the room was a beau
tiful painting which cost 1,500 dollars, and
was the gift of the Rev. H. W. Beecher.
There is also a memorial likeness of a young
man named Wheeler, who formerly took an
active part in the school, but when eighteen
years of age he went to the war and was
killed on the battle field. There are private
rooms for the teachers and scholars, so that,
when desirable the teaching can be carried
on in sections. There is also an organ, and
every other requisite for conducting service.
This was the first time I ever entered a Sun
day school, the floor of which was beautifully
carpeted throughout its whole extent. On
going down stairs under the church, I found
a person making a great fire under a locomo
tive boiler. I asked him if that was the way
he warmed the church, and he replied, " No
sir, this is the way I cool it." A further ex
planation showed that a steam engine was
about to be erected under the church for the
purpose of working a blowing apparatus, by
which the church will be thoroughly ventil
ated. Perhaps in a country where tbe
weather is exceedingly hot in "summer, and
epecially when there are crowded congrega
tions, it may be highly necessary for health
that more than ordinary means should be
adopted to secure a continual current of
fresh air. The apparatus is a patent iuven-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

9

tion, aud Mr. Beecher's church is the first in
America where this mode of ventilation has
been adopted,
Sept. 17, Sunday. — Went to Plymouth
Church, Brooklyn, which was crowded in
every part. The church had been closed two
Sundays in consequence of Mr. Beecher's
absence. It would be accounted strange in
England for a place of worship to be closed
merely because the minister was absent ; but
on inquiry I was told that the congregation
did not wish to have a stranger to preach,
and, therefore, it was not unusual for the
place to be closed a few weeks when Mr.
Beecher was absent. I think I never heard
better congregational singing than I heard
here, for all the people seemed to
join most heartily. During the discourse
which followed the most marked attention
was given ; especially when Mr. Beecher was
speaking of the dignity of man as an immor
tal being, there was such a stillness that one
might almost have heard a pin drop between
the sentences. It was sacrament day, and
persons of all religious denominations were
invited to partake of the Lord's supper, and
a great many accepted the invitation, the
body of the church being nearly full of
people. In a conversation I had with Mr.
Beecher, he gave me a little advice about
taking care of my health, and expressed his
conviction that I should get along very well
in America. In his dress Mr. Beecher did
not appear to be very parsonic, while wearing
a gray bat, black necktie and white waistcoat.
I, however, liked him none the worse for
this, for it was an evidence to me that his
mind had soared far beyond all such puerili
ties. In the evening 1 went to the Church
of All Souls (Unitarian), corner of Fourth
Avenue and Twentieth-street, to hear the
Rev. Dr. Bellows, a minister of great ability,
and judging from his discourse, he possesses
much Christian feeling. The church is
very splendid, and apparently the congre
gation is very wealthy. Towards the'* close
of the service a hymn was sung, commen
cing " Guide me, O thou great Jehovah." I
never heard the hymn sung in such a
beautiful style before. It was not congre
gational singing, for no one took part in
it except the choir, and what appeared to
me most strange was the fact that it was
sung in solo and chorus. Such delicious
voices I thought I had never heard before.
The tones were so happily blended, and the
harmony was so completely enrapturing,
that the music sounded in my ears for se
veral days after.
Sept. 18. — During my stay in New York
I visited various institutions in different parts
of the city. In passing along Third Avenue

my attention was called to a pear tree grow
ing at the corner of Thirteenth-street, which
was imported from Holland in the year 1647,
and although considerably more than 200
years old, it is still flourishing. Apparently
special means have been adopted for the
preservation of this patriarchal tree, which
was originally planted in Mr. Stuyvesant's
garden, during the time that he was Gover
nor of New York. — Saw the Cooper Institute,
a large erection devoted to the moral, in
tellectual, and physical improvement of the
people. It was built by Mr. Peter Cooper,
at a cost of £60,000, and the public are ad
mitted to the library, reading-rooms, &c,
without payment of any fees. What adds to
the value of such munificence is the fact that
Mr. Cooper is still living to witness the bene
fits resulting from his benevolence. He did
not, as too many persons do, leave his pro
perty to pious uses when he could retain
possession of it no longer. — Visited the City
Hall, a large erection principally of white
marble. Here the municipal business is
transacted. A large hall is at present in
course of erection immediately in the rear of
the City Hall, which will have no wood used
in its construction. The walls are of white
marble, the internal fittings are to be of iron,
and the floors of pottery. A monument of
Washington in the park in front of the City
Hall had no inscription upon it. Silence, in
this instance, was more expressive than any
language could be, as it would convey the
impression that all persons were capable of
recognising the features of Washington.
Sept. 19 — Went to Jersey City, Hudson
City, and Hoboken. In descending a steep
hill, the spirited horses went at a rapid rate,
and the car getting off the track, proceeded
down a sloping bank with considerable ve
locity, the passengers expecting every mo
ment that the car would be upset. Fortu
nately it was brought to a stand, the pas
sengers alighted, and with the exception of
a little delay in regaining the track no harm
followed. Sept. 20. — Newspapers in New York have
a large circulation, although not so large as
is generally supposed in England. I endea
voured to get reliable information on the
subject, and the following was the result of
my enquiries : —
The New York Herald, daily  70,000 copies.
The New York Herald, weekly, from 7,000 to 10,000 „
The Aew York Tribune, daily  44,000 „
The New York Tribune, semi-weekly ... 35,000 „
The New York Tribune, weekly  157,000 „
The New York Times, daily  44,000 „
The New York Times, semi-weekly  5,000 „
The New York Times, weekly  15,000 „
The New York World, daily  28,000 „
Th e New York World, weekly  40,000 „
T he New York News, daily  8,000 „

10

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

The New York News, weekly  5,000 copies.
The Independent (Congregational) weekly, 45,000 „
The Observer (Presbyterian) i weekly ... 25,000
The Evangelist (Presbyterian, New School), weekly,
15,000 copies.
The Christian Advocate and Journal (Methodist) weekly,
35,000 copies.
The Examiner and Chronicle (Baptist), weekly, 26,000
copies.
The circulation of the different news
papers would no doubt be much affected by
the late war. For instance, the circulation
of the New York Tribune (weekly) rose to
237,000 copies. The New York Daily News
having advocated the cause of the south, its
circulation in Richmond was nearly as large
as it was in New York. Advertisements in
American newspapers are charged for at a
much higher rate than they would be in Eng
land. For instance, an advertisement in the
weekly issue of the New York Tribune for
one insertion is charged from 4s. to 6s. per
line, according to the place in the paper in
which it was to appear. I was quite asto
nished to see people come to the office and
pay at this rate as cheerfully as possible,
without any bargaining whatever, for it
seemed to be an understood thing that if the
advertisement appeared it must be paid for
at the rate already named.
New York presents a scene of continual
bustle and change. At the hotel where I
staid one could no sooner become acquanted
with a person than he was off like a bird of
passage no one knew where. Every day
persons were leaving for different parts of
the Union, and every day fresh arrivals came.
On one day I counted no fewer than eighty-
five new visitors. The hotel is constantly
open, never being closed either by night or
by day the week round. On entering, the
visitor registers his name and address, and
if he happen to be travelling without luggage
he will be expected to pay in advance ; but
if he have luggage the hotel bill will be made
out once a week, or earlier, should his time
be more limited. A key will be given to him,
with label attached, having the number of
the room he is to occupy, and it is well for
the visitor to see that his room is alwavs
locked when he leaves it, for in an hotel
where hundreds of people go in and out
during the day, if anything be lost it will be
almost impossible to trace it out. The dining
hall would seat about one hundred and
twenty at table, and however full it might
seem to be, like stuffing a carpet bag, there
was always room, for more. I soon discovered
the reason. The Americans will take a little
soup, a little fish, a little fowl, a little flesh,
a little pie, pudding, custard, tart, peach,
&c, and almost as soon as one could say
Jack Robinson they have gulped it all
down, or left large fragments on their plates,

and away they go, and others come without
ceremony to take their places. As I like to
have sufficient time to masticate my food, I
generally found that three Americans could
dine in succession before I had finished my
repast. Nearly twenty negroes were in at
tendance as waiters, and nothing could ex
ceed the gracefulness with which they re
moved the chairs for visitors to sit down. One
of the darkies seemed quite elated when he
informed me that he was present at Fort
Sumter when the Union flag was raised, and
then, turning with glee the white of his eye,
and exposing a set of beautiful white teeth,
he said he really believed that they would
not have been able to raise the flag if he had
not been present.
Went this day to New Haven, the semi-
capital of the state of Connecticut. The
day was beautifully fine, and the land and
sea views were splendid. I have often heard
people speak disparagingly of the English
railway carriages after having travelled in
the American cars, and I remember when
on board the steamer this was one of the
subjects discussed ; and when I mentioned
what Dr. Mackay had said about the Ameri
can cars, several persons laughed outright,
and said I should find it quite different from
what Dr. Mackay had represented. So far
as my present experience is concerned, I
think the balance of advantage is on the
side of America. The carriages are well
lighted, comfortably cushioned, aud, as the
passenger can walk from one end of the
train to another, if the company in one car
riage be not such as he wishes to associate
with he can take his seat in another. The
carriages are eminently adapted for the con
venience of social parties. In warm weather,
a person keeps passing from one end of the
train to the other carrying in one hand a
bright metal kettle filled with ioe-water, and
in the other a kind of cruet stand on which
are fixed tumbler glasses, so that passengers
may have a cooling draught at pleasure.
Booksellers and others use the cars for the
disposal of their wares, and .appear to drive
a flourishing business. The periodical dea
lers distribute their magazines amongst the
passengers, and after a little time they col
lect them in again, and if any passenger
wishes to retain the one in his possession he
pays the usual price for it. By this means
a great amount of periodical literature is
brought into circulation.— On arrival at New
Haven, I proceeded to the house of an old
friend who had been m America more than
IZ yJZS\ tWa$ suome^at surprising
that although more than a quarter of I
century had elapsed since we had seen each
other, and no communication had passed

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

11

between us, I was recognised and made wel
come with the greatest cordiality. The
grape-gathering had taken place that day,
and the hops had been spread to dry, so that
my arrival was just at the time of harvest.
Sept. 21. — New Haven is considered by
many persons to be the prettiest city in the
United States, and this is j ust the time to
see fPin its loveliest aspect. It is situate on
the northerly shore of a fine broad bay, ex
tending about four miles from Long Island
Sound. The harbour is spacious and con
venient, and vessels ply between Albany,
New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Barbadoes,
and the Windward Islands. The population
of the city is about 50,000, having doubled
during the last ten years. Rows of magni
ficent elm trees grow on the sides of the
streets, forming quiet shaded avenues,
which call forth expressions of admira
tion from all beholders. It has long
been known as the " City of Elms," and
some describe it as the " Garden of New
England." The private palatial residences
have an air of quiet comfort, ample space,
rural and architectural elegance, and horti
cultural adornment, such as few cities
possess. The classic groves and shades of
Yale College, the pleasant surrounding
parks and avenues, and the interesting
scenery which continually opens to the view,
afford glimpses of beauty calculated to give
a new impulse to the cultivation of taste.
Amongst its literary institutions, Yale Col
lege stands first in rank. It is said that it is
the principal university of America. The
late war has, however, affected it most seri
ously, for a very large proportion of the stu
dents formerly came from the Southern States,
and now they are almost entirely withdrawn.
I have heard it said that this withdrawal has
had a beneficial effect with respect to the
good order of the city, for many of the
students from the South were very rude and
boisterous. On one occasion a number of
them indulged in a lark by taking down
during the night some of the signboards
belonging to different tradesmen and bring
ing them to the college, where they com
menced chopping them up for firewood.
The incensed tradesmen went to demand
their signs ; but there is a college rule that
no student is to be disturbed during prayer,
and taking advantage of this rule, one of
the students commenced praying aloud while
the others went on with their work of de
struction. In this prayer he was heard to
say : — " A wicked and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign
be given unto it, but the sign of the Prophet
Jonas." The college edifices are built very

much in the factory style, and have very
little of architectural adornment ; but there
is now in course of erection, in connection
with the college, a building which is de
nominated "The School of Fine Arts," which
will be a most costly and splendid edifice.
The library contains about 72,000 volumes.
— Visited the State House, &c.
Sept. 22. — Visited the Connecticut Iron
Works, and examined a new sort of steam
engine called a " Cast Iron Grasshopper."
Its peculiarity is that, instead of a perpen
dicular piston rod it works on the principle
of folding doors. The engine is twenty
horses' power, and only occupies three feet
square. It is quite a new invention, this
being ihe only one completed, and a patent
has already been obtained for it. The per
son who invented it is not a mechanic, but a
bookkeeper, and he has sold his patent right
for 10,000 dollars. Saw the Music Hall, a
splendid buildirjg, and one peculiarity of it
is that the gas is lighted by electricity, so
that the lighting up of the entire building
is only the work of a moment. Visited the
United States College of Business and Fi
nance, in which are taught penmanship,
bookkeeping, arithmetic, grammar, business
correspondence, spelling and defining, com
mercial definitions, commercial law, for
warding and commission business, insurance
business, banking business, telegraphing,
architectural drawing, -surveying, navigation,
French, German, &c. The instuction is
communicated in the most practical manner,
thus eminently fitting young men for the ac
tive duties of life. In addition to the above,
instructions are given to advanced students
with respect to railroad, express, and steam
boat business, algebra, geography, science of
government, custom house business, science
of accounts, Spanish language, vocal and in
strumental music.oil painting, crayon sketch
ing, &c. Certificates of competency are
given to those who successfully pass the or
deal of examination. A sound theoretical
and good preparatory business experience
are secured by the method of instruction here
adopted. Care is taken to secure religious
and moral excellence in connection with in
tellectual culture. I am not aware of any
similar establishment in England, nor, in
deed, anything which is analogous to it. To
enter the college when the students are en
gaged is like entering a miniature world of
mercantile traffic, where strict discipline im
parts business habits, and a full development
of character is almost infallibly secured.
Nor are the advantages of such an institu
tion confined to the sterner sex, for the ladies
are provided-with a system of instruction as

12

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

comprehensive as that of the gentlemen, and
in the telegraphing department they are even
supposed to excel, great proficiency being
generally obtained in about three or four
months. Education for the young and the
middle-aged in America is at the present
time exciting an interest which was probably
unknown before, and must ultimately be at
tended with results materially affecting the
destinies of this great country.
Sept. 23. — Sometimes, since my arrival in
this country, I have put questions to people
relative to certain states in the American
Union, and it has appeared as if I had been
putting questions relative to a foreign land.
It is not surprising that this should be the case
when the vast area of the United States is taken
into consideration. The great extent of some
of the States in the Union is rendered more
obvious by comparison. Ohio exceeds either
Ireland, or Scotland, or Portugal ; and equals
Belgium, Scotland, and Switzerland together.
Missouri is more than half as large as Italy, and
larger than Denmark, Holland, Belgium,
and Switzerland. Missouri and Illinois are
larger than England, Scotland, Ireland, and
Wales. Sept. 24, Sunday. — Attended the first
Baptist Church, and. heard an interesting
discourse by Dr. Phelps, his subject being
"The Gospel Feast.'' In the afternoon,
heard Dr. Cleaveland, of the Third Con
gregational Society. This society is known
here as the " Blue-skin Puritans." The
church is large, and respectably attended.
This was the day for the dedication of dea
cons, which was done by the laying on of
hands in the presence of the whole congre
gation. Dr. Cleaveland delivered a most
appropriate discourse on the occasion, his
text being, " They that have used the office
of a deacon well purchase for themselves a
good degree."— Visited the City Cemetery
in which are deposited the remains of many
eminent men, including Webster, the lexi
cographer. The monuments were chiefly of
white marble, and some of the sculptured
representations were of a most beautiful
description. In this graveyard I observed,
for the* first time, inserted in the monumen
tal headstone a photograph of the deceased.
I thought this was a most excellent plan of
rendering permanent the shadow when the
substance was gone.
Sept. 25. — Planted a vine in commemora
tion of my birthday. It was of the Isabella
variety, which is now considered to be the
best grape cultivated in the United States.
In the afternoon, went to West Rock, a bold
rocky eminence, 400 feet high, which gives
a commanding view of the city, harbour,

lighthouse, Long Island Sound, &c. The
day was splendidly fine, and the views were
of an exquisite character. In this locality
are still visible the remains of entrenchments
thrown up by the Americans during the re
volutionary war, to resist the advance of the
English under General Garth. Hamilton
Park, in this vicinity, has been handsomely
arranged, the grounds inside the racecourse
having been excavated, so as to form a skat
ing pond, the water being forced into it from
the river by means of a steam pump. Near
this place also is the workhouse, which is
very different from a workhouse in England,
which is only such by name, while at New
Haven it is a reality. The workhouse re
ceives all persons who are in a condition of
indigence, but, if capable, they are required
to work, and at the present time the inmates
earn the entire cost of the establishment, so
that it has ceased to be a charitable institu
tion. I visited the Judge's Cave, which is
in a secluded part of the forest. The place
possesses historical interest, inasmuch as
General Edward Whalley, and General Wil
liam Goffe, two of the judges whose names
were affixed to the warrant for the execution
of King Charles the I., took up their resi
dence in this cave after the Restoration.
They arrived at New Haven in the spring
of 1661; and to protect their friends from the
charge of having harboured regicides, they
took up their abode in this gloomy cave,
which was formed by three huge boulders,
but it is now much different to what it was
formerly, for, during a thunderstorm, the
electric fluid struck the centre rock, and pro
duced a great change. There are, however,
fissures sufficiently open for people to pass
in and out. A party of Royalists arrived
from England with an order to arrest the
judges, but by means of concealment the
order was never executed.
Sept. 26. — Went to Neck Bridge, on the
Mill River, which derived its name from the
fact that some of the regicides escaped de
tection by wading up to the neck in water.
Visited Mr. Read's Garden, where there were
excellentgrapes, melons, pumpkins, and a
great variety of fruits and flowers not grown
in England. There was not so much labour
bestowed on the gardens here as is generally
the case in Lancashire, nor do they appear
to be as tastefully laid out. Mr. Read's gar
den is fifteen acres in extent, yet there are
only four men employed in its cultivation,
and as vegetation is here very rapid, it is ut
terly impossible for four men to keep down
weeds and have the grounds in excellent
condition. I was shown soma. Indian corn
which was only planted in July, and now had

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

13

attained a height of from six to eight feet.
There were some beautiful humming birds
flying about, and culling honey from the
flowers. Large and beautiful butterflies, the
wings of which displayed the most splendid
colours conceivable, were flying about in all
directions. There was very little difference in
the size between the small humming birds and
the lfrge butterflies. In the evening was invited
to visit a neighbour. It is quite usual here
if an Englishman comes into the locality for
him to be invited to pay visits, and a pleasant
interchange of conversation generally follows.
Biscuit and wine were handed round, and a
lively conversation, interspersed with vocal
and instrumental music, occupied the re
mainder of the evening. On returning
home, mine host asked me what I thought
of the comfort of working men's homes in
America, and assured me that the person at
whose house we had spent the evening was
a working man. I thought that the homes
of working men in America were much more
comfortable than the homes of working
men in England. Mine host, who had had
twenty years' experience of America, fully
concurred in that opinion.
Sept. 27. — Witnessed a great fire-engine
display. Fire insurance is quite an institu
tion in America, and everything relating to
it excites general interest. Bands of music
and a procession, in which the different
companies ot the fire brigade, dressed in
uniform, appeared, accompanied by their
brightly burnished engines, their fire-escapes,
hose carriages, and everything relating to
fire department, caused a general stir in the
city, and it seemed to be quite a holiday occa
sion. The fire-engines are what they are re
presented to be, for they are worked by
steam power. Each engine only requires
three men to attend to it at one time. The
following is the routine : — Three men are
constantly kept night and day ready at any
moment for action. The horses are on the
spot, and almost in a moment they are
ready to start for the place whence the alarm
issued. Highly combustible materials are
ready for ignition, and in a few minutes
(generally before it reaches the place where
it has to be employed), the steam-engine is
ready for work, and the mode of action is so
perfect that it not only pours a continuous
flow of water upon the fire, but it gives di
rection signals, so that one mind secures as
much unanimity of action as can be obtained
by a skillful general on the field of battle.
Nothing can exceed the perfection of the
arrangements, and it was quite a treat to
witness the various manoeuvres. Water
was forced by steam power to a great altitude

against the spire of one of the tall churches
in the city. A silver trumpet was publicly
presented te one of the companies present.
Probably, in a country where fires are fre
quent, it has been found necessary to dis
cipline the fire brigade in such a manner that
the greatest amount of power might be
brought to bear in a very limited
time. In the short period that I have been
in this city a number of fires have occurred,
and a piano manufactory, which equals in
size the generality off cotton factories in
England, still exhibits its blackened ruins
produced by a conflagration.
Sept. 28. — This evening went to a
" Surprise Party." This is a designation
which is probably new to English ears, and
therefore it is necessary to explain. When a
couple get married and commence house
keeping, the neighbours agree to pay a visit,
but keep it a perfect secret to the parties
themselves. I was invited to the house, but
was strictly enjoined not to reveal the secret.
After I had conversed with the good lady of
the house and her husband a considerable
time, a rap was heard at the door, and pre
sently were ushered in more than fifty per
sons all masked, and attired in the most
fantastic dresses imaginable. Amongst the
rest, one, I observed, was a ghost of large
dimensions, but without head. The dressing
of the ghost had evidently been a work which
required great care, the upper portion of the
body being pillowed up in such a manner as
to add considerably to the stature. A small
aperture was left sufficiently large for one
eye to be able to see all that was going on.
Then, as if the ghost-like whiteness was to
be brought into striking contrast, the negro,
as black as black can be, makes his appear
ance on the scene. As it was completely a
masquerade, youth could be made to repre
sent the feebleness of age, and age could re
present the agility of youth. Ladies took
for the nonce the dsess of the gentlemen,
and gentlemen assumed the attire of the
ladies, not even excepting the crinoline.
The transformation was so complete that the
family did not know who were their, guests,
nor did the guests know each other. Every
thing was carried on in dumb show, but
there was evidently much prying to discover
the real persons, whose identity had become
obscured by the masks and strange dresses
in which they appeared. After some time
the masquerade closed, the parties retiring
to a dressing room, and on their return
there was a cordial greeting. They then pro
ceeded to the supper room, where a plen
teous repast was provided, consisting of beef,
custards, pies, &c. All the glasses on the

14

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

table were filled with water, and I was told
that it was never customary on such occa
sions to have any intoxicating liquor. It
ought to be stated that, as it could not be
expected that persons would be prepared to
entertain, with becoming hospitality, so
large a party without previous notice, a few
of the guests made the necessary provision.
Supper being over, the rest of the evening
was spent in lively conversation, and vocal
and instrumental music. In New Haven,
almost every house possesses its piano, har
monium or melodeon, and as vocal music
forms part of the instruction imparted at
public schools, the consequence is that in
almost every miscellaneous party there will
be found persons having a cultivated taste
for music. The songs were chiefly of a pa
triotic character, among which was the fol
lowing, called THE PRISONER'S HOPE.
In the prison cell I sit,
Thinking, mother dear, of you,
And our bright and happy home, so far away ;
And the tears they fill my eyes,
Spite of all that I can do,
Tho' I try to cheer my comrades and be gay.
Tramp, tramp, tramp ! the boys are marching ;
Cheer up, comrades ! they will come,
And beneath the starry flag
We shall breathe the air again
Of the free land in our beloved home,
Chorus : Tramp, tramp ! &c.
In the battle-front we stood
When their fiercest charge they made,
And they swept us off, a hundred men or more ;
But before we reached their lines
They were beaten back dismayed,
And we heard the cry of victory, o'er and o'er.
Tramp, tramp, tramp ! &c.
So within the prison cell,
We are waiting for the day
That shall come to open wide the iron door :
And the hollow eye grows bright,
And the poor heart almost gay,
As we think of seeing home and friends once more.
Tramp, tramp, tramp ! &c.
Some of the company were members of the
" Mendelssohn Society," a concert party of
considerable repute, and the song was beau
tifully sung. Another song which was in
troduced was the following : —
We're tenting to-night on the old camp ground,
Give us a song to cheer
Our weary hearts, a song of home,
And friends we love so dear.

Many are the hearts that are weary to-night.
Wishing for the war to cease,
Many are the hearts looking for the right,
To see the dawn of peace.
Tenting to-night, tenting to-night,
Tenting on the ol&'camp ground.
We've been tenting to-night on the old campground,
Thinking of days gone by,
Of the lov'd ones at home that gave us the hand,
And the tear that said good bye.

We are tired of war on the old camp ground,
Many are dead and gone ;
Of the brave and true who've left their homes,
Others been wounded long.
We've been fighting to-day on the old camp ground,
Many are lying near ;
Some are dead, and some are dying,
Many are in tears.
Towards the midnighthour the party broke up,
congratulating each other about the happy
meeting which had taken place. I inquired
if it never happened that persons on being
visited in such an unceremonious manner,
were highly displeased, and 1 was assured
that so far from being offended on account
of the liberty which was taken, the parties
visited always regarded it as the highest mark
of honour which the neighbourhood could
confer. America is the country for social
convivial parties, especially in the winter
season. Perhaps the extreme coldness of
the atmosphere gives a zest for indoor
amusements, which is not felt in an equal de
gree in milder climates. There is what is
termed the " husking bee," a party which is
formed at the corn harvest when the husk
has to be taken from the cob. The work
being completed, they all sit down to supper,
and after this, the evening is spent with
music and rustic games. Nothing can ex
ceed tlie conviviality of such occasions, and
they are always anticipated with the greatest
pleasure. In addition to the "husking bee,"
there is also the " carpet bee," the " quilting
bee," and other sorts of " bee," the general
effect of such gatherings being to promote an
excellent feeling one towards another
throughout the neighbourhood. An instance
occurred however, which had quite a contrary
effect. Some of the parlour games are pre
cisely such as are common in England, but
there are others which are purely of Ameri
can origin, and amongst others is a game
called "marriage." It happened that a
young man amorously disposed towards a
young lady made offers of love which met no
tender response. His ardent attachment
abated not a jot in consequence of the slights
which he received, and, as it was impossible
to accomplish his object by fair means, he
determined to be successful by means of a
mischievous hoax. A " bee " took place, at
which both parties were present, and when
the game of "marriage " was played, he
and his loved one were most conspicuous
for he performed the part of the bache
lor and she the spinster. No interrup
tion to the general mirthfulness of the oc
casion took place until the party broke
up, and then he insisted that she should
accompany him home as his wife. She
laughed at his proposal, regarding what had

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

15

taken place as a mere piece of fun. He de
clared that the marriage was real, and not a
fiction, and in proof thereof called the person
who had performed the ceremony, who as
serted that he was arlawyer and was perfectly
competent to legalise such an event. The
young woman, finding that the case was
assuming a serious aspect, began to cry
bittWly, and implored that what had taken
place should only be regarded as a jest.
Her admirer, however, was in earnest, and
as there appeared to be no way of escape,
she accompanied him home and became
his wife. Her parents turned their hacks
upon her ; the marriage was an unhappy
one, and after she had given birth to two chil
dren her husband deserted her. She endured
much privation and suffering, but ultimately,
on her parents learning the true state of the
case from the representations of a person
who was present at the marriage, they re
lented and received her back to their home and
affections. In America marriages may be
solemnised without reference to time or place,
and in some of the States, ministers of reli
gion, lawyers, magistrates, and other officials
can legally marry persons. Divorces are
much more frequent here than in Eng
land, for a woman can easily obtain a divorce
if she can prove that her husband has been
guilty of adultery, desertion, habitual drunken
ness, cruelty, or has been confined in a State
prison. Subsequently, on my return to Eng
land, after having accomplished my " Ameri
can Tour," I found that the first tune which
was sung at the "Surprise Party" had be
come the most popular tune in England.
Persons were almost constantly whistling
it in the streets, bands of music were playing
it on festive occasions, and wherever I went I
heard the same tune constantly reminding me
of the " Surprise Party," and bringing before
me pleasing reminiscences of friends and
scenes which excited the most pleasurable
reflections. Sept. 29. — The weather is still very hot,
and the high roads very dusty. On inquiry,
I find that the roads here are never scraped,
nor are they ever repaired, except that occa
sionally when they become unlevel, an ox
is attached to a kind of plough, which cuts
down the ridges, and fills up the hollows in
the roads, which is a very inexpensive method
of repair.
Sept. 30. — Attended service at the Jewish
synagogue. It appeared to be numerously
and respectably attended, but as the service
continues without a moment's intermission
from morning till night, persons were con
stantly arriving and departing throughout
the day. — Went into Fair Haven, a place

which appears to be supported almost ex
clusively by the oyster 'trade. There is no
place in the United States where oysters are
finer and more abundant. Some have be
come wealthy men who have engaged in the
oyster trade, for they send off large quan
tities to different parts of the country. They
do not pack the bivalves in their shells as is
usual in Europe, but they are all opened,
cleaned, placed in kegs, some water poured
upon them, and then sent off. It is said
that all the water is gone when the kegs
come to be opened. Perhaps the oysters
drink the water while yet alive, or it be
comes absorbed in some other way. Oyster
opening is quite a trade here, and is chiefly
performed by women. I entered odb estab
lishment, and found nearly a dozen women so
employed, and on making inquiries as to the
amount of earnings, I was told that the
wages varied, in consequence of working by
the piece, but they could each earn from six
shillings to eight shillings per day. It ap
peared a very comfortless sort of business,
but there are thousands of persons in Eng
land who would be glad to have such a busi
ness if they could be as well paid for their
work. Sunday, Oct. 1. — Went to the Universalist
Church, and heard the Rev. Moses Ballow
preach, the text being 10th chapter of St.
Matthew, v. xxxii., " Whosoever, therefore,
shall confess me before men, him will I con
fess also before my Father which is in hea
ven." The minister held that there were
more real Christians out of the Church than
in it, yet he nevertheless considered it the
duty of religious people to become connec
ted with the church. He believed that there
were many who embraced the religious views
held by the Universalists who had not the
moral courage to make a profession of their
faith before the world. At the conclusion of
the service the sacrament of the Lord's sup
per was administered, and an invitation was
given for all professing Christians present,
by whatever name they might be distinguish
ed, to take part in the service. — In the eve
ning I attended service at a church where a
coloured person preached. His text was, 1
Cor., chap. 1, v. xxvi., " For ye see your call
ing, brethren, how that not many wise men
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble, are called." I have often heard local
preachers who have not delivered so good a
sermon as the negro who officiated. When
he had concluded his discourse another
negro took his place, and with stentorian
lungs, he addressed the people with such
uncommon energy that if he had not been
black in the face when he commenced his

16

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

discourse he would have been black in the
face before he had finished. He strongly
condemned the prevailing opinion that the
black race was not equal to the white, but it
was with him a matter of great indifference
as to what opinion people might hold about
the negroes, for
God's purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour.
If he had Christ in his possession the white
people might have all the world besides ;
but he would, nevertheless, caution the
white people that they must mind how they
trod upon the black man, for God would
fight for him. Four years ago the great
battles commenced, because the white peo
ple would not give the black people their
liberty, and if they did not take care there
would have to be another battle yet. Some
white people said that if the coloured people
behaved themselves something would be
done for them, but he was of opinion that the
coloured people had not half the devilment in
them which the white people had. He con
sidered himself quite as good as anybody
else, and quite equal to any of the royal
family. He contended. that the blacks ought
to have the suffrage as well as the whites, and
his remarks were received by the bulk of
the audience with every mark of approbation.
After he had almost exhausted himself by
the rapidity of his utterances, others took
part in the service, and they all joined in
singing, with great earnestness of manner,
Don't be lingering on the shore,
But walk up straight to Heaven's door.
The church was much crowded, so much
so that when I entered I thought I should not
be able to find a seat in the body, and I
therefore entered the gallery ; but no sooner
had I reached the top of the stairs than a big
negro, with a knob stick in his hand, in
formed me that I could not be permitted to
remain there, as the gallery was not intended
for white people. I then pushed my way as
well as I could towards the centre of the
body of the church, when another big negro
(also armed with a knob stick) directed me
across the aisle, and having instructed ano
ther negro (also armed with a knob stick)
to conduct me to a seat, I was at length com
fortably fixed where I had a good opportuni
ty of hearing and seeing all that took place.
The sight of the knob sticks in a place of
worship produced in my mind an unpleasant
feeling, but it was explained to me that the
white people had been accustomed to go
there for the purpose of laughing and making
fun of the service, and this caused the ne
groes to select a number of men to act
as sentinels and put a stop to any rude be

haviour the moment it was manifested. I
was more impressed with the singing than I
was with the preaching, for there was a pecu
liarity about it which I had never observed
before. There was a trill at the end of each
word, and especially at the end of each line,
which was particularly musical, and there
was such a soothing softness mingling with it
which rendered it truly delightful. People
may say what they will about nigger min
strels, but it is evident to me that there
is naturally in the negro a fine development
of musical taste. The service was extended
by means of singing and exhortation for
several hours, and continued to increase in
animation until, at length, two young women
commenced dancing and jumping in such an
extraordinary manner on that side of the gal
lery to which I had previously repaired, that
all eyes were directed towards them. Never
theless, the singing went on as before, and
the jumping was so mechanical that it har
monised with the tune, and, altogether, there
followed a scene ©f excitement such as I
have seldom witnessed. There was nothing
in the service which appeared to me calcu
lated to awaken such passionate ardour, and
while I contemplated the scene I thought
there might be something in the natural
temperament of these children of the sun
which would account for the strange manner
in which they conducted the worship of the
Almighty. There was no rousing and im
passioned eloquence; no touching represent-
tations of the awful terrors of the day of
doom ; nothing, in fact, but the singing of
the songs of the spiritual Canaan, yet these
appeared to be sufficient to throw them into
the most violent gesticulations, while with
rapturous exultation they called out,
" Blessed Jesus, we will come to thee."
The jumping continued until, apparently
from sheer exhaustion, the women fell upon
the floor and remained for some time as if in
a state of unconsciousness. The audience
paid no attention to what had happened, but
went on singing, with great enthusiasm,
" We won't go back to Egypt," while their
countenances beamed with rapturous plea
sure. I left the church with a deep impres
sion that a higher religious culture would
soften their heart-felt emotions, and lead to
a calmer and more reverential service of
God. Oct. 2. — This was the day appointed for
the vote of the citizens of Connecticut to be
taken, which would decide whether the State
Constitutional Amendment should be passed
which would confer on negroes the right of
suffrage. I conversed with a number of the
voters, and found that the Democrats gener

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

17

ally voted no, and the Republicans yes, but
many of the latter declined voting at all. I
went to the poll-booth for the ward in which
I lived, and everything was conducted in the
most orderly manner. On the voter coming
near to the polling-place, he would be certain
to meet a person having voting papers, on
which was printed the word " No," and
there^ould be another person distributing
papers, on which were printed the word
" Yes," and the voter usually took one of
each. On entering the booth he gave his
name and address, and the officials having
certified that he was duly qualified to vote,
he presented his ticket to the person in at
tendance at the ballot box, whose duty it
was not to look whether the vote was yes or no,
but simply to satisfy himself by feeling at
it that there was only one ticket, and having
done so, he then put it through an aperture
in the lid of the box, and when the time ar
rived for the voting to cease, the tickets were
counted for each side, and a true declaration
made. There was no excitement whatever,
and not the least obstruction in the way of
voters, for every man could vote as he liked
without being questioned upon it. An
Irishman came near to the booth, and was
presented with a ticket, but, as he was not
able to read, he went up to a negro who was
standing near, and asked him to read it for
him, which he did. The ticket said " No,"
and the black man advised him to take
a ticket which said " Yes," but whether
he did so or not I cannot say. I went to the
State House to see if the polling was being
carried on in a more spirited manner there,
but I found it as quiet as it was in the other
district, for the voters kept coming to vote
and walking away in as orderly and quiet a
way as possible. The vote by ballot is evi
dently very popular here, for I conversed
with persons belonging to different political
parties, hut they were all satisfied with the
operation of the ballot. I was very wishful
that the majority of votes should be given on
the side of " Yes," for I have no doubt that
the coloured people will be invested with the
right to vote ultimately, and to deprive them
of the right now will only lead to an agita
tion of a vexed question which never can be
set at rest until the right be conceded. Al
though in this state there is no aristocracy of
birth, nor of wealth, there is evidently an
aristocracy of colour, for many of the work-
ingmen in this locality are afraid of the ne
groes being placed on an equality with
themselves. Yet it will be difficult to avoid
this, for the negroes are making efforts to
improve their position by becoming edu
cated, and some of them have succeeded in

acquiring property. When I attended the
negro church I only saw one person who was
not well dressed, much better dressed than
the factory operatives of Lancashire. Some
of them had gold watches and guards, and
gold rings on their fingers. The Irish popu
lation is more opposed to the negro than any
other, and probably the reason is that negro
labour more frequently comes in competition
with their own, than is the case with the
English. The vote in New Haven was car
ried against giving the suffrage to men of
colour, there being a majority of 841 who
voted " No," and in the entire State
of Connecticut there was a majority
of over 6,000. I don't think there
were any organised efforts in favour of
the suffrage in this state, for there were no
public meetings, nor were there any posting
bills issued. The Democrats had large bills
extensively posted, urging the people to vote
"No." Oct. 3. — Visited the largest clock manu
factory in the world. During the last year
no fewer than 170,000 clocks were turned out
at this establishment. Everything is here
done on the prinoiple of division of labour,
each clock passing through many hands.
Here every wheel and everything connected
with a clock is manufactured on the premises,
with the exception of the verge.
Oct. 4. — Visited the largest carriage man
ufactory in the world. The activity and
genius of the American people are not more
developed in any branch of business than
they are in the construction of carriages, and
it is said that from this one establishment
5,000 carriages are yearly sent off to distant
places. Machinery is adapted to almost
every department of the work, and it is said
to be accomplished with more exactness than
could possibly be the case by hand labour.
The work is also so divided and subdivided
that each workman devotes his whole time
and capacity to doing a single thing, so that
every man in his own particular branch
attains the very highest degree of perfection.
The work proceeds constantly from hand
to hand, so that every hour of the day a
splendid carriage is turned out fit for a prince
to ride in. I was much interested in observ
ing the manner in which a carriage is packed
when it has to be sent abroad. The utmost
economy of space is combined with excellent
precautions to guard against dangerous con
tingencies. These carriages are sent to all
parts of the United States, to Mexieo, the
West Indies, and to Central and South Ame
rica. The floor space occupied at this esta
blishment alone is over 85,000 square feet,
the space having been increased more than

18

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

twenty-fold in the course of ten years. Not
withstanding all the mechanical appliances
for the saving of time and labour, hundreds
of workmen are employed at this establish
ment, for the demand for carriages in this
country is very great; almost every person
who has raised himself above the condition of
working for his daily bread being accustomed
to run his own carriage.
Oct. 5. — New Haven is said to be the most
beautiful city in America, and is as much
distinguished for its literary institutions as
for its manufacturing enterprise. There are
seminaries for young ladies, and classical
schools for boys, which have a high char
acter for discipline and efficiency, and con
tain pupils from all the states in the Union,
tho Sandwich Islands, and other parts of the
world. Yale College has been celebrated as
a seat of learning for more than one hundred
years, and the fame of many scholars and
statesmen is associated for ever with its shady
walks and emerald domes. There are also
13 public schools, where education is free
and thorough. One of these establishments
I visited this day, the Eton School, and was
much indebted to the courtesy of the super
intendent for an opportunity of inspection
while the various departments were in full
operation. The building is lofty and spa
cious, divided into ten rooms, each having a
clock, and almost e\ery one had a piano, or
a harmonium, or both. Each room is adap
ted for 50 scholars, and on a small platform
stands a young lady who gives instruction to
her pupils, she having previously received a
special training for the work. On being ad
mitted to the entrance hall, I had to wait a
few minutes for the superintendent, and
during this time instruction was going on
in each of the ten rooms, yet not a voice was
heard, and everything was as still and quiet
as if it had been a gentleman's mansion.
On being introduced into room No. 1, I
found that each child had a chair and a desk
separate from all the rest. The greater por
tion of the children had slates before them,
and were engaged in an exercise endeavour
ing to imitate the printing in a small book
like a " reading made easy." These were
all small children, and consequently not able
to write, and it appeared that the printing
exercise was the first in which they engaged.
The reason why the school was kept so quiet
was that every scholar had constant employ
ment, and the discipline was so strict that
the lady preceptress had no difficulty in pre
serving order, although she only spoke in a
low tone of voice very much like a whisper.
A class stood up to read, but one scholar had
only to read one word, and then the exercise

went on in rotation, so that the attention of
the whole class was constantly fixed on the
lesson. I went into room No. 2, and found
that on one side of the wall was a slaty com
position, similar to a black board, and on this
wall the children practised drawing houses,
steam-boats, &c. They were required to do
an exercise in marching, and as each desk
¦ and chair is separated from the rest, a num
ber of aisles were formed, which enabled the
scholars to thread their way in and out in
various directions, and as all this was per
formed in a systematic manner, and with
remarkable precision of movement, it had a
very pleasing effect. Every chair was num
bered, and what made it evident that this
marching lesson was the result of study and
arrangement was the fact, that when the
marching terminated, each scholar was ex
actly opposite his own seat, so that the chil
dren took their seats without the slightest
confusion. A lesson in vocal music was then
given, and was admirably performed. In
No. 3 room a spelling lesson was going on,
each scholar taking a word in turn. In No.
4, the drawing exercises were more difficult.
In No. 5, they were spelling from dictation.
In No. 6, the slates extended all round the
walls, and the scholars were instructed in
making maps. They were also instructed in
musical notation, and got through their " do
ra me" most creditably.In Nos. 7, 8, 9, and
10, the lessons gradually become more diffi
cult and more comprehensive.
In each room boys and girls are taught
together, and all the teachers are females
except the superintendent and the singing
master. Every child has to learn singing
from the notes, unless there be some natu
ral disability, and when it is found that the
ear is so detective as to prevent progress, at
tendance at the singing lesson is dispensed
with. In the entire school there was only
one vacant seat, and this was in consequence
of no scholar in the other rooms being suffi
ciently advanced in learning to fill the va
cancy. There were seventy applications for
admission waiting their proper turn, but no
scholar was promoted from one room to an
other until his educational attainments had
fitted him for the change, and consequently
in the higher departments there might be
vacancies even when the applications for ad
mission to the school were numerous All
the children, without exception, were^cleanly
and neatly dressed, beautiful vases of flowers
adorned the teacher's desk, the room was
perfect y clean and airy.and from the windows
might be obtained views of the most lovely
scenery On ascending the tower the most
beautiful landscape presented itself. Appa-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

19

rently the whole city could be seen, aud I
thought I never saw such a beautiful city be
fore. The ships in the harbour, the light
house, a distant sea view, and other objects,
could all be seen with the naked eye." When
the children were dismissed, they retired in
the most orderly manner, without manifest
ing either boisterous mirth or rude behaviour.
Such perfe 'tion of school training I had
never witnessed before, and nothing which I
had seen in America had interested me so
much. There had, doubtless, been very
strict discipline exercised to bring the scho
lars under such easy command, but when
once effected, discipline could easily be main
tained. In one of the schools of the city
since I came here a case has occurred most
painful to one of the teachers. A youth be
came very ungovernable, and refused to
submit to the discipline of tRe school. The
teacher acted in a very decided manner, and
was determined to compel obedience. The
chastisement inflicted was probably severe,
the youth having bled profusely, but the
teacher succeeded in the accomplishment of
his object, his stubborn pupil having yielded
obedience to his command. The parents of
the youth believing that the punishment in
flicted was greater than the circumstances of
the case required, entered an action against
the teacher, but after a full investigation, the
magistracy dismissed the case, and I was
told that every case which had previously
been brought before the justices of a similar
character, had been disposed of in a similar
manner. If the teacher had been guilty of
willul cruelly, he would have deserved severe
punishment, but when the chastisement was
only just sufficient to secure obedience, the
magistrates acted wisely in maintaining the
dignity of the teacher's position ; for had
they acted otherwise the teacher's prospects
of future usefulness would have been des
troyed, and the discipline of the school en
feebled. The system of public instruction in the
United States is a great national blessing-,
and^will prove one of the grandest levers in
the elevation of the people, morally and in
tellectually, which has ever been brought into
action. '1 here is no sectarian teaching of
religion, nor is there anything of a sectarian
character in the books of instruction, and
this is a very valuable feature ; fur when all
the people have to con'ribute to the support
of the schools, nothing should be taught to
which any persons can enter.tain a conscien
tious objection. It is true there are persons
who do raise objections, notwithstanding the
correctness of the principle acted upon. The
Catholics in this city have erected schools of

their own — which they have a perfect right
to do, providing they do not require others
to assist in maintaining them. f hey have
expressed a willingness to give up their schools
and send their children to the public schools,
providing other books might be introduced
This proposal does not meet with public ap
probation, and it has originated quite a'
straggle amongst the people ; tor the Catholics
have been wishful to elect persons on the
educational board who are favourable to the
change proposed. This week the election
has taken place, and there was quite a party
movement, the Catholics being defeated.
It is a great pity that religious dissention
should bd permitted, to interfere with an in
stitution designed for the public good, and
it is to be regretted that the Catholics as a
body are by such a contest excluded from
taking part in the management of the schools,
yet it would be a far greater evil to permit
them to introduce changes in the schools such
as oihers would conscientiously object to.
As the present plan is based upon the prin
ciple of treating all denominations alike, it has
mv warmest sympathy, and I hope the people
will jealously guard against any innovation
which would be calculated to impair what
appears to be a very efficient system of in
struction. Oct. 6. — Had a pleasant country walk. It
is somewhat strange to see the carts drawn
by oxen, the drivers seated in the front por
tion of the vehicles guidiDg the aminals by
means of long whips. On one occasion
I saw two oxen in the shafts, and there was
also a horse yoked as a leader of the team. I
did not like the appearance, for it seemed
as if the horse wished to walk faster than
the oxen.
Oct 7.- — During a country walk was much,
amused to witness the playfulness of squirrels,
which are here very numerous. On the col
lege green there are many large squirrels
which have taken up their permanent abode
in the large beautiful elms, and they are so
tame that when a person goes under the
shade of a tree holding out nuts they will
jump down upon his shoulders and eat the
nuts from his hand. These tame squirrel
are highly respected bythe citizens, and there
are boxes placed in the trees containing corn
and nuts from which they feed themselves.
Troughs are also placed al the foot of the
trees containing water for their use. The
expense of provisioning the squirrels is borne
by the citizens at large, who are so pleased
with their antics that they do not grumble
about the cost.
Oct. 8, Sunday.— Went to Wooster Plaoe
Baptist Church, and heard Dr. Judd deliver

20

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

a discourse on the inspiration of the Bible.
In the afternoon I attended, by invitation,
a funeral, at which a great number of
persons were present. A minister of reli
gion delivered an address suitable to the so
lemnity of the occasion. The hearse was
more beautiful than any I ever saw in Eng
land. Fach side and end was composed of
one sheet of plate glass, so that the coffin was
always visible on the way to interment. The
coffin had the appearance of rosewood, highly
polished, and wreaths of flowers were placed
upon it. There were nearly a dozen carriages
to convey the mourners. Persons never walk
at a funeral here, and consequently it is usual
to have many carriages. The Irish families
are accustomed to have more carriages than
others, even when the deceased is a compara
tively poor person. On one occasion no
fewer than 88 were in attendance, but after
this the Catholic priests used their influence
to prevent the continuance of the practice,
because it had an impoverishing effect, and at
the present time the Irish have seldom more
than 20 carriages at a funeral. One redeem
ing feature of this extravagant outlay is, that
it has had the effect of almost entirely obliter
ating the ancient custom of having " wakes "
when deaths occur. There is one practice
here which is invariably observed, whether
the parties be English, Irish, German, or
American, and that is to have about four
watchers whenever a death takes place, so
that night or day the corpse is never permitted
to be alone previous to interment. In the after
noon visited the Methodist Episcopal Sunday
School. They have an excellent contrivance
for ascertaining at a glance who has possession
of any particular book in the library ; but I
thought that in one particular there was a de
fective arrangement, for there was no register
kept of the books issued, so that it could never
be told how many volumes weie issued during
the year, nor could it be ascertained what par
ticular book was most in demand. In the
evening attended the coloured people'
church. Oct. 9. — Took tea with the Rev. L. Black,
a coloured gentleman. He was at New York
when the riots took place there, and himself
and his family had to hide in the city ten days
to save themselves from brutal outrage, and
possibly from death. His house was broken
into, his furniture and his library stolen or de
stroyed, and in fear of further violence he fled
to New Haven, and on his arrival he had only
ten cents with which to purchase a loaf
of bread to supply the immediate wants of his
family- Although he had been ordained a
minister of the Gospel, he commenced busi
ness in New Haven, working with his own
hands, and has succeeded so well that he has

refurnished his house, keeps a horse and car
riage to ride about, has purchased a small
estate a few miles in the country, which is so
situate that it extends to the margin of a beau
tiful lake, on which he will have the privilege
of having a pleasure boat, and the right to
catch fish, which is here abundant. That
which must be very satisfactory to himself is
that he does not owe a dollar. He is now the
pastor of a coloured church connected with
the Baptist persuasion, but he receives no
salary for his services, and contributes more to
the cause than any other member. I told him
that in England there were many persons who
affected to believe that the riots in New York
were brought about by the adherents of the
Northern cause, who had strong antipathies
to the coloured race. He said that the
rioters consisted of Southern sympathisers,
and the outrages committed against the
coloured race were to be entirely attributed
to their violence. Mr. Black invited me
to take a ride with him in his carriage to see
his estate in the country, to which I consented,
and was very highly gratified.
New Haven, Oct. 10 — This evening I
heard a lecture in the Music Hall, delivered
by Miss A. Dickinson. I had often heard
of her, and had read while in England many
extracts from her speeches in the news
papers, and, consequently, was very glad to
have an opportunity of hearing her. As I
anticipated a great treat, I resolved that I
would go in good time, so as to secure a
good seat. The admission fee for each
person was 25c, and to the reserved seats
(of which there were 2,000) the charge was
50c. Much to my astonishment, on arriving
at the Music Hall, I found the body was
nearly filled with people, and that there was
no chance of getting a good place near the
platform. I went upstairs, and found that
the gallery was more thronged than the body
of the hall, for there were many standing in
the aisles, although it wanted more than half
an hour to the time announced for the com
mencement of the lecture. I, however,
succeeded in getting a front seat on the steps
of one of the aisles, which was only a short
distance from the platform, and gave me a
commanding view of nearly every part of the
beautiful hall. It was also a good position
for seeing and hearing the speaker. The
lecture was under the auspices of the Young
Men's Association, which is a very flourish
ing institution. Arrangements are made
every winter for the delivery of a course of
lectures, which are exceedingly popular and
very fashionably attended. People are
thought very little about if they do not
attend the lectures, and are able to converse

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

21

on the topics introduced. The very best
talent in the country is secured, so that while
the citizens generally give proof of their high
appreciation of the services which are got up
for their edification and delectation, the
Young Men's Association spare no trouble
and expense in catering for the public
benefit, and it thus proves to be a mutual
advantage. Every winter the Rev. H. W.
Beecher, Miss A. Dickinson, Mr. J. B.
Gough, Mr. Wendell Phillips, and other
popular speakers are engaged for the Music
Hall lectures. It is customary to give
the speaker for each evening 100 dollars
(about £20), but as the receipts are
frequently 1,000 dollars, a very large surplus
remains, after paying all expenses, to be de
voted to the purposes of the Young Men's
Association, an institution which is entirely
unsectarian in its character, and has therefore
the approval of the citizens generally. Miss
Dickinson's personal appearance is agreeable
but not particularly prepossessing. She is
rather dark complexioned, low in stature
good figure, and appears to be under rather
than over twenty-five years of age. Her voice
is powerful for a lady, and has rather a
masculine tone, which, although not exactly
disagreeable, is more distinguished for its
strength than sweetness. So tar from making
an impression as if the sound had just pro
ceeded across a bed of violets, or had been
mildly tempered by the soft evening zephyrs,
it almost suggested the idea that in the de
livery of a curtain lecture her voice would be
terrible. Her dress was a perfect pattern of
neatness, except that she wore a long skirt
behind, and, as she had no train-bearers, it
swept the platform half a yard or more behind
her person. She trod the boards with becom
ing grace and dignity, but as she walked from
side to side of the platform, which she fre
quently did during the delivery of her lecture,
I could not for the life of me drive away an
impression that the skirt of her beautiful dress
would be sadly soiled with tobacco juice, the
abominable practice-of smoking, chewing, and
spitting being so general in America. The
subject of her lecture was " Home Thrusts,"
and I supposed from the title that it would
embrace domestic training generally, but she
confined herself entirely to marriage and its
influence, ^he made a lengthy apology for
treating the subject at all, asserting that
some people imagined that she ought not,
with her sharp words and unsanctified tongue,
speak upon the question, or at least not until
the weight of years had given dignity to her
teachings. Some thought that a woman
ought not publicly to speak on such a sub
ject, while others supposed that, if a woman

did speak upon .it, she ought at least to be
a married woman. Miss Dickinson insisted
that she had the right to speak upon it
now, for if she waited until she was mar
ried, if the newspapers spoke the truth,
she might never have the opportunity of
speaking upon it. Her plan was first to
decide that she was right, and then to go
ahead, for she liked the noise of discussion
when principle was at stake. She spoke of
the difficuliies which a young lady had to
overcome before she met with a gentleman to
whom she couid anchor herself, and condemn
ed the opinion which was now too prevalent
of supposing that for ladies to attend to house
hold duties was coarse and vulgar occupation.
She was once in the company of a young man
who happened to hear her say how many
loaves ot' bread she had baked, and how often
she had scrubbed the steps, and he then left
her and she had never seen him since, and she
had never been sorry for it. She commented
with severity on the conduct of the lady who
would permit her friend to be scorched in the
sun or drenched in a shower while standing
at the door waiting; for the servant to come
and open it, when the lady might have readily
done it herself, and prevented her friend from
waiting After showing the necessity for a more
liberal education during the period of girl-
hoid, and of providing more varied em
ployments for women by which they might
be able to earn their own livelihood and main-
tain a spirit of independence, she said she
had more respect for the woman who would,
beg in the streets than she had for
the woman who would stand up before
God and take an oath to love a man
through time and eternity, when all the
while she was merely taking him because of
his money. Miss Dickinson made many ex
cellent remarks on relative duties, and was
listened to with deep attention. There was
not much enthusiasm-shown by the audience,
and the lecturer, with respect to her oratory,
did not reach the standard I had fixed for her.
I expected a great amount of thunder and
lightning, whereas she was mildness itself
compared to what I had read about her during
the war. Perhaps had her subject been of a
more patriotic character, there would have
been more declamation and fire in her ad
dress. Oct. 11. — Had a pleasant ramble in the
woods along with cheerful companions. The
air was quite invigorating, while the forest
leaves were a shade from the rays of the sun,
which are still powerful, notwithstanding the
advanced stage of autumn. There had not
been a wet day since I came to America, and

22

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the sky is perpetually clear and of a beautiful
blue colour. I have been repeatedly told
that the weather has been remarkably genial
for some weeks, so much so that no one re
members a season that will compare with it.
On our way to the woods it was proposed that
each person should compose a piece of poetry
on the incidents of the day, and be produced
for reading at the tea table. Some failed to
comply with the arrangement, but such as
was produced occasioned much hearty laugh
ter, in which the whole party joined. My
contribution consisted of about six or eight
verses, the last of which, I recollect, was
the following —
That fine October day-
Will long remembered be ;
When I am far away,
Across the deep blue sea.
Oct- 12. — Houses in this part of the
country are chiefly made of wood, but as they
are frame houses, painted white, with green
Venetian blinds outside, they have a very
pretty appearance, especially as many of the
houses are much ornamented. Bricks for
building purposes here cost £2 15s. per thou
sand, and therefore wood is cheaper than
bricks, and this may be one reason why wood
is preferred. But it is not the only reason,
for there are many rich men who build wooden
houses for their own residences, who would
not do so if they considered brick was better.
Wooden houses with pillared fronts have a
very elegant appearance, and it is said that
they are more free from damp than houses
built of brick or stone. In the central part
of the city, where the houses join each other,
wood is not permitted to be used for build
ing, because of the greater danger of fire ;
but the chief part of this city consists of de
tached houses with gardens, and this renders
the place more picturesque than it otherwise
would be.
Oct. 13. — Wages of workmen in this dis
trict vary very much. Stonemasons have
14s. 6d per day; bricksetters, 12s. 6d ;
joiners, 10s. 6d ; moulders, machinists, and
boiler makers, 10s. 6d. Tailoring is chiefly
done by women, who earn about 4s per day •
but there are instances where a woman, being
a first-rate tailor, will earn £ 1 per day the
year round. Sewing machines are in very
general use, and they are almost exclusively
used by women. Dressmakers charge 8s. for
making a calico dress, and for a silk dress £1.
Washerwomen have 4s. per day and their
meat, and if they go as charwomen, they oet
6s. per day. As a rule, men, who are em
ployed as unskilled labourers, will receive
about 8s. or 10s. per day, while skilled la
bourers will get about 12s. to J4s. per day.
In mechanical trades, such as clockmakino-

where nearly all the work is done by ma
chinery, wages generally run lower than in
other branches of business.
Oct. 14. — Having heard that the Rev. J.
S. C. Abbott, the author of " The Mother at
Home," was a resident of this city, I called
upon him this day, expecting ,to see a gentle
man greatly enfeebled by length of years. On
being introJuced to him, I apologised for the
intrusion, as I perceived that I had made a
mistake. On my explaining that thirty years
ago I read " The Mother at Home,"" and I
had called for thf purpose of shaking hands
with the author, but I saw from his com
paratively youthful appearance that he could
not be the person, h? smiled, and said he was
the author notwithstanding. I thought that
no person could write such a book whose
knowledge was not matured by experience ;
and, as 1 did not know how long the book
had been issued be'bre I purchased it, I came
to the conclusion that the author, if living,
must of necessity be a very aged person. He
told me that he was a little over sixty years
at present, and as a preliminary to the writing
of that book, he considered that he had been
very highly favoured by possessing the most
noble minded parents that ever lived. His
father died when he was seventy-four years of
age, and he was as polite and as loving to his
mother the last year of his life as he was
when he first courted her. He ( Mr. Abbott)
never heard his father speak one impatient
word either to wife or child. After a long
conversation on American books, and writers,
and orators, he showed me the second and
concluding volume of his work on the Ameri
can war, being the first copy he had received
from the publisher, and it only reached him
that day. Iheie were 200,000 subscribers
for the work, and 100,000 copies of the first
volume had already been distributed. The
price of the work is 5 dollars per volume. He
told me that there are about twenty different
histories of the American war now being pub
lished. I have seldom passed an hour or two
in a more pleasant manner, and I was quite
delighted to see that, although Mr. Abbott
had completed his sixtieth year, he was quite
lull of h'e and vivacity ; and, from his appear
ance, I should have judged that he was many
years younger. His "Mother at Home"
has been translated into almost every living
anguage, and circulated in every quarter of
the globe.
Sunday, October 15. - Heard Mr. Abbott
t^Z H°We-street Ch«rch a most impres-
bvfariri"683 ft0 y°LlnS men. h Pwas
Lned toTn Ad0<?Uent disC0Urse 1 have
listened to in America The gallerv was
filled with young mcn) and the X^^
the church were occupied by a very afive

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

23

audience. I am told that Mr Abbott has
sent in his resignation as pastor of Howe-
street Church, but the members have refused
to accept it. He is evidently greatly beloved,
and his place would not readily be supplied.
Mr. Bushnell, the builder of the war steamers
of the Monitor class, is one of the members
of the congregation. In the evening a heavy
storm ^f rain prevented me from leaving
home. This is the only rain o' any conse
quence which has fallen for a period of nine
weeks. There was a very general desire for
the drought to cease, and the desire has been
most abundant.
Oct. 16. — There is one practice in this
country which is exceedingly disagreeable to
me, for wherever I go people are almost con
tinually spitting. When I attended the
Superior Court I saw the judge on the bench,
and the witnpss in the box, spitting away while
the trial was proceeding. I he barristers and
the spectators did the same Some timesince
an ecclesiastical assembly took place at which
many ministers of religion were present, and
were accommodated with lodging and refresh
ment at the houses of persons who took an
interest in the proceedings of the assembly,
but they spat upon the floors and the carpets
in such a manner, that those who had hospi
tably entertained them, refused to have them
again, because of the damage which was sus
tained by such an abominable practice, and it
was only by a promise being given that nothing
of the kind would be again repeated, that ac- .
commodation could be found. There has,
however, been a very considerable improve
ment made of late, and I have observed that
spittoons are provided in courts of justice, in
churches, in Sunday schools, and in almost
all places where public gatherings take place.
I am inclined to believe that one reason why
the Americans generally have such sallow
complexions is, because of smoking, chew
ing and spitting.
Oct 17. — Was visited by Mr. Deacon
Smith, a gentleman in whose countenance
a thousand smiles seemed to be constantly
forming. Finding that I was a stranger, he
called to welcome me to the city, and was
kind enough to say that if he could render me
any assistance it would be his pleasure to do
so. He was evidently very patriotic, and had
sent a son to the war^ who died before it was
over. His opinion concerning the war per
fectly coincided with my own ; for he held
that the South never had a chance of success
from the first. They affected to despise the
Northern soldiers, calling them mudsills and
greasy mechanics, but there was a power of
endurance in them such as was not shared
by the impetuous South, Mr. Smith assured
me that the North never experienced ex

haustion, and if another million of soldiers
had been requisite for the carrying on of the
war they could have raised them. This
State raised more than its quota of men with
out having recourse to tbe dra't, and many
more would have volunteered if necessary. I
have been toldj.hat Mr. Smith is exceedingly
kind to the poor, visiting them in their afflic
tion and relieving them in their distress.
Many gentlemen supply him with money,
knowing that he will exercise sound discretion
by seeking out worthy objects of pity. There
is no man in the city more highly respected
than he. — Mr. II. Stephens, of Georgia, who
made one of the most powerful Union speeches
ever delivered, but whose virtues were not
proof against the offer of the vice-presidency
of the rebel government, passed through
New Haven to-day, having been released
from Fort Warren, where he had been con
fined. New Haven, Oct. 18. — I observed this
day a method of levelling land such as I
have never seen adopted in England, and I
think the plan is a decided improvement.
In England men with wheelbarrows,, or carts
drawn by horses, convey the soil from the
elevated portions of the land and fill up the
hollow places ; but here they have a kind of
box with three sides, and the edge of that
portion on which there is no sideboard is al
most as sharp as a plough. They yoke two
horses, and a man having hold of the large
box, same as if it were a plough, cuts away
the hill and deposits the soil in the hollow
places, aud he thus completes the levelling
process without the use of a spade. I think
it is a labour-saving plan, but perhaps it
might not answer in places where there is
a stiff soil.
October 19 —Heard Mr. Wendell Phillips
lecture in the Music Hall this evening, his
subject being '' The present aspects of the
conflict through which the country has re
cently passed." He contended that with
respect to the Northern and Southern idea
at issue in the recent contest, the South had
proved victorious. For what object was it
that the South rebelled ? It was on the is
sue that freedom and slavery could not live
in partnership, and that the true policy of
the South was, that those who owned the
capital should also own the labourers. The
civilisation of the North means that every
man shall have the same rights as any
other man ; and the despotism of the South
means everything for the people, but nothing
by the people. In the naked issue of war,
the South is beaten, but the question is —
What has she lost ? Does defeat in the
field imply the defeat of those schemes for

24

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

which she went to war ? What have we
succeeded in drawing out of the cauldron of
political elements that shall make her a safe
neighbour for the future ? How much of
state sovereignty is gone? Poor President
Johnson thinks the most sacred thing to be,
the irrepressible, indestructible right of
States to do as they please. This is the de
mocratic hobby of hobbies. If Mississippi
and South Carolina are to be restored now,
they come back with this old claim unim
paired and in full force. Dogs Mr. John
son say to them, There was an act done in
I860 which was of no more importance than
the breathing of a baby ? No ; he requires
them to repeal it, and the necessity to repeal
implies that they have the right to re-enact.
South Carolina consents to repeal the se
cession ordinance, but she only does it be
cause the United States have power to dic
tate such a course, and she consequently
suspends secession for the present, and
reserves the act for future consideration.
The South complains that the establishment
of the Freedmen's Bureau is an interference
with the rights of states to do as they
please with negroes, and so practically
half the power of the Freedmen's Bureau is
gone already, and the rest will follow. They
had got rid of chattelism, but the machinery
for subordinating the labourer in some form
still remains. Under the doctrine of State
rights, if they return with it unimpaired,
they may abolish every schoolhouse, the
Bible will again be a forbidden book, and
teaching an indictable offence. If they re
tain their perilous State sovereignty, they
may forbid the marriage of the blacks, for
bid them to travel on public thoroughfares
without a pass from a white master or em
ployer, and make them again servile. Will
they let the negro defend himself before the
law? No. Shall they sit on a jury, or tes
tify in a court of justice ? Not if they can
prevent it. Shall negroes assemble without
the presence of a white man ? Their law
forbids it. Will slavery be abolished ? It
may be in form, yet even that is not certain.
If those 84 members from the South get into
Congress you will hear no more of the anti-
slavery amendment. Under State rights
they will have the power to destroy every
particle of what we call liberty. With slight
variation they may even keep their old system
of labour. The South Carolinians call on
the President, and he accepts their compli
ments, and tacitly agrees to protect the red-
handed rebels against the Union-loving men
of the North. The Southern Episcopalians
tell us that they divided the church, not be
cause of any love of slavery, because of a

mistaken interpretation of the workings of
Providence, So, Mr. Johnson, leaving the
flattering South Carolinians, and turning to
address the coloured soldiers, stepped out
upon the balcony, and looking over the shat
tered ranks, bearing aloft the flag that was
so torn as to be undistiuguishable, said : 
" I think I may venture to address you as
my fellow-countrymen." He told them that
it was a question whether the whites and
blacks could live together harmoniously, but
they must go home and be economical
chaste, and temperate, and wait for the solu
tion of the awful purpose of Providence.
And what was his definition of liberty ? Such
a definition as you may pick up iu France or
Austria. Go over to England, and ascertain
what the common law declares liberty to be
and you will be told that a free man is a
man in possession of all natural rights, and
endowed with all civil rights to defend them.
But Mr. Johnson said that liberty for the
negro meant liberty to work. He speaks to
them only of the penalties of liberty ; never
of its rights, but always of its duties. Here
is about the only race that does work in
the South, living side by side with a white
race so lazy that there are ten times as many
whites living on Government rations as there
are iiegnes, although the whites affect to
despise the Government under which they
live. Here the negroes live, knowing nothing
but toil, and white demagogues, politicians,
and major-generals find nothing better to say
to them than to remind them that liberty is a
synonym for work. Truly, America is the
land of the tallest mountains, the broadest
prairies, the longest rivers, the largest lakes,
and the most impudent white men. Mr.
Johnson is the President, but he is only a
man, and his (Mr. Philips') clients were lour
millions of negroes who had behaved too well
to deserve such an insult. He had been told
that in Baltimore they taxed the negroes 6,000
dollars a year, and would not let them go to
school, and he, therefore, thought that Balti
more was the meanest city in the Union, but
he also thought that when a State calls on her
black men to fight, and sends them to the front
to maintain the life of her white citizens, and
then would not permit them to have the
suffrage, such conduct was meaner than Bal
timore, He considered that the great Repub
lican party was dead, and that Mr. Johnson
had become three-fourths a rebel, in order
that the rebels may become one-fourth loyal!
ri^on if "lVer been a darker hour for tlie
Oi on than the present, when they had a
Southerner for President. He contended, that
™rH™ ?* ! 'ft musterinS out the army and
putting the rebels in power, was cutting hini-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

25

self off from the base of his operations, and as
there never was in any country, a civil war
without there being three, he predicted that
if the United States did not base their cause on
justice, by granting the suffrage to the
coloured people, instead of having a harvest of
cotton they would have a harvest of blood
from the negro. This was the first time that
I had seen and heard Mr. Philips, although I
had often read his speeches, and had heard
him described as an orator of very distin
guished power. I was, therefore, very anx
ious to hear him, and especially to hear him on
the great question which had excited a world
wide interest. I think, when in England, I
heard Mr. Beecher describe Mr. Philips as
the speaker of the world, and my expectations
were, therefore, raised very high, and, as
usual when that is the case, I was doomed to
disappointment. In person, Mr. Philips is
tall, well built, of athletic proportion, and
apparently about 55 years of age. He has a
commanding voice and manner, with a pleas
ing platform presence, but there was none of
that impassioned fire of eloquence calculated
to carry conviction to the minds of his
auditors. He is, nevertheless, a man of great
power, and the fact that he could draw toge
ther more than 2,000 persons, who gave more
than a shilling each to hear him, on a dark,
wet, and stormy night, speaks volumes in his
favour as to his popularity in this country.
October 20. — The cost of living in Ameri
ca has been greatly increased by the opera
tion of the war ; and although there has
been an advance of wages, the advance is
not proportionate to the increased cost of
maintenance. Nevertheless, the condition
of the working people generally is one of
great comfort, when compared with the same
class iu England. This city is increasing its
population at a high ratio, yet there are com
paratively few who have any rent to pay, for
nearly all the houses are owned by the per
sons who occupy them. The plan which is
most generally adopted here is for a work
ing man to save money sufficient to enable
him to purchase what is called a " lot,"
that is, a piece of ground sufficient for a
house and garden. When he has paid for
the land he will have no difficulty in bor
rowing money at the usual rate of interest,
which varies from six to ten per cent : his
land and house being a sufficient guarantee
for the repayment of the borrowed money.
His house being erected, he pays the inte
rest as it becomes due, and continues to
save money which enables him to pay the
amount by instalments which he has bor
rowed — and he thus becomes possessed of
his own freehold. It is surprising how ra

pidly working men improve their circum
stances by this means ; and tbe Irish popu
lation, which is generally so thriftless in other
places, improves here as fast as the English-
A few days since 1 was shown a street which
had a very respectable appearance, for all
the houses looked like country residences,
quite picturesque, with their separate gar
dens attached, and I was told that almost
every house was occupied and owned by an
Irish family. It is true that the habits of
the Irish are not changed all at once, for the
Irishman occasionally manifests a desire to
keep his pig as if it was a gentleman, that is,
living in the same house with himself. A
little while aeo a house got on fire, and it
was discovered that in the third story, the
garrett, there were a sow and a litter of pigs.
This, is, however, the exception, and not the
rule. A Mr. Malley is the most extensive
dry goods dealer in the city, and is the own
er of a princely mansion, although when he
came here he was only a poor Irish boy.
There is a very general impression amongst
the working classes that the high prices
which they have to pay for their provisions
is not solely to be attributed to the operation
of thewar, for they think that the store
keepers have taken advantage of their posi
tion by charging much more than there was
any necessity for the goods they sell. There
are no co-operative stores here, and as the
shopkeeper generally combines in himself
the grocer, corn dealer, tea dealer, green
grocer, butcher, and baker, and sometimes
includes linen drapery, hardware, shoes, aud
crockery, he can have almost his own price
for the goods he sells, and the consequence
is that he almost invariably gets rich, unless
his losses be heavy through giving credit;
for in this country, unless a person possesses
real property there are no means of enforc
ing payment for debt, except to the extent of
ten dollars, and then only under the follow
ing circumstances : Suppose a store-keeper
gives credit to a working man who has no
real property, he can " factorize," that is, he
can. go to the overlooker at the place where
the man is employed, and if there be wages
due to the extent of ten dollars, the over
looker is obliged to settle the account, and
stop the amount from the man's wages. If
there be no waires in hand, the creditor has
no remedy whatever, and there have been
instances of working men getting into debt
first at one store and then at another, until
they have completed the round at the stores,
and then they have left the neighbourhood
to repeat their roguish tricks in another dis
trict. At the present time the following is
the price charged at the stores for provisions :

26

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Butter, 2s 9d per lb, loaf sugar, ls, raw su
gar, lOd, milk, 5d per quart, lard, ls 4d per
lb. e?gs, 2s per dozen, oatmeal, 5d per Jb,
best flour, i!3 1 9s 2d per barrel, containing
196 lbs, being over 4|d per lb, which is a
much higher price than is paid iu England
for American flour. Indian meal, 2d per lb,
coffee from ls 3d to 2s Id per lb, tea, 5s per
lb, pork, lsO|d per lb, lamb, ls 3d, beef, ls
2d,- chickens, Is 4d, cheese, Is 4d, potatoes,
Id, apples Irom l^il to 2^<1 per lb, the busbel
together, coals, £3 Os 5d per ton, common
cotton shirting cloth 2s 6d per yard, and
other things in a similar proportion. There
is no travelling on the railway now at Id per
mile, short distances being charged about
2§d, and long distances about Ijd per mile.
A great change has been brought about in
the cost ot living. Forty years ago, in this
very city, veal and mutton could be purchased
for 2d per lb, and beef could be had at from
3d to 4d per lb. Potatoes and peaches were
four pounds for a penny ; turnips, six pounds
for a penny ; and butter, fivepence per pound.
There has also been a great change with re
spect to the losses which tradesmen have to
sustain. Formerly, when persons could be
imprisoned for debt, a tradesmau who turned
over half a million dollars in three years, and
trusted very extensively, only lost in five
years the sum of thirty-six dollars, aud dur
ing that time he never collected a dollar by
means of a lawsuit ; but at the present time,
since the abolition of imprisonment for debt,
the loss is greater in one month than it was
formerly in five years.
October 21 — Some of the natural pro
ductions of this district are remarkably fine
this season. A pumpkin has been offered
for sale in this city which weighed nearly
170 pounds, and measured six feet and a
half in circumference. 1 have been told of
another a few miles from here which weighs
about 200 pounds, and is still growiDg.
October 22, Sunday. — Went to Howe-
street Church this morning, and heard the
Rev. J. S. C. Abboit deliver a most eloquent
discourse on the resurrection of the body,
and the immortality of the soul. He urged
that one of the employments of the blessed
in a disembodied state, was to visit the dif
ferent planetary spheres, aud in proof there
of he quoted the passage where, on one
occasion, when Christ showed himself to the
disciples, he was accompanied by Moses aud
Elias. They might have stopped ou their
way to visit Saturn, Mars, or Jupiter, when
they came to the earth. There was a large
congregation, and the probability is that be
fore very long a larger church will be re
quired, as I find from the newspapers that

he has decided to withdraw his resignation,
which had not been accepted by the congre
gation. In the evening I attended the
coloured church.
New Haven, October 23. — The chaplain.
of the gaol called upon me this morning
and took me in his carriage to visit the pri
son. On our way we passed the mansion of
Mr. Sheffield, who was once a poor
boy, but is now supposed to be worth
millions of dollars. When he was mar
ried, the uucle of his wife threatened to dis
inherit her because she had married so poor
a person, but that uncle lived to see the day
when Mr. Sheffield became much richer than
himself. He entered into the cotton busi
ness iu the South, and it was there where he
became so immensely rich. When the war
broke out he said that, although he had spent
three-fourths of his life in the Somh, and
had amassed a large fortune there, he would
spend every dollar he possessed in further
ance of the war, rather than the Union
should be broken up. He supplied a com
pany of soldiers, and sent them out at his own
expense. Other rich men in this district imi
tated his example, and if it had not been for
efforts of this character, large as the national
debt of the United States is at present, it
would have been very much larger. We
passed the house in which Mr. Noah Webster
wrote the dictionary known as " Webster's
Dictionary." He wrote a new translation of
the Scriptures, altering the un^rammatical
phrases, but it never took with the people,
and consequently proved a failure. Many
persons are very jealous about the slightest
alteration in the text of Scripture. Passed
through York Square, which was so named
because all tho villa residences were erected
by New Yo k merchants. It is somewhat
singular that every one of these New York
merchants afterwards failed in business. On
entering the gaol, 1 saw a lemon tree in full
leaf, in bud, in flower, and also bearing
fruit. I was much interested in observing the
manner in which the prison was ventilated,
and the arrangements which were made for
the comfort of the prisoners. There does ,
not appear to be any extra punishment in
flicted during confinement, except that i( a
prisoner does not conduct himself properly,
the door of his cell will be so fixed as par
tially to exclude the light. 1 here is no -work
done here as a punishment, for the prisoners
regard it as » privilege to be permitted to
labour, as they thereby escape the monotony
of cell confinement. 'Ihe work which they
perform is charr bottoming, stitching shoes,
&c lhey do not get any reward for their
work, but such of the prisoners as are per-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

27

mitted to do hard work in the yard of the pri
son are allowed tobacco. Amongst the prison
ers were three coloured men, one of whom, I
was told, had been committed for 1 2 years.
One of the white prisoners was there on a
charge of having committed murder. He
appeared very dejected, but held out his hand
to have- a shake with the chaplain. There
were a number of female prisoners, some of
whom wept while the chaplain conversed
with them. I was told that the prisoners are
treated with great kindness here, and they are
generally well behaved during their confine
ment, and a considerable number of them be
come reformed characters. The chaplain told
me that there was no minister in the city had
a more attentive congregation than he. I ob
served a very curious contrivance by which 25
cells 'could be locked at once. Each cell door
has a separate lock, but, to guard against the
possibility of burglars having concealed in
struments about them by which they might
pick the lock, there is the contrivance to
which I have referred, by which all the doors
in one row of cells can be locked at once,
in a place where it is impossible for the pri
soners to have access ; and it also possesses
this peculiarity, that if by any oversight any
door has inadvertently been left a little ajar,
and consequently insecure, it will be at once
discovered when an attempt is made to use
the contrivance referred to. — On returning
home we passed a cottage in which an Eng
lishman died who was more than 100 years
old. Oct. 24. — Amongst the institutions of
this city, the workhouse is prominent in its
usefulness. The destitute and degraded may
here find access to comfort which they could
not otherwise, but, as in return for the bene
fit received; they are required to work, it is
not the place for the idle to resort. The es
tablishment is more than self-sustaining, for
the extensive farm connected with the insti
tution being brought into cultivation, large
quantities of fruits and vegetables are raised
for the market. Besides this there are dif
ferent kinds of employment carried on in
doors, so that whether it be fair or foul
weather the people have plenty to do.
When I visited the establishment, which
consists of a very large brick building pre
senting a very commanding appearance, and
situate nearly two miles from the city, I saw
persons engaged in preparing a kind of mos3
which is grown in South America, and when
prepared is used for stuffing mattresses and
carriage cushions. I saw a cooper engaged in
making various domestic utensils. Other kinds
of work were also going forward. From the
window of one of the upper stories, I saw

the residence of " Ike Marvel," a novelist of
some repute in the United States. I am told
that his real name is Mitchell. Amongst the
inmates of the workhouse I saw one named
Amanda Merwin, whose appearance was sad
indeed. Formerly she was a school teacher
in the city, and was very highly respected,
but in her case reason lost its throne and she
was sent to a retreat for the insane, where
she was kept ten years and was then sent
to the workhouse. Mr. Deacon Smith accom
panied me, but he could not recognise her,
although she was formerly a teacher in the
school of which he was superintendent. On
his asking her if she knew him, she pro
nounced his name without hesitation, al
though she had not seen him for mauy years.
That eye which once beamed with intelli
gence and brightened with affection, was
about to close on all earthly things, for in
three days after she was buried. Another of
the inmates was formerly regarded as the
belle of the city, she was so beautiful. She
began to take opium, under an impression
that it would add to her charms ; and the
habit having become formed, she become so
fascinated with it that she would sell all that
she had to procure it. Her friends are wealthy,
but ultimately they were obliged to refuse
her admission to their houses, for she would
even steal silver plate from the houses she
visited, and sell it to procure opium. The
workhouse was certainly the most suitable
place for her, and will probably be the means
of prolonging her life.
Oct. 25. — Attended this day the Superior
Court in this city, and heard a divorce case.
The husband had deserted his wife, having
been three years in California without writing
to her or informing her where he was, and
this was the ground for applying for a divorce.
He had in the meantime become possessed
of a large quantity of gold. A number of
divorce cases have been obtained within the
last few days. Some people suppose that
divorce cases are increased greatly in number,
partly because it is so easy to become mar
ried, and partly because it is so easy to be di
vorced ; and the persons divorced can then
legally marry other persons. I was invited to
attend the Methodist Church when a marriage
ceremony was performed. The lady was the
widow of a Confederate soldier who died
during the late war. It is the custom here
for the minister who officiates to kiss the
bride ; and the wife of a Methodist minister
who is now resident in this city made an
agreement with her husband some time
since, that every time he married a couple if
he did not kiss the bride he must purchase
his wife a new silk gown. It happened that

28

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the very first couple who presented them
selves for marriage were ot the coloured race,
and he had such a strong objection to kiss a
great fat negress, that he preferred to pay
the penalty ; and his wife obtained the silk
gown according to agreement.
Oct. 26. — Attended a concert in the Music
Hall, and heard the Hutchinson Family
give one of their entertainments. I had
often heard of the performances of this
eminent family, which formerly consisted of
sixteen sons and daughters. The mother
who was married when she was only fifteen
years of age, is still living and in good
health, although she is more than eighty
years old. The family began to itinerate as
singers in 1840, and have continued ever
since, but death has thinned their number,
and besides this they have themselves been
formed into two travelling companies ; one
calling themselves the tribe of John, the
other the tribe of Asa. It was the tribe of
John that I had the pleasure of hearing, and
charming singers they were. I think I
never heard a voice so much distinguished
for power and sweetness as that possessed
by John. When he took a solo part his
intonation was so perfect that every word
could be distinctly heard, and while occa
sionally there would be great fullness of
tone, at other times it would be almost as
soft as the music of the spheres. When he
sang " The friends I love so dearly," I im
agined at first that, although no one was
apparently on the platform with him, that
there must be somebody who, with a beauti
fully soft voice, sang portions of the song.
Afterwards, however, I became satisfied that
no deception had been practised, for I
found that he was competent to produce
music which was not only loud, but was also
soft and sweet. The tribe of John consists
of John W. Hutchinson, Fannie B. Hutch
inson, Viola G. Hutchinson, and Judson W.
Hutchinson. Although they have been
travelling about a quarter of a century, they
have never yet been in the Southern States,
nor dare they venture there now, because
they are known to be abolitionists. Thirteen
years ago they engaged a hall at St. Louis
in Missouri, but when they went there the
gentleman who let the hall said he had never
broken an engagement, but he would do so
with the Hutchinson Family. An appeal
for protection was made to the Mayor of
the city, but he said they had no business
there, being abolitionists, and he recom
mended them to leave the place as soon as
possible. They have been again recently,
and Mr. Thomas, the present Mayor of the
city, gave them every encouragement, and

they were very successful. This indicates
a very rapid change in public sentiment. I
had an interview after the concert1 with Mr.
John Hutchinson, and found him to be a
very intelligent person. He spoke of the
pleasure he derived from a visit to England
many years ago, and wished me to give his
compliments to any of his friends in Man
chester that I might meet with, and said he
intended to go to England again. He de
precated very much the conduct of many
Americans in speaking against England, for
he thought that the best policy for both
countries was to cultivate a friendly dis
position. He told me that the family now
consisted of five brothers and three sisters.
Oct. 27. — Parks are generally considered
to be the lungs of a great city, and this is a
very apt description. The " Green " at
New Haven is a beautiful open space,
adorned with lofty elms. Yale College is
situated on one side, several churches up
the centre, and within view are the State
House, the City Hall, and other public
buildings. One portion of the " Green"
was formerly a common burial ground, but
every trace of a grave yard has been re
moved, with the exception of the grave of
an Englishman named John Dixwell, the
regicide judge who signed the death war
rant of King Charles the First. A beautiful
marble monument has been erected, on one
side of which was the following inscrip
tion : — Here rest the remains of
John DiiTfin, Esq.,
Of the Priory of FolRestone, in the county of Kent, *
England, of a family long prominent in Kent and
Warwickshire, and himself possessing large estates and
much influence in his county. He espoused the popu
lar cause in the revolution of 1610. Between 1610 and
1660 he was colonel in the army, an active member of
four parliaments, thrice in the council of state, and one
of the high court which tried and condemned King
Charles the First. At the restoration of the Monarchy
he was compelled to leave his country,, and after a brief
residence in Germany, came to New Haven, and here
lived in seclusion, but enjoyed the esteem and friend
ship of its most worthy citizens till his death in 1689.
On the other side of the monument I
found the following: —
John Dixwell,
A zealous patriot, a sincere Christian, an honest man,
He waa faithful to duty through good and through evil
report ;
and having lost fortune, possession, and home in the
cause of his country and of human rights
found shelter and sympathy here, among the fathers of
_. , New England.
His descendants have erected this monument as a tri
bute of respect to his memory
.if^^l"1 ^°°rd ?f the Serous protection
extended to him by the early inhabitants of New Haven.
Erected A.D. , 1849.
While engaged iu copying the above in
scription, a beautiful squirrel came running
about, and on holding a nut in my hand it

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

29

took it away, cracked it, and then frisked
about as merrily as possible. I afterwards
saw it in a lofty elm, and when I held a nut
in my hand, down it came as quick as a rat,
and having taken out the kernel it buried
the shell in the grass and covered it with
leaves. Oct. 28.— Went to see the "Cast Iron
GrasshSpper" at work. This is the first
steam engine of the kind which has been
constructed, its great peculiarity being to
concentrate great force in very little compass.
The machinery which it had to move re
quired about twelve horse power, and it ap
peared to move with ease and smoothness.
The engine only occupies about three feet ;
and I was told that it was intended to take
it down and set it up at another place, with
a view to test its power.
Oct. 29 (Sunday). — Along with the chap
lain, I visited the prisoners at the gaol, aud
the inmates of the workhouse. The leading
singer at the prison was the negro who had
been committed for 12 years. At the work
house a female inmate played on the melo-
deon. Attended service at the coloured
church. In the afternoon attended Wooster
Place Church, and heard a gentleman de
scribe the condition of Kansas, especially of
Lawrence city. He asserted that for ten
years he had been deprived the privilege of
attending public worship, having had to
carry his gun and attend to drilling on the
Sabbath day; Union men having had to
fight ten years for the protection of their
wives and children, and their Christian insti
tutions. Two years ago they had regularly
to shut up their shops at two o'clock in the
afternoon to attend drill, in order that they
might learn how to protect themselves from
guerillas, who would come and burn down
the houses and shoot down the men without
the least compassion ; but these things were
now entirely changed. In Missouri the
Baptist denomination was more numerous
than any other; and in this State there are
at present sixty churches without pastors.
He was now on a mission begging money
for the erection of a church at Lawrence,
and had collected in New York and the New
England States 5,000 dollars, which, with
2,000 raised in Lawrence, made 7,000, and
it was intended to commence operations
when 10,000 were raised:' I went by invita
tion to the Scattergood Mission, an institu
tion which had been going on about seven
years, and has done much good. It is some
what similar to the ragged schools in Eng
land. The teachers collect children from the
streets of the city, form them into classes,
give them instruction, set before them the

excellencies of a religious life, sing anthems
to them, occasionally they give to each scho
lar a bunch of grapes or a few apples, pro
vide clothing when necessary, and in various
ways they make provision for the develop
ment of the mental, moral, and religious fa
culties. The place of meeting was ".The
Temple," which was formerly the theatre.
In the evening attended the coloured church.
Oct. 30. — Atteuded the meeting of the
" Sons of Temperance," and had a very cor
dial reception. After being introduced by
Mr. Deacon Smith, it was decided by resolu
tion to suspend the ordinary proceedings
ten minutes that the members might indivi
dually bid me welcome to the city and their
society. I never gazed on more earnest
countenances, aud never witnessed a dis
play of more hospitable feeling. The meet
ings are held weekly and are well attended.
The ladies bring needlework, and the gentle
men endeavour to interest the company in
various ways. Sometimes a subject will have
been appointed for debate, and certain indi
viduals named to conduct the proceedings.
The object of this is to qualify the young men
for public speaking. At other timesji.J'"*""*
or gentleman will be appointed to prepare~arT
essay to be read at the meeting, and in this
way, together with occasional speeches, the
meetings were exceedingly interesting.
There were nine persons proposed this even
ing for admission to the society. Although
this was only an ordinary meeting of the
society, all the members were as well dressed
as if they had been attending a festival.
Oct. 31. — There is no institution in this
city which is looked upon with more favour
than the Orphan Asylum. Its founder, Mr.
James Brewster, is still living, and is a most
amiable gentleman. His history affords ano
ther illustration of the fact that brains can
very readily be converted into brass in this
country. When he came to this city he was a
poor fatherless boy, but was blessed with an
excellent mother, who, when she put him out
as an apprentice to learn the carriage-making
business, requested him to make her a pro
mise that he would never taste intoxicating
liquor. He made the promise and was deter
mined to adhere to it. It was usual for the
apprentices to fetch liquor for the journey
men ; and after some time the thought oc
curred to him that if it were wrong for him to
partake of intoxicating liquor, it was equally
wrong to fetch it for others, and he then de
cided he would fetch no more. One of the
other apprentices took offence at this deci
sion, and was wishful that Brewster should be
compelled to fetch liquor in his turn. Brew
ster's will was inexorably fixed, and he re-

30

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

solved that, come what would, he would never
fetch any more drink. The matter was
brought before the overlooker, and when all
the circumstances were explained, the over
looker refused to insist upon obedience ; and
Brewster never fetched drink again. The ap
prentice who had lodged the complaint took
a liking for the liquor, became a miserable
sot in poor circumstances. Brewster attended
to tbe business, led a sober and religious life,
became a master carriage-manutacturer,
amassed a fortune ; but he never forgot his
fellow apprentice, for when he became old
and feeble, he received annually a grant of
money from Mr. Brewster's munificence.
When the latter became advanced in life he
made his will, leaving a certain amount of
money for the erection of an orphan asylum.
His amiable and kind-hearted wife suggested
to him that it would be much better for him
to build the asylum while he lived, and have
the pleasure of seeing it do good before he
died. He took the hint, got the place built
at a costof 15,000 dols, and at the time when
I visited it there were 110 orphan children
there. They are clothed and fed, and edu
cated, and wheu of sufficient age and
strength to he put out to service, suitable
places are found for them. Mr. Brewster is
now about 80 years of age, but he still takes
a deep interest in the asylum, visiting it oc
casionally ; and he is pleased to say that he
knows the orphan boys when he sees them
in the city, because they are more polite than
others. Now and then there is what is
termed a donation day at the institution,
when persons can contribute what they
please towards the support of the children.
The last donation day was on the 28th inst.,
when 1,800 dollars were received in money,
and several hundred dollars worth of cloth
ing was also sent to the institution. I never
saw a place more cleanly in appearance ; the
rooms are kept dry and warm by means of
radiators ; and everything is done with a view
to promote the interests of the children.
They have a healthy appearance, and seem to
enjoy life very well. They recited and sang
beautifully, and I shall long remember my
visit as being most pleasurable. On return
ing home, I passed the house of the late Mr.
Witney, the inventor of the cotton gin, by
which the seed could be separated from the
staple. Previous to this the cotton had to be
picked by hand, which was an expensive pro
cess, but afterwards the slaveholders were
able to produce cotton at a cheaper rate, and
this in its turn tended to increase the demand,
and more slaves were required, because a
larger quantity of laud was brought under
cultivation. Mr. Witney was taunted with

having by his invention extended slavery,
by causing more slaves to be required in
the South; but the extension of slavery
formed no portion of Mr. Witney's objeet
in bringing out the cotton gin.
New Haven, November 1, 1865. — A warm
and beautiful day, the butterflies seemed to
enjoy it as a holiday, The newspapers com
mented on the death of Lord Palmerston,
the English Prime Minister. Some of the
papers were rather severe, asserting that his
lordship had not' acted generously towards
the United States during the late struggle.
I find here a very wide-spread feeling of op
position to England ; aild although this is
much to be deplored, it is not surprising that
this should be the case, after there had been
exhibited, for several years in succession by
many of the English newspapers, such a
bitter spirit of hostility towards the United
States. Bad as this spirit was, it does not
justify the strong feelings of resentment
which is here very generally entertained, not
only by Democrats and Copperheads, but
also by men connected with the Republican j
party. I believe that a war with England at
the present time would be very popular in
this country, and the probability is that there
would he more than a million of men who
would rush to arms at once, if an open rup
ture took place. The publication of the cor
respondence between Mr. Adams and Earl
Russell has stimulated much discussion as to
what would be the result of a war with Eng
land, and many voices are heard to plead
that England ought to be compelled to make
compensation for the depredations of the
Alabama It is not only in the daily con
versation of the people that this hostility to
England is shown, but also iu the newspapers
and magazines. I have read an article on the
Kings and Queens of England, contained in
" Arthur's Home Magazine" for November,
a periodical which has a large circulation,
in which [ found the following passage relat
ing to the visit of the Prince of Wales to
America :—
"The welcome given to the heir to the British
throne in the United States was everywhere generous I
and spontaneous; he was received with genuine and '-I
open-hearted hospitality, and everything was done '
that could in any way serve to render his visit agree-.;;
able and interesting ; the people never forgot that he
was the son of Quoen Victoria, who, not only from her "
position, but from her own personal worth, is esteemed
by Americans scarcely less than by her own subjects.
From the friendly relations which existed between
America and England, it was not anticipated that the
English government would, as soon as a rebellion
broke out in this country, seek the ruin of our republic
by furnishing the traitors with the most approved mu
nitions of war, and assisting them in every way in
their power, which caused the war to continue much
longer than it would otherwise have done."
The above passage shows what a rancorous

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

31

spirit is fostered against the government of
England, for all well-informed persons know
very well that the English government never
sought to ruin the American republic by fur
nishing the traitors with the most approved
munitions of war, and assisting them iu every
way in their power. It cannot be disputed
that the Alabama was sent out from Liver
pool, and that many English steamers were
employed as blockade-runners during the war,
but tbe English government had no more to
do with this than the man in the moon. Eng
lishmen assisted the traitors, but the govern
ment did not.
Nov. 2. — It is surprising to me that there
is so little attention paid to agriculture in
this district. When I was at Fair Haven, I
travelled on an oyster shell road, which ap
peared to be some inches thick of broken
shells made so fine by the carriages passing
over them, that a considerable portion seemed
to be nothing but shell dust, and was of a
lighter complexion than the dust on other
roads. I inquired if this dust was not clear
ed off the road occasionally for the purpose
of manuring the soil, but I was told that
this was not the case. There is a considerable
amount of lime in the oyster shells, which
one-would think might be turned to profitable
account for farming purposes. It is said that
each oyster can produce 1,200,000 eggs, and
that each young oyster is the one hundred
and twentieth part of an inch in length, aud
and that about 2,000,000 can be packed with
in the dimensions of a cubic iuch. There are
many ship-loads of young oysters brought
from the Virginian coast andlaid down in beds
to thrive near to Fair Haven, and when grown
they become very profitable to the oyster-
dealers. November 3. — The Evergreen Cemetery,
situated nearly two miles from this city, is a
place of great resort at the fall of the year.
It is in this place where the remains of many
soldiers have been deposited, and the adorn
ment of their place of rest is au evidence of
the high regard in which the patriot soldiers
were held.
November 4 — A very wet day, the rain
descending from morning till night without
interruption. It is, nevertheless, comparative
ly warm, so warm, in fact, that I was alraid
the Indian summer might pass and I should
not be aware of it. I understand that it is
usual for a little cold weather to come on be
fore the Indian summer. I sleep every night
with my window open a foot high, and have
never taken the slightest harm, although my
bed is close to the window, which lifts up
from the bottom instead of opening at the top.
Some of the windows of the houses in this

district have cords and pulleys, but the great
majority have merely a catch fixed on the side,
on touching which the window may be lifted
up. The Indian summer only lasts from four
to six days, and usually takes place in No
vember. This is the time for transplanting
vegetables for winter or spring use. One per
son I have seen told me he had planted out
1,400 lettuces — and it was a pleasure to know
that here there are no slugs to destroy them.
November 5, Sunday. — Went to Doctor
Dutton's church, on the College Green, and
heard a gentleman preach who is 76 years
of age, and has just returned from Constan
tinople, where he has been a missionary 42
years. He preached an excellent discourse,
and at the close nine persons were publicly
received as members of the church, and one
of them, who appeared to be about thirty
years of age, was baptized. The sacrament
of the Lord's supper was administered, and
persons of all religious denominations were
invited to participate. Went to the coloured
church, after which I attended a Sunday
school concert in Dr. Dutton's church. The
service was very interesting ; the children,
having been specially trained for the concert,
sang some beautiful pieces very harmoni
ously. The singing was interspersed with
short addresses, abounding with pithy
observations well suited to the occa
sion. The gentleman who preached in
the morning interested the audience by
giving an account of what he had seen at
Antioch and Constantinople. It was as
tonishing what an amount of vivacity the
old gentleman possessed. He taught the
children to sing a tune which I remember
having heard at Leeds, in Yorkshire, more
than thirty years ago, and the children kept
improving in their singing verse after verse,
until the tune went off cheerily. Attended
the second Methodist Church, the service
consisting of a temperance meeting, over
which Mr. James Brewster presided, and
the meeting was addressed by the Rev. Mr.
Glover, Methodist minister, and others.
There was a very large congregation.
Anthems were sung at intervals, which gave
the service much of the appearance of a
concert. The chairman informed the meet
ing that he had been an abstainer from in
toxicating drink between sixty and seventy
years, and he still felt a pleasure either by
writing or speaking to exert an influence on
behalf of the temperance cause. The last
five years had been the happiest in his life,
for he had had time for reflection on those
great objects which were worthy of his pur
suit. No cloud had intercepted his mental
vision, and his mind was now as active,

82

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

when he was nearly fourscore years of age, as
it had ever been before. He sometimes
wishfd that he was young again that he
might endeavour to use a greater influence
on behalf of those objects to which his
attention had been directed. Sometimes
when he had gone to the Orphan Asylum
he had been much pleased when a little girl
would throw her arms around him to testify
her gratitude for the comfortable home she
possessed. Commencing in 1825, he visited
the workhouse every Sunday during a period
of seven years, aud he still went there occa
sionally. Referring to the Maine Law in
Connecticut, he said it still remained on the
statute book, but public sentiment refused to
sustain the law, and therefore it was a nul
lity. He knew all about the operations of
the Maine Law, and could write volumes in
its favour. When he came to the city of
New Haven intemperance was very pre
valent, aud when he commenced business he
resolved that he would not permit intoxi
cating drink to enter his factory. He told
his men that if they would not drink, if any
of them stood in need of assistance they
were to go to no person but himself, and he
would give them relief. He knew that the
Maine Law had operated well, for he had
seen its good effects in his own factory, and
he was therefore not ashamed to call him
self a Maine Law man. In a conver
sation he had with a man named Donnelly,
who had committed murder, the man told
him that if it had not been for rum he would
not have been in the position he was then in,
and he regretted that the Maine Law was
not in force, for if it had been he would not
have committed the murder. He (Mr.
Brewster) declared himself to be in very good
spirits, and described himself as a happy old
man, who was not only happy in advocating
the temperance cause, but was also
happy in the hope of a blessed immor
tality. After attending service at the
Coloured Church, I went to the 3rd Metho
dist Church, where ten persons, denomi
nated the " New York Praying Band," con
ducted the service. I had heard that Boston
Corbett, the man who shot Booth, the assas
sinator of President Lincoln, was to be one
pf the number. Some time since he was
converted to religion, and up to that time he
had not had a Christian name, and he then
decided to call himself Boston, in honour of
the place where he was converted. Corbett,
however, was not present, but his com
panions were, and the meeting was very
noisy indeed. Jumping alone excepted, the
proceedings were far less orderly than at the
first coloured church I attended. I think I

never heard such shouting before. The
church was filled with people.
Nov. 6. — Went to Witneyville to see au
extensive manufactory of arms. During the
progress of the war this establishment was
kept working night and day to supply guns
for the army, but now that the war has closed
they have to seek a market elsewhere. Re
cently they have exported to other countries
more than 10,000 rifles. I never saw a place
so filled with machinery before, almost every
inch of available space being occupied, and
there was an immense number of straps and
drums in every direction. Probably there is
not one-tenth of the number of hands em
ployed that there was formerly, the demand
for arms having greatly lessened. Three dif
ferent patents have recently been obtained
for breech-loading rifles, and at this place
guns are being made for each patentee. One
of them named Howard, from Boston, was
at the establishment when I visited tha place,
and we had a conversation together. One
gun was shown to me which could be loaded
and fired off 32 times in a minute. It seems
to me that the improvements which are being
made in the manufacture of weapons of des
truction are such that the time will come when
the nations will not dare to go to war with each
other, as it would almost be certain destruc
tion to both parties. What would some of
our Peninsular men, who were accustomed
to the flint and steel, think about these
modern weapons ? The drilling of the bar
rels is accomplished in such a manner that it
only requires the labour of one man to attend
to half-a-dozen drills. Pistols on the revolv
ing principle are here manufactured, some
having five barrels and others having six.
Nov. 7. — This was the day appointed for
the election hy vote of the select men, town
clerk, town treasurer, collector of taxes, re
gistrar of births, marriages, and deaths, grand
jurors, constables, registrars of voters, sur
veyors of highways, fence viewers, ground
keepers, hay wards, guagers and inspectors,
packers, weighers, sealers of weights and
measures, and tythingmen. The vote was
taken as usual by ballot, and everything con
nected with the election passed off in a
most orderly manner. I visited some of
the polling places, but there did not
appear to be the least excitement. A few
men stood near the booth, having papers,
some of which contained the Democratic
ticket and others the Republican ticket. On
a voter presenting himself, each party gave
him a ticket, but neither party would know
on which side the vote was given. The De
mocrats were successful, having a majority
of some hundreds.

