kept? with fifty other questions of a similar nature, and we were not backward, as is commonly the case with English travellers, in making our remarks. In the morning we desired the waiter to inform the landlord that we wished to speak with him, when lo! who should appear but the identical personage of whom we had made our numerous inquiries, the preceding evening. We lost no time in visiting the theatre, for having regaled ourselves with a most delicious cup of tea, we hastened to witness the "Siege of Tripoli," the production of a Mr. Noah, of New York. It represents, in extravagant colours, the conduct of the American infant navy before Tripoli. I thought the performance excessively stupid, and the scenery tawdry and deficient; but such shouts of applause! Such enthusiastic nationality of feeling! I never before witnessed. The theatres have no half price,—a dollar introduces you to the boxes,—and three fourths of that sum to the pit. But alas! their theatre is no more! a few nights after my arrival, the performance being just ended, the theatre was discovered to be on fire, and in spite of every exertion, it was soon reduced to a heap of ruins.

New York is situated on the southern extremity of an island of the same name, which is about fifteen miles long, by two broad; but in that part where the city is built it does not exceed one mile in breadth. The streets, generally, are neither elegant nor commodious; but there are exceptions. Many of them are planted with rows of trees, which give them a rural and village-like appearance, but I am told that they are a great nuisance in summer, and harbour numerous troublesome insects. Broadway is the boast of the New Yorkers; and not without reason, for it is certainly one of the finest streets I ever saw. It extends in a direct line, on the top of a gentle ridge, for nearly two miles, and runs parallel with the East and North rivers, each of which is more than a mile wide. This street, as its name implies, is broad,—the houses are built of brick, ornamented with reddish free stone and white marble.-Besides the churches, the city Hall, and State prison, there are but few public buildings that arrest the attention of strangers. The city Hall is a large and elegant structure; the front, sides, and supporting pillars are of white marble. The lower parts of the town near the rivers are said to be unhealthy owing to their damp situ

ations. New York ranks as the first sea port in the United States; its situation for commerce being most admirable. Though the tides rise no more than six or seven feet, yet there is sufficient depth of water for their largest ships of war. I visited the navy yard, which is on the opposite side of the East river, where there was a seventy-four on the stocks nearly ready for lanching. But she will carry upwards of an hundred guns, and will be as handsome a vessel as ever sailed from any port. At the navy yard there was also a frigate, propelled by steam, with a bomb proof roof, and equally strong throughout, mounting guns of an extraordinary size. This frigate was built near the close of the last war, and was never in action. What an infernal machine this must be in a calm!!

In England, the term Yankee is commonly understood, as applicable to all Americans, without distinction. But this opinion is incorrect. The Yankees are natives of the New England states, which are also known as the eastern states, and are confined to six, namely;-New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Vermont,-so that the people in the other states do not consider the appellation as at all applicable to them. The Yankees are a keen, shrewd, people; restless and wandering, and are to be found in every part of the Union.

In this country of " Liberty and Equality," nothing is more obvious than the nicest distinction in society; and here, where all are accounted equal, we find the higher, the lower, and the middle classes. To be sure they have no lords nor dukes; but notwithstanding their apparent disapprobation of titles, they have their people of family, and Boston abounds with "Honourables." If I might judge from what I saw in New York, I should say that the men were, generally, tall and thin, with dark hair, and sallow complexions: that the females were, generally, tolerably fair, with slender persons; yet few of them are tall. For some time after my arrival in that city, I saw but few handsome women, but the succeeding fine weather brought them out, and I assure you, that many of them possess great beauty and elegance.

A few warm days made the grass lands look charmingly, and some fields of grain, in the vicinity of the city, were just coming into ear. I made excursions into the country, in various directions.

and saw some pretty good farms; but there is in my opinion, a great want of quick thorn hedges, and other cultivated fences. At present the fences are made of split rails, except some few which are stone. The cultivation of live fences would beautify the country exceedingly; and I see no reason why it should not be attended to. Although seed time is later than it is in England, yet harvest is nearly a month earlier, owing to the greater warmth of the summer months.

In my next I will give you some account of Philadelphia, the rival of New York. The distance between these cities, which is travelled partly by water, and partly by land, is about one hundred miles. The aquatic part of the route is performed by steam boats, for which this country is very famous. The Americans lay claim to this valuable invention, as they do to many others that I had never dreamt of before I came among them; how far their claims may be just I shall not attempt to determine; but will leave it to those, who are more interested than myself, to settle a point of such vital. importance to both nations.

LETTER III.

