The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1823-09-09

| spreading trees standing single 10 the fields
for, except on the road side, we have long been
accustomed to see them either grouped, as in
our plantations, with no power to expand, or
losing their individual character il the depth
OF forests-recalled my thoughts to Yorkshire
or Derbyshire. Before we reached Salem we
passed through Ipswich, venerable in this young
country for its age, for it was settled in 1882.
twelve years after the landing of the Pilgrim
Fathers.
From Salem rode over to NarbIehead, 10
see some old friends. They gave me warm
reception, and their welcome had in il much
Of Scotch cordiality. Sferne says, he pities
the man wine can travel from Dan 10 Beershe
pa, and say il is all barren. ] MUCH pity has
Ill fortune who can travel from Maine TO Geor-
gIa, and say the Americans, men and women.
have no hearts. He will indeed in taverns and
bar-rooms meet with many whose manners are
calculated to give him that impression but
little acquaintance with American society
must show him that it is az erroneous one. In
deed, deliberately think that cursory tray
elleT must be struck with the evidence Of more
good nature, and greater spirit of accommo-
datlon IN the stages here than with us, and
certainly Of more uniform and marked respect
to female travellers, though often under the
most cold and forbidding manners. This /
was not prepared TO expect; and often, ia
making these favourable representations, Il
have to croSs-examine myself, and ask, 3" Are
these things really so ~ Sometimes where
the case is doubtful, bring my opinions TO a
severer test. | wait till the next time that 1
and myself in circumstances not particularly
calculated 70 excite good humour; and it.
when sitting in a bar-room, while they are
lighting fire in my chamber, and never still
there longer, though it is often the only sit
ting -room,) enveoped in segar smoke, and
watching my companions pour down then
ihroats the liquid fame that is to consume their
Vltals u, when received in suferanCe 0v al
irlgld landlord, who seems afraid TO degrade
himself by being civil Ia case which has hap
Pened, though you will have seen from my let
ters not very frequently or If. when more
than usually annoyed flor it is daily and
gneyous annoyance,) by the very general and
most disgusting habit Of splitting, without re-
gard TO time, place, or circumstance if al
such times find my faith in my favourable
sentiments mistaken, and feel convinced oil
their correctness, place them, as Mr.. Cecil
placed his tried characters, upon the shelf
But if fresh circu instances should arise to ex-
cite suspicion that, after all, nv impressions
are erroneous, wait till provoked by mali
cious misrepresentation of the state of things
in my own country, or by ill-natured remarks
on acknowledged defects il her institutions !;
and if | still feel bound by sincerity and can
dour to make my former admissions, seldom
suffer myself again TO call them into question.
MarbIehead, the second town in the com
mn xraal I'll, haE ~ D. I,.a
paratlvely the top of rock, place for the
spreading of nets in the midst of the sea- III
IS from this place principally that the New
foundland fishery is carried on. The trade.
however, has lately been very unproductiye,
and saw the fishing craft, which was now
drawn on shore, very generally advertised for
sale or charity.
On the 9th / dined with an old friend att
Salem. Our conversation turned good deal
on the remaining traces Of the primitive man
neTs Of the Pilgrim fathers. One of these
found was the substitution Of Thanksgiving
day In November, instead Of Christmas dav
and the remuneration of so hereto dish a.
mlnce pies as connected with that day and a
associated with ecclesiastic institutions which
the PuritaAs held in adherence. Christmas
day, however, is now observed more aud more
generally every year, and mnce pies we find
in every tavern. Another Puritanc custom
(which | was informed still fingers in Boston
als0) IS the commencement of the Christian
Sabbath on Saturday night, and its termina-
ton on Sunday evening, at 5 or o'clock
r. the evening and the morning were the frs
day." My friend told me, that in a very
strict family in Connecticut, in which he was
hror,rl,t n "a cIa
evening was observed with the greatest strict
ness and rigidity, and Sunday also till after
tea, when the orthodox lady invariably bro
out her knitting.-Before leave Salem j.
should add, that it is singular little town, oil
astonishing wealth, and formerly had sixty
or seventy ships in the India Trade, employ
ed principally in carrying the produce oil
China and the Eastern Archipelago to the
various parts Of Europe. Indeed, most of the
large commercial fortunes | lave observed
in America, some of them almost with
ont a parallel in Europe, have been made IL
those branches Of the East-India trade which
our East India Company never engaged in.
but from which their monopoly entirely ex-
ciudes British subjects.
| We reached Boston al ten o'clock at night.
and lay on two chairs at the stage house tin
two, when we set off for Northampton, 100
miles distant, where we arrived at ten O'Clock
in the evening after passing through Wor-
cester and Leicester. The following day we
set out for Hartford. The part Of the valley
Of Connecticut through which we passed i
generally admitted to be one of the finest por-
lions Of the cultivated regions Of America, anc
the panoramic views from some of the emf
nences, viii, hope, be one day rendered
more familiar to British Imagination, either by
| the pencil or the pen. We rode great part
Of the day on the very brink OF the river,
which appeared to be from third to half
mile broad. The ground was covered with
snow; but the day was bright, and every
twig was enclosed 10 sparkling icicle. On
this days route we saw some of the finest A.
merican elms we have observed in the coun-
| try. They are very different from ours, far
more lofty and expanded, and every branch i