A Journey in North America, described in familiar letters to Amelia Opie

Front matter

Bookcase. Shelf. No. Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, &ariep pare, CLIFTON. The wicked borroweth and payetk not again. — Ps. xxxvii. 21. i X JOURNEY IN' NORT IF-" A ME R I C A , DESCRIBED IN FAMILIAR LETTERS TO AMELIA OPIE. l;\ JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY. " He is a freeman whom the truth makes free. And all are slaves beside." Cowper. $ot t0 he jUcjirtittcli IN PART OR WHOLE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION. NORWICH: PRINTED FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION, BY JOSIAH FLETCHER. 1841. A JOURNEY IN NORTH AMERICA.

Letter I

Earlham, 1st month, 18th, 1841. My dear Friend, I am glad that I at length find myself at leisure to record some recollections of my late long and interesting visit to America. I propose to do so in the form of letters, and I avail myself of our old and intimate friendship, in freely addressing these letters to thyself. Thou art aware that my journey was undertaken under the apprehension of religious duty. I left my own country and family, traversed the Atlantic, and continued nearly three years on the other side of it, partly in order to visit many of the meetings of the society of Friends in America, and partly for the purpose of preaching the gospel of Christ, so far as ability might be afforded me, to persons of every name and class. In the pursuit of these duties, I travelled through most of the states of the North American Union, as well as in Upper and Lower Canada.

It is very far from being my intention, on the present occasion, to enter into any detail of my religious B engagements. I shall, of necessity, make some reference to them from time to time; but I now wish to note down the more common incidents of my travel — the objects, natural, civil, and moral, which attracted my attention by the way — and to communicate to thee, some of the general impressions which have been made on my mind respecting North America and her inhabitants. I am very much of the opinion, that partly from political prejudices, and partly from the discoloured accounts of America, which have been pub lished by some of our English travellers, false notions on the subject prevail to a considerable extent in this country. While I desire to maintain a strict accuracy and impartiality, I shall be glad to do my part towards correcting these misapprehensions.

Certainly I am bound, by strong ties of Christian love and gratitude, to promote the cordial good-will and affection which ought to subsist between the people of Great Britain, and the citizens of the United States. I believe that the object which I have thus in view will be best answered, in the first place at least, by a simple narrative of my journey. Such a narrative I will now commence without further preface — only requesting thy patience, if it should appear in any of its parts irrelevant or tiresome. I am not disposed to exclude those small incidents which may afford some degree of entertainment to the young or casual reader; and I know thou wilt allow me to indulge occasionally in familiar descriptions of the beauties and rarities of nature. Having bade a long farewell to my nearest and dearest friends, I sailed from Liverpool in the Phila delphia packet Monongahela, Capt. Mierkin, on the 8th of the 7th month, (July) 1837.

The commencement of an extensive pilgrimage by sea and bv land, and one of undefined duration, was to me a new ex perience ; and, independently of the separation from my family and friends, was accompanied by more than usually solemn feelings respecting the uncertainty of human life. For my own part, I consider that there are only two grounds for entire rest and confidence, under these peculiar circumstances. The first is an honest conviction that the object which we are pur suing is consistent with our Christian calling and duty. The second is an unqualified reliance on that divine and omnipresent Being who conducts and regulates the stormy elements of nature, and protects his obedient children from every external danger, so far as is consistent with their highest good. We sailed down the Irish Channel with a fair, though light wind ; and lovely was the view pre sented to us, as we passed along, of the Welsh mountains on one side, and tbe sugar-loaf hills of the county of Wicklow on the other.

