I was displeased with Philadelphia, I was pleased that I had seen it, I was pleased with it for its own sake, and above all I was pleased with an evidence of what human nature is capable, and the effects of that capacity verified to a degree which ranks Philadelphia amongst the first cities of the world, either ancient or modern, in acts of beneficence towards the human race; but in it I found but few of those courtesies which fasten upon the heartof the stranger.

The sky was overcast with clouds, which, added to the gloom of the season, was ill calculated to restore my flagging spirits, exhausted from incessant toil in traversing the streets and public places of Philadelphia, which kept me on my feet from morning till night each day. Here again we have New-Jersey on our right, and Pennsylvania on the left; the land on both sides appears poor, though fine buildings, good orchards and meadows, diversify the borders of the river, the land being flat as far as the eye can see. A short time brought us to Burlington, already mentioned; it is a poor village, on the Jersey shore, shows age and decay: it has two small wharfs, and a few small vessels anchored near them. This town is older than Philadelphia. Whilst I was absorbed in thought, upon the political changes which had taken place in the country before me, since its first settlement, and the never to be forgotten sons of New-Jersey, who clung to our Washington when almost forsaken by every one else, I was interrupted by the captain of the boat, who walked up to me and asked for my fare thunderstruck at his request, it was some time before I could answer that I paid it in Philadelphia; "Where is

;

"New-Jersey signalized herself during the revolution—as a state, she suffered more from the ravages of war, than any state in the union. It was the seat of war for several years, during our contest with Great Britain, and her losses both of men and property, in proportion to her population, was greater, infinitely greater than any of the thirteen states. Her militia, always obedient, for a long time composed the strength of the army. Nearly every town in the state has been rendered famous for some signal exploit. Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth will forever be held in veneration by all the friends of liberty. The success of her arms, and the various achievments of her soldiers, gives New-Jersey a title to the first rank amongst her sister states." I have often marked her sons in the western country, for their bold and independent spirit.

your receipt?" "I am not in the habit of taking receipts." He coolly replied, "you must go ashore at Bristol, (a village in sight,) you have taken the wrong boat.""It is the wrong boat which has taken me," replied; you, or some of your men told me this was the boat at this instant one of the passengers pointed to the steam-boat which I ought to have taken; it was but a few rods behind, and I gladly exchanged. I had taken the opposition, it appeared; the fare which used to be six, is now only two dollars in each! nearly 100 miles. Had my boat been ahead, the consequence might have been serious. To guard against similar mistakes, I advise all those who may come after, by water or by land, either not to pay in advance, or take a receipt with the name of the line, boat, &c. Mutual congratulations were interchanged between myself and the captain, who testified much pleasure that it turned out no worse; after which I went down to enjoy the comforts of the stoveroom for the first time that day, although it was freezing! I found about fifty strange faces below, independent of those on deck-ladies and gentlemen all in one large room. I took a seat in silence amongst them, admiring the republican simplicity of their manners. The ladies, unembarrassed, modest, and discreet, conversing familiarly with the gentlemen, all mingled together, leaving it difficult to tell who were, or who were not their husbands. In this respect they differ greatly from their more southern neighbours, who would have taken it as an insult, were they reduced to sit in the same room with gentlemen, particularly where men of all classes are passengers. Here was no silly affectation amongst the females, no impertinent frowardness amongst the men; they cracked their nuts and eat their apples very much at their ease; these I thought must be New-Yorkers, which proved to be the case. Here, society appeared in a new light, presenting a medium between those extremes under which I had been accustomed to view it, equally removed from impudent rusticity on the one hand, and repelling hauteur on the other. None seemed greater than his fellow, presenting one of the most pleasing proofs of our salutary government I had hither

to seen: amonst the pleasures (and the pains too) which a stranger enjoys, it is not the least that he is one. To sit amidst such vast crowds wholly unnoticed and unknown, left at perfect liberty to observe their manners, conversation, and physiognomies, is truly a mental luxury. I have often wondered at the desire which many people betray, to become acquainted with strangers, whilst all my pleasure arises rrom being unknown. My meditations, however, were soon interrupted by a call upon the passengers to come and receive their tickets, as it appeared we had to leave the Delaware, take stages and proceed by land across the country, to the Raritan river, (New-Jersey,) where we take the steam-boat again. But here the porters understand their business much better than those of the Baltimore and Philadelphia line.

