Business here, with the exception of a few respectable houses, is conducted on an apparently slovenly plan; clerks at their banks look like our tavern waiters in deshabille, and the bankers themselves not in appearance so respectable as our clerks.
The town is handsomely built, and several things constantly remind one that here the people rule, and their convenience and comfort are studied: the footways for example are in general twice as broad as ours, in some instances taking up at least as much of the street as that set apart for the carriages; and the hackney coaches are not only neat but elegant in our sense of the word, and both drivers and horses equally superior. In a late publication,[6] it is observed that the goods in the stores are set out in a slovenly manner; [22] my own observation is that their shops or stores are apparently as good, and the stock as well shewn as in many good houses in London: their coffee-houses and dinner-rooms in the best lodging-houses are even superbly fitted up, very much in the French style: the Tontine, the City, and the Bank-coffeehouses are three of the first; and a person may now dine at any one of them, I believe, for three dollars and a half per week, and fare sumptuously upon turtle, &c. every day;—wine is but little drank, or any other liquor indeed, either at or immediately after dinner by Americans; the reason for this, as given to me by an American, seems good—"We consider dinner as a sufficient stimulus" says he "without adding wine or spirits to it."
The business of the courts of justice during the summer is done in the evenings and nights; the great heat of the weather in the day time absolutely preventing any number of people from collecting together without danger of fevers, particularly such persons as compose the witnesses, auditors, and attendants in a law court.
Mr. Fearon states, that forgery of bank notes is unknown here, for, that the execution of them is so excellent (I write the sense of his words from memory) it renders it too difficult to attempt.—I can affirm that there was scarcely a store I [23] went into at New York, but they could shew me several; and so well executed, it was impossible for me to see any difference between the valid and the forged note.
A DRIVE TO THE FALLS OF THE PASSAIC RIVER, JERSEY STATE
Leaving Hoboken on the Delaware, we proceed along a good road with some romantic scenery of rock, wood, and water, through the town of Hackensac to the village of Paterson; where we found a good tavern and an attentive Landlord, a very remarkable character in the United States: after dining at the table d'hote, which was very well provided, we set out to walk to the falls, a mile distant, under a burning sun, which made it appear at least two. The beautiful clear stream of the gentle Passaic here suddenly rushes down two perpendicular fissures in the granite rock; making a grand fall at each, of about one hundred feet, into a capacious basin beneath; from thence recovering, it murmurs along a stony bed a mile or two, when resuming [24] a placid course it winds through a country thickly settled, the inhabitants chiefly Dutch and Germans; and gliding by the towns of Belville and Newark finally mingles its waters with the Delaware. The views near Belville, and on the road to it on the banks of the Passaic, are very fine: but the whole way the black population were so numerous as to be quite oppressive to the eye unaccustomed to it; every house we passed presented a group of black heads huddled together glaring at us:—But the beautiful Passaic has floated us away from its falls too soon; we must just return thither to say that we ascended by steps made for the purpose to the top of the rocks, from whence the river is precipitated. Here are some wide yawning clefts of great depth, and one of them occasioned a dreadful catastrophe not long before our coming: a new-married couple accompanied a party to the falls, and after admiring the tremendous broken and precipitous rocks and chasms, were returning in order to descend; when the bride ran back, as she said, to take a last view, and heedlessly going too near to the edge of the yawning cleft fell into it in sight of her husband, who in vain rushed to save her—she was seen no more!
On returning to the tavern at Paterson, I asked the little shabby bare-footed boy, our guide, [25] whether he worked at a wool manufactory we were passing, "No," said he, rather bluntly; "I go to school; my father's a 'squire:" thinking I did not hear correctly, I repeated the question and received the same answer. "And pray what is a 'squire, what does he do?" "Oh, he attends sessions, trials, and hears causes." "And what may your father do at other times?" "He assists Mr. ******* at the tavern there, in the bar!"
We returned to Hoboken by the town of Belville; day departed long before we got back, and night came on, its darkness beautifully relieved by the novel effect of the fire-fly, myriads of which were darting in perpetual motion; and in all directions filling the air and the surface of the low grounds with brilliant illumination.
We met on the road many small light waggons drawn by two horses harnessed to a pole, which are here by the country people used generally: in these the farmer and his family travel at a brisk pace and very commodiously;—at a distance I at first fancied a handsome Phaeton approaching, as they drove towards us; indeed, away from the city every one seems comfortable and independent; we see no misery, no disgusting army of paupers, not even a beggar to be seen:[7] we have, however, [26] already discovered that this country is not entitled to a character for cheap living; for many articles, particularly those of luxury, you pay at least as much as in England, the difference consisting in this, (a very material one to the seller,) that here, the whole price of the commodity goes into the pocket; there, a heavy tax is paid in some shape or other out of every article sold: for example, the hire of a gig and horse for the day is here thirteen shillings and sixpence sterling; the owner puts the whole of this into his pocket, for there is no duty to government; whereas in England we all know too well that there is an enormous one, besides an assessed tax for both carriage and horse. Wine here, though of course to be bought much cheaper by the private consumer, is charged at least a dollar and a half per bottle at a public boarding-house, though the duty on importation is trifling; in England the price is the same, notwithstanding the high duties. As another instance, washing is done here from three shillings and sixpence to four shillings and sixpence sterling per dozen, of everything indiscriminately; though soap is not half the price it is in England, where the same quantity may be washed for two shillings.
From the above examples, and many more I could mention, it would appear that the man who should emigrate to this country to spend an income, [27] might not gain by the change; it is equally evident that the individual who goes to make money may be benefited.