A Ramble of Six Thousand Miles through the United States of America

or New Orleans. The larger class of steam-boats lay then at Shippingsport, immediately below th

low the Falls, they are constantly employed in transporting produce, intended for the markets on the Mississippi, to Louisville, from whence it is drayed round to

more wealthy than those of Cincinnati, and their manners less disagreeable. The inhabitants of the latter town being mostly from the New England states, have in their dealings and manners that dry shr

tationed near the steam-boat landing. A canal round the Falls, from Beargrass-creek to Shippingsport, is being constructed, which will enable steam-boats of the largest tonnage to pass through; and thus it will open an uni

. Here you may see tradesmen, "nigger traders," farmers, "congress men," captains, generals, and judges, all seated at the same table, in true republican simplicity. There is no appearance of awkwardness in the behaviour of the humblest person you see seated at those tables; and indeed their general good conduct is remarkable-I mean when contrasted with that of the same class in England. The truth is, the tradesman her

steam-boats cannot ply to Pittsburg. The character of this river is somewhat peculiar. But for the improvements on the banks, when you have seen six or eight miles of this stream, you are acquainted with the remainder as far as the Falls-that is to say, any variety that may be in the scenery will occur in any given six miles from Pittsburg to that point. Below Louisville there are one or two rocky bluffs, and the face of the country is somewhat different. The channel of the Upper Ohio lies between hills, which frequently approach the mamélle form, and are covered with a heavy growth of timber. Where the hi

nts the appearance of a rapid. Below this the country is of various aspects-hills, bottom-land, and high rocky bluffs; and towards the mouth, cotton-wood trees, (populus angulata), and cane brakes, are inte

diversified with woodlands, prairies, and rich bottoms, and the banks are lined with a luxuriant growth of plants and flowers. Before reaching the Missouri, the water of the Mississippi is perfectly limpid; but, from the mouth of that river it becomes turgid and muddy-flows through a flat

wood trees and cane-brakes grow in immense quantities along the banks; the latter, being evergreens, have a pleasing effect in the winter season. The windings of the Mississippi are, like those of the Ohio, constant, but not so serpentine, and some of them are of

s' houses are tastefully built, surrounded by gardens full of orange-trees, flowers, and evergreens, presenting the idea of perpetual spring, which here is indeed the case. The winters are seldom more severe than a mild spring in England. I first came in on this region at night, at the season of planting, when the cast or used canes are burned in heaps on each plantation. The dark turgid waters-the distant fires, surrounded by clouds of white smoke

many vast rivers which empty themselves into the Mississippi that you can form a correct idea of the immense volume of water that flows through this channel into the Gulf of Mexico. Many of its larger tributary s

fifty feet; and I have myself seen, near New Orleans, trees lying in the horizontal position six or seven feet below the surface. This valley has been frequently visited by earthquakes, which have sometimes changed part of the channel of the river, and at others formed lakes. Those which occu

ng the banks. At high water the river rises three feet above any part of the city; consequently, were it not for levées that have been constructed here, and also along the banks of the river for more than a hundred miles, at both sides, above and below, the whole country would be periodically inundate

ourge with which the place is annually afflicted. The mortality here last season (the autumn of 1829) has been variously stated in the public prints at from five to seven thousand, who died of the yellow fever in the space of about ten weeks. This statement, however, is erroneous; as, from information which I received f

nfusion of tongues. A particular part of the quay is appropriated to each description of craft, and a penalty is enforced for any deviation from port regulations. The upper part is occupied with flat-boats, arks, peeroges, rafts, keel-boats, canoes, and steam-boats; and below these are statione

de of the place d'armes,-these, with the American theatre, the théatre d'Orleans, or French opera house, the hospital, and three or four churches, are the only public buildings in the city. The houses are all flat-roofed, and those in the back streets and fauxbourgs are seldom more than one story high; the practice of building houses

French women. Every night during the winter season there is a bal paré et masqué, and occasionally "quadroon balls," which are attended by the young men of the city and their chéres amies quadroons, who are decidedly the finest women in

y to order him a lashing, for presuming to complain. Many melancholy instances occur here, which clearly illustrate the evils of slavery and its demoralizing influence on the human character. The arguments against slavery are deduced from self-evident propositions, and must carry conviction to every well organized mind; yet from their application being of too general a character, they seldom interest the feelings, and in the end leave less impression than the simple statement of a particular occurrence. During my stay, a Doctor -- came down the river with thirty slaves, among which were an old negro and negress, each between sixty and seventy years of age; this unfort

speculation, for if the offspring, a mulatto, be a handsome female, from 800 to 1000 dollars may be obtained for her in the Orleans market.[11] It is an occurrence of no uncommon nature to see the C

of runaway slaves. When such an unfortunate negro is retaken, a log is chained to one of his legs, and rou

endiary fires took place at Orleans, during the month I remained in that city, by which several thousand bales of cotton were consumed. The condition of the slaves on the sugar or rice plantations, is truly wretched. They are ill-fed, ill-clad, and worked in gangs under the superintend