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

33

Nov. 8. — Although New Haven is such a
large and beautiful city, there is not a mar
ket of any kind, and what may appear equally
strange, there is not a church possessing a
peal of bells. Some time since a person got
a peal of bells put up at a school, but the in
habitants voted the ringing of the bells a
nuisance, and, consequently, the gentleman
never permitted the bells to be rung again.
In the year 1832 there were only six churches
in New Haven, aud now there are thirty-
six. *
Nov. 9.— Visited the Trumbull gallery of
paintings, the works of Col. John Trumbull,
which chiefly consist of illustrations of his
torical subjects, and portraits of eminent
men. Nov. 1 0 — Since I have come to this coun
try I have been much struck with the differ
ence there is with respect to the twilight, as
compared with England. In this country it
is dark very soon alter the sun has gone down,
and on one occasion, in consequence of not
bearing this in mind, I was very near being
benighted on the West Rocks. Probably, had
Montgomery lived here, he would not, in his
" World before the Flood," have expressed
himself in the following lines : —
I love thee, twilight ! as thy shadows roll,
The calm of evening steals upon my soul,
Sublimely tender, solemnly serene,
StiU as the hour, enchanting as the scene,
I love thee, twilight ! for thy gleams impart
Their dear, their dying influence on my heart.
When o'er the harp of thought thy passing wind
Awakens all the music of the mind.
And joy and sorrow, as the spirit burns,
ADd hope and memory sweep the chords by turns,
While contemplation, on seraphic wings,
Mounts with the flame of sacrifice and sings.
Nov. 1 1 . — Attended prayers at Yale Col
lege. The students, some hundreds of whom
were present, appeared to be very devout. On
the service being closed, nearly all of them
opened their books and went reading along
as they proceeded towards the recitation-
room. This week, an eagle alighted on the
spire of Howe-street Church, and after mak
ing a survey, spread its broad pinions and
flew away- The eagle seldom pays a visit to
this city, but it was observable that during
the late war eagles constantly travelled along
with two regiments belonging to the United
States throughout the entire campaign.
Nov. 12, Sunday. — Visited the prisoners at
the gaol, two of whom endeavoured during
the past night to make their escape. One of
them had been imprisoned for thirteen
mdnths and the other threejears, and if they
had succeeded in obtaining their release,
they would have proceeded by the two o'clock
train to New York, and then passed to some
other part of the country. A skeleton key
had been placed inside a folded newspaper

by a confederate, and a file had also been
supplied, but the cell door could not be
opened by these means. They then suc
ceeded in taking down a portion of the thick
brick walls of the cells, but after they had
thus got away from their places of confine
ment they found that there were other bar
riers to their further egress. They then took
down a large ventilator, and having passed
their bodies through the aperture, went
amongst the foundations of the prison, when
by the use of powerful leverage, they endea
voured to force some iron bars, but failed in
their object. They then attempted to cut
one of the bars with a file, but after labouring
five nours the instrument broke, and they
were obliged to relinquish their plan. They
then endeavoured to escape through the
roof, but this scheme having failed, they were
obliged to return to their cells and acknow
ledge what they had done. The gaoler, who
is a remarkably humane man, said he had
not decided whether or not to have them tried
for endeavouring to escape from prison. —
Visited the workhouse and attended the fune
ral of a man of colour at the Evergreen
Cemetery. In the evening attended the North
church on College Green, and heard a gen
tleman who had been a missionary in Syria
fifteen years give a discourse descriptive of
the state of religion in that country. He held
that the Mahometans are gradually losing
their power, and the Greeks and Armenians
are constantly gaining it. This was especially
so in Southern Syria, where the land was
passing out of the hatds of the Mahometans
and was being possessed by others.
Nov. 13. — Had a pleasant interview- with
Dr. Leonard Bacon, who received the late R.
Cobden, Ksq., as a guest at his house when
on his last visit to America. Conversation
was perfectly free and unrestrained, and the
topics were of an interesting character.
Had also an interview with Dr. Jeremiah
Day, who was president of the Yale College
29 years, and he is now more than 92 years
old. He is one of nature's noblemen, de
voting the whole of his surplus income to
deeds of charity, and acts of beneficence.
Notwithstanding his advanced age, be has
the full exercise of his faculties, and although
his health is not vigorous, he told me he was
very comfortable. Our conversation was
chiefly on college life and the system of dis
cipline practised. I have never known a more
hospitable and friendly people than the
Americans. If a stranger happens to come,
he must either visit others, or others will
visit him. Here there is civility without
servility and the most polite behaviour pos
sible. — This evening I went to the Music

34

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Hall to attend a lecture on " Habit," by Mr.
Jv B. Gough, who visited England a few years
ago. As a lecturer he is held in very high
estimation here. The beautiful hall was
crowded in every part ; the body, the gal
lery, the aisles, and the platform, were
filled to overflowing, and even behind the
scenes (for the hall is fitted up as a theatre)
there were many who were obliged to stand
the whole of the time. There were between
3,000 and 4,000 persons present, which is
certainly a large number, especially when it
is taken iuto consideration that each person
had to pay a quarter of a dollar for "admission.
He denounced in strong terms the habits of
forgetfulness, lying, swearing, tale bearing,
procrastination, anger, &c, and was much
applauded at the close of his address.
While waiting on the platform for the people
to retire, we had a conversation respecting
his visit to England, and he seemed to
remember everything.
New Haven, Nov. 14,— This is the third
day we have had of the Indian summer, and
it is lovely beyond description. The chry
santhemums are in full bloom in the open
air, and the sky is radiant with beauty. In
the evening, I had a country walk, and there
was such a glorious sunset, and the light
was so clear, that at a quarter-past five
o'clock I could read a favourite book, with
the greaetst pleasure. Tbe balmy air was
so agreeable, that it reminded me of mid
summer evenings in England. I never ex
perienced such November weather before,
and, probably, never shall again, for the
contrast between this and such as we usually
experience in England this month is very
great indeed.
Nov. 15. — The longer I remain here, the
more I become attached both to the people
and the place, There is much to see, and
much to learn, and the developments of in
dividual character are very striking. There
are many instances of working men rising
to opulence aud influence in a compara
tively short time. The Hon. James English
is a splendid illustration, for he began life
without a dollar. He was an apprentice to
the trade of a joiner, and worked at it three
years, but having in that time made himself
thoroughly acquainted with almost every
thing connected with the business, he longed
for something else on which his active mind
could find scope for exercise. Prudence,
industry, and general good behaviour dis
tinguished him remarkably when he was a
boy, and these features of character evidence
themselves in the man. He is the very
picture of health and good nature, and he
said that he had never known what it was to

have either tooth-ache or head-ache, and
had never had any sickness in his life except
very recently, and that was not of a very
serious character. He is now the head
partner in a clockmaking establishment, and
when I asked him about the extent of his
premises as a whole, he said he could
not tell, and what seemed somewhat strange
to me was the fact that there was no book
keeper or any other person about the place
who could give the information. Mr. English,
however, gave me the measurements of some
of the principal buildings, which I found to
amount in the aggregate to 6 1 ,500 square feet
of flooring. Had I obtained the measurements
of the interior buildings, the gross number of
feet would have increased very much. Few
people would imagine that for clockmaking
purposes such extensive premises would be
required. The steam-engine to turn the ma
chinery was 75 horses' power. Almost every
part of a clock is made by machinery. I gaw
a person cutting tbe teeth of the large wheels,
and observed that he cut 67 wheels at once,
at the rate of 40 teeth per minute, so that he
cut 160,800 per hour. When all the wheels
are made, a man can put a clock together in
less than two minutes. It is considered that
350 are sufficient for a day's work, but a quick
hand can do 500. At' this establishment
22,000 movements are the most that have
ever been made in one month. A great many
workpeople, both male and female, are em
ployed at this establishment, and Mr. English
is held in very high repute as an employer.
One of the foremen informed me that Mr.
English is now worth 600,000 dollars, and he
is now only 53 years of age. He has been
elected State senator thrice in succession, and
has also filled other public offices. Take ano
ther illustration. Mr. John Woodruff worked
in a clock manufactory ten or eleven years
ago, and at the present time he is not only a
wealthy man, but he is so highly respected
that when he becomes a candidate for senato
rial honours, he can be elected when there is
a majority of 500 against his party in the dis
trict. He has twice been elected a member
of Congress. I might mention another case
of a similar character. Mr. H B. Harrison
was once a very poor boy, who went to Mr.
Lovell s school, first as a scholar and then as
a teacher, and while in the latter capacity he
always devoied a portion of his salary to the
support of his mother. He afterwards be-
—a l .hix/at." r„d,!c='
ticut, his native State TkQ u- \ „ »»

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

35

what can be accomplished in America, even
when circumstances are apparently of an ad
verse character. He commenced life without
a dollar, but by temperance, economy, and in
dustry, he has been the architect of his own
fortune, and has placed himself in a position
which even a prince might envy. After giving
100,000 dollars to the various benevolent insti
tutions Jif the city, he could give to each of
his children (although he has a numerous fa
mily) 150,000 dollars, and still he has money
left for charitable purposes. He was not satis
fied with merely building an orphan asylum,
for he has recently invested a sum of money,
the interest of which will be amply sufficient
to keep it in a state of repair for ever. He
never permitted himself to drift infl) the dead
sea of aimless life, but was constantly employ
ing his talents in various ways to promote the
public good. While labouring sedulously to
improve his own position, he endeavoured to
exert a moral power which would be useful to
others. There was a degraded portion of the
city, covering about thirteen acres of ground,
which he purchased in order that he might
improve the district morally and physically.
He pulled down the buildings, and erected
others of a better class, and in six or seven
years he was enabled to sell the pro
perty for double what it cost. He has a firm
belief that if tbe sovereign people of the
United States will only turn their attention to
the development of the moral power, there
will be no nation under Heaven so rich and
prosperous. His own success in life has led
him to entertain views of political economy,
which differ materially from those which are
generally received Adam Smith, in his work
on " Political Economy," scarcely ever makes
any reference to the moral power, whereas
Mr. Brewster regards it as the grand lever by
which society is to be elevated. He is the
owner of a large tract of land in Iowa, and
when I last saw him he was in treaty with a*
banker at Chicago, who was desirous to be
come the purchaser. Mr. Brewster told me
that if the sale took place he intended to give
1,000 dollars towards the erection of a church
on the estate, and 500 for fhe establishment
of a school. He believed that the settlement
on that estate would become more rich and
prosperous in proportion as the moral power of
the people was developed, and therefore he
considered it his duty to make such arrange
ments as would be calculated to ensure the
education of the people before anything else
was done. He might have been elected to
high offices by his fellow-citizens, but he de
clined all such distinctions as these, stating as
a reason that he thought that no man could
succeed in more than one department, and the

great object of his life had been to place him
self in such a position that he would be the
first carriage maker in the world. It was sup
posed that he had accomplished this object,
for the Brewster carriages took the first prize
at the great exhibition in London, in 1851.
The Emperor of France has now in his pos
session two carriages made by Brewster, and
there are few countries in the world where
carriages may not be found which have been
constructed by the firm. This name has be
come like a household word in his depart
ment, and while the business was very lucra
tive to himself, he took care that the men in
his employ "should have a share in the advan
tages which he had reaped. One young person,
who, was in his employ, gave evidence of consi
derable talent.and Mr Brewsterthoughtit would
be right to encourage to make him attain
still more proficiency. Ultimately he gave
him a share in the business, and he is now
worth a million of dollars, although he was
once as poor as any boy that can be found in
the streets. Mr. Brewster has always been
wishful to encourage young men to make pro
gress. Some time since, arrangements were
made for a meeting of his former apprentices,
some of whom he had not seen for more than
a quarter of a century ; and after a suitable
address had been given, they requested that it
might be published for the benefit of others.
In making the request the former apprentices
said: —
" After a separation o.f nearly thirty years, to meet
you again, with your esteemed lady and children, at
your own fireside around your family'board, to receive
from you proofs so convincing of your unabated interest
in our personal welfare ; to find you, although on the
verge of the allotted three score years and ten, yet in
the enjoyment of a vigour of body and mind, an elasti
city of spirits, and a buoyancy of hope, apparently un
impaired by the course of time ; to see you surrounded
by the abundant fruits of the distinguished industry,
skill, and uprightness in business which have marked
your life ; to learn of the grateful esteem and profound
respect in which you are held by your fellow-citizens ;
to witness the distinct impress of your untiring energy,
public spirit, munificent liberality, and Christian bene
volence enstamped upon the most important enter
prises and noble charities which advance and adorn the
beautiful city of your long-continued residence ; and,
above all, to hear from your lips, and observe in your
life, expressions so impressive of the calm and holy
confidence with which you await the summons, ' Dust
to dust,' all forcibly and beautifully illustrating the
value of those principles of action and rules of life
which you have ever inculcated upon the young men
placed under your instruction and care, have afforded
us a pleasure which no language within our reach can
adequately express."
Such an address, under the circumstances*
was most appropriate on the reunion of those
who had stood in the relation of master and
apprentices, and richly deserved wider publi
city than has hitherto been given. The fol
lowing poetry, which had been composed for
the occasion, was given with great effect : —

36

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

A song and a cheer — a hearty cheer
For the soul so stout and strong,
That travels its way by night and day
To fame, though the road be long.
There's hope in his eye, though the storm be nigh,
And the wind is fierce and wild,
He feels no fear in his proud career,
For hope cheers labour's child.
By night and by day, he toils away,
With heart as cheery and free
As the wind that blows o'er summer rose,
For a happy man is he !
The rich may revel in pride and wealth,
Or glisten with jewels bright ;
On labour's coronet sparkles a gem
More dear than diamonds' light.
His heart is as bold as his arm is strong,
And never a whit cares he,
For the proud man's scorn, since he was born
As free as the curbless sea .
Then sing to the son of honest toil,
Warm heart, and the open hand ;
And long live he, the pride to he,
Of our own unconquered land.
Nearly half a score of years have passed
away since the above meeting took place,
yet Mr. Brewster continues to be full of
vivacity, with a face beaming with a thou
sand smiles, and a heart that can ever
welcome a friendly greeting. When he and
his amiable wife had been married fifty
years, they had what is termed in America
a golden wedding, which consists of a social
gathering of friends and relatives who meet
to congratulate the aged couple. The follow
ing was sung on the occasion to the tune of
" Auld Lang Syne :" —
The links of fifty golden years
Reach to the golden ring
Which now, with glad and grateful tears,
We celebrate and sing.
O chain of love ! 0 ring of gold !
That have the years defied,
And still in happy bondage hold
The old man and his bride !
The locks are white that once were black,
The sight has feebler grown :
But through the long and weary track
The heart has held its own !
0 chain of love I O ring of gold !
That time could not divide ;
That kept through changes manifold
The old man and his bride .
The little ones have come and gone,
The old have passed away ;
But love — immortal love — lives on,
And blossoms mid decay.
0 chain of love ! O ring of gold !
That have the years defied,
And still with growing strength enfold
The old man and his bride !
The golden bridal ! ah, how sweet
The music of its bell
To those whose hearts the vows repeat
Their lives have kept so well !
O chain of love I 0 ring of gold !
O marriage true and tried !
That bind with tenderness untold
The old man and his bride !

We give you joy dear, precious friends,
The heartiest we can give;
For when life's loving journey ends,
There'll still be life to live !
O streets of gold ! O harps of gold !
O love beatified !
Joined in a heavenly home, behold
The old man and his bride !
Mr. Brewster is a descendant in a direct
line of Elder Brewster, one of the Pilgrim
Fathers who came from England in the May
flower in 162C. His ancestor was secretary
to Mr. Davison, the celebrated diplomatist,
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and
when his patron fell under the displeasure
of royalty, and was committed as a prisoner
to the Tower of London, William Brewster
(afterwards Elder Brewster) remained faith
fully attached to the interests of his employer.
I may here mention in connection with
the reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, that six
years after the Mayflower left England, ano
ther pilgrim ship was dispatched, but it was
stranded on Cape Cod, and buried in the
sand. In 1 863 the sea washed up this old
ship from its burial place in the sands of
Nanset, where it had remained nearly 240
years, and it has now been removed for pre
servation. There would have been cause for
regret if Mr. James Brewster had been per
mitted to pass away without record, but
happily provision has been made for that.
Before I left New Haven he sent his coloured
servant one day with a polite note request
ing that I would take tea with his family. I
found him to be one of the most affable gen
tlemen I ever met. He showed me five
volumes of manuscript, elegantly bound and
beautifully written, which he had dedicated
to his children, and which contained records
of his life with moral reflections. He kindly
permitted me to take a volume home for
perusal, and I found that it was a great point
with him to show that the moral power was
the money power, whether applied to indivi
duals, to communities, or nations. On return
ing the volume I told him I was delight
ed to find that on almost every topic he
touched upon there was a remarkable simi
larity between the views he expressed and
those which I entertained. There was one
subject, however, on which we differed
greatly. He apologised for slavery in the
South on the ground that it had been forced
upon the present generation by necessity ra
ther than choice, and he condemned the ac
tion of prominent abolitionists as calculated
to foster strife and disunion. I told him that
there had been sufficient evidence to show
that slavery was the idol of the South, and
they would sacrifice everything that was dear
to them rather than give it up. I thought

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

37

that the prominent abolitionists of the United
States who had faithfully stood to their
principles when popular opinion was against
them, were worthy of the admiration of the
world. Mr. Brewster said the remarks I had
read on the slavery question in his diary were
written before the late rebellion, and he had
altered^ghis opinion respecting slavery and
slaveholders since then. I had several inter
views with Mr. Brewster before leaving New
Haven, and he expressed regret that our
acquaintance was formed at so late a period.
I also regretted it greatly, for he gave me
much valuable information . Another gentle
man with whom I formed an acquaintance
was Mr. William Goodwin, the compiler of
the Connecticut legislative statistics. He is
in his seventy-fourth year, but in his conver
sation he is as lively and gay as a youth of
twenty. Whenever he may be called away
by death, his loss will be felt, for his great
object is to do good while he lives. During
a period of nine years he has watched with
the sick, the dying, and the condemned, at
New Haven, 1,897 nights. He is the author
of several small works which have been issued
at different periods. He is not a rich man,
but he is comfortably circumstanced, and
told me that he had often felt glad that he
had found such a nice moral place as New
Haven in which to bring up his children.
He emigrated from England many years ago,
bringing with him a wife and six children.
During a period of ten years he was agent
for the celebrated Dr. Webster, author of
" Webster's Dictionary," and other works.
Mr. Goodwin had to travel through the dif
ferent states with a horse and wagon, not for
the purpose of selling books, but to give
them away, Dr. Webster bearing all his ex
penses, and paying him in addition fifty dol
lars per month, and frequently making him
a present of twenty-five dollars more. Mr.
Goodwin has always been an advocate for the
free education of the people ; and, as a re
cognition of his services, the education board
presented him with a golden-headed cane,
which was suitably inscribed. He has, at
various times, received public testimonials
from his fellow citizens, and he assured me
that he had never met with anything but
kindness from the American people. He
visits the public schools every week, all the
children joyfully recognising him as " Old
Father Goodwin." He once accompanied me
to the Webster school, the largest in the city,
and it was pleasing to witness how the smiles
played on the countenances of the children,
as we entered the different schoolrooms, ten
in number. He generally made a little en
couraging speech in each room to the chil

dren, and in one room he amused the chil
dren very much when he told them that, as
he had no bed companion, he always took
with him when he retired to rest his golden-
headed cane, which he placed in the bed ; he
put his spectacles under his pillow, his Bible
on his right side, and his prayer-book on his
left, and his slippers under his bed. The ar
ticles above-named were some of the testi
monials which had been presented. The edu
cational board had also caused his portrait to
be taken, and it was suspended in the different
rooms. Mr. Goodwin was not only a reci
pient of public favour, personally, but he
frequently employs his time in soliciting aid
for others, and some of the gentlemen are
ready to give him money when they see him
without making any enquiries as to the object,
for they say they are satisfied that he will
not collect money for any but worthy objects
of charity. Although his means are only
moderate, yet he has from his own resources
given away 306 silver medals and two gold
ones. I believe he gave those medals to de
serving children, who had made great pro
ficiency in learning. He still continues a
practice to which he has long been accus
tomed, of giving away books and money to
the children as an encouragement to good
behaviour. I was very much pleased to make
his acquaintance, as he gave me much valu
able information. Another gentleman with
whom I became acquainted was Mr. Lovell,
a schoolmaster, who is more than seventy
years of age, yet he attends to the duties of
his profession almost with the sprightliness
of youth. He was born in England, and was
trained in his scholastic duties by Mr. Joseph
Lancaster, the originator of the Lancasterian
system of education. After Mr. Lancaster
went to America, Mr. Lovell had an oppor
tunity of being promoted as a teacher in Eng
land, but he had such a generous attachment
to Mr. Lancaster, that he was determined to
follow the fortunes of his patron, and conse
quently proceeded to America. Mr. Lancas
ter was very unfortunate, and Mr. Lovell for
some time only earneda precarious subsistence
by giving ladies lessons in writing, visiting
them at their residences. When winter came
on, one of his pupils said to him, " Mr.
Lovell, why do you not put on your overcoat
this cold weather ?" He might have said it
was for the strongest of all reasons, that he
was not fortunate enough to possess one, but
he felt ashamed to acknowledge his poverty,
and merely evaded the question by saying
he did not care about wearing one. The lady,
however, had penetration enough to suppose
the true reason, and when he went again, in
the politest manner possible, she invited him

88

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

into another room, and presented him with a
most beautiful winter garment. Mr. Lovell
commenced teaching a school, and his former
pupils are now scattered in almost every state
in the Union, many of them occupying im
portant positions in society. Some time since,
a number of these former pupils purchased a
house, with ornamental ground attached, and
presented it to him as a free-will offering. He
gratefully accepted the gift, and, probably, no
one envies the possessor. He describes his
home as '* the happiest in the world," and if
a kind, genial disposition can ensure a happy
home, no doubt it is found at Mr. Lovell's.
He has a smile for every one, and has alway s
been remarkable for the manifestation of a
contented mind. Saturday is a holiday for
school-teachers in America, and he generally
has a long ramble with his dog and his gun,
for here there are no game laws, and he told
me that he had frequently bagged twenty
birds during the day, but in consequence of
the increased population of the district there
is less game than formerly. As an evidence
of strong paternal attachment to a dutiful son,
may be mentioned the fact that his father
came from England to see him when he was
seventy-five years of age, and Mr. Lovell
never received any intimation of his intended
visit until he saw him in the schoolyard. I
was invited to form the acquaintance of Mr.
Jerome, whose history is interesting, especially
in connection with clockmaking, which has
become one of the most important branches
of American industry. It has grown to its
present dimensions during the last thirty-five
years, and is almost exclusively confined to
one of the smallest states in the Union. It
is said that sixty yeats ago a few men with
clumsy tools supplied the demand, but at the
present time, with systematised labour and
complicated machinery, it gives employment
to thousands of men, occupying some of the
largest factories of New England. Previous
to the year 1838, most clock movements were
made of wood, but since then they have been
constructed of metal, which is not only better
and more durable, but cheaper to manufacture.
Mr. Jerome was the son of a blacksmith, and
when only nine years of age he was put to
the same business, being employed in making
nails. Two years after this his father died,
and then the business passed away, and the
son had to be put out to learn farming. He
afterwards served an apprenticeship to the
business of a carpenter, and during his ap
prenticeship had repeatedly to walk a distance
of thirty miles on a hot summer's day and
carry a heavy load of tools all the way. He
had a strong desire to be a clookmaker, and
proposed to go to a person named Terry to

learn the business, for he was then making
two hundred clocks per year, which was more
than was made by any other man in the
country. H e was told that it would not be
wise to go to the clockmaking business, for
there were so many then being made that
the country would soon be filled with them,
and the business would be good for nothing
in two or three years. The youth who listen
ed to this advice afterwards made two huD-
dred thousand metal clocks in a year, and
many millions during his life. He is now
more than seventy years of age, and is the
oldest man living who has had much to do
with clockmaking, his name being now to be
seen on millions of clocks scattered about in
every part of the civilised globe. After ex
periencing many ups and downs in life, he
ultimately became a partner in a concern
along with Mr. P. T. Barnum (the showman;
and others, but the concern failed, and Mr.
Barnum went to England to escape the con
sequences. Mr. Jerome is now out of busi
ness, but his name is still used in connection
with the clock business, and a great many
clocks are annually sent to England and sold
as Jerome's clocks. He has been a very en
terprising man, buthas been very unfortunate,
but he has a son-in-law who appears to be
very fortunate in business.
New Haven, Nov. 16. — The Savings
Banks in America are at the present time
very prosperous. In one bank in Connec
ticut five millions of dollars have been de
posited. The depositors receive interest for
their money, varying from five to seven per
cent. During the last year, no bank has
paid less than five per cent, and no bank
has paid more than seven. No officer
receives any salary except the treasurer, and
a commissioner is appointed to iuvestigate,
periodically, the financial condition of each
bank. There is, however, as in England,
no government security to the depositors that
the amount will be repaid. The Post Office
is also an institution which appears to pros
per in America. During the year, in Con
necticut alone, after paying all the expenses,
there was a surplus of nearly 50,000 dollars,
which was applied to the reduction of the
national debt. In all the cities I have visited
I have_ found one plan adopted, which, I
think, is very excellent. After entering the
corridor there is a very large space enclosed
by glass windows, divided into very small
boxes, each bearing a number. Any citizen
can have a box appropriated to him on pay
ment of one dollar per annum, and each box
can be seen at a glance from the outside, so
that a person can tell at once whether there
be any letters for him, and this prevents

-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

39

many useless inquiries. In England, the
charge per box is generally one guinea per
annum, which is too much for small trades
men to pay, and, probably, if the price were
reduced to five shillings, the post office
receipts from boxes would be doubled.
Nov. 1 7. — Went this day to visit a lucifer
match manufactory. It was interesting to
watch the various processes. One machine
can cut 144,000 matches per hour. It is
curious to observe how the matches can be
separated one from each other; for, pre
vious to being dipped, they have to be so
disposed that no two matches touch each
other. They are then dipped, first in brim
stone, and then in phosphoric composition,
and afterwards placed in boxes prepared to
receive them. As a war tax, a cent stamp
has to be affixed to every box. It is wonder
ful that they can be sold so cheap, after pass
ing through so many different processes.
Nov. IS. — On my way to Hartford this
day I saw at Meridan the State Reformatory
School. There are here 227 boys, 141 hav
ing been admitted this year. The building
is now quite full, and, therefore, none can be
sent at present. The earnings of the boys
during the year amount to about 6,000 dol
lars, and the institution is now entirely free
from debt. Many youths have been re
claimed from paths of vice, in consequence
of having been sent to this school. Hart
ford is a beautiful city, the semi-capital of
the State of Connecticut, and is situated
about 52 miles from Long Island Sound.
The taste and elegance displayed in the con
struction of the public buildings and private
residences are certain to attract the attention
of visitors. It was here where the Rev.
Thomas H. Gallandet established an asylum
for the deaf and dumb, which was the first
institution of the kind that was ever esta
blished in America, and dates from 1817. It
still continues in a very flourishing condi
tion. There are about thirty churches, and
30,000 inhabitants. It is said to be the rich
est city in America, in proportion to the
number of its inhabitants. Its literary and
benevolent institutions are abundant. There
is a very large firearms manufactory, for it is
here where " Colt's revolvers," famed
throughout the world, are made. The State
house occupies a commanding position, near
the centre of the city. The river Connecti
cut appears to be about as broad as the
Thames, London, and is navigable about the
same distance (50 miles). Trinity College,
and a number of public seminaries, are very
conspicuous. There are are two daily news
papers and several weekly ones published
here. The site of the city was formerly oc

cupied by the Indians, who named the place
" Suckeag." The Dutch built a fort here
about 250 years since, but, afterwards,
when the English got possession, the
place was permanently settled by emi
grants from Massaohussets. Near to
this city resides Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe,
authoress of " Uncle Tom's Cabin," and
other works. Her brother, the Rev. Henry
Ward Beecher, had given me a card of intro
duction, and I was not wishful to throw away
the opportunity of seeing her. I therefore
went to her pleasant residence, which is beau
tifully situated in a wood nearly two miles
from the city; but unfortunately she was
from home at the time, and was not expected
to return until the following week. The horse
cars travel in the direction of the house as
far as Sigourney-street, which, I suppose,
was so named in honour of Mrs. Sigourney,
the poetess, who formerly lived in this city,
and recently died here. A plank footpath
extends from the railway track nearly to the
house. The day was beautifully fine, which
added a loveliness to the charming natural
scenery of the district, Pautucket. The
house and its situation were just such as a
lady of taste and refinement might have been
expected to select for a residence. Although
I was disappointed in not seeing Mrs. Stowe,
I was glad that I had seen her pleasant
country retreat. A couple of miles from
Hartford I saw East Hartford, known as the
first place in America where a powder mill
was erected. In the principal street there is
a row of large trees on each side, and there
is also a row of lofty elms growing down the
centre, which afford very agreeable shade in
summer. In Manchester, a town through
which I passed, was erected the first cotton
mill in Connecticut, built in 1794, but the
cotton business has not flourished much here.
I saw the thread mills at Willimantic, which
are very extensive indeed. The quality of the
thread is held in high repute throughout the
country. The Willimantic river in this place
has a fall of more than 100 feet affording ex
tensive hydraulic power for manufacturing
purposes. A joint-stock company has a large
mill in operation here, the profits of which,
for the last year, were over 300 per cent.
Out of the profits they have built an im
mense mill entirely of granite, without hav
ing recourse to a single cent of their capital.
This puts in the shade entirely the large
dividends of some of the co-operative manu
facturing companies of Rossendale when cot
ton manufacturing was in its best condition.
The capital of the Willimantic Company now
amounts to about one million dollars. — The
town of Sprague is a rapidly improving place,

40

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

aud takes its name from the proprietor of a
very large cotton mill, said by many to be
the largest cotton mill in America. It is cer
tainly a large mill, far surpassing in appear
ance any cotton mill I have ever seen in
England, but I have satisfied myself that it is
not the largest in America. In consequence
of being constructed in one entire length, and
not, as is usual with large concerns, quad
rangular iu shape, it presents a very imposing
aspect. I think I never saw a more beautiful
mill. A gentleman told me that the weaving
room is nearly 1 ,000 feet long- The manager
said he could find two men who had worked
in the same room together two years, yet in
consequence of the great number of hands
employed in this one room, the men he would
select would not know each other by name,
after working in the same room the length of
time already named. The manager is reputed
to be an extraordinary clever man. If he had
time, he could himself make every portion of
the machinery used at the mill. The concern
has been very prosperous under his manage
ment. I have been told that Mr. Sprague's
grandfather was a hawker of green-groceries ;
and now the grandson is one of the leading
manufacturers in the country, and is possessed
of great wealth. The cotton business has
made rapid progress in Lancashire, but its
progress here is far more rapid, and in a few
years' time the manufacturing power will be
doubled. A very short distance from Mr.
Sprague's mill another mill is in progress of
erection, and this is to be considerably larger
than Mr. Sprague's, and I believe the water
fall from the river will be greater — I arrived
at Providence, Rhode Island, in the evening,
where I purpose to stay only a few days.
Providence, Nov. 19, Sunday. In the
morning I attended service in the Methodist
Coloured Church, which appears to have
become too small for the congregation, as a
new church is now in course of erection,
which appears to be twice or thrice as large
as the present one. In the afternoon I
walked to Elmwood, a village about four
miles from Providence. In this locality are
some of the princely mansions of the cotton
manufacturers, and beautiful structures they
are, as well as being pleasantly situated. In
the evening I went to Roger William's Hall,
service being conducted by the congrega-
tionalists. Nov. 20. — Providence is the principal
capital of the State of Rhode Island, and is
well known to many families in Lancashire,
in consequence of numerous emigrants from
the cotton manufacturing districts having
settled there. It is about 35 miles from the
ocean, at the head of navigation of Provi

dence river, there being . about three feet of
tide flowing here. The city occupies an area
of about nine square miles, and the popula
tion is about 60,000. Its fire department is
sustained at a cost of 20,000 dollars a year,
this expenditure being necessary iu conse
quence of the richness of the city, and the
great risk of fire. Many of the- dwellings are
costly and elegant, and most beautifully
situated. The public buildings, including
Brown's University, the Arcade, the Athe
naeum, the State House, and many of the
churches, are very costly structures, dis
playing by their elegance the taste of the
architects and the munificeuce of the citizens.
The rate of increase of population has been
during ten years about 79 per cent, and its
increase of wealth was probably at a higher
ratio. There are nearly 50 public schools,
some excellent libraries, and several daily
and weekly newspapers. Providence de
rived its name from Roger Williams, about
230 years ago, and he gave it this name
because at the time when he landed here
he believed that he had been led here by
special Providence, and in accordance with
this conviction he named the place. The
Indians were previously in possession, and
on his landing, they saluted him with "what
cheer," and he therefore called the spot
What Cheer, and one of the most prominent
buildings in Providence at the present time is
called " What Cheer." Roger Williams
previous to his comiug to Providence, had
been expelled from the Massachusetts colony,
because he held that to punish a man for
conscientious difference of opinion was per
secution, and the early settlers were not pre- |
pared to adopt a policy having so liberal a
basis. He was consequently, driven into
the wilderness, having no white man for a
companion, and was obliged to ask shelter
among the native Indians, with whom he
lived a considerable time. Ultimately he
purchased laud from the Indians, and founded
a colony, which was afterwards distinguished
for its prosperity and for the religious liberty
which was enjoyed. He learned the language
of the Indians, travelled much amongst them,
and laboured to improve their condition. He
acquired such power and influence amongst
the Indian chiefs, that he was made'the
from which he had been pronounced au out-
2 Af fr ha™g been joined by other
fiZ .i! T' he Purchased Rhode Island
from the Indians, and numeric iu .
grants followed. ( iyfl Z5ZL ^ ?U"
lishprl anri ™ .v, u 6overnment was estab
lished, and in the charter which was obtained
t was specially provided that no7erSOn was
to be molested or called to account for a^y

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

41

difference ^in matters of religion. Roger
Williams continued to assist in promoting
the welfare of the colony for nearly half a
century, and long after his death the noble
conduct he had manifested exerted an influ
ence for good amongst his successors, and
even at the present day in Frovidence his
name and memory are sacredly revered.
Rhode Island subsequently became one of
the United States, being the smallest in the
Union, and was the last of the original states
which ratified the constitution. It was in this
state where the manufacture of cotton in
America was first commenced, and I had the
curiosity to ascertain how the business had
progressed in the locality where it was origi
nated. I therefore proceeded this day to
Pautucket, a flourishing town about four or
five miles from Providence. Here I found
that the cotton manufacture had become
nearly extinct. I went into the old mill,
which was erected 75 years ago by Mr. Samuel
Slater, an Englishman, but I found that the
looms were employed in weaving hair cloth
suitable for covering sofas, chair cushions,
.¦ &c. Several other mills formerly devoted to
I the cotton manufacture are now employed in
producing other fabrics. Some of the mills
I sa'w were four or five storeys high, yet they
were entirely built of wood, and had lasted
many years. Probably one reason why the
cotton manufacture had not progressed in
the place where it was first originated in
America was that the mills which were first
built were very small, and not adapted for
the improved machinery, and the manufac
turers selected other and more suitable places
for the erection of larger mills. On enter
ing the oldest cotton mill in America, I met
with Mr. G. L. Spencer, the present pro
prietor, and had a pleasant interview with
him. Mr. Slater, the original proprietor,
died about a dozen years ago, worth one mil
lion dollars, although he was quite a poor
man when he came into this district. For
many years after he commenced business he
practised the truck system with his work
people, keeping a large variety store, con
taining almost everything from a darning
needle to a feather bed. No wages were paid
in money, for he merely issued "due bills,"
which might be presented at his store in ex
change for groceries, dry goods, fuel, or any
thing required for family use. No doubt
Mr. Slater had a considerable profit on his
goods, and this, together with what he made
by manufacturing goods at the little old mill,
enabled him to realise a large fortune. Mr.
Spencer told me he had a curiosity in an
upper storey of the mill which he did not
exhibit to any one, but if I were willing to

accompany him, he would let me see it. I
told him I was quite willing to be shown
anything which would be interesting, and
learn everything which would be useful. I,
therefore, followed him into what appeared
to be the attic storey of the mill, and here
he showed me the very first spinning frame
which was used in America. I found that
it had twenty-four spindles on each side,
making forty-eight spindles in the whole
frame. What a difference three quarters of
a century has made in the cotton busi
ness. Mr. Spencer himself worked at
this cotton mill fifty-four years ago, but
when he was twenty-one years old, he
borrowed five dollars, with which he com
menced business for himself and has now
purchased the old mill and its extensions,
and expects shortly to make a further en
largement. He told me that every mill-
owner in the district, with one exception,
was a poor person in his early days, and
all of them have obtained their wealth by
being in business.
Nov. 21. — This morning I visited Mr.
Smith's cotton mill, in Providence. They
have commenced working oleven hours for a
day here, instead of twelve, as formerly. I
was told that they had been much short of
workpeople, and this had brought about
the change. In New Hampshire, Maine,
and Massachusetts, all the cotton mills are
working eleven hours per day, and, when I
was at Lawrence, there was a movement in
favour of having the time shortened to ten
hours per day. Mr. Smith's mill has been
erected about forty years, the bricks used in
the building having been brought from near
Boston, and the factory appears to be as
fresh and clean as if it had only been
erected last year. There are 18,000 spin
dles at work, and the mill never stopped
during the war, except about six weeks.
The looms work at the rate of 142 picks
per minute, but, formerly, the rate was only
120 picks per minute. Every weaver
attends to four looms, without having an
assistant. They are chiefly women that are
employed, and they are mostly Irish. There
was only one man weaver about the mill.
There has been a difficulty to obtain a full
complement of hands, and should rain fall
shortly so as to enable the proprietor of the
mill to run more machinery, there will still
be a deficiency of workpeople. The mana
ger was very courteous, taking me round the
mill and showing me the various processes.
I saw a warping machine, which was so deli
cately constructed that if only one tender
thread broke the machine would stop. The
upper storeys of the mill commanded an ex-

42

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

cellent view of the city. In the central
portion of the city there are very excellent
shops, and the goods are displayed to great
advantage, much in the same way as they
are in Lancashire. Altogether there is more
of an English aspect than in any American
city I have visited, and English manners are
more observable than in other places. In
the evening I had an interview with his ex
cellency James Y. Smith, the governor of
Rhode Island. He is one of the most
agreeable gentlemen I ever met. It was
said that Providence was the richest city in
America in proportion to its population.
I asked the governor how many cities
in America I should find in equally
favourable circumstances, for I was told
that Hartford was the richest city
in America, according to population.
The governor said that Hartford was rich,
but was not to compare with Providence. I
told him that it appeared to me that the
cotton business was leaving Providence, for
I could only find four cotton mills. He said
there were only four cotton mills in the
place, but there were many mills in other
places belonging to capitalists in Providence.
We spoke of the difference which the war
had made with respect to cotton goods, and
he said that cloth which formerly sold at 3Jd.
per yard, had sold at 42 cents per yard since
the war. He showed me a sample of cloth
which they were now selling at 45 cents per
yard, but his agents could sell it at 55 cents,
and would have done so if he would have
permitted them ; but the profits at 45 cents
were amply sufficient, and he was not in
favour of maintaining speculative prices
when there was no necessity for it. The
governor introduced me to the Rev. Sidney
Dean, of the Providence Press, and we had a
very animated conversation about the late
war, and the neutrality policy of Great Bri
tain. I admitted that there bad been some
tardiness on the part of the English govern
ment in not taking prompt action to prevent
the Alabama from leaving the Mersey, when
information had been forwarded with re
spect to the ship, but I did not think there
had been any actual breach of the principle
of neutrality, and no Confederate war steamer
had protection in British waters until after
belligerency had been established by the
United States. I could not convince either
the governor or Mr. Dean that the English
government had strictly adhered to the prin
ciple of neutrality, and Mr. Dean expressed
his conviction that if I had not the prejudices
of an Englishman, I should see that the
United States might justly claim compensa
tion for the injuries which had been inflicted

by the war vessels built in England for the
Southern rebels. I replied that there were
Englishmen base enough for the purpose of
personal emolument to provide ships of war
for the Confederates, and there were many
English newspapers which grossly misrepre
sented the American conflict, but it did not
therefore follow that the English govern
ment should bear the blame. Nor was it te
be taken for granted that the English people
generally were in favour of the South. In
dividually, I had felt deeply interested in the
success of the North, because I felt certain
that it would be the destruction of the blight
ing curse of slavery, and, having mixed
much amongst the people, I knew that there
was a large majority who were in favour of
the Northern cause. I was shown a great
many regimental colours which had been
used in battle, some of which were much"
tattered and torn; one had almost been
shot away. Arrangements were made for
another meeting on the following day, pro
viding I could make it convenient to re
main, but as I found it would not suit my
other engagements, the meeting did not
take place. The governor appeared to uie to
be a very shrewd, intelligent, and pleasant
sort of gentleman, but Mr. Dean had the
most talent as a speaker.
Boston, Nov. 22.— Left Providence by an
early train for Boston. The route was by
way of Attleborough, Mansfield, Sharon, &c. j
Having secured comfortable quarters at the '
Marlborough Hotel, I proceeded to the Board
of Trade office, and had an interesting con
versation with the clerk It appeared that
during the present year steps had been taken
in favour of securing the construction of a
ship canal near the Falls of Niagara, and
these steps were taken on the ground that it
does not become a great nation like the
United States to be dependent on the will
of a foreign power for means of eommuuica-J
tion between the great upper inland lakes"
and Lake Ontario. It was, therefore, consi
dered requisite to secure permanent and un
interrupted intercourse with American waters
which, of the length of 1,500 miles, drain
more than 300,000 square miles of American
territory. A charter has been obtained for
the incorporation of the " American Steam
ship Company," with a view to establish a
new line of steamships between Boston and
Liverpool, and thus secure more frequent
commutation with Great Britain. A re-
?<Zr\ \ subsc«Ption, exceeding 800,000,;
teS'f S 66n °.btained' and « ™s in-4
dol£ t0rreaSe the amountto 1,500,00ft
hisS n„n."-8?an.„a8 ™*stances shall
justify, contracts will be entered into for two '

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

43

steamships, and early in the new year vigor
ous efforts are to be made to obtain subscrip
tions which will warrant the construction of
two more. Ihe manufacturing investments
of Boston are of great magnitude ; its finan
cial position has a recognised prominence
throughout the country, but its foreign trade
is not keeping pace with tbe foreign
commerce of other cities. It is estimated
that the profits which have been paid by the
people of Boston tor transportation to the
steamship companies of oiher cities and
other countries, would build and equip the
ocean lines which are now demanded by
Boston on foreign and coastwise routes.
Shortly alter the sea-fight between the
United States war steamer Kearsage and
the Confederate steamer A'ahiima had taken
place, the Boston Board of Trade took im
mediate steps to recognize what was termed
" one ol the incidents ot the war which gives
joy to every loval heart in the land," and the
merchants of the city contributed upwards of
21,000 dollars, which were distributed
amongst the captain and crew of the Kear
sage. The railway system of America is
devoid of that uniformity which is requisite
to make it a great success, although il is a
great blessing even in its most imperfect con
dition. Previous to the railwa\ system being
developed, the carriage- of freight on the
old highway or on the canal was continuous
and unobstructed, audit the future uf railroad
traffic had been in any adequate measure
anticipated, a similar correspondence in con
necting railroad lines would, doubiless, have
been secured. For a considerable time it
was not believed that r«ilwa\s would be ne
cessary for the carriage ot h>-avy goods, h^-nce
the New York railwa\s were at first prohi
bited from transporting freight, and it was
necessary, iu lbil6, to pass a special act for
permission to the Ctica and Schenectady
railroad to convey extra baggage lor passen
gers, the conditions being affixed that no
charge should be made for carr* ing it, and
that it should be conveyed in the sim» train
with the owners. This restrictive policy was,
no doubt, adopted to favour ihe great canal
interests, and, also, because it was not under
stood what great advantages would result
from the quick carriage of goods. The future
of steam uj.ou the ocean was not more dis
tinctly understood. One of the most enter
prising steauishipownersol Li ver pool less than
twentv years ago ridiculed the i lea that or
dinary freight would be carried across tne
Atlantic in steamers, yet he has lived to
derive great personal advantage from this
trade. In Kngland there are two guages,
the broad and the nairow, but in America

there are three. The New England and the
New York railways have a guage of 4ft.
8|in , but in the State of Ohio, and to the
south of Philadelphia, they vary from this
widih to 4ft. 10iu. The medium guage,
which is usually called the Canada
guago, is 5t't. 6in. The broad guage
is 6ft., of which the Erie railway and
its connections are the example. In
consequence of this want of uniformity of
guage, trans-shipments are now required on
long routes in the movement of freight, which
occasion delay, expense, and injury to the
properly. To meet this difficulty, cars have
been constructed, which, by a change in the
axle, can be used on both wide and narrow
guage lilies. Another plan adopted was to
h ave cars which are named " compromise
cars," such as are run on some of the western
railroads, having such a breadth of wheel that
they can run ou lines of different guage,
where the width varies only between 4ft.
8£in. and 4ft 10 in. By another scheme, to
meet the difficulty, a double rail of the broad
guage is laid outside the narrow track. This
is called the " straddle track,'' and it is in
successful use between Leavittsburgh and
Cleveland, 50 miles; and between Dayton
and Cincinnati, 60 miles, forming part of
the great route of the Atlantic and Great
Western Railway. The advantage of this
plan is that the wear upon the rails is equal,
aud that cars of different width cannot only
be moved over these roads, but they can be
brought together in a mixed train. Another
plan is to lay a third rail, so as to make a
broad-guage line connect with a narrow, or
ihe reverse, as the case may be. This en
ables trains of cars of different widths to pass
over the same road, each train being made
up of cars of uniform width, and being
drawn by an engine adapted thereto. Such
a rail is now being laid upon the Great Wes
tern Railway of Canada, so as to allow cars
from the New York Central and the Michi
gan Central Railroads to pass over its line ;
and when this is completed and a bridge
cniihtr icied across the Hudson, there will be
unbroken communication by this route be
tween Boston and Chicago. The advantages
of uniloim guage are now being well under
stood, and the consequence is, that trunk
lines of great h-ngth diverge from New York
to ihe west and south-west. Trains pass
from New York to Washington without
change. By the Erie and the Atlantic and
Great Western Railways there is a broad-
guage route without a single break between
New York and St. Louis, embracing also
in the plan Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati,
and other important places. By means of

44

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the Hudson River Railway and New York
Central Railway, New York can receive
freight without breaking bulk from all the
ports on the Lakes. The probability is that
the broad gauge will ultimately be adopted
generally in America, and it will uo doubt
prove to be ot very great advantage. There
is, nevertheless, a strong determination in
some places to keep up the narrow guage.
I remember reading, during Mr. Lincoln's
presidency, of a delegation waiting upon him
wishing him to interfere in favour of having
a new railway laid upin the broad guage.
Another delngation waited upon him t > ob
tain his influence in favour of the narrow
guage for the same line. With characteris
tic humour he remarked, that as he could
not favour the broa<i gunge without giving
offence to those who advocated the narrow
one, perhaps the best course for him todo, if
he interfered at all, would be to give a guage
which would divide the difference between
the two. The progress which Boston has
made with respect to wealth is evident Irom
the fact, that while the value of real estate
in 1 800 was 6 901,000 dollars, its value in
1864 was 182,072,300 do'lars. The val le of
personal property in 1800 was 8 194,700
dollars, but in 18d4 it was 150,377,600 dol
lars.— -The effect which the war produced on
the shipping traleof Boston is evident from
the fact that during the year l»64 only 602
American vessels entered ihe port of Boston,
while the number of foreign vessels was'
2,631. The value of exported goods to
foreign countries suffered very little diminu
tion during the war. for the average was
greater than it was some years before In
1846 it was 6,669,595 dollars, but in 1864
it was 15,989 985. The value of foreign
goods imoorted had also incrrased. In 1846
it was 22.6 15, 117 dollars, but in 1864 it was
30,263,853 dollars. The total tonnage of
the Uuited States has been greatly increased
during the present ceuiurv. In 1800 it was
972,492 dols, while in I H64 it was 4,086,401
dollars The public debt of the [Tu'ited
States has varied considerably in different
yenrs. In 1791 it amounted to 75,463 476
dollars, but in 183B it, only amounted to
291,089 dol ars, which was the smallest
amount of auy previous or succeeding iear
In 1864 it was 1,740,690,489 dollar*. 'Tho
value ol breadstuff's and provisions exported
from the Uniud States has differed con
siderably at different periods, but ii is still
very large. In 1821 it was 12,341,901 dol
lars; in 1864 it was 110,689,317 dollars.
The smallest amount was in 1837, wheu it
was9,58W,359 <MiHrs,aud the largest amount
was in 1863, when it reached 139,100,382.

The receipts of the Untied States have
varied much. In 1792 they were 8 740.766
dollars, and iu 1864 they were 1,385,758,614
dollars, while in 1809 the amount being smal
ler than in any previous or succeeding vear
— the receipts were only 7,773,473 dollars.
In 1864 the number of vessels belonging to
Boston or engaged in the Boston trade, re
ported to be dismasted, missing, returned in
distress, arrived with damages, stranded, in
jured by collision, leaky, struck by lightning,
or burnt, was 369 ; showing for the year a
little over one casualty per day. For the year
1863 the total number of vessels injured was
480. With respect to the Boston cotton
trade, during 1«64 about one-third of the
spindles were in operation, requirin ¦' little
over 200,000 bales. Tbe highest price 'that
cotton ever reached was in August, when
middling cotton touched 1 dol. 95c, and
in the same month the highest prices
of cloth were attained, printing cloths 64
by 64 were sold at 381 cents, heavy
sheeting 72 cents, and light shirtings 32A-
inch, 5J yards to the pound, at 48 cents.
Two large mills were destroyed by fire during
the year, aud very many small" mills were
changed from the manufacture of cotton to
wool, and there are now about five per cent
less co' ton spindles north of the Potomac
than there were in the year i860. The
United States market is a home market, the
increase of population requiring for home
consumption all the goods which existing
spindles can make whenever the price ot
cotton shall become established at or about
25 cents per pound, and the excessive profit
which will accrue upon cotton cultivation,
causing a rapid settlement of the fertile land
of the South now lying waste, will very soon
open an increased market for cloth With a
large supply of cotton, a large increase in
the population, an increased demand for
goods to supply the coloured people, with
fewer spindles than there were five years
ago, full occupation and renewed prosperity
to the cottou manufacturers of America are
reduced to a certainty. — Having obtained
trom the Board of Trade all the information
I desired, I proceeded to make a hasty sur
vey ol the city, visiting the Music Hall, Tre-
mont Temple, Boston common, &c. Visited
the sewing-machine manufactory of Messrs
On-over and Baker, where I met with persons
who formerly lived at Bury, Lancashire, one
of whom told me that his own wag-s during
the .previous month amounted to lour dollars
"IZZy™!*^ **• A considerable

number of mechanics

are emplo ed at this

concern, as they turn out n„ h.I f.
about one hundred sew \2L T ^'f8*
unuieu sewing-machines ner day.

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

45

Wages run very high in this city at the pre
sent time. It has this week been stated be
fore the Boston Labour Commission, that
hatters are earning fiom forty to fifty dollars
per week at piece work, and none average
less than thirty dollars per week. Before
the war they could earn from teu to twenty-
five do lars per week.
Nov. 23. — Went by railway to a place
called Hyde Park, to see a friend whom I
had known in England. On my arrival I was
shown tlie house, which was an elegant struc
ture, and stood upon agent!e slope, giving a
commanding view ol the surrounding
country. My pleasurable anticipations were
soon beclouded, for I was informed that my
friend had recently removed more than 3C0
miles distant. To add to my disappointment
there would be no return tram till noon, for
on this line there were only three trains per
day. Under thrse circums'ances I decided
to walk to Jamaica Plain, which was only a
few miles distant, and there wait the arrival
of the train The day was delightfully pea
sant, and I enjoyed th" country walk exceed
ingly. Atter having travelled some distance
the road passed through a dense forest, from
which no house was discernible. 'Ihe silence
and solitude were oppressive, for there, was
no opening on either side to vary the mono
tonous prospect. After a while, on turning
round, I observed two rough-looking reeu
approaching me. I thought they were Irish
men, tor they were dressed in grey mixture
clothing, which is peculiarly Hibernian. It
is seldom that I experience any feeling of fear,
but on this occasion 1 admit that I felt some
what nervous. I was in good trim for wag
ing or running, but I was unwilling to give
any evidence of fear, and therefore kept on
at my usual pace. Iu a little time they over
took me, and presently pointed out the spot
where two persons had recently been mur
dered in the wood. This was certainly rot
well calculated to lessen the um-asy sensa
tion which had been produced, for the re
cital of a tale p£ murder in such a soliiuae
was anything but pleasing. Some distance
further on they showed me the house where
the supposed murderer had lived, but he had
escaped justice by flight.
The subject of conversation was not to me
very agreeable, nevertheless it was better than
absolute silence, as it gradually inspired me
wiih confidence that the men were not in
fluenced by wicked designs towards me.
They were not Irishmen, as I had supposed,
but probably had belonged to the " know-
nothing party,'' for they inveighed strongly
against the Irish, alleging that they reduced
wages and prevented native-born Americans

from getting a good price for their labour.
The house where the supposed murderer had
lived wis historically associated with the
French revolution. Immediately prior to the
flight of Louis Philippe from Paris, there
were many French gentlemen who saw the
danger approaching, and were wishful to take
steps to secure their personal property. It
so h> ppened that an American vessel was an
chored in port, and it was considered prudent
to make an arrangement wiih the captain for
their money and plate to be placed in his ves
sel for safe keeping. The arrangement was
accordingly made; but when all the precious
treasures had been placed on boatd, the cap
tain put off to sea, and took the money and
plate as his own property. When he arrived
in America he purchased with his ill-gotten
gains a large estate, and erected upon it a
beautiful house But nothing seemed to pros
per with him, and before very 1 ng he died.
His widow married again, but ultimately the
property got into other hands, and she and
her family left the neighbourhood. The son
of ihe person who succeeded to tbe property
was supposed to have co nmitted the murder,
as a servant girl living at the house assorted
that she saw him como home with his clothes
all bloody. He, however, left the neighbour
hood, and has not since bet n heard of, and
the premises have quite a deserted appear
ance, lor it seeme < as if no one 1. ved at the
place. I arrived -<t .Jamaica Pl.iin in time to
take the train to Boston, and trom this city I
proceeded to Lowell, one of the capitals of
Middlesex County, iVlassachussets.
Lowell — This city has been appropri
ately designated the " Manchester ot Ame
rica," in consequence of th« amount, variety,
and character of its manufactures Its situ
ation is well adapted for manufacturing pur
poses, because ol the extensive water power
which it possesses, its site being nwar the
confluence of the rivfr ("oncurd, which falls
into the river Merrimack, in the north-east
partoi the town. The fol'owing are the
STATISTICS OF THE CITY OF LOWELL.
Number of Dwellings  5,320
„ .Families  6.400
,, Inhabitants  31,004
„ Churches  22
,, School Houses  45
„ Baioa 1.; Polls  7,754
„ Legal Voters  5,150
„ Naturalised V tm>  1,121
To constitute a legal v< >ter requires a residence of one
year in the state, six months iu che city, and to have
paid a tax withiu two years.
Note. — Trie ahove census was taken in Muy, 1365.
The probable increase since that tim.> is about 5, 00.
The following statistics ot Lowell manufac
tures were compiled Irorn authentic sources
in January, 186 1 ; and, although during the
late war there were great changes, yet now

46

MY AMEBICAN TOUK.

business has assumed so much of its wonted
activity that the statistics approximate nearly
to the truth. It may be mentioned that the
Merrimack Company have now eight mills
in addition to the printworks, and the num
ber of spindles is 88,960, and not 87,408, as
in 1861.

Corporations.... 12
Capital St'k : dol. 18,90 1,000
Number of Mills 54
Spindles  403,696
Looms  12,190
Females employ'd 8,405
Males employed 8,978

Yds. made per week :
Cotton  2,481,001]
Woollen  82 000
Carpets  1:5,000
Pounds of ('otton con.
sumed per week.. 828,Ono
Pounds clean wool do. 75,000
Average wages of Females, clear of board, per week, .dls.2.00
Average wages of Males, clear of board, per day  „ 0.80
Meriiumproduce ot a Loom, No. 14 yarn, y'ds. per day yds.45
Medium produce of a Loom, No. 80 yarn, y'ds. yer day „ \,S
Average per Spindle, yards per day  11-4
There are six banks — the Lowell, capital 200,000 dol
lars ; the .Railroad, caDital 600,000 dollars; the Api lie-
ton, capital 200,000 dollars ; the Prescott, capital 20(1,000
dollars ; the Wamesi', capital I50,0i.0 dollars ; the Mer
chants', capital 100,000 dollars.
The population of Lowell in 1828 was 3,632. In 1840
it was 20,796, in 1850 it was 33,383, in I860 it was
37,OG9. Increase in ten years, 3,586.
The Lowell Machine Shop, included among the above
mills, can furnish machinery complete for a mill of 6,000
spindles, in three months.
_ The several manufacturing companies have estab
lished a hospital fer the convenience and comfort of per
sons employed by them respectively, when sick, which
is under the superintendence of one of the best of sur
geons and physicians. Expense per week : Males, 4
dollars ; Females, 3 dollars.
There are three institutions for savings— The Lowell,
the City, and Five Cent Savings Bank. The Lowell
had on deposit, Nov. 22, 1859, from 5,435 depositor-,
1,141,973 dollars and 73 cents. The City, Nov. 24, I860,
had on deposit from 6,156 depositors, 1,67(1.645 dollars
and 37 cents. The operatives in the mills are the prin
cipal depositors in the above banks.
A " Five Cents Savings Bank " went into operation
June, 1854, and on the 15th December, 1860, the
amount of deposits was 567,207 dollars, from 5,715 de
positors, A reservoir, of great capacity, has been built on the
high ground in Belvidere, east of the city, t r the pur
pose of furnishing a ready supply of water to any part of
the city in case of fire. The water is conveyed into the
reservoir by force pumps from the Lowell Machine
Shop. Pipes are laid from the reservoir to various parts
of the city, at which points hose can be attached to the
hydrants without delay, when necessary.
The proprietors of the locks and canals on Merri
mack Elver (James B. Francis, agent), incorporated in
1792, are the owners and managers of the water power.
They have leased to the manufacturing companies water
power amounting in the aggregate to about 10,000
hor-e power. The stock in this company is owned by
the manufacturing companies, in the Bame proportions
in whichthey hold the water power ; the rents paid are
only sufficient to pay the expenses of management
and maintenance of the power. This ompai.v oarry
on the Burnettising process, by which limher"is rtn-
dered more durable. From one to two millions of feet
are prepared by them annually. They also keep up a
staff ol engineers, for purposes conneoted with the use
and distribution of the water power.
Few cities have increased at a higher ratio
than Lowell, for leS3 than fifty years ago
there were not 200 inhabitants in the entire
district. During the last year 33 of the cot
ton mills employed 948 males, and 1,660
females. They produced 7,125,953 dollars'
worth of fabrics. Two ca ico and muslin-de
laine mills employed 188 males, and Jl

females, and produced 3,167,122 dollars'
worth of fabrics. Fifteen wnollen mills em
ployed 699 miles, and 626 females, and
turned out 2,620,214 dollars' worth of
fabrics. Five carpet mills employed 382
males, and 573 females, and turned out
3,570,4 15 dollars' worth of carpeting.
V\ hile the city occupies a prominent posi
tion for its commercial and manufacturing
enterprise, it is no less distinguished lor
other qualiiies which give a community a
title to national favour. When the storm
of war burst forth iu its relentless fury, the
citizens ol Lowell were the first to respond
to the cull of the President, sacrificing her
nohlest sons wiih an heroic determination
that the starry fi ig should be made to wave
undisputed over a free aud undivided coun
try. Ihe commonwealth of Massachussetts
pledged to provide for the families ol her
soldiers, and the municipal authorities were
made the dispensers of this bounty. Ihe
city of Lowell, during 1864, suppoited thir
teen hundred families in this wav. The free
schools of Lowell are the pride of its citi
zens. Here all is equality — the children of
the capitalist and the labourer s'audinor on
the same level -talent and application can
alonu.give superiority. The amount expended
on these schools for the year was 49,386
dollars. A reformatory school is also libe-
ralh supported, the object of the institution
being the confinement of Habitual truants,
and tho refoimatiou of those who have en
tered the threshold of a life ol crime. The
yearly expenditure was 11874 dollars. A
special act was approved iu 1862, giving to
the city authorities power to make provisions
and arrangements concerning habitual truants,
and also concerning children wandering
ahout the streets or public places, having uo
lawful occipntion or business, not attending
school, aud growing up in ignorance between
the ages of seven and sixteen years A fine
of 20 dollars may be infl.cted for each
offence, or, at the discretion of the justice or
court having jurisdiction, instead of the
fine, the delinquent may be sent to a reform
atory fbr any space of time not exceeding
two years Bv this law, the education of all
the people of this city is secured, for it be
comes criminal to live in an uneducated con
dition. 1 he city expended on school houses
during tbe year 15,671 dollars
wrS.°hV\24T,?Ue .°/the 'oficial results
lThe2 ha,'ef',117ed/'-<>'n the adoption of a
liberal system of education in Lowell and
other portions of the New EngUnd Sui
has been the elevation of women to a hS
social position. Ii has also imparted a Et
for literature such as is not &£$ ££¦

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

47

riericed where intellectual culture is neglected
While visiting one of the mills I was pre
sented with a copy of " The Lowell Offering
and Magazine," written and edited bv female
factory operatives. I was much pleased with
the production, and felt much regret that
nothing ol the kind had been attempted in
England. I am well aware that there are
only few^f the female factory operatives in
England whose educational attainments are
such as to render them competent for such a
task, but the probability is that, if a few of
the more cultivated minds were to organise
themselves into a kind of literary club, they
would be able to produce some pleasant read
able matter, calculated to elevate and improve
the minds of their readers. It may be s*id
that at present the whole field ot literature
is occupied by the sleruer sex, aud ladies
whose accomplished minds are peculiarly
adapted for such refined avocations. This,
however, is a great mistake. There are to
pics which are scarcely ever touched upon at
present which might be rendered very edify
ing to the female operatives in the cotton fac
tories of Lancashire As an illustration of
this I will copy from the '* Lowell ( rffering,"
before me, an article written by one of the
female factory operatives here, which will
show how much can be made from a very
simple aud common-place subject. The ar
ticle referred to is entitled "The Prospect
from my Window in the Mill " I give it
entire, as it appears in the publication al.
ready named : " Directly below my window
passes the combination of nature and human
invention, forming a canal, whose smooth
surface sparkles beneath the rays of the sun,
with countless emanations of brightness, as
it flows calmly aud slowly, but steadily on,
in its undeviating path of usefulness, like the
movements of many among the most useful
and excellent members of society On the
opposite side stands an establishment for the
construction of various kinds of machinery
used in different parts of the country, adding
much to the interest of our growing city.
Here many of the stronger sex find appro
priate and profitable occupation ; and in all
tbe dignity of their superior endowments,
are kept, as many as can find employment,
in labour and confinement, at least no less
irksome than that of any factory girl. A
little farther, is a small establishment used
for similar purposes. Beyond these, and the
green yard adjoining them, and meeting, in
my view, the glorious horizon, I see smiling
white cottages, interspersed with fine young
trees refreshing to the eye, and beautifully
displaying the taste and industry of our good
citizens. As seen in the distance in the

spring and summer months, they sometimes
remind one of lar^e and beautiful buds of
white roses half coucealed by their green
leaves. At the left, I have a glauce of the
railroad cars as they pass, carrying lo and
fro many of the strangers who visit our
• American Manchester' on business, or for
curiosity and pleasure. At my right and left,
I have a deliuhtful prospect of hills and
trees, together with the habitations of my
fellow-bemgs. There are, also, scattered in
different directions, the spires of seven
churches, all pointing upward, as if to direct
our thoughts and aspirations above this beau
tiful but fading earth to bright scenes of en
during felicity. Not much of a prospect
alter all, sa>s some lover of the sublime and
romantic. True, it exhibits no mouutains
towering high, with ravines deep, or reposing
lakes, nor splendid castles, and magnificence.
of art, nor yet the most pleasant portion of
our own goodly city, but it has enough of
beauty in nature and art to call into exercise
a perception of the beautiful and sublime,
aud cause me often to wish a poet's eye, or
a painter's skill. Enough without or within
mv window to call lor heartfelt gratitude, in
reminding me that I have a residence in an
enlightened and Christian land, and enough
of nature's loveliness to lead the mind
' through nature up to nature's God.' And
bow can 1 forget this awfully glorious und
sublime subject of contemplation, in full view
of seven church spues, including in the
number the steeple towering above the sacred
walls, within whose loved enclosures I have
chosen to worship ?— where I have so often
listened to religious instruction with delight,
as it ';ame in language of persuasive and con
vincing eloquence, from lips uttering the
effusions of a pious and henevoleut heart,
warm with the love of God aud man, aud
glowing with intense interest for the wellare
of immortal spirits, — where, while bowing
with the children of God, we have often
realised with the poet —
Rich dews of grace come o'er us,
In many a gentle shower,
And brighter scenes before us
Are opening every hour."
Nov. 25. — Had a pleasant country walk
on the lett bank of the Merrimack Kiver. In
tbe evening I attended a public meeting of
working-men, to decide about the election of
ma\or of the city for the ensuing year. The
Jackson Hall was filled with a well-dressed
audience. The proceedings were of a very
orderly character, and the speeches, cbnsi- '
der ng that they were all delivered by work
ing-men, were appropriate and telling.
Great stress was laid on the fact that in Ame
rica the people are the source of power, aud '

48

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

it was urged that they ought to elect to
office a man who would seek to promote the
interest ot all. One of the speakers was very
earnest in the advocacy of the establishment
of a co-operative store for the sale of articles
of domestic use.
Nov. 26 (Sunday). — Tn the morning I
attended public service at the Spiritualist
Church, which is here open to all. On en
tering the church, I observed the foil >wing
notice conspicuously posted : " Spiritual and
Magnetic Physician. Mrs. Booker has, in
compliance with the urgent request of her
numerous friends, and a sense of obligation
in her own conscience to the claims which
suffering humanity has upon her, con-ented
to give up her domestic duties and devote
her time entirely to the healing ot the sick
by the laying on of hands, &c The unpre
cedented success with which Mrs. Booker
has been blessed in her labours of humanity,
renders this decision absolutely necessary.
In addition to ihe wonderful powers ot heal
ing with which Mrs Booker has been invested
by spirit agency, she is daily favoured with
panoramic visions of the beauties and subli-
mitif s of the summer land, hoth in a nor
mal and abnormal condition of mind Mul-
titu les of the inhabitants of tbe spirit laud
present themselves daily to her spiritual view,
bearing upon their brows mottoes and inscrip
tions descriptive of their blessed condition.
Mrs. Booker can also describe the conduct
of distant f i iends with astonish ng accuracy.
All these phases of mediumistic power with
which Mrs B. is invested, render her pecu
liarly interesting, and, beinjf naiura'ly of a
sober and sedate cast of mind, those who
may visit her for examinations will feel them
selves perfectly sale from those impositions
which are too often found associated with
this sacred power.''
Testimonials of astonishing cures were ap
pended, one of which testified that a person
who was blind ot both eyes, bud an arm
paralysed, and the head turned trom front to
crown, yet, in five davs, without medicine,
was cured through the instrumentality of
Mrs. Booker. — The service, was conducted in
the Sunday School under the church, und
was largely attended. The company was
divided into groups bearing diffirent names ;
as the star gioup, the evangel group, ocean
group, river group, liberty group, banner
group, temple group, excelsior group, and
others. The suject under consideration
was '« Charity," and it was expected that
some one connected with each group would
have something to say upon the question.
One person iu evangel group said that
charity was love, and was the producer of

harmony. If there were more love there
would be more of heaven, and it would not
be heaven at a great distance, but it would
be heaven very near. — A person in liberty
group said it was about eight years since he
became acquainted with the philosophy of
spiritualism, and since then every flower had
become more beautiful, and every child had
become the object of his care —A lady be
longing to temple group contended that those
who, at the risk of their own lives, had been
fighting for tbe liberation of the slaves in
the late war, had been animated by a spirit
of charity. — A member of the liberty group
said he was born on one of the green moun
tains of Vermont, but he was going amongst
the broad prairies of the West, where he in
tended to exhibit in bis life the charity he
taught to others. — Another person spoke of
a mother who taught her children never to
let any day pass without endeavouring to do
something to make others happy. One of
her girls, on being questioned, said she had
done nothing to make anyone happy that
day, but there was a girl at school who laid
her head on the bench and wept, and, as
she could not tell why she wept, she put her
arms round her and wept too. The mother
said that her daughter had acted nobly, for
charity was sometimes shown by weeping
with them that weep. Ou the conclusion of
the speaking, a collection was made tor the
benefit of a poor sick cripple. Au anti-
tobacco society was «lso formed, and persons
who joined it had to sign a pledge similar in
principle to the temperance pledge Banners
were then distributed amongst tbe members
oflhe Spiritualist church, and they all com
menced marching to the stains ol music. As
I had never witnessed anything of the kind
before, it seemed very odd ; nevertheless,
the placid countenances and modest beha
viour ot the women, left an impression on
my mind that they were imbued by religious
feeling I was told that Lhe colours exhi
bited on the banners hud a meaning which
the utiiuitiated could not understand. The
marching is supposed to be favourable to the
cultivatiou of religious feeling, as well as
being useful in affording bodilv exercise — In
the afternoon 1 had a pleasant walk of five
miles on the right bank of the river Merri
mack. The day was beautifully fine, and
quite warm enough for a person to dispense
with an overcoat. Up to the present time
the weather had been warmer thau it usually
is in England. I have only known three wet
days since 1 arrived in America in the early
part of September —In the evening I went
to the Spiritualist church, which was crowded.
lhe preacher, whose name I don't remember,

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

49

had been a Baptist minister about twenty
years, and he appeared to possess consider
able talent as a speaker, but I find great
difficulty in understanding the peculiariti-s
of tbe Spiritualists. Referring to the impri
sonment of Paul and Silas, he contended
that it was evideut that they were mediums,
and that the spirits were with them during
their confinement.
Lowell, Nov. 27. — Had an interview with
J. G. Peabody, Esq, mayor of Lowell Dur
ing our conversation he expressed himself
very confidently that the Southern States
would become immensely rich if they had
only the same amount of commercial and
manufacturing enterprise which pervaded
the North. The richness and productiveness
of the soil of Virginia, together with its im
mense water power, peculiarly fitted it to
equal or surpass England as a manufacturing
district I paid a visit to the works of the
Merrimack Manufacturing Company. Here
the joint-stock companies are called corpora
tions, and have been eminently successful,
as they have richly deserved to be, for 1 have
not seen anv where such benevolent efforts
put forth for the welfare of the operatives as
are here exhibited. Four or five streets
have been built by this company as boarding-
houses, and they are lofty, pleasant-looking
residences. One block cost the proprietors
80,000 dollars, and the rents received only
yield three per cent, per annum. The plan
which is adopted is to let a house to a widow
or respectable family, and they are expected
to take in young women who are workers at
the mill, and each pay out of their wages
two dollars and seventy-five cents per week
for their board, lodging, and washing. The
proprietors of the works pay to the boarding
house keeper a sum weekly in addition for
each of the boarders. The factory operative
is not obliged to live in any of the houses ex
cept she likes ; but if she makes her own
arrangements she will have to pay the entire
cost herself, as the company will make no
allowance to other boarding-houses, and the
consequence is that nearly all the factory
workers live in the houses provided by the
proprietors, which cover an area of fifty acres
of land. The boarding-house keepers are
expected to exercise a salutary oversight of
the young people who live with them, espe
cially with respect to their moral conduct
One of the superintendents of the mill told
me that he had never known a case of a wo
man being drunk except she was Irish or
Scotch. Indeed, such was the h'gh standard
of mordity amongst the factory- workers
themselves, that the superintendent told me
that if there were a woman in their employ

who was not strictly virtuous, they would be
obliged to dischaige her, for if they did not do
so the other women would leave the mill. He
said that he had been superintendent sixteen
years, and although there harl been at times
as mauy as 1.600 or 1,700 women employed
at once, he had never, during the whole of
the sixteen years, known more than one case
of bastardy. There have been many changes
brought about bv the operations of the late
war which have been of a very injurious cha
racter, and perhaps nowhere have those
changes been moi e obvious than at the works
of the MerrimacK Company. Vv'hen the war
commenced the company had a very large
stock of raw cotton ou hand, the value of
which rose very rapidly, and as it was not ex
pected that the war would last very long, they
sold off the cotton at such a high late that
it left au immense profit, and the company
never realized a higher dividend. But when
they had worked up what remained of the
stock iu hand, they stopped the works, as
they were not willing to purchase more at the
high rates which prevailed, and duiiug two
years the works remained closed. The factory
workers got dispersed, and there was some
difficulty to get others in their places. Even
now thev have only about three-fourths of
the hands which the machinery requires.
Workpeople are required at other mills also,
for one young woman told me that in the
room where she was employed seventy-five
more weavers were wanted. This scarcity of
workpeople has caused the proprietors to be
less nice about what kind they employed,
an I the new hands received were chiefly
Irish, whose moral and intellectual culture
was not equal to that which the previous
workpeople had manifested. One lady in
the city informed me that the deteri iratiori
was such that it was no longer regarded as
respectable for young women to go to the
mill, and consequ°ntly many had devoted
themselves to dressmaking and other avoca
tions, In a conversation I had with one of
the over'oikers, he said that some of the
voung women were as competent now for
literary labou-s as they ever had been, but
the workpeople on the whole were not equal
in accomplishments to what they were for
merly. Another foreman to'd me that he
had charge of 140 young women, and out
of that numier there were only twelve who
could not read and write, and of these they
were all Irish except one, who was a French
woman, aud she was now learning to write,
and made rapid progress. Some of the Irish
learn to write after coming to Lowell, and
indeed an ignorant pers >n will find so few
associates, that it she possesses any self-re-

50

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

spect she will be certain to acquire the rudi
ments of education. The weavers generally
have four looms each, but I saw one little
fellow, a boy, who had only two looms to at
tend to I asked him where he came from,
and he said Glossop, in England. When 1
went up the stuircase leading to the different
departments, I found the steps as clean as it
they were leading to a drawingroom, and
everything about was as clean and orderly as
possible. No smoking is allowed either in
the buildings or in the yaid. I was wishful
to see tbe immense waterwheels, but J was
told that they were so enclosed that they
could not be seen. The superintendent told
me that there was more wa'er-power ou the
river Merrimack than there was in the entire
empire ot !• ranee. As it was nearly noon
when 1 had finished my inspection of the
works, 1 decided to remain ou the premir-es
till the workpeople lelt foi dinner, and a plea
sant sight it was. Amongst the hundreds of
workpeople 1 saw leave at the same time (lor
none are permitted to have meals in the uiib)
I did not see oue person meanly clad. Some
had fancy cloaks on, some wore the hat and
feather, some had curls with flowing ringlets
over their shoulders, some wore veils, and al
together there was a neatness about them and
a grace in their movements I had never seen
about factory operatives before. They chiefly
walked arm in arm, and although their coun
tenances indicated a cheerful aspect, there
was no loud talking nor boisterous mirth. 1
was sorry to find that tbe " Lowell Offering"
had been discontinued. In the afternoon I
had a very pleasant walk on the left bank ot
the river Coucoid, aud went to the Lowell
Cemetery, which is beautifully situated ou a
sloping bank a shoit distance from the river.
The marble monuments were very abundant,
and it was touchingly beautiful to obseive the
care and attention which had been bestowed
on the soldiers' graves by scattering wreathes
of flowers and evergreens upon them. Un one
of the marble monuments, 1 observed the fol
lowing inscription : —
He is not here, it was denied him,
To die amid the scenes at home ;
His loved ones gatnered not beside him,
Strange footsteps bore him to the tomb.
Nov. 28. — Went to Lawrence this day.
The moraine; was clear and the air frosty,
and before 1 arrived at Lawrence I found
that snow had descended. This was the
first time since my arrival in America that 1
hud trod on a snowy carpet. On my way I
passed a large pond, near which were a num
ber of ice-houses. A great deal oi ice is
collected here in winter for summer use.
After my arrival a fire took place, which

was very destructive, but only lasted a short
lime. It was here where the falling of the
Pembert< n Mill some time since proved so
destructive to human life. The foundations
of the mill ou one side gave way, the pillars
yielded, and the machinery by the force of
gravitation went towards the yielding side, j
aud the whole coucern went down with a tre
mendous crash. ( >ne of the proprietors told
me that when it fell he had shares iu the
mill amounting to 315,000 dollars, but the
fire insuiance company allowed him 20 per
cent, in consideration of the loss he had
sustained. I told him if it had occurred in
.England no insurance company would have
treated him with such liberality, especially
as the mid was not destroyed by fire. He
said he was of the same opinion. He told
me that he was iu the mill ten minutes be
fore it fell, and left along with another pro
prietor, who turned back for something, and
perished in tin- ruins. The city of Lawrence
was incorporated in 1853, the charter being
ihen granted by the legislature of Massa-
chussets. in the year 1860, when the na
tional census was taken, there were only 45
places in the United States, each having a
population of more than 20,000 ; but in
the next census Lawrence will have to be '
included, for the present population of the
city amounts to 21,773. There are fourteen
churches, filteer. schools, and two newspa
pers, one ot which is published three days
per week. In I860 the popu'ation was
17,639 There are at present 3,753 families,
2,482 dwellings, 2,668 legal voters, and 656
naturalized voters The progress of the
ci y has been exceedingly rapid, for in 1S50
it was only 8,283, but in two years after this
it had increased loru-seven per cent. It is
woudeiful how the city is extending on
every baud No doubt its immense water
power peculiaih adapts the city for niami-
ac:ure>, the river Merrimaok running
through the place, which, by means of a
stone dam 900 feet long, gives a fall ot 28
feet. Iu the centre of the city is a large
park, or common, as it is called, containing
eighteen acres, laid out iu shaded walks.
lhere is also a large fountain, and a platform
apparently intended for musicians. The city
took its name from the Lawrence family,
distinguished for the zeal with which they
have pushed industrial enterprise and pro
moted general education. There are some
pleasant mansions in the suburbs, the
grounds connected with them being beauti
fully kept. I never saw anywhere more
tastefully decorated summer-houses. It is
supposed to be e very healthy city. In a
conversation 1 had with the city clerk, he

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

51

told me that lhe winters in America were not
favourable to the health of aged people.
From extensive observation which had been
continued many jears, he was satisfied that
during the winter half of the year there are
three times as many persons die who are
more than seventy years of age than die in
the corresponding half year of summer. I
told him*? had met with many very old peo
ple, who appeared to enjoy good health, and
were very vigorous. In this city there is the
largest mill in the world. It took me se
veral hours to go through it, although I only
took a very cursory view of the different ope
rations carried on. I was at special pains to
obtain correct information respecting the
Pacific Mill, and I found that if the rooms
could be placed at the end of each other, so
as to give the appearance of one room, it
would extend more than two miles and a
quarter. The entire area of the flooring was
779,360 square feet, so that, if formed into a
footpath of one yard in width, it would ex
tend more thau forty-nine miles, or it would
reach all the way from Manchester to Leeds,
and there would still remain about ten miles
unaccounted for. The size of the mill so
preponderates over everything of the kind
that I have ever seen, heard, or real of be
fore, that I have no hesitation in pronounc
ing it the largest mill in the world. The ca
pital of the company amounts to two and a half
million of dollars. Spindles at work 110,000.
The number of workpeople on the pay roll
last month exceeded four thousand. Last
year the quantity of cloth manufactured
amounted to twenty-five millions of yards ;
but this year, in consequence of having
more machinery and more workpeople, it
will reach twenty-seven millions. Last week
the quantity manufactured was644,000 yards.
The water power used is equal to 2,500 horses,
but the entire power of the water wheels is
equal to 3,000 horses' power. The power of
the steam engines is equal to 1,250 horses,
but the power actually iu use is only about
300. All the various operations connected
with manufacture are here carried on, for they
do not, as in England, send out their goods
for bleaching, dyeing, &c, but everything
is done on the spot. They even keep a staff
of engravers to work out the new designs. It
was most curious and interesting to watch
thi? process, for it is nearly all done by ma
chinery. A young woman sits in front of a
machine apparently working at a figure, and
by close observation it may be perceived that
every time she touches a certain point there
are seven instruments fixed above her head
which make a precisely similar impression
upon a copper roller ; and I was told that the

impression is produced with more precision
by machinery than it possibly could by hand
labour. Some of the designs were really
beautiful, and required the most exquisite
workmanship to produce them in a high de
gree of perfection. There are no less than
twenty large printing machines at this estab
lishment, and some of them print ten or
twelve colours at once. One machine could
even print sixteen colours at one revolution ;
aud I was presented with a sample of cloth
on which were impressed all the different
colours. The Pacific Mill is not exclusively
devoted to the cotton manufacture, but is
partly engaged in producing worsted goods.
The worsted business is comparatively speak
ing yet iu its infancy in America, for they
import from Great Britain alone 50,000 yards
of worsted fabrics annually. The only
worsted mills in America are at Southbridge,
Manchester, Lowell, Providence, and Law
rence, and there is only one mill at each
place. In Lawrence provision is made for
the intellectual cultivation of the operatives,
payment for which is rendered compulsory.
For instance, there is in connection with
the Pacific Mill a library consisting of about
4,0J0 volumes, for the support of which
every person employed at the works has to
contribute one cent per week. The cost is
certainly a mere trifle, and I do not see that
any person could object to pay so small a
sum when the advantages are so great. That
the library is appreciated is evident from the
fact that nearly 1,500 volumes are out at one
time. There is a reading-room attached, in
which there were English and American
newspapers, magazines, &c. Mr. William
Courtis, tho manager, I found to be a very
agreeable person, and readily gave me any
information in his power. He formerly lived
iu Manchester, England, and still receives
occasionally copies of the Manchester Ex
aminer and Times, and takes pleasure iu
reading them, as they tend to keep up his
associations with the old country. The
library is open every day for the exchange of
books, from nine o'clock in the morning til
nine o'clock in the evening There is also a
sick society established at the mill, every per
son working there having to pay two cents
per week. When a person happens to fall
sick he is entitled to receive two dollars and
a half per week for teu weeks, and after that
time one dollar and eighty-eight cents per
week. There are boarding houses here,
erected by the proprietors, similar to those
at Lowell, and pleasau t residences they are
for everything around them is perfectly clean.
The red bricks, the white blinds, the green
window-shutters, aud the porticos aud pil-

52

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

lared fronts, impart a rural and elegant ap
pearance. When I saw lhe factory people
leaving for dinner, I could not prevent the
thought rushing into my mind, that if ever
I had to become a factory operative I should
like it to be in such a place as this. The Paci
fic Mill has yielded a dividend to the share
holders for 1865 of 24 per cent.
Manchester, New Hampshire, Nov.
28th, 1865. — I proceeded by train from Law
rence to Manchester, in New Hampshire,
by way of Salem, Londonderry, Sec. Man
chester is one of the capitals of Hillsborough
county, but its name has not antiquity in its
favour. I believe its Indian name was Amos-
keag, but after being settled by Europeans
it was called Derryfield, and bore that name
until it became distinguished as a cotton
manufacturing place, and then, I suppose,
out of respect for the city of Manchester,
England, its name was changed again. Per
haps after all there was not much respect for
its namesake, for I remember being told that
it was believed that, as a city, it was destined
to rival Manchester in Kngland both with
respect to its size and the importance of its
manufactures. This may be its destiny, but
it will take many years before it can be ac
complished. It is, however, by far the lar-
gestcityin New Hampshire, its population
numbering, when last taken, 20,107, and it
is now progressing at such a rapid rate that
it nearly doubles in about ten years. I cer
tainly never saw, either in England or
America, a place which gave clearer indica
tions of future greatness. It was settled in
1740, by a party of immigrants from the
north of Ireland. The land was poor, and
would not well repay the labour of cultiva
tion, but the waters of the district abounded
in salmon, shad, and other fish ; and these,
together with the birds, deer, &c, which
might be shot, would afford them variety
and sufficiency of food : so that the early
settlers would possess a large share of the
materials for earthly comfort. In 1836,
manufacturing operations were commenced on
as large a scale as there were people to per
form the necessary work, for it is said that
the population of the district only numbered
about fifty persons at that time. Centres of
population form very rapidly in America when
circumstances are favourable. Denver, the
capital of Colorado, has now a population of
20,000 persons, although three years ago it
was a mere hamlet. Pit Hole City, in the
oil region, had a short time since only 100
inhabitants, but in six months time there
were 10,000. Manchester, New Hampshire,
has not increased iu equal proportion, al
though its increase during the last thirty

years has been more than thirty fold. In
1844 the population had sufficiently increased ;
to render a literary institution necessary, and
the Manchester Athenaeum was then formed.
Ten years later the library of the Athenaeum j
was transferred to what is termed the city
library, and two years later still a great fire
took place which destroyed 5,400 volumes.
At present the library is large and increasiug
being supported by a city tax at a cost of
2,000 to 3,000 dollars per annum. The li
brary tax is very popular with the people,
and it is supposed that, in ..consequence of a
literary taste having been diffused amongst
the population generally, there is not a more
orderly town in America. The inhabitants
are chiefly Americans by birth, the foreign
population being almost entirely of the fac
tory operative class. The cotton manufac
ture has been a brisk business ever since it
was first established here, and it was never
better than it was during the four years of
war. The manufacturing companies did
not sell off their stocks of raw cotton, but
worked them up and then got more, and the
consequence is that they have made large
profits because of the high prices at which
cotton goods have sold. The manufacturers
generally are making wealth very fast. There
are scarcely any that would be considered rich
in the ordinary sense of the term, but the
mayor of the city assured me that there are
quite a number who are now worth each
100,000 dollars, and property is increasing
very fast. The Amoskeag corporation have
a capital of 3,000,000 dollars, which is larger
than that of any other in the United States.
They commenced operations in 1831, and
they now employ 3,200 workpeople. The
Stark Company was formed in 1838,
with a capital of 1,250,000 dollars, and
they now employ 1,250 hands. The Man
chester printworks were commenced in 1839,
with a capital of 1,800,000 dollars, and they
now employ 1,980 workpeople. .During one
year there has been manufactured in Man
chester not less than 46,680,000 yards of
cotton and woollen goods. Large as this
production is, the mayor of the city, John
Hosley, Esq., assured me that, if they could
get a sufficient number of workpeople it
would be greatly increased. There was ma
chinery standing then for want of work
people, and if they could increase the num- >
ber of the hands they would soon have more
machinery than they have at present. Al
though the cotton manufacture is the prin
cipal business here, it is not the only one,
for there are woollen establishments, shoe- ,
making on a large scale, and extensive iron
works. It is where the Amoskeag fire en-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

53

gines are made, which have obtained great
repute. They are sent to almost all parts
of the United States, and I was told that one
had been sent to England. One of the ma
chine shops here employs several hundred
hands. No doubt one great reason why
manufacturing is carried on here with such
great success is that the Merrimack River
affords au immense water power, the fall in
a distance of a few rods being about sixty
feet. When there is high water, the Amos
keag falls afford a scene which is beautiful
and sublime. Both above and below the
falls, the river flows quietly on in a broad,
majestic stream, affording excellent facilities
for sailing and bathing. It is one of the
largest rivers in the New England States, but
the numerous falls interrupt free navigation
very much. Nevertheless the enterprising
spirit of the American people has manifested
itself in providing numerous canals, at a cost
of 149,000 dollars, by which the difficulties of
navigation have to a considerable extent been
overcome. The water privileges are very
great, and are highly prized. On the very
border of the city is the Marabesic Lake, a
most beautiful sheet of water six or seven
miles long, having many pretty little islands,
and affording excellent facilities for boating
and fishing. If the followers of Izaak Wal
ton, in England, could only be suddenly
transported to these pellucid streams and
lakes, how abundant would be their enjoy
ment. Perhaps, after all, I am mistaken in
this, for if they came where fish is so abun
dant that there is no difficulty in obtaiuingit
plentifully, the pleasure of angling would be
lessened. It has often been remarked that
the existence of the game laws in England
tends to give a zest to poaching, which would
not otherwise be experienced, and I am in
clined to believe it, but still if I were fond of
shooting and angling I would rather be where
I could be well repaid for my time and labour.
The Mauchester district is famed for the
abundance of its wild fruit. Within a mile
or two of the city, in the proper season, there
are plenty of wild strawberries, &c, which
people can have for gathering. When I was
at New Haven I was told that it was the most
beautiful city in America, and I have no wish
to say a word in its detraction, for it is cer
tainly a beautiful city, but when I arrived at
Manchester I thought I had met with its
equal, if not its superior. Being an inland
town, Manchester has not the advantage of
seaside scenery, but there is ample compen
sation for this in the beautiful and command
ing situation which it occupies. There is a
. gradual slope from the river until the surface
attains an elevation of about 100 feet, and

then the ascent ceases, and the city is built
on this elevated plain. The City Hall is a
lofty and elegant structure, having a tall
steeple somewhat resembling in appearance
an English church. The mayor took me on
the top of the belfry, in order that, by the aid
of a glass, I might see the whole surrounding
country. It was a most splendid day, the
sun shining forth gloriously, the clear air
giving to distant objects the appearance of
proximity. It seemed that the city had been
running away from its centre, for I was shown
a few houses a mile or two away which was
once the centre of the place, but now it was a
mere suburb. The Unconoonuc Mountains
looked verybeautiful. They derive this name
because their form has very much of the re
semblance of a woman's breasts, and " unco
noonuc " is the Indian name for breast.
Notwithstanding the advantages of a clear day
and an elevated position, I was not able to see
the White Mountains of the Granite state.
Miss Bremer, in giving an account of her
visit to Lowell, says : " The situation is
beautiful, on the banks of the cheerfully-rush
ing Merrimac river (the laughing river), and
the views from the higher parts of the town
as far as the White Mountains of New Hamp
shire, which raise their snowy crowns above
every other object, are extensive and magnifi
cent." I have no doubt that Miss Bremer
was misinformed with respect to her having
had a view of the White Mountains of New
Hampshire. I spent more than a week at
Lowell, but never, from the most elevated
points, could I obtain a view of the White
Mountains, and several persons who had lived
some years in Lowell said it was impossible
to see them in the clearest weather. One
person who lived in Lowell, but had formerly
lived in New Hampshire, said that the White
Mountains could not be seen within 100
miles of Lowell. I think this latter state
ment was an exaggeration, but I am never
theless satisfied that, if I could not see them
from the tower of the City Hall of Manches
ter, in New Hampshire, they could not be
seen from Lowell, in Massachusetts. I
remember, when I was on the top of Bunker
Hill monument, a young lady was very positive
that she could see the White Mountains. I
did not dispute the accuracy of her sight but
I disputed the accuracy of her judgment.
She maintained that 1 was in error, lor she
could distinctly see the white on the tops of
the mountains. I told her I had no doubt
she saw white mountains, but I was satisfied
she did not see the White Mountains. When
we had descended the monument we referred
our dispute to the person who had charge of
the place, when he affirmed that the White

54

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Mountains had not been seen, although the
lady might have seen snow on the tops of
other mountains. In a subsequent conversa
tion I had with a gentleman who lives not
very distant from the White Mountains, I
learned that sometimes even in the hottest
weather the snow remains visible. This,
however, arises from the fact that there are
openings in the mountains which, during the
winter, get filled up with snow which accumu
lates to such an extent as to be ninety feet
deep, which takes a long time for the hot
weather to melt it entirely away. From the
tower of the City Hall, a capital view of the
city and its environs is obtained. The Amos
keag Falls are distinctly visible, and ate the
largest on the Merrimack river. The city
appears to be beautifully laid out, the streets
running at right angles and adorned with
magnificent elms and maples. The people
have been wise enough to make appropria
tions of suitable land for recreation pur
poses, before the city became so large
that no land was available for such pur
pose, and there are now four commons
(parks) in different sections of the city, which
are laid out in beautiful order, many of the
trees being ancient forest trees of spontaneous
growth which were never removed. Three of
the commons have ornamental water. A
beautiful cemetery, containing about twenty
acres, is pleasantly situated, and is said to be
unrivalled for natural beauty either by Mount
Auburn, at Boston, or Greenwood, at New
York. One of the streets— I think it is
called Elm-street— is more than a mile in
length, and a. hundred feet wide, having ma
jestic shade trees growing at equal distances
near to the side-walks. Ample accommoda
tions are made for social gatherings, for
Smyth's Hall will contain 3,000 people, the
music hall an equal number : then there is
the Masonic Temple, and I know not how
many other smaller halls for entertainments,
beautifully fitted up. There are 1 5 churches,
some of which are costly and elegant struc
tures. The Congregationalists are the most
numerous. There are forty public schools,
and great attention is paid to educatiou
There are four savings' banks, having a ca
pital of 2,500,000 dollars. The" city is hghted
with gas, and, in fact, it seems to possess
everything essential to its future progress. It
was described to me as one of the most euter-
prising cities in the United States, and I saw
no reason to disbelieve the statement. Two
daily newspapers and three weeklies are
issued. Money circulates and passes from
hand to hand rapidly, and the consequence is
that many succeed in placing themselves in
comfortable circumstances. The mayor told

me that he knew some who were poor persons
who were now worth 100,000 dollars. The
war produced very little effect here, for the
merchants never prospered more than they
did at this tine. The city had its quota of
men to raise for the army, but, in order that
this might be done without putting a stop to
manufacturinsr enterprise, they sent persons
into the backwoods of Canada to engage
workpeople, and after they arrived at Man
chester very high bounties were offered to
such as would enlist, and by that means they
raised sufficient soldiers without a draft and
without sensibly affecting the prosperity and
progress of the city. The mayor expressed
himself satisfied that the writers in the Eng
lish newspapers had not understood the late
American struggle. I told him that my opi
nion was that it had been better understood
than had been represented, for I thought
there had been a great amount of misrepre
sentation. The opinion expressed bv the
mayor of Manchester was precisely the opi
nion which was expressed by the mayor of
Lowell, and indeed I am constantly hearing
the same remark made wherever I am, for
the Americans will not give the English cre
dit for knowing much about America. Pro
bably the blundering leading articles which
were written to prove that the South must
win the fight have tended greatly to produce
this impression. The successful development
of manufacturing industry in this locality
has tended greatly to improve the circum
stances of those engaged in agricultural pur
suits. On my way to Manchester I was
shown a farm, the late owner of which had
made a fortune of 10(1,000 dollars. I said I
thought it must have been an exceptional
case for a farmer in a lifetime to clear 100,000
dollars. I was told there were many such
instances, especially when the farmer had
been fortunate in the sale of his lumber
(timber). — In the evening I returned to
Lowell by way of Nashna, the first town-that
was settled in the south part of New Hamp
shire, the early settlers having suffered
greatly from being attacked by Indians.
Cotton manufacturing is here progressing,
the place affording considerable water power,
the river having a fall of 65 feet in two
miles. I fell in company with a gentleman
who had recently travelled in the Southern
States, from whom I gleaned considerable
information. I asked him if he thought
that this was not a very suitable time for
people to purchase land to advantage in the
Southern States. He said it was, and that
he himself had lately purchased 3,000 acres,
for some of which he had given seven dollars
per acre, aud for other portions he had only

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

55

given one dollar per acre.
Nov. 29. — Visited the Lowell Mechanics'
Library, which contains 10,300 volumes.
Mr. Hardman, the librarian, a native of Man
chester, England, I found to be an intelligent
person- The institution has now 750 mem
bers and subscribers, and the new volumes
added f£ tbe library are at the rate of a little
over one per day on the average. One source
of income is to get up a course of lectures,
tickets for which are issued at a certain rate.
They have sold 2,500 tickets for the present
course, and if they could have had a hall large
enough to accommodate the people, they
could have sold one thousand more. They
pay the lecturers about 150 dollars per night
for their services, yet, notwithstanding such
heavy expenses, they expect to realise a pro
fit to the institution from the present course
of lectures of 1,300 dollars. There is ano
ther library here called the City Library,
containing between 13,000 to 14,000volumes.
The payment of half a dollar entitles a per
son to take out books for one year, one vo
lume at once, which can be exchanged twice
a week. At the Mechanics' Library books
can be changed twice a day if people chose.
The people of Lowell are a reading popula
tion, and are considered much in advance of
other cities in general information.
Nov. 30. — Visited the Mechanics' News
room, which was abundantly supplied with a
great variety of newspapers, but there was not
one English newspaper. I was told that there
is a strong prejudice against England in this
city. A short time since a British consul
came here to give a lecture on the American
war, and took a hall capable of accommodat
ing 2,000 persons ; but, after being at a fur
ther expense for bills and advertising, he had
the mortification to find that only twenty- five
persons came to hear him.
Dec. 1. — Went from Lowell to Boston by
way of Billerica, Winchester, &c. Boston
is the metropolis of the New England States,
and has always taken the lead as a city in
works of general benevolence. It is in this
city that the anti-slavery element has been
more fully developed than in any other city
of the Union, and probably more influence
has been exerted for the amelioration of the
condition of the slave than any other place
can boast. Its commercial position is of a
very commanding character, its land-locked
harbour affording shelter for the largest ships,
and ample space for all the American vessels
to find anchorage at the same time. No
harbour can be more easily defended, for,
although it covers an area of seventy-five
square miles, yet its entrance is so very
narrow that there is barely room for two

large ships to pass each other. Latterly its
defences have been considerably increased
and it is now considered quite invulnerable,
should the attack be made from the sea. I
am not aware that there are any defences on
the land side, nor is it necessary that there
should be such protection. The city of Boston
is almost entirely surrounded with water,
being connected with the mainland by a uar-
row strip called Boston Neck. In conse
quence of being so much contracted for
want of spase, other cities have been built
quite on the suburbs, and are as closely con
nected with Boston as Salford is with Man
chester. This want of space has been sorely
felt, especially of late years, and hence there
has been a great effort made to rob the sea of
its land, if I may so express myself, for
piles have been driven aud the sea forced
back very considerably. A great portion of
Tremont-street, which forms one of the most
important avenues of the city, now occupies
the site of what was only a few years ago a
waste of waters. It is supposed that the
early settlers chose to reside on this peninsula
because of the protection it afforded against
wolves and Indians. There was a period
when Boston was the most important com
mercial city in America, but from a variety of
causes it has long been outstripped by New
York. The city is well supplied with excel
lent water, but it has to be conveyed in pipes
a distance of twenty miles. One of the re
servoirs in which the water is preserved is
capable of holding one hundred millions of
gallons, the lodge having been formed by the
closing up of the outlet of a valley. Seventy
miles of piping have been laid through the
streets, and nearly every dwelling in the city
is now supplied from a source which can
yield fourteen millions of gallons per day.
It is particularly serviceable in case of fire,
for the forue is sufficient to throw a three
inch jet 92 feet high on Boston Common.
The city not only claims distinction to being
the second commercial city iu importance in
the United States, but it has a higher anti
quity than many others. The first settle
ment was formed in 1630, just ten years
after the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth,
The Indian name for the peninsular was
Mushanwomuk, which meant free land, or
land unclaimed. Money was paid to the
Indians at different times to satisfy their
claims. It was also called Trimountain, be
cause of three bold eminences, which are not
now so conspicuous as in former times, for
the hills have been partly cut away: there is
nothing remaining worthy of the name of"
mountain. The name of Boston was given
to the place by the early settlers, some of

56

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

whom came from Lincolnshire, in England,
and I am informed that it was out of respect
to the vicar of Boston, in Lincolnshire, that
the place was so named. It is said that
John Wintrop, one of the early settlers,
made the ink with his own hands which was
afterwards used for keeping the town records,
and although two centuries and a quarter
have passed away, the ink is still bright and
legible. It was the church of Boston which
banished Roger Williams for heresy, but
afterwards it became distinguished for enter
taining more liberal sentiments. Schools
were established at an early period of the
settlement, and the Indians were taught
gratuitously. In 1645 negro slaves were
first brought here, but it is said to have pro
duced much anger amongst the settlers. In
1656, hanging for reputed witchcraft first
took place in this colony — a barbarous prac
tice which continued many years. Bsoton, in
1721, was visited by a dreadful scourge — the
small-pox — 6,000 being attacked by it, and
850 died. The population at that time was
about 12,000, so that one-half of the people
had the disease. It was at this time that
inoculation was first introduced iu America,
and there was great opposition to such prac
tice ; but when it was shown that only one
in forty-seven had died who had been
operated upon, while one in seven died who
received the disease naturally, the opposition
almost entirely closed. Boston took a very
prominent part in the circumstances which
led to the revolution which ultimately caused
the separation of the American colonies
from British rule. It was the destruc
tion of tea in 1773 which was pronounced
au act of defiance to the home government,
and two years after this there were 4,000
British troops in Boston, and several armed
vessels in the harbour, and it took General
Washington nearly a year to drive them
away. Boston suffered greatly during the
rebellion, and it was a long time after before
any rapid progress was made. It was not
made into a city till 1822, which was about
170 years after the possession of such dis
tinction was first talked about. An attempt
was made in 1709 to have the place incor
porated, but the attempt was a failure. When
the first colonial census was taken in 1764,
the population of Boston was put down at
15,520; in 1774 it was 17,000; in 179') it
was 18,038; in 1800 it was 24,937 ; in 1810
it was 33,250 ; in 1820 it was 43,298 ; in
1830 it was 61,392 ; in 1840 it was 93,383 ;
in 1850 it was 136,884. In a conversation
I had with the Mayor of Boston respecting
the population of the city, he urged that the
people resident outside but immediately ad

joining the city limits ought to be regarded
as the population of the city of Boston, be
cause the business was done in the city, and
the people had been obliged to go outside the
limits for waut of room. He said if I took
a radius of seven miles it would embrace a
population of 400,000. In Boston proper,
according to the census taken in May, 1865,
there were 20,652 houses, 30,021 families,
192,324 inhabitants, 51,111 rateable polls,
33,890 legal voters, and 7,951 naturalised
voters. Boston formerly contained very few
foreigners, its population being singularly
homogeneous, but at the present time near
ly half the people are foreigners, or persons '
whose parents were foreigners. It would
seem from the registrar's report of deaths,
that there are about 24 deaths annually
out of every 1,000 inhabitants. East Boston
is an island, which was formerly called
Noodle's Island, but more commonly bore
the name of Maverick, which is derived from
a person who lived in an armed fort 230
years since. The Cunard steamships have
their berths in East Boston, ship-building
is here largely carried on, and it was here
where the Great Republic was built, which
at the time was reputed to be the largest sail
ing ship in the world. In Boston harbour
there are more than fifty islands, one of which
called George's Island, commands the open
sea, and on it has been erected Fort Warren,
a very strong fortification. Castle William
Island is the site of Fort Independence.
There is also a strong fortification on Gover
nor's Island. Thompson Island possesses
the Boston Asylum and farm school for in
digent boys. Some of the islands are very
low, and the action of the sea is continually
making them more limited in size, for in the
memory of persons now living cattle formerly
were pastured on parts which are now en
tirely submerged in water. The first vessel
belonging to Boston of American build was
the barque Blessing of the Bay, but she was
only of thirty tons burthen, and her first voy
age was to New York. It is 234 years since
she was launched. The ice business is said
to be a Boston invention, and is principally
carried on here. In one year the value of the
ice sent to Calcutta amounted to 117,265
dollars. The quantity sent to all parts is
about 150,000 tons a year. Some seasons
are, doubtless, much more favourable for ice
than others, and this season has been very
favourable. I have seen large blocks of it
which seemed to be nearly half a yard thick,
so clear and bright I thought I could see
through it There are large ponds of beauti
ful water kept on purpose for the ice. Great
Britain shares largely in the general com-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

57

merce of Boston, for in one year the imports
from Great Britain amounted to 17,000,000
dollars, while it was only 26,000,000 to all
other parts of the world, including Cuba,
Chili, British North America, France, Russia,
Turkey, Holland, Buenos Ayres, Brazil,
Sweden, Norway, China, &c. There are
eight great lines of railroads that run
from Boston, all of which are fed by
lesser Hues There are horse railroads
in all parts of the city, and in one year they
have carried more than 1 2,000,000 of pas
sengers. The first newspaper published in
America was issued at Boston, and was called
The News Letter, aud survived many that
were afterwards started, for it lived 72 years,
and only gave up the ghost in 1766, when
British rule ceased. The second paper was
The Boston Gazette, and the third was the
New England Courant. Ben. Franklin,
when only 16 years of age, and at that time
a printer's apprentice, was one of the staff of
writers for the last-named paper. I have
not been able, during a residence of some
weeks in Boston, to find out how many
newspapers are published in Boston, but I
have seen a statement in print that there are
117; but unless I could see their titles, I
should not be willing to believe that there
are so many newspapers published here,
although I know from the number that I have
seen and read, that there are a great many,
including nine daily papers. The Public
Library is a first-class institution in Boston,
and does a vast amount of good It was
founded by Joshua Bates, a wealthy banker
of London, who lived in Boston during his
early days, and he offered to give 50,000
dollars to start the library. Other gentlemen
contributed largely, aud the building, toge
ther with the land, cost 365,000 dollars.
When I visited tbe institutiou I saw exhi
bited the original paroles of honour, signed by
all the surviving officers of General Bur-
goyne's army, after the surrender of Saratoga,
on the 16th October, 1777. One is signed
by 185 English officers, headed by General
Burgoyne, and the other by 95 German offi
cers, headed by Riedesel, the Brunswick
general. The paroles were presented to the
Boston Sanitary Fair, on condition of sale for
not less than one thousand dollars, and pre
sentation by the purchaser to the Public Li
brary. The benevolent institutions of Bos
ton are numerous and effective in their opera
tions, there being about forty different asso
ciations in existence, each having a different
object, but all of a philanthropic character.
Boston must be an unhealthy place, judging
from the number of persons engaged in the
medical profession, or otherwise they must

be well paid for their services, for in Boston
there are 383 physicians, of whom twenty-
five are women. The police of the city con
sists of 268 men. The late war has produced
a great change in the military appearance of
the city, the number of discharged soldiers
who still wear their former military dress be
ing very large, but ordinarily the force which
is kept up here consists of seventeen military
companies, besides the ancient and honour
able artillery company, which is the oldest
organisation of the kind in the United States,
dating from 1638, and with the exception of
two regiments in the Austrian service, and
some of the English regiments that served on
the continent in the early part of the seven
teenth century, there are no older military
organisations in the Christian world. The
Freemasons seem to be a numerous body
here, for the number of masonic societies
under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts, is now 125.
Concord, Massachusetts. — Dec. 2 —
Went to Concord, one of the oldest towns
iu America. It was settled in 1635, and it
is said that it was planned in England. Its
Indiau name was Musketaquid, which signi
fies grass-ground. The name " Concord"
was given to the place in consequence of the
union and concord which subsisted amongst
the first English settlers. It was the first
inland settlement of the Massachusetts
colony, The inhabitants of Concord as early
as 1767 made themselves very conspicuous
in their opposition to British rule, and it was
here where the first county convention was
held in 1774, the meeting being attended
by 150 delegates, every town in the county
being represented. The convention decided
in favour of separation from England, and
the people immediately began to arm them
selves. In October of the same year a pro
vincial congress of Massachusetts took place
at Concord. In April following, a detach
ment of British troops was sent to put down
the embryotic rebellion, but the people were
prepared to give the Britishers a warm re
ception, for at a bridge which crossed the
river the forces came in collision, and two
Englishmen were killed, so that it was at
Concord where the first blood was spilled in
the American revolution. It is here where
Mr. Ralph Waldo Emerson lives. He is re
garded as the prince of the trauscenden-
talists in America, and is very highly re
spected. He is the giandson of the Rev.
William Emerson, who was pastor of the
church at Concord during the revolution. I
went over to see Mr. Emerson, and found his
house pleasantly situated in a pine grove,
about a mile from the railway station, but un-

