The Pictorial Sketch-Book of Pennsylvania ... Illustrated with over 200 engravings, and a colored map. Eighth edition, revised and greatly enlarged

Front matter

anb XmMng Hailroal passenger train time table. Leave Philadelphia from the Depot, Broad and Callowhill Street, at 7 J A. M., and 3£ P.M. Daily Except Sundays, when an Excursion Train leaves at 7J A. M. Returning leaves Pottsville at 4 P. M. STAGE CONNEXIONS. At Phœnixville, with Express and Way Trains, for Yellow Springs, Ac At Pottstown, with Express Trains, fur Boyerstown, Allentown, &c. At Reading, with Express Trains, for Lebanon, Harrisburg, Bernville, Jonestown, &c. At Pottsyille, with Express Trains, for Northumberland, Sunbury, Danville, Cata wissa, &c. RAILROAD CONNEXIONS, At Port Clinton, to Tamaqua, thence by Stage to Mauch Chunk, Wilkesbarre, Lackawanna, Hazelton, Ac. At Schuylkill Haven, to Minersville. Tremont, Ac. At Mount Careon, to Tuscarora, Middleport, Ac. UP TRAINS, DOWN TRAINS.

STATIONS. Exp's\ Way I Morn. \Aft'n. STATIONS. j Wag \Ex-p's \Morn.\Aft'n. Leaves Philadelphia, Passes Schl. Viaduct, " Manayunk, " Conshohocken, " Norristown, " Port Kennedy, " Valley Forge, " Phœnixville, " Royer's Ford, " Limerick, " POTTSTOWN, " Douglassville, " Birdsboro, " Reading, " Althouse's, " Mohrsville, " Hamburg, " Port Clinton, " Auburn, " Orwigsburg, " Schl. Haven, " Mount Carbon, Arrives at Pottsville, 7.30 3.30 3.41 3.50 4.05 4.12 4.21 4.26 4.41 4.51 4.56 5.13 5.22 5.33 6.00 6.25 6.30 6.48 6.58 7.11 7.19 7.27 7 36 7.45 Leaves Pottsville, Passes Mt. Carbon, " Schl. Haven, " Orwigsburg, ' ' Auburn, " Port Clinton, " Hamburg, " Mohrsville, " Althouse's, " Reading, " Birdsboro, " Douglassville, " POTTSTOIVN, " Limerick, " Royer's Ford, " Phœnixville, " Valley Forge, " Tort Kennedy, " Norristown, " Conahohocken, " Manayunk, " Schl.

Viaduct. Arrives at Philad'a. 7.30 7.37 7.46 7.57 8.05 8.20 8.30 8.48 8.53 9.10 9.32 9.41 9.51 10.04 10.08 10.18 10.29 10.34 10.44 10.51 11.06 11.18 11,30 3.30 3.37 3.4-3 4.10 8.31 8.58 4.51 9.34 5.30 5.56 10.17 10.43 10.52 11.00 7.00 Mrilakipljw anil jUaMng Jlatatt. PASSENGER FAJpBfe*»$H^NCES. AVay Trains stop at all the points stated : Express Trains only at those Stations in Small Capitals, and positively at no others. All Passengers will purchase their tickets before entering the cars. Fifty pounds of Baggage are allowed each Passenger. Passengers are strictly forbidden to stand outside, on the Platforms, while the cars are in motion. Passengers waiting for Way Trains, at Way Points where there is no Railroad Agent, will signal the approaching Trains, otherwise they will not stop. UP TRAINS, DOWN TRAIN Did.

Preface

TO THE SECOND EDITION. The present edition of the " Pictorial Sketch. Book," it will be seen, contains the beautiful and celebrated poem of Campbell's " Gertrude of Wyoming " — as originally promised. I cannot but regret, however, that owing to circumstances which need not he mentioned here, the engravings prepared at my expense to illus trate it are necessarily omitted. To make amends for this, several additional engravings have been introduced, together with upwards of eighty pages of new matter, which, it is hoped, will somewhat strengthen the gigantic title of the work, (bestowed by the former publisher,) as a " Sketch-Book of Pennsylvania." It is probably due to me to say, that two or three paragraphs were introduced into the first edition, without my knowledge or consent. One of these paragraphs will be found on page 171 of " Off-Hand Sketches," and refers to the Black Creek coal estate in Luzerne county.

