LANDS OF THE
SLAVE AND THE FREE:

OR,
Cuba, the United States, and Canada.

BY

CAPTAIN THE HON. HENRY A. MURRAY, R.N.

Entrance to a Coffee Planter's Residence.

1857.

"He gave us only over beast, fish, fowl,
Dominion absolute; that right we hold
By his donation; but man over man
He made not lord."

MILTON.

"Gone, gone—sold and gone,
To the rice-swamp, dank and lone;
There no mother's eye is near them,
There no mother's ear can hear them;
Never, when the torturing lash
Seams their backs with many a gash,
Shall a mother's kindness bless them,
Or a mother's arms caress them."

WHITTIER.

"LA CURIOSIDAD NUNCA SE ENFADA DE SABER."[A]

ANTONIO PEREZ

"Oh, give me liberty!
For were even Paradise my prison,
Still I would long to leap the crystal walls."

DRYDEN.

"A happy bit hame this arrld[*] warld wad be,
If men, whan they're here, would make shift to agree,
And ilk said to his neebor in cottage an' hall,
'Come, gie me your hand, we are brethren all.'"

[Transcribers note *: illegible]

ROBERT NICOL.

TO NIF, NASUS, AND CO.,
THESE VOLUMES
Are Dedicated
AS A TOKEN OF THE SINCERE AND AFFECTIONATE REGARD
OF THEIR OBEDIENT SERVANT,

HENRY A. MURRAY.

LONDON, JUNE 1ST, 1855.

SECOND AND CHEAP EDITION.

The encouragement of friends, and the opinions expressed by a large majority of those publications that considered the former edition worthy of notice, have induced me to cut out many passages which might possibly not interest the general reader, in order that I might send it forth to the public in a more cheap and popular form.

Writing upon such a subject as the United States, her constitution, and her institutions, there was necessarily some danger of a taint of political partisanship. I trust, however, I may he considered to have redeemed the pledge I made of writing "free from political bias," when I have found favour in the pages of two publications so opposite in their politics as the Westminster Review and the Press.

One weekly paper with pretensions to literary criticism (the Athenaeum, September 15, 1855) did me the honour of making me the object of its unmeasured censure; but, as I was forewarned that my success would interfere with the prospects of one of its contributors, I was prepared for its animadversions, though most certainly I did not anticipate the good fortune of a zeal so totally void of discretion, that the animus which guided the critic's pen should be too transparent to impose upon even a child.

Conceive a would-be critic, after various spasmodic efforts at severity, selecting from among many comprehensive measures suggested by me for the future emancipation, and for the present benefit, of the slave, the proposition of "a proper instrument for flogging, to be established by law," and that with the evident intention of throwing ridicule on the idea. If the critic were occasionally subject to the discipline of the various instruments used for the punishment of the negro, his instinct would soon teach him that which appears to be at present beyond the grasp of his intellect, viz., the difference between a cow-hide and a dog-whip; and if he knew anything of his own country, he could scarcely be ignorant that the instruments used for corporal punishment in army, navy, and prisons, are established by law or by a custom, as strong as law. But enough of this Athenian Reviewer, I offer for his reflection the old story, "Let her alone, poor thing; it amuses her, and does me no harm." The next time he tries to sling a stone, I hope he will not again crack his own skull in the clumsy endeavour.

"Ill nature blended-with cold blood
Will make a critic sound and good.
This useful lesson hence we learn,
Bad wine to good sound vinegar will turn."
OLD PAMPHLET.

I now launch my barque upon a wider ocean than before. The public must decide whether her sails shall flap listlessly against the masts, or swell before a stiff and prosperous breeze.

H.A.M.

CONTENTS.

A CHAPTER GRATIS AND EXPLANATORY

CHAPTER I.

Make Ready—Fire—Departure.

FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK.

Preparations
LIVERPOOL—Embarkation Scenes
Scenes on Board
CAPE RACE
Pilot
NEW YORK

CHAPTER II.

Land of Stars and Stripes.

AT NEW YORK.

The First View
Custom House
Ferry Boat
First Impressions
Hospitality
American Hotels
Bar and Barbers
Bridal Chamber
Paddy Waiter
Feeding System
Streets and Buildings
Portrait Hatter
Advertisements
Loafing in Broadway

CHAPTER III.

Sights and Amusements.

AT NEW YORK.

Yacht Club and Dinner.
Railway Society to LONG ISLAND
Race Stand
Trotting Match
Metallic Coffin
American Horse
Hack Cabs and Drivers
Omnibuses
City Railway Cars
Travelling Railway Cars
Tickets for Luggage
Locomotive
Suggestions for Railway Companies

CHAPTER IV.