58

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

fortunately for me he had gone to Boston,
and was to return by the last train in the
evening. I found by reference to the railway
guide that the two trains would meet on the
way, and therefore I should not have the op
portunity of seeing him. Having time on
hand I decided to look over the town, but
found it to be quite a different place from
what I anticipated. I thought that, as it
was one of the oldest towns in America, I
should see something like streets, but I was
mistaken. Iu the place which was repre
sented to me as the centre of the town I
found a jewellery establishment, a shoe ware
house, a variety store, a tinware shop, and
two or three houses adjoining, but for the
rest it appeared to be a scattered township
with a house here and there separated by a
farm or garden plot. I visited the scene of
the first battle in the American revolution,
but the ancient bridge which crossed the river
has long since passed away, and no other
bridge has been erected on the site. Iu 1835
a grauite obelisk was erected to mark the spot
where the first forcible resistance was made
to British power, and I was told that the
patriotic inscription was well worthy of being
copied, the composition was so beautiful, but
when I reached the spot the daylight had
already passed away, and the bright full-
faced moon, brighter than I had ever seen it
in Eugland, had just risen above the hori
zon, and was shedding its silvery rays over a
scene of rural beauty, such as I have seldom
seen surpassed. The monument is enclosed
by iron palisading, which prevented a near
approach, and I was therefore unable to copy
the inscription, which I was told was written
by Emerson, and altered by Dr. Ripley and
others. Near the spot I saw a stone which
marks the grave of the two British soldiers
who were the first to fall in the fight. Dr.
Ezra Ripley lived at the parsonage within
view of the monument, and only a short dis
tance from it. He was pastor at Concord
from the year 1778 to 1842. The late Na
thaniel Hawthorne lived at the parsonage
house some time, and it is said that it was
here where he wrote " The House with Seven
Gables." " The Mosses from an Old Manse,"
one of the finest from Hawthorne's works,
takes its name ot the fact that it was
partially written and entirely arranged duriug
his residence here. The river Concord runs
almost close by the monument, but it is a
very sluggish stream, moving quietly along.
Perhaps the want of fall may have prevented
Concord from progressing in manufactures,
and by this meaus the natural beauties of
tbe place have been preserved. Iu the year
1775, Harvard College was removed to Con

cord, because the college buildings at Cam
bridge were occupied by a portion of the
American army. The following year the col
lege returned to its former place. — On
arriving at the railway station — or depot, as
it is always called in America — I had to wait
an hour or two for the train, in consequence
of an accident which had occurred. The
train from Boston arrived while I was wait
ing, and I had requested a gentleman to
point out Mr. Emerson to me, but he did
not return to Concord that night, so that I
was again disappointed in not seeing hira. —
This day is the anniversary of the execution
of Johu Brown, who was put to death in con
sequence of the part he took in promoting
negro insurrection at Harper's Ferry. I
often hear sung in America a very popular
song —
John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave,
But his soul keeps marching on.
The day has been celebrated iu some places
by negro processions, for his memory is em
balmed with most precious associations in the
African miud. Brown's character is now
better understood than formerly, and more
justice is done to his memory.
Dec. 3, Sunday. — Attended service at
Concord Hall, where I made the acquaint
ance of several Englishmen. The service
was connected with the Christian fraternity,
the pastor being the Rev. Wm. Ellery Cope-
land. Dec. 4.— Visited Tremont Temple, a spa
cious hall which is almost nightly occupied
for philanthropic or s >cial purposes, and
is largely attended. As a public hall it is
not to compare with the Free Trade Hall iu
Mauchesler, either for architectural beauty
or for ample dimensions.
Dec. 5 — I went this day to visit Mount
Auburn Cemetery, which I believe to be one
of the most beautiful burial places which
nature, art, and affection combined have
been able to produce. Iu England during
the last twenty years a great improvement
has taken place with respect to the tasj;e de
veloped in sepulchural adornment, but al
though I have visited many cemeteries in
Eugland, I have never seen one which ap
proximated in natural and artistic beauty to
the one I inspected to-day. It is situated at
Cambridge, about five miles from Boston,
and occupies an area of more than 126 acres.
This was the first attempt ever made' in
America to set apart a large tract of land for
the purpose of a rural cemetery, and was
selected because of its numerous natural
beauties, and the facilities it afforded by
landscape gardening to make it a spot pe
culiarly attractive. The land is undulating, ,

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

59

and the hills and valleys have been rendered
by cultivated taste so beautifully picturesque,
that I could have lingered till the dusky twi
light hour had cast its shadows over the
marble monuments of the dead. This ceme
tery derived its name from one of its princi
pal eminences (Mount Auburn), which is 125
feet abovethe level of Charles River, a broad,
placid stream which flows near to the ceme
tery, and enters Boston harbour. An ob
servatory, sixty feet high, has been erected
on this mount, from the top of which a beau
tiful view maybe obtained of Boston, Brigh
ton., Somerville, Cambridge, &c. A deep
picturesque valley called " Consecration
Dell'' affords a beautiful site for a public
gathering, and has been used for such a
purpose, a temporary amphitheatre having
been erected for the audience, and a plat
form for the speakers. The grounds formerly
belonged to the Horticultural Society, but by
the act of incorporation, every person who
becomes the owner of 300 square feet, be
comes a member of the corporation. The
present price of ordinary lots is about fifty
cents per square foot, but choice lots are
held at advanced prices. The funds received
from the sales of the burial ground are de
voted to beautify, and adorn the cemetery,
aud the formation of a reserve fund for future
exigencies. It would be too high a sum for
a poor person to have to pay about £30 for
the right of interment, but a cemetery could
not be made so beautiful as this is without
an enormous expenditure. It has been said
that the people of Boston might challenge
the rivalry of the world to produce such an
abiding place for the spirit of beauty. To
every proprietor is given a ticket which en
titles him and his household to drive into
the grounds with a carriage, but no other
person is so permitted without first receiving
authority from an officer of the cemetery to
do so. The cemetery gates are open from
sunrise to sunset every day, excepting Sun
days and holidays, for the free admission of
the public on foot, and the proprietors, on
presenting their tickets, can be admitted on
Sundays same as other days. The gateway,
or entrance, has been built of solid Quincy
granite, and the design was taken from the
entrance to an Egyptian temple. I think the
various ornamental walks would give to the
pedestrian a journey of some miles if he made
up his mind to walk through the central
avenue, chapel avenue, pine avenue, yarrow
path, fir avenue, elm avenue, mistletoe path,
green-briar path, heliotrope path, columbine
path, heath path, spruce avenue, eglantine
path, cypress avenue, hibiscus path, geratiium
path, beech avenue, walnut avenue, pyrola

path, bellwort path, trefoil path, tulip path,
mountain avenue, hazel path, woodbine path,
city path, hemlock path, willow avenue, nar
cissus path, locust avenue, linden path, cat-
alpa path, and others which I cannot name at
present. I thought it was probable that the
different flower paths named would be dis
tinguished by the presence of those particular
flowers which gave them the different deno
minations, but as it was too late in the season
for me to prove this by actual observation, I
merely mention it as a surmise of my own.
The monument erected to the memory of
Gaspar Sprxrzheim, the celebrated phrenolo
gist, is formed of white marble, and occupies
a very prominent position. Dr. Spurzheim's
works on phrenology excited a great amount
of attention in England more than thirty
years ago. There is a beautiful monument-
of Dr. Nathaniel Bowditch, the learned sailor.
It was the first full length bronze statue ever
cast in America. The statue represents Dr.
Bowditch calmly seated with a globe and
quadrant at his feet, his right arm resting on
a book. He was the author of the " Americn
Practical Navigator," ;and other works. There
is a very ornate structural monument to the
memory of Dr. Sharp, who was pastor of the
Charles-street Baptist Church, Boston, for
more than 41 years. He was born at Hud-
dersfield, Yorkshire, England, and lived to
secure the love and veneration of the people
amongst whom he laboured. Dr. Daniel
Sharp has left a name which will long be fra
grant, in circles far beyond the routine of
his official duties. I entered the Chapel, a
Gothic structure, built of granite, beautiful
in design, and evidently intended to be last
ing. I was most struck, with the sculptured
monuments in the interior. I have heard
people speak of breathing marble, but I
think I never saw monuments so expressive
before. The first was that of Joseph Story,
the eminent jurist, who was the first presi
dent of the proprietors of Mount Auburn. I
remarked to a gentleman present that it was
a most lovely countenance, and he said it was
exactly like the man. Another statue was
that of John Winthrop, the first governor of
Massachussets. Another was that of John
Adams, the second president of the United
States. The other was that of John Otis,
the American patriot, who distinguished him
self during the rebellion. There was such an
expressiveness in each countenance that it
seemed as if I could" have gazed an hour
without weariness. Outside the building in
Pine Avenue is a monument of marble, with
a female figure resting on an urn, inscribed,
' ' My husband. " Underneath are the follow
ing words : —

60

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

This life's a dream ; an empty show ;
But the bright world to which I go
Hath joys substantial and sincere ;
When shall I wake and find me there ;
There is also a beautiful granite obelisk to
the memory of Franklin, bearing the follow
ing on its front : —
To the memory of Benjamin Franklin, the Printer,
the Philosopher, the Statesman, the Patriot, who by his
wisdom blessed his country and his age, and bequeathed
to the world an illustrious example of industry, inte
grity, and self-culture. Born in Boston 1706 ; died in
Philadelphia 1790.
Franklin's monument is erected on Gentian
path, and near it is oue to the memory of a
leather dresser who became immensely rich,
and left a large sum of money to be distri
buted for charitable and literary purposes. On
the Yarrow path is a marble monument, with
the following iuscription : —
We have eternity for Love's communion.
There is another monument, which is re
garded as a fine specimen of the sculptor's
art, bearing the following inscription : —
Shed not for her the bitter tear,
Nor give the heart to vain regret ;
'Tis but the casket that lies here,
The gem that filled it sparkles yet.
In Fir avenue is a tablet placed to the me
mory of a soldier who served during the
whole war of the American revolution, having
fought at the battles of Bunker Hill, Haar
lem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Prince
ton, and Yorktown. *' He sustained an un
blemished reputation, and lived in the prac
tice of every Christian virtue. He loved,
feared, and served God. In the ninetieth
year of his age he journeyed nearly five hun
dred miles from his home to be present at
the celebration at the completion of the monu
ment on Butiker Hill. . He lived to witness
that memorable spectacle. He was satisfied.
He laid down quietly, and yielded up his
breath near the scene of his first conflict with
the enemies of his country. He came among
strangers ; he died among friends." In the
Spruce avenue is a marble slab to the memory
of Joseph Austin, on whioh is inscribed the
following lines : —
His soul to Him who gave it rose ;
God led it to its long repose,
Its glorious rest !
And though the good man's sun hath set,
Its light shall linger round us yet,
Bright, radiant, blest !
It appeared from a memorial that the first
person who was interred at Mount Auburn
cemetery was Hannah Adams, Historian of
the Jews and Reviewer of the Christian
Sects. She was 76 years of age. In the Py-
rola path is a monumental tablet to the me
mory of Mrs. Margaret Fuller Ossoli, wife of
Marquis Ossoli, who was shipwrecked during
a voyage to America from Italy, in I860. It

is said that she was by birth a child of New
England — by adoption, a citizen of Rome—
by genius, belonging to the world. In youth;
an insatiate student, seeking the highest cul
ture ; in riper years, teacher, writer, critic of
literature and art ; in maturer age, compa- •
nion and helper of many earnest reformers in
America and Europe. — On Harvard Hill, one
of the eminences which abound in the ceme
tery grounds, is a monument bearing the fol
lowing inscription ; —
Here lies the body of John Hooker Ashmun, Royal
Professor of Law in Harvard Universit}', who was born
July 3, 1800, and died April 1, 1833. In him the science
of law appeared native and intuitive. He went behind
precedents to principles, and books were his helpers,
never his masters. There was the beauty of accuracy
in his understanding, and the beauty of uprightness in
his character. Through the slow progress of the disease
which consumed his life he kept unimpaired his kind
ness of temper and superiority of intellect. He did
more work sick than others in health. He was fit to
teach at an age when common men are beginning to
learn, and his few vears bore the fruit of long life. A
lover of truth, an obeyer of duty, a sincere friend, and
a wise instructor. His pupils raise this stone to his
memory .
In the Willow avenue is a marble memorial
of Edwin Buckingham, who edited till his
death the New England Magazine. He died
at sea, and the following inscription indicates
the fact : —
Rest, loved one, rest — beneath the billow's swell,
Where tongue never spoke, where sunlight never fell;
Rest — till the God who gave thee to the deep
Rouse thee, triumphant, from the long, long sleep.
There were many other beautiful monuments
which it was impossible for me to notice in
the limited time at my disposal. There are
in the cemetery more than one hundred
paths and avenues, some of which are of
considerable length, and they are all beau
tifully laid out iu the most tasteful manner.
Its glassy lakes, its wood-crowned hills, its
pleasant dells, its noble trees, its shady val
leys, its bold eminences, its twisted foot
paths* its costly monuments, its superb gate
way, its classic chapel, its grand tower,
its rare views, its splendid enclosures, its
rural scenery, and all its beautiful surround
ings, make it one of the most attractive
spots I ever beheld. When I stood on the
observatory it was a lovely evening, the sun
was just about to set in a clear sky, and
even distant objects seemed comparatively!
near. Here and there, in the cemetery, the
marble monuments seemed clustered toge
ther, and then there were vacant spaces,
making it to appear as if there were villages
of the dead in various directions. I in
quired how they succeeded in the winter
season to have interments, for it appeared to
me that when the frost continued for several
months in succession, it would be difficult to
penetrate the earth. I was told that there

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

61

were receiving tombs, where the coffins con
taining corpses were placed, and then when
the weather had rendered the ground suit
able for interments, the funerals took place.
Perhaps it may have been a practice of this
kind which has led to a dispute as to what
body was the first tenant of Mount Auburn
Cemetery. On returning towards the city, I called,
in accordance with previous arrangement, to
see Mr. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the
poet. Perhaps there is, at the present day,
no living poet whose writings are so exten
sively read as those of Longfellow ; and I
don't know that any modern poetry is more
worthy of such appreciation. His house is
large, and pleasantly situated near to the
high-road leading from Boston to Mount Au
burn, at Cambridge, and not very far from
Harvard University. Its historical associa
tions give it a claim to special attention
which it would not otherwise possess, for it
was the head-quarters of General Washing
ton during the siege of Boston. Subse
quently it was owned by various persons in
succession, one of whom was Mr. Andrew
Craigie, who named it after himself, and it is
still known as the " Craigie House." It is
now Mr. Longfellow's own property, and a
beautiful residence it is. It was here for the
first time that I had seen green grass in
America. People may here sing " With
verdure clad," but it is only during a short
season of the year that the idea can be asso
ciated with the reality, for the hot summer's
sun dries up the grass and gives it a kind
ofstiaw colour, which is not near so agree
able to the sight as the living green which I
have been accustomed to in England.
Around Mr. Longfellow's residence the
grass continued to assume what I delight to
call its natural colour, and seemed to add an
additional charm to the rural scene. The
white ornamental columns, and the large
forest trees near to the front entrance, showed
that there had been taste displayed both in
the artistic design and the selection ot the
site. The room upon the lower floor, at the
right hand of the door, was occupied as a
study by General Washington, aud it is now
devoted to the same purpose by Mr. Long
fellow. The room above it was occupied by
Washington as a sleepiug-room, while the
room in the rear of the study was occupied
by the aides-de-camp, and the latter is now
used as a library-room. It was in this room
that I had a pleasant interview with Mr.
Longfellow. On different occasions the poet
has written about the associations of Craigie
House, on one of which he said : —

Once, ah, once, within these walls, *
One whom memory oft recalls,
The father of his country, dwelt ;
And yonder meadows broad and damp,
The fires of the besieging camp
Encircled with a burning belt,
Up and dowr. these echoing stairs,
Heavy with the weight of cares,
Sounded his majestic tread ;
Yes, within this very room
Sat he in those hours of gloom,
Weary both in heart and head.
I suppose it is probably usual for persons to
imagine that Longfellow is a tall, spare, light-
timbered person. This was the idea that I
had formed concerning him, yet I know not
why it should be so, unless that there was an
instinctive association between the words
long fellow and tall person ; or perhaps it
might be the case that I imagined poets lived
on sentiment, which is such an unsubstantial
diet, that I could not see how any one could
get fat upon it. Mr. Longfellow, however,
is neither tall nor thin, for he is rather a
portly person, and below, rather than above
the middle height. He has a bright spark
ling eye, a pleasant voice, and a long flowing
beard and moustache. He appears to have
much physical vigour, combined with affa
bility of manners aud a genial disposition.
We fell into cheerful conversation at once,
without any kind of restraint, and I immedi
ately found that he was a gentleman with
whom I could feel quite at home.
We conversed about the city of Washington,
which he had repeatedly visited, and the last
visit was made about a couple of years ago.
He gave me advice, dictated by his experience,
which he thought would be useful to me on
my arrival at Washington, and kindly per
mitted me to make use of his name if I
found it requisite. I asked him if he saw
Dr. Mackay during his last visit to Ame
rica, and he said that he did not see him
when he was over as correspondent of the
Times, and he felt very little sympathy with
such a man. I told him I considered it very
degrading to a man who had written " The
Good Time Coming," to condescend to write
such letters in favour of the Southern slave
holders' rebellion. He said there had been
several instances of persons who had been pro
minent on the side of freedom who had, ne
vertheless, turned round to favour the Sou
thern cause. I mentioned Mr. Joseph Bar
ker as an instance of that kind, but he said
he did not know Mr. Barker, nor was he
aware that he had ever previously heard his
name. We spoke of President Johnson and
his reconstruction policy. Mr. Longfellow
had felt rather afraid that the President was
not adopting the best course by pardoning so
many of the leading rebels at so early a
period after the Confederacy had collapsed,

62

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

but he Ihought that his conduct might have
this good effect, that by actingmagnanimously
to the South it would be giving them a trial as
to whether they could appreciate the kindness
of the North, and if it did not in return pro
duce a good state of feeling, the President
would then be justified in adopting a differ
ent course. It was a remarkable fact that,
under all the circumstances of the case, not
one person had been executed for any politi
cal offence. Persons had been put to death
for crimes, but not for political offences.
Speaking on the suffrage question, Mr. Long
fellow said he had no sympathy with those
who would make the suffrage depend upon
the colour of a person's skin. He had no ob
jection to an educational test, but he thought
that it ought to apply to black and
white alike. Connecticut, he thought,
had disgraced itself as a New Eng
land state by not voting in favour of
negro suffrage- In Massachussets no person
was permitted to vote unless he could read
and write, and he thought that this regula
tion might be adopted with good effect in the
Southern States, but he would like the white
people to be subject to the same test as co
loured persons. Referring to Lord Brougham
I told him that I did not believe that his
lordship ceased to be an anti-slavery man
when he espoused the cause of the South, but
I thought that his antipathies to a republican
form of government were stronger than his
anti-slavery feeling. Mr. Longfellow ex
pressed his concurrence with that view, and
when I told him that Lord Brougham had
lately expressed regret that any of his friends
should have supposed that he had ever been
in favour of the South, he said that it was just
possible that Lord Brougham, being an old
man, might have forgotten what he had said
on former occasions. Speaking about the
manifestation of English feeling with respect
to the Southern rebellion, I told him that the
cause of the South was not the most popular
in England, as the votes at large popular ga
therings would show; and he said that he
believed the feeling in England in favour of
the South was chiefly shown amongst the
aristocracy. Before we parted I told Mr.
Longfellow that his " Psalm of Life" was al
most as familiar as a household word in Lan
cashire, for I had heard it repeated on festi
val occasions connected with mechanics' insti
tutions times without number. He said he
was very glad to hear it.
Boston, Dec. 6 — Avery brilliant day, not a
cloud to darken the sky. Visited Bunker Hill,
and ascended the monument. I cannot un
derstand why a monument should be erected

to commemorate a defeat. In the battle
which took place on the 17th June, 1775,
the British troops, although repeatedly
driven back with great slaughter, ultimately
succeeded in taking possession of the en
trenchments, the Americans were driven
helter-skelter from the hill, and the artillery
was brought to play upon them with dread
ful effect. General Warren, their com
mander, was amongst the slain, and the vic
tory on the side of the British troops was
complete. I know that ultimately the British
forces evacuated Boston, and that finally
American independence was secured, but
these in my judgment form no substantial
reason for the erection of the monument, for
it is placed on the very spot where the
British forces were victorious. Perhaps had
I been present when the celebration took
place on the completion of the work, and
heard the Hon. Daniel Webster, the states
man, deliver his oration, I might have under-
stood more distinctly why the American peo
ple should have such a desire to consecrate
the place to everlasting fame. A portion of
the earthworks still remain to mark the spot
where the redoubts were formed, and there
are stones placed to mark the extent of the
ground so occupied. There was, however,
a mistake made in the selection of the battle
ground. Orders were given to fortify Bunker
Hill, but by mistake or otherwise. Breed's
Hill was fortified, and here the battle was
fought. Bunker Hill is another .hill at a
short distance and within sight of Breed's
Hill, but it is now so usual to talk about the
battle of Bunker Hill that, I suppose, the two
hills will eventually have the same name, al
though in reality the bills are sufficiently dis
tinct, for it is impossible for there to be
two hills without a valley between them. The
monument itself is composed of granite, and
is 221 feet high, asceuded by 295 steps.
The corner stone was laid on the 17th June,
1825, exactly fifty years after the battle was
fought. Some were present at the laying of
the corner stone who took part in the battle
fifty years previously. The work was carried
on at intervals, and was not completed till
seventeen years had elapsed. On the 17th
June of the following year, J 843, a grand ce
lebration took place in honour of the complfi-.
tion of the work, and in the presence of the
President of the United States, his secreta
ries, aud a vast concourse of people. The
top stone of the monument weighed about
two tons and a half, and was placed in its
position without the slightest accident occur-
or g„„„ ! M Me ^W° Suns fixed ^ the top,
on one of them is the following inscrip-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

63

Sacred to Liberty.
This is one of four Cannons which constituted
The whole train of field artillery
Possessed by the British Colonies of North America
At the commencement of the War,
On the 13th of March, 1775.
This Cannon and its fellow, belonging to a number of
Citizens of Boston,
Were used in many engagements during the War.
The other two, the property of the Government of
4P> Massachussets,
Were taken by the enemy.
From the top of the monument very ex
tensive views are to be obtained. The Navy
Yard is only a short distance, near which is
tbe rope-walk, said to be the longest and
most perfect in the world. It is 1,350 feet
long, and here is manufactured all the cord
age used in the United States navy, or at
least this was the case previous to the late
war. Near to the ship houses is a tall chim
ney 239 feet high, belonging to a foundry
and machine shop. The dry dock is close by,
the pumps of which are so capacious that 12
hogsheads of water can be thrown off at one
stroke, and only six hours are required for the
pumping out of the entire dock, although its
dimensions are such as to admit ships of the
largest size. The Navy Yard is about a mile
in length. Across the Mystic River is East
Boston, which was formerly called Noddle's
Island. The landing place of the Cunard
line of steamers can also be distinctly seen.
George's Island, on which is situate Fort
Warren, where the late vice-president of the
Southern Confederacy was recently confined,
is distinctly seen, as well as a great many
other islands, on one of which (Castle Is
land) is erected Fort Independence, which is
so constructed that it has command of the
channel leading into Boston harbour. Some
people say that Boston harbour is one of the
most beautiful in the world ; and I suppose
that when its large extent) and the number of
its islands are taken into account, it will be
admitted to be a beautiful sight ; but my own
impressions of New York Bay as a scene of
beauty are much stronger than any impression
of the beauty of Boston harbour. I was
much interested on visiting the monument,
giving, as it did, on a beautifully clear day, a
view of the country for miles and miles
around. Dec. 7. — National Thanksgiving Day. It
has been customary from the time of the
early settlers in the New England States to
have a day in November set apart as a day
of thanksgiving, on account of the gathering
in of the harvest. No holiday is more gene
rally kept than this, and friends and relations
will assemble from great distances to see each
other on this day. Roast turkey and pump
kin pie are the orthodox dinner dishes, and

there are few families in New England who
do not partake of this time-honoured fare. I
have occasionally been interested by a stroll
through St. John's Market, Liverpool, on the
day before Christmas-day, to see the stalls
laden with Christmas geese, but a stroU
through Boston or. the day before thanks
giving, to see the piles upon piles of turkeys
prepared to be devoured on the following day
is truly wonderful. This year the thanks
giving was somewhat different from usual, for
the President of the United States, having
appointed the 7th December as the National
Thanksgiving Day in remembrance of the
return of peace, the local authorities in the
different towns and cities generally agreed to
alter the time fixed for the usual day of
thanksgiving for the harvest, so as to make
it correspond with that which the President
had fixed to celebrate the return of peace.
'lhe day was very generally kept, and religi
ous services took place at nearly all the
churches. I attended the Old South Church
in Washington-street. It is a brick edifice
with a lofty spire, and is one of the few
structures in America that can lay claim to
antiquity and historic associations. It was
in this church where Benjamin Franklin was
christened, and it was here where Whitfield,
the early associate of the celebrated John
Wesley, the founder of Methodism, preached.
It was in this church where the Bostonians
were accustomed to assemble previous to the
revolution to talk over the grievances they
had to endure from the arrogance of British
power. After the revolution had actually
commenced, and the British troops had taken
forcible possession of Boston, General Bur
goyne, the English commander, caused the
interior of the church to be fitted up as a
riding school for his troopers. All this, how
ever, is merely a memorial of the past, for
the church is now beautifully fitted up, and
replete with every comfort usually found in
places of worship. The congregation was
large, and from the number of carriages near
the entrance I judge it was principally com
posed of wealthy people. There was a splen
did organ, and a first-class choir. There were
two galleries, one above the other, so that a
large congregation can be accommodated in
this church. The pews were richly lined and
cushioned throughout, the books were ele
gantly bound, and every appointment indicated
that the hand of taste had been at work.
Here there are two ministers, one of whom
I was told delights to take a little wine for
his stomach's sake, while the other strongly
advocates entire abstinence. One had strong
ly marked Southern proclivities during the
late war, while the other was a very loyal

64

MY AMERICAN TOUR.-

Union man. I did not hear that there was
any unpleasantness arising from the difference,
but it was remarked that, as the preachers
each officiated at diffeient portions ol the day,
the congregation observed the same rule in
their attendance, for those who wanted to
hear the old Conservative stay-where-you-are
doctrine taught, went in the morning, while
those in favour of progression went in the
evening. The sermon that I heard was one
of the most appropriate discourses I ever lis
tened to, for it was a recapitulation of the
manifold mercies which the congregation had
received for which they ought to manifest
gratitude. He pointed out in what way a
spirit of thankfulness could best be evidenced,
showing that hospitality to the poor during
the inclement season of the year was a spe
cial duty. He also reminded his congregation
that they ought to remember their Southern
brethren with kindness, on account of the
providential woes with which they had been
afflicted. The morning portion of the day
was very uncomfortable, for there was a snow
storm, followed by rain, which rendered it
very unpleasant walking about. It had, how
ever, the effect of giving a zest for in-door
pleasures. In the evening I had a long con
versation with a gentleman who had been in
the late war, and he told me that in his com
pany, consisting of 100 men, there were nine
different nations represented. The discipline
of the Northern army was very strict indeed,
all things considered. He had known a co
loured man shot for committing a rape on a
rebel woman. He bad also known a white
man shot for rape The white man referred
to was a prisoner in New York while the war
was going on, but was set at liberty from
prison, on the condition that he would enter
the army. There was one man who deserted
from the army eighteen times, for he kept
enlisting into different regiments, in order
that he might get the bounty. He was
caught at last, and was shot as a deserter. He
made a speech to his comrades before he was
shot, telling them that he had 20,000 dollars
at home, but his ill-gotteu wealth would be of
no service to him, and they had better re
main soldiers for half a dollar a day than do
as he had done. I asked how the Northern
soldiers fared while in the South, and he told
me that sometimes they fared well and some
times ill. In his own experience, he was at
one time four days nearly without food, while
at other times he had more than he knew
what to do with. He remembered that on
one occasion he had a ham attached to his
gun, but while he was marching it fell off,
and he would not stop to pick it up. I spoke
to him about obtaining supplies from the

poor people in the South, fori thought there
would be instances when they would cause
great suffering by taking what was wanted for
the families. He said there were numerous
instances of that kind, but the soldiers were
obliged to take what they required. They
very rarely met with any men while on their
march in the South, and when they entered
the houses the women were very much
afraid, and begged that the soldiers would
nottake things from the house, sometimes they
even went down on their knees to ask the sol
diers to be merciful to them. The soldiers
considered it to be their duty to take what
they required, and he himself on oneoccasion
entered a house and took a coffee-pot, and on
another occasion while driving a pig from a
dwelling he broke the stock of his gun upon
the pig's bauk, but he had to make good the
damage done to his gun out of his own
pay. He justified the course which was
adopted on the ground that the Southern
women behaved very badly to the Northern
soldiers when they had the chance. A
comrade of his was taken prisoner, and while
ou his march towards the prison, the Sou
thern women treated him with great vio
lence, and his suffering from their treatment
was so great that he made up his mind that
he would be shot before he would be taken
prisoner again. Mr. Hill, the gentleman
with whom I conversed, said he had suffered
greatly in the war. Last Christmas-day he
slept on the green grass in the South, and
had no covering except a blanket. He had
the small pox while in the army, aud he be
came tired of the war, and was glad when it
was brought to a close. When the news
reached the place where he was in the
South that General Lee had surrendered to
General Grant, the news was considered
too good to be true, aud many would not
believe it. There was a great demand for
newspapers, and a single copy of the New
York Herald would sell for twenty-five
cents. One of the soldiers had had both of
his arms taken off, and when he returned,
a young woman to whom he had been en
gaged before going to the war, refused to
have him for her husband, he had been so
mangled. Her sister compassionated his
condition, and offered to have him. He ac
cepted the proposal, and they were after
wards married.
Dec. 8.— Went to Boston Common to see
the coasting, which was a very animating
scene. Coasting is riding on sledges which
go with rapidity down the steep brows on
the frozen snow Although the frost only
commenced yesterday, such has been its

.MY AMERICAN TOUR.

65

severity that the ornamental water on the
common was frozen so hard that persons
were skating upon it to-day. The temper
ance cause in America is promoted in a very
different way from what it is in England.
Here there are very few public meetings, the
temperance organisation being chiefly kept
up by means of secret orders. I was invited
to become a member of " The Sons of Tem
perance," but, as I never had, in the course
of my life, belonged to any secret associa
tion, I felt some reluctance, but ultimately ,
from a conviction that it would furnish me
with better opportunities for studying Ame
rican character, and possibly afford addi
tional means for usefulness, I consented to
become a member of the order, and was ini
tiated this evening in the Lincoln Division,
holding its meetings in Concord Hall. In
the state of Massachusetts there are at pre
sent 121 divisions, numbering 9,202 mem
bers, and 14,848 lady visitors. The funds
in hand amount to 19,610 dollars. The in
itiative service is beautiful and impressive.
None are admitted as members unless they
take the abstinence pledge. Funds are
raised to give assistance to members in case
of sickness and distress. Arrangements are
also made for frequent social gatherings, the
object of which being the preservation of
the members from contaminating influences.
Dec. 9. — Went into the city, and wit
nessed some excellent skating on the orna
mental reservoir in the public park, ladies
appeared to enjoy the exercise quite as
much as the gentlemen.
Dec. 10, Sunday. — Attended what I was
told was the principal coloured church iu
Boston, situated in Joy- street. There was a
very slender attendance, there being only
one person in the gallery, and very few in
the body of the church. In the afternoon I
went to Chelsea to hear Miss Fenton deliver
a lecture, in the Library Hall, on Spiritual
ism. There was a large attendance. The
lecturer was a person of considerable ability,
and her reading of poetry was very musical.
On the close of her address, the choir sang
an anthem, after which the lecturer spoke
again, representing herself as a little girl
down South where reconstruction was re
quired. She spoke in such a lisping tone
that for a time I doubted whether it was
the same person who had previously deli
vered the lecture, but when I had satisfied
myself on that point, I came to the conclu
sion that she had probably been an actress,
and was giving an evidence of the versatility
of her talent. It never occurred to me at
the time that tbe lecturer was what the Spi
ritualists, term a medium, and was then in

what is called a trance condition. — In the
evening I attended Concord Hall, and heard
the Rev. W. E. Copeland deliver a lecture,
the subject being '' The Latchkey."
Dec. 11. — Attended the meeting of the
NewEra Division of the Sons of Temper
ance, held in Union Hall, which is a splen
did place. There was a large gathering,
and a number of persons were initiated. It
is very pleasant to attend these social gather
ings, but there is one drawback, arising from
the fact that wherever I go I am always
called upon to make a speech, whether I
have anything to say or not.
Dec. 12.— Visited Harvard University,
Cambridge, the oldest, the largest, and the
best endowed seat of learning in America.
Its importance as au educational institution
is such that it has even changed the name of
the place of its location. Formerly it was
called Newtowne, being settled in 1630, soon
after the settlement of Boston, and was pro
bably called Newtowne by way of distinction.
But after the college had been founded it was
decided to chaDge the name of the place, and
it was called Cambridge because it was at
Cambridge, England, where the most influ
ential of the settlers had received their edu
cation. The college has been exceedingly
prosperous, and its graduates are still the
adornment of the various social, religious, po
litical, and professional circles throughout the
land. Cambridge and Boston were formerly
connected chiefly by means of a ferry-boat
comunication, but a bridge was ultimately
erected across the Charles River at a cost of
£23,000, which has proved a great public
convenience. The bridge is 2,845 feet in
length, and occupied more than a year in its
erection, being one of the first structures of
the kind ever erected in America. After the
opening of the bridge, a coach commenced
running to Boston twice a day, drawn by two
horses, and carrrying eight persons ; but at
the present time there are 50 cars, employing
300 horses, making 550 journeys per day,
aud conveying during the year 2,950,000 per
sons. This change has all been effected
within the memory of persons now living.
These cars are the property of a joint-stock
company, and notwithstanding that about 140
persons are in their employ, yet, after paying
all expenses, they make a yearly dividend of
at least 1 0 per cent. It was in Cambridge
where the first printing press of America was
set up, in the year 1639. On my way to the
Harvard University, to an inspection of which
I had been invited by one of the students, I
passed the Massachusetts Medical College, an
institution which is a branch of Harvard
College, the medical students attending here

66

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

to listen to the lectures of the various profes
sors. Hundreds of students can be accom
modated, where they have the advantage of
a well-selected medical library, and a large
anatomical museum. It was here where Dr.
Parkman was murdered by Dr. Webster,
about sixteen years ago. With the exception
of the case of Palmer, aud perhaps that of
the Road murder, no case in modern times
excited a more world-wide interest than that
in which Dr. Webster was the accused. He
killed Dr. Parkman with a stick because the
latter asked for tbe repayment of money
which had been borrowed. He attempted to
conceal his crime by burning a portion of the
body in the laboratory, and throwing the re
mainder into tbe college vault. For some
time the murder remained a secret, until at
length in the vault of the college the janitor
discovered the remains. Dr. Webster con
fessed his gui't previous to his execution.
Near to the college buildings there is a house
called the Bishop's Palace, aud in this the
British general Burgoyne resided as a pri
soner of war ; and not far from there is the
famous Washington elm, the tree under which
General Washington first drew his sword as
commander-in-chief of the American army,
on the morning of 3rd July, 1 775. The
college buildings are in my opinion rather
too near the high road, but as the immediate
locality is a rural suburb, the defect is more
apparent than real. The various structures
have been erected at different periods.
In 1720 the Massachusetts Hall was
erected, and now is devoted to the
use of studeuts, the internal portion of the
building being divided into rooms. The
Holden Chapel was erected in 1744, the
funds being contributed by the widow and
daughters of Samuel Holden, a London
merchant. Although for a long time this
building was used as a chapel, it is now used
for medical purposes, and possesses a large
anatomical museum. The Hollis Hall was
erected in 1763, and contains rooms for the
students. The Harvard Hall was built in
1766, and formerly the library was kept
here ; but at the present time one of the
large rooms is used as a picture gallery,
some of the paintings being held in high esti
mation as works of art. In another large
room of the same building, is the Mineralo-
gical Cabinet, which is considered a very fine
collection ; and here also is to be seen the
most perfect specimen of the mastodon
ever discovered. In 1805 the Stoughton
Hall, was erected, being named after Wm.
Stoughton, lieutenant-governor of the pro
vince. The building is devoted to the use
of the students. Holworthy Hall was erected

in 1812, and is occupied by students ot the
senior class. University Hall, containing
lecture rooms, &c , was erected in 1814.
Divinity Hall was erected in 1826, aud is de
voted to the use of the divinity students.
The Graduates Hall was built in 1832; and
the Dane Law School, so named after the
Hon. Nathan Dane, who contributed the ne
cessary funds, was erected in the same year.
Gore Hall, built of Quincy granite, was
erected in 1838, and now contains the col
lege library, which is said to be the largest
in America, consisting of 140,000 volumes.
The building is named after the Hon. Chris
topher Gore, who bequeathed 100,000 dol
lars to the college. The 1 iawrence Scientific
School, named after its founder, was erected
in 1848, aud is devoted to the service of
young men who are wishful to be taught the
various scientific branches of education. A
prior classical education is not necessary as a
condition of admission. Boylston Hall was
built in 1857, and contains the lecture rooms
of the professors of chemistry and compara
tive anatomy, with a laboratory and museum.
The Appleton Chapel was built in 1858, and
was so named because the Hon. Samuel Ap
pleton bequeathed the funds for its erection.
Near to the College Buildings is a Botanical
Garden, about seven acres in extent, and is
placed under the superintendence of the
professor of botany. It has been established
about sixty years, is beautifully laid out and
furnished with an interesting collection of
native and foreign plants. The Rev. W. E.
Copeland kindly endeavoured to obtain for
me permission to visit the Cambridge Obser
vatory, which stands ou an eminence not far
from the college, but in consequence of the
absence of the astronomical professor the ob
servatory was unavoidably closed. It was
my intention to have gone to Cambridge some
clear starry night, to have received a lesson
in astronomy, for I had heard a very high
eulogium pronounced as to the amazing quali
ties of the telescope at Cambridge. It is said
to be one of the best refracting telescopes in
the world and has contributed materially to
many important discoveries in the solar sys
tem. A number of wealthy gentlemen iu
Boston contributed to purchase the instru
ment, whioh was very costly. The observa
tory contains all the instruments necessary
for the examinations of the stars, and for
magnetic and meteorological purposes. Cam
bridge has obtained considerable repute as a
place where telescopic glasses are prepared.
One has been finished lately, and it was offer-
tn nnnt^ 12'°°° doIlars> an<* an offer of
10,000 dollars was made for it, with the in
tention of having it placed in the telescope

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

67

at the Cambridge Observatory, but the glass
was purchased at 12,000 dollars for the Chi
cago Observatory, and has lately been re
moved there. The college buildings, on the
whole, are superior, in my opinion, to Yale
College, but like tho latter they are chiefly
composed of brick, which does not look as
well as sfone when it becomes old, althougn
in this country where wood and anthracite
coal are chiefly used as fuel, there is less co
louring matter in the atmosphere than is the
case generally in Europe. I have seen brick
buildings in America more than fifty years
old, which have a fresher appearance than
similar buildings in England which have only
been erected five years. I saw a number of
ancient books and documents, but as antique
curiosities they are not to compare with what
I have seen in the British Museum, London.
I saw the autograph of the Prince of Wales,
Lord Lyons, and others. I suppose these
would be given when the prince aud his suite
visited America some years ago.
In the evening I went to the city of Rox
bury, which is pleasantly situated about a
couple of miles on the south-west of Boston.
it was formerly connected with Boston by a
narrow strip of land something like a road
way, and was denominated " Boston Neck,''
but by driving back the encroachments of
the sea, broad avenues have since been
formed. It was the abundance of rocks
in the immediate vicinity which gave it the
name of Koxbury. It was incorporated as a
town more than two hundred years ago, but
only obtained its charter as a city in 1846.
Many of the houses are elegantly constructed,
with ornamental gardens attached. This is
one of the 45 cities in the United States which
in 1 860 had a population exceeding 20,000,
for at the period named it had reached 25, 1 37,
and it is now rapidly increasing. It is re
garded as one of the most pleasant suburbs
of Boston, to which it is intimately connected
by its wealth and business relations. Not
withstanding its proximity to Boston, several
newspapers are here published. I went to
Roxbury for the purpose of visiting William
Lloyd Garrison, Esq., whose house is plea
santly situated on the top of a steep brow,
with ornamental garden in front, and a lofty
barrier of rocks forming the side fence. Mr.
Garrison is almost universally known as the
founder of the Anti-slavery Society in America,
and he has advocated its claims through good
report and through evil report with a consis
tency and pertinacity which have brought
forth encomiums of praise from thousands
who have admired his determined spirit and
noble philanthropy. He commenced the pub
lication of the Liberator, a weekly newspaper

devoted to abolition sentiments, 35 years ago,
being the reporter, editor, printer, and pub
lisher. I believe that for seven years in suc
cession he set up the type with his own fin
gers, and through the lengthened period of
35 years he continued with unremitting at
tention to devote his time to the publication
of a paper which never yielded him a single
cent of profit. When he first began to
issue his periodical, it was with a determina
tion that, so long as he was able to obtain
bread and water, he would never give it up
until the cause he advocated had become
successful. He lived to see the fulfilment of
his mission, and his newspaper will cease in
about a fortnight, because slavery no longer
continues in America. When the Anti-slavery
Society commenced its operations, the meet
ings took place in a room over a stable, and
Mr. Garrison was accustomed to predict that
the society must be successful because it was
based on a stable foundation. When I saw
Mr. Garrison he had just returned from the
Western States, where he had been lecturing
from city to city on the great changes which
had been effected. He said that the Indian
summer in the Western States had been in
expressibly delicious, and it was altoge
ther impossible by words to describe the
beautiful country through which he had
passed. Speaking on the condition of the
South, he said that she had been completely
vanquished and subdued, but she was not
repentant. She had been as busy during the
last thirty years in digging the grave of
slavery as the Abolitionists had been them
selves, only at the time she was not aware of
it, for her purpose was to perpetuate slavery
for ever. We had a long conversation about
England and America, and the course which
had been adopted during the late struggle. He
had been three times in EDgland, and had
often heard it said, " Slaves cannot breathe
in England," and he was wishful to go there
once more, in order that he might have the
privilege to proclaim that slaves cannot now
breathe in America. After some remarks on
the course which had latterly been adopted
by Mr. Joseph Barker and Lord Brougham
with respect to the American struggle, and the
course which was taken by Wilberforce and
Clarkson with respect to the freedom of the
slaves in the West Indies, Mr. Garrison com
mented on the difference there was between
the North and the South in the iate struggle.
The South was ruined and exhausted, while
the North had more men under arms at the
close of the . war than ever it had before.
The North was very far from being exhausted
for the want of money or men, and the people
of the South must have been very ignorant

68

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

indeed about the power which the North
wielded, or they would never have supposed
that victory would ultimately be ou their
side. I was shown the first volume of the
Liberator, published in 1831, which was a
much smaller sheet than the one which is
now issued.
December 13. — I heard an organ-grinder
in the street to-day. I have been in Ame
rica more than three months, and this is
only the second time that I have seen a street
musician. Perhaps in a country where work
is plentiful, street music will not be much en
couraged. December 14. — Visited Boston Common.
The day was brilliantly fine, and the deer on
the common were basking in the sunshine.
In the middle portion of the day, even in
winter, the sun has much more power than it
has in England. The deer were very tame
and gentle, for one of them came and put its
face close to my hand while I stood admiring
it. While in the city to-day I was shown the
house in which Benjamin Franklin was born.
I also saw in one of the churchyards a monu
ment which marks the spot where his parents
were interred. Franklin is still regarded with
great veneration in Boston. The letterpress
printers of the city have put up a beautiful
monument to his memory. I visited Brattle-
street Church, and saw a cannon ball stuck in
the wall of the building a little above the door
way. Some persons suppose that the cannon ball
stuck to the building as if it had been a snow
ball which had been sent against it, but the
facts of history show such an idea to be pre
posterous. During the revolutionary period,
when the British troops were evacuating
Boston, a cannon was fired by the Americans
from Cambridge, which must have been
three miles distant, and it accidentally struck
this church a little above the" doorway. When
the injury was repaired, it was decided to
place the cannon ball as a fixture in the wall,
and there it remains to this day as a revolu
tionary monument. A person must be rather
verdant who would suppose that a cannon
ball could be sent several miles, and falling
against a building would attach itself to the
brickwork. In the evening I attended the
Lurline-hall, Winter-street, where I was ini
tiated as a member of " The Temple of
Honour." The ceremony was of a very im
pressive character. The objects of the asso
ciation are to cement more closely the bonds
of brotherhood, advance the .cause of tempe
rance, afford additional aid in sickness and
adversity, cultivate feelings of mutual re
spect, promote moral and mental improve
ment, and extend social relations. I had only
one objection to the order, and that was in

consequence of the third article of the consti
tution stating, in reference to eligibility of
membership, that the society should consist
of " All white male persons of good moral
character." I inquired of one of the members
how it happened that they had inserted in the
constitution the word " white," and he said
there were many members of the order in the
Southern States, and it was out of deference
to their feelings that negroes were excluded.
I hoped such exclusiveness would not be
permitted to disgrace the order, and he said
he believed that the matter would be referred
for consideration to the Supreme Council. The
order has grand temples established in the
States of New York, Pennsylvania, Massa
chusetts, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, New
Jersey, Rhode Island, Michigan, Louisiana,
and California. Subordinate temples are also
established in the District of Columbia, Illi
nois, Wisconsin, and New Brunswick. In
England there is one temple, viz., St/
George's, Liverpool. The state of Ohio has
the largest number of temples, but Massa
chusetts stands at the head with respect to
number of members, and Pennsylvania follows
next. The funds on hand amount to 18,370
dols. Although I was only initiated this
evening I was called upon to make a speech
before the proceedings closed.
Dec. 15 — Attended the Lincoln division
of the Sons of Temperance. The Americans,
true to their national instinct, called upon
me for a speech.
Dec. 16. — The horse cars running on a
railway track through the streets of Boston,
are a great public convenience. Persons may
travel at almost any time, day or night, from
one part of the city to another at a very tri
fling cost. Shortly after my arrival in Bos-
ton I was wishful to visit Fatieuil Hall, the
Cradle of Liberty, where all the great politi
cal gatherings formerly took place. I took
my seat in a car, and requested the conductor
to put me down as near Faneuil Hall as pos
sible. Wheu I had gone what appeared to
be several miles, the conductor gave me a
ticket, and told me to get into the first car
which came in an opposite direction. I sup.
pose the conductor had forgotten to tell me
where to get out, but he did not say he had,
and as I did not know the locality I could
not be certain. I presented my ticket to the
conductor of lhe second car, aud told him to
put me dowu near to Faneuil Hall. After
again travelling several miles, the conductor
told me he had quite forgotten me, and I
was then as far from Faneuil Hall as when
I first got in. He gave me another ticket,
ana told me to get into another car going in
the opposite direction. I was fortunate this

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

time in being put dowu near to my destination.
I know not how many miles I had gone, but
it was a considerable number, and the entire
cost was five cents, or in English money two
pence halfpenny.
Sunday, Dec. 17. — Attended service at the
Methodist Episcopal Church. In the after
noon I •ttended the Spiritualist Church at
Chelsea, and heard a lecture on charity. It
was urged that charity showed itself in love
to the Divinity, love to humanity, love of
truth, love of right, and love of the highest
good. The lecturer displayed considerable
ability in the handling of his subject In
the evening I addressed a crowded audience
in Concord-hall, Boston, along with Mr.
Carswell, of Canada, cousin to Mr. Cars-
well, superintendent of police for the higher
division of Blackburn. On my return from
Chelsea in the afternoon, I saw the most
beautiful sunset my eyes ever beheld. The
• clear sky was variegated with crimson, yel
low, and other bright colours, which were re
flected on everything around. Boston har
bour appeared as if it were a mass of liquid
fire. I was completely filled with admiration
at the beautiful scene.
Dec. 18. — Saw some first-rate skating on
Boston Common. There are, doubtless, good
skaters in England, but they do not get suffi
cient practice to enable them to compete
with American skaters. It is quite a fashion
able exercise for ladies here, and they skim
on the ice most gracefully. One person at
tracted my attention particularly. It was a
man with one leg, amputation having taken
place a little above the knee. He skated
away famously, carrying the stick on the side
where he had lost a leg. It was quite a new
sight to me to see a oue-legged skater, and
. it also appeared to be a novel sight to others,
for some of the skaters were quite excited
in their attempts to overtake him on the ice.
He must have had long practice, coupled
with great muscular power. In crossing the
common I saw an ancient elm tree which has
been standing from time immemorial. It is
supposed to have existed before the settle
ment of Boston, for it is known to have been
full grown in 1 772. It exhibited marks of
old age in 1792. It was nearly destroyed by
a storm in 1 832, but it is now protected, and
will probably last many years.
Dec. 1 9. — Attended a meeting at Concord
Hall. Dec. 20. — There is a marked difference
in the length of daylight in America as com
pared with Englaud. To-morrow will be
the shortest day, and this morning I was
able to read a portion of the title-page of a
book at twenty minutes before seven o'clock,

and at ten minutes before seven I could read
large print. Before seven I could read away
without difficulty, and I could see to read til]
five minutes before five o'clock in the evening.
Attended a Band of Hope concert in the even
ing, which was largely attended. The mem
bers all wore badges, which were very pret
ty. The pledge which the children sign is
not only that of abstinence from intoxicating
drink, but it also forbids the use of tobacco.
Dec. 21: — To-day, while in company with
a friend of mine (Charles Letts, Esq.) I made
iuquiry about Dr. Channing's church, and
was told that I was sitting on the very site.
I was then in a warehouse in Federal-street.
It appeared that the church had been pulled
down for the erection of warehouses, and an
other church had been erected in its stead,
iu Arlington-street, about half a mile distant.
Dec. 22. — There was a grand military dis
play in Boston to-day, occasioned by the pre
sentation of colours of the various Massachu
setts regiments which had been used in the
late war. Some of the flags were beautiful,
the coloured silk and gold letters glistening
under the rays of a mid-day sun. Others had
been riddled with shot and shell ; some torn
to ribbons, and one was bloodstained. Some
of the regiments were largely represented,
while others presented a very meagre aspect.
Some had seen severe service, and their num
bers had been thinned by the hand of death.
The colours of the first regiment of the Mas
sachusetts cavalry were much torn with shot
and shell, for the regiment had been in 50
fights, 28 of which were regular engagements.
One regiment had only three men to repre
sent it. One poor fellow marched in the
procession without arms, for they were both
shot away while he was carrying regimental
colours at Fredericksburgh. I stood at one
of the front windows of a newspaper office in
Washington-street while the procession pas
sed. Many were the greetings of the differ
ent regiments as they passed along. One
young man who was employed at the news
paper office detailed to me some of the suffer
ings he endured while in the army. He
was wounded in the neck, and a shot splin
tered his arm, and he was taken prisoner by the
Southerners. While his neck was bleeding,
and the bone of his arm was standing out
side the flesh, he asked for a bit of rag to tie
up his wounds, but they would not give him
any. He was kept there thirty-six hours, and
his wounds were never attended to. He saw
the surgeon pass, and he asked him to take
off his arm, for he thought he would die from
loss of blood if it remained as it then was.
The surgeon said he would attend to his own
men first, and afterwards he would take off

70

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

his arm. The surgeon never came to him.
He asked some women for a bit of rag to tie
up his arm, but they only laughed at him.
Fie saw the same women taking food and
fruit to persons who were wounded on the
rebel side, but they never gave any to the pri
soners. He was thirty-six hours and never
tasted food. When the1 above time had ex
pired, the United States troops came, took
possession of the place, and then he got food,
and his arm was attended to. The ball had
passed through his arm, and he will never
have the proper use of it again, although it
was a wise decision not to take it off. He
thought that if the rebel surgeon had done
anything to him he would have amputated
the limb, for they were glad to make prison
ers so that they would never be able to fight
again. In the afternoon I went to Plymouth. On
my way I passed through Quincy, a place
noted as the birthplace of two of the Presi
dents of the United States. Here are large
quarries of granite, which employ a vast
number of people, the stone being sent to
Boston, New York, and various parts of the
country. Some people prefer the Quincy
granite to the New Hampshire granite, but
my opinion favours the latter. 1 can tell the
difference between the two the moment I
put my eyes upon them. I also passed
through Hanson, a place which is noted for
its extensive beds of iron ore, and its manu
facture of ship anchors. I had anticipated
much pleasure from my visit to Plymouth,
and was not disappointed. The history of
the Pilgrim Fathers was familiar to me, and
I was glad to have the opportunity of be
holding tbe theatre on which was enacted
one of the most powerful dramas which the
history of humau life can furnish. When I
think of the noble-minded men who offered
at the shrine of liberty earth's richest sacri
fice — men whose hearts throbbed with pas
sionate emotion while they witnessed the
daring attempts to manacle their consciences,
by the imposition of forms and ceremonies
which their hearts disapproved — when I by-
bold a British Queen manifesting her conser
vative pride in her determination that pro
gress in church reform shall be stopped for
ever — when I know that her royal successor
declared with respect to his liberty-loving
subjects, " I will make them conform, or 1
will harry them out of the land ; or worse,
only hang them ; that is all "—then I rejoice
that there were men to be found who had
the indomitable courage to rebuke the intole
rant spirit of the age, and rather than bow
their souls under the yoke of ecclesiastical
and monarchical despotism, they would brave

the dreadful perils of the ocean, and the un
known vicissitudes of a foreign land. In the
year 1607, when King James made great
pretensions to religion, but showed a great
need of it, a number of religious reformers,
finding that there was no prospect of enjoy
ing in England the liberty for which they
sighed, resolved to go into the Low Coun
tries, where they would be permitted to wor
ship God according to the dictates of their
consciences. But at that time the ports of
England were closed against them, and they
could only escape from the country in a pri
vate manner by paying extraordinary rates of
passage, and exposing themselves to great
risk. A ship was chartered at Boston, in
Lincolnshire, and after having placed them
selves on board during the night, the captain
of the vessel betrayed them to the search
officers, and they were removed from the
ship in open boats. They were then searched,
their goods ransacked, their persons rifled
for money, even to their iunermost garments,
and the women beyond the bounds of mo
desty. Being plundered of their money and
goods, they were made a spectacle to the
town's people, who came flocking to see
them. Taken before the magistrates, they
were committed to prison, and after a
month's confinement the greater portion of
them were discharged, and the rest had to
be tried at tbe court of assize. The follow
ing year another attempt was made to escape
into Holland, but as they had previously
been deceived by a captain who was their
own countryman, they resolved in future to
place themselves under the care of a for
eigner. They therefore re-arranged with a
Dutch captain to be removed, and it was
agreed to assemble on the left bank of the
Humber between Grimsby and Hull. It was
deemed prudent to send the women aud
children in a boat beforehand, while the men
remained longer on shore. The sea being
rough, and the ship not coming at the time
expected, the sickened women persuaded
the boatmen to put into a creek, and at
low water they were left aground. The ship
came, and a portion of the men went on
board, but the womeu could not go till the
return of the tide. It happened that a large
body of armed men, horse and foot, were
seen to approach, and the captain, uttering
his country's oath, weighed anchor, hoisted
sail and put to sea. The men, thus sepa
rated from their wives and children, were
greatly distressed, but there was no help,
and to add to their misery, a fearful storm
we During!e,en days they saw neither.
Se'tpmnJ ; nor stars' aDd were driveQ by
the tempest near to the coast of Norway.

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

71

After 14 days, when all had been given up
for lost, they reached their desired haven.
The women and children on shore were left
in a pitiable condition, weeping in conse
quence of tbe loss of hushands and fathers
They were taken from one justice to another,
none of them knowing what was the proper
'course ¥> pursue. It was thought to be
hard to imprison them for merely attempt
ing to go with their husbands and parents,
and they could not be sent home, for they
had no homes to go to, therefore the magis
trates were in a dilemma. The constables
were wearied with taking them from place
to place, and were glad to get rid of them
on any terms. Ultimately means were pro
vided, and the separated friends and rela
tives had a joyful meeting in Holland. They
found a country densely populated, and the
kind of labour to which they would have to
betake themselves was vastly different from
that to which they had been accustomed iu
the rural life of their England homes. In
Amsterdam they found canals instead of
streets, and boats instead of land carriages.
Many difficulties beset them, and the year
following they went to Leyden, where they
saw an ancient city situated in a district
presenting a vast level expanse of the richest
meadows in the world, adorned with seventy
villages. The city itself was built on thirty
islands, and beyond it was spread out the
level sea of verdure, with countless wind
mills, and densely populated hamlets. They
were, however, lonely strangers in a strange
land, and in consequence of their poverty
and the fact that all lucrative situations were
pre-occupied, they had many difficulties to
contend with. Nevertheless they had church
organisation according to their own wish,
and this went very far to reconcile them to a
lot which was otherwise comparatively hard.
The church consisted of about three hun
dred members, and after much consultation
it was finally decided that a large proportion
of them should become settlers in North Ame
rica, and prepare the way for the rest to fol
low. The object they had in view in coming
to this decision was '' to preserve the mo
rals of their youth ; to prevent them, through
want of employment, from leaving their
parents, and engaging in business unfavour
able to religion ; to avoid the inconveniences
of incorporating with the Dutch ; to lay a
foundation for a propagation of the gospel in
remote parts of the world ; and, by separat
ing from all the existing establishments in
Europe, to form the model of a pure church,
free from the admixture of human addi
tions." After some preliminaries, a small
ship named the Speedwell,of about 60 tons

burden, was purchased and fitted in Hol
land, and the Mayflower, of 180 tons, was
chartered in London. These were very small
vessels for such a voyage, but probably they
were the best that they were able to procure.
At the present day it is seldom that a vessel
goes to America, the tonnage of which is less
than 1,000, and many exceed 2,000 tons.
The intended voyagers having prepared
themselves at Leyden, a day was set apart for
deep devotion, their pastor, Mr. Robinson,
taking the following words for his text ; " I
proclaimed afast, that we might humble our
selves before our God, and seek of him a
right way for us. and for our children and for
all our substance." The discourse was as
appropriate to the occasion as was the text,
the preacher bewailing the state and condition
of the reformed churches, who were come to
a period in religion, and would go no further
than the instruments of their reformation.
Before taking their departure to the New
World, those that were to remain made a
feast for those who were to go. The feast
was held at the pastor's house, and many of
them being expert in music, psalm-singing
formed part of the service, and Winslow, who
was present, said it was the sweetest melody
that ever his ears heard. On their arrival at
the Haven of Delft, another social feast was
prepared, and friendly entertainment, Chris
tian discourse, and expressions of deep affec
tion took place. The day after this, the
passengers went on board and their friends
with them, and it was said, " Truly doleful
was the sight of that sad and mournful part
ing, to hear what sighs, and sobs, and prayers
did sound amongst them, what tears did gush
from every eye, and pithy speeches pierced
each other's hearts, so that sundry of the
Dutch strangers that stood upon the quay as
spectators could uot refrain from tears. Yet
comfortable and sweet it was to see such
lively and true expressions of dear and un
feigned love. Their reverend pastor falling
down on his knees, and they all with him,
with watery cheeks, commended them with
most fervent prayers, unto the Lord
and his blessing ; and then, with mutual
embraces and many tears, they took
their leave one of another, which
proved to be the last leave of many of
them.'' On the morniugof the22nd July, 1620,
they set sail from Delft Haven, in Holland,
on board the Speedwell, and after a short
passage, having a prosperous wind, they ar
rived at Southampton, England, the land of
their birth, from which they had been volun
tary exiles during a period of twelve yeats.
Here they found the Mayflower, from Lon
don, awaiting their arrival ; and after mak-

72

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

ing the requisite preparation, the two ships
set sail on the 5th August, taking about 1 20
passengers The Speedwell proved to be
leaky, and after the two shipmasters had held
a consultation, it was agreed to put back for
repairs, and for this purpose they put into
the harbour of Dartmouth, an old town on
the southern coast of England. A week
was spent in repairs, alter which they again
put to sea, but after proceeding " over a
hundred leagues off the Land's Knd," the
captain of the Speedwell declared his vessel
unseaworthy, and both ships put back to the
harbo'ir of Plymouth. The Speedwell was
here dismissed, and such of her passengers
as desired to go in the Mayflower did so, and
the rest, about twenty iu number, returned
to London. Exactly one hundred persons
formed the pilgrim company, one of whom
died at sea, but as there was one birth on
board the original number was perfectly main
tained. One hundred passengers, in addition
to the crew, together with all the necessary
appliances for the settlement of a colony, were
more than ought to have been placed in a
small ship of 180 tons burden, and would cer
tainly be attended with much discomfort to
the passengers. Having a fair wiud, the
voyage was prosperous until they had got
about half way across the Atlantic, when
dm ing a storm, a main beam amidships crack
ed, and the mariners doubted whether the
ship would be able to keep up. After a con
sultation it was decided to proceed, and every
effort was put forth with a view to lessen the
danger. A huge iron screw, brought by some
of the passengers from Holland, was brought
into service, and the wrenched main beam was
effectually secured. A stout young seaman,
who was very profane in his conversation, re
peatedly cursed the passengers, and said he
hoped to assist in throwing half of them
overboard before the voyage was completed,
was himself smitten with disease, and died
in a state of desperation. He was the first
person who had to be thrown overboard.
Some of the passengers remarked that it was
the just hand of God. It was on the 6th
September, 1620, when the Mayflower set
. sail from Plymouth, and on the 9th of No
vember land was discovered. It was, how
ever, a considerable distance from the place
where it was originally intended for the pas
sengers to settle, for they expected to go near
the Hudson River, whereas they were now
near to Cape Cod — so named from the large
quantity of cod-fish found there. It has been
said that tho captain was bribed not to take
the'm where they would have the protection of
the English charter. When they had been
at sea sixty-five days, they anchored at Cape

Cod on the 1 1 th November, but before going
on shore a solemn compact was formed, con
taining one of the most democratic consti
tutions that ever was framed, for they deciT
ded that they would enact, constitute, and
frame such just and equal laws, ordinances,
acts, constitutions, aud offices, from time to
time, as should be thought most meet and
convenient for the general good of the colony,
unto which they promised all due submission
and obedience. This compact has been termed
the germ of American constitutions. They
were about to carry into practical effect those
plans of self-government which had long oc
cupied their thoughts by day and had been
the subject of their dreams by night.
By heartless bigots basely spurned,
From tyrant power resolved they turned,
And sought in western wilds to meet
Some spot to rest their weary feet ;
Some spot to rear their house of prayer,
Beyond the mitre's angry glare;
To fix the raign of conscience free,
Despite of Rome's imperial see ;
That Church and State no more combined,
With iron grasp the soul should bind ;
Where freedom winged might raptured roam,
And find at last a genial home.
The colonists proceeded in the exercise of
manhood suffrage to elect a governor, the
choice falling on John Carver. An exploring
party was formed, at the head of whom was
Capt. Miles Standish, and on returning to
the ship, they brought with them some grate
fully fragrant cedar, which would be useful
to them for fuel. They were engaged in
their explorations several weeks, for it was
not until the I lth December, old style, or
the 22nd, new style, that they landed on the
main shore, at a place which was afterwards
called Plymouth, so named out of respect
for the place from which they last sailed in
England. Their trials were not yet over,
for although they had escaped the dangers
of the deep, there were others scarcely less
formidable which they would be called to en
counter. They landed in the depth of win
ter, when the snow was on the ground.
No house or place of refuge to which they
could look for shelter. Exposed to attack
from savage beasts, or what would perhaps
be still more daugerous, attacks from savage
men, they would feel that their lot was a
sad one indeed. The wild forest, the bleak
shore, or the briny deep, would be all they
had to gaze upon; but they were men and
women of a noble and dauntless spirit,
their minds having been disciplined in the
school of hard experience.
They little thought how pure a light
With years should gather round that day : '-i
How love should keep their memories bright,
How wide a realm their sons should sway.
Now and then a ray of sunshine brightened

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

73

their prospects and gave them hope. They
had expected to have difficulties with the
savage tribes of Indians, but much to their
surprise, after landing at Plymouth, they
never saw an Indian until the 16th March,
and so far from placing himself in a threaten
ing attitude, his first words were " Welcome,
Englishmen.' From a further intercourse
with him, they learned that he lived at some
distance from them, one day's sail with a
great wind, but five days by land, where En
glishmen came with ships to fish, and from
whom he had gained a little knowledge of
the English language. He informed them
that he was -a Sagamore, which meant that
he was a chief amongst the Indians, and
said his name was Samoset. He gave them
to understand that the place where they had
located was formerly in the possession of the
Indians, but a plague having tour years pre
viously taken off all the people, there were
none left to dispute with them with respect
to their rightful inheritance. The following
day Samoset came again, bringing with him
five other Indians with painted faces, and
clad iu the skins of wild beasts. Subsequent
ly other visitors belonging to the same tribe
came amongst the settlers, and, ultimately,
the great Sagamore Massasoit, the king of
all the bordering Indians, came attended by
a train of sixty warriors. The meeting,
however, was not of a hostile character, for
a friendly treaty was formed which proved to
be a lasting benefit. The pilgrim fathers
had many difficulties to contend with in the
formation of the colony, but their difficulties
in connection with the Indians were neither
so numerous nor so formidable as they might
reasonably have expected. Some of the
pilgrims, notwithstanding the hardships they
endured, lived to a great age, and saw, with
satisfaction, the progress of a work which
will excite attention to the end of time. The
Honourable Daniel Webster, the celebrated
statesman, once made the following remarks
respecting the voyage in the Mayflower by
the noble band of adventurers : " There was,
in ancient times, a ship that carried Jason
to the acquisition of the Golden Fleece.
There was a flag-ship at the battle of Actium
which made Augustus Caesar master of the
world. In modern times there have been
flag-ships which have carried Hawke, and
Howe, and Nelson, of the other continent,
and Hull, and Decatur, and Stewart, of this,
to triumph. What are they all, in the chance
of remembrance amongst men, to that little
bark, the Mayflower, which reached these
shores in 1620 ? Yes, brethren, that May
flower was a flower destined to be of per
petual bloom ! Its verdure will stand the

sultry blasts of summer and the chilling
winds of autumn. It will defy winter ; it
will defy all climate and all time ; and will
continue to spread its petals to the world,
and to exhale an everlasting odour and fra
grance to the last syllable of recorded time.''
On my arrival at Plymouth I called upon Dr.
Drew, to whom I had been favoured
with a letter of introduction, and from whom
I received the most polite attention. He took
me at once to Buryiug Hill, which was for
merly known as Fort Hill, because of its
haviug been fortified for defensive purposes.
One portion of the fort was also used as a
place of assembling for religious meetings.
It was with respect to Burying Hill that Pier-
point said :
The pilgrim fathers are at rest :
When summer's throned on high,
And the world's warm breast is in verdure dressed,
Go, stand on the hill where they lie;
The earliest ray of the golden day
On that hallowed spot is cast;
And the evening sun as he leaves the world
Looks kindly on that spot last.
It is supposed that the hill began to be used
as a place of sepulture two or three years af
ter the lauding of the pilgrim fathers. A
white marble monument marks the grave of
Governor Bradford, and near the same place
two of his sons were interred. The follow
ing epitaph relates to one of them '.—
He lived long, but still was doing good,
And in his country's service lost much blood.
After a life well spent, he's now at rest,
His very name and memory is blest.
The most beautiful monument I could find is
the one which was erected about seven years
ago at a cost of 2,600 dollars, by the descen
dants^ Robert Cushman, in remembrance
of their paternal ancestor. I am told that
every living descendant of Mr. Cushman
contributed something towards the memorial,
amongst whom was Miss Charlotte Cushman,
the tragedienne. The monument is of hewn
granite, of the finest and most durable
quality. From the Burying Hill is obtained
a very beautiful view of Plymouth, and of
the adjacent country, as well as an extensive
sea view. It is probably the most interest
ing place which could be selected for the pur
pose of giving a stranger an idea of the
town and its surroundings.
Plymouth, Dec. 23. — Along with Mr.
William Thomas, a gentleman in his 77th'
year, who can trace his genealogy back to
1630, when his ancestors came from Great
Britain and settled at Plymouth, I had a
pleasant walk on the seaside. Notwithstand
ing his great age, he appears to enjoy life,
walks with an elastic step, and takes plea
sure in conversing about the illustrious dead.
Plymouth I believe to be a very healthy

74

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

place, the inhabitants being remarkable for
longevity. I have seen a list of persons,
many of whom came from England in the
first four ships which visited the colony, and
the united ages of six of them amounted to
455 years, or over 75 years each. The com
bined ages of 22 others amounted to 1,829
years, or a fraction over 83 years each. The
ages of 14 others reached to 1,290, averag
ing over 92 years each. Another person
reached the age of 105. As usual, I found
that the average a°e of the women exceeded
that of the men. It is worthy of remark that
there are now in the United States only two
men living who took part in the revolution
ary war for independence in 1775, one of
whom is 99 years of age, and the other 101.
There are five widows who receive pensions,
their husbands being killed in that war, and
two out of the five live at Plymouth. Many
instances of longevity might be furnished
amongst the descendants of the Pilgrim
Fathers. Elder Thomas Faunce, the last
ruling elder in the first church of Plymouth,
died in 1745, at the advanced age of 99
years His daughter died in 1779, aged 105
years and six months Ephraim Pratt,
grandson of Joshua Pratt, oue of the first
comers at Plymouth, died in 1804, aged 116
years. Ebenezer Cobb, born at Plymouth,
died in 1801, aged 107 years John Alden,
a descendant of John Alden, who came in
the Mayflower, died in 182 1, aged 102 years.
Three of his children lived together under
the same roof, whose united ages amounted
to 253 years, being an average for each of
more than 84 years. When the late Rich
ard Cobden, Esq., visited Plymouth, he ex
pressed surprise in beholding so many Eng
lish countenances. Mr. Thomas told him
that the reason was that their grandfathers
were Englishmen. I don't know that this
would be a very satisfactory reason, because
there are many thousands of persons in the
United States who can say their grandfathers
were Englishmen, yet they have lost the
distinguishing John Bull characteristics — the
rosy countenance and the lat, plump cheek
My own impression is that the people of
Plymouth are almost entirely composed of
persons who are neither rich nor poor, but,
being well circumstanced, they are tolerably
contented in their position, without driving
on at that go-ahead pace, lor which the Yan
kee is generally distinguished. Nearly all
the men I saw iu Plymouth were good look
ing, and the women appeared to be thought
ful and intelligent. Perhaps the suffering
and privation endured by the early settlers
may have had something to do with the form
ation of the character of their descendants.

for it is recorded that the settlers at one
time were in such a state of necessity that
only one pint of corn remained, and when it
was divided amongst the whole company, it
only averaged five grains for each individual.
In order that persons might be trained to a
proper appreciation of the sad condition of
the first settlers, it has been usual on fore
fathers' day, to place five single grains of
parched corn ou the plate of each guest on
sitting down to the annual dinner, and I
understand the same custom still prevails in
some parts of New England on Thanksgiving
day. Possibly the remembrance of the for
mer scarcity may have induced habits of eco
nomy which have placed the people above
want, while it may have prevented them run
ning with such eagerness into the race of
competition as to be destructive of the enjoy
ments of social life, and this may account
for the comparative equality which exists
amongst the population generally Persons
have sometimes expressed surprise that Ply
mouth, one of the oldest settlements of the
United Stat°s, should have made so little
progress, for its population at the present time
is only about 7,000, while some other places
where the population commeuced at a later
date, have about one hundred times as many
people. Perhaps the want of growth may be
accounted for by the fact that Plymouth hav
ing only a tidal harbour, vessels of large size
cannot enter. Even the Mayflower, which
was only 180 tons burden, could not approach
within about a mile and a half from the
shore, the passengers having to be landed in
little boats, and I understand that the water
is now more shallow than it was 240 years
ago. The country around, although beautiful
with respect to its sceuery, does not possess
that richness of soil which would prompt
agricultural enterprise ; nor is its water
power or accessibility to fuel such as would
be likely to encourage manufacturing indus
try. The longevity of the inhabitants, com
bined with natural increase of population,
favour the expectations of progress. John
Rogers, a descendant of one of the Pilgrim
Fathers, died in his ninety-second year, leav
ing two children, twenty grand-children,
sixty-nine great grand-children, and one
great great grand-child, being ninety-two
descendants in all. From conversations I
have bad with persons in different places, I
find that a great many from the New Eng
land States have gone into the West, where
there are more inducements to agricultural
pursuits, and no doubt Plymouth will have fur
nished its quota of those who have sought to
better their condition in distant places. I
have met with descendants of the Pilgrim

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

75

Fathers in several places that I have visited.
As one means of drawing together the scat
tered descendants of the early settlers, it has
been usual on forefathers' day (22nd Decem
ber), to get up a memorial demonstration,
and I went to Plymouth on the appointed
day, but was somewhat disappointed when I
found that the usual practice had been dis-
continuetL I also heard others express re
gret at the circumstance. These annual ce
lebrations were commenced under the aus
pices of the Old Colony Club, which was es
tablished in 1769. The object of the club
was to draw people away from taverns, and
provide for their edification and instruction.
When the 22nd December arrived, they fired
. a cannon and hoisted a silk flag in honour of
the day. The members dined together, the
bill of fare consisting of a large baked Indian
whortleberry pudding, sauquetach, clams,
oysters, codfish, venison, seafowl, frost-fish,
eels, apple pie, cranberry tarts, and cheese.
The dinner was prepared in a similar way to
that which was usual amongst the early set
tlers. After dinner, toasts and sentiments
suited to the occasion were presented, and
the utmost good feeling prevailed. These
social gatherings continued a dozen years,
after which they were suspended fourteen
years ; but, with few exceptions, they have
been continued in various ways ever since.
The orations have sometimes been delivered
by the ablest men in the country, including
John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Edwd.
Everett, &c. In the year 1820, just 200
years after the Pilgrim Fathers first landed,
the Pilgrim Society was inaugurated, and
under its auspices, some of the celebrations
took place. The chief purpose of the organ
isation was to secure the erection of durable
monuments to perpetuate the remembrance
of historical events. Hammatt Billings,
Esq., the designer of the proposed monu
ment, has furnished the following descrip
tion : — " The national monument to the fore
fathers, which is just about to be commenced
under the auspices of the Pilgrim Society, is
intended to be the grandest work of the kind
in the world. Raised in commemoration of
the great starting point in our history, it is
the idea to make it, as far as possible, worthy
of the great event which it will record. In
size it will be the greatest of modern works,
and only equalled by those vast monuments
of Egyptian power and grandeur whieh re
main to us, the most wonderful triumphs of
mere mechanical power. It is to be built of
massive blacks of granite, and will be eighty
feet at the base, and a little over 150 feet
high. The plan of the principal pedestal is
an octagon, with four small and four large

faces; from the small faces project four but
tresses or winged pedestals. On the main
pedestal stands a figure of Faith. One foot
rests upon the forefathers' rock ; in the left
hand she holds an open Bible ; with the right
hand uplifted, she points to Heaven. Look
ing downward, as to those she is addressing,
she seems to call them to trust in a higher
power. This figure is to be of granite, and
will be seventy feet high. On each of the
four smaller or winged pedestals is a seated
figure ; they are emblematic of the principles
upon which the pilgrims proposed to found
their commonwealth. The first of these is
Morality. She holds the Decalogue in her
left and the scroll of revelation in her right
hand ; her look is upwards towards the im
personation of the spirit of Religion above.
In a niche, on one side of her throne,
is a prophet, and in the other one the
evangelists. The second of these figures
is Law. On one side of his seat is Justice ;
on the other Mercy. The third is Education.
Iu the niche, on one side of her seat, is
Wisdom, ripe with years ; and on the other,
Youth, led by experience. The fourth figure
is Freedom. On one side Peace rests under
his protection ; on the other, Tyranny is •
overthrown by his prowess. Upon the faces
of these projecting pedestals are alto-reliefs
representing scenes from the history of the
pilgrims. The first is the departure from
Delt-Haven ; the second, the signing of the
social compact: the third, the landing at
Plymouth ; the fourth, the first treaty with
the Indians. These reliefs are to be in mar
ble, as susceptible of greater delicacy
of treatment. The four figures on these
pedestals are to be of granite, each thirty-
four feet high. The figures in the panels
eight feet. On each of the four large
faces of the main pedestal is to be a
large panel for records. That in front will
contain the names of all who came over in
the Mayflower ; behind, the events of the
voyage. On one side, the events previous
to sailing from Delt-Haven ; on the other,
early events of the colony. Below these are
to be smaller panels, to contain the dedica
tion of the monument, names of officers of
the Pilgrim Society, &c, and such other
records as may be considered of sufficient
consequence. Within the monument will
be a chamber twenty-six feet in diameter,
with a stone stair leading up to the platform,
upon which stands the principal figure.
From this platform, which will be over eighty
feet above the entrance at the ground, all the
principal localities in the early history of the
colony of Plymouth may be seen, almost at
a glance. The anchorage ground of the

76

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Mayflower, the location of the rock where
the first pilgrims landed, Captain's Hill at
Duxbury, &c. Around the monument a
spaoe of nine acres, making a fine square, is
to be kept open for ever." Unfortunately a
difference of opinion has arisen amongst
those who are most deepVy interested in pro
moting the success of the proposed national
monument. Some are in favour of a site
being selected near to the sea shore, where
the pilgrims first commenced their colonial
labours, and in favour of this suggestion it is
urged that the monument will be an orna
ment and an advantage to the town, if placed
in a position easy of access. It is expected
that visitors will be attracted from great dis
tances to see such a magnificent work of art,
which, with its historical associations, will
acquire a world-wide fame. Others are in
favour of the monument being placed upon
one of the hills, making it a commanding
feature in the landscape. This diversity of
opinion has put a clog to the wheel of pro
gress, and the national memorial movement
will probably be permitted to go to sleep
In the meantime something is being done,
for I saw at the railway station the stone
which is to be used for the erection of a can
opy over the pilgrim rock. Probably the
indifference which is now manifest about the
celebration of Forefathers' Day, is partly
to be attributed to a difference of opinion as
to the day when the celebration should take
place. In order to make the Julian year
correspond with the solar year, the wisdom
of our ancestors decided that eleven davs
ought to be added to the calendar, and this
occasioued the necessity duriug the last cen
tury, of giving two dates for one event— new
style and old style— therefore the 11th of
December, when the Pilgrim Fathers landed,
began to be called the 22nd, new style, and
therefore the celebrations were held accord
ingly. But as the alterations did not take
place until more than a century after the
landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, it has been
urged that only ten days ought to have been
added, making the 21st December the proper
day for celebration. There is however a diffi
culty in reconciling people to the change, and
some being in favour of one day and some
another, it lessens the general interest, and
the probability is that, unless the carrying
out of the plan for the erection of the pro
posed monument awakens new zeal, the
celebration will be permitted to die out.
Amongst the curiosities shown to me by Mr.
Thomas was a pair of shoes in his possession,
which formerly belonged to Governor Wins-
low, and a Bible that was printed in 1613.
On the previous evening, Dr. Drew took me

to Cole's Hill, the first burial place of the
pilgrims. It is only a short distance from
the sea side, and commands an excellent
view of the surrounding locality. Here, in
less than five months from the arrival of the
Mayflower, were interred 51 persons, being
more than half the entire number of passen
gers. Hard labour, suffering, want, and
exposure, brought on sickness, and Death
reaped a plentiful harvest. Ten years ago
parts of five skeletons were dug up by work
men while making a trench, and were after
wards carefully deposited. Only a few vards
distance from this ancient burial place, stands
Forefathers' Rock, on which the passengers
by the Mayflower landed 245 years ago.
This is the ouly visible rock in the whole
township, and there is no other object at
Plymouth which claims more attention from
the visitor. It is not a large rock, for that
which now remains of it is only 6| feet diam.
Ninety years ago, when the revolution took
place which separated the colonies from
England, the inhabitants of Plymouth decided
to consecrate the rock to the shrine of liberty,
and in an attempt to raise it from its bed'
the rock broke into nearly two equal portions
one of which was taken to the Town Square,
to support a liberty pole, on which the follow
ing lines were posted : —
To wake the sons of Plymouth to oppose
The daring insults of our country's foes.
This monumental pole erected stands,
Raised by a few, but patriotic hands ;
Friends to their country and their country's right,
In which truth, honour, justice, all unite.
For these our famed forefathers firmly stood,
And rurchased freedom with heroic blood.
Let not their sons desert the glorious cause,
But still maintain our Liberty and Laws,
Nor from what's right and just like cowards fly
We'll rise like heroes, or like heroes die!
When the rock broke in two portions, it was
considered emblematical of what was taking
place in the political world, for as the rock
was broken never again to be united, so it
was held that England and America had be
come divided, never again to be united as
one nation. Thirty-one years ago, the re
moved portion of the rock was taken from the
. Town Square, and placed in front of Pilgrim
Hall, where it now remains, and is enclosed
by iron palisading, on which is inscribed the
names of all the persons who signed the
social compact on board the Mayflower.
Since my arrival in America, having met with
several descendants of different branches of
the pilgrim family, it appeared to me that
they were each influenced by an amiable
weakness of supposing that their own ances
tors were eminently distinguished amongst
the pilgrim band. Probably it was this feel-
ing which prompted the recent discussion

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

77

between the descendants of Mary Chilton and
John Alden, as to the person whose feet first
touched the Pilgrim Rook, both parties
claiming the honour on behalf of their ances
tor. James Silk Buckingham, Esq., writing
on this point, said, with respect to John
Alden, that he "being the first to step on
shore \jhen the boat landed at Plymouth,
and the first, therefore, to set his foot on the
Pilgrim Rock." Miss Bremer took the side
of Mary Chilton, for she said, with respect to
the Pilgrim Fathers, "They landed on a rock,
since called 'Plymouth Rock,' or, else ' The
Pilgrim's Rock.' It was a young girl who
was first permitted to spring from the boat
on shore — it was her light foot which first
touched the rock." At a later period the dis
cussion of the question seems to have set
aside the claims of both parties, for it has
been ascertained that the boat which first
landed at Plymouth from the Mayflower con
tained ten of the pilgrims who had signed the
compact, and they were Captain Standish,
Master Carver, William Bradford, Edward
Winslow, John Tilly, Edward Tilly, John
Howland, Richard Warren, Stephen Hop
kins, and Edward Dotey, together with eight
seamen, making in all eighteen persons.
Thus it is shown that neither Mary Chilton
nor John Alden were the first to step on the
rock. Nevertheless, as there are traditional
assurances favourable to the claims of both
parties, it will probably continue to be a
question on which people may be permitted
innocently to differ, while all may join in
saying — Yea, when the frowning bulwarks
That guard this holy strand
Have sunk beneath the trampling surge
In beds of sparkling sand,
While in the waste of ocean
One hoary rock shall stand,
Ke this its latest legend —
Here was the Pilgrim's Land.
For a considerable length of time there had
existed a very geueral desire to become pos
sessed of a small portion of this celebrated
rock. I have been told that in New York a
piece about the length of a persons finger has
been known to sell for 60 dollars. The jew
ellers polish it and set it in brooches and other
ornaments. Dr. Drew made me a present
of a small portion, remarking at the time that
he knew it was from the veritable rock,
having himself cut it with his own hand and
chisel. The probability is that, now that the
rock is about to be covered with an ornamen
tal canopy, there will be no further oppor
tunity of obtaining portions of this celebrated
relic of the olden time.
Plymouth, December. — The district
around Plymouth still retains much of its

native wildness. Here the proud eagle on
lofty wing proclaims himself the master of
his old dominion ; here the wood-duck finds
its secluded retreat ; and here the bounding
wild deer rejoice in the possession of their
native home. The pleasures of the chase,
however, thin their numbers, seven or eight
having just recently been taken by hunters.
It was here where the Hon. Daniel Webster
was accustomed to come annually to hunt the
wild deer. While here I was told that there
was living at Carver, a place eight miles dis
tant, Mr. William Andrew Jackson, a fugi
tive slave, who was formerly coachman to
Mr. Jefferson Davis, late president of the
Confederate States. I knew Mr. Jackson
well during his residence in Manchester,
England, and felt wishful to pay him a visit,
but I was told it was a very rough road,
through wooded paths, and as I should have
to travel five miles without seeing a house
there would be great danger of losing my
way. I was therefore induced to abandon
the attempt. I am told that he has married
an Indian wfoman, an educated person, aud
that he also, since his return to America, has
been receiving intellectual culture at a first-
class academy, where he has proved himself
an apt scholar. The winters here are some
times very severe. Eight years ago there
was such a terrible snow storm that for eight
days in succession no letters eould reach
Plymouth, although the distance from Boston
is less than forty miles. Generally, however,
in consequence of its proximity to the sea,
the snow is not of long continuance, and
there is not as good sleighing as in places
more inland. There are said to be 365 ponds
of water contiguous to Plymouth, but I think
that some of them must be very small indeed.
Some of them are of considerable size, and
abound with trout and other fish. One of
these ponds is named Billington Sea, after a
person of that name who was the first to dis
cover it. The shore line of the pond measures
about six miles. While at Plymouth I visited
the family of the late Dr. Kendall He was
minister of the first Congregational Church
in America. He died in his 90th year, com
mencing his ministerial labours in Plymouth
in 1800, and died in 1859. One of the
daughters went to the south, as nurse in one
of the hospitals during the war. Many ladies
of position, influenced by patriotic feeling and
a benevolent disposition, did the same, and
thus the Northern soldiers were very kindly
treated while in the hospitals, under the care
of such nurses. I was much interested with
my visit to this family. In Plymouth there
are eleven churches, five of which are Con
gregational, one Baptist, one Universalist,

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MY AMERICAN TOUR.

two Christian, one Episcopal, and one Metho
dist Episcopal. The term congregational
has a less restricted sense here than in
England, for it embraces both Unitarians and
Trinitarians ; and in Plymouth, as a religious
society, the Unitarians appear to take the
lead in numbers, wealth, and influence. Dr.
Drew took me to the Pilgrim Hall to see the
curiosities which had been collected. This
monumental edifice has been erected about
forty years, and contains many antiquarian
objects of interest, one of which recently
added is a portion of a pilgrim ship, which,
after being stranded and buried in the sand
240 years, was washed up in 1866. The
celebrated historical picture painted by Colo
nel Sargent is here exhibited. It was offered
for sale by the artist at 3,000 dols., but
eventually presented as a gift to the Pilgrim
Society. The frame which surrounds it cost
about 400 dols. The picture is considered a
striking representation of the landing of the
Pilgrim Fathers. There are also exhibited
large portraits of many eminent persons who
formerly lived at Plymouth, or were associated
with the place. I sat in an antique chair
which formerly belonged to Governor Carver,
and was used on occasions of pubhc ceremony.
I also sat in a chair which formerly belonged
to Elder Brewster, and was brought from
England in the Mayflower, in 1620. The
sword of Captain Miles Staudish is considered
a curiosity, because there is on it an inscrip
tion which has puzzled all the learned men
who have inspected it, the characters being
neither Roman, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Per
sian, or Sanscrit. Perhaps had it been
presented to the late Dr. Adam Clarke he
might have been able to decipher it. It bears
a date of 1149. There is the original letter
written by the Indian King Philip to Gover
nor Prince in 1 662, aud also the gun barrel
with which King Philip was killed. An
ancient deed, having the signature of Pere
grine White, the first Englishman born in
New England. A piece of ingenious em
broidery executed by the daughter of Miles
Standish. The cap which is said to have
been worn by King Philip, the Indian chief
who reigned in Massachusetts during what is
termed King Philip's war. The original
charter which was granted by Oliver Crom
well to the Plymouth colony. An antique
clock, which formerly belonged to Governor
Hancock, and was removed from Boston
during the siege. There are also many other
curiosities interesting to antiquarians.
I visited the Court-house, and was permit
ted to look over all the ancient records, and
copy anything that I pleased. The original
records consist of twenty-two volumes, and

some of the entries are very curious. In 1623
trial by jury was established. Some of the
memorandums related to the division of pro
perty, exportation, &c. One of the means of
punishment was that of running the gauutlet.
The first case of hanging took place in 1630,
the crime being that of murder. For small
offences persons were put in the stocks.
Fines were imposed when exorbitant charges
were made. One man, for selling a pair of
boots and spurs for fifteen shillings, which
had only cost ten shillings, was fined thirty
shillings. Rebellion, murder, and witchcraft
were punishable with death. If a man com
menced courtship without having first ob
tained consent from the parents of the young
woman, he would be liable to be fined, or,
at the discretion of the magistrate, corporal
punishment might be inflicted. If a person
denied the scriptures to be a rule of life,
punishment might be inflicted, but not to
such an extent as the loss of life or limb. A
person was liable to be put in the stocks two
hours for every lie that he told. A woman
was punished for beating her husband. A
young woman was placed in the stocks for
slandering a person, and a paper written in
capital letters, setting forth the nature of her
offence, was attached to her person. After
the Plymouth colony became connected with
the Connecticut and Massachusetts colonies,
thus forming what was termed the United
Colonies of New England, severe laws were
passed against the Q lakers, one of which
was, that if a person entertained one within
the jurisdiction of the government, he would
have to pay a fine of £5, or be whipped for
each offence. In the year 1 678, they began
the practice of selling criminals into slavery,
but there is no evidence of this having been
done except with respect to Indians who had
been guilty of crimes. In the year 1685
Indiau chiefs were first permitted to act as
magistrates, but they were required to issue
their warrants in writing. They were so
imperfectly acquainted with the English
language that they sometimes exhibited
curious specimens of composition. One of
them having to issue a warrant to a constable
named Waterman, for the apprehension of a
person named Wicket, did so in the following
terms : —
I, Hihoudi— You, Peter Waterman — Jeremy Wicket
—Quick you take him— Fast you hold him— Straight
you bring him before me. Hihovdi.
For the purpose of keeping down animals
supposed to be injurious, it was voted for ten
shillings to be given for the head of every
wild cat, threepence for every rat, sixpence
for every crow, and threepence for every ;
blackbird. It has been supposed that the

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

79

Pilgrim Fathers established a kind of com
munity in which the members had all things
common, but this does not appear to have
been the case. On their first arrival, neces
sity compelled them to make mutual efforts
to provide what was requisite for the general
good, but I found that at a very early period
ot their^ history they apportioned houses,
land, cattle, &c, making every family to
some extent independent of the rest. In
the year 1627, Edward Winslow sold to Cap
tain Standish six shares in a red cow for
£5 10s., to 'be paid in corn at the rate of
six shillings per bushel. For some time the
education of children had to be conducted in
their respective homes, but afterwards a
certain portion of the profits derived from the
fisheries were devoted to the erection of a
free school, where all could be educated. At
the present time there are thirty-two public
schools, aud 1,482 scholars. The amount
which the town pays to carry on the above
schools is 8,500 dols. per annum. There is
also a considerable sum expended for other
schools and private tuition. In one of the
free schools, chemistry, philosophy, physi
ology, algebra, and the higher branches of
mathematics are taught ; also the Latin,
Greek, aud French languages. There are
two weekly newspapers published in Ply
mouth, one of which has been in existence
more than forty years, and the other nearly
thirty. It has been asserted repeatedly that
the Pilgrim Fathers, after having suffered for
conscience sake, and taken a bold stand on
the side of Christian liberty, afterwards
oppressed the consciences of others by the
severity of their laws. I have searched in
vain for evidence that would justify such an
assertion. Compared with other colonies
founded about the same period, the Plymouth
colony shines forth with a radiance peculiarly
its own. The principles of religious liberty
were not so well understood then as now, but
taking into consideration all the circumstances
of the times, they stood forth nobly iu the
cause of freedom, and earned for themselves
an imperishable memorial. I confess that
my mind is so strongly impressed with the
stern virtue exhibited by the Pilgrim Fathers
that I feel a lingering desire to dwell upon
the theme. Always true to the great princi
ple of democratic liberty, they and their
descendants faithfully adhered to their con
victions of duty, and nowhere at the present
day are to be found cities which are more
orderly conducted ; people who are more
industrious, virtuous, and intelligent ; uor a
district more prosperous than that which is
included within the houndary of the New
England States. There can be no question

that even at the present day the fervid piety
and honest adherence to correct principle
exhibited by the Pilgrim Fathers continue to
exert a beneficial influence on their descen
dants. Dec 24, Sunday. — A terribly stormy day.
Incessant rain, snow, and wind. I had pro
mised to speak at a Sunday school concert,
but in consequence of the tremendous storm
it had been decided to postpone the concert,
and a messenger was seut round to give in
formation so as to prevent disappointment.
Dec. 25, Christmas Day. — What a marked
difference in the weather. A clear sky,
and a soft balmy atmosphere, made it appear
to me the warmest Christmas Day I ever ex
perienced. The day was generally observed
as a holiday, shops being closed; and in the
evening the streets were thronged with per
sons who were going, apparently, to social
parties. This morning I missed the welcome
sound of "Christians, awake," without which
Christmas seemed to have lost its charm.
Dec. 26.— Went to the office of the New
England Freedmen's Aid Association, and
received mueh information respecting the op
erations of the society. The lady in attend
ance supposed that I had called to offer my
services as a teacher in the South. She said
they were in great need of gentlemen as
teachers, for mote ladies had offered them
selves for the work than gentlemen.
Dec. 27. — I attended this day the second
general meeting of the American Association
for the Promotion of Social Science, which
was held in the hall of the Lowell Institute,
Boston. After the preliminaries usual on
such occasions, a list of honorary and corres
ponding members was read to the meeting,
when exception was taken to Lord Brougham
on account of the course he had taken in op
position to the United States in the late con
test, aud a motion was made that the
nomination of Lord Brougham should be
referred to a committee. One gentleman
said he would prefer that Lord Brougham's
name should be withdrawn from the list of
corresponding members. I mentioned to the
Rev. Mr. Barnard that Lord Brougham had
relented on account of the course he had pur
sued, and he stated the fact to the meeting.
It was ultimately decided to accjpt the nomi
nation of Lord Brougham along with other
names mentioned iu the list, but the meet
ing was not unanimous on the subject. The
chairman urged very emphatically that they
ought to receive Lord Brougham as a scienti
fic man, whatever might have been the
previous denunciations or wilful misrepresen
tations of which he might have been guilty.
The Rev. President Hill, of Harvard College,

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MY AMERICAN TOUR.

read a paper on "The Problems of Education.'
He said philosophy had been defined as com
mon sense accounting to itself for its own
opinions; and science might be defined as
common sense, verifying this account by ob
servation and experiment. Common sense
passes a summary judgement upon matters
presented before us ; philosophy seeks her
grounds of that judgment, and endeavours
to explain its reasonableness under the cir
cumstances of the evidence; science under
takes to find criteria by which the accuracy
of the judgment can be tested. But our
certainty in the judgment by no means
depends upon any scientific verification ; on
the contrary, many of those things of which
we are most certain, are precisely those things
of which uo scientific verification has yet been
attained. The reason why this face repels
me, and that attracts ; why such a man
looks refined and intellectual", and such a
one coarse and brutal ; why such a piece of
music expresses joy and satisfaction, and
such another lamentation; why I am sure
of this man's real friendship, and suspect
the other of being only a fair weather friend;
why I know that tone is dissembled, and
this real ; why I am sure this is a shriek of
terror, and that an explosion of suppressed
laughter; the reason of such judgments I
may possibly have guessed at in my philoso
phising, but have never verified scientifically,
yet these are the very judgments of which
we are most certain. The ultimate ends of
common sense, of philosophy, and of science,
are the same. They may be summed up in
one,— it is the reading of God's thought.
The order of the universe is rational, intelli
gible. To [discover this order, to compre
hend it, to express it in words and teach
others to see it, this is the labour and the
play, the work and the wages of the human
intellect, to which of course it is stimulated
by lower needs, as all our life, while we are
in the body, is called into play first by mere
bodily wants. But as we must all confess,
whatever our view of the origin and the end
of the universe, that intellectual life, and
social affections, and religious sentiments,
are higher and more worthy than the appe
tites and passions, so we must acknowledge
that soience is higher than art, and exists
for its own sake. Eduoation is the training
of the power of observation, memory, imagi
nation, reason, sentiment, affeotions, and
will, and as these are not directly manifested
in space and time, to which alone measure
ment directly applies, it is difficult to devise
arty modes of measuring, however roughly,
toe effects of different systems of education.
Horace Mann oaused the operatives in the

Waltham factories, who worked by the piece,
and whose wages were therefore a test of
their skill, to be asked how many months of
instruction they had received in the common
schools, and, on a uumerical comparison, it
was found that the wages earned by piece
work were in general proportioned to the
number of months of schooling received.
This was a capital observation, dictated by a
true scientific spirit in the first secretary of
our board of education. Contrast it with
an attempt which I once saw on the part of
a superintendent of education to elicit simi
lar information by sending a circular to the
superintendents of manufacturing establish
ments, asking them whether intelligent
labourers received more wages than ignorant
ones ; as though the answers to such a vague
and pointless question could be of any value
to science. And yet this worthless question
suggests a just caution in the use of Horace
Maun's striking result The wages of the
girls at Waltham were in general proportioned
to the amount of schooling received. But
before we decide that the schooling is the
cause of the wages, we must inquire whether
they were not both effects of another cause-
namely, the superior native iutelligence of
the girls. A girl of good capacity would
like school and seek it ; a more stupid girl
avoid it ; and this difference of capacity in
the two might make the main difference
in them afterwards as workers in the mill.
With these remarks on the caution necessary
in using statistics in these higher questions
of social science — with this warning that
facts and figures can easily mislead, aud with
this caveat against supposing that the appli
cation of utilitarian tests as criteria in judg
ing of theory implies that I consider practice
worth more than theory, the senses more
than the intellect, the body more than the
soul, I will mention a few of the problems
of education whose solution is most desirable,
and in which, by statistical methods, we
might attempt scientific verification. Mr.
Hill proceeded to notice that there are four
distinct authorities to whom the superinten
dence and direction of education may be
entrusted— the state, the church, voluntary
association, and the family. A child needs
a gymnastio training for the body, au intellec
tual discipline for the mind, a moral and
aesthetio culture for the sentiments of affec
tion, and a religious training for the will.
No one of these four can be neglected with
out serious injury to the child. Dr. HiU
prooeeded to notice the difference between
physical and physiological functions, diver
sity ot gifts, the advantages of general
education, the choice of books, an# other

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

81

kindred topics.
Plymouth, December. — I had long desired
an opportunity of seeing one of the strong-
minded women of America, and to-day the
opportunity was afforded. Mrs. Caroline H.
Dall came forward (in the American Associa
tion for Promotion of Social Science) to make
an appeal on behalf of the establishment of
a library m connection with the association,
the object of which would be in the first
place to collect facts ; secondly, to form
theories from those facts ; and thirdly, to
project experiments. In her correspondence
with the secretary and assistant secretary of
the British Association, she had learned that
the books necessary for such an association
were so easily accessible in England that the
association had never thought of forming a
library. If, therefore, the American Asso
ciation formed a library, it would be the first
of its kind in the world. She proposed that
the funds requisite for the gathering of such
a library, and for the erection of a suitable
building, should be raised by memberships,
life memberships, and subscriptions. She
was not in favour of assessments being made,
as she considered that this course would be
calculated to injure this association. She
referred to the advantages which the associa
tion was capable of conferring upon women,
and the facilities which were afforded to
secure the privileges of membership. It
was quite a pleasure to listen to her remarks,
which were delivered with such a clear ex
pression and pleasant style of oratory as to
command attention from the entire house.
In the afternoon session I anticipated a
rich treat, in consequence of its having been
announced that Henry C. Carey, Esq., of
Philadelphia, would deliver an address on the
resources of the United States. Mr. Carey's
works have been translated into five different
languages, and are made the text books on
political economy at the universities. On
taking the floor he said : —
That by those who usually speak or write on
that subject we are constantly told of the vast
extent of our yet unoccupied land, of the great
deposits of fuel and metallic ores, by whioh
our soil is underlaid, and of the rapidly-growing num
bers of our population ; and yet, if we look to Russia,
Turkey, Canada, Mexico, or South America, the
countries in which such land most exists ; or to that
European one, Ireland, in which the growth of popu
lation has been most rapid ; we find among them pre
cisely those in which land has the smallest money
_ value, capital is most rare, interest at the highest rate,
and the working-man most nearly in the condition of
bond slave to the landholder or other capitalist.
Turning our eyes homeward and comparing the differ
ent portions of tbe Union, we find, in the States south
of the Potomac, the greatest natural advantages cou
pled with a population whose natural increase has been
even greater than that of these Northern States ; yet

there it is that land has been the cheapest, that capital
has least increased, that interest has been at its highest
point, and that the labourer has been most enslaved.
Passing thence to the New England States, we find
that, though wholly destitute of natural advantages,
land is there scarce and high in price and man is
free, while capital abounds, and interest, though
high when compared with certain parts of Eu
rope, is very low by comparison with almost
any other portion of this Western Continent.
Crossing the Atlantic and comparing two of the
smaller kingdoms, near neighbours to each other,
Ireland and Belgium, both possessing great natural
advantages, we find differences closely approaching
those which are here observed. In the first, capital
has been so scarce that, while holding the labourer in
a condition nearly akin to slavery, the middleman
possessor of money has been enabled utterly to ruin a
large proportion of those who formerly owned the
land ; in the latter, on the contrary, land commanding
a higher price than in any other part of Europe, and
the use of money being readily obtained at the lowest
late of interest. Turning next to the French and
Turkish empires, we find ourselves face to face with
phenomena similar in character and even yet more re
markable for their extent. The former has no im
portant natural advantages, yet is its land nearly on
a par with that of Belgium, while capital so much
abounds that money is readily there obtainable at
moderate interest. The latter, on the contrary, has
every conceivable natural advantage, fertile land
abounding and the climate being among the best in the
world, while fuel and metallic ores exist in great
abundance; jet there it is that, of all Europe, land is
cheapest, interest highest, and the labourer most
depressed ; and that, as a necessary consequence, the
State is weakest. Comparing Germany of the past
and the present we meet with similar contrasts. Forty
years since she exported wool and rags and imported
cloth and paper, and then her people were poor and
her land very low in price, while she herself waa little
better than a mere tool in the hands of foreign powers.
Now, she imports both wool and rags and exports both
cloth and paper ; and it is as a necessary consequence
of the changes that have been thus effected, that land
and labour have greatly risen in price ; that capital
abounds and interest is low ; and that she herself
feels strong enough to set at defiance, as in the case of
the Duchies she recently has done, the almost united
will of Europe. Having all these facts before us we
are led necessarily to the conclusion that, with societies
as with individuals, prosperity is far less due to the
liberality of nature than to the use that is made of the
bounties, large or small, of which they have been the
recipients. The highly-gifted man, head of his
class, throwing away his time and wasting his
talents, dies in poverty despised by all ; while
the patient industry of the fellow scholar to whom
nature had been far less bounteous, enables him to at
tain to fortune, fame, and influence. Precisely so is it
with nations, the question of their prosperity or adver
sity being dependent, mainly, not on the extent of
nature's gifts, but on the use that is made of those
which have been accorded. Studying now the several
communities above referred to, we find them suscepti
ble of being divided into two well-defined classes, one
of which, embracing Ireland, Turkey, Mexico, Canada,
and the South American States, exports its products
in the rudest state, leaving to others the work of chang
ing their forms, and thus fitting them for consumption
by the world at large. The other, embracing France,
Belgium, and the Zull- Vereim, buys the raw products
of other countries, combines them with those produced
at home, and sends the two thus combined to every
market in the world. In the first of these the priceof

82

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

land is low, capital is always scarce, and the capitalist
is master of the labourer, whose condition is little better
than that of a mere hewer of wood and drawer of water
for the middleman by whose aid he maintains his little
commerce with the outer world. Leoking now home
ward we find our Union itself equally susceptible of
division, the South and the West exporting raw produce
and paying at the highest rate for the use of a very
little money; the North and the East meanwhile buy
ing that produce, changing its form, and returning it to
the original producers burthened with the heavy charges
to which our Eastern friends have stood indebted for
the large capitals which are always ready to be lent
at rates of interest that, as I have already said, are
moderate by comparison with those of the West and
South, though high when compared with those of the
European States to which reference has above been
made. Studying all the facts thus presented by
so many important communities, we are led inevitably
to the conclusion that the growth of capital is slow,
and the price paid for its use high, in the direct ratio
of dependence on strangers for finishing and distribut
ing the products of the soil ; while rapid in its growth
and declining in its price in the ratio of the increase
of that national independence which eDablss each and
every nation to exchange directly, and without the
need of foreign intervention, with each and every
other. Admitting this, and all experience proves it so
to be, then must the extent of national resources be
mainly dependent upon the policy pursued, whether
that which tends to promote or to repress the growth
of that independence. Such being the theory, we may
now compare it with the actual practice. A bushel of
wheat is produced representing;, let us say, a dollar's
worth of mental and physical force. The consumer
being close at hand, the producer re-enters on the
instant upon the possession of the whole capital that
had been expended. Consumers not presenting them
selves, the farmer stores it in his barn, losing so much
interest. A neighbour offers to carry it for him,
charging interest proportioned to the time that may
reasonably be supposed likely to elapse before a con
sumer shall be found. A trader comes, and he now
takes upon himself the burthen of carrying it, charging
further interest. In this manner it passes from hand
to hand and from city to city, finally finding a con
sumer in Lyons or Manchester, having on the road
paid, in the mere form of interest, perhaps half the
price at which it has at last been sold.
What is true of this single bushel is equally so of
the hundred of millions of bushels of wheat, rye, and
Indian corn ; of the thousands of millions of pounds
of cotton ; of the hundreds of thousands of hundred
weights of pork and beef, rice and tobacco, that are
everywhere standing in barns, warehouses, wagons,
cars, and ships, waiting the arrival of men prepared
to give in exchange for them, cloth, furniture, ploughs,
harrows, and the thousand other commodities needed
by the planters and farmers of the land. The whole
constitutes a mass of petrified capital to be carried at
the cost of the producer, and it is within the mark to
estimate the amount so standing petrified at the pre
sent moment at five hundred millions of dollars, all of
which bears interest. Turn back half a dozen years
to the period of suspended animation that existed
throughout the country before the war, and you will
see that the amount of dead capital then carried must
have greatly exceeded even a thousand millions. Can
we then wonder at the high prices that, notwithstand
ing the wonderful gold discoveries of California and
Australia, then were paid for the use of a little money
by both our farmers and our planters ? As I think, we
cannot. Let us now suppose that throughout the
whole length and breadth of the land there had then,
on the instant, sprung into existence, side by side

with the producers, the number of consumers required
for making an immediate market for the whole of this
enormous mass, one offering in exchange personal
service ; another cottons ; a third woollens ; a fourth
spades and hoes ; and so on to the end of the chapter
of the farmer's needs- At once, and almost as by en
chantment, as in the case of the bottle of old wine
made memorable by Webster's exclamation, the inter
est would have been stopped ; the petrified capital
would have sprung into activity and life ; notes would
have been paid ; store debts would have been dischar
ged ; and the farmer would have found that instead of
being dependent on the neighbouring usurer for the
means with which to buy sugar, tea, and coffee, he
had in his hands a surplus ready to be applied to the
purchase of all the machinery required for enabling
him to double the produce of both his labour and his
land. At what might we now estimate the gain to
the community at large of this economy of capital I
Most certainly the figure would be twice that of the
mere saving of the 12, 15, 20, 80, or 40 per cent, to
be paid throughout the country, and would represent
many hundred millions. In the life of nations, as in
that of individuals, it is thus in the rapidity of cir
culation and consequent economy of labour and
interest that we are to find the surest way to wealth
and power. The case here supposed is precisely that
exhibited in every country in which the consumer and
producer are near neighbors to each other. The South
ern traveller in New England asks, " Where are your
barns ?" and finds his answer in the fact then given
him, that everything yielded by the land is consumed
on the instant of production. So is it around our
cities, the market gardener finding instant demand
for all his products. So, too, is it in Belgium and in
France ; and therefore is it that in those countries
capital abounds, aud that the services of money can
always be commanded at the lowest rates of interest.
Whence, however, it will be asked, could have come
the vast amount of labor required for giving this
almost instant life to the enormous amount of capital
so petrified? Before answering this question, allow
me to ask yoo to look to the extraordinary waste of
human power that occurs in every country of the
world iu which, by reason of the absence of diversity
of employment, there exists no regular and steady
demand for it. Taking together all the countries I
have named as exporters of raw products, Russia,
Ireland, Canada, .Mexico, and South America, it may
well be doubted if the waste of force amounts to less
than five parts out of every six ; and yet, each and
every portion of it represents some certain amount of
capital in the forms of food, clothing, and shelter,
expended for the support of life. Each dollar's worth
of that capital, aided by the natural forces, is cer
tainly capable of producing twice if not even thrice
the quantity expended, and when it does so the com
munity becomes from day to day more wealthy to the
extent of the entire difference. When, on the con
trary, the services of the labourer are not demanded,
the community is impoverished to the whole extent
of the consumptipn. Such being the case, it is easy
to comprehend why capital should be scarce and in
terest high in all the countries that have last above
been named. Between labour and labour's products
there exists the important difference, that while the
latter can be preserved in the interval between pro
duction and consumption, the former cannot. The
owner of capital petrified in the form of unconsumed
wheat loses only interest ; whereas, the owner of un
consumed labour loses capital, labour power being
that one species of it which if not consumed at the
moment of production is lost for ever. The more
instant the demand for human service, and the more
rapid its circulation, the greater must therefore be

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

83

the increase of power and of force, the law gorerning
the social body being identical with that which we
feel and know to govern the physical one, and which
is embodied in the wish that " good digestion may
wait on appetite and health on both." Having thus
shown what was the waste of interest and of that
capital which took, necessarily, the foim of physical
and mental force, we may now for a moment look at
the waste of things. The straw of France is valued
at 150,000,000 dols.; but throughout the West it is
destroyebWtiecause of the absence of that market for
which it arises necessarily in all communities in which
employment is diversified. The manure of England
is valued at £100,000,000, and near our cities manure
is greatly prized ; but throughout that portion of the
country which sends its products to market in the
rudest forms, there is a constant withdrawal of the
elements of fertility, the consequence of which exhibits
itself in a steady decline in the powers of the soil.
How enormous is the injury thus produced, may be
judged when it is known that more than a dozen
years since it was stated, and by high authority, that
our total annual waste "could not be estimated at
less than the equivalent of the mineral constituents of
fifteen hundred millions of bushels of corn." Well
might the author of this statement exclaim, that "with
our earth-butchery and prodigality we were every
year losing the elements of vitality ;" and lhat
although " our country had not yet grown feeble from
this loss of life-blood, the hour was fixed when, if the
system were continued, the last throb of the nation's
heart would have ceased, and when America, Greece,
and Bome, would stand together among the nations of
the past ! " The reverse of this is seen in all those
countries in which the producer and consumer are
brought more near together. With every stage of
progress in that directioo ; the various utilities of the
raw materials of the neighbourhood become more and
more developed ; and with each the farmer finds an in
crease of wealth. The new mill requires granite, and
houses for the workmen require bricks and lumber;
and now the rock of the mountain side, the clay of the
river bottom, and the timber with which they have so
long been covered, acquire a money value in the eyes
of all around him. The granite dust of the quarry is
found useful in his garden, enabling him to furnish
cabbages, beans, peas, and the smaller fruits for the
supply of neighbouring workmen. On one hand he
has a demand for potash, and on another for madder.
The woollen manufacturer asks for teazles, and the
maker of brooms urges him to extend the cultivation
of the corn of which the brooms are made. The basket
maker, and gunpowder manufacturers, are rival claim
ants for the produce of the willowB ; and thus does he
find that diversity of employment among those around
him produces diversity in the demands for his physical
and intellectual powers, and for the use of the soil at
the various seasons of the year ; with constant aug
mentation in the powers of his land and in its price.
Directly the reverse of all this becomes obvious as the
consumer is more and more removed from the producer,
and as the power of association is thus diminished.
The madder, the teazle, the broom corn, and the osier,
cease to be required ; and the granite, clay, and sand,
continue to remain where nature had placed them.
The societary circulation declines, and with that
decline we witness a constantly increasing waste of the
powers of man and of the great machine given by the
Creator for his use. His time is wasted, because he
has no choice in the employment of his land. He must
raise wheat, or cotton, or sugar,"-or some other com
modity of which the yield is small, and which will
therefore, bear carriage to the distant market. He
neglects his fruit trees, and his potatoes are given to
the hogs. He wastes his rags and his straw, because

there is no paper-mill at hand. His forest-trees he de
stroys, that he may obtain a trifle in exchange for the
ashes they thus are made to yield. His cotton-seed
wastes upon the ground, or he destroys ihe fibre of the
flax that he may sell the seed. Not only does he sell
his wheat in a distant market, and thus impoverish his
land, but so does he also with the very bones of the ani
mals that have been fattened with his corn. The yield
therefore, regularly decreases in quantity, with constant
increase in the risk of danger from changes of the
weather, because of tlie necessity for dependence on a
single crop ; and with equally constant diminution in
the powers of the man who cultivates it, until at length
he finds himself a slave not only to nature, but to those
of his fellow-men whose physical powers are greater
than his own. That it is density of populaiion that
makes the food come from the richer soils, and thus en
able men further to increase their power to command
the various forces of nature, is a truth, evidence of
which may be found in every page of history ; and
equally true is it, that in order to the cultivation of
these soils there must be that development of the latent
powers of man which can be found in those communities
only in which employments are diversified. Combining
together ihe various items of waste thus referred to, we
obtain an annual amount that counts by thousands of
millions of dollars, and that well accounts for the fact
that capital has here been always scarce, and interest
high ; and that we have been compelled to look abroad
for aid in the establishment of communications, prom
ising always payment for its use at prices ruinously
high, and then, when bankruptcy has come, finding
ourselves compelled to submit to denunciations like
the so often quoted one of the Eev. Sidney Smith; and
yet, it is only at the threshold of this question of waste
at which we have now arrived. We have land in abun
dance without the power properly, or fully, to cultivate
it. We have timber in abundance, but need the power
required for bringing it to market. We have iron-ore
in abundance, but are deficient in power to convert it
into axes, ploughs, rails, and engines; and yet in our
beds of coal, vast beyond those of all Europe combined,
we have an inexhaustible supply of that material a
bushel of which is capable of doing the work of hundreds
of men. Why do we not mine it ? Because we need
the capital required for sinking the shafts and purchas
ing the engines ; and yet, in the period to which I have
referred, there were more than a thousand millions of
capital standing petrified at the expense of its producers,
and we were wasting daily, millions of that labour-cap
ital whose application in this direction would have
added so largely to the national wealth. How wonder
ful is the addition that may thus be made has well been
shown in the results so recently attained in California,
and still more recently in the oil regions of Pennsylva
nia and the adjacent States. Greatly more wonderful
than both of these combined must have been the effects
that would have resulted from the application to the de
velopment of our marvellous and almost universal
resources in coal and ores of even so small a proportion
as a single fifth of the labour capital that was being
wasted on each and every day of the sad years-to which
I have referred -the years in which we paved the way
for the leaders of the secession movement. To estimate
the annual addition that would, in that quarter alone,
and by means of that comparitively small economy,
have been made to the national wealth, at 1,000,000,000
dollars, would be to remain very far indeed within the
truth. Failing to develop our mineral wealth we are
led necessarily to a waste of the mental power for whose
development we make such large expenditures on
schools and colleges. Among the seven and thirty
millions of whom the population of the Union is ¦ now
composed, the variety of minds is on a par with the va
riety of faces, each and every one being better suited
for some one occupation than any other. To enable
each to find that place in which he may most
fully contribute to the growth and power, and to the
promotion of the societary interests, there needs to be
that diversification of pursuits which never can arise
in a country that exports its products in the rudest
state. In all such countries, the round man finds him-

84

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

self placed in the square hole, and the square man in
the round one, each thus deprived of power to contribute
his'proper share to the advancement of the community
of which he is part. More than at almost any period
of our history was this to be seen at the period of which
I speak; and, as a necessary consequence, the propor
tion borne by non-producers, middlemen of every
description, to producers was greater than in probably
any other country claiming to be ranked as civilized.
For want of the capital that then remained inert and
useless, bearing interest at the cost of its producers, the
mill, the mine, and the furnace, were closed, and those
who should have been furnishing for consumption all
the various products of the earth, found themselves
compelled to become clerks and traders, lawyers and
doctors, the claimants on the things produceil thus in
creasing in number precisely as production diminished.
The power of cumulation, whether in tbe physical or
social body, exists in the ratio of the rapidity of circu
lation. The circulation at the time of which I speak,
was sluggish in the extreme, and hence it was ths.t,
notwithstanding the vast receipts from California mines,
capital was petrified, credit was impared, and the rate
of interest throughout the West great, as I believe, be
yond all previous precedent. In the history of the civi
lized world there can, as I think, be found no parallel
to the waste of physical and mental force that then was
taking place. Seeing this, I then often told my friends
that the tariff of 1846 was costing the country not less
than 3.000,000 000 dollars a year, but am now satisfied
that I should have been much nearer the truth had I
placed it at double that amount. That waste, so far
particularly as the 20 000,000 of the population of the
Free States were concerned, was at its height through
out the whole period of Mr. Buchanan's administration.
For the products of their agriculture there was almost
literally no demand among the manufacturing nations
of Europe, our exports of food in that direction in the
three years that preceded the secession movement
having averaged but 10,000,000 dollars. Corn in the
West was then being used for fuel, and thus was its
producer compelled to lose not only the interest upon
his capital, but the very capital itself, that he had thus
invested. Labour power was in excess, and men were
wandering in search of such employment as would en
able them to purchase food. Mills and furnaces were
abandoned, and so trivial was the domestic intercourse,
that the stock of a number of the most important roads
of the country fell to, and long remained at, an average
price of less than fifty per cent. For years we had been
trying the experiment as to how large the outlay of
labour could be made for the accomplishment of any
given result, an experiment directly the opposite of that
which is tried by every successful producer of corn or
cotton, cloth or iron ; the effect exhibiting itself in the
fact, that the community was paralyzed, and so wholly
destitute of force, that had the government then found
occasion to call upon the whole 32,000,000 for a sum so
small as even a single hundred million, it could scarcely
have at all been furnished. Nevertheless, hardly had
Mr. Buchanan left the seat of government -when three-
fifths of the nation, numbering but 20,000,000, commen
ced the erection of the grandest monument the world
has ever seen ; one that during the whole five years
that have since elapsed has, on an average, required
the services of more than a million of men, or more
than five per cent, of the total population, male and
female, sick and well, young and old. Not only have
those services been given, but during all that time the
men employed have been well clothed, abundantly fed,
and furnished with transportation to an extent, and in
a perfection, unparalelledin the history of the world.
With them, too, have been cairied all the materials re
quired for making the edifice, in whose construction
they were engaged as durable as we know to have been
the great pyramids erected by Egyptian monarchs. A
wonderful work was it to undertake. More wonderful
was it to see that it has been so soon and so well accom
plished, to stand in all the future as the monument par
excellence of human power. Whence came the extra
ordinary force that ive see to have been thus exerted ?