So soon as the tickets are distributed, the porters ask you for the number of your stage, and to show them your baggage; they then proceed to label your baggage with the number to which it belongs, setting the baggage of each stage by itself: every stage has its porter, and the moment the boat lands, every one to his business. I was astonished at the dispatch used in transferring the contents of the boat within the stages. Every one, even the passengers seemed to testify the most eager desire to beat the other line, whose passengers had just left the shore in their stages as we arrived. They kept a small distance ahead of us in the Delaware, but our hope of success was founded upon the mettle of our horses, and the advantage of our second boat, which was the best sailer.

Being in favour with the captain, I got No. 1, the foremost stage, upon the fore seat of which is always seated one of the proprietors, for the purpose of regulating the speed of their horses, repairing accidents, &c. It was our good luck to have an Irish gentleman in our party, of great vivacity, who enlivened the conversation which took place in the stage, with effusions of wit and humor. We were nine in all, three ladies and six gentlemen. They dipped occasionally into polite literature, but the appearance of the country through which we were passing

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engaged too much of my attention to profit by the conversation, particularly a stately edifice to the left of us, not far from the road; upon inquiry I was told it was Joseph Bonaparte's dwelling, the first time I heard that he resided in the U. States! Upon the whole, I repented that I had not taken the other line, as it passed through Princeton, where I might have been gratified by at least an exterior view of Princeton College; but the lines taking separate roads upon leaving the Delaware, I missed that pleasure. New-Jersey is a broken, uneven country, and poor soil, at least that part of it through which we passed; the natural growth is white oak, hickory, chesnut, and pine; some meadows appear at intervals, and fine orchards of cherry, apple, and pear trees. But the diminutive stalks of maize in the adjoining fields, surprised me. It produces wheat, rye, barley, buckwheat, and flax, and has a number of iron manufactories from ore, within the state. It is likewise watered by a number of streams, which prove beneficial to the inhabitants, by enabling them to realize the advantage they possess over that of any other state in the union, both in the quantity and quality of its ore, which is said to be sufficient to supply the United States.

New-Jersey was settled by the Dutch, at Bergen, in 1618. It was granted to the Duke of York in 1664, by Charles II. and erected into a distinct government. There are no large towns in New-Jersey: it trades with New-York, which lies on the one side of it, and Philadelphia, which lies on the other. Trenton is the seat of government; it is seated on the Delaware, thirty miles above Philadelphia, and contained 4,000 inhabitants in The falls of Delaware lie near this town, above which it is unnavigable. This river divides New-Jersey from Pennsylvania on the west, and Hudson river divides it from New-York on the east. It is the only state in the union where females are allowed to vote, though the men exercise the privilege.

1820.

When we began to draw near the Raritan, we had a view of the other line, and it is probable they had a view of us, from the rate they were driving. Each line was running on elevated ground, in view of each other, dư

ring some miles; but all in vain, we got to the river first, and I was almost carried to the boat by the porters, in their eagerness to conquer the other line. The foremost stage of the opposition made two desperate attempts to pass us within a few yards of the Raritan ; they came so near effecting their purpose that the forewheel struck the hind wheel of ours, the one I was in, and nothing but the narrowness of the pass prevented their success. These opposition lines are certainly an advantage to travellers, and a great one too, but it is one of great hazard. We take water at New-Brunswick. New-Brunswick has a college, and contains 6,764 inhabitants.

No sooner were we in the boats, (which was almost at the same instant,) than the steam was liberally plied to the wheels, and a race between the "Legislator" and the "Olive Branch," commenced for New-York. The former was our heroine, and a stately boat she was; but although she seized upon the middle of the channel, her rival drew up alongside somewhat boldly, and sometimes had the presumption to run ahead, which her ability to sail in shoal water enabled her to do; often, however, she lagged behind. It was quite an interesting sight to see such vast machines, in all their majesty, flying as it were, their decks covered with well-dressed people, face, to face, so near to each other as to be able to converse. It is well calculated to amuse the traveller, were it not for a lurking fear that we might burst the boilers. I confess I would rather lose the race than win it, (which we did,) under such circumstances.*

for one,

The Raritan is what I should call a common, though a handsome river; it is about the width of New river, or Big Sandy, in Virginia. With a smooth, gentle current, it flows through the Jersey state, and enters Arthur Kill Sound, one of the finest harbours in the world, which lies open to Sandy Hook. The land, as you sail down the river, is thin, as most of the lands in those states are. The farms are small, and so are the houses. Orchards

4

Shortly after this, the Legislator did burst her boiler, by which some lives were lost, and others were much injured. A boy saved himself by jumping into a chest.