of excelling in the chase. An officer of the establishment, from whom I had this, added, that he had little doubt the two now with them would follow the same example. You will understand, from what I have said upon this military academy, that the object of the government, un. der whose eye, and at whose expense it is conducted and maintained, is not to rear a band of regulars. The youth are in no way under obligations to enter into the service of the republic, nor indeed, supposing them so disposed, would it often be in the power of the government to gratify the desire. VICINITY OF ALBANY. We linger here from day to day, unwilling to leave the kind and cheerful circle who administer so pleasingly to us the laws of hospitality; it is time, however, to remember, that we have yet a long journey to make, and must determine to set forward so soon as the skies shall resume their wonted serenity. This has been a season of uncommon heat, and along the whole line of the coast, one of uncommon drought. At in Jersey, during the latter days of July, the mercury twice rose, in a northern exposure, to 100; and for many days successively, when the sun was at his meridian, varied from 90 to 96. Some local causes might there have influenced the atmosphere, as I found its temperature had been some degrees lower in other places, but every where it had been unusually high. In many parts, where the soil was light, the herbage had totally disappeared, and plants, of considerable size and strength, were drooping, and occasionally quite bereft of leaves. In ascending the Hudson we had no sooner passed the Highlands, than our eyes fell upon carpets of massive verdure, and woods, whose foliage was fresh as if daily washed by showers. We could have imagined ourselves in a second spring, but for the tropical heat which followed us; and which was only broken two days since by the grandest and longest thunder-storm that I ever witnessed. In this neighbourhood nature presents many beautiful, and some grand features; chief among these, is the wellknown cataract of the Mohawk; whose waters precipitate themselves over a fine wall of rock just before they unite with those of the Hudson. Its height is stated variously; perhaps sixty feet is nearest the mark; its immense If our journey was rough, it was at least very cheerful; the weather beautiful, and our companions good-humoured, intelligent, and accommodating. I know not whether to recommend the stage-coach or waggon, (for you are sometimes put into the one and sometimes into the other,) as the best mode of travelling. This must depend upon the temper of the traveller. If he want to see people as well as things to hear intelligent remarks upon the country and its inhabitants, and to understand the rapid changes that each year brings forth, and if he be of an easy temper, not incommoded with trifles, nor caring to take, nor understanding to give offence, liking the interchange of little civilities with strangers, and pleased to make an acquaintance, though it should be but one of an hour, with a kind-hearted fellowcreature, and if he too can bear a few jolts-not a few, and can suffer to be driven sometimes too quickly over a rough road, and sometimes too slowly over a smooth one,-then let him, by all means, fill a corner in the post-coach or stage-waggon according to the varying grade in civilization held by the American diligence. But if the traveller be a lounger, running away from time, or a landscape-painting tourist with a sketch-book and portable crayons, or any thing of a soi-disant philosophe, bringing with him a previous knowledge of the unseen country he is about to traverse, having itemed in his closet the character, with the sum of its population, and in his knowledge of how every thing ought to be, knowing exactly how every thing is, or, if he be of an unsociable humour, easily put out of his way, or as the phrase is, a very particular gentleman-then he will hire or purchase his own Dearborn or light waggon, and travel solus cum solo with his own horse, or, as it may be, with some old associate who has no humours of his own, or whose humours are known by repeated experience to be of the exact same fashion with his companion's. In some countries you may, as it is called, travel post, but in these states it is seldom that you have this at your option, unless you travel with a phalanx capable of peopling a whole caravan; eight persons will be sufficient for this, the driver always making the ninth; seated three in a row. THE MOHAWK. Gaining the banks of the Mohawk, we traced its course for sixty miles, which, between the lower cataract of the Cohoez and the upper falls, flows placidly through a country finely varied, rich with cultivation, and sprinkled with neat and broad-roofed cottages and villas, shadowed with trees, and backed with an undulating line of hills, now advancing and narrowing the strath, and then receding and leaving vistas into opening glades, down which the tributaries of the Mohawk pour their waters. Massy woods every where crown and usually clothe these ridges; but indeed, as yet, there are few districts throughout this vast country where the forest, or some remnants of it, stand not within the horizon. The valley of the Mohawk is chiefly peopled by old Dutch settlers; a primitive race, who retain for generations the character, customs, and often the language of their ancient country. Of all European emigrants, the Dutch and the German invariably thrive the best, locate themselves, as the phrase is here, with wonderful sagacity, and this being once done, is