Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-08-23
LYELL, THE & EoLOGlST. IN THE UNI
TED STATES.
OrINloxs Axp PASSAGES.


We day or two since noticed IN bric.
terms, book cf travelsin North America, from
the pen OF Lyell the celebrated Geologist.-
Wehave since looked over It's pages with some
attention, for the purpose of culling out pas
sage mere and there calculated TO interest the
general reader. The opinions of the Marry
ats and Tfoliopes of the day are ut little inn
portancc, but more thar ordinary interest at
taChcs 10 the views and observations of a man
50 distinguished for science as Charles Lyell.
lie sailed from Liverpool on the 2Qth of July.
/ ISL, in the Acadia, which made the trip at a
rate ranging between 220 and $50 miles per
/ day. lie landedin Boston Cd the 2nd of Au-
| gust, and his first impressions of the Literary
/ Emporium are given in the following brief and
complimentary termSi
The heat here is intense. the harbour and
/ city beautiful, the air clear and entirely free
from smoke, so that the shipping may be seen
/ Tar oil, at tile end of many OF the streets. The
fremont Hotel merits Its reputation as one OF
/ the best in the world. Rccollccting the con-
trast of every thing French when first crossed,
the straits OF Dover, EN- astonished, after
having traycrSed the wide ocean. at the re-
saInblance of every thing see and henr to
| things iamiliar at home. 1t has so often hap
pcned To me in our own island. without ira
l 80 'i' 'li'a ltAAtN III w dicS.
Ireland, where they talk perfectly distinct
language, 10 encounter provincial dialects
which 1t Is difficult TO comprehend, that won
der at finding the people here so very English.
I Ii the metropolis of New England be a tyne
OF large part OF the United States, the iudus-
+ try OF sam Slick, and other writer's, in collect
ing together so many diverling AmeIicanisms
and 50 much original slang, is truly great or
Their inventive powers still greater"
| The onward PROCESS oiour country. and the
wonderful spirit OF improvement which has
chaIacterled certain sections of late years, are
aptly illustrated in the following passage:
"A few years ago, it was a fatigung tour of
many weeks to reach the Falls of Niagara from
Albany. We arc now carried along at the
rate OF sixteen miles an hour, on railway of
ten supported on piles, through large swamps
covered with aquatic trees and shrubs, or tho
dense forests; with occasional ciearings where
orchards are planted by anticipation among
the stunlps, before they have even had time To-
run up u log house. The traveller views with
surprise, in the midst of so much unoccupied
land, one fiourishing town after another, such
as Uuca, Syracuse, and Auburn. At Roches.
Ter he admres the streets OF large houses, in.
habitcd by 10000 souls, where the first settler
built his log-cabin in the wilderness only
twenty-five years ago. At one point our train
stopped at handsome new built station house
and, looking out at one window, we saw
group OF Indians uf the Oneida lately the own
ers OF the broad lands around, but now humbly
Offering Tor sale few trinkets such baskets
ornamented with porcupine quilts, moccasins
OF moosedeer skin, and boxes Of birch bark
At the other window, stood well-dressed
waiter handing ices and confectionery. When
we reflect that some single towns, of which the
foundations were laid by persons still living,
can already number population, equal to all
the aboriginal hunter tribes who possessed the
forests for hundreds OF miles around, we soon
cease 10 repine II the extraordinary revolution
however much we may commiserate the un-
happy fate OF the disnherited race
MI Lyell, alluding TO the GOODNESS and con-
ildence with which every one in the New
World Is willing 10 attempt new path, re-
lates this anecGote:
"a few days afterwards engaged a young
man TO drive me in gig from Tioga to Bloss-
berg. On the way be pointed out, first, his
fathers property, and then farm of his own
which he had la'ely purchased. AS he was
not yet twenty years of age, expressed sur
prise that he had got on so well in the world,
when he told me that he had been editor ofthe
"lloga Democrat for several years, but had
sold his share OF the newspaper"
The following, also is quite Characteristic
OF our people:
81 asked the landlord of the inn at Coming
who was very attentive TO his guests to find
my coachman. He Immediately called out in
ms bar-room, "Whcrc is the gentleman that
brought his man hcrel" A few DAYS before. a
farmer in New York had styled my wife s'the.
woman,' though he called his own daughters
iadieS. and would, believe, have freely ex-
tended that title To- their maid-servant. Twas
told OF witness in a late trial at Boston, who
M IL. al. l.
gentleman Were shovelling up mud" &c;
from which il appears that the spirit of social
equality has left no other Specification to the
terms gentleman" and "lady" but that of
male and female individual"
The great geologist is highly COMPLIMENTS
/ ry, as to the Difference paid universally to the
female sex, without regard to- station He saws
mat women may travel alone in the United
States I'm the sage-Coaches, steam boats. and
railways, with less risk Of encountering dis.
agreeable behaviour, and of hearing coarse and
unpleasant conversation, than in any country
he ever visited. There is spirit OF true gal
lantry III all this, but the publicity OF the rail
way car, where all are in one long ROOM and
OF the large ordinaTies, whether ON land or
water, Is great protection, the want of which
has been felt by many female traveller with
out escort in England"
Referring to our onward progress, ne makes
this plthy remark.
Had Spain colonized this region, how diff
ierent would have been her career of ciyiliza
toni Had the puritan fathers landed ON the
banks ct the Plata, how many hundreds of
large steamers would ere this have been pIy-
ING the Parana and Uruguay--how many rail
way trains flying over the Pampas-how many
large schools and universities fourishiup i'm
Paraguay"
/ While in Philadelphia, it will be seen by
the following, he was not little annoyed and
surprised at the frequent alarms Of fire:
We next went BY railway from New York
To Philadelphia, through the State of New Jer-
sey. Large fields Of maize, without the stunps
OF trees rising above the corn, aud villas with
neat itowergaTdeBs, seemed novelty to- US
after the eye had dwelt for so many hundreds
OF miles ON native forests and new clearings.
The streets OF Philadelphia rival the finest,
/ Dutch towns in cleanliness and the beautiful