After two hours of delightful excursion, we left Goat Island, and cast a farewell look on it from the bridge which unites it to the main land. From this it appeared to us like a garden in the air, supported by the clouds, and surrounded by thunder. The general could not tear himself from this imposing scene, and I believe that when he learnt that Goat Island and its charming dependencies were for sale for 1000 dollars, he strongly regretted that the distance from France would not permit him to purchase it. It would be, in fact, a delicious habitation; the surface of the soil, of about seventy-five acres, is covered with a vigorous vegetation, whose verdure constantly kept up by the freshness of the pure and light vapour that arises from the cataract, presents an agreeable shelter from the heat of summer. The current of water which surrounds it offers an incalculable power which may be applied to mills of all kinds. I do not think that Mr. Porter will wait long before he disposes of a property which offers so many advantages.
On leaving Manchester and the Falls of Niagara, we went to Lewistown to sleep: this is a pretty village situated a few miles below the falls; and the next day, at five o’clock in the morning, we rode to Fort Niagara, where General Lafayette had been invited to breakfast by Major Thomson, the commandant of the garrison. We found the major at the head of his officers, a short distance in advance of the fort, waiting to receive the general, who was saluted by twenty-four guns as soon as he entered the works. Some ladies, wives of the officers of the garrison, assisted their husbands in doing the honours of the entertainment, and contributed not a little by their politeness, in making the time we passed at Niagara appear very short.
This fort is built precisely at the point where the river enters into Lake Ontario, on which Commodore Chauncey reaped laurels, like those gathered by Perry on Lake Erie. Almost opposite, on the other bank, is fort George, occupied by the English. Hostilities were frequent between these two posts in the campaigns of 1813 and 1814, but the fortifications of both have since been repaired, and it would now be difficult to trace the ravages of war.
The general shortened his visit to Fort Niagara, in order to arrive early at Lockport, where we were to embark on the grand canal, to descend to Albany. On a height near Lockport we met a troop of from seventy to eighty citizens on horseback, and under this escort entered the village, where the general was saluted by an extraordinary kind of artillery. Hundreds of small blasts, charged with powder by the workmen engaged in quarrying the bed of the rock to form the canal, exploded almost at the same moment, and hurled fragments of rock into the air, which fell amidst the acclamations of the crowd. The appearance of Lockport filled us with astonishment and admiration. No where have I ever seen the activity and industry of man conquering nature so completely as in this growing village. In every part may be heard the sound of the hatchet and hammer. Here, trees are felled, fashioned under the hands of the carpenter, and raised on the same spot in the form of a house; there, on a large public square, which exists as yet only in project, an immense hotel already opens its doors to new settlers, who have not any other habitation. Scarcely is there to be found in the whole town a sufficiency of the necessaries of life, and yet, by the side of a school, in which the children are instructed whilst their fathers are building the houses that are to shelter them, is to be seen a printing press, which every morning issues a journal, teaching the labourers, in their hours of repose, how the magistrates of the people fulfil the confidence reposed in them. In streets traced through the forest, and yet encumbered with trunks of trees and scattered branches, luxury already appears in the light wagons drawn by splendid horses; finally, in the midst of these encroachments of civilization on savage nature, there is going on, with a rapidity that appears miraculous, that gigantic work, that grand canal, which, in tightening the bonds of the American Union, spreads comfort and abundance in the wilds through which it passes.
Our carriages stopped opposite to an arch of green branches, and General Lafayette was conducted to a platform, where he had the satisfaction of being welcomed by one of his old fellow soldiers, the venerable Stephen Van Rensellaer, now president of the board of canal commissioners. After having been officially presented to the deputation from Monroe county, as well as to a great number of citizens, we sat down to a public dinner, presided over by Colonel Asher Saxton, at the end of which the general, induced by the feelings awakened in him by the sight of so many wonders, gave the following toast: “To Lockport and the county of Niagara—they contain the greatest wonders of art and nature, prodigies only to be surpassed by those of liberty and equal rights.”
