THE GREAT COUNTKY;
OR,

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA

THE GREAT COUNTEY;
OR,

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA.

BY

GEORGE ROSE, M.A.,
" ARTHUR SKETCHLEY,"

"Sir, this is a Great Country."
CHORUS OF AMERICANS.

LONDON:
TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE ST., STRAND.
1868.
[All

Rights

reserved.]

LONDON:
BRADBURY, EVANS, A.ND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.

TO

HIS GRACE

HENEY FITZALAN, DUKE OF NORFOLK,
EARL

THIS

WORK

MARSHAL,

IS AFFECTIONATELY

INSCRIBED

BY

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.
THE oft-repeated assertion of Americans, that
America is a wonderful country, no one can contradict who has visited it. For this country, wonderful in extent of territory, and still more wonderful
as evidencing what human industry and perseverance
can achieve, Nature has done much both by her own
direct operation, and also by the co-operation of man.
One hears with amazement of millions of square miles
of arable land, of coal, iron, lead, copper, and gold
in abundance, of food, both animal and vegetable,
in superabundant quantity. All this, ready as it
were to man's hand, he has merely to come to, to
utilize and consume. Some political economists in
our own country point to America as a sort of
Utopian state of society, to which we should strive
our utmost to attain. This sounds very well, and
has been so often repeated, that it has forced itself
on the attention of many thinking people. Let us
from these theories turn to the fact, and contem-

Vlll

PEEFACE.

plate America as it is. The North, with its hands
reeking with its brothers' blood, exulting, insolent,
and victorious ; the South, crushed, but still defiant,
panting to imbrue its hands afresh in the blood of
the North—breathing out nothing but vengeance
and hatred against its victors—ready to hail foreign
annexation, or even despotism, in preference to
submission to Congress. Turn to the governing
powers, and what do we see but an unseemly and
undignified struggle between parties, not in vindication of any great principle, but a scries of mere
political dodges by which influence may be gained
for the ensuing Presidential election; the most
shameless system of plunder carried on in every
department of the Government; corrupt judges
receiving bribes from those in authority, who are
brought to the tribunal of justice for wholesale embezzlement; office regarded merely as a means of
self-aggrandizement by all who hold it; every species
of wrong and robbery pervading the whole system,
and only tolerated by those out of office because
they are waiting their turn to come in for a share
of the public spoliation. These charges, sweeping
as they may seem, are brought by the Americans
themselves. Each section of the public press denounces the conduct of opponents, whilst it observes

PREFACE.

IX

a discreet silence as to the doings of its own party.
Everything is a gross job. New York is perhaps
one of the worst lighted, worst paved, worst kept
cities in the world, considering its size and importance. The condition of its streets would disgrace
Timbuctoo, and when you express astonishment at
such a state of things, the reply is that the municipality is the most corrupt in the world, and that
there is no thought of attempting to reform it.
Americans are very fond of expatiating on the
faults and defects of other nations ; they do not
hesitate to offer advice to their neighbours generally,
and adopt a tone of superiority which, to say the
least, is in questionable taste, even if it were not
utterly untenable. Were they content to take their
true place in the social scale, it would be all very
well; but they have an opinion that, as a nation,
they are as great morally as they are physically
extensive. Let us examine the claim, and see on
what it is based. No one but a mean-minded, ungenerous person would intentionally twit either a
man or a nation with inferiority of origin, unless
either should forget its antecedents .and assume an
undue position. This is the American fault. An
overweening self-esteem, a conceit without bounds,
and a total absence of both taste and refinement, are

x

PBEFACE.

the blots on the national character.

Pray do not

cry out against me that I am attacking Americans
wholesale, and denying that there are admirable
members of society to be found in that country.
What I mean to assert is, that the better class is in
such a minority, or else so overborne by the noisy,
clamorous crowd of politicians, that it shrinks from
any sort of publicity.

It is very certain that, as a

rule, men of respectability abstain from politics.
When a man goes into politics, or takes to drinking, he is regarded by his friends as equally lost.
Politics are a trade, and a most disreputable one,
entered into by adventurers and knaves of the worst
kind.
to.

Nothing is too vile for a politician to stoop
And these I am sure are the views of the

vast majority of respectable Americans.

What I

write will not be palatable to the general public in
that country, but I am emboldened in making my
statements by the knowledge that I am expressing
the sentiments of all those whose good opinion
is of any value.

In writing, I am not requiting

with ingratitude hospitality and kindness received.
I am not violating the sanctity of private life.

I am

only writing of America as it appears on the surface
to a traveller.

I am acquainted intimately with but

few Americans, the valued friends I possess in that

.PHI • .ICE.

XI

land being chiefly my fellow-countrymen. I judge
America from its journals, its hotels, and such intercourse with the people as travelling has enabled rne
to have. I feel less hesitation in speaking plainly
on this subject, as I am assured by the press that
Americans have lost all their sensitiveness, and are
quite indifferent to the opinion of foreigners. I wish
it to be understood that it is not my design to
institute comparisons between America and Great
Britain. I am sensible of the defects of both countries ; nor would I shrink from stating my honest
convictions with regard to my native land, should
the occasion present itself, as I have now recorded my candid opinion of a country which
I regard as entirely foreign. The tone in which
I write may be attributed by some to disappointment ; but I beg to assure those who feel a kindly
interest in my affairs, that my visit to the United
States has not been a failure. I had a great desire
to see the country and people, in order that I might
write and speak about both, and I have secured
abundant material for my purpose. I had very
strong inducements to pay the visit for family
reasons. I certainly regret having seen so little
of Americans in private, though had I been better
acquainted with the inner life of the country I could

xii

PKEFACE.

have made but little use of any experience I had
acquired. Private life must ever be held sacred by
a writer who desires to be considered a gentleman.
With regard to my career as a public man in
America it is hardly worth referring to, beyond
stating how much obliged I feel for all the kind
encouragement I received in a country where I was
almost unknown, and from a people on whom I had
no sort of claim beyond that which courtesy and
good feeling demand for a foreigner. As far as my
entertainment is concerned I wTill say nothing, but
give a paragraph extracted from the New York
Tribune of the 9th May, written after my departure from New York :—
"DEPARTURE OF ARTHUR SKETCHLEY.

"The Java, which sailed on Wednesday, for
Liverpool, carried out among her passengers
Mr. Arthur Sketchley the humourist—author of
the Mrs. Broivn Papers—who, as our readers are
aware, has been in the United States since • last
autumn. In the course of his stay Mr. Sketchley
has made but few public appearances. His Mrs.
Brown entertainment, at Irving and at Dodworth
Halls, was altogether mismanaged by the business
agents who laid hold upon it, and therefore it did

PREFACE.

xiii

not, in tlie large sense of the word, attract the
attention of the public. Many saw it, however,
and all who saw it enjoyed it. Our own testimony
in its favour was promptly borne at the time; and
we have the pleasantest recollections of Mrs. Browns
comical garrulity, apt use of satirical imagery, shrewd
common sense, kindly domestic sentiment, and
homely goodness of heart. Mr. Sketchley lived in
retirement during most part of the time that he
was here, and thus made but few friends. To them,
howbeit, he commended himself by his amiability
and gentleness, his cheerful good-nature, his ready
sympathy, and his most various and amusing conversation. We cordially wish him a safe and speedy
voyage home, and steady and ever-increasing prosperity in the good work of amusing and cheering
his generation. No man in our time has a wider
or more important field of labour than the laughing
philosopher.''
In conclusion I may remark that, should the
opportunity present itself, I would willingly revisit
America, and should rejoice could I say with
sincerity that a second visit had effaced from my
memory all the unpleasant impressions which had
been made by the first. I am not writing bitterly

xiy

PREFACE.

or with the wish to undervalue the Americans, but
to do my best to dispel an illusion under which
some well-meaning Englishmen seem to be labouring, that it should be our aim to try and bring all
the institutions of our beloved country into closer
proximity with those of the United States. I write
the more confidently because I feel sure that all
Americans who are true-hearted, honest, and sincere,
agree with me, though it would be too much to
expect that they should avow it, for, like good
children, they do their best to conceal even that
which they deplore in the parental conduct.

CONTENTS.
4

Pago
THE EMPIRE CITY

1

BROADWAY

4

THEATRES

13

HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS

21

CONVEYANCES

27

THE LADrES

32

HABITS AND CUSTOMS AND CHARACTER .
EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS

.
•

.
.

.

35
.

.

BOARDING-HOUSES

41
59

MORALS, MARRUGE, AND DIVORCE

.

.

.

.

.

63

SERVANTS AND LABOURERS

68

FUNERALS AND CEMETERIES

71

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS, ETC

74

GENERAL REMARKS

78

BROOKLYN

84

JERSEY CITY

101

BALTIMORE

112

WASHINGTON

,

.

.

115

xvi

CONTENTS.
Page

RICHMOND

.147

CHARLESTON

167

MOBILE

178

NEW ORLEANS

.

.

187

MEMPHIS

208

MISSISSIPPI

210

ST. LOUIS

216

CHICAGO

.

ON THE RAIL

.

.
.

219
.

.

.

.

.

.

232

GENERAL REMARKS

239

EN ROUTE TO NIAGARA

244

BOSTON

•

249

SARATOGA

256

NIAGARA

266

A PEEP INTO CANADA

272

MONTREAL

275

OTTAWA

,

284

REMARKS ON CANADA

294

THE STATES AGAIN

299

REFLECTIONS

331

APPENDIX

347

THE GREAT COUNTRY.
THE EMPIRE CITY.
IT is universally acknowledged, both by natives
and foreigners, that New York is not a fair specimen
of an American City, made up as it is from all
nations; and the man who has visited it alone of
all the Cities of the Union, can know little or
nothing of America.
Such however are its wealth and importance that
it demands the especial attention of the visitor,
and must occupy a foremost place in any remarks
he may make on the country. Situated on two
fine rivers, and being practically the nearest point to
Europe, its commercial importance cannot be overrated for native enterprise; whilst its port, crowded
with vessels bearing the flags of all civilised nations, affords ample testimony to the appreciation
foreigners have of the advantages of trading with
it. The majority of its inhabitants is composed
of foreigners, or their immediate descendants, who
B

2

THE GBEAT COUNTEY.

have been lured from the Old World by the hope
of participating in the wealth of the New.
Though no one could speak of New York as a
beautifully situated city, yet the first impression
one gets of it from the deck of the steamer is
decidedly favourable. Staten Island is pretty ; with
its abundant foliage and elegant residences,
reminding one of the Isle of Wight. It is the
chosen abode of many of the English who cany on
business in New York, but has drawbacks in the
shape of fever and ague ; at least so say those
who live elsewhere, whilst its inhabitants speak
highly as to its sanitary condition. I have observed
this with regard to every other place that I know
on the face of the earth. Every man abuses his
neighbour's house, and praises his own: it is a
natural law instituted no doubt to scatter the
human race. The water front of New York is fine,
and admirably adapted for commercial purposes;
and were it adorned by handsome quays and noble
buildings, would be very striking; but its aspect is
that of an inferior sea-port, and with the exception
of Brooklyn Heights there is nothing worthy of
attention. Of the sight of these, those who arrive
by the Cunard Steamers are deprived, since they are
landed at a filthy dock on the Jersey City side.
Consequently first impressions of the Great Country
are not the most favourable.

THE EMPIRE CITY,

3

Through low and crowded streets the traveller is
conveyed to the ferry-boat which is to transport
him to New York,—known also by the highsounding name of tlie Empire City. The first
unpleasant shock he receives on reaching his place
of destination is the amount demanded for the
carriage, but as he is at the mercy of the driver in
the matter, it is as well to resign himself to his fate.

B 2

BROADWAY.
_ +_

an European Aeronaut to fall from his
balloon into the middle of Broadway, he would be
sadly puzzled to determine his exact whereabouts.
Men and things of all nations surround himStores bearing the differing aspects of Parts, Berlin,
Manchester and Liverpool are on every side ; and
though most of the names of men and places are
written in English, yet would he be very certain,
that at any rate he was not in London.
New York is in fact a thing of shreds and patches.
Crowds throng the streets, speaking English, but
not English people in appearance. The luxuries of
Europe are displayed in shop windows, the proprietors being from all nations. Our stranger would
be equally certain that he was not in Paris, as the
ill-regulated, badly-paved, filthy condition of the
streets would amply testify; to say nothing of the
pathway being constantly blocked up by large
packing-cases, and other heavy articles, which are
allowed to remain before the doors, for the convenience of the proprietors, to the great hindrance
of the traffic, as passers-by can only overcome these
WERE

BROADWAY.

5

obstacles by climbing, or evade them by going out
into the carriage-way, a proceeding involving plenty
of both dirt and danger.
The streets are crowded with vehicles of every
sort, driven by ruffians totally ignorant of the art of
driving, who dash on regardless of every impediment
to their progress, seeming to delight in running into
other vehicles. The police has some slight control
over their movements, but exercises it with moderation. The mud in wet weather, and the dust in
dry, render walking along Broadway especially disagreeable, whilst riding is both dear and dangerous.
Let me, however, be systematic, and begin with a
description of the street, which is said to be seven
miles long, from the Battery to some remote and
uninhabited part of the island, on which the city is
situated.
The Battery, as its name indicates, was formerly
one of the defences, and is situated at the extreme
south point of the city. Its hostile character has
been long since laid aside; at one time it was used
as an opera-house, in which the celebrated Jenny
Lind first appeared in America. It is now in the
occupation of the Board, of Emigration, or more
properly speaking Immigration ; and here is a large
establishment where the poor immigrants are landed
and receive much kindness from philanthropic
individuals, who supply them with such information

0

TIIE GREAT COUNTRY.

and assistance as their circumstances demand, and
guard them from the thieves who infest the landing
places of the city, and lie in wait for the stranger,
to plunder him under the pretence of forwarding his
interests in the New World. There is a hospital
for those who are in need of such an institution,
and well-meaning individuals are at hand with
tracts and exhortations for both Germans and Irish,
which the latter reject or receive with supreme
contempt The Germans accept both: it is something gained to*get a tract for nothing. There is
nothing to commend the Battery as a night, for it is
in a miserable locality; nor can much be said for a
shabby-looking square called the Bowling Green,
from which Broadway may be said to commence.
It would be a fine street were it not wanting in
breadth, and almost destitute of handsome buildings. The City Hall is of course the most important, but it is a common-place affair, well situated,
having an open space in front of it called the
Park, on which it is in contemplation to erect the
new Post Office. It will be a pity to sacrifice this
breathing ground, as it would be easy to convert
S t Paul's (a hideous edifice), into the Post Office.
The church, like many of those in London, is no
longer wanted, the congregation having ceased to
reside in that part of - the city. - I t would only be
transferring the Post Office from one ecclesiastical

BttOADWAY.

l

building to another, as it at present occupies an
old church, in a by-street, remarkable as having
been used as a prison by the English when they
crushed the outbreak of rebellion in New York, just
prior to the abandonment of the American colonies
by the British Crown. The City Hall is "built
of white marble," which sounds well: had black or
any darker colour been selected for the steps and
passages, it would have been better, as then the
stains of tobacco juice, which always defile them,
would not have been so conspicuous. The ordinary
municipal business is conducted here in a style
corresponding to that of a county court in one of
our provincial towns.
Before proceeding up Broadway, we must turn
out of the great thoroughfare a few yards, and visit
Wall Street, the great gold-market of the United
States. Here the most intense excitement prevails
for several hours during the day, as the price of the
precious metal fluctuates, not only within the Stock
Exchange itself and the gold-room, but among a
large crowd in the street, also deeply agitated by the
rise or fall of the market, which is influenced it may
be by political events, foreign or domestic, or by
some playful manoeuvre of dealers or speculators.
It has been whispered that Members of Congress,
have used their position in bringing forward
motions calculated to affect the gold-market, in

8

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

which they had a personal interest. So keen are
many of the Wall Street speculators, that they
carry on business at hotels up town after the hour at
which the Stock Exchange is closed. At a short
distance from Wall Street, the Treasury and Custom
House are situated, neither building being worthy of
more than cursory mention.
Close to St. Paul's stands Trinity Church, said to
be richly endowed. Its revenues are derived from
grants made by Queen Anne, and its affairs are
conducted by a corporation, which will no doubt
some day become a subject for state legislation. It
is a modern building, with no claim to architectural
merit; the steeple renders it conspicuous among the
buildings which surround it. Several buildings
which were formerly used as churches have been
pulled down, or converted into stores. One, now a
theatre, on Broadway, still maintains its ecclesiastical
exterior. In most cases a church is merely a matter
of private enterprise; should it or the preacher
cease to be fashionable, the one is dismissed, and the
other devoted to some more profitable line of business. The Catholic Churches in the immediate
neighbourhood of Broadway are handsome, and the
cathedral in the course of erection on Fifth Avenue,
is of white marble, and promises to be one of the
ornaments of the city. It was iiie design of "the
late Archbishop Hughes to have an illuminated cross

13E0ADWAY.

9

on the summit of the steeple, which would serve as
a lighthouse.
The church which is used at present as a cathedral by the Catholics, has been lately restored and
redecorated with much taste. There are also several
other fine Catholic churches in Barclay Street, the
Jesuits* Church in Sixteenth Street, and St, Stephen's
Church in Twenty-second or third Street, are
celebrated for their fine music.
The Universalist Churches are well kept, and they
have more than one popular preacher attached to
them. St Paul's Church, to which reference has been
already made, was once the principal church in the
city. Here it was that Washington used to attend
service on Sundays, in great state, being d rawn m a
coach and four, with Lady Washington, as she was
called, no one knows why, by his side. The pew
they occupied is still shown, and will in time no
doubt, should my suggestion as to turning the
church into the Post Office be adopted, find its way
to a museum or public library as a national memorial. One of the original Dutch Churches stands
in -Fulton -Street, a little way off* Broadway, but it
has now passed into the hands of American descendants of the true Knickerbockers. Another old
church a few streets off is about to be demolished,
a sacrifice to the inroads of Mammon. I will leave
the churches for the present, as I shall have more

10

THE GBEAT COUNTBY.

to say about them when considering the subject of
the observance of Sunday, but may remark that
none of the ecclesiastical edifices of New York are,
as buildings, deserving of particular notice.
To return to Broadway : nothing is more striking
than the crowds which infest the lower part of it
during the d a y ; so great are they, that it has been
found necessary to erect a bridge over the street
near St. Paul's" Church, to enable foot-passengers to
cross with safety; but as the bridge is high, and
reached by many steps, the majority prefer risking
the dangerous transit by the street. The police are
always at hand on this spot, and gallantly assist
ladies to thread their way through the crush of
vehicles. The bridge affords the stranger a good
view of the great thoroughfare, and also enables the
boys to amuse themselves by practising the national
art of spitting, which is not agreeable, however^ for
those who are passing beneath.
Near this bridge a very fine white marble building
has lately been erected, intended, I think, for an
assurance company, or something of the kind. The
necessary occupation of space required for the work
added not a little to the obstruction at this point, to
say nothing of the terror inspired by the sight of
large blocks of marble "dangling overhead across the
path, worked by those whose carelessness is as proverbial as their disregard of the value of life.

BROADWAY.

11

About a mile above the City Hall there is a church
of the pasteboard gothic order of architecture, known
as Gracechurch. This brings us close to Union
Square, where an equestrian statue of "Washington
has been set up.
Broadway then stretches on, crossing Fifth and
Sixth Avenues up to Central Park, which is still in
a very unfinished state, and has, from want of trees,
a bare and chilling aspect; it commands a view of
the surrounding country, which is by no means
beautiful.
Broadway, being so large and important a section
of New York, has led me to combine under this head
very much of that which will apply to the whole
City. There are, however, several other fine streets.
Canal Street, so named from occupying the site of
a canal that formerly connected the two rivers, is
essentially devoted to business purposes. Bowery,
which is a very fine thoroughfare, formerly the
high-road to Boston, takes its name from the
Boweries, or farms of the original Dutch settlers,
who formerly occupied this neighbourhood. The
existence of some of these farms is still remembered
by those valuable members of society, " the oldest
inhabitants." Tiie unsparing hand of Time has
swept away these and many other ancient landmarks, the sites of which are now occupied by shops
and warehouses.

12

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

A theatre called " The Bowery " still occupies an
important position in this street; though it is no
longer the resort of fashion. The German theatre
is also on Bowery, and there are several German
beer-gardens, as they are called, where the Teutonic
race consumes its favourite Lager.
East Broadway was once the dwelling-place of
the wealthy, as the style of its houses plainly indicates. Not so West Broadway, which is one of the
nastiest localities in the City, Washington Square
is a fine open space, but no longer enjoys the reputation of being fashionable ; in fact, New Yorkers
have all moved up town, and inhabit Fifth, Lexington, and Madison Avenues, and many of the streets
which run at right angles to these great thoroughfares. The houses are decidedly handsome in this
quarter, and appear to be well furnished; but these
are the residences of the opulent.

THEATRES.
abound along Broadway. The finest of
them, known as Niblo's, is of late years famous for
the representation of spectacles, which delight the
playgoers of New York; though to Europeans they
afford the somewhat dreary sight of second-hand
ballet and scenery from Paris and London, the
former decidedly inferior, and the latter the reversion
of pantomime-display, both having been imported
expressly to give due effect to the gross indecency
now the rage in America.
THEATRES

The Olympic is a small but pretty theatre, also
devoted to spectacle. A pantomine, which was very
popular, held possession of the boards during part
of the early spring.
Bamum's Museum, now happily destroyed by fire,
also held a prominent position in Broadway, and, as
a collection of rubbish, was unrivalled in the world.
The building was ill adapted in every respect for a
place of public amusement, and to keep live animals
there, was simply brutal and disgusting. It is gone,
and with it an exhibition worthy of a country fair
in England half a century ago. Among the other

14

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

attractions of the place was a theatrical representation which would have disgraced a booth. It was
popular with the audience as illustrating the conduct
of the English nobility; and certainly the way in
which a noble lord behaved to his American wife
and child, would in some measure justify a strong
prejudice against aristocracy. In extenuation of his
conduct, it must be allowed that the said lord
had been grossly imposed upon, for the injured wife
was always spoken of as being young and lovely,
which was at direct variance with the fact, the
lady in question being decidedly plain and advanced in life ; in fact she was apparently, considerably older than her mother, and as her aristocratic
destroyer had only known her something less than a
year, he was either a dupe, or his conduct must
have been violent in the extreme to have so
thoroughly effaced every trace of youth and beauty
from his victim. It was interesting to see the
devotion with which her humble suitor of former
years stuck to her : he was an American sailor, with
a strong brogue, and must have weighed seventeen
stone. When at the end of the piece, amid red
fire, he made mincemeat of the aforesaid lord, it
excited the .audience to enthusiasm. In addition
to this drama, a giantess, a fat baby, a dwarf, and
a creature with a mop of tangled hair, all more or
less dirty, were exhibited; but perhaps the mos£

THEATRES.

15

immoral part of the show was an attempt to palm
off* a poor old inoffensive baboon as a fierce
untameable gorilla. A notice in front of his cage,
announced that in consequence of the fierceness of
his disposition he could not with safety be requested
to stand forward and show himself. On peeping
cautiously into his den one was positively shocked
to think that so gross a calumny should have been
circulated respecting a miserable moribund-looking
beast, who had not strength enough to act on the
offensive whatever might have been his disposition.
An exhibition of wax-work completed, as for as I
was concerned, this intellectual treat. The idea
conveyed by it was, that the proprietor's design
must be to keep up the national prejudice against
crowned heads, and bring monarchical institutions
into greater contempt with Americans. Her Majesty Queen Victoria was represented as though
she had not changed her royal apparel or in any
way attended to herself for many years; an
affection of the spine rendered it impossible for her
to stand upright, and her diadem was being forced
off her head by the excessive stubbornness of her hair.
The lovely Eugdnie was even more faded than the
Queen of England; whilst her imperial spouse had
the appearance of having got up in a hurry and
put on the lower portion of his uniform hind part
before. This same peculiarity of either form or

10

THE GBEAT COUNTRY.

t iloring was also remarkable in every one of a
group of Confederate generals who had evidently
undergone all the hardships of a long campaign. I
trust such gems of art have been rescued, from
the flames, as they were calculated to give a just
impression of both American heroes and the national
taste.
It is generally asserted that the theatres in
America are at once handsomer and more commodious than our own. I think the first assertion may
be allowed, but 1 did not find any superiority of
accommodation. There is no charge for booking ;
but when there is any great attraction, ticket
speculators absorb all the best seats. Programmes
are supplied gratuitously, being profusely scattered
about the floor of the entrance, so that each visitor
may help himself; and this gives to the place an air
of elegance with which the scramble for them is in
strict keeping. The sale of bouquets in the stalls is
no doubt a great convenience, and forms a pleasing
addition to the entertainment at the opera, where
boys and girls intermix their cry of " flowers " with
the sweet strains of the overture.
The Academy of Music is a hideous building,
externally, but the interior is handsome. The
singers are generally Italian, though an English
company occasionally appears. It is of course for
the better classes that operas are given ; but in this,

THEATEES.

17

as well as in all other matters, the audience is more
influenced by fashion than by either taste or knowledge. One season Eistori was the rage, though
not a word she said was intelligible to her audience. Another year " La Grande Duchesse " took
with the New York public, equally or nearly as
unintelligible to the masses, though indecency of
gesture conveyed the ideas which the words could
not.
Wallack's Theatre is also fashionable, I am told;
but when I visited it I saw a very disgusting
version of " Oliver Twist," badly acted, in which the
murder of Nancy was given with revolting truthfulness of detail. I have seen other dramatic
representations at this theatre, but all have utterly
failed to convince me of the superiority of the acting
in America; in fact, with the exception of Jefferson
and Owens, I saw no actor in that country worthy
of being called a first-rate artist. I am. told that
the range of these gentlemen's art is limited ; but
as far as I have seen them, both are excellent. The
popular taste is decidedly low; there is a love of
over-acting, over-dress, and what is technically
termed stageyness, which must be fatal to the
growth of good acting.
The public delights in infant prodigies, who, at
the mature age of thirty, are still considered
juvenile, and assume fancy names suggestive of
0

18

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

extreme youth and playfulness. The management
is very gallant, and ladies are always announced as
" the lovely," " juvenile," " brilliant," and " beautiful," though, in the course of nature, they might be
grandmothers. The language of the play-bills is
flowery, and speaks of such an one as about to give
" his marvellous rendition " of his beautiful creation;
whilst a lady is spoken of as being " the lovely and
accomplished beneficiary," " the delight of all," " the
sunshine," &c.
There are tragedians of the blood and thunder
school, whose very tones of voice are calculated to
strike terror into the stoutest hearts. Acting may
be fairly classed among matters of taste; but there
is a standard of excellence, both in plays and
players, to which nothing I have seen in America,
with the two exceptions already mentioned, can be
said to have attained. I have seen one or two
original pieces, but though one was extremely
popular, I could not discover the slightest merit in
i t ; nor could I in the acting, which was rather
worse than the piece. I believe the educated class
in America does not patronise the theatre; and I
am told that the reason why some of the theatres
were called " gardens/ 5 was to meet the scruples
which some conscientious people felt about going to
a theatre. Of these Niblo's Garden alone is in existence, theWlnterG-arden having been destroyed by fire.

THEATEES.

19

The Broadway and New York theatres occupy,
good positions on Broadway, and are devoted to
melo-dramatic prodigies,—"Irish boys" and " Yankee
girls/' all very clever, if we may trust the statements
of the play-bills. Numerous Negro Minstrel Establishments are on each side of the street, and are
very popular. A real tragedy was lately enacted
at one of them; an unlucky member of the company having, in a drunken brawl, killed a brother
artist.
I have been told that some years ago the theatrical representations in America were far better
than they are at present; and this I must believe,
or, otherwise, the praises of the American stage,
which have been wafted across the Atlantic, must
have been mere good-nature on the part of the
critics.
A handsome theatre called Pike's Opera House
has been lately opened, and several new theatres are
said to be in contemplation; so that plenty of places
of amusement are provided in New York ; though,
from my experience, I should say they were such
merely in name; yet, of course, if they amuse the
natives, foreigners have no right to complain.
As a rule, the pieces acted in America are pirated
versions of English and French plays; native
dramatic writers not existing. Of one manager
alone have I heard, as paying foreign authors, which
c 2

20

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

is more, perhaps, than many of them have a right
to expect, since, as far as I know, English authors
do not feel themselves bound to give any equivalent
to their French brethren, whose works they so freely
appropriate.

HOTELS AND EESTAUEANTS.
heard so much of the size, and splendour,
and excellence of American hotels, I must say I was
greatly disappointed with those of New York; not
as to size, for many of them are like factories; nor
as to splendour, for the parlours (as the sittingrooms, both private and public, are called) are
showily furnished, and the dining-rooms are capacious ; but that is all I can say in their favour. The
lower parts of the house are crowded by idlers who
lounge, smoke, and spit everywhere. The doorway
is thronged with such gentry, through whom a
stranger has to make his way to the office in order
to secure a room, which is allotted to him very much
as a favour ; in fact, inattention to new comers
seems a matter of principle with American innkeepers, whose indifference reaches the sublime.
They evidently consider it would be a compromise
of dignity to bestow attention on their guests, as
they designate their customers, who are treated as
though they were received on sufferance, and ought
to be thankful for what they get.
HAVING

Along the

corridors, warnings

against

hotel

22

THE GBEAT COUNTBY.

thiqves are posted at every turn. The very exalted
position of your apartment, and the confusing multiplicity of the passages and staircases preclude all
hope of escape in the event of a fire ; and you gaze
from your window probably on to a vast skylight
many f^et below, and indulge in a speculation as to
whether it would be preferable to die by fire or
glass. You have plenty of time to think the matter
over whilst you are waiting for your luggage to be
brought to you; which may occupy a long time in
making its way up such a height, even with the
co-operation of a lift.
I am not guilty of mis-statement when I say that,
as a rule, in hotels the attendance is by no means
good : the only set-off to this is that, in some instances, water is laid on to your room; and, if you
are prudent, you travel with soap and towels.
The greatest mockery connected with an American
hotel is the feeding. The dining-room is large, as a
rule, the tables well appointed; and there is a bill
of fare, the sight of which would induce an alderman to start for the United States at once; but,
when he got there, he would find the cupboard not
bare, but filled with such food as he would indeed
disdain to sacrifice his appetite on. You may eat
from seven in the morning till midnight, with only
an hour or two of intermission ; and the numbers of
dishes provided. would bewilder you. You may

HOTELS AND BESTAUEANTS.

23

breakfast off tripe and every other delicacy of the
season, oysters included. You may dine off every
variety of fish, flesh, and fowl; you may have cold
meat with your tea, and finish off with a supper;
but you'll find nothing fit to e a t : all the dishes
taste alike, and are invariably tepid; and, for this
reason, you order your dinner from the bill of fare ;
and, after you have disposed of your soup, the waiter
will bring you all at once a collection of small piedishes, in which your meal is served—a fragment
of fish, a morsel of fowl, two or three inches of meat,
and four or five sorts of vegetables, and a variety
of sweets. No doubt there is wisdom in giving
every one his distinct portion. A general vegetable
dish, for instance, would be impossible, as it is a
national custom to eat with the knife, and also to
help yourself with it to anything you may fancy.
This would not suit everyone, as it is not pleasant
to see a man plunge his knife down his throat,
and, on withdrawing it, thrust it into the mashed
potatos.
There is one very obvious reason why Americans
should be badly fed;—that as a rule they caii taste
nothing. A man who has a lump of tobacco in his
cheek all day, and is in the habit of drinking a
quantity of ardent spirit can have no delicacy of
palate; add to this the consideration that he bolts
his food and washes it down with floods of iced

24

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

water, and it must be allowed that the flavour of
his repast can be of little consequence to him. The
meat is not good, as a rule—except, in some instances,
the beef. Game and poultry of good quality are to
be had, but not at hotels. The vegetables and fruit
are generally tasteless, as are most of the fish. The
tomato is excellent and abundant. At many of the
restaurants the dinners are better than at the hotels;
but of this more anon. Some of the hotels are conducted on the European plan, and one in New York
—the Brevoort House—comes very near to our
English ideas; but I have been told that the charges
are enormous—as much as four dollars per night
being demanded for a bed-room alone.
The restaurants of New York are plentiful, but
decidedly inferior, with the exception of Delmonico's,
where both food and wine are excellent, but at
prices which approach extortion. I have paid there
ninety cents, or half-a-crown for two small dishes of
vegetable—one being fried potato, the other a scrap
of cold cauliflower. Everything is at the same exorbitant rate, and on the wine-list there is sherry at
the modest price of eighteen dollars, or two pounds
fourteen, per bottle. This scale of charges suits the
taste of the New Yorkers, who are proud of possessing the most extravagant restaurant in the world.
It is a gratification of their vanity to know that
they exceed in any shape or way.

HOTELS AND EESTAUEANTS.

25

The restaurants, with the exception of Delmonico's
on Fifth Avenue, generally speaking, are dingy and
warm, and have a sickly smell about them. Many
of them are little more than luncheon bars, which
are thronged during the middle of the day. As a
rule, Americans drink nothing but water with their
meals, or very weak tea; but as they are taking
drinks of ardent spirit at almost every other time, it
is to be supposed they prefer making distinct processes of eating and drinking.
I have never met with a decent cup of tea at any
hotel or restaurant in America; and the coffee is
not much better. I conclude that the tea has never
forgiven the outrage committed on it at Boston at
the outbreak of the rebellion (when it was thrown
into the sea by the insurgents) and has refused to
draw in American waters ever since. Be that as it
may, tea is a compound which is to be avoided
throughout the United States.
There is one article of food at restaurants which,
from its great popularity, demands an especial notice,
and that is the oyster. One is bound to speak of
these molluscs in the singular number, for one of
them would be a meal to some, whilst the sight of
it would suffice for one in the case of others. They
are called by many names; " saddle rocks," " blue
points," and " Shrewsburys," being the most popular.
Some of them are, in the shell, about the length of

26

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

an adult's shoe; they are dirty and unsightly outside, and when opened look pale and sickly and are
very flavourless. Americans devour them in every
way, raw and cooked. I am bound to say that
they are improved by cooking, but still insipid—
an assertion which I think is supported by the
condiments with which the Americans eat them,
such as tomato, ketchup, horse-radish, pepper-sauce,
sugar, and also with a salad of raw cabbage, called
" Cold Slaw/' which is decidedly good. At Fulton
Market, one of the dirtiest in the world, there is a
restaurant, a favourite resort of the oyster gourmands, who crowd there to enjoy this favourite
article of food, which is very well served in every
form, though, after all, I do not like it.
The aspect of the markets or food shops in
New York is by mo means inviting, and in some
cases disgusting.
I t is most offensive to pass
Fulton Market, which is in a condition that would
disgrace the lowest provincial town; and no better
can be said of Washington, Catherine, or the other
Markets.

CONVEYANCES.
THE ordinary means of locomotion in New York
are abundant; but they are cheap, nasty, and by
no means safe. In the first place, one ought to be
an adept at getting in and out of them, as severe
contusions or sprains are the least of the risks incurred by those who enter them, as neither driver,
horses, nor passengers will wait whilst you do so.
Broadway is infested by a perpetual train of
small omnibuses, called stages, which run from all
the ferries to the more distant parts of the city.
There is no conductor to these carriages, and the
driver has to collect the fares, which are handed
to him by passengers through a small hole in the
roof. Consequently his attention is being constantly
taken off his horses by his other duties, one of
which is to prevent the egress of passengers without paying. This is accomplished by means of a
leathern strap extending from the door to his
hand, which controls the movements of both door
and passengers. The rate at which these stages
travel is about three miles an hour, and the way
in which they bump alternately against other

28

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

carriages and the kerb stone is more exciting
than agreeable. The passengers are frequently
aristocratic in their dress and bearing, and though
you are always more or less annoyed by constant
expectoration, and not unfrequently at night by
some gentleman smoking, yet you will not be
contaminated by the presence of a negro, for should
even a smartly dressed darkie girl venture to get in,
some manly son of freedom will insist on the driver
ejecting her. She may ride in the street cars, but
must not pollute with her presence a-vehicle frequently occupied by some of the fairest specimens of
the pure white blood ; though I can't say much for
the manners or deportment of these fair travellers,
for on one occasion two of them, whose dress bespoke " style," made faces at an elderly lady sitting
opposite them who, by her looks, seemed to express
censure on their behaviour. It is true that she said
something subsequently to the effect that " she considered 'em 'ussies"—from which expression I
judged her to be English.
Men are not unfrequently to be met with in these
stages, who try to fascinate the fair sex with leers
and other playful practices, such as treading on the
feet of their enslavers. This not uncommonly leads
to the gentle creatures avenging the outrage by
administering what is called a slap on the "snout" so
violently as to send hat, wig, teeth and spectacles

CONVEYANCES.

29

flying all over the stage. One old gentleman had
his glass eye knocked into the street by the handle
of an umbrella with which he had been unduly
familiar; but these were mere pleasantries, by the
way.
There are hack-carriages for hire in the street, but
the fares are extortionately high, five to eight
dollars being a common charge for conveying you to
the railway, or to a place of amusement. The pace
at which they travel is necessarily slow. Added to
this, is the fact that every other vehicle dashes
madly against yours, as though actuated by spite
and malice, and that you run constant and considerable risk of being upset in crossing the tramways
laid across many parts of Broadway, and along nearly
all the other principal streets; so it must be admitted
that the advantage of these vehicles is doubtful.
Besides the stages already mentioned, through
most of the great thoroughfares, except Broadway,
street cars run on tramways, and are no doubt great
conveniences, but like most conveniences, very disagreeable. They are very large and have an
entrance at either end, and are constructed so that
the horses are detached from one end and attached
to the other, which obviates the necessity of turning
them on arriving at their places of destination,
a process that in some cases would be impossible.
They are lighted at night with lamps in which

30

THE GEE IT COUNTEY.

camphine is burnt. The fare is very low, being
only six cents for a long journey. Many of my
readers will remember them as having been in use
for a short time in London, when a reckless speculator from America tried to introduce them into
this country. They are drawn by three wretchedlooking horses, and have a driver and conductor in
strict keeping with the cattle. During the journey
the conductor collects his fare, no easy task at times,
when the car which is intended to hold four-andtwenty persons is occupied by forty or fifty passengers; for such is the national determination that
every one shall be first, that men, women, and
children crowd into them, regardless of space or the
demands for it which the human form may put
forth : in fact it is more like transporting cattle than
conveying human beings. Men and women are
huddled up in a manner that is disgusting, to say
nothing of the chance thereby afforded to pickpockets. These cars, like crocodiles, have a difficulty
in turning, and the bumps and thumps one gets in
them are really formidable. The natives cling on to
them behind and before like swarms of bees, and
jump on and off whilst they are in motion, being
frequently killed in the process. Gangs of thieves
enter them at night, and if disappointed of finding a
lonely passenger worthy their attention, have been
known to murder the conductor, either from dis-

CONVEYANCES.

31

appointment, or because he demands his fare. Cars
have the monopoly of the streets through which
they pass, and render them both disagreeable and
dangerous to all other vehicles.
Walking in Broadway is perilous, for, as I have
said, passengers are frequently in jeopardy by things
placed across their path, in the shape of planks and
ropes, used for transporting iron safes and similar
trifles from the stores to carts or vice versa,
the said carts being backed on the foot-path up to
the very door of the store. One popular manufacturer of iron safes on Broadway considerately turned
everyone into the mud and filth, with which that
street abounds, whilst he obstructed the way, transporting from his premises twelve of these strongholds of extraordinary size and weight. The process
occupying a long time at the busiest hour of the
day, when the street was densely crowded; and this
sort of thing is being done in all the other great
thoroughfares.

THE LADIES.
THE beauty of American women has always been
a theme for the admiration of writers on this
country, and certainly there are many instances of
extreme beauty, especially in feature, to be met with
among them. Their figures are bad, though their
feet and hands are frequently small. Beauty is,
however, of short duration ; the teeth and hair soon
fail, though these are of little consequence, as they
can be easily replaced; and, for that matter, so can
the complexion, though this is by no means successfully done. A clockwork arrangement to give the
effect of a heaving bosom is a charming device,
and so are various paddings and stuffings to
supply natural defect. It is in her toilette that an
American belle is the most decided failure; overdress is her weakness, with a sad want of taste in
the selection of both colour and material.
The fact is, that Americans who visit Europe, and
go to Paris for their ideas of dress, fall into a very
natural mistake. Being in the French capital when
the best style of people have left it, they take for
their models the most conspicuously attired females

THE LADIES.

33

they see in the streets and other public places, and
dress after their style. It is really startling to walk
in the most wealthy quarters of New York, and see
the over-done dress of both young girls and married
women. At church you witness such a display of
vulgar finery as must lead you to the conclusion
that the wearers have few other opportunities of
showing their clothes.
As a rule American women have very disagreeable voices, and exert them in speaking far beyond what is required of them in an ordinary
apartment. There is an unpleasant intonation very
prevalent among them, though many of them sing
remarkably well as far as voice is concerned. They
are generally vivacious, and seem to enjoy anything
approaching what in fast phraseology is called a
spree. Dancing is their great delight, if one may
judge by the readiness with which a dance is got up
at an hotel. I have no doubt, from the very limited
opportunity I have had of judging, that at home the
American woman adorns the social sphere, but
arguing from the specimens one meets with at the
so-called fashionable watering-places all the best
wives, mothers, and daughters, stay at home.
There are still to be met with specimens of the
strong-minded, intellectual, self-asserting women;
but I am inclined to think they are* happily
dying out, disappointed to find that men prefer a

34

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

young, pretty woman, though she may be thought
frivolous, to ugliness and conceit in a middle-aged
spinster, who seems to think she was born to set the
world right. No doubt such women would have
made admirable heads of families, had there been
men found with sufficient courage to have afforded
them the opportunity. The Americans may hold
against all comers that most of the girls are nice
looking, some of them beautiful; which can seldom
be. said of them in any country, beautiful women
and sensible men being the exception throughout
the world.
If the women be beautiful, as in many cases they
are, up to five-and-tweiity, Nature, true to her
principle of compensation, has made the men frightful. They have a shoppy style of dress, which
savours of Houndsditch and the Palais Eoyal.

HABITS AND CUSTOMS AND CHAEACTEE.
No doubt New York is a delightful residence for
those who have homes and families; but for a
foreigner it is dull indeed. The habits of the people
do not render them agreeable in such places as
restaurants, and after what has been said of the
theatres, it will be needless to observe that they are
to be avoided. Nigger minstrels are not to everybody's taste, and American fun is of a character
more calculated to provoke sorrow than mirth, to
say nothing of anger. In fact, the impression one
gets as a looker-on in New York, is, that there is
plenty of excitement, and but little enjoyment.
The natives are lively, but not gay. That there is
native humour cannot be doubted, with such examples of it as the productions of Artemus Ward
afford; but generally speaking, American fun is
extravagant and pointless.
The climate of New York, like its inhabitants, is
cosmopolitan. One would think that the immigrants from all parts of the world had brought each
his own climate with him. The cold is intense, the
heat unendurable. The rain falls like a waterD 2

36

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

spout, with the pleasing alternation of dust worthy
of Sahara. Winter lasts for many months, and is
tedious enough, though a bright sun and clear sky
render it a less gloomy season than our own. There
are amusements suited to the climate, among which
sleighing holds a conspicuous and prominent place.
The sleighs are elegantly appointed, and a very
agreeable mode of conveyance they are over the
frozen snow, through the keen exhilarating air,
though it must be remarked that too frequently the
violence with which they are driven is fatal to
'the horses. It is a great opportunity for young
America to indulge his darling passion, display;' and
when he is dashing along with the most showy horse
and girl he can command, he is supremely happy.
Skating is also another opportunity of the same
kind, and is a favourite pastime with both sexes.
With a winter of such duration, it is fortunate that
they have these resources. Not to be unjust to the
seasons, there is no other word than detestable that
can be applied to the climate of this part of the
Continent all the year round. "
Nothing is more striking to a stranger than
the apparent extravagance in which all classes of
Americans indulge. It is a national fault, and
the term may be applied to all they do and say.
It is positively painful to see how wasteful they
are at their meals, although, in extenuation of this

HABITS AND CUSTOMS AND CHARACTER

37

fault, it must be allowed that to eat all they ask for
would endanger health, if not life itself. I am, of
course, speaking from hotel experience, where really
the quantity of food left uneaten at the end of a
meal, but by no means untouched, is quite astounding. It may be no doubt alleged that the extravagance displayed in dress and every other respect is
to be accounted for by the fact, that large fortunes
have been rapidly made of late by men who were
beggars when they landed in this country a few
years ago. These people are designated by the
term " Shoddy;" and to walk about New York you
would say you were in their head-quarters.
Eepublican simplicity is rapidly giving way, and
livery servants, armorial bearings, and other aristocratic insignia, are being adopted. I have even seen
a coachman with a cockade in his hat; but could
find no explanation of the phenomenon. Amid all
these signs of advanced civilization much that is
primitive is retained by these people. A young
lady goes out with her beau to the theatre, or into
society, just as in London, Jane, the housemaid,
out for a holiday, would accompany her admirer.
Young people have their friends, distinct from their
parents, and receive company without the presence
or apparent sanction of mamma. Papa is frequently
not presentable, and though he may own a fine
house only enters it at the kitchen door. It has

38

THE GEEAT COTJNTBY.

always been characteristic of Americans to love
titles ; Honourable, Colonel, Captain, General, Judge,
and Bishop, are freely adopted and used among
them, and since the war the naval and military
have had a vast preponderance, and if one may
judge from appearances, America has not been unjust in giving promotion, for all her distinguished
warriors bear strong evidence of having risen from
the ranks. The pacific tailor has sprung from his
shop-board, and beating his shears into a broadsword has rushed into the field, and it is only
justice to add that many have displayed the better
part of valour. They do say that men, who had
repudiated their allegiance to Queen Victoria,
claimed their right as British subjects to be exempt
from the draught for the army, when called on to
take part in the strife !
That the Americans are fond of military display
is certain, from the brilliant figure made on every
possible occasion by their volunteers; there is,
however, another service which deservedly holds a
high place in their affections, and that is the Fire
Brigade; which, in most parts of the country, is a
volunteer service. New York has a paid body of
firemen, but in Brooklyn it is composed of volunteers.
When the bell of the City Hall tolls out the alarm
of fire all these intrepid men are on the alert, and,
abandoning both business and pleasure, put on their

HABITS AND CUSTOMS AND OHAEAOTEB.

39

uniforms and rush off to succour the sufferers. ^Their
efficiency is highly spoken of, and their self-sacrifice
is admirable, since they take it by turns to be on
guard every night, ready for active service.
Being totally unacquainted with business I am
unable to speak of the commercial men of this city,
but may be allowed to express a hope that more
integrity exists than would appear from a mere
superficial view of the subject, or the statements
of the public prints, denouncing the wholesale
swindles that abound in every branch of trade.
Smuggling and other frauds on the revenue are said
to be carried on to a very great extent. Arson is
not by any means an unknown step for a man to
adopt in order to get out of difficulties. The Jews
are said to be so given to this practice, that many of
the fire insurance companies decline to grant^ policies
to the children of Israel.
New York is well supplied with water. The
Americans being decidedly given to washing, bathrooms are the rule in all good houses. The Germans look dirty—and no doubt are so. There are
quarters of the City which remind one of Seven
Dials, and the worst parts of Liverpool and Bristol ;
and, for the same reason, they are inhabited by the
very low Irish, who retain their usual characteristics.
No doubt, had the Irish been true to themselves,
they would have been masters in this part of the

40

THE GBEAT COUNTRY.

United States; as it is, they have great influence
in New York, and hold many important offices in
that City, but it is to be regretted that those who do
so are not the best specimens of the sons of Erin.
With the Americans the Irish are not favourites,
though their services as soldiers and sailors, and as
having been mainly instrumental in the formation
of railways and other great public works, are recognised. They are, unfortunately, too apt to rush
into politics and whiskey—the two great curses of
America. Every adventurer who comes along is
able to dupe them—as did the leaders of the Fenian
Organization, who lived in luxury by defrauding the
poor hard-working men and women with their
fictitious bonds.
In spite of all their experience the simple-minded
Celts are still an easy prey to the designs of impostors who pretend to be the friends of Ireland.

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS.
THE spread and influence of the Catholic religion
is a source of great annoyance to many Americans,
though there are large numbers who, professing no
religion at all, will send their children to be educated at the Catholic schools, as being the only
institutions where duty to parents is inculcated.
It is a boast of Americans that education among
them is very far in advance of that which is found
in England. Schools are abundant, it is true, but,
if one may judge by the language of the people,
education on one point cannot be conducted on what
we consider a sound basis. G-rammar must be a
neglected study, as regards both orthography and
syntax. Of bad spelling Americans are guilty with
malice aforethought, but in the improper use of
moods and tenses, so prevalent among them, they
have not yet ventured to glory. The audacity of
altering the spelling of English authors is astounding, and will prepare us for the introduction of such
forms of speech as the following : " He done me a
good turn," " he's went back on his friends," " why

42

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

didn't you went on ?"—expressions indulged in by
those, about whose education one has heard so
much. Americans will often assert that every
Englishman drops his ' h 's. I have no doubt that
many of our countrymen who visit them are guilty
of this omission—I should think, perhaps, the
majority—but we must remind Americans that
they do not see superior Englishmen, and, as to
defects in speaking, they had better look at home ;
for, from what one hears spoken by a large majority
in the United States, one has reason to think that
the language of the country will soon become a mere
patois.
American drinks have attained a great celebrity;
but the chief charm of them, for the most part, is
that they are cool. The liquor, as a rule, is very
bad; and all the non-stimulating drinks are sickly
sweet. Warm soda-water does not suggest an exhilarating draught, but insipid food and drink are
essentially national. Americans of all ages devour
candy and sweetstuff, and are given to messes. They
delight in very white fine bread with flabby crusts.
They eat Indian corn, boiled with butter; and many
of their dishes are of the pappy order. Their want
of teeth, or their desire to preserve them, may
account for this.
I do not imagine that Americans care for sitting
over their dinner; they strike one as always in a

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

43

hurry to get through even their enjoyments, though
their food hardly comes under that head.
The detestable habit of chewing tobacco, with its
filthy accompaniment of spitting, is a positive
national disgrace. That disgusting utensil, a spittoon, adorns the most elegant saloons ; and it would
be well if it were the sole receptacle of saliva, but the
floors of the rooms bear ample testimony that such
is not the fact; to say nothing of the feet and legs
that may come within range of the spitters. I
cannot help thinking that the fair sex might exercise
a useful influence at any rate on the young men
with respect to this revolting practice, which is
really degrading, and must, one would think, be
baneful.
As to the rising generation of this city, if one may
judge from casual observation, too much licence is
allowed to the youth of both sexes. They are permitted to associate with each other without any of
the wholesome restrictions which have been imposed
' on the intercourse of youth in other nations. There
is, consequently, a flippancy of manner and selfconfidence about the young women which seems
antagonistic to the formation of high character. I
am far from meaning to insinuate anything really
culpable in the conduct of these young people in
general; but it is hardly prudent, one would think,
to allow youth so much liberty. As I have said, a

44

THE GBEAT OOUNTEY.

New York belle will go to the opera alone with an
admirer, and afterwards sup with him t3te-a-t3te at
Delmonico's. The result of this style of thing is the
formation of hasty, ill-assorted marriages, for which
the divorce court gives a remedy; this is the best
that can be expected. Dark tales of worse results
come to one's ears. Crimes, such as one dare not do
more than allude to, are said to be by no means of
rare occurrence.
There can be no doubt on one point, and that is
the very general want of respect for age which is
evinced by young people; it is a topic commented
on very freely by the press. By some, it is attributed to the public school system; by others, to
the precocity of American youth. The real fault
must be with the parents. Discipline is a word
they do not understand. Children have too much
of their own way, and are educated to think too
highly of themselves. A city like New York is a
bad school for youth, especially without that home
influence which cannot be exercised upon young
people in an hotel or boarding-house.
This is viewing young America from our side; for
American parents do not seem to expect the deference from their children which English people
enforce. There is a sort of admiration expressed
when a boy is saucy, as though it were an evidence
of what they call smartness. It does not augur well

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

45

for the future of a country that there is no discipline
exercised in the education of youth.
At Yale
College the young men are under no sort of
restraint or surveillance, and I am told it is much
the same in all other educational establishments
purely national.
If a plentiful supply of public libraries, literary
and scientific institutions, may be taken as indications of national education, then might one expect
to find the youth of New York erudite, polished,
and well-conducted, the middle-aged thoughtful,
well-informed, models of what men should be, and
the aged monuments of collective wisdom ;—in fact,
all classes of men exact reproductions of all that is
excellent in ancient and modern history. The
bravery of Miltiades, the wisdom of Socrates, the
justice of Aristides, the piety of iEneas, even the
stern justice of Brutus, ought all to flourish in a
city where the means of instruction are so ample,
and easily to be attained. One wearies of hearing
of the volumes that are lying on the shelves, of
the lecture-rooms and schools of design, which have
been instituted for the intellectual culture of the
expanding mind of young America. The Cooper
Institute alone would suffice to instruct a nation;
and though this is one of the largest educational
establishments in the country, it is by no means a
solitary one in New York. I will not express my

46

THE G-EEAT OOUNTKY.

own opinion as to the usefulness of such institutions,
but must say I was much struck by the remark of
an individual connected with a very large but almost
deserted reading-room at one of these establishments, who in answer to a remark made as to
the apparent paucity o£ readers, merely replied :
" Eead they read nothing but the papers. If you
want to find* our young men, you must go to the
billiard-rooms, and drinking-bars, and other houses
of public resort; you won't find them in the libraries." As this speech was made in reference to the
attendance of an evening, when most young men are
at leisure, I am inclined to think young America
is educated beyond the reach of the literary and
scientific.
In Washington Square is situated the University
of New York, which I was told by Americans is
architecturally like King's College, Cambridge. I
merely replied " Indeed 1 "—the safest reply one
could make to so preposterous a statement. I do
not know what its status may be from an educational
point of view, but cannot think it ranks very high^
judging from its appearance and the fact that some
of the rooms are occupied by artists as studios, not
the usual purpose to which the sacred precincts of a
seat of learning are devoted. Apropos of studios,
there is a building devoted to them in Tenth Street,
where the votaries of art pursue " their labour of

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

47

love." I was not struck by the specimens I saw of
those labours, with the exception of some sculpture,
which was decidedly very good and gave me a very
different impression of American art, from that
which " The Greek Slave" produced.
Their
National Academy of Design is the place at
which all works of art are exhibited. The building
suggests the idea of a Turkish b a t h ; though the
guide calls it Gothic. It is built of marble, and
will, like its contents, improve with age. I am "induced to think that the Chromo-lithograph school of
art at present holds the first place in public taste,
these and inferior copies of the old masters being
very generally met with. Landscapes painted in the
hardest style are also popular. Photography is here,
as elsewhere, the " maid of all work " of art.
As it is not my design to go in extenso through
the institutions of America, I shall merely allude to
the hospitals and charities as being generally well
spoken of. Prisons are not interesting topics, and
seem to be much the same here as elsewhere. That
discipline is rigorously enforced in them will be
shown by the following anecdote :—A distinguished
foreigner having been convicted of some offence, and
sentenced to imprisonment, on arriving at his place
of incarceration, was astonished at being told that his
hair was to be cut according to prison regulations.
" W h a t ! " he exclaimed, " cut my hair ! I have

48

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

served in many foreign armies, in which I held high
rank, have been engaged in a life-long struggle
against tyranny, am of noble family, and speak six
languages/'
" Look it here," said the official to whom he thus
appealed, " we only speak one language here, and
d—d little of that. Cut his hair," he added. And
so the polyglot hero's locks were sacrificed.
The statistics of crime are somewhat startling.
Murder would not seem to be thought a heinous
offence, for one sees an account of a murder committed coolly, or in a drunken brawl, and the result
is much the same as would ensue from a common
assault in England; the prisoner is admitted to bail,
and even if he be tried and sentenced to imprisonment, he will have a very good chance of being
pardoned through the political influence of his
friends, or on the accession of a new governor of
the state. In Jersey they seem to have some closer
ideas of justice than elsewhere, and generally hang
murderers. There is a large and efficient body of
police in New York; the first check on their
liberties that the citizens have ever had imposed
on them. The policemen now and then club their
prisoners to death, but that is excess of zeal.
That the population of New York is made up of
highly industrious inhabitants there can be no
doubt; yet few cities can boast a larger number of

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

49

useless, idle people, men who live by their wits,
hang about the hotels, restaurants, and liquor-shops,
and are known as Loafers, Suckers, Beats, and
Bummers, who prey on society; many of them are
Americans, but the number, to a great extent, is
made up of foreigners (from our own islands) of
whom we are heartily glad to be rid. Many of
these gentlemen are in some way connected with
the theatrical profession, or literature. Uncertificated bankrupts, convicts, swindlers, thieves unconvicted, and every other scum of society have found
their way to this city, so that in fairness it must be
allowed that much that is objectionable in this
country has been imported, but has unfortunately
found a soil in which it can take root and flourish.
Literature does not occupy a high or proud position in America, since native writers of high culture
and attainment are rarely met with. Scribblers
abound, as the trash with which the town is flooded
abundantly proves. Stories of a vapid, sickly style
are popular, and form a contrast to the licentious
filth which is publicly sold about the streets with
illustrations to attract the prurient and pollute the
youth of the country. I do not think there is any
dramatic author of note in America. Journalism is
the most popular form of literature, but is of a
kind little calculated to elevate the tone of the
people.

50

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

There are one or two respectable papers in New
York. The best are the "Tribune" and "Times," and
there are some equally respectable evening papers,
especially the " Post" and " Gazette," but all the
others are mere vehicles for advertisements, scurrility and abuse of opponents. The gross ignorance
displayed by some American papers with regard to
England is remarkable. It is evident they know
nothing of her history, institutions, or customs.
I t is very likely that the proprietors are misled
by the dishonesty of illiterate men who come from
England to America professing to be conversant
with the topics on which they undertake to write.
The musical criticism in some of the journals is
simply laughable, whilst the dramatic, with one
exception, is very weak. The " Tribune's " criticisms
are allowed by all to be the best in New York, and
are written with a conscientious regard to the
responsibility of the critic's office, which is highly
creditable, whilst their style is easy and careful,
and the writer only requires a higher standard of
experience to make them first-rate. There is an
eminently respectable and well-managed paper
called the "Bound Table," which is entitled to a
high place among the periodicals of this country.
I t is well-written and conducted in a manner
that fits it for a place on the table of the refined
and intelligent members of society. There are no

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

51

original humorous publications in America; many
have been started, but all have failed.
The Irish in this country seem to lose their rich
sense of humour as well as their good temper and
agreeable manners. I am speaking of the lowest
class. In Ireland the car-boys, and such people, are
full of wit and humour, and ready to start or join
in a bit of fun, but in America " t h e boys" are
changed and speak in a surly, morose tone, and
have a heavy and saturnine appearance.
Eeligions of all sorts and kinds abound. As a
rule, Americans seem to agree to differ on this
point; some of the old Puritanical bitterness still
lingers among the Yankees, though indifference
appears to have taken its place in most instances.
They don't like the Catholics and profess to be
afraid of them, and certainly it must be trying to
them to see how the religion they dislike is spreading through the land. The Presbyterians are bitter
against other sects ; but their day, like that of the
Puritans, is past.
The Methodists and Baptists command large
congregations, the most wealthy denominations
being the Episcopalian, Unitarian and Universalist
bodies. In many places it is not considered
respectable to belong to no church, and to meet
the case of those who wish for a nominal religion,
Universalism must have been invented. It is a
E2

52

THE GEEAT COUNTKY.

sort of liberal Unitarianism and, amongst other
eccentricities of opinion, holds very indulgent views
of sin, regarding it as rather a misfortune than a
fault. No delusion is too violent or extravagant
for the American mind, as some of the disclosures
made at the Police Courts respecting spiritualism
would go to prove. The streets of New York are
said to be unsafe at night; but most of the cases of
violence seem to have been the result of drink. It
is impossible to speak too strongly of the vice of
intemperance as it exists in this country ; it is the
national curse and bane, and must in time undermine and destroy the whole fabric of society.
Men drink on every occasion and under all circumstances. The liquor they consume is deleterious to the last degree, and the worst feature
in the drunkard's case is that he is not ashamed of
himself. Drink, as a cause of death, is spoken of
by surviving friends as a malady. It entails no
disgrace on a man to be known as a drunkard, and
so long as he has a dollar to treat a friend with,
he will be encouraged to drink till the Asylum
for Inebriates or the grave places him beyond the
reach of temptation. Since the war, liquor has been
both dear and bad; one of the favourite spirituous
beverages with the Americans is Bourbon whiskey.
There is no disputing about taste, but in my opinion
it is filthy, and must be destructive. The American

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

53

is not a beer-drinker, his favourite tipple being
spirit or water.
There is nothing to recommend New York as a
residence to any but a man of business. It is
expensive beyond London or Paris. It has, doubtless, charms for those who are surrounded by family
and friends; but to a stranger it is uninteresting
and dreary to the last degree. I have little hesitation
in saying that an Englishman of education would
feel infinitely more at home in St. Petersburg than
in New York. There is no community of feeling
between an Englishman and American; they are
foreigners indeed to one another—having nothing in
common but the language and colour of skin, and
even in these not by any means closely resembling
one another.
Before dismissing New York, there are some
classes of its society, four of which, already
referred to, especially deserve notice, viz., the
Bummer, the Loafer, the Sucker, and the Beat.
The Bummer is ever to be met with at liquor shops
and restaurants, where he lingers, hour after hour,
day and night, in the hope of being treated to
liquor. To the proprietors of these establishments
he is a terror, and the sctfurge of the customers,
from whom he extorts drinks, whilst he devours all
the fragments of biscuit and cheese which are placed
on the counter for the gratuitous consumption of

54

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

those who may fancy a mouthful with their liquor.
So heavily has the Bummer drawn on these complimentary refreshments, that the custom of providing
them has in some places been abandoned. The
Bummer is in his glory when a new drinking bar is
opened, and nothing - charged for liquor on the first
day. On this and every other occasion where drink
can be had for nothing, the Bummer is " o n hand."
New Tear's Day is his annual festival, weddings
and funerals are his great opportunities for slaking
his thirst for alcohol. The Bummer has no occupation ; he pretends to none, but sots away his life
in poverty and filth, lying in wait for drinks, till the
poorhouse receives his crazed, paralytic body, or he
rots in some obscure hole whither he has crawled
to die.
The Sucker is a sponge of a different style, not so
utterly lost as the Bummer. He is a man of talk
and schemes; he pretends to having means, his
chief study being to hook on to a party where drink
is being stood. By some mysterious means he
supports life, and is more likely to die in prison
than in the almshouse.
The Loafer is a good-natured, easy-going man,
who might have prospered in life had he not been
an idle vagabond. He spends his money freely
while it lasts, and is not at all particular where and
how he gets more. He will beggar his aged mother,

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEB INSTITUTIONS.