Our first exit from the narrows of the channel, after passing the Tuskar light-house, on the coast of Wexford, and our entrance on the true Atlantic, were marked by a sense of pleasurable sublimity. Great were the beauty and glory of the scene, ruffled as the ocean was by a gentle breeze, and sparkling under the sunshine with innumerable living diamonds. But if the pleasures of imagination were set afloat for a season by this spectacle, they were soon damped by a succession of B head-winds, and by that peculiarly distressing nausea which was produced in most of our company, myself amongst others, by the tossing of the vessel. Hap pily this inconvenience subsided after a short time, and although our voyage was almost constantly im peded by calms and light head-winds, it was by no means unproductive of instruction and enjoyment.

Our company was not numerous ; but amongst them were three members of our religious society, besides myself, and we enjoyed many quiet opportunities for reading and writing, as well as for the regular holding of our meetings for worship. These were sometimes attended by most of the ship's company, and were, I believe, occasions both of comfort and edification. It was to me an unexpected circumstance that a large number of whales came at various times within sight of our vessel ; some of them, which were seen very near to us, were of the grampus kind, and dis played a round whitish back, with a dark thorny fin at top of it ; others, at a greater distance from us, were the large black whales. These were often observed throwing up vast geysers of water, and after lifting up their enormous tails — which have been known at times to break through the sides of large vessels — suddenly dashing into the deep waters.

We once saw one of these creatures pursued by a thresher — a kind of shark about six feet long. This dreadful enemy cuts the whale upon its back with a sharp edged fin, while its ally, the sword-fish, harpoons the animal from below. I presume they make a feast of their vast prey ; and that, in this as in other similar cases, destruction may be regarded as the law of life. When many hundred miles from land, we often observed a dark winged gull which the sailors call the shearwater ; and, on one occasion, a very large bird, described by the captain as a Cape hen, a species of albatros I believe, was seen hovering over us. But the birds which most frequently attracted our attention, were the stormy petrels, called by the sailors, " mother Gary's chickens." These interesting little creatures are often seen at a distance from land of a thousand or fifteen hundred miles, playing with the waves, and, in calm weather, to all appearance, walking on the water.

The sailors have two notions respecting them — first, that their coming portends a storm, and secondly, that they breed at sea ; but I suppose that both these ideas are without foundation. Their sprightly motions, dark wings, and pure white belts, form together a very agreeable spectacle.1 The banks of Newfoundland are an object of great interest on the voyage to America. This immense 1 To wild discursive nature true, O'er old Atlantic's breast of blue, And o'er his crest of foam, Intent the roving mind to please, And fitful as the summer breeze, A wanderer loves to roam. Her wing is jet, her belt is snow, She flits above, she darts below The wave 's her only pillow ; Rides on the wind her tiny form, She greets the gale, salutes the storm, And mocks the dancing billow. Strange to relate, some sages sing, She bears her egg beneath her wing, — No inconvenient station ; If this be true, her vital breath She drew at sea, and only death Shall end her navigation. feeding-ground for codfish, is of vast value both to England and America.

We observed a large number of fishing schooners, and having been ourselves un successful in the attempt to catch fish, we availed ourselves of the near neighbourhood of one of these vessels, and obtained an abundant supply of fresh cod, for the use of the whole ship's company. These fish are here finely speckled, and differ in appearance from the cod on the English coast. The weather now became extremely foggy, and having made an unusual northerly course, we were considered to be in some danger of running on certain rocks near the coast of Newfoundland, called the Virgins. But a fair wind (to us a rarity) carried us safely by them, and we soon found ourselves on the west of the great bank, about a thousand miles from the Delaware capes.2 The sun-fish, looking like a very large turtle Oh, pine not for the distant shore, For He who wings the storm, And bids the mountain billows roar, The pilot's part performs.

While He is stationed at the helm The wild wind — let it rave ! Nor rock shall smite, nor gulf o'erwhelm, Whom God delights to save. Jehovah, may thy light and grace, For man's salvation given, Reflected from the Saviour's face, Beam on our way to heaven. Just as in yonder farthest west, The silent sun descending, Illumes his glorious path of rest, The sky with ocean blending. O God, in whom we live and move, From whom not death can sever, Raise in our hearts the flame of love, And let it burn for ever. floating on its back, was observed alongside of the vessel ; also a small species of black whale, not to mention the schools of porpoises, in vast numbers, pursuing their course by leaps of wonderful agility, at a swift pace. The attempts of our sailors to harpoon these rapid movers, as they passed by us, were utterly fruitless.

