Impressions of America | Page 7

made him the idol of the people; whilst his generous disposition and winning manners rendered him the delight of his friends. I never heard the name of this officer mentioned without eulogium, mingled with regret for his premature death.
My condition here is enviable enough: I have a pleasant room, with a fig-tree growing before my window, beneath which Captain B----n and myself breakfast daily, well shaded from sun and dust; not a musquito disputes possession with us; and the dinner-table at the "Pottery" is well served enough, and graced by several very handsome women.
Here is another large hotel near to us, which, from its high bare walls and numerous windows, we have named the "Factory;" and a sort of rivalry may be said to exist between the "Pottery girls" and those of this "Factory." The amusements consist of scandal, bathing, riding, with an occasional boating party, but the men are not enterprising, otherwise the facilities for little pic-nics and country excursions abound. The ladies, who have monopolized all the spirit here, contrive frequently to get up little hops at one house or other, and these are conducted with much gaiety and good humour; albeit, parties hold each other at a wary distance, and, although living in common beneath the same roof, have classifications made upon principles which have hitherto eluded my penetration, and are too numerous to be easily defined by the most accomplished master of the ceremonies Margate ever boasted. The laws of our exclusives, however incomprehensible, are, as elsewhere, arbitrary; and the votary of fashion must be content blindfold to follow the despotic goddess, or quit her ranks.
Whilst here, I had observed for some time an advertisement setting forth that on a certain day a steam-boat would make an excursion to Block Island. This I resolved to join: first, because any change was desirable which might kill a day; and next, because I knew the place had been a sort of station whereat our squadron managed to hang on during the war, although singularly wild and harbourless.

BLOCK ISLAND.
Early in the morning, the steamer employed in this service quitted Providence with a full live cargo; and at Newport it brought up for about an hour, during which time several recruits, myself amongst the number, joined her.
It blew fresh from about east by south; and, in consequence, no sooner had we cleared the harbour, than we were met by a heavy head-sea, and nothing was to be seen on all sides but sickness, and the misery consequent upon the dilapidation of the pretty caps and bonnets of the fair Providencials. Never was a party of pleasure-seekers in a more woe-begone plight than was this of ours when we arrived in the open roadstead of the most inhospitable-looking shores of Block Island.
Before we could bring up, the boats of the natives, apprised of our purpose, surrounded the ship, offering, for a consideration of about a quarter dollar per head, to land us upon their territory. The boats were presently filled; and from the larger ones, after they had grounded on the beach, we were by degrees landed in shallops.
On terra firma we encountered a few men in no outward way differing from the fishermen of the main, but with a confirmed craving after coin, which, however common to all civilized beings, is seldom so openly and importunately exposed as amongst these simple citizens. Boys of seventeen and eighteen years of age thought no shame to solicit a cent from the passing strangers, and were not readily got rid of.
The island, over which I wandered in common with others of the goodly company of adventurers, presented one uniform view: a rolling surface, without any considerable elevation; sea-bound, without a single harbour, or a village in the least attractive; half-a-dozen huts are scattered here and there in irregular lines, indifferently built, and having no care bestowed in the way of out-door adornment; not a tree appears on the place, although in the sheltered situations I should, imagine they would thrive: in short, a less attractive islet I never remember to have visited, or one so utterly divested of interest. The only pleasure I derived was from a view of the open roadstead, where our gallant ships used to ride out the hardest blows, much to the surprise of the natives, who yet spoke of the event with wonder.
Perhaps, on a visit like this, we did not see the best sample of this isolated community: I hope not, for their sake; for our followers had a greedy, overreaching air and manner really disgusting, and in all our little transactions exhibited a sordid grasping propensity one could not expect to meet with in a people so out of the world, and who are in the possession of great plenty: their island yields abundance of corn