The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-30

fifty cents the head you may be sure that you have ar
rived In region Of plenty. We saw frequently hunt
table Of every Western hotel bears witness TO the
abundance Of game In the prairie. Veui3ou, grouse,
or prairie chicken. and little white mested bird.
which Is here called partridge, are the principal
mallard duck, which some Westerns pit against the
canvass back. The venison 10 certainly prime very
tender. and veil favored; but have killed and
eaten finer in Hamilton county than have yet
tasted here, and have an artistic recollection OF
the well antered bucks Of Western Virginia. One
note only make, that where the wild deer flourish
In state Of nature, there sheep will Ia the civil
lied state and which OF the two contributes most to
the comfort and sustenance Of man, IL is needless to
II was night when we reached Alton, where the
Chicago and Mississippi road now terminates; we
esvOr the OMNIBUS provided Sy ths
for ladies' and inyalids, and came upon stee mud
dy levee. lighted up by huge torches Of pue knots,
blazing in iron lanterns, q may call them,) aud
which shed lurid glare upon crowd OF busy por-
tiers, great piles Of goods, and number OF ia -ge
steamboats,, loading or unloading, end beyond all,
dark and almost invisible, rolled the Father OF Wa
ters Ny heart went pitapat, tired as was atsight
of the Mississippi This the famous strea which
Marquette discovered, which is associated with the
names Of La Sale and De Soto-the fertilizer Of the
great Valley, the great commercial artery OF North
America. A number Of sublime thoughts occurred
to me, which reserve. l have passed over the
road three times since then, and my enthusiasm has
somewhat subsided. The distance from Atom TO
6t. Louis ia twenty three miles by the river. We
were two hours getting our luggage transferred to
the boat, and three more, owing to the night and
the low stage OF water in dropping do~n 8, that it
was 81 A. M. when we arrived Ia st. Louis.
After Cincinnati, and coming directly from MI
waukie and Chicago. Unjust own that I vas at dist
disappointed in st. Louis. It rained the frat day,
and very un willingly / was ont in it. When it bs.
came pleasant, there were no fine buildings to re-
ward You TOR coming 80 far to see them. st. Louis
has yet to begin Its Fifth avenue and its Broadway;
the business streets are occupied with plain, sub
stsntia stores Of brick, rather dngy with coal dust
and smoke. there are few recent structures Of
marble and free stone, the architects have not yet
advanced beyond our standard OF few years since,
when fiat surfaces pierced with windows and doors
without projection to cast shadow or de-
velop perspe ctive, were deemed sufficient for
beauty and even magnificeDce. There Is
number Of years in building, but which will b. i'm
posing when finished, II one may judge by the enor
nous blocks lying around 1t and designed for its
future columns. The most pietu .esque church Is
Presbyterian, conspicuous for its light, elegant cam
papile of brick, standing quite separate from the
main body of the edce, as In Italy, and surmountsd
by large gilt cross, which often causes the building
to be mistaken for Catholic church. The Catholic
the interior has churchlike air, aud the altar pecs
is good copy of the TRANSPORTATION by Rubens.
The University of st. Louis is large collection OF
bui diDgs OF brick, and quite plaio. new wing,
The institution is under the care Of the Jesuits and
the college church, dedicated to st. Francis Xavier
s the centre OF great spiritual activity In St. Louis
through their weliknown zeal Probably the greater
taht as vel. as well as Catholic, ackno Wedge tais
university as their alma Mater.
This, en- p0ssant. was saying that the first as
pect of st. Louis disappointed me. but longer &C.
nsvka L-~-
polished people changed my impressions. There is
q sOlidity in the pretenei0os of st. Louis which,
amid the general pasteDosrd system of America, Ia
very attractive to me. There. is more wealth tnan
city has passed through fearful monetary crisis,
and several failures OF importance have occurred
the manner in which the general credit of st. Louis
sustained the pressure fully Ears out, think, my
opinion. There has not been 20 much money spent
in marble and brown stone fronts as in some places
but there is for that reason, at hand to meet
an emergency in business. With time. magnif ,encs
must come, too. St. Louis will one day be among
the most splendid cities on the continent as its
situation is Of all others the most central, aud next
to New York the most commanding. It's system of
railroads, Jet undeveoped, will, when complete,
give u tae command of the Northwest, aud make ii
really the queen of the great Valley.
The society here is exceedingly agreeable. French
is good deal spoken even yet, and the French So
ciai spirit largely influences the manners. The fine
forms OF the ladies are very noticeable to an Eastern
cinrati, among the cities that have described to
you if you understand literary culture as is under
stood in Boston Yet l do not know city where
the love of literature, 80 far as it extends is
Mercantile Institute is already noble one and In
its collection Of periodicals really valuable. I.s
fourteen thousand volumes q think that Is the
number) comprise very few n0vels-which is say.
ing great deal for it. The library of the Univer
sity has about the same number Of volumes, some
of which are highly curious By the way, the read
ing room of the Mercantile is extremely well ar.
ranged; the lecture room is decidedly the first
elegance or comfort. To Gil it, indeed, requires a
powerful at least well trained voice, one or the
0 her OF which, however, people who give lectures
are bound TO possess.
The expenses Of living here are nearly as great as
in New York, aud for the same money you cannot
live nearly az WE'LL Toe material civilization of the
West, 10, of course, in many points behind that
CT the East, and although some Injuries, a. game
such as estabe butter, for example, are Cat this
seasoD) scarcely to be had at all. Private boarding
may be had very lo~ understand, but the hotels,
of which alone / have had any experience, and
which don't find any better than require, charge
as.high AZ those of New York. There are several
excellent houses, and some OF their ARRANGEMENTS
might afford useful hints to Eastern proprietors
! spent several weeks a. The Planters" and,
splendor, was scarcely as comfortable, thought,
when lately stopped there. Barnum's, the Mon
rec, &C., are oil houses that can recon mend to the
traveller, and believe there are several others that
are very good.
It s an unfortunate thing that the Mississippi
water win not (they say) make paper Of sufficient
whiteness for printing purposes FOR st. Louis uses
. great deal Of it. The Missouri Republican has
broad sheet, as you are aware, scarcely to be sur
passed in inches. II, che Louisville Journal and Il
Cincinnati Gazette, are the papers Of largest circu
lation in the West. The HERALD arrives here on
the third day, which is now one of the marvels OF
the age; but when the railroads of the West make
better speed, will be thought Of very little How
ever, what with the telegraph and the express
the people here keep pretty well ,sted in regard
to what is going on In the world and the local pa.
peIs sre generally ready find, with remarkably
independent opinion. That Ia quite character
isde Of the West, and one which Eastern people
do not Jet fully appreciate. This Great West has
no idea of playing laa nennle saul aecand dddle,