Part 3 (2/2)
Dixon, Mr Houenave, a Frenchman, formerly an actor in the Theatre Francais, at Paris, and now professor of the French language at Caentlemen who are met with in such society, have travelled in Europe, sometimes accompanied by their ladies; Europeans are frequently present, and thus there is no want of enerality of the houses,attractive in the fine arts; and in returning hoes, and the Mill-daas, but with reflecting lamps, and none of that disorderly conduct is observed in the streets, which so often shocks the land
We ust into the country with Mr
Dixon in his dearborn A dearborn is a very light wagon, with two benches and four wheels, drawn by one horse We rode over the neck which unites Boston with thethe revolution; then in an ascending direction towards the heights of Roxbury, where, during the blockade, the right wing of the Around is very rocky, and partly covered with fir trees; the trees which formerly stood here h tree can be seen Passing farther onvery handsoenerally two stories high, and surrounded with covered colonnades At one of these we paid a visit to the owner, Mr Rufus Amory A walk, shaded by oak, elht elevation, which commands an extended and beautiful view of Boston and the bay We were received by the friendly owner in an extreh a romantic part of the country to Dorchester, to visit General Sumner at his country seat, but did not find him at home
We then returned by another handsoe rope manufactory, the works of which were moved by steam
At another excursion to Dorchester, in co ame of ten-pins was played
It is called ten-pins, because that nuaainst ”_nine_-pins”]--TRANS]
Finally, I cannot omit to mention one visit, which, in coe, jr Mr Coolidge had, three hter of THOMAS JEFFERSON His wife, about thirty years old, was brought up by her grandfather in the country in his library She is said to be so learned that JEFFERSON often asked her advice She had arrived a few days previous, and made known that she would receive visiters, and we therefore found the chamber filled with people Every one at his departure took with hi ladies, as it is said, place this cake under their pillows, and then dream of their future lovers
CHAPTER V
_Journey from Boston to Albany, by way of Worcester and Northaust, 1825_
Accompanied by Mr Troe, his modest, honourable, and aust, for Worcester, distant forty e, consists of a long calash with three benches, each capable of containing three persons The top is fixed, though the curtains can be rolled up, so that a personcountry, without being exposed to the sun
We left the hospitable city of Boston with grateful hearts, and rode over the Mill-daed four tih appeared to be the only ones of any importance The country soh the state of Massachusetts is said to be the h in some places we observed Indian corn, and now and then so so full of fruit that hs were broken The apples are s the favourite beverage called cider We gradually approached forests, consisting of oak, chesnut, and elm trees Sumach also occurs in some places, the bark of which is said to be excellent for tanning leather There are evidently no forest regulations here, and the tireatest part a good turnpike, and made in the German manner We crossed several ses, which are very slight, though they are built with a great waste of timber The planks are not even nailed upon the beaan to be soe drove rapidly over About two -pond, on a wooden bridge one-fourth of a th The banks of this lake are covered ood, and present a very handsome appearance On our ere overtaken by a considerable thunder-stor We arrived at Worcester about 7 o'clock, and alighted at an excellent tavern This town contains about four thousand inhabitants, and consists of a principal street, with an avenue shaded with old el, are altogether unpaved The houses, generally built of wood, and but few of brick, are all surrounded with gardens, and stand at a considerable distance froe It has four churches, a bank, and three printing-offices, each of which furnishes a newspaper There are also printing-offices in h which we passed, as well as a fire-engine in each In the evening we paid a visit to the governor of Massachusetts, Mr Levi Lincoln, who resides at this place
We found this worthy man, who is universally esteemed by his fellow-citizens, at home with his wife and sister-in-law, and were received by hireeable evening in his company A proof of the public esteem which he enjoys, is, that at the last election, there was not a single vote against hiovernor is styled ”his excellency” On the following overnor conducted us to a recently established ned chiefly for the collection of American antiquities It is yet in its infancy, and contains but few interesting speci we must render full justice to the inhabitants for their laudable zeal in the cause of natural science We rode around the town in coovernor, passed the court-house and prison, which unfortunately we had not tiardens we passed had rather a wild appearance They cultivate kitchen vegetables, a feater the sunflower
[Footnote I-8: [The harvest having occurred in July]--TRANS]
At 10 o'clock we departed in the Worcester stage for Northae-coach consisted of two gentlemen and ladies from the state of Mississippi, who had undertaken a tour to the northern states on account of the unhealthy clireeably with an account of their estates The road orse than yesterday, soenerally bad, so that on the whole, our progress was slow The country is less populous, as well as less cultivated, though there is lected We observed the cypress and a few large cedars As there are no grazing laws in force, they are obliged on account of the cattle, and particularly on account of the sheep which graze in these woods at large, tochesnut trees which are split into four pieces These fences generally consist of six rails placed upon each other, with an interspace of several inches They are placed in an angular form, and at the point where the rails meet, they are placed one upon the other, and usually supported upon a large stone Such a waste of timber and land is only pardonable in a country where the inhabitants are few, and where tie extent of wood-land has been cleared only within a short time, and the trunks of the trees which remained have been destroyed by fire The soil is not particularly fertile We observed nuranite, which , and the ses which we passed on our way are Leicester, seven, Spencer, five, Brookfield, seven, Ware, eight, Belchertown, nine, and Madley, ten enerally of fra at a distance froe has a frame church and a school-house Stores are observed in most of these places, and in Belchertown there is even a fashi+onable one The churches are usually provided with long sheds, in which the carriages and horses of the members of the church are protected fro the service Ware, situated on the river of the sae rather better built than usual, was laid out about three years since; it is a neat, flourishi+ng place, and belongs to the Dexter family in Boston, who have established a woollen and cotton manufactory here, the workmen of which, above three hundred in number, form the inhabitants of the place Mr Dexter, of Boston, had entrusted me with an important packet of papers for his brother, who resides in Ware, which I delivered in person We found Mr Dexter with his beautiful wife, at his neat and well arranged cottage, situated in the centre of a garden, and received a friendly welcoe and manufactories Heretofore, said Mr Dexter, I have received the greatest part of my wool from Saxony, which is preferred here to the Spanish; but at present, we have sheep ie through the wood, as there are no wild animals in Massachusetts to destroy them; they yield a very superior kind of wool Unfortunately ere not at leisure to accept of Mr
