Part 9 (2/2)
[Footnote I-15: [This unwarrantable and exasperating usurpation of extending CHAINS across the public highways is not atteregations it has been entirely relinquished in some of our cities That it is productive of more dislike to _churches_ and _churchmen_ than of any other result, is a truth which will one day be profoundly felt]--TRANS]
In this ht days soon elapsed, and a, asand useful novelties I passed my ti parties I continued toacquaintances with men of different occupations and professions I observed that the families I visited were richly furnished with silver, china, and glass; the fine arts also contributed to the orna parties we coenerally of froenerally refined In New York, as well as at all other places, where English custo the dessert, and the gentleed to drink, unless he feels inclined Every one rises and leaves the house without cereroes and mulattos; reat 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 exaenerally rank low, and are labourers There are but a few slaves in the state of New York, and even these are to be freed in the year 1827, according to a law passed by senate of the state There are public schools established for the instruction of coloured children, and I was told that these little ape-like creatures do sometimes learn very well In the city there are several churches belonging to the coloured population; most of them are Methodists, some Episcopalians A black minister, as educated in an Episcopalian seood preacher But there is in this country a great abhorrence of this class of people, who are obliged to live almost like the Indian Parias In the army they are only employed as musicians, but are never admitted to be soldiers Soldiers are not even allowed to be of mixed blood![I-16]
[Footnote I-16: [Blacks are shi+pped as seamen in the navy of the United States, where they stand on the same level hite seamen]--TRANS]
Colonel Bankhead, of the second artillery regi service in this city, offered to show me the fortifications for the defence of the bay of New York We sailed in a boat, along with General Swift and an engineer, first to Governor's Island, opposite to New York
Upon this small island is a fort of red sandstone, called Columbus; it consists of four bastions, which, on the city side, has still a covered work between two of the bastions, but further below, in the Narrows, new fortifications have been built, and therefore Fort Colulected In the interior are the barracks and arsenals, the forood order, and inhabited by a company of artillery I found a bible in each room, and was informed that it was a present from the New York Bible Society
West of the fort, near the river, there is a tower after the style of Montalambert, called Castle Williams This was commenced in 1803, and finished in 1811 Colonel Macrea of the artillery in the fort, received ardens on the glacis of the fort; there is likewise a wooden barrack, which serves in tie two-story brick house with a piazza, is intended for the head-quarters of the coeneral Opposite to Castle Williams, are two small islands; on each of them is likewise a battery, called Fort Wood and Fort Gibson These batteries appear but small, and the principal defence will be at Castle Willia shot From this spot there is a particularly fine view of the city
We then sailed along the western shores of Long Island, to the straits called the Narrows, a thousand yards wide, and for Island and Staten Island They are defended by Fort To 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 for, and erected after a plan of General Swift From the outside it has the appearance of a Montalambert tower The outside of the walls is of red sandstone, but their interior of gneiss; it was garrisoned by one co peace a shed was built over the platfor the present hot suht opposite to Fort La Fayette, and on the shore of Staten Island is a battery which defends the Narrows by a raking fire
On Long Island is another hill near the village of New Utrecht which commands Fort La Fayette, and in the vicinity there is a bay, where the English and Hessian ar fro Island In order to defend this spot sufficiently they are about to build a very strong fort designed by General Bernard, rese Fort Francis, near Coblenz, (on the Rhine) The cases as well as for defence, are to be built under the ramparts, whose front face will be three 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 rauns, 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 Haht that it would not be finished in less than four years The governs which were built by contract, and this well-arranged ill therefore be built under the iovernineer at Antwerp, and obtained the attention and favour of the Ee and modesty, who appointed him his aid In 1815, he entered the service of the United States, at the recoineer corps under the title of assistant engineer, with the salary of a brigadier-general, but without wearing the unifor any rank in the arreat acquisition to the corps, and I was somewhat astonished at the cool and indifferent ineer The cause, however, of this coolness, undoubtedly is to be found in a silly ner, and frequent experience has shown that a foreigner in military service seldom enjoys satisfaction T fortifications are to be built outside of the Narrows on rocks, in order still better to defend the entrance to New York, by firing crosswise at vessels, and are intended to serve as advanced posts to Forts La Fayette and Toun- repeating-guns; I visited hionce loaded; it consists of a long tube, in which touch-holes are bored at certain distances, according to the nued in the usual way, a piece of sole-leather is put upon the load, on this another charge, and again a piece of leather, &c until the required nu to the size of the tube
For each of these loads, whose height is known by a ht side of the tube, each of them closed by a valve A box is attached to the lock, which prihest 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-holeto me Mr Ellis has also made an experiment of his plan for the use of American troops, but it see and too heavy, and the loading would consu a man to use this curious weapon This idea struck me, and un The experiments I made with it, proved toit without danger A es, fired the two first separately, and the last three at once!