The free masons of Lockport, not wishing to permit the general to depart without rendering him the honours due to his high masonic rank, begged him to keep in remembrance of their lodge, the rich ornaments with which he had been adorned when he entered the temple. They afterwards accompanied us to the basin, where the boat was waiting to convey us to Rochester. Before we embarked, we had great pleasure in viewing the handsome locks, cut out of the solid rock, to the depth of twenty-five feet. The moment the general stepped on board the barge, a multitude of small blasts, dug in the rock, exploded above our heads, and their deafening detonations added to the solemnity of the farewells of the citizens of Lockport. Before leaving the basin, we received from Dr. —— a box containing specimens of the different species of rocks through which the canal passed; we accepted this interesting collection with gratitude. Although navigation by steam is not applicable to a canal, whose banks are not of stone, yet, as the horses and the tow-path were, excellent, we travelled rapidly and comfortably; for the boat (the Rochester) that carried us, was much more convenient and better provided with the comforts of life than could have been supposed.
We left Lockport at 7 o’clock in the evening, and traversed during the night the sixty-five miles that separate that village from Rochester, where we arrived at an early hour in the morning. We had not yet quitted our cabin, when suddenly the name of Lafayette, pronounced amidst violent acclamations, induced the general to ascend on deck; we followed him, and what was our astonishment and admiration at the scene that presented itself! We were apparently suspended in the air, in the centre of an immense crowd which lined both sides of the canal; several cataracts fell rumbling around us, the river Genessee rolled below our feet at a distance of fifty feet; we were some moments without comprehending our situation, which appeared the effect of magic: at last we found, that the part of the canal on which we were, was carried with an inconceivable boldness across the Genessee river, by means of an aqueduct of upwards of four hundred yards in length, supported by arches of hewn stone. Our fellow passengers, witnesses of our astonishment, informed us that, in its long course, the canal passed several times, in a similar manner, over wide and deep rivers; that above Irondiguot, for example, it pursued an aerial route for more than a quarter of a mile, at an elevation of 70 feet. This kind of construction appears familiar to the Americans. The bridges are usually of an elegance and boldness of execution that is inconceivable. Not far from Rochester may be seen the ruins of a bridge that had been thrown over the river Genessee in a single arch of 320 feet span, and 180 feet elevation above the water; it gave way a few years since whilst two children were crossing it. It was said to have been a masterpiece of art, but the want of size and strength in the timbers prevented its lasting long.
The general left the canal at Rochester, passed a few hours with the inhabitants of that town, who gave him a reception, which, in affection and elegance, fully equalled any that I have hitherto witnessed, and continued his journey by land, passing through the villages of Canandaigua, Geneva, Auburn, Skeneateles, Marcellus, &c. and re-joined the canal at Syracuse. This journey confirmed us in the opinion, that no part of America, or, perhaps, of the whole world, contains so many wonders of nature as the state of New York. The lakes of Canandaigua, Seneca and Cayuga, appeared delightful to us from the purity of their waters, the form of their basins, and the richness of their banks. The sight of all these beauties, and still more the kindness and urbanity of the population through which we travelled, often made General Lafayette regret the rapidity with which he travelled. During this journey of upwards of one hundred and thirty miles by land, we travelled night and day, only stopping for a few moments at each village, to enjoy the entertainments, prepared by the inhabitants in honour of their beloved guest, who, said they, by the simplicity, the amenity and uniformity of his manners, towards all classes of citizens, completed the conquest of all hearts, already devoted to him from his adherence to the cause of America in particular, and that of liberty in general.
From Rochester to Syracuse, we were constantly struck with the marked beauty of the horses that formed our relays; and learned that they had been gratuitously furnished by individuals, whose patriotic disinterestedness was fully appreciated by the different committees charged with the care of the general’s journey, and who returned them public thanks. Among these generous citizens, I heard particularly cited, Mr. de Zeng, of Geneva, and Mr. Sherwood, proprietor of the stage-coaches at Auburn.
On arriving at Syracuse at six o’clock in the morning, by the fading light of the illuminations, and the crowd that filled the streets, we learned that the people of the village had expected the national guest all night. The splendid supper that had been prepared for the evening before, made us an excellent breakfast, and the general passed three hours amidst the kind congratulations of the citizens, who eagerly pressed around him. At nine o’clock he took leave of his friends at Syracuse, and embarked on board the canal-boat, amid the thunder of artillery, and loud wishes for the happy termination of his voyage.