55

or deprive his wife and children of the necessaries of
life; but he will stand a bottle of champagne to a
friend. The Loafer is affectionate and kind, M l of
good resolutions and promises of amendment when
sober, but a curse to all dear to him when drunk.
The Asylum for Inebriates is frequently the closing
scene of his career, or he will lie at home, dying in
paroxysms of drunken madness, to the terror of his
unhappy wife and children, whom his violence drives
from his bed-side. Not unfrequently a sudden
death, the result of accident or a quarrel, hurries him
from this world.
The Beat is a combination of a]l the former, and
a deep-dyed villain withal. He is too restless to be
a Bummer, too sharp to be a Sucker, and too wicked
to be a Loafer. He will drink with you that he may
rob you the more easily. He is full of schemes, and
boasts of large sums of money at his disposal.
Whilst the Sucker and Loafer pretend to be either
literary or artistic, the Beat is always a professed
capitalist, and a would-be manager. He can tell
you of the enormous fortunes he has made for artists
and others whose affairs he has managed. No lie
is too enormous or barefaced for him to tell, no
swindle too infamous for him to undertake.
Let it not be supposed that these worthies are
exclusively of American growth; they are frequently
importations from the British Isles, men who have

56

THE GKEAT OOUNTEY.

renounced their allegiance to Queen Victoria, unless,
as I have stated before, it may suit their convenience, to claim her powerful protection.
It is almost unnecessary to say a word as to the
class from which these men sprang in the Old
Country; but as they generally give out that they
have held high positions on the London press, or
been in some way connected with artists, it is well
to warn those who visit America not to trust implicitly to these claims set forth by agents and
managers, who will surround them on their arrival,
and impose on their credulity.
It must be remembered that the Germans, or, as
as they call them here, the Dutch, form a large
item in the list of Beats. They are usually of
the Hebrew persuasion, though they will deny it,
and call themselves Lutherans. One common end
awaits characters of this description, and that is a
pompous funeral. However bad or lost a man may
have been in life, funeral honours await him in
death. Every one who has drunk with him will
crowd to see him in his coffin, and as drink has
been the cause of death, and all the survivors are
victims to the same malady, the mourners feel an
especial interest in the departed, and a sympathy
for each other, as men who are sharing a common
danger, and awaiting the same terrible doom.
The liquor laws are in full force in New York

EDUCATIONAL AND OTHEE INSTITUTIONS.

57

and Brooklyn, and, to some extent, check intoxication on Sunday ; though, if a man be a confirmed
drunkard, he has only to cross the river to Jersey,
and there he can get as much liquor as he pleases
every day in the week. Legislation is but a feeble
barrier to the gratification of such a propensity as
drinking, and only inflicts a hardship on those who
use God's gifts without abusing them.
In America, as elsewhere, such laws only press
upon the poor : the rich drunkard has always access
to his own cellar, and not much difficulty in obtaining entrance to his neighbour's. It is part of the
cold pharisaical Puritan temper ever to oppress the
poor man, and treat him like a child. If a man
will drink to excess he must do it at his own risk;
God. gave him the liberty, and his fellow man
cannot dictate to him on the subject, except in such
terms as will bind him morally.
To all but a narrow, sour mind the sight of a
poor man enjoying his beer is a gratification ; and,
till laws are passed that shall equally sweep away
the well-selected wines from the tables of the
wealthy, and the half-and-half, and drop of spirit
from the labourer's humble board, all legislation
on the subject should be resisted as a tyrannical
attempt to interfere with that liberty which is
every man's birth-right, and for the misuse of which
he is accountable to his Creator alone.

58

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

That Americans should drink so much spirit is
extraordinary, as the climate is sufficiently exhilarating not to demand the consumption of
stimulating liquors. I am inclined to think it is
the strong love they have for excitement, that
drives them to the drinking bar so frequently even
during the hours of business.
The Germans consume large quantities of Lager
beer, which is harmless unless taken in large
quantities; but, as one man under examination
respecting it, admitted having taken seventy glasses
of it during the morning, no wonder the sale of it
was prohibited on Sunday, together with that of
intoxicating drinks. The non-intoxicating beverages are manifold, especially of an effervescing
kind : their fault being excessive sweetness. I am
inclined to think that the constant use of them must
be injurious to the digestive powers ; nor do I think
that "cocktails/' "slings," "smashes," and all the
other "pick-ups" in which Americans indulge, can
be beneficial to the stomach.

BOAKDING-HOUSES.
Americans do not attach the same value to
home that we do is very certain, from the fact that
so many of them prefer living at Hotels or BoardingHouses, to having private residences. The reason
given for this is, that the ladies do not like the
trouble of housekeeping, that servants are such a
torment, and everything so expensive. The truth is,
the Boarding-House system enables many to make
a better show on a small income than maintaining a
house would admit, and there are those who keep up
a good appearance by means of taking boarders, who
must otherwise live with a humble establishment.
It is not uncommon for people who keep up a sort
of would-be style to pretend that they have friends
staying with them, the said friends being boarders.
Life in a Boarding-House is fatal to home influences,
and frequently brings about so many of those
unhappy disruptions of family ties unfortunately
so common in America.
That American wives and mothers who are worthy
of those revered names prefer living at BoardingHouses, I do not believe; as the bringing up a family
THAT

60

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

properly under such circumstances must be next to
impossible. It is a suitable way of living for the
frivolous wife who, neglected by her husband, finds
solace in the society she meets under such a roof:
—a wife whose whole time and thoughts are devoted
to dress and amusement, to obtain which she will
sacrifice everything, even honour itself, whilst her
shameless partner cares not how the clothes and
jewellery with which she decks herself have been
obtained, though he well knows that she has no
means other than his, and is also aware of his own
inability to supply her with such luxuries;—a wife
who expresses openly her detestation of the duties
and trouble of being a mother, who, should she
have a child will probably neglect it entirely herself,
or consign it to the care of wretches, who, under the
pretence of taking the unhappy innocent to nurse,
will actually allow it to starve to death. This was
proved to be a general practice by a case which but
lately came before the Courts, where a woman was
indicted for causing the death of an infant by neglect, and it was elicited in evidence that a large
number of infants were taken in by this monster,
and deliberately starved to death, with the knowledge of their unnatural parents. There are doubtless many Boarding-Houses which afford respectable
homes for young men in business, and suit the
convenience of people without families, and it is

BOAKDING-HOUSES.

61

not against such establishments that my remarks are
directed; but what I would denounce is the practice
of keeping up false appearances, so very common
in New York, by means of the Boarding-House
system.
One reason alleged by many as an excuse for
living in this way, is the great trouble a lady finds
in getting trustworthy servants. Another is, that
the extreme dearness of everything renders housekeeping a formidable burden to those who have
small incomes, house rent being enormously high.
Three or four thousand dollars, or from four to five
hundred pounds per annum, will secure only a
moderate house in New York—and even in Brooklyn,
the unfashionable side of the river, the rents are proportionately high. Servants' wages are from twelve
to fifteen dollars a month. I am speaking of quiet
family establishments. Food and clothing are very
expensive ; so that many have to practise rigid
economy; yet this, it is allowed by the most
experienced, can be more easily done in a private
home than in a Boarding-House. But then Show,
the darling of the American heart, must be sacrificed. That home ties, unfortunately, do not bind
Americans very strongly is notorious. There is too
much self-assertion and self-dependence in the
national character to make any bond very strong,
and the facility with which the marriage tie can

62

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

be unloosed is a fundamental blow to the family
system. A wife being made so entirely independent
of her husband, though it may be highly necessary,.
is a serious impediment to that perfect confidence
that should exist between the two, and says little for
the integrity of American husbands. That marriage
settlements exist in all countries is of course the
fact, but in no country is a woman so entirely independent of her husband as in America; a state of
things which may enable a dishonest man to rob his
creditors, under the protection of his wife's rights;
and a recent alteration of the Bankruptcy Laws
is a proof that such things were very generally
done.

MORALS, MARRIAGE, AND DIVORCE.
divorces are not so easily obtainable
in New York as in some other of the States, yet
here, as elsewhere, there is a very light impression
as to the obligation of the marriage tie. In some of
the Western States a marriage may be annulled on
grounds which are positively absurd. It is to be
borne in mind that a people is not likely to be
deeply impressed with the grave nature of a
contract frequently entered into without any sort of
solemnity or importance being attached to it. A
gentleman walks into a magistrate's presence with a
lady on his arm, and simply states it is their wish
to be married, and, with little or no preliminary^
their names are entered on the matrimonial roll and
they are man and wife. It would be superfluous to
give all the grounds on which divorce may be
obtained, but there is one especially unjustifiable,
which is, that incarceration in the States' prison
of either husband or wife releases them from
their marriage contract; and instances have been
known in which a conspiracy has been formed by
a wife's paramour to throw her husband into prison,
ALTHOUGH

64

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

so that she may be at liberty to contract a new
alliance.
Whilst on this subject I feel bound to refer to
some fearful blots on American social life. There
is a crime of the foulest order that is regarded
without any horror by a large number of the
community, and this by no means the poorer class.
That a miserable servant-girl should have recourse
to some abominable means to rid her of the consequences of her infringement of the laws of
chastity, is not to be wondered a t ; but that this is
not the class^that practises such abomination as I
am referring to is very clear, from the fact of the
existence of a mansion in the Fifth Avenue, said
to be tenanted by an infamous French woman,
who trades and grows rich on the practice of that
which should expose her to the severest penalties
of the law. We are told that attempts have been
Inade to convict and punish her, but she has hitherto
escaped, not so much through the want of evidence
or the powerless state of the law, as because she could
make such disclosures as would implicate in her
guilt those who hold their heads very high in society.
It is no wonder that such a state of things should
exist, if one hundredth part of the statements one
hears as to the morals of the community be true.
One thing is certain—the license allowed to young
people is likely to end badly, when a young woman

MOKALS, MAEKIAGE, AND DIYOEOE.

65

is permitted to leave her father's roof with no other
companion than a young man, her professed admirer, who is as frivolous and as unprincipled as
herself. When she accompanies him to the theatre
or to a dance, and will adjourn to a restaurant to
sup with him t3te-d-t3te ; how can we be surprised
that the services of some infamous quack of either
sex become requisite in order to save the young
woman's reputation ?
This evil originates in the defective education of
the young people, and also from the unrefined
notions of their parents, who, sprung from the
humbler grades in the Old Country, have succeeded
in making money rapidly in the new, but have failed
to acquire superior notions.
They may have fine houses and clothes, but these
will not of themselves secure very strict ideas as to
propriety of conduct.
No doubt when Giles and Sukey kept company
in England, it was not in the eyes of their relations
and friends any great harm if maternity should
precede matrimony ; but now, being what they call
" style/' though they may not be scrupulous as to
character, yet they do not wish any unpleasant
results to accrue from the loss of it.
Besides all these considerations, the wives of many
Americans will not be burdened with the cares of a
nursery, and consequently take any means available

m

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

to rid themselves of duties so ungraceful and distasteful.
In saying this, let me not be misunderstood.
There are doubtless in this most corrupt city many
hundreds of excellent wives and mothers; many
couples living together according to the rules of
Christianity; but these are they who fear God and
obey His law. Yet, as it is the boast of thousands
that they do not even acknowledge the existence of
a God, and laugh at the notion of a future state,
why should they not practise and glory in every
abomination ? The low view taken of the morality
of this people is derived from perusal of police
reports, statements of the Press, the shameless advertisements which disgrace the columns of many
newspapers, together with the disgusting illustrations which several journals display weekly. So
bad are these last named as, to have provoked a
protest from more than one paper, by which the
doings of New York have been compared to those
of the Cities of the Plain. The people who forget
God have always turned to filthy lusts. Impurity
and falsehood have ever stalked hand in hand over
the earth, and having borne one another company
through the Old World, have also found a congenial home in the New. If one line that I have
written on this subject should induce good members
of society in America to set themselves vigorously

MOEALS, MABRIAGE, AND DIYOEOE.

67

to ^rork to crush out any of these abominations
from among them, I shall know that I have not
taken up my pen in vain, and shall feel that I am
more than repaid for the pain which writing on so
revolting a subject has caused me.

F 2

SERVANTS AND LABOURERS.
B Y far the majority of the domestic servants are
Irish, and in spite of their peculiarities of temperament, they are generally highly spoken of for fidelity,
honesty, and decency of life. The native Americans
disdain the idea of service, though not scrupulous as
to getting their livelihood by less reputable means.
An Irishwoman works hard and well, though she
may not be what is called in England a thorough
servant. She is a b>ad nurse, from her terribfe habit
of foolishly over-indulging the children, and her want
of system and tidyness in the management of them.
She will have her Sunday afternoon out, and also
her Thursday evening, when, to do her justice, it
must be stated, she generally goes to church. In
fact, she is a main support of her religion, for the
greater number of the Catholic churches in America
are built out of the hard earnings of women servants
and labouring men, though in many cases American
Protestants build them for the sake of the Irish in
their employ, as they find that it is impossible to
manage them without the priest. Unfortunately
in all cases the influence of the clergy does not

SEEYANTS AND LABOUBEES.

69

suffice to control the fierce nature of the Celt, as
the riots of July, 1863, abundantly prove; when
New York was for three days in the hands of a
mob of Irish labourers. The late Archbishop rose
from his dying bed to address them from his
balcony; but in vain did he attempt to check the
atrocities of which they were guilty, such as the
hanging of defenceless negroes to the lamp-posts, the
burning of the negro infant orphan asylum, and
similar lawless acts; these outrages being perpetrated partly because negroes were employed to
do work which the Irish had refused. A terrible
retribution awaited these miserable men, hundreds
of whom were shot down by the military called out
to quell the riot.
The negroes share with the Irish the hard labour
of the country, and are most undeservedly disliked
by them. It has required the most authoritative
action on the part of the clergy to prevent their
being denied admission to the Catholic churches, the
boast of which has justly been that there alone, of
all places of worship in America, a black man may
pray beside his white brother.
Germans and Swiss are good servants, but are
more generally employed at hotels and restaurants
than in private houses. Negroes are especially
useful in the management of horses, with which,
as with all other animals, and with children, they

70

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

are on the best of terms. As a general rule, Negroes
are far better mannered and more attentive than
the white servants; though it is said of them that
they will pilfer, whilst the Irish are accused of
utter disregard for truth.
It is the universal testimony of Americans, that
when the Irish are influenced by religion they are
good members of society; and although there are
doubtless numerous instances of their having abandoned, not only tlie creed of the Old Country, but
religion of any kind, yet the vast and almost daily
increasing number of churches and religious institutions belonging to the Catholics proves how steadfast the majority must be to the faith of their
fathers.

FUNERALS AND CEMETERIES.
As soon as a death occurs, all the intimate friends
of the family of the deceased assemble at the house,
and watch by turn, night and day, till the funeral,
which takes place within a day or two of death, is
over. On that occasion, all who have been in any
way acquainted with the departed either come to
the house or follow to the cemetery; the religious
service in most cases being performed at the house,
and the corpse exposed to view, often packed in ice,
in order to preserve it. The beautiful custom of
decking the body with flowers is universally adopted,
and tends in a great measure to dispel the terrible
gloom which pervades the chamber of death.
Most funerals are conducted in a strange and
somewhat indecent manner. Among the numbers
who follow the deceased to the cemetery, few adopt
any badge of mourning, which gives an air of
heartless indifference to the affair; and candour
compels me to state that the use of stimulants as a
means of checking undue sorrow has often the effect
of making a funeral very like a merry-making.
In using the term indecent when speaking of the

72

THE GKREAT COUNTEY.

manner in which funerals are conducted, I must not
be misunderstood.
I do not charge the Americans with any intentional disrespect to the dead; but the style of their
interments is not decorous.
The coffin, or as it is sometimes styled the " funeral
case," does not look as though it had been originally
designed for so solemn a purpose.
The hearse has frequently plate glass sides to it,
which give it the appearance of a show case.
The carriages that follow, and the equipment of
the drivers, would be equally well suited to any
other occasion.
On a Sunday, long funeral trains make their way
through the city in a very jog-trot style.
I must here protest against being thought one of
those who approve of all the mock pageantry of woe
so often displayed in my own country ; but there is
in this, as in all things, a happy medium to be
observed, and funerals should be so conducted as to
be free from an appearance of levity on the one
hand, and from histrionic solemnity on the other.
The cemeteries of New York are thirteen in
number, and are generally well kept in order.
This does not apply to some of those belonging
to the Catholics, the disordered state of which has
caused many Catholics to secure for their families
graves among the Protestants. Such an unsatisfac-

EUNERALS AND CEMETERIES.

73

tory state of things has excited the attention of the
bishops and clergy; and a better plan having of late
been adopted for maintaining the Catholic cemeteries, it is to be hoped that this cause of complaint
is only to be regarded as a thing of the past.
The great cemetery of Greenwood, on Long
Island, is beautifully " located," as the natives say.
It is both extensive and intricate, so much so, that
strangers have been known to suffer much inconvenience through losing their way therein. To guard
against which contingency, " guide boards" are set
up at various points. The graves are well kept,
planted with shrubs and flowers, and if all the
monuments and inscriptions be not always in the
best taste, yet criticism is disarmed on such a
subject

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS, &c.
is well supplied with institutions
founded for- the relief of sufieringr both moral and
physical. A fine space on Broadway is occupied
by the New York hospital, founded by Lord Bun*
more, Governor of the colony, shortly before it was
given up by the English.
NEW

YOEK

It speaks well for the philanthropy of New York
that so large a space of valuable ground should still
be devoted to* a charitable purpose.
Randell, Ward, and Blackwell Islands, on the East
Eiver, are occupied by various charitable institutions, of the efficacy and usefulness of which I hear
much said; but as a mere visit to such establishments
can only give a very faint, and often false, idea of
their working, it is useless to employ my own or
the reader's time with an attempted account of them.
I observe that guide-books speak of the buildings
on these islands, devoted to such works, as
" elegant"; this is one of the happy flights of
transatlantic fancy which * excite the wonder of the
traveller, the buildings in question being, doubtless,
useful, but by no means ornamental.

OHAEITABLE INSTITUTIONS, ETC.

75

Of one charitable institution the title struck me
as odd, it is called " The Half Orphan Asylum."
I was puzzled for the moment as to whether this
bisectional condition of the children were moral
or physical; my idea of an orphan being a child
deprived of its father's fostering care, or one
entirely destitute of parents. I have since been
informed that this institution is for the reception of
children who have lost either parent.
In America, however, it may be the case that
many a free-born citizen is orphanised, apart from
the ordinary contingencies of existence. I read an
account of a father appearing before a magistrate,
leading a pretty little child by the hand, for which
he demanded admission to the workhouse, on the
ground that he had lately married a second wife,
who would not be troubled with the care of her
predecessor's offspring.
The worthy magistrate,
added the account, reproved the unnatural conduct
of the father, and stated that * he would adopt the
unfortunate infant himself.
There, are admirable institutions for the relief of
the afflicted in every way. Penitentiaries, reformar
tories, and the like, abound in New York.
The Catholics have several fine establishments for
reclaiming the fallen, as well as for succouring helpr
less innocence.
There has been in time past some little difficulty

76

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

on the religious question in connection with the
education of orphans; but that having been
adjusted, I believe on a firm and permanent basis,
all will doubtless go well in future.
It is a subject worthy of the highest praise, that,
as a rule, Americans are just on the religious question, and out of the funds devoted by the municipality to charitable purposes, relieve all alike.,
The Catholic society of St. Vincent of Paul gets
its share in proportion with the Protestant benevolent institutions.
Much private charity is dispensed through the
winter, and the relief of the poor by the authorities
is conducted on a liberal scale.
The Eev. Mr. Beecher called on his congregation
to contribute with more than usual liberality on one
Sunday morning during the winter. He demanded
a more than liberal donation from every one, as
he intended to hand over the amount collected
to the Catholic charities, of whose good works
he spoke in terms that did honour to his truthful appreciation of the merit of those from whom
in doctrinal views he so entirely differed.
Like all people of quick temperament, the American has fine impulse for good, on which, to do him
justice, he is wont to act, as the numerous charitable
institutions of New York and other large cities
amply testify.

CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS, ETC.

77

I have alluded slightly to mendicancy elsewhere ;
but there is a form of it which deserves especial
notice, and that is the begging-letter system, which
is adopted by " widows " and " orphans."
These interesting claimants on the bounty of the
benevolent are generally young and well-looking.
They intrude themselves into the "stores" and
" counting-rooms " of men of business, and instances
are known of their having extorted money in cases
where they had failed to obtain alms.
Sometimes a pale, interesting youth makes an
application for employment, fortified by letters of
recommendation from ministers and Sunday-school
teachers, according to which he is a model of piety
and worth. A character, to which further investigation of his case does not entitle him.
There are such abundant means for the relief of
distress in New York, both from public and private
sources, that beggars of this and every other description are to be viewed with distrust, if not consigned
to the fostering care of the law.

GENEKAL BEMAKKS.
No one who has not seen New York can form
any idea of it from the account given by Americans,
or rather " New Yorkers,"—I must be forgiven the
word. " Elegant" is a term they so universally misapply, that they unintentionally mislead in their
descriptions, whether written or oral.
They also use pretentious terms in speaking of
persons, places, and things. A shabby-looking
piece of badly kept ground, they call a park, for
under this description must come the open space in
front of the City Hall. They do not understand
correctly the use of architectural terms which they
apply to their buildings. They pronounce eulogies
on statues and public works of art which are simply
detestable. They talk of their "lovely" city, in
which no trace of loveliness can be discovered.
They declare New York to be a " superior kind of
Paris," and state Broadway to be the finest
thoroughfare in the world.
Their national greatness is an inexhaustible
theme on which they love to dilate.
I was much struck by a conversation which took

GENERAL EEMAEKS.

Id

place in my presence between an American and a
yoimg Englishman. The former was what is termed
" blowing " about the future of America.
" Y e s / ' he said, "that glorious bird, that eternal
Eagle, is destined to spread her wings over the world."
" Ah ! " said the Englishman.
" Already/' continued the American, " she has
extended them from the Atlantic to the Pacific/'
" Yes," said the Englishman.
"And she will/' added the American, " i n due
time cover with them the plains of Mexico, and the
wilderness of Canada."
" You think so," said the Englishman.
" That's so," said the American; " and she will go
on, and spread and spread them till—"
He paused for a moment, and the Englishman
finished the sentence for him by saying, " Yes, till
she splits herself."
The misuse of terms often renders conversation a
difficulty. I was told that an individual with whom
I had been conversing was " a real clever man ; " as
I had found him remarkably the reverse, I was
beginning to think that perhaps he might be one pf
those who verify the statement that language was
given us to conceal our thoughts, but was relieved
from this apprehension by discovering that "clever"
in American, means kind.
Another expression " lovely," was also a difficulty

80

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

to me. A person with whom I was conversing
spoke of his niece, whom he pointed out to me as
she was entering a ball-room, " as the loveliest girl
in the room." The young lady in question having a
hare lip, and a squint, and I think, the most terrible
head of hair I ever saw in a ball, or any other room,
I trembled to think of the set of gorgons I was
about to encounter, but to my infinite relief discovered that the term referred to moral not physical
excellence, in fact that " lovely " means amiable in
the Manhattan tongue.
As I have already said, prisons are not a subject
on which I intend to dwell; but I must say, in reply
to the assertions made with regard to the superior
manner in which they are conducted, that there was
something very terrible in an account I saw of a
wretched woman, who was taken up for drunkenness, being locked up all night in a cell with her
dying infant, which expired before morning.
The name of the city prison of New York is in
itself terrible; it is called the Tombs, and is built in
what the guide books state to be the Egyptian style
of architecture.
An Asylum for Inebriates is an institution of, I
believe, recent growth ; its usefulness is very great,
for not only has it restored to a sound mind those
who had become victims to drink, but has so much
improved their general health as to enable them to

GENERAL REMARKS.

81

resist the baneful excessive use of stimulants so
frequently the destruction of many whose talents
are calculated to make them both useful and ornamental members of society.
The wharves of New York are very extensive, but
the condition in which they, as well as the streets
adjoining, are allowed to remain, is perfectly disgusting, as well as highly dangerous.
The good merchants and traders are too busy to
think of having them kept free from obstruction,
cleaned, paved properly, or drained. A casual
observer would think this a case of more haste than
speed, for business must be actually impeded by the
existing state of things, and valuable space recklessly sacrificed ; to say nothing of the risk to life
and limb, which is hourly incurred by all who are
called upon to traverse those dangerous water-side
thoroughfares, thronged as they are by cars and
other vehicles, together with multitudes of footpassengers.
Having been told there were no beggars in
America, I was hot a little surprised to find them in
the streets, both numerous and persistent. There
are plenty of institutions for the relief of distress,
but the beggar is alike all over the world, and shuns
any offer of assistance that would lead to an investigation respecting him. Children infest the streets,
sent out to beg for infamous parents, who will not

82

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

work for their own support, much less for that of
their miserable offspring.
That there is a great deal of real distress in New
York and Brooklyn is too true, and distress which
far exceeds the means of relief, which is dealt out
with no sparing hands.
There are National Benevolent Societies under
the auspices of the patron saints of the United
Kingdom.
I had only a specimen of the St. Andrew's
Society, which, I regret to say, was anything but
calculated to impress me favourably as regards the
good taste or breeding of its members.
There are very good clubs in New York ; I was
introduced at three of them, where I experienced
every courtesy a visitor could expect from a body of
gentlemen on whom he had no other claim than that
of a stranger or foreigner.
I regret to be unable to record my impressions of
the superior classes of New York society, although
I am bound to state I have met with remarkably
agreeable people in my limited intercourse with the
polite world there.
One of the most terrible examples of our fallen
nature I have encountered is the fast swell of New
York.
He is simply terrible, for he displays all the folly
of the European original without a trace of the

GENEBAL EEMAEK8.

8*

refinement which the latter in some cases may
possess.
He is often the spoilt child of some successful
costermonger, and inherits much of the feeling and
habits of his respected progenitor.
You can detect him at once, before he opens his
mouth, by his dress and demeanour.
He is, of course, ashamed of his parents, and passes
his time amid the most worthless companions with
which a large and profligate city can furnish him.
He has, of course, been in Europe, and knows
Paris better than a Parisian, though he has failed to
get hold of the language.
He has plenty of money, which renders him as
dangerous as a pestilence to many of his fellow
creatures, on whom he will lavish wealth if they will
but consent to become sources of gratification to his
depraved appetites.
Thoroughly debased by selfishness and luxury, his
brutalized nature revels in a^l that can degrade one
man or disgust another.

G 2

BKOOKLYN.
or as it has been called the City of
Churches, situated on Long Island, is of Dutch
origin, and occupies the same relative position to
New York that Southwark does to London.
BROOKLYN,

In order to reach it, the East Eiver must be
crossed.
Ferry-boats of great size and strength,
worked, of course, by steam, are constantly running,
night and day.
So great is the traffic between New York and
Brooklyn, that at no less than seventeen ferries
these steamers are constantly passing and repassing,
which, at morning and evening especially, are
crowded; Brooklyn being the place of residence of
the vast majority of t|j.e less wealthy men carrying
on* business in New York.
As far as the transit is concerned, these boats are
very well managed, few accidents or delays occurring
even in winter, when the ice renders navigation
difficult; the only risk incurred is through the impatience of passengers, who will rush on board at the
moment of the boat starting, and frequently get a
ducking for their pains.

BEOOKLYN.

85

Nor is this the only danger. The dock by which
the boat is approached is divided so as to have a
way for carriages and carts, distinct from two
passages for foot passengers; but such is the violent
hurry with which men will rush down these passages that they have been known to be knocked
over the barrier and crushed by the carriages.
On either side of the boat there are two cabins,
one for ladies, the other for gentlemen; from the
former men are not excluded, though smoking is
prohibited, and there is printed on the walls a
notice, not by any means attended to, requesting
gentlemen, out of respect to the ladies, not to stain
the floor with their tobacco juice. These cabins are
furnished with seats, and heated by means of steam,
which renders them at times very oppressive.
There is a project for connecting New York and
Brooklyn by a suspension bridge; but, as usual,
there is so much jobbery and robbery anticipated in
its erection that the public is shy of taking stock in
i t ; and, of course, the ferry-boat company is doing
all in its power to oppose a plan so fatal to its
revenues.
Neither opposition nor any other cause is likely,
however, to prevent the work being carried out, as
the rapidly increasing population renders it an
imperative necessity.
The heights of Brooklyn, to which I have already

83

THE GBEAT COUNTEY.

referred, are occupied by very fine houses; these,
and the streets adjoining, are inhabited by some of
the wealthiest New York merchants; though I am
obliged to state that it is not considered at all
" style " to live in Brooklyn.
The view of the river from this point is good,,
though there is no beautiful country to look upon,
the principal features being, the City of New York,
Governor's Island, and the shipping.
A very few years back Brooklyn was a quiet
village, and not very old men can point out spots
in the heart of the city which were in their memories favourite rustic places of recreation, where,
after a hot dusty walk in the country, you might
have regaled yourself with " a cracker and a bowl
of milk."
Brooklyn is now a humble imitation of New
York, with avenues, cars, markets, and shops, like
its sister city. It abounds in churches of every denomination, the Presbyterian and Methodist beings
the wealthiest.
The Episcopalians here, as elsewhere, are highly
respectable.
The Catholics, as usual, take in all the very
poorest class, as the appearance of their churches
amply testifies.
Brooklyn is che'ap as compared with New York,
hut the rent of a good house, as I have before

BEOOKLYN.

87

stated, is about two thousand dollars a year, and
there are numbers, the cost of which far exceeds
that amount, and which rival in appearance the
residences of the wealthy in New York.
Clinton Avenue can boast some of the most
agreeable looking villas I've seen in America, and
by their style remind one of English homes, though
some of them are decidedly cockneyfied.
The aspect of many of the streets in Brooklyn is
very dull. There are one or two large hotels
which may be regarded rather as boarding houses
than inns. Schools abound here; especially celebrated among which is the Packer Institute, a day
school for young ladies founded by a wealthy person
of that name.
There are several educational institutions conducted by the Catholics, as the strict adherents to
that religion do not send their children to the
public schools.
There are parts of Brooklyn so quiet and retired
as to remind one of some out-of-the-way foreign
town, since many of the streets still retain the
impress of their Dutch origin, the houses being
built of wood, painted white, and fitted with green
Venetian shutters.
They are, in general, kept scrupulously clean,
and for the most part are approached by flights of
steps, which are generally called by their Dutch

«8

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

name of " stoop " or " stoup " ; — I do not know which
way it is spelt, nor, I think, do the people themselves. Trees are planted on either side of the
streets, and give a pleasing appearance to them, to
say nothing of the shade they afford in summer.
Brooklyn is as badly kept, with respect to lighting, paving, &c, as New York, and the reason
ascribed for this state of things is also the same :
viz., the utter corruptness of the municipality.
None of the churches are fine ; the one belonging
to the Episcopalians called Trinity is the best
looking, externally, but is remarkable for some of
the most atrocious stained glass that ever disfigured any edifice, sacred or profane.
The Catholics have some tolerable churches, and
the foundations for their cathedral in Clinton
Avenue give promise of a magnificent edifice, to
be built of grey granite.
As to the title City of Churches, I can only say
that places of worship of all denominations abound
in Brooklyn; and, whilst on this subject, I may as
well remark on the external religious aspect of
both this city and New York.
My experience of popular religion is necessarily
superficial, and all the information on the subject
is such as I have been able to derive from casual
observation, and my remarks must be taken as
emanating from one who has had no means of

BKOOKLYN.

89

judging as to the truth of either the efficacy of the
various sects, or the various scandals circulated
respecting them. As usual, for the most part, one
sect abuses the other, though all agree to differ.
In no places in the world can Sunday be observed
more perfectly as a holiday than it is in both New
York and Brooklyn; the shops are closed as far as
business is concerned, though the shutters are not
up, and in many cases the goods are exposed to
view, which serves as a Sunday advertisement.
All the liquor shops are sealed up, except to a
few of the initiated, who know how to get a drink
on the sly.
The Germans take to the steps of their doors;
the Irish lounge about, and the Negroes assemble
in the streets to enjoy the day of rest. It is true
the last-named keep to their own party, for though
some of the intense hatred entertained for them by
their white brethren may have subsided, yet the races
rarely mix, except in a car, or at a drinking bar.
The darkies have their own chapels and schools,
and he would indeed be considered a dirty blackguard who was seen talking to a coloured girl, and
none but the lowest of the low would thus degrade
himself; so at least I was told by the conductor of
a street car, for being of an inquiring turn, I talked
much to the natives who, though civil, were rarely
communicative. Frequently the only reply I got

90

THE GBEAT COUNTEY.

to a eut-and-dried speech was, " How V9 or " How's
t h a t ? " two favourite forms of interrogative with
this people.
I tried them with the language of Shakspere, in
which I was told they were proficients, but it was a
failure, for no one seemed either to speak or understand it, and when I said, " How now, what cheer,,
my masters ? " " By my troth/' or even " Perdition
catch my soul! " the only reply I could get, was,
" How ?"
To return to Sunday; every one spends it as may
suit individual tastes or views. The Presbyterian^
Baptist, and Methodist bodies devote the whole day
to church and Sunday school, where the young
people assemble in large gatherings, especially at
the latter, the girls dressed out in their very finest,
and the lads in their Sunday best.
It seems a pleasant pastime for them ; but the
poor children, who are sadly over-dressed, must be
wearied to death with long services and a hot school
room, which they have to endure for the greater part
of Sunday. Such are the means by which these
worthy people train up their children in ways of
righteousness, hoping, by such a system, to make
them take delight in Sunday—and thus a deeplyrooted affection for religion is likely to be implanted
in youthful minds!
I t is said that men frequently make up for the

BKOQKLYN.

91

religious restraint imposed in their youth, by never
entering a church in after-life.
Brooklyn is named the City of Churches from
having been one of the very early settlements of the
descendants of the Pilgrim Fathers, and in the wall
of one of the churches is seen built-in a fragment of
the Plymouth Eock, on which those fugitives from
religious persecution originally landed, and soon set
to work to persecute in their turn all in the New
"World who presumed to differ from them in matters
of Faith.
Sabbatarianism was supreme here, and
even now the Puritanical leaven still works, though
very feebly.
The great, so-called religious lion of the place is
Mr. Beecher, who attracts crowds every Sunday.
When I heard him he was in full force, having
just returned from his annual holiday, which he
prudently takes during the great heat, returning to
delight his many hearers when the evenings grow
cooler.
In this respect he resembles some of his brethren
on the other side of the Atlantic, for I have often
observed at the West End of London a notice on
the doors of certain fashionable churches and chapels
stating that they were closed for repairs and cleaning,
a process they appear to require annually, just at
the time when the sea air is more agreeable than the
heat and dust of London.

92

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

The temple dedicated to the service of Beecher is
a very plain—it might be called ugly—building; but
the arrangements for the comfort of the pew-holders
are excellent, the seats being ample in width and
luxuriously cushioned.
The principal object in the building is the organ,
which occupies the position that the high altar would
in a Catholic church; in front of this is the gallery
for the choir, and just below this is a small platform
for the preacher.
By half-past seven o'clock the building was filled
with a vast assemblage, the majority of which had
been there since the opening of the doors.
The time of waiting was beguiled by pleasant
chatting, or the perusal of a newspaper, and at halfpast seven the organ struck up, and shortly after the
choir, chiefly composed of ladies, commenced an
anthem.
The preacher had meanwhile taken his seat on
the platform, attired in a frock coat, black trousers
and waistcoat, wearing a gold chain, and a black
silk tie, his appearance being that of a good-natured
man of some fifty odd years of age.
The anthem finished, he rose, approached a desk,
and read a portion of a chapter from the New
Testament, or, as he termed it, "from Luke's Gospel";
this selection over, a hymn was sung by the congregation in a very ineffective style, considering the

BROOKLYN.

93

numbers who seemed to take part in it, reminding
one of the chorus at Exeter Hall, in which at one
time there were a great many dummies.
The hymn concluded, a remarkably commonplace prayer was delivered, which resembled in
style the addresses made by municipal corporations
and other bodies to Queen Elizabeth and her successors when they made royal progresses.
This prayer over, next came the feature of the
evening, the sermon.
The text was from the
Gospel, the subject, our Lord receiving publicans
and sinners. Never was a sacred theme more
strangely handled, and to the majority of English
people it would have been most shocking.
The idea of the parable of the Prodigal Son,
which the preacher introduced, and styled a
religious novel, being made comic, was something
new, at any rate to me, and all credit is due to Mr.
Beecher for the masterly way in which he gave two
characters—the elder brother disgusted at the reception which the prodigal received at his father's
hands, and the servant who told him of it, whom
Mr. Beecher made the comic man of the story.
It is very evident that pathos is not Mr. Beecher's
forte, for when he tried to be pathetic over the
erring prodigal and his forgiving father, his grief
was such as Mr. Buckstone is wont to display.
Of satire, Mr. Beecher is a master, and his sly

94

THE 0EEAT COUNTKY.

hits at the peculiarities of his countrymen were
given in first-rate style, as were his portraits of the
self-righteous and covetous man.
His audience keenly ajypreciated his fun, as bursts
of laughter, and sometimes applause, indicated.
It is a matter of deep regret that Mr. Beecher
.should not have adopted the stage as a profession, for
assuredly then would America have produced one
good actor of eccentric parts.
The sermon ended, a short, very short prayer was
made, a hymn was sung, less effectively than the
preceding one, arid with a blessing the congregation
was dismissed, the whole affair having occupied
about two hours, out of which an hour and a quarter
was taken up by the sermon.
At the conclusion of the affair, the preacher
entered into lively conversation with those around
him.
Had Mr. Beecher's discourse been addressed to a
religious community, or a body of clergy, it would
have been highly salutary, no doubt, that the
preacher should have denounced self-righteousness,
and have told them that the publican and the
harlot would enter Heaven before the professor of
religion who was wanting in charity and mercy;
but since his audience was composed of probably as
worldly a set of people as New York could furnish,
it did seem superfluous, to say the least, to warn

BROOKLYN.

95

them against too scrupulous an attention to the
externals of religion.
Such preaching as Mr. Beecher's would not be
tolerated, of course, in any but a vulgar congregation ; his flippancy and levity being calculated to
shock refined, and utterly disgust religious, persons;
but he is well adapted to attract the thoughtless
crowd.
He is said to be a thoroughly liberal-minded man,
free from all sectarian rancour; but religion is with
him so evidently a matter of trade that it revolts
one's sense of decency; in* support of which assertion one has only to refer to the fact that the seats
in his church are put up at auction and sold to the
highest bidder, making the Gospel as preached by
Beecher a luxury for the rich.
It is not too much to say that all idea of religious
instruction is lost in hearing him, as his style of
preaching reminds one more of a comic reading than
.anything else ; and as his church is let out occasionally for such a purpose during the week, small
wonder if those who attend there get a confused
idea as to which is religion and which is amusement.
. There are several other popular preachers among
the different sects in New York, and all have their
admirers; but not one of them has ever held his
place so long in public estimation as Mr. Beecher.

96

THE GREAT COUNTEY.

Eeligion cannot be said to have a very strong
hold on the people, nor is it likely that it would
with the masses in any country where self-assertion,
hatred of discipline, or restraint of any kind, are the
great national characteristics; and though it may be
urged that many Americans are members of the
various churches with which all their large cities
abound, it is most certain that vast numbers of them
belong to no church at all.
In some cases they do not go on account of the
want of novelty in the subject of the sermons. One
man said that he had been much annoyed on going
to church, for he heard the preacher tell an old story
about some loaves and fishes, which he had heard
years before.
Spiritualism in this country assumes a religious
form, and advertises its Sunday services together
with all the other churches.
It is not extaordinary, perhaps, that the Americans
should take to spiritualism, because it is often the
case that sharp people are easily imposed on.
One is, at times, taken aback to meet with
educated people in other countries who are not
superior to the influence of such a transparent imposition ; but in a country where no Censor Morum
would be listened to or tolerated, no check can be
imposed on charlatans, or the infatuation of their
victims.

BROOKLYN.

97

The Americans must have excitement, and religious adventurers have a vast field for their operation
among them. There is a great deal of church going,
as it is the only pastime on Sundays which is
allowed by very many; and some new thing is
eagerly sought after.
I have heard, though some deny it, that the
German theatre in Bowery used once to be open on
Sunday. Sacred Concerts, so-called, I know not
why, are now held in New York, and are well
attended ; the selection of music not being always
such as would attract the serious-minded, or come
under the head of sacred, according to our view of
the subject.
There are not now as many popular preachers
as usual; in fact, I was told by one man that he
was about to go into that line, as there was an
opening in New York.
The music in some of the churches is what
Americans call " elegant/' but, from an ecclesiastical
point of view, it is detestable in taste and style, and
this remark especially applies to the Catholic
churches, where the mass is sung to fragments from
operas, and mawkish English ballads.
Trinity Church, both in Brooklyn and New York,
boasts of a fine choir; but the Episcopalians wrangle
over this as well as over every other point connected
with their service. The squabbles between the
H

98

THE GEEAT COTJNTEY.

bishops of that communion and the clergy are
amusing, if not edifying.
The Eitualists have a small church in New York
where they out-St.-Alban St. Alban's ; and at one
church, where a High Church bishop censured a Low
Church minister for preaching at a non-Episcopal
Church, the respective partisans kicked up such a
row that the police had to interfere, and turned out
congregation, bishop, and all.
Many of the churches which were Dutch and
German originally, are now in the hands of
Americans.
The Jews have their synagogues, which are nothing remarkable.
The religion of the poorer classes is the Catholic,
owing to the vast immigration of Irish.
The Germans are not conspicuous for any particular religious form or fervour; but are quiet,
inoffensive members of society, wherever they
settle.
There was a time when a theatre in Brooklyn
would have been held as an abomination in the eyes
of its inhabitants; and it was with some difficulty
they were induced to co-operate in the erection of
an Academy of Music, from which all theatrical
performances, however, were to be excluded ; but as
it was discovered that unless operas were permitted
the speculation would be a failure, the all powerful

BEOOKLYN.

99

dollar carried the day : and now there are not only
weekly operatic performances, but frequently " stage
plays" given at the Academy; whilst a small theatre
near the City Hall is open with theatrical representations all the year round.
It is, I believe, in contemplation to build a large
theatre near the same spot; so utterly and entirely
has the spirit of Puritanism been laid in one of its
former strongholds.
In addition to these places of amusement there
is a small theatre devoted to Nigger Minstrelsy,
under the direction of Mr. Hooley, at which a most
amusing representative of darkie humour, Archie
Hughes, nightly delights large audiences.
Brooklyn is preferred as a residence by many who
do not care about being considered "style," and
there is a great deal of agreeable social intercourse
among its inhabitants, I believe.
Of course it is not my intention in any way to refer
to the hospitality I experienced, nor to the agreeable
circle with which I had the good fortune to be
associated; but I can bear testimony to the spirited
manner in which some of the public balls were conducted at the Academy of Music.
Brooklyn has many libraries and scientific institutions. Nor is it wanting in places for out-door
recreation. Prospect Park, in the course of formation, is a well-situated pleasure ground, comH2

100

THE GREAT OOUNTEY.

manding an extensive view of Brooklyn and New
York. It has no natural beauty of situation to
commend it, but much has been done to render it
an agreeable promenade.
The population of Brooklyn has of late years
increased so much, and so rapidly, that it threatens
soon to rank as one of the largest cities of the Union.
Long Island, on which it is situated, contains many
places of interest, and is memorable as having been
the scene of the battle in which the British troops,
under Sir Henry Clinton and Lord Cornwallis,
defeated the rebels in August, 1776.

JEESEY CITY.
which may be called the other arm of New
York, corresponding to Brooklyn, lies across the
North Eiver or Mouth of the Hudson, and is reached
by ferry boats much better appointed than those
that ply between New York and Brooklyn.
THIS,

Jersey City is not considered "style" at all, except
bad style, as it is the residence of the inferior, i. e.,
the poorer class, of New York.
All the worst crimes are committed here, and
altogether it is not a place to dwell either in, or
upon; it being a repetition of New York and
Brooklyn, and inferior to both, in all aspects.
It would not be visited by strangers at all, except
that Cunard's steamers land one on it, and the
Pennsylvanian railway terminus is situated therein.
It was from that point that I took my journey south.
As I have not as yet said anything of American railways, because I had not fully considered
the subject, and waited till experience had enabled
me to come to a conclusion about them, I will now
state my conclusion to be that in general they
are inferior to European railways, to say nothing

102

THE GBEAT COUNTBY.

of their merits compared with those of English
lines.
An American railway station is a very different
institution from a European one.
You have to do everything for yourself, and have
a very good chance of going nowhere if you happen
to be a stranger, and have not your wits about you.
No porter of the sturdy British type attends on
you; no over-officious superintendent looks after
you. You get your ticket and struggle on with
your luggage, unless you have had the foresight and
foreknowledge which may have induced you to check
it through; on which subject more anon.
You then pass on to the platform whence the
train is about to start, and enter a long carriage,
calculated to hold from fifty to sixty passengers.
At either end there is a door, a stove, and other
conveniences for passengers. Seats, calculated to
hold two persons each, are arranged down either side
of this carriage, leaving a passage down the centre.
These seats are capable of being reversed, so that
a party of four can make a compartment for themselves, and sit face to face.
Lamps, in which camphine is burnt, are lighted at
night.
The departure of the train is announced by the
ringing of a large bell attached to the locomotive,
which also rings loudly as the train approaches a
*

JEBSEY CITY.

103

station, or rather a town, through the crowded streets
of which it runs, not uncommonly with danger to the
inhabitants, the only safeguard against accident
being the ringing of this bell, and occasional notices,
at points where the road crosses the rail: " Look
out for the engine."
In front of the engine there is a sort of bulwark
placed, called " a cow catcher," which is intended
to lift anything off the lines that may be in the
way.
It is not unusual for an unhappy cow to wander
on to the line. I have seen several running before
the train; they were young and inexperienced,
consequently one of the party met its death.
The trains in general travel very slowly, and are
by no means safe. I will not be unjust to them by
making sweeping assertions, but give my experience
as I proceed on my journey.
I think the New Jersey and Philadelphia Kailway Station one of the best in the vicinity of New
York; but, as I have said before, you must look out
for your train and for everything else.
As regards your luggage, the best plan is to
have it what is termed " checked through," the
meaning and working of which I will explain hereafter by a practical illustration of the advantages
thereof, as well as its possible disadvantages if done
inadvertently.

101

THE GKREAT COUNTRY.

Leaving New York at half-past six, one reaches
Philadelphia about eleven; but on arriving there
the journey from the station to the hotel appears
interminable, though performed in a four-horse
coach, which, I should say, had belonged to the first
President, so antiquated is its style, and so uneasily
does it whirl you along over infamously paved
roads, through the whole length of the city.
Turning corners of the sharpest description, and
bumping you against foreign substances, must be
the idea an American coachman has of a joke.
I was by no means pleased with my journey, for
the springs of the carriage were defective, and I
felt more secure when I got out at the Continental
Hotel, which is a fine house, and considered a good
hotel by Americans. It was very crowded, and I
had some difficulty in getting a very bad cup of tea.
There is nothing in the appearance of Philadelphia to gratify a stranger. It lies very low. The
streets are good, and some of the private residences
handsome.
In many parts of the city the houses have a
simplicity of appearance denoting their Quaker
origin; though here as elsewhere that body is
rapidly disappearing, the peculiar dress which once
distinguished the members of the Society of Friends
being now only worn by a few of the old people,
Quakerism, indeed, being at present less a religious

JEESEY CITY.

105

than a social bond by which families are held
together.
The name of the city, "Brotherly Love," was
given it by "William Penn, its Quaker founder,
whose memory one has been taught to respect as
that of one of those men who seemed to have some
idea of justice in his dealings with the Aborigines;
and also with the Swedes, who were the occupants
of this part of the country when Penn first landed.
The English held possession of the city in 1778,
after their victories of Brandy Wine and Germantown.
Brotherly love did not reign supreme here in
1844, when a riot broke out between the Protestants and Catholics, which the presence of the
military was necessary to quell; but this was not
done till many lives had been sacrificed and several
Catholic churches destroyed.
The situation of the city would quite prepare one
to think it unhealthy, and the ravages made by
cholera and yellow fever tend to confirm this
opinion.
Here was the residence of the first President of
the United States; and here Congress held its meetings till nearly the end of last century in State
House or Independence Hall, an ugly building,
but interesting to Americans as the scene of the
adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

106

THE GBEAT OOUNTEY.

It contains a statue of Washington, and portraits
of the worthies who figured at that memorable
epoch of transatlantic history.
The United States Mint and the Navy Yard are
in this city.
Churches belonging to every denomination
abound, those belonging to the Quakers being
the fewest; the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and
Eoman Catholics having the largest and most
important of them.
They are none of them entitled to any special
notice from an architectural point of view, but the
spires and towers of some of them give an imposing
appearance to the city from a distance.
One Quakers' meeting-house is remarkable as
having Keen built by those anomalous individuals,
" The Fighting Quakers/' who figured in the War of
Independence.
One of the most important ecclesiastical edifices
in Philadelphia is the Catholic Cathedral, a fine
church in the classic style of architecture. It being
Passion week when I visited it, the pictures and
frescoes were covered, to the great regret of a very
polite official, who was most anxious to show me
everything. But, from the peep I got at one
" masterpiece," and also from what I had already
seen of American decorative art, I do not think I
had any very great loss in not having seen them.

JEKSEY CITY.

107

One of the great features of Philadelphia is
Girard's College, an Orphan Asylum, founded according to the will of an eccentric old gentleman,
whose name it bears.
The building is large, and well adapted for its
purpose. A statue of the founder has been placed
at the foot of the grand staircase, under which his
remains have been deposited.
He was a Frenchman, and a Catholic, but having
abandoned his religion, seems to have resolved that
his proteges, in all times, should be educated without
a creed, since it is a provision of his will that no
clergyman of any description shall be allowed to
enter the building on any pretence whatever.
Five hundred unfortunate children are at present
under this fostering care.
The Academy of Music is a fine theatre, and will
accommodate three thousand persons.
Libraries and institutions abound ; as do hospitals
and other charitable institutions.
There are hotels in abundance, the principal being
the Continental, which enjoys a reputation far beyond its merits.
I am perhaps a little spiteful because my luggage
went astray between New York and Philadelphia,
and I had, consequently, a most comfortless night.
Candour compels me to admit that I alone was in
fault about the luggage, as the system of "expressing"

103

THE GBEAT COUNTEY,

it, so universally adopted in America, is the best
possible.
You have merely to address your luggage, and
book it at an office of the express company. It is
taken from your residence, and delivered with
punctuality and speed as addressed ; and the same
method is adopted on your arrival anywhere by
train.
An agent of the company comes into the car, you
give him your luggage ticket, and state where you
wish it sent, he enters the particulars in a book,
and gives you a check; all care of it is at an end,
as far as you are concerned. But make up your
mind as to where it is to go, for you'll have great
trouble in making any change. This system is
especially advantageous in a country where cabs
are almost unknown, and coach-hire is an infamous
extortion.
The water-works at Philadelphia are among the
sights ; but I did not visit them, as, from a distance,
they gave me the impression of being like the waterworks everywhere else.
The cemetery is also a place you are specially
invited to visit; for, in this city, as elsewhere, the
offer of a seat in a pew and of a visit to the cemetery
are two forms of showing hospitality in which the
natives delight.
The markets in Philadelphia are large and well

JEESEY CITY.

109

supplied, but the quality of the food, judging from
hotel fare, is not better here than elsewhere.
The poultry is very fine in appearance, and I am
inclined to think that " the Friends " keep up in the
New World the reputation for good living which is
accorded them in the Old.
Philadelphia is full of life and bustle; its manufactures, especially of iron, hold an important place
in the commercial world.
There are abundant means of amusement, I am
told; but I saw none but theatres and billiardrooms. The former enjoy a high reputation among
Americans; the latter are thronged here, as they are
in all cities throughout the States.
A few days' sojourn in Philadelphia would satisfy
any one not engaged in business; in fact, an idle
man feels himself to be in the way among a people
so devoted to the pursuit of gain, as are the inhabitants of these northern cities.
For this reason I protest against all letters of
introduction to men of business, unless they be
letters of credit. You put yourself to the trouble of
going to call on a man to whom you have an introduction; he knows your brother or your uncle in
Europe. You make your way through the crowded
wharf or street to his store ; he reads the letter you
present, shakes hands, says he's glad to see you, asks
a few questions about the friend who has introduced

110

THE GBEAT COTJNTBY.

you, goes into trade, of which you are ignorant; or
worse, touches on politics, about which you are indifferent or disgusted. You rise to escape; he catches
at the idea of losing you with indecent haste ; but
to amend this defect says, " 111 be glad to have you
step in another time that you are passing, and see
me." You hasten to relieve his apprehensions on
this point by assuring him, with expressions of regret of course, that you are leaving by the train that
afternoon. It is then his turn to express regret, but
it is a failure: he can't do i t ; "a bright thought, however, occurs to him that you will be visiting the
city again, and then he'll see you; to which you
make a suitable reply, very much at variance with
the thoughts that are crossing your mind at the
moment, and bow yourself out.
I have no doubt that there is great hospitality
shown in America, though I believe the reputation
for this was always enjoyed rather by the inhabitants of the Southern than by those of the
Northern States.
I did not visit the prisons of Philadelphia, but
was somewhat sharply snubbed by a worthy Philadelphian for venturing to make some remarks on
the silent system, and told I knew nothing about i t ;
and, as I was merely quoting from the work
of a popular English author on the subject, I was
silenced.

JERSEY CITY.

Ill

It was, I admit, without regret that I quitted this
abode of love, and started by an afternoon train for
Baltimore. I met rather an agreeable companion in
the car, quite a young man, who told me he had run
away from home to join the war when sixteen,
in flat opposition to his father's will. He had been
rewarded, however, for his dutiful conduct by a
silver plate conferred on him by one section of his
countrymen in compensation for another section
having shot away a piece of his skull. I don't think
he gained much more than this by his military
exploits, for his health, like his head, was fearfully
shattered. Indeed I was inclined to think his
intellect impaired, not because he jumped out of the
car as we approached Baltimore when the train
was going at good speed, for such is the practice of
the country, but because he invited me to do the
same in order to make a short cut to the hotel by
means of a street car which would only cost six
cents, whereas a place in a carriage from the station
would be a dollar at least. In his hurried flight he
left his slippers behind. I took them with me to
Barnum hotel and left them at the bar, so, if he
should read this, he'll know where to find them, and
I shall have earned the gratitude of at least one
American for having written a book. The journey
from Philadelphia to Baltimore occupies about
seven hours.

BALTIMORE.
A LINE of the great national anthem, " Yankee
Doodle "—I am quoting from memory—states that
" Baltimore is the dandy." I do not know what
the American laureate of that day may have meant
by this expression, but am happy to endorse the
statement as far as saying that the city is well built
and very clean.
In spite of its title of City of Monuments, I
did not think much of the public buildings. The
Catholic cathedral struck me as a marvel of ugliness;
though it boasts the finest organ in America.
It is said that society here is much more refined
than in the more northern cities.
Ex-President Davis was paying a visit to the city
about the time I was there, and the hotel was
thronged from morning till night with visitors
anxious to do him honour.
He commands the respect and sympathy of large
numbers of his countrymen, and is also much liked
in Montreal, where he has been residing of late.
I do not know that he has any especial claim on
the sympathy of Englishmen, beyond the fact of his

BALTIMOEE.

113

misfortunes and the justice of his cause, for
assuredly every one must in fairness admit that if
George Washington be a hero, so is Jeff Davis, the
only difference between them being the result of the
ventures in which they embarked, both being
examples of the distinction between " a wicked
rebellion " and " a glorious revolution/'
Baltimore takes its name from Lord Baltimore,
and is one of the most uphill cities I ever visited.
It has a fine harbour : the scene of some sharp
fighting during the war of 1812. Baltimore is
spoken of as a stronghold of " Kebs," a term by
which the Northern men designate their disaffected
brethren of the South.
Party feeling ran high here during the late war.
The mob attacked and worsted some of the United
States' troops as they passed through the city in
1861, and a serious riot was the consequence.
The soldiers were roughly handled. I believe it
was a Massachusetts regiment, which made a fine
display, though the glory of the fighting is generally
given to the Western Men and the Irish and
German mercenaries; at least, such is the testimony
of the Southerners, who allow the claims of those
whom I have mentioned, while they speak of the
Eastern Men with great contempt, alluding to the
vast numbers of new and unused Springfield rifles
that were picked up on the battle-field after an

114

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

encounter with the Massachusetts troops. One or
two military men from that part with whom I fell
in, gave me the impression of belonging to the
Bobadil order of fire-eaters, and though vague as
to the precise battles in which they had performed
prodigies of valour, spoke repeatedly and loudly of
having "whipped/' and "pounded the South ta
thunder/'
I do not think that, rich though Baltimore be in
monuments, they would repay the trouble of visiting
them. As national works they are doubtless very
great, but, artistically, the less said about them the
better. Barnum's hotel was a decided improvement
on the Continental, though it falls short of a firstrate European establishment of the kind.

WASHINGTON.
Baltimore by an early train one reaches.
Washington in little less than two hours, the
distance being forty miles. The route is by no
means strikingly beautiful.
It was just at the time of the Johnson Impeachment that I visited Washington, and in the train I
encountered more than one Englishman going up
to witness the intense excitement naturally to be
expected at the seat of Government at such a
momentous period as the trial of the Chief Magistrate on so grave a charge as treason against the
state. But more of this hereafter, let us first consider Washington itself.
I do not know whether any one has said it
before me, but am certain that hundreds must have
thought with me that Washington impresses a
stranger with the idea of the unfinished suburb of
a large city. It has been called the City of Immense
Distances; I would suggest " Intense Dustiness," for
you are dragged, half-smothered, through its principal street, which is ankle-deep in fine sand,
to a very uncomfortable hotel, called Willards,
LEAVING

12

118

THE GBEAT COUNTKY.

the ground floor and passages of which I found
crowded by numbers of very inferior-looking men,
some of whom I was not surprised to have pointed
out to me as members of Congress.
Having read in the New York papers that the
whole civilised world's attention was centred in
"Washington, that Nature herself was paralysed at
the mighty conflict raging there, that the London
" Times " was displaying brutal indifference in not
keeping up constant telegraphic communication
with Washington, in order to let the Britishers
know hourly the progress of affairs in which they
ought to take, if they didn't, the deepest interest,
I was surprised to find the city so tranquil.
It is difficult to know what the American press
means by the civilised world, but if taking interest
in the proceedings of Congress at that particular
juncture be a sign of belonging to it, then, certainly, New York must be excluded from that
social status, for never was less interest evinced in
any question than the inhabitants of that city displayed as to the fate of President Johnson.
At Washington I expected to find men's minds
and mouths filled with the topic, and thought I
should see many a careworn face betokening the
gloomy forebodings with which politicians regarded
the issue of this all absorbing subject; what was my
surprise, then, to hear, at Washington itself, men

WASHINGTON.

117

speak of the affair with contempt or ridicule, except those who were making political capital out
of it.
It was a generally expressed opinion that impeachment was merely a dodge to get " Andy " out
of power before the coming presidential election.
From the hotel I hurried to the Capitol, expecting
to find all the avenues to it thronged by anxious
politicians. I made my way to the great hall, and
found it almost deserted.
Although the form and size of the Capitol may
be familiar to most of my readers, I feel bound to
say a little about it. It is a large building of white
marble, with a fine dome ; and, although fault may
be found with the architectural proportions of the
whole building, it has a very imposing appearance,
situated as it is on an eminence, which renders it
conspicuous for many miles.
Strangers are invited to mount to the top of the
cupola, but they who are wise will decline, as the
prospect from it will not repay the trouble.
As far as decoration goes, the Capitol is to be
condoled with, for both sculpture and painting
disfigure it. Especially do I refer to the works of
art that adorn the Great Eotunda. Amongst these
is a small picture of the Goddess of Liberty, which
gives one a very fair notion of the national taste and
feeling on that subject.