A Day on the North River.

FROM NEW YORK TO GENESEO.

Embark in Steamer on Hudson
Passengers and Anecdotes
Scenery of River
ALBANY—Disembark
A Hint for Travellers
Population and Prosperity
Railway through Town
Professor of Soap
CANANDAIGUA—Hospitality.
Early Education
Opposite System
Drive across Country—Snake Fences and Scenery
Churches—a Hint for the Highlands
Cheap Bait—GENESEO

Geneseo.

AT GENESEO

Absence of Animal Life—Early Rising
View from the Terrace—Work of the Pioneer
Farm and System, Wages, &c.
A Drive—Family Scene
LAKE CANESUS
Plank road. Toll gates, &c.
Scotch Pikeman

CHAPTER VI.

Stirring Scenes and Strange Sights.

FROM GENESEO TO NEW YORK.

A Drive to BATAVIA—Railway Warning
Buffalo Railway Station and Yankee Cabby
Prosperity and Contrast
NIAGARA
ROCHESTER
A Live Bloomer
Advantage proved by Contrast
Reflections on Old Fashions
Pleasant Night

CHAPTER VII.

Construction and Destruction.

AT NEW YORK.

Cutter Yacht, "Black Maria"
Dinner on Board
Toddy and Chowder
Prosperity—Croton Aqueduct
Destruction of Dogs
Drive on the Bloomingdale Road
A Storm

CHAPTER VIII.

South and West.

FROM NEW YORK TO LOUISVILLE.

Ticket Station
PHILADELPHIA—Convenience
Luggage left behind
BALTIMORE—MAXWELL POINT
Canvas-back Ducks
Tolling for Ducks
Start by Rail—A Fix
HARRISBURGH—The Whittling Colonel
Start again. Pleasant Company
Inclined Planes—Canal Boat
Coaching Comfort
PITTSBURG
Railing through Forest, and Reflections
CLEVELAND—Mud-walk
To Sleep or not to Sleep
CINCINNATI—Statistics and Education
Porkopolis and Pigs
A bloody Scene
Ships at Marietta
OHIO—Levee and Literature
Embark on Steamer—Black Stewardess
Ibrahim Pacha and Fat

CHAPTER IX.

Scenes Ashore and Afloat.

FROM LOUISVILLE TO ST. LOUIS.

Fabrication of the Republican Bonbon
Wood Machinery
A Nine-inside Coach
Human Polecat
Breakfast and Cigar versus Foetor
Ferry Crossing—Travelling Beasts
Old Bell's and Old Bell
Cross Country Drive—Scenery
The Mammoth Cave
Old Bell and the Mail
Pleasant Companions
Rural Lavatory
Fat Boy and Circus Intelligence
LOUISVILLE and Advice
Ohio—A Bet at the Bar
A Dinner Scene and a Lady
Dessert and Toothpicks
Evening Recreation
CAIRO—Its Prospects
ST. LOUIS—Its Prosperity

CHAPTER X.

River Scenes.

FROM ST. LOUIS TO NEW ORLEANS.

MISSISSIPPI—Good-natured Weakness
Mississippi v. Missouri
Stale Anecdote revived
Marriage Certificate
Folly—Description of Steamer
Inspection Farce described
Corporal Punishment—Illustration
Captain of Mizen Top v. White Nigger
Scenery
Mississippi—Good night
Screecher & Burster—A Race
Captain leaves us
Bed—Alarm—Wreck
Brutal Heartlessness
River Wreckers
NEW ORLEANS
Wrecks, Causes and Remedies
Anecdotes of Blood

CHAPTER XI.

New Orleans.

FROM NEW ORLEANS TO HAVANA.

Situation and Bustle
Cotton, Tobacco and Sugar
Steamers, and Wages
Streets, Hotels, &c
A Friend in Need. Neighbourhood, Shell-road
Society and Remarks
Rough-and-Tumble—Lola Montez
A Presbyterian Church
The Gold Man
Autocracy of the Police
Law—Boys and Processions
Duel Penalties—Stafford House Address
Clubs
Spanish Consul and Passport
Parting Cadeau
Pilot Dodge
Purser Smith
Sneezing Dangerous—Selecting a Companion
HAVANA

CHAPTER XII.

The Queen of the Antilles.

AT CUBA.

