William Howard Russell.
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
| CHAPTER I. | |
| VOYAGE TO NEW YORK. | |
| Mallow to Queenstown—The steam tender—The "Gallia"—Ourfellow-passengers—The first night at sea—Observations—Marineinquiries—A brilliant run—A little stranger—Approaches toNew York—Sandy Hook—Friends on Shore—New York interviewers—Firstimpressions | Page [1] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| NEW YORK. | |
| Friends on shore—The landing—First impressions—Brevoort House—Theinterviewers—Aspect of the streets—1861 and 1881—Cockadesand armorial bearings—The Union League Club—TheFire Brigade | [18] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| DEPARTURE FOR PHILADELPHIA. | |
| Our Special Train—On the Rail—Eye-sores—The Quaker City—ThePennsylvania Railroad—Reminiscences—Excursions—TheNew Public Buildings—Mr. Childs and "The Ledger"—Mr.Simon Cameron—Baltimore—Arrival at Washington | [51] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| WASHINGTON. | |
| Heroes New and Old—The Soldiers' Home—The White House—PresidentGarfield—His Visitors—The Capitol—Mount Vernon—Mr.Blaine—"On to Richmond!"—Fitzhugh Lee—TheCapitol, Return—The Corcoran Gallery—Sight-seeing | [70] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| HARRISBURG—NEW YORK—BOSTON—CANADA. | |
| Departure from Washington—Harper's Ferry—The State Capital—Ratson the Rampage—Pennsylvania Farming | [103] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| CANADA. | |
| Sight-seeing—The Traffic Strife—Quebec—The Ursulines—TheElectric Light—The La Chine Rapids—Sutherland Emigrants—Toronto—Niagara—TheClifton House—The Puff Demons—"ImperialCæsar Dead" | [132] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| TO THE WEST. | |
| Buffalo—Cleveland—Magnificent Muldoon—Euclid Avenue—Toledo—Detroit—Chicago—JeffersonDavis—A Terrible Moment—Pullman—Milwaukee | [159] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| MINNESOTA. | |
| The Mississippi—St. Paul—Minneapolis—Le Mars—Sioux City—Lifeon the Rail—Muddy Missouri—Kansas City—Old and NewFriends | [191] |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| KANSAS—COLORADO—NEW MEXICO. | |
| Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fé Railroad—Land Grants—FarmingStatistics—Immigration and Settling—Colorado—New Mexico—SantaFé—Colossal Hotels—Archbishop Lamy—The RioGrande | [211] |
HESPEROTHEN.
CHAPTER I.
VOYAGE TO NEW YORK.
Mallow to Queenstown—The steam tender—The "Gallia"—Our fellow-passengers—The first night at sea—Observations—Marine inquiries—A brilliant run—A little stranger—Approaches to New York—Sandy Hook—Friends on shore—New York interviewers—First impressions.
On Easter Day I was picked up by the mail—the very limited mail-train at Mallow. There were few passengers in it, some half-dozen Americans and English, all told, for the "Gallia." The Borough, lying snugly in the wooded valley of the Blackwater, of the "Rakes" (who seem to have sown their wild oats and cut them and their sticks long ago), did not contribute so much as one spectator to the little official group—stationmaster, police, and porters—on the platform; perhaps the population generally was engulfed in the churches and chapels of the district; and the half-hour or so which sufficed to reach "the beautiful city called Cork" was passed in observation of external objects—the trout-stream; the umbrageous glens; the fields indifferently cultivated in the rare cases where they are not devoted to pasturage; the ruined abbey; the ridiculous mock Round Tower; the Hydropathic Sanitarium; the "Groves of Blarney"—chiefly of that hazy sort, where familiar scenes are associated with the dim speculation, "Shall I ever see them again?" which occupies the place of thought in the mind of people on the eve of a long expedition of this kind. It is a languid interest. But nevertheless it has its uses, which is more than can be said of the delay on the Cork platform graciously accorded to passengers ere the train starts for Queenstown. Every door is fast shut, and indeed if the observance of the Sabbath were less strict, there would not be any advantage gained by the hungry traveller, for there is only a wilderness of small shops, all closed too, in the dreary street which leads from the station of the Great Midland to the city, and there is no refreshment-room at the Cork Terminus. The directors of this well-managed line seek to combine the inculcation of temperance and the development of habits of meditation over the flight of time with the exercise of self-denial and patience. They do not allow the sale of any sort of spirits, unless they be called "port," "sherry," or "cordial," and they have a little Maine Liquor Law of their own at the railway stations. But our meditations on the Cork platform on the vanity of human wishes were at last dispelled by the ringing of the bell of the train for Queenstown, and in the prescribed time we were duly delivered over there to the "carboys" and the general outlawry of the agents of commerce who await the arrival of passengers for the States—a swarm of ragged boys with newspapers devoted to politics racy of the soil; vendors of the most primitive bouquets of heather, hollyhocks, sweet-brier, and the like; merchants with ragged and rugged sticks offered as genuine shillelaghs; women with baskets of fruit of suspicious aspect—all urged on the notice of the public with great clamour of voice. It is a quaint trade; and wonderful was it to see the number of good Americans who invested in these memorials, relics of European travel, bearing them on board the steam tender with grave solicitude. The steam tender aforesaid was already duly crammed with mail bags, passengers, and a fair proportion of juvenile Americans revelling in the freedom and perfect self-control proper to the race, conspicuous among whom was a pretty little lady of some twelve or thirteen years of age, who had all the airs and graces of "une demoiselle de la vieille Cour." The "Gallia" had made a quick passage from