How was it that a people which in 1860 had been so
very feeble could in the succeeding years have made
donations to the extraordinary extent of a million of '
dollars a year ? The answer to this question is found
in the fact that the conditions of national existence had
wholly changed, activity and life having succeeded to
paralysis, and the societary circulation having become
strong and vigorous to an extent that had never before
in any community been known. For the first time
there was presented for examination a nation in which
the demand for labour and all its products went ahead
of the supply, enabling both farmer and planter to "stop
the interest " upon capital that had so long been petri
fied in the crudest forms of agricultural production, and
thus to enable them to make demand for the products
of other labour applied to the development of our min
eral wealth, and to the conversion into commodities
fitted for human use, of the products of our hills and
valleys, our farms and mines. The secret, gentlemen,
of all the force that recently has been so well exerted—
a form so extraordinary as to have astonished the world
at large — is to be found in that simple principle to
which I already have referred, evidence of whose truth
is to be found in the books of every trader of your great
city, and which is found embodied in words already
given — the power of accumulation exists in the ratio of
the rapidity of circulation. What, however, was the
force applied ? Why was it that activity had so instan
taneously succeeded to apathy — that life and energy had
replaced the paralysis that had till then existed P Had
these questions been put a year since, nine-tenths of
our people would have said that it had been caused by
the demands of the government, and must terminate
with their cessation ; and yet, of all the vast body of
men who might thus have answered there could not
have been found a single one who could have explained
how the abstraction from their pursuits of the labour of
a million of men, and the necessity for feeding and
clothing them while engaged in the erection of such a
monument as that of which I have spoken, could by
any possibility, hare produced the extraordinory effects
that have been here observed. To attribute the activity
and life then existing to the government demands is to
substitute effect for cause. It was the force resulting
from activity of circulation wholly unprecedented in
history that enabled the government to make the war,
and that force existed in despite, and not as a con
sequence, of governmental necessities. That such was
certainly the fact will, as I think, be clearly obvious
when you shall reflect, that but for those necessities the
whole million of men employed in building our great
monument might have been employed in clearing land;
sinking shafts; mining coal and ores, and combining
the two in the form of lead, copper, and iron ; making
bricks and lumber ; thus furnishing supplies of raw
materials to be converted on the spot into thousands of
mills and shops, large and small, and into the cloth
and iron, spades and shovels, coats and hats, required
for supplying a population among whom the demand
for mental and physical force so far exceeded the supply
as to make it absolutely necessary to build engines by
tens of thousands, and thus to substitute, to the annual
extent of the power of tens of millions of men, the won
derful force of steam for that of the human arm. So
applied, that same force would have produced annually
of commodities in excess of what has been our actual
production, at least 3,000,000,000 dollars,, every portion
of which would have been in the market seeking to pur
chase labour, thus greatly increasing the labourer's
reward. The power of accumulation would, under such
circumstances, have been more than trebly great, with
steady decline in the rate of interest, and in the power
of the capitalist to control the labourer's movements ;
freedom, wealth, power, and civilization, always growing
with the growth of power to place the consumer by the
side cf the producer, and thus to increase the rapidity
of the societary circulation
That the wonderful activity of that circulation did
not result from the necessities of the Government will,
as 1 think, be clear to all who carefully reflect on the
facts above presented. Whence, then, came it ? From

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

85

the adoption at Chicago, six years since, by the great
Eepublican Party, of a resolution to the effect that the
produce of the farm should no longer be compelled to
remain inert and losing interest while waiting demand
in distant markets ; that the capital which daily took
the form of labor power should no longer be allowed to
go to waste ; that the fuel which underlies our soil
should no longer there remain to be a mere support for
foreign rails ; that the power which then lay petrified
in the form-of coal should everywhere lie brought to
aid the human arm ; that our vast deposits of iron ore
should be made to take the form of engines and other
machinery to be used as substitutes for mere muscular
force ; and that all our wonderful resources, material
and moral, must and should be at once developed.
Such, gentlemen, was the intent and meaning of the
brief resolution then and there adopted, to be at the
earliest practicable moment ratified by Congress, as
proved to be the case when the Morrill Tariff, on the
memorable 2nd of March, 1861, was made the law of
the land. To that law, aided as it was by the admira
ble action of the Treasury in supplying machinery of
circulation, we stand now indebted for the fact that we
have, in the short space of five years, and at a cost of
thousands of millions of dollars, erected the wonderful
monument of which I have spoken ; that we have, in
those same years, produced more food, built more
houses and mills, opened more mines, constructed more
roads than ever before ; and so greatly added to the
wealth of the country that the property of the loyal
States would this day exchange for twice the quantity
of gold than could five years since have been obtained
for all the real and personal property, southern chattels
excepted, of the whole of the States and territories of
which the Union stands composed. The view thus
presented of our power of accumulation throughout
the period of Mr. Lincoln's administration differs widely
from that which commonly is entertained ; and yet,
when you shall have reflected upon the facts which I
shall now present, you will, as I feel assured, agree
with me in the belief that it has not been overrated.
It is probably true, as is so frequently asserted, that
less than the average number of city houses has been
built, but the growth of towns and villages in your
vicinity has been great beyond all former precedent.
Look, however, to the coal and iron regions— to the oil
region of Ohio and its tributaries — and to the wonder
ful mineral beyond the Mississippi, and you will find
that there have been there created homes for millions
of men, their wives and children. Little cotton machi
nery, it is true, has recently been built, but you have
more than doubled your power to produce both
wool and woollen cloth. Rolling mills now exist
capable of furnishing annually 750,000 tons of
bars, while the power by means of which those
bars are to be converted into ships, engines, and
other machinery of transportation and production
has more than doubled, and has, probably, even trebled.
Factories have been created capable of supplying almost
the world's demand for various instruments of produc
tion or defence; sewing machines on the one hand, pis
tols, rifles, and Parrott guns on the other. The quartz
mills have been created to which we are now, as we are
assured, to look for an immediate production of the
precious metals to the annual extent of 200,000,000 dols.
For every engine five years since there are now, as I
think, more than three at work. Throughout the vast
fields of the west machines are everywhere doing the
work that five years since was done by human hands.
Fewer miles of railroad may have been constructed, but
the rolling stock of all has been so much increased that
the power of transportation throughout the loyal States
has more than doubled. St. Louis presents to-day, as
we are told, an amount of steam-tonnage two-fifths
greater than there existed before the war ; and yet, so
great has been the quantity of produce seeking to go to
market that the Pennsylvania Central, at Pittsburg,
within the present month, has been blocked by 2,500
loaded cars, for the movement of which no power could
be supplied. Look, then, in what direction -we may,
whether to the greater or smaller machinery of produc

tion, we witness an increase of quantity so great as fully
to warrant us in the belief that, leaving wholly out of
view the sums invested in loans to cities, counties,
States, and to the general government, at no period has
the power of accumulation been much more than half
as great as it has been shown to be in the years of the
great war that has now so happily tirminated. Adding
together the capital that was only paralysed to that
which was absolutely wasted in the period of Mr. Bu
chanan's administration, we obtain an amount thrice
greater than would, had it been so applied, have built
and stocked as many mills as are in all Great Britain
employed in the conversion of wool and cotton into
cloth — as many furnaces as there are occupied in con
verting coal and ore into lead, copper, and iron — and as
many mills as are now engaged in producing bars ; to
sink as many shafts as would have been required for
giving to human labour all the aid that there is seen to1
result from a consumption of coal which is said to fur
nish power to an extent equivalent to that of six
hundred millions of men ; and to double the quantity
and money value of our various products, to the great
advantage of all our people, borrowers and lenders, em
ployers and workmen, traders and manufacturers,
builders of railroads and owners of ships, there being a
perfect harmony of all real and permanent interests. A
part, and but a small part, of that capital has, by means
of a National Free Trade System, since been saved ; and
it is out of the saving that has thus been brought about
that we have been enabled to give to the great work
above referred to labour und commodities equal in their
annual money value to- the vast sum of 1,000,000,000 dols.
In proof of the accuracy of the views above presented, I
propose now to offer for your consideration a very brief
review of our industrial history for the last half century,
as follows : — Half a century since the second war with
Great Britain came to a close, leaving our people well
provided with mills and furnaces, all of which were
actively engaged in making demand for labour and raw
materials of every kind. Money was then abundant,
labour was in demand, wages were high, and the public
debt was trivial in amount. Two years later came the
system which looked to increasing our dependence on
foreign markets and known as the British Free Tradejp
one, and at once all was changed. Mills and furnaces
were closed ; labour ceased to be in demand ; and poor-
houses were everywhere filled. Money becoming scarce
and interest high, land declined to a third of itsprevious
price. Banks stopped payment. The sheriff everywhere
found full demand for all his time, and mortgagees
entered everywhere into possession. The rich were
made richer, but the farmer and the mechanic, and all
but the very rich, were ruined. Trivial as were then the
expenses of the Government, the Treasury could not
meet them. Such was the state of things that induced
General Jackson to ask the question, " Where has the
American farmer a market for his surplus produce?"
The answer thereto, as given by himself, is so applicable
to the present time that I give it here as proper to be
read, daily and weekly, by every lover of his country
throughout the Union : — " Except for cotton, he has
neither a foreign nor a home market. Does not this
clearly prove, when there is no market either at home
or abroad, that there is too much labour employed in
agriculture, and that the channels of labour should be
multiplied P Common sense at once points out the
remedy. Draw from agriculture the superabundant
labour, employ it in mechanism and manufacture,
thereby creating a home market for your breadstuffs,
and distributing labour to a most profitable account,
and benefits to the country will result. Take from
agriculture in the United States six hundred thousand
men, women, and children, and you at once give a home
market for more breadstuffs than all Europe now fur
nishes us. In short, we hare been too long subject to
the policy of the British merchants. It is time we
should become a little more Americanised, and, instead
of feeding the paupers and labourers of Europe, feed
our own, or else in a short time, by continuing our
present policy, we shall become paupers ourselves." To
the state of things here described are we indebted for

86

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the first adoption of a National Free Trade System.
Almost from the moment of the passage of the tariff act
of that year, activity and life took place of the palsy
that previously had' existed. Furnaces anl mills were
built; labour came into demand; immigration increased,
and so large became Ihe demand for the products of the
farm that our markets scarcely felt the effect of changes
which then occurred in that of England ; the public
revenue grew with such rapidity that it became neces
sary to exempt from duty tea, coffee, and many other
articles; and the public debt was finally extinguished.
The history of the world to that moment presents no
case of prosperity so universal as that which here exist
ed at the date of the repeal of the great national tariff
of 1828. Had it been maintained in existence, not only
should we hare had no secession war, but at this hour
the South would exhibit a state of society in which the
landowners had become rich while their slaves had been
gradually becoming free, with profit to themselres, to
their owners, and to the nation at large. It was, how-
ever, by successive stages, repealed in 1834, 1836, and
following years, the repeal being accompanied by a con
stant succession of free trade crises, the whole ending in
1842, in a state of things directly the reverse of that
above described . Mills and furnaces were closed; me
chanics were starring ; money was scarce and dear ; land
had fallen to half its previous price; the sheriff was
everywhere at work ; banks were in a state of suspen
sion ; States repudiated payment of their debts; the
Treasury, unable to borrow at home even a single mil
lion at any rate of interest, was compelled to solicit
credit at the doors of all the great banking houses of
Europe, and submit to find that credit denied ; and the
bankruptcy among merchants and traders was so uni
versal that Congress found itself compelled soon after
to pass a bankrupt law. Again, and for the third time,
was the National System restored by the passage of the
Tariff Act of 1842. Under it, in less than five years,
the production of iron rose from 220,000 to 800,000 tons ;
and so universal became the prosperity, that large as
was the increase, it was wholly insufficient to meet the
great demand. Mines were everywhere being sunk.
Mills were everywhere being built. Money was so
¦abundant and cheap that the sheriff found but little
^vork to do. Public and private revenues were great
beyond all previous precedent, and throughout the
land there reigned a prosperity more universal than had,
in the -whole history of the world, ever before been
known. Once more, in 1846, however, did the Ser
pent — properly represented on that occasion by British
free traders — make his way into Paradise, and now a
dozen years elapsed in the course of which, notwith
standing the discovery of California mines, money com
manded a rate of interest higher, as I believe, than had
ever been known in the country for so long a period of
time. British iron and cloth came in, and gold went
out, and with each successive day the dependence of
our farmers on foreign markets became more complete.
With 1857 came tbe culmination of the system,
merchants and manufacturers being ruined; banks
being compelled to suspend payment ; and the treasury
being reduced to a condition of bankruptcy nearly ap
proaching that in 1817 and 1834. In the three years that
followed, labour was everywhere in excess; wages were
low; immigration fell below the point at which it had
stood twenty years before ; the home market for food
diminished, and the foreign one proved so utterly worth
less that the annual export to all the manufacturing
nations of Europe, as has been already shown, amount
ed to but little more than 10,000,000 dollars. Why was
this p Why had not the foreign demand for food grown
¦with the growth of our dependence on foreigners for
cloth and iron? Because the British Free Trade System
is in truth and in fact a monopoly one! Because it is
based on the idea of stimulating competition for the sale
of labour and thus enslaving the labourer ; stimulating
competition for the sale of the fruits of the earth, and
thus enslaving every community that refuses to resist
it! At the moment of which I speak, notwithstanding
the vast supplies of Californian and Australian gold, the
money value of British labour had, on the average,

scarcely at all increased, while foreign competition for
the supply of food to the diminutive British market had
reduced its price to a lower point than, as I believe, it
had reached for half a century before. The rebellion
came, finding our people unemployed, public and private
revenues declining, the Treasury empty, and the public
credit greatly impared. With it, however, came the
power once again, and for the fourth time, to obtain a
re-establishment of that National System required for
protection of the men who had food and labour for which
they needed to find a market. That protection has now
endured for less than five years, and yet, as has been
shown, so marvellous have been its effects that while it
has enabled us to give to the government four thousand
millions of dollars, it has so largely added to the value
of land and labour that, notwithstanding the destruction
of property in the South, the nation, as a whole, is this
day almost twice as rich as it had been before. The
history of the period thus reviewed may now more briefly
thus be stated : — The National Free Trade System, as
established in 1813, 1828, 1842, gave, as that of 1861 is
now prepared to give, to its British Monopoly suc
cessor — Great demand for labour; wages high and
money cheap ; public and private revenues large ; im
migration great, and steadily increasing; public and
private prosperity great beyond all prerious precedent;
growing national independence. The British Monopoly
System, as established in 1817, 1834, 1846, and 1857, be
queathed to its successor — Labour everywhere seeking
to be employed ; wages low and money high ; public and
private revenues small, and steadily decreasing ; immi
gration declining; public and private bankruptcy nearly
universal ; growing national dependence. Such is the
history of the past. Let our people study, and they will,
as I tnink, understand the causes of the prosperity of
the present. That done, let them determine for them
selves whether to go forward in the direction of indi
vidual and national independence, or in that of grow
ing dependence, both national and individual. The
Trader who studies it can scarcely fail to see, that the
more active the capital of the country, the greater the
variety of pursuits, and the greater the demand for hu
man service, the larger must be the production ; the
greater must be the quantity of things to be exchanged;
the less must be the necessity for resorting to trade as
affording almost the only means of support; the less
must be the competition among traders themselves ; and
tbe greater the probability'of his securing independence
for his children and himself. The Merchant can scarce
ly fail to see, that the greater the diversification of pur
suits among our people, and the more we finish our
products So as to fit them for consumption, the greater
must be the variety of commodities with which to supply
ihe world ; the greater our demand for the products of
distant countries ; and the more numerous the markets
open to his operations whether as a seller or a buyer.
The Shipowner can scarcely fail to see — I. That the
larger the demand for labour the greater must be the
immigration of men who have labour to sell, and the
greater the demand for ships: — II That the more
active the capital of the country the lower musfrbe the
arerage rate of interest, and the greater his power to
compete with the owners of foreign ships :— III. That
the more active that capital the more numerous will be
the finished commodities to be carried abroad; the
greater the number of markets to which he can send his
ships ; and the greater the demand for sugar, tea coffee,
and raw materials of manufactures, products of coun
tries which have no ships : — IV. That, on the contrary,
the more sluggish that capital, the higher must be the
rate of interest ; the more must we be limited to the ex
port of raw produce; the fewer must be our markets;
and the more must he find himself compelled to compete
with the low rates of interest, and the low wages paid
by owners of British and German ships :— V. That since
the introduction of steam the question of navigation has
become, and must from day to day more become, a mere
question of the rate at which capital can be supplied;
and, that if we are ever to resume upon the ocean the
place so lately occupied, it can be only as a consequence
of the pursuit of a policy tending towards bringing the

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

87

consumer and the producer together, thereby quicken
ing the motion of capital in the forms of food and of
mental and muscular force, and thus promoting accum
ulation. The Railroad King can scarcely fail to see —
I. That the more rapid the societary circulation the
greater must be the quantity of men and things needing
to be carried: — II. That the more rapid the develop
ment of our great mineral deposits, the greater must
become the general supply of iron, and the more the
tendenc^to a fall in price : — III. That all experience
tends to furnish evidence of the facts, that foreign iron
is always low in price when American iron masters are
prosperous, and always high when American furnaces
are out of blast : — IV. That, as a consequence, American
railroads have always prospered when the internal com
merce was rapidly growing ; and have been always
greatly depressed when in obedience to the orders of
foreign traders that commerce has been sacrificed. The
Landowner can scarcely fail to see, that when capital
is active interest is low and labour is in great demand ;
and that then it is that foreign capital and foreign
labour tend, to his great advantage, here to seek
employment. The farmer can scarcely fail to see, that
the greater the home consumption of his products the
less must he be compelled to compete in England
with the agricultural nations of Europe ; the higher
must be prices in that regulating market; and the
higher must be those of the great domestic one. The
Manufacturer of the East can scarcely fail to see, that
the more our mineral resources are developed, and the
more the people of the South and West give themselves
to the production of the coarser kinds of cloth, the
greater must be the demand upon himself for those
more profitable of a higher order. The Banker can
scarcely fail to see, that all our financial crises, and all
the losses thence resulting, have occurred in Bri
tish free trade times ; and that all that is needed
for securing us against their recurrence in the
future, is the thorough adoption of a policy tending
to promote rapidity in the societary circulation.
The Philanthropist can scarcely fail to see, that the
more rapid that circulation the greater must be the
tendency towards improvement in the condition of the
labourer, black or white. — The Finance Minister can
scarcely fail to see, that the power permanently to con
tribute to the support of government has always
existed, and must necessarily exist, in the direct ratio
of the rapidity of the circulation. — The Bondholder can
scarcely fail to see, that repudiation has always come as
a consequence of an arrest of the circulation, and that
perfect security for his children and himself can be
found in one direction, and one alone ; that which leads
to more perfect combination among our people as a con
sequence of bringing the consumer and producer more
and more near together. — The Economist can scarcely
fail to see, that the British free trader seeks to place
himself between all the producers and consumers of tbe
world, aud to enrich himself at their expense ; and that
the real road to national wealth and power lies in the
direction of resistance to that system. — The Statesman
can scarcely fail to see, that our periods of national
weakness have been always those in which consumers
and producers have been becoming more widely sepa-'
rated, while our periods of strength have been those in
which we have had a national system; as when, thirty
years since, by aid of the tariff of 1828, we finally ex
tinguished the national debt ; as when, twenty years
since, by aid of the tariff of 1842, we resumed the pay
ment of interest on our foreign debt; and as now, when
we have just completed the erection of the greatest and
most costly monument the world has ever seen, or per
haps will ever see. — The Man in whom there exists any
feeling of national pride can hardly fail to see, that the
one great obstacle standing in the way of the permanent
establishment of a sound National System has been the
opposition of foreigners, and of that people especially
which has recently been most active and most untiring
in its effort to aid the South in breaking up the Union.
The Whole People can scarcely fail to see, that human
force, mental and muscular, is the commodity which all
hare to sell; that it exausts itself on the instant of

production; that the more instant the demand for it
the more is it economised, the greater is the power of
production, the higher the rate of wages, .the greater the
power of accumulation, the lower the rate of interest,
and the greater the tendency towards freedom and
peace, both at home and abroad. — The Christian can
scarcely fail to see, that the policy which tends towards
increase in the rapidity of circulation tends necessarily
towards increasing the reward of labour and effecting
an improvement in the condition, material and moral,
of the labourer; and that in advocating it he is aiding
towards carrying into practical effect the great precept
which lies at the foundation of Christianity, all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even
so to them. The riews thus presented differ widely from
those taught to the world by that English school which
holds that " the smuggler is the great reformer of the
age;" and by those of its disciples who have recently
throughout our southern coast carried their theories into
practical effect. The cause of difference is to be found
in this, that while the policy urged by it upon the outer
world is directly the reverse of what is practised by every
Manchester manufacturer, that National Free Trade
policy to which we owe our recent great success and our
present prosperity is in full accordance with the practice
of every successful mechanic, manufacturer, and agri
culturist throughout the civilised world. What is it
that these latter desire ? Is it not to economise human
service p To that end are they not profuse in the appli
cation of food and clothing to the creation of machinery,
thereby substituting the products of labour and capital
for labour itself ? Does not capital everywhere grow in
the direct ratio of that substitution, and does not that
growth make new demands for human labour, with
constant tendency towards increased production, in
crease of wages, and increased ability to make still
further substitution of capital for labour p To these
questions there can be no reply but in the affirmative.
Mr. Carey proceeded with his speech,
urging that the foreign free-trade system
was a British monopoly, and that the raising
of raw products for the supply of foreign
markets, is the proper employment of the
barbarian and the slave, and to those alone.
Referring to the late Mr. Cobden, formerly
MP. for the Borough of Rochdale, he des
cribed him as a stump orator who had not
learned his lesson too well. The speech, on
the whole, furnished evidence that the sub
ject had been well digested, and although
the arguments did not square with my cos
mopolitan ideas, I was, nevertheless, much
interested, and took a fuller report than I
otherwise would have done. The principles
of free-trade are not well understood in
America, and the strong feeling which pre
vails at present in opposition to England,
tends to make the people generally in favour
of protection. I am quite surprised to find
how many persons there are here who speak
against free trade, but they are generally of
the Conservative class, for there are Conser
vatives in America as well as in England.
The progressive men I have met with are
generally in favour of negro suffrage and
free-trade. One gentleman told me that
when I get into the Western States I shall
find the people generally more opposed to
free-trade than they are in the Eastern States.
I cannot discover any adequate reason for

88

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

this, because it seems to me that the Wes
tern States have a direct interest iu free trade,
inasmuch as it will tend to lessen the price
of articles of domestic consumption, while it
will increase the demand for their own pro
duce. The free-trade question will be one
to which I shall direct special attention while
passing through the United States, for I am
thoroughly persuaded the American people
have no reason to fear the general adoption
of a free-trade policy, for nothing but war
and slavery can prevent the developement of
the resources of the country, and, whenever
those resources shall be fully developed, the
United States will be placed in a position of
power and influence, of wealth and great
ness, such as may possibly excite the envy
of European nations, and command the ad
miration of the world. Here there is no
lauded aristocracy to exert a political infiuence
in favour of protection ; but the popular
suffrage sometimes enables persons to place
themselves in a position by which private-
interests may be promoted at the public
expense. Only a few days ago, a member of
the congress spoke strongly in favour of
placing a restrictive duty on foreign manu
factured goods, asserting his entire disinter
estedness in the matter; but it has since
transpired that there are more than a thousand
workpeople employed at a cotton factory with
which he is connected. I had the pleasure
of a private interview with Mr. Carey after
the delivery of his speech, on which occasion
I took the liberty to state my objections to
his assertion that the British free-trade sys
tem was a monopoly. I also objected to
what he had said respecting the late Mr.
Cobden. Fie said he could prove by facts all
that he had stated, and he invited me to call
upon him when I visited Philadelphia, in
order that we might more fully discuss the
question. I promised to do so if circum
stances would permit.
Deo. 28 — This day I attended Trinity
Church, Boston, to witness the consecration
of the Bishop of Colorado. I had never
seen anything of the kind before, and there
fore went with some degree of curiosity.
The church, although large, was densely
crowded iu every part, body, aisles, and
galleries, and the greatest interest was mani-
iested in the proceedings. The building
had been profusely ornamented with ever
greens, and in several places I saw pine trees
eight or ten yards high, which appeared very
graceful. About sixty ministers in white
surplices sat together in the body of the
church, and there were also present the
Bishop of Vermont, Bishop of Massachusetts,
Bishop of Kentucky,Bishop of New Hamp

shire, Bishop of Rhode Tsland, Bishop of
Kansas, and the Bishop of Honolulu. The
consecrators took their seats within the
chancel. After the reading of the exhorta
tion, confession, absolution, psalter, lessons,
creed, prayers, collect, &c, the presiding
bishop selected for his text the concluding
words of the eighth verse of the first chap
ter of the Acts of the Apostles : — " And ye
shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusa
lem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth." The
preacher said that we were reminded in the
text of that which is most prominent in the
function of the bishop — the bearing witness
to man concerning Christ. The bishop is
to be a testifier, a preacher. He is to mag
nify his office by magnifying with his tongue
the glory of Emanuel. The work of our
brother will, and cannot but be, above all that
of a chief minister of God, sounding out, in
the ears of that scattered population, the
grace of him who, though rich, for our sakes
became poor, that we, through him, might
be rich. In the second place, the preacher
enlarged upon the truth that every bishop of
the church of God needs the continued aid
ot the Holy Ghost to enable him to do the
work of Christ, and to deliver his message
in a spirit worthy of its grandeur and im
portance. It seems only at the hour of death
that the mind begius, if ever this side of the
grave, to comprehend anything of the mer
cy which gathers around the cross of Christ
and the glory to which it leads. The bishop
can but see how dependent he is upon power
from on high. Well, then, may he himself
pray for the illumining spirit of Christ to
reveal itself in his own heart ; well may the
people offer their fervent prayers to. the Holy
Ghost to enable him to see the King in all
his beauty, and to proclaim his goodness
and mercy to his people. I call upon you,
therefore, continued the preacher, Dot only
to send forth with this, our brother, your
good cheers and hopes for his happiness,
but the still more valuable accompaniment
of your intercession that the doctrine of
Christ crucified may be presented with in
creased grandeur to his soul, that he may be
gifted to preach that there is one chosen of
God to bind up the broken-hearted, to pro
claim liberty to the captives, and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound. In
the latter part of his discourse, Bishop East-
burn spoke of the spiritual condition of
America at the present time. " We have,"
he said, " unmistakeable, faithful followers
of Christ in our land, noble institutions for
the disseminatiou of God's word, but yet
there are formidable obstacles iu the path of

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

89

religion. These obstacles the newly-elected
bishop will have to face in the peculiar region
to which he is assigned. There he will to an
intense degree find the world uppermost in
tbe minds of men. To successfully combat
these obstacles he must be thoroughly con
secrated to his work.'' The bishop delivered
his discourse, which was appropriate to the
occasion1^ with an earnestness of manner
which arrested the attention of all. He did
not mumble his words as if he were ashamed
to be heard, but he spoke out with a clear
ness of utterance and a power of eloquence
that were much admired. The elected bishop
having been presented, the testimonials from
the House of Bishops were read, and the tes
timonials from the House of Representatives.
The bishop elect was then required to give
the promise of conformity to the doctrine,
discipline, and worship of the Protestant
Episcopal Church. The presiding bishop
asked the usual consecration vows of the
candidate of fidelity to his work, and deter
mination to act conscientiously. The bishop
elect being vested in the robes of office, the
ceremony of laying on of hands was perform
ed by the other bishops, the candidate kneel-
i ing before them. The communion having
been administered, the benediction was pro
nounced, and the service, which had lasted
between three and four hours, was brought
to a close.
I also attended the meeting of the Ameri
can Social Science Association. The first
subject for discussion was " Prison Discip
line.'' Three systems at present in use, viz.,
the Auburn, or separate system ; the Phila
delphia, or silent system ; and the Irish.
Reference was made to the Irish prison on
Norfolk Island, and the means taken by Cap
tain M'Connecky to improve the condition of
the prisoners. When he took charge in 1844
their condition was most deplorable, having
been subjected to harsh aud brutal treatment,
which, in the striking words of one of them,
took the soul out of them, and supplied in
its place that of a beast. By means of ju
dicious treatment, and a system of marks of
merit for men who deserved it, making thus
the leniency of their punishment depend on
their good conduct, the condition of the pri
soners was greatly improved. For two years,
while the experiment was tried, Captain
M'Connecky said that no men could behave
more creditably. In his opinion, the silent
system was injurious, and the separate sys
tem only beneficial to a limited extent. The
social moral system, as developed in Ireland
since 1852, and now in use, he thought much
superior. This system has not been intro
duced in any prison in America as a whole,

but has been partially adopted in some pri
sons of Massachusetts., The next subject
introduced to the consideration of the meet
ing was brought on by Dr. Ray, of Providence,
Rhode Island, and related to the isolation of
the insane. He held that when a man loses
his reason, the reason of others, in a greater
or less degree, must supply the place. Hu
manity and the safety and peace of society
demand it, and the ultimate good of all
parties is promoted by it. The inquiries
suggested by this subject are deeply
interesting, because the idea is beginning to
prevail that the legislature should prescribe
under what circumstances interference with
the inalienable rights of men, on the ground
of insanity, is to be allowed, and by what
safeguards it is to be protected. This is one
of the much vexed problems of social science.
Beginning with first principles, it may be
observed that in more sudden and violent
forms of insanity the patient is necessarily
placed under increased surveillance, his
wishes are disregarded, medicines and food
are forced upon him, and his limbs subjected
to restraint. It is not very obvious how, in
the subsequent stages of the disease, the ob
ligation to do this can be lessened, or a
different one created. Nor does it appear
how this right can become wrong, by making
the place of confinement some other than
one's own home. If in the progress of know
ledge and philanthropy, institutions have
become established expressly for the care of
the insane, in which they are supposed to be
more successfully treated than they can be at
home, it would seem as if the natural right in
question would be all the more heartily re
cognised by making choice of them for this
purpose. Admitting the right of the friends
to isolate the patient, we may well consider
whether that right should not be so restricted
as to prevent its being used by bad men for
bad purposes. Of late years the ordinary
practice to obtain a certificate of insanity
from some physician, which, with the
prescribed obligations for the payment of the
expenses, has been sufficient to procure the
admission of a patient into any hospital, or
asylum in America. The question now is
whether upon a broad consideration of the
various forms of insanity, of our social habits,
of the liability to mistake, of the sacredness
of private grief, and the requirements of jus
tice, anything more than this is necessary.
It is not denied that, for the most part, the
medical certificate fulfils every requisite pur
pose, securing the performance of a painful
duty without adding to the motives of delay,
and shielding the friends from all unnecessary
exposure of domestic affliction. But it is al-

90

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

leged that the physician may be biased by his
relation to the party or his family, he may be
deceived by lalse representations, or be hon
estly mistaken in bis opinion. Hence a
prevalent idea that here is au opportunity for
flagrant abuses which should be met by
stringent legislation. By some it is proposed
to make tbe isolation of the insane, in every
case, the result of a legal procedure in the
nature of an inquisition, to be conducted by
the municipal authorities, or some magistrate,
or by a board of commissioners appointed for
that purpose. In regard to these two courses,
it is not very obvious, at first flash, either
that the possible abuses charged upon
the former, or the advantages claimed for
the latter, are so great as to set the question
at rest. If there is to be an inquisition, who
so competent to make it as a physician ? If
he has been acquainted with the person, as
he is very likely to be, he has materials for
forming his opinion which no one else may
have. If, ou the contrary, he is a stranger,
he is, of course, as far beyond the infiuence
of prepossessions and biases as any function
ary whom the law might designate for the
purpose, while his decision would be attended
by this advantage — that no unnecessary
trouble or publicity is given to a domestic
affliction, in the case of those of whose men
tal disease there can be no doubt whatever.
It may be that the liberty of any person in the
community is at the physician's mercy ; and
so is the life of every person who calls in a
physician when he is ill ; but who hesitates
to employ a physician from the fear that he
may be bribed by wicked relations to poison
him ? In signing a certificate of insanity, a
physician performs a professional service in
which he is amenable to his own conscience
and responsible to the laws of his country.
Under what stronger obligations and sanctions
can anyone act ? Dr. Ray proceeded to urge
against inquisitions being conducted by com
missions, on the ground that delay might
arise at a time when prompt action was im
peratively demanded, and great pain might
be caused to all the parties directly interested,
by the publicity given to the details of the
case. It might be said that the establishment
of a commission would restore public con
fidence in the management of hospitals,
but in his opinion this would not be the case
in the present disordered state of public feel
ing on the subject, and the readiness with
which the animadversions of casual observers
find their way into the public press. No dis
cussion followed the delivery of Dr. Ray's
address. Charles L. Brace, Esq., of New
York, gave an outline of the sanitary legisla

tion of England, which, he remarked, fairly
began in 1848. He showed by the workings
of the English ststem that the death rate and
the amount of sickness had been reduced by
it to a remarkable degree. One evil which
had been to a great extent remedied in Eng
land was very prevalent in America, the cor
ruption of water in wells, by the proximity of
cesspools, and other sources of impurity. In
speaking of the power of removing inhabitants
from infected districts, given by British law,
Mr. Brace gave a remarkable instance of the
betieficial effects of the exercise of this power
in an English fishing town threatened with
the cholera. Tenants in whole streets were
removed to tents outside the limits of the
town, and improvement in health at once
followed. 'lhe English local enactments
against letting cellars as lodging rooms were
spoken of as highly salutary, and as providing
a remedy such as is much neededin New York.
The best point in the sanitary legislation of
England was the requirement securing the
appointment of highly competent scientific
and medical men as health officers. The
provision regulating the location of slaughter
houses, and the construction of lodging-rooms,
was alluded to with commendation. Refer
ring to the practical effects of sanitary legis
lation in Eugland, Mr. Brace spoke of the
remarkable pecuniary success and the health-
fulness of the lodging-houses, the beneficial
effects of good drainage, the remarkable
improvement of the public health in Salisbury
by introducing a thorough s> stem of sewerage,
aud the introduction of pure water, aud the
great decrease of zymotic deaths in the above
town since these improvements were made.
Equally favourable results in other localities
were mentioned, the reform extending to the
morals as well as to the health of communi
ties, and making a saving of poor-rates. A
discussion followed on the tariff question,
several gentlemen urging in favour of the
tariff on paper, that the English would be
very glad to supply them with paper, but if
they did so it would be ruinous to the paper
manufacturers in the United States. One
gentleman urged that the present tariff on
paper was much too high. Newspapers had
become a necessity, and people would have
them, whatever was the cost ; but the differ
ence of the cost price of newspapers in
England and those in America was so great
that there ought to be a reduction in the
tariff rates of the raw material. Another
gentleman urged that it was wrong to send
corn from the United States to England to
feed the operatives, and especially wrong to
send cotton to England there to be manufac
tured, and then sent back to America to

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MY AMERICAN TOUR.

91

Compete with their own marketable produc
tions. In his opinion they ought to keep
both cotton and corn away from England.
On the conclusion of the meeting I told the
chairman that it would have afforded me
much pleasure to have had an opportunity of
addressing the meeting, lor it appealed to me
that thtygentlemen who had taken part in
'the discussion were living in a past age, and
were now reiterating similar arguments in
favour of protection which the landed interest
of England urged against free trade thirty
years ago. Free trade had since been proved
to be ono of the greatest blessings to the
agricultural interests of England. The chair
man expressed regret that I had not spoken
on the question, as he would gladly have
given a loreigner the opportunity, although
not a member of the association. He ex
pressed his concurrence with my view of the
matter, aud said that when more light was
given upon the question it would be better
understood in America We had a free con
versation respecting England and English
men, in which he manifested much interest.
He visited Mauchester during the Art
Treasures Exhibition,* and had become
acquainted with several Englishmen who
had made themselves known in the scientific
world. Plymouth, Dec. 29.— Visited the Boston
Athenaeum. Its lihrarv occupies the fourth
position in the United States. It is a co-op
erative concern, and those shareholders who
contribute five dollars per annum have the
privilege of taking books home, but share
holders contributing a smaller sum can only
have access to the books at the institution.
Formerly thd Athenaeum was only a literary
club ; but now its objects are much extended.
There is a fine arts exhibition, the paintings
being open for inspection throughout the
summer season. There are about 200 paint
ings belonging to the institution, and artists
generally send their productions here for in
spection. In the United States there are
more than twice as many libraries, each hav
ing more than 10,000 volumes, than there
are in England, but these aie chiefly in the
North, for there are less than twenty libraries
in the South, each haviDg 10,000 volumes.
The following are the leading libraries of the
country : — Harvard University Library at
Cambridge, 140,000 vols. ; Astor Library at
New York, 120,000; Boston Public Library,
110,563; Boston Athenaeum, 90,000; Li
brary of Congress at Washington, 82,775;
Philadelphia Library Company, 80,000; New
York State Library at Albany, 64,296 ; New
York Mercantile Library, 64,027 ; New York
Society Library, 50,000.

Dec. 30.— Went to the City Hall this
morniug to make myself familiar with the
workings of the fire alarm telegraph, which is
here carried out more perfectly than in any
city in the world. The fire extinguishing ap
paratus belong to the city, and the central
station is at the City Hall. Telegraph wires
are laid in all directions throughout the city,
and these all crmmunicale with the head
office, so that when a fire takes place infor
mation is communicated in an instant.
There are seventy boxos placed in different
parts of the city, and every one of these boxes
has a differeut s:gnal. Each police officer
has a key, so that if a fire should occur on
his beat either by night or day, he immedi
ately g'>es to the nearest box, turns a crank,
which immediately conveys to the head office
tidings respecting the fire. The apparatus is
so simple that any person having access to
a box could give the required information
whether he had been previously instructed or
not. Mr. J. B. Stearns, the superintendent,
was very affable indeed, and sent an officer
with me into the city to open one of the
street boxes, and explain the entire system
of communication. An electric current can
be sent into the bell tower of the old South
Church, and immediately the inhabitants of
the city will be itiformed of the fire. By pay
ing attention to the sound signal, persons w ill
not only know that there is a fire, but they
will be informed where it is, so that a person
outside the city, by paying attention to the
bell, would know whether his own property
was in danger or otherwise. There is not
only power to communicate with the public
relative to the fire, but they cancom^iuiiicate
with the different fire companies sepirately.
This is a very economical arrangement. If
a small fire occurred which could be easily
extinguished, only a small number of firemen
would be brought to the spot, but if it were
a great conflagration exposing much property
to danger, then all the fire brigades of Bostou
and its vicinity could be summoned to the
place. I touched the magneto-electric ma
chine, and could sensibly feel the electric cur
rent, butif the machine had been in full opera
tion it would have knocked me down lor it has
power sufficient to sat all the bells of Bostou
in immediate motion. Persons are constantly
in attendance in the fire alarm telegraph
office night and day, ready to give immediate
intelligence on a fire taking place. The cost
of the fire department for Boston last year
was 155,177 dols. The salary of the super
intendent is 1,500 dols. a year, and he
has nine assistaut engineers, who receive
6,629 dols. The annual compensation to
the engineers, the officers, and members of

92

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the various engine, hook and ladder, and
hose companies amounted to 72,593 dols.
There are ten steam fire engines, eight
horse catriages, otie hand hose carriage, three
hook and ladder carriages, thirty-one horses,
two fuel wagons, nine fire hooks, eighty-
eight fire ladders, 18,000 feet of leading and
suction hose, ten steam fire er.gine houses,
nine hose carriage houses, three book and
ladder houses, 132 reservoirs, and 1,469
hydrants. The magnetic fire alarm appara
tus in the city building cost 40,000 dols.
The working lines of wire is about 70 miles.
There are twenty-eight sti iking machines,
fifteen engine-house alarm gongs, and seven
teen engineer's gongs. One electric watch
clock, one repeating clock for striking signals,
and one for tapping-liox signals. Two mag
neto electric machines for striking bells,
fifteen relay magnets, seven galvenometers
for alarm and sigual batteries, and 6U0 insu
lators. There are 668 men connected with
the fire department, which is probably the
most complete iu all its arrangements of any
city in the world. I was taken to the top of
the City Hall, which commands a fine view
of Cambridge, East Boston, South Boston,
the Cunard Docks, and almost the entire
city. I was much interested in witnessing
the excellent arrangements which had been
madeTor the preservation of life aud property
from the ravages of the devouring element.
In company with C- Letts, Esq., 1 visited
the Exhibition of Boston Natural History
Society. The museum was extensive and
interesting. Dec. 31 (Sunday). — Attended service at
Dr. Gannett's church. This congregation
formerly had the services of Dr. W. E.
Channin>. I am told that the congregation
is very wealthy and influential. In the
evening I went to Washington village, near
to Dorchester Heights, to fulfil au engage
ment to lecture. The church was well filled.
Jan. 1, 1866. — Went to Tremout Temple
to join in the celebration of negro emanci
pation. The Rev. Dr. Kirk, of Boston,
asserted that the providence of God had
been evidenced in the changes which had
been effected, for it was evidently God's
design that white and black should be citi
zens of the same country. It was formerly
6aid iu the South that there was more anti
pathy to the negro in the North than there
was iu the South. He admitted that so long
as the South could use the negro as a bailge
of greatness, they appeared to be well dis
posed, but let the coloured people claim the
liberty to which thjy were justly entitled,
aud'theti it could be seen what kind of feel
ings were entertained towards the negro.

The South were now determined, if possible,
to destroy the negro, simply because slavery
is now regarded in the Uuited States as poli
tical heresy, although it was once looked upon
as political orthodoxy. Before the rebellion,
the post-office could not be made to pay "its
way in the South, but it would be made to
pay in future, for the" coloured people
would now become educated, and many
of them would become possessed of farms,
whether the rebels liked it or not. He
instanced the case of a white Southern
lady having gone to the Freedman's
Bureau to make complaints respecting the
loss of her property. She was required to
put down her complaint in writing, when she
seemed to be quite offended that her word of
mouth statement cou'd not be received. At
length, when she fouud that the complaint
must be in writing or it could not be received,
she then admitted that she was not able to
write. She was directed to a young man
who would write for her, and when she went
to him she found that he was a co'oured man,
better educated than herself, uotwitstandiiig
all the fiuery which decked her person. Mr.
William Wells Brown, a coloured man, was
the next speaker, He had not much faith in
President Johnson, for he had descended
from a poor Southern white man, while he
(Mr. Brown) had descended from a rich
Southern white man, and there had always
been hatred between them. Although the
President did not wish for slavery, he wanted
the negroes to be placed in exactly a similar
position to that which the free coloured man
occupied previous to the rebellion, while he
(Mr. Brown) was wishful that they should be
invested with all the rights of citizenship. He
explained to the meeting that it had been de
cided to appoint Mr. Downing, a coloured
man, as a delegation to Congress at Washing
ton, to urge the piopriety of granting negro
suffrago. It was intended that Mr. Downing
should remain iu Wa^hingtm till spring, and
a grant of one thousand dollars would be
made for his expenses. After paying 75 dols.
for the use of Tremout Temple that Cay, and
50 dols. for advertising the meeting, the rest
of the proceeds would be devoted to the
object he had named. Mr. Rernond, Mr.
Wendell Phillips, and others, subsequently
addressed the meeting. In the evening, I
atleuded the Era Division of the Sons of
Temperance. Jan. 2 — Went by invitation to see Mr.
William Wells Brown, a coloured man, who
is now practising iu Boston as a physician, ,
and apparently is doing very well, having a
large practice. In 1834, when he was
eighteen years of age, he escaped from slavery

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

93

by running away, travelling by night and
hiding in the woods by day. He and his
mother had previously run away, but were
caught aud taken back into slavery. He was
put in prison and re- sold as a slave. His
mother was sold as a slave into Texas, and he
never saw nor heard anything of her afterwards.
He suffered much in making his escape,
for it took him five weeks to travel till he
had reached a place of safety. Having ob
tained his freedom, he then endeavoured
to educate himself, and used the m?ans at
his command for that purpose. Subsequently,
he went to England, where he spent five or
six years, and he is -personally known to
many persous in Manchester.
Jan. 3 — I went this day to Roxbury, to
the house of William Lloyd Garrison, Esq,
to be present at the marriage of his only
daughter, Miss Fannie Garrison, to Mr.
Henry Villard, a Washington correspondent
of the Chicago 'tribune. The house was
beautifully decorated for the occasion with
evergreens, bouquets of hothouse flowers, &c.
There was a very respectable company pre
sent, including — Rev. Dr. Putnam, Rev. Mr.
Waterston, Dr. Drew, Wendell Phillips,
Esq., Samuel May, Esq., Mrs. Dall, Mr.
Wolcott, Mrs. Drew, and other ladies and
gentlemen. The. marriage was appointed to
take place at twelve o'clock; and a little before
the appointed time the company assembled
in the parlour, and immediately wheu the
clock had struck the bride and bridegroom,
accompanied by a few friends, entered. After
Dr. Putnam had delivered a brief address, the
bride and bridegroom promised to love and
honour each other from youth to age, throuyh
good report and evil report, and through all
the changes of life. The bridegroom gave
the bride a ring as the svmbol of inseparable
union, and the whole ceremony only occupied
a few moments, for the Americans do every
thing in a hurry. The bride gave her fa;her,
mother, ami brothers each a kiss, after which
Mr. Wendell Phillips claimed one as a pri
vilege, which was Ireely granted. Sixty-two
persons who were present at the marriage
signed the memorial book- After refreshment
had been served, the company gradually retire-
ed and the newly-wedded pair started the same
day on their marriage tour.
Jan. 4. — Visited the establishment of Mr.
Paul, the largest wood manufactory in the
city. Here I saw at work the circular saw,
the re-saw, th? belt saw, and the scroll saw,
also an irregular moulding m> chine, which
differs from the lathe, inasmuch that the wood
is not necessarily round when worked. One
man can do as much work on this machine
as ten could do on the regular ldthe. I aho

saw at work the dowling machine, which
possesses in itself the power of the circular
saw ; the rabbiting saw, the cutter, aud par
allel bit. The manner of cutting out pump
tubing is expeditious. Formerly the work
was done by hand labour, and at that time
25 cents per foot were paid for the labour
alone, but now the price charged for pump
tubing, including both labour and material,
isjust5cents per foot. In this establish
ment, the Daniel's planing machine is used
expressly in the making of soutiding boards
for pianofortes. 1 have heard it said that the
Cremona fiddle is improved in tone by being
broken to pieces and glued together again.
Perhaps it is for a similar reason that the
sounding board of the pianoforte is compo
sed of comparatively small pieces of wood
glued together, aud are then planed very thin
and smooth, and it then appears as if only
one piece of wood had been used in the mak
ing of it. Various kinds of wood are here
used, but at the present time dark furniture
is considered the moit fashionable, and there
fore walnut is much used both for furniture
and picture frames It is considered very
injurious to health to be employed in working
this kind of wood, being so hard in its na
ture, the dust from it is of a very subtle
character. I perceived that in the woiking
of it the operator had to have a wet sponge
applied to his mouth and nostrils. The art
of veneering is now brought to such a high
degree of perfection, that from a plank of
walnut, one inch thick, twenty veneers can
be taken. The Yankees are so smart in this
kind of work that they even veneer pine
doors with hard wood, and cheat persons by
making theoi believe that the doors are en-
tiiely made ot' hard wood Wages are very
good in this department of labour. Only
recently one of the workmen here was offered
l,0U0 dols. a year, to be paid in gold, if he
would go to Quebec to lake charge of a re-
saw. Mr. Paul himself has ris?n from the
position of a labouring man. Fifteen years
ago hi commenced business for himself, his
whole sto^k of cash consisting of 200 dols,,
whioh enable I him to purchase machinery
sufficient to employ himself. Ou New Year's
day, 1866, his machinery alone was valued
at "80,000 d ds.
Jau 5.— Visited the Athenaeum newsroom,
where 1 saw the Horning Star, Daily News,
Journal des Debats, L'lndepeadance Beige,
L' Opinion Nalionule, Le Mo nil ear Universel,
and other European newspapers. In the
evening, at the Marlborough Hotel, I met
Mr. John G. Whittier, the anti-slavery poet,
aud lormerly editor of the National Era,
which for a number of years was published

94

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

at Washington. He was present at the first
anti-slavery convention he'd in 1833, aud
was one of the secretaries. What is very
remarkable is the lact that about two-thirds
of those who formed the first convention
thirty-three years ago, are still living. One
died not Ions; since, and was between 80 and
90 years of age. Some of the pioneers iu
the cause had to suffer much in the defence
of their principles. Dr. Crandall, a minister
of religion, was confined in prison at Wash
ington twelve months, for circulating a pam
phlet written by Mr. Whit tier, and he died
the week alter his release from prison. Pru
dence < randall, sister to Dr. Crandall. was
prosecuted lor teaching coloured people in
Connecticut. Mr. Whittier expressed a hope
that when [ reach Washington I should visit
the Friends' Mission. They have about 100
teachers now, but thousands of teachers are
needed now in the So ith. There is one
thing which can be said of Mr. Whittier,
whinh probably cannot be said of any oiher
person in the United States, and that is, that
he voted four times in favour of Mr. Lincoln
being president ot the United States. Twice
as a citizen he voted for him, and twice as a
meniber of the electoral college. He told me
that he had now in his possession the ksv of
the slave gaol at Richmond, and he intended
to preserve it as a relic of the dark days of
slavery. Jan. 6. — Had an interview with Dr.
Howe, of the Blind Asylum, and he kindly
gave me a note of admission to the institution
any day when [ was at liberty to attend.
There is only one day in the week when the
public are permitted to attend, and not even
then without having obtained a note of ad
mission, but Dr. Howe relaxed the rule on
my behalf, as it would not be convenient for
me to attend on the day set apart for the
public. Jan. 7, Sunday. — Attended the coloured
church, where there was a large congrega
tion. Saw a person from Kansas, with whom
I had a conversation respecting the condition
of the country.
Jan. 8. — 1 remember well the first time I
sailed upon the sea, which is now between
thirty and forty years ago. It was a pleasure
excursion to the Isle of Man. I had often
heard and read about the waves rolling
mountains high in a storm, and I felt a
secret wish to behold the sea in its grandeur
and sublimity. It was a fine bright day
when I left Liverpool, and there was pothing
to indicate that before the voyage was com
pleted I should witness what it was to be on
the raging sea in the midst of a dreadful
storm. A choir of singers connected with a

Methodist church in Manchester poured
forth their harmonious notes of praise, and
occasionally a fiddler amused himself and the
company by playing a lively air. Presently
a change came over the scene, for the wind
began to blow, the storm raged and the sea
was lashed into furv. The captain of the
steamer said it was the roughest passage he
bad ever experienced, and a passenger, who
had crossed the Channel eight times, said he
had never seen anything liks it before. The
voyag" from Liveipool to Douglas occupied
17J hours, although it is now generally ac
complished in five or six hours. I never
regretted having experienced one night's
tossing on lhe deep, for it produced impres-.
sions m'ich more powerful than any which I
could have experienced from reading a record
or listening to a tale. In like manner I had
ofteti read and heard of the extreme cold of
North America, and I conless I felt a strong
desire to experience what are the sensations
produced bv intense cold. The winter, on
tbe whole; thus far had been very mild, for it
was very rarely more cold than it usually is
in England, and sometimes for days together
there was a higher temperature than is
generally the case in Europe at this season of
the year. I was now about to be gratified by
a practical experiment of the sensations pro
duced by intense cold, for the mercury fell
sixty-one degiees in twenty-four hours, a
circumstance which was belie\ed to have had
no parallel iu the remembrance of any living
man. At an early hour this morning the
thermometer stood at twentv degrees below
zero, an intensity of cold which some persons
said had not occurred during the last sixty
years. I have been accustomed for some
time to wash every morning from head to toe
in cold water, and I was not willing to
relinquish the practice merely because of the
coldness of the morning. Kobert Bums, the
poet, wished the enemies of Scotland to have
a month's tooth-ache ; but I never experi
enced any toothache which would equal in
intensity o! suffering what I felt this
morning while undergoing the washing
process in a cold room, the first opera
tion being to break the ice, so that
literally it was washing with ice and water.
1 feel a difficulty in attempting to describe
what I experienced ; but it was something
like a great pressure being applied on all sides,
as if I was about to be squeezed into smaller
oompass. It seems to me that if such cold
ness could be produced at pleasure, it would
be a capital punishment for criminals,
although not in the sense in which that term
is usually employed. A basin ol milk was
not only frozen over, but it was frozen under,

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

95

for there was a thick ice at the bottom and
sides, and a little more exposure would have
made the milk a solid mass of ice, which
might have been carried in a person's pocket.
Persons who have never lived anywhere bnt
in Manchester can only form a very inade
quate conception of the change which intense
cold proiinces. I have known a lady's pocket-
han'lerchief to freeze while she had it in
her pocket. A splendid presentation bouquet,
consisting of camellias and other choice hot
house flowers, was firmly fastened to the
window panes by the Irost, so that it could
not be removed, A jug of water was placed
on a table having a marble top, and present
ly it whs frozen to such a degree that in at
tempting to remove the jug 1 was in danger
of pulling the table over, and the jug could
only be removed by softening the ice with
hot water, and this took place in a room
where there was fire in it. During a country
walk the moisture from my eyelashes con
gealed into ice, one piece of which was quite
as larg-i as a dozen pinheads, and my mous
taches were so entirely covered that I could
see the frost stand on my face like an iceberg.
When 1 told a gentleman what a walk I had
had, he expressed surprise that I should
have ventured out on such a dav, and re
marked that I must be iu a very vigorous
state of health or I could not have endured
it. His sou went out, but his ears became
frostbitten. Mr. Wells Brown told me that
a cart -driver had got trozen lo death, and I
saw (rum the newspapers that there was a
number of cases where the severity ot the
frost had proved fatal to human life. It is
seldom that the very severe cold lasts
more than a day or two at once, and then the
weather becomes quite enjoyab'e. To me it
is really delightful, for the electric condition
of the atmosphere is such that I sometimes
feel as it 1 should like to bound away into
a forest region, where there would be plenty
of scope for bodily exercise. The glowing
sensation produced by a country walk is to
me quite of a blissful character.
Boston, Jan. 8. — Iu the afternoon I
went to South Boston, to visit the Asylum
for the Blind. It is beautifully situated on
a lofty elevation, giving extensive land and
sea views. Originally it was a large hotel,
but it was a speculation which did not
answer, for it led to failure. The experiment
was tried a little too early, for if it had to be
built now it would prove a paying specula
tion, fer large hotels at present are much re
quired aud highly patronised. The Blind
Asylum oiigiuated f>y Mr. Perkins making a
presentation of the building, but it was situ
ated in the city, and afterwards thj presait

erection was purchased. Dr. S. G. Howe
has been connected with the establishment
thirty years, and has been exceedingly suc
cessful in the alleviation of some of the
worst evils which can afflict humanity. In
digent persons are admitted inmates to the
institution free of charge. Twenty-four
years ago Mr. Charles Dickens visited this
establishment, aud in his " American Notes"
he devotes moro than thirty pages to a de
scription of one case, but it is one which is
painfully interesting. In the introduction
Mr. Dickens says, " The thought occurred to
me as I sat down in another room, before a
girl blind, deaf, and dumb ; destitute of
smell, and nearly so of taste, before a fair
young creature with every human faculty,
and hope, and power of goodness and affec
tion, enclosed within a delicate frame, and
but one outward sense — the s nse of touch.
There she was, before me ; built up, as it
were, in a marble cell, impervious to any ray
of light, or particle of sound ; with her poor
white hand peeping through a chink in the
wall, beckoning to some good man for help,
that an immortal soul might be awakened.
Long before I looked upon her the help had
come. Her face was radiant with intelli
gence and pleasure. Her hair, braided by
her own hands, was bound about a head
whose intellectual capacity and development
were beautifully expressed in its graceful
outline and its broad open brow ; her dress
arrang d by herself, was a pattern of neat
ness and simp'icity ; the work she had knit-
ed lay beside her; her writing-book was on
the desk she leaned upon. From the
mournful ruin of such bereavement there
had slowly risen up this gentle, tender,
guileless, gratefil-hearted being." I will
briefly describe her case. Laura Bridgeman
is a native of New Hampshire, and was horn
in 1829. She became blind, and deaf, and
dumb, and her sense of smell was emirely
destroyed, and consequently her taste was
much blunted. Dr. Howe heard of her and
went t> see her, aud she was removed to the
institution iu 18.17. He first began to give
her a knowledge of arbitrary signs, by which
she could interchange thoughts with others,
and this he did by means of labels printed
in raised letters. Afterwards metal types
were prepare I, and she was instructed to
select the letters which would compose the
word require d. Then she acquired the ability
t ) represent the different letters by the posi
tion ot her finger's. She acquired a know
ledge of the manual alphabet very rapidly.
When she had been at the institution twelve
mouths, Dr. Howe reported concerning her :
" It has been ascertained, be) otid the possi-

9Q

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

bility of a doubt, that she cannot see a ray
of light, cannot hear the least sound, and
never exercises her sense of smell, if she
have any. Thus her mind dwells in dark
ness and stillness as profound as that of a
dark tomb at midnight. Of beautiful sights
and sweet sounds, and pleasant odours, she
has no conception ; nevertheless, she seems
as happy and playful as a bird or a lamb;
and the employment of her intellectual facul
ties, or the acquirement of a new idea, gives
her a vivid pleasure which is plainly marked
in her expressive features She never seems
to repine, but has all the buoyancy and gaiety
of childhood. She is fond of fun and frolic,
and, when playing with the rest of the child
ren, her shrill lauyh sounds loudest of the
group." If the Massachusetts Asylum for
the Blind has never been rendered service
able to any other of its numerous inmates,
the case of Laura Bridgman will always stand
as a monument to its honour— as an evidence
of what intelligence, benevolence, and per
severance can effect in the alleviation of
human woe. When I entered the establish
ment, Dr. Howe invited me into the concert
hall, and there I found a blind gentleman
weating spectacles, engaged in giving a music
lesson to the other inmates. They sang a
number of anthems very nicely indeed, and
on the conclusion I considered it right that I
should compliment the teacher for the very
efficient manner in which his pupils had gone
through iheir lesson. He replied, " Well,
we manage to have a good time." Dr Howe
told me he would be glad if I would visit the
institution on some other occasion, as many
of the inmates were not then pursuing their
usual avocations. They had introduced into
the institution whatever they thought was
good in English establishments of a similar
character, and he thought that in some things
they had excelled the English. As I was
wishful to see this model institution under
its most favourable aspects,! told Dr. Howe
that it would affoid me pleasure, before
leaving Boston, to visit the establishment
again, aud I should be particularly pleased
to have an opportunity of seeing Laura
Bridgman, with whose hiitory I had become
faniiliar. He said that Laura was notalwajs
an inmate now, for her parents were in good
circumstanc s in New Hampshire, and fre
quently had her at home with them, although
slid liked best to be at the institution. It
happened, however, that she was then at the
ins itutiou, and when 1 came again I might"
see her. on my return to the city, I walked
at a very quick pace, in order to keep up a
glow of animation, lor the cold was so intense
that I imagined that I felt the wind penetrate.

through the leather of my boots. In the
evening I attended a meeting in Joy-street
Church, called for tbe purpose of adopting a
petition in favour of negro suffrage.
9th Jan. — Went to the Bostou Athenseum,
a beautiful building 1 14 feet long. The land
on which it is erected cost 55,000 dollars, and
the building cost 136,000 dollars. The
value of the entire property of the Athenaeum
is said to be 485,000 dollars. To the library
two thousand volumes are added every jear,
at an expense of 5.00' > dollars. The gross
yearly expenses are 12,000 dollars. In look
ing over the list of benefactors, I found that
six persons had bequeathed what was equal
to 1 16,000 d rllars. In the evening, went to
Faneuil Hall, to be present at a great meet-
ins for the benefit of soldiers and siilors who
had been injured in the late war. A national
bazaar was being held in the hall, the object
of which was to raise 100,000 dollars on be
half of the Mariners' Exchange, a rallying
point for seamen when in port, containing a
reading-room, &c , and where free instruction
is given in navigation ; also to provide a
naval house or hotel, for seamen in the
United States' navy ; to assist in supporting
the Quincey Home for the Friendless ; and to
give temporary relief to soldiers and sailors
in distress. The hall was beautifully deco
rated with pictures, flags, &c. After exam
ining Healey's large historical picture of
" Webster in reply to Hayne, against Nullifi
cation," which cost 5.000 dollars, 1 was
inspecting a large hieroglyphical representa
tion of the " Cradle of Liberty," wheu a
person from Lancashire came to converse
with me. I did not know him at the time,
but he knew me very well, an 1 after a mutual
explanation I recollected that the last time I
had previously seen him was on board the
ship ''Dreadnought'' at Liverpool, in which
he was about to sail to America, and he then
told me that the whole of the tnonev which
he possessed in the worl I was ona halfpenny.
I was glad to see that his appearance, and
apparently his circumstances, had greatly
improved. The bazaar had quite a number
of attractive features.
One of the most zealius promoters of the
undertaking was Mrs. Mitchell, an Indian lady,
a lineal descendant of Massasoit and " King
Philip," of the tribe of '¦ Wampariauog," or
otherwise called " Pockonnocket." It was at
this p'ace where I first saw a thorough-bred
bloodhound. I am told that it was cus ommy in
the Southern states for the slaveho ders to
puncture their slaves on their arms till the
blood came, and then let their bloodhounds
smtll at it, and t'len if those slaves ran away -,
the dogs would be able to track them iu the

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97

woods by the smell. The name of the dog
I saw was " Hero," and a most formidable
animal he was. When the rebellion broke
out, Hero was selected by the keeper of
Castle Thunder Prison, at Richmond, for the
purpose of guarding Union prisoners, and
it is said that he well perfoimed the duty.
He is of a very ferocious disposition, never
making friends with anyone, not even with
his keeper. He takes his food with a sullen
look, and as soon as fed turns away with a
growl. To domesticate him is impossible.
His proportions are enormous, measuring
seven feet from tip to tip, and upon his ar
rival he weighed 204 lbs. At all times his
keeper is obliged to keep him double chained
and muzzled. When at Richmond, auotlier
dog was kept along with Hero, but it hap
pened that the dead body of a woman was
placed in an out-building awaiting interment,
and it was supposed that the dogs scented
the body, and the companion of Hero jum
ped through a window to get to it, but was
caught by the neck in a noose, and its
weight was so great that it drew the cord
tight, and the dog was strangled. — The pub
lic meeting was largely attended, the Rev.
Phineas Stowe occupying tbe chair, and the
audience was addressed by Mr.- Hamlin, for
merly vice-president of the United States,
and other gentlemen. — As an evidence of
the rapid changes of the weather in this
country, may be mentioued the fact that, ac
cording to the thermometer, the temperature
was 22- higher to-day than it was yesterday.
Jan. 10. — Again visited the Massachusetts
Asylum for the Blind, at South Boston.
Saw some of the inmates reading history and
. geography by means of raised letters. The
library contains 2,000 volumes, all in the
raised characters, but the various works
would not be so numerous as they would be
if printed iu the ordinary type. For instance,
I saw that tr.e Scriptures were printed in
eight volumes, six for the Old Testament,
and two for the New Testament- I was
shown into the printing room, where the
types are set up, but there was no compositor
at work at the time. About twenty of the
rooms are devoted to musical purposes, there
being twenty-six pianofortes, and one organ.
The pupils are taught to tune as well as to
play, and the instruments are frequently put
out of tune in order to give more work in
putting them into tune again. In the work
rooms they were busy bottoming chairs and
making brooms. From some of the upper
rooms there were splendid land and sea views.
I could see Dorchester Heights, Boston,
East Boston, Charlestown, Cambridge, and
other places very distinctly. I saw Mr.

Campbell, the blind music master, and found
him to be a very interesting and intelligent
person. He had been eight years in tho es
tablishment. He said what appeared to me
very strange, for he said that the blind enjoyed
beautiful flowers as much as other people: I
could quite understand that they would ap
preciate the fragrance as hghly as other
people, hut had no idea that they could
enjoy beautiful forms and colour, yet he
assured me that this was the case. 1 asked
him how they could distinguish beautiful
colours, aud he admitted that they could only
know that they were beautiful from what
others said about them, but then they prized
the flowers more after having heard them
praised, so that beautiful colours gave more
pleasure to the blind. I could scarcely be
convinced of fhe soundness of his philosophy
on this point, for it appeared that it was the
testimony of others, rather than the colour
ing of the flowers which afforded pleasure.
He told me that he bad himself cultivated a
beautiful garden, making the ornamented
flower beds, and putting in the plants himself,
aud took pleasure in the work. He even
planted the fruit trees, but it took him longer
to do the woik than it would a person who
had the power of vision, because it was
more labour for him to measure distances.
lhe gymnasium never afforded him pleasure,
but he could use a saw, or he could go out
skating, aud find it a pleasant exercise. I
was taken to the workshops, which are situ
ated a short distance from the institution, and
here 1 saw various occupations carried on,
especially that of stuffing cushions with palm
leaves. I wjnt into the play grounds, and
saw the boys diverting themselves with
coasting. It was truly wonderful how
they could avoid hurting each other
while at play, they seemed to ex
ercise themselves with so much freedom. I
went into the bath-room, and was much
pleased with the arrangements. At five
o'clock eveiy morning each boy has to have
a pluuge over head in cold water, but the
bath-room is always a little warm in winter
by means ot hot air being forced into it.
Each boy has a towel for hijnself, and they
are placed in such* order that one boy is not
permitted to take the towel belonging to
another. The clothing for each person is ar
ranged in a similar manner. In the summer
season the boys bathe in the sea when it is
near high tide, and they enjoy it very much.
In conversing with Mr. Campbell respecting
Laura Bridgman, he told me that she was
perfectly destitute of the power of sound, but
she had a consciousness of vibration, and
when a drum was sounded in her presence

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

she said she felt it in her feet. On going
into the concert hall it was pleasurable to
mark the variations of countenance when
anything of a lively and animating character
was sung. One young man sang beautifully,
" From countries far away I come/' the
music master accompanying him on the
piano Several pieces were sung by the
whole company in a very excellent manner.
Notwithstanding the coldness of the weather,
all the rooms were made comfortable, or per
haps I ought to say a little too warm, for I
observed that the thermometer in the concert
hall indicated 78% or summer heat. The
large organ contained 56 stops. I felt it to
be a sad but somewhat interesting sight to
gaze on the countenances of such a large
number of blind people, and witness the
variations of expression when the face was
lighted up with joy or otherwise. The
matron introduced me to Laura Bridgman,
with whom I bad a conversation by mens of
the manual alphabet. She is now in the
36lh year of her age, has a pleasant expres
sion of countenance, and appeared to be
pleased to be introduced to me. The follow
ing colloquy took place : —
" Are >ou a stranger ?"
" Yes, from near Manchester, England."
" For what purpose did you come to
America?" '' To see the country and gain knowledge."
" Have vou seen the Queen of England ?"
" Yes."'
" Is there a King of France ?"
" No, but there is an Emperor."
" Is he a good man ?"
" There is a difference of opinion respecting
him, some persons belie\ing him to be good,
but others think the reverse."
" Dr. Howe is the best king here, for every
one loves him. Do jyou know Mr. Charles
Dickens ?"
" Not personally, but I have read his
works." " Mr. Dickens gave me a nice little broom
to brush my bonnet, and it is very nice yet.
I remember Miss Bremer, she gave me a
nice lilt: e book, "The Neighbours," but I
have lost it. Perhaps it is somewhere in the
house. When did you leave England ?"
" In August last."
" Are you fat. For I have been told that
Englishmen have five meals a day. A friend
of mine told me so.''
" Rather corpulent "
" Why is it that the Americans are gen
erally so thin !"
"The climate of America is more stimu
lating than that of England, and this is
supposed to bo the reason."

Laura appeared to take much pleasure
in the conversation, frequently laughing, and
showing an affectionate regard for the matron.
She spoke by means of her fingers more
rapidly than the matron was able to read.
it is believed that she has at present a little
scent and a Uttle taste. Dr Howe is of
opinion that s-he might even be taught to
exercise the organs of speech, but it would
now require much time to be devoted to her,
and if the attempt had been made at an
earlier period of lile, it would probably have
been more successful- There are at present
128 inmates of the institution, and 93 pupils
attending the schools. I was very much
interested w>tn my visit to this establishment.
On my return, 1 visned Dorchester Heights,
which weie fortified by Washington at the
time when the English occupied Boston,
during the American war for independence.
lhe battle which was expected never took
place. Boston, Jan. U. — Visited this day the
pianoforte manufact rry of Messrs. Chicker-
ing and Sons, the largest establishment of the
kind in the United btates certainly, and pro
bably the largest in the world. I am told
that, when the premises were first erected,
they were tbe largest structure in the United
States, the national buildings at Washing-
tou alone excepted. The frontage is 254ft.
by 2o2tt. in depth, covering an area of
52,0()0tt., and enclosing a square in the cen
tre of 28,000ft. The building. is five storeys
high in front, and six in the rear, and re
quired for its erection 3,000,000 of bricks,
aud 1,650,000 feet of timber. If the floors
were reduced to au area, they would cover six
acres of ground. There are 900 windows,
containing 1 1 ,000 lights. The gas and steam
pipes, if placed in a straight line, would ex
tend eleven miles. The steam engine for
driving the machinery is 150 horses' power.
'I here are about 300 emploved, turning out
thirty-five pianofortes per week. Such is a
mult urn in parvo description of the world-
famed piauo manufactory of Messrs. Chick-
eriug and Sons, the productions of which
have by their excellence made an addition
to the world's stock of phrases, for "equal
to Chickering " is now the recognised style
of expression when it is intended to give an
idea of something particularly good. But
the above description only relates to that
portion of the premises where there is
machinery in motion, for there is another
building which I did not visit, where I am
told that there is nothing going on except
what can be accomplished by hand power.
Again, in additiou there are the sale rooms
in Washington-street, situated more than a

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

99

mile distant from the works, but are con
nected by a telegraphic communication, so
that if a purchaser required a piano such as
was not in the warehouse stock, a telegraphic
message would bring the identical article
required in a few minutes. Mr. George
Harvey Chickering passed with me through
the worjfcs, and in the most courteous man
ner possible explained to me the whole of
the operations, so far as time would permit.
I told him it would be interesting to me to
commence at the very earliest stage, and
proceed through all the gradations, until
the piano is fitted for the music hall or
the lady's parlour. He accordingly took
me to see the immense heaps of pine,
maple, whitewood, chestnut, oak, spruce,
walnut, mahogany, rosewood, &c, which
appeared in their most rough and uninviting
aspect. Circular saws of various sizes
were engaged in working up these rough
materials into their proper dimensions.
These were then removed into the seasoning
rooms, where the temperature, winter and
summer, is always kept at about 90 degrees.
I was then taken by steam power one storey
higher in the building, by means of a large
hoist, capable of raising or lowering the
largest-sized piano. I think this was called
the skeleton room, for here it was that the
piano began to assume its recognised form,
and although these early stages afford the
smallest degree of pleasure to the casual
investigator, yet they are in fact of the
greatest importance to the perfection of the
instrument, for I am told that there is a
strain upon the " wrest plank," equal to
fourteen thousand pounds, from its tense
strings. Unless, therefore, the frame work
be made very strong, it appears reasonable
to suppose that a superior instrument can
not be produced. Again I was raised by
steam power to another, and another, and
another storey higher, until I had passed
through the different rooms where the saw
ing, planing, cutting, frame building, draught
ing, veneering, pattern making, varnishing,
polishing, action making, stringing, adjust
ing, &c, are carried on, and where the
workers in wood, and bone, and ivory, and
iron, and brass, and — I was going to say
silver, but I check my pen, for I do not
remember seeing any operations in silver,
although there was a little in gold — were
busily engaged in the exercise of skill and
industry, to change the rough, unsightly
raw material into forms of beauty; to change
those huge logs in the lumber yard into
pleasing specimens of art, in which are
combined beauty, and strength, and light
ness, and arrangement, and utility, and

durability ; to produce instruments the har
mony of whose sweet sounds shall be a
verification of the poet,
Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.
It is only 106 years since the pianoforte was
invented, for it succeeded the harpsichord,
the virginal, and the spinnet. Yet the
Chickering firm has manufactured, during
the last forty-two years, no fewer than 29,000
pianos, and fifty-five prize medals have been
awarded as first premiums over all competi
tors. In this establishment the principle of
division of labour is carried out as nearly to
perfection as I have seen it anywhere, and
here I may remark that it is impossible to
carry out this principle with advantage ex
cept on a large scale. To attempt it by
very limited means would be imitating the
conduct of the Irish lad, who, having heard
people speak about sleeping on feather beds,
thought he would like to know how he would
feel in a feather bed, and decided he would
first try it by sleeping on a single feather.
It is in consequence of large means that
the Messrs. Chickering are enabled to carry
out the principle of division of labour, for
I understand that they have generally about
seven hundred pianos in different stages of
work, and that it takes about three or four
months from the commencement of a piano
before it is completed. Much time is doubt
less consumed between the different opera
tions, for each instrument has to receive no
less than six different coats of varnish.
This is the only factory in America where
the action is made on the premises, and
therefore this also must increase the time
and labour usually required. The following
details will give some idea of the relative
proportions required of the raw material : —
The Messrs. Chickering have used in a
single year no less than 600,000ft. of pine,
maple, and oak ; 85,000ft. of black walnut,
200,000ft. of pine for packing-cases, 20,000ft.
of spruce for sounding boards, 300,000ft. of
rosewood veneers, 30,000ft. of chestnut
veneers, 30,000ft. of walnut veneers, and
12,000ft. of oak veneers. They have used in
one year 17,0001bs. of glue, 60 reams of sand
paper, 1,750 gallons of varnish, l,2001bs.
of white lead, 3 barrels of linseed oil, 12
barrels of spirits of turpentine, 1 5 barrels of
alcohol, 300,0001bs. of iron castings,
3,3001bs. of brass castings, 20,6001bs. of
iron wire, 5,0001bs. of steel wire, 3,6001bs.
of brass wire, 5001bs. of bar steel, 3,0001bs. of
wrought bar iron, 14,000 pairs of hinges,
3,150 gross of screws, 2,000 locks, 8,000
castors, and 2,000 sets of ivory. They use
about 2,000 tons of coal in a year, and about
30,000 gallons of-water per day. In this

100

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

establishment may be seen twenty-eight dif
ferent styles of the piano, some of which are
very elegant, while others are comparatively
plain. The workmen are exceedingly expert
in the different manipulations, an effect
which may easily be anticipated when it is
known that some of them had spent twenty
or thirty years in one department of labour.
I was particularly struck in observing what a
mere momentary work it was to fix a string
in a piano. The workmen appeared to be of
the better class, being generally well dressed
and good-looking. Some of them took a
conspicuous part in the late war, following
the example of the head of the firm, the
eldest brother, who became colonel of the
41st Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers.
Later in the day I had an interview with
the Mayor of Boston, Mr. F. W. Lincoln,
who has just been elected to the office for
the seventh time, and he is the sixteenth
mayor of Boston. He willingly gave me all
the information I required, and invited me to
call and see him on my return from the South,
which I promised to do. He appears to be
well fitted for the office he holds, and is very
highly respected by the city. In England
the honour of holding the highest municipal
office is considered sufficient compensation,
but in the United States the people are suffi
ciently generous to attach a liberal salary, for
the present mayor receives 4,000 dols. a year.
The net expenditure on account of the
ordinary business of the city for the past year
was greater by 2,016,399 dols. than it was in
the year previous, and this was in conse
quence ef the higher salaries paid to officials,
and the increased premium paid for gold. The
net expenditure for the year on account of
the Southern rebellion was 417,004 dols.,
which, added to the expenses of previous
years, amounts to 2,573,504 dols., which the
Southern rebellion had cost the city. The
extraordinary expenses have been increased
by the erection of the City Hall, which cost
2,94,262 dols , and also the erection of a City
Hospital, at a cost of 349,960 dols. Last
year the payment for newspapers and adver
tising amounted to 2,684 dols. The cost of
ringing eight bells in different parts of the
city, to denote the hours of the day was
640 dols., and for winding and regulating all
the public clocks 406 dols. The cemetery
expenses for the year were 5,088 dols.
These expenses show with what liberality
the people of Boston pay for everything
which is done. The salary of the superin
tendent of Boston Common, the Publio
Garden, and the Public Square, 1,200 dols. a
year, and the entire year's cost of the Com
mon is 8,514 dols., but this includes the cost

of food for the deer, ducks, and swans.
Large as this expenditure is, I believe it is
paid without grumbling, for all the people
share the advantages.- The fence alone
which is placed round this common cost
100,000 dols. The common consists of 48
acres of land, and was set apart 230 years
since, and by a clause in the city charter it
is made the public property for ever. The
city cannot sell it, nor change its character.
There are about 1 ,300 large ornamental trees
on this common. It was here, in '1740, where
Whitfield, the associate of John Wesley,
preached his farewell sermon to acongregation
of 20,000 people. Whitfield would be well
adapted to preach before such an audience,
for he had a voice which could be heard a
mile. The total expenditure for the last
year was 10,974 dols. for the improvements
of the public garden. On the public squares
were expended 2,233 dols. Theexpenditure
for celebrating the eighty-eighth anniversary
of the independence of the United States on
the 4th of July, was for fireworks, 1,700 dols.;
music, 1,862 dols. ; balloons, 1,057 dols. ;
advertising programme in newspapers, 710
dols. ; bell-ringing, 46 dols. ; which with
other incidentals formed a total expenditure
for the day, which the city of Boston had to
pay, of 15,606 dols A city government
harbour excursion cost 1,088 dols. The ex
penses attending the reception and entertain
ment of Rear-Admiral Lessoffsky and the
officers of the Russian fleet amounted to
19,627 dols. The inspection of milk cost
1,148 dols. The city had to pay the expenses
of the Public Library for the year, amounting
to 36,106 dols. The city police expenses
for the year were 340,821 dols Truant
officers, being four policemen who are em
ployed to look after truant children, each
received 1,000 dols. for the year. Instructors
at the grammar schools received during the
year 243,603 dols , and for the primary
schools 128,827 dols. The total amount of
the city expenditure, in all the departments,
for the past year was 7,470,838 dols., which,
in English money, would amount to
£1,558,299, lis. 8d. The local taxation
must be very great indeed to cover such an
annual expenditure, in a city which is only
about two-thirds the size of Manchester. I
think the rigid economist would mak e a
searching scrutiny to see if the expenditure
could not be reduced. If the cost of main
taining the public and private charities of
Boston could be ascertained, and added to
the above amount, it would probably show
that the people of Boston are liberal beyond
all comparison with any other city on the face
of the globe, and this appears to be the general

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101

testimony of all that I have heard speak on
the question. I never knew a place where
charitable institutions abounded so much,
and were supported with such munificence ;
yet the people generally seem happy and
contented, and are proud of their city,
which can afford to dispense its bounty
with a liberal hand. The present valua
tion or real and personal estate shows
an increase in Boston as compared with
what it was before the war of 55,588,900
dols. During the last ten years there has
been an increase of 46 per cent of the total
valuation of the taxable, real and personal
estates, which did not include property
owned by the city. The State tax last year
was 5,670,800 dols., of which, the portion
which the city of Boston had to pay was
592,501 dols. During the last year, the
average attendance of children at the pub
lic schools was 27,055. The salaries paid
to teachers amounted to 372,430 dols,
averaging a cost of 1 3 dols. for each scholar
during the year, being a larger sum than
was ever paid during the eleven previous
years- The incidental expenses amounted
to 180,734 dols, being 6 dols. for each
child, so that the educational cost of each
child attending the public schools in Boston
is about ls. 6d. per week. Boston being
the birthplace of Dr. Benjamin Franklin,
he showed his attachment to the city by
leaving in his will £1,000, to be loaned in
sums of not more than £60, nor less than
£ 15, to one applicant, at 5 pei cent interest,
to be repaid in annual instalments of ten
per cent. each. Ihese loans are lestricted
to young married artificers, who have faith
fully served an apprenticeship in Boston, so
as to obtain a certificate of good moral char-
-acter. In consequence of the fund having
accumulated by the addition of interest, it
now amounts to £21,282 13s.
ln the afternoon I visited the State House,
and the State legislature being in session,
I was introduced to the House of repre
sentatives by the Hon. Mr. Baker, of
Beverley, one of the members. The house
consists of 240 members, and as this was the
day for the election of Sergeant-at-Arms,
there was a very large attendance. The
vote is always taken by ballot when an
officer has to be elected. There were only
two candidates for the vacancy, but it was
evident there had been a considerable
amount of canvassing. Mr. Stone was the
speaker of the house. I also visited the
senate, which consists of forty members.
Mr. Joseph A. Pond was the president. The
citizens' gallery was about the same size as
the strangers' gallery in the British House

of Commons. But what a difference in the
regulations of the two places. In England,
if a person took out his note-book to write
down a remark, he would be instantly checked.
as writing is not allowed. In America, a
person may write anything he pleases, and
no one will interfere with his liberty. In
the Senate, the members addressed the presi
dent, and he in return mentioned the name
of the senator, and the place he represented,
It was announced that a messenger had
arrived from the governor. The President
ordered that he should be admitted. The
messenger then delivered his message, and
the Senate proceeded to take action upon it.
Each senator had a separate chair and desk,
and all the appointments were as complete
as possible, and amongst the rest, I observed
the inevitable spittoon. After some business
bad been transacted, both the Senate and the
House adjourned till the following Monday.
I listened attentively to the speeches, and
observed everything which took place, for in
England it was represented to me that the
ablest of the citizens would not take office,
and consequently, the legislature was filled
with persons of small ability. The impres
sion produced on my mind from what I
witnessed was, that the members of both
branches of the legislature were men of
strong common sense, and although I
heard no great display of eloquence,
I was satisfied that both houses consisted
of practical business-like men. At night I
attended a meeting of the Temple of
Honour, when a delegation was in attend
ance from Providence, Rhode Island, and
the meeting was addressed by General
Cowdin, Major Jones, and other gentlemen.
Jan. 12. — Proceeded to Gloucester, Cape
Ann, and was met at the station by Professor
Henry C. Wright, who had made special
arrangements for my comfort. I had formed
an acquaintance with him more than twenty
years ago, when he visited England. He
is the author of a number of works which
have become extensively circulated, and,
amongst the rest, one which was entitled
" Six months at Graefenburg," but I believe
it is now out of print. I have been told
that his writings were chiefly instrumental
in the introduction of hydropathy into
America. He told me that the remem
brance of England was still very dear to
him, and he was contemplating another visit.
He is now far advanced in life, but I do
not discover much difference either physic
ally or mentally, as compared with what he
was twenty years ago.
Jan. 13. — Went to Boston to attend a
great meeting in Faneuil Hall. Arrange-

102

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

ments had been previously made to have
speakers from every quarter of the globe.
Judge Russell had consented to represent
America, but in consequence of a severe
cold, which had produced hoarseness, he
was not able to speak, and had therefore sent
a letter of apology. Another gentleman took
his place. Asia was represented by a China
man, and Africa by a negro minister. I was
appointed to represent Europe, and as the
occasion was one of a patriotic character, I
was requested to speak on the relation
which England sustained in connection with
the late American struggle. I defended the
British government against the charge of
having aided the rebel cause — a charge
which almost every American I have heard
speak on the question delights to urge. I
contended that, although there might be
found Englishmen who had aided the rebel
cause by supplying arms, lending money,
breaking the blockade, and sending out ships
of the Alabama character, yet England as a
nation, had been strictly neutral, and those
English newspapers which had represented
that nine-tenths of the people were in favour
of the Southern Confederacy, had been
guilty of gross exaggeration. I was wishful
that the future policy of the two countries
should be of a fraternal character, and de
precated war as one of the worst evils which
could possibly happen. The audience listened
with the most marked attention, but there
was evidently one person present who was not
well pleased with the remarks, for he called
out with a strong voice, and apparently in
an excited state. "What about the Fenians?"
He was immediately checked, and no further
disturbance was attempted. I was told that
Mrs. Harrison Otis was present, a lady who
had done more on behalf of the United
States soldiers than any other lady in the
commonwealth of Massachusetts. Count
Schwabe invited me to pay him a visit at the
State House, which I promised to do. The
gentleman who sat next to nle on the plat
form, was a perfect giant sort of a man, who
stood seven feet eight inches high, and
weighed 4021b. It has been said that he was
so strong, that he was capable of lifting a ton ;
but as 1 never saw such a feat accomplished,
I do not vouch for the accuracy of suoh a
statement. Boston, Jan. 14 (Sunday).— Attended
service at tbe First Baptist Mariner's
Church this morning, and in the afternoon
went to Dr. Neale's church, which is situate
near to the State House. It is a beautiful
vshurch, and has the highest spire in the
city. I was told that it is a very costly
structure, the spire being entirely oovered

with copper to preserve it from decay. Dr.
Cushman, a lineal descendant of Mr. Cush
man, one of the Pilgrim Fathers, was
present at tea, and the conversation was of
a very interesting character. Dr. Cushman
is a relative of Miss Cushman, the cele
brated actress, who is well known in
England. During the conversation, a
gentleman abruptly entered the room,
and said he had no apology to offer for
the intrusion, for 275 shipwrecked passengers
had just arrived in a state of destitutiou ;
some were dead, and some were supposed to
be dying, and it was necessary that imme
diate relief should be given. He requested
that pens and paper should be immediately
provided, and every one should commence
writing out copies of a notice which had
been written by Judge Russell, in order that
he (the messenger) might, in accordance with
instructions from the mayor, take a carriage
and drive through the city, leaving a copy
of the notice at each church, to be read by
"the minister, requesting clothing and other
necessaries to be supplied that evening, or
any time up to nine o'clock the following
morning. In the meantime, efforts were
made to render the distressed emigrants as
oomfortable as possible. A carriage deposi
tory in Haymarket Square was offered for
their reception ; stoves were taken from
different establishments in the town, and
the premises were soon made quite warm,
although it was a bitter cold uight. Such ,
of the passengers as were in a very weakly
condition were conveyed to the hospital, and
those who were unable to walk in consequence
of having been frost-bitten, were taken in
hackney coaches One child died while in
its mother's arms, immediately on reaching
the wharf, and it was supposed that the
mother would not long survive. I went to
Haymarket Square to see the sufferers, and
found them iu a most deplorable condi
tion. Many of them were fast asleep, the
effect of loug exposure to the cold. They
had very little clothing, and the probability
was that if they had not arrived this day,
many of them would have been frozen to
death, as the weather became much colder
than usual. There were two persons from
Manchester, and the rest were chiefly Irish.
One of them had two infants (twins), and
it was most distressing to hear the wailing
of the sufferers. The passengers for nearly
a fortnight had only been each allowed a
pint of water and a biscuit per day. I was
requested to announce the disaster at the
coloured church, and on doing so I observed
a number of persons leaving the place, and I
thought they would probably go to relieve

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103

the passengers. It was truly surprising with
what alacrity the people of Boston responded
to the call of charity, for in a few hours the
mayor had received so much money that he
scarcely knew what to do with it ; and he
had absolutely to refuse to accept gifts which
were freely offered. The bundles of clothing
sent by the inhabitants were also in excess
of what was really required. An Irishman,
looking prospectively to his probable future
necessities, put on three pairs of trousers one
over another. All the sufferers were amply
provided with what was requisite for their
comfort, and those who were sufficiently
restored to health and strength to pursue
their journey, were provided with means to
take them to their destination, and those
who were sick were taken to the city hospital.
In one or two instances the exposure had
been too much, for, notwithstanding the
kindest treatment, they succumbed to the
hand of death. The merchants of Boston
held a meeting the morning following the
arrival of the passengers, and made a sub
scription among themselves amounting to
about twenty-two thousand dollars, for the
purpose of giving a substantial token of their
approval of the conduct of the captain and
crew of the barque Fredonia, in receiving
and treating with such kindness the passen
gers belonging to the ship Gratitude. The
captain was presented with 5,000 dols., the
mate 500 dols., each person belonging to the
crew 100 dols., and the rest was devoted to
cover the loss which had been sustained by
the throwing overboard of a portion of the
cargo of the Fredonia to make room for the
shipwrecked passengers. Nothing could
exceed the kindness which was manifested
towards the distressed, and I am told that
such liberality is quite characteristic of the
people of Boston. I was somewhat amused
with what I witnessed at the coloured church.
On the close of tbe service it was announced
that a collection would he made, and the
coloured minister, Mr. Johnson, said that he
knew if God had touched their hearts they
would in return touch their pockets. Just
at this moment a young man rose and pro
ceeded towards the door, and Mr. Johnson
observing him, said — " I am sorry to see
that young man go out without leaving half
a dollar. Come, give to the Lord, and you
will receive it back before Saturday night.
Gome, my sisters, come up. There, that is
right, a greenback has been given, bless the
Lord. That's right, bless that young man;
he is a young soldier. Now, Mary, how
much is it that you are giving ? It ought
to be half a dollar. There is a fast young
man there who wants to come up." A con

siderable number of the congregation came
forward one after the other to place in the
box their contributions, and when all had
oome forward who desired to do so, Mr.
Johnson announced that,- as there might be
some who had not courage to come forward
with their contributions, the box would be
sent round, and he hoped that all would give.
He liked to see people put their hands in
their pockets quickly, and not be so slow
about it. He hoped that they would all sign
a petition in favour of negro suffrage, for
this would be a better way of putting down
the rebels than to do it by an army. The
negroes were fooled during the late war, but
it was probable fthat the negroes would fool
the white people next time. I never heard
on any previous occasion a public congrega
tion addressed in such a direct manner.
15th Jan. — Dined, by invitation, with
Count Schwabe in Boston. Enjoyed very
much the cheerful and interesting conversa
tion. Speaking of noble instances of self-
sacrifice during the late American war, he
told me that he knew a person whose
income was 150,000 dols., who enlisted
into the army as a private soldier, and
during one part of the service he had to
carry the mails in his knapsack eight miles
per day, a duty which he performed eight
months in succession. Another person he
knew who, on reaching twenty-one years of
age, had to receive a fortune of 300,000
dols., yet, although he was so rich, he
entered the army as a private soldier, and
was made into a drummer. Count Schwabe
himself had entertained at one time a whole
regiment at his own expense. After dinner,
Mr. Baxter, one of the members of the
House of Representatives, took me to the
State House, to show me what he consi
dered would be likely to interest a stranger.
He introduced me to Mr. Olivor Warner,
secretary of state; Mr. S. C. Jackson, state
librarian; Mr. David Pulsifer, an author,
and several other gentlemen. Here are the
offices of the adjutant-general, secretary of
state, sergeant-at-arms, auditor, treasurer,
state cabinet, hoard of agriculture, public
land commissioners, tax commissioners,
president of the senate, secretary of the
commonwealth, speaker of the House of
Representatives, executive department, &c.
I was shown the original charter granted by
Charles I in 1628. The library contains
about 24,000 volumes, and as there are here
deposited all the state documents ©f every
state in the Union, they are frequently
resorted to for purposes of reference. In
the agricultural department is a full collec
tion of birds, shells, quadrupeds, minerals,

104

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

insects, and reptiles of Massachusetts. This
is a very useful collection, for it contains
nothing but what has been found in the
state. If a farmer finds his fruit trees,
corn, or vegetables infested by any particular
insect, all that he has to- do is to take a
specimen, and he will be informed of its
name, habits, and how to get rid of the
pest. The gentleman in charge is well
acquainted with natural history, and takes
a great pleasure in exhibiting his remark
able specimens. While engaged in my
inspection, I was introduced to Mr. George
Julian Harney, who was a member of the
first Chartist Convention held at Birmingham
in 1839. For some years he was one of the
editors of the Northern Star newspaper.
He is well acquainted with Manchester and
some of its most influential citizens. I was
not previously personally acquainted with
him, but his name was quite familiar to me,
and I knew that he took an active part
amongst the Chartists between twenty and
thirty years ago. He seemed well pleased
to meet with a person from the neighbour
hood of Manchester, and strongly urged me
to take tea with his family, but my engage
ments would not permit me to do so. He
looked very well , was affable and cheerful,
and told me that he was an official in the
Secretary of State department. I was taken
to the Cupola of the State House, which
gave a most magnificent view of the surround
ing country. It has been said that the
beauty and advantages of the site of the
State House induced the legislature to make
choice of it, and both natives and foreigners
acknowledge that it vies with the most pic
turesque scenes of Europe, and will bear
comparison with the Castle Hill of Edin
burgh, the famous bay of Naples, or any
other most commanding prospect. Combin
ing- the advantages of suitable retirement,
a healthy situation, and delightful prospect,
with such elegant and very convenient apart
ments for the security of the records, and
for transacting other public business, there
is perhaps no public building to be found
within the United States more useful and
magnificent. Here may be seen the flags of
most of the regiments of the Massachusetts
volunteers, who during the past four years
have won renown, and have suffered on many
battle-fields, and upon long and weary
marches, in the cold of the iron winter, and
and in the heat of the leafy summer. Just
in front of the State House is Boston Com
mon, which may be styled the great breath
ing apparatus of Boston. In summer or in
winter these forty-eight acres of undulating
ground, green with grass, or white with

snow, constitute a favourite place of resort •
and when the noble trees that abound there
are thick with foliage, no more delightful
promenade than those broad avenues beneath
their interlacing boughs could well be ima
gined. After leaving the State House, I
delivered an address on temperance in the
Mariners' Church, which was well attended.
I was also present at a meeting held at the
Discharged Soldiers' Home. This institu
tion was established three years ago, chiefly
under the instrumentality of the Rev. Phineas
Stowe, one of the most laborious ministers
of Boston in works of general benevolence.
A gentleman provided the building at his
own expense, and the state offered to contri
bute 10,000 dols., provided that an equal
sum could be raised by private munificence.
The required amount was raised in fifteen
hours. The year after the state gave 10,000
dols. without restriction, and lastyear 20,000
dols. was granted. The place will accommo
date 130 persons, and jtis the first discharged
sailors' home which has ever been established
in the United States. His Excellency.the
Governor of Massachusetts and other gentle
men addressed the meeting.
Jan. 16. — Visited the Home for Little
Wanderers, a benevolent institution intended
for little children who are either houseless
orphans or are neglected and destitute. The
Rev. Mr. Tolls is the superintendent, and a
very suitable person he is for the place, for
he could tumble on the floor among the little
ones, and he seemed to be in as high glee as
any of the children. The fact is, he became
a child amongst the children, aud allowed
them to pull him about and romp just as they
pleased. Nevertheless, he had them in ex
cellent order and discipline, for a single word
was sufficient to command obedience. They
saug some part songs very nicely indeed, and
it was evident that great attention had been
bestowed to the development of their musical
powers. The premises were well fitted up
with dining rooms, washing and bathing
rooms, school rooms, sleeping rooms, and
everything which was requisite. In the
tower of the building, whioh is five storeys ,
high, there are seventeen rooms, with a gym- -
nasium at the top. I observed a peculiar
and yet a very beautiful arrangement in this
institution, for it appeared that many of the
christian churches in the city had each fur
nished a room in the building, and it seemed.
as if each had been determined to rival the
other in producing the neatest possible fur
niture. It was neither rich nor gaudy, but
so nice and prim that it challenged my ad
miration the moment a door was opened.
The superintendent kept a register of the

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105

children, giving name, age, sex, nationality,
colour, &c, and as far as possible tbe reli
gious creed of the parents. Legal documents
have to be signed by guardians, giving up
entire possession of the children to the insti
tution. When they are in a suitable condi
tion for removal, homes are provided for them,
but the^ are never allowed to go out as
servants, for whoever takes a child from this
establishment has to guarantee that it shall
be brought up as a son or a daughter, and
treated in all respects as such. If the child
be under four years of age, its mother or
father is never permitted to know where the
child is removed, because such children are
legally adopted, take the names of their foster
parents, aud can legally become heirs to their
property. In such cases it would sometimes
be attended by unpleasant consequences if
the real parents could discover where their
children have become located. In a few
days thirty children will be removed to Chris
tian homes, some of them hundreds of miles
away, and the chief portion of them into
the western states. More than 200 of the
children have been provided with separate
homes since last May. If the children be
more than four years of age, so as to have
become oonsoious of a mother's care, then
she is made acquainted with the place where
her child has been removed, and is permitted
to pay visits ; but if the mother be a drunk
ard, or addicted to other vices, they take care
to put the child out to such a distance that
it would be difficult for the mother to gain
access to it. The institution is entirely sup
ported by voluntary contributions, and there
is no cheese-paring policy adopted in its
management, for I believe the superintendent
receives 2,000 dols. a year as a salary, and
the janitor receives 300 dols. a year and his
maintenance. In Boston, the education of
all the children is well attended to. There
are truant officers stationed in different parts
of the city, who look after the children,
and if wandering about the cases are strictly
inquired into. If a mother does, not possess
ability decently to clothe her children so as
to fit them for school, then they are taken
from her and either sent to the Home for
Little Wanderers or are sent to the reform
school on Deer Island. The authorities will
not permit a vagrant population to rise up in
their midst, and no persons will be allowed
to bring up their children without educating
them. There are some instances where the
children are clothed and fed at the Home for
Little Wanderers, and yet they are permitted
to go home at night to sleep ; but these cases
are always strictly inquired into, for the
Boston people cannot endure to be imposed

on, although they are exceedingly benevolent
when there are real cases of distress which
can be relieved. While I was at the insti
tution, a person came to inquire if a little
child, which had been left at a door step un
provided for, could be admitted to the insti
tution, and he was told that it was a fit
subject for reception. I afterwards saw the
children at dinner, and very tiappy they
seemed to be. Each child sat in an arm
chair with long legs, so as to sit up to the
table with ease; and when anything was
wanted, the children were not permitted to
ask for it, but simply put up one finger, and
the person in attendance would supply what
was deficient. By this means everything
was managed with quietude and order. — In
the evening I attended the Music Hall to
listen to a lecture by the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher, on reconstruction. I was there
nearly half-an-hour before the time, yet
the vast hall was filled in every part,
although there was a charge for ad
mission of fifty cents for each person. It
was a beautiful sight to see so many people
assembled, and all dressed up as if it were
some holiday occasion. To relieve the tedium
of waiting, a lady gave an organ performance.
I was told that this was the largest organ in
the world, except one which is at Rome, but
of my own knowledge I am not able to vouch
for the fact, but it certainly is the largest
organ by far of any that I have yet seen. A
few minutes before the appointed time, Mr.
Beecher entered, and was received with
much cheering. When speaking on the
subject of education, he said that in Europe
it was considered most safe for men to be
well educated or not educated at all, but in
America the prevailing idea was that men
were safe just in proportion as they were
educated, for they thought that twilight was
much better than midnight. He was in
favour of education being improved and ex
tended, and believed that a pentecost was as
much needed for the shop and the farm as it
was for the church, and there was a pentecost
now, if they had only eyes to see it. As a
nation they had recently been working out
some sublime problems, for when the war
broke out, the capital of the banks of Massa
chusetts was larger in amount than all the
banks of the fifteen Southern states put
together. Those fifteen states were now in
shapeless ruin, and the South must either
re-construet herself or the North must do it
for her. Human rights was a national
doctrine. A rich man might wear fine
clothes, and a poor man might wear coarse
clothing, but in the workshop of liberty there
were no tailors that could make the difference.

