Diary in America, Series Two | Page 6

clad, whatever her appearance may be, still it is sufficient that she is a
female; she has the first accommodation, and until she has it, no man
will think of himself. But this deference is not only shewn in travelling,
but in every instance. An English lady told me, that wishing to be
present at the inauguration of Mr Van Buren, by some mistake, she and
her daughters alighted from the carriage at the wrong entrance, and in
attempting to force their way through a dense crowd were nearly
crushed to death. This was perceived, and the word was given--`make
room for the ladies.' The whole crowd, as if by one simultaneous effort,
compressed itself to the right and left, locking themselves together to
meet the enormous pressure, and made a wide lane, through which they
passed with ease and comfort. "It reminded me of the Israelites passing

through the Red Sea with the wall of waters on each side of them,"
observed the lady. "In any other country we must have been crushed to
death."
When I was on board one of the steam-boats, an American asked one of
the ladies to what she would like to be helped. She replied, to some
turkey, which was within reach, and off of which a passenger had just
cut the wing and transferred it to his own plate. The American who had
received the lady's wishes, immediately pounced with his fork upon the
wing of the turkey and carried it off to the young lady's plate; the only
explanation given, "a lady, Sir!" was immediately admitted as
sufficient.
The authority of the captain of a steam-boat is never disputed; if it were,
the offender would be landed on the beach. I was on board of a
steam-boat when, at tea time, a young man sat down with his hat on.
"You are in the company of ladies, sir," observed the captain very
civilly, "and I must request you to take your hat off."
"Are you the captain of the boat?" observed the young man, in a sulky
tone.
"Yes, sir, I am."
"Well, then, I suppose I must," growled the passenger, as he obeyed.
But if the stewards, who are men of colour, were to attempt to enforce
the order, they would meet with such a rebuff as I have myself heard
given.
"If it's the captain's orders, let the captain come and give them. I'm not
going to obey a Nigger like you."
Perhaps it is owing to this deference to the sex that you will observe
that the Americans almost invariably put on their best clothes when
they travel; such is the case whatever may be the cause; and the ladies
in America, travelling or not, are always well, if not expensively

dressed. They don't all swap bonnets as the two young ladies did in the
stage-coach in Vermont.
But, notwithstanding the decorum so well preserved as I have
mentioned, there are some annoyances to be met with from gregarious
travelling. One is, that occasionally a family of interesting young
citizens who are suffering from the whooping-cough, small-pox, or any
other complaint, are brought on board, in consequence of the medical
gentlemen having recommended change of air. Of course the other
children, or even adults, may take the infection, but they are not refused
admittance upon such trifling grounds; the profits of the steam boat
must not be interfered with.
Of all travelling, I think that by railroad the most intriguing, especially
in America. After a certain time the constant coughing of the
locomotive, the dazzling of the vision from the rapidity with which
objects are passed, the sparks and ashes which fly in your face and on
your clothes become very annoying; your only consolation is the speed
with which you are passing over the ground.
The railroads in America are not so well made as in England, and are
therefore more dangerous; but it must be remembered that at present
nothing is made in America but to last a certain time; they go to the
exact expense considered necessary and no further, they know that in
twenty years they will be better able to spend twenty dollars than one
now. The great object is to obtain quick returns for the outlay, and,
except in few instances, durability or permanency is not thought of.
One great cause of disasters is, that the railroads are not fenced on the
sides, so as to keep the cattle off them, and it appears as if the cattle
who range the woods are very partial to take their naps on the roads,
probably from their being drier than the other portions of the soil. It is
impossible to say how many cows have been cut into atoms by the
trains in America, but the