Liverpool, and had been fuming about the moorings off Roche's Point since 5.30 A.M. Many of her passengers had landed and gone, some to church, others to chapel, or to the "grand cathedral," and some to stroll about the uninviting streets, and these were now waiting for us in the tender, but the majority of the voyagers were on board writing letters or abusing the post-office and the authorities generally which enforced such a waste of the time they found so heavy on their hands. I found two acquaintances—one indeed an old friend—among the passengers in the tender, and with them I divided the cares of looking after my two married daughters who came "to see me off," thereby obtaining an opportunity for a dash to "see after" my luggage, for I am too old a traveller to trust to the assurances of porters—"It's all right, your honour!" In twenty minutes more the tender, inspected by hundreds of eyes from over the bulwarks, was alongside the slim vast hull of the great Cunarder. I looked up as the eyes looked down, and saw most of my party above, and in a few seconds more was on deck shaking hands with them all round; finding out my State Room—what a noble appellation for the cubicle, "that heritage of woe," of which I was lord!—exhibiting the charms and conveniences of the same to my anxious daughters, who with feminine enthusiasm declared it was "delightful! so snug!" &c., and distributing my property in its angles and covert retreats. "All on board for the shore!" The bell is ringing for the third time! And as the last adieux are spoken, the last kiss, the last shake of the hand, given, and the outward and visible signs of friendship or of love are relegated to tearful eyes and waving kerchiefs, those who are going to sea think perhaps how pleasant it would be to return to the solid earth, and those who are bound for road or pavement struggle with the thought, "I wish I were going too!" Any stick will do to beat a dog! Any umbrella or hat will do to wave at a friend. And so, at 3.30 that afternoon, the "Gallia" made a graceful curtsy to an incoming wave, screwed herself out of the roadstead, and turned her stem to the Far West, towards the sun "which, by the bright track of his fiery car, gave token of a goodly day to-morrow." How green and fresh seemed the land where the fields swelled to the edge of the cliffs dotted with whitewashed cottages! Forward, leaning over forecastle bulwarks, the poor Irish emigrants and Irish-Americans were watching the coast-lines and listening to the experts who were pointing out the "Killies" and "Bailies" which adorned them. But the bell soon sounded again, this time to prepare for dinner, and in half an hour more, from the recesses of many cabins the multitude came trooping to the banqueting hall, which was at the time just gently yielding to the blandishments of the sea-nymphs to desert the line of strict propriety, and to leave off doing its level best. The "party" had a table all to itself on the right of the Saloon, but at the end there were two places left which we could not occupy, and these were filled by two American gentlemen, one of whom developed a marked talent for salads and anecdote, and the other equal gifts in the way of silence. The Cunard cuisine is copious at all events, and the cellar—albeit vexed by various temperatures and altitudes—commendable. The show of strength at table was creditable to our seagoing powers, and our first night with the expeditionary forces was passed pleasantly in discussing plans and the like till bed-time, when our grim chamberlain put out our candles, and left the inmates of the cabins to rest as best they might. On the second day people began to look more at each other at meal-times—to take notice, as the nurses say—but a strong easterly breeze introduced elements of discomfort and unsociability, and impeded friendly communion even in the smoking-room for a day or two. It was evident that the majority of the living freight of the "Gallia" were returning to their native land. There is always something or other cropping up out of the sad sea wave for those who are not absorbed in their own sufferings from the mal de mer; and though I have been fortunate enough to have escaped the slightest inconvenience in my marine experiences, I have had that share in the misery of others which is derived from sympathy. I have sometimes doubted whether exemption from sea-sickness, in bad weather, is such a boon, till I duly considered the state of those who were its victims. To be quite well, and yet to be unable to read or to write—to sit or to stand, or to lie down—without some sort of tension—is very aggravating. If you go on deck you are wet by sea or spray, and can do nothing but "hold on"; and if you go below you are half suffocated by the close air, and altogether tortured by the cries of distress around you. My cabin was on the main deck forward—large, airy, and, when the ports were open, well lighted—and the only inconvenience attendant on the situation was that it lay some distance from the bath-rooms, which are never numerous enough for the wants of the passengers even in the most liberally-appointed steamers. The knowing ones make a rush for the bath-room steward and inscribe their names at once for their quarter of an hour as soon as they come on board, and the unfortunates who neglect that precaution are obliged to take their chance later in the morning, and sometimes fare but badly. It was my fate once to be a passenger on board one of the steamers of the Messagéries Impériales to Marseilles from the East, at the close of the Crimean War. There was an immense crowd of officers and soldiers on board, and the weather was very hot, but the only bath-room was closed, and it was from a conclusive answer to the demands for admission which were made to the persecuted steward that we learned the reason why—"the bath was occupied." It contained the body of an officer which had been embalmed, and which was being taken to France for burial in some martial cemetery!