The insertion of this particular paragraph was, in my opinion, entirely out of place; and I therefore protested against it, the moment it was discovered. It was owing to thi-? (')

PREFACE.

TO THE SECOND EDITION. circumstance, that the proof-sheets were subsequently withheld from me, thereby admitting a series of errors, typographical and other wise, to go forth uneorrected in the first edition. The publication of the book having subsequently been trans ferred to Mr. Bromwell, — the present liberal-minded, gentlemanly, and meritorious publisher, — he requested me to make the alterations and improvements previously referred to. Although probably not free of errors, we cannot but commend the work, under the auspices of Mr. Bromwell, to the notice of our friends. BOWEN. A WORD BEFORE WE GO. In all parts of Europe the traveller is supplied with Guide-books, de tailing, for his special information and satisfaction, the leading features of all objects of interest on his route. There is not an antiquated castle, a battle-field, a mountain, or a river, but has its peculiar points revealed for the entertainment of the stranger, as he rambles along from place to place.

No doubt this materially adds to the interest and subsequent value of travel ; and probably constitutes one of the paramount attractions of a tour in Europe, since all its incidents are thus permanently impressed on the mind. In the United States no such conveniences exist ; and this is probably one reason why foreigners generally misunderstand and misrepresent us — they are not sufficiently informed to give a correct estimate of our resources, peculiarities, and institutions. They hastily pass over our railways and rivers, and, for the want of suitable printed-guides, return as profoundly ignorant of the routes traversed as they were at the starting point — for seeing is not understanding. In her physical aspect and resources, Pennsylvania is pre-eminently the most interesting State in the Union — yet, for the want of popular descrip tions and references, her real character is comparatively obscured from the public view.

The most intelligent individual may make the tour from the Delaware to the Ohio by railroad, and yet be unable to identify one-half the towns, or mountains, or streams, or otherwise explain correctly the prominent local characteristics of the route traversed. Thousands of persons, of fortune and leisure, owing to this evil, are intimidated from travelling; while many proceed direct to Europe, before visiting the objects of interest in their own immediate land. It was as much with the hope of converting our time to a useful pur-

PREFACE.

. pose, as receiving a reasonable compensation for it, that we undertook to sketch, in a sprightly and popular way, some of the prominent features of our time-honoured Commonwealth. If we have collected together, in tolerable order, a mass of matter that will relieve, to some extent, the fatigue and monotony of travel, our main object has been attained. We may add, that over seventeen hundred dollars have been expended for pictorial illustrations, some of which we can point to as fair specimens of the art. During the particular time we were engaged in the preparation of these pages, however, an unusual activity prevailed among our best wood engravers, in consequence of large orders from the Government. We were, therefore, in several instances, forced to employ artists of ordinary talent — though, upon the whole, we think the reader will find little to complain of under this head.

The matter is, what it purports to be, oif-hand, and no particular cre dit is claimed or expected for it. We have profited from the works of others to a greater extent than we should, had our time been less limited. Our acknowledgments are due to the works of the late Prof. Richardson, and to those of Mr. Day, Mr. Trego, and others, from which the matter not strictly original has been mainly extracted. With these explanations our work is done. E. B. N. B. — It is proper to add, that not having corrected the latter portion of this work as it was passing through the press, some errors appear which would not otherwise have occurred. CONTENTS. OFF-HAND SKETCHES.

