Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1842-12-03
Vol. 3.
DICKENS BOOK ON AMERICA.

From this work, which bears the title
Of "Amer'can notes for general circulation
. by CHARLES DICKENS" we make the fol
lowing extracts:
Landing at Boston.
"When | landed in America. could no,
help being strongly impressed with the con.
trast their Custom House presented. and
the attention, politeness. and good humor
with which its officers discharged their
duty.
"As we did not land at Boston, in conse-
quence Of some detention at the wharf
until after dark, received my frs, i'm
pressions of the city in walking down to
the Custom House in the morning after
our arrival, which was Sunday. am
afraid to say, by the way, how many offers
Of pews and seats in church for that morn
ing were made TO us, by formal notes of
invitation, before we had half finished our
first dinner in America, but if | may be
allowed to make moderate guess, with
out going into nicer calculation, | should
say that at least as many sittings were
profered us as would have accommodated
a score or two Of grown up families. The
number of creeds and forms Of religion
to which the pleasure of our company was
requested was in very fair proportion.
when I got into the streets upon this
Sunday morning, the air was so clear, the
houses were so bright and gay; the sign
boards were painted in such gaudy colors;
the gilded letters were so very golden; the
bricks were so very red; the stone was so
very white; the blinds and area ratings
were so very green; the knobs and plates
on the street doors 50 marvelIOusly bright
and twinkng, and all SO slight and unsub-
stantial in appearance, that every thorough
fare in the city looked exactly like n scene
in pantomime. 1t rarely happens in the
business streets that tradesman, if may
venture to call any body tradesman,
where every body is a merchant, resides
above his store; SD that many occupations
are often carried on in one house, and the
whole front is covered with boards and
inscriptions. AS l walked along kept
glancing up at these boards, confidently ex-
pecting to see few of them change into
something; and | never turned a corner
suddenly without looking out for the clown
and pantaloon, who, had no doubt. were
hiding in doorway or behind some pillar
close at hand. As to Harlequin and CO.
lumbine, | discovered Immediately that
they lodged Qhey are always looking after
lodgings in pantomime) at very small
clnckmaker's one story high, near the hotel;
which, ia addition to various symbols and
devices. almost covering the whole front,
had great dial hanging QUITO be jumped
through, of course.
"The suburbs are, if possible, even more
unspbslan'ial looking than the city. The
white wooden houses $50 white that it
makes one wink to look at them.) with
their green jalousie blinds, are so sprinkled
and dropped about in all directions. with
out seeming TO have any root al al! in the
ground, and the small churches and chapels
are so prm. and bright, and highly var.
nished, that almos, believe the whole affair
could be taken up piecemeal like a childs
toy and crammed into little box.
"Thc city is beautiful one. and nanno,
fail should imagine, to impress all strang.
ers very favoraby. The private dwelling
houses. are, for the most part, large and
elegant, the shops extremely good, and the
public buildings handsome. The Stale
House is built upon the summit of hll,
which rises gradually at first and after
waters edge. In front is green enclosure,
called the common. The site is beautiful.
and from the top there is a charming
panoramic view of the whole town and
neighborhood. In addition to variety of
commodious offices, il contains two hand
some chambers; in one the House Of Rep
resentatives of the State hold their meet.
ings; in the other. the Senate. Such pro-
ceedings as ] saw here were conducted
with perfect gravity and decorum. and
were certainly calculated TO inspire aten-
ton and respect"
american La,U Courts and Lq,oyers.
ITO an Englishman. accustomed to the
paraphernalia of Westminster Hall, an
American court of law is as odd sight
as, suppose, an English court of law
would be to an American. Except in the
Supreme Court at Washington (where the
Judges wear plain black robe) there is no
such thing asa wig or gown connected
with the administration of justice. The
gentlemen of the bar, beng barrsters and
attorneys too for there is no division OF
those functions as in Engand,) are no more
) removed from their clients than attorneys
in our Cont for the Relief of lnsolvenl
Debtors are from theirs. The jury are
quite at home, and make themselves as
comfortable as circumstances will permit
The witness is 81 little elevated above, 81
put aloof from. the crowd in the court, that a
stranger entering during pause in The pro.
IceaHin0S xunuiI find n bifrrnIt In NICK him