118

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

The French have reason to complain that, as far
as pictorial representation goes, their services in the
War of Independence are not made prominent. A
picture of George Washington at home represents
the father of his country in a court suit, at his rural
retreat, Mount Vernon, a circumstance that proves he
would not have objected to have appeared at St.
James's in becoming attire.
As I am not writing a guide-book, I will not
dwell any longer on this building in general (beyond
remarking that it is badly finished in many parts),
but proceed to the Hall of Eepresentatives, on the
floor of which all the genius of the country has
spoken—and spat. It is a fine room, and, in the
opinion of Americans, " whips the Universe."
Even here, in the very heart of the Capitol, at the
moment that the Collective Wisdom of the countrv
was assembled to try the President, there was no
excitement; this intense tranquillity may have been
an indication of the calm philosophic American
popular mind, but, to a foreigner, it looked like
supreme indifference.
About the halls and passages a few stragglers
were to be met with, an occasional official, and a stray
policeman. Once the monotony of the scene was
varied by an officer in full uniform, hurrying across
the hall; they told me his name was Thomas.
Occasionally, during the session of Congress, some

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119

lively little episode will occur, such as the following :—A stranger sends his card into the house
for a certain member, the said stranger being one
of the constituents of the member in question—
one who has been useful during the election,
and has, consequently, received many assurances
•of the member's regard, and promises of assistance.
Out comes member hurriedly, card in hand, exclaiming, « Where's Mr. — %"
" That's me," says the stranger.
No sooner does member catch sight of his visitor
than he shouts out,—
" I can do nothing for you," and turns back into
the house.
" You may go to H
," shouts the indignant
stranger, and quits the scene; and so terminates the
interview.
But to return to impeachment, which all agreed
was a mere farce, a low political dodge, and, like all
other political moves in America, regarded by
honourable men with contempt, who shrink with
horror from politics as being synonymous with dishonour.
One would think that the impeachment had been
got up with the design of bringing the office of
President into contempt; every particle of power
having been removed from it, so that no man of

120

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

honour or high feeling would be found, one would
think, to fill the post.
It is not, of course, to be expected that the President of the United States should be a gentleman;
but surely, if the office is to be perpetuated, he must
be treated as something better than a mere man of
straw, unworthy of having any semblance of respect
paid to him. Though he be scarcely able to write
and read, coarse in language, habits, and manners,
one would think that he should be protected from
gross insults.
If the New York press expects that the outer
civilised world is going to take an interest in the
proceedings of Congress, they must be conducted in
a manner better suited to our ideas of civilization
than they have been.
What a spectacle for the civilised world to behold
was the President of the United States dismissing
the Secretary of War; the said Secretary denying his
authority, and retaining office by the simple process
of keeping possession of the room where he transacts
business, eating, drinking, and sleeping there for
several weeks ! The civilised world had an opportunity of judging of the effect of this scene, for one
of the illustrated papers gave a sketch of the
secretary taking his pipe after supper whilst he held
forcible possession of the room.
If Americans desire the respect of the world they

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121

must earn it, and not have such scenes enacted in
Congress as the following, the account of which I've
taken from New York daily papers :—
WASHINGTON, 2nd May,

1868.

PERSONAL CONTROVERSY BETWEEN MESSRS.
DONNELLY AND ELIHU B. WASHBURNE.
WHEN the members returned from the Senate Mr. Donnelly,
(rep.) of Minn., obtained unanimous consent to make a personal explanation. On the 20th of March last, he asked leave
to introduce a bill to grant land for the construction of a railroad from Taylor's Falls, by way of Fort Cloud, to the western
boundary of the State of Minnesota. He had asked that it be
referred to the Committee on Public Lands and be printed.
Objection was made by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Washburne), and he heard no other objection. It subsequently
seemed, however, that Mr. Holman had objected. He went to
Mr. Washburne and informed him that he was about going to
Connecticut to labour in behalf of the republican party, and,
therefore, he would be obliged to him if he would withdraw
his objection so that he might introduce the bill. His answer
was that Mr. Holman had objected. He then went to Mr.
Holman, and that gentleman, though opposed to him in
politics, said he would not interfere to prevent the reference
of the bill. But Mr. Washburne renewed his objection.
Stung with indignation at the conduct of Mr. Washburne, he
sat down and wrote a letter to Mr. Folsom, of Taylor's Falls,
merely stating the facts.
The letter was then read, in which it was stated that it
seemed that Mr. Washburne resisted every effort of his to
procure legislation for the benefit of his constituents.
Mr. Donnelly added that Mr. Washburne had a brother
there who sought to support him as a member of Congress.
This letter having been published in the papers, Mr. Wash-

122

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

burne wrote one without a parallel in the history of Congress,
and so shocking and offensive and outrageous in its character
that he would not now have it read were it not that justice
demanded the reading.
Mr. Washburne's letter was dated Washington, April 10,
and was addressed to Mr. Folsom at Taylor's Falls, in which
he stated that I (Mr. Donnelly) seemed to be searching for
sympathy, and asks Mr. Folsom to look at Mr. Donnelly's
Jesuitical performance, Mr. Donnelly knowing that the bill had
not the ghost of a chance, as there was but little land to go to
Minnesota ; and it was further stated that Mr. Donnelly might
have introduced his bill four months earlier than the period at
which he sought to introduce it. How contemptible must any
representative appear who is found guilty of attempting to
impose on his constituents. From his knowledge of the
character of Mr. Donnelly he (Mr. Washburne) had become
extremely suspicious of anything which he (Mr. Donnelly)
proposed. He had left Philadelphia between two days,
changing his name, and also changing from a Buchanan
locofoco—made his appearance in Minnesota as an office beggar.
It was one of Mr. Donnelly's schemes of plunder which made
Mr. Washburne oppose him. He trusted that his (Mr.
Washburne's) record was not stained with venality, corruption
and crime. Every corrupt measure in Congress had received
Mr. Donnelly's support.
The letter of Mr. Washburne having been read by the clerk,
Mr. Donnelly remarked that he was certainly justified in the
declaration he had made that the annals of Congress presented
no parallel to that letter, and he thought he should establish
that there were in that letter twenty-three distinct statements,
which were twenty-three distinct falsehoods. He should attempt to deal with them as rapidly as possible. Mr. Donnelly
went on to explain that he had only received the draft of the
bill on the 2nd of March ; that he had asked leave to introduce
it on the 20th ; that Mr. Washburne had objected ; that he

WASHINGTON.

123

{Mr. Donnelly) had then gone to Connecticut to aid the republican party in the canvass in that State. He expressed his
belief that the objection made by Mr. Washburne had sprung
from personal and malicious motives, and remarked that that
gentleman could not speak the truth when the truth would
best serve his purpose. Having referred to and examined
other points in Mr. Washburne's letter, Mr. Donnelly went on
to speak of Mr. Washburn e, of Winconsin, as " mousing around"
in reference to some other bill.
The speaker interrupted, and said that that was not parliamentary language toward a member who was absent, and who
was not involved in the controversy.
Mr. Donnelly said he would withdraw the remark.
Mr. Washburne, (rep.) of Illinois, expressed the hope that
the party would be allowed to go on.
Mr. Donnelly, after passing from that point, referred to the
charge in Mr. Washburne's letter that his (Mr. Donnelly's)
opposition to the bill offered some time since by Mr. Washburne, of Winconsin, to reduce fares on the Pacific Eailroad
might be attributed to the fact that he had a free pass to ride
over the road, and declared that he had never ridden over a
mile of the road, and did not expect to until it was completed
from the Mississippi to the Pacific. It would be a consolation
then to know that this mighty work had been resisted and
opposed by every blatant, loud-voiced, big-breasted, smallheaded, bitter hearted demagogue in all the land. (Laughter
on both sides of the chamber.) Eeferring to the charge made
against him in Mr. Washburne's letter of his being " an official
beggar !" Mr. Donnelly said, " An official beggar !" and that
from a gentleman bearing the name which he does ? Et tu
Brute ! " An official beggar ! " Why, Mr. Speaker, when I
entered the State of Minnesota it was democratic; when I entered
the county in which I live it was two to one democratic. I asked
no office—I expected none. But the charge comes from such a
quarter that I cannot fail to notice it. The gentleman's family

124

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

are chronic office beggars. They are nothing if they are not in
office. Out of office they are miserable, wretched, God-forsaken
—as uncomfortable as that famous stump-tailed bull in fly time.
(Laughter.) This whole trouble arises from the persistent determination of one of the gentleman's family to sit in this body.
Every young male of the gentleman's family is born into the
world with " M. C." franked on his broadest part. (Laughter.)
The great calamity seems to be that God in His infinite wisdom
did not make any of them broad enough to make room for " U.
S. S." (Laughter.) There was room for " TJ. S.," but the other S.
slipped over, and " TJ. S. & Co." is the firm. (Laughter.)
The Speaker interrupted Mr. Donnelly and reminded him
that his language was beyond the usual limit of parliamentary
propriety.
Mr. Washburne again expressed his desire that the " party "
should be permitted to go on.
Mr. Donnelly said he was sorry to transgress the proper
limits of debate, but the House would perceive that the
character of the letter on which he was commenting made him
speak under some feeling. " I was drawn into it," he said,
" by the charges made against my personal character, by the
vile insinuation contained in that letter that I was a fugitive
from justice, and that I fled from the city of Philadelphia
under suspicious circumstances between two days. This, Mr.
Speaker, is an absolute, unqualified, unmitigated falsehood,
and but for the respect which I have for you and for this
House I would use stronger language." Mr. Donnelly then
went on to refute that charge, and had read by the Clerk a
letter from the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, with whom
Mr. Donnelly had studied law, speaking in strong terms of
the probity and purity of his (Mr. Donnelly's) character
and the public esteem in which he is held in that community.
Mr. Donnelly then went on to say :—I stand here repeating
the challenge that if anywhere on God's earth, down in the
mire of filth and all nastiness, the gentleman can pluck up

WASHINGTON.

125

anything which touches my honour let it come; I shall meet it
on its merits. I have gone through the entire catalogue, I
have analyzed the entire contents of the gentleman's foul
stomach, I have dipped my hands in its gall, and have
examined the half-digested fragments which I find floating in
the gastric juice, but if it is possible for the gentleman from
Illinois, by his peristaltic action, to bring up anything more
loathsome, more disgusting, than he has vomitted over me in
that letter, in God's name let it come.
The Speaker again interrupted Mr. Donnelly and reminded
him that his language was out of order.
Mr. "Washburne again repeated the hope that the " party"
might be permitted to go on by unanimous consent.
Mr. Donnelly went on and stated that the charges were not
original, that they had been got up by one of the editors of the
St. Paul "Press," a man named Driscoll, who had visited
Philadelphia and had played the detective there for some days,
and had returned, having found nothing affecting his (Mr.
Donnelly's) reputation. But it seems, he continued, that
these charges are brought up here again. I shall not stop to
answer fully that splendid passage in Shakespeare which my
friend from Iowa (Mr. Price) was compelled to quote the other
day against the gentleman from Illinois :—
"Who steals my purse steals trash; 'tis something, nothing,
'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.

Why, Mr. Speaker, the cringing sneak thief, who picks your
pocket or steals your overcoat is a Christian gentleman compared with that monster who would rob you of the precious
mantle of your reputation and leave you shivering before the
contempt of the world. The assassin who strikes you down in
your blood leaves at least your memory sacred among men,
and your grave may be bedewed with the tears of affection;

126

THE GEEAT OOUNTEY.

but he who would assassinate your reputation—who would
strike at the life of your character and befoul you—who
would coyer you all oyer with " night soil," is a wretch whom
it were base flattery to call coward. Beside such a man the
memory of Booth grows respectable. Mr. Donnelly then went
on to refer to the charge that he had changed his politics, and
declared in answer to it that he had become a republican
twelve years ago, and that his republican politics were almost
coeval with the birth of the party.
The hour allowed for debate having expired, a motion was
made that Mr. Donnelly be allowed to proceed with his explanation.
Mr. "Washburne again expressed the wish that the " party "
might be permitted to go on.
There being no objection, Mr. Donnelly said:—I thank
the House and " that other party " for the" courtesy. (General
Laughter.) I will not notice all the charges which crawl over
the surface of the letter as vermin crawl over the body of
some beggar; but there is one other personal charge—that
I have changed my name. The intention of the gentleman
is to give out not only that I was a fugitive from justice,,
but that I was travelling under an alias. Mr. Speaker, I
was within a few hours after my birth baptized IgnatiusDonnelly ; I am Ignatius Donnelly to-day, and, with
God's help, I expect to remain so until the end of my
career. If I should ever be inclined to change my name,
it seems to me that I would take that of Elihu. (General
laughter and enjoyment of the same on both sides of the
House.)
Mr. Washburne was understood to say that then he would
change his name.
Mr. Donnelly retorted:—If 1 thought the gentleman
would change it it would be an inducement to me to retain it.
But what is the meaning of that attack ? It means this :—
The gentleman has cracked his whip over members of this

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127

House, and has been the natural successor here of those old
-slave lords who used to crack their whips here.
His vaulting ambition has o'eiieaped itself.

Not satisfied to assail us here, to vituperate us here, he is
going to mould the next Congress, and he is sailing into our
districts to tell the people whom they shall elect and whom they
shall not elect. My friend (Mr. Price) meets in the newspapers of his district the assaults of the gentleman. He is
ranging the whole vast amphitheatre. Why does he do this ?
There is a simple explanation which is given out in my
district, and which is one of the great arguments why they
should send the distinguished gentleman's brother to this
house—namely, that he owns General Grant, and that he
carries U. S. Grant in his breeches pocket. "Why, sir, he
already feels on his shoulders the cares of empire. He is
already forecasting cabinets, disposing of foreign missions,
setting men up and putting them down. Has he not lived in
the same town with General Grant? Should he not, therefore,
perforce be the Warwick, the king-maker, the power behind
the throne ? I never could account for the singular fact that
he lived in the same town with General Grant except on that
great principle of compensation which runs through the created
world. The town of Galena having for so many years endured
the gentleman, God Almighty felt that nothing less than
Ulysses S. Grant could balance the account. (Laughter.)
Josli Billings, talking of compensation, says:—" It is a
question whether the satisfaction of scratching will not pay a
man for the punishment of the itch." I leave the gentleman'sconstituents to apply the parable. I bow in profound admiration before the genius of Ulysses 8. Grant. I recognise him
as the greatest, bravest and wisest intellect of this generation.
I cannot think that he will degenerate into becoming a puppet
to be played by wires held in the hands of the gentleman from
Illinois, or that he would degenerate into a kind of hand organ

128

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

to be toted around on the back of the gentleman from Illinois,
while his whole family sit on the top of the machine grinding
and catching pennies like a troupe of monkeys. (General and
continuous laughter.) I would say to Ulysses S. Grant, if it
was in my power to whisper anything in his ear, to take
counsel by that profound remark of Aminadab Sleek when he
said, " You all expect to get into heaven by holding on to my
coat tail; but I'll fool you all, I'll wear a monkey jacket."
(Laughter.) General Grant has got to wear that political
monkey jacket. We had General Grant up in Minnesota, and
of course the distinguished gentleman from Illinois was with
him; and when General Grant was serenaded the gentleman
from Illinois stuck his head out of the window and thanked
the crowd, and when they rode in an open barouche together
and the crowd hurrahed, the gentleman from Illinois laid his
hand upon his heart and bowed his profound acknowledgments.
The people out there were in great doubt which was Grant
and which was Washburne, and they came to the conclusion
that the quiet little gentleman must be the fourth class
politician, and that the pretentious, fussy individual was the
conqueror of Lee. (Laughter.) Old Jesse Grant, it is said,
remarked on that occasion :—" 'Peers to me that "Washburne
thinks he owns 'Lysses, but he don't own me, not by a darned
sight." (Laughter.) Shall the two names go down into
history together—Grant and Washburne ? Why, Mr. Speaker,
the intellect of Grant is like some of those ancient warehouses
in the great cities of the Old World, where floor rises above
floor and cellar descends below cellar, all packed full to overflowing with the richest merchandise. The intellect of the
gentleman from Illinois is like some of those establishments
that we see in Pennsylvania Avenue where the whole stock in
trade of the merchant is spread out in the front window and
over it a label "Anything in this window for one dollar."
(Laughter.) He is the " Cheap John " of legislation, and that
he should attempt to rule and sway General Grant is not

WASHINGTON.

129

consistent with probabilities. Lord Dundreary was once
asked wiry it was that a dog wags his tail. " Why," says his
lordship, " the reason is because the dog is greater than the
tail. If it were otherwise," says that profound thinker, " the
tail would wag the dog." (Laughter.) Here was an instance,
Mr. Speaker, where the smallest kind of a rat terrier's tail
attempts to wag a Newfoundland dog.
Cromwell, I charge thee fling away ambition ;
By that sin fell the angels.

How, then, can Washburne hope to profit by it? The
gentleman should take counsel by that proverb of the Romans,
"Ex quovis ligno non fit Mercurius" which may be freely
rendered " You cannot make a statesman out of every demagogue." Mr. Speaker, I tremble for my country. Is it true
that eighty years of republican government have reduced us so
low that there is but one honest man in this House—but one
Lot in all this Sodom ? (Laughter.) Does no voice but his
ring out amidst cliques and conspiracies and rings ? Will no
voice be heard in the future assuring this House that its
members are all a pack of knaves ? that the country is going
to ruin ? and concluding with that favourite quotation of his
from the vast stores of his erudition,
Shake not thy gory locks at me ;
Thou canst not say I did it ?—

given with a roar like a wounded gorilla and a rush to the
cloak room amid the shouts and laughter of the House ? Mr.
Donnelly then went on to draw a fancy sketch of Mr. Washburne as he might appear in the Congress of the heavens
addressing the archangels and angels ; how he would sail into
them, how he would rout them, horse, foot, and dragoons; how
he would attack their motives and fling insinuations at them ;
how he would declare for economy, that the wheels of the
universe must be stopped, for they consumed too much grease,
and that all the expenditures should be stopped, except that
K

130

THE GBEAT OOUNTEY.

which would construct for the gentleman an extra watercloset.
One word in conclusion. The gentleman has assailed me, and
it is but right that I should put his own character in the
balance. What great measure in his sixteen years of legislation has the gentleman ever inaugurated ; what liberal
measure has ever met with his support ? What original
sentiment has he ever uttered ? What thought of his has
ever risen above the dead level of the dreariest platitudes ?
If he lay dead to-morrow in this chamber what heart in this
body would experience one sincere pang of sorrow ? Who
is there in this House whom he has not assailed ? He told
the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Woodbridge) the other day,
that every corrupt and profligate measure that was passed in
this body had met with his support, and when the gentleman
from Vermont rose upon him he cringed out of it like a
whipped spaniel. Did he not say to my friend from Pennsylvania (Mr. O'Neill) the other day, that he would say (for that
is the gentleman's way of making an insinuation) " that the
gentleman was one of a ring to swindle his country ? " Has
he not attacked my friend, Mr. Price, of Iowa, and aspersed
his motives in his legislation in this body ? He has sought to
build himself up on our dishonour, to glorify himself in our
disgrace, to pollute, befoul and traduce the very body of which
he is a member. His harangues are the staple of the newspapers of the opposition. We meet his charges on the stump.
He has lowered, by his wholesale, reckless assaults on the
honour and character of the members, the standard of this
body; he has furnished arguments for the wit of Dan Bice ;
he has furnished substance for the slanders of the pothouse.
Mr. Speaker, I need enter into no defence of the Fortieth
Congress. In point of intellect, of devotion to the public
welfare, of integrity, of personal character, it will compare
favourably with any Congress that ever sat since the foundation
of the government. It is illustrated by names that would do
hr-nour to any nation in any age of the world. If there be in

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131

our midst one low, sordid, vulgar soul—one barren of mediocre
intelligence—one heart callous to every kindly sentiment and
to every generous emotion—one tongue leprous with slander—
one mouth which is like unto a den of foul beasts, giving forth
deadly odours—if there be here one character which, while
blotched and spotted, yet raves and rants, and blackguards like
a prostitute—if there be here one bold, bad, empty, bellowing
demagogue, it is the gentleman from Illinois.
The Speaker, with severity in his tones, stated to Mr.
Donnelly that his remarks were not honourable to the House
of Eepresentatives, of which he was a member, and that
although the House tolerated them, the Chair could not
consent that they should go on the record except with this
protest.
Mr. Donnelly begged pardon of the House, and said he had
no desire to trespass on its rules or to offend its sense of propriety ; but the House would acknowledge that no man who
ever sat in this body had met with so vile, so extraordinary, so
cruel an assault as that of which he had been a victim. He
called the House to witness that he had never before violated
its rules nor said a discourteous word to any member. He
hoped the House would pardon the natural heat which he had
exhibited.
Mr. "Washburne said :—During my entire time of service in
this House I have never asked leave to make a personal
explanation, and I never expect to. The party from Minnesota
has had the letter which I wrote to a gentleman in that State
read to the House, and it goes upon the records of the House
and on the records of the country, and there it will remain for
all time. Every assertion made in that letter is true, and whoever says it is not true states what is false. If I were called
upon—and I desire only to say that if I, under any operation
of circumstances, were ever called upon—to make a personal
explanation in reply to a member, it would not be to a member
who had committed a crime; it would not be to a .member
K 2

132

THE G-BEAT COTJNTBY.

who had run away; it would not be to a member who had
changed his name ; it would not be to a member whose whole
record in this House is covered with venality, corruption, and
crime.
The Speaker reminded the gentleman that his remarks were
not parliamentary.
Mr. Windom, (rep.) of Minn., (Mr. Donnelly's colleague),
requested that Mr. Washburne's words be taken down by the
Clerk, but he soon afterwards withdrew the request, at the
advice of friends, saying :—" On the conclusion of the gentleman's remarks he would ask leave to introduce a resolution of
censure."
The Speaker replied that according to the custom of the
House no business could be transacted unless the House return
from the Senate before three o'clock and in pursuance of
notice given.
Mr. Windom then asked unanimous consent to introduce his
resolution.
The Speaker said that could not be done. When the
members returned to their hall this afternoon the gentleman
from Minnesota could ask leave to make a personal explanation, involving a controversy between himself and the
gentleman from Illinois. No business could be transacted,
this being the understanding. Gentlemen who were^ absent
would have occasion to complain.
Mr. Washburne—I said I should not reply to such a
member, and I wish to say further
The Speaker interrupting him, stated the reason why he
ruled the gentleman from Illinois out of order. It was owing
to the gentleman's attitude, gestures, and language, to the
gentleman from Minnesota. The Chair reminded the gentleman from Illinois, as he several times reminded ihe gentleman
from Minnesota and the House, that his remarks were not
parliamentary and should not go to the people at large.
Mr. Windom gave notice that when the House again

•WASHINGTON.

133

met for business he would offer his resolution of censure
against Mr. Washburne.
Mr. Washburne—I shall certainly be very unwilling to be
considered out of order, and am sorry the Chair supposed that
I violated any rule of the House. I was merely stating what
I should do under ordinary circumstances.
The Speaker—If the gentleman's remarks were not intended
for the gentleman from Minnesota at whom he was looking,
then they were not out of order.
Mr. Washburne—I repeat, if I were called upon to make a
personal explanation I should make it with a member who is
not covered over with crime and infamy, whose record is
stained with every fraud—whisky and other frauds—with a
man who has proved false alike to his friends, his country, his
constituents, his politics, his religion and his God.
The House at forty minutes past four o'clock adjourned.

The following day the annexed extract appeared
in the New York " Daily Tribune :"—
After the adjournment of the Impeachment Court, to-day,
the House went into session, and the Washburne-Donnelly
scandal again came up. Mr. Windom, Mr. Donnelly's colleague, introduced a resolution that the committee be appointed
to investigate the whole subject, and that Mr. Washburne be
required to prove the truth of his charges. Mr. Donnelly
opened the debate, and made a left-handed apology for his
disreputable language. Judge Spaulding said that he was not
present or he would have endeavoured to prevent it. Mr.
Dawes apologised to the House and country that as he was
present and did not object on Saturday, he was called to order
for using the words " degrading language," but the Speaker
decided that in the sense in which they were used they were
not unparliamentary. Mr. Dawes, who consumed most of the
time that was wasted in the debate, and who lost his temper
because he was not allowed more time, was evidently friendly

134

THE GKEAT COUNTEY.

to Mr. Washburne, and was opposed to Mr. Windom's proposition. Mr. "Woodbridge got the floor, and said that if
Congressmen would behave as gentlemen, such disgraceful
scenes would not occur—a sentiment in which the country
will generally concur. Mr. Mullins of Tennessee drew forth
much laughter by making several points of order. One of the
points made by Mr. Mullins was that the words " peculation
and robbery," applied to a member, were unparliamentary.
Another was that members should "slang whang" one another;
and a third, that he (Woodbridge) did not confine himself to
the question. Mr. Woodbridge, who was making a longspeech about nothing, was finally cut off by Mr. Windom,
who moved the previous question ; but before the vote was
taken, Mr. Washburne rose to speak. Mr. Mungen of Ohio
made objection, but subsequently withdrew it. Mr. Washburne
apologised to the House, but did not, however, retract the
charges. He yielded the floor to Mr. Dawes, who had been
deprived of it by Mr. Windom, but Mr. Dawes declined to
speak further. He subsequently changed his mind, and insisted upon reading too much of the filthy language of
Saturday. Mr. Eobinson (N. Y.) tried to get in a resolution,
but the Speaker declined to entertain it. A motion to lay on
the table was made, but it did not prevail, and the Committee
was appointed. Mr. Spaulding of Ohio moved to strike from
the record the objectionable language. This drew debate from
all quarters of the House. Mr. Wilson of Iowa held that it
could not be done. The Speaker thought it could. Mr.
Schenck was opposed to it on the ground that the House
might want to refer to the debate, and that the reports sent
out to the country by those not having an official connection
with the House had been exaggerated. Mr. Schenck seemed
to think an official connection with the House a very desirable
thing ; but he is a little mistaken, not only in that, but in the
assertion that the reports were " exaggerated." The report in
the " Tribune " was not half as disgraceful as that which ap-

WASHINGTON.

135

peared in the official organ of Congress, and if there was any
" garbling " abont it, it was to the advantage of Congress. Mr.
Donnelly requested that certain objectionable portions of his
speech be stricken out; whereupon Mr. Washburne retracted
his charges. Mr. Donnelly suggested that they should do as
Thomas and Stanton did. But Mr. Eldridge objected to the
honourable gentleman taking a drink unless he was included,
which the House thought very funny, and at which there was
immoderate laughter.

Subsequently the House did adjourn for a drink.
The state of Congress is decidedly very much
worse at the present time, from the fact of the
Southern representatives being excluded from its
deliberations. It is too notorious to require any
proof being adduced in support of the assertion, that
the South has given all the best statesmen and
rulers to America.
The nucleus of the New
Country was in that part of the States, and all the
men of refinement, intellect and education sprang
from there, whilst the coarser portion of the community was carrying on trade, or farming in the
North-eastern part of the country.
The old planter families of Virginia and Maryland had aristocratic notions upon which they acted
both at home and in Congress, and whatever may
be our opinion as to their conduct to the mother
country, it cannot be denied that they acted
honourably in the main by their fellow citizens.
This aristocratic element being withdrawn, the power

136

THE GKEAT COTJNTEY.

in Congress has fallen into the hands of persons of
an inferior class; as it is notorious that men of integrity and character shrink from an assembly where
they would find themselves associated with some
of the lowest characters that disgrace the community.
We know that the Senate has been the scene of
personal violence, when a dignified member gave
one of his peers a severe caning; but let us hope
that that august body has improved as to its mode
of displaying its feeling.
The library of Congress is said to be fine, in
spite of its having been several times destroyed
by fire.
It was burnt with the Capitol by the English
when they captured Washington in 1814. This
was an act of Vandalism only to be excused on the
score that many national works of art must
doubtless have happily perished at the same time.
Corruption, thy name is America! In proof of
this assertion I must refer my readers to the statements generally set forth in the public press as to
the extent to which fraud and peculation are being
carried on in every department of the State.
One case I can cite, which was lately, and may be
still, occupying the attention of the Executive.
A collector of taxes, sent down from the North
to superintend the revenue department in the South,

WASHINGTON.

137

was put on his trial for embezzlement of public
money, to the amount of a million and a half of
dollars; luckily for the delinquent he had a friend
in the judge who was to try him, and who induced
the grand jury, composed of two-thirds of white men
and one-third of black, with whom he contrived to
tamper, to ignore the bill. The conduct of the
judge, however, was so barefaced, that some of the
jury denounced him, and he in his turn was put on
his trial. Being an adept at managing juries, the
worthy judge went to the twelve enlightened men
about to try him, acknowledged his guilt, promised
never to offend in like manner again; and urged his
claim for consideration on these grounds; but, as a
final coup, said, " You must acquit me, for, should
you not, it will be such an injury to our party, and
give the Southerners a handle against all who are
sent here from the North to administer justice."
The jury saw the force of this reasoning, and acquitted the judge. His protege, the defaulting taxcollector, was allowed to take his seat in the State
Convention, and enjoy his million and a half of
dollars, or rather a portion of the amount, as it is
to be hoped he did not forget to compensate his
worthy friend the judge, who may yet be called on
to suffer for his delinquency.
Plunder is carried on to a great extent in every
department of the State, in proof of which it is

138

THE GKEAT COUNTEY.

stated that the expenditure of the government is as
great as it was during the height of the war. This
statement is not made on the authority of partizans
of the South. Men of the highest character in New
York have told me the same thing; in fact, it is the
one cry throughout the length and breadth of the
land.
From the Capitol one passes to the White House
and Treasury, the two buildings next in importance.
The former has the appearance of a gentleman's
mansion, its furniture and appointments, though
nothing extraordinary, being handsome and somewhat at variance with stern republican simplicity,
to which white-washed walls and sanded floors are
more akin, and which would certainly be more in
keeping with the habits of the frequenters of these
saloons, since spittoons, and a printed request to
use them, are not in strict keeping with blue satin
hangings and gilded panelling.
His Excellency the President is accessible and
affable, I believe, but I did not seek the honour of
being presented to him. I have been told that the
occasions on which he particularly distinguishes
himself are those upon which he makes a speech in
public, when, frequently, emotion almost deprives
him of the power of speech.
I have heard that the ceremony of his inauguration was especially imposing, so overcome was he

"WASHINGTON

139

by his feelings at that trying time that he was
actually obliged to be supported on either side by
two of his suite.
The Treasury is chiefly remarkable as being the
manufactory of the great medium of American
commerce, " greenbacks."
The churches of Washington are not remarkable.
The principal theatre, where I saw an " infant
prodigy" of about thirty delight an audience with
her playful gambols, is an insignificant place.
Ford's theatre, which was the scene of the
atrocious murder of the late President, has been
closed ever since that most calamitous event, the
panic produced by which is the only palliation that
can be offered for what seems to have been the
judicial murder of Mrs. Suratt, whose innocence of
all participation in that terrible crime I have heard
loudly asserted.
It will be fresh in the memory of many of my
readers that the unhappy woman, who was hanged,
kept a boarding-house at which Booth, the murderer, used to meet his friends.
The strong point now adduced in favour of Mrs.
Suratt's innocence is that a man named Gonover,
on whose testimony she and others have been convicted, is at present undergoing imprisonment for
perjury! He appears to have been the Titus
Oates of the period.

140

THE GBEAT COUNTEY.

There is one lion of Washington which deserves
especial notice, and that is a monument to the great
George, which has been in course of erection many
years.
Foreigners have contributed liberally for its completion, not only money, but marble and precious
stones. At the time of my visit, the Italian Minister
had just contributed twenty dollars, which, considering the state of his national finance, might be
thought reckless expenditure.
At present, the monument looks like the commencement of a suspension bridge, and is one
hundred and ninety feet in height. When completed, it is to be six hundred feet; this will
render it necessary that the execution of the statue
at the top should be very fine, as it will be subjected
to severe scrutiny with the aid of telescopes.
There is, however, plenty of time to think of that,
as the work is not in progress, several successive
committees of management having been unable to
carry it on; for, by a singular fatality, the funds
entrusted to them are always falling short.
In fact, I was impressed by the sight of this great
work, and also by that of Mount Vernon, and the
tomb of Washington, that the memory of the Father
of his Country no longer has a strong hold on the
affections of those for whom he sacrificed so much.
Severe indeed must have been the struggle that it

WASHINGTON,

141

cost a man, so upright and so just, to break his
word of honour as an officer and a gentleman, as he
must have done in revolting against the sovereign
whose commission he held.
I am aware I am indulging in sentiments and
language quite out of date, but these were, it is said,
held sacred in George Washington's time and estimation ; for are we not told he was the soul of truth
and honour ? and as a boy he is held up to our
admiration for not having told a lie to his father
about cutting a tree.
To such a man, one would have thought that
death would have been preferable to dishonour • but
he seems to have borne up wonderfully against even
this trial for his country's sake; and for some few
trifling personal advantages thrown in.
Worthy George, had you lived in these days,
you would have been voted " a bore/' and called
an "old flat-head," by the vast majority of your
countrymen, and have been bidden to " dry up."
In justice to the sentiments of the present generation, it must be allowed that the exploits of this
great patriot are not of an order, calculated by their
brilliancy, to take away the breath of the student of
History.
He was an old Tory, and seems, as a general, to
have been prudent and careful; in retreats and
ambuscades he most distinguished himself. He was

142

THE GEEAT COUNTKY.

careful and slightly prosy in the councils of the
State; but he succeeded, thanks to having strong
allies and good fortune on his side.
The valour of France was as instrumental in gaining independence for America, as it has been of late
years in placing the dominions of his neighbours at
the disposal of Victor Emmanuel.
John Bull very wisely gave up a conflict of which
he was getting the worst, in the same way that a
farmer would abandon the pursuit of boys who had
been robbing his orchard ; he cannot overtake and
punish them; and if he could, little glory would
accrue to him from the victory.
The Potomac is a muddy and not picturesque
stream, abounding in water-fowl and fish; though,
in my opinion, the much-talked-of shad is an inferior fish very full of bones, in this respect and in
flavour something resembling the herring.
I did not present myself to the English Minister,
Mr. Thornton. I believe the " T i m e s " objected to
his appointment, and, in so doing, displayed much
consideration for Mr. Thornton. I can hardly
imagine a more disagreeable position for a gentleman,
than being condemned to a residence at Washington. It cannot have a single feature to recommend
it. I imagine it is a point of honour among diplomatists not to decline going there, in the same way
that no soldier would refuse a post on account of its

WASHINGTON.

143

being dangerous. Solitude is terrible, but society,
in some instances, may be more terrible still.
Eeport speaks highly of the magnificence of the
gambling-houses in Washington, where the most
lavish hospitality is extended to all visitors. It is a
bold step on the part of the proprietors, one would
think, to open such establishments under the very
nose of Congress, by which such severe laws have
been promulgated against gambling.
It is whispered, however, that there are members
of that assembly who not only patronise these
illegal haunts, but have actually an interest in them.
This may be mere slander, but it is very generally
stated and believed to be the case. We must remember that law-givers, even republicans, are but
men.
Fraud on the government is so general and extensive, that stringent measures and extraordinary
means have been adopted in order to detect the
culprits.
A short time since the place of business of a
respectable firm in New York was entered by the
police, who seized on the books of the concern and
carried them off, under the apprehension that the
said firm was engaged in the great whisky frauds.
As nothing could be found in the books to inculpate their owners, they were restored after a lapse
of a few days, with a note of apology.

144

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

This is pretty strong for the land of liberty, where
" Old World " tyranny is so much talked about and
denounced.
During the war, the powers of the Executive
exceeded those exercised by the most absolute
governments. Newspaper offices were kept closed
by military occupation, and, in some cases, the
publication of journals was prohibited for several
days.
The proprietors of stores were warned that they
must not allow political discussions to take place on
their premises ; unless such discussions were favourable to the government. In fact, every act of those
in power only went to establish the fact that in
name alone does a Eepublic differ from despotism,
with this difference, that in the latter case you are
bullied by one open oppressor, but, in the former,
you are subject to all the petty annoyance which
the malice and spite of millions may inflict.
I quitted Washington without regret at an early
hour, en route for Eichmond by the Potomac.
We were called upon to leave the hotel at least
one hour and a half earlier than there was any
occasion for our doing. Not that the hotel (Willard's) held out any inducement to remain in it, but
it was tiresome to have to wait on board the
steamer a long time before its departure.
We got breakfast on board soon after it started.

WASHINGTON,

145

The meal was as bad as those served at the hotels,
but the attendants were more civil.
As the steamer passed Mount Vernon, a bell was
rung; but whether it was out of compliment to
Washington, or to call the attention of the passengers to the fact that we were steaming by
his residence, I don't know. No great interest in
the spot was evinced by any on board; the flocks
of water-fowl through which we passed afforded
apparently more subject of conversation.
At Aquia Creek we left the steamer for the railway, the carriages of which were fitted with very
comfortable arm-chairs.
This line of rail takes one to Fredericksburg,
celebrated not only as the scene of severe fighting
during the late war—especially an encounter between Generals Grant and Lee—but also as the
birthplace of Washington. The house in which he
was born has been long since destroyed.
In the immediate vicinity of the town is the
grave of his mother, marked by a pretentious
though unfinished monument; the corner-stone of
which was laid with a great flourish some thirtyfive years ago, by the then President of the United
States.
At Fredericksburg we parted with a party of
card-sharpers, who had come with us from Washington, and had plied their trade with considerable
L

146

THE GEBAT OOUNTEY.

profit on board the steamer, having cleaned out a
German and one or two other strangers, of whose
folly and avarice they had taken advantage.
I regret to say that my non-military instincts
interfere seriously with my enjoyment or appreciation of a field of battle: so cloudy, indeed, are my
views on the subject, however lucidly it may have
been explained to me, that I feel quite unequal to
reproducing anything coherent or comprehensible
which may relate to the matter. I know I was
impressed with the thought that it would be disagreeable to be killed by a gun fired at a distance
of four miles—but then I am very sure I should
feel equally averse to its being discharged at me
within as many yards.
The line of country between Fredericksburg and
Eichmond is dreary and unpicturesque. Pine-trees
and swamp abound ; good things in their way, but
not in mine.
In some parts of the road the railway was very
good, though the pace at which the train travelled
gave one the idea that caution was absolutely
necessary. The lines have been recently relaid.
One portion of the line passes over a raised
causeway, constructed of wood at a formidable
height, and is by no means calculated to inspire the
traveller with confidence.

RICHMOND.
left Washington at seven o'clock in the
morning, those who do not stop at Fredericksburg
may reach Eichmond at about three o'clock P.M.
HAVING

The approach to the city is not by any means
striking, except for the traces of war, visible, on all
sides, in the shape of large buildings that have been
entirely destroyed by fire.
Prepared as I was to find the town in a depressed
state, I thought that, with a people of so elastic a
nature as that with which the Americans are gifted,
three years would have done much towards restoring
at least an appearance of prosperity to the place;
but such is not the case, for though many of the
streets have been rebuilt, yet are the devastating
effects of war still to be traced, not only on the
houses and buildings, but on that which is of infinitely more importance—the minds of men.
Much has been said of the cruelties practised in
the South on the prisoners from the North ; but if
in time of peace an inoffending foreigner is consigned to such an hotel as the Spottswood, what
can a prisoner of war expect ?
L2

148

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

So filthy a den, pretending to be a first-class
hotel, I never was in. I had a dungeon of a bedroom ; and as to the food, it was simply uneatable.
Had it not been for the circumstance of my having
met with very kind and agreeable fellow-travellers,
in a gentleman and his wife from Boston, I would
not have stopped, although I should probably not
have gained much by the move I might have
made.
I was put to shame by the good-natured way in
which my companions endured all the discomforts,
which must have been especially trying to the lady,
who had evidently been accustomed to all the
elegances and luxuries of a well-appointed home.
The situation of Richmond, on the James river, is
good, and it commands an extensive view. As a
city it never could have amounted to much. There
is a Capitol, with a statue of Washington in the
centre of the hall; a bust of Lafayette is in a
niche of the wall—a scanty acknowledgment of the
obligation which the Americans are under to that
illustrious Frenchman.
I visited Libby's prison, formerly a tobacco warehouse, but used as a receptacle for Northern
prisoners during the war, • where no doubt they
underwent all the horrors of such a situation.
It is at present used as a military prison, and one
can therefore more easily judge of what it must

RICHMOND.

149

have been when crowded to suffocation by a large
number of half-starved suffering men.
Nothing can palliate the atrocities said to have
been practised by the Southerners on their prisoners,
but the facts are—1st. That the Northerners refused
to make an exchange of prisoners, unless the South
would accept the negro on the same terms as the
white m a n ; and 2nd. -That the Southerners were
suffering from extreme want themselves, and had
little to give their prisoners. Add to these the
statements of the Southern prisoners as to what
they suffered at Fort Delawar, where one, who was
imprisoned there, assured me he had seen men catch
the rats and devour them from sheer hunger, and
one comes to the conclusion of its being a case of
six of one and half-a-dozen of the other.
Of course, barbarity on the one side does not even
palliate reprisals being made on the other; the more
substantial defence of the South against the charge
of cruelty being, that Wirtz, who was subsequently
tried and hanged by the Northerners for his cruelties
to prisoners at Andersonville, was condemned on
the evidence of the notorious perjurer already
alluded t o ; nor can we shut our eyes to the fact
that the victorious party in any contest must ever
have the best chance of telling its story, whilst the
vanquished are crushed and silenced.
A drive round Eichmond enables one to judge

150

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

how well it was calculated to stand a siege. There
is of course a great discrepancy in the statements
as to the cause of its having been destroyed. The
Southerners attributing the burning of it to the
Federal troops, whilst the Northerners declare that
the Confederate commander, General Early, ordered
the tobacco and other warehouses to be set on fire
upon surrendering the city to the Federal forces,
2nd April, 1865.
Not only are the buildings of Eichmond still in
ruins, but the feelings of its inhabitants bear indelible traces of the intense hatred felt by them
towards their conquerors.
" We would rather," said a man of substance and
respectability, with whom I was conversing, " submit
to any power than to Congress. Annexation to
Great Britain is a blessing we could not hope for;
but rather than have our present rulers, we would
hail Louis Napoleon with delight."
These were not the sentiments of men of the
public-house order of politicians, but of those who
had held good position before the war; and were
highly respected, not in Eichmond alone, but in the
State.
Nothing can be more deplorable than the general
appearance of the negro population : squalor and
rags are their almost universal condition.
I was in Eichmond on 3rd of April, the anniver-

EICHMONB.

151

sary of its fall, which the darkies celebrated as the
date of their emancipation. There is something in
the negro that is always provocative of a white
man's mirth; and certainly, when seen in badlyfitting, much-worn "uniform, and on horseback,
Sambo does cut a very ridiculous figure.
A large number of them, thus equipped, paraded
the city, accompanied by a villanous band, and
followed by crowds of their brethren, to the intense
and ill-disguised disgust of the white population.
They were escorted by a posse of constables, in order
to prevent any collision between the hostile races.
This feeling of dislike for the negro is of recent
date in the South, where, in former times, the black
man experienced far kinder treatment than he did
from his Northern champion.
It is almost laughable to hear the Northerner put
forth a claim to be the negro's friend, for he hates
him intensely, and would expel him from every
place frequented by the white man. You hear men
speak of the black man as no better than " the beast
that perishes/' and are induced to think that all
the professions of love for him, all the desire for his
emancipation, arose from nothing but a desire to
annoy and humiliate the South.
Had the American soul so loathed the institution
of slavery, why was it not abolished by that son of
freedom, George Washington, who proclaimed that

152

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

" All men are born free and equal"? Why was this
legacy of the Old Country despotism allowed to
pollute the pure republic % and why did it exist
so long as an institution, even in the North %
It has been a very convenient bit of cant for the
Northerners to use as a war cry against their
opponents; but till their tone and conduct are
altered towards the negro, in vain will they try
to persuade thinking men that their late war was
undertaken solely for the abolition of slavery.
The negro is an idle, thoughtless creature, incapable
of even seeing his own interests; he is insensible to
the charms of domestic life, being, when left to
himself, neither a good husband nor a good father.
His sole delight is to bask in the sun, and indulge
in every low gratification of sense.
That there are exceptions to this state of things
among them is of course allowed, but these are very
rare.
The great delight of the darkey, when active, is to
dance, eat water-melon, and play the fool in general.
He abounds in humour, and is as easy-tempered
as most men who are devoted to self-indulgence.
He will not work if he can avoid the obligation,
nor will he do anything that is irksome or distasteful ; in which particulars he closely resembles
some of his white brethren, especially those of the
wealthier sort.

EIOHMOND.

153

A negro is like a child : he will not take medicine or any other salutary precaution against illness.
He is dirty, and degraded, and indolent, to the last
degree.
All these defects of character will be allowed by
those who differ with me regarding the treatment of
the negro, though they will insist that they are the
results of slavery.
I will concede this point, though I do not agree
to this view of the subject; and will ask, was it, then,
wise to confer on such a people so circumstanced
the dangerous boon of suddenly conferred unconditional liberty ? The result is to fill the streets of
Eichmond, and other Southern cities, with crowds of
great, hulking, idle black men, with their tattered
and filthy women, and more than half naked,
neglected children, all waiting for the eleemosynary
meal with which the freedman's bureau supplies
hundreds of them daily, and thereby encourages
them in their darling vices of idleness and want of
thought for the future.
In the time when slavery existed, the unfortunate
children of the negro were at any rate looked after,
whatever may have been the motive that induced
the care of them; but now they perish wholesale
from entire neglect, their parents regarding them as
burdens, in which respect they also closely imitate
some of their white deliverers.

154

THE GKREAT COUNTRY.

If the Northerners, in their conduct to the
Southerners, have been only actuated by their
benevolence towards the negro, it is a subject of
surprise as well as regret that they have not evinced
a little more philanthropy in their dealings with the
Indian.
There is a feeble voice raised by the Aborigines'
Protection Society in behalf of the Eed Skins, but,
as a rule, Americans speak of their extirpation as a
consummation devoutly to be wished.
That there are fine points of character in the
negro is allowed on all sides by their former
masters, who bear testimony to their fidelity and
love. Men have told me of having owed their lives
to the devotion of their slaves, even during the
late contest, when everything was being done to
alienate their affections. " For my ow^n sake," said
more than one slave-owner to me, " I would not
have allowed my slaves to live in the disgusting
state which you now witness. I took a pride in
seeing that they were well-fed and clothed, and
carefully nursed in sickness."
However loudly the Northerners may talk of their
love for the negro, they have no desire to place him
on an equality with themselves, and would only
grant him the franchise in the South that he may
humiliate and outvote the white man.
Under proper laws, framed for his protection on

EIOHMOND.

155

certain points, the slave would be in no condition to
elicit the pity of his fellow men; in fact, his position
would in every respect be better than that of many
a free-born labourer who is slave to a master in the
parochial guardian, frequently far more exacting
than any Southern planter* Slavery is, of course,
a bugbear and a name; but let those who really
know the condition of the labouring classes in this
land say, in what respect but in name it differs from
slavery.
There are no gyves and handcuffs, no whip or
scourge, it is true; but there are low wages, bad
lodging, dear food, and hard taskmasters, who can
make life very wearisome, especially with the
prospect of the cold, hard, solitary Union as a
resting-place, while the worn-out paralysed labourer
is waiting for his pauper grave.
It has been well and truly said that all men are
slaves, and happy would it have been for the
majority of the human race had its condition been
as good as was that of by far the larger number of
the slaves in the Southern States of America. These
sentiments I have heard expressed by many of those
who were opposed in* all respects to the South, and
did not agree with my views respecting slavery.
Nothing can display more weakness in the antislavery party than the name they have chosen as a
party cry. To have made a dangerous fanatic, like

156

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

the unhappy, misguided " John Brown," their hero,
was indeed sufficient, one would have thought, to have
made all men of character and principle put forth a
protest against that which was an utter absurdity,
if not something worse.
This miserable man came with a handful of followers from the North, and attempted to stir up an
insurrection among the slaves at Harper's Ferry, in
Virginia.
A riot ensued, he and some of his band were
taken prisoners, tried; convicted, and hanged, not a
shadow of defence being adduced in their favour
but their abhorrence of slavery, which the most
Quixotic among them could never have hoped to
abolish by such unjustifiable means as an insurrection, which might have cost thousands of innocent
people their lives.,
They acted on a principle so universally condemned, yet so generally practised by those who are
loudest in its condemnation. " They did evil that
good, according to their views, might come."
The religion of the negro was frequently that of
his master, though large numbers of them profess to
belong to the Methodist and Baptist bodies. They
take great delight in what are called religious
revivals, and sing hymns loudly and lustily, especially at camp-meetings, which, if report speak truth,
are frequently more remarkable for the devotional

EICHMOND.

157

fervour than the rigid propriety of those who
attend them.
In consequence of the vast numbers of negroes
thrown out of employment by the sudden collapse
of slavery, the government has sent large bodies of
them to the islands lying off Carolina, where they
are partly supported by government supplies, and
eke out an existence by fishing.
Sad reports are in circulation as regards the
state of these freed men, who are said to be
living in a bestial condition, and in some cases to
have returned to the practice of some of the worst
abominations of the grossest idolatry of their forefathers.
Some have had the offer of being sent to that
paradise of darkness, Liberia, but they do not seem
to appreciate the blessings in store for them in their
fatherland.
Political adventurers from the North are making
all the capital they can out of the coloured race.
They lead about the country an intelligent half-caste,
who has been duly coached to address public
meetings of his half brethren; these speeches are
duly reported and brought forward as instances of
the intellectual status of the negro, and to prove
how well-fitted he is to have a voice in the legislature.
To do the negro justice, he appears, as a rule, quite

158

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

indifferent as to his political privileges; unless he
be worked up at the instigation of others to speak
of his rights and wrongs/ of which at times he has
misty notions, such as thinking the whole of the
South country his own property; but satisfying his
demands for the present by the appropriation of his
white neighbour s cow or pig, and making free with
a ladder or bucket that does not belong to him,
which leads to summary justice being administered
in the shape of a good cow-hiding, and sometimes a
halter.
There are dark- tales whispered about as to the
designs of the negroes to massacre the white population, but these sound very like a repetition of the
calumnies which led to the murder of the negroes
in New York, about the middle of the last century,
under a false charge of conspiring against their
masters.
Whilst speaking on the subject of the negro,
one must not omit to mention that the condition
of the " poor whites," as they are called down
South, is terrible.
An account, lately given in the New York papers,
of the execution of a murderer in North Carolina,
elicited some fearful details as to the terrible state
of depravity into which these unhappy people must
be sunk.
The details of the murder are too revolting to be

EICHMOND.

159

reproduced here. The guilt of the accused was
clearly established, he was convicted and sentenced
to die ; but then came the most terrible part of • the
story, the utter indifference of the wretched man to
his fate, indifference that was shared by his immediate relatives. H e was taken to the tree from
which he was to be hanged in a cart, and sat on his
coffin smiling, his sister sitting by his side apparently unmoved at the awful situation of her
miserable brother, whose friends attended him to the
last, and seemed to regard the whole affair rather in
the light of a joke.
These " poor whites " have ever been regarded as
the dregs of society in the South; too idle to work,
which may be in part attributable to the effects
of the climate, since nothing but the skull of a
negro can endure the heat of the sun under which
tobacco and cotton must be cultivated.
It is the intention, or rather the design, of some of
those who -are planning the future of the South,
to advise the Germans to go down there and occupy
the waste lands; but it remains to be seen how
far it will be possible, for even German industry and
perseverance, to work in such heat as the negro
delights in.
When about to leave Eichmond, I took every
means of inquiring of the railway agents as to when
I should reach Charleston, and was assured that,

160

THE GKREAT COUNTKY.

quitting Eichmond at three o'clock in the afternoon,
I should arrive at Charleston the following night.
This statement, I must say, some of my fellow
sufferers at the hotel took pains to contradict, and
said all they could to dispel this illusion, assuring
me that there were no trains that would connect, as
they call it, so as to enable me to perform the
journey in the time stated.
Glad to leave Eichmond, and still more so to
escape from the Spottswood hotel, I determined
to proceed, and, am afraid, induced my travelling
companions to take the same train. Arrived at the
station, the clerk at once reiterated the statement of
the railway agent, and said, " You'll be in Charleston
to-morrow evening seven o'clock sure/'
Under this pleasing delusion we went on as far
as a place called Weldon, which we reached at
eight o'clock, and were then informed that we
must what is termed " lay over " all the next day
at Wilmington, which would delay our arrival at
Charleston by at least twelve hours.
We were fortunate in finding sleeping cars
attached to the train, and although they are very
uneasy resting-places, yet at any rate one has the
relief of being able to lie down, and is in some
degree relieved from the presence of the worst style
of fellow-passengers. After being nearly shaken to
bits for several hojirs, we reached Wilmington by

RICHMOND.

161

half-past eight in the morning, which boasts of being
the largest and chief commercial city of North
Carolina.
The hotel was small and decidedly superior to its
larger brethren in other cities. The landlord was a
colonel or a general in the Southern army. "He was
real clever to us," as the Yankees would say—meaning that he-was obliging.
About the doorway and entrance-hall of his house
there was a sprinkling of the usual loafers, who
were all inclined to talk politics.
One individual took a fancy to m e ; he was as
communicative as the circumstance of his being
very much intoxicated would allow him to be, and,
amongst other little matters confided to me, stated
that he was armed and had only been tried for
murder the day before.
According to his own statement he had killed a
man who had struck him because he refused to drink.
I was a little incredulous as to the story in general,
but must here state that I do not think that could
have been the ground of the quarrel.
My friend was " a Reb." of the deepest dye, his
curses and threatenings against the North were
hiccoughed forth with terrible earnestness, and as to
those " darned niggers," extermination was not " a
circumstance " to what he would do for them.
He called on a bystander to give me an account
M

162

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

of negro insolence, which consisted in the dark
gentleman having kept on his hat in the presence of
ladies on the staircase of the hotel; for which offence
he was desired to leave the house, and instead of
doing so shied a bottle at the landlord's head, who
retaliated with a chair, and deeply regretted not
having had his revolver at hand.
My intoxicated friend became extremely intimate,
and though he did not like the English, made an
exception in my favour, and wished to present me
with a bottle of live snakes of a venomous kind,
with which the environs of Wilmington abound.
I demurred at accepting such a present, under an
apprehension of the possibility of the reptiles getting out of the bottle, in the train.
" I f you find 'em over lively/' he said, "you
can fill them up with alcohol;" which of course
is to be obtained in any quantity during the night
in a railway car.
Luckily for me, as my friend was getting " ugly,"
as the term goes for " out of temper," at my reluctance to accept his gift, some Christian proposed
an adjournment to a liquor store for a drink to the
continuance of good feeling between America and
England; to which I most cordially assented, and
away we hurried. Once at the drinking bar, my
attached friend lost thought of his love for me
and every other sublunary object except liquor,

EIOHMOND.

163

so I was able to withdraw quietly, not, however,
till I had heard treason enough expressed to have
astonished Guy Fawkes himself.
Whilst, on the one hand, I was condemned to
listen to the cries for vengeance of the South, on
the other the bragging, or as the Americans say
"the blowing/' of the North was equally bewildering.
The exulting tone in which one man, who told
me he was a general in the Northern army, spoke
of having " pounded the Kebs.," was a counterpoise
to the expression of a Southern judge who assured
me of a speedy recommencement of hostilities, and
predicted that, when the victorious South should
enter New York, there would not be lamp-posts
enough found in the city to hang the Abolitionists
on.
It served as a pastime in a place like Wilmington
to listen to these expressions of conflicting feeling.
I was of course only a listener, and declined giving
an opinion on the subjects under discussion, on the
ground of being a foreigner. This I did in all
sincerity, holding it to be an impertinence in a
foreigner to enter into political discussion with the
natives. Their differences do not concern him,
and he should leave them to settle their own
disputes.
These remarks apply to foreigners who enter the
M2

164

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

ranks of an army engaged on either side in a civil
war. Let the natives fight it out by themselves.
Had this been the case in the late war in
America, there is a strong impression abroad that
the result would have been very different. Be this
as it may, mercenaries are ever contemptible, and
volunteers had better mind their own business,
whether they be princes out of work, or private
individuals with a taste for fighting and loose
notions of the distinction between meum and tuum.
Wilmington, though now sadly depressed, had
considerable trade before the war. Some of the
houses bear the impress of wealth, and the gardens
are tasteful. The soil round about it is loose and
sandy, through which one has to wade ankle deep
to reach the cemetery, where I was induced to pay a
visit, as my agreeable fellow travellers were bent on
the expedition.
I must say I did not care about it, and should
have enjoyed myself much more had the sun not
been scorching, and had not the snakes already
referred to been reported to abound on all sides.
I only saw the remains of one, and had no
desire to make acquaintance with the survivors of
his race.
It was a lovely evening when we left Wilmington,
and though I had a berth in a sleeping car I was
unwilling to lose the beauty of a moonlight, which

EICHMOND.

165

rather gave a charm to the gloomy scene through
which we passed.
I have given no description of the country
through which I passed after leaving Bichmond, but
will now remark that it is dreary and ugly in the
extreme, pine forest and swamp nearly all the way.
The manufacture of resin and turpentine is carried
on to some extent along the line; but this adds no
enchantment to the scene.
The miserable shanties inhabited by the negroes
and "poor whites/' are not even picturesque, though
of all sorts and sizes. The ruins of an old worn
out railway car had been frequently converted into
a habitation.
The pigs seemed to have the best of life; they
forage for themselves, and can find plenty of opportunities for wallowing. Many of these interesting
animals are of a rich auburn shade, but from their
personal appearance do not make you think of pork
as a dainty.
In many places, as the train passed along,
negresses and children brought fried chicken and
hard-boiled eggs and fruit for the refreshment of
the travellers, and these were a decided improvement on some of the food prepared for us at the
restaurants of the stations where we stopped for our
meals.
As I said, we had a sleeping car attached to the

166

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

train by which we left Wilmington, but were only
allowed to enjoy our berths till two in the morning,
at which hour we were roused and told that in halfan-hour we must change cars in order to go on to
Charleston.
Although the said sleeping cars were not over
comfortable it was a trial to be turned out of them,
and be done out of the supposed night's rest for
which one had paid extra, and transferred to an
uncomfortable car in which it was impossible to lie
down—such, however, was the stern necessity to
which my Boston friends and myself were reduced,
—and I must say that their good nature never
flagged; and I may as well here express my best
thanks to the gentleman who had a small flask of
first-rate Cognac, with which he was most liberal,
a;nd thereby alleviated the horrors of a night
journey through a swamp.
If night were dismal, coming day made up for its
predecessor's gloom. The lovely foliage of early
spring made the wilderness appear a garden, whilst
wild flowers abounded on the banks of the swamps.
The mocking bird, which I heard for the first time,
did its best to cheer and delight Us, and so we went
on over some very ugly bits of road (especially one
very long wooden bridge, which was more agreeable
as a matter of retrospect than of prospect) till we
reached Charleston at nine o'clock in the morning.

CHAKLESTON.
THE situation of the city is fine as regards the
sea view, but it lies so low as to appear a place of
no great importance. At present its appearance is
most depressing, one-third of what wag the best
part of the city being in ruins, the result of a
terrible conflagration which devastated it in 1862,
the act, it is said, of incendiaries from the North,
who were sent to destroy the city.
Of course these assertions must be received with
caution, in the same way that one does not readily
accept the statement put forth in New York that the
Southerners attempted to burn that city. However
the fire may have originated, the destruction it
caused was a terrible blow to Charleston, which
still remains the same mass of blackened ruins that
it presented just after the terrible event.
The inhabitants do not seem to have sufficient
energy to think of rebuilding it.
The marks of the bombardment by the Federals
in 1863, are in great measure effaced, but the
memory of it is fresher than ever in the minds of
the people, and certainly such an act was a disgrace

168

THE GBEAT COUNTRY.

to an age and country, the boast of which is advanced civilisation, and a pretended horror of Old
World tyrannical acts.
When the late King of Naples bombarded the
revolted city of Palermo, the Queen of England in a
speech from the throne was made to reflect strongly
on the severity of his conduct; but no word of
public rebuke has she uttered against any of the
atrocities committed by the United States government against what it pleased to call its rebellious
citizens.
The mutual recrimination, and the charges
brought by both sides are highly disgraceful, one of
the most terrible being the accusation against a
Br. Blackburn, who is said to have sent infected
clothes from New Orleans to New York in order to
disseminate yellow fever in the North.
This diabolical act is most strenuously denied by
those to whom it is attributed; and one would
really be at a loss to decide as to which is the
worse state of mind, that of the man who could
conceive such a murderous project, or that of him
who could bring such a charge falsely against his
neighbour.
The closed and deserted aspect of the best houses
in Charleston is dreary, but enough remains to show
how much taste and wealth their owners possessed.
The foliage and flowers are beautiful; the streets

CHAELESTON.