106

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

With respect to the South, he contended that
if the negroes could not make progress by
free labour, they would never succeed by
artificial legislation. They ought to have the
rights of property, and be made equal with
others in the courts of law. He urged the
adoption of a conciliatory course in endea
vouring to re-construct the South, for they
could not expect that those who had been
put down by force would now kiss the hand
which had caused their overthrow. The
North had whipped the South, and the latter
ought now to be permitted to cry. The work
of freedom could not be perfected in a day,
and therefore they ought not to expect it. In
the South at the present time schools cannot
be opened except in places where they are
within sound of the bugle call of the regi
ments, and not a moment longer, for law in
Massachusetts and law in South Carolina
were two different things. He was in favour
of re-construction being accomplished without
the shedding of any more blood. — The
lecture was listened to with the deepest
attention. While Mr. Beecher was delivering his
lecture at Boston, the auction sale of the
sittings at his church at Brooklyn for the
ensuing year was going on, and realised the
sum of 41,594 dols., being an increase of
2,736 dols. as compared with the receipts of
the previous year. Mr. Theodore Tilton, the
editor of the Independent newspaper, who has
been for many years a seat- holder in Mr.
Beecher's church, happened to be away from
home when the sale took place, and he is now
unable to obtain a sitting because his was
sold, and he will therefore have to remain
twelve months without a sitting, and will
probably seldom be able to be present, for
even the seats in the aisles are sold ; there
fore Mr. Beecher has always a crowded con
gregation. Without doubt he is the most
popular minister in the United States.
Jan. 17. — Visited the Massachusetts state
prison, in compliance with an invitation I
had received from the Hon. Gideon Haynes,
the prison warder. I was glad to see such
excellent provision made for the mental and
moral improvement of the prisoners. There
were 1,500 volumes in the library, and many
of them were of a standard character. The
warder told me that that there was a prisoner
who was an Englishman, named James Wil
son. He had been sent to Botany Bay, as a
convict from England, and afterwards made
his way to America, but having broken into
the office of the city treasurer at Charles
town, near Boston, he was sentenced to be
confined four years in the state prison. On
the very day that the period of his confine

ment terminated, he killed a man in the prison
yard, for which he was tried, convicted., and
sentenced to be hung. Afterwards the
sentence was commuted to solitary confine
ment for life, because there was a difficulty to
discover any motive for the commission of
the crime, which rendered it probable that he
had done it while labouring under temporary
insanity. As I was an Englishman, the
warder said he would give me permission to
visit the prisoner in his cell, and when I
went and spoke to him, he seemed to be
pleased, and spoke of his early days in London,
England. I recommended him to spend the
remainder of his life in preparation for a-
higher state of existence, when he said that
this was the main thing that he attended to
now. I felt very sorry for the poor man, for
I thought that it must be a sad state of
suffering to be compelled to pass month after
month without conversing with a fellow-crea
ture; nevertheless I felt satisfied of the
justice and mercy which had been shown in
his case. I saw the prisoners go to dinner,
and was pleased to find that there was no
limitation in the quantity of food, for every
man took just as much as he liked, and each
man went into his own cell to eat his dinner.
All the prisoners are counted up three times
a day, so as to ascertain that all are there.
As they have to work hard, they are well fed,
for there is no punishment for crime here ex
cept confinement. When a prisoner has
completed bis time, he generally receives a
present in consideration of the value
of his work, and sometimes it amounts
to as much as one hundred dollars, for the
men are not kept at such work as picking
oakum, but perform various kinds of useful
labour, and succeed in not only supporting
themselves, but also paying the cost of
lighting and heating the prison, paying the
officers' salaries, and all other contingent ex
penses The warder told me that for the
present year, the earnings of the prisoners will
not be less than 80,000 dols. I was shown
a copy of " The Life of Christ," printed with
a pen, and beautifully executed. It was done
during spare moments, by a prisoner who
had been convicted for 15 years, on account
of forgery. He had also bound the volume
with wooden backs, which had a very neat
and substantial appearance. He presented
the volume to Mr. Haynes when he left the
prison. In England there would be an ob
jection against prisoners being permitted to
practise the various trades, under an impres
sion that it would operate injuriously to the
interests of others, but in America where
work is more plentiful, the objection is not
felt in the same-degree. Nevertheless, there

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107

was on one occasion, an objection taken by
the shoemakers, because it was alleged that
the prisoners would make the shoes at a
cheaper rate than themselves. Mr. Haynes
showed that the objection at the time was not
well founded ; for in the state of Massachu
setts there were 100,000 shoemakers, while
there were only 18 shoemakers in prison, and
the contract price was 2c. higher for those
made in prison than for those made outside ;
so that there was no real ground for the ob
jection taken, and it was not afterwards
repeated. I passed through the various
workshops, and saw the ironmoulders in the
foundry, the tailors, sawyers, chair-makers,
sofa-makers, carvers, upholsterers, brush-
makers, whip manufacturers, and others busy
at work in their different trades. The
parties who manufacture the whips are sup
posed to have the largest whip manufactory
in the world. Machinery is used in almost
all the different departments, for there are
three steam engines fully employed in driving
the machinery used in the different trades.
During the late war there were manufactured
in this prison alone, 150,000 iron bedsteads
for the hospitals. The prisoners are not al
lowed to converse with each other while at
work, nor are they permitted to leave the
bench where they are employed. If they are
in want of anything they put up a finger, and
the person in charge will go and supply what
is required. If any persons visit the prison
the men are not allowed to lift their heads to
look at them. On holiday occasions; which
are four days in the year, the men are at
liberty to converse together, and they usually
play at football in the prison yard, or have
other innocent amusements.
Everything connected with this prison is
conducted in accordance with the laws of
health, so far as those laws have been ascer
tained, and it is evident that good has
resulted, from - the fact that during twelve
years, notwithstanding the great number of
prisoners in the gaol, there has not been the
slightest case of fever, nor has there been a
contagious disease except one case of small
pox, and even this was of a very mild char
acter. Excellent arrangements are made by
which the prison is constantly kept as clean
as possible, for it is dusted all over twice a
day, and if there be the least speck on the
whitewashed walls, the defect is immediately
removed. The prison is so situated that the
sea always reaches it at high water, and suffi
cient of the salt water is preserved to enable
the men to have a good swim if they like,
and if they do not like to go into the water,
there are compulsory regulations at the prison
which compel them to have ablutions at

fixed intervals. They have wholesome food
and plenty of it, and the prison is kept at a
proper temperature both night and day.
During the late war, the prisoners were fur
nished with an opportunity for manifesting a
patriotic spirit, for they were permitted to
work overtime to manufacture any kind of
fancy articles they chose, and then present
them to the bazaars which were held on be
half of the soldiers and sailors of the Union.
Mrs. Haynes, the wife of the warden, kindly
consented to preside at the .prisoner's stall,
to sell the various articles, and the money
thus realised was presented as the prisoners'
donation. On one occasion the sales realised
130 dols , on another 750 dols, and on another
as much as 1,520 dols. I was much pleasd
to find that the warden possesses power to
pardon two prisoners each year. This takes
place on Christmas Day, and as the prisoners
all through the j'ear are aware of the fact,
it operates as an inducement for good beha
viour, for they never know beforehand who
will be elected as the recipients of clemency.
The warden through the year watches the
conduct of the prisoners, and exercises his
discretion in the granting of pardon. Last
Christmas Day the governor of the state
paid a visit to the prison, and he pardoned
three in addition to the two selected by the
warden. This exercise of unexpected favour
had a great effect, for one of the men was so
completely overcome when told that he was
pardoned that he had to be conveyed to the
hospital, where he remained for several days.
Special attention is paid to the prisoners
previous to the expiry of their term of im
prisonment, to discover, if possible, whether
there is any disposition to strive after an
amendment of life, and when there is satis
factory evidence of this, money is provided
to purchase tools to enable him to commence
working at the trade to which he has been
accustomed, and if there be any particular
place where he would like to live at, it is
only necessary for him to mentioii it, and he
will be furnished with the means to accom
plish his object. Prisoners released from
confinement can thus commence life afresh
in places where they are not known, and it is
often made the means of complete reforma
tion of character. I was glad to find that
all the prison arrangements showed that
reformation rather than punishment was the
contemplated object, and that the system had
been wonderfully successful in the reforma
tion of character. The warden invited me
to attend Sunday service at the prison, as he
thought 1 should be interested to see what
a choir of singers they had formed from
amongst the prisoners. I was much pleased

108

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

with the warden, for I saw he was a person
in whose heart there was much of the milk
of human kindness, and such persons only
are suitable for the office which he sustains.
The salary of the warden is 2,500 dols. per
annum, the deputy warden receives 1,500
dols., the clerk 1,200 dols., the chaplain
1,100 dols., the physician 700 dols , and
.each turnkey 800 dols. per annum. The
entire salaries amount to 28,850 dols. per
annum. In consequence of the general
advance of wages in the United States, the
contractor in the whip manufactory has ad
vanced the payment of the seventy-five
prisoners in his employ twenty-seven cents.
per day, and the contractor in ironwork has
given an advance of thirty-three cents, per
day for each man, and the brush contractor
has given an advance of forty cents, per day.
The furniture contractors had secured the
services of 150 men, but this contract having
yet two years to run, no advance in their
case could be secured. The annual total
amount of the advance will secure to the
prison treasury an addition of 5,000 dols.
The prisoners' themselves are frequently
much benefitted by their confinement, because
they are taught useful trades, which enable
them to get a good living on being restored
to society. Besides this they are often bene
fitted mentally, morally, and religiously,
through the means which are used for their
reformation. There is a Sunday school in the prison,
the teachers of which are gathered from the
various religious denominations of the city.
The advantages arising from this personal
contact with warm-hearted friends, labouring
for their best interests, is shown by the
pleased expression, the marked attention, the
kindling interest, and often by the suffused
eye, evincing the possession of sensibilities
for which, in ordinary contact, the observer
might search their hardened countenances
in vain. It is believed that more religious in
struction is given here than in any other
penal institution in the land, and the good
effects are visible and marked, and may be
seen in the subdued and tranquil demeanour
of the men in the shops, as well as iu the
moie permanent result of a complete refor
mation evinced in the return of not a few
to the privileges and duties of citizenship,
where by their exemplary conduct they have
won the respect and confidence of the com
munity, and I am assured that they have
ascribed the beneficial changes in their own
career, to the good influences thrown around
them while inmates of the prison. It is a
gratifying fact that, although within the past
few months, many thousands of soldiers

have been sent back to their homes hi this
state, the number of prisoners has been less
than usual, and this is partly, perhaps, to be
attributed to the unusual activity which pre
vails in all branches of business Five
prisoners have recently escaped, either by
breaking the prison, or scaling its walls,
two of whom had only one arm each, and
with respect to most of them, their term of
imprisonment was nearly expired. When I
was at the prison, none of them had been
recaught. The prison mortality averages a
little over one per cent per annum. The
expenses had been greatly increased in con
sequence of the war, for coal had increased
from 5 dols. per ton, to 14 dols. ; sheeting
and shirting from 10 cents per yard, to 34
cents ; sole leather from 21 cents, to 39 cents
per lb. ; cod fish from 3 cents, to 7\ cents
per lb. ; flour from b\ dols. per barrel, to 8|
dols. ; Indian meal from 90 cents per busheL
to 1 10 cents ; rye meal from 75 cents per
bushel, to 112 cents; treacle from 26 cents
per gallon, to 65 cents ; beef 4f cents per
lb., to 8 cents ; potatoes from 32 cents per
bushel, to 75 cents ; peas from 90 cents per
bushel, to 200 cents ; beans from 150 cents
per bushel, to 225 cents per bushel ; pepper
from 11 cents per lb., to 40 cents; vinegar
from 10 cents per gallon, to 32 cents ; and
other articles in proportion. Many of the
inmates of this prison enlisted into the United
States army, and a dozen of them became
majors, while one who had been five years in
prison, was raised to the position of captain,
and it was supposed that by heroic deeds he
had washed out the stain that had previously
sullied his reputation. During a period of
ten years, there were fewer negroes commit
ted to prison in 1865— fewer by half, in fact
— than in any previous year, and in this re
spect it has been quite different from the
expectations previously formed, for it was
thought that when the negroes increased in
Massachusetts, that the number of negro pri
soners would increase also. Great improve
ment has taken place in prison discipline as
compared with former times, for it is now
made evident that it is the certainty of pun
ishment rather than the severity of punish
ment, which deters people from commiting
crime. Fifty years ago in the Massachusetts
prison it was ordered " that a gallows be
erected in the prison yard, at an elevation of
twenty feet, on which the said prisoners
(seven in number) shall be placed, and sit
with a rope round their necks for one hour,
once a week, for three successive weeks ; that
for sixty days they wear an iron collar and a
chain, as the warden shall direct ; that they
eat at a table by themselves ; and that they

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

109

wear a yellow cap, with asses' ears, for sixty
days, &c, &c. This sentence to be read in
the hall at breakfast in presence of all the
prisoners." F'ofmerly they had from tour-
teen to sixteen persons in a room, and as a
punishment they used the shower bath, and
frequently applied the lash, but all these
things hrffre passed away, and it is now said
that the Massachusetts prison is the best in
the world. When a person is sent to this
prison, he has in the first place to go to the
bath-room, after which he has to be shaved
and have his hair cut. He has then to put
on clothing which is marked with his own
name, after which he is placed in solitary
confinement, usually for one day. Before
being placed to work, he has to be instructed
by the deputy warden with respect to the
prison regulations, and he is then taken to
the shop. In his cell he will find the printed
rules, an iron bedstead which turns up by the
side of the wall, a palm- leaf mattrass, and
pillow, with cotton sheets, pillow slip, blankets
and spread ; a small table and stool, a shelf,
a bible, a catalogue ol the books in the library,
a bottle of vinegar, pepper, salt, knife and
fork, and spoon. This cell has to be his
home for one year, or it may be for life
according tn the term of his sentence, ln
the course of a day or two, the prisoner is
generally taken into the presence of the war
den, and after having been questioned as to
his past history, his parents and his family,
he receives counsel aud advice with respect
to his future conduct, and is assured that in
prison he will receive nothing but good and
kind treatment so long as he shall deserve it;
and it not unfrequently happens that tears
are thus brought into the eyes of the most
hardened, and resolutions are formeri which
have a great influence on their after life.
The workshops are large, pleasant and
well ventilated, having the windows filled
with plants and flowers, which the prisoners
are permitted to cultivate. The officer under
whose care the prisoner is placed ia a kind-
hearted man, who will listen to his grievances,
and give suitable advice and encouragement
Harsh or irritating language is not permitted
under any circumstances. Should he violate
any of the rules, he is called up by the officer,
who quietly points out the error, and cantions
him against a repetition. If, however, the
offence be repeated, the prisoner is left out
of his cell at night when the others are locked
up, and his case is reported to the deputy
warder by the officer, when an opportunity
is given him to make any explanation or ex
cuse he may have, and if satisfactory, ne is
allowed to go to his room ; but if not, and it
is his first offence, he is dismissed with a

reprimand. For the second offence he is
placed in a dark cell, without furniture, save
a board and blanket, and the necessary
buckets, and in this place he remains until
he asks to come out, for there is always an
officer within hearing, both night and day.
Nothing of a humiliatiug character is re
quired, for he has simply to say that the
offence will not be repeated, and all will be
right. The commutation law exercises a
powerful influence for good, with respect to
prison discipline. By this law, sentences for
less than three years are reduced one day a
month for good behaviour ; for three years,
and less than seven, two days a month ; for
seven years, and less than ten, four days a
month ; for ten years and upwards, five days
a month. Every day that they pass in soli
tary confinement as a punishment, is deducted
from the good time they have or may gain,
with the further knowledge that all may be
lost should their , conduct deserve it. One
not familiar with the subject would be sur
prised to know how much they think of one
day's reduction, even in a long sentence.
Many persons are sent to prison for crimes
committed during momentary passion, but
while there, knowing that an, outbreak of
feeling might be attended with serious conse
quences, the habit of caution is gradually
formed, the effect of which may be of a per
manent character. The following is the daily
routine in this prison : — In summer, the
prisoners leave their cells at five o'clock in
the morning for the workshops, where they
wash, &c. They then work till half-past six
o'clock, and then return to their rooms for
breakfast, for which thirty-five' minutes are
allowed. They then repair to the chapel,
where the daily service consists of reading
the Scriptures and occasionally some suitable
remarks from the chaplain, prayer, and sing
ing by the choir, composed of convicts. On
returning to the workshops they remain till
twelve o'clock, when an hour is allowed for
dinner. At six their work is finished for the
day. On Sunday they leave their cells at
seven o'clock in the morning, going to the
workshops to wash themselves, and returning
take their breakfast, and are locked up till
ten o'clock, when the Sabbath school com
mences. At eleven, services are held in the
chapel, which close at twelve, and they then
take dinner and supper with them, and are
locked up for the remainder of the day. On'
holidays, there are services in the chapel,
and extra rations and an hour of unrestricted
intercourse together is allowed in the yard,
when they engage in dancing, singing, foot
ball, and such other games as suit their fancy.
Newspapers are not allowed, except such

110

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

religious ones as the chaplain chooses to
distribute among them, but the monthly pub
lications are permitted. They can change
their library books three times a week. The
prison is lighted so that they can see to read
till eight o'clock in winter, and at nine all
retire. Notwithstanding the excellent ar
rangements in Bosloi for the prevention and
diminution of crime, t is still very abundant,
especially amongst foreigners. It seems that
the police department is not a sinecure, for
the officers have to attend to sanitary duties,
give notice of repairs of footpaths, removal of
obstructions, attend fires, public parades,
public meetings, &c. Every conceivable case
of neglect, crime, destitution, accident,
disease, or calamity, has to be attended to by
the police. During the year 1865 they made
in Boston 17,881 arrests. Of the criminals
arrested 4,857 belonged to the United States,
and 11,481 were natives of Ireland. More
persons are arrested for crime in Boston, who
are natives of Ireland, than there are for all
the following countries put together, viz.,
United States, Nova Scotia, Canada, Mexico,
England, Germany, Africa, Scotland, France,
Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Austria, Denmark,
Spain, Russia, Prussia, Norway, and Wales.
Property in the city stolen during 1865
amounted to 214,290 dols., and the amount
recovered in and out of the city was 144,240
dols. There are about two hundred men in
the city who are 'known to live on the pro
ceeds of prostitution and theft. During the
year no fewer than 9,566 persons have been
temporarily confined in the city prison.
There are in different parts of the city 59
billiard saloons, having 1 68 tables ; eight
bowling saloons, and twenty-eight bowling
alleys; six bagatelle rooms, four card and dice
rooms, five faro banks, and five prop rooms.
Eleven gaming-houses have been broken up
during the year. About 20,000 dols. have
been recovered by the police during the year,
and repaid to the parties who had foolishly
lost it by gambling. There are 141 houses
of doubtful reputation, in which there are 362
boarders. One of the police-officers reported
as follows : — " I have visited the theatres and
concert halls about four times every week ;
upon one occasion I counted forty one boys
enter the opera house of Morris Brothers, all
of them ragged, and eleven of them bare
footed; I believe seventeen of them have
been in the city prison several times.''
In the afternoon went to view the Custom
house, a large and costly edifice, which occu
pied twelve years in building, the expense of
which was 1,076,000 dols. It is of the
Doric order of architecture. The Merchants'
Exchange is also a beautiful erection, and

cost 175,000 dols. It is built of Quincy
granite. The roof is supported by eighteen
columns, with Corinthian capitals — ln the
evening, I went to Gloucester on Cape Ann.
18th Jan.— Skating is a favourite exercise
in the United States. Editors of newspa
pers, ministers of religion, office clerks,
school-teachers, and others, practise it much
in winter, and find it healthful recreation.
As I came to America for "the purpose of
learning all I could, it occurred to me that
I ought to learn to skate, and this morning,
for the first time in my life, I ventured upon
the ice, equipped in the usual way. The
amusement was more amusing than is gen
erally the case, for it is interesting to see how
an old stager can make his first appearance
in a new act. It seemed to me a very clumsy
performance, for I had difficulty to steer
myself in the right direction, and sometimes
my career came to a more abrupt conclusion
than I intended. Nevertheless, my com-'
panions had the courtesy to compliment me
on the progress I made, although I must
admit that my progress had sometimes a
downward tendency. I was told that a
learner did well if, during the first exercise,
he became able to stand on the ice in skates,
but I found that I could cross the ice with
out much difficulty after a little practice,
and felt it to be a pleasant exercise. It was
a clear, frosty day, but the excitement and
the exercise were sufficient to make me quite
warm without overcoat, and I received no
injury by my occasional falls. This day I
had a sleigh ride, the first I ever had in my
life. 19th Jan. — News reached Gloucester to
day of the loss of a fishing vessel belonging to
this port, and all hands perished except three,
These sad disasters cause much sorrow here.
20th Jan. — A rough, stormy evening.
Had a pleasant interview with Mr. Henry
C. Wright. Our conversation was chiefly on
American affairs.
21st Jan., Sunday. — Had a pleasant walk
towards Rockport, and enjoyed the fine
bracing sea air.
22ud Jan. — Had a pleasant walk through
the woods and on the hills with cheerful
companions. The views of the harbour, the
islands, and the distant sea, were very fine.
23rd Jan. — Went to the Great Swamp
Wood, and had exercise in chopping down
forest trees. This was the first time that I
ever had practice in the woodman's vocation,
and while so engaged, I heard a voice as if
it said, " Woodman, spare that tree ! " I
found it was Mr. H. C. Wright, who had
come to invite me to take a walk with him
through the woods. We went to a pleasant

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Ill

retreat named " Julia's Parlour," so named
from the fact that a person called Julia Millet,
a celebrated school teacher, was accustomed,"
in the summer season, to take her youthful
charge to this place for a little' excursion.
Here is a table-formed roek, and a beautiful
clear flowing spring of the purest water,
embosonTed amidst forest trees, which in the
summer time will .afford a most agreeable
shade. On our return, we noticed some
geological formations, of a striking character.
In the evening had an invitation to join a
skating party on the ice by moonlight, but
,my attainments in the art of skating were not
sufficient to make a night excursion on the ice
attractive. Jan. 24. — Went to Boston to attend the
annual meeting of the American National
Anti-Slavery Association, which was held in
the Melodean Hall, and was largely attended.
I had been wishful to be present at this
meeting, for I expected to have the opportu
nity of seeing a considerable number of the
strong-minded women of America, and I was
not disappointed. Mr. Wendell Phillips
made the openingspeech.commenting severely
on the re-construction policy of President
Johnson, declaring that he had betrayed the
North, although hehadnotdone it deceptively,
for in the carrying out of his policy he was
quite willing to dare a breach with the Re
publican party. If public opinion could be
made to bear upon Congress in such a man
ner as to lead the members to oppose the
President, the cause of freedom would be
safe ; but if not, the President would win the
game, and the negroes in the South would be
left without the rights of citizenship. Subse
quently ,five resolutions were proposed, and
the meeting was addressed by Mr. Stephen
Foster, Mr. James Buffum, and other gentle
men. Mr. Wendell Phillips contended that
the Southern planters having failed to retain
possession of their slaves, were now deter
mined, it possible, to make an impression as
if liberty were worse than slavery. Governor
Aitken was the owner of 200,000 acres of
land, and he issued a notice signifying that
he wished to meet his former slaves on his
plantation, to make a contract with them for
their labour. They met accordingly, and he
then proposed that they should cultivate his
land, and receive one half of the crops ; but
out of their half all expenses must be paid.
The negroes thought that after the expenses
.were paid there would not be much for
themselves, and declined to accept the pro
posal. The governor admitted there would
not be much left, but he said that it they did
not accept his proposal, he would banish them
all from their shanties at Christmas. Mr.

Phillips referred to the president's declaration
that treason must be puuished, but he had
never punished a traitor yet. One thousand
men made the Southern rebellion, and if they
had not been living it would never have taken
place. Their object was to form an aristoc
racy io the South, and keep the masses of the
people in such a condition that they might
be used merely as ballast in the ship of state.
The philosopher Aristotle had said that
slavery was the forced compliance to a law
in the making of which the people had no
voice, so that taking his definition of slavery
the freedmen were still slaves, for President
Johnson would not if he had the power give
them the ballot. Mr. Phillips declared that
for himself, he would never be in favour of a
suffrage, which while it sought to give justice
to the white man, left the black man out in
the cold. Referring to the late struggle, he
said that he was at the Old Colonies Railway
Station when Mr. W. H Channing informed
him that the North had been defeated at Bull
Run. When he received the tidings he
threw up his hat in triumph. Mr. Channing
asked him why he rejoiced at the defeat, and
he replied that he rejoiced because he knew
it would have the effect of awakening the
North, and so it had. He hoped that the
course recently adopted by the President
would have the effect of awakening the people,
but he did not see much chance for this so long
as he found that there was not a single news
paper in the country which took thorough
ground except the Anti-Slavery Standard. —
Mr. Theodore Tilton, of New York, editor of
the Independent, with great warmth and
energy of action, said he could remember the
time when he attended the meetings of the
American Anti-Slavery Society, and tasted
sweet wine, but he now found it to be
vinegar ; formerly they had the genial warmth
of an Indian summer, but now they had the
chills of winter. Once it had the sweetness
of a path strewn with roses, but now it was a
thorny road. He indignantly threw back the
insinuation that the Independent did not
take high ground with respect to negro suf
frage, and declared himself not only for
negro suffrage but also for the suffrage to be
extended to women. The meeting was
subsequently addressed by Mrs. Susan B.
Anthony, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Lucy Stone, Mrs.
Rockwood, and others, and the resolutions
were adopted..
Jan. 25.— Attended the general meeting of
the Massachusetts Anti-slavery Society, which
was held in the Melodean Hall, aud was
largely attended, although it was one of the
most stormy days which has occurred during
the winter. Mr. W. L. Garrison delivered

112

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

an address, urging that, as all the slaves in
America had obtained their freedom, there
was no necessity for the operations of the
society to be continued. Mr. Wendell
Phillips replied to the address, contending that
in the present position of the South it would
be the worst policy which could be adopted
to disband the Anti-slavery Society. — Mr.
Garrison followed, asserting that there had
been a complete revolution of pubhc senti
ment on the subject of slavery, church and
state being allied to prevent its future
appearance on American soil, and therefore
it would be better for the Anti-slavery
Society to close, and if it were deemed
desirable to have another society inaugurated
they might establish a Negro Suffrage Asso
ciation. — Mr. Henry C. Wright urged that
the Anti-slavery Society ought to be dis
banded, and a Free Suffrage Association
formed, which would neither acknowledge
the distinction of sex or colour, and that the
association should oppose the reception into
Congress of any representatives of Southern
states, until such states had so altered their
constitutions that neither the word " white"
nor the word " male" should be found written
therein. — Mr. S. May urged that it was now
time for the Anti-slavery Society to be dis
solved ; and was followed by Mr. Earl, of
Worcester, Mr. Buffum, of Lynn, and Mr.
Stephen Foster.— The chairman next called
upon me to address the meeting, and I was
introduced by Mr. W. L. Garrison, who
informed the meeting that I had recently
come from England. I spoke generally upon
the anti-slavery movement, and contended
that as slavery had been destroyed in
America, the society ought to be dissolved,
because it had accomplished the object of its
mission. I held that the dissolution of the
society ought to stand as a milestone in the
path of progress, to indicate how much had
been effected ; and that an impartial suffrage
association might be formed which would
give power and unity to the cause of freedom,
and lead on the nation to further triumphs. —
Ultimately, after much had been said on the
subject, the question was put to the vote,
when it was decided by a large majority to
continue the society.
Jan. 26  Visited Salem, oue of the oldest
settlements in America. There is here
established the East India Marine Society,
which consists of sea captains exclusively.
No person is permitted to become a member
unless he has sailed twioe round Cape Horn,
and one of the obligations of membership
is, that in each voyage he must bring home
some curiosity as a contribution to the
museum, whioh has now become an object of

general attraction in the locality. Here also
is the Essex Institute, a literary and scien
tific association. Connected with the insti
tute is a large collection of curiosities, ancient
and modern, which had been contributed by
members of the institution and others. I
saw a torpedo which had been taken up in
Charleston harbour. By means of a wire
connecting the torpedo with the shore, the
combustible material could be exploded just
as a vessel was crossing over the place where
the torpedo was concealed. There was also
a solid shot which had been fired from the
Merrimac, when this vessel fought with the
Monitor. Another solid shot made by the
rebels at Charleston was far heavier than I
could lift, and another, which was much
smaller, weighed 125 pounds. I was also
shown a walking stick which once belonged
to a man named George Jacobs, who was
tried for witchcraft in 1692, and was executed
on Gallows Hill, an eminence a short dis
tance out of town. It is said, with respect
to witchcraft at Salem, that the first settlers
brought a belief in witches with them from
Europe, and six or eight witches had been
executed from 1648 to 1655. In 1688, the
children of John Goodwin, a citizen of Bos
ton, were believed to be bewitched, and after
some investigations of the cases by the Rev/
Cotton Mather, they accused an old half
witted Irishwoman of bewitching them, and
she was hanged. In 1692, three children of
the Rev. Mr. Parris, a minister of Danvers
(then a part of Salem), complained of being
tortured by a witch, aud accused an Indian
woman, named Tituba, who had tried to
relieve them by some of her Indian incan
tations, of being the witch. Tituba was
imprisoned, and soon they accused two
other friendless old women, one crazy and
the other bedridden, of being also witches.
The excitement spread, and soon others',
adults as well as children, complained of
being bewitched, and accused those against
whom they had any pique. Cotton Mather,
Judge Stoughton, the Rev. Mr. Noyes, of
Salem, and Increase Mather, the president
of Harvard College, as well as many others
enoouraged arrests, and proclaimed that this
was an effort of the devil to gain the victory
over the saints. The result was, that in
one year twenty had been executed, nineteen
by hanging, and one by being pressed "to
death, and among these were a clergyman
and several of the most reputable citizens of
Massachusetts ; eight were condemned, one
hundred and fifty in prison awaiting trial, and
two hundred more accused, while a consider
able number of the suspected had fled the
country. A reaction took place, which led,

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113

in connection with King William's veto of
the Witchcraft Act, to the pardoning of those
who were condemned, and the discharge of
those arrested. Some of the judges and
ministers afterwards acknowledged that they
had been deluded, and made what reparation
they could. Others, like Mather and Stough
ton, clung to their belief, and justified the
executions. There were a few, who in the
height of the excitement, at imminent peril
of their lives, resisted the demand for the
execution of the alleged witches. Among
these were the Rev. Samuel Willard, the
Rev. Mr. Moody, ex-Governor Bradstreet,
Thomas Danforth, and especially Robert
Calef, a merchant of Boston. Many persons
on visiting Salem go to Gallows Hill, where
the nineteen persons were executed in 1692 ;
and if the weather had been suitable I would
have gone there too, in order that I might
have had a good view of the surrounding
country. I saw the court-house in which
Jacobs and others were tried and condemned
for witchcraft. While at the Museum I was
also shown a Hindoo book which was 500
years old, the paper of which consisted of
palm leaves. Also a sermon in short-hand,
dated 1719, and preached by the Rev.
Edward Holyoake. There was also shown to
me a piece of the flagstaff of Fort Sumter, an
English cartridge found at Fort Wagner,
papers of Greek fire, and a variety of rebel
arms. There also is preserved the shirt
which Governor Bradford wore when he was
christened. In the natural history depart
ment there were many things which were
regarded as rare curiosities. In this building
there are two libraries, managed by one
librarian. In the library of the Athenseum
there are 14,000 volumes, and in the Essex
Institute 16,000, making in all 30,000
volumes. I visited the cotton factory belong
ing to the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Mill
Company, the only cotton mill in Salem.
There are at present employed here about
1,050 workpeople ; but if they had a sufficient
number of hands they could employ from
1,200 to 1,300, for there are many looms
standing, because of the defisient supply of
persons to attend to them. Not very long
since, a person was sent over to England
for the purpose of engaging workpeople, and
he succeeded in obtaining about 150, for
whom he provided passages, and the work
people signed an agreement to repay the
Cost of their passages out of their wages.
Some left when they had worked only two or
three weeks, for they found that they could
not be compelled to repay the cost of their
passage, and I believe the greater portion
have now left, and have gone to work else

where. The manager told me that almost
every mill in the country had suffered more
or less for want of females to work. This
mill has never stopped during the whole
period of the rebellion. The mill consists
of two buildings, each 420 feet long, 64 feet
wide, and four storeys high. In one of the
buildings they run 33,000 spindles, and in the
other 35,000, and the machinery is driven
by one of Corlis's engines of 900 horses'
power. The present , capital of the company
is 1,200,000 dols., and the earnings for the
past six months have enabled the directors
to declare a dividend of 35 per cent., equal
to 70 per cent, per annum, for the share
holders. In the counting-room I saw the
likeness of Mr. Francis Skinner, formerly
agent of the company, but he has reoently
died. He was once a very poor man, but
his circumstances improved so much that,
previous to his death he became a millionaire.
I visited the Superior Court, but as it was
not now in session, I could merely pass
through the various offices, library, &c. The
appointments are of a very complete character.
There are published in this city three daily
newspapers and one weekly. I went to the
news-rooms, which were well supplied with,
papers and periodical literature. The
churches, twenty-one in number, and many
of the dwelling-houses are beautiful struc
tures, and I think that it must be a very
beautiful place in the summer season, but
when I visited it the snow was on the
average one foot deep. I was told that
there is sometimes so much snow here
that in some of the principal streets
there are archways formed of snow, under
which people walk. The population of
Salem when last taken was 22,252. Like
Philadelphia, Chestnut-street is the finest in
the city, and forms an excellent promenade.
A row of noble elms line each side of the
street, adding beauty to its appearance, and
affording excellent shade from the heat of the
sun in summer time. There are many
elegant residences in this street. The park,
or " common " as it is here called, measures
eight and a half acres in extent, and is a very
pleasant resort. In this city, a State Normal
School is established for the training of young
persons as teachers, many of whom come
daily a considerable number of miles, having
contract tickets on the railway by which they
can travel at a lower cost than the ordmary
fare. I have repeatedly seen these young
persons going or returning from their schol
astic duties, and very fine young women they
were. When trained sufficiently to enable
them to pass an examination, many of them
go into the Western States as teachers, and

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MY AMERICAN TOUR.

in this way Massachusetts is exerting an in
fluence in the country at large such as no
other State can boast. The probability is,
that when the utility of education becomes
more generally acknowledged in the South, a
great number of teachers will go from Massa
chusetts in that direction, for some have
already gone, but it is only in such places
where the Freedmen's Bureau can exercise
an influence. In Salem about 28,000 dols.
are annually expended for school purposes.
The inhabitants were formerly much engaged
in the fisheries, aud also carried on trade
with France, Spain, Italy, and the West
Indies, although their vessels were generally
so small that they were only of from 40 to 60
tons burthen. During the revolutionary war
there were sent out from this port alone,
against Great Britain, no less than 158 priva
teers, mounting 2,000 guns, and carrying
2,000 men. They succeeded in capturing
445 prizes, nine-tenths of which they brought
safely into port. Formerly Salem carried on
extensive commerce with China and the
West Indies, but latterly it has mueh
declined. It is considered a very rich city,
in consequence of many who, having followed
maritime pursuits and made fortunes, have
retired and settled here, in the oldest town in
New England, Plymouth alone excepted. It
Was settled in 1626, and in 1629 no less
than eleven ships arrived bringing 1,500 em
igrants. The first church organisation in
America, was at Salem in 1629, when the
Rev. Francis Higginson became the pastor.
The town was incorporated in 1630, and re
ceived city privileges in 1836. Originally
the Indian name of this place was Naumkeag.
It does not appear to be making any progress
at present, for its manufactories generally
are not large, but I understand that; about
100,000 dols. worth of shoes are made here
every year.
Jan. 27. — It is almost impossible to contem
plate the vast resources of the United States,
without being impressed with the idea that at
no distant period, as a nation, they will far
eclipse every nation in Europe. If the
Southern States will only wisely take advan
tage of their vast natural resources, they will
soon attain a degree of prosperity and gran
deur, such as the most visionary of their old
slavery propagandists never conceived. The
eleven states that seoeded are larger by thou
sands of square miles than England, France,
Spain, Portugal, and the Germanic Confedera
tion, including Austria and Prussia, all put
together : —

Area in Square Miles.
England  60,922
France  205,671
Spain and Portugal ..219,491
Germanic Confedera
tion, including Aus
tria and Prussia . . . .244,411

Total  720,498

Area in Square Miles.
Virginia  61,862
North Carolina  46,500
South Carolina  28,000
Georgia  68,000
Alabama  50,722
Mississippi .,  47,156
Louisiana  4i,255
Arkansas  52,198
Tennessee  45,000
Florida  59,268
Texas  287,504
Total  725,955
Jan. 28. — It ha's often been debated whe
ther the climate of England or of America be
most favourable to longevity, but my own im
pression is that if the matter were investigated,
judging from the number of old people I have
met, the result would be favourable to America.
In the place where I am now living, Moses
and Rebecca Fitz had twelve children, not one
of whom has died, and their united ages are
748 years. The oldest is 75, and the youngest
50. It is probable that there is no other
family in the world whose united ages would
amount to so many years.
Jan. 29 — In a conversation I had to-day
with Professor Wright, on the subject of
spiritualism, as manifested in the United
States, he told me that at a convention which
he had attended at Worcester during the pre
sent month (January), it was stated that in
America there are 5,000,000 of people who
are spiritualists. Hip own opinion was that
there were from two millions to three millions
of persons who held spiritualistic views, for
they had extended from Cape Cod to the Rocky
Mountains, and from Labrador to the Gulph
of Mexico. The spiritualists included the
better educated portion of the working classes,.
and many of the Methodists, Baptists, Swe-
denborgians, Quakers, Universalists, Shakers,
aud otbers. Judge Edmonds, of New York ;
Robert Dale Owen, the son of Robert Owen,
the Socialist ; Andrew Jackson Davis, of New;
York; Dr. Child, of Philadelphia; and Pro '¦
feBsor Hare, have all identified themselves with
Spiritualism. The " Banner of Light," a
Spiritualist newspaper, has a circulation of
12,000 copies weekly ; and the " Religio Phi
losophical Journal" published at Chicago, has
a circulation of from 7,000 to 8,000 weekly.
Attended service at the Spiritualist Assem
bly at Gloucester. The person who offici
ated being Mrs, Julia Friend, who is said to
possess mediumistic powers of an extra
ordinary character. A number of questions
were proposed respecting God and heaven,
and the replies were substantially that, in
the Spirit- world the inhabitants could only
see God in His works and in each other,
same as while in the body and in the
material world. Heaven is a condition of the
mind, and those who desire heaven may have
it while on earth if they will. In the Spirit-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

115

land the people make their thoughts known
to each other in a similar way to what they
did on the earth, by talking with each other,
but they can also communicate with each
other at a distance by means of the mental
telegraph, and it will not be many, years
before the same means of speedy communica
tion will be brought into use in the material
world. (*Bhe inhabitants of the Spirit-Ian i
make themselves useful by aiding and assist
ing those in the material world who are in
suffering circumstances. All spirits have
power to communicate with their friends on
the earth, but some have more power than
others. The reason why all persons are not
mediums is because all are not organised
alike, and for the same reason all persons
coull not become sculptors, painters, or
musicians. Almost all spirits remain in a
state of unconsciousness for some time alter
leaving the body, and in the spirit-life they
are conscious of weariness, and must have
rest, and this rest is j ust as sweet as it is
in the material world. In the spirit-world
they lose the name which they had before,
and receive another. — I observed the medium
leave the platform, walk through the hall
amongst the audience, apparently with her
eyes closed, and when she got to where Mr.
H. C. Wright was sitting she took him by the
hand and asserted that it was the. spirit of
Barclay Kappock who was speaking through
her. Mr. Wright afterwards stated that
Barclay Kappock was a young man who
took partiu the Harper's Perry iusurrection,
along with John Btowu and others. The
brother of Barclay was hung along with John
Brown, but Barclay himself escaped, but it
was with great difficulty, for a price was set
on his head. Barclay and others fled to the
mountains where they secreted themselves by
day and travelled during the night, having
nothing to sustain themselves except water
and grains of corn, which were obtained
from the barns or cornstacks they met with
in their journeys. One person in tee com
pany named Cook became tired of living on
such diet, and ventured one day to go to a
village to buy some food, when he was
recognised as one of the insurrectionists, was
arrested, tried, condemned and hung. Barclay
Kappock escaped, and repeatedly saw Mr.
Wright while in Boston. When the war
broke out, Barclay joined the Union army,
and when he and other soldiers were being
conveyed in a railway train, in Missouri,, the
rebels had cut a bridge in such a way that
when the train came upon it, do»n it went,
and Barclay and others were killed. Mr.
Wright said he was not conscious of ever
• having mentioned Barclay Kappock in the

hearing of the medium, and could not tell
how she could give the name, unless it was
the spirit of Barclay which spoke through
her. He believed that the consciousness of
parents and friends who had died were still
watching over them, which was a powerful in
centive to a noble lite, aud he did not think it
was possible for a man to be an atheist
in the usual sense in which that term is
used. Jan. 30, 1866. — In my rambles through
the town this morning, I called at the house
of Mr. Thaddeus Friend, who showed me
his stock of poultry, and I think I never
saw a nicer stock, if I leave out such selec
ted stock as I have seen occasionally at
agricultural shows in England. He told
me that he had kept a strict account of
everything connected with the cost of keep
ing his thirty hens during the year 1865, and
he had also kept a strict accouut of the re
ceipts during the year, and he found that he
had made a clear profit of 100 dols. He
said he had no doubt that if he had 1,000
hens and lived near the sea-shore, where
they could pick insects from amongst the
seaweed, he would clear an annual profit of
3,000 dols , which in English money would
be i"625 a year. I observed that he
adopted a different plan from that which
generally prevails amongst fowl-keepers in
England with .respect to feeding. In Eng
land those who are wishful to make large
profits from keeping poultry, never let their
hens have food given to them till evening, as
it is thought that the contrary m< de of feeding
would makethe hens idle, so that they would not
seek food lor themselves during the day, aud
therefore they merely place food within their
reach when they return to the cote at night,
and this plan of feeding is supposed to
lessen the cost of their keep. Mr. Friend,
however, adopts quite a different course, for
he gives his hens a good supply of water,
near which is a self-supporting apparatus
which lets down the food, consisting of
Indian corn, just as it is needed, so that he
has no occasion to visit the cote for several
days in succession. His hens have always a
constant supply of food, and the result for
the past year is what has already been
stated. Jan. 31. — Went into the town, and had
also a pleasant walk on the sea-side. After
wards, had a long and interesting talk with
some friends.
Feb 1, 1866. — Went to Rockport, along
with Mr. T. Friend, to see the working of
the granite quarries in full operation.
About thirty-two years ago, Miss Harriet
Martineau visited this place, and she was so

116

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

much interested, that the recommends all
strangers to pay a visit When she was
here, the annual value of the granite dug
from the quarries of Rockport was supposed
to be 250,000 dols., but since then the de
mand for granite has been so much increased
that it is now estimate I to reach about
1,000,000 dols. a year. Blasting is carried
on to a great extent, as much as 361b of
gunpowder being used for a single blast;
but I was told that this quantity was amply
sufficient to lift 1,500 tons ot rock. For
merly oxen were used to hoist the granite up
from the quarry, but now it is clone by steam-
power; and considerable power is required
for this, because a single stone will some
times weigh as much as 20 tons. Teams of
four oxen each are employed to draw
the stone waggons to the harbour, to
load the vessels which are intended
for New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans,
Mexico, Cuba, and even round Cape Horn.
These oxen are very huge animals, fat, and
unwieldy, and of very slow action. I inquired
why it was that horses were not employed,
for it appeared lo me that their superior
sagacity, speed, and power would render them
much more serviceable. I received a most
satisfactory reply to my inquiries, for I was
told that the work was of such a dangerous
character that accidents were of continual
occurrence, and for this reason they always
had the oxen highly fed, so as to make them
as fat as possible, and then if they got their
legs broken or were otherwise seriously in
jured by falling down the precipices, they
were instantly killed and their flesh sent to
the butchers' market, so that there was not
much loss. If, on the contrary, horses were
used, the breaking of a leg would result in
the loss of tbe animal, with very little com
pensation, as the flesh would not be used for
human food. Almost everything here is done
on the co-operative principle. A company
or corporatien, has been formed to work the
granite quarries, and 14,000 dols. worth of
land has recently been purchased, in order
to extend the operations. During my per
ambulations to-dav, I met with Mr. Eames,
said to be the richest man on Cape Ann, and
is supposed to be worth 200,000 dols. He
came here when he was about twenty-five
years of age, and carried all that he posse*sed
at that time in a bundle over his shoulder.
He commenced working at the quarry, aud
has gradually advanced to his present posi
tion. Judging from appearance, he has ye"t
many years to live, and therefore it is probable
that he will become immensely rich belore
he dies, because his property will now
increase at a much higher ratio than it did

in former years. He has an Irishman in his
employ whom he recommended to begin to
save a portion of his earnings regularly. The
man took the advice which was given, and
is now worth 12,000 dols., but he continues
to follow his daily labours in the quarry, and
merely puts out his savings so as to secure
interest for the money. Rock port comprises
all the seaward portion of the extremity of
Cape Ann, and includes" in it two villages,
Sandy Bay and Pigeon Cove, each of which
has a harbour for sn?all vessels. During the
summer months many persons come here to
have the benefit of the sea air.
Feb. 2. — Formerly, when forts and arsen
als were not so numerous as they are nowiu
the United States, there existed a law which
compelled each township to be provided
with a powder-house, so that in case
of attempted invasion the means of
defence would always be close at hand.
The powder-house of Gloucester still
remains as a relic of the past, and a
curious looking building it is. 'Ihere was,
however, sufficient forethought manifested to
place the building quite at a distance from
any other properly which might be injured
by an explosion.
Feb. 3. — By means of a recent discovery;
a mineral paint can now be manufactured at
a comparatively small cost, which is found to
be very suitable for painting shipping, houses,
&c. The bog iron can be obtained for about
ten dollars per ton. I am not aware whether
the discovery has yet been made known be
yond the limits of the township of
Gloucester. Feb, 4, (Sunday). — Attended service at
the Universalist Church, said to be the largest
ana wealthiest congregation in the town.
Here I observed that the people sit lo sing,
and stand to pray. There does not appear to
be much congregational singing in America,
that part of the service being generally per
formed by well paid choirs. In some con
gregations the amount paid to tbe singers
is quite enormous, but many of them are
very wealthy congregations and can afford
to pay.
Feb. 5. — Attended the Town Meeting at
Gloucester, which was said to be the largest
which had ever been held previously. The
object of the meeting was for the election
of Town Clerk, Selectmen, Assessors, Over
seers of the Poor, Board of Health, Town
Treasurer, Constables, and School Committee.
Five or six lists of officers were presented,
and never ou any previous occasion had
there been such excitement at an election in
Gloucester. '1 he meeting for discussion was
somewhat stormy, but the election of officers

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

117

by ballot, passed of as quietly as possible.
The meeting decided th.it the Temperance
Society should have the use of the Town
Hall for its meetings, without any charge.
It was also decided that a new Town Hall of
larger dimensions should be built, and also
that 2,000 dols a year should be allowed for
the purnpse of advancing the salaries of the
school teachers, although the salaries paid to
the teachers during I860, amounted to
13,006 dols. The bighest salary paid to
anyone of the school teachers in Gloucester,
was 1 ,258 dols. a year. <
Feb. 6. — Since mv arrival here I have be
come initiated into the art of catching lobsters,
which is accomplished by baiting a trap wiih
fish, aud the lobsters coming for the bait find
the trap easy of access, but are unable to re
turn. It is somewhat similar in principle to
the gates at the Zoological Gardens, London,
for while they readily admit visitors one
way, they prevent them from returning.
Feb. 7— Heard Dr. Randall, Bishop of
Colai ado, preach in the Episcopal Church.
He is a good preacher, but had a very slender
audience. Speaking of his diocese, he said
it extended over more than 300,000 square
miles, and was the richest mineral district in
the world He said there would be great
emigration to Colorado whenever the means
of transit shall be improved; but at present
no railway approaches within 600 miles of
Colorado, and travelling is very expensive
there. There were openings sufficient there
for 200 additional preachers, if they could be
obtained. Feb. 8. — There is on this cape a cod-liver
oil manufactory, and having heard a great
deal in England about the curative qualities
of this kind of oil, I was glad to have au
opportunity of seeing the various processes
of preparation. The cod fisheries here are
very extensive, and the quantity of oil made
is considerable. A Ia>-ye iron pan, like a dye
vat, is used, into which the livers are placed,
and heat is then applied, but not to such a de
gree as boiling beat. Tn about hall a day ninety
gallons of oil are produced, which afterwards
has to undergo a refining process. I tasted
the oil in its different stages, and although
not agreeable to the palate even in its most
refined condition, it was much worse iu the
earlier stages of preparation. A barrel of
oil containing thirty gallons, sells here for
about 80 dols.; the blubber is sold to the
soap manufacturers at about 1 dol. per barrel.
I was told that, if the livers were exposed
to the sun, the blubber would be worth
6 dols. or 7 dols. per barrel for tanning
purposes. Feb. 9. — To-day I attended a party, at

which almost all the conversation was about
spiritualism. Professor Fay came to Glou
cester, and announced that he would do all
that the Eddy Boys and the Davenport
Brothers had done, without the aid of spiritual
power, aud submit this performance to the
test of public investigation. He succeeded
in all that he had promised, and there were
spiritualists in his audience, but I believe that
none of them were convinced by the ex
posure, for one gentleman who was present
told me that he believed that Mr. Fay per
formed his feats through the instrumentality
of spirit power. His theory was this — that
in the spirit world there were bad spirits as
well as good oues, and there were some
spirits which, for the purpose of making fun,
woild assist Fay in making an exposure of
spiritualism. He seemed to be very confi
dent that Fay was indebted to spirit agency,
or he could not have succeeded. I was not
at all inclined to give credence to such a
theory, for it was at variance with all my most
fondly-cherished ideas of that future state,
concerning which many a Christian pilgrim
has said ; —
Weary of straying, I'd fain be at rest
In that heavenly land of the pure and the blest;
Where sin can no longer its blandishments spread,
Where tears and temptation for ever are fled.
Besides, I thought if it were a fact that there
are mischievous spirits who, for a little
foolish gratification, would bestow upon Fay
supernatural power for the purpose of over
throwing a belief in spiritualism, they might,
for the purpose of fun, turn the tables on Fay
himself by withholding their assistance at a
time when such assistance might be most
peremptorily required.
Feb. 10. — Cotton manufacturing has never
been very extensive on Cape Ann. I visited
the only establishment of the kind, a corpora
tion known as " lhe Rockport Steam Cotton
Company." Manufacturing operations com
menced in 1847, the capital being 240,000
dols. The present number of workpeople
employed is 175, but I was told that more
bands would be employed if they could be
obtained. The chief demand is for weavers.
The fabric manufactured is a kind of " Duck."
Feb. n. — Sunday. Attended service at
the Unitarian Church, and heard a practical
discourse, delivered by Mr. Rogers, from the
words, " Work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh
in you, both to will and to do, of His good
pleasure." Feb. 12 — As a fruit-growing district, it is
said that Rockport produces a larger quantity
of fruit per cultivated acre than any other in
the United States. In one season, in a very

118

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

limited space, three thousand barrels of
apples have been sent away to other districts,
in addition to what were used in the imme-"
diate locality.
Feb. 13. — Pigeon Cove is a small fishing
village, pleasantly situated, and is much
frequented iu the summer season by persons
from other parts of the State. Every person
who can open his house for the accommoda
tion of visitors is certain to be well patronised.
The fishermen generally are in good circum
stances, for they earn very high wages. At
this Cove alone, the small boat fishery will
realise iu winter so much as 30,000 dols. in
three months, which is equal to 300 dols. for
each man. In other portions of the year
they earn considerably more by catching a
kind of fish which, on being pressed, pro
duces a kind of oil which is much used in the
painting of houses.
Feb. 14. — Valentine's Day. There does
not appear to be as much attention paid to
the practice of sending valentines here as in
Eugland. There are a few to be seen iu
the windows of the booksellers, but not many,
and I am told that they are of a very in
different quality, unless a dollar or more be
paid for each. Even the cost of common
writing paper is three or four times as much
as it is in England.
Feb. 15. — I am constantly hearing of
instances where the value of property in the
United States increases very rapidly. Not
long since I visited Mr. Schenck, a German,
a well-to-do farmer, who lives at Beaver Dam,
who purchased his present farm about ten
years since, and gave 6,000 dols. for it. A
railway having passed through his property,
he received compensation amounting to
2,000 dols., and he has sold I0.00C dols.
worth of timber. He is now willing to sell
one-half of his farm, but he expects to receive
10,000 dols. for it when he gives up posses
sion ; so that if he succeeds aocordiug to
his expectation, he will have had 22,000
dols. for what he pajd 6,000, and will re
tain one half of the farm in bis own pos
session. Connected with his farm is a large
pond of water, three-fourths of which Mr.
S:henck claims as his own, aud on the
average it will yield 30,000 tons of ice per
year. Ice is valuable here, and is much
used, for there are 350 vessels in this locality
which go to George's Batiks a fishing, and
they each take about five tons of ice each
trip, and a trip only occupies about a fort
night, so that vast quantities of ice ate used
by the fishing vessels. One of the ice-houses
I visited contained five hundred tons ot ice.
The building is made air-tight by means of
dry hay and tar being stuffed in the sides

and on the top, and by this means the ice is
preserved even during the heat of summer.
Feb. 16. — Went by train to West Parish,
and then proceeded on foot between two and
three miles to see Mr Thomas Haskell, bet
ter known throughout the district by the
cognomen of Uncle Ihomas. After leaving
the railway station I arrived at a place that
looked somewhat like a river, and yet the
breadth of the water made me think it was a
tidal overflow. It turned out that the latter
impression was correct, and, being high
water, the bridge was impassable, except by
clinging to the side-rail and passing over
stepping-stones. The morning was exceed
ingly cold, the wind blowing most piercingly ;
yet the weather was very fine, for there was
a beautiful clear blue sky, and the sun shone.
forth splendidly. On my way I met a team
of four oxen drawing a wagon load of hay,
when I observed what I had never seen be
fore, for the oxen had icicles several inches
long dangling from their mouths. When I
called attention to the fact, the person to
whom I spoke observed that I also had icicles,
and on feeling at what I supposed to be my
moustache, I found that the hair was entirely
covered with ice. On arriving at the house
of Uncle Thomas, I found it to be a pleasant
residence on a well-cultivated farm. He is
now seventy-five years of age, aud through
life has been distinguished for his advocacy
of progressionist ideas Although he has
worked at his farm improvements, he has
a well cultivated intellect, and takes pleasure
in increasing his stock of knowledge. Former
ly he was a member of the State Legislation.
His brother is now eighty-three years of age,
and lives very near He has an astonishing
memory, aud is a well-read mau. He is re
garded in the district as a kind of walking
encyclopaedia. Uncle Thomas seemed glad
to see me, and gave me a cordial welcome.
I had not been in the house long before I
was informed, in half whispered sentences,
that something of an extraordinary character
was about to take place. It happened that
there was at the house a spirit medium, and
I was told that on the previous day the
spirit of Booth, the assassinator of President
Lincoln, was present, and promised to attend
again at ten o'clock the following morning,
aud he named tbe persons he wished to be
present, as he intended to speak about the
assassination. I am not a .believer in
spiritualism, at least not in that form in
which it is generally here presented, never
theless 1 should have been exceedingly well
pleased if I had been iucluded amongst the
favourite lew whose names had been given,
for I am wishful to letirn everything that is

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

119

of an interesting character, even if it be in a
remote degree. I am not willing to shut up
my mind against the investigation of that
which may even appear to be absurd aud
ridiculous. '1 he time drew~ near for the
anticipated meeting, when the mortal and
the immortal were to be brought into close
proximity A quietness reigned iu aud
around the house, as if a death had just
occurred, or a funeral was about to take
place I was called into the parlour, and
shown the left arm of the medium, and saw
in distinct red marks the following : —
" J. W. Booth." I inquired how these marks
had been made, when the medium said she
was engaged writing, and without knowing or
having anything whatever to do with it, she
observed the writing on her arm. This was
an unusual circumstance, and was an intima
tion that the spirit of J. W. Booth was
present. 1 copied as accurately as possi
ble the inscription into my book, and if
ever I meet with the autograph of James
Wilkes Booth, I shall have the curiosity to
compare it with my copy, to see if 1 cau
recognise the handwriting. Alter waiting
more than an hour, 1 was shown the follow
ing, which was said to have been given by
Booth that morning. " My crimes commenced
when Buchanan first occupied the presidential
chair. The Southerners felt that they were
losing their power, and they had much to do
during his term. I, with others, were em
ployed to carry forward their plans. I was
travelling much Many leading Southerners
noticed me much, and to show my gratitude
I tried to serve them. I wish to bear my
testimony agaiust the profession of theatrical
performers, as much they do is under the
influence of strong drink. 1 was the one who
was to assassinate Lincoln when he passed
through Baltimore to be inaugurated. James
H. Jackson, now at New York, was knowing
to the deed committed at lord's Theatre, and
was himself present. He has received a
pistol shot in the top of the left lung, and
will not remain long in the earth, but
before he leaves the form he will make
a confession. He was shot by a bar
keeper on account of a dispute about liquor.
December 18, 1864. I was at the house of
Jeff. Davis in company with Alex. H.
Stephens, and Mr. Benjamin. When I en
tered, Jeff Davis took my hand and said,
I am glatl to see you Booth. He seated me
by his side on the sofa, and said, " Will
you do me a favour ? Y'ou must kill
Lincoln." This shocked me at first,
but on thinking upon it, it seemed to me ne
cessary, and consented to execute the deed.''
Various schemes were thought of, aud dis

carded. The first was, to enter his room
under some pretext. The next was, to at
tack him on a solitary walk The plan hit
upon was to destroy him at Ford's Theatre, I
was to execute, and managed lo have him
invited. Johnson, doorkeeper, opened a
side door tor me to escape, and was knowing
to the plan. Jeff Davis and A. H. Stephens
persuaded me that I was a hero, and that
there could be no greater glory than even
to die in executing so gieat a deed."
Booth also stated that a portion of the plan
was to set fiie to the St. .Nicholas, Washing
ton, United States, and the People Hotels.
There were in all, twelve murderers, inclu
ding J. W. Booth, Adzerot, and Payne.
He also said, that in the autumn of 1864,
he met Fernando Wood at Richmond, and
at that time he was assisting the Con
federacy. I was told that the spirit of Booth •
had promised to pay another visit, and
would guide the hand of a person while a
fuller revelation was made. I wish I had
been present, for if I had, I would have
employed the phonographic art, in taking
down this wonderful communication. For
my own part, I do not understand such
revelations, but almost immediately alter I
had copied the above, a revelation was made
which I did understand, for the parlour
door was thrown open, and I was invited
into the farmer's kitchen, the table of which
was literally covered with eatables of the
choicest and most substantial character.
I relished the roast beef amazingly, for
the tramp over hill and dale, and the
sharp morning air, had fitted me for a boun
teous repast, and I could only say, " May
good digestion wait on appetite, and health
on both." When the time for my departure
had arrived, myself and companions were ac
companied in the * buggy" by Miss Margaret
Bennett, one of the strong-minded women
of America. She is housekeeper for Uncle
Thomas, ar.d has the good sense to wear
the " Bloomer Costume." Her house was a
perfect pattern of neatness, and the walls were
ornamented with beautiful pictures, formed
by a tasteful combination of the variegated
mosses ol the district. On re-passing the
bridge which crosses the tidal overflow, I
found it was now low water, and, with the
exception of its being covered with ice, the
bridge formed an excellent passage. Miss
Bennett returned home with the " buggy,''
while I continued my journey up the hill to
the railway station, — such a station as I had
never seen before this day. On reaching the
platform I found no one else there, so I walked
into a wooden shanty, the only furniture of
which consisted of two wooden seats. I then

120

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

walked into ihe other room, but found it to
be entirely utituriiishcd, so that I was now
satisfied that this was a sUliou which afforded
both first and second-class accommodation,
the only difference being that one of the rooms
possessed two wooden seats. As I could not
find any person on the premises, aud it was
now near the time for the train, I went out
side to hoist the flag signal to indicate that
the train was to stop, and it stopped accord
ingly. 1 then saw the utility of the arrange
ments. In a thinly-populated district like
this, the railway company could not afford
to employ a person to attend at the station,
therefore the passengers have to hoist the
signal themselves, and if they fail to do ibis
the train passes the station without stopping.
No tickets are issued at such stations, the
passengers having merely to pay their fares
to the conductor on the train. When I
reached Gloucester, my limbs were somewhat
benumbed with riding, for the intensity of
the cold may be imagined from lhe fact that
although I carried my ink boitle in my waist
coat pocket, the ink continued to be one
mass of ice a considerable time after I entered
Uncle Thomas's warm kitchen, which was
heated by a large cooking stove.
Feb. 17. — Visited Mr. Jo m J. Babson,
historian, of Gloucester, who lives at a plea-
saut retreat about two miles and a half out
of town. Here he enjoys that perfect
quietude which a studious person always
covets, and derives from the perusal of a
large and well-selected library that amount
of gratification which could not be obtained
from other sources. His residence is sit rated
on a gentle slope, about a mile from the sea,
although apparently it is only a few hundred
yards distant. He keeps a horse and
" buggy," and frequently enjoys a country
drive. Mrs. Babson is a botanist, and has
collected hundreds of specimens of plants
growing in the district, which she has placed
in beautiful order, and frequently she and
her husband go out together to enrich and
extend the botanical collection. The conver
sation was of a pleasant and varied character,
and, as in compliance with his urgent request
I had staid till evening, he drove me bome
by moonlight in his " buggy."
Feb. 18, (Sunday). — Attended the Ortho
dox Church, and beard a thorough going
Calvinistic discourse, which to me was
somewhat of a novelty. Trie preacher con
tended that with respect to those who have
once been in grace, it is impossible for them
finally to fall Some might appear to be less
zealous than they were a year ago, but they
were only like the plants in the window,
which apparently for a time ceased to make

progress, bui they were nevertheless making
invisible growth. They might watch the
tidal flow of the ocean, until a dashing wave
came forward, and then, as if it repented
itself, it receded back again. For a little
while it might appear as if no progress had
been made, but when six hours had been
passed, it would then be evident that the tide
had reached as high as usual.
Feb. 19. — A great noise is made at present
here, about the robbery of the Bauk at
Concord. It appears that, an Englishman
was ihe chief actor, and performed the work
in an artistic style. It took fifteeu nights to
get a key to fit the outside door, aud then
there were seven other doors to pass, before
tne safe could be reached. It took the
labour of eighty nights, before the rogues
were prepared for the robbery, but at length
they succeeded in taking all the money
which the bank contained, which was about
200,t)00 dols. It was said that Mr. Waldo
Emerson lost considerably by this robbery,
It is likely that all the money, or nearly all,
will be recovered.
Feb. 20.- -A person named William Lang,
a factory operative, from Blackburn, Lanca
shire, was frozen to death on Friday last, at
Fall River. He was the father of seventeen
children. Now and then, the weather has
been intensely cold of late. Went to
Perkin's Hill this day, along with Mr. H.
C. Wright, and had a splendid sea view
across Massachusetts Bay. There were
many fishing vessels within sight. I saw
'1 hatcher Island, on whioh are two light
houses. I also saw Five Pound Island, and
Ten Pound Island.
Feb. 21 — Went to East Point, and when
near to the head of the harbour, approaching
towards the ferry, I met a tinner's shop, a
carpenter's shop, and a store. Had [ said that
I had met a tinner, a carpeuter, and a shop
keeper, there would have been nothing very
remarkable in such a meeting, but this was
the first time in my life that 1 had ever seen
a travelling building. I was permitted to go
inside the building, and I quite relished the
opportunity of enjoying this new style of
travelling, for I was never in such a vehicle
before. The building had two chimneys, five
outside doors, and twenty-two windows. I
was drawn aloug by means of thick rollers
being placed under the foundation, aud a
team of oxen drew it along by means of ropes.
and pulleys. — I had a pleasant sail across the
harbour in a little boat.
Feb. 22. — About four miles from Glou
cester is a swamp wood, in which grows the
beautiful magnolia, and it is said to be the
only place in New England where it blooms.

.

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

121

A person told me that there was a peculiarity
connected with this wood, and that whs, the
ground was never known to be hard frozen.
I received the statement with some dearee of
reserve, for I think such weather as prevailed
on the 8th of January, this vear, would freeze
anything it touched. About three miles
further or^ is Manchester, a place much
more diminutive than the city of the same
name I saw in New Hampshire. It is not
likely that it will ever rival in wealth and
greatness its namesake in England, lhe
chief support of the place is the manufacture
of furniture, but it is making no progress at
present. When Miss Martineau was here,
more than thirty years ago, she'said, "one
manufacturer, who makes the furniture here,
and sells it from his warehouse at New
Orleans, has an income of 150,000 dols.''
I made inquiry respecting this person, and
found that he is still living, - but he has
failed in business, and is now in reduced cir
cumstances. Manchester is considered a
poor place now ; for some years ago, they
carried on the cabinet-making business to a
large extent, and when the war broke out,
they had a large stock of goods, on hand, for
which there was no sale, and those who had
no property except their stock in trade were
obliged to succumb, and business has never
revived since. This was the anniversary of
Washington's birthday, and was celebrated by
the firing of guns, ringing of bells, &c., aud
the children at the various schools had a
holiday. I went on to Beacon Hill, and had
a good view of ahe town and country round,
and had an extensive sea view.
Feb. 23.— Visited the house of Mr. Pick-
ford, a working man, who is in very comfort
able circumstances. I wish this man's
house could be photographed within aud
without, and every working man in Europe
and America presented with a copy. The
carpeted rooms, with walls hung with
pictures ; the melodeon and music books, the
clean, beautiful furniture, and the well-selec
ted library ; the spare room, with its neat
fitting, all bespoke the comfort which reigned
in this working man's home. He, his wife,
and his children were all well dressed, for
there was nothing slatternly either about
their persons or iheir dwelling. The hus
band was temperate and industrious, and his
wife was managing and economical. They
had saved 10,000 dols. by their own hard
labour, and Mr. Pickford said that seven-
eighths of the working men of Gloucester
could do as well as he had done if they were
so disposed, and there were many who were
wise enough to do so. He did not think
that the Irish got on as well as others, but

the Portuguese got on very well. Tbe pre
sent race of wages for joiners is 3 dols. per
(lav and stone masons 3 dols. 75 cents per
day The wages of the joiners were consid-
eied to be quite as good as the masons, be
cause they would have fewer broken days on
account of the weather. Business was very
brisk here all the time that the war was going
on, and if it had not been for the newspapers
they would scarcely have known that there
was any war going on in the country. — In
the evening I attended a Division of the Sons
of Temperance which was held in a beautiful
hall. 1 was called upon to make a speech on
the occasion.
Feb. 24. — Tn this part of the country,
coals are not used (or the locomotives on the
railway, for wood is the only fuel. It happens
sometimes, that the sparks set fire to the
dried grass, and then it spreads about, doing
considerable damage. I went into a wood
the other day, and saw scores, and probably
hundreds of trees lying dowu in all directions.
I thought they had been cut dowu by the
woodman's axe, but the owner told me that
a fire had been kiudled by the spartts from
the railway engine, which spread to the wood,
and continued to burn for some weeks. The
soil is very peaty, quite full of fibrous matter,
and this kept burning away, night and day,
until in some places the soil was four feet
lower than it was before, and the lofty trees
fell of their own weight when the fire had
burned away the roots, and this accouuted
for the fact that I had seen the trees lying in
all directions, in a most confused heap. The
railway company was only req lired to
pay two dollars per acre for the damage
done. Feb. 25, (Sunday). — I, attended the Bap
tist Chutch to-day, and heard a plain but
practical discourse. — In the afternoon, I vis
ited Mr. Babson, with whom 1 had an
interesting conversation. His son, who was
educated in Europe (Munich), was also
present. Feb. 26. — Gloucester has a population of
about thirteen thousand, aud formerly com
posed the whole of Cape Ann, being eight
miles long and five broad ; but in 1840 the
town of Rockport was taken from it. The
Indian name of Gloucester is Wingaersheek,
and for a long time was merely a fishing sta
tion. In 1642 it was incorporated as a town
by the name of Gloucester, some of the prin
cipal inhabitants having come from Glou es
ter, England. In 1692, a year of great
spiritual commotion iu New England, the
people ol the town fancied themselves
infested by armed Frenchmen and Indians,
who were frequently seen and fired at, and

122

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

who in return fired at the inhabitants, though
without effect. The alarm continued for
three weeks, and several hundred men were
kept under arms. It was finally concluded
that these unaccountable troublers were
spectral visitants, aud the clergyman of the
town, the Rev. John Emerson, expressed it
as his opinion that " all rational persons will
be satisfied that Gloucester was not alarmed
for a fortnight together by Frenchmen and
Indians, but the devil and his agents were
the cause of all that befel the town." A
more tangible enemy, the British sloop-of-
war, Falcon, assailed the town, August 8,
1775, bombarded it for several hours, and
attempted to cut out some vessels in the har
bour. The people made a gallant resistance,
and killed, wounded, and captured nearly
half the Falcon's crew, and all her boats
except a small skiff. In the second war
with Great Britain, September 8, 1814,
Gloucester was attacked by the British
frigate Ferredos, which, however, did no
serious damage, but lost a barge and thirteen
men in the contest. In both of these wars
the town sent out swarms of privateers, and
contributed largely to the manning of the
United States Navy. There are four distinct
villages in the town of Gloucester ; Sandy
Bay, at the east extremity of the Cape, where
a pier and breakwater have been constructed
for the protection of shipping ; Annisquam,
or Squam, as it is called, on the north side
of the Cape, which was a safe harbour much
resorted to by fishing vessels, and a beach
two or three miles long of white sand, of
which large quantities are carried away and
gold ; West Parish, in which there is an
ancient church, one of the oldest in New
England, situated on a high hill, with a fine
view of the sea; and lastly, Gloucester
village, or what is called, " The Harbour,"
which has one of the best ports on the coast,
capacious, safe, easy of access, and of suffi
cient depth of water to admit the largest
vessels. 1 went on board one of the vessels
which was about to go out on a fishing en
terprise, und was much pleased with all the
arrangements. The village is handsomely
and compactly built, and is very beautifully
situated, with extensive aud picturesque sea
views. Of late years, it has become a
fashionable resort for bathing and sea air,
and several fine hotels have recently been
erected. 1 was told that General Butler is
having a country mansion erected on this
Cape, where he expects to spend aportioti of
his summers. He is also said to be about to
purchase the Cox Farm, containing 2,800
acres, situate .on the James Kiver, near
Richmond, where he intends to erect cotton

factories, to be run by New England opera
tives. Gloucester is the first fishing town in
the United States, and the third in Massa
chusetts in foreign commerce, having con
siderable trade with Surinam. The fishing
business employs a capital of about two
million dollars. In one year as much as
64,599 barrels of mackerel were caught, and
a large amount of other kinds of fish. There
are 3,890 fishermen sent out from Gloucester,
and although it is such a dangerous business
that the average loss is nearly sixty men per
year, yet they are very eager to put to sea
notwithstanding the danger, for it is a very
lucrative business. Only the other day a
schooner arrived with 25,0001bs. of cod fish,
which was sold at 2 dols. 65 cents, per 100
lbs., and 5,0001bs. of halibut, which was sold
at 15 cents, per pound. The value of the fish
thus produced would reach nearly £300,
which, divided among fourteen men for their
fortnight's wages, would be about £lUeach
per week. But this would not all be received
by the men, for the fishing business is carried
on upon the co-operative principle. The
persons who find the vessel, and the provi
sions, and everything else for the voyage,
have one-half of the fish, and the men who
perform the labour have the other half. It
is no wonder that lauded property in the
town and its immediate neighbourhood
should increase rapidly in value, when the
fishermen realise such high wages, and the
proprietors have such large profits. In a
conversation 1 had with Mr. T. Friend, he
told me that he bought a piece of land for
375 dols., and in twelve months after he sold
a portion of it for 1,500 dols., so much has
land increased in value in the course of
twelve months. He was of opinion that there
was no difficulty in a person gaining money
in America, if he only tried, by industry and
economy. The other day I met a person
riding in a sleigh, whose father-in-law died
recently, leaving him a fortune of 105,000.
dols., yet that same father-in-law, when
young, had to go barefoot in winter, because
he had not the means of providing himself
with shoes. I do not wish to make an im
pression that every person must of necessity
become rich because' he happens to live in
America, nor do I wish to say that when a
person becomes rich he must of necessity
retain his riches as long as he may live. On
Saturday last an old gentleman was admitted
to the alms house at Washington, who five
years ago was a citizen at Fredericksburg,
worth 100,000 dols., and he has been sup
ported a portion of the time since the cessa
tion of the war by the charity of his former
slaves. Sometimes wealth is obtained in a

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

123

very unexpected manner. About a month
ago a man in Gloucester complained about a
bad smell near to the gaswoiks, and said it
was very much like a smell which he had
perceived on his brother's farm in Canada.
Mr. Parker, of Gloucester, having heard
what was said, immediately made arrange
ments for the purchase of the Canadian farm,
and it was found to abound in petroleum.
In a few' days after, 25,000 dols. worth of
shares were taken up with a view to work
the oil spring, and a person representing a
company in Boston applied for shares amount
ing to 75,000 dollars. About seventeen
years ago, two schoolboys commenced de
livering newspapers between the intervals of
school instruction, by which they made a
small profit. In a while they began to" keep
a shop, and sold -newspapers aud sweetmeats.
After a time they got a larger place, and
began to be booksellers, and kept a circu
lating library. They now publish a newspaper
having the largest circulation of any in the
town, and it is supposed that thev are worth
40,000 dols. To add to the difficulties of
the Proctor Brothers in their endeavours to
make progress in the world, they had an aged
mother to support, and she was blind. Oue
of the brothers, I believe, is only about
twenty-six years of age at present. When
Gloucester is described as a fishing town,
perhaps some may imagine that the people
live in huts on the sea-shore. Such, how
ever, is not the case, for I remember being
told when I was at a place just on the out
skirts of the town that every house within
view, with one exception, was owned by
fishermen. The houses are respectable in
appearance, and some of them approach
even to elegance. Some of the inhabitants
can trace back their genealogy through many
generations. It is said that there is a John
Rogers, who is of the fourteenth generation
from John Rogers, the Smithfield martyr
Throughout all the fourteen generations there
has been a John Rogers, and in every
instance he has been a preacher, with one
exception ; and even he who was the excep
tion was a writer of sermons, although he was
never known to preach. I mentioned the
case to Mr. Babson, the historian, and he
told me that it could not be proved that John
Rogers, of Dedham, England, was the grand
son of John Rogers, the martyr, and therelore
there was a link missing in the historial
chain. There are many old people living on
this Cape, which shows that it is a very
healthy locality. One woman now living was
born on the 6th October, 1766, so that she
is now in the one hundredth year of her age.
Feb. 27th. — Went to Boston, and had an
Q

interview with Count Schwabe. At the
City Hall I met with a person who had been
in the late war. He was an Englishman, but
had spent fifteen years in America, and was
enthusiastic in its praise. I told him that I
had heard it said that if some of the English
volunteers had come over they would soon
have brought the American war to a close.
He laughed at the idea, and said it was a
mere idle boast. He bad seen almost every
army in Europe, and he did not think that
there was one which would compare with the
army of the United States. There had been
valour exhibited during the late war such as
had never been excelled in any country.
Another young man told me that he had
belonged to the 23rd regiment, which was
under the command of Colonel Kurtz, at
Druay's Bluff. The whole of the regiment
were either killed, wounded, or taken pri
soners, with the exception of 24, and he was
one who escaped. Another young man told
me that he belonged to a regiment which
when it went i'lto camp at Washington num
bered 994 men, but after the close of the
war, after having beeniu 24 battles, the regi
ment only numbered 323. A young Swede
was present who was one of the wrecked
passengers of the ship Gratitude, and lost all
that he possessed except his gold watch.
Count Schwabe had befriended him, as he
had no relations in the country, and he was
still under his care. It was probable that
Mr. Schwabe would keep him till he found a
situation for him Count Schwabe is a gentle
man who has excited as much interest iu the
United States, or probably more, than any
other unofficial person. He is denominated
the soldier's friend, and such he has proved
himself to be. I felt interested in him to
some extent because of his former connection
with Manchester and its neighbourhood,
where he has repeatedly visited, and probably
he felt more interested in me because he had
been told that I came from the neighbour
hood of Manchester. He was cousin to the
late Mr. Schwabe, formerly of Rhodes,
near Middleton, and Cheetham Hill, near
Manchester, and is brother of Mrs. Schwabe.
For some time he was regarded as a mysteri
ous personage, for people could not under
stand how a ioreigner could take such a deep
interest in the welfare of the soldiers belong
ing to the United States. He has been known
to teed a regiment of soldiers at his own ex
pense, to purchase thousands of pairs of
shoes, gloves, to., and give them away to
the soldiers. He has provided for them fif
teen libraries at his own expense, aud one of
them contaius more than 1 ,200 volumes. He
has sent five armless soldiers and sailors to

124

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

colleges at his own expense, and has given
10,000 dols. for tho erection of an arcade for
the use of disabled soldiers and sailors, and
in various ways he has rendered himself ex
ceedingly serviceable to the cause of the
union. Since the war was over he has had
a great amount of labour in endeavouring to
find suitable situations lor returned soldiers.
He possesses a remarkably retentive memory,
and enters with great particularity into the
merits of the various cases brought before
him. He gets through an amount of mental
labour which would be quite overpowering to
many persons, yet he seems to do it with
the greatest pleasure. He remarked to me
that he did not kuow why he should devote so
much of his time and labour on behalf of so
many whom he had never seen before, but I
told bim that he had been so long accustomed
to labours of a benevolent character, that I
doubted whether he would be equally happy
if he gave them up. The following commu
nication shows that Count Schwabe contem
plates retiring from his present labours ; —
Count L. B. Schwabe, the soldiers' friend, has this
week written a letter to Governor Bullock, in which he
congratulates the country upon the reconstruction of
the Union, and informs the Governor that, with the re
turn of peace, his (the Count's) voluntary mission in
behalf of our army and navy is ended, and that he shall
accordingly leave the State House, where his office has
hitherto been, ana retire to private life. He can, how
ever, be found for the present at his rooms in the City
Hall, where the portraits intended for his gallery of
fallen heroes are stored, to the completion of which
gallery he will now devote his rime, his talents, and his
wealth. — The Count further informed the Governor
that the many donations which he had had the honour
and pleasure of bestowing upon the army and the nary,
upon the troops in the field, and the sufferers in the
hospitals, through the Christian and the Sanitary Com
missions, and through his private agents, were presents
from him to the country, for which he had never re
ceived, and should never accept any recompence, other
than the thanks of the brave men whom it had been his
privilege to comfort or relieve. In the distribution of
his countless gifts, every Union State had been alike to
him ; he had made no distinction on account of States,
no difference in favour of rank, but every soldier and
sailor had been treated alike, and all had gratefully
acknowledged his interest in their happiness and wel
fare.— For years the name of Count Schwabe has
been as familiar to the public as a household word
and the press has teemed with almost daily records of
his munificent benefactions ; yet so little has been
known of his person or his position, so little of his
history or his habits, that he has been, to most persons
a constantly increasing mystery, and has come almost
to be considered an unaccountable myth.— Count L B
bchwabe belongs to one ot the most ancient and noble
families in Germany,— a family distinguished in ancient
and modern history for its conspicuous virtues, and its
heroic deeds; and he is also connected with some of the
first .amiiies of this country. The Count is a man of great
wealth, and of liberal education. He is well versed in
general literature, and aproficient in various languages •
and hke his distinguished kinsman Sir S. Schwabe he is
also an astronomer. He has moreover been a soldier ¦ and
like most of his countrymen, and all of his ances
tors has served with credit in the German army.
In character and appearance the Count is strikingly sin
gular, yet he impresses all who are brought into
communication with him, with his unostentatioufsimpU-

city,' his earnestness of purpose, and the generosity of
his heart. His own personal needs seem to be the last
to claim his attention ; and nothing in his dress or his
habits betrays the possession of the wealth which he
lavishes upon others. He leads a quiet and retired lite
and studiously shuns t.ny approach to personal notoriety.
He never appears in places of public amusement, nor
has he ever accepted any of the many thousand flatter
ing invitations sent to him from official and private
sources. Even President Lincoln's repeated invitations
for him to make the White House his home during his
visits to Washington, were invariably declined. During
the entire war, the Count has devoted himself to the
interests of our country, and to the welfare of our
soldiers. He has been the largest private contributor to
the army and navy ; and it is reported, that in this work
alone, he has spent over a million of dollars from his
own private purse. During the severe battles in Vir
ginia, beginning with the battles of the Wilderness, in
May, and continuing until the September following; it
is stated by the Washington press that he sent about
15,000 dols. in money and useful articles, to be distri
buted by his agents among the sufferers. The Count's
first donation, was a gift of a full supply of hospital
stores, to the First Conn. Infantry, under the three
months' call ; and since that time his contributions
have been constant and unlimited — consisting of food
and clothing to soldiers in the field, necessaries and lux.
uries, books, pictures and libraries to hospitals, aid to
sick and disabled soldiers at home, and to soldiers' fam
ilies. He has also used his influence to obtain promotion
for worthy young soldiers, and to provide them with
profitable employment when disabled and discharged.
In sending packages to the army he has been particu
larly fortunate, inasmuch as, of the many thousands
sent by him, only one has ever been lost. This was a
box containing hospital stores, clothing, preserves,
wines, &c, valued at 9,764 dols., sent" in June, 1864,
through Adam's Express, by a vessel which was sunk
in New York harbour. The box was addressd to New
Orleans, and was intended for a large number of com
panies, batteries and regiments belonging to the 19th
Army Corps, containing packages for the signal Corps,
care of S. Pratt; Fourth Wis. Cavalry, care of
Chaplain Hovey; Chicago Mercantile Battery, care of
Lieut. Rowe ; 166th N. Y. Infantry, care of Col. Carver;
30th Mass. Infantry, care of Col. Whittemore; 26th
Mass. Infantry, care of Col. Farr; 38th Mass. Infantry,
care of Lieut. Macomber ; Co. E, Third Mass. Infantry,
care of Adit. Hodges ; Fourth U. S. C. Artillery, care of
Lieut. H Flinn. The loss was never made publip, as
the Count carefully concealed it, lest the knowledge of
such a miscarriage should deter others from sending
to the army. The books and libraries which the Count
has furnished to temporary and to permanent hospitals,
have cost many thousands of dollars; and the pleasure,
and the instruction which he has thus conferred, will
long be remembered by many a grateful soldier. After
five years of unwearied labour, and of an unequalled
generosity, the Count now returns to private life, as
failing health admonishes him that rest is needed. But,
not even while resting, will he wholly relinquish his,
labours , and, now that the war is ended, and the living
no longer need his care, he will devote himself wholly
to the commemoration of the heroic dead. His leisure
will be given to the completion of his National Gallery
of Fallen Heroes, upon which he is now spending
another large fortune, and whuh, when finished, will be
a noble memento of its generous founder, and an honour
and ornament to the city of Boston.
In the evening I attended the Baptist
Church, in Southac-street, and heard the
Rev. Peter Randolph give a lecture on the
condition of the freedmen in Richmond, and
other parts of Virginia, with which he was
familiar. Mr. Randolph was once a slave
in Virginia, but after having got his freedom,
he settled m the Worth, where he could earn
a good living, but since the termination of the

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125

war he had gone back to the South, because
he loved the South the best, and thought
that he might do more good amongst the
freedmen than a person could do who was a
stranger to them. He was at present sup
ported by people in the North, for the freed
men amongst whom he laboured were too
poor to contribute anything towards his
support* The church at which he officiated,
would hold about 1,000 people, and there
were 800 members of the society, about 100
having been recently added. Another min
ister had a church with 1,700 members
and another had 3,500 members. Dr. Bur
rows, amiuister in Richmond, a white person,
had been preaching a discjurse in which he
asserted that the negroes were tbe descend
ants of Ham, and were cursed of God. This
had given great offence to the negroes, for
it was supposed that Dr. Burrows would be
glad if the negroes could be again brought
into a state of slavery. Mr. Randolph said
the Devil was always glad when he could get
a minister of religion to do his work, and
Dr. Burrows was doing all he could to make
a state of freedom to appear odious, and much
worse than slavery. In the South, some of
the owners of property were putting on such a
heavy rent, as almost to make it impossible
for the freedmen to pay it. He knew of a
Utile room, the rent of which was five dol
lars, and now it is charged twenty, dollars.
There are at present in Richmond, about
30,000 coloured people, and many of them
are treated with very great cruelty. Wood
was now selling at eight dollars a cord, coal
was fifteen" dollars for twenty-five bushels,
and the wages paid to the negroes were about
five dollars per month. With regard to edu
cation, the people were getting on finely, for
the children were going to school barefooted
during the cold weather, and the teachers
-were enabling them to make great progress
in learning, for some of the children could
read and write " handsomely.'' Miss Rachel
Thompson had charge of a school at Man
chester, and it was getting on very well. _ A
person in the meeting said that his opinion
was, that freedom would be no better than
slavery to the present generation, and a per
son from Kansas, who had himself been a
slave, replied that the negroes had made
progress since they had obtained their free
dom, wherever they had had a fair chance.
After some discussion, the chairman called
upon me to address the meeting, to which
request I complied.
Feb. 28. — Proceeded from Boston to
Myries, and from thence to New Bedford,
an ancient settlement on the Atlantic coast.
Formerly this district was called Dartmouth,

but the name has been changed a consider
able time. The city clerk showed me some
of the ancient records, giving details of con
tracts made with the Indians by the early
settlers ; some of those records were of a
curious character. New Bedford was incor
porated as a city in 1847, and its present
population is about 22,000. It has declined
in population for some years, partly in conse
quence of the whale fisheries being of less
importance than formerly, but the population
for various reasons is at present on the in
crease. Mr. John H. Perry, the mayor, is
no doubt a very loyal American, and like
many others occupying a similar position,
has not a very high opinion of England, for he
said, " That although far removed from the
ravages and destruction of the battle-field and
its surroundings, New Bedford, in common
with other commercial communities, had
suffered severely. Property of her citizens,
amounting to millions, had been destroyed.
Unarmed vessels, quietly following legitmate
callings, had been swept from the seas and
blotted out of existence by the torch of Brit
ish pirates. The cry of neutrality will not
deceive. At a proper time I trust our gov
ernment will make demands for full indem
nity for property thus destroyed. Justice
being denied, and if unhappily it should be
necessary to resort to arms, I pledge New
Bedford, as she was at the outbreak of the
rebellion, among the first and foremost with
men and means, again to aid in its enforce
ment." A monument is about to be erected,
to commemorate the services of those who
were formerly connected with New Bedford,
but fell during the war. The business pros
pects of the city were considered very
encouraging, and the mayor thought it was
right that the citizens should offer every
inducement in their power,' inviting skill and
capital to locate in this city. During 1865,
there were nineteen fires, and the value of
the property destroyed amounted to 13,639
dols. There are now in active service, two
steam fire engines, five hand engines, one
hook and ladder carriage, operated by 264
men and 6 horses. During the year, 1,655
persons were relieved at the expense of the
city, but more than half of them were persons
who had no settlement in the state. The city
tax for 1865 was the largest ever assessed,
amounting to 334,487 dols., yet ninety-five
per cent of it had been paid into the treasury.
The mayor told me that he believed that New.
Bedford was the richest city in the United
States, in proportion to the number of inhabi
tants. I said that I bad been at so many
cities that claimed that distinction, that I
could not tell which was fairly entitled to it.