PAGE PAGE Anthracite Coal, discovery of, . .156 Gaseous explosions in mines, . 204 Anthracite Coal Regions, position of, 161 Gertrude of Wyoming, the poem of, 269 Anthracite Coal Regions, structure of, 163 Hamburg, borough of, . . . 91 Anthracite, for smelting iron, . 179 Anthracite, analysis of, . .217 Ice-cutting on the Schuylkill, . 20 Anthracite, weight of, . . 217 Inclined-planes at Mauch Chunk, 115 Anthracite, general features of, . 218 Iron ore of the coal regions, . 182 Anthracite, comparative value of, 221 Anthracite, experiments with, . 221 Lager Beer vaults, . . .20 Laurel Hill Cemetery, . . 31 Anthracite, annual production of, 226 31 Lead, mines of, . . . .51 Bethlehem, sketch of, . . . 304 Litiz, sketch of the schools of, . 303 Berks County, remarks on, . 70 — 91 Lime-stone and Lime-kilns, . 46 Copper, mines of, . . . .49 Lyell, Sir Charles, geological opinions of, 133 Luzerne, county of, . . . 237 Conshehocken, villago of, . 54 Coal, statistics of, . . .215 Coal region, remarks upon, . 107 Coal, origin of, . . . .120 Mansion House, near Pottsville, . 101 Coal, vegetation of the, . . 12S Manayunk, sketch of, . . 42 Coal Lands, speculations in, . 176 Marble, quarries of, 4S Coal Trade, railway and canal system of, 227 Mauch Chunk, sketch of, . . 115 Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven railroad, .... 100 Montgomery, county of, . . 56 Moore Tom, the Irish poet, . . 24 Crane's patent for smelting iron, 179 Delaware Water-Gap, description of, 276 Mountain region, remarks on the, 95 Drift, theory of, . . . .132 Moravians, or United Brethren, sketch of the, . . .304 Mining Operations, history and description of, 172 Earth, origin and antiquity of, . 126 Earth, stratification of the crust of, 138 Mines, ventillation of, . . 195 Easton, routes to, etc, . . 296 Mines, gaseous explosions in, . 198 Easton, description of, . . . 301 Miner's Doom, the — a poem, . 204 Miners, moral condition of, . . 210 Factory system, remarks on the, 43 Minors, moral condition in Europe, 213 Falls of the Schuylkill, . . 3S Faults in the coal veins, nature of 155 Norristown, borough of, . . 54 Fossil impressions in the coal, . 124 Norristown railroad, trade of the, 37 First experiments in smelting iron with Anthracite — celebration of the same, etc., . . . 1S0 Pennsylvania — a poem, . 15 Firc-Damp, means to check, . . 206 Pottstown, remarks on, . .

CONTENTS PAGE PAGE Susquehanna, floods in, . . 264 Surveys of Indian purchases, . 299 Pottsville, sketch of, . . . 102 Port Clinton and Tamaqua railroad, 99 Port Richmond, the coal depot, 37 PhœnLxville, iron manufactures of, 65 Taylor, Bayard, an allusion to, . 6S Tamaqua, sketch of, . . Ill Tamaqua, railroad system of, .111 Tunnel at Phœnixville, . . 69 Quakers, the, .... 67 Trout-fishing in Wyoming, . . 23S Reading Railroad, sketch of, . SI Reading Railroad, future prospects of, 227 Union Canal, history of, . . 76 Vegetable mineralization, process of, 133 Valley Forge, historical sketch of, 5S Reading, city of . . 75—90 Railroad and Canal system, prospects of, .... 227 Washington at Valley Forge, 61—93 Safety-Lamps, Sir H. Davy, . 199 Scenery of the Schuylkill, . 53 Schuylkill Haven, . . .99 Wissahickon, the, . . .41 Water-works at Fairmount, .