169

being planted with trees, and the gardens abounding
with lovely flowers, give a charming effect to the
city. The Wistaria grows in great luxuriance, and
twines itself most gracefully among the branches of
other trees.
The trade of the city was formerly very great, and
in her days of prosperity Charleston was noted alike
for luxury and hospitality. The Charleston Hotel
is a fine house and now reigns supreme and alone,
the rival establishment, the Mills House, having succumbed to adverse times and closed its doors.
From the balcony in front of the Charleston
Hotel, demagogues, previous to, and during the war,
were wont to harangue the citizens assembled by
hundreds in the street below. It was here the flame
of " rebellion " broke out, and at Fort Sumter, the
ruins of which lie in the middle of the harbour, the
authority of the United States Government was first
set at naught.
A visit to Fort Sumter is one of the things to be
" done" whilst at Charleston. A small sailingvessel starts every morning, weather permitting, to
convey those who are disposed for the trip.
During my stay, I heard an account of one of
these excursions which will convey some idea of the
manner in which those who are sent officially from
the North behave themselves.
A party from the hotel went on board the boat at

170

THE GKEAT OOUNTEY.

the appointed hour of departure, 10*30, but were
much annoyed to find that, far from a punctual
start, eleven o'clock arrived and no sign of starting
was visible. As it was blowing rather freshly, one
of the party enquired of the sailors the cause of the
delay.
" I'm waiting for the Ginral," was the reply;
" he's sent word that pYaps he'll come."
As this was all the satisfaction obtainable, the
party had resolved to abandon the expedition, and
were about to leave the quay when the " Ginral"
and his friends arrived at nearly twelve o'clock.
Some time was then lost in arranging matters for
this august personage, who ordered a large boat to
be towed at the stern of the little vessel, which much
impeded its progress, and so disgusted some of the
passengers that they left the vessel.
This boat was for the convenience of landing the
General's party on arriving at the fort; none of the
other passengers being permitted to enter it.
The whole affair reminded one of the Jack-inoffice style of thing one has witnessed in a small
place in Sicily, when the Neapolitan authorities
lorded it over the natives, in an overbearing style;
and very much of this sort of thing is carried on in
the South, whither a very inferior class of men have
been sent from the North to fill various offices.
Men of no sort of position in their own States are

CHABLESTON.

171

invested with undue power here, much to the disgust and inconvenience of the people.
The tone in Charleston seemed to be one of despair and indifference; the young men were bent on
going to seek their fortunes elsewhere, the elders
having ceased to take interest in the future.
The Custom House at Charleston is a fine
building of white marble, and, when finished, will
be an ornament to the city. There are few other
buildings of importance standing.
A very much battered statue of William Pitt is a
sort of link between the past and present history of
this place.
I was the more pleased with Charleston, and
enjoyed the drives about it, from the fact of having
the agreeable society of my friends from Boston,
with whom I was about to part, as our roads lay in
different directions ; I was bound for New Orleans,
they were bound for Savannah.
Charleston lies so low, that one's impression
regarding its sanitary condition is not favourable;
nor are the sights and smells one encounters in its
streets calculated to inspire confidence on the point.
There is a very large but nasty-looking market
in the middle of the city, around which the buzzards flock to secure their perquisites as public
scavengers.
These ugly, disgusting-looking birds are also to

172

THE GKEAT COUNTBY.

be seen in large numbers in the port, and must do
good service in removing much that would be
baneful to health.
The yellow fever occasionally visits the city, but
is of a milder type, I believe, than that which rages
at times in New Orleans.
There are admirable charitable institutions, both
Catholic and Protestant, in Charleston.
Many of the negroes are Catholics ; and though
in some of their churches they have galleries to
themselves, yet there is not that broad line of demarcation drawn between them and the white race
in the House of their Father that is so general in
the North : nor is the feeling against them at all
inveterate.
I took some trouble to enquire as to the moral
condition of the negroes; and, as usual, heard a good
report of the poor.
An extensive Orphan Asylum under the superintendence of a religious order, is spoken of in the
highest terms by all classes and sects.
It is impossible to look on the desolation of
Charleston without a feeling of regret at the result
of the conflict in which she so bravely entered. I
am not so much speaking as a partisan of the South,
but as an indifferent spectator.
If the cause in which she engaged was a bad one,
you feel the more sorry that so much should have

CHAKLESTON.

173

been sacrificed to it. I do not see why an Englishman
should feel any great sympathy with the South, for,
in her day of power, her statesmen held no friendly
sentiment for u s ; and it is, perhaps, one of the
most gratifying feelings one has connected with the
Trent affair, that Messrs. Mason and Slidell, whom
we preserved from the vengeance of the Federal
Government, were open and avowed opponents of
Great Britain.
Many have been the slights and affronts offered
us by a Southern Cabinet; therefore our sympathy
with the Confederate States could only arise from a
generous feeling elicited by the fact of a few resolute
men contending against a force which, in time, must
overwhelm them by sheer strength of numbers.
The great question was the money, and the North
had that, and so could purchase men, provisions,
and arms. It was a matter of no consequence to
General Grant how many lives were sacrificed in
the contest; it was, with him, simply a calculation
of how many men and how much time it would cost
to carry out his plans. Having plenty of both at
his command, he sat down and waited till the South
should be either exhausted or overwhelmed.
I have talked to men of intelligence and position
who were in the field with the Southern army, and
have heard them say how utterly starved-out they
were.

174

THE GEEAT COUNTKY.

" I have shed tears/' said a very well-informed
gentleman to me, " at the thought that if we had
but one port open we could have held out successfully against our detested enemies." Sentiments
of a like nature I have heard on all sides during
my journey South.
The night before I left Charleston, there was a
storm of rain that made the whole city like a vast
bath of mud, so deep, that it seemed as though it
would be impossible for horses to drag the omnibus
from the hotel to the station : they managed it
somehow, through rain that was like a waterspout
discharging on the earth.
The journey from Charleston to Atlanta, by
which route I was about to make my way to NewT
Orleans, is along a line of rail lately reconstructed ;
the pace was not exciting, varying from twelve to
fourteen miles an hour; and the country was not by
any means interesting.
I do think the very worst meal that was ever set
before travellers in a so-called civilized country was
served to us during our journey; it consisted of
some boiled fowl's bones, with nothing on them, some
filthy bacon and cabbage, and a dish of raw onions,
so strong and so heartily devoured, as to render the
railway car untenantable for the remainder of the
day. The landlord only charged a dollar for this
banquet, and in answer to some remonstrance said,

CHAELESTON.

175

" that his marketings hadn't arrived in time for
dinner, but yet as a matter of principle he kept up
the price."
Atlanta, which suffered severely from the war,
having been almost totally destroyed by fire, has
been rebuilt, and is a town which has sprung up
entirely from being a great railway centre. " Get
to Atlanta," said a Yankee to me, " and then you
can get anywhere else on God's airth."
This grand centre of the universe is remarkable
for nothing but having been a favourite spot for
the armies of the North and South to fight over,
though it is now rapidly recovering from its
hostile paroxysm; the railways that emerge from
it had been torn up and destroyed, but they are
for the most part reconstructed and are in working
order.
The cars on this line were by no means overcomfortable, and the journey slow from Atlanta to
Montgomery, a town only remarkable as having
been the first seat of government under the Confederates.
It did not enjoy this distinction long, as Eichmond was preferred, being in many respects better
suited for the purpose.
Montgomery has suffered severely from fire,
especially at the hands of the Federal troops.
A sojourn of very few hours would satisfy the

176

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

most insatiable sight-seer that he had done Montgomery.
Leaving there by an evening train, to which
sleeping-cars were attached, and taking a steamer
on the river Alabama at six o'clock the following
morning, we came early in the day to Mobile.
The Alabama is a noble stream and affords great
facility for transporting the cotton from the fields,
which are on either side of its banks, to Mobile and
New Orleans. In spite of want of labour, cotton is
still extensively cultivated in this vicinity, and from
observing a gang of negroes on board the steamer,
in charge of a cargo of cotton, one was able to
realize to some extent in what the enjoyments of
that race consist.
The cotton being gathered and packed the
negro's work is over, and his great holiday is whilst
taking it down the river. On board the steamer he
has nothing to do but bask in the sun, eat watermelon and go to sleep—or else he will amuse
himself and his companions with singing and
dancing almost incessantly.
Without giving implicit belief either to the heartrending descriptions of the cruelties of planters to
their slaves with which Mrs. Beecher Stowe has
made so many amiable people's hearts sad, or the
glowing accounts of the Utopian condition of the
slave given by writers of the opposite school, I

CHAELESTON.

177

must say the balance of my belief is against Mrs.
Stowe.
The mawkish sentimentality of " Uncle T o m "
made it palatable to those who at one time gave up
the use of sugar as a way of striking a blow at
slavery ; but from what one can' see and hear of the
negro character, • fear on the one hand, and policy
on the other would restrain the slave-owner from
habitual indulgence in acts of cruelty.
Putting aside his usefulness, which ill usage
would impair, the negro is terribly vindictive,
and though there may have been such a black angel
as " Uncle Tom/' I am inclined to think that, when
ill-used, he generally resembles in temper and acts
of retaliation the antithesis of the angelic race.
The sail on the Alabama is very agreeable, and the
approach to Mobile somewhat exciting, as you can
still see some of the defences raised during the late
war, and the navigation of the river is sufficiently
intricate to render it an interesting operation to
witness.

N

MOBILE.
is approached through the shallows of
the Alabama, and though it has as a city nothing
to recommend it, the environs are pretty, and the
residences of the better classes look like homes to
an English eye.
MOBILE

The gardens are beautiful, and the flowers most
abundant. Trees are planted along the roadside, and
in their new dresses of fresh spring green looked
charming. The soil is light and sandy, and in the
month of August I should say a walk or even a
drive about the neighbourhood of Mobile is a thing
wise men would avoid:
The city itself is lively, and seems thriving, and
on the day of my arrival all the world was mad
about a procession of the Fire Brigade, which on this
day celebrated the anniversary of its institution.
All the members walked in their uniforms, looking
very soldier-like and handsome, and dragged the
engines by means of long ropes.
The horses* remarkably fine beasts, being relieved
from their accustomed service, walked in procession

MOBILE.

179

decked with flowers, and seemed quite sensible of
their own importance.
The engines were decorated with flowers and
ribbons, and children were seated in front of them,
on whom the broiling sun seemed to have no effect.
Bands of music accompanied each company. Appropriate banners and devices were carried, among
which the Stars and Stripes did not occupy by any
means a prominent position; in fact I did not see
the National colours at all, nor did a valiant little
Northerner whom we encountered at the hotel, who
was much disgusted at this omission.
A gentleman present assured him that the flag
in question was displayed. The little gentleman
was silenced but not convinced, for I heard him
say that " he'd make them carry it." I asked him
"why?"
He replied, " he'd make them obey the law."
When told there was no law to compel them to
carry the Stars and Stripes, he took refuge in
generalities, and said it was an insult to the North;
and, without any particular reason, began an attack
on England, and plunged headlong into the Trent
affair. He was told by an American that they
might as well have arrested Mason and Slidell in
the streets of London as on board the Trent.
He shook his head in a defiant way, and muttered something about " doing it too,"
N 2

180

THE GEEAT OOUNTEY.

I don't know what may have become of those
two very troublesome Commissioners who obliged
us to assume a tone with the North which was at
any rate understood; but I would advise them to
beware of the Militia of New England, for one
member, at least, of that important body means
them mischief.
This irate little gentleman, whose conversation I
have recorded, I should have thought, was a
member of some mild trade or calling; but he
stated himself to be a military man, entrusted with
some important mission for the arrangement of
affairs in the South.
He was terribly anti-English, so much so as to
make me dread a breach of our friendly relations
with the United States, should he ever be President,
or even a member of the government.
At first, when I encountered him he was shy of
me, and when he softened a little in his demeanour,
and entered into conversation, I think it was with
a view to an argument about North and South. I
declined all controversy on the subject as being a
foreigner.
The flag affair called forth a great deal of bitter
expression from men around me, as there were partisans of North and South assembled in the balcony
of the Battle House Hotel witnessing the procession
of the Fire Brigade.

MOBILE.

181

The discussion became too hot for my little hero
from Massachusetts, and being in a decided
minority he prudently withdrew, alike from the
scene and the contest.
" There was a time/' said one m a n ; "when I
should have gloried to have seen the Stars and
Stripes floating above my head; but now if I saw it
I'd pull it down, spit and trample on it. I once
loved it as the type of freedom, but most heartily
detest it now; for I regard it as the emblem of
tyranny and oppression, and as such I hate and
despise it."
I was not, I admit, very anxious to have this
scene prolonged, as I was sitting between opponents
both of whom I knew to be armed with revolvers,
and thought it very possible they might fire at one
another without duly considering the fact of my
being in the way.
I must here repeat what I have said elsewhere,
that the insolence of the men from the North is
simply unendurable. Many of them are what the
Southerners call " carpet-baggers," men travelling
with little luggage and less character, making
political capital out of the present state of affairs.
The worst of all the political blackguards I met
with, or heard of, are the men who, during the war,
were tremendous partisans of the South, or, as they
call it " Secessh to kill," and immediately on the

182

THE GEEAT COUNTKY.

success of the Federals, turned round on their
former friends. One fellow, who was a preacher,
was most conspicuous by his barefaced apostacy
from the fallen cause, of which he had been so
violent a supporter as to have rendered himself
particularly obnoxious " even " to the winning side.
Mobile is a stronghold of Catholicism, and within
a few miles of it is a famous college under the
superintendence of the Jesuits.
There is little to induce one to pay a protracted
visit to this city, though it is cheering to see it
after Charleston; for in spite of its having suffered
terribly from the war, it seems in some degree to
have shaken off its depression, and though it may
hate its conquerors quite as deeply as do its sister
cities, yet it does not sit still and brood over the
past.
It was here that I first heard men speak hopefully of another and more successful struggle with
the North, though one would think that the past experience would serve to check any such aspirations.
There are men who assert that the South has still
resources on which she could draw in renewing the
contest; but she will do wisely to reserve them, one
would think, unless some powerful ally were
willing to assist her in the struggle. A strong
maritime auxiliary alone could avail to help her
shake off her shackles.

MOBILE.

183

It was a very fine afternoon when we quitted
Mobile on board the Louise, a modest looking
steamer, not so young as she would have one
believe her to b e ; but paint and other " fixings "
made her look as well as those accessories do many
of her sex. At any rate very comfortably and
leisurely did she transport us to New Orleans.
One especially delicate bit of navigation she came
triumphantly through—a narrow channel between
mud-banks, known as " Grant's passage." I thought
at first that it derived its name from some feat of
that renowned general, but found the Grant in
question to be an enterprising old mud-lark, who
kept this passage free of mud, and was compensated
by a toll on the vessels that passed through it. As
far as I could judge, it was a bit of a monopoly that
Grant enjoyed, a snug little job made up between
him and Congress.
As we had to go out into the Gulf of Mexico for
a few miles, the steamer felt bound to roll, and did
so accordingly.
For the first time in America I had a supper
served to me which was included in my fare. I do
not much care if I never have another of the same
description.
There was little or nothing to eat; but the coffee
was unusually good, in fact, drinkable.
I was really glad to perform some part of my

184

THE GKEAT OOUNTEY.

journey by water, for the long, weary railway route
had become very tiresome. I was most fortunate in
my companions, especially in meeting a man of
culture and good sense in the gentleman who
shared my state room.
From him I learnt much, on which I could rely
as authentic, respecting the way in which the war
was conducted in the South, and as he gave me his
name and address, with permission to use in any
way I might think proper any information he had
given me, I repeat many of his narratives without
hesitation, knowing that I shall not offend him, or
be led into any mis-statement.
I think the whole of the passengers were " Kebs,"
or at any rate so vast a majority that those of the
opposite way of thinking were silenced.
I was deeply interested in another of my fellowpassengers, a young man of education, who gave me
a long account of the part of the war in which he
was engaged, and also spoke of the sufferings of his
mother and sisters, whose home had been destroyed
by Sherman or Butler, I forget which.
One part of his story was amusing, and that was
the account he gave of the cost of his clothes
towards the end of the war, when the Southern currency became depreciated. A coat cost 1500 dollars,
a pair of what he called pants, 900, vest, 400, boots,
400, gloves, 100, and a horse, 3500. Taking the

MOBILE.

185

dollar at worth four shillings, his wardrobe would
have cost him £660, and his horse £700. At the
close of the war he could get only eight dozen of
eggs and four chickens for 1200 dollars, or what
should have represented £240, but was, in fact,
nothing more than waste-paper.
I heard much from him and from others, of the
state of the Southern prisoners in the Northern
prisons ; but certainly nothing that came near the
horrors of Andersonville, where thirty thousand
Northern prisoners were kept within an enclosure
for months, without any shelter from either extreme
of heat or cold. No sort of discipline was enforced;
and they were destitute of all the necessaries of life,
and subject, as they assert, to cruelty and every sort
of indignity from their keepers.
The same charges, as I have said elsewhere, are
brought by the other side; but the horrors of Andersonville from the very nature of the case, must
have been very much intensified.
I must here bear testimony to the fact that whatever else in the South may have been destroyed by
the war, the spirit of hospitality has been preserved;
and I must take this opportunity of thanking the
many kind friends whom I encountered on my
journey for the invitations I received to visit them.
Time did not suffice to enable me to do so, but
I may yet avail myself of what I am sure was

186

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

offered in all sincerity, and declined with much
regret.
After a night's rest on board the steamer, which
was much better than the apology for one afforded
by a sleeping car, I rose in good time to witness the
arrival at New Orleans. I was rather disappointed,
for a heavy fog enshrouded the shore; not that I
lost much by that circumstance, as we were landed
four miles from the city, whither a train conveyed
us through a swampy jungle where vegetation was
running riot in all its spring-time vigour and luxuriance.

NEW

ORLEANS.

THE approach to " t h e Crescent City," as New
Orleans is also called, from the form in which it is
built, is by no means imposing. In fact, it lies so
low that you see nothing of it till you are in its
streets. An omnibus belonging to each of the hotels
is generally waiting at the terminus to convey passengers, and as soon as the train arrived, I inquired
for the one belonging to the St. Charles' Hotel.
" There ain't no omnibus," said a negro; " but
this carriage is the same."
After some little struggle for my luggage, which
I had not checked through, I entered the carriage,
and was driven to my hotel, where the sum of
three dollars was demanded by the driver.
I appealed to the clerk, who only deigned to
reply to my remonstrance :—" Warn't there an
omnibus % oh! " and then turned away. I had no
resource but to pay the money, and wait with
patience till I had a room allotted to me.
It was very high up, and dirty to such a degree
that it made the very slatternly woman who was
making the bed appear quite tidy.

188

THE GBEAT COUNTBY.

The hotel is large, and looks like a neglected
town-hall. I suppose that my remarks will be met
with the usual excuse for everything that is amiss
down South—" since the war." It matters not the
nature of your complaint, the reply is always the
same. I believe if I had said " how very oppressive
the heat is," I should have been told—"yes, it is,
since the war."
New Orleans is well-built, and the streets are
kept clean. It is not until July that it is unhealthy, and then the dread yellow fever appears,
and lasts till the first frost. During the occupation
of the city by Butler, it was free from this epidemic,
and its immunity has been attributed to his strictness in cleansing the streets. I have, however,
been told by a gentleman from the North, long
resident in New Orleans, that the disease was kept
out by the rigid quarantine that was maintained
during the military rule.
The influence of the French element is to be seen
and felt on all sides of the city. The shops are
more tasty than, though not so handsome as, those of
the northern cities.
The dress of the ladies is a decided improvement
on the flash style of New York, and the French
quarter of the town carries you back at once to
Europe.
The market is plentifully supplied with vegetables.

NEW ORLEANS.

189

At the time of my visit it was too early for fruit,
though there were strawberries for sale. New
potatoes and green peas abounded, but they were
flavourless; salad was abundant and very good.
The poultry is sold alive, and it was almost
pathetic to see an old black woman walking off
with a live fowl, which she holds by the legs with its
head downwards, the poor wretch casting appealing
looks at the bystanders, and uttering noises as much
as to say, " How can you let this demon carry me
off?"
The meat-market has a show of the nastiest
looking beef and mutton, (to say nothing of the veal
and pork,) that ever was exposed for sale. I should
pronounce one wholesale sentence, " unfit for human
food," were I called on to give judgment respecting it.
The fish-market is abundant, but there are several
descriptions of fish to be seen there at which a wellregulated English cat would turn up her nose.
Most ghastly-looking prawns of enormous size
suggest to you their having battened and fattened
on all the horrors of the deep. The oysters are as
disgusting in appearance as they are elsewhere in
America.
Some miserable-looking rabbits and other vermin
were exposed for sale. Snails and reptiles of all
sorts find favour with the people of the land, and
are consequently to be met with in the market.

190

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

The various nationalities in the food line are
well represented l^iere. A jargon of tongues is
heard on all sides. All shades and colour of people
and things surround you, every costume and headdress, from the peculiar cap of the Sisters of Charity,
who are buying their modest stock of vegetables, to
the turban of the old nigger woman who carries on
her head a tray laden with food.
The harbour is full of large steamers. The finest
of them are the Mississippi boats, which well
deserve the title of floating palaces.
Although early in April, the weather was lovely,
and a drive along the outskirts of the city is a
treat of no mean order, especially on a delicious
evening in spring.
The houses are, for the most part, detached, and
have a charming appearance with their deep
verandahs, over which lovely flowers are trained.
The flowering trees and shrubs are magnificent,
and the air is surcharged with the odours of the
magnolia, jasmine, and rose.
Every one looked so happy and contented that it
seemed almost impossible to realize the notion of
this lovely spot being annually visited by a terrible
epidemic, or that it should have been the scene of
those outrages which such a man as Butler was
permitted to inflict on the inhabitants.
The commerce of the city, though not what it

NEW ORLEANS.

191

was, is still very considerable, as may be seen by
the hundreds of vessels that lie off " t h e levee" or
embankment, which is built along the water front
to keep out the sea.
All the streets near the water are lined with vast
stores, well adapted for containing the vast quantities of cotton of which this city is the chief mart
in the world.
The religion of the majority is Catholic, but the
churches are by no means remarkable for their size
or beauty. I was pleased—I may say something
stronger—to see that in them there was no distinction as to colour of skin. All knelt side by side
and gave one the idea that Christianity had done
its work, at any rate so far as breaking down that
barrier placed between black and white, which
must be so offensive to Him who created and
redeemed them all.
Political feeling runs high in New Orleans, the
vestibules and terrace in front of the St. Charles
Hotel being crowded with idlers, who smoke, spit,
and talk politics hour after hour. I met with one
or two of the " carpet-baggers," from whom I
received pamphlets highly laudatory of the coloured
race and strongly denunciatory of the " Kebs."
. Everywhere I found men agreed on one point, that
Impeachment was a farce.
It was amusing to hear the opinions given of the

192

THE GEEAT OOUNTEY.

Northern military occupants of the city. One
individual attracted my attention by his more than
ordinary swagger, and I enquired who he was, and
heard that he was a General.
Not being remarkably well-posted respecting
their great leaders, I asked in what fights he had
most distinguished himself. " Fight! I reckon a
street fight is about farthest he ever got that way;
why he was only a petty attorney out West, and
took to soldiering when the fighting was prettynigh through with," was the reply.
" I tell you what it is," said another; " if it hadn't
been for the Dutch and the Irish, we'd have made
them Yankees squirm."
I had a long conversation with several gentlemen
on the Alabama claims, a subject on which some
Americans are not to be spoken with, as they lose
their powers of both reflection and speech.
As I was talking to reasonable men, I entered on
the subject so far as to say that the matter in
dispute was purely a question of international law,
and if it could be proved that the British government had been guilty of culpable neglect in allowing the Alabama to leave our ports, I was sure that
every Englishman would feel with me that we
ought to pay.
" I sincerely hope that the law will be found to
be on your side then," said one of the party.

NEW OKLEANS.

193

"Yes," said another; " o u r only wish is that the
North would go to war with you, and then they'd
see what we'd do. They think that a war with
Great Britain would be the means of uniting u s ;
but no, we should rejoice to see you whip and
humiliate them to the dust, and then our turn
would come/' I repeat these as being the sentiments of men of position and understanding, to
show how universally the feeling of the North and
South is divided. " We are fully convinced/' said
another gentleman to me, " of Eepublican government being, not only a fallacy as a safeguard to
liberty, but also that it is the easiest form under
which tyranny can be exercised."
That the South is being held by Congress as
Italy was by Austria is apparent to a stranger, and
it is odd to hear Americans denounce their fellowcitizens as tyrants and oppressors.
The Southern press is violent to a degree that
amounts to the ludicrous, though there is much that
is saddening in what is written. I subjoin in an
appendix some extracts from "La Crosse Democrat,"
and other journals, which will bear out much that I
have stated as to public sentiment; nor shall I confine myself to extracts from the Southern press, but
endeavour to give a general idea of the journalistic
tone and amenities.
The restaurants of New Orleans enjoy a high
o

194

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

reputation, and certainly the food served at these
establishments is better cooked and served than anything one gets at an hotel The city is abundantly
supplied with water, which flows through the streets.
Canal Street is one of the finest thoroughfares I ever
saw in a city, being nearly two hundred feet wide.
Whilst wandering about New Orleans, I witnessed
one sight which was grand in the extreme, the
burning of one of the large steamers that ply on the
Mississippi. It had caught fire while in dock for
repairs, but the imagination could easily picture
what would be the horror of such a scene had the
fire broken out during a passage on the river.
Apropos of fire, it has struck me frequently and
forcibly as a marvellous thing that all America is
not burnt to the ground, through the careless way
in which lucifer matches are used. At every turn
you find them lying about in most dangerous proximity to other combustible matter ; and nearly every
one you meet is sure to have half a pocket full,
which he scatters about with as perfect indifference
as though arson and incendiarism were the two
great objects of his existence.
The fair sex in New Orleans has been the subject
of much dispute and animadversion.
I had always been under the impression that the
word Creole was intended to express a person of
mixed blood, but have been informed that such is

NEW OELEANS.

195

not the case ; for that, in Louisiana, a Creole only
means native American, whether the descendant of
coloured or white parents.
The French Creole ladies, descended from the
earliest settlers, are many of them beautiful, and
dressed in good Parisian style. In manner they are
said to be highly refined^ and certainly make a
brilliant display in public. With these some of the
best families of Americans have been known to
form matrimonial alliances. They must not be confounded with either Quadroons or Octoroons, who
are a mixed race, and, however lovely or wealthy,
are excluded from all society.
It is whispered that in some instances the pure
white blood has been known to espouse the tainted
loveliness of the Quadroon ; but only when there has
been a very large fortune to purify and sanctify the
match.
Among this class are found persons of the most
degraded description, against whom, it was alleged,
that all the severity of Butler was directed. But I
have been assured that the grossest insults were
offered, by that gallant General's authority, to ladies
of the first families, whose great offence was wearing
mourning for their relatives who had fallen in the
Southern ranks.
One habit is said to be common among some of
the belles of New Orleans, the thought of which did
o 2

196

THE GKEAT COTJNTEY.

not fascinate me, and that was chewing snuff.
From what can be seen in public, one gets the idea
of the existence of a superior class in this city, and
this I have been told is the case, especially among
the old French families.
During winter, New Orleans is very gay. The
opera and theatres are open on Sunday evening, and
are attended by brilliant audiences. The Quadroons
in the upper tier of boxes, to which all their race is
confined, make a grand display; and many of
them being wealthy, they form a society among
themselves, which, though it does not rank high in
general estimation, enables them to vie with their
purer blooded neighbours in externals, at any rate.
Though careful not to get into political discussions, I was always anxious to listen to what was
going on around me. I was much amused at the
violence with which the loungers at the hotels and
bars rushed into controversy on every subject.
I must say the Southerners had the best of it in
talk, not, perhaps, because they had right on .their
side, but in consequence of their opponents being
usually low, foul-mouthed ruffians, who substituted
abuse for argument.
I was much amused by one man who told me he
had been in Texas—to or from which part of the
States, by the way, nearly every one in the hotel
was either going or coming.

NEW OBLEANS.

197

" They're a rough lot there/' he said; " won't
stand no nonsense, nor yet take no greenbacks."
I asked him if he had enjoyed his visit. He
looked at me with an expression to which I wonder
he did not give vent in words, for it plainly meant
" You must be a darned fool to ask such a question/'
as he replied,—
"Enjoyed myself? no ! I went to look after a
chap as owes me some thousands of dollars."
I expressed a hope that he had got his money
after all his trouble.
He gave me a scared look near akin to the first
in meaning, as he said, " Couldn't find him for
many months ; but, when I did, I will say he spoke
fair, for he said he'd think about paying me in a
twelvemonth or so."
As this did not strike me as having been a very
encouraging promise, I asked him why he did not
press for something more definite in the way of
settlement.
" Well," he said, " I'll tell you how it was I did
not like to press that man, for that's a man as won't
be pressed, and that's a fact. No, he will not, for
he told me that within a month he had shot two
creditors who had come bothering him for money;
so, you see, I did not like to press him, but let him
take his own time."
I highly approved the prudent course my friend

198

THE GEEAT OOUNTEY.

had adopted, and said I thought he was well ont of
it. " Out of it," he replied, " I shall do business
with that man again, for though he busted he means
honourable, I'm sure."
The cemeteries of New Orleans are remarkable as
being depositories of the dead above' ground, the
alluvial nature of the soil rendering interment in
the usual way indecent and almost impossible.
The dead are placed in brick graves, or as they
are called, " ovens," which are built in tiers to the
height of ten or twelve feet, by ten feet thick, and
form blocks of tombs intersected by gravel walks.
There is, I believe, a burial ground for the poor,
from which the water frequently washes the dead,
and leaves them uncared for, and exposed to the
light of day.
I had nearly forgotten one lion of New Orleans,
to which all American visitors rush at once, and that
is the battle-field, where a monument, unfinished of
course, commemorates a glorious victory gained over
the British, January, 1815.
I must do the Americans the justice to say that
they refer to this subject with much reluctance in
the presence of the English, for fear they should
make us, as they term it, " feel bad." So insensible
was I to the intense mortification which all Britishers
are supposed to feel at the recollection of the severe
humiliation they are said to have experienced in

NEW OELEANS.

199

that battle, that I could converse calmly about i t ;
and considering that the English under General
Packenham were caught with the waters of the
Mississippi on one side, and nothing but " canebrakes " and " cypress swamps" on the other, it
looks very like their having been the victims of an
ambuscade, a style of fighting in which the Americans
have been always remarkably successful.
I do not think that General Jackson has much to
be proud of, nor yet the nation at large, though the
anniversary of the victory is still observed, on which,
according to the American statement, 3000 of the
English were killed and wounded, whilst the American loss was only 7 killed and 6 wounded. Allowing for the immense superiority of the Americans in
the art of war, these odds suggest more the idea of
a slaughter of men who have been caught in a trap,
than the result of an open conflict between two
armies.
If the Americans are proud of this achievement,
I don't think any Englishman will feel disposed to
begrudge them the gratification of boasting about or
of commemorating it.
I left New Orleans at 4*30 by train, in the hope
of getting to Memphis in four-and-twenty hours,
where I had designed getting on board the "Great
Eepublic " steamer, which was bound up the Mississippi for St. Louis. It had four-and-twenty hours'

200

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

start of me, and in consequence of the windings of
the river would not arrive at Memphis till long after
the time I was led to hope I should be there.
It would seem that hotel-keepers, especially at
Eichmond and New Orleans, think it decidedly
infra dig. in them to give any truthful information
to their customers or guests, as they please to term
them. I was assured, at the St. Charles, that the
train from New Orleans to Memphis was fast, with
sleeping cars attached to it, and that my journey
would be safe and speedy.
It was on Sunday evening that I left New Orleans,
and I must say I did so without regret, especially as
far as the St. Charles' Hotel, at which I stopped, was
concerned, for it is nearly as bad as it can be; dirty
and neglected in appearance, and as to my room, it
was as comfortless as it looked : the food, as usual,
was uneatable. I must say, however, a word for
the civility of the person who presided in the dining
room, and the attention of the waiters, who I should
say had recently been raised from the ranks.
They were Irish boys, accustomed, one would
think, to the hod, and were evidently under the
impression, a very common one in this country, that
it is the duty of a group of waiters to stand with
their hands on your chair and breathe into your ear
—not by any means either soft or sweet nothings.
As I've said before, the food was bad in quality

NEW OBLEANS.

201

and scant in quantity. A variety of nasty dishes
was served, each containing a dab of something, not
more than two mouthfuls. The coffee was drinkable,
and the pastry very fair, and there is an end of
praise to be bestowed on that department.
I was conveyed, with one valise,, from the hotel
to the train in a bus, for which transport I was
charged one dollar.
My heart misgave me when I saw the train, it
was little better than a parliamentary in England;
the sleeping car was such a nasty sty that I was not
sorry all the berths had been taken.
I gave up the sleeping car without regret, and
tried to make the best of the other. I thought I
had a right to expect a decent style of car, for the
fare was high enough, but in this was disappointed.
We left the station punctually. The evening was
lovely, and though our journey was through a dead
level of a swamp, yet so rich was the verdure, and
so abundant were the flowers, that it was a pleasure
to look upon Nature, even under this form of redundant unculture.
We had hardly left the station, when the
squeaking of a wheel betokened something wrong ;
and so there was, for as the daylight declined flames
were visible issuing from the box of the wheel of
the sleeping-cars. Again and again was the train
stopped, but as those in charge " reckoned" and

202

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

" guessed " that she was not yet overheated, on we
went, till at last matters became so bad that those
who had occupied the sleeping-cars, were forced to
leave them in consequence of the heat.
We stopped at one place for nearly an hour to
"fix" the wheel, and in consequence of these delays
reached the junction at Canton too late for the connection, i.e. for the train by which we were to have
gone on to Memphis, and were told we must " lay
over " here four-and-twenty hours.
Some of the passengers were indignant, and more
than one declared that the conductors and others
were drunk.
It appeared that there had been a hot box as they
call it also in the engine itself, and altogether we
had had a lucky escape from broken wheels and
other mishaps.
As there was nothing for it but to wait, I made
my way to the inn at Canton, and found it much
the same sort of an establishment that used to be
called an hotel in the rustic districts of Ireland
some half century ago, where, as some wag has
expressed it, Ci everything was sour but the vinegar."
Canton is a mystery to m e ; it is a mere collection
of small stores of the roughest description, which
have sprung up lately; there is a court-house
adapted for a town of forty thousand inhabitants,
the population of Canton being two thousand.

NEW OELEANS.

203

There are of course several churches; there are
some carts standing idle, some negroes, some men
who look like farmers, and others whose appearance
is that of bandits; and plenty of children, pigs,
and geese made up the live stock.
One of the natives, who spoke with a strong
brogue, in answer to my inquiry touching the
healthiness of the place, told me he considered it
bad for any one after a time.
Thinking this highly probable, I merely replied,
" Indeed ! "
" Yes," he continued, " not so much for the body
as the mind."
Feeling convinced that the only thing which
could reconcile one to, or in any way induce, a
residence in Canton must be aberration of intellect,
I again said " Oh, indeed ! "
" Yes," he continued, " sir; and it's the food as
does it."
Surprised and somewhat disconcerted at this
statement, for I had n'ot at that time partaken of a
meal in Canton, I said anxiously, " How is that ? "
He said, " Sir, it's the pork they eat."
I had heard in my youth that pigs' marrow is apt
to bring on insanity, and here was something like a
confirmation of what I had regarded as a superstition of my early days.
My informant went on to say that the inhabitants

20 i

THE GREAT COUNTKY.

nearly starved the poor beasts in winter, who, on
being eaten, took this terrible revenge on their
tyrant consumers. I give the statement as it was
made, and leave it to the consideration of the
scientific.
I would gladly have learnt more on this interesting subject, but my informant suddenly became
silent and left me.
When I had time more leisurely to examine mine
inn where I was expected to take mine ease, the
truth dawned on me that this "laying over" was a
little arrangement between the railway functionaries and mine host; the house being evidently
arranged with a view to an emergency of this kind,
since most of the rooms were provided with several
beds, or rather shake-downs, each one more dirty
than the other.
I was lucky enough to get a cell to myself, which,
though dirty, was seclusion from the gang that infested the other parts of the house.
I may say that the dining-room was in harmony
with the sleeping apartments, and the meals in the
strictest keeping with the rooms.
There was, in fact, an agreement between all
parts of the' establishment, which gave it an air
more easily imagined than described.
It was uniformly filthy, under which head the
food is distinctly to be understood as included.

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205

The weather was oppressively hot. Several patrons
of the establishment were very drunk; but really
mad or drunk you must be, or suicide and Canton
would be identical.
I was afraid to enter into conversation, for fear of
being challenged to fight or drink; but from what I
could hear, party feeling seemed to run high among
all present, and devotion to the Union was by no
means a prevailing sentiment.
Many of those about the inn were from Texas,
and a nice state of society must exist there. It is
very odd to listen to the various languages, I mean
forms of English, indulged in by this people; every
dialect of the three kingdoms crops up, with the addition of a twang which more or less pervades the
voice of the whole country.
I have wasted much time on Canton, which is
decidedly not worth one of the many curses heaped
on it by profane men who disliked the " laying over ";
but if what I have said should prevent any one
from travelling by the Mississippi Central Eail, I
shall feel that I have done a benevolent thing, and
my reader ought to bless me. The recollection of
the beauty of the evening and night before, on
which I liked to dwell, in some degree reconciled
me to the discomfort of my journey, and as I
dawdled away the day at Canton, I thought of how
we had passed through the densely wooded swamp,

206

THE GEEAT COTJNTBY.

which was wonderful to behold, illuminated with
fire-flies, rushing through the trees, and looking as
though the stars had come down to pass an evening
with the flowers and shrubs, and were at high romps
among them.
The whole scene seemed teeming with life.
The chirruping of the various insects made you
marvel when they took rest; and as to the
frogs, they might have been petitioning Jupiter for
a king, so loudly did they raise their voices, as
though clamouring for redress of some grievance.
It might have been a concert they were giving in
honour of the fire-flies; at any rate, they kept it up
most perseveringly till dawn.
Sleep seldom visits me in a railway car, and was
out of the question on this occasion. The motion
of the train was unsteady, the seats uncomfortable,
the weather oppressive, the stench from the burning
grease of the wheel-box overpowering; the officials
kept rushing through the car almost incessantly,
and banged both doors violently on entering or
leaving.
A baby, driven from the sleeping-car, cried
piteously and perseveringly.
A very ghastly old woman would stand bolt
upright the greater part of the night, and kept
inquiring constantly when she would arrive at her
place of destination, which was at some point it

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207

would occupy at least two days more to reach; she
said, " I'm very bad, I'm killed/' and then went on
to tell us she had been travelling for some time, day
and night, till she was quite worn out. Added to
this, I expected every moment that a wheel would
give way, and that the train would run off the line;
but, as I have said already, nothing serious occurred.
I have spoken elsewhere of the superiority of the
men one meets in' travelling south, but I must be
distinctly understood not to refer to those one
encounters lounging about hotels, for they are alike
everywhere, and, I must add, always highly objectionable as to their habits ; though I have fallen in
with those who were agreeable and obliging. The
style of the ladies whom one sees at meals in the
Southern hotel, is infinitely better than that of the
class met with at the fashionable watering-places of
the North, of which I shall have to speak hereafter.
At dawn we were summoned to take our
places in the train, and proceeded through a dusty
wild country till early in the afternoon, when we
reached Memphis.

MEMPHIS.
Memphis may have been when it flourished
in Egyptian soil one has little opportunity of
judging, but since its transplantation to the banks
of the Mississippi, it has enjoyed the unenviable distinction of being considered the worst place in that
by no means respectable neighbourhood.
WHAT

On reaching the Overston hotel, we were surrounded by a crowd of ragamuffin boys shouting
out, " Evening paper, full particulars of the murder
last night." The aspect of the town is decidedly
uninviting, and the heat and dust most oppressive.
As it was my intention to take to the river at this
point, the first inquiries I made were respecting the
steamer "Great Kepublic," with which I had calculated on falling in here, as she had left New Orleans
on the Saturday previous. .
The afternoon was young when I first inquired,
and I was assured that she would not arrive till the
next day. Having dined, or done the best I could
towards doing so, I set out to explore the town.
The dust blew in perfect torrents through the
streets. There was nothing to be seen but the Levee,

MEMPHIS.

209

or wharf, a shabby town, and a few miserable grey
squirrels in the public garden, so I returned to
the hotel, and sat outside the door surrounded
by a group of wild-looking expectorators. Just
after sunset as the news-boys were still shouting
about the " Murder last night," the discharge of
pistols close at hand was heard; nearly every one
except myself rushed to the spot whence the sound
had proceeded, and shortly returned with the
pleasing announcement that two men were severely
wounded.
They had quarrelled at a drinking-bar, and both
having revolvers had fired simultaneously.
Never did time go more slowly. I luckily fell in
with a very obliging gentleman who was travelling
the same route as myself, and with him followed up
the inquiries respecting the Great Eepublic.
So conflicting were the statements and opinions
as to the time of her arrival, that at nine o'clock,
we resolved to go to bed, expecting to be roused
about three o'clock in the morning.
Worn out by an afternoon passed amid expectation and expectoration, I gladly sought my couch,
but had no sooner done so than the sound of a gun
excited my suspicions that the Great Eepublic had
arrived, suspicions which were rendered conviction
in a few minutes by a clamour at my door. I
roused myself, and hurried on board the steamer.

MISSISSIPPI.
has such a night come from the heavens
as the one in which I embarked on the Mississippi.
The lightning was so vivid as to illuminate every
instant the river and its banks, the thunder was
deafening, and as to the rain, the water coming-in
was not " a circumstance " to it.
SELDOM

Amid this conflict of the elements we were
conveyed in a carriage to the water's edge, much
to the satisfaction of my companion, who had
travelled the road before, and assured me it was
not at all uncommon for passengers to be robbed
in walking from the hotel to the steamer, as " the
Levee" was infested with thieves, for whom the
cotton bales lying about afford a shelter, both before
and after attacking an unwary stranger.
When safely on board the steamer I was more
than satisfied with her appearance and accommodations. Her whole length is occupied by one vast
saloon more than three hundred feet long, at one
end of which is the office, smoking and writing
room. Next to these, only marked by difference of
furniture, is the space devoted to eating; whilst at

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211

the extreme end, fitted up with a piano and other
elegancies, is the drawing-room for the ladies. The
state-rooms are ranged on either side of this saloon,
and are commodious and clean.
There is a drinking-bar close at hand, and also a
barber's shop. The attendants, all coloured men,
are very civil.
I won't say much about the cuisine, nor is it a
subject on which I should have bestowed as much
remark as I have hitherto, had I not been bored to
death with statements regarding the superiority of
everything in America, especially as to the commissariat department.
The Mississippi ought to be beheld in a glare of
lightning to be seen to advantage, for, under ordinary
circumstances, it is an ugly stream about the colour
of weak pea-soup.
I have been told that " before the war," that is
the other way of putting it, a trip on these steamers
was " real elegant." The most splendid " people
did use to travel by them."
I believe that such was the case, and that there
was much excitement, if not amusement, on board,
occasioned by the gambling which was carried on to
a great extent.
The rich planters, who were returning from
New Orleans or elsewhere, with plenty of money,
the result of the sale of their cotton, were an
p 2

212

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

easy prey to gangs of swindlers who infested the
river.
Sometimes very serious consequences ensued from
the gambling; but all this is over, the planters are
penniless, so cannot be fleeced any more ; and the
steamers are, consequently, not so lively, but decidedly safer, and more agreeable modes of conveyance.
My fellow-passengers were, for the most part,
stupid, and not by any means sociable.
The scenery on the Mississippi is not easily described : the only objects of interest being snags
and alligators. The former render the navigation
perilous—being the trunks of trees that have been
washed away from the banks and carried into the
middle of the stream, where they lie embedded in
mud, and are capable of destroying a steamer.
Hearing that it was the work of a pilot's life to
know them all, and that it was his constant care to
steer clear of them, I innocently inquired whether
it were not possible to remove them by means of
steam-tugs.
" Eemove them ! in course they could; but what
on airth would become of them pilots ?" was the
reply.
I felt the force of the remark, and said no more ;
monopoly and protection being American institutions.
There had been a somewhat feeble attempt to be
jolly during the evening, and a quadrille was per-

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213

petrated, I am inclined to think, by those who were
interested in the boat; for the principal part of the
passengers abstained from joining in the sport.
The passengers were not favourable specimens of
Southern refinement, the splendour of the boat,
perhaps, made them appear to greater disadvantage.
We had some music volunteered by many passengers in this wise. A young lady sang a song,
some plagiarism from a trashy English ballad, the
words altered to suit an American view of the
subject, not unfrequently bearing on the war, with
Northern or Southern proclivities, as the case might
b e ; and whilst the young lady was singing, some of
the bystanders would chime in and produce a
pleasing effect, as far as they were concerned, but
one especially disagreeable to the listeners. The
young ladies were very chatty, and I dare say made
themselves agreeable. I don't remember whether
it was on board a Mississippi boat that a lovely girl
astonished a susceptible Britisher, who, in his desire
to do the agreeable, offered her at breakfast some
shrimps, and was not a little taken aback at her
replying, " No, sir, thank you, I never eat bugs;"
—the name of that interesting insect having been
selected as the generic term for all creeping things.
The huge steamer labours through the muddy
waters as though sulky and disgusted with its
freight and the voyage; as well it may be, for this

214

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

" Father of Waters " is not by any means a thing to
show strangers. I am glad that his children, in
general, do not retain a strong family likeness to
him, for he is hideous, a huge ill-regulated creature,
rushing headlong through the land, never knowing
which course he means to take, or keeping on his
own side, varying his position perpetually; so that
Mr. Smith goes to bed with the conviction that he
lives on the left bank of the river, opposite Mr.
Jones; but on getting up in the morning discovers
that he is on the right bank of the river, next door
to Mr. Jones. Families who have been good friends
and neighbours for some time, find, on a sudden,
the width of the river between them, without, however, creating any coolness, for at times it is a bath
of boiling mud.
We had the good fortune to stop at Cairo during
the night, so that with the exception of being disturbed by the noise consequent to the arrival and departure of a steamer, we had nothing to complain of.
I saw one or two parties engaged at euchre, a
game which the Americans claim to have invented,
and say, of course, that it is much finer than whist,
to which, I believe, it bears some resemblance.
On the whole, the evening was as dreary as could
be well imagined.
A fine morning made even the Mississippi look
well-—not cheerful, but less dismal.

MISSISSIPPI.

215

Writers tell us that this river is a charming stream
till its pure waters are contaminated by the influence
of the muddy Missouri, which joins it just above St.
Louis.
I need not tell my readers where it rises, nor
where it flows, but will tell them that, in my
opinion, it is made up of the drainings of the swamps
of America.
Talking of swamps, reminds me that I have forgotten to allude to one of these terrible spots where
fugitive slaves took refuge from their bloodthirsty
masters, and either perished from hunger, or were
torn to pieces by the blood-hounds sent in pursuit
of them.
The swamps certainly do look very gloomy and
terrible, especially by night, with the effect of a
waning moon on them, and would be a fine study
for a scenic artist as a picture of desolation; and it
would be easy for a writer of the highly imaginative
school to work up a situation of the greatest horror
in connection with them. But daylight would
dispel the illusion, for he would then discover that
the negroes are quite as much at home in them as a
shepherd is on the Sussex Downs.

ST. LOUIS.
a long and somewhat monotonous day's
journey through the mud of the Mississippi, we
reached St. Louis at nine o'clock in the evening;
and glad I was to exchange my floating palace for
the Southern Hotel, by far the finest in the United
States, and, in my opinion, the best.
I cannot part with the " Father of Waters"
without expressing an opinion that, except for purposes purely commercial, De Soto might as well
have kept his discovery to himself; but this remark
will also apply to Columbus.
Beyond having a fine position, and being very
extensive, St. Louis has nothing especially to
recommend it. Here all other matters seem completely eclipsed by commerce—the minds of men
are wholly absorbed in it. There exists a great
jealousy of Chicago, and one would think that the
railway companies were bent on running one another
off the road by the violence with which they compete.
The Court House is considered a fine building;
it only struck me as large.
The smoke of the steamers renders a walk along
AFTER

ST. LOUIS.

217

the " Levee " very disagreeable and almost useless,
as, in consequence of it, you can see nothing of the
river.
There is little in St. Louis itself to repay one
for the trouble of visiting i t ; the suburbs are extensive and agreeable.
Having a great desire to see the Prairies, I took
my departure from St. Louis, so as to have an
opportunity of passing through them on my way
to Chicago. I would strongly advise my readers not
to put themselves to any inconvenience in following
my example, for however grand the Prairie may be
in the far west, the hunting-ground of the Eedskin,
the home of the bison and the antelope, where
stampedes excite, and Indians scalp the traveller,
that portion of it traversed between St. Louis and
Chicago only resembles a bad crop of coarse hay.
I must allow that the effect of sunset was fine, and
so was the brilliant starlight of a clear frosty night.
I had been for some weeks enjoying a warm
climate, and was fairly taken by surprise to find
myself in the region of frost again, as I was on
arriving at Chicago, where it was freezing hard, and
there had recently been a fall of snow.
From the many peculiarities connected with
Chicago, a more than ordinary notice of it seems
required of one who is writing anything about
America—not only an account of the physical

218

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

extent and importance of the place, but also
respecting its moral tone and power, the influence
of which cannot be exaggerated as affecting not
only Chicago itself, but a very large portion of the
United States,
That the Western are the coming men, is admitted on all hands; and now that the South is
likely to be crushed out, the coming struggle will
be between East and "West, and a desperate one it
seems likely to be.
Whatever lingering remains of old world chivalry
and honour were to be traced in the conduct of
the South, these qualities never have existed in the
West, the inhabitants of which are as overbearing
and self:asserting as the Yankee himself.
Whenever these two incarnations of Self—the
Western and Eastern men—shall come into collision,
then will human nature be seen in its basest colours ;
then will avarice, envy, and hatred, ranked on both
sides, meet in a deadly conflict, the horrors of
which will be unmitigated by either fear of God or
human respect.

CHICAGO.
it must be admitted, is a wonderful
place, inasmuch as its growth, like that of the
mushroom, has been suddenly accomplished.
Thirty years ago the site of the present city was
little more than a cluster of log buildings, which
were used as a military station to check the incursions of the Indians, and also, as a place of
rendezvous, where the simple American trader
might meet the wily Indian and barter with him
for his furs.
I t is said that there was also a tavern where the
dissolute Redskin would linger for days, till he had
spent the proceeds of his trading; and though his
pale-faced brother's' dealings with him were always
conducted on the fairest and most honourable terms,
yet such was the avarice and want of good faith
displayed by the Indian, that by a singular fatality
it often happened that a quarrel ensued which
ended in bloodshed, so that the Americans were
obliged to call in the aid of the military.
I was much struck with one account I read of
the dealings of the American with the Indian, in
CHICAGO,

220

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

which it was stated that the latter bound themselves
by a treaty to remove forty days' journey beyond
the Mississippi, and were to receive on that condition a sum of money annually.
On one occasion four thousand of them assembled
to receive this annuity, but becoming dissatisfied
with what was given them, made an attempt to seize
on all they saw. A fight ensued, in which many of
the Indians were killed. The only part of the story
that struck me as remarkable was the fact of a mere
handful of white men being able to repulse
thousands of Indians.
There was, it is true, a Commissioner of the United
States government engaged to treat with the Indians,
so of course all must have been done in a straightforward honourable manner, and no one will believe
idle stories about Indians being made drunk with
whiskey, or destroyed by poisoned waters ; but that
they have been got rid of is very certain, and we
must, I suppose, ascribe their disappearance to the
progress of civilization and the working of humanity.
Certainly one is puzzled to think how the present
occupants of the land can be an improvement on
those whom they dispossessed, unless we assume
that the latter were as vile as the Canaanitish
nations : a supposition for which there is not the
slightest foundation.
We may not believe the Indian to have been

CHICAGO.

221

such a noble being as the novelist has portrayed
him, but he must be bad indeed if, after education
and other civilizing influences have been brought to
bear on his race for years, he should turn out no
better than his pale-faced brother. •
It is useless to speculate on what the Indian was
or might have been; he is gone from Chicago and
is fast disappearing from the Prairie, to the intense
satisfaction of those who have seized on his inheritance.
It probably is true that he is faithless, cruel and
treacherous; but what qualities of an opposite
description has the white man held up for his
example. Chicago may be a subject for self-gratulation to the American, but tested by the principle
of right and wrong one is not quite sure that it may
not be a city founded in blood and built up on
oppression and wrong.
I need hardly inform my readers that Chicago
is on the western shore of Lake Michigan, at the
mouth of the river from which it takes its name.
No inland city can possess finer means of communication with the outer world, since by means of
lakes, rivers and canals, and railways Chicago is
united with both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
The situation of the city is low and swampy, the
highest part of it not being two feet above the level
of the lake; the river, across which draw-bridges

222

THE GREAT COUNTEY.

are thrown at almost eyery turn, intersects its
streets. As these are being constantly moved to
allow vessels to pass, one's progress about the city
is apt to be repeatedly impeded, to say nothing of
the risk of being drowned.
The original city was built below the level of
the lake, and consequently efficient drainage was
impossible; to remedy this defect the greater
part of it was raised bodily some feet higher, a
feat which denotes. the energy of the people, and
reflects great credit on the engineers engaged in
the work.
The streets of Chicago are wide and nearly all
paved with wood. It would seem as though the
wood had been as hard to get rid of as the water,
for everything is wooden—excepting, of course, the
population.
Chicago boasts of a harbour five miles in extent,
of warehouses, wharves, and granaries, in overwhelming numbers. The grain trade is enormous,
and its increase something unprecedented. In 1838
the first shipment of wheat took place, and was
seventy-eight bushels ; in 1865, the exports of grain
amounted to fifty-four millions of bushels.
There is also a great trade carried on in timber,
or, as it is called in America, " lumber ; " and also
a very thriving trade in provisions.
In fact, Chicago is the metropolis of all that is

CHICAGO.

223

ready-made; for you may buy a house, have it
furnished with everything, stored with food, packed
up, and forwarded anywhere you please. So that a
man who is migrating can start off like the snail
with his house at his back, and pitch it down whenever and wherever he pleases.
I visited some of the granaries of the city, which
have very powerful appliances .for loading corn,
called " elevators ; " which we should call " lifts,"
or " cranes."
I was a little puzzled as to their capacity, which,
I was told, was ten millions of bushels; but I
received the statement with humility—as becomes
one who is being instructed in everything.
I do believe that many of these people regard an
Englishman and an Indian in much the same light,
as specimens of " old effete bust-up prejudice,"
for they show one everything with a sort of triumphant air, and a " what-do-you-think-of-that ? "
sort of tone.
" You won't see anything like that in your old
worn-out country," said a very gentlemanly person
to me. " It's a good thing for you to come here,
and have your ideas expanded; and that's what
your nobility did ought to do, and then they
wouldn't ride you down as they do with their parks
and their game laws, as you daren't call your souls
your own in. And whatever is that Queen of yours

224

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

after, I should like to know, as she don't do away
with all them effete institutions ? "
I humbly suggested that Her Majesty had not
the power, and, I was sure, had not the wish to
interfere with the rights of her subjects.
" Ah, that's where it is, you see ; you are so eat
up with them Old World prejudices; it's enough
to make anyone laff 'isself sick to think of such
rubbish/'
As I found my friend was growing incoherent, I
tried to lead him away from the subject of our
national failings to that of Chicago's greatness—but
it was useless. If I admired anything, he always
brought up England's insignificance and rapid decay
—predicted a dreary future for us—stated it to be
a certainty that " that Prince of Wales of yourn
won't never be King."
I stated it to be my hope that the day was very
far distant when he would be called on to discharge
the duties of the sovereignty.
" Ah," said my friend, " that's where you are
such slaves to a system j always bowing down to
power."
He then burst forth into such a minute account
of the private history of Her Majesty and all the
royal family, that one would have thought he'd been
brought up in the palace.
At last I said, "How long were you in England?"

CHICAGO.

225

" Me in England," lie replied, " never, and never
will be. It wouldn't never suit me, to be a cringing
and calling fellows I considers my inferiors 'my lord/
I wouldn't do it.*
I suggested that in all probability, even in the
event of his visiting England, he would not fall in
with many lords.
" There you are altogether wrong/' he said, " for
it is well known as us Americans goes into the best
society. Our minister introduces us to where you'd
be shut out from, and Queen Victoria can't refuse
us."
As there was no reply to such trash as this I
talked on generalities, and underwent a pretty
strict cross-examination from this interesting person,
whp was sitting in an easy chair with his feet on
the table, spitting copiously, and by way of amusement cutting a bit of wood with a pocket-knife, a
pastime familiar to all acquainted with American
manners, under the term of "whittling."
This is such a stereotyped description of an
American, that I feel I must assure my readers it
is not a fancy sketch, nor even a caricature.
When I had given a full and particular account
of myself, as to place of birth, age, occupation,
my interrogator said in a somewhat apologetic
tone :
" You see we're a curious people," as though he
Q

226

THE GKEAT COUNTRY.

thought that quite excuse enough. I replied, "You
certainly are."
He then asked me several questions about
London, of which I stated I was a native.
He looked at me steadily, and exclaiming,
" Thank God I was not born in that effete old
place," rose from his seat and left the room without a
word in the way of adieu, or any sort of salutation.
This by the way is a national custom : you may
be talking—even with an acquaintance—for some
time, and he will turn away abruptly and walk off
whilst you are speaking.
The population of Chicago, made up of Yankees,
Irish, and Germans, is said to be about a quarter of
a million, but is being rapidly increased daily by
immigration.
There was a time when this was considered as
the extreme western city of the United States, but it
is now rapidly becoming its central point, and seems
destined to be perhaps the most important place in
the Union.
The churches are numerous; the Catholic cathedral is a fine building and was densely crowded at
high mass. None of the others, except one which
belongs to the Baptists, is worthy of attention.
There are of course educational establishments
of all sorts and descriptions, and charitable institutions adorn the city at all points. Especially are

CHICAGO.

227

the asylums for orphans, both Catholic and Protestant, highly commended, as well as institutions
for reclaiming the lost and wretched, with whom
this city abounds.
The morality of the people is not highly spoken
of, and so numerous are the divorce cases that one
day a week (Saturday) is devoted to them, and
called the "unmarrying day."
I imagine this must in some degree be the result
of the vast influx of Germans, for one hears an
anecdote, which I remember to have heard related
in the north of Germany, the scene of which has
been transferred to Chicago, of a gentleman having
been seated at a rubber of whist with three of his
former wives. I certainly read in the paper of a
couple who had been divorced twenty years, having
made up their differences and renewed their nuptial
vows; both having in the interim been married
several times.
As far as one could judge from casual conversations with the citizens of Chicago, they regard the
South with contempt, and the North and East with
aversion. One can but feel that trouble is looming
in the future for the Great Country from the
conflicting interests of East and "West.
The Opera House is a fine theatre, and there are
several other places of amusement of minor importance. The beer gardens in summer afford recreation
Q 2

228

THE GREAT COUNTKY.

to the Germans, especially on Sunday afternoon,
when concerts are given.
The hotels are large; but not exceptions to the
generality of such establishments in this country.
The servants are attentive and zealous, especially
the housemaids, one of whom came and swept out
the gentlemen's parlour totally regardless of the
presence of guests.
Here, as elsewhere, mine host is affable, as one
would expect him to be, since he is described in the
guide-book as, " The Gentlemanly Proprietor." The
only comment on which statement is, that if he be
such, he is to be deeply sympathised with, as being
totally out of his element.
I must say I was much consoled when at meals,
by the knowledge that the knives, however far down
the throat they might be thrust, were incapable of
inflicting harm; in fact, they are plated, a process
to which they are subjected to facilitate supplying
guests with what is called a clean knife; this is
accomplished by the simple method of dipping
Smith's knife into a jug of warm water, wiping and
handing it to Jones, who at once plunges it into his
food, and then down his throat.
I have occasionally seen a man ask for a teaspoon to enable him to consume the gravy; but
this must be regarded as exceptional. I was
forcibly reminded of cannibalism one day at dinner,

CHICAGO.

229

by the sight of a party indulging in a banquet of
pork.
Fenianism is pretty strong in Chicago, at least,
its advocates make powerful appeals to the Irish.
I saw a bill which invited all men " to rally round
Ireland/' which feat was to be accomplished by
attending a meeting at which General Something
was to speak, the said general having, it was stated,
humbled the pride of Great Britain in the field.
Having never heard of this humiliation, I did not
care to have my national feelings mortified, and
moreover, being a sincere well-wisher of Ireland,
I did not rally round her on this occasion; feeling
sure that I should not be listened to if I attempted
to state the truth, that as well might the Indian
hope to expel the white man from America, as the
Fenian Brotherhood expect to subvert the English
rule in Ireland.
In Chicago it is that you may hear the most
benevolent feelings expressed for the Negro; sentiments that do honour to our fallen nature; but the
effect of which is slightly marred by very different
views being entertained respecting the disposal of
the Indian, for whose destruction I have heard some
advocate the use of strychnine.
The United States government has passed very
stringent laws prohibiting the sale of all spirituous
liquors to the Indian, for whom the fire-water has

230

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

a fascination quite as great as, if not greater, than
that by which it enslaves the " pale-faces."
To no one, except to a commercial traveller,
would a visit to Chicago prove a source of gratification ; it is essentially a place of trade and nothing
else, and looks very much as if it had been made
elsewhere and brought to the spot it at present
occupies—there is a "ready-made" air about both
place and people. Some of the latter are said to be
very wealthy; and the house of one man, a German,
I believe, is pointed out as a marvel of costliness,
the screws with which some of the doors are fixed
being silver, which will give an idea of its magnificence. The opulent owner did not live to enjoy it,
having died within a few months of its completion.
The waterworks are of prodigious size, and have
been erected at a cost of one million dollars.
The rapid progress of the-Great Pacific Eailway
is bearing civilisation rapidly to the far West.
Cities are springing up on the line, and there are
large towns growing in the very heart of the desert.
The Indians have proved serious impediments to
the work of the railway, and have given a great
deal of trouble to those engaged in it. I have
heard but an indifferent account of these children
of Nature from a friend who passed many months
among them, but must say that their defects of
character appear to be, in great measure, but the

CHICAGO.

