Part 4 (1/2)

_Sunday, 30th_--I accompanied Mr Morse to the splendid Presbyterian church of the eloquent Dr Romaine,[149] whose prayers are the most appropriate in manner and matter, and whose sermons are, with the exception of Dr Storton's, superior to any I have heard in Ae city is e is attributed to Sunday-schools

All places of worshi+p are thronged How unlike Washi+ngton city! Mr

Morse states that not only in New York, but in all the east, a religious feeling generally pervades the people

_May 1st_--Passed over to Brooklyn, a beautiful gay-looking village of great extent in Long Island, in quest of my old friend, and western fellow-traveller, Mr Wheeler, who on a hired farm of about 30 acres of arable land, and six in wood, or rather cedar, on which is a beautiful house, to which I armly welcomed It consists of six s in an orchard fronting the public road, which, for four e all the way froo, without a house or well, 3,500 dollars, and the house and well have since cost 1,500 dollars Mr

Wheeler has hired this situation for one year only, at the rent of 300 dollars, ten dollars an acre, all poor and long-exhausted land, insoht at one dollar per load, and hauled three miles

Land, thus situated, is expected to be devoted to raising garden-stuff, or to be occupied only as a suburban retreat The mere farmer can scarcely live out of it, even if it is his own, unless he cultivates vegetables, and carries his milk to New York market, in shteen or twenty years, on their own estates, have only just lived, saved nothing, and been always their own servants Mr Wheeler has three servants, one black man, and a white man and woman The white man has 100 dollars a-year; the black man ten dollars afrom sun-rise to dark

_2nd_--After dinner, Mr Wheeler ordered out of the plough into the carriage, his pair of handsoreys, when, with the ladies, we drove to the beautiful neighbouring villages of Nen, Flushi+ng, and Ja, Esq a house by no land, yet very inviting Perhaps no where, {411} except in the vicinity of London and Bath, can a more attractive ride of twenty miles be found; the whole distance of road, froe of new and handsoreen pasture, or orchard, or all of theht, boards being up, _For sale, this farm_ But the land, in every direction, is poor, except where superior and expensiveis sold froht make in to appear The spring is late, yet the orchards are in full blooh he has three servants, Mr Wheeler cleans his own boots They would not absolutely refuse, but would do it reluctantly, and feel disgraced by the act; yet two of theood servants A black servant lately broke into the cellar and dairy of Mr Wheeler, and stole all the bread and o, in great rage with his sister, he caught hold of her head, and endeavoured, with an axe, to chop it off; but not being able to get it into a fit place, he chopped off two of her fingers, and nailed them on the door-post!

_4th_--I made, on horseback, the tour of York island, about ten th and two in breadth On one side is the noble Hudson, or great North River, and on the other, the East River {412} and hell-gate, and the beautiful villages of Manhattan, Haarlem, and Greenwich All the road from the city, to the extremity of, and beyond the isle, is adorned, on both sides, with the country-seats and pleasure-grounds of rich citizens, who, like those of London, every reat numbers Perhaps no city in the world is so happily situated as that of New York, standing on this island, with the sea to the south, and these majestic rivers, from one to two miles wide, on the north and east, the banks of which are very high, and for twelve miles croith h the isle to the city, have each froardens, which renders theh less splendid than those on the roads leading to London I saw fro a new road for the state; receiving no pay nor shi+rts, but only food

I visited the supreme court, and inquired for Messrs Eees[150]

Mr Wheeler agreed to purchase a quantity of seed corn frohbour, which was to be picked, but much of it caed other corn to be sent in its place ”No, send it all back! that is not the e deal here;” in great rage, {413} said the farmer, ”you may do so in your country, but not here”

_5th_--Bade farewell to Long Island, and ly invited er I renewed my invitation to them to come and land

I quitted New York, for Philadelphia, at ten thisLeft a history of Somersham for Mr F Morse of Newhaven

Visited one of the packet-shi+ps, the _James Monroe_, the most couineas, it transports passengers to Liverpool in high style All are fed luxuriously

_6th_--At six this , I left Borden town, on the Delaware, where are the ruins of Joseph Bonaparte's house, about to be rebuilt Sixtyof 300 acres, all poor land, is now laying out into pleasure-grounds, and park, enclosed with a fine fence; it cost five dollars an acre Joseph came hither, it is said, with ten millions of dollars from the Spanish treasury

I reached the City of Philadelphia at ten this ht days after I left it, since which time I have travelled about 2,000 miles, and rested eleven days

_Sunday, 7th_--I was present when Dr Storton, {414} ade, respectable auditory He is rather pompous in his expressions, and theatrical in his action and manner, but certainly an acco talent in America but what is imported; but this is not strictly true

_11th_ I wrote the following epistle to Mr Day, of St Ives in England, by the shi+p Electra, bound for London

_May 11, 1820_

Dear Sir,

At this distance of time and place, the recollection of you is replete with all that is good and pleasant to ard always professed and felt for you de not to be withheld I should have had great pleasure in your correspondence, but it is now too late, as my duties here are nearly at an end, and by the tiracious Providence, that the co me towards rate, and the facilities of living here, are neither so great nor so many as I wished and expected to find them

The majority of those who come are without capital and above useful labour Of this kind seem our friends ---- and ----, and others known to you, whose {415} prospects are, I assure you, very shadowy I speak impartially Even capital, I believe, can any where be better employed than here And as to labourers, there are more than can be paid By the late report of this city, it appeared that 11,000 within these walls were in a state of unemployed pauperism; while in one prison only, are 600 thieves and incendiaries, the natural fruits of increasing poverty

Land, generally, is not property in this country, because there is infinitelyWhat is already in cultivation by hired hands lessens, rather than augments capital Even potatoes, you know, cannot be produced frolutted, and without foreign demand, a surplus produce is not desirable, because unsaleable and perishable

All travel is restless labour, and ”vanity and vexation of spirit”