We also ith Mr Troest of these belongs to Mr Bayard, ate on the stocks, of sixty-four guns, intended for the Greeks; they worked very industriously, and hoped that she would depart for her destination next year She was built of Carolina live oak like the governe of this wood is said to be, that in addition to its durability, when balls strike it, they sienerally disable ate 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 shi+p 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 rohich gave this frigate still more the appearance of a shi+p of the line The three masts raked somewhat like those of a schooner, which was said to be more fashi+onable than useful When we ca the officers cabins; they were built of , so that the officers are very comfortably situated The cabins as well as thean action
In the battery were only the rooms of the captain There were also two other men of war on the stocks, of smaller dimensions, which are also said to be intended for Colouns of all these shi+ps were manufactured at Mr Campbell's foundry, near West Point
[Footnote I-17: [The duke, it will be recollected, was rather above six feet in height]--TRANS]
The house of the American Bible Society, to which I was accompanied by Mr Eddy, was built by voluntary contributions of its members, and has been three years finished It is four stories high, built of red 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 sold at one dollar and forty cents, and the Spanish, of which a great number are printed and intended for South Areat reat collection of old and new bibles; alot, of which I had already seen a copy in the library of Harvard College, near Boston; an old bible, printed in Switzerland, in the old Gerant folio bible, printed at Zurich; one in Irish, with the ular type; a bible half in the Sclavonic and half in the Russian language; in showing the latter they told me that bible societies were prohibited in Russia; also two 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 area description of theible To every press there is a workman, and a boy whose business it is to ink the fored to fold the sheets
These persons work in the third story, and in order to separate them entirely from the males, there is a separate stair for thee hall where the members of the bible society meet, is decorated with two portraits, one of Governor Jay, and the other of Dr Boudinot, first president of the society
The high school was also built by subscription; in this building three hundred boys are educated, not gratuitously, as in Boston, but by a quarterly pay to the class the boy is in In the first class every child has to pay three dollars, in the second, five, in the third, seven dollars; the mode of instruction is the Lancasterian In the lower classes are s, reading, writing, and the eleenerally commanded by the sound of a whistle, like sailors; they rise, seat themselves, take their slates, and put thee the different courses of instruction, all of which is done at the whistle of the instructors In the middle class education is lish, Latin, history, geography, physics, and hest class the boys are instructed in the higher e
As I entered the school they were just receiving instruction in geography The teacher asked, where is Weimar? The ansas, on the Rhine The instructor then informed the children of the meritorious share my forefathers had in the Reforiven in ether with great enthusias that the tie should be given at this school As I left the room the scholars spontaneously applauded her class the orders are also given with a whistle, coraph, which stands on the desk of the principal This school, which is only seven years old, is already in possession of a very handsoical cabinet, and a small philosophical apparatus
The institution for juvenile offenders is situated out of town; it is for children condemned by the court to imprisonment, and are thus confined in a separate prison to improve their principles by education
When they are improved, and have some education, they are then bound out to a farmer in the country, but if they are of an untaer control, they are then disposed of as sailors The girls are bound out as servants in the country In order to have a good location for this institution, the society bought, of the United States govern, heretofore used as an arsenal, but becoovernment 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 cha, and in doe to receive all the offenders, a new one was built in the rear of the first, which the boys were e One of the boys who had escaped twice, walked about with an iron chain and heavy iron ball secured to his leg A young man of respectable fareat propensity to stealing, was employed as a sub-instructor, account-keeper, and sub-overseer of the institution Hopes are still entertained that he may be reclaimed
From this institution, Mr Eddy led me to another establishment, also founded and supported by voluntary contributions, viz the Orphan Asylum The house, in which there are one hundred children of both sexes, is in a very healthy situation; the rooe, and the children sleep in wards, which contain twelve beds They are instructed in reading, writing, arithe of twelve years they are bound out to farmers Several of the boys were very expert in reat facility:--How much is three hundred and twenty multiplied by three hundred and forty; how many days constitute three years seven months and twenty-one days? The manner of instruction is Lancasterian The principal directors of this institution are Friends, auished
With Mr Eddy, I also visited the state-prison, which contains about five hundred and fifty prisoners of both sexes, and can receive seven hundred The building stands in the village of Greenwich, was built about twenty years, and at that time stood quite insulated; since that period the population has so rapidly increased, that Greenwich is united with New York, and three sides of the prison are surrounded with rows of houses; the fourth faces the Hudson river In front of the house are the offices and stores, behind this are two courts, which are separated by a church; one yard is for s surround the yards, and are three stories high The prisoners sleep eight in a room, on strawroo-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 a them all kinds of handicrafts, and all do are enerally wooden ware, brushes, and other household utensils The prisoners receive no , or otherwise behave ill, they are subjected to solitary confine to object to this building, except that the stairs are of wood, and there is otherwise too erous, in case of fire
On the second Sunday of my stay in this city, I ith the consul, Mr Zimmerman, to a German Lutheran church, where the venerable Mr
Geisenheie It was a curious accident, that, when I entered the church, they sung 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 neorld, that he had coreet his ears in New York The church is very old and inelegant; the congregation was plain: however, they are not in debt, and the church is ood, and the perfor
I twice visited the theatre; in Chathaarden, they performed the melo-drama of the Lady of the Lake tolerably well I was much pleased with the inside of the theatre, and particularly with the decorations; it was full of people, and the heat extreo often to the theatre In 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 ilish taste, with a full share of battles
Whenever any observation was made in favour of liberty, the pit applauded The decorations were very handsoement of the theatre, but the spectators were not numerous The visitors of the theatre are entirely unrestrained; the gentlemen keep on their hats in the boxes, and in the pit they make themselves in every respect comfortable