The route from New York to Philadelphia lies through Newark, Brunswick, Trenton, and Bristol,* all called cities, I believe, but in England they would pass for indifferent market towns. Trenton, the capital of the state of New Jersey, is situated on the Delaware river, over which there is one of the handsomest bridges in the United States. This bridge is about a quarter of a mile long; it is neatly roofed, and the sides covered in, to secure the upper parts of the structure from the bad effects of the weather. The roads through New Jersey are very indifferent; indeed, after heavy rains, they are almost impassible, which was the case when I travelled through this state. This I attributed to a want of sufficient descent for the water, and a scarcity of road making materials. Notwithstanding these indifferent roads, the stage coaches travel at the rate of from seven to nine miles per hour. Their coaches are much lighter than ours, and carry no out-side, but

*These are contented to be mere towns. Ed. P. F.

The traveller should have confined this remark to the road over which he passed, part of which is sometimes very bad. Ed. P. F.

*

eight or ten inside passengers, who find it difficult in a rainy day to keep themselves comfortable and dry. The upper part of the sides of the carriage, is open to the four winds of heaven, for there is not a particle of glass about the whole machine; but in lieu of windows they have screens of leather, or some other less opaque material, which can be let down as a partial defence against the storm; so that in proportion to the wind and rain you exclude, you shut out the light. To make amends for this inconvenience, at the end of each ten or twelve miles, you hear nothing of "Remember the coachman if you please," with its echo "pray remember the guard;" and when you arrive in the cities you are carried to whatever part or street you please, and in the morning are taken up at your own door, without any additional charge on the specified fare. At the inns along the roads waiters expect no perquisites; but in the cities this good custom is changing, for should you leave your hotel, and forget to bid John a kind good bye, his looks, at least, would betray his disappointment. I attribute the introduction of this odious tax, principally, to my own countrymen; particularly to that insufferable class of puppies, sent over here to transact their masters' business, who are known at home by the significant appellation, of, countinghouse clerks, and Birmingham bagsmen, who possess no means of acquiring respect except what they purchase, with their masters' money, from hostlers, waiters, and shoe blacks.

Philadelphia, in point of population, is much upon a par with New York; each city containing upwards of one hundred thousand inhabitants. But it is more regularly built than the latter city, all the streets being regularly straight, and crossing each other at right angles. The houses are uniform and neat, and many of them are onamented with white marble. The most conspicuous buildings are the churches, the state house, the United States and Pennsylvania banks, Girard's bank, the State prison, &c. The town is situated on a neck of land between two rivers, the Delaware and Schuykill: the ground declining slightly from the centre each way. The Delaware is navigable to the city for ships of a large size; and although its commercial situation is inferior to that of New York;

*This is not true now. Ed. P. F.

yet being the only seaport in the large and wealthy state of Pennsylvania, its exports and imports are great. Against the city the • Delaware is about a mile wide, though ninety miles distant from the sea; and the flood tides rise about six feet. I like the appearance of the Philadelphians better than that of the New Yorkers, particularly the ladies, for I assure you among them there is no lack of female charms. Their prevailing religion is the presbyterian; but all sects are tolerated. Quakers are very numerous in Philadelphia, and being generally, people of property, they have a considerable influence in political measures. In a republican country like America, one would expect to find but one political creed-but it is quite otherwise. The denominations are not whigs and tories, nor royalists and ultra royalists; but federalists and democrats. The democratic party has been in power for a number of years, and in all appearance is likely to continue so. In England you would call it the radical party, because it is composed of the people. It is the more powerful, because the more numerous, which, here, constitutes strength, but is not the more respectable; neither does it act upon principles the most noble; nor has it always pursued that line of policy, which is the most advantageous to the American nation. The federal party is composed of men of more liberal sentiments; less republican* in their conduct, but equally independent in their principles. Endowed with generous sympathies towards Great Britain, rather than allying themselves with the French revolutionists, they were opposed to the late war between the two nations: and were, in consequence, accused of partiality towards the mother country. Between the two parties I draw this comparison; the federalists I compare to our respectable whigs; the democrats to Cartwright, Hunt, Wooler, Cobbett, &c. but to our high toned tories I find no compeers.

Some persons are always on the wrong side of the dike, and so it has ever been with me; for in England you know I espoused the cause of the party which has so long been growling for a share of the loaves and fishes; but that has long been kept at bay by its more powerful opponent; and now that I am here, I find myself

*He should have said less democratic, the federalists being altogether republican in their principles. Ed. P. F.