IS Weiser, Conrad, sketch of, . . 94 Wilkesbarre, route to, etc., . 236 Schuylkill Navigation, sketch of the, 79 Wyoming, the valley of, . . 241 Slocum, Miss, capture of, . . 260 Stratification, the order of, . . 142 Strike and Dip, explanation of, 148 Steuben, Baeon, sketch of, . . 62 Summit Hill 112 Wyoming Valley, Indians of, etc., 245 Wyoming, settlement of, . . 251 Wyoming, battles of, . . 252 Wyoming, the monument, . . 267 Swatara Falls 108 Zinzendorf, Count, sketch of, . 246 LOCOMOTIVE SKETCHES. PAGE PAGE Agriculture, sketch of the Pennsylvania system, ... 30 Agriculture, statistics of production, 42 Agricultural population, general features of, . . . . 43 Chester County, resources of, . 29 Chester County, historical incidents, 26 Coatesville, village of, . . 25 Charring Wood, process of, . . 106 Conemaugh, scenery of the, 145 — 159 Alleghany Mountain range, origin and structure of the, . . 149 Alleghany bituminous coal trade, etc 14S Conemaugh Station, . . . 155 Columbia, borough of . . 61 Cooking Fuel, process of, . . 115 Conestoga, trade of the, etc., . 51 Alleghany Mountains, scenery of, the, . . . 142, 145, 159 Conewago Hills, geological features of, .... 63 Altoona, village of, . . 132—140 Conewago Falls, descent through the, 64 Bloekley Almshouse, statistics of, 16 Bigler, His Excellency, Governor, etc., 74 Common School Law, general features of, .... 76 Cornwall Don Ore District. . . 107 Bituminous coal fields, area of . 148 Braddock's field, battle of, . 170 Bright Alfarata of the Blue Ju- Dauphin Coal District, . . 7S Downingtown, village of, . . 24 Duncannon, village of, . , §3 niata — a song, ... 98 Broad Top coal district, . .101 BuchanaD, Hon. James, and others, 60 Eagle Hotel, . . , IS Ephrata, historical sketch ot; . ' CONTENTS.

PAGE Forging Iron, processes of, . . 123 Fox-chasing, .... 39 Fulton, Robert, sketch of, . . 57 Furnaces, construction of, . 112 Furnaces, theory of the blast, . 120 Furnaces, charge measure of, . 120 Furnaces, running the metal, . 121 Furnaces, puddling, process of, 124 Gas Works, notice of, . . . 14 Gallatzin, Rev. D. A., sketch of, 157 Greensburg, borough of, . . 169 Hancock's Chair, ... 73 Harrisburg, sketch of, . . . 66 Horse-racing, .... 38 Huntingdon, borough of, . . 101 Inclined Planes, . . .142 Indiantown, . . . .52 Iron Manufactures, processes of, 10S Johnstown, borough of, . . 156 Juniata, scenery of the, . 36 — 90 Lancaster City, sketch of, . . 48 Latrobe, village of, . . . 100 Legislature, material of the, . 69 Lewis, Hon. Ellis, and others, . 60 Lewistown, borough of, . . 92 Logan, the Indian Chief, sketch of, 94 Lumber Region, sketch of the, . 162 Lumber Trade, statistics of, . 167 Maple Sugar, making, . . . 142 Market Street Bridge, . . 15 Mine Ridge, copper and chrome of, 29 Middletown, borough of, . . 64 Millerstown, borough of, . . 85 Mifflintown, borough of, . . 87 Mountain House, .... 141 Mount Joy, .... 62 Mountain Scenery, 65, 78, 84, 100, 142, 145.

PAGE Newport, village of, . . . S5 Paoli, sketch of, . . 21 Patterson House, notice of, . . 88 Pennsylvania Railroad, sketch of, 134 Pittsburg, sketch of, . . .175 Pulpit Rocks, description of, . 102 Quakers, religious faith of the, . 30 Roasting Iron Ore, . . .113 Rolling Sheet and Bar Iron, . 127 Rolling Railroad Don, . . 129 Salt Springs, . . . .168 St. Clair, Gen. Arthur, . . 170 Safe Harbor Iron Works, . .51 Shad-fishing in Susquehanna, . 55 Sinking Springs, Blair county, . 132 State Improvement System, sketch of, 69 State Lunatic Hospital, . . 77 Statistics of Iron Manufactures, . 130 Steam Navigation, experiments in, 56 Stevens, Hon. Thaddeus, and others, 59 Steam King, song of the, . . 20 Squeezer, for blooms, . . 125 Susquehanna, scenery of, 65, 78, 84 Susquehanna, ice freshets in the, 81 Susquehanna, fish-baskets in the, 82 Turnpike versus Railroad, . 19 Tyrone, iron works of, . • 106 Union Furnace, . • ■ 164 Washington Crossing the Alleghany, ..... 171 Wayne, Gen. Anthony, sketch of, 21 West Philadelphia, . . . 16 White Hall, 17 PEDESTRIAN SKETCHES.

