A few evenings after my arrival, the daughters of my host had a numerous party of young people of both sexes to spend the evening and practice vocal musick under the directions of a Mr. Tyler who had taught them. They displayed taste and harmony enough to do honour to their venerable teacher, and I was tempted to join the sounds of my flute to the sweet treble of some of the young ladies. This led to a degree of confidence to me from Mr. Tyler, who on retiring to bed in the same room, imparted to me his little history, which though not replete with incident, was singular and affecting, exhibiting generous benevolent simplicity, a victim to vice and ingratitude. He was an Englishman, and had been one of the choristers of a cathedral in England from whence he had emigrated to America, when a young man. He had exercised his talent in teaching sacred musick, in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, until he had acquired a sufficiency to purchase a farm in the neighbourhood of Carlisle, where he and his wife settled. They were childless—an infant foundling which they chanced to see, impressed them with the idea of supplying themselves with what nature had denied them. They took the boy home, adopted him as their son, and spared neither pains nor expence to give him the best education the country afforded. He grew up a most promising youth, and bid fair to reward them for their parental cares, by smoothing their decline of life, with a return of those attentions which they had lavished on him from his helpless childhood. The lad was a good accomptant, and was placed with a storekeeper in Carlisle, until he was supposed by his benefactors sufficiently versed in business, to manage for himself. Tyler then expended the savings of many years industry to furnish for him a respectable country store. The young {65} man commenced business with the fairest prospects, but he had unfortunately contracted habits of drinking and gambling. His business was neglected, one loss followed another, but he had the art of still imposing on the unsuspecting simplicity of his blindly partial and generous patron, until he prevailed on him to be his security for larger sums than his remaining stock of goods would pay. He then absconded, his creditors sued the old man, who to save himself from prison was obliged to dispose of his farm, and after paying the debts of the ungrateful prodigal, with the very small sum which remained to him, he and his wife last year at upwards of sixty years of age each, crossed the mountains, at an inclement season, and purchased a small tract of land about seven miles from Pittsburgh, on which he has since erected a cottage, and where he has cleared and cultivated a few acres, and to enable himself to make his payments, he has taught sacred vocal musick in this town and the surrounding country these two successive winters. His enthusiasm for vocal harmony, and his innocent unsuspecting simplicity, untainted during a long life, by worldly craft, and still believing the mass of mankind as honest and virtuous as himself, notwithstanding the trying proof he had experienced of its baseness, rendered him a singular and original character; I say original, for I much question, whether any person into whose hands these sheets may fall, can turn his eye inwardly, and exclaim with a conscience void of offence and selfishness, I too am a general philanthropist, like the good old English singing master.
Several musical amateurs are associated here under the title of the Apollonian Society. I visited it by invitation at the house of Mr. F. Amelung the acting President, and was most agreeably surprised to hear a concert of instrumental musick performed by about a dozen gentlemen of the town, with a degree {66} of taste and execution, which I could not have expected in so remote a place. I was particularly astonished at the performance on the violin of Mr. Gabler, a German, employed at Gen. O’Hara’s glass house, and who is one of the society. His natural talents for musick were so great, that he could not bear the trammels of a scientifick acquisition of it, and therefore never learned a note, yet he joins a correct extempore harmony, to the compositions of Hayden, Pleyel, Bach, Mozart and the other celebrated composers, particularly in their lively movements; he is not quite so happy in his accompaniments of Handel, or of grand or solemn musick generally. His execution of Waltz’s is in a sweet and tasty style, and he has composed by ear and committed to memory several pieces, which impress the hearer with regret, that they must die with their author. Indeed he now (when too late) regrets himself, that he had not in his youth, and when he had great opportunities, added science to natural taste.
The Apollonian society is principally indebted for its formation to the labours of Mr. S. H. Dearborn,[29] a New England man, who came here about a year ago, to exercise the profession of a portrait painter, and being a very versatile genius, and having some knowledge of, and taste for musick, he soon discovered all the respectable people who were harmoniously inclined, and succeeded in associating them into a regular society, which meets one evening every week, and consists not only of those who can take parts, but also of many of the most respectable inhabitants of the town, who do not play, but who become members, for the sake of admission for themselves and families to the periodical concerts.
There are also two dramatick societies in Pittsburgh, {67} one composed of the students of law, and the other of respectable mechanicks. They occasionally unite with each other in order to cast the pieces to be performed with more effect. The theatre is in the great room of the upper story of the court-house, which from its size, and having several other contiguous apartments which serve for green room, dressing rooms, &c. is very well adapted to that purpose. It is neatly fitted up under the direction of Mr. Dearborn, whose mechanical genius has rendered him a useful associate of the disciples of Thespis; whether as machinist, dresser, scene painter and shifter or actor; particularly in the part of the garrulous Mrs. Bulgruddery in John Bull, which he performs with much respectability. Mr. W. Wilkins[30] excels in genteel comedy; Mr. Johnston does justice to the part of an Irishman; Mr. Haslet to that of a Yorkshire farmer or country squire; Mr. Linton in low comedy is the Edwin of Pittsburgh, and Mr. Van Baun would be an ornament to any established theatre, either in the sock or the buskin, he being equally excellent in Octavian as in Fribble. The female characters being sustained by young men, are deficient of that grace and modest vivacity, which are natural to the fair sex, and which their grosser lords and masters vainly attempt to copy. On the whole however, the dramatick societies, exhibit in a very respectable manner, a rational entertainment to the inhabitants of Pittsburgh about once monthly through the winter. They have hitherto confined themselves to the comick walk, but I have no doubt, that if they appear in the buskin, they will do equal credit to tragedy.
