The city of Augusta is very regularly built. The main street is about one hundred feet wide, it contains many brick houses, and good-looking stores. None of the streets are paved, but all have brick foot-paths. A wooden bridge, three hundred and fifty yards long, and thirty feet wide, crosses from the neighbourhood of the city, to the left bank of Savannah river, the city lies on the right bank. Along the bank is erected a quay in the manner of a terrace, which is one of the most suitable that I have seen; for it is accommodated to the swell of the river, which often rises above twenty feet. It has three terraces. The lower one has a margin of beams, mostly of cypress timber, at which, in the present uncommon low stage of the water, the vessels are loaded. From the second terrace, (which as well as the upper one, has a brick facing,) are wooden landings reaching to the edge of the under terrace, by which, at higher stages, the vessels may land there. The upper terrace is paved with large stones, which are quarried above the city. The quay, as well as the landings, belong to the State Bank of Georgia: the landings produce fifteen per cent. annually.
Augusta is the depôt for the cotton, which is conveyed from the upper part of Georgia by land carriage, and here shipped either to Savannah or Charleston. We noticed a couple of vessels of a peculiar structure, employed in this trade. They are flat underneath, and look like large ferry-boats. Each vessel can carry a load of three hundred tons. The bales of cotton, each of which weighs about three hundred pounds, were piled upon one another to the height of eleven feet. Steam-boats are provided to tow these vessels up and down the stream, but on account of the present low state of the water, they cannot come up to Augusta. I was assured that year by year between fifteen and twenty thousand bales of cotton were sent down the river. The state of South Carolina, to which the left bank of the river belongs, was formerly compelled to make Augusta its depôt. To prevent this, Mr. Schulz, a man of enterprise, originally from Holstein, has founded a new town, called Hamburg, upon the left bank of the river, close by the bridge, supported, as is said, by the legislature of South Carolina with an advance of fifty thousand dollars. This town was commenced in the year 1821, and numbers about four hundred inhabitants, who are collectively maintained by the forwarding business. It consists of one single row of wooden houses, streaked with white, which appear very well upon the dark back ground, formed by the high forest close behind the houses. Nearly every house contains a store, a single one, which comprised two stores, was rented for one thousand dollars. Several new houses were building, and population and comfort appear fast increasing. The row of houses which form the town, runs parallel with the river, and is removed back from it about one hundred and fifty paces. Upon this space stands a large warehouse, and a little wooden hut, looking quite snug, upon the whole, with the superscription “Bank.” A Hamburg bank in such a booth, was so tempting an object for me, that I could not refrain from gratifying my curiosity. I went in, and made acquaintance with Mr. Schulz, who was there. He appears to me to be a very public-spirited man, having been one of the most prominent undertakers of the landings and quay of Augusta. It is said, however, that he only accomplishes good objects for other people, and realizes nothing for himself. He has already several times possessed a respectable fortune, which he has always sunk again by too daring speculations. This Hamburg bank, moreover, has suspended its payments, and will not resume business till the first of next month. On this account, it was not possible for me to obtain its notes, which, for the curiosity of the thing, I would gladly have taken back with me to Germany.
On the 23d December we left Augusta, about four o’clock, by moonlight, and the weather pretty cold, in the miserable mail stage, which we had engaged for ourselves. It went for Milledgeville, eighty-six miles distant from Augusta. The road was one of the most tedious that I had hitherto met with in the United States; hilly, nothing but sand, at times solitary pieces of rock, and eternal pine woods with very little foliage; none of the evergreen trees and the southern plants seen elsewhere, which, new as they were to my eye, had so pleasantly broke the monotony of the tiresome forests through which I had travelled from the beginning of December; even the houses were clap-board cabins. Every thing contributed to give me an unfavourable impression. The inhabitants of Georgia are regarded in the United States under the character of great barbarians, and this reputation appears really not unjustly conferred. We see unpleasant countenances even in Italy: but here all the faces are haggard, and bear the stamp of the sickly climate.
To the cold weather which we had for several days, warm temperature succeeded to-day. We were considerably annoyed by dust. Besides several solitary houses and plantations, we encountered two little hamlets here, called towns, Warrenton and Powelton, this last lies upon Great Ogechee river, over which passes a wooden bridge. We stopped at Warrenton. The court of justice is in the only brick house of the place: close by it stands the prison, or county gaol, a building composed of strong planks and beams nailed together. Between Warrenton and Powelton, we had a drunken Irishman for our driver, who placed us more than once in great danger. This race of beings, who have spread themselves like a pestilence over the United States, are here also, and despised even by the Georgians. We travelled again all night; it was, however, not so cold as the nights previous. Towards midnight, we reached a trifling place called Sparta. We were obliged to stop here some time, as the stage and horses were to be changed. We seated ourselves at the fire-place in the tavern. All of a sudden there stood betwixt us, like an evil genius, a stout fellow, with an abominable visage, who appeared to be intoxicated, and crowded himself in behind Mr. Bowdoin. I addressed this gentleman to be on guard for his pockets. The ruffian made a movement, and a dirk fell from his sleeve, which he clutched up, and made off. They told me that he was an Irishman, who, abandoned to liquor, as most of his countrymen were, had no means of subsistence, and often slunk about at night to sleep in houses that happened to be open. Most probably he had intended to steal. We then obtained another driver, whom, from his half drunkenness and imprecations, I judged to be a son of Hibernia, and was not deceived.