Volante
Lively Funeral
A Light to a Cigar
Evening Amusement
Trip to MATANZAS—El Casero
Slave Plantation
Sugar Making
Luxuriant Vegetation
Punic Faith and Cuban Cruelty
H.M.S. "Vestal"
Bribery
Admiralty Wisdom
Cigars and Manufactory
Population—Chinese
Laws of Domicile—Police and Slavery
Increase of Slaves and Produce
Tobacco, Games, and Lotteries
Cuban Jokes
Sketch of Governors
The Future of Cuba?

CHAPTER XIII.

Change of Dynasty.

FROM CUBA TO BALTIMORE.

KEY POINT
Vulgar Hebrew
CHARLESTON, WASHINGTON
Night and Morning
Congress and Inauguration
General Jackson and Changes
Cabmen and City
Shopman and Drinking
Levees and Buildings
BALTIMORE and Terrapin
The Drama
Progress—Fire Companies

CHAPTER XIV.

Philadelphia and Richmond.

FROM BALTIMORE TO RICHMOND.

PHILADELPHIA and Hospitality.
Streets—Mint
Gerard College
High School
A Jail and a Cure for the Turbulent
Lunatic Asylum
NEW YORK and Embark
A Wild Paddy
CHARLESTON Arrival
Hotel and Hospitality
Climate and Buildings
Commercial Prosperity
Fire Companies
Miniature WEST POINT (Vide Note)
WILMINGTON Railway Accident
PETERBOROUGH and my Hat
RICHMOND Scenery and Prosperity
Powhattan's Tree, an Episode
A Lady Friend
Fire and Folly
Monkey Boy
Gerymander
Fire Company, Frolic and Reflections

CHAPTER XV.

From a River to a Race-course.

FROM RICHMOND TO NEW YORK.

Down the River
WILLIAMSBURG. Old Palace
A Governor and a Paddy
The College
Uncle Ben and his Inn
Reflections
SHIRLEY, Hospitality, &c.
BEANDON, Hospitality, &c.
Rural Election—A Cruise in a Calm
Choral Warblers and Family Altar
NORFOLK, Dockyard, &c.
Slave Servants, a Hint to the Foreign Office
Via BALTIMORE to PHILADELPHIA—A Confession.
Race—Mac and Tac
NEW YORK

CHAPTER XVI.

Home of the Pilgrim Fathers.

FROM NEW YORK TO BOSTON.

Off by rail—Foxhunting Fire
BOSTON. Buildings and Hospitality
Neighbourhood and Names
The Drama
Spirit-rapping and Gulls

CHAPTER XVII.

Teaching of Youth and a Model Jail.

AT BOSTON.

Pilgrim Fathers
Education—Expenditure—Regulations,

CHAPTER XVIII.

Canada.

FROM BOSTON TO QUEBEC.

Railroad and Scenery
MONTREAL, and a Welcome Face
Gavazzi—Excitement—Mob, &c.
QUEBEC and Neighbourhood Mrs. Paul and Miss Paddy
Ferry-boat and Friends
Rebellion Losses Bill
Moral Courage and Administrative Ability evidenced and acknowledged
Hint for Militia
Canadian Government

CHAPTER XIX.

A Trip to the Uttáwa.

FROM QUEBEC TO TORONTO.

Mr. Hincks—Mr. Drummond—MONTREAL
Up the OTTAWAY to LACHINE, ST. ANNE'S to BYTOWN and AYLMER
The CHATS FALLS
Canadian Highlanders
Conflagration, Rafts, Lumberers, and Teetotallers
The Struggle, the Goal, and the Return
AYLMER Prosperity
BYTOWN. Scenery and Advantages
Slides for Lumber—Mr. Mackay
Object of Councillor's Visit
Drive across Country
PRESCOTT and OGDENSBURG
KINGSTON
LAKE ONTARIO and a Nice Bed
TORONTO

CHAPTER XX.

Colonial Education and Prosperity.

AT TORONTO.

TORONTO. Population, Prosperity and Buildings
The Normal School
Education generally Canadian Prospects and Prosperity

CHAPTER XXI.

A Cataract and a Celebration.

FROM TORONTO TO NEW YORK.

Embark in Steamer
QUEENSTOWN & LEWISTOWN
A Drive, a Bait, and a Lesson
NIAGARA and Moonlight
BATAVIA, GENESEO, and 4th July
Hawking Carriages—ROCHESTER
ALBANY—Hands and Sandwiches
Dropped outside—NEW YORK

CHAPTER XXII.

Education, Civil and Military.

NEW YORK AND WEST POINT.

Free Academy
WEST POINT. Military Academy
Anecdote, &c.
NEW YORK

Here travelling ceases, and the remaining Chapters are devoted to the discussion of subjects which I trust may interest the reader.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Watery Highways and Metallic Intercourse.

