AMERICAN TRAVELLERS.

527

fault with the boarding-houses of the United States. To them, these houses afford ready means for seeing the people, and mixing with them, and observing their manners. A stranger who conducts himself with propriety can thus always form acquaintances that will be useful to him. I quite understand the feelings of the Americans when they complain, as they often do, that they never found themselves so much thrown on their own resources as when they land at Liverpool without recommendations, and are shown into the lonely parlour of a hotel or inn, where the waiter asks them what they will order for dinner. Mrs Trollope seems to have been unfortunate in her selection of hotels and boarding-houses almost everywhere; but even she sometimes stumbled upon such as she liked. I found the system of living together, upon the whole, comfortable for strangers-much more comfortable on a long lonely journey than the solitary inns of Britain. I have mentioned every instance, without exception, where the treatment at any of the hotels was not such as a traveller has a right to expect; and I may fearlessly ask of any one entitled to answer the question, whether it be at all likely that an individual travelling through Europe for as many thousand miles as I did through America, almost through all the states, unknown, and generally without any recommendation, would have had as many acts of kindness and attention, and as few instances of incivility to record, as occurred in the course of my long journies?

CHAPTER XVI.

Weather at Hoboken-Crowds of People enjoying the Walks thereMrs Trollope's Complaint against the Ladies of New York, for not being found in the Hoboken Walks on the Sabbath, during the performance of Divine Worship at New York-Sufficient Evidence that Mrs Trollope objects to going to Church at all—Miss Wright's Paper respecting Divorces and Illegitimate Children-Removal to Mr Anderson's house near Hellgate in Long Island-Description of it— Mode of Life there-Thermometer 90° and 93°-Deaths from Cold Water-Temperance Societies- Their good and bad effects-Extravagance of Dr Beecher's opinion against fermented Liquors— The late Dr Benjamin Rush, a safer authority upon this subjectIntoxicated persons rarely met within the United States-The People drink frequently, but very little at a time-Description of Hellgate on Long Island Sound-Washington Irving's Account of it— Number of beautiful villas in the neighbourhood-Views from the Vicinity of Hellgate-Farm-Vegetables, Fruits-Comparison of Fruits with those in England-Newton Pippins-Dutch reformed Church at Newton-Mr Anderson's Carriage—No Carriage allowed to pass another here-Dominie Schoonemaker's Episcopal Church at Newton-Number of Carriages at Newton during Divine Service— All ride-Mr Anderson, Deacon of Mr Schoonemaker's Church— Takes charge of Sabbath School, which meets in his House once a month to examine the Children, and for Worship with them-Visits to the neighbouring proprietors and farmers-Tea-Parties-Affectionate Greetings of the Dutch females-Manners of the farmers-Wages of Labourers--Price of Growing Oats--Application from John Boswell, a young man, a Ship-builder, from the west of Fife, who had emigrated with his Family to get work here-Difficulties of his situation from

coming without Attestations of his Character-His subsequent Success-No Emigrant should come to this country without Credentials.

Summer and Autumn of 1830.

THE weather was now getting very warm at New York; and the crowds of people who came over to enjoy the cool shady walks at Hoboken great, at all times in the afternoon, but especially on Sunday. Mrs Trollope, who was delighted with Hoboken, its terrace and its scenery, again breaks out into loud complaints, when "she went there on a bright Sunday afternoon, expressly to see the humours of the place," because the ladies were at church, and because of the many thousand persons in the grounds, nineteentwentieths were, as she states, men. I and many of my friends were frequently in these grounds on Sunday afternoons; and I am very sure that, though the number of males was greater than that of females, the number of females was never less than one-fourth of the whole number. Besides, Mrs Trollope should have known, that it is not altogether reckoned fashionable or creditable for ladies of her own caste, presuming, as I do, that she at home belongs to the west end of the town, to promenade at Hoboken on Sunday afternoon; but her remark on this subject proves a great deal more, probably, than she intended. It proves that she not only objects to the ladies of America attending Methodist meetings, or those of the Calvinistic Presbyterians, but that she objects to their going to church at all. "The Sabbath day (she says) is ill passed, if passed entirely within brick walls, listening to an earth

born preacher;" and then, assuming that all the clergy of New York are self-elected and self-ordained priests, she asks, "How can the men of America offer up their wives and daughters to propitiate them?" This is mere stuff. Mrs Trollope should know, that, although it is the custom in London for a great part of the nobility, and of the exclusive classes, to devote the Sunday afternoon to the display of themselves and their equipages in Hyde Park, no similar custom prevails generally over Great Britain. I suspect that, in Manchester, Liverpool, and I know that in Glasgow and Edinburh, ladies are not generally given to promenading during divine service on Sunday afternoon.

It was just about this time when I returned from my journey to the south that a paper, written by Mrs Trollope's friend, Miss Wright, and signed with her initials "F. W." was put into my hands. The first part of it will show the notions which ladies who abandon all profession of religion are not ashamed to promulgate to the world. These are its terms:—

66

Strange acts of legislation.

Among the late multitudinous acts of the Pennsylvania legislature, we notice eight in annulment of marriage-contracts, and three in favour of illegitimate children; by virtue of which latter decrees, it is accorded to some children, for or by whom application had been made, to inherit the property of their fathers. "Truly, it is inconceivable how we can hear and read similar facts without ever drawing a conclusion, or forming an opinion from the same. Men and wo

men permitted, by act of the state, to live apart! Is it not possible for us to see what this means? That, as the first union of men and women gives fees to the priest, or the magistrate, so their parting may give fees to lawyers, and an excuse to legislators for taking the people's money under plea of legislating for some purpose, real or imagined, no matter which!

"Now, should the legislature pass acts protective of the children born under the ill-starred unions they are called to sever, there might be a plea for its interference; but surely common sense must be at a loss to discover what interest the people at large, or their representatives, can have in the binding together those who desire each other's company, or the ostentatiously setting apart those who are disposed to be asunder."

While I remained in the neighbourhood of New York, I learned that the Indian chief, Tuskina, who, as already mentioned, had eluded the search of the Americans while I was passing through the Creek territory, had surrendered himself to the circuit court of the United States, on the day appointed for trial, and that the trial had issued in his acquittal for feloniously stopping the mail, and conviction for stopping its passage. The sentence was merely a fine of 100 dollars; which sufficiently proves the motives of those who made a mountain of a mole-hill of this trifling occurrence.

At this period a calculation appeared in the New York newspapers of the number of persons who daily came into and went out of New York. The amount was said to be considerably above 20,000 persons.