Travels Through North America, v. 1-2

at Ne

ith Broadway, the principal street. This is three miles long, very wide, has elegant stores, and very pleasant side-walks. The Park is likewise very handsome, as well as the City Hall, which is situated in its centre, and is called one of the handsomest buildings in the United States. However, I was not exceedingly pleased with it, finding neither there, nor in the churches of this c

to the smallest; there was likewise a considerable series of crustaceous animals; a small collection of minerals, and these without arrangement. Besides, there were various Indian weapons, dresses, and other curiosities; ancient and modern arms of different nations, &c. a helmet of the first regiment of the Duke of Naussau, found on the field of Waterloo; several Italian antiquities, the most of them small lamps and other trifles. There is a large and exceedingly beautiful sp

of twenty-four guns, under casemates. North of this fort, on the same shore, in front of the city, are two other forts of the same description, called North Battery and Fort Gansevoort; being of no use they are abandoned. Castle Clinton is now a public pleasure house. In the barrack is a coffee-house; boxes for parties are arranged within the battery, and on the platform are amphitheatrical seats, because the yard of the fort is used for fire-works, and other exhibitions. From the battery I walked to Brooklyn ferry, and was delighted with the large number

York and Jersey City, a little village in the state of New Jersey, opposite New York, on the right side of the river. Soon after our arrival, boats likewise arrived with some ladies, who had wished to see the Pallas. As the cabin was but small and narrow,

a quarrel with the gas-company relative to the lamps; this quarrel protracted the inconvenience, though it was somewhat lessened by the numerous stores, which

ter season, the professional gentlemen of the city, and distinguished foreigners. His library, and collection of engravings, is then opened for the use of the visitors, and a discourse is som

ds for syphilitic patients. They intended to establish a new hospital for these patients, like the lunatic asylum, formerly in one of the wings of this hospital, which is now established out of town. There may be accommodated in this hospital altogether four hundred patients of both sexes. They are attended to by nurses in large wards, each of them containing about sixteen beds. The bedsteads are of wood; upon inquiring why they were not of iron, they replied, th

icity joined to the greatest cleanliness, prevailed through the whole house. Mr. Eddy is in possession of a fine library, which he showed us; it contained several splendid works on natural science; among others, Wilson's American Ornithology, with the splendid supplementary volume published by Charles Lucian Buonaparte, son of Lucian Buonaparte. Mr. Eddy then drove with us to the country

ary's shop, and the wards for the poor patients, who have a large corridor and sitting room. One wing of the building is inhabited by the male, and the other by the female patients. There are subterraneous passages from the corridors to the large yard, which is surrounded by walls, and serve the patients for walking, exercise, and play. In the middle of each yard is a shelter supplied with benches, for bad weather. In the upper stories are the rooms for the i

The best picture was a portrait of the celebrated American painter, Benjamin West, who died in London; this picture is from the masterly pencil of Sir Thomas Lawrence. There are two paintings by Teniers, and two others by Salvator Rosa. I was particularly pleased with one of the latter; an old soldier praying in a wild landscape before a simp

k with me to the wharf. As I left his house, I was escorted by a guard of honour of thirty marines, commanded by a captain; in the meantime the man-of-war F

nited States. The vessels are built of live oak, from North Carolina; the timbers are salted in order to prevent the dry-rot. The three ships of the line, Franklin, Washington, and Ohio, were in ordinary; they are called seventy-fours, but the two first are each calculated for eighty-six and the lat

lls red-hot. Before this frigate was dismantled, she carried two small masts with triangular sails, but the commodore has substituted large masts with the usual sails, for the instruction of the sailors. The machinery had been taken out for some months, and placed in an arsenal on the wharf: the place it had occupied was covered with boards, to make a common deck for the sailors. Since that time an upper deck has been built, upon which are comfortable state-rooms for the officers. This frigate has been spoken of as a real miracle; that she presented towards the enemy a forest of swords and lances, and threw a stream of boiling water, &c. all of these a