Area of Lakes, and Tonnage thereon
Mississippi—Produce borne and destroyed
Mr. Douglas and Custom Houses
A Great Party Doctrine
Erie Canal—Barn-burners and Hunkers
Railways—United States and England
Telegraph
Systems of Telegraph

CHAPTER XXIV.

America's Press and England's Censor.

Issues of the Press
Wonderful Statistics
Character of the Press
Great Britain's Press
Low Literature of America
Barefaced Robbery—Northwood Specimen
English Items Specimen
The Author of English Items
SUBJECTS EXTRACTED:—
Relations with England
Sixpenny Miracles
Army Commissions—English Writers
American Spitting
Holy Places
English Friends
Original Sin
English Manners
English Church and Heraldry
Devotion to Dinner
Conclusion
Subsequent Career of Mr. Ward—The Offence—The Scene and the Death
Acquittal and Effects

CHAPTER XXV.

The Institution of Slavery.

Original Guilt
Northern Fanatics
Irritation produced
Northern Friendship questioned
Grounds of Southerners' Objections to the Abolitionists
English Abolitionists
Mrs. Stowe's Ovation
Treatment of Slaves
Irresponsible Power and Public Opinion
Sources of Opinion as to Treatment of Slaves—Law—Self-interest
Christianity
Habit
Causes of Indignation
Recrimination
Evidence from Authors—Press and Canada
Review of Progress of Slavery
Slave Population and Value
Question of Freedom

CHAPTER XXVI.

Hints for Master and Hopes for Slave.

PROPOSALS.
Free Soil
Fugitive Law
Territory of Refuge
TREATMENT DISCUSSED.
Corporal Punishment
Forfeiture and Testimony
System for Ultimate Freedom
The Blackest Feature in Slavery
VISIONARY DEPUTATION
Inveterate Slaveholder
Touchy Slaveholder, and Swaggering Bully
Clerical Slave Advocate
Amiable Planter
Recriminator
Abolitionist and Intelligent Slaveholder
A frightful Question
Closing Observations
Nebraska—The Christian and the Mussulman

CHAPTER XXVII.

Constitution of the United States.

Plan Proposed
Government and Qualification for Office
Elective Franchise
Frequency of Elections
Ballot
Effects of Elections under the Ballot
Remedy proposed
John Randolph, Sydney Smith, and Clubs
Payment of Members and its Effects
Scene in Congress
The Judiciary
Exclusion of Cabinet from Seats
Power of President
Election of President
Governors of States, and Power of Pardon
Conclusion and Testimony of Bishop Hopkins

CHAPTER XXVIII.

The Church, the School, and the Law.

Church Statistics
American Episcopal Prayer-Book
Methodist Episcopacy and Presbyterian Music
What exists at Home
Ismite Convention
Education Statistics and College Expenses
Pray read this—Law for Conveyance of Land

CHAPTER XXIX.

Inventions and Inveighings.

What is a Bay?
Dr. King—Fulton and Steam
Telegraph and American Modesty
Reaping Machine
Opinion of a Borderer
American Ingenuity
Fire-arms and Militia

Adverse Influences.

The 4th July
Mr. Douglas and Congress
Miss Willard and John Mitchell
Who are the Antipathists?

CHAPTER XXXI.

Olla Podrida.

American Vanity
American Sensitiveness
American Morals
Territory and Population
Effect of Early Education
Phases of Liberty
Strikes
Intelligence
Energy
'Cuteness and Eggs
Enterprise—Lord-hunting
Hospitality—Political Parties
Know-nothings
The Future
My Endeavour
My Warning
Lord Holland, Hope, and Farewell

NOTES.

EXTENT OF TELEGRAPH IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
A SHORT SKETCH OF THE PROGRESS OF FIRE-ARMS

FOOTNOTES:

[A]

EXPLANATORY LIST OF PLATES.

VIGNETTE OF THE ENTRANCE TO A COFFEE PLANTER'S RESIDENCE

RAILWAY CARRIAGE

LOCOMOTIVE

CUTTER YACHT "MARIA"

The following are the dimensions referred to in the text as being on
the original engraving:—

MAP OF CROTON AQUEDUCT

This map is accurately copied from Mr. Schramke's scientific work, but
the reader is requested to understand that the lines drawn at right
angles over the whole of Manhattan Island represent what the city of
New York is intended to be. At present its limits scarcely pass No.
1. Distributing Reservoir.

STEWARDESS OF THE "LADY FRANKLIN"

This print may possibly be a little exaggerated.