126

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

He said it was a difficult matter to decide,
but he nevertheless believed that New Bed
ford had a rightful claim. I have no doubt
it is a very rich city, and there are more col
oured people here than in any place I have
yet visited, and many of them are in very
good circumstances. One of them is worth
more than 20,000 dols. They have four
churches in the city, and I went into the
largest, and found that they were engaged in
making a further enlargement by the addition
of a gallery. — I visited the Wamsutta cotton
mill, being named after the Indian chief
from whom the land was originally obtained
by purchase. This is the only cotton mill at
New Bedford, and belongs to a corporation,
based on a principle of limited liability. No
shareholder can be called upon to forfeit more
than the extent of his shares, providing that
the directors advertise every year in a news
paper published in the locality, the estimated
value of the mill, machinery, and stock, and
also publish the amount of their indebtedness
During a period of eighteen years, the Wam
sutta mill has paid on the average to share
holders a dividend of nine per cent, but
during the last eighteen months no dividend
has been paid, but on Monday next a
dividend of six per cent will become due.
During the war, this mill has only been stop
ped for short periods for want of cotton, for
the directors have purchased when the raw
material was as high as 185 cents per pound.
The present price paid is 44 cents per pound,
but in January, 1861, it was only 11 cents.
At present they run 50,000 spindles, and
employ 750 work-people, but when they get
all the machinery in operation, they will re
quire about 900. They never experienced
much difficulty in obtaining a sufficient
number of work-people before last fall.
There are many English people employed
here, some Scotch ; and a considerable
number of Irish. The latter are chiefly
employed in the card-room and spin
ning department, and the English and
Scotch are employed as weavers. They prefer
to have foreigners to work at the mill when
they can get them, because tbe daughters of
the New England farmers have alwajs been
accustomed to go home about two months at
harvest time, and this does not suit the con
venience of the mill directors, nevertheless
the girls will go at the time, whatever is the
consequence. The Mayor told me that the
city had obtained distinction for the manu
facture of ship cordage, for it was supposed
that there was no place in the United States
better adapted for the work. New Bedford
is about eleven miles long and two miles
broad, and is very beautifully situated. I

passed through many of its streets, saw
many beautiful dwellings, and came to the
conclusion that perhaps the Mayor might be
right when he supposed that it was the
richest city in the United States iu propor
tion to the number of its inhabitants. There
are two daily and three weekly newspapers
published here. There are four Baptist, four
Christian, five Congregatioual, one Episco
pal, two Friends', six Methodists, one Homan
Catholic, and one Universalist Churches.
There are forty-one public schools. The
erection of the public library cost 45,000
dols., and there are at present over 13,500
volumes, which are much read by the people.
After having gained all the information that
appeared of interest respecting New Bedford,
I left by train for Myries Station, and
awaited the arrival of the train from Boston,
and then proceeded to Fall River by way of
Assonet, and the day being fine it was a very
pleasant journey. Fall River is a city,
situated on Mount Hope Bav, at the mouth
of Taunton river. It was once part of Free
town, and was incorporated as a separate
township in 1802, and soon after its name
was changed to Troy. It received a city
charter in 1854. Fall River, from which it
is named, is a small stream rising in a chain
of ponds connected by a narrow channel, aud
covering an area of 5,000 acres. They lie
about two miles from the bay, and receive
the outlets of several other sheets of water,
which embrace an area of 2,000 acres more.
The river which carries off the overflow of
these ponds has a descent of 130 feet in less
than half a mile, and joins the Taunton near
its mouth. Its remarkable advantages as a
mill stream have been increased by building
a dam at the outlet of tbe ponds, which gives
the water an additional fill of about two feet,
and its lower banks are entirely built up with
manufactories. The water power never fails,
and damage is rarely, if ever, done by
freshets. The city stands on high ground,
with well shaded streets, handsome churches,
and many granite buildings, the stone being
obtained from large quarries iu the neigh
bourhood. The granite is of excellent
quality, and was used in constructing the
fortifications at Newport. The city is lighted
with gas, and has a handsome town-house
and market. There are two Baptist, three
Christian, two Congregational, one Episco
palian, one Free Will Baptist, one Friends,
three Methodists, one Presbyterian, one
Roman Catholic, one Swedenborgian, one
Unitarian, and one Universalist Churches1
It is eminently a manufacturing place, its
industrial activity being devoted chiefly to
the production of cottons, linens, printed

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127

calicoes, ironware, and machinery. More
capital is invested iu cotton miils than any
other branch ol industry. The Dur'ee mill,
now in course of erection, will cost £00,000
dols., and I was told that another mill is
about to be erected which will be larger than
it. I went into the Town Hall, and found it
larger than the Town Hall at New Bedford.
I proceeded by train to Newport, one of the
capitals of Rhode Island. The town is in
form an irregular semicircle, and is considered
a very beautiful place, being much visited
during the summer season because of its
reputation standing very high as a healthful
resort, 'lhe beautiful scenery of the district,
and its cool, salubrious sea breezes, have
attracted many from the Southern States
during the hot months. The harbour is re
garded as one of the best in the United
States, being accessible, spacious; safe, and
deep enough for the largest vessels. The
town was settled in 1638, and continued to
make progress till the Revolutionary War,
when its population amounted to about ten
thousand, but at its close it was only about
half that number, for the British held posses
sion of the place daring the greater portion of
the war. It has not, like many other places,
increased rapidly, for the population is little
more than it was one hundred years ago, aud
it is a place of little note except as a lashion-
able bathing place. At this place I took the
steamboat for New York, by way of Long
Island Sound. There were many passengers,
the number being increased by two companies
of soldiers and a band oi music, their desti
nation being Nashville, Tennessee, where it
was considered necessary to have military sta
tioned tor the protection of the freedmen. In
addition to the passage money, the charge for
the use of a state room was one dollar, but
when I applied for one I was told that there
was only one left, and the charge for this
would be two dollars. I thought this was an
attempted piece of imposition, and refused
to pay the two dollars, but expressed my wil
lingness tD pay one dollar, if they would
accept it. The Yankees would not yield,
and John Bull was inexorable, and the con
sequence was I had to be without state-room.
I was permitted to occupy the ladies' cabin,
and was thus better off than many others, for
there were many deck passengers. Amongst
the cabin passengers there were many who
had no state-rooms, for there were more
people on board than usual. It was a splen
did vessel, like a huge floating palace, and the
passengers were respectable, well-behaved
people. It was a beautiful night, for the
moon, which was about at the full, shone
forth resplendently, and the water was calm

and still like a sea of glass, and as placid as
a laud-locked lake.
March 1, 1866. — At the dawn of day we
bad only a few miles to sail to reach New
York. The main land to our right, and
Long Tsland to our left, had both been visi
ble by moonlight, but wh»n the day dawned
a fog came ou which enshrouded everything,
so that there was no pleasant prospect for
some time. There is one part of the passage
named Hell Gate, which was formerly very
dangerous to shipping, and many wrecks have
taken place there, but the channel his been
much improved, and I believe it is not now
considered particularly dangerous. We ar
rived at New York about seven o'clock this
moruing, and I spent the day in visiting friends.
As 1 passed along the streets to-day, a fire was
announced on the premises of " The Great
American Tea Company." Those who are
fond of excitement 1 would recommend to be
present at a New York fire, and they would
have plenty of it, such miming in all directions
and fire-engines passing along almost at light
ning speed, stopping all the traffic and making
everything yield to their imperious sway. In
one street I observed no fewer than 17 horse-
railway cars blocked up in consequence of the
fire. It was quite surprising how soon the
fire was extinguished, but it seems as if every
mau knew his own duty, and attended to it,
working with a right good will. No doubt
the frequent occurrence of fire will have
given to the firemen such an amount of prac
tice that they have now reduced the art of
extinguishing to a perfect system. I remem
ber once being in the Times printing-office,
London, when a fire took place, and every
mau rushed at once to the buckets, for here
there is a place for everything, and every
thing in its place, and, almost without con
fusion, they had the , fire extinguished in a
crack, before much damage was done. I saw
Mr. W. P. Powell, a coloured gentleman, who
formerly held a situation in the Custom
House, Liverpool. He lived in England
some years, but under the impression that
the climate of America was more congenial to
his health, he returned, taking his family
with him. He became a victim to mob
violence when the New York riots took place
and he and his family very narrowly es
caped death. He showed me the place,
and informed me by what means he succeeded
in getting out of the way. The rioters threw
stones through the front windows, then broke
into the premises, threw the furniture and
books into the street, and then set fire to the
house. He bad to exercise great ingenuity
and courage in effecting his escape, for he was
very peculiarly situated, having a crippled

128

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

daughter, and a relative who was between
seventy and eighty years of age, to take care
of. To escape from violence, the family ran
up to tbe third or fourth storey of the house,
and from a ba -k window they were let down
by a rope to the roof of an adjoining building,
which did not face the street. This was a
work of great difficulty and danger, especially
with respect to the aged female, for she was
very heavy, and it was doubtful whether she
would have strength sufficient to cling to the
rope. They all succeeded in reaching the
lower roof in safety, but they were still ap
parently two storeys from the ground, and the
danger to which tbey were exposed was in -
creased by the fact that the mob were forcing
their way into the front portion of the house
at the very time when the family were es
caping at the back. By means of the ropes,
they all succeeding in reaching the back yard
of a neighbour, and by means of concealment
they escaped personal violence. I asked him
if he had any means of knowing what were
the constituent elements of which the mob
was composed, and he informed me that
nationally they were Irish, and politically
they were democrats. There were others
connected with them who were not Irish, for
the leader of the mob was a persou named
Andrews, a Southern man from Virginia, and
after order was restored, he was tried and
condemned to two years' imprisonment. — In
the evening I went to Harlem, and saw the
new bridge which crosses the Harlem river,
which is the most stupendous structure of the
kind I ever saw.
March 2. — Went to Newark, the capital of
Essex county. New Jersey, and the most
populous city in the state. The streets are
broad and straight, and bordered with lofty
elms. Its manufactories of jewellery are said
to be larger than any ' other in the United
States. Went to Trenton, the capital of the
state of New Jersey, and was much pleased
with the appearance of the city, which is
built near to the river Delaware, and possesses
many elegant houses. The manufacture of
paper and leather is carried on extensively.
The place is noted in history as the scene of
a battle during the Revolutionary war, but I
am more inclined to regard it as a surprise
rather than a battle, although it is denomi
nated " The Battle of Trenton." On Christ
mas Day, 1766, General Washington decided
to cross the Delaware during the night, taking
with him considerable force, by which means
he quite surrounded the enemy, and presently
captured 1,000 Hessians of the British army,
and, if I recollect rightly, Washington did
not lose a score of men. Nevertheless, the
affair at the time was regarded as very en

couraging to the American army.
Philadelphia, March 3. — In the after
part of yesterday I arrived at Philadelphia,
the city of " Brotherly Love." Philadelphia
is said to be the largest city in the United
States. It is not equal to New York in po
pulation, wealth, and grandeur ; but it is the
largest in point of area. It is a consoli
dated city, extending about eight miles from
east to west, and twenty miles from north to
south, covering about 125 square miles. Its
population at the present time is, I suppose,
twice as large as that of Manchester, for in
1862 it reached 700,000, although about 180
years ago, its site was a mere wilderness,
the hunting-ground of Indians. The first
settlers arrived here from London, in the ship
Sarah and John, in 1681, and iii the following
year William Penn, the great proprietor and
founder of the city, landed. He declared that
his object in founding the colony was to afford
an asylum to the good and oppressed of all
nations, to frame a government which might
be an example, to show men as fres and as
happy as they could be ; and in doing this he
never aimed to enrich himself, but sought to
benefit others. In the year 1 684, the popula
tion bad increased to 2,500, and in 1701 it
was incorporated into a city. The original
plans were laid out upon a very magnificent
scale, and it is supposed that if the plans had
been adhered to, Philadelphia would now
have been the most splendid city in
the world, but it was feared that it
would be too expensive, and the con- ,
templated city was reduced to one-fourth
of the original plan. It was William Penn's
intention that each house should stand in a
garden, so that Philadelphia might always be
a green country town, which never might be
burned dowu, and always be wholesome. This
plan was never carried out, and it never can be
now, for the first street I passed through
is more than five miles long, and it is built
up nearly the whole length. The enterprise
of the inhabitants is quite surprising, for the
city is extending with rapid strides, and some
of the streets are adorned with edifices whioh >
are distinguished for taste, elegance, and con
venience. All the streets in the city cross .
at right angles, with one exception, so that a ¦
stranger becomes familiar with the city almost ;
immediately, and any desired place can be ;
readily found. The streets vary in width from <
50 to 113 feet, and are known from east to
west by the numerals, perhaps about thirty .
streets, for when I took a walk from the river
Delaware to the river Schuylkill, I remember >
seeing Twenty-second street, and I know
there were others. The streets running north)
and south have names and not numerals, as

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

129

Vine-street, Spruce-street, &c. This arrange
ment is excellent, especially in a city where
nearly all the streets are some miles in length
For instance, suppose a person asked me
where the Mint was, I should answer Chesnut-
street, Fourteenth. If he asked me where
was the State House. I should answer Ches-
nut-street, Sixth. This would be ample di
rection, SAthat he would certainly go without
further inquiry to within two minutes' walk of
the place which he wanted. As the Mint and
the State House are a mile apart, the utility
of such a direction must be at once apparent.
The houses are chiefly of brick, for none ate
now permitted to be erected of wood, because
of the danger of fire. Rows of shade trees line
the footpaths in many of the streets, which form
pretty avenues. The city itself is built upon a
gentle slope, thehigbestpointbeing only about
64 feet above high water-mark in the river, yet
it is simply for drainage purposes. The
streets are kept much cleaner than in New
York, nevertheless they are much behind the
condition of the generality of Lancashire
towns, but I was told that at present they are
worse than usual, and therefore I do not see
them here in their best condition. The
houses are chiefly three storeys, and preseut
a greater degree of uniformity than any city
I ever saw, nevertheless, there is a decided
improvement going on at present, for many
of the new erections present such a variety of
architectural designs as to render their ap
pearance pleasing. There is considerable
beauty and even grandeur in some of the pub
lic edifices, which are composed of freestone
and white marble. The marble steps and
basements of many of the dwellings present a
very cleanly appearance. Some persons say
that Philadelphia is the most healthy city in
the United States, having a sweet, pure air,
and a serene sky. It surpasses all the cities
I ever saw in its accommodation for passen
gers, for nearly every street has its railway
track similar to that which is laid on the line
of docks at Liverpool. The fare at present is
seven cents ; but before the general advance
of wages took place it was only five cents.
When the fare is paid the passenger is en
titled to ride on all the roads crossing
each other east, west, north, or south, and on
some of the lines he can ride many miles
without an extra charge. There are at
present eighteen or nineteen chartered rail
way companies, the capital employed by each
varying from 200,000 dols. to 500,000 dols.,
and I have been informed that they have been
very successful. As I was riding to-day on
one of the cars, I asked the driver how many
cars ran in tbe city, and he told me there
were 1,300, each car being drawn by two

horses. It required eight horses for his car and
the entire daily distance v-hich he drove was 84
miles, so that each horse had to travel 21 miles
per day. — Had a walk of about five or six miles
to make myself familiarwith the city. Went to
the river Delaware, which is here about a mile
broad, orabout the s ime breadth as the Mersey
at Liverpool. Smith's Island is just opposite
Lombard-street. Steam ferries were plying
between the city and Gloucester, Camden
&c. I also went to the river Schuylkill, on the
opposite side of the city. This river is about
half a mile broad. Several persons called
upon me to bid me welcome to the city.
This seems to be a very general practice in
America. .
March 4 (Sunday.)— Went to the Uni
tarian Church, situated on Tenth and Locust-
streets, a neat and beautiful erection in the
Grecian style. I had been requested to make
the acquaintance of Mr. Furness, the
minister, and had received a letter of intro
duction. He is sometimes styled the Phila-
delphian Theodore Parker, and is exceedingly
popular as a minister. He takes the lead in
the city as a gentleman of progressionist
ideas, and has always taken an active part
in the anti-slavery cause. Mr Furness is
the oldest minister in Philadelphia, and this
is the oldest Unitarian Church in America,
and was formed by seven Englishmen, two
of whom agreed to preach sermons composed
by others, and another preached his own
sermons. When Dr. Priestley came over to
America, he enrolled himself as a member
of the church ; but there is no evidence that
he ever preached there. Mr. Eddowes was
one of the founders of the church, and his
daughter, a maiden lady, now about eighty
years of age, is a member, aud was present
at the church this morning. There was a
large and deeply interested congregation, for
there was not the slightest sound except
the preacher's voice. The object of the dis
course was to show the intimate relation
between the present and future life, and an
admirable discourse it was. It is somewhat
curious that Boston, which, as a commercial
city, stands at the head of all others in the
United States, should have more adherents to
Unitarianism than to anv other religious de
nomination, whilst Philadelphia as a manu
facturing city, stands at the head of all
others, vet there is only one Unitarian church
here, although the population is three times
as large as Boston.-This being what is em
phatically denominated the Quaker city, I
felt very wishful to attend service at a meeting
of the Society of Friends, and ou inquiry I
was told that the meeting-house near Wash
ington-square was more largely attended

130

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

than any other, and therefore I decided to
go there in the afternoon. I found it to be
a plain, spacious building, but not pear so
large as the Friends' meetins-house in
Mount-street, Manchester. 1 believe that
in Manchester there is only one meeting
house of the Society of Friends, but at the
present time there are fifteen in Philadelphia.
The attendance was not so large as 1 had ex
pected, and the service was mute. 4fier
remaining togeiher in silence a little over an
hour, the people separated I attended the
African Methodist Episcopal Church, siiuate
in Sixth-street, a large erection, and found
it to be well filled. The minister was a
person of colour, and was the most able
preacher of the negro race I have ever heard
since coming to America, and the congre
gational singing was the best I have heard in
the country, with the exception of perhaps
Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, where Mr.
H. W. Beecher preaches. There was no
insttumental music, aud the choir consisted
of about one hundred persons I was par
ticularly struck with their appearance. They
occupied a number of seats in the front portion
of the gallery, standing with large quarto or
folio music books in their hands, singing
away most charmingly. This was the
largest congregation of coloured people I
had ever seen, and they appeared to be very
happy, for they sang with all their might,
aud with much musical taste. It was the
preparation service for the semi-centennial
celebration of the African Methodist Episco
pal Church. An address from the bishops to
the members was read, and was a beautiful
composition. The Methodists are not so
wealthy nor so influential in this city as the
Society of Friends, but they are more in
number, having fifty-three churches at pre
sent, but some of them are of small dimen
sions Methodism was first established here
in 1769 by Mr. Pilmore, a young man sent
as a missionaiy, by John Wesley, and he was
assisted by a British officer named Webb,
who is lepresentetl to have beeu a perfect
Whitefield iu declamation. The early meet
ings of the society were held at an inn, but
afterwards a building was purchased, which
had previously been occupied by the British
as a cavalry riding-school. A preacher named
Benjamin Abbot was accustomed to come
here from New Jersey, who has been descri
bed as having eyes of flame, robust body, and
great strength of voice, which when exerted
to the utmost while preaching, and au occa
sional stamp of the foot, made the house ring.
His eloquence is represented as fire running
through the assembly, his voice like a trum
pet sounding to battle, amid the shouts of

victory and the cries of the vanquished. The
Methodists have been eminently successful in
this city, and have done a vast amount of
good, having laboured principally among the
working classes Although in the Methodist
churches there is not much - ornamental
display, yet the buildings are very convenient.
Iu the evening I went to the Second African
Presbyterian Church, situate in Lombard-
street, where there was a large and very at
tentive congregation. The tune of " Robin
Adair " was beautifully sung to the hymn
which commences —
I'm but a stranger here,
Heaven is my home :
Earth is a' desert drear,
Heaven is my home ;
Danger and sorrow stand
Round me on every hand,
Heaven is my fatherland,
* Heaven is my home.
There are in this city 54 Presbyterian
churches, and in addition there are several
societies which have no regular places of
worship, but meet in different halls iu the
citv. As a body, the Presbyterians have exer
cised a very salutary influence in the cause of
humanity aud religion. They support 591
missionaries, and during 2 1 years have been
instrumental in the organisation of 943
churches, aided in the erection of 1,484 houses
of worship, into which upwards of 40,000
persons have been received on confession of
their faith.
March 5. — A coloured lady, Mrs. Huterte,
sent her carriage this morning to convey me
to St. Joseph's Catholic Church, situate in
Willing's Alley, to witness the celebration of
high mass at a funeral. There was a large
congregation. I observed one lamp aud four
teen tapers burning the whole of the time.
One of the priests delivered a very eloquent
address. — Mr. Furness having invited me to
pay him a visit, I went to his house this
afternoon, and found him to be a very affable
gentleman indeed. Duriug our conversation,
I expressed my surprise that iu a city like
Philadelphia there should be such a preju
dice against persons of colour that they are
not permitted to ride in the street railway
cars the same as other people, for I thought
that in the Quaker city there certainly would
have been more liberality shown, but it
seemed to me that the Quakers did not exert
as much influence as they received credit
for, and when I attended their meeting on the
previous afternoon it did not appear as if
they were a numerous body, for there was
only a slender congregation. He said if I
had gone to the Friends' Meeting in the
morning instead of alternoon, I should pro
bably have found that there was a larger at
tendance, for there were many who id not

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131

attend more than once a day. He (Mr.
Furness) only preached once on the Sunday,
and if he were a hearer instead of a preacher,
he would only attend church once during the
day, even if the Angel Gabriel was the
preacher. With respect to the city cars, he
said that more than twelve months ago he
was riding iu one, when tbe conductor in
sisted tb« a coloured person must get out,
and he (Mr. Furness) determined that if the
coloured person was not permitted to remain
he would get out too, and he did so, and had
not ridden in a car since, and had resolved
that he never would ride again until there
was an alteration made with respect to the
coloured race, He, however, was not quite
satisfied that he had adopted the best course
under the circumstances. Southern influence
was very potentin Pennsylvania, and especially
in Philadelphia, and it will lake some time
before the prejudice against the coloured race
can be obliterated. We had a conversation
about the present condition of the South, and
he mentioned a case which had recently oc
curred, which he thought was a manifestation
of grateful feeling such as seldom had been
previously given during the late struggle. A
Miss Gillson went into the South to be a
nurse to the wounded soldiers. She had a
pleasant, soothing voice, and was a most
lovely woman, aud an excellent nurse. It
happened that a rebel soldier was under her
tender care, and he became so convinced that
he owed his life to the attendance she be
stowed, that since the war was over he has
sold off everything he possessed in the South,
which realised 8C0 dols , and he has sent it to
Miss Gillson as a present ; and lest she should
refuse to accept the gift, he omitted to let
her know where he was, that she minht not
have the opportunity to send the money back
to him. He felt assured that his life would
not have been saved if it had not been for
her tenderness, and therefore he owed all
that he possessed to her. She was like a A
second Miss Nightingale, for all the soldiers
respected her highly, and looked upon her as
if she was something more than woman.
Mr. Furness made many inquiries respecting
Eugland and Englishmen, mentioning par
ticularly Mr. Joseph Barker, who, when in
Philadelphia, was the advocate o1 infidelity,
was accustomed to attend the church where
Mr. Furness preached, and then publicly an
nounced that he would make remarks upon
the sermon. He supposed that Mr. Barker
'¦ adopted this plan to attract attention aud
draw larger audiences, but he believed that
the scheme did not answer.
March 6.— Attended a meeting of the
i Freedmen's Aid Association, and was much

interested in the proceedings. One lady
spoke with great energy on the conduct of
England in supplying the rebels with the
munitions of war, and expressed a hope that
she would yet be compelled to make restitu
tion for the depredations committed on
American shipping by the Alabama and other
vessels of a similar character. I defended
the British government from the charge of
having made a breach of neutrality, urging
that, as the Alabama received her guns on
the high seas and was there fitted out as a
war-steamer, there was no law to meet such
a case, but if it could be shown that a vessel
had been fitted out as a war-ship for the
Confederates in British waters, then there
would be cause for complaint against the
English government for permitting such a
thing to take place. I believe that i failed to
convince anyone present that England was
not to blame for the course which was pursued
with regard to the late war. I admitted that
there were Englishmen whose conduct was
much to blame, but denied that the British.
government was responsible for it. There is
a great deal done in tbis city on behalf of the
freedmen every week, for tbe associations to
afford relief are very numerous. 1 had the
pleasure of seeing all the officers of one of
these associations, and took down the name
and age of each. Alice Bowers, treasurer,
aged 12 >ears ; Emma Freeman, correspond
ing secretary, aged 1 4 years ; Virginia
Bolivar, recording secretary, aged 12 years ;
Anna Jones, president, aged 13 years; and
Ellen Jones, vice-president, aged 10 years.
They were all co'oured children, and a more
intelligent company of bright-eyed girls I
think I never saw. I looked over the
minute-book and found that the recording
secretary had entered the minutes in a most
methodical manner, and in a beautiful hand
writing. There was not a blot from the be
ginning lo the end of the.book. They were
all precocious children, and the secretary was
as sharp as any of the rest. This society is
suppor'.ed-entirely by voluutary contributions,
the members contributing three cents each
per week. When a sufficient sum has been
obtained, a purchasing committee is ap
pointed ; and these little girls proceed in the
most womanly manner possible to obtain what
is requisite lor children's garments, and when
ihey have made them up, they send them for
the freedmen's children in South Carolina.
J hey have already sent off 140 garmenls of
their own making, and on each garment they
have stitched an appopriate passage '

of

scripture. March 7th. — Attended by invitation a large
supper party, amongst whom was Miss Pat-

132

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

.

terson, a young coloured lady, who has
gradua ed at college, and received the de
gree of A M. ; Mr. William \\ htpper, who
has taken a very prominent, part on behall
ot the need men ; Or. Roselle, late a sur-
geoti iu the United Mates army; Rev.
Peter Gardiner, a Methodist minister ; Mrs.
Harper, lecturer and poetess ; Mr. Willram
S|ill, a gentleman who has probably had
more to do with lhe Underground Kailway
than any other peisoti. He was present
when Box brown was received at Pniladel-
phia, and assisted in opening the box which
contained linn. Box Brown is well known
in England. Some years ago he visited
Manchester, and was the proprietor of a
panorama exhibiting the evils ol slavery. He
was sent from Richmond, in Virginia, to
Philadelphia in a box ot small dimensions
as height. Mr. Still conducted the cor
respondence in Philadelphia, and had to see
after the reception ol the box, in which small
gimlet-holes had been bored for the admis
sion of air, and on the direction was the not
unusual inscription, " With care. This side
up." Biown was supplied with food and a
bladder containing water. He was kept
longer on the way than was expected, and
Mr Still became alarmed lest Brown should
be dead. He went to the railway station or
depot, as it is here alums called, and saw a
box which he supposed might be the one in
which Brown haU been deposited. With
anxious solicitude for his charge, he bandied
the box, aud became conscious of an un
pleasant smell, which only tended to increase
his fears. It turned out, however, that this
was not the box, for Brown had not yet ar
rived. A gentleman connected with the
Anti-Slavery Society gave the porter a piece
of gold, and told him that he expected a box
to arrive which was wanted ac the anti-
slavery olfic : as speedily as possible, and if he
would look out lor it and carry it with cure
the gold would be his, as the box was needed
as soon as it would be obtained. The man
had no suspicious as to the contents of ihe
box, hut he faithfully perlornied his duty, and
Brown afterwards said that the only time it
was handled with care was ou its arrival at
Philadelphia. The same person who sent off
Box Brown from Richmond, afterwards sent
off two others, but was ultimately delected,
for the last box was stopped ou its way and
opened, aud the life of the slave was only
preserved on the condition that he would
divulge the secret as to who had sent him
off. He yielded under the circumsiauces,
aud gave up lhe name of his intended bene
factor, who was immediately arrested, and
was couuniacd to prison, where he remained

more than seven years. Another person was
committed to prison tor forty years, and was
only r-et at liberty from a southern gaol since
the late war commenced. Another person
sent off a box from Baltimore, and it arrived
at Philadelphia on the Sunday. Application
was made for it, but the answer was that no
freight could be delivered on ->uudav. After
some scheriiing on the part of the applicant
the box was at length delivered, notwith
standing its bei. g against the usual pracice,
but the person confined had suff red greatly
and could not avoid coughing. This alarmed
the person who went for the box very much
for he was alraid ot cleteciion, and to lessen
the risk he begau to sing aloud, " Hur-h, my
dear, lie still, and slumber," aud he suc-
cee led 111 getting away the box without being
delected. Many others succeeded in making
their escape in the steam boats on the James
River, notwithstanding all the precautions
which were taken to prevent it. Every captain
had to pay Ndols. for the searching ot his own
vessel, and if any slave happened to he found
concealed ou board he had t> pay 500dols.
Vet, notwiihstaiidiug all this strictness,
many succeeded in escaping ; and Mr. Still
informed me that the entire number who es
caped by means of what was termed the
" Underground Kailway" was not less than be
tween 30,000 and40,0 '0; ilalltheparticularsof
such wonderful escapes could be made known,
it would show that truth is stranger than fic
tion, aud a woik might be compiled which
would exceed in dramatic interest the most
thrilling stories which the most feitile ima
gination ever invented — Another gentleman
at the supper party was Mr. O. F. Alston,
of Cleveland, Ohio. He was born in North
Carolina, and was a loyalist. He had anassed
considerable property, and before the war
broke out he intended to remove into Ohio,
aud had made arrangements accordingly, but
unioitunately for him, alter he had been in
Ohio to make the necessary preparations, he
retu ned to North Carolina, and had no
difficulty iu getting there, but when he wan
ted to return he was loo late, fir lhe warhad
commenced, and be was obliged to remain
in North Carolina. I remember having a
conversation with the Marquis, of Harring
ton, respecting his visit to tlie- Northern and
Southern armies in the early part of ihe war,
and 1 asked him if he had not some difficulty
in getting through the lines. He replied
that he had no d.fficulty in getting through
the lines, but he had great difficulty in re
luming. This was precisely the case with'
Mr. Alston, and it resulted in a loss to him
of many thousands of dollars ; for the Con
federates kept making demands upon him

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

183

for supplies every few weeks, and on one
occasion it was as much as fifty per cent on
all his property, so that he was reduced to
the condition of a comparatively poor man
He was a believer in the ninety da\ s doctrine,
for when the war commenced he did not think
it would take more than three months for
the North to overcome the South. The p°oirle
in his iifrWdiate locality did not share this
opinion with him, for they thought that the
South would be successful, anrt ibis was evi
dent from the fact that in the eaB pat t of the
war a golden dollar and ten cents would be
given for a dollar in Confederate paper money.
Before the war terminated, a golden dollar
would purchase luO dols. in Confederate cur
rency, which showed how the laith of the
people in ultimate success had declined I
obtained much information from Mr. Alslon
as to the condition of the people in North
Carolina during the late war. He said there
was very great difficulty to find a sufficient
number of men to fill the office ot postmaster,
because those who took an active part in the
rebellion were not competent for such situ
ations. — Another person who was present at
the party was Mrs. Thompson, an amiable
and intelligent lady, the mothci-in-law of
General Saxton, who was lately connected
with the Freedmen's Bureau department in
the South. She had four sons in the United
States army, but although they had each
been in a number of battles, not one of them
bad been wounded. She gave me a descrip
tion of the deplorable condition of the
Southern states, where she had laiely been
travelling along with General Saxton She
did not believe that there was any better
spirit prevailing in the South now than there
was before the war, for even General Saxton
would not have been able to obtain a supply
for his own wants if he had not taken with
him a large lunch bag. The people in some
parts were so much embittered against per
sons who had been in the United Stt tes army,
that they would not even sell them food nor
provide them with the least accommodation
even when payment was offered. She did
not think that Fort Sum pter would ever be
rebuilt, lor it took thirty years for its erection,
and the late war had developed tbe fact that
there were other means of defence of a more
powerful character than any which such a
fortification could supply. Another person
present was the Kev. W. J Alston, an Epis
copal minister. He seemed surprised when
I told him that I did not personally know
one Episcopal minister in England who took
the site of the North during the late national
conflict. March 8. — Went to the Nid Prius court

to hear a case in which a coloured man was
the plaintiff. It appeared that he had em
ployed a lawyer to obtain for him the sum of
2.240 dols. which was due, but in paying it
over had reserved to himself 400 dols. as his
fee. General Holden was the advocate lor
the coloured man, and uryed that the sum of
400 dols was much too high to be charged,
but his client had consented to it because his
state of poverty made him wil ing to consent
to anything if he could only be pliced in
possession of money. lhe judge in address
ing ibejury, said that iu the court o iloured
people were entitled to justice, but they ought
not to receive more, and unless it could be
shown that there had been fraud or mistake
when the signature was given, the jury must
find for the defendant lu his summing up
I observed that lhe judge spoke entirely in
favour of the lawyer, and never said one word
in favour of the other side. — Went to the
Supreme Court where a will case was brought
on, but it was not of sufficient interest to
command my attenti n long, although I was
pleased to have the opportunity of heating
the ablest legal advocate in lhe state Went
to the Mate House and made an inspection
of the Independence Hall. It possesses
historic interest from the fact that it was
here where the Declaration of Independence
was passed by Congress, July 4, 1776. It
was in this Hall where .Witheroon, a dis
tinguished nriuister of the Presbyterian
( hurch, and a lineal descendaut of John
Knox, said in his address to the assembled
patriots, " There is a ride in tbe affairs of
men, a nick of time; we pe.ceive it now
before us. That noble instrument upon your
table, which insures immortality to its author,
should be subscribed this veiy morning by
every member in the room. He who will
not respond to it3 call is unworthy of the
name of freeman ! Although these hairs
must descend into the tomb, I would rather,
infinitely rather they should descend thither
by the hands of the public executioner, than
desert.at this crisis, lhe sacred cause of my
country." In this Hall is preserved the old
bell which was imported Irom England, in
1752, and was used on the passing of the act
declaring the independence of the United
States. It is considered a sacred relic by
Americans as it was the first to sound the
glad tidings of liberty.
" The motto of our Father band,
Circled the world in its embrace;
'Twas liberty throughout the land,
And good to all their brother race.
Long here— within the pilgrim's bell,
Had lingered— though it often pealed—
Those treasured tones that eke should tell,
When Freedom's proudest scroll was sealed."

134

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Saw and sat in a chair which was manufac
tured by order of the Board of Commissioners
and was composed of the following relics,
viz., a portion of mahogany taken from the
house of Christopher Columbus. The house
was built in 1496, being the first house built
in America by European hands. Also a
portion of the great elm tree under which
William Penn formed his treaty wiih the
Indians in 1 682. The elm tree was blown
down in 1810, and was ascertained by its
grain to be 283 years old. 1 he treaty which
was formed was to remain unbroken while
creeks and rivers run, and while the sun,
moon, and stars endure. Also a portion of
oak from the floor of the house once the
home of William Penn, and called Penn's
Cottage. Also a portion of a walnut tiee,
the last of a group which foimerly stood in
front of the btate House. Tbe tree was 183
years old. Other relics of less note were also
used iu the manufacture of the chair. I
ascended to the top of the steeple of the
State House, which gives a fine panoramic
view of the country around for many miles.
The course of the river Delaware is marked
as with a silver line to a great distance, but
the river Schuylkill the stream of which is
only half the breadth of the Delaware, I
could scarcely see at all. The State House
steeple is said to be the highest in the city,
and affords one of the best views of the
houses, streets, parks, &c, which can pos
sibly be obtained. — In the evening I went to
Concert Hall to hear a lecture from Professor
Day, his subject being " Equality before the
Law." There was a large attendance, and
the lecture was well received. C'n being
introduced to the lecturer, he requested the
opportunity of a private interview on his
return from Washington.
March 9. --Have been invited to attend
the opening service of a new erection under
the manngement of the Society of Friends
called "'lhe Institute for Coloured Youth.''
I went to witness the celebration, and never
was more delighted than I was on this occa
sion to see such a remarkable development
of intellect. The president, Mr. Marmaduke
C. Cope, read from an English newspaper an
account of the visit of the Rev. Marmaduke
Miller, late of Manchester, to this institution
last year, when he gave his testimony to the
high attainments of the pupils. The institu
tion was established under the following
circumstances. In 1832 Mr. Richard Hum
phreys, a member of the Society of Friends,
died, leaving by will 10,000 dols. to be
devoted to a school for the instruction of
coloured youth. Afterwards, Mr. Jonathan
Zane, also a member of the same society,

left 18,000 dols. to the same object, and Mr.
Josiah Dawson left 5,000 dols. Others also
belonging to the •Society of Friends have
contributed 5,000 dols. each, and thus the
funds have been raised. The school has been
going on fourteen years, but having become
too small, it was resolved to erect larger
premises, and that was the day for the open
ing. The cost of erection and furnishing
was 45,090 dols. Already 37 of the pupils
have received diplomas, 24 are now engaged
as teachers, seven of whom are in the South.
Many others who have received their training
here, but did not complete the full course of
instruction, are now teaching in the South.
Several orations and dissertalions were given
by the pupils in a way which reflected the
highest credit both upon themselves and
their teachers. Before leaving England I
did not share in the popular idea that the
negro race was inferior to others except so
far as that inferiority had been produced by
the oppression of ages ; for I held that it
wou'd be a disgrace to the Anglo Saxon race,
if with all their advantages they did not give
proof of superior intellectual endowment.
What I witnessed this day more than ever
confirmed my previous convictions, for I
never knew persons acquit themselves bet
ter at any school examination I have wit
nessed in England, nor do I believe that I
ever saw tbe performance equalled.
March 10. — Saw lhe Univeisity of Penn
sylvania, a large but not commandingly
beautiful erection. The institution comprises
four departments, viz , the academical, the
collegiate, the medical, and the law ; and it
is said that the prolessors are of the highest
standing in the various departments. Here
are taught moral philosophy, mathematics,
rhetoric andEuglish literature, naturnl philoso
phy, chemistry, the languages, &c. There
ure at present ninety-five students. — Visited
the Athenasum, an institution established in
1813 for the purpose of providiug a con
venient resort for young men during their
leisure hours, without danger to their morals
and tastes- The library contains over 12,000
volumes, and the newsroom was supplied with
English and American periodicals. A chess
room was well attended by excellent players.
The building is a massive structure, and
when viewed from Washington Square, it
has a chaste and beautiful appearance. — Saw
the Pennsylvania Hospital, which was
founded more than one hundred years ago.
It is a very large and beautiful edifice, and
on the grounds in front is a well executed
statue of William Penn. Since 1841 there
have been received into this establishment
no less than 13,829 patients, of whom 9,800

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

135

were poor persons. At present there are
158 inmates, of whom 120 are poor. For
merly there was exhibited on behalf of this
institution, one of West's pictures, lhe sub
ject being "Christ healing the sick," and the
amount realised from the exhibition of this
one picture was 24,000 dols.
Marchril, (Sunday). — Attended service
in the morniDg at the Second Advent Church,
and afternoon and evening at the African
Methodist Episcopal Church. I was told that
there is in connection with this church 1,100
members, and that the building will hold
about 3,000 persons. I thought the latter
estimate was much too large. I am told
that this church was formed in consequence
of an unreasonable prejudice which existed
against the coloured race. For some time,
both white and coloured people worshipped
together at -the Methodist Church, but the
prejudice became so great that even when
the coloured people were on their knees in
the attitude of devotion, the white people
who were members of the same church
would take them away by main force. This
led to a division, and the African Methodist
Episcopal Church was then formed, aud
they have a separate Conference of their
own. In theevening the Rev. James Lynch,
a talented coloured preacher, gave an address
to young men, and spoke strongly on the
hardships and degradation whioh white
people had imposed on the coloured race, but
urged that if the latter became virtuous and
educated they would rise to a position in
which they might defy the oppressor's power.
There was plenty of room for amendment, for
there were 46 dram-shops in Philadelphia,
kept by white people who were supported by
coloured people, aud there were 18 dram
shops kept by coloured men. There were
in the city at the present time 30,000 co
loured people, and 2,740 were daily visitors
at the dram-shops. There were no less
than 53 of those places within two squares
(streets) of the place where he was then
speaking. March 12. — The Rev. Isaac Gates called
upon me to-day, and our interview was of a
very pleasant character. He is the minister
of a Second Advent Church in this city, and
has been a very prominent member of that
denomination. Formerly he was what is
termed a " Timist," that is a person who
definitely fixed the time for Christ's second
appearance, which was to be en the 10th
day of the 7th month in the year 1843. He
was then the minister of a large church in
Baltimore, and so confident was he and
those to whom he ministered, of the
immediate fulfilment of scriptural predictions

relative to Christ's personal reign, that if
any of the members were in debt the others
came forward with their treasures and paid
all that was owing, and distributed the rest
amongst the poor. Thousands upon thou
sands of dollars were thus distributed. Mr.
Gates and his family had just one hundred
dollars, aud they distributed it all amongst
the poor, and took pleasure in doing it, for
they had not the shadow of a doubt 1 1 at
Christ was about to visit the earth, and
there would be no further use for money.
The day arrived, and the believers assembled
together, confident that the day of the Lord
had come. They watched and prayed, but
still there was no sign of Christ's appearing.
In the evening they looked upon the waning
moon, and saw some circles surrounding it ;
every now and then the moon appeared to
them as if it enlarged to a size which would
cover an acre, and then diminished consider
ably. While the believers were inspired
with solemn awe aud filled with pious ex
pectation, a city mob collected, and being
filled with rage because they imagined tha,
the truth had not been proclaimed, they
came together with the determination to pull
down the place where the helievers were as
sembled. Mrs. Gates went outside, and
seeing a person armed with a great rail to be
used in the work of demolition, she pointed
him to the singular appearance of the moon,
and said, " You sinner, don't you see that
the frown of God is upon you." The man
immediately dropped his rail and the people
dispersed, and in ten minutes time, although
hundreds had been congregated, the streets
were so clear that not a person could be
found. The members still kept up their faith
until the midnight hour, and then when every
thing remained as usual, they began to
think they might have made a mistake of a
day or two, but ultimately they saw they
had committed an error in fixing a time, and
Mr. Gates has been a wiser man ever since.
He never tried to conceal the fact that he
had been mistaken, for he had honestly held
to his conviction until time convinced him
that he was wrong, and although he still be
lieves in the second comiug of Christ, he
does not fix any precise period for the
solemn event to take place. The serious
mistake which had been made, had the
effect of scattering the believers, and to a
great extent of destroying their influence.
In some places where thousands were ac
customed to assemble for worship, now they
have not hundreds, but nevertheless those
who remain are persons of eminent piety,
and spend much of their time in works of
mercy and charity. There are some who

136

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

believe that the present year (1866) will be
a notable one for the fulfilment of prophecy.
They regard the Babylon mentioned iu the
Revelations, as having a reference to Roman
Catholicism, and as the Pope is this year
calling together at Rime many distinguished
members of the Catholic church to celebrate
the eighteen hundredth anniversary of tha
death of St. Peter, it is expected bv many in
America, that there will bea dreadful volcanic
eruption which will swa'low up the doomed
city and its inhabitants. Mr. Gates is
well known through the New England
and other States, as a great debater
on religious doctrine, and has gained much
attention through the press and otherwise.
Ho has been engaged in twenty public de
bates, each of which has occupied a num
ber of days, for those which have occupied
the smallest amount of time were four davs
while others have extended to eighteen days.
On one occasion he was weighed at the
beginning and end of a lengthy debate, and
weighed three pounds heaviervat the close
than he did at the beginning. This was
the first time that ever I knew a declaimer
to get fat during the excitement of a pro
longed debate. Mr. Gates has taken an
active part iu promoting the iuterests of the
coloured race, aud on one occasion he was
arrested at Baltimore on account of some
remarks which he had publicly made. His
trial was to come off on the Monday, and
he requested to be set. at liberty on the Sun
day to preach to his congregation. He was
told that if he would produce bail he miyht
be at liberty for the Sunday. He had no
wish to ask for bail, but promised that if they
would let him out he would return ot his
own accord on the Monday moruiug. 'Ihe
sheriff said that if he had made that promise
he would himself give bail for his appear
ance, and he did so. Mr. Gates went on the
Monday morning into the prisoners' dock,
and on the sheriff seeing him he asked him
if he was prepared lor trial, when he an
swered in the affirmative. He asked hira
if he had instructed counsel, and he re
plied that he had net, for he intended to
plCad his own cause. The judge and the
sheriff afterwards conversed together, and
the latter having said that Mr. Gates would
defend his own cause, and had a bible under
his arm, the judge remarked that he would
rather set him clear than be dosed with
Millerism. — Mr. Gates was therefore dis
charged without trial. — Saw the Merchants'
Exchange, a magnificent building, con
structed of the purest Peunsylvanian marble,
and embellished with a portico supported by
Corinthian columns. The entrance is by

semicircu'ar flights of marble steps, orna-
. mented by two gigantic lions, exquisiiely cut
in marb'e In the evening visited Miss
Greenfield, a coloured lady, and a celebrated
songstress, who is better known by the pro
fession and the public under the appellatiou
ol the " Black Swan'' 1 remember attend
ing a concert in the Public Hall, Rochdale,
aiiottt a dozen years sitice, at whi h she was
the principal singer. She has not altered
much in appeara ice, except that she is now a
little stouter than she was then Her con
versation was most agreeable and she san"
lor me in a very beautiful style, " Home of
my childhood " She also sang a piece w' ich
formed part of her programme wh<-n she
tfave her concert at Rochdale. During the
time that she was in Knglairi she separated
from the person with whom she had travelled,
and the Duchess of Sutherland asned her
what she intended to do, now that she was
a sti anger, and in a strange land. Miss
Greenfield replied that the same God who
had raised up friends for ber in America
was able to raise up friends for her in
England. The Ducness took hold of her
thumb, aud pressing it between her fingers
said, ' I -will be your friend," and she wept
while she said it. She was as good as her
word, and furnished the most substantial
evidence of her friendship, for she not only
introduced her at court, where she gave a
concert before Her Majesty at Buckingham
Palace, but she also made her a present of
4'500 and gave her a piano which cost sixty
guineas. 1 saw in the parlour, enclosed in a
gilt frame, a portrait of the Duchess of
Sutherland, whicn Miss Greenfield lold me
was preseuted to her while iu tinglaud by the
Duchess herself. She said her recollections
of Knglaud were of the most pleasing charac
ter. March 13th.— Visited the High School,
which is under the management of the
Society of Friends, and was much interested.,
The teachers are intelligent, and bestow
much attention to their pupils. I doubted
very much the propriety of using books
which are purposely mrtde inaccurate in order
tnat the pupils may correct them, for when
the eye is accustomed to see what is errone
ous it lessens lhe impression at the expense
of truth. It is always better, iu my opinion
to become familiar with a correct m..del.
The schoolis well supplied with everything
that is requisite^to supply a first-class educa
tion to the numerous pupils — Since my
arrival in Philadelphia I have repeatedly
visited some of the public parks, which are
beautilul places of resort, and in summer
time must be very highly prized as scenes of

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

187

beauty and shady retreats. There are in
this city set en public pa>ks, or squares as
they Hre called here, arid two others are now
being formed. Independence Square is
siiuated near to the State House, and lam
told that on election occasions the grounds
are used for large public meetings for politi
cal purposes. It is a beautiful and favourite
protuenalre. During the revolutionary period
a large prison occupied ihe ground n iar this
square, and at one time tbe British held
more than 900 American prisoners, who, it
is said, were not well treated, for many of
them died of hunger and cold. Washington
Square is a beautiful spot, and is kept iu
excellent condition. It is planted with a
great variety of trees, which give this ver
dant place a great attraction to the lovers of
nature. It is said that here bloom alike the
lowering oak, the lordly pine, the weeping
willow, and ihe fragrant almond and mag
nolia I have never seen the magnolia yet
in fl >wer, and I therelore can only give the
testimony of others. It is prop ised to raise
a monument to Washington in the centre of
this park, but nothing has yet been done of
a tangible character. Franklin Square is
beautifully shaded with trees, laid out with
taste, and kept in good order. A fountain
with forty jets of water is placed in the ceu-
tre of the park. The Penn and other squares
I have not visited. The day was beauti
ful, lor I think I never witnessed a greater
change in the weather thaD has taken place
recently. A few days since we had a
downfall of snow and hail, anil the
atmosphere had the coldness of winter, but
to-dav it seemed almost like summer, and
fresh vegetation is now for the first time
this season beginning to manifest itself.
Went across the Schuylkill to West Phila
delphia, and saw the Alms House, which is
situated on a farm contaiuing 187 acres. The
front is ornamented by an elegant portico,
in the Tuscan order ot architecture, which
gives the structure an imposing appearance,
and makes it look like a palaca for the poor.
— VVeut to the "Homef'orColoured Children,"
which is situate at Maylandville. Some
time since one of the most wealthy gentlemen
of the city, of the name ofMayland, built
for himself a country mansion, which he
named Maylandville. On his de*th occurring
the property was sold, the purhasers being
a number of benevolent persons connected
with the Society of Friends, who converted
the eutire buildings into a home for coloured
children. It fe beautifully situated, having a
fine view of the River Schuylkill and tbe ad
jacent country. The greater portiou of the
children are orphans, but ihere are some

who belong to poor persons to whom it is a
great charity to take charge of their
children. Coloured children may also be
sent here to be boarded and educated, the
persons sending them having to pay the cost.
It is a charming institution, and the little
black children with their woolly heads seemed
j. ¦ h*> ib banrv «s r)is«ihle. — Saw the Gas
works, which are here on a large scale. One
of the coal stores is capable of containing
650,000 bushels, aird one of the gasometers
is so large as to have capacity for one million
cubic feet of gas, I never saw a tank so
large before. The guide frames are entirely
of cast iron. The large holder is guided by
twelve sets of columns, standing in groups
of three, raised four tiers high ; the lower tier
is of'Tuscan, the second Doric, the third Ionic,
and the upper the Corinthiau order of archi
tecture. The number of columns is 144.
The main pipes extend 1,040,745 feet, and
the number of lights supplied is about
225,000. The quality of gas used in this
city is that which is designated " twenty
candle gas," that is to say, the light of an
argand burner, consuming fbur.feet an hour,
is equal to that of twenty sperm candles, six
to the pound — Visited the Fairmount Water
works, from which the city of Philadelphia is
supplied with water. They are situated on
the east bank ot the Schuylkill river, a short
distance above a beautiful wire bridge, at
which place a water power was obtained by
the erection of a dam across the river,
which was formed by the sinking of wooden
cribs filled with stone. By this means a
water power has been obtained sufficient to
worn eight double acting forcing pumps, six
teen inches in diameter, and of six feet
stroke. There are eight water-wheels, each
of which will pump ab rut 1,500,000 gallons
of water per day into a reservoir 92 feet
above the level of the river, and is about 56
feet above the highest ground in the city.
There are four main reservoirs, containing
together 22,031,976 gallons. There are
other waterworks which I did not visit, but
I understand that the entire power is
capable of raising 29,903,932 gallons per
day. The water is distributed through the
city of Philadelphia, as now consolidated,
in 243 miles ol iron pipe. One thing I was
delighted to find was that these waterworks
are the property of the city, and therefore
those who have the management endeavour
to make tbem as servicable as possible to the
citizens at large. A considerable tract of
laud is conuected with the works, which is
laid out in a most ornamental style as flower
gardens, shaded walks, rustic seats, heauliful
drives, commanding eminences, and quiet

188

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

valleys ; the whole being adorned with lofty
forest trees, and beautiful shrubberies. I
was told that in the summer season it is a
pleasant retreat to which thousands of the
citizens daily resort. It would be difficult to
conceive anvthing more beautiful than the
landscape views which are here presented,
combining as ihey do, a magnificent panor
ama ol land and water scenery. I think the
Americans aie less careful of expenditure in
producing scenes of beauty in the neighbour
hood of large cities than the English are.
Had an outside inspection of Guard College.
Many people eulogise the benevolence of the
late Mr Stephen Girard, and he is constantly
praised for the astounding mun.ficence dis
played in the erection of a college, the cost
of which up to the present time has been
1,933,821 dols. I have endeavoured to make
familiar with his history, and am less inclined
to admire his character then the generality
of people. He w>is a native of France, but
came to America whiie young, aud settled in
Philadelphia. He was quite a poor person,
but like many others iu this country found it
perfectly easy to improve his circumstances.
He appears to have tieen a man of honour in
his business relations, lor during the revolu
tionary period in the West Indies many per
sons placed their money in his care, believing
that it would be safer in his hands than if
left to the fortunes of war. Many of the per
sons who thus placed their money in his
hands were killed during the struggle, an I
Mr. trirard thus became possessed of their
treasure. He was also fortunate in his busi
ness speculations, for when he got into cir
cumstances wnich gave him command of
ready money, he purchased property and re
sold it when he had an opportunity of sel
ling it to advantage. A gentleman apparently
well qualified lo form au opinion assured me
that if Mr. Guard's property were sold at the
present time it would realise at least
25,000,000 of dols. One reason why 1 am
not a great admirer of Mr. Girard is, that he
did not use his wealth lor benevolent objects
while he lived, for he ouly patted with it
when he could retain it no longer. The fact
is he was au old miser — a regular worshipper
of money. A lady who knew him well informed
roe that she knew he wore one coat more
than twenty years. • If he had spent his
money, or even a considerable portion of it,
while he lived ill works ofuiercv he would
then have furnished an evidence of a benevo
lent disposition, and have had tbe pleasure
of seeing the orphan rejoice, and knowing
that he had made the widow's heart dauce
with joy. Another reason why I don't
greatly admire Mr. Girard's character is,

that his heart was not sufficiently expanded
by a love of humanity to cause him to seek
the happiness of anoitcast race. No orphan
ever received his benediction if he happened
to have one drop of African blood in his
veins. He was a slaveholder, and even when
he died he would not give his slaves freedom,
but made them over by will to another slave
holder. He built a considerable number of
houses for working people, and the occupants
might purchase them from him by paying
monthly instalments, and they would thus
become their own property in time, but
when coloured people wished to possess a
similar privilege he always refused to permit
them to be his tenants, and was quite opposed
to their being placed on an equality with the
white population. Many persons have been
surprised that Mr. Girard could make so
large a fortune in so short a time, especially
as he had neither . money nor friends when
he came to this country, aud in one respect
he was physically defective, for he had only
one eye. He was, however, a man who had
an eye to business* and turned, everything to
profitable account. Probably there uever
was a poor man who became so rich in such
a short time, purely by commercial enter
prise, and therefore his successful career must
be regarded as an exception. But there are
many remarkable instances constantly occur
ring iu this country where furtuues are made
as if by magic. Since my arrival in Phila
delphia a gentleman lias died worth 3,500,000
dollars; yet it is only thirty years since he
(Dr. Jayne), came to this country quite a
poor person. He issued a patent medicine,
but he had not money enough to pay for the
advertisement in the newspaper. Credit was
allowed, and when asked tor immediate pay
ment he said il immediate payment was en
forced it would prove his ruin, but if time
were further granted he hud no doubt he
would be able to satisfy the demand. The
request was granted, and Mr. Jayue made a
splendid fortune in thirty years. It may
sound strange that the payment of an ad
vertisement account should prove a man's
ruin, but it should be borne in mind that the
cost of advertising in America is much greater
than it is in England. I know un instance
where a man called -at a newspaper office
in this city, and asked the cost of inserting
an advertisement which he produced. He
was asked how long it was to appear, and
he replied every day. He was theu asked for
how long a time, and he replied twelve
months. After a little calculation had been
made he was told that the advertisement
could not appear daily for twelve months for
less than 5,000 dolls. Mr. Tovvusend, the

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

139

applicant, immediately made out a cheque on
the bank lor that amount. What was the
result ? In twelve months time Mr. S. P.
Townsend found that he had realised, in
Philadelphia alone, a profit of 25,000 dols.
And all this was accomplished by the sale of
a patent medicine, the preparer of which was
once a very poor person, living at Albany,
who, wheifc he arrived at New York, with
five dozen bottles of his physic, his whole
stock-in-trade, he had just a do. Iar and
a half in his pockets, which he puid
for an advertisement in a newspaper,
and the next day he sold thiee dollars
worth, and the day after that five d illars
worth, and thus he kept increasing until
he had realised a splendid fortune, aud
then he sold his receipt for, I believe, 1 05,000
dollars. It is quite marvellous how quickly
some men have made a fortune by means of
advertising. A gentleman with whom I have
become acquainted since my arrival in this
city, told me that he had paid the Richmond
Inquirer, more than 2,000 dollars a year for
advertising, yet he found that it paid him
well to expend this money. This was not a
patent medicine vendor, for he is a manufac
turer of agricultural implements, aud there
fore in the iron trade. But I must now go on
with my account of Mr. Girard and his col
lege. He appears to have been an eccentric
man, one of his eccentricities being that he
made provision in his will that no minister
of religion should be permitted to enter the
precincts of the college under any circum
stances. In a conversation I had with the
Rev. Mr. Furness on this subject, he told me
that on one occasion a persou went there
having on a white cravat, and on entering
the college a gentleman said to him, " You
have no right to be here " The supposed
intruder immediately asked, "What the
d — 1 for ? " Walk in sir, was the laconic
reply. No further proof was required that
he was not a minister. I have heard various
reasons assigned for this prohibition of reli
gious teachers, but as they are inconsistent
with each other, and I have no means of
determining which is the ri^ht one, I forbear
to mention any. Various statements are also
made with respect to the disposal of Mr.
Girard's body, but I will content myself by
merely mentioning the fact that although he
was interred in the graveyard in Spruce and
Sixth streets, the body was lately disinterred
and placed in the lower vestibule, on the
i south end of the college building, beneath a
statue of himself, beautifully cut in marble.
The college was designed for the gratuitous
i instruction and support of destitute orphans.
, The number at present in tbe college is 448.

The will of the founder is the governing
principle of the institution, and provides that
the orphans shall be instructed in the various
branches of a sound education, compris
ing reading, writing, grammar, arilhmetic,
geography, navigation, surveying, practical
mathematics, astronomy, the French and
Spanish languages, &c. The college was
fourteen years in building, and even recently
some additions have been made to it. It is a
building of great strength, which is evident
from the fact that the roof, which is composed
of marble tiles, weighs 969| tons, exclusive
of the brick work which supports it. Al
together it is considered one of the grandest
works of art possessed by either this or any
other fcouutry of the world. It is supposed
that the annual income from the property
left by Mr. Girard to be appropriated to the
benefit of this institution will be from 200,000
to 220,000 dollars. When the foundation
stone was laid, an eloquent oiation was
delivered which concluded as follows: —
" Long may this structure stand, in its
majestic simplicity ; the [jride and admira
tion of our latest posterity ; long may it
continue to yield its annual harvests of
educated and moral citizens, to adorn and to
delend our country. Long may each suc
cessive age enjoy its still increasing benefits,
when time shall have filled its halls with the
memory of the mighty dead who have been
reared within them, and shed over its out
ward beauty the mellowing hues of a
thousand years of renown." The following is
the architect's description of the building, —
" The Girard's College is situated about
one and a half miles north-west of the
centre of the city, on a tract of land con
taining forty-five acres ; the whole bf
which was appropriated by Mr. Girard
exclusively to the purposes of the Institution.
The main building, which is the subject
of this description, is composed in the
Corinthian order of Grecian architecture, it
covers a space of 184 by 243 feet, and con
sists of an octastyle peripteral superstructure,
resting upon a basement of eight feet in
height, composed entirely of steps extending
around the whole edifice ; by which a pyra
midal appearance is given to the substruction,
- and a means of approach to the porticoes af
forded from every side. The dimensions of
the stylobate (or platform on which the col
umns stand), are 159 feet on the front, by
217 feet on the flanks ; and the cell, or body
of the building, measures 1 1 1 feet by 169
feet 2 inches. The whole height, from the
ground to the apex of the roof, is about 100
feet. The columns are 34 in number ; the
dia neter of the shaft at the top of the base is

140

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

six feet, and at the bottom of the capital five
feet: the height of the capital is eight feet
si* inches, and its width, from the extreme
corners of the abacus, nine feet ; the whole
height of the column, including capital and
base, is fifty -nine feet. The entablature is
sixteen feet three inches high, and the
greatest projection of the cornice, from the
face of the frieze, is four feet nine inches;
the elevation of the pediment is twenty feet
five inches, beiug one-ninth of the span. The
capitals of the columns are proportioned from
those of the Monument of L>sicrates, at
Athens ; they are divided in height into four
courses — the first embraces the water leaf,
and consists of a single stone of seventeen
inches in thickness ; the second course is also
composed of a single stone, the height of
which is two feet ten inches — the annular row
of acanthus leaves occupies the whole of this
course ; tne third division of the capital em
braces the volutes and the cauliculi ; this
course, which is likewise two feet ten inches
in height, is composed of two pieces, having
the vertical joint betweeu thecaulicula or two
opposite faces ; the fourth, or upper course,
being the abacus, is one foot five inches in
height. The ceiling of the portico will be
formed by beams resting on the tenia, and
extending from the cell of the building to the
colonnade opposite to each column; the
spaces between the beams will be filled in
with rich lacunaria. The corners of the
building are finished with massive antse,
having bases and capitals composed upon the
principles of Grecian architecture. The
flanks o£ the cell are pierced with windows,
which are ornamented with the Greek antse,
surmounted with architraves and cornices.
The doors of entrance are iu the centre of
the north and south fronts; they are each
sixteen, feet wide in the clear, by thirty-two
feet high ; their outside finish consists of
antepagmenta, of two feet seveu inches wide,
the supercilium of which is surmounted with
a frieze and cornice ; — the cornice is sup
ported by six consoles, of six and a half feet
in height, and the cymatium is ornamented
with sculptured houey suckles. The exterior
of the whole structure will be composed of
fine white marble, slightly tinted with blue.
Tae vestibules, which are approached by
means of the doors at each end of the
building are ornamented with marble antte,
columns, and entablature, of the Greek Ionic
order, which support a vaulted ceiling, con
sisting of elliptical groin arches, enriched
with lrets, guilloches, aud lacunaria; the col
umns, which are sixteen in number, will each
be composed of a single piece of marble; —
the proportions of the order are from the

Temple on the Illyssus at Athens. The
lobbies in the second story are directly over
the vestibules, and occupy the same space.
The columns iu this story, will be composed
in the simplest form of Corinthian or foliated
architecture, proportioned from those of the
Tower of Androniou3 Cyrrhestes at Athens ;
the entablature will be surmounted with groin
arches, similar to those in the vestibules, the
soffits of which will be enriched with lacu
naria. The stairways will be composed of
marble ; they will be constructed iu the four
corners of the building, each occupying a
space of twenty-two feet by twenty-six feet,
extending the whole height of tbe edifice ;
these openings will each be crowned with a
pendative parabolic dome, surmounted with
a sky-light of ten feet in diameter — the height
of the sky-light from the floor will be eighty
feet. The building is three stories in height ;
each of which is twenty-five feet from floor
to floor; there are four rooms of fifty feet
square in each storey. Those of the first
and second stories, are vaulted with groin
arches ; and those of the third storey, with
domes supported on pendentives, which
spring from the corners of the rooms at the
floor, and assume the form of a circle ou the
horizontal section at the height of nineteen
feet. These rooms are lighted by means of
sky-lights of sixteen feet in diameter. All
the domes are terminated below the plane
of the roof, and tbe sky-lights are designed
to project but one foot above it, so as not to
interfere with the character of the archi
tecture. The whole building will be warmed
by means of furnaces placed in the cellar ;
and every apartment will be ventilated upon
philosophical principles."
March 14. — Visited the Philadelphia Li
brary, a substantial looking structure, the
front entrance of which is surmounted by a
well executed statue of Dr. Franklin, which
is cut in marble. Considerable additions to
the books in this library are made every year,
and the present number is about 65,000
volumes — Saw the Pennsylvania College,
and it presented a very neglected appearance,
but I understand that the building has re
cently been purchased by the Eclectic Medical
College, and this change of ownership may
possibly accoutit for its present appearance,
which is not at all attractive. The design is
from tbe architect of Girard College, its front
elevation being in the Collegiate Gothic
style, and adorned with embattlements. It
is in Philadelphia a new style of edifice. — Iu
the evening I went to tbe Assembly Buildings,
where a concert was given by the Hutchinson
Family. They were applauded in every
piece they sang. The - following was the

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141

programme of the evening, portions of which
will be recognised by those who heard them
sing when they visited England some years
ago. — We are with you once again, kind
friends. — Good Time Coming — Cold Water.
— What shall be my angel name ? — Mrs.
Lofty and I. — The Farmer.— The Perplexed
Farmer's Wife's Soliloquy. — There was a
Country*Blade.— Lashed to the Mast. — Maxi-
millian. — No One to Love. — Will the New
Year Come To-Night? — Ten ting To- Night on
the Old Camp Ground. — A Curiosity.—
Jeff. Davis' Dream. — A Matrimonial Dispute.
— The Cld Granite State — On the close of
the concert, Mr. John Hutchinson recognised
me, and requested me to see him next day,
which I did, and I found that his home is no
longer in the Old Granite State (New Hamp
shire), for he has removed to Lynn, in Mas
sachusetts, where he has a beautiful residence,
near to a commanding bluff, on which an ob
servatory is erected, from which can be seen
three cities, one country town, twenty villages
and a sea-beach two miles long. He wished
me to visit the place if I could make it con
venient. He is also the principal proprietor
of a town in Minnessota, to which the name
of Hutchinson has been given, and at present
about 400 inhabitants are collected there. He
gave me an account of his visit to England,
and said that the happiest night he ever
spent was once on a visit to Miss Martineau,
at Ambleside, in the lake district."
March 15. — Visited the Cathedral Church
of St. Peter and St. Paul, a grand and mag
nificent edifice, which has been in course of
erection nineteen years, and although it has
been opened for religious service, it is yet
far from completion. The plan of the edifice
is that of the modern Roman cruciform
churches, having in the centre a great nave.
The vault over the nave and transepts is 78
feet high, cylindrical and pannelled. Over
the intersection of the cross vaults there is a
pendentive dome 125 feet high. The side
aisles and transepts are divided from the
nave by massive piers. The piers support
the arches on which the clerestory is built,
and are richly ornamented with foliated
moulding, and are further relieved with fluted
pilasters of the Corinthian order, with en
riched bases and capitals. These pilasters
support an entablature, including the archi
trave, frieze, cornice, and blocking course,
over which spring the vaulted semicircular
ceiling. The sanctuary at the east end is
fifty feet square, and the high altar is exceed
ingly magnificent. The light throughout the
building is mainly admitted through the lan
terns of the great dome, the small pendentive
dome over the aisles, and large semicircular

windows at the west end. The richest style
of the Roman Corinthian order prevails
throughout the building. The front is con
sidered a beautiful design, and is of a highly
decorative character. The plan consists of a
portico of four gigantic columns, sixty feet
high, and six feet in diameter, finished with
richly sculptured bases and capitals, and over
these an entablature and pediment, in corres
ponding architectural taste. The main
entrance is approached by a flight of nine
steps, forty-eight feet long. Over the central
doorway is the large west window, and over
the side doors are niches to receive the
figures of tbe patron saints of the church, St.
Peter and St. Paul. The principal dome
forms an imposing feature in the exterior
view, and rises to the height of 2 1 0 feet, sur
rounded by a row of columns thirty feet high,
supporting an enriched entablature. The
dome is highly ornamented, both internally
and externally, and imparts a grandeur of ap
pearance said to be unequalled by auy other
building' in the country, lhe paintings are
quite new, and are of a striking character.
Pictures illustrative of scriptural history were
very abundant, lhe cost of the building
when completed will be a large sum, but not
near so much, either in material or workman
ship, as it would have been had it been con
structed of white marble instead of brown
stone. It is a great defect in my opinion,
that the building has been placed so near the
street as to prevent people from seeing the
dome as they pass along. I did not see any
provision for the placing of a public clock
in the building, and in this city public clocks
are remarkably scarce. 1 think that Shrews
bury, Salop, has twenty times as many public
clocks as Philadelphia, although this city is
more than twenty times as large as Shrews
bury. The Roman Catholics are a numerous
body in this city, having twenty-three churches,
some of whichare beautiful structures. — In ac
cordance with a promise made at Boston, I
visited H. C. Carey, Esq., and had
a lengthy conversation wi'h him on the
subject of Free Trade. He entertains a
strong anti-English feeling, and said if
Adam Smith could see the effects produced
by the British free trade system he would
curse it with bell, book, and candle. It was
free trade, and not slavery, in his opinion,
which had caused the late war, and he was
always glad to read the leading articles which
appeared in the London limes during the
war, and would have been still more pleased
if none of the English newspapers had given
anything on the other side. He wished tha
there might be a wall of fire separating the
United States from England, and it would

142

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

then be seen in the course of ten years what
America was capable of accomplishing. He
always thanked God, when the laying of the
Atlantic telegraph cable proved a failure, and
hoped that all future efforts would be equally
abortive. He considered the late work by
John Stewart Mill to be a very bad book,
and was surprised that it had already gone
through six ediiions. He had never met
with an Englishman yet who understood
the American question, but the ablest he
had met with was the son of Lord Stanley of
Alderley. I cannot say that I was much
edified by the conversation, for I certainly
had an impression that I understood the
cause of the late American war, and the
principles of free trade better than he — In
the evening I attended a lecture delivered
by Judge Kelly, in the Concert Hall, before
the Social, Civil, and Statistical Association.
There was a densely crowded audience. The
subject of the lecture was " The Dangers and
Duties of the Hour." After showing in
what manner and by what means the French
Republic was overthrown, he asserted that
in the United States there was no reason to
apprehend that the Republic could be over
thrown by a coup d' etat, but that the cop
perheads who defended Mrs. Surratt and her
co-conspirators, who justified the conduct of
Wirz, who mourn the martyred Booth, and
proclaim their belief that the providence,
dark and inscrutable as it was, which trans
ferred the executive power of the country
from the hands of Abraham Lincoln, was a
beueficeut one, will advise the President to
adopt a course consistent with the objects of
those who had waged war against the country.
The President, when a member of the Senate,
proposed in one brief session nine amend
ments to the Constitution, yet he now regards
that instrument as perfect in all its propor
tions, aud deprecates the suggestion of an
amendment as calculated to impair its sacred-
ness in public esteem. The attempt of the
President is to coerce the popular will, but
the result will be, that those who have in
volved themselves in three thousand millions
of debt, and maintained fierce war until there
was one dead in every house, will not fail
now to maintain that for which they made
these sacrifices. It is only necessary that the
issue should be fairly stated and fully eluci
dated to overwhelm him, who, in order that
his power may be absolute during the brief
term which, under the Constitution, lie is to
hold the reins, would subvert the principles
of the Constitution. In looking at tho career
of Andrew Johnson we discover that he waS
for a time military governor of Tennessee,
and owes his elevation to the Vice-presidency

to the fact that he did not retire from the
Senate with those with whom he had pre
viously co-operated, and to his conduct and
public utterances while in the office. Though
his earlier career had been creditable to him
as a citizen, and had secured him the con
fidence of the people of his own State, there
had been nothing in it to attract in a special
degree the affectionate attention of the
country's service ; and though vehement in
declamation and much given to speaking, he
was not distinguished as an orator. Apart
from his support of the homestead bill, his
speeches and his votes were all in the interest
of what he was pleased to regard as his
section, the slaveholding States of the country,
and the party for which, alas! his affinities
are now more powerful than his patriotism.
Judge Kelly proceeded to show that President
Johnson had deceived those who nominated
him to office ; for in 1863 he went twice to
Washington and appeared very earnestly
desirous to have tbe clause in the confisca
tion act repealed, which provided that it
should not '' be so construed as to work a
forfeiture of the real estate of tbe offender
beyond his natural life." Mr. Johnson at
that time urged that if they permitted the
war to close without having provided for the
confiscation and division, by grant, to' dis^
charged soldiers, or sale, of the large landed
estates of the aristocracy in Tennessee, they
would fail in their duty to the Republic, and
sacrifice the white Union men of that State
as well as the freedmen, asserting that if the
rebels were permitted to return and assume
the commanding social position which the
possession "of their estates would give
them, not a prominent traitor in Ten
nessee would be punished, while every
Union man would have to abandon his
property and the State ; for if they
attempted to try a rebel by a jury of
the vicinage, he would be acquitted by
sympathizing friends, while the prosecut
ing officer and witnesses would be hung
from the branches of the nearest tree
to the court-house door. Mr. Johnson,
whilst Governor of Tennessee, compelled,
peop'e to take the oath of allegiance,
or h i sent them to the penitentiary for
refusing. When the people of Nashville
elected a Seccessionist to the office of Judge
of the Circuit Court, Johnson gave him his
commission, but fearing that he might abuse
the power thus vested in him, he ordered, his
arrest, and sent him to the penitentiary the
same day. It was by such conduct as this
that the loyal people of the country were led
to believe that he hated treason because it
was a crime, and would use any power with

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

143

which they might invest him to punish the
leaders of the rebellion, and prevent them
from ever acquiring weight or influence in the
councils of the nation. When Johnson ac
cepted the nomination to the Vice-presidency,
he declared the Government ought to be
changed and amended to conform to the
wants — to the requirements and progress of
the peop^, and the enlightened spirit of the
age, and declared that this was the time to
secure those fundamental principles, while
the land was rent with anarchy, and upheav
ing with the throes of a mighty revolution.
While society was thus disordered they ought
to fix the foundations of the government on
principles of eternal justice, which will en
dure for all time. Johnson also declared
that those who had used means to destroy the
government ought not to participate in the
great work of re-organisation, for, if so, all
the precious blood of brave soldiers, which
had been so freely poured out, would have
been wantonly spilled, and all the glorious
victories won by the noble Union army would
have been made memorable in vain. Mr.
Johnson also said at the time, " Why all this
carnage and devastation ? It was that treason
might be put down and traitors punished.
Therefore I say that traitors should take a
back seat in the work of restoration. If
there be but 5,000 men in Tennessee loyal
to the Constitution,. loyal to freedom, loyal
to justice, these true and faithful men should
control the work of re-organisation and re-
foimation absolutely. Isay the traitor has
ceased to be a citizen, and in joining the
rebellion has become a public eDemy. He
forfeited his right to vote with loyal men
when he removed his citizenship, and sought
to destroy our Government. We say to the
most honest and industrious foreigner who
comes from England or Germany to dwell
among us, and to add to the wealth of the
country, before you can be a citizen you
must stay here for five years. If we are so
cautious about foreigners, who voluntarily
remove their homes to live with us, what
should we say to the traitor who, although
born and reared among us, has raised a pari-
cidal hand against the government which pro
tected him ? My judgment is that he should
be subjected to a severe ordeal before he is
restored to citizenship. A fellow who takes
the oath merely to save his property, and
denies the validity of the oath, is a perjured
man, and not to be trusted. Before these
repenting rebels can be tiusted let them bring
forth the fruits of repentance. He who
helped to make all these widows and orphans,
who draped the streets of Nashville in mourn
ing, should suffer for his great crime. The

work is in our own hands. Ah, these rebel
leaders have a strong personal reason in hold
ing out,, to save their necks from the halter ;
and these leaders must feel the power of the
Government. Treason must be made odious,
and traitors must be punished and impover
ished. Their great plantations must be seized
and divided into small farms, and sold to
honest industrious men. The day for pro
tecting the laDd and negroes of these authors
of rebellion is past. It is high time it was.
I have been most deeply pained at some
things which have come under my observa
tion. We get men iu command who, under
the infiuence of flattery, fawning and cares
sing, erant protection to the rich trailor,
while the poor Union man stands out in the
cold,, often unable to get a receipt or a voucher
for his losses. The traitor can get lucrative
contracts, while the loyal man' is pushed aside
unable to obtain a recognition." — Judge Kelly
said that when the time drew near for the elec
tion of their President, Mr. Johnson addres
sed the coloured people of Nashville, on which
occasion he said, " Negro equality, indeed ;
why, pass along the side walk of High-street,
where these aristocrats more particularly
dwell — these aristocrats whose sons are now
in the bands of Guerillas and cut-throats, who
prowl and rob and murder around our city —
pass by these dwellings, I say, and you will
see as many Mulatto as negro children — the
former bearing unmistakable resemblance to
their aristocratic owners. Coloured men of
Tennessee, this, too, shall cease. Your
wives and daughters shall no longer be
dragged into a concubinage, compared to
which polygamy is a virtue, to satisfy the
brutal lusts of slaveholders and overseers.
Henceforth the sanctity of God's holy law of
marriage shall be respected in your persons,
and the great state of Tennessee shall no
more give her sanction to your degradation
and your shame. I speak now as one who
feels the world his country, and all who love
equal rights his friends. I speak, too, as a
citizen ot Tennessee. I am here on my own
soil, and here I mean to stay and fight this
battle of truth and justice to a trumphant
end. Rebellion and slavery shall, by God's
good help, no longer pollute our state. Loyal
men, whether white or black, shall alone
control her destinies, and when this strife
in which we are all engaged is past, I trust,
I know, we shall have a better state of
things, and shall all rejoice that honest
labour reaps the fruits of its own industry, and
that every man has a fair chance in the race
of life." — Judge Kelly proceeded to show
how President Johnson had been most un
faithful to his own declarations, but asserted

144

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

that the people and tbe Congress, by re
maining firmly decided, might prevent the
South from ruling the destinies of the Re
public, and although President Johnson
might pardon Jeffersob Davis, the people
could prevent him from leading Lee's army
to the Canada line, for the citizen soldiers
Of the Republic would drive the invaders
back. — Ou the Judge taking his seat he was
greeted with tiemendous applause.
March 16.— Met Mr. Charles Kean, the
celebrated English actor, who during the last
three years has been travelling almost round
the world, for he has been in the West
Indies, Australia, California, the great West,
and also through the South. W hen I told
him that I was now on my way to go through
the South, he said, " I pity you, for in' going
through the South I have been almost starved
to death, for I tould get nothing to eat, and
I have been so ill that I have been obliged to
give up my appointment at Baltimore, and
since my arrival in Philadelphia, my physician
assures me that I have had a very narrow es
cape from having a fever." He gave me
some advice as to the precautions I ought
to observe in traversina the South, and es
pecially on the Mississippi liiver. He said
he ought to be grateful to Providence, that
during the three years he had been travelling,
no accident had happened to him, except a
shock on the railway while in the Western
States. During the night-time some wag
gons had been left standing on the track, and
a train on which he was a passenger smashed
the waggons to pieces, but none of the pas
sengers were killed, although the shock was
tremendous. He told me that he had made
an engagement to visit Manchester at
Easter, 1867, which would be his farewell
visit, for he intended to retire from the stage
altogether in 1868. He spoke of the sad
disaster which happened to Mr. G. V.
Brooke, by the ship *' London '' having
foundered at sea, but said he was not per
sonally acquainted with Mr. Brooke, having
never seen him except once. He was very
sorry to lose by the same disaster a good
friend of his, the Rev. Mr. Woolley, a
clergyman from Sydney. — Mr. Kean looked
very unwell, but nevertheless was affable and
cheerful, and seemed particularly desirous
that I might fare well during my travels in
the South. — In the evening I visited, by in
vitation, at the house of Mr. Stephen Smith,
who is supposed to be the richest coloured
gentleman in the United States, for a neigh
bour of his told me that his property was es
timated to be worth a million dollars. He
has built several Methodist churches, and is
held iu very high estimation by the coloured

people. — I also visited Dr. Rosello, who gave
me a) humourous account of his experience
in Florida.
March. 17, (St. Patrick's Day).— The
Fenians in this city are making a great stir
at the present time, and thousands upon
thousands of dollars are being collected to aid
in the invasion of Ireland. To-day, silk flag
presentations will be made by the ladies to
the Brotherhood, and every evening next
week mass meetings have to be held. Many
have expected that this was the day when
the drum-beat would sound such .a reveille
throughout Canada, that at the mighty rub-a-
dub, thousands of patriot hearts would gush
with fresh impulsive feeling, and thousands of
patriotic hands would be lifted for the mighty
struggle. Many Americans rejoice, believing
that England is about to be repaid for the as
sistance she rendered to the slaveholders'
rebellion. It will be surprising to me if such
rejoicing be not turned to sorrow, for ' am
inclined to think that the Fenian movement
will prove more disastrous to the United
States than to England.— Visited the Laurel
Hill Cemetery, situated a few miles from the
city, and considered to be remaikably beauti
ful. It is certainly a burial place of great
extent, and of much natural lovliness, but
after having seen Mount Auburn, near
Boston, I did not think that Laurel Hill
could be compared with it for natural and
artistic beauty. The sculptured monument
representing Old Mortality, his Pony, and
Sir Walter Scott, in accordance with Sir
Walter Scott's historical tale of " Old Mor
tality," is admired by all visitors. A monu
ment has been erected by the Mercantile
Library Company and others, to the memory
of Thomas Godfrey, the inventor of the
Mariner's Quadrant. Godfrey and his parents
were all interred here. Walter Collon, the
poet, was also here interred. In a seques
tered spot lie the remains of Joseph C. Seal,
tbe poet, concerning whom it has been
said : —
" There is a lone and silent shade,
Where none but reverent footsteps tread;
There, Neal, the loved, is calmly laid,
And sleeps the slumbers of the dead.
Oh ! sadly sighs the evening breeze
Above the author's lonely tomb,
And sadly droops the murmering trees,
As though they mourned his early doom."
There is a merited testimonial of regard
to pure philanthropy and disinterested de
votion, shown by the Pennsylvania Institution
for the Instruction of the Blind* by the
erection of a monument to the memory of
William Young Birch, one of the most
munificent benefactors of the above institu
tion. There are many other monuments

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

145

which are distinguished for being beautifully
proportioned, chastely ornamented, and ele
gantly executed. Some are iu the decorated
style of Gothic architecture^ while others
are in the French style, aud are exquisite
works of art Both ancient and modern
features of monumental decoration are in
troduced, and in the summer season when
the trees, ^ud shrubs, and flowers, present
their most attractive appearance, the La irel
Hill Cemetery, although inferior to Mount
Auburn, will be a favourite resort. After a
drive through the principal avenues, I went
to Girard College, to make a more minute
inspection of this magnificent erection, said
by some persons to be the graodest building
in the world. I regard such statements as
exaggerated prai-e, although bound to con
fess that the more I iuspect this noble
edifice, the more I am impressed with its
beauty and its grandeur. When Mr. Charles
DicReus was here, more thau twenty years
ago, he said concerning this palace of learn
ing, that " If completed accordiug to the
original design, will be the richest edifice of
modern times." If Mr. Dickens could see
the college now, he would say that the
original design had been vastly improved,
for at first there was no provision made for a
portico, whereas this is one of its grandest
characteristics. There are thirtv-fourcolurnns,
each of which was executed al an average
cost of 13,000 dollars. I have seen it stated
that this college was built entirely by
American workmen, but this is a mistake,
for it was intended that there should be such
exquisite workmanship displayed, that foreign
workmen were obtained, and so long as
they were employed it was found that each
column cost 17,000 dollars, and with
a view to lessen the expense, American
workmen were appointed to the remaining
columns, and they succeeded in lessening the
cost to such an extent that the last was
executed at 11,000 dollars, and taking the
average cost of each it was as I have already
stated 13,000, thus securing a saving of
136,000 dollars on the pillars alone. The
statue of .Mr. Girard, which is now placed
in the vestibule, was executed in Paris
at a cost of 9,000 dollars. On passing along
the staircases I was particularly struck with
the remarkable power of the echo. I pulled
ont my watch aud repeatedly sang a verse,
and I found that the echo continued with
great distinctness during eight or ten seconds
alter the last note bad been given. I
never heard such an echo before. The
Girard College furnishes another instance to
the many which have preceded it. how possible
it is for the will of a deceased person to be

set aside, either in its letter or spirit. Mr.
Girard ordered most emphatically that there
was no religious instruction whatever to be
given to the students, but the fact is, oue of
the first exercises every morning is the read
ing of a chapter in the New Testament. Mr.
Girard. ordered that no minister of religion,
under any circumstances, was to be permit
ted to enter the preciucts of the college, and
for some time this was strictly enforced, but
at present all ministers of religionaro admitted
without scruple, if they do not happen to have
been ordained. Even if a person has ob
tained a license to preach, aud is constantly
acting under such license, if he be not or
dained there is no objection to his admis
sion. Mr. Girard was ecceutric in various
ways. If he paid money amouuting to three
pence he required a writtea receipt for the
amount. One gentleman told me that he
had seen a receipt for five cents (2|d.).
On one occasion a minister of religion went
to him to solicit a subscription towards
some specified object, and he immediately
gave him a cheque for 500 dollars. The
minister reminded him that he had given a
larger sum to s one other object. Mr. Gir
ard, seeing that the minister was not satis
fied, asked for the cheque again. The minis
ter, probably supposing that he wanted to
alter the amount to a larger sum, returned
the cheque, aud Mr. Girard immediately
tore it in pieces, saying that his money was
his own, aud he would do with it as he
liked. The minister was more dissatisfied
than he was before, when he found that Mr.
Girard would give him nothing. On one oc
casion, in consequence of the shabby
dress which Mr. Girard wore in the streets,
a gentleman took him to be a very poor
man, and he asked him if he would
carry some fish home for him. Mr. Gir-
rard complied, and when he delivered the
fish, he told the servant to tell the gentleman
that Stephen Girard had carried him the
fish. When Mr. Girard died he was in
terred in a Roman Catholic Cemetery, but
no funeral service was read over him, and
the authorities at the cemetery would have
prevented the interment if they could, but
it happened that a gentleman had purchased
a small portion of the burial ground, and it
was decided that he had power to have the
body placed there if he liked. The body
has latterly been removed by the Free
Masons, he having been a member of that
order, but the Catuolics demanded 8,000
dollars to permit the body to be removed.
The Free Masons refused to give the money,
and succeeded in taking away the body
without having obtained any permission to

146

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

do so. The affair excited a good deal of
attention at the time in Philadelphia, but
now it is quite settled and it is not expected
that legal proceedings will be taken
March IS. — Sunday. — This morning I
went to see the old Meeting House belonging
to the Society of Friends. William Penn
delivered a funeral oration over the first
person who was interred in tbe burial ground
attached to the building It is said to be the
oldest burial ground in Philadelphia with
the exception of one which belongs lo the
Swedes' Church. On my way I passed an
old burial ground in Mulberry S.reet, and
here I saw the grave of Benjamin Franklin,
covered with a plain slab ol marble on which
was inset ibed the following

Benjamin and
Deborah

}

Franklin 1790.

There was no other inscription, and there
was nothing else particul-irly to mark the
last resting place of such a distinguished
man. It 'was quite accidental that I saw
the grave at all. During his life, he wrote
out an epitaph, and it is supposed that he
intended it should be inscribed on his
tombstone. The following is the epitaph
referred to : — The body ot
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, PRINTER,
(Like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out,
and stript of its lettering and gilding,) lies here, food
for worms; yet the work itself shall not be lost, but
will, (as he believed) appear once more in a new and
more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the
Author. It is a pity in my opinion that the above
epitaph was not placed on his tomb, for it
would have been more appropriate than many
inscriptions on tombstones in this city. In
the grave-yard connected with a Methodist
Church I saw to-day a monumental tomb
stone to the memory of the founder of the
Church, and after enumerating the many
eminent virtues which adorned the character
of the deceased, the inscription contained the
following quotation : —
And are we yet alive,
And see each other'a face.
I could not imagine why such a quotation
was made under the circumstauces, uuless it
was because two lines were necessary to fill
ui) the remaining space on the tombstone. —
In the afternoon I went to Mr. Thomas'
Episcopal Church, and beard the Rev. Mr.
Alston deliver a discourse preparatory to
confirmation, which was to take place on the
following Friday, the Bishop of Kansas being
about to officiate. Mr. Alston in his dis
course dwelt ou the nature of confirmation,
the authority by which it is sustained, and
the qualifications of those who submit to it.

In the evening I attended a Public Lovefeast
in Israel Church. The President (Father
Gibbs) a coloured person, was very earnest,
and spoke of a discussion he had with Mr.
Joseph Barker on Christianity, and expressed
his high gratification that Mr. Barker had
again become a christian professor. I never
saw people give such external evidences of
their zeal before, for one old negro who had
been a professor of religion 66 years danced
on the floor as if be had only been a youth of
sixteen. He appeared to be quite in extacies.
Some of the speakers were believers iu the
personal reign of Christ on the earth, one of
them asserted the fullest confidence that it
would not be more than two or three years
before Christ would come. The Lovefeast
was held in celebration of the conversion of
an Englishman, twenty-four years ago, named
Joseph J. Luce. He always celebrated the
anniversary in th's manner, and bears all the
expense himself. It was not the mere type
of a feast, for the cake was rather rich, and
each person was expected to take a shea or
more. I am always interested in attending
such meetings, as they furnish opportunities
for studying character which would not other
wise be possessed
March 19. — Took supper at the house of
Mr. Luce, who gave me a sort of hist >ry of
his life, which had been of a very eventful
character He has been a wonderful man,
and has evidently left his mark on society,
although he is an uneducated person, not
able to write his own name. There are many
persons in Philadelphia who came from
Europe entirely without education, yet they
have succeeded surprisingly in the various
callings to which they have devoted them
selves. An Irishman has become a bookseller,
although not able to read a title page, yet he
1 as saved 20,0>)0 dollars while he has been in
business. lie has a surprising memory, for
when a person calls and asks for a certain
book, he cau tell immediately whether he has
it in stock, aud can reach the volume asked
for although he cannot tell a letter. Mr.
Luce had two sons in the late war but neither
of them got wounded, although one of them
was in thirty pitched battles, was once taken
prisoner, had several horses shot under him,
and on one occasion a rebel ball came with
such force as to break the iron of his pistol,
yet he has escaped unhurt.
Maich 20.— Took supper with the Rev.
Elisha Weaver, a coloured person, who had
this day returned from a visit iu the South,
and we had some conversation respecting the
condition of the freedmen. The Rev. James
Lynch, the editor of a weekly newspaper,
was also present, and from him I gleaned in-

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

147

formation with respect to all the newspapers
published in the Uuited States uuder the
management or control of coloured persons.
The following is a list of the papers and the
places ol publication: — "Christian Recorder,"
Philadelphia ; " True Communicator," Balti
more ; "Coloured Citizen," Cincinnati ; "Col-
oured^ennesseati," Nashnlle; "Republican,'
New Or'eanis ; " Tribune,-' New Orleaus ;
"Loyal Georgian,'' Aug i sta ; " Klevator,''
San Fraucisco ; " Pacific Appeal,'" San
Francisco. The editor of the •' Leader,"
published in South Carolina, is a white per
son, but the stock-holders ate coloured men.
The editor of the " Nationalist," published
at Mobile, Alabama, is a white person, but a
portion of the stock-holders are coloured per
sons. There is only one paper published
in Canada (¦' Missionary Messenger" ) by
coloured people. — Attended a lecture by Mrs.
Ricks in Bethel Church, describing the con
dition of the freedmen in the Southern States,
where she had lived. 1 was not much in
terested in her remarks, for it seemed as it
she anticipated that some objection would be
taken to what she was about to advance, and
instead of proceeding with her snbject, she
took up lime in her own defence, when ap
parently no defence was necessary. It was
very bad taste on her part to tel the audience
that ,if any person thought she had not
walked about to promote the interests of the
freedmen, she would show them how her feet
*were blistered over on account of having
walked so much — It turned out that the
lecturer was stopped very abruptly, for many
had come to the church expecting that it was
a revival service, and they began to jump
and shout in such a manner that Mrs. Ricks
was unable to proceed. One tall young
man, with a pleasant musical voice, began
to call out loudly, '"Lord save me or I am
lost; save me or I shall sink to hell.'' After
repeatedly using the same language he began
to jump about with his eyes closed and his
arms extended, yet no one paid any attention
to him At length he struck me twice, once
on my head with such violence that I consid
ered it prudent to move to a greater distance
from him He continued to jump about until
at last his feet became entangled with the
legs of a person who was kneeled down in
the attitude of devotion, and falling down
upon his back I thought he must have in
jured himself severely, but he continued call
ing upon God to save him. More than
twenty persons began to shout and jump,
and a scene of disorder took place such as I
had never before witnessed. The Rev. W.
Long was present, and after asking ms if I
had ever seen anything like it iu England, I

replied in the negative, and asked him in re
turn if such demonstrations were peculiar to
the coloured race, and he said it was nit pe
culiar to the coloured people, but it was
peculiar to persons of a comparatively low
development of intellect, whether the people
were white or black, for in the Southern
States it was not unusual lor white people to
be subject to such religious excitement as to
manifest it in tho manner I then beheld' it
amongst the coloured race. It had been
fotiDtl that as people advanced in educational
development they became less excitable.
March 21. — I attended this dry, the an
nual coufereuce of the iMethodtst Kpiscopal
dei ominaiions. The proceedings were con
ducted with open doors, the public being
free to enter without having to show any
ticke s of admission. — Went to the Mercan
tile Library, connected with which there is
the best newsroom I ever saw. I was in
formed that there were about 150 different
newspapers, many of which were daily
papers. There is a beautiful arrangement
by which persons may readily find any
newspaper which is required. The stands
are fixed in long rows, and at the end of
each there is an index showing what coun
tries are represented on that particular row
of stands, whether it be England, France,
Spain, Canada, Australia, or any other part of
the glode. The name of each paper is placed
at tlie head of the stand. England was not
largely represented, for there were only four
English papers, three of them being pub
lished in London. The only provincial
-English newspaper was the Manchester
Weekly Times, and as I was not expecting to
see any Manchester paper there, [ was some
what surprised when as if by accident, my
eye lell upon " My American Tour.'' I was
pleased to see the paper, as it was one week
in advance of that which I had previously
seen. Several gentlemen who had read the
papers spoke approvingly of them, one of
whom was a bookseller iu the city, doing an
extensive business. He said that ihe
" Tour" would be read with very great in
terest on the other side of the water he was
sure, for it had been a great pleasure to him
to read it, and be had learned a great deal
about America which he had never known
before. March 22.— I have often read about oittes
in America springing up like mushrooms,
and I have felt a strong desire to witness the
development of some new place of extra
ordinary growth. While iu Connecticut I
was told about Vineland, in New Jersey, and
determined to make mvself familiar with its
history. 1 have generally found that there

148

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

was some speciality of circumstance or of
position which has called these cities into
existence. The discoveries of gold or of pet
roleum have, at times, caused a great rush
ot population to a given spot : suitability of
site for manufacturing purposes, either by
presence of immense water power or extensive
coai deposits, have sometimes been the com
manding leature which led to extensive pro
gress ; while in other instances a beauti ul
situation, where mineral waters were abun
dant, or where a fine sea view is attractive,
combine their influences to make some
favoured spot a fashioi.aple resort In Vine-
land, however, there were none of these at
tractions. About half a dozen years ago it
was a vast wil lerness, seldom visited e\cept
by charcoal burners, or occasionally by the
hunters of the cunning fox or the sprightly
deer, yet now may be found located settlers
from the States of Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con
necticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware,
North Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, Min
nesota, Kansas, California, and even from
Canada, Nova Scotia, France, Sweden, and
England. Amongst the settlers trom Eng
land are some from Manchester and Chester.
And now comes the question— Why is it
that -Vineland has become such a lamous
place in such a limited period of time ? I
will endeavour to answer. Vineland pos
sesses a rich soil. When I visited Vine-
land my first impression was decidedly against
its having a rich soil, for it appeared so sandy
a region that I thought it never could be
rendered very fruitlul. I was assured by per
sons living on the s^ot that the land was re
markably fruitful, and I knew that they were
better able to judge than I. It varies from
a clay to a sandy loam, and is found to be
suitable for wheat, grass, corn, fruit, and
vegetables. This district is eminently rich
as a iruit growing country. Five hundred
vineyards and orchards have been planted out
by experienced Iruit growers, and it is said
that the cultivation of peaches, pears, grapes,
blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples,
&c, yield immense profits. It will soon
become one of the most beautiful places in the
United States, and will possess some advanta
ges which are qiite peculiar to itself It is, in
fact, a great model parish consisting of forty-
five square milesol land, which islaidoutupon
a general system of improvements, and pro
vision is made lor natural and artistic adorn
ment. Il is not only intended that the land
shall be brought into a high state of cultiva
tion, but also that the people themselves are

to be highly cultivated It is not permitted
for any intoxicating drinks to be sold, and it
is expected that they will therefore require a
smaller prison, and a smaller poorhouse thau
would otherwise be the case. Some suppose
that no poorhouse ever will be required, the
plan of dividing the land amongst the differ
ent settlers being calculated to make 41 the
families capable of supporting themselves.
The land is only sold to actual settlers, and
on account of the great beauty of the place,
as well as jther advantages it has become the
resort of people of taste. It has increased
five thousand people within the past three
years. Churches, stores, schools, societies of
art and learning, and other elements of
refinement and culture have been introduced.
The price of farm land in lots of 20 acres and
upwards, is at tbe rate of 25 dollars per acre.
Fruits and vegetables ripeti earlier in this
district than in any other locality north of
Norfolk, in Virginia. It is said that for per
sons who desire mild winters, a healthful
climate, and a good soil, in a country beau
tifully improved, abounding in fruits, and
possessing hiah social privileges combined
with high civilization, Vineland is exceedingly
desirable for a place of residence. Mr. Solon
Robinson, editor of the agricultural depart
ment of the New York Tribune, on visiting
Vineland some time since declared it to be
one of the most extensive fertile tracts, in an
almost level position, and suitable condition
for pleasant farming, that he knew of this
side of the Western prairies. The whole
country is a marine deposit, and all through
the soil were found evidences of calcarious
substances, generally in the form of indu
rated calcarious marl, showing many distinct
forms of ancient shells, of the tertiary forma
tion ; and this marly substance is scattered
all through the soil, in a very somminuted
form, and in the exact condition, most easily
assimilated by such plants as the farmer
desires to cultivate. Geologically reviewed,
this region would be at once pronounced most
admirably suited to the wants ol_ agricul
turists. The marly regions, where the soil is
of such an argillaceous character that the
water of a shower stands long in puddles in
the hard- beaten road, and iu the fields makes
the pi rughed lands muddy, are not barren.
For marl, composed of marine deposited car
bonate of lime and clay, not so compact but
that it readily becomes friable and pulveru
lent, when exposed to the atmosphere,
must be an eternal source of fertility, under
an intelligent system of manipulation, and
rotation of crops. Marl, in all its forms, has
been used to fertilize crops in England, from
the time it was occupied by the Romans,

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

149

and in France and Germany a marl bed is
counted on as a valuable bed of manure,
that can be dug and carted aud spread over
the field. How much mors valuable then
it must be when found already mixed through
the soil, where new particles will be turned
up and exposed, and transformed to the
owner's use every time he stirs the earth.
The tract^jf land in Vineland is over thirty
thousand acres. One of the farmers (Mr.
W. D- Wilson) purchased land about eijiht
miles from Millville, and he purchased 306
bushels ot potatoes on one acre, worth sixty
cents a busbel in the field. Next year,
seven acres, without manure, produced 356
bushels of oats. In one field, the first crop
was potatoes, planted among the roots, and
yielded 75 bushels. The potatoes were
dug and wheat sown, and yielded sixteen
bushels, and the stubble turned under and
sown with buckwheat, which yielded thirty
three bushels, and then the ground was
sown with clover and timothy, which gave
as a first crop 2| tons per acre. I n Vine-
land no log cabins are' allowed to be built,
nothing but pleasant country homes, although
some of them are comparatively small. Some
of the houses are elegant in appearance, and
they are ail built a little back from the road,
so as to leave space for ornamentation. Farm
houses have to be erected at a unitorm dis
tance of seventy-five feet from the road, and
houses on the town lots have to be twenty
feet back. Forty miles of public roads have
been opened, about one hundred feet wide, so
that the town will always be airy, lhe town
plots are laid out iu such a manner that to
each is allotted fifty feet by one hundred, but
a person can take two allotments if he chooses.
One of the settlers, who came from Michigan,
said that the winters in Vineland are much
milder than in Michigan, while the summers
are no warmer. He found that the soil was
suited to the raising of most kinds of fruit
and vegetables, aud being of a warm, quick
nature, the crops can be got to market early,
when they command a good price. Another
person who came to Vineland from the West,
said he was at a loss to find words to picture
such a wonderful place. He had a Concord
grape which made 170 feet of new wood in a
year, and ripened sixty-two bunches of perfect
grapes. Some of his pears weighed over a
pound each, and squash twenty-five pounds
each, without" any extra cultivation. On one
acre of land, there were oflndian corn ninety-
five bushels of ears, aud in some instances,
one cob had as many as 1,200 grains. One
of the settlers had gathered from a strawberry
bed eleven rods in extent, no less than 135
quarts of suawberries, which was at the rate

of sixty bushels per acre. He realized more
than £5 from the above small bed in one
season. Dr. Chace, after more than a year's
residence in Vineland, gave it as his opinion,
that compared with Maine, where he had
practised medicine more than twenty years,
there was not one filth of the amount of
sickness. There were no miasmatic influences,
no epidemics, and no fevers of a typhoid
character. The water was soft and pure,
and to this many ascribed their almost im
mediate cure of the gravel, with which they
had been afflicted for years. A cool sea
breeze during the day rendered labour com
paratively comfortable to man and beast,
while the nights were universally cool and
refreshing. He, like hundreds of others,
went to Vineland in search of health, his wife
having been afflicted for a number of years
with a severe bronchial affection, which re
sisted all remedies, aud would probably have
proved fatal if she had uot removed to Vine-
land. Experience and observation had given
him a much higher opinion of the qualities
of the soil thau he at first entertained, and he
was satisfied that it was the best kiud of soil
for fruit and vegetables, quite equal to the
North for grass, and superior for corn. For
the grape, no preparation of the soil is re
quired in subsoiling, trenching, "and manur
ing, thus saving hundreds ot dollars per
acre. The largest vines he ever saw, were
growing wild in Vineland, laden with large
clusters nf fruit. He had planted Concord
vines, aud in less than two months they had
grown from four to six feet, with nothing but
coal dust and ashes for dressing, while others
had done quite as well without any. Peaches,
strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries
had proved a success. Vegetables of all
kinds grow finely, and he never saw such
rapid growth anywhere else. The society of
Vineland consists of an intelligent, social,
and enterprising community, who, joined to
gether by the ties of a common interest, are
resolved to put down everything tending to
injure the prosperity of the place, while
ever ready with their influence and meaus to
sustaiu those who are labouring to make it a
model town, tbe pride of its inhabitants, and
the wonder of all* When I visited Vineland,
I was particularly struck with the rural beauty
of the scene, but as the day was gloriously
fine, it is possible that I may have an ex
aggerated impression of its general loveliness.
No doubt, the abseuce of leuces in some parts
of the district contributes materially to the
improvement of its general aspect. Its at
tractiveness has recently inspired the poetic
muse, the following lines having been written
by Anna M. Spauldiug on

150

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

VINELAND.
Silent slept our beauteous land,
Slept in its sunshine long,
But now it wakes ! and ocean's strand
Echoes its morning song !
A magic wand the slumber broke,
All bright in proud imprise,
And now, as by enchanter's stroke,
Cottage and school arise.
The cheery laugh of childhood rings
The avenues along,
And many an old voice here sings
A hope-inspired song.
Untrampled by all. old-place ties,
Save those we love to keep,
We only sow the seed we prize,
Our hearts' own hopes to reap.
Brothers and sisters we become
On touching "Vineland sod ;
Inmates of une expnn»ive home,
Children of one true God!
The very name of Vineland charms
The weary ones elsewhere —
The beauty of its meaning warms
Desires to breathe its air.
Even from England's dewy isle —
Victoria's garden-land —
They traverse many an ocean mile
, To take us by the hand.
And from the bhth-;.lace of romance,
The laud of song and wine,
They come ! they come ! yes, joyous France
! Plants here the fruitful vine !
And calm Pacific's waters, too,
' Bring back the hearts that wait,
To bound upon its billows blue,
Home from the Golden State-
Home to a new home loved the best —
1 A spot on Vineland soil,
Where love promotes labour and we rest
At health-begetting toil.
The land ot fruit ! the land of spring 1
Land 'neath a favoured sky,
Land where the strange bird's weary wing
'¦ May fold, no mortf tu fly !
Land of adoption ! swift we come !
Fair clime of vines and flowers !
Clime that affords the heart a home !
A sunny clime, now ours!
It is intended that various manufactures
shall be promoted in Vinelaud, a factory with
steam power having been erected. The rooms
are let to persons wishlul to carry on
business requiring machinery. Another
factory will be erected shortly.^ Indepen
dently of any manufactures, it is supposed
that the land in Vineland is sufficient for the
settlement and support of a population of
25^000 persons. It has sometimes been
supposed1 strange that "land so fertile and
only about 34 miles from Philadelphia,
should have remained unpeopled until very
recently, but the reason was that the land
was arlarge tract held by few individuals,
covered by forest timber, without any railway
in the district. The five families of charooal
burners, who formerly were the only inhabi
tants of this region, were almost shut out of
the pale of civilisaiiori, but if they could see
the place now, they Would find it so altered
tout they Would scarcely be able to recognise

it. The railway to Cape May runs straight
through the very centre of Vineland, so that
daily communication can be kept up with
Philadelphia and other cities. With a view
to stimulate to compelitive action, the landed
proprietor has offered a prize of one hundred
dollars for the best specimen of fruit; one
hundred dollars for the most proficient scholar
in the schools ; one hundred dollars for the
best band of music ; 50 dollais to the lady
who cultivates the best flower garden with
her own hands ; and other prizes are offered
to those who may be able to distinguish
themselves, but competition is strictly con
fined to the citizens of Vineland. No doubt
this competition will be productive of good
results One farmer sold from forty early
apple trees occupying about one acre of land
four hundred baskets of fruit, which yielded,
after deducting expenses and ten per cent
commissions for selling, 241 J dollars. Several
farmers have cleared from 200 dollars to 400
dollars per acre by cultivating small fruits.
One of them cleat ed from tbree acres of
strawberries 1,100 dollars. They sometimes
reach 200 bushels per acre. Blackberries
have yielded 76 bushels per acre, aud have
sometimes fetihtd as much as seven dollars
per bushel in Philadelphia market, being at
the rate of 532 dollars per acre, so thata few
aces devoted to the cultivation of choice
fruits where there is a good market, will yield
more profits than large farms devoted to
raising grain, grass, and stock. '1 hose per
manent crops do not require planting every
spring like corn and potatoes, but when once
established in the soil will continue to send
forth their rich fruits for many years rin suc
cession. Two acres of raspberries can be
worked with the same amount of labour as is
required for one of strawberries, and have
yielded 200 dollars per acre of clear profit
after deducting all expenses. The profit on
an acre of grapes is estimated at five hundred
dollars. Sweet potatoes can be raised 200
bushels per acre. On starting to visit this
beautiful region concerning which I had
heard so much, I was favoured by having
one of the most delightful mornings that
could possibly be desired. The sun shone
out beautifully ; the air was soft and balmy,
neither too cold nor hot ; the company on
board the steamer which was to convey me
across the river Delaware, were very agree
able, cheerful, and talkative ; and everything
indicated that I should have a pleasant day.
Smith's Island occupies the middle portion
of the river Delaware opposite to Philadel
phia, but a canal has been cut through the
Island so that the steamers can cross in a
direct course, and the caual being deep the

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

151

river is navigable at all times, no matter what
may be its tidal condition. Landing at Cam
den, a rising city in the State of New Jersey,
I proceeded by railway to Vineland through a
woodjd and comparatively new district.
Here for the first time I saw what is termer!
a *' Virginian fence,'' that is, a fence raised
without nails or cords, simply by fixing two
poles in^ie ground, and then placing other
poles in a vandyke form It is a fence
which can easily be made where wood is plen
tiful, but it has a somewhat slovenly ap
pearance, and takes up considerable land.
Many of the cottages on the clearings were
mere log cabins, small iu size, and comfort
less in appearance. A gentleman said lhat
as soon as I entered Virginia I should see
many such places, and all throughout the
Southern region. I was told that the railway
on which I was travelling had been made by
the proprietor of the laud in that di>trict,
who engaged in the undertaking without any
expectation of making it a paying concern,
except so far as it might contribute to the
enhancjmeut of the value of lhe land. The
country being comparatively level the cost of
making the track was only 8,000 dollars per
mile. The proprietor let tbe working of the
line to the conductors, engineers, &c, they
receiving half of the proceeds aud bear all
the woiking expenses. By this arrange
ment the stockholders realise a dividend of
twelve per cent, and when Vineland becomes
more largely copulated, the profits will become
larger. In the train were a large number
of visitors lo Vineland, some of wnom were
from Connecticut, Ohio, and from the Lake-
district, in the state of New York. Mr.
Laudis, the proprietor, was sick at the time
of my visit, which lessened, somewhat, the
pleasure which 1 expected to derive. The
Rev. J. W. Morton, one of the settlers, vol
unteered his services to show me the place
so far as his time would permit, but having
another engagement at noon, I could no
longer have the favour of his company. Mr.
Morton is a Sevemh Day Baptist, belonging
to a society who believe it to be sinful to
follow a worldly avocation on the Saturday,
and in consequence, they cannot take any
duties in the post-office or in connection
with the railway, or any other institution
where service would be required on the Sat
urday. They have no sacred regard for the
Sunday, but Mr. Morton said, that out of
defereuce to the feelings of others, he would
not take out his team on the Sunday,
although, he would not have the slightest ob
jection to work in his garden. Speaking of
the rapid progress which Vineland had made,
be said that four years since in February, the

surveying instruments were used, when
there were no buildings erected in the iui-
meaiate locality. The first year there was
not much done, but in the second year the
settlement grew by persons taking farms
outside of what is now the town. It is now
six times larger than it was twelve months
a^o, for there had been about 300 houses
erected on ihe town lots. One of them Pad
cost 10,000 dollars, and others ot equal
elegance are now in progress of erection. A
large hotel and post-office had been erected
recently. The blackberry cultivated in Viue-
lanr1 is supposed to have been brought by
French immigrants, but some people suppose
that it is a native of ihe country. The kind
of grape chiefly cultivated here is the C'ata-
uba. Large stakes were in the ground to
assist the climbers. I was told that the vine
would yield more fruit by being cut down at
the end of the season, but it was not likely to
last as long. Some of the houses in the
Landis Avenue I observed had been stuccoed,
and made to imitate granite iu appearance.
In passing the Methodist Church, I found
that the building was commenced upon a
comparatively large scale, but only the base
ment story was finished. On inquiry, I
was told that the society had not fun s suf
ficient to complete the work, and they there-
lore began to have religious service iu the
basement, and will go on wiih the rest of
lhe building when they get adequate funds*.
The Presbyterian Church was built upon a
scale so large that it was supposed it would
be large enough for their requirements for
many years, but before the building was
completed, the increase of the society was so
great, that there were people sufficient to
fill the church, so that there was not room
left for expansion. The Episcopalians have
erected a church, the Baptists worship in
Union Hall, the Unitarians have organised a
society and have regular services, and it is
said that the Rev. G. W. Cortis, of Bath,
Maine, has purchased a tract of land in
South Vineland, where he is about to locate,'
and will immediately organise a Freewill
Baptist Church, and erect a house of worship.
Mr. Morton told me that it was not considered
well for a person who was the owner of a
five acre lot to plant all his land with
peaches, because they were considered rather
an uncertain crop, and therefore, it is con
sidered better to hive a large proportion of
the land planted for small fruits. Straw
berries are ripe here from the middle of
May to the middle of June. Raspberries
are ripe a little later. Blackberries are ripe
in the early part of July, and continue
throughout the month. Grapes become ripe

152

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

about the 12th of August, and tbe pears
about the same time. These are the standard
fruits, and Mr. Morton assured me that if a
person cultivated his five acre lot well, he
would be able to support a family nf six or
eight persons, aud would save money besides.
Having seen as much as Mr. Morton had
time to show me, I went to the hotel, and
just as I left the dining hall, I was surprised
by a gentleman accosting me by name. I
had supposed that in this remote corner of
the world there was no one who could re
cognise me, but I was mistaken. The gentle
man was Mr. Benjamin K. Corlen, of Boston,
past worthy patriarch of the, Lincoln Division
of the Sons of Temperance, and assistant re
cording scribe of the NaiadTempleof Honour.
He told me that he had sold out his business
at Boston, and had come to Vineland with
the intention of settling here, but had not
purchased laud, although he was looking
about for a suitable plot. I expressed sur
prise that he, who had taken such an active
part in the temperance movement, should
come to settle in Vineland, where all the people
were temperate, and therefore did not re
quire such organisations. He said if he
settled here he would endeavour to form an
organisation with the view of promoting
good fellowship, and cultivating the social
feelings. In the early part of the day, Mr.
Wiliiam Gwynueth, a native of Wales, but
latterly of Boston, intimated that in the after
noon he would give me a drive through the
more settled portions of Vineland, and ex
pressed regret that 1 could not stay a few
days, when I might have seen the district
more fully. Faithful to his word, be came
to the Hotel and announced that the car
riage was iu readiness at the door, and, ac
companied by Mr. J.. H. C'anfield, of Meri-
den, Connecticut, and Mr. Corleu, we started
on our Journey of a few miles through some
of the principal avenues. The incorporated
portion ol the towu is intended to be one
mile square, the lailroad passing through the
middle. The avenues and public roads will
run about twelve miles east and west, and
eight miles north aud south. The streets run
at right imgles, having been set out bv the
compass. '1 he roads will be half a mile apart.
The farm lauds are laid out a quarter of a
mile de«p. No building will be allowed to
be etf-cted within 75 feet of the road side.
On each side of the railway, and all round
the corporation, there will be avenues 100
feet wide, planted with shade trees. A park
of 40 acres will be laid out for recreative
purposes. In the town there are 2,200 build
ing lots, and from 1,000 to 1,100 have al
ready been taken. Of the more than 30,000

acres which constitute Vineland, more than
half have been sold. As an instance of how
land has been enhanced in value in this dis
trict, I may mention the fact that a person
who purchased five acres of land four years
ago gave 150 dollars for the plot, being at
the rate of thirty dollars per acre, lhe
same person has refused to accept an offer
of 5,000 dollars for his plot. This man fol
lows his ordinary business two-thirds of his
time (I think he is a carpenter), and the
rest he devotes to his land, and I was told
that he produces as much fruit as would pay
the interest of 10,000 dollars at six per cent.
Formerly no other use could be made of the
trees in this district than that of cutting them
down and buruintj them on the spot to make
charcoal. In this way there would be
156,000 bushels of charcoal made. The lands
were sold by Mr. Landis, at 30 dollars per
acre, but some of the early purchasers can re
sell at 400 dollars per acre Mr. Canfield-
had travelled in France, and he was of opinion
that the quality of the soil was very similar
to that which he observed there, and the
country was just about as level. There was
a brick machine at work which could turn
off 3;000 bricks per hour. Speaking of the
climate in winter, Mr. Gwynneth told me that
there was very little snow in Vineland, and
he hadneverseen ice four inches thick. Vine-
land is about 18 miles from Delaware Bay,
aud this is the nearest point to the sea. It is
about 25 miles from the broad ocean, and 45
from Cape May. On our way we passed a
large strawberry-bed, which Mr. Gwynneth
said he had no hesitation in pronouncing it
the best strawberry-bed in the United States,
and not an ounce of fertilising substance had
been used in its formation. I thought I uever
saw plants of greater size and strength, lhe
sort of strawberries most cultivated here is
that which is denominated " Wilson.'' Dur
ing the drive we passed a number of schools
which have been erected for the instruction
ot youth. There are now fourteen schools
in Vineland, and the number may be in
definitely increased, for Mr. Landis will give
half-an-acre of laud to any person who will
undertake to erect a school upon it. For the
erection of a church belonging to any de
nomination he gives 22,500 feet of land, so
that it is likely there will be ample church
accomodation made for the people. Agricul
tural shows take place at intervals for th«
exhibition of produce, and prizes are awarded
to successful competitors. One gentleman
to whom I was introduced had produced.
pears weighing sixteen ounces each. Mr.
Gwynneth produced some weighing eighteen
ounces each, but he was beaten by another

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

153

person who obtained the premium prize for
pears weighing nineteen ounces each, grown
on a dwarf tree the first year after it was
planted. It is probable that the competition
will increase with an increase of population,
which is now going on rapidly, for on the
average there are rather. more than three
houses per day erected. One gentleman told
me tha|»he knew one person who had made
a contract to erect 1,200 houses during the
present year. Flora seems to have been es
pecially liberal in her gifts to Vineland, for
I was told that the wild flowers were very
abundant and very beautiful, and many of
them were very fragrant. The place evidently
stands very high in public estimation, for
one gentleman said if I wished to purchase a
farm he would sell me one for half the
sum I could purchase a similar farm in
Vineland, and it would be quite as good
land. The farm that he wished to sell
was only a short distance from Vineland, but
people seemed to be so much attached to
the latter place that he found difficulty to
get a customer for the farm he had to
sell, although it was only a little out
side. I thought it would perhaps be a
piece of good policy if Mr. Landis would pur
chase tracts of land outside his present do
main, and have it all included under the
general term of Vineland, as he would then be
able to dispose of the land again on better
terms, I was told that politically, the people
of Vineland are eminently Republican, for
there are scarcely any Copper-heads or
Democrats residing in the district. One
gentleman living a lew miles beyond Vineland
in the direction of Cape May, invited me lo
pay a visit to his place, assuring me that I
should have plenty of sport, for he had shot
as many as twenty wild ducks in one day.
He had shot twenty-five hares in one day.
I. told him that I was not a sportsman, an
therefore the district where he lived would
not have many attractions for me, although
I was very partial to country life. Amongst
other evidences ©f improvement in Vineland
is its establishment of a weekly newspaper
Briefly, to summarise the advantages set forth
on behalf of Vineland, we may mention that
its founder has recognised beauty as an im
portant element. Every street, avenue, aud
road, is planted with shade trees, the effect
of which is beautiful, and in a few years must
become magnificent. In this res"pect it is
peculiar, because throughout the length and
breadth of the continent of Europe or of
iAmerica, no place can be found where upon
fifty square miles of land, every road is
planted with shade trees. The advantages
resulting from this system of planting are, to

afford a grateful shade, to attract birds of a
hundred different notes, to give food to bees,
and add perpetual wealth to the country. It
is also said that the arrangement of setting
eash house back from the roadside a sufficient
distance to afford room for flowers and shrub
bery has a fine effect, for many citizens who
have but humble cottages, poss ssgrounds
and gardens planted out with so much taste
that it would do honour to professional gar
deners The Park in Vineland will shortly
be so much improved as to be thrown open to
the public The present beauty of the place
is as nothing compared to what it will
be, for it is only like the swelling-
bud to the full-blown rose. The Floral
Society is doing all in its power to
encourage the culture of flowers, and
other societies are being formed to im
prove the appearance of the place in various
ways. The climate is considered to be so
genial as to be eminently calculated to
recuperate health and prolong life. The
religicis and other privileges are equal to
what are found elsewhere, and the people of
the district are of a social, refined, and educa
ted order. The meaus of future advancement
are considerable, for being locally situated
only thirty-three miles from a city containing
700,H00 inhabitants, with which it is con
nected by direct railway communication, a
ready market is always at hand for all its
surplus produce, and I was told that the pro
prietors of fruit farms need not take the
trouble to convey their "fruit to market, as
the wholesale dealers visit the place peri
odically to purchase what is offered for sale.
The adaptability of the land for the growth
both of fruit and corn is attested by evidence
of the most decisive character. The Hon.
William Parry, oue of the most extensive
fruit growers and nurserymen in the State of
New Jersey, says of Vineland, — " It is very
fertile, embracing a variety of soil suited to
all branches of agriculture, from the rich
grazing meadow land and heavy wheat land
to that which is light and free, and admirably
adapted to the growth of grain, early vege
tables and choice fruits. The soil abounds
with the elements of fertility, being rich in
phosphatic matter, and for wheat, corn, clover,
potatoes, and articles of general field culture,
is of the best quality and highly productive,
as the land now under cultivation will testify ;
whilst for fruit and the finer kind of vege
tables suitable for the market, it is the kind
of soil required and such as the gardener
delights in. It has a gentle undulating
surface, sufficient to carry off the excess of
water and prevent injury to the crops. The
fine appearance of the wheat, corn, oats, and

