Part 19 (2/2)

The other objects of our curiosity were, the Naval Dock-yard, George Town, the Patent Office; at this last, ere h I shall not attempt minutely to describe them, may be enumerated a car propelled with the hands by a {210} easy and very simple contrivance, aboats instead of the steah having its bea it round at the land ends; these were a our attention, and I now ood e Town is an extensive place and pretty thickly settled; and itto London; the road is excellent between it and the Capitol, and to the foot of the hill is lined with houses s

In the Naval Dock there was little to revieorth lish reader;a clu of a frigate at Tripoli by Coate as they denominated it, but which appeared to be of a size equal to our second rate; and at the forge an anchor was forht These were the chief objects which attracted attention On account of the recent loss of Decatur it was the fashi+on to be very dull, and no _drawing-roo with Mr , a Mely shewn us whatever was thought worth viewing, and soas, in seeing its ludicrous effects upon several individuals of the conon-de-voyage having finished his business, we quitted Virginia, and in twenty-eight hours were landed again at the Fish-market wharf in Philadelphia

Fish is well supplied here in quantity but not in variety: it has hitherto chiefly consisted of a coarse kind called _Sea Bass_, but now the Shad fishery is just coe rivers in shoals, and are caught in hundreds at each haul with the seine; they are a very oily fish and weigh fro a plentiful season they are just now bought of the fishermen at the price of five dollars a hundred, and have been lately as low as three dollars In the season of 1818, they sold at sixteen and seventeen dollars a hundred Many parties are forht and to partake of the made we took a boat, which carried us under a pleasant breeze down the river to a place called Gloucester Point, here the shore suitingseveral seines hauling, and upon the beach caravans {212} waiting to convey the fish, as quick as caught up the country, where they are cut open, cleaned, salted down, and ely to the winter food of the A season comes on here immediately after that of the Shad, but it is not near so much reckoned upon

Out of the produce of one of the hauls two fish, of about seven or eight pounds each, were taken, and quickly brought to table in excellent order;--theis to open the fish, nail it to a board and place it before a fire; it is thus _toasted_, and being brought in upon the board quite hot proves very good eating In the roo up a printed set of rules of a fox-hunting club; but how the chase can be followed on horseback through a country so uncleared and undrained, it is to me a mystery--must too often prove like that of Caliban and his coh toothed briars, sharp furzes, pricking gorse and thorns,” and ending ”i' the filthy ar the best enjoyment of the day By the e had a speci; a fine child of only about three years old was very coolly walking about and puffing a cigar, while he looked on at our pastiah new to our party The day had been delightfully fine; but, te at the amusement, and on the return encountered one of those violent squalls of wind and rain which are so co; it suddenly blew tremendously, and our little sail ith difficulty taken in--the party luckily all sat steady, or we ht not have escaped with the inconvenience alone of a thorough wetting and spoiled finery

9th Incendiaries have lately been dreadfully alert--the whole city is under nightly apprehension of fire, and hardly a day passes without alarines with the dis in our ears: threatening letters have been received, and s actually burnt down The Theatre was consu in a short space of ti been laid in several places; snohich lay in the streets, by adding to the reflection of light increased the treht for by sootry; others look with suspicion on the black population; and sorounds, have attributed these diabolical deeds to some unprincipled white people of even respectable connections To save themselves {214} from these unknown desperadoes the inhabitants of each district or parish, have forhtly; the watch is doubled and every precaution taken

18th The cry of ”fire,” which begun here, spreads;--Balti from incendiaries, who are now supposed to befor loages