Dexter's invitation to look at his establishments At the tavern, which was perfectly clean and coood dinner, and continued our journey The inhabitants of Ware are said to be distinguished for their strict ed by law to send their children, as is the case throughout Massachusetts, or pay a fine In Ware there is but one physician, who has a handsome house, and keeps a well furnished apothecary store The strict republicans are jealous of the largeestablishments, because they are afraid that individual citizens, in consequence of their property, eto fear on this head, since the effect of individual influence is counterbalanced by the promotion of the welfare of the poorer classes
About a mile from Northampton we passed the Connecticut river, five hundred yards wide, in a sht had already set in, was not very agreeable At Northae, clean, and convenient inn In front of the house is a large porch, and in the first story a large balcony The gentlemen sit below, and the ladies walk above It is called a piazza, and has many conveniences El lamp illuminates the house and the yard This, with the beautiful warreat number of people, who reposed on the piazza, or went to and froreeable effect The people here are exceedingly religious, and, besides going to church on Sundays, they go thrice during the week When we arrived, the service had just ended, andsome very handsome ladies come out of the church Each bed-chamber of our tavern was provided with a bible
To-day I observed also a newletters and newspapers
The driver of the mail-coach throws the letters and newspapers, hich he is entrusted, before the houses where they are to be left; he so the lane leading froo, Messrs Cogswell and Bancroft established a boarding-school at Northaswell paid me a visit, and introduced one of his professors, Dr Beck, of Heidelberg, a step-son of Dr De Wette, of Weies Another Geryentlemen conducted us to the institute, which is situated on Round Hill, about a mile from Northampton
Northampton contains about four thousand inhabitants, and its buildings are, apparently, very much like those of Worcester; it has one bank, a court-house, prison, and a printing-office Fronificent view of the fertile and well-cultivated valley of the Connecticut river, which, in this place, winds between two lofty mountains, Holyoake and Mounttoby On the left, the lofty mountains of New Hampshi+re present a beautiful prospect In 1824, this institution had but forty pupils, and in 1825, it nuswell is obliged, although he has three large houses belonging to his establishymnastic exercises, for which a place is provided in the woods, with the necessary apparatus, form a principal part of the instructions of this seminary The boys are entirely excluded froed, Mr Cogswell accoh the surrounding country I visited Mr Bancroft at his rooentlemen entertain the warmest enthusiasm for Germany and the Gerulate every thing according to that systeswell, returned with us to town, and showed us the church, court-house, and a collection of minerals, in the possession of Dr
Hunt, in which I admired particularly two specimens of American beryl and several specimens of rock-crystal On our return to the tavern, I received a visit froer, as educated with Schiller in theHe wished to become acquainted with hest veneration I e, that, in a country so far froratification, and er, who has been an inhabitant of the United States during the last forty years, and who is universally esteeood physician, I shall always refield, twenty overnment armoury We left Northampton, to visit this establishment, under the entlee-coach, into which ere crowded, somewhat like those that were shut up in the Trojan horse We arrived about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and again found an excellent tavern, which was provided with a piazza Our ride passed through a well-cultivated region of country, along the right bank of the Connecticut river; Indian corn, millet, and potatoes were observed in considerable abundance, in soh seldofield is situated on the left bank of the Connecticut river, over which, close by the town, is a wooden bridge, five hundred yards long, and built in a very aard style Springfield has much more the appearance of a city than Worcester and Northampton, for there are at least soether that they foroodness to take us in his carriage to the manufactory of arms, of which he is the director It is situated about a field, in a very beautiful valley, on a rivulet It employs daily two hundred and seventy-four workmen These are settled in the vicinity of the manufactory, form a kind of colony, and have a school for their children They are also obliged to distinguish theood moral deportment The muskets for the American army are made on the improved French model of 1777, with the exception that they are soer
The barrels and bayonets are browned, as Dupin has described at full length in Travels through Great Britain We exahout There are several houses, and the machines are propelled by water They finish annually fifteen thousand e eleven dollars How ht be saved, if, as in other countries, muskets were made by private workmen!
The arsenal in which thesetwenty pieces, was destroyed by fire about a year and a half since, but having been rebuilt, it consists at present of a centre building for the offices, two isolated wings for the preservation of the different ars for the necessary workshops These buildings for square, of which the proper armoury forms one of the short sides; on the other, oppositely to the centre building, is Colonel Lee's neat and beautiful dwelling The houses belonging to the arsenal are built of brick externally, while internally every thing is of wood; and as, during the winter season these buildings are heated ood, there appeared to er of fire I remarked this to Colonel Lee, who appeared to participate in my apprehensions After our return to the tavern, Mr
Calhoun, e had becoentle to a ht, where we found the fashi+onable part of society asse very well, and played on the piano-forte several pieces from ”Der Freischutz,”
an opera which is at present a favourite in America