PAGE Lumber Trade of West Branch, . 196 Ole Bull's Settlement, . . 199 Sinnemahoning, .... 202 Sunbury, borough of, . . 194 Sunbury and Erie Railroad, . 204 Warren, borough of, . . 201 Williamsport, borough of, . . 195 Wilderness, the — where is it? 193 PAOE Alleghany Valley Railroad, . 200 Boom, the, in West Branch, . .197 Blussburg and Corning Railroad. 198 Erie, city of, .... 204 Montour's Ridge, iron of, . 191 Northumberland, borough of, . 195 Lewisburg, village of, . . PENNSYLVANIA. BY PHILIP FP.ENEAU. Spread with stupendous hills, far from the main, Fair Pennsylvania holds her golden reign ; In fertile fields her wheaten harvest grows, Charged with its freights her favorite Delaware flows ; From Erie's lake her soil with plenty teems To where the Schuylkill rolls his limpid streams — Sweet stream ! what pencil can thy beauties tell — Where, wandering downward through the woody vale, Thy varying scenes to rural bliss invite, To health and pleasure add a new delight.

Here Juniata, too, allures the swain, And gay Cadorus roves along the plain ; Swatara, tumbling from the distant hill, Steals through the waste, to turn the industrious mill — AVhere'er those floods through groves or mountain stray, That God of nature still directs the way ; With fondest care has traced each river's bed, And mighty streams thro' mighty forests led ; Bade agriculture thus export her freight, The strength and glory of this favored State. She, famed for science, arts, and polished men, Admires her Franklin, but adores her Penn, PENN S YLVANIA. Who wandering here, made barren forests bloom, And the new soil a happier robe assume : He planned no schemes that virtue disapproves, He robbed no Indian of his native groves, But, just to all, beheld his tribes increase, Did what he could to bind the world in peace, And, far retreating from a selfish band, Bade Freedom flourish in this foreign land.

Gay towns unnumbered shine through all her plains, Here every art its happiest height attains : The graceful ship, on nice proportions planned, Here finds perfection from the builder's hand, To distant worlds commercial visits pays, Or war's bold thunder o'er the deep conveys.

Part I

. €)t ftlta| nf tfjB lijnnilkill. Let us, since life can little else supply. Than just to look around us, and to die, Expatiate free o 'er all this scene of man — A mighty maze, but not without a plan ; A wild, where weeds and flowers promiscuous shoot, Or garden, tempting with forbidden fruit. Together let us roam this ample field — Try what the open, what the covert yield; Eye Nature's walks — shoot folly as it flies, And catch the manners, living, as they rise; Laugh where we must — be candid where we can, But always vindicate the ways of God to man ! ROM Philadelphia to Potts ville, Tamaqua and Mauch Chunk, thence to Wilkes barre, in Wyoming ; — this is the journey before us. Hav ing seated ourselves in the comfortable cars of the Read ing Railroad Company, the first object which arrests our attention, after leaving the depot at Broad near Callow hill street, is the Preston Retreat, a fine marble building on our right ; we then catch glimpses of the Eastern Penitentiary, which served as a model for European Institutions of a like char acter, and of Girard College, the finest building of the kind in the United States, and one of the finest in the world. 2* C GIRARD COLLEGE.

Shortly after which we see, on our left, the Fairmount Water-works, and although a notice of it is not strictly within the range of this work, it may nevertheless prove interesting to many to learn some thing of its leading features, especially as it was the first establishment of the kind -ever erected in the United States ; and, in point of boldness of conception and romantic profile, probably inferior to none in any quarter of the globe. The first water-works were commenced in 1799. A steam-engine was placed in Chestnut street, near the Schuylkill, by means of which the water was elevated to a basin in Penn square, and from thence distributed to the city in wooden pipes. The quantity of water thus obtained was soon found to be entirely too small to supply the increasing demand, and the works were abandoned in 1815, after nearly $700,000 had been spent upon them.