made several voyages. The sides of the Ohio are thicker than those of the other ships, and her decks higher: all these men of war have not the modern round, but broad sterns, in each of which

his agents is kept, there is a hall fitted up as a chapel; this serves during the week as a school-room for the mid

o state-rooms having but one bed, so that twenty-two gentlemen may be accommodated. The mizen-mast passes through the cabin and table. The cabin is lighted partly by the windows in the stern and partly by a large skylight; the state-rooms receive their light by patent deck-lights. There is another room in front of the dining room, for the ladies, near the mainmast, where the motion of the vessel is the least felt; on each side of their room, are two state-rooms, for eight ladies. The sides of the dining room and ladies cabin are of mahogany and curled maple, with elegant looking-glasses. In the Pacific, between every two state-rooms there are columns of white marble. All the settees are of mahogany covered

ot too long, but after the sermon came a lamentation upon the miserable state of the church funds, which was not particularly edifying. There appeared to be a deficit of eighteen thousand dollars, which the consistory tried to make up by subscription, to which the congregation was invited to contribute. Dr. Schaeffer's congregation formerly belonged to an o

because there are chains stretched across in front of the churches, to preve

e the table during the dessert, and the gentlemen keep their seats; however, nobody is obliged to drink, unless he feels inclined. Every one rises and leaves the house without ceremony. The servants are generally negroes and mulattos; most of the white servants are Irish; the Americans have a great abhorrence of servitude. Liveries are not to be seen; the male servants wear frock coats. All the families complain of bad servants and their impudence, because the latter consider themselves on an equality with their employers. Of this insolence of servants I saw daily examples. Negroes and mulattos are abundant here, but they generally rank low, and are labourers. There are but a few slaves in the state of New York, and even these

ty, offered to show me the fortifications for the defence of the bay of New York. We sailed in a

ut further below, in the Narrows, new fortifications have been built, and therefore Fort Columbus is considered useless and is neglected. In the interior are the barracks and ars

on the glacis of the fort; there is likewise a wooden barrack, which serves in time of war for a battalion of infantry; a large two-story brick house with a piazza, is intended for the head-quarters of the commanding general. Opposite to Castle Williams, are two small islan

Island. We visited the latter; it is built on rocks in the sea, two hundred and fifty yards distant from the shores, so that it forms an island. It is a square building, and erected after a plan of General Swift. From the outside it has the appearance of

La Fayette, and on the shore of Staten Island is a

hundred and seventy-five feet long: they are to be covered with earth, and a common rampart erected on top of them. In front of this is a covered way in the ditch, lower than the ramparts, with six guns, three on each side, for the defence of the ditch, &c. They were just beginning to build this fort, which is to be called Fort Hamilton, and the engineer-officers thought that it would not be finished in less than four years. The government has experienced the disadvantage of those buildings which were built by contract, and this well-arranged work w

to be found in a silly misconception of patriotism; for the general is a foreigner, and frequent experience has shown that a foreigner in military service seldom enjoys satisfaction. Two new fortifications are

size of the tube. For each of these loads, whose height is known by a mark on the rod, there are touch-holes made on the right side of the tube, each of them closed by a valve. A box is attached to the lock, which primes itself, and moves downwards from the highest touch-hole to the lowest, until the shots are gradually discharged, one after the other, and in the same manner the valves of each touch-hole must be opened. This instrument was very interesting to me. Mr. Ellis has also made an experiment of his plan for the u

generally disable more men than the shot themselves. At another wharf lay a frigate of sixty-eight guns, with an elliptic stern; she was built for the republic of Colombia, and is nearly ready for sea; she is built like a ship of the line. Her gun-deck was so high that I could stand upright in it.I.17 On the upper deck the guns were disposed of in an irregular row, which gave this frigate still more the appearance of a ship of the line. The three masts raked somewhat like those of a schooner, which was said to be more fashionable than useful. W

d sandstone and brick, and cost twenty-two thousand dollars. In the basement story is the office and place of deposit for bound bibles, which lie on shelves, ready to be sent away. The English bibles are s