154

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

potatoes growing near by on land of similar
quality, give ample proof ot its productive
ness " He states that the land is admirably
adapted to the growth of orchard products,
being frep and mallow, allowing the rains to
pass readily from the surface; it is easly
worked at all seasons of the- year, either wet
or dry, when clear of frost, and yet is so re
tentive of moisture as seldom to suffer of
drought, which renders it the most certain
kind of land for a crop ol fruit and apples,
pears, cherries, and peaches to flourish Vine-
land has been specially favoured in having a
proprietor who takes a deep interest in the
prosperity of the people who have located
upon his soil. Not long ago, he was requested
to give a lecture upon fruit growing, wiih
which he willingly complied, and in the course
ol his remarks, he said, that of ail God's
bounteous gifts to man, there is noihing more
lovely than fiuit, or that appeals more to his
gratitude. It begius with a beautiful flower,
and after shedding its perfume, it perfects
itself in the loveliest forms of nature. It af
fords the gre-itest variety of interest and in
formation, and at the same rime, pours into
the hands of the cultivator a never ceasing
current of gold from spring to autumn. In
the development of Vineland, I sought for
something which would bring in the largest
amount of wealth to the population, cover the
laud with the loveliest forms of beauty, and
in its train be lollowtd by ever-blooming
wealth. The culture of fruit fully attains
these ends. Ten acres of land in fruit will
pay a larger income ihan a hundred acres in
grain. The labour is light, affording a pleasant
occupation, not only for men, but also for
women and children. . So strongly was I at
first impressed with the superior advantages
of horticulture, that 1 at one time made it
conditional that the shade trees upon the
roads should consist of nut or fruit growing
trees. In Vineland the importance of woman
is acknowledged, she is supposed to be at
least the equal of the rougher sex, and not his
inferior. It is this circumstance that has
built up with so much prosperity our various
societies ol music, of art and learning. It
is her hand that has festooned every
cottage with flowers, and imparted the
charms of taste throughout the entire
settlement. ri here is no culture that affords
so much opportunity for the taste, the
care, aud the assistance of woman, as horticul
ture. It is akin to flowers. The exercise is
light and pleasant, and of a character to do
houour to the noblest women of the land. It
is an exercise which will take them from the
pent-up shades of an indoor life, out into
lhe free air of Uoaven. Their persons will

not then require the assistance of the milliner,
nor their complexions that of artificial titits.
I think I can sav without flattery that good
ness, taste, and a desire to develope the useful,
is characteristic ol the ladies of Vinelaud.
The surliest old bachelor wou'd be cured of
his prejudices against the sex to come here
and see how nobly they help their husbands
to fisriit the great battle of life in striving for
independent homes. What a glorious op
portunity is here presented for independence.
Almost any person can acquire ten acres
and plant it to fruit either immediately or
gradually- It can all be done for less money
than the smallest farm in the West will cost,
aud what au occupation ? Compare it to the
hard toil of the mechanic, the accountant,
the lawyer, and the business man. None of
them make as much on an average as can
be made upon ten acres of fruit. Consider
the pleasure of the accupation and its in
fluences upon the mind and heart. The ordin
ary occupations of life appear to contract the
judgment, aud to sharpen it down to
selfish principle of money-getting. In this
your miud is continually lifted from nature
up to nature's God. Your heart is ex
alted by witnessing the continual develop
ment of nature's works in the most beautiful
forms. You are in a perpetual school, where
r.at ire is »our book aud God your instructor,
and this is the reason why this occupation,
above all others in the worl I, is the best
suited to refined and intelligent people. Re
finement finds expressi >n in the cultivation
of fruit as naturally as flowers, aud often re-
gar 'less of profit. The passion will seize
upon poets, writers, artists and the judges on
the bench. Judge Field of this state, a
a gentleman eminent not only for his erudi
tion but taste, cultivates more fruit than
flowers, and for the mere pleasure it affords,
as he gives it away. There are hundreds of
such examples. I love horticulture, because
to me there is something about it synony
mous with Vineland aud Vinelanders. When
I look around me I recognise the iutelligent
and pleasant faces that take to this culture,
as with an instinct of the heart I feel that
fruit culture and Vineland, with its hundreds
of orchards and vineyards, its beautiful
aveuues and gardens, its pleasant vine-clad
cottages are all one thing — With such a
proprietor as Mr. Landis, and with such ad
vantages as are offered to settlers in Vineland,
it is not surprizing that the place, which in
the spring ot 1 862 was a wilderness, should
now have 1,500 dwellings, and 10,000 in
habitants. March 23.— Went to Road Side, a place
about seven or eight miles from Philadelphia,

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

155

to pay a visit to Mrs. Lucretia Mott, an em
inent member of the Hicksite section of the
Society of Friends. I knew her to be a lady
of more than ordinary ability, for I had fre
quently read her speeches in the American
newspapers. For many years she had zeal
ously supported philanthropic efforts to aid
the suffering, and to deliver from captivity
those that#ere bound. Although between
seventy and eighty years of age, she is
wonderfully elastic, possesses a retentive
memory, and takes a deep interest in passing
events, and manifests an earnest anxiety for
the moral and intellectual advancement of
the coloured race. There is an expressive
ness in her features which makes it appear as
if her soul was shining through her counte
nance, and her amiability of disposition is
evidenced by the words of kindness which
are almost constantly dropping from her lips.
Her conversational powers excite an in
terest in those who listen to her, and as
a preacher, if it should be known beforehand
that she was about to hold forth, the people
would be drawn together as if it were a
yearly meeting. The place where she re
sides is beautifully situated, about three
miles from Germantown. The district is
hilly, and in this respect it differs consider
ably from the land nearer to Philadelphia,
and affords a pleasing variety to the gene
ral aspect of the district. During the con
versation, Mrs. Mott referred to my sojourn
in Boston and its neighbourhood, and said
I had been amongst the very cream of Ameri
can society, and I must endeavour to con
tent myself in future, especially when I got
further South, to have skim milk fare. In
Pennsylvania they were not equal to the
New England States, for the latter were fifty
years in advance with respect to general
education. In Pennsylvania the German
element was largely developed^ amongst the
population, and it had been a great work to
bring about the very intelligent system of
education which was so admirably carried
out in Massachusetts. Mr. Mott gave me
an interesting account of the progress which
was being made in promoting education
amongst the freedmen of the South. They
had more than 600 schools, and were em
ploying 1,240 teachers. Several school-
houses had been burned down by Southern
people who did not -wish the negroes to be
educated. In Tennessee, where a school
had been burned down, the military com
mander in the district had compelled the
people "to build another. — I hope in future
that whenever a school-room is wilfully de
stroyed that the authorities will compel the
people of the district to build two in its

stead, and this would tend to make the
people generally protectionists. — There was
quite a party at tea, and the evening sped
very pleasantly away. Mrs. Mott pressed
me to stay air night, and I would gladly
have complied if it had not been for an
other appointment. As it was some dis.
tance to the railway station, aud the night
was wet, she sent me in her carriage in suffi
cient time to catch the train to Philadel
phia. March 24.— Went to the Philadelphia
Library, and also the Mercantile Library,
and in the evening visited at the house of
Mr. George Turner, Worthy Chief Templar
of the order of the Temple of Honour.
March 25 (Sunday). — During the night
snow had fallen, and the probability is, that
this is the last time my foot will tread upon
snow in America. — In the morning I went
to the Hicksite Quakers' Meeting House ;
dined with Mr. Turner, with whom I spent
the afternoon visiting ; and in the evening
attended Bethel Church.
March 26. — Paid a visit to the United
States Mint. The exterior is much more
imposing than the Mint in London, the
structure being of the Ionic order, and the
design taken from a Grecian Temple at
Athens. It presents a front of 122 feet,
divided into a portico 62 feet long, and two
wings of 30 feet each. The portico is sup
ported by six beautiful pillars, twenty-five
feet high, and three feet in diameter. Several
attendants connected with the establishment
conducted me through the various depart
ments, explained to me all the different op
erations, -and manifested the greatest courtesy
possible. Here I was shown a Silver Daric
of Darius, King of Persia, 400 years before
Christ. Stater of Alexander the Great,
before Christ 336. Jewish Shekel of Simon
Maccabeus, before Christ 145. Stater, or
four drachms, of Athens, 2,100 years old.
Bronze, of Cleopatra, last Queen of Egypt.
First sovereign piece of George IV. Dirhem
of Walid, Caliph of Damascus, a.d. 1222.
A "Widow's Mite," a Greek or Syrian
bronze coin, the smallest of ancient coin
belongs to the age just preceding the
Christian era. It was broughtfrom Jerusalem.
Specimens of coins from Prussia, Bavaria,
England, France, Spain, Sweden, Rome,
Naples, Saxony, Hanover, Zurich, St. Gall,
Ticino, Soleure, Geneva, Berne, Basle, Nor
way, Denmark, Russia, Greece, Austria,
Belgium, &c, were exhibited, and I was
permitted to examine them at leisure, and
invited to pay another visit to the establish
ment whenever I felt so disposed. One of
the gentlemen was formerly a Southern

v156

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

planter in Texas, but he liberated his slaves,
and joined the Union party in the late strug
gle. He entered the army as a private
soldier, but had become a major before the
war closed. I noticed the process of refining
the precious metal, rolling it out, &c. The
copper used here is brought from Lake
Superior. There is about ten per cent of
copper alloy in silver and gold, and the copper
coin is mixed with tin and zinc. There is a
gold crucible here which will hold 70,000
dollars. The floor is so constructed that it
is full of perforations, the waste metal thus
passing through, and it is afterwards swept
together to be re-cast. The chimney is
usually taken down once or twice a year ; and
all the refuse and waste is collected, and I
was told that it was ultimately sent to England
and Germany to be refined. There are ten
presses in use to make the impressions on
the gold, silver, and copper coinage. A per
son brought me a small bar of gold less than
a quarter of an inch thick, and he assured me
that it would make 1,400 dollars. There are
three steam engines, one eighty horses power,
another fifteen, and another ' ten. I was
shown the operations of "cleaning, milling,
polishing, and stamping the various coins.
The two cent pieces are made of copper, and
receive a pressure of seven tons ; the three
cent pieces are made of a softer metal and re
ceive a pressure of five tons ; the total
amount ol pressure which can be brought to
bear with the machinery now in use is from
fifty to seventy tons. In the different stages
of preparation at the present time there are
500,000 dollars. They don't count money
here, for the operation would notbe sufficiently
exact, as serious mistakes might readily be
made. Nor do they weigh the coins to find
out the number. They have an instrument
like a flat board with grooves in it, and the
coins can be made to fill it in a very little
time. When filled it is known that there are
exactly 500 coins. There cannot by any pos
sibility be more, and if there were any less it
would at once be apparent to the eye. The
process of granulating was shown to me,
that is, taking the silver out of the gold,
and thus rendering it purer. I was very
much interested by my yisit to the Mint
and was sorry that I had not time to spare
for another visit. In the afternoon I went
by train to Germantown. The residences
here are generally very splendid, as it is the
fashionable resort of the merchants and gen
try of Philadelphia. It is historically as
sociated with the American war of independ-
ance, for in October, 1777, there was a great
battle fought here. I went to the house of
Mrs. JohnsoD, situate at the corner of Maine

and Washington streets, in order that I might
witness some of the visible effects of that
war. Mrs. Johnson was evidently a member
of the Society of Friends, and seemed to take
pleasure in giving me all the information
in her power. Her great-grandfather built
the house she occupied, but the battle took
place when her grandfather was the occu
pant. She showed me where a bullet from
the English had passed through three doors.
The doors were connected with different
rooms, but were opposite each other. The
holes had been filled up with putty and
painted over, but the shape of the bullet-
holes was quite obvious. I was taken to
look at a fence at the back of the premises,
and there I counted 119 bullet-holes. I
was shown some pear trees, at the foot of
each a British soldier was buried. I was
told that the pear trees were still productive.
I have received various accounts of this en
counter, aud even on the very spot where
the battle took place it was represented to
me that the Americans gained the victory,
and drove the British from their head
quarters. I have no objections for the
Americans to have all the glory which they
can truthfully and honourably claim, but I
am not willing that they should receive more,
and it certainly appears clear to me, from
General Washington's own letter, that the
attack made upon the British troops at Ger
mantown resulted in a defeat rather than a
success. In Washington's letter to his bro
ther, with respect to this military encounter,
he said, " After the enemy had crossed the
Schuylkill we took the first favourable op
portunity of attacking them. This was at
tempted by a night's march of fourteen
miles to surprise them, which we effectually
did, so far as to reach their guards before
they had notice of our coming ; and, if it had
not been for a thick fog, which rendered it so
dark at times that we were not able to dis
tinguish friend from foe at the distance of
thirty yards, we should, I believe, have made
a decisive and glorious day of it. But provi
dence designed it otherwise ; for, after we
had driven the enemy a mile or two, after
they were in the utmost confusion, and flying
before us in most places, after we were on
the point, as it appeared to everybody, of
grasping a complete victory, our own troops
took fright and fled with precipitation and
disorder. How to account for this I know
not ; unless, as I before observed, the fog
represented their own friends to them as a
reinforcement of the enemy, as we attacked
in different quarters at the same time, and
were about closing the wings of our army
when this happened. One thing, indeed,

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

157

contributed not a little to our misfortune —
and that was a wantof ammunition on the right
wing, which began the engagement, and in
the course of two hours and forty minutes,
which time it lasted, had many of them ex
pended the forty rounds they took into the
field. After the engagement we removed to
a place about twenty miles from the enemy,
to collec|tf>ur forces together, to take care of
our wounded, get furnished with necessaries
again, and be in a better position, either for
offensive or defensive operations. We are
now advancing towards the enemy again,
being at this time within twelve miles of them.
Our loss in the late action was, in killed,
wounded, and missing, about one thousand
men ; but, of the missing, many, I dare say,
took advantage of the times, and deserted.
General Nash, of North Carolina, was
wounded, and died two or three days after.
Many valuable officers of ours were also
wounded, and some killed. In a word, it was
a bloody day. Would to heaven I could add
that it had been a more fortunate one for
U8," — The British General, Howe, .stated
that his own loss was — 71 killed, 450
wounded and 14 missing, so that it is- perfectly
clear that the victory belonged to the British,
and not the Americans. Washington's plan
was to make the attack at four different points
at once, and as they succeeded in surprising
the British by reaching Germantown before
any notice had been given of their approach,
the victory might have been on the side of
the Americans had it not been for the reason
Washington named. — I went to Mr. Chew's
mansion, and saw where the cannon ball
entered tie House. This mansion had be
come the head-quarters of the British, and
the battle took place here in consequence of
the Americans having formed the determina
tion to take possession of the place. I was
shown the residence of Mr. Thomas Drake,
who came from Huddersfield, Yorkshire,
when he was quite a poor person, but he got
into business, became a mill owner, and has
become immensely rich. His mansion was
said to be more elegantly furnished than any
other mansion in Germantown.
March 27. — Again visited Germantown, as
I failed to obtain on the previous day all the
information I desired. Had a long conversa
tion with Mr. Drake, who gave me some
particulars relative to his own history. We
had also a conversation about the condition
of the people generally, and the probable ef
fect of the President's veto on the Suffrage
Bill. He expressed his conviction that the
coloured race ought to be enfranchised, and
he did not think that agitation would cease
until they obtained their just rights. He be

lieved that the President would have to yield
in the great struggle now going on, for the
Senate would receive additional strength
during the fall elections. — On my return from
Philadelphia I passed through Spicetowu,
and was much interested with what I saw of
country life. I spent the evening with Dr.
Morgan, and shortly after reaching bome I
heard the fire alarm signal, and presently
the streets of Philadelphia were alive with
firemen, rushing with their locomotive en
gines to the scene of the conflagration, but,
notwithstanding the rapidity of the move
ments, the fire could not be extinguished
until three houses were literally destroyed.
The flames spread with such rapidity that
the inmates of one of the houses could only
be rescued by taking them out of one of the
chamber windows by means of ladders.
March 28. — Visited Mr. Alger, who had
spent many years in Charleston, South
Carolina. I found him to be a very intel
ligent person, and could give me much
information relative to the district in which
he had lived. He told me that he loved the
North much better than the South, and he
had good reason for it, because he had had
much greater prosperity in the former than
the latter. It took him twenty years in
Charleston to save 380 dollars, but in Phila
delphia he had only been eighteen years in
saving 11,000 dollars, and he was still going
on prosperously, although merely a working
man. His experience was perfectly consonant
with the experience and observations of others.
Nothing can be more evident than that the
blighting curse of slavery prevented the
South from becoming very wealthy. The
people lacked energy and enterprise, and
hence the difference between Nortb and
South ; in the latter there are few who are
rich, while in the former there are many.
Mr. Nicholas Longworth, was worth at the
time of his death fifteen millions of dollars ;
Mr. William B. Astor is supposed to be the
richest man living in the United States, his
property being estimated at 30,000,000 dol
lars ; he is the owner of more than 1,800
houses in New York. Mr. A. T. Stewart, a
dry goods dealer, is said to have cleared in
his business 2,000,000 dollars in one year.
Mr. Vanderbuilt made the government a
present of a- war steamer which cost him
800,000 dollars. He was waited upon by
some gentlemen who wished him to give a
contribution to a sanitary fair, and he told
them that Mr. Stewart ought to have been
first waited upon because he was the richer
man. They told him that they had already
called upon him, and he had promised to
contribute as much as any other man. Mr.

158

MY AMERICAN TOUR,

Vanderbuilt at once put down his mame for
100,000 dollars, and Mr. Stewart was as good
as his word by giving a similar sum. In this
way an enormous amount of money was
raised to carry on the war, and the period of
exhaustion so frequently predicted by the
London Times and other newspapers, has
never yet arrived, for I received assurances
in almost every city that I have visited in the -
United States, that the people were as able
and as willing to carry on the war at the time
of its close, as they were at its commence
ment. I have never seen more evidences of
profuse wealth anywhere than I have seen
in the Northern States. I am now about to
leave to travel in the South, and I purpose
to be equally as painstaking to discover the
real condition of the people as I have hitherto
been, and if I can find two sides to the
picture I shall certainly present them. In
this city of " Brotherly Love," I have met
with many friends who were wishful to make
my stay in the city as agreeable as possible,
but to none have I been laid under greater
obligations than to a coloured lady, who,
during the latter part of my stay in this city,
has sent almost every day her carriage with a
pair of beautiful horses to convey me to any
place I desired to visit, and by this means I
have seen much more of the city and its
environs than would otherwise have been the
case. There is only one place that I have
regretted not to have seen, and that is the
paper works of Messrs. Jessop and Mooje,
situate atManayunk, a few miles from Phila
delphia. The paper trade of America is a
very important branch of industry, and I was
very wishful to make myself familiar with its
peculiarities. The annual consumption is
about 60,000 tons, or about 2,800,000 reams,
and towards the supply of this demand the
above firm contribute 71,000 reams, or about
one-fortieth part of the whole. The paper
trade has undergone many changes in con
sequence of important discoveries with re
spect to the raw material. Bulrushes, vellum,
linen, cotton, and other articles have been
brought into requisition at different periods,
until in 1772 it was known that there were
no less than sixty different materials from
which paper could be made, and subsequently
it became known that there were 103 diffe
rent substances from which paper could be
manufactured. When I was in Massachu
setts I frequently read newspapers, the raw
material of which was made from wood. The
paper is not equal to that which is made
from cotton and linen rags, as it is very
brittle and is not tenacious, nevertheless
wood has been found to be exceedingly useful
in the absence of better materials, and I have no

objections to see poplar l)gs converted
into popular literature. B'orm^rly the great
expense of providing the chemicals necessary
for the disintegrating of the wood, prevented
the process from being more generally
adopted, but at Manayunk the difficulty has
been overcome by using the same chemicals
over and over again in taking out the tannings,
the albumen, and the resins from the heart
of the tree, thus reducing the cost of paper
about three-half-pence per pound, which is
about equal to ten per cent, as paper is now
selling at a high price in the United States.
I wish the people of Philadelphia would be
equally wise and economical in taking care of
waste matter in other respects. It is said
that the sewage of the city is worth, for fer
tilizing purposes, 1 ,500,000 dols. a year, yet,
this is allowed to run into the rivers and is
thus wasted. The native population cannot
lay the blame on others for permitting this
neglect of sanitary reform, because they have
a decided majority, the present foreign po
pulation being only about thirty per cent of the
whole. In some respects Philadelphia is an
admirable city, for there are very few travellers
who have ever occasion to complain of the
hotel accommodation. Many of the hatels
are well conducted, and some are very large.
Tbe " Continental " is said to be equal, if
not superior, to any other hotel in the United
States for size and beauty. It covers 41,536
square feet ; has more than one hundred
complete suites of family rooms ; and employs
280 persons in its regular care. Philadelphia
is well supplied with places of worship, there
being in the city no less than 350 churches.
The place is also distinguished for its
manufacturing enterprise, which embraces
many branches. There are employed in the
cotton business at present 421,000 spindles;
woollen, 147,000 spindles ; and silk, 26,800
spindles. Much is also being accomplished
at present of an educational character. t The
recent changes which have taken place, re
sulting from the late rebellion, have stimulated
benevolent enterprise in an extraordinary de
gree. Miss Field, one of the wealthiest and
most highly cultivated ladies of Philadelphia,
devoted herself as a negro teacher, and in
order that she might render more efficient ser-
vioesheplaced herself under the discipline of a
New England teacher, and went into the
South because it afforded such a rich field
for benevolent enterprise. The people of
Philadelphia possess many amiable qualities,
but the prejudice which has been formed
against the coloured race is very unreason
able and unjustifiable. There is, for instance,
in this city a coloured barber who would not
shave a coloured man, nor would he out his

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159

hair. Why is this the case ? Is it because
he entertains a feeling of hostility to the
coloured race ? Nothing of the .kind, but
simply because if he did so his white cus
tomers would leave him. It is precisely the
same with the proprietors of the street horse
cars. Probably if the proprietors were can
vassed on the question, they would say they
had no oJ|jection to coloured people sitting
in the cars, but if they permitted it, they
would lose the patronage of the white people.
Mr. Still, a coloured person, was lately in the
country, and on returning to the city got into
a horse car. On presenting the fare for
himself and a white man in his employ,
he was told that he could not be permitted
to occupy a seat, but his servant might do
so. He asked the reason, and the conductor
said that he was instructed not to permit a
coloured person to occupy a seat. I suppose
the Civil Rights Bill will set all right, which
I hope Congress will pass, notwithstanding,
the President's Veto. There is also the
practice of spitting, which is carried on in
Philadelphia quite as much as in any other
city in America which I have "visited. Mr.
Charles Dickens, when in a railway car tra
velling to Philadelphia, had occasion to
notice this disgusting habit, and said re
specting it: — " My attention was attracted to
a remarkable appearance issuing from the
windows of the gentlemen's car immediately
in front of us, which I supposed for some
time was occasioned by a number of indus
trious persons inside, ripping ©pen feather
beds, and giving the feathers to the wind.
At length it occurred to me that they were
only spitting, which was indeed the case."
No doubt- the above ought to be taken as
somewhat hyperbolical, but after all, I must
say, that I never witnessed such showers
of expectoration anywhere as I have seen in
America. I remember attending a meeting
to which I was invited, and on taking stock
I found that there were present twelve
persons and twenty spittoons.
Since my arrival in Philadelphia the weather
has generally been fine and frosty, but, as
there is less moisture and more electricity
here than in England, I found the climate
very agreeable and stimulating. I have,
however, been very wishful to see a little
verdure, for since my arrival in America I
have seen very little that was green except
green window-shutters, but vegetation is now
just beginning to show itself, and I have no
doubt that, my future journeyings being
southward, I shall witness a great change in
a very little time. That which has surprised
me greatly in this city is, the fact that the
Society of Friends appears to exert so small

an influence on public opinion. In this state
there are between 20,000 and 30,000 Hicksite
Quakers, and perhaps about 10,000 who are
called Orthodox Quakers. In the United
States, the number of Hicksite Quakers is
nearly 100,000. In Philadelphia there are
more members of the Society of Friends
than in any other city in the world, but the
general population has increased at such a
high ratio, that the Society of Friends are
almost lost in the multitude. Perhaps their
influence is lessened by the fact that they do
not generally take a prominent part in the
management of city affairs, for they are very
retiring in their habits, except with respect
to works of religion and general philanthropy,
in which they are greatly distinguished. I
am inclined to think that they do not exert
so much influence on behalf of the coloured
race as they might do, for if they were suf
ficiently in earnest, they might remove the
obstruction which prevents the coloured
people from having the privilege of riding in
the horse cars. Perhaps they have less
power for good in a divided condition, than
they would have had if they had remained
united as a religious sect. About forty
years ago, a person from Long Island, named
Elias Hicks, distinguished himself greatly
as a minister amongst the Society of Friends,
visiting almost every state in the Union, and
by his advocacy of human rights, he secured
the adhesion of many persons to the cause of
freedom. While he laboured hard with head
and heart to benefit his fellow-men, he
worked with his own hands to procure the
necessaries ol life, as he held that it was the
duty of every person to work for an honest
livelihood. His integrity was such that he
would never receive money derived from a
source concerning which there was ground
for suspicion that all was not right. He
lent a man some money to help him in his
business, but the man was unfortunate and
had to wind up his affairs. He made an ar
rangement by which Mr. Hicks was indem
nified from loss, and his other creditors
received what remained of his estate. When
Mr. Hicks became aware of the circumstance,
he refused to receive the indemnity, but
called all the creditors together and each re
ceived a share according to the amount which
was owing. It was no wonder that a man of
strong intellectual faculties, high moral
principle, and great oratorical power, should
have great influence in the denomination
with which he was connected. But, it hap
pened that he held Unitarian sentiments, and
as those views could not be tolerated by the
body, a division ensued, the larger portion of.
the people forming themselves into a new as-

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MY AMERICAN TOUR.

sociation, of which Mrs. Mott, a very talented
lady of whom I have already written, became
one of its most distinguished members. I
saw many connected with .this society, and
never met with persons who appeared to be
more devotedly pious, or more earnest in their
efforts to do good. The Orthodox Quakers
are equally earnest in their educational
efforts, but I think if the two societies had
remained together they would have been an
organisation more powerful for good.
March 29.— Left Philadelphia for Balti
more, after a cordial shaking of hands with
friends, from whom I separated with regret.
The morning was very wet and uncomfort
able, but after travelling some time the day
brightened up and afforded excellent views
of the country, portions of which were hilly
and picturesque. There were also occasion
ally beautiful views of Chesapeake Bay. I
passed through Chester, the oldest village in
the State of Pennsylvania, the houses of which
are chiefly constructed of brick or stone, and
I judge that the population would be from
3,000 to 4,000. Tbe city of Wilmington in
the State of Delaware is beautifully situated,
considerably elevated above the river, having
wide streets crossing at right angles, and the
houses are chiefly composed of brick. As a
manufacturing place it has great advantages
in consequence of its extensive water power,
derived from the falls on the Brandywine
creek. The population in 1860 was 21,258,
no other place in the State of Delaware having
so large a population. It was settled in 1638
by the Swedes and Finns. We passed
through Newark, the Seat of Delaware Col
lege, which was founded in 1833 ; and also
Elkton, in the State of Maryland, a well built
place, the capital of Cecil County. On
arriving at Perry ville, the train was divided
into two portions so as to be placed upon a
steamer to cross the Susquehanna river,
which in this place appears to be about a
mile broad, but as distance on the water is
often very deceptive, it may perhaps be a
little more. It was surprising with what ap
parent ease and dexterity the entire train of
carriages, locomotive and all, were placed on
the steamer. The track was laid close to the
brink on each side of the river, and if the
steamer had been of sufficient length there
would have been no occasion to have divided
the train at all, but it was made of two equal
parts so that without being of an extraor
dinary length the steamer might convey the
train over the river all at one voyage. It was
all accomplished with so little bustle and
confusion, that unless a person happened to
be paying particular attention he might be
taken across the river without knowing any

thing about it. On the opposite side of the
river is Havre de Grace, which in 1814 was
sacked and burned by the British under the
command of Admiral Cockburn. The place
appears at present to be in a prosperous con
dition, and occupies a pleasant position, near
to the confluence of Susquehanna river, in
Chesapeake Bay. It is both a fishing and
manufacturing place, and will probably at no
distant period become a place of considerable
importance. The Susquehanna river has a
course of 450 miles, but in consequence of
frequent rapids, its navigation has been much
impeded, and its importance, notwithstand
ing its running through three different States,
has thereby been much lessened. On my
way I crossed a river where a contest took
place for the possession of a bridge, the rebels
and the union men hblding it hi turns, but
the bridge was ultimately destroyed, and a
temporary bridge had been erected, over
which the train had to pass very slowly.
Baltimore is the third city in the United
States for size and population. It is situated
on an arm of the Patapsco river, which varies
in width from one-eighth of a mile to one
mile and three quarters. The harbour is
supposed to be sufficiently capacious to con
tain 2,000 vessels. The streets of the city
are broad, and the path is amply sufficient
for sewerage purposes, which, with its fine
climate, make it one of the healthiest cities
in the American Union, and perhaps in the
whole world. There is an aspect of cheerful
elegance in many of the buildings, which to
strangers is generally attractive. Three
great avenues 150 feet wide, planted with
trees, form an elevated drive round the city.
In 1752 Baltimore contained only 25 houses
and 200 inhabitants. In 1773 the first news
paper was published, entitled the " Maryland
Journal and Baltimore Advertiser," and now
there are about a dozen different papers
published. The very same year that thought
began to travel in the columns of a news
paper, a stage coach began to travel on the
high road from Baltimore to Philadelphia. In
1775, Baltimore had increased its population
to 5,934, and the year after, in consequence
of the British having taken Philadelphia, the
Congress was removed to Baltimore, and its
sittings took place in a house which was
built for a tavern, and belonged to a quaker.
Part of this house is still standing, and al
though when it was erected it was the last
house in the west end, it is now almost in
the very heart of the city, and is still known
as Congress Hall. In 1796 the population
numbered 20,000, and it was then incorpor
ated as a city. The population at present is
supposed to be about 230,000, of which

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161

abeut 30,000 are coloured. In 1791, St.
Mary's College was established, a Roman
Catholic Institution, to which was united a
seminary for the education of priests. This
establisbment maintained itself with vigour
for many years, possessing very extensive
grounds and buildings, a Gothic chapel, and
a library of 16,000 volumes. The seminary
is still kspt up, but the college was suppressed
in 1851 by a mandate from Rome. Two
extensive nunneries, have very large female
schools attached under charge of the sister
hood. There are nearly one hundred public
schools under the control of the city council,
and it is said that the system of education
adopted is of a very superior character. It
is expected that each child sent to school
shall pay one dollar per term of twelve weeks,
but in every case where the parents are too
poor to pay the required sum, their children
will be educated without cost to themselves,
so that all may be educated. There are
about 250 paid teachers. The Bible is daily
read in all the schools, but the children of
Protestant parents read the version of King
James, while the children of Roman Catholic
parents read in a separate room the Douay
version. It is said that the beneficient
working of the public school system in
Baltimore is exemplified by the fact that
not a single graduate of the schools has ever
been charged with or convicted of crime.
The Peabody Institute has lately been
founded by the munificence of Mr. George
Peabody, the wealthy American banker of
London, who was formerly a resident of
Baltimore. He gave 300,000 dollars, to be in
creased to 500,000, for the establishment of
a gallery of the finest works of art, a library of
the first class, and during certain seasons of
the year, concerts and lectures of the highest
excellence. From the number and quality of
its monuments, Baltimore is frequently
designated the "Monumental City." There
is a white marble monument, consisting of
a Doric column surmounted by a colossal
statue of Washington, the entire height of
which is 1 75 feet. The battle monument is
also of white marble, and was erected in
honour of the citizens who fell in the de
fence of Baltimore in 1814. Another monu
ment was raised commemorative of the
attack on Baltimore, and of two lads who
shot the British commander, General Ross,
and were instantly killedthemselves. Another
monument was erected to the honour of Col.
George Armistead, the defender of Fort
Mc Henry in 1814. It was on this occasion
that the famous song of the " StarSpangled
Banner " was composed by Francis S. Kay.
The foreign commerce of Baltimore has not

kept pace with the increase of the city. The
famous Baltimore clippers are said to be
some of the swiftest sailing ships in the
world. Many of the churches in this city
are very fine, the most imposing of which
is the Roman Catholic cathedral. Baltimore
being the see of the Roman Catholic primate
of the United States, the stranger on high-
church days may visit the cathedral, listen
to exquisite music, and witness the full pomp
of the Roman ceremonial. When I visited
the cathedral it was Good Friday, aud the
place was richly adorned. Here there are
two grand old paintings which Napoleon
Buonaparte took from Florence and presented
to this cathedral. There are about one hun
dred churches in the city, the Methodist
denomination being the most numerous.
The manufactures of the place are numerous
and various. The tobacco trade is largely
carried on, there being more than one hun
dred establishments for the manufacture of
cigars. The oyster business is carried on
upon a large scale, and on entering one of
these establishments I found they adopted
quite a different plan to that which was
practised at Fair Haven, in preparing the
oysters for the market. At Fair Haven the
oysters were opened, washed, and placed in
kegs with a little water, and then sent off to
distant places ; but at Baltimore the oysters
are opened, cooked, placed in cans herme
tically sealed, and then sent off to all parts
of the Union, aud prepared in this way they
will keep good a very long time. Chesapeake
Bay has for a long time been distinguished
for its excellent oyster bed3, and the pre
paration for the market employs a great many
persons. About 200 negroes, and sometimes
a larger number, are employed at one place
in opening oysters. They are exceedingly
dexterous and expert, for they can open
oysters at a rate which no person could be
lieve unless he saw the operation performed.
The negro stands, having hold of the blade
portion of a knife, taps the edge of the oyster
with the handle, opens the oyster, and it is
all done in a moment of time, for a good
hand can open thirty in a minute. They
frequently sing while at work, the motion of
the hand is made to keep pace with the tune,
so that when singing they all work at the
same rate. When they have full_ work,
they are employed twelve hours in the
dav, during which time they can earn from
four to six dollars. But the work is very un
certain, for the season only lasts eight months
in the year, and the proprietor of a large
establishment usually has agents in different
parts of the country to sell the oysters, and
just as the orders reach Baltimore from those

162

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

different agents, the negroes have to work,
for they generally execute the order on the
day it is received. During the season in
Baltimore, there are not less than 200,000
bushels of oysters opened. I saw thousands
of cart-loads of oyster shells piledup in heaps
ready to be taken to the kiln to be burnt
into lime, which is used both for agricultural
and building purposes. I went to one place
where it is customary to burn 5,000 bushels
in a single day. When the burning process
is completed there is nothing left but a white
powder, quite soft and yielding to the touch.
In passing through the city I saw a very large
building, the front of which was composed of
iron, and was richly ornamented. It will
not surprise me if such erections become very
general in America, where iron is very plen
tiful, and where buildings are verv much ex
posed to the danger of fire. I saw a very
beautiful monument, the base of which was
granites and the upper portion of marble,
erected to the memory of Mr. Wildy, the
man who introduced Oddfellowship into
America, and died lately at Baltimore. The
figure at the top of the monument is Charity,
the emblem of the order. When I got to
Liberty-street, Ifound stepping-stones across,
and I could not understand why the stones
were placed there, until it was explained that
there were no drains, and in consequence the
rain water had to run on the surface, and
the streets would be impassable were it not
for the stepping stones. It seemed to be
almost unaccountable that such a state of
things should remain in a large and wealthy
city, but I remembered that I was now in
what was lately a slave state, and must ex-
peot to see what would not be . tolerated
amongst a free people. On going to the
harbour I saw a number of blockade run
ning steamers, which had been sent out from
England during the war, but were caught
while pursuing their nefarious enterprise. I
went on board the steamer Somerset, and had
a conversation with the captain, in the cabin.
This vessel is one of a new line of steamers
intended to ply between Baltimore and Liver
pool. I was told that the people of this city
still sympathise strongly with the Southern
cause, more than half of them being seces
sionist in principle. There is a very strong
prejudice against persons of colour, and they
are not permitted to ride in the street horse
cars. I met with a coloured gentleman, a
Methodist class-leader, who pointed out a
Methodist chapel across the street, and he told
me that he would not be permitted to wor
ship in that place. On one oocasion a bishop
belonging to the African Methodist Episcopal
Church entered the building, but he was

followed by the sexton, who laid hold upon
him, and told him he had no right to enter
such a building. The bishop was just about
to leave, when several of the members who
knew him, reqested the sexton to permit him
to remain, and he did so. I could not help
expressing myself very strongly about such
conduct, for I felt as if the profession of re
ligion on the part of the white Methodists of
Baltimore was nothing less thaii sheer hypo
crisy. Strange notions of propriety prevail
here. I am told that it is considered very •
undignified for a person to appear to know
anything about his next door neighbour, and
instances have occurred where a person has
been seeking another, and the next door neigh
bour would not admit to have any knowledge
of the person enquired for, although the in
dividual was well-known.
March 30. — After visiting the tax office, I
went to the Maryland institute, for the pro
motion of the Mechanic Arts, connected
with which is the largest hall in the city.
Several of the Presidents of the United States
hare been nominated here. It is capable of
seating 5,000 persons, but when* Kossuth,
formerly governor of Hungary, was at
Baltimore, the newspapers represented that
there were 8,000 present, but this was
probably an exaggeration. The hall is 250
feet long, and at the time of its erection it was
said to be the largest clear floor in America.
The income of the Maryland Institute amounts
to about 20,000 dollars a year. There are
nearly 400 young men connected with the
medical, musical, and commercial depart
ments of the institution. There is a school
of design, and a library containing 14,000
volumes, connected with the establishment.
A steam engine and boiler were kept on the
premises to be used whenever it is necessary,
to exhibit machinery in motion. In com
pany with several friends I ascended the
Washington monument, the top of which is
reached by a winding staircase, in which there
are 228 steps. The height is 180 feet. The
corner-stone was laid on the 4th of July,
1815. The monument is surmounted by a
marble statue of Washington sixteen feet
high, weighing sixteen tons, and costing
9,000 dollars. The entire cost of the monu
ment was 200,000 dollars. The view of the
surrounding country from the top of the
monument was of a most splendid character.
There is a large park outside the city which
has been set apart for public recreation, and
I was told it was a beautiful spot to visit,
but I had not time to devote in that way, and
therefore had to be content with" a distant
view of it from the monument. I understand
that the cost of supporting the public park

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168

is met by a tax of one cent on each person
who rides in a street horse railway car. The
cost of repairing the streets is also defrayed
by the railway company. I had a view of
the Peabody Institute, and was sorry to hear
that the advantages of the institution could
not be enjoyed at present in consequence of
a dispute amongst the managing directors.
Some of Pilose directors were zealous seces
sionists, and others were strong unionists,
and their differences had become so great that
they even could not combine their efforts
to carry out a great philanthropic movement.
When passing along the street I met a
mechanic who formerly lived at Stalybridge,
who had still the appearance of a working
man, and recognising me as one who had
come from the old country, he expressed him
self desirous to give me a treat, but I was
not inclined to be made the object of his
benevolent intentions. After he had left
me, Mr. Halstead, who was present, told me
that the man, notwithstanding his appear
ance, was worth half-a-million of dollars. I
am often surprised to find how many men
there are in this country who have risen
from comparative poverty to a position of
wealth. March 3 1 . — Paid a visit this morning to the
Merchants' Exchange and News-room, aud
found that there were here 120 different news
papers taken, four of which are English. I took
up one of the English papers and read the fol
lowing, with respect to the President's veto
of the Bureau Bill : "By one of those
peaceful revolutions which can only occur in
a country like this, the Radicals have in a
very few days been completely discomfited,
and there is scarcely a Member of "Congress
%ho adhered to their policy, who has not re
ceived intimations from his state or district,
that the people have decided against him,
and that at the next election will vote
that he shall stay at home. This great re
volution, in sentiment, has only been accom
plished by the great mass of the people
neglecting their business for a week ;
thronging the streets of the city ; organising
monster meetings; compelling by main
force State legislatures and City governments
to endorse the President; firing cannon ;
mobbing newspapers that sympathized with
the Radicals ; and in a general way, declaring
that Radical fanaticism shall no longer im
peril the peace of the country. The remedy
is a severe one, but the only one that could
have cured the disease. Forfive years past,
it has been the custom to see sympathisers
with the South mobbed and beaten. Now
the tables are turned. To point out a man
as a Radical, an abolitionist, or a negro

worshipper, will bring down the mob upon
him, and compel him to run for his life.
The Copperheads walk about cheerfully,
holding up their heads as they have not
done for many a long day.'' The writer goes
.on to say that the President had three-fourths
of the people in the Northern States on his
side. The above quotation is just as false as
if it had been written by the Prince of
Darkness himself. I have mingled much in
American society during the last few months.
I have been amongst the rich and the poor,
the white and the coloured, officials and non-
officials, and am able to state, without the
slightest hesitation, that the writer _ has
totally misrepresented facts. There is a
majority against the President in the Senate,
a majority against him in the House of
Representatives, and a majority against him
in thecountry. The fact is, that neither the
Senate nor the House has advanced as much
as the people^ and all the recent elections
prove it. The veto of the President filled
the country with gloom, and I have heard
people complain that it was a great mistake
to elect Mr. Johnson as Vice-President of the
United States. It was a kind of compromise
at the time, for it was thought that as the
President was from the North the Vice-
President ought to be from the South. The
course which Mr. Johnson is pursuing is
alienating from him the loyal people in every
state, and he is condemned on every hand
as a Southern man with a Southern heart. I
am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet,
but I dare predict that, at the next election,
both President and Vice-President will be
elected from the Northern States. Mr.
Johnson is aware of his unpopularity, but he
has committed himself to a course of action
from which he cannot consistently withdraw.
He affects to be afraid of assassination, and
avoids everything like serenades, as he does
not wish to expose himself to danger in the
night season. A gentleman told me that he
knew that all his food was tasted before he
partook of it, as a precaution against the
danger of being poisoned. I have heard it
repeatedly stated, and I know that it is com
monly believed, that more than one of the
presidents of the United States have by
secret means been put to death. But I do
not believe that President Johnson is in any
danger of having to sacrifice his life in con
sequence of the course which he has taken.
The men of violence have generally been on
the Southern side, and he is now the most
popular man in all the Southern States,
standing higher than either Mr. Jefferson
Davis or Mr. A. H. Stephens. The only
ground which Mr. Johnson has for repre-

164

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

senting himself in danger of being assassi
nated is the fact that one of the representatives
had in a speech mentioned that there had
been a period in English history when if the
king had acted in a similar way to Mr.
Johnson it would have cost him his head. »
Judging from appearances, there will be no
possibility of Mr. Johnson retaining infiuence
with the party who exalted him to power,
and there is no chance of his being supported
to any large extent except by the Copper
heads of the North or the rebels of the South.
The London newspaper I have quoted, gives
a description of the present crisis, which is as
opposite to truth as light is to darkness, but
I suppose it is not more astray in this matter
than it was in its pictures of the late war, nor
is it further from the truth than was the case
with a Manchester newspaper which repre
sented, during the late war, that nine-tenths
of the people of England were on the side of
the South. I take pleasure in reading or
listening to the expression of opinions dif
fering from my own, but when I find such
a lack of moral principle that leads a person
so awfully to distort facts, that he turns every
thing topsy-turvy, I could entertain no feeling
of self-respect, if I did not endeavour to
correct the mischievous error. I have a
high opinion of newspapers, and regard them
as a necessity of the age, but when I find
the writers giving that to the world which
they know to be untrue, and do it for the
purpose of deceiving others, I turn from
them with loathing aud disgust. If a man
will write fables, he ought not to tell
people that they are facts, and then if
persons know them to be the mere
creatures of imagination, they will not
be deceived. — After leaving the newsroom I
prepared for my journey to Washington.
The day was exceedingly wet, and there was
much thunder and lightning. The previous
day was exceedingly fine, and in the evening
there had been a total eclipse of the moon.
I staid up till after eleven o'clock, observing
the gradual spreading of the earth's shadow
over the nocturnal luminary. On my way
towards Washington it was soon apparent
that I was in what was formerly a slave dis
trict, the little shanties which the slaves
formerly occupied being at a small distance
from the proprietor's house. On the way I
passed through a small town named Savage,
where there are extensive iron works Also
Bladensburg, which has obtained the name
of the Congressional Duelling Ground, from
the fact that, to satisfy a sanguinary oode
of honour, opposing statesmen fought and
fell. It was here where Decatur was killed
in a duel. Soon after leaving Bladensburg

I came in sight of Washington, the national
capital. What a great deal I have heard and
read of this justly celebrated city. Wash
ington is frequently styled " The city of
magnificent distances," and I think I never
saw a city which had a stronger claim to the
appelation. Throughout a very considerable
portion the streets are very broad, and the
houses detached from each other by inter
vening spaces. It differs considerably from
all other cities I ever saw. It is usual for
public buildings to be erected to suit the con
venience or necessities of the city, but here
the city had to be built to suit the conveni
ence of the public buildings. It was never
intended that Washington should occupy
its present site, which formerly was nothing
but a great swamp. When the Capitol was
first planned, it was intended that the front
should face the east, and in that direction,
standing on high table land, it was expected
that the city would have been built. But,
unfortunately, the land in this direction be
longed to very few proprietors, and no sooner
was it known that the Capitol was about to be
erected on the hill than they raised the price
of the adjacent land so enormously that peo
ple would not purchase it, and this led to
the erection of houses on the western side,
and by degrees, as the buildings kept extend
ing and the swamp got drained, the proprie
tors of the land on the eastern side could
not induce persons to purchase from them,
notwithstanding the reduced rates offered.
The land formerly was called Rome, and was
so named by a person called Pope, its owner.
As he could not obtain ecclesiastical distinc
tion, he was wishful to be known as " Pope
of Rome " by virtue of his landed possession,
and I suppose that in this he succeeded,*
just as the honorary secretary of the United
Kingdom Alliance in Manchester might
succeed by adopting a similar course. —
Washington not only owes its name, but its
very exisience to General Washington, for
it was he who first suggested the idea of
forming a capital for the United States here,
and he succeeded in having his object carried
out. I have heard various reasons assigned
for this selection of the site. Some persons
say it was because of its central position,
while others say it was because it would be
remote from any centre of population, where
there would be a danger of Congressmen
being overawed by mobs. If it were selected
for the former reason, then a great mistake
has been made, for its position at present is
very far from being central, and there are
many persons who now predict that in fifty
years the capital will be at St. Louis, or some
other important western point not far from

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165

the Mississippi river. In forming the city
of Washington, one hundred square miles
were set apart for the purpose, being ten miles
square, the land being taken, from the States
of Maryland and Virginia. It has been said
that it was expected the whole of this land
which forms the district of Columbia would
be built upon, so as to form one compact
city. I arn^far from entertaining this opinion,
for it is not the seat of industrial enterprise,
it has not made equal progress with many
other cities, and possesses no advantages
apart from its being the capital, which is
likely to lead to its future greatness. At all
times, except during the sittings of Congress,
it is considered a very quiet dull place. While
in New England itis usual to call streets blocks,
in Washington it is usual to call them squares,
and at present the entire area of the squares
amounts to 131,684,176,square feet,or 3,016
acres, one half of which was reserved for the
use of the United States, and the other half
to the original proprietors of the land. There
are twenty-two avenues, bearing the names of
the different states which formerly composed
the union. The aggregate length of these
avenues is 165 miles, the chief of whichis Penn
sylvania Avenue which extends four miles,
and from the Capitol to the President's House
it is 160 feet wide, and the rest of the distance
it is 130 feet wide. The aggregate length of the
streets is 1 99 miles, the width varying from
70 to 100 feet. I traversed a great many of
the streets in all directions, yet strange to
say that in the capitol of the nation I could
find only one public clock, and even that was
not going. Public clocks are ornamental to
a city, and I cannot account for the fact that
they are so scarce in America, except it be
in consequence of almost every house having
a clock, thus rendering public time-pieces
unnecessary. The circumference of the city
is about fourteen miles. The Capitol stands
exactly east, west, north, and south, and
looking westward it divides the city into two
parts. The streets in one direction are
named after the letters in the alphabet, and
in the other direction the numerals, 1, 2,
3, &c, are used. Some Europeans have
ridiculed this mode of naming streets, but
for my part I regard it as a great convenience,
especially to strangers, and if the city
authorities would adopt the plan which pre
vails in the North, to have the names of the
streets printed in legible characters on the
glass of the gas lamps, it would be a still
greater improvement. The water of the
city is very clear and good, and as the streets
are spacious, the city is very airy, but the
drainage is not perfect, and fever frequently
abounds. As a capitol City, it is far behind

the capitols of Europe, and at present it gives
very little promise of future distinction.
Some people think it has a beautiful situation,
but for my part I cannot say that I was par
ticularly enamoured with it, nor do I believe
it to be worthy of the praise which has been
bestowed upon it. Certainly it is washed by
a beautiful river, for I have seen the Potomac
from many points of view, and admire it very
greatly. It is about 550 miles long, and at
Washington it is nearly 300 miles from the
ocean, and between here and Alexandria it
varies from one mile to one mile and a quar
ter in width. In its course it receives the
Shenandoah river, when near to the Blue
Ridge mountains, the scenery around which
is said to be exceedingly grand.
April I, 1866. — Sunday.— This morning
before breakfast, while engaged reading the
life of the Rev. HenTy Highland Garnet, who
should drop in but Mr. Garnet himself, and
as I had seen the portrait at the beginning of
the book I recognised him at once. He came
to invite me to his church and Sunday school,
and I promised to attend in the afternoon.
Mr. Garnet has been in England more than
once, and he is therefore tolerably well known
in antislavery circles. His grandfather was
stolen by slave traders from the coast of
Africa, survived the horrors of the middle
passage, and was landed at New Market, on
the James River. On account of his moral
and religious qualities he was named Joseph
Trusty. He became the father of a large
family, who were all doomed to slavery. Per
mission was granted to eleven of them to
attend the funeral of a relative a few miles
distant, but it would seem as if the service
was a long one, for they have never yet
returned from that funeral. For some days
in succession they slept in the woods and
swamps, and travelled during the nights,
until they reached a place of safety in one of
the free states of the Union, where they were
re-baptized, and each received a different
name. When H. H. Garnet became eleven
years of age, he was sent to school, where
he distinguished himself by his aptness for
learning. All his schoolmates were coloured
children ; amongst whom were G. R. Allen,
the astronomer ; Ira Aldridge, the actor ; P.
H. Reason, the engraver; and the Rev. A.
Crummell, M.A., who was well known in
three continents for his learning, eloquence,
and logical power. Mr. Garnet devoted
himself to a seafaring life until 1831, when
he entered the high-school for coloured youth,
and commenced the study of the Greek and
Latin languages. Whilst pursuing his clas
sical studies he became attached to the Sun
day School connected with the Presbyterian

166

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

Church. The church edifice was more than
one hundred years old. It was here where
in the early part of the present century, the
old Dutch dames, required their slave-girls
to carry their foot-stoves to the church, and
then remain outside during service, on the
ground that the blacks had no souls to save.
Subsequently Mr. Garnet went to Canaan
Academy, New Hampshire, where popular
prejudice against the coloured race was se
strong, that in August, 1835, a mob assem
bled and after two days hard labour, assisted
by ninety-five yoke of oxen, the academy was
removed from its site and was then destroyed
by fire. Mr. Garnet at the time was sick of
fever, yet the mob fired into the room to
which his sickness had confined him. He
had to be conveyed on the outside of a coach,
and on the deck of a steamboat, sick as he
was, for a coloured person was not permitted to
have other accommodation. He reached New
York, where he was confined to bed two
months by reason of his sickness. He after
wards became a Presbyterian minister, and
remains in that capacity at present. He was
in New York when the riot took place in
July, 1863, and when the mob rushed down
Thirtieth-street, where he resided, the name
of Garnet was loudly called, but fortunately
by a lucky forethought his daughter had
wrenched off the door-plate with an axe, and
the mob could not find the house, so that
his life and property were thus preserved.
When the New York merchants raised a fund
to relieve the sufferers from this riot, Mr.
Garnet was appointed to hear the applica
tions, and in one month he investigated the
cases of 6,392. In 1851, during his visit to
England, he addressed a large meeting in
Exeter Hall, London, and he also preached
in Surrey Chapel, and other places. He was
a delegate to the Peace Congress held at
Frankfort-on-the-Maine, and in company
with the late Joseph Sturge, of Birmingham,
and the widely known Dr. Dick, of Broughty
Ferry, Scotland, he travelled through Bavaria,
Prussia, and Franoe. His visit to Eng
land tended to lessen the impression that
coloured talent was only possessed where
there was a mixture of Anglo-Saxon blood,
for here was a gentleman of splendid phy
sique, polished manners, extensive learning,
and a master of all the graces of rhetoric,
yet he is a pure African. He was the first
coloured man who was ever permitted in the
United States to set his foot inside the
National Halls of Legislature, for last year
he was invited to preach in the House of Re
presentatives, at Washington, where he had
a crowded audience. The sermon was very
eloquent. Speaking on slavery he said, —

" Statesmen, priests, and philosophers, most
renowned for learning, and most profound in
every department of science and literature,
have testified against slavery. While oratory
has brought its costliest golden treasures and
laid them on the altar of God and of freedom ;
it has aimed its fiercest lightning and loudest
thunder at the strongholds of tyranny, in
justice, and despotism. From the days of
Balak to those of Isaiah and Jeremiah, up
to the time of Paul, and through every age
of the Christian Church, the sons of thunder
have denounced the abominable thing. The
heroes who stood in the shining ranks of
the friends of human progress, from Cicero
to Chatham and Burke, Sharp, Wilberforce,
and Thomas Clarkson, and Curran, assaulted
the citadel of destruction. The orators and
statesmen ofour.land, whether these belong
to the past or to the present age, will live
and shine in the annals of history, in propor
tion as they have dedicated their genius and
talents to the defence of justice and man's
God-given rights. All the poets who live
in sacred aud profane history have charmed
the world with their most enchanting strains
when they have turned their lyres to the
praise of Liberty. When the Muses can no
longer decorate her altars with their garlands,
then they hang their harps upon the willows
and weep. From Moses to Terence and
Homer, from thence to Milton and Cow-
per, Thomson, and Thomas Campbell,
and on to the days of our own bards,
our Bryants, Longfellows, Whittiers, Mor
rises, and Bokers, — all have presented
their gifts to the interests and rights of man.
Every good principle, and every great and
noble power, have been made the subjects of
the inspired verse, and the songs of poets.
But who of them have attempted to immor
talize slavery ? You will search in vain the
annals of the world to find an instanoe.
Should any attempt the sacrilegious work,
his genius would fall to the earth as if smit
ten by the lightning of heaven. Should he
lift his hand to write a line in its praise, or
defence, the ink would freeze on the point of
his pen.'' Addressing the senators and re
presentatives present, he said, " Honourable
Senators aud Representatives ! Illustrious
rulers of this great nation ! I cannot refrain
this day from invoking upon you, in God's
name, the blessings of millions who were
ready to perish, but to whom a new and
better life has been opened by your humanity,
justice, and patriotism. You have said ," Let
the Constitution of the country be so amended
that slavery and involuntary servitude shall
no longer exist in the United States, except
iu punishment for crime. Surely, an act so

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167

sublime could not escape Divine notice ,• and
doubtless the deed has been recorded in the
archieves of heaven. Volumes may be ap
propriated to your praise and renown in the
history of the world. Genius and art may
perpetuate the glorious act on canvass and in
marble, but certain and more lasting monu
ments in commemoration of your decision
are already erected in the hearts and mem
ories of a grateful people." The discourse
delivered by Mr. Garnet produced a great
effect, and ever since its delivery, coloured
persons have been permitted to occupy with
out molestation the galleries of both houses
of the legislature. I found Mr. Garnet to
be a very intelligent person, and the conver
sation I had with him was of a very agreeable
character. I attended service at the Baptist
Coloured Church, which was crowded in every
part. The preacher was Mr. Anderson, late
of Canada, and he said that the members of
the church were now so numerous that if all
attended at one time the building would not
contain them, so that there was not room left
for merely hearers, but it was intended to
erect a larger building. It is not surprising
that the church should be so crowded, when
it is known that five years ago there were
only about 8,000 coloured people in Wash
ington, and now there are 32,000. During
the -late war the coloured people have flocked
to the cities under an impression that they
would have better protection than the country
places could give, and therefore there is quite
a redundency of labourers in the city, while
there is a scarcity in many of the country
villages. The preacher on referring to the
condition of the freedmen said that they
might as well endeavour to enslave the Al
mighty, as to try to enslave the negro again,
for they might bury him, but they could
never enslave him. Before the service closed
he read a notice intimating that Mrs. Harper,
of Philadelphia, would lecture on the follow
ing Wednesday, and he asserted that for
eloquence and pathos, she was not surpassed
by any female lecturer " on this planet." I
had repeatedly met with Mrs. Harper during
my stay at Philadelphia, but had never had
an opportunity of listening to a lecture, and
I therefore decided if possible to attend the
lecture which had been announced. Mr.
Garnet dined with me to-day, and we had a
conversation about his travels in Europe.
General Grant, the hero of Richmond, drove
past while we were together, and this led to a
conversation respecting him. Mr. Garnet
had witnessed a review in Washington of
120,000 soldiers. He sat two days in suc
cession six hours and a half each day, to see
them pass twenty-five abreast. It would

require more than six rows per minute to
pass before him, to enable the entire host to
pass. He was very much tired with gazing
at such a crowd. I accompanied him to the
coloured Sunday School, the largest in the
city. Brigadier General Brown, a wealthy
gentleman from Illinois, was the superin
tendent, and was well adapted for the post
he occupied. I was appointed to teach a
class, a great proportion of whom had been
slaves, and one of them was forty-one years
of age. They could all read the New Testa
ment tolerably well. Mr. Theodore Tilton,
from New York, editor of the " Indepen
dent," was called upon to address the scholars
and teachers, which he did in a most efficient
manner. I hoped to escape observation, but
General Brown would have me to speak and
there was no getting out of it. It was a very
attentive congregation. In the evening I
heard Mr. Garnet deliver an excellent discourse.
The Rev. Leonard Andrew Grimes took part
in the service. I have seen it represented
in one of the newspapers that, " He was
born, to the inheritance of a slave, and re
mained in that condition many dreary years.''
This, however, is a mistake ; for although
born in Virginia, he never was a slave. He
has a little African blood in his veins, and
was consequently in early life prevented from
having any education, but by stealthy means
he acquired the ability to read, and afterwards
he taught others, and was punished for it.
He was whipped in Richmond for teach
ing, and was dragged through the streets
of Washington, and was imprisoned in Vir
ginia for assisting bondmen to escape from
captivity. He has led over eight hundred
slaves from bondage to freedom, exposing
himself to great risk by the steps he took
in connection with the '' Underground Rail
way." Through him the slaveholders re
ceived more than 4,000 dollars, which were
paid as redemption money. He was in
Richmond during the Nat Turner insurrec
tion, and felt the iron clasp of tyranny which
came with the reaction that followed the
terrible failure. He was iu Boston when the
Court House was wreathed with chains, and
when Faneuil HalL was guarded with
soldiers, doing service in the cause of slavery.
He was in Boston when the Music Hall
shook with the eloquence of Parker, and
rocked under the tread of Phillips's match
less power. I was much amused with some
of the schemes adopted by the slaves to
secure their freedom, and felt much attached
to Mr. Grimes for the perils he had endured
on their behalf.
April 2. — During an early walk this morn
ing I met with a coloured man from Rock-

168

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

ville, in Maryland. He was for many years
a slave in Georgia, but prized very highly
the liberty he now possessed. I asked him
how the freedmen fared in the neighbour
hood where he lived, and he said he lived
in a country place where there were not
many coloured men, but there was work
enough for "heaps" of them if they would
go, but they preferred to stay in the cities.
He received as wages ten dollars per month
and his board, but wagoners received twelve
dollars. I asked him how a married man
and his family would be able to get along. He
said that at many places farmers would en
gage a married couple, giving the man ten
dollars per month, with board, and the woman
two dollars per mouth, with board, but they
would have to pay for the board of their
children out of their own wages. I told
him that the freedmen where he lived were
much better off than the agricultural
labourers in some parts of England. On my
return I was recognised by an aged coloured
man, who had been a slave at Fredericks
burg, near where General Burnside was de
feated by the Confederates. He invited me
to his house, and I found it to be one of the
cleanest, pleasantest little cottages I ever
entered. I remember when I was in Ire
land, at the request of a cottager I entered
his dwelling, but oh, what a difference with
respect to internal comfort. The Irishman's
dwelling had neither window nor chimney,
the open door serving the double purpose
of admitting the light and ejecting the
smoke. It had a mud floor, and there was
neither stove nor range, for the fire had been
kindled on the hearth. There was no carpet
nor chest of drawers, nor even a chair to
sit upon, for the best seat he could give me
was a chump of wood or a big stone. ' There
was a rough boarded ceiling about a yard
high, and behind this fence was a snoring
pig, so that the Irishman's house consisted
of this one dark, dreary room, which consti
tuted his kitchen, bed-room, and pig-stye.
He had a tin can to contain buttermilk, and
a pan to boil potatoes, but beyond these I do
not remember seeing any domestic utensils,
nor even a book, a newspaper, or a tract to
divert his leisure moments. — In the freed-
man's dwelling, at Washington, I saw a
clean whitewashed house, a bed which was
neatly made up, the coverlet consisting of
neat patchwork, formed of even squares, and
beautifully quilted. The pillow-slip had a
snowy whiteness, and had a frilling all round.
There were a chest of drawers, a set of
chairs, rocking ohair included, and a
carpeted floor. William Armistead, the oc-
oopant, could not boast that it was his own

property, for he had to pay a high rent for
his cottage, which was a wooden one
storied building, containing two small rooms
the rent of which was eight dollars per
month. What would the working men of
Manchester think if they had to pay
£20 a year like William Armistead for
two small rooms ? If the rents in the
borough towns of England were as high
as they are at Washington, there would
be no necessity for a Reform Bill, for
there would be a complete household suffrage.
William showed me his emancipation certi
ficate, and his testimonials of character,
showing that he had been a sober, industrious,
and religious man. He had, however, ex
perienced some trouble. His master, whose
property he had been for many years, by will
emancipated all his slaves, ninety-three in
number. After his death, his relatives en
deavoured to " break " the will at Fredericks-
burgh, but failed in the attempt. They then
carried the matter into a court of law
at Richmond, where they succeeded in
"breaking" the will, and ninety of the
emancipated were kept in slavery. William
was one of the three over whom the slave
holder could exercise no power, for he had
sense enough to retain possession of his
emancipation certificate, and when the new
slave-master demanded it from him, he re
fused to deliver it up. The case same before
the court, and William proved victorious, the
Judge expressing himself well pleased that
William had refused to give up the paper.
He continued to Jive a freeman at Fredericks-
burgh until the breaking out of the war,
when the Southerners drove all the freemen
away, for they were afraid that they would
communicate information to the authorities
in the Northern army. William's wife was
in slavery to a different < master, and when
William was forced to leave the district the
master allowed her to go with him. Both
William and his wife spoke well of their
masters, and Mrs. Armistead seemed pleased
to tell me that her former mistress had visi
ted her in her cottage at Washington.
William's wife had passed through all the
gradations, having been bought, sold, given,
and emancipated. — In the evening I went to
the Capitol, and saw the great dome lighted
up by electricity. A gentleman informed
me that there are about 1,300 lights in this
dome. The action of the electric current is
to render the platina red-hot, and when the
gas comes in contact with it, ignition im
mediately takes place. Several gentlemen
came to the Capitol to witness the lighting
up, and it was expected that there would be
a great flash. This, however, was not the

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169

ease, for the lighting was very gradual, and
this gradual lighting was occasioned by the
fact that there was air in the pipes whioh had
to be expelled before the gas could ignite.
We went outside and witnessed the lighting
up of the cupola, which took place in a
moment. I entered into conversation with a
person who had that evening returned from
the South. He passed through Washington
in December last, and from that time till his
return this evening, he had never seen the
United States flag floating anywhere. In
his opinion, there was more bitterness in the
South at present, than there ever was during
or before the war, and there was nothing
except a want of courage and of means to
prevent the war from breaking out afresh.
While he was in the South he was robbed of
his money and his jewellery, but in conse
quence of being a Yankee there was no
sympathy for him. He told me that he had
been at a place where, standing on an emin
ence, he could see the country round for
miles upon miles, and it was nothing but a
complete scene of desolation. A horse might
traverse the whole district withoutobstruction,
for there was not a fence, nor scarcely a tree
or a house remaining. On the conclusion of
the conversation, I accompanied a party to
the electric battery room, where a number of
experiments were made, which created much
amusement. April 3. — Visited the Capitol this morning,
which, in my opinion, is the finest structure
I ever saw. It is so elevated as to command
a view of the entire city of Washington, the
heights of Georgetown, the winding of the
Potomac River, and the city of Alexandria.
The construction was commenced in 1 793,
but the subsequent war with England re
tarded the progress of the work, and as the
British demolished a great part of that which
had been accomplished, it became necessary,
in 1815, to reconstruct the edifice. It was
built of white marble, and in consequence of
its great elevatienit is the most commanding
object of vision in the whole district. The
exterior exhibits a rusticated basement of the
height of the first story, the two other
stories are comprised in a Corinthian eleva
tion of pilasters' and columns. The columns,
thirty feet in height, form an advancing
portico on the east, one hundred and sixty
feet in extent. New wings have recently
been added, indeed I may say that they are
now being added, for they are not yet com
pleted. The extensions were commenced
nearly fifteen years ago, and on the oocasion
the late Hon. Daniel Webster delivered a
most brilliant oration. The new wings are
each three hundred and twenty-four feet in

length, from east to west, including porticoes
and steps, by one hundred and fifty-two feet
eight inches from north to south, also
including porticoes, and are connected to the
main building by corridors, each forty-four
feet in length and fifty-six feet in width,
making the entire length of the building,
from north to south, seven hundred and
forty-five feet, eight inches. The whole cost
of the Capitol, including the grounds when
completed, will, it is expected, be more than
12,000,000 dollars. The structure includes
the Senate Chamber, the Hall of Represen
tatives, the Congressional Library, the Su
preme Court of the United States, and various
other halls and courts. Through the kind
ness of Mr. Villard, who in various ways en
deavoured to make my stay in Washington
pleasant and agreeable, I obtained an order
from Mr. Schuyler Colfax, representative of
the state of Indiana, and Speaker of the
House of Representatives, by which I might
have access to one of the galleries of the
house at any time during the session. The
great advantage derived by this Order was,
that I could go in and out of this gallery
without let or hindrance at any time, however
crowded other portions of the hall might be.
The Hall of Representatives is 139 feet long,
93 feet wide, and 36 feet high, surrounded
with galleries on each side. The supremacy
of the people of the United States is shown
in the amount of public accommodation which
is afforded for hearing the debates, and wit
nessing the proceedings, for in this hall the
galleries are so large that there is abundant
accommodation for 1200 persons to be comfort
ably seated at once. In England, admission to
the Strangers' Gallery of the House of Com
mons can only be obtainedby virtue of an order
issued by a member of Parliament, and no
member can issue more than one order for
one day. When the order has been issued,
it is very uncertain whether it will be of any
service, for there are more than six hundred
members, and, if I remember rightly, the
Strangers' Gallery will not hold more then
about 200 persons, so that if each member
issues an order, it is certain that not more
than one-third of the strangers can be admit
ted at any one time. I remember being there
when there has been a long line of persons
waiting in the lobby for admission, but when
the gallery is once filled, other persons can
only be admitted just in proportion to the
number of strangers who may leave before
the proceedings terminate. In Washington,
however, the public galleries are open to every
person, without exception, and, as the accom
modation is extensive, it is only on special
occasions when there is some debate of more

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than ordinary interest, that the amount of
accommodation is too limited for the demand.
While the debate is proceeding, a person is
at liberty to write down any portions of it
that he pleases, a privilege which is not ao-
oorded to strangers in England. The liberty
for all persons to enter the Halls of
Legislation at Washington, without ex
ception, has not long been enjoyed ; for
previous to the late war, no person of
colour was permitted to enter. What a farce
it was, under the circumstances, to place
over the dome of the Capitol, 300 feet high,
the statue of Freedom looking downbenig-
nantly on a land of slaves ! All this, however,
has passed away, and the United States are
now rapidly approaching a condition in which
both in law, and in fact, all its subjects may
boast that theirs is eminently a land of free
dom. Upon the floor of the Hall of Repre
sentatives are seats fer 260 members, arranged
upon a semioircular plan, the seat and desk
of the Speaker of the House being at the
centre of the semicircle, and in the middle of
the south side of the Hall, which is one of
the longer sides of the room. The ceiling is
of cast iron, with large skylights, having orna
mented coats of arms emblazoned in coloured
glass. At night the room is lighted by about
1,500 jets of gas, placed above the glass of
the ceiling, and throwing down a pure, soft,
and agreeable light. The area of the Hall is
12,927 feet, and contains 465,372 cubic feet
of space. It is estimated thai 5,000 persons
can stand in this Hall when it is crowded, as
it often is at large publio meetings. A revolv
ing fan, driven by a steam-engine, and oapa-
ble of supplying 100,000 cubic feet of air per
minute, is employed for ventilating purposes,
so that the whole of the air contained in the
Hall may be renewed every five minutes. In
the winter there are ten miles of steam pipes
used for the purpose of communicating
warmth in this Mall. The walls and ceiling
have been richly coloured, and when the
pannels have become filled with paintings,
Illustrating American history, and the niches
with statues of eminent citizens, the Hall
will present a very beautiful appearance. — I
went to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice
Chase was thepresidingjudge, aud there were
also seven or eight associate judges present.
The salary of the Chief Justice is 6,500 dols.
per annum, and the salary of each of the
nine associate judges is 6,000 a year. This
is the highest court in the United States,
and is generally devoted to the hearing of
appeals. Judgment was pronounced in one
or two cases while I remained in court, but
they did not appear to be cases calculated to
excite much general interest. — I went to the

Senate Chamber, whioh in its general plan
was very similar to the Hall of Representa
tives. The style of decoration is rich, but
not gaudy, and the lighting, heating, and ven
tilation are providedrin a similar manner as in
the other Legislative Hall. The galleries
will seat comfortably 1 ,200 persons. In the
Senate it is the duty of the Vice-president of
the United States to preside, but in the Hall
of Representatives the Speaker of the House
presides, and he is elected to that position
by the votes of the House, and serves during
all the sessions of one Congress. The only
persons, besides members, admitted to the
floors of the two chambers, are the President
and bis secretary, the heads of departments
and bureaus, the diplomatic corps, governors
of States, ex -members of Congress, ex-presi
dents, and ex-governors. As a privilege, how
ever, members can in person convey their
friends to seats iu the lobby of the Senate or
the House. The regular business hours in the
legislative halls during the sittings of Con
gress, are from twelve to three o'clock, but
when there is a pressure of business towards
the close of a session it is customary to
sit day and night for many hours continuously.
When passing near to the Rotunda, I was
shown a pair of brass doors, made at Munich,
at a cost of 10,000 dols. While in the gal
lery of the House, I was shown General
Banks and General Schenk, and others who
have taken a leading part in the proceedings
connected with the late rebellion. The
Rotunda is 96 feet high, and the same num
ber of feet in diameter. The paintings
represent the preservation of Captain Smith
by Pocahontas, the landing of the pilgrims on
Plymouth Rock, the confliot between Daniel
Boone and the Indians, Penn's treaty with the
Indians, The Declaration of Indepeudance,
surrender of General Burgoyne, surrender
of the British army, commanded by Lord
Cornwallis, in Virginia; Resignation of
General Washington at Annapolis, Embarka
tion of the Pilgrims from Leyden, Landing
of Columbus, Baptism of Pocahontos, and the
Discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto. I
did not examine olosely the groups of
sculpture, and what I did examine I did not
understand what; they were intended to re
present, and consequently felt less interest in
them than would otherwise have been the
case.— The Congressional Library has repeat
edly suffered by fire, the last of which
occurred in 1851, resulting in the destruction
of the entire library except about 20,000
volumes. The special appropriations of
funds has placed the library in a position very-
similar to that which it formerly occupied,
and the average yearly allowance is 6,000

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

171

dols., making on the average an increase of
1,800 volumes per year.— After dinner, I had
a pleasant stroll through the grounds con
nected with the executive mansion. Until
about a fortnight ago, the grounds have been
a great resort on the Tuesday evening for
some time, because it was one of the evenings
fixed by the President as a reception
gathering^ which furnished the public at
large an opportunity of paying their respects
to the President, and of promenading the
famous East Room. The grounds on which
the mansion is erected occupy a space of
about twenty acres, and are kept in beautiful
condition. I understand that, during the
summer afternoons, hundreds and thousands
of the citizens of Washington assemble on
the grounds, where they have the satisfaction
of listening to the strains of a marine band
and enjoying a fashionable promenade.
Arrangements are now in progress to trans
form the grounds lying south of the mansion
into a magnificent park, which when com
pleted will afford a fine carriage drive of three
or four miles, the Potomac at one end, and
the Capitol at the other. Fronting the
mansion is La Fayette Square, which has
been laid out in fashionable style. In the
centre is a bronze equestrian statue of General
Jackson, which was casfj from cannon cap
tured by General Jackson in his military
engagements. It is said that the cost of tbe
statue was 50,000 dols.
April 4. — Visited the Senate this morning
and was introduced to Mr. Wilson, senator for
Massachusetts, and Mr. Foster, the Vice-
President of the United States. The Vice-
President supplied me with an order which
gave me a seat in one of the galleries of the
House. Having obtained a plan of the
Senate Chamber, which gave me informa
tion as to the persons who occupied the
various seats, and the state represented by
each senator, I took my seat with the
intention of being a careful observer of the
manner in which political debates are con
ducted in this the most dignified House in
the United States, bearing some resemblance,
although not exactly similar to tin House of
Lords in England. I could not banish from
my mind the remembrance of the fact, that
it was in this very chamber where Brooks ns-
saulted Sumner with such violence that it was
generally believed that Brooks intended to
have committed murder. I inquired how it
was possible for such an assault to take place
in open day and in the presence of so
many spectators ? I was told that Brooks
went behind the chair where Sumner
was sitting, and, armed with a stick,
he commenced a violent assault, and the

Southern Senators surrounded the chair, so
as to prevent anyone seizing hold of Brooks.
Sumner was so seriously injured that he had to
be confined to his room a considerable time,
and subsequently went to 'England to recruit
his health. He is now the greatest orator
of the Senate, a fine-looking, gentlemanly
personage, whose individuality is so strongly
marked, that having sometime since seen
his photograph, I recognised him at once when
I saw him in the Senate. I was wishful
to have heard him speak upon the Civil
Rights Bill, but he only spoke a few words
in reply to a Senator. Brooks has gone to
bis final account. — [ also saw Mr. McCul-
loch, secretary of the treasury ; Mr. Den-
nison, post-master general ; and others.
The galleries of the Senate House were
much crowded, for the Civil Rights Bill
having been vetoed by the President had
excited great interest. After several unim
portant matters had been introduced and
discussed, Mr. Trumbull rose to speak on
the Civil Rights Bill. Every voice was
hushed, and having secured undivided at
tention, he proceeded in a most masterly
manner to comment on the President's
veto message, expressing his deep regret
on his own account, and also on account
of the President, that the bill had been
vetoed, but above all he regretted for liberty's
sake, to secure which to themselves and their
posterity was the great object of the Gov
ernment. He proceeded to show that the
provisions of the bill were neither unjust
nor unconstitutional One objection the
President entertained to the Civil Rights
Bill was that it was brought forward at a
time when eleven out of the thirty-six States
in the Union were not represented in Con
gress. Mr. Trumbull showed that the Presi
dent had already signed forty bills under
similar circumstances, and therefore it was
inconsistent for him to raise the objection to
this bill when it applied equally to all. He
asked whose fault was it that the eleven
States were not represented ? Because they
chose to retire from the Congress, did that
form a reason why the twenty-five loyal
states, who had stood firm to the Union
and the Constitution, should be deprived of
their right to legislate? If so, the criminal
would take advantage of his crime, and the
innocent would be punished for the guilty.
The representatives who had been chosen by
the states which had re-organised, were men
who were fresh from the Rebel Congress
and from the Rebel army, who could not take
the requisite oath to entitle them to their
seats, and it would be strange if the loyal
people of the country had to be compelled to

172

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wait for necessary legislation, until those
states were represented which had refused
to send representatives, except men whose
hands were already dripping with the blood
of loyal men. He contended that those
who had carried on a four years' war against
the United States, and had caused the nation
to expend more than 4,000,000,000 dollars
in putting it down, and a loss of life
amounting to more than 250,000, ought not
to be permitted to legislate for loyal men.
It would be utterly destructive to all govern
ment if no bill could pass until the eleven
states were restored to representation, espe
cially so long as the State Government was
not possessed by loyal men. The object of
the Civil. Rights Bill was to do away with all
distinctions with respect to colour, and make
the black and white population equal before
the law, so that a coloured person would
only be subject to such punishment as might
be given to a white person guilty of a simi
lar offence. Mr. Trumbull asserted that,
only six years ago, Mr. Andrew Johnson
commented with severity on a veto message
issued by Mr. Buchanan, who was then Presi
dent of the United States, charging him with
quibbling, and demagogueing, and playing
the part of a mere politician, in sending a
veto message to the Congress of the United
States. The President objected to the Civil
Rights Bill because it afforded discriminat
ing piotection to coloured persons, but Mr.
Trumbull urged that the very object of the
section was to prevent discrimination by
making punishment for auy offence equal
both to black and white. In conclusion Mr.
Trumbull said, Mr. President, I have now
gone through the Veto Message, replying
with what potency I could command to its
various objections to the bill. Would that
I could stop here — that there was no occa
sion to go further — but justice to myself,
justice to the state whose representative I am,
justice to the people of the whole country,
in legislating for whose behalf I am called to
anticipate, justice to the constitution I am
called to support, justice to the rights of
American citizenship it secures, and to
human liberty, now imperilled, requires me
to go further. Gladly would I refrain from
speaking of the spirit of this message — of the
dangerous doctrine it promulgates, of the
inconsistencies and contradictions of its
author, of his encroachments on the consti
tutional rights of Congress, of his assump
tion of unwarranted powers, which if per
severed in and not checked by the people,
must eventually lead to a subversion of the
government and the destructiouof liberty. The
Constitution gives Congress power to make

all laws necessary and proper for carrying into
execution all powers vested by the Constitu
tion in the Government of the United States,
or in any department or office thereof. The
President is required, in carrying out his
powers, to act in obedience to law, the very
thing which he refuses to do. He says the
tendency of this bill must be to resuscitate the
spirit of the rebellion. What assumption
in one who desires the authority to punish
those who violate United States laws under
colour of State authority, a doctrine from
which the rebellion sprung, aud in entile
harmony with the declaration of Mr. Buchan
an that there was no power to coerce a state.
But, sir, but from out the mouth of Senator
Andrew Johnson I will prove that President
Andrew Johnson has violated the spirit of
the constitution, if not lhe letter, in vetoing
this bill. It will be remembered that the
bill passed both Houses of Congress by more
than a two-thirds majority, the vote in the
Senate being, Yeas 33 to Nays 12; in the
House, Yeas 1 1 1, Nays 38. 1 will read from
the remarks of Senator Andrew Johnson on
the veto of the Homestead Bill by Mr.
Buchanan : " The President of the United
States presumes — Yes, sir, I say, presumes —
to dictate to the American people and to the
two Houses of Congress, in violation of the
spirit, if not the letter, of the Constitution,
that this measure shall not become a law.
Why do I say this? I ask, is there any dif
ference in the spirit of the Constitution,
whether a measure is sanctioned by a two-
thirds vote before its passage or afterwards ?
When a measure has been vetoed by the
President, the Constitution requires that it
shall be reconsidered, and passed by a two-
thirds vote, iu order to become a law. But
here, in the teeth of the executive, there was
a two-thirds vote in favour of this bill. The
vote was thirty-six to two, in this body. The
two Houses have said that this measure is
constitutional and right. In the other House,
reflecting the popular sentiment of the nation,
the vote was 112 to 51 — ten more than the
two-thirds majority, which the constitution
requires ; and when there is a two-thirds
vote for a measure, I say it is against the
spirit of the I onstitution for the Executive
to say " No, you shall not have this measure;
I will take all the chances of restoring it.''
Apply the language to the facts connected
with this bill, and then say who has violated
the spirit of the Constitution. This bill in
no manner interferes with the municipal re
gulations which protects all alike in their
rights of person and property. It could have
no operation in ^Massachusetts, New York,
Illinois, or most of the States of the Union.

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173

How preposterous, then, to charge that, un
less some State can have and exercise the
right to punish somebody, or to deny some
body a civil right on account of his colour,
that its rights, as a State, will be destroyed !
It is manifest that unless this bill can be
passed, nothing can be done to protect the
freed men in their liberty and their rights.
Whateverjpay have been the opinion of the
President at one time as to good faith, re
quiring the security of the freed men in their
liberty and their property, it is now manifest,
from the character of his objections to this
bill, that he will approve no measure that
will accomplish the object; That the second
clause of the Constitutional Amendment gives
this power there can be no question. Some
have ooncluded that it gives the power even
to confer the right of* suffrage. I have not
thought so because I never thought suffrage
any more necessary to the liberty of a freed
man than of a non-voting white, whether
male or female. But his liberty under the
Constitution he is entitled to, and whatever
is neoessary to secure it to him he is entitled
to have ; be it the ballot or the bayonet. If
the bill now before us, and which goes no
further than to secure civil rights to the freed
men, cannot be passed, then the Constitu
tional Amendment declaring freedom to all
inhabitants of the land is a cheat and delusion.
I cannot better conclude what I have to say
than in the language of Mr. Johnson, on the
occasion of the veto of the Homestead Bill,
when after stating that the fact that the
President was inconsistent and had changed
his opinion with referenoe to a great measure
and a great principle, is no reason why a
Senator or a Representative who had acted
understandingly should change his opinion,
he said : I hope the Senate and House of
Representatives who have sanctioned this bill
by more than two- thirds majority will, accord
ing to the Constitution, exercise their privi
lege and power aud let the bill become the
law of the land according to the high behest
of the American people." Mr, Trumbull
spoke more than two hours without inter
mission, and with great energy of voice and
manner, so that there was no difficulty in
hearing all that was said upon the question.
It was regarded by those who had previously
heard him speak in the Senate, as the very
finest effort *of his life. I did not wonder
that this was the case, for there was every
thing in the surroundings calculated to call
into vigourous aotion the powers of an orator.
The galleries were crowded with spectators,
about fifty of the members of the other House
witnessed the debate, there was a large at
tendance of the diplomatique corps, a con

siderable number of foreigners who were
wishful to see how a spirited debate could be
carried on in the Senate House, and many
persons from various parts of the United
States who were desirous to witness the
triumphant passage of a measure which was
believed to be one of the necessities of the
times, and the strongest rebuke to the as
sumption of the President, who vetoed the
bill for reasons of the most flimsy character.
On the close of Mr. Trumbull's speech,
as there were several members who de
sired to take part in the debate, it was
agreed to postpone the further consider
ation of the question until the following
day. — In the evening I attended the Bap
tist school, and heard Mrs. Harper deliver
an eloquent oration on the lessons which the
late war teaches. There was a large attend
ance. She expressed the fullest confidence
that the negroes would rise to distinction
when they got money in their pockets, know
ledge in their heads, and the ballot in their
hands. April 5. — Went to the Senate House to
witness the continuation of the debate on the
Civil Rights Bill. The excitement continues
to increase, and party influences are brought
to bear in an extraordinary degree. The
Southern newspapers are quite jubilant re
specting the course pursued by the President,
and almost without an exception they hold
him up as a model for executive capacity. On
the contrary, the party who placed Mr. John
son in a position of power, are not backward
to acknowledge how deeply they regret the
selection which was made, and it is asserted
that for many years to come it will not be
safe to elect a Southern man for either Presi
dent or Vice-President of the United States.
The election of Mr. Johnson was a kind of
compromise, for it was thought that with Mr.
Linooln for President, it would be well to
have a Southern man to occupy the vice-presi
dency, and thus combine the greatest amount
of strength in tbe two offices. Some of the
Senators had been into New Hampshire to
attend the funeral of one of the late members
of the House, but the Civil Rights Bill had
concentrated so much public attention, that
the Senators considered it a duty to hasten
back from the funeral so as to be able to
record their votes. There are at present
forty-nine senators in the city, but out of
these there are two who are sick, and there
are two others who are supposed to be so
undecided that it cannot at present be ascer
tained ou which side they will give their votes.
Mauy persons believe that there will be seven
teen votes given in favour of the President's
Veto Message, and if so, the measure could

174

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

not be carried, as it would require a majority
of two-thirds of the Senate to make the bill
law when it had been vetoed by the President.
There was again a large attendance. Mr.
Reverdy Johnson, Senator for Maryland, a
Copperhead of considerable distinction, took
the floor, and contended, with more strength
of lungs than force af argument, that the Bill
of Rights was one of policy and expediency,
rather than of a legal character. The veto
power was to protect the country from in
expedient legislation, and he asserted that the
President had wisely exercised the veto power
in preventing the Civil Rights Bill from be
coming the law of the land. Several other
members took part in the discussion, some
on one side and some on the other. Mr.
Senator Doolittle, of Wisconsin, while making
a speech in favour of the President's veto, re
ceived a telegraphic despatch from the
legislature of the state he represented,
requesting him to vote in favour of the
passing of the Bill and against the Veto Mes
sage, fie read the telegram, but declared
his intention of voting contrary to its request,
although he expected that it would have the
effect of closing his connection with the
Senate at the earliest possible period. The
probability is, that Mr. Doolittle will be
required to do less, for the State Legislature
of Wisconsin has passed a vote of censure
upon him, for not voting in favour of the
Civil Rights Bill. All the speakers were very
earnest in their style of address, and some of
them were excessively so, for it made me
quite uncomfortable, feeling as if they were
in danger of breaking blood vessels. They
threw themselves into almost all sorts of pos
tures, kept advancing and receding, some
times lifting their hands very high, and
sometimes striking them with great force.
Perspiration was oozing from every pore, as
they exerted themselves to the utmost both
with voice and limbs. When evening arrived,
the subject was still unexhausted, and it was
therefore agreed to adjourn till the following
day, and take the vote at four o'clock in the
afternoon. On my way from the Capitol, I
entered into conversation with one of the
senators as to the probable success of the
measure, and he told me that it was impos
sible to ascertain with certainty how the
question would be decided, but appearances
were not very flattering for the passing of the
bill. April 6. — At the Senate house again this
morning, when the throng was even larger
than on the previous day, for the doorkeepers
had difficulty to keep back the pressure,
they adopted the plan of compelling people
to retain their places in the lobbies, and ad

mitted them in regular rotation when room
could be provided. The speaking was chiefly
on the Copperhead side, and one of the
gentlemen who exerted himself greatly ou
the occasion boasted that the Stale he repre
sented was the last State in the Union to
give up slavery, and that he himself was the
last man in the State who gave up his slaves.
When fonr o'clock arrived I expected that
the speaking would cease in order that the
vote might be taken, but I found that I was
quite mistaken on that point. A senator has
a perfect right to speak as long as he likes,
and when four o'clock came the gentleman
who had possession of the floor continued
his address although scarcely any one ap
peared to be paying the least attention to
anything which he said. Another hour pas
sed away and still the Senator kept pouring
forth a multitude of words. I listened witii
as much patience as I could possibly com
mand, to the irrelevant observations which
were made, until I became completely wear
ied, aud another hour was numbered with
those which were already passed, and then
in consequence of a gentleman making me
acquainted with a little secret, I discovered
that the senator was merely speaking against
time. The fact was, that two of the senators
were sick and not able to be present at the
debate, but it was thought that if they could
be brought to the Capitol just in time to
vote, there might be strength sufficient to
sustain the President's veto. The sick mem
bers had been sent for, and one had actually
arrived, but he was so sick that he could not
remain in the Senate chamber, and he was
consequently kept in an anteroom. When
it became evident that the other sick senator
could not be produced, the gentleman who
had long been speaking against time, brought
his rambling remarks to a close, and the
vote was then taken. A marked attention
was paid, and I took down the following
names of persons who voted in favour of the
measure, viz., Anthony, Brown, Chandler,
Clark, Conness, Cragin, Cresswell, Edmunds,
Fesseiiden, Foster, Grimes, Harris, Hender
son, Howard, Howe, Kirkwood, Lane, (In
diana), Morgan, Morrill, Nye, Poland,
Pomeroy, Ramsay, Sherman, Sprague, Stew
art, Sumner, Trumbull, Wade, Wiiley,
Williams, Wilson, Yates. During the time
that the names were being called over, great
silence prevailed iu the Senate house, until
the name of Morgan was given, and when he
voted in favour of the passing of the measure,
a person in the gallery with a powerful but
trembling voice called out, "God bless
him." The tone was sufficiently audible to
be heard in every part of the chamber, aud

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175

it appeared as if it were the signal for a gen
eral demonstration of approval, for the
applause which followed was most tremen
dous. This exhibition of feeling might have
led to an order for the clearing of the galleries,
for it was certainly a breach of privilege, but
as the debate was now over, and as it was
late in the evening, I suppose that no mem
ber of th» house thought it was a matter of
such importance as to make a motion on the
subject. The reason for the demonstration
in favour of Morgan was, that there was a
general expectation that he would have voted
on the other side, aud as the vote was so close
that no one could tell how the question would
be finally decided, and as every vote given
on one side would make a difference of three
in its relative effect, the course which Mor
gan took was regarded as being most impor
tant. The following voted in opposition to
the measure, viz., Buckalew, Cowan, Davis,
Doolittle, Guthn'e, Hendricks, Johnson, Lane,
(Kansas), Mc Dougall, Nesmith, Norton,
Riddle, Saulsbury, Van Winkle, and Wright.
The last named person was the sick man who
was brought to the House to vote. Senator
Dixon was too ill to be present, so that his
vote was not taken. There being thirty-
three who voted in favour of the passing of
the measure, and only fifteen against it, the
required two-thirds majority was obtained,
and on its being officially announced people
shouted out " Glory, glory," and there was
such a waving of hats and handkerchiefs, it
seemed as if the people were quite delirious
with joy. I have seldom seen such an
enthusiastic demonstration, and perhaps so
far as I am concerned, " the like will ne'er be
seen again."
April 7. — Visited this day the Freedmen's
Hospital, where I was fortunate enough to
meet with Sojourner Truth, an elderly
coloured woman who had spent forty years
in slavery and forty years in freedom. I
never before saw a person of the same age
whose spirits were so exuberant, and whose
bodily powers were so elastic. She was as
full of energy as a girl of sixteen, and was
actively engaged in preparing freedmen to
take their journey northward, to places
where their services were required. She
told me she was very wishful to make them
appear smart and genteel, for a great deal
depended upon first impressions, and she was
wishful that wherever the freedmen went that
more should be required, so that there would
soon be places for all. She believed that the
best assistance which could be given to the
freedman, was to aid him to help himself,
and if they could all be- got to work they
might then improve themselves. She wanted

them to be sent North, for they would then
be permitted to see " scientific movements,"
and would learn to work in a way they had
never done before, for while in slavery
it was always the plan to r^o as little work
as possible. Speaking of the conduct
of the President towards the freedmen
she said that there had always been in
the world a Pharoah and a Judas, and she
thought that at this time the President was
a Judas. I said to her, suppose the President
like Judas of old was disposed to go forth
and hang himself, what would you do ? She
replied, " Well I guess I should say, go on."
But, said I, if you saw him with the rope in
his band ready to put it round his neck,
would not you take the rope from him ? She
replied, '' No, I guess I would be a non-
resistant.'' Amongst other things, she told
me that she had been sick, and while confined
to bed, persons who became aware of her
condition, sent her so much money that she
became concerned lest she should die before
she had made good use of it, and this affected
her mind so much, that she resolved at once
to shake off her sickness, and rising from
bed she had never been sick since, and she
was now as busy as she could be in getting
freedmen to situations, for she was afraid
that they would be lying so long on the
breast of tbe Government, that they would
not want to go forth to labour, and she had
no idea that the freedmen would succeed well
unless they made up their minds to labour,
and to labour hard for their elevation. She
gave me a humourous account of her inter
view with the late President Lincoln. She
told him that she considered him to be the
best president that had ever lived. He said
he supposed that she gave him that character
because he had issued the Proclamation of
Emancipation, but he believed that there
were several presidents who had preceded
him who would have done the same if they
had had the power, for if the people across
the Potomac river had behaved themselves,
he himself would not have had the power to
have issued the Proclamation of Emanci
pation — She had a very high opinion of
President Lincoln, and felt herself highly
honoured in having an opportunity for an
interview with him. She amused me very
much by giving me au account of her ex
perience while in slavery. Sojourner Truth
is a remarkably tall person, and she told me
she was as tall in spirit as she was in body.
She had long been accustomed to the Bloomer
costume, for it was a fashionable cut in her
experience for a long time. It was usual for
the slaves each to have the same length of
cloth cut for a dress, and the slaveholders

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were not generally very particular as to what
sort of a fit they had, and the consequence
was, that Sojourner's dress only reached a
little below the knee, so that she required no
crinoline to keep it from touching the ground.
After she had obtained her freedom, one of
her children was stolen from her and sold
into slavery, and the child was kept in the
State of Alabama two years. She kept
praying that the Lord would show her what
to do to obtain her child, and she said she
knew that her prayer would be heard and
answered. She, however, could see no ray
of light until one day she went to see an old
Quaker, to whom she told the tale of her
sorrow. He said that, as a member of the
Society of Friends, he could not go to law,
but he would teach her how she could go.
He took his waggon and horses and conveyed
her to Kingston, and told her that she would
there have to go before the grand jury. She
did not know who this grand jury would be,
but she supposed it would be some very
smart person dressed in very fine clothes,
and she kept looking this way and that way
to see if she could find the grand jury, and
her heart kept going pit-a-pat, for she did
not know what she should say to such a dis
tinguished personage when she met with him.
At length she saw a person who was
remarkably well dressed, and going up to
him, supposing him to be the grand jury,
she said she had a complaint to make. He
drove her away, telling her that he was not
the grand jury. Although baffled in her
attempts to gain a hearing, she would not
yield the point, for she felt as if she could
pass through fire and water to regain posses
sion of her child. She saw another well
dressed person, and, supposing that he
might be the grand jury, she made her
complaint to him. She was still mistaken
but she met with more civility than she did
before, for this gentleman showed her the
way up stairs and told her she would there
seethe grand jury. She went accordingly,
and finding a number of gentlemen together,
all well dressed, she concluded that they
must all be the grand jury, and she therefore
begged that they would interfere on her
behalf to obtain the child which had been
stolen from her. She^was listened to atten
tively, and was then told that she would have
to swear that it was her child. Sojourner
being altogether unacquainted with the
forms of law, immediately called out with a
loud voice, " I swearthat it is my child.'' A
book was then handed to her which she was
instructed to kiss, and after making a solemn
declaration, a note was given to her which
she was instructed to carry to a constable

twelve miles off. She ran nearly all the
way, and having delivered the note to a con
stable, he went immediately and arrested a
man, but he turned out to be the wrong
person. The right person happened to hear
of the circumstance, and applied to a
lawyer for advice, and he recommended him
to get the child back from Alabama and de
liver it to its mother, or the consequences
would be serious for him. Ultimately the
child was brought from Alabama, and a
lawyer assured Sojourner that she would
have the child in twenty-four hours. During
the day she went several times to the office,
for she had no conception how long a time
twenty-four hours was. Although the child
was produced, she had much difficulty in
obtaining possession, for the slave-dealer
had had the child trained so as to
deny that Sojourner was its mother. She
however, produced such indubitable proofs
that the grand jury were satisfied, and
the child was delivered to her care.
Several of her children are still living, and
one of her grandsons fought at the taking of
Fort Wagner, and was a prisoner in Libby
Gaol nineteen months. Sojourner Truth is
a woman of very great influence amongst
the coloured people, and frequently lectures
in public assemblies. She is a very noted
character, and pen and ink sketches of her
have been given, I am told, in the Atlantic
Monthly, the Independent, and other peri
odicals. She is quite a favourite with Mrs.
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who has had her a
week at once occasionally at her house, and
it is supposed that she derived much of her
knowledge of the negro character from her
acquaintance with Sojourner Truth, and in
consequence was all the better qualified to
write "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and other
works which have commanded such a world-
wideattention. — I wasconducted by Sojourner
through the different parts of the hospital,
and was quite amused to see how pleased
the negro women were to show me their
little curly headed children. One wee thing
was brought to me, and I asked when it was
born ? Tho reply was, *' Thursday morning,
sir, at eight o'clock.'' Anotherwas brought
and I asked the same question, and the
response was, " Yesterday morning, sir, at
eight o'clock.'' I wanted to see no more,
but hastened away as fast as possible. I had
an interesting conversation with Captain
Townsend, who appeared to have made the
peculiarities of the negro race a special
study. He accounted for the difference of
colour in the human family partly from cli
matic influeuce, and partly from the difference
of habit and condition, and asserted that in

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177

eight generations colour would entirely run
out, that is, as I understood him, if a white
person and a black person married and bad
children, and half of those children and their
descendants married white persons, in eight
generations the dark colour would have en
tirely run out, and they would all be white
people. If the other half married with
black persons, in eight generations the
white would run out. As I had had no
opportunities of making observations which
would enable me to affirm or deny the
correctness of the theory put forth, I could
say nothing upon it, and I merely give it as
I received it. I visited a number of small
tenements occupied by negroes, for I was
wishful, if possible, to ascertain their opinions
and feelings with respect to slavery. I con
versed with young and old and middle aged,
but without a single exception they were
all unanimous in their condemnation of
slavery, and declared that they were much
happier in a state of freedom. One woman
spoke most emphatically on the question,
for she said, " It is true that I have now to
work harder than ever 1 did while a slave,
and I am neither so well fed nor so well
clothed as I was formerly, yet 1 love freedom
better than slavery." — Visited this evening,
at the house of Mrs. Griffing, a .lady who
formerly lived at Salem, in Ohio, but for
some time she has devoted her services to
the freedmen's relief department, at Wash
ington. She appears to be a lady of more
than ordinary ability, and I was glad to make
her acquaintance, because I found that she
could answer almost all my inquiries relative
to the condition of the freed men. She told
me that in the city of Washington there
were 4,000 persons who were without change
of shirts, and many were entirely shirtless.
She was certain that in the Southern States
there were 1,000,000 women who were
then wearing the same clothing that they
wore previous to emancipation. Many of
them, for want of change of clothing, bad
become very filthy, and they could not help
it, and that some in the city of Washington
had absolutely died for want of food and
clothing. There were a great many women
and children who were without busbands
and fathers, who were entirely dependent on
charity for their support. Last April she
spent 2,000 dollars for clothing, and em
ployed 300 women to make up garments, and
paid them for their labour. Only the other
day, one woman came to solicit relief who
was the mother of nineteen living children,
and she had never in her life purchased one
of them a pair of shoes. She had had four
or five husbands, but she did not know what

had become of some of them, for while in
slavery her husband was taken from her at
the will of her master, and another given to
her. Washington had become a kind of city
of refuge for the freedmen, for they had been
driven here in many instances by the cruelty
which had been practised upon them. There
are at the present time 1,100 families, chiefly
consisting of women and children, who have
to be supported by the hand of charity.
There had lately been at Mrs. Griffing's
office 250 freedmen who are in an unfit state
to send out to situations, because they were
almost destitute of clothing. She believed
that since; the closing of the war 800,090
negroes had perished for want of clothing
and for want of bread. Last winter she
fed 2,600 persons on soup, at a cost of thirteen
cents per head per day. The sum of 29,000
dollars had been disbursed for their relief.
When General McClellan was in command
of the army, a great many coloured persons
were employed as teamsters, and in various
ways, and "they were paid for their services
just after the same rate as the white soldiers,
except that when payment was made
the sum of five dollars was kept back
as a contingent fund, for it was sup
posed that this money would be other
wise needed. This fund had continued to
increase until it reached more than 400,000
dollars, and from this fund the freedmen's
village was erected, and a portion of the fund
had been devoted to supplying the freedmen
with food, so that in fact a great portion of
the cost of supporting the coloured people in
Washington was defrayed from money which
belonged to themselves. At the present time,
the city of Washington was very much over
crowded with negroes, and there was a very
strong feeling of opposition to them amongst
white people. Out of 6,000 who voted on
the suffrage question, there were only 35 who
voted in favour of negro suffrage. Mrs.
Griffing said that her opinion was, that
neither the negroes nor the congress would
be permitted to remain in Washington if it
were not for the protection which the military
afforded. The opinion which was expressed
by Mis. Griffing, as to the condition of the
freedmen, perfectly corresponded with infor
mation which I derived from other sources.
Owing to the position of Washington during
the war as an asylum to which coloured people
of the adjacent slave region might fly for
ireedom and protection, and also to the large
numbers sent here by the armies operating
in Virginia, the coloured people in the city
had become greatly increased. Just escaped
from slavery, of course these fugitives were
all in destitute circumstances, and dependent

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on their daily work for daily bread. So long
as the war continued, the demands of the
government in conducting its stupendous
military operations, of which this city was
the great centre, furnished large numbers
with employment, especially in commissary
and quartermaster's departments. This de
mand for labour having now ceased, it is
found that the number of these unskilled
labourers is entirely out of proportion to the
wants of the community, and the result is
that the great majority of them are reduced
to a state of sad destitution. The superin
tendent of police in describing that part of the
city known as "Murder Bay," situated between
Thirteenth and Fifteenth-streets west, and
between Ohio-avenue and the canal, said that
" whole families, consisting of fathers, mothers,
children, uncles, and aunts, according to
their own statement, are crowded into mere
apologies for shanties, which are without
light or ventilation. During the storms of
rain or snow, their roofs afford but slight
protection, while from beneath a few rough
boards used for floors the miasmatic effluvia
from the most disgustingly filthy and stag
nant water, mingled with exhalations from
the uncleansed bodies of numerous inmates,
render the atmosphere within these hovels
stifling and sickening in the extreme. Their
rooms are usually not more than six or eight
feet square, with not a window or even an
opening, except a door, for the admission of
light. Some of the rooms are entirely sur
rounded by other rooms, so that no light at
all reaches where persons live and spend
their days and nights. In a space about fifty
yards square I found about one hundred
families, composed of from three to ten per
sons, living in shanties one story in height,
except in a few instances where tenements
are actually built on the tops of others. There
is a distance of only three or four feet separa
ting these buildings from each other — not
even as convenient as an ordinary three feet
alley. These openings lead in so devious a
course that one with difficulty finds his
way out again. Thus pent up, not even
these paths are purified by currents of fresh
air. ln one building visited, seventeen fami
lies were found upon the ground floor, con
sisting of from two to seven persons each,
one restaurant and one boarding-house. The
second story is a large dance-hall, where
the people nightly congregate for amuse
ment. Nearly all these people came
from Virginia during the rebellion, and
some of them propose to return whenever
they are assured that they can find work
to do there, and will be well treated.
It was found that from five to eight dol

lars per month are paid for the rent of these
miserable shanties, except in some instances,
where a ground rent of three dollars per
month is paid for a little spot covering a few
square feet, where some of tbe more enter
prising have erected cabins of their own.
These, also, are in equally close proximity
to each other, so that it is with difficulty that
one can crowd between them. By means of
the Freedmen's Bureau and the co-operation
of the city authorities, an improvement has
been effected with respect to cleanliness,
but the poverty which compels these people
to crowd together in such wretched dwel
lings still remains unchanged, and the
most that can be effected by sanitary re
gulations, is a mitigation of the evil and
not its removal. Organized efforts are
now being made to secure for these people
homes and employment in other parts of the
country, and the demand on the employ
ment office of the Freedmen's Bureau for
labourers to go South has considerably in
creased, but some are deterred from accept
ing these opportunities by the fear of unjust
treatment in the Southern States, and the
want of adequate protection. The defeat of
the Freedmen's Bureau bill, through the
President's veto, will probably strengthen
the fears of the negroes, but on the other
hand the passage of the Civil Rights bill
will be calculated to inspire them with con
fidence in the ability of government to pro
tect its loyal citizens throughout the entire
boundaries of the Union, so that in a litde
time they will get scattered from the great
centres of population to places where their
services wili be rendered more useful to the
country and more profitable to themselves.
April 8. — Sunday. — This morning I at
tended Dr. Garnet's Church (Presbyterian),
where I had an introduction to eight or nine
Indian Chiefs who had come to Washington
to make a treaty of peace with the govern
ment. They were well dressed, had a very
respectable appearance, and were attended by
an interpreter. They were not adorned in
native attire, and with the exception of their
complexion, which was of a reddish olive
cast, there was nothing very striking to dis
tinguish them from others. I had committed
to memory a sentence or two in their lan
guage which enabled me to speak to them
congratulatory, and they seemed to be highly
pleased. In the afternoon I attended the
Baptist Church, when there was a crowded
congregation. In the evening I went to the
Barracks, where I gave an address to the
freedmen. There was a crowded audience.
I urged them to pay great attention to reli
gious, moral, and intellectual culture, assuring