done for ever. Great must be the penury from which this harmless people fly, who are thus attached to the ways of their fathers, and who, once removed to a land yielding sustenance to the swart hand of industry, plant so peacefully their penates, and root themselves so fixedly in the soil. As a settler next best to the German, thrives the Scot; the Frenchman is given to turn hunter; the Irishman, drunkard, and the Englishman, speculator. Amusement rules the first, plea sure ruins the second, and self-sufficient obstinacy drives headlong the third. There are many exceptions, doubtless, to this rule; and the number of these increases daily,-and for this reason it is a higher class that is at present emigrating. I speak now more particularly of England. It is men of substance possessed in clear property of from five hundred to five thousand pounds, who now attempt the passage of the Atlantic. I know of thirteen families who lately arrived in these states from the Thames, not one of which is possessed of less than the former sum, and some of more than the latter. I fear that the policy of England's rulers is cutting away the sinews of the state. Why are her yeoman disappearing from the soil, dwindling into paupers, or flying as exiles? Tythes, taxes, and poor rates-these things must be looked into, or her population will gradually approach to that of Spain, beggars and princes; the shaft of the fair columu reft away. UTICA. We reached Utica very tolerably fagged, and bruised as I could not wish an enemy. A day's rest well recruited us, however, and gave us time to examine this wonderful little town, scarce twenty years old. An innkeeper here, at whose door fifteen stages stop daily, carried, eighteen years since, the solitary and weekly mail in his coat pocket from hence to Albany. This new-born Utica already aspires to be the capital of the state, and in a few years it probably will be so, though Albany is by no means willing to yield the honour, nor New York the convenience of haring the seat of government in her neighbourhood; but the young western counties are such stout and imperious children, that it will soon be found necessary to consult their interests. The importance of Utica will soon be increased by the opening of the great canal, destined here to join the Mohawk. We swerved the next day from our direct route for the purpose of looking at this work, now in considerable progress, and which, in its consequences is truly grand, affording a water highway from the heart of this great continent to the ocean; commencing at Lake Erie, it finds a level, with but little circuit to the Mohawk; at the Lesser Falls are some considerable locks; others will be required at the mouth of the river, where the Hudson opens his broad way to the Atlantic. It is thought that four ог or five years will now fully complete this work. The most troublesome opposition it has encountered, is in the vast Onondaga swamp, and not a few of the workmen have fallen a sacrifice to its pestilential atmosphere. Leaving Utica, the country begins to assume a rough appearance, stumps and girdled trees encumbering the inclosures; log-houses scattered here and there; the cultivation rarely extending more than half a mile, nor usually so much, on either hand; when the forest, whose face is usually rendered hideous to the eye of the traveller by a skirting line of girdled trees, half standing, half falling, stretches its vast, unbroken shade over plain, and hill, and dale; disappearing only with the horizon. Frequently, however, gaining a rising ground (and the face of the country is always more or less undulating,) you can distinguish gaps, sometimes long and broad, in the deep verdure, which tell that the axe and the plough are waging war with the wilderness. Owing to some disputed claims in the tenure of the lands, cultivation has made less progress here than it has farther west, as we found on approaching the Sknené atalas, Cayuga, Seneka, Onondaga, and Canadaigua lakes. Having passed the flourishing town of Auburn, we found the country much more open; wellfinished houses, and thriving villages, appearing continually. The fifth day from that of our departure from Albany brought us to this village, where our kind fellow-travellers insisted on becoming our hosts. The villages at the head of the different lakes I have enumerated above, are all thriving, cheerful, and generally beautiful; but Canadiagua, I think, bears away the palm. The fand has been disposed of in lots of forty acres each, one being the breadth, running in lines diverging on either hand from the main road. The houses are all delicately painted; their win dows with green Venetian blinds, peeping gaily through fine young trees, or standing forward more exposed on their little lawns, green and fresh as those of England. Smiling gardens, orchards laden with fruit quinces, apples, plums, peaches, &c. and fields rich in golden grain, stretch behind each of these lovely villas; the church with its white steeple rising in the midst, overlooking this land of enchantment. The increase of population, the encroachment of cultivation on the wilderness, the birth of settlements, and their growth into towns, surpasses belief, till one has been an eye-witness of the miracle, or conversed on the spot with those who have been so. It is wonderfully cheering to find yourself in a country which tells only of improvement. What other land is there that points not the imagination back to better days, contrasting present decay with departed strength, or that, even in its struggles to hold a forward