wo bibles in Chinese, one printed at Calcutta, and the other at Macao. The printing-office and the bookbindery of the society are in the second, third, and fourth stories of the building, and are in charge of a bookbinder and printer under certain contracts. In the garret they dry the fresh printed sheets. The English and Spanish bibles are stereotyped; they have now in operation twelve or thirteen presses; these presses are made of iron and very simple, but without a drawing a description of th

change the different courses of instruction, all of which is done at the whistle of the instructors. In the middle class education is more extended; the children are instructed in grammar, English, Latin, history, geography, physics, and make likewise considerable progress in mathematics. In the highest class the boys are instructed in the higher mathematics, and are prepared to enter college. As I entered the school they were just receiving instruction in geography. The teacher asked, where is Weimar? The answer was, on the Rhine. The instructor then informed the children of the meritorious share my forefathers had in the Reformation, and pra

ve a good location for this institution, the society bought, of the United States government, a building, heretofore used as an arsenal, but become useless to the government on account of its distance from the water. It has existed but one year, and has at present forty-four juvenile delinquents. The sexes are separated, and each child occupies a distinct chamber. During the day they are mostly employed in learning, and in domestic occupations. As the building was not sufficiently

ch contain twelve beds. They are instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic, particularly in mental calculation, and at the age of twelve years they are bound out to farmers. Several of the boys were very expert in mental calculation, and solved the following questions with great facility:-How much

is are two courts, which are separated by a church; one yard is for males, and the other for females. The dwellings surround the yards, and are three stories high. The prisoners sleep eight in a room, on straw mats, covered with woollen blankets; every sleeping room is separately locked; the eating-hall is spacious; the fare, good brown bread, soup, and three times a week meat; on other days, fish. The workshops are in appropriate buildings, partly built of wood, standing in separate yards. You find among them all kinds

an ancient hymn, which was composed by Duke William, of Saxe-Weimar. My ancestor certainly never expected that one of the unworthiest of his descendants should, for the first time in his life hear, in the new world, that he had composed church music, and that this h

the pit persons pulled off their coats, in order to be cool. At the Park Theatre, so called because it is situated near the Park, the drama of William Tell was performed, and the after-piece of Love, Law and Physic. The first is by no means an imitation of Schiller's drama, but entirely dressed up in English taste, with a full share of battles. Whenever any obs

ork, and concluded the day by a dinner and ball. The coloured people of New York, belonging to this society, have a fund of their own, raised by weekly subscription, which is employed in assisting sick and unfortunate blacks. This fund, contained in a sky-blue box, was carried in the procession; th

up the Hudson river, near the little town called Hudson, invited me to visit him, and be present at a ball. I accepted the invitatio

s of useless exertion to get her afloat, we were obliged to go on board the steam-boat Henry Eckford, passing up the river. This boat was old, and no longer used for conveying passengers, but as a tow-boat. She had vessels attached to her, on both sides, laden with goods, which gave her the appearance of a ferry-boat. Though not very pleasantly situated on board of this boat, we had a good opportunity of observing the magnificent banks of the river after the fog disappeared. Instead of arriving at eight o'clock, A. M. we did not reach our place of destination till five o'cl

ast year the first prize-medal; he was then appointed lieutenant of the engineer corps, and second professor of the science of engineering, under Professor Douglass. On the following day we took a ride in spite of the great heat, at which I was much astonished, as it was so late in the season, to the country-seat of General Montgomery's widow, a lady eighty-two years of age, sister to the elder Messrs. Livingstons. General Montgomery fell before Quebec on the 31st of October, 1775. This worthy lady, at this advanced age, is still in possession of her mental faculties; her eyes were somewhat dim. Besides

stine, Egypt, &c. and is now travelling through America. Afterwards I paid a few farewell visits. At Mr. Eddy's I found a whole society of Quakers, men and women; they took much pains to convince me of the excellence of their sect, and seemed not disinclined to adopt me a