. Georgia has enacted a law to the same effect, with the addition of making penal, the teaching of people of colour to read or write. The liberty of the press is by no means tolerated in the slave states, as both judges and juries will always decide according to the local laws, although totally at variance with the constitution. W.L. Garrison, of Baltimore, one of the editors of a publication

e cannot go to Africa; and although the British government are encouraging the settlement of negros in the Canadas, yet latterly, neither the Canadians nor the Americans like that project. The most probable final

tablish them at Hayti. These slaves had been purchased at reduced prices, from persons friendly to their emancipati

nquest and total subjugation of the people of that country by the ancestors of the nobility, the gallant Normans, the feudal system was introduced, and remained in full vigour for some centuries. But, as the country became more populous, and the attendance of the knights and barons in parliament became more frequent and necessary, we find villanage gradually fall into disrepute. The last laws regula

e as would be the cancelling of the public debt. Slave-holders are only share-holders; and philanthropists should never talk of liberating slaves, more tha

ming more intimate with the general character of the Africans, I like it better: I find they steal, cheat, and hate their masters; and if they were to do otherwise I should think them unworthy of liberty-they justly conside

nglish grammar; commences at nine A.M., and closes at one P.M. The evening session commences at three, and ends at five o'clock; and is devoted to penmanship, geography, and the French language. This is the arrangement of the English primary school, which is kept in the Old Poydras House, Poydras-street, in the upper part of the city; and is called the Upper Primary School, to distingu

generally crowded with strangers, who are most susceptible to the epidemic; and it is decidedly the interest of persons keeping hotels and boarding-houses that such guests should give up the ghost, for in that case their loose cash falls into the hands of the proprietor. I do not m

" The planters' and merchants' villas immediately in the vicinity are extremely tasteful, and are surrounded by large parterres filled with plantain, banana, palm, orange, and rose trees. On the whole

r a large grant from the Mexican government. Then "pioneers," under the denomination of "explorers," began gradually to take possession of the country, and carry on commercial negotiations without the assent of the government. This was followed by the public prints taking up the question, and setting forth the immense value of the country, and the consequent advantages that would arise to the United States from its acquisition. The settlers excited movements, and caused discontent and dissatisfaction among the legitimate owners; and at their instigation, insurrections of the Indians took place, which gre

er, and thereby a claim would be established on the country, which the United States would not readily relinquish. The policy of the British government suffering the Mexican republic to be bullied out of this province would be very questionable indeed, as the North Americans command at presen

roachments; which the Congress seems to have taken into serious consideration, as very important resolutions have been adopted. The Congress has decreed, that hereafter the Texas is to be governed as a colony; and, except by special commission of the Governor, the immigration of persons from the United States, is strictly forbidde

TNO

9

man, in the phraseolog

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ue, Meschacebe-"ol

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ian Islands, that he has known instances there of highly educated white wom

1

ered at Charleston, and several of the conspirators were executed. The whole black popula

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e Liberal" of 19

tion des

r. des Am

aire aucune loi pour abreger la libe

de L'Etat de

6, v

les procédures de la legislature ou aucune branche du gouverneme

legislature de l'E

crime y mentionés e

ment parmi la population de couleur libre, ou de l'insubordination parmi les esclaves de cet Etat, sera sur conviction du fait, pardevant toute

usage des signes ou fera des actions ayant une tendance à produire du mécontentement parmi la population de couleur libre ou à exciter a l'insubordination parmi les esclaves de cet Etat; quiconque donnera sciemment la main à apporter dans cet Etat aucun papier, brochure ou livre ayant

emples, les ecoles ou autres lieux pour y apprendre à lire ou à ecrire: et les personnes qui se réuniront ainsi; sur conviction du fait, pardevant toute

enseigner à lire ou à ecrire à un esclave quelconque, sera, sur conviction du fait, pardevant toute cour de jurid

d appear that the third and fourth sections of this most enligh

troduction des personnes de couleur libres dans cet Etat, et pour d'autres objets.' I

, qui sera rentreé dans cet état de

ne pourra à l'avenir s'introduire dans

repos public, ou censurant les actes de la legislature concernant les

esclaves est soumise à

t obligés de se faire enregistrer au bureau du maire, à Nelle. Orlea

u bill tendant à empêcher l'instruction