career, is not checked at every step by some physical or political hinderance? MR. WADSWORTH. We were received with a warm welcome by Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth. The American gentleman receives his guest in the true style of old patriarchal hospitality-with open hand at the gate, and leads you over the threshold with smiling greetings, that say more than a thousand words. This house stands pleasantly on the gentle declivity of a hill, commanding a fine prospect of the Genessee flats (beautiful prairie land bordering the river), and the rising grounds, covered with dark forests, bounding them. Some scattered groups of young locust trees spread their checquered shade upon the lawn; down which, as seated beneath the porch, or in the hall, with its wide open doors, the eye glances, first over a champaign country, speckled with flocks and herds, and golden harvests; and then over primeval woods, where the Indian chases the wild deer. To the right stretches a scattered village of neat white houses, that have just started into being; from the bosom of which rises the spire of a little chapel, flashing against the sun; behind, barns, stables, and out-houses: and to the right a spacious and well-replenished garden, with orchard after orchard, laden with all the varieties of apple, pear, and peach. Mr. Wadsworth is the patriarch of the Genessee district. He is a native of New England, in whose earliest history the name appears frequently and honourably. It is scarcely nineteen years since this gentleman, with his brother, Col. Wadsworth, pierced into these forests, then inhabited only by the savage and his prey. The rich and open lands here stretching along the river, fixed their attention, and having purchased a considerable tract of land from the Indian proprietors, they settled themselves down among them. The first six years were years of fearful hardship; every autumn brought fevers, intermitting intermitting and bilions, and this too in a wilderness where no comforts or conveniences could be procured. Their constitutions, however, hardened by early temperance, weathered this trying season. Other settlers gradually joined them, and now a smiling village is at their door, rich farms rising every where out of the forest, and a pure and healthy atmosphere ever surrounding them. Mrs. Wadsworth tells me, that her numerous family have never been afflicted with sickness of any kind, nor do we hear of any in the surrounding neighbourhood. I have not yet seen more thriving or beautiful young settlements than those now surrounding me. Mr. Wadsworth is considered as one of the richest proprietors in the state; and well has he acquired his wealth, and generously does he employ it. Like one of the patriarchs of old, he looks round upon his flocks and herds, luxurious pastures, and rich fields of grain, bounteous heaven ever adding to his store, and feels that, under its blessing, all is the reward of his own industry, the work, as it were, of his creation. Sometimes, indeed, I cannot help contrasting the condition of the American with that of the English farmer; no tythes, no grinding taxes, no bribes received or offered by electioneering candidates or their agents; no anxious fears as to the destiny of his children, and their future establishment in life. Plenty at the board; good horses in the stable; an open door, a friendly welcome, light spirits, and easy toil; such is what you find with the American farmer. It were difficult, perhaps, to conceive man placed in a more enviable position than he is as a cultivator of the soil in these states. Agriculture here assumes her most cheerful aspect, and (some Europeans might smile doubtingly, but it is true) all her ancient classic dignity, as when Rome summoned her consuls from the plough. I have seen those who have raised their voice in the senate of their country, and whose hands have fought her battles, walking beside the team, and minutely directing every operation of husbandry, with the soil upon their garments, and their countenances bronzed by the meridian sun. And how proudly does such a man tread his paternal fields; his ample 'domains improving under his hand; his garners full to overflowing; his table replenished with guests, and with a numerous offspring, whose nerves are braced by exercise, and their minds invigorated by liberty. FOREST TREES. Of the American oak, there are upwards of thirty varieties; almost as many of the walnut; several of the elm, which is a tree of very uncom mon majesty. The sycamore of the Ohio, which can receive half a regiment of soldiers within its trunk, seems to realize the wildest fables of marvelloving travellers. The maple and the hickory are also remarkable; the former for its elegance, and the latter for the rich colour of its foliage; the ash; the white pine, rising in pre-eminent grandeur; the scent-breathing cedar; the graceful acacia; the wild cherry, with its beautiful fruit clustered on the stalk like currants; and, among the flowering trees, the sweet locust, breathing the breath of violets; the catalpa, with its umbrageous leaves, and luxuriant blossoms; the majestic tulip, pointing up his clean and unencumbered shaft, and throwing down his branches heavy with polished foliage and millions of flowers. Indeed, the varieties of the native trees are almost endless; and when cultivated with care, and arranged with taste, may even surpass in majesty the woodland tribe of England. The character of the American forest, you are, perhaps, familiar with; springing out of a virgin soil, and struggling upwards