In 1816 the works at Fairmount were commenced, the water being again raised by steam to an elevated reservoir. Steam was found too expensive, and arrangements were adopted in 1818, by which the water-power of the river was applied. A dam was erected in a diagonal course across the river, securing a head of water nearly thirty feet in depth, and conducted to the mill-houses, on the eastern side of the stream, as represented in the engraving on the opposite page. Here the water FAIRMOUNT WATER-WORKS. 19 FAIRMOUNT WATER-WORKS. is forced up to the reservoir, elevated about one hundred feet above tho level of the river, and fifty feet above the highest ground in the city. The reservoir, when full, contains twelve feet of water, and is capable of holding over twenty-two millions of gallons. There are eighty-three miles of water-pipe laid down in the city, exclusive of the works of Spring Garden and the Northern Liberties, which probably have an equal extent in the adjoining districts of the city proper.

The daily average consumption of water, from these works, if nearly five million gallons. Their total cost was $1,615,169, and they were designed and executed by the late Frederick Graff, to whose memory a handsome monument is erected in the grounds fronting on the Schuylkill, from a design by his son. The comparison between the present works and the old steam works, is greatly to the advantage of the former. It was not possible, with the steam-engines, to raise one million two hundred and fifty thousand gallons per day — whereas, the present works, with only three wheels, can readily raise three times this amount, without any increase of expense. But if the same quantity were required to bo raised by additional steam-engines, the annual expense would probably be at least §75,000. In other words, the expense of raising three hundred and seventy-five thousand gallons per day, by steam, would be $206 — by water, it is only $4.

In this estimate, the first cost of the steam-engines or of the water-power is not considered. These works are eminently worth a visit from the stranger. They are delightfully situated, and present a view, in connection with sur rounding objects, of rare beauty and spirit. The wire-bridge, stretch- ■20 OFF-HAND SKETCHES ing across the Schuylkill, is also an interesting object, and is probably one of the most complete structures of the kind, as we believe it was one of the first, ever erected in the United States. The accompanying sketch exhibits a faithful view of the Water-works and Wire-bridge, as seen from the opposite side of the river. Within the suburbs of the city, scattered along the rail-road, several " lager beer" establishments will be noticed. These breweries are all of very recent origin, and lager beer is, to many, an unknown beverage.

It is a German drink, of which they are very fond, and is similar in taste and appearance to porter, but is said to have none of its deleterious qualities. It is a weak, bitter, but not unpleasant beer, containing an abundance of hops. It derives its peculiar value and flavor from storage in vaults, as the word "lager" sufficiently implies. The longer it is stored, the finer becomes its quality. The vicinity of Fairmount has lately become the fountain-head of this description of manufacture, and it is consequently a favorite resort for Germans, who, ranged around their little square tables, with cigars, pipes, newspapers and glass-mugs of lager, Mingle o'er their friendly bowl, The feast of reason and the flow of soul. As we pass Fairmount, the river Schuylkill, with its green banks, soft verdure, and rich foliage, is brought into view — the rail-road, until it crosses the bridge, diverging along its eastern bank.

Here a number of spacious warehouses will be noticed, built directly along the water's edge, and affording access for carts by means of scaffold ing erected to their upper stories. These are ice-houses. They are built with much care, the walls filled in with tan-bark to exclude the air, and capable of storing an immense quantity of ice. The manner of collecting and storing the ice is very simple, aud is fully illus trated in the accompanying engraving. Of late years, the storage and shipment of ice has become a very considerable item of trade. A large quantity is required for the consumption of the city, but in addition to this, no inconsiderable amount is shipped to the South, as well as to foreign countries where the climate forbids its production. Vessels freighted with ice always obtain a return load, and thereby a judicious exchange of local com modities is effected with points where, under other circumstances our trade would probably be less extensive, and our communication CROSSING THE SCHUYLKILL. 23 CUTTING ICE ON THE SCHUYLKILL. less frequent.