Six weeks had been spent at sea, and we were now in the neighbourhood of the gulf stream, which sets out on its travels from the gulf of Mexico, and after running many hundred miles northward near the coast of North America (annually unlocking the ice in its progress) takes an easterly direction. Our captain assured me one evening, that he would almost as soon run on a reef of rocks, as involve himself in this mighty current, after so protracted a voyage. For not only does it run several knots an hour, in a wrong direction for the westward voyager, but is peculiarly liable to dead calms. After such a declar ation, I was by no means pleased, the next morning, to find the temperature of my sea bath to be 75°, a proof that we were already caught by this wonderful stream of warm water. The predicted calm soon followed ; we seemed to be hopelessly imprisoned on the bosom of the ocean ; not a ripple was to be observed on its glassy surface.

This state of things often continues, in the gulf stream, for many days ; but our lot was different. After a few hours, a high wind in our favour suddenly arose ; with extraordi nary rapidity the sea was tossed into mountains, and we soon found ourselves within a short distance from land. Near the coast, the storm had been terrible, but before we could reach the shore, the wind hauled to the westward, becoming almost equally strong in this new direction. Happily we had succeeded in obtaining a skilful Yankee pilot (I use the term, in its true sense of a Neiv Englander) who by a rapid succession of skilful tacks, succeeded in bringing us within the Delaware breakwater, close by Cape Hen lopen. There we enjoyed a station of safety, the work being one of considerable magnitude and strength. We found Irish labourers upon it, who were earning a far better subsistence than they could possibly obtain in their own country.

Our detention for a long day in this artificial harbour, was relieved by some communication with the neighbouring village of Lewiston — striking to the eye of an Englishman, from the appearance of its neatly painted frame houses. From this place we were supplied very acceptably with fruits and vegetables ; and the next morning, the wind having become fair, we pursued our voyage up the Delaware bay and river. The sight of the land on either side was very cheering, after forty-seven days spent at sea. I was pleased to observe some finely cultivated country ; and the Brandywine hills on the southern bank (the field of one of the battles of the revolutionary war) seemed clad with beauty. We passed by the neat towns of Wilmington and Newcastle, and the mouths of the Christiania, Brandywine, and Schuylkill rivers, which all flow into the Delaware ; and having met with a steamer to assist our course, we at length arrived at the city of Philadelphia (a hundred miles from the capes) late in the evening of the 24th of the 8th month (August) — the happy close of no unpleasant voyage, although of nearly seven weeks' continuance.

Some kind friends were waiting my arrival, and I was soon conveyed, through streets shaded by trees, to one of the most hospitable and agreeable abodes in which it has ever been my lot to dwell. I found the warmth of the air to be far greater than that of tn English summer evening ; and the ceaseless songs of the cricket, so entirely new to my ear, gave me shrill notice that I was now a stranger in a strange lind. I will now conclude my first letter. I am, &c. &c.

Letter II

Earlham, 1st month, 21st, 1841. My dear Friend, My stay in Philadelphia, on the present occa sion, was only of three days, ending with the first of tie week. The number of Friends, in this city, is largs, and there are four distinct meetings. A joint assembly of them was convened, at my request, that evening, in the principal meeting-house — about 2000 persors present. We were led to remember, that the "memory of the just is blessed ;" and the Christian character and conduct of William Penn and his associates, by whom this city was founded, afforded a subject of grateful commemoration. The great principles cf justice and mercy, which this eminent servant of the Lord maintained with so much integrity, as governor of Pennsylvania, and the wisdom with which he conducted the affairs of the province, afford an im portant example in history ; and may well animate those who profess the same religious views, with hearty desires to walk, as he walked, in the light of truth — to follow him, as he followed Christ.

