My first is a measure much used in the East,
Or a close-covered vehicle drawn by one beast;
My second is a prefix—a small preposition—
Two thirds of a tavern—a paid politician;
My whole, though part of a vessel, has stood
Alone on the prairie, or ’neath the great wood,
And often is found, poor, wretched, and mean,
The city’s proud palaces squatting between.