Our eastern neighbors, always the first in the market with their "notions," have now a serious competitor in Philadelphia in this branch of commerce. In seasons of scarcity, ice is brought down the Schuylkill, in the spring, from the mountain regions of Schuylkill county, where, the climate being somewhat colder, and the streams less impregnated with sediment, it attains a good thickness, as well as a pure and transparent quality. On the Schuylkill, it usually attains a thickness of from four to twelve or more inches, and is probably unrivalled for the purity of its mineral composition, and freedom from foreign and deleterious substances. Its color varies from snowy opaqueness to translucency, and sometimes to the most beautiful watery transparency. As we pass over the splendid rail-road bridge, a very interesting object presents itself.

A beautiful little island, overgrown with tall and slender trees, nestles in the midst of the river, and immediately in front of it, on the western shore, is situated an unique cottage, built of stone, and apparently of some antiquity. In front of the cottage are two old trees, wrinkled and gnarled, like the furrows in an old man's face. This cottage is now a rough and dilapidated affair, but it was once the temporary residence of the late Thomas Moore, the celebrated Irish poet. It bears the rather unpoetic name of " Pig's Eye," but to many is known as Tom Moore's cottage. We entered the house while our friend Brightly was sketching it, OFF-HAND SKETCHES. and found it indeed a relic of the past. The ceilings, which have never been plastered, reveal the rough joists, now blackened with smoke and greasy rust, while the occupants complained of the con dition of the roof, which leaks badly.

The cottage appeared other wise warm and comfortable, as answering the humble pretensions of the lessee. But we thought there was some reason for his com plaint against the landlord, who failed to put it in tenantable order, after receiving two months' rent in advance. If properly fitted up, it might still serve as the abode of the muse, — but, alas ! it can never again return to the scenes of its former glory. It is about forty-five years since Mr. Moore visited this country ; and the changes which have been made during this time, are probably no less striking elsewhere than on this spot. At that time, this little cot was sur rounded with a comparative wilderness, the abode of merry warblers and of wild-flowers ; — the Schuylkill yet flowed in undisturbed tran quillity, and its peaceful shores were fragrant with the rich profusion of its foliage.

It was a spot well calculated to tempt the poet from the noisy scenes of the town, and no less calculated to lend inspiration to the harp which has given such celebrity to his melodies. "I went to America," (says the poet, after his return to Europe,) "with pre possessions by no means unfavorable, and indeed rather indulged in many of those illusive ideas with respect to tho purity of the government and the primitive happiness of the people, which I had early imbibed in my native country, where, unfortunately, discontent at home enhances every distant temptation, and the western world has long been looked to as a retreat for real or imaginary op pression ; as, in short, the Elysian Atlantis, where persecuted patriots might find their visions realized, and be welcomed by kindred spirits to liberty and repose.

In all these flattering expectations I found myself completely disappointed, and felt inclined to say to America, as Horace says to his mistress, "intentata nites." Brissot, in the preface to his travels, observes that 'freedom in that country i. carried to so high a degree as to border upon a state of nature ;' and there certainly is a close approximation to savage life, not only in the liberty which they enjoy, but in the violence of party spirit, and of private animosity which results from it The rude familiarity of the lower orders, and indeed the unpol ished state of society in general, would neither surprise nor disgust if they seemed to flow from that simplicity of character, that honest ignorance of the gloss of refinement, which may be looked for in a new and inexperienced people.

But, when we find them arrived at maturity in most of the vices, and all the pride of civilization, while they are still so far removed from its higher and TOM MOORE'S COTTAGE, TOM MOORE'S COTTAGE. 27 better characteristics, it is impossible not to feel that this youthful decay, this crude anticipation of the natural period of corruption, must repress every san guine hope of the future energy and greatness of America." During his brief sojourn on the green banks of the Schuylkill, the* poet produced several choice effusions ; but it is to be regretted that these gems are associated with so much that, for his own high reputation, had better been " left unsung." In his poem addressed to the Hon. W. R. Spencer, he speaks thus disparagingly of us: All that creation's varying mass assumes Of grand or lovely, here aspires and blooms ; Bold rise the mountains, rich the gardens glow, Bright lakes expand, and conquering rivers flow ; But mind, immortal mind, without whose ray This world 'a a wilderness and man but clay ; Mind, mind alone in barren, still repose, Nor blooms, nor rises, nor expands, nor flows.