Early the next morning, in company with some of my friends, who were bound on the same mission. I commenced my journey to the state of Ohio, with JOURNEY TO OHIO. 11 the view of attending the yearly meeting of Friends, then about to be held in it. Our route lav through Pittsburg which is distant nearly 400 miles from Philadelphia. The journey was to me singularly novel and interesting. We travelled the first hundred miles by railroad to Harrisburg, a pleasant town, and the seat of the Pennsylvanian government. The country through which we passed was w7ell wooded and fairly cultivated, adorned with neat looking villages, farm-houses, and barns ; the latter generally built on a declivity, so that the upper story can be conveniently entered from the ground. The grain harvest was quite finished, but the Indian corn was still growing in large quantities, and of great height.

The appearance of its broad, dark, pendent leaves, and vast ears, was highly beautiful ; it may be considered the staple crop of this part of the country. At Harrisburg, in company with numerous other travel lers (for the Americans are a moving people,) we commenced a long voyage by the Pennsylvanian canal which passes through a delightful country, alongside of the rivers Susquehannah, Juniata, Conemaugh, Kiscamenitis, and Alleghany, in succession — the ca nal, in certain parts of its course, being exchanged for some one of the rivers themselves. The scenery, on the banks of these noble streams, is amongst the finest that I have anywhere seen ; especially, on those of the Juniata and Conemaugh — lofty and picturesque hills of various shapes and sizes, covered with the native forest ; a wild solitude often pre vailing, and the rocky beds of the rivers, in some parts, adding to the picturesque beauty of the pros- JOURNEY FROM PHILADELPHIA pect.

I observed the osprey floating over one of these rivers; and a bald eagle, quietly seated on the top of an old pine, seemed entirely to disregard us as we passed by him. I also remarked the bright little " yellow bird" flitting about in every direction ; and just caught a sight of one of the water-snakes of the country, of a muddy green colour. There were also to be seen, as we passed along, a variety of wild plants which would, in England, be considered fit orna ments for the garden ; the blue and crimson lobelia, the latter of splendid beauty ; a small cenothera or evening primrose, the wild sunflower, the scarlet sal via, and different kinds of convolvolus, and of calceolaria or lady's slipper. I am no botanist, and may possibly be mistaken in some of the names ; but these " smiles of Providence" (as Wilberforce used to call the flowers) filled me with no small delight.

But for the morale of our boat — we had a fine assortment of company, crammed together, and feed ing heartily at a long table three times a day — every body easy and good-tempered, as if the degree of roughness which they undergo had rubbed off all inconvenient corners. I remember having been much struck, on the occasion, with the aspect of these American travellers — their persons generally slim and active, their countenances thin, eager, and intel ligent, and marked by a peculiar air of independence. This independence — this practical oblivion of all dis tinctions of class — although strange to my former habits, was far less offensive to me than I expected. Every body was civil to all around him ; and those whom we should have regarded as belonging to the TO OHIO. 13 upper class of society, displayed no want of refinement or polish.

Amongst them, were the four judges of the supreme court of Pennsylvania, in which law and equity are united, and an appellant jurisdiction exercised over the local and inferior courts. Chief- Justice Gibson, who is evidently a person of superior parts and extensive knowledge, informed me that the English common law is maintained in this state, with the exception of a few changes introduced by American statute — a remark which equally applies to the generality of the states of the Union. I learnt from him, that small crimes are decreasing, but that those of a heavier nature had, of late years, in creased alarmingly. He ascribed this lamentable fact to the universal determination prevailing among the people, to do what they please ; or, in other words, to ultra-radicalism. The tendency of democracy, even in Pennsylvania, to this dangerous condition of society, has, of late, been lamentably evinced by a change in the constitution, which renders the judicial office dependent on the will of dominant parties in the legislature, instead of being, as it was formerly, an office for life.