On the 24th December, we left this unlucky Sparta at one o’clock in the morning. The driver wished very much to put a passenger in the stage with us, which we prevented. Vexed by this, he drove us so tediously, that we spent full eight hours going twenty-two miles to Milledgeville, and did not therefore reach there until nine in the morning. Immediately after leaving Norfolk, and travelling in the woods where there was little accommodation for travellers, we had every night seen bivouacs of wagoners or emigrants, moving to the western states—the backwoods. The horses of such a caravan are tied to the side of the wagon, and stand feeding at their trough; near the wagon is a large fire lighted up, of fallen or cut timber. At this fire the people sleep in good weather, in bad, they lay themselves in or under the wagon. After leaving Augusta we encountered several of these bivouacs, which consist partly of numerous families with harnessed wagons. They intended to go to Alabama, the district of country lately sold by the United States, and there to set themselves down and fall to hewing and building. I saw three families sitting on a long fallen tree, to which they had set fire in three places. These groups placed themselves in a very picturesque manner; but their way of acting is very dangerous. The night before we saw the woods on fire in three different directions, and the fire was without doubt occasioned by such emigrants as these. The lofty pine trees look very handsome while burning, when they are insulated, but the owner of the forest has all the trouble attending it to himself.
The country which we passed through towards morning was hilly, the bottom constantly sandy, towards the last, mixed with clay and rock. The trees were nothing but long-leafed pines. Close by Milledgeville, we crossed the Oconee river on a bridge that had been finished but a few days, and which rested on wooden piles. Until now the river was passed by a ferry-boat. Both shores are very high and steep, so that going in and coming out were attended with great difficulty.
Milledgeville lies upon elevated ground, the town is very regularly built, its broad streets are right-angled, they are, however, unpaved. It numbers about three thousand inhabitants of both complexions. It was established about twenty years ago, and increased very rapidly from its commencement, as it is the capital of the state of Georgia, and the seat of the legislature. Its increase is now calculated to be checked, since the story goes that the seat of government will be changed to the newly-founded town of Macon, or when the state has conquered congress in the cause yet depending before that body, and part of the Creek Indians territory is obtained, then it will be placed at Athens, where the university of the state is situated. We took up our residence at La Fayette Hall, a large tavern.
Soon after our arrival, I took a walk through the town. It contains mostly wooden houses, but they were good and even elegantly built, good stores, also a bookseller’s shop, and several printing presses. There are published here four gazettes, which a little while since were exceedingly active on the sides of the two parties who oppose each other in the state. One party is that of Governor Troup, who, from his discussions with the United States concerning the Creek territory, and on account of his warmth in his official correspondence, has become noted; the other is the party of the former governor, General Clark, who is, in all appearance, a very mild man, and very much respected by sensible and well-disposed persons. At the last election of the governor, it was believed and hoped that General Clark would be chosen. He had the majority of the legislature in his favour, yet, as the governor in this state is chosen for two years by the people, and every man that pays half a dollar tax has a vote, it so happened that Governor Troup succeeded, by his popularity, in bearing off the palm.
I examined the state-house, which is a simple, but well-finished brick building of two stories. In the ground floor are the offices, in the upper story two halls, one is for the senate, the other for the representatives. In each there is a seat, with a canopy, for the speaker. The senators have each a desk before them, in the hall of the representatives one desk serves two persons. All places are numbered, to prevent awkward encounters. In each hall there is a gallery for the public. The state-house is placed alone on a little eminence. In its neighbourhood stands the state arsenal. Another house belonging to the state, is appointed for the residence of the governor. Mr. Troup, notwithstanding, does not inhabit it; he has no family establishment, and has domesticated himself in a plain boarding-house. We intended to pay him our respects, he could not, however, receive us, as he lay dangerously ill of a pleurisy. Through two friends, Colonel Hamilton and Mr. Ringold, he tendered us his apologies, and these gentlemen, in his name, proffered us their services.
We were then carried to the state prison, a large brick edifice, under the superintendence of Mr. Williams, and contained seventy-six prisoners. All these were white persons, for the black were punished by the whip, and not with imprisonment. No idleness was suffered among the prisoners. If one understood no mechanical trade, he was obliged to learn one. I found most of them employed in wagon and saddle-making; others laboured in a smithy; others as shoemakers or tailors. The greatest quiet and silence prevailed among the prisoners. Their dress is blue, with broad white stripes upon all the seams. The interior of the lodging-house did not please me as much as the workshops. Cleanliness, so indispensable to such an establishment, was wanting here; it was neither swept nor scrubbed, and in the cells of the prisoners, in which four or five slept upon the floor, the woollen coverlets and pillows lay confusedly together. There were also cells for solitary confinement, this was, however, used only as a means of house discipline. The eating room was equally disagreeable to me. A piece of cooked meat was laid on the table for each prisoner, without knives, forks, or plates. Bread did not appear to be furnished every day; at least the day we were there, none was to be seen. The prison is surrounded by a high wall, at each of its four corners stands a sentry-box for the watch, which they ascend from without, and from which the whole yard can be overlooked. This establishment is so well conducted, that it occasions no expense to the state, on the contrary, it produces a profit. Upon the principal building stands a turret, which commands an extensive view over the town and circumjacent country. The district around appears uneven and covered with wood, the monotony of the view is relieved by nothing. The woods begin at the edge of the town.