231

result of their contact with the civilised portion of
the human race.
I believe they are like all savages, very treacherous, and will attack and scalp a friend if he should
happen to possess that which they covet. I have
heard of a man whom they received in a most
friendly manner, falling a victim to the fact of his
possessing some red blankets, which took the fancy
of the Indians, and of which they could not resist
the temptation to possess themselves; they scalped
him and took his blankets; he contrived to escape
with his life, though deprived of his hair, and lived
happy, we will hope, ever after in a black silk
skull-cap.
All trace of the Indian has long been removed
from Chicago, and it is difficult to imagine where
he can be "located" so as to enjoy his natural pursuits and not interfere with those of his white
brother.

ON THE EAIL.
is one great advantage which Chicago
affords a visitor,—extreme facility both for reaching
and for leaving it. Eailways start hence for every
where, and they say one hundred trains arrive and
depart daily; many of these having sleeping cars
attached to them, for which one pays extra, as they
are a matter of private enterprise apart from the
railway company, in fact, a sort of " locomotive
hotel." Fancy names are given them, such as
" Silver Palace Sleeping Cars," lending a fairy-land
sort of character to them which is not realised when
you find the one you occupy in possession of a large
family party of Germans, the children whereof
scramble constantly all over the seats with nasty
looking food in their hands, and make the carriage
very like a pig-sty by day, and at night cry incessantly for water, and make themselves as objectionable as young human nature is wont to do under
such circumstances.
I met a very intelligent and pleasant companion
on this line, with whom I travelled as far as Pittsburg. He was a Northern man, who had lived long
THERE

ON THE BAIL.

233

in the South. His great horror was Butler, whom
he described in terms both foul and forcible;
vouched for the truth of the story of the plunder of
houses, and the large number of pianos made
captive by the General's bow and spear.
He is said to have sold all the American instruments, but to have burnt the English ones, being
too patriotic to advance the fame of any foreign
manufacture.
My informant, whose exact line in politics I
could not make out, spoke very strongly as to the
introduction into the South of the vilest and most
obscene publications from New York, against which
the authorities of several towns protested, but in
vain, as it pleased the military occupants of the
South to beguile their hours of leisure with the
perusal of the " Last Sensation," or filth of a similar
description.
As I was making my way eastward, I selected
the Pittsburg and Fort Warne route as being the
best. There had recently been some very ugly
accidents on the other lines, such as carriages running off the line and falling over embankments
of some fifty feet in height; and, what was still
more terrible, the carriages in two instances had
caught fire, and the unhappy occupants were
burnt to death.; the fire originating from the
stoves in the carriages being full of lighted wood

234

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

which was scattered about, and set fire to the
seats.
I was especially warned against this line by a
considerate stranger whom I encountered between
St. Louis and Chicago.
He was a small and particularly thin man, with
sharp black eyes and a very miserable beard, and
introduced the subject of railway accident somewhat
abruptly, by saying, as he laid aside a paper he had
been perusing, " That's a prStty considerable lot of
dead 'uns."
As this remark was addressed to me, and I was
not aware to what he was referring, I inquired where ?
He looked at me attentively, and went on in soliloquy as though he were indulging in a deep moral
reflection, "and won't do for you, nohow, as you would
not have a chance, as I can see, with your flesh."
As I saw he was too much preoccupied with his
own thoughts to hear any remark I might make, I
awaited in silence his further remarks on this, to me,
interesting subject.
" I don't see/' he continued, "how ever in this world
they would get you out, for you see they couldn't
save him nohow, not through the window."
I was still puzzled, when my companion thrust
the newspaper in my hand, and said, "Take and
read for yourself, and then you'll see as it's a bad
look-out for you."

ON THE EAIL.

235

A perusal of the details of this terrible accident
which the paper contained, threw light upon these
remarks, for I read that one unfortunate man might
have been saved by being pulled through a window of
the carriage, but that being stout the aperture was
not large enough to allow him to pass through it.
When I had read this piece of intelligence, cheering to a man of sixteen stone weight, my companion
repeated, " A bad look-out for you." He did not
mean these remarks a T either chaff or impertinence;
S
he was quite serious,,and seemed deeply impressed
with the additional risk which, as a stout man, I ran
in travelling by rail. I think he was truly sorry
for me, but he spoke no more.
In passing through Pennsylvania, one is struck
by the air of cultivation which pervades the
country, to a degree not usually met with in districts
remarkable, as this is, for enormous mineral wealth.
In the centre of this the city of Pittsburg is
situated, famous for the energy with which its inhabitants have developed, the natural resources of the
neighbourhood. Coal and iron abound, and have
raised the city to pre-eminence as a manufacturing
town. Beyond this there is little to commend the
place, though it possesses some fine public buildings.
Alleghany City, on the opposite side of the river
Alleghany, is the residence of many of the most
opulent of those who carry on business in Pittsburg.

236

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

The scenery in the Alleghany mountains is tame,
and looks like a sort of diminutive, washed-out
Switzerland.
The rate at which the trains travel is not bad,
though nothing to the speed to which we are
accustomed; whilst the delays at junctions, and the
want of correspondence between the trains, are quite
as bad as they are in our own native land.
One practice in which Americans indulge with
regard to railways is most dangerous,
A whole party will enter " a car/' one member of
which only is going to travel, the remainder being
friends who have come to see the traveller off; they
remain chatting away till the train is in motion,
and then take their departure by deliberately
jumping out. On one occasion two women stopped
talking till the train was in full swing, and then
one of them sprang out, she fell, and apparently
under the train; her companion was about to follow
her, and was held back by main force, fighting like
a wild cat with those who were detaining her.
The conductor stopped the train to enable her to
descend with safety, and we watched her rejoin her
companion, who was apparently hurt, for she
walked with a limp. I am inclined to think that
the efforts of those who had restrained the second
jumper were regarded by the passengers as a piece
of impertinent interference with national custom, as

ON THE BAIL.

237

those who had checked the lady's descent were
English; regard for human life not being by any
means a strong characteristic with the American.
At one part in the course of my journey I was
placed in a most, terrible position. It was at a
station where dinner was to be served. Not feeling
inclined for the meal, and being interested in a
book, I resolved to remain in the carriage. The
heads of the German family to which I have
alluded as being my fellow-travellers, were anxious
to get some food, and asked me if I would give an eye
to the children, five in number, as the little darlings,
the eldest of which was not above six years old,
were all deeply engaged in the consumption of
some very terrible form of infantine food.
I consented, and was left alone with my interesting charge. All went on well till the food was
consumed, with which they bedaubed themselves
and the seats, and then they took to looking out of
window, making a noise that suggested a miniature
Babel. All of a sudden I heard a cry of anguish,
and was appalled at seeing the whole party, except
the baby, rush to the door, the baby having pitched
on to its head.
I was divided as to my duty, whether to pick it
up, or rush to the other children. I did pick up the
baby, yelling like a demon, and as sticky as a treacle
cask, and made my way to the other children.

238

THE GEEAT COUNTBY.

This door being locked, their progress had been
interrupted. No sooner did I get near them than
their cries became shrieks of terror. I could not
soothe them.
Only knowing fifteen words of
German, and they bearing exclusive reference
to one's requirements at a hotel, I was indeed at
a loss. I laid the baby down on a seat, and
tried everything I could think of to calm this
terrible Teutonic tribe, but in vain.
I was at a loss to imagine what had caused the
outbreak, when the entrance of the mother solved
the mystery, and relieved me from my most embarrassing situation. She had mistaken the train,
and had rushed along the platform to another set of
carriages, unconscious that her offspring was witnessing her flight, and had given vent to its feelings
under the impression that she was abandoning her
family for ever.

GENEKAL BEMARKS.
completed my tour South and West, I
have only to conclude this part of my work with
some general remarks as to what I have seen and
heard. As regards the face of nature, the country
is by no means beautiful. I have spoken of the
abundant vegetation which is met with in parts. I
have remarked on the dreary swamps and sandy
tracts through which I have passed.
I do not know that I have mentioned one beauty
with which the woodlands abound; and that is a
kind of creeping plant, called in America moss, that
grows in great abundance on the trees and hangs in
graceful festoons from branch to branch, giving a
most charming effect to the scene.
The Negroes collect it for the purpose of making
beds, for which purpose its elasticity well fits it.
Though I did hear a man at Wilmington denounce
it as " darned rubbish," and say " it swarmed with
vermin, but was quite good enough for niggers."
The state of morals in parts of the South, especially in Virginia, is more akin to our own received
ideas on the subject.
HAVING

240

THE GKEAT COTJNTEY.

Divorces are rare, and difficult to be obtained; in
fact, the tone of society in that State is very like
that which may be found among good country
families in England. Most of those whom I met
down South spoke very generally of a Eepublican
form of government as a failure, and were strong in
their denunciation of universal suffrage; not a few
condoled with me on the extension of the franchise
in my own country, and predicted evil things for
England's future under our Eeform Bill, though
the better informed willingly admitted that we have
a safeguard of which America is entirely destitute,
and that is the character and social status of our
public men.
A few demagogues in England may make themselves heard, and lead away the masses for a time
with clap-trap speeches; some men of education may,
for the sake of holding office, pander to the.mob ; but
the strength of England lies in the immense stakes
which so many honourable men have in her welfare,
and their sincere desire to do the best to build up
her institutions on the firmest basis—the will of the
majority, and a due regard to the rights of the
minority.
It is impossible to say what will be the result of
the abolition of slavery; in some places free labour
is to be obtained, and the landowners have gained
by the loss of their slaves, of whom they always had

GENERAL REMARKS.

241

a larger number than they could get work out of.
The sick, the aged, and the young, were heavy
burdens on them, and it remains to be seen which
side will lose by the new state of things.
Should the Negro, as some political economists
predict, die out, there is a great question as to
whom the landowner can look for gathering in his
crops. Many of the Southern Planters have gone
to the Brazils with a view to settling there; but
there are statements which differ widely as to the
result so far of the experiment.
As I have said before, there are many who wish
to come to England; but as I told one highly intelligent gentleman who was asking me about farming
in England—a man who had been a landed proprietor in the Southern States of America would,
even as a gentleman-farmer in England, find himself in a very different position.
A Virginian Planter has held a place in* society
there which would little fit him for a farm at leasehold on a nobleman's estate in England. Ireland
might, in many respects, better suit him, and it
would be an odd form of transmigration were the
American landowner and the Irish peasantry to
exchange countries.
One great cause of regret among the Southerners
is the non-recognition of their rights by Great
Britain, which was, as they state, a very false move

242

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

on our part. " Had you acknowledged us, you'd
have done a great benefit to yourselves; you'd
have weakened the United States; you'd have
checked Kussia, and have saved the life of the unfortunate Maximilian, whose blood in great measure
lies at the door of the United States government/'
It is very certain that although it may be doubtful
as to the power of the United States government
to save him, the tone of the American Press has
been most offensive respecting that ill-fated prince.
"Whatever may be one's opinion as to his having
gone to such a place as Mexico, which strikes one
as an act very similar to that of accepting the
regency of the infernal regions, yet there can be no
doubt that Maximilian, was a gentleman, and
though betrayed himself, would not abandon his supporters ; it was Quixotic, no doubt, in a prince, to
keep his word, or act in good faith in these days,
but it was respectable, and the Emperor Maximilian
is more honoured in his gory grave than the Archduke would have been who had sought his own
preservation at the sacrifice of honour, or obtained
it from the patronage of the United States government.
It is utterly monstrous to hear Americans talk
of their right to object to sovereign power existing
on the continent of America. With the bright example of those splendid anti-monarchical institutions,

GENEKAL EEMAEKS.

243

the Republics of South America, with the edifying
spectacle of Mexico before our eyes, and taking into
consideration the possibility of the United States
drifting into a condition very similar to that of its
neighbours, I think the less said about the perfection
of a pure republic the better.
At any rate, a very large number of American
citizens are of opinion that it matters little by what
name you call a government, for the dominant party
will ever crush the losing side, and that in Congress
the power is getting more and more into the hands
of the " Eowdies; " the result of which will be
such as has been witnessed elsewhere—a reign of
terror, to be followed by a despotism. No doubt
while the fortunes of men are about equal, a republic
is' a conceivable state of society; but as riches increase on the one hand and poverty on the other,
two distinct classes are growing up with opposite
interests, between whom equality is impossible, and
a collision must ensue as a necessary consequence of
divided interests.

R2

EN EOUTE TO NIAGAEA.
ONE of the most pleasant routes by which Niagara
may be reached is the North Eiver; taking in Newport, Providence, and Boston. Fine steamers leave
New York every afternoon during the summer
months, which land you at Newport at the convenient hour of three in the morning.
A sail up a river on a fine evening is always
agreeable, even though the scenery may be nothing
remarkable.
The steamers are commodious, but wanting in
deck room; the space usually allotted to that being
occupied by the saloons, which are vast and finely
fitted-up. There are external galleries to enable
passengers to enjoy the fresh air, but they are
limited as to space, and, consequently, crowded.
The accommodation for passengers is most extensive;
and, in the lower saloon, the berths are ranged
around on all sides, giving an effect like a gigantic
honey-comb. The attendants were all coloured men,
and particularly attentive. I did not care for the
supper, but it was abundant.
Arriving at Newport in the dead of the night is

EN KOUTE TO NIAGAEA.

245

by no means calculated to give one a favourable
impression of the place.
The landing-place being at some distance from
the hotel, it was* necessary to obtain a vehicle for
the transport of oneself and one's effects, and this
was by no means a task easy to be accomplished.
Having at length found a carriage, and roused
the driver and a friend who were sleeping inside it
1
—a circumstance which rendered it slightly oppressive—I and a companion started for the Ocean
House Hotel.
I am under an impression that driver and horses
were not thoroughly roused from slumber till we
reached the hotel, when, at any rate, the former was
quite wide awake, as his demand for his fare
proved.
The marvel was that any of us had reached anywhere, for the whole journey, about a mile and a
half in distance, was nothing but a series of jolts
and hairbreadth escapes : the carriage itself being a
wreck that threatened to go to pieces every instant;
whilst the horses seemed as reckless as the driver in
rushing on regardless of impediment. The 'hotel
being reached, we were enabled to retire to rest.
The season was far advanced, so the number of
guests was small, which gave an air of desolation to
a large barrack-like building, which is badly situated,
having no sea view.

246

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

There can be no doubt that Newport is well
adapted for a gentleman's residence, as it is agreeably situated, easy of access, and possessing much
natural attraction. Some of t h e houses are very
tastily arranged, and have, apparently, nice grounds
attached to them.
During the season, the hotels here are crowded
by those who like the style of society and enjoyment
that establishments of this description afford.
There is plenty of display in the toilettes of the
ladies, and the American youth puts forth all its
powers of fascination.
Parties of pleasure during the day, music and
dancing in the evening, as well as other charming
pastimes, render a sojourn at Newport a season of
real enjoyment.
Newport has an historical interest attaching to it,
as having been the scene of the devastation worked
by the British, who held possession till 1779, and
before abandoning it almost destroyed the once
prosperous City, which, in commercial importance,
far exceeded New York.
A small steamer conveys one from Newport to
Providence, a thriving manufacturing town, pleasantly situated on the Narraganset.
On the short voyage between Newport and Providence, at a place called Eocky Point, the steamer
was almost taken by storm ; a large party of excur-

EN EOUTE TO NIAGAEA.

247

sionists coming on board. From the overwhelming
majority of young girls that composed the party, I
,was induced to think it must be a school treat,
although the presence of a large number of lads
made that supposition appear improbable; and I
found out, on enquiry, that it was one of the excursions that are made daily, during the summer, from
Providence to Eocky Point, one of the attractions
being " clams " and " chowder," which are devoured
in large quantities by all visitors;—clams being a
very nasty-looking fish of the mussel tribe, and
chowder a broth composed of meat and fish.
I was told that moonlight excursions are very
popular with the youth of Providence, though I
doubt whether they are conducted with that rigid
propriety which the pious founders of Providence
were the upholders, in theory, at any rate.
I t was when about to leave Providence by train
for Boston, that I was much interested by the conversation of one whom I thought to be, like myself,
waiting for the train.
He turned out to be an official, and was more
than [ordinarily communicative, and gave me some
information respecting the arrival of the " cars."
He then indulged in some general remarks about
the system in which railways were conducted. " I
do not like the work myself," he said; " and that's
a fact, it don t suit me though it may others, and

248

THE GEEAT OOTJNTEY.

there's plenty, as you'd think, would be glad of a
job, but no, they don't see it—for there was a
fellow, a loafer, that came asking for work a few,
weeks ago, and I told him I could not give him a
job just then till the train came in, and then I said
I may employ you, for they're pretty sure to bring
a dead un, and then they'll want a hand, and when
that train did come in it had a dead un, as had
been killed coming along, but, would you believe
it, that fellow wouldn't take his place, not he."
I was surprised at such an instance of a man
being blind to his own interests, but suggested that
perhaps he did not like to run the risk.
"Well," continued my informant, " t h a t may be
so ; not that we think much of danger either, for it
aint long ago as the bridge was left open on the
Harlen Eiver, and the cars went in and forty were
drowned, and in less than four hours it was all
forgot."
Cheered at the outset on the railway, to see such
sublime indifference displayed as to human life, I
pursued my journey thoughtfully as far as Boston.

BOSTON.
THE Fremont House at which I put up is a
tolerable hotel; it was very full at the time of my
visit, and I had to share with a friend a sittingroom turned into a sleeping apartment.
Boston does not give one the idea of a commercial
city, in spite of its splendid harbour and extensive
wharves.
It reminded me more of some such
places as Cheltenham, Bath, or Leamington. It
has an air of comfort about it that makes it contrast
favourably with other cities "of the Union; but it
looks a cold and tilted kind of city.
It lays claim to be the head-centre of all that is
intellectual in America, and I should say would
consider all " European" seats of learning and
intelligence as " small potatoes" compared with
itself.
The Common, as it is called, is a large open
space railed in and planted with trees, corresponding
n^ore to our idea of a small park, or ornamental
pleasure ground, than anything I have seen elsewhere in America.
One of the chief public buildings, Faneuil Hall,

250

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

named after a wealthy merchant who built and
presented it to the town, is remarkable as containing the very worst looking collection of portraits I
ever saw, whether regarded as works of art, or
likenesses of human beings.
A bust of some
worthy occupies a distinguished position, and is
even more terrible than the portraits.
From the State House a fine view of the city is
to be obtained by making the ascent to the dome.
By far the finest view of the city, harbour, and
surrounding country is from the top of the monument on Bunker's Hill, which is in Charlestown.
When you ask Americans why the monument
was erected, they say to commemorate a great
battle.
If you should be ignorant on the point, and
pursue your enquiry as to which side gained the
day, the guide will reply, " This is the spot where
Warren fell/' and points to a small stone. You
reply, " Oh, indeed/' and may go away wondering
who on earth Warren was, unless you are a student
of Trans-atlantic history, and then you will know
all about it.
The great lion of Boston is " Harvard University/'
which is at Cambridge, a few miles out of the city.
It was originally Presbyterian, but is, I believe,
at present under the rule of the Unitarian body.
It is said to contain very efficient schools, but has

BOSTON.

251

not produced any startling results, at any rate of
late years.
I think it was here that a terrible tragedy was
enacted some few years back, when one of its
professors was murdered, and his remains burnt, by
another member of the University. The motive
being that the murderer was indebted to his victim
a sum of money which he was unable to pay;—a
method of disposing of a creditor still in vogue in
Texas, but sadly out of place in a seat of learning.
It made a great sensation at the time, as did the
execution of the culprit.
Churches and Institutions of every kind abound
in Boston.
The Unitarians are the majority, and, I believe,
may claim to be the descendants of the Pilgrim
Fathers, whose landing place in New England is
some forty miles from Boston. There is a difference
of opinion among Americans as to how this event
should be regarded. Some, I suppose, still assert
that it was a blessing to the country of their adoption; whilst I have heard of others who declare
that of all the calamities that have befallen the
human race two were the greatest. One, the Fall
of Adam, and the other, the Landing of the Pilgrim
Fathers.
The intolerant spirit of these pretended champions of religious liberty has happily passed away,

252

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

and every man obeys the dictates of his conscience
in Massachusetts without fear of the gallows,
pillory, or other minor punishments, with which
the orthodox Puritan would fain have visited those
who differed from his religious views. Even the
despised and hated Catholic may now boldly proclaim his faith in a land where once the profession
of it was as perilous as in England itself. It is due
to the Unitarians to state that perfect toleration is
the principle on which they act with regard to all
religious belief.
I have been fortunate enough to visit Boston
more than once, and though I have had no experience of society there, am inclined to think that it
must be a more agreeable place of residence for
those out of business than New York.
As far as commerce is concerned Boston seems to
have seen its best days; the withdrawal of the
Cunard line of steamers from the port being
symptomatic of great commercial decay. The
great trade with China and the East Indies, once
carried on here, has quite declined, and Boston must
console herself with the thought of her intellectual
superiority, of which most of her citizens seem
sensible to a degree which verges on the extravagant.
As I have before stated, during my journey South
I encountered most agreeable and friendly companions from Boston, though I also encountered

BOSTON.

253

those in my travels who were what the Americans
term " Blowers/' and whose conversation was made
up with praise of New and abuse of Old England,
Boston in winter is very gay. Theatres and
other places abound, and are well attended.
The public conveyances are better arranged than
in New York, and the state of the streets is very
superior. Of course the New Yorker will cry out,
"Look at the difference in the traffic;" but allowing
for this, the palm must still be awarded to Boston.
If a large number of schools be any indication of
the educational condition of a people, then ought
the Bostonians to be in the highest state of intellectual culture. I must say that in ordinary conversation I did not discover any superiority of expression. In fact, the constant use of the phrases,
" I want to know," and " Do tell," did not strike
me as elegancies of speech worthy of the " Athens
of America," as Boston is called, I believe at the
instance of its own citizens.
To return to amusements, the principal theatres
are the Boston, Howard Athenaeum, and the Continental. The first named of these is very handsome,
and the performances are of the best description.
Time was when a theatre in Boston was as unknown,
and as unlooked for as a pork-shop would have been
in Jerusalem; but times are changed, and so are the
Bostonians. They "have become lovers of theatrical

254

THE GKREAT OOUNTEY.

representations, which their forefathers would have
regarded as abomination, and would have driven
actors from the city with a taste of the scourge to
expedite their retreat; but now theatres are much
frequented, and there are Sunday-evening concerts.
" Stabat Mater " was given whilst I was there, on
Sunday, a performance the Pilgrim Fathers would
have regarded with a horror even greater than that
which a theatre would have excited in their saintly
minds.
The neighbourhood of Boston is very pretty, the
harbour of Charles Eiver being very fine. The
cemeteries of Boston are decidedly worthy of praise,
being beautifully kept and well situated.
The
churches have no claim to attention; I believe the
citizens of Boston regard them with reverence, as
monuments of antiquity, a view in which no
European would concur, as the reign of Charles II.
is not a remote period in our eyes, though it
may be fairly so considered by the historian of
Massachusetts.
It is said that the Bostonians pride themselves
upon being more like the English than any of their
neighbours. I did not discover, at a glance, the
resemblance; but certainly their city has a greater
air of comfort about it than any other in the United
States.
One thing struck me as very Scotch, and that was

BOSTON.

255

the observance of Sunday, as far as externals are
concerned at any rate.
My route from Boston being to Niagara by way of
Saratoga, I left Boston by an afternoon train, and
reached a place called Eutland about midnight.
Here we received the gratifying intelligence that we
should have to wait for our train till about four
o'clock.
There was a hotel close at hand, where we could
get supper and beds, but having dined just before
leaving Boston, I had no inclination for food; and,
as for thinking of going to bed for that space of
time, it was out of the question; so my companions
and myself made the best of the shelter that the
waiting-room afforded us.
There was what is called a refreshment bar, at
which no alcoholic drinks were to be obtained, as we
were still under the. dread rule of the Maine Liquor
Laws.
The night was very fine, but extremely cold ; and
because it was not to be obtained, brandy became
the one thing on earth most desired. Filthy stuff,
called tea or coffee, was alone to be had. Let
those who are thus forewarned be forearmed with a
pocket-pistol, containing the best cognac they can
get.
"We left Eutland at about half past four o'clock,
and reached Saratoga by eight o'clock.

SAKATOGA.
So distinguished a resort of American rank and
fashion as this, deserves an especial notice, though
this is another of those places the very name of
which is supposed by some Americans to cover every
Englishman with shame and humiliation, for in this
neighbourhood Sir John Burgoyne was defeated
during the war of Independence, an event which,
though of great importance at the time, has somehow
escaped the British memory, since few Englishmen
seemed to know anything about it, and one individual of that nation displayed ignorance that was
astounding by saying to me that there had been
some severe fighting hereabouts, during the late war;
and when I assured him that he was mistaken, he
only replied—
"Well, I never could make out anything about
their war, and don't care to be informed on the
subject."
Saratoga has no beauty of position to recommend
it, though it is not an unpleasant place ; the streets
are lined with trees, which afford a grateful shade to

SAEATOGA.

257

the dusty walks. The glory of Saratoga has much
departed " since the war."
In former days the wealthy inhabitants of the
South used to seek here a retreat from the heat, and
yellow fever, by which summer is distinguished in
their own latitudes; and in those days the toilettes
of the ladies, and the equipages were gorgeous in
the extreme. The hotel at which I stopped was
called the Union, and very like a barrack and a
bathing establishment combined.
It is built and arranged for summer residence, the
rooms are large and full of windows and doors. I
met here with a very savage waiter, he was a darky
and very uncivil. I trust that he may have found
some employment* more suited to his disposition than
ministering to the wants of his fellow-ereatures; his
behaviour made me regret extremely the abolition
of slavery and consequent disuse of the cat o? nine
tails. I mention him, as he was the base exception
in my coloured experience.
I l l not say anything about the living at this
hotel, or I shall gain the reputation of being devoted
to the pleasures of the table; which I do not
deserve, for though I hold that man to be a fool,
or worse, who says that he does not know the
difference between good and bad food, yet I do not
think dinner the one great and all important event
of a man's daily life. I feel bound to state that
s

258

THE GKEAT COUNTRY.

those who ought to be judges in the matter of good
living, assure me that " before the war " the food at
the hotels was excellent. I can only conjecture
that the contending armies ate all the provisions
and slew the cooks; hence the existing state of
things which unhesitatingly I pronounce to be
detestable.
The company at Saratoga was what is termed
" style/' by which is meant very over-dressed, jewelbedizened, loud-talking women, and men displaying
every eccentricity that the male wardrobe is capable
of being brought to. There was not a crowded
attendance at the dinner-table; and one very magnificently attired " gent" made a confidant of my
neighbour, and indulged him with many particulars
concerning the character and career of a lady sitting
close by, which if not edifying, were interesting to
a foreigner, as enabling him to judge as to the
desirableness of bringing his female relatives to a
fashionable place. There was some reason for the
" gent's " disclosures, as he was a discarded lover of
the lady who, at the moment, was the idol of an
individual in a black velvet coat, a shirt that defies
description, and jewellery so massive as to make me
think it must be a fatigue to carry it about.
The lady was a work of art, powerfully, if not
beautifully, painted; even her eyes were picked out
with black. Her dress was of the palest blue, very

SAKATOGA.

259

much vandyked at the bottom, and her feet were
encased in very small high-heeled bronze boots of the
brightest hue. Her hair was a little overdone, for
she had such a lump at the back, that it gave her
the effect of going about with a small porter's knot
on her head. I believe that subsequently she had
the " gent" who persevered in circulating idle tales
about her nearly flogged to death; some say she
cow-hided him with her own hands; but I do not
vouch for the truth of this statement. I saw her at
the Lake with her companion playing at bowls, and
am inclined to think, by her excessive vivacity, that
she had been indulging in fried potatoes, for which
the restaurant adjoining the Lake is famous; they
are cut marvellously thin, being fried quite dry, and
they serve to give a relish to the champagne, which
is largely consumed at this place.
The Lake is about six miles from Saratoga, and is
reached by a very bad sandy road. The appearance
of the place suggests the idea of a nobleman's park
run to seed. With proper culture it would be a
charming place; it serves at present to amuse the
visitors to the springs, as the Lake in question is
nine miles long, and affords opportunities for boating
and fishing.
The one great thing to be done at Saratoga is to
drink the waters of the famous springs, which were
highly esteemed by the Aborigines, and have for a
s 2

280

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

long time been popular with the Americans. The
most celebrated of these waters is known by the
name of " Congress/' and there are others called
" Empire/' " Columbian/' " High Eock/' " Excelsior/'
and,by many more high-sounding titles, all excellent
for something or other of the ills to which humanity
is heir; principally for that national curse "dyspepsia," for the prevalence of which 1 have endeavoured to give 9, reason elsewhere.
The hotel is said to be capable of accommodating
from 1500 to 2000 "guests," for whose amusement
an opera-house, ball-room, and billiard-rooms have
been constructed.
There was dancing every evening in the parlours,
which some of the guests seemed to appreciate, in
spite of a very bad attempt at a quadrille band. I
have been told that " before the war," a very fine
band used to play during dinner m the evening, an
infliction which I was glad to be spared, as I am
sure the flower of the band had perished. I thought
the surviving harper was bent on imitating the
" Minstrel Boy," and tearing his chords asunder, so
violently did he dash at the strings.
Two of the finest hotels, the "United States" and
"Congress," have been destroyed by fire; but there
is no lack of accommodation in the town, both in
the way of hotels and boarding-houses.
I was much struck by the very great number of

SABATOGA.

261

men whom I saw both here and elsewhere, with hair,
whiskers, and moustache dyed; it gave them a
fierce appearance, and added to the conviction I
entertain most strongly, that in a few more generations numbers of the Americans will have returned
to the Indian type.
The use of rouge and white paint, another characteristic of the savage, is very prevalent among the
women, as also an inordinate love of beads and
feathers.
Some of these fair creatures are artless and
primitive, as though born in a wigwam.
I observed one (as she sat waiting for her
breakfast) cleaning her nails with a penknife she
had borrowed of a friend; whilst a rival beauty,
in order to shame her, produced a little box, with a
file and pumice stone, and commenced the same
operation.
There were some strong-minded females at table.
I saw one who had not cleaned her nails, pinch
every peach on a plate, and having selected the
only two that were eatable, hand the dish to a
neighbour. Let me here observe that I consider the
American peaches as much over-rated as every thing
else is in the country, whether fish, flesh, or fowl.I had heard so much of the peaches, and one
informant on the subject said, "I reckon 'twill about
astonish you Britishers to see our pigs fed with

262

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

peaches." When I became acquainted with the
peaches I felt sorry for the pigs.
I must not forget to mention one highly interesting creature, an unprotected girl of about fifty, who
was very busy with her nails till her breakfast was
served, which she attacked literally "tooth and
nail." I was much struck by her mode of eating
eggs. She had several boiled, and broke them into
a large wine-glass, a practice very general in
America, though not unknown this side of the
Atlantic. She then proceeded to eat them; but
apparently did not like the white, for she spat it
into her plate, from which she subsequently ate
ham and eggs, and sausages, liver and bacon, fried
potatoes, and other delicacies, finishing up with
cakes and molasses, all of which she washed down
with coffee and several tumblers of milk, into which
lumps of ice are put, which render it very agreeable.
The drinking bar at these hotels is a place of
rendezvous, where men meet and gossip; an incident
occurred at one which serves to illustrate the unpopularity of the Hebrew race, and the refinement
of the American.
A very lively little Jewish
gentleman was staying at one of the fashionable
watering-places, and did his utmost to render himself fascinating and agreeable.
Not being endowed by Nature with beauty of
person, he endeavoured to repair that defect by a

SARATOGA.

263

sumptuous toilet; nothing could be more brilliant
than his clothes and jewellery. His locks were
redolent with perfume*, and as to manners, he was
good-nature and affability itself.
He talked to everybody, tried to be obliging,
offered to take men out for drives, rode on horseback, and tried to fix on to cavalcades, either when
starting, or en route, but all in vain. He was not
popular, and very few people would even answer
him civilly.
One day, or rather morning, he found a party at
the drinking-bar, and proceeded to try and work in
by observing that it was very warm. No one
answered him; but there was some observation
passed as to his being an unwelcome addition to the
party. " If he tries that game again, 111 settle him
darned soon/' observed a tall, sallow Yankee, who
was whittling .and spitting over his sixth or seventh
"cocktail." The Hebrew gentleman, nothing abashed
by his cool reception, returned to the charge, and
with a sweet smile, approached the bar again,
rubbing his hands, and saying, " Now, what would
you gentlemen advise any one to drink this hot
morning." " Drink! " said the Yankee, turning full
upon him, " Why, vinegar on a sponge" That was
a settler; the Hebrew gentleman withdrew to complain to the landlord that he had been insulted ; but
all the satisfaction he got was—

264

THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

" Then why the
do you go bothering where
you're not wanted."
Within a short distance of Saratoga is an Indian
camp, but as the tribe is almost entirely composed
of white men, and some declare they speak with a
brogue, a very deep insight into Indian manners and
customs cannot be expected to be derived from a
visit to their wigwams. During the season there
are races at Saratoga, a circumstance that by no
means increases the select nature of the visitors, nor
the high character of the place. The race course is
extensive and well kept.
A visit to Lake George is one of the most
popular excursions from Saratoga, it being at a
distance of thirty miles.
The neighbourhood of this spot is peculiarly interesting to the admirers of Cooper's novels, as the
scene of "The Last of the Mohicans/' is laid hereabouts. At a short distance from Lake George
there is a gloomy-spot, rendered interesting as the
scene of a battle between the English and French
in 1775. The latter being assisted by the Indians,
the slaughter is said to have been terrible, and the
Bloody Pond is still pointed out as the receptacle of
the slain.
In the neighbourhood of Lake George the ruins of
Fort Ticonderoga are still visible. This stronghold
was originally built by the French, and is recorded

SABATOGA.

265

as being the first place of the kind taken from the
English in 1775.
It was not, however, an affair of bloodshed, for
according to American authority the garrison was
surprised by an intrepid band, who penetrated as
far as the bedroom of the commandant, and waked
him with a demand for the surrender of the place.
The Commandant replied by asking in whose
name he was called on to yield his trust. " In the
name of the Great Jehovah and the continental
congress," was the blasphemous but what is called
the spirited reply of the intrepid leader of this fearful
attack.
Of course there was no resisting such authority,
and the fort was immediately given up.
Leaving Saratoga by the train' for Schenectady,
we took the "sleeping cars" for Niagara, which
were not bad, but overheated. The state of the
line was terrible, and it was no small relief to
be waked up about half-past six with the pleasing
intelligence that we should be at the Falls in halfan-hour.

NIAGAKA.
as the view of these marvellous Falls
must be to everyone, nothing can give anything like
an adequate idea of their size and beauty. It is
said that many are disappointed with them at first
sight; a circumstance which can only be accounted
for in my opinion in the same way that one understands a stranger on entering St. Peter's at Eome,
thinking it small from its very vastness.
It is not for some time that one becomes accustomed to Niagara. At first sight one recognises an
old acquaintance, and is inclined to be familiar with
it, but by degrees its magnificence asserts its sway
over the mind and understanding, and begets a
feeling of awe.
I am inclined to think that only one man could
have done justice in writing on this vast handiwork
of Nature, and that man would have been Shakespeare. I felt actually sorry when I remembered
that Thackeray had not visited Niagara. For it
seemed a sort of disrespect on the part of a man of
his intellect to have omitted to pay homage to so
grand a work of the Creator. I don't believe he
FAMILIAR

NIAGAEA.

267

would have written about it, but he ought to have
seen it.
Leaving my readers to seek for descriptions of
this stupendous creature from abler pens than mine,
I shall confine myself to a short account of a few
days spent in its immediate neighbourhood.
I had the good fortune to have agreeable companions, and especially one, who was indefatigable
as a sight-seer and a capital hand at eliciting every
sort of information from every sort of person.
We put up at the Clifton House on the Canada
side, which commands the best view of both Falls,
and for hour after hour did we delight in the contemplation of those mighty waters, the beauty of
which is enhanced by every variation of light and
shade, new splendours being discernible as the day
advanced and declined; a lovely moonlight succeeded to add an additional charm to the scene by
enveloping it with an air of mystery, for by the
imperfect light the Falls seem to lose their reality
and impress one with the idea of being supernatural.
Here I am writing about that which I have declared
to be beyond the reach of living authors, so I'll at
once abandon the poetic and proceed to the prosaic
details of my visit.
I shall not be suspected «of nationality when I say
that I think the Clifton House quite equal to an
American hotel, to which it bears a strong resem-

268

THE GEEAT COUNTKY.

blance. Its situation is excellent, and its patrons—
I may use the term in the dominions of Queen
Victoria—were very like the " guests " in hotels on
the other side of the river.
There are excursions to be made to all sorts of
points and places more or less interesting to the
traveller. It may be useful to remind my readers
that the height of the Falls on the American side is
154 feet, and on the English 150. It is estimated
that one hundred million tons of water pour over
them every hour. I don't know by what method of
calculation this result has been arrived a t ; but if it
be so it justifies to a certain extent the remark of a
very intelligent young man from the North of
England, who was standing by me looking at the Falls.
" They are marvellous/' said I.
" I wish we had them in England/' said he.
" They would be out of proportion with the rest
of the country; it would be England a part of
Niagara/' I observed, intending to be facetious.
My companion said, " A h , but think what we
should do with so much water power!" I was
silenced before a man of such eminently practical
order of mind, for I had never thought of such a
profanation as utilizing Niagara.
In the immediate vicinity of these Falls are the
scenes of many engagements between the English
and Americans in 1814, and the sites of the battle

NIAGABA.

269

fields are still visited by the curious in such
matters.
I was much amused by a dispute I heard
between an old Canadian and a regular Yankee
" Blower/' who was vaunting the exploits of himself and his comrades in the field during the late
war.
" Give m e / ' said t h e Yankee, " five thousand of
our men, and 111 undertake to whip all the ' Eebs r
in creation; they were nowheres in the field with
us."
"You were never in the field, I should sayj and
don't know what fair fighting is," said the Canadian,
who was an old soldier.
" That's your way of looking at it," said the
Yankee, who was perfectly imperturbable, " b u t I
know I was."
" Then it was a field that had plenty of trees in
it, for to shoot from behind," said the old man, as
he walked off muttering, " a set of shirking, sneaking skunks, shooting from behind walls. I know
how they fight." This was the first specimen I
had of the inveterate dislike entertained by many
Canadians for the Americans.
I must do the representative of that nation the
justice to state that he displayed great forbearance
and good temper, for his antagonist was very
provoking. But he only said " L e t the old man

270

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

talk, he don't know nothing, it's about time he
dried up altogether."
As it was not my intention to go further into
Canada on this occasion, I made my way back to
New York by way of Kochester, Utica, Syracuse,
all flourishing places, to Athens, where the steamer
is taken for New York.
Notwithstanding the classic names given to these
places there is nothing to excite either curiosity or
admiration, beyond the fact of their being flourishing
towns.
The country through which one passes is nothing
but a series of partially cleared woodland. The
appearance of some of the trees that have been
burnt without being destroyed is very picturesque,
for in the uncertain light of evening they seem to
be invested with life and action; looking like wild,
weird beings, invoking curses on their destroyers.
What struck me especially on this journey was
the unsafe way in which the trains pass through the
country, there being nothing to hedge them in, and
where the road crosses the line, only a board with
the notice, " Eailway crossing; look out for the
engine," painted on it, which must be an efficient
safeguard at night.
The trains run through the streets of many of the
towns with no other warning than the ringing of
the bell attached to the engine. Passers-by are

NIAGARA.

271

occasionally killed ; on my remarking to a fellowpassenger on the extreme risk that was incurred by
allowing a train to pass even sloAvly through a
crowded street, he replied, "That's so; but they
don't often kill any one that's of use ; it's generally
old women and children, and gracious knows, we've
enough of them, 'specially old women."

A P E E P INTO CANADA.
1 PAID my first visit to the Old Dominion in the
depth of winter, and left New York in a violent
snow-storm, at eleven o'clock at night, imagining
that I should have a tolerable journey, as I had
secured a sleeping car ; but if ever there was a
purgatorial situation in this world it is a long winter
night passed in one of these would-be luxurious
carriages.
On entering it you are nearly stifled with heat,
and as soon as the train is in motion you become
aware that sleeping is out of the question.
The oscillation of the train, the noise it makes, to
say nothing of the snores of those around you, keep
you partially awake, and then the sense of suffocation
is most overpowering ; you fight for air with the
window, but either you cannot open it, or else
having succeeded in doing so, are compelled by the
intense cold to shut it immediately. If you are so
fortunate as to obtain a section of the carriage to
yourself, it is better, because you then occupy the
space of the upper and lower berths ; but if you are
compelled to take what you can get, and there is

A PEEP INTO CANADA.

273

only one place to be had, then is your cup of misery
filled up indeed. Your opposite and upper neighbour both expectorate on the floor, so that if you
drop your handkerchief, you dare not attempt to
pick it up. There you are till daylight doth appear,
and then you wish to wash your hands and face, but
the water is exhausted, and the towels used. Tou
change cars early in the morning, and pursue your
journey to Eutland, where you may dine, and of
course are driven by hunger's pangs to do so; there
is nothing to drink but cold water, with the alternative of drinking it warm, discoloured by some filth
called tea. The Maine Liquor Law is in full
working here, and as it is the law, one submits ;
but why does not the enactment extend to tea, or
the stuff so called in this country ? for as the
immortal Tom Hood writes, " If wine is poison, so
is tea, but in another shape;" and tea in America
is not only deleterious but nasty; nor can I say
much better for the coffee.
From Eutland I made my way to Montreal, and
but for private resources must have perished for
want of drink, like those famed " thirteen cows and
a bull in a farmyard " of whom our ancestors used
to sing. It was not till ten o'clock at night, amid a
heavy fall of snow, that I reached Montreal, and
was conveyed to St. Lawrence Hall, my first
impressions of which were not favourable.

274

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

Canada, it is true, is brighter, clearer, and colder
than England ; it is also more barren and ugly than
any part of the mother country.
The railways are bad—in fact, some of them go as
proverbs for all that is undesirable for both shareholders and travellers. Nature is on a grand scale
as regards forests and rivers; but it looks very like
Nature having designed this part of her domain as
a residence for wolves and bears.

MONTREAL.
is a well-built city, occupying the site
of one of the earliest French settlements in this part
of the world, and was originally an Indian village.
When in 1760 it came into the possession of the
English, its present name was adopted. At that
time it was a flourishing fortified town, and still
maintains its position as the metropolis of British
North America.
The hotels are similarly conducted to those in
the United States. The St. Lawrence Hall is
considered the best. The necessity of heating the
building by means of hot air, and putting up double
windows and doors to exclude the intense cold,
produces a sensation of oppression on entering the
house which is very disagreeable.
I reached Montreal in a violent snow-storm,
which made my transit from the railway to the
hotel in an open carriage far from agreeable. The
view, on the following morning, of the city enveloped
in a robe of purest snow, illuminated by a brilliant
sun, canopied by lapis lazuli of brightest hue,
was cheering in the extreme, and I set out with
MONTREAL

T 2

276

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

alacrity to explore the beauties of its neighbourhood
in a sleigh well supplied with wraps of fur.
Nothing could be more exhilarating than the
effect of such a drive. The snow being frozen hard
is like marble, and as slippery as glass, so that the
speed at which one travels over it in a vehicle
without wheels is exciting, and the marvel is that
so few accidents occur.
The great lion of Montreal is the Victoria Bridge,
which spans the mighty St. Lawrence. It is not by
any means a beautiful object, but deserves to be
ranked among the wonders of the world.
The banks of the river are not picturesque, but
the view of the whole place from Mount Eoyal is
decidedly fine, a drive round the said Mount
being a favourite excursion, but one that exposes
visitors to intense cold, and especial care should be
paid to the ears, which are liable to be caught
by the frost, and the result is by no means
agreeable.
The timber trade is extensively carried on here
as elsewhere in the British possessions; the noble
quays and extensive wharves of Montreal testify
alike to its aptitude for business purposes and the
.flourishing state of trade.
The timber is floated in large quantities into the
St. Lawrence from the Ottawa, a stream that flows
for nearly a thousand miles through a wild country,

MONTREAL.

277

furnishing little else than the product of primeval
forests.
The public buildings of Montreal, though they
cannot be called beautiful, are decidedly striking.
The Cathedral, capable of containing 10,000 people,
has nothing but its size to commend it, being full
of pews and having double galleries—in fact it looks
far more like a Protestant than a Catholic church.
The Jesuits have a fine educational establishment
to which a very large church is attached, and there
are a number of churches and chapels in the city
belonging to the Catholics, among which St.
Patrick's deserves especial notice.
Among the many charitable institutions with which
this city abounds, that of the Grey Nuns, for the care
of children and lunatics, is especially interesting.
The Hotel Dieu, an admirable hospital, was
founded by the French in 1644, as was also the
establishment of Black Nuns, who devote themselves
to the education of girls.
Montreal abounds in charitable institutions, for
here the sick and the foundling are not entrusted to
the care of those who, with the best intentions, are
not especially fitted and devoted to the work ; but
are the objects of the unceasing solicitude of those
who tend them from the highest sense of duty,
without care or hope as to earthly reward.
It is indeed pleasing not only to witness the

278

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

devotion of these holy women, but also to hear the
praise that is so liberally and generously awarded
them, even by those who do not worship with
them.
Nothing can exceed the good feeling that exists
in Canada between Catholics and Protestants; it
seems as though each party acted on the belief in
his neighbour's good faith, and that the differences
which so widely separate them in their pursuit of
Heaven, were matters for the Great Judge to decide,
who, as He alone can read the heart, will accept
every service that is in sincerity offered from that
only source whence human acts can command
Divine approbation.
It is cheering to me to see that this opinion of
the relative positions of Catholics and Protestants
in Canada, which I gathered during my very brief
sojourn in the province, has been confirmed by a
letter recently published in the Times, from a
namesake, though, as far as I know, no relation of
mine, many years a resident in the country.
This gentleman, Mr. John Eose, writing as a
Protestant, bears testimony to the good feeling
existing between the two great religious bodies in
Canada.
There can be no doubt that the British Government has acted with strict justice towards Catholics
in this country, and in no part of Her Majesty's

MONTREAL.

279

dominions will more loyalty be found than among
her Catholic subjects of Canada.
There are in Montreal some fine-looking Protestant churches belonging to the Episcopalians and
Presbyterians; also numerous educational establishments in the city, and societies for the advancement
of religion, science, and industry.
As to society, I can say no more than that it
was my good fortune to make the acquaintance of
several of my countrymen, to whom I was indebted
for much courtesy and attention. The leading
journals of the city were highly complimentary in
their remarks on my visit, and in spite of the
severity of the weather (twenty degrees below zero
being the depth to which the mercury descended), I
had every reason to be pleased with my visit to the
Old Dominion.
I should say that officers quartered here may find
it slow, and when they rush down to New York for
a holiday are apt to speak in high terms of the
Empire City, though I much doubt if they would
be gratified should a foreigner, returning from
London, give the same reasons for admiring it that
I have heard young Englishmen state to be the
secret of their being so highly delighted with a
sojourn in New York.
Much of the city of Montreal is said to belong
to the religious bodies, who are good and considerate

280

THE GBEAT COUNTRY.

landlords—not, I trust, for the reason that I heard
an American assign for their moderation, which
was, that " if them old flat-heads give any trouble,
they'll pretty darned soon get cleared out." On my
remarking that there would be no more justice in
seizing the property of a corporation than that of an
individual, and mentioning the corporation of Trinity
Church, New York, as being similarly circumstanced
with the Catholic bodies in Montreal: " They're
ours anyhow," said h e ; " and we shall do with
them just as we darned please, Church or no Church."
As I had not the slightest doubt on that subject,
I said no more, for my friend was getting excited.
His views, however, on religious toleration were
broad. He told me he had built a Catholic church
and schools on his property, and added, as though
apologising for such an act of weakness, " I couldn't
help it, for I employ a lot of Irish; now I don't
care one single
, myself, for any religion on
airth, but it suits them critters, and they gets on
better with it," which I accepted as valuable testimony, in addition to that which I had heard expressed on all sides, that an Irishman in America
without his religion is not respected.
I have been told that in many of the large hotels,
where the number of Irish girls employed is very
great, that those alone are to be trusted who adhere
to their religion.

MONTREAL.

281

Some of the new buildings devoted to commerce
in Montreal are very handsome; the streets are wide,
well-paved, and well-lighted. The shops abound
with all the necessaries and luxuries of life, the
former being attainable at moderate cost—in fact
everything is very much cheaper here than in the
United States. The result of this state of things is
that smuggling i s . carried on to so considerable an
extent as to cause the government of the United
States to exercise a vigilance over all who come
from Canada which amounts to oppression, and
is said to be attained by means which are not
dignified, however necessary or justifiable they
may be.
j ~
I remember reading in a work on America,
written some thirty years ago, a high eulogitim on
the behaviour of Custom House officers towards
strangers arriving in the United States. I wish the
said writer may have occasion to pass from Canada
to the States, and in his next work he will, at any
rate, modify the praise bestowed on these officials,
who now positively persecute you with their right
of search. I will give an instance, at the proper
place, by telling what I experienced myself, and
also relate what happened to that blessing to all
authors, " a friend of mine."
I had fondly hoped that I should find everything,
railways included, better in Canada than in the

282

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

United States. I had heard in England great talk
of the " Grand Trunk" line, had seen the pretentious advertisements put forth by that Company,
and was prepared to meet with a railway in firstrate working order. I am no engineer, so cannot
presume to find fault with any department, but I
am a traveller with a body remarkably sensitive to
bumps and thumps, and have also nerves, and I
must say my journey on the " Grand Trunk " was
a trial to me in every respect. Nor was I cheered
by the remarks of a fellow-traveller, a young
American, who stood at the door at the extreme,
end of the car, which was the last of the train,
looking along the line so intently that I was induced
to join in the inspection, and ask him whether he
enjoyed this sort of travelling. He replied, " I do
not, and that's a fact, because I know what's going
to happen/' I inquired, somewhat anxiously, as to
his prognosis. He said, "I'm in this line of business,
and can tell you that these rails are worn out, and
that's why this car oscillates so violently; and what
I expect every moment is that one of these plates
will get dislodged, and upset the whole darned lot
—that's what I expect; " and, with this cheering
prophecy, he resumed his quid and lapsed into
silence, apparently awaiting his doom with gloomy
satisfaction.
Later on, I discovered that he had heard a great

MONTEEAL.

283

deal of English railroads, and was chuckling over
this specimen of our superior engineering. I believe
a great portion of the line was under repair, and I
can safely say the part over which I travelled
decidedly needed it.

OTTAWA.
A TEDIOUS journey over a bad railroad, through
an uninteresting country, brings you to the newlyfounded intended capital of British North America.
Leaving Montreal at 9.30—at least within twenty
minutes of that time, for the railway is not exact as
to its departure or arrival—you reach Ottawa about
six o'clock in the evening. I made the journey
early in December. The snow was on the ground,
and it was freezing violently, with the thermometer
about ten degrees below zero.
The railway car was intensely cold, for the stove
had only just been lighted. The passengers were
few, and by no means sociable. The only person
who enlivened the journey was an enterprising
merchant who dealt in newspapers and other periodicals, chestnuts, apples, and candies, which he did
not offer for sale all at once, but, like a wily trader,
tendered the various articles in turn.
Entering the car at intervals of about half-an-hour
he first offered the daily papers for sale. Next he
came in with periodicals, with a copy of which he
presented each passenger, leaving them to look

OTTAWA.

285

through their contents whilst he proceeded to the
end of the car; as he returned he gathered up his
property, very few copies having been sold. In a
short time he came through with a basket of apples.
Then, after another interval, he appeared with nuts,
and lastly with a box of candies. Having exhausted
his repertoire he began over again with the papers
and went through the same course, banging the
door violently each time he entered or left the car.
He kept this up all the way to Prescott, where we
arrived about three o'clock P.M., having stopped for
a short time at Cornwall, where we partook of some
lunch, which was as nasty as food generally is in
this part of the world.
From Prescott we made our way to Ottawa, a
journey something under three hours. As it was
intensely cold, there was an open sleigh waiting to
convey one to the hotel, the Eussell, which is said
to be one of the best in Canada; if it be so, I'm sorry
for Canada.
Dinner was served at 6.15, and had it never have
been served at all no one would have regretted it,
for never did mortal man have a worse.
As I have spoken elsewhere of American hotels as
not being what I consider first-rate, I may as well
state on this occasion that I do not consider allegiance to Queen Victoria has had the effect of
improving them, for in Canada they are so like

286

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

similar establishments in the United States, that
there is no perceptible difference.
I must allow that the wine and liquor are
generally very superior in the Old Dominion.
The office of the hotel at Ottawa is the chief
place of resort for the guests, where they lounge and
spit about as they discuss their baccy and politics,
both being highly popular, especially during the
session of Parliament.
My visit to this favoured spot was at that period.
The hotel was crowded with members, who forsake
home, business, pleasure, comfort and all, to serve
their country at the low charge of six dollars, or one
pound four per diem and their travelling expenses.
Why Ottawa should have been selected as the
seat of the great Canadian legislature one can't
imagine, except under the hypothesis that every
other place wished to get rid of the nuisance. It is
simple banishment, for Canada at best is the Siberia
of Great Britain. One doesn't know what can
induce a man to accept the post of Governor-General,
unless he should be a misanthrope, or have hosts of
relations at home whom he is anxious to make
distant.
" But wait till you see the Parliament buildings,
and then youll be delighted/' said my friends, so I
went, and found that they are the place of rendezvous for all the elite of Ottawa.

OTTAWA.

287

There is no quarrelling with a man as to his.
notions of amusement, but any one who could derive
pleasure from listening to a debate in the Canadian
Parliament is an object for one's deepest commiseration, though we may say of such people, as one does
of other idiots, that perhaps they are the happiest
of the human race.
The making Ottawa the capital strikes one as
either the result of gross jobbery or stupidity on the
part of those who suggested it as the seat of government. Her Majesty is said to have selected it, I
believe because some one told her that its situation
would make it most eligible as a capital for the
Canada of future generations, by which I imagine its
advocates must have meant the time when Canada
shall have been all built over. Just as good a reason
as might be alleged for converting Stonehenge into
a parish church against the time that Salisbury
Plain is covered with houses.
As to the name, it must surely be a corruption
for "Hoot awa," or out of the way, and I
should think the whole place must have been some
waste lands which had come into the possession of
some canny son of Caledonia. This is purely conjecture, and of course I am speaking as an utter
outsider, but of all the inconvenient spots for a seat
of legislature, Ottawa seems to be entitled to take
first rank.

288

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

Those devoted men who abandon everything else
to serve in Parliament, richly deserve what, as I
have said, they get,—a consideration beyond the
thanks of their fellow-subjects.
Till I heard there was something more than
honour to be gained by a seat in the Canadian
Parliament, I was under the impression that I had
met with pure patriotism at last, and attributed all
the sneers that I heard about the members to
sheer envy and malice.
Whatever be a man's motive in entering so
august an assembly as the Canadian Parliament,
he has to pay pretty severely for the honour, by
being obliged to reside for several months at
Ottawa.
The building in which the Parliament assembles
is decidedly fine, but when first seen excites the
same feeling as that said to have existed in the mind
of the unreflecting man, who on seeing the fly in
amber, exclaimed " I wonder how you got there."
When first I saw the exterior of the Parliament
buildings they were brilliantly illuminated within, the
bright moonlight fell upon them, and as they stood
as it were quite alone, with the country round many
feet deep in the most dazzling snow, the effect was
as though one had come suddenly on the Palace of
the Sleeping Beauty.
The silence was most profound, and the whole

OTTAWA.

289

aspect of the place like one's idea of fairy land.
The illusion was, however, quickly dispelled when 1
entered the House, although it was by no means
wanting in sleeping beauties.
The galleries were crowded by all the rank,
fashion, youth and beauty of the city, and it struck
me, from the total disregard with which the speaker
was treated, that the said gallery was a rendezvous
for the good people of Ottawa, where they beguiled
the tedium of existence with a hitle friendly gossip,
and not very mild flirtation.
J was surprised that the speaker did not command more attention, for he was giving his hearers
a treat in the shape of a very intricate statistical
account of the respective merits of railroad or canal
as a mode of conveying timber.
The debates in general are calculated to interest
the hearers, for they are carried on in French,
English, Scotch and Irish by turns. The burning
eloquence of John Smith, Sandy McTurk, Denis
Bulgruddery, and Alphonse Silvain may be heard
in their native tongues; but a very little of this
sort of thing goes a long way, and I soon came to
the conclusion that the exterior of the Parliament
Houses was the more attractive portion of the
exhibition, a closer inspection of which I reserved
for daylight.
The buildings are fine, though some may say
u

290

THE GEEAT OOUNTEY.

they want solidity of style. They certainly are well
adapted for their purpose.
The chamber of the Senate especially is a handsome well-appointed room. All the apartments are
commodious, and the corridors are adorned with
portraits of the Canadian Speakers for the last
century or so. Poor men! they have much no
doubt to answer for, but their crimes are savagely
avenged by those who placed their effigies on the
walls, as objects for the scorn and contempt of after
ages.
Nothing could be more polite than the conduct of
the officials; one in particular exceeded himself in
his desire to point out to me the beauties, both
internal and external, of the Parliament buildings,
the view from the back of which, commanding a
fine sight of the Chaudi&re Falls, is worth seeing.
Yet after all, do not go to Ottawa, under payment
of six dollars a day and your mileage, or youll
decidedly feel sold. Though the Parliament House
is a fine building, it would be better to turn it into
a college or a seminary, or something of that sort; for
which it is admirably adapted; as there seems to
be a very strong impression that Ottawa is a
mistake, and that at no distant period the Canadian
Parliament will find itself replaced in Montreal.
These are of course only the remarks of a stranger^
who can have no feeling in the matter beyond

OTTAWA.

291

surprise at the singularly infelicitous selection of
such a spot for such a purpose.
Ottawa is little more than a timber yard on a
large scale; the river on which it stands, known by
the same name, flows into the St. Lawrence close to
Montreal, affording great facility for the transport
of the staple commodity of its trade.
The Governor-General, who resides here, is said
to like privacy and retirement, and is therefore the
right man in the right place—at any rate so far.
There are those in Canada who would wish to
have more vice-regal display than they are indulged
with, and certainly very little of the reflected
splendour of the majesty of Great Britain seems to
have reached our Canadian dependencies.
There is in Canada, generally speaking, a very
strong feeling for the mother country and her
institutions, with a consequent antipathy to those
of the United States. It is sometimes said that
^desire for annexation to that country is the feeling
of the majority; but late events have gone far to
remove such an impression. Nothing could have
been more unanimous than the repulse which the
Fenians received at the time of their insane attempt
on Canada, and much discontent is still expressed
at the interference of the Government at home to
spare the lives of those taken prisoners on that
occasion. The cowardly and atrocious assassination
u 2

292

THE GEEA.T COUNTRY.

of D'Arcy M'Gee has caused Fenianism of late to
hide its diminished head.
The question of naturalization is one of deep
interest to the Canadians, and the measure before
Congress is one of great importance to both the
colony and to Great Britain.
One cannot see why a man should not have the
power to adopt any nationality he may please; but
he must not be so silly as to think that his adopted
citizenship is to protect him, should he offend
against the laws of the country from which he has
estranged himself. It is childish, if not worse, to
hear men talk of "American citizens in British
dungeons," as though they had been incarcerated
when guilty of no other offence against British law
than having become naturalized American citizens.
Nothing can be stronger proof of the temper which
actuated those who lately introduced into Congress
the bill for protecting the rights of naturalized
citizens, than the fact of a clause in it which
actually proposed to give the President of the
United States the power of reprisals, by seizing a
subject of any country the government of which
should arrest a naturalized American citizen.
The clause, which would have been worthy of
Mexico, was of course struck out; but it is a proof
of the temper in which the advocates for naturalization would deal with the subject; and reminds me

OTTAWA.

293

of the threat I heard expressed last winter, that if
the men convicted of shooting the policeman at
Manchester were hanged, the Cunard steamers lying
in the port of New York should be set fire to ! It
was useless to point out, in answer to this threat,
that the vessels were insured in America. No, it
would be a blow at England, that was the one idea,
and very wrorthy of those from whom it emanated,
both as a specimen of logical accuracy and sound
policy, to say nothing of higher considerations.
Within a very short distance of Ottawa are the
Eideau Falls, which afford a charming prospect to
the admirer of wild scenery; the river near this
point receives its great tributary, the Gatineau, the
source of which is in the unexplored northern part
of Canada.