A MISSISSIPPI STEAMER

This print is raised out of all proportion, for the purpose of giving
a better idea of the scenes on board, than the limits of the sheet
would otherwise have permitted. If the cabin on the deck of the Hudson
River steamer were raised upon pillars about 15 or 20 feet high, it
would convey a tolerably accurate impression of the proper
proportions.

THE NEW ST. CHARLES HOTEL, NEW ORLEANS

EL CASERO, OR THE PARISH HAWKER IN CUBA

THE GERARD COLLEGE, PHILADELPHIA

NORMAL SCHOOL, TORONTO

A great portion of the ground adjoining is now given up to
agricultural experimental purposes.

HUDSON RIVER STEAMER, 1200 TONS

The dimensions are:—

MAP OF THE UNITED STATES

A CHAPTER,

Gratis and Explanatory.

What is the use of a preface? Who wants a preface? Nay, more—what is a preface? Who can define it? That which it is most unlike is the mathematical myth called a point, which may be said to have neither length nor breadth, and consequently no existence; whereas a preface generally has extreme length, all the breadth the printer can give it, and an universal existence.

But if prefaces cannot be described with mathematical accuracy, they admit of classification with most unmathematical inaccuracy. First, you have a large class which may be called CLAIMERS. Ex.: One claims a certain degree of consideration, upon the ground that it is the author's first effort; a second claims indulgence, upon the ground of haste; a third claims attention, upon the ground of the magnitude and importance of the subject, &c. &c. Another large class may be termed MAKERS. Ex.: One makes an excuse for tediousness; a second makes an apology for delay; a third makes his endeavours plead for favourable reception, &c. Then again you have the INTERROGATOR, wherein a reader is found before the work is printed, convenient questions are put into his mouth, and ready replies are given, to which no rejoinder is permitted. This is very astute practice.—Then again there is the PUFFER AND CONDENSER, wherein, if matter be wanting in the work, a prefacial waggon is put before the chapteral pony, the former acting the part of pemican, or concentrated essence, the latter representing the liquid necessary for cooking it; the whole forming a potage au lecteur, known among professional men as "soldier's broth."

My own opinion on this important point is, that a book is nothing more nor less than a traveller; he is born in Fact or Fancy; he travels along a goose-quill; then takes a cruise to a printer's. On his return thence his health is discovered to be very bad; strong drastics are applied; he is gradually cooked up; and when convalescent, he puts on his Sunday clothes, and struts before the public. At this critical juncture up comes the typish master of the ceremonies, Mr. Preface, and commences introducing him to them; but knowing that both man and woman are essentially inquisitive, he follows the example of that ancient and shrewd traveller who, by way of saving time and trouble, opened his address to every stranger he accosted, in some such manner as the following:—"Sir, I am Mr. ----, the son of Mr. ----, by ----, his wife and my mother. I left ---- two days ago. I have got ---- in my carpet-bag. I am going to ---- to see Mr. ----, and to try and purchase some ----." Then followed the simple question for which an answer was wanted, "Will you lend me half-a-crown?" "Tell me the road;" "Give me a pinch of snuff;" or "Buy my book," as the case might be. The stranger, gratified with his candour, became immediately prepossessed in his favour. I will endeavour to follow the example of that 'cute traveller, and forestall those questions which I imagine the reader—if there be one—might wish to ask.

1. Why do I select a subject on which so many abler pens have been frequently and lately employed?—Because it involves so many important questions, both socially and politically, in

2. Do I belong to any of those homoeopathic communities called political parties?—I belong to none of them; I look upon all of them as so many drugs in a national apothecary's shop. All have their useful qualities, even the most poisonous; but they are frequently combined so injudiciously as to injure John Bull's health materially, especially as all have a strong phlebotomizing tendency, so much so, that I often see poor John in his prostration ready to cry out, "Throw Governments to the dogs—I'll none of them!" If in my writings I appear to show on some points a political bias, it is only an expression of those sentiments which my own common sense[B] and observation have led me to entertain on the subject under discussion, and for which I offer neither defence nor apology.

3. Am I an artist?—No; I am an author and a plagiarist. Every sketch in my book is taken from some other work, except the "Screecher," which is from the artistic pen of Lady G.M.; and the lovely form and features of the coloured sylph, for which I am indebted to my friend Mr. J.F.C.—You must not be too curious.—I consider myself justified in plagiarizing anything from anybody, if I conceive it will help to elucidate my subject or amuse my reader, provided always I have a reasonable ground for believing the source is one with which the general reader is not likely to be acquainted. But when I do steal, I have the honesty to confess it.