to catch the sun's glance, the stems are frequently of enormous stature; and, from the dryness of the atmosphere, wholly free from moss and lichen. Í have already noticed the absence of brush, and the carpet of verdure that covers the soil; where this is firm and dry, nothing can be more pleasing than to wander among these primeval shades ;—at least those will think so whose eyes are not palled with their eternal contemplation. When the first gloom of evening "deepens the horror of the woods," it is finely impressive to thread their dark mazes, and greatly interesting when the night closes in to catch the glimmer of some settler's fire, and, as you approach, to see its rays streaming across your path from his cabin-door. ACCOMMODATION AT INNS. On arriving at a tavern in this country, you excite no kind of sensation come how you will. The master of the house bids you good-day, and you walk in; breakfast, dinner, and supper are prepared prepared at stated times, to which you must generally contrive to accommodate. There are seldom more hands than enough to dispatch the necessary work; you are not, therefore, beset by half-a-dozen menials, imagining your wants before you know them yourself; make them known, however, and, if they be rational, they are generally answered with tolerable readiness, and, I have invariably found, with perfect civility. One thing I must notice, that you are never any where charged for attendance. The servant is not yours but the inn-keeper's; no demands are made upon you except by the latter; this saves much trouble, and, indeed, is absolutely necessary in a house where the servant's labour is commonly too valuable to be laid at the mercy of every whimsical traveller; but this arrangement originates in another cause, the republican habits and feelings of the community. I honour the pride which makes a man unwilling to sell his personal service to a fellow-creature; to come and go at the beck of another, is it not natural that there should be some unwillingness to do this? It is the last trade to which an American, man or woman, has recourse; still some must be driven to it, particularly of the latter sex; but she always assumes with you the manner of an equal. I have never, in this country, hired the attendance of any but native Americans; and have never met with an uncivil word; but I could perceive that neither would one have been taken; honest, trusty, and proud, such is the American in service; there is a character here which all who can appreciate it will respect. POST CONVEYANCE IN BACK The mode in which the contents of the post-bag are usually distributed through the less populous districts, had often before amused me. I remember, when taking a cross cut in a queer sort of a caravan, bound for some settlement on the southern shore of Lake Erie, observing, with no small surprise, the operations of our charioteer; a paper flung to the right hand, and anon a paper flung to the left, where no sight or sound bespoke the presence of human beings. I asked if the bears were curious of news; upon which I was informed, that there was a settler in the neighbourhood, who ought to have been on the look-out, or some of his children for him. "But when I don't find them MONTHLY MAG. No. 363. ready, I throw the paper under a tree; and I warrant you they'll look sharp enough to find it; they're always curious of news in these wild parts;" and curious enough they seemed, for not a cabin did we pass that a newspaper was not flung from the hand of this enlightener of the wilderness. Occa. sionally making a halt at some solitary dwelling, the post-bag and its guardian descended together, when, if the assistance of the farmer, who here acted as post-master, could be obtained, the whole contents of the mail were discharged upon the ground, and all hands and eyes being put in requisition, such letters as might be addressed to the surrounding district, were scrambled out from the heap; which, being then again scrambled together, was once more shaken into the leathern receptacle, and thrown into the waggon; but it sometimes happened that the settler was from home. On one occasion, I remember, neither man, woman, nor child was to be found; the stage-driver whistled and hallooed, walked into the dwelling, and through the dwelling, sprang the fence, traversed the field of maize, and shouted into the wood; but all to no purpose. Having resumed his station, and set his horses in motion, I enquired how the letters were to find their destination, seeing that we were carrying them along with us, heaven knew where? "Oh! they'll keep in the country any how; it is likely indeed, they may go down the Ohio, and make a short tour of the states; this has happened sometimes; but it is a chance but they get to Washington at last; and then they'll commence a straight course anew, and be safe here again this day twelvemonth may be, or two years at farthest." At Carthage we found the post-master, very naturally, fast asleep; after much clatter against bis door and wooden walls, he made his appearance with a candle, and, according to custom, the whole contents of the mail were discharged upon the floor. The poor Carthaginian rubbed his eyes, as he took up one letter after another from the heap before him; but his dreams seemed still upon him. "Not a letter can I see," he exclaimed, as he again rubbed his eyes, and snuffed his candle. "Friend, lend me your eyes, or you may just take the whole load away with you.' "I am none of the best at decyphering hand-writing," replied the driver Why then I must call my wife, יי 4 I |