Some of the gentlemen of the bar resident here, are very respectable in the profession of the law. Mr. Ross, formerly a senator, and set up in unsuccessful opposition to Mr. M’Kean, for governor of the state, is an orator of the first abilities—his oratory {68} being clear, intelligible and impressive.[31] Mr. Mountain, to deep learning, adds careful investigation of the cause of his client, and is apt and happy in his quotations. Mr. W. Wilkins is by nature an orator. His person, action, and gesture are favourable to him—his words flow at will in a style of manly and bold oratory which commands attention.—He has no occasion to study his periods, they form themselves—he enters in earnest into the cause of his client, and rarely fails to give it its full weight—but perhaps he sometimes works himself up into too great warmth of language, which may be occasioned by the glowing impulse of youth operating on a fertile fancy—he apparently not exceeding twenty-five years of age. Mr. Addison,[32] Mr. Semple, Mr. Woods, Mr. Baldwin, and Mr. Collins[33] are spoken of as very able practitioners, but as I had not the pleasure of witnessing their exertions at the bar, I cannot take it upon me to describe their talents, even was I adequate to it.
There are five societies of Christians, which have each an established minister—Mr. Steele[34] the pastor of one of the Presbyterian societies, possesses all that liberality of sentiment and Christian charity inculcated by the divine founder of his religion, and dignifies the pulpit by his clear and pleasing exposition of the scriptures. Mr. Taylor the Episcopal minister, is an able mathematician, a liberal philosopher, and a man of unaffected simplicity of manners. His discourses from the pulpit are good moral lectures, well adapted to the understanding of his hearers. He is an assistant teacher in the academy. Of Mr. Boggs,[35] the minister of the other Presbyterian society, {69} or of Mr. Black, the minister of a large society of a sect of Presbyterians called covenanters, I am not adequate to speak, not having yet heard either officiate. Mr. Sheva,[36] pastor of a congregation of German Lutherans, is a man of liberal morality, and a lively social companion. There are here several Roman Catholicks,[37] Methodists,[38] and Anabaptists—who have as yet no established place of worship, but who occasionally meet to profit by the exhortations of some of their spiritual directors, who travel this way. On the whole, the religious sects appear to be more free here than in most places I have visited, from those illiberal and anti-christian prejudices, which render Christianity the scoff of even the ignorant Indians, whom we term savages.
But though difference of religious opinions does not cause any animosity here, politicks have reduced society to a most deplorable state. There are two parties, which style themselves Federal republicans, and Democratick republicans, but who speaking of each other, leave out the word republican, and call each other Federalists and Democrats. I have already described their opinions, which are argued with more warmth, and are productive of more rancour and violence in Pittsburgh than perhaps in any other part of America.[39] There are very few neutrals, {70} as it requires a bold independence of sentiment, to prevent a person from attaching himself to one or other party, and besides, to a man who has not resources for the employment of time within himself, the alternative of not being of one or other party is insupportable, as he is shunned equally by both, and in this populous town lives with respect to society, as though he were in a desert. This may be one cause that Pittsburgh is not celebrated for its hospitality, another, (which is equally applicable to most new settled towns,) is that it is inhabited by people who have fixed here for the express purpose of making money. This employs the whole of their time and attention, when they are not occupied by politicks, and leaves them no leisure to devote to the duties of hospitality. Another cause, which one would scarcely suspect, is pride. Those who from the adventitious circumstance of having settled here at an early period, and purchased, or became possessed of landed property, when from its very low value, it was obtained in the most easy manner, for a mere trifle, now find themselves rich suddenly, from its rapid increase in value. Those who came after them, had not the same opportunities, and of course were not so fortunate. Wealth acquired suddenly, generally operates on the ignorant, to make them wish to seem as if they had always been in the same situation; and in affecting the manners and appearance of the great, they always overact their part, and assume airs of superiority {71} even over the really well born and well bred part of the community, who have been reduced from a more affluent situation, by misfortune, or who have not been so fortunate as themselves in acquiring what stands the possessor in lieu of descent, and all the virtues and accomplishments. This accounts for the pride which generally pervades the fortunate first settlers, but it is carried to such extravagant excess, that I have been credibly informed that some of the females of this class have styled themselves and their families the Well born, to distinguish them from those not quite so wealthy, forgetting that some among them could not tell who had been their ancestors in the second generation. This is all matter of ridicule and amusement to a person possessed of the least philosophy. There is also a very numerous class, which assumes a certain air of superiority throughout this whole country—I mean the lawyers. They (even their students and pupils) arrogate to themselves the title or epithet of esquire, which the uninformed mass of the people allow them; and as, by intrigue, they generally fill all the respectable offices in the government as well as the legislature, they assume to themselves a consequence to which they are in no other way entitled.
The profession of physick is also on a very respectable footing in this town. There being four established physicians.—Doctors Bedford, Richardson,[40] Stevenson, and Mowry,[41] all of considerable practice, experience, and reputation.[42]
I shall defer an account of the situation, history and present state of Pittsburgh, until I have finished {72} my tour to the westward, when I shall have obtained more information on so important a subject.