TO

MARY HOWITT,

"One of the spirits chosen by Heaven to turn

The sunny side of things to human eyes,"

THIS VOLUME IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS.

LETTER I.

The Battery in the morning-Streets of Modern Babylon
-Street musicians.

LETTER II.

Page

. 1

Washingtonians-Law of love and law of force-Trusting
in each other's honesty-The dog-killers

LETTER III.

Sectarian walls-Ideas of God-The poor woman's gar-

6

13

17

LETTER V.

Highland benevolent Society-Clans and sects

24

LETTER VI.

Page

The Jews-Black Jews-Old clothes-Reading by lamp-
light in the day time

LETTER VII.

28

Rev. John Summerfield-The farmer crazed by specu-
lators-Green Wood Cemetery-Wearing mourning. 39

LETTER VIII.

The shipping-The Yankee boy and the Emperor of
Russia-The Kamschatka and La Belle Poule

LETTER IX.

Grant Thornburn, the original of Galt's Lawrie Todd-
Ravenswood

45

55

LETTER X.

Varieties of character and changing of population of New
York-Anecdote of absent men-The bagpipe player
-Burial of a stranger in the Western forest

LETTER XI.

The coloured Methodist preacher-Story of Zeek, the
shrewd slave

LETTER XII.

The New Year-Past and future-Music written on sand

by vibration-Caution to reformers

63

68

79