Impressions of America

Impressions of America, by Tyrone Power

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Title: Impressions of America During The Years 1833, 1834, and 1835. In Two Volumes, Volume II.
Author: Tyrone Power
Release Date: November 1, 2007 [EBook #23284]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY,
Dorset Street, Fleet Street.
[Illustration: GROUP OF INDIANS NEAR NIAGARA. Drawn & Etched by A. Hervieu.]

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA,
DURING THE YEARS 1833, 1834, AND 1835.
BY TYRONE POWER, ESQ.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, Publisher in Ordinary to His Majesty.
1836.

CONTENTS
OF
THE SECOND VOLUME.
Page NAHANT 1 THE BALLOON 10 Taunton.--Cotton Manufactures.--Pocassett.--Rhode Island.ib. NEWPORT 22 Rhode Island ib. BLOCK ISLAND 28 NEW YORK 32 Rockaway.--A Road Adventure. ib. JOURNAL 40 IMPRESSIONS OF PETERSBURG 82 Virginia ib. A Rhapsody 83 Impressions of Petersburg.--The deserted Church. 87 CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 93 Total Eclipse of the Sun 102 SAVANNAH 117 COLUMBUS 132 TRAVELLING THROUGH THE CREEK NATION 140 The Alabama River down to Mobile ib. JOURNAL 162 NEW ORLEANS 171 American Theatre ib. French Theatre 175 NEW ORLEANS 178 Journal ib. The Theatre 189 Journal 192 MOBILE 211 NEW ORLEANS 227 THE LEVEE MARKET 247 JOURNAL RESUMED 252 NEW YORK 278 JOURNAL 291 A visit to Quebec, via Lake Champlan and Montreal ib. The Sault au Recollect 305 GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF THE COUNTRY AND OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE 339 Adieu 354 APPENDIX 357

IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA.

NAHANT.
This rocky peninsula is truly a very wild and unworldlike little territory, jutting boldly out as it does into the mighty bay of Massachusetts, and commanding a view of its whole extent, from Cape Cod to Cape Anne, together with the many islands, towns, and villages scattered along the coast; whilst in front spreads out the Atlantic Ocean.
To sit within the upper gallery of this house upon the cliff, and watch the rising moon fling her golden bridge from the far horizon's edge, until it seems to rest upon the beach below, is a sight which would be worth something in a poet or a painter's eyes.
I never, either in the East or in the Mediterranean, beheld anything exceed in colour the glory of these evening skies, or their depth by night. Round about, near to the edge of the cliffs, are scattered a number of dwellings, built in the style of the southern cottage, having low projecting eaves covering a broad gallery which usually encircles the building: these are objects upon which the eye is pleased to rest when the moon deepens their shadows on the barren rock.
One or two of the highest and most conspicuous points, whether viewed from the land or the sea, have been very properly selected for buildings, whose uses, however humble, admitted of classic form. Beneath the roof of a temple to Minerva, built upon the extreme eastern point of the lofty headland, may be found the billiard-table of the hotel; lower down, the little edifice containing a range of baths is entered by a Doric portico. The proportions of these buildings are in good taste; the chaste cold moon clothes them in grace and beauty; and for the material, what matters it, when, by her light, painted pine may be fancied Parian marble! The cliff itself is a very Leucadia, and as well fitted for a leap as love-sick heart could seek: but there are no Sapphos now-a-days; the head of Nahant is likely to remain un-be-rhymed.
A little way to the northward lies a small steep island, between which and the main land the "sarpint" par excellence has been seen more than once rushing along at the rate of a steamboat, with a horned face uplifted some fifty feet above the waves, and a beard blowing about his ears like the tail of a comet.
This account I had from more than one credulous witness: certain it is, if Sarpint be fond of fish, he is no bad judge in selecting this as a residence; for about this same island there are abundance and variety, both to be met with at all hours, as I can testify, having sat in a punt, bearing a wary eye for hours at a stretch, and catching all sorts of things except a sight of the "sarpint."
The nights here are indeed delicious, calm and cool, with air as soft as velvet; during the day, for about two hours after meridian, owing to the