I understood that the chief-justice's salary was only £600 per annum — a sum, in my opinion, far too small for the responsibility and dignity of the station. Speaking of the late change in the constitution of Pennsylvania, I am painfully reminded of the insertion of a single sad word in the present legal description of thc qualification for citizenship. It is the word white. And what is the lamentable effect of this mere stroke of a pen? Nothing less than the exclu- JOURNEY FROM PHILADELPHIA sion of the whole coloured race, of every grade, from the privilege of equal rights, on equal terms, with those among whom they dwell. The infliction of the unrighteous system of caste, in one reserved case, on the frame-work of a democratic society, is a frightful anomaly. Whether it is considered as matter of law, or of universal habit and practice, it must be regarded by every fair observer, as the greatest blot in the escutcheons of the free states of the American Union.

If persons of all classes on board our boat (white only of course) were mingled together during the day, what am I to say of our bundling by night — judges, merchants, mechanics, ministers of religion, &c. &c. huddled together, in near contact, and cover ing both the seats, and the whole floor of our vessel ? Very little air was allowed; and being much indisposed, I was prevented by my kind companions from enjoying the delightful breezes on the deck. Thus a measure of hardship fell to my lot, and it was not unnatural that I should be thinking of the comforts of my pleasant and far distant home. But there is a stimulus in a total change of scene and circumstance, which carries the traveller over many difficulties ; and if the mind is at peace, one can be happy anywhere. In one part of our journey, between the rivers Ju niata and Conemaugh, I had for the first time to cross the Alleghany mountains.

For this purpose, having left our canal boat, in which, by means of locks, we had already ascended to a considerable height, we were conveyed, in rail cars, along a series of levels TO OHIO. and inclined plains, being drawn up the latter by vast ropes set in motion by steam. This wondrous rail road is one of the most extraordinary works of man to be anywhere met with, and does great credit to the energy of a people so much distinguished for " going a-head." The novelty of this mode of travelling — connected as it was with my first introduction to the wild scenery of the native American forest — for the forest, chiefly of pines, covers this part of the Al leghany ridge — was indescribably strange to me. In our descent from the mountain (which, where we crossed it, is about 1400 feet above the level of the sea) we were gradually let down to the little town of Johnstown; from which we pursued our canalboat voyage as before.

We arrived at Pittsburg at the close of the fourth day of our journey. The approach to this American Birmingham, down the Alleghany river, on which we had now entered from the canal, is uncommonly picturesque and striking. The town — black and smoky, (for bituminous coal, as well as iron, abounds in the neighbourhood) — is said to contain 21,000 inhabitants, and is constantly rising in importance from its hard ware manufactories. The city stands on the fork of two noble streams, the Alleghany and Monongahela, which here meet and form the Ohio. This fork is famous in history for having been the seat of an old intrenchment of the French and Indians, by whom General Braddock was defeated. It was the scene of General Washington's first exploits, when he was a young officer in the British service.

We were unable to make any stay in the city of Pittsburg ; and were JOURNEY FROM PHILADELPHIA therefore deprived of the opportunity of inspecting the Western Penitentiary of the state of Pennsylvania, which, like its prototype in Philadelphia, is arranged on the solitary system, and has the character of being well conducted. Poor specimen had we of the morals of the West, in the uncounted falsehoods of the managers of different steam-boats which were waiting for passengers on the Ohio ; and it was at last, in despite of our better judgment, that we were carried on board the S which was positively to start for the south that very evening. The promise for the evening soon merged into one for midnight ; the machinery was out of order ; we could not start till it was mended. In fact, we did not begin our voyage until a late hour the next morning, after undergoing the mortification of seeing our happier fellow-travellers glide away in a far better vessel, long before we moved.