4. What is my book about?—It treats of an island, a confederacy and a colony; and contains events of travel, facts and thoughts concerning people, telegraphs, railroads, canals, steam, rivers, commercial prosperity, education, the Press, low literature, slavery, government, &c. &c.

5. What security can I offer for the pretensions advanced being made good?—None whatever. Who takes me, must take me, like a wife, "for better for worse," only he is requested to remember I possess three distinct advantages over that lady.—First, you can look inside me as well as out: Secondly, you can get me more easily and keep me more cheaply: Thirdly, if you quarrel with me, you can get a divorce in the fire-place or at the trunkmaker's, without going to the House of Lords.

I trust I have now satisfied all the legitimate demands of curiosity.

I will only further remark that in some of my observations upon, the United States, such as travelling and tables-d'hôte, the reader must bear in mind that in a land of so-called equality, whenever that principle is carried out, no comparison can be drawn accurately between similar subjects in the Republic and in England.

The society conveyed in one carriage in the States embraces the first, second, and third-class passengers of Great Britain; and the society fed at their tables-d'hôte contains all the varieties found in this country, from the pavilion to the pot-house. If we strike a mean between the extremes as the measure of comfort thus obtained, it is obvious, that in proportion as the traveller is accustomed to superior comforts in this country, so will he write disparagingly of their want in the States, whereas people of the opposite extreme will with equal truth laud their superior comforts. The middle man is never found, for every traveller either praises or censures. However unreasonable it might be to expect the same refinements in a Republic of "Equal rights," as those which exist in some of the countries of the Old World under a system more favourable to their development, it is not the less a traveller's duty to record his impressions faithfully, leaving it to the reader to draw his own conclusions.

It was suggested to me to read several works lately published, and treating of the United States; but as I was most anxious to avoid any of that bias which such reading would most probably have produced, I have strictly avoiding so doing, even at the risk of repeating what others may have said before.

I have nothing further to add in explanation.—The horses are to.—The coach is at the door.—Chapter one is getting in.—To all who are disposed to accompany me in my journey, I say—Welcome!

H.A.M.

D 4, ALBANY, LONDON,

1st June, 1855.

FOOTNOTES:

[B]

CHAPTER I.

"Make ready ... Fire!" The Departure.

The preparations for the start of a traveller on a long journey are doubtless of every variety in quality and quantity, from the poor Arab, whose wife carries his house as well as all his goods—or perhaps I should rather say, from Sir Charles Napier of Scinde with his one flannel waistcoat and his piece of brown soap—up to the owners of the Dover waggon-looking "fourgon" who carry with them for a week's trip enough to last a century. My weakness, reader, is, I believe, a very common one, i.e., a desire to have everything, and yet carry scarce anything.

The difficulties of this arrangement are very perplexing to your servant, if you have one, as in my case. First you put out every conceivable article on the bed or floor, and then with an air of self-denial you say, "There, that will be enough;" and when you find an additional portmanteau lugged out, you ask with an air of astonishment (which may well astonish the servant), "What on earth are you going to do with that?" "To put your things into it, sir," is the very natural, reply; so, after a good deal of "Confound it, what a bore," &c., it ends in everything being again unpacked, a fresh lot thrown aside, and a new packing commenced; and believe me, reader, the oftener you repeat this discarding operation, the more pleasantly you will travel. I speak from experience, having, during my wanderings, lost everything by shipwreck, and thus been forced to pass through all the stages of quantity, till I once more burdened myself as unnecessarily as at starting.

It was a lovely September morning in 1852, when, having put my traps through the purging process twice, and still having enough for half-a-dozen people, I took my place in the early train from Euston-square for Liverpool, where I was soon housed in the Adelphi. A young American friend, who was going out in the same steamer on the following morning, proposed a little walk before the shades of evening closed in, as he had seen nothing of the city. Off we started, full of intentions never to be realized: I stepped into a cutler's shop to buy a knife; a nice-looking girl in the middle of her teens, placed one or two before me; I felt a nudge behind, and a voice whispered in my ear, "By George, what a pretty hand!" It was perfectly true; and so convinced was my friend of the fact, that he kept repeating it in my ear. When my purchase was completed, and the pretty hand retired, my friend exhibited symptoms of a strong internal struggle: it was too much for him. At last he burst out with, "Have you any scissors?"—Aside to me, "What a pretty little hand!"—Then came a demand for bodkins, then for needles, then for knives, lastly for thimbles, which my friend observed were too large, and begged might be tried on her taper fingers. He had become so enthusiastic, and his asides to me were so rapid, that I believe he would have bought anything which those

Paterfamilias, who, while poring over his ledger, had evidently had his ears open, now became alarmed at the reduction that was going on in his stock, and consequently came forward to scrutinize the mysterious purchaser. I heard a voice muttering "Confound that old fellow!" as the dutiful daughter modestly gave place to papa; a Bank of England tenner passed from my friend's smallclothes to the cutler's small till, and a half-crown vice versa. When we got to the door it was pitch dark; and thus ended our lionizing of the public buildings of Liverpool.