KEMABK8 ON CANADA.
I F a journey to Ottawa be bad, the journey from
it is worse/and could only be supported by the
strong sense of relief experienced at getting away
from such a wretched place. I left it at eleven
o'clock at night, the train having been advertised
to start at 10*30, and was dragged slowly along by
an over-taxed feeble engine to Prescott, a distance
of fifty-four miles, in three hours. Here we had to
wait for the train to Montreal, four hours; and
found a very clean, comfortable little hotel at the
junction, where beds were ready, and one could lie
clown for a short repose.
The train was an hour late, of course; but this
was no advantage in the way of rest, for it is next
to impossible to sleep under such circumstances. A
cold, dreary dawn, found us again on the platform,
waiting for our train, which arrived from Toronto or
somewhere at 7*15, and on we went to Cornwall,
where a very terrible repast would have been served
to me, had I not firmly refused to partake of it.
My fellow-passengers were Canadians, judging
from the language they spoke, which was unin-

CANADA.

295

telligible French. They were for the most part
cheerful, light-hearted wags, who beguiled the time
with practical jokes, which elicited loud laughter,
and were much appreciated by those who were
attempting to sleep.
There is a general spirit of rivalry existing
between the Canadians and Americans ; it is only
just that the palm should be given where it is -due,
and there is one particular in which the Canadian
has the mastery, and that is in the art of spitting.
No doubt the French element has something to do
with this superiority; be that as it may, the fact
remains, Canada carries the day, both as to extent
and style of this accomplishment.
Canada is not a cosy country to travel i n ; but
let me advise all who visit it to avoid Ottawa.
I was indeed glad to find myself once more in
Montreal, which, is by far the most agreeable place
I have visited on the other side of the Atlantic.
The military element makes the society agreeable,
and the officers amuse themselves at the skating
rink, or in sleighing, in both which pastimes they
are honoured with the charge of some fair one, who
is styled " a muffin/' a term by which the young
lady is designated, to whom any gentleman may
be paying attentions during the season. It may be
a serious, or merely an agreeable mode of passing
away the time.

296

THE GKREAT COUNTRY.

The balls during the winter are brilliant, and for
those whose tastes do not lie in the direction of
devotion to the sex, there is the never failing
amusement of the billiard-room. Card-playing is
also said to be much in vogue.
The theatre is only open for a short season
during the summer; and is occasionally occupied
by amateurs during the winter.
I believe as a rule artists do not care to visit
Canada, the support afforded them being quite
inadequate.
There is at times a good deal of political excitement,
both foreign and domestic, in Canada; and one topic,
which did not seem by any means as generally
discussed as I had been led to expect to find it, was
annexation to the United States.
I heard this matter talked about more than once,
and, when my opinion was asked on the subject, I
merely replied that, in my opinion, if the Canadians
should at any time prefer trusting themselves to the
Stars and Stripes rather than to the Union Jack,
the British Lion would allow them to secede not
only without a growl, but with a paternal blessing.
Common sense would dictate such a course ; for
a colony occupies the same position towards the
mother country that a son-in-law does with the
father of his wife : both are burdens, generally speaking, and very often make themselves very disagree-

CANADA.

297

able, and are only tolerated from other feelings than
those of personal regard.
Every Englishman would do his utmost to protect
Canada from insult or injury, as long as she remains
dependent on us ; but, if she should wish to sever
the connection, then will she be free to do as she
pleases, without let or hindrance from us.
I will not be unjust to the present generation of
Canadians by even supposing they would renounce
their allegiance to Great Britain, if annexation to the
United States should suit their purpose better; but
it is highly probable that, should the conditions
hereafter offered by the Americans be very advantageous to the Canadians—should she become the
important country that some men imagine she is to
be, then, I dare say, Canada will follow the example
of our other North American colonies, who were
loyal enough as long as the power of Great Britain
could protect them from the French and their allies
the Indians. Whilst the French held Canada, the
brave men of New England were ever ready to
accept the protection and assistance of British troops;
but when Canada was taken by the English, then
the burden of taxation was felt to be unendurable
by those who had been willing to have the help of
the mother country, but had no intention of bearing
any of the expenses of keeping up an army and
navy.

298

THE GEEAT CGUNTEY.

These remarks are merely made as illustrative of
the selfishness displayed so universally by both
nations and individuals.
Long may Canada flourish, under our rule, and
equally long may the United States enjoy their independence ; devoting their energies to the improvement
of their own condition, and leaving their neighbours
to settle their own affairs in their own way.
Let us not hear them vapouring about not allowing monarchical form of government to exist on the
American continent; for, were the Canadians to
wish for a king to-morrow, they would not consult
the United States' wishes on the point, but look to
their natural protectors for advice and assistance in
the matter.

THE STATES AGAIN.
I HAD half made up my mind to make a tour
through Canada, but the rigour of the winter caused
me to abandon the project, and retrace my steps to
New York, where I was to spend Christmas and the
early part of the year.
Leaving Montreal'by an afternoon train, I was
led to believe I should make a pleasant and short
run to Boston.
At the Montreal railway-station, I applied to the
authorities to have my baggage examined by the
United States custom-house officer, stationed there
for the purpose. I opened my valise and travelling
bag, on which this official bestowed some little
attention, and then expressed himself satisfied as to
their contents not being contraband. I entered the
railway-carriage, in'which I found a crowd of noisy,
half-drunken blackguards, returning to New York,
who were using foul language, incessantly handing
about bottles of ardent spirits, and rendering themselves generally objectionable.
It must have been about seven o'clock in the
evening, when the American custom-house officer

300

THE GEEAT COUNTRY.

entered the car, and addressed himself to several
people ; at last, he came to me, and said,—
" I didn't half look at your things at the station, so
you just step into the luggage-car with me, and 111
give another look at them."
All the cars communicate, being joined by
coupling irons ; but it is by no means pleasant to
step from one car to the other in the dark, and when
the weather is very cold, and the way decidedly
very slippery.
I was resolved, however, not to buy the fellow off,
so accompanied him to the luggage-car, which was
at the extreme end of the train ; and there, in a van
not heated in any way, I had to wait till my turn
came to have my valise opened, and for the second
time pronounced all right, as far as custom-house
law went.
The officer was cute, but one of the passengers
was cuter; for, when we stopped for a mockery of a
meal called supper, he said to me,—
" He don't amount to a row of pins, that fellow.
Why, Fve got all my things smuggled through
under his nose. I reckon he thought I'd pay him,
but he's done, anyhow."
To show how rigorously the custom-house law is
enforced on the frontier, I will cite the case of an
Englishman who went into Canada for a few days,
and, when there, he fell in with several old friends,

UNITED STATES.

301

who induced him to remain for a ball about to take
place.
Having no dress clothes with him, he had recourse
to a local tailor, who supplied him with the needful
costume. The day after the ball, he left Montreal
for the United States, and was on the journey
attacked by an itinerant Custom-house officer, who
inquired if he had anything liable to duty with him.
On his answering in the negative, the officer pulled
out a note-book, to which he referred, and then
enumerated the number of articles of clothing that
the traveller had purchased in Montreal, on which
he exacted the full amount of duty.
It is said that these men employ spies at the
shops and hotels, who give information as to what is
purchased by strangers.
I was very much indebted, in the course of this
journey, to a gentleman who kindly gave me a hint
that there had been an accident on the line—some
such trifle as a bridge having fallen in—which would
involve the necessity of a walk of about three
quarters of a mile through the snow, in the middle
of the night, and also render the abandonment of
our sleeping-cars necessary, at one o'clock in the
morning.
Having got a hint, I elicited more from the
reluctant officials, whose reticence, at all times remarkable, was, on this occasion, positively alarming.

302

THE GEEAT OOTJNTEY.

I had, however, got my cue from my obliging
fellow-passenger, and changed my route to another
line of rail, and got safely to Boston, in a tremendous
snow-storm, which rendered travelling not only disagreeable, but both tedious and dangerous ; several
trains having been snowed-up between New York
and Boston.
I must here not omit to mention that the secretary
of the railway on which the breakdown had occurred,
in the handsomest way returned me a portion of my
fare; an act of justice for which I was not prepared,
by my experience of railways in my own country.
My journey from Montreal was made more agreeable by pleasant companions ; though, during a part
of it, the squabbles of a Canadian with a Yankee
were a real diversion. The latter insisted that
Canada's sole wish was to be annexed to the United
States; a view which the former repudiated with
much earnestness.
" Annexed to you ?" he exclaimed. " What,
with all that load of debt at your back, which we
should have to share !"
" That debt," replied the Yankee, " is a difficulty,
that's a fact; but it has- to be got over somehow/'
" Yes/' said the Canadian, " I know—by repudiation ; that's the only way. It's your old game, and
one you've played successfully; but you'll do it
once too often/'

UNITED STATES.

303

«"We're a great people," said the Yankee, " and
we shall stand by our engagements."
" You've not done so hitherto, in either private
or public enterprise, as far as my experience goes/'
replied the Canadian; " and I've .been engaged
on railways and other works for five-and-twenty
years."
He spoke confidently, and the Yankee closed the
discussion by saying, " I want to know what is any
man to do, when all his money's gone, but to bust,
and that's what you'll do some day in that used up
Old Country of yours, that you are always blowing
about—where, thank God, 1 was not born—as is
about effete, and that's a fact." So saying he got
up and walked into an adjoining car, which, I must
say, I did not regret, for he carried the national
salivatory weakness to such an extent as to render
walking on the floor of the carriage a difficult and
somewhat perilous proceeding.
I had the good fortune to be snowed up for a few
days in Boston, for though one line was open to
New York the journey was very slow, and as I met
with friends at the Fremont, I was only too glad to
be in such quarters till the snow had been more
completely cleared from the line.
Boston in winter is gay, and its inhabitants are
said to be sociable. The chief attraction in the way
of public amusement during my stay was Italian

304

THE G-EEAT COUNTRY.

Opera, which attracted large audiences. Sunday
evening concerts were also well attended; they were
called sacred, but I do not think that the profane
element was by any means excluded from the
programme.
The railway communication between Boston and
New York is very good, though the pace is not
exciting, and the point at which New York is
entered is by no means calculated to give a lofty
impression of the Empire City; added to which, at
a short distance from the terminus, the locomotive
is detached, and horses draw their great lumbering
cars on tramways through the street to their place
of destination, reminding one of the entrance of a
wild beast show into a provincial town.
If, on arriving in New York, you are wise you
will check your baggage to your hotel or domicile,
and will then be freed from the extortion of the
carriages, or that terrible old vehicle that is* in
waiting to convey passengers to the different hotels.
When I returned to New York after my trip into
Canada, I found the streets many feet deep in snow,
in which condition they were allowed to remain
from December till March. In fact, there were no
means of clearing it away, as the contractor, finding
he had made a bad bargain, coolly repudiated the
agreement into which he had entered for keeping
the streets clean.

UNITED STATES.

305

No doubt he has friends among the municipality,
and will get the contract next year.
The great national holidays* observed in America
during the winter are Thanksgiving Day and
Washington's birthday. There is a sort of military
demonstration on what they call Evacuation Day,
or the anniversary of the abandonment of New York
by the English. On this last occasion I was able
to see some of the volunteer bands, who turn out
very well, though some of the officers, who were
mounted, had anything but a highly military bearing. Nor did a fancy-looking opera cloak which
they wore, with a hood and tassel attached, give an
imposing air to the wearer.
I did not see many other military demonstrations,
if I except the honours paid to one of their generals
named Sheridan, who was familiarly termed " little
Phil." He had a mild sort of ovation given him in
the form of a muster of veterans and a levee at one
of the clubs.
I really do not know what he had done, but, as
usual, it was something that pleased one party and
disgusted the other. A number of ladies honoured
him with a visit, and he made speeches about
traitors and treason which sounded strangely to my
ears, as he was standing at a window with a statue
of Washington staring him full in the face.
Thanksgiving Day is observed as a sort of reliX

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gious anniversary by all but the Catholics ; but the
great feature of the day is the family dinner which
takes place, at which *turkey and cranberry sauce is
the standing dish.
New Year's Day is a general holiday, and the
custom, so general on the continent of Europe, of
paying visits is rigidly adhered to.
The lady of the house is " a t home," attired in
her best, her reception rooms lighted up, and a
dSjetiner laid out, of which all comers are bidden to
partake.
The gentlemen of the family go out to pay the
visits, and a formidable business it becomes, especially on such a day as was the 1st January, 1868.
A rapid thaw had set in, it rained in torrents, and
the streets were like rivers full of mud and halfmelted snow.
Having but few acquaintances, I cannot speak
from personal experience of the general observance
of the day, but can only state that at the few houses
where I paid visits, I was overwhelmed with hospitable kindness.
The visitors are of all kinds and classes, no one is
excluded, and, in some cases, the forbearance of the
lady of the house is severely taxed, whilst her
carpets and furniture are placed in jeopardy from
the muddy boots, wet umbrellas, and national
weaknesses of her visitors.

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During the winter there is a great deal of social
intercourse in New York. I am induced to think
so from the statements which appeared in the
fashionable organ of the city; I am sorry to say I
forget its name. But I remember reading an
account of a dinner given by the Misses " Snooks/'
in honour of the return of their lovely and accomplished sister, Miss Amelia " Snooks," from Europe ;
" the matchless repast being served on an entirely
new porcelain dinner service, and the, guests being
attired in all the rich luxuriousness of *the present
fashion; the lovely heroine of the evening wore a
dress of the last Parisian style, with ornaments to
match; and the whole aiFair was one that has been
seldom equalled and never surpassed even in this
city, which will yield the palm to none for refinement and luxury." On reading such a paragraph
about a private entertainment given by two ladies,
on an occasion of a purely family nature, one is at
a loss to imagine what would be the language employed if the writer had to record the doings of a
London season, or give an account of a winter in
Vienna, Paris, or St. Petersburg.
No doubt, in time, America will have her
" princes," " dukes," and other nobility, and never,
till then will the world have seen the extent to
which title-worship can be carried.
At present, the way in which they parade the
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petty distinctions existing among them is amusing,
and affords an indication of the love for them which
is so universally felt.
If one is to judge of a people by its literature, by
the tone of the public press, and the speeches of its
public men, no educated person, who has paid attention to these particulars, can feel otherwise than
that Americans have much to learn. Those who
visit the United States with a strong bias in favour
of republican institutions, and on their arrival and
during theif sojourn in the country are fSted and
made much of, will be doubtless delighted with all
that they see and hear, just in the same manner
that the trustees of a charity school, on a stated
day, paying a visit to their trust, find the children
in apple-pie order, and after having been treated
with all due honour and attention by the master
and the matron, and regaled at the expense of the
funds, return home and give a flourishing account
of the state of the school.
In like manner, members of religious bodies visiting America are sure to be received with open arms
by their co-religionists. * A round of religious services,
public breakfasts, Sunday-school demonstrations, and
the like, are no doubt very gratifying to a man like
Sir Morton Peto, who takes so deep an interest in
the Baptist community; but his experiences of that
body can give him but a faint notion of the state

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of religions feeling in the bnlk of the American
people.
To hear the wild denunciations uttered against
England at the Cooper Institute, one of the largest
in New York, in the presence of a large assembly,
with the mayor of the city in the chair, you would
think that some great wrong had been done to the
United States by Great Britain, and are not a little
surprised to learn that the meeting has been convened by a low ruffian, who has lately been liberated
from an English prison by the clemency of our
government after violating our laws; and the presence of the Mayor is to be accounted for only on the
score of his being desirous to propitiate the mob, on
whose votes he depends for his election. The detestable system of popular election for all offices is subversive of the very first principles of justice and order.
There is another point of national character which
is remarkable, viz., the boldness with which the
American papers make statements with respect to
matters in England, which at once proclaim their
ignorance of our institutions and customs : such as
calling Mr. Bright the Honourable John Bright, and
speaking of Mr. Disraeli as about to resign the Great
Seal; designating an estimable Dissenting minister,
who was preaching in New York, as a leading1
English divine; and observing that the Alabama
claims were now likely to be settled, as a celebrated

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Doctor of Divinity had declared in favour of their
adjustment.
The said D.D. was not a degree of the Universities, and the holder thereof, though a man of no
doubt great importance among his own congregation,
would be one but little known beyond its pale, and
certainly without influence in the councils of the
nation.
There is one matter which deeply interests
literary men in England, and that is a law on the
subject of international copyright, which will secure
to authors compensation for the publication of their
works in the respective countries.
He must be indeed a simple-minded Britisher
who expects any such act of justice from so 'cute a
people as the Americans. " "Why should we be such
flatheads as to pay for what we can get for nothing ?"
they would wisely argue.
There may be a law respecting international copyright some day, but the passing of it is a long way
off; as, in my opinion, it will never be enacted
till England has to go to America for her literature,
and then the Transatlantic authors will get the
publishers to use their influence with Congress to
make the Britishers pay. And, as I have already
said, this is looking to a state of things a very long
way ahead.
American publishers, in some cases, complain that

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when they have paid English authors large sums for
the advanced sheets of their works, that the said
authors will persist in stating that they have not
been paid for copyright, which certainly sounds very
like an evasion.
I have heard of publishers who have offered very
handsomely to take the advanced sheets of a work,
and promise the author half the amount of any
profit that might accrue therefrom.
To expect money from such a source is very like
hoping to get butter out of a dog's throat. No, we
must be content with the admiration of our patrons
across the Atlantic ; for we shall never get anything
more substantial out of them. And, without levity,
I express my sentiment as to remuneration of
authors from America thus—-I wish they may
get it.
It is an aggravation of no light order to think
that American publishers not only steal standard
English works, but have the audacity to alter the
spelling; in fact, though they condescend to appropriate an English author's property, yet they in no
wise acknowledge in his case, or any other, superiority on our side : in fact, they consider themselves
the standard in writing and speaking. I have been
told, with an air of commiserating patronage, that
I had " a very English accent;" by which was
meant, I apprehend, that I did not whine or speak

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through my nose—two great charms of American
oratory, I conclude, for I have heard more than one
public speaker who had these gifts to a considerable
extent.
It is as orators especially that Americans imagine
they excel; and pride themselves on giving Shakespeare with a force and fire that takes the shine
pretty considerably out of the Britisher. I have
seen a statement in one of their papers to the effect
that there was not a theatre on Broadway that
could not produce at least six actors who would
read better than the finest accredited English
reader.
Of the licence of the press I have spoken elsewhere ; and it only remains for me to remark that,
in this respect, as far as private individuals are concerned, the tone of the most scurrilous of the papers
has been much moderated of late, and individuals
are safe, unless any political circumstance should
render an attack on private character desirable.
No sooner is a man candidate for any public
appointment, from President downwards, than his
political opponents attack him furiously; and woe
be to him if they can rake up any long-forgotten
transaction in which he has not cut a good figure.
I am a little surprised that during the period of the
Presidential election that the candidates should be
taunted with the charge of drunkenness, as I should

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have thought it would have been regarded by the
majority of the people as rather a virtue, than a
vice.
That a respectable journal should coolly write
about repudiation of the public debt must astonish
any right-thinking man, and forces on one the conviction that there is a party in America with which
honesty is the best policy only as long as it is the
most convenient, and that, some day, all who hold
U.S. securities will find themselves in a similar position to that of the Spanish bond-holders, or the
fortunate possessors of stock issued by some of the
South American Liberal Governments.
Nor are examples of this style of transaction
wanting within the United States. But one had
hoped that such things were not likely to recur;
nothing, however, is safe or sacred in the eyes of a
rash, unreflecting mob; and one has every evil to
dread for a country constituted as America is, both
politically and socially. English, Scotch, Irish,
French, Italians, and Germans are found among
the great constituencies of the United States—few,
if any, of the representatives of these nationalities
being from the class best fitted for legislators.
Leaving my fellow-country-people, of whom I
have spoken elsewhere, I may here observe that the
French element in the Southern States alone has
contributed to the advancement of religion.

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The Germans are notoriously irreligious, except
the few. Many have left that Fatherland, of which
they are so fond, to avoid taxation and conscription.
The Italian, too, has deserted his United Country
for the same reasons.
The Germans thrive wherever they go by their
industry and economy. The Italians do not, as a
rule, achieve greatness in any high calling, having,
in a great measure, merely supplanted the Negroes
in the capacity of barbers.
This must afford 'great scope for reflection in the
minds of those who indulge in speculations as to the
future of the United States.
The deepest thinker, either native or foreign^
would indeed waste his time were he to attempt to
point out any possible rocks ahead to a people so
utterly sunk in self-conceit, and given up to rashness. All they wish to hear is approbation and
admiration—gratifying to us all, but by no means
salutary to either nations or individuals.
Had the late war produced one man of genius he
might have made himself Military Dictator; and
though the very mention of such a thing irritates
even sober-minded citizens, yet I am inclined to
think that they do not reflect on what they could
have opposed to a successful general at the head of
a powerful army.
It is very easy to talk of the spirit of the whole

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315

people being averse to such a state of things, but
very few of the wealthy merchants of New York,
however Republican, would feel inclined to risk a
collision between the troops and the populace, which
would lead to nothing but anarchy or military despotism.
It sounds well to speak of sacrificing everything
for one's country, but when the talk takes the
practical form of necessitating the loss of all one's
worldly possessions, including life itself, then it is
high time to look out for some form of government
that will afford efficient protection to both.
The increasing wealth of the country has led to
the institution of a police, and an increasing standing
army is to be looked for.
These are the commencement of a system by
which the mob must be curbed ; so that a man's
property may be saved, not from bands of rioters
alone, but from those of a legislative body which, at
the dictates of its constituents, may repudiate all
claims on the country, however just, or vote away
the money of the wealthy few to satisfy the rapacity
of the greedy multitude.
New York had her lesson in the riots of 1863,
when the draft for the army caused so much discontent, because the man who had money could pay for
a substitute, whilst the poor man was compelled to
serve at the positive sacrifice of daily bread to his

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family, and the probable loss of life or limb to himself.
The scenes of violence and bloodshed being
enacted in various parts of the States are not merely
the result of political excitement, such as might
occur in any country, but are such as every country
has at times been obliged to put down with the
sacrifice of human life.
From the excesses of the masses have tyrannies
always sprung. This is the lesson which the history
of the Old World teaches. And even admitting the
vast superiority of the New, yet it must be allowed
that the ruling powers have, in the United States,
shown pretty plainly that the old method of dealing
with a riotous mob, by means of powder and shot, is
not one of those " busted, effete " ways of proceeding
that they despise too much to imitate.
There is one rock ahead which is already visible
above the troubled waters of American politics, and
that is, the unwillingness evinced by the Western
States to bear the burden of taxes, which, though
levied for the general good, have benefited one portion of the country more than another.
The late war, for instance, has cost the country at
large an enormous sum, and all the States are called
upon to pay their share of the expenditure ; " but,"
exclaims the Western man, " what did I gain by the
war ? You men down East alone got all the

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317

contracts' and made immense fortunes, to which
we who have gained nothing have had to contribute.
No, sir ! we don't see it, and we won't pay."
This will be the universal cry throughout the
country. Patriotism, honour, glory, are all very
good things in their way, but "what are we going to
get by them ? " will be asked. " When we shook off
the Britishers, we got rid of the taxes; but if we
go to war with one another we shall have to pay
or repudiate."
Nothing could have exceeded the gross jobbery
which was being carried on during the war, but as
the largest fortunes acquired were those which were
accumulated in New York, where men were elevated
from beggary to a pinnacle of wealth in a few
months, other States and cities are not satisfied
with a system of plunder in which they did not
share.
With the paper currency came a frenzy of expenditure and extravagance; men gloried in paying out
of all proportion for everything. In support of
which assertion one has only to refer to the notorious case of the restaurant on Broadway, where
brandy was sold at one dollar for a liqueur glass,
and all the world resorted to it to drink the precious
cordial, as it was considered " style " to do so.
One has heard much of the great inducements
which America holds out to men of enterprise and

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energy, and it is generally thought that if a man
will emigrate to the United States he will repair his
fortunes however fallen.
It is but right and fair that men should he warned
as to what they are to expect in emigrating, and all
Americans of character think it a duty they owe to
foreigners of all kinds, to state that their country is
no El Dorado for the man without capital, and that
the streets of New York are not paved with gold; and
they would also warn even those who are willing to
leave the crowded city, and cast their lot with those
who have gone forth as pioneers of civilisation to
the mighty "West, that there is a terrible struggle for
life to be made there.
"Writing on this subject The New York Tribune
makes the following statement:—
" Understand, once for all, that he who takes only
his hands to the West, and undertakes to acquire a
home by mere settlement, must prepare for a rough
time. He must strike out beyond roads, settlements,
and all civilising influences; he must work hard, go
ragged, and live coarsely for some years, and endure
many hardships and privations. If you are not
resigned to this, or if your wife is not, better hire
out for a time, and thus acquire skill as well as
means. But to hirelings everywhere and always
we say, be not content to live and die hirelings ; work hard and live frugally to get something

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319

ahead, and, whenever you shall have secured the
means, strike out at once for a home of your
own!"
Of course this advice respecting remaining hirelings will apply only to those who find themselves in
a vast and thinly populated country, but the great
point of the paragraph is to warn men against the
too prevalent notion that affluence and ease are
readily acquired in America.
Many English think that the best thing to be
done with poor relations, troublesome children, and
the like, is to ship them off to the States, whereas
they are only sending them to a land where energy
and industry alone can secure a man without
capital an honest livelihood.
The terrible state of morals in New York is of
course attributable in a great measure to the fact
that all the off-scourings of Europe have been cast
upon her shores.
The idle young men who throng the streets are
mainly those who have been sent away from home
because they have been troublesome to their friends.
It is an easy way of disposing of a nuisance to throw
it over your neighbour's wall, but it may lie there
and putrefy, and spread miasma through the whole
district, till it comes back to you in some form more
terrible than that from which you thought you had
freed yourself.

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No doubt in the case of Ireland America has
been a great safety valve, and relieved the British
Government of much difficulty, but surely expediency as well as justice dictates that it were better
to make the Irishman happy at home, than drive
him to a land in which, though prosperous, his
heart ever yearns for the " Ould Country," his dear
bright Emerald Isle. This may be called sentiment;
but we must bear in mind that soldiers and sailors
are far more readily made efficient by sentiment
than by any logical process.
The Irish who have crowded into New York, and
thence dispersed themselves throughout the land,
have been generally of the lowest class, though
some of the better sort have established themselves
in business and are among the thriving and respected merchants of the great cities, especially in
New York.
Many adventurers from the British Isles, such as
fraudulent bankrupts, outlaws, convicts, men and
women who have, in various ways, forfeited their
places in the social circle, are to be met with in
America, and, of course, such people are always
violently anti-English. Unfortunately, they find
plenty that is congenial to their habits and feelings
in America, and hence much of the hostility displayed against us in various forms.
That the sober and respectable members of

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321

American society in no way endorse or encourage
such people or opinions I am very sure, but as I
have already stated the sober and respectable men
keep in the background, and until they are able to
wrest the power from the mob, the country can
never be in the way of taking a befitting place in
the scale of nations.
The national energy and courage of Americans
would no doubt accomplish anything, but most of
them seem to forget the old adage about more haste
than speed.
As to enterprise, they astonish one by the display
they make of it. No matter what may be the task,
they will undertake it, and, as to knowledge on the
subject, that is quite unimportant.
A man will " lay hold " of anything, from a fourin-hand team up Broadway, to the helm of the
Great Eastern across the Atlantic, and yet he will
never have had the reins in his hands before, and
be totally ignorant of the first principles of navigation.
The spirit of enterprise in America is carried to
what may be called a vicious extreme, since it
induces the starting of some of the most marvellous
swindles that the commercial world has ever experienced.
Many of these have become matters of history,
and one had hoped were entirely matters of the

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THE GEEAT OOUNTBJ.

past. The state of 'things daily revealed as actually
existing in the great cities, proves, however, that
such is not the case, and that, as the natives say " a
man must go about in America with his ' eye-teeth'
skinned," in order to hold his own. To be swindled
is a proof of weakness, which only excites contempt
in the American mind, and to swindle successfully,
I am inclined to think, renders the operator in a
sense admirable, even in the estimation of those
who disapprove his acts.
Smartness is a quality so highly admired that, if
a man display an uncommon amount of it, his
neighbour cannot withhold his admiration, though
he may condemn the purpose to which the talent
has been devoted.
One instance of this kind of thing, to which my
attention was called, could excite no feeling but one
of intense disgust, and that was a proposal for getting up a subscription for an asylum at Gettysburg,
for the soldiers wounded and disabled in the late
war. For this purpose there was an office on
Broadway, with a flag in front of it extending across
the street, where the plans could be seen and subscriptions paid in.
Men walked the streets with boards, on which
were inscribed the thrilling words : " The people
have resolved to build an asylum for our wounded
soldiers; France has her Invalides, England her

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Greenwich, why should not we have our Gettysburg ?"
Lotteries were got up in aid of this purely
national object, among the prizes being diamonds*
given by the fair daughters of Columbia to swell
the amount to be devoted to the men who had
preserved the much cherished Union.
One was touched at all this apparent devotion and
sympathy displayed for these brave fellows, some of
whom are to be seen begging in the streets of the
various cities of the Union, and it was a shock to be
told that the whole affair, even the diamonds, was
what is called in England a sham, in America
" bogus/'
That such an asylum, if needed, should not be
the work of the government, is, perhaps, the only
real subject for surprise in the matter, since
swindles of the benevolent order are only too
general throughout the world.
One must allow that frequently it is impossible
not to laugh at the stories of audacity and chicanery
which one hears, instancing as they do such remarkable a 'cuteness " on one side, and so much weakness
on the other.
In many cases the swindled man is not entitled to
any pity, as he is but a victim to his own avarice,
having been gulled by the hope of some extraordinary profit. This does not apply to unfortunate
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emigrants who are induced to buy fine estates which
turn out to be nothing but swamps.
Men who invest capital in the United States
should take into consideration all the risks they run,
and try to obtain guarantees as to the safety of their
investments from really responsible people.
I have had some experience as to the treatment
artists may expect who visit America with insufficient guarantees as to their engagements, and
would warn all who think of going there against
trusting to anything but the money paid down in
advance.
I think the prevailing notion among English
actors, for instance, that there are fortunes to be
made in America, is a delusion.
In the first place, our best actors would not be
appreciated there. I think if the Alhambra could
be transported bodily to the centre of New York, it
might succeed, especially if the fact of its being
English could be concealed.
Whilst on this subject, although one is not
induced to give Americans credit for taste in anything, including their amusements, I must say that
the Philharmonic Band in New York does the city
credit. Both music and musicians of course are
derived from Germany ; but the Americans seem
to appreciate the performance to a degree far beyond what one would expect of them.

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Their patronage of Italian Opera may be attributable in a great degree to fashion; but this cannot
induce them to sit out a concert of classical music,
which would not be endurable to an ordinary
audience merely seeking for amusement, and I am
inclined to think the only artists who might gain
favour with the Americans in spite of being English
are musicians.
"English" is not a word which recommends anything or anybody to Americans. To admit our superiority in any way is galling to the mass of them.
It is very natural that it should be so, for in
England there is little or no interest felt by the
general public about America.
"We don't think enough about them as a people to
have any very strong feeling as to what they do or
say, though I am proud to think that, whenever an
American with any real claim to superiority has
visited this country, he cannot with truth complain
of either injustice or inhospitality in the treatment
he has received; and this I have heard American
visitors ever ready to assert most loudly, expressing
themselves deeply sensible of the great kindness they
have experienced at our hands.
It is only justice to admit that those men who in
America are most bitter against all that is English are
frequently, if not always, our fellow countrymen.
American affairs in general do not interest any of

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THE GKEAT COUNTKY.

us, except those whose commercial interests bring
them into closer relations with the United States.
I do not think there is amongst us any strong
feeling of dislike for Americans, so much as an
entire absence of interest in their proceedings ; they
imagine we are always thinking about what they
do or say; whereas we don't care about either one
or the other.
There is one extraordinary delusion under which
they labour, and that is, the imagining the late war
to have exalted them in our estimation ; whereas we
must regard it as a gross violation of their political
principles, apart from the higher consideration of its
being unnatural and unchristian. They want us to
say that we believe it to have been one of the most
glorious struggles in which a people ever engaged,
and that in comparison with it, all other wars are
" real mean/'
No doubt some strategical ability was displayed
by the victors, especially at the close of the war,
which atoned for their blunders and failures at the
commencement; but apart from such considerations, every true friend of America must have
deplored the melancholy spectacle which such a
conflict displayed, and loud must be the condemnation pronounced by every right-thinking
man on those to whom the origin of the war is
attributable.

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It is a subject for anything but national glorification, though the majority of Americans do not
seem to think so.
"We have been much more respected on the
other side/' said an American lady to me, " since
our war/'
I could only say that I did not see why Cain
should be more respected after he had killed Abel,
even supposing that he had been provoked into
the commission of the crime.
I don't believe many English people out of
Liverpool and Manchester, took much interest in the
war. I am very sure from my own experience that
some of our countrymen, ordinarily well informed on
other subjects, were at fault as to the exact parts of
the United States in which the war was being
carried on; for I heard more than one person express
a sympathy with a relation of mine resident in
America, as living amid the horrors of war, whereas
his domicile was in New York.
I am sure we are quite willing to let Americans
do, think, and speak as they please, if they will only
accord us similar liberty.
There are one or two points which I would endeavour to impress strongly on those who visit America.
One is that they should never believe anything they
hear or read as to railway travelling; still less are
they to trust railway agents. They should start on

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a journey in a spirit of trust that they are sure to go
somewhere ; but as to exact time or place of arrival,
neither can be calculated on. Whenever they
arrive safely at their place of destination, let them
" rest and be thankful."
The next point is, that in travelling they are to
dismiss all idea of comfort or enjoyment; they must
pursue their journey as though acting from a stern
sense of duty, as that alone can support man under
such a trial.
I am addressing myself to English ladies and
gentlemen, whose education and antecedents have
fitted them to appreciate the blessings of refinement
and order.
I can quite understand that men, whose time and
thoughts are wholly absorbed in business, are
satisfied with rushing through the country in pursuit of money. For their purpose no doubt America
is admirably suited; but not for those who are in
search of pleasure, or would find that in which they
can take interest.
I except, of course, military men, who naturally
derive satisfaction from going over the vast area
on which the late war was carried o n ; but to an
ordinary traveller there is nothing from- which
interest is to be derived. All is utterly commonplace—a bad repetition of what one has seen in
various parts of Europe.

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In speaking thus, I must not be understood to
refer to my voyage out and home : nothing can
exceed the discipline and order maintained on
board the Cunard steamers. The courtesy of the
captains and officers is too notorious to need more
than a passing and grateful allusion to it from one
who has experienced much kind attention on board
the " Persia " and the " Java/'
The landing-place of the Cunard steamers in
Jersey city, it may be remarked, is a disgrace to the
company. Nor are the custom-house arrangements
by any means first-rate.
To return to the steamers, there is a tradition
of one captain having been put out by an old lady
on board his vessel who was constantly persecuting
him with questions at most inopportune moments.
The lady, in great terror during a thick fog off the
Bank, inquired,—
" Captain,, is it always foggy here ?"
" How the
should I know, marm 1 I'm not
always here," was all the reply she elicited.
This is merely mentioned as an exception to
prove a rule.
My fellow-passengers were not sociable at first;
no one can be on board ship. Everyone is either
sick or sulky. You are out of gear and can t settle
to anything ; reading is difficult, writing out of the
question. The one great occupation is taking meals,

8X0

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

which you may do almost without intermission, from
seven in the morning till eleven o'clock at night;
commencing with a cup of coffee, and ending with
grog and sandwiches. It is marvellous how the
supply of food is kept up, for though there is somewhat of a scramble at dinner, yet no reasonable
person can complain of the quantity or quality of
the food and drink.
To walk the deck and talk, is the alternative to
eating and drinking; for as to devoting the time to
any subject demanding intellectual exercise, that is
impossible. One feels unsettled, anxious, not as to
one's safety, but to get to one's journey's end. Yet,
in spite of all this, there is a certain amount of satisfaction to be derived from the trip by all who are
not sea-sick. It is worth while to cross the Atlantic,
if it be only for the sake of the amount of agreeable excitement one experiences, firstly, on arriving
safely in New York, and secondly, for the still
greater pleasure of finding oneself once more in
England.

EEFLECTIONS.
A CALM retrospect is always the most satisfactory
portion of any enterprise in which one may have
been engaged, and it is with real feeling of
pleasure that I recall much of my American experience.
I do not in any way allude to the few friends I
made; with respect to them I have nothing but
that which is highly gratifying to remember. We
may disagree, but I am sure we shall never quarrel,
even though they may not be enthusiastic admirers
of England, nor I be delighted with the U.S.
Amid much that I have disliked in the country,
I have found a great deal from which I could derive
amusement, and my fault-finding is, I trust, free
from ill-nature.
There is one institution against which I confess
that I have a decided grudge, and that is the Post
Office in New York, which is most inefficient. The
delays in delivering letters, to say nothing of repeated
losses of both books and letters committed to its
care, render it a doubtful advantage to the public
at large.

332

THE GKEAT COUNTBY.

I believe its inefficiency is universally admitted,
and explained by the circumstance that the staff
employed is exactly the same as it was five-andtwenty years ago, whilst the amount of work for
those employed must have been increased more than
a hundred-fold.
I must say one word with regard to American
audiences, that, in spite of their restless dispositions, they are much enduring, and very indulgent. "They laugh themselves sick," as they
elegantly express it, at some things, and are easily
amused.
I have spoken of want of taste as a national
defect among Americans. I think I cannot do better,
in order to substantiate my views on that subject,
than give the following extract from a leading daily
paper of New York.
VALUE OF POE'S AUTOGRAPH.—Horace Greeley, in his " Ke-

collections of* a Busy Life," gives some correspondence that
passed between himself and a stranger regarding Poe's autograph. We quote :—" A gushing youth once wrote me to
this effect :—
"'DEAR, SIR,—Among your literary treasures you have
doubtless preserved several autographs of our country's late
lamented poet, Edgar A. Poe. If so, and you can spare one,
please enclose it to me, and receive the thanks of yours truly.'

" I promptly responded as follows :—
" ' DEAR SIR,—Among my literary treasures there happens
to be exactly one autograph of our country's late lamented

BEELECTIONS.

333

poet, Edgar A. Poe. It is his note of hand for $50, with my
endorsement across the back. It cost me exactly $50 75, (including protest,) and you may have it for half that amount.
Yours, respectfully.'
" That autograph, I regret to say, remains on my hands,
and is still for sale at the original price, despite the lapse of
time, and the depreciation of our currency."
From an English point of view Americans are
not happy in the words they select as names for
things; as an instance I will quote the experience of
an Englishman who was paying some attentions to
a very pretty American girl at breakfast, and in the
course of the meal, on offering the fair one* some
shrimps, was not a little taken aback by her
declining them, saying, "Not any, thank yon, I
never eat bugs." That most unmentionable kind
of vermin supplying a generic term for insects in
America, under which head the lady classed the
relishful shrimp, which by the way is not a popular
form of food in America.
s
Apart from these little inelegances of, speech,
there are certain forms of expression which are
awkward and unmeaning, such as calling the declaration set forth by a candidate for office, or by any
party, as to principles, &c, " a platform." One
might as well call a sermon a pulpit. There is to
our ears an affectation in the use of the word
" recuperate " in speaking of a man's recovering his

331

THE GEEAT OOUNTEY.

credit or position. Also in giving an account of
the collision of two vessels, it is surely no improvement to say that they " collided."
I was much puzzled when I heard of a lady
having on a certain evening given " a German." I
bethought me of sausages, flutes, and other products
ascribed to that nation, which might be presented
to friends, but on further inquiry found that " a
German" was the name given to a dance which
formed the backbone of an evening devoted to
Terpsichore.
No doubt many forms of speech rife among
Americans are mere vulgarisms, or provincial expressions imported from various parts of England; in
fact, on hearing many Americans speak, one is strongly
reminded, both by language and accent, of the rustic
dialects of one's native land. Some of the words
in use are manifestly translations from the Dutch,
whilst others recall to one's mind certain scientific
terms which seem to have wandered into general
conversation, such as calling that venerable institution the fire-plug a hydrant, a term which, in strict
parlance, would be more applicable to our respected
friend the turncock.
It is not by any means unusual in America to
hear respectable men use expressions, one in particular, at the very sound of which one recoils with
disgust, when uttered by the lowest of the low in

BEFLECTIONS.

335

the streets of London. I have known an instance
of a father, an American resident in Europe, who
had sent his sons to America for education, and on
visiting them was shocked and disgusted at the
language the lads employed in their ordinary conversation. On complaining to the schoolmaster he
was told that it would be useless to attempt to stop
it. Hearing this, and being dissatisfied in other
respects with Transatlantic education, he resolved to
remove his children from the contamination by
which he found them surrounded.
Whilst on the subject of choice of expressions, I
must take the opportunity of referring to the application of the term " skunk " to an individual, and
certainly it is the very "strongest" term of opprobium that could be applied, for of all the
terrible creatures to encounter, a skunk is perhaps
the worst; with a lion or tiger a conflict would
be soon over, and if you should be so fortunate as
to come off victorious, your wounds might soon be
healed, and the consequences entailed be nothing
more unpleasant; not so however would be his
condition who fell in with a skunk. My personal
experience of this creature was slight, but most
impressive; it was on my journey south that, one
evening just after dark, the cars suddenly became
filled with an effluvium so detestable as to make me
exclaim " Good heavens, where are we ?" imagining

336

THE GEEAT COTJNTEY.

that we were passing through some region where
putrescence reigned supreme. " I guess we've gone
over a skunk/' observed a fellow traveller, a view of
the case in which he was supported by the conductor.
I think it was during this same journey that I fell
in with an American, a man from " out West," who
was boasting of the inexhaustible wealth of the
country. " Why," said he, " we burn more corn in
our locomotives than would half feed Europe ;" and
I was assured there was foundation for this somewhat startling assertion, inasmuch that Indian corn
was so abundant in the west as to be far cheaper
than any ordinary fuel that could be used; though
it is a general and popular article of food throughout the States. It is especially esteemed when
young and tender, when it is eaten boiled with
butter, and known as green corn.
Having returned to the subject of eating, I am reminded to advise travellers in America, on arriving
at a hotel, to secure the good offices of a particular
waiter in the dining-room by the judicious administration of a dollar at the outset, and he will then
become their devoted slave, and secure for them hot
food of the best description that the establishment
can supply. This more particularly applies to those
who travel in parties.
It not unfrequently happens that when a dish is

INFLECTIONS.

337

placed on the table at which you are seated, a
waiter will seize and bear it off elsewhere. The
natives are on the alert for this stvle of thins;, and
will not hesitate to collar the said waiter, and
wrest the dainty from his grasp, but a stranger. is
hardly up to this at first.
It is a very good rule in life, no doubt, to take
anything you wish for, if you can, from your neighbour, and this principle is acted on very generally
in the Great Country. Those who adopt this line
of conduct as a rule will get through the world
successfully; but the difficulty is when everyone is
at the same game, and hence much trouble may
be anticipated in America, till the necessity of
respecting the rights of one's neighbour be more
generally recognised.
Concession and compromise are the great secrets
of man's social existence, being conducted advantageously for all, and till these principles be more
fully recognised and acted upon by the Americans,
they will never have either peace or security at
home or abroad.
The country is now on the eve of what is little
less than a national calamity, the Presidential
election, and sincerely will every friend of humanity
rejoice should it pass off without some most serious
evils arising. Not wishing to be the prophet of
evil, I will say no more as to its issue than express a

338

THE GBEAT COUNTBY.

devout wish that it may end well for all concerned
in it.
The state of turmoil in the Southern States will
be something extraordinary, thanks to the efforts of
" Carpet Baggers/' and the real or supposed machinations of the " Ku-Khix-Klan," a secret society
said by some to be an organisation of the democrats
for the destruction of the lives and property of those
who are opposed to them, whilst others declare it
to be a sort of bogey set up by the republicans
to bring their opponents into disrepute. Armed
bands of these ruffians are said to have committed
outrages of the worst description, but, during my
sojourn in the South, the accounts of the proceedings of these disturbers of the public peace
were so conflicting, that it was difficult to realise
even their existence.
As the time for the election approaches no doubt
greater excitement will prevail, and the reports will
be more exaggerated as to the course of action
adopted by all engaged in this great national convulsion, a whole nation throwing all their energies
into the struggle which will " eventuate," as they
would say, in the election of the warlike " tanner "
or the peaceful " cow-milker."
The time of the Presidential election is indeed a
momentous period, affecting, as it does, the interests
of nearly every one in the employ of the Government,

BEELECTIOlSfS.

339

from the President down to the door-keeper; for all
who hold office throughout the length and breadth
of this vast country will be displaced.
This circumstance alone is enough to convulse the
whole community, were there no political excitement
mixed up with the affair. But if the Americans
like such a state of things, that is no business of
ours, we can only say there is no accounting for
taste. As regards the choice of a President, as he is
almost powerless, it is of very little consequence on
whom the honour is conferred.
Were General Grant a man of extraordinary
ability, his election would, perhaps, be a step on the
road towards autocracy ; but should he prove to be
the "Useless" Grant, as his enemies down South
designate him, he will do very well for the place,
and discharge its duties with the amount of dignity
that so exalted a position demands.
The prestige of his name may subdue the aggressive spirit of the Indian. He may be called upon
to exterminate the Mormons, or rescue Mexico from
the power of Juarez and the other savages who are
now dominant in that unhappy land. Whoever the
President may be, there is much for him to do at
home; but as he will, no doubt, be forced into interference with his neighbours, the work I have cut
out for him, as his predecessor would have said, he
will most likely have to take in hand.
22

340

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

Should he be a really wise man, he will leave his
neighbours alone and devote all his energies, and
the little power he possesses, to heal the wounds at
home, and soften the bitter feelings which exist in
the so-called United States.
It is a singular fact that a people ever ready and
willing to annul the marriage-bond—that most
sacred tie which binds human beings together—on
the ground of the inexpediency of any union being
forced, or indissoluble, should insist so strongly on
fettering the Southern States to their Northern
masters. The way in which some Americans insist
on the maintenance of the Union at any cost would
induce one to think that they held the institution
of the United States to have been an act of an infallible being, or that their laws, like those of the
Medes and Persians, alter not—a singular position
to be assumed by those who sneer at old and effete
customs, and whose boast it is to be essentially a
people devoted to progress. They seem, however,
likely to discover that all things work in circles, and
that they will some day find themselves back again
at the point from which they originally started.
As regards the future, there are those in America
who give it as an opinion that the next civil war in
which they are engaged will be a religious one, and
that the conflict will be between the Catholics and
Protestants. I think this highly probable; but it

EEELEOTIONS.

3J1

will not be a war of swords and guns, but merely a<
continuation of the struggle in which the Church is
engaged at present. As long as she possesses neither
wealth nor State protection, there is nothing to make
the conflict between her and the world at large other
than what it should ever be, a moral struggle.
"When the Puritans reigned in New England, a
Catholic priest was a proscribed man, and death
awaited him if discovered. In New York, under
the English rule, he had no better position. In
America the Protestants have been the persecutors,
the Papists the champions of liberty of conscience,
a fact which goes far to prove that it was by being
degraded to a mere engine of the State that the
Catholic Church has been blotted with the stains of
blood which have disgraced her career and made
her enemies exult.
It remains to be seen what fresh difficulties may
beset her path in the New World; but at present
her prospects seem most cheering, and her future
position bids fair to be not a place among princes
and potentates, but a throne set up in the hearts of
millions, who will yield her the only service that
she should in right demand of her children—that of
the heart and will.
There is one point on which all men agree with
respect to the Catholic clergy, that whatever else
may be their motive, certainly the " loaves and

342

THE GREAT COUNTRY.

fishes " are not the incentives by which they are induced to labour in setting forth the doctrines- they
profess. The sharp, practical mind of the American
sees this, and though he may even despise what he
considers superstitious folly, he will respect the sincerity of men who set aside every earthly consideration, and sacrifice even life itself to propagate
that which they proclaim to be the law and will of
God.;i
Before concluding my impressions on America, I
would speak on one subject of the deepest importance, and one which can never even be thought
upon without calling forth the most serious reflection, and that is the chances of war between Great
Britain and her former possessions.
Kegarding as mere idle expenditure of breath the
boasting tone in which some American citizens, especially the naturalised, talk about " whipping us
soundly/' it is certain that such a calamity as a war
between the two countries is a conceivable evil that
may one day overtake us.
Interest is the great safeguard against such a disaster; neither the people of Great Britain nor
America are blind to the importance of peace being
maintained, and if we should be forced into collision,
it will be the act of those in that country who have
nothing to lose.
That great forbearance has been displayed towards

BEFLECTIONS.

343

the United States by most European powers is very
certain, and it has proceeded, no doubt, from the
natural indulgence usually accorded to the freaks
and follies of youth. There is, however, a limit
to this state of things, and it is high time that
American citizens should make it their business to
conduct matters of State with dignity, and that
amount of self-respect which alone can command
the respect of others.
The wise and thoughtful members of the community in America exert their influence on the
masses. The ardour and rashness of youth must be
counterbalanced by the moderation and experience
of riper years, or reckless impetuosity may provoke a
war which, though disastrous to all concerned, will
throw back America many years in her course of
progress, and bring upon her all the horrors of a
struggle both foreign and domestic.
It will be no doubt an evil day for England
when the first gun is fired to renew a struggle
against those with whom she has so long been
happily at peace; but that same gun will wake up
all the latent passions which are but half suppressed
at present in the hearts of millions of Americans,
and rekindle the smouldering embers of the fire of
civil discord, which needs but little to be fanned
into a blaze.
All who believe in their accountability to God

344

THE GEEAT COUNTEY.

will do their utmost to avert the horrors of war,
and it is for both Americans and Englishmen to
look well to those who are entrusted with the affairs
of State; for till the noisy breath of unthinking,
ignorant, unprincipled men be checked, no country
can be safe from all the evils into which the indulgence of human passions may at any moment
hurl it.
It is a great natural law that mature age should
act as a check on the excesses of youth, and woe
indeed be to that country that does not possess the
advantage of a body of fathers to give counsel and
advice on all important points, and still greater woe
to a people that sneers at the cautious voice of its
elders, and will only hear that which is palatable to
its longing for low, selfish aggrandisement, without
regard to the justice of its cause or the rights of its
neighbour.
Although not a century old as a nation, America
is no longer at the age to claim the immunity
allowed to the schoolboy period of existence. The
world has now a right to expect that prejudice,
ignorance, conceit, boasting, rashness, and insolence,
shall be laid aside by Americans, and that dignity of
conduct shall be displayed in the settlement of their
own affairs and in the treatment of those of their
neighbours ; that the fruits of their much talked of
educational system shall begin to be gathered, and

EEFLECTIONS.

345

that a spirit of Christianity shall pervade the land,
flowing from the abundant scriptural teaching, which
is boastfully said to be the foundation of all their
instruction. But, as I am informed that the only
religious exercise allowed in the public schools of
America is the reading of a chapter in the Bible at
the commencement of the day's work, I would
humbly suggest that the chapters selected should be
those which contain the Sermon on the Mount, for if
the heavenly morality inculcated there can be made
to sink deeply into the youthful hearts and minds of
Americans, then may we hope that in time to come
there will be a great change in the temper and
spirit of the people.
Youth will be remarkable for docility and purity,
the foul details of school life that at times find a
place in the columns of the public journals will be
seen no more. Contempt for parents and elders, so
much complained of, and defiance of authority, will
not be rife throughout the land.
Men will deal honestly and fairly one with
another. Women will be good wives and mothers.
Parents will fulfil their duties by their children,
husbands and wives dwelling together as becomes
those who are solemnly pledged to do so in the
sight of Heaven. Old age will command the
respect and deference to which a life of dignified
propriety entitles those who are spared on earth

346

THE GREAT COUNTBY.

as guides and examples for the rising generation.
Such a state of society alone can insure to America
the title that she claims of being that which the
writer of these humble pages most sincerely wishes
her to be indeed—
THE GREAT COUNTRY.

APPENDIX.
EXCERPTA FROM NEWSPAPERS.

FREEDMEN'S BUREAU.
EVEN the Tribune begins to believe what General Grant says
about the infamous swindle known as the Freedmen's Bureau.
" It is no, longer doubted/' says the Tribune, " that enormous
frauds have been perpetrated in the Second Auditor's office in
the payment of the bounties to the coloured troops, and there
is every reason to believe that the Government has been swindled to the extent of 1,500,000 dollars," and " i t appears further," says the Tribune, " t h a t certain clerks in the Second
Auditor's office in the Bureau of Coloured Troops, and in the
Freedmen's Bureau, entered into a conspiracy, and that papers
for whole regiments have been forged, presented, and paid."
Yet the radical party proposes to continue this outrage, which
is not only bleeding the white tax-payers of the North out of
millions of dollars annually, professedly for the blacks, but is
made the means of swindling them out of millions more for the
benefit of loyal clerks and agents of the Freedmen's Bureau, and
for the coloured troops. The time is very near at hand when
the simple statement that " the coloured troops fought nobly "
will scarcely be considered as a compensatory return for the
millions of money stolen from the Treasury by loyal thieves.—
New Torlc World, Southern paper.

KU-KLUX-KLAN.
A GENUINE KU-KLUX.

To the Editor of the La Grosse Democrat.
An event hath Happened—an event dire and portentous. I
have had an adventure—a strange and thrilling adventure, and

348

APPENDIX,

I hasten to record it for your benefit. If you will but listen, I
will a tale unfold that will cultivate the soul, warm thy young
blood, and play the devil with thee generally. I have seen a
Ku-Klux, ay, a cyclops, which I suppose every one knows is
simply a larger edition of a Ku-Klux, or a well-grown Ku-Klux.
The "how " of the thing was as follows :—Yesterday evening I
sallied forth after supper to enjoy my evening walk, which I
usually take upon the banks of the beautiful lake, upon which
our bureau-nigger-ridden little village is situated. I had walked
but a few hundred yards beyond the " r h u b a r b s " of the town
when I heard a strange noise, and looking up beheld a strange
sight, which made each "particular hair stand on end," and
nearly made me run away. Advancing towards me at a slow *
pace I saw a being in the shape of a man, but so large ! Why,
the top of his head, from which sparks of fire were issuing,
reached above the tops of the surrounding trees. His eyes (of
which he had three, as I afterwards discovered,) looked like
illuminated dining plates, and his mouth looked almost as large
as the Mammoth Cave. Now was not this a sight to appal a
poor, unreconstructed, anti-convention, anti-constitution Reb ?
It would have appalled me, Brick, but you see I am a brave
man—a very brave man. As I happened to have a pocket
pistol with me of the largest size, I calmly and heroically determined to stand my ground. Taking up a safe position behind
a log I drew the pocket pistol aforesaid from my pocket, extracted the cork, elevated it to my eye ? gazed long and
anxiously through it at the slowly approaching monster.
Nearer he came and nearer, and I began to think that he
would pass me, when suddenly I heard a long-drawn whiff as
though some agreeable scent had struck his nostrils, and stooping down the giant began to look anxiously and slowly around.
Satisfied that he had smelt the contents of the pistol aforesaid,
and confident that I would be discovered, I stepped boldly forth
from my hiding place, mounted the log, and saluted him with,
"Stranger, won't you take a drink f His instant response was,
" You bet! " and in the twinkling of an eye my pocket pistol
vanished upwards into mid air only to be instantly returned—
empty. " Do you call that a drink 1" said the stranger, " why
that ain't a smell." " Say you so," said I. " Well now, stranger,
you sit down here three minutes, and I'll try and give you a

APPENDIX.

349

drink." Now it so happened that I had a ten gallon keg of
" the ardent," not yet tapped, so running to my house I shouldered the keg, brought it out on the lake bank, knocked out
the head and tendered it to my visitor, who was then squatting
down by the roadside. In an instant the keg was lifted to his
mouth, and when it reached the ground some three gallons of
its contents had disappeared. " Ah ! " said my visitor, " that
is something like a drink. It is the first I have tasted since I
was killed at Seven Pines, and I tell you it tastes good."
" Take another," said I. "You're a brick," said he, "and I
don't care if I do," and shortly after another gallon kept company with the others. "So," says I, "you're a ghost, are you 1
Well, sir, glad to see you. I've long wanted to see a ghost, but
I didn't expect to see that they were so large." " Oh ! "
said the stranger, " after a man's killed, the size of his
ghost depends upon the size of soul. Some very large men
in life, when they get to the next world, ain't larger than
your finger, and have to spend all their time in dodging
around to keep some of us full-grown fellows from treading
on them by accident. Most all of us Southern boys are
pretty large, though sometimes a small one turns up ; while
the most of the down east Yankees are of quite small size,
averaging generally about the size of that thing you call
a bottle." Here he pointed at the defunct corpus of my
pocket pistol, and continued, " It's really amusing to see
those little fellows dodging around still, to get out of our
way, just like they used to in life. But," continued he, " the
smallest pattern of all are the bondholders. Why, when
they get there, a dozen of them sometimes live under one
blade of grass, and then when they go they have to pack their
bonds with them, which tires them wonderfully." " What
do you live on 1" said I. " On manna. It grows on trees,
and the higher it is on the tree, the sweeter and better it is.
We big fellows who can pick it off the top, fare splendidly; but
the little fellows who have to live on what grows on the sprouts
around the root of the tree, have a pretty hard time of it. I
once, for a curiosity, reached down and plucked a little of it
and tasted it, and it puckered up my mouth like a green persimmon." "Have you classes of society there V asked I. " Oh
yes, and we are as exclusive as you are on earth. We big

350

APPENDIX.

fellows, who call ourselves Cyclops, think a great deal of the
next size called Ku-Klux, and we associate freely together;
but neither of us will associate with the smaller fry. Each set
has its distinctive name. Fgr instance, the bondholders are
called gad flies, taking their name from their occupation on
earth." Here my visitor took another drink, and announced
that it was time for him to go. I told him that I would like
to measure him, to which he most obligingly consented, and
lying down on his back, waited till I went for a tape line, and
then assisted me in taking his dimensions. From this kindness
on his part I am enabled to say to you that he measured one
hundred and seven feet, three and a-half inches in height,
forty-six feet five inches around the waist, twenty-four feet eight
inches around the thighs, and eleven feet nine inches and
twenty-five cents around the wrist. After getting the measurements, my friend asked me if I was satisfied. I told him I
should like to weigh him, but didn't know where to find scales
large enough for the purpose. In the most obliging manner
he at once drew a Eairbank's patent platform hay-scales out
of his coat pocket, and having adjusted it, stood on his back
on the scales, with his head, shoulders and legs elevated, while
I ascertained that he weighed exactly four tons two ounces and
a half. He then took another drink, put his scales in his
pocket, and after taking another, departed, promising to call
again another day. Should he do so I will at once inform you.
In thinking over it since, I think I should have weighed him
when I first met him, for I am satisfied that he weighed three
drams more when I placed him on the scales than he did when
I first met him.
DOL.
Marian, Ark, April 11, 1868.

The " Ku-Klux-Klan" have been the subject of much
comment. We believe there is nothing serious in the organisation,—some fun-loving fellows having an eye to merriment,
in frightening by strange edicts the " loil leegers" and thievers.
Wm. G. Brownlow, pretended Governor of this State, delivers
his gangrened, hate-eaten heart of some of its superfluous
venom and malignity in counselling, through the columns of
his paper, the Knoxville Whig, the fanning anew of the flames

APPENDIX.

351

of civil war, calling upon the white and black negroes to massacre the " Ku-Kluxs " wherever found.
" The words that should sufficiently accuse
And execrate such reprobate, had need
Come glowing from the lips of eldest Hell! "

What a comment upon the progress and civilization of the
nineteenth century. A Governor inciting the citizens over
whose destinies he presides to butcher each other in cold blood.
Yet in hope do we turn from so dark a picture, feeling that ere
long the sun of a triumphant Democracy shall shed over the
land genial rays of prosperity and gladness that shall cause
" T h e cares that now infest the day,
To fold their tents like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away."

ANTIPATHY TO NEGROES.