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179

them that the altered position in which they
were now found, tended to increase their
responsibilities, and furnished a motive for
extraordinary effort. There was now no
barrier to their future advancement, pro
viding they rightly used the privileges with
which they were now so highly favoured, and
they were not excluded from holding any
government office in the United States pro
viding thfy were qualified to perform its
duties, and received the votes of the people.
There was no position to which they might
not rise except it was to that of President of
the United States, and for that office it was
necessary that a man should be a born citi
zen. — Mr. Downing, a coloured man, rose
and said I was mistaken on that point, for
there was no legal barrier to prevent him
from becoming President of the United
States, although there was a barrier to pre
vent John Mitchell from becoming President,
because he was a foreigner. — I was glad to
learn that there was a possibility, though
not a probability, that Mr. Downing would
become President of the United States, and
if I were a citizen I would rather give a vote
in his favour than I would vote for John
Mitchell, who when in Ireland professed to
be a great advocate of freedom, but when he
got to America he said he desired nothing
better than to have a plantation of fat negroes
to be his slaves.
¦ April 9. — Visited the Freedmen's Bureau
in General Howard's department. Here I
saw Mr. Campbell, superintendent of schools,
and Dr. Breed, one of tbe trustees. I was
told that in Washington alone there are at
present 35,000 coloured people, although
there cannot be found work in this city for
half of them, and it would be a great bless
ing if it could be obtained for them in other
places. There are at present about 4,400
coloured children attending the day schools
in Washington, and about 3,000 attend the
Sunday School. In addition to these there
are many who attend Sunday School in con
nection with the different religious denomi
nations. About 1,000 freedmen attend the
night schools. There are forty-two schools
supported by free contributions and the
bureau, tbe latter providing the schoolrooms,
and Northern people supplying the teachers
and books. There are twelve commissioners
appointed in the different Southern States,
and each commissioner can appoint a super
intendent of schools. Congress had done all
in the District of Columbia which it had the
power to do on behalf of the coloured people.
Formerly, there was an educational tax to
which all the people had to contribute
whether they were white or black, but the

coloured people were excluded from all
benefit. Alexandria had been taken back
from the District of Columbia and is again
added to the State of Virginia. In June,
1864, a law was passed which provided that
a census should be taken of all the people in
the District of Columbia from six to seventeen
years of age with a view rightly to apportion
the educational grant amongst the white and
coloured people. The persons to whom the
duty was entrusted of taking the census took
into account all coloured persons from six
to seventeen years of age, btit when they
took the white persons they enumerated all
from birh to twenty-one years of age. In
consequnce of this difference, the relative
proportion was not properly adjusted, and
the coloured people had not received their
proper proportion of the educational grant.
The conduct of the city authorities in making
this difference was considered very improper,
and an investigation is about to be made
with a view to set the matter right. During
the converstion I read the quotation already
given from a London newspaper, when Dr.
Breed laughed most heartily, the facts and
the statements were so much at variance from
each other. I attended the House of Re
presentatives to-day, as I was told that the
chief business would be the passing of the
Civil Rights Bill. There was a very crowded
attendance. In the first place the bill was
read, and afterwards the President's veto
message, during which there was very little
attention paid to what was going on, until
the speaker announced that gentlemen
who desired to converse together were re
quested to retire to the cloak-room. After
this there was more quietude, but I did not
think that there was much attention paid to
the proceedings. Perhaps all the members
were so familiar with the bill aud its veto,
that it was not considered necessary to give
attention to the mere reading of the docu
ments. On the conclusion, a gentleman rose
and said, that the Civil Rights Bill had pre
viously occupied the attention of the House
during a period of four weeks, and forty
members had spoken upon it, and when it
was put to the vote the bill was carried by
a majority which exceeded two-thirds of the
House, and, therefore, under the circumstan
ces, he did not think that it would be neces
sary for any further discussion on the merits
of the bill, and would propose that they should
at once proceed to take the vote again. —
Another gentleman rose and moved the pre
vious question. The vote was then taken,
and the Speaker declared that it was in
favour of proceeding with the bill. A gentle
man disputed the accuracy ef the Speaker's

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MY AMERICAN TOUR.

decision, and this rendered it necessary that
each person's vote should be registered
This took up considerable time, but I was
told that the only object in view was to cause
delay, for no one believed that the Speaker
had made a mistake. The course which was
pursued is called fillibustering, and I under
stand that it is a party proceeding which is
perfectly legal, but its only object is to cause
annoyance. The motion to proceed with
the bill was carried by a large majority. It
was then proposed that the bill should be
laid on the table, and a similar process was
adopted as before. Various motions for ad
journment were then proposed, one of which
was that they should adjourn immediately,
another that the question should be ad
journed till the following day, aud another
was that they should adjourn till Thursday.
The question of adjournment was decided by
a teller's vote, that is, two gentlemen stand
on the floor of the House, about a yard
apart, and all the other members pass between
them, and thus the vote is taken. The pro
ceedings were quite annoying to me, for I
could see no sense nor propriety in causing
these unnecessary delays, when nothing was
to be gained by such a course. It occupied
between two and three hours, and it must
have been evident from the first what would
be the ultimate decision. If the Opposition
had been wasting their own time and the
time of their opponents merely, the evil
would not have been so great, but as it was
the whole of the galleries were filled to over
flowing, even the gallery which is devoted to
the Diplomatic Corps was completely
crowded, and all were anxious to know the
result, yet a few individuals had the power to
delay what they had not the power to prevent,
for the issue showed that while there were
only 41 who voted in favour of sustaining the
President's veto, there were 122 who voted
for the passing of the bill. On the result
being made known the shouting was tre
mendous, and the waving of handkerchiefs
continued for some time. Each of the Sena
tors and Representatives was presented with
a splendid bouquet, the gift of the coloured
citizens of Washington. The Hon. John
Sherman showed me his, and the flowers
were really beautiful and fragrant. I ob
served a ticket attached to the bouquit, on
which was written, " We exercise our civil
rights by expressing our gratitude." The
gift certainly had no money value, hut it
was sufficient to evidence a grateful feeling
on the part of those who gave it, for 150
large bouquets of hothouse flowers would
cost a considerable sum in Washington, where
everything is charged for at an extrava

gantly high rate. Some of the coloured peo
ple, especially those who have had their
freedom a considerable time, are very com
fortably circumstanced, for in the district of
Columbia the coloured men own more
property than is worth one million dol
lars. — This evening I went to the Ex«.
cutive Mansion, and was shown into.
the great east room, which is twenty-two feel
high, 40 feet broad, and 80 feet long. The
furniture was very different from what I had
expected. The covers of three of the sofas
and seventeen of the armchairs were in a
very ragged condition. There was only one
of the embroidered lace window curtains
which remained whole, and the satin cur
tains were in a similar condition. Patches
of the gilded wall papers had also been
taken away. On making inquiries as to the
reason of this grand east room being per
mitted to remain in such bad condition, I was
told that it was usual to re-furnish the Execu
tive Mansion afresh every time a new Presi
dent was elected, but this had not been done
since Mr. Johnson came into office. The
reason why the wall papers, the sofa covers,
window curtains, &c, were in such a torn
condition was, that persons coming to view
the Mansion had been wishful to take home
some relic of the place, and had therefore
torn away portions of the window blinds,
&c, for that purpose. Nothing can justify
such depredations, but in palliation of the
offence I may mention that it is only since
the assassination of Mr. Lincoln that such
conduct has been exhibited here, for there was
such a strong affection for the martyred
President, that every American was wishfttl
to possess something which had belonged to
him. The practice of stealing relics had be
come so general, that it became necessary to
appoint a person to take charge of the room,
and he was present when I entered, but
was quite polite and gave me any information
I desired. He told me that the red, blue,
and green rooms were now kept constantly
closed except on reception days, and this
was done because it was discovered that per
sons had begun to take away patches of the
wall paper. He told me that the grand
carpet, which covered the floor of the east
room, was made in Scotland, and was woven
in one piece. I told him that I could scarcely
credit the statement, fori had neveryetseen
a loom which would weave a carpet forty feet
wide. I could see no difficulty in weaving a
carpet eighty feet long, providing the width
could be accomplished. I said that the
pieces might perhaps be fine-drawn together, .
but I admit that although I tried to find the
places where the sections had been thus

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181

brought together, I could not be satisfied
that I had found them. From a desire to
show courtesy to a foreigner, the gentleman
in charge kindly threw open all the rooms
which are used on reception occasions, and
made me welcome to inspect them as long
as I desired. Afterwards, while in conver
sation with a gentleman respecting the fur
niture in tha,Executive Mansion, he told me
that he had seen afreedman's parlour which
contained richer furniture than could be
found in any room at the Executive Mansion.
I could not dispute the accuracy of his state
ment, for I had reason to believe that some of
the freedmen have become immensely rich
in a very short space of time. I heard of two
who were set at liberty by the proclamation
of emancipation, who went to the city of
Alexandria, one having twenty-four cents and
the other seventy-five cents, and now these
men are worth half'-a-million of dollars,
April 10. — This morning an ambulance
was sent to cenvey me to Arlington Heights,
formerly the seat of General Lee, the most
celebrated general in the Confederate army.
I proceeded to George Town, a city con
taining about 10,000 inhabitants, aud situ
ated on the suburb of Washington, from
which it is separated by Rock Creek. The
Heights of George 1'own are eminences, con
sidered to be remarkably beautiful, giving
extensive river views on the Potomac, and
land views in Virginia and the District
of Columbia. The celebrated statesman
Calhoun, when Secretary of War, made his
home here, and there are now a number of
mansions which indicate that it has been, and
still is, the resort of many wealthy persons.
It is said, that the prospects from these
Heights are unsurpassed for beauty and
grandeur by anything of the kind in the
United States. I saw on the slope of the hill
stretching towards the river, a very large
nunnery or convent, to which five acres of
land are attached, and part of it is cultivated
as a botanic garden. The ladies of the es
tablishment are termed Sisters of the Visi
tation, and belong to a religious order
•founded in 1610 by St. Francis de Sales, and
directed at the commencement by St. Jane
.'Frances Fremiot de Chantal. The course
of instruction in this establishment comprises
reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, an
cient and modern geography, the use of the
globes, prose and poetical composition,
sacred aud profane history, mythology,
rhetoric, astronomy, moral and natural
philosophy, chemistry, mineralogy, botany,
igeometry, algebra, bookkeeping, French,
Spanish, Italian, German, and Latin
es ; music on the piano, harp, guitar,

and organ ; vocal music, drawing, painting
in water colours, in oil, and on velvet ; plain
and ornamental needlework, tapestry, lace-
work, beadwork, &c. In George Town there
is also a college, which is sometimes styled
" ancient," but I cannot see the propriety of
applying such a term to any building in
George Town, especially as I know it to be
a fact that eighty years ago the city had no
existence, not a house of any kind having
at that time been erected in this locality
Probably the term "ancient" is only used
comparatively, for the college was erected
only a few years after the first house in the
locality was built. It was originally ah
academy, founded by the first Catholic bishop
of the United States, which was afterwards
chartered as a college, and subsequently
Congress raised it to the dignity of a uuiver-
ity, and it has now a library consisting of
25,000 volumes, a philosophical apparatus, a
museum of natural history, and an astrono
mical observatory furnished with first-class
instruments. One of the most stupendous
engineering works in this locality was the
construction of an aqueduct across the
Potomac at a cost of nearly two millions of
dollars. Its length was 1446 feet, and its
object and use was to connect the Ohio and
Chesapeake Canal with Alexandria. This
greatwork attracted the attention of European
as well as American architects, and men of
science. I cannot say whether the late war
had the effect of destroying this aqueduct, but
it is Dot unlikely. Whatever may have been
the cause, the canal is now given up, for the
negro who drove the ambulance went right
through what was once the aqueduct, thus
showing that what was once the bed of the
canal has now become a highroad. After
crossing the beautiful Potomac, we soon had
to pass the several lines of fortifications, which
had been thrown up in all directions for
several miles. At length we came near to
the Arlington estate, the lower portion of which
has now been apportioned off in five acre al
lotments to the families of freedmen, and they
were as busy as possible engaged in their
cultivation. As the freedmen have not got
horses sufficient to plough the land, they adopt
the plan recommended by Fergus O'Connor
in his celebrated land scheme in England,
for they turn over tbe land with the spade,
and in this occupation I saw both coloured
men and women engaged. Arrived at Arling
ton Heights, I proceeded in the first place
to make an inspection oi the mansion which
has been considered extensive, elegant, and
imposing. My own impression was that its
beautiful situation was its most attractive
feature, giving, as it does, a most command-

182

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

ing view of many miles of country, richly
varied by land and water scenery. In this
mansion had been preserved many relics
which formerly belonged to General Wash
ington, but many of those had been removed
to save them from the depredations of relic
hunters, who here, as at the Executive
Mansion, acted without regard to the claims
of morality. Amongst other things, I saw a
side-board which formerly belonged to
General Washington. Here also were a
number of paintings by George Washington,
Park Custis, the father-in-law of General
Lee. The subjects were chiefly illustrative
ot the revolutionary war near the close of
the last century. Even these pictures were
not safely shielded from the dishonest hands
of relic hunters, for portions of them had been
torn away. In looking through the library
I found thirty-two volumes of Voltaire's
works in close proximity with Scott's Com
mentary on the Bible. Suspended from the
wall I observed in gilt letters tbe following
inscription, " The grave should be surrounded
by everything that might inspire tenderness
and veneration for the dead, or that might
win the living to virtue. It is not the place of
disgust and dismay, but of sorrow and
meditation." Another inscription was the
following : —
" Here sleep the brave, and sink to rest
By all their country's wishes blest ."
Another was the following : —
"On fame's eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread ;
And glorv guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead."
On entering the grave-yard I observed the
following inscription ; —
" The hopes and fears, the blood and tears,
That marked the bitter strife,
Are now all crowned by victory
That saved the nation's life."
The grave-yard extends over several acres,
for there are more than 20,000 Cnion
soldiers interred here. Over every grave is
a neat white painted head board, which
generally gives the name of the deceased, the
company or regiment to which he belonged,
and the place where the regiment was
raised, or the place where the deceased had
lived. If it had been impossible to identify
the body, then the word " Unknown " was
inscribed ou the head board. It had a
solemn and impressive effect to look over a
cemetery so large, where thousands of head
boards were visible at a siugle glance. In one
portion of General Lee's private garden I
observed that a cemetery had been formed,
where only Union officers had been interred,
and on this plot of land I observed, for the
first time this year, that the dandelion was in
lull flower, being a full month earlier than it

blossoms in England. I noticed particularly
the following inscription ; —
" Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead,
Dear is the blood you gave ;
• No impious footsteps here shall tread
The herbage of your grave.
Nor shall your honour be forgot,
While fame her record keeps,
Or honour points the hallowed spot
Where valour proudly sleeps."
I went to the freedmen's village, and con
versed with a number of the inhabitants in
their cottages- I entered the school and saw
a large number of coloured children pursu
ing their studies. All the teachers were from
the North, and appeared to be well qualified
for the work in which they were engaged.
One of them was a native of the principality
of Wales. There was a cabinet organ in the
school, and as soon as the music began to
play, I could observe the little heads of the
scholars begin to move, beating time with
the pleasant strains of music, thus showing a
natural taste for the divine art. They sang a
piece of music most beautifully. I had been
told that in the Sea Islands one of the
grandest hymns which the negroes sing is,
" Roll, Jordan, roll," and as I found that the
children here had a good taste for music, I
requested them to sing it for me. They then
sang the following lines with grand effect : —
" Roll, Jordan, roll, thy foaming waters roll along,
No ill I fear, for Christ is near, his rod and staff are
strong :
Roll, Jordan, roll, thy foaming waters roll along,
Beyond thee lies fair paradise, where Christ's
redeemed belong.
Though sin and Satan join their power
To plunge me in the deep ;
The raging foe can ne'er overthrow
The soul ihat Christ doth keep."
In a conversation I had with one of the
teachers, I was told that the coloured
children were quite as " smart '' as others in
learning, for they had excellent memories,
and learned quite as fast as white children, if
not faster. While here, a person mentioned
an old coloured woman, named Aunt Sally,
who was greatly distinguished as having a
" faculty," and had lived on the Arlington
estate forty-eight years. I was wishful to see
her, and on going to the cottage I found
that the old lady was sick, but there was
Uncle Lemuel in the house, and he was very
communicative, and appeared to be very in
telligent He told me that old Mr. Custis,
in his will, made provision for his slaves to
have their liberty at his death, but General
Lee came iu possession of the place, and they
were all kept five years after the time. I
asked Lemuel why General Lee did not set
them at liberty at the proper time, and he
said it was because he wanted to make more
money out of them. There were about 300
slaves, and altogether there were about

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

183

10,000 acres of land to cultivate. When
the war broke out General Lee hired out
many ofthe slaves to persons furthersouth, and
received for their services twenty-five dollars
each per month, and when they had com
pleted their time of service he refused to
give them passes to enable thein to go
North. Lemuel said he had been forty-eight
years wrrti Mr. Custis, and found him to be a
much better slave-master than ever General
Lee was. Aunt Sally had lived with Lemuel
about fifty years ; she had had rineteen
children, four of wnom still remained with
her, one was in Africa, one had been sold
further South, some ran away to the North,
and she did not know what had become of the
rest. When Mr. Custis was young he was
very rough with his slaves, but when he be
came old he became very kind. — After leaving
Uncle Lemuel and Aunt Sally, I went to
see Mrs. Syphax, a very intelligent woman.
She had been more tenderly reared than the
rest of the inhabitants of this village,
for she was the daughter of Mr. Custis, but
her mother was a slave woman, and therefore
she bad to be a slave, for the children had
always to take the condition of the mother,
and not ofthe father. She was nevertheless
half sister to General Lee's wife, and was a
person of fair complexion. Contrary to the
wish of Mr. Custis, she became enamoured
with a thoroughly black man, and it was
supposed that in consequence of this, she
had not so easy a life as would otherwise have
been the case. She however obtained her
freedom when she had two children, and she
had ten children afterwards, all of whom are
now alive. She was wishful to have obtained
the freedom of her husband as well, but she
never could succeed in that until the death
of her father. I inquired if it was correct
that her father made provision in his will
for the slaves to be set at liberty at the time
of his decease. She said it was not correct,
for she had seen the will herself, and could
say with certainty that it was positively ex
pressed in the will that they were to be set
at liberty within five years of his death. One
of her daughters was present during the
conversation, and she said that General Lee
was bad enough as a slave master, and there
was no occasion for people to represent
him to be worse than he really was. — It
was clear that Uncle Lemuel's statement
about the will was not correct, although his
was the version which was generally current
amongst the freedmen. The late Mr. Custis
was the adopted son of General Washington.
It was at Arlington House where General
Washington courted Martha Custis, and it
was at this place where many relics were

preserved which formerly belonged to the
Custis family, and also to George Washing
ton. I was told that in consequence of the
great prevalence of small-pox throughout this
district, all the people resident inFreedman's
Village had lately been vaccinated. On my
return from Arlington Heights I had an
opportunity of observing how extensive were
the lines of defences throughout this entire
region. It was not until May, 1861, that
any attempt was made to raise fortifications
here, for at the time when the rebellion broke
out, Washington was in a very defenceless
condition, at:d it had been expected for weeks
that these Heights would have been brist
ling with rebel batteries. Contrary to ex
pectation, the rebels never took advautage of
the opportunity afforded to make an attack
upon Washington from this dtrectiun, and
when the United States troops took pos
session of the Heights, they immediately
commenced a line of defences on the right
bank of the Potomac which extended thirty
miles in length and five in width, and were
of such a formidable character that the his
tory of war had never previously furnished a
parallel. Nearly 100,000 men were speedily
entrenched behind these redoubts, and ever
afterwards Washington was considered safe
trom attack from a quarter which had pre
viously exposed the city to great danger.
On re-entering the city I noticed the
equestrian statue of General Washington, a
colossal structure occupying a prominent
position. As a work of art it is supposed to
express with great truthfulness the high
qualities of the patriot whom it commemor
ates. It was executed at a cost of about
50,000 dollars.
Visited the Department of the Interior,
which is the largest department connected
with the Government of the United States.
It is one of the most extensive and interest
ing buildings in the Metropolis. Here is the
Patent Office, which is universally regarded
as one of the great sights of Washington,
and particularly interesting to strangers gen
erally, because it possesses as I am told a
model of every patent invention in the
United States. These are classified and
arranged in such a manner that they may be
inspected without tlie slightest difficulty.
Here are also relics interesting to the anti
quarian, including the camp chest of General
Washington; the clothing which he wore
when he resigned his commission at Anna
polis in 1783; the wooden printing press on
which Benjamin Franklin worked with his
own hands 141 years ago; the original de
claration of Independence ; the gifts presen
ted from time to time to the government of

184

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the United States by foreign powers; the
treasures of the National Institute ; interest-
ingmemo rials, &c. In this department 150
clerks and 25 watchmen and messengers are
employed The mechanical aud agriclutural
interests of the country have been greatly
promoted by the liberality of the Govern
ment, in providing valuable documents, and
also in the distribution of seeds, domestic and
foreign, quite gratuitously to persons who
were wishful to make use of them. I under
stand that this distribution of seed takes
place annually. I also visited the Post-office,
and a fine and elegant building it is, com
posed of white marble, and in the Corinthian
style of architecture. The edifice is three
stories high, two hundred and four feet long,
one hundred aud two feet deep, and contains
eighty-one rooms. In this department there
are one Postmaster-general, three assistants,
six messengers, and fifty clerks. There are
annually sent here an enormous number of
unclaimed letters, all of which are opened
by the clerks, but none of them read except
they are found to contain money or other
valuables, and afterwards all are cousumed.
The arrangements at this office appear to be
of the most perfect character possible.
April 11. — Started early to have a pleasant
sail on the Potomac River, as far as Mount
Vernon, in Virginia, formerly the country
seat of General Washington, and the place
of his interment. The day was beautiful,
and the company numerous, amongst whom
were Dr. Taylor, of New York ; Mr. Grif
fiths, Editor ofthe "Banner of Wales";
Mrs. Rufus T. Buel ; several ministers of
religion, poets, lecturers, and teachers. On
our way, we passed the Washington Arsenal,
an extensive establishment possessing large
workshops containing ingenious machinery,
propelled by steam, for the manufacture of
gun-carriages and equipments for artillery
and for preparing ammunition of all kinds.
Here are machines for planing and boring
iron or wood; tenoning and mortising the
spokes and hubs of wheels ; Blanchard's in
genious lathe for turning irregular forms in
wood ; machinery for making leaden bullets,
by pressing them out ofthe bar lead instead
of casting them ; and a beautiful machine
for making and charging percussion caps for
small arms, the invention of a working-man.
By this machine, a sheet of copper being in
serted on one side and some percussion pow
der in a hopper on the other, the finished
caps are produced without any further
agenoy of the workman. Here are to be
s,een various kinds of instruments used in
the artillery service in the forts, and in the
field, from the ponderous Columbiad for the

defence of the coast, to the little mountain
howitzer, which may be transported with its
miniature smith's forge on the back of a mule.
Here also are models of the various arms and
equipments used in the military service of
the United States, and other nations ; and
also a number of trophies obtained at
Saratoga, Yorktown, and other places. I
was told that this place had been rendered
memorable as the scene of the execution, in
July last, of Harold, Atzerodt, Payne, and
Mrs. Surratt, for conspiracy connected with
the assassination of President Lincoln. —
The Potomac is a beautiful river, and the
natural scenery is highly picturesque and
charming. Dr. Taylor called my attention to
the magnificent landscape which was afforded
by an extensive slope extending far back
on the right bank, but there was scarcely a
villa residence to be seen throughout its
entire length, He contrasted this picture
with that presented on the banks of the
Hudson river, and attributed the difference
to the curse of slavery, and the want of en
terprise which so eminently characterised
the South. We had a distant view of
Fairfax Cemetery, beyond which is Fairfax
Court House, rendered memorable during
the early progress of the late war. It was
here where the rebels were intrenched, when
the United States troops came upon them so
unexpectedly with a force of more than
30,000, that they made a precipitate retreat,
leaving behind them tents, muskets, equip
ments, flour, bacon, and hospital stores. It
was such a hasty flight, that the breakfast
tables which had been spread for the officers
remained with the provisions upon them, and
they even left their uniforms behind them.
In a vest pocket was found a gold watch,
and in another some money. The Con
federates shortly after made the Union army
pay dearly for this cheap victory. On our
way we passed a number of forts, one ofthe
most considerable of which was Washington
Fort, which is still mounted and presents a
formidable appearance. It is situated on a
high eminence on the Maryland side of the
Potomac, and it is intended to protect the
district from the approach of an enemy from
the sea. On arriving at Mount Vernon, the
company disemkarked, and all proceeded at
once to view the mansion and grounds, which
are almost regarded as being peculiarly sa
cred by all Americans, because of their his-*'
torical associations with General Washington,, '¦
who is generally termed the father of lu\
country. In the hall, near the entrance^
observed suspended on the wall a memoii- *of
the great general, setting forth the leading cir
cumstances in his eventful life, from which I I

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

185

epitomised the following record: — George
Washington was born in Westmoreland
County, Virginia, on the 22nd February,
1732. His father died when Georee was
about ten years of age, and he was trained up
to manhood by his excellent mother, whose
name was Mary. While yet a lad, he was
an accomplished surveyor, and rambled over
a great deal of Northern and Western Vir
ginia, and so became acquainted with the
Indians and their country. Washington was
Adjutant General of Virginia when only
nineteen years of age, and at twenty-one, he
was an ambassador from his Governor to the
French Commander, on the head waters of
the Ohio River. When he was twenty-three,
he was General Braddock's chief Aide, and
he read the funeral service when that officer,
killed in battle, was buried by torch-light.
At the age of twenty-seven, Washington
married the beautiful Martha Custis, and ever
afterwards his home was at Mount Vernon,
on the Potomac where he was a successful
farmer. He was a member of the First Con
tinental Congress, in 1774, and the next year
he wa§ chosen to command the armies of
the United States. Eight years he led them
nobly, and then peace came, and with it the
independence of his country. He was every
where hailed as its deliverer. He presided
over the convention that framed the Constitu
tion of the United States, in 1787; and he
was unanimously chosen the first President
of the Republic. In civil and military life
he was the same great, and good, and wise
man, and was regarded as the father of his
country. Washington was President eight
years, and then retired to Mount Vernon,
He died 14th December, 1799.— I passed
through the mansion and saw various articles
of furniture which formerly belonged to
General Washington, one of which was a
harpischord which he presented to a young
lady on the day of her marriage. In the
gardens the peach trees, cherry trees, &c,
were in full bloom, and looked exceedingly
well. I was presented with a magnolia
leaf, taken from the only tree that General
Washington was ever known to have planted
with his own hands. Few persons visit
Mount Vernon without having a desire to
take with them some memorial of the place
which has connected with it such hallowed
associations, for it is probable that Americans
generally never feel more veneration than
they do when they approach the tomb of
-Washington, the vault which contains his
remains being always visible, and situated
about thirty yards from the mansion. The lid
of his sarcophagus is wrought with the arms
of his country, and his only epitaph is his

name. In a corresponding tomb aro the
ashes of " Martha, consort of Washington."
The place is beautifully situated on an
eminence which commands a good view of
the noble Potomac, extending to a distance
of twenty or thirty miles. The " Ladies'
Mount Vernon Association " have purchased
two hundred acres]of the surroundinggrounds,
at a cost of 1,000 dollars per acre, as it is
intended for the spot to be preserved as a
rural retreat for future generations. Every
thing is permitted ^to remain nearly in
the same condition as when General Washing
ton resided here, the slave houses, tool houses,
seed houses, green house, and all the adjuncts
of a slave plantation remain as they were to
wards theclose ofthe last century. All the sur
roundings of the spot are naturally beautiful,
but the ornamental walks and gardens are
not kept in fine condition. One of the relics
I saw at Mount Vernon was the key of the
Bastile in France, which La Fayette, the
friend of Washington, sent many years ago.
I went into one of the cottages occupied by an
elderly coloured woman, whose only occupa
tion was to raise chickens for the market,
but she was not an intelligent person, and I
therefore preferred a ramble over the ex
tensive grounds. I spent several hours very
pleasantly, but had a very narrow chance of
being left by the steam-boat. I had heard
the steam signal given, but was told that it
was the signal given by the mail steam-boat,
which was passing, so that I paid no further
attention, and had I not foitunately been seen
from the deck of the steamer as I was
emerging from the woods, I suppose I should
have been left behind. Immediately on
putting my foot on board, the steamer started,
and we bade farewell to lovely Mount Vernon.
I am told that every steamer passing up and
down the Potomac fires a gun on passing
Mount Vernon, and that this practice has
been continued, without intermission ever
since Washington's funeral. During the
war, there were few things on which the
North and South cordially agreed, but I
helieve that in their veneration for Washing
ton's memory they were perfectly unanimous.
On our way, we stopped at the city of Alex
andria to discharge and take in freight, and
the captain gave permission for any of
the passengers who felt disposed, to visit the
city. The historical associations of Alexan
dria are chiefly reminiscences of General
Washington, for he took a deep interest in
the welfare of the place, and bequeathed to
the inhabitants a legacy of £1,000 forthe
establishment of a free public school. Until
a recent period, this city was a celebrated
slave mart, and even at the present time the

186

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

old slave pen remains, and there is still con
spicuously seen a signboard with the following
inscription, " Birch, Price, and Co , Dealers
in Slaves." In the early period of the late
war, a tragic circumstauce occurred at Alex
andria, which attracted national notoriety.
Before Mr. Lincoln was elected President of
the United States, he practised as a lawyer,
and in his office was a clerk named Rimer
Ellsworth, a young man remarkably hand
some in person, the pride of his parents,
and the beloved of ail who knew him.
While at Chicago, he was made captain of a
military company, and during the progress of
the Crimean war, having become impressed
with the belief that the Zouave organization
was the best for military purposes, he sent
to France for instruction books to make
himself acquainted with the drill and various
evolutions peculiar to such an organization,
and it was supposed that the history of war
never furnished a finer or better drilled
compauy than those under his command.
Every member was sworn to total abstinence
from spirituous liquors, from tobacco, from
gambling, and from visiting places of im
morality. Profanity was made a ground of
prompt dismissal from the company. Polite
ness of address, chivalrous courtesy of de
meanour in private as well as public rela
tions were rigidly exacted. They practised
the severest athletic exercises, and in every
respect they were the best drilled, the best
equipped, and the most efficient for action
that had ever been seen in America, and
probably in the world. When the war broke
out, he raised a regiment of Zouaves amongst
the firemen of New York, supposed to be
as energetic a set of men as ever marched to
'Jthe sound of martial music. The fire de
partment presented them with a stand of
colours, aud on placing them in the hands
of Col. Ellsworth, the president said, " Take
them, place them in the midst of your gal
lant band, and wherever the fight is the
thickest and the bullets fly the fastest, let
these banners be borne ; and may you and
your comrades in the hour of trial aud
battle remember the proud motto embla
zoned upon them : —
" The star spangled banner in triumph shall wave."
" Let this be your war-cry as you rush to
the onset. Wave this banner in triumph
only, and do you bring it back though it
be tattered and torn in the fight. When
the fire-bell rings in the night, the citizen
rests securely, for he knows that the New
York firemen are omnipotent to arrest the
progress of destruction. You are now
called to exhibityour gallantry in another field.
You are now called to quench the flames of re

bellion, andweknow that, whether in the midst
of burning cities, or in the tented field, you
will sustain your own high character, and
these banners will ever wave in triumph,
even though it be in the midst of ruins." —
Col. Ellsworth replied, that so long as one
of the men lived, that flag would never be
disgraced. — It was not long before the regi
ment was called into action, and as this was
the first volounteer regiment which was
formed, Col. Ellsworth requested that they
might be assigned to the post of honour, at
the right of the line. The evening before the
expedition started, he said to his men, " Go
to vour tents, lie down, and take your rest
till two o'clock, when the boat will arrive,
and we go forward to victory or death. When
we reach the place of destination, act as men,
and do nothing to shame the regiment.
Show the enemy that you are men, as well
as soldiers, and that you will treat them
with kindness until they force you to use
violence. I want to kill them with kindness.
Go to your tents, and do as I tell you." Col.
Ellsworth then retired to his tent, wrote two
letters, one of which was to a lady to whom
he expected soon to be married, and the
other was to his parents, of whom he was the
only and almost idolized child. The fol-
owing was his letter to his parents: —
Head Quarters — First Zouave Camp, Lincoln
"Washington, D.C., May 33, 1861.
My dear Father and Mother, — The regiment is or
dered to move across the river to-night. We have no
means of knowing what reception we are to meet with.
I am inclined to the opinion that our entrance to the city
of Alexandria will be hotly contested, as I am just in
formed that a large force has arrived there to-day.
Should this happen, my dear parents, it may be my lot
to be injured in some manner. Whatever may happen,
cherish the consolation that I was engaged in the per
formance of a sacred duty ; and to-night, thinking of
the probabilities of to-morrow, and the occurrences of
the past, I am perfectly content to accept whatever my
fortune may be ; confident that He who noteth even the
fall of a sparrow, wiU have some purpose even in the
fate of one like me. My darling and ever-beloved
parents, good-bye. God bless, protect, and care for
you. ELMER.
About two o'clock the following morning,
the expedition started secretly from Washing
ton, to take military possession of Alexandria.
Col. Ellsworth was one of the first to land,
and while, the regiment was forming in line,
he sent a company to seize the telegraph
station, himself proceeding at the same time
at full run through the streets. It happened
that for some weeks a Confederate flag had
been floating from the top of the Marshall
House, an hotel in the city, aud on passing
near the place, Ellsworth said to his com
panions, " We must have that flag." He in
stantly rushed into the hotel, aud in the
front room he saw a man half-dressed, from
whom he demanded who raised the flag.

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

187

The man replied he did n"t know, for he
was merely a boarder there. Ellsworth
rushed forward to the roof of the house,
followed by several others, seized the Con
federate flag, and was carrying it in triumph
down the stairs, when the man who had
represented himself as a boarder, confronted
him with a double-barrelled gun in his hand,
and shafting him through the heart, he fell
dead at his feet The man then aimed his
piece at one of Ellsworth's companions, but
uissing his aim the slug passed through the
panel of the door. The zouave then fired in
return a bullet through the head of him who
had represented himself as a boarder, but
who in reality was the landlord of the hotel,
and before he had time to fall he was thrust
through and through with a sabre bayonet,
and I was told that his body was actually
pinned in this way to the wooden floor of
the room. The body of Ellsworth was car
ried to the steamer, conveyed to Washington,
was placed in the Executive Mansion, and at
the funeral Mr. Lincoln himself assumed the
"position of chief mourner. The death of
, Col Ellsworth touched lhe finest sensibilities
ofthe people ofthe United States, thousands
attended his funeral obsequies, and no event
at so early a period of the war had excited so
much commiseration. The following tribute
has been given to his memory :— " Sprung
from the ranks of the people, reflecting their
impulses, sharing in their sympathies-
young, gallant, and generous, — lofty of spirit,
earnest of purpose, severely temperate, com
bining all that youth emulates, that man
hood loves, and that old age admires, Col.
Ellsworth was alike lhe idol of those who
knew him, and foremost in the ranks of
those to whom the country looked as the ex
emplars of its youth, and the defenders of
iU honour."— While at Alexandria, I visited
this hotel, saw the spot where the tragic
affair took place, and was shown the marks
produced bv tbe slug which was intended to
have killed tbe zouave who accompanied
Col. Ellsworth. I did not observe anything
else that was remarkable at Alexandria ; the
streets, like those of Philadelphia, cross each
other at right angles, and the city, although
no longer within the District of Columbia,
having been separated from it about twenty
years, is still regarded as an American
commercial city, venerable for its age. The
place is very conspicuous, for it can be seen
from almost all directions for many miles
around. On arriving at Washington, I went
according to previous appointment to dine
with Mrs. Griffing, in Four-and-a-half Street,
where the evening passed away in a very
pleasant mauner. I was surprised when

I was told that the rent of the house1 was
3,200 dols. per annum, for a similar house
in the suburbs of Manchester, England, would
not realize more thati from £70 to£ 100 a year.
The possession of agood housein Washington
is equal to the possession of a good fortune,
and I am told that the former slaveholders,
taking advantage of the negroes flocking into
the city by thousands, commenced the erec
tion of small shanties, and the enormous
rents they charge secure to them large
incomes, which in a great measure is a com
pensation to them for the loss of their slaves.
The freedmen as well as the former slave
holders have their compensations, for it is
surprising in what various ways family rela
tionships are re-formed after long separations,
husbands and wives, brothers and sisters,
beiug brought together in such marvellous
ways after a lapse of many years. The most
common manner of securing re-unions is by
sending letters to the different coloured
churches, which are read when they meet
for public worship, and in this way informa
tion is obtained at a very trifling expense.
I think it is probable that the reading of
those brief notices is one cause of the
coloured churches being almost constantly
crowded at the public services. Still there
are man)' who have not yet met with their
kindred friends. One woman in this city,
83 years of age, was the mother of nineteen
children, every one of whom was sold into
slavery, and with one exception she has not
been able to find out where any of them
are located. Amongst others to whom I was
introduced this evening at Mrs. Griffing's,
was Mr. Randall, a member of the House of
Representatives, from Kentucky, and he in
vited me to pay him a visit at his own home
before I returned to Europe. He lives near
to Cumberland Gap, a place of some noto
riety during the progress of the late war. We
had a long conversation on the present condi
tion ofthe coloured population, and he quite
agreed with me in opinion that the best course
which could be adopted would be to invest
them at ouce with all the rights of citizen
ship, and thus set at rest for ever one of
the most vexed questions, which, if not so
decided, will be a continual cause of agita
tion. I had also an introduction to Judge
Day, who invited me to pay him a visit
before I left the city.
April 12.— Visited Mrs. Buel, a lady con
cerning whom I may say that kindness is
visibly written upon her very countenance.
She formerly kept a school in or near
Athens, Greece, and a Dumber of Greek mer
chants now resident in Manchester, England,
were her pupils. Through her interposition

188

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

an arrangement was made for me to have
an interview with Mr. Johnson, President of
the United States, at eight o'clock last even
ing, and she showed me the note she had
received from the Executive Mansion. Un
fortunately she was not aware on the pre
vious evening that I was staying with Mrs.
Griffing, and, therefore, she was unable to
find me. I expressed regret at the circum
stance, and she said she would see if another
arrangement could be made. I visited a
coloured school in Nineteenth-street, and
the children were exceedingly wishful to
display their capacity for learning. The
visit only tended to confirm mv opinion, that
as far as learning to read and to sing was
concerned, the coloured children were quite
as apt as others. I also visited the " New
England Friends Freedmen's Mission,'' in
Thirteenth-street. The premises were for
merly used as an hospital for coloured
people, but the Friends purchased the land,
and the Government turned over the build
ings to them free of cost for the purpose of
a school. In this place 75 coloured women
are taught to knit and sew, and cut out gar
ments. One woman who had been what is
termed a field hand, who had never been ac
customed to perform any domestic duties
can both sew and cut out very well. One,
ofthe teachers had taught about fifty women
in three months so that they were able to
make dresses and mend garments, and per
form various domestic duties pertaining to
the household. This lady engaged in the
woik of teaching as a labour of love, receiv
ing nothing for her services, and there are
many such instances of noble devotion to a
philanthropic cause. In the industrial de
partment there are two teachers, under the
superintendence of Mrs. Patey. In the edu
cational department there are three teachers.
ln the day school there are about 200
scholars, most of whom are children, but
some are adults. In this school there have
been four generations learning to read at
once, viz , great-grandmother, grandmother,
mother, and son. The great-grandmother
could not read at all when she went to the
school at first, but she made progress, and
would have made greater progress still if she
had had a pair of spectacles to assist her
sight. Mr. Patey told me that one gentle
man had given him fifty dollars to expend
in the most judicious manner for '.he benefit
of the freedmen, and he thought that he
could not do better than to purchase spec
tacles for the old people, for there were so
many who were wishful to learn to read.
He said that he had come to a decision not
to let the old people remain without spec

tacles if he could prevent it. He had found
it to be the case tbat- almost all the freedmen
preferred to read the New Testament to any
other book. The night school was attended
by about sixty persons, and they were chiefly
adults. For the night school they had from
six to nine teachers, for they require more
teachers in proportion to the scholars, because
amongst the latter there were such different
degrees of proficiency. The Sabbath school
is attended by about 150 persons of all ages
from five to 80 years. When the first bundle
of clothing arrived here from Birmingham,
England, there was enclosed a letter from a
little girl addressed to the scholars in this
school. A little boy who had only been at
the school a short time, but whose progress in
learning had been very rapid, expiessed a
desire to answer the letter, and was permit
ted to do so. A copy of the letter, which
was his own composition, was read to me,
and a beautifully touching letter it was. The
Society of Friends were not only wishful to
benefit tbe freedmen by giving them educa
tion, but they were wishful to help them in
various other ways, one of which was to
furnish them with a variety store, at which
they could be supplied with everything they
required. Everything is purchased at the
wholesale rate, and is retailed.] out^for cash
only at cost price. No white person is permitted
to purchase anything at the store, for it is in
tended exclusively for coloured people, and
there was great necessity for an institution of
this kind, for I have been told that the colored
people, who had a very imperfect idea of the
value of money — never having been accus
tomed to handle it while iu slavery, were very
often cheated of a portion of their money
when trading with unprincipled persons. The
total amount of money received at this store
during the last fourteen months was 39,294 .
dollars and 63 cents. In the industrial de
partment, the women who come to learn
knitting, sewing, and cutting out, are paid
for their labour, and the garments they make
up are sold to the needy at a low rate of
charge. At this school I saw mats on the
floor which had came from England. In
heariug the children go through their school
exercises, I found that they all manifested a
tendeucy to spell words phonetically, which
is a very common-sense plan. No system
would smooth the path to knowledge so much
as the phonetic system, if it could be brought
into general use, but it is something like the
decimal coinage plan, everyone being willing
to admit its utility, while few people in Eng
land ate willing to aid iu bringing about a
change. I examined the slates of the freed
men who were learning arithmetic, aud with

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

189

the exception of one figure, all the sums were
worked accurately. The children showed
themselves to be very expert in answering
questions in geography. There is another
feature about this establishment which Igreatly
admired. The Society of Friends have built
several cottages of a model description, which
are very far superior to the shanties in which
the negrWEs have been accustomed to dwell,
for they are two-storied houses, having nice
little conveniences and are beautifully situated.
'lhe tenant of each house has to pay
seven dollars per month, but only four are
paid as rent, the remaining three dollars
being devoted to a fund for the purpose of
purchasing the houses, and when the fund
amounts to a certain sum, the houses theu
become the sole property of the tenants.
Each family can pay more than seven dol
lars per month if they choose, for the sooner
they have paid for the houses, the sooner
they will become their own. Iu accordance
with previous arrangement, accompanied by
Mrs. Buel, I went to the Executive Mansion
this evening, and had a long conversation
with Mrs. Patterson, tbe president's daugh
ter. Her manners pleased me very much,
for she assumed uo airs, but engaged as
freely in a pleasant conversation as she
might have been expected to do if we had
been long acquaintances. She went to see
her father, but he was so much engaged with
business that she doubted whether he would
be at liberty, and after waiting about three
quarters of an hour a messenger informed us
that there were several generals, an adjutant,
some governors of states, and five or six
senators, all waiting to see him on business.
Mrs. Patterson said the pressure was greater
than usual, but she hoped I would come
again before leaving Washington, and I
prom'sed to do so if possible. Just at the
present time there is a great agitation going
on with respect to the passing of the Civil
Rights Bill, many persons professing to be
lieve that the passing of the measure will be
fraught with the most dangerous conse
quences, but my own opinion is, that when
the vapour of passion shall have been dis
sipated by the radiant sunlight of truth and
reason, it will be found to have been one of
the necessities of the age. T he wisdom of
experience gained by the South during the
late rebellion has opened many eyes to see
the folly of the course adopted. When the
South seceded she had a working majority of
fourteen in the Congress, although the re
publican party had succeeded in the election
of its favourite candidate, yet in the madness
of passion she appealed to the sword, which
was the means of defeating her own prospects

of success. After the 4th of March, 1863,
the House of Representatives was to consist
of 24 1 members, and out of this number 57
were assigned by name to the States then in
insurrection. There are now only 184 com
posing the House, because the 57 are not
now permitted to tit in Congress. While the
war was raging it was frequeutly asserted
that the South was a unit, but at the present
rime Mr. Edmund Cooper, representative
elect for Tennessee, urges that if the repre
sentatives of the seceding States be not
admitted to Congress, a great injustice is
committed towards the loyal men who
throughout the war maintained their loyalty
in those States. He is strongly opposed to
the Civil Rights Bill, and says, " The sacred-
ness which we throw around the white woman
must be guarded and protected, and. the
negro who dares to violate her person, or
attempts so to do, must die. Such is the
law now, and such it shall ever remain so
long as I can raise my voice, and have any
influence in the legislature of the country."
He declares that he thanked God when the
President vetoed the CiviljRights Bill, and I
must say that I thanked God when the Con
gress carried the measure notwithstanding
the President's^ veto. If Mr. Cooper and the
Southern people be determined that death
shall be the penalty of the coloured man's
crime, I hope that Congress and the Northern
people will be equally determined that there
shall be one law both for the coloured people
and the white. Such sentiments in the South
are regarded and are represented to be
English prejudices, but if such they be, then
I gliry in them,
April 13. — Went to see Ford's Theatre,
where Mr. Lincoln was assassinated exactly
one year ago, being the second Friday in
April. No theatrical performance has ever
taken place in this buiiling since that fatal
night, and at present its internal arrange
ments are not at all of a theatrical character.
I am told that it will shortly become the
property of the Young Men's Christian
Association. In the evening I attended a
div'sirn of the Sons of Temperance. General
Howard is a member of this body, ami was
in attendance on the previous evening. There
are 2,000 members of the above society in
Washington, besides 900 lady visitors. There
are also in this city " Temples of Honour,"
and " Good Templars." The Total Ab
stinence Society holds its public meetiugs
chiefly on the Sunday evening. I asked a
gentleman if coloured pers >ns were permit
ted to connect themselves with the Sons of
Temperance in Washington, and he replied
that such was tbe prejudice in Washington

190

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

against the coloured race, he did not think
there was one member who would advocate
such a thing, or would be willing to sit along
with them at a meeting. He thought that
there would be no objection to the negroes
forming a division of their own.
April 14. — The cost of living in the city
of Washington is very high at present. The
hotel charge for each person is five dollars
per day, and if he has the luxury of a fire,
which however is scarcely necessary now, then
the charge is six dollars per day. The hotel
keeper on the other hand has to pay a high
price for all that he purchases, for instance,
at the present time butter is ninety cents per
pound, chickens two dollars and a half per
pair, and other things in equal proportion.
The high price of provisions renders it
necessary that wages should be high in
proportion, so that altogether the cost of
living in Washington is perhaps greater than
in any other city in the United States. In
this city at the present time, the journeymen
painters are on strike for an advance of
wages. They have hitherto been accustomed
to receive three dollars per day, which iu
English money will be £3 15s. per week ;
but they have demanded three and a half
dollars per day, and in many instances the
masters have already consented to give the
advance, so that their present wages are
£4 7s. 6d. per week. Other businesses
yield compensation at nearly the same rate.
Reporters for the public press receive £8 per
week. The ladies charge as high for their
services as others. The dressmaker charges
five dollars for making a calico dress, without
finding any trimming or other material. For
making a merino dress the charge is from
ceven to eight dollars, and for a silk dress
from ten to fifteen dollars. A lady in this
city is now having a bridal dress made, the
cost of the material being 900 dollars, and
the c ist of making 40 dollars. The veil
which the bride will wear has cost 100 dol
lars. In this city there are 15,000 men wbo
are dependent upon their own labour for a
livelihood, and there are 218 different ways,
by which a living can be obtained, but in
the case of women there are 16,000, and
only sixteen different ways by which they
can earn a livelihood, viz , as basket makers,
boarding house keepers, clerks, glovers, hair
workers, laundresses, mautua makers, ma
trons, mid wive?, milliners, music teachers,
nurses, seamstresses, servauts, sisters of
charity, and tailoresses. In Washington,
one person in every ten is a clerk, and it is
said that as women show a special aptitude
for such duties, that women alone ought to be
so employed. I found that in the govern

ment department in this city there are many
women employed as clerks, and many of them
command good salaries. The argument in
favour of employing women as clerks in pre
ference to men is perhaps stronger in the
United States than it would be in England,
for there is a greater demand for the labour
of men in other branches for which women
are not well adapted. In the whole country
there are 586 different occupations, yet there
are comparatively few of those occupations
in which women are engaged. It is said that
at the present time there are employed, of
blacksmiths, 112,357; carpenters, 242,958;
clerks, 181,485; farmers, 2,423,895 ; farm
hands, 785,679; labourers, 969.301 ; miners,
147,750: shoemakers, 164,608; servants,
559,908 ; tailors, 10 1 ,868 ; teachers, 1 10,469
In opposition to the employment of women
in many branches of labour, it is urged that
marriage is woman's destiny, and that man's
duty is to support her. Admitting this to
be the case, it will still be necessary for em
ployment to be found for women, because in
many districts females preponderate over
males very considerably. la the State of
Massachusetts, for instance, there are nearly
20,000 females in excess of males, and ail
these should be provided for, or society will
have to suffer in other ways.
April 15, Sunday.— Attended the Presby
terian Church this morninsr, and the Baptist
Church in the afternoon. Took supper with
Mrs. Buel and a number of friends, after
which I went to the Freedmen's Hospital,
and had a long conversation with Sojourner
Truth. She formerly lived at Freedmen's
Village, and as many of the colouted people
soon after emancipation had to suffer in
various ways, she often made appeals on their
behalf. Having a very " tall " spirit she
often interfered in a way which annoyed some
of the officials, and one of them threatened
to have her put in the guard house. She
told him that if he put her in the guard
hoise she would make the United States
rock like a cradle. One day, when she was
in the city, she intended to get into a horse
railway car, but when the car approached, the
driver turned his head another way so as not ap
parently to see her, and the conductor went
inside. Believing that they were doing this
merely because she was a coloured person
she called out lustily with her powerful
voice, which so attracted attention in the
public street that she compelled the driver to
stop and take her up, she declaring that she
was not of Virginia nor of Maryland, but she
belonged to the Empire State of New York,
and knew the law. She has always shown a
strong determination for the coloured people

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

191

to have their rights, but at the same time
she has stringently urged the coloured
people to perform their duties. She has
been accustomed to give a public lecture to
them every Saturday evening, and 1 have
been told that she had done a great amount
of good in this wav. She has received very
considerable attention at different times, one
instanc»of which was that Mrs. Lincoln, the
wife of the late President, sent her a present.
She pays great attention to the sick people in
this hospital, one of whom at the present
time is an old coloured woman 105 years of
age. April 16. — Tn the Senate to-day there was
quite a scene in consequence of a quarrel
which took place between Mr. Conness and
Mr. McDougall, the latter of whom was a
very strong opponent of the Civil Rights Bill.
During a debate on a railway bill, Mr. McDou
gall declared that Mr Conness had a personal
interest in the measure, — Mr. Conness then
charged Mr McDougall with being drunk,
asserting, that he was not in a condition to
know what he was saying, and was almost
constantly in such a state as to be a disgrace
to the body. — Mr. McDougall pronounced the
statement a falsehood, and contended that
this term was parliamentary both according
to the practice and precedent of the British
Parliament, and of the United States Senate,
during the last fifty years, and therefore he
had a right to speak in the manner which
he had done. — Mr. Conness became warm
on the subject, and said the Senator did not
represent the great State of California either
politically or morally. He was enfranchised
by that State some five years ago, and in
that time had not once visited his constituents.
Mr. President, I have sat hero in my seat
and submitted to his assumptions and repre
sentations, and have borne them. I have
occupied my seat when that Senator, instead
of representing the high-toned, moral, and
courageous constituency of my State, has sat
or rather lay in his chair, an object oi pity to
an audience assembled from every State in
the Union. I have more than once covered
my eyes with shame at such an exhibition.
I do not wish my associates on this floor to
imagine that I am dead to considerations of
this character. No, sir, but silently and
quietly and even, with pity towards him, I
was awaiting the time when the Senator, by
the expiration of bis official term, should
cease to misrepresent his State, and cease to
humiliate and disgrace not only the State
which gave him honour, but the American
character and American Senate. I have
looked on in silence heretofore ; but, sir, this
morning when the wanton, unprovoked, and

most disorderly assault was made upon me, I
could bear it no longer. The Senator rises
here and uses the term falsehood against me.
Mr. President, the Senator dare not repeat
the word outside of this Chamber — Mr.
McDougall rose trom his seat, and in a most
excited manner, struck the desk before him
with his fist, and declared emphatically, " I'll
do it." Mr. Conness then said — I cannot
trust myself to reply, Mr. President, as my
senatorial character is in issue here. I cannot
reply to conduct so despicable ; I dare not
notice it, sir. 1 have no comparison to make
wiih him as to my character for truth, veracity,
and honour, and in iny representative capacity
I shrink as much from the contrast as from
all the pollution which hell could vomit forth.
With a due regard, sir, to charity and kind
ness, and to the Senatorial relation, I should
at any time have been ready to cast them
aside, and yielding to the high and imperious
duty of vindicating the dignity of this great
American forum, have voted for the expulsion
of the Senator on account of his offences
time and again against the dignity of this
body. It was not meet, however, for me to
lead in such a work. Not appreciating this
concession in his behalf, he has continually
repeated his outrages against the dignity of
this Senate. Forbearance has ceased to be
a virtue, and the Senate is now wronging both
itself and the country by longer tolerating
such conduct. That Senator has been left
off all committees because of his inability
to decide upon legislative questions, but this
silent reproof, so far from inducing reforma
tion, has, if possible, sunk and degraded him
still more, until he has now no character to
lose.— Mr. McDougall replied in language
which would have disgraced a bar-room, until
the President stopped him, declaring that
such language was not fit for the Senate
Chamber The dispute was permitted to end
with less warmth than it began. It happened
that on the same day a personal altercation
took place in the House of Representatives.
Mr. lngersoll, of Illinois, having called Mr.
Eldridge, of Wisconsin, "a contemptible
Copperhead,"— Mr. Eldridge replied :— " It
does not matter. He can have no more con
tempt for me than I have for him. He is a
traitor." After much confusion the time for
adjournment arrived, and the House broke
up amidst great excitement, laughter, and
confusion, in which the spectators joined.
This was the day appointed for the public
celebration of freedom in the district of
Columbia. It was not only the anniversary
ofthe passing of the act of emancipation, but
there "were other events which might
properly be noticed at this time, such as the

192

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

assassination of Mr. Lincoln, the closing of
the war, and tbe passing of the Civil Rights
Bill. A great demonstration was anticipated,
and people came from Baltimore, from Alex
andria, and other places to witness it, but in
consequence of the rain pouring down in
torrents nearly the whole day, it was decided
to postpone the demonstration, much to the
grief of many who assembled. A Kentucky
regiment of coloured troops marched seven
miles in the rain to assist in the demonstra
tion, and then had to march back again.
April 17. — Visited the grounds of the
Executive Mansion, and was presented with
flowers such as are not generally cultivated
in England, one sort being a species of mag
nolia, but it was not the magnolia grandi-
flora, for it is not yet in bloom. — In the
evening I attended a public meeting in the
City Assembly Room, Louisiana Avenue,
which was addressed by several who were
lately generals in the United States army.
The tone of the meeting bore strongly
against England, but all the observations
made with respect to England appeared to
me very irrevelant to the object of the meet
ing. A coloured regimental band was in
attendance, and performed some beautiful
pieces of music. I was sorry to witness the
exhibition of prejudice against the coloured
race which was here shown. When the
band entered, a gentleman who sat near me
remarked that it would only be serving the
persons right who had had the management
if every person in the Hall would retire from
the meeting immediately. He considered it
to be an insult on the part of the manage
ment to provide a band of coloured musicians.
I observed that some gentlemen left the
me;ting almost immediately, apparently of
fended on account of this arrangement.
April 18. — Visited the Executive Mansion
and had an interview with President Johnson.
During our conversation I told him that I
was an Englishman, and that I had visited
America iu the capacity of a spy, but was
more wishful to spy out the good rather than
the evil, and I thought that in this respect I
differed from some who had preceded me.
The President smiled complacently and ex
pressed his concurrence. He said he was
very glad to see me and shook me cordially
by the hand. I had every reason to be
satisfied, with the affability which the Presi
dent displayed. In appearance he is so
exactly like the photographs exhibited iu
artists' windows, that no one can possibly
mistake the man, but I was quite as much
interested in making an examination of his
clothing, as I was in gazing upon his coun
tenance. There has been so much said about

the President being a Tailor, and about his
making good fitting suits, that I felt very
curious to ascertain whether in style of dress,
his own garments were quite equal to Re
gent-street. I am not much of a connoiseur
in such matters, but certainly so far as I am
able to judge, I have no hesitation in pro
nouncing his dress a perfect model for
neatness of attire. In the evening I attended
the Federal City Division of the Sons of
Temperance. In Washington during the
war there were 7,000 soldiers initiated mem
bers of the order. It was supposed that the
war would have the effect of breaking down
the temperance organizations, but in Wash
ington it had quite the contrary effect.
When the President's funeral took place
3,000 of the soldiers marched through the
streets wearing the badge of the order.
Geueral Howard takes an active part in the
cause, and I was told that General Brown
would be initiated amongst the Sons of Tem
perance at the next meeting. In some of
the Southern cities the war appeared to have
the effect of destroying the Temperance
Societies. One of the speakers described
Baltimore as being in a very demoralised
condition. Re had only lately come from
there, and said that in the city there were
2,000 liquor sellers. Washington was a
much more sober city, the Temperance
Society was supported by influential persons,
and was doing a vast amount of good. I was
present at a serenade this evening at the
White House. The President had issued an
order to the heads of departments, directing
that preference in appointments and pro
motions should be given to discharged
soldiers and sailors, and in consequence it
was decided to serenade the President," he
having signified to the committee of arrange
ments that he would accept the compliment.
A large procession was formed, escorted by a
marine band. Cn arriving at the designated
spot, the President made his appearance oh
the coping of the wall outside the carriage
way in front of the Executive Mansion. Tne
music having ceased, a gentleman came for
ward and expressed on behalf of the soldiers
and sailors the gratitude which was felt on
account of the order which had been issued.
It was not their province to express opinions
on the great national problems prominently
before the public mind, a solution of which
would call forth the combined talent and
profound wisdom of their wisest statesmen.
Those ties which bound their hearts together
in common sympathy, and made them one in
advancing the cause of freedom aud defend
ing a Republic that had been assailed by
violent hands, were as fresh and warm as

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193

when the reveille of the bugle and drum
resounded in hostile eucampments, and the
deadly bullet of the guerilla whistled among
the mountain pines. There were those
preseut who when the storm cloud of war
menaced the destruction of their most
cherished institutions, they then girded up
their loins, and went forth to do battle
againsWR relentless and misguided foe. The
minister left the sacred desk, the orator the
forum, and lhe processor vacated the chair,
while the student bade adieu to the classic
halls of his alma mater, and marched to the
front side by side with the hardy yeoman,
wh r, like the illustrious Putnam, l«ft his
plough rusting in the furrow. Having passed
through the stern ordeal of battle, and
wrested an insulting flag from the hands of
traitors, and placed the country first amongst
the mighty nations of the earth, they now
appeared before the President in the peaceful
habiliments of citizens. While a kind pro
vidence had protected their lives during the
terrible conflict of arms, they could not
forget that 350,000 brave men had fallen,
the memory of whose gallant deeds would
ever live in ihe hearts of a grateful people.
Few if any of the number of those present
had escaped uuscathed, for the most of them
would carry honourable maiks of service to
the grave. Many were prevented by the loss
of a limb from following their former avoca
tions, and as the President had identified
himself with their interests, by asserting
that those who had risked their lives in the
service of the country were entitled to public
favour, their grateful thanks were due to him
for this manifestation of his kindness, and
they trusted that the same all-wise Provi
dence who had brought the nation through
a baptism of blood, purified from slavery
and sanctified by a nation's tears, would
calm the troubled waters and restore the
country to peace and prosperity. The
President replied that it was not affectation
in him to say that language was inadequate
to convey the heartfelt feelings produced by
the presentation of such sentiments. In
the peculiar posture of public affairs, their
presence gave him confidence in his efforts
to discharge the duties incumbent upon him
as Chief Magistrate of the Republic, and he
would address them simply in the character
of citizens, soldiers, and sailors. They were
involved in one of the most critical and try-
, ing struggles that had occurred since the
government had been brought into existence.
\ Nations, like individuals, must have a be
ginning, and in struggling into existence,
a nation passes through its first trying ordeal.
The next ordeal through which a nation has

to pass is when it is called upon to give
evidence that it has strength, capacity, and
power to maintain itself amongst the nations
of the earth. The third ordeal is when it
is called upon to give evidence to the nations
of the earth and to its own citizens, that it
has power to resist internal foes by putting
down treachery at home and treason within
its own borders. As a nation they had
entered upon this ordeal, aud he trusted
they would pass through it successfully.
He was still opposed to traitors and treason,
whether in the North or in the South '1 he
organized forces and combined powers that re
cently stood arrayed against them, were dis
banded and driven from the field, but it did not
follow that there were still no enemies
against their form of government and free
institutions. He then stood in the Senate
ofthe United States denying the doctrine of
separation and secession, for he did not be
lieve that any State had the right, of its own
will, to separate itself from the other States,
and thereby to destroy the Union and break
up the Government — On the conclusion of
the President's address there was much
cheering, the band struck up a lively air, and
the large assembly dispersed.
April 19 — Visited the Capitol this morn
ing, and ascended the steps of the dome
leading to galleries of various heights, which
give fine views of the interior and the ex
terior. The general outline of the dome
resembles that of St. Paul's, of London.
The height is about 300 feet from the ground,
or about 230 feet above the roof of the
Capitol. The pinacle is surmounted by a
bronze statue of Freedom, the size of which
is twenty feet. On the ceiling of the dome
is a larae emblematical picture, which
covers 4,664 square feet. The Capitol being
erected on the summit of a hill, and the gal
leries being a considerable height, the land
scape view is very considerable, especially in
the Virginia direction. The entire city can
be seen at a glance, the streets and avenues
in consequence of their great breadth being
clearly defined. On my return I met the
procession of freedmen, with their marshals
on horseback, a splendid retinue of carriages,
accompanied by military bands of music,
coloured troops, and a vast concourse of
people, all bent upon celebrating the passing
of the emancipation act for tbe district of
Columbia. In the afternoon I attended the
demonstration, which took place in a large
square, and was attended by about 15,000
people. A large platform had been ereeted for
the speakers and others, and while Senator
Wilson, formerly a shoemaker, but now
one of the most influential statesmen,

194

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

was addressing the meeting, down came
the whole fabric with a dreadful crash, ladies
and gentlemen, black and white, all tum
bling together in one confused heap. At the
time of the downfall I was standing next
the speaker's chair, and fortunately I kept
stepping from plank to plank in such a
manner that I kept on my feet all the while
and felt more in danger from the falling
timbers of the roof which had covered the
platform, than I did from the rapid personal
descent. For a short time great confusion
prevailed for it was expected that many persons
would be seriously injured.
After the crash described, I was told that
one person had his back broken, but in the
midst of the excitement I had no means of
ascertaining the fact. It was truly marvel
lous that a high platform containing scores
if not hundreds of people could smash down
so suddenly that not one individual could
get out of the way, and yet the personal in-
juries were so few and slight. The conster
nation having subsided, the speaker took
possession of another platform which had
been occupied by musicians, and the proceed
ings continued without further interruption.
One ofthe reporters remarked that he hoped
Mr. Wilson would in future finish the sen
tence before he left the stand, as it made it
difficult for him to complete his report when
only half a sentence was delivered This was
a case however, in which neither Mr. Wilson
nor the President of the United States under
similar circumstances would have had the
power of choice. This was the first time
that I had ever had the opportunity of gazing
on the countenances cf so many as 15,000
coloured persons, and the probability is that
amongst those present there were few who
had ever previously possessed a similar privi
lege except such as had been in the late war.
Notwithstanding, while slavery lasted it
was illegal for more than five coloured people
to assemble together, unless in the hearing of
a white person, and it rarely happened that
the slaves saw more than worked on the same
plantation, except when they met together
for religious worship. I have heard a great
deal said about miscegenation since I came to
America, but when I looked round on the au
dience before me, and saw that two out of
every three were of mixed blood, I thought
that the former slaveholders, who now have so
much to say against miscegenation ought to
be silent on the question.
This evening I attended the Howard Divi
sion of the Sons of Temperance, when ten
persons were initiated, and I was told that
every week there are considerable additions
made. There was a very large attendance,

but I observed that many of the members had
lost a leg or an arm in the late conflict. I
addressed the meeting on the duties which we
all owe to society, and the manner in which
those duties could be best accomplished.
The coloured people experience hard times
at present, and they have scarcely the means
to help themselves. They cannot command
as high wages as others when they have work,
and there are thousands who have nothing to
do, and thousands who earn a very precarious
support. Mrs. Josephine S. Griffing, whose
position has furnished her with the very best
opportunities of becoming acquainted with
the condition of the coloured people, makes
the following statement concerning them : —
" The population of Washington, at the last
census, was, Whites, 60,000, Free Coloured,
14,000, and from a recent partial census by
the War Department, it appears that not less
than 25,000 Freed People have been added.
A large proportion of these are women aud
children, a few of whose husbands and fathers
are still in government service ; but most of
them are either disabled, dead, or left with
the rebels. A host of miserable women,
with large families of childreu, besides old,
crippled, blind, and sick persons, have been
driven out of Maryland and sought refuge
here. Most of these people have exhibited
industry and thrift beyond the expectations
of their friends, paying, generally, by day's
labour — often difficult to obtain — for shanties,
garrets, cellars, and stables, unfit for human
beings to live in, an average rent of from 5
to 6 dollars per month. At the commence
ment of the winter of 1864, upon personal
examination, I found nine hundred families,
with an average number of five children,
without wood or the means to obtain it ;
half that number without beds or blankets,
and as many without bread or the means of
subsistence. Upon this report being present
ed to the Secretary of War, 1050 cords of
wood, 3300 blankets, and commissary stores
to feed, during the extreme cold weather,
2600 per day, were delivered and paid for
from the Freedmen's Fund, held in trust by
the War Department. At the same time it
was found that thousands of women and
children of the latest arrivals were without a
change of clothing, and large numbers had
no utider clothing at all. A number of in
fants, of only a few days old, were found with
out a garment, and in this condition many
perished from cold. Hundreds of old per
sons and children were without shoes and
stockings, and being badly frost-bitten, several
had their limbs amputated in consequence,
and are crippled for life. Very few among
the twenty thousand have comfortable beds,

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195

or household utensils. I find, from bury in e
their dead, that the sanitary condition of
most of the poorest classes conduces much to
the fearful mortality among them, as they are
compelled to breathe a very impure air within,
and a stench from without the room, and are
often cohered with vermin, even after death.
There has been no material change in the
conditio* and wants of theso poor people
since last winter, except that labour is not so
easily fouDd since the close of the war as
before. Persons of the above description
are almost daily coming in from Virginia and
Maryland, clothed, of course, in rags. I
have lately learned from the Quarter-master's
Department, where coffins are issued for
those Freedmen, too poor to buy, that since
the commencement of the extreme hot wea
ther, about 80 coffins per week have been
called for, most of which were for children.
This mortality is far greater than has before
been reported since they came to the city.
" In slavery," the mothers say, " our children
never dies, it 'pears, like they all die here."
It is the opinion of physicians practicing
among them, and of other close observers,
that three-fourths of these children die from
neglect and want. In one family of a soldier,
who lost his life in battle, five out of ten of
his children have died since March, 1865,
from the above causes. In another, three out
of seven children of a soldier, drafted in
December, 1 864, have starved to death with
in three weeks. The mothers, in both cases,
were prostrated with sickness, and all their
supplies were suddenly and entirely cut off.
ln the same square, mothers and sons, and
wives and children of soldiers, still in govern
ment service as regulai United States troops,
are suffering for the necessaries of life,
Knowing nothing more of these men, they
say, than that " when the war broke up they
didn't come home." Near these lives
another soldier's wife, having four skeleton
children, who, as she says, were starved out
in Fredei3k, Md. They have neither bed,
table or chairs, nor anv household utensils
save a frying pan, out of which they all eat
with their fingers. When I found her, she
had obtained two days work, and with her
scanty wages had tried to keep the childrej
alive ; but, said she, " God knows how often
we are hungry." These cases might be
multiplied to scores and hundreds in and
around the national capital. The character
and advancement of the schools for Freedmen
in the district of Columbia is encouraging,
nearly 3000 children being in attendance,
but 4000 might and would be in attendance
but for the want of proper clothing. The
bureau of Freedmen has no appropriation

from Congress to meet the wants of these
wretched men, women, and children. Major
General Howard, in his circular No. 2,
distinctly states this, and also invites the
benevolent public, and associations already
organized for Freedmen's aid, to co-operate
in giving the needed relief to these sufferers
until compensating labour can be found for
them." The condition of the coloured people will
certainly improve in time, when they get
more scattered in the country, in places where
their labour is more required. One great
barrier to their progress is the prejudice
which is entertained against them by many
white people, especially the Irish population,
who look upon them as competitors in the
labour market. The Fenians are bitterly
opposed to them, and they exercise consider
able influence here, as they do in almost all
parts of the United States. It is said that
there are thirty states and territories in
which there are representatives of Fenianism
There are 613 circles containing ou the
average 300 members each, thus making a
total of 183,900 persons. They have raised
five millions of dollars, and have spent in
two months £62,500 in sending envoys to
Ireland to stir up rebellion there. I do not
believe that they stand the slightest chance
of success although Mr. Horace Greely, of.
the " New York Tribune," believes it to be
certain, that at no distant day the Fenians
will be put in possession of Ireland. All
the Fenians that I have conversed with en
tertain the most wild and extravagant views,
but I have no doubt they are thoroughly in
earnest, aud are willing to make great sacri
fices to secure the success of their cause.
One Irishman in Washington, a cart driver,
has laid out one thousand dollars in the pur
chase of Fenian Bonds. Others also have
purchased largely of this worthless stock
The agents of the movement are very out
spoken, but in all the Southern cities they
carefully abstain from any illegal acts. _
20th April. — Arose early this morning, in
order that I might have a stroll over the
country, and view the battle ground of Bull's
Run. I met with a person who told me
that previous to the war the negroes were
very well treated in that district, and were
about the happiest people on the face of the
earth. He had almost wished that he had
himself been a negro, because tbe negroes
were so very happy. Another person told
me that the slaves had more money to spend
than their masters had previous to the war,
they had land near their cottages, which they
cultivated for their own use ; they could
raise hens and chickens, and could obtain

196

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

money enough to enable them to purchase
just such garments as they liked. In his
opinion, they were far better off than the
poor white people. There were very few
coloured persons remaining in the district
now, for nearly all had gone away to the
cities. President Johnson was a very popu
lar man in the district, and the landlord of
the hotel said that Mr. Johnson was popular
all through the South, for he was regarded
as the only man who could bring about the
union of the country. I observed at
Manasses that there were very few trees
remaining, nearly the whole having been
cut down about a yard from the ground,
making the district appear like a vast ceme
tery, the stumps of the trees standing up
like headstones for the graves. All the
houses in this locality were destroyed during
the operations of the war, but already,
although only a few months since the war
closed, there are hotels and other houses
erected. The landlord of the hotel where I
stayed, although a rebel to the back bone was
a very civil and obliging person, the house
was clean and comfortable, and the hotel
charges more moderate than at any other
American hotel I had visited. I was told
that the circumstances of the people in this
locality had been completely reversed, for
.those who were once in the best of circum
stances are now in the worst, for many of
those who before that were wealthy persons,
have now to earn their bread by the sweat of
their brow. During a walk, I observed five
hens, followed by 123 little chickens, which
was a very pretty sight. I judge there must
have been more than the five hens to hatch
them. I went over this district with more
than usual interest, because I met with so
many memorials of the late war, and the
Bull's Run fight was more the subject of
conversation in America than any other
battle field. Yet there is nothing about the
place which is particularly noteworthy.
There is an eminence a little distance from
Manasses called " Mountain Hill," which
gives a commanding view of the surrounding
country. The remains of breastworks are
visible on both sides, and the gentle slope of
Bull's Run may be seen at a considerable
distance. I have conversed with many
Southerners respecting tbe celebrated battle
, which took place here in the early part of the
late war, and they wore almost unanimous in
their decision, that it wsis one of the most
disastrous occurrences which ever befel the
Southern cause. Their argument was, that
if the South had lost the battle instead of
winning it, a peace would have been patched
up and slavery would have been continued;

whereas, by the South having gained the-
victory at the very commencement of the
contest, they were so flushed with success,
that they were stimulated to prolong the
conflict, the result of which was, the destruc
tion of slavery, and the extinction of Southern
prospects of independence. On arriving at
Culpepper, I saw heaps of bones piled
together, probably the bones of men or of
horses, collected after the close of the war.
Culpepper was the largest place I had seen
since leaving Alexandria, both houses and
churches having apparently been permitted
to remain uninjured. Near the crossing of
the Rappahannock, there was a beautiful
waterfall, which was much admired. The
Rapidan is not near so fine a river as the
Rappahannock, and certainly, had it not
been for the operations of the late war, it
never would have obtruded itself on publio
attention, I judged that there was a scarcity
of houses in the district, from the fact that
a number of old railway cars bad been con
verted into dwellings for negroes. There
were scarcely any fruit trees in the district,
except that now and then I saw some peach
trees in full bloom. I was told that the
peaches would belong to any one who might
choose to gather them. At Orange Court
house there were many houses, and a planked
footpath on each side of the street. The
Blue Ridge Mountains were within view to
the right hand for a considerable distance, as
was also Slaughter Mountain, sometimes
called Cedar Mountain. It was here where
Pope was in command of tbe Northern
army. We also passed Cedar Creek, a place
much noticed during the war. Approaching
towards Richmond, the buzzard, a large
rapacious bird becomes more common, for I
saw it repeatedly flying about. In the train
I met with a gentleman who had travelled in
England and France, and during the late
American war he was a soldier in the Con
federate army. He described the different
battle fields as we passed along, and pointed
out the various objects of iuterest. When
we got near to the Chickahominy swamp, he
remarked that General Mo Clellan was the
ablest general the North ever produced.
He would not give General Grant any credit
for great abilities, and asserted that the
South would have won the victory, if it had
not been for the foreign aid which the North
received. He was in favour of slavery, and
spoke of the suffering endured in Richmond,
in consequence of the great number of freed
men who had flocked into the city. He felt no
responsibility on account of this suffering,
and was not laidt under any obligation to
endeavour to mitigate it, for the North had

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197

brought about the freedom of the blacks, and
it was now the duty of the North to take care
of them.
Richmond, April 21.— Arriving at Rich
mond, a most tremendous thunderstorm took
place. The loud peals of thuuder sounded
as if they would shake the whole city, and
the flashes of lightning were of such a
' character as to enlighten the whole country
around in such a manner, that distant objects
were seen quite distinctly. I had never pre
viously witnessed such a scene of awe-
inspiring grandeur. During the evening I
had an interesting conversation with Mrs.
Stockwell, respecting the colonization of
negroes in Liberii. I was opposed to the
plan, believing that the negroes would
become more prosperous as freedmen iu the
Southern Slates, than they would be in
Liberia. She assured me that the reports
which had reeently been received from
Liberia, were of a very satisfactory character.
Referring to the condition of the freedmen in—
Richmond, she said that a very bitter feeling
towards them existed amongst the former
slaveholders, for they would do nothing to
lessen their sufferings, and in many instances
they refused to pay them their wages justly
due. A lady had recently treated her servant
girl so badly, that an application had been
made to the Freedmen's Bureau on her
behalf. Officers were sent for protection, and
the girl left the house in their care. The
lady of the house told one of the officers he
might thank his stars that her pistols were
not in the house, for if they had been, she
would certainly have shot him. Many of the
former slaveholders had decided not to employ
the coloured people, and many who did
employ them cheated them out of their
wages. The Rev, Mr. Grimes told me that
trials were constantly going on in the court,
in consequence of wages not being paid
In one instance the wages of a freedman
amounted to seven and a-half dollars, and as
the master would not pay, the case was entered)
in the court, and when decided the master was
required to pay for wages and costs of court
tho sum of thirty -eight and a-half dollars. He
refused to pay, and an attachment was then
made by which some mules were seized and
would have been sold, had it not been for an-
/ other person coming forward who declared that
he had purchased the mules and theyhad no
right to seize them. In this way the poor negro
gets cheated out of his wages. The southern
ers do nothing in providing education for tbe
freedmen. All the teachers in Richmond are
paid from funds raised in the North, and in
some instances the funds are contributed by
children in the Sunday schools. Richmond is

a most beautiful city, its streets are wide, many
of the buildings elegant, and there is a pictu-
resqueness in its general aspect which gives it
a peculiar charm. Its length is much greater
than its breadth, and a deep ravine cuts the
city into two unequal parts the high ground
on each side affording extensive views.
22nd April, Sunday. Had a conversation
this morning with the Rev. Dr. Binney re
specting the condition of the freedmen in
Richmond, during which he gave me much
valuable information. He pointed out to me
a church in the city having 3,500 members,
and the number was constantly increasing.
The building was not sufficiently spacious to
hold more than 2,500 persons, and I even
doubt whether that number could be accomo
dated within its walls at any oue time, so that
all the members of the church never cau
meet on any day at the same time. This is
the largest church membership to be found
in the United States. 1 attended a Baptist
Church, of which the Rev. Mr. Randolph, a
coloured person, is the pastor. There was a
large congregation. I was introduced to a
lady, Mrs. Haviland, who had been engaged
four months in Virginnia, labouring amongst
the freedmen, and had distributed amongst
them clothing worth many thousands of dol
lars. She said that, judging from the obser
vations she had been enabled to make, three-
fourths of the men and four-fifths of the
women in the state of Virginnia were still
rebels, notwithstanding the failure of their
cause. She told me that she had brought
from Louisiana, about fifty pounds weight of
iron collars, knee stiffeners, &c, formerly
worn by slaves who had run away. One,
whose slave name was Uncle Jim had worn a
collar two years, it was made in two parts,
aud rivetted together. When he died there
waj no means of taking off the collar except
by cutting off his head, and this was done,
his master was George Rolston, an officer in
the Conf'ed' rate army. She mentioned a num
ber of cases of great hardship which had come
under her observation.
23rd of April, Dr. Mansfield called upon
me this morning, and took me round tire city
to see the various objects of interest. I saw
Limbkin's gaol where it had been usual to
place negroes in gangs and keep them till they
were sold. I also visited Libby Prison, in
which General Neal Dow was confined ; and.
Castle Thunder, also a notorious place for the
rigour with which prison discipline was car
ried out in the punishment of Northern soldiers
who had been made prisoners during the late
war. I was shown the oldest house in Rich
mond, the one which was used by General
Washington as his head-quarters. It is known

198

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

by the appellation of " The Old Stone House."
I was also shown the burnt district of the city,
which was set on fire by the Confederates when
Richmond fell. Many of the owners of pro
per y in the city set fire to it with their own
hands, under an impression that it was better
for the property to be destroyed, rather than
it should fall into the hands of the Northern
soldiers. Those who allowed their property to
remain undestroyed, in many instances had it
restored to them, and it was very mortifying
to those who had destroyed their own pro
perty to find that if they had allowed it to
remain it might still have been in their own
possession. There was a terrible explosion
when the Confederate stores of ammunition
were set on fire ; the bursting ofthe torpedoes,
shells, &c, spread dreadful havoc around.
The Spottiswood hotel, the largest in the city,
was spared in the destruction which was
almost general in that part of the city. The
post office was not destroyed, although the
fire extended quite beyond it. Many of the
buildings are now being re-erected, and some
ot them will be on a more magnificent scale
than they were before. Dr. Mansfield told
me that he was with the Northern army, and
was present in seventeen general engagements,
and many skirmishes. He was never woun
ded but once when he was engaged dressing
a soldier's arm, a bullet passed through his
overcoat, so that he had a very narrow escape.
He had one horse shot under him, and one
horse was wounded twice. I visited the
monument of Henry Clay, the statesman,
situate on Capital Hill. During the late war
the fingers and thumbs of the statue had got
broken off. I also visited General Washing
ton's monument which consists of an eques
trian statue. It is said to be the best repre
sentation of Washington which was evermade,
and the only one which was taken from life.
I made an inspection ofthe State House in
which the Confederate Congress had been
accustomed to assemble. In the Rotunda
there was only one niche occupied, and
that was with a bust of Lafayette. I
was shown a breastplate which had been worn
by one of the Northern generals during the
late war, it was marked with bullets. I as
cended to the top of the Capitol, and a very
fine landscape was presented to my view.
The governor's house, the various public
edifices, the James River, and the country
around for miles were distinctly visible.
When descending the Rotunda, 1 was shown
marks in the wall which had been made by
bullets fired by two editors of newspapers in
Richmond. It would seem that they were
better marksmen with their pens than they
were with their pistols, for in their leading

articles they had made such deep impressions,
that nothing would satisfy them except to
fight a duel in the State House, hut they were
such poor marksmen, that neither of them got
hit, although one fired three times. If they
could not shoot a living man, they could do
something better for they very nearly shot a
dead statue, for I observed that tho tassel of
Washington's sword had been shot away.
The editors of the Richmond newspapers are
remarkable for their pugnacity, and I was
told that this propensity was characteristic of
the South generally. I went to the late resi
dence of ex-president Davis, and found it to be
a beautiful house and pleasantly situated. It
was now occupied by General Terry, who had
military command of this district. Dr Mans
field told me that many of the fine houses
were occupied by very poor persons, and the
houses were miserably furnished. Their
blankets and carpeting had been given up for
the service of the hospitals and the soldiers,
for the people of Richmond had made most
tremendous sacrifices, keeping nothing back
which they could dispense with that would be
serviceable to the Southern cause. Many in
Richmond expected that they would be suc
cessful even up to the very time of the fall of
hthe city. When the Northern soldiers entered
the city, the coloured people were filled with
delight. If the Yankee soldiers had been
angels they could not have been treated better
for they were embraced and kissed by the
coloured people as they passed along the
street. Some of the soldiers were Irishmen,
and having a strong dislike to the negroes,
they pushed them back with disgust, and
injured some ofthe women with their bayo
nets. The negroes did not know the differ
ence between the Yankees and the Irish, and
therefore they treated all alike. Amongst
the white citizens of Richmond the spirit of
rebellion is still active. Ou Saturday last, a
number of men who formerly belonged to
the Confederate army were exercising at
drill in rebel uniform. A school teacher
from the North observing what was going on
went immediately to the school and hoisted
the Uuited States flag, being determined
that if they would exercise in such a manner
it should be within sight of the stars and
. stripes. The same teacher, Miss Foster,
gives instructions to negro women at an in
dustrial school, and having taught a woman
to make little coats for children, she was one
day examining the work, and found that some
buttons which were out of sight had been
very neatly stitched. She told the woman
that as the buttons were out of sight, it
would not be necessary to be so very parti
cular. The woman replied, that although

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199

the buttons were out of sight, she knew that\
the Lord could see them, and, therefore, she)
would do them well for his sake.
^While in Richmond, 1 occasionally met
with persons who had suffered considerably
because they refused to join the rebel cause.
One of these was Mr. Wardwell, who had
lived fifteen years in this city. When the
confederacy was formed he refused to take the
oath of allegiance, and was consequently put
in prison, and was kept there two years.
There were old men 84 years of age cast into
prison at the same time, together with boys
of twelve. Even women and girls were cast
into prison if they did not take the oath of
allegiance to the Southern authorities. There
were 1 44 citizen prisoners who died in prison
while he was there. He had seen as many in
gaol at once as could lie on the floor close to
each other, and he had known as many as four
dead bodies amongst them. His own suffer
ings from hunger were such, that if at one
time he had been in possession of the city of
New York, he would have given it all for a
crust of bread the size of his fingers He had
known men die in the prison for want of
bread. He ultimately succeeded in getting
from prison, and across the enemy's line, and
joined the Northern army, where he continued
to serve till the fall of Richmond. In the'
evening I attended a concert in the First
African Baptist Church, which took place for
the purpose of raising funds for the erection
of a school for coloured children. It was be
lieved that the school would get burned down
if erected, but they were nevertheless disposed,
to go on with the erection.
24th April. — Visited a school under the~\
management of Miss Howe. There are about
400 children taught here, and although the
school was only commenced in October last,
the children have made very rapid progress.
They could say from memory the multiplica
tion table, backward and forward, could spell
words of five or six syllables, could answer
questions in geography quite correctly, could
siug beautifully, and Miss Howe, who h&d
been a teacher in the State of Maine, said she
never knew children iu the North learn so
fast as the coloured children did in Richmond.
I heard some of the children read verv well
indeed. I visited another school under the
management of Miss Hancock, and I never
saw children equally advanced who had had
so little training. A negro man was writing
his first copy book, and he did it very nicely
indeed. I also visited the Ebenezer Baptist
School where there were about 400 children
taught, and here, as at other places, there was
a perfect race for learning, all appearing to be
doing their very best. I visited the Monu

mental Episcopal Church, which is erected on,
the site of a theatre which was burned down,
and 72 persons lost their lives, amongst whom
was the then Governor of Virginia A monu
ment has been raised in front of the church as
a memorial of the sufferers from the sad acci
dent. The church is a beautiful structure.
In the evening I attended a mass meeting con
nected with the Grand State Division of the
Sons of Temperance. The meeting was held
in Dr. Borrow's church, and there was a large
attendance. After speaking at the meeting,
many came to give me a cordial welcome.
25th April. — Visited, by invitation, the
Richmond Times office, after which I attended
the Grand State Division of the Sons of
Temperance. I also visited St. John's Church,
the oldest church in Virginia. It was in this
edifice that Patrick Henry delivered his
famous oration, when ho said, "Give me
liberty, or give me death." The steeple of
the church was blown down during a hurri
cane about two years ago, but it is expected
to be re-erected shortly.
26th April. — Went to Capitol Square, and
had my attention directed to a building which
was without windows. A lady told me that
it was the old Court House, which was burned
when the Confederates set fire to the city.
She told me that during the war her husband
was compelled to serve in the Richmond
militia for very small pay, and if he had re
fused to do so he would have been cast into
prison. Speaking of the coloured people she
said she was not prejudiced against them, but
rather than they should be placed on an
equality with the white population, she would
leave the country. Her son, a young man of
mature growth, joined our company and took
part in the conversation. He said that he
was a member of the Baptist Church, yet he
would not shake hands with a coloured per
son although he might be a Christian. I told
him that in my estimation his profession of
Christianity was very little better than infi
delity. Later in the day I met with a young
man who had been in the Confederate army
four years and two months. He said, that
While in the army he sometimes was inclined
to desert and join the Northern cause, for his
pay in the Confederacy was very small, being
at first eleven dollars per month, and after
wards seventeen dollars per month. Payment
was made in Confederate currency, and as it
took 120 dollars of currency to equal in value
one dollar in gold, a soldier's pay would not
stand for very much. As rations, he was
only supplied with one pint of Indian corn
meal per day, and he thought that it was well
he had no more, because the limited quantity
caused him always to eat it with a relish

200

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

which would not have been the case had the
supply been larger. He had known as many
as 100 men desert at once and go over to the
Northern cause, and the war would not have
terminated so soon if it had not been for de
sertions. The discipline in the Southern
army was very severe. One man went home
seven days, another three days, and another
was on his way home, but all three were
brought back and shot in the presence of their
comrades. This. was done to prevent deser
tions, but it had not the desired effect. I re
mained in Richmond .several weeks, during
which I had interviews with his excellency,
Mr. Francis Pierpoint, Governor of Virginia,
and found him to be a very affable gentleman,
willing to communicate information relative to
the condition of the State, its agricultural and
mineral resources, its vast water power, and
its adaptability for manufacturing enterprise.
I inspected the governor's garden, but did not
find much floral decoration, and, indeed, I
think that America is far behind England in
this respect, for neither the public parks, nor
the private gardens of the wealthy, can at all
compare with what I have frequently seen in
England. The most beautiful garden I saw
in America was in the Grand Circus at De
troit, for there was much artistic taste dis
played in laying out the flower beds, but
vegetation was so rank, and the flower stems
so high, as to give quite a straggling appear
ance, and this was a lessening of its beauty.
Before leaving the district, I paid a visit to
Petersburgh to witness the ravages produced
by the late war, and in order that I might
more fully accomplish this object, I resolved
to proceed by way of the James River to City
Point, and thus have a view of the obstruc
tions placed to prevent the approach of the
gunboats up the river, and see the formidable
means of defence which had been prepared for
the protection of the city of Richmond. I
saw Drury's Bluff, sometimes called Fort
Darling, against which the gunboats weie
brought into play, when General M'Clellan
was in command of the Northern forces. I
also saw Chappin's Bluff, and other points
which had been strongly fortified. Through
out a distance of ten or twelve miles on each
side of the river breastworks had been thrown
up, so that no vessel could have come within
reach without being liable to be destroyed.
The observatory which was erected under the
direction of General Butler, still remains, and
presents the appearance of an immensely tall
scaffolding, which can be distinctly seen for
many miles. The object for which this ob
servatory was erected, was to enable the
general in command to observe at a distance
the movements of the enemy, It must have

been a perilous position for a watchman to
occupy, for he was liable to be shot down any
moment. The Confederates repeatedly sent
their, balls through it, but being constructed
of chain-work, the damages could soon be re
paired. In passing the Dutch Gap Canal, I
observed that everything was in a very dilapi
dated condition. A bend in the James River
at this place gives a circuit of seven miles,
although the distance gained is only a few
hundred yards. It was intended by the
formation of this canal, to shorten the sailing
distance, and also avoid the Confederate forti
fications, but engineering skill was not equal
to the occasion, and the works now remain an
evidence of industry misapplied. As I pro
ceeded down the river, I was shown what was
said to be before the war the best cultivated
farm in all Virginia. Its proprietor was
once, I believe, an orphan boy, named Morgan,
and a wealthy man named Allen offered to
make him his heir providing he would take
his name. He consented, and consequently
he is now called William Morgan Allen. His
estates were so extensive that he was the
owner of 2,000 slaves, and the one farm I saw
had produced 300,000 bushels of wheat.
While the war was in progress, there were
30,000 horses belonging to the Northern
army feeding on this farm at one time. Mr.
Allen was once asked what he had lost by the
war, and he said he had lost 1,000,000 dols.
in negro flesh alone. A gentleman on the
steamer told me he had a friend that lost
almost all his property during the war, for the
Yankees burned down his three tobacco fac
tories, and when he had nothing left but an
hotel in Richmond, he sold that, and with the
proceeds he purchased 30,000 acres of land
in Texas at half-a-dollar per acre, and paid
for it in Confederate money. Since the war
closed he had two-and-a-half dollars per acre
offered in good money for his land, and had
refused to accept the offer ; believing that it
would realise more. This was the only good
speculation he had ever made. On approach
ing City Point, which is situated fifty mries
from Richmond, by way of the James River,
and only fifteen miles by land, I heard one of
the passengers say that City Point was a very
mean place, being chiefly inhabited by negroes,
but he hoped the cholera would come and
wipe them all out of existence. On speaking
to Mr. Wardwell about the unjustifiable pre
judice entertained against the coloured race
by Southern people, Mr. Wardwell said that
during the cold weather, which was unusually
severe last winter, he heard a religious man —
a member of a Baptist Church in Richmond
— say that he hoped the winter would be
evere enough to freeze all the negroes to

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201

death. I cannot account for the existence of
so much opposition to the negroes amongst
the Baptists, for I met with more negroes'
who were Baptists, than there were belonging
to any other denomination. I took the rail -
way cars from City Point to Pctersburgh, and
found the whole distance on each side com
pletely lined with fortifications, some of which
had bdonged to the North, and others had
belonged to the South, for the two armies
were here so close together, that for months
in succession they could fire on each other
A gentleman who sat next to me in the rail
way car, told me that if they could have got
General Grant to move off five miles further,
the Confederates would have made another
line of defence which would have saved the
city, but they could not shake him off, and the
consequence was that the doomed city had to
be given up, for it could be defended no
longer. After viewing what was interesting
at Petersburgh, I strolled away about two or
three miles to see the celebrated crater which
was made when General Burnside was in
command. 1 found that this was the great
attraction throughout this district, and that
the farmer who owned the land had found it
to he a very profitable speculation to charge, I
think it was half-a-dollar for each person who
visited the place. I was told that he some
times made ten dollars during the day. This
crater was formed by the blowing up of a
Confederate fortification, a work in which
BurnsiJe was engaged a considerable time.
The two armies were very close to each other
and Burnside conceived the idea of making an
underground mine, and then filling it with
gunpowder and other explosive materials, and
when the explosion took place, for a grand
charge to be made. The scheme, however,
was a failure, for out of the 400 men who
were selected to make the charge, 295 perished
in the attempt. The place is a considerable
elevation, being 160 feet higher than Peters
burgh. A good view of the surrounding
country could be obtained, for I could dis
tinctly see General Butler's observatory which
was 22 miles distant. The explosion opened
about half-a-mile of the Confederate fortifica
tions, and it was said by some who witnessed
it, that two hundred bodies were thrown into
the air to a great distance. On the 18th June
and the 30th July, 1864, 20,000 lives were
lost on 40 acres of ground at this place 1
was shown one grave which was five feet deep,
six feet wide, and 250 yards long which was
filled with dead bodies which had been piled
one upon another. I saw the bones protrud
ing in all directions, the earth having been
wished away by the rain I saw another
grave where 52, and another where 94 had

been buried, and there were hundreds of other
graves scattered about the farm. One thing
I observed which was very remarkable. A
great portion of the vegetation consisted of
sassafras and wild strawberries, the latter
being in full flower, and the farmer told me
that he could gather bushels of wild straw
berries in a single day when they were ripe,
they were so very numerous. Very little of
the vegetation exceeded from six to twelve
inches in height, but I observed that over the
places where many bodies had been interred,
the stems of some of the plants were 74 inches
high. It was quite curious to see the differ
ence wherever bodies had been interred. Mr.
Griffiths, the owner of the farm, has made a
register of such of the bodies which he knows
to have been interred there, and it includes
soldiers from every State in the American
Union. The body of Lieutenant Hamlin was
washed out of the ground eight months after
the explosion, and he was recognised by the
fact that in the vest pocket was the photo
graph of a young lady to whom he was en
gaged to be married. Shortly before my visit
to the crater a carriage drove up to the ground,
and presently a lady and gentleman and two
servants proceeded to exhume a body which
had been interred eighteen months. They
found it only a foot and a half from the sur
face, and instead of being a putrid mass, as
they expected, the corpse retained so much of
its natural expression, that the mother could
recognise her son at once. A person who wit
nessed the scene said it was very affecting
indeed, to listen to the pathetic language ex
pressed by the mother. When I had seen all
the principal places of interest in the district,
I returned to Richmond in the evening by the '
same railroad which the Confederates used
during the war. During my stay in Richmond
I visited many of the churches, some of which
are beautiful structures. St. Paul's Church
will seat 1115 persons, and occupies a com
manding position in Capitol Square. It was
in this church where Mr. Jefferson Davis was
attending service when the telegram reached
him from General Lee, informing him that the
day was lost, and urging him to make his
escape from the city. Notwithstanding the
beauty of the churches of Richmond, the
congregations have nothing but b:re seats to
sit upon, for all the cushions were used for
hospital purposes and the people are too poor to
purchase others. The poverty of the citizens is
shown in various ways. Previous to the war
it wf.s a very fashionable place, and the ladies
wore very costly dresses, but during the war
they spent their money on Confederate bonds
and consequently they have not been able to
purchase new dresses. /The negroes are almost

202

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

the only persons in Richmond who have ready
money to spare, for when the war broke out
instead of purchasing Confederate bonds, they
buried their gold and silver in secret places,
and now the sight is not rare to see a negro
woman having her person decorated with a
rich lace shawl, purchased at a very reduced
rate from a city belle, for the citizens are very
wishful to be put in possession of hard cash,
and will sell their valuables at a reduced
rate to obtain it. In this city there are at
present thirty different secret societies
amongst the negroes, anl all their funds are
in gold and silver, but a friend of mine in
whom the negroes have great confidence,
recommended them to convert their gold
into currency, as he believed that they would
secure a saving of twenty per ceDt. in a
very little time. Whether they would con
sent to the proposal I cannot say, for they
are very fond of gold and silver, atid will
sometimes prefer to bury their treasure
rather than put it out to interest. They
are very original in their ideas, and this
remark applies to their sayings as well as
to their doings. A negro woman recently
converted to religion gave expression to her
ecstatic feeling by saying, " I am now free
from sin and slavery ; bless the Lord and
General Grant." During the war the citi
zens of Richmond were so accustomed to
use a well known adjective when speaking
of people in the North, that the negroes
became so familiar with this form of ex
pression, that one of them has been known
to put forth the following petition, " Lord
bless the d — d Yankees," and without doubt
all the people would say " Amen," for all
their prayers are very emphatic.
Before leaving Richmond I paid a visit to
Tredegar Iron works, which formerly em
ployed 1,000 hands but at present there are
only about 150. It is supposed that at this
place there is the largest furnace in the
United States, for they can melt 100,000 lbs.
of pig iron at once. Here I saw a gun which
was being made for the Confederate service
at the time when the war was brought to a
close. It was intended to fire off a ball weigh
ing 620 lbs. When Richmond was evacuated,
the Federals took possession of the iron works
here, considering them contraband of war,
because the manufacture of war material had
been carried on here for the rebel cause.
Here I saw a small Turbine waterwheel which
would turn 600 feet of shafting. It was re
presented to be of 1 00 horse power.
The account of "My American Tour" has
already extended far beyond the limits at first
proposed, but my transatlantic visit was to me
so exceedingly interesting, and the field of ob

servation so extensive and varied, that the
great difficulty has been to determine what
to'leave out of my description, rather than
what to put in. I purpose to give a synopsis
of the rest of my American journeyings, in
order to bring my observations to a close,
reserving details for a future opportunity.
Visited Eelle Isle, a depot for prisoners during
the late war. It is said that it will always
retain its notoriety as a place of almost un
heard of cruelty ; six acres of land, en
closed by an earthwork three feet high, con
fined as many as 10,000 prisoners at once.
In this place they were exposed to the sum
mer's burning sun without the shadow of a
single tree, and in the winter to the cold
damp winds which came up the river, without
protection from the night fogs of a malarious
region, except a few tents in which as many
as could, took refuge, and the rest had to lie
on the ground in the open air. In some in
stances their inhuman captors took from them
the blankets that covered them, the gloves
from their hands, and the shoes from their
feet. Some were so badly frost bitten that
they lost the use of their toes, and some were
even frozen to death. They were so badly
fed that even the sick in the hospital did not
receive sufficient food to appease the knawings
of hunger. But it was not on Belle Isle alone
where the prisoners suffered, for the Castle
Thunder prison was a very chamber of horrors,
and the culmination of earthly misery. Here
there was inflexible rule, and stern authority,
and inexorable law, and the death penalty for
small infractions. The Libby Prison generally
contained 1,200 and sometimes 1,300 prisoners
at once although the size of the building was
not very large. Very little glass were in the
windows, for they chiefly consisted of gratings.
and in the depth of winter with very little clo
thing the prisoners were obliged to keep in
action to prevent themselves from being frozen
and they could seldom get any sleep except
during the day when the kindly beams of the
sun imparted sufficient warmth to lull them
to the arms of tired nature's sweet restorer,
balmy sleep. They had frequently to suffer
for want of food, and sometimes they lacked
the most common utensils in which to have
their provisions served. An eye witness de
clared that he had seen men draw their bean
soup in their shoes, for the want of a cup,
plate, or anything of the kind to put it in.
When not served with soup, the daily rations
consisted of two ounces of stale beef, and a
small lump of hard corn bread, yet notwith
standing the privations which these men ex
perienced, their quenchless love of the national
cause made them willing to do and to dare, to
suffer and to die, rather than Confederate des-

203

MY AMERICAN TOUR.

potism should be permitted to live. I con
versed freely with a number of persons who
were eye witnesses of the sad sufferings which
the prisoners had to endure. On leaving
Richmond I visited Fortress Monroe, and on
two occasions I saw the Confederate ex-presi
dent, Mr. Jefferson Davis. After visiting
Norfolk, Portsmouth, and other places in Vir
ginnia, I proceeded in a southern direction
through a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp,
and found the appellation most appropriate.
I passed through a considerable portion of the
district over which General Sherman's army
marched victoriously, and many were the memo
rials still visible of that celebrated campaign.
I had the pleasure of a personal interview with
this distinguished general, and when I told
him that I was from England, he replied "Eng
land, Oh ! England." I thought from the man
ner in which he expressed himself respecting
England, that his thoughts were directed to
the Alabama and the steam Rams made in
England for the Confederate service. I visited
Wilmington on Cape Fear River, celebrated
for blockade running exploits. When passing
through North Carolina, I met with a number
of gentlemen who were engaged in a mission
which had my warm approval. Influenced by
motives of patriotism, philanthropy, religion,
and personal emolument, they were forming a
joint stock company for the purchase of sou
thern cotton lands. I was shown a schedule
setting forth the probable expenditure and
income, from which it appeared that if the
calculations were well grounded, they would be
able to declare a dividend of 75 per cent for the
first year, and 125 per cent for the second year.
The plan was very comprehensive, including
the employment of teachers to instruct the
negroes on the plantations I spent several
weeks in Charleston, South Carolina, visitin
objects of interest in the locality. I was pain
fully interested in passing through the Se;
Island district, to see so many coloured persons
having no employment, and no means of sub
sistence. Having an opportunity of pur>i
chasing a small Sea Island, fgavo instructions
for it to be divided into cotton farms so as to I
employ a number of negro families, who were /
literally starving to death, many having I
already perished from want. I had many
opportunities of witnessing the effects of free
dom amongst the negro population, and am 7
satisfied that during the transition period, the I
freedmen generally are in a far worse condition /
than they were while in a state of slavery, \
but their condition will very much improve /
when the cotton lands are again brought into

cultivation. Visited Savannah in Georgia,
and made myself familiar with the process of
cotton ginning. On leaving, the steamer was
stranded by coming in contact with the ob
structions placed in the river by the con
federates, causing a detention of twenty-
four hours. Subsequently I visited different
parts of the State of Pennsylvania ; crossed
the Alleghany mountains into Ohio ; traversed
the prairies of Indiana and Illinois ; spent
about a fortnight in Wisconsin, making myself
familiar with farming in the Far West ; cross
ed the river Mississippi at Prairie Du Chien,
and went into Iowa, an extensive corn
growing district where the population is
making rapid progress. On returning I
passed through a considerable portion of
Canada, visiting some of its leading cities,
and the district of the late Fenian raids. I
was much interested in a tour to the oil
regions of Canada West, the impressive sce
nery connected with Niagara Falls, the
fashionable watering place of Saratoga, and
other places in the Eastern States. Every
where I met with genial Spirits, the kindest
hospitality, and the most cordial welcomes.
My memory is literally crowded with rem-
inisences of the most pleasing character,
aud I regard the year that I spent in Amer
ica as the happiest year of my life. " My
American Tour" has been the accomplish
ment of an object which has ever stood
before me as the great dream of my life, and
I shall ever cherish the fond recollections of
my visit to America, as the most pleasurable
I ever experienced. In sailing over its ex
pansive lakes and its mighty rivers ; in
crossing its lofty mountains and its extensive
prairies ; in visiting its populous cities and
its rural districts ; in investigating its min
eral and agricultural resources, and its manu
facturing skill and enterprise, there was an
attractive novelty which was constantly stimu
lative, and afforded the very highest gratifi
cation. Should life be spared, and suitable oppor
tunity presented, it is my intention to give
further details of my tour in the Southern and
Western States, including my adventure
among the Indians, and also my impressions
of Canada and its people. I have not the
slightest doubt that the United States of
America are destined to become the richest,
most powerful, and most intelligent nation
under heaven, and I shall be able to present
a variety of reasons which will make this
supposition probable.

THE END.

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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