evening; the inhabitants not thinking their hats and umbrellas in much danger. Such traits are perfectly unequivocal.
LETTER III
Journey from New York to Philadelphia—Remarks on
the country passed through—Notices of companions—Their
conversation by the way—Observations on Philadelphia—Institutions—Manufactures—People.
Philadelphia, December 19, 1818.
This letter will give you the details of my journey from New York to Philadelphia, and some particulars with regard to the latter city.[17]
{24} August 5. Got aboard of the Olive-Branch steam-*boat for New Brunswick. This is a large vessel, wrought by an engine of forty-five horses' power. She may at once be pronounced elegant and commodious. The passengers dine on board.
In a company so large, the traveller has it in his power to select the person with whom he would enter into conversation. The individual I fell in with, on this occasion, was a mercantile gentleman from England. He seemed to me a man of a good disposition, and one who possessed considerable knowledge of the principal towns, and of the different ways of transacting business in the United States. The American character, according to his report, is by no means a good one. He expressed himself as completely tired of the country, and proposed returning to England. He told me that he had met with considerable losses by villanous insolvencies. His account, instead of convin-*