The depth of infamy to which some men have descended was
demonstrated in the House of Kepresentatives yesterday. I t
was remarked that not a few Radical members, once regarded
as worthy to associate with gentlemen, voted to put a negro in
office in opposition to one of their own race.—Atlanta Paper,

REPUDIATION.
Repudiation looms in the future as the inevitable consequence of the new turmoils into which the politicians of both
sides are plunging the country. Mad with party hates, the
Kadicals on one side, and the President and his advisers on the
other, take no care for the necessities of the nation, heed not
the fact that the people are depressed with the weight of taxes
—that the country is staggering under the evils incident to the
actual destruction of its financial equilibrium. Indifferent to
the obvious facts of the nation's condition—that it needs to be
set on its feet, and needs the assistance of wise laws and moderate administration to enable it to recover from the tremendous
drain made on its vitality by the war; indifferent or blind to
all that they should see, the men in high places push the
destructive purposes of party with such fury that the financial

352

APPENDIX.

honour of the Government must surely go down in the struggle.
Suddenly, as the immediate result of the struggle for party
power, the great doubt of the war, the deep problem that was
supposed to be determined and closed for ever, is opened again.
That great doubt was, would *the United States go through so
fearful a struggle and come out safely—come out soon also—a
vital, efficient power, possessed of a dominant legitimate Government, acting under the law 1 Upon that point rested our credit,
and as the result seemed doubtful for us our bonds went down ;
as the prospect brightened they went up. But the war was
brought to a close. The legitimate Government had triumphantly asserted its power, and was respected and supreme in
the exercise of all its functions. We had falsified all the
examples of history and all the ill-natured prophecies by going
through the great struggle without political convulsion, and the
vast debt we had incurred to rescue the nation seemed safe—
the pledge of our honour sure to be redeemed. But all at once
there is an entire change. We are thrown back from the fixed
point we had reached, and float in the uncertain sea of revolutionary troubles, so tossed hither and thither that none can say
where we may be beached. We are again in the category of
nations whose great wars ended in great internecine contests
for political power ; and people must reason to our future from
such examples as that of France, in which the series of changes
ran through a score of years and upset all law and order. Who
shall say now that the nation's bonds will ultimately be of more
value than were those of France 1 or that the United States'
greenback will not figure in the same chapter of monetary
history that recites the story of the French assignats ? Our
tendency is downward in the same direction. Already a party
has dared to raise its head to put forward a repudiation candidate for the Presidency; and now that the people can see no
prospect that the burden of* taxes will be relieved, now that
there is all appearance that our financial condition will go from
bad to worse, this repudiation party will find its hands immensely
strengthened in popular sympathy, and may suddenly discover
that it has grown to be one of the great exponents of the popular
will, And thus it is that impeachment, and the disturbance it
involves, means in the result neither more nor less than national
bankruptcy.—New York Herald.

APPENDIX.

353

GREENBACK REPUDIATION.

The Chicago Tribune, in attempting to correct a misrepresentation of the position of this paper on the bond question,
says :—
*
" His (Pomeroy's) plan is, to repudiate both bonds and greenbacks, and make one job of it. He condemns the sneaking way
of stabbing the national creditors in the back in the dark, as
advocated by the Chicago Times and other cowardly Copperhead
prints.''
Now, the above statement that we are in favour of repudiating
the greenbacks is a notable lie, and is the result of ignorance on
the part of the Tribune writer, or is one of their characteristic
dodges wherewith they expect to make capital. If it is the first,
we suggest the Tribune engage some man who can read and
understand the English language ; if it is the latter, we do not
quite understand what remedy to apply, as there is no law in
Chicago, we believe, which prevents a lying Jacobin indulging
in his favourite pastime.
We have never advocated the repudiation of the greenbacks,
and the Tribune should know, if it knows anything. On the
contrary, we have asserted, and do now affirm, that such a
course would be dangerous and unjust, because, instead of
crushing the thieving aristocracy of bondholders, shoddyites,
and contractors, it would be a direct blow at any and all poor
people of the country who might be so unfortunate as to have
a few dollars in their possession, which, in such an event, they
would lose. For the benefit of the Tribune and everyone else,
we republish the following from our previous article on the subject :—
" W e propose, as the Tribune well knows, to prevent this
calamity to the industrial classes, by at once making a clean
sweep of the bonds and the taxation necessary to sustain them.
This remedy is plain and direct, free from all complications, and
insures certain and absolute relief from the ' burden of debt
and taxation,' which the Jacobin leader admits to be so c oppressive.' "
Do you find any greenback repudiation in that ? When you
want to lie about us again, please do it on some less important
subject.-^La Crosse Democrat.
A A

354

APPENDIX.
POLITICAL RANCOUR.
JACOBINS—NOTHING BUT JACOBINS.

We like the ring of that resolution adopted by the Maine
Democracy in State Convention at Augusta :—
" That the time had come for all to band against the
Jacobins."
" Jacobins" is the very best word in the language, because
it is the word that has the most meaning to properly characterize the Radical party. They call themselves Republicans,
but to that character we all know they have really no claim.
There is positively nothing Republican about them, unless it
be Red Republicanism.
They are Jacobins—because they seek to govern the people
through the instrumentality of a Central Directory, or a Rump
Congress, from whose decrees there is no appeal.
They are Jacobins—because under the rallying cry of Liberty,
Equality, and Fraternity, they have, since their accession to
power, helped to deluge the land with fraternal blood.
They are Jacobins—because under pretence of giving liberty
to men, they have set up a military despotism, which leaves
millions of men of their own race practically no liberty whatever.
They are Jacobins—because they rule, and seek to rule, by
force, intimidation, and terror.
They are Jacobins—because they have set up, and seek to
set up, the power of the few over the wishes of the many.
They are Jacobins—because they are constantly seeking to
stir up strife, and to excite the passions and prejudices of one
class of people against another class.
They are Jacobins—because they are eternally attempting
mischievous experiments in government, politics, finance,—
incessant agitation being an element without which they cannot
exist.
They are Jacobins—because of their conscription and forced
levies, to feed the jaws of war and of death, with which their
name must ever be historically associated.
I t took the French people some years to get rid of this
hideous monster, Jacobinism—but an end was made of it at last;
so we too, if historical parallels are worth anything, need not

APPENDIX.

355

despair of driving it from existence. We believe it has already
run its course, and that if the great Democratic National Convention, now about to assemble, but acts—as doubtless it will
act—with ordinary discretion, the hideous thing, with all its
ghastly accompaniments, will be deep down in its grave about
the time the wintry winds of November are whistling in our
ear.—-New York Evening Express.

POLITICAL HONESTY.
FRAUD IN THE ELECTION OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.

It seems to have been a preconcerted plan on the part of the
Radicals on yesterday to elect their Speaker in the House by
fraud and brute force. In respect to the day before proceeding
to the election of officers, Captain Dunlap Scott moved an
adjournment, which motion Governor Bullock refused to put.
General Meade being present, Scott appealed to the military,
but instead of putting his motion, after a short conference
between Meade and Bullock, the latter ordered the election to
proceed, in violation of a parliamentary rule common to all
deliberative bodies, and familiar to every man with the least
knowledge of parliamentary usage. The House then proceeded to
the election of a Speaker, which resulted as follows:—McWhorter
(Radical), 76 ; Price (Democrat), 74 ; Holden, 1.
Price having absented himself from the Hall for a moment
whilst the vote was being taken, was told on his return that
McWhorter had, in his absence, voted for him, and in return
for the compliment, when Price's name was called, he voted for
McWhorter. When informed that McWhorter had not voted
for him, Price asked permission to withdraw his vote, which
was granted by Governor Bullock, he (Bullock) stating that
another vote would be added to Price, so that the vote, as
ordered by Bullock, would stand thus :—McWhorter, 76—1
—75 ; Price, 74—1—75 ; Holden, 1—1 ; leaving it a tie vote
between McWhorter and Price. Without adding Price's vote
to Price, McWhorter was still lacking one vote of an election,
as a majority of all the votes cast was necessary to an election.
That majority McWhorter did not receive, hence there was no
election, and it is but due to the House and the State that
A A 2

356

APPENDIX.

Governor Bullock should, on Monday next, order an election for
Speaker of the House.
If such a flagrant act of injustice as this—such an outrage
upon the people of Georgia is committed in broad daylight, in
the presence of hundreds of eye-witnesses, and under the immediate eye and direction of His Eoyal Highness the Military
Satrap of this District, what stupendous frauds may we not
infer were perpetrated by these same men behind the curtain in
the election of members to the Legislature. If General Meade
has any regard other than that of a tyrant and usurper for the
rights of an oppressed and down-trodden people, we appeal to
him to see that justice is done all parties in this election. If
McWhorter was fairly elected Speaker, all parties should cheerfully acquiesce in the result; but viewed in its true light, the
people of Georgia will have cause/ unless another election is
ordered, to brand this one as a fraud and an outrage upon their
rights.
Fortunately for the honour of the State in preventing a
repetition of like frauds in the election of other officers, just as
that of Speaker closed, a Eadical band in front of the Hall
commenced a patriotic air, which created a scene of confusion
inside, resulting in an unceremonious and unparliamentary
adjournment of the House.—Atlanta Paper.

CORRUPTIONS IN OFFICE.
OUR CITY LEGISLATORS.

Among the many accommodating terms which abound in the
English language, there is scarcely any one so much used as that
of "routine business." All sorts of societies, clubs, conventions
have what is called "routine" business, and being known as
" routine," there is little or no attention paid to it en passant.
Our noble, virtuous, valiant and highly enlightened city fathers
in their assemblies have also what is termed " routine" business,
but their routine is something more than the mere calling of
the roll and reading of the minutes of the previous meeting,
for under their routine are perpetrated at times many of the
most barefaced swindles on the residents of particular localities
or on the entire tax-paying portion of the community.
These

APPENDIX.

357

particular classes of resolutions at a cursory glance would appear
to be public benefits, and they have become of such frequent
occurrence that their introduction or their presence is not
heeded by any but those who, besides the official, will be
directly interested in their passage by the Common Council,
and who, in conjunction with the accommodating legislator, have
thereby made for them slits in the public money-bags through
which they may insert their itching fingers and steal the people's
wealth.
And because of their frequent occurrence they are
shoved ahead as " routine."
There may be- yet some inhabitant living who can remember
when the position of alderman was considered an honorary one ;
when the matters connected with the extorting of money from
the people and expending it for the particular benefit of the
" ring" and its adjuncts were proceedings unknown. There are
some yet living who can remember the fact that when matters
connected with the public business were agitated, the doors of
the council chambers were opened to those who were obliged to
pay for any improvements that were to be made, and when the
party who could show the most reasonable and honest arguments
on a point would have the verdict in his favour; when legislators
—even city officials—cared something for their good names, and
could allow their speeches or debates to go before their constituents. There are many who can remember the fact that the
members of the Common Council advertised notices of the place
and time of the assembling of the various committees, and when
parties interested could attend and give their views, so that the
general public sentiment could be known ; but then a bottle of
whiskey was not the presiding officer of the committee meeting,
and the reports of the committees and subsequent action of
the boards did not entirely depend on the amount of money
used as a press to seal up a document or a lever to prize it open.
But how different is the case at the present day ? The
wholesale robberies by the national Congress and the State
Legislature are imitated as closely as possible, as far as the
amount of plunder will permit, by our municipal managers, but
with less attempt at legal covering, owing to the fact that while
the " heavy villains" in the former are polished, and in many
cases learned in the legal profession, and are enabled, therefore, to be more subtle than the latter, who, like " front wood

358

APPENDIX.

robbers," depend more on fierce looks, heavy lip-hair, slouched
hats and bravado to strike terror into their victims, and thus
render them easy to be plucked. They have certainly struck
terror into the city taxpayers, and although feeble protests,
made generally on very thin paper and pressed by young
attorneys, have been thrown before the " army of occupation "
on its victorious march, the paper was so thin and the weight of
the abstruse calculations on it so damaging to the fabric, that
some of the " ring >' masters have always succeeded in puncturing it with one finger, or have completely effaced the protest by
crumpling it in their brawny fists.
To read the printed reports of the meetings of the Board of
Aldermen, or Councilmen, or Supervisors, a person would fail
to discover, perhaps, any of the nice " little games " that are run
in or left out, as the case may be, under " routine." Alderman
McDildarrel, from the Ninety-first ward, introduces " Besolution with ordinance attached," providing that 1954th street,
from Fifty-first to Fifty-eighth avenue, be regulated and graded,
curb and gutter stones set, and sidewalks flagged a space of
four feet wide through the centre thereof, under the direction
of the Croton Aqueduct Department." This street may be at
present located beneath the " rock of ages." But what of that 1
There are some ravenous maws to be satisfied, and a little of
the municipal pap distributed in this way can be made to serve
several members of the " third house," who are daily becoming
more ferocious while observing the milk and honey flowing in
such huge quantities into the aldermanic trough, and positively
declare—the positives used being generally expressive though
not always elegant expletives—that " if Paddy Mac don't get
nothing for him he'll git square on Paddy, and won't vote for
none of his fellows agin more'n three or four times nix election."
This is a fearful threat, and so Paddy Mac looks about and
consults his fellow aldermen to see if there ain't some place
where a street can be opened. "He's got a decent young
fellow wot wants a job and wot's hard up, and he's a 6 worker/
you know, and he don't care about gittin him agin him, 'cause
he's got two or tree dozen votes on de av'n'e." They find
1954th street is somewhat out of the way, and might be opened
on paper, and then, while Paddy Mac's friend can be provided
for there are several other places, and Tim O'Rartigan and

APPENDIX.

359

Jerry McMurtigan and two or three others each know some
" decent young fellow wot's out of a job," and so the resolution is prepared, carelessly tHrown on the President's desk,
and when meeting day arrives the title of the paper is carelessly and quickly read, and the matter referred to the Committee
on " Street Openings " or " Roads," or " laid over," as best may
suit the friends of the " decent young fellows wot wants the
jobs." In due course of time the matter is brought into court;
commissioners of assessment are appointed, who estimate the
amount of damage and of benefit to the surrounding property.
These commissioners are generally friends of some of the big
guns in the " ring." The plans and specifications are made out,
and proposals made by contractors, and contracts awarded after
the stipulations are settled that Paddy's and Tim's and Jerry's
friends are to be made inspectors. They may not know what
a square yard is composed of; they may not know whether the
work is done according to the terms of the contract or not, and
they don't care. They do not even, perhaps, take the trouble
to find out what part of the island the street is o n ; but they
know where to go to sign the pay roll, to make affidavit that
they have performed their duty, and that is enough for them
to know. Three dollars a day for the onerous duty of making
" h i s m a r k " once or twice in a month is their look out, and
that part of their work they do as well as they are able.
When the streets are cut through there must be gas mains laid
and street lamps posted, and by a little arrangement between
some of the gas companies and the representatives of the
aldermanic " ring " that part of the programme can be settled.
The ordinance goes in and through as " ordinary routine," and
all this is done " under the direction of the Croton Aqueduct
Department." This latter department the people believe to be
well and ably conducted, and the aldermen, knowing this to be the
popular belief, throw the work on that department, and it must
be performed, because the Croton board has no power or voice
in the matter, and must do as it is ordered. Then there are
the " wooden pavement " jobs—a very recent invention. The
honourable the Boards of Aldermen and Councilmen do not
wait for the property owners to ask for this wooden business,
and as it is a " patent" pavement, the holders of the copyright alone have the power to lay it. Five dollars per square

360

APPENDIX.

yard gives the owners a margin from which the grease for the
wheels of legislation can be squeezed, and the jobs are scattered
around so that each member # of the " r i n g " may have two or
three " wooden " streets in his district. In fact, so handsomely
and with such a full acknowledgment of the rule of " honour
among thieves " are things arranged in caucus and committee,
that it is unnecessary to have any questions or debates on the
matter in the public meetings of the boards. A person attending
one of these meetings sees everything apparently honest; once
in a while a little joke is indulged in at the expense of some
of the members who may not be destined to have a share in
some particular haul, and occasionally one of the worthy gentlemen who imagines he has not been fairly dealt with, or will not
be "seen " on some of the jobs, will make a little trouble, and
the matter is laid over for the present. A colour of legality,
and a very slight colour, may be given by adhering to the
rules of the boards ; but the unruly member must be brought
around, and so the room is cleared of all outsiders, as the
Board is about to hold a "private meeting," and in that
meeting the affair is more amicably disposed of.
There are numerous little perquisites that the " bosses " can
receive without being much questioned. Brian O'Linn wants
to open an oyster-stand on the sidewalk of some of the streets.
Brian has a few dollars. He " sees " the alderman, who calls
on some of his colleagues, and the poor fellow (Brian) is
kindly granted permission to open his stand and his oysters,
obstruct the street, annoy pedestrians, but please the alderman. Volumes might be filled with specimens of the handsome and dirty doings of the city fathers, but the volumes
thus filled could avail but little. The city government requires
to undergo a radical change, and until some plan can be devised
for first purifying the judiciary—placing it beyond the power
of the roughs and " rounders " of the city, and so disposed that
a whisper from some politician cannot effect the release of
thieves and murderers—the citizens can expect no cessation of
the wholesale plunderings by the round-headed, close-cropped,
beetle-browed, pug-nosed, bullet-eyed, high-cheeked, thick-lipped,
big-toothed, square-jawed, bull-necked blackguards who control
at present the avenues and the revenues of the metropolis.—
New York Herald, May, 1868.

APPENDTN.

:>A\\

ADVERTISEMENTS.

A

BSOLUTE DIYORCES LEGALLY OBTAINED in New
York and States where desertion, drunkenness, *fec, sufficient cause. No publicity. No charge until divorce obtained.
Advice free. M. HOWES, Attorney, 70, Nassau Street.

A

BSOLUTE LEGAL DIVORCES OBTAINED in New
York ; also from States where non-support, drunkenness or
desertion is sufficient cause. No publicity. FREDERICK L
KING, Counsellor at Law, 2G1, Broadway.

D

RUNKENNESS OR WHISKY MONOMANIA can be
cured as readily as any other disease. For proof positive,
call on or address with stamps, 11. S. BALLOU, 133, Clinton
Place, N.Y.
''FILIAL AFFECTION."
The following letter is a perfect model in its way : " Dear
Brother—I've got one of the handsomest farms in the State, and
have it nearly paid for. Crops are good, prices never were better.
We have had a glorious revival of religion in our church, and both
our children (the Lord be praised !) are converted. Father got
to be rather an incumbrance, and last week I took him to the
poor-house.
Your affectionate brother/'—Morning Star, Neio
Orleans, April 12, 18G8.
-MORALITY.
Two very respectable gentlemen of Auburn, New York, recently eloped, each with the other's wife, on the same train and
the same dark night. A recognition ensued in the waiting-room
at Syracuse, an exchange was effected, and there is no more
division in those households.
RELIGIOUS PROGRESS.
Intelligence continues to reach us of the spread of the religious interest throughout the country. Since our last report
seventy more churches have been heard from, which have re-

362

APPENDIX.

ceived to their communion 2240 converts. Since the beginning
of the year, only some four months, we have recorded revivals
in nearly 1000 churches, to which there have been added on
profession of faith 16,410 members. Of the seventy churches
which report accessions the past week twenty-three are Presbyterian, and the number of converts received by them is nearly
900. The First church, Kensington, Philadelphia, has been
enjoying a wonderful baptism of the Spirit. Sunday, the 10th
instant, 101 were received to the membership of the church.
The remarkable religious interest that prevails in New Albany,
Indiana, has resulted in adding to the First Presbyterian church
110, and to the Second 122 converts.
A religious interest has been prevailing in some of the
churches of Washington, and since the week of prayer the
Sixth Presbyterian church has received thirty, the Fourth nineteen, and the First nine converts. In the State street church,
Albany, twenty-six have lately made public profession of their
faith. At South Bend, Indiana, sixty-four converts have joined
the Presbyterian church. Twenty have been received since
January by the North church, St. Louis, and sixteen by the
Central church, San Francisco.
To twenty-one Congregational churches 620 converts have
lately been added. On the 5th ultimo forty persons united in
profession of faith. Forty-six joined the Fifth church, Plymouth, Massachusetts, on the 5th ultimo.
In twenty-two Baptist churches 724 converts have been recently baptized. The Examiner says of the good work in this
city ;—" A widespread religious interest has refreshed nearly all
the churches. Yery little extra aid has been called in. A fewchurches have had professed revivalists to help them. But the
work has been quite as deep and powerful where the pastor and
the people have done the labour. Since Mr. Earle left the
Tabernacle church meetings have been held every night, and
the interest, instead of waning, has actually increased. About
150 have been converted and seventy-five have been baptized in
this church."
The Reformed Messenger gives an account of the number confirmed at the late Easter communion in nineteen German
Beformed churches. At five churches in Philadelphia 230 were
received by confirmation; nine other churches of Pennsylvania

APPENDIX.

363

received 253, three in Baltimore, fifty-two; two in Ohio, at
East Union and New Lisbon, eighty. Thus, in all, 620 were
confirmed in these nineteen churches.
The Lutheran churches in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, and
Millersburg, Sonora, and Tuscarawas, Ohio, have lately received
to their communion 194 converts.
A Koman Catholic revival, or mission, has occurred in Norwich, Connecticut. The church was thronged for three weeks,
the confessional was crowded day and evening, and the results
were : " 3500 communions, hundreds of strayed sheep brought
back to the fold, the establishment of the confraternities of the
Holy Rosary and of the Angelic Warfare, and many other heavenly graces.''—New York Herald, May.

RELIGIOUS DISSENSIONS.
BRAWLING IN THE CHUECHES

THE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT.

Public attention is again forcibly called to the fact that
societies professedly Christian may set the worst examples in
regard to mild manners and gentleness of demeanour that can
be found in a peaceable community. Vestrymen, wardens, and
pastor of a Protestant Episcopal church in this city have
recently fallen by the ears in a dispute that is supposed to have
begun on points of formality in worship. Some are Ritualists
and some are not, and so arises a difference in regard to the
mere accessories of the service, which comes to a brawl in the
streets. Forgetting the essentials of all service, casting from
them the contrite heart and self-denying spirit, they dispute on
this immaterial point as if no command to " love one another "
had ever been heard in the world. Policemen are summoned
to put one party out of the church edifice and keep the other
in, and the locust club is held up as a terror to compel the
silence of a parson who desires to preach the Gospel from the
church steps. From the street the case goes to the courts, and
there is the usual farrago of argument on injunctions and
motions to dissolve and what not, and the acute wits of the
lawyers must settle the quarrel of the disciples of the " Peacemaker." There was a not dissimilar dispute in a church in a
ileighbouring city lately. Wardens and pastor quarrelled there

364

APPENDIX.

also. On Sunday the pastor began to read from the pulpit the
statement of his side of the case. One of the wardens called
upon the organist for music in the midst of the parson's statement ; and the organist played, with all the more gusto as he,
perhaps, looked to that warden for his pay. So it was a duel—
the organ on one * hand, the parson on the other; and the
latter was fairly piped into silence by the "deep, majestic,
solemn organ's blow.''
Such is the mood in which our religious societies frequently
appear; yet if there is one distinction of the Christian teachings
that may be called the pre-eminent one, it is that the disciples
of Christ should control especially those very instincts and
tendencies of our common human nature that lead to the
bitterness and fury of quarrel and dispute.
Temptation there
is in abundance ; human weakness too; and between these what
occurs ? All that strife and envy and ill-will that govern in the
world, and.to find the remedy for which was the special mission
of Christ.
Christ appeared and lived and died for nothing
if not to put a better relationship than that between men—if
not to regulate the intercourse of man with his fellows by a
spirit of charitable forbearance for all weaknesses, all errors and
differences. How is it, then, that men who are governed only
by hate, who construe every act in an ill sense, who go to
violence with the readiness of pothouse brawlers, who are ruled
by a spirit the very opposite to that of Christ—how is it that
such men dare call themselves Christians ] Is it not a profanity,
a blasphemy, that men should invoke the sacredness of such a
name to commend them before the world, while they are proving
by every possible act that they have no right to it ?
The truth as seen in all these unseemly exhibitions of religious societies is simply that the spirit of Christianity is not to
be found in the churches. Splendid architecture you may have
there. Music you may have there also—sometimes good, sometimes indifferent, sometimes as horrible as saw-filing.
Popular
parsons are there, too, with polished discourses on topics of more
or less interest. Fashionable society you may have there, but
Christianity, pure and simple, not once in ten thousand times.
Suppose you told the deacons of the church to sell all they had
and give it to the poor. With what Olympian laughter the aisles
would reverberate. Try the parson, the sisters, any part of th*e

APPENDIX.

365

establishment by any similar requirement of the Christian prece pts, and the test would infallibly tell you that they were not
the persons you thought. Either, then, those divine precepts
have no reality, no force, no proper application in our life, or all
this splendour and pride are inconsistent with Christianity.
Surely, when men have spent millions on an edifice to be proud
of it, it is hard for them to be humble in it. Christianity is the
name with which all these worshippers of their own pride and
wealth and taste cover their acts; but the spirit of Christianity
is to be sought in other places than among those who go into
court to find who really owns and shall control the valuable
piece of property on which they all want to worship God.—New
York Herald, May 3, 1868.

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE.
"THE COURT."

The prominent social events of the week have been the
reception of the ladies of the Executive Mansion, on Monday
evening, and that of General and Mrs. Grant last evening.
The reception at the White House was not largely attended,
but,seemed to be much enjoyed by the guests. The company
numbered not more than a few hundreds, while it often occurs
that there are several thousand visitors when a reception is
announced in the name of the President. It is not easily explained why this reception, announced in the name of the ladies
of the President's household, should attract such a diminished
number of visitors, especially as the entertainment is precisely
similar, in all its features, to the President's receptions. Mr.
Johnson was in the Blue Room almost as soon as the guests
began to assemble, and remained there during the evening,
assisting his daughters in the ceremonies of the occasion. Many
of your readers are familiar with the form observed in the introduction of guests at the White House receptions, but there
are many more who are not acquainted with the customs of
such an occasion, so for the information of the latter class it
may be mentioned that, on Monday evening, as usual, the President and his daughters, Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Stover (Mrs.
Johnson being an invalid, and, therefore, not present), occupied

366

APPENDIX.

the Blue Room, through which the procession of guests passed,
on their way to the East Eoom. On entering the Blue Room,
the visitor, if he be accompanied by a lady, mentions the name
of the lady and his own name to the Marshal of the District,
who stands near the threshold of the door, and only two or
three paces from the President. rfhe marshal steps forward
with the guests, and introduces each by name to the President,
who shakes the hand of every one so presented; and if the
visitor be an acquaintance of the President, a remark or two is
often interchanged. Occasionally a stranger essays a dialogue
with the President, but generally the visitors adhere to the
practice established in foreign courts, to address the ruler only
in case he initiates a conversation. The visitor, having shaken
hands with the President, again repeats his companion's name
and his own to the Commissioner of Public Buildings, who is
standing near by, and who makes the presentations by name to
Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Stover. These ladies generally shake
hands with the guests, and the latter then pass into the East
Room, some few (mostly personal acquaintances) passing behind
the President and his daughters, aud remaining in the Blue
Room witnessing the introduction of the guests. Arrived in
the brilliant East Room, the company is soon distributed in
groups throughout the splendid apartment. Then commences
the promenade, which is kept up all the evening. The procession, generally made up of couples, extends around the room,
the members constantly changing places, and continuing a lively
conversation. Above the noise of the talking is heard the loud
strains of the indifferent music of the Marine Band, stationed in
an ante-room. Before midnight the throng has dispersed.
The President, usually very courteous and smiling during the
receptions, wore an expression of severity on Monday evening,
which seemed incapable of relaxation. The ladies, on the contrary, were cheerful, and entertained with their customary ease
and dignity. Mrs. Patterson wore a white silk dress, striped
with black; sash of the same material, edged with white fringe;
hair dressed with a white japonica. Mrs. Stover wore a black
Lyons velvet dress, cut low in the neck; lace spencer; hair
ornamented with a white japonica; pearl and jet jewellery.
General and Mrs. Grant were among the guests. Mrs. Grant
appeared in a green silk dress, with point lace collar, and a black

APPENDIX.

367

lace shawl. Secretary Seward was present, his first appearance at
an entertainment of this character since his domestic afflictions.
The healed wounds upon his face have left his right cheek
much disfigured, drawing it out of shape and making it appear
larger than the other cheek. The army and navy, and the
foreign embassies were represented ; and conspicuous among the
other visitors were Hon. It. S. Spofford and his wife, Harriet
Prcscott Spofford, and the Misses Smythe, of New York.
The reception of General and Mrs. Grant, on Wednesday
evening, was for the public generally. The labour and attention
necessarily required in sending out cards for their receptions
last winter, were so great that they concluded, to avoid a repetition of the trouble and errors of omission, and so they inserted
a brief announcement in the papers that they would receive
" those who choose to call" on the evenings of January 15 and
February 5. The residence of General Grant is exceedingly
well adapted to the holding of receptions. The visitor enters a
spacious hall, on the left of which is a large parlour, extending
the whole depth of the house. The front room, on the right of
the hall, is the library-room, containing the large and valuable
collection of books presented to the General by a fewr citizens of
Boston. The room in the rear of the library, generally used as
a dining-room, was occupied by the band of the 12th Infantry.
All of these rooms being thrown open, afforded ample space for
promenading. In the basement, directly under, and of the
same size as the parlour, is a room which was used last winter
for dancing ; but this was not thrown open last evening. The
General and Mrs. Grant occupied positions in the rear portion
of the parlour, and quite near the door. The former was in full
uniform, wearing the shoulder-straps of four stars. Mrs. Grant
wore a rich pink silk dress, with point lace collar and black lace
shawl. Her hair was crimped, and dressed with white daisies.
Speaker Colfax, with his mother and sister, called early, and he
held quite a loug conversation with the General. Mrs. Matthews
wore a wine-coloured corded silk, trimmed with black lace and
folds of black satin—lace coiffure and pearl jewellery. Miss
Matthews wore a lavender silk dress, trimmed with white
velvet. Miss Smythe, of New York city, wore a cherry silk
dress, with an over-dress of white French muslin, trimmed with
Cluny lace. Her sister wore a pink silk, with an over-dress of

368

APPENDIX.

white French muslin. The Secretary of State was there, in
hilarious mood, held a little conversation with the General, and
then strolled about, talking with the guests. PostmasterGeneral Randall was present with his young wife. She was
attired in a black silk dress, covered with a white lace shawl.
Among the other guests were Generals Sheridan, Harney, Ord,
Augur, L. Thomas, Can*, Washburne, Dent, Badeau, McCook,
Senators Cole and Corbett, Clark Mills, a few of the foreign
ministers, and a delegation of Indian chiefs. General Sheridan
made his appearance soon after ten o'clock. His brisk and
jovial manners seemed to infuse increased animation through
the company, and there was much standing on tip-toe to catch
a glimpse of his compact little figure.
The receptions of the wives of the members of the Cabinet,
yesterday afternoon, were well attended, and principally by
ladies. Mrs. McCulloch wore a rich dress of wine-coloured silk,
with point lace collar and garnet jewellery. Mrs. Browningwore a dress of black silk, and a head-dress of white lace. Miss
Browning was also attired in a black silk. Mrs. Welles wore a
black silk dress, with point lace collar, and a coiffure of point
lace. Mrs. Randall wore a brown silk dress, trimmed with folds
of white satin ; point lace collar, and jewellery of stone cameo,
surrounded with pearls.
Mrs. Sprague gave her first afternoon reception last Saturday. Elegance and refinement were the distinguishing features
of the occasion. Mrs. Sprague was superbly attired in a very
rich black and white brocade silk, and wore turquoise and
diamond ornaments. Miss Chase wore a blue silk dress, with
Pompadour waist and lace spencer. That beautiful little boy
and million-heir, Willie Sprague, was present, and was much
petted by the ladies. Mrs. Sprague gave a German on Monday
evening last.
Children's parties have been given lately at the residences of
General Grant and Secretary McCulloch. The children appeared
in fancy dress and character costumes.
Mr. Edward Thornton, the newly appointed British Minister
to this country, is expected in Washington in a few days, having
recently left England. His two immediate predecessors, Sir
Frederick Bruce and Lord Lyons, were both old bachelors; but,
as Mr. T. is a married man, it is supposed he will entertain

APPENDIX.

369

lavishly. The salary of his office has just been raised to 30,000
dollars in gold.—The Home Journal, Washington, January 16,
1868.
MRS. DOREMUS' RECEPTION.

On Thursday evening Mrs. Dr. Doremus gave her first grand
reception. The company was large and extremely fashionable,
including much of our " first society," with a goodly representation of foreign diplomats with their families. The costumes
of the ladies were unusually rich and elegant, with diamonds
and jewels that would compare favourably with those seen at
a court reception. Mrs. Doremus received her numerous guests
with that ease and elegance of manner which are so natural to
her. Among the ladies present we noticed Mrs. Blodgett,
Mrs. Sandford (wife of our minister to Belgium), Mrs. Jay,
Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Hills, Mrs. Low, Mrs. Boosevelt, Mrs. King,
' Mrs. Bingham, and others. There were many young ladies
present, conspicuous among whom were the Misses WagstafF,
Miss Minnie Parker, Miss Louise Thomson, and Miss Brooks.
Owing to the fact that one or two of our most accomplished
lady amateur singers were present, many expected a treat of
music, but the throng was thought to be too excessive to
permit indulging in their favourite amusement. This reception
was the first of three designed to be given this season by this
accomplished lady.
The beautiful Miss Efne Husted was married, a few evenings
since, to Mr. Cromwell, the wedding ceremony being performed
at the residence of the bride's parents. Mrs. Cromwell, nee
Husted, is the grand-daughter of the late John A. Cross, whose
estate is variously estimated at from two to five millions of
dollars; one of the principal heirs is Mrs. C. The weddingwas a grand affair, nearly four hundred of the elite of the city
being present.—On Wednesday evening last a large and fashionable company assembled at the Church of the Saviour, in
Pierrepont-street, to witness the marriage of Captain Sneider
to Miss Helen Strong. The bride and bridesmaids were elegantly
attired, and attracted much attention. The reception, which
took place on the same evening, at the residence of the bride's
B B

370

APPENDIX.

parents, First Place, was one of the finest affairs of the kind
that have been lately given in Brooklyn.—Miss Amy Condit,
of Montague-street, has issued cards for a German, to be given
on Tuesday, the 21st inst.—The long looked for wedding of
Miss Barber and Mr. Fred. H. Campbell was celebrated on
Thursday, at the Church of the Pilgrims, Rev. Dr. Storrs
officiating. It was, in every respect, a very stylish affair.—
The second reception of Mrs. Dr. Worster and daughters, on
Tuesday evening of last week, at their residence, 120, Ninthstreet, was one of the most brilliant of the season, and
was very largely attended. The guests numbered nearly two
hundred, representing the beauty and fashion of the city.
Among those present we noticed several brides in their superb
bridal costumes. The music (by Lander) was exquisite, the
supper bountiful, and the whole entertainment a decided success—A party, in compliment to two brides, was given on Monday
evening of last week, by Mrs. G.
- , at 30, East Thirty-fifthstreet. The Misses Sloman sang, and played on the harp and
piano. The scientific execution and vocal performances of these
ladies are something marvellous. Were they professional artists
they would create an immense sensation.
ENTERTAINMENTS.

On Monday evening Miss Cooper, 120, West Twenty-third/
street, gave a large and fashionable German, led by Mr. Foley,
of this city, who introduced the usual figures. Among the
many beautiful young ladies present, we noticed Miss Corlies,
the Misses Clark, and Miss Waterbury, all beautifully attired.—
On the .same evening there was a reception at Delmonico's, No. 1,
East Fourteenth-street, and the Misses Bradley had a pleasant
soiree dansante.—On Tuesday evening Miss Ray, Eighth-street,
gave one of the largest parties of the season. Mrs. Stuyvesant
gave a grand ball which was largely attended; Mrs. Evan
Walker, 306, Fifth Avenue, gave a large reception, Miss Emerson
gave a German, and the " Four o'clock German " met at Miss
Hyde's, in Twenty-third-street.—On Wednesday evening, Miss
Raymond gave a German ; Mrs. Tiffany a party, with the
German, led by Mr. Dean; Miss King a soiree dansante; and the
Lindsey Blues their fifteenth annual ball, at Irving Hall, which

APPENDIX.

371

was well attended, and passed off to the satisfaction of all
present.—On Thursday evening, Mrs. Marcy, Madison Avenue,
had a large dinner party; the Misses Moore a German ; and
Mrs. Arthur gave an entertainment of tableaux vivants, which
were well arranged, and presented in a creditable manner.
Some of the tableaux were strikingly beautiful, and were frequently encored, especially the scenes from the " Merry Wives
of Windsor," and " Faust." Miss Emily Caswell, as Marguerite,
in the garden scene, looked very charming.—Miss Ad die
Mangan, 551, Fifth Avenue (Murray Hill), gave a large and
elegant party, on Thursday evening last, in honour of the
Misses Howell, of Philadelphia, who are on a brief visit to New
York. These ladies received marked attention from the opposite
sex on account of their beauty and elegant appearance, but the
centre of attraction was the fair hostess herself, Miss Mangan
being a beautiful blonde, who, in Europe, a few years since, was
'a great belle. The company was large and fashionable, the
music good, and the supper, in this instance, worthy of mention.
All the delicacies of the season (and many not in season) were
on the bill of fare, and the good things were fully appreciated
by the guests.—The Deux-Temps Sociable held their fourth
reception at the residence of Miss Burnham, West Twenty-firststreet, on Wednesday evening last. The German was led by Mr.
Blake, who introduced some new and beautiful figures. This is
the first season of the Deux-Temps, and the sociables held have
been among the most successful of the season.—A very brilliant
reception was given by Mrs. John Sherwood, in Thirty-secondstreet, on Saturday last. One of the most beautiful women
present was Mrs. Whitney, of Philadelphia.
So attractive and
superb a woman is destined to have as much influence in
fashionable society in New York as she enjoyed in'Philadelphia.
—Mr. Hamilton gave a very elegant ball on Friday evening, at
Delmonico's.
MATKIMONIAL ENGAGEMENTS.

Mr. L. Jones is engaged to Miss Kingsland; Mr. Halley to
Miss Ida Rathbone; Mr. Charles Secor to Miss Slater, of
Boston; Mr. Griswold to Miss Otis; Colonel Housemann to
Miss Allen; Mr. F . Evans to Miss Dora Townsend, daughter
B B 2

372

APPENDIX.

of W. A. Townsend, publisher, of Broome-street; Mr. Henry
Tucker to Miss Ettie C. Wood; Mr. Henderson to Miss McKim,
of Baltimore ; Mr. William Biggs to Miss Julia Harris, and
Mr. Kilbume to Miss Patterson, of Brooklyn. In Brooklyn,
we believe therfollowing to be officially announced : Dr. Frank
Bush to Miss Mattie James) Mr. Huntingdon to Miss Leonard;
Mr. E. S. Wheeler to Miss Jennings ; Mr. Hyde to Miss Delia
Chapman; and Mr. John Beatty to Miss Hetty Bull.—From
Philadelphia we learn of the engagement of Mr. Lee L. Hynemann to Miss Grace Marks, and the betrothal of Mr. John I.
Rowland to Miss Cassie Mayer.
THE PURTM BALL.

For the accommodation of subscribers to former balls, the
committee of the Purim Association announce that a book for
the registration of names is now open at the office of the
secretary, Mr. A. L. Sanger, 243, Broadway, room 9.
The
seventh Purim Ball will take place at Pike's Opera House, on
Monday evening, March 9 th.
MISCELLANEOUS.

There was a grand wedding, last week, in Cincinnati. The
groom was the gallant Brevet Brigadier-General George D.
Buggies, Assistant Adjutant-General U. S. A., and the bride
the pretty and accomplished daughter of Samuel S. L'Hommedieu, Esq. The wedding took place at Christ Church, in the
presence of an immense throng of relatives and friends. The
ceremony was performed by the Bight Rev. Bishop M'Coskrey,
of Michigan, assisted by the Bev. Mr. Snively.—A grand
wedding takes place at the Broadway Tabernacle on the 30th
inst. The groom is Mr. Robert J. Clyde (of the firm of Clyde
and Black, Broadway), and the bride Miss Julia M. Loper,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Loper, of East Thirty-fifthstreet. There are to be three bridesmaids; six hundred invitations have been issued, and the parents of the bride give a
grand reception in the evening at their residence.—In answer
to a query, " W h a t is the significance of turning down the
corner of a card 1" we reply, that whenever this is done, it implies that the person calling desires to see two persons.—Dickens
was a guest of Mr. Geo. W. Child during his stay in Philadel-

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373

phia.
Mr. Child is one of the most public-spirited men in the
Quaker city, and his company is courted by the best society
there.—New York Home Journal, Jan., 1868.

LICENCE OF THE PRESS.
About the most atrocious piece of political engineering that
we have seen is Horace Greely's officious and pompous announcement, in double-leaded lines, in the Tribune, that General
Grant deems Johnsons conviction on the impeachment necessary for
the peace of the country.
What a reckless and infamous old scoundrel Horace has become, when he would resort to such a trick as this to influence
the result of a judicial trial.
What bearing has the opinion of a drunken stupid fellow like
Grant as to what is necessary for the peace of the country, upon
the question of the guilt or innocence of Johnson %
What a desperate case it must be which requires the authority
of the General of the army to secure a conviction. And he at
the same time plotting to use the military power to secure to
himself the Succession.—La Crosse Democrat.
At St. Paul's Episcopal church, at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, on
Easter day, a collection of 4004 dollars was taken up. The
parish connected with this church is one of the best anywhere,
and the parishioners, although not distinguished for their great
wealth, are noted for their liberality. They have recently
finished the finest Protestant' church edifice in the West, and
now propose building a fine parish school. Eev. Mr. Beers is
rector of this church, and is universally beloved and respected.
—La Crosse Democrat.
WHO KILLED LINCOLN?

To the Editor of the La Crosse Democrat.
Occasionally I discover a copy of your straight-forward paper
down in this hot-bed of Eadicalism, and whenever one appears
it generally creates a smoke among the elements which constitute the " God-and-morality" party.
Just imagine for a moment, a group of " l o i l " citizens
gathered on a corner, listening to one of their party reading

374

APPENDIX.

an extract from an editorial in the La Crosse Democrat: " When
J. Wilkes Booth took the life of A. Lincoln, he done what was
just and r i g h t ! "
" What do you think of that, gentlemen % "
A voice from one side—"The paper don't say any such
thing."
" It certainly does, I will read it again—* When Abraham
Lincoln was insulting the nation with foul jokes, Providence
cut short his career, by striking him down without a moment's
warning.' "
Some voice outside produces a Chicago Tribune, and reads
an article charging Providence with the murder of Abraham
Lincoln.
By that time the fact is discovered that this outsider is a
" Copperhead," and the horrid grins to be seen on the faces of
these modern saints, would be enough to arouse a legion of
imps to a general jubilee. But if they ever spring their nets
over a catch of these infernal descendants of Puritanism, they
will regret it, for the managers of the brimstone regions would
soon find themselves superseded, and the old fellow arraigned
for impeachment. Is there any probability that the people of
this country will ever pause long enough to consider the rapid
strides they are making towards a general ruin, or will they
rush blindly on the course marked out by a party that leaves
nothing in the rear but death and destruction, plunder and
devastation, confiscation and a general scene of mourning,
whose track of desolation is as visible through the history of
modern nations as the track of a tornado through a wilderness.
The people who kill " Copperheads " at long range are taking
your life daily.
READEB.
Princeton, III., April 9, 1868.
The Mobile Tribune tells a good story of a dramatic (?) performance that came off in Tennessee, which was intended to
represent the killing of the " L. L." It appears to have been a
negro show entirely. Booth was represented by a huge thicklipped black and greasy negro, and Lincoln by another equally
so. The house was crowded with persons of all colours and
sexes. At last the curtain raised, and " Booth " drew a revolver
and fired. " Lincoln " waked up suddenly from a half-sleepy,

APPENDIX.

375

half-sanctimonious look, upon seeing the splinters fly from the
floor about ten feet in front of him. A second shot brought a
yell of pain from " Booth " in place of " Sic Semper Tyrannis,'9
for the darn fool nigger had done gone shot himself through
the hand. The curtain dropped gracefully over this tragic
scene, and strange to say it was not encored.
The Mobile Register has the following significant item :—
" John Nicholson, coloured, of Memphis, complains through
a card in the Ledger, that the Radicals induced him to vote and
electioneer for Brownlow by a promise, which they now repudiate, of forty acres and four mules; also that he was recently
sick, and his white brethren of the Loyal League, though bound
to provide him medicines and a physician, did neither, but stole
fifty dollars from his pocket.''
That is always the way of it. The Jacobins care only for the
vote of the negroes ; they will never receive any land, or mules,
for voting the Radical ticket; and furthermore, if they harbour
Radicals in their midst, they must expect to suffer from the
thieves.
Our radical friend of the Jackson County, Wisconsin, Banner,
says :—
" Ben Butler is trying to prove that Grant was drunk a few
Sundays since. He had better try to prove that Ben Butler
is a nuisance. It won't cost him much time or trouble to do
that."
Tut-tut. Didn't you know the spoon thief and the National
mule had kissed and made up * By the way, Watrous, you
?
never answered that little question asked you the other day :
" How many stars are there on the flag you fought under 1"
Is it too hard, or are you afraid of conflicting with your party
Moguls 2
The Atchison, Kansas, Patriot, has the following very pointed
reference to Mister Useless Grant:—
" General Grant's popularity don't seem to help the waning
fortunes of the Radical conspirators to any great extent. In
New Hampshire and Connecticut we have signal instances of
what his "popularity" amounts to. In the former State the
load of this tobacco-whisky-hero reduced the Radical majority
nearly a thousand votes, and in the latter the Democratic gain
amounts to about the same figure. ' Raw for Grant.' "

376

APPENDIX.

And HrGreeley says that if Grant's name doesn't prove more
popular than it has thus far, he is authorized to withdraw it
from the other States entirely—or words to that effect. Poor
Grant ! whisky and Jacobinism will kill even an ass.
The Spirit of Jefferson^ Charlestown, Virginia, speaks out as
follows :—
" Losing sight of its mission as the great pioneer in the work
of reformation and redemption, the Methodist Episcopal Church
of this country has become a political machine through which
Eadicalism receives its warmest support, and from which Jacobinism derives its greatest strength. Forgetting the teaching
of the Divine Master who proclaimed that ' My kingdom is not
of this world,' the representatives of this Church avail themselves of every opportunity—and not unfrequently they make
the opportunity—to give expression to their devotion to the
Radical party, and to throw the weight of their mighty influence in behalf of oppression and despotism. Inflated with
wealth, and intoxicated with its numerical strength in the
North and West, it is now reaching out its strong arms to get
possession of the government, the better to enable it to carry
out its schemes of plunder and aggrandizement."
These are facts. A considerable of the responsibility of the
present condition of the country is owing to Bible-banging
traitors, and yet we are pronounced rough and blasphemous
when we denounce them as they deserve. We can have no
respect for a vile Jacobin scoundrel, be he in a pulpit or a
penitentiary.
The Eeading, Pennsylvania, Daily Eagle is a sharp little
Democratic paper, and gets off the following at one of its
black neighbours :—
" The Dispatch man says we stole c that shirt' from a nigger
wench in the Pottsville lock-up. As our neighbour claims the
shirt as his property, we would like to know how the wench
got it. Is she a particular friend of his 1"
Most any good loyal man can tell the modus operandi—Thad.
Stevens, for instance.
Speaking of Michigan's drunken senator, Chandler, the
Detroit Union says :—
" Since a livery after the manner of Johnny Bull is incomplete without a coat-of-arms, we think Zach requires recon-

APPENDIX.

377

struction. A dagger crossed with a bottle of whisky over a
liveried darkey's neck would be an appropriate device for this
Republican senator's escutcheon."
We suggest a string of hemp about Zach's neck would be
decidedly more appropriate, and certainly more satisfactory to
the country.
The Keokuk, Iowa, Constitution says :—
" Gov. Oglesby,'of Illinois, has appointed the anniversary of
the death of Mr. Lincoln as a day of fasting and prayer. A
newspaper correspondent thereupon inquires if it is thie intention
of the Jacobins to canonize Mr. Lincoln as a saint."
We should think not, as that would be degrading the old
cuss, he having already been blasphemously set up as Saviour
number two.
The Mobile Tribune has the following :—
" ' Brick' Pomeroy was unanimously nominated Mayor of
La Crosse, Wisconsin. He, however, was compelled to decline,
on account of his onerous duties as editor of the Democrat?
We don't see this item in any of those so-called Democratic
papers, however, that have time and again stated that the La
Crosse Democrat was not endorsed by the Democracy at home.
Now is the time to correct those false assertions. Mr. Pomeroy
was endorsed by a unanimous nomination, and after such
endorsement the Democracy carried the city by its usual
majorities.
Here we shall have to leave our friends until another week.
THE MONGRELS OE THE SOUTH.

To the Editor of the La Crosse Democrat.
The mass of the mongrels of the South make a great hue
and cry about their loyalty, and tell of the terrible and inhuman
manner they have been and still are treated by the " rebels and
traitors," because they perilled their lives and fortunes for their
country—their country forsooth—were driven from their homes,
plundered and stripped on account of their love to the Union,
and of a thousand and one other hardships and grievances they
suffered for their loyalty to the stars and stripes—not for the
Constitution, for they know nothing about it, and don't care a
fig for it.

378

APPENDIX.

Petition after petition has gone to Congress, with doleful
details of oppression and plunder, and praying for relief—for the
offices. Mongrel papers, North and South, have teemed with
and gloated over the infamous lie ; paid and unpaid correspondents have endeavoured to outdo each other in publishing
the slanderous lie, and Northern people have lent a willing ear
and sickened with puritanical horror at the recital of the woes
"loil" men have suffered in the South at the hands of Southern
monsters. In the name of the whole South I repel the charge
as false, and declare, though it may appear egotistical, that the
people of the South are as humane, chivalrous, and brave as any
people under the sun. The brave never oppress. Let me tell
your readers, let me tell the Northern people, the sort of men
the mass of the mongrels at the South were before the war. As
a general thing they were the very lowest dregs of society,
thriftless, indolent, and worthless, with no property, and too
indolent to make any, and extremely envious against their
neighbours who worked and made property.
Others were
harpies—disappointed office-seekers, who for want of moral
character and qualifications could not obtain the offices they
coveted.
And it was not love for the North, nor veneration for the
Constitution, for the majority of them had never seen it, and
did not know what it was. Then why did they go North 2 To
keep out of the army.
" Yes, but many of them entered the Federal army—true—
not from choice, but per force. Thousands of men, North and
South, know this to be true. Many joined from necessity,
some to prove their loyalty—which by some was doubted—•
whilst a large majority of them never went into the army. And
what tales they told, how the " rebels" had driven them from
their homes and stolen all their property, when in nine cases out
often, those'who talk so much, so loud, and so bitter about the
loss of their property had none, or but little, to lose, and to hear
them talk you would suppose they were rich before the war. I
am now speaking of the mass, for there are some men at the
South—men of property and men of intelligence, who from conviction were Union men, and went North during the rebellion.
They were the exception—not the rule. That a majority of
them are such men as I have represented is " known of all men,"

APPENDIX.

379

and more, they are a curse to any country they are in, for a
great many of them have a penchant for appropriating other
men's property to their own use, and come back since the war
with more property than they ever had before. Poor fellows !
How they whine over their fabulous and imaginary losses,
reduced to poverty by the "thieving rebels," and desire and pray
(if such lying wretches can pray) for the confiscation of the
"rebel's" property and indemnification for their immense losses.
All the property that was in the South before the war—both
real and personal—would not be sufficient to indemnify these
" loil" men for their losses, according to their estimated losses.
This is a brief outline of the domestic " loil" men. Then we
have a goodly number of the imported " carpet-bag" men, from
the North, many of them fugitives from justice. All have an
intensified hatred of the "rebels," are supremely "loil" and
extremely desirous of holding office—a thing they could not
get where they came from, on account of their polluted moral
character and want of qualification. Such are the men, with
the brutish and ignorant negro, to hold the offices, sit on our
juries, and make our laws, and administer injustice, oppression,
and wrong. How long will it take such a set of jail-birds,
refugees from justice, and ignoramuses, without morals or conscience, with the poor, deluded negro, to devastate, ruin, and
Africanize the South 1 What a frightful future, like a yawning
gulf, opens before us.
A WHITE MAN.
March 31, 1868.
THE VEILED PEOPHET OF KHOEASSAN.

" The Lincoln Monument.—The monument to the memory of
the late President Abraham Lincoln, erected by the citizens of
Washington, is being made ready for the dedication on Wednesday next, and on Saturday the shaft, which is over eighteen feet
in height, was safely set in place, and to-morrow the statue, which
is receiving the finishing touches at the hands of the artist and
designer, Mr. Lot Flannery, will be set in place, but will remain
veiled until the dedication."—Washington Star, April 13.
There is a resemblance between the " Late Lamented " and
the Yeiled Prophet, if not in courage and magnificence of
surroundings, at least in aspect; and the detestable, crooked,

380

APPENDIX.

cruel policy which has brought the country to its present
condition.
We would suggest, therefore, when the veil is lifted from
Abe's sainted features, the following inscription uttered by his
prototype be at once carved upon the marble :—
" Here—judge if Hell with all its power to damn,
Can add one curse to the foul thing I am."
" T h e veil is raised—Truth turns slowly round,
Look'd at him—shriek'd—and sunk upon the ground."

The orator of the occasion ought to be greatly obliged to us
for suggesting an appropriate address—the more appropriate
because it was the funeral oration on the Veiled Prophet
delivered by himself.
Our readers will at once see how
admirably adapted it is to the modern Mokanna—many a
regenerated Kadical, and War Democrat, wTill appreciate the
revelation from the " Sainted."
" Ye would be dupes and victims, and ye are.
Is it enough ? or must I, while a thrill
Lives in your sapient bosom, cheat you still ?
Swear that the burning death ye feel within,
Is but the trance with which heaven's joys begin ;
That this foul visage, foul as e'er disgraced
Ev'n monstrous man, is—after God's own taste.
You've been my dupes, and shall be ev'n in death,
As this marble shall attest beyond your latest breath."

We refer the curious and inquiring reader to Moore's " Lalla
Kookh," where a full history of the Arch Impostor will be
found in the story of the " Veiled Prophet of Khorassan."—La
Crosse Democrat,
GEMS.

They had no Easter in Chicago this year.—They had a nor'Easter, however!
Anna Dickinson wants woman's field of labour enlarged.
Well, let her get married then.
The Springfield, 111., barbers are prohibited shaving on
Sundays; the sharpers still do it, however.
Topeka, Kansas, is ahead. One hundred women went to the
polls there, and voted, on last election day.

APPENDIX.

381

Stewart still hangs to Grant, but he is also experiencing dull
times, and has discharged a number of clerks.
The steamer Magnolia which recently exploded, was the
scene of many high old drunks by Grant in 1863.
An item says, " all the French dailies publish stories." So
do the American Jacobin dailies—and whoppers, too.
A. T. Stewart asserts that he is still for Grant. Well, Grant
needs all the " stills " Stewart can furnish.
The reason for Governor English's election in Connecticut is
very plain. He was supported by all but Jewell-ers I
When Johnson was " swinging around the circle " he says he
did not drink, while Grant was continually drunk !
The Chicago Tribune wants Yates to resign, so Medill of that
paper can have his place. Yates had better stay in.
Butler and Grant made up because the latter must use
spoons with his toddy, and'the Beast had all there was.
It is said the Grant clubs of Connecticut are wonderfully
demoralized, and hardly any Grant men are visible in the
State.
We are indebted to a young friend, C. 0. Powning, engaged
in the California State Senate, for valuable documents.
Brownlow is going to the Chicago Convention. He will
there get an insight into the hell he will ultimately go to.
The base ball season is approaching, and it will be quite in
order for antiquated grannies to have their annual say about it.
It is said Beast Butler's great penchant for silver is one
thing which operates against the resumption of specie payments.
The Grant clubs of the country are now called " sappy clubs."
Undoubtedly because they are short and sweet affairs.
Beast Butler wants to kill off the President, so that he may
have a chance to steal the silver trimmings on his coffin !
There are a greater number of excellent original ideas in the
Mobile Tribune than any other paper coming to our table.
Jacobin papers are constantly talking about Grant's popularity, but they are careful not to bring in Connecticut as
evidence.
It appears as if nigger suffrage had more lives than
a cat. It has been killed a dozen times in different places
already.

382

APPENDIX.

" White Boys in Blue" are organising as an opposition to
the G. A. E., while the Ku-klux will attend to the Lie-all
League.
I t is a pleasant thing for the Chicago Post to abuse us on
one page, and steal good things from us to enliven its other
pages.
Kansas is still " bleeding," and it looks as if its nigger blood
would soon give out, and a regenerated Democratic State
rise up !
It is rumoured that Dr. Bayne, the Virginia nigger, called on
Grant, the American ass, and that Bayne got kicked—out
doors !
A painting is to be made of the closing scene of the impeachment. We hope Yates will not be without his Moze when it is
sketched.
It is thought the Eadical vote will be greatly reduced before
fall if the police of the country do their duty in killing curs,
this summer. •
An Iowa editor wants to let a man marry as many wives as
he desires. That would be bad for editors' wives. How would
they live %
A new Democratic daily paper has just made its appearance
from Helena, Montana—called the Gazette, It is neat, sharp,
and sprightly.
We understand there is a proposition to have a United States
vice-president for each State, so as to give all the ambitious
Jacobins a chance.
Anthony Trollope is coming to America.—Dickens has just
finished his snobbing tour, and now we are to be Trolloped.
Deliver us !
Anna Dickinson's voice failed. That will be good news for
the Badicals of La Crosse, who were so riled by the " sweet
creature " last winter.
A gentleman whose head is " silvered o'er," declined to go
into the House the other day when Butler was there, for fear of
getting scalped.
The Democrats of Springfield, Illinois, are building a monument to the busted martyr Abe. They have already got three
hundred majority.
General Hancock is said to be the lion at Washington now,

APPENDIX.

383

undoubtedly because he occupies the lair recently used by the
British minister, Lyons.
A Michigan Jacobin says " the La Crosse Democrat is doing
good Eepublican work in the State." Wonder if you have
read the election returns %
The Nashville Gazette says Brick Pomeroy is about to start a
Norwegian paper, and adds, " Lord help the Kads when he gets
to cussin' in Norwegian"
Carl Schurz smelt "victory in the air" before the Connecticut
election. He was only snuffing the Jacobin stink that arises
from dirty Schurz !
America would make a nice thing by inducing the English to
keep George Francis Train in prison for life, and consider the
Alabama claims settled.
In the nutmeg State the Democrats have the Governor, and
the Jacobins the legislature,—Next year we hope our Democratic friends will Connect-the-cut!
An exchange tells of a lady at a party who fainted, and
having her face bathed in mucilage by mistake for camphor, has
been terribly stuck up ever since.
The editor of " Harper's Journal of Civilization " is so uncivilized as not to know that Judge Curtis has been a judge of the
United States Supreme Court.
Curses are not the only things that come home to roost.
The Democratic roosters that have been wandering about for
five years are finally getting back on their old perches.
Washburne, of Indiana, declines to be a candidate for the
Rump, and " regrets he could not have done more for his
country."—La Crosse Democrat.

APPENDIX.

384

A SPECIMEN" OF A BILL OP FARE.

TEEMONT HOUSE, CHICAGO.
BREAKFAST.
English. Breakfast Tea,

Old Hyson Tea,

Coffee,

Chocolate.

BROILED.
Mutton Chops, Plain,
Beef Steak, Plain,
Duffield's Breakfast Bacon,
Beef Steak, with Fried
Potatoes,
Pork Chops,

Mutton Chops, Breaded,
Ham,
Calf's Liver, Plain,
Beef Steak, with Onions,
Pig's Feet.

Veal Cutlets, Plain,
Veal Cutlets, Breaded,
Beef Kidneys,
Calf's Liver, with Fried
Pork,
Broiled Tripe,
FRIED.

Country Sausage,
Calf's Liver,

Country Sausage Balls,
Fried Tripe,

Cracked Wheat,
Ham and Eggs,

Stev/ed Kidneys,

Hashed Meat,
Boiled Hominy.

Boiled Rice,

Fried Hominy,
Kidneys.

FISH.
Broiled Salt Mackerel,

Codfish Balls,

Broiled White Fish, Plain.

EGGS.
Sherred Eggs,
Omelette, with Sugar Rum,
Poached Eggs, on Toast.

Scrambled Eggs,
Boiled Eggs,
Omelette, Plain,
Fried Eggs,
Scrambled Eggs, with Ham.
COLD MEATS.

Cold Boiled Tongue,
Cold Corned Beef.

Cold Roast Beef,
Cold Boiled Ham,
Stewed,

POTATOES.
Fried, & la Rounaise,

Fried, Plain,

Boiled.

BREAD; ETC,
Graham Bread,
French Rolls,
Corn Bread,
Brown Bread,
Plain Bread,
Hard Crackers,
Boston Brown Bread Toast,
Stale Bread,
Cracked Wheat,
Buckwheat Cakes,

Dry and Dipped Toast,
White Rolls,
Buttered Toast,
Indian Cakes,
Loaf Sugar Syrup.

HOUES OF MEALS.
BREAKFAST from 6 to 11 A.M.
DINNER from 1 to 4 P;M.
DINNER from 5 to 6 P.M.
TEA from 6 to 9 P.M.
SUPPER from 9 to 12 P.M.
SUNDAYS.—DINNER from 1£ until 3 P.M., and from 4 to 5 P.M.
CHILDREN AND NURSES.—BREAKFAST from 7 to 9 A.M. DINNER 12£. TEA 6 P.M.
$3T All Meals, Lunches, and Fruits, sent to Rooms, will be charged extra. j g £

APPENDIX.