On the way back to the hotel, as my companion was thinking aloud, I heard him alternately muttering in soft tones, "What a pretty hand," and then, in harsh and hasty tones, '"Confound," ... "crusty old fellow;" and reflecting thereon, I came to the conclusion that if the expressions indicated weakness, they indicated that pardonable civilizing weakness, susceptibility to the charms of beauty; and I consequently thought more kindly of my future fellow-traveller. In the evening we were joined by my brother and a young officer of the Household Brigade, who were to be fellow-passengers in our trip across the Atlantic.

Early morning witnessed a procession of hackney coaches, laden as though we were bent on permanent emigration. Arrived at the quay, a small, wretched-looking steamer was lying alongside, to receive us and our goods for transport to the leviathan lying in mid-channel, with her steam up ready for a start.

The operation of disposing of the passengers' luggage in this wretched little tea-kettle was amusing enough in its way. Everybody wanted everybody else's traps to be put down, below, and their own little this, and little that, kept up: one group, a man, wife, and child, particularly engaged my attention; the age of the child, independent of the dialogue, showed that the honeymoon was passed.

WIFE.—"Now, William, my dear, do keep that little box up!"

HUSBAND.—"Hi! there; keep that hat-box of mine up!" (Aside,) "Never mind your box, my dear, it wont hurt."

WIFE.—"Oh, William, there's my little cap-box going down! it will be broken, in pieces."

HUSBAND.—"Oh! don't be afraid, my dear, they'll take care of it. Stop, my man, that's my desk; give it me here," &c. &c.

The dialogue was brought to a sudden stop by the frantic yell of the juvenile pledge of their affections, whose years had not yet reached two figures; a compact little iron-bound box had fallen on his toe, and the poor little urchin's pilliloo, pilliloo, was pitiful. Mamma began hugging and kissing, while papa offered that handy consolation of, "Never mind, that's a good boy; don't cry." In the meantime, the Jacks had profited by the squall, and, when it ceased, the happy couple had the satisfaction of seeing all their precious boxes buried deep in the hold.

The stream of luggage having stopped, and the human cargo being all on board, we speedily cast off our lashings, and started: fortunately, it was fine weather, for, had there been rain, our ricketty tea-kettle would have afforded us no protection whatever. On reaching the leviathan, the passengers rushed up hastily, and, armed with walking-sticks or umbrellas, planted themselves like sentries on the deck. As the Jacks came tumbling up with the luggage, shouts of "Hi! that's mine," rent the air; and if Jack, in the hurry and confusion, did not attend to the cry, out would dart one or other with umbrella or stick, as the case might be, and harpoon him under the fifth rib; for, with a heavy burden on his head and shoulders, necessarily supported by both hands, defence was impossible. I must say, Jack took it all in good humour, and filing a bill "STOMACH v. RIBS," left it to Old Neptune to obtain restitution for injuries inflicted on his sons. I believe those who have once settled their accounts with that sea-deity are not more anxious to be brought into his court again, than those who have enjoyed the prolonged luxury of a suit in Chancery.

Everything must have an end; so, the mail agent arriving with his postal cargo, on goes the steam, and off goes the "Africa," Captain Harrison.

"Some wave the hand, and some begin to cry,
Some take a weed, and nodding, say good-bye."