This general state of alarm and real insecurity naturally increases the anxious wish once again to breathe English air The sails are unfurling for departure, and I should quit a country without regret where hope supported by theory hasmy residence, I have found a few individuals whose worth entitles the, painful farewell Such characters support a state amidst the vice and folly of the million They fill with respectability any station, for their hearts are good; and of such were Aainst her sons As, however, this is not the unalloyed lot of any the e of mankind, the United States round with others; that she may do so in time I cannot deny,--that she does so at present is not my opinion: and truth compels the avowal, that {215} actual observation of the effects of republican Government, as mankind are at present constituted, are not favourable to the ih qualities which we may all admire but cannot all possess Nor is it necessary that we should: they can alone be brought to perfection by attentive education; which subsequent reading, observation, leisure, and deep reflection islator, the philosopher, the statesoverneneral polish of manners Now this portion of a community needs evidently to consist of but fehich are sufficient for the important parts they take; while the rest are immersed in the equally necessary affairs of trade, traffic, handicraft, &c, falling into the ranks suitable to their capacities; but that this latter class, even if they could conveniently forego their daily speculations and cares, can be expected to act with proper dignity, penetration, propriety and tact in the character of legislators and other high offices of coument Do I then prefer the Government of my own country? I do prefer it; even with all its many faults to the present et rid of it as to let talents rise into respect, {216} and forain more efficiency to the executive part of her Government or

I should expect as soon that the good citizens of London, who are certainly a very worthy body of men in their proper stations, should becoe and refinement of manners, as that America can ever be well-conducted under a Governed in mercenary speculations of trade and commerce; these

_May_ 10th At sea The farewell is over; the tear has fallen; and the hearty gripe of the hand between those who ”hed, no longer i the shi+p's course; the last friendly wave of the handkerchief ( more then than is afterwards ree a health ”to those far aith feelings of regret, not unmixed with those of anticipated pleasure at the prospect of again beholding our native shore

The progress down Delaware Bay was rough and tedious; easterly winds (an uncoainst us, and the tides alone favouring; we have been fro out Off Lee lay two days at anchor; pilot boats ca fine, and soo on shore; an excursion which had nearly ended disastrously Those who have been at sea are well enough acquainted with the difficulties of getting down and up a shi+p's side, into one boat, and then fro upon a surfy beach, &c After experiencing all this we got on shore pretty well, and proceeding for the toere agreeably surprised to find a neat village, though apparently it has seen better days: the soil a dry sandy gravel, and the country around a good black loam and clay Alardens well stocked with flowers, in which, and in the neatness of their houses, the owners seeht partly be the effect of land after five days tossing upon the water that we fancied this place so pleasant, and that we thought, if retireht well seek it here: several of the inhabitants very civilly invited the party into their houses and gardens, and a rich bouquet of floas presented to us by a very handsohter of one of the proprietors;--, and herself ave;--they were lost and scattered to the winds on our passage to the shi+p, during which we had sufficient employment to take care of ourselves alone

The female portion of American society has occupied so little of our attention, that I fear the omission will be considered by the ladies here as the most material and least excusable fault; for, as a drae with interest, so a traveller's journal which shall contain no pleasing observations upon the lovely half of our species must expect their unqualified disapprobation Yet would I deprecate their anger, and place my defence best perhaps upon the cause for rieves us to find fault; especially if we cannot qualify our observations with soes on the pen to record my ieneral character of the men so little can be found to tally with the best drawn models of a noble republican, so has the education of the woht and darkness are not more opposite than the Roman matron and this modern female republican, who is equally destitute of the sedate, retired{219} inh, covered with the finery of the latter, the poor things are taught to believe theyforht up entirely ignorant of every real domestic duty, the e and consequent entering upon those duties, is truly laughable--they are sent to some cook and confectioner as pupils to learn economy and make pastry! and after a practice in tarts, cheese-cakes, bon bons, &c for a feeeks, are declared fit to undertake the i from nature but little apparent warue, nor respect by the dos;--is it then surprising that with minds so prepared for frivolity, they should be bent alone upon extravagant and childish decoration of their persons, which, together with their total ignorance of do their husbands to bankruptcy?