385

1NEBPJATE ASYLUMS, AND A VISIT TO ONE.
THERE are two kinds of drunkards—the Regular and the
Occasional. Of each of these two classes there are several
varieties, and, indeed, there are no two cases precisely alike ;
but every drunkard in the world is either a person who has lost
the power to refrain from drinking a certain large quantity of
alcoholic liquor every day, or he is one who has lost the power
to refrain from drinking an uncertain enormous quantity now
and then.
Few get drunk habitually who can refrain. If they could
refrain, they would; for to no creatures is drunkenness so loathsome and temperance so engaging, as to seven-tenths of the
drunkards. There are a few very coarse men, of heavy, stolid,
animal organization, who almost seem formed by nature to
absorb alcohol, and in whom there is not enough of manhood to
be ashamed of its degradation. These Dr. Albert Day, the
superintendent of the New York State Inebriate Asylum, sometimes called Natural Drunkards. They like strong drink for
its own sake ; they have a kind of sulky enjoyment of its muddling effect upon such brains as they happen to have ; and when
once the habit is fixed, nothing can deliver them except stone
walls and iron bars. There are also a few drunkards of very
light calibre, trifling persons, incapable of serious reflection or
of a serious purpose, their very terrors being trivial and transitory, who do not care for the ruin in which they are involved.
Generally speaking, however, drunkards hate the servitude into
which they have had the misfortune to fall; they long to escape
from it, have often tried to escape, and if they have given up,
it is only after having so many times slidden back into the
abyss, that they feel it would be of no use to climb again. As
Mrs. H. B. Stowe remarks, with that excellent charity of hers,
which is but another name for refined justice : "Many a
drunkard has expended more virtue in vain endeavours to break
his chain than suffices to carry an ordinary Christian to heaven."
The daily life of one of the steady drunkards is like this :
upon getting up in the morning, after a heavy, restless,
drunkard's sleep, he is miserable beyond expression, and almost
helpless. In very bad cases, he will see double, and his hands
will tremble so that he cannot lift to his lips the glass for which
c o

386

APPENDIX.

he has a desire amounting to mania. Two or three stiff glasses
of spirituous liquor will restore him so far that he can control
his muscles, and get about without betraying his condition.
After being up an hour, and drinking every ten or fifteen
minutes, he will usually be able to eat a pretty good breakfast,
which, with the aid of coffee, tobacco, and a comparatively small
quantity of liquor, he will be able to digest. After breakfast,
for some hours he will generally be able to transact routine
business, and associate with his fellows without exciting their
pity or contempt. As dinner-time draws near, he feels the necessity of creating an appetite ; which he often accomplishes by drinking some of those infernal compounds which are advertised on the
eternal roclcs and mountain-sides as Bitters,—a mixture of bad
drugs with worse spirits. These bitters do lash the torpid
powers into a momentary, morbid fierce activity, which enables
the victim to eat even a superabundant dinner. The false
excitement subsides, but the dinner remains, and it has to be
digested. This calls for an occasional drink for three or four
hours, after which the system is exhausted, and the man feels
dull and languid. He is exhausted, but he is not tranquil; he
craves a continuation of the stimulant with a craving which
human nature, so abused and perverted, never resists. By this
time it is evening, when all the apparatus of temptation is in
the fullest activity, and all the loose population of the town is
abroad. He now begins his evening debauch, and keeps up a
steady drinking until he can drink no more, when he stumbles
home to sleep off the stupefying fumes, and awake to the horror
and decrepitude of a drunkard's morning.
The quantity of spirituous liquor required to Jceep one of these
unhappy men in this degrading slavery varies from a pint a day
to two quarts. Many drunkards consume a quart of tvhiskey every
day for years. The regular alloiuance of one gentleman of the
highest position, both social and official, who made his way to the
Inebriate Asylum, had been two quarts of brandy a day for about
five years. The most remarkable known case is that of a hoaryheaded man of education and fortune, residing in the city of
New York, who confesses to taking "fifty drinks a d a y " of
whiskey,—ten drinks to a bottle, and ixve bottles to' a gallon.
One gallon of liquor, he says, goes down his old throat every
day of the year. Before he is fit to eat his breakfast in the

APPENDIX.

387

morning he has to drink twelve glasses of whiskey, or one bottle
and one fifth. Nevertheless, even this poor man is able, for
some hours of the morning, to transact what people of property
and leisure call business, and, during a part of the evening, to
converse in such a way as to amuse persons who can look on
and see a human being in such bondage without stopping to
think what a tragedy it is. This Qld Boy never has to be
carried home, I believe. He is one of those most hopeless
drunkards who never get drunk, never wallow in the gutter
never do anything to scare or startle them into an attempt to
reform. He is like a certain German " p u d d l e r " who was
pointed out to me in a Pittsburg iron-works, who. consumes
exactly seven dollars' worth of lager-beer every seven days,—
twenty glasses a day, at five cents each. He is also like the
men employed in the dismal work of the brewery, who are
allowed as much beer as they can drink, and who generally do
drink as much as they can. Such persons are always fuddled
and stupid, but seldom drunk enough to alarm their neighbours
or themselves. Perhaps they are the only persons in all the
world who are in any degree justified in passing their lives in a
state of suspended intelligence; those of them at least whose
duty it is to get inside of enormous beer-barrels, and there, in
darkness and solitude, in an atmosphere reeking and heavy
with stale ale, scrape and mop them out, before they are refilled. When you see their dirty, pale faces at the "manhole " of the barrel down in the rumbling bowels of the earth,
in one of those vast caves of beer in Cincinnati, you catch
yourself saying, " Drink, poor devils, drink ! Soak what brains
you have in beer ! " What can a man want with brains in a
beer-barrel 2 But, then, you think again, even these poor men
need their brains when they get home; and we need that they
should have brains on the first Tuesday in November.
It is that going home which makes drunkenness so dire a
tragedy. If the drunkard could only shut himself up with a
whiskey-barrel, or a pipe of Madeira, and quietly guzzle himself
to death, it would be a pity, but it could be borne. He never
does this; he goes home to make that home perdition to some
good souls that love him, or depend upon him, and cannot
give him up. There are men at the Asylum near Binghamton, who have admirable wives, beautiful and accomplished
c c2

388

APPENDIX.

daughters, venerable parents, whose portraits are there in the
patient's trunks, and who write daily letters to cheer the
absent one, whose absence now, for the first time in years,
does not terrify them. They are the victims of drunkenness—
they who never taste strong drink. For their deliverance,
this Asylum stands upon its hill justified in existing. The
men themselves are interesting, valuable, precious, worth every
rational effort that can be made to save t h e m ; but it is those
whom they have left at home anxious and desolate that have
the first claim upon our consideration.
With regard to these steady, regular drunkards, the point to be
noted is this : very few of them can stop drinking while they continue to perform their daily labour ; they absolutely dejwrid \11pon
the alcohol to rouse their torpid energies to activity. Their jaded
constitutions will not budge without the spur.
Everything
within them gapes and hungers for the accustomed stimulant.
This is the case, even in a literal sense; for it seems, from
Dr. Day's dissections, that the general effect of excessive
drinking is to enlarge the globules of which the brain, the
blood, the liver, and other organs are composed, so that those
globules, as it were, stand open-mouthed, empty, athirst, inflamed, and most eager to be filled. A man whose every organ
is thus diseased cannot usually take the first step toward cure
without ceasing for a while to make any other demands upon
himself. This is the great fact of his condition. If he is a
true drunkard, i. e. if he has lost the power to do his work
without excessive alcoholic stimulation, then there is no cure
possible for him without rest. Here we have the simple explanation of Mrs. Stowe's fine remark just quoted. This is
why so many thousand wives spend their days in torment
between hope and despair,—hope kindled by the husband's
efforts to regain possession of himself, and despair caused by
his repeated, his inevitable relapses. The unfortunate man
tries to do two things at once, the easiest of which is as much
as he can accomplish; while the hardest is a task which, even
with the advantage of perfect rest, few can perform without
assistance.
The Occasional Drunkard is a man who is a teetotaler for
a week, two weeks, a month, three months, six months, and
who, at the end of his period, is tempted to drink one glass of

APPENDIX.

389

alcoholic liquor. That one glass has upon him two effects ; it
rouses the slumbering demon of Desire, and it perverts his
moral judgment. All at once his honour and good name, the
happiness and dignity of his family, his success in business,
all that he held dearest a moment before, seem small to him,
and he thinks he has been a fool of late to concern himself so
much about them. Or else he thinks he can drink without
being found out, and without its doing him the harm it did
the last time. Whatever may be the particular delusion that
seizes him, the effect is the same ; he drinks, and drinks, and
drinks, keeping it up sometimes for ten days, or even for
several weeks, until the long debauch ends in utter exhaustion
or in delirium tremens. He is then compelled to submit to
treatment; he must needs go to the Inebriate Asylum of his
own bedroom. There, whether he raves or droops, he is the
most miserable wretch on earth; for, besides the bodily,
tortures which he suffers, he has to endure the most desolating
pang that a decent human being ever knows,—the loss of his
self-respect. He abhors himself and is ashamed; he remembers
past relapses and despairs; he cannot look his own children
in the face; he wishes he had never been born, or had died
in the cursed hour, vividly remembered, when this appetite
mastered him first. As his health is restored, his hopes revive ;
he renews his resolution and he resumes his ordinary routine,
subdued, distrustful of himself, and on the watch against
temptation. Why he again relapses he can hardly tell, hut he
always does. Sometimes a snarl in business perplexes him, and
he drinlcs for elucidation. Sometimes melancholy oppresses him,
and he drinlcs to drive didl care aiva.y. Sometimes good fortune
overtakes him, or an enchanting day in June or October attunes
his heart to joy, and he is taken captive by the strong delusion that
now is the time to drink and he glad. Often it is lovely woman
who offers the wine, and offers it in such a tvay that he thinks he
cannot refuse without incivility or confession. From conversation
ivith the inmates of the Inebriate Asylum, I am confident that Mr.
Greeley s assertion with regard to the wine given at the communion
is correct. That sip might be enough to awaken the desire. The
mere odour of the wine filling the church might be too much for
some men.
There appears to be a physical cause for this extreme sus-

390

APPENDIX.

ceptibility. Dr. Day has once had the opportunity to examine
the brain of a man who, after having been a drunkard, reformed,
and lived for some years a teetotaler. He found, to his surprise, that the globules of the brain had not shrunk to their
natural size. They did not exhibit the inflammation of the
drunkard's brain, but they were still enlarged, and seemed
ready on the instant to absorb the fumes of alcohol, and resume their former condition. He thought he saw in this
morbid state of the brain the physical part of the reason why
a man who has once been a drunkard can never again, as longas he lives, safely take one drop of any alcoholic liquor. He
thought he saw why a glass of wine puts the man back instantly to where he was when he drank all the time. He saw
the citadel free from the enemy, swept and clean, but undefended, incapable of defence, and its doors opened wide to the
enemy's return ; so that there was no safety, except in keeping
the foe at a distance, away beyond the outermost wall.
There are many varieties of these occasional drunkards, and,
as a class, they are perhaps the hardest to cure. Edgar Poe
was one of them ; half a glass of wine would set him off upon
a wild, reckless debauch, that would last for days. All such
persons as artists, writers, and actors, used to be particularly
subject to this malady, before bhey had any recognised place
in the world, or any acknowledged right to exist at all. Men
whose labours are intense, but irregular, whose gains are small
and uncertain, who would gladly be gentlemen, but are compelled to content themselves with being loafers, are in special
danger; and so are men wThose toil is extremely monotonous.
Printers, especially those who work at night upon newspapers
are, perhaps of all men the most liable to fall under the
dominion of drink. Some of them have persuaded themselves
that they rest under a kind of necessity to " go on a tear " now
and then, as a relief from such grinding work as theirs. On
the contrary, one " t e a r " creates the temptation to another
for the man goes back to his work weak, depressed, and irritable ; the monotony of his labour is aggravated by the incorrectness with which he does it, and the longing to break
loose and renew the oblivion of drink strengthens rapidly, until
it masters him once more.
Of these periodical drunkards it is as true as it is of their

APPENDIX.

391

regular brethren, that they cannot conquer the habit without
being relieved for a while of their daily labour. This malady
is so frequent among us, that hardly an individual will cast
his eyes over these pages who cannot call to mind at least one
person who has struggled with it for many years, and struggled
in vain. They attempt too much. Their periodical "sprees"
" benders" or " tears" are a connected series, each a cause and
an effect, an heir and a progenitor. After each debauch, the
man returns to his routine in just the state of health, in just
the state of mind, to be irritated, disgusted, and exhausted by
that routine; and, at every moment of weakness, there is
always present the temptation to seek the deadly respite of
alcohol. The moment arrives when the desire becomes too
strong for him, and the victim yields to it by a law as sure, as
irresistible, as that which makes the apple seek the earth's
centre when it is disengaged from the tree.
I t is amazing to see how helpless men can be against such
a habit, while they are compelled to continue their daily round
of duties. Not ignorant men only, nor bad men, nor weak
men, but men of good understanding, of rare gifts, of the
loftiest aspirations, of characters the most amiable, engaging,
and estimable, and of will sufficient for every purpose but this.
They know the ruin that awaits them, or in which they are
already involved, better than we other sinners know i t ; they
hate their bondage worse than the most uncharitable of their
friends can despise i t ; they look with unutterable envy upon
those who still have dominion over themselves; many, very
many of them would give all they have for deliverance; and
yet self-deliverance is impossible. There are men among them
who have been trying for thirty years to abstain, and still they
drink. Some of them have succeeded in lengthening the sober
interval, and they will live with strictest correctness for six
months or more, and then, taking that first fatal glass, will
immediately lose their self-control, and drink furiously for days
and nights ; drink until they are obliged to use drunken artifice
to get the liquid into their mouths,—their hands refusing their
office. Whether they take a large quantity of liquor every dayj
or an immense quantity periodically, makes no great difference,
the disease is essentially the same; the difficulties in the way
of cure are the same ; the remedial measures must be the same.

392

APPENDIX.

A drunkard, in short, is a person so diseased by alcohol, that
he cannot get through his work without keeping his system
saturated with it, or without such weariness and irritation as
furnish irresistible temptation to a debauch. He is, in other
words, a fallen brother, who cannot get upon his feet without
help, and who can generally get upon his feet with help.
Upon this truth Inebriate Asylums are founded; their object
being to afford the help needed. There are now four such
institutions in the United States : one in Boston, opened in
1857, called the Washingtonian Home; one in Media, near
Philadelphia, opened in 1867, called the Sanitarium; one at
Chicago, opened in 1868; and one at Binghamton, New
York, called the New York Inebriate Asylum. The one last
named was founded in 1858, if the laying of the corner-stone
with grand ceremonial can be called founding i t ; and it
has been opened some years for the reception of patients;
but it had no real existence as an asylum for the cure of inebriates until the year 1867, when the present superintendent,
Dr. Albert Day, assumed control.
The history of the institution previous to that time ought to
be related fully for the warning of a pre-occupied and subscribing public, but space cannot be afforded for it here. The
substance of it, as developed in sundry reports of trials and
pamphlets of testimony, is this : Fifteen or twenty years ago, an
English adventurer living in the city of New York, calling himself
a doctor, and professing to treat unnamedble diseases, thought he
saw in this notion of an Inebriate Asylum (then much spoken of)
a chance for feathering his nest. He entered upon the enterprise
without delay, and he displayed a good deal of nervous energy in
getting the charter, collecting money, and erecting the building.
The people of Binghamton, misled by his representations, gave a
farm of two hundred and fifty-two acres for the future inmates to
cultivate, which was two hundred acres too much; and to this
tract farms still more superfluous have been added, until the
Asylum estate contains more than five hundred acres. An edifice
was begun on the scale of an imperial palace, ivhich will have cost,
by the time it is finished and furnished, a million dollars. The
restless man pervaded the State raising money, and creating public
opinion in favour of the institution. For several years he was
regarded as one of the great originating philanthropists of the

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393

age; and this the more because he always gave out that he was
labouring in the cause from pure love of the inebriate, and received
no compensation.
But the time came when his real object and true character ivere
revealed, In 1864: he carried his disinterestedness so far as to offer
to give to the institution, as part of its permanent fund, the entire
amount to which he said he was entitled for services rendered and
expenses incurred. This amount was two hundred and thirty-two
thousand dollars, ivhich would certainly have been a handsome gift.
When he ivas asked for the items of his account, he said he had
charged for eighteen years1 services in founding the institution, at
thirty-five hundred dollars a year, and the rest was travellingexpenses, cleric hire, and salaries paid to agents. The trustees
were puzzled to hnow hoiv a man who, at the beginning of the
enterprise, had no visible property, coidd have expended so much
out of his private resources, while exercising an unremunerated
employment. Leaving that conundrum unsolved, they were able
at length to conjecture the object of the donation. One of the articles of the charter provided that any person giving ten dollars to
the institution shoidd be a stockholder, and entitled to a vote at the
election of trustees. Every gift of ten dollars was a vote ! If,
therefore, this astounding claim had been allowed, and the gift
accepted, the audacious villain ivotdd have been constituted owner
of four-fifths of the governing stock, and the absolute controller
of the entire property of the institution I It ivas a bold game,
and the strangest part of the story is, that it came near succeeding.
It required the most arduous exertions of a public-spirited board of
trustees, headed by Dr. Willarcl Parker, to oust the man who, even
after the discovery of his scheme, played his feiv last cards so well
that he had to be bought off by a considerable sum cash down. An
incident of the disastrous reign of this individual ivas the burning
of one of the wings of the building, after he had had it well
insured. The insurance was paid him (81,000 dollars); and
there was a trial for arson,—a crime which is easy to commit, and
hard to prove. Binghamton convicted the prisoner, but the jury
ivas obliged to acquit him. The man and his confederates must
have carried off an enormous booty. The local trustees say, in
their Report for 1867 :—
" Less than two years ago the Asylum received about 81,000
dollars from insurance companies for damage done by fire to

394

APPENDIX.

the north wing. About 20,000 dollars have since been received
from the counties; making from these two sources about
100,000 dollars; and although the buildings and grounds
remain in the same unfinished state as when the fire occurred,
except a small amount of work done in one or two wards in
the south wing, the 100,000 dollars have nearly disappeared.
. . . . Aside from the payment of interest and insurance, this
money has been expended by Dr.
, and in just such ways
as he thought proper to use it.
" It may well be asked why this is so ? The answer is, that
p r . — _ assumes and exercises supreme control, and allows no
interference, at least on the part of the resident trustees. . . . .
" His control and management of everything connected with
the institution has been as absolute in fact, if not in form, as if
he were its sole proprietor. He goes to Albany to obtain legislation giving him extraordinary police powers, without as much
as even informing the trustees of his intentions. When the
iron grates for the windows of the lower ward were obtained,
the resident trustees knew nothing of the matter, until they
were informed that the patients were looking through barred
windows. Everything has been done in the same way. He is not
hnown to have had any other official relation to the institution by
regular appointment than that of corresponding secretary, and yet
he has exercised a power over its affairs which has defied all restraint. He lives there with his family, without a salary, and
without individual resources, and dispenses hospitality or charity
to his kindred with as much freedom and unreserve as if he owned
everything, and had unlimited means at his command. In fact,
incredible as it may seem, he claims that he is virtually the owner
of the institution. And his claim might have challenged contradiction had his plans succeeded."
' Such things may be done in a community where almost every
one is benevolent enough to give money towards an object that
promises to mitigate human woe, but where scarcely any one
has leisure to watch the expenditure of that sacred treasure !
The institution, after it was open, remained for two years
under the blight of this person's control. Everything he did
was wrong. Ignorant, obstinate, passionate, fussy, and false,—
plausible and obsequious at Albany, a violent despot at the
Asylum,—he was, of all the people in the world, the precisely

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395

worst man to conduct an experiment so novel, and so abounding
in difficulties. If he had a theory, it was that an inebriate is
something between a criminal and a lunatic, who is to be
punished like the one and restrained like the other. His real
object seemed to be, after having received payment for a patient
six months in advance, to starve and madden him into* a sudden
departure. The very name chosen by him for the institution
proves his hopeless incompetency—" Inebriate Asylum !" That
name to-day is, perhaps, the greatest single obstacle to its
growth. He began by affixing a stigma to the unfortunate men
who had honoured themselves by making so gallant an effort at
self-recovery. But let the man and his doings pass into oblivion.
There never yet was a bad man who was not, upon the whole,
a very stupid ass. All the genuine intelligence in the world
resides in virtuous minds. When, therefore, I have said that this
individual was an unprincipled adventurer, I have also said that
he was signally incapable of conducting an institution like this.
While we, in the State of New York, were blundering on in
this way, permitting a million dollars of public and private
money to be lavished in the attempt to found an asylum, a few
quiet people in Boston, aided by a small annual grant from the
Legislature, had actually established one, and kept it going for
nine years, during which three thousand inebriates had been
received, and two thousand of them cured! The thing was
accomplished in the simplest way. They hired the best house
for the purpose that chanced to be vacant, fitted it up at the
least possible expense, installed in it as superintendent an honest
man whose heart was in the business, and opened its doors for
the reception of patients. By-and : by, when they had results to
show, they asked the Legislature for a little help, which was
granted, and has been renewed from year to year ever since.
The sum voted has never exceeded five thousand dollars in any
year, and there are three men in Boston at this moment reclaimed from drunkenness by the Washingtonian Home who
pay taxes enough to support it.
In an enterprise for the management of which no precedents
exist, everything j of course depends upon the chief. When
you have got the right man at the head you have got everything, and until you have got the right man there you have
got nothing. Albert Day, the superintendent for nine years of

396

APPENDIX.

the Washingtonian Home at Boston, and, during the last year
and a half the superintendent of the Asylum at Binghamton,
has originated nearly all that is known of the art of curing the
mania for alcohol. He struck into the right path at once,
guided by instinct and sympathy, rather than by science or
reflection. He was not a professional person ; he was simply a
business man of good NewEngland education, who had two special
qualifications for his new position,—first, a singular pity for
drunkards ; and, secondly, a firm belief that with timely and
right assistance, a majority of them could be restored to selfcontrol. This pity and this faith he had possessed for many
years, and they had both grown strong by exercise. When he
was a child upon his father's farm in Maine, he saw in his own
home, and all around him, the evils resulting from the general
use of alcoholic liquors, so that when the orators of teetotalism
came along, he was ready to receive their message. He is one
of the very few persons now living in the world who never partook of an alcoholic beverage,—so early was he convinced of
their preposterous inutility. Losing his father at thirteen, he
at once took hold of life in the true Yankee way. He tied up
his few worldly effects into a bundle, and, slinging it over his
shoulder, wTalked to a farmer's house not many miles away, and
addressed to him a plain question, "Do you want to hire a
boy?" to which the farmer with equal directness replied, "Yes."
From hoeing corn and chopping wood the lad advanced to an
apprenticeship, and learned a mechanical trade ; and so made
his way to early marriage, decent prosperity, and a seat in the
Legislature of Massachusetts. From the age of sixteen he was
known, wherever he lived, as a staunch teetotaler, and also as
one who would befriend a drunkard after others had abandoned
him to his fate.
I once heard Dr. Day relate the occurrence which produced
in his mind the conviction that drunkards could be rescued from
the domination of their morbid appetite. One evening, when
he came home from his work, he heard that a certain Jack
Watts, the sot of the neighbourhood, was starving with his wife
and three young children. After tea he went to see him. In
treating this first patient, Albert Day hit upon the very method
he has ever since pursued, and so I beg the reader will note the
manner in which he proceeded. On entering his cottage he was

APPENDIX.

397

as polite to him, as considerate of his dignity as head of a
household, as he could have been to the first man of the village.
" Mr. Watts," said he, after the usual salutations, " I hear you
are in straitened circumstances." The man, who was then
quite sober, replied : " I a m ; my two youngest children went
to bed crying for food, and I had none to give them. I spent
my last three cents over there," pointing to a grog-shop opposite, "and the bar-keeper said to me, as he took the money,
says he, ' Jack Watts, you're a fool,' and so I am." Here was a
chance for a fine moral lecture. Albert Day indulged in nothing of
the kind. He said, " Mr. Watts, excuse me for a few minutes ; "
and he went out, returning soon with a basket containing some
flour, pork, and other materials for a supper. " Now, Mrs. Watts,
cook something and wake your children up, and give them something to eat. I'll call again early in the morning. Good night."
Perfect civility,—no reproaches,—no lecture,—practical help
of the kind needed and at the time needed. Observe, too, that
the man was in the condition of mind in which patients usually
are when they make the confession implied in entering an asylum.
He was at the end of his tether. He was—to use the language
of the bar-room—" dead beat."
When Mr. Day called the next morning, the family had had
their breakfast, and Jack Watts smiled benedictions on the
man whom he had been wont to regard as his enemy, because
he was the declared enemy of Jack Watts's enemy. Now the
time had come for a little talk. Jack Watts explained his
circumstances; he had been out of work for a long time, and
he had consumed all his substance in drink. Mr. Day listened
with respectful attention, spoke to him of various plans for the
future, and said that for that day he could give him a dollar s
worth of wood-chopping to do. Then they got upon the liquor
question. In the softened, receptive mind of Jack Watts, Albert
Day deposited the substance of a rational temperance lecture.
He spoke to him kindly, respectfully, hopefully, strongly ; Jack
Watts's mind was convinced ; he said he had done with drink
for ever. He meant it, t o o ; and thus he was brought to the
second stage on the road to deliverance. In this particular
case, resting from labour was out of the question and unnecessary, for the man had been resting too long already, and must
needs go to work. The wood was chopped. The dollar to be

398

APPENDIX.

paid for the work at the close of the day was a fearful ordeal
for poor Jack, living fifteen yards from a bar-room. Mr. Day
called round in the evening, paid him the dollar without remark, fell into ordinary conversation with the family, and took
leave. John stood the t e s t ; not a cent of the money found its
way into the till of the bar-keeper. Next morning Mr. Day
was there again, and, seeing that the patient was going on well,
spoke to him further about the future, and glided again into the
main topic, dwelling much upon the absolute necessity of total
and eternal abstinence. He got the man a place, visited him, held
him up, fortified his mind," and so helped him to complete and
lasting recovery. Jack Watts never drank again. He died a
year or two ago in Maine at a good age, having brought up his
family respectably.
This was an extreme case, for the man had been a drunkard
many years; it was a difficult case, for he was poor and ignorant;
and it made upon the mind of Albert Day an impression that
nothing could efface. He was living in Boston in 1857, exercising his trade, when the Washingtonian Home was opened.
He was indeed one of the originators of the movement, and
took the post of superintendent, because no one else seemed
capable of conducting the experiment. Having now to deal
with the diseased bodies of men, he joined the medical department of Harvard University, and went through the usual
course, making a particular study of the malady he was attempting to cure. After nine years' service he was transferred to the
Asylum at Binghamton, where he pursues the system practised
with success at Boston.
I visited the Binghamton Asylum in June of the present
year. The situation combines many advantages. Of the younger
cities that have sprung into importance along the line of leading
railroads there is not one of more vigorous growth or more
inviting appearance than Binghamton. Indications of spirit
and civilization meet the eye at every turn. There are long
streets of elegant cottages and villas, surrounded by nicely kept
gardens and lawns, and containing churches in the construction
of which the established barbarisms have been avoided. There
is a general tidiness and attention to appearances that we notice
in the beautiful towns and villages of New England; such as
picturesque Northampton, romantic Brattleboro', and enchant-

APPENDIX.

399

ing Stockbridge, peerless among villages. The Chenango River
unites here with the Susquehanna; so that the people who
have not a river within sight of their front doors are likely to
have one flowing peacefully along at the back of their gardens.
It is a town, the existence of which in a State governed as New
York is governed shows how powerless a government is to
corrupt a virtuous and intelligent people, and speaks of the
time when governments will be reduced to their natural and
proper insignificance. Such communities require little of the
central power; and it is a great pity that that little is indispensable, and that Albany cannot be simply wiped out.
Two miles from Binghamton, on a high hill rising from the
bank of the Susquehanna, and commanding an extensive view
of the beautiful valleys of both rivers, stands the castellated
palace which an adventurer had the impudence to build with
money intrusted to him for a better purpose. The Erie railroad coils itself about the base of this eminence, from the
summit of which the white puffs of the locomotive can be
descried in one direction nine miles, and in the other fifteen
miles. On reaching this summit about nine o'clock on a fine
morning in June, I found myself in front of a building of lightcoloured stone, presenting a front of three hundred and sixtyfive feet, in a style of architecture that unites well the useful
and the pleasing. Those numerous towers which relieve the
monotony of so extensive a front serve an excellent purpose in
providing small apartments for various purposes, which, but for
them, could not be contrived without wasting space. At present
the first view of the building is not inviting, for the burnt iving
remains roofless and void,—the insurance money not having been
applied to refitting it,—and the main edifice is still unfinished.
Not a tree has yet been planted, and the grounds about the
building are little more pleasing to the eye than fifty acres of
desert. On a level space in front of the edifice a number of
young men were playing a game of base-ball, and playing it
badly. Their intentions were excellent, but their skill was
small. Sitting on the steps and upon the blocks of stone
scattered about were fifty or sixty well-dressed, well-looking
gentlemen of various ages, watching the game. In general
appearance and bearing these persons were so decidedly superior
to the average of mortals, that few visitors fail to remark the

400

APPENDIX.

fact. Living up there in tliat keen, pure air, and living in
a rational manner, amusing themselves with games of ball,
rowing, sailing, gardening, bowling, billiards, and gymnastic
exercises, they are as brown and robust as David Copperfield
was when he came home from the Continent and visited his
friend Traddles. Take any hundred men from the educated
classes, and give them a few months of such a life as this, and
the improvement in their appearance will be striking. Among
these on-lookers of the game were a few men with gray hairs,
but the majority were under thirty, perhaps thirty-two or
thirty-five was about the average age.
When I looked upon this most unexpected scene, it did not
for a moment occur to me that these serene and healthy looking men could be the inmates of the Asylum. The insensate name of the institution prepares the visitor to see the
patients lying about in various stages of intoxication. The
question has sometimes been asked of the superintendent by
visitors looking about them and peering into remote corners,
" But, Doctor, where do you keep your drunkards %" The
astonishment of such inquirers is great indeed when they are
informed that the polite and well-dressed gentlemen standing
about, and in whose hearing the question was uttered, are the
inmates of the institution; every individual of whom was till
very recently, not merely a drunkard, but a drunkard of the mostadvanced character, for whose deliverance from that miserable bondage almost every one had ceased to hope. A large majority of the
present inmates are persons of education and respectable position,
tvho p>ay for their residence here at rates varying from ten to
twenty dollars a iveek, and who are co-operating ardently with
the superintendent for their recovery. More than half of them
were officers of the army or navy during the late war, and lost
control of themselves then. One in ten must be by laiv a free
patient; and whenever an inebriate really desires to break his
chain, he is met half-tvay by the trustees, and his board is fixed at
a rate that accords ivith his circumstances. A few patients have
been taken as low as five dollars a iveek. When once the building
has been completed, the grounds laid out, and the farms disposed of, the trustees hope never to turn from the door of
the institution any proper applicant who desires to avail himself
of its assistance. -The present number of patients is something

APPENDIX.

401

less than one hundred, which is about fifty less than can be
accommodated. When the burnt wing is restored, there will be
room for four hundred.
Upon entering 'the building, we find ourselves in a spacious,
handsome, well-arranged, and well-furnished hotel. The musical
click of billiard-balls, and the distant thunder of the bowlingalley, salute the ear; one of the inmates may be performing
brilliantly on the piano, or trying over a new piece for next
Sunday on the cabinet organ in the temporary chapel. The
billiard-room, we soon discover, contains three tables. There is
a reading-room always open, in which the principal periodicals
of both continents, and plenty of newspapers, are accessible to
all the patients. A small library, which ought to be a larger
one, is open at a certain hour every day. A conservatory is near
completion, and there is a garden of ten acres near by in which
a number of the inmates may usually be seen at work. A croquet-ground is not wanting, and the apparatus of cricket is
visible in one of the halls. The chapel is still far from heing
finished, hut enough is done to show that it will he elegant and
inviting soon after the next instalment of excise money comes in.
The dining-room is lofty and large, as indeed are all the public
rooms. The private rooms are equal, both in size and furniture,
to those of good city hotels. The arrangements for warming,
lighting, washing, bathing, cooking, are such as we should expect
to find in so stately an edifice. We have not yet reached the
point when housework will do itself; but in great establishments
like this, where one man, working ten minutes an hour, warms
two or three hundred rooms, menial labour is hopefully reduced.
In walking about the wide halls and airy public apartments, the
visitor sees nothing to destroy the impression that the building
is a very liberally arranged summer hotel. To complete the
illusion, he will perhaps see toddling about a lovely child with
its beautiful mother, and in the large parlour some ladies visiting
inmates or officers of the institution. The table also is good
and well served. A stranger, not knowing the nature of the
institution, might, however, be puzzled to decide whether it is a
hotel or a college. No one, it is true, ever saw a college so
handsomely arranged and" provided ; but the tone of the thing
is college-like, especially when you get about among the rooms
of the inmates, and see them cramming for next Monday's debate,
or writing a lecture for the Asylum course.

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APPENDIX*

This institution is in fact, as in appearance, a rationally conducted hotel or Temporary Home and resting place for men
diseased by the excessive use of alcoholic drinks. It is a place
where they can pause and reflect, and gather strength and knowledge for the final victorious struggle with themselves. Temptation is not so remote that their resolution is not in continual
exercise, nor so near that it is tasked beyond its strength. There
lies Binghamton in its valley below them in plain sight, among
its rivers and its trees, with its thousand pretty homes and its
dozen nasty bar-rooms. They can go down there and drink, if
they can get any one to risk the fifty dollars' t fine imposed by
the law of the State upon any one who sells liquor to an inmate
of the Asylum. Generally, there is some poor mercenary wretch
who will do it. Until it has been proved that the sight of Binghamton is too much for a patient, the only restraint upon his
liberty is, that he must not enter the town without the consent
of the superintendent. This consent is not regarded in the
light of a permission, but in that of a physician's opinion. The
patient is supposed to mean : " Dr. Day, would you, as my
medical adviser, recommend me to go to Binghampton this
morning to be measured for a pair of shoes ? Do you think it
would be salutary 1 Am I far enough advanced in convalescence to trust myself to breathe the air of the valley for an
hour ?" The doctor gives his opinion on the point, and it is
etiquette to accept that opinion without remark. Not one
patient has yet visited the town, with the consent of the superintendent, who has proved unequal to the temptation. If an
inmate steals away and yields to his craving, he is placed in
confinement for a day or two, or longer if necessary. It occasionally happens that a patient, conscious of the coming on of a
paroxysm of desire, asks to have the key of his room turned
upon him till it is over. I t is desired that this turning of the
key, and those few barred rooms in one of the wards, shall be
regarded as mere remedial appliances, as much so as the bottles
of medicine in the medicine-chest. It is, however, understood
that no one is to be released from confinement who does not
manifest a renewed purpose to refrain.
Such a purpose is
sometimes indicated by a note addressed to the superintendent
like the following, which I happened to see placed in his
hands :—

APPENDIX.

403

" DR. DAY :—Dear Sir, I cannot let the circumstance which
happened yesterday pass by without assuring you that I am truly
sorry for the disgrace I have brought on the institution, as well as
myself. I certainly appreciate your efforts to guide us all in the
right direction, and more especially the interest that you have taken
in my own welfare. Let me assure you now, that hereafter, as long
as I remain with you, I shall use every endeavour to conduct myself
as I should, and cause you no further trouble."
Lapses of this kind are not frequent, and they are regarded
by the superintendent as part of the means of restoration
which the institution affords; since they aid him in destroying
a fatal self-confidence, and in inculcating the idea that a patient
who lapses must never think of giving up the struggle, but
renew it the instant he can gain the least foothold of selfcontrol.
The system of treatment pursued here is founded on the
expectation that the patient and the institution will co-operate.
If a man does not desire to be reclaimed, and such a desire cannot be awakened within him, the institution can do no more than
keep him sober while he remains an inmate of it. There will,
perhaps, one day be in every State an asylum for incurable
drunkards, wherein they will be permanently detained, and
compelled to live temperately, and earn their subsistence by
suitable labour. But this is not such an institution. Here all
is voluntary. The co-operation of the patient is assumed; and
when no desire to be restored can be roused, the experiment is
not continued longer than a few months.
The two grand objects aimed at by the superintendent are, to
raise the tone of the bodily health, and to fortify the weakened
will. The means employed vary somewhat in each case. The
superintendent designs to make a particular study of each individual ; he endeavours to win his confidence, to adapt the treatment to his peculiar disposition, and to give him just the
aid he needs. As the number of patients increases, this will
become more difficult, if it does not become impossible.
The more general features of the system are all that can be
communicated to others, and these I will endeavour briefly to
indicate.
It is interesting to observe the applicants for admission, when
they enter the office of the Asylum, accompanied generally by a
D D2

404

APPENDIX.

relative or friend. Some reach the building far gone in intoxication, having indulged in one last farewell debauch ; or having
drunk a bottle of whiskey for the purpose of screwing their
courage to the sticking-point of entering the Asylum. A clergyman whom this institution restored told me that he reached
Binghamton in the evening, and went to bed drunk; and before
going to the Asylum the next morning he had to fortify his
system and his resolve by twelve glasses of brandy. Sometimes
the accompanying friend, out of an absurd kind of pity for a
poor fellow about to be deprived of his solace, will rather encourage him to drink; and often the relatives of an inebriate can
only get him into the institution by keeping him intoxicated, until
he is safe under its roof Frequently men arrive emaciated and
worn out from weeks or months of hard drinking; and occasionally a man will be brought in suffering from delirium tremens,
who will require restraint and watching for several days. Some
enter the office in terror, expecting to be immediately led away
by a turnkey and locked up. All come with bodies diseased
and minds demoralized; for the presence of alcohol in the system
lowers the tone of the whole man, body and soul, strengthening
every evil tendency, and weakening every good one. And this
is the reason why men who are brought here against their will
are not to be despaired of. Alcohol may only have suspended
the activity of their better nature, which a few weeks of total
abstinence may rouse to new life. As the health improves,
ambition often revives, the native delicacy of the soul reappears, and the man becomes polite, docile, interested, agreeable, who on entering seemed coarse, stupid, obstinate, and
malign.
The new-comer subscribes to the rules, pays his board three
months in advance, and surrenders all the rest of his money.
I'he paying in advance is a good thing ; it is like paying your
passage on going on board ship; the voyager has no care, and
nothing to think of, but the proposed object. It is also one
more inducement to remain until other motives gain strength.
Many hard drinkers live under the conviction that if they
should cease drinking alcoholic liquors suddenly, they would die
in a few days. This is a complete error. No "tapering off" is
allowed here. Dr. Day discovered years ago that a man who
has been drinking a quart of whiskey a day for a long time
suffers more if his allowance is reduced to a pint than if he is

APPENDIX.

405

put at once upon the system of total abstinence. He not only
suffers less, but for a shorter time. The clergyman before
referred to informed me that, for two years and a half before
entering the Asylum, he drank a quart of brandy daily, and he
felt confident that he would die if he should suddenly cease. He
reached Binghamton drunk; he went to bed that evening
drunk; he drank twelve glasses of brandy the next morning
before eleven o'clock; he went up to the Asylum saturated with
brandy, expecting to make the preliminary arrangements for his
admission, then return to the hotel, and finish the day drinking.
But precisely at that point Albert Day laid his hand upon him ?
and marked him for his own. Dr. Day quietly objected to his
return to the town, sent for his trunk, caused the tavern bill to
be paid, and cut off his brandy at once and totally. For fortyeight hours the patient craved the accustomed stimulant intensely, and he was only enabled to sleep by the assistance of
bromide of potassium. On the third day the craving ceased,
and he assured me that he never felt it again. Other morbid
experiences he had, but not t h a t ; and now, after two years of
abstinence, he enjoys good health, has no desire for drink, and
is capable of extraordinary exertions. Other patients, however,
informed me that they suffered a morbid craving for two or
three weeks. But all agreed that the sudden discontinuance of
the stimulant gave them less inconvenience than they had anticipated, and was in no degree dangerous. It is, indeed, most
surprising to see how soon the system begins to rally when once
it is relieved of the inimical influence. Complete recovery, of
course, is a slow and long effort of nature; but the improvement in the health, feelings, and appearance of patients, after
only a month's residence upon that breezy hill, is very remarkable.
There is an impression in the country that the inmates of
such asylums as this undergo some mysterious process, and take
unknown medicines, which have power to destroy the desire for
strong drink. Among the quack medicines of the day is a
bottled humbug, pretending to have such power. It is also
supposed by some that the plan which Captain Marryat mentions is efficacious,—that of confining a drunken sailor for
several days to a diet of beef and brandy. Accounts have gone
the rounds of the papers, of another system that consists in
saturating with brandy every article of food of which the inebriate

406

APPENDIX.

partakes. Patients occasionally arrive at the Asylum who expect
to be treated in some such way ; and when a day or two passes
without anything extraordinary or disagreeable happening, they
inquire, with visible apprehension, "When the treatment is
going to begin." In this sense of the word, there is no treatment here. In all nature there is no substance that destroys
or lessens a drunkard's desire for intoxicating liquors ; and there
is no such thing as permanently disgusting him with brandy by
giving him more brandy than he wants. A drunkard's drinking
is not a thing of mere appetite ; his whole system craves stimulation ; and he would drink himself into perdition while loathing
the taste of the liquor. This Asylum simply gives its inmates
rest, regimen, amusement, society, information. I t tries to
restore the health and renew the will, and both by rational
means.
Merely entering an establishment like this is a long step
toward deliverance. It is a confession ! It is a confession to
the patient's family and friends, to the inmates of the Asylum,
and, above all, to himself, that he has lost his self-control,
and cannot get it back without assistance. He comes here
for that assistance. Every one knows he comes for that.
They are all in the same boat. The pot cannot call the
kettle black. False pride, and all the thin disguises of selflove, are laid aside. The mere fact of a man's being an inmate of an inebriate asylum is a declaration to all about him
that he has been a drunkard, and even a very bad drunkard;
for the people here know, from their own bitter experience,
that a person cannot bring himself to make such a confession
until, by many a lapse, he has been brought to despair of
self-recovery. Many of these men were thinking of the asylum
for years before they could summon courage to own that they
had lost the power to resist a physical craving. But when
once they have made the agonizing avowal by entering the
asylum, it costs them no great effort to reveal the details of
their case to hearers who cannot reproach them; and, besides
relating their own experience without reserve, they are relieved,
encouraged, and instructed by hearing the similar experience of
others. All have the same object, the same peril, the same
dread, the same hope, and each aids the rest as students aid one
another in the same college.
In a community like this, Public Opinion is the controlling

APPENDIX.

407

force. That subtle, resistless power is always aiding or frustrating the object for which the community exists. Public
Opinion sides with a competent superintendent, and serves him
as an assiduous, omnipresent police. Under the coercive system
once attempted here, the public opinion of the Asylum applauded
a man who smuggled a bottle of whiskey into the building, and
invited his friends into his room to drink it. An inmate who
should now attempt such a crime would be shunned by the best
two-thirds of the whole institution. One of their number, suddenly overcome by temptation, who should return to the
Asylum drunk, they would all receive as cordially as before ;
but they would regard with horror or contempt a man who
should bring temptation into the building, and place it within
reach of those who had fled hither to avoid it.
The French have a verb,—se depayser,—to uncountry one's
self, to get out of the groove, to drop undesirable companions
and forsake haunts that are too alluring, by going away for
awhile, and, in returning, not resuming the old friends and
habits. How necessary this is to some of the slaves of alcohol
every one knows. To many of them restoration is impossible
without it, and not difficult with it. To all such, what a refuge
is a well-conducted asylum like this ! Merely being here, out
of the coil of old habits, haunts, pleasures, comrades, temptations, which had proved too much for them a thousand times,
merely being away for a time, so that they can calmly survey
the scenes they have left and the life they have led,—is itself
half the victory.
Every Wednesday evening, after prayers, a kind of temperance meeting is held in the chapel. It is the intention of the
superintendent, that every inmate of the Asylum shall become
acquainted with the nature of alcohol, and with the precise
effects of alcoholic drinks upon the human system. He means
that they shall comprehend the absurdity of drinking as
clearly as they know its ruinous consequences. He accordingly opens this meeting with a short lecture upon some one
branch of the subject, and then invites the patients to illustrate the point from their own experience. At the meeting
which I happened to attend the subject of Dr. Day's remarks
was suggested (as it often is) by an occurrence which had
just taken place at the institution, and had been the leadingtopic of conversation all that day. At the last meeting, a young

408

APPENDIX.

man from a distant State, who had been in the Asylum for some
months and was about to return home, delivered an eloquent
farewell address to his companions, urging them to adhere to
their resolution, and protesting his unalterable resolve never,
never, never again to yield to their alluring and treacherous foe.
He spoke with unusual animation and in a very loud voice.
He took his departure in the morning by the Erie Road, and
twelve hours after he was brought back to the Asylum drunk.
Upon his recovery he related to the superintendent and to his
friends the story of his lamentable fall. When the train had
gone three hours on its way, there was a detention of three
hours at a station that offered little entertainment to impatient
travellers. The returning prodigal paced the platform ; found
it dull work ; heard at a distance the sound of billiard balls ;
went and played two games, losing b o t h ; returned to the platform and resumed his walk : and there fell into the train of
thought that led to the catastrophe. His reflections were like
these : " How perfect is my cure I I have not once thought of
taking a drink. Not even when I saw men drinking at the bar
did it cross my mind to follow their example. I have not the least
desire for whiskey, and I have no doubt I could take that ' one
glass' which Dr. Bay keeps talking about, without a wish for a
second. In fact, no man is perfectly cured till he can do that. I
have a great mind to put it to the test. It almost seems as if this
opportunity of trying myself had been created on purpose. Here
goes, then, for the last glass of whiskey I shall take as long as I
live, and I take it purely as a scientific experiment." One hour
after his friend, who was accompanying him home, found him
lying in a corner of a bar-room, dead drunk. He had him picked
up, and placed in the next train bound for Binghamton.
This was the text of Dr. Day's discourse, and he employed
it in enforcing anew his three cardinal points : 1. No hope for
an inebriate until he thoroughly distrusts the strength of his
own resolution; 2. No hope for an inebriate except in total
abstinence as long as he lives, both in sickness and in health;
3. Little hope for an inebriate unless he avoids, on system
and on principle, the occasions of temptation, the places where
liquor is sold, and the persons who will urge it upon him.
Physicians, he said, were the inebriate's worst enemies; and he
advised his hearers to avoid the tinctures prepared with alcohol,
which had often awakened the long dormant appetite. During

APPENDIX.

409

my stay at Binghamton, a clergyman resident in the town, and
recently an inmate of the Asylum, had a slight indisposition
resulting from riding home from a meeting ten miles in the
rain. One of the physicians of the place, who knew his history,
knew that he had been an inebriate of the most pronounced
type (quart of liquor a day), prescribed a powerful dose of
brandy and laudanum. " I dare not take it, doctor," he said,
and put the damnable temptation behind him. "If I had
taken it," said he to me, " I should have been drunk to-day."
The case, too, required nothing but rest, rice, and an easy book.
No medicine was necessary. Dr. Day has had under his care
a man who, after being a confirmed drunkard, had been a
teetotaler for eighteen years, and had then been advised to take
wine for the purpose of hastening a slow convalescence. His
appetite resumed its old ascendency, and, after drinking
furiously for a year, he was brought to the Asylum in delirium
tremens. Dr. Day expressed a strong hope and belief that the
returned inmate mentioned above had now actually taken his
last glass of whiskey; for he had discovered his weakness, and
was in a much more hopeful condition than he had been before
his lapse. The Doctor scouted the idea that a man who has the
misfortune to break his resolution should give up the struggle.
Some men, he said, must fall, at least once, before the last rag
of self-confidence is torn from them ; and he had had patients
who, after coming back to him in Boston four times, had
conquered, and had lived soberly for years, and were still living
soberly.
When the superintendent had finished his remarks, he called
upon his hearers to speak. Several of them did so. One young
gentleman, an officer of the army during the war, made his
farewell speech. He thanked his companions for the forbearance they had shown him during the first weeks of his residence
among them, when he was peevish, discontented, rebellious, and
had no hope of ever being able to conquer his propensity, so
often had he tried and failed. He would have left the Asylum
in those days, if he had had the money to pay his fare on the
cars. He felt the importance of what Dr. Day had advanced
respecting the occasions of temptation, and especially what he
had said about physicians' prescriptions, which he knew had led
men to drink. " If," he added, " I cannot live without alcohol,
I would rather die. For my part, I expect to have a struggle

410

APPENDIX.

all my life; I don't think the time will ever come when it will
be safe for me to dally with temptation, and I feel the necessity
of following Dr. Day's advice on this point." He spoke in a
simple, earnest, and manly • manner.
He was followed by
another inmate, a robust, capable-looking man of thirty-five,
who also spoke with directness and simplicity. He hoped that
fear would help him to abstain. If he could only keep sober,
he had the best possible prospects ; but if he again gave way,
he saw nothing before him but infamy and destruction. He
spoke modestly and anxiously, evidently feeling that it was
more than a matter of life and death to him. When he had
concluded, a young gentleman rose, and delivered a fluent,
flowery address upon temperance; just such a discourse as
might precede a lapse into drinking.
On Monday evening of every week, the Literary Society of
the institution holds its meeting, when essays are read and
lectures delivered. The course of lectures delivered last winter
are highly spoken of by those who heard them, and they were
all written by inmates of the Asylum. Among the subjects
treated were : Columbus, a Study of Character; Goldsmith ;
The Telegraph, by an Operator; Resources of Missouri; Early
English Novelists ; The Age, and the Men for the Age ; Geology;
The Passions, with Poetical Illustrations; The Inebriate Asylum,
under the Regime of Coercion. It occasionally happens, that
distinguished visitors contribute something to the pleasure of
the evening. Mrs. Stowe, the newspapers inform us, was kind
enough some time sinpe to give them a reading from Uncle
Tom's Cabin ; and the copy of the book from which she read
was a cheap double-columned pamphlet brought from the South
by a freednren, now the porter of the Asylum. He bought it
and read it while he was still a slave, little thinking when he
scrawled his name across the dingy title-page that he should
ever have the honour of lending it to the authoress.
Nearly twelve years have now elapsed since Dr. Day began
to accumulate experience in the treatment of inebriates, during
which time he has had nearly four thousand patients under
his care. What proportion of these were permanently cured
it is impossible to say, because nothing is heard of many
patients after they leave; but it is reasonably conjectured
that two-thirds of the whole number were restored. It is a
custom with many of them to write an annual letter to

APPENDIX.

411

Dr. Day on the anniversary of their entering the Home under
his management, and the reading of such letters is a highly
interesting and beneficial feature of the Wednesday evening
temperance meetings. The alcoholic mania is no respecter of persons. Br. Bay has had under treatment twenty-one clergymen,
one of whom was a Catholic priest (who had delirium tremens),
and one a Jewish Rabbi. He has had one old man past seventy,
and one boy of sixteen. He has had a Philadelphia " killer," and
a judge of a supreme court. He has had steady two-quarts-a-day
men, and men who were subject only to semi-annual debauches.
He has had men whose " tears " lasted but forty-eight hours, and
one man who came in of his own accord after what he styled " a
general spree" of three months' continuance. He has had
drunkards of two years' standing, and those who have been slaves
of strong drink for thirty years.
Some of his successes have been striking and memorable. There
was Br. X
of Tennessee, at thirty-five a physician of large practice, professor in a medical college, happy in an excellent wife and
seven children. Falling into drink, he lost at length his practice,
his professorship, his property, his home ; his family abandoned
him to his fate, and went to his wife's father's in another State ;
and he became at last a helpless gutter sot. His brother, who heard
by chance of the Home in Boston, picked him up one day from the
street, where he lay insensible, and got him upon the train for the
East. Before he roused from his drunken stupor, he was halfway
across Virginia. " Where am I %" he asked. " In Virginia, on
your way to Boston." " All right," said he, in a drunkard's
drunkenest manner,—" all right! give me some whiskey." He
was carried into the Home in the arms of men, and lay for some
weeks miserably sick. His health improved, and the man revived. He clutched at this unexpected chance of escape, and
co-operated with all his heart with the system. Dr. Day wrote
a hopeful letter to his wife. " Speak not to me of a husband,"
she replied ; " I have no husband ; I buried my husband long
ago.'' After four months' stay in the institution, the patient
returned home, and resumed his practice. A year after his
family rejoined him. He recovered all his former standing,
which to this day, after nine years of sobriety, he retains. His
ninth annual letter to his deliverer I have read. " By the way,"
he says, in a postscript, " did you receive my letters each year
of the war 1 '* Yes, they reached Dr. Day months after they

412

APPENDIX.

were written; but they always reached him. The secret of
this cure, as the patient has often asserted, was total abstinence. He had attempted to reduce his daily quantity a
hundred times; but never, until he entered the Home, was he
aware of the physical impossibility of a drunkard's becoming a
moderate drinker. From the moment when he had a clear,
intellectual comprehension of that truth, the spell was broken :
abstinence was easy; he was himself again.
Then there was Y——, a Philadelphia street savage,—one of
those firemen who used to sleep in the engine house, and lie in wait
for rival companies, and make night and day hideous with slaughter.
Fearful beings were those Philadelphia firemen of twenty years
ago I Some of them made a nearer approach to total depravity
than any creatures I have ever seen that wore the form of man,—
revelling in blood, exulting in murder, and glorying in hellish blows
with iron implements, given and received. It was difficult to say
whether it gave them keener delight to wound or to be wounded.
In all communities where external observances and decorums
become tyrannical, and where the innocent pleasures of youth
are placed under a ban, there is sure to be a class which revolts
against the invisible despot, and goes to a horrid extreme of
violence and vice. This Y
was one of the revolters. Once
in many weeks he would return to his decent home, ragged and
penniless, to be re-clothed. I t is only alcohol that supports
men in a life of wanton violence like this ; and he, accordingly,
was a deep and reckless drinker. His sister prevailed upon
him, after many months of persuasion, to go to the Home in
Boston, and he presented himself there one morning, black all
over with coal dust. He explained his appearance by saying
that he had come from Philadelphia in a coal-vessel. Dr. Day,
•who had been notified of his coming, received him with that
emphatic politeness which produces such magical effects upon
men who have long been accustomed to see an enemy in every
one who behaves decently, and uses the English language in its
simplicity. He was exceedingly astonished to be treated with
consideration, and to discover that he was not to be subjected
to any disagreeable process. He proved to be a good, simple
soul, very ignorant, not naturally intelligent, and more capable,
therefore, of faith than of knowledge. The Doctor won his
confidence; then his goodwill; then his affection. Something
that was read in the Bible attracted his attention one day, and

APPENDIX.

413

he asked to be shown the passage ; and this was the beginning
of his reading the Bible regularly. It was all new to h i m ;
he found it highly interesting : and, this daily reading being
associated in his mind with his reform, the book became a kind
of talisman to him, and he felt safe as long as he continued the
practice. After a six months' residence, he went to work in
Boston, but always returned to spend the evening at the Home.
At the beginning of the war he enlisted. He was in Colonel
Baker's regiment on the bloody day of Ball's Bluff, and was one
of the gallant handful of men who rescued from the enemy
the body of their slain commander. He was one of the multitude who swam, the Potomac amid a pattering rain of bullets,
and walked barefoot seven miles to camp. The first man
that met him there offered him whiskey. Mistaken kindness !
Senseless offer! A man wTho is sinking with fatigue wants
rest, not stimulation ; sleep, not excitement. " Don't offer me
that" he gasped, shuddering.
" I dread that more than
bullets." Instead of the whiskey, he took twelve hours' sleep,
and consequently awoke refreshed, and ready for another days'
hard service. At Antietam he had the glory and high privilege
of giving his life for mankind. A bullet through the brain sent
him to heaven, and stretched his body on the field in painless
and eternal sleep. It lies now in a cemetery near his native
city ; a monument covers i t ; and all who were connected with
him are proud to point to his grave and claim him for their
own. What a contrast between dying so, and being killed in a
motiveless street-fight by a savage blow on the head with a
speaking-trumpet!
Perhaps, long as this article already is, I may venture to
give, with the utmost possible brevity, one more of the many
remarkable cases with which I became acquainted at the
Asylum.
One Sunday morning, a loud ringing of the front-door bell of
the Home in Boston induced Dr. Day himself to answer the
summons. He found a man at the door, who was in the most
complete state of dilapidation that can be imagined,—ragged,
dirty, his hat awry, torn and bent, spectacles with one eye gone
and the other cocked out of place, the perfect picture of a
drunken sot who had slept among the barrels and cotton bales
for six months. He was such a person as wTe, thoughtless fools,
roar at in the theatre sometimes, about 10.30 p.m., and who

414

APPENDIX.

makes the lives of sundry children and one woman a long and
hopeless tragedy up in some dismal garret, or down in some
pestilential cellar.
" What can I do for you ?" inquired the superintendent.
" My name is A. B
; will you take me in 1"
" Have you a letter of introduction from any one ?'*
"No"
" We must have something of the kind. Bo you Mow any one
in Boston V
" Yes; there is Dr. Kirk; I've preached in his church; he
ought to know me ; Til see if he does."
In a few minutes he returned, bearing a note from that distinguished clergyman, saying that he thought he knew the man,
and upon this he was admitted.
He was as complete, though not as hopeless a wreck as he appeared. He had been a clergyman in good standing and of ability
respectable; but had insensibly fallen under the dominion of a
mania for drink. For ten years he had been a downright sot.
He had not seen his family in that time. A benevolent man who
chanced to meet him in New York described to him the Washingtonian Home, made him promise to go to it, and gave him
money for the purpose. He immediately spent the money for
drink; but yet, in some forgotten way, he smuggled himself to
Boston, and made his appearance at the Home on that Sunday
morning. Such cases as this, hopeless as they seem, are among the
easiest to cure, because there are knowledge, conscience, and pride
latent in the man, which begin to assert themselves as soon as
the system is' freed from the presence of alcohol. This man
was easily made to see the truth respecting his case. He soon
came to understand alcohol; and this alone is a surprising
assistance to a man at the instant of temptation. He remained
at the Home six months, always improving in health, and
regaining his former character. He left Boston twenty-two
months ago, and has since lived with perfect sobriety, and has
been restored to his family and to his profession.
Inebriate asylums, rationally conducted, cannot fail to be
worth their cost. They are probably destined to become as
generally recognised a necessity of our diseased modern life as
asylums for lunatics and hospitals for the sick. It is not necessary to begin with a million-dollar palace, though it is desirable
that the building should be attractive, airy, and large enough

APPENDIX.

4.15

to accommodate a considerable number of patients. When the
building has been paid for, the institution may be self-sustaining, or even yield a profit. It is possible that the cure of
inebriates may become a specialty of medical practice, to which
men, gifted with the requisite talent, will devote their lives.
The science of the thing is still most incomplete, and only
one individual has had much success in the practice. Albert
Day is a good superintendent chiefly because he is a good
Yankee, not because he is a great scientific healer. It seems
instinctive in good Yankees to respect the rights and feelings of
others ; and they are accustomed to persuade and convince, not
drive, not compel. Albert Day has treated these unfortunate and
amiable men as he would have treated younger brothers taken
captive by a power stronger than themselves. His polite and respectful manner to his patients on all occasions must be balm to
men accustomed to the averted look and taunting epithet, and
accustomed, too, to something far harder to bear—distrust and
abhorrence of themselves. Others, of course will originate
improved methods, and we shall have, at length, a Fine Art of
assisting men to overcome bad habits; but this characteristic
of Dr. Day will never be wanting to an asylum that answers the
end of its establishment.
The disease which such institutions are designed to cure
must be very common; for where is the family that has not a
drunkard in its circle of connections ? It is true that an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure ; but not on that account
must the pound of cure be withheld.
The railroad wThich connects New York and Binghamton is
the Erie, which is another way of saying that I was detained
some hours on the journey home; and this afforded me the
novel experience of working my way up town in a New York
street-car an hour or two before daylight. The car staged
from the City Hall at half-past two a.m., and -received,
during the first three miles of its course, twenty-sev>ien persons.
It so happened that nearly every individual of them, including
the person coming home from the Asylum, was 3c>ut of bed at
that hour through alcohol. There were three Irunken vagabonds asleep, who were probably taking a cheap Ibdgiiig in the
car by riding to Harlem and back,—two hours and forty
minutes' ride for fourteen cents. In one corners was coiled
away a pale, dirty German Jew of the Fagin type, very drunk,

416

APPENDIX.

singing snatches of drinking choruses in broken English. Next
to him was his pal, a thick-set old Charley Bates, also drunk,
and occasionally joining in the festive songs. A mile of the
road was enlivened by an argument between C. Bates and the
conductor, on the subject of a cigar, which Mr. Bates insisted
on smoking, in violation of the rule. The controversy was
carried on in " the English language." Then there were five
German musicians, perfectly sober and very sleepy, with their
instruments in their hands, returning, I suppose, from some late
saloon or dance-house. One woman was in the car, a girl of
twenty, who appeared to be a performer in a saloon, and was
now, after having shed her spangles and her ribbons, going
home in dirty calico drawn tight over a large and obvious hoop,
under the protecting care of a nice young man. There were
several young and youngish men, well dressed, in various stages
of intoxication, who had probably been at the lawless "late
houses," singing and drinking all night, and were now going
home to scare and horrify mothers, sisters, or wives who may
have been waiting five hours to hear the scratch of their latchkey against the front door.
What a picture did the inside of that car present, when it
was filled upon both sides with sleepy, bobbing drunkards and
servants of drunkards,—the girl leaning sleepily upon her neighbour's shoulder; the German musicians crouching over their
instruments, half dead with sleep /" old Fagin bawling a line of
a beery song; and the conductor, struggling down through the
midst, vainly endeavouring to extract from boosy passengers
whether they were going "through," or desired to be dropped on
the way. It was a fit ending to a week at the Inebriate Asylum.
—The Atlantic Monthly, Oct., 1868.

THE END.

BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.