A Ramble of Six Thousand Miles through the United States of America | Page 2

for Louisville--tellandsea, or Spanish moss--Natchez--the
yellow fever--cotton plantations--Mississippi
wood-cutters--freshets--planters, sawyers, and snags--steam-boat blown
up--the Chickesaws--hunting in Tennessee--electioneering--vote by
ballot--trade on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers--the People--the
President's veto--finances--government banks--Kentucky--the
Kentuckians--court-houses--an election--universal suffrage--an
Albino--Diluvian reliqua
CHAPTER IX.
The political condition of the Indians--Missionaries--the letter of
Red-jacket--the speech of the wandering Pawnee chief
CHAPTER X.
Kenhawa salt-works--coal--a
Radical--rattle-snakes--Baltimore--Philadelphia--taxation--shipping
CHAPTER XI.
"The Workies"--Miss Wright--the opening of the West India ports to
American vessels--voyage homeward--the stormy petrel--Gulf
weed--the remora--the molusca--quarantine
APPENDIX

CHAPTER I.
Following the plan I had laid down for myself, I sought and found a
goodly Yankee merchantman, bound for and belonging to the city of
New York. Our vessel was manned with a real American crew, that is,
a crew, of which scarcely two men are of the same nation--which
conveys a tolerably correct notion of the population of the United
States. The crew consisted of one Russian, one German, one Italian,
one Scotchman, one Newfoundlander, one Irishman, two Englishmen,
two New Englanders, and two Negros--the cook and steward. The
seamen of America are better paid, and better protected, than those of
any other nation; but work harder, and must understand their duty well.
Indeed if we had not had a good crew, our ship, being old, might have
suffered severely.
In selecting this ship, in addition to accommodations, I only took into
account her build; and so far was not disappointed, for when she could
carry sail, she scudded along in gallant style; but with ships as with
horses, the more they have done, the less they have to do.
I had a strong impression on my mind that a person travelling in
America as a professed tourist, would be unable to form a correct
estimate of the real character and condition of the people; for, from
their great nationality, they would be likely to show him the best side of
every thing. Of this kind of ostentation I very soon had a slight proof.
Our ship left port in gallant trim, but had no sooner gained the open sea,
than all hands were employed in stowing away the finery, and covering
the rigging with mats--even the very cabin doors were taken off the
hinges, and brass knobs and other ornaments which appeared to have
been fixtures, were unshipped and deposited below, where they
remained until our approach to New York, when the finery was again
displayed, and all was placed once more in statu quo.
For the first twelve days we had rather pleasant weather, and nothing
remarkable occurred, unless a swallow coming on board completely
exhausted with flying, fatigue made it so tame that it suffered itself to
be caressed; it however popped into the coop, and the ducks literally

gobbled it up alive. The ducks were, same day, suffered to roam about
the decks, and the pigs fell foul of one of them, and eat the breast off it.
Passing the cabouse, I heard the negro steward soliloquising, and on
looking in, perceived him cutting a hen's throat with the most heartfelt
satisfaction, as he grinned and exclaimed, by way of answer to its
screams, "Poor feller! I guess I wouldn't hurt you for de world;" I could
not help thinking with Leibnitz, that most sapient of philosophers, that
this is the best of all possible worlds.
On the thirteenth day we encountered a heavy gale, which continued to
increase for four successive days. During this period we were unable to
carry more canvass than was barely necessary to render the vessel
manageable. A heavy gale, for the first time, is rather interesting than
otherwise: the novelty of the sea's appearance--the anxiety of the crew
and officers--the promptitude with which commands are given and
executed--and the excitement produced by the other incidental
occurrences, tend to make even a storm, when encountered in open sea,
by no means destitute of pleasing interest. During this gale, the sailors
appeared to be more than ordinarily anxious only upon one occasion,
and then only for a minute--the circumstance was not calculated to
create alarm in the mind of a person totally ignorant of nautical affairs,
but being somewhat of a sailor, I understood the danger tolerably well.
The helm was struck by a sea, and strained at the bolts; from the
concussion occasioned by the blow, it was apprehended for a moment
that it had been carried away. Without a helm, in such weather, much
was to be feared; for her timbers being old, she could hardly meet the
shock of an ocean wave upon her broadside without suffering serious
injury. The helmsman was knocked down--the captain and mate
jumped aft, to ascertain the extent of the damage; while the sailors
scowled along the deck, as they laid their shoulders to the weather side
of the ship--all was anxiety for the instant. At