It will of course be understood that the above observations relate chiefly to the inhabitants of the Eastern parts; and that there are exceptions to be e of this immense territory {220} The lovely brunette, the immediate cause of these reflections, is an instance; and for a general one, as to form and features, may be mentioned the women of Kentucky--But it is ti the beach we found it laying _high and dry_, the boys left in charge of her crying with vexation and fear of the Captain's displeasure at their not being able to keep her in the water An awful black cloud brought on by a violent squall just at this instant began to pour down a deluge of rain, in theourselves, so with great difficulty accomplished, to juainst the sea was next with great efforts effected; and in this had we not succeeded, she would inevitably have filled instantly We now got through the breakers, and drenched with rain and sea pulled away for the pilot boat, into the small cabin of which we dived, and felt comparatively safe from the squall which increased acco Near an hour and a half now passed in working up to the shi+p though the distance did not appear great; and then the pilot would not be persuaded to lay us alongside for fear of the consequences to his boat in coh sea; so that ere coain in the s a lady of the party; the boat was deep in the water, the sea ran high, and the Captain allowed, after ere happily received on board just as the darkness of night prevailed, that the chances had been against it Here again we proved that ”delays are dangerous,” the unnecessary one of an hour occasioned all our troubles, and ht have sent us to the bottoe heap of purchased oysters which, having enough to do to save ourselves, were left upon the beach for the finder Upon the whole, however, we had reason to be pleased with this little trip and farewell to the shore; it had effected a softening of unfavourable impressions; we had unexpectedlyand taste, neatness and coht leave of Colu out another day of ”hard hearted winds,” attended by thunder and lightning, the anchor was oncethe et out The darkness now became extreme; and about eleven o'clock the pilot quitted the shi+p {222} and went on board his attending boat, leaving his best instructions in what manner to steer; yet a little apprehensive on account of the rocks called ”Hen and chickens,” and some other shoals which were yet to be passed Two other vessels, the sounds fro out at the sa also left thehts, which had been watched with souished as well as our own; and we turned in to behold land no ht hail the white cliffs of Albion

10th Our good shi+p, the Factor, has now fairly taken her departure, and is ”walking aith a tolerably fair breeze A fine sky smiles overhead, and the two shi+ps and several more are in view; one of our consorts has borne down and spoke, she is bound for the East Indies and heavily laden So upon shoals ofon their way to meet destruction upon the coasts of Ath the events of the passage:--we experienced, asin successive squalls; the ominous porpoise in shoals leaped forward above the wave, and darting in again shot swiftly along see {223} bank at early morn sometimes displayed its illusive scenery of land, trees, lakes, andHope, and as unsubstantial Occasionally atched--

”The course of the far distant sail 'Till shapeless and lost to the view”

pressing onward over this world of waters to gain the hoped-for port; and if by chance a vessel passed near enough to speak, it was an event highly interesting to all

The first teeks were rendered tedious by contrary winds and cale the breezes seeth, on the 1st June, we beheld the high land of Erin bearing exactly as our Captain[72] had calculated; indeed it is but justice to hihout correct He is a brave and worthy man fro the passage We now bore up the channel with a strong but favourable breeze, and passing Holyhead took in a pilot, and the following ht safely into dock at Liverpool (in a hard gale however,) in twenty-four days fro arrived in terra cognita again, I think it the proper place to take leave of the reader Should Fortune, unpropitious at home--the spirit of enterprise--or any other motive, ever induce him to seek the shores of Columbia, he has my best wishes for success, if he shall deserve theiven prove conducive to it, er at the observations of those travellers who have visited their country: though unfavourable the reports we give, they are the best proofs of the friendly interest we take in their welfare, and of the hopes we entertain of what they may in time become Their soreness upon the mention of their faults is truly unreasonable, for they are such as they h at a blind eye or a wooden leg would be silly and illiberal; but if satire is levelled at curable failings the ill take it in good part

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The nuht, in the opinion of so this; it is hoped however, that it will not be found altogether useless or uninteresting--WELBY

[2] The shi+p had grounded upon the Margate Sands; always dangerous, owing to their constantly shi+fting with the tide: just before our own round and lightening her cargo into s_ is a punish the culprit to the windlass, when each ives him two or three bloith the flat side of the carpenter's saw--WELBY

[4] Letmoney to a custom-house officer on this side the water; they are well paid, and do not take overne here, at any one of the City taverns, for cleaning a pair of boots, is a quarter dollar (13-1/2 d of our money)--WELBY

[6] Mr Fearon's--WELBY