First Impressions of the New World | Page 9

when you ask for
information on any subject, the answer is frequently, "I can't say, sir,

for I am not posted up on that subject." I asked an American gentleman,
who was walking with us last night, not to walk quite so fast, and he
answered, "Oh, I understand; you do not like that Yankee hitch."
"Yankee" is no term of offence among themselves. Our friend certainly
made use of the last expression as a quotation, but said it was a
common one. They will "fix you a little ginger in your tea, if you wish
it;" and they all, ladies and gentlemen, say, Sir, and Ma'am, at every
sentence, and all through the conversation, giving a most common style
to all they say; although papa declares it is Grandisonian, and that they
have retained good manners, from which we have fallen off.
I reserve my description of the journey here, and of this town, for my
next letter.

LETTER III.
JOURNEY TO
BOSTON.--BOSTON.--PRISON.--HOSPITAL.--SPRINGFIELD.--AL
BANY.--TRENTON FALLS.--JOURNEY TO
NIAGARA.--NIAGARA.
Delavan House, Albany, Sept. 15th, 1858.
I find it at present impossible to keep up my letter to you from day to
day, but I am so afraid of arrears accumulating upon me that I shall
begin this to-night, though it is late and we are to start early to-morrow.
My last letter brought us up to our arrival at Boston, but I have not yet
described to you our delightful journey there.
We left Newport with our friends, Mr. and Miss Morgan, at two o'clock
on the 13th, and embarked in a small steamer, which took us up the
Narragansett Bay to the interesting manufacturing town of Providence.
We were about two hours on the steamer, and kept pace with the
railway cars which were running on the shores parallel to us, and also
going to Providence. The shores were very pretty, green and sloping,
and dotted with bright and clean white wooden houses and churches.

We passed the pretty-looking town of Bristol on our right. The day was
lovely, brilliant and cool, with a delightfully bracing wind caused by
our own speed through the water.
The boat brought us to Providence in time only to walk quickly to the
railway, but we had an opportunity of getting a glance at the place. It is
one of the oldest towns in America, dating as far back as 1635; but its
original importance is much gone off, Boston, which is in some
respects more conveniently situated, having carried off much of its
trade. It is most beautifully situated on the Narragansett Bay, the upper
end of which is quite encircled by the town, the city rising beyond it on
a rather abrupt hill. Among the manufactories which still exist here,
those for jewellery are very numerous.
We were now to try the railway for the second time in America, and
having been told that the noise of the Hudson River line was caused by
the reverberation of the rocks, and was peculiar to that railway, we
hoped for better things on this, our second journey. We found, however,
to our disappointment, that there was scarcely any improvement as to
quiet; and as papa would eat a dinner instead of a luncheon at Newport,
this and the noise together soon worried his poor head into a headache.
We were confirmed in our dislike of the cars and railways, which have
many serious faults. The one window over which papa and I (sitting
together) were able to exercise entire control, opened like all others by
pushing it up. A consequence of this arrangement is that the shoulder
next to it is in danger of many a rheumatic twinge, being so exposed to
cold; whereas, if the window opened the reverse way, air could be let in
without the shoulder being thus exposed. I forgot in my description of
the cars, to tell you that the seats are all reversible, enabling four
persons to sit in pairs facing each other, and also if their opposite
neighbours are amiably disposed, enabling each pair to rest their feet on
the opposite seat, and if the opposite seat is empty, the repose across
from seat to seat can be still more complete; but it is an odious
contrivance, and neither repose nor rest can be thought of in these most
uncomfortable carriages. Our seats faced the front door, and were close
to it, which was very desirable as the air is clearer at that end, and not
so loaded with the impurities of so large a mass of all classes as at the

other end. We made various purchases as we went along. First came the
ticket man, then cheap periodicals, then apples and pears, common
bon-bons, and corn pop, of which I am trying to keep a specimen to
send