We had not a single hour to spare, and might be excused for a little impatience. Our day's voyage down the Ohio was however sin gularly interesting. The hills on each side of the river might often be said to rise into mountains, and were covered with forest from top to bottom ; and the winding river, interspersed with richly wooded islands, assumed, during a course of several miles, the appearance of a lake — one scene of this description following another in rapid succession as we moved along. It was then evening, and the mellowed brightness of the sky was in character decidedly Italian. To me it was a new world indeed, and, as I walked the deck, excited a variety of thoughts and medita- TO OHIO. tions. The name of this river is Indian — a word of a pleasant sound, and indicating the true character of the lovely stream — it means Beautiful.

Our vessel, like many others of the kind on these western waters, was no ark of safety ; frequent little accidents impeded our progress, one after another, until about ten o'clock at night, when it was quite dark, an important part of the machinery suddenly gave way, and, in spite of our anxious desires to " go a-head," we came to a dead stop. We were then about five miles from Wheeling in Virginia, the place of our destination for the night. The captain, half penitent for having so grossly deceived us, made the best amends he could, by offering us his little row boat. In this we sped our way, not without some peril, down those vast dark waters, and found our selves safely lodged in a very comfortless hotel, just before midnight. I am, &c. &c. C

Letter III

Earlham, 1st month, 25th, 1841. My dear Friend, The town of Wheeling, although infected, like the rest of Virginia, with the curse of slavery, derives considerable commercial prosperity from its situation on the bank of the Ohio. We left the place early on the morning after our arrival, and having crossed the ferry into the state of Ohio, pursued our journey in a light springy coachee or wagon, through wild and beautiful forest scenery, and by roads dangerously precipitous and full of holes. I remember being very troublesome to my companions, from my perpetual inquiries respecting the various kinds of forest trees, which were new to me, and which attracted my attention as we passed along. It may not be unsuitable to take the present opportunity of mentioning some of these ornaments of American scenery.

The oaks of America are generally distinguished from those of England, by the larger size, deep indentation, and bright polish of the leaf; but in consequence of the near neighbourhood of other trees, they are seldom seen to spread like the pride of our parks ; they often rise, however, to what we should call an extraordinary height. I am told that there are no less than thirty OHIO species of oak belonging to the forest of America ; the principal of them are the white, black, red, and yellow, named, I believe, from the distinctive appear ances of their bark. The red oak is the most like ours. The chesnut, somewhat similar to the Spanish species, abounds in many parts, and produces in abun dance a small sweet nut. Equally common is the hickory — a beautiful tree resembling the English walnut — the nut very hard, with a palatable kernel.

The black walnut which produces a nut of a larger and coarser kind, is much valued for articles of furniture; it spreads handsomely, the leaf somewhat resembling that of the ash. The buttonwood, a species of syca more or plane, is found chiefly on the banks of the streams ; it grows to a prodigious size, and is highly picturesque. But the chief glory of the woods of Ohio, as of those of many other districts, is the rock or sugar maple, often a very lofty tree, brightly green in the spring and summer, and in the fall of the year still more brightly scarlet. As we pursue the thread of our story, we may probably be reminded of many other species — enough of trees for the present. The country through which we were passing was what the Americans call a rolling one ; being com posed of a succession of hills and dales.

When we had travelled about fifteen miles, just after winding our way out of a wooded valley, and scaling a well cultivated hill, we found ourselves in the midst of an agreeable group of houses and farms, with a large barn-like meeting-house, well-built, and commanding a most agreeable prospect. The village was Mount Pleasant, and the meeting-house the accustomed place C of rendezvous for the yearly meeting of Friends in Ohio. Vehicles of various shapes and sizes, were standing about the building — the horses being hitched, or fastened to branches of trees. It was the meeting of ministers and elders, which precedes that of the general body. In consequence of the difficulties of our journey, we were a full hour beyond the right time, and a well-known Friend was engaged in fervent vocal prayer at the moment when we entered.