I am now fairly off for New York, with a brother and two friends; we have each pinned our card to the red table-cover in the saloon, to indicate our permanent positions at the festive board during the voyage. Unless there is some peculiarity in arrangement or circumstance, all voyages resemble each other so much, that I may well spare you the dullness of repetition. Stewards will occasionally upset a soup-plate, and it will sometimes fall inside the waistcoat of a "swell," who travelling for the first time, thinks it requisite to "get himself up" as if going to the Opera. People under the influence of some internal and irresistible agency, will occasionally spring from the table with an energy that is but too soon painfully exhausted, upsetting a few side dishes as their feet catch the corner of the cloth. Others will rise, and try to look dignified and composed, the hypocrisy whereof is unpleasantly revealed ere they reach the door of the saloon; others eat and drink with an ever-increasing vigour, which proves irresistibly the truth of the saying, "L'appétit vient en mangeant." Heads that walked erect, puffing cigars like human chimneys in the Mersey, hang listless and 'baccoless in the Channel (Mem., "Pride goes before a fall"). Ladies, whose rosy cheeks and bright eyes, dimmed with the parting tear, had, as they waved the last adieu, told of buoyant health and spirits, gather mysteriously to the sides of the vessel, ready for any emergency, or lie helpless in their berths, resigning themselves to the ubiquitous stewardess, indifferent even to death itself. Others, again, whose interiors have been casehardened by Old Neptune, patrol the deck, and, if the passengers are numerous, congratulate each other in the most heartless manner by the observation, "There'll be plenty of room in the saloon, if this jolly breeze continues!"

All these things are familiar to most travellers, suffice it, therefore, to say, that on the present occasion Old Neptune was in a good humour, "the jolly breeze" did not last long, nor was it ever very jolly. My American friend and the Household Brigade-man tried very hard to make out that they felt sick at first, but I believe I succeeded in convincing them that it was all imagination, for they both came steadily to meals, and between them and my brother, who has the appetite of a Pawnee when at sea, I found that a modest man like myself got but "monkey's allowance" of the champagne which I had prescribed as a medicine, erroneously imagining that those internal qualms usually produced by a sea voyage would have enabled me to enjoy the lion's share.

We saw nothing during the voyage but a few strange sail and a couple of icebergs, the latter very beautiful when seen in the distance, with the sea smooth as a mirror, and the sun's rays striking upon them. I felt very thankful the picture was not reversed; the idea of running your nose against an iceberg, in the middle of a dark night, with a heavy gale blowing and sea running, was anything but pleasant.

In due time we made Cape Race. I merely mention the fact for the purpose of observing that the captain, and others to whom I have spoken since, unanimously agree in condemning the position of the lighthouse; first, as not being placed on the point a vessel from Europe would make, inasmuch as that point is further north and east; and secondly, because vessels coasting northwards are not clear of danger if they trend away westward after passing the light. There may be some advantages to the immediate neighbourhood, but, for the general purposes of navigation, its position is a mistake, and has, on more than one occasion, been very nearly the cause of the wreck of one of our large

Early on the morning of the tenth day I heard voices outside my cabin saying, "Well, they've got the pilot on board," ergo, we must be nearing our haven. In the Channel at home you know a pilot by a foul-weather hat, a pea-coat, broad shoulders, and weather-beaten cheeks; here, the captain had told me that I could always know them by a polished beaver and a satin or silk waistcoat. When I got on deck, sure enough there was the beaver hat and the silk vest, but what struck me most, was the wearer, a slim youth, hardly out of his teens. In the distance, the New York pilot-boat, a build rendered famous by the achievements of the "America," at Cowes, lay on the water like a duck, with her canvas white as snow, and taut as a deal board. The perfect ease and nonchalance of the young pilot amused me immensely, and all went on smoothly enough till the shades of evening closed in upon us; at which time, entering the Narrows, the satin-vested youth felt himself quite nonplused, despite his taking off his beaver, and trying to scratch for knowledge; in short, had it not been for Captain Harrison, who is a first-rate seaman and navigator, as all who ever sail with him are ready to testify, we might have remained out all night: fortunately, his superior skill got us safe in, and no easy task I assure you is it, either to find the channel, or to thread your way through hosts of shipping, in one of these leviathan steamers.

I confess I formed a very low estimate of New York pilots, which was not heightened by one of the mates showing me an embossed card, with his address, which our pilot had presented to him, accompanied with an invitation to come to a soirée. As the mystery was subsequently solved, I had better give you the solution thereof at once, and not let the corps of New York pilots lie under the ban of condemnation in your minds as long as they did in mine. It turned out that the pert little youth was not an authorized pilot, but merely schooling for it; and that, when the steamer hove in sight, the true pilots were asleep, and he would not allow them to be called, but quietly slipped away in the boat, and came on board of us to try his 'prentice hand; the pilots of New York are, I believe, a most able and efficient body of men.

Here I am, reader, at New York, a new country, a new hemisphere, and pitch dark, save the lights reflected in the water from the town on either side. All of a sudden a single toll of a bell, then another, and from the lights in the windows you discover a large wooden house is adrift. On inquiry, you ascertain it is merely one of their mammoth ferry-boats; that is something to think of, so you go to bed